Midfield
It’s always hard to predict what kind of formation David Wagner will run with, since he’s tried so many different ones out, but given the opposition, I’m thinking that this is a match where he will aim to have a beefy midfield to maintain dominion in that theater. He has a swath of options here, but it’s hard to imagine Omar Mascarell ever getting sat, so count him in.
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Next to him, I’d hope to see Weston McKennie returned to his spot in the starting XI after returning from injury. He’s another guy that’s hard to drop, though Wagner has done so at times this season.
Since this is a 4-4-2, let’s round off this midfield by placing Daniel Caligiuri where he always is, holding down that right side of the midfield and pairing well with Jonjoe Kenny. While I would personally love to see Alessandro Schopf in the starting XI, I just can’t count it as likely yet. He’s playing midweek for a reason.
On the left side, Suat Serdar will see his return to the starting XI, giving David Wagner a midfield that carries the strength and the mobility that he needs to take the fight to the opposition. This is an engine room right here.
Next up, the enigma that is this attack.