It might seem like the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup is still far away, but it is less than five months away, meaning it isn't too early to start thinking about the squad Bob Bradley will put together to try and regain the Gold Cup title.
The United States has won the past three Gold Cup titles where the first-choice squad was available and this year's tournament will feature America's best. It will be up to Bradley to determine which 23 players are worthy of being selected.
You could argue that Bradley has much tougher roster decisions looming than he saw in 2007 or 2009, the other two Gold Cup tournaments Bradley coached in and won.
Will this year's team have some new blood? Of course, though it won't have as many new faces as some may be hoping for. The reality is that, for this year at least, there are some very good veterans who are up there in age, but still clearly the top options at their respective positions.
So who will make the USA Gold Cup roster? Here is our projection of the 23 players Bob Bradley will select:
PROJECTED 2011 Gold Cup Roster
GOALKEEPERS– Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Sean Johnson
DEFENDERS– Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Spector, Eric Lichaj, Tim Ream, Jonathan Bornstein
MIDFIELDERS– Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, Alejandro Bedoya
FORWARDS– Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury
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Here are some thoughts on the picks:
GOALKEEPER– Sean Johnson could make way for a veteran, but it's not likely the third goalkeeper will be needed. That said, Johnson impressed enough to get 45 minutes on Saturday. Bradley could easily go with Nick Rimando instead, or perhaps bring in Marcus Hahnemann.
DEFENDERS– Jay DeMerit, Omar Gonzalez, Heath Pearce, Zach Loyd and Sean Franklin are all in the conversation, but they'll have to work hard over the next five months to break into the squad. DeMerit hasn't played since the World Cup and isn't getting any younger, while Gonzalez still needs to work on his passing. Heath Pearce could definitely break into the mix, as could Loyd, if Bornstein's run in Mexico is an unsuccessful one. So why Bornstein again? He's been called on before, and if he's playing regularly for Tigres, even if it isn't at left back, Bradley will likely turn to him. Now, if he isn't playing, and someone like Pearce or Loyd can find a nice run of form, Bornstein could be pushed aside.
MIDFIELDERS– Very tough decisions for Bradley. Sacha Kljestan, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Torres and Mixx Diskerud are all on the outside looking in. Bradley could leave behind a forward and bring another midfielder, but with five central midfielders already on the roster he would more likely add a winger. Feilhaber can play on the wing, as can Kljestan. Right now Clark is in, especially if he keeps playing regularly for Eintracht Frankfurt, but I could definitely see Kljestan getting the call because of his attacking qualities.
FORWARDS– Right now it doesn't seem like the race here is all that tough. Altidore and Agudelo should be locks, while Buddle will have to be considered if he can keep scoring goals. Bunbury is not a lock, but we'll include him here. If Bradley brings an extra midfielder, Bunbury would likely be left off. It will be VERY interesting to see what happens if Danny Mwanga secures his citizenship. If he does, he'll have to be considered a good candidate for this group. There are others on the radar, like Chris Wondolowski and Herculez Gomez, but they'll need strong showings over the next five months to make up ground.
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What do you think of the squad? Which players do you think should be on the squad? Which players do you NOT want to see make the team?
Share your thoughts below.
The US did win the last 3 Gold Cups when the first choice squad was available. I too would like to forget sitting in the Meadowlands surrounded by so many happy Mexican fans.
It is kind of odd to see that so many people seem to be unable to grasp that every player is different now than he was a year or two ago. Some are better now, some are worse now. How a player is performing now may be a good indicator of how he will perform tomorrow, but how he performed a few years ago, not so much.
When it comes to selecting a team, it really is all about predicting who will do well tomorrow; that will be based on who is playing well now (or who is not). What happened last year has less to do with it, I think you need to let both good and memories fade else they will unduly influence decisions about the future.
I’m here to police ignorance and illiteracy. You are welcome!!!
is anyone else not really excited about seeing Carlos Bocanegra back on the team at D? I am not a Boca fan, but there has got to be somebody better than him. he is really starting to slow down.
i thought zack loyd impressed with the Chile game, also, what about spector? as D or MF?
saying..
look again at Wold Cup video, Rico is the goat but it was MB’s imprecise pass to Rico which set up the turnover.
