World Cup 2014: Where does Geoff Cameron fit on USMNT? (Video)
By Mike Dyce
The 2014 World Cup is just right around the corner, and teams have until June 2 to narrow their rosters to just 23-players. On May 12, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann named his 30-man provisional roster.
“First of all, we want to thank all of the players who have been a part of the process these last three years,” said Klinsmann, via the team’s website. “It’s been an incredible journey, and everyone has worked tremendously hard. We had some difficult decisions to make, and we are very excited about the 30 players coming into camp. There is competition in every position, and these next couple of weeks will allow us to make the final determinations on the best 23-man unit to represent the United States in the World Cup.”
That includes the versatile Geoff Cameron of the Premier League club Stoke City, who can play at right-back, center-back and defensive midfielder. Cameron agrees with Klinsmann that the competition is good for the team.
“Competition’s great,” Cameron said, via the Los Angeles Times. “That’s how teams excel. If you don’t have guys pushing each other, challenging for positions, then the team kind of goes stale a little bit.
“If there’s no one pushing behind you, maybe the player gets complacent and just kind of takes his foot off the pedal. But if you have three or four guys challenging every single day, every single week, I think guys raise their game.”
Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl thinks that Cameron’s versatility might be the very thing that leaves him off the World Cup roster. Wahl explains that Cameron might be one of the best 11 American players, but the fact that he isn’t the best at any position will hurt him. Cameron himself said he is willing to do whatever it takes to help team USA win, and isn’t attached to any position.
“It’s the World Cup,” Cameron said. “Anyway I can help the USA, I’m going to do that. So whether it’s playing right back, center back, whatever. I’m up for it, and I’m ready to go.
“I’m willing to do anything. Being versatile is obviously a good thing, and I think it can help me out.”
Watch Wahl explain Cameron’s situation involving the World Cup roster below.