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Bruce Arena and the USMNT have a Clint Dempsey conundrum
When U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena announced his roster for a virtual must-win World Cup qualifier on Friday, one name jumped out: Clint Dempsey.
Dempsey, based on everything Arena had said, was not going to be on this roster. He had been sidelined since September with an irregular heartbeat and, even just last month, he wasn't playing 90 minutes for the Seattle Sounders in preseason.
Though Dempsey quickly became a 90-minute starter in the first three weeks of MLS this month, Arena himself hinted Dempsey wasn't on the USMNT's roster to be a starter or carry the team on his back. He was simply a depth piece – a luxury, as Arena put it.
"He may have a different role than he’s had previously," Arena said on The Herd when the roster was announced. "We’re gonna let him have the year to really get in the right kind of form that he can have and get back 100 percent. But he’s a player in one of these two matches he can step on the field in the last 15-20 minutes and help us get a goal. What a luxury to have Clint Dempsey."
Yet, just as soon as Arena explained his picks, his roster and master plan got blown up. Bobby Wood, the most in-form American striker at the moment, had to be removed from the roster for injury. No longer could Arena use Wood and Jozy Altidore, his two most in-form strikers who have shown they can be a deadly partnership. He needed to turn to someone else.
Suddenly, Dempsey looks like more than just a viable option – he may be among the best starting options Arena has. There are real concerns about starting Dempsey, but if Arena wants the USMNT to play its style in the best way, there’s arguably no one better to be in the 11 than Dempsey.
That's in large part because of Jozy Altidore. The Toronto FC striker has been a staple starter for the Americans, and he plays his best with a partner. In all likelihood, a Wood-Altidore pairing was what Arena was counting on – the two could hold the ball up for one another, slip through-balls behind back lines and work together to pull defenses apart.
But Dempsey has been doing that with Altidore for years. The two have history and chemistry, more than any other goal-producing tandem Arena could put together.
Of course, Dempsey only recently became 90 minutes fit, and he has noticeably lost steam for the Sounders later in games. At 34, that can be expected, but at Dempsey's age, plus the fact that he only recently returned from a six-month absence, there are valid concerns about how long he can keep up in a World Cup qualifier.
Jordan Morris could be seen as a safer option. He's young, fast and scoring goals for the Sounders. But, aside from his game being less multi-faceted or creative than Dempsey's, and aside from the fact that Morris and Altidore have never started together, Morris might be injured. He took a knock over the weekend and, although he played through it, he hasn't been training with the USMNT in San Jose. It's unclear if he's even an option now.
Chris Wondolowski was added to the USMNT roster on Monday, a sign that Morris might not be ready, and Wondolowski could start next to Altidore. After all, there are no health issues with Wondolowski – none of the baggage of Dempsey or Morris right now. But 34-year-old Wondolowski, like Dempsey, doesn't offer much speed. He's a goal-scoring threat, but he's not the creative player that Dempsey is. He also hasn't exactly proven himself to be a deadly option on the international level.
What makes Dempsey so good, and so good with a big target striker like Altidore, is he sits as a withdrawn striker and plays a role somewhere between a No. 10 and a striker. He's a visionary player who knows how to find and create space, both for himself and his striker partner. He create chances and he scores them in every way possible – through the back or in direct counterattacks; on the ground or in the air; through the run of the play or on set pieces. No other options bring that.
Plus, despite the concerns about Dempsey's fitness, there is also a possible upside to starting him: Dempsey doesn't need to play 90 minutes. Arguably the best time to put Morris into a game would be late, when defenses are tired and his breakneck speed can beat heavy legs. If Morris can't play, Wondolowski is capable of closing out a game.
That presents a real conundrum for Arena. At even less than 100 percent, Dempsey may be the best second-striker option on his roster. But that raises another question -- does Arena need a second striker at all?
He could always play with just one, but that's never been Altidore's preference. When the USMNT tried it in Arena's first match at the helm in this go-round, Altidore looked disjointed from the midfield and starved for the ball. Afterward, Altidore was open about his frustration, lamenting the lack of support he got.
There isn't a clear attacking trio to put behind Altidore either, if Arena decides to play Altidore alone up top. Christian Pulisic will almost certainly be there, but will it be on the wing or centrally? The same can be asked of Darlington Nagbe, and the injury to Fabian Johnson strips the U.S. of one of their best attacking options to support Altidore. Sacha Kljestan could be used, but he was a late addition to the roster, only coming on because Wood was hurt, signaling Arena doesn't see that as a best option.
What we are left with is uncertainty -- and a lot of it. Who plays next to Altidore or, if Altidore starts alone, who plays underneath him? Whatever answers Arena settles on will in some way revolve around Dempsey. Can he start? Can he be at his best? Can he do what the U.S. needs from the get-go, despite Arena saying just a week ago that he wants Dempsey to come off the bench?
There are plenty of reasons to discount Dempsey and go with a less complicated choice for the starting line-up. But there are plenty of very good reasons to start Dempsey, too. Whatever Arena chooses could end up deciding the USMNT's match vs. Honduras, and it's a match the Americans can't really afford to lose.
