The U.S. v. Mexico rematch friendly is less than a week away, and today Jurgen Klinsmann unveiled his first list of call-ups as the head coach for the national team.  The Mexico friendly comes at a tricky time for the U.S., as the bigger European leagues are kicking off this month and Klinsmann might have hesitated to call-up players overseas in these leagues.  Mexico will also be missing key players, and with their national team having played in both the Gold Cup and Copa America this summer, they may use the opportunity to rotate eligible players.

Nevertheless, the roster has been described as a window into Klinsmann’s thinking about the future of the national team.  Would it be all new faces or very young players?  Would we see more players with Hispanic heritage?  What about the German-Americans?  Or would it be same old, same old for at least one more game?

The roster, released today, is a mixture of all of these.  Six of the players play professionally in Germany, four play in Mexico, and seven are from MLS.  Below are the players, listed by position (as listed by US Soccer) and alphabetically with some thoughts on the selections.  What do you think, are there glaring omissions in this list?  Sound off in the comments section.

Keeper: Bill Hamid (DC United/MLS), Tim Howard (Everton/BPL)

While Howard is a no-brainer and well rested with his time off in July, the inclusion of Hamid is a welcome one and may signal that Klinsmann is looking to MLS for the keeper of the future.  As anyone who knows my writing knows, I am a big Bill Hamid fan.  He has shown good progress over the course of the MLS season (which coincides with DCU’s defensive improvement) and the time spent with Howard will help him become a better keeper for the U-23 team.

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne/Ligue 1), Edgar Castillo (Club America/Primera Division), Timothy Chandler (FC Nurnberg/Bundesliga), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96/Bundesliga), Clarence Goodson (Brondby/Danish Superliga), Michael Orozco-Fiscal (San Luis/Primera Division), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA/MLS), Tim Ream (NY Red Bull/MLS)

Many of the names on this list are familiar – the usual starters are well represented here, as well as future starter Tim Ream.  Chandler, who many expect to be a future (or current) starter is included as well.  But you can see the boss’ desire to include more Hispanic players on the roster in this category.  Orozco-Fiscal has been a key member of the U-23 team but has played all but one year of his professional career in Mexico.  Castillo was a dual-national who picked the U.S. and made one appearance on the national team in 2009 in a friendly.  I was glad to see that Heath Pearce is getting a call-up, as he definitely deserves a second shot at playing time for the USMNT.

Absent from this list are Oguchi Onyewu, some of the younger MLS defenders, and a few USMNT and MLS fringe players.  Gooch may have been left off to allow himself time to further integrate with his new European club, so his exclusion was not unexpected.  However, the Galaxy got the shaft (or maybe the benefit) of no call-up for Omar Gonzalez.  Players like Chad Marshall or Jay DeMerit were also not included, leaving me to wonder if their international playing time window is closed.

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/MLS), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchen./Bundesliga), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt/Bundesliga), Maurice Edu (Rangers/SPL), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04/Bundesliga), Brek Shea (FC Dallas/MLS), Jose Torres (Pachuca/Primera Division)

Thankfully Brek Shea made the roster so there would not be a rending of garments by some national soccer correspondents.  That said, this group has a distinctly German flavor.  Potential “on the outs” players like Jones, Torres, and Edu were all included, either signaling a lack of depth in the U.S. system at this position or that these players haven’t been used to their full potential (in Klinsmann’s mind).  Kyle Beckerman also gets another shot at the national team after some time away, again showing the head coach has watched some MLS and knows the players.

Forwards: Freddy Adu (Benfica/Primeira Liga), Juan Agudelo (NY Red Bull/MLS), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla/Primera Division), Edson Buddle (FC Ingolstadt/2. Bundesliga), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy/MLS)

Some of these “forwards” are more midfielders, so we may subtly be seeing a shift from a 4-4-2ish formation to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-2-2.  As expected, Freddy Adu gets another call-up likely based on his Gold Cup performance while the team welcomes back Edson Buddle, who should have a good chance to secure a roster spot.

But while the included are not surprising, the excluded are interesting.  Young guns Teal Bunbury, Jozy Altidore, and Mikel Diskerud were all left off the roster, and while Jozy’s absence can again be explained by the new club reason, the other two are curious absences.  Hamid’s teammate Charlie Davies also seemingly missed the cut, which causes me to wonder how close he actually is to making the team.  And of course the biggest name missing from this list is Clint Dempsey, but we all know what he can do and his professional season starts August 13.

