The P2010 Index tracks every performance of every player who suits up for the National Team during the 2014 World Cup cycle, using match ratings from the country’s top soccer writers. The Index factors in recent form, strength of opponent, match type, and location, making it something like Power Rankings for the USMNT. (It’s all explained here.)
The last P2010 Index depth chart came out on July 27th, a few weeks after the post-Gold Cup hangover had dissipated (2-0 went to 2-4 so quickly…). That makes this the first depth chart of the Jurgen Klinsmann era. Has the disappointing string of results hurt players’ ratings? Has the change in philosophy benefited some (or hurt others)? Only one way to find out — let’s take a look:
| PLAYER | SCORE | CHANGE |
| GK | ||
| HOWARD, Tim | .756 |  |
| GUZAN, Brad | .559 |  |
| RIMANDO, Nick | .510 | |
| JOHNSON, Sean | .508 | |
| YELLDELL, David | .508 | |
| HAHNEMANN, Marcus | .506 | |
| DEF | ||
| CHERUNDOLO, Steve | .701 | |
| GOODSON, Clarence | .698 |  |
| BOCANEGRA, Carlos | .672 | |
| LICHAJ, Eric | .661 | |
| CHANDLER, Timothy | .643 | |
| ONYEWU, Oguchi | .602 | |
| REAM, Tim | .552 | |
| BORCHERS, Nat | .515 | |
| GONZALEZ, Omar | .515 | |
| AGBOSSOUMONDE, Gale | .514 | |
| DEMERIT, Jay | .512 | |
| OROZCO FISCAL, Michael | .511 |  |
| SPECTOR, Jonathan | .510 | |
| LOYD, Zach | .506 | |
| WALLACE, Anthony | .503 | |
| FRANKLIN, Sean | .502 | |
| WYNN, Marvell | .495 | |
| BORNSTEIN, Jonathan | .478 | |
| CASTILLO, Edgar | .478 | |
| MID | ||
| DEMPSEY, Clint | .755 | |
| DONOVAN, Landon | .701 | |
| BRADLEY, Michael | .696 | |
| SHEA, Brek | .690 | |
| BEDOYA, Alejandro | .668 | |
| JONES, Jermaine | .662 | |
| KLJESTAN, Sacha | .655 | |
| EDU, Maurice | .622 | |
| ADU, Freddy | .612 | |
| TORRES, Jose Francisco | .585 | |
| BECKERMAN, Kyle | .569 | |
| ROGERS, Robbie | .556 | |
| BEASLEY, DaMarcus | .544 | |
| WILLIAMS, Danny | .532 | |
| LARENTOWICZ, Jeff | .530 | |
| DISKERUD, Mikkel | .529 | |
| CLARK, Ricardo | .515 | |
| GAVEN, Eddie | .515 | |
| MCCARTY, Dax | .513 | |
| ALEXANDER, Eric | .506 | |
| CARROLL, Brian | .505 | |
| PAUSE, Logan | .503 | |
| FWD | ||
| AGUDELO, Juan | .663 | |
| ALTIDORE, Jozy | .656 | |
| WONDOLOWSKI, Chris | .538 | |
| BUNBURY, Teal | .530 | |
| FINDLEY, Robbie | .500 | |
| BUDDLE, Edson | .497 | |
 |
||
If you asked me how Klinsmann’s hiring would affect the team’s ratings, before he coached a single game, I would have said: goalkeeper’s a wash, defense generally goes down, defensive midfielders go down, creative midfielders go up, strikers go up.
It’s amazing how true that’s been. Tim Howard’s (.756) numbers have remained steadily spectacular, holding down the top spot on the team. (While the overall trend for goalkeepers is down, that’s simply because Tim’s getting all the playing time. We’re still waiting for that first Bill Hamid cap — Klinsmann’s clear #2.)
On the whole, defense has been down, with the notable exception of Clarence Goodson (.698), who is inching closer the .700 Club, and Oguchi Onyewu (.602), who appears to be rising from the dead.
In the midfield, Clint Dempsey (.755), arguably our most creative midfielder, is a mere .001 short of Tim Howard’s top mark. Maurice Edu (.622) has seen a nice bump in the new system. And Brek Shea (.690) is clearly flourishing under the new coach — all the way up to #4 in the midfield and #7 overall. Jermaine Jones (.662) and Michael Bradley (.696) have both suffered setbacks, though both are still well within the Cup Zone (top eight) in the midfield.
Unlike the other positions, forwards haven’t really moved the way you’d expect under Klinsmann (although, they’ve done exactly what you’d expect after two goals in five games). Three have gone down, while three have stayed the same. Jozy Altidore (.656) is getting closer to his rightful place atop the strikers, as Juan Agudelo (.663) continues his regression toward the mean.
A few newcomers have entered the fray, as well. The top new guy? None other than World Cup veteran, Jose Torres (.585). Based on what we’ve seen, he has been inconsistent, but the numbers are indicating he’s been a little more hit than miss. Another notable is Kyle Beckerman (.569), who is probably a few caps away from making a jump over .600.
General note: We are only displaying players who have played in the past 12 months. We still track their numbers, so if/when they get their next cap, they’ll reappear on the Index, with their full body of work accounted for. The exception to this rule: if, somehow, after 12 consecutive months of not playing for the Nats, a player remains in the Cup Zone (top eight defenders, eight midfielders, four forwards, or three goalkeepers), they remain on the depth chart. We’re not really sure if that will ever come up, but it seems possible with a long term injury to a star player.
