Carroll and Rolfe replace Rogers and Mastroeni on USA roster vs. T&T

                                        Photo by ISIphotos.com

The U.S. men's national team has called in Chicago Fire striker Chris Rolfe and Columbus Crew midfielder Brian Carroll for Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier against Trinidad & Tobago.They have replaced Robbie Rogers and Pablo Mastroeni, who both suffered injuries with their club teams on Sunday.

Mastroeni's absence should leave Bob Bradley with an interesting decision to make with regard to the starting lineup against T&T. If Danny Szetela is healthy he could get the nod. Rolfe has replaced Rogers, who didn't look likely to start.

What do you think of the new call-ups? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[Andrew]

Beckerman would have been a nice replacement in the midfield. Rolfe and Carroll won't do anything.

[anotherbodymurdered]

^^^idiot

Did you see the first goal rolfie scored vs. LA? All heart, never-say-die. He'll have something to add if he gets on the field.

[DaleDynamo]

What happened to Holden? He seems to be the only player from the Olympic team that hasn't been called in.

[cbr]

i did think that mastro would have started if he was healthy on weds. Carrol and Rolf are just there so they can help out with the training sessions

[Sterlinho]

I agree with Andrew and DaleDynamo. Holden and Beckerman would be good call ups. I'd rather see those guys play than Rolfe or Carroll...especially Carroll.

[SLC]

Brian Carroll and not Chad Marshall?

[Jay]

It's a shame Rogers got injured, I would have liked to see him get a cap. As far as the replacements, as long as Carrol and Rolfe don't start I don't see any problem with them.

[Jamie Z.]

I wondered about Chad Marshall, as well. It seems Bradley has a plan for center back that he's content with; I can only conjecture, now that Mastro is gone, as well, that it involves Edu playing on the back line.

[Jason]

Why not Jeremiah White instead of Rolfe?

[indigo montoya]

I agree that C. Marshall should've earned a look (he's been a monster this year), and especially since Crew have already won the Supporters' Shield - congrats to the Ohio yellow submarine btw. Sorry to see Rogers miss out though.

But, as long as Bradley throws out the youngsters, all will be well in the world.

[Dylan]

Beckerman would have been a much better call-up than either of those players.

[James]

Well, that kind of blew my "never again" comment out of the water.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2008/10/cooper-turned-d.html#comment-134466431

[KingSnake]

Neither of the new call ups is named "Eddie Johnson", so they can't be all bad ...

[Brant]

They probably called Carroll instead of Marshall b/c Carroll and Mastro play the same position. And while Beckerman might be having a pretty good year, Carroll has played every minute of every game for the #1 team in the league at a mostly-invisible position and absolutely blown up opponents' attacks all year long.
You can question the pick if you want, but Carroll is absolutely worthy of this call-up. Rolfe is having a damn good year, too. It's just a shame that Rogers had to get hurt for Rolfe to make the squad.

[Beckster]

Brant, agree that Carroll plays same position and works well in a 2 holding midfielder formation. He also spent time in the national camp before. Interesting to see if he makes the bench.

[Hincha Tim]

I don't think Beckerman was called up at least in part because RSL is in a dogfight for the playoffs and this is a meaningless WCQ.

[adam]

SERIOUSLY! HOLDEN!

[mike]

In regards to Holden, Houston have a game on Wednesday, so Bradley probably didn't want to pull Holden away.

[brett]

Brant - dangit brant, you beat me to it..... carrol plays the same position as mastro, but i would have enjoyed seeing Pause in the player pool... the guy has been a rock for the Fire all season....

as a fire fan, i am stoked about Rolfe getting the callup... as a US fan i think there are better options... especially in Holden....BUT, as MIKE posted, Houston does in fact have a game on Wed. so before you guys start flaming BB, perhaps you should do some research...

[Jason]

If I try hard I can think of at least 23 players that will be more relavent over the next 2 years through the World Cup, so who cares .

[Ryan]

Here's what I'd LOVE to see Bradley do, as I think it could be a potential stroke of genius:
-------------------Guzan-------------------
Wynne--------Califf-----Pearce------BEASLEY
------------Szetela-----Edu----------------
-----Adu-----------------------Torres------
-----------Davies------Altidore------------

I've been advocating Beasley at left back for a long time, as he's actually a pretty good defender. He has plenty of recovery speed and typically makes smart decisions, so he certainly wouldn't be a bad option. With Heath Pearce not exactly being Patrice Evra or Gael Clichy, it'd be a good change for a game to see how he does.