As the US prepares for its critical quarterfinal Gold Cup match tomorrow at RFK, Bob Bradley appeared calm and focused at the pre-game press conference when discussing his team’s progress during the Gold Cup.

“The Gold Cup all along has been circled as the championship of our confederation, an opportunity to qualify for the Confederations Cup,” said Bradley.  He added, “we’ve played against some very very good teams and that helps us move in the direction we want.”

The match, which is sold out, will be the 18th time that the US and Jamaica have met in international play and the first time Bob Bradley has managed against them. Jamaica advanced by winning Group B in dominating fashion while the US enters this match with many questions about its team and its head coach. In what some are calling a “must win” for Bradley, he was surprisingly nonplussed.  ”In any tournament, you can’t mention [the word] championship… what we have to do is do our homework on Jamaica”

This will be the third time the two nations have played in the Gold Cup with the U.S. holding a 2-0-0 advantage.  In fact, the U.S. has never lost to Jamaica (9-0-8) nor has it ever lost in the Gold Cup quarterfinals in regulation (5-0-1 with the only loss coming to Columbia on penalty kicks).  But in a tournament where the U.S. has already lost for the first time in group play and struggled against CONCACAF minnow Guadeloupe, the team cannot take any opponent lightly.  Especially a team with such known talent: Jamaica has more MLS players (7) than the U.S. national team (6).

With Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey away at family weddings, it was up to captain Carlos Bocanegra to give a players’ perspective at today’s press conference.  But his comments were pretty straightforward, emphasizing the team was excited and ready to face Jamaica.  When asked about Dempsey’s availability after a long flight, Bradley stated he would be evaluated just like any other player in terms of match fitness before the match.  I asked about the team’s overall health and fitness; some starters have now played four matches in two weeks plus travel across the U.S.  Bradley responded that the team was overall fit and he was happy with their health.

Bradley’s right that the key for the U.S. is containing Jamaica’s speed.  The U.S. has not faced a team as fast as the Reggae Boyz in the Gold Cup and the teams with speed they face they have struggled.  For the U.S. to win, it needs to maintain good passing lanes, convert on its chances, and maintain their assignments on defense.  Do that, and they will extend their undefeated streak against Jamaica while reestablishing some momentum to a possible Panama rematch.  Lose, and the vultures circling over the national team will become even more apparent.

Photo by mrmoneda

The 2011 Gold Cup is an interesting tournament, one almost designed specifically for the most hard core soccer fan.  The winner advances to the Confederations Cup, which is a very scaled down version of the World Cup, and you have to really be into soccer to buy tickets for Panama versus Guadeloupe (Tuesday in Detroit).  But there are some incredible plot lines for this tournament, and if you don’t think the pressure is on Bob Bradley’s team to hoist the trophy in LA at the end of the month, you aren’t paying attention to soccer at all.

However, the U.S.’s success is not the only thing riding on this tournament.  Mexico is the other CONCACAF side that believes it can rise to the elite of international soccer, while Canada, Honduras, and Costa Rica are engaging building projects aimed at breaking up the CONCACAF duopoly that currently exists.  Below is your guide to the teams in the Gold Cup as well as the games not to miss.  Teams are listed in four categories: favorites, dark horse contenders (those teams that could surprise and win the Gold Cup), dangerous teams (those that can grab an unexpected game or two), and happy to be here.  Agree or disagree?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below.  Check out the entire schedule here and TV schedule here.

Guide to the Gold Cup Teams

Favorites

The United States [C]:  The team we all know so well has a few injury concerns.  Landon Donovan should be over his illness by Tuesday, but anytime #10 is out the U.S. should be worried.  Keep in mind, two years ago the U.S. brought a third string team to this tournament and made the finals, so anything less than the finals will be a disappointing tournament.

Mexico (A): El Tri has not lost this year internationally, and the emergence this year of “Chicharito” for Manchester United should have U.S. fans concerned about facing this team.  Two possible weaknesses for Mexico to note: this is head coach José Manuel de la Torre’s first Gold Cup as manager, and Monterrey keeper/Mexico starter Jonathan Orozco has been a starter only twice, both times in friendlies.

