Best USA player I have seen in MLS this year: Klein

[Bruce S]

I am no Wizards fan, but if I ask who has impressed me the most in all the games I have seen, and warrants the big call to USMNT: Chris Klein. He is an animal-huge, strong, fast, pretty skilled and the sucker has an excellent shot. I am not saying he has a position on the flank locked up, but someone will have to work VERY hard to beat him for the slot.

[Coryattheplex]

I watched Chris play all four years at IU, and was always impressed by the technical abilities he posseses, while being of such an imposing size......he is a REALLY big man. I don't know what has held him back from breaking in with the national team.....I also would hesitate to call him a lock, but he can definately kick that midget Coby Jones' ass up and down the right side of the field.

That's it...my USA National team philosophy in a nutshell, PLEASE DEAR GOD GET COBI OFF OUR TEAM!
AMEN

[jamesf24]

Klein was in, getting a start in the final critical game at Barbados in the first round of qualifying. Also played well in a friendly against Mexico (Landon's first cap), but a knee injury cost him his chance. He is really just now coming back into that form. In the future, when we have the likes of Klein & Suarez, we will be able to physically dominate, and have the "dance" of the game, with skill of Donovan, Beasley etc.


James

[Bruce S]

Originally posted by Coryattheplex
I watched Chris play all four years at IU, and was always impressed by the technical abilities he posseses, while being of such an imposing size......he is a REALLY big man. I don't know what has held him back from breaking in with the national team.....I also would hesitate to call him a lock, but he can definately kick that midget Coby Jones' ass up and down the right side of the field.

That's it...my USA National team philosophy in a nutshell, PLEASE DEAR GOD GET COBI OFF OUR TEAM!
AMEN
hey, Cobi has been a valuable player for the USA for a long time and had an excellent World Cup so give the man his props. That said, it is not an issue. Cobi is in his 30s, Klein is what, 25? Also, given the number of good, small players the USA has, we need a few big men to bring some power to the offense AND defence. Klein is a beast.

[jamesf24]

I believe Klein is 26. :)

What am I doing up at midnight on Monday writing about Chris Klein? :(

[Bruce S]

with Sanneh, Pope and McBride on the wrong side of 30 in 2006, we will need some big tough guys in our line-up, especially against Euro teams. Chris is a tough guy who can play.

[Delta Blues]

Originally posted by Bruce S
with Sanneh, Pope and McBride on the wrong side of 30 in 2006, we will need some big tough guys in our line-up, especially against Euro teams. Chris is a tough guy who can play.

Another factor is that there are continually more and more players who still contribute at later ages now. 30 isn't as old as it used to be in football. Training and diet regimens have made careers more productive for a longer time. I think this will continue as nutrition and training advances keep getting better. Klein would be a nice addition to the pool IMO.

[jamison]

Klein is good, but I think Ruiz and Twellman deserve to be 1-2 in player of the year voting as far as MLS players. Nat team consideration is something different all together, but I have no problem with Klein getting some friendly game action in the off season.

[McGinty]

To be fair, Klein has only recently started to get hot. He was not impressive earlier in the year. He needs to improve on his crossing, but other than that, he has all of the physical tools and skills to do something productive with the US.

Recently he's been playing an attacking right back position in a 442, and pretty much has to work the entire right flank so he's definitely a horse.

[Unorthodox Yank]

ahem....nick garcia.

[Hatrick]

I'm not too impressed with Klein as the man is quite slow for international competition, but he can help the team when brought in for the last 15 mins or so.

[MarioKempes]

Originally posted by Hatrick
I'm not too impressed with Klein as the man is quite slow for international competition, but he can help the team when brought in for the last 15 mins or so.

That's Klein's one big drawback. Slow speed of play. This comes from several factors, including speed of thought, foot speed, quickness, and ball control. Hopefully he will learn to play a little faster, as MLS pace doesn't cut it at the international level.

[Bruce S]

he doesn't look slow to me. And those other guys play different positions and are much smaller. If the USA team is not to be the Lilliputians, we need some horses.

[tytomkiel]

Chris is a very good player and should be playing a lot for USA, he is by far the best Wiz player and personally the best pure rightsided mid fielder in America. He has size, touch, vision and pace to help USA...also he's a lot faster than people think

[JG_Revs]

I always thought Klein would be a nasty outside back in Arena's attacking 4-4-2. Guy's huge, you forget when he's on TV but every time he comes to New England it's striking how big he is.

He could develop in the Sanneh mold... big winger converted to defense to better utilize physical attributes but still brings the ball up extensively. Question is (probably best answered by KC fans), how's his defense?

[Martin Fischer]

Originally posted by tytomkiel
Chris is a very good player and should be playing a lot for USA, he is by far the best Wiz player and personally the best pure rightsided mid fielder in America. He has size, touch, vision and pace to help USA...also he's a lot faster than people think

The emphasis should be on pure rightsided midfielder -- Arena, unlike traditional American coaches, does not reserve a position for a "pure" left or right midfielder.

As the previous poster notes, right back appears to be a better fit in Arena's system.

[Bruce S]

I can't agree. He is pretty damn effective in midfield. As a Revs fan, I can tell you that one of the worst sights to see is Klein rumbling down the wing with the ball. He is NOT going to be stopped by a little shoulder charge either. You either need a two-footed tackle or an elephant gun!

[Unorthodox Yank]

Originally posted by JG_Revs
I always thought Klein would be a nasty outside back in Arena's attacking 4-4-2. Guy's huge, you forget when he's on TV but every time he comes to New England it's striking how big he is.

He could develop in the Sanneh mold... big winger converted to defense to better utilize physical attributes but still brings the ball up extensively. Question is (probably best answered by KC fans), how's his defense?

His defence is allrigth, but really his main strength is playing a pure mid position. a few times he covers as a right outside back, but realy, his main effectivness comes from midfield.

[Martin Fischer]

Originally posted by Unorthodox Yank


His defence is allrigth, but really his main strength is playing a pure mid position. a few times he covers as a right outside back, but realy, his main effectivness comes from midfield.

In MLS that is. On the international level, whether he has the ability to be an effective midfield attacker is yet to be determined. And in Arena's systems, midfielders can attack down the wings but they better be able to operate in the middle as well.

[superdave]

Against Germany, we started Frankie Freakin' Hejduk at RWB.

I've long thought Klein was a tweener, so now that Bruce has discovered the 3-5-2, maybe he can be our right wingback. He won't have any responsibilities toward the center, but he'll have alot of defensive AND offensive responsibilities on his side.