In the next few days, USMNT Coach Bob Bradley will begin showing his cards and send out invitations to 28-30 players to join his camp in Princeton later this month.  Before those invitations go out, it is time for all the fans, pundits and blowhards to pipe in with our opinions on which 23 lucky souls should be on the plane to South Africa. 

So, without further ado, and with no Freddy Adu…here is my list:

Forwards - 4
Jozy Altidore
Brian Ching
Herculez Gomez
Edson Buddle

There is no thinner portion of the US team, made unfortunately thinner by the absence of Charlie Davies.  As dramatic as it would be to see Davies take the field next month, a mere eight months after his horrific car accident, it is just not going to happen.  Davies’ first competitive game, and his first test to see whether he has the ability to sprint, stop on a dime and pick out the right target, cannot be against England.  Sorry, but Charlie will have to wait until Brazil 14 to play in his first World Cup.

As for Gomez and Buddle, they get the slots in a slim field because they are doing the one thing that no other US forward is doing right now – scoring goals.  They may not be the best, but they are the best right now.

Midfield - 9
Michael Bradley
Maurice Edu
Landon Donovan
Clint Dempsey
Ricardo Clark
Stuart Holden
Jose Torres
Benny Feilhaber
Alejandro Bedoya

All of the sudden, the injured seem healthy, the substitutes are all starting, and our midfield seems surprisingly strong.  With Bradley, Donovan and Dempsey sure starters, the competition for that fourth slot in the midfield seems intense.  Edu has recovered from his injuries to become a critical player for Rangers.  Clark has recovered and is now starting and impressing for Frankfurt.  Torres has had an outstanding season for Pachuca.  Holden was doing great for Bolton before his injury and is back in full training.  If Holden impresses in the camp, he could slot in on the wing allowing Donovan or Dempsey to move into a forward slot.  Bedoya probably does not get in any game day roster, but as a rising star, going to South Africa would be a great experience.  Bob Bradley has a lot of tools in his midfield, and a lot of options on how to deploy them.

Defense - 7
Oguchi Onyewu
Carlos Bocanegra
Jonathan Spector
Clarence Goodson
Jonathan Bornstein
Jay DeMerit
Steve Cherundolo

With Gooch back in training with AC Milan, this all becomes a little easier than it was a couple of months ago.  It would be nice for Gooch to have a run out in AC Milan’s last couple of games, but at least he will show up in Princeton fit.  This allows Bradley to put in his preferred back line of Bocanegra, DeMerit, Gooch and Spector/Cherundolo.  At the moment, I would go with Cherundolo who seems to be playing better than Spector, but in either case, Bradley looks to have all the options for which he could have hoped.  The potential wildcard in all of this?  Goodson, who has had a rocking season in Norway and looked like the only American worth a damn in the January friendly against Honduras.

Goalkeeper - 3
Tim Howard
Marcus Hahnemann
Brad Guzan

Howard is the guaranteed starter, and barring something tragic, Hahnemann and Guzan will enjoy a pleasant seat at the festivities.  That being said, Hahnemann has been outstanding for Wolves this season – in fact a large measure of credit for the way Wolves has avoided relegation is down to Hahnemann’s work between the pipes.  He has been calm when needed, acrobatic when needed and positioned himself particularly well.  If Hahnemann’s affection for heavy metal music was the cause of his great form, Bradley would have the rest of the team listening to Slipknot all the time.

I can’t imagine any of these 23 not being invited to Princeton.  We will see who their competition is in the coming week.

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For most Europeans, the January transfer window is all tease and no touch.  Very few moves of true import happen in January, and that is especially true in a World Cup year, where players would rather see if the tournament can up their stock.  However, for American soccer stars, the January transfer window, which occurs during the MLS off-season, is their best chance to find a new home.  With several moves simmering away or coming to fruition, this is a good chance to recap the current state of play.

Ricardo Clark Signs With Bundesliga Team Eintracht Frankfurt.  For a tough tackling player like Clark, this is a great move.  The Bundesliga probably suits Clark’s talents more than Premier League and it will give him a greater chance to grow as a player.  Interestingly, Clark has been offered and accepted a contract through the end of the season with an option held by Frankfurt to extend it by three years.  For Clark to accept this contract represents a real leap of faith on his part, and he will need to prove to Frankfurt that he is worth keeping.  You gotta like that type of bottle!

Stuart Holden is not Going to Bolton, So He May be Off to Portugal. Stuart Holden’s trial at Bolton was probably doomed the moment the team fired Gary Megson and hired Owen Coyle as their new manager.  Coyle was always unlikely to start chopping heads and hiring new talent in his first week as manager knowing that his main mission is to inspire a demoralized team.  Given that, it came as little surprise that Bolton did not opt to pick up Holden, who is now seriously looking at playing for Sporting Braga in Portugal.  Let’s hope that Holden does find time on the pitch wherever he goes, because the US could need him this summer if Clint Dempsey is not fully fit.  That being said….

