World Cup 2010: The 10 Biggest Questions Facing the U.S. Team

Can you believe it?

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is a less than a month away.

The build up has been intense, to say the least, but it seems like just yesterday that Zidane was headbutting the 2006 World Cup into the grateful arms of Marcello Lippi and the Italian National Team.

Still, June 11 is nearly upon us, and as club seasons end all around the world, soccer fans from all nations are in the final stages of scrutiny before the last month of preparation begins.

America is no exception.

Tomorrow, Bob Bradley is expected to name his 26-28 man camp roster. These men will show up to Princeton, NJ on May 17-23 for a pre-Cup camp to be followed by friendlies against the Czech Republic and Turkey. From these, 23 will make the trip to South Africa to represent the USA in South Africa this summer.

On the eve of this announcement, there are still many question to be asked of Bob Bradley and those players who will dress out in the Red, White, and Blue—all before camp and the friendlies have even been completed.

Here are the 10 biggest questions facing Bradley and the US Soccer team entering the final weeks before the World Cup kicks off.

#10 - Who pairs with Michael Bradley?

If anything about this US team is certain, it’s that Michael Bradley will be one of the starting central midfielders.

If you hear cries of nepotism, ignore them: Michael is the real deal.

Throughout qualifying and as a consistent starter for Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany's Bundesliga, Coach Bradley’s son has proven himself to be a useful, dynamic force in the middle.

His versatility will lend itself to some flexibility for his father’s lineup decisions. If Michael is to play a more advanced, attacking role, I would expect Maurice Edu or Ricardo Clark to be the other starter in the center.

Edu has had a great return from injury for Rangers, helping lead the way to a Scottish League title well ahead of Celtic, and he seemed to fit in well against the Dutch in March.

Clark has featured once this year for Frankfurt due to injury, but he was instrumental in qualifying and in last summer’s Confederations Cup.

Young Bradley can also play this defensive role, however, as a deep-lying midfielder focused more on tackling and distribution than spearheading the attack. If his father calls upon him in this capacity, look for Jose Francisco Torres or even Stuart Holden to be the other central midfielder.

Torres didn’t impress wholly in his appearance against Holland, but he is one of the bright young talents in the US Soccer system with superb passing range and a knack for sticking in long-range shots. Holden is more likely to start on a wing, but he played this attacking role well in last summer’s Gold Cup and could play here if Bob is seeking an offensive spark.

My prediction–Bob will probably play it by opponent, so Edu should get the nod against England, while Torres will start against Algeria and Slovenia.

#9 - Who makes up the back four?

This question is difficult to answer at this point because of injury concerns (more on that later).

If Oguchi Onyewu is fit, it’s hard to imagine Bradley won’t start him. Gooch suffered a rupture in his patellar tendon against Costa Rica in October, and he has still yet to feature for AC Milan. He has been in full training for a few weeks, however, and if he does OK in camp he should be in the center.

Left back is the biggest question for the US defense. Jonathan Bornstein was the American left back of choice for Bradley throughout the latter stages of qualifying after Heath Pearce fell out of favor. Bornstein’s performance, however, has seemed to discourage American fans everywhere—except for Bob Bradley.

Carlos Bocanegra, who normally plays center back for the US, is just as capable on the left, and Jonathan Spector can play there as well. Heath Pearce is a long shot to make the 23-man roster for South Africa, but he is an option as well.

I’d like to see Bocanegra there. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in experience, and he allows Jay DeMerit to start at center back. Spector slots in on the right, where his cross is a threat to opposing defenses.

If Gooch can’t go, I’d like to see Spector at left back and Cherundolo at right back, with DeMerit and Bocanegra paired at center back.

In other words, any lineup that leaves out Bornstein is one I can back.

#8 - Who will be this year’s breakthrough star?

In 2002, it was Landon Donovan.

In 2006, it was Clint Dempsey.

Who will emerge from the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the surprise American star?

