On tap: USMNT v Honduras

After the Costa Rica debacle, someone - and I apologize for forgetting who and where - asked me if I thought USMNT coach Bob Bradley might be on the way out soon. It may even have been one of you super-fantastic regulars. Anyway... I replied with something to the effect of 'No, I don't think he's currently in danger of losing his job, but I would consider this defeat to be a proverbial first straw'.

With August's visit to Mexico next on the WCQ slate, tonight's tilt with heel nippers Honduras is big for everyone involved.

The USMNT have slipped out of first place and are in direct danger of slipping further in Chicago tonight. Several 'Nats are suffering crises of form (or just bouts with exhaustion at the end of long club seasons), and the resulting widespread questions about their place on the team. Meanwhile, Honduras are talented and motivated, having only reached the World Cup finals in 1982. They may also smell blood, with the hosts battered and wobbly.

As for Bradley, his job wobble would begin tonight if the U.S. lose. While no one likes his sudden willingness to be aggressive and come out of the bucket more than me, even I fully realize that the best thing to do right now is try to restore some semblence of a comfort level.

I would find it a hideous injustice to scrap working on a proper 4-3-3 and/or some of the players who struggled so mightily on Wednesday. That being said, I think tonight is a night to start in the familiar 4-4-2 and field as much of the following three player attributes as possible: experience, freshness and match fitness.

The latter two may seem to contradict... but not necessarily so. I also realize that some positions cannot be manned without sacrificing one or two of those attributes due to absences and positional requirements - for instance, we can't field two small forwards, someone has to be available as a target.

And this is one of the many tightropes a national team coach must walk as part of his duties. Bradley's team needs three points, and to a lesser extent, he needs to regain the air of command before the USSF gets all sweaty. What he doesn't need to do is move players out of position or force big tactical changes (that should have been floated during the numerous friendlies we've played over the last two-and-a-half years... but that's another rant).

With all that in mind, I propose the following line-up card: Howard, Spector, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Bornstein, Mastroeni, Clark, Donovan, Dempsey, Davies, Casey.

As you can see, three field players are not fresh and three are green in WCQ action. However, all of them are 90-minute match fit and all have shown at least good club form of late. The bench should have either Adu or Torres, Altidore, Beasley, DeMerit, Feilhaber and Pearce to be ready for any possible game event or tactical need.

Most importantly, every fundamental skill that was sorely lacking against Costa Rica has to re-emerge and it has to come back into play now. If the USMNT looks anything like it did performing basic tasks at Saprissa, my next answer to the question "Could Bob Bradley be fired?" will be dramatically different.

In the world of international coaching, there can be no doubt that the camel's back is weakest during a World Cup qualification gone nightmarish. I would highly suggest keeping his load as light as possible for the trek to Azteca.

Now, if you'll all don your slippers and smoking jacket, we shall adjourn to the reading room...

- USMNT match notes
- Conor Casey glad to be back
- NSC pal Dr. J. Freedman says the pressure's on
- Howard delights in new Everton deal
- NSC pal Clemente Lisi scouts Honduras
- Tom Davis puts DMB under the microscope
- WC dream spurs Pavon
- Japan, Australia, S. Korea first into WC10 finals

- Greg Seltzer