Things are going pretty well for the USMNT at the World Cup. 2 games and 2 wins, one of them without Captain America himself, Christian Pulisic. The US will top Group D regardless of what happens against Türkiye. But that leaves a pretty big conundrum for Mauricio Pochettino: play the starters and keep momentum, or rest the team for the knockouts.
But while looking at the choices leaves a lot of people puzzled, I believe the answer is staring Poch right in the face, rest your stars.
Rotation in soccer is not as bad as in other sports; players tend to stay in form longer because week-long breaks are built into the calendar. Most guys play 60-75 minutes every weekend, unless they are in some sort of continental trophy chase like the Champions League.
That means a break of 12 days really isn't that much of a stretch. In fact, it gives players like Pulisic time to get healthy, and avoids players like Adams picking up a second yellow and missing the round of 32.
So, who does Pochettino turn to?
Building the best lineup for the USMNT to take on Türkiye
First things first, Pulisic shouldn't play. Even though he returned to training on Tuesday, there really is no need for him to get out there and risk reaggravating the calf. It is essentially a meaningless game; nothing will change even if the US loses 5-0.
Next, any player with a yellow card shouldn't see the field at all. That means no Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Folarin Balogun, or Antonee Robinson. That is a massive rollover as is, so why not go all out and let everyone touch the field?
Here is how I would lineup:
GK- Matt Turner
RB- Max Arfsten
CB- Auston Trusty
CB-Mark McKenzie
LB- Joe Scally
CM- Sebastian Berhalter
CM- Brendon Aaronson
RM- Gio Reyna
LM- Alejandro Zendejas
ST- Haji Wright
ST- Ricardo Pepi
Reyna needs time to audition for a new club to help his career. He scored a huge trivela in the opening game against Paraguay and deserves some run here. Rotating the keeper ensures that even if the backline is shambles, the confidence of your starter is still intact. And I would love to see Cristian Roldan, but Steven Goff reported he is carrying a knock and may not be available.
Overall, is there a risk in resting guys? Sure, they could lose their edge and momentum. But I think they are all professional enough to keep that edge for an extra 5 days for a home World Cup.
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