One month away.
That's how close we are to finding out which 23 players Bob Bradley will select to represent the United States at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
While the nucleus of the squad is pretty much set in stone, there are still some positions in a state of flux.
Take the forward position, where you have young sensation Juan Agudelo suddenly not starting for the New York Red Bulls, Charlie Davies off to a great start with D.C. United and Herculez Gomez on another hot streak in Mexico.
Then you have midfield, where Bob Bradley has even more options to choose from. Ricardo Clark is getting good minutes in Germany and may force his way into the mix, while Benny Feilhaber's move to MLS could help him solidify a place on the roster.
We only have two changes in the April roster projection who weren't in last month's squad. Who are they? Check them out in our April edition of the USA Gold Cup projected roster:
PROJECTED 2011 Gold Cup Roster
GOALKEEPERS– Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
DEFENDERS– Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu, Timmy Chandler, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Spector, Eric Lichaj, Tim Ream
MIDFIELDERS– Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Benny Feilhaber, Alejandro Bedoya
FORWARDS– Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Herculez Gomez, Teal Bunbury
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Here are some thoughts on the picks:
GOALKEEPER– No changes, and now with Sean Johnson off to a rough start in MLS, it looks as though David Yelldell is the best option to crack the squad. As for Guzan's availability, he is getting married this summer, but could still potentially be included as the third goalkeeper and be available for the later part of the tournament. If Bradley decides he doesn't want to deal with that, Yelldell could be the pick. If Bradley decides on bringing in an MLS third goalkeeper, Nick Rimando looks like the best bet.
DEFENDERS– Goodson is back in, beating out Jay DeMerit, who has been struggling with injuries. The quest for a viable left back continues, and now Heath Pearce has moved to centerback with Chivas USA, giving Bradley one less option there. Timmy Chandler's foot injury doesn't appear likely to keep him out of the Gold Cup.
MIDFIELDERS– This group remained the same even though Ricardo Clark is really making a case for inclusion. Jose Torres is also seeing regular time with Pachuca again, but he seems unlikely to break through. Alejandro Bedoya was a surprise inclusion to some last month, but he's off to a red-hot start in Sweden, only solidifying his place. Looking at this group you wonder if Bradley wouldn't want one more winger, but the lack of true wing options makes it unlikely.
FORWARDS– Charlie Davies has to be talked about. The speed is there, and while he's still not fully sharp, he's definitely in the conversation now. Knowing Bradley, I'd bet on him leaving Davies to continue progressing with D.C. United rather than pulling him into the squad. That said, if he calls Davies into a camp, and likes what he sees, we just might see the return of CD9 to the national team mix. Herculez Gomez makes the squad over Davies because he's a different kind of forward, so Davies isn't really competing with Gomez, but more so with Agudelo and Bunbury. Gomez edges out Edson Buddle right now.
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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 are you surprised to see included in our projection?
Share your thoughts below.
Seeing as how we played Argentina and Paraguay I can see why Juan had so little influence against Peru.
I’m in the Michael Bradley needs to play camp – let me say that right now.
But I can see the point of some fans who say Bradley Sr is being hypocritical when he cites some players’ lack of minutes at club level for a reason of not selecting them, but at the same time starting Michael. That’s a valid point that I won’t contest. Bradley Sr shouldn’t use that for a reason.
That being said – the fact of the matter is despite his lack of playing time for Aston Villa, Michael Bradley still plays very well for the national team and has been one of our best players for the past 4 years. This cannot be denied. And the fans who cannot accept this are blinded by their low opinion of his father as the Nats manager and cannot divide the two.
Michael Bradley is our best all-around CM, that’s just a fact. All the others out there, Jones, Edu, Feilhaber, Torres, Kljestan, Diskerud, or even Spector are not in his class and do not have all the tools that he brings. He doesn’t excel at any one facet, outside of work rate, but is strong in everything else.
Holden, when healthy, has proven himself a far superior ball winner. For his EPL club. And yet for some reason Holden doesn;t get chance to strut his stuff at cm for USMNT.