Dark horse contenders

Canada [C]:  American fans may be quick to dismiss our northern neighbors, but that would be a dangerous decision.  The names known to MLS fans are Julian de Guzman, Will Johnson and Dwayne de Rosario, but the team has veteran European club players like MF Atiba Hutchinson (Eindhoven), D Kevin McKenna (Germany’s Koln), and F Simeon Jackson (England’s Norwich City).

Costa Rica (A):  Remember, Costa Rica was a winner-take-all game away from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.  Alvaro Saborio is the “name” player for U.S. fans but their most important player is Bryan Ruiz, who was a major contributor for FC Twente this season (and scored both goals in the 2-2 draw with the U.S. in the most recent World Cup qualifying).

Jamaica (B):  Don’t laugh, but the Reggae Boyz are a legitimately good team.  Eight players come from MLS, the most important being Dane Richards, but this team will badly miss an injured Omar Cummings.  Besides Tim Howard, they may have the best keeper in CONCACAF in Donovan Ricketts.

Dangerous Teams

Guadeloupe [C]:  The only CONCACAF country to win a World Cup, Guadeloupe is a territory of France, so CONCACAF tournaments are the only prize the island itself can play for (FIFA considers them part of France).  Stephane Auvray will lead this team of Ligue 1 and smaller European club veterans.  Guadeloupe made a run to the 2007 Gold Cup semifinals, so they know how to win important matches in this tournament.

Guatemala (B): This team’s chances begin and end with the Fire’s Marco Poppa and the Union’s Carlos Ruiz.  They barely qualified for this tournament, but with Poppa and Ruiz have the ability to grab an upset or two in the tournament.

Honduras (B): No Andy Najar leaves this team with a hole in midfield.  The star of the team is Celtic left back Emilio Izaguirre, who was named Scottish Premier League player of the year this season.  Eleven players on this roster started at least once in the 2010 World Cup, but with the team on its third manager in the past year and undergoing a youth movement, this will be a wildly unpredictable team.

Happy To Be Here

Cuba (A):  Their only recent win in a friendly was against Nicaragua, who is currently ranked below Curacao.  Their players all play in Cuba, which is a poor league.  The only intrigue in their matches is if anyone will defect afterwards.

El Salvador (A):  This is the team to cheer for if you are an ex-pat – their two most famous players are MLS players who came up in the US system in Alturo Alvarez and Steve Purdy.  The Portland defender only got his passport about a month ago, so los Cuscatlecos are vulnerable in the back.

Grenada (B):  No Shalrie Joseph, no chance.  They were outscored 10-0 in the group stage of the 2009 tournament, so they will be looking for a goal this time as a team goal.

Panama [C]:  Panama is ahead of Scotland in the FIFA rankings, so they have that going for them.  Their squad has players from clubs all over the world, including León (Blas Perez), Lech Poznan (Luis Henríquez), and River Plate (Harold Cummings).

Matches to Watch

US v. Canada (June 7, Detroit):  This is a good early test for the Yanks.  If they can shake off the Spain loss and bring their A game, they should beat the Canucks.  However, anything less and Canada can steal a point or three from this match.

Mexico v. Costa Rica (June 12, Chicago): Mexico should win group A, but this will be their stiffest test before the one-and-done rounds.

Honduras v. Jamaica (June 13, Red Bull Arena): While I think Jamaica is the favorite in this group, this match may be for the first spot in the group.  Honduras can grab a statement win and a face off in the quarterfinals against Group B #2 [Canada/the U.S./Guadeloupe] at RFK Stadium.

Gold Cup Championship (Los Angeles, June 25): If this is the United States and Mexico, expect an epic contest.  This would be their first meeting since 2009 and is certainly anticipated.

Photo by LA Galaxy

For American soccer fans, we are entering a frantic month of soccer.  In addition to our normal MLS action, we will have the chance to see the Gold Cup and an impressive friendly against Spain.  With the action spread out across the U.S., this may be the most soccer saturated this country has been since the 1994 World Cup – cities across the country even without MLS teams will get to see the beautiful game at a high level.

This has been a busy week in U.S. soccer, and below are some of the stories and topics we have yet to touch on this week.

