A friendly outside of the international calendar isn't the greatest litmus test, but it is a proving ground regardless—especially in the middle of a World Cup qualifying cycle.
Any friendlies outside the FIFA calendar tend to be a bit weird. That'll be especially true in the middle of World Cup qualifying for the U.S. men's national team group gathered to face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday. The competitive stakes are low, the rosters unorthodox, the motivations varying and the potential long-term impact a bit all over the place.
Take last year's December camp for the U.S., for example. Of the players in the starting XI that featured vs.