The U.S. men's national team will play its first match of 2012, and an MLS-heavy squad will take the field against Venezuela on Saturday night in Arizona with many players looking to impress Jurgen Klinsmann and work their way into the full senior team mix.
Some familiar faces are back in the mix as Benny Feilhaber and Ricardo Clark are in camp, while Heath Pearce joins them as the only players on the camp roster with more than 30 caps.
Some intriguing newcomers are in the mix as well, with Geoff Cameron, Graham Zusi and C.J. Sapong aomong the fresh faces who could see action against Venezuela.
So what will the USMNT lineup look like against Venezuela? Here are some possibilities:
PROJECTED USMNT LINEUP vs. VENEZUELA
—Shea———-Wondolowski————Zusi—–
———————Feilhaber————————
—————Jones———-Clark——————-
Pearce——Cameron—-Parkhurst——DeLaGarza
———————–Hamid————————-
Some thoughts:
Kyle Beckerman has been nursing an injury and looks unlikely to play. Otherwise, he'd be in the starting lineup.
Klinsmann could go with Jeff Larentowicz in place of Clark, but this is a good chance for Klinsmann to see Clark in action.
The Shea, Wondolowski, Zusi trio looked good in scrimmage action, and while Zusi isn't really a natural wide player, he has done well in a role that allows him to pinch in from the right.
The back four could also see Zach Loyd in the lineup in place of De La Garza, but we'll give De La Garza the nod here.
Juan Agudelo looks unlikely to play as he recovers from an ankle injury.
Brek Shea has looked very sharp in camp and looks primed for a big game on Saturday.
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What do you think of this projected lineup? What players are you looking forward to seeing play on Saturday?
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