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Here’s the U.S. team
Herculez Gomez is going to Africa.
The former Colorado Rapids player parlayed a career resurgence in Mexico and cemented a roster spot with a Tuesday night goal in one of the most improbable routes to the 2010 World Cup.
Coach Bob Bradley announced his 23-man roster on Wednesday for the U.S. Men’s National Team competing next month in South Africa. The mainstays — Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra — were all there. The surprises came in some of the players who looked to be on the fringe or out of the mix entirely prior to Bradley’s announcement of the initial 30-man roster on My 11.
None were bigger than Gomez, who tied for the Mexican league scoring title after several non-descript MLS seasons, but Robbie Findley’s inclusion was unexpected. The Real Salt Lake forward is fast, but he has contributed little for the club this season. After not seeing the field in a 4-2 exhibition loss to the Czech Republic, I penciled Findley out. Again. My mistake.
Edson Buddle used a strong start with the Los Angeles Galaxy to gain a trip overseas as one of the four forwards on the squad. Buddle leads the league in scoring with 9 goals, and he has been linking well with Donovan, which made his inclusion likely.
Forwards left home included Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson. Ching is recovering from injury but showed promise on Tuesday and has been a Bradley favorite. Johnson’s inclusion was a mercy killing. His spot on the original roster was a wasted space, an observation Johnson reinforced on Tuesday.
Midfielders Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kjlestan and Robbie Rogers were also dropped. None will be missed, and of the three, only Rogers appeared to be on the cusp of making the team.
Defenders Chad Marshall and Heath Pearce — neither of whom looked likely to make it two weeks ago — were also left behind. Marshall appeared to be on the roster as a courtesy. Pearce might have had a shot, but was awful on Tuesday. Both can look forward to their MLS seasons.
The Roster:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Howard (Everton, England).
Defenders: Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England).
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Dempsey (Fulham, England), Donovan (Los Angeles), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Jose Torres (Pachuca, Mexico).
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Buddle (Los Angeles), Findley (Salt Lake), Gomez (Puebla, Mexico).
Weighing Predictions: When the initial roster was announced, I came up with my seven cuts. They were Gomez (Wrong!), Findley (Wrong?!), Johnson, Rogers, Kjlestan, Marshall and Pearce or Goodson (Wrong, but I’m cutting myself a little slack because he was borderline.)
After Tuesday’s game, I updated my cuts. They were Findley (Wrong?!! Again!), Johnson, Rogers, Kljestan, Marshall, Pearce, Bornstein (Wrong.) and Bedoya. I reduced that list to the necessary seven by including Rogers on the final roster.
While I’m surprised Ching didn’t make it, I’m more surprised Findley did. Clearly, he’s showing something in practice that Bradley likes. I wonder if it isn’t the speed at forward that was lost when Charlie Davies suffered serious injuries in an October car accident.
Perhaps I was also too hard on Bornstein. A couple of years ago, he looked like a promising national defender. Maybe he is about to blossom, but he just seems to have stagnated since about 2008.
Finally, I’m just going to be grateful that Bradley didn’t keep Johnson.
Great to See: I’m happy to see DeMerit and Spector on the roster. They earned their spots and will work to justify their inclusion.
Beasley and Holden fit the ”Pleasant Surprise” category. Neither is as stunning an inclusion as Gomez or Findley, but I wouldn’t have predicted either one to make it at the start of the 2009/2010 league seasons. Beasley has always had the potential, and this is probably his last change to realize that potential. Holden delivered some fine free kicks, but he is likely along just as injury insurance.
Torres probably won’t see the field, but putting him on the roster is a vote for 2014. He has shown some of the best ballhandling skills of any American player. He lacks seasoning, but he could easily make a difference for years to come.
Overall: There’s the U.S. squad. Your thoughts?
excellent analysis. AND CONGRATS TO HERCULEZ! the best thing about his leaving the rapids was that it was a chance to play more somewhere else. and it certainly worked out in his favor. viva las vegas!
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