Jurgen Klinsmann Needs to Get Best out of Bobby Wood Versus Costa Rica

A day after losing Friday's opener of the Copa America Centenario to Colombia at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the United States men's national team were presented with a gift from Costa Rica and Paraguay.

Not only did the other two sides in Group A play to a scoreless draw at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, but also Ticos center-back Kendall Waston was ejected in stoppage time for a ridiculous challenge on Nelson Valdez. In Tuesday's contest against Costa Rica at Soldier Field in Chicago, the USMNT must exploit the absence of the towering defender.

Like everyone else in the Yanks attack, Bobby Wood struggled to gain a foothold in the final third versus Colombia. The natural center-forward was out of position on the left wing, and he failed to display any type of chemistry with those around him. The good news for the Hamburg player is he has two games to make up for his poor performance, and Tuesday presents the perfect chance for manager Jurgen Klinsmann to get the best out of his top in-form striker.

MARK RALSTON/Getty Images

In the team's first pre-Copa friendly on May 22 against Puerto Rico, Wood showed all the qualities necessary to lead the line. The quality of opponent may not have been the same as it is in the Copa, but the 23-year-old demonstrated what he is capable of. With Waston suspended and regular center-back starter Giancarlo Gonzalez not in the Costa Rica squad, Wood has the opportunity to tear through the Ticos back line and hand the Americans a much-needed victory.

In order to set Wood up for success, Klinsmann can't leave him on the left wing for the majority of the match. The boss has to find a way to get Wood up top by himself or alongside Clint Dempsey, who started in the true forward role of a 4-3-3 formation Friday. A shift to a 4-4-2 would not kill the USMNT, and it may actually get the most out of everyone's talents.

If Klinsmann opts to go with a two-forward lineup, Wood will presumably play in the higher forward role because of Dempsey's tendency to drop into midfield to gain possession. Dempsey did this on a few occasions against Colombia, but without creative players in midfield, he was unable to create many chances from his hold-up play.

Shaun Clark/Getty Images

By going to a 4-4-2, Klinsmann can insert Darlington Nagbe into the starting 11 without worrying too much about defensive cover alongside Michael Bradley. The 4-4-2 should also allow Nagbe to work in more space in the middle of the pitch, which in turn should lead to more chances for Dempsey and Wood.

With Nagbe in the fold and Dempsey dropping back a bit to make the formation look like a 4-4-1-1, there should be plenty of opportunities to pounce on the weakened Costa Rica back line through Wood and others.

Wood benefited from a similar system against Puerto Rico. Klinsmann utilized a 4-4-2 diamond with Alejandro Bedoya in the playmaking role. On his 34th-minute tally in the 3-1 win, Wood made a perfect run through a pair of defenders to get through on goal. If Klinsmann plays Wood in a forward role, he should get the same level of production out of the Hawaii native.

There is, however, a chance Klinsmann sticks to his guns like he usually does and keeps his team in a 4-3-3. If that is the case, Wood can still cut inside to look for gaps in the Costa Rica defense—but in order to do that successfully, he needs Bedoya or Fabian Johnson to continuously make overlapping runs on the left wing. If neither player behind Wood surges forward on a regular basis, the Yanks will become too narrow as Wood drifts inside.

In the USMNT's final pre-Copa friendly against Bolivia, the forward trio worked well together because of movement in midfield and overlapping runs from the outside backs and wing players. Gyasi Zardes took full advantage of this by making incisive runs into the penalty area and scored two goals. When Zardes cut inside, DeAndre Yedlin or Jermaine Jones ran into the space vacated on the right wing to keep the defense honest.

When Dempsey goes in search of possession Tuesday, Wood should look to move to the center of the final third. Since Costa Rica is a familiar opponent, Johnson should have a feel for when to surge forward. The 28-year-old left-back was unable to do that Friday because he was too busy on the defensive end of the pitch keeping Colombia's Juan Cuadrado quiet. If Wood receives support from Johnson or Bedoya, he will have options once Dempsey gets him the ball.

From the Waston suspension to the familiarity with the opponent, it seems like a perfect formula for a victory by the Americans. But in order to get three points Tuesday, Wood and others need to implement Klinsmann's game plan to perfection.

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