On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Men’s National Team will take on the Czech Republic in Prague (2:15 p.m., ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMas and ESPN Deportes Radio). With the World Cup just ended and neither team with a tournament to prepare for (the U.S. plays in next summer’s Gold Cup, which is in July, but has already qualified automatically as the host), this is a low-pressure affair. Jurgen Klinsmann has named a roster with (almost) no MLS-based players, allowing those from that league to remain with their clubs at an important part of the season. Instead, World Cup debutants like John Brooks and Julian Green, and players returning to the national team fold, like Brek Shea, get the call.

What is the point of this?

It’s a fair question. Following a major tournament like the World Cup and with few tournament qualifiers on the horizon, what is the point of holding friendlies this early in the European club season? The players have little to play for and the risk of injury is high. Why bother? It can be a money-maker, as the hunger for international football is great, even following the smorgasbord just finished in Brazil, but the calendar could do with a rethinking.

The U.S. roster

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan and Nick Rimando are familiar faces, with Guzan likely the senior man. With Tim Howard’s international sabbatical, both will be hungry to get some minutes. Young Cody Cropper, who plays for Southampton in the British Premier League, has also been called in. Cropper has never represented the senior team, though he was in the squad for the Bosnia-Herzegovina match last August, and has appeared for the Under-20s.

Defenders: With Timmy Chandler, Fabian Johnson, Michael Orozco, and Tim Ream joining Brooks, it’s some familiar faces in defense. Ream has had quite an up-and-down career since leaving MLS, but seems to be finding his feet for Bolton, where he was named player of the season last year. Also making the cut is Greg Garza (Club Tijuana), another young player yet to represent the senior side. Geoff Cameron had been called up but withdrew because of injury.

Midfielders: Joe Corona, Emerson Hyndman, and Alfredo Morales join Alejandro Bedoya, Green, Shea, and Mix Diskerud. Hyndman and Morales are more new faces, and calling Green a midfielder seems a continuing misnomer. Shea and Diskerud will be looking to reassert their places with the national team, as Diskerud’s World Cup saw him play far fewer minutes than he would have liked, and Shea is fighting to regain his standing at both club and international level. Shea has looked good for the U.S, in limited action over the past two years, however.

Forwards: This is a grab bag of new faces plus Jozy Altidore. Of Joe Gyau, Jordan Morris, Rubio Rubin, and Bobby Wood, only Wood has made a senior appearance. Morris is still a college student, at Stanford, and Rubin is still just 18. Altidore will look to put the disappointment of his injury at the World Cup behind him. Another good performance for the national team might kick-start his club season.

Predictions

Don’t bother. Literally no one cares about this game’s result. As might be the case in an early preseason game, the point will be to see how young prospects fare. The game will be played in Prague, with veterans like Tomas Rosicky and Petr Cech leading the Czech team, so the the U.S. is definitely the underdog. Look for lots of substitutions and players looking unfamiliar with one another. That said, no Klinsmann team in the last two years has looked unprepared, so the young American team will put in a spirited fight.