U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley named his 24-man roster for the United States’ friendly against Spain on Wednesday.
Pablo Mastroeni was the new name on the Spain roster, with all 17 European-based players who played against England also being recalled.
Here is the list:
GOALKEEPERS– Dominic Cervi (out of contract), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC) ]
DEFENDERS– Carlos Bocanegra (out of contract), Dan Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS– Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Lewis (Derby County), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids)
FORWARDS– Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nate Jaqua (out of contract), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC), Josh Wolff (out of contract)
So what do I see the starting lineup being vs. Spain? Here’s one possibility:
USA Roster vs. Spain
———Johnson—–Donovan————
Beasley—————————Dempsey
———–Bradley—-Mastroeni———–
Pearce————————–Cherundolo
———Bocanegra—Onyewu————-
——————Howard——————-
If Donovan can’t go then I think Bradley will have to consider sliding Beasley to the right and starting Eddie Lewis to the left wing, with Dempsey moving to forward.
I know the clamor continues for Freddy Adu but I just don’t think he is seen as a 90-minute player for the national team just yet. He is a defensive liability and the team just isn’t equipped to pick up that slack. While I would like to see Adu get a start in one of these three friendlies, I think Argentina might be the safer bet than Spain.
Now, if we do see Adu start, I think it would have to be in a 4-2-3-1 like this:
—————–Dempsey——————-
Beasley———–Adu————Donovan
———–Bradley—-Mastroeni———–
Pearce————————–Cherundolo
———Bocanegra—Onyewu————-
——————Howard——————-
I would have absolutely no problem with this lineup, and probably prefer it to the above lineup, which is the lineup I think Bradley will use if everyone is healthy.
After Clark’s less than stellar showing vs. England, I could see Bradley going with a veteran presence in Mastroeni.
As for the forwards, let me state it one more time. Kenny Cooper and Jozy Altidore were not called in because of MLS commitments as well as because of what will likely be busy national team/Olympic duty for both this summer. It would be great if they were called in but Bradley can’t just ignore the fact that these guys have club games to play.
What do you think of the squad called by Bradley? What lineup would you start based on that roster? Share your thoughts below.
I suspect we’ll see the MLS-based players everybody is clamoring for in the Argentina match. I’d really like to see Rogers get some minutes somewhere, in addition to Cooper, Altidore, and Adu.
I can accept not having Altidore called up for England or Spain IF he gets called for (and plays significant minutes against) Argentina at Giants Stadium. No travel, not as much time and energy away from the Red Bulls, so seems like a perfect opportunity.
Altidore needs to get this kind of experience if he is going to become what we hope. Playing Olympics is good experience, but playing North Korea’s (or whoever we are facing in Beijing) U-23 central defenders isn’t the same as facing guys like Terry and Rio…
Here’s a great idea. Air the game live online but not on TV. What is the sense in this?
Spector deserves to start this one if he is healthy. I know he had an injury, and I’d also like to see Orzoco to get a look this game. But stop bringing overage players. If we are going to lose lets lose with young players gaining experience. Not old players that won’t even hear about the World Cup.
I also hope that Josh Wolff won’t start. Hopefully we will see Dempsey and Johnson up top. I think Johnson might have done better with Dempsey as an attacking midfielder behind him relaying the ball from the defensive midfielders. I would also like to see Donovan on the right side. Also maybe Lewis should start on the left and bring Beasley in at the half.
I’m worn out by the “Adu plays no D, and therefore can’t start”. Really, with 11 guys on the field, we can’t sacrifice some defense for some attacking ideas? Even when playing 2 D-Mids behind him?
Adu definitely isn’t a sure thing to jump start the offense, but isn’t that what friendlies are supposed to be for, to find out?
But the biggest thing about the situation I don’t get, is that if BB didn’t mean to give Adu big minutes, including at least 1 start out of the 3 games, why didn’t he just make Adu captain of that U-23 embarrassment we sent out, and get the kid some minutes ahead of the Olympics.
