US World Cup ladder, version 3.0

Now that the US has qualified for the World Cup, it’s time to update the World Cup ladder. There are a couple of things that must be taken into account. The first is that Charlie Davies is, in all likelihood, not going to play in South Africa, despite a terrific summer and first couple months of the season in France. That is due, of course, to his injuries sustained in a car accident. the second is that Oguchi Onyewu tore his patellar tendon, meaning he’ll be out for 3-4 months. Assuming the worst, he’ll be back with AC Milan in mid-February 2010; if he looks good in training and gets some playing time, there is no doubt he’ll start for the US in June in South Africa. If, however, he continues to play 1 of every 10 games, he might not play right away for the US. So, really, we’ll have to shelve that until February/March. How does that impact the ladder? I don’t see any way that Onyewu isn’t on the roster so I’m going to leave him where he has been since I started this project.

Red = moved down; green = moved up; previous position in parentheses.

1. Landon Donovan, M/F

2. Tim Howard, GK

3. Oguchi Onyewu, D

4. Michael Bradley, M

5. Clint Dempsey, M/F

6. Carlos Bocanegra, D

7. Jozy Altidore, F (8)

8. Ricardo Clark, M (10)

9. Benny Feilhaber, M (11)

10. Stuart Holden, M (12)

11. José Francisco Torres, M (16)

12. Conor Casey, F (23)

13. Jonathan Bornstein, D (19)

14. Brad Guzan, GK (15)

15. Kenny Cooper, F (21)

16. Robbie Rogers, M (22)

17. Steve Cherundolo, D (20)

18. Jay DeMerit, D (9)

19. Jimmy Conrad, D (38)

20. Jonathan Spector, D (16)

21. Sacha Kljestan, M (24)

22. Brian Ching, F (14)

23. Clarence Goodson, D (17)

24. Chad Marshall, D (13)

25. Charlie Davies, F (7) *injured, unlikely to play in WC

26. Jermaine Jones, M

27. Luis Robles, GK

28. DaMarcus Beasley, M (25)

29. Heath Pearce, D

30. Maurice Edu, M (31)

31. Marvell Wynne, D (33)

32. Michael Parkhurst, D

33. Sam Cronin, M (35)

34. Kyle Beckerman, M (28)

35. Davy Arnaud, M (36)

36. Danny Califf, D (34)

37. Jay Heaps, D

38. Santino Quarenta, M/F (30)

39. Troy Perkins, GK

40. Freddy Adu, M

World Cup Qualifier: USA 2-2 Costa Rica

Celebrating Jonathan Bornstein's goal (Getty Images)

Jonathan Bornstein.

Let that sink in for a second. Jonathan Bornstein.

It was Bornstein who rushed the box and put José Francisco Torres’s corner kick into the back of the Costa Rican net. The keeper, K Navas, who had played so well all night long, was helpless. Bornstein was unmarked.

It wasn’t a great game by any stretch. There were long stretches of US dominance; the Ticos’ bacon was saved by their keeper, who was a punching fool (though that was tremendously effective). In reality, Costa Rica’s goals came from two great plays by Bryan Ruiz in a span of 3 minutes. That was it. The rest of the match was Costa Rica hanging on for dear life.

The Ticos handled the US pressure for 85 minutes. And then they imploded. Their manager and assistant manager were sent off for delay of game. They looked confused at the end of the match and everything became so wide open that the US got a ton of open space. That cost the Ticos dearly.

“Char-lie Dav-ies!”

Number 9’s presence was visible throughout the match. Not only in the 9th minute, when the fans stood and saluted for the entire minute, but everywhere, including through Jozy Altidore’s jersey on a rainy night (he had a shirt underneath that read DAVIES 9). I hope Davies got a chance to see that from his hospital bed.

Other CONCACAF notes…

Mexico finishes second in the group after drawing with Trinidad and Tobago. Costa Rica will play Uruguay in a playoff next month to determine who will get the final spot from the Americas.

Charlie Davies seriously injured in car crash

Charlie Davies

Horrible news as I got back into the swing of things from a little mini-vacation: Charlie Davies was involved in a one-car crash in which another passenger was killed. He underwent surgery for a broken right femur and tibia, a broken left elbow, facial fractures and a lacerated bladder. The recovery time is between 6 and 12 months, though it might be decresaed by his excellent fitness level.

On another level, this means Davies probably won’t be playing in the World Cup next summer. It also means he’s likely out for the rest of the French league season (he plays for Socheaux). He is a huge loss for both club and country.

Get well soon, Charlie. I can’t wait to see you on your feet again.

US World Cup ladder, version 2.0

Here’s the updated version of the World Cup roster ladder for the United States. There were a bunch of changes in the middle but the top remains mostly unchanged. At this point, with the US at the top of CONCACAF qualifying (I’m assuming Honduras won’t beat Mexico in Mexico City tonight), there’s really only one starting position up for grabs: left back. Other than that, the bench needs to be filled out, likely with 2 keepers, 4 defenders, 4 midfielders, and 2 strikers, though versatility will play a role.

