There are no magic solutions at January camp. It isn’t a gathering to decide the starting XI for the next big match or render verdicts on every single player in the pool. It is simply a way to dig a little deeper into certain areas within the United States national team setup and evaluate whether potential alternatives might transition well to more rigorous settings.
U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann framed this gathering in his own way -- a split between established fixtures, fresh faces, fringe players and Olympic candidates -- and proceeded accordingly. The past few weeks provided a chance to assess possible additions ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala next month and test several potential core Olympic contributors ahead of the two-legged playoff against Colombia.
“There are definitely takeaways when you work with players for a stretch of four weeks almost,” Klinsmann told reporters after the 1-0 victory over Canada on Friday. “Especially with some new faces coming in, you get to know them much, much better. You help them to take now as much as possible from a couple of weeks in that group.”
The checks started with a glance at established fixtures. Klinsmann included a handful of regulars in his camp to establish the framework within the squad and touch base as the new season starts. This group -- including Jozy Altidore, Matt Besler, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley and Gyasi Zardes -- remains integral to the foundation going forward.
While all of those players featured prominently in the wins over Canada and Iceland, Altidore captured attention with his application and his contributions and generated praise in the process.
The metric used provides a glimpse of the shifting utility of January camp depending on a player's status. Altidore isn’t judged by his ability to shine in these disjointed and modest friendlies -- as an established international, he and several others are overqualified for these experimental outings, in truth -- or his pair of goals, necessarily. The applicable metrics in his case -- his fitness, his sharpness and his work rate -- offered encouragement for his potential impact over the next few months.
“Hopefully, it prepares me well for what is hopefully going to be a long and successful season both for country and for club,” Altidore told reporters after the victory over Canada. “That’s my goal for this year: stay healthy. I know that if I can do that, then I can have a strong season.”
Other players faced more pressing concerns to state their credentials ahead of the dates with Guatemala. Lee Nguyen illustrated how to grab the chance afforded with both hands by arriving in good shape, earning a place in the starting XI for both matches and showing well during his time on the field. Kellyn Acosta and Steven Birnbaum made their marks in defense, while Olympic linchpins Jerome Kiesewetter and Jordan Morris sparked some interest with their displays, too.
Several other players followed more tumultuous paths. A few of them flickered promisingly from time to time (Ethan Finlay punctuated his first camp by delivering the tempting cross for Altidore’s winner against Canada, for example), while a handful of them coped with fitness issues (Darlington Nagbe settled for two substitute appearances because he wasn't fully fit, Klinsmann said in his post-Canada remarks) or struggled to pry their way through the crowd (Tony Tchani played just once in the crowded central midfield department).
All of that information is useful as Klinsmann shapes his plans for next month, but he must merge it with the events unfolding elsewhere. John Brooks and Omar Gonzalez offer intriguing alternatives in central defense after returning to form with their club sides, while Geoff Cameron requires careful monitoring as he returns from injury. Alejandro Bedoya looms as a potentially critical piece in midfield given his recent form with Nantes, while Jones’ impending absence -- assuming he signs with a club before those qualifiers in Guatemala City (March 25) and Columbus, Ohio (March 29) and finally triggers his six-match ban -- creates a vacancy in the center of the park. Bobby Wood continues to shine at Union Berlin to supply another option up front.
“Hopefully, the benefit comes at the end of March,” Klinsmann said. “This is really the bigger picture: that we are well prepared for Guatemala -- obviously with the Europeans and the Mexican players coming in -- and the same for the Olympic team.”
