SAN JOSE, Calif. - U.S. national team manager Bruce Arena says that despite a glut of absences, he's convinced that the team's depth will carry the Americans through Friday's critical World Cup qualifier against Honduras.
The U.S. are missing defenders Fabian Johnson, Eric Lichaj and DeAndre Yedlin and forward Bobby Wood to injury, while midfielder Jermaine Jones and defender Timmy Chandler are suspended. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan is with his wife following the birth of his daughter earlier this week, and will miss the match as well.
"It's kind of a next man up [situation]," said Arena at Thursday's press conference. "It's not a like-for-like kind of substitution when you lose players like [Wood], but our team has enough depth and experience to deal with any kind of losses. I'm confident that the players that play [Friday] night will get the job done."
It appears that Jordan Morris is unlikely to play as well. The Seattle Sounders forward hasn't trained with the team all week after sustaining an ankle injury last Sunday, and wasn't on the field for the portion of Thursday's session that was open to the media.
"Jordan's status is day-to-day," said Arena. "He continues to work with our medical staff, and we'll make a conclusion tomorrow as to his status."
The U.S. dropped its first two matches of the final CONCACAF Hexagonal qualifying round, leaving the team in last place. That resulted in the ousting of manager Jurgen Klinsmann last November and the hiring of Arena for his second stint as national team manager.
Arena indicated that the U.S. team is eager to make amends.
"The mood is we'd like to be playing right now," he said. "The guys are very eager to play. We have a great attitude; they're looking forward to the game. I don't know if the word [urgency] is the right word. I just think they're looking forward to the game. They're a very enthusiastic group right now and we can't wait to kick off tomorrow."
Part of the reason for Arena's confidence is down to the veterans he has at his disposal. Goalkeeper Tim Howard, defender DaMarcus Beasley, and forward Clint Dempsey are all holdovers from Arena's last stint as U.S. manager, which ended following the 2006 World Cup. Arena also feels that the time spent visiting players stationed abroad and getting to know them has paid off this week.
"I marvel at the veteran players that are still here that I had so many years ago, their desire to be part of this group and the leadership role that they naturally take," he said.
"That's been great. I think I look back at how important it was that I saw other players that I didn't know, from the time I was hired until now. When they came into camp, it was really a comfortable setting. We all knew each other, we knew what we were about, so [I think] that's paid dividends. I'm just very impressed with the group; their maturity, their experience, and their ability. I'm hopeful that adds up to something tomorrow night."
Honduras is expected to play conservatively, get plenty of numbers behind the ball, and then hit the U.S. on the counter. To break Honduras down, Arena said it will take the U.S. excelling in a number of areas.
"No one can predict how any game is going to go, how any team is going to play," he said. "Regardless of that, we're prepared to deal with any kind of tactics that the Honduran team employs, but certainly any team that plays with numbers behind the ball, it's going to take some creative play, good quick ball movement and a little bit of luck.
"Obviously set pieces then become important, and just a simple understanding from our players on how to break down those formations."