U.S. Soccer to Face El Salvador In World Cup Qualifyer

The last time we saw the U.S. men's national team, they surrendered their 1-0 lead in a dramatic 2-1 loss to Mexico. Can the U.S. bounce back? El Salvador is no Mexico, but with Jay DeMerit missing the match -- as he apparently will, via Daily Soccer Fix -- the U.S. are without question more vulnerable in the back:

That means Carlos Bocanegra will almost assuredly slide inside, partnering centrally with either Chad Marshall or Clarence Goodson. If I were guessing, I’d put big money on Marshall.

Bocanegra had this to say Friday about playing without DeMerit, in addition to losing Oguchi Onweyu to this match suspension due to yellow card buildup: "Obviously they are two big players for us, and when you lose guys, obviously, somebody else has to step up," Bocanegra said as he left training Friday at windy Rio Tinto. "But they are here because they can do a job, and we’re confident in them."

Actually, no one around the U.S. camp seems too worried about it all. The Americans are heavily favored. They haven’t lost qualifier at home since 2001, and manager Bob Bradley has never lost a qualifier on U.S. soil.