da pixbet： Vlatko Andonovski has some tough decisions to make with his XI, but it may be worthwhile to let the teenage forward loose early in the tournament

da betobet： On a good day, it's really, really hard to predict what Vlatko Andonovski is going to do with the United States women's national team line up. Throughout the course of this cycle, Andonovski has often chopped and changed, experimenting plenty as he looked to nail down a first-choice XI. At this point, we don't even really know what that is, simply because we haven't really gotten to see it.

And that's on a good day. Friday's World Cup opener against Vietnam, meanwhile, is a weird one. It's the start of a major tournament, sure, but also a game against, on paper, the USWNT's weakest opponent. If there was a chance for Andonovski to really throw in a curveball, this is the game.

Part of that is due to injuries. Rose Lavelle, Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe aren't 100 percent fit, although only the first two are the contenders to start. The other part of it is due to squad rotation, as Andonovski could very well look to, at least initially, rest some key players while looking ahead to tougher games against the Netherlands and Portugal.

So how does he handle that balancing act? GOAL takes a look at how the USWNT should line up on Friday against Vietnam…

Getty ImagesGK: Alyssa Naeher

One of the few players in this XI that is pretty immune from rotation. Naeher is the starter and, barring injury, we'll almost certainly see her play every minute this tournament.

Well, certainly. Casey Murphy or Aubrey Kingsbury could conceivably challenge her for that spot if her form isn't where it should be but, realistically, this isn't the time for goalkeeper drama. Give Naeher the start and let her warm-up for the tougher games ahead.

AdvertisementGettyLB: Crystal Dunn

Could we finally see the great Dunn midfield move in this game? Maybe! Will we? Probably not! Andonovski has shied away from using Dunn in that position all cycle, so it would be pretty wild to see it happen now, even with Lavelle's injury issues.

Instead, we'll likely see Dunn provide some attacking thrust on the left against a team that should have few options to stop her.

GettyCB: Naomi Girma

Even if Andonovski wanted to rotate at center-back, it's not like he has many options. Girma and Alana Cook are the only two central defenders in the squad, which means there really won't be many opportunities to rest those two throughout.

You could see someone like Emily Sonnett or Ertz start centrally, but it's probably more valuable to get Girma on the field so she can shake out any potential World Cup nerves.

CB: Alana Cook

Ditto from above. Andonovski will almost certainly want Cook to get a taste of the World Cup in a game where she likely won't be challenged too much. Let her walk out, hear the anthem, make a few plays and then, maybe, take her or Girma out if he wants to save their legs for the rest of the group stage.