U.S. Soccer Returns

This Saturday the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team will play its first match since a less than successful World Cup campaign.

With new coaches and new players, what should fans expect to see this weekend?

Don't expect to see too many faces from the World Cup. Even the young players who looked mostly sharp won't see action. Bobby Convey, Oguchi Onyewu, and perhaps Clint Dempsey may not see action this weekend.

Niether Convey nor Onyewu made the roster, and although Dempsey made the roster, he recently signed a contract with Fulham FC in London and is likely to have obligations abroad.

A few of the faces remain the same though. Landon Donovan will likely still run things in the middle of field just behind the forwards, and Pablo Mastroeni may take to the field behind Donovan as a defensive midfielder. Chris Albright and Jimmy Conrad will return as defenders, and Eddie Johnson will be counted on to do some scoring.

The rest of the roster ought to be familar to MLS fans, as all who watch will likely see a number of players earn their first caps for the U.S. Men's National Team.

If age and MLS performance are the indicators, there stands a reasonable chance that the coaches may choose to use a 3-5-2 formation. Both Nowak and Bradley tend use this formation in club play, and many of the players selected for the roster come from teams which also use this attacking pattern.

The three defenders will then have to be some of the most athletic in the league to prevent the Danes from counter-attacking. Dasan Robinson is the fastest left-footed defender in the MLS. He will likely take to the field next to Bobby Boswell and Michael Parkhurst.

The five-man midfield ought to be packed with talent, but once again, the team lacks depth on the right wing. Brian Mullan is the only natural in that spot, but Pat Noonan is also capable of playing up the wing. However, it seems safe to anticipate Mullan's blistering pace on the right wing.