The Upgrade: FIFA 17 numbers say Bruce Arena picked a good US squad for WCQ

Welcome to The Upgrade, a series tracking MLS players in EA SPORTS FIFA 17. (Check out the previous installment!)

The United States men’s national team is busy gearing up for what will undoubtedly be their most anticipated matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying cycle. They take on Trinidad & Tobago on June 8, and then follow that up with a trip to Mexico City to face El Tri on June 11 in a match where the pressure will rival the altitude of Estadio Azteca.

Suiting up for the Red, White, and Blue will be 27 players who ply their trade all over the globe, with 15 MLSers making up the core of the group.

This squad features a higher concentration of attacking talent than just about any WCQ roster over the past few years, and at the halfway point of the Hex, this is probably a signal of intent from Bruce Arena.

So let’s take a look at how this team stacks up in FIFA 17:

There are a lot of good numbers in that table, and plenty of them come at the attacking end of things, which is an important development, considering how willing the USMNT have been to go with a “defense first” mindset against Mexico in the past.

For the match against Trinidad & Tobago, there is no excuse for the USMNT to do anything but establish themselves on the front foot and pound away. It’s a home match and the US needs three points.

Controlling that attack will most likely be Christian Pulisic, who has had the No. 10 shirt bestowed upon him since breaking out with Dortmund. There are some legit gripes about Sacha Kljestan and Benny Feilhaber being left off this squad. They’re proven string-pullers. But Pulisic’s OVR is already on par both of them and he’s a much more dynamic player with the ball at his feet. I can hardly fault Bruce for handing him the keys to the USMNT attack, and with 88 sprint speed, 91 acceleration, 82 dribbling, and 71 finishing, you simply can’t ignore what a lethal option he is on counterattacks.

Flanking him on either side will likely be Darlington Nagbe and Fabian Johnson, who are equally pacey and wonderful on the ball.

During an injury-marred Bundesliga season in which he was limited to just nine starts, Johnson still managed three goals and two assists for Gladbach. He’s one of his team’s most dynamic players when fit, and his ability to do just about everything extremely well is what makes him so important to the USMNT. His 89 sprint speed, 79 dribbling, 79 crossing, 79 short passing, 78 positioning, and 74 vision make him a beast on the attacking end of things, and his strong defensive attributes mark his versatility.

Nagbe, on the other hand, is ever-present in Portland’s starting XI, and he finally looks to have found a way to hit third gear on a relatively consistent basis this season. That’s huge because, as we all know, his natural potential is off the charts. The question has always been: Can he ever hit his ceiling? If he’s found an answer, then the USMNT have their answer out wide. With 88 sprint speed, 90 agility, 80 short passing, 77 dribbling, and 75 shot power, Nagbe is a force to be reckoned with in FIFA 17, and he rounds out a terrifying attacking midfield line for the USMNT with speed for days.

At the end of the day, FIFA 17 ratings aren’t going to tell 100% of the story in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, but they shed a ton of light on players’ strengths and where they best fit into a team. Bruce Arena chose to bet on pace and power when building this team, and the numbers say he made a good choice.