U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley named the 20-man roster for Wednesday's friendly vs. the Netherlands in Amsterdam and, as expected, the roster is loaded with European-based players.
Just three of the 20 players called up for the match are MLS players, four counting Landon Donovan, who is currently with Everton on loan from the LA Galaxy. Veterans Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra and Michael Bradley will lead the squad.
Another veteran to get the call is DaMarcus Beasley, who has been out of the national team mix since the Confederations Cup. He is joined on the squad by Glasgow Rangers teammate Maurice Edu, who has been out of the national team mix for almost a year after knee surgery sidelined him for nine months.
Here is the squad that will face the Netherlands at Amsterdam Arena on Wednesday:
GOALKEEPERS– Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS– Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS– DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Everton), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS– Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)
Here are some thoughts on the roster:
Brian Ching's absence shouldn't be seen as a snub. Bob Bradley was careful to point out last night that just because a player isn't called in doesn't mean he's suddenly out of the mix. It could mean he wants to see other players in those roles. Eddie Johnson clearly needs to get a look and this is his best chance. No need to bring in Ching with Johnson needing a look and Altidore likely to start up top.
Robbie Findley getting the call would seem to suggest that he has beaten out Jeff Cunningham, at least early on, for the top speed striker role. Findley didn't have a good game vs. El Salvador, but he probably outplayed Cunningham over the course of the past six weeks in camp.
Heath Pearce getting the call shows that Bradley was impressed with him vs. El Salvador. The fact that Pearce got the call and Castillo didn't should probably put to bed the Castillo for the World Cup talk. Doesn't look good for the Tigres defender at this point.
Alejandro Bedoya getting the call is very promising. He's a talented young winger with some goal-scoring punch. Robbie Rogers' struggles certainly open the door for Bedoya to move up the depth chart.
Don't assume Freddy Adu was snubbed. He stated on Twitter today that he's carrying a hamstring injury. That probably ruled him out. Only Bradley knows for sure, but considering Adu is playing regularly now and Bedoya is still in pre-season, it probably isn't a stretch to say that Adu's injury opened the door for Bedoya.
Surprising absences? No real glaring ones come to mind. Kenny Cooper being left out isn't a surprise considering he's only seeing sub minutes for Plymouth.
What do you think of the squad? Which call-up surprised you the most? Who do you think should have been called up that wasn't?
Share your thoughts below.
Yes. Ankle injury was announced earlier this week to be more serious than earlier thought. Sometime next week I understand they will re-image the ankle to get a better idea of where he stands with the injury.
Boy, Freddy Adu sure gets this crowd worked up. Maybe Ives is right. Maybe Adu wasn’t called in because he’s hurt. The thing is, even if he were called in he’d be a long shot to make the squad of 23 for South Africa…. but who knows? If Adu keeps up the form he’s been showing of late, it might be hard to leave him off the roster for South Africa!!!
Its Castillo’s fault. If he committed himself to the US much much earlier, he would have had more chances to impress Bradley
Is Benny Feilhaber still hurt?
and BTW I don’t think Bradley is a racist. That some strong words. I just think hes a fool. One good finish at the CONFED cup and fans are ready to erect statues of the guy.
If SASHA AND CHING get constant callups please tell me why you wouldn’t call up Castillo when LB has been a torn in our heal for awhile.
Thats why I think hes a fool…
What most people don’t realize is there was even a BBC world service article on him, titled FOOTBALL’S FORGOTTEN SUPERSTAR. BBC!!!! Micheal Essien tried to recruit him to play for Ghana. Which player (apart from Donovan recently) do we have that can attract that much attention!!! No one. Who around the world wants to know about findley…holden…bradley….johnson…Edu or ching. To have US fans bash him instead of support him (please, not saying you)is more sad than sorry.
Conversely, his biggest problem is that he has been famous since he was a boy and this has arguably hindered his development more than helped it. To face the facts, some players thrive under certain coaches and some don’t (that evident with BB!!!!) and being a Yank mans it even harder
He’s trained with some of the best teams in the world (including manchester united) but has to compete with the best in the world, not the best in MLS, the world. Does everyone on the bench of Real Madrid or Manchester united or barcelona get to play? negative. But how many of them play for their countries…a very huge percentage. If BB doesnt break out of selecting his regulars/favorites, countries that are below us in the FIFA Rankings will always have the upper hand…denmark, mexico, honduras to name a few…Now we go up against the no.3 in the world, and even if they bring their C team, with who we are fielding, they’re bring an ass wupin with them!!!
