The early exit for the United States National Team in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup has left fans scratching their heads and wondering what could have been done differently. Jurgen Klinsmann's squad had been shaky throughout the tournament, excluding the game against Cuba, and did not look like the heavy favorites to reach the final. But if fans look hard enough, there was a lot more going on than just a few questionable team members and a poor result.
1. First and foremost, fans should look at the elephant in the room. Sporting Kansas City's Benny Feilhaber is arguably the American in the best form right now. Clint Dempsey and Ethan Finlay would have a lot to say about that in MLS action, but Dempsey was included and Finlay has yet to get a cap. Klinsmann has been awfully quiet about the reasoning behind the absence of Feilhaber, but obviously, his skills in his current form would have been a huge boost for the team. Fans should not overlook who took the field in place of Benny though. Alejandro Bedoya, Gyasi Zardes, Mix Diskerud, and Joe Corona all saw time. As Klinsmann builds for World Cup 2018, these younger guys have to get experience which doesn't leave room for Feilhaber.
2. The American player pool still doesn't have a true striker that is pulling his weight. Jozy Altidore is supposed to be "the guy" up front. He was the premier forward taken to the World Cup in Brazil. Clint Dempsey was wonderful in this tournament and still in the running for the Golden Boot, but he takes on a more midfield oriented role for this team. Aron Johansson, was less than impressive in the tournament. He put in a lot of hard work and had a few chances, but for a striker of his caliber, he needs to produce more. Zardes is a forward for the LA Galaxy but is being played out of position under Klinsmann. If the USMNT wants any hope in the future, a true striker is going to have to step up. It's time to switch up the role of the strikers and start looking outside the current player pool for options. CJ Sapong or Devon Sandoval could be tried as solid hold up forwards that would allow the talented midfield to move off them. This is something Altidore should be able to do, but has not been successful at.
3. The big surprise of the tournament is easy, the defense wasn't a major liability this year. There were some nervy moments, but as a whole, the defense played really well. The loss to Jamaica was the only multi-goal game the US had. Panama was held to a single tally despite holding a majority of possession and getting several good looks. Ventura Alvarado and John Anthony-Brooks are two young center backs this team can build on. Fabian Johnson was excellent at left back, his natural position, and provided a lot on both ends of the field. Timmy Chandler has more work to do, but the 25-year-old shows promise. Chandler has received the most criticism of any of the defenders, but in the current pool, he's the guy with the longest future and room to grow if DeAndre Yedlin indeed makes the transition to midfield.
4. The guys are a truly a team. The team played well or poorly together. It's hard to point out major breakdowns or solo performances because the team was balanced. During the loss to Jamaica, fans and players weren't looking towards one or two guys to get the equalizer, it was there for anyone to take and it looked like it could come from anyone around the box. The defensive effort throughout the tournament was the same. Midfielders were covering back, forwards were disrupting play, and the defense was communicating. As fans look for excuses on the field, it's hard to say one or two guys let them down. But more importantly than looking for breakdowns, fans will be hard pressed to find one standout guy that carried the team. Dempsey may have had six goals, but he didn't do all that work alone.
5. This one should be obvious to all USMNT fans. The team is still in a rebuilding stage and the young players showed their inexperience. Yes, Klinsmann said the goal was to win, that should be the goal for every tournament. But sometimes, teams lose. The team did not look their sharpest throughout the tournament and a large factor in that was young players getting more minutes. The balance between development and competing at the highest level is difficult to master and there will be mistakes. From an experience standpoint, this was a major win. Alvarado and Brooks both gained valuable experience and played well at the same time. Chandler, while shaky, got much needed minutes as he continues to improve to be the next starting right back. Bedoya and Zardes also logged minutes. If the overall goal is to win a World Cup, the plan for this tournament was a huge step in the right direction.
6. If it wasn't clear already, it should be now. Jurgen Klinsmann is not going to give away too much information. Fans will not know the master plan. Jozy's departure due to fitness may sound like a blow off answer, and it may be, but it could very easily be the truth. Jozy was not at his best and was not performing. As the coach, he has failed to lock down set starters in key positions on need, but has rotated players and stuck with guys making an impact. The post-World Cup priority appears to be centered around getting the young guys ready for the next wave with the support of key leaders on the team. He never expressed that Alvarado and Brooks were the key center backs, but his decision to give them more minutes than the others was indicative of the goal.
While missing the final is a huge disappointment to fans, there are more than a few positives to take away from the Gold Cup results. Jurgen Klinsmann was brought in to build a foundation and take this team to the next level. The future looks bright and fans have seen a few of the young guys who could be very important pieces of the squad that goes to Russia in 2018.