Two nations looking to return to form will do battle today in an international friendly between the United States men's national team and Turkey. The American World Cup tune-up scheduled for 2 p.m. ET will be held at Red Bull Arena in Harrison and be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN2 and UniMas.
After facing an opponent in Azerbaijan that was comfortable to sit behind the ball, the U.S. men's national team will now adjust to the technical ability of the Turkish national team. Fresh off a 2-0 victory over Honduras, Turkey will provide head coach Jurgen Klinsmann the one thing he wants as he prepares for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil: A challenge.
"I think with Turkey we have a team now on a very high level, a team that almost qualified and [with] very good individual players," Klinsmann said at a news conference Friday (via Philly.com). "They'll challenge us."
Despite carrying an inexperienced roster, captain Clint Dempsey doesn't believe the team will shy away from said challenges.
"I think that's what's good about some of the young talent we have in the United States," Dempsey added. "They're not afraid of the big stage. They accept the challenge."
Will the U.S. men's national team be able to live up to the task at Red Bull Arena this afternoon? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: The battle for minutes at center-back remains the focus of the U.S. men's national team. In their first friendly against Azerbaijan, it was Geoff Cameron who got the start. Now, it's time for Omar Gonzalez to prove his worth against Turkey. In six appearances with the Galaxy this season, the 25-year-old is averaging 10 clearances per match.
USA's Projected Lineup (4-1-2-1-2): Howard; Chandler, Besler, Gonzalez, Johnson; Davis, Beckerman, Jones, Bradley; Dempsey, Altidore
Turkey's Projected Lineup (4-2-2-2): Zengin; Camdal, Toprak, Balta, Dogan; Tufan, Hanoglu, Potuk, Adin; Pektemek, Sahan
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