Welcome to this week’s edition of the Upgrade, a new series tracking MLS players in EA SPORTS FIFA 17. Check out the previous installment here. This time, we’re having some more fun with the USMNT in FIFA 17 ahead of their big match against Panama tonight (10 pm ET, beIN SPORTS, NBC Universo, Telemundo).
The USMNT did the darn thing against Honduras on Friday night in just about the biggest way possible, pounding in six goals and blanking the opponents. The comprehensive performance put their quest for Russia back on track and set them up with plenty of momentum going forward in the Hex.
The pure joy among those in Avaya Stadium, on Twitter dot com, and by folks like me was extremely cool to see. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a big ol’ dose of USMNT catharsis. By my count, it's been about four years.
Beating a talented Honduras squad featuring MLS names like Alberth Elis, Roger Espinoza, Boniek Garcia, and Romell Quioto, about whom I’ve raved about in this series, by that scoreline is more than impressive. It’s more than resounding. It’s video game stuff. And that, of course, is what we’re here to talk about.
So, how should this affect FIFA player ratings?
Christian Pulisic, naturally, enjoyed a magnificent match at the point of the USMNT’s diamond midfield, where he showed the vision, decisiveness, and ability to execute slide rule passes needed from a modern No. 10. EA doesn’t usually do upgrades based on international performances, but Pulisic’s current vision rating of 65, composure rating of 60, aggression rating of 44, and stamina rating of 67 all seem pretty darn unfair after that performance.
Not only did Pulisic make plays only he could have made, but he did it for the whole game, putting in work all over the field and on both sides of the ball. To remain sharp until the very end of the match is very impressive, and should be reflected in the next update. If he puts together a similar performance against Panama, I expect EA to take notice.
Jozy Altidore also put on a show, displaying once again his underrated ability to pick out and execute passes in the final third. Currently, his short passing and vision ratings are at 67 and 68, respectively. As a strong target forward whose distributive skills are progressing at a faster rate than his 1v1 or finishing skills at this point in his career, I don’t think those stats are an accurate reflection of his abilities.
Finally, Sebastian Lletget impressed me yet again during his injury-shortened night, and has really looked like he belongs at the international level. However, since he only played 15 minutes, there isn’t a whole lot of specific analysis I can apply to his current FIFA 17 standing.
Unfortunately for Bruce Arena, though, Lletget isn’t the only player leaving camp due to an ailment. John Brooks, Michael Orozco, and Jordan Morris have all gone home. Replacing them is Paul Arriola, a winger/wingback who plies his trade at Club Tijuana in Mexico. Arriola made his USMNT debut last May against Puerto Rico, scoring in that match and in his next appearance against Trinidad & Tobago. He’s got pace, power, and if he’s in the team sheet for me in FIFA 17 there’s a good chance he sees the field.
Which brings us here.
What would work in both 'FIFA 17' and in real life
Here’s the lineup I expect Bruce Arena to go with, and if I’m lining my USMNT squad up in FIFA against a side who are going to sit, wait for the opposition to make a mistake, and counter with a lot of pace, this is how I’m going to do it. It’s a great combination of competence in possession, attacking ability, and box-to-box work rate.
Now that Brooks is gone, Geoff Cameron’s presence as a center back becomes even more important and, as I’ve mentioned before, your center back pairing matters in FIFA. I went with Jorge Villafana over DaMarcus Beasley this time. Even though Beasley has a lot more attacking oomph, I don’t want him getting caught up field with a combination of Omar Gonzalez (who struggles to move laterally) and Darlington Nagbe (who's not the best open-field defender) left to cover for him.
On the attacking end of things, the midfield-forward triangle of Pulisic, Nagbe, and Clint Dempsey can absolutely throttle teams. These guys all together offer tons of creativity, the skill to execute in tight spaces, and the ability to dribble through lines of defenders.
Anyway that’s it from me, everybody. I’m confident in the USMNT to get things done in real life, and I really hope I could beat a team like Panama in FIFA 17. Make sure to continue roasting me in the comments section if I made any dumb mistakes while writing this.
