Based on his recent form in Major League Soccer and for the United States, as well as his age and natural talent, Brek Shea should probably be first choice on the left wing. Whether or not one agrees with this might not be relevant if Klinsmann is firmly convinced of this, which might already be the case. He's certainly making it hard to drop him. If we can agree on this sentiment, the aforementioned three players and Shea make up four of the best possible front six.
One of the players in the front six has to be a holding midfielder. Who can or should occupy that position could be the subject of a separate 3000 word column, but it's hard to argue that the team needs at least one holding midfielder. The United States has serious strength in depth in that position, every team in the world plays with a holding midfielder, and the United States defense would be in serious trouble without one. That's five out of the front six positions filled, if we're simply filling out a team based on talent and practicality.
So, who's the sixth player? The final piece in the puzzle? Here's a hint: It's no striker in our current player pool. If Jurgen Klinsmann is trying to play a possession-based style, none of the strikers in the current player pool fit into this team. If the last player should be the most talented and/or accomplished, it certainly isn't a striker. There are 10 or so players that both deserve a place and fit the system more than any of the strikers in the current player pool.
For the sake of this argument, let's say that the final player in this hypothetical team is Jose Fransisco Torres. This is not because I have any particular affinity to him or because I think he is necessarily the best player available. However, like Shea, Klinsmann seems to have an affinity for him and he certainly fits Klinsmann's desire for a possession-based team and technically gifted players. Personally, I'm a Mikkel Diskerud guy, but what are you going to do?
This leaves the USMNT with...no strikers. In a team that fits the most accomplished players into the side, makes room for Klinsmann favorites, and only utilizes players that fit Klinsmann's ideals, it doesn't make any sense to fit any of the current USMNT strikers into the first XI.
Agudelo and Altidore have had their chances and neither has played effectively in Klinsmann's system. Yes, Agudelo has shown flashes of his talent, but is that going to win games in the Hexagonal? It may seem silly to be thinking about the Hexagonal in September of 2011, but if Klinsmann really is trying to install a new system and change the mentality of the team, it's important to start working towards that now so the team is a well-oiled machine, not a work in progress when the Hex hits.
Whenever the question of how to address the striker problem is brought up, none of the options that are presented are particularly great. The player pool is loaded with MLS journeymen, has-beens, and guys who don't quite fit the system. Even the guys who don't fall into any of the three categories don't constitute 'international quality'. The country is light on great strikers. It's not really anyone's fault, it just happens. This should be fixed over time with MLS academies producing more talent every year, but it's a long way off. Klinsmann has to play the hand he's currently being dealt.
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In this setup, Brek Shea is a traditional winger, while Landon Donovan cuts inside. Timothy Chandler, who is right-footed, can play left back in this situation because providing width down the left flank going forward is not his primary (or even secondary) function. On the other side, Steve Cherundolo gets forward and provides width on the right hand side to make up for the fact that Donovan will pinch inside. Stuart Holden, a two-way midfielder, should provide some cover if Cherundolo is caught up the pitch.
Meanwhile, the major creative outlet and ability to keep possession comes from Dempsey and Jose Fransisco Torres. Torres is one of the most creative and most technically adept players in the United States pool, but his defensive abilities and positioning sense are questionable. With Holden back in the team, these deficiencies will be masked. He'll bomb forward from the center of midfield while Dempsey will come back from his "striker" position, playing more as an attacking midfielder. Hence, the term "false nine".
I know, I know, Dempsey is not a striker. At least half the people reading this probably abhor the idea of Dempsey as a striker, especially as the "lone striker" in a "one striker system". I may have caused thousands of USMNT supporters to vomit all over their keyboards, or at least the ones who didn't scroll down when they clicked on this and decide it was a tl;dr scenario.
But, this kind of thing is not without precedent. It's not like no one has ever successfully taken one of their best attacking midfield players and played him as a striker, simply to get their best talent on the field. Japan did exactly that at the 2010 World Cup with Keisuke Honda, despite the fact that they had better depth at striker than the United States does. That decision ended up being an effective one. Portugal has, on occasion, asked Cristiano Ronaldo to play as a lone striker. Ghana had winger Jordan Ayew up top alone against Brazil on Monday. It's not an absurd suggestion.
The best part about this suggested setup? It's a realistic solution. It takes into account Jurgen Klinsmann's preferred style of play and players that are currently in his long-term plans, or so we think. Obviously, there are a select few people on the face of the earth aware of Klinsmann's long term plans for Jose Fransisco Torres and Brek Shea, but his selections and their performances suggest that Klinsmann sees them as the future of the team right now.
It's a team tactically balanced between attack and defense, focused on creativity and keeping possession while still aiding the defense. Only Clint Dempsey is being forced to play out of position in a setup that gets talent onto the field while fitting the system, and based on his time spent as an attacking central midfielder for Fulham, it's only a small adjustment positionally speaking. Torres' defensive liabilities are accounted for. The team has width and numbers in the center. The three-man center of midfield is not reliant on specific players and could change easily based on form, fitness, and opponent.
