I think my post-Confederations Cup hangover has finally abated. Metaphoricaly-speaking, it was a two-week Epic Bender, beginning with shots of bitter tequila, the quality reminiscient of a homemade batch I once imbibed out of a milk carton during a Tijuana wedding celebration, followed by five halves worth of creamy, imperious Chimay and that final 45 minutes, which had to be something forlorn and sour, whiskey or amaretto.
Having suffered the DTs for the better part of a week, I'm happy to note the CONCACAF Gold Cup is starting this Saturday, starring the US 'B' Team (let's call 'em the "Fringe Team"), which is looking to secure the nation's third straight title. Call this tournament a Bloody Mary. A sweet, sweet bloody mary.
There is no Confederations Cup berth, or any other extended benefit, on the line this time around, which has led to many teams leaving some of their brightest players off the roster. Players in MLS and the Scandinavian leagues are opting to stay with their clubs (Canada and Toronto FC's Dwayne DeRosario, for example) and others need the break after long domestic seasons and numerous World Cup qualifiers. The result is a watered down series of exhibitions, that nonetheless offer an opportunity for a handful of US players to make their cases for a roster spot for the remaining qualifiers and for South Africa 2010.
Only three US players from the South Africa roster are staying with the team: Charlie Davies, Freddy Adu and goalkeeper Luis Robles. Adu, in particular, should see plenty of action. Let me amend that: He'd BETTER see plenty of action. Poor Freddy really is a mystery, owing mostly to the fact he never plays. Anywhere. Since his introduction to the sporting public, a literal throw into the deep end, he's slowly faded from sight. He's clearly not showing enough on the training ground to impress Coach Bob Bradley (not that I'm in awe of Bradley's ability to spot a "baller") or any of his (three, four, five) Gaffers in Europe. He's a surprise package.
Looking over the entire roster, which is not actually set yet, as CONCACAF has given the team permission to add seven more players due to...well...who knows why (*see note at bottom), one doesn't see anybody crying out for inclusion in the top tier of the player pool. These guys are fighting for the final roster spots. Still, there is some intrigue.
In the back, Steve Cerundolo returns from a long injury hiatus. Wasn't so long ago he was the automatic choise at right back, but the injury, his age and the maturation of Jonathan Spector argue against him regaining that spot. It's unlikely he'll be able to play a full 90 at this point, but he will get a chance to knock off the rust.
The centre backs will probably be Chad Marshall and Michael Parkhurst, both capable and in the mix as cover for Onyewu-DeMerit-Bocanegra. Marshall was MLS Defender of the Year with Columbus in '08 and Parkhurst, now in Denmark after a number of years with New England, is solid and has impressed in previous call-ups.
In the midfield, the man to watch is Houston's Stuart Holden. Holden stepped into the playmaker role for the Dynamo this year, taking over from the mercurial DeRosario, and, after a middling start, has raised his profile considerably. I was really looking forward to seeing the Scottish-born midfielder this past January when the Fringe Team took on Sweden at Home Depot Center. Unfortunately, he was injured in training and Sacha Kljestan got the start instead. Kljestan scored a hat trick that night, so, I guess we can blame Holden for inflicting Sacha on us in recent games (okay, I've been WAY too hard on Kljestan; he's a useful player, but he's not ready for international games. Not even close. He's a frightened bunny at that level, hat trick against Sweden's 'C' team notwithstanding).
Anyways...Holden. He's slight, but plays with a chip on his shoulder, which I'm gong to attribute to his Scottish roots. Holds the ball well and makes those daring passes that so many of the US midfielders shy from. Though Coach Bradley seems intent on playing two holding midfielders, rather than one holding and one playmaker, Holden might be the only guy in the player pool who gives him pause.
Up top, Brian Ching returns from a hamstring injury, which caused him to miss the Confederations Cup. Thank God for that. He'll most assuredly start alongside Davies or Adu. I've never been too critical of Ching. He maximizes his ability and plays smart football (and my girlfriend thinks he's hot). But Jorginho said it best, "When this team no longer employs Brian Ching, then you know the US has taken a step forward in talent." I think the recent performances of Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies put an exclamation point on that thought. For the last 12 years, the US has always employed the target striker, first Brian McBride and now Ching. Well, Altidore is a target striker with the added bonus of skill and pace. That's better, right?
To my mind, Ching is finished as a first team selection. I'm not entirely sure Bradley agrees.
First up for the Nats is mighty Greneda, which is only slightly larger than my high school, on Saturday at 6 p.m. PST at Seattle's Qwest Field. Their next two group matches are Wednesday, June 8 at RFK in Washington D.C. against Honduras and Saturday July 11 in Foxborough against Haiti. The top two advance out of the group, with the best two third place teams completing the quarterfinal round field. Yes, the group stages eliminate 4 of the 12 teams. It's like the NBA.
Enjoy your bloody marys, watered down though they may be.
*
The 23-man roster named by Bradley last week:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Troy Perkins (IK Start), Luis Robles (FC Kaiserslautern)
DEFENDERS (7): Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Jay Heaps (New England Revolution), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado Rapids), Sam Cronin (Toronto FC), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Logan Pause (Chicago Fire), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (5): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Santino Quaranta (D.C. United)
*The seven additional roster spots have been announced and, heh, it's the Cavalry. Altidore, Conor Casey, Benny Feilhaber, Kljestan, Ricardo Clark, Brad Guzan and Jonathan Bornstein. Though the US can only suit up 18 players for every match, they can draw from the entire pool, so I'm guessing we'll see some of the big guns in the knockout rounds after they rest up a bit.
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