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Now that the CONCACAF Gold Cup and FIFA Confederations Cup are behind us, we can start taking stock of the U.S. men's national team and just what the squad is shaping up to look like ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
There is still plenty of time between now and when U.S. coach Bob Bradley has to select his 23-man roster (oh, and yes, there's still the whole having to actually qualify part), but that doesn't mean we can't start thinking about what the U.S. roster will look like in next summer's World Cup.
With that in mind, here is the 23-man World Cup roster I see the U.S. taking to the 2010 World Cup:
SBI 23 for 2010
GOALKEEPERS- Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Troy Perkins
DEFENDERS- Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Chad Marshall, Clarence Goodson, Frankie Hejduk
MIDFIELDERS- Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, Jose Francisco Torres, Stuart Holden, DaMarcus Beasley
FORWARDS- Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, Brian Ching,
So who's missing? Let's go by positions:
GOALKEEPERS- Marcus Hahnemann can certainly grab the No. 3 spot if he gets games in England next season, but Perkins picked up momentum in the Gold Cup.
DEFENDERS- Heath Pearce is back in the conversation at left back after a good Gold Cup (the final notwithstanding). If he finds a club to play for where he will get playing time, he can definitely be in the mix. Jonathan Bornstein is also in the mix, but struggled at the Confederations Cup after a decent start. You may notice three natural right backs in the group. Spector and Hejduk can both play left back in a pinch so their versatility should help their cause.
Centerback has become a pretty stacked group, with Marshall and Goodson showing well. Jimmy Conrad is right there with those two, and only his concussion in the Gold Cup quarterfinals kept him from showing he belongs in the 23 right now. For me, it's between Conrad and Goodson for the final centerback spot. Danny Califf had a rough spring and has to, for my money, fall behind Marshall, Goodson and Conrad in the pecking order. Michael Parkhurst trails the pack.
Some other names to keep an eye on include Michael Orozco, Eric Lichaj and yes, Edgar Castillo.
MIDFIELDERS- Where is Jermaine Jones? Since he's not eligible yet I've decided to leave him off. Once he's actually played for the United States then he will have a place in the 23. The most shocking pick here is DaMarcus Beasley. Does he deserve to go based on current form? Absolutely not, but he has a year to regain his form and Bob Bradley will certainly give him every opportunity to get his form back. That, coupled with the failure of anybody to step up and
Other missing include Robbie Rogers, Freddy Adu, Kyle Beckerman and Sacha Kljestan. I'd say Kljestan is the closest of that group, assuming he can recapture his mojo. Rogers struggled badly late in the Gold Cup to hurt his chances, but he's young and has room to grow. Adu was shocking in the Gold Cup, and is unlikely to be a factor unless he goes somewhere he will actually play regularly. Beckerman had a good Gold Cup but is at a loaded position.
FORWARDS- Bob Bradley desperately needs a target striker or two but the pool just doesn't have any international caliber candidates. Ching is best suited for the role. Other candidates for the slots include Eddie Johnson if he can continue to play and see more time in England, and Kenny Cooper if he makes a move to Europe so he can grow and develop. Youngsters such as Marcus Tracy, Chris Pontius and Preston Zimmerman are long-term prospects to keep an eye out for.
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SBI will provide a monthly update to the 23 for 2010 so please stay tuned. For now, please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on this group. What do you think of this 23-man roster? Who isn't on the list that you think should be?
Share your thoughts below.