• Of course the big news is the firing of two coaches, Carlos de los Cobos of the Fire and Teitur Thordarson of the Whitecaps.  Chicago Fire Confidential does a great job summarizing the takeover by Frank Klopas in Chicago, as well as details on how it went down, while Vancouver Whitecaps FC blog give a fans perspective on the Thordarson era.  Soccer America has a profile of new Whitecaps head coach Tom Soehn.
• Some good news for Colorado fans potentially – Omar Cummings has requested and received a dismissal from the Jamaican national team to continue healing from his injuries, while Tyrone Marshall has also asked for a dismissal during the group stage to help Colorado’s depth.  Great news for the Rapids, as both players are now under the watchful eyes of the team.
• Hans Backe was named head coach of the MLS All Stars, who will take on Manchester United on July 27 at Red Bulls Arena.
• A U.S. national has been released by his British club and is looking for work.  Will we see Marcus Hahnemann in an MLS shirt this summer, or will he wait for his beloved Seattle to have a spot for him?
• Is Pachuca America’s team?  After trading away Herculez Gomes, the team is allegedly in talks with DaMarcus Beasely.
• If you know me you know my love of Freddy Adu, and this is a great interview about his career to this point.
• And finally, who says the U.S. doesn’t love soccer?  These TV numbers prove otherwise.

My name is Robert Hay, and I am a fan of Freddy Adu.

That statement has for years been quite controversial, as the young American has been the center of much discussion of the failures of American soccer.  We hype them too young!  We don’t develop our own talent!  Don’t let players like Agudelo and Bunbury get Adu’ed!  No one who plays in the Turkish (or Danish or Swedish) second division deserves media coverage!  If he truly cared about his career then he’d play in the states and turn down the easy paycheck!

While the spotlight had turned away from Adu for a while (save for a wonder goal here or there) it has now turned right back on him with today’s surprising announcement that Bob Bradley named him to the U.S. Gold Cup roster.  Even on my list of people I’d bring (where I suggested starting Teal Bunbury and having Bill Hamid handy) I never even considered adding Adu, figuring he needed to climb back in good graces to consider being picked.  I guess he was more in favor than I had thought.  Adu made the cut for the team over Teal Bunbury (who is the next big thing along with Agudelo), Edson Buddle (who’s actually performed in MLS and overseas) and Herculez Gomez (who has played well in the Mexican league).  So why Adu over these gentlemen?

• Adu is still very young.  It may be hard to believe but the midfielder is just old enough to order a drink in the United States.  Regardless his country of origin, he is still a prospect that can be molded into a very good player.
• You can’t teach athleticism.  Even though players like Buddle are more accomplished, Adu is more physically gifted.  If you (and by you I mean Bob Bradley) teach him to use that athleticism, then he becomes the complete player he was always supposed to become.  But people have been saying that for years.
• He has played his cards correctly.  Not getting playing time in Greece and numerous other countries, plus not receiving attention from Bradley, Adu could have called a friendly reporter and ripped USSF, American soccer, and Bradley.  But he didn’t.  He took Bradley’s advice to simply get playing time, moved off the radar in the Turkish second division, and played well.  He’s scored 4 goals in 11 appearances (including this one), and Bradley watched many of his matches over the Internet.  Adu played his cards right, and is getting rewarded with another chance.
• Adu’s career in international play is more than impressive.  As a reminder, he has played in three FIFA U-20 World Cups and captained one of the teams.  He has almost seventy international caps at multiple levels and has led national teams at the highest level.  You don’t just throw away that kind of experience.

Ultimately, Freddy Adu may not play that much and may just be anther body.  But the success of this pick and a few others will be judged by the results in the Gold Cup; failure will cast a poor light on Bradley and Adu.  The two are inexplicably linked.

A few other thoughts:

• I am glad that Chris Wondolowski was included in the squad.  This team needs a forward who can score, no matter what, and that’s what Wondo does.  He deserves another national team chance.
• There is a lack of German and Swedish influence on this team.  Despite speculation that David Yelldell would be the third keeper, Bradley went with Nick Rimando.  And Timothy Chandler was a major exclusion from this team, an absolute surprise considering the hype he was getting after his last call-up.  A guy I would have started, half-Scandinavian Mixx Diskerud, was also not invited despite his season being over. Alejandro Bedoya was another surprise exclusion despite his club season being over.
• Robbie Rogers has at times played well for Columbus and almost carried them offensively.  But he would not have even been the best pick from MLS – I would have taken Kyle Beckerman or Brek Shea to provide more defensive cover.

