• It’s maybe a little bit of wishful thinking to have Pulisic in the XI, but I’m throwing a bit of caution to the wind here. He’s the USMNT’s best player — even if he’s rarely played like it in the Red, White & Blue of late — and so here he is.
The ideal for the US is for Pulisic to get on the ball in isolation against whoever Canada’s right center back happens to be on the day. Quick transition moments off of midfield turnovers with one of Buchanan or Laryea (I assume those guys will split time at RWB) are what to look for.
• Sargent and Aaronson both get the starts here, again for their defense and familiarity with the US scheme. The way to break this Canada side is to press the hell out of that backline and force them into turnovers, and the way to neutralize those wingbacks is to turn Herdman’s 3-5-2 into a 5-3-2.
• I said when the roster was released that it screams “We’re gonna try Gio at the 8 during this window!” and here we are. Reyna’s been playing as something of an 8 with Dortmund, and while it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing, it’s not like he’s been bad there, either.
More to the point, though: I think putting him in this role really complicates things for Canada’s midfield defensive structure, which could/would have the knock-on effect of complicating things for their backline. Canada do not scramble well defensively, and Reyna’s willingness and ability to beat individuals off the dribble by its very nature forces teams to scramble. That, in turn, creates very exploitable gaps for the likes of Pulisic and Aaronson.
• Part of the reason I feel comfortable with Reyna in this role is because Adams is back at defensive midfield, and McKennie is still in there as the No. 8. I don’t think this is complicated at all.
• Simple squad rotation at center back, with Brooks coming in for Zimmerman. Robinson gets another start.
• Squad rotation as well at the fullback slots. I don’t love playing Antonee Robinson and Dest at the same time — both guys have questionable defensive instincts and are prone to turnovers in bad spots — but again, this is a luxury afforded by having Adams out there at d-mid. He puts out a lot of fires.
The other thing to keep in mind is that while Dest can be flammable defensively, he can also on occasion be very, very good. One of those occasions was in the Nations League quarterfinals head-to-head against Davies two years ago. I think it’s pretty clear that Sergino gets up for big 1-v-1 matchups (though again, no guarantee it’s Davies he’s going against).
• Again I have Turner in for Zack Steffen, but if there’s a game to rotate it’s probably this one.
