A pivotal role awaits the young Coventry City midfielder Barry Quinn when the Republic of Ireland open their US Cup programme against Mexico at Soldier Field, Chicago, tomorrow night.
Just six days after finishing a difficult stint in the under-21 tournament at Toulon, Quinn is now required to address one of the more obvious weaknesses in the team which lost to Scotland in midweek.
The absence of a defensive midfielder in the mould of a Roy Keane or Lee Carsley allowed Don Hutchison to win the game for the Scots. Now the hope is that Quinn, who was not overly successful on a similar mission against Portugal last Monday, can somehow close off those expensive gaps.
"It's a question of mixing and matching," said manager Mick McCarthy. "Of the midfielders we have here, Barry is probably the one who is most comfortable in a holding role.
"I don't hold either Stephen McPhail or Steve Finnan responsible for the goals against the Scots, but Finnan, like Matt Holland, is a box to box runner, and McPhail's strength is passing the ball.
"I thought young Quinn did well for 30 minutes before getting injured against the Greeks," McCarthy said. "He's just been through a tough time in Toulon, of course, but I believe he has the legs to cope."
It is another significant advance in the career of the Dubliner, who captained Ireland to success in the Under-18 championship in Cyprus two years ago.
Nor is Quinn's selection the only talking point in a team which McCarthy hopes will salvage something from the end-of-season programme. Dean Kiely takes over in goal from Alan Kelly, and Holland, whose only international experience amounts to eight minutes as a replacement in the ill-fated game in Macedonia in October, plays alongside Barry Quinn.
Holland, still on a high from Ipswich's promotion to the Premiership next season, fits the description of a player who could be around for a long time. Kiely's selection is explained by McCarthy's desire to give all of his 21 players a game over the next eight days.
The storied Soldier Field arena has staged some massive mismatches in different sporting disciplines, and for a time it looked as if this be might another one.
That was until the Mexicans, to the obvious relief of the tournament organisers, showed up in town yesterday with a squad which in some respects is even more patched up than that of the opposition.
It's scarcely the ideal build-up to Ireland's first appearance in Chicago, but tournament officials are still predicting a big crowd for a game which, it is hoped, will be the focal point of some Irish celebrations in the city.
That depends to a large extent on how Quinn fits in alongside Holland in midfield and the ability of Jason McAteer and Mark Kennedy to deliver the kind of service from the flanks that will allow Niall Quinn and Robbie Keane to put the Mexican defence under concerted pressure.
No less important will be the performances in central defence where, it is to be hoped, Gary Breen's partnership with Richard Dunne will be more authoritative than when Phil Babb joined him against the Scots.
If they can lock up shop, and Holland delivers on a promising pedigree in midfield, it's just possible that we will have cause to celebrate an improbable win.
The Team
Dean Kiely (Charlton Athletic); Stephen Carr (Tottenham Hotspur), Gary Breen (Coventry City), Richard Dunne (Everton), Terry Phelan (Fulham); Jason McAteer (Blackburn Rovers), Matt Holland (Ipswich Town), Barry Quinn (Coventry City), Mark Kennedy (Manchester City); Robbie Keane (Coventry City), Niall Quinn (Sunderland).
