U.S. Men's National Team
Is Julian Green Overrated? And Jermaine? And Mix?
Noah Davis, Travis Clark, Jon Arnold and other members of the ASN 100 panel compare notes on an oft-discussed topic: Who on our interactive listing of the top U.S. soccer players is ranked too high?
LET'S NOT HORSE AROUND here. We built the ASN 100 so people could tear it down whenever they felt like it. And we all feel like it. Somebody take a stand and name the most overrated player in the most recent ranking.
TRAVIS CLARK: Jermaine Jones as the top player at the moment? I'm not convinced. Sure, his performances in Brazil were noteworthy, but I'd drop him down a few spots—top five for sure though.
JOHN GODFREY: Playing in central defense won't help Jones' ranking—and I'm sure he'll be devastated by that. He's a game-changing midfielder but right now he is just an average center back. Who else?
CLARK: Getting the chance to see Mix Diskerud on a regular basis should prove to shine more of a light on where he really stands, as it's rare to see him excel at the international level. That said, I can see him doing well in MLS (if we have a season).
JON ARNOLD: I don't know that Jones is really the best we've got, but I only had him a few slots lower. When's the last time Terrence Boyd scored for the national team? Trick question. He hasn't. Not only that, but now he's rehabbing a torn ACL. I like Boyd. He's got all the right physical attributes for someone who could replace Altidore and has done some impressive things at club level. But he doesn't have the cachet to be in the top 25.
GODFREY: Everybody likes Boyd, the person, which no doubt influences the ranking of Boyd, the player. He needs to drop down a few slots. And so does the extremely likable Alejandro Bedoya. No. 4? Really? How and when did that happen? He plays in France, not England or Germany, and while I admire his effort and his commitment and even his chant-leading skills, I am rarely awestruck by his actual performances. The fourth-best player on this list has to be a game-changer, and Bedoya hasn't been—yet. He belongs somewhere around 10th.
NOAH DAVIS: John Brooks, who is ninth, is overrated. I had him 17th, which feels better considering how up and down he's been with his club. I'd like to see more consistency from him before elevating him into a top 10 spot. Honorable mention for Lee Nguyen. Eleventh is too high. (Then again, I had him at 31st, which is too low.)
BROOKE TUNSTALL: I loved Julian Green’s goal in the World Cup goal as much as anyone but the reality is he can’t get playing time for one of the worst teams in the Bundesliga—and when he has played he hasn’t shown very much. Green may still live up to the great expectations placed upon him but for now he’s just a little-used player on a bad team who also has shown very little in a U.S. uniform. As such he is ranked too high at No. 27.
BRIAN SCIARETTA: Most overrated at this point is kind of obvious with Julian Green at No. 27. I guess being in Bayern's youth system is interesting at first but he's been exposed at HSV with 111 ineffective minutes this season. His ongoing, ugly downfall with the club means he is unlikely to see any minutes this season. In his last few appearances with the U.S. national team he has not looked ready for this level. A rank of 27 should imply that he is a player ready to contribute to the national team as well as be an impact player with his club. Green might still have potential, but he is not contributing to anyone at the moment and doesn't look particularly close. He doesn't even have a professional goal yet at the club level.
JOSH DEAVER: Funny what happens when you step out of the super-club bubble, right? That being said, Green is only 19-years-old. He may not be overvalued in a general sense, but as a teenager he may be a bit overrated by some of my esteemed ASN panel colleagues. (I had him at No. 34, so I'm guilty too.)
I'd also be shocked if No. 23 Michael Parkhurst ever played for the national team again (a key factor in my voting), so his rating is too high for my tastes.
GODFREY: Disagree! But go on...
DEAVER: Also, not quite sure how Chris Klute (#61) hasn't dropped considering his disappointing season with Colorado and the fact that Klinsmann doesn't seem to rate any MLS outside backs.
OK, readers—your turn. Go to the ASN 100, assess our rankings, and tell us who needs to knocked down a peg or two.
JOHN GODFREY: Playing in central defense won't help Jones' ranking—and I'm sure he'll be devastated by that. He's a game-changing midfielder but right now he is just an average center back. Who else?
CLARK: Getting the chance to see Mix Diskerud on a regular basis should prove to shine more of a light on where he really stands, as it's rare to see him excel at the international level. That said, I can see him doing well in MLS (if we have a season).
JON ARNOLD: I don't know that Jones is really the best we've got, but I only had him a few slots lower. When's the last time Terrence Boyd scored for the national team? Trick question. He hasn't. Not only that, but now he's rehabbing a torn ACL. I like Boyd. He's got all the right physical attributes for someone who could replace Altidore and has done some impressive things at club level. But he doesn't have the cachet to be in the top 25.
GODFREY: Everybody likes Boyd, the person, which no doubt influences the ranking of Boyd, the player. He needs to drop down a few slots. And so does the extremely likable Alejandro Bedoya. No. 4? Really? How and when did that happen? He plays in France, not England or Germany, and while I admire his effort and his commitment and even his chant-leading skills, I am rarely awestruck by his actual performances. The fourth-best player on this list has to be a game-changer, and Bedoya hasn't been—yet. He belongs somewhere around 10th.
NOAH DAVIS: John Brooks, who is ninth, is overrated. I had him 17th, which feels better considering how up and down he's been with his club. I'd like to see more consistency from him before elevating him into a top 10 spot. Honorable mention for Lee Nguyen. Eleventh is too high. (Then again, I had him at 31st, which is too low.)
BROOKE TUNSTALL: I loved Julian Green’s goal in the World Cup goal as much as anyone but the reality is he can’t get playing time for one of the worst teams in the Bundesliga—and when he has played he hasn’t shown very much. Green may still live up to the great expectations placed upon him but for now he’s just a little-used player on a bad team who also has shown very little in a U.S. uniform. As such he is ranked too high at No. 27.
BRIAN SCIARETTA: Most overrated at this point is kind of obvious with Julian Green at No. 27. I guess being in Bayern's youth system is interesting at first but he's been exposed at HSV with 111 ineffective minutes this season. His ongoing, ugly downfall with the club means he is unlikely to see any minutes this season. In his last few appearances with the U.S. national team he has not looked ready for this level. A rank of 27 should imply that he is a player ready to contribute to the national team as well as be an impact player with his club. Green might still have potential, but he is not contributing to anyone at the moment and doesn't look particularly close. He doesn't even have a professional goal yet at the club level.
JOSH DEAVER: Funny what happens when you step out of the super-club bubble, right? That being said, Green is only 19-years-old. He may not be overvalued in a general sense, but as a teenager he may be a bit overrated by some of my esteemed ASN panel colleagues. (I had him at No. 34, so I'm guilty too.)
I'd also be shocked if No. 23 Michael Parkhurst ever played for the national team again (a key factor in my voting), so his rating is too high for my tastes.
GODFREY: Disagree! But go on...
DEAVER: Also, not quite sure how Chris Klute (#61) hasn't dropped considering his disappointing season with Colorado and the fact that Klinsmann doesn't seem to rate any MLS outside backs.
OK, readers—your turn. Go to the ASN 100, assess our rankings, and tell us who needs to knocked down a peg or two.
