How can the USMNT cope without Weston McKennie or Sergino Dest? The best U.S. starting XI for Nations League final vs Canada

No wasting time here; Turner is starting.

He was rarely tested against Mexico, as the USMNT bossed the game, but one would expect Canada to provide a bit more pressure due to their elite-level attackers.

After another solid performance against Mexico, Robinson will almost certainly remain in the XI.

Any slight chance that he'd be benched went out the window when Dest was sent off, as the USMNT's lack of depth at fullback means he'll be in the XI again.

Thursday night's win was exactly the type of performance that showed why, given all he's been through, many remain so convinced by Robinson.

He's all the way back from his horrible Achilles injury, as evidenced by his fantastic effort against Mexico. The Atlanta United star had an answer for everything Mexico threw at him, which is why he should remain in the XI.

Why ruin a good thing?

This centerback spot is one that will be up for grabs, with it likely coming down to Richards or Walker Zimmerman. The latter, of course, has the experience edge and will also be well-rested, having only come on for a cameo against Mexico.

But the Richards-Robinson partnership worked really, really well against El Tri, who never really bothered that duo. It's a tough call, for sure, but it seems like a good idea to keep that pairing together as a reward for their solid performance.

We know this is one change the U.S. will make, with Scally the obvious replacement for the suspended Dest.

Oddly enough, the USMNT could be better for it, even with how good Dest was against Mexico. There's a good chance that the right-back will be forced to go toe-to-toe with Alphonso Davies, something Scally has done a few times in the Bundesliga. The Borussia Monchengladbach defender has notoriously performed well against Bayern Munich, so he won't be overawed by anything Davies brings.

Because of that, the U.S. should be just fine even with Dest out.

The second enforced change for the USMNT, as McKennie is suspended as well.

That one is a tougher pill to swallow. The U.S. are quite obviously a better team with McKennie on the field and his absence in the center of the field will hurt in a big way, especially with Tyler Adams also out.

Luca de la Torre or Johnny Cardoso are the two options to replace him. The former is much smoother on the ball and could cause Canada's midfield trouble. The latter is more defensively sound, a true No.6.

We'll go with De la Torre, an option that comes with both risk and reward. If the U.S. can possess the ball and not turn it over in dangerous areas, they should be able to survive.

Playing in a double-pivot alongside McKennie, Musah had a pretty solid game against Mexico.

Without Adams behind him, the Valencia midfielder had to hold back on some of his more attacking instincts, instead putting in a really strong defensive performance in a game that really called for it. He combined well with McKennie and Gio Reyna and, quite frankly, dominated the midfield, even if he was overshadowed a bit by the other two.

He'll stay in the XI, no doubt.

He didn't get on the scoresheet, but Reyna's performance against Mexico was his best in quite some time.

Playing in a central role, Reyna looked significantly more comfortable than he did in the same position during the March window. He was confident, direct and influential, showing why that may just be his role going forward.

Christian Pulisic is obviously starting.

He was the clear Man of the Match against El Tri, scoring twice while running circles around Mexico's defense. It was another typical USMNT performance from the winger, who continued to step up in big games.

He'll play in another on Sunday as he looks to lead the U.S. to another trophy.

A tough call here for Callaghan, but Balogun should get the nod.

Ricardo Pepi was good off the bench, scoring almost immediately to effectively end the game. The ex-FC Dallas star is deserving of minutes going forward, for sure.

But this is Balogun's moment. He didn't score against Mexico and didn't really create many chances of his own, but he did show how much pull he has in the middle of the field. It's a bit of a copout to say after a goalless game, but Balogun does have a presence that impacted the match, even if it was indirectly.

He'll be hunting for that first goal, though, and the USMNT will hope it comes in this finale.

If you want a clear example of why Weah starts, look at the USMNT's second goal.

He has an ability to drive the ball to the endline and make defenses uncomfortable. It's a key tenant of the USMNT's style of play: let Weah run into space and find whoever's open in the box.

The connection he has with his teammates is fantastic, making him a key piece of everything the U.S. does in the attack.