PHILADELPHIA — Both Jurgen Klinsmann and Miguel Herrera could be seen in the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday. The two are not preparing to do battle just yet, but preparing for Thursday's announcement of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup groups and venues. The USA and Mexico won't be resuming the battle for regional bragging rights until this summer, but Thursday's announcement offers a reminder that the time for the Yanks and 'El Tri' to fight for the Gold Cup is fast approaching.
We are actually just four months away from the Gold Cup kicking off and while Klinsmann doesn't have to settle on his starting lineup in the next few days, it isn't too early to start considering the possibilities. The team's friendlies to start the year helped offer some insight into possible new options for Klinsmann, but the start of the MLS season, and the two friendlies in Europe later this month, should help bring his best side into focus.
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Some positions are easy enough to figure it, such as Jozy Altidore as striker, Clint Dempsey as playmaker and Michael Bradley in central midfield. But there are other positions with a variety of options to consider. Such as central defense, the fullback spots and the wings.
Here is one projection of how the U.S. Gold Cup starting lineup could look when the Americans take the field in July.
GOALKEEPER
Brad Guzan is the locked-in starter, and as long as Tim Howard is on hiatus there isn't anybody likely to unseat him any time soon.
RIGHT BACK
Fabian Johnson's sparse playing time at Borussia Moenchengladbach might leave him vulnerable to a position battle with Timmy Chandler, who is seeing regular starts with Eintracht Frankfurt, but he's a Klinsmann favorite. With a training camp to get sharp, Johnson should be able to regain the spot he held down at last summer's World Cup.
RIGHT CENTER BACK
Arguably the deepest position in the player pool, it's also the position Klinsmann chose to move Jermaine Jones to rather than keep him in midfield for the national team. That makes you wonder just how much confidence he has in his other options, like Omar Gonzalez and Geoff Cameron. If healthy, Jones starters here, but will likely share some time with Gonzalez to keep him fresh.
LEFT CENTER BACK
Matt Besler has been the first choice starter for almost two years, but with John Anthony Brooks playing well and regularly for Hertha Berlin, he looks to be a real threat to break into the starting lineup.
LEFT BACK
There are options here as well, and Chandler could once again be in the running, but Greg Garza is a natural fit and gets the nod at the moment.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER
Michael Bradley is a lock starter, and his showing against Panama in February reminded us all just how good he can be when healthy and in form.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER
Mix Diskerud has been one of the U.S. team's best players since the World Cup, and his impressive debut for New York City FC bodes well for him being an impact player in MLS. Kyle Beckerman could push him for the spot, depending on what Klinsmann wants to do tactically, but if Klinsmann has at least an eye toward 2018, he will want to go with the younger option.
LEFT WINGER
Whether he is deployed on the left, or the right, Alejandro Bedoya should find himself as a starter. Where he winds up will likely depend on the other flank, and with there being fewer quality left wingers than right wing options in the pool, we put Bedoya on the left in or projected XI.
ATTACKING MIDFIELDER
Though Lee Nguyen came into his own as a top MLS midfielder in 2014, Klinsmann still prefers Dempsey as his playmaker. At age 32, he doesn't have the same engine to work the flanks that he did five years ago, but being able to focus on attacking allows him to work in breaking down defenses.
RIGHT WINGER
Gyasi Zardes certainly looked the part for the U.S. against Panama as a right winger, but he is still raw and inexperienced on the international level. Graham Zusi is back healthy after a rough end to 2014, and it's easy to forget just what a prominent role Zusi played both in World Cup qualifying and the 2014 World Cup.
FORWARD
With his Sunderland nightmare behind him, Jozy Altidore is back in MLS, where he will find regular minutes and should be able to sharpen his tools and build his confidence ahead of a Gold Cup he will be expected to dominate. Aron Johannsson can give the team a good option off the bench, but it's tough to see Johannsson, or anybody else, taking Altidore's starting role when healthy.