Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Atlanta United), Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge), Tim Howard(Colorado Rapids), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake). Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas), Tim Ream (Fulham), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City). Midfielders: Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Paul Arriola (Tijuana), Alejandro Bedoya(Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Fabian Johnson (Moenchengladbach), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic(Borussia Dortmund). Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Jordan Morris(Seattle Sounders), Bobby Wood (Hamburg) A bit of analysis 1. It appears that Horvath has leapfrogged the MLS goalkeeper candidates. 2. Hedges was called in over Zimmerman. 3. Great to see that Brooks, Johnson and Wood were called in, given their injury concerns. 4. Still no Lichaj. 5. Tim Chandler has been called. 6. Paul Arriola has been called again. 7. I will be at both matches.
Never sure how much to read into how the players' positions are listed, but I'm wondering if this means Johnson is going to be used as a midfielder, and if Villafana will be our starting left back.
That's some road trip! Well, not really if you live close to Colorado; I assume it's a direct flight from there to D.F. Regardless, that's awesome and I hope you return with 6 points, which would mean a great win in México.
Really? DMB and a Zusi as an RB still? Lichaj could be a back up for both positions and free up a roster spot. I hope he makes the GC roster at the very least. Can't really complain too much about the rest of the roster. Great to see we have apparently moved on from Jones. I would like to see the same for Bradley but I know that is unrealistic.
I agree with Lichaj for DMB/Zusi. Also, I think we need to add an extra forward, especially given that Wood has had some serious injury concerns. I probably wouldn't call up someone new like Ramirez, Sapong, or Dwyer. Other than that, I'm really happy with the group. Glad to see a large roster.
No Lichaj but Zusi and Beasely. /sigh Bruce you are concerning me. Slow veterans will not get you a result in Mexico. I said it before and i am sticking to it. You have the Gold Cup to experiment and after that your honeymoon is over. Calling in guys pushing 40 come World Cup time is concerning.
This is just a Jurgen roster with a couple of decent MLS players thrown in to the mix. Why did we bring in Bruce if he is going to do the same thing? I don't want to be one of those guys that moans about the rosters and manager all cycle long but I would have expected some additional creativity and we need to move on from a couple of guys here. Hopefully they still get it done vs T&T and actually play for a result in Mexico.
Because he will motivate the players. Give them clear instructions and deliver results. Its not the same thing.
It is the same thing. He's bringing the same players, using the same formations and they are playing the same way. It's the same. It's just a cosmetic change meant to make a few people feel better. When Bruce gets special results or makes serious changes to the roster we can talk. Soccer is a players game, not a managers game. There is nothing Bruce is doing that makes him a better manager unless staying quiet about MLS' relative lack of quality is being a better manager. My real gripe isn't Bruce so much as USSF bending to the will of some oligarchs/MLS owners because JK spoke up and said what needed to be said. That's my problem.
We'll make small improvements due to Arena being a slightly better coach, but the improvements will be going from likely not qualifying for the WC under Klinsmann to being one of the worst teams at the World Cup with this type of team. We need big changes. Until that happens, this team isn't going to do well at the World Cup.
Wood, Morris, Brooks, and Johnson were all pretty banged up and not in great form. Calling them up is a JK-style move.
Jones just and I mean JUST aged out and it's happening to Dempsey as well. A pair of eyes is not a special accomplishment or new insight. Bruce is right to move on from Jones but so would anybody with sense. This was NOT true last year when Jones and Dempsey were two of the best 4 US players in the Copa.