USMNT finds itself in unfamiliar position for final World Cup qualifying round

With a rollicking pair of wins in its final games in the fourth phase of World Cup qualifying, the United States men’s national team has reached the final “hexagonal” round. A 6-0 deconstruction of St. Vincent and the Grenadines last Friday and a comfortable 4-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday saw the Yanks through to the last phase, which will begin on Nov. 11, run 11 months and send three of six teams to Russia following a double round-robin. A fourth will go to a playoff with the fifth-placed team from the Asian region.

The hex has become sort of routine. In the 2006, 2010 and 2014 cycles, the U.S. won the thing. In 2002, it qualified with a game to spare. In 1998, the Americans qualified by five points. It hasn’t really been close since 1990 — since the U.S. qualified automatically as hosts in 1994. Back then, the Americans hadn’t even made it to the World Cup since 1950. A narrow 1-0 win in Trinidad and Tobago moved them into the qualifying spots on the final day.

Since then, qualifying has been straightforward if never easy. It will be a slog, but it will be predictable. Because loath as we may be to admit it, CONCACAF is probably the most forgiving qualifying region in the world. It counts no more than eight serious soccer nations, and half, give or take one, will make it to Russia. Yes, the logistics are tricky and the opposition often bunkered into defensive systems, but then the Americans would somehow have to fall to fifth or sixth place to miss out on the 2018 World Cup.

What’s not predictable, or expected, is the fine nick the U.S. team is suddenly in. Just a year ago, things spiraled downward. But after a series of injuries and suspension, so many young or previously marginal players asserted themselves in two games against the Ampersand Islands that Jurgen Klinsmann’s depth chart must look truly crowded for the first time in his tenure. For the first time in more than a decade, perhaps, if not even longer.

The caveat here is that the Vincy Heat and the Soca Warriors, as they’re nicknamed, aren’t very good teams, making their opposition look good. But then again, the sort of rhythm, confidence and cohesion the Americans finally displayed — in the sixth year of Klinsmann’s pedestrian tenure — was impressive independent of those factors.

The sheer depth now available to Klinsmann is probably unprecedented. Let’s break it down.

Goalkeeper

Brad Guzan has made a move back into the Premier League with Middlesbrough and has started two of its three games, in spite of competing with Victor Valdes. Tim Howard has rediscovered form and swagger upon his return to Major League Soccer with the Colorado Rapids. Ethan Horvath, meanwhile, continues to impress with Molde and is the heir apparent.

Defense

Geoff Cameron is now an automatic starter in central defense or, in a pinch, on the right. John Brooks is now a good Bundesliga central defender. The drop-off to their backups Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez and Steve Birnbaum is manageable. And all of them could compete for real minutes. Fabian Johnson is the best option at left back or can move up to the left wing. DeAndre Yedlin has made the right back spot his own.

Then there’s the currently injured Timmy Chandler, Tim Ream and Ventura Alvarado, who all remain firmly in the picture. The miscast Kellyn Acosta, meanwhile, acquitted himself decently as a left back in the last two qualifiers.

Midfield

In the middle of the park, the logjam is even worse — or, well, better. Central midfielders Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Alejandro Bedoya have done absolutely nothing to merit a loss in minutes. Yet Kyle Beckerman and Graham Zusi have been consistently reliable. And to further complicate matters, Christian Pulisic’s breakout during this international break suggests there is no cogent argument to be made to keep him on the bench any longer — if Klinsmann seeks to contain the hype about the 17-year-old, that horse is miles out of the barn.

Sacha Kljestan, meanwhile, had such a strong pair of substitute appearances that the 30-year-old retread deserves more looks. And younger players Darlington Nagbe, Perry Kitchen, Paul Arriola and Emerson Hyndman — newly of the Premier League since his move from Fulham to Bournemouth — all seem ready to start playing their part. Oh, and then there’s 20-year-old winger Lynden Gooch, who has elbowed his way into Sunderland’s lineup out of nowhere.

Attack

Up front, Jozy Altidore has scored eight times in his last eight U.S. games and sneaked into third place on the all-time scoring chart. Bobby Wood has developed into his perfect complement, or indeed his alternative. But Clint Dempsey is still around and in his prime, although he missed these recent games while his irregular heartbeat is diagnosed further.

Jordan Morris, meanwhile, is living up to his considerable hype in a strong rookie year with the Seattle Sounders. Gyasi Zardes can play in a supporting role or as a winger. And Aron Johannsson is finally over a nerve injury in his hip and started in Werder Bremen’s season opener against Bayern Munich.

That’s a lot of competition for a team that has all too often had to cobble together its starting lineup from ill-fitting pieces. Things will get complicated for Klinsmann, but then this is the sort of how it works on good national teams.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.