USA vs. Peru International Friendly: Team News, Preview, Live Stream. TV Info
The United States men's national team will hit the field for the first time since their disappointing showing at the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Friday at RFK Stadium against Peru.
Jurgen Klinsmann's side has plenty of concerns at the moment, but a win over the third-place finishers at the Copa America would help ease the nerves a bit ahead of October 10's CONCACAF Cup tie versus Mexico.
The visitors don't have a major competition in sight at the moment, but they are trying to keep the momentum they gained in Chile against the USA and Colombia in the United States over the next week.
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Below is a complete preview of Friday night's international friendly.
Date: Friday. September 4
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
TV Info: Fox Sports 1 (US)
Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2 Go (US)
Winning Imperative for Yanks
After suffering a massive disappointment on home soil at the Gold Cup, the Yanks are in need of a victory before their difficult showdown with Brazil on Tuesday, which will be their final contest before facing Mexico in October.
Midfielder and defender DeAndre Yedlin, who recently completed a loan move from Tottenham Hotspur to Sunderland, summed up the mentality of the group to Sirius XM FC:
In order to leave the nation's capital with a win, forward Jozy Altidore will need to step up in the absence of Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley in the scoring department. Altidore, who left the Gold Cup after the knockout round with an injury, has found some form in recent weeks with Toronto FC and will be expected to translate that to the international stage.
Without Bradley until the Brazil match, the competition for spots in midfield should be fierce. The two names to watch out for in the middle of the park are Danny Williams and Alfredo Morales. Based on their club form and Mix Diskerud's rough first year at New York City FC, the European-based pair should see plenty of time on Friday.
Dangerous Peru Playmakers Will Test USMNT Back Four
One of Peru's biggest strengths will face the USA's main weakness on Friday night. Led by Jefferson Farfan and Paolo Guerrero, Peru will look to use their pace and skill to open up holes in the USA defense.
If Peru watched any tape of the USMNT's Gold Cup matches, they are aware of the poor defensive form the Yanks are in at the moment.
Klinsmann did make a few changes to his defensive depth chart for Friday's match as Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler are back in the fold at center-back, but his preferred first-choice pair of John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado is still around.
If Klinsmann sticks to his guns and starts Brooks and Alvarado, Farfan and Guerrero could both have very strong matches against the Yanks.
Solving the USMNT Full-Back Conundrum
When Klinsmann releases his starting 11 an hour before the match, the first position fans and skeptics will point to is full-back. Currently, Fabian Johnson, DaMarcus Beasley and Timmy Chandler are nursing injuries, while Greg Garza is not seeing playing time at Atlas.
Due to the full-back crisis, Klinsmann handed Jonathan Spector his first call-up since 2012. The Birmingham City defender is a natural full-back, unlike Cameron or Tim Ream, which leads us to believe he is a favorite to start.
Spector could start on the right with Garza on the left, or Klinsmann could use any one of many possible combinations. Cameron has experience on the right, while Ream played most of last season at left-back for Bolton Wanderers. Although Yedlin is listed as a midfielder, he could always shift to right-back. An outside-of-the-box possibility would be Alejandro Bedoya, who closed out the win over Cuba in the Gold Cup at left-back.
Whoever starts on the defensive flanks will get a chance to prove their worth to Klinsmann just in case Beasley and Johnson are not healthy in time for the Mexico match in a month's time.
Players to Watch
Jozy Altidore, FW, United States
In order to be taken seriously on the international level, you need to have a top-notch forward who scores goals on a regular basis. For a while, Altidore showed potential that he could be the guy up top for the Yanks, but in the past year he hasn't exactly wowed us with his scoring output.
With the two most reliable players in the USMNT talent pool in Seattle for the weekend for an MLS match, Altidore will not only carry the pressure of being a scorer, but he will need to be a leader on the pitch as well.
Altidore is carrying plenty of confidence into Friday following three goals in his last two matches for Toronto, all of which came as a substitute. He has already proved to Toronto he can earn his starting role back, but now he has to show Klinsmann he belongs on the team sheet every match.
Luis Advincula, DF, Peru
There is no doubt the Yanks will look to exploit the gaps on the wings on Friday night with their combination of Bedoya and Yedlin. In addition to those two, Gyasi Zardes could move out wide in an attempt to open up the attack.
With all of the American speed pitted against him, Luis Advincula will be asked to slow down the speedsters and force the Yanks to play through the middle without Bradley.
If Advincula can play solid defense on his wing, he would force the Americans to be more predictable when they go forward, which would play straight into Peru's game plan.
Prediction: United States 2-1
Given the USA's recent lack of discipline, it is hard to see the Yanks holding a clean sheet against the South American side. It should be a tight affair throughout, but expect the Americans to pull out a win with Altidore in form.
Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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