I wrote for SI.com this morning about Jurgen Klinsmann and his biggest challenge ahead: identifying that final 10 percent, that little “something extra” from a talented young group that still clearly needs some seasoning.
What’s missing in the U.S. camp, and how to find it
Anecdotally, we can all see that something is surely missing, that extra sliver of quality that makes the difference at the highest level. But if you are someone who likes stacking the stats and facts, here you go. This is from the SI.com piece:
And what about those strikers, whose inability to score has become a U.S. challenge to rival the ongoing left back conundrum? Juan Agudelo, Jozy Altidore and Chris Wondolowski, who have eaten up most of the minutes for strikers this year, have three goals in 21 combined appearances in 2011. Go back through 2010 and add Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez and Eddie Johnson to that list – all the strikers who played more than two matches in 2010 – and that two-year total becomes 10 goals in 55 appearances. That’s awful.
Indeed it is. These guys need some time at the Brian McBride Attacking Soccer Academy like nobody’s business.
Read on for something you won’t find in the SI.com piece. (At about 1,000 words, you just can’t squeeze everything in.)
Something has been missing so far in Klinsmann’s choices for this rotating audition of assistants.
Guys like Thomas Dooley and Tab Ramos certainly can add something, but Klinsmann might consider adding a proven striker among his crop of candidates. Dooley and top assistant Martin Vasquez were defensive types as players. Ramos was a creative midfielder. Again, they can all add something. Jose Torres under Ramos’ wing? Yeah, I like the sound of that. Tim Ream or Omar Gonzalez getting some wise words from Dooley or Vasquez? Same deal. I think there’s some value there.
But would somebody please ring up McBride or Eric Wynalda and see if they’re available. Because even though Klinsmann was a striker, he has to watch over the entire operation. He needs someone on staff whose sole responsibility is to work night and day with the frontrunners. Those numbers I cited above? That’s why you lose a match at home to Costa Rica. No, that doesn’t matter in the long run. But fail to score in a World Cup qualifier at home against Costa Rica or the like? Now things are getting serious.
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