Written by John Adair at Total Sports Live
One of the more obvious areas of need for the USMNT following the 2014 World Cup was better production from their wide attacking players. Graham Zusi and Brad Davis just did not cut it in Brazil, and while Alejandro Bedoya proved his worth as a two-way midfielder, his contributions in the attacking phase weren’t nearly enough for the Yanks to advance past the Round of 16.
Since making his debut with the national team, Gyasi Zardes has been much more effective going forward from wide positions than his predecessors. However, depending on the system Klinsmann elects to play match to match, he could be paired up top with Jozy Altidore, where he seems dramatically less brilliant. In Tuesday’s World Cup Qualifier in Trinidad & Tobago, his lack of touch and finishing stuck out like a sore thumb.
Despite the fact that it still seems that Klinsmann is extremely high on Zardes, who may still very well have a bright future with the team, the search for attack-minded, creative players to man the channels must be high on the coach’s priority list. Insert Ethan Finlay. To follow-up his breakout year with the Columbus Crew in 2014, where he scored 11 goals and handed out seven helpers, Finlay was even better in 2015. Finishing with 12 goals and 13 assists on the year, the Crew right winger has been crucial to the club’s run to the MLS Eastern Conference Finals.
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