14 USMNT Players Who Can Fill In for Landon Donovan Against Costa Rica

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 26, 2013

commentComment        

After starting off the hexagonal round of qualifying with a 2-1 away loss to Honduras, the USMNT must take full advantage of its next match—a home qualifier against Costa Rica on March 22.

One of the biggest questions for the U.S. since Jurgen Klinsmann took over the squad 18 months ago is who to deploy on the wings, especially since Landon Donovan has played only eight of Klinsmann’s 22 matches in charge.

Donovan is expected to miss the match against Costa Rica as well as it was announced last week that he is not expected to be game-fit until late April.

In Donovan's continued absence, here are 14 options the U.S. can go to on the wings for its all-important qualifier on March 22.

 

The True Wingers

In terms of natural wingers, Klinsmann's options are thinner than one might expect.



Brek Shea, who made his English Premier League debut this past weekend with Stoke City, is certainly one option, but Saturday’s match with Stoke was his first competitive match since last September. With three weeks to go until the match against Costa Rica, Shea would have to shake off the rust in a hurry.

Graham Zusi looked very strong on the wing for the USMNT against Jamaica in September and against Antigua and Guatemala in October, but Zusi’s performances against Canada and Honduras in January and February left a lot to be desired.



Josh Gatt finally made his much anticipated USMNT debut against Russia in the November friendly and also played the second half against Canada in January. His pace out wide is a monster weapon, but he still has work to do with his decision making on the field.

The real knock against Gatt is that after looking at him for three weeks in the January camp, Klinsmann did not select him to start the friendly against Canada and left him off the Honduras roster all together. It’s unlikely tha...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!