Donovan and Dempsey are now our two most prominent outfield players worldwide, so expect this year’s breakthrough performer to be of similar quality.

I would say Michael Bradley is that player, but he is already a known entity in America and in scouting circles around the world, so he’s not really an option.

Stuart Holden, then, would be my first choice. The 24-year-old midfielder has all the tools to succeed on the world’s biggest stage—he is versatile enough to play anywhere in the midfield, he has superb vision and passing accuracy, he's not afraid to get stuck in, he can hit it from long range, and his faux-hawk is absolute quality.

But there's a problem—If Bob Bradley doesn’t want to play Dempsey up top, Stu could have trouble getting minutes.

If that’s the case, look for Jose Francisco Torres to be a stand out. Torres is supremely skilled and has a great footballing mind. Fans were disappointed by his effort against Holland, but if given the right role, Paco will be sure to shine.

#7 - Is Jozy Altidore ready to shine?

With Charlie Davies’ fitness unknown at this point, there is a dearth of depth at the forward position for the USMNT. That lack of depth heaps a ton of pressure on the broad shoulders of the young Jozy Altidore.

Jozy has star potential written all over him. At just 20 years of age, Altidore has played a full season in arguably the best league in the world, getting legitimate starter minutes and holding his own as a forward at Hull City. While some have criticized his play, and most notably his lack of goals, Jozy did quite well for Hull as a target forward, and his lone goal in Hull’s relegation struggle is more the fault of weak midfield distribution than Jozy’s lack of skill.

Still, the US needs Jozy to step up in South Africa, especially if Davies isn’t able to go. Jozy doesn’t even need to score necessarily, but his big frame, stellar vision, and creativity on the ball will be key for the US buildup. If Jozy can effectively hold the ball up against the likes of John Terry or Rio Ferdinand, then the US will have a chance to nip points off of England. Without a solid forward leading the line, however, we could see a repeat of 2006.

#6 - Who will provide depth?

The first XI of the US doesn’t concern me too much if Bradley plays his cards right.

Howard in goal, a back four of Bocanegra, Gooch, DeMerit, and Spector sitting behind a midfield of Donovan, Bradley, Edu, and Holden and a front line of Dempsey and Jozy—that sounds pretty good to me.

It’s the guys behind them who worry me.

Torres is a capable sub in the midfield, but the rest of our subs are total wildcards. Davies may or may not be healthy, Bornstein is unreliable, Clark has been injured, Cherundolo is aging, and the rest of the 23-man roster is too close to call.

If the US are going to advance out of the group stages and try to make a run in the knockout rounds, it will take more than 11 or 12 reliable guys to get us there.

#5 - Where will Clint Dempsey play?

Clint Dempsey is the key to the US run at the 2010 World Cup.

Forget Donovan, forget Howard, forget Bob Bradley or anyone else—Clint Dempsey is the X-factor. Where he plays will be crucial to how the US approach each game.

As a midfielder, Clint provides skill on the ball and solid passing range, and when he cuts inside on the ball he gives defenders fits. He also has a knack for sneaking in back door and poaching a goal or two, but he struggles to track back defensively, and against pressing teams he can disappear from the game altogether (see the Mexico from a year ago).

As a forward, he provides a solid combination of strength and speed, and he can operate as a target forward or a second striker. At Fulham Hodgson tends to use him in the forward position, mainly due to a lack of depth up top and an abundance of depth on the wing.

Sound familiar?

The US are facing a similar depth problem, and the solution is the same here as it is at Craven Cottage—play Clint up top. Even if Charlie is healthy, Clint is the best option alongside Jozy, and Charlie (or whoever is our next forward on the depth chart) will be more of a threat off the bench.

#4 - Will Capello settle England?

This is a question that directly concerns the US, even though we have no direct involvement in it.

Forget about the John Terry-Wayne Bridge fiasco—England have some serious questions to answer, too.

The two best English center backs in 2010—Michael Dawson and Ledley King—probably won’t see the pitch despite the suspect health of Rio Ferdinand and the suspect haircut of John Terry.

