Players To Be Seen Later

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Although it wasn’t pretty, a makeshift U.S. Men’s National Team went 2-0 in their most recent friendly matches against Venezuela and Panama.  These matches were pretty much polar opposites:  In the first match, against Venezuela and on home soil, the U.S. peppered the Venezuelan defense with threats before Ricardo Clark headed home the game winner in the 97^th minute.  However, on the road at Panama the yanks were on their heels for much of the match.  Graham Zusi scored in the 10^th minute, but after that Panama controlled the match and the U.S. was eventually reduced to 10 men when Geoff Cameron was sent off for a foul outside the box.

But, a win is a win is a win.  Or maybe I should two wins are two wins are two wins.  Much wasn’t expected out of this makeshift lineup, so everyone should be happy to walk away with two wins.  If you aren’t a diehard USMNT fan, or even if you are, you probably didn’t recognize all of the players from last night.  So, now I will tell you which players you should expect to see in the future based on their performance this week and their potential.

Players you will see in the future:

Jermaine Jones -M- Jermaine Jones is known for his sporadic play and his short temper, both of which were on display this week.  Jones showed signs of brilliance with his blast from 30 yards out that nearly produced a goal, but also gave up the ball too easily which led to some good chances for opponents.  He is certainly talented enough to play during World Cup Qualifiers, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Jurgen Klinsmann grows tired of his inconsistency and finds him a warm spot on the bench.

Arnulfo Franco/AP

Brek Shea -M- Brek Shea, along with Juan Agudelo, is one of the most heralded young players the United States has.  He’s impressed many people with his ability to possess the ball and score goals in the MLS.  After a few games with the USMNT he had also impressed Klinsmann, and is the only player to play in every game under Klinsmann.  Lately however, his play has left much to be desired.  Shea often plays on an island; against Venezuela he was not regularly involved with the team, but when he was, he created strong opportunities.  However against Panama, when he was apparently battling sickness, he was neither active nor inspiring.  Despite this, Shea will still be a part of Klinsmann’s plans going forward.

Ricardo Clark -M- Clark was impressive with his goal in the game against Venezuela and his overall steady play.  Many USMNT fans probably never want to see Clark again after his mistake against Ghana in the 2010 World Cup.  But Clark played well enough this week to deserve a second chance in a more limited role for the U.S.

Geoff Cameron -D- Although his most memorable play from this week was a questionable red card, Cameron is good enough and big enough to play for the U.S. in the future.  A lot depends on how quickly Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo age, but expect to see Geoff Cameron playing in the back for the U.S. at some point.

Juan Agudelo -F- and Kyle Beckerman -M- Both Agudelo and Beckerman were held out due to minor injuries, but should be in the picture moving forwards.

Players you might see in the future:

Zusi celebrates his goal.
Arnulfo Franco/AP

Graham Zusi -M- Zusi did a nice job of finishing up Zach Loyd’s cross and scoring the only goal against Panama.  Other than that his play was solid in the midfield.  It was evident that Zusi was having trouble staying on the wing though as he often drifted inward, clogging the middle of the field.  If he and Shea were stronger in their positioning, the midfield could have played more united.

Michael Parkhurst -D- Parkhurst played center back alongside Cameron and was also strong the majority of the time.  Panama found ways behind the U.S. defense too many times, but Parkhurst played well on the ball and showed he was in no way overwhelmed.

Chris Wondolowski -F- Wondolowski almost finished up Jermain Jones’ brilliant strike, but was denied brilliantly by the Panamanian keeper.  This would have been a typical goal for Wondolowski; outworking the opposition and finding a way to put the ball in the back of the net.  His work ethic and ability to score could find him a spot on the team if forwards ahead of him underperform or get injured.

Nick Rimando -GK- Rimando did very well in the half he played in, making a few saves to keep the United States above water.

Bill Hamid -GK- Hamid was never really challenged against Venezuela but has a strong enough record that he could make the U.S. roster for qualifying.

Players you probably won’t see in the future:

C.J. Sapong -F- Sapong played very well against Panama coming in for Bunbury in the second half.  He was strong with the ball and connected well with the midfielders.  Hard to imagine he will pass Wondolowski though.

Teal Bunbury -F- Teal Bunbury’s motor and consistent pressure up top forced a few mistakes from the opponent’s defense.  However, especially against Panama, he couldn’t serve as a link to connect possession between the midfield and attack.  He needs to be stronger on the ball to have any shot of sticking with the international squad.

Benny Feilhaber -M- I thought Feilhaber played pretty well in the match against Venezuela, but Klinsmann must have felt differently after Feilhaber didn’t touch the field against Panama.  Doesn’t bode well for his future.

A.J. DeLaGarza -D- DeLaGarza played well moving forward out of the back against Venezuela but made too many defensive mistakes in both games.  He can’t make many mistakes as one of the smallest players in the U.S. program.

Zach Loyd -D- Loyd did well swinging the ball in on his crosses, one of which led to Zusi's goal, but overall he was too inconsistent out of the back.  He gave the ball away easily, which led to many problems for the U.S. defense.