My 23(ish) for USA-Netherlands

It's Friday, and I'm in the mood to post.  But no topic really jumps out at me right now other than things that have already been beaten into the ground, like what will happen with Landon Donovan at the end of his loan.  I'll discuss that at some point if you really want me to, but for now I'll look elsewhere.  On that note, though, feel free to send any topic suggestions you may have to US.Soccer.Daily@gmail.com.  I'm always looking for your input and will try to discuss the things that you want to hear about.

Anyway, moving on to this post's focus: the March 3rd friendly against the Netherlands.  Aside from the World Championship that is on the line, this is also an important tune up for South Africa that will help Bob Bradley solidify his final roster before May.  The Oranje have already released a provisional 25-man roster for the match, so it's not too soon to start looking at which Yanks will be making the trip to Amsterdam next month.

Several injuries will mean that Bob Bradley will have to fill some holes in his group of 23 (I assume 23, though he only called 22 in for the Slovakia friendly).  Being as this game is before the MLS season starts and on a FIFA match day, Bob Bradley shouldn't have any limitations in his selections.  Here's who I think should get the call:

Goalkeepers:
Tim Howard
Brad Guzan
Marcus Hahnemann

Little explanation needed here, the top three goalkeepers in the pool have separated themselves from the rest.  At this point, the only question that may remain is whether Brad Guzan is still the #2 by the time South Africa rolls around.

Defenders:
Carlos Bocanegra
Jay DeMerit
Jonathan Spector
Clarence Goodson
Jonathan Bornstein
Chad Marshall
Edgar Castillo
Geoff Cameron

This was a tougher group to assemble because of the injuries to Oguchi Onyewu and Steve Cherundolo.  I initially had Marvell Wynne in this group because of the lack of a second RB, but then I remembered it was Marvell Wynne I was talking about, so I gave Geoff Cameron the nod instead.  Cameron is a very versatile player who is someone to keep an eye on for the 2014 cycle, so a little experience with the full team will do him some good.  Edgar Castillo also gets a spot, and he's a guy that Bob Bradley really needs to see more of at the international level before making a decision on whether or not to include him for South Africa.   

Midfielders:
Landon Donovan
Michael Bradley
Ricardo Clark
Maurice Edu
Stuart Holden
Jose Francisco Torres
Freddy Adu
DaMarcus Beasley/Robbie Rogers


Because Benny Feilhaber and Clint Dempsey are injured, the Rangers contingent comes back into the national team picture.  Maurice Edu recently made his return to the lineup, looking solid (though a little rusty) in a 90 minute appearance, so I expect Bob Bradley to call him in to add some depth in the middle.  Freddy Adu gets a spot in the list by virtue of his strong run of form of late, which will surely come as a surprise to those that had written him off months ago.  The last spot will depend upon what Robbie Rogers does against El Salvador; if he impresses, he'll get another call up for March 3.  If not, Run DMB gets a chance to complete his circuitous re-ascension to the USMNT.  I could also see Bradley calling in both and taking one less defender, particularly if both have a good next week.  The more I think about, the more I think that that last option is actually the best one (with Cameron, Marshall, or Castillo being the odd man out of the Defenders group). 


Forwards:
Jozy Altidore
Eddie Johnson
Robbie Findley/Jeff Cunningham
Brian Ching/Conor Casey

The last two spots in this list will be dependent on the February 24th match against El Salvador.  Whoever performs better between Robbie Findley and Jeff Cunningham will get one spot, while the other will go to whichever target option distinguishes themselves.  Eddie Johnson has been getting consistent minutes for Aris in Greece, and he's been solid in his appearances.  With forward options fairly slim, there can't be too many groans from the anti-EJ camp; he's still on the radar, and Bob Bradley should take another look to see if he's an effective option for South Africa. 

 

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So there's my list.  As you can see, the February 24th friendly against El Salvador will play a big role in shaping it.  Hopefully, Bob Bradley announces his roster soon after next Wednesday's match, if for no other reason than to give me something else to talk about around these parts.