Photo by Gary Rohman/USA Today Sports
Over recent years, the U.S. Men’s National Team has struggled to find consistency on defense, particularly in the heart of their back four.
That could all change though as Geoff Cameron and John Brooks see more time together as Jurgen Klinsmann’s first-choice centerback pairing. For only the second time since 2013, Cameron and Brooks started side by side for the U.S. on Saturday against Bolivia in the team’s final tune-up before the Copa America Centenario.
The duo have yet to be annointed the team’s starters in central defense ahead of next week’s tournament, butbased on their impressive club campaigns over the past season it seems more likely than not that they’ll start alongside one another when the team faces Colombia on June 3.
“I think they’re moving along great,” Klinsmann said in regards to his center back pairing on Saturday. “The fact that they haven’t played together that often is down to injuries. It’s always down to some other issues. Finally, they’re both healthy, so I think the fine-tune.
“Hopefully they develop a good partnership and that partnership is very valuable,” Klinsmann said. “On the other side, we bring in along the Steve Birnbaums and the Matt Beslers, who is obviously a World Cup veteran, which is very, very important because the team that starts this Copa America probably won’t be the team that finishes it. We talked about that many times.”
The U.S. attack stole the majority of the spotlight in the team’s 4-0 win against La Verde, but it was the squad’s defense that really came together as the match progressed. Klinsmann began the game with Michael Orozco and Matt Besler as the team’s outside backs, before adding Fabian Johnson and DeAndre Yedlin at halftime.
The latter two are seen as the team’s first-choice wing backs ahead of the Colombia match, given their duel threats in the defensive and attacking thirds.
The two constants that remained on the backline throughout the evening though were Brooks and Cameron. Not only did the pair play a full 90 minutes and complete the shut out, but they looked comfortable in doing so, particularly with their communication and distribution of the ball.
On top of his defensive duties, Brooks scored the USMNT’s second goal of the night, which came off of a quickly-executed free kick from Michael Bradley to Alejandro Bedoya. The Nantes midfielder found Brooks sprinting towards the center of the penalty area, before he calmly finished into the open net.
Brooks is no stranger to scoring goals though. Two years ago, the 23-year-old gave the U.S. their critical go-ahead goal against Ghana in the group stage of the World Cup in Brazil. After entering as a second-half substitute, that match was the last time that Brooks and Cameron played alongside one another.
Meanwhile, Cameron is coming off of a stellar season with English Premier League side Stoke City, and boasts the second-most caps for a U.S. defender on the team’s Copa America roster. His experience will not only be vital in the growth of Brooks, but also as a stabilizing force throughout the entire team.
The 30-year-old’s presence can only benefit Brooks, who is quickly growing into one of the brighter young players within the USMNT squad
“I thought we played well,” Cameron said. “I thought we had a really good understanding.We had a combination today with a clean sheet and I’m happy because I felt good.”
While Copa America won’t be as grueling as a World Cup, particularly with the tournament being held on U.S. soil, Klinsmann’s backline will be given every opportunity to show their talents against Group A opponents Colombia, Costa Rica and Paraguay.
