Still no surprises in U.S. roster

Bob Bradley has named the roster for the September 5 clash with El Salvador in Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City. It is a decent lineup, but the question is, will he field the best 11 or continue to trot out Brian Ching.

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton).
Why is Guzan the number 2? I don't get it. Timmy, please stay healthy.

DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hanover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jonathan Spector (West Ham).
Bradley needs to recognize the poor flank play by both Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundola against Mexico and to adjust by utilizing Jonathan Spector on the right and pushing Bocanegra centrally (or to the bench) and starting Jonathan Bornstein at left back. And keep Marshall and Goodson on the bench, please.

MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Moenchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Houston), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca) .
I'm sick of Kyle Beckerman and his stinky, white-guy dreds. With so much talent, why does Bradley keep getting it wrong? I'd like to see Holden or Torres get a start. We need to stop being so conservative and throw some of these talented kids out there.

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado), Brian Ching (Houston), Charlie Davies (Sochaux), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake).
Really, with Donovan in the midfield, who else would you put out there if you weren't blinded by your love of thick, clumsy "holding" forwards. It's got to be the Charlie 'n' Jozy show. Doesn't it?

U.S. misses opportunity

It was a valiant effort for 82 minutes, but ultimately the U.S. remains winless in Smog City, Mexico. A 2-1 result isn't the end of the world (especially considering that our toughest game left is against Honduras), but I think it revealed some of the weaknesses of this team that need to be addressed before we book the flight to South Africa.

1. The U.S. is weak defending the flanks. Both Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundola were constantly beaten on the edges and allowed service to go relatively unhindered from both left and right. Bocanegra needs to stay in the center for the U.S. (I don't care if he is a LB for his club team). Cherundola improved as the game wore on, but was beaten badly at times.
2. Our midfielders need to do a better job of showing to the ball to give the backline a place to play the ball after they win it. Far to often, our backline would just boot it up field for lack of a midfield outlet option. Some of it was nerves from the defense, but too many players pushed up after the ball was won instead of tracking back to maintain possession in the midfield.
3. Brian Ching. As far as I'm concerned he played himself out of a starting role for this team. He was pathetic. I like that Benny Feilhaber got into the game, but Jozy Altidore should have been the substitute for Ching in the 58th minute. Instead, Bradley removes our most dangerous player (Davies) with nearly 15 minutes left to play. You aren't going to get points by bunkering in Azteca.
4. I hate to acknowledge this one, but Clint Dempsey. I love 'Deuce', but he looked slow. Sure, he's out of season, but then, why start him? Why not use him as a substitute. I think Bradley got it backwards. I think Stuart Holden needed to be in there to start at left mid and put Donovan on the other side. Did anyone else notice how the U.S.'s pace increased greatly when Holden and Feilhaber entered?
5. At times, we rely on the referees when we should keep our feet. We are never, ever going to get the benefit of the doubt from CONCACAF referees. There is a clear bias (read: jealousy) against our loud, obnoxious capitalistic asses. Donovan spent too much time falling and then jumping up incensed and yelling at the referee while play continued down the field. That's never going to get it done. Stay on your feet. Play smart.

Player Ratings (1-10)
Tim Howard (9)
Steve Cherundolo (5)
Oguchi Onyewu (7)
Jay DeMerit (6)
Carlos Bocanegra (4)
Clint Dempsey (4)
Ricardo Clark (6)
Michael Bradley (6)
Landon Donovan (7)
Charlie Davies (8)
Brian Ching (2)

Subs
Stuart Holden (6)
Jozy Altidore (4)
Benny Feilhaber (6)

Ya gotta know when to Holden

Here's the roster for next Wednesday's qualifier in Mexico:

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan.

No real surprises here, but I really think there are more capable No. 2s than Brad Guzan. I'm not a fan. He has allowed some soft goals and he's not as athletic as he needs to be for his size.

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Bornstein, Chad Marshall.

Not a bad group, but some assembly is required. Although I am a fan, I think Bradley needs to sit Gooch for this one or perhaps bring him off the bench. His tendancy toward the stupid foul/booking/red card could land us in real trouble, and he's looked pretty terrible playing for his new club (AC Milan) recently. Of course, he's still fitting in, but I think you go with the hot hand and not the hot head for this one and play DeMerit. So, I'd like to see Bornstein-Bocanegra-DeMerit-Spector.

Midfielders: Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden, Jose Francisco Torres.

Wow! No DMB. It's the right move (for both the team and Beasley who needs time off to figure out where his talent went). I like this group a lot. Donovan is actually officially listed as a forward, but I put him in the midfield because that's where he should play. I love the Holden pick, but it was a no brainer after his performance in the Gold Cup.

Forwards: Brian Ching, Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, Conor Casey.

Time for the Chuck 'n' Jozy Show! I hope.

World 3, MLS 0

It was a bad night for Major League Soccer clubs involved in international matches, as Chicago lost in the SuperLiga Cup final and New York was booted from the CONCACAF Champions League. Then, there was the exhibition in Seattle.

In the third annual SuperLiga, Mexican club Tigres defeated MLS's Chicago Fire 4-3 on penalty kicks after the Cup final finished 1-1 AET.

New York, meanwhile, lost the away leg of their home-and-home with T&T side W Connection 2-1 and were bounced 4-3 on aggregate from the CCL.

Finally, European champs Barcelona filleted the Sounders 4-0 due to the "strange alchemy" of Lionel Messi.

CCL: United thru on PKs

After a 2-2 result in the home leg, DC United managed a 1-1 draw away against Salvadoran squad CD Luis Angel Firpo and then advanced on penalty kicks 5-4 in the preliminary stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. Meanwhile, the USL-1 Puerto Rico Islanders defeated MLS club Toronto FC 1-0 in aggregate.

New York, who managed a 2-2 draw in the away leg, will play at home today against T&T side W Connection FC. MLS clubs Columbus Crew and Houston Dynamo received byes into the group stage.