Midfield maestros? — analyzing the U.S.’ current midfielders

Full of attacking options!

*All stats sourced from Wyscout S.p.A. and FB Reference*

Kellyn Acosta: Although Kellyn Acosta is by no means elite, he is certainly consistent. Acosta is incredibly effective at transitioning from the center-field to his wingers along the flanks. The LAFC midfielder is more of a set-piece threat though, as he ranks in the 91st percentile for free-kick shots and 92nd percentile for corner-kick frequency among MLS midfielders in the past year.

Tyler Adams: Alongside Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams has been used by Jesse Marsch in Leeds United in order to construct an annoyingly active pressure. Adams impressively succeeds at pressing about 7 times per 90 minutes, in addition to his fantastic 2.46 blocks per 90. Adams is also adamant when seeking possession, as he recovers the ball over 11 times per 90. Adams also finds himself drifting to flanks when trying to prevent counter-attacks, as many of his interceptions come against plays down the wing.

Luca de la Torre: Celta Vigo has rarely played the American midfielder this season, but Luca de la Torre had somewhat proven himself in the Eredivisie with Heracles. In his last season with the Dutch club, Torre executed almost 4 dribbles per 90, and was defensively active for an attacking-midfielder with his 3.65 interceptions per 90. Torre is not much of a scoring threat, as he rarely gets shots off within the penalty box, but he’s another factor of creativity to consider.

Weston McKennie: A true CDM, Weston McKennie has been fortunate to find himself as the benefactor of offensive build-up, as depicted by his various scoring efforts, but he is not one to facilitate any sort of build-up. Much of McKennie’s distribution involves layoffs and short passing, which allows him to stay in his dropped-back role. McKennie is often reckless with his challenges, which is emphasized by his 1+ fouls per 90 minutes, but his high-pressure aggression should be vital to a relatively weak U.S. attacking-midfield.

Johnny Cardoso: Johnny Cardoso has been selected to replace Valencia’s Yunus Musah in the United States’ upcoming friendly matches, and it makes sense. Cardoso often occupies the right-central midfield, where he produces almost 43 passes per 90 minutes. Cardoso is gifted at placing the ball into the final attacking third of the pitch, of which he does over 5 times per game. Offensively-minded, Cardoso should be able to create a rare amount of opportunities for our abundant amount of center-forwards.

Malik Tillman: Throughout his career, Malik Tillman has mainly occupied the role of an attacking-midfielder, but still has defensive prowess that is innate to his large stature. Tillman engages in about 29 duels per 90 this year in the Scottish Premiership, of which he wins about 40% of. His on-ball ability is still apparent though, as he attempts almost 6 dribbles per 90, successfully executing over half of them. The U.S. midfield is an amalgamation of attackers that can also defend, and Tillman certainly fits that mold.