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Going for Gold: 23 Players for the Gold Cup
Goal.com's Noah Davis breaks down which 23 players should make the Gold Cup roster.
Jun 22, 2009 5:31:40 PM
By Noah Davis
While the United States Men's National Team makes noise halfway around the world with its surprise appearance in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, the Gold Cup nears kickoff as well. The Americans recently released a preliminary roster of 30 players, which needs to be cut down to 23 by tournament time. Here are one man's thoughts on who should make the final squad.
Goalkeepers
Brad Guzan -- Tim Howard's back up will get the majority of time at the Gold Cup, as he should.
Luis Robles -- The Kaiserslautern 'keeper, who got married two weeks ago and went to South Africa for the Confed Cup, will continue his fine summer.
Troy Perkins -- Bob Bradley might choose Marcus Hahnemann for his leadership, but the goal of this tournament needs to be getting younger players experience.
Defenders
Jonathan Bornstein -- His performance during the Confederations Cup has been far from perfect, but he's probably done enough to secure the left back spot (for now).
Dan Califf -- Another player who also traveled to South Africa, Califf should start next to DeMerit in the middle of the American defense.
Steve Cherundolo -- The right flank spot Cherundolo called his own before going down with injury is still up for grabs (although Jonathan Spector showed he's more than a capable fill-in).
Jay DeMerit -- After DeMerit's success filling in for Carlos Bocanegra, could Bradley consider pairing him with Oguchi Onyewu and moving U.S. captain to the left, where he plays for Stade Rennes?
Eric Lichaj -- The 20-year-old Aston Villa man could become a fixture in the American line up.
Chad Marshall -- The Crew centerback will likely back up the first choice pair of Demerit and Califf, but he could challenge for the latter player's spot.
Michael Orozco -- Heath Pearce has been given multiple shots. Let Orozco, who played left back for the Americans during the Olympics, show if he's matured.
Marvell Wynne -- Perhaps the American with the most at stake, the Toronto right back needs a good showing to draw interest from European clubs.
Michael Parkhurst -- Constantly overlooked, it's time the former New England Revolution standout was rewarded for his consistently good club play.
Midfielders
Freddy Adu -- Here are the keys, Freddy. Now make the offense go.
Ricardo Clark -- Only a rash challenge against Italy kept him from having a breakout Confederations Cup.
Benny Feilhaber -- Feilhaber can continue his road back from a serious injury and a crisis of confidence with a strong Gold Cup performance.
Stuart Holden -- The engine of the Houston Dynamo's resurgent offense is committed to being the two-way midfielder Bradley loves.
Pablo Mastroeni -- Left off the Confed Cup roster, you have to imagine this is probably Mastroeni's last go-round in the Red, White, and Blue.
Robbie Rogers -- The Crew midfielder, still just 22, could be the answer out wide for years to come.
Jose Francisco Torres -- Torres will be riding shotgun with Adu. In fact, since he's a better distributor, he might be driving the car.
Forwards
Jozy Altidore -- The teenager has shown a knack for getting in the right place, but he needs more playing time to refine his finishing technique.
Kenny Cooper -- With Conor Casey returning to the Colorado Rapids, Cooper gets the distinction of being the only forward from Major League Soccer.
Charlie Davies -- The former Boston College speedster played with impressive heart against Egypt and deserves more time up top.
Jeremiah White -- Wake Forest's pride and joy parleyed his success at AGF Aarhus into a call up.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
If you follow the U.S. Men's National Team, you'll love their dedicated page on Goal.com!
While the United States Men's National Team makes noise halfway around the world with its surprise appearance in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, the Gold Cup nears kickoff as well. The Americans recently released a preliminary roster of 30 players, which needs to be cut down to 23 by tournament time. Here are one man's thoughts on who should make the final squad.
Goalkeepers
Brad Guzan -- Tim Howard's back up will get the majority of time at the Gold Cup, as he should.
Luis Robles -- The Kaiserslautern 'keeper, who got married two weeks ago and went to South Africa for the Confed Cup, will continue his fine summer.
Troy Perkins -- Bob Bradley might choose Marcus Hahnemann for his leadership, but the goal of this tournament needs to be getting younger players experience.
Defenders
Jonathan Bornstein -- His performance during the Confederations Cup has been far from perfect, but he's probably done enough to secure the left back spot (for now).
Dan Califf -- Another player who also traveled to South Africa, Califf should start next to DeMerit in the middle of the American defense.
Steve Cherundolo -- The right flank spot Cherundolo called his own before going down with injury is still up for grabs (although Jonathan Spector showed he's more than a capable fill-in).
Jay DeMerit -- After DeMerit's success filling in for Carlos Bocanegra, could Bradley consider pairing him with Oguchi Onyewu and moving U.S. captain to the left, where he plays for Stade Rennes?
Eric Lichaj -- The 20-year-old Aston Villa man could become a fixture in the American line up.
Chad Marshall -- The Crew centerback will likely back up the first choice pair of Demerit and Califf, but he could challenge for the latter player's spot.
Michael Orozco -- Heath Pearce has been given multiple shots. Let Orozco, who played left back for the Americans during the Olympics, show if he's matured.
Marvell Wynne -- Perhaps the American with the most at stake, the Toronto right back needs a good showing to draw interest from European clubs.
Michael Parkhurst -- Constantly overlooked, it's time the former New England Revolution standout was rewarded for his consistently good club play.
Midfielders
Freddy Adu -- Here are the keys, Freddy. Now make the offense go.
Ricardo Clark -- Only a rash challenge against Italy kept him from having a breakout Confederations Cup.
Benny Feilhaber -- Feilhaber can continue his road back from a serious injury and a crisis of confidence with a strong Gold Cup performance.
Stuart Holden -- The engine of the Houston Dynamo's resurgent offense is committed to being the two-way midfielder Bradley loves.
Pablo Mastroeni -- Left off the Confed Cup roster, you have to imagine this is probably Mastroeni's last go-round in the Red, White, and Blue.
Robbie Rogers -- The Crew midfielder, still just 22, could be the answer out wide for years to come.
Jose Francisco Torres -- Torres will be riding shotgun with Adu. In fact, since he's a better distributor, he might be driving the car.
Forwards
Jozy Altidore -- The teenager has shown a knack for getting in the right place, but he needs more playing time to refine his finishing technique.
Kenny Cooper -- With Conor Casey returning to the Colorado Rapids, Cooper gets the distinction of being the only forward from Major League Soccer.
Charlie Davies -- The former Boston College speedster played with impressive heart against Egypt and deserves more time up top.
Jeremiah White -- Wake Forest's pride and joy parleyed his success at AGF Aarhus into a call up.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
If you follow the U.S. Men's National Team, you'll love their dedicated page on Goal.com!
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