Dempsey Out Against Honduras

In our Yanks in Europe Recap, we mentioned that midfielder Clint Dempsey suffered an injury late in the match and needed to be subbed out. While initially it was speculated that Dempsey would not miss any time because of the injury, it is now being confirmed by the National Team that Dempsey will be out of this weekend's match against Honduras.

Dempsey sprained his shoulder late in Fulham's 2-2 draw against West Ham. He underwent an MRI earlier today, and his status for the match against Costa Rica is still unknown. Dempsey, who scored in the USMNT's 2-1 victory over El Salvador, could be replaced by Stuart Holden, who has provided a lot of attacking spark off the bench of late.

Though there is somewhat of a schism amongst American fans over Dempsey's play, there is no denying his propensity to score clutch goals, and that potential for a game-changing moment of brilliance will be sorely missed in San Pedro Sula. The US depth at outside midfield will also be tested now, with the usual starting right midfielder sidelined by injury.

The USMNT will not add a replacement player to the roster to fill the void, so it will be interesting to see how Bob Bradley adjusts his lineup. If Holden were to start, the options off the bench to play on the outside would be Benny Feilhaber (who frequently plays outside for club AGF Aarhus), Robbie Rogers, and Jose Francisco Torres, who possesses the skill and technical ability to play out wide. With Feilhaber most likely being used as a substitute center midfielder, expect either Rogers or Torres to spell Holden. If Rogers were to come in (which would surprise many after his lackluster finish to the Gold Cup), it'd be likely that Landon Donovan would switch over to the right side to accommodate the left footer. Feilhaber, meanwhile, could start out wide on either side with Donovan playing opposite him, with Torres providing depth at center midfield.

Though the loss of Dempsey is certainly not desirable, it will be interesting to see how Stuart Holden (assuming he starts) plays over the course of an entire game and what kind of impact he has on the US attack. If Feilhaber starts out wide, Nats fans will get to see if he can create goals from the wing with the USMNT like those he has been creating with his club team. With Jay DeMerit and Clint Dempsey out, the US will need to adjust its lineup in hopes of grinding out a victory in the hostile environment of San Pedro Sula. Bob Bradley now has 5 days to figure things out.