Bradley was ok but clearly outclassed against Argentina especially in the first half – but then so was most of squad.
Anyway, Bradley’s a good player but pretending it doesn;t matter that he has seen zero club playing time in months is just silly.
Since any objective observer would consider Jones the more skilled of the two, and oh yeah Jones plays 90, every week. Meaning we know is in EPL form, now.
The Gold Cup is a serious tournament one the USSF has pretty much stated we must win.
Given that, only an fool would bring any player on the roster that he didn’t feel could not be relied on to play and play well.
INother words, this is no place to bring guys along “to gain experience”.
If you think the 23rd guy on the roster will not play think about the injury and red card possibilities, especially the card possibilities, and the likelihood of the 23rd spot being very important suddenly increases dramatically.
I happen to like Mix but Norway’s league is ranked 26th in Europe ( Belgium’s league is ranked 13th, basically twice as high), so I’m concerned about the level of competition he faces. I know they are targeting him more for the Olympic team rather than the Gold Cup.I think Kjlestan has gotten a raw deal but I haven’t seen him lately so it’s hard for me to say.
For such decisions it seems to me Bradley would know better than anyone so I’m happy to leave it to him
People who love on Bradley obviously have no experience playing the game and have zero knowledge of the game.
Ok, that was unfair. But point is one may question assumption guy not making reserves never mind bench, should be considered automatic starter over guys playing 90 or at least 60-70 mins in EPL or Bundesliga.
Without being labeled a hater or a lover.
um no, sorry, Sacha has maxed out his welcome at USMNT and shown himself unworthy.
Classic was Bradley bringing in Sacha to stop Brazil’s comeback in Confed Cup – yeah like that would work.
Mixx is young and we don;t know what hi top is, but I also am guessing it’s well past Sacha’s.
But knowing BB, he will stick with one of his favorites, over more deserving young talent.
I’d probably drop Kljestan for a natural, heavily flawed LB – take ur pick SBI nation. Since Chanlder can play wide right midfield, and the team listed above does not have any natural LB, that’d be my choice.
Other than that, I don’t have a huge problem with this roster.
Thanks….for some reason, unknown to anybody I use to go by MonkeyArmy….then I thought you know I am a Doctor….so Dr. MonkeyArmy it was. I laugh every time I say it out loud. Can’t take yourself to seriously, you know.
Can you explain exactly what you mean?
As far the Davies of 2009 Confed Cup, that guy is gone.
Bradley will evaluate the 100% of whatever Charlie is here RIGHT NOW, and if that isn’t as good as 100% of the current Jozy and/or Teal or whoever, then it’s not good enough.
This isn’t fantasy football.
Beckerman Please!
Dr.Monkey…+1, just for your moniker…LMAO
If they way you get play time on the US Men’s National team is heavily dependent on the following:
1. Obtaining significant playing time with your club
2. Playing in form (ie – scoring goals)
3. Performing well in recent US National team games
4. Best available option for the position
then….WHY IS JOZY ALTIDORE STILL STARTING EVERY GAME!?
He doesn’t fit any of these qualifications!!
Other options are:
Clint Dempsey, Juan Agudelo, Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez, Chad Barret, Teal Bunbury, Kenny Cooper, Chris Wondolowski, my Grandmother!
Tanya Harding’s ex is available with his pipe, all he needs is the go ahead.
It is funny to me that we have almost 200 posts worrying about who will be the last 2 or 3 players on a 24 man roster when only 18 suit up for a game. While it does illustrate that our depth is better than 10 years ago, we need to focus on getting a better top 13. easier said than done.
We need to get back to a 4-2-3-1 with Dempsey in the hole.
Agree Dempsey should be left off the Gold Cup squad if he’s leaning against playing since he won’t likely be a factor if he’s not mentally or physically committed. If UK reports are accurate, his desire for a break after a long EPL season is legitimate, anyway. Slot Chandler in at right wing in Dempsey’s place. He’s already shown he can be a dangerous attacking player playing at right back.
