Who Should Jurgen Klinsmann Call in for USMNT's World Cup Qualifiers?
The United States men's national team once again disappointed on Tuesday night in its lifeless 1-0 loss to Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena.
With concern and criticism at an all-time high in the Jurgen Klinsmann era, the USMNT boss needs to inject fresh blood into the squad for the start of World Cup qualifying in November.
It is clear the current group of players who consistently earn call-ups aren't good enough at the moment, and in order for the Yanks to escape more bad results, change is needed.
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If the USMNT can take down St. Vincent and the Grenadines in St. Louis and then earn at least a draw in Trinidad and Tobago, all should be fine in the national team camp. But in order to save face at the start of World Cup qualifying, Klinsmann does have to make some alterations at almost every position.
The one spot on the field Klinsmann does not have to fix is goalkeeper. Both Tim Howard and Brad Guzan are quality goalkeepers, and each player has more than proven their worth on the international stage.
Guzan received starting time while Howard was on his one-year leave, but now that the Everton man is back in the fold, Klinsmann faces a difficult choice for each upcoming match.
After the loss to Costa Rica, Klinsmann indicated the two would rotate time in goal, which, for the time being, is a wise move.
In defense, Klinsmann at least took one positive out of the losses to Mexico and Costa Rica. Geoff Cameron is the most reliable center-back in the talent pool, and he should start every match as long as he's healthy.
The 30-year-old stood out in the CONCACAF Cup loss to Mexico and displayed plenty of leadership at the back during his 45-minute shift against Costa Rica.
Who pairs Cameron for the first World Cup qualifier will be crucial to the USMNT's success.
Klinsmann doesn't necessarily have to go out of his comfort zone with this selection as Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and John Brooks, when healthy, are solid options. Klinsmann just has to avoid pairing Brooks and Ventura Alvarado together instead of using Cameron.
At full-back, there are a few players currently on the outside looking in who deserve a shot to solidify spots at the much-maligned position.
Eric Lichaj and Jonathan Bornstein are the first two names that should come up in the conversation. Both have put in solid work at the club level over the last year, and they would be able to sure up a shaky defense that had to call DaMarcus Beasley out of retirement to try and look like a cohesive unit.
Some will say Tim Ream is still a good choice, and he is, but is back to playing center-back at Fulham. Fabian Johnson will certainly get more chances when healthy, but he has been playing on the wing for Borussia Monchengladbach.
Klinsmann can move Johnson forward in his formation, but first he needs to find a solid choice at full-back, which is why he should call in the experienced pair of Lichaj and Bornstein.
If that doesn't work, Klinsmann could always shift Brek Shea back to left-back from midfield. And it also wouldn't hurt to try out DeAndre Yedlin at right-back to see how the player has progressed while in England.
One of the biggest issues facing the Yanks at the moment is finding a backup for Michael Bradley in central midfield.
Reading's Danny Williams showed he's not up for the task on Tuesday, which means Klinsmann most likely will have to dip into his young crop of defensive midfielders to solidify the position.
There are quite a few quality central midfielders ready to take the next step at international level, including Wil Trapp, Perry Kitchen and Emerson Hyndman. Marc Pelosi could be a dark-horse candidate for a call-up to the senior team.
All four of those young talents have displayed the ability to play the position at a high level with their respective clubs, but now they have to further their development on the international stage.
If one of those four, or another midfielder, is able to impress in front of the back four, Klinsmann could also start to jettison older members of the squad out of the team for good.
Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones (both 33) have been reliable players over the last few years, but there is very little chance either of them will be around for the 2018 World Cup.
Before he selects which wingers to bring into the squad, Klinsmann needs to identify a system that best suits his team.
Too often, the USMNT boss has put too much pressure on his wingers to defend, which, in turn, squashes any momentum going forward.
Alejandro Bedoya has been the only player over the last 12 months to master the art of being a two-way winger.
It's also clear Gyasi Zardes is not the permanent answer on the wing. Despite his success in 2015, the 24-year-old still has work to do in order to become a two-way player if Klinsmann keeps him on the wing.
This is where Ethan Finlay of the Columbus Crew could do a good job in balancing the attack. If the 25-year-old has a capable partner on the wing, like he does in Columbus with Justin Meram, he should be able to produce like he has on club level.
Lining up the in-form Finlay opposite Bedoya may help the USMNT get back into a rhythm on both sides of the field. Other options here are Shea and Yedlin because of their defensive backgrounds.
Until Klinsmann finds his permanent reliable backup to Bradley, he needs to bring in someone he can trust to play a No. 10-like role.
They may not be young players, but Benny Feilhaber and Sacha Kljestan (both 30) are enjoying career years in Major League Soccer. Lining up either next to Bradley in some type of 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 would take the pressure off Bradley's shoulders and hand the Yanks more creativity in the final third.
The veterans may not be long-term answers centrally, but they both have plenty of international experience and could fill the gap at the position while young players continue to develop.
That brings us to forward, where production has been lacking from Jozy Altidore in the last year.
Clint Dempsey, who was a force up top during the Gold Cup, can't do everything on his own, and, at 32, he isn't getting any younger.
Klinsmann gave Zardes an opportunity to shine in his natural position on Tuesday, but he wasn't up to the task.
That means Klinsmann should give Bobby Wood a start or two to see if the Union Berlin man is the real deal or just someone who comes off the bench and scores late.
Behind those four forwards are a few young talents ready for more opportunities on the big stage.
Jordan Morris is one of the first names to come to mind after his heroics against Mexico in April. The 20-year-old Stanford University product deserves another call-up, while his under-23 strike partner Jerome Kiesewetter (22) is also worth a look.
Morris and Kiesewetter combined well during the group phase of the Olympic qualifying tournament.
When healthy, Aron Johannsson will get another chance, but how many can you give a player who hasn't done much when on the field for the red, white and blue?
Rubio Rubin is another intriguing option, but without playing time at club level, he may not see the USMNT roster for a while.
With all that being said, Klinsmann should field a starting 11 with plenty of new faces against St. Vincent.
A back four of Bornstein, Cameron, Besler and Shea should be reliable enough to allow a midfield of Bradley, Feilhaber, Finlay and Bedoya to create chances for Altidore and Wood up top.
Picking a lineup for the Trinidad and Tobago game is a bit trickier since it is a road match in CONCACAF, which is why we may see a few more veterans like Beasley and Beckerman added to the squad as insurance.
At some point, Klinsmann has to try something different because his current group of players just aren't cutting it.
With World Cup qualifying on the horizon and a group of fresh players willing to accept the challenge, Klinsmann should switch things up in each aspect of the game. But if he sticks with the same faces, we could be in for two more awful matches from the USMNT.
Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90
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