Photo by ISIphotos.com
Freddy Adu, Eddie Johnson, Jonathan Spector and Marcus Hahnemann were among the players chosen by U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley for upcoming World Cup qualifiers vs. El Salvador (March 28th) and Trinidad & Tobago (April 1st).
The usual suspects such as Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsy, Michael Bradley, Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra were also called up, but the inclusions of Adu, Johnson, Spector and Hahnemann are likely to draw the most interest in the coming week as all four look to try and work their way into the squad.
Here is the 22-man roster for the upcoming qualifiers:
GOALKEEPERS– Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 4/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton: 8/6 SO), Marcus Hahnemann (Reading: 1/1 SO)
DEFENDERS– Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 17/2), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland: 3/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 1/0), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew: 15/1), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege: 13/1), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock: 8/0), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United: 2/1)
MIDFIELDERS– Freddy Adu (AS Monaco: 5/1), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers: 22/6), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 7/4), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers: 3/0), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA: 7/0), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids: 12/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 2/0)
FORWARDS– Jozy Altidore (Xerez C.D.: 4/1), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 13/6), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC: 13/4), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 26/9), Eddie Johnson (Cardiff City: 9/8)
———————-
Goalkeeper Tim Howard is suspended for the El Salvador qualifier on March 28th in El Salvador, meaning either Marcus Hahnemann or Brad Guzan will get the call.
Among the missing is right back Steve Cherundolo, who is still working his way back to full fitness after dealing with injuries in recent months.
Adu and Jozy Altidore make the squad despite both suffering through difficult loan deals that have made playing time non-existent.
Eddie Johnson's inclusion will raise some eyebrows but there's no denying that he has played very well for Cardiff City in recent weeks. His World Cup qualifying experience, and past success, surely played a role, along with his current form. It should also be noted that Altidore's lack of playing time at Xerez may have Bradley looking for an alternative for a forward to bring off the bench.
You may also notice that Spector's arrival coincides with the absence of Jonathan Bornstein. Spector is versatile enough to serve as a back-up for Frankie Hejduk and Heath Pearce, which should help give the U.S. roster some valuable flexibility.
There will be complaining about some MLS names that are missing, but it probably isn't a coincidence that Bob Bradley only called in MLS players who are expected to start (with the possible exception of Pablo Mastroeni). Not a bad policy with the MLS season just getting underway.
The United States plays El Salvador on March 28th before playing host to Trinidad & Tobago in Nashville, Tennessee on April 1st.
What do you think of the group? Happy to see Spector back in the mix? Surprised to see Johnson get the call, or did you expect it given his recent form with Cardiff? Shocked or encouraged to see Freddy Adu getting a look?
Share your thoughts on the roster in the comments section below.
Hope Freddy and Jozy decide not to use their return portion of their tickets. Life as a young american in Europe is beyond brutal, cruel and smacks of being really unfair.
Why not leave Eddied in Cardiff? He may be on the verge of getting his game together for the 1st time in 3 years.
Bring him in is going to pee off Cardiff to no end as they battle for a playoff spot for the 3rd promoted team from the championship.
I mean- we know what he is now so there is nothing to learn plus he isn’t going to see the field in El Salvador anyway considering who he has in front of him.
Just a really dumb selection all around for all parties involved.
Ron, I’m going to kick your ass.
Eddie Johnson….Bradley is a joke as a coach. He manages to win in spite of himself….
Our forward pool a joke? Well not anything special, but decent.
Ohh and Bornstein. But he’s no.3 behind Spector and Pearce.
We’re strong in defense.
Spector, Boca, Gooch, Cherundolo and Pearce, Califf, Parkhurst, Wynne, Hedjuk
Now Pearce is a decent leftback but now Spector is back. Parkhurst needs more time but is solid on the bench. Wynne is no2 to Cherundolo but needs time to watch and learn the flow from Cherundolo. Califf is getting better each match. Hedjuk has done a lot but brings nothing new to the team.
EJ might have a chance to grab a few more assists and goals before his time is up with the national team, but is super-sub at best.
Donovan, Altidore and Ching are our top strikers though Ching is just worthless even in a game against Poland.
Davies, Cooper are all possibilities. Davies as a super-sub. Cooper as a target man but needs a finer touch.
Is there even going to be a game? Great opportunity for Spector. Marshall or Bornstein still aren’t good enough for any consistent place?
If I see EJ get the ball with his back to the goal and then pass it back to a mid field player I will lose it. I will have to find Bob and show him how EJ repeatedly shys away of taking the attacking role and passes it on to someone else.
He really needs to go to a psychiatrist to help him be more selfish and determined.
Is Robbie Fowler still at Cardiff maybe he can talk to him about his problem.
Our forward pool is a joke. EJ is a joke. That is all.
I just love the EJ hatred on this blog. Guys/gals, looking toward South Africa, which of our forwards, given their potential and all the upside, can realistically score some goals against top ranked competition either at the Confed Cup or the World Cup?
