Road to 2014 Begins: 23 for Orlando

Torres is no attacking player - even a cursory glance at his career goal and assist totals or watching him should demonstrate that to anybody.

Neither Bradley or Arena would have have called a roster that defensive, so maybe I am old school in wanting the USMNT to have players actually capable of hurting defenses. Given that Gomez is simply a poacher (at best), that leaves only Shea, Donovan, Dempsey and Altidore with this ability. I hope Klinsmann isn't ready to give up and go defensive.

Once again, I pray that your assessment of his prognosticating abilities is inaccurate (and I think there is very little chance that Gatt will come and most likely that spot will be taken by a real forward, though I would drop a defender as well, since Fabian Johnson can cover a defender position.

My projected roster (trying to think like Klinsmann, though I don't really get him so far):

Goalkeepers
Tim Howard - Everton
Nick Rimando - Real Salt Lake
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa
Defense
Carlos Bocanegra - Rangers
Clarence Goodson - Brondby
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover
Timothy Chandler - FC Nurnberg
Tim Ream - Bolton
Oguchi Onyewu - Sporting Lisbon
Eric Lichaj - Aston Villa
Fabian Johnson - Hoffenheim
Midfielders
Michael Bradley - Chievo Verona
Jermaine Jones - Schalke
Danny Williams - Hoffenheim
Maurice Edu - Rangers
Jose Torres - Pachuca
Brek Shea - FC Dallas
Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy
Freddy Adu - Philidelphia Union
Forwards
Jozy Altidore - AZ Alkmaar
Herculez Gomez - Santos Laguna
Clint Dempsey - Fulham
CJ Saphong - Sporting KC

My point about Shea is that he did not fail with the U-23s. The team was set up poorly, but still scored a lot of goals, which is Shea's job, which he did adequately even though he is a little burned out (probably from playing in the off season instead of resting). He is seen as a failure either because the BSers declaring him as such had unreasonable expectations or he doesn't look like their expectation of a USMNT player.

Not really.........

Remember that Shea wasn't on the last USMNT roster when it was originally released.

He was called up later due to injuries.

When Jurgen has his full complement of players, Shea's not a starter. And may not be on the roster at all. We still haven't been able to get both Dempsey and Donovan on the field at the same time for quite a long time. Has it been since the Gold Cup final?

I think people are over-reacting to Brek's run in the first team. Is he going to remain in the pool and get some callups in the next year? Undoubtedly. (Other youngsters like Gatt, Corona, Diskerud, etc. will also) However, as JK leaves the "testing players" phase of the cycle to the WCQing phase of the cycle.............we're gonna see less of Brek.

And this comes from a diehard Brek fan. He needs to get back to FCD, and get back to the form he had over the first half of the 2011 MLS season. We have short memories on these boards. He finished 3rd in the MVP voting last year because he was ripping teams to shreds in the first half of the year. He hasn't played like that for a while...................

I suppose that depends on your definition of attacking. I don't think anyone would confuse him with Jones or Edu or Beckerman.

It's not. As I said, we can all have a few things we would change about the roster he projected, but its not off by a ton. Even yours only has about four or five different players.

He did fail though. His decision-making was horrible and his defense was lacking even if he made a few nice plays. That doesn't mean your concerns about the team setup aren't valid, but he was not successful as he has also been unsuccessful for FC Dallas recently and the full national team in most (but not all) of his recent appearances. I do have somewhat high expectations of someone who has been the only lock callup under Klinsmann and played at near MVP levels last year. I'm sure you can forgive me for that.

Assuming health by the time the team is picked, and doing what I think Klinsi will do, and not what I might:

Spector for Lichaj, Beckerman for Torres or Adu, Boyd for Saphong.

Obviously you have nailed it. The only reason everybody is picking so many DMs and defenders is because Klinsmann likes to do so. My prediction on the first page actually has 14 "defensive" players on it also, although Fabian Johnson is a legitimate tweener.

