It's far from panic time for the USMNT.
Brad Guzan is actually in better form than Tim Howard at the moment, so this is the perfect time for him to be thrust into action for his country. He hasn't been short on action at Aston Villa, singlehandedly keeping his team in multiple recent games.
In the back, Omar Gonzalez was always likely to get another chance at this. Matt Besler is the one big question mark here, but it's about time he gets a shot because you're only inexperienced until you get experience. As for the addition of Brek Shea, if you want width and attack out of the back, why not bring on a guy who traditionally plays on the wing but has the speed to recover back as well?
The midfield is largely untouched. I would like to see Michael Bradley advancing more and playing more of a free-wheeling playmaker role than he has for the U.S. recently.
Graham Zusi has earned his place — period. Jozy Altidore, Eddie Johnson, and Terrence Boyd could all conceivably fill the target role, but Altidore gets the nod based on club form. And Herculez Gomez has been sadly overlooked so far by Jurgen Klinsmann, save for a couple of games he played at left wing when he terrorized the opposing right back with his speed and creativity on the ball.
In a way, injuries may be the best thing to happen to this team right now. It may force Klinsmann to get some other people in there and really start to question his selections to this point.
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Liviu Bird
almost 12 years
It's far from panic time for the USMNT. Brad Guzan is actually in better form than Tim Howard at the moment, so this is the perfect time for him to be thrust into action for his country. He hasn't been short on action at Aston Villa, singlehandedly keeping his team in multiple recent games. In the back, Omar Gonzalez was always likely to get another chance at this. Matt Besler is the one big question mark here, but it's about time he gets a shot because you're only inexperienced until you get experience. As for the addition of Brek Shea, if you want width and attack out of the back, why not bring on a guy who traditionally plays on the wing but has the speed to recover back as well? The midfield is largely untouched. I would like to see Michael Bradley advancing more and playing more of a free-wheeling playmaker role than he has for the U.S. recently. Graham Zusi has earned his place — period. Jozy Altidore, Eddie Johnson, and Terrence Boyd could all conceivably fill the target role, but Altidore gets the nod based on club form. And Herculez Gomez has been sadly overlooked so far by Jurgen Klinsmann, save for a couple of games he played at left wing when he terrorized the opposing right back with his speed and creativity on the ball. In a way, injuries may be the best thing to happen to this team right now. It may force Klinsmann to get some other people in there and really start to question his selections to this point.