Ching? Davies, Cooper? I don’t think so. U.S is going to rely heavily on Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley and Beaez to create decent chances in S.A unless either Josy, EJ or Adu emerges. If EJ is in form he has shown he can score consistently on the international level. If he’s not, then he struggles and he shouldn’t be selected. While it is safe to play Ching, it’s almost like playing with 10 players and no forward. He is not really an offensive threat against topflight competition.
Arena — Finally the voice of reason. Spector is the man to stop Mexico (and the world) from shredding our left side. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to see him play again.
Oh, and Ching belongs, especially if we keep scoring on set pieces. Ching-Gooch-Boca-Dempsey (with Bradley sweeping up) is a scary crew framing the goal. I always think we’re going to score every corner. I like Davies but did everyone see him v. Sweden? He needed a map.
ryan no offense but your idea is terrible,and borderline laughable
this is a WCQ away from home….are you joking me?We have 3 points….we have clinched a spot to the world cup….wow man wow.
if eddie johsnon can play for the US so can I,
if eddie johsnon can play for the US so can I,
if eddie johsnon can play for the US so can I,
Im expecting the same line up as the Mexico game…..If were being smart,only exception obviously Guzan for Timmy
I feel like Pearce has been a great leftback.
I doubt we’ll ever see Boca or Beez at LB. The player I’m hoping can take over that spot is Spector. We already have Dolo, Hejduk, Wynne, Simek for RB. Given that neither Pearce nor Bornstein has really excelled, LB is ripe for a Spector takeover.
Donovan Altidore (Adu, Ching)
Beez Torres Bradley Dempsey (Kljestan, Edu)
Spector Boca Gooch Dolo (Pearce, Califf, Hejduk)
Howard (Guzan)
I can’t wait for the game.
What I expect to see
——–Donovan(EJ)—-Ching(Altidore)——-
Beasley(Torres)—Bradley(Mo)—Mastroeni(Sacha)—Dempsey(Adu)
Pearce——Gooch—–Boca——-Heyduk(Spector)
—————-Guzan(Hahneman)———-
I have no complaints with the roster, just those two questions. I feel like this is an incredible group of players. I am very excited for all of them and for this game! I can’t wait to watch it. I am also very excited for the state of the USMNT. I can’t ever recall a time when we have had so much talent that it was a truly difficult task to call in the best team for a camp because we have so many great players. Coach Bradley has done an incredible job developing the talent pool. There is a serious amount of talent in this call-up, and almost as much left out!!! I AM SUPER PUMPED about this call up, the state of American soccer, Coach Bradley, the team, and all of the players. I am a happy super fan. LETS GO UNITED STATES!!!
I just saw Pablo Mastroeni’s name on the roster (full body cringe). I respect everything he has done for the national team, especially at the 2002 WC, but its time to move on.
Redo:
Spector – Gooch – Boca – Beasley
————-Bradley————
Dempsey——————-Adu
————-Torres————-
——Donovan——–Altidore—
Maybe Klejstian starts over Adu and Dempsey moves to the left with Sasha on the right.
We need to try Beasley at left back NOW – if he is as good as I and many others think he would be in that position, he could become a world class left back and our defense would be very solid, and dangerous from an attacking perspective. I think Spector can take Cherundelo’s spot on the right.
oh, and spector over wynne? I guess Wynne is 4th in line for a right back position currently.
Add Cherundelo and Orozco and remove Pearce and we finally have all 23 of our tickets to South Africa. Davies and Johnson can battle it out, so perhaps Davies gets the nod, but otherwise this is great.
Starting X:
Hejkuk – Gooch – Boca – Spector
Bradley
Dempsey Adu
Torres
Donovan Altidore
I mean, i prefer pearce, but i figured bradley would at least give Heath some competition.
Why not bornstein????
@n2
I’d like to see Chad Marshall in the mix someday but I don’t think he’s ready. He’s a “backup” to Califf at best and even Califf is a backup (to either Gooch or Boca).
I am very happy with this selection. I think Bob left out Marvell because of his lack of playing time compared to the Europas.
I expect this line up:
——-ching———
——-donovan——-
——-kjlestian——
beas———–dempsey
——-bradley——–
pearce-boca-gooch-spector
Brad Guzan in goal.
I hope to see either Califf or DeMeritt next to Gooch in the middle, with Boca and Spector on the outsides. I also think Kjlestian needs to show a lot in camp to prove to Bob he can hold his own out there. Everyone else had great games against Mexico.
Extremely pumped for the T&T game, can’t wait to see Nashville.
I doubt Michael Orozco will get called up anytime soon. Scoring in the Copa Libertadores is on thing but playing in France and Belgium is on another level.
Good call up, US should run over El Salvador, who apparently isn’t paying their players
It seems to me EJ has to prove he deserves to be part of the USMNT for 2010. Since he’s clearly not a starter, he needs to come off the bench in the second half and score a goal or at least contribute to one. If he doesn’t provide a clear spark for the team in one of these two games he’ll be left off future rosters just like Cooper.
