Sports

Who will replace injured Jozy Altidore in USA?

USMNT faces Portugal without their starting striker.

When it was announced that Jozy Altidore would miss the match against Portugal, the question lingers, and still does, who would replace him? Klinsmann's system was designed with Altidore in a position that only he could play. This leaves Chris Wondolowski, and opportunistic striker, and Aron Johannsson, a more technical striker.

"Jozy is a special player," said US striker Chris Wondolowski. "You can't [replace Altidore]- that's like saying, 'Hey go be Cristiano Ronaldo'. You can't necessarily replace certain aspects of it but I think that both Aron and I bring different styles, different sets of skills that I think are useful and I think that's what we have to do is incorporate those skills sets and also be able to fit into the game plan as well. Just like Aron said, we're going to have to do certain things that Jozy didn't and did do, and we're also going to have to be able to incorporate our style as well, so it's just kind of managing those two things."

Altidore is a big physical striker that is capable of holding off multiple defenders, as well as sending slick passes into the box. He can be possession based as well which is an ultimate package that combines both Johannsson's and Wondolowski's skills.

Wondolowski, known more of a pure striker, or a poacher, would strictly be placed into the game to score goals. He only has two assists in MLS play, but also has more experience than Johannsson at the age of 31. If Klinsmann were to call upon Wondo, he may have to restructure the formation giving him support players to feed him in the box. Wondo is not a build-up play style of player which means the rest of the team would need to get the ball to him in the offensive third. If the US think they're capable of getting the ball through Portugal and to Wondolowski, he would be the go-to man.

Johannsson, on the other hand, is much less of a bully than Altidore was. He relies on technical skills and speed, often making runs forward and drawing defenders to him creating space for other players through his agility. The drawback is that Clint Dempsey wouldn't be able to play the linking role as often, having to pair with Johannsson to support him as he's less likely to have sole presence in the box. Although, Johannsson could find himself in the linking role if the coaching staff is comfortable playing Dempsey alone on top. Also, Klinsmann's changes to the formation would be more subtle than if he went with Wondo.

"Both of us have different styles than Jozy," said Johannsson. "If either one of us gets on the field then we just try to play our game and try to do what the coach wants us to do. If that's to play like Jozy, then we'll try to do that and if he wants us to play like we normally play then we'll try to do that."

It's a difficult decision for Klinsmann and company. How they will adapt to the absence of Altidore leaves Klinsmann with several options, but the US's game will be significantly different in appearance when they take the field on Sunday in Manaus.

Source: Soccerly.com

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jonny.rico@sandiegored.com (Follow Jonny Rico on Facebook and Twitter)

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