USMNT should be fine without Clint Dempsey, thanks to red-hot Jozy Altidore, Bobby Wood
Even just a few months ago, the striker position looked like a pretty big problem for the U.S. men’s national team.
The USMNT’s best goal-scorer by far was an aging Clint Dempsey, who looked to be approaching the tail-end of his career. Jozy Altidore, long the USMNT’s best hope for the future, was injured and in poor form. Bobby Wood was so far from an established prospect that many people didn’t understand why coach Jurgen Klinsmann called him in at all. There just weren’t many options.
How quickly things can change. Dempsey has been unexpectedly sidelined and that probably would’ve thrown the USMNT into a mini-crisis in the past -- but not now. Both Altidore and Wood have been surging. Altidore has scored in four of his last five matches for Toronto FC, while Wood turned a great season for Union Berlin into a Bundesliga move and scored in his first match for Hamburg last week.
Now, for the first time in a good while, the U.S. men’s national team has two young in-form strikers who look like they just might be able to deliver when the USMNT really needs it.
The semifinal round of 2018 World Cup qualifying will start wrapping up on Friday against St. Vincent & the Grenadines and it’s a good bet we will see Altidore and Wood starting together. But with a new pair of strikers who are not only the USMNT’s best options, but perhaps the only good options right now, the question Klinsmann must answer is clear: Can Altidore and Wood complement each other and establish themselves as a striker tandem?
It’s a question that Klinsmann had to address sooner or later with 33-year-old Dempsey fighting against time. Dempsey’s unexpected heart condition has forced the issue, but Altidore and Wood have been playing well enough that it would’ve been tough for Klinsmann to ignore. It’s an interesting question though because Altidore and Wood would provide a much different partnership than either one of them with Dempsey -- and it could change the look of the USMNT.
Both Altidore and Wood are “No. 9” target strikers who play very similar styles and occupy the same space on the field. What Altidore has been doing for Toronto FC -- five goals and an assist since returning from another hamstring injury -- is a lot like what Wood did for the USMNT in Copa America and so far in the Bundesliga. Neither of them are like Dempsey, who has seemingly gotten the most out of both players.
While Dempsey roams freely as a second striker -- dropping into the midfield or drifting to the flanks to start combination plays -- both Altidore and Wood tend to stay high up the field and look to get in behind back lines. Both are excellent with their backs to goal and at holding up the play, but that’s also why the marauding Dempsey provided a good outlet for them. Altidore and Wood serve as the direct outlet up the field and stretch opposing back lines, creating space for a second striker like Dempsey to follow through.
But the creativity and unpredictability of Dempsey aren’t exactly hallmarks of the physical style that Altidore and Wood have built their resumes on, even as Altidore in particular has rounded out his game as he turns into a more seasoned veteran. That creates an interesting dynamic for Klinsmann to work with since Altidore and Wood are so clearly the best options on the table, and the USMNT thrives in a 4-4-2 with two strikers up top.
That’s not to say there aren’t other options available. Jordan Morris, for all the criticism about his lack of a left foot, is enjoying a strong rookie season with the Seattle Sounders. Rubio Rubin is still just 20 years old, but shows promise. Once Gyasi Zardes returns from a broken foot, he could earn some consideration for a central striker role, even if that’s not where Klinsmann has typically played him. The USMNT, after months of legitimate concerns about the lack of consistently solid striker options, has a crop of young talent that can give even the most cynical fans cause for optimism.
That, in and of itself, is a positive turn for the USMNT. The American striker ranks have been a revolving door over the years and it’s futile to try to project what the striker force will look like a year from now. But right now, with two very important World Cup qualifiers ahead to finish the round before the hexagonal, the USMNT attack looks good, which often hasn’t been the case.
But the optimism mostly stems from Altidore and Wood. The challenge for Klinsmann is figuring the way to get both of them on the field and working together. If they cannot develop chemistry as a partnership, which one do you take off the field? Who instead would you pair them with? There are no easy answers, and the best-case scenario is that Altidore and Wood works out.
The last time Altidore and Wood took the field together was last year, but neither were enjoying the sort of form they are now and that didn’t help them get the best out of each other. At the time, Klinsmann still seemed to be tinkering, making frequent substitutions and rotating the strikers with other options, like Zardes and Morris. He seemed to be in search of the most dynamic duo, and he may have found one at Copa America with Dempsey and Wood, but it wasn’t one built to last.
There are concerns about Altidore’s health, but he claims he has seen a specialist who identified the reason for his hamstring issues and he's on a roll. Meanwhile, Wood is just getting going in the Bundesliga. We don’t know Dempsey's status or if he'll be back and we don’t know if players like Aron Johannsson will be able to stay healthy. We have no idea what the future will hold -- but that's no different than usual, especially with the USMNT.
You can never really predict the future, only the now -- just look at Altidore and Wood. They were once the subject of derision and now have the Americans optimistic about their attacking firepower for the first time in way too long, even if there are questions about how they will work together.
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