FK PIRIN- im glad to see that someone is finally typing sense….
Seriously, no Josh Wolff, please. If no Donovan then Jaqua or Dempsey up top. I like Edu in the midfield if Adu is on the field. A defensive minded team should be fielded against Spain. The Argentina game should have MLS faces (i.e. Altidore, Cooper, Rogers)
Many people seem to be suggesting that Bob Bradley is not a very good coach due to his call-ups and people he is starting.
It seems to me that he has been pretty smart in his call ups. As the national team coach he has to balance having every player available with keeping good relations with individual players’ teams. Although I think Kenny Cooper would have made a difference in the way the US could play, Bradley probably wants him available later in the summer and with FC Dallas in such a tough state, right now, it makes sense that he would avoid calling him to Europe. ALso this week they are playing on Wednesday and Sunday, so it is a big week for them.
As for Altidore, Coach Osorio has been suggesting that Altidore is exhausted and needs some rest. I suspect that Bob Bradley would want to honor that concern and also massage Osorio into letting him participate in the Olympics later this summer.
As for Adu not starting. He is only 18 and not getting regular time with his team. In addition I agree completely with the analogy of throwing people in the water to see if they can swim. It is smart to give Adu a chance to play, when his confidence won’t get broken with a loss. That means if you are winning against a not so fantastic team, then you insert him in the second half early. If you are playing a great team, then you insert him later, and if he ends up scoring a goal, then his confidence goes through the roof. If he has a bad game, then it isn’t that big of a deal. If you throw him in as a starter, he may show that he is an amazing player, but the chances are that he is mentally unprepared and you will break his confidence.
In regard to the US National Team Pool; I agree with many that we have some great athletes, even though our best usually aim for other sports. However, I think that having our best players go to other sports makes a big difference, and that a strong athlete may still not have the intangibles and mentality to compete at a top level. Creativity and vision in addition to mental fortitude are things that some of our players seem to lack (Although, of course compared to me personally and probably many athletes in the world, they are amazing). For instance and although I haven’t met him, Eddie Johnson strikes me as the type of player with all the physical tools, but without the intangibles to succeed at the highest level. Of course with proper coaching he might overcome his mental block and become an incredible goal scorer. I assume that is what people are counting on.
In regard to out of contract players, I don’t think it is fair to say that they can’t be playing very well if out of contract. I think in the case of both Nate Jaqua and Josh Wolff they may have decided not to take a new contract with their current teams at the end of the season, and are simply in flux. I don’t think it is a situation where the teams simply didn’t want them anymore, maybe they just didn’t offer enough to keep them. In addition they both were contributors to their teams.
Everyone was focused on midfield issues, and there are issues. But what about the backline? In particular the centerbacks. I think they need to try something else, Onyewu is just too slow. It’s as simple as that, how do you think he’s going to fair against Torres? Not good at all.
Keith G- the reason the lone forward didnt work for us is b/c the lone forward is suppose to be rediculously quick… McBride, with all his qualities, is not the fastest forward we have… he’s a target forward, plays with his back to the goal… not a good style for a lone forward…
Metzeng has the best lineup (assuming LD still has his hurt lady parts) with a lone forward…. for all of EJ’s negative aspects, he does have one positive… he’s quick… if he’ would avoid checking and making pass backs he could pull the lone forward off… if he wold simply make slanting runs waiting for the ball he could have opportunities… but with EJ making the checks that left Wolff up top… in all honesty the roles shouldve been reversed
Luke- “How about Twellman? He’s been a proven scorer for the Revs. He’s played a few times for the USMNT, but they’ve only used him sporadically. Edson Buddle, Chad Barret, Robbie Rogers are having good years for their clubs.”
