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The U.S. men's national team's World Cup qualifier against Mexico in Estadio Azteca will take place exactly a week from now and while we know what players Mexico has brought in for the match, we still haven't heard who the United States will be calling in.
That should change on Thursday, when we are expected to find out what players U.S. coach Bob Bradley will turn to in his attempt to snap the U.S. team's winless funk in Mexico. Some of the players on the list are easy enough to figure out, such as everybody in the above picture (the starting lineup vs. Spain in the Confederations Cup for those of you wondering).
That leaves about nine more spots for a 20-man roster. So who else might we see? Here is a potential 20-man roster:
Projected USA roster vs. Mexico
Goalkeepers– Tim Howard, Brad Guzan
Defenders– Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Chad Marshall, Jonathan Bornstein
Midfielders– Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Stuart Holden
Forwards– Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, Brian Ching, Kenny Cooper
I was torn between adding one more defender or Cooper, so it wouldn't shock me if Clarence Goodson or Dan Califf got the call ahead of Cooper. Kyle Beckerman is also someone we could see. Jonathan Bornstein edges out Frankie Hejduk for the last defender spot (I originally included Hejduk, but Bornstein is a natural left back option whose speed makes him a viable back-up).
The U.S. team will convene in Miami on Sunday for a three-day camp before departing for Mexico City on Tuesday, the day before the qualifier.
What do you think of this group? What players would you like to see on the list who aren't on it?
Share your thoughts below.
Bornstein also still has upside, at only 24 compared to Dunivant’s 28. -Yossarian
________________
Yossarian- I hear this all the time, “why is the US is looking at so and so, he is too old?”.
European teams have the World Cup and the European Championship but we only have the World Cup. So 2014 is irrelevant right now.
Everyone seems to be forgetting that priority # 1 is WC 2010, next year, not 2014. Which means if a 28-35 year old looks like he might work out for the US today then he’s not likely to decline dramatically in the next 6-8 months or so. If Dunivant (I haven’t seen him play in some time) is lights out better than Bornstein and Bocanegra at left back, then bring him in. Hell, if Eddie Lewis is in good form I’d rather have him on the team as he is one of the best dead ball specialists around and has a ton of experience.
harry wrote (edited):
>>if Ching is going to start.then he needs to be excellent no excuses anymore..he needs to score……if he does nothing except a simple hold-up..then i expect people to be honest and not exaggerate when he really did nothing the whole game…<<
harry, you've set up a false set of criteria for success which suggest that you haven't been paying attention and that you don't really know what you're talking about. International competition is not select age group soccer. At the highest level scoring is not always a striker's sole purpose – especially in the USMNT set up. With the gifted Donavan and Dempsey able to make delayed runs, the US plays with a target that can hold up the ball, draw attention from the defense, draw fouls, impede the defense's attempt to move the ball into attack, open space for teammates, lay the ball off and let others score. Ching always gets his share of goals off of corners and set pieces, but he's created lots of chances for others in the run of play. That's completely different from the way that Thierry Henry plays, but Henry is not the only model of an international striker.
If the US had a gifted #10 (did you see Messi last night against the Sounders!) it might be a different story – but then if a frog had wings …
Knowledgeable soccer fans will reject your criteria for success for Ching – there's so much more to it. I look forward to discussing the game with everyone on Aug 13.
“shelDONOVAN: Albright and Dunivant are journeyman-level MLS players without any standout tools or skills. They’re also slow. If there’s one aspect that gets expose more than any other in international football, it’s speed, and Bornstein has that.
Bornstein also still has upside, at only 24 compared to Dunivant’s 28. He looked pretty decent at the Confed Cup, so it seems a little wacky to be throwing Dunivant’s name out there at this point, esp b/c Pearce or Spector would be much better options in that spot if you don’t want Bornstein.
Yossarian”
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Yossarian,
Speed is important but more important at the highest level is speed of thought (or rather not thinking) allied with ball control.
Watch a team like Barca or Milan. Guys like Pirlo, Puyol, and others may not be as fast or quick as someone like Bornstein but when the ball comes to them they can take it and send it on its way, in a positive fashion, in the blink of an eye.
Bornstein (and most US players) must kill the ball, get it under control, think about where to pass or switching the point of attack and then send it there. And maybe it gets there if his pass is accurate enough. Guys like Pirlo can do the exact same thing in maybe half the time (and the final pass will be better).
That is because they have excellent ball control and know, before they even get the ball, what they will do with it. This is almost a muscle memory, instinctive thing where they practically do this without thinking, hence the speed of the action. A defender cannot outrun a well passed ball.
