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| (Photo: MLSSoccer.com) |
The USMNT traveled to Estadio Olimpico, in San Pedro Sula Honduras on Wednesday to kickoff the hexagonal stage of World Cup Qualifying. The hexagonal stage features the top teams in CONCACAF all fighting for a spot in the World Cup. This morning Jurgen Klinsmann named his roster of 24 players to set the roster for the first leg of qualifying. Out of the 24 players selected for the roster 7 are domestic, with 2 playing in Mexico and 13 European based players.
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Sean Johnson.
DEFENDERS (9): Matt Besler, Carlos Bocanegra, Geoff Cameron , Edgar Castillo, Timmy Chandler, Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson, Michael Parkhurst.
MIDFIELDERS (8): Michael Bradley, Brad Davis, Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones, Sacha Kljestan, Jose Torres, Danny Williams, Graham Zusi.
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Herculez Gomez, Eddie Johnson.
Joe Corona, Joshua Gatt, and Mix Diskerud are a few shock omissions from the roster. With Landon Donovan on hiatus it will be interesting to see who will step up as the creative player in the midfield. Who will be the transition player to jump start this team? A lot rest on the shoulders of Grahm Zusi and Kljestan. In the current friendly against Canada the US appeared to be flat and looked unimaginative. This is a major worry as the US head to a hostile place in Honduras. A huge plus for the US Midfield is Michael Bradley who is currently in great form with Italian side Roma.
The question is how will Jurgen set the midfield? Will he go defensive and play Jones, Bradley in the CDM role and move Zusi, Kljestan or Zusi, Davis up top? He could also go Jones and Bradley and have Williams play out of position. Klinsmann loves the CDM role and he often uses two of them. He might go offensive and have Jones at CDM and use Bradley up in the attack.
The US are 12-3-3 against Honduras all time but that does not make Honduras a push over. They had a strong Olympics and have shown to be a dangerous team. Not to mention playing in Central America is no easy task. Facing a harsh crowd will be a test for the US. Honduras has some MLS players such as New England goal scorer Jerry Bengston, Sounders dynamic midfielder Mario Martinez, and Dynamo catalyst Oscar Bonek Garcia. Honduras also features recent EPL transfer, Roger Espinoza, who spent his entire career in MLS.
Expect this game to be frustrating and aggravating. The enormity of this game is massive for the US. Some intelligent and cautious play to start off. The US will have to be creative while dictating the pace. The US will have to try not to let Honduras get in their heads. Players like Roger Espinoza are known for diving.
The US need a victory but a tie will suffice since the US have one of the hardest schedules in Hex play since 3 of the first 4 are on the road. Starting off strong will be crucial for smooth sailing into the world cup.
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