USMNT v. Brazil – Match Day Preview

Thinking about the US lineup for tonight’s match against Brazil, we tweeted earlier this morning that a similar, Christmas tree style 4-3-3 run out that we saw on Saturday would be suicide against a young Brazil team that makes a living of exploiting space on the wing and punishing teams foolish enough to go shot for shot when it comes to forward movement.

The rationale being, we’d probably see something similar to the 4-4-1-1 that stole a historic victory from Genoa this past leap day.  That lineup in theory is a more prudent option if you’re expecting high pressure and prolonged periods of defending like we’ll see tonight from the Selecao.

However, Klinsmann has shown himself to be nothing if not practical in terms of fitting the system to the players and not vice versa.  While the 4-3-3 is his national vision, he’s a smart enough manager to not mortgage the present for a future that may be a decade off.

In Italy, he had access to Clint Dempsey & Jozy Altidore – two players able to produce quality hold up play and possession in the attacking third.  If a 4-4-1-1 is used tonight, with access to neither of the aforementioned two to start (based on reports this week), his starting forward pair would likely be Boyd/Gomez.  Admirable players in their own right but not two you’d expect to keep sustained pressure against a much better back line than what we saw in Scotland on Saturday.

Not to mention, gambling on a 2nd/3rd choice striking pair means mortgaging one of Saturday’s excellent midfield players that’ll desperately be needed tonight to shield the back line and disrupt Brazilian attacking play through the middle and the wings.  Opening up space in the midfield isn’t the best idea for tonight, to say the least.

So here’s what we’re expecting to see get run out for the Stars & Stripes:

Notes & Sundry

– Two big reasons the offensive explosion against Scotland was as big as it was was the fact that Jermaine Jones and, in particular, Michael Bradley were freed from their Bradley era “empty bucket” holding midfield responsibilities and were put in a position where their full skill set was taken advantage of.

– With the play likely to be dictated to the US tonight, look for those two to sit back closer to destroyer Maurice Edu.  Bradley will have more license to go forward and fill in on the right side of midfield in the “central winger” role.

– Dempsey has confirmed via twitter he’ll be seeing action tonight.  Almost assuredly in the 2nd half as a substitute.

– Fabian Johnson was impressive going forward as a wing back against Scotland – we won’t see him pushing as far up against Brazil but he’ll be the most active defender in the attack with Steve Cherundolo more than likely filling in on spot duty when gaps open up.

That’s all for now.  If you’re in the Buffalo area, go watch the game with the local AO Chapter at The Library in Amherst.  

In Towards McBride Interview Series: 10 Questions with Bobby Shuttleworth

Buffalo isn’t what you’d call a footballing hot bed compared to other locales like North Jersey or the Inland Empire in Southern California….places that have yielded huge chunks of past and present USMNT pools.  We, uh…..have not.

However, there are exceptions to all rules and Bobby Shuttleworth is ours – the 25 year old Nichols grad has been with the New England Revolution since 2009, serving as understudy for league legend Matt Reis.  Bobby was kind enough to sit down between training and games to answer a few questions about his time in Foxboro, Buffalo and whether or not he’s hatching a dastardly plot to sabotage the Patriots.

ITM: To our knowledge, you’re the first Buffalo native to play in MLS. Is there a sense of pride that comes with being essentially the most high profile professional soccer player from Buffalo since the Pikuzinski brothers?

Bobby: I don’t know about high profile but I definitely take pride from where I come from and the soccer in Buffalo. My family had season tickets to the Blizzard games and we were big fans. I try to represent the soccer in the city as best I can.

ITM: Buffalo isn’t an overly soccer saturated town – how did you find and fall in love with the game?

Bobby: I started playing when I was about five years old, played travel until about thirteen, and then premier with then with Buffalo City until college. My mom saw that I enjoyed playing so she bought tickets to Blizzard games and occasionally Rhinos games as well.  I just continued to play and hopefully can for a lot longer.

ITM: You came on board with New England in 2009 after impressing with Austin during a friendly against the Revs. Can you take us through the process of how that happened: coming in as a trialist for a lower division club to getting a contract offer from an MLS team?

Bobby: I never really played with Austin. I signed there strictly in order to play for the Revs and move away from the college game.

I trained with the Revs for about a week and they were looking for a third keeper so it worked out for me.

ITM: Steve Nicol stepped down from managing New England late last year – longtime Revs defender Jay Heaps stepped in and brought a new, some would say, more attacking philosophy. How do you compare and contrast the two managers and their approach to the game?

Bobby: I loved playing for Stevie my first three seasons. He really allowed for me to come along and showed a lot of trust in me which I will always be grateful for.