Dempsey to avoid Surgery.  Fulham released a statement today saying that, “Early indications are positive in that no operation is required.  At this stage it is thought that the injury will not prevent him playing prior to the end of the season."  Although another detail or two would be nice (what is the injury, how long is the rehab?!?!?!), this should take a worry line or two away from Bob Bradley’s forehead.  Hopefully we can see Dempsey out on the pitch continuing his terrific run of form sometime soon.

Is Carlos Bocanegra on the Move?  It seems the rumors are swirling that Bocanegra is moving from Rennes to Saint Etienne.  After having a successful season last year, Bocanegra has found himself on the bench for most of this season under new coach Frederic Antonetti, and a loan to League 1 strugglers Saint Etienne will both help him be ready for South Africa and give him a chance to prove his value in a possible summer transfer.

Has Hull Given up on Jozy Altidore?  Maybe.  By signing Zaki from Egypt and signaling that they may also be making a move for his compatriot Mido, Hull seems to be moving away from Altidore as the solution to their lack of goals.  The signing of Zaki, one of the great head-cases in the sporting world, indicates how desperate Hull coach Phil Brown is to find some goals from any source.  Altidore has talent, and his size and speed are rare weapons, but he is very far from a finished product at this point.  It looks like Jozy will have to either commit himself to developing more on the training pitch or with a different team before he can really get some quality minutes in a major league.

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Jared Jeffrey Has Signed with a Club in Belgium

Chad Barrett had two appalling first half misses yesterday for Chicago in their 2-0 loss to Chivas USA. But Barrett along with team mates John Thorrington and Chris Rolfe have been called into the national team. Sacha Kljestan and Brad Guzan return to the team as well. The return of Guzan means that the US has four training camp goalkeepers. Expect Tim Howard and Dom Cervi to be released before the trip to Barbados.

Jared Jeffrey is the latest young American player to turn his back on MLS. Jeffrey who is a graduate of US Soccer's residency program in Bradenton, FL chose to sign with Club Brugge, one of the top teams in the Belgian League. Recently the number of young American players lost by MLS to clubs in Europe and Mexico who are willing to pay more money is striking. If MLS wants to be taken seriously as a league that can develop talent, something it has done very well to this point in its history this needs to change quickly. Speaking of players who bypassed on MLS, Yanks Abroad has an outstanding story on Andrew Jacobson and recovery from injury at FC Lorient in France.

Sporting Life is reporting that Carlos Bocanegra has signed a three year deal with Stade Rennais FC of Ligue Un. Rennes missed out on the Champions League for next season once again by a narrow margin. Next season the club will compete in the UEFA Cup.

Today's American Soccer Show will air at 2pm ET/11 am PT. It will feature an interview with Brian Zygo of the World Soccer Wrap podcast discussing the Houston Dynamo. Brian is the Serie A and MLS correspondent for the show. Regular contributors Daniel Feuerstein and Mario Valdez also join us to discuss the US Open Cup, Red Bulls-Revs match, US National Team and CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Tyrone Marshall, an eleven year MLS veteran scored a goal as Jamaica won the second leg of its tie with the Bahamas 6-0 Wednesday for an aggregate 13-0 victory. Jamaica now advances to the group stage of World Cup qualifying. Marshall joins fellow reggae boy Andy Williams, Carlos Ruiz, Landon Donovan, Brian Ching, Chris Megaloudis, and Peter Villegas as players based in MLS or USL that have scored in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

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Keller/ from Getty Images McBride/from SI.com

Pundits around Britain will no doubt be discussing Fulham's great escape in the upcoming weeks. Seemingly dead, the London side strung together some improbable results, particularly away from Craven Cottage to escape relegation on goal difference. Was it Jimmy Bullard's return from injury, the timely striking of Dionmansy Kamara or even the managing of Roy Hodgson, a man left on the dust bin of British football but one of the few English managers of the last 15 years to really make it outside of the U.K? Truth is it was all of the above and something more: American Grit.

Fulham is after all the closet thing we have ever had or will ever have to an "American team" in Europe. The Cottagers have now for years been buying players from MLS, and for years have done enough with what they had to avoid relegation. It all started in 1999 when Fulham bought Marcus Hahnemann and Eddie Lewis from MLS in a push to move to the Premier League. The side had just been promoted to the old first division at the time. Lewis stayed with the team until they were finally promoted in 2001 to the Premier League, and that was the start of Fulham's now eight year run in the top flight. Since then the club unlike many in Europe has not hesitated to scout and ultimately purchase American players from MLS clubs.

