United States

Jurgen Klinsmann has his Copa America prelim roster, but where does he go from here?

Published May. 2, 2016 9:00 a.m. ET

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Jurgen Klinsmann has used up his benefit of the doubt. At least from anyone outside of the U.S. Soccer Federation. Such is the nature of promising big things for a team, only to see them face plant for 18 months running.

It all comes back to a core tenant of any team -- direction. And the United States appear to be lacking that, which is crippling for any manager, let alone one who was supposed to bring the U.S. a system and identity that was supposedly missing for decades.

That lack of direction causes problems, even in the most benign of times. Like with Klinsmann's 40-man preliminary roster for Copa America Centenario, which he revealed on Sunday. It was pretty straightforward and without much drama.

After all, who could be considered a snub? Juan Agudelo has only scored two goals this season, Gedion Zelalem can't even get it going in the Scottish second division and Dax McCarty and Jorge Villafana will have their fans, but neither has played under Klinsmann so let's not pretend that either was going to get a look.

Klinsmann got it right. Or at least didn't have much to get right. But where does he go from here?

Five years into Klinsmann's reign, it's still not clear what direction he has the team going in. Or what its identity is. Or even that he seems to have an idea of how to piece together a squad so its players complement each other.

This is only a preliminary roster. On May 20th, he will need a 23-man final roster to take into Copa America Centenario and it's nearly impossible to guess what Klinsmann will do with that final squad.

The core of the U.S. team is Michael Bradley and Fabian Johnson. There is no doubt that those two, if healthy, will be on the U.S. team. And Klinsmann really likes Jordan Morris, Bobby Wood, Gyasi Zardes and DeAndre Yedlin so with all four playing well, they figure to be on the team too. Then there are Tim Howard and Brad Guzan, neither especially good or in form, but Klinsmann has made it clear that they are the team's top two goalkeepers. But beyond those eight, could you really say with certainty that anyone else will definitely be on the team?

Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore would seem to fit the bill, but Klinsmann has omitted both from competitive matches in recent years to send a message or take a look at the future and neither is in great form right now. John Brooks and Geoff Cameron might also be sure choices, even Matt Besler too, but nothing about the Americans' defense has been predictable under Klinsmann. Even Jermaine Jones, one of the manager's favorites, is in flux as he ages.

Will Klinsmann look for speed at fullback with the likes of Timmy Chandler and Edgar Castillo for overlapping runs and bring in the centerbacks and central midfielders needed to cover for them, or opt for stay-at-home types like Cameron and Ream? Is the team going to play with an attacking midfielder like Darlington Nagbe, Lee Nguyen or Christian Pulisic so Bradley can play deeper or will the captain be pushed forward, making a few defensive-minded players like Kyle Beckerman, Perry Kitchen, Danny Williams or Jones a must?

Players have to work with one another, and in a system, and players have to fit in the roles that allow them to work as a collective. But without the system and roles, how do you figure out the players?

And even when you figure out the 23-man roster, then there's the starting lineup. Of the eight players that look like locks to make the final squad, only Bradley, Johnson and one of the goalkeepers look like a sure bet to start. Which means there are eight more spots to figure out.

What's scarier: Only having a grasp of 35 percent of a roster or 27 percent of a starting lineup?

Usually it's easy to figure out a team's core. And you know why that core is there. Their quality is clear, as are their roles. You can see how they fit in a team's system or at least how their versatility presents options for the manager to leverage other players' strengths. That's not true of the U.S.

Bradley is a defensive midfielder, or a box-to-box midfielder, or -- more often than not of late -- an attacking midfielder. So his place on the team isn't clear, other than being one of its best players. And Johnson could play at either fullback position, or as an outside midfielder, or even as an attacking winger. That uncertainty and unpredictability makes up the entire American core.

It's a thin core. And an unstable one. Klinsmann would say it's by design, keeping everyone on their toes and using the pressure of making the national team as a motivator. But it doesn't seem to be working. At least that's what the results say.

That's especially concerning considering Klinsmann's position as technical director, to go along with manager, and his mandate of laying the foundation for a new U.S. men's program. Because right now, that foundation looks as non-existent as ever.

In Klinsmann's defense, whether we know what he's going to do next or can predict a roster doesn't really matter. But it is worrying when five years later, his actions haven't indicated that there's a direction. It's one thing to be a mad scientist when you're winning, but the U.S. aren't winning and Klinsmann looks more mad than scientist.

Klinsmann has his 40-man roster and it's drama-free. That's great, but also expected. And that a simple preliminary roster, one as straightforward as this one, can be so well-received and yet raise so many questions about what's to come, is scary. Just like the team's lack of growth is scary. Just like last year's Gold Cup flameout was scary. Just like a tough Copa America group will be scary.

There weren't many choices for Klinsmann to make with the preliminary roster. But he'll have plenty to make with the final roster and the starting lineup. And what he will consider, what the team will try to do and how the various players will fit, well, that's a complete toss up. We have no idea where Klinsmann is going from here, except to Copa America with a steep hill to climb and a mountain of pressure.

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