Well now that we have taken care of CONCACAF, it is time to look forward to some more important issues.
Will Eddie Johnson ever recover?
Onyewu now has two red cards in back to back games for Standard, can he control himself?
Will Donovan be ready to return to Germany?
Can we all pray that Keller doesn't get hurt, now that we know what Timmy and Marcus look like?
Who would you like to see the US match-up with and why?
Who would you like to see US play friendlies against in 2006?
Most importantly, who do you want to see in camp?

So far, I know the US is going to be playing about 8 friendlies in 2006. The two that are confirmed are vs Japan in northern California in Feb., and vs Germany in Dortmund in March. Also, the first camp will be Los Angeles at the HDC starting on January 4th. Now, since the January camp will be all MLS players and we can expect 30+ players invited. I am hoping to see Herculez Gomez, Ricardo Clark, Freddy Adu, Eddie Gaven, Nate Jaqua, Justin Mapp, along with the regulars all be there. Now, after that camp, and I doubt more than 15 will make it to the next camp with the Europeans, I am hoping to see Spector, Feilhaber, Cooper, and Rossi all get calls. Now, I know there is going to be a question about Rossi but look at it this way, if he turns us down no loss right? He will eventually accept the fact that he is playing in england and italians have that thought their league is the greatest and only the best play there, so his chances of making italy's team are slim to nill right now. So if Arena gives him a little call on the phone, tells him how it is going and sees what he says, we may be looking at a great forward for the future. But our chances of landing him are slim as well. So we bank on the rest of the European regulars jounreying back fit and healthy. Hopefully Gibbs will be ok by then. If all our players are ok, this is the line-up i would like to see tried against Germany:

-------------------------------Keller-------------------------------
---Cherrondolo-------Gibbs------Onyewu----------Lewis------
------------------------------Reyna--------------------------------
---------Convey-----------------------------Beasley------------
------------------------------Donovan----------------------------
---------Johnson---------------------------McBride--------------

Assuming we have a miracle come-back from Johnson, or else Donovan moves up one, same with reyna, and mastro fills the space.

Anyway, I am looking forward to germany.

Well, now we know Adu might be in camp in January, so some interesting news there. Rossi does not want to play for us though. He is hell bent on playing for Italy, and lets be honest, has a decent shot at doing so. I don't expect him to even consider it.


This is my preferred Germany Lineup:

---------------------------------Keller----------------------------------------

Cherundulo-------------Onyewu-----------Gibbs-----------------Bocanegra

-------------------------------Mastroeni---------------------------------------
Beasley------------------------------------------------------------------Lewis
---------------------------------Donovan----------------------------------

----------------------McBride-------------------Johnson------------------

Reyna just seems too injury prone and is aging rapidly. I prefer Mastro to him in the holding mid spot.

Decent shot might not be enough for Rossi:
"GIUSEPPE ROSSI, an 18-year-old New Jersey-born Italian attacker, scored nine minutes into his English Premier League debut for Manchester United in its 3-1 win over Sunderland. Rossi turned down an offer to play for the U.S. U-20 team but is reportedly reconsidering representing the United States after recently being left off an Italy U-19 roster." Soccer America
http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562136517

Hey Bruce, call him in for Scotland!
PLEASE BRUCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Beasley on the right? Interesting....very interesting.
And in reyna's defense he still plays well in the EPL, he got hurt again this weekend so your point is made.

I'm all for making the effort for Rossi, but I didn't think it would happen. That is promising news.

Soccer America has also reported that Feilhaber will be called into camp soon. Which is promising news for him but really nothing in regards to Germany, his chances are pretty slim.
Also, USA has unofficially announced that they will play Norway at the HDC on January 29th. So that makes two friendlies in California so far, Japan in the San Francisco area in Feb. and Norway in Jan in LA. Those friendlies will more than likely be all MLS players. Should be interesting to see. I hope to make it to the Norway one.
In a tad bit of more depressing news, Armas has torn his ACL and will more than likely not be making the trip to Germany. Tough break for him, he has now been injured before the 2000 olympics, 2002 world cup, and now 06. Wish him the best.

I would think that Wynne would have a better chance at making the squad than Feilhaber! Feilhaber over Mastroeni & Armas? maybe.... but Wynne over Albright & Hejduk seems more plausible to me.

Anyway, good to see that Arena is considering some youth too.

Playing a college kid over professional players would be the ballsy-iest move in the history of soccer. Lets be honest, Wynne isn't tested when he plays for UCLA. All we have really seen out of him is the U-20s, atleast Feilhaber plays pro now for Hamburg.
And Armas is out of the picture with the ACL tear.

I'm saying call him into camp. Get a look at him. I'd bet money that he'd look better than Heyduk & Albright.

Regarding Feilhaber...he's not exactly playing at Hamburg...he's more of a youth and meaningless game player.

I see, I was assuming you were talking about a real game. No a camp call in would be interesting. (BTW: I thought Albright played quite well against San Hoe, maybe just my bias tho)
Feilhaber is the reyna of the future. The kid showed obvious skills in Holland and Hamburg was impressed along with other clubs. While he is not playing meaningful games now, he could see time at the end of the year or next year. But I dont think he will be seeing time for the US in meaningful games for a while either. Even tho, alot of our center mids are hurt now.
Other News: USA vs Norway at the HDC will be confirmed by US Soccer on Monday. Tickets will go on sale next week as well.

I hear you about Feilhaber. I was very impressed with him in the game against Argentina. I've been following him on Yanks Abroad etc. I'm very hopeful about him. .... But I'm even more excited about Marvel Wynne

Good news for American Soccer fans:
Eddie Johnson is reportedly going to be ready to go in 2 weeks. Granted he has no team to play for in this time but he will be ready for the January camp. Hopefully he can be ready for Germany in June.

What is he out with now anyway? It's not still "turf-toe" is it? Great news though, a healthy Eddie scores goals.

I also intially read that it was turf toe. But after his "brief" comeback I then read that it was a fractured foot, so I think it was more serious than initially reported. Still, for someone as young as him, it seemed it took longer than you'd expect to heal even a fractured foot.

Yeah, you never know with some of these injuries what they really are. Playing on them just makes them worse, that probably was the case with Eddie.

In other news, the world cup draw will be televised in the United States. Univison and ESPN News will both be covering it. The draw will be Friday December 9th at 11:30 am PST.

Yeah, I got the wc ever BIG TIME!

I think you mean fever

LOL. Yes, I meant Fever

preffered line up would be

-----------------------------keller-----------------------------------
---------------gibbs--------onyewu------bocanegra----------------
----cherudolo---------------------------------------lewis/spector--
--------------------------Obrien/reyna------------------------------
----------beasley------------------------------convey--------------
-----------------------------Donovan--------------------------------
-----------------------------jhonson---------------------------------

i think gibbs is injured but we can replace with maestroni

if reyna is injured then obrien can take his place

beasley is played on the right sometimes for psv and looks dangerous there

Donovan plays the best when he gets to float around

^ That seems like the best option if we played a very offensive team and went for the couter attack. Probably when we play the top seed in our group, that will be our line-up.

Well not that big of News but Rossi has voice his opinion of the US-Italy situation yet again:
You have already played with the Italian youth teams and rejected a call from the U.S. U-20s. But what if your birth country were to offer you the World Cup?
“That would put me in a very difficult position. I would have to think hard about that one. However, I want to play for Italy.”

Those who play abroad are usually somewhat forgotten.
“It was like that in the past, but if I were to do well for Manchester United I’m sure that it would be the possible to reverse the trend.”

Take that as you will, Arena offers him a spot, he will think hard.
Also, some more bad news, Beasley is out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury.
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/5095562

3 weeks from the draw.

Beasley can't stay healthy. Hamtring shouldn't take too long to heal, but man he's been on/off for a while now.

USA has also chosen Hamburg as their home base for the world cup. News Here:

http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps...3&iCategoryID=0

Tough break for Herculez:
Herculez Only an Alternate for January Camp
http://www.soccer365.com/Home/page_89_109509.shtml

I don't know what Arena is thinking but it makes no sense. What harm is it to bring in another player. An alternate for camp....that blows.

I'd rather see him in camp that Wolff!

Agree^

Well you can't knock Bruce for not having enough confidence in our boys.
"If a CONCACAF team has the possibility of being a seeded team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup final draw, the US has done what is necessary in the region to deserve it,"-Arena

Full Article

He goes on to say that he is considering 12-14 Euros for spots in Germany.
1. Keller
2. Reyna
3. JOB (if healthy)
4. Dolo
5. Onyewu
6. Gibbs
7. Lewis
8. Boca
9. Berhalter
10. Beasly
11. Convey
12. Howard
13. Hahnneman
14. McBride
15? Spector?

Leaving 8-9 spots for MLS....I get the feeling that this Jan. Camp could be really competitive. You pull in about 25 players and 20 will be fighting for 5-6 spots. I say 20 players because keepers are basically out of contention but will be there for scrimmages. Also Donovan is a lock for Germany, and if Johnson looks healthy he is a lock too, and Mastro should be a lock. You have to love the fact that there will be a 16 year old fighting for his world cup life at this camp.
Here is what we are looking at for the Jan. MLS camp:
Donovan
Johnson
Mastroeni
Gaven
Mulrooney (if healthy)
Conrad
Zavagnin
Adu
Carroll
Albright
Olsen
Pope
Quaranta
Ching
Rolfe
Hejduk
Dempsey
Ralston
Wolff
Twellman
Armas
Reis
Hartman
(this is my list, nothing official)
Alternate
Herculez

I am saying if Herc gets into the camp, he will beat out Twellman for the last forward spot on the roster. Also, I could see Adu beating out Dempsey for the last midfield spot (I know this is a reach but Adu offers a change of pace and skill if we are down, something to consider).

Now for the bad news, ESPN has decided they don't want live coverage of the draw. They will be showing the draw at 12 (noon) PST, joining the event in progress. Univision will be doing the same.... Anyone know of any other channels showing it?
But good news for those without ESPNews. The draw will now be covered on ESPN2. Dec. 9th 12 PST! 10 days!!!

Freddy's invitation is confirmed on the yahoo link as well as fox sports. Freddy's Call INTO camp

More news:
USA to Play Canada in San Diego at USD on Jan. 22.
Also the Japan game in SF is on Feb. 10.
The Norway game is still scheduled for the 29th of January at the HDC.
Some decent warm up games there. I am expecting to see alot of youngsters at the Canada game...dare say Freddy's first cap?

That Pearce (norway?) could be on the bubble. He looked very good to me in the minutes he got against Scotland. Of course that was only one game and hardly the strongest competition. None the less, he looked good. The other problem is that he is left sided if memory serves correctly...the problem being we need right sided midfielders....as we are very deep on the left of course.

Personally, from what I have seen of Rolfe, I'd like him over Herculez for that last Forward position. It seems he has better pace and similar skill & effectiveness. I still like Twellman though, even though he has failed to score for the national team, he has looked very dangerous and I think he's suffered some questionable offside calls.

I also think Cunningham deserves some more looks....he hasn't really gotten enough chances in my opinion.

Not much to report World Cup wise in the last few days, I imagine Arena is just securing some details regarding the draw and who to be ready for.
Well Grant Wahl (of SI fame) has released a lil tid bit about what to expect in the Jan. Camp.
"The extended U.S. camp that begins on Jan. 4 in the Los Angeles area will have 28 players, all but one of them (defender Heath Pearce of Denmark's Nordsjaelland) domestic-based. U.S. Soccer will release the full list of players after the World Cup draw, but the 28 will include two national-team newbies (D.C. United midfielder Freddy Adu and Chivas USA goalie Brad Guzan) and will not include L.A. Galaxy striker Herculez Gómez or K.C. Wizards leftback Jose Burciaga Jr."
Guzan confuses me, I thought he was a decent keeper with no defense in front of him, but a call into camp. I guess Arena wants to make him better for future years (read Howard not panning out).
So 28 players making the trip, I would guess add Cunningham and Guzan and Pearce to my list maybe?
Less than a week til the draw.

Well, very interesting about Guzan....if he is, indeed, called in. I would be very happy if Pearce was called in. Based on the brief minutes I've seen him (in the Scotland friendly), I think he is a better option than Bocanegra at left back.... Bocanegra is too lazy in my opinion...also, Boca doesn't get forward very well, which Pearce seems quite adept at.

Yup, I'm quite anxious for the draw as well. Looking forward to the Jan. & Feb. friendlies too...hopefully we'll get to see Pearce with more time and I hope that Arena can figure out a better midfield than we had in qualifying. Not that the midfield was bad, but it was frequently the weak spot.

Some good news and bad news may be tied in one here:
Ricardo Clark was injured during a friendly game while training with the Spanish side Valladolid. His leg was originally feared to be broken but X-rays later revealed, that he has an ankle sprain.
Clark may have been a player that would have been at the January training camp. If he was, this injury would open up a spot, meaning our first alternate may have a chance to step in and up. Herculez better still be training if this is the case. Clark is supposed to out for about 8 weeks.

All questions will be put to the side in a day. US Soccer says they will release the Jan. camp call up list on Tuesday. It should be very interesting to see. Adu, Guzan, and Dunivant are the only surprise call-ups in the news so far. The list may offer some more light as to what Arena thinks we need.

January Camp roster:
Adu, Freddy M 5-8 140 06/02/89 0/0 Potomac, Md. D.C. United (MLS)
Albright, Chris D 6-1 185 01/14/79 18/1 Philadelphia, Pa. Los Angles Galaxy (MLS)
Carroll, Brian M 5-10 150 07/20/81 2/0 Springfield, Va. D.C. United (MLS)
Ching, Brian F 6-1 195 05/24/78 11/2 Haleiwa, Hawaii Houston (MLS)
Clark, Ricardo M 5-10 150 05/10/83 1/0 Jonesboro, Ga. Houston (MLS)
Conrad, Jimmy D 6-2 185 02/12/77 8/0 Temple City, Calif. Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
Dempsey, Clint M 6-1 170 03/09/83 14/2 Nacogdoches, Texas New England Revolution (MLS)
Donovan, Landon M 5-9 148 03/04/82 73/25 Redlands, Calif. Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Dunivant, Todd D 6-0 174 12/26/80 0/0 Wheat Ridge, Colo. Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Guzan, Brad GK 6-4 210 09/09/84 0/0 Home Glen, Ill. Chivas USA (MLS)
Hartman, Kevin GK 6-1 174 05/24/74 3/0 Palos Verdes, Calif. Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Hejduk, Frankie D 5-8 155 08/05/74 68/5 Cardiff, Calif. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Ihemelu, Ugo D 6-0 184 04/04/83 0/0 Cedar Hill, Texas Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Jaqua, Nate F 6-3 180 10/28/81 0/0 Eugene, Ore. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Johnson, Eddie F 6-0 180 03/31/84 9/8 Palm Coast, Fla. FC Dallas (MLS)
Mapp, Justin M 5-10 140 10/18/84 1/0 Brandon, Miss. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Marshall, Chad D 6-3 190 08/22/84 4/1 Riverside, Calif. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Martino, Kyle M 5-10 144 02/19/81 7/1 Westport, Conn. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Mastroeni, Pablo M 5-10 170 08/26/76 43/0 Phoenix, Ariz. Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Noonan, Pat M 6-0 170 08/02/80 10/1 Baldwin, Mo. New England Revolution (MLS)
Olsen, Ben M 5-8 140 05/03/77 27/4 Middletown, Pa. D.C. United (MLS)
Pearce, Heath D 5-10 175 08/13/84 1/0 Modesta, Calif. FC Norjælland (Denmark)
Pope, Eddie D 6-1 180 12/24/73 73/6 High Point, N.C. Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Quaranta, Santino M 6-1 185 10/14/84 9/0 Baltimore, Md. D.C. United (MLS)
Ralston, Steve M 5-9 160 06/14/74 32/4 St. Louis, Mo. New England Revolution (MLS)
Reis, Matt GK 6-1 196 03/28/75 0/0 Atlanta, Ga. New England Revolution (MLS)
Rolfe, Chris F 5-8 145 01/17/84 1/0 Kettering, Ohio Chicago Fire (MLS)
Twellman, Taylor F 5-11 170 02/29/80 13/1 St. Louis, Mo. New England Revolution (MLS)
Walker, Jonny GK 6-3 180 09/13/74 3/0 Memphis, Tenn. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Wolff, Josh F 5-8 160 02/25/77 38/8 Stone Mountain, Ga. Kansas City Wizards (MLS)

No Mathis (not really surprising), Gaven, Cunningham, or Herc

Edit:
USA will play Poland on March 1st in K-Town (where the Italy game is for the World Cup.)
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=352874&cc=5901

Well this is the line-up I think Bruce will play...
----------------------Keller
Cherundolo - Onyewu- Bocanegra- Lewis
---------------Reyna----Mastroeni

Ralston -----------------------------Beasley
---------------- Donovan
------------------------ McBride



RALSTON!!!! im sure u r saying, but Bruce has shown faith in him and you know what you are going to get, he gets back well and is one of our only true rmfs, I think bruce should give Albright a run at rmf as he hits great crosses...u guys seem to think beasley could be out there too, and that is very possible.

Mastroeni is a great defensive stopper, a great work rate and would let reyna get free and create, If John O'Brien can stay healthy he could play here too

Bocanegra edges out Gibbs b/c Gibbs has been out hurt and Bruce seems to like Boca

Eddie Johnson, who has been injured will be used off the bench b/c bruce loves Mcbride, and Mcbride is on form and a warrior

there is no way Dempsey is left off this roster, he is waaaay to versitile, can play so many positions and that is something you like off ur bench...

adu is not playing in Germany, too young, and it would be a big sideshow that the squad wouldn't want to deal with...

comments please

----------------------Keller
Cherundolo - Onyewu- Bocanegra- Lewis
---------------Reyna----Mastroeni

Ralston -----------------------------Beasley
---------------- Donovan
------------------------ McBride

To me, this looks way too much like a World Cup qualifier side. We are going to the World Cup, the best players need to be on the field. Ralston is a good MLS player, thats pretty much it. He is not good enough to play against the likes of World Cup competition. There are nine spots for MLS players on our World Cup squad, I don't see Ralston in the top nine. Mastro, Donovan, and Johnson all are locks. Albright and Wolff are close to locks. Dempsey and either Carroll/Clark are alittle above the bubble. That leaves 2 spots. You are looking here for probably Pearce and maybe Adu. Freddy can change a game the instant he enters the field. Its something you cannot overlook. (Pearce included because he is in the MLS camp) More likely this last spot will go to Rolfe/Jaqua/Ching.
Boca is on the bench in my book and Gibbs is in there.
Now the problem with Dempsey is he has no position. He is too versatile, he isnt a good attacking mid, he is a terrible forward, a decent right mid, and not a defensive mid. So it is hard to find a spot for him to truly fill, but Arena may want a utlity player, so I don't know about Clint.
If Eddie Johnson is healthy, he is definitely going to be starting. I like your line-up if Johnson replaces Donovan and moves even with McBride, and Donovan replaces Ralston, and Gibbs for Bocanegra. I am not sold on Lewis being left back. And I would like to see Convey somewhere in there. I think Reyna is going to have to come up huge for USA, also Mastro will have to shut down some great players, but I think he will be up to the test.

Ricardo Clark is injured and may not be back in time, I don't think Carrol has shown enough to make the team, Gibbs hasn't been healty and Convey's form has dropped a bit recently....imo of course

i would love to see donovan out on the right like that b/c its our weakest position but Bruce seems reluctant to do it...

lewis is there best choice at lb I think, especially if you start both mastro and reyna

Clark only has a sprained ankle. Nothing is broken. He will be back in 2 weeks, so he will be there at the Jan. Camp. You need two defensive mids on the roster, one is going to be Mastro and with Armas hurt, the other is an open spot for Carrol/Clark.
Gibbs is a star and a great defender, he will find form and return for Germany.
Convey is still the man at Reading, and they are atop the Colaship. I think Reyna and Mastro both have to be on the field. Donovan can't mark too well so I don't know about right mid. If that is where we need to put him, he will have to learn.
True, Lewis would be a decent attacking option out of left back.

good news about ricardo clark then

anyone think heath pearce could be a good option at lb? or is not ready?

rb...are we gonna carry cherundolo, albright and hedjuk? i think just two right, unless one can give us a solid game at rmf

Heath Pearce is a big question mark, but I think he will make the roster. A guy with that speed has to be in consideration. Did Heath play on the right vs Scotland? According to the stat line he came in for Beasley, so he may be a lefty, I think the pre-WC games will be a good warm up for him.
I think we take all three. Hedjuk isn't my favorite player in the world, but Arena likes him enough to bring him along for the ride. Albright will be Cherrundolo's back up.

