Players: So after all of that in Part 1 you’re probably thinking that the US really, really sucks. Actually, they’re actually pretty good this year. Thanks to a long list of veteran players alongside some really exciting young players, I’m looking forward to them stepping up to the plate this summer. They no longer need to be afraid of the big teams, and no longer need to be surprised when they perform well against them. We’re beyond moral victories here. They need to be appalled when they lose to lesser teams and need to be disappointed when they underperform against the big ones. It’s that simple.
Landon Donovan – Attacking Midfielder
Landon Donovan, a.k.a. “Landycakes”, is the face of American soccer and is carrying the World Cup hopes of his team on his shoulders. At 28 years old Donovan has been around longer than any other player and is the all time leader is scoring (42 goals), assists and caps (100) for the US National Team.
In 1999, straight out of high school, Donovan attended the IMG Soccer Academy (part of the U.S soccer training program) and got noticed by the German club Bayer Leverkusen. Donovan became the youngest American player to be signed on by a foreign club but had a hard time adapting to the German game and lifestyle and was loaned to the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001. He flourished in the MLS and after returning to Germany he told Bayer he wanted to play in America permanently. Donovan was then transferred to L.A. Galaxy in 2005 where he still plays today and has won everything there is to win with an MLS club, including getting a chance to play alongside David Beckham. Recently during the MLS off season Donovan went on loan to the English club Everton where he made an immediate impact on the pitch. This is promising form going into the World Cup as he faced many international competitors on the field while in England.
In addition to Donovan’s club success, he has been a key player for the national team since 2000. He earned his first cap and goal against rival’s Mexico which solidified his place on the team. The 2002 World Cup was Donovan’s first international competition where he scored two goals named Best Young Player of the tournament and named to the All World Cup Honorable Mention team. Donovan was also a member of the disappointing 2006 World Cup Team. During 2010 World Cup qualifying Donovan scored 5 goals in 10 games securing their advancement to the finals and was a strong presence in the 2009 Confederations Cup with 2 goals.
Bottom line is that Donovan has great pace on the pitch and can set up goals like no one else. He has extensive international experience and can compete with the best of them. He will be the key to the US’s success in South Africa.
DaMarcus Beasley – Left Winger
Beasley has been a key player for the US national team and has enjoyed a lot of success playing in Europe but his international form lately has been lacking and there is speculation on whether or not he will make the trip to South Africa with the team in June.
Beasley got his start in the MLS with Chicago Fire but currently plays for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League. He has been a great scoring asset to the club at both club level and in the Champions League due to his pace and crossing abilities. His playing time with the Rangers has declined this season fueling the argument on whether his is fit to play with the US in the 2010 World Cup.
Beasley made his debut for the national team in 2001 and was named to the 2002 World Cup squad where he earned a starting spot on the team. Beasley was also on the 2006 World Cup team and was heavily criticized (along with Landon Donovan) for the team’s poor performance. He contributed 2 goals to the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and although his position is still up in the air he is still young with pace and could be a scoring threat in South Africa.
Tim Howard – Goalkeeper
Tim Howard is a solid goalkeeper and saves shots you would think he couldn’t possibly have a chance at. The 2010 World Cup will be the first time he is a starting goalkeeper (not a backup) and he is more than ready for the challenge. Howard earned his first cap for the US team in 2002 but did not make the 2002 World Cup roster. He was named to the 2006 World Cup team as Kasey Keller’s backup but never made a game appearance. Since 2007 he has been Bob Bradley’s number one choice between the goal posts and hasn’t disappointed earning 2 shut-outs against Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago during qualifying. He also earned a shut-out against #1 Spain in the Confederations Cup who hadn’t been held scoreless for two consecutive years.
Howard got his start in the MLS in 1998 with the New York MetroStars (now Red Bulls) and immediately made an impact winning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2001 and drawing the attention of Manchester United. He signed for United in 2003 and became their #1 goalkeeper where he had a great first season and then started to struggle. He moved to Everton in 2007 where he has been the #1 goalkeeper since blocking shots from some of the greatest strikers in the game.
Howard is a fearless goalkeeper and is a great defensive leader for the team.
Michael Bradley – Midfielder
Yes, he is the coach’s son, yes he was drafted by his dad as the 36th pick for the New York Red Bulls in the 2004 SuperDraft and yes he is one of the youngest most inexperienced players on the team but the kid does have some skills. In 2006 Bradley became the youngest American to be transferred to a European team and in 2008 broke the record for most goals scored by an American player in a single season surpassing Brian McBride. He currently plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German League.
