U.S. men's national team head coach Bob Bradley has called in 24 players for the team's upcoming January camp in California and the squad is a young one.
Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury, Tim Ream, Eric Alexander, Zach Loyd and Sean Johnson are six of the young players called in to the January national team camp. All six enjoyed strong rookie campaigns in MLS in 2010.
MLS Cup champion Colorado is well represented, with four Rapids players getting called up. MLS Cup finalists FC Dallas has four current players as well as former player Dax McCarty.
Here is the roster:
GOALKEEPERS: Dominic Cervi (Celtic), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Matt Pickens (Colorado Rapids), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS: A.J. DeLaGarza (Los Angeles Galaxy), Sean Franklin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Ugo Ihemelu (FC Dallas), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Ryan Miller (Halmstads BK), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Anthony Wallace (Colorado Rapids), Marvell Wynne (Colorado Rapids)
MIDFIELDERS: Eric Alexander (FC Dallas), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Sam Cronin (San Jose Earthquakes), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabaek), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Dax McCarty (D.C. United), Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
FORWARDS: Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
The U.S. national team will be in camp in Carson, California from Jan. 4th to January 22nd, with the camp concluding with the team's friendly against Chile at Home Depot Center.
What do you think of the roster? Who are you most excited to see in camp? Anybody missing that you think should have been called in?
Share your thoughts below.
Exactly. In your universe it’s all about MB and how he could never sit, and anyone that suggests otherwise must be….well pick yur insult of the hour.
In the real world another young USMNT -central middie by trade – which coincidentally is the position MB plays but Stu doesn’t for USMNT because…well just because ok – just was recognized as part of the ‘best 11’ by EPL fans.
But yeah in the best of all possible worlds BB MIGHT try playing Holden and MB as central middies, together, and/or Holden and Jones, together as cm’s. Right wouldn’t that be logical if not for…well I can’t think of a reason that wasn’t tried much at all, by USMNT, before or at the World Cup. And please don’t tell me it was cuz Stu had just come back from injury, since he seemed ok in the end of EPL season games he was in before a month of camp and friendlies.
The Guardian rated Michael Bradley about average against England, second best against Slovenia, and tied for third against Algeria and Ghana among American players during the World Cup.
I just hope and pray that Agudelo is mature enough to take all of this and it doesn’t go to his head. How many times (Adu) have we expedite or put someone under a USMNT jersey and they have not live to the hype. But I trust Bradley and I applaud this list. Good way to start 2011.
Boss?
Is he still in-season over there?
I like the guy.
What are you talking about? Where in my comment did I even mention Holden? Congrats on your straw man argument, but there is plenty of room on the USMNT for both Bradley and Holden. I was responding to a comment about Bradley being benched, which is just asinine, Holden was never mentioned. But if Bradley and Holden were mutually exclusive as starters, like for example in some alternate universe where they’re GKs, you would have a valid point.
Opara, John, Alston and Hamid are all hurt. And yes Mwanga and Tchiani aren’t American yet.
Bornstein will be busy in Mexico.
And it wasn’t a trial with Stoke. It was just training.
tuche
I agree. At least it will be an athletic, fast, fun match. I read the Opara may be injured, but the others should be there.
Thanks Jake, didn’t know that.
Wynne?? Really?? He’s terrible on the ball and his positioning is severely lacking. He shouldn’t even be in this discussion.
who will be our left back? Wallace and Miller have been doing well for club but are certainly 2nd thoughts on this squad and they are the only left backs…
i guess i could see Delagarza or Zach Loyd doing that job even if they arent exactly left sided…
I could see this line-up…
GK-Rimando
RB-Franklin, CB-Gonzalez, CB-Ream, LB-Delagarza
RM-Bedoya, DM-Larentowicz, AM-Mccarty, LM-Shea
ST-Agudelo, ST-Wondolowski
I think he’s a longshot not because of his age but because he’s not ever been considered a top-of-the-line prospect. Don’t get all crazy over one goal in a one off friendly where, to be honest, he didn’t even have to do most of the work. I still believe he’s a definite longshot, at best.
Bunbury-Agudelo
Bedoya-Mccarty-Diskerud-Shea
Lloyd-Ream-Gonzo-Wynne
Johnson/Cervi
could/should have been included: Geoff Cameron, Ike Opara, George John, Bobby Convey, Bill Hamid, Jeff Parke, Nathan Sturgis, Nat Borchers, Drew Moore, Brandon McDonald, Kevin Alston….Danny Mwanga & Tony Tchani arent eligible yet?
scatching my head at: Matt Pickens, Sam Cronin, Ugo Ihemelu
I would have called Cameron instead of the 4th GK. I would replace Cronin with Mcdonald. Finally, George John would replace Ihemelu.
