From 30 to 23: First Take
With all 30 guys set to be in camp by the end of the day, I figured I'd give a prediction on which of those players will be in South Africa when all is said and done. Following the send-off matches, I'll take a look back at this and may revise it if I think I need to.
For those of you who are just sick and tired of these roster predictions from me and countless others, I apologize. Just take solace in the fact that there probably will be just one more of these after this one, after which we will finally know the final World Cup roster.
With that being said, here's who I think will make Bob Bradley's final squad:
Goalkeepers:
Tim Howard
Marcus Hahnemann
Brad Guzan
Defenders:
Oguchi Onyewu
Carlos Bocanegra
Jay DeMerit
Clarence Goodson
Jonathan Spector
Steve Cherundolo
Jonathan Bornstein
Midfielders:
Landon Donovan
Clint Dempsey
Stuart Holden
Ricardo Clark
Maurice Edu
Michael Bradley
Jose Francisco Torres
Alejandro Bedoya
Benny Feilhaber
DaMarcus Beasley
Forwards:
Jozy Altidore
Brian Ching
Edson Buddle
That last forward spot was a coin flip between Buddle and Herculez Gomez, but for now I'll give the edge to the MLS leading scorer. I expect the send-off series to play a big part in distinguishing those two.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Stay tuned for a CONCACAF update later this afternoon/evening, as well.
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7 comments:
Ten midfielders, including three attacking center midfield types, none of which have consistently started in qualifying/con cup? Seven defenders, a whole 3 of which are totally fit currently? Not sure this is on target
To say that only 3 defenders are fit is a bit of stretch. DeMerit and Bocanegra have minor, minor injuries but plenty of match experience in the past year; Goodson, Spector, Cherundolo, Bornstein are fit; Onyewu is the only serious question mark.
And the 10 midfielders listed are probably right, with maybe Beasley out for Pearce in the back.
Good list
Drop Beasley and add Gomez and there's your WC roster.
OK, it's fair to say that four are totally fit. But I'm concerned about the US Soccer report this afternoon acknowledging that Gooch and Goodson--who I think are 2 of our best 3 centerbacks--will not practice in full until Thursday. I understand that presuming both make the final 23 they will get plenty of training under their belts before 6-11. However, I can't help but be concerned that they're not getting crucial fitness before next Tuesday, especially for the big man.
And I think that's too many central midfielders. I love Feilhaber, but if the reports are correct he hasn't exactly been lighting it up. Hope he can play well w/ the boys or he might not make the final cut.
Bob said he wanted to cut down to the final 23 after the Czech game, so the next roster you list might be *the* roster
Too many midfielders.
Pearce in for Bedoya
Gomez in for Ching
Ching is a great guy, but he's not the player he was 4 years ago. We need someone who can be a threat up top, not just a placeholder.
get Beasley outta there!!
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