FIFA 2010 World Cup: US Midfield, Part I—Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley Locks

When Bob Bradley makes out his lineup card for the England game, the position which causes least worry for him will certainly be the midfield.

While England may have a great deal of quality in their midfield, the Americans aren’t far behind—if even at all.

Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey will be locks as starters—though either of the latter two could potentially start at forward.

Still, that leaves one, maybe two midfield spots to fill. Most think Ricardo Clark will be in the first eleven, but a break down of the midfielders available leads me to believe someone else should slide in.

Let’s first take a look at the locks.

Landon Donovan

While Carlos Bocanegra may be Captain America, Landon Donovan earns the title of Superman, and that’s not just because of his penchant for Five for Fighting.

Donovan is the most prominent American player, the face of the Yanks. His run for Everton in the EPL helped repair the damage done to his international reputation in Bundesliga stints with Munich and Leverkusen, and all eyes will be on Landon this Cup.

But where will Landycakes line up?

Bradley will probably put him on the right side of midfield as one of the two midfield/winger hybrids. This has been Bradley’s play throughout qualification, with Dempsey and Donovan on the wings and two holding midfielders.

However, with a lack of proven depth at striker, I’m going to take a page out of John Harkes’ book and say that Landon should be an advanced central midfielder just behind the strikers, in what could be called a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-5-1.

Why I like this formation will be further discussed later, but Landon’s creativity on the ball will be best used in the center, where he can dictate play and get the most number of touches. Too often he is phased out of games which get isolated on one side, but in the center Landon will always be around the ball.

Clint Dempsey

If Landon is Superman, Dempsey is Batman—a silent assassin with a renegade’s edge.

Dempsey battled some injuries in Fulham this season, but was still a crucial part of Roy Hodgson’s Europa League Finalists, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.

Dempsey is best known in the side as the American with the most flair on the ball. As Bob Bradley says about Dempsey, “He tries sh*t.”

This flair sometimes gets Dempsey in trouble, with ugly mistakes on the ball and a penchant for taking one touch too many. However, it also produces some gems like his goal against Juventus in the Europa League, which was one of the best European goals of the season.

Dempsey will probably start on the left side of midfield, and should Bob put him there, I would agree. Fulham used him more as a striker later in the season, more out of necessity than anything, but he did well there. Still, his creative ability is best for the US on the left cutting in, where he can make runs forward but still get involved in the midfield build up.

The only American to score in the 2006 Cup, the US will need goals from Deuce to keep advancing.

Michael Bradley

The son of coach Bob Bradley, Michael’s inclusion in the side is anything but nepotistic.

The younger Bradley has proven himself for the national side since qualification for the Cup began in 2006. He has become a staple in the MNT midfield, as well as a box-to-box warrior for Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga.

His growth and maturity have been evident in just the last year. Bradley still has the hot streak that has been known to earn him a red card or two, but we’ve seen less of that as years pass. In 2010, particularly against the Dutch in March, Bradley has been our best central midfielder and is on pace to be one of the greatest American players ever.

Still, he’s done little in big international tournaments, missing the final against Brazil last year because of, you guessed it, red card suspension.

This Cup will be big for Michael. I expect his father will play him as the more advanced of the two central midfielders in the 4-4-2 empty bucket, but I think he’d be better with not one midfield partner, but two. He’s a good short passer and is quick on the ball, and if he could get the ball to Landon’s feet quicker, he’d be able to get forward with more ease.

In addition, Michael can be a defensive midfielder as he often is for his club side. Yes, give him the freedom to go forward, but his speed and strength make him one of our better defensive midfielders.

I don’t think Bob will play three central midfielders (at least not against England), but I’d love to see it, and honestly, if Landon is the attacker, Michael is more than capable of holding, allowing another midfielder with some creativity and possession on the pitch.

With the three starters penciled in, who will be the fourth (or fifth) starter for the three group games and, if applicable, beyond?

For that, check out Part II, soon to come.