Photo by C.A.M. Stephans

By now you have probably heard the Bob Bradley deadline of May 23 to announce his call-ups for the U.S. National Team. This is a critical call-up, as not only will these players play in the 2011 Gold Cup but also in the friendly versus Spain.  As such, Bob Bradley will likely go the opposite of Camp Cupcake and take a veteran lineup to Foxborough.

But should he?  What should be the goals of the US Men’s National Team, June 2011 edition?  I’d argue the following should be the goals of Bob Bradley’s squad, in this order:

1. Win the Gold Cup and punch the ticket to the Confederations Cup
2. Begin finding the players for the 2014 World Cup
3. Not embarrass the country in the Spain match

In order to do this, Bob Bradley should bring a mix of veterans and up-and-comers, and in the process take a few gambles with this team.  Here are my suggestions by position for Coach Bradley, as well as a few predictions of who he will actually bring.  Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section:

Keepers He Should Bring: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, and Bill Hamid

Keepers He Will Bring: Howard, Hahnemannn, and David Yeldell

Until he proves otherwise, Tim Howard is the #1 keeper for this team and that will not change during the World Cup. The #2 keeper should be someone with experience who can step in during an emergency, so Hahnemann fits that profile as he transitions from Europe to MLS.  Brad Guzan is seemingly on the outs with Bradley plus scheduled his wedding for the end of this month.  Bradley could go with David Yeldell to continue the German connection but could again give Dominic Cervi a chance to earn a place on the team, despite the fact he can’t even get a start for his club team.  One day Howard will be too old to play for this team, and the US needs to begin planning for that now.  The final spot should go to a young stud who should begin to be groomed to be the next Tim Howard; the two MLS candidates right now are Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid, with Hamid getting the call due to having a better season so far.

Defenders He Should Bring: (starters) Tim Chandler, Oguchi Onyewu, Clarence Goodson, Carlos Bocanegra, (bench) Steve Cherundolo, Zak Whitbread, Tim Ream, Jonathan Bornstein, Chad Marshall

Defenders He Will Bring: (starters) Cherundolo, Goodson, Onyewu, Bocanegra, (bench) Chandler, Bornstein, Ream, Whitbread, Eric Lichaj

The backline is up in the air, but you can bet Bradley will go conservative here.  The U.S.’s biggest problem has been conceding early goals, so Bradley will likely thwart this by throwing out a veteran lineup.  My thought is that the Gold Cup is put up or shut up time for two U.S. defenders – Tim Chandler and Gooch.  Gooch is coming back from injury and it’s time to see if he can be an international starting defender before 2014 qualification.  Tim Chandler took the soccer scene by storm with a good showing against Paraguay; now’s a good time to see if he can maintain the hype.

Midfielders He Should Bring: (4-2-3-1) Michael Bradley, Jonathan Spector, Landon Donovan, Mikkel Diskerud, Clint Dempsey, (bench) Benny Feilhaber, Brek Shea, Alejandro Bedoya

Midfielders He Will Bring: (4-4-2) Donovan, Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Dempsey, (bench) Edu, Feilhaber, Bedoya, Jonathan Spector

I have always been a believer in the U.S. playing with 5 midfielders, with Bradley and Spector alternating between making advancing runs and playing back in the holding role.  Donovan and Dempsey are locks to start but the U.S. needs someone with vision and talent to make the right pass to get the wings and forward the ball in scoring chances.  Although young, Diskerud has shown flashes of this ability and he should get a chance now.  If nothing else, a call-up binds him to the U.S.  On the bench, Brek Shea has shown the ability to be a world class midfielder, with FC Dallas’ recent good run of form showing how good Shea can be.  Bradley, however, will probably fall back into the comfortable 4-4-2 and keep his standards in the midfield.  The bench for Bradley will also be experienced, with players we’ve seen before who have specific talents for specific scenarios.

Forwards He Should Bring: Teal Bunbury, Jozy Altidore, Chris Wondolowski

Forwards He Will Bring: Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Herculez Gomez

Let’s be ambitious.  If Bradley plays a 4-2-3-1, he needs a lone striker type, something Altidore is not.  He is talented enough to make the team, but he needs a second forward up front with him.  Agudelo could be that guy, but he is in danger of over-exposure and over-use this year.  Let’s see if Bunbury is as good internationally or better than Agudelo.  In the same vein, let’s give Chris Wondolowski one more chance.  The guy can score in MLS, so let’s see if he can do the same for the national team.

