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ESPN's Adrian Melville ranks top-23 US soccer players
Posted on 5/31/14 at 10:04 am
Posted on 5/31/14 at 10:04 am
Insider article LINK
Criteria:
1. Howard; 2. Dempsey; 3. Bradley; 4. Cameron; 5. Zusi; 6. Guzan; 7. Jones; 8. Altidore; 9. Bedoya; 10. Besler; 11. F. Johnson; 12. Johannsson; 13. Beckerman; 14. Gonzalez; 15. Donovan; 16. Beasley; 17. Chandler; 18. Davis; 19. Yedlin; 20. Kljestan; 21. Wondolowski; 22. Brooks; 23. Rimando.
Criteria:
quote:
• Because there are always issues of tactical fit when assembling the national team for friendlies and qualifiers, club form takes a slight precedence over form with the United States.
• Player positioning does not matter, but versatility does. Players who can fill multiple roles are always a valuable asset to any team.
• While recent form does play a role, there is something to be said for consistency over time (sorry, Julian Green), and so play over the last couple of years -- and to a small extent, reputation -- is factored in.
In putting together my ranks, I also spoke with Jesse Marsch, a former USMNT assistant and head coach with the Montreal Impact, who offered his take on several players. Some of his comments are included below.
With that in mind, here is my ranking of the top 23 U.S. players.
1. Howard; 2. Dempsey; 3. Bradley; 4. Cameron; 5. Zusi; 6. Guzan; 7. Jones; 8. Altidore; 9. Bedoya; 10. Besler; 11. F. Johnson; 12. Johannsson; 13. Beckerman; 14. Gonzalez; 15. Donovan; 16. Beasley; 17. Chandler; 18. Davis; 19. Yedlin; 20. Kljestan; 21. Wondolowski; 22. Brooks; 23. Rimando.
quote:
1. Tim Howard (Club team: Everton) Howard's athleticism has made him one of the best shot-stopping goalkeepers in the world, and his ability to organize a back line also contributes to him being the best American player. He recorded 15 clean sheets for Everton in the 2013-14 season (third most in the Premier League) and was forced into making 3.0 saves per game last year as opposed to just 2.5 in 2012-13. The goalkeeper also improved his save percentage from 70.9 percent last year to 77.2 percent in 2013-14, and his overall track record of 10 seasons in the Premier League (and consistent top-notch play for his country) gives him the nod as the U.S. No. 1.
quote:
4. Geoff Cameron (Stoke City) Much has been made of Cameron's versatility for the United States, and his superior athleticism is a trait that allows him to play multiple positions at a high level. ESPN Stats & Information Heat map of Geoff Cameron's touches in 2013-14 Premier League season, left, and those in 2014 World Cup qualifying, right. Cameron's highly publicized stints at right back, center back and holding midfield speak volumes about the state of the USMNT's defense heading into the World Cup, but also point to his talent and ability to adapt. In growing as a player, Marsch rightly points out that the key for him now will be applying that athleticism to what makes defenders effective, such as positioning (i.e. starting point when the ball turns over, etc.) and passing distribution.
quote:
5. Graham Zusi (Sporting KC) Zusi's ability to read the game in the attacking half is exceptional, and the midfielder is able to create chances because he can find open spaces and combine well with the strikers ahead of him. Zusi finished the 2013 MLS season with 87 chances created (third most in league), led Sporting KC with 3.8 take-ons per 90 minutes en route to an MLS Cup, and also created the most total chances for the United States during World Cup qualifying, as he tallied two goals and one assist in nine appearances.
quote:
11. Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim) Consistency and versatility are earmarks of Johnson's game. And while statistically he does not really stand out on either side of the ball, similar to Cameron, Johnson's ability to do a solid job in multiple roles makes him a strong asset for any team. Johnson posted two assists for the United States throughout World Cup qualifying, and as a wide player who can consistently produce one chance per 90 minutes for both club and country, he provides stability.
quote:
15. Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) Last week I wrote that even though Donovan's absence in Brazil may not help the team, it also likely will not harm the team's chances of advancing out of its difficult World Cup group. And while there are numbers and other evidence to support my assertion -- specifically a drop-off in club play to go along with questions regarding fitness at age 32 -- Donovan is still a very good player. "Even if for 89 minutes he's not doing anything, in one minute he can score and just end the game," Marsh adds. The question is, and maybe always has been, whether his head is in the right place to continue providing that magic, because if not, he drops quickly on this list based on current performance.
quote:
22. John Brooks (Hertha Berlin) In a center back, you need a player who can break up plays and also add a threat on set pieces. Brooks did a good job of centrally breaking up plays for Hertha Berlin this season, and is also a threat going forward. Brooks ranks third on Hertha Berlin with 2.3 interceptions per 90 minutes in 2013-14 and also scored twice from corners to prove that he can hold his own in one of the world's top leagues.
This post was edited on 5/31/14 at 12:49 pm
Posted on 5/31/14 at 11:00 am to MLSter
I don't know exactly where I would rank Fabian, but it would be in the top ten for sure.
The only outfield players I would definitely put above him are Dempsey and Bradley.
