The Official US Soccer thread

[coyoteshockeyfan]

From Soccer By Ives, Twellman is out for the Mexico game due to a groin injury.

[Zeno]

GOALKEEPERS : Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)

DEFENDERS : Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)

MIDFIELDERS : Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)

FORWARDS : Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pat Noonan (Aalesund FK)

Thats a decent roster..it will be interesting to see what kind of lineup Bradley rolls out from those. The guarantees are Onyewu, Bocanegra, Howard, Dempsey, Donovan & Bradley will start..after that its anyones guess. I'm guessing Cherundolo is unavailable for some reason?

[azsouthendzone]

Originally Posted by Zeno

GOALKEEPERS : Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)

DEFENDERS : Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)

MIDFIELDERS : Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)

FORWARDS : Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pat Noonan (Aalesund FK)

Thats a decent roster..it will be interesting to see what kind of lineup Bradley rolls out from those. The guarantees are Onyewu, Bocanegra, Howard, Dempsey, Donovan & Bradley will start..after that its anyones guess. I'm guessing Cherundolo is unavailable for some reason?

I want to see Altodore and Adu get some quality minutes, and I also want to see Landon score because I know how much Mexicans hate Landon. Good line up. Should be a great match.

[Zeno]

Its funny that Lewis is named to the squad when Derby just reported a couple of days ago he'd be out for a month with a knee injury. Was US Soccer not aware or did the injury come after they filed the roster? is it too late to name a replacement? To be honest he is too old to be on the roster anyway...33 now, 36 by the time the next WC starts.

[cardfaninfl]

With the exception of the RB absences of Cherundolo and Spector, I like this roster. Bradley has a number of central defenders on the squad. I hope to see Bocanegra moved to the left and Pearce subed in at the 45 minute mark.

I'm really excited to see Bradley/Edu/Feilhaber in the middle. It will be interesting to see if Donovan is put wide again... and which formation they play.

[gr000000vy]

this roster isn't too shabby.. Lewis being on here is a joke though..

The defenders need some work.. Spector is good enough to start for West Ham but not good enough to get on this team when there are 3 MLS players and a kid I have no idea about from Norway? Parkhurst is the real deal but come on...

unfortunate that Donovan is listed as a striker... hopefully they put him out wide on the right and start convey on the left...

[Zeno]

This is my guess not necessarily what I think it should look like...

.........Dempsey Noonan

Convey Bradley Edu Donovan

Pearce Bocanegra Onyewu Moor

.................Howard

I think Feilhaber's lack of playing time and confidence keeps him from starting, Adu & Altidore are going to be brought in slowly by Bradley (right or wrong), Parkhurst isn't a right back and I don't see him ahead of Gooch or Bocanegra at this point. I could see Donovan moving up top replacing Noonan, Edu shifting to the right and Calrk or Feilhaber moving in to the center of the midfield....just my guess. I'd rather not see Bobby Convey or Noonan start and would like to see Adu & Altidore in the starting 11....just not sure who would shift out left so that Adu could either play center mid or a withdrawn striker.

Any other guesses out there?

[coyoteshockeyfan]

I sure hope Noonan doesn't get the start. I wonder what Ching and Cooper are doing these days if we're in bad enough shape to use Noonan.

[gr000000vy]

Dempsey/Jozy
Convey - Adu - Bradley - Donovan
Bocanegra - Gooch - Parkhurst - Pearce

I could see them putting Carlos out on the outside eventually, he can't seem to handle the middle like he used too and is losing minutes for Fulham...

[cardfaninfl]

My turn....

Guzan - No disrespect to Timmy. Brad needs the caps.

Moor -- Gooch -- Parkhurst -- Bocanegra (Pearce on/Carlos off 45 min)

Dempsey/Donovan -- Bradley -- Edu (Feilhaber sub) -- Davis (Convey sub)

Dempsey/Donovan (Adu on 45 min)

Jozy

I would like to see how Altidore takes the pressure of being alone and depended apon for a full 90. There could be some real battles for spots on the left and how the youngsters in the middle can manage a game will show how exciting 2010 can be.

Speaking of the left... anyone quess why Bornstein has droped off the map? I thought he was a perfect LB for Bradley's attack-from-the-back-wide style.

[Stout]

Decent roster. As long as we don't start the idiotic 'lone striker' strategy, I'll be happy...for now.

[cardfaninfl]

Originally Posted by Stout

Decent roster. As long as we don't start the idiotic 'lone striker' strategy, I'll be happy...for now.

Jose Mourinho has often used this strategy, now he could be called a number of things, but "idiotic" is a stretch. I would not call the Italy 2006 MNT that either... I would call them World Cup champions.

[Mulli]

Originally Posted by cardfaninfl

Jose Mourinho has often used this strategy, now he could be called a number of things, but "idiotic" is a stretch. I would not call the Italy 2006 MNT that either... I would call them World Cup champions.

I guess it depends on who the striker is.

[Zeno]

I'd love to see Adu & Altidore start I just don't see Bradley doing that. I think he is going to bring both players along slowly probably 60 minute or so subs.

Pearce is a natural left back--the only one on the roster(he has played left mid as well but he is a better back), Moor is the only right back on the roster(well Corrales can play there too but he stinks)...thats why I see them both starting at those respective positions. If Bocanegra is struggling in the center he'd be even worse on the outside where Bradley requires his backs to have speed and make offensive runs up the wing.

Bornstein and Ching are both recovering from injury thats why neither was available.

Only a couple of days away..Mexican players are dropping like flies right now due to injury...Nery Castillo and Andres Guardado are both out.

[Stout]

Originally Posted by cardfaninfl

Jose Mourinho has often used this strategy, now he could be called a number of things, but "idiotic" is a stretch. I would not call the Italy 2006 MNT that either... I would call them World Cup champions.

Thanks, Mulli. We've had this discussion before. We don't have the team that Italy has, or that Mourinho has had. With the US squad, if we put up a lone striker, we're begging to be shut out. We simply don't have the quality to create enough opportunities for a lone striker. I mean, granted, we don't have the quality to create enough opportunities at all, but still.