Avoiding the Drop

Later today Bob Bradley will announce his “preliminary” World Cup roster- the 30 players who will be invited to a training camp in Princeton, NJ that begins on May 15. This group of players will then be pared down to the final 23 man roster that must be submitted on June 1. We here at ATD can pontificate with the best of them, so here is our look at who should be the 30 men who should be invited and a few comments about some of them. We’ll start with those players who were unanimous (or close to it!) selections by our staff.

Goalkeepers

Tim Howard, Everton

Marcus Hahnemann, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Brad Guzan, Aston Villa

We all agree that Howard is the obvious starter and that Hahnemann should play over Guzan should Howard be injured. The rationale for the #2 and #3 spots is simple- Guzan has only played in a few cup matches for Villa and Hahnemann not only started most of Wolves matches, but there seemed to be general agreement this year that he was one of the best keepers in the EPL. Believe it or not, he had the highest save percentage in the entire league!

Defenders

Oguchi Onyewu, A.C. Milan

Jonathan Spector, West Ham United

Steve Cherundolo, Hannover 96

Carlos Bocanegra, Stade Rennais

Positionally I’m not sure if this quartet would ever be on the field at the same time, nevertheless I find it interesting that we agreed on exactly four fullbacks from our lists. The fly in this particular ointment, however, is the health of Onyewu- if he’s not ready the whole thing gets turned on its head. More on who might be brought in to replace him below.

Midfielders

Landon Donovan, L.A. Galaxy

Clinton Drew Dempsey, Fulham

Stuart Holden, Bolton Wanderers

Michael Bradley, Borussia Monchengladbach

Jose Francisco Torres, Pachuca

Ricardo Clark, Eintracht Frankfurt

Benny Feilhaber, AGF

There was a remarkable amount of agreement on the midfielders and I think we’d all be happy if this was the group that Bob Bradley chose for his final roster. If one player were to be added to this group or swapped in as a replacement for one already on the list, it’s DaMarcus Beasley- but more on him below. I think if there is any message to take away from this list it is that we all believe that Torres needs to see more playing time. Speaking only for myself, I can say that I think he brings a sense of calm to a midfield that has a lot of players who are, to put it nicely, “high spirited.”

Forwards

Altidore, Jozy, Villarreal

That’s right, the six of us could only agree on one forward. From the comments that accompanied our lists of picks, it was clear that there would have been a second if we were all sure that Charlie Davies was going to be fit.  Otherwise, this position is a mess and there may not be any right or wrong answers.

And now, for those players that at least half of us agreed on…

Defenders

Jay DeMerit, Watford

Chad Marshall, Columbus Crew

Heath Pearce, FC Dallas

Frankie Hedjuk, Columbus Crew

In the case of Pearce I was one of the dissenters- for me he plays “hot and cold” and I don’t think this is what you want on your bench. You need a player who can be counted upon as a substitute, even if the players role is a very limited one- “get in there and accomplish task “A” for twenty minutes.” I don’t think Pearce can be counted upon to do that game in and game out. Those of us who voted for Hejduk see him, I think, as just the opposite- you know exactly what you’re going to get. He’s going to defend tenaciously, get involved in the offense, and can move into the midfield if the need arises.

Midfielders

Maurice Edu, Rangers

DaMarcus Beasley, Rangers

Jonathan Bornstein, Chivas USA

Sacha Kljestan, Chivas USA

Of these three Beasley received the most support. Not only has he played well lately- except when played out of position by Bradley on the USMNT!- but given the dearth of forwards available for selection, he is one of the players (like Donovan and Dempsey) who could either be moved up front or played as a midfielder whose duties are primarily offensive. Those who selected Kljestan saw him as a bench player. Those who named Bornstein saw him as a squad player.

Forwards

Charlie Davies, Sochaux

Conor Casey, Colorado Rapids

Brian Ching, Houston Dynamo

Edson Buddle, L.A. Galaxy

Hercules Gomez, Puebla

We all love a good comeback story and we’d all love to see Charlie Davies make it all the way back. Not only would this be a great story, but it would also solve a whole host of problems. If Davies is in the team, Altidore is the obvious match- Davies has the pace and attacking instincts and Altidore has the size and strength (without lacking ball skills like Casey and Ching) to compliment him. If Davies can’t make it back it probably opens the door for another member of this quartet…or Kenny Cooper…or… Robbie Findley. As for Edson Buddle, he’s tearing up MLS- but is that good enough?

And finally, we all had a few players on our lists because they appealed to us because we are each a very special kind of football genius.

Defenders

Edgar Castillo, America

Mags says, “Castillo’s a bit of a risk, but he adds a little bit of attacking flair and can’t really be worse than Bornstein.”  Ouch.

Kevin Alston, New England Revolution

I think he should be on the roster just to get a taste of the World Cup “experience.” Alston has blazing speed, plays solid defense, and can get involved in the attack. Mags kept me from being a complete homer by saying, “Shame on Bradley for not starting to incorporate Kevin Alston into the overall defensive plan.”  Thanks, Mags!

Michael Parkhurst, Nordsjælland

What doesn’t Bob Bradley see here? Parkhurst was the 2005 MLS Rookie of the Year, Defender of the Year and MLS Best XI in 2007, was on a US Open Cup winning side and a CONCACAF Gold Cup winning side, and plays (as opposed to sitting on the bench) for a European side. No, he’s not huge, no he’s not fast, and no, he’s not flashy- but he doesn’t make mistakes. He wins the ball, he plays calmly, and he makes smart passes into the midfield. Who’d want a player like that?

Clarence Goodson, IK Start

Adam and Kevin both like the gangly, dare I say “Crouch-like,” Clarence E. Goodson IV as a role player on the back line. There’s no doubt he’s established himself as a quality player in Norway and I have to say that he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time on set pieces.

Midfielders

Brad Evans, Seattle Sounders

Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake

Alejandro Bedoya, Örebro

Georger likes Bedoya’s midfield play so much he put Bedoya on his list- TWICE! Adam likes Evans and Beckerman- but only enough to list them once. Evans wasn’t on my list, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen of him since he joined Seattle and I’d have no problem seeing him in South Africa.

Forwards

Eddie Johnson, Fulham

Jeff Cunningham, FC Dallas

I had half a mind to rain all over Adam’s one man Eddie Johnson parade, but the fact is that since he’s been on loan at Aris Thessaloniki he’s scored 5 times in 15 matches. His numbers look even better when you see that he’s only played the equivalent- in minutes- of 9 matches. Hmm… Kevin likes Cunningham. Given the alternatives, maybe he’s on to something.

So, tune into ESPNEWS or the internets at 2pm tomorrow and see how Bob Bradley does with his 30 picks. Then come back here and tell us how much better we did.

Only a month to go!!!