By: Jared Launius
Bob Bradley is expected to name his 23-man roster for this summer’s Gold Cup some time this week and, well, there are decisions to be made – both the good kind of tough decisions (which in-form forwards do we bring?) and the bad kind of tough decisions (who the hell plays left back?). So, I thought it might be a worthwhile endeavor to project the roster and work out some of those tough calls.
Mind you, these are the guys I expect Bradley to call in, not necessarily the guys I’d call in.
Goalkeepers
On the roster: Tim Howard (Everton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton)
Left off: David Yelldell (MSV Duisburg), Luis Robles (Karlsruher SC), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
Tim Howard, of course, is your number one goalkeeper. There have been mixed reports as to the status of presumed number two, Brad Guzan, though. Some have reported reported Guzan’s availability is uncertain due to his getting married this summer, but – to my knowledge – nothing official has been reported yet. Until it is, we’ll leave Guzan here.
The third spot is open for debate. I’ve penciled Hahnemann in mainly because Bradley tends to stay in his comfort zones in meaningful tournaments, and we know he trusts the Soul Patch. Plus, Hahnemann is European-based and I don’t see Bradley taking an MLS starter away from his team for several weeks just to sit on the bench.
Defenders
On the roster: Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jonathan Spector (West Ham), Oguchi Onyewu (FC Twente via AC Milan), Clarence Goodson (Brønby), Tim Ream (New York Red Bull), Carlos Bocanegra (St. Etienne), Jonathan Bornstein (Tigres), Timothy Chandler (Nuremberg)
Left off: Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy), Jay DeMerit (Vancouver Whitecaps), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Traditionally, the US has been able to hold the ball effectively against CONCACAF minnows, so it’d be nice to see Bob Bradley feature Tim Ream in the starting XI to contribute to that. I’m not optimistic, of course, as this is another opportunity for me to mention Bradley’s traditional reliance on “what works” in meaningful cups, though this is also another opportunity for me to mention Bob and I tend to have different opinions on “what works.”
While I do expect Ream to make the roster, I also expect to see dual-ball winners starting in the center pairing – meaning some combination of Onyewu, Bocanegra and Goodson. I’m also rather intrigued to see if Jay DeMerit, who has been banged up for Vancouver, gets called in, particularly given that Clarence Goodson seems to be acquitting himself so well with Brønby.
Decisions made on fullbacks will be interesting, though for depressingly contrasting reasons.
I wouldn’t go as far as to call the right back position “loaded”, but it’s certainly as deep as I ever remember it being. The likely starter is Steve Cherundolo, who skippered Hannover to a surprise Champion’s League chase in the Bundesliga this season. But everyone’s new darling, Timmy Chandler, is closing the gap. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of Eric Lichaj’s game (as I documented here a few months back), but, if the Paraguay and Argentina matches were any indication, Bradley seems keener on Chandler.
Because of his versatility and familiarity with the team, Jonathan Spector is also a near lock in this writer’s very uninformed opinion.
If you want to say Bradley has a wealth of options at right back, you would have to say he has an embarrassing lack of options on the opposite flank. Incumbent Jonathan Bornstein, never the most reliable of options, is hardly seeing the field with Tigres and, when he does find his way in the lineup, it’s as holding midfielder.
MLS US vets Bobby Convey and Heath Pearce seem to have worked themselves out of national team contention due to personality clashes with Bradley, Brek Shea, who has seen some time at left back with FC Dallas recently, isn’t near ready and his teammate, Zach Loyd, was left off the roster for the March friendlies, which, using analytical reasoning, tells me Bradley doesn’t think he’s ready for full national team duty.
I like the season Todd Dunivant is having so far for Los Angeles, but it’s too late on to bring a brand new player into the fold – particularly on the backline – and, let’s be honest, at 30 years old, Dunivant would be nothing more than a stopgap at a very leaky position.
Midfield
One the roster: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Michael Bradley (Aston Villa via Borussia Monchencgladbach), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Jermaine Jones (Blackburn via Schalke), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht)
Left off: Mikkel Diskerud (Stabaek), Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt)
The way I see the midfield, there are only two spots that – barring injury – aren’t locked in. Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Edu, Jones and, all of a sudden, Alejandro Bedoya* are all in, likely leaving two spots.
*Regular visitors to this site will know Bedoya is off to a dazzling start with Orëbro, having notched three slick goals and an assist in his first handful of games this season, vaulting himself, I think, into US-regular status.
For the other two spots, I went with Feilhaber and Kljestan, two veteran US central midfielders, because both add a creative edge most of the midfield lacks. The only other legitimate challenger to that spot, I think, is Stabaek’s Mikkel Diskerud, but Bradley didn’t let Mixx see the field in either of March’s friendlies – not even against Paraguay when seemingly everyone found the field.
Jose Torres hasn’t been called into a camp since the World Cup, and I don’t expect that to change.
You’ll recall something here about Bradley going to ol’ reliable when the chips are down. Feilhaber and Kljestan fall into that category.
Forwards
On the roster: Jozy Altidore (Bursaspor), Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bull), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Herculez Gomez (Pachuca)
Left off: Charlie Davies (DC United), Edson Buddle (FC Inglostadt), Robbie Findley (Nottingham Forest), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
Once again, the forward corps Bradley chooses to call in will be fascinating to see, though for far more positive reasons than this time last year when we were headed into the World Cup.
The only lock – right or wrong – is Jozy Altidore. Beyond that, any three of Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury, Charlie Davies, Edson Buddle or Herculez Gomez could get called in and I wouldn’t be surprised or particularly offended.
Buddle is probably the best finisher of the group. Agudelo is the most creative. Bunbury is best at holding the ball up. Davies has the most national team experience and would be a remarkable story. Gomez will create the most space for the midfield with his off-the-ball movement. All are in good form.
After reading Bradley would be in DC to watch Davies in person this weekend, I was quite sure Davies was on. Then Davies left the match with an injury after 34 unimpressive minutes and will miss “a couple weeks” with said injury. That timetable would see him returning to health right around the start of the tournament, making Davies the group’s long shot.
Having said that, though, when was the last time the US could say it had this many in-form forwards to choose from heading into a cup? Confederation’s Cup in ’09?
* * *
Here’s a stab at the lineup I think Bradley will trot out against Canada:
4-4-2
Howard
Cherundolo – Onyewu – Bocanegra – Bornstein
Donovan – Bradley – Jones – Dempsey
Altidore – Agudelo
And, because I’m sure you’re dying to know, here’s the lineup I’d like to see:
4-5-1 (or 4-2-3-1 if you’d rather)
Howard
Cherundolo – Bocanegra – Ream – Bornstein
Bradley – Jones
Donovan – Agudelo – Dempsey
Altidore
Jared Launius is a contributor to Yanks Abroad Video Highlights. He writes about US soccer for his own blog, The Clean Sheet. You can reach him at jaredlaunius@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @jaredlaunius.
