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End to End: The Friendlies Edition
Noah Davis examines the fate of four players following the USA's recent friendlies.
Mar 5, 2010 12:11:00 PM
By Noah Davis
The United States Men's National team played its final two friendlies before Bob Bradley announces the 23-man World Cup roster. (The manager can make changes before the June 1 deadline, but plans to unveil his choices a some point before the Americans battle the Czech Republic on May 25th.) As always, there are questions about who will make the team and who will start. Did the matches against El Salvador and the Netherlands help answer those queries? For four players, they did.
Winners
Clarence Goodson (Make the team)
As 2010 began, Jimmy Conrad looked in line to win a spot as the fourth centerback. Columbus Crew defender Chad Marshall also arguably found himself ahead of Goodson in the Stars and Stripes pecking order. Not so anymore. While the Kansas City Wizards captain struggled against Honduras and Major League Soccer's reigning Defensive Player of the Year didn't look much better, Goodson shined after coming on at the half. He scored the U.S's only goal and kept a 10-man side defensively compact. He followed that performance up with a solid 90 minutes versus El Salvador. Although the IK Start defender only played five minutes against the Netherlands, he showed some spark. (Does he score if Carlos Bocanegra doesn't? Perhaps, as he checked his run to allow the American captain unimpeded access to DaMarcus Beasley's service.) Goodson has shown he can shutdown strikers -- albeit those of a lesser quality than the U.S. will encounter in South Africa -- and be serviceable against stronger squads. Look, the Americans are in trouble if their fourth centerback sees much time, but Goodson is the correct pick.
Jay DeMerit (Starting XI)
Watford's captain paired with Bocanegra against the Dutch and while the Stars and Stripes conceded two goals, the duo can't be faulted for either. DeMerit started in the middle for all five of the American's Confederation's Cup matches and played well with Oguchi Onyewu. He's a smart, heady player who makes up for any lack in physical gifts with an understanding of the game that's been honed by years of fighting up the English ranks. (His distribution, however, could use work.) With the struggles of Jonathan Bornstein in big games, expect to see Bocanegra slotted on the left. This means DeMerit and the Onyewu, who should return from injury soon, will likely get the call in the middle. It's a pairing he likes. "He would be the carbon copy of my ideal player," DeMerit told Goal.com in August. "What he has, I don't, and possibly I can make up for that which he might lack. That's the way we are in a partnership." Supporters of the U.S. hope he's right.
Losers
Robbie Rogers (Make the team)
The Columbus Crew midfielder's chances for finding himself on the plane to South Africa look slim. He started against the Catrachos and the Cuscatlecos, but failed to impress in either match. His crossing was sub-par, and he couldn't create with the ball at his feet. Working in his favor is the fact that Rogers possesses a wealth of speed -- a trait the U.S. can use out wide -- and can play both sides of the pitch. Will these factors be enough to get a call from Bob Bradley? Probably not. He's a bit too green, a bit too young. Stuart Holden, assuming he returns from injury as scheduled, has moved far ahead of Rogers on the American depth chart and you could make a case that Alejandro Bedoya has as well. (I'll make that argument in a column on Tuesday.) Rogers boasts plenty of potential, but unfortunately he hasn't realized enough of it yet to earn a place on the 23-man roster.
Jonathan Bornstein (Starting XI)
First, an observation: The Chivas USA defender's play against the Netherlands wasn't as bad as everyone thinks it was. The second goal was a fluke. The uncalled handball was also a strange play that wasn't really his fault (and, it should be noted, not called). His tug of Wesley Sneijder's jersey was inexcusable, but the play never gets to that point if Jose Torres shuts down the flying Dutchman at the top of the box. The defender didn't play well on Wednesday, but his performance wasn't significantly worse than a number of other Americans. Now, that said, the match in ArenA Amsterdam should be the final nail in the "Bornstein shouldn't start at left back" coffin. He's just not quite good enough, a reality that bares itself out in important matches. He makes one crushing (and obvious) mistake per game, whether it's the Sneijder penalty or the overhead kick against El Salvador. Trotting Bornstein out against England is too risky. End of story.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com and will be reporting from the World Cup in South Africa.
