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Dynamo midfielder Davis added to USMNT roster

Brad Davis

By IVES GALARCEP

Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis has been added to the U.S. Men’s National Team squad currently in training camp ahead of upcoming qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico, U.S. Soccer announced on Tuesday.

Davis becomes the 24th player in the camp in Denver, where the team is preparing for Friday’s match against Costa Rica.

Davis impressed during the January national team camp, and gives the team three left wing options in the squad, along with Brek Shea and DaMarcus Beasley. With Beasley an option at left back, Klinsmann could be considering the Dynamo captain for some minutes in qualifying, though at this point he seems like a bit of a long shot.

The call-up could also be to help provide some potential injury cover in camp. As it stands, at least one player in camp won’t be in uniform for Friday’s  qualifier at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

What do you think of Davis’ late inclusion? See him getting minutes in the upcoming qualifiers, or do you think he’s just heading to Colorado to make up the numbers?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Sounds like Davis is backing up Shea because Shea stated yesterday his foot is still not 100%. I don’t know why Shea was called in if he was not fit. He could have focused on getting healthy and back in form with Stoke City. I’d rather have a fit Davis than an injured Shea.

    Either way, both players would only fit in 10-20 minute sub appearances, but it could make a difference.

    Reply
    • Klinsmann called in Shea to have his doctors perform Reiki on his foot. And to give him a six month supply of Juice Plus®.

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  2. Um, six Americans won’t be in uniform. You can only dress 18 people for the matchday squad – 11 starters and 7 subs. How do you guys get paid to do this stuff and not know basic rules of the competition?

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      • Indeed. Nothing brings out the inner 12 year old in me like “Um…listen to me idiots, I am wrong”

      • You are correct for World Cup finals/qualifying you can dress 23. Some teams just don’t dress a full compliment. 18 is more standard for friendlies, but that usually reflects some sort of 6 sub agreement where pretty much everyone players, rewarding the players and justifying the callup. In the World Cup you have different forces at work, you want teams to have their best players in.

  3. I’m glad Brad Davis got called up whether it’s late or not. My thing is, they better use him and not have him ride the bench. If that’s the case then let him stay home and suit up for the Dynamo.

    I was so pissed years ago when Bruce Arena was the USMNT coach and he used Brian Ching to score goals through all the tough qualifying matches and then they get to an important game and he benches Chingy and throws in old ass McBride who did didly squat. The US gets knocked out and reporters asked Bruce what he would’ve done differently and he says, “I would’ve played Brian Ching cause he was in great form.” Well duh! Ching was averaging a goal a game back then. I’ll never understand what these coaches are thinking.

    Reply
    • Hmmmm, to be fair, McBride was the better target and Ching saw some of his time because McBride got hurt. He was competing for time with a great striker. BUT Arena handled that tournament awfully and I never understood why he played a 451, didn’t play Ching at all.

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      • The lead-up to the 2006 WC was one that with Arena’s starters it was not clear who except McBride might provide any goals (Dempsey got one), but it was a pretty dismal offensive output from the US. Ching did score in qualifying, but was viewed as the same player as McBride, not as a complementary player. It was always pretty clear that that team was likely to have trouble scoring in the WC.

  4. Only because he was the only one who said anything about Klinsmann in the article!!! It has nothing to do with the fact that Brek Shea said himself he’s not healthy!!!

    (I hope people realize that was dripping with sarcasm and I’m not crazy)

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  5. “With Beasley an option at left back”

    Perhaps I’ve missed the quote but has Klinnsman actually stated this or that simply speculation?

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      • …and for the record, Beasley looked like garbage at LB for the Nats.

        My inquiry is to whether the speculation is purely manufactured or if JK has actually made reference to it.

      • i think, if someone’s played the position (multiple times) before, it’s ok to consider him ‘an option’ at that position–not every new coach has to reiterate that.

        now whether he’s a good or bad option…

      • Again, not what I’m asking.

        I’m specifically asking if JK has alluded to or mentioned specially Beasley is an option at LB.

        Until provided proof otherwise, it’s merely manufactured speculation by this website and I find that rather annoying.

    • And that’s why he is the captain. No matter what is happening behind the scenes it is important to show a united front in public. Doing otherwise only invites more pressure and problems to the team. Toe the line

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      • You can take umbrage with Strauss’ extensive use of anonymous sources, the timing of the article, or it’s overall accuracy but to say that what Boca said disputes anything in the article is just wrong.

        There was a reason nobody wanted to put their name on this, it would be shocking for Boca to publicly corroborate what was said about him. What he said about JK letting everybody know where they stand is the sort of truthful sidebar that can deflect attention from the series of other, independent, issues raised in the article.