For example, the original Italy callup list was 13 "defenders" and 5 "attackers". The original France/Slovenia callup list was 13 "defenders" and 7 "attackers". (Note, I counted Fabian Johnson as a defender in both.)

So tell us who you would call in and who you would play that is less "defensive" and more Bradley or Arena like.

Klinsmann will likely start some variant of

..............Altidore.............
Johnson..Dempsey..Donovan
......Jones#8..Bradley#6......
Chandler..Boca..Gooch..Dolo

The Altidore-Donovan-Dempsey-Johnson spear is as potent as anything we have ever had.

The roster overall is defensive, not necessarily the starting lineup though as you've pointed out.

Torres is a unique player in the pool in some ways, but basically he occupiees a lot of the same space on the field as these guys. He is much weaker defensively and more precise with the ball, but he is a lot closer to them than he is to Donovan, Adu or Dempsey in terms of the role he plays. He is a table-setter, not a finisher or creator.

I will continue to pray that the prediction of the roster is off. The four or five different players makes a huge difference in how good the roster is, IMHO.

The USMNT has never been mostly about recent appearances and while Shea is not at his top form right now (and I blame JK and his insistence that Shea needed Euro training instead of rest), his competition isn't much either and his youth is worth investing in at this stage of the cycle.

GK: Howard, Guzan, Rimando

DEF: Onyewu, Bocanegra, Goodson, Ream, F. Johnson, Cherundolo, Lichaj, Chandler

MID: Jones, Bradley, Williams, Torres, Donovan, Edu, Shea, Corona

FWD: Dempsey, Altidore, Gomez, Boyd


ATM thinking this:

---------Altidore----------
Gomez---Dempsey--Donovan
------Bradley--Jones-------
Johnson------------Chandler
-------Boca--Onyewu-------
-----------Howard----------

Then who are the next 10 that you would add that would not be defensive? Then who is the game day 18? Who can be successful and help the team in the scheme the coach wants to play. Who do you want on the field if a starter goes down hurt.

If you go through that process you will see that most of the rosters comes to the same core 18 with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions.

I'm not sure of your question and if its to me specifically.
I agree that the core will be all the same. That's the other reason I thought bshredder's lineup was pretty likely and the fact that Martin Fischer's was slightly different makes it weird that Martin thought bshredder's was so horrible. The fact is, we probably know the 11-14 guys that are going to play. The end of the roster in a couple of WC qualifiers isn't as important as building a 23-man roster for a tournament.
In terms of your specific question, I'm sure there are quite a few more attacking options.
Adu or Beasley would be good attacking options off the bench. Lesser more risky options could be Boyd, Sapong, or Agudelo. They all are younger and with less experience, but could provide a different attacking type of option. That is more important than an 8th defender (for a short couple of games at least, not as much for a full tournament where you need more cover for injuries and cards).

I posted the following on a different thread, too, but it seems more fitting here:

Subject to changing circumstances, I'd select the following 23 for the friendly/qualifier roster. This is a time for proven pros and experienced internationals. Experiment time is over.

4-4-1-1 Starting XI:

------------------Altidore----------------
--------------Dempsey------------------
Donovan------------------------Chandler
------------Bradley----Jones------------
Johnson----Boca---Onyewu----Cherundolo
----------------Howard-----------------


Backups:

------------------Buddle----------------
--------------Adu----------------------
Shea*----------------------------Gomez
------------Edu----Torres--------------
Lichaj------Ream----Goodson---Williams**
----------------Guzan-----------------

* Very tempted to pick Beasley over Shea, but I don't think JK will.

** Williams is really another DM, but who can fill in as a back in a pinch. Chandler can also fill in as a back.

I don't really care who the 3d keeper is. I'd probably take Rimando.

I think Adu is my biggest reach, especially since JK hasn't show much interest. But I believe you need a different kind of option available off the bench, and Adu is different.


Alternates: Cooper, Wondo, Beasley, Beckerman, Whitbread, Cameron, Parkhurst, Kljestan and Spector.

