Finishing Touches

Soccernet has a decent article by Ives Galarcep about the questions that need to be answered in the Send-Off Series, while Marc Connolly asks similar questions over at USNSP. They are:

Is John O’Brien Ready?

He didn’t prove his fitness with Chivas, but reports from camp have been positive. If he can play for 45 good minutes in two of these games, I’ll be satisfied. The same goes for Claudio Reyna who has been bouncing back and forth between fitness and injuries for a while now.

Who Plays On The Right?

We’ve been through this before and I still say Dempsey looks the best bet. If he shows good form in the Send-Off Series he can go to Germany with confidence.

Who Will Be McBride’s Strike Partner?

I still lean towards starting with Donovan in a withdrawn role, but I still desperately want to see a striker hit form this week. Word is that Eddie Johnson has looked good in camp, and now would be the ideal time for him to start scoring again. Expect multiple strike partnerships to be tried out over the three games, and it will be interesting to see which looks the most convincing.

Will Eddie Lewis Be The Left Back?

Basically, yes. But again, it would be nice if he looked good in these three games, just to reassure everybody. May not play tonight after playing (and losing) a promotion play-off on Sunday. Will be interesting to see who starts.

Who Will Man The Central Defence?

Or rather, who will partner Gooch? I see this as between Pope and Gibbs, with Pope having the advantage.

Who Takes Set Pieces?

Who’s going to take corners and free kicks. Connolly notes that we have Convey, Donovan, Cherundolo and Reyna all on the roster. I would add O’Brien and Lewis to that. Worth keeping an eye on who takes what, and how that applies to Germany.

Formation?

I’m all for 4-5-1, or 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1 or whatever you prefer to call it, but Galarcep seems convinced otherwise:

“It appears more and more likely that the U.S. team will field a 3-5-2 formation come June 12 against the Czechs.”

If we see 3-5-2 in any of the games this week, then we’ll know it’s being seriously considered.