After a midweek tease, the MLS slate is full this weekend with all but two teams playing on Saturday.  For those looking forward to a little Friday night soccer, there will be none so you’ll just have to wait for Saturday night’s glamorous TV lineup, which includes the renewal of the U.S. leg of the Cascadia Cup rivalry.

Now for the other stories catching our attention this week:

• Marcos Mondaini received a four game suspension and a $1,500 fine for his aggressive tackle on Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales.  The suspension is much less than Brian Mullan’s, but the league deemed the tackle as one to prevent a scoring chance, while Mullan’s “showed utter disregard for his opponent’s safety.”
• The Washington Post ran a front page story this morning on DC United’s situation at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium.  There were no great surprises to MLS or DCU fans, but the prominent placement may help the team in its efforts to build a new home.
• Speaking of DCU, Steven Goff of the Post broke the news that Bob Bradley will be in attendance at the DC-Colorado match tomorrow night.  While there are other American nationals like Dax McCarty and Anthony Wallace there, this is likely Charlie Davies casting call for a Gold Cup spot.
• Speaking of Bob Bradley, over 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the USA v. Spain friendly at Gillette Stadium on June 4, and organizers expect a record crowd for the region.
• Our parent site announced the news a few days ago that possible FA Cup champion Manchester  City will extend their U.S. tour to play the LA Galaxy July 24 at Home Depot Center.
• The Colorado Rapids injury list grows, as the team announced that Omar Cummings will be out 2-4 weeks with “an ankle”.  Caleb Folan is also out this weekend, but Conor Casey is expected to return.
• MLS in Minnesota?  Don Garber’s considering it (sorry Miami/Cosmos/Las Vegas/San Antonio fans).
• If you like fan bases tweaking each other and stirring up regional rivalries like I do, this billboard in Dallas will make you laugh.

Photo by thepeculiarcat

The United States lost a promising national team player today when Andy Najar officially announced he would represent Honduras in the 2011 Gold Cup and thus be eligible to play for their national team.  Najar, the 2010 Rookie of the Year in MLS, comes from the Central American country but has lived the past few years in Alexandria as he came up through the DC United youth system and attended Edison High School.

Despite the hope that Najar would eventually join Bob Bradley’s team, this decision made sense on multiple levels.  Despite living in Virginia the past four years, Najar would have had to maintain residency in the states for another few years in order to qualify as a citizen for purposes of playing for the U.S.  The residency clock would have stopped if Najar went to play overseas which, if he builds off a stellar rookie campaign, is a distinct possibility.  By choosing Honduras, he is eligible to not only play in the 2011 Gold Cup but can join the Honduras’ U-20 team and possibly play in the 2012 Olympics.

From a U.S. national team perspective, this is not a major loss in the short term.  Najar plays on the wings in the midfield and would be behind Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey on the depth chart.  Maybe eventually he could move inside, but it would deprive his team of a speedy threat on the wing and he fits more of an attacking role needing space than a distributor.  Long-term however it deprives the U.S. of a tantalizing option in the midfield.  Najar is the type of player the U.S. currently lacks: quick, works well by creating space, and a threat to score whenever he touches the ball.  Imagine the Russian World Cup in 2018 where a U.S. team captained by Michael Bradley has Mikkel Diskerud in the middle, creating scoring chances for Najar on the wing and Juan Agudelo up front.  That is a pretty entertaining scenario, one that had to have U.S. fans salivating.

In the end, losing Andy Najar isn’t as devastating to the U.S. as losing Giuseppe Rossi, if for no other reason than Najar does not play a position of absolute need.  But it does rob the U.S. of an intriguing option for the future and a playmaker who may one day be the kind of difference maker the Americans have sorely lacked.

