What Should USMNT Boss Jurgen Klinsmann Do at Forward Position vs. Mexico?

When the United States men's national soccer team roster for Wednesday's friendly against Mexico was released Sunday night, fear crept into the minds of USMNT fans when they glanced at the list of available forwards.

The current No. 1 striker on the depth chart, Jozy Altidore, is suspended for the clash at the Alamodome because of his stupid profanity-infused rant toward the referee in the match against Switzerland.

To make matters worse, Clint Dempsey will not be in the red, white and blue because of a hamstring injury. 

With the match taking place outside of a FIFA window, manager Jurgen Klinsmann had limited resources to choose from up top.

The circumstances produced a group of five forwards, featuring Chris Wondolowski, Juan Agudelo, Julian Green, Gyasi Zardes and Jordan Morris. 

Wondolowski, who continues to earn looks at the international level despite his inconsistency on the highest stage, enters the match as the most experienced forward on the roster, with 27 caps. 

Agudelo's surprise inclusion comes after his solid start to the Major League Soccer season with the New England Revolution. He has produced only one goal in 436 minutes, but he has shown potential that he can be his old self.

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Potential is the best word to describe the other three forwards on the roster, as Zardes, Green and Morris carry a combined 11 appearances into the clash with El Tri. 

Zardes was the star of the USMNT's January camp, but since the February 8 win over Panama, he has disappointed at the club level for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Green has faced a difficult situation for the duration of the European season at Hamburg, but he is still in the good graces of Klinsmann, which is a positive sign for the development of the 19-year-old. 

Stanford University's Morris most likely received a call from Klinsmann out of necessity. With Altidore and Dempsey out, Klinsmann needed another body in camp to compete for a starting position. 

With his options far from ideal up top, Klinsmann will be forced to tweak his starting lineup in order to get a positive result out of the rivalry showdown.

As much as USMNT fans hate to hear it, Wondolowski is probably the best option to start if Klinsmann throws out a 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1 formation.

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Due to his poaching instincts in front of the net, Wondolowski does have the credentials from the club level to get the job done. However, he may not be able to hold up play in the attacking third like Altidore does. In fairness to Wondolowski, no one on the current roster has the capability of matching the 25-year-old's physical prowess.

A 4-2-3-1 formation with Wondolowski up top would put more pressure on Michael Bradley to create as a No. 10. While it may be frustrating to see Bradley out of position, he should be able to focus more on creating in the attacking half of the pitch with Kyle Beckerman and Mix Diskerud in the fold. 

Since the options on the wing are a bit slim in the form of Miguel Ibarra and Joe Corona, Zardes and Green could earn starting roles on the flanks. 

If Klinsmann wants to trust the two young stars, he might be best suited rolling out a 4-3-3 with Wondolowski in the middle. This formation would allow the young guns to bomb forward and switch positions on the pitch with the San Jose Earthquakes man. 

If that is the case, the trio of Wondolowski, Zardes and Green could wreak havoc on the Mexico defense because of their interchanging movement. 

The one wild card in this situation is Agudelo, who could be utilized in either of the potential roles presented above. The biggest concern about the 22-year-old is his confidence. But that could also be the problem for each of the attacking options. 

If Klinsmann were to line his side up in a 4-3-3, Bradley would assume a defensive role, with more trust being put in the players alongside him in a potential midfield trio.

Because of the lack of cover in midfield, the 4-3-3 seems like the unlikeliest of possible formations, but it could suit the forward personnel better than a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 would.

Regardless of what formation the Yanks bring out to the pitch with them, Klinsmann still needs one of his forwards to score. It is a bit worrying that Bradley has more international goals (13) than all five forwards combined (12).

Wondolowski is not trusted because of his miss against Belgium at the World Cup, Agudelo hasn't notched a tally at the international level since 2011 and the young trio of Zardes, Green and Morris are still getting their feet wet in the red, white and blue. 

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Most of the potential scenarios involving the current crop of forwards on the roster end in disaster for the USMNT. With little experience up top, the Yanks will be lucky to score more than one goal in San Antonio on Wednesday night. 

With all that being said, Klinsmann should opt to field a defensive-minded lineup, which would make the 4-5-1 the most reasonable formation. In that situation, Wondolowski would be the ideal starter. If that experiment fails once again, the USMNT boss could call on one of his young players early in the second half. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.