It's all-too easy to get caught up in the post-World Cup hangover. When the words "four-year cycle" are thrown around, the slow climb toward Brazil 2014 can feel like an eternity.But this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup is a crucial event. Although the regional tournament is a biennial affair, many countries send their best personnel only to the edition that occurs the year after the World Cup, when a berth in the next Confederations Cup is at stake.
The very youthful pool of players summoned to Carson, Calif., by U.S. coach Bob Bradley ahead of Saturday's friendly against Chile (10 p.m. ET, TeleFutura) clearly indicates that he has one eye on the more-distant future. But Bradley surely will be using the other to evaluate certain players for his 23-man Gold Cup roster.
If these eight players manage to show something against the Chileans and carry that momentum forward, they just might join Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and the rest of the varsity squad in June.
Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit, two center backs who didn't miss a minute of action in South Africa, each will be 34 years old come 2014. That in mind, it's safe to assume Bradley would like to inject some youth into central defense. And the 22-year-old Gonzalez (photo), an MLS defender of the year finalist, looks like an ideal candidate.
At 6-5, he possesses the necessary physical tools to succeed. But as Gonzalez's up-and-down international debut against Brazil in August revealed, he still has a way to go when it comes to his distribution out of the back and man-marking.
Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls)
If Bradley isn't impressed by Gonzalez's athletic prowess, he might find Ream's uncanny composure and organizational expertise more to his liking. A 2010 rookie of the year finalist, Ream played every minute of New York's worst-to-first campaign that was in full force long before the celebrated midseason signings of Thierry Henry and Rafael M�rquez.
Ream and Gonzalez seem to complement each other quite well, and U.S. fans will probably see the pairing work together against Chile. Still, it's hard to imagine Bradley taking two inexperienced center backs to the Gold Cup, so they could very well end up competing against each other for a spot.
Incumbent Steve Cherundolo has the right back spot clamped down for the foreseeable future. Behind him, there waits a stable of talented defenders, including West Ham's Jonathan Spector and Aston Villa's Eric Lichaj, trying to position themselves to take over when the time comes.
All of this said, Franklin still has a chance thanks to his speed and overlapping vigor. The biggest disadvantage for the 25-year-old? Bradley's reluctance to position right-footed players at left back. As a result, there's a chance just one out of Spector, Lichaj and Franklin will represent the Yanks this summer.
Mikkel Diskerud (Stab�k, Norway)
Even though the U.S. player pool is already stacked with gifted central midfielders, it's hard to ignore a 20-year-old who brings creative zeal to the table like Diskerud.
The Norwegian-born playmaker only needed 11 minutes during his international debut against South Africa in November to show off that flair, skillfully evading a swarm of defenders before assisting Juan Agudelo's game-winner. It's that type of match-changing bravado that makes Diskerud such an enticing prospect.
Alejandro Bedoya (�rebro, Sweden)
The grizzled veteran of the bunch, with six caps to his name, Bedoya brings pace and energy to the flanks that nearly earned him a spot on the World Cup roster.
His immediate future with the national team could very well depend on the type of skill set Bradley looks for in his reserve midfielders. If he's content depending on natural central midfielders, such as Benny Feilhaber, Sacha Kljestan and Diskerud, to also provide depth out wide, Bedoya could be out of luck. If not, the former Boston College Eagle's ability to operate as a true winger could be his saving grace.
Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls)
It's well-documented that no U.S. forward has scored in a World Cup since Brian McBride notched two goals in 2002. As promising as Jozy Altidore is, he only scored three goals for club and country last year.
Thus, the search for capable goal-scorers continues. Enter the 18-year-old Agudelo, who had played just 14 minutes before starting the Red Bulls' two playoff games last fall. But he made two promising starts in the playoffs before finding net during his international debut against South Africa, making him the youngest U.S. scorer in the modern era. Premature or not, consider the hype machine revved and ready to go.
Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City)
Despite being a Canadian youth international and the son of Alex Bunbury, a former Canadian national team striker, Teal Bunbury accepted a U.S. call-up in November and picked up his first cap against South Africa.
Like Agudelo, Bunbury is young (20), well built (6-2, 175 pounds) and largely unproven (just 13 starts his rookie year). His respectable five-goal haul in those limited MLS minutes hints at his potential, though he still might be a few years away from being an impact player at the international level.
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
As Bradley's selections of Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez to the World Cup squad conveyed, he won't hesitate to place his trust with in-form strikers, even if their international experience is lacking.
At 27 years old, Wondolowski had never sniffed the national team before this camp. Now, after scoring 18 goals to win the MLS golden boot and carry his club to the playoffs, he seems as good a candidate as any to earn minutes up top. Plus, he offers the versatility to fill in on the wing.
No comments:
Post a Comment