23 for 2010 – USA World Cup squad analysis: Who makes the final cut?

With the announcement of Bob Bradley’s 30 man preliminary USA World Cup Squad, let’s have a look at the players who will most likely make up the 23 who actually travel to the World Cup Finals in South Africa. Bradley’s team enjoys a good mix of home and foreign based players, and Bradley has shown that he isn’t scared to give people the opportunity to impress in important games, including the Gold Cup and qualifying for South Africa.

The backbone of the team remains fairly similar from 2006, and four years older means four years more experienced, something the USA squad seemed to lack in Germany last time out.

Goalkeepers

The USA has three goalkeepers based in England, each of which is a top level and tested keeper in their own right.  Tim Howard is the clear number one, and after another great season at Everton, looks set to start in goal for the entire tournament barring unfortunate circumstances. Brad Guzan has been climbing up the professional ranks since his days at the University of South Carolina, and has been at Aston Villa for the past few years, gaining fans and notoriety alike due to his reliable play.

Marcus Hahnemann rounds out the Premier League trio, and although most likely considered third choice, Hahnemann has certainly shown himself capable of performing and will be one of the best #3 keepers of all the countries.

Defenders

While there is no shortage of defenders in the squad, for Bradley, this may be the main point of concern, especially in their ability to handle the big stage. Granted there are players like Jonathan Spector and Oguchi Onyewu, who play for West Ham and AC Milan respectively, that will no doubt be used to the ability and level of the players they face.

Outside of those two, however, it would be hard to qualify any of the other defenders as top quality and essentially means that players used to playing a level below the likes of England, France, and Italy’s defenders will be asked to do the job. Carlos Bocanegra from Rennes, who formerly played for Fulham, and Steve Cherundolo of Hannover are two who are seasoned national team players and will be relied on as starters or first defensive substitutes, while Jay DeMerit of Watford is also likely to make the squad. Also featuring in the 23 should be Clarence Goodson, who plies his trade in Norway for IK Start, and finally Jonathan Bornstein, a home based player with national team experience who is currently in the lineup for Chivas USA.

Midfielders

Midfield is a position of abundance for the United States, especially with the inclusion of Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan in the squad.  Dempsey, starring again for Europe League Finalists Fulham, will be a vital and tenacious part of the group, while Donovan has shown again and again that he is a proven goalscorer at the top level for country, and now with his stint at Everton.

The coach’s son, Michael Bradley, is not in the side because of name but because of talent, and with Borussia Moenchengladbach his home, he will certainly be used to playing in front of many a hostile crowd. Others who are almost shoe ins include Ricardo Clark, who finally made the move away from the MLS to Germany as well with Eintracht Frankfurt, and Rangers duo Maurice Edu and Damarcus Beasley.

With Charlie Davies not making the cut, Stuart Holden looks to be Bob Bradley’s main risk, as Holden was playing well for Bolton before his injury and Bradley seems willing to give him the chance to travel to South Africa as if he was fully fit. With midfield being full of talent, it would make sense that Bradley would stack his squad with his most talented, and therefore the USA will probably bring a total of nine “midfielders” to the tournament. Of course, Dempsey, Donovan, and Beasley have all played elsewhere of late, and this means a place for Sacha Kljestan of Chivas USA, and Benny Feilhaber of Denmark’s AGF Aarhus.

Forwards

Up front, Bradley will have to rely partly on home grown players again to fill up the ranks, although Donovan and Dempsey, as mentioned before, may be playing further up the field then their position indicates. Jozy Altidore, who had a solid if not spectacular season at Hull, will certainly be named in the 23, as well as target man Brian Ching, who Bradley likes to pair with a speedy forward running off of him, similar to Brian McBride in the past.

Outside of these two, there are no guarantees for other spots, but Edson Buddle seems to be making a solid case for his inclusion if for nothing else then his red hot form in the MLS. Eddie Johnson, somewhat unfavored of late in the national team setup, is also playing regularly for Aris, in Greece, and will likely feature based simply on past performance and known ability.

The aforementioned squad blends a mix of youth and experience, proven talent and upcoming potential for the United States, who will be looking to at least make it to the round of 16 to consider South Africa a successful tournament.

What might be most important for Bradley’s men is their ability to keep goals out, contrary to Germany where they struggled to score, as Dempsey, Donovan, Altidore and co seem primed to score quite a few against Algeria and Slovenia at least.

Onyewu and Spector will have to be extremely solid for America, as will Tim Howard in goal, in order for the United States to make it out of their group where they are capable of beating anyone in a single game, as proven in the recent Confederations Cup 2009.

Predicted 23 Man Squad:

GK’s:

Tim Howard (Everton)
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Marcus Hahnemann (Wolves)

Defenders:

Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan)
Jonathan Spector (West Ham)
Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes)
Steve Cherundolo (Hannover)
Jay DeMerit (Watford)
Clarence Goodson (IK Start)
Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)

Midfielders:

Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Michael Bradley (B. Moenchengladbach)
Ricardo Clark (E. Frankfurt)
Maurice Edu (Rangers)
DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers)
Stuart Holden (Bolton)
Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA)
Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus)

Forwards:

Jozy Altidore (Hull)
Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy)
Eddie Johnson (Aris)

Who should Bob Bradley include in his USA squad for South Africa and what should his starting eleven be? Thoughts, comments welcome.

(photo credit: wjarrettc on Flickr)

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23 for 2010, Squad Analysis, USA, World Cup 2010