Top Stories

Agudelo, Ream and Bunbury among USA call-ups vs. South Africa

  Juan Agudelo (ISIPhotos.com)

 

The U.S. Men's national team has called up an inexperienced squad loaded with youth for next week's friendly against South Africa (Wednesday, 2pm).

Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury, Gale Agbossoumonde and Tim Ream are among the selections.

Here is the squad:

 

GK-Brad Guzan, Dom Cervi

D- Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Spector, Jonathan Bornstein, Eric Lichaj, Nat Borchers, Tim Ream, Gale Agbossoumonde

M-Alejandro Bedoya, Eddie Gaven, Brian Carroll Logan Pause, Robbie Rogers, Mikkel Diskerud

F-Robbie Findley, Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury

—————

The Teal Bunbury call-up is sure to turn heads in Canada. Bunbury had previously represented Canada on the youth national team level, but is elgible for both countries.

Agbossoumonde and Agudelo are members of the current U.S. Under-20 national team set-up and have yet to make national team appearances.

What do you think of the roster?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. This team as a whole is going to STRUGGLE. The midfield in particular is going to get run straight through; the vets on the backline are going to have to stay strong and do their best to integrate whatever newbie(s) play(s) alongside them. But I’m curious to see who steps up and takes to the international game without a fuss. We saw Lichaj do it last time. Who’s next?

    Reply
  2. Can you say, No Najar! 🙂

    Don’t get me wrong. I want him with the US team, but it’s some vindication considering Tim Ream was robbed of an award that he had truly earned this year. Actually, it’s not vindication, Ream was robbed. Sad. He was a humble professional both handling the play like a guy with five years more experience as well as a person incredibly grateful that he could get the chance his hard work gave him. Great guy, IMHO.

    Having said that, let’s get Najar in a US jersey.

    Reply
  3. you are clearly high…. hargreaves has proved to be a good player, I will give you that. Rossi could prove to be great… and that would blow.

    Reply
  4. still think LeToux should get a call. he might not make it to 2014 but he just might and he certainly would help push the pool in training.

    Reply
  5. I’m an RSL fan I’m dumbfounded by the Findley selection. He didn’t even start for Jason Kreis’s teams during the MLS season. BB makes some progressive selections and moves but then he does something like this? I hope we see Agudelo and Burnbury starting against SA.

    Reply
  6. Couldn’t agree with you more. This seems like a great roster for Bradley to use considering this game means absolutely nothing. He’s giving experience to a ton of new guys; its only gonna help us in the future.

    Reply
  7. Seriously, knee jerk criticism of Bornstein only reveals your ignorance and bias. Bornstein had a good World Cup, had the clutch goal to secure qualification, and has been on the field for several great performances against Mexico. Yes, I wish we had a better LB, but he doesn’t equal a disaster and deserves credit for some quality games.

    Reply
  8. Hello people! Teal is HALF AMERICAN and HALF CANADIAN. He was born in Canada to an AMERICAN MOTHER and a CANADIAN FATHER. He left Canada at AGE TWO! to go to Europe until he was ten, then spent the rest of his childhood in THE USA. As in no more one than the other. How the heck is a a “Benedict” Bunbury for choosing one side over the other? Sure his father played for Canada, but he never even grew up there.

    Wherever he feels he wants to play is fine by me. It is his decision to make, and nobody should blame him whatever the outcome.

    Can we bury this one?

    Reply
  9. Thanks. I didn’t think it was cap tying. But, i guess it does show good faith from Bob that they are players on his mind. And if accepted, it signals that the players want to suit up for the US.

    Reply
  10. Meh…I’m excited to see Ream, Bunbury, Lichaj (again), Gale, Mix and Agudelo. But Carroll? Pause? Borchers? Rogers? WTF?

    I’m fine with the goalkeepers. I predicted Rimando instead but it makes sense. Cervi is young and Rimando isn’t. And Robles and Yelldell are starters on their teams and could possibly slip in the pecking order if they went to SA.

