No Keller,no Friedel for Confed Cup (soccertimes.com)

[Father Ted]

http://www.soccertimes.com/usteams/2003/may15.htm

This probably means Tim Howard in goal, I wonder if Kasey/Brad will be available for the Gold Cup. If not, my question is what about long term...if Keller and Friedel do not play friendlies+gold cup+confed cup, then does that make Howard the number 1 keeper for the WC qualifiers? Afterall, if they dont play, they cant expect to join the team for the first WC qualifier.

[AndyMead]

Do Confed Cup rosters have 2 or 3 GKs? I'm guessing two.

I wouldn't be surprised to see one MLS and one non-MLS keeper. Hahnemann and Cannon will be both on be on summer break. If Keller and Friedel are out, then I wouldn't be surprised to see Howard and Cannon.

I guess the more interesting question begins to revolve around who the GKs will be for the Gold Cup.

[Ajax65]

Any chance that Arena will give Johnny Walker a call up?

[MLSNHTOWN]

I really don't think Arena will bring in Johnny Walker for the Gold Cup or the Confed Cup. If he is going to get a look it will be for a friendly that is meaningless. Right now our top three of Friedel, Keller and Howard are pretty much locked tight.

Cannon will get a look, as will Hahnemahn I imagine this summer. I wouldn't be surprised to see the #2 keeper in MLS (whether it be Brown, Thornton, Hartman, whomever) also be brought in for the tournies.

I just think J. Walker is in one of the few countries of the world where his results to date don't warrant a call in for a tourny. Just a friendly, if at all.

The US is way too strong in Keeper.

Side note, I thought he was considering applying for citizenship with Chile?

[AndyMead]

If Walker goes the summer without a callup for at least a friendly, I would not be surprised to see him play for Chile, now that he's been there long enough to become a citizen.

[todda74]

i think we are strong enough with MLS keepers to not have to worry about calling in Keller or Friedel. Until the final stages of WC qualifying I think the younger keepers should be given a chance. Howard and Brown seem to be the steadiest right now. I would like to see how a green MLS keeper reacts to being in Acteza stadium or some other central american stadium.

[BenC1357]

Ok, so Friedel is just "taking a break"? I mean, I understand Keller, he's having surgery. He's going to try to be back for the Gold Cup.

But Friedel? Come on dude, you're one of the best keepers in the world, and you cant get out there for three games in the best international tourament of the year? Is there something else I'm missing here?

[Kevin Etzel]

Originally posted by BenC1357
But Friedel? Come on dude, you're one of the best keepers in the world, and you cant get out there for three games in the best international tourament of the year? Is there something else I'm missing here?

Perhaps he just needs some time off.

[AndyMead]

I thought I read somewhere that Friedel was also going to have some very minor corrective surgery. I don't think it had to do with his vocal chords, though.

[yellowbismark]

Originally posted by BenC1357
Ok, so Friedel is just "taking a break"? I mean, I understand Keller, he's having surgery. He's going to try to be back for the Gold Cup.

But Friedel? Come on dude, you're one of the best keepers in the world, and you cant get out there for three games in the best international tourament of the year? Is there something else I'm missing here?

World Cup + Premier League season = well deserved break

[house]

Originally posted by BenC1357
Ok, so Friedel is just "taking a break"? I mean, I understand Keller, he's having surgery. He's going to try to be back for the Gold Cup.

But Friedel? Come on dude, you're one of the best keepers in the world, and you cant get out there for three games in the best international tourament of the year? Is there something else I'm missing here?


Didn't he have knee surgery during the season and rushed back? I imagine his body needs a break - and we need to get Howard in some meaningful matches...

[monop_poly]

Originally posted by BenC1357
Ok, so Friedel is just "taking a break"? I mean, I understand Keller, he's having surgery. He's going to try to be back for the Gold Cup.

But Friedel? Come on dude, you're one of the best keepers in the world, and you cant get out there for three games in the best international tourament of the year? Is there something else I'm missing here?

[Friedel's acquired British accent] "Club before country and all that" [/Friedel's acquired British accent]

Plus, next year Blackburn is in UEFA Cup. So, he's looking at a full schedule if they perform well.

[BenC1357]

If anything, I agree that we need to see how Howard performs in some meaningful matches against some of the worlds best.

Maybe Friedel deserves a break, but the Confed Cup is more than a month after his season ended, and would give him roughly a month and a half before his next season began. For a keeper, thats plenty of time.

[nancyb]

Originally posted by AndyMead
I thought I read somewhere that Friedel was also going to have some very minor corrective surgery. I don't think it had to do with his vocal chords, though.

The Grant Wahl article in SI implied that both Keller and Friedel are having surgery during the break.

[TheSlipperyOne]

Originally posted by BenC1357

Maybe Friedel deserves a break, but the Confed Cup is more than a month after his season ended, and would give him roughly a month and a half before his next season began. For a keeper, thats plenty of time.

Blackburn or any other EPL team Friedel may be playing for next season will come together to start pre-season training by the beginning of August. That's not that much time and the C-Cup isn't that important of a tournament. With WCQ, WC and EPL, Friedel has played the last 2 1/2 years without much of a break at all. Then more EPL and UEFA Cup and more WCQ. It's a well deserved break he's taking and that's not including if he needs time to recover from any type of surgery.

[RoverMax]

I will be VERY DISAPOINTED if Friedel doesn't at least play in one of the events. Is it that hard to play 3 games for your nation after you played 47 for your club team.

I should hope that you would put country before club, but it doesn't look like Friedel believes in that theory.

[worldsoccer-Jeff]

Friedel is out
Keller is out
Howard is in

But who is the number four keep for the USA? Someone else has to go to France this summer. Looks like Meola is out of the picture. It will most likely be a MLS keeper. Looks like the Bruce will be trying out everybody in the league until he finds someone he likes. If Adin Brown is called up agaist Wales, I think we will have a winner.

[yellowbismark]

With the way Hartman has played in some of the early MLS games, I wouldn't be opposed to giving him a call.

Does anyone think that they'll sit Friedel/Keller during the first round of qualifiers vs the cupcakes?

[Eliezar]

I hope we don't see Friedel at all this summer. Let Brad get some rest. In Europe they really have a season that is too long with too many games. I can't see much good coming from Brad playing, but it would be possible for him to get injured.

We'll have time to get Friedel or Keller enough games with the defense before real qualifying starts. I wouldn't be surprised to see Tim Howard get some starts in the first round of qualifying to save fatigue on Friedel and Keller. Besides BA seems to see noncallups as ways to develop a good relationship with club coaches.

[coach227]

Zach Thornton deserves another look in these friendlies and a possible callup for the tournaments, based on recent performance