What’s up with Frank Simek? Has he ever been called up before? How’s he been at Sheffield Wednesday?
you have a lot of good points man. He did doninate MLS (it was almost comical)and was the poster child too. There was even a BBC world service article on him, titled FOOTBALL’S FORGOTTEN SUPERSTAR. BBC!!!! Which player (apart from Donovan recently) do we have that can attract that much attention!!! No one. Who around the world wants to know about findley…holden…bradley….johnson…Edu or ching. To have US fans bash him instead of support him (please, not saying you)is more sad than sorry.
Conversely, his biggest problem is that he has been famous since he was a boy and this has arguably hindered his development more than helped it. To face the facts, some players thrive under certain coaches and some don’t (that evident with BB!!!!) and being a Yank mans it even harder
He’s trained with some of the best teams in the world (including manchester united) but has to compete with the best in the world, not the best in MLS, the world. Does everyone on the bench of Real Madrid or Manchester united or barcelona get to play? negative. But how many of them play for their countries…a very huge percentage. If BB doesnt break out of selecting his regulars/favorites, countries that are below us in the FIFA Rankings will always have the upper hand…denmark, mexico, honduras to name a few…Now we go up against the no.3 in the world, and even if they bring their C team, with who we are fielding, they’re bring an ass wupin with them!!!
Well, he never really dominated in MLS, he was a good but not exceptional player. He’s made one appearance for the US National Team over the last year and he wasn’t that impressive. He’s been playing regularly for a total of 3 of the last 150 or so weeks. (BTW, “he’s better than most people on the team bar none” is kind of contradictory.) I think at his best form, in top fitness and having gotten lots of games, he can be very good, but he hasn’t been at the level in the last few years.
He does have talent (though skill ISN’T something that comes totally naturally and has to be developed) but he just hasn’t played regularly for a really, really long time. It would’ve been nice to see him get a callup but I can understand why he didn’t. There are other players in an already very crowded midfield with a much stronger body of work over the last two to three seasons.
if assuming what ives reported about freddy adu carrying an hamstring injury is true, than it would only make since that adu is not on the roster….don’t want to chance further injury with the nats and risk reducing club playing time. There are 2 more friendlies after this one against czech republic and turkey for freddie adu to show his worth!
Ummm, Torres and Bedoya are both on the roster, and you post this comment? Seriously, seriously?
cfig people should keep their opinions to themselves when they want to start insulting other people and not staying on the topic at hand!!!!
Adu has been training with teams far more superior than anything MLS has to ofter(he was running circles around people there at the age of 16!!!), so even if he doesnt have the fitness you’re talking about, he’s better than most people on the team bar none. Aris relies on him more than they do Johnson(he gave johnson his first goal!!), that alone should tell you he brings alot to the tables.
The reason why Donovan is so good is he’s able to see the big picture, make the pass when it counts, supply the ball accurately….thats what Adu will bring. Fitness is a thing you can work on and we have some of the best trainers to do that. Talent/ability/skill is something that comes naturally. Fitness without control is just like a good gun with no bullets…useless
Bob Bradley is not a racist. That sort of accusation is silly.
But Bradley is conservative to a fault. Bradley has repeatedly stuck with his favorites when better players have been waiting in the wings.
It took Ching’s injury for Davies to get into the side.
Jonathan Bornstein has been given far too many opportunities to show us that he is not in the same class as, say, Spector as a left back.
Sasha Kljestan got repeated games over Jose Francsico Torres, despite the fact that Torres is a far better player.
Castillo? He is not altogether convincing. But Bradley has not given him a proper shot.
Not only did Findley play poorly but his effort was also poor. He could play with Xavi and Iniesta and still look bad. He is my mystery selection.
ZEIST, Netherlands, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk on Friday announced the following 23-man squad for the international friendly match against the United States on March 3 in Amsterdam.
Goalkeepers: Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax Amsterdam), Michel Vorm (Utrecht), Piet Velthuizen (Vitesse Arnhem)
Defenders: John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg SV), Andre Ooijer (PSV Eindhoven), Edson Braafheid (Celtic), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax Amsterdam), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord)
Midfielders: Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax Amsterdam), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar), Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan), Orlando Engelaar (PSV Eindhoven), Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid)
Forwards: Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Klaas Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan), Eljero Elia (Hamburg SV), Ryan Babel (Liverpool)
Any shots at a possible Netherlands starting XI? The midfield battle will be fierce. De Jong is going to be hard to avoid, he is a monster.
