With Jozy Altidore out for Sunday's crucial match against Portugal , the pressure is now on for coach Jurgen Klinsmann to find a way to make up for the absence of the striker.
Altidore's absence creates a huge hole in the United States offense. He is a big and physical player who can draw defenders and make space for his teammates. He has also proven capable of taking any defender one-on-one.
Experts agree there is no one on the United States roster that has the size, strength and playmaking ability of Altidore, so Klinsmann has to be creative with his line-up.
Striker Chris Wondolowski is being tapped to join team captain Clint Dempsey in the attack, owing to the former's reputation as one of the best scorers in Major League Soccer.
Midfielder Kyle Beckerman voiced his support for this plan, telling ESPN: "He can score from anything; score when you think there's nothing, no chance, and next thing you know he scores. He works his tail off for the guy behind him. He does a lot of things that don't show up on the stat sheet.''
Or Aron Johannsson could step in and fill Altidore's shoes, just like the way he did when he replaced Altidore in the Ghana match. The 23-year old forward, however, presents a style different from that of Altidore.
While Jozy relies on his strength, Johannsson uses his speed and agility to confuse defenders. Beckerman offered his thoughts on Johannsson's play, telling USA Today: "Johannsson is a guy that does similar things. He's got this kind of attitude about scoring that he just kind of does it and he feels like he has to do that. He's crafty, he's really tricky with the ball. ... We're confident in them. Injuries happen so that's why you bring 23 players."
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