That's why despite downplaying the significance of Fulham's survival effort several months ago, I have felt the last few weeks Fulham had to escape relegation to keep going any positive momentum the US has created perception wise in Europe. Fulham's failure could easily be pinned on its American contingent. Today Fulham's success can just as easily be credited to the character of its American legion, led by none other than arguably the greatest and most important footballer our nation has ever produced, Goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Keller hasn't played for the most glamorous clubs or for the most titles. In fact Keller has never once played in a Champions League match. However, he is as I have stated repeatedly before, perhaps the best keeper I have ever seen and if I had to pick a stopper for any odd one off match it would be him, even 38. He's a keeper that has played at smaller clubs and excelled at those clubs. Four of the clubs Keller played keeper at are now in lower divisions than when he minded their nets. That's how important he has always been to the teams he has played for. Keller is one of the great goalkeepers internationally of the last fifteen years. No greater star than Romario was so dazzled by Keller's performance against Brazil in 1998 that he actually said "it was truly an honor to be on the field with him."

Brian McBride also a gritty veteran, now going on 36 is equally significant to Fulham's great escape. McBride was always to me a bit of a mystery. Why was a guy who was so critical and outstanding for the US National Team, also so average and injury prone at times in MLS? It seemed McBride's injury problems hurt him in MLS but also seem to have ironically lengthened his career once he went back abroad. (McBride played in Germany for another American loving club, Wolfsburg before MLS began play in 1996.) McBride's game changing ability has faded but his leadership and grit are as sharp as ever. McBride retired from the US National Team two years ago, but it deserves mentioning that he is still the second best active American field player (behind Landon Donovan). That is a credit to McBride and a damning indictment of the state of the US National Team's current talent pool.

The rest of the American contingent at Fulham demonstrate why I firmly believe that the United States is in a dip on the international scene until the generation led by Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, Michael Bradley and Robbie Rogers takes charge of the national team. Clint Dempsey is a player whose spirit and story I love and is uniquely American. But Dempsey is a limited player who often times disappears for long stretches in matches. That was the case in MLS and has been the case at Fulham.

Carlos Bocanegra's club career is clearly in a tailspin. Bocanegra who has the distinction of being the only American player ever to score two career goals against Brazil, was largely responsible for Fulham's defensive problems last season and his poor play continued this year. The mere fact that he is a scoring threat on set pieces has earned him more love than he's truly deserved for both club and country. Roy Hodgson rightfully has kept him on the bench late in the season.

Eddie Johnson is at best an average player in Major League Soccer, and in the English Premier League, probably one of the worst transfers in recent memory. Anyone who watches Johnson as regularly as I have in both MLS and for the national team realized he wasn't good enough to play at the Premiership level: or at the level of any major European first division. Yet Johnson remains quite possibly the best US striking option. How's that for scary?

Fulham both honors the great strides the United States has come as Soccer playing nation since the late 1980s in Kasey Keller and Brian McBride, and the current malaise on the national team with the other three players. Fulham honors our proud recent past and our uncertain future. Regardless of what any American soccer fan told you today, Fulham's result was the most important and most emotionally gut wrenching for those of us that love soccer in our country. The Cottagers remind us why the US got the quarterfinals of World Cup 2002 and why we beat Brazil, Germany (twice) and Argentina in a fifteen month period not long ago. But Fulham also reminds us why the US is a Landon Donovan or Tim Howard injury away from potentially missing our first World Cup since 1986. (With the fifth place COMNEBOL finisher facing the fourth place CONCACAF qualifer, the margain for error that both the U.S. and Mexico have had been reduced and right now I have sense that neither will actually win the Hexaganol, leaving if my gut is correct no margin for error for either. Mexico though could go to South America and win a playoff match. The US cannot. )

What has happened the last few weeks is remarkable. For many of us who have been fans of the sport we have chosen country over club as MLS wasn't until recently far enough evolved to encourage a loyal fan culture and European football while important was distant. I've followed Manchester City Football Club for almost two decades now and consider them my favorite international club, but have always consider the plight of the US National Team far more important than any club's fortunes. But now, I have joined so many Americans who also pull for Fulham because it seems the gritty group from London are in so many ways a microcosm of American Soccer and have made us all proud in so many ways to be an American and to enjoy the world's most beautiful game.

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The 2006 World Cup was a page turner for the United States. Not only because the result didn't fulfill the pre-tournament expectations of many, but because of a coaching change and the departure of arguably four of the United States five most skilled players. (Eddie Pope, Claudio Reyna and Brian McBride retired from international play; John O'Brien has not played a competitive match since the World Cup; Landon Donovan is the only remaining American of what I would consider the top 5 skilled players entering World Cup 2006.) 2007 was seen a rebuilding year for the United States and the team entered 2008 with as many unanswered questions as it began 2007 with. However, some of the youngsters who must be counted on in 2010 seem to be stepping into roles beyond their years with the national side, and that is obviously a good thing. But the lack of leadership, the type of leadership Pope, Reyna and McBride provided is glaring every time I watch the United States play. Carlos Bocanegra and Landon Donovan may often wear the captain's armband, but neither has the respect nor the aura required of a captain. In this article,I will attempt to scope out the player pool and make some suggestions for the upcoming two years leading into World Cup 2010.