For a third keeper, in the past sometimes the USMNT coach selects a veteran MLS keeper in good form. That keeper stays and plays with the club team unless there is an injury to one of the other two keepers on the roster. You rarely dress more than one back up keeper for a particular game anyway as there is a limit to the number of players you can put on your bench for a game (18 I think). That would make selection of someone like Rimando more of a possibility. If you needed to use your third keeper, it would likely be in the later elimination game stages because of injury or because of card disqualification. In such a scenario, a veteran keeper might be preferred to a younger keeper.
Who here is of the opinion that Lichaj could probably play a better left back then the natural lefty, Bornstine?
I don’t think Klejstan is trash, just that he went down the Quaranta path of not meeting expectations. I think he’s got good vision and is good vertically, but slow and prone to give-aways. Mix might be all over the place, but he’s already capable of special moments with the ball.
Basically, they’re fighting over a creative-sub position, and I just don’t think Klejstan has much to offer in that scenario.
Out of curiosity, do you know what teams?
You have a valid point with regards to Bradley probably playing more minutes however, there is a midfielder on that projected squad that was left home for Beasley last summer. Beasley played WC ball and was actually nursing an injury during the World cup camp and still managed to knock Sasha off the short list. My point is that you can’t overlook his accomplishments in big-tournaments at the club level. Bundesliga clubs just don’t hand 2-year contracts and then let them sit on the bench unless your team is stacked. Beasley is legit. Just don’t put him on the back line. I’m all for development for the future however, this particular Gold Cup is not for training purposes.
Also, we have to see if England holds on to that last extra Europa League spot. Since the rankings last came out there was a rash of yellows and a couple of reds in the Champions League. Also, not sure if Hughes’ red last match counts in the standings or if it only counts if an actual player gets a card. I guess my point is we have to see what happens with that. The situation is very fluid.
well said…
my problems with Bradley come from comparing him to the best midfielders on the best 8 teams in the world. I guess until we find someone else he will get minutes. As you said, “kinda sad.”
My worry, to follow others above, is if new talent is out there but not tapped due to Dad’s bias (though uninentional). Honestly, can USA fans just get a chance to see a midfield with out him?
in that case, leave Deuce off… he tends to go missing in CONCACAF matches anyway…..
if the USA doesnt win the final i will definetly cry! I cant handle USA losing to Ghana, the U-20’s not qualifying, RSL losing and the USA not being in the confederations cup all too close
I also wanted Zach to get a shot but I doubt it since he is hardly getting starts with Dallas.
Key term in conjecture in the British press.
Edu, Jones, or Clark… maybe Torres with those 3. I could see Dempsey as an attacking mid, with one of the 3 above behind and Landon on the wing. Still need a better winger or to put Dempsey there. Bradley’s current form and past history of uncreative play should make him a sub. Put him in when we have a goal up and need to wear the other team out.
I would like to see USA develop a distributor in the middle, our very own Xavi, Iniesta, Wesley Schnieder, etc. (Reyna was the last to do this for USA).
yep i would rather keep people that reflect US soccer and not people that some where along the line had half american blood
OK, big boy, I “won’t dare imply”, just because you told me not to.
However, I don’t think I implied anything; I said it pretty clearly.
Altidore has not performed well enough to be a lock on the roster. Plain and simple.
And, yes, it bugs that he has the honor to represent my country, but cannot manage a simple gesture of unity like that, especially when the camera pans across everyone else on the team doing it, including guys who grew up in Germany. I get that things like that don’t matter to everyone, but — dare I say it?? — they matter to me.
Missed him again. Lot of talk in the BL about a few teams interested in Matthew Taylor. I would be too given his 16 goals in 26 3.BL matches. What? We’re talking about BB making educated decisions here, well that ends the conversation.
There is a lot of conjecture in the UK press today that Dempsey may skip the Gold Cup. The reason being that Fulham may get a spot in the Europa League due to a Fair Play award. Fulham sits atop that table and unless someone of Fulham gets a red card in the last 4 games, they would go. The first playoff would be during or almost immediately after the Gold Cup.
