The United States 23 Man World Cup Roster

Here is a player breakdown of the United States World Cup roster, chosen by head coach Bob Bradley:

Goalkeepers:

-Tim Howard-One of the top 5 goalkeepers in the world. A sure starter. USA will need him to come up big.
-Marcus Hanhemann-The backup goalie. Had an outstanding season with Wolverhampton in the Premier League.
-Brad Guzan-3rd string goalie because, while a good keeper, he rarely gets playing time with his club team, Aston Villa.

Defenders:

-Oguchi Onyewu-Just returned from a big time inury. Needs matches to shake off the rust of not playing for several months. He is the biggest question mark of the defenders.
-Carlos Bocanegra-The USA captain. Can play either at centerback or leftback. I would personally play him at leftback because that's where he has played for the last two seasons with Rennes in the French Ligue 1. He also has a bad habit of making one HUGE mistake per game at centerback. Good in the air on offensive set pieces.
-Jay DeMerit-Good, solid player who has had a few injury problems in the past year but it appears he has shaken them off. Should be a starter.
-Jonathan Spector-While he started consistently for West Ham at leftback, he was often criticized for his poor play. He could play either right or leftback for the USA. Susceptible to getting beat one-on-one but has pretty good recovery speed.
-Steve Cherundolo-The only defender left over from the '02 squad. TONS of experience at rightback. Good organizer and crosser of the ball. It appears he is the vice-captain of the USA. Struggles at times with speedy players. My projected starter at right back.
-Clarence Goodson-Solid backup central defender. Might even see a start or two in South Africa, depending on Onyewu's health. Tough tackler and ball winner.
-Jonathan Bornstein-the worst player on the team. Slow, poor decision-making, poor crosser of the ball, constantly getting caught out of position, and very poor at winning headers. USA will be in trouble if he gets on the field and we aren't winning 6-0.

Midfielders:

-Michael Bradley-Workhorse. Does nothing but hustle and give 100%. A defense first type of midfielder. Tough tackler, not afraid to get stuck in, and has a cannon of a long range shot. Needs to learn to smile.
-Maurice Edu-came back from a knee inury that kept him out of action from May-December '09. Had a good 2nd half of the 09/10 season with Glasgow Rangers. Good possibility of being the starter in central midfield with Michael Bradley.
-Stuart Holden-young right winger. Decent speed, good crossing ability. Lack of big game experience might be a question mark. Look for him to be subbed on if the USA needs better play from wide positions.
-Ricardo Clark-tough central midfielder, has a bit of a temper, decision-making is suspect. Offers very little going forward.
-Benny Feilhaber-looks good when playing centrally, doesn't do too much in wide areas. A very "hit or miss" type of player, but when he is on his game he brings good, creative passes to the midfield. His goal against Mexico in '07 is still one of my favorites.
-Jose Francisco Torres-good with possession and hold up play. He looks to get the important players the ball at the right times. Hopefully he can build on his 2nd half performance against Turkey. Starting central spot is between him and Edu.
-DaMarcus Beasley-had a bad run of games for the USA from mostly all of '08-June '09. Has had a few inury problems in the past year. Bob Bradley ignored him for several months because he was either injured or was not playing for Glasgow Rangers. But after watching him for the past few games he looks to have his head on right. Can be dangerous from wide left positions due to his speed. Look for him as a change of pace substitute or, depending on the tactics and line-up, a possible starter. This will be his 3rd World Cup.
-Clint Dempsey-A key player for the USA. Has grown by leaps and bounds since '06. Moved from a fringe player to a definite starter. Very creative in the "midfield-forward" role he likes to play in. Has a knack for scoring big goals in big games.
-Landon Donovan-where do we begin? The most important player on the roster. All time leader in goals and assists for the USA. Had an extremely disappointing '06 World Cup. Hopefully he can be the leader and offensive threat we need him to be. His ability to get others involved is a must. He can be dangerous at forward or anywhere in the midfield. This will be his 3rd World Cup.

Forwards:

-Jozy Altidore-the only sure starter at forward. He can be a little inconsistent at times. Can score but needs to prove it on the big stage. He needs to be involved early and often or there is a chance he might "phase out". Youngest player on the team at 20.
-Edson Buddle-has the best chance at starting alongside Altidore. Was the MLS goals leader at the time of roster selection. Has had good link-up play with Donovan at club level with the LA Galaxy.
-Herculez Gomez-the 1st USA player to lead a foreign league in goals (the co-leader in Mexico's Clausura with 10, but did it in less minutes played). Since most of his goals came off the bench, look for Bob Bradley to use him in the same manner if we are behind.
-Robbie Finley-fastest player on the USA team. Some consider him a suprise inclusion. Had a great '09 MLS season with Real Salt Lake. Did well against Turkey as a halftime substitute. Has a bad habit of dribbling into defenders rather than using his speed to get around them or exploit space. I believe he will be used as a change of pace substitute when a defense is looking tired. I would be very suprised if he started a World Cup game.