I still think Edu is a future center back, as I haven't seen anything in him yet that suggests he can distribute at an international level. However, his defensive and athletic gifts are top-notch, so I think he could develop into an elite international center back. For this game though, I'd still want to start Pearce, because he's played every qualifying game so far.

[ETucker]

Im glad to see Carroll get a call up. His form has been great. However, what happened to Ricardo Clark? I feel after his horror suspension last year, BB has shied away from him. Oftentimes the best way to put something behind you is playing.

www.futfanatico.com

[John]

I can't believe the folks who are arguing for Beckerman over Carroll. First, RSL is probably offering sacrifices to the heavens that Beckerman wasn't called up--they're in a tight playoff race. But Columbus has clinched the SS and the playoffs. Second, Carroll gives them a lot of flexibility--he's a really smart player who obviously provides a replacement for Mastroeni but he's also a good outside midfielder and originally was an outside defender. So he gives Bradley a lot of roster depth with just one body.

As for Rolfe, that leaves the team with really only 3 forwards (Rolfe being one of them). Maybe 4 if you include Adu. And again, Chicago is "in" the playoffs.

[Chris]

Interesting comment, Ryan. I like the forwards/midfield, but I'm not sure califf/pearce would anchor a very strong central defense.

[Mig]

@Ryan, Edu is pretty green so far, he might develop his distribution skills. But you could be spot on with his future position.

As to Beasley at LB, I just think he offers too much as a left wing/left standard middie. He STILL provides the defense but in certain situations, he can still add a real kick to the attack. This would be minimized if he was at LB.

Cheers,

[rocky]

Thank You RYAN, finally someone agrees with me about putting Beasley as the left back. He is much more valuble to have at LB now that torres is here. I think those two can make a nice partnership with torres oinching into the middle on the left, and beasley making runs down the flank with purpose. Who knows BB did experiment with it late in the cuba game. I want to see more of it, I truely believe its were beasley belongs on this team especially moving forward.

[Front Row]

Bradley made his choice prior to Rolfe missing a shot at a wide open net on Sunday.

[brett]

ETucker - clark has been called in a couple times this year.... as of right now he falls in with Holden as Houston have a league game wed. and sat...

[jj]

Love Beasley as a LB from an attacking standpoint. I can see him streaking down the left sideline out of the back and causing havoc. My concern is his size/strength against physical attacking players. I could see him getting outjumped or outmuscled for balls in the box.

[Gilly73]

I'm happy for Rolfe getting another call-up as a FIRE fan however he is not going to be the answer either on the wing or as a forward. He does have a nice shot and can finish which is something our team has been lacking when playing in a WC but he is too easily knocked off the ball and is not a target forward. Rolfe is not going to make the cut for the HEX nor make the roster for WC2010 if we qualify so get someone in that has a chance for that distinction.

[travis]

@ Etucker
I think you'll agree that Bradley has brought Ricardo Clark into camp for the first four friendlies of the year (sweden, mexico, poland, and england). It's likely he hasnt been recalled because his form was poor during the times he saw the field during those games. The Ruiz incident has nothing to do with it.

[Brian]

Carroll has played very very well this season, so I could see this as recognition for that. But I feel that we have enough options at central holding midfield as it is, and could have held that down with the current roster (Szetela, Sasha, and Edu).

This roster currently has 2 Central Defenders on it, I don't see the logic in not bringing in Marshall.

BC and Rolfe are good players and good guys who will bring intensity and heart to practice and the game (if they are subbed in) but neither are realistically challenging for meaningful playing time. Marshall could definitely challenge as he has at least reached the level of parkhurst.

[Jags98]

Macoumba Kandji fans need to start the hype machine. 6-4, speed, dribble, fearless. US needs to keep him here for development, could fill in nicely on the right side. This will push CD to get it together or not. He could be very dangerous if his paper work can get passed. Once it is, if we have not had discussions with him, he will be gone to Europe and possibly playing for Senegal which does not have a chance. Kia was another who should have been pulled into the youth camps long ago. Not saying he is the end all answer but he has more potential than what we have, just needs to be polished a little.
----------------Jozy-------------
----------Adu---------Donovan----
Torres/DMB----Edu/MB-------Kandji
Orozco-----Boca-----Guch----Wynne
---------------Howard-------------

Bench- Davies, Rogers, Holden, Guzan, Bornstein, Pearce, Califf, Cooper, CD, DeMerit, Spector

[Tom]

I understand while he picked Carroll but i would like to see Beckerman get called up he looked good in the Copa America and he is a solid 2 way midfielder

[g-loff]

Jags98-
Pretty sure Kandji has already said he was going to play for Senegal once he got paperwork sorted out.

