The buzz surrounds South Florida native Jozy Altidore, who despite only being 18 is slowly solidifying his spot on the roster, and is the pride and joy of the MLS' Red Bulls, and is playing in Spain next season. 19-year old Freddy Adu (who is currently playing in Portugal) has shown a real knack for playing an attacking midfielder role, as well as being a forward who can distribute the ball.
Look for MLS's Brian Ching and Clint Dempsey—currently under contract with Fulham in England and the only American to score in the 2006 World Cup—to be in the mix as well. Though neither did much this summer, both have shown in the past that they can put the ball in the net.
MLS youngster Chris Rolfe may get a look, but his size (5-foot-8) and inexperience might not fit into Bradley's plans. There still has not been a Kenny Cooper sighting, either.
MIDFIELDERS
Alas, the most notable problem with Bob Bradley's squad...too many midfielders, not enough roster spots. The U.S. team is littered with mids.
There is reason to believe the outside wing positions are solidified in DeMarcus Beasley (LM), who plays in Scotland, and Landon Donovan (RM), but the central midfield is still wide open, largely because no one has claimed a starting role.
Michael Bradley—who played in Holland this season—has been very good at times, but his strength lies mostly in attacking rather than holding. Coach Bradley tends to prefer both central mids to hold, which is the safe choice.
Bobby Convey and Eddie Lewis are chiseled veterans who both played in England this season, but are more comfortable on the outside. Sacha Klejstan of the MLS hasn't done much to prove himself yet, either, no matter where Coach Bradley places him.
Bradley's real dilemma is that he has way too many defensive minded, holding midfielders who are better at tackling and dispossessing than anything else: Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Pablo Mastroeni, and Brad Davis (all playing in the MLS) and Benny Feilhaber (playing in England) have all played significant roles in the middle since 2006, but who will represent the team in 2010?
Against Barbados in game one, M. Bradley and Mastroeni got the nod, and with the coach tinkering with Dempsey and Adu in the midfield, everything stays a bit muddy. There's a good chance there will be players left out who never even got a chance to prove themselves.
DEFENDERS
Coach Bradley frequently used a formidable back line of (from L to R) Cherundolo, Onyewu, Bocanegra, and Pearce. All four play for club teams in Europe.
Reserves beyond those four haven't proven their worth thus far. Demirit, Spector, and Califf (who play in Europe) and Moor, Hedjuk, and Parkhurst of the MLS have all seen playing time, but none stood out.
For Hedjuk, a defender who loves to attack rather than hold his line, this may be his last hurrah. Will an aging Jimmy Conrad or the young Eddie Robinson, both playing in the MLS, get chances to prove themselves next month against Guatemala?
GOAL KEEPERS
This is the one position that the US can safely say is A-OK. The GK position has long been America's strong suit, as great goalies have stood between the posts for the US since the early 90's, with the likes of Tony Meola, Brad Friedel, and Kasey Keller. These gentlemen saved the Americans' backsides time and time again.
But the great thing about the U.S. situation is that the group always seems to be remarkably deep. This year, it's no different. Tim Howard had a fantastic season for the EPL's Everton and is the starter for now, but Brad Guzan (EPL) is nearly as good, and Ries (MLS) and Hanneman (EPL) are also available and very able if called upon.
TIME TO TAKE A GUESS
Now that the dance has begun, it's time to take an educated, albeit meaningless, stab at who the competitors will be. Coach Bradley is an old-fashioned 4-4-2 guy, regardless of his tweaking and tinkering. One of his central midfielders is going to have to come up and attack, though, if this team expects to score goals in South Africa.
GK: Tim Howard
WBs: Heath Pearce, Steve Cherundolo
CBs: Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra
WMs: DeMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan
CMs: Pablo Mastroeni, Michael Bradley
Fs: Clint Dempsey, Freddy Adu
Key Reserves: Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Brad Davis, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Ricardo Clark, Bobby Convey, Jonathan Spector, Danny Califf, Eddie Robinson (or Jay Demerit) and Brad Guzan.
This might be what the team looks like in 2010. Then again, maybe it won't...
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