HAHAHAHA, ive had enough of Tightshirt, just like ive had enough of EJ…. Barrett hardly gets respect by Fire fans b/c of his inconsistancies, i dont see him repp’ing first team nats… Buddle has a hat trick and what? a game with a goal as well?? Rogers is your best call, but as we’ve stated, would the Crew release him??
aristotle- thanks for the list, ill be copying their player profiles and email my contact their info… this should drastically help the USMN’s out and should be taken into full effect by the Arg. game…
Ives, I like your 4-5-1 alignment. I think that’s the best way to get Freddy on the field. Freddy gives up some defense, but I think he’ll contribute some possession. Spain has got to be licking their chops after the England game. Freddy can at the very least draw a few fouls that will give us time to catch our breath and run a set piece.
After playing on turf in Toronto, I think Donovan is going to miss this game. I also think Spector deserves a start over Boca. I’d like to see,
Howard
Cherundolo-Spector-Gooch-Pearce
Bradley-Mastroeni
Dempsey-Adu-Beasley
Johnson
I will say this the US are not good enough to have a loan striker, it killed us in the world cup and it will do the same today. McBride was supposed to be one of our best of the cross and get us the goals and he didnt score a goal. If we are going to have any chance I would go with this set up.
———-Donovon–Dempsey————-
Beasley—————————–Adu
————-Edu—Bradley————-
Pearce—-Bocanegra–Onyewu—-Cherundolo
—————Howard——————
If Donovan can not go then I would stick Johnson in there, though I wish Altidore was on the roster.
Brett:
Don’t you think it’s about time we gave these guys a shot too? These guys have contracts.
Brian Waltrip Molde
Cam Weaver FK Haugesund
Greg Dalby Charleroi
Brian West Fredrikstad
Kyle Veris IL Hødd
Etchu Tabe Ljungskile SK
Chris Rodd Bryne FK
Tim Merritt FSV Oggersheim
Charles Kazlauskas TOP Oss
How about Twellman? He’s been a proven scorer for the Revs. He’s played a few times for the USMNT, but they’ve only used him sporadically. Edson Buddle, Chad Barret, Robbie Rogers are having good years for their clubs.
I’m not saying we would have beaten England, but we should have put up more of a fight. 1 shot in the first half is ridiculous! We beat Poland 3-0 and Sweden, who both are in Euro 2008. I think our players and coaches give England way too much repect.
Michael – I think you have the best lineup I’ve seen in awhile a 12 man side. 🙂 I think we might battle to a draw.
What about guys like Mapp and Rogers. Can either of them play on the right side? I like Dempsey, but he has certainly not been very effective playing midfield. I just don’t think he should be an automatic. Maybe up top he is our best option…
Prentice- the same thing can be said about Beasley….and Landon….and Dempsey…. and Howard…. and Boca and Gooch….
while BB may experiement with a few back liners, it seems that those 2 always have locked down positions on bigger games…
MB is a solid player… the experiementing comes in the position next to him…
Not bad. I would prefer not to see Wolf again. Aging 33 year old that played terribly in the last outing. Also, Clark could have stayed home for this one.
Other than those two I think its solid. Altidore, Cooper, or Rogers are obvious call ups. But I think Bob wants to see EJ again or Jaqua (he only had 2 mins) paired with Donovan or Dempsey. Why call in these MLS guys if they are only going to get 15-20 minutes tops.
I hope we don’t see Wolf. I like Ives lineup. You may see one or two of the guys in the back switched. Maybe Spector gets a start.
Does anyone else feel somewhat concerned about the Michael Bradley situation? When Bob Bradley was hired, bringing his son into the fold was one of his first moves, which I was fine with, as M Bradley is a very good player, who had probably been overlooked somewhat. But I feel that the situation has gotten a little beyond professionalism at this point. He seems to be the only player who has completely locked down his position for seemingly every game we play. It’s not that MB is a bad player, I just feel that he is not good enough to always be the first player on the team sheet, especially when you consider how the rest of the positions have been shuffled through repeatedly and the other talent or options we have in the midfield.
