GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan, Troy Perkins, Matt Pickens
DEFENDERS: Jonathan Bornstein, Sean Franklin, Cory Gibbs, Clarence Goodson, Drew Moor, Michael Parkhurst
MIDFIELDERS: Freddy Adu, Davy Arnaud, Ricardo Clark, Sacha Kljestan, Pablo Mastroeni, John Thorrington
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Brian Ching, Kenny Cooper, Chris Rolfe
Hmmm. That's a little thin, but we're looking to throw some guys in the fire and see who manages to keep from getting burned, so I suppose that's to be expected. The fact that we're so heavy on forwards leads me to believe that Bob might actually be considering playing 4-4-2 this time around. So what would I like to see? How about something from the offset-midfield rack?
Guzan in net
Bornstein, Gibbs, Parkhurst, Moor across the back
Mastroeni and Clark holding with Pablo covering the more open left side
Adu and Kljestan ahead with freedom of movement, but Kljestan generally on the right
Cooper wide left in a hybrid wing mid/forward role, cutting inside on the dribble
Altidore roaming up top but tending to the right to leave room for Cooper on the left
Sort of like . . .
----------Altidore------
-Cooper-----------------
-----Adu-------Kljestan-
------------Clark-------
-----Mastroeni----------
-Bornstein---------Moor-
-----Gibbs--Parkhurst---
---------Guzan----------
-Cooper-----------------
-----Adu-------Kljestan-
------------Clark-------
-----Mastroeni----------
-Bornstein---------Moor-
-----Gibbs--Parkhurst---
---------Guzan----------
But my prediction of what Bob goes with? Diamond midfield, like so . . .
----Altidore--Ching-----
----------Adu-----------
----Clark-----Kljestan--
-------Mastroeni--------
-Bornstein---------Moor-
-----Gibbs--Parkhurst---
---------Guzan----------
----------Adu-----------
----Clark-----Kljestan--
-------Mastroeni--------
-Bornstein---------Moor-
-----Gibbs--Parkhurst---
---------Guzan----------
Thorrington for Clark or Casey for Ching may also be on the cards if he wants to give them a shot to impress. What do you think? Like my lineup? What do you think Bob will do? Who would you put out there to face Guatemala? I'm not exactly sold on Bornstein at left back considering how they torched us there last time, but I don't see many other options unless you stick Gibbs out there and give Goodson or Franklin a shot in the middle (shudder). I also (unlike many others) like Rolfe and wouldn't mind seeing him playing up top off one of the target forwards at some point.
Thoughts?
I think Pickens deserves a shot at GK.
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