Yes I was on side of staying Edu was more in form at time of Cup which unfortunately proved correct.
But Rico has skills and if he’s in mix at Frankfurt then he’s improving those skills.
(SBI-I agree that Clark shouldn’t be ruled out but your description of the Ghana blunder is a joke. Bradley gave it right to Clark, who could have given it right back. Clark is the one who made the decision to turn into pressure. That’s why he gets most of the flack for that one.)
Agree with Ives.
Rico getting regular minutes at Frankfurt joins Dempsey, Jones, Bradley, Holden, and Spector playing middie in top leagues.
BB will give Donovan and Edu as MLS & SPL reps : )
Which gets us to 8 middies, with 1 wild card slot for newbies and rest to scramble for.
Assuming 1st 8 stay healthy.
I can verify that R.Clark started at CB for Frankfurt vs Hamburg and was pretty friggen good against Van Nistelroy. He man marked him on corners and was creative out of the back. He had a couple of hiccups, but nothing out of the ordinary for a CB; in short he looked very good at CB.
Sorry to differ. Bedoya has shown that he can do lots of work both offensively and defensively. Other than Stu Holden, no other outside midfielder can bring that to the table right now. Unfortunately, the USA team has yet to make good use of our wingers during our offensive deployment. Our poor passing from the center mids and our outside backs makes it difficult to engage offensively, therefore, we end up chasing the ball too often and our wingers and attacking mids have to spend most of their time defending. So, we need more patience on the ball in the middle and better vision switching the field at times. I would love to see Bedoya play on an “offensive link” type of role, where he can use his dynamic positioning and quick passing and moving to help distribute the ball in the final third of our attack. He plays as a “floating” offensive midfielder for his team in Sweden. He certainly is one of our most promising guys in the middle. He can attack and defend. I am certain that if we improve our offensive passing and ball distribution in the middle, Bedoya will become a strong force building up our attacks
Besides, players are not judged by ball posession only, but tactical, defensive and offensive intelligence. People do NOT realize how many runs Bedoya has made on all his caps looking for passes that never came, therefore making him turn and comeback to defend. That takes lots of power, stamina and tactical commitment. Besides, the times he has had the ball, he has created good options in most games, including the key 1-2 touch in Agudelo’s drawing the penalty against Chile. Wingers cannot produce wonders, if central midfielders and outside backs cannot play the ball to them. We just need to wait and see what Bedoya could do if associated with the A team for at least a week of training together. Teams need to adjust via “core team training, day in and day out”. lok at Barcelona and Akron. It takes time to put a cohesive and excellent team together.
I liked Bedoya’s play. He showed that he can do lots of work both offensively and defensively. Unfortunately, the USA team has yet to make good use of our wingers during our offensive deployment. Our poor passing from the middle and the back line makes it difficult to engage offensively, therefore, we end up chasing the ball too often and our wingers have to spend most of their time defending. So, we need more patience on the ball in the middle and better vision switching the field at times. I would love to see Bedoya play on an “offensive link” type of role, where he can use his dynamic positioning and quick passing and moving to help distribute the ball in the final third of our attack. He plays as a “floating” offensive midfielder for his team in Sweden. He certainly is one of our most promising guys in the middle. He can attack and defend. I am certain that if we improve our offensive passing and ball distribution in the middle, Bedoya will become a strong force building up our attacks
He stayed because players are not judged by ball posession but tactical, defensive and offensive intelligence. People do NOT realize how many runs Bedoya made looking for passes that never came, therefore making him turn and comeback to defend. That takes lots of power, stamina and tactical commitment. Besides, the times he had the ball, he created good options and was the key 1-2 touch in Agudelo’s drawing the penalty. Wingers cannot produce wonders, if central midfielders and outside backs cannot play the ball to them
I think you are thinking of Gooch with FC Twente.
not sure if you’re completely serious – if you are the most charitable thing i can say is your unrealistic.
if the team was getting blown off the field, losing games by 2 and 3 goals per match, you start to have the beginnings of a leg to stand on. given that’s not the case, time to move on from that notion and try again. btw, defense is more than the back line.
