Jozy and Clint are both locks to start in my mind, and in this formation both start up top and will work off of each other. The midfield is in more of a diamond shape than it appears in this formation, with Nguyen spearheading the top of the diamond in the No. 10 role. Bradley and Jones play the shuttlers of the diamond, since both are No. 8's and can't be played in roles that explicitly limit them to defensive or attacking duties primarily. Williams or Beckerman can be interchanged for the No. 6 role, but I opted for Williams because he is more athletic and has a higher chance of not being overrun in the midfield by an athletic Mexico squad. Johnson and Yedlin as the outside backs can provide width in the attack and can keep pace with Mexico's attack on the wings. I figured Brooks would be a lock to start and he needs someone who can read the game next to him, which could be either Cameron or Besler. I figured Cameron had a higher chance of playing over Besler based on recent matches. For GK Howard or Guzan could start and they are pretty much interchangeable, but I went with Howard based on personal preference.
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Jordan Garahana
over 8 years
Jozy and Clint are both locks to start in my mind, and in this formation both start up top and will work off of each other. The midfield is in more of a diamond shape than it appears in this formation, with Nguyen spearheading the top of the diamond in the No. 10 role. Bradley and Jones play the shuttlers of the diamond, since both are No. 8's and can't be played in roles that explicitly limit them to defensive or attacking duties primarily. Williams or Beckerman can be interchanged for the No. 6 role, but I opted for Williams because he is more athletic and has a higher chance of not being overrun in the midfield by an athletic Mexico squad. Johnson and Yedlin as the outside backs can provide width in the attack and can keep pace with Mexico's attack on the wings. I figured Brooks would be a lock to start and he needs someone who can read the game next to him, which could be either Cameron or Besler. I figured Cameron had a higher chance of playing over Besler based on recent matches. For GK Howard or Guzan could start and they are pretty much interchangeable, but I went with Howard based on personal preference.