Regular starters Gareth Barry and Wayne Rooney are battling injuries, and England have uncertainties in the goal and at striker. Steven Gerrard is coming off the worst season of his career, Frank Lampard has never been great on the international stage, and Capello himself probably isn’t sure who will start on the right side of midfield.

Why does this concern the US? Well, if America can get even a point off England, their chances of advancing—and just as importantly, their confidence—increase significantly. Capello is no scrub, but the soap-opera drama in the England locker room reads like a script of "Dream Team" and could prove too much for him to handle.

#3 - Which Landon Donovan will show up?

Landon Donovan is the perfect microcosm of American soccer in the 21st century.

The good Donovan is like the good USMNT—capable of putting up world-class performances against top-notch competition. Landon’s run in the EPL this year for Everton is a nice parallel to the US run in last year’s Confederations Cup: Like the USMNT, Donovan exceeded expectations and made a name for himself with a run of stellar games against some of the best competition in the world.

Landon helped legitimize himself as a top-class player on the pitch, much like the US legitimized itself as a threat to any team in the world on any given day.

On the other hand, there’s bad Landon, the Landon who struggled in stints Germany, just like the 2006 USMNT suffered during its stay in Germany. That Landon (and USMNT, to hammer home the analogy for those who haven’t caught on) was timid on the field, childish off of it, and disappointed an excited core of American fans while boring an apathetic, bandwagon media.

Which Landon will we see in South Africa—Toffeecakes or Landycakes? I imagine that whichever Landon shows up will be echoed in the US performance as a team.

#2 - Will Bob Bradley measure up against opposing managers?

This is the most pressing concern for the USMNT—almost. Stay tuned for the final verdict, there.

Don’t go telling anyone, but I actually like Bob—he’s smart, he’s humble, and he’s been successful everywhere he’s been. He got us qualified without too much drama, and he was the man in charge in South Africa last summer.

However, Bob is no tactical genius, at least not from what I’ve seen. You can argue that he’s limited by a pool of players with limited skill sets, but his rigid 4-4-2, his refusal to play a true attacking center mid, his stubbornness in keeping guys like Casey (to whom I am grateful for the Honduras performance and nothing else), Ching, and Bornstein in and around the starting lineup, his overly defensive game plans against beatable opponents—these are all matters of great concern to me.

With someone like Fabio Capello staring from across the pitch, I wonder if Coach Bradley can take a game by the reigns from the sidelines and make the tactical adjustments and substitutions that can make the inch of difference between three points and one or one point and zero.

Here's to hoping he can.

#1 - Who will be healthy?

There's no question about it—health is the biggest question mark facing the US entering the 2010 World Cup.

The two biggest health concerns at this point are Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu. Stu Holden’s appearance as a sub in Bolton’s 2-1 victory over Birmingham City has removed him as an injury concern, but Davies and Onyewu are running out of time.

Gooch has been in training longer than Davies, but neither player has featured for their sides in real match play. Prognoses are better for Gooch, who seems to be less of a concern than Davies, but until either player sees the pitch, there is cause for worry. I imagine that we could survive without Onyewu if the rest of our back line stays healthy throughout the Cup. Bocanegra and DeMerit can hold their own in the central defense, and even Maurice Edu can fill in at center back should we desire to keep Bocanegra at left back.

Charlie, however, will be difficult to replace. His recovery from injuries suffered in October’s near-fatal car accident has been nothing short of incredible, but should the miracle all USMNT fans have been holding out for not be realized, a lack of depth at forward could sink the hopes of the US.

In addition to the current roster injuries, it will be crucial to keep our first 11 or 12 healthy in the pre-Cup buildup—camp, frendlies, and training—in order to improve on 2006's disappointing result.

Project 2010 may not have come to full fruition, but a healthy US squad could get beyond the group stages and possibly upset a Germany, Ghana, or Serbia (depending on group results).

Without our best players healthy, however, the task might be too tall for this year's side.