I played with Jay my first season so it’s definitely a different feel. I think there are some things that with Jay, having played for Stevie for so long, have remained the same. The environment around the locker room is pretty similar in terms of allowing the players to have a good time and keep things light when they need to be.

Soccer wise we are a much more possession orientated team.

ITM: Matt Reis has been one of the best and most consistent keepers in MLS for nearly a decade now. Serving as a backup to him seems to be a double edged sword – it’s unlikely he’ll lose form anytime soon but you’re learning from one of the best. What have you learned and picked up on in the time you’ve spent with him?

Bobby: I can’t say how easy and enjoyable it is to work with Matt. He has really tried to help me from day one, which isn’t something he has to do with younger guys.

Also I have learned alot from some of the other goalies we have had here, and our goalie coach Remi Roy

ITM: Your high school career at Nichols was very successful, winning multiple state titles, earning regional honors, etc. Your college career at UB & Loyola were also successful – out of curiosity to how the Buffalo area is scouted for national team prospects, were you ever contacted/scouted by youth national team coaches in your career before joining New England?

Bobby: I never was contacted or reached out to or anything like that.  Buffalo, and Upstate New York in general doesn’t have the best rep, which is too bad because there are some fantastic players in the area.

ITM: Have you been keeping any tabs on FC Buffalo and the growth of soccer culture (new soccer bar on Hertel, recently formed American Outlaws chapter, etc…) in Western New York?

Bobby: I played for Buffalo City FC  before coming to the Revs so I saw that developing a little. I do see how FC Buffalo is doing occasionally as I know some of the guys on the team and I’m always curious about the soccer scene in Buffalo.

ITM: A dedicated stadium for the Revolution has been at the top of many a New England fan’s wish list ever since the move to Gillette Stadium over a decade ago. Some rays of hope have formed recently with rumors of potential stadium sites being scouted in Somerville & Revere, MA. How important do you think a ground the Revs (and only the Revs) can call home is to the future of the team in Boston?

Bobby: With the way MLS has developed I think it’s absolutely vital. Soccer in Boston is big, and I saw that during the last World Cup. I think a soccer specific stadium will bring the Revs to a new level.

ITM: What player on the Revolution (besides Matt Reis) are you most impressed with and why?

Bobby: It’s hard not to be impressed with the majority of players at this level.  We have some truly talented players who can really play. Shalrie Joseph, Benny Feilhaber are great players who have accomplished a lot of great things.

ITM: Level with us: how hard is it to resist putting spoiled milk in Tom Brady’s locker?

Bobby: Ha ha, it’s not easy being a Bills fan in Boston and especially in Gillette but you have to stick with your team.

Manny thanks to Bobby for his time.  Follow him on twitter at @b_shuttle

From Verona with Love: Michael Bradley’s Game vs. Scotland

With so many wonderful things happening on Saturday night against Scotland, we decided we wanted to highlight one positive in particular.

While the press clippings and attention have predictably gravitated towards Donovan’s hat trick and ironic masterclass performance in the wake of his retirement talk, Michael Bradley is deserving of at LEAST equal praise in our eyes.

In lieu of long winded gushing in the form of an article we figured we’d let this wonderfully edited video from 723 Football Films do the talking for us.

Watch as the ball gravitates to Bradley on almost every US possession – observe the calmness in tight quarters as he finds teammates in space. Oh, and he scores a pretty nice goal, too we guess…

Landon Donovan will sell lots and lots of replica shirts but if the US wants to have any hopes of making it past the Round of 16 in Brazil in two years, they’ll be doing so on the broad shoulders of one Michael Bradley.

Match Report – FC Buffalo: 2 AFC Cleveland: 2

With both Detroit and Cleveland extending their undefeated records over the third weekend of Great Lakes Division play, Sunday afternoon’s return match with AFC Cleveland at Robert E. Rich All High Stadium proved a pivotal early season test and opportunity for FC Buffalo to keep pace with their Rust Belt Cup brethren.

Photo courtesy of Nate Benson Photography

However, all three points were not to be as the two respective slices of bread in the Erie sandwich (it tastes awful, if you’re wondering) played a match that featured everything but a decisive winner.  Hard tackles, questionable refereeing, smashed shots off the wood work and last minute goal mouth scrambles entertained a lively holiday weekend crowd in Buffalo as the I-90 rivals shared the spoils when the final whistle blew.

The game kicked off in Cleveland’s favor as the Ohioans bossed possession for a majority of the opening 10 minutes.  FC Buffalo’s attempts to build out of the back on won challenges went begging as midfield cohesion and play through the middle was negated by Cleveland early on.

Vinny Bell, a goal scorer in the first match played in Cleveland, tormented the right side of the Buffalo defense with a potent mixture of speed, power and intelligence.