Why did I not include Convey? Same reason BB did. He wants to see players he has barely seen up close and personal and younger players.
I think Bornstein should have been included for some leadership and been a captain choice. And if anyone needs leadership it will be the back line.
Also Bunbury had a great trial with Stoke. Suppose he is called on loan by someone (tho unlikely stoke). He could be dropped then.
John should be there, but not at Wynnes expense… his team mate Ugo Ihemelu is a shocking inclusion imo
yes, he went to the finals with dallas and was steady at CB, but John is younger and proved to be just as vital this past season
Not only that, but he has alluded to personal problems with the Nats in general and isn’t supposed to be the most pleasant guy around; in other words, exactly the type of player Bob would never call up, and I don’t blame him.
I think i would trust the judgement of a german fan before any english fan
Dont know 3/4 of these guys but it’s good hes trying new people. Don’t get the Wynne call though and the snub of Kevin Alston. Wynne doesnt have it and never will and Alston is certainly ahead of most of those called in ability.
Wish he could call some from the Akron college team… many future stars there and the best part is they all have a good first touch
Who is in the picture?
If I even see Marvell Wynne warming up I’ll start a riot at the HDC haha
Assuming that Bradley experiments with the 4-2-3-1 again I could really like something like this:
Goalie: Cervi
Defense (r to l): Franklin, Gonzalez, Ream, DeLagarza
Midfield: holding- Larentowitcz, Dax, Attacking (r to l): Bedoya, Mix, Brek
Striker: Bunbury
But also I could realistically see a 4-4-2 like this:
Goalie: Rimando
Defense (r to l): Franklin, Gonzalez, Wynne, Ream
Midfield (r to l): Bedoya, Larentowitcz, Dax, Shea
Strikers: Agudelo, Bunbury
Assuming that Bradley experiments with the 4-2-3-1 again I could really like something like this:
Goalie: Cervi
Defense (r to l): Franklin, Gonzalez, Ream, DeLagarza
Midfield: holding- Larentowitcz, Dax, Attacking (r to l): Bedoya, Mix, Brek
Striker: Bunbury
But also I could realistically see a 4-4-2 like this:
Goalie: Rimando
Defense (r to l): Franklin, Gonzalez, Wynne, Ream
Midfield (r to l): Bedoya, Larentowitcz, Dax, Shea
Strikers: Agudelo, Bunbury
Goff is reporting that George John is injured too.
I think this adds weight to Convey’s comments in the past that he won’t be invited to the national team while Bob is coach. The hatchet should be buried and Bradley should step up here. It’s not like he has a lot of left wing/back options.
“No Mix or Lihaj.”
Excellent contribution.
“He’s said some pretty stupid stuff about the national team, Bob and USSF in general in the past.”
Well then he shouldn’t mind not being there.
And playing well for Aston Villa. Better he stay in England.
Inexplicably, Stuart Holden had the second highest average rating from English fans amongst the best 11, according to th Guardian if I recall correctly.
But what do those English fans know? Obviously fans of Bundesliga relegation fodder Borussia know better.
Anyway, MB is a fine young player, what’s annoying is folks who refuse to acknowledge is there are otehr talented young players in the talent pool, who have certain skills superior to MB, and maybe are weaker in some ways.
But the notion that MB is miles ahead of the competition in CM for USMNT is looking sillier and sillier by the day. According to those no-nothing English fans at least.
Really, George John had ankle surgery recently?
That seems like a rather important piece of information considering fully 25% of the comments in this thread are complaining about George John not being named to the camp…
Lichaj is in season and Mix was on the roster
Umm, hate to break the news to you, but it’s Stuart Holden just named one of the best 11 in EPL…yep that would be playing in the spot divnely the right of MB for USMNT. For some odd reason.
Lichaj is in season
naw he’s a lefty
Sure, the #5 should be based on potential (which is also all that MacMath is right now). In what important real world scenario would the #5 GK ever be relevant? I’ll grant you that if those other four keepers plus Hahnemann get eaten by killer whales, someone experienced like Pickens should start over Hamid.
SJ Earthquakes confirmed via twitter that Opara was called up but he declined due to his lingering groin injury
Round 1 to Jake.
Anyone who has spent the last season watching nearly any MLS would find BB’s decisions hard to argue with. … Except for Wallace.
He mostly played at left mid for San Jose but due to injuries (both in the regular season and in the playoffs) he had to play at left back. I don’t really think he’d be the answer at left back, but it would at least be interesting to test him out there. He has better offensive skills than both Pearce and Bornstein, and I don’t think his defensive skills are too far off.
