The first word that came to mind when news of Stuart Holden’s latest injury setback hit was cruel. How cruel a development for a promising midfielder who only a year ago had overcome a similar setback, only to fight back and become one of the revelations of the English Premier League season.
The timing of Johnny Evan’s ugly tackle on Holden could not have been worse for the 25-year old U.S. national team midfielder. Holden was a day away from traveling to the United States to join the national team and take a well-earned place in the starting lineup. He was very likely to be in the lineup when the Americans faced off against Argentina in the perfect high-profile match for Holden to show just how far his game has come in the past year.
All that vanished as the images of a crumpled Holden holding a sliced open and badly bruised knee made it clear this injury would be even worse than the broken leg Holden suffered a year ago at the cleats of renowned hack master Nigel de Jong.
You could argue that last year’s injury was even more poorly timed because it threatened his World Cup place and, more importantly, came when Holden’s contract status with Bolton was unclear. Bolton manager Owen Coyle showed faith in Holden by signing him to a new contract despite the injury. Faith Holden has repaid with interest this season.
The timing of this new injury is actually worse than last year's injury because not only was Holden in the midst of a dream season with Bolton, with an FA Cup semifinal looming for him, but he looked destined to play a key role in a big year for the U.S. national team. Now, Holden’s club season is over two months early and he’ll play no part in this summer’s Gold Cup.
The injury is a serious blow to the United States because Holden was developing into the type of offensive-minded central midfielder the national team needed, particularly considering head coach Bob Bradley’s move toward a 4-2-3-1 formation. Though he is more a two-way midfielder with Bolton, his attacking qualities make him the ideal candidate to play in the middle of the three-man attacking trident in the 4-2-3-1, with Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey as likely flank partners.
That seemed destined to be the plan, not just for the upcoming friendly against Argentina, but for this summer’s Gold Cup. Now, with Holden out for six months, Bradley finds himself back to square one, lacking a clear-cut option for that playmaking role.
In an ideal world, Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey would be able to fill that role, but with no strong wing options having emerged to replace them on the flanks (at least not yet), moving either to the middle would be creating a new problem to solve another.
Bradley’s most likely move now, assuming he decides to stick with moving toward a 4-2-3-1, is to use the trio of Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu and Jermaine Jones together in central midfield. All three players have good offensive qualities to go with their defensive strengths, but none would ever be mistaken for a playmaker. As a trio, Bradley, Edu and Jones could generate enough in the way of threatening passes and scoring opportunities, but the trick will be to get them working in unison in clearly-defined roles.
The trio was tried out against Colombia last October and the results were disappointing, in large part because it was clear the three struggled with their timing and communication. Figuring out when to make runs and when to stay home proved difficult and spacing was an issue at times as well.
What Bob Bradley will need to do is give one of the three a clear role as the attack-minded midfielder, a position Michael Bradley looks best suited for. With Jones and Edu providing defensive support and working out their own timing on forward runs, a Bradley-Edu-Jones triangle could actually work.
Bob Bradley’s decision will be much easier than the one he was set to have to make before Holden’s injury. If Holden were healthy right now Bradley would have to choose between Michael Bradley, Edu and Jones for two positions. A Bradley-Jones pairing has long seemed like the inevitable tandem, but with Michael Bradley struggling for minutes at Aston Villa and Edu playing very well for Rangers.
This is all assuming Bradley wouldn’t have pushed Dempsey forward and used Holden on the right wing. That’s a feasible move considering Holden has played on the right wing for the national team before, but perhaps not the most practical move given the fact that Holden has been one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League this season.
For now, Bradley's decisions in shaping a front six are more clear cut than the ones he must make with an evolving back-line, but that could be changing soon. With Juan Agudelo and Charlie Davies looking poised for big years in MLS, and with promising German-born winger Timothy Chandler joining the fray, Bradley could head into the Gold Cup with some more offensive options to choose from.
Unfortunately for Bradley and the national team, Holden won’t be one of them.
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team.