Could be that Castillo’s play with Tigres combined with Bradley’s observation of him in training and on the field indicated he wasn’t what the USMNT needed? Do we really need another left sided player with defensive deficiencies?
Would love to see torres get minutes and the start.
Has Holland announced thier roster?
ADD
I could not agree more.
Get adu and castillo in there and give them the experience of world cup even if it is for the future. Most of the players now will be out so we need to prepare for the future….
Get un-injured soon Cherundolo. I like the stability he brings, but even more so, I like when he grows his hair and we have Art Garfunkel in defence
I’m willing to bet that Bradley doesn’t rely on Twitter info when picking his roster.
he is a latino. do you really expect anything different from bob?
I agree completely that findley and johnson are in competition with each other for our fast forward spot. If Davies is able to withstand constant play this spring, who is to say how much speed he still possesses? I know people will rip on me, but I didn’t think findley played bad last night, a little lost yes, but play bad? nah.
I do pray that torres gets 60 minutes, we as a nation need to see what he can bring. I hate it that he must prove his worth against the dutch though. I think donovan should sub out at after 60. We know what he has, we should wait for the full squad against turkey and the chechs(sp). I havn’t seen bedoya! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for him. Edu(maurice) will suprise people, and if anything he should be one of our best in 2014. p.s. please god don’t let kuyt and robben make our left d look terrible.
those of us who clamor for these league one strikers to be brought into friendlies and camps need to face reality. their not going to be called in…ever. at least not during Bob’s tenure as head coach. Unless their playing like jermaine beckford at leeds, its simply not gonna happen
You’re doing a whole lot of ranting for someone who thinks other people should keep their opinions to themselves 🙂 People on here have differing opinions and that’s what makes the conversation interesting.
A lot of us don’t doubt that Adu has ability but don’t think that he has the match experience and fitness at this point to perform at the level that’s needed considering he hasn’t played regularly in several seasons. He’s started on a good run at Aris (albeit only a few matches) and I’d love to see him progress, but the other players in competition for spots in a crowded midfield have a stronger and much more consistent body of work over the last several seasons. Adu has had flashes of brilliance along with some not so great performances for the USMNT.
I do think Adu is going to play a big part in the future of US Soccer, I just don’t think it’s going to be this summer. I think he, along with guys like Cameron and Rogers, are going to do some fantastic things in 2014.
Not sure if this has been asked or not, but I’d like to know who the Dutch have called up. Any news?
People who don’t have much knowledge of the game or didnt grow up playing the game should keep their comments to themselves. Thats the problem with the systems in the first place like talking about whatever first comes to mind, and also putting people where they dont belong!!!!
Holy smokes Ives, there are a few loonies posting on your board! Wow, some of these opinions on racism and wanting players to fail are pretty far out there. Not pertinent to your stories and definitely not productive or meaningful.
Makes me think you need a rating system here.
you are a doosh. and im sure you hate yourself
Amen bizzy Amen.
Amen Wichin!!!!
with that forward attack mark my words the Netherlands will dismantles us…big time. England is one of the teams to at least reach the quarter finals and we’re still fielding player that can’t score goals!!! We are getting out class by teams like Honduras and Denmark that are lower in the FIFA rankings because we insist on playing the same “blank” players. “Same ol’ same ol”. Edu, Holden, Clark, Johnson and Findley put together can’t have the impact that Adu has on a game and everyone around him. We’ve only seen a tip of the iceberg from Adu, in a league far more superior to MLS….The United States has a lot to lose by not fielding Adu. Refresh your memories by watching the U-20 world cup in Beijing and pick all the players on that team that Adu out shined (everyone) and helped make better….
To those of you who want proof of Bradley’s racism and favoritism,
“What you do thunders more than what you say”.
Bradley has continually ignored the talent and has gone with favorite people like sasha and his son, who can’t hold a ball can’t pass under pressure. Torres is so much better, Castillo needs to be looked at, Adu will be on the team because he needs someone to come off the bench and do stuff that his favorites can’t because they are not talented enough, just mediocre while waiting to fall down and mess up like they did last summer. The world cup is to send our “best players, most talented ones” not our favorites!