With that said, here’s version 2.0 of the US World Cup roster ladders (red = moved down, green = moved up).

1. Landon Donovan, M/F

2. Tim Howard, GK

3. Oguchi Onyewu, D

4. Michael Bradley, M

5. Clint Dempsey, M/F

6. Carlos Bocanegra, D

7. Charlie Davies, F (9)

8. Jozy Altidore, F

9. Jay DeMerit, D (7)

10. Ricardo Clark, M

11. Benny Feilhaber, M (12)

12. Stuart Holden, M (17)

13. Chad Marshall, D

14. Brian Ching, F (15)

15. Brad Guzan, GK (14)

16. Jonathan Spector, D (11)

17. Clarence Goodson, D (16)

18. José Francisco Torres, M

19. Jonathan Bornstein, D (21)

20. Steve Cherundolo, D (19)

21. Kenny Cooper, F (20)

22. Robbie Rogers, M

23. Conor Casey, F

24. Sacha Kljestan, M

25. DaMarcus Beasley, M

26. Jermaine Jones, M

27. Luis Robles, GK

28. Kyle Beckerman, M

29. Heath Pearce, D

30. Santino Quarenta, M/F

31. Maurice Edu, M

32. Michael Parkhurst, D

33. Marvell Wynne, D

34. Danny Califf, D

35. Sam Cronin, M

36. Davy Arnaud, M

37. Jay Heaps, D

38. Jimmy Conrad, D

39. Troy Perkins, GK

40. Freddy Adu, M

World Cup Qualifying previews

Jay DeMerit (ISI Photos)

Bad news and good news for the US: Jay DeMerit, Oguchi Onyewu’s central defense partner, has been left home as the rest of the squads travels to Trinidad to take on Trinidad and Tobego tomorrow night. Perhaps that’ll give someone else a chance to make a good impression. Good, or perhaps just interesting, news is that Edgar Castillo, a Mexican-American left back, has been cleared by FIFA to play for the United States. Perhaps he’s the best option at left back now that Jonathan Bornstein has totally crapped the bed.

As an aside, Grant Wahl has a good Q & A session with Bob Bradley here. It’s well worth checking out.

A re-energized Mexico takes on Honduras at Estadio Azteca. I think that as much as Javier Aguirre has helped the team, the real key has been Giovani dos Santos’s (re)emergence as an attacking force. He’s been on fire since the Gold Cup which hopefully means his club career will be re-ignited.

In CONMEBOL, it’s do or die for Argentina against Paraguay tomorrow night. Perhaps literally. A must-win game means that Diego Maradona and his boys will be under tremendous pressure. I’m not sure if any of them would be welcome back in Buenos Aires if they lose.

In UEFA qualifying, Don Fabio is thanking Slaven Bilič for saying his team lacks “Englishness” since the Italian took over. There are calls to start Jermain Defoe but I don’t think that’s a good idea.  Look for David Beckham to get his 114th cap, though.

US World Cup ladder

The higher you are, the more assured you are of a place on the team. I have not taken positions into account so there may be more of one position than necessary, meaning that someone at position 26 could make the World Cup roster for depth reasons.

1. Landon Donovan, M/F

2. Tim Howard, GK

3. Oguchi Onyewu, D

4. Michael Bradley, M

5. Clint Dempsey, M/F

6. Carlos Bocanegra, D

7. Jay DeMerit, D

8. Jozy Altidore, F

9. Charlie Davies, F

10. Ricardo Clark, M

11. Jonathan Spector, D

12. Benny Feilhaber, M

13. Chad Marshall, D

14. Brad Guzan, GK

15. Brian Ching, F

16. Clarence Goodson, D

17. Stuart Holden, M

18. José Francisco Torres, M

19. Steve Cherundolo, D

20. Kenny Cooper, F

21. Jonathan Bornstein, D

22. Robbie Rogers, M

23. Conor Casey, F

24. Sacha Kljestan, M

25. DaMarcus Beasley, M

26. Jermaine Jones, M

27. Luis Robles, GK

28. Kyle Beckerman, M

29. Heath Pearce, D

30. Santino Quarenta, M/F

31. Maurice Edu, M

32. Michael Parkhurst, D

33. Marvell Wynne, D

34. Danny Califf, D

35. Sam Cronin, M

36. Davy Arnaud, M

37. Jay Heaps, D

38. Jimmy Conrad, D

39. Troy Perkins, GK

40. Freddy Adu, M

Chad Ochocinco: soccer player

Chad Ochocinco

In pre-season NFL game on 20 August 2009, Chad Ochocinco (neé Johnson) morphed into a kicker. He booted a 61-yeard kickoff (which is as far Stephen Gostkowski, the Patriots All-Pro kicker, kicked his kickoff) and an extra point. Sure, as the great Peter King notes,”lots of NFL players can walk off the street and kick an extra point.” But how many can boot a kickoff that far?

The answer lies in Ochocinco’s background as a soccer player in Miami, FL. “Soccer’s my first love,” Ochocino said to King. “I only gave it up my freshman year in high school because it was time to get serious about football as a career.”

