Building The 23 - USMNT 1.0 for 2014 World Cup

The United States Men's National Team manager Jurgen Klinsmann can take 23 players to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.  Yesterday I covered the United States being drawn into the toughest group in the 2014 World Cup with Germany, Ghana, and Portugal.  Much like I do with Building The 53 for the Green Bay Packers, Building The 25 for the Milwaukee Brewers, and Building The 15 for the Milwaukee Bucks...I am about to do the same for the United States with Building The 23.  Without further adu, let's turn our attention to speculating on the 23 guys Klinsmann should take to Brazil.

Traditionally the breakdown of The 23 is 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders, and 4 strikers.  Besides goalkeeper, some of the players drawn into defense or up front could also slide into the midfielder so those are not hard and fast numbers.  Here are my initial thoughts about the players Klinsmann should select for The 23.

Goalkeeper (3): Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Nick Rimando.
Starter: Tim Howard
Analysis: Luckily Klinsmann has the benefit of having two legitimate starting goalkeepers in Howard and Guzan.  I think it is highly unlikely to happen but I wonder what Guzan would have to do to unseat Howard.

Defenders (8): DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Steve Cherundolo, Brad Evans, Clarence Goodson, and Omar Gonzalez.
Starters: DaMarcus Beasley (LB), Matt Besler (CB), Omar Gonzalez (CB), Steve Cherundolo (RB)
Analysis: After Cherundolo held down the starting right back spot for essentially the last decade, injuries have hampered his form in 2013.  Given there are six more months until the 2014 World Cup, I see Cherundolo doing everything humanly possible to be in form by the start of the 2014 World Cup.

Midfield (8): Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Mix Diskerud, Landon Donovan, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Brek Shea, and Graham Zusi.
Starters: Landon Donovan (LW), Michael Bradley (CM), Jermaine Jones (CM), Graham Zusi (RW)
Analysis: Absent injuries, Bradley and Donovan are locks to start in Brazil.  That leaves two spots: one in central midfield and one at outside midfielder.  Unfortunately, I see those two spots changing a dozen times in the next six months.

Striker (4): Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Aron Johnannson, and Eddie Johnson.
Starters: Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey
Analysis: There was never any question about Altidore's physical abilities but going into 2013 he still had not found a way to turn that promise into actual production scoring goals for the national team.  Given that Jozy Altidore has been in rare form scoring almost every time our for the national team, he deserves to be in the starting XL in Brazil.  If Klinsmann deploys Dempsey and Donovan in the midfielder, I could actually see Johnson getting a start up front next to Altidore.

Shifting gears from the futbol to football.  Make sure to check back on Monday for my thoughts on the Green Bay Packers make-or-break game at home against the Atlanta Falcons sans starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the sixth straight game.  Without Rodgers the Packers have gone 0-4-1 so even though the Falcons are one of the worst teams in the NFL this season.  Let's not forget that they went to the NFC Championship Game last season so a win is far from guaranteed for the Packers.  If the Packers win, their slim playoff hopes stay alive.  If the Packers lose, all the coverage of them in this space will shift towards building for 2014.

Howard
F. Johnson (Parkhurst, 46)
Goodson
Gonzalez
Beasley
Jones
Beckerman
Bedoya (Zusi, 84)
Dempsey (c)
Donovan-1
E. Johnson (Diskerud, 76) - See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/us-men/lineups/2013-lineups.aspx#sthash.OaFxfIMe.dpuf

Howard
F. Johnson (Parkhurst, 46)
Goodson
Gonzalez
Beasley
Jones
Beckerman
Bedoya (Zusi, 84)
Dempsey (c)
Donovan-1
E. Johnson (Diskerud, 76) - See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/us-men/lineups/2013-lineups.aspx#sthash.OaFxfIMe.d

Altidore, Jozy

Altidore, Jozy

Altidore, Jozy

Altidore, Jozy

US v. Slovenia: World Cup Retro Diary

As you know by now, the United States and Slovenia tied 2-2 in a thrilling match of two completely different halves...Slovenia dominated the first half and the United State dominated the second half. Here is my retroactive look at the match:

1': Clint Dempsey elbows Zlatan Ljubijankic for what could have been a red card. At the very least it should have been a yellow card but as you will see throughout the match, this was not the only blown call by referee Koman Coulibaly.

