USMNT's Cameron

When you think of Geoff Cameron, you think of a kind of steadiness. Not one to lose himself emotionally or make wild gambles, Cameron is a rock of a defender, although not in stature. He’s wiry, but you can see his slender strength when he’s man-marking a particularly voracious forward. Whether it’s an MLS, EPL, or national team, the thing that makes Cameron so valuable is his wonderful mixture of steady and versatile play.

Club Play

After splitting his collegiate soccer between West Virginia and Rhode Island, Cameron would get drafted in the third round of the 2008 MLS Draft by the Houston Dynamo. In other words, he was far from heralded when his professional career first started. However, he would become a starter just one year later, forming into a key cog for a successful Dynamo side. They would lose the MLS Cup final to the LA Galaxy in 2011, and after a half season in 2012, Cameron could transfer to English Premier League’s Stoke City.

Even though Stoke has been a middling EPL side since 2009 (they’ve finished no higher than 14th and no lower than 9th in that time), Cameron has been a constant in their lineup for the past two seasons. Employed at right back, his play at Stoke has undoubtedly boosted his USMNT chances.

International Play

Cameron would enjoy his first national team cap in 2010, but it would be almost another two years before he sniffed the lineup. In early 2012, Jürgen Klinsmann brought him in, and he has been a mostly consistent figure for the United States since then. His 27 caps in the last two years have shown that Klinsmann’s emphasis on Americans playing overseas is certainly legitimate.

USMNT role

With his solid height (6’3″), intelligence, and composure on the pitch, Geoff Cameron could be the USMNT’s rock on the back line. More than that, he has a certain versatility about his game that can only add a new dimension to his team. Able to also play a defensive midfield role, Cameron has the defensive organization and spatial awareness to apply his skills in more than a few positions. Klinsmann has realized this and that has been what has made him so valuable over the past two years. Offensively, maybe he can sneak in the box and use that 6’3″ frame to head another one in like this.

A few months ago, USMNT experts were prognosticating Cameron as the starting right back in Brazil. With Omar Gonzalez’s dip in form and injury concerns, Cameron has become a starting center back – and a good one, at that. Alongside a sometimes shaky Matt Besler, Cameron is the USMNT’s most experienced and capable center back. His steadiness will be much appreciated in Brazil against Group G offenses that range from “lethal” to “please, not in the face!”.

Did You Know

  • His favorite football teams as a kid were Manchester United and Juventus.
  • He loves to cook.
  • He’s a Boston sports fan. But we won’t hold that against him

unnamed (40)

 

Tags: , , , ,