Mauricio Pochettino is in an ideal position. With Paraguay's win Friday, the Untied States has won Group D, with a group match match still to play against Türkiye next Thursday. Poch has options, but which will he choose?
• If Christian Pulisic is healthy, should he play any minutes or rest until the round of 32 match on July 1? • Should he not play his three players carrying yellow cards into the match — Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson — to ensure they don't get a second-yellow red, making them ineligible for the first knockout stage game? • Should he go deep into the roster and start players who haven't played much to give them valuable experience before heading into an elimination game? • Or, should he just keep things rolling as is?
My take: Momentum is crucial, but I still think they can beat Türkiye with a few down-roster guys getting substantial minutes. I would definitely protect the yellow-card guys. If Pulisic is healthy, I would sub him in for the last 15 minutes just to get him some touches and back into competition mode.
THE ASYLUM
What will U.S. do now?
Mauricio Pochettino is in an ideal position. With Paraguay's win Friday, the Untied States has won Group D, with a group match match still to play against Türkiye next Thursday. Poch has options, but which will he choose?
• If Christian Pulisic is healthy, should he play any minutes or rest until the round of 32 match on July 1?
• Should he not play his three players carrying yellow cards into the match — Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson — to ensure they don't get a second-yellow red, making them ineligible for the first knockout stage game?
• Should he go deep into the roster and start players who haven't played much to give them valuable experience before heading into an elimination game?
• Or, should he just keep things rolling as is?
My take: Momentum is crucial, but I still think they can beat Türkiye with a few down-roster guys getting substantial minutes. I would definitely protect the yellow-card guys. If Pulisic is healthy, I would sub him in for the last 15 minutes just to get him some touches and back into competition mode.
What would you do?
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