Bradley made his US national team debut 2006 but did not land a spot on the 2006 World Cup team so 2010 will be his first World Cup appearance. He is a great attacking midfielder with the presence to track back and play defense when necessary but more often than not his temper gets the best of him. At the start of this year’s club season Bradley was suspended due to an argument with the manager over playing time (I’d like to see his dad suspend him). He was also sent off in the US game against Spain during the Confederations Cup resulting in him missing the final and he also received a 3 match ban due to confronting the referee after the game. Despite his flaws, Bradley has scored some very important goals both in the qualifying campaign with 2 goals against Mexico and the Confederations Cup. If he can keep his temper in check and maintain his scoring form Bradley could make an impact at the 2010 World Cup.
Carlos Bocanegra – Captain - Center/Left Back
Bocanegra is a no-nonsense defender who gets the job done and is an excellent leader on the field. He was the 4th overall draft pick in the 2000 MLS draft signing with Chicago Fire and moved across the pond to the English side Fulham in 2004. He was the 2nd leading scorer in the 2006/2007 season for Fulham with 5 goals which is a pretty record good considering he’s a defender. Bocanegra currently plays for the French club Stade Rennais.
Bocanegra earned his first cap for the national team in 2001 and became a key defender to the team solidifying his position in the squad. He was on the 2006 World Cup team and became first choice captain of the team in 2008. Bocanegra will be a key defender going into the 2010 World Cup and can never be counted out as a goal scoring threat by the opposition.
Maurice Edu – Midfielder
Edu is young and has only been playing professional ball since 2007 but he has made an impact in that short time. He was drafted by Toronto FC as first overall pick in the 2007 draft and won the MLS Rookie of the Year award. He had a breakout season with Toronto attracting the attention of Scottish Club Rangers where he has played since 2008 alongside DaMarcus Beasley. He suffered a knee injury in his first season with the Rangers but has since recovered and regained a first team spot scoring a 93rd minute winner against Old Firm rivals Celtic. If you don’t know anything about Scottish soccer this is huge.
Edu debuted for the nation team in 2007 and has never been to a World Cup. The only international competition he has played in were the 2008 Summer Olympics so he doesn’t have much experience playing against European teams but he’s a quick midfielder who creates a lot of chances so I hope Bob Bradley takes notice.
Stuart Holden – Winger
Despite the fact that Holden looks like he’s about 6, the 25 year-old has been contributing the national team since 2007. He was born in Scotland before moving stateside when he was 10. He spent two years at Clemson then went back to the UK to sign with British club Sunderland but never featured for the first team because he was attacked outside a bar in New Castle and suffered a fractured eye socket. He then headed back to the states to sign with the Houston Dynamo where he’s already won two MLS titles and become an invaluable part of the club. During this past MLS offseason he signed a contract with English club Bolton Wanderers where he has logged valuable minutes in the run-up to the World Cup before fracturing his fibula in the friendly against Netherlands back in February. He’s made a quick recovery and expects to feature in Bolton’s last two matches of the season and will hopefully be fit for this summer. He’s a versatile attacking midfielder and can play on either side of the pitch.
Jozy Altidore – Striker
Only 20 years of age, you can say a lot about this kid provided one of the things you say is that he scores goals and lots of them. He signed a professional contract with the New York Red Bulls before even graduating high school and became the youngest player to start in and score in a MLS playoff match at the age of 16. In the summer of 2008 he signed with Spanish club Villarreal for a record $10M for an MLS player and soon became the first American international to score in La Liga. Villarreal loaned him to Spanish club Xerez but he never featured for the club due to a minor injury. Last summer Villarreal loaned him out again, this time to English club Hull for the entire season.
For the international team he’s already scored 8 goals including three that I personally witnessed here in Nashville in a qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago as he become the youngest player in US history to score a hat trick. He also scored one of if not the most important goal in US soccer history last summer against Spain in the Confederations Cup on the way to upsetting the European giants.
Personally, Jozy is my pick to be the US’s standout player in this Cup. If he can score goals, and I believe he will, the US will cruise through the Group Stage. As young as he is he doesn’t show a bit of fear on the pitch, even against the World’s superstars, and that will be invaluable not just in the Group Stage but also when the US advance beyond.
On a side note, Altidore’s parents are both Haitian so Jozy joined Wyclef Jean and others on a week-long service trip to Haiti after the earthquake. Jozy is also featured on the cover of EA Sports FIFA 08 soccer game alongside the likes of Ronaldinho and Guillermo Ochoa.
Eddie Johnson – Striker
Johnson is lightning quick and at age 26 is one of a handful of veterans from the 2006 Cup. He started his career as the youngest ever draft selection in the MLS but had three inconsistent seasons with Dallas before being traded to Kansas City where he broke out in 2007 scoring 12 goals in 11 matches include back-to-back hat tricks – a first ever in the MLS. He garnered a lot of interest from European clubs but didn’t make the jump to England until January of 2008 where he bounced around between a few teams before landing in Greece on loan from Fulham this past December.
