Jurgen Klinsmann Should Experiment with Darlington Nagbe During USMNT Friendlies

The United States men’s national soccer team has struggled to find a consistent playmaker in the middle of the park for a while.

Due to the lack of stars in the No. 10 role, USMNT boss Jurgen Klinsmann has started Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey in the position during big games in the past. Klinsmann can do that again on Wednesday against Ecuador, but he also has a better option in Portland Timbers playmaker Darlington Nagbe.

Nagbe, who gained citizenship in September, is coming off a spectacular match on Sunday in Portland’s 4-2 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer. Whether that play can translate to the international level on a consistent basis remains to be seen, but Nagbe should be handed a chance to impress Klinsmann during Wednesday’s friendly at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Klinsmann should use Wednesday’s match against Ecuador at the home of FC Dallas and Saturday’s contest at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, against Bolivia to find the best combinations he has in the major areas of question heading into the Copa America Centenario. Luckily for the USMNT boss, he doesn’t have to worry too much about replacing the injured Jozy Altidore because Bobby Wood is in tremendous form, but he needs to find someone who can play just underneath his forwards in either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation.

Lining up in a 4-3-3 is a possibility for the USMNT, but that setup may negate a chance to build up through the center of the pitch since most of the playmakers will be spread out wide with either Bradley, Jermaine Jones or Kyle Beckerman occupying the central midfield role. If Klinsmann utilizes a 4-2-3-1, he’d be able to …

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