Written by Pauly Kwestel at Bloguin
In preparation for the CONCACAF Cup, USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann named a veteran heavy squad for the US’s match against Mexico. The move signaled that this match was about winning now, not about developing any players for the future. Prior to the match, Klinsmann stressed how important this match was and that certain players would be playing for their national team careers as should the US lose, changes to the national side would be coming.
The US fell to Mexico 3-2 Saturday night and despite many fans calling for Jurgen Klinsmann’s job, it’s clear the manager is staying. So with Klinsmann staying at least until 2018, which players should be afraid of getting dropped? Klinsmann did make this question a bit easier by dropping eight players for the US friendly vs. Costa Rica on Tuesday, but that list included Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley who haven’t seen their last days, so let’s find out who really needs to worry.
DaMarcus Beasley
Ok so Beasley shouldn’t actually be worried per say. Beasley retired from the national team on his own terms following the 2014 World Cup, but was lured out of retirement by Klinsmann for this past summer’s Gold Cup (where he barely played due to injury) and Saturday’s match against Mexico. Beasley was called in because the US still hasn’t solved their decade long problem of not having a suitable left back. He’ll move from the team now on his own terms and the US will continue to look to fill that hole.
Matt Besler
Over the past year, Klinsmann has already made it clear that he sees John Brooks as half of the US’s first choice center back pair of the future. For Klinsmann though, he believes the future is now as he controversially stuck with Brooks throughout the Gold Cup. With Brooks injured, Klinsmann went with the same back four he used for the first two matches of the World Cup, which included Besler. Unfortunately for them, there were plenty of times against Mexico where the back four looked just as lost as the inexperienced Gold Cup back-four had looked, giving Jurgen just the excuse he needs to look to the future.
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