I would save youngsters like Agudelo, Sapong, Boyd, Diskerud, Corona, Morales, Gatt, Hamid, Johnson, etc. for the October Qualifiers, if advancement has been assured.

You said the roster was "defensive" and I wanted to see your roster which was not defensive.

Martin Fisher after all his angst replaced Gatt with Adu which is pretty much a wash and replace Whitbread a marginal defender who was not likely to make the gameday 18 with Sapong a marginal attacker who is also not likely to make the game day 18.

Analyzing who to pick for the 23:

(3) GOALKEEPERS
Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Nick Rimando

Notes: This is pretty much set in stone or should be. Bill Hamid and Sean Johnson have received caps in the past but i believe we can all agree they are too raw at the current momement.

(4) FULLBACKS
Fabian Johnson, Eric Lichaj, Steve Cherundolo, and Tim Chandler

Notes: In my eyes, this has been set for awhile. While you can make the argument for Spector (and possibly Castillo) to be placed on the roster so one of Chandler or Johnson could replace one of the wingers, i believe this is our top four choices to have as fullbacks.

(4) CENTERBACKS
Carlos Bocanegra, Tim Ream, Clarence Goodson, and Zak Whitbread

Notes: Again, for me, this is set in stone...although i doubt it is so for Klinsi. I personally am against calling in Gooch for this one. Give the guy a break, he needs it and we don't have to have him for these games. Basically, the cons definitely out weigh the pros. Further, i believe it is time to give Ream another chance and we need to see what Big Zak can do if he can stay healthy. Solid options as back-ups would be youngster Seb Hines who i would call in before Gooch and also camp cupcake standouts: Michael Parkhurst and Geoff Cameron.

(3) DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDERS:
Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley, Daniel Williams

Notes: Maurice Edu was a hard cut, but if you slot the more versatile Williams into the CM spot, 4 CDM's is possibly overkill.

(2) CREATIVE MIDFIELDERS:
Jose Torres, and the undecided battle of [Freddy Adu, Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber, Mikkel Diskerud, Joe Corona, and Sacha Kljestan].

Notes: We need possession midfielders. More, Torres is a Klinsi guy so i have to give him a lock. Kljestan is the 2nd you-would-think-obvious choice due to his stellar play at Anderlecht but Sacha hasn't exactly translated his game from club to country...this may pave the way for Freddy Adu who was singled out by Klinsi after the olympics, Zusi who is on fire for Sporting KC, Feilhaber who has succeeded in this role in the past, and the other two starlets from OQ: Diskerud and Corona.

(3) WINGERS:
Landon Donovan plus two additions from the undecided battle of: [DaMarcus Beasley, Brek Shea, Josh Gatt, Robbie Rogers, and Jonathan Spector]

Notes: To me, Brek Shea needs a break from USMNT play. I am not saying drop him from the picture all together...but just let him focus on his club play for awhile. Also, Rogers is not good enough for the international game, but i understand he's a Klinsi' guy. Still, i hope Klinsi doesn't bring him. That leaves us two speedy wingers in young and promising newcomer Josh Gatt and the old veteran DaMarcus Beasley who is finding his form back at Puebla. While, i don't think Beasley will be much of a contender for the 2014 squad, i believe he could prove valuable in WCQ. Also, i would again note that i am not against the idea of moving Johnson to winger and bringing in Spector.

(4) FORWARDS:
Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Herculez Gomez, and the undecided battle of: [Sapong, Buddle, Boyd, Wondolowski, and Cooper].

Notes: This to me is the hardest one to decide...i could easily go either way on any of the selections right now. Boyd is raw but did well in OQ, Cooper has the physical attributes that most teams would dream of and is on fire right now, Wondo has been a consistent goalscorer in MLS but has yet to translate that to the international game, Sapong is extremely promising and has completely surpassed Bunbury in my book, and Buddle is the reliable veteran who has good chemistry with Donovan but is not in best form right now with the Galaxy. Honestly, it's a wait and see for me to select. There are also the outsider option of Agudelo, Estrada, and Wooten, but i believe with the competition right now for the last spot that they will not make it.
Also, Gomez better make this roster or it is a crime against nature.

