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Fresh off an unconvincing 2-1 victory over Honduras, the United States will look for another win as it faces Haiti on Friday. Haiti impressed on Tuesday, surprisingly tying Panama 1-1 thanks to a late goal from substitute Duckens Nazon.
The U.S. is the heavy favorite against a Haitian side that includes five players who ply their trade in U.S. lower leagues such as NASL, USL PRO, and NPSL. Haiti will need stars Johnny Placide (goalkeeper for Reims in Ligue 1) and Jean Sony Alcenat (midfielder for Steaua Bucuresti in Romania) to excel in order to secure a result against the USMNT.
Haiti is somewhat of an unknown to the U.S., as the two teams haven't met since 2009. Additionally, of the twelve Haitians who play in Europe, most received minimal playing time at the club level this year.
The U.S. should play better against Haiti, as on paper Haiti is significantly weaker then Honduras. Expect Jurgen Klinsmann to once again deploy a 4-4-2, though there may be changes to the lineup.
If Alejandro Bedoya is fit, expect to see him start over Gyasi Zardes on the left wing. Bedoya is more of a true midfielder and is far better at defending than Zardes.
Jozy Altidore may not start the game, as Klinsmann said he was still trying to get back to full fitness after suffering a hamstring injury May 16th. Klinsmann admitted that the defense, particularly Ventura Alvarado and Timmy Chandler, struggled against Honduras but suggested that he would be sticking with the same back four against Haiti.
Projected Lineup:
Look for the U.S. to create more attacking chances than it did against Honduras, Michael Bradley needs to play in a more advanced role as a number 10. Bradley thrived in this role against the Netherlands and Germany and helped the offense dominate.
Bradley was playing far too deep against Honduras, as he would often drop back to collect the ball from the defense. As a result the U.S. created few chances during the run of play. Also, expect the USMNT to deploy true wingers in this game as opposed to the pinched in wingers utilized against Honduras.
Gyasi Zardes and DeAndre Yedlin are most effective when playing just off of the touchline. Both players looked lost at times against Honduras as they pinched in towards the center of the field. As the game wore on, both players started to drift wider and created more problems for the Honduran defense.
Against Haiti, it wouldn't be surprising to see Clint Dempsey once again dominate and the U.S. try to posses the ball better then it did against Honduras. Haiti is supposedly the worst team in the group and this match could be a blowout. At the very least, the U.S. should win this game securing another three points and moving one step closer to a place in the quarterfinals.