USMNT center-back competition wide open heading into World Cup qualifiers

John Brooks may be out injured, but U.S. coach Bruce Arena still has options aplenty in central defense heading into September's matches

HANOVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. — When asked on Monday about whether the U.S. national team had some concerns regarding its central defense, Bruce Arena sounded genuinely surprised by the question. The loss of regular starter John Brooks to injury a week ago wasn't good news, but as the coach made clear, the U.S. isn't lacking for center-back options.

Veteran starter Geoff Cameron is in the squad, and is expected to anchor the defense against Costa Rica and Honduras in the coming days. But Omar Gonzalez, Tim Ream, Matt Besler and Matt Hedges are all in the running…