As far as Beasley at LB, I like the idea, but would rather have someone like Wynn who is a better defender doing that on the right side. The good thing is that now BB has to start making some tougher decisions, and there will be increased competition for spots.

[brett]

tom- i really didnt like beckerman in copa.. the only 2 standouts in my mind were Feilhaber and Clark... but its been some time and i could be off...

[PanchoMiguelMoralesdeConejo]

Ives your point about the loss of Pablo is spot on.
It will be interesting to see what BB does with the holding mid without Jr. or Pablo. Szletza should see some time, but will he start? My guess is BB goes with Edu and Sacha in the middle, Sacha playing a more forward to start.

[jmac]

As others have indicated, the Dynamo have a match on Wed. night, so that could explain Holden and Clark not getting called in.

[Monkey Boy]

Beasley as LB is foolish at this point. He's very good at LM and very dangerous. I'd rather not see him over-extended to "develop" at LB. He's not the same player when dinged up. Also, Pearce has locked up the position and both of them work very well together on the left.
Let's see if JB can still be a valuable backup at LB, and I think he might be an option as backup LM. Orozco is a viable option as a backup CB and LB.

Guzan
Wynne--Califf--DeMerit--Pearce
------Edu---Torres-----
Szetela----Adu----Beasley
---------Altidore--------
3 subs at half:
JB for Pearce
Davies for Altidore
Orozco for DeMerit
-- Keys to watch: how effective Szetela can be out right; is JB still an option at LB?; can Torres control the midfield?; How well can these young attacking players work together?

[Betinho]

Going forward - with our current pool of players - DB at left back is looking better and better to me. I could see him as a Phillip Lahm type. that would allow one of the emerging left mids to get on the field as well. The overlapping runs would be fun to watch.

I'm down with Brian Carrol. Like said previously he's been great this season. In fact he's been playing at high level for a few seasons. He's consistant and plays with a Ben Olson type of tenacity.

I like Rolfe too. He's not afraid to try something creative, he's got a quick turn and powerful snap shot for a little guy. He's not the next great thing but he's got skill with the ball and most importantly he accepted the the call.

[Steve]

Well, given Mastro not being able to go, I feel pretty confident this will be the starting XI:

--------------Altidore--------------
Torres----------Adu----------Beasley
--------Edu---------Kljestan--------
Pearce----Califf-----Orozco---Hejduk
---------------Guzan----------------

You get veterans at each level (Beasley up top, Edu & Klejstan have both seen time, and obviously Pearce & Hejduk on the backline). Yet you still get to evaluate quite a bit - Altidore & Adu together, Torres on the left, Beasley on the right, Klejstan as a CM, Califf and Orozco as CB's. Throw in Davies subbing for Altidore, Szetela for Pearce with Beasley dropping back, and Wynne & Bornstein for Hejduk & one of the CB's, and Bradley will get a lot of things to evaluate.

Looking forward for Wed quite a bit...

[gerald]

Yes Kandji has said he wants to play with Senegal

I agree carroll over beckerman at the point and I also don't understand marshall not being called in

[Raghu]

I think Rolfe is a talented player. In a pool of forwards that is only getting larger - I'm glad he's getting another call up.

Other than seeing Carrol when he played here in DC, I haven't watched much of him this year, but I know he's always been a hard working defender. I don't disagree with the posters calling for Marshall or Beckerman - luckily there is time for them to get called up along with Cooper in January.

The only thing about many of these posts that gets me, is how quickly everyone is willing to shift Beas to the back 4.

Yes - he's an excellent defender - but he's also great running off the ball in the attack - very underated crossing the ball - and good at free kicks.

Most importanly - he's pretty fearless running at defenders - and plays good position football running well diagonally and in squares/triangles.

And yes - his touch trying to finish is consistently bad - but he's very dangerous as an attacker.

I just don't understand why everyone is so quick to move him back.

[Kenny Cooper's Advisors]

Raghu, I can't believe BB didn't call up Cooper for the match tomorrow!?!? What was BB thinking!?!?!?

[Drew-ROC]

Raghu-
did you see Beasely's finishes against Cuba?

My problem with the guy is, he's World Class one minute and 10 minutes later he loops that "cross" to nowhere when we had numbers in the attack. I suppose I'll settle for the flashes of brilliance over another typical American player though.

As for Rolfe and Carroll...I hope they don't make the final roster. It's nice that they work to make the camp practice roster evenly rounded, but why not call in guys with actual potential to help our team in 2010?

