Malik Tillman in the midfield, Brenden Aaronson in attack: How the USMNT should line up against Canada

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GOAL takes a look at what the U.S. could look like against Canada

Reported new U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t arrived just yet, but he is likely watching the team’s September camp closely.

There have already been a few significant changes with the squad selection under interim coach Mikey Varas. Several pillars of the USMNT under Gregg Berhalter were left at home, for varying reasons. Multiple new faces have been brought in. It’ll take some time for the Pochettino Era to truly begin, but there have been little shifts to precede it.

So what does that mean for these September friendlies? Well, it means Pochettino will be monitoring the performances of several players very, very closely. The audition process has already started for the members of the USMNT and these friendlies are a chance for everyone to make a good first impression.

READ MORE: Remember when Pochettino and Berhalter faced each other?

First up is a match with Canada. The U.S. will likely take it extremely seriously. After this summer’s Copa America failure, the USMNT won’t want another embarrassing moment against a CONCACAF rival so, knowing that, it’s safe to expect a strong team against Jesse Marsch and Co. Even so, there are some big players missing, making Saturday’s lineup an interesting one to predict.

That’s why we’re here, though. Here’s a look at how the USMNT could line up on Saturday…

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GK: Matt Turner

We know. The world wants to see Diego Kochen or Patrick Schulte in this spot. Maybe we’ll see Schulte, in particular, against New Zealand. This is a big-ish game, though, and Turner is still the No. 1.

He needs the minutes, too, even after his move to Crystal Palace. Turner is set to be the No. 2 at Palace, making minutes hard to come by there, too. At some point, Pochettino will have to make a call: continue to give Turner minutes to keep him sharp or pull the plug and hand the job over to someone new.

We’re not there yet. For now, Turner is still the guy.

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LB: Kristoffer Lund

There’s no Antonee Robinson in camp, which really does open up this left-back spot. Does Mikey Varas go with a slightly more familiar face like Lund or a rising star like Caleb Wiley?

We’ll go with Lund, just because he’s been around the team a bit more over the last year or so. Wiley should get his chance, though, either as a defender or on the wing, at some point during this September window.

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CB: Tim Ream

The time will come to move on from Ream. This particular game against Canada is not that time.

Ream still provides a valuable presence at the back, particularly with this centerback pool still sorting itself out. By this time next year, the hope will be that there are two other centerbacks locking down starting spots. For now, though, Ream can set the tone before taking a seat in a more experiment-friendly game against New Zealand.
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CB: Chris Richards
The Crystal Palace defender basically locked up a starting spot under the previous regime but, once again, it’s all up for grabs. That makes every game important, both for club and country.

Richards had ups and downs during the Copa America, but that’s behind him now. At 24, it’s now about taking that leap from young defender to leader of the backline as the U.S. inches closer and closer to the World Cup.
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  RB: Joe Scally
  
  Sergino Dest is still out injured, which means Scally is the guy at right-back. They are obviously two very different players, and it’ll be interesting to see if Scally’s playstyle could convince Pochettino when he does take over.
  
  You know what you get with Scally, who is more defensive-minded than someone like Dest. In this game, that’ll be particularly important with Alphonso Davies creating havoc across from the right-back spot.
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  CM: Yunus Musah
  There’s only one member of the MMA midfield in camp with Weston McKennie left at home and Tyler Adams still injured. It’ll be an interesting test for Musah, who will need to take command of the midfield this window.
  
  The AC Milan midfielder is off to a good start this season, but there are still some questions on how he can handle a deeper role. Can he be a No. 6 or at least one-half of a double pivot at the top, top level? This is a good chance to get more data.
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    CM: Johnny Cardoso
    
    He balled out in La Liga last season but Cardoso still hasn’t quite gotten his USMNT chance. You could certainly argue that he deserved it at the Copa America, particularly with Adams not even close to being fully healthy.
    
    This spot could go to Aidan Morris, too, but Cardoso has waited long enough. Give him a chance to play significant minutes against a good Canada team and see how he fares.
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    CAM: Malik Tillman
    
    Tillman has earned his chance, and he should get it this week. With Gio Reyna out, there’s a spot there for him at the No. 10. Can he make an impression in a rare start?
    
    If his PSV form is anything to go by, it will likely be a yes. He pulls all the strings for the Dutch giants with two goals and one assist in four games so far. If he can provide some of that this week, he’ll have a case for a bigger role under this new regime than the one he had under the previous one.
    
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    LW: Christian Pulisic
    
    No need to waste time here. Pulisic is starting, just as he does basically every game. He’s the star. Let’s move on.
    
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    ST: Folarin Balogun
    
    Balogun remains the No. 9 after a very good Copa America, but there’s plenty of competition. We’ll worry about that later. For now, we’ll focus on what all of the changes mean for the Monaco man.
    
    He always felt a little bit miscast in Berhalter’s system, although the U.S. finally did get the best out of him this summer. With Pochettino’s track record, there’s every reason to believe he can get more out of Balogun. How will Varas change things in the interim, though? Does Balogun get in behind a bit more than he did under Berhalter? It’ll be fun to watch.
    
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    RW: Brenden Aaronson
    
    Tim Weah is injured and, to be honest, he’s tough to replace, so Varas will need to figure something out.
    
    Maybe Tillman starts out here, but it makes more sense to keep him central. Haji Wright or Cade Cowell could get some run, too, with the former adding a goalscoring threat and the latter being something close to a Weah replacement.
    
    Aaronson, meanwhile, is a versatile piece that can play anywhere across the front line. He’s done fantastic for Leeds this season and earned his shot. This is a reward for bouncing back and a nice bandaid to patch things up with Weah out.