Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams are locks, Matt Turner needs to perform, and U.S. boss is challenged to put puzzle together

LOS ANGELES – The CONCACAF Nations League semifinals are Thursday night, and the U.S. men's national team has already had to chop and change its squad based on unexpected departures. And that doesn't even include the expected absences of Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Sergino Dest, all of whom would be no-doubt inclusions in a full-strength USMNT squad.

All of that is to say that Mauricio Pochettino has some problems to solve, decisions to make and puzzle pieces to assemble for the team's semifinal against Panama at SoFi Stadium.

Antonee Robinson is out. So, too, are Johnny Cardoso and Auston Trusty. All three could have played a part in this game, but were ruled out Tuesday with injury issues. In their place, Max Arfsten, Brian Gutiérrez and Jack McGlynn have been called in, dramatically altering the USMNT squad just days before the match.

So how does Pochettino respond? Does he stick with a 4-3-3, trusting some players who likely weren't his first-choice starters? Does he swap formations in response to the absences, notably Robinson? Can he both maximize the chances of winning on Thursday, but also prepare the USMNT for a potential final just a few days later?

GOAL projects the USMNT lineup for Thursday's match against Panama.

Getty Images SportGK: Matt Turner

Despite his lack of minutes on the club level, there's still little doubt that this is Matt Turner's spot. That's true until it isn't but, so far, we haven't really seen any indication that Pochettino is ready to hand off the No. 1 spot.

When he has played for the national team, Turner has largely been good. With his club situation, though, margins will be razor thin as he looks to hold onto his spot through this competition and beyond.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLWB: Tim Weah

With Robinson's absence, there are some significant issues at left-back, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Pochettino change systems to better fit the players he has.

Weah has been playing at right-wingback for Juventus, but Pochettino's staff determined in November that they see him as a left-sided player after an ocular test revealed that that was his dominant side. To get everyone into the team, slotting Weah in as the left-wingback makes sense, opening up other positions to get other USMNT stars into the XI.

Getty Images SportCB: Mark McKenzie

This is a tricky one. Tim Ream has the experience, but that may be something Pochettino calls on for the finale, should the U.S. get there. Cameron Carter-Vickers is a wild card, largely because we don't really know where Pochettino stands on him – this is the Celtic defender's first camp under the Argentinian coach.

That brings us to McKenzie, who has a strong argument to be in the XI. He's been solid at Toulouse, having acclimated well to the step up a level to Ligue 1. McKenzie and Chris Richards have played together just once, which could give Pochettino some pause, but this is as good a time as any to get them out there in a competitive game.

It's worth noting, too, that McKenzie has played almost exclusively in a three-centerback setup with Toulouse, particularly as the left-sided option. Another note: McKenzie started in a 2-0 win over this same Panama team in Pochettino's first game in charge last fall.

Getty ImagesCB: Chris Richards

For several years, Richards has been earmarked as a potential USMNT mainstay. He may finally be a level in which his name is one of the first on the USMNT team sheet.

The 24-year-old centerback is playing the best soccer of his career this season at Crystal Palace. Particularly over the last month or so, Richards and Palace have been among the best in the Premier League. He heads into camp in good form, which gives Pochettino plenty of reasons to be confident in him in these two massive games.