Gyasi Zardes Proves He Can Be X-Factor for USMNT at Copa America Centenario

The curious positional case of Gyasi Zardes has been a hard one to solve at both the club and international levels. 

There is no doubt the LA Galaxy man is a true forward, but due to the teammates he has in Major League Soccer and with the United States men's national team, Zardes and his managers have been forced to adjust. 

In the USMNT's 4-0 win over Bolivia on Saturday at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Zardes proved just how dangerous he can be in the final third with his movement on and off the ball. The 24-year-old bagged a brace during his 63-minute shift for the Yanks in the final match before Friday's Copa America Centenario opener against Colombia at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara.

Gary Rohman/MLS/USA TODAY Sports

The performance came at the perfect time for Zardes, who has drifted out of the spotlight a bit in recent weeks due to the arrival of 17-year-old Christian Pulisic, the demand for Darlington Nagbe and the exclusion of Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris. Zardes showed USMNT boss Jurgen Klinsmann on Saturday that he is capable of working off the runs of Clint Dempsey and Bobby Wood in attack as the Yanks look to use the 4-3-3 system to their advantage. 

In the buildup to his 26th-minute opener, Zardes displayed patience as he cut in from the right wing to latch onto Alejandro Bedoya's pass from the right part of the pitch. Zardes broke for the inside of the attacking area once he saw Dempsey begin his pass to Bedoya in tight space. By being able to recognize the moves of his teammates two passes ahead of time, Zardes was able to get around a defender and send the ball into the right side of the net. 

Seven minutes into the second half, Zardes received the ball on the wing, but instead of surging toward goal he passed the ball back to Michael Bradley. Bradley then opened up the defense with a cross-pitch pass that landed on the boot of Wood, who found Zardes in front of goal to help the 24-year-old complete his brace. Just like he did on the first tally of the contest, Zardes timed his run perfectly. As Bradley looped the ball over to Wood, Zardes recognized space in the center of the penalty area and raced directly to it to tap in his second of the match. 

Even when his runs failed to produce a significant chance, Zardes showed how much of a threat he can be with his movement. In the 19th minute as the Yanks searched for quality possession in the final third, Zardes cut in from the right to earn a free-kick in the middle of the park. The 24-year-old, who has played on the wing during the majority of his time with the USMNT, also impressed with his positional understanding throughout the four-goal victory. Just after the second half began, Zardes inched inside as Jermaine Jones took the ball out to the wing. By pinching toward the middle, the 24-year-old took a defender away from Jones and looked for space in the box. Although that particular move failed to produce anything, the Yanks might be able to benefit off a run like that later in the Copa. 

As some will note, Saturday's match was not against a South American powerhouse. Despite the easy win coming against one of the weaker sides in CONMEBOL, Zardes took advantage of his opportunity and proved to Klinsmann he deserves a starting nod versus Colombia. In order to keep a role in the starting 11, Zardes must find a way to open up opposing defenses with his movement and positional shifts with Dempsey and Wood, who both had no issue changing roles in the front three over the course of 90 minutes on Saturday. 

Although Zardes will go down as one of the top players from the final pre-Copa USMNT friendly, there were glimpses of the player USMNT fans do not want to see over the next month as well. The 24-year-old, who is notorious for his poor first touch, wasted a chance in open space two minutes before his second strike as his first contact with the ball was heavy. He earned a corner from the move forward, but he could've threatened the goal more had he pulled the ball down cleanly. 

Zardes is certainly a work in progress on the international stage as are a few of the group of players who should be major contributors for the USMNT in June, but the 24-year-old has that something special that can power a team to victory in any contest. As he builds toward becoming the central forward of the future, the California native must display the required skills elsewhere on the pitch to gain the trust of Klinsmann. The best chance for Zardes to move from fringe starter to one of the first names on the team sheet comes at the Copa, where he could be the X-factor the Yanks need to progress far in the tournament. 

Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.