[Brant]

Here's something worth noting for Brian Carroll:
The guy has played every minute of 28 games for Columbus this year. Tenacious tackler and controls the area between The Crew's 18 and the opponents' side of the center circle. Blows up countless attacks through that area.

Guess how many suspensions he's had? Zero - every minute of every game.
Guess how many cautions he's had? Four. Playing one of the most physical positions in the game, he averages 1 caution every SEVEN games.

What good is your D-mid if he's on the bench with an accumulation suspension, or worse, a red card and you're playing a man down?

[brett]

brant- in so many ways, your description of Carrol reminds me of Pause... i believe the only games he's missed has been from injuries... he's played 25 games, 2250 min, and 1 yellow card (if the C on him MLS bio stands for cards)...

carrols form has deemed him a roster spot...

[Ryan]

Ok, some more comments in reply to some of your remarks:
1) Beasley, while a quality player, is by no means "fearless" while going at players. He lacks any real ability to beat a defender in a 1v1 situation and relies heavily on balls played into space.

2) Sure, Beasley isn't the strongest defender, but he's bigger\stronger than Steve Cherundolo, who starts on the right side. Beasley defends well and uses his body well, plus he has great speed and quickness to help his recovery.

3) Edu. Yes, he's green at midfield, I know that. While I think he could still develop into a good holding mid, I think he could be a far superior backline player (the same as Beasley could be a much better outside back than an outside mid). He's got enough touch and vision (from being a central mid) to play quickly out of the back and also possesses the rare combination of good size, athleticism, and speed that backline players don't often have. He's not better than Bocanegra or Gooch (or even Califf and Conrad) right now, but by 2010 I'd bet that he could be a real force from the center of defense, even if only as a sub.

4) As for the lineup I posted, that was merely for the T&T game. Pearce and Califf might not be the best tandem, but Pearce has played every qualifying game and deserves to start, while Califf is the best defender on this squad.

[manuelito]

Aren't all 18 players going to be on the final roster? So, Rolfe and Carroll will be on the bench, but just won't play. No big deal. BB needed some players he could call in on short notice, little practice time, sit on the bench. Those hoping to see Marshall, Beckerman, etc. should wait for a more meaningful opportunity than simply being a last-minute additional body to sit on the bench.

For T&T

------------Altidore
-----Beas ---- Adu ---- Szetela (if healthy)
----------Edu ----- Klejstan
Pearce - Orozco - Califf - Hejduk
---------------Guzan

subs: Davies, Torres, Wynne
not used: Perkins, Bornstein, Carroll, Rolfe

[Rich Bull NJNY]

Hey Ives. Just a small piece of advice. You do a great job covering MLS, Concacaf, Euro, even a lil Mexican league. You have a link for all these different league stories and updates, but you don't have anything for the South American games. I would love to be able to click a link that shows all the scores and updates on what's going on with strictly the South American National Teams.
There is an "international" link but it wouldn't have all the S.A. games there, if at all. With so many countries over there with rich soccer traditions and strong fan bases here, all vying to get to the World Cup, I think they deserve a section on your site as well.

Thanks for hearing me out.

R

[Steve]

No one from an MLS team that has a game that matters significantly this week was getting a call so no Beckerman, no Holden, no Clark, etc......

[roberto]

I love the idea of Beasley at L back .. As an option although borstein is promising too. Too bad about mastro being out cause he's still one of my all time favorite for the nats

[Raghu]

Hey Drew - I did see DMB's finishes this weekend - I just think its the exception most of the time - echoing your comments about his lack of consistency - which I think is on the finishing - not on being a two way player.

Ryan - When Beasley runs at a defender he gets fouled and draws a free ball. Always taking a knock. The US is pretty good in the air - and Beasley wins more than his fair share of those opportunities for this team. Which is why I use the term fearless.

Look, I'm not trying to sleep with the guy - I just think he adds enough of a component offensively to stay the starter on the left in the mid-field, where I think his talents are most effectively utilized.

Most people are advocating for DMB to go to left back because of the 17 minutes they saw of Torres against Cuba.

I gave Torres a standing O when he was capped - and am excited about what he can bring - but to move DMB for 17 minutes of time is a little bit much, don't you think?

[brentmcd]

Who wears the captain's armband Wednesday night? Hejduk? Beasley? Pearce?

[This Guy]

It's a game to play with right? Try some new things. I'd bring in Gabriel Ferrari and Johann Smith. See the how the speed along the left side could work with Beasley to Smith.

