USMNT Roster Breakdown: France, Slovenia Friendlies

Well, the dust has settled some after Jurgen Klinsmann's latest roster came out yesterday, filled with what is becoming the usual number of head-scratching selections and snubs. Time to kick it all back up with my breakdown of the 22-man group.

"Alright, a USSD roster breakdown!"

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Bill Hamid

At least we can say this about the Klinsmann era: his goalkeeping selections have been spot on. (That's something, right?) Bill Hamid will be joining the squad after a short training stint with West Brom, a good offseason experience for the young keeper who is still in search of his first cap.


Defenders: Clarence Goodson, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Alfredo Morales, Timmy Chandler, Steve Cherundolo, Michael Orozco Fiscal

Here's where things get a little more dicey. Once again, Michael Orozco Fiscal gets called into camp despite showing on several occasions that he is not an adequate defender at the international level. As some have said on Twitter, Klinsmann's repeated selection of Orozco Fiscal raises serious doubts about his abilities to judge talent. It also begs the question, once more: if Orozco Fiscal is the guy that best possesses the skill set for Klinsmann's desired system, isn't that a huge red flag that he's trying to smash a square peg through a round hole? Other players (which I'll get to below) deserve a call-up much more than Orozco Fiscal, who has done little to merit this kind of support.

We'll discuss that later; for now, back to the rest of the group. The only other surprise in the bunch is Alfredo Morales, a 21 year old who plays with Hertha Berlin and has been heavily linked to the Peruvian national team of late (Morales is eligible for Peru, Germany, and the US). It seems Klinsmann has brought him in an effort to keep him from choosing another team, a wise move considering Morales was likely very close to heading elsewhere soon. We'll see what he is capable of; while hopes are high, his actual first team minutes have been scarce, so it's hard to say where he stands right now.


Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman, Clint Dempsey, Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams, Brek Shea, Robbie Rogers, Michael Bradley

Beckerman is a guy that Klinsmann likes, so he gets the nod once more despite a middling pair of matches in October. It's good to see Jermaine Jones back into the mix, having worked his way back into the Schalke starting XI in recent weeks. He's joined by Fabian Johnson, giving Klinsmann a pair of solid players to get his first look at during camp (you know, for that whole pool evaluation thing that hasn't quite been taken advantage of to the fullest; more on that later). It comes as no surprise that Bradley, Edu, and Dempsey are included, but it was quite shocking to see Robbie Rogers' name. Quite simply, Rogers has done little to convince anyone that he is an international caliber player. Yet he finds his way back into the squad over others. Baffling. Once again, this is making many fans (and some pundits, though many are diplomatically avoiding the matter) question the ability of Klinsmann and his staff to judge talent.


Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Edson Buddle

The players in this group are not what is being discussed. All of them merit a call-up; Beasley has arguably been Puebla's MVP as they push for a playoff spot, while Edson Buddle has been on form with Ingolstadt. Jozy is earning regular minutes and Landon Donovan is Landon Donovan, although his selection is somewhat surprising given his recent injury layoff and the possibility of him being involved in the MLS Cup Final. (Some have speculated that part of the agreement between the US and France was that the US would bring a strong roster; i.e. include Donovan. Perhaps.) But Donovan showed that he's healthy last night and will be able to contribute.

The real issue, though, is the names (well, particularly one name) that are not included. Which brings us to...


The Snubs: Herculez Gomez, Omar Gonzalez, George John, Sacha Kljestan

What the heck does Herculez Gomez have to do to get a spot in USMNT camp? He's been scoring goals regularly at the club level (both in his final months with Pachuca and now with Tecos), something that few US strikers can say. It's really hard to rationalize his repeated exclusion from the squad, particularly when we're at a juncture in the cycle that should be used to examine viable alternatives. Robbie Rogers is a surplus wing midfielder that should not come close to seeing the field. Why is he involved, but Gomez is not, with just two true forwards on the roster instead? Once again: Baffling.

In the back, meanwhile, two quality MLS center backs were head-scratchingly passed over in favor of Michael Orozco Fiscal, in George John and Omar Gonzalez. And it's not as if Klinsmann can point to the MLS playoffs as his reason for excluding Gonzalez, as he had no qualms about selecting Donovan and Beckerman as well. Gonzalez is a favorite for MLS Defender of the Year. What the hell am I missing here? Once again, Klinsmann's (and his staff's) ability to judge talent is brought into question.

