So now that the match preview is out of the way, who will Gregg Berhalter choose for his Starting XI against Ecuador on Thursday in Florida?
There are some easy choices. We know Christian Pulisic is going to start at attacking center midfield, and it would be stunning if John Brooks isn’t the starting center back.
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Given that Berhalter has labeled Tyler Adams a right back and DeAndre Yedlin a winger while also calling in a less-than-ideal batch of forwards, we can pretty sure he’s going to opt for old pal Gyasi Zardes up top.
But will Zardes be alone, or paired with another striker? Is Tim Ream going to be a left back who sits as a center back when the U.S. has the ball and Adams pushes into the midfield? Will Yedlin start at wing?
Here are a couple of options Berhalter could use on Thursday:
4-2-3-1
Horvath
Adams — Brooks — Miazga — Lovitz
Bradley — McKennie
Yedlin — Pulisic — Arriola
Zardes
4-4-2
Johnson
Adams — Brooks — Miazga — Ream
Bradley
McKennie — Lletget
Pulisic
Zardes — Morris