8': Ljubijankic heads the ball straight up into the air. US goalkeeper Tim Howard comes out to snare the ball and as usual yells at his defenders. Howard is a very good keeper but why does he always come out barking at the top of his lungs. Every now and again he could just go about his business. Don't get me wrong, I am all about accountability but Howard's yelling seems like overkill...it becomes ineffective if you always yell. My advice, pick your spots Timmy.

13' - Valter Birsa scores for Slovenia from 25 yards out to give Slovenia a 1-0 lead: Somehow there was not a US defender within 5 yards of Birsa. After the game Howard intimated that he never saw the ball. I hope that is the case because Howard watched the ball soar into the back of the net without even moving. The US is consistent at one thing, giving up early goal. Just to add insult to injury, that goal marks the 12th straight match that the US will not keep a clean sheet.

15': Landon Donovan's free kick is punched clear by Samir Handanovic. If Handanovic didn't punch that ball clear it looked like Dempsey would have had a great chance to equalize.

37': Bostjan Cesar is shown a yellow card for tripping Altodore. Torres takes the free kick and decides to go for goal instead of swinging it into the box. I like the idea of going for goal in that situation but the execution left more than a little to be desired. When I saw that Bradley inserted Torres instead of Clark I was ecstatic...after 37 minutes not so ecstatic.

40': Findley receives a yellow card for a handball that the replay shows hit him in the face. Since this is Findley's second yellow card in as many games, he will miss the US/Algeria match. I actually see this as the only gift referee Koman Coulibaly gave the US. As a quick tangent, not too sure why Bradley started Findley up top alongside Altidore against England and Slovenia. If I were in charge of the US, I would have started anyone (Buddle or Gomez) instead of Findley up top. Then I would bring Findley on with 20 minutes remaining to make some piercing runs. Findley starting consecutive matches for the US shows how much they miss Charlie Davies.

41': Dempsey's cross is deflected by Miso Brecko, robbing Donovan of an easy equalizer. When Donovan is that close he has to throw his body at the ball. Instead the US misses another close opportunity.

42' - Zlatan Ljubijankic scores for Slovenia to give Slovenia a 2-0 lead: Slovenia had two attempts on goal the entire first half, which lead to two goals. Oguchi Onyewu pulled off a tough double gaffe on the goal by failing to close down the attacker while playing on the goal scorer. A play like this by Gooch shows that Gooch is still not fully fit. What a change of momentum, in less than a few minutes the US goes from being tied 1-1 to being down 2-0.

Halftime: I don't think Ricardo Clark brings anything to the table so I liked that Bradley started Torres in Clark's place, unfortunately Torres was completely ineffective. As a result, Bradley brings in Benny Feilhaber for Jose Torres as well as Maurice Edu for Robbie Findley. Agree with bringing in Edu, I wanted Bradley to start him alongside his son instead of Clark or Torres the entire World Cup. The Feilhaber sub is a little surprising. Since Dempsey is going to move up top I would have brought in DeMarcus Beasley or Stuart Holden to play outside midfield instead of Feilhaner.

48' - Donovan scores for the US to cut Slovenia's lead to 2-1: Steve Cherundolo played Donovan into space. Donovan was looking to cross the ball but for some reason no one on Slovenia closed down Donovan so Donovan went towards goal. Donovan struck an absolute screamer into the only place he could go, the roof of the net, for his 3rd World Cup goal (43rd international) and first World Cup goal since 2002.

51': The US almost capitalized on a Donovan free kick but neither Dempsey or Gooch can bury the equalizer.

59': Altidore does the hard part turning the defender while possessing the ball but is unable to capitalize on his hard work. The way Altidore holds the ball reminds me of Brian McBride but Altidore is no where close to McBride in terms of finishing.

69': Marko Suler drags down Altidore just outside the box. If Suler gets Altidore a quarter second later, the US wins a penalty kick...instead they fail to capitalize on the free kick.

72': Andraz Kirm slides in late on Cherundolo and receives a yellow card.

75': Referee Koman Coulibaly continues to baffle me. Coulibaly is talking to Altidore despite the fact that Altidore was simply playing the ball. Coulibaly is really struggling and we haven't even gotten to his Mona Lisa of horrible decisions yet. Not too sure how reffing in Mali qualifies you to ref the World Cup...just saying Sepp Blatter.

80': Bob Bradley inserts Herculez Gomez for Gooch. I like the strategy, the US had to go for broke at that point. Plus, Edu is a better option than Gooch in central defense at this point. I am sure that it would create an uproar in the small but dedicated US soccer community if Bradley started Carlos Bocanegra or Clarence Goodson in place of Gooch but I would support the decision. Gooch is no doubt an impressive physical specimen, I just question if he can go another 90 minutes against Algeria coming off the major knee injury.

