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| Tuesday, April 2, 2002 19:26 EST |
Picking the 23
By Marc Connolly
[ABC Sports Online]
Let’s start with what we know.
The U.S. National Team will feature the following players on its 23-man roster this summer in Japan/South Korea:
Who will make the final cut and the first eleven against Portugal on June 5? |
Captain Claudio Reyna
Jeff Agoos
Chris Armas
Landon Donovan
Brad Friedel
Cobi Jones
Kasey Keller
Clint Mathis
Brian McBride
Joe-Max Moore
John O’Brien
Eddie Pope
David Regis
Tony Sanneh
Earnie Stewart
I’m also going to go a step further and add Eddie Lewis, Tony Meola and Josh Wolff to that list, to bring the total to 18. That leaves five field players for Bruce Arena to choose from over the final two exhibition matches to be played on Wednesday against Mexico in Denver and on April 17 against Ireland in Dublin.
The roster Coach Arena has summoned to the Rockies is all about giving chances to those looking to make up his mind, even though he is said to be set on 20 of the 23. (In reality, he’s probably down to two players for one spot). Without Agoos, Armas and the two-headed starting goalkeeper, particularly, there will be openings on the field to make a mark that usually are not there, no matter what type of game it is.
The biggest roster concern for Arena has to be in his defense where he has Frankie Hejduk, Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Llamosa, Gregg Berhalter, Pablo Mastroeni, Greg Vanney, Carlos Bocanegra and even Richard Mulrooney, a darkhorse right back candidate, competing for only a few spots.
Cherundolo may well be the right back of the future at only 23 years old, but he may not even have a roster spot for this World Cup. His performance against Germany wasn’t abysmal, but he certainly didn’t cement himself a place on the team.
A strong performance against Mexico and versus Ireland could not only guarantee a spot on the roster for Hejduk, but also a chance to earn the starting nod at right back over Sanneh, who has to be the odds-on favorite at the moment. Considering Arena told members of the media in Germany that "once he joins our camp in May he'll be all right for the World Cup," one has to think that the Bayer Leverkusen reserve will join the team in the Far East.
Where it gets very interesting is what Arena will do in the central defense. In Llamosa, Berhalter and Mastroeni, he has three solid players who all can make a case to be included.
Llamosa could actually be his first choice as a centerback alongside Goose. He’s also someone that has played for Arena at both the club team level with D.C. United, and has been a regular in the National Team throughout Arena’s regime. The 32-year-old is a strong man-to-man defender and pairs quite well with Agoos, making him a virtual lock.
Arena also knows what Berhalter can do, as the Crystal Palace defender has suited up for him 20 times over the past four years. His strong play in the air and savvy marksmanship would surely aid the squad if he is called upon, as was on display against Italy in February when he shined against Christian Vieri. The Tenafly, N.J., native will surely get a chance against Ireland.
Mastroeni could very well be the 23rd player to make the squad or also be listed as one of several alternates as the 24th or 25th man on a 23-man roster. At 25, he will surely be a factor in 2006. What may hurt him is experience compared to the others. Having only seven caps, none of which include a pressure-cooker like a World Cup qualifier, the smart money is seeing him in a Colorado Rapids jersey instead of the USA kit come June.
Bocanegra showed flashes of brilliance in the Gold Cup and is one of the best defenders in Major League Soccer for the Chicago Fire. The 22-year-old will be a regular for many years in the future, but not until after this World Cup. If Greg Vanney, who has been playing well for Bastia in France since January, plays well in both exhibitions, he’ll be the one in line to serve as a backup left back to David Regis.
One player to really watch is Mulrooney, since he could give Arena a backup right back, wing midfielder and defensive midfielder all in one. The 25-year-old San Jose Earthquake standout has played in three games for Arena since the U.S. qualified for the Cup last fall. With Hejduk in for the Mexico match, it’s likely that Mulrooney will see time at Armas’ usual spot as the defensive midfielder. Even though he only has three caps to his credit, the Memphis, Tenn., native could sneak onto this roster with a fine performance.
The midfield situation is a lot more tidy. As of the moment, the foursome of Armas, Reyna, O’Brien and Stewart are the starters. Even if Arena plays around with his positioning (remember, this wasn’t a strict diamond with two flank mids throughout most of qualifying) or adding Donovan/Mathis into the central midfield, those four are not worried about seeing their names on the final 23. Cobi Jones and, most likely, Eddie Lewis are also set as the replacements on both flanks.
Where the question lies is who will be the other one or two subs (Donovan, Mathis, Moore and Stewart can all play Reyna’s position which lessens the need for mids on this squad). Leaving Mulrooney out of it, since he’s somewhat of a wildcard and might now be considered more as a defender, leaves in DaMarcus Beasley, Brian Maisonneuve and Brian West.
Beasley is 19 and West is 23, while Maisonneuve is 28 and a World Cup veteran from 1998. Of the three MLS players, Beasley has received the most looks from Arena, and is by far the most promising. Since West hasn’t done much of anything in his six appearances with the Nats, it’s highly doubtful he’s even in position to make the 23. And with Mais, it all comes down to a numbers game and whether Arena selects Mulrooney as his all-purpose midfielder or decides to bring back Richie Williams, who is an Arena favorite in the defensive midfield, and might be his choice simply for situations when the U.S. is defending a lead in the second half.
Of any of the “bubble” players, Beasley is the most intriguing because of what he is capable of. Should the U.S. need a burst of energy off the bench to fly up and down the left flank and attack the goal, it’s hard to say that anyone is better suited to accomplish this than DMB. Plus, Arena has gone on record in the past saying age wouldn’t be held against any of his teenage players. A strong showing against Mexico could be the clincher for Beasley.
Up front, it appears that either Ante Razov or Jovan Kirovski will not be on the squad, even though both were a major part in World Cup qualifying in 2000 and 2001. Kirovski might be the next best option to McBride as far as target forwards go, but he also hasn’t capitalized on his chances when he’s had them. The Crystal Palace front-runner made a wily move in shielding his defender on the Regis pass up the left side to create the first goal-scoring opportunity for Mathis against Germany, but that’s all he contributed. He appears to be the longer of longshots here.
Razov is more of a threat to score, the question is his consistency. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder needs to come out against Mexico and play with the passion and precision he displayed two years ago when he scored four goals in nine games for Arena, and lit up MLS for 18 goals and 42 points for the Fire.
Now you can see what type of dilemmas Bruce Arena has in the next few weeks.
Not knowing what will happen between now and the night of April 17, here is one man’s picks for the final 23-man roster to represent the U.S. in World Cup 2002:
Forwards: Donovan, Mathis, McBride, Moore, Wolff
Midfielders: Armas, Beasley, Jones, Lewis, O’Brien, Reyna, Stewart
Defenders: Agoos, Berhalter, Hejduk, Llamosa, Mulrooney, Pope, Regis, Sanneh
Goalkeepers: Friedel, Keller, Meola
Marc Connolly is a senior writer for ABC Sports Online. He can be reached at marc.connolly@abc.com
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