Balancing act: Rotation or ride the wave, the Tyler Adams dilemma and five keys for Mauricio Pochettino and the Gold Cup quarterfinal-bound USMNT vs Haiti

There will be some rotation on Sunday. It would be silly not to. Pochettino has stuck with the same XI for each of these first two games and, even with the time off between this match and the knockout rounds, there will surely be some changes to the XI.

The question, of course, is how much? Does Pochettino shake things up, giving other guys a good look, or does he stick with many of the regulars in pursuit of more momentum heading into the knockout rounds?

It's a delicate balance. Players will no doubt be tired after a hot one in Austin on Thursday, and several who logged heavy minutes should almost certainly be given the time off. However, Pochettino will have memories of that Switzerland game just before the Gold Cup, when he rotated heavily after a decent performance against Turkey. Against the Swiss, the U.S. were battered, partly due to a lack of chemistry and partly due to the fact that there were several players who just weren't up to that level.

Haiti are a notch below, to be sure, but even so, there's a case to be made for building momentum and continuing to uplift those who have performed well. Is it more beneficial for Malik Tillman to continue to develop confidence? Could this be a game for Patrick Agyemang to get a few shots on goal? Is it worth continuing to see how newer faces such as Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten adjust to different game situations?

Pochettino has some decisions to make, not just to set his team up for Sunday, but also for the rest of the tournament.

If Mauricio Pochettino had to pick a center-back duo to play one game right now, all indications point to it being Chris Richards and Tim Ream. There is data behind the assumption. In a tournament that allowed him to mix and match pairings, Pochettino stuck with Ream and Richards in each of the first two games.

Heading into game three, though, is it worth seeing what else is in the pool? Richards is CB1. Ream could not possibly gain any more experience. As for the others, there are points to prove.

Mark McKenzie has plenty to gain as he fights to usurp Ream and claim that second spot. He had a rough game against Switzerland, but who didn't? For most of this cycle, McKenzie has been on the fringes, in the team but not quite in a starting spot. With a World Cup looming, nothing feels locked in and, having missed out on the last tournament as one of the team's final cuts, McKenzie doesn't want to leave anything to chance.

"It's something that's stuck with me and something where I don't want to leave a doubt going forward," he said this week. "Every time I step into camp, I try to showcase what I can do and, ultimately, showcase that I'm a player who deserves to be part of the team."

Both Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson will have the same feeling. Both are veterans, and both have also been left out of the starting XI to start this tournament. They, too, will be looking for a chance to bring some stability to the backline, just as Richards and Ream have at the start of this tournament.

After coming on as a second-half substitute against Saudi Arabia, Tyler Adams was asked about that pesky foot injury that had been bothering him all tournament. He responded that he's at 100 percent.

"I'm on the right path," Adams said. "I'm ready to plan, man. I'm ready to play."

Adams may be ready, but does this team need him in this game? With the USMNT already through to the quarterfinals, the most important thing is having Adams ready for the tougher challenges to come.

No disrespect to Haiti, but they aren't one of those challenges. There are two lines of thinking here: play Adams and let him get some minutes in his legs before the knockouts, or rest him and make sure hes's good to go for the quarterfinals.

It doesn't necessarily have to be one or the other. Pochettino could give him a half or so. He could use him as a late sub, as he did against Saudi Arabia. There's merit to each of these choices. Adams will no doubt want to play, and the U.S. will certainly be better if he is on the field. But is it worth the risk?

Damion Downs is the USMNT's big mystery. He's gotten a total of 43 minutes so far this summer, featuring against Switzerland and Saudi Arabia with a bout of illness in between. Having played so little, Downs is an interesting player heading into this final group stage game. Can he be a difference-maker in the attack?

After a breakout season in which he hit double figures for FC Koln in the 2. Bundesliga, Downs has been used as a second striker in his two USMNT cameos, featuring behind the No. 9. It offers a different look for the U.S., and it put another legitimate goalscorer on the field, which could be vital as this tournament moves on.

"I think he brings something a little different than everyone," Adams said of Downs. "I feel like we have different profile players in every position, and he can play as that No. 10 as well. He can play underneath as that second striker or play up top. He offers runs in behind and he's good around the goal, too."

Though the illness is behind him, it's worth noting that Downs was working out in the gym on Saturday, not in training with the rest of the team. If he's fit, Sunday could be a chance for him to earn a role for the knockout rounds and, potentially, beyond.

For any team looking to frustrate the USMNT, there's already a plan out there. Turkey did it well. So, too, did Saudi Arabia, albeit in defeat. That plan? Clog the middle and force the USMNT to create something, anything, out wide.

The plan, generally, worked well for Saudi Arabia, which kept Tillman from running the show as he did against T&T in the opener. Tillman completed just 26 passes, as the Saudi defense did everything to deny the U.S. from running down the middle. For comparison, Tillman attempted 49 passes in the T&T triumph, showing just how much more he was able to get on the ball.

Denying Tillman, or whoever plays centrally, is step one for opposing defenses. If they do that, it forces the U.S. to play out wide, where this team, generally, doesn't have the pace to threaten. Jack McGlynn is a No. 6 turned winger. Diego Luna is really a No. 10 masquerading as a wide player. There are no real burners in this team, which is why the U.S. has struggled to stretch out teams that are disciplined enough to stay compact.

Is Haiti good enough to do that? Probably not, but this is still a good chance for the U.S. to try some new wrinkles in wide areas. Maybe they give Alex Freeman more room to roam. Maybe Quinn Sullivan gets a look as a more out-and-out winger. Could one of the Aaronson brothers, Brenden or Paxten, make a difference?

Regardless of personnel, it would be helpful for the U.S. to put some dangerous moments out wide on film, even if it's just to give future opponents something to worry about when they choose to pack the middle.