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Who should Bob Bradley call in vs. Mexico?

USAvsSpain (ISIphotos.com) 

                                                                       Photo by ISIphotos.com

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.

Comments

  1. R.Benjamin

    If you don’t like my opinion do some research. Input Freddy Adu into Google and you will find that a bunch of pro club coaches from 4 teams in 3 countries over the last 5 years or so have seen fit to play him very sparingly. He hasn’t been a regular in any team except DC United for a brief period three teams ago. Are all these coaches idiots?

    In a five year club career since 2004 he has 125 appearances (not games) and 22 goals. That averages out to 25 club appearances per year and 4.4 goals per year. If he was the star player you say he is how come the coaches don’t want to trust him with playing time? Is it possible they want productive players because, unlike you and me, their jobs are on the line? I’ll take their opinion on the guy over yours and mine.

    Lots of players have “something there”. The trick is to make it show up for most games. I’ve seen many of Adu’s games and yes he has talent but I’ve seen better players not make it in the big time.

    Adu is taking up space and time on a roster and if he doesn’t come good soon, the people who are giving him that space and time will move on to the next big thing. That doesn’t mean he won’t ever make it big but it does make it harder for him and represents a big waste of time and effort.

    The US should have gotten out of the Group in 06? They earned it but they were also very lucky to get the point they got. The Czech Republic and Ghana whipped their butts and both teams could probably have taken the US in a 7 game series. Your excuses are along the lines of “if pigs had wings they could fly”.

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  2. Jimmy whoa whoa.. So ur the authority on adu? Point made was that many of us out there saw the flashes v Spain last year and in the few benfica ops and brilliance at the u20s. Hos vision delivering a through ball is clear.. All I’m saying us it’s wet the tongue and we somehow want to see it realized and believe it’s just somehow untapped. C. ranieri called him man o match last year against juve. So something is there.

    And.. He is def not competing against ching. I put adu on the wing.

    The usa shoulda gotten out of the group in 06. Game1: Poor prep and player selections. Game2: valiant but dumb reds. Game3; reyna’s gaffe and super rough penalty call.

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  3. I don’t think the US intends to work the ball through the middle. They’ll play it up the wings to take advantage of their better speed. That means all they need to do in the middle is win the ball back from Mexico, so two defensive mids seems like a good idea. Also, as Christiano Ronaldo likes to demonstrate, outside midfield is a good place to put guys who can’t (or won’t) defend.

    However, I do think that moving Dempsey up and putting Holden in the midfield is a good idea because Altidore seemed to lack conditioning in the Confederations Cup and that can’t have improved. And the altitude won’t help.

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  4. I know everyone’s in love with Clint, and he was our best finisher in the Confederations Cup, so I’ll agree he deserves to start. But please, not as the total defensive liability he is at right mid; put him at withdrawn forward which is the only place he shows his use, as a poacher-finisher. And in my opinion, the pairing of two defensive mids (Bradley-Clark) just doesn’t give enough creativity in the center. So my starting 11:
    GK: Howard
    D: Spector-Demerit-Onyewu-Bocanegra
    MF: Holden-Bradley-Feilhaber-Donovan
    F: Dempsey,Davies

    Holden will create more pressure down the side, distribute better service to teammates, and play far better defense than Dempsey. I could go either way on Clark or Feilhaber, especially since LD pushing forward so much puts a lot of pressure on our left side, and Carlos is not quick enough to handle that on his own. A faster left back would make me more comfortable playing Benny.

    Flame away.

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  5. ________________________________________________________________________________________

    Rbenjamin-

    Adu and Ching are not competing for playing time. Ching is a target forward. Adu is an attacking central midfielder. In the present system, they are not likely to change places and play each other’s roles. Ching is a solid, if limited professional. The one thing I’ll say for him is, if you look closely at his record, the US seems to do well when he plays and usually they are games that count, not friendlies. He is no star, like Mr. Adu could have been, but you don’t win a lot without guys like him. However, it seems most bloggers are like Fantasy League players; they like those flashy, stat guys.

    Do a little research. You will find in the history of Under 23’s, 20’s, 17’s and Olympic teams of the various countries, there are many players who show the kind of promise and star power Adu has demonstrated but making the leap to regular international player is far from a sure thing.

    For whatever reason his club and senior US career have been nowhere near what his skill level and potential promised. The times I’ve seen him play, at the senior level, I’ve found him to be underwhelming; he still seems puny and unable to stay on his feet.

    At 20 Adu has time but not as much as you and harry think. I agree Freddy has a lot of skill and potential but, particularly in Europe, many of the clubs are regularly bringing in kids who are younger, and cheaper with as much if not more talent. And odds are most of them are easier to deal with than Mr. Adu, if we can believe the media. My feeling is if Mr. Adu doesn’t prove his worth in this next season his chance for the kind of star lifestyle his talent deserves will be negatively impacted. I’m sure when you and harry were 20 ( I am assuming you are both more mature than Freddy) you were sensible young men with a clear and balanced idea of how best to handle your futures, personal and professional. Based on what has transpired so far I’m not so sure the same can be said for Mr. Adu.

    Pro sports is a brutal, cruel business and if Freddy doesn’t get his act together soon, there are plenty of other newer, cheaper kids in town. Even the US team, as poorly run as you seem to think they are, will eventually bring up more young offensive talent who will be as productive if not more so than Mr. Adu. And that day is not as far off as you think. By the way, in SA our best chance to go far is to get a good group assignment, for once.

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  6. The Brian Ching problem…

    The truth is.. harry is right and jimmyg is right. Ching does make the others around him better and maintains possession better than Jozy and Davies.. and as much as I hate to admit it.. RIGHT NOW.. he is probably the better option to start and sub out at 60 mins (not 80+ mins BB!). But I do believe and hope the torch and style of play is at the brink. If Ching plays great.. then he’s suspended it further pending the kids experiences in euro. If he goes mostly absent, then it is surely time to hand the reigns over and say.. just do it kids.. what you got?

    In SA our best chance to go “far” is to realize our highest upside potential.. and that means the kids. hence my as well as harry’s devotion to adu.. who ‘may’ be down right now.. but does simply ‘have’ when its clicking what others don’t. see the u20 wc (esp against brazil on the same field as jo and pato) and last summer’s friendlies and olympics..

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  7. CT,

    Harry only knows the following:

    All roads lead to Freddy Adu

    No one is a good as Freddy

    Freddy’s problems are all Bob Bradley’s fault( Bradley negotiated Adu’s crap contract with Benfica)

    Ching couldn’t hold Freddy’s jock

    You are wasting your time trying to convince him otherwise.

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  8. Hejduk is hurt. It was in the Columbus Dispatch today. It’s his right quad. It’s a new and probably short term injury for Frankie, but it should definitely rule him out for next week.

    It’s too bad. Like him or not, he is an experienced hardworking leader, that can raise his game for big occasions.

    The timing of the WCQ at Mexico is awful. No lengthy fifa break for training camp, plus its pre-season / beginning season for most of the Euro based players. A tie would be a good result for the US Team.

    Reply

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