Central Midfield

I've divided the midfielders into two groups... Central and outside... As we'll see, the WC06 roster for the USA makes this distinction artificial to some degree but I still think it's a good line to draw.

Central midfielders
Landon Donovan: Fast becoming the face of US soccer. Donovan is young and already a veteran international. If he maintains his health (which has been remarkably good thus far) he'll shatter all the cap and goal records for the US. His ability to play anywhere in midfield is a big plus and his skill at forward will allow him to play there if need be. Frankly, I believe he's a better forward then midfielder and i would not be upset at all if, come June 12th, he was McBride's partner up top. If Reyna and O'Brien are both 100% (unlikely) this may actually be the most likely scenario.

Claudio Reyna: Claudio Reyna's role in this team is something of a mystery. He can play anywhere in the center of midfield and in most positions on the right (from midfield to full back... winger is asking alot though). His passing skill and vision is tremendous but he may struggle against some of the faster teams.

John O'Brien: The other big question mark on this US team. O'Brien's health is going to affect quite a bit. If he's able to be relied upon then I would expect him to be used as a central midfielder, probably in place of Pablo Mastroeni. The more likely situation is that he'll be used as a substitute when we need to hold a lead (most likely if Beasley is playing on the left and we're looking threatened down the flanks). The other likely substitute role is to come in for a forward, Donovan rotating up to that forward's slot and O'Brien dropping deep to create a second holding midfielder. It's these types of situational uses that seem the most likely.

Pablo Mastroeni: I'm not a big fan. I've said it before and I really hate to harp on things but I worry about Mastroeni. I think he's pretty good at Center Back but i think he looks exposed and slow at defensive midfield. I also prefer my DMs to have more passing skill than Mastroeni has displayed. I wish Zavagnin had blossomed more with the national team but you've got make do with what you've got. On the plus side, he's improved since '02 and I think he's at least passable now.

Ben Olsen: My preferred choice at the defensive midfield slot. Benji has made quite a comeback (and scored a couple nice goals) to find himself on the WC06 roster. Olsen brings a much more attacking approach to the role while sacrificing none of the technical defensive skills. In reviewing the Jamaica game, however, I believe that their goal was more his fault than Frankie's. The passing lane that they were able to exploit should have been filled by someone and that someone is either Olsen, or someone that should have switched off with him. Having said that, if Olsen can get the chemistry/communication/positioning issues down, I think he'd be a better choice then Mastroeni in that role.

Others:
Clint Dempsey: I'm a big fan of Clint Dempsey. I know he's going to see most of his playing time on the right side of midfield, but I think he's the future for the USA at defensive mid. He has a natural feistiness that is required and his passing skills allow him to create from anywhere. I also think he's much more comfortable in the center of the field then on the wings. He's also a pretty good substitute for Reyna or Donovan in the even of injury.

Alternates:
Chris Armas: Broke everyone's heart when he missed WC02. It's highly unlikely that he'll find his way onto the roster but it would be an emotional pick if he were to make it. Better technically then Mastroeni but less of a physical specimen in terms of height and speed.

Kerry Zavagnin: A player that I really like that has yet to really blossom. Unfortunate considering his age. Zavagnin brings some of the playmaking skills that you like to see at the position but his inexperience and lack of pace leaves him marginalized when playing against top flight teams.

The Unit as a whole
This is probably one of our biggest strengths and we have a team with a LARGE amount of experience. I doubt many of them could start for top flight european squads but as a unit, they're very very strong. Additionally, there is quite a bit of depth at the position and, in some cases, our backups (O'Brien) are better than our starters. A-