A Few Reasons to Watch the USA-El Salvador Friendly

Still looking for a reason to watch Wednesday's USMNT friendly against El Salvador?  Well, for starters, it's a USMNT game, and we don't get to see those everday.  But if you're still unsure about whether or not you want to invest two hours of your time to watch a group of young MLS players (and Clarence Goodson) take on another CONCACAF team, here's a few things to watch for to make the game a little more interesting:

1) Brian Ching and Conor Casey

Like it or not, Bob Bradley is probably going to bring one of these two to South Africa, and Wednesday's tilt will give him the opportunity to see both players in the same game.  While the first couple of weeks in the MLS season will be an important factor in this decision, a strong performance against El Salvador will not soon be forgotten.  Further, whoever (or is it whomever?) gets the upper hand on Wednesday will probably get a call up for the March 3 friendly against the Netherlands, which would provide them with another opportunity to impress.  So, keep an eye on the two MLS big men as they battle it out for the inside track to a coveted spot on the plane to South Africa.

2) Robbie Findley and Jeff Cunningham

Though it's far from certain that a World Cup spot will go to either of these two, there is likely a spot in the Netherlands camp to be had.  While many seem to be on the Findley side of the fence, he hasn't really had a chance to this point to show his stuff (thank you, 17th minute Jimmy Conrad red card).  To be fair, though, Cunningham hardly has the edge in this battle.  Yes, he scored a goal against Denmark, but his play has been very one dimensional in his appearances, as he continues to try to blow past international players as if they were nothing more than some of the MLS defenders that he is able to victimize.  He brings energy, but he hasn't used it efficiently with the Yanks to this point.

As it stands, it's pretty much up in the air at this point.  Let's just hope Bradley does not play this duo together, but instead pair each with one of the aforementioned target options, so as to allow them to play off their strike partner.  Though there was an early red card, I think it's safe to say that putting Findley and Cunningham together certainly didn't work too well against Honduras.    

3) Geoff Cameron and Chris Pontius

Both of these players are guys to keep an eye on for the 2014 cycle, but for now it's worth tuning in to see if either of these talented MLS youngsters can earn their first cap with the USMNT.  Cameron is coming off of his second solid season in Houston, while Pontius is fresh off a year with DC United in which he was an MLS Rookie of the Year candidate.  They'll be hoping that Bob Bradley gives them their first taste of international play on Wednesday, and I for one would like to see what they'd bring to the table.

4) Clarence Goodson and Chad Marshall

After Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, and Jay DeMerit, the fourth center back spot gets a little hazy, with Clarence Goodson and Chad Marshall being two of the leading candidates for that place.  Thanks to Oguchi Onyewu's absence, there should be at least one spot for the friendly in Amsterdam up for grabs, so let's see if either can distinguish themselves in Tampa.  At this point, Goodson has the edge after his solid performance in Carson and Chad Marshall's less-than-stellar showing against Los Catrachos.  Just another thing to keep an eye out for against El Salvador.

5) Robbie Rogers

With Freddy Adu working his way back into the national team picture with some promising play in Greece and DaMarcus Beasley returning to full health, Robbie Rogers suddenly has a lot more competition at outside mid with the USMNT.  Maybe it's a case of someone playing to the level of their competition, but Rogers has not looked overly impressive against CONCACAF teams that aren't fielding their strongest lineup ('09 Gold Cup and last month's friendly).  Rogers will need to stand out and make a good case for inclusion if he wants an invite to Amsterdam next month.  So, watch on Wednesday to see if the Columbus Crew midfielder can do just that.

----

OK, I know a good portion of you are still thinking "Meh, I'll just read a recap; US Soccer Daily will probably have a fantastically detailed analysis anyway" (don't say I'm not modest, those are your thoughts after all).  And, as much as someone as obsessively invested in the USMNT as me might not want to admit it, I don't blame you for not wanting to spend your Wednesday night watching this game.  Nevertheless, I hope I've convinced at least some of you that there are some subplots in this match that make it worth a look.

Whatever the case may be, I think we can all agree that we're hoping this match turns out a little better than the last one.