Of the myriad questions surrounding the U.S. men’s national team ahead of the Oct. 10 match against Mexico, Jurgen Klinsmannanswered two of them on Wednesday. Brad Guzan will be the No. 1 keeper through the Confederations Cup playoff game, and he expects his starting outside backs to be Fabian Johnson andDaMarcus Beasley -- both of whom are currently sidelined with calf injuries.
Klinsmann has said that the friendlies against Peru Friday and Brazil next Friday are about competing for starting jobs against Mexico, but one spot there won't be competition is in goal.
Guzan, who won the Golden Glove as the top goalkeeper at the Gold Cup, will start, not Howard, who took time off after the 2014 World Cup to concentrate on his play for Everton and spend time with his family.
“Tim accepted that because he was gone for more than a year,” Klinsmann told reporters at Wednesday's practice.
Guzan's nine appearances in 2015 are the most in a year in his national team career that began in 2006. He has generally played well, though the worst game just happened to be in the semifinals of the Gold Cup when the USA fell to Jamaica, 2-1, after conceding two first-half goals.
Brad Guzan, Post-World Cup 2014:
RATING MATCH, SCORE
Friendlies:
(5) *@Czech Republic, 1-0
(7) Ecuador, 1-1
(5) Colombia, 1-2
(7) @Netherlands, 4-3
(7) @Germany, 2-1
(5) Guatemala, 4-0
Gold Cup:(7) Honduras, 2-1
(6) Haiti, 1-0,
(6) Panama, 1-1
(5) Cuba, 6-0
(4) Jamaica, 1-2
(7) Panama, 1-1 (2-3 PKs)
*Played first 45 minutes.
Average Rating: 5.92.
Goals-Against Average: 1.01.
Record: 7 wins, 2 losses, 3 ties.
Johnson was injured in practice at Borussia Moenchengladbach and missed its last two Bundesliga games. Beasley came off in the first half of the Houston Dynamo's game against Vancouver on Saturday. Their injuries -- and the knee injury Timothy Chandler suffered on Saturday playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany -- depleted the USA of its corps of outside backs.
Of the nine defenders in camp preparing for the friendlies against Peru and Brazil, eight are playing all or most of the time at center back for their clubs, including late call-up Jonathan Spector at Birmingham City. Greg Garza plays left back for Atlas but has not dressed for league games in recent weeks.
"We’re trying to make the best out of it,” Klinsmann said at American University, where the USA has been practicing. “Not having Fabian Johnson is really a bummer because of the qualities he has. Also DaMarcus Beasley. We hoped, still until Saturday, that he was back on track. We talked last week on the phone."
At the Gold Cup, the first-choice outside backs were Chandler and Johnson. Beasley came in for the quarterfinals, ostensibly to take over at left back, allowing Johnson to replace the weaker Chandler at right back, but Beasley was injured and missed the quarterfinals and deciding semifinal match against Jamaica.
"We need Beas against Mexico," said Klinsmann, "so that leaves kind of some fields open there [for the upcoming friendlies] and we’ll fix it as good as possible. But obviously the preferred roles would go to Fabian on the right and Beas on the left."
Brad Guzan, Post-World Cup 2014:
RATING MATCH, SCORE
Friendlies:
(5) *@Czech Republic, 1-0
(7) Ecuador, 1-1
(5) Colombia, 1-2
(7) @Netherlands, 4-3
(7) @Germany, 2-1
(5) Guatemala, 4-0
Gold Cup:(7) Honduras, 2-1
(6) Haiti, 1-0,
(6) Panama, 1-1
(5) Cuba, 6-0
(4) Jamaica, 1-2
(7) Panama, 1-1 (2-3 PKs)
*Played first 45 minutes.
Average Rating: 5.92.
Goals-Against Average: 1.01.
Record: 7 wins, 2 losses, 3 ties.
Johnson was injured in practice at Borussia Moenchengladbach and missed its last two Bundesliga games. Beasley came off in the first half of the Houston Dynamo's game against Vancouver on Saturday. Their injuries -- and the knee injury Timothy Chandler suffered on Saturday playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany -- depleted the USA of its corps of outside backs.
Of the nine defenders in camp preparing for the friendlies against Peru and Brazil, eight are playing all or most of the time at center back for their clubs, including late call-up Jonathan Spector at Birmingham City. Greg Garza plays left back for Atlas but has not dressed for league games in recent weeks.
"We’re trying to make the best out of it,” Klinsmann said at American University, where the USA has been practicing. “Not having Fabian Johnson is really a bummer because of the qualities he has. Also DaMarcus Beasley. We hoped, still until Saturday, that he was back on track. We talked last week on the phone."
At the Gold Cup, the first-choice outside backs were Chandler and Johnson. Beasley came in for the quarterfinals, ostensibly to take over at left back, allowing Johnson to replace the weaker Chandler at right back, but Beasley was injured and missed the quarterfinals and deciding semifinal match against Jamaica.
"We need Beas against Mexico," said Klinsmann, "so that leaves kind of some fields open there [for the upcoming friendlies] and we’ll fix it as good as possible. But obviously the preferred roles would go to Fabian on the right and Beas on the left."
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