GOALKEEPER

Tim Howard and Brad Guzan are the top two keepers in the pool right now, but with the lack of veteran leadership on the team I would not be adverse to taking Kasey Keller or Marcus Hahnehmann to a few qualifiers or perhaps even beyond. Tally Hall, Matt Pickens and Quentin Westberg provide potential young depth. As my co-host Dave Denholm stated on this past week's American Soccer Show, no need exists to knit pick at what is always the strongest position in the American setup so let's move on to more pressing matters.

DEFENDERS

From my vantage point the US defense is currently in its worst state since shortly after the 1990 World Cup. Perhaps I am being completely pessimistic or fatalistic, but the the number of defensive breakdowns in front of goal this past year are difficult to swallow when as fans we have seen center backs of high quality: Alexi Lalas, Marcelo Balboa, Tom Dooley (later in his career when he was moved to the back), Eddie Pope and others over the past fifteen years. I'm not someone who is gets terribly impressed because some guys play on good clubs or in good leagues. From my vantage point both Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu have difficulty with positioning, and organization on set pieces. Bocanegra is also known to play some of the most desperate and errand back passes in international football.

Jay DeMerit, Eddie Robinson and Jimmy Conrad provide potential depth on the back line. If Cory Gibbs could ever get healthy he may be able to fight his way back into this mix, because none of the current US center backs are clearly better than Gibbs was before his injury in a tune up friendly for World Cup 2006. Jonathan Spector could also potentially play inside, but is better suited to be an outside back. Michael Parkhurst shows signs that he is developing further into a top class player, but his body of work on the international level is scant thus far and he cannot be counted on just yet.

The bottom line is that the U.S. badly needs cover inside. Onyewu and Bocanegra try and play a very physical game but are both prone to mental lapses and mistakes that you just cannot have in qualifying, let alone in a World Cup. But the problem is that the rest of the inside backs are untested at the highest levels of international football. This situation, I am sure will continue to develop going forward but right now not much exists to be optimistic about.

MAN MARKERS/OUTSIDE BACKS

The outside back are an even bigger concern, if possible than the center backs. Jonathan Bornstein has looked decent at left back but something still makes me very nervous about him. Heath Pearce continues to be an enigma and Ramiro Corrales did not do a whole lot against Mexico to inspire confidence. This is where perhaps leadership comes in yet again. Bruce Arena settled on moving veteran Eddie Lewis to left back where Lewis was less comfortable than in the midfield. In the final group match of World Cup 2006 Lewis returned to left midfield and delivered a perfect cross into Brian McBride, which McBride in his final international could not finish. Lewis could be a short term band aid at left back but since he is approaching the twilight of his career and will be almost 36 when the 2010 World Cup roles around he cannot be counted on. Besides, Lewis cannot play 90 minutes even at the present time, so Bornstein has to be vetted for the position. But I would continue to select Lewis and use him as a utility player on the left side of both midfield and defense until he is no longer able or willing to play internationally. Pearce is a touch and go situation. He is flamboyant personally and on the field as well. I'm not sure he meshes well with the rest of the team. Pearce is someone I have a hard time reading and I'll let Coach Bradley be the ultimate judge of his capability in the future.
Right back is somewhat more stable when Steve Cherundolo is healthy. Size is Cherundolo's biggest weakness but he's someone that has played at the highest level for club and country now for a long time and is about as reliable as any American field player gets. Still Cherundolo lacks the overall skill and physical play that Tony Sanneh exhibited in the 2002 World Cup, and like many other players departed from the national team, Sanneh's contributions weren't properly respected or appreciated at the time. Frankie Hedjuk is getting up their in years but still has to be considered an option much like Lewis to provide leadership and depth come qualifying but not for World Cup 2010. The rest of the right backs are untested: Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, Frank Simek and Jonathan Spector. Spector can play on the left side also but isn't reliable and has been to me one of the most unimpressive players every time he's been called into the U.S. camp in the last year. Some critics have pointed out to me that since he plays regularly in arguably the world's top league (the Barclays Premier League) he must be considered, but my feeling is that a stark difference exists between the club game even at the top level and internationals and some guys are better suited for one game or the other. Eddie Lewis is a player I would argue has always been a better international than club player. The same for Frankie Hedjuk. Spector, much like Taylor Twellman may be the opposite. But Spector is still only 21 and should he do something spectacular for West Ham, he warrants another look but for now I would not bother with him.

DEFENSIVE/HOLDING MIDFIELD

No position has the glut of potential players nor the importance of the twin holding midfielders in Bob Bradley's "bucket" formation. The bulk of playing time in 2007 went to Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber and Rico Clark in this role. However towards the end of 2007 Maurice Edu, the MLS Rookie of the Year began to emerge as a legitimate threat to play regularly and other capable options such as the veteran Pablo Mastroeni, and youngsters Danny Szetela, Sacha Kljestan, Dax McCarty and Greg Dalby are available.

Feilhaber hasn't gotten an opportunity to show his stuff with soon to be relegated Derby County in England. However, Feilhaber is too skilled a player, who is probably the American with the skill set that most resembles John O'Brien to be written off entirely. Nonetheless, Feilhaber must find himself another club preferably outside of England before he is called back into the national team. While English Football is a perfect game for some, like Brian McBride (who has quite frankly been more effective in the precision aerial based EPL than the ground slop that for years was MLS) it's not good for others like Feilhaber who are more Latin oriented in their game.

Michael Bradley has been scoring goals at a torrid pace in Holland. We thus know Bradley is an outstanding finisher but his service and link up play with the attack is poor to say the least. Also we saw he doesn't play off of Rico Clark particularly well against Mexico, unlike Clark and Feilhaber who seem to play off one another very well. Bradley has to be in squad going forward but he needs to develop a better understanding of the players around him and the system his father, the manager is trying to run.

Maurice Edu and Rico Clark both bring a toughness, both mental and physical to the fold. But neither has the skill nor technical ability of Bradley or Feilhaber going forward into the attack. Both should however figure in qualifying and 2010 as valuable reserves.

WIDE MIDFIELDERS

Bob Bradley's bucket formation doesn't provide for a true #10 to slide behind the attackers so distribution and service is critical from the wide midfielders. It has become apparent since last year's Gold Cup that Bob Bradley sees Landon Donovan as a right sided player who has the freedom to come inside. Donovan continues to be the most skilled and talented American player, so it is bit disconcerting to see him pushed out wide. However, the new position may have its benefits for Donovan as his speed and crossing ability are far better than that of Clint Dempsey who seized the same position in the later Arena years. Sal Zizzo is a young option out on the right side, but Ben Olsen who seems to have been forgotten about by Bradley is once again healthy and infinitely tougher than most other American players. Olsen can play wide on right side or in the holding role. At 30, Olsen still has some good years ahead of him and Bradley needs to bring him back into the fold. Eddie Gaven is a player many in US circles have been high on for a long time, but even at just 21 it seems Gaven is not going to develop into the type of player he was regarded to potentially be. Brian Mullen is another possible option to add depth in qualifying but not a world cup quality player by any stretch of the imagination. Lee Nguyen has failed to develop the way many of us had hoped he would but his recent move from PSV to Randers FC in Denmark may get him kore playing time and another look from Bradley. Pat Noonan in my opinion isn't good enough for international play and if we see him again that is a very bad sign as to the depth of the US player pool.

The left side is more muddled but contains some excellent good options. DaMarcus Beasley is the clear front runner but his recent very serious injury while playing for Rangers has brought the rawness of the rest of the options at this position forward. Bobby Convey was a prodigy who at 16 began playing for DC United. But Convey's club performances with DC United and Reading haven't been matched by his national team work. He is a hustler but seems to have lost his way lately with poor positioning at times and also the tendency to drift in and out of games. Brad Davis showed a great ability on set pieces against Sweden and then promptly got hurt. Young options on the left side include Stuart Holden and Arturo Alvarez, both of whom are high class players going forward with some questions marks defensively. Then of course we return to the subject of Eddie Lewis. Lewis cannot play 90 minutes any longer at this level. But his crossing ability and sense of positioning probably continue to make him a better option in critical qualifiers late in matches than anyone else save Beasley at this position. Freddy Adu is another option out here but it is difficult to place a player in a position he doesn't fully embrace. Steve Sampson learned this the hard way with John Harkes many years ago. However, Adu needs to be willing to play out wide on the left side or risk not being part of the US setup under Bradley. Adu is too small and too cute in his habits quite frankly at this point to play up front in my opinion. Justin Mapp could also be in the mix come qualifying if he can stay healthy.

FORWARDS

Jozy Altidore proved in his last two senior national team appearances (vs Sweden and Mexico) that he is miles ahead of the opposition at forward. In Bob Bradley's 4-4-2 bucket formation, two attacking players are required. Altidore is comfortable with the ball at his feet and is a lethal target in the air. Until Eddie Johnson proves he is durable and willing to run at guys using his natural speed I wouldn't bother including him in any qualifiers. Charlie Davies, while still raw and Brain Ching who can play with his back to goal and is good in the air are better option. Taylor Twellman is worth another look because I have hunch he'll play very well off of Altidore. Josh Wolff is getting upwards in age but I would keep an eye on his play for 1860 Munich. Wolff has in the past proven he can both set up and score goals in big games, something else no other eligible US forward has proven. Still a Wolff call up would be a sign that we are in long term trouble in the attack. Kenny Cooper's injuries and lack of development from the time that Manchester United signed him at 18 have me concerned he like Gaven, Specter and several other young Americans who began their careers with high hopes will never develop into a capable international.

