Who Should Klinsmann Start Against Costa Rica?--A Fan's Quick Analysis

If Juergen Klinsmann plans on starting the strongest team he has available against Costa Rica, there will be no suspense in goal or on defense. Tim Howard remains the incumbent in goal with no competitor in sight. Bill Hamid might get a debut though while apparently being groomed for the Olympic team.

Captain Carlos Bocanegra, ever the willing servant, will anchor the back four. He should be joined by Clarence Goodson in the middle. The Brondby captain had to pull out of the Mexico friendly due to a minor injury, but has regained his fitness since then. Timmy Chandler should finally earn his third cap after dodging the Gold Cup and the Mexico friendly. He offers terrific speed on the right flank and can play either in midfield or at the back. Edgar Castillo will have another chance to win the left back job with Klinsmann not willing to rule him out after one shaky performance.

Things get more complicated in midfield and up front. The top players in the squad are Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Landon Donovan, Brek Shea, and Robbie Rogers. Configuring them will be a challenge. I would have Edu in front of the back four with Kljestan in front of him, Shea on the left, and Rogers on the right. Landon Donovan should have a free role underneath Jozy Altidore as a kind of three-quarters forward player. Altidore has earned his return after a super start in Dutch football. Now that he has some goals in competitive action, he should be much sharper.

Because this is a friendly, the teams will be able to make up to six changes. There is no reason for Klinsmann to hold back. Barring injury, Jonathan Spector, Chris Pontius, and Juan Agudelo should see plenty of minutes off the bench. Spector has worked his way into Birmingham City's starting eleven after missing pre-season. Pontius, finally injury free, has begun to fulfill the promise he showed when he first debuted for DC United. Agudelo remains an exciting option off the bench, willing to run at defenders no matter what their pedigree.

Of course, one never knows what to expect in these games. The results don't count for much except pride, so Klinsmann has the freedom to experiment with tactics and personnel from the start. Nobody should be surprised if the formation changes during the game or if a player like Donovan ends up in more than one position.

Following the Costa Rica game, Landon Donovan will stay in California and return to his club for their league match on Monday night. The rest of the group will be joined by Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundolo, and Kyle Beckerman in Brussels on Sunday ahead of the game against Belgium. These three additions will give Klinsmann even more options to juggle his team. US Soccer is also working to arrange more games in October and November. The October games look to be against Honduras and Ecuador on the East Coast.