One player's loss is another player's gain. At least that is what Jurgen Klinsmann would like to see in this month's US national team camp.
The US has kicked off a European-based camp ahead of friendlies against the Netherlands on Friday (3 pm ET; ESPN2) and Germany on June 10 (2:45 pm ET; Fox Sports 1), but several of the first-choice players will not be available for Klinsmann. Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Jermaine Jones are among the regulars who will miss out on the two games because of various reasons, forcing Klinsmann to have to turn to younger and less experienced players for the two CONCACAF Gold Cup tune-ups.
While that scenario might not be ideal given that the regional championship is set to begin next month, Klinsmann is taking the positives from it. The US head coach knows this is a big chance for some of the reserves to impress, one they likely would not have had if a full squad had come together.
"I think every player always thinks day-in and day-out, 'How far can I go in my career at the international level?' and sometimes when you have big names in front of you maybe just don’t believe that you can get there," Klinsmann told USsoccer.com. "You have Clint Dempsey in front of you, Jozy Altidore in front of you, also Alejandro Bedoya, who really became an important piece in our team, in front of you, and then maybe you don’t expect to get that opportunity.
"So now you get that opportunity. You can play against Holland, you can play against Germany, and now you have to understand that you better use it. You better make the best out of it and prove to the coaches and the fans that you deserve to be a part of the program moving forward. So I think that’s pretty cool. I think that’s very exciting, even though it’s difficult for a coach when some key players are not there because you also want to have positive results and show these big name teams that you are able to play with them.”
Where spots are really up for grabs in this camp is at forward. Routine starters Altidore (injury) and Dempsey (family reasons) were both left off the 22-man roster Klinsmann unveiled on Sunday, meaning that there are a pair of lineup places available.
The door is open for the likes of Juan Agudelo, Aron Johannsson, Gyasi Zardes and Bobby Wood to not only fill in for Altidore and Dempsey, but also to make a strong last push in person ahead of the Gold Cup.
"The topic of strikers for us is a huge one," said Klinsmann. "Obviously we have Jozy that we rely on, and Clint who has done this job for so many years, but we need the next generation of strikers to come in and score goals on a consistent basis. The key message to our young talented strikers is you have to score consistently. You can’t ever get satisfied. They need to have a ratio where they score at least a goal every third game.
"That’s what you expect from an international-caliber striker. You have to figure out ways to score goals, ways to create chances for yourself if you aren’t getting them from your teammates. That’s a lot of work.”
The young forwards are not the only ones looking to impress. Other newcomers or fringe players like defenders Ventura Alvarado and Brad Evans will have the opportunity to show where they stand in the pecking order, and strong performances against heavyweight opposition like the Netherlands and Germany could go a long way in helping them land a place in the US' Gold Cup squad.
"I think with these two games against Germany and against Holland we can kind of close the loop and say, ‘Okay, now we know where to put them in the ranking,’" said Klinsmann. "Eventually it’s down to naming a roster for the Gold Cup that is able to win that tournament, and you have to kind of leave the transition phase on the side.
"We will go into the Gold Cup with the 23 players that we believe in, in order to win that tournament, so it kind of all wraps up here in the next 10 days.”
