USMNT: Making a Case for Ethan Finlay

One of the more obvious areas of need for the USMNT following the 2014 World Cup was better production from their wide attacking players. Graham Zusi and Brad Davis just did not cut it in Brazil, and while Alejandro Bedoya proved his worth as a two-way midfielder, his contributions in the attacking phase weren’t nearly enough for the Yanks to advance past the Round of 16.

Since making his debut with the national team, Gyasi Zardes has been much more effective going forward from wide positions than his predecessors. However, depending on the system Klinsmann elects to play match to match, he could be paired up top with Jozy Altidore, where he seems dramatically less brilliant. In Tuesday’s World Cup Qualifier in Trinidad & Tobago, his lack of touch and finishing stuck out like a sore thumb.

Despite the fact that it still seems that Klinsmann is extremely high on Zardes, who may still very well have a bright future with the team, the search for attack-minded, creative players to man the channels must be high on the coach’s priority list. Insert Ethan Finlay. To follow-up his breakout year with the Columbus Crew in 2014, where he scored 11 goals and handed out seven helpers, Finlay was even better in 2015. Finishing with 12 goals and 13 assists on the year, the Crew right winger has been crucial to the club’s run to the MLS Eastern Conference Finals.

Columbus has attempted 675 crosses on the year, 115 more than the Portland Timbers, which is second most in the league. More astonishingly, the Crew are converting on 27.26 percent of their crosses, good for second in Major League Soccer behind only FC Dallas, who have attempted nearly 400 less crosses than Gregg Berhalter’s side. While Kei Kamara gets the majority of the credit for burying his chances in his first season back stateside, Finlay’s ability to find Kamara in the box cannot go unnoticed. Couple his ability to pick out a pass with the uncanny ability to finish and blazing pace, you very well may have found the end of Klinsmann’s search.

At the very least, its plays like this that should earn Finlay a call-up at some point in the near future.

What stands out about Finlay is his instincts. When the opportunity to have a shot on goal presents itself he typically makes the right decision, and when there may be a pass available to create a better chance, he is unselfish as they come. Finlay has developed incredibly since being selected by Columbus with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, and continues to shine in America’s top domestic league.

The jury is still out on whether or not the search ends with Finlay, but one thing is for sure: making a case for him to earn a call-up is rather easy, given the performances he has handed in consistently over the past two seasons.