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Who Should the USMNT Start vs. Trinidad & Tobago?

Just one match stands between the U.S. Men’s National Team and the 2018 World Cup. A draw will most certainly be good enough but, if we’ve learned anything from CONCACAF play over the years, it is to expect the unexpected.

The U.S. heads to Trinidad & Tobago knowing a win would officially seal a ticket to Russia while a draw would force Panama and Honduras to combine for a major miracle. At the end of the day, T&T is a team that has amassed just three points all through qualifying, but the Soca Warriors have speed and countering ability that could give the U.S. problems on Tuesday night.

That means there’s a mentality to balance. The U.S. cannot afford to just sit back and relax, even if one point will likely take care of business. They also can’t go too gung-ho when it isn’t needed, especially against a T&T team that put a scare into Mexico on Friday before a trio of late goals.

With that in mind, here’s a look at one possible USMNT lineup for Tuesday’s match:

—————Altidore–Dempsey—————
———————-Pulisic———————-
—————-Acosta–Bradley—————-
Arriola–Ream–Gonzalez–Cameron–Yedlin
———————Guzan———————

Some thoughts:

Let’s start with the shoo-ins. Christian Pulisic was dominant against Panama and was removed fairly early after several hard fouls, giving him an extra few minutes of rest heading into Tuesday. He’s in. Michael Bradley is always in, so you can lock that up, and you can also probably lock in Jozy Altidore and DeAndre Yedlin.

From there, pretty much everything else is open, starting at the goalkeeper position. Tim Howard has generally played home matches while Brad Guzan has handled the road trips. Given the short turnaround and ridiculous field conditions as of Monday, it’s probably best to continue the trend and give Guzan the nod in goal.

In front of him, Arena has options. The 4-1-2-1-2 looked great on Friday, but it may be a little too ambitious for a team that only needs a draw on Tuesday. The personnel is there for a 3-5-2, and that helps get Geoff Cameron back onto the field. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cameron rejoin the lineup and, after taking a blow to the head that left him looking like Rocky Balboa, Matt Besler could probably slide to the bench in favor of Tim Ream, who has experience in a three-at-the-back formation.

While Yedlin is all but certain to start on the right, left wing back is an interesting debate. Jorge Villafana could certainly return after going a full 90 on Friday as could Paul Arriola or DaMarcus Beasley. The D.C. United midfielder’s energy was vital on Friday, and his extended gas tank could help earn him the nod. If the U.S. opts for a switch mid game, Arriola could be pushed forward into a wide midfield position while Ream can slide over, offering the U.S. a chance at several different looks.

In that midfield, Bradley will need a partner after looking a bit too isolated at times last match. There are plenty of options, like Dax McCarty, Alejandro Bedoya or Kellyn Acosta. The latter’s energy could earn him the nod, and a chance to undo a disappointing summer.

Finally, there are the forwards. Bobby Wood put in a ridiculous shift on Friday, running all over the field while creating havoc for 90 minutes. Knowing that, it may be best to save him as a bench option, allowing a fresher Clint Dempsey to join Jozy Altidore against a T&T team he actually hasn’t scored against since 2008.

It’s a lineup that offers several looks. It has the ability to be defensive and the speed to get back on the counter. It also has the ability to throw numbers forward and score the goal or two needed to get the USMNT to Russia.

Comments

  1. Arena has two different pattnerships in the back. Gonzalez + Beslar or Cameron + Brooks/Ream. Hes not breaking that up and i think he goes with continuity in the game. I think you go for a goal early expecting to have to be pretty direct. I think dempsey starts for 3 reasons. 1) the field is sloppy and so set pieces will be important. 2) hes on the goal record and what wouldbbe better than breaking that while putting the u.s. through. And 3) he barely played, friday. Jozy is just back from injury, so wood starts and altidore comes off if we need one late. Id love to see cameron replace bradley but since noones tried i doubt that starts today and cameron is just back from injury too. So some of these decisions are also about sending guys back to their clubs as healthy as possible. Speed and energy will be important tonight. Id love to see a 4-3-2-1
    Wood
    Dempsey. Pulisic
    Nadbe BradleyCameron
    Vf Beslar Gonzo yedlin
    The 3 of nagbe or acosta and bradley and cameron playing more central. There wont be much possession. So a mix of fast or creative counter attackers and a solid defensive set up

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  2. Not sure when the last time Cameron played DM but I could see it happening tonight if Arena goes 3-5-2. Also, if speed is TnT’s primary weapon, you want Besler out there over Ream for sure. in the previous WC cycle he was one of the fastest men on the USMNT. Not sure about now but definitely faster than Ream. Arriola and Bedoya should see the field before Nagbe tonight. Arriola brings everything Nagbe does and then some and you can count on Bedoya to do a lot of hard defensive work. Finally, Woods should start over Dempsey. I just don’t think Dempsey has the wheels anymore and playing in the mud is exhausting. Any goals likely will be from set pieces or route one style play so who starts may depend a bit on the form Dempsey is showing on free kicks in practice. I’d still go with Woods just because of how great he played in the last game and the fact that Dempsey basically had no impact when he came in.

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  3. Ream and Acosta aren’t good enough. Villafana and Arriola are better fits. If Bruce want’s to go a little more defensive, Bedoya isn’t a bad option over Arriola. No Acosta or McCarty please.

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  4. It is because bradley needs help. If you put 4 in the back with two dmids you can only get two of four goal scorers on tje field. Maybe wishful thinking.

