Photo by ISI Photos
Okay folks, I know you’ve been wondering what the U.S. Under-23 national team lineup for tonight’s match against Canada will be.
Wonder no more.
According to multiple sources, this will be the U.S. team’s starting lineup for tonight’s Olympic Qualifying semifinal (and yes, there are some slight surprises):
USA Starting XI
—————–Altidore———————
———————-Adu—————-
—Holden————————-Kljestan—-
—————-Edu—-McCarty—————
Sturgis—–Spector—Orozco——–Wynne
——————-Seitz———————–
Very interesting lineup. I think it’s fair to say Adu will play withdrawn forward. You will also have more of a box than traditional flat four midfield. Lots of opportunity for interchanging with this group. Wynne isn’t that much of a surprise, though I felt like he looked shaky in moments. His speed is pretty scary though.
Surprises? Gaven is benched after his good performance against Honduras while Kljestan starts despite coming off a bad game. In truth, this starting XI is probably the lineup most would have expected before the tournament began (with Orozco the lone real surprise, most would have penciled Patrick Ianni into that spot).
What do you think of this US lineup? Share your thoughts below?