I really like this. Heres a question though, what about swapping Torres for Jones? Or will the midfield get overrun?

Comparing to bshredder's roster personally, I'd add Beasley as I said instead of one of the backup defenders, probably instead of Whitbread. I'd also add Adu for Gatt. I'm not sure Klinsmann would make either of those two changes though. In a qualifier, I'd rather have someone with experience in qualifiers and someone who can make an impact off the bench. But back to my other point, the end of the 23-man roster is unlikely to have an impact on either of the first two qualifying games.

That would be the concern particularly against a team like Jamaica that can be very fast and physical.

Torres and Edu were over ran against Belgium and frankly it took Edu's closing speed and range to shut down several Belgium threats.

Injuries updates; bad:

-Spector hasn't played since the middle of March due to his thigh injury.
-Whitbread hasn't played since the end of March due to his calf injury.
-Parkhurst hasn't played since the beginning of April, not sure what his issue is.

and good:

-Onyewu is back from his knee injury.
-Gomez is back from his groin injury.
-Donovan seems to have recovered from his nagging injuries.

The obvious beneficiary of the Spector injury is Lichaj. While the center back injuries may open a spot for Cameron if Klinsmann wants to take 5.

GK: Howard, Guzan, Rimando

DEF: Onyewu, Bocanegra, Goodson, Ream, F. Johnson, Cherundolo, Lichaj, Chandler

MID: Jones, Bradley, Williams, Torres, Donovan, Edu, Corona, Shea

FWD: Dempsey, Altidore, Wooten , Boyd

I'll take Beasley over Corona, and Gomez over Wooten. And possibly Buddle/Sapong/Wondowlowski over Boyd, but that's a toss up.

First 11 (and second 11 in parens):

Goalie: Howard (Guzan)
Left back: Johnson (Castillo)
Right back: Cherundolo (Lichaj)
Centerback: Boca (Ream)
Centerback: Gooch (Goodson)
6: Bradley (Edu)
8: Torres (Jones)
Right attacker: Chandler (Adu)
Left attacker: Donovan (Shea)
9: Altidore (Boyd)
10: Dempsey (Gomez)

Third goalie: Rimando

I think JK will relax the size constraint and add two or three more. The ones most likely to be added are: Beckerman, Wondo, Williams.

I would love to see Mix called up, but unless there are some injuries I think he'll get caught up in the numbers game.

Parkhurst is dealing with a broken toe though the club do not seem to think it is that serious.

Williams out 4-6 weeks with a shoulder injury.

My guesses at the central midfield selections were williams, beckerman, bradley, edu, jones. Leaves room for Torres, Corona, or Kljestan. Klinsmann used Williams as more of a utility player playing typically as a runner on the flanks. Joe Corona would probably be the best fit for such a role as he can play centrally and on the flanks.

With Williams out injured, I think Beckerman will definitely get called up. Which gives us 5 center midfielders to work with: Jones, Bradley, Torres, Edu and Beckerman. And a number of potential wingers: Dempsey, Donovan, Beasley, Shea, Fabian Johnson, and Timmy Chandler. The important thing is that there will be competition at all positions. (I think Bobby Convey would be a better pick than Shea, given his experience and current playing level, but I'm probably in the minority on that one.)

Goalie: Howard (Guzan)
Left back: Johnson (Castillo)
Right back: Cherundolo (Lichaj)
Centerback: Boca (Ream)
Centerback: Gooch (Goodson)
6: Bradley (Edu)
8: Jones (Torres)
Right attacker: Chandler (Gatt)
Left attacker: Donovan (Beasley)
9: Altidore (Wondo)
10: Dempsey (Gomez - maybe Zusi or Corona or Freddie - obviously, based on u-23 play)

With the presence of Johnson giving us another outside mid option, I'd be tempted to leave out one of the outside mid back ups. And add an extra 9 or 10. So, really, for me it would be Beasley, Gatt, Gomez, Zusi, & Corona fighting for the last spots.