Expectations and Hopes Rekindled as the US Men’s National Team Kick Off Their 2015 Campaign
by Sean Maslin
As the United States finds itself under a ton of snow and ice, there is perhaps only one thing that will heat U.S. Soccer supporters: January camp. This year is no different as the U.S. Men’s National Team kick off 2015 with a friendly against Chile in Santiago, Chile (Wednesday 5pm EST Fox Sports 1).
The first thing to realize about January camp is that the score of any friendlies during this period are completely meaningless. While the desired outcome would be a victory, what matters more is if Klinsmann can get a better idea as to what he has in terms of depth going into the 2015 Gold Cup, the 2016 Olympics, the 2016 Copa America, and qualification for the 2018 World Cup. Hardly anything will be resolved after Wednesday’s match but players have in the past used this camp to propel themselves into regular minutes.
Perhaps it is due to the dearth of other sports going on or perhaps it is the desire to talk about anything related to U.S. Soccer (the MLS SuperDraft even has importance now) January camp for the U.S. Men’s National Team always stokes passions and debate. It is a camp that is typically used for players who have had quality MLS campaigns, for players on the fringe of the roster, or players just looking for minutes. Every supporter has their favorite player that they feel should be here and chances are there are plenty of fans with hurt feelings.
This year is no different as U.S. Men’s National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann has brought in several players from MLS coming off of strong 2014 campaigns (D.C. United center-back Steve Birnbaum and Columbus Crew midfielder Will Trapp,) players on the fringe of the roster (Chicago Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson and Colorado Rapids left-back Shane O’Neill,) and players needing minutes (Toronto F.C. forward Jozy Altidore and 1860 Munich forward Bobby Wood).
Chances are there other players that merited going to Chile and for the match against Panama on February the second. But all of the players selected have certain skills that could be of value of the next cycle of international tournaments. It is a question as to whether or not players will make the most of these opportunities.
Chile is also using this match as a means to look at squad depth in preparation for hosting the 2015 Copa America. This is a very important year for Chile as they are the only South American country to never have won the Copa America. Coach Jorge Sampaoli’s side lacks experience on the international arena (just five players have more than ten caps). But this is still a very dangerous side.
Although Sampaoli’s sides typically rely on dynamic play from the midfield ( a trait that dates back to former manager Marcelo Bielsa) this team’s greatest strength might be in the defense. Defenders Cristian Suarez, Osvaldo Gonzalez, and Jose Rojas all play for Universidad de Chile, who won the 2014 Apertura and allowed the second-fewest amount of goals in the Chilean Primera Division. If Klinsmann was looking for an opponent to help boost Altidore’s confidence this might not have been it.
There are some positional battles from the USA’s perspective that are worth keeping an eye on. Nowhere is this more apparent than in defense where it is rumored that Klinsmann is looking at a 3-4-3 with three center-backs and a wing-back. While the conversion of Jermaine Jones to a full-time defensive role will be interesting to watch, so will gauging the progress of Birnbaum and F.C. Dallas defender Matt Hedges in a new level of football.
Chile’s target man up front will be Roberto Gutierrez, who scored 11 goals for the Santiago Wanderers in the 2014 Apertura. He just completed a big move in the Primera Division signing with Chilean club giants Universidad Catolica and will be looking to use this opportunity to get himself a spot for Chile at the Copa America.
If there is one player to keep an eye on from the United States it is forward Gyassi Zardes of the Los Angeles Galaxy. The United States is desperate for a young forward up front that has speed and can play with pace and has confidence in taking a risky shot. Zardes showed in 2014 with his 16 while playing with Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan that he can work well with players who have more experience than him. It will be interesting to see if Klinsmann can employ him in a similar with the US, giving him goal-scoring opportunities when Altidore and Clint Dempsey are occupied.
Even if the result of the match is meaningless the strategy and ideas that are being worked out will be fascinating to watch. Both Chile and the United States have high expectations coming into 2015 and this match will have a small part in determining what their supporters can come to expect in later tournaments.
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