Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By IVES GALARCEP
The U.S. Men’s National Team is in Scotland ahead of Friday’s international friendly, and while the lasting memories of the most recent meeting between these teams was that of a blowout, the return leg in Glasgow should be a significantly tougher challenge for Jurgen Klinsmann’s side.
Injuries to Clint Dempsey and Fabian Johnson have forced them both to withdraw from camp. Neither will be replaced. They join Landon Donovan, Graham Zusi and Matt Besler among the players not available for the upcoming friendlies.
Those absences should create opportunities for several fringe players to earn starts and impress Klinsmann, like Mix Diskerud and Geoff Cameron.
Here is a look at the projected lineup we could see take on Scotland on Friday:
PROJECTED USMNT LINEUP vs. SCOTLAND
Bedoya—————-Altidore—————Johannsson
————————-Diskerud—————————
——————Jones————Bradley—————–
Beasley——–Cameron———Gonzalez———Evans
—————————Howard—————————
Some thoughts:
Clint Dempsey and Fabian Johnson have both pulled out of the USMNT squad due to injuries.
The defense seems like a pretty straightforward foursome, while Jones and Bradley should reunite for the first time since June.
Bedoya gets the nod here, and while his inclusion could mean we see more of a 4-4-2 than 4-3-3, it’s a safe bet he does get the nod. Now, if Klinsmann does decided to go with a more pure 4-4-2, we could see Sacha Kljestan get the nod.
Klinsmann has also shown an affinity for playing one forward on the road, and if he does, we could see Johannsson sit on the bench in favor of Altidore. Here’s a potential 4-2-3-1 lineup we could see:
————————–Altidore—————————-
Bedoya—————–Diskerud——————Kljestan
—————–Jones—————Bradley—————-
Beasley——–Cameron———Gonzalez———Evans
—————————Howard—————————
So what lineup would USMNT fans most like to see? Here’s one combination:
———–Altidore——————Johannsson———-
——-Diskerud——————————–Bedoya—–
——————Jones————Bradley—————–
Beasley——–Cameron———Gonzalez———Lichaj
—————————Howard—————————
What lineup would you like to see take on Scotland on Friday? Hoping to see an Altidore-Johannsson tandem?
Share your thoughts below.