USMNT v. Czech Republic: Post-Game Thoughts and Final Roster

Before I get into player recaps, let me just say one thing: the result doesn't matter.  Yes, we lost to the Czech Republic, but how much does a game without most of our starters really tell us?  Last night's match was about evaluating players, not evaluating the team's preparedness.  Just think of it this way, it could have been a lot worse: Portugal tied 117th ranked Cape Verde despite fielding a full-strength squad.  


So, since last night was about looking at individual players, here's my take on how each of the 17 who took the field fared:

While Jonathan Bornstein turned in yet another maddeningly inconsistent performance out wide, Clarence Goodson turned in one of the strongest performances of all the USMNT players.  He was solid in the air on both ends of the field, helping create both goals while clearing a number of dangerous balls in the defensive third.  Though he had one serious miscue lead to a goal in the second half, overall I think USMNT fans should be very pleased with Goodson, who showed that he is an adequate option in the event that one of the starting center backs cannot play.  With that being said, one center back who didn't have the strongest game was Oguchi Onyewu, who still looks to be well short of 100%.  He did appear to have a hitch in his stride and got outleaped on a couple of occasions, including on the Czech Republic's late first half goal.  Gooch's health is worrying, but at this point all we can do is hope that he continues to progress in the next two weeks. 

Elsewhere in the back, Steve Cherundolo played well at RB while sporting the captain's armband, showing good poise on the ball.  Brad Guzan, meanwhile, didn't get too much help from the back line in the second half, when he surrendered three goals in the span of a half hour. 

The starting midfield turned in a very strong performance, with Maurice Edu and Jose Francisco Torres teaming up well in the middle.  Edu continues to make a case for the starting spot next to Michael Bradley, showing an ability to destroy in the middle as well as some skill going forward.  Stuart Holden, meanwhile, looked very sharp on the wing, and his dangerous set piece deliveries led to both US goals.  His performance only reinforces my belief that Bob Bradley will start him out wide against England on June 12th, allowing Clint Dempsey to slide up top with Jozy Altidore.

On the opposite wing was one guy who really needed to help his case for a World Cup ticket after an abysmal spring at the club level: DaMarcus Beasley.  Much like his March 3rd USMNT appearance against the Netherlands, Beasley rose to the occasion last night, turning in an active, involved effort on both ends of the field.  He whipped in a couple of quality crosses in the attacking third and drew a number of fouls, doing a lot of little things right along the way.  Beasley deserves to be on the final roster, and I fully expect Bob Bradley to choose him this afternoon.

Eddie Johnson didn't do himself any favors last night, displaying the same kind of misguided effort and slow decision making that has frustrated so many national team fans in the past couple of years. His strike partner Edson Buddle, meanwhile, had a solid showing in his first international start. Despite missing a decent chunk of time due to a cut above his lip, Buddle had some bright moments and showed a good work rate up front.

Robbie Rogers came on as a second half sub and had some bright moments, including a 30 yard bullet that forced Petr Cech into a diving stop.  All in all, though, I think it's just too little, too late for a player who has been very inconsistent with the national team over the past eight months.  Rogers can at least take solace in the fact that he stood out, unlike Sacha Kljestan, who was was barely noticeable for much of his time on.  Both he and Heath Pearce had rough outings, with both making mistakes that directly led to goals (two in Pearce's case).  Though I expected nothing more from Kljestan, who was always a long shot, I was very disappointed in Pearce's performance.

With Carlos Bocanegra's health still a point of concern, LB options aren't exactly bountiful, so I figured that a decent outing by Pearce would lead to Bob Bradley bringing eight defenders to South Africa.  But the FC Dallas defender was utterly awful in his time on, to the point that I think he killed any chances he had of earning a spot on the World Cup roster.  Both Bocanegra and Bornstein would be better options at this point, and while Jonathan Spector was far from impressive in his time at LB with West Ham this season, he too would still be a much better option than Pearce at the international level.

Both substitute strikers made their mark on the match on for all the right reasons. Brian Ching added some energy up top, holding up the ball well while also linking up with his teammates with some clever passing. He did the dirty work and showed his ability to be an offensive facilitator. Though I think Ching already had his World Cup spot secured, his performance last night was convincing in its own right (and as I'm writing this, I'm seeing multiple people on Twitter saying that they saw Ching at the Hartford airport, implying that he was one of the seven cut.  I'll wait until it's official to make any comment on what seems to be a poor roster decision, but could very well just be Ching meeting or seeing off some family).  Gomez, meanwhile, continued to do what he did so frequently at Puebla: put the ball in the back of the net. While his second half header from two yards out was largely the product of a great Clarence Goodson set up, the fact still remains that Herc put himself in the right spot at the right time, something that in-form strikers have a knack for doing. And when it comes down to it, it's hard to leave someone like that home, so I expect to see Gomez's name on the final roster.

Rounding out the group is Alejandro Bedoya, who came on for Oguchi Onyewu in the 66th minute.  Bedoya's name wasn't called too much during his time on, and I expect him to either be the last guy in or the first guy out when the roster is announced.

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So, without further ado, here's who I think will be on the final roster:

Goalkeepers: Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan

Defenders: Onyewu, Bocanegra, DeMerit, Goodson, Bornstein, Cherundolo, Spector

Midfielders: Donovan, Dempsey, Holden, Bradley, Edu, Torres, Feilhaber, Beasley, Clark, Bedoya

Strikers: Altidore, Ching, Gomez


There's only one change from my pre-camp prediction: Herculez Gomez in place of Edson Buddle. 

Tune in to ESPN at 1:20 PM ET, when Bob Bradley announces his final 23 man roster.  If you can't access a TV, then just come back to US Soccer Daily, where I'll post the final roster as soon as it's announced.