So after getting to see the pool play of the Gold Cup and the Confederations Cup, what is your preferred roster for next year's World Cup for the US?
If you need a list of players to pull from here's a link to the 2009 USMNT player pool off their website. This obviously doesn't include everyone from whom you can choose.
http://www.ussoccer.com/common/stCon...6-2009MNT.htmlGoalkeepers (3)
Tim Howard
Brad Guzan
Luis Robles
Defenders (7)
Oguchi Onyewu
Jay DeMerit
Carlos Bocanegra
Jonathan Spector
Steve Cherundolo
Frankie Hejduk
Chad Marshall
Midfielders (8)
Michael Bradley
Landon Donovan
Maurice Edu
Benny Feilhaber
Ricardo Clark
Jose Francisco Torres
Robbie Rogers
Stuart Holden
Forwards (5)
Brian Ching
Jozy Altidore
Charlie Davies
Clint Dempsey
Freddy Adu
If we continue with the 4-4-2 which we have been primarily doing, I like a starting 11 of:
GK: Howard
LB: Spector
CD: DeMerit
CD: Onyewu
RB: Bocanegra
LM: Donovan
CDM: Edu
CAM: Bradley
RM: Dempsey
F: Altidore
F: Davies
GK:
Howard and Guzan no question. I picked Robles as the 3rd keeper for no other reason than he's the youngest guy left. If I picked the 3rd best keeper available it would probably be Hahnemann, but the guy is 36 already, so I'd rather get a young guy (who still has a chance to be the main keeper one day) the experience. Perkins I think looked better than Robles in the Gold Cup so far, but Perkins is 29 and with Howard and 30 and Guzan at 24, again I just don't see Perkins ever being the main keeper.
Defense:
As far as selection, I left off Bornstein cuz frankly I just haven't been very impressed with him so far, and with Cherundolo and Hejduk being healthy, and Bocanegra and Spector being the most impressive wings at Confederation Cup, I just don't see a point in bringing a 5th winger. I picked Marshall because he's young, and he's 6'4, and he's a true CD. Either way I don't think he'll play barring injuries (yes plural) cuz if DeMerit or Gooch get hurt, they'll move Boca back inside, and then Dolo or Hejduk will start on the outside.
For my starting lineup I chose Spector, as I thought he played better than any wing at Confederation Cup (better than Boca and Born), he's 6'0 (as opposed to other wing options in Dolo 5'6, and Hejduk 5'8), and he showed good crossing ability when pressing to help in attack. At CD, Gooch is a no brainer and DeMerit with the way he is playing seems like a lock as well. Bocanegra the team captain gets my other start, this gives us a back line with everyone at 6'0 or taller (we've always struggled in the height dept and as a result in set piece defense).
Center Midfield:
I like Edu a lot, he came off a solid club season, and if not for his injury I think he would have been starting over Clark in the Confed Cup. I think he is a better defender and passer than Clark, and it would allow Bradley to continue to support in attacks. Another option is Bradley and Feilhaber, but in this case I think Bradley would need to be relegated as the defensive minded CM, and this might be getting our best guys on the field. Either starts or subs you'll see a lot of Feilhaber.
Midfield Wings:
No surprise here, I have Dempsey and Donovan starting. Some of the tough calls were who else to bring. I like Rogers a lot, he showed very good crossing ability from the left side and he's only 22 years old. Holden I have also been impressed with and he's played very well for Houston, he can also play anywhere in the midfield which is a plus.
I originally had Beckerman as another midfielder, but following my other logic, I replaced him with Torres because Beckerman is 27 as opposed to Torres 21, and considering Clark, Bradley, Edu and Feilhaber are all younger, I doubt he'd ever get a chance to play. Torres most likely won't play, just like I doubt Marshall or Adu will play, but they are young and will benefit from the practices and experience.
Forwards:
Technically I guess I'm only taking 3 forwards in Davies, Altidore, and Ching. Dempsey and Adu I like better at wing, although they can play forward, especially Dempsey. Adu, I doubt will play in this World Cup, but he's young, and hopefully with a year of starting with his club team and some experience he'll earn a spot. I think his future is in the role Donovan plays when he plays wing, I think Adu is best used when he has space and he can be creative, I do not think he needs to play forward. I like Davies and Altidore to start when we use 2 forwards, with Ching coming on for Altidore late as fresh legs if we need to score, or as a holding forward if we're ahead.
