Ahead of the January World Cup Qualifiers (you can catch select Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, including all USMNT away matches on Paramount+), the United States men’s national team will be playing a tune-up friendly against Bosnia. This is a time for MLS players to stay fit after ending the regular season on November seventh, but it also has the added bonus of fringe players having a chance to make an impression with coach Gregg Berhalter. As January camp will begin on the sixth, prior to qualifiers later in the month against El Salvador, Canada, and Honduras, a strong performance here and in the camp can go a long way to meaningful senior caps.
One example is Brooks Lennon who Gregg Berhalter has already confirmed will start against Bosnia. Playing right back for Atlanta United, Lennon provided six assists this season while also being solid defensively. In 141 MLS appearances, Lennon has scored five goals and laid on 19 assists so this season isn’t an outlier. Given the mixed performances from DeAndre Yedlin and the form of Sergino Dest, Lennon could find himself in a position to contribute sooner than later with a good performance. It has also been confirmed that George Bello will start at left back for an all Atlanta fullback pairing to begin the game.
Here’s are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 18 | Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Dignity Health Sports Park — Los Angeles, United States
- TV: FS1 | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Storylines
United States: We’ve taken a look at who has the most to gain from this match, but on the field things will be tough to judge. Even though it is a C or D side that will take the pitch Saturday night, victory over Bosnia is expected. Watching the performance of the fullbacks and strikers will be important as those are the positions with the most competition but Cole Bassett could also make things tough for Greg Berhalter in midfield with a good performance, as the partner for Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie isn’t confirmed.
Bosnia: Bosnia’s squad has eight senior caps between them and all hail from the Bosnian domestic leagues. Only calling in 18 players, this could be a tough match for them trying to keep up with a deep United States squad.
Prediction
Depth pays off even though this US team hasn’t played together. Pick: United States 3, Bosnia 1