This week in US Soccer: 5 biggest lineup questions facing Bruce Arena

As the USMNT prepare for two insanely important 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Bruce Arena needs to answer quite a few questions.

That sound you hear is the collective scream of terror and anxiousness of USMNT fans as a result of the recent rash of injuries to key U.S. players ahead of the must-win World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama.

Let’s start with the least of these worries: goalkeeper Brad Guzan will miss the qualifiers due to the expected birth of his second child. He’s been replaced on the roster by David Bingham of the San Jose Earthquakes. This isn’t a giant blow as Tim Howard had reemerged as the U.S. number 1 in recent months. If for some reason Timmy is unable to go, due to injury or whatnot, veteran Nick Rimando would be next in line. Again, although that wouldn’t be ideal, it’s not a huge drop off from what Guzan provides.

And then there’s the heart-breakers: DeAndre Yedlin, Fabian Johnson and Bobby Wood will all miss the games against Honduras and Panama. Those are three sure-fire starters, and all three had been in great form for their clubs.

You may be asking, “Hey, Michael, who are the replacements Arena brought in to shore up the roster?” You may want to reconsider asking that question. They are, in descending order of quality, as follows: Sacha Kljestan (not bad at all), Matt Besler (fine), Graham Zusi (well … ) and Chris Wondolowski (oh my god). Don’t expect that screaming to die down anytime soon.

So, with that pu pu platter of despair as a starting point, let’s take a look at the five biggest questions facing Bruce Arena as he tries to put together an effective lineup.

1. Who partners with Jozy Altidore up top?

The prospect of Bobby Wood making runs off Jozy Altidore had USMNT fans counting goals in their sleep. Now, with Wood gone, Arena has a difficult decision to make. He could alter the lineup (we will get into that question shortly), but if he elects to go with a two-forward attack, who will he choose?

A fully-recovered Clint Dempsey would make this an easy question to answer. Deuce, however, is not fully-recovered — for most of the last few months it looked like he would be left off the roster altogether — so now it’s a very hard question to answer. Jordan Morris is available, and has shown indications that he can be an important part of the national team, but, in matches this important, is he a safe enough play? He also has a slight knock to his ankle, although it doesn’t appear it will keep him out of contention.

Finally, there’s Wondolowski. Let me be clear: I love Wondo. He’s been a great MLS goalscorer. On the international stage, however, Wondolowski seems to score at will on the minnows of CONCACAF and then turn into a parking cone against actual competition. He feels more like a last minute substitution with the express instructions to poach a goal by any means necessary.

So, in the end, it comes down to whether Arena thinks Dempsey in his current form is a better option to start than Morris. I think you have to go with Deuce for as long as he can go.

2. Where will Christian Pulisic start?

The should he or shouldn’t he start questions in regards to Christian Pulisic are firmly in the rear-view mirror. The kid is a must-start for the USMNT. End of discussion. He’s in fantastic form for Borussia Dortmund, putting in great performances on some of the biggest club soccer stages in the world. But where should he start?

Pulisic has been rampaging up and down the right wing for Dortmund as of late, sometimes even occupying a more central role since Marco Reus sustained an injury. And he’s been highly effective, scoring three goals — including his first in Champions League play — and assisting on two more in his last five games for BVB across all competitions. For the Yanks, the 18-year-old has been deployed as a left winger much of the time. He played centrally at one point for Jurgen Klinsmann but failed to make a lasting impact.

Is he now ready to fully step into the number 10 role? With Fabian Johnson out, will Arena elect to plug him in on the left, or will he place him on the right, where he has had success for Dortmund? The most important thing, especially in light of all the injuries, is that he’s on the field. But Arena still needs to find the spot where his young star can be most effective. World Cup qualification may depend on it.

3. Who joins Michael Bradley at center mid?

As captain, Michael Bradly has to start. Some fans aren’t extremely happy about this fact. The more important thing to worry about is who will start alongside him in the center of the field. Jermaine “I collect yellow cards like baseball cards” Jones is suspended for the match against Honduras. Who Arena elects to go with, again, will probably have a little bit to do with what formation he chooses, but there are a few options.

