1. Guzan In Goal: Brad Guzan is coming off a superb performance in the League Cup for Aston Villa. On October 27th against Sunderland, Guzan stopped a penalty in regulation and then stopped three more in the shootout. Though hopefully he won't need to save any penalties on Saturday, he could use that big moment where he is the difference. Goalkeeping at any level is all about confidence. With Guzan expected to be the backup in South Africa, he needs results from the limited number of games he plays.
2. Setting The Defense: Without starting central defender Oguchi Onyewu and Confederations Cup regular Jay DeMerit, the US will once again be reshuffling the back line. US coach Bob Bradley has given no indication that he's moving away from a back four, so the US will once again be trying to figure out who plays where. Carlos Bocanegra can be on the left or the center. Steve Cherundolo is solid on the right. Jonathan Spector's regular games for West Ham United in the Premier League should have him in the mix, and he can play left, right, or center.3. Stopping One: As our Scouting Report covered, Slovakia has had a lot of success with one player, Napoli's Marek Hamsik. A midfielder, putting pressure on him isn't as easy as targeting a forward. The US won't be the first team to realize Hamsik is key, but it does present an opportunity to make sure they're accounting for him while not allowing that to create other opportunities for Slovakia.
4. The Run Of Play: The US has shown they can beat a team in Europe just on set pieces. That required Landon Donovan, out for Saturday's game due to the MLS Playoffs. Minus Donovan, the US attack will need to rely more heavily on the run of play. Donovan's absence also will require someone in the midfield to carry more of the ball than usual. Depending on whether or not Clint Dempsey starts up front or on the wing, that could fall to him.
5. Up Front: Staying with Dempsey, he has had a solid run of form with Fulham over the last few weeks. Like Donovan, he's a forward at club level. That creates an interesting choice for Bob Bradley. Play to Dempsey's club strengths and put him in as a forward, or stick with the idea that he's a midfielder at international level.
