Tuesday, September 15, 2009

NP's 23 for 2010

In the latest installment of Ninety Plus' 23 for 2010 we take into account the last two World Cup qualifying matches. The US received some good and bad news during the camp. The good news is that Edgar Castillo has been approved for his switch to the United States national team. The bad news is that Jermaine Jones may need another surgery to help fix a nagging shin problem, which will probably see him miss the remainder of the calender year. That coupled with the German Football Association's pussyfooting around with Jones' paperwork make his situation concerning. Several stalwarts of the US have their playing time diminishing or even none at all. This is very concerning going into the last two WCQ's. Let me emphasize that these are the players I would take, not the players I think Bob Bradley will take. But enough talk, here are the 23 for 2010:

SURE THING:

Tim Howard- Goalkeeper- Everton FC- Tim Howard's rough start at Everton won't keep him from manning the posts in South Africa.

Oguchi Onyewu- Defender- AC Milan- Lack of playing time at AC Milan is concerning, however seeing as how badly Milan is struggling, he'll get his chance sooner rather than later. As far as the US goes, he's their best defender.

Landon Donovan- Midfielder- LA Galaxy- The US's best ever player...let's face it.

Michael Bradley- Midfielder- Borussia Monchengladbach- His attitude has left something to be concerned, but he's the best box-to-box midfielder in the US arsenal.

Josmer Altidore- Forward- Hull City FC- If he continues to play and score, there's no way he doesn't start in South Africa.

Charlie Davies- Forward- FC Sochaux- Jozy's strike partner continues to impress in France. His ticket is as good as in hand.

Carlos Bocanegra- Defender- Stade Rennais- Who could leave their captain off the plane??

Clint Dempsey- Midfielder- Fulham FC- His hot and cold streaks continue, but Dempsey is one of the best play makers on the team.

GOOD BET:

Jonathan Spector- Defender- West Ham United- If he can remain healthy through West Ham's season, he'll start at right back.

Steve Cherundolo- Defender- Hannover 96- His injury gave Spector the shot he needed, but Cherundolo is a vice-captain for his club team and will provide good cover and is a nice locker room presence.

Brad Guzan- Goalkeeper- Aston Villa FC- Guzan's game against Egypt shows his quality and he performed extremely well in Villa's preseason.

Jay DeMerit- Defender- Watford FC- DeMerit's Confederation's Cup showing catapulted him into the starting role next to Onyewu and is captain at Watford FC.

Jermaine Jones- Midfielder- FC Schalke 04- Jones will be the best midfielder in the US arsenal once his paperwork is filed and is 100% healthy, keeping him off the team will be difficult for Bob Bradley to do.

PROBABLE:

Ricardo Clark- Midfielder- Houston Dynamo- Clark's knack for clutch defensive plays and his aptitude for the long shots will keep him in the mix in central midfield.

Jose Francisco Torres- Midfielder- Pachuca- Someone please tell me why this kid doesn't play more. He will provide solid cover on the left wing.

Stuart Holden- Midfielder- Houston Dynamo- The Houston playmaker is forcing his way onto European watch lists. He's a lightning rod once he comes on.

Benny Feilhaber- Midfielder- AGF Aarhus- If he continues his great play in Denmark he'll continue to move his way up.

Edgar Castillo- Defender- Tigres UANL- Bornstein is not international quality and Castillo will provide solid service and offensive support from the left side. Pearce's career ending move to FC Dallas only helps Castillo's cause.

Chad Marshall- Defender- Columbus Crew- The MLS's best central defender will surely be making a move overseas soon and he continues his strangle hold on the 4th CB slot over Califf and Goodson.

Maurice Edu- Midfielder- Glasgow Rangers- After forcing his way into Rangers starting 11 a bad knee injury has seen him miss the end of last season and the beginning of this season. But his defensive capabilites will be hard to ignore.

Troy Perkins- Goalkeeper- Valerenga IF- Perkins performance during the Gold Cup was commendable and forced his way ahead of Marcus Hahnemann and Kasey Keller.

POSSIBLE:

Kenny Cooper- Forward- 1860 Munich- His exploits in Germany will be hard for Bob Bradley to ignore.

Eddie Johnson- Forward- Fulham FC- Another full season of European training will push his abilities ahead of Brian Ching and Conor Casey, regardless if he play's for Fulham or not.


BUBBLE BOYS:
Freddy Adu- Can he get time at Belenenses?
DaMarcus Beasley- Needs to find a team ASAP.
Clarence Goodson- Played well during the GC, if an injury occurs he's in.
Danny Califf- A Bradley favorite was dropped, but solid play in Denmark will see him back in.
Heath Pearce- Failing to find a European team drops his chances, but MLS is better than nothing.
Sacha Kljestan- Needs a renaissance at Chivas to get back in the mix.
Jonathan Bornstein- Forced his way off the 23 with his last two performances.
Brian Ching- Worthless off the bench, but if an injury happens, he's in.

MLS Weekend Look Back

The playoff race is only getting hotter and MLS squads are being pushed to their limits. Here are the most recent results in MLS:

Wednesday Match:
Kansas City Wizards 0, DC United 1

Saturday Matches:
Colorado Rapids 2, Toronto FC 3
Seattle Sounders FC 2, DC United 1
Kansas City Wizards 1, New York Red Bulls 0
Chicago Fire 1, Real Salt Lake 1
FC Dallas 6, LA Galaxy 3

Sunday Matches
New England Revolution 0, Chivas USA 2
Houston Dynamo 1, Columbus Crew 2