When the United States plays Mexico next month in the CONCACAF Cup with a spot in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup on the line, it very well may be their most important game since Jurgen Klinsmann took over as coach. Yes, the result sends the winner to Russia two summers from now, but for the United States the match means a little bit more: it’s a crossroads of sorts. A win signifies that perhaps 2015 was just a speed bump on Klinsmann’s roadmap to 2018; a bad dream to be forgotten forever. A loss, well, a loss is a bit more worrying. A loss signifies a downward trend in both soccer quality as well as the United States’ fortunes in big games vs. Mexico. And it should be noted that by “big game”, we mean of the do-or-die variety, so hold your tongues before you start recalling the Americans' glorious Dos A Cero results in Columbus, because in all honesty the USMNT could lose every game to Mexico in World Cup qualifying and still, well, qualify. In Gold Cups, the Stars and Stripes have lost 3 of their last 4 meetings with El Tri whilst being outscored 11 to 4 and while this isn’t technically a Gold Cup game, it might as well be since the result means a Confederations Cup birth.
Yeah. You could say this game is pretty important. So when Klinsmann named a 33-man roster (which can be found HERE) for the upcoming battle in Pasadena, it was also considered pretty important (rosters typically are). But how does the squad stack up, and who’s most likely to be sent packing when the roster is slimmed to 23 men?
Goalkeeper: The one USMNT position where surprises are rare, and that doesn’t change this time around. Tim Howard and Brad Guzan are the stalwarts at the top two spots, with the only competition coming from, well… each other. Guzan gets the start, although at this point it’s questionable whether or not he deserves it. Nick Rimando’s pretty much sealed his position as the #3; he’s too old and simply not talented enough to surpass Brad or Timmy, but no one else has really proven they can beat him out. Bill Hamid is the obligatory 4th pick but it’s unlikely he gets the bump over Nick, barring an injury of course.
Who Stays: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Nick Rimando.
Who Leaves: Bill Hamid
Who Starts: Brad Guzan
Defenders: Glad to see Tim Ream continue to get call-ups as well as Jonathan Spector getting back in the mix. Michael Orozco’s inclusion is and always will be a head-scratcher but when your central defense is as bad as ours is, anything goes. There is significantly less speed on this roster though, with guys like Greg Garza and Timmy Chandler absent. New Sunderland loanee DeAndre Yedlin will probably play midfield and midfielder Fabian Johnson has seen the majority of his USMNT time on the back line, so this writer doubts much will change there. This writer would also like to see a Geoff Cameron-Jonathan Spector center-back tandem, mostly because every other center-back pairing in the last six months has been downright horrid.
Who Stays: Geoff Cameron, Jonathan Spector, John Brooks, DeAndre Yedlin, Tim Ream, Omar Gonzalez, Ventura Alvarado, Brad Evans
Who Leaves: DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Orozco, Matt Besler
Who Starts: Fabian Johnson, John Brooks, Omar Gonzalez, Brad Evans
Midfielders: Perhaps the most troubling position for a USMNT fan Relics like Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman continue to get called up because frankly, there’s no better option. That’s a bad thing. Danny Williams is clearly being groomed to be the central-mid replacement, but he still has a ways to go despite his progress. Gyasi Zardes has earned a spot on this team, and deservingly so, while guys like Graham Zusi, Mix Diskerud, and Lee Nguyen have been consistently “meh” in USMNT shirts as of late but once again, who else is there really? The only guy not on this roster that you can make a case for is Miguel Ibarra.
Who Stays: Kyle Beckerman, Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Mix Diskerud, Danny Williams, Gyasi Zardes, Alfredo Morales
Who Leaves: Graham Zusi, Lee Nguyen, Joe Corona
Who Starts: Gyasi Zardes, Michael Bradley, Danny Williams, DeAndre Yedlin
Forwards: The forward position was looking pretty desolate for the USMNT a year or so ago, but thanks to some good recent play from Aron Johannsson and Bobby Wood for both club and country, there’s a little less cause for concern. Chris Wondolowski and Alan Gordon’s inclusion, however, is. If either makes the final roster and actually sees the pitch, it better be because the US is either up by or down by four goals. Clint Dempsey continues to age like fine wine, and it’s doubtful that will change at least in the near future. Jozy Altidore probably makes the roster because he’s the only target striker available despite his maddening inconsistency.
Who Stays: Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aron Johannsson
Who Leaves: Alan Gordon, Chris Wondolowski, Bobby Wood
Who Starts: Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey