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United States forward Jozy Altidore will not play Thursday against Germany. Altidore suffered a strained hamstring against Ghana and was not available for Sunday's match against Portugal, either.
There was little hope for Altidore to return this quickly, but there is a silver lining. Should the United States advance to the knockout stage, US manager Jurgen Klinsmann said Tuesday "we'll have a good chance to have him back again."
Of course, the United States will first have to advance. A win or draw against Germany will ensure just that, but a loss could see them eliminated.
Klinsmann used five midfielders Sunday rather than replace Altidore's spot at forward with Chris Wondolowski or Aron Johannsson. The latter took Altidore's spot against Ghana, but was mostly ineffective.
