Why USMNT Boss Jurgen Klinsmann Made a Mistake with His Defensive Selection

As if United States men's national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann needed more criticism to come his way, he created more with his interesting defensive selection for the friendlies against Denmark and Switzerland. 

The first set of concerns came when the initial 23-man roster was released. Klinsmann, who is famous for locking up dual-nationals, brought in Club America's Ventura Alvarado instead of calling in someone with European experience, like Geoff Cameron. 

Klinsmann also set the USMNT up for failure at the center-back position, with John Brooks being the only consistent international player on the roster. 

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Although Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler aren't necessarily ideal options given their recent exploits in the red, white and blue over the last 12 months, one or both of the pair would have been an upgrade over Michael Orozco or Alvarado. 

All three of the center-backs on the roster played their own part in the USMNT's demise in the final 10 minutes against Denmark. 

Brooks, who had been shaky at best for the first 80 minutes, failed to challenge Nicklas Bendtner on the forward's game-winning goal at NRGi Park in Aarhus. 

Orozco was unable to finish the match because of a fitness issue, which brings up another discussion Klinsmann does not want to get involved in. Due to the fatigue shown by Orozco, Alvarado was shown into the fire against one of the better sides in Europe. The 22-year-old's nerves were on display for all to see over the last 10 minutes of the match. 

Had Klinsmann selected Gonzalez, Besler, Cameron or even Steve Birnbaum for the original squad, one of them would surely have had enough experience to help calm down the back four against a growing Danish threat. 

While his choice of full-backs for the 23-man squad wasn't frowned upon, Klinsmann's usage of Brek Shea and DeAndre Yedlin seemed quite odd given where the two are in their development as defenders. 

Neither player started the Denmark match, but they both entered the 3-2 defeat as substitutes. However, Shea and Yedlin were handed advanced roles in midfield instead of spots on the defensive flanks. 

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The positioning of the two young players on the pitch in the second half went along with the biggest, and worst, trend of the Klinsmann era. The USMNT boss has a tendency to field players outside of their regular position. 

Shea, who has played on the left wing for most of his career, is now a starting left-back for Orlando City, while Yedlin is still listed as a right-back despite his lack of a full skill set on defense. 

To compound matters on the wing further, Klinsmann handed Fabian Johnson a start three days after the 27-year-old was a part of an emotional win at the club level with Borussia Monchengladbach. 

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If he wanted to get the best out of Johnson, Klinsmann should have kept him on the bench and then moved him into the back line as a reinforcement late in the match. 

Instead, we were left questioning the USMNT manager for his usage of Greg Garza and Timothy Chandler, who were both outmatched by their Danish foes for 90 minutes. 

The good news for Klinsmann is he still has a chance to make up for his managerial errors against Denmark with a positive result against a dangerous Switzerland side. 

The ideal setup for the USMNT in Zurich on Tuesday afternoon would surround Brooks with as much experience as possible. In that scenario, Johnson would be moved back to either one of the full-back positions. Then it would be up to Klinsmann to decide who starts on the other flank. To say he has a multitude of options there is an understatement. 

However, if the defense fails once again to play a solid 90 minutes against a quality opponent, the criticism around Klinsmann's roster selection will grow further leading into the April 15 match against Mexico.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.