The Short List: Prospects In Need Of Playing Time

Beasley can't make the field for Rangers and basically played his way out of a place with the U.S. this summer. Now he's looking to move on from Scotland and find a new home.

A move to Scandinavia, or even to Major League Soccer, would offer the 27-year-old a chance at regular playing time if he can stay healthy. With a group of up and coming wingers, including Holden and Robbie Rogers, seemingly taking over Beasley's spot with the Red White and Blue, the winger has no choice but to find a regular starting spot somewhere if he wants any chance at a World Cup spot.

To be honest, Beasley's chances of resurrecting his career in time for South Africa are slim, but few players have shown the top end ability that he has in the past.

Eddie Johnson

Reports have surfaced that the Fulham striker is on the transfer list for January as the Cottagers look to cut some of their wages, and a move away from Fulham may be just what the 25-year-old needs to regain his spot with the USA.

Four years ago Johnson was the next big thing. (Think of him as Jozy Altidore before Jozy Altidore became the next big thing.) A stellar youth national team career followed by a torrid start for the senior team in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup had fans salivating over the prospects of the massively athletic front runner. But since that time Johnson has turned into the cautionary tale.

After failing to find much time on the pitch for Fulham, Johnson went on loan to Cardiff City, returning to Fulham at the start of the current season. But his time in the Championship did little to help his standing with Roy Hodgson, and a move away form the Cottage is a must if Johnson wants to overtake the other candidates for a World Cup spot.

It's an outside chance at best, but if the former Kansas City star can find a regular place and start scoring goals again at the club level, the Bradley and the U.S. could reap the benefits in South Africa. Johnson, when on form, has qualities that the other striker in the U.S. pool can't match.

Freddy Adu

Whatever is going on with Freddy Adu, he needs it to be fixed soon if he wants a spot on the World Cup roster. Like Johnson, Adu is very much an outsider for a spot on Bradley's squad. Lack of playing time has plagued the youngster since moving away from Major League Soccer, an that problem hasn't changed with his second loan move in as many years.

Adu was, and still is by some, considered a rare talent in American soccer. A gifted playmaker, Adu has shown flashes of becoming a solid professional, but constant problem at the club level never make it easy for a player to find his way onto the national team.

Adu's only hope of a World Cup spot lies in his ability to earn a starting spot at Belenenses and play well once he gets on the field.

The chances are slim that Adu breaks into either Belenenses' starting lineup or into Bradley's squad, but of all the players listed, a good showing from Adu this season would probably put the most pressure on Bradley to include him in the squad.

Jermaine Jones and Maurice Edu

Back in training with Schalke after a lengthy injury spell, Jones will have to impress at the club level to earn his trip to South Africa. The German-born American could be a major help to the U.S. if he finds his form and fitness between now and the end of the season, but his only real chance to impress the U.S. coaches will be in league play.

Like Jones, Edu needs to get healthy and back in the swing of things as quickly as possible.

Coaches rarely rely on players that played not part in qualifying when they make the final decisions for the World Cup, leaving Edu and Jones behind the curve. Yet the two defensive midfielders could both be exceptions to that general rule.

With Edu and Jones the U.S. has two versatile players players that could strengthen not only the midfield, but possibly even a battered backline should Oguchi Onyewu not recover in time for South Africa, having both spent some time (however limited) as makeshift center backs.

Last season at Rangers Edu became a stalwart in the midfield, and he's a well known quantity to Bradley having come up through the ranks of the U.S. youth squads. A good showing in the second half of the Scottish season could be enough to get his name back in the squad.

Jones is the enigma to most U.S. fans, but suffice to say he has been a well known player in the Bundesliga for quite some time, and was good enough to have his name of the German team sheet on more than one occasion.

Both midfielders should get a fair shot at a World Cup spot despite the injuries that kept them out of the build up to this point, but playing time at the club level is a must. Unlike the injured Onyewu, who will probably have a starting spot in South Africa even if he doesn't see more than a few minutes of action with Milan before then, Jones and Edu will have to earn their way into Bradley's side without several games with the U.S. to prove their value.

Allen Ramsey is an associate editor of Goal.com. The Short List runs every Wednesday on Goal.comUSA

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