USA Vs. Spain, International Friendly: USMNT Prep For 2011 Gold Cup Against Fernando Torres And Company

The United States starts their 2011 Gold Cup campaign against Canada on Tuesday, but they’ve scheduled a seriously tough warm-up match against Spain. The timing is questionable (who plays the best team in the world in a friendly three days before a game that matters?!?), but it should be a good test and good learning experience for the USMNT nonetheless.

After a long and difficult season with FC Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez has been left out of this team and will not make the trip. Also out of the team is Carles Puyol, who is undergoing offseason knee surgery. However, some of Barcelona’s stars are in the team, as Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Pedro and David Villa are expected to play in the match.

With a big game against Canada looming, United States coach Bob Bradley will probably elect to start the match with his first choice team, then use all six of his available substitutions to rest some of his players and get looks at others. A little more than half of the team seems to be set in stone, but there are likely still some places up for grabs.

It’s unclear if Bradley plans to utilize a 4-4-2 formation or something else, and we might get an idea of what his plans are for competitive fixtures in this game. His team is thin at striker and loaded at central midfield, meaning some variation on 4-5-1 would allow him to get his best players into the squad, but Jozy Altidore has proven time and time again that he does not have the technical skills and work rate to effectively play as a lone striker at a high level.

If Bradley opts for 4-4-2, the other striker will probably be either youngster Juan Agudelo or in-form Chris Wondolowski. He could also opt to play Clint Dempsey as a second striker, moving Wondolowski or Sacha Kljestan out to the win. It’s anyone’s guess at this point, and only time will tell. Conventional wisdom seems to say that Agudelo is the guy if Bradley goes 4-4-2.

There are question marks across the back line, as opinion remains divided about whether or not Carlos Bocanegra is better at left back or central defense. What isn’t questionable is which position has more depth - central defense - and that may force Bradley’s hand. Most United States fans would rather see Jonathan Bornstein remain as a backup. This leaves the central defense spots to a competition between Tim Ream, Oguchi Onyewu and Clarence Goodson, all of whom have significant strengths and drawbacks.

Bradley’s formation and team selection on Saturday afternoon should be telling, and as a result, this game is a must-watch for US fans ahead of the Gold Cup. The game kicks off at 4:30 pm ET from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA.