Bradley names his roster for Barbados World Cup Qualifier

USA vs. Barbados
Sunday - 2:55p ET/11:55a PT
TV: ESPN Classic & Galavision (Spanish)

Bob Bradley has released his 18-man roster for the second leg of the US-Barbados World Cup Qualifier. With the US up 8-0, the starting lineup is likely to include a number of younger players.

Here is the full roster:

GK (3): Dominic Cervi, Brad Guzan, Chris Seitz

D (6): Carlos Bocanegra, Dan Califf, Jay DeMerit, Drew Moor, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce

M(6): DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Sacha Kljestan, Eddie Lewis, Danny Szetela, John Thorrington

F (3): Freddy Adu, Chad Barrett, Chris Rolfe

The big thing I notice is the lack of Tim Howard and Eddie Johnson from the list as they were not players he released earlier in the week. The Howard move makes sense since he has a minor injury and Guzan (who got called back into camp) needs the international cap. The lack of Johnson is good since we need to find some other forward options, although Barbados is not much of a test.

Some people might wonder why Lewis is in there, but it makes sense since the experience of most of the players is limited. Good to have some old timers in to bring the experience.

Here is my guess at a starting lineup:

GK: Guzan
D: Moor, Califf, Bocanegra, Pearce
M: Kljestan, Bradley, Lewis, Beasley
F: Adu, Barrett

Bradley adds players to Barbados roster

A couple days slimming his roster down to 12, it looks like US coach Bob Bradley is about to fatten things up with the addition of a bunch of MLSers.

Various reports have Bradley calling Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake), John Thorrington (Chicago Fire), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire) and Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire).

There is one domestic player getting a look as Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio - Italy) will also join the team.

With the Fire playing tonight, it is no surprise that a number of their guys get the call, while Seitz is Real's backup keeper so no harm. However, Drew Moor is a bit of a knock for his club as he has started 12 of FCD's 13 games.

As far as play, looking at the competition they will face, I'm sure these players will do fine.

Bob Bradley sends 10 players home

US coach Bob Bradley has released 10 players from camp ahead of their second leg match against Barbados. Most of the players are MLS based, so this is not much of a surprise, however I kind of thought he would keep Guzan around in case Howard is still having back issues (plus if Guzan still wants to move to England, he needs more international caps).

Here is the list:
Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundulo (Hannover 96), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids) and Matt Reis (New England Revolution)

So the players still in camp are:
GK: Dominic Cervi, Tim Howard
D: Carlos Bocanegra, Dan Califf, Jay DeMerit, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce
M: Freddy Adu, DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Eddie Lewis
F: Eddie Johnson

Unless Bradley is really confident, it looks like he will need to call a few more folks in. Some players that I wouldn't mind see added to his roster are Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake) or Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC).

These are many attacking players, which makes sense as it is the US's weakest area. Then again, evaluating their play against a team like Barbados is not going to give you much.

US roster for Sunday's 2010 World Cup Qualifier named

US vs. Barbados
Sunday 5pET/2pPT
Home Depot Center, Carson, Ca.
Tickets (Great for Father's Day)

Bob Bradley released his 21-man roster for this Sunday's World Cup Qualifier against Barbados. There are no huge surprises, as just about everyone on the list saw minutes during warm up games. The one major exception, the Houston Dynamo's Brian Ching.

Ching was named to the preliminary roster for the three friendly matches the US played over the last couple weeks, but he did not make the final cut. Oddly enough, during this same time Ching came into his own in MLS play earning 3 goals and two assists over his last three matches. The addition of Ching gives the US a greater threat in the air and an alternative on set pieces to Onyewu.

A name not on the forward list is Nate Jaqua. I don't think he is injured so I'm a little surprise that with all the US's problems in attack, he was not given more of a chance in the warm up games as he had a great year with both Houston and Austrian side Altach. Perhaps he is trying out for club teams or maybe Bradley didn't like what he saw in camp.

Jozy Altidore is also not on the list, but this is nowhere near a surprise. With his move to Spain in the final stages and his likely call up for the Olympic team looming, Bradley doesn't want to hinder the relationship with Villarreal.

One name that is pleasing to see is Frankie Hejduk. He is a workhorse who can bring some needed experience to the squad during these early qualifiers.

Here is the full roster:

GK (3): Dominic Cervi, Brad Guzan, Tim Howard

D (7): Carlos Bocanegra, Dan Califf, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Frankie Hejduk, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce

M (7): Freddy Adu, DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Sacha
Kljestan, Eddie Lewis, Pablo Mastroeni

F (4): Brian Ching, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Eddie Johnson

My guess for Bradley's starting lineup is very similar to what he put out during the Argentina match, except Bocanegra will replace Califf. The position that I could see changing is Edu in for Mastroeni.

---------------------Howard-------------------

Cherundolo--Bocanegra--Onyewu--Pearce

-Dempsey--Bradley--Mastroeni--Beasley-

-----------Johnson------Donovan------------

US starting lineup against Argintina

Here is the official starting lineup:

-----------------Howard---------------

Cherundolo--Califf--Onyewu--Pearce

Dempsey--Bradley--Mastroeni--Beasley

-----Johnson------Donovan (c)---------

Looks like Landon Donovan will get his 100th cap and do it as captain.

My concern with this lineup is the lack of creativity in the midfield. With Michael Bradley playing below his level the last couple matches, he will need to turn it on in order to give Johnson and Donovan something to work with.

On the defensive side of things, Mastroneni could win his way back onto the squad if he plays tough without crap fouls in the midfield while Califf has the chance of a lifetime to make Bob Bradley think about changing his center back duo.

US starting lineup for Spain

Here is the starting lineup for the US Men:

-------------------Howard--------------------

-Cherundolo--Onyewu--Bocanegra--Pearce-

---Dempsey-----Edu----Bradley-----Lewis---

----------Johnson--------------Adu-----------

Subs: DaMarcus Beasley, Frankie Hejduk, Brad Guzan, Josh Wolff, Pablo Mastroeni, Jay DeMerit, Dan Califf

The combination of Johnson and Adu up top will be interesting to see. With Nate Jaqua dropped from the game roster, the only other forward is Josh Wolff.

Edu is going to have his hands full in the center. Lewis must have really impressed Bob Bradley to get the start. Let's just hope he is not the only player that can hold the ball this time around.

Bradley names 22-man roster for England match

US vs. England
May 38 - 3p ET/12p PT
TV: ESPN Classic, Galavision (tape delayed till 7p ET)

US Men's National team coach Bob Bradley has narrowed his roster down to 22 players with just one week to go till they clash with England at Wembley Stadium. As expected, the list is made up mostly of European based players.

Here is the full list:

Goalkeepers (3): Dominic Cervi (Out of Contract), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)

Defenders (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Dan Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

Midfielders (6): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Lewis (Derby County).

Forwards (5): Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nate Jaqua (out of contract), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC), Josh Wolff (out of contract)

Guzan, Clark and Donovan are the only MLS based players to earn a call up.

The obvious name absent from this list is Jozy Altidore. As much as I would love to see Jozy on the pitch for England and Spain, with the Olympics and World Cup Qualifiers coming up, Bradley is probably wants to limit the time he is away from the Red Bulls. Also, if Jozy is suffering from fatigue as Juan Carlos Osorio suggested a few weeks ago, giving him a break now will make things easier later this summer and into next year (especially is he does end up moving to Europe).

That said, there is a strong argument to be made for Jozy playing in England and Spain instead of some of the World Cup Qualifiers as these two games plus Argentina are more likely to reflect what the US will face in 2010 then games this fall.

The name that sticks out the most from this list is Michael Orozco from Mexico's San Luis. He has quickly becoming a challenger for one of the center back positions, but with Onyewu coming off a solid season, Bocanegra is most likely to lose his spot.

I've noticed that some people are surprised by Nate Jaqua's call up but I don't see why. In his 10 games with Altach, he netted five goals and was one of the main reasons the team was not relegated. It is true that Austria is not be a big league but results like that deserve some recognition (not to mention what he did with Houston last year). Add to it the lack of offensive depth for the US men and Bradley's choice makes sense.

As far as surprises, there are not many, but Eddie Lewis is the biggest (and it is not that big). Although he has little chance of being in the mix come 2010, I'm guessing Bradley selected him to bring some experience to the team. Also, if he took Maurice Edu or Sacha Kljestan away from their teams while leaving Jozy with New York, it would have looked a little off.

All and all, this is a pretty A-list roster for the US.

Here is my guess at the starting lineup:

-----------------Howard-----------------

Cherundolo---Gooch----Boca---Pearce

--Donovan---Bradley-Clark--Beasley--

----------Johnson----Dempsey----------

Of all of these, Beasley is the one I'm least sure about due to his recent return from injury. If Beasley doesn't get the start, my guess is Wolff will take it.

US roster for Poland match

US - Poland
26 March 3:30p ET/12:30p PT
TV: Fox Soccer Channel

Bob Bradley has called 18 players into camp ahead of this Wednesday's match in Poland. Since this game actually takes place in Europe on an official international date, it should come as no surprise that most of the players are not based in the US. In fact, only 3 of the 18 are from the MLS (Donovan, Ching, Clark).

Here is the full roster:

GK (2): Marcus Hahnemann (Reading FC), Tim Howard (Everton FC)

D (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Cory Gibbs (Charlton Athletic), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

M (5): Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)

F (4): Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC), Josh Wolff (1860 Munich)

Although I'm sure a few people will ask 'where is Adu?', since he is just getting back to his club after two weeks of Olympic qualifying, Bradley probably didn't want to call him in. In fact, since no players from the U23 squad are on the list, this reason should apply to all of them (Altidore, Holden, etc.).

So what about the names that are there?

Feilhaber gets called in after failing to impress Nowak for the U23s. With Feilhaber getting no playing time for the worst team in the EPL, why would Bradley call him in? I'm guessing Bradley believes in him and wants to give him a chance to show himself. Might be corny, but Feilhaber is better then how he is currently getting treated at Derby.

Brian Ching getting the pick is a bit of an eye turner for me as he hasn't looked 100% during any of the pre-season Dynamo matches I've seen. I do think Ching is national team material, but only at top form.

Ricardo Clark was probably an easy pick as he has been showing well in pre-season for Houston, plus he is still riding a 2-game MLS suspension so the international travel will not hurt his club play come opening weekend.

The mad man of Holland, Michael Bradley, gets a very deserved call as he has now scored 20 goals in all competitions, including 2 in a match on Saturday.

Great to see Gibbs back on the list.

Overall, this is really the core of the US national team right here. So what about the new faces? My thought is Bradley will use this game to evaluate the known players ahead of the triple threat matches (England, Spain & Argentina) at the end of May and early June. He will see what he has and then complement it with new faces.

As for a starting lineup, my guess is something like:
------------------Howard------------------
Cherundolo-Bocanegra-Onyewu-Pearce
-Donovan---Bradley---Clark---Lewis-
-----------------Dempsey------------------
-----------------Johnson------------------

Nowak names his US Olympic Qualifying roster

Peter Nowak has selected the roster that he thinks will return the US men to the Olympic games. After an impressive showing in 2000, the U-23s won their qualifying group in 2004 but lost to Mexico in the semifinals and missed a trip to Athens.

The US should have a good chance of taking their group again this time around, however the question is can Mexico do the same or will they finish in second and force another semifinal showdown? Either way, this roster looks to be the best U-23 group the US has ever put forward, so they should be ready.

Here is Peter Nowak's full Olympic Qualifying roster:

GK (2): Dominic Cervi (out of contract), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

D (7): Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

M (7): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)

F (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire),
Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

Jonathan Spector (West Ham United) is on this roster even though he was not called into the final training camp early this month. Oddly enough Benny Feilhaber (Derby County) did not make the final roster. Not sure if he suffered an injury, was called back to his club or just didn't fit in with Nowak's plans.

Overall, this is a great group, however there seems to be some weakness in the back. Look for Spector to play a big roll. I'll be watching Orozco as I haven't really followed him much in the Mexican league. He might just be the surprise of the group.

As far as which teams have the most players on the list, Real Salt Lake have the most with three while Houston, New York and Toronto each have two.

The US gets things started on Tuesday against Cuba at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Fox Soccer Channel and ESPN Deportes will air all the matches live. ESPN360.com will also stream the matches on the internet.

Here is the full Concacaf Olympic qualifying schedule.

US men name final Olympic Qualifying training roster

After missing out on the 2004 Olympics, the US U-23 men are looking to redeem themselves by earning one of the two Concacaf spots for the 2008 Beijing games. With this in mind, Peter Nowak has called in a group of 24 players for his final training camp ahead of the March 11-23 tournament.

Here is the list:

GK (3): Dominic Cervi (Chicago Fire), Tally Hall (Esbjerg fB), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

D (8): Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Kamani Hil (Vfl Wolfsburg), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Mike Randolph (LA Galaxy), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

M (8): Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)

F (5): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

Not a lot of shocks on this list, however the inclusion of Michael Orozco of Mexico's San Luis is interesting. I think this is his first US camp as he has flirted with playing for Mexico (he was born in California).

Overall, the US has some great striker options and a solid midfield, however the defense, with the exception of Edu, doesn't show as much known talent. It is not that they are bad, they just seem a bit unproven.

The unproven tag continues to the goal as none of the keepers have much pitch time to brag about. Again, they are not bad, they are just not tested at the highest level.

Overall, this lineup should allow the team to get out of their group and to the final.

Nowak will announce his final 20-man tournament roster no latter then March 9. Although he can add people not called into camp to that roster, odds are he will not.

Here is the full schedule for the tournament (Tickets Florida, California):

Group A
USA
Panama
Honduras
Cuba

Group B
Mexico
Canada
Guatemala
Haiti

Date	Matches	Venues	Kickoff Times
March 11	Panama-Honduras	Tampa, Fl	5:30 ET
March 11	USA-Cuba	Tampa, Fl	8:00 ET
March 12	Haiti-Guatemala	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 12	Canada vs. Mexico	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 13	Honduras-Cuba	Tampa, Fl	5:30pm PT
March 13	USA-Panama	Tampa, Fl	8:00pm PT
March 14	Canada-Haiti	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 14	Mexico-Guatemala	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 15	Cuba-Panama	Tampa, Fl	5:30pm PT
March 15	USA-Honduras	Tampa, Fl	8:00pm PT
March 16	Guatemala-Canada	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 16	Mexico-Haiti	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 20	Seminfinals	Nashville, Tn	5 & 8pm CT
March 23	Finals & 3rd	Nashville, Tn	1 & 4pm CT

ESPN Deportes will air all the matches live and ESPN306.com will steam them.

US roster for showdown with Mexico

Bob Bradley has released his roster for Thursday night's match in Houston against Mexico. He has called 22 into town for the 'friendly' with 12 of them coming from European based clubs. All but one of the players has earned a cap for the national team. The one player who has not, Houston Dynamo Stuart Holden.

Here is the full list:
GK (2): Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)
D (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)
M(9): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)
F (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pat Noonan (Aalesund FK)

If there is any shock from this listing it's how strong it actually is. I wasn't sure how hard Bradley would push for European based players, but it looks like most of the best Americans from overseas are included. The midfield will be interesting to watch as four of the nine have 3 or less caps while all but one have less then 15 caps. However, Adu, Edu, Bradley Holden, Clark and Davis all are either in the middle of or coming off wonderful seasons, so there is plenty of talent available.

Of the 10 MLS players, four of them are from the Dynamo. This again is no surprise as the game is taking place in Houston and the club is league champion.

One last thing, I'm not sure what to make about Twellman not making the roster. I don't think he has ever really produced on the international level, so his exclusion makes sense, but I do wonder if this is a sign of Bradley moving on to other players or just a one time thing.

Mexico is also bringing a strong squad which means the game in Houston should be, like normal, very fun. Here is their roster:
GK (3): Luis Michel (Guadalajara), Moises Munoz (Morelia), Guillermo Ochoa (America).
D (6): Israel Castro (Pumas), Jonny Magallon (Guadalajara), Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Fausto Pinto (Pachuca), Oscar Rojas (America), Carlos Salcido (PSV).
M (5): Fernando Arce (Santos), Andres Guardado (Deportivo), Antonio Naelson (Toluca), Pavel Pardo (Stuttgart), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul).
F (5): Adolfo Bautista (Jaguares), Juan Carlos Cacho (Pachuca), Giovanni Dos Santos (Barcelona), Antonio de Nigris (Ankaraspor), Carlos Vela (Osasuna)

If you are in the Houston area and want to see something special on Wednesday night, tickets are still available.

US U20 World Cup roster named

United States Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Thomas Rongen named his roster for the World Cup today. Eleven of the 21 players currently play with MLS sides while three others play overseas.

Michael Bradley, who has become a major part of the senior team during the Gold Cup, will return to the U20s for the tournament in Canada.

The team will arrive at training camp starting on Sunday in Somerset, NJ. The U20 World Cup takes place in Canada from June 30-July 22. The US will play South Korea on June 30, Poland on July 3rd and conclude group play on July 6 against Brazil.

Here is the roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brian Perk (UCLA), Steve Sandbo (SMU), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (6): Tony Beltran (UCLA), Amaechi Igwe (New England Revolution), Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana University), Nathan Sturgis (Columbus Crew), Julian Valentin (Wake Forest), Tim Ward (Columbus Crew)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Freddy Adu (Real Salt Lake), Bryan Arguez (D.C. United), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Dax McCarty (F.C. Dallas), Danny Szetela (Columbus Crew), Anthony Wallace (F.C. Dallas)

FORWARDS (6): Andre Akpan (Harvard), Josmer Altidore (N.Y. Red Bulls), Gabriel Ferrari (Sampdoria), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Johann Smith (Bolton F.C.), Sal Zizzo (UCLA)

US men's roster for China

Bob Bradley has released his 19-man roster for next Saturday's match against China and it is almost all European players. The only MLS side with players on the list is Bradley's former team Chivas USA. Before one starts to think this a sign of nepotism, it should be pointed out that Chivas are the only MLS side with next weekend off. This might just mean that Bradley will release MLS players to go back to their clubs for one last game next week.

