Jurgen Klinsmann happy with Darlington Nagbe's USMNT debut

Jurgen Klinsmann appears to be very happy with what he's seen from Darlington Nagbe. The United States manager had nothing but good things to say about the midfielder after Nagbe's first camp and matches with the national team.

"We found a player that is really good handling the ball in both directions," Klinsmann said to ESPNFC. "He is responsible defensively, to always go behind the ball and to defend, and help out. When we go forward, he knows when to pass, when to dribble, when to keep things racing forward, and also when to take some risks in a certain moment.

"He has a change of pace in one-on-one situations when he goes at defensive midfielders. He has the confidence to get past them and to get closer to the box.

"Darlington is a real nice option now going forward. He had to wait a long time, and we've been waiting for him as well, but it's a great fit and we are glad to have him on board."

Nagbe came off the bench against both St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, totaling 48 minutes in the two matches. He didn't make a major impact in either contest, but the Americans were already well ahead by the time he entered against the Vincy Heat, while the match against the Soca Warriors wasn't exactly open or fluid.

It's no surprise that Klinsmann is saying nice things about Nagbe. It would be out of character to be critical of a new player in the setup, as he usually supports the new additions and takes a more critical approach with those who have been around for a while. That Nagbe generally has a positive attitude and is a skillful player fits what Klinsmann wants too, so the manager is inclined to like his new midfielder.

Most everything Klinsmann said about Nagbe is fair and just about exactly what most people see in him. The question is this statement: "when to take some risks in a certain moment." That has been Nagbe's issue since he turned pro, as being aggressive and playing with ambition when needed has been the missing piece of his game. That has improved of late and we'll see how he does with it at the international level.