By the way, Convey scored today in a 2-0 win for Reading.

haha alright then convey is back...

heath is a lefty and plays mostly lb

We have so many left backs but no true left back. Spector is more of a CB, Lewis is a LM, Heath might be a solid option there.

Anyone else catch the Chelsea-Fulham game? McBride dominated, it was
really a pleasure to watch. 1 goal and setting up a Pk. All while having stitches above his eye the whole game (stupid Huth)
Beasley also put one in yesterday. Good day for Yanks-Abroad.

McBride did look great, he's on great form, hope he can keep it til Germany

speaking of LB, u think Spector has a chance of making the squad?

I think he has a legit shot at it, I don't know if he will make it though. I have seen him play a few times and I have yet to be pleased with his style or consistency. I am sure he has bundles of talent, but I think '06 might be too early for him. If he does make the roster, I find it hard to believe he will see minutes over there.

Roster update for the Jan. Camp
Walker replaced by Wells (NY)-GK
Mapp replaced by Klein (KC)- MF
Both are hurt.

Some Camp photos:

http://www.ussoccer.com/editorial/fullstor...&icategoryid=77

Went to the camp in LA today
Initial impressions of today's practice:
Bruce split the group into two groups, it didn't look like there was any A or B side out there but one team clearly came out on top at the end of it. One team was Rolfe, Jaqua, Ching, Donovan, Carroll, Noonan, Klein, Quaranta, Pearce, Hedjuk and Conrad (maybe?). The other team was Wolff, Twellman, GAM, Martino,Olsen, Adu, Ralston, Ihemelu, Pope, Dunivant, and Dempsey. Albright and Mastroeni both sat out with injuries. Albright looked to be in pain walking.
First game was playing 18 to 18 with three little goals set up. They did this for about 20 minutes. I think the final score was 4-3 to Donovan's team. Dempsey had a few for his team, Freddy had one. Ching played like ******** in this game. It looked like he was trying to kill the ball more than trap it. Klein played extremely well. Never been a Klein fan, but he played well tonight.
Then, they played full field and put Hartman in the net for Donovan's team and Guzan in the net for GAM's team. I think Donovan's team out-played GAM's team big time in the full field game. Jaqua and Ching played very well here. They kept winning the balls sent up there and let the midfielders get involved so Donovan and Klein looked good in this game as well. Ching looked very good in this game, grabbing one goal (he may have had two). Noonan played very well too, Mooch gave him plenty of praise. The defense on Donovan's team was very well organized. Pearce and Hedjuk definitely look like decent picks for outside back for the upcoming friendlies. Besides Twellman and Wolff being over-shadowed by the Fire boys, not much else to report.


Based on what I saw, I don't see Adu making it to Germany. He is looking like the least likely player at camp to make it.

Awesome insight JRLM, I wish I lived close enough to go watch the camp. How many people were out there?

I'd say about 17-20 outside the gate for the public area, all the people you see on the far side are members of a coaching class to obtain their "A" licenses. Its hard to get people there because the schedule isn't publicized, so basically its a lucky guess as to when they will be there.
It was pretty awesome to see some of these guys at full speed so close. Pearce is very very fast. And Klein still has some wheels.

Jrlm8,
Did Rolfe play much? You didn't seem to talk much about him. I was really impressed at how he looked in his minutes against Scotland.

Regarding the camp roster in general...I'm a bit disheartened that Conrad is still in the mix. He's way too light weight. I'd rather see Curtin in there for bubble centerbacks. God forbid we'd have injuries to Onyewu, Pope, Bocanegra & Gibbs such that we would even need any "bubble" centerbacks.

Hejduk? Sigh, admittedly, we don't have a good backup for Cherundolo at RB...hejduk? sigh.

On Pearce, I thought he looked EXCELLENT against Scotland. Got forward well, defended competently though don't recall him being pressured too much from Scotland's attack. I hope to see more of Pearce on the field. Damn, we're loaded with left sided players. Our right side sucks.