Johnson’s international career has certainly been more consistent. He started at the U-17 level, scoring 23 goals in 25 matches before making his first senior cap and goal in 2004. Since then he’s scored 12 goals including a hat trick against Panama a few years ago. Between Johnson, Altiore, and Davies below, the US has a pretty formidable trio of strikers. Individually they may not stand up to the likes of a Rooney, Torres, Villa, or Kaka, but collectively their whole is greater than their parts.
Charlie Davies – Striker
Born in 1986, Davies has just 16 caps and 4 goals in his young international career but after the Confederations Cup last summer he established himself as one of the most purposeful and electric players on the pitch for the US, scoring one goal against Egypt (off the keeper’s face, I might add) and generally causing a ruckus for the opposing team’s defense. Davies was a standout at Boston College for three years before entering the MLS draft. Before he was drafted though he went to Europe to sign with a club there, eventually landing with Swedish club Hammarby. He struggled in his first campaign but came on strong in his second, scoring 14 goals in 27 games. In 2009 he made the move to Ligue 1 club Sochaux in France but after only 6 appearances with the club he was seriously injured in a car crash in Washington DC. According to Wikipedia: “On October 13, 2009, Davies, who was in Washington, D.C. for a World Cup Qualifier game between Costa Rica and the United States, was a passenger in an SUV that went out of control on the George Washington Parkway and struck a metal railing at about 3:15 a.m., tearing the vehicle in half. The accident shut down the George Washington Parkway until 8:15 a.m. that morning. The accident killed a 22-year old woman who was in the car with Davies, while Davies himself suffered a lacerated bladder, fractured right tibia and femur, a fractured elbow, and facial injuries.”
Remarkably, not only has Davies recovered from his injuries but he’s returned to France to his club team and is expected to be back in action in May, which just might be enough time for him to be fit for the World Cup. If that happens and he makes the squad, not only will he be a huge inspiration to his teammates, he will be a huge factor on the pitch, especially when teamed up alongside Jozy
Clint Dempsey – Winger
At 27 Dempsey is one of the most decorated veterans on the national team. He started his career with the New England revolution in 2004 when he was named Rookie of the Year. He went on to have three extremely productive seasons in the MLS before making the move to Fulham in England where he’s been ever since. In fact, Dempsey was one of several US players on the Fulham squad two years ago, earning them the nickname, Fulhamerica. Known for his aggressive play and exceptional ball control, Dempsey often ends up being an opportunistic goal scorer, which is to say, he puts himself in the right place at the right time. He has the distinction of scoring the US’s only goal in the 2006 Cup (the other goal was an own goal by an Italian defender) and scored in three consecutive games against Egypt, Spain, and Brazil in last summer’s Confederations Cup. Dempsey is a regular starter with the national team now but on a personal note, he sometimes frustrates me with his ability to disappear in a game. I expect a player of his stature to have an impact every time he steps on the pitch. If he does this summer, the US will do well.
On a side note, Dempsey has recorded some hip-hop music under the nickname “Deuce” with his Texas-based group, The Screwed Up Click, who were featured in a Nike ad leading up to he 2006 Cup performing on of their songs, Don’t Tread On Me. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
Oguchi Onyewu – Central Defender
One of the baddest mofo’s on the US team, “Gooch” as he’s known, is also one of the toughest defenders and veterans on the squad. Now 28, he got his professional start in Europe in 2002 with French Ligue 1 side, FC Metz before being loaned to La Louviere in Belgium and eventually Standard Liege where he really made a name for himself getting named to the Belgian league’s Best XI and earning the best foreign player award in 2005. He had a brief stint in England with New Castle United before returning to Liege where they had a 29-match unbeaten streak and won two league titles in a row. Last year he made the jump to the Italian Serie A with AC Milan, becoming only the third American to do so in the modern era, but unfortunately only featured a few times for them before rupturing his patellar tendon in a WC qualifying match the day after Charlie Davies' horrible car accident. Remarkably like Davies, Onyewu is looking more and more likely to be fit for the Cup this summer. If so he will certainly anchor the defense just as he’s done for the better part of the last 6 years.
If there’s on criticism of his game it’s that he’s a bit slow and prone to fouling much faster, smaller opposing strikers. But no one will question his toughness and just about every opponent will think twice about going head to head with him.
Prediction: We’re not ready to be mentioned in the same breath as the European and South American super powers, but we are to the point where we can be dominant among the next tier of countries and occasionally take down a super power like we did last summer against Spain. Is England that next super power? On paper, no. In reality, it could very easily happen. I look for us to give England a run for their money and maybe, just maybe come away with a draw. The real goal for us is to not just win but dominate Algeria and Slovenia. If we advance as the runner-up out of Group C we can expect a showdown with super power Germany. Do I think we can win that? On paper, no. In real life though, I’m joining the Quentin Tarantino bandwagon this year by saying the Germans will get slaughtered by a bunch of Yanks. You read it here first.
No comments:
Post a Comment