While Bell was impressive, Kendell McFayden was equally up to the task as the journeyman defender went about his business effectively, matching Bell physically but not conceding a penalty or a dangerous free kick in or around the Buffalo area.

The momentum swung back into the home side’s favor as the half wore on but Cleveland was the first to strike against the run of play in the 41st minute as the danger man Bell was sent through on a quality through ball from the Cleveland midfield.

The Buffalo defense, looking to maintain a higher line, held their ground and looked to the linesman for a raised flag but none came as the Cleveland forward appeared to be a couple steps in front of the Buffalo defense before completing his run.  In on goal alone, Bell slotted home comfortably and gave the visitors the lead going into the half.

With Buffalo having contemplated the disastrous reality of a home loss to Cleveland during the half time team talk, the two sides came out swinging (for lack of a better term) in the second half with Derek Maier delivering a tone setting foul in the 46th minute.  Tommy Schmitt from Cleveland presented a few dangerous opportunities for the Royals early on as FC Buffalo made a triple substitution in the 49th minute, bringing on Zelko, Spurrier & Schmidt.

Gary Boughton & Alex Rouse added a dimension of promising wing play for Buffalo going forward but lacked the final pass with the center of the Cleveland defense staying compact and efficient.  Match tempo increased with both sides capitalizing off of stray passes in the midfield, resulting in end to end play and several “nearly” moments.

The Buffalo breakthrough came in the 60th minute as Mike Reidy found space in front of the AFC Cleveland back four and sent in Alex Rouse to calmly equalize past Yabrow.  This goal spurred the visitors onto improved play as the next 10 minutes were dominated by Cleveland, showing increased tempo that resulted in several goal mouth scrambles and a venomous volley from Schmitt that went inches wide.

Complications arose for Buffalo in the 69th minute as defensive mainstay Jake Rinow was injured and assisted off the field.  Fan favorite Mbwana Johnson was subbed in for the wounded defender a few minutes later and filled in admirably as a full back on the right side of the defense for the duration of the match.

Cleveland looked to steal an invaluable three points on the road as Tyler Johnston headed home in the 82nd minute off of a period of sustained Cleveland possession that was placed to the left of FC Buffalo net minder Eric DeHond.

The plot thickened in the 85th as Cleveland’s Alex Behader was sent off after a rough challenge in the Buffalo area, resulting in his second yellow of the match.  Tempers flared further and Mbwana Johnson also picked up a caution as Behader left the pitch.

FC Buffalo made the final minutes fascinating as Mike Reidy found the ball at his feet in the Cleveland area after an inswinging cross ping ponged about to allow the eventual man of the match to slalom around several Cleveland defenders and blast the second equalizing goal home, sending the Buffalo crowd into raptures.

Wild sequences followed into stoppage time as Buffalo buzzed about the Cleveland third, coming within inches of a story book last minute winner.  A 90th minute free header was parried away by Yabrow, only to fall to the feet of Buffalo who smashed the second opportunity off the far post.  A final Buffalo corner was poorly played and cleared away, bringing the referee’s whistle and the end of the match.

With an Erie thrashing of Binghamton later that evening, the result leaves Buffalo in 4th place in the division and last in the Rust Belt Cup standings.  While there is still much more football to play this summer, next week’s home fixture against the inept Greater Binghamton FC is worthy of the “must win” label as any game this season insofar.

FC Buffalo: DeHond; Hall (Grabowski 79’), McFayden, Snelgrove, Rinow (Johnson 69’); Reidy, Faga, Stedman (Cwiklinski 57’); Tiedt (Zelko 46’), Rouse (Tor 83’)

AFC Cleveland: Yabrow; Cutler, Winters, Spilker (Manna 62’), Earnest (Spagnolo 75’); Poe, Matlock (Spurrier 46’), Vail (Johnston 79’), Holowaty; Miller (Schmitt 46’), Bell (Bahadur 67’)

Match report compiled by Russ Andolina – @rjandolina

USMNT v. Scotland – Match Day Preview

You smell that?  No, not the dogwood that just started blooming in Buffalo.  The other slightly less syrupy smell.

The smell of a fresh 2+ years worth of excitement, anguish, victory, defeat and above all – love.  Tonight marks the (unofficial) start of Brazil 2014 for the United States of America as Scotland comes to Jacksonville to kick off a crazy stretch of 5 games in 18 days…all leading up to the first two qualifying matches in the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying

We’ll keep this simple and to the point.  Scotland comes into Northern Florida with a less than full strength and not terribly impressive squad:

GK: McGregor, DF:Bardsley, Caldwell, Webster, Mulgrew, MF: Brown, Bannan, McArthur, Phillips, Maloney, FWD: Miller.

While several EPL starters feature, critical players like Charlie Adam have been left behind in Caledonia.  A probable 4-5-1 suggests Scotland will look to absorb pressure and try to capitalize on set pieces.