In the midfield, Sacha Kljestan is also a notable omission. He's been playing well with Anderlecht and would be much more deserving of a call-up than Robbie Rogers, although to be fair the midfield is crowded as is (which makes me wonder once more: why only call in two true forwards?).

Hopefully we'll see John, Gonzalez, and Gomez get their first look under Klinsmann sooner rather than later.


The "What?!?!" Picks: Michael Orozco Fiscal, Robbie Rogers

As I've said above, these two have gotten multiple opportunities, but it's quite difficult to say that they are deserved. Neither has proven themselves to be adequate, let alone effective, at this level, yet they have taken up a spot in camp on several occasions, leaving other much more deserving candidates out in the cold.

If these two are in the picture heading into World Cup qualification, it will be troubling to say the least. Maybe they'll prove me wrong, but at this point that doesn't seem too likely.


The Sidenotes: Klinsmann has said that any player whose team reaches the MLS Cup final (which will be either Beckerman or Donovan) will be allowed to return to their club following the France friendly.

I found it a little odd to pull players from clubs with the potential to reach the final (assuming bringing Donovan wasn't some sort of contract stipulation from the FFF). But Jason Kreis said last night on The Best Soccer Show (check it out; from the guys who used to bring you the American Soccer Show, Jason Davis of Match Fit USA and Jared DuBois) that communication with the USSF has improved during the Klinsmann era, which seems to indicate that he's okay with Beckerman being picked. I find the statement itself quite interesting on several levels, particularly with regards to what it says about the Bob Bradley era. But that conversation is for another time.

It's also worth noting that some of the younger guys that were not selected, namely Teal Bunbury and Juan Agudelo, are joining Caleb Porter's U-23 camp in Germany (though Bunbury may not be available if Sporting KC continue on in the playoffs), which will certainly be a good experience as they look to position themselves for a spot on the 2012 Olympic roster. They are joined by a trio of Philadelphia Union players: Jack McInerney, Amobi Okugo, and USSD fave Sheanon Williams.

Some more positive news: Brek Shea will head to train with Arsenal for a month after the international break. That's another exciting step for the 21 year old FC Dallas winger, who continues to impress with club and country.

But back to roster talk...


The Verdict: It's hard not to look back at the second half of 2011 as a series of wasted opportunities. This should have been a time in which Jurgen Klinsmann familiarized himself with as many of the quality options in his pool as possible so as to build a better picture of the squad moving towards 2012 and beyond. Instead, guys like Gomez, Gonzalez, John, and several others that have featured in the past or have made strong positive impacts with their respective clubs have been overlooked time and time again, while the Orozco Fiscals of the world are brought in. Klinsmann's repeated claims that his rosters represent the best players and top challengers are disconcerting. Either his desired system supersedes meritocracy, or he genuinely believes this to be a meritocracy at this point, neither of which are comforting.

I will say this, though; I'm glad to see Jones and Johnson brought in. And in the end, we mustn't overlook the fact that there is still a strong starting XI and subs that can be put forward from this group. The last couple of spots on the roster are ultimately the talking points (and not without good reason, as giving someone a foot in the door like Herc could reveal a player that is actually a capable starter, for instance), but the top 17 or so guys are picks that few people will be arguing against.

I know, that sounds like a rather abrupt turn from the tone of much of this post, but at the end of the day this is still a learning process for Klinsmann and his staff, who hopefully (fingers crossed) will learn from any missteps going forward. In the end, what happens on the field will trump all.

While these results are not hugely important, a pair of losses or even two non-wins would continue to sow the seeds of discontent within the American fan base. And it's also hard not to wonder at what point some players would begin to question the system if the sputtering outings continue.

Ultimately, the bottom line is that this roster is the culmination of three months in which stones were left unturned during what should have been a fairly comprehensive evaluation process, while words out of Klinsmann's camp seem to indicate a bizarre belief in several underachievers. All of this, coupled with ugly performances on the field, isn't the most settling way to head into 2012, when there will be just one official match day prior to World Cup qualification with which to experiment some more.

As I said, though, winning heals all. Victories against France and Slovenia would quell many grumblings and renew faith heading into the new year despite the apparent blemishes thus far.

We'll see if Klinsmann is able to achieve just that.