Jozy Altidore’s status uncertain for Belgium, while Jermaine Jones has a broken nose
The United States are still waiting to see if Jozy Altidore will be fit enough to play some part against Belgium.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jurgen Klinsmann stated that he hoped to have Jozy Altidore back at some point in the World Cup when the United States' star striker went down with a pulled hamstring against Ghana, but the USMNT coach isn't any closer to knowing Altidore's status for the Round of 16 than he was on the night of that victory over the Black Stars.
Altidore's back to training, but there's a big difference between being able to run and being able to start a match, especially at this level and in the harsh conditions that exist in Brazil. Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated had an update on Altidore on Friday, along with some news about Jermaine Jones.
Jermaine Jones does have a broken nose. He'll be unaffected v #BEL. Altidore is running/training, cont to improve, but status "uncertain".
— Brian Straus (@BrianStraus) June 27, 2014 As Straus mentioned, a broken nose isn’t likely to limit Jones at all. Clint Dempsey also suffered a broken nose in this World Cup and was not hindered at all by the injury.
Whether Klinsmann would prefer to go back to a two-striker formation or not is anyone's guess. The United States didn't play very well with Dempsey and Aron Johannsson up top against Ghana and played very well with just one striker against Portugal, but struggled for chances against Germany. It's not clear if Altidore's fitness or lack thereof affects his plans against Belgium.
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