Dempsey wishes for some time off after the EPL season and has looked tired in some recent games. The Europa League spot would be a HUGE bonus for Fulham and which they would take very seriously, given their success last year in making the final.
There would be tremendous pressure on him to put Club in front of Country/
“brightest spots” you mean his bold head?
but he is one of our better MDs, kinda sad.
Can we get a new uniform please?
good come back
I don’t think he is as fast as before, we had a 1-1 situation with Ream and couldn’t beat him.
This year’s Gold Cup isn’t about forward thinking. It’s 100% about winning the tournament to qualify for the confederations cup. The next GC is the one where new things can be tested.
Nah.
I believe that some of the negativity that surrounds M. Bradley doesn’t necessarily have to do with his talent level, but rather with a missing sense of fairness. Not getting quality minutes has been used as a reason for excluding other players from the team in the past, yet it doesn’t seem to affect Bradley. The reason is that he plays very well for the National team – it is a fact that is hard to deny. The problem is that other players not getting minutes with their club teams could make similar contributions to the national team, but might not be given a chance. So when, for example, Torres doesn’t get picked because he isn’t picking up enough minutes, fans of his will become skeptical of the reasons.
or how he was partnered with Bradley in our win against Spain in the Confed Cup
Yeah except one is 25 and has shown nothing except for that anamoly and the other is 20 with potential. Should the US be forced to rely on either one of them in the Gold Cup, it would probably be trouble, so why not at least bring in the guy with hope for the future instead of the guy who has so clearly on the hightest plateau on which he will ever reside. I’m with the wilyboy, except for the Bob blaming; if there is no real difference between bench players, bring in the younger one to gain experience.
The hate for Sacha is kind of overdone now. He was definitely in really poor form for a while, but I think he’s come out of that funk mostly. I also think that the problem is that he was played in a role that didn’t really suit him fully. As a box-to-box central midfielder, he was expected to play passes that kept possession and linked play. He was a bit inconsistent at this role, and, as strange as it sounds, he’s a lot more comfortable at making passes that cut defenses open. However, he was forced to take turns getting forward with Michael Bradley. When he was played next to Ricardo Clark, his true colors shined through. Clark was a holding midfielder( or was at least instructed to act as one) and allowed Sacha to get forward, create, and run at the backline.
PS. I’d like to see Holden at CAM when he gets healthy. Pair him with Jones, Bradley or Edu. Also isn’t it possible to drop Edu or Bradley into a center back role?
It’s about tactical flexibility, not just technical quality.
If by “best player” you mean the player that completed the most negative balls and easiest passes, you are correct. We need a more creative CAM. Not sure who that is- but we never get to see a non-Bradley pairing in the center, which kind of bugs.
It’s not as clear cut as you make it. You’re doing the incredibly irritating thing that plenty of fans like to do when comparing players. They make the player they’re against sound like complete trash rather than acknowledging their strengths and the truth of the situation.
The two are both very close candidates who play pretty much the exact same position and have the same kind of attributes. They’re expected to drive at the defense and provide a raw creative spark in the final third. They’re both comfortable creating from wide and central areas. It’s going to really depend upon form and will come down to the last day.
And last I heard Szetela got arrested.
Floyd? Wallace? Agbossoumonde? Gonzalez? Opara? Are you high?
Lol. I could see them all going to the Gold Cup. Cherundolo definitely goes, and so does Chandler since he can play RM as well.
I think Spector goes given his ability to play right back, centerback, center mid, and right mid, and I guess even left back in an emergency. Bringing Spector might be a good idea especially if we are not going to bring any other left backs besides Bocanegra. Imagine what would happen if Boca got hurt?
As for Lichaj, I really like the guy, but I could see him being the one left out if Bob doesn’t bring all four of them because he seems to be behind Chandler at right back. However he can play left back too. I think he has been playing it for Leeds since their injured right back came back? Someone correct me if I’m wrong. So that could help his chances. I’d probably play Lichaj at LB over Spector.