There are several questions to which we'll have answers come game time, including whether or not Bob Bradley intends to move away from his tried and true 4-4-2. The looks of the roster seems to indicate a change is coming.
Here's the roster as a refresher:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Étienne), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas)*, Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), Jermaine Jones (FC Schalke), Brek Shea (FC Dallas)*
FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)
*Pearce and Shea will not be with the team tonight.
Here's a stab at a lineup I think we might see (4-2-3-1)
-----------------------Howard------------------------
Cherundolo----Onyewu------Goodson-----Bocanegra
--------------Jones-------------Bradley---------------
Dempsey-------------Holden----------------Feilhaber
-----------------------Altidore------------------------
Switch our Edu for Jones if you don't think the German will start; I think it's possible Bradley will hold his first cap for Colombia on Tuesday.
As for a prediction, I'm going with USA 2, Poland 1. I can't see the Americans keeping a clean sheet considering Gooch's rust.
Consider this post as your place for lineup and score predictions, in-game commentary, and whatever else you feel you need to get off your chest. I'll be back closer to game time with the actual lineup. If I'm free enough, I might treat this as a live blog and update with my thoughts as the game moves along. I should also mention that you can follow a more regular running commentary on my Twitter feed, MFUSA.
PRE-GAME: Here's the lineup:
4-2-3-1:
Howard
Cherundolo, Onyewu, Edu, Bocanegra (c)
Jones, Bradley
Holden, Dempsey, Feilhaber
Altidore
Looks like I only missed on the centerback pairing; Bradley is using Edu there rather than going with Goodson or Parkhurst.
PRE-GAME:
Crowd observations - not as good as I would like (obviously), but I'm not going to grouse over attendance for friendlies anymore. Looks like a lot of red and white in the crowd.
PRE-GAME:
Kickoff imminent. Want to see the US press early, anxious to see how Jozy does up top by himself. Edu will be a focus because he's playing out of position.
3rd MINUTE:
Not surprisingly for a NFL stadium, the field is crap. A bit rough to start in terms of possession, but midfield is stepping up well.
5th MINUTE:
Dolo down after an ugly challenge. Wondering if Bradley might have to take him off. Spector?
9th MINUTE:
There are good signs here, but everyone seems to be working independently, rather than as a unit. Worried Poland is going to catch the backline sleeping, they've already gotten behind a few times.
11th MINUTE:
Feilhaber knocks down a short Bradley switch, it comes off Jozy, and Dempsey puts a shot over. First real chance for the US.
12th MINUTE:
GREAT BALL OVER THE TOP FOR JOZY FROM JONES AND ALTIDORE DOESN'T MISS. 1-0 USA. That should be a nice confidence builder right there.
17th MINUTE:
Off a US corner, the Poles get numbers but fail to do anything. That was a bit of a scary moment, and I'm not sure Jones' swipe was a good idea. Want to see him slow the play down and give the reinforcements time to get back.
22nd MINUTE:
Poland should have scored. Defense is split, and Howard is forced to make a save one-on-one. Shakiness.
24th MINUTE:
Poland's counter is dangerous, and US corners are terrible without Donovan. Bad combo.
30th MINUTE:
Ugly stuff in the back, Holden pops up an attempted clearance, and Poland gets a clean shot by Howard. 1-1. Blech.
36th MINUTE:
Jones has some nifty feet, something I wasn't really expecting. He's been the best player on the field for the US so far. Jones' earned a foul at the corner of the box, and Holden puts the free kick over the bar.
41st MINUTE:
Edu might be out of his depth in central defense. His athleticism isn't an asset when his positioning is as off as it is. Expect a change at halftime.
43rd MINUTE:
Jozy gets a clear shot and puts it off the bar. Nice interchange with Jones and Holden. Hard to fault Jozy for the shot, but he's got to keep it down.
HALFTIME:
1-1. Chances for both sides, and Jozy's finishing is driving me nuts despite the goal. I'm taking a break and will be back for the second half.
SECOND HALF KICKOFF:
No changes apparently. Would have liked to see Mo come off - not sure leaving him out there is a good thing.
52nd MINUTE:
USA having trouble keeping much possession, but on the bright side there haven't been any Polish chance. Dolo wins a corner as I type this, and Holden's take IS HEADED IN BY GOOCH! 2-1!
58th MINUTE:
There are definitely more goals in this one. The US has resorted to more of a counter game. And Jozy makes a meal of a great ball by Mo. Dammit.
63rd MINUTE:
Bedoya for Feihaber. Benny's night was fairly unremarkable, but he did well covering in defense and made some solid passes. Let's see what the BC kid can do.
71st MINUTE:
Holden with a terrible back pass that nearly ends in disaster. A little more concentration please.
74th MINUTE:
More crap at the back, but this time it's actually Jones that's at fault. Well taken shot for the equalizer. 2-2.
83rd MINUTE:
Things slowing considerably. The US is doing better with possessions, but hasn't threatened in ages. If there's a winner, someone is going to make a play. Fairly sure Jones is cooked, and not sure why Bob has only gone to the bench once.
88th MINUTE:
Dempsey wins a free kick just outside the box. This might be the best chance the US gets from here on out, and Dempsey hits the wall.
90th MINUTE:
Still no other subs. Corner leads to one of the craziest scrambles you've ever seen, and it's a miracle the US doesn't score. First effort really did look like it went over the line before being cleared by a Polish defender.
94th MINUTE:
Another Holden free kick goes off Edu's head in the wrong direction. The ref blows the whistle, and that's the game. 2-2 draw.
Not great, but far from terrible. Considering the Mo experiment at the back, the defensive performance is not overly troubling - perhaps somewhat troubling was Bradley use of only one sub. I suppose he was trying to see something specific with that set of players.
Jozy scoring is good, but he should have put away at least two more. His finishing continues to be maddening, and if the US finds another striker option in the next year or two, he may end up on the bench. There are just too many good chances wasted.
Alright boys and girls, thoughts?