Get all the latest US National Team news with Goal.com's dedicated page.
Winners
Clarence Goodson (Make the team)
As 2010 began, Jimmy Conrad looked in line to win a spot as the fourth centerback. Columbus Crew defender Chad Marshall also arguably found himself ahead of Goodson in the Stars and Stripes pecking order. Not so anymore. While the Kansas City Wizards captain struggled against Honduras and Major League Soccer's reigning Defensive Player of the Year didn't look much better, Goodson shined after coming on at the half. He scored the U.S's only goal and kept a 10-man side defensively compact. He followed that performance up with a solid 90 minutes versus El Salvador. Although the IK Start defender only played five minutes against the Netherlands, he showed some spark. (Does he score if Carlos Bocanegra doesn't? Perhaps, as he checked his run to allow the American captain unimpeded access to DaMarcus Beasley's service.) Goodson has shown he can shutdown strikers -- albeit those of a lesser quality than the U.S. will encounter in South Africa -- and be serviceable against stronger squads. Look, the Americans are in trouble if their fourth centerback sees much time, but Goodson is the correct pick.
Jay DeMerit (Starting XI)
Watford's captain paired with Bocanegra against the Dutch and while the Stars and Stripes conceded two goals, the duo can't be faulted for either. DeMerit started in the middle for all five of the American's Confederation's Cup matches and played well with Oguchi Onyewu. He's a smart, heady player who makes up for any lack in physical gifts with an understanding of the game that's been honed by years of fighting up the English ranks. (His distribution, however, could use work.) With the struggles of Jonathan Bornstein in big games, expect to see Bocanegra slotted on the left. This means DeMerit and the Onyewu, who should return from injury soon, will likely get the call in the middle. It's a pairing he likes. "He would be the carbon copy of my ideal player," DeMerit told Goal.com in August. "What he has, I don't, and possibly I can make up for that which he might lack. That's the way we are in a partnership." Supporters of the U.S. hope he's right.
Losers
Robbie Rogers (Make the team)
The Columbus Crew midfielder's chances for finding himself on the plane to South Africa look slim. He started against the Catrachos and the Cuscatlecos, but failed to impress in either match. His crossing was sub-par, and he couldn't create with the ball at his feet. Working in his favor is the fact that Rogers possesses a wealth of speed -- a trait the U.S. can use out wide -- and can play both sides of the pitch. Will these factors be enough to get a call from Bob Bradley? Probably not. He's a bit too green, a bit too young. Stuart Holden, assuming he returns from injury as scheduled, has moved far ahead of Rogers on the American depth chart and you could make a case that Alejandro Bedoya has as well. (I'll make that argument in a column on Tuesday.) Rogers boasts plenty of potential, but unfortunately he hasn't realized enough of it yet to earn a place on the 23-man roster.
Jonathan Bornstein (Starting XI)
First, an observation: The Chivas USA defender's play against the Netherlands wasn't as bad as everyone thinks it was. The second goal was a fluke. The uncalled handball was also a strange play that wasn't really his fault (and, it should be noted, not called). His tug of Wesley Sneijder's jersey was inexcusable, but the play never gets to that point if Jose Torres shuts down the flying Dutchman at the top of the box. The defender didn't play well on Wednesday, but his performance wasn't significantly worse than a number of other Americans. Now, that said, the match in ArenA Amsterdam should be the final nail in the "Bornstein shouldn't start at left back" coffin. He's just not quite good enough, a reality that bares itself out in important matches. He makes one crushing (and obvious) mistake per game, whether it's the Sneijder penalty or the overhead kick against El Salvador. Trotting Bornstein out against England is too risky. End of story.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com and will be reporting from the World Cup in South Africa.
Get all the latest US National Team news with Goal.com's dedicated page.
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