23 Tickets to South Africa

Following Wednesday's friendly, I figured I'd revisit my prediction for the final 23 man World Cup roster:

Goalkeepers (3):

Tim Howard
Brad Guzan
Marcus Hahnemann
  
Thoughts: Unless any of these guys gets injured down the stretch, I think it's basically a lock that these are the three keepers Bob Bradley will bring to South Africa.

Defenders (8):

Oguchi Onyewu
Carlos Bocanegra
Jay DeMerit
Clarence Goodson
Jonathan Spector
Steve Cherundolo
Jonathan Bornstein
Heath Pearce

Thoughts: While I'm sure many don't want to see Jonathan Bornstein on this list after Wednesday's meltdown, I still expect him to be in South Africa.  He might not get many minutes, but he'll be there nonetheless.  Heath Pearce, meanwhile, has really made a giant leap over the past two weeks with his strong performance against El Salvador and his decent substitute appearance against the Netherlands.  Some might be thinking to themselves that Edgar Castillo is a better LB option than Bornstein or Pearce, but we just haven't seen enough of him at the international level to this point to make that call.  As far as CBs go, I think Clarence Goodson has opened up a nice lead in that race for the fourth spot.

Midfielders (9):

Landon Donovan
Clint Dempsey
Michael Bradley
Maurice Edu
Stuart Holden
Benny Feilhaber
Jose Francisco Torres
DaMarcus Beasley
Ricardo Clark

Thoughts: I'm going with nine midfielders this time around, allowing both Ricardo Clark and Maurice Edu to make the roster in that defensive midfielder role.  DaMarcus Beasley played himself into this group with his solid showing in Amsterdam on Wednesday.  As far as some guys who are lurking on the outskirts of this group, Alejandro Bedoya has really impressed in his time with the USMNT and could be the surprise inclusion in this cycle's World Cup squad.  Also, as much as some are tired of hearing about him, Freddy Adu is still floating around on the fringes and is not off the radar for 2010 just yet.

Strikers (3):

Jozy Altidore
Brian Ching
Charlie Davies

Thoughts: With Robbie Findley and Eddie Johnson turning in very underwhelming performances against the Dutch, there really isn't a fourth true striker that I'd like to include in this roster.  With Donovan and Dempsey more than capable of playing up top (as well as Freddy Adu, if he makes the roster), Bob Bradley wouldn't be short on options up top.  Bob Bradley only used three strikers at the 2009 Confederations Cup (Casey, Davies, Altidore), so this wouldn't be without precedent.  And, of course, this is contingent on Charlie Davies being healthy and fit by the end of the European season.
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For those that are curious, here's the breakdown of league representation in my 23:

EPL: 7
MLS: 4
Bundesliga: 3
Ligue 1: 2
SPL: 2
Serie A: 1
Mexico Primera Division: 1
Norway Tippeligaen: 1
Danish Superliga: 1
English Championship: 1

All in all, 18 European-based players, 4 from MLS, and Jose Torres from Mexico's top flight.
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So there you have it.  With only club play left before the roster will most likely be made official, some of the fringe guys on this list could very well be unseated by someone hitting a fine run of form at just the right time.  There's also the possibility of injuries (which we're all too familiar with at this point) throwing a wrench into the whole selection process.  Let's just hope that isn't the case.