ASN contributing editor Brian Sciaretta spoke with U.S. under-23 men’s coach Andi Herzog about today’s game against Qatar and the Olympic Qualifying tournament that begins in Kansas City on October 1.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

September 08, 2015

10:45 AM SHARE THIS STORY



THE UNITED STATES U-23 TEAM will take on Qatar today in Bury, England (1pm ET, no TV), in its final gathering before the start of the Olympic Qualifying tournament on October 1.

The Americans fell 1-0 to England’s U-21 team on Thursday and will look to generate more possession and a stronger attack against a weaker opponent. Several key players—including Jordan Morris, Julian Green, and Fatai Alashe—are missing from this 24-man squad, and Herzog must cut the team down to 20 players in the weeks ahead.

U.S. Soccer technical director Jurgen Klinsmann has said on multiple occasions that Olympic qualification is one of the federation’s main priorities in 2015. The Caleb Porter-coached U.S. U-23 team failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, and Herzog knows the pressure is on him to succeed.

American Soccer Now’s Brian Sciaretta spoke with Herzog from the team’s camp in England to discuss the team’s progress heading into qualifying.

BRIAN SCIARETTA FOR ASN: How would you assess this camp so far? What did you see against England and what do you want to see against Qatar?

ANDI HERZOG: England was a very good team so our focus was to be defensively organized. I think we did well but now, for Qatar, our focus especially for Olympic qualification is that we have to be more focused on attacking patterns and ultimately to create more scoring opportunities.

ASN: How tough has it been to gather this group together? Between secuing U-20 players and getting players released…

HERZOG: For a few camps we’ve had most of the same guys together. This is the first where we’ve brought in a few of the younger guys from the U-20 World Cup team from Tab Ramos. So we have a bigger roster and more competition. A few of the younger guys are doing really, really well.

ASN: Has it been a smooth transition with the U-20 players to move up to an older age group?

HERZOG: Yes. We already started a few against England and they did well, honestly. I think they can have a good impact on the qualification tournament. But first of all we have to do a good job against Qatar because that’s the last game before we announce the roster for qualifying.

ASN: Cameron Carter-Vickers moved up through the system quickly. Last year he played with the U-23s as a 16-year-old and over the summer he had a strong U-20 World Cup. What have you seen from him in his first camp under you?

HERZOG: He’s tremendous. He’s by far our youngest player but he doesn’t look like it. He’s very confident and you can see he has every indication that he could a big and important part of our defense.

ASN: Is the door still open for new players? A few players who have yet to play for you have done particularly well in Major League Soccer over the past two months—like Tim Parker and Sean Davis. What is the possibility someone goes on a run and makes this team?

HERZOG: About 10 days ago I submitted our 35 player preliminary roster, which included four goalkeepers and 31 field players. Every player on that roster is possible to be selected for the roster for qualifiers. I had a few new players in this camp but I think out of this group you will see roster for our qualifying.

ASN: Is there anyone you are still looking at who has not been part of a camp?

HERZOG: We are missing a couple of players. Jordan Morris is not here. Julian Green is not here. Fatai Alashe is not here. But we had a few players from those camps before who are not on this roster but who we could take to Olympic qualification. But first is the game against Qatar and we will see who leaves an impression. Then we will decide what is best for us to qualify.

ASN: Another big issue for you is getting players released for qualifying. There are a number of players you are using at this camp from European and Mexican teams. With players not required to be released for this tournament, are you confident you will get the players you want?

HERZOG: In the last camps we had to do some compromises, of course. But that is normal. For this camp in England, I was really happy that we had a good relationship and got the releases for all the players abroad and with teams in the United States. With my roster here, we have to work really hard to get the kids on track for the games that start against Canada.

ASN: Are you open to the idea of saving roster spots for players who might not be released for the first few games of qualifying but who might be released for the later stages of the tournament?

HERZOG: It depends on the situation. But I think it is maximum one or two players. I am not able to make compromises in qualification because it’s a 20-player roster with 17 field players. I think it is important that the group stays together. We started right from the beginning of our camps with focus and with winning the group. If three players are coming in late, it doesn’t help us, I think.

ASN: Looking beyond the Olympics, the U-23 team is a big developmental team and is often the final transition point that leads to the U.S. national team. In 2008, several players like Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Michael Orozco, and Charlie Davies used the Olympics to expand their role on the full national team. From what you have seen from this group, do you see several players who can make that jump in the years ahead?

HERZOG: I think so. There has to be. It’s always important for the team and the coach to qualify for the World Cup or the Olympic games. On the other side, it is maybe even more important to bring a bunch of young players up to the national team. Otherwise we did a bad job.

ASN: It seems like an unusually high percentage of players in your pool are made up of players who play centrally—either central midfielders or central defenders. Is this a problem? Are you having a difficult time finding players who are comfortable out wide? Has it hindered you from playing the style or the system you want to play?

HERZOG: Of course we have a lot of central players. I know that and maybe it is a little bit of a tricky part. We have to adjust the system and find the right balance. But overall I think it is very important over the next few years for every young American player in MLS, especially for the national teams, to develop very good individual players at every position. Otherwise we won’t have success in the future. It is not good if the young players are just starting as holding midfielders somewhere. It would be great to have two or three other players starting in MLS or in European leagues in different positions.

ASN: What has been the biggest challenge for you since taking this job as the U-23 head coach?

HERZOG: The biggest challenge has been to create rosters to be honest. There have been compromises and stuff. Normally you know a roster 10 days or two weeks ahead of camp. Of course a few players are sometimes injured but at least you know most of the roster. Here it’s a little bit different. Sometimes you only know the roster two or three days ahead of camp. For me it is a new type of situation but as a coach you have to learn how to adapt to all situations. Sometimes you have to improvise.

ASN: How much pressure does the team feel because of the failure of the 2012 U-23 to qualify the Olympics in London?

HERZOG: It’s normal. Even as a young player you want to be part of a special thing like the Olympics or the World Cup, you have to deal with pressure. We are one of the favorites to qualify and we have to deal with this pressure. If we’re not able to say we want to qualify, we have to qualify, and we’re good enough, then it’s not a good sign for the players.

ASN: Julian Green’s absence was particularly noticeable given his history with the U.S. national team at the World Cup and the fact he recently played for the U.S. U-23 team in Toulon. The last year was tough for him and he is now playing with Bayern Munich’s U-23 team after not going on loan during the transfer window. It is a very unusual situation. Is he still part of this team?

HERZOG: It’s a different situation. He had a difficult last year. He’s now back with Bayern Munich and he needs a lot of games with their second team. He scored some goals for them recently and they asked me if I would give him the chance to stay with Bayern Munich. I said I was fine with it. I already know him from the men’s national team. I saw him at the last camp in Toulon and he played five games there. I was OK with it. For me it was more important to see new players like Matt Polster, Eric Miller, Matt Miazga, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Rubio Rubin. It was, for me, more important to see these players and how they fit into our system.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.