Shoot to thrill

Scotland will begin the first of three friendlies as the USA build-up to the start of their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign and Craig Levein's side will encounter hot properties from the MLS, Europe and Mexico as well as temperatures in the region of 90˚F.

Although the US weren't disgraced at the World Cup and have the established striking talents of Donovan, Dempsey and Jozy Altidore to call upon – the one-time Villarreal prospect is now impressing at AZ Alkmaar – Klinsmann has made it his mission to cultivate a more attacking style of play than was witnessed in the era of Bob Bradley. His search for a new players who fit his way of thinking includes Juan Agudelo, a 19-year-old striker at Chivas USA, and Brek Shea, a wiry, left midfielder at FC Dallas who spent time at Arsenal.

"There is certainly more choice than ever before," says Steve Nicol, the former coach of New England Revolution, now an MLS pundit with ESPN. "They are organised and they are smarter now, more of them read the game better now, but what Klinsmann is trying to do is take it on a stage, and get the team further forward. Bob Bradley didn't really have the tools as far as strikers were concerned, the ball was bouncing off them and coming back, but with Dempsey and the kid Juan Agudelo they have more chance of making things stick. With it being a friendly, Klinsmann might just throw in one or two to have a look at.

"Agudelo is a kid who hardly plays for his club team," Nicol added. "He has just moved from New York Red Bulls to Chivas USA, and over the last two years has probably played more international games than he has club games. He is still only 19 and still serving his apprenticeship, but has a bit of pace and an eye for goal. His all-round game is pretty good.

"Brek Shea is another who will probably play, on the left this time. He was over in England during the off-season training with a couple of teams. He has got an eye for goal, decent pace and makes decent runs into the box late on. He is a big skinny guy, about 6ft 3in, and when he opens his legs he can run like the wind. He could go to the Premiership one day because he does have ability, he was one of the better players in the league last year."

There is much more besides. There will almost certainly be a starting places for the Rangers duo of Maurice Edu and Carlos Bocanegra, as well as Chievo midfielder Michael Bradley, while in addition to Schalke's Jermaine Jones, a burgeoning German-based contingent includes Fabian Johnson, a highly-rated midfielder at Hoffenheim, and Terrence Boyd, who is in the reserves at Borussia Dortmund. In what is likely to be an experimental team, Klinsmann could yet find places for Michael Parkhurst of Danish side FC Nordsjaelland at right-back or Clarence Goodson of Brondby in the centre.

Herculez Gomez is another interesting front man who has shown Nicol more since moving to Mexican side Santos than he ever did in the MLS. "Herculez Gomez played in the MLS for about six years and couldn't get a game for anyone, now all of a sudden he has moved to Mexico and has started scoring goals," Nicol said.

It will be the sixth meeting between the two teams with the US unbeaten in their last three, a run which stretches back some 20 years, and one of the biggest problems for Craig Levein's side is likely to be the heat in Jacksonville's EverBank Stadium. "At 8pm it won't be too bad, only about 90˚F . . ." Nicol joked. "They're away from home, the conditions are going to be red hot, so it won't be easy. They will find it hard physically but a lot of the American boys might find it difficult as well, especially if they are playing in Europe. If it is as hot as I think it will be a slow game because you can't run in those temperatures."