TACTICS

This brings me to subject of Clint Dempsey. No player gives more for the national team or paints American soccer in a better light abroad than Clint Dempsey. He has to be part of any and all US setups going forward. But what exactly is his role? I don't like where Bradley plays him because for all his heart and desire he isn't as skilled as Landon Donovan and should not be the focal point of the US attack instead of Donovan. Dempsey can never be a #10 and isn't a forward either. So where should he play?

I don't like Dempsey as an attacker up top, but I will admit finding a solution for his position as well as Donovan's is very tricky. If Dempsey slides back to the right side, it is possible Freddy Adu could play right behind Altidore and Donovan in a 4-3-1-2, but that would require Bradley to shelve one of the two holding midfielders and play down the spine of the field something he doesn't seem to prone to entertaining. Coach Bradley's style seems to rely on flank play, something that any American team should stress. This is why Bradley's approach I believe is much more likely to succeed than Arena's that relied on the skill of John O'Brien and Claudio Reyna in the midfield and used the wide mid fielders as supporting players more often than not.

I think a solution to the glut of midfielders and some of the US' other tactical awkwardness is to go back to a three man back line as Bruce Arena often used in the 1999 to 2002 time period. In this backline I would slide Carlos Bocanegra out wide anchor the middle with Oguchi Onyewu and then place Steve Cherundolo on the right side. This re-alignment would rely heavily on the two holding midfielders keeping their position and allowing the side to keep its shape throughout the match. Truthfully I am not terribly comfortable with this suggestion, but if Bradley insists on playing two holding midfielders, the only way to put Dempsey, Donovan and Adu together in an attacking formation would be to add an attacking central midfielder and to take Donovan off the right flank.

No easy decision exist for Bradley going forward. Our talent pool is deeper than ever, but we lack the experienced class internationals like the Eddie Pope's and Claudio Reyna's that have continued to move the national team forward. We also lack the natural leaders like Paul Caligiuri, Earnie Stewart and John Harkes that were the lynchpin of the development of the national team in the 1990s. Bradley's job is made more difficult by heightened expectations and interest in the national team. I for one believe he is up to doing this job but must take a view towards qualifying first and then figuring 2010 out later.

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When is an "A" international not an "A" international? When the UK home office deems it not to be. Recall the plight of Cobi Jones one of the most decorated and accomplished players in the history of American Soccer. In 1995 while playing for Coventry City of the Premiership his work permit renewal was denied by the UK home office based on many of his caps with the US being deemed "non-competitive matches." Several years later, Brad Friedel ran into work permit trouble and had to play in Turkey for a season. Next up was DaMarcus Beasley: in 2003 despite having started three games in the previous World Cup where the US made the Quarterfinals, Beasley was denied a UK work permit for a move to Southampton. The failure to secure a work permit was a good thing it turns out because Beasley ended up on a club with renowned reputation for player development and Champions League football to boot: that club was PSV Eindhoven. Bobby Convey tried the same year to move from DC United to Spurs but was also shot down, while Carlos Bocanegra with fewer caps and fewer starts for the National Team was awarded a work permit on appeal to play for Fulham. Why did Beasley and Convey get turned down while Bocanegra was accepted? Ask the U.K. home office?

Now we come to the case of Brad Guzan, who has emerged as the #2 US goalkeeper ahead of two players, Kasey Keller and Marcus Hahnemann with significant playing experience in England. By any reasonable standard Guzan would enhance the Premier League. He is a top keeper, in a league that regardless of playing standard has produced some top flight goalkeepers. Former and current American national MLS keepers Mike Amman, Ian Feuer, Jurgen Sommer, Adin Brown, Troy Perkins, Brad Friedel, Marcus Hahnemann, Zach Thornton, Joe Cannon and a few others that escape me currently have all played and excelled in many cases on European club sides. Sommer, the current US National Team Goalkeeper coach was so well thought of in England that even as a backup for New England (behind Adin Brown) late in his career he was loaned to Bolton on request of Sam Allardyce for one match, an FA cup tie against Blackburn. Guzan will without a doubt be a top class keeper, perhaps one of the best keeper a nation known for producing good goal keepers ever produces. Guzan has been called into every single US camp since this past May and while he doesn't start every match due to Tim Howard's status, he is without a doubt one of the leading two or three options for a nation known for producing outstanding keepers. So why doesn't the UK Home Office and Work Permit panel relent? Could it be the possible embarrassment of Guzan potentially beating out the new England #1 Scott Carson for the Aston Villa job? Or is this simply another example of how the UK Work Permit rules don't fully understand the world of football, especially nations that play friendlies to deepen the player pool and enter certain tournaments with the same aim in mind. Should the US be as England has been in recent years, picking the same 23 players for every friendly and competitive match and not working to deepen its pool and improve it overall national team at every level?

