World Cup: U.S. vs. Algeria: Some surprises in the U.S. starting lineup

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Good morning from Pretoria, South Africa, where U.S. Coach Bob Bradley already has pulled a rabbit or two out of his hat even before the first ball is kicked.

In naming his starting lineup for the must-win game against Algeria that begins in less than half an hour, Bradley has dropped defender Oguchi Onyeu and moved Carlos Bocanegra into his central midfield spot. The coach is starting Jonathan Bornstein for the first time in the tournament and has opted to go with a front-line pairing of Jozy Altidore and Herculez Gomez.

These could either be bold moves or disastrous ones. No word yet on why Onyewu was relegated to the bench, but it might have to do with the speed the Algerians have in their attack.

Here are the starting 11 for the U.S.:

Goalkeeper: Tim Howard

Right back: Steve Cherundolo

Center backs: Jay DeMerit and Carlos Bocanegra

Left back: Jonathan Bornstein

Midfielders: Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey

Forwards: Jozy Altidore and Herculez Gomez

More on Algeria and its lineup soon.

-- Grahame L. Jones in Pretoria, South Africa