For the record, I did not feel that MB played very well in our loss against England. He covers a lot of ground and is around the ball more than most, but I felt, especially in this game he lacked pretty much everything else (i.e. good touch, vision, creativeness), but then again so did pretty much everyone else. I might be overly concerned with this and putting MB under too much of a microscope, but personally I hope that the midfield is changed for the game against Spain.
aristotle- sounds interesting… i like where you are going with this….keep brainstorming players, and we’ll send in their profiles to the USSF….
Mark- *insert any US forward* vs Fernando Torres
Gee, I wonder who’s going to win that battle…. gee, choices choices choices…
“Lloyd, you’re so off-base. You do realize there’s a give and take with regards to the U.S. team and it’s use of MLS players in-season right? There are plenty of instances when MLS allows players to go when it doesn’t have to (like last year’s Copa America). Having a working relationship and understanding between a federation and domestic league isn’t exactly an unheard of concept”
Actually, having a domestic league which ignores FIFA dates IS pretty much an unheard of concept. Or at least an EXTREMLY small minority….
Fernando Torres vs Josh Wolff
Gee, I wonder who’s going to win that battle
Does Josh Wolfe have naked pictures of Bob Bradley’s wife or something?
Brett:
How about bringing in Joe Enochs from Snuffleufikus in the German fourth division to take the place of Maurice Adu?
Jonathan- sorry, mistaken…. d*mnit aristole, this is your fault….
assuming you couldnt bring up Altidor (exhausted and ingrown toe-nail issues) or Cooper (MLS ties, but will probably get brought up for the Arg. game), who would you have brought up in the forward spot??
im assuming Dempsey wouldve started over Wolff if LD didnt “hurt” himself, but frankly, who else is there?? with all the problems with FCD, there is no way Cooper wouldve been released for the 3 games…
seven- i wont disagree with that… who would you bring up in the midfield in Edu’s place??
Brett, the 31year old journeyman who can’t get resigned by a 2nd division team is Josh Wolff, not EJ… seirously how hard can it be to play in the German 2nd Division? I imagine it would be akin to Arean football here??? Isn’t that incredible?? Bradley calling up a bum who couldn’t even play in teh arena league?? (obvi the english 2nd division is heads above other 2nd divisions in europe) so don’t get teh two mixed up.
aristotle – i never make mistakes… FACT! 😀
the way people are posting would show that they think otherwise… they may expect more from our NT then what can actually be done…
Brett, I realize that, but they could have chosen somebody else to replace Feilhaber, not replaced him or at least allowed Edu to return to Toronto after the England match.
Brett:
We’re not a superpower yet? I thought for sure we were. Are you sure? Perhaps you are mistaken.
seven- edu originally wasnt brought up in the roster, until Feilhaber got injured…
Here is a mind blowing concept for Bob Bradley… Your son just scored 19 goals, which is the most ever by an American in any European league… why not give him a shot at playing attacking mid? Can it really get any worse for our attacking presence than it already is? It is obvious that none of these strikers are going to get it done because our best offense resides in wingers and midfielders.
So I say give Mike Bradley a chance to play in the attack, put Pablo in defensive mid, where he is pretty good, and take your chances fielding some size up front with Jaqua as the large target and Adu as the receded forward instead of Wolff and Johnson, both of which I don’t think amount to much as far as an attack.
———-Jaqua—-Adu———–
————-Bradley————–
Beasley—Pablo—Dempsey—Donovan
–Dolo—Orozco—DeMerit—Spector–
————–Guzan————–
Yeah, I would totally roll the dice since it is a friendly. I think Gooch and Boca would get burnt by Spain’s speedy forwards, so I would try some speedier guys on the back line. I would also be able to switch Dempsey and Bradley if I needed to get more defensive as well. Clark is one bad move away from a red, and Edu is a good option on the bench.
Luke- In my opinion, hejduk and Lewis are still pretty solid… while they aernt contenders against the 2010 WC, they are possiblities for WCQ…. not defending the call ups but merely pointing out that they can contribute NOW…
Everyone should read what “moneyball” said.
