Team USA is entering its international friendly with Guatemala with a roster nearly at full strength, save for a new, yet familiar captain.
Fox Sports 1 will air the game on TV at 6:30 p.m. ET and online as well. The U.S. is 14-4-6 against Guatemala and Friday's game will take place in Nashville, Tenn.
U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann confirmed Clint Dempsey would not be the team's captain for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. According to ESPN FC, he named U.S. soccer veteran Michael Bradley captain for the time being to allow Dempsey to get in the right frame of mind.
Major League Soccer suspended Dempsey three games for arguing with an official, while the U.S. Cup suspended him six games (or two years, that should come to pass first) for the same confrontation.
"It's important to have Clint be in his best condition for us," Klinsmann said at a press conference Thursday, according to ESPN FC. "Clint is exceptional, an absolutely exceptional player. He's proven that year in and year out. He's proving that now in MLS, like Jozy [Altidore] does as well. We need him. We need him on board. We need him in a good mood. We need him to be enthusiastic about the next couple of weeks. And we need him to score."
Other than goalkeeper Tim Howard continuing his break from international play, the U.S. roster for the Gold Cup is close to what Klinsmann brought to Brazil for the World Cup. The friendly matchup with Guatemala will be the final tune-up before the tournament.
Winning the Gold Cup would automatically qualify the U.S. for the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017, but losing would mean they could still get in if they win a playoff game against the winner.
Dempsey was named captain of the U.S. national team two years ago, taking over for Carlos Bocanegra. Klinsmann said he did not know if Bradley's appointment would remain long-term.
"We're lucky on this team we have a number of guys with big personalities who come in ready to push each other, ready to compete, ready to lead," Bradley said at Thursday's presser. "That's always been the strength of this team. I know that guys like Brad Guzan, Clint and Jozy will be right there with me. There's a feeling amongst us and others that we're all in this together."