The match against Peru at RFK Stadium on Friday will be the first September friendly for the United States men's national team (USMNT). With Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley not in this camp there are voids to fill and opportunities to be taken for these players.
However, there are five different scenarios to pay attention to when the USMNT face the Incas on Friday.
1. Tim Howard presences putting the pressure on Brad Guzan.
“Tim [Howard] has accepted for the time being to be the No. 2, and then down the road there will be a fight for the No. 1 spot like in every position,” U.S. Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann told MLS Soccer. “He accepted that, and we are really happy to have him back on board because of who he is and what he has done for us.”
Regardless that Klinsmann has backed Guzan once more. There is no mistaking it Howard wants the starting position again. The 36-year-old keeper knows that if he continues to train hard there will be an opportunity for him to play against Peru. For how long is to be decided, but Howard is approaching this camp with the mentality of a starter.
“Never been a backup. I think that’s a mentality,” Howard told SBI Soccer. “I work my tail off every day. I know what it means to compete at the highest level and have a certain level of excellence, and I do that. I’ve never been a backup; never will be, so that’s not something I really worry about too much.”
If Guzan has the same performance he did against Jamaica in the semifinal of the 2015 Gold Cup, he might lose his job. Klinsmann cannot afford to lose against Mexico in the Confederation Cup playoff match on October 10th. The games in September will help Klinsmann decide who will start against El Tri at the Rose Bowl.
2. Who will be the starting center backs against Peru?
In the Gold Cup there was a clear fascination of Klinsmann starting Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks together. He stuck with them for the entire tournament and at times it was painful to watch. They might be promising players and eventual starters for the USMNT, however, it is clear that now is not that time and that Klinsmann is ready to put that project on the back burner for now.
He brought in veterans like: Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron, Tim Ream and Michael Orozco to the camp. Now the competition for the starting CB’s is loaded and it will not be surprising if the World Cup veterans Gonzalez and Besler start the match against Los Incas.
The two have experience playing together in big matches: the World Cup and multiple World Cup Qualification matches. The most notable was the scoreless draw in Estadio Azteca on March 26th, 2013. The two newbie’s then faced a firing squad in one of the most hostile environments in the world and managed to hold on to a draw.
Now it is time for the Gonzalez and Besler tandem to take the ranks again and guide the United States to a victory against Peru, to start with.
3. With Bradley not playing against Peru who will start in the center of the midfield.
The captain will not be in the camp for the match against Peru, which is now an opportunity for a player to take. Those players are: Alejandro Bedoya, Danny Williams, Alfredo Morales, Mix Diskerud and the veteran Jermaine Jones.
Bedoya has proven that no matter where he gets placed he will perform. However, that being said his natural position will be in the middle. Youngsters like Williams and Morales are playing at a high level for their clubs, which means one of them might be able to squeak in.
Diskerud has been having a tough season for New York City FC. However, he has found his way into the camp and maybe he might be able to play himself into the starting lineup.
Jones is expected to start since he has been in good form for the New England Revolution since his return from injury. He also has helped them turn their season around in the MLS. Not to mention Klinsmann has a lot of trust in the veteran.
So the competition between the other four players will be to play alongside the physical Jones. The camps battles between them will be fierce to say the least.
4. Will Jozy Altidore be able to handle 90 minutes?
In the last two games he has come off the bench for Toronto FC, but he has scored three goals in a 75 minute span. The simple fact that he is scoring again will make Klinsmann go to him since he is the leader of the forwards in this camp.
The real question is who will be starting alongside him.
5. Altidore’s partner in crime against Peru.
Andrew Wooten, Gyasi Zardes, Bobby Wood and Aron Johannsson are in this camp. Since there is no Dempsey, one of them will be starting next to Altidore on Friday; that is if Klinsmann goes with two strikers.
Wooten and Wood have been playing well in the second division of Germany. The two have combined for six goals in the early stages of the season. However, they are still green in the international level which might hurt them.
Zardes is in the same category of Wood and Wooten a lot of promise, but still might be a little too raw for the international game. His first major international tournament was the 2015 Gold Cup and he did not impress. He only scored one goal, and it was against Cuba. Against a team like Peru he will play, but most likely off the bench.
Klinsmann might start him in the wings where he likes to play him sometimes. It also helps that since Giovani Dos Santos has arrived to his domestic club, Zardes has been getting more reps in that position for the LA Galaxy.
The clear favorite to start next to Altidore will be Johannsson. He is more polished in the international game then the other three, and not to mention the two strikers do have history with each other. However, that being said a solid camp from Wooten or Wood might get him the start. Klinsmann has never been shy to giving players a chance.
Now let’s see what Klinsmann unfolds on Friday at RFK Stadium.