There is no denying the overall talent in the MLS has improved over the past few seasons. As a result, the popularity of the league has grown not only locally but worldwide. While many of the league’s top stars are imports from around the world, the quality and quantity of homegrown talent has also increased. United States Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has a busy couple of years ahead of him as he looks to lead his team back to the World Cup and he might want to consider adding at least a couple of players from the MLS that could help his team get to where they want to be. Here is a look at four MLS players that Klinsmann should keep an eye on to add to the USMNT.
M: Dax McCarty, New York Red Bulls
If there is one MLS player that stands out as the most deserving of a call-up to the USMNT at this point, it has to be the Red Bulls midfielder McCarty, who has thrived as a holding midfielder this season. The USMNT is in desperate need of a player with McCarty’s skillset, which is someone that can be a central playmaker to the team’s attack. Everything we have seen from him this season reinforces the idea he will be up for that role. The 28-year-old has proven himself as a tireless worker and quality offensive contributor all season. That’s exactly the type of blue collar contributor Klinsmann likes, so it won’t be a surprise if he gets the call.
F: Sebastian Lletget, LA Galaxy
The Galaxy made a number of quality signings this past offseason, including bringing in Steven Gerrard and Giovani dos Santos. While those signings of former English Premier League players garnered much of the headlines, an under-the-radar signing seems to be their top find. Out of all of the players they added, the 22-year-old Lletget has been the best. Lletget has scored six goals and added an assist in his first 11 games of the season and he’s proven to be a surprise weapon. His ability to expose opposing defenders with his quickness and speed on the wing makes him a very valuable weapon. The USMNT doesn’t have many options that can attack off the wing the way that Lletget does, so if he continues to produce the way he has through the first half of the MLS season, he could be called on by Klinsmann to join the national team.
M: Ethan Finlay, Columbus Crew
Finlay is among the MLS league leaders in assists so far this season and has proven to be an extremely valuable piece in the Columbus midfield. The USMNT could definitely use some more facilitators. There were obvious concerns about what his ceiling was heading in to this season but he has thrived as a 25-year-old with the Crew this year. A lot of people will wonder if this is a one-year aberration or if he’s entering his prime and will keep this up. If it’s the latter, his ability to pick apart opposing defenses with his touch and vision makes him another viable option for the USMNT.
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M: Harry Shipp, Chicago Fire
The 23-year-old Chicago midfielder might not look as good this season as he did a year ago with the Fire but he is still playing at a high level on a bad team. Some of the blame for his struggles have to be shared with the caliber of a quality he’s surrounded with. He’s still quite young and would be worth keeping an eye on for Klinsmann. The midfield positions have been an obvious focus here with this list and that has a lot to do with the needs of the USMNT. Shipp has shown how good he can be with the right talent around him, so it won’t be a surprise if Klinsmann takes a chance on him with the national team.
