Sporting KC fit not enough for USMNT?
By Hector Lewis
Benny Feilhaber not included in the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) Camp again! Should he have been included in the January Camp? He thinks he should have! Feilhaber has had an up and down career. The 31 year old started his professional career with Hamburger SV II in Germany. This club is the reserve team for Hamburger SV, which in 2006 Hamburger called him up to. Then he bounced around from Derby County in England to AGF Aarhus in Denmark before coming to Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2011.
He had trouble finding his footing with the New England Revolution. Sporting KC traded for Feilhaber in 2013. Even there he had a rocky start. The head coach Peter Vermes felt he was not in the shape needed to play the pressure style of Sporting KC. Feilhaber even stated he would get tired throughout a match and his play suffered. The end of the 2014 season and the entire 2015 season saw Feilhaber improved his form to the point MLS considered him a MVP candidate.
With Sporting KC in 2015, Feilhaber obtained 10 goals in 15 assists in 32 matches played. Once he obtained the fitness that Peter Vermes required, Vermes placed Feilhaber in the middle of the 3-man midfield. He was able to supply that final pass to unlock the strikers for goal scoring opportunities. In addition, his defensive play earned plaudits in 2015 which was never his strong suit before. If he has the creativity and the defensive capabilities to be considered a two-way player, why did Kilnsmann not call him in to the January Camp?
Klinsmann gave an explanation this last week by telling Jeff Carlise from the ESPN that, “We had [Feilhaber] several times with us, and he was not able to make a mark. Benny unfortunately was never able to step up to an international level with me. Whatever was before was before.” Previously Feilhaber was called in to the January 2014 camp.
He did not make much an impression on Klinsmann during that time. He played in the last 30 minutes of a match against South Korea and played out of position in a more defensive role in the midfield, instead of a more number 10 role. There have been theories during the January camp of 2014 that they had a fallen out. Another theory is that Feilhaber did not put in enough work for Klinsmann’s liking. It is hard to tell what exactly is the reason except Klinsmann legitimately feels he is not at an international level. Many people feel that some of the players Klinnsman calls in are not of International caliber but keep getting call-ups.
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With the Copa America and World Cup qualifying coming this year, Feilhaber felt he could have made an impact for these matches. In addition, the style of play that Sporting KC plays, it seems Feilhaber would be a natural fit with the high-energy style that Klinsmann wants to deploy. With all of this being said, maybe it comes down to one thing, which has occurred many times with other national team coaches and players. Maybe they just do not get along, plain and simple!