Know the Enemy: Hertha Berlin's John Brooks

John Brooks is an American CB who has risen through the Hertha youth system. From 2012 on he has been a mainstay in the Hertha defence helping them win promotion to the Bundesliga in his first full season. Since Hertha's performance has been directly linked to the health and use of Brooks.

Brooks is a do everything kind of CB, which is why he's so crucial to his team. Year to year he has one of the best tackling percentages in the league, making him one of the most feared man on man defenders at the top level. Also, he regularly ranks in top of the league, when it comes to clearances and has the ability to be a very precise passer when he needs to be. It's very rare to see a CB, who is both the main man to man defender, as well as the best outlet passer in the back line.

Brooks is also a main corner targets for Hertha and usually scores 1 or 2 a season. Since corner defence is a perennial problem for us it will be crucial to have him man marked on all corners. Many American fans know about his header performance as he scored, what may be one of the most crucial goals in US Soccer history against Ghana in the 2014 World Cup.

In our first fixture against Hertha, Brooks was able to lock down Reus but was helpless in marking any of the rest of our attackers. He allowed ex -teammate Adrian Ramos to get behind his line and score a last minute goal to wrap the game up in our favor. Since then, he has been one of the key pieces in Hertha's run, placing them third on the table.

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