Let me also mention this issue warrants a mention of Taylor Twellman. For the first time in his career, Twellman has received enough US National team action recently to recieve a work permit. This window was likely to be Twellman's only chance to follow his ambition to play in England. But New England and MLS refuse to sell Twellman to a Championship (2nd division) side. By doing so, the Revolution and MLS are being as shortsighted and unfair as the UK Home Office, and what is worse they have received so much from Twellman in the way of performance and loyalty.

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With the annual January training camp in full swing for the US, and January B+ friendly as I like to call it out of the way let's look ahead towards qualifying. Here and now in 2008 the US has a deeper player pool than ever before. But at the same time, the talent at the top of the pool, and especially the leadership from veteran players is arguably at its lowest point since before the 1994 World Cup. This squad doesn't boast the veteran soccer savvy leaders like John Harkes, Tab Ramos, Eric Wynalda, Tom Dooley, Ernie Stewart, Joe Max Moore, Brian McBride, Eddie Pope or Claudio Reyna that we've seen in the recent past. Instead, this national team is being led by a generation of players most of whom were early graduates of the US Soccer National Academy who have never had to fight for the colors and the badge the way the aforementioned players did.

Landon Donovan showed remarkable growth and maturity in his conversation with our Peter Brown after the US-Sweden game. Yet Donovan who is about as mild mannered and personable as high paid professional athletes come in our society and can not be a leader. He simply doesn't have the respect and admiration of his peers and the supporters of the game in this country. As good a guy as he is and as talented as he is, he simply isn't passionate enough about his football 365 days a year. The current US Captain Carlos Bocanegra is in my opinion (and the opinion of many others I speak with) a below average  left footed center back. True, until this season he has done alright at the club level, but that isn't what concerns me; at the national team level he has been mistake prone and often breaks down in the most critical moments. We all recall his ill advised ball into the box against Ghana which caused a chain reaction that ended the United States World Cup. Few recall the numerous mistakes he made in World Cup qualifying for 2006 and in the Gold Cups in both 2003 and 2007 that the US was fortunate to overcome in most cases. DaMarcus Beasley mentally doesn't seem to always be with "it," so to speak and Bobby Convey is injury prone and has yet to develop the toughness many of us thought would naturally come when he moved to Europe. Tim Howard is a good vocal leader, but since Tony Meola's outstanding leadership in the 1994 World Cup, US keepers seem to be less relied upon to be the leaders of the team in general.

That leaves Clint Dempsey. For my money Clint Dempsey is the best player and most passionate player in the US player pool. But as Jamie Trecker, our most recent guest on the American Soccer Show pointed out in his outstanding book Love and Blood, Dempsey comes from a completely different background than the vast majority of kids who play this sport in the country and the vast majority of guys he plays with on the national team. It is Dempsey's background that have made him the footballer and person he is today. But Dempsey because of his background and lifestyle may not be the best leader because other players may feel they cannot relate to him personally.

For longtime observers of the National Team like myself 2008 could be a watershed year. The player pool is deeper and more talented than ever. However, the lack of leadership and savvy is painfully evident every time I watch the team play. Not only is leadership lacking but our top players, Dempsey and potentially Freddy Adu excepted are not as good as our top players in the 1994 to 2002 time period. That is an opinion which anyone with a historical perspective on US Soccer must at least consider. Again, I come back to the subject of leadership. Someone must step up for this team to overtake Mexico as CONCACAF's finest, (more on why despite the US' consistent wins over Mexico, I consider Mexico to be a superior national team program in a future post.) and as a potential World Cup spoiler.

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2007 was an interesting year for the US National Team. A transition year to say the least, at times the US looked worse than any point since prior to hosting the 1994 World Cup. The American performances in the Gold Cup and Copa America were un-inspirational to say the least. Despite winning the Gold Cup the United States played below its potential in four of the six matches in the Tournament. Bob Bradley was forced to experiment with tactics and different lineup partly because it was the first year of a World Cup cycle and partly because the current generation of US players has never shown the leadership or cohesion necessary to be successful on the international level. Following the 2002 World Cup success, some of the most notable historic US National Team figures retired from the international scene. The same happened following the 2006 World Cup. This left the national team squarely in the hands of what I refer to as the "lost generation" of American Football. The generation that showed so much promise at the youth world cups in 1999 and 2001 but have been little more than on again off again performances with the national team.

