Shall we go Dutch?

I don’t blame U.S. fans (and John Harkes) for jumping on the Brian Ching/Sacha Kljestan bandwagon after each scored a goal in the predictably underwhelming 2-1 win over El Salvador. After all, finishing, any finishing, is something the U.S. has always lacked, so anytime a player manages to put one away, the goalscorer is immediately vaulted into sacred cow status.

But slow down. Ching had a number of quality opportunities that he couldn't manage to put on frame, and Kljestan had a pretty poor second half until El Salvador's terrible, terrible giveaway.

For once, Bradley seems to be avoiding the rush to anoint the Wednesday goalscorers. He named Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Eddie Johnson (Aris), and Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake) to the roster for next Wednesday's friendly against The Netherlands, not Brian Ching. And Kljestan is absent from the midfield, as the European players come back to the fold. This doesn't mean that Bradley has settled his World Cup squad, however, as evidenced by the additions of DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers) and Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro).

Putting aside for a moment that Bradley should have begun these try-outs long ago, I like the additions of Johnson, Bedoya and Beasley. DMB and EDJO deserve another shot at Nats glory before their relegated to the status of other acronymed failures like JOB (John O'Brien), especially Beasley who could use some good news. Bedoya is a real wild card and I'm excited to see him rolled out against a quality side.

This is when the real cohesion needs to begin, so hopefully this match can finally provide clarity without hype. Of course, if Robbie Findlay manages to score, throw all of that out the window and proclaim him The GOAT.

USA 2010 squad still missing pieces

Ok, it's been forever and a day since I posted anything new on here. And really there's been nothing comment worthy (besides Landon Donovan sticking it to his critics at Everton). But after reading the Goffinator's rundown of the potential 2010 World Cup squad, I had to throw my two cents in (although what I want to do is hit Bob Bradley with a sock of quarters).

Goff's Locks:
Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton) and Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Guzan is underwhelming but he isn't the worst No. 2. He's certainly better than Zach Thornton or Nick Rimando (who were called up for the Feb. 23 match vs. El Salvador). I'd like to see Marcus Hahnemann steal the spot from Guzan, but really I'll be praying that Howard stays healthy. The thing is, in the worst possible scenario do you want youth (Guzan) or experience (Hahnemann) stepping in? I mean, Guzan can't even beat out a 38-year-old Brad Friedel at Villa.

Defenders: Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Jonathan Spector (West Ham)
Nice group. No surprises. Bocanegra may be the weak link in this group, but only if he's forced to play left back. Jonathan Bornstein, who Goff says is on the bubble at the moment, will likely get the LB spot. It's not an inspired selection there, but he's serviceable. He's good for one gaff a game though, so hopefully it won't be a costly one.

Midfielders: Landon Donovan (Galaxy-Everton), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Michael Bradley (Moenchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Stuart Holden (Bolton)
The midfield depth for the U.S. continues to be a strength, but on the field, it continues to reflect Bradley's poor tactical management. Bradley should be taking notes from David Moyes at Everton. Moyes has utilized LD's skill set superbly, putting him on the right-side of midfield and asking him to run and create. LD isn't a forward and he's limited as a central midfielder. With quickness on the edges (LD on the right, Holden (or Torres) on the left, the center of the pitch should be players who hold well and play excellent counter-attacking balls. I love Rocardo Clark, but he doesn't fit this mold. Should he be on the squad? Yes. But as a injury replacement for Maurice Edu or Benny Feilhaber. Hopefully, Jermaine Jones can get healthy and into the mix. But Michael Bradley (and I can't believe I'm writing this) will be crucial to our success at the World Cup. So hopefully, he makes dear ol' dad proud.

Forward: Jozy Altidore (Hull City)
The fact that Goff can only come up with one sure-thing at forward demonstrates the frighten lack of depth at this position (see previous post). But Goff's suggestion for a running partner for Jozy shows that if ignorance is repeated often enough it becomes conventional wisdom. "The squad is also going to need a target forward: Conor Casey (Colorado) or Brian Ching (Houston)" Why? Target forwards are for clubs with deadly accurate crossers or teams that play long balls all day. We are not that team. We are a possession team. Short passes. Stretch the defense. Backline-beating chips or through balls. You do not need a tall player to be successful in this style. You need someone with control and strength. If we are relying on Casey and Ching, we're done. Forget England, we won't beat Algeria or Slovenia. So, who should it be? Charlie Davies likely won't be 100 percent if he completes his remarkable comeback, so he'll be a better super-sub if we need a goal in the final 15 minutes. You could move Dempsey up front but he plays around too much and gives away possession far too often. It's probably too late to go digging for a diamond in the rough. So, Bradley's left himself few options. Out of the dreadful recent call-ups, Robbie Findlay is the only legitimate option, but he's awfully inconsistent. I mean, why call up washed up Jeff Cunningham? Jason Kreis was busy? Kenny Cooper, Eddie Johnson and dare I speak his name, Freddie Adu should be the camp invitees, not Cunningham or Casey.