USMNT: Preview of Team USA vs. Jamaica World Cup Qualifier

The USMNT has a big week ahead with two World Cup qualifiers over the next eight days against Jamaica.

The first game is this Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Kingston, Jamaica and will be televised on beIN Sport.

The second game will be next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio and will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN3.

Here are six thoughts headed into the first game.

Roster Selection

There weren’t too many surprises on the roster with Jurgen Klinsmann calling in his normal cadre of players.

Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley were left out due to injury and youngster Josh Gatt from Molde received his first call-up before also having to withdraw due to injury.

Probably the biggest surprise on the roster was the absence of Aston Villa fullback Eric Lichaj, who is off to a solid start in the English Premier League.

Lichaj, who is 23, had 11 appearances for Villa last season and has already appeared in three of Villa’s four games this season. After impressing in the 2011 Gold Cup under former USMNT manager Bob Bradley, Lichaj has not received a single call-up from Klinsmann.

Assuming Steve Cherundolo and Fabian Johnson are the preferred right and left backs, Klinsmann will have Michael Orozco Fiscal, Michael Parkhurst and Jonathan Spector available as backups.

Who Plays Center Back?

With Maurice Edu listed on the U.S. roster as a defender, Klinsmann has four options for the center back position with Geoff Cameron, Carlos Bocanegra and Clarence Goodson as the other choices.

The biggest issue facing the U.S. defense against Jamaica is how to deal with the speed of Jamaican strikers Omar Cummings and Darren Mattocks.

With the U.S. characteristically slow in the back, especially at center back, this could be a real problem for the Americans. And, to be frank, the U.S. does not have anyone who is particularly adept at handling speedy forwards.

One Holding Midfielder, or Two?

The conventional wisdom in a World Cup qualifier is to play for a point on the road and three points at home.

Using that logic, the U.S. should deploy two holding midfielders. And, to be fair, the U.S. has tended to get its best results over the past few years when it approaches matches with a conservative game plan.

Playing two holding midfielders also fits the U.S. talent pool better with five players on the roster who regularly play that position.

Who Gets the Start in the Center of the Midfield?

With the absence of Michael Bradley, the U.S. loses both its most effective “destroyer” and its most effective playmaker. Replacing Bradley will be very difficult, but Klinsmann is by no means short of options.

Over his tenure, Klinsmann has shown preference to Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman as partners for Bradley in the middle of the field.

Edu has played in 13 of Klinsmann’s 14 games in charge (not counting the Camp Cupcake friendlies), Jones in nine of those same 14 games and Beckerman 10 of those 14 games.

However, Geoff Cameron has started the last two games for Stoke City in the EPL as a center midfielder, and, if he is not selected as one of the starting center backs, may be a surprise pick to man the middle.

The other dark-horse would be Danny Williams, who prefers to play as a holding midfielder, but has always been played by Klinsmann as an outside midfielder.

If the U.S. goes with one holding midfielder, one center midfielder and one attacking midfielder as Klinsmann has shown preference to in the past, the box-to-box role should be given to Jose Torres, who has played best when given the freedom to roam.

When Klinsmann has asked Edu or Jones to go forward out of their traditional holding roles, the U.S. attack has stagnated.

Is It Worth Giving Joe Corona a Shot as the Playmaker?

While Klinsmann is flush with options at holding mid, the U.S. has struggled under Klinsmann to find a consistent playmaker.

Jose Torres would seem to be the natural choice, but after a couple of uninspiring performances at the position, even Klinsmann is calling Torres out. Torres has also seemed to play best when played as a box-to-box midfielder rather than as a No. 10 playing behind the striker.

Dempsey is another good option if he is fit enough to start, but that is a major doubt after sitting out the last few weeks due to his transfer saga.

Joe Corona is relatively inexperienced for a game of such importance, but prefers to play centrally rather than on the wing. Corona also showed a great deal of promise with the U-23s this spring.

The dark horse as the playmaker would be Fabian Johnson. Johnson is a natural playmaker and has remarkable composure on the ball, but that would require Klinsmann to trust the left-back duties to Parkhurst, Fiscal or Spector.

Can Terrence Boyd, Jozy Altidore and Herculez Gomez Play Together Up Top?

With Landon Donovan and Josh Gatt out due to injury and Dempsey’s fitness and form unknown, the U.S. is desperately short of natural wide players.

Jose Torres has been used as a wing, but has been much more effective in the middle of the pitch. Brek Shea is enjoying a mini-revival with his performance against Mexico last month, but looks to be better as a spark plug off the bench.

If Klinsmann opts for a three-front, can Boyd, Altidore and Gomez function together as an attacking trio? All three are off to good starts with their clubs, and if they can find a rhythm together present an attack full of power and pace that would be a nightmare to defend against.

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