USMNT Projected 2010 World Cup roster

What's left to say about the Gold Cup that hasn't already been said? We had four strong matches, and then one epic failure. It's clear that the 5-0 loss to Mexico weighs more heavily on our hearts than any of the previous victories, but fortunately we have only a few weeks to wait before we get the chance for revenge.

Is it really all that bad that we finished the Gold Cup in second place? Nah. There's no upcoming Confederations Cup to qualify the victor for like last time, so it's not an incredibly meaningful trophy. Our goal for the Gold Cup was to evaluate some new players, right? So if that was the goal, then mission accomplished? Right?

There were definitely a few players who set themselves apart from the rest of the roster in the Gold Cup, both positively and negatively. Guys like Ching and Perkins proved why they've already virtually locked up spots on the World Cup team, while other guys like Heaps and Cooper proved why they haven't received more action in the past. Let's take a second run at our potential World Cup roster, with a little bit of a different format from last time.

Goalkeepers
3 In:
Tim Howard - Still the lock for #1 keeper
Troy Perkins - May have moved into #2 slot after Gold Cup
Brad Guzan - Needs more PT but hasn't lost spot yet

3 Out:
Jon Busch - Consistent MLS keeper could get another chance
Marcus Hahnemann - Is he still in consideration?
Luis Robles - Not a good Gold Cup for him

Defenders
8 In:
Oguchi Onyewu - Hopefully he gets some PT in Milan
Carlos Bocanegra - Full team's captain can start at CB or LB
Jay DeMerit - Confed Cup performance makes him a starter
Jonathan Spector - Now the unquestioned RB starter
Chad Marshall - Good Gold Cup, despite last match
Steve Cherundolo - Unimpressive in brief Gold Cup starts
Heath Pearce - Consistent and can play multiple positions
Jonathan Bornstein - Consistency is hard to come by at LB

8 Out:
Frankie Hejduk - May have lost spot to progressing Pearce
Clarence Goodson - Gold Cup CB was better than expectedD
anny Califf - No appearances in Confed, competing for 4th CB
Michael Parkhurst - Disappointing in Gold Cup
Marvel Wynne - Still waiting to see if he's more than just an athlete
Jimmy Conrad - Good in MLS, not an international
Michael Orozco - Disappeared from Nats for unknown reason
Jay Heaps - Played last ever international match Sunday

Midfielders
8 In:
Landon Donovan - Still best player ever to wear US uniform
Clint Dempsey - New right wing competition from Holden
Michael Bradley - Should continue to develop in Germany
Benny Feilhaber - Brief Gold Cup showing helped the team
Ricardo Clark - Potential transfer to Serie A
Maurice Edu - Hope to see him healthy soon
Stuart Holden - Stock definitely up after Gold Cup
Kyle Beckerman - Consistently adequate, maybe room for him

8 Out:
Robbie Rogers - No impact in Gold Cup knockout matches
Jermaine Jones - Hope he gets called in for some WCQ matches
Francisco Torres - Maybe returns to the fold 8/12
Sacha Kljestan - Needs to play better in MLS before next callup
Logan Pause - Mediocre in Gold Cup, probably out of the picture
Santino Quaranta - Not sure why so little Gold Cup PT
DaMarcus Beasley - Needs PT at Rangers to earn another chance
Sam Cronin - First cap at Gold Cup, keep in mind for 2014

Forwards
4 In:
Jozy Altidore - Transfer to Olympiakos could be good for him
Charlie Davies - Best player on the field against Honduras
Brian Ching - Only player to keep his head up in Mexico loss
Freddy Adu - Still in by default because no other good forwards

4 Out:
Conor Casey - Interested to see if he gets another chance 8/12
Kenny Cooper - Unimpressive in Gold Cup
Nate Jaqua - Just throwing out names at this point
Brian McBride - Please come back! We need you!

USMNT projected 2010 World Cup roster

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.