If you don't recognize the player in the photo, the soccer gods will forgive you. It's Frank Simek of Sheffield Wednesday and with his resurrection at the club he could very well fight his way onto the plane. Without further adieu here are the 23 lucky lads:
Tim Howard - Goalkeeper - Everton FC - Everton's defense may be conceding goals this season, but through no fault of Howard. He is and will remain the unquestioned No. 1 in the nets for the Yanks.
Brad Guzan - Goalkeeper - Aston Villa FC - Guzan continues to shine brightly in every start he's granted by Martin O'Neill, he is arguably the best back-up GK on the planet.
Marcus Hahnemann - Goalkeeper - Wolverhampton - After recently taking control of the starting job at Wolves, his experience in the Premier League makes him an easy pick over Troy Perkins.
Steve Cherundolo - Defender - Hannover 96 - The Hannover vice-captain has impressed in his recent appearances with the US and continues his strong play in the Bundesliga.
Jonathan Spector - Defender - West Ham United - Continues to see solid minutes for the struggling Hammers and his backline versatility makes him an easy choice.
Frank Simek - Defender - Sheffield Wednesday - His revival at Sheffield Wednesday is worth noting and brings youth and solid experience into the squad.
Oguchi Onyewu - Defender - AC Milan - Should he be healthy and 100% by June there's no way he misses the plane. We've seen how porous our backline can be without him in the last two friendlies.
Jay DeMerit - Defender - Watford FC - The Watford captain is close to returning to play after scratching his cornea last month. Really increased his stock with solid play in the Confederations Cup.
Chad Marshall - Defender - Columbus Crew - The two-time MLS Defender of the Year is just too good to be left off the list, but his continued injuries are a bit of a worry.
Carlos Bocanegra - Defender - Stade Rennais - Captain American wouldn't be left at home would he? Another versatile player who can play on the left as well as in the middle.
Edgar Castillo - Defender - Tigres UANL - The youngster wasn't really given an opportunity against Denmark so a nice long look in January will give Bob Bradley all he needs.
Clint Dempsey - Midfielder - Fulham FC - Dempsey is enjoying his best season yet with Fulham and leads the team in scoring. His versatility could see him play up top as well as on the right flank.
Stuart Holden - Midfielder - Free Agent - Where he signs will have a huge impact on his chances but assuming he continues to get playing time he'll be on the plane.
Jermaine Jones - Midfielder - FC Schalke 04 - After returning to training recently, Bradley has no excuse to not call him up. He will be the best central midfielder in the pool.
Michael Bradley - Midfielder - Borussia Monchengladbach - Bradley Jr. finished second in 2009 as far as minutes played and will continue to get those minutes in 2010.
Benny Feilhaber - Midfielder - AGF Aarhus - His continued exploits in Denmark have seen his transfer prospects rise. His unique ability on the ball brings another dimension to the US attack and Bob Bradley would be dumb to leave him at home.
Maurice Edu - Midfielder - Glasgow Rangers - Another player who just returned to training from a prolonged injury but his versatility in central midfield and on the backline puts him in a seat.
Ricardo Clark - Midfielder - Free Agent - His prospects heavily depend on where he signs and how much time he gets there, but I have faith that he'll continue to grow as a player wherever he moves.
Jose Francisco Torres - Midfielder - Pachuca - Doesn't get nearly enough time as he deserves, but provides solid depth on the left flank and in central midfield.
Landon Donovan - Forward - LA Galaxy - Rumored to be moving to Europe and really needs to. But wherever he lands, he'll be on the plane.
Jozy Altidore - Forward - Hull City FC - He continues to get starts in England and once he gets his first goal I think the floodgates will open for the youngster.
CHARLIE DAVIES - Forward - FC Sochaux - Wishful thinking? Maybe. But when he and his doctors say he'll be good to go for the World Cup, I'll trust the experts.
Kenny Cooper - Forward - 1860 Munich - His knee injury was much less worse than early suspected and if he continues to play and score in Germany he will be hard to ignore.
Who else could make it?
Jonathan Bornstein
Eddie Johnson
Brian Ching
Conor Casey
Troy Perkins
Jimmy Conrad
Clarence Goodson
DaMarcus Beasley
Marcus Tracy
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