USMNT Starting XI: With Antonee Robinson now also among the missing, how Mauricio Pochettino's suddenly shorthanded side projects against Panama in Nations League

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.

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.

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.

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.

The right-back race will get very interesting when Sergino Des returns, but until then, the USMNT doesn't necessarily need Scally as a right-back.

The Borussia Monchengladbach defender has played plenty of games as a right-sided centerback in a back three, and Pochettino could ask him to do that here. Doing that would allow him to focus on his best defensive attributes while also getting a more dynamic player on the right side of this back five.

He's listed as a forward on the roster and can obviously play in midfield. Right now, the USMNT need him as a wingback.

This is the versatility of Musah, a player who has the ability to help Pochettino in these positions. He played in this specific spot against Panama in the fall, scoring his first USMNT goal. If Pochettino does want to go back to a similar setup, you wouldn't blame him as it gets another dynamic option onto the field to help compensate for Robinson's absence.

He's back!

We haven't seen a fully-fit Adams since the 2022 World Cup, which is wild to think about nearly three years later. He played at last summer's Copa America, but was nowhere near his best. Even his ridiculous Nations League goal against Mexico last year came with him at half-strength, if that.

Not this time. Adams is thriving for Bournemouth and will surely be excited for his long-awaited USMNT return.

Tessmann impressed for the USMNT in the fall and heads into camp with some momentum at Lyon. It'll be interesting to see how he fares alongside Adams, if Pochettino goes in that direction.

In some ways, Tessmann is a natural replacement for when Adams can't go. In others, it's tempting to have that two-man wall there to dictate the midfield battle.

Pochettino has multiple options at the No. 10, including Gio Reyna or Diego Luna. Considering the strength of the opponent compared to the one the U.S. would potentially face in the finale - either Mexico or Canada - maybe he'll opt to go with one of those two to give the team a more attacking edge.

McKennie, though, has shined in this role in Serie A, bringing the only semblance of life to a Juventus team that has rarely had any. Giving McKennie freedom unlocks the best version of the Juventus star, allowing him to create havoc all over the field.

Whether it's this game or on Sunday, expect McKennie to play in a more attacking midfield role at some point during these matches.

He's the USMNT's best player and he remains in incredible form for one of the world's biggest teams. Milan haven't really been able to take advantage of that form, but the USMNT will hope to do exactly that.

Pulisic has been and continues to be the face of the USMNT. He'll start both games unless there's a massive surprise here. He's labeled as a striker here in something of a 5-2-1-2, but Pulisic would have the freedom to drift and either receive the ball deep or get in behind in this system.

This is the chance that Josh Sargent has waited so long for, and it's one he'll have to take if he wants a serious chance at starting next summer.

Pepi and Balogun aren't in this camp, leaving Sargent as the presumptive starter. The reality, though, is that Sargent hasn't scored in a USMNT shirt since 2019. He's made 15 appearances since then - few of them starts, to be fair - but he hasn't found the back of the net once.

He's coming off a stretch of eight goals in eight games at the club level, but if he wants to be a realistic contender for the USMNT, he has to score. He's done it plenty with Norwich, but can he do it in USMNT colors? Time to find out.