I like Bornstein but, since he is supposed to be an attacking left back, his biggest problem is his final pass is usually not necessarily the best option, is off target or is delivered too slowly and gets there too late or is too awkward to handle. His speed,hustle and “athleticism”( whatever that means) allow him to make up for some of his deficiencies but he needs to go somewhere and work on his ball control and passing.
“My projected U.S. Roster:
GOAL KEEPERS:
Howards
Guzan
Perkins
DEFENSES:
Bocanegra
Onyewu
DeMeritt
Spector
Cherundolo
Bornstein
Marshall
MIDFIELDERS:
Bradley
Clark
Dempsey
Lewis
Feilhaber
Holden
FORWARDS:
Ching
Altidore
Davies
Donovan
However, we all know that We are really bringing 3 forwards and 7 midfielders, because Donovan plays in the midfield….but when we sub Feilhaber for Altidore in the 60th minute, we all know that Dempsey moves up top so we are bringing 4 forwards and 6 midfielders again. aye yay yay, we are so versatile!
Starting U.S. Line-up and tactics = same as the end of the confederations Cup.
Starters:
Ching–Altidore
Donovan—Bradley—Clark—Dempsey
Bocanegra–Onyewu–Demeritt–Spector
Howard
Subs:
Davies for Altidore in the 60th minute
Feilhaber for Clark in the 70th minute
Holden for Ching in the 85th minute, move Dempsey up top and Holden out wide.
So glad that we have learned SO MUCH THIS SUMMER!
two months ago beasley and kljestan were starting and adu was on the bench. jejeje!
Posted by: ThaDeuce | July 29, 2009 at 05:06 PM”
Our best back line is Dolo, Demerit, Gooch, Specter. Until Castillo gets a chance to prove himself Specter is our best option at LB.
Arena’s awful bucket midfield will not work against Mexico
3 days at high altitude is better than ZERO.
WHy does BRADLEY not UNDERSTAND ALTITUDE TRAINING?!?!? MIAMI?!!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!?! stupid incompetent dumb juvenile ughhh…
i think we can win this game.. but he is NOT preparing the players well. and the blame lays right at BOB.
You are right NO Marquez! Bad in the sense that it’s always nice to see a player of that calibre on the field, but maybe better for Mexico in this specific match!
We’ll see!
Just saw a report on AP — Rafael Marquez tore a muscle in training ( thigh or calf). He’ll miss the USA match.
Jacqua looks like a clown against top flight competition.
if Ching is going to start.then he needs to be excellent no excuses anymore..he needs to show that starting over Altidore-Davies was the right move and he needs to score……and if he is excellent than i will eat the crow as i will deserve it if true BUT if he does nothing except a simple hold-up..then i expect people to be honest and not exaggerate when he really did nothing the whole game i would also expect Ives to point out if Ching is shocking in a bad way just like Ives mentioned it about Adu about thousand times after the Honduras GC game to prevent any double standards. Becuase if Ching cant do the job vs Mexico next week when he is in-form, than how is he gonna do it next-year vs the worlds best.
Beasley and Kljestan for starters.
some people here need to think, honestly. Now i think jozy is a great player and should def be called up. However, Ching is coming off the Gold Cup and several MLS games. His form right now > Jozy, who has been resting/relaxing/traveling. Makes literally no sense to play jozy over ching. Now what may work, is subbing davies out later and putting in jozy. Ching has the best form right now, and is solid worker. And another point, while Ching may not score tons of goals himself, i do believe he makes others around him better with his style of play. Take that into account when selecting rosters.
One reason to bring Connor Casey is that he’s already acclimated to the altitude. Mastroeni is too, but I think his international career is pretty much over.
Where is Casey and Colin Clark?
They need to play.
Posted by: RapidsMan | August 05, 2009 at 06:49 PM
I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really hope you’re yanking my spiky chain…..
Ives, is Todd Dunivant from the L.A. Galaxy good enough to get a call for the left back spot. I know he’s a little slow but I think he’s a better back than Heath Pearce, and probably a better back than Bornstein. I think he’s also naturally left footed. He seemed to do well against AC Milan and Barcelona when the Galaxy played them, and he’s having a good MLS season.
If not this game should he get a call for a later qualifying game?
I’ve lost some confidence in Ching but he stepped it back up in that recent Houston match. Gotta find someone else for Cooper”.-al
You see this is the problem, scoring goals in MLS dosent mean sh*t, both Ching and Casey score goals in MLS…and yet thy do nothing at the international stage..is it that suprising? when was the last time Ching played vs High quality like this 2-3 Years ago? or has it been never…..The problem is Bradley dosent reward Ching with more minutes cuz of his quality vs Quality on the international stage, Bradley rewards Ching minutes for what he does with MLS(apperntly a much over-rated league) and vs CONCACAF minnows. The word is Ching might start….and its depressing if it comes true.
and as for the subs,….i even would have Adu..if we are down a goal with a few minutes left..so Bob just tells Adu to just not do anything and just stay near the goal and try to score…..but if Adu is wayyyy to out-of-form for even that then i guess forget it.
