Midfield Maneuvering
Diskerud's Deeper Role Could Continue for U.S.
Mix Diskerud doesn't look, or act, like a typical defensive midfielder, but United States national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann tried the Norwegian-American there on Tuesday, and saw real potential.
BOCA RATON, Fla.—There were flashier position changes that generated headlines—such as Jermaine Jones playing center back—but trying Mix Diskerud at the base of a diamond may tell us more about 2018 than any other call manager Jurgen Klinsmann made Tuesday.
Diskerud lined up in the defensive role while Michael Bradley, who has moved around the midfield a bit in 2014 but generally plays a defensive role, was atop the diamond. The 24-year-old didn’t have too much to do defensively in the United States’ 1-1 draw with Honduras, but Klinsmann seemed to come away thinking he has another option for his midfield.
That’s not anything too new. The midfield has long been the place where the United States has the most depth, and defensive midfield specifically has been the Americans’ deepest outfield position. But getting Diskerud on the field is a priority for the manager for the 2018 World Cup cycle.
Was Klinsmann happy enough with the results Tuesday to line them up the same way going forward?
“It depends also a little bit how the opponents play out,” he said. “If they play with an attacking midfielder in the middle, both are not kind of born defensive midfielders, meaning they’re not a Kyle Beckerman who goes out everywhere and gets the ball back. So everybody has their strengths and weakness there, so we kind of have to match that up.”
While Bradley has long played in a central or central defensive role, Klinsmann has opted for different positioning for the Toronto FC man since he excelled in an attacking role in an April friendly against Mexico. The manager said he was happy to have Bradley back with the national team, even if he did misplace a few passes.
Diskerud has played a more attacking role that he did against los Catrachos, but Klinsmann actually wanted him to get forward more often than he did Thursday. Honduras rarely had an attacking midfielder threatening, which should’ve allowed the Norway-based midfielder to push up.
“I think we tried to correct a little bit in the first half Mix getting further up, Mix almost next to Michael because sometimes he was getting a bit too deep when there was no Honduran player,” Klinsmann said. “If there is nobody, then move further up into space forward. It’s definitely awesome.”
And while the U.S. attack looked solid in the first half, there were struggles as the game progressed.
“They were able to find me a few times today, and I thought it caused problems when we did find it in those spots,” forward Clint Dempsey said. “They’re two players, Michael especially, with a lot of experience, and I thought Mix showed that not only does he have that quality on the ball, but he had a little bit of bite to his game, winning those 50-50 challenges.
"I thought he was all over the place.”
With both players projected to be on the field when the United States takes the pitch in Russia in 2018, Klinsmann will have to determine the best positions for his midfielders. Tuesday may have presented a new option.
How do you see the central midfield roles shaping up in the weeks and months ahead? Give your take below.
Jon Arnold is an ASN contributing editor and host of the ASN Podcast. Follow him on Twitter.
While Bradley has long played in a central or central defensive role, Klinsmann has opted for different positioning for the Toronto FC man since he excelled in an attacking role in an April friendly against Mexico. The manager said he was happy to have Bradley back with the national team, even if he did misplace a few passes.
Diskerud has played a more attacking role that he did against los Catrachos, but Klinsmann actually wanted him to get forward more often than he did Thursday. Honduras rarely had an attacking midfielder threatening, which should’ve allowed the Norway-based midfielder to push up.
“I think we tried to correct a little bit in the first half Mix getting further up, Mix almost next to Michael because sometimes he was getting a bit too deep when there was no Honduran player,” Klinsmann said. “If there is nobody, then move further up into space forward. It’s definitely awesome.”
And while the U.S. attack looked solid in the first half, there were struggles as the game progressed.
“They were able to find me a few times today, and I thought it caused problems when we did find it in those spots,” forward Clint Dempsey said. “They’re two players, Michael especially, with a lot of experience, and I thought Mix showed that not only does he have that quality on the ball, but he had a little bit of bite to his game, winning those 50-50 challenges.
"I thought he was all over the place.”
With both players projected to be on the field when the United States takes the pitch in Russia in 2018, Klinsmann will have to determine the best positions for his midfielders. Tuesday may have presented a new option.
How do you see the central midfield roles shaping up in the weeks and months ahead? Give your take below.
Jon Arnold is an ASN contributing editor and host of the ASN Podcast. Follow him on Twitter.
