Several pillars of the USMNT were left home, meaning multiple new faces could get their chances against Canada
Though he has reportedly agreed to become the next U.S. men's national team head coach, Mauricio Pochettino has not yet been officially named to the role. Yet he is likely watching the team's September camp closely.
There have already been a few significant changes with the squad selection under interim coach Mikey Varas. Several pillars of the USMNT under Gregg Berhalter were left at home, for varying reasons. Multiple new faces have been brought in. There have been little shifts to set the table for the next USMNT coach.
So what does that mean for these September friendlies? The audition process has already started for the members of the USMNT, and these friendlies are a chance to make a good first impression.
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First up is a match with Canada. The U.S. will likely take it extremely seriously. After this summer's Copa America failure, the USMNT won't want another embarrassing moment against a CONCACAF rival so, knowing that, it's safe to expect a strong team against Jesse Marsch and Co. Even so, there are some big players missing, making Saturday's starting XI an interesting one to predict. Here's a look at how the USMNT could line up on Saturday against Canada in Kansas City.
GettyGK: Matt Turner
We know. The world wants to see Diego Kochen or Patrick Schulte in this spot. Maybe we'll see Schulte, in particular, against New Zealand. This is a big-ish game, though, and Turner is still the No. 1.
He needs the minutes, too, even after his move to Crystal Palace. Turner is set to be the No. 2 at Palace, making minutes hard to come by there, too. At some point, Pochettino will have to make a call: continue to give Turner minutes to keep him sharp or pull the plug and hand the job over to someone new.
We're not there yet. For now, Turner is still the guy.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLB: Kristoffer Lund
There's no Antonee Robinson in camp, which really does open up this left-back spot. Does Mikey Varas go with a slightly more familiar face like Lund or a rising star like Caleb Wiley?
We'll go with Lund, just because he's been around the team a bit more over the last year or so. Wiley should get his chance, though, either as a defender or on the wing, at some point during this September window.
Getty ImagesCB: Tim Ream
The time will come to move on from Tim Ream. This particular game against Canada is not that time.
Ream still provides a valuable presence at the back, particularly with this centerback pool still sorting itself out. By this time next year, the hope will be that there are two other centerbacks locking down starting spots. For now, though, Ream can set the tone before taking a seat in a more experiment-friendly game against New Zealand.
GettyCB: Chris Richards
Chris Richards, the Crystal Palace defender basically locked up a starting spot under the previous regime but, once again, it's all up for grabs. That makes every game important, both for club and country.
Richards had ups and downs during the Copa America, but that's behind him now. At 24, it's now about taking that leap from young defender to leader of the backline as the U.S. inches closer and closer to the World Cup.