Gold Cup 2017: 5 questions facing the USMNT

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SAN DIEGO, CA – JANUARY 29: Head coach Bruce Arena of the United States looks on during pregame warm-ups prior to their match against Serbia at Qualcomm Stadium on January 29, 2017 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /

The USMNT are preparing for their Gold Cup 2017 campaign. What are some of the questions facing Bruce Arena and his squad?

The U.S. Men’s National Team kick off Group B play in the 2017 Gold Cup against Panama on Saturday, July 8 in Nashville. Head coach Bruce Arena selected an interesting 23-man final roster for the competition. Many USMNT regulars — Clint Dempsey, Christian Pulisic, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Geoff Cameron — are missing.

Arena’s decision to call in players that haven’t necessarily locked down their spot with the national team makes sense in light of the fact that not much is at stake in this iteration of the Gold Cup besides pride. In some years, the winner of the tournament earns a spot in the Confederations Cup. That isn’t the case this year.

So, Arena is using the 2017 Gold Cup to look at players a little further down the depth chart. There are some veterans and some young players and some who haven’t sniffed the USMNT in years. At the very least, the tournament will be an intriguing one for the Yanks.

Let’s take a look at five questions facing the USMNT as they move through the 2017 Gold Cup.

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