At the very least we need a Forward who’s gonna hold on to the ball. As much as a like Jozy, I think we all have to admit he can be soft and give up the ball easily with his back to goal. It’s just not a role that he’s set up to play at Hull, so he isn’t getting better at it.
You’re the best Ives. I want to have your babies.
Still hurt
Anyone know what’s up with Jermaine Jones? I thought USMT was going to try and get him a look for US?
Jerome you are one of the few people on here who know what they are talking about. Respect man..
I completely agree, Beasley does not deserve anymore time on USMNT. He folds under any spotlight, can’t play D what so ever, and seems like he loses possesion 70-80% of the time he touches the ball…if he makes the WC squad there is something seriously wrong with US Soccer. I can’t believe he is even on the squad against the Dutch.
when people start dogging Freddy Adu it just makes me realize why he’s finding so much problems in soccer. I mean are you serious???? Who do we have that has dominated (in any competition) like freddy adu!!! No one. EVERYONE IS JUST TRYING HIM, TESTING HIM AND NOT REALLY GIVING HIM A REAL CHANCE. HE’S ALWAY PROVIDING HIMSELF OUT THERE INSTEAD OF JUST LEARNING THE GAME. US U-20 had all of the so call players: Edu, Holden, Bradley, Altidore..etc and who made an impact in that U-20 world cup? Who scored goals to put the USA on the map, striking with deadly accuracy and passing with precision? In the mist of the worlds best (italy, spain, brazil) who gave defenses problems…took defenders on, made dead on passes and FINISHED to put the US on the map?? Adu gets more play time than eddie johnson at Aris, gave him his first goal and has score 2 goal in three games and didn’t get called!!!! I cant believe what I’m reading!!!!! Training with Monaco, benefica and beleneses gives you more soccer experience (and better training) than playing a full season in MLS!!!!! We keep on putting blanks up forward and blank sheet is what we’ll get. Altidore! Johnson! findley! FINDLEY!!!! Wow, we will not score a goal except off a set pieceS, COZ all I see is speed, a little ball control, physical strenght and NO FINISHING…..
—–GAM–Jozy—–
LD—MB—ME—SH
JB—CB—JD—JS
——Timmy——
BB tends to prefer players with more recent ‘Nat starts, which means Robbie Findley may actually start instead of EJ, and MB’s partner in central MF is probably up for grabs.
He won’t, and you have to switch Paco and Bradley in that formation, anyway.
Guys, last time we all got on this fire Bradley, and BB doesnt know what he is doing kick, we finished second in the Confed Cup. None of us is seeing what he sees in camp, and none of us are involved in the conversations he is having with these guys prior to his decisions being made. I would like to think that he is leaving Adu with Aris in order to keep his fitness up and keep the consistency there. Face it, Freddy wont be starting in SA, but a super sub he definitely could be.
from Adu’s Twitter page: huh? lol im not injured i just said my hammy is sore – He replied to someone saying that him being injured was a possible reason for not being selected – seems like there’s miscommunication going on or Bradley is stretching to keep Adu off the plane
rofl at the posters bashing Jerome, he actually knows what he’s talking about compared to what you guys are saying from the looks of it – I like how one guy said Adu was only scoring goals for some ‘random Greek team’ when EJ is on the same team (scored 1 goal to Freddy’s 2 I might add) and got called up. It’s a snub, and a bad one.
If it came down to between Cunningham and Findley, I would go with Cunningham. I thought he played better than Findley and was more consistent throughout the various friendlies. In last nights game, Cunningham connected well with Ching and other teammates and made overall better decisions regarding holding ball vs turning up field to attack. Some of that comes from experience and we’ll need that. Findley has good upside, but needs more experience that will come with 4 more years of pro ball.
i’m not convinced that either jozy or EJ are true goal scorers. this isn’t a question of skill so to speak, but there are guys who are just good at putting the ball in the back of the net (inzaghi anyone?). davies was one of these guys. i like the concept of jozy and EJ theoretically, both are tough and both have pace and should be able to play well off each other, but im worried we would lack that killer instinct. if charlie’s not back, i think we will have to start jozy + landon/deuce…
torres should start this game, but im sure BB will find some way to leave him out or play him out of posiiton.
Is annoying a word?
Who are you?