USA vs. Colombia: 5 Players to Watch in the Penultimate Friendly of 2014

The calendar year is almost over, but there’s still time for the United States men's national soccer team to take on one more major challenge in 2014.

The Yanks face South American powerhouse Colombia on November 14 at Craven Cottage in London in the first of the last two friendlies of the year. They also will play the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on November 18.

Earlier this week, USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann announced the 25-man roster for the final two friendlies of 2014. Once again, the roster is a mix of youth and experience: 16 of the call-ups are holdovers from Brazil, but there are also a dozen players with 10 or fewer caps and a dozen players under the age of 24.

Speaking to U.S. Soccer’s website, Klinsmann emphasized the short-term and long-term goals for the squad:

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We want to finish 2014 on a high note and continue to try to meet the top teams eye to eye. In these last two games we want our veterans to really become mentors both on and off the field, and we want to see our youngsters take advantage of the opportunity to make their case and grow from the experience. These performances will set the tone for 2015.

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Colombia is an ideal measuring stick for the national team, who are embarking on a new World Cup cycle. Los Cafeteros narrowly lost to host-country Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup and feature a budding superstar in Real Madrid winger James Rodriguez.

Here are five areas to watch in the upcoming match.

Jermaine Jones

J Pat Carter/Associated Press

Jurgen Klinsmann is willing to get creative to keep Jermaine Jones in the fold.

In the friendly against Honduras on October 14, the U.S. manager deployed the mercurial German-American at center back instead of his usual defensive midfield position.

The results were mixed.

Jones has the physicality to play the position, but his inexperience showed against the Central American side. Jones conceded a yellow card to stop a Honduran counter and was caught in no-man’s land defending a free kick that led to an equalizing goal.

Speaking to the media after the Honduras match, Klinsmann remained optimistic about Jones’ prospects in a new position:

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The thinking behind it is his leadership. Being loud and vocal and [hitting] clean passes as well, which is one of his trademarks, so I think it went well. I think he did a good job. ... We wouldn’t do it if there wasn’t a long term thought to it. Midfielders with the way they play and their vision and their sense for it, they can easily move one step back and play a center back role. It takes a little bit of time.

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Can Jones adapt to center back and stay in the USMNT plans for the next four years? The matchup against Colombia, with a powerful attack headlined by James Rodriguez, could be an early test.

James Rodriguez

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

With Jermaine Jones learning the nuances of central defense, how will the American side stop one of the brightest young stars in the game?

James Rodriguez, the Colombian wunderkind, burst onto the scene during the 2014 World Cup, scoring six goals in five matches. And they were spectacular.

Rodriguez’s performance earned him the Golden Boot in the 2014 World Cup—even though Colombia went out in the quarterfinals—and convinced Real Madrid to purchase the 23-year-old from AS Monaco for $108 million. Through 11 matches in La Liga this season, Rodriguez has scored four goals for the Spanish superpower.

James will be the focal point of the Colombian attack (especially with striker Radamel Falcao not participating due to injury). His pressure will test the mettle of the U.S. defense.

Klinsmann will have at his disposal all of his defenders from the Brazilian campaign, with the exception of Omar Gonzalez. Fullback Greg Garza—who has played well in recent call-ups—is also available, as is defensive stalwart Kyle Beckerman.

It’s an experienced defense for the U.S. How they fare in stopping Rodriguez could determine the constituency of the back line heading into the new year.

Mix Diskerud

J Pat Carter/Associated Press

Jermaine Jones isn’t in the only player Klinsmann has tinkered with during the recent slate of friendlies.

In the last match against Honduras, Klinsmann dropped Mix Diskerud into the defensive midfield position to see if the Norwegian-American could adapt to a more physical brand of football.

Diskerud seemed to respond to the challenge. If anything, Diskerud was too aggressive: His late sliding tackle led to a booking and set up the game-tying set piece from Honduras.

But now that Klinsmann has again called up Beckerman—a more traditional, ball-winning defensive midfielder—it seems logical to slide Diskerud back into his usual central and attacking midfield position.

Still, Klinsmann has shown a willingness to experiment in friendlies, and it will be worth keeping an eye on how he plans to utilize the dynamic midfielder against a top international side.

Lee Nguyen

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Seven years ago, then-U.S. manager Bob Bradley called up 21-year-old Lee Nguyen for national team duty. Nguyen did not score in three appearances and was not called up again.

Over the next five years, Nguyen bounced around. He left PSV Eindhoven, where had not been getting playing time, for Danish side Randers FC. Nguyen saw more of the pitch in Denmark but didn’t score any goals. He spent the next two seasons toiling in the Vietnamese league. With his career on the respirator, the Texas native landed with the New England Revolution in 2012.

Somehow, he turned it around. The 28-year-old has had an MVP-caliber season, scoring 18 goals and adding five assists.

Jurgen Klinsmann took notice, and now Nguyen is going to get a second look. The attacking midfielder could add some punch to an American attack playing without its premier striker in Clint Dempsey.

There aren’t many second chances in life, but Nguyen will get his against Colombia. It will be up to him to make the most of it this time around.

Jozy Altidore

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

No American international has a bigger gap between club form and country form than Jozy Altidore.

The enigmatic striker has appeared in just six of 11 matches this season—all as a substitute—for a Sunderland side that has struggled mightily. Altidore couldn’t even get off the bench during an 8-0 loss to Southampton.

Without consistent club reps, international fixtures are a constant proving ground for Altidore. He’s been up to the task of late: Altidore scored the only goal in the last friendly against Honduras and looked sharp going into the World Cup before injuring his hamstring.

With no Clint Dempsey, Jozy will be the focus of the U.S. attack against Colombia and will be able to showcase his wares to any clubs interested in rescuing him from Sunderland. What better occasion to do it than in England, against top competition.