Eleven of the 19 are on the Gold Cup roster, while four are looking to get their first national team cap. The newbies are Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Kamani Hill (VfL Wolfsburg), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA) and Lee Nguyen (PSV Eindhoven).

The US plays China Saturday in San Jose at 5pm PT (8et). The match will air live on ESPN2 and Galavision.

Goalkeepers (3) – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Defenders (6) – Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

Midfielders (7) – DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jesse Marsch (Chivas USA), Lee Nguyen (PSV Eindhoven)

Forwards (3) – Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Kamani Hill (VfL Wolfsburg), Ante Razov (Chivas USA)

US Men's 2007 Gold Cup Roster

Bob Bradley has played his part, for the first time, as Roster Claus and delivered the gift of trip to the 2007 Gold Cup to 23 lucky American men.

Here is the full roster for the 2007 Gold Cup:

GOALKEEPERS (3) – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

DEFENDERS (8) –Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS (8) – DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution)

FORWARDS (4) – Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

In a bit of a surprise move, Kasey Keller does get a call up for the Gold Cup but Matt Reis does not.

On defense, I guess Jimmy Conrad's jaw is still not in a good place as he failed to make the list while Frankie Hejduk and Michael Parkhurst do. Hejduk did some good work during his national team call up earlier this year and is about the only bright spot on the Crew lineup, so is makes sense. Parkhurst is a good player but I don't think he has had the best of seasons so far.

All of the midfielders I thought would make the list are there, but I thought there would be only seven not eight. Ralston is a good add.

Up top, no big shocks, but Kenny Cooper did not make the team. I'm guessing that Cooper's lack of years as well as his reluctance to us his size to his full advantage is what kept him off this list. However, the silver lining might be a call up for Copa America.

As far as MLS clubs losing players for at least a few weeks, New England gets hit the hardest as they will lose three players. Anyway, here is the full MLS list by team:
New England - Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, Michael Parkhurst
Chivas USA - Brad Guzan, Jonathan Bornstein
Houston - Ricardo Clark, Brian Ching
Chicago - Justin Mapp
Colorado - Pablo Mastroeni
Columbus - Frankie Hejduk
KC - Eddie Johnson
LA - Landon Donovan

The US start their Gold Cup run on June 7th against Guatemala at the Home Depot Center.

It's US Gold Cup roster day

In about 30-minutes Bob Bradley will release his roster for the Gold Cup over at USSoccer.com, but before he does, I had to get my picks in. So here they are:

GK (3) – Tim Howard, Matt Reis, Brad Guzan

D (8) – Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Jimmy Conrad, Jay DeMerit, Heath Pearce, Frank Simek, Jonathan Spector

M (7) – DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Benny Feilhaber, Justin Mapp, Pablo Mastroeni, , Ricardo Clark

F (5) – Brian Ching, Kenny Cooper, Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman

Some possible changes I could see happening is Keller getting a call in goal, Conrad being left off due to injury and Bobby Boswell getting the spot instead of Pearce.

I think the Boswell pick is the most likely while Conrad will get listed, but if he cannot prove to be game ready by mid-next week, Bradley will look at replacing him. As far as Keller, I don't think he will be called into the Gold Cup.

Bradley releases Howard, Onyewu, Bocanegra and Carroll

Bob Bradley released Everton's Tim Howard, Newcastle's Oguchi Onyewu, Fulham's Carlos Bocanegra and DC United's Brian Carroll from the US training camp, freeing them all to return to their clubs. Although US fans heading to Dallas for Wednesday's match with Guatemala will miss their chance to see at least three of these players, it is a smart move on Bradley's part.

All three of the European's gave a full 90-minutes on Sunday and all three are starters for their teams. Bradley could have kept them, but with two big competitions coming up in the summer, releasing them a few days early is a good way to build up good will with the clubs.

The reason behind Carroll's exit is DC's big match next Wednesday in Mexico against Chivas de Guadalajara in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals. United is going to have their hands full and every additional day they have to train as a full unit makes it a little easier on them.

Here is the new roster list for Wednesday's game:
GK (2) – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

D (7) – Wade Barrett (Houston Dynamo), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

M (6) – DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Brian Mullan (Houston Dynamo), Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids)

F (5) – Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)