AS THE UNITED STATES national team prepares for Turkey on Sunday in its second friendly ahead of the World Cup, the diamond midfield could potentially be employed again—and this time against a formidable opponent.

The formation was rolled out for the first time under Jurgen Klinsmann April 2 against Mexico in a 2-2 draw that featured an eye-opening display of attacking soccer. Kyle Beckerman, Graham Zusi, Brad Davis, and Michael Bradley started that game and the team was dominant in the first half.

Earlier this week in the U.S. team’s 2-0 win over Azerbaijan, the team was not nearly as effective in the diamond but Azerbaijan elected to bunker for most of the game and did not give the U.S. team a lot of space to operate. That is unlikely to be the situation at the World Cup against the likes of Ghana, Portugal, and Germany, so Sunday’s game against Turkey is likely going give an indication as whether or not the diamond will work against high-quality competition.

“I guess the way I look at is that we can play many different formations and if we can add the diamond to that, then that’s great,” Beckerman said. “If we want to change on the fly or if we want to adjust to the opponent or if we feel that we can attack in a certain way, I think that it is just another weapon.”

At practice on Saturday, the U.S. looked like it was planning to use the diamond against Turkey. In an inter-squad scrimmage at Red Bull Arena, Michael Bradley occupied the attacking role in partnership with Jermaine Jones in the No. 6. Brad Davis played wide left and Graham Zusi was wide right. The forwards: Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore.

On the second team, Beckerman played the No. 6 while Mix Diskerud held the forward point of the diamond. Julian Green played wide left—and looked dangerous during practice—while Alejandro Bedoya was deployed on the right. Aron Johannsson and Chris Wondolowski played forward on this squad.

The diamond midfield requires a great deal from each of the midfielders. The defensive midfielder has to cover a lot of ground while the attacking midfielder, playing the No. 10 role, has to be creative. The wide midfielders must understand when to cut in and when to stay out wide.

“The pressing is part of it, the passing is part of it, but probably the most important part of it is having the ball,” Beckerman said. “There are some things that are difficult about it for sure but it also makes some other things easier. The guys we have here have a high soccer IQ so we should be able to pick it up quickly. So I see no reason why it can’t work.”

Zusi traditionally plays in the 4-3-3 at Sporting Kansas City but he is familiar with the diamond and played it while at the University of Maryland. He believes the formation maximizes his strengths.

“I’m very comfortable with the diamond,” Zusi said. “It plays to my tendencies as a player. I like to tuck in a bit, I like to pay out wide. It gives me both of those options. I think our team is capable of playing several different formations. I think can be beneficial in a tournament like this because the oppositions can pose such different threats. So the ability to change a formation and be very comfortable in that is a big, big asset.”

Against Azerbaijan, Davis came on in the second half and his free kick deliveries helped the U.S. score a pair of goals in the victory. The Houston Dynamo midfielder has seen an increased role with the team in 2014, where he has played in three of the four games this year. Against Mexico, he was named to the starting lineup ahead of Landon Donovan—a portent of decisions to come.

Against Turkey, Davis looks set to make his third start of the year and his second in the diamond formation.

“For me, I enjoy it quite a lot,” Davis said. “I’ve been a guy who has played in the middle of the midfield and I’ve been a guy who has played out wide as well. It’s kind of that hybrid position so I think it kind of fits me pretty well. I feel comfortable in that position whether I need to slid in or stay wide.”

The success of the diamond for the U.S. in Brazil will likely all come down to Bradley, who is widely considered the team’s best player. Playing at the front tip of the diamond, the offense will essentially run through him. His link up with the outside midfielders and the forwards will create most of the opportunities.

Against Mexico in April, Bradley played exceptionally well with Beckerman. While Jones has been Klinsmann’s preferred partner in the middle with Bradley, Beckerman has been solid when given the chance.

“Anytime when we’re in practice and we are on the same team, we like to find each other,” Beckerman said. “The main importance for a defensive midfielder is to get the ball to the attacking midfielder and Michael is really coming into his own in that attacking midfield role. If you get him the ball with some time and space, he can do some really dangerous things.”

The optimism regarding the Bradley-run diamond runs throughout the team and the forwards who are the beneficiaries seem to agree that it plays to the strengths.

“Me personally, I love it,” Wondolowski said. “I think the diamond has really helped us—especially when you have a guy like Michael Bradley who is such a complete player and has epitomized that role where he can play multiple positions in that diamond.”

Do you like the diamond midfield? Hoping to see it deployed again on Sunday? Share your thoughts below.

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.