Jozy Altidore has been medically cleared to play for the United States in its World Cup elimination game against Belgium on Tuesday....

Altidore has struggled to find the back of the net of late, but his speed and physical presence is something the Americans can’t duplicate. Rather than replace him, the U.S. has gone with essentially just one forward, Clint Dempsey, and added an extra midfielder.

While the team announced Altidore is “ready and available” to play after missing two games, questions about his fitness level remain. He likely will be a late-game substitution and isn't expected to start.

"We don’t know how much (Altidore will play) because we didn't see how things were going, but he's available. And this is what we wanted. This is what we hoped for," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said.