Adu and Altidore Headline Roster for U.S. World Cup Qualifying Match v. Cuba

Without further Adu, U.S. fans are finally getting what they want. Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, Charlie Davies, and the rest of the young guns have been called in to camp for next Saturday’s World Cup qualifying match. The United States will face Cuba at RFK stadium in Washington D.C. (7 p.m. ET, ESPN Classic).

The United States has won all three of their matches, and with one more win, will clinch advancement to the final stage of CONCACAF next summer. Their training is scheduled to begin October 5th in Washington D.C.

The U.S. Roster

GK (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF)

Defenders (8):  Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay Demerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyweu (Standard Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock).

Midfielders (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio), Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca).

Forwards (5): Jozy Altidore (Villareal C.F.), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy).

With advancement all but clinched, Bob Bradley has some freedom to experiment. Whether or not he will remains to be seen. U.S. fans have clamored for these young players to get their call after seeing 1-0 victories against Guatemala and Cuba. However, after a 3-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago, those cries were a bit muted.

The most probable line-up for next Saturday’s match is a 4-2-3-1:

Howard

Cherundolo – Onyweu – Bocanegra – Pearce

Bradley – Kljestan/Edu

Dempsey – Donovan – Beasley

Ching

Obviously this isn’t the most desired starting XI for U.S. fans, but how many times has Bob Bradley shown that he is playing for advancement to the next round, and not playing for the sake of development?

If he were to get a little crazy, Altidore would replace Ching in the starting lineup, perhaps bringing in Adu for Dempsey, and—here is the wild card—sub in Jose Francisco Torres for Beasley.

This is all hypothetical, and seeing as how I am not the National Team Coach, I urge you to make your own assessments.

The most interesting call up, in my opinion, is that of Charlie Davies. His inspired play in the Olympics against Nigeria really stuck in my mind. Granted he did come on as a sub against tired Nigerians, but he was stride for stride with every player on the pitch. I would really like to see him get some clock at some point in the qualifying campaign.

Speaking of getting clock, it seems the time has run out for Eddie Johnson. I am personally sad to see him go. That athleticism is coveted on the international stage, and Johnson has plenty to burn. It seems to me that his psyche has been shattered with his transfer last season to Fulham, followed by a loan deal to Championship side Cardiff City.

If he could get his mind right, I would like to see him put on the national jersey sometime in the future.

What do you guys think? Will Bob Bradley stick with his winning formula or will he let the young guys loose?

Thoughts, comments, and concerns are greatly appreciated.