Welcome back to the Thursday Q&A series, where we focus on one particular topic – today's being the US U-20 roster– and ask you to react, share, and discuss in the comments section. However, feel free to ask about anything game-related (MLS, USL, NASL, USMNT, CanMNT, etc.) over the next several hours.
I come not to bury Tab Ramos and Jurgen Klinsmann, but to praise them. Yes, the US U-20 national team roster left off my favorite attacking player in that age-group (Cristian Roldan of the Seattle Sounders), and yes, it lacks a true No. 9 – a target player who can hold the ball up top, threaten on set pieces and do that Brian McBride-style dirty work that US teams have always needed. Ramos had one on his radar, but...
A) Tony's sources were right, and B) there's still a spot open on the US roster. Perhaps that will end up going to Andrija Novakovich, who by all accounts has been excellent for the Reading U-21s and should make the jump to the first team in the coming months.
Novakovich's absence could open a spot for Ben Spencer, who has bounced from club to club over the last several years and is now on loan with TFC II in the USL. Spencer was useful in U-20 qualifying not so much for his individual quality, but for the teamwide spacing he provided in opening things up for the wingers.
Which brings me to my point: there are only two "true" wide players on this roster, in Paul Arriola of Club Tijuana and Jordan Allen of Real Salt Lake. And those might be air-quotes around "true" since we saw Ramos use Arriola in central midfield during the qualifying tournament, and since Allen has played all over the pitch for RSL.
Let's see if he's comfortable receiving the ball in the center of the park and using his first touch to create space...
Allen's performance as a shuttler on the side of the diamond midfield in last night's scoreless draw vs. the Galaxy was the best part of the game. He was able to contribute in possession, get on the ball in tight spots and make smart passes, and still be goal-dangerous on occasion. It was inarguably his best game as a pro.
Given all of the above, this roster points to one thing: A more lasting move from the 4-3-3 at age-group levels to the diamond 4-4-2. I am an unabashed fan of the diamond, so I like this. More importantly – on a longer timeline, anyway – this starts to hint at some intentionality in regards to Klinsmann's role as technical director. The full USMNT play the diamond; the U-23s played the diamond in their last outing; now we'll probably see it from the U-20s.
This is a good thing. The diamond is built around a game-reading No. 6, which in the U-20's case will be Kellyn Acosta of FC Dallas, and that type of player has always been integral to any US success on the biggest stage. Devin Pleuler ran the numbers last year before the World Cup, and they were revealing.
A couple of other notes:
• Roldan, Novakovich and Spencer weren't the only notable omissions. Junior Flores of Borussia Dortmund, who underwhelmed as a No. 10 in qualifying, also missed the cut, as did Philadelphia's Zach Pfeffer and Crew SC's Romain Gall. Gall is an out-and-out winger whose numbers with the U-20s have been excellent, but who appears to be the most obvious casualty of the potential formation switch. Pfeffer has also spent most of his MLS minutes on the wing, though he's looked good as more of a No. 8 for the Union lately.
• One of the above might still make it, assuming the final roster slot doesn't go to Novakovich, Spencer or a still-caught-in-red-tape Gedion Zelalem of Arsenal. Zelalem is officially a US citizen, but pushing the paperwork through various levels of the FIFA bureaucracy is not a fast process. This delay is neither unusual nor unexpected. The deadline for the final US roster is May 15, which suggests that Zelalem is very, very close to full clearance from the powers that be.
• Who will play the No. 10? Probably Joel Sonora of Boca Juniors. Though if Ramos opts to emulate the US diamond (which is wider than usual), it might be Emerson Hyndman of Fulham. Hyndman is a deeper-lying player in the Michael Bradley or Benny Feilhaber mold, while Sonora is more of a "sits in the hole underneath the forwards" No. 10, a la Javier Morales or Lee Nguyen.
• I'm excited to see the frontline pairing of Bradford Jamieson IV and Rubio Rubin (I'm assuming that will be the duo, with cameos from the other guys). In a two-forward alignment a true target isn't necessarily as crucial, since there's a better chance for immediate interplay along the same access of attack, and Rubin's aggressive movement in and around the 18 should create time and space for Jamieson to work in isolation.
• The defense should be very similar – if not identical – to the lineup used in qualifying, which threw shutout after shutout once the early-game kinks were worked out.
• Zach Steffen is a lock to start in goal.
• Nine of the roster are MLS Academy alums.
EDIT: Ives Galarcep reported that only two guys are in consideration for the final roster spot:
Thanks for helping me kill another Thursday afternoon. Check the comments section below to see the back-and-forth.
