Are the Issues from the USMNT's Loss to Guatemala Fixable?

The United States men's national team's performance on Friday night in their 2-0 loss to Guatemala was flat-out awful. 

For what seems like the 100th time during his reign, USMNT manager Jurgen Klinsmann tried to forcefully slam square pegs into round holes. And just like it has for the majority of his time in charge, playing some of his defenders, midfielders and forwards out of position backfired. 

The center-back duo of Omar Gonzalez and Michael Orozco looked out of sync, and it showed in the 15th minute, when Carlos Ruiz broke through a poorly executed offside trap to score Guatemala's second strike. The two goals let in by the back four led to the end of the USMNT's 21-game winning streak against Guatemala, per ESPN's Paul Carr: 

DeAndre Yedlin, who has featured at right-back during his time on loan at Sunderland, failed to contribute significantly on the right wing and Geoff Cameron didn't make as big of an impact as expected behind Yedlin at right-back. Cameron has started two games on the right side of defense at Stoke City this season.

And then there's Mix Diskerud. Somehow the New York City FC man still finds his way into the starting 11 despite failing to make a positive impression in his recent appearances. The lack of creativity left a gaping void in the final third, where Bobby Wood was left alone without a true creative midfielder to link up with. To his credit, Wood was one of the few Americans who impressed during his time on the pitch at the Estadio Mateo Flores. 

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Now with a home CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match ahead on Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio against the same Guatemala side that beat the USMNT on Friday, one has to wonder if the issues presented in the 2-0 loss are fixable. 

In the short term, Klinsmann is going to have to suck it up in terms of his back four. John Brooks and Matt Besler are suffering from injuries and Matt Miazga is down with the U23s trying to qualify for the Olympics. 

That leaves Gonzalez, Orozco, Cameron, Steve Birnbaum and Ventura Alvarado as possible starters in the middle of defense on Tuesday.

Given his reliable nature, Cameron seems like a shoo-in at the position if Besler fails to recover from his concussion. Out of the options remaining, Gonzalez should be the man on the team sheet next to Cameron due to his international experience and form. 

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If Klinsmann does the sensible thing and moves Cameron inside, he may be forced to play Yedlin at right-back, which isn't as big of an issue as it seems. As long as the 22-year-old has a midfielder in front of him who will track back and help defend, he should be fine, especially at home. Alejandro Bedoya would be a perfect fit for that role. 

The issues in midfield seemed to fix themselves at the start of the second half as Darlington Nagbe, who came on for Diskerud, immediately brought life to the USMNT attack. But there is no guarantee the 25-year-old Portland Timbers player will earn a starting nod.

Since the Yanks must earn three points on Tuesday, Klinsmann could opt to start Michael Bradley in an advanced role with Kyle Beckerman holding in front of the back four. 

That is a perfectly reasonable solution, but the current attack demands an extra burst of creativity to get going and put an opposing defense under pressure. With Nagbe, Lee Nguyen and Ethan Finlay on the roster, the Yanks should take advantage of their respective skill sets and find a spot for them on the field at some point on Tuesday. 

The only problem we're not sure how to fix is the biggest one that has glared the entire U.S. Soccer program in the face for the last few years. Unfortunately, Klinsmann has been out of touch with his selection process and game plan too many times throughout his tenure. Instead of making progress in every match, the USMNT take a major step backward once a few are taken in the right direction. 

Klinsmann also hasn't done himself any favors with his comments. The USMNT boss threw his players under the bus once again during his press conference after Friday's defeat: 

At some point, the manager just has to take one for the team and absorb all the blame to keep things happy in the locker room. There have been no major reports of discontent yet, but you have to assume something will be stirring if these remarks continue and the results don't show up. 

Fixing the USMNT's issues before the crucial Copa America Centenario and the hexagonal round of World Cup qualifying is not an impossible task, but finding a solution is becoming harder with each disappointing loss like Friday's lackluster showing in Guatemala.

Joe Tansey covers U.S. Soccer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter, @JTansey90.