The only outfield players I would definitely put above him are Dempsey and Bradley.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 11:07 am to Crede15
I'd say Fabian is a top 5 player on this team.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 11:10 am to MrWiseGuy
Not a fan of this list at all. Plus, how could Donovan be in the top 23? I thought Jurgen took the best squad.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 11:12 am to MrWiseGuy
Is this just talking about our WC squad b/c
nope
nope
for the top 23 americans in the world
quote:
14. Gonzalez
nope
quote:
21. Wondolowski
nope
for the top 23 americans in the world
Posted on 5/31/14 at 12:45 pm to StraightCashHomey21
quote:
club form takes a slight precedence over form with the United States.
quote:
• Player positioning does not matter, but versatility does. Players who can fill multiple roles are always a valuable asset to any team.
quote:
• While recent form does play a role, there is something to be said for consistency over time (sorry, Julian Green), and so play over the last couple of years -- and to a small extent, reputation -- is factored in.
quote:
In putting together my ranks, I also spoke with Jesse Marsch, a former USMNT assistant and head coach with the Montreal Impact, who offered his take on several players. Some of his comments are included below.
With that in mind, here is my ranking of the top 23 U.S. players.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 12:48 pm to MrWiseGuy
quote:
club form takes a slight precedence over form with the United States.
Then T Boyd should be on this list
Posted on 5/31/14 at 1:19 pm to Vicks Kennel Club
quote:
Plus, how could Donovan be in the top 23? I thought Jurgen took the best squad
Because it's not about taking the best 23.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 1:45 pm to StraightCashHomey21
You consistently show how little you know about Wondolowski.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 5:43 pm to WarSlamEagle
quote:
You consistently show how little you know about Wondolowski.
No but really, it's true. SCH loves to shite on MLS. Wondo is just one more way to do that.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 5:45 pm to cwil177
quote:
No but really, it's true. SCH loves to shite on MLS
false im just realistic about it
before most people even cared or knew about soccer I was going to MLS games.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 7:04 pm to StraightCashHomey21
quote:
before most people even cared or knew about soccer I was going to MLS games.
Wow...and MLS is only 19 years old!
Posted on 5/31/14 at 7:09 pm to WarSlamEagle
quote:
Wow...and MLS is only 19 years old!
Posted on 5/31/14 at 10:20 pm to StraightCashHomey21
Are there really no US soccer players of enough quality to be ranked in the top 100 in the world? Just trying to learn a little about the sport with the world cup coming up and reading lists of the top players in the world and not one list that I read lists a US player, even a list that went up to the top 100. Are we really that far behind the rest of the world? I thought we had closed the gap and were a legitimate decent quality team.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 10:31 pm to boxcar willie
quote:
Are there really no US soccer players of enough quality to be ranked in the top 100 in the world? Just trying to learn a little about the sport with the world cup coming up and reading lists of the top players in the world and not one list that I read lists a US player, even a list that went up to the top 100. Are we really that far behind the rest of the world? I thought we had closed the gap and were a legitimate decent quality team.
Who wrote the article? U.S. soccer doesn't get much respect especially from English people. Howard is the only one who would make such a list.
Being a top 100 player in the world is pretty tough though. There are a lot of very good players walking the earth right now.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 10:57 pm to rdw1690
quote:
Being a top 100 player in the world is pretty tough though. There are a lot of very good players walking the earth right now.
Then could you say that the USA is a team that has no real star players but can field a very solid team with not much drop off from it's best player to it's 11'th player. Maybe more so than other teams in the world cup who maybe have a couple of superstars but have weaknesses at other positions?
Posted on 5/31/14 at 10:59 pm to boxcar willie
quote:
Are there really no US soccer players of enough quality to be ranked in the top 100 in the world?
No there aren't and not even any that are close to Top 100. Howard and Bradley are the most accomplished and are great players but not near the top 100 which is extremely rarefied air.
quote:
Are we really that far behind the rest of the world? I thought we had closed the gap and were a legitimate decent quality team.
In the sense of the USA actually having a chance of winning a WC, yes, we need to one day produce players that are in the top 100 and a lot of them.
History shows that most WC winners not only have numerous players in the Top 100 but also 2, 3 or 4 that usually make lists of the Top 100 players ever to play the game: Spain 2012, Italy 2006, Brazil 2002, France 1998 etc
However, I would also say that we have more solid players than ever and are still certainly a "decent quality team" even if we lack those few top level superstars right now.
There's only a few teams that are just ridiculously stacked with talent (Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Italy --- you know, the teams that usually win). . . after those you'll more often find teams with some Top100 players but also some weaknesses in their lineups.
At the same time, there's also a lot more like France, England, Colombia, Belgium, Portugal, Chile, Uruguay, usually Holland etc who's "weak links" would probably start for the US too.
This post was edited on 5/31/14 at 11:03 pm
Posted on 5/31/14 at 11:02 pm to wm72
quote:
we need to one day produce players that are in the top 100 and a lot of them.
I was really hoping that the Donald Sterling incident would kill the NBA so we could start having some of the "real" athletes.
Posted on 5/31/14 at 11:15 pm to boxcar willie
quote:
Then could you say that the USA is a team that has no real star players but can field a very solid team with not much drop off from it's best player to it's 11'th player.
Yes, and this is the progress we've made.
quote:
Maybe more so than other teams in the world cup who maybe have a couple of superstars but have weaknesses at other positions?
There are some teams that fit this description. Many of the African teams, for example, have some absolute top notch superstar players but also have some pretty average players at other key positions. Bosnia is another good example.
However, there are still 5 or 6 absolutely loaded sides and another 6 to 8 who have a couple of superstars but also a complete roster stronger than ours individually.
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