For the away friendlies against Switzerland and South Africa Coach Bradley named a young, more experimental squad. Yet the results which had so long eluded the United States on the road in the Eastern Hemisphere suddenly came in very impressive fashion. Two road wins against arguably superior opposition. (in South Africa's case. The Swiss are no doubt superior to the United States at the current point in time)

So while 2007 ends on a highly positive note, at times this year it seemed the U.S was treading water or even worse regressing. As 2008 approaches it will be telling to note how active some members of a more accomplished generation of American Football, like Frankie Hedjuk and Eddie Lewis are in qualifying or even how many young starlets are called up. Bob Bradley may not want to publicly admit it, but the generation I call lost, is probably incapable of qualifying the United States for the next World Cup without substantial enhancement from an older or younger group of players. It is no small irony that the only two Americans to make the Gold Cup Best XI were over 30: Pablo Mastroeni and Frankie Hedjuk.

Against this backdrop let's evaluate the best and worst of 2007 for the National Team.

Best Player: Tim Howard

I don't even see how this is debatable. Howard single handily kept the US in the Gold Cup with timely stops against Panama and Mexico in the final while clearly establishing himself as the new US #1 between the pipes.

Best Performance: Landon Donovan vs Ecuador

Donovan's three goal outburst this past March in Tampa for a friendly versus Ecuador was spectacular to say the least. Too bad Donovan did not give similar performances when the games really mattered in the Gold Cup.

Worst Performance: Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu in the Gold Cup until the final

The central defense pairing of Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu were more often than not out of position, conceding free kicks, making ill advised back passes or being booked during the first five matches of the Gold Cup. Both Bocanerga and Onyewu have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that they are too mistake prone to anchor the US defense. 2008 should yield more opportunity for Jay DeMerit, Danny Califf and Jimmy Conrad among others to play regularly.

Biggest Disappointment: Eddie Johnson and Taylor Twellman at Copa America

With no Donovan, Dempsey or Beasley the opportunity for this forward pairing of Johnson and Twellman to cement their national team futures was handed to them by Coach Bradley on a silver platter in Venezuela. But instead both showed a tentative nature and reluctance to take on defenders that is not acceptable in the international level.

Biggest Revelation: Maurice Edu

The former Maryland Terp chalked one up for College Soccer with his veteran like performances versus Switzerland and South Africa. Edu looks like a natural at this level.

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I was lucky enough to secure a ticket for this match thanks to EPL Talk and Major League Soccer Talk listener and contributor Lou Bruno. Our effort yesterday deserved an A+ grade, and I have to say this is the first time since our veteran leadership trio of Reyna, Pope and McBride retired from the national team that we have played with confidence versus a superior opponent. (Even against Mexico quite honestly.) However, the mistakes at the back will continue to haunt the US. As I have said on the Major League Soccer Talk podcast, this is the worst US backline since the early period of Bora Milutinovic's reign around 1991 or 1992. The fine attacking flair we showed and the goal Dempsey scored which was a thing of beauty continue to be overshadowed by giving away free kicks in bad spots, committing bad fouls against the run of play, allowing breakaways on the counter attack and poor positioning by the center backs. Oguchi Onyewu's own goal was caused by our guys being out of position on a counter attack where everyone had pushed up and was chasing back forcing Tim Howard to come off his line and make a great save......Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra clearly out of position were chasing back and Gooch got unlucky with the touch, but still he was out of position scrambling to get back in position.After we leveled the game at 2-2 and the crowd is going crazy, Brazil takes the restart and draws a foul right away. It may have been a poor call but again Bocanegra was too busy celebrating and not busy getting into the right position.Clearly, the US has an attacking flair particularly pushing the ball down the flanks that gives us a quality many teams in world football lack. But we will continue to lose games 4-2, 4-3 even 5-4 or 6-5 if our backline continues to be so poor, and so prone to fatal breakdowns at the wrong moment. Any quality team in the world can find countless goal scoring opportunities to bury the US as long as we continue to have organization and spacing problems at the back. These matches are certainly more exciting to watch and beat the 1-0 type losses we used to play versus Brazil from an entertainment standpoint, but when we slowed down the game and positioned ourselves well and only counter attacked instead of throwing guys forward recklessly at times we could have a shot to beat Brazil as happened in the game in 1998 when we beat them 1-0 thanks to Preki's wonder goal even though they dominated play. Yesterday, they did not dominate play by any stretch but they outclassed us because when we attacked their defenders knew their responsibilities and covered for one another. I don't know how much more proof Bradley needs that Bocanegra and Onyewu despite their individual attributes cannot play together. Both are too slow and have a bad positioning sense. If we are going to continue to play this up tempo attacking style Bradley seems to like which emphasizes flank play including getting our outside backs forward, we'd better figure things out at in the center back position otherwise these next few years will be among the worst we have had since we re-emerged on the world scene with our qualification for Italia 90.

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