Jurgen Klinsmann recently supported veteran Clint Dempsey and challenged his younger players to contribute more consistently. Caught in the middle of those two are players like Brek Shea, who at just 25, has loads of experience at the international level. Shea appeared in Klinsmann’s first match as manager of the Yanks. After a move to English side Stoke City in January 2013, Shea quickly fell out of favor at both the club and international level.
Since returning to the States in December 2014 with current club Orlando City SC, Shea has reinvented himself as a quality left back. While he still lacks some defensive instincts, his ability to bomb forward out of the back is an asset for both the Stars and Stripes and the Purple and White. Klinsmann has always seen the potential in Shea, as have many Yanks fans, but everyone has also been forced to see all of the bad that has come with it.
Nobody has ever doubted the upside that Shea has shown glimpses of. How could they when he does things like this?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AKUku-eRFY]6-foot-4 fullbacks should not be able to do that. Or this…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0HkJ5AQWc4]It is clear as day that Shea has all of the ability necessary to be a high quality footballer. Like it always has been with the winger turned fullback, it is a matter of whether or not he can perform at the level he is capable of on a consistent enough basis to be a real difference maker.
Shea needs to perform on the World Cup Qualifying stage, not only for the team, but for his own career. Tim Ream has filled in nicely at left back in a few matches for Klinsmann and easily offers the better option in terms of covering defensively. For Shea to continue to hold a spot on the Yanks roster, these matches will be crucial.
Klinsmann needs Shea to perform for a whole different set of reasons. The side is clearly more forward-thinking with him on the pitch as opposed to Ream, and as consistent as the Bolton defender is, he provides nowhere near the upside that Shea does. In 2011, Shea scored an impressive 11 goals and tallied four assists for FC Dallas in route to becoming a finalist for the Volkswagen MLS MVP. Given his return to form in 2015, there is restored optimism in Shea. However, if he turns in a few poor performances during qualifying, supporters will surely turn on him as quickly as they did before.
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