Yes the USMNT midfield is crowded. But probably the least crowded area of the midfield is left sided midfielders, specifically left footed ones. The only two that come to mind are Beasley, who is in and out of Hannover’s 18 and is dealing with nagging injuries, and Rogers, who didn’t have a great MLS season and had been dealing with injury problems as well.
As for Cameron, I felt he was playing alright towards the end of the MLS season. I just figured that it would be a good camp to call him up to. He’s relatively young and Bob could have tested him at centerback.
Fair enough. I’m fine with that. It’s not really THAT important of a roster spot anyway. And probably someone like Hartman wouldn’t be excited by a Gold Cup call up to just be the 3rd goalkeeper and sit on the bench the whole damn time. Better to give it to someone like Hamid (get healthy son!), Cervi or Johnson who will just be excited to be in the Gold Cup camp .
Come on man. Did you not read: “His team situation, health and form have improved a lot since then”?
A lot can change in 2 years. After the 06 World Cup, Bobby hurt his knee in Oct. 2006 and didn’t return for Reading until July 28, 2007. He only had 11 starts, 1 sub appearance, 0 goals & 4 assists for Reading in all competitions in the 06/07 season. And it’s probably safe to say that in his cap against Mexico in a Feb. 07 friendly, he probably wasn’t in the greatest shape or form, given that he didn’t return for Reading until the 07/08 preseason.
His 07/08 & 08/09 seasons for Reading were kind of the same story too. In and out of Reading’s first team & still troubled by his knee. 14 starts, 8 sub appearances, 0 goals, & 2 assists in 07/08 in all competitions, & only 6 starts, 3 sub appearances, 0 goals & 2 assists in 08/09 in all competitions for Reading.
His first season with San Jose wasn’t all that great & rather underwhelming in offensive numbers (1 goal, 1 assist), but he was great in this past MLS season. 3 goals, 8 assists & was MONEY against the Red Bulls in the 2nd leg of their playoff series. 2 goals & a beautiful assist to Wondo for the game winning goal. Not to mention he shut down Dane Richards.
Look I’m not gonna bulls%*t ya. I’m not sure Bobby Convey will ever be like the 05-06 Bobby Convey. Knee injuries will do that to ya, but he’s at least shown that he’s at least regained his fitness & his form, & that he is one of the better American players in MLS & certainly one of the best left sided American players in MLS. And I’m not some kind of San Jose homer (LA Galaxy fan myself).
Honestly I’ve always found Convey to be a whiny jacka$$ (although he seems to be maturing a little bit) who was very delirious about his form, fitness, health & overall worthiness of a call up between the 2006 World Cup and the 2010 World Cup. I felt he was somewhat deserving of a call up to the 30 man pre-World Cup camp (at least more deserving than Rogers), but it wasn’t a huge snub in my opinion. He had just recently started playing well for San Jose and for someone who hadn’t been in the USMNT picture for a while, I wasn’t too surprised that he wasn’t called up to the 30 man camp. Plus I’m not sure what more he could have offered to the team that what Beasley or Bedoya did. I just think that based on his play in MLS this past year Convey is deserving of a call up to this January Camp, especially with so many of our European based players and Landon Donovan unavailable.
It makes me wonder if Bob isn’t calling Bobby Convey up based on something personal or something that happened in the past. If that’s the case then Bobby really has no one to blame but himself. He’s said some pretty stupid stuff about the national team, Bob and USSF in general in the past. I just would have thought that Bob wouldn’t take things personal or he’d be willing to forgive and forget.
Ugo seems like a stand up dude and hes a damn good defender. He has a few wiggles every now and again re: his positioning but not often enough to worry he wont get the job done.
Recent Ankle surgery is the answer to that.
I was up in arms for a sec too.
Id pick Wynne too. He looks like he could stare a defender off the ball lol . I Dont know much else about his game though.
Great to see a wealth of youngsters get the call….should definitely be an interesting match to watch.
+100. His shot is sweet. Plus he’s seems to be able to dribble past defenders while on the sideline with ease somehow
Your gonna be surprised by Alexander. Hes got great dribbling skills, hustle, and a great shot.
your an idiot.
now you an move on
Agreed. But who’d want to watch a replay of a full FCD game (where the outcome is already known?)
Actually all of FCD games vs RSL and their game vs. InterMilan would be a good start to evaluate George Johns game AND be equally impressed/entertained..
But for us non-scouts with better things to do those youtube highlights vids aren’t bad.