Photo by compscigrad

After the shine of the first weekend has worn off, MLS gets into the grind with some of its biggest names missing for international duty.  Some teams have a second chance to show they’ve improved, while some have another chance to prove they aren’t bottom feeders.  Make sure you vote in our poll below for your most interesting match of the week:

• Congrats to RSL coach Jason Kreis.  The team announced that in addition to retiring his number 9 this summer it has extended his contract through the 2013 season.  Kreis is the youngest MLS head coach to win an MLS Cup and has an overall coaching record of 51-42-34.
• With Landon Donovan playing for the USMNT this weekend, Bruce Arena will give the captain’s armband to Mr. David Beckham in their match this Saturday versus RSL.  This is the first time in three years that Beckham will serve as captain.
• Speaking of the national team, they will wear their new red kit this weekend against Argentina.  Take a look and learn to love it, because they will wear this one in the 2011 Gold Cup.  I am a bigger fan of the blue myself, but it’s still a good look for the team.
• The New York Red Bulls released forward Salou Ibrahim this week.  The well-traveled Ghanan scored three goals in 19 games last season.  In addition, the Red Bulls are facing some injury and depth issues, so their match this weekend against Columbus could be quite interesting.
• New England’s search for an international striker may be coming to an end.  The club brought in Danish striker Rajko Lekic on trial and may make a move to sign him from his current club Silkeborg.
• And finally, the Ochocinco experiment seems to be going well.  Get the latest from the MLS site.

Tomorrow night (or evening for those on the West Coast) the United States January camp team will take the pitch against Chile in a friendly where both sides are lacking all of their biggest stars.  Chile is a good South American squad, normally second-tier behind countries like Brazil and Argentina, but with their former coach leading the team and not bringing many starters, this is a tough match to judge how far the U.S. is coming against international competition.  And as has been stated ad nasuem, this is a very very young United States team, with a total of 23 caps.

However, January friendlies do tell a lot about the state of the national team, and as Steve Davis of Sports Illustrated notes here, otherwise mundane January friendlies do have a tendency to help a different player make a name for himself every year and become the new “hot” national team star.

So who could be the camp player who makes a name for himself against Chile?

The players who get the most attention are the goal scorers, but I will give you two candidates I think will have all the buzz on Sunday.  Please note that my predictions and thoughts throughout this post come not from first-hand observation (as I do not live in California) but from following those people who have seen the camp up-close.  I think in the back Anthony Wallace will have a breakout game.  My projected starting left back has the opportunity to fulfill a need on this team.  Jonathan Bornstein is probably your Gold Cup starter in that position, but it is not a deep one for the U.S.  Wallace has the chance to impress and earn a chance for playing time if Bornstein fails, and he has to be ready to play against Esteban Paredes, the Colo-Colo striker who is the one legitimate star on the Chile roster.

My second candidate for “It” player coming out of this match is Mikkel Diskerud.  He got some attention for his excellent play (and assist) in the South Africa match but I think this will be the game where he takes his profile to another level.  I expect to see more of the smart distribution and ball control he showed against South Africa and win a definite call-up to the Gold Cup team.

Below is my best guess at the starters, and I will assume Bob Bradley will play a chic 4-2-3-1.

Keeper: If I am Bob Bradley, my keeper for important matches is Tim Howard without a doubt.  Three of the four keepers in camp are about Brad Guzan’s age, so if I am Bob Bradley I want to see if Sean Johnson is long-term starting material, i.e. if he can eventually replace Tim Howard in 2018.  Therefore, I want to get him the start today just to get a first look.

Back line: If Tim Ream and Omar Gonzalez are not trotting out onto the field at 9:50 PM tomorrow night, I would be shocked.  Those two clearly have a future with the senior team and are the most talented defenders in camp.  As I mentioned above, Wallace gets the start at left back and I think Sean Franklin will hold down the right.

Midfield: In our formation, Bob Bradley will need two midfielders towards the back who can control play, so look for Jeff Laurentowicz to get the start and chance to prove he belongs on the senior team.  I think team blogger Dax McCarty will start next to him but that is one of the positions where Bradley has a number of options.

I would put Mikkel Diskerud in the center of the triangle three up top, as I said to test his ability to direct the attack and set up the goal scorers.  Alejandro Bedoya would be the starter if Bradley plays a 4-4-2 or 4-2-2-2, but if he goes 4-2-3-1 look for Chris Wondolowski to get the start on the right, not only to provide a little more scoring but to give him a chance to prove that his MLS season was not a fluke.  On the other side I expect Brek Shea to get the start; he’s an up-and-comer and the experience will serve him well if he really is a future USMNT star.

Forward: My forward in this formation is definitely Juan Agudelo.  The guy has a ton of upside and I think the coaching staff really wants to see more of him in a game.  Look for Teal Bunbury to as get playing time during this match.

Who would you start tomorrow against Chile?