He makes a strong argument against the “best athlete” claims.
The US strength is our athleticism. We can outrun anyone.
Our weakness is technical ability and soccer intelligence on the field.
The England match highlighted this fact.
Our weakness continues to be player development. Youth Clubs need to get away from developing “teams” to truly developing players.
Jonathan- dumb comparison as EJ is what?? 24?? and still capable of growing… im not defending the kid, as i think he shouldnt be brought up till he proves something, but players grow at different times
It’s obvious Cooper & Altidore weren’t called up because of their MLS committments. Why was the same respect not paid to Toronto? Edu should have been allowed to return to his club after the England game.
kpugs- even with our starting XI we probably would have still lost… we had the likes of Beasley, LD, MB, Gooch, Boca, etc… alot of these guys are regualar starters… only the addition of a few would have made any difference and i still wouldve expected a loss after watching England play the way they did….
you are simply expecting the improbable… the 3-2 win over portugal in 02′ was insane… it was unexpected and probably wouldnt have happened if we played the same team a week later…
its time to face the facts that we are not a superpower yet, and playing teams who are top notch will 7 out of 10 times result in a loss… 1 out of 10 times may result in a win… its folly to place such high expectations on a national team thats an infant compared to most…especially when the sport is not even in the top 3 of this country….
I called for Mastroni from the get go. Bradley has to have a good holding midfieler – I don’t care how old. I’d go for Eddie Lewis on left wing. He was the best. Give Freddie an opportunity over EJ. He deserves it. Instead of two holding mids, move M. Bradley to attacking mid and see what happens. Works for his club team. I’d give DeMeritt a shot at center back. Couldn’t be worse than it is already.
cooper and altidore have club committments…meaningless MLS game vs international against Spain to showcase thier immense talent..
Why is Bradley wasting roster spots for players who are either way too old or who have done nothing to show they deserve any more chances with the national team. Eddie Lewis 34, Frankie Hejduk 34 and Pablo Mastroeni 32 are probably too old to contribute in any upcomming major tournaments.
Josh Wolf and Eddie Johnson are “duds”! They have done nothing in years for the USMNT. Bradley needs to start developing other viable canidates like Altidore or Cooper. Let them take their lumps. I’d rather have them take it in a friendly against England, Spain or Argentina than in a World Cup qualifer.
I was confused about how Bradley was selecting forwards, but now it’s quite clear. You need to be awful or out of contract, or both. Apparently, playing for a mediocre lower division team in Europe really helps too.
Could Dallas please release Kenny Cooper from his contract so he can play with the USMNT?
Hasn’t anyone found out what Kenny Cooper did to Bob Bradley yet?
I wouldn’t worry about Bob Bradley too much. I’m pretty sure he will be fired when we don’t qualify for the World Cup. I see E.J. and Josh Wolff starting regularly through qualifying and combining for a total of one goal. (Someone will shoot and hit the post for the U.S. and the ball will bounce back off the post, hit E.J. in the back of the head, (naturally, he will be facing away from the goal) and deflect into our opponent’s goal.)
what is all this crap about wanting bradley’s head?? lets look at the facts…
1. why not have altidor and cooper or rogers?? b/c they are in the full swing of their seasons… there is no REASON to pull them up for what are nothing more then MEANINGLESS friendlies… there is no reason to annoy the teams the players are playing for…
2. after 3 losses should we drop Bradley?? why, why would anyone think this… again this is nothing more then people thinking too HIGHLY of our national squad… quite frankly, i will not go into any of these games as definate wins or even ties for that matter… we tie one of these sides and ill consider it a step forward.. a win would be crazy great… but i expected at least 2 losses and maybe a tie… ITS ENGLAND, SPAIN AND ARGENTINA FFS! these are top teams around the world… yes we should have a full squad, but things dont always work out… think of it as enriching exp for players like: Edu, guzan, MB, Bease, etc… alot of the squad will be our WCQ squad… you guys simply jump to conclusions and expect TOO MUCH..