[Ryan]

Raghu,
You miss a few points here and there. First off, I'm not advocating Torres to start over Beasley as a left winger. Torres is a central player, who is (or at least seems to be) ill-suited to the wing.
You used the term fearless in regards to him "taking defenders on", which as nothing to do with aerial prowess. What does his aerial ability (or the team's) have to do with moving him left back?
Beasley does manage to get fouled, but it's usually when he's already past a defender moving onto a through ball. He has very little ability to actually separate himself from a defender in a 1v1 situation with the ball at his feet. That's where his issues with "taking defenders on" comes into play.

For what it's worth, I've thought Beasley was a prototypical attacking left back since he first burst onto the American scene. People don't realize that his best contribution to the US squad has been his ability to shore up a weak left side of defense by tracking back.

All that being said, the left side of midfield isn't deep in our current setup, so using Pearce as a left back and Beasley as a left mid will usually make the most sense. That doesn't change the fact that Beasley is best suited to an attacking left back role

[Jags98]

He is not the end all be all answer for us, but watching Kandji in ATL was amazing. The last interview he gave with ESPN he stated he would see who comes calling Senegal or US, I will have both options once my paperwork is done. How about a little interest shown by the US is all. Dont let another potential slip bye-bye.

[Matthew]

Chris Rolfe is a natural striker who deserves this call up. He should be a regular on the national team. He does have a hard time finding the goal at times but if you ever watch him you can tell how good of a player he is. He can push the ball up the field pretty well and can hold on to it well. He also has a skill for scoring some pretty amazing goals especially from long distances. Definately a good move on Bradley's part.

[Raghu]

Ryan - didn't mean to say that Beasley has aerial prowess - he doesn't. I was referring to the amount of free kicks he wins -which isn't running onto through balls as you say - its when he's running at defenders with the ball at his feet. That's where we disagree.

My only point is that by playing left back, he won't get the opportunity to win as many free kicks with getting fouled - part of the reason I don't want him playing out of the back.

Man, I love this blog. Its some of the only soccer conversation I get!

[Kevin]

Huh. I never noticed before, but Chris Rolfe looks sort of like a 16 year old lesbian.

Weird.

[Ryan]

Raghu,
If we continued the current system, a fairly defensive 4-5-1 (with an extremely deep striker), Beasley would be lost offensively back at the back.

One reason that he could be useful back there, though, is that we employ two deep-lying, holding midfielders (Bradley+whoever). The first team to implement that was Brazil, who use two holding, distributing mids to spring forward their deadly wingbacks - basically the birth of Roberto Carlos and Cafu. While Beasley is nowhere near that talented, he can certainly be deployed effectively in much the same way.

While I say that I have been "advocating Beasley for left back", I've been saying that with the understanding that it would have to be deployed in a more narrow setup. With two quality attacking midfielders (Adu and Torres, who aren't wings) and two holding midfielders, the left flank could be solely left to Beasley (and subsequently, the right side to Cherundolo or, even better, Spector). He'd have to take on a much more defensive role, but he would definitely be given the green light to maraud down the left all game long. The benefit of having two holding midfielders is that there is cover for a long Beasley run down a flank.

The problem I have with our current coaching setup is that the staff (namely Bradley himself) is attempting to fit square pegs in round holes. Bradley has a rigid system - i.e. he has to have 2 holding mids, 1 target forward, 2 wings, 1 withdrawn forward - and is trying to put his best players on the field (with the exception of Ching) and place them where they just aren't suited.

For example, we've been trying to find Donovan a spot everywhere but the one spot he's most effective - striker. Why? Because Bradley wants to have 1 target forward, and only 1. Donovan isn't a target forward, but he's a quality striker. Unfortunately for the US team, he's not a quality attacking mid\second striker or a quality winger. He's average (outside of MLS) at both. He has 2 brilliant assets - speed and finishing - which are largely lost by leaving him in the hole behind the lumbering Ching, instead of employing Donovan (and another striker like Altidore) high and letting the midfield work the ball to him or even getting him behind the defense to take advantage of his speed. Bradley chooses to employ Donovan as a "playmaker" or even as "trequartista" (think Francesco Totti), a role he's not suited too. He doesn't possess the passing range or vision to set his teammates up in the way we would need him too. If he had two elite strikers ahead of him, or even an elite winger, he could make it work, but not because of his abilities. He also has no ability to take on a defender (much like Beasley) in a 1v1 situation and beat him to create space for himself - something a playmaking forward desperately needs.

Anyways...I'm off my soapbox. I really enjoy these discussions though, so feel free to drop me a line at rnoel21286(AT)gmail.

[Brant]

"Huh. I never noticed before, but Chris Rolfe looks sort of like a 16 year old lesbian."

that's one of the funniest comments I've seen here in a long time.