Oh yeah. I may be a little biased here, but I really feel that Bill Hamid will push Sean Johnson out of the 3rd spot with a very good MLS season.
Ives, what happens if Charlie Davies gets a loan and plays the remainder of the season? I wonder how he compares to the best MLS strikers like Wondo, Bunbury and Mwanga (if he is eligible).
Sadly, I think Mexico will run away with the Gold Cup. I just have a bad gut feeling, and it isn’t from egg rolls.
awesome man, glad your on here to police grammar. What would these boards do without you?
Who cares if you pass but are a liability is a defender?
Mike Parkhurst is a much better defender … you are right that watching Ream pass is aesthetically pleasing, but if you really watch him play he is directly responsible for a lot of goals against — either because of poor positioning, poor tackling, or because he really isn’t a good athlete. Being tall is important is a defender, but it is not that important…when Parkhurst played center back in a 3 man defense for the REVS they had one of the top defenses for 3-4 years.
I think its time to move on for the defense. These guys have never done it in the past and theyre not getting any younger. Forget them all
Clark??? please. We have so many better options these days
I say Spector for sure goes given that he can play RB, CB and CM. He won’t be starting in the Gold Cup, but he’s a good versatile option to have.
Gonzalez isn’t really needed when we have Goodson and Onyewu. None of our CB’s, other than maybe Parkhurst and Spector, have Ream’s passing skills
Good point about Whitbread.
As for Sacha, he’s doing alright with Anderlect but he’s definitely behind Bradley, Jones, Edu and Holden at CM. And even then he’s still competing with Feilhaber, Diskerud, Spector and Clark. He has good offensive skills but again so do Feilhaber and Diskerud.
On Ives roster he already has 5 players capable of playing outside back:
Cherundolo (RB)
Lichaj (RB, LB?)
Spector (RB, LB?)
Bocanegra (LB)
Bornstein (LB)
No way Bob brings Pearce and Bornstein. And Parkhurst loses out because Ream brings the same skill set and he is also taller, and his abilities aren’t needed at RB.
He played well against Colombia. But while he’s a good passer and distributor, Tim Ream is taller and just as good of a passer and distributor (if not better) out of the back
Are people forgetting about Benny Feilhaber? Diskerud was alright, but he’s not THAT good…yet.
LOCKS:
Goalkeepers:
Tim Howard
Brad Guzan
Defenders:
Steve Cherundolo (RB)
Carlos Bocanegra (CB, LB)
Oguchi Onyewu (CB)
Clarence Goodson (CB)
Midfielders:
Landon Donovan (RM/LM)
Clint Dempsey (RM/LM, also FWD)
Michael Bradley (CM)
Jermaine Jones (CM)
Stuart Holden (RM, CM)
Maurice Edu (CM, CB?)
Forwards:
Jozy Altidore
ON THE BUBBLE:
Goalkeepers:
Nick Rimando – Does Bob go with experience? –
Sean Johnson – Or youth? –
Defenders:
Jonathan Spector (RB, CM, CB, LB?) – Guarantee he goes because he is a jack of all trades and can fill in almost anywhere –
Eric Lichaj (RB, LB?) – Good chance of going, since he’s probably the #2 RB. His chances depend on what his playing time situation is in the next several months. Would be interesting to see him play LB against Egypt, Argentina, or Paraguay. –
Tim Ream (CB) – Look like the #4 CB after Gooch, Boca and Goodson, but he could lose out if Bob decides to only bring 3 CB’s and use Edu, Clark or Spector as emergency CB –
Jonathan Bornstein (LB) – Good chance of going since he’s the only left footer other than Boca. Could get beat out by Pearce. Small chance Bob doesn’t take him, if say Lichaj proves he can play LB in the up coming friendlies. –
Heath Pearce (LB) – Has to beat out Bornstein. –
Midfielders:
Benny Feilhaber (AM, LM/RM) – Decent chance of going. As he showed in South Africa, he’s very valuable as a super sub. Only midfielder in the pool that possesses his skill set. Needs to move out of the 2nd division of Denmark –
Ricardo Clark (CM, CB) – If he keeps playing for Frankfurt, it will be hard for Bob to leave him off. He’s surplus and not really needed at CM, but injuries can change that, and his new found ability to play CB helps his chances –
Alejando Bedoya (LM/RM) – Only winger option after Donovan, Dempsey, and Holden. Hasn’t been that great in my opinion. He’s only been average at best in the friendlies after the World Cup. Could lose out to Feilhaber. –
Forwards:
Edson Buddle – Probably the number 2 striker behind Jozy right now. In my opinion, the best goalscoring forward, we have right now. As long as he keep playing and scoring for Ingolstadt he goes. –
Teal Bunbury & Juan Agudelo – I could see both of them going, one, or none. Right now, I’d take both of them over any of the other #3 and #4 striker options (Findley, EJ, Gomez, Cooper, Wondo). A lot of it depends on how they perform in MLS. There could only be 3 forward spots available if Bob brings an extra defender or midfielder.