    Defense is mostly ok too. Borchers call up isn’t a huge disgust to me (I mean he was MLS defender of the year) but he’s 29. I would of liked to have seen Marshall or Parkhurst (I guess he is in the middle of a season though) called up. I do wonder why Bob didn’t call Gooch up though…

    Midfield is a mess. Brian Carroll? Logan Pause? So many better options in the middle. How about Kyle Beckerman? Or Geoff Cameron? Hell Blair Gavin or Ben Zemanski would have been better options, cuz like Cameron, at least they’re young. What do Carroll and Pause offer to the USMNT going forward? NOTHING. And it’s not like either of them was one of the better CM’s in MLS this year. Beckerman was.

    Why no Feilhaber? It’s not like his team is gonna knock him down the pecking if he missed a few days.

    I’m fine with Rogers and Gaven though. Gaven is underrated to me. I consider him a poor man’s Clint Dempsey. As for Rogers, ehh yeah he didn’t have a great season, but what other lefty wingers are out there that aren’t in the playoffs or in the middle of a European season? Only one that comes to mind is Ryan Smith.

    Strikers are ok too. I understand why Bob doesn’t call up Jozy or EJ. I’m sure everyone is gonna b*tch and moan about Findley. But again, who else ya got? Justin Braun and Jack McInerney? Sure, I guess. But I’m not gonna fret about that. They’ll have an opportunity come January.

    Reply
  11. I am glad to see Gaven getting another shot. I thought that when Arena called him up he looked too much like a kid playing with men and when Bradley called him up his play was uneven. I think he has matured and gotten more reliable. It will be good to see how this time around works out.

    Reply
  12. No Geoff Cameron? He was injured part of the season, but came back and had a strong finish to the year. Might be a good central midfield option in a roster that looks like it needs some bite. Sort of a Mo Edu Light.

    Reply
  13. I am pretty confident that Bradley spoke to Banbury and he will be in the camp. It makes no sense that a coach who seems to make keeping in touch with players a priority, would not give the players he is inviting to the camp a call (or more) and ensure that they can/will come as well as to talk about his expectations.

    Reply
  14. I’m happy about the GK, Def, and Fwd lineups. Not at all excited about the Midfield. Pause, Carroll, Rogers, and Gaven just don’t do it for me at the National level. I like them in MLS just fine, but I just don’t see them as long term impact players with the Nats, or short term either. However, I hope they prove me wrong. Excited to see what Dedoya, and Diskerud can do though.

    Reply
  15. Jeebus, people! You’re all going to have ulcers by the time you’re 25. Bradley calls in a squad that is, by all accounts, loaded with several young players people have been asking for, and devoid of several veterans people have complained would never be left out, and all we can focus on is Findley getting the call???

    I know this is a wild and crazy notion, but maybe Bob has a plan in place for this game (or the training) that includes Findley. Honestly.

    Reply
  16. Gomez and Torres are still in the Mexican season so they would be busy. Castillo as well but, he doesn’t play for Pachucha. Hoyos is a part of Argentina’s u-20s. A bunch of guys mentioned are playing League 2 in England you know the 4th divison there. Oh and I didn’t realize it was cool to like the Sacha again(I guess it is because he plays in Europe now) a year ago on these boards you weren’t even allowed to say something good about him.

    Reply
  17. Not sure what the negativity’s about.. that’s a very good back line I can see a very low scoring game, South Africa will probably win by a goal since they’re at home and they’ll have Pienaar, Tshabalala, Dikcagoi etc.

    Reply
  18. Sorry but Spector and Bornstein are not even close to the worst players on this team. If we get rocked it will be because of the weak midfield.

    Reply
  19. I hear you Slick Willy, I couldn’t help but wonder if part of the point to these call ups is to not really care if we get beat so we don’t look like bullies while trying to get win a vote. Although it could back fire if they want a game with a couple of our stars(term to be used loosely) in the game.

    Reply

Leave a Comment