TYH’s Top 25 (July)

Each month TYH will announce the top 25 U.S. players. The rankings will be cumulative and will take into consideration current level of play, injuries and past proficiency with the national team. The first 11 will be divided into positional leaders (4-4-2), followed by 11 reserves* and three players that deserve a shot at cap #1.

Goalkeeper:
Tim Howard

Defenders:
Carlos Bocanegra
Frank Simek
Oguchi Onyewu
Jonathan Spector

Midfielders:
Landon Donovan
Clint Dempsey
Benny Feilhaber
DaMarcus Beasley

Forward
Eddie Johnson
Taylor Twellman

Reserves:
Jose Burciaga, Jr., Brian Ching, MIchael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Todd Dunivant, Steve Ralston, Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, Marvell Wynne, Jimmy Conrad, Andy Dorman

Let’s have a look at:
Anthony Wallace (D), FC Dallas
Danny Szetela (M), Columbus
Tony Beltran (D/M), UCLA

ANALYSIS: This month's Top 25 took in the highs (U-20 WC) and the lows (Copa America) and sorted out those who stepped up and made a case for themselves and those who should be expunged from the national team pool. You'll notice that two U-20s, in particular, made the reserves, Freddy and Jozy. And although they sound like an 80s rock group, I selected them based on their terrific play in the U-20 World Cup. It's time to give Freddy a legitimate shot, playing in a central attacking position. Maybe Coach Bob Bradley can try out the duo against Sweden, next month. Fellow U-20s Wallace, Szetela and Beltran also earned a look for their play in the U-20s. I was especially impressed with Szetela's composure throughout the tournaments. He was really the linchpin of this talented team.

As you can see some national team regulars (Bobby Convey, Marcus Hahnemann, etc.) have dropped out due to injury, but TYH is hoping they can regain their form as they prepare for the grueling European season. Pablo Mastroeni is also currently bothered by an abductor strain but shouldn't be out for too long. The Starting 11 didn't really change, except that Dunivant fell into the reserves. Twellman nearly fell out as well, but in the end he's still a better option than Ching. However, Twellman might just be a few poor performances away from being labeled a Jason Kreis (MLS star, national team dud).

*The reserves include the best available players and may or may not reflect positional depth.