LONG SHOTS:
Goalkeeper:
Luis Robles & David Yelldell – I’m sure Bob would have been brought them in if the Bundesliga Winter Break coincided with the January Camp. Could argue they are better than Rimando and Pickens, and more experienced than Johnson and Hamid. –
Marcus Hahnemann – Not playing for Wolves. Getting older. Has mentioned international retirement before. May not really care to be the #3 for this one.
Dom Cervi – As shown from the Chile match, he’s clearly behind Johnson and Rimando. –
Matt Pickens – Behind Rimando in the “experienced MLS Goalkeeper” category.
Bill Hamid – Injury ruled him out for this camp. Probably going to miss the early beginning of MLS season. Chances depend on how he plays in MLS. –
Defenders:
Jay DeMerit (CB) – Hasn’t played a competitive match since the World Cup. Getting older. Depends on how his season with Vancouver goes, and if Bob goes with youth (Ream) or experience (DeMerit). –
Omar Gonzalez (CB) – Needs to work on footwork and passing. And we’re not really in need of a tall CB given we have Gooch and Goodson. –
Michael Parkhurst (RB) – Showed well against Colombia. Rise of Tim Ream means his passing skills are not as needed.
Zach Loyd (LB) – Showed well against Chile, but let’s slow down a little bit. I doubt he’s much better than Bornstein or Pearce. –
Midfielders:
Sacha Kljestan (AM, CM) – Behind a log jam of CM’s (Bradley, Jones, Edu and Holden). Skill set he brings is similar to Diskerud’s and Feilhaber’s. –
Mikkel Diskerud (AM, CM, LM/RM) – Has look pretty good. But I’m not sure what he brings that a World Cup veteran and more established player like Benny Feilhaber doesn’t. –
Forward:
Robbie Findley – Completely depends on if he plays and scores for Forest. Speed of Agudelo and Bunbury, means he’s not as needed. –
Herculez Gomez – Not playing much for Pachuca, and hasn’t been scoring much either –
Chris Wondolowski – Looked ok vs. Chile. Could play himself into spot based on his MLS play. –
Eddie Johnson – Not sure why I’m mentioning him. But he seems to never go away –
Good points Ives. It will certainly get interesting as we get closer to the summer. I think we’ll potentially see some pretty good players get left out of the squad. What really makes it this squad difficult to project is the versatility of some of the players in the US squad.
With Bocanegra capable of playing CB and LB, and Edu, Clark and Spector also capable of filling in at CB, maybe Bob leaves off a CB?
Or maybe Bob leaves off a center mid like Rico Clark because Spector could fill in there?
Does Dempsey’s ability to play up top, lead Bob to only bring 3 pure strikers?
What would be nice is if in the Egypt, Argentina, or Paraguay friendlies someone like Eric Lichaj proves that he’s able to play left back, and then we don’t have to bring 5 outside backs (Spector, Dolo, Lichaj, Bocanegra, Bornstein/Pearce).