As mentioned above, Sacha Kljestan was a late addition to the USMNT roster, but he could possibly be slotted directly into a starting role. He has a better shot at the CAM in a 4-2-3-1 than he does filling a more normal CM role in a 4-4-2.

The more likely candidates are LA Galaxy’s Sebastian Lletget and the Chicago Fire’s Dax McCarty. Arena’s plans for the attack matter here: if he feels a more defensive approach is in order, McCarty is the obvious choice as that’s his natural position, and he’s pretty dang good at it. Lletget will be more inclined to push forward and join the attack. If Arena is looking to keep Honduras on their heels, which he should be, the USMNT newcomer is the better option. Although he plays more on the wing for the Galaxy he’s shown the ability to possess the ball and make smart decisions during his brief time with the Yanks.

Then there’s FC Dallas’ Kellyn Acosta, who has had a great start to the MLS season. He’s more on the defensive side, but is skilled enough to get involved with the attack. Acosta also has the ability to score goals like this:

Not too shabby, right? Acosta seems unlikely to get the start, but may be just the wildcard Arena is looking for to make a difference on Friday. Or Bruce may elect to go with Geoff Cameron, who has been playing defensive mid for Stoke recently. But he essentially fills the same role as Bradley; he’s too important to the USMNT defense anyway.

4. Oh jeez, who’s going to play on the back line?

The absence of Yedlin at right back is massive: it leaves the USMNT outside back situation in near total disarray. The options at left-back are the very inexperienced Jorge Villafana (Santos Laguna), the very experienced but extremely past his prime DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo) and the serviceable but snail-paced Tim Ream (Fulham). Sporting KC’s Matt Besler is also a possibility on the left but has rarely played the position.

Center-back is the most secure spot in the USMNT back line with John Brooks and Geoff Cameron the most likely candidates to start. Besler, Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas) and Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca) all have a shot at playing time.

And then there’s the right-back position, which is probably in worse shape than left back. No Yedlin means (*sigh*) either Graham Zusi or Michael Orozco are likely to start. I had hoped to never type the name Orozco in relation to the USMNT ever again, but here we are. And, as much as it pains me to say it, he has more experience in the back for the Yanks than Zusi which means he may get the start. Can someone zap me with that flashy memory erasing thing from Men in Black?

Cameron appears to be the best overall option at right back; he’s spent a lot of time there for Stoke in the past. But that would require either Gonzalez or Zimmerman, who aren’t as good as Cameron, to step in at the right center-back position. The task of picking a back four is an unenviable one for Arena.

5. What formation will be the most effective?

The formation Arena ends up going with will depend heavily on the personnel he selects. If Morris is partnered up top with Altidore a 4-4-2 would be in order. If Kljestan gets the start, a 4-2-3-1 seems to be the likely choice.

Dempsey can fill either the second striker role or the center attacking mid role, but, considering his situation, limiting his defensive and space-covering responsibilities, and therefore employing a 4-4-2, would make the most sense if he gets the start. Let’s take a look at two different options for the USMNT lineup against Honduras.

4-4-2

This would be a slower lineup focused more on defensive stability, especially on the right side with Alejandro Bedoya helping Orozco. Ream would also tend to stay back, providing Pulisic license to run wild on the left side.

4-2-3-1

This is closer to what I’d like to see. Arena may opt for Kljestan over Dempsey at the CAM, but considering the stakes, it will be hard to leave Deuce on the bench. Pulisic is on his favored right side with Cameron shoring things up. Villafana will look to get forward and combine with Lletget and Dempsey while McCarty and Bradley handle things in front of the back four.

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It would be really great to see Darlington Nagbe on the left wing, but Arena has favored Lletget since taking over as U.S. head coach. I would also be pleasantly surprised to see Acosta take McCarty’s spot, but feel it’s unlikely.

Arena has a lot of things to mull over before Friday night. His answers to the above questions will have a direct impact on the World Cup qualification hopes of the USMNT.