The USMNT plays their Copa America opener on Friday, and one of the biggest questions Jurgen Klinsmann has to answer is what the roles of Darlington Nagbe and Christian Pulisic should be.
Should Christian Pulisic and Darlington Nagbe start for the USMNT against Colombia?
Jurgen Klinsmann has two exciting young talents on his bench. Is it time to give them the nod over a pair of veterans?
Nagbe and Pulisic have captured the imagination of the United States men's national team fan base over the last year for different reasons. In Nagbe's case, he's an established professional who led the Portland Timbers to an MLS Cup victory last season. He's better at keeping the ball than anyone in the USMNT player pool. Pulisic is quite a bit younger and looks like he could be the biggest star the USMNT has ever had. Some of his hype is still based on outstanding play at youth level, but he broke into Borussia Dortmund's first team this spring. He's played in the Bundesliga and Europa League, and looked great doing it.
But should either of them start against Colombia? That's a tough question to answer.
No, they’re not ready -- Conor Dowley
Look, both Nagbe and Pulisic are very talented players, and they both belong in the squad for this tournament. They both have a big role to play, that’s not in question. But that role is not in the starting lineup.
Neither player has the experience they need to play a starting role for the USMNT right now. Pulisic simply lacks enough senior soccer -- he broke into Borussia Dortmund’s first team this spring, but he’s only played half a season with the first team and he’s 17. Nagbe is a regular starter for Portland in MLS, but only just broke into the USMNT late last year and only has a small amount of time with Jurgen Klinsmann’s tactics and methods.
That lack of experience for both players means that both should only be relied on to be substitutes, as neither are ready for the demands of starting just yet -- and even if they were ready, their skills when paired with each other and with the rest of the U.S. squad means that they might be better off coming off the bench anyways.
We saw it in each of the last two USMNT friendlies -- Nagbe and Pulisic come in during the second half, and completely changed the game. They bring a spark and energy to the pitch that can help fire up the USMNT late in matches, bringing an attacking verve to the pitch just as their opponents are starting to tire. That’s immensely valuable, and something they would struggle to maintain over an entire match if they came in from the start.
Both Nagbe and Pulisic will have plenty of time to start for the U.S. in big tournaments in the future, probably as soon as next summer. But this summer, in the Copa America Centenario, they are not yet ready to start and can better serve the USMNT by coming off the bench to make an impact down the final stretch of a match. Fans need to accept that sometimes, just because they want to see particular players start doesn't always mean that's what's best for the team.
OK, but we’re average right now, so who cares? -- Kevin McCauley
The United States men’s national team is good enough to beat any team in the world. They are not good enough to beat Brazil, Mexico and Argentina consecutively. Based on their recent performances against poor sides like Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala, there’s not much of a reason to pick them to beat any three teams in this tournament consecutively. They’re not going to win Copa America.
Jurgen Klinsmann is also not getting fired after this tournament, barring complete and utter embarrassment caused by players quitting on him. The same federation that’s willing to take a massive public relations L over a couple million dollars in the USWNT equal pay fight is not going to pay Klinsmann a seven-figure buyout to go away just because the USMNT struggled in this tournament.
So, with all that in mind, why not plan for the future? Why should the likes of Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman all be first choice in a tournament that the USMNT won’t win, and that their coach doesn’t need to do well in to keep his job? Why shouldn’t they prioritize planning for the future and putting on a show for the fans?
And why is it always not time to take a risk and start young players? The USMNT should have gotten significantly younger after the World Cup, but Klinsmann said qualifying for the Confederations Cup was important. When he failed to do that, Copa America became important. And after that, the Hex will be important, because we can’t afford to miss the World Cup. And then suddenly June of 2018 rolls around and most of the USMNT’s prospective starters have been first choice for a year or less.
The potential benefits of starting Dempsey and Jones are smaller than the potential benefits of playing Pulisic and Nagbe. The risk is minimal. It’s time to take the plunge.
See More:
