On the eve of the biggest match in recent U.S. soccer history there are still questions on who Bob Bradley will start.  For the U.S.A., Oguchi Onyewu and Jozy Altidore should both be in the starting lineup but both will have something to prove.  Hopefully he has informed the players who are in his starting 11 know so they can prepare for this epic match.

The U.S. team has consistently played in a 4-4-2 formation but with Bob Bradley you never know what he is thinking.  If he strays from the 4-4-2 he could  possibly go with a 4-5-1.  Our team is a better team with 2 strikers on the field so lets hope he sticks with what works.

Bob Bradley will start Tim Howard in goal for the Americans.  Howard is in great form and as long as he keeps his composure and remains calm in tight situations he will shine.  Howard has the potential to be a breakthrough players this summer.

The left back position will most likely be captain Carlos Bocanegra.  Bocanegra has the ability to play in the central defense if needed but shines on the wing.

Jay Demerit and Oguchi Onyewu will start together as central backs.  Onyewu is still a major concern going into the macth over his fitness level.  If Onyewu can’t go or if he struggles look for Bradley to go with Clarence Goodson.

Right back will be played by Steve Cherundelo.  Cherundelo won the job from Jonathan Spector in my opinion with his recent play.  Bradley has not stated who he prefers so we will have to see who he chooses to go with.

The starting outside midfielders will be Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.  Donovan and Dempsey also both have the ability to move to striker or attacking midfield if needed.

In the middle Michael Bradley and Ricardo Clark will start together reuniting  the pair who did superb together at last summers FIFA Confederations Cup.  Maurice Edu and Jose Francisco Torres are also in good form and could surprisingly break into the lineup.

Bradley has confirmed that Jozy Altidore is starting up top, but  it still remains unclear on who will be joining him.  Edson Buddle is the clear choice at the moment but Robbie Findlay’s pace is also a great option.  Look for Bradley to go with Buddle alongside Altidore.

GK- Tim Howard

DEF- Steve Cherundelo, Jay Demerit, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra

MID- Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey

FWR- Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle

Bob Bradley certainly will  not be pleased after The Czech Republic dismantled his World Cup tryout squad 4-2.  All was not lost in the defeat though with a few players getting much needed match time to get a feel for the speed of play at this level.  Bradley decided to not dress most of the regulars to give players on the bubble one last shot.

There were only a few players who improved their chances to make the squad.  Edson Buddle, Stuart Holden,Brian Ching and Hurcelez Gomez played their way on to the roster in my opinion.  Heath Pearce, Sasha Kljestan, and Eddie Johnson played their way off the squad with poor performances.

Here is the LiveThePitch prediction for the World Cup roster.

Goalkeepers- Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

Defenders- Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Spector, Jay Demerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein,Steve Cherundelo, Chad Marshall

Midfielders- Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Jose Torres

Forwards- Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Hurcules Gomez, Edson Buddle

Players Cut

Heath Pearce

Eddie Johnson

Sasha Kljestan

Robbie Findlay

Alejandro Bedoya

DeMarcus Beasley

Robbie Rogers

Bob Bradley has announced a thirty player preliminary roster for the 2010 World Cup.  These thirty players will train together for the next few weeks trying to find a place on the final 23 player list Bradley will have to turn in by June 1.

Bradley’s picks were not very surprising but leaving Charlie Davies off the list is a huge loss to the team. Davies has been recovering from a horrific car accident but could not gain medical clearance to take the field.  If healthy, Davies would have provided a much needed speed threat up top for the U.S.

The other health question for Bradley will be the form of Oguchi Onyewu.  Onyewu has not seen the pitch since rupturing a patella tendon in his knee on Oct. 14, 2009.

Also,Bradley’s inclusion of Eddie Johnson, Robbie Rogers, and DeMarcus Beasley don’t seem to make much sense to me.

Here is the preliminary roster:

GOALKEEPERS- Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Marcus Hahnemann

DEFENDERS-Jonathan Bornstein,Oguchi Onyewu,Steve Cherundelo,Jay Demerit, Clarence Goodsen,Chad Marshall,Heath Pearce,Jonathan Spector,Carlos Bocanegra

MIDFIELDERS- Landon Donovan,Michael Bradley,Ricardo Clark,Maurice Edu, DaMarcus Beasley,Alejandro Bedoya,Clint Dempsey,Benny Feilhaber,Stuart Holden, Sasha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers, Francisco Torres

FORWARDS- Jozy Altidore,Brian Ching,Eddie Johnson,Edson Buddle, Robbie Findlay,Hercules Gomez

U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley will have some difficult roster decisions to make in the coming weeks ahead of the FIFA World Cup this summer.  Bradley will call thirty players into camp on May 11.  He will then have to finalize his roster down to 23 players by June 1.  There are serious question marks in some key positions for the U.S. due to injuries and lack of depth, especially up top.

The player the entire country is behind to make a miraculous recovery from numerous injuries that he received in a car crash is Charlie Davies.  Davies is now fully participating in practice with his club team F.C Sochaux in France.  His club team has told him he will not return to matches for the remainder of the season which is only three more weeks. Davies was on fire for his club and his country before the accident.

If Davies can regain his fitness and speed he can be a great threat to opposing defenses.  Bradley lacks options up top this summer, so even if Davies isn’t 100% I would still take him to South Africa.  Davies at 85-90% is still a better option off the bench than Jeff Cunningham, Robbie Findlay, or Connor Casey.  I would take Davies, Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, and Brian Ching if I were in Bradley’s shoes.

Here is a great article on everything Davies has overcome to get to this point from Jeffrey Marcus of the New York Times-

Time is running out on Davies’s Comeback

With the 2010 World Cup quickly approaching we wanted to start a list of players who Bob Bradley will get to choose from to make the trip this summer to South Africa.  As of today the U.S. roster is full of question marks due to injuries.  Bradley will announce his 30 man preliminary roster on May 11th before cutting it down to 23.  The team has three impact players coming off major injuries in the past few months.  U.S. fans are praying for the health of Oguchi Onyewu, Clint Dempsey, and Charlie Davies.

Goalkeepers

The goalkeeping position looks to be locked up by Everton FC star Tim Howard.  Howard as had an up and down season this year with Everton and the U.S.  At times Howard looks as he is one of the top goalkeepers in the world.  Bradley will need to get consistency out of Howard to have a chance this summer.   The U.S. will bring three goalkeepers this summer.

Tim Howard- Everton*-Locked

Brad Guzan- Aston Villa*Locked

Marcus Hahnemann-Wolverhampton

Troy Perkins- DC United

Defenders

The status of Onyewu remains in doubt as we speak, but he should be ready for South Africa.  If Onyewu is at 100% the U.S. defense should be a dominant force this summer.  In last years FIFA Confederations Cup the back line looked stellar.  Look for Carlos Bocanegra, Jay Demerit, and Jonathan Spector to round out the starting back line.  Bradley will take 7-8 defenders to South Africa.

Oguchi Onyewu- AC Milan*Locked

Jay Demerit-Watford*Locked

Jonathan Spector- West Ham United*Locked

Carlos Bocanegra-Rennes*Locked

Steve Cherundolo- Hannover 96

Jonathan Bornstein-Chivas USA

Danny Califf-FC Midtjylland

Heath Pearce-FC Dallas

Clarence Goodson-IK Start

Midfielders

Bradley will have to make some tough decisions in the midfield depending on the health of Dempsey and Davies.  Our ideal lineup would be Landon Donovan on the left, Clint Demspey on the right, and Michael Bradley alongside Ricardo Clark in the middle.  Donovan could very well be forced to play up top if Davies can’t go.  If this is the case look for Stuart Holden, Robbie Rogers, and I hate to say it but Demarcus Beasley getting a shot. Bradley will take 7-9 midfielders this summer.

Landon Donovan- LA Galaxy*Locked

Clint Dempsey- Fulham*Locked

Michael Bradley- Borussia Mönchengladbach*Locked

Ricardo Clark- Eintracht Frankfurt*Locked

Benny Feilhaber- AGF*Locked

Stuart Holden- Bolton

Demarcus Beasley- Rangers

Robbie Rogers- Columbus Crew

Jermaine Jones- Schalke 04

Sasha Kljestan- Chivas USA

Maurice Edu- Rangers

Forwards

Up top for the U.S. Jozy Altidore will bring a speed and size threat to opposing back lines.  The question at the moment is who will join him?  The U.S. is extremely weak in the forward position at the moment.  The ideal candidate would be Davies but no one knows if his greatest asset of speed will be the same as before his accident.  Brian Ching is another reliable option for Bradley, but is a target player like Altidore.  If Davies does not get his fitness look for Donovan or Dempsey to start up top. Bradley will take 4-5 forwards this summer.

Jozy Altidore- Hull City* Locked

Charlie Davies- Sochaux* Locked

Brian Ching- Houston Dynamo *Locked

Conor Casey-Colorado Rapids

Robbie Findlay- Real Salt Lake

Edson Buddle- LA Galaxy

Herculez Gomez- Puebla

Bradley has some key roster decisions to make before making the trip to South Africa.  If healthy this squad could surprise the world once again as they did last summer with a 2nd place finish in the Confederations Cup.  They have proven they can beat any team in the world on any given night.  Bradley should emphasize consistency to the squad leading up to their opening match versus England.

If I were in Bradley’s shoes my ideal lineup for the opening match would be:

4-4-2 Formation

GK-Tim Howard

LB- Carlos Bocanegra

CB-Oguchi Onyewu

CB-Jay Demerit

RB-Jonathan Spector

RM-Clint Dempsey

CM-Michael Bradley

CM-Ricardo Clark

LM-Landon Donovan

ST-Charlie Davies

ST-Jozy Altidore

The bench would include Cherundolo, Califf, Pearce, Goodson, Holden, Rogers, Feilhaber, Edu,Ching,Findlay,Guzan, and Hahnemann.