Following on from their stunning 6-0 win against Honduras on Friday to get their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track, Bruce Arena and the U.S. national team face Panama in Panama City on Tuesday.
This will be a totally different test for the USMNT.
[ MORE: Three keys for USA v Panama ]
With veterans Tim Howard, Geoff Cameron, Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey all available for selection, Arena will call on them to help guide the likes of Christian Pulisic through what will be a hostile environment in Panama.
The U.S. currently sits in fourth place in the Hexagonal standings with three points (that means they occupy the play-off spot) one place and one point below Panama while Mexico is top on seven points and Costa Rica sit in second place on six points. Right now, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama will qualify automatically for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
A win for Arena’s men would be very handy indeed, especially with a trip to Mexico coming up this summer, but a point on the road in humid conditions in Central America is nothing to scoff at either.
Arena is without both John Brooks and Sebastian Lletget through injury, as the USMNT head coach hinted that he could make up to four or five changes from the team which beat Honduras.
Below is a look at a few options for how the U.S. can line up in Panama on Tuesday.
JPW’s pick
----- Howard -----
--- Zusi --- Cameron --- Ream --- Villafana ---
---- Bradley ---- Jones ----
--- Bedoya --- Dempsey --- Pulisic ---
----- Altidore -----
Most likely XI
----- Howard -----
--- Cameron --- Gonzalez --- Ream --- Villafana ---
---- Bedoya ---- Bradley ---- Jones ----
---- Dempsey ---- Altidore ---- Pulisic ---
Defensive XI
----- Howard -----
--- Zusi --- Gonzalez --- Ream --- Villafana ---
---- Bradley ---- Cameron ----
--- Bedoya ---- Dempsey ---- Pulisic ---
----- Altidore -----
Thoughts
My pick sees four changes to the starting lineup from last Friday’s big win. Tim Ream would come in for the injured Brooks at center back, while Graham Zusi would start at right back and Geoff Cameron slots in at center back to replace Omar Gonzalez who looked shaky against Honduras. In midfield having a more defensive option in Jermaine Jones could be the smart play but that would mean losing Darlington Nagbe who did well against Honduras while Jones was suspended. Alejandro Bedoya would be a straight-swap for the injured Lletget as he would line up alongside Clint Dempsey and Christian Pulisic in support of Altidore.
The more defensive option would see Cameron partner Bradley in central midfield and Gonzalez keep his place at center back, while the more likely option for Arena is just three changes with Ream in for Brooks, Bedoya in for Lletget and Jones in for Nagbe. If it ain’t broken, there’s no need to fix it and Arena will not want to upset the rhythm of his side who looked so balanced and clinical against Honduras. Having Jones back from suspension will help navigate this tricky road trip where a point is a good result and that’s a totally different scenario to the must-win mentality adopted for last Friday’s game.