MLS Catch-Up: Youngsters Making a Difference

MLS Rookie of the Year early candidates:


Ike Opara:  Though not an instant turn around in San Jose, Opara's play has been solid and has netted a couple of goals thus far.  I picked this kid as my preseason ROTY.  He's living up to it.

Zack Schilawski: A hat trick hero for the Revs, keep an eye on this kid.  Almost out of nowhere.

Edson Buddle vs. Herculez Gomez

When you're a forward in the United States player pool there's one thing you always know:  it's a position in flux.  When you're hot and scoring goals, there's a very high likely hood that you'll get a call up.  But no one expected there to be so much discrepancy after the first guy (Jozy Altidore).  Landon Donovan, Charlie Davies, Brian Ching, Conor Casey, Eddie Johnson, Jeff Cunningham, Freddy Adu, Davie Arnaud, Kenny Cooper, and Robbie Findley all played up top for the United States in 2009.  Casey, Cunningham, and Findley were all enjoying strong runs with their clubs in MLS at the time and so were brought in, to little avail.  Casey's two goal output at Honduras has almost if not completely faded from memory and Jeff Cunningham's lone goal came on a break where any striker should've finished.  Findley didn't produce in three straight run outs with the US to start 2010 and ended with a futile effort against the mighty Dutch in early March.  Of those three, Cunningham, Arnaud, and Findley seem to be best suited for MLS.  Casey is a beast physically but lacks speed and true goal scoring prowess.  Everyone knows the Eddie Johnson story, who scored 6 goals in his first 4 internationals, then another 6 over the next 36.  He and Adu, though now both aren't dormant anymore, still aren't exactly producing enough numbers while in Greece.  Kenny Cooper, a player on the rise after enjoying a solid Gold Cup, saw his time at 1860 Munich diminish and hasn't found much time while on loan at Plymouth Argyle in the English Championship.

The other two forwards listed, Davies and Ching, are both on injured reserve at the moment.  Though I have them both listed in my final 23 man roster, we all know that injuries are very hush hush about when they want to heal.  Both are scheduled to return in early May, but with Bradley naming the 30 man preliminary roster on May 11 according to ESPN, who gets called in, just in case.  Hot money right now is on Hurculez Gomez and Edson Buddle.  As both are enjoying phenomenal seasons.  Buddle has already tied his season output from last year (5) in two matches this year.  Gomez, in 13 appearances for Puebla in the Mexican first division has 8 goals.  Those 8 goals ties his output from 2003-2009 at various MLS and USL clubs (Seattle, Colorado, and Kansas City).  Those are hot numbers.

The way I see it, the 30 man roster will have 7-ish forwards.  Or at least, mine does (Altidore, Davies, Ching, Casey, Gomez, Buddle, and Johnson).  The first four are self explanatory, Alitdore and Davies should/would/could be the incumbent starters.  Bob Bradley loves his target forwards so Ching and Casey get the nod, but who can provide that spark off the bench?  Gomez, who has scored most of his goals in a substitute role?  Buddle, who plays with Landon Donovan every day with the Galaxy and who's understanding of each other could be pantamount?  Or Johnson, who brings 40 caps and World Cup experience to the table?

Tough call for Bradley.  If Buddle and Gomez remain hot, it'll be really hard not to see them called up for the prelims.  Buddle can create match-up problems for central defenders because, he, like Altidore is deceptively quick on his feet and quite technical with the ball.  But, he's never afraid to get stuck in amongst the trees on a cross.   Most of Gomez's goals have come from him being in the right place in the right time, but there's something to be said for a player who has the understanding of how the game is flowing and where the ball will end up.  He's fast, technical, yet physical if he has to be.

Neither has been on the radar for the Nats in quite some time.  Buddle's first and only appearance in a US jersey was against Venezuela in 2003.  Gomez made his two caps in the disaster that was the Copa America in 2007.  Neither scored. 

So close to the time when rosters will be decided and so much to think about for Bob Bradley.  Though I suppose it's better to have these problems than to not have them.

