USA 30-Man Roster Revealed, Davies Ruled Out

It has been a roller coaster for United States soccer team head coach Bob Bradley in deciding which players would fill his 30-man roster for the 2010 World Cup in Africa.

The injuries to star players Oguchi Onyewu and Charlie Davis have made it particularly difficult, with the US lacking quality depth in both the defense and forward positions, but Bradley feels certain players have stepped up at the right time.

One of the those players to play well of late is forward Eddie Johnson.

In the playoffs for his club team, Arias, Johnson scored three goals in the playoffs, and on top of that has international experience.

Johnson made two appearances for the US in 2009, and appeared in six games for the team in 2008, including starts against England, Spain, and Argentina prior to World Cup qualifying.

When asked about Johnson‘s recent play, Bradley replied, “Eddie has played well, particularly of late, we’ve watched him and has scored some important goals for his club team.”

This made the decision a bit easier for Bradley leaving Davies off the 30-man roster, however, it was evident that Davies progress was not where it needed to be with the World Cup a month away.

"We had information from his club, whereby he hadn't been given full medical clearance, and therefore was not given a full release to join the camp. And so when we put that together with everything, we just felt that right now, Charlie, it's in his best interest to continue his rehab, and continue so that he can get back to the level he was playing last year before the (car) accident.”

With Davies officially out of the running, and the US needing help up front, MLS forwards Robbie Findley and Edson Buddle received the nod, as well as forward Herculez Gomez, whose chances got better with Davies excluded.

Bradley remained optimistic about his club stating that “over the last three-and-a-half years as a team, we have had great experience as a team and I think we have grown and improved.”

Nevertheless, Bradley was pleased with the progress of Onyewu especially, after his club team, AC Milan, had penciled Onyewu into their 23-man roster for their next match.

Onyewu is a big piece of the puzzle if the US plans on going deep into the tournament, as without him they will have a difficult time scoring goals, and will also need to rely on their defense and goalie Tim Howard to go deep in the tournament.

Other players who were left off the roster included forwards Conor Casey and Freddy Adu, who some believe should have made the squad after playing well with Johnson on their Greek club team. It would have been a surprise to see Adu make it, because he has never made an impact on the national team, and has been way down on the striking chart for a while.

With a no go for Casey and Davies, additional places appear to have most likely gone to the Columbus Crew duo of defender Chad Marshall and midfielder Robbie Rogers. Marshall appears to have recovered from a hamstring injury just in time, and Rogers, despite enduring an inconsistent start to the MLS season, will get a chance to burrow his way onto the final roster.

The final 23-man US roster is set to be announced on June 1, so Onyewu and other players on the cusp will have a chance to make the most of their time in training camp.

 

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton)

DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS (12): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)