The U.S. national team is back in action on Tuesday, as they face Costa Rica in a friendly at Red Bull Arena.
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Following the 3-2 extra time CONCACAF Cup defeat to Mexico on Saturday, there have been plenty of emotions swirling around the camp about Jurgen Klinsmann’s future as boss and the quality of players at his disposal.
Putting all that aside -- for 90 minutes on Tuesday at least -- it is time to speculate who will line up against CONCACAF foes Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena.
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Below are three options for Klinsmann to consider. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
JPW’s choice
—– Howard —–
— Johnson — Cameron — Ream — Shea —
--- Williams ---
— Bedoya — Diskerud — Nguyen —
— Wood — Zardes ---
Mix-and-match XI
—– Howard —–
— Yedlin — Orozco — Ream — Shea —
—– Cameron —–
— Yedlin — Bedoya — Nguyen —
— Wooten — Altidore —
Give youth a chance
—– Hamid —–
— Spector — Alvarado — Ream — Shea —
—– Diskerud —–
— Yedlin — Nguyen — Bedoya — Zardes —
— Wooten —
Conclusion
This game should really be used as an excercise and be a case of: what do we need to learn about these players? Only having a squad of 21 available makes the picks limited, as Klinsmann let plenty of MLS stars return to their clubs ahead of key matches at the end of the season. There are big chances for some players to impress, including Mix Diskerud, Lee Nguyen, Andrew Wooten and Brek Shea, while the likes of DeAndre Yedlin and Bobby Wood should be rewarded after the impact they made against Mexico on Saturday. In goal, why not start with Tim Howard? Brad Guzan wasn’t to blame for the defeat to Mexico, but Howard’s time to shine and prove he can usurp Guzan from the starting spot (we know he can and probably will) has arrived. Seeing Ream and Cameron in defense will be near the top of my wishlist as the U.S. continue to experiment with different pairings in the heart of defense. Getting Nguyen heavily involved will also be key as Los Ticos will provide a good test, but a chance to build up the confidence levels in the U.S. camp once again.
