There’s no doubt that the USMNT is considered the clear favorite for their World Cup Qualifiers tie against Guatemala this week. They have an all-time 15-4-6 record against them and they have an ongoing 21-game unbeaten run that they’ll look to extend over these next two weeks.
That being said, this is not going to be an easy matchup for Jurgen Klinsmann and his boys. While it’s true that they have the more seasoned roster, they can’t get complacent solely because they’re the favorites. They are likely to battle against a pitch in bad conditions and they will also face a team that’s known for keeping the scores close when they play at home.
With that being said, this is the full roster that will take part in the two-legged tie. The opener will be played in Guatemala City on Friday while the second leg will be at Columbus on Tuesday.
GOALKEEPERS: David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton FC), William Yarbrough (Club Leon).
DEFENDERS: Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Monterrey), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland).
MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes FC), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew SC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Monchengladbach), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers FC), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution).
FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Union Berlin), Gyasi Zardes (Los Angeles Galaxy).
It’s certainly a talented roster although there are some notable absences. Players like Jordan Morris, Julian Green, Jerome Kiesewetter and Matt Miazga – all of them are considered part of the new blood that should be injected into the team in the near future – will be with the U23 squad as they’ll battle Colombia for the final spot in the Olympics during August this year.
Klinsmann, however, doesn’t want to leave anything for granted. The return of Captain Clint Dempsey should boost the team’s attacking line while the presence of experienced elements like Guzan, Cameron and Altidore should give them a good balance on both sides of the ball.
The USMNT shouldn’t have problems to secure two wins over the coming days especially with what’s at stake. They currently have four points after two games and two wins would give them 10 points over four matches, virtually locking one of the two spots in Group C for the final round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifers.
Plus we can’t forget that the USMNT has the Copa America Centenario on the horizon as well. Klinsmann said he wants to challenge for the title in June and most of the players that will feature against Guatemala are also likely to represent the country against the top teams in CONMEBOL in a few months.
First things first though. The USMNT needs to take down Guatemala to clear their path in the race for a World Cup berth in Russia 2018. They have everything in their favor to secure the six points in the coming matches and, barring any surprises, they should do it with relative ease.