The last two games of a very successful year are upon us
with the upcoming friendlies in Glasgow and Vienna. Jurgen Klinsmann wanted to
bring in the strongest possible roster for the close of the year, but some key
names have had to withdraw or were unavailable due to injury. Clint Dempsey,
Landon Donovan, Fabian Johnson, and Brad Guzan are all out nursing injuries,
while Graham Zusi, Matt Besler, Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, and Brad Davis are
all sticking with their MLS clubs as they continue their journey to the MLS
Cup.
Baring any
injury, the three goalies we will see in Brazil are Howard, Guzan, and Rimando.
It will still be a very good opportunity for Johnson and Hamid to impress
Klinsmann in training. They are both young and talented and will feature in the
national team in the future. Look to Howard to get all 180 minutes in net.
Defense: Demarcus Beasley, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Brad
Evans, John Brooks, Eric Lichaj, Michael Orozco
At
fullback, it looks like Beasley and Evans are both Klinsmanns first choice
right now. Both are converted midfielders though, which definitely leaves the
door open for true fullbacks to take over the spot before Brazil. One of which
is Eric Lichaj, the right back for Nottingham Forrest who USMNT fans have been
dying to have a look at with the national team. This is a huge camp for Lichaj,
who finally earned his first callup of the Klinsmann era. Hopefully he gets a
decent amount of game time, and maybe even a start.
The other
four defenders are all natural center backs. Omar Gonzalez and Geoff Cameron
are both fighting for a starting job in Brazil along with Matt Besler (who is
missing these friendlies due to Sporting KC’s playoff run). Those three figure
to be the top three at the World Cup, with Clarence Goodson and John Brooks in
a battle for the fourth spot. Brooks is still not cap-tied to the US, but will
be making his second appearance in a US camp since verbally committing to the
USMNT over the summer. He is coming off an injury and hasn’t regained his
starting spot for Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga, but should get a look in one
of the two games over the next week. Michael Orozco is a steady defender and
very good for the depth and competition of the backline, but in all honesty,
doesn’t figure to be in the conversation for a roster spot this upcoming
summer.
Midfield: Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya,
Mix Diskerud, Sacha Kljestan, Brek Shea
Michael
Bradley and Jermaine Jones are the starters at defensive mid in Klinsmann’s
preferred 4-2-3-1. They have been since day one of the formation and it doesn’t
look like it will change anytime soon. Out of this roster, Sacha Kljestan is
the most likely to play in the back, but I don’t see anybody besides Bradley
and Jones starting in that spot. With Donovan, Dempsey and Johnson all missing
with injury, these two friendlies are going to provide a huge opportunity to
the midfielders who are in camp. Bedoya, Diskerud, Kljestan, and Shea are all
fighting for a spot on the World Cup roster. In my mind, Klinsmann will be
bringing nine midfielders to Brazil. Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Jones, Johnson
are all locks. That leaves four spots for Zusi, Bedoya, Diskerud, Kljestan,
Shea, Beckerman, Torres, and Corona. With the typical starting three not at
these games, the guys who are in camp will be looking to make a final
impression on the coaching staff before the year is over. Bedoya should start
both games at RW where he plays for Nantes, while Diskerud and Kljestan are
both accustomed to central roles. Shea is solely a LW, but with his lack of
game time at Stoke this year, could definitely see one of the two central
players (or forwards) start out wide on the left.
Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannsson, Terrance Boyd,
Eddie Johnson, Chris Wondolowski
Altidore is
the clear cut #1 for the USMNT, regardless of his struggles to find the back of
the net at Sunderland. His work rate and all around game has been fantastic
this season in the Premier League, and he has been a scoring machine for the US
the past six months. Johannsson has taken US soccer by storm since filing his
one time switch this August. US fans love him and his ability, and he has been
absolutely tearing it up for 2nd place AZ Alkmaar. I see him fitting
in this team as the perfect supersub, but he could certainly see time behind
Jozy in the role that Dempsey usually fills. To me, Johnson and Boyd are in a
battle for the final forward spot, so this camp is very big for both of them.
Boyd should definitely see time against Austria on Tuesday, as the game will be
played in his home stadium. Eddie could definitely see action at LW, a spot
that Klinsmann has used him before on numerous occasions. Wondolowski is a bit
of head scratcher to me. He won’t be on the World Cup roster, and he isn’t good
enough to warrant playing time over any of the other forwards on the roster. I
would have preferred to see another fullback or midfielder (especially a young
one) to get a look.
The lineup I think we will see against Scotland on Friday
is:
http://americansoccernow.com/matches/89/starting_xis/8530?is_new=true Howard; Evans, Cameron, Gonzalez, Beasley; Jones, Bradley; Bedoya, Diskerud, E Johnson; Altidore
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