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  5. What is with this site pushing the 5 man back line? We did that at Azteca because grinding out a point vs a superiror side at altitude was a major accomplishment.
    at T&T we will play our normal 442 just like we did vs Panama with little changes. Probably just Guzan and Cameron in for Howard and Besler

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    • I’ve been seeing it on other sites too. I could see it if we had some of the players missing, but based on the choices left home I don’t understand it. Maybe just not wanting to get surprised like we were at Azteca.

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  6. I’m with Matt. Showing a little consistency would go a long way toward building chemistry. Stay with what worked on Friday. If we’re really worried about counters from mighty T&T with experimental players or (more realistic) terrible field conditions, then insert Cameron or McCarty next to Bradley and take off Jozy. But honestly, I would go at them hard and early the same as against Panama. If we have the lead at half, then we have the luxury of adding another DCM, sub out Pulisic, etc.

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  7. Bruce has gone with the empty bucket on the road against Panama and Honduras, and with a 5-4-1 (3-4-3) at Mexico. The last two road cycles he’s went with a significantly different line up for game two. I think we’ll see Ream and Cameron because of that, and probably Accosta and Dempsey. Also, wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the same eleven, or uses a 3-5-2. My concern is after the match Friday Jozy commented, “I’ve never had a staff prepare us more for a game.” Did the staff put all their eggs in one basket taking TnT for granted? Logic would say that wasn’t possible, but……………

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    • Re that quote from Jozy about staff preparation before Panama, I can’t help thinking that if Arena had done a better job for CR and Honduras last month these last 2 games wouldn’t have been so important. Let’s hope he gets it right this time.

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    • I think you’re reading a bit too much into the comment. It was more about viewing Panama as a must win than anything else. Win that game, and you basically could have clinched at least the playoff spot. Had we tied, we would have needed help. Seeing how HON nearly upset CR and the Ticos needed a goal at the death to rescue a point, it was a wise move since HON would have had 12, and we would have had 10 with a draw, and Panama would have been sitting in 4th. At that stage, even a win against T&T might have had us miss out with wins by both HON and Panama on the final match day. However, because we secured the win and now sit at 12 points with a massive goal differential and Panama and HON sitting at 10 points (edge in goal difference to Panama), it is actually possible to lose and still get automatic qualification if neither team wins. All we have to do is not lose. Much easier…in theory.

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  8. If they even play or that pitch it’s going to be sloppy, so play it safe with 2 dms to help cover for which ever cbs are out there. Try to keep possession and defend the counter. 4-2-3-1

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  9. I’m not feeling secure with Ream and Gonzalez. If Besler can go, put him in ahead of either and maybe even put in Beasley or Villafana ahead of the other. McCarty looked very good in the last game and showed some really good passing skills. So, while I normally would use Acosta, for this game I’d say put in McCarty I don’t know about Nagbe since I’m not sure how much defense he will play.Maybe Arriola there instead. That would mean Altidore and Dempsey up top, Pulisic and Arriola on the wings, Bradley and McCarty as defensive mids, and Beasley or Villafana, Besler, Cameron, and Yedlin along the back. And keep the wing backs withdrawn. They both have enough speed they can convert quickly to attack.

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  10. If you want to lessen the pressure on the US defense, then you need the best and FASTEST forwards which would mean Pulisic and Wood (use Jozy & Clint as subs). Behind them I would play Nagbe for his dribbling skills and holding onto the ball, MB and Ream (and use Bessler in the back line who seems more aggressive and faster). Guzan is faster off the line and so he would be more helpful against T&T.

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  11. Ream cannot be on the field for a game this important. It’s been pretty obvious that he cannot hack it at the international level. I guess it’s mostly nerves with him as he has the talent to be decent for Concacaf but for whatever reason he has never made it work in a USMNT jersey. If you are going to play a 3-5-2 Bessler should take that extra CB spot. Also I think you need Wood to start to match the athleticism/physicality of T&T at least for the first 65 minutes.

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    • That’s easy to say, but that lineup was made for a different opponent, a different need, and a different location. Friday, the US played a defensively tough, Panama, absolutely needed a win, and was at home in Orlando on a really good pitch. Tonight, the US is playing a weak T&T squad, only needs a draw, and is playing on the road on a pitch that is (to put it delicately) less than perfect. Plus, some of the US players from Friday may be less than 100%

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    • I’d rather Fabjo at LM in front of Villafana

      In my opinion the WC lineup should be:

      ——-Wood———-Jozy———
      —————-Pulisic————–
      FabJo————————Ariolla
      —————–MB90————–
      Villafana———————–Yedlin
      ———-Brooks–Cameron——–
      —————Howard??————

      FabJo can help MB90 in covering defensively, similar to how Jermaine provided that extra defensive mid in Brazil

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  12. stopping/slowing the Trinidad & Tobago counter and not letting them have that ability while quickly pressuring/recovering the lost ball, that could go a long way in determining things. it’s something this USMNT has set up and done under Arena tactically already in different games, may help guide Arena’s decision making whomever he deploys. That field is another question mark to throw in the pot. whatever, as always in these matches, no excuses, just got to get it done however required

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  13. We need to put high pressure/get on them early in their own end, create turnovers. Dempsey ain’t that guy. He is a great ace in the hole/super-sub. Hopefully we don’t need him for that, but would be great to have him available to come on in the 60th to add another to put the V on ice. U.S.: 2 T&T: 0

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