      • It does illuminate that Klinsmann could learn something from Boca. That is when in public, either say something positive or talk without saying anything, never air the dirty laundry in public or blame failures on those who can’t defend themselves.

    • disagree with the apologists. In all the decades I’ve been following the USMNT, I can never recall this amount of discord happenning, ceretainly not before a home WC quali. In fact, Herc was saying similar things before the Honduras game, saying the task facing JK isn’t to field the best 11 individual players, but to field the best team of 11. To say the least, JK has struggled to accomplish this. Hope he gets it right yet

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      • Beachbum, The 98WC team had it in spades.

        Harkes-Wynalda affair, and Sampson’s inability to deal with the team was way more dysfunctional.

        Poor personnel choices, changing formations, and public criticisms of players were arguably things that Sampson handled even worse that Klinsmann.

    • Shea came out and said his foot still hurts. probably cant play. Credit to him for giving it a go, better than Danny Williams stomach flu keeping him from joining. Davis is a good replacement and a good pro.

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  6. OK, so as a dynamo fan, this may piss me off a lot. I am always happy for Davis to get called up, but getting called up late with no mention of him being a replacement makes me think he is just going to be cut out of the game day 18. Maybe Klinsmann wants him in one of the two matches, but if he is not in either, or does not make either game day roster, I will be extremely pissed. If you want him to get him started as a leader for the gold cup, that is fine, but call him in with everyone else then. Now it just seems like a random call up, that if not rewarded with at least a bench appearance just wastes Davis time and one of the dynamo’s most important players (granted they have so many more problems already to worry about than playing without Davis).

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    • its not a game day 18 anymore. they’re allowed to dress 23 players now, i believe. davis could be excellent as a set piece specialist if youre chasing the game.

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      • +1 good call up. I dont understand the timing but davis is someone id keep around for that free kick in the 85th if needed. Also for the players it more than two 90 min games. A week of training is huge for future depth chart positioning.

        I also would have concidered Alfredo Morales or an mls fullback maybe franklin, aj dlg, or lade. But i guess jurgen is set with the few he has

      • o thats right, it is now 23. Well, all the more so about my point. If he does not make the 23 for at least 1 game, I think it hurts Davis and the dynamo (more so the dynamo) than anything else.

      • I think Davis and the Dynamo will be just fine. If anything they understand that sometimes there are more important things in life, like GETTING US TO THE WORLD CUP

  7. yeah this roster look just like camp cake roster mixed in with some euros. Pathetic really. it looks like is gonna be the line up against canada expect for guz, demps bradly jones jozy herc

    Reply
      • only after his original ideas were shown to be incorrect. He didn’t come in respecting MLS, he’s learned he should, my opinion. Good on him.

  8. Tad weird to have a delayed callup and then you call another player up without sending anyone home. They didn’t announce til Monday to allow for injuries and he calls someone else on Tuesday? And then last round he made the calls and wouldn’t call fillins when people were sick or hurt.

    Beyond that it’s kind of like he just called from the Canada list regardless of how they played, even if there are better people who played well against a tougher Russia team…..Gatt and Mixx vs. Kljestan and Davis. Who looked dangerous who didn’t very freaking simple, particularly considering some people didn’t even stand out against……Canada……..

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    • what’s new, all of his call-ups have been weird. He’s challenging the players to adapt to his whims but it will make the players stronger. As if the piss and vomit thrown at them, the horns outside their hotel rooms to prevent them from sleeping at the CONCACAF away games, the suspect officiating insnt enough. Yes let’s ad more adversity to help their chances of qualifying for the World Culp

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      • Yeah, he sounded completely immune to any constructive criticism in that article. Every issue the players brought up was either their fault or for their own good. A bit egomaniacal.

      • Obvious narcissist is obvious. The nasty cocktail of incompetence, charming personality, and people afraid to challenge him in public says it all.

      • Don’t blame the boss without putting your name to it, it’s chickenshit and you all would feel the exact same way. It’s different and look, the fruit with be borne with wonderful flowers or it will die on the vine. I have more faith in the players that they can grasp a different system, but JK’s right, they need to reach their potential and it will take a while. But I think we’ve had enough bright spots to show that if we play a certain way, cohesive and with enough flair and discipline we will take 3 in Denver.

        Tuesday? Whole nother ballgame – literally – but I think we’ll be stepping down from the ledge a little in a week’s time.

  9. Muckraking journalism, extensive internal locker room strife, tons of Europe-based players, top 10 domestic attendance in the world, all we need now to be a proper footballing question is for us to have a Wayne Bridge situation and have somebody sleep with another player’s wife….oh wait.

    Reply

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