Rafael van der Vaart and the rest of the Netherlands will pose a stiff test for Bob Bradley's U.S. squad. (Photo source: Tsutomu Takasu, Creative Commons)
Don’t look now, but it’s only 100 days until the World Cup kicks off, and it appears Bob Bradley has figured out a significant portion of his roster for the tournament. Wednesday’s friendly in Amsterdam against the Netherlands (1:30 p.m. CST, ESPN2/360) marks a last chance for European-based fringe players to state their cases before Bradley announces his 23-man roster ahead of the team’s May send-off series.
Bradley named this 20-man roster for Wednesday’s game:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa/England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton/England), Tim Howard (Everton/England)
Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA/M.L.S.), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes/France), Jay DeMerit (Watford/England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start/Norway), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas/M.L.S.), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday/England), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United/England)
Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers/Scotland), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro/Sweden), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach/Germany), Landon Donovan (Everton/England), Maurice Edu (Rangers/Scotland), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers/England), José Torres (Pachuca/Mexico)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull City/England), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake/M.L.S.), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki/Greece)
The interesting thing about Bradley’s roster is that it’s largely made up of first choice players, so he’ll have a good opportunity to evaluate the performances of fringe players alongside his regular starters. Don’t be surprised to see every wing back on the roster get playing time. The American struggles on both sides of defense are well documented, so this could be the final chance to settle on a starter, particularly at right back. Bornstein has enjoyed a lot of playing time at the position recently, but after solid performances at last summer’s Confederations Cup, I’d put my money on Spector to claim the starting position. Spector isn’t as fast as Bornstein, but his presence on the ball and delivery into the penalty area is much, much better. Bornstein’s decision making to go forward is better than it used to be, but it’s still too regular a thing to see an opponent’s left midfielder with too much space on the wing on Bornstein’s watch.
In the midfield, a recent ankle injury to Benny Feilhaber has opened the door to claim the last spot up for grabs. Donovan, Clint Dempsey and the younger Bradley will all start for sure this summer, but the elder Bradley must decide whether he wants to employ a creative midfielder, like Feilhaber or Pachuca’s Torres, or hold two midfielders back to allow Dempsey and Donovan greater offensive freedom. I expect Bradley to make the decision based on the situation. For the World Cup opener against England and matches against favored teams, look for him to play his son and one other defensive midfielder; against Slovenia and Algeria, expect an attacking midfielder with a little more backtracking responsibility for Donovan and Dempsey. Against a fast-attacking Dutch side, look for Edu to partner Bradley as defensive midfielders. Edu isn’t 100 percent game fit yet, but he scored the winning goal in stoppage time of the Old Firm Derby this past weekend after coming on as a first half substitute. I expect Edu to get about an hour of game time before Holden or Torres comes on to introduce a little more aggression to the American attack.
With Charlie Davies’ return still in question after his October car crash, Bradley also must figure out where the speed is going to come from up front. Altidore’s starting position is in little jeopardy, especially now that he’s getting regular playing time for Hull City, but he showed during World Cup qualifying and the Confederations Cup that he’s most effective with a downhill runner partnering him at forward. The chemistry between Altidore and Davies was immediate and undeniable, and despite the good prognosis for Davies’ recovery by June, Bradley must face the fact that he might need to replicate that. Findley was unimpressive against Denmark last year and El Salvador last week, so this could be his third strike. Then again, Johnson appeared to have struck out about a year ago, but a recent recovery of his goal-scoring touch in Greece has earned him a return. Johnson broke onto the scene with a hot streak during qualifying for the 2006 World Cup and earned his move overseas with a season-long hot streak for the Kansas City Wizards. There’s no player in the national team pool with the ups and downs of Johnson, but a run of good form could see him sneak onto the roster for South Africa. If neither Findley nor Johnson play well, don’t be surprised to see Donovan move back to forward or Bradley get creative with a 5-4-1 formation.
The final spots up for grabs are those of the back up goalkeepers. Guzan has long been Howard’s deputy, but Hahnemann has pushed hard recently for consideration, and if Wolves stay up in the English Premier League this season, much of it will be due to Hahnemann’s play since he took over the starting goalkeeping job. Guzan has spent most of this season on the bench watching Brad Friedel at Aston Villa, playing mostly cup matches. He was benched for the Carling Cup final on Sunday against Manchester United in favor of the more experienced Friedel.
When the U.S. takes the field Wednesday in Amsterdam, Bradley’s focus will be less on the scoreboard than it will be on seeing how his fringe players fit into a lineup against world-class competition. The Netherlands will be almost full-strength, with several players currently enjoying incredible club form. This will definitely be the best team Bradley’s team faces between now and the World Cup, and based on its current form, it’s even fair to say the U.S. won’t see a team this good until the second round of the World Cup, should the Americans make good on being a favorite to advance from Group C.
What do you think about the question marks in Bradley’s lineup? What position concerns you most? What fringe player do you think could have the greatest impact? What result do you expect
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