Ching was a sub last year in WCQ even vs Barbados……..ever since Ching had a nice pass vs a Sweden “c” team……Bradley has been giving chance after chance when 95% of the time he does nothing even vs tiny competition. Im afraid that Ching starts over Davies or Altidore……..its a scary thought.
Posted by: harry | August 05, 2009 at 04:04 PM
Do you ever mention anything other than Freddy Adu? You talk about Ching not doing well against tiny competition but Freddy could barely score against Grenada. Ching actually started in the Barbados match so get your facts straight. So scoring goals in the MLS means little? In case you haven’t noticed, THATS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR BEST PLAYERS HAVE COME FROM. We have no other gauge. Davies scored one easy goal against T&T, one scrappy goal against Egypt, and one good one against lowly Grenada. Ching has had a hand in 2 of Jozy’s goals and has scored 4 of his 7 goals with Ching on the field. Since 2007, the USA has only lost one game with Brian Ching on the field. There is a LOT to be said for that statistic.
I agree exactly with Ives’ suggested team except for Coop. I’d take a Beckerman type who can possibly come in and spell one of the D-mids if they start to wilt in the altitude or get injured/carded. If we had another decent d-mid to throw in there against Brazil we might be Confed champs. Our system depends so much on the workrate of those 2 center mids.
shelDONOVAN: Albright and Dunivant are journeyman-level MLS players without any standout tools or skills. They’re also slow. If there’s one aspect that gets expose more than any other in international football, it’s speed, and Bornstein has that. Bornstein also still has upside, at only 24 compared to Dunivant’s 28. He looked pretty decent at the Confed Cup, so it seems a little wacky to be throwing Dunivant’s name out there at this point, esp b/c Pearce or Spector would be much better options in that spot if you don’t want Bornstein.
Ives, what is goin on with edgar castillo and jermaine jones? can we see these guys put on the stars and stripes sometime or what??
i wouldn’t have cooper in, but not sure who else could go..EJ? not sure about him….no jones b/c as i read somewhere that he is recovering from a broken leg…so no jones, even if his paperwork was filed timely enough…
ives-why does the US even bother training in miami? why not head straight to mexico city? though i could imagine things could get interesting have to rely on mexico to be a good host…
Latest FIFA rankings: The USA remains No. 12 while Mexico rose three slots to No. 30. Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands are the top three.
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ra…llranking.html
Coach Bradley, care to be more specific? Otherwise, why did you take the time to post?
Also keep in mind, for those who think guys like Cooper won’t be called in (becaue they are with new teams), that most if not all of the European teams will be playing on the “international date” date too…England plays Holland for examnple…so yeah these guys will all be there for a game of this magnitude if Bob Bradley wants them there and the clubs, per FIFA ,cannot say no if he requests them.
On the whole altitude issue we did OK in South Africa which was 4500 + Feet in most venues as I recall….we will be just fine..
Sometimes I think the readers of this site are all NFL fans like Ives and actually know nothing but what Ives writes.
Christ some of you have no clue.
Actual list is suppose to be out tomorrow or Friday….I like Ives picks and would not change any of them….the new guys being Marshall and Holden the two “out field” standouts at the Gold Cup….concur with both of those picks too (great atmosphere for them to experience even on the bench)….now Torres has to get some time at Azteca being that he plays for Pachuca and knows the Mexican players inside and out….will be great when we win for him to be on the field…:)
Cooper will not be called in because:
1) Just starting with a new team, needs to establish himself (the kind reason)
2) Did nothing to show he belonged in the Gold cup. He was playing behind a halfback
3) Would not see the field even if he did go
Bradley will start Davies/Ching – believe it!
Altadore and Ching together make us too slow up top.
I don’t think he’ll call in Torres … but he should
i think he should call up jermaine jones he might help us coming in in the second half he is a great player!!!!
Am I alone in thinking it’s a mistake that Bob is only calling the team in for training for 2 days in Miami while Mexico has been at it for 8 days (when the games starts) ????? Should they have had at least 4 days to train? Just me.
Since they are playing at altitude, Bradley needs to make smart substitutions! At the first sign that someone is dragging he needs to sub. He can’t wait until the other team has scored. I hope he has learned that lesson.
They should train more than three days for this one.
I’m going to say no Cooper since he just joined a new team and isn’t going to play. I think Hejduk or Beckerman get called in instead of Cooper. Especially seeing how effective Dempsey was as a late game forward in South Africa.
