Okay, here me out on this one.
We're saying no Clint, Howard, Boca, Dolo, Donovan, Cameron, Castillo or Fabian? This is going to require taking pressure off the back line and doing something different up front. Meet me in the next paragraph.
Jozy has to be the biggest untapped resource on the USMNT. He can score at will for AZ, but can't do anything for the national team. Most people would say this is because of a lack of service, so let's surround him with Brek, Gatt, and Bradley — how about that for service? Assuming you don’t want to start Gatt, push Zusi up and put Kljestan in right midfield.
The back line: I would say Omar and Chandler won't have any trouble holding their spots. I’d love to say “Start Parkhurst!” but he isn’t playing for his club right now either! However, Clarence Goodson is and he can fill this spot in a pinch — and for a fourth-choice centerback, you can do a lot worse than him. Spector — the left back position, really — remains a liability in any set-up.
Some final notes: Jones starts because he always starts. Zusi starts on the right because he's great. I'm not worried about Guzan at all — in fact it might be a bit of a boon considering his defenders haven't played together yet.
Again, this is clearly a shake-up (An unlikely one at that), but I would argue circumstances necessitate turning weaknesses into strengths. Email me anytime, Klinsmann.
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Jack McNamara
almost 12 years
Okay, here me out on this one. We're saying no Clint, Howard, Boca, Dolo, Donovan, Cameron, Castillo or Fabian? This is going to require taking pressure off the back line and doing something different up front. Meet me in the next paragraph. Jozy has to be the biggest untapped resource on the USMNT. He can score at will for AZ, but can't do anything for the national team. Most people would say this is because of a lack of service, so let's surround him with Brek, Gatt, and Bradley — how about that for service? Assuming you don’t want to start Gatt, push Zusi up and put Kljestan in right midfield. The back line: I would say Omar and Chandler won't have any trouble holding their spots. I’d love to say “Start Parkhurst!” but he isn’t playing for his club right now either! However, Clarence Goodson is and he can fill this spot in a pinch — and for a fourth-choice centerback, you can do a lot worse than him. Spector — the left back position, really — remains a liability in any set-up. Some final notes: Jones starts because he always starts. Zusi starts on the right because he's great. I'm not worried about Guzan at all — in fact it might be a bit of a boon considering his defenders haven't played together yet. Again, this is clearly a shake-up (An unlikely one at that), but I would argue circumstances necessitate turning weaknesses into strengths. Email me anytime, Klinsmann.