Write On Sports LLC - "U.S. Men's Team: A Pair of Games on Tap" by Jeff Bull

U.S. Men's Team: A Pair of Games on Tap

2007-03-22 17:17:38 | By: Jeff Bull

The most recent rounds of call-ups by U.S. coach Bob Bradley added several unfamiliar American players who earn their paychecks in Europe. Jay DeMerit, who plays in central defense for the English Premier League side Watford FC, is only the most noted call-up; the hype on him - yeah, a central defender - has reached the point where he’s picking up features in the New York Times. Guys like defenders Frank Simek and Jonathan Spector join DeMerit in trying to break the U.S. backline, while new (or new-ish) faces in midfield include Benny Feilhaber and the reportedly deserving “coach’s son,” Michael Bradley.

Assuming those players take the field, simple curiosity means they’ll attract a good chunk of the attention during a pair of international friendlies the USMNT will play on Sunday and Wednesday. Due, however, to the fact that the entire world’s soccer calendar set aside both days for international play, Bradley was able to call-up something like the best American team. Familiar from the 2006 World Cup - Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, DaMarcus Beasley, and Clint Dempsey - will suit up with the new aspirants to take on a strong Ecuador side and...um...Guatemala. These games offer one of the few remaining chances for Bob Bradley to evaluate his options ahead of the next meaningful tournament on the USMNT calendar: this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Here’s the full U.S. roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Jay Demerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Newcastle United), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Brian Carroll (D.C. United), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire)

Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas Cit y Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)

And here’s a quick look at who they’ll play:

U.S. v. Ecuador, Sunday, March 25, 9:00 a.m. PST (ESPN)

After spending, literally, decades in the shadow of South American powers like Argentina and Brazil, Ecuador has enjoyed resurgence in the new century. They qualified for the past two World Cups - even topping mighty Brazil in South American qualifying for the 2002 tournament. Placed in a somewhat weak Group A in the 2006 tournament, they followed hosts Germany into the second round where England eliminated them; but impressive wins over Poland (2-1) and Costa Rica (3-0) in the Cup suggests Ecuador will provide a stern test for men’s team.

The most noted Ecuadorian player, forward Agustin Delgado, won’t make the trip due to suspension, but his front-running partner from Germany ’06, Carlos Tenorio, will show up, along with 10 other players from last summer’s squad. Though few players come from the world’s top teams, the majority of them play in very competitive leagues from Mexico to Holland to the English Premier League. Other players to watch: Wikipedia entries on the team flag the long-time pairing of Giovanny Espinoza and Ivan Hurtado at the back, while names like Ulises de la Cruz, Edison Mendez, Luis Valencia may ring a bell or two for fans of European soccer.

U.S. v. Guatemala, Wednesday, March 28, 6 p.m. PST (ESPN2)

The subtle cheap shot above (“um, Guatemala) speaks to the fact that not all U.S. fans are excited about playing Guatemala - again. That the U.S. will meet the same team in this summer’s Gold Cup (along with Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador) suggests some use for this nearer occasion, but the thinking is that there isn’t a lot learn that last winter’s 4-0 U.S. rout didn’t tell us. The U.S. men have compiled a 9-4-4 all-time record against Guatemala and haven’t lost to them in any competition since 1988.

With the noted exception of FC Dallas’ Carlos Ruiz, the remaining players showing on Wikipedia’s “current squad” for the Guatemalan team (the squad for Wednesday has not yet been released) make their living in the national league. Fans of MLS know Ruiz as one of the top forwards in the league and it bears noting that the major Guatemalan clubs - Comunicaciones, CD Municipal, and Deportivo Marquense - are at least competitive in regional club competitions (just ask DC United's 2002 squad about Comunicaciones), but the Americans should have a relatively easy day against this team.

Comments

Jeff Bull commented,
The U.S. Men's team showed, and Landon Donovan in particular, showed its (and his) mettle today with a 3-1 win over Ecuador. Donovan picked up a spectacular hat-trick and, after a shaky first half, the defense made it stand up. After Ecuador generally had the run of the first half, the U.S. dictated the pace throughout the second.
March 25, 2007 10:34 p.m.

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