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Analysis

4 Key Takeaways from Klinsmann's Latest Roster

Does ASN contributing editor Brian Sciaretta have thoughts about the latest U.S. national team roster? You know he does. Here's what Brian will be thinking about as he heads to Prague to cover the match.
BY Brian Sciaretta Posted
August 29, 2014
11:25 AM
JURGEN KLINSMANN'S ROSTER for the Czech Republic match features surprising young players, World Cup standouts, and plenty of question marks. It should make for an interesting game on September 3. Here are my key takeaways from yesterday's roster announcement.


1—Be Patient With the Youngsters

From my perspective, the three most intriguing names on the roster are Rubio Rubin, Emerson Hyndman, and Jordan Morris. Rubin has one professional appearance, Hyndman has two, and Morris is still in college. While some American fans are excited to think this is the ushering in of the next generation, it is probably wise to slow down.

This roster is almost entirely comprised of non-MLS players—Nick Rimando being the only exception—and given the reverse migrations of Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu, and others, the European cupboard is somewhat bare. Compounding the situation, Aron Johannsson and Terrence Boyd are both unavailable due to injury, so Klinsmann's choices for the roster were quite limited.

There is no question that these young players are talented but such a call-up is likely done with the aim of keeping them involved in the program and introducing them to the team. It is unlikely that these players are ready to be consistently involved with the full national team whenever Klinsmann decides to select from his entire player pool.

CLICK: CREATE YOUR U.S. STARTING XI RIGHT HERE

One thing that Klinsmann said early in his tenure as head coach is that he didn’t want players to skip stages in their development. That's a good call. Sometimes a coach has to fast-track players if a major tournament is looming and a young player addresses a key weakness. Four years from a World Cup and 10 months before its next competitive game is no time to fast track.

Why? Well, next summer is the U-20 World Cup and Rubin and Hyndmann will likely be a big part of that—which would surely rule them out of the 2015 Gold Cup. The following summer those two players—along with others from this roster including Morris, Julian Green, John Brooks, and Cody Cropper—will all likely be part of the U-23 Olympic team. In other words, there are still several stages in their development to go and there is no need to rush.

This camp will give these players a taste of the team and motivate them to push forward with their clubs. Klinsmann will no doubt reinforce that club performance is crucial for these players because if they don’t earn minutes with their clubs, any talk of the national team will be moot.

In other words, there is a good chance that following this game you won’t see a few these players for a while, and that is as it should be.


2—Decisions now loom for Jordan Morris

Jordan Morris became the first college player to be called up to the full U.S. national team since likely the mid-1990s, and his inclusion raises some interesting questions. Yes, he is a speedy winger with skill and that is a weakness with the team. But the truth is that the college season and competitive level is not up to par with what is needed for international play. This camp is one thing, but is it possible he can remain in contention for future callups as a college player when his season runs from August through December? He is a sophomore now; can he remain in contention as a college junior or senior? It seems unlikely.

Stanford is one of the world’s best schools and Morris is reportedly a good student. He can likely make the Olympic team in 2016 in college but he has Klinsmann’s attention right now and that is hard to do as a teenager. Now he will likely have to make a decision regarding his future because the advantages of turning professional have never been higher.


3—Can Brooks and Green step up?

One year ago John Brooks and Julian Green were on the outside of the U.S. national team. That said, both found ways to make the 2014 World Cup team despite less-than-stellar club resumes. (Green has yet to play once in the Bundesliga and has just five minutes of pro experience; Brooks floats in and out of Hertha Berlin's starting lineup.) Both players scored in Brazil.

Will the real Brooks and Green please stand up?

More will be expected of these two players despite their relative youth and professional inexperience. The game against the Czech Republic will now be part of the next process where these players will aim to be part of the team’s core as opposed to members of the fringe.


4—Brek Shea Remains an Enigma

Brek Shea made the move to England in 2013 but it is safe to say that he has not lived up to expectations at Stoke City. He has made three league appearances for Stoke in league play and his loan to Barnsley earlier this year was cut short after an altercation with a fan. During that time, his play for the national team has shown some glimpses of promise—his sub appearance last November against Scotland was very good—but mostly he has disappointed.

It is hard to see what Shea, 24, brings to the United States national team at the moment given that he is not seeing any minutes at the club level and doesn’t appear to be close to doing so. Perhaps this makes him more attractive to a potential club ahead of the transfer deadline. It is impossible to say.

Either way, Shea has an opportunity here that he may not necessarily deserve but one that could give help give a boost to his stagnating career. Let's see what he does with this gift from Klinsmann.

What's your take on Brian's take? Tell us in the Comments section below.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.

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