The United States’ World Cup Qualifying match against Honduras at Avaya Stadium in San Jose on Friday is in fact a must-win if the U.S. is going to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
It’s time to hunker down and grab three points against supposed inferior CONCACAF opposition. Leaving San Jose without a victory and getting through the Hex will be, at the very least, tight.
Here’s one of the likely lineups Bruce Arena will put out:
Personnel may vary, but this is the basic look we’ll see. Two strikers — one of which is guaranteed to be Jozy Altidore — with two free attackers behind them, Michael Bradley protecting them, and Tim Howard in goal.
It’s the U.S.’ first choice formation, and likely the most fitting. These are some other things to watch:
The partnership between Altidore and Clint Dempsey
These two have been the nucleus of the national team’s attack since Bob Bradley was manager. While the injured Bobby Wood would have been the first choice here over Dempsey, this partnership is perfectly fine.
Expect Altidore to bully the smaller Honduran backline while Dempsey hangs around the final third and poaches goals. It’s what they’ve always been able to do, and it shouldn’t be any different Friday night.
Set pieces
It’s a legit possibility that five of the US’s biggest threats on set pieces will be on the field at Avaya: John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Altidore, and Dempsey. It’s those five and Steve Birnbaum, then Chris Wondolowski (who’ll be on the bench), then Alan Gordon, and then I don’t know who else, but the point is, there will be a ton of decent aerial threats in the box for hosts. Add Michael Bradley’s in-swingers and you’ve got at least one goal right there.
Defending them will also be important, as Houston Dynamo and Honduras starters Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto can be absolutely deadly on the counter. DeAndre Yedlin will not be there to chase them down.
Who starts in central midfield?
The list of potential starters alongside Bradley in central midfield is long. Kellyn Acosta, Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan, Sebastian Lletget, Christian Pulisic (!!!), Cameron, Darlington Nagbe, and Dax McCarty could all plausibly win the job, and they each bring a different element:
- Acosta is a classic No. 8 who is the most in-form of the players on the above list. He covers ground, touches the ball a lot, and will score more goals than one would reasonably expect. He’ll maybe even take the occasional free-kick.
- Bedoya is experienced, versatile, smart, and defensively sound. He plays a similar position with the Philadelphia Union as well. And even though some fans may not approve, he would be a solid choice.
- Kljestan is the only true, proven No. 10 available. It would be an aggressive move should Arena go this route but Kljestan has shown an ability to create tons of goals and track back admirably. The concerns are his lack of MLS form and tendency to lose the ball in bad places.
- Lletget is an Arena favorite due to their time with the Galaxy. He will cover ground and get into the final third, but he’s 24 and has exactly two senior national team caps. Let’s maybe not throw him into the starting lineup in a mostly unfamiliar role in a must win game.
- Pulisic is more likely to start on the wing, but Arena’s original snub of Kljestan (he eventually had to relent due to injuries and call him in) signals a possible future intent to play Pulisic as a center attacking midfielder. Who knows?
- Cameron would be a very conservative selection (and it would force Bradley into more of a box-to-box role), but he’s played as a d-mid before, and he knows how to handle the circumstances. The same goes for McCarty.
- Nagbe, in all likelihood, will be an inverted winger out on the left. But again, who knows?
The spacing of the wingers
The likely starters in outside midfield (Pulisic and Nagbe) play the role differently. Pulisic likes to hit the channels hard and make swerving runs all over the backline, while Nagbe will pinch in centrally to support the attacking midfielder and allow room for an overlapping full back down the flank.
Their production will be crucial.