82' - Michael Bradley scores for the US to tie the game 2-2: Donovan played the ball long to Altidore, who perfectly nodded the ball towards an on rushing Bradley. Bradley pulled off one of the classiest toe pokes in World Cup history to tie the match. Can't say enough about how calmly Bradley slotted that shot. If the US advance, Bradley's 1st World Cup goal (8th international goal) will go down as one of the best in US soccer history.

86': Off a Donovan free kick, Maurice Edu bags a goal in the six yard box to put the US up 3-2. Wait...referee Koman Coulibaly continues his horrible performance by waving off the goal for a foul on the US. The replays show that at least four Slovenian defenders were absolutely mauling US players. If there was going to be a call, it should have been a penalty kick for the US instead of a foul against the US. It is hard to put into words how horrible of a decision Coulibaly made. ESPN has its talking point until the US plays again...if the US sputters against Algeria, everyone US fan is going to point to this decision as the turning point of the World Cup. If Edu's goal would have stood, it would have marked the first time in World Cup history that a team won 3-2 after going down 2-0 at halftime.

Final Thoughts: The US became the fifth team in World Cup history (the first since the 2002 World Cup) to tie a match after trailing 2-0 at halftime. The US should be happy with the result considering the US is 6-16-5 in World Cup history and has never won a World Cup game after trailing.

The US continued their futility against European teams in the World Cup running their record to 1-9-4 against European teams in the World Cup since 1990. If you were to tell me at half time that the US would have a chance to tie the game 2-2 and have a legitimate gripe about getting robbed on a third goal I would have called you crazy so US fans should be happy with the result.

Bring on Algeria and hopefully the knockout round!

US World Cup 30-Man Provisional Roster

You might be asking yourself, why is there a soccer post on the best Cheesehead Sports Blog on the web? First, I am a huge soccer fan so there will be a bunch of soccer content leading up and through the 2010 World Cup in South Africa which runs from June 11th to July 11th. Second, Jay DeMerit, a native Cheesehead, has a good chance of starting as a central defender for the United States.

After missing nine straight World Cups from 1954 to 1986, the United States is qualified for their sixth straight World Cup (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010) drawing Algeria, Slovenia, and England in Group C. Bob Bradley, the United States Men's World Cup Coach, took the first step towards filling his 23-man roster for South Africa by naming his preliminary 30-man roster:

Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, and Marcus Hahnemann

Defenders (9): Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Chad Marshall, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce, and Jonathan Spector

Midfielders (12): DaMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers, and Jose Torres

Forwards (6): Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Brian Ching, Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez, and Eddie Johnson

The household names that were left off the provisional 30-man roster were Freddy Adu, Conor Casey, and Charlie Davies. Bob Bradley is justified in leaving Adu off the 30-man provisional roster. Adu has never lived up to his hype and is more of a novelty than anything else at this point.

Conor Casey scored two goals against Honduras to help the United States clinch a berth in the 2010 World Cup berth last October. I am not surprised was left off the provisional roster but it is too bad for a guy that scored such crucial goals for the United States.

Charlie Davies was involved in a potentially life threatening car accident on October 13, 2009 and is still not match fit so his exclusion is not that surprising.

The United States plays friendlies against the Czech Republic on May 25th and Turkey on May 29th, which gives Bob Bradley two more chances, besides training, to evaluate the 30 men mentioned above before Bradley has to submit his final 23-man roster to FIFA on June 1. My best guess at the 23-man roster is:

Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, and Marcus Hahnemann

Defenders (7): Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Oguchi Onyewu, and Jonathan Spector.

Midfielders (9): DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, and Jose Torres

Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley, and Herculez Gomez.

Absent serious injury, if I were Bob Bradley, I would play these 11 guys in a 4-5-1 formation against England:

Goalkeeper: Tim Howard

Defenders (4): Steve Cherundolo (RB), Jay DeMerit (CB), Oguchi Onyewu (CB), Carlos Bocanegra (LB)

Midfielders (5): DaMarcus Beasley (LM), Maurice Edu (DM), Michael Bradley (CM), Landon Donovan (AM), Clint Dempsey (RM)

Forwards(1): Jozy Altidore

If you are interested in more soccer coverage, check back over the next few months for more World Cup coverage.