On Spector, he seems too inconsistent and unsettled too me. I recall SEVERAL sloppy defensive plays against Scotland where he made sloppy passes & clearances that Scotland should have made more of but that never developed into chances for Scotland. Point being, they were the type of mistakes that can kill you and they were not just one or two, but several. Can't see him making the Roster unless it's as a stop gap.

Rolfe played very well. I wrote that in a bit of a hurry so I didn't touch on everyone but I was very impressed with Rolfe. He was matched up against Ugo, needless to say, I don't think Ugo ever had a chance. Rolfe basically beat him to the line everytime he wanted to. I wish Rolfe would shot more though, he can beat guys left and right but when you are on the 18, pull the trigger.
Conrad did very well organizing the defense when I saw him. Pope looked lost or out of it, he didnt seem like Eddie Pope, it was an odd feeling seeing him play like that. Maybe he was bored, or pissed off he got put with the "b" defenders (Dunivant and Ihemelu).
I have a very strong feeling that both Hedjuk and Pearce will be in Germany. Hedjuk has played in Germany before, and he looks like a machine now. He looks to be in the top shape of his life (see the Beep test on Ussoccer.com)
I don't think I mentioned this before but when I was there, Pablo and Chris Albright weren't practicing. It turns out that Pablo tore his quad. He is believed to be out for 6-8 weeks. Zavagnin was called in to replace him. I hope he returns in time. Our center mids are going through a rough time right now.

There is no possible way that Kerry Zavagnin can replace Mastroeni.

Zavagnin is competent but I'd certainly rather have Mastroeni. Problem is that he is constantly injured ..... not as bad as John O'Brien...but jeez.

Indeed, holding midfielder is a problem for the US right now...I mean, I can't say there is an obvious player better than Zavagnin behind Mastroeni. Ricardo Clark? He's more or less on par with Zavagnin in my opinion.

Other options would be to play Dempsey or Donovan with Reyna in the middle. Reyna could play the defensive role, but he doesn't have the fire that Mastroeni does.

You know, I've asked it before...when will Marvell Wynne get a call up?! Too busy with school right now?? Personally, I would really really like to see him in a friendly. My hunch is that he would be superior to Hejduk.

Well, thats an interesting dilemna you bring up. Wynne is getting ready for the MLS draft thing I believe. So he will be at the HDC this weekend. I know there is a possibility that a scrimmage is going to happen between the US (MlS'ers) and the kids in the MLS combine. If I knew when the game was, I would go and give an update. But I dont, so Wynne does have the chance to make his name stand. He impresses Bruce enough, he could get the real call-up.
I will take Ricardo over Zavagnin any day of the week, but he is injured too. Clark has skill on the ball....while Kerry, umm he has .... well ya.

Game vs Guatemala has been added to the schedule. 2/19 Frisco.

you know what i just realize
USA is going to have a kick ass team in 2010 world cup

-------------------------johnson--------rolfe/gomez/twellman/donovan-----------
-----------------------------------adu/donovan--------------------------------------
--------------mapp/beasley--------------------------beasley/donovan/????????--
-------------------------------------feilhaber------------------------------------------
------Paerce/spector----spector/bocanegra-----------onyewu----------wynne---
---------------------------------howard-----------------------------------------------

johnson by 2010 will probably have joined some big club in europe and be 100x better
rolfe ,gomez, and twellman will probably improve and go to europe and become better
adu will be in man u, chealsea, or some other big club
mapp just looks like he can become very good and has a good pace
beasley and donovan will be around 28 yrs old and probably in there prime
feilhaber looks very promising and probably be a good replacement for reyna
if paerce is given a starting spot for the US in 2006 and has a good world cup
a big club might pick him up and he will improve
spector will become better at man u but i doubt he will be and LB since heinze and evra
are there
onyewu probably be picked up by a big club and become better
and then there is wynne who is the next big thing
also i think howard after van der sar retires might get his stariting spot and old form and be one of
the best keepers in the world

drools
but of course soccer is not played on paper and thiings can happend that can affect this line up
and since the world cup will be in africa it will be neutral ground with no home advantage to anyone

Indeed, things do look promising for 2010! Long ways off, but if players develop as we hope, I agree, we should have a strong team.

you guys aren't even thinking about all the players we havn't thought about

and dempsey, gaven, convey, jemal johnson, and many many more