The Jurgen Klinsmann era hasn't been the successful launch to world class football most U.S. soccer fans were hoping for, but tomorrow is always another day. With the upcoming match against Honduras, Klinsmann can ease the worries of his critics who haven't seen the U.S. play two halves of the attacking flowing football that was supposed to come with his name.
If there is a positive for Klinsmann, it's that his players who make their living in Europe have seen no shortage of time on the pitch for the most part. Stateside, the quality of Major League Soccer continues to rise giving the league and the players who earn their living there more credibility on the national scene, but the bread and butter of national team players still earns their living on European soil.
What kind of lineup the German will field on Oct. 8 in Miami remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, the new coach has some things to figure out when it comes to these five key players.
1. Jozy Altidore- The 21-year old forward has finally found a home in Europe with the Eredivisie's top side AZ Alkmaar. Thus far, Altidore has made seven appearances for the club scoring three goals. While seven appearances may not seem like much to some, it's a far cry from the amount of cameos he was seeing at previous clubs if he can keep going at this rate. Altidore still has a lot of developing to do, but regular play and hitting the net with a higher frequency are the only things keeping him from coming to fruition. It's something Klinsmann is being counted on to figure out as the U.S. hasn't seen one of its forwards score in the last two World Cups. Perhaps playing in Holland can help Altidore get to the next level, if not, it'll have to be Klinsmann that does it.
2. Clint Dempsey- In Fulham's first six matches this season, the team has found it difficult to score goals to say the least. They've yet to win a game and have managed to score only five times on the season so far despite creating opportunities and having a ton of success in the Europa League. Their offensive troubles can't be placed at Dempsey's feet however, as the Texan has taken 21 shots, scoring one of those five goals while setting up another. The Cottagers haven't ever surrounded Dempsey with serious goal threats and once again, it looks like he'll have to bear the burden of spearheading the team's attack along with Bobby Zamora. It's a role Dempsey has to learn to carry over to his U.S. play as he faces much of the same problem with only Landon Donovan to consistently help to this point. By no means is his national team future in jeopardy, but we're still waiting for the type of performances from him that will boost him from a very good player to one of the best to ever wear a U.S. shirt. Klinsmann will aim to change that, but he's fortunate to have player of Dempsey's capability already built into the team. Here's a look back at what he did for Fulham last season and what we all hope he can still do for the U.S.
3. Maurice Edu- The California native is a regular at Rangers and has played a key role in their early season stroll through the Scottish Premier League along with fellow American Carlos Bocanegra. He's a major player for Klinsmann however, due to his versatility and presence in the center of park. Thus far, Edu has scored twice and assisted once for Rangers, but with the U.S. he is needed as a midfield general more so than an offensive threat. How Klinsmann handles Edu's future is key as he looks to solidify a position that has never been properly filled since the retirement of Claudio Reyna.
4. Oguchi Onyewu- Sporting Lisbon could very well be the last European stop for Gooch. His career has been troubled by injuries and perhaps too much ambition. He's played for AC Milan and Newcastle United but was never given a real chance. After the knee injury that knocked him out of the 2009/10 season derailed his Italian dreams, he now finds himself playing in what could be considered a European "B" league in Portugal. That said, he's back to playing regularly at least and has even contributed a goal to the cause, but if he's going to feature in 2014 as a veteran with something to contribute, the time to impress is now as the new management will seek younger talent in the coming years. For a player with so much promise, it would be a shame to see him fall by the way side now as he enters the best years of a defender's career. Here he is popping in the game winner last week for Sporting.
5. Jonathon Spector- He has been shuffled back and forth between center and right back in the last few years, two positions the U.S. will need to find new blood at over the coming years. Spector's leash has been long over the past few years due to the fact that he was still young in defender's terms and relatively inexperienced, but these days the old excuses don't fly. Having transferred from one relegated club to another (West Ham United to Birmingham City), Spector is playing in a lower league with lower expectations and irregularly at that. That's not good for a player who once was recruited by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and has serious ambtions of playing in a second World Cup in a few years time. With his league play not doing him any favors, Spector will have to step up when he's called upon by Klinsmann, otherwise his days in the red, white and blue may be coming to a quick end.
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