Neutralizing the Swiss While Putting a Few in the Bag

At least that’s the plan.

Bob Bradley’s current losing streak has put a somewhat unwarranted damper on what I think up to this point has been an impressive tenure. The roster for the Switzerland friendly throws up allot of potential lineup questions with the large amount of youth being brought into the fray. But even with all of the excitement around this youth movement and U-20 starlets like Freddy Adu and Danny Szetela, the team needs a result. And they most definitely need to put up a few numbers on the scoreboard.

You can count on seeing a plethora of youth actually play in the game and not just sit on the bench and look pretty.

Let’s take a look at how the lineup could look…

In goal I think Hahnemann is a lock.

The back four seems pretty certain too. Heath Pearce, Boca, Gooch, and Cherundolo. You can make an argument against Gooch, but his club form has been pretty spot on. You could say the same though for his biggest competition, Jay Demerit, who has his club flying back towards the prem. That is the only tough decision I see for Bob to make at the back.

This is where it gets tricky. With no real forwards, it will be a mass of differently specialized midfielders.

I think you can count on Beasley, Bradley, and Feilhaber in some capacity. Also Clint “Deuce” Dempsey up top is a given, as that seems to be his position on the national team scene and club for now. I say Adu plays the second forward role. Why not? If you look at the roster he is the best player to play there, there is no reason not to play him.

Perhaps Bradley puts Beasley in that role and slides Lewis into the midfield? Bob usually plays so conservative, but I think Adu has to be in there. He will at least get some solid time for sure even if he doesn’t start.

I think that another defensive/two-way center mid will slide in next to the coach’s kid and Benny. That leaves it to Szetela or Maurice Edu. I don’t know why but with Szetela not being match fit recently, I find it hard to see him starting this one. So if Bob does decide to go with the three center midfielders in a 4-3-3 type formation, I guess he’d have to go with Edu. But it’s too hard to tell, and that’s what makes this roster great.

There is no old reliable (Landon or Pablo) that you can rely on to just be thrown in there somewhere because we are afraid of baptism by fire. Youth will be thrown into play for sure, and I feel confident that they will pull a result out. They are too talented not to blend with those who know their way around the international pitch.

Other youths you could see in some capacity later in the game…

Preston Zimmerman - Absolutely lighting it up on the club level. Five goals already for the Hamburg SV II stud. He could see a move up to the first team if he keeps this up. Bob would do good to get a natural forward a look at some point in this game. That’s the great part of a camp though; you can see everybody even if they aren’t capped.

Sal Zizzo - Stepped in valiantly for Johann Smith when he went down for the U-20’s and earned himself a euro contract. Will it translate with the big boys?

Robbie Findley - Speed demon, underrated MLS rookie of the year candidate. He doesn’t have it all together, but it will be good to get his feet wet at the camp.

What are your thoughts on potential lineups and playing time for the upcoming friendly?