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

Clark blasts the US to three points

Ricardo Clark knew his number was up when he saw Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden ready to check in to last nights game vs. Trinidad & Tobago. After a half of obscurity by the entire US team, Clark grabbed his chance by the scruff of the neck and drilled a nasty 30 yard drive past Clayton Ince. The US continued its recent trend of struggling to find itself in the opening 45 minutes, battling a Trinidad and Tobago side who were fighting for their qualifying lives. Tim Howard was forced to make several solid saves and the US even got help from the woodwork when Cornell Glen chipped over Howard's head. The usual stingy US defense was somewhat slack. Oguchi Onyewu, who hasn't seen any playing time thus far at AC Milan, seemed uneasy for periods in the game, and committed fouls that most thought he was past. Jay DeMerit was also absent with a groin strain, and Jonathan Bornstein, while better than his performance against El Salvador, was still shaky at best and didn't do himself any favors as far as nailing down the spot goes. Here are my player ratings for the match:

Tim Howard (8)- Howard was a wall that would not be overcome as he made several saves while the US tried to find itself and stopped a late Bornstein miscue to maintain the clean sheet.

Jonathan Spector (6.5)- Is it any wonder why when Carlos Edwards was on Spector's side of the field he disappeared? He didn't get forward as well as usual, but his defending was top class.

Oguchi Onyewu (6)- Lack of playing time at AC Milan made his return to action with the national team a bit more concerning than most would've liked. With the way AC Milan's starters are getting torched every week, one can only assume that Onyewu's chance will be coming soon.

Carlos Bocanegra (6.5)- Was a solid vocal leader and nothing got past him all game long. When Jay DeMerit returns from injury he'll prolly be deployed back out to the left.

Jonathan Bornstein (5)- Better than against El Salvador, but still shaky against Edwards and Tinto for the entirety of the match. Forced a late save from Howard after a miscue.

Clint Dempsey (5.5)- I'm not sure what Dempsey's problem is, but he was just off last night. He wandered around the field and never really threatened goal.

Ricardo Clark (7)- Like the rest of the US team in the first half (minus Tim Howard), Clark was invisible. But his 62nd minute cannon was desperately needed.

Michael Bradley (7)- An improved performance from Bradley this time around. His passing was good and made some solid defensive plays to stop T&T build-ups.

Landon Donovan (8)- Another typical LD performance. Hustled, attacked, led by example, and, got the game winning assist.

Charlie Davies (6.5)- Perhaps he was hampered by that left calf, but he still was a force up top for the US and forced a few chances through sheer heart and athleticism.

Jozy Altidore (6.5)- A decent performance from Jozy and nearly earned himself a 30 yard bomb of his own but Ince was up to the challenge.

Benny Feilhaber (6)- Relegated to a bench role for this match, Feilhaber came on and provided good possession and some attacking flair.

Brain Ching (5)- Didn't do anything but gave a little pressure on the T&T backline with fresh legs late.

Stuart Holden (6.5)- How many pin point crosses from Holden are US players going to foil. First Charlie Davies, then Jose Torres, and now Landon Donovan.

With the result the US can clinch a World Cup birth with a win in one of their next two games or two draws. The US plays next at Honduras on October 10 then finish against Costa Rica on the 14th in the nations capital. Edgar Castillo could have his first call up and Jermaine Jones could receive his international clearance. We can all hope right? See you then.

US vs Trinidad & Tobago: A Preview

For the United States, this away game against Trinidad & Tobago is easily the most critical game they will have played thus far in World Cup qualifying. Why? Because the US has no wins away from home in this round of qualifying. The closest they came was away to El Salvador, but even then, they needed two goals in the second half to force a 2-2 draw. In the other away games (3-1 @ Costa Rica and 2-1 @ Mexico) the US looked intimidated and slack. With only one point separating the top four teams, the US needs all the help they can get before their final two games (@ Honduras and home vs Costa Rica). Trinidad and Tobago are pretty much out of qualifying, as they only sit on 5 points with three matches remaining, but that doesn't mean this team isn't dangerous. The last time the US played in Trinidad & Tobago, it was a 2-1 loss for the Americans, granted it was with a heavy reserve side, but still, the Soca Warriors will play well at home and have been bolstered with the addition of two EPL players in Bobby Zamora (Fulham) and Jlloyd Samuel (Bolton). Add them to a roster which also boasts Carlos Edwards (Ipswich Town), Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland), Jason Scotland (Wigan), and Radanfah Abu Bakr (Swansea City) this team is loaded with talent.

It will be interesting to see how Bob Bradley goes about forming his defense. Last time the teams played, DaMarcus Beasley was deployed in the left back position to counter Carlos Edwards' speed. This time there is no Beasley, and I would be stunned to see Bornstein make another appearance after his poor showing vs El Salvador. Jay DeMerit was sent back to England when it was discovered that he would not be fit for the match with a left groin strain. Which means we could see Oguchi Onyewu partnered with Chad Marshall in the middle and Bocanegra on the flank(where he plays for Stade Rennais), or we could see Bocanegra in the middle again with Onyewu and Spector move over to the left (where he plays for West Ham), and Cherundolo take up position on the right flank. The attacking players should remain the same, with Dempsey and Donovan on the flanks, Feilhaber and Bradley in the middle, and Davies and Altidore manning the top. According to Davies twitter, his leg is fine and he'll be ready to go tomorrow evening.

Two subs who could make an impact are the same ones who made an impact in the last game; Jose Torres and Stuart Holden. Both bring exceptional pace and hustle into the match and both are quite good in possession. It seems that Ching's days with the USMNT are numbered. With Kenny Cooper and Eddie Johnson both improving and impressing in Europe and Ching only getting older in Houston, I'd say the time is come to when Altidore and Davies (barring injuries) should start all matches for the US. Now is the time for them to develop a solid relationship and understanding. Both are seeing time with their clubs (Hull City FC and FC Sochaux respectively) and both will grow into arguably the most threatening pair of forwards to don the US jersey at the same time.

So here is my starting 11 for this match:

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

Cherundolo-----Onyewu-----Bocanegra-----Spector

-----------------------Bradley

Dempsey-------------Feilhaber-------------Donovan

----------------Altidore------Davies

Gotta go with experience away from home in the back line, so Cherundolo comes in on the right, Gooch and Boca in the middle and Spector on the left. The rest remains the same as faced El Salvador.

MLS Weekend Look Back

Only three matches this past weekend as the international friendly schedule meant many players being away. Here are this weekends results:

Kansas City Wizards 4, New England Revolution 2
DC United 2, FC Dallas 2
Toronto FC 0, Colorado Rapids 1