GOAL

After the U.S. national team’s February win against Panama, Jurgen Klinsmann made it clear he was looking forward to bringing together as strong a team as possible in March. With a pair of friendlies in Europe against tough opponents, Klinsmann figured to call in his very best to face Denmark and Sweden.

With one look at the U.S. roster announced Sunday it quickly became clear the upcoming friendlies aren’t about seeing the best possible U.S. team. Rather, it is about still trying to figure out who is capable of challenging for starting roles, and which foreign-based options on the fringes might be worth introducing into the full team come July.

Klinsmann chose to only bring in six MLS-based players, leaving behind the likes of Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and Mix Diskerud. He mentioned the fact that MLS players are early in their club seasons and many have just two games under their belts. He brought this up despite the fact he also called up Miguel Ibarra, who is still waiting for his NASL team, Minnesota United, to start league play next month.

Then there is the case of Geoff Cameron, who was easily the most surprising omission. Cameron is one of a select number of U.S. players currently earning regular minutes in a top league, yet Klinsmann passed on bringing him in to look at some other options at the positions Cameron can play. He did this while also calling up Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin, neither of which looks close to seeing first-team minutes any time soon.

Ultimately, Klinsmann has his reasons, and even if his varied explanations for some of his decisions didn’t really all fit together in a sensible puzzle, we must remember Klinsmann is the man with the plan, the one in charge with trying to piece together his eventual Gold Cup masterpiece.

Rather than focusing on potential contradictions, let’s consider the practical reasons for Klinsmann’s roster decisions.

So why is Cameron missing? Is it really because he has nothing left to prove? Or is it because Klinsmann wants to look at younger options like John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado? Cameron will turn 30 by the time the Gold Cup group stage is underway, and will be pushing 33 by the time the next World Cup rolls around. Klinsmann is already dealing with the possibility of Jermaine Jones still playing a role

Why call in Green and Yedlin? This one isn’t too hard to understand. You have two young players who can use a confidence boost, and potentially some minutes. Klinsmann sees Yedlin as someone who can help at the Gold Cup, and he believes Green is a special talent even despite his struggle for playing time at Hamburg. Wanting to keep them in the conversation isn’t all that shocking, but there is definitely an argument to be made for it having been better to let them join the U.S. Under-23 team that will be in Europe at the same time, thus freeing up two spots for players who weren’t called in, like Joe Corona or Harrison Shipp.

Beyond the questions about Cameron and the young duo of Yedlin and Green, the rest of the roster isn’t all that surprising. You leave Besler and Gonzalez behind because you will see them against Mexico in April and you need to take a closer look at guys like Tim Ream and Alvarado. You leave Mix Diskerud behind to make minutes available for Danny Williams and Alfredo Morales.

Even Ibarra’s inclusion is explainable. There aren’t a ton of natural left wing options, and you can’t blame Klinsmann for wanting to see how Ibarra matches up with this pool of players, and potentially against tough opponents like Denmark and Switzerland. Ibarra showed enough against Panama to earn another look, though this could be his last one if he fails to impress.

We have yet to answer the most glaring question: Why did Klinsmann talk about wanting to see a full-strength team in March only to call in something that can’t really be called that? The U.S. will have multiple friendlies between June and July leading up to the Gold Cup, meaning several opportunities to see his true full-strength team. The absence of Brad Guzan and Jermaine Jones for the March friendlies meant he wouldn’t really have his first-choice starting lineup anyway, so why not mix things up a bit and look at some players who really have earned a good look?

The upcoming friendlies will offer a valuable opportunity for players like Alvarado, Ibarra, Rubio Rubin, Brek Shea and many others, and while we aren’t going to see a full-strength U.S. team just yet, we could see Klinsmann uncover some viable options to crack his best lineup. If that happens, chances are nobody will remember four months from now that some familiar faces didn’t make the trip to Europe.