I dont know if anyone knows this already but aparrently Michael Orozco scored in a 2-2 draw for San Luis. Wonder when he’ll get another callup.
I’d like to see this lineup, and its a very real possiblity:
——————-Ching——————–
Beasley————Donovan———–Dempsey
————Bradley——-Torres————
Pearce——————————Spector
———–Onyewu———Bocanegra———
——————Hahnemann—————-
After three subs:
————–Johnson—Altidore—————–
Dempsey———————————Adu
———-Bradley———-Torres———–
Pearce——————————Spector
————Onyewu——–Bocanegra——–
——————Hahnemann—————-
This is the lineup I would LOVE to see. Hope EJ scores a hat-trick and makes everyone shut up about the past.
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Hugo, what are you talking about? The second division in England is better than the MLS. Not to mention the fact EJ is starting to really find his stride out there.
THIS WOULD BE RIDICULOUS BUT INTERESTING.
Altidore–Johnson
Adu
Torres–Edu–Dempsey
Pearce–Bocanegra–Onyewu–Spector
That would be a ridiculously young team but for a qualifier. It is El Salvador though. I expect nothing less than a two goal shut out even on the road. Even outside of this play lineup, I see Johnson starting this one. His speed and size will him to just go through and by Salvadoran defenders.
EJ has impressed recently, but I was still surprised with his inclusion.
I’m still interested in seeing this:
—————–Altidore—————–
–Dempsey—–Donovan—–Kljestan–
———-Torres——-Bradley———-
Beasley–Onyewu–Bocanegra–Cherundolo
——————Howard——————
Of course, for the upcoming matches, it would be Hejduk at RWB and Guzan or Hahnemann at GK (at least for the first).
EJ is a standby striker at best for WC qualifying. Altidore, Donovan and Ching are our main boys for now. EJ is right behind Davies and Cooper in the pecking order.
No complaints from me, good roster. Part of me would like to see Bob put M.Bradley, Edu, and Klejstan in the starting line up for one of the games. But with this being a wcq I don’t see Bob messing with his ‘winning’ formula.
Eddie Johnson is a waste of bench space.
Good news, Pearce got the start today for Hansa Rostok….at Left Midfield! Interesting to say the least.
Great roster all around, keep in mind you can only call up a certain amount and BB picked the right ones. I agree with the possible start of Torres or Altidore, especially vs El Salvador. They are going to try and come on strong in front of their home fans, the president of El Salvador actually said that he would pay extra money to their national team for every goal tallied in the hex…very promising tactic for a central american country. I think Jozy should get the start and come on full throttle, give him some space to be cocky enough with some smart passes from LD or Dempsey. We have a good team and this is just the start!!!
The numbers listed are for WCQ caps and goals
If it turns out that we face a replacement squad for this match, I say start all the youngsters.
I’m glad EJ is playing well. He has played well in the past, but can never keep it going. Even if he has a great couple of games in qualifying, what will it mean? I’ll be glad because I want everyone to succeed, but in many ways it’s worse to have a talented player who goes cold for long stretches because he’ll take playing time away from someone more consistent.
i like the call ins a lot – real happy with it, there are some things i disagree with, but that’ll always happen and in general i’m really pleased.
i totally agree with Goalscorer24. i would like to see bradley start one/two of the youngsters with the full national squad. ive said this before – a lot of people give bradley credit for playing a lot of different people, but he really has only let youngsters get playing time with other youngsters in games that don’t matter, and therefore when we play in a big game we have little room to play with our lineup because only a handful of players have true experience. i’d like to see bradley maybe let altidore get a start or spector on the right or torres in the middle, just maybe 1 or 2 of these changes – that way these young guys get real experience playing with starters around them, giving bradley a proper ability to assess their talent and team work while also not leaving the US exposed by starting a bunch of rookies. if we dont let our young guys get experience, we won’t ever be able to play them in the future because they wont have experience.
Ives.
What’s the latest on El Salvador’s player walk-out. Any info. on that front.
Strange to not see Rogers in the list. No cover on the left side at all.
Glad to see Freddy get a call up although he has done nothing now for over a year.
EJ-thats a wierd one.
Folks —
Lay off EJ. He is getting legit minutes at Cardiff and is making a difference. He was the best player on the pitch for them the past couple of games and the only one who could create any offense (amazing as that may be). And it isn’t like he’s doing this for a scrub team. Cardiff is in line for the Championship playoffs and has a great chance of moving up this season.
The caps/goals figures for a lot of these players are way off. Clint Dempsey with 13 caps? LD with 26?
I agree Robert, there are lots of players that could have been called in for this game, but given match fitness, as well as, the beginning of the MLS season, i think bradley made some good choices. i’d like to see wynne play, but he needs to play with his club for a game like this that he would prbably ride the bench for. hopefully torres will get some decent PT. i’d like to see what he’s capable of.