Really, Zach Whitbread? He has basically been injured for the past two years and has played 5 games at the most for Norwich this season. I am thrilled to see him starting again and hopefully regaining fitness, but I am unsure how you can state so unequivocally that he is better than Ream right now. I don’t know what quality you think he brings that certain others don’t have. Sounds more like an assumption based on his team, their place in the Championship table, and likely never having seen him play at all.
Why is Buddle better now?
He was extremely hot for the Galaxy BEFORE the World Cup…
I hate to keep going to this pun but I’d rather see Diskerud in the MIX for GC play over Clark. His partnership with Agudelo and Bunbury make that trio a dangerous option late in matches.
I would think that someone like Feilhaber would be much more important to have on your bench. It doesn’t make much sense to me to have 2 defensive mids on your bench. I never really see a situation when you would need to bring them in. (Bradley usually goes all 90). Someone like Feilhaber or Sacha would serve much more roles being able to play in the middle if you need offense or on the wings. Also what is the status on CD9. Does he get a look over these next 5 months to show if he can come back and compete.
Davies is on the reserve roster, yes, but he is hardly playing. He hasn’t played with the reserve team for weeks now because he keeps picking up knocks.
It’s arguable that had Ricardo Clark NOT started for USMNT in SA, two of our matches would have had drastically better outcomes.
And for that reason, I think he should sit Gold Cup out and let us test another second/third-stringer (whose name is not Kljestan. )
uhhh, Answer, I disagree with that statement, and I’ll offer but one example- Robbie Findley. RSL fandom watched him excel for a couple years as a 60th minute sub. Tired and worn down defenders had no chance against his pace. Yet, when he started games, he wasn’t nearly as effective- and the numbers back it up (production in starts vs. sub). So why would BB start Findley when he proved to be ineffective as a starter at the club level? Any fan who had watched Findley could have told you how well that was going to end. It’s shocking to think that coaches, lawyers, doctors, politicians and your bosses don’t always have the right answers, but take a closer look.
I have been advocating for two years now that Feilhaber would flourish (along with the team) in a 4-2-3-1 as the attacking mid. Now Bradley is changing to that system and Feilhaber may not even make the squad? I haven’t seen any of his club play, but I wholeheartedly agree with those who say he provided a spark in the WC. I don’t know if he’d be better than Holden or whoever else will play there, but I’d love to see him get a chance, in one of the warmup games if nothing else.
U.S. Soccer has no clout at all to speed up the process. No one has ever claimed that it did.
Good riddance, Artie.
You can’t be serious. Stop it before you sound even more ridiculous.
No. He wasn’t.
It is patently ridiculous to think the fans have a better grip on the player pool and their potential than the coach of the team who seems them every day when they are in camp and follows their careers very closely. Don’t kid yourself. You do NOT know the players better than Bob Bradley. It is stupid to even suggest it.
That’s because Bradley did not bring the best goalkeeper in the World, Scott Garlick.HAAAA!
“2007 or 2009, the other two Gold Cup tournaments Bradley coached in and won”
Ream. Better passer.
In a 4-4-2 Bradley or especially Jones starts over Edu. No question. I wouldn’t bet on Dolo and Lichaj starting together, but crazier things have happened (see: Robbie Findley).
Simek got injured and is just starting to get back to his pre ankle injury form. It pretty much set his career back several years, which is unfortunate. I’m friends with his brother so I get cool updates, but he really likes Carlisle, is playing well, and will hopefully make it back to the Championship either this month or over the Summer.
He played well against Holland.
His defensive instincts suck? Do you watch soccer? The last time I checked he was the leading tackler in the PL.
Micah, you should re-read my post, bro.
Is this a play on the Dos Equis commercials?
Supposedly he was played there during his first game with Blackburn.
At least that team won’t get knocked out of the World Cup on a terrible giveaway. It’s much worse to know you could’ve won but you did something stupid than to have never had a chance at all.
Sorry this question is from left field but whatever happened to Edgar Castillo as a LB option? I’ve been trying to find out why we haven’t seen more of him in the mix for the MNT LB, so if anybody has an idea I would be interested in finding out.
that’s the best description of the respective teams i’ve read.
anyone who truly felt that was the US “B” team needs to be edumacated.