3. this is no different then when we call mainly MLS squads to friendlies during the MLS offseason… get over the fact… its the summer of 08…. we have 3 MAJOR tourny’s (assuming we are invited back to COPA) in 09′, and then the WC… there are PLENTY of chances for the squad to see time.. some of you are worse then English fans when it comes to calling for heads of coaches
(insert Scouser accent here)
FC Out of Contract
Champions of Europe !
Champions of Europe !
Eaa Eaa Eaa
learn what? how to get our butt’s kicked? bradley should start our best players,, or are players who give us the best chance to win, not the best chance to not lose by a lot.. no other country in the world would accept a national team coach trotting out players like Ej and Wolff at wembley stadium just to be laughed off… seriously starting wolff would be like if C. ronaldo was hurrt for portugal and instead of having Nani come in and start in his place, the coach chose some 31yr old, over the hill bum who can’t even get a renewed contract in the 2nd division german league… no wait.. it’d be exactly like that!!!
And Onionsack, nobody is saying Adu needs to be Essien, but if you want to play a 4-4-2 he just doesn’t work hard enough off the ball and defensively to fit into that system. Now, if the U.S. had a machine of a D-mid who could handle the dirty work then you can use Adu there, unless you go with a 4-2-3-1 like I suggested.
Even with that, you call this analysis of Adu conservative. What is your analysis? Wildly optimistic? Has Adu ever been a dominant playmaker in a professional setting? Ever? Did he ever dominate as a playmaker in MLS? Did he dominate at Benfica? I’m not saying the kid won’t be good but you’re statements sure sound like you know without fail that he can step in and be an impact national team starter when there isn’t even evidence to show him being an impact club starter. He’s been a great sub off the bench for Benfica (when they’ve used him) and that’s how Bob Bradley is using him now, so how is he out of line for not starting Adu?
Adu will get his chance, and he will develop. All the screaming for him to start is pretty unnecessary.
Do you ever not scream Onionsack? Is your everyday communication in person a series of screaming and cursing? Settle down man.
“Bob’s going to put out a team that qualifies for the World Cup and is competitive against very good teams. I’m not sure what people are expecting.”
More! Obviously for a coach to get beyond that – remember Bruce was canned for qualifying and trying to be competitive. This ain’t ’06 or ’98 anymore.
Maybe a couple people are calling for 5 new starters but most aren’t. Look at the England game. Adu played well. What’s the criticism about his playing well? He came on after England took the foot off the gas. Well, why is he coming in after the game’s decided? Can you criticize a player for playing well, and then not put him in when the match counts?
Lloyd, you’re so off-base. You do realize there’s a give and take with regards to the U.S. team and it’s use of MLS players in-season right? There are plenty of instances when MLS allows players to go when it doesn’t have to (like last year’s Copa America). Having a working relationship and understanding between a federation and domestic league isn’t exactly an unheard of concept.
Adam R., in a way you’re right. In a very different way, we as fans have the right to want to beat big time teams. Which we will never do if our coach is only playing to evaluate rather than win.
No one says you have to agree or disagree with that strategy. But we are still a laughingstock, and if some of our fans would rather see a victory over England that watch scrubs screw it up, that is their right. You have no right to lecture anyone on what they should or should not expect.
Our early world cup qualifiers are jokes. The SBI mafia could beat the teams we start off against. Therefore I want to see a full strength USA squad compete against England, Spain, Argentina, actually try to win. Do you remember the team that went to Copa America? Why did they even bother, I dare you to tell me what that accomplished.
We are never going to be able to take a step forward in the footballing world at the world cup if we are constantly taking three steps at a time backwards in big-time friendly matchups. And I’m not going to apologize for wishing our coach would play to win in those games, meaningless as the results may be.