USA striker Altidore injures ankle

Published Jun. 3, 2010 5:55 p.m. ET

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U.S. national team striker Jozy Altidore suffered a sprained ankle in training on Wednesday that forced him to miss practice on Thursday and could force him to miss the team‘s upcoming friendly with Australia.

X-rays came back negative on the injury on Thursday and Altidore is considered day-to-day with a mild sprain.

The injury comes just two days before the United States is to take on Australia in its final World Cup tune-up match. Altidore will undergo a fitness test on Friday to determine his availability for the match. If Altidore is unable to play on Saturday, U.S. coach Bob Bradley will have to choose from a trio of forwards to replace Altidore.

Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez and Robbie Findley will all be in contention to start, though two of the three could wind up starting if Bradley decides to play Clint Dempsey as a wing midfielder.

A serious injury to Altidore would have all but assured that Dempsey played exclusively as a forward in the World Cup, which would mean a stronger chance of a starting role for midfielders Stuart Holden and DaMarcus Beasley, who are already in contention to be in the starting XI for the June 12th World Cup opener against England.

Losing Altidore would be devastating for the United States because nobody on the roster can match his mix of size and speed, and none of the pure forwards on the team have his international experience. Altidore is also coming off a season playing in the English Premier League, so he has already faced England’s top defenders, experience that could prove invaluable vs. England.

Buddle and Gomez are both enjoying good runs of form, but neither has established himself on the international level. Buddle leads MLS in goals, and Gomez tied for the Mexican League lead in goals this past season. Gomez would probably have the edge between the two.

Findley was the most surprising member of the United States’ 23-man roster, but he impressed as a second-half substitute vs. Turkey last Saturday. Even with that performance, Findley is still more likely to be a speed option off the bench.

An Altidore injury might also force Bradley to consider playing with Dempsey as a lone forward in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-2-1, formations that would tap into the team’s depth in the midfield. The emergence of Jose Torres as a serious option in central midfield gives Bradley a wealth of options in the middle of the field.

The United States will take on Australia in the Johannesburg suburb of Roodepoort on Saturday in the final World Cup tune-up match for both teams.

Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com who will be covering U.S. Soccer and MLS.