—arnoud–cooper–
rogers-pause-holden-quaranta-
heaps–goodson–marshall–evans—
———perkins—–
SIKE!!!!!
we coudl all guess 90% of the starting line up …its redundant
Harry, you are a moron. Ching has been a critical factor in many of the goals the US has scored in WCQ in this cycle. He’s drawn fouls both in the penalty box and just outside, he’s made assists, he’s played people in like Donovan who have then made the 2d pass that leads to a score. The reason Bradley likes Ching rather than Cooper is b/c Cooper rarely (if ever!) makes anyone around him better, whereas Ching does the unsung work that goes largely unnoticed and makes pinheads like you think he’s worthless. Over time your comments lead me to believe that all you know about soccer is what you learned on your couch.
Where is Casey and Colin Clark?
They need to play.
Jorge,
“…the clown in charge of the USSF…”
WTF! What did Sunil do to you? In point of fact, Gulati is making many more good moves than bad ones.
Anyway, both of Jones and Castillo have to submit papers to FIFA to get a reassignment of their national teams and the process takes 60-90 days. Then, they have to participate in a national team camp to be assessed about how they will fit in to the squad. Let’s not get into too big a hurry for those 2 players. The US has plenty of players to qualify. Then, let’s get our team set for the WC.
You have to bring Dude. He brings something special, even if he never sees the field.
I don’t think anyone wants to win more than that guy and he will insprie everyone. He’s the only guy (outside of T-Ho and maybe Los) who seems willing and able to rally the troops and get in people’s faces (and I’m talking teammates, not referres). Exhibit A: Disaster in San Salvador until Dude came on the pitch and almost soley dragged that sorry bunch to a point
Don’t think Cooper will be there since he just arrived in Munich and Bob isn’t that fond of him anyway.
Taking his place will be Frankie Hejduk or Goodson/Califf.
The Mexican players playing in Europe will not be acclimated to the altitude either. Salcido was dying last time he played in Mexico city. It may not be such a big deal this time.
As an FYI, who is going to the game? I’m an American living down here and will be at the Azteca. I’m hoping I won’t be alone.
Can someone that has been to Mexico City, or has intimate knowledge of the city tell me if there would be any issues w/ the US team staying in Mexico city for 4 days… I know its not the safest city in the world, but I wouldn’t think there were any real security issues.
If no, I can’t understand why we wouldn’t just have camp there? performing in high altitude is about getting the oxygen levels in the blood acclimated, and the only way to do that is to go to the environment you will be competing in
If anyone thinks Jozy or anyone else that needs to ” get their club situation in order” is being left off the roster, you’re crazy. This is THE biggest game of the year for the Nats and Bobby knows it. Their main goal , other than actual qualification, is beating Mexico at the Azteca. Bob said it himself. Expect Bob to field a 100% squad no matter what.
beckerman will go instead of cooper
just no Beasley. please. As long as he doesn’t play we have a shot to win this game.
I think the Altidore and Ching shuld play up top, then bring in Davies in the 65 for Ching, so Davies can torch that back line when they are tired………
then feilhaber needs to get subbed also, he seems to be a super sub better than a starter, maybe sub him in for Ricardo Clark
i’d go with this,
—–Altidore—-Ching———
Dempsey—————Donovan–
——-Rico——-Bradley——
Boca–Gooch–Jay D.—–Spector
then the subs i said
Ives, I like your suggested group of players. Please no Beasley or such oddities!! I am a little worried that they just arrive in Mexico the day before the game. Not much time to acclimate. plus many of our players are playing that weekend and then flying in for camp. I hope this is the team that can beat Mexico in Mexico!
If Frankie Hejduk is healthy, he should definitely be on the squad. His heart, fighting spirit and experience with the whole Mexico thing are invaluable. Whatever the lineup it is important to defend very well. This is not going to be a pretty game and I predict no one here will like watching it. I would put ten men in front of goal for the entire game. The longer it goes 0-0 the better it is for the US. Mexico will get frustrated and their fans will begin to turn on them if they don’t score early.
Hedjuk will make the team. He’s one of the fittest guys. He can also play LB. So I think Hedjuk makes the team.
I also think Mastroeni will make the team and could see sub time at the end of the game. Pablo is not a 2010 player but with Jones and Edu hurt, Pablo is useful as a backup.
If Benny is on, I’m sure he’ll see action at some point. I kind of like him off the bench if needed. If our current defensive minded pair (Bradley and Clark) are getting it done that maybe Benny isn’t needed. But if we need some creativity and some ball movement in the middle Feilhaber is our man (especially considering his form this summer).
I’m sure Ching will get the start if healthy, and I hope to god Davies is subbed on and shows he is a top-2 forward here. I really think with two dynamic guys in Jozy and Charlie we have no need for a hold-’em-up type in Ching. The young two can get up and go and that proved affective in SA.