And we're back. The U.S. men's national team may still be feeling the effects of their Gold Cup quarterfinal win over Canada, a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of action that led to a brawl for the ages. After a week between group stage and knockout games, the U.S. now has less than 72 hours between their quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
What a weird tournament, huh?
Because of that short turnaround, B.J. Callaghan has some decisions to make for Wednesday night's clash with Panama. Does he need to rotate after the energy-sapping Canada game? Does he have one eye on the final, hoping to give a few players a chance to recover? Can the U.S. even afford to think that way?
That's one part of Callaghan's lineup problem. The other is tactics. Indeed, a switch against Canada would've offered a look at what the best possible version of this USMNT could look like, one with both Jesus Ferreira and Brandon Vazquez on the field. It didn't happen. Both have scored plenty in this tournament and earned their spot, but can Callaghan find a way to get them both into the XI?
We've reached the big games of this tournament and, thus far, Callaghan has gotten just about everything right. Now, though, he must strike a difficult balance that could, ultimately, determine the USMNT's place in the final.
GOAL takes a look at how the U.S. could line up against Panama...
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