A Hole Left to Fill; Finding the New Left Back for the U.S. Men’s National Team

Jeff Agoos

I first began to follow US Soccer a few years before the 2002 World Cup and like many younger fans the players I first looked for were whoever had the same number as me and whoever was playing my position. Unlucky for me this line of reasoning has led me down a frustrating road as a US soccer supporter because I was a left back.

At the beginning of the 2002 World Cup the starting left defender position was filled by Jeff Agoos. Too far out of his prime, Agoos made a few mistakes which earned him a lot of criticism and scorn and a place on the bench. After his downfall, Frankie Hejduk and Gregg Berhalter teamed up to fill the vacant spot until our controversial exit from the tournament.

In the buildup to the 2006 World Cup in Germany it looked like the US had found a new starter in Greg Vanney. Vanney had initially been added to the 2002 roster to replace Chris Armas, but he suffered an injury of his own prior to the tournament and could not go. During the 2005 Gold Cup Vanney frequented the US back line that only allowed 3 goals on their way to winning the tournament.

Joining Vanney in the depth chart for left back was Cory Gibbs. At the time Gibbs was playing in Europe, but was struggling to get playing time because of injuries. Gibbs and Vanney split the starting spot when the US began its qualifying play for the next World Cup with a few other MLS players filling in later on.

When the US roster for the 2006 World Cup was announced, Vanney was left off which appeared to leave the starting spot to either Gibbs or Carlos Bocanegra, who was playing on the left side for the Chicago Fire. Unfortunately Gibbs picked up an injury before the tournament started and, as we all probably hate to remember, it was not Bocanegra that moved to the starting spot for the opening game against the Czech Republic, but Eddie Lewis. It took five minutes of play to show that Bruce Arena’s experiment was a disaster and Bocanegra settled in for the remaining two games of the tournament.

After the World Cup in Germany the struggle to find a skilled and consistent left back got worse. In the past the US had one player that filled the role consistently, but when it came to big tournaments something came up that caused the player to fall, whether it was a gaff, consistently questionable play, or an injury. Now the US had a minimum of three names interchanging in the starting line-up and none of the players could get a good hold of the spot.

In 2006 Jonathan Bornstein was drafted by Chivas USA. Under future US Coach Bob Bradley, Bornstein was converted into a left back before the start of his first season and his play earned him Rookie of the Year, but over the years Bornstein moved back and forth between the defense and the attack. It was during the 2007 Gold Cup that Bornstein became a consistent feature in the national team. Bradley had taken over the reins of the national team by then and played Bornstein in the defense.

The US also participated in the Copa America that year. During the tournament Bornstein shared the left back spot with Heath Pearce who was playing for Hansa Rostock in Germany when he wasn’t being suspended. After the inclusion of Pearce, the contest for the left back spot came down to a duel between him and Bornstein. Occasionally Jonathan Spector or a player from the MLS would fill in, but Spector was being thought of as more of a future right or center defender though that did not stop his name from being included as the World Cup got nearer.

Bornstein and Pearce continued to alternate at the starting spot during the buildup to the World Cup. Pearce played in the 2008 World Cup Qualifiers while Bornstein got to play in the group stage of the 2009 Confederations Cup, but lost the spot to Bocanegra when the US played Spain and Brazil. Pearce took his turn playing in the Gold Cup that year and Bornstein finished off the World Cup Qualifiers.

Going into the World Cup the situation at left back for the US looked similar to the situation in 2006. Two players had come to the front of the depth chart, but neither one had played well enough nor consistently enough to really take hold of the starting role. Bornstein had the skill set to be a dangerous attacking option out of the back, but his defensive play tended to be streaky. Pearce had more experience as a defender and could help in the attack, but didn’t excel enough in either part of his game to take over the starting role.

When the 2010 World cup began Bob Bradley chose to go with the more defensive minded Bocanegra at left back until Onyewu picked up a knock against Slovenia and Bocanegra was moved to center back for the remaining games of the tournament, opening up the left for Bornstein.

Looking forward to the next World Cup, Bocanegra will be 35 years old and will probably not be included in the roster. With Bocanegra out of the picture, the battle for the starting spot appears to be down to Pearce and Bornstein again, but will either player improve enough in the next three years to take hold of the starting role?

Jonathan Bornstein

At the moment, both players have made moves to new clubs. Bornstein made a deal this summer to move from the struggling Chivas USA to Tigres of the Premiera Division of Mexico once the MLS season ended. Since joining Tigres, Bornstein has only seen playing time in two games and is back playing in the midfield as a left-sided defensive midfielder. It will be interesting to see how this move will impact Bornstein’s play and where he will fit in at the national team level. We do have a hole at left midfield that he could slide into, but playing in a position that will require him to defend as well as move forward will help him work on the skill set he needs to become our starting left back.

Heath Pearce also has made a move recently, leaving the MLS Cup runner-up to join Chivas USA, a team that is looking to rebuild after finishing at the bottom of the Western Conference. While this move may not help Pearce’s MLS chance of playing on a championship team, the move could boost his stock in the US national team and give him an edge in the left back battle. As a member of Chivas USA, Pearce will be coached by three veteran MLS and former US national team defenders: Robin Fraser, Greg Vanney, and Carlos Llamosa. With that much defensive talent working with him, Heath Pearce should be able to iron out his flaws and shortcomings and make a strong argument for the starting left back spot in the next World Cup.

Before the World Cup however, the US has the Gold Cup and the Olympics. Bradley could use these tournaments to have a look at younger players. Zach Loyd has already earned himself a start at left back and showed promise, and other players coming up from the MLS include Anthony Wallace and A.J. DeLaGarza who were included in the January training camp. There are also possibilities coming from outside the MLS like Eric Lichaj and Edgar Castillo that could add their names to the depth chart. Spector’s name is still thrown around now that he is getting playing time with West Ham and even Onyewu has featured at left back for his club team recently.

While it will be better for the national team if these younger players do well and it isn’t bad to have options, it would be great if just once the US had a player that could earn and play well enough to hold on to the starting left back position for more than one tournament and eventually become a permanent fixture in our starting line-ups like Donovan, Dempsey and Bradley.