Video Tribute to Charlie Davies

Title says it all...video by Jay Bell.

US Depth in Question?

By May 11 the preliminary roster must be turned in by Bob Bradley to FIFA.  This list of 30 players is all inclusive and all exclusive.  Once picked a player cannot be dropped except for serious injury (as determined by FIFA), nor can anyone else be added (with the exception being the injured players replacement).  Once the roster is in, those players are frozen out of their club sides to train exclusively with their respective countries.  With the number of current US players on IR at the moment, Bob Bradley has more headaches than answers right now, so we will try to alleviate his pain.

So we're going to examine the depth at each position and give you the low down on all the players I think are in the running:

Goalkeepers (4):
This is the easiest pick of the bunch.  Tim Howard continues to play very well at Everton and with his PK save against West Ham this past weekend became the first goalkeeper in the EPL since 1989 to have three penalty saves in a single season.  That's an astonishing statistic for you.  Brad Guzan continues to ride pine at Aston Villa but seems to be Bob Bradley's number two despite the lack of PT.  However, studying under Brad Freidel has its benefits and Guzan is easily a lock for the prelims.  Marcus Hahnemann is on a bit of a tear with Wolves at the moment and is probably a lock for the third spot after Troy Perkins transferred back to MLS and surrendered 6 goals in his first two matches.  Perkins probably makes the alternate spot should one of the previous three pick up an injury.

Defenders (10):
We'll start with the right back position, which unlike its left side counterpart is pretty much set in stone.  Jonathan Spector and Steve Cherundolo continue to go full matches with their clubs and seem like locks for the last 23.  In the middle, Oguchi Onyewu is only a week or so away from full training with AC Milan and is the US' best defender when fit and in form.  Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, and Carlos Bocanegra seem to round out for the last 23, but I think a player like Chad Marshall could be the 5th guy to come in and give Goodson one last run.  On the left side, I think Bob Bradley will bring three guys: Heath Pearce, Jonathan Bornstein, and Edgar Castillo.  Bornstein has been struggling mightily for a few months and Pearce and Castillo could be set to reap the benefits.

Midfielders (10):
This depends on the fitness of players like Stuart Holden and Jermaine Jones, but for all intents and purposes Holden is running and despite trying to rehab for over a year Jones is still experiencing pain when he runs.  So Jones is the odd man out.

On the right side we'll see Holden, Clint Dempsey, and Alejandro Bedoya all in camp.  Dempsey and Bedoya are playing full matches with their clubs and impressing to say the least.  Holden is out of the cast and is around 10 days from full training.  My guts tell me he'll be there.  Now to the melting pot that is central midfield.  Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, Jose Torres, and Benny Feilhaber are all likely to be in the final 23, but the competition will likely be for the starting position next to Bradley Jr.  On the left side, Landon Donovan seems to have made it his own and DaMarcus Beasley will be the back up.

Forwards (6): 
First lets get the sure thing out of the way.  Jozy Altidore is that sure thing.  With Brian Ching picking up a hamstring injury this past weekend the forward pool becomes increasingly thin.  Charlie Davies continues his astonishing recovery but will it be enough?  Conor Casey, Eddie Johnson, and Hurculez Gomez figure to get in on the action as well.  Johnson only gets the nod because he has more caps than Casey, Cunningham and Findley combined.  Gomez come because he has scored 8 times in his last 10 matches.  Casey comes to push Ching.

The seven guys who don't get selected to the 23 will be the injury alternates so the dream remains alive for all.

MLS Saturday

With a crazy start to the weekends events on a rare double-header Thursday, Houston got two PK's from Brad Davis within the span of three minutes to ward off hot starting Real Salt Lake, and a typically hot blooded encounter in the SuperClasico was won by the blue and gold side of LA on an Edson Buddle brace. 

Here's the day's schedule:

Chicago Fire @ Colorado Rapids, 4:00pm EST, Telefutura
New England Revolution @ D.C. United, 7:30pm EST, MLS Direct Kick
New York Red Bulls @ Seattle Sounders FC, 10:30pm EST, Fox Soccer Channel