The Center of the Pitch
Can Mix Diskerud Make a Difference in the Middle?
The United States national team midfielder posted another strong performance as a center midfielder against Ecuador. But does he have enough skill and tenacity to displace the players ahead of him?
EAST HARTFORD, Conn.—Jurgen Klinsmann quite clearly wants Mix Diskerud on the field.
“Mix is growing,” the coach said after the United States national team's 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Friday night. “I was pleased with his performance. The message to him after the World Cup was, ‘if you want to break into this team as a starter you've got to step it up. You have to become more aggressive, you have to challenge more in one-on-one situations, you have to become more physical.'"
“Can he play? Absolutely. Does he have tremendous vision? Yes. But he needs these other elements on the international stage to break through and I think he’s working hard on this also in training.”
Diskerud was one of the team's best players on the night, scoring the American's only goal with an excellent finish:
Although the Rosenborg midfielder didn't get a minute at the World Cup in Brazil, he played well against the Czech Republic, carried that success to the match in East Hartford, and looks increasingly comfortable in the middle of the field. Is he the man of the future?
Perhaps but he's not there yet. Check out his passing chart from Friday evening:
What do you see? A lot of completed passes, yes, but mostly missed ones in the final third. That's one game, and those passes are by their nature more difficult to complete, but it's not a good percentage. He'll have to do better if he hopes to lead the American attack.
Diskerud's defensive work, maligned in previous performances, was stronger against Ecuador as he has focused on making himself better without the ball (a Klinsmann demand):
But again, Diskerud had many more recoveries than successful tackles. More improvement is vital.
Perhaps the best question is whether he'll have a place on the field. In the 4-3-3 Klinsmann prefers, the central midfield spot has been Michael Bradley's. Can you see Diskerud displacing the Toronto FC midfielder? I can't, not right now. But then again, Klinsmann isn't afraid to do something surprising and unpopular. If nothing else, Diskerud will have a chance to battle for playing time.
“Our first half was our half," Diskerud said after the match. "We created a lot of chances and could have had a few more goals. In the second half, they showed why they’re a good team. They’ve had a few good results—against Bolivia and Brazil—so we knew they were going to be good. They held the ball and we ended up conceding a goal. Overall we had a nice performance and it’s something to move forward with.”
That's all Klinsmann can ask.
What do you see? A lot of completed passes, yes, but mostly missed ones in the final third. That's one game, and those passes are by their nature more difficult to complete, but it's not a good percentage. He'll have to do better if he hopes to lead the American attack.
Diskerud's defensive work, maligned in previous performances, was stronger against Ecuador as he has focused on making himself better without the ball (a Klinsmann demand):
But again, Diskerud had many more recoveries than successful tackles. More improvement is vital.
Perhaps the best question is whether he'll have a place on the field. In the 4-3-3 Klinsmann prefers, the central midfield spot has been Michael Bradley's. Can you see Diskerud displacing the Toronto FC midfielder? I can't, not right now. But then again, Klinsmann isn't afraid to do something surprising and unpopular. If nothing else, Diskerud will have a chance to battle for playing time.
“Our first half was our half," Diskerud said after the match. "We created a lot of chances and could have had a few more goals. In the second half, they showed why they’re a good team. They’ve had a few good results—against Bolivia and Brazil—so we knew they were going to be good. They held the ball and we ended up conceding a goal. Overall we had a nice performance and it’s something to move forward with.”
That's all Klinsmann can ask.
