And then there were 30
Bob Bradley’s 4-year cycle as head coach for the US National Soccer team is reaching it’s pinnacle. Today, he named his provisional 30 man squad. So, what do we have?
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Honestly, there’s not much to discuss here. Everyone figured Howard & Guzan would be there, the only question was would the other one be Hahnemann. Personally, I’d put Hahnemann as the #2 just because he isn’t a back up for his club. (Guzan is #2 to former US keeper Brad Friedel at Aston Villa)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall
I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised Gooch is in good enough shape to be included. Otherwise, I’m not sure what else Bradley could have done.
Midfielders: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, DaMarcus Beasley, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers
Ya know, I haven’t really looked at a list of US midfielders in a while but looking at it just now it dawned on me just how good the pool has become. I’m willing to bet anyone reading this would probably pick at least one of the 2 I’d think are the last men in. Good times.
Many are surprised with the inclusion of Beasley. I’m not. Granted he hasn’t had a great season in Glasgow but that doesn’t mean he can’t play on the World Cup stage. He’ll be a threat as late sub if Bradley needs an attacking midfielder with some pace late in the game.
Strikers: Jozy Altidore, Robbie Findley, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez
the question here is, does Bradley really believe Buddle & Gomez are legitimate contenders for playing time next month or was he actually appeasing all those fans who have been demanding he give the two forwards a shot? I’m leaning towards him believing they should be in the squad.
The players who didn’t make it.
- Freddy Adu - Honestly, he’s not had the best of times lately. However, he’s still young and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him in the mix for Brazil.
- Charlie Davies - I think all US fans were hoping he’d recover in time. Man, what a great story that would be. However, that also means we won’t be subjecting to hearing the story every time the US takes the field or are the subject on SportsCenter.
Did I miss anyone with a real shot at making the 23?
All things considered, I believe this is pretty strong squad. There will be players off the bench who could be starters. There’s a lot which can be done with this. My biggest concern is the strength of the backline. As Gooch goes, so will the defense. Other than that, the midfield will be good, no worries at keeper and if the guys up front remember to pack their shooting boots, we should do better than expected.
In a couple of weeks, we’ll start to get some answers. (Czech Republic game may 25th)
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