This will be the first in an occassional series of posts where we look at the available players for the US heading into the 2010 World Cup, and the players that we think are likely to get the call.
With a second-place finish in the Confederation's Cup, which included a huge 2-0 win over Spain, and a hard-fought championship loss to Brazil, it's hard to argue against using most of the players who saw action in the Confed. But 6 points earned to date in the group stage of the Gold Cup also gives the US a deep list of options. Here's the list of players I see as currently occupying the 23 spots available for the 2010 World Cup:
Goalkeepers:
Tim Howard - One of the best keepers in the world.
Brad Guzan - Played very well in shutting out Egypt in the Confed.
Troy Perkins - Two clean sheets so far in the Gold Cup.
Defenders:
Oguchi Onyewu - Signing with AC Milan this week is huge for US.
Carlos Bocanegra - Full team's captain can start at CB or LB.
Jay DeMerit - Would not have been on this list a month ago.
Jonathan Spector - Has emerged as our best option at RB.
Steve Cherundolo - Tough battle with Spector for starting RB.
Chad Marshall - Gold Cup starter might be our best backup CB.
Jonathan Bornstein - Consistency is hard to come by at LB.
Frankie Hejduk - Fantastic in the twilight of his career in WCQ.
Midfielders:
Landon Donovan - The best player ever to wear a US uniform.
Clint Dempsey - Came up big multiple times in the Confed.
Michael Bradley - Great, calm passer, and with a scoring touch.
Benny Feilhaber - Versatile midfielder can play CM or on the wing.
Ricardo Clark - Love him in the bruiser role, when in control.
Robbie Rogers - MVP of the Gold Cup so far with 1 goal, 2 assists.
Maurice Edu - Injuries have kept him out lately, hopefully he recovers.
Kyle Beckerman - Strong showing at CM in the Gold Cup.
Forwards:
Jozy Altidore - Huge in the Confed, with a goal against Spain.
Charlie Davies - Huge in the Confed, with a goal against Egypt.
Brian Ching - Maintains possession and good at drawing fouls.
Freddy Adu - Always looks dangerous, deserves more time.
Out:
Luis Robles - Third keeper in the Confed, yet to get an opportunity.
Danny Califf - No appearances in Confed. Competing for 4th CB.
Michael Parkhurst - 1 Gold Cup appearance, competing for 4th CB.
Clarence Goodson - 1 Gold Cup appearance, competing for 4th CB.
Heath Pearce - One good cross, otherwise unimpressive for the Nats.
Marvel Wynne - Physical presence, still low soccer skills.
Michael Orozco - Disappeared from Nats for unknown reason.
Stuart Holden - Waiting to see more against stronger opponents.
Santino Quaranta - Earned first international goal against Honduras.
Francisco Torres - Wondering if he was benched for a reason?
Pablo Mastroeni - Former starting CDM at the end of his career.
DaMarcus Beasley - Was terrible in the Confed.
Logan Pause - OK defensive midfielder, can he handle the big boys?
Conor Casey - Great MLS season, done nothing on the national level.
Kenny Cooper - Doesn't score from less than 40 yards from goal.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
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7 comments:
Counterpoint?
GK - I think Hahnemann is still in the picture here and didn't get a Gold Cup call up only because he's starting with a new team in Euro pre-season.
Def - Your first five are all pretty much locks, barring injury. I'd argue that Marshall, Bornstein, Hejduk, and Pearce might be fighting for two spots, with Marshall and Bornstein getting the nod at the moment, though Bornstein's ability to play in midfield might open another defensive slot.
Mid - Can't argue with your top five, and, since Edu is probably a given if healthy, I'm not sure Beckerman is necessary with the central midfield depth already on your roster. I need to see more from Rogers, but he certainly seems to fit the bill for the style we're playing now, though I'd be more inclined to select Torres. With one (or both) of those two providing wide midfield depth, and Rogers able to play either side, I think we'll probably one more wide mid, and that spot is pretty much open for the taking.
Fwd - Adu doesn't get the nod for me until he's playing regularly for his club. He looked lost and ineffective against Honduras. Much like the final wide midfield spot, I think the #4 forward spot is wide open for somebody to stake a claim.
Not a criticism, just a question:
Do you not see Jermaine Jones getting a spot in the team before the World Cup?
True about Jones...assuming he fits in well with the team. There's always a chance that he doesn't, but if we assume he's not a total misanthrope then that definitely leaves Beckerman out of the picture and Rico Clark should be getting nervous as well.
JD- Wow, good call. I definitely forgot about Jones. Although for the purpose of this post, I'd still put him in the "Out" category, at least for now. Hopefully we get to see him in action in some upcoming WCQ matches.
FB- You make some good points, and I have no doubt that this list will change over the next few months. But if we start with the assumption that Bob will prefer a roster similar to what he brought to the Confed, then it's easy to make a couple substitutions for similar players (Rogers for Beasley, Beckermen for Kljestan, Marshall for Califf, etc).
Torres will continue to be a constant debate over the next year. I'm not as quick as most fans to instantly deem him as our savior after just one single 45-minute unproductive yet promising performance against Costa Rica. But I do wonder how quickly it will take for Bradley to concede to the popular opinion and give JFT a chance.
The roster looks great!
Looks fun
Great website, continue the Excellent work!
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