Ball-Playing CBs and the USMNT

There’s a lot made of the lack of striker depth for the US, and for good reason. Jozy Altidore was a high level prospect and got his first NT cap in 2007. The US hasn’t produced a forward near his level since. The USA also hasn’t had a good, natural left back (I know Beasley turned into a pretty good one, but that wasn’t his natural position) in my lifetime. However, neither of those are the position I’ve been dwelling on. No, I’m here to discuss the center backs.

Berhalter wants to move the USMNT into being a ball dominant, possession team. In order to achieve this aim, the players involved need to understand the system, but they also need to possess a certain skill set. There are currently two center backs (imo) in the pool that fit that profile. John Brooks and Tim Ream.

Since both are left footed, Gregg has made the right center back a defensive stopper position. Aaron Long is an athletic defender capable of covering space and cleaning up mistakes. He’s not a prototype for center backs in the positional play style though. What are the benefits of having a more “modern” center back in that position? Why are these players so valuable in the contemporary game?

The Drive and Dish

In basketball, the defense can be broken down if the point guard can get by his man and force defenders to collapse on him. In a similar way, a dribbling center back can draw defenders and create an open man/space for others.

Here you can see Matthijs de Ligt dribble, draw a defender, and then play the ball to an open midfielder in the middle. Obviously, de Ligt is a pretty high bar, but even a less skilled defender can dribble forward and pass when a defender moves towards him.

Miles Robinson draws a defender towards him and as a result Atlanta has some room to operate along the right sideline. If that left midfielder had been able to drop off and compress the space that move doesn’t happen.

More Receivers “Running Routes”

My apologies for more sports analogies, but it’s the best way I can think of to explain. When an American football team sends three receivers, a tight end, and a running back out to run routes, that’s five possible people that could catch a pass. That’s five players the defense has to commit resources to covering. If the running back has to stay in to block then the defense has one less player to worry about.

When a center back has the ball if the defensive midfielder can advance further up the field then the attack has more options. If the d-mid has to come get the ball off the foot of the center back that’s one less “receiver” the attack has as an option.

In this clip, Matthias Ginter of Borussia Mönchengladbach passes into the midfield and there are three midfielders in a small amount of space. This gives the man receiving the ball options on both sides. If one of those midfielders had dropped back to start the play only one of those options would exist. Marco Rose trusts Ginter to make accurate passes into midfield to get attacks started. Ginter’s ability on the ball allows Gladbach to have more numbers and more options in midfield.

Less Pressure

The further up the field you advance the more likely it is that you’ll be put under pressure. Defenders get the best opportunities to play passes unmolested. If you have a center back that can play accurate long passes he’ll either force the defense to extend forward, creating more space, OR there will be chances for him to hit passes comfortably.

Brooks isn’t pressured by the defense and is able to pick out the right winger in some space. Midfielders don’t generally get that type of time.

Candidates?

For now left center back is set with Brooks and Ream. I believe there’s another smooth passing lefty coming up in the form of Leo Sepulveda, but I’ve never seen him play so I’m just going on reputation there.

At right center back, the current candidates would be Mark McKenzie and my current dual national crush Phillipe Sandler. Let’s take a look at a couple comps that make the case:

McKenzie

McKenzie looks to be very two-footed and can pass effectively with both. He won his starting center back job towards the end of last season with the Union and has started this season with the job. It will be worth watching Philly this year to see how he develops. There’s also those Celtic rumors floating around. No idea if there’s any validity to them.

Sandler

I should be clear that I have no idea if Sandler is an actual possibility for the US. The Dutch are deep at center back and he’s US eligible, but I have no intel on whether or not he is interested in playing for us. He was purchased by Manchester City from PEC Zwolle of the Eredivsie in 2018, but spent 2019-2020 on loan to Anderlecht in the Belgian league. He got injured in October and missed the remainder of the season. If he’s interested he may be an immediate challenge to Long at RCB.

Some people will probably be screaming Miazga at their devices right now, but as much as I love his attitude/dark arts, I don’t think he’s a great passer and he’s not as good as Long on defense. That puts him in a weird tweener zone that makes him a bad fit for Berhalter.

What about Chris Richards?

I’m not sure what to make of Richards at the moment. After the U20 World Cup last May I thought he was ready to play for a first team somewhere. I still think that, but he spent the whole season in the 3. Bundesliga playing left center back and right back. Neither of those are his best position and he didn’t look great playing out of the back from the left. Perhaps this was part of Bayern’s master plan to mold him into a complete two-footed defender, but it makes him more difficult to judge.

If he gets loaned out to Augsburg or something and shows out…Richards may shoot right to the top of the list. Just going to have to wait and see what happens.

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