Imagine Ochocinco as a striker on the US National Team. He’s a bigger, more powerful Jozy Altidore. I don’t think Ochocino would have any trouble succeeding in Europe, even against the biggest and most talented center-backs.

And the hand-wringing begins

Charlie Davies v. Mexico (Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images)

I suppose it’s not a uniquely American trait, the intensive self-analysis and self-criticism. I suppose that the Mexican capacity for self-criticism – and any country where soccer is king, really – is more than even that of the United States. But there’s something about US soccer writers.

Take this story, for example. Once again, it boils down to the US taking that mythical next step. I’ve been reading that since 2006, though it probably existed before that. The argument is simple: the US is, and has been, the best team in CONCACAF for a number of years. Therefore, it should show that by, for example, qualifying easily for the 2010 World Cup. Except the problem is that Mexico has the best players.

This article blames inconsistency. I can respect that even though it offers no solutions. We need to be pro-active at this point. Why is the team so inconsistent? What’s the key factor that allows a team to get blown out by Costa Rica yet lead Brazil at half-time?

The easy excuse is fitness: this player or that player isn’t fully fit, something I heard a lot on Wednesday on Mun2. I don’t think it’s that. Every player on both teams was coming off a full summer of soccer. Another easy excuse is the coach. Bob Bradley’s job is safe; he won’t be fired. What someone needs to do it convince him to employ tactics similar to those of the first 15 minutes against Mexico for a longer period of time.

I think, at this point, the US needs to push the envelope. I’d like to see them come out in September and take the game to their opponents. I don’t want to see the passivity that led to early goals in the last 3 World Cup Qualifiers (I’m including Wednesday, when Castro scored at 19 minutes).

Above all, the team can’t get complacent. Instilling an attacking, aggressive mentality will prevent that.

World Cup Qualifier: Mexico defends its turf

Isreal Castro scored a very impressive goal v. the US on 12 August 2009

To its credit, Mexico defended its home turf today, defeating the United States 2-1 in World Cup Qualifying.

To his credit, Bob Bradley took my advice and attacked early. He got the goal he wanted but the United States couldn’t hold the lead.

To their credit, the Mexican attackers did their job: holding possession and creating chances, using their home-field advantage, especially the altitude, to the fullest extent. I was impressed with Andrés Guardado, who backed up his pre-match words (sorta), and Giovani dos Santos, who built on his Gold Cup performance. Surely the Tottenham bosses have noticed now.

The first half was very entertaining with 2 good goals. I liked how the US played because they did what they had to do: go for the early goal. And they got it. Sadly, 10 minutes later they got beat by an outstanding shot which showed me that Mexico didn’t abandon their gameplan. That was a key moment.

The second half was less impressive. Fatigue set in and wise substitutions by Javier Aguirre set Miguel Sabah up to score Mexico’s second goal, a strike made by Juárez’s excellent run past Landon Donovan. All in all, it was an impressive performance by the home side.

Quick notes: the refereeing was awful again: it lacked consistency, which showed, again, that CONCACAF referees aren’t very good … the coverage by Mun2 was good for a first effort; relentlessly promoting their programs was par for the course but very annoying in the end.

World Cup Qualifier: US-Mexico preview

Clint Dempsey

Tomorrow, on 12 August, the US will take on Mexico in Estadio Azteca (4pm on Telemundo and Mun2) in what amounts to a crucial World Cup Qualifier for both teams. The US is currently in second place with 10 points (2 behind leaders Costa Rica) while Mexico is in 4th place with only 6 points from 5 games. Suffice it to say that Mexico does have something to prove.

Despite the 5-0 Gold Cup Final win, Mexico is under more pressure because they’re in that precarious 4th position (the team in 4th has to play the CONMEBOL 5th-place finisher to get into the World Cup; incidentally, Costa Rica is taking on Honduras in a battle of first v. third, which means there could be a lot of movement in the standings tomorrow; but I digress).

Mexico is riding a wave of confidence. Look at Andrés Guardado’s ill-advised statements the other day: “Of course we will win, 3-0,” Guardado said. “We have players of high quality and you can see that the team has prepared well, now there is only the question of showing it on the field on Wednesday.” Confidence is good; deliberately inflaming your opponent isn’t very smart, though.

The US has something to prove, too. In no particular order, they need to prove that they can play well and win at Azteca and they need to prove the it was the Gold Cup, rather than the Confederations Cup, that was the fluke. It’s also important that the US doesn’t backslide into the form of previous World Cup Qualifiers (i.e. allowing a goal or two in the first 15 minutes).

If Bob Bradley is smart, he’ll take the game to Mexico and try to take the crowd out of the game while scoring first. I know why Mexico plays its most important games at Azteca: a massive crowd and a high altitude. Add to that Mexico’s skill and you can see why they rarely lose there. Mexico will play their game and look run the US out of the stadium. In all likelihood, they will be successful, even though Rafael Márquez is out with a hamstring injury.

I’m not going to predict a final score but I think it will be a close game. I also think Mexico will win and throw the CONCACAF qualifiers into a glorious mess.