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Gold Cup roster lacks Rapids
Bob Bradley unveiled his roster for the coming June 4 match with Spain and the following CONCACAF Gold Cup on Monday.
Among the 23 players named there were only seven from Major League Soccer and none from the Colorado Rapids.
Gold Cup: The USA will begin Group C play on June 7 against Canada at Ford Field in Detroit at 8 p.m. ET. Group play continues June 11 against Panama at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. ET. The group stage will end for the U.S. on June 14 against Guadeloupe at 8 p.m. CT at the newly christened LIVESTRONG Park in Kansas City, Kan. The broadcast schedule is expected to be announced in the near future.
The U.S. will use the same roster to take on 2010 FIFA World Cup champion Spain on June 4 in Foxborough, Mass. Kickoff against the current No.1-ranked team in the world is set for 4:30 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN and Univision.
“We have said since the start of the new cycle that winning the Gold Cup this year is a top priority, and that was our focus as we built this roster,” said Bradley. “We have a very experienced group, and we know that in a tournament like this all 23 players will need to contribute in order for us to be successful.”
Veteran Selections: In making his selections, Bradley went for experience and is leaning heavily on European veterans who just concluded their seasons. The roster includes 14 players from the squad that won its group at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. There are 11 players on the roster with a Gold Cup title to their credit, with Landon Donovan a three-time winner.
Donovan, who is the USA’s all-time leader in Gold Cup scoring with 12 career goals, is one appearance shy of tying Kasey Keller (23) for the most ever by a U.S. player. Carlos Bocanegra, who has captained the United States since 2007, Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu have each collected a pair of championships. At the other end of the spectrum, nine players will be playing in their first Gold Cup finals.
History: The United States has won four Gold Cup championships since the tournament began in 1991, including three of the last five, and has reached the final of the past three editions of the event. Incredibly, the U.S. has never lost a match in group play, holding a 23-0-2 lifetime record. Overall, the U.S. has a 38-5-6 record in Gold Cup action.
The winner of the 2011 Gold Cup will represent CONCACAF at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. In 2007, the U.S. parlayed a 2-1 victory against Mexico in the Gold Cup final into an historic performance at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, reaching its first ever final of a major FIFA tournament after defeating No.-1 ranked and eventual World Cup Champion Spain in the semifinal.
US Roster: GOALKEEPERS (3): Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne), Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Eric Lichaj (Leeds), Oguchi Onyewu (FC Twente), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Freddy Adu (Rizespor), Michael Bradley (Aston Villa), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jermaine Jones (Blackburn Rovers), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (3): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (Bursaspor), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
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