Klinsmann has hinted at adopting a rotating formation between a traditional 4-4-2 and a more ambitious Christmas tree (Tannenbaum?) that would fit in with Jurgen’s long term 4-3-3 Barcelona style aspirations.  With Brazil and the prospect of a 90 minute siege looming on Wednesday evening we figure tonight will be an opportunity to force the issue a bit more and see how well the past 9 months of preaching the gospel of attractive, ball on the ground, short passing football has sunk in.

Given those factors, here’s what we’re expecting in way of a starting XI:

Some notes:

1.  With Gooch coming in a bit late to camp from an extended cup run with Sporting Lisbon and Klinsmann preferring an attacking mindset developing out of the back line we think we’ll see Geoff Cameron start next to Bocanegra in the center of defense.

2.  Klinsmann will get his wing play from the back and more than likely unbalanced towards the left side of the field.  Look for Fabian Johnson and Donovan to combine up the left wing for crosses and passes going into…

3.  Terrance Boyd.   He’ll get his first international start tonight – or we think so at least.  If you couldn’t tell that Klinsmann was bullish on the young man from (for now) Dortmund, his inclusion/sub role against Italy in February was telling considering he’s yet to start at a first division level in any capacity.

Boyd has been extremely prolific for Dortmund U-23s and it was revealed recently by the Dortmund manager that only the excellent form of the strikers in front of him kept him from playing for one of the best teams in the Bundesliga.  Athletic, strong, and smart – he gives off a young Brian McBride vibe which, if you haven’t noticed the banner, we are ALL about.

With a move to Austrian side Rapid Vienna in the works, a big night against Scotland would do much for his USMNT standing, not to mention his pocketbook.

4.  Look for Jose “Paco” Torres to feature again in the #10 role behind Boyd & the wingers.  Torres was beginning to look like one of Klinsy’s favorites with some impressive performances towards the end of last year but an unfortunate foot fracture took him out of the picture for January camp and the winter friendlies.  With true creative central midfielders at an absolute premium in the US pool, a world of opportunity lays at the feet of the young Pachuca string puller.

5.  If he isn’t already, Michael Bradley is quickly earning the “world class” label.  We had the utmost privilege to witness a passing/tackling performance for the ages (in American terms at least) this past Leap Day in Genoa. All the cries of nepotism and “Daddy’s boy” died forever on that chilly Italian field as Mikey Jr. showed us all what he’s learned in Verona.

He’ll get the start tonight as the box to box engine we’ve always known he was.  Maurice Edu will be on mop up duty as the two form a quality defensive pair that should get Jose Torres plenty of touches and time on the ball.

And that’s that – we don’t do predictions so we’ll just say we hope we see encouraging signs for when the games REALLY count in a couple weeks.  Come to The Library at 4224 Maple Road in Amherst to watch the game with American Outlaws’ Buffalo chapter.  Vamos EEUU!!!

Behind the Crest: USMNT Gets the Floyd Mayweather 24/7 Treatment

Great coverage from the fed as camp marches on.

11 New Faces Summoned to Orlando: Klinsmann Rounds Out Qualifying Roster

Sunday afternoon brought scorching weather throughout most of the nation (Buffalo at least) and a storm of instant twitter analysis and reactions as Soccer House released the balance of USMNT campers in Orlando in the mid afternoon:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (7): Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

REPORTING DATES
May 20: Agudelo, Boyd, Cameron, Donovan, Wondolowski, Zusi
May 21: Onyewu
May 23: Gomez
May 24: Goodson
May 28: Altidore

Cut Day to 23 Man Roster: 5/25

Some thoughts:

Wingback Woes: The biggest surprise omission easily has to be Eric Lichaj.  No Lichaj & no Chandler takes a big bite out of what was once thought of as quality, if not excellent, fullback depth.  Fabian Johnson & Steve Cherundolo more than likely would’ve taken the starting spots with or without Lichaj & Chandler on the roster but injuries to either would present an extremely unsettling scenario to the USA back line with Edgar Castillo & Michael Parkhurst serving as the next in line for each respective position.  Decent players in their own right but not among those you’d feel most comfortable with starting with serious World Cup implications on the line.

Tim Ream was left out of the center back pool due to the fact Klinsmann was reported to want to rest the young defender after a demanding start at relegation bound Bolton in the EPL.  Considering Lichaj was in a similar position at Aston Villa in the stretch run, one could guess that Jurgen would prefer not to saddle these young prospects with an intense national team training camp so soon after the end of the English campaign.  However, that would go against his original statements/philosophy that American players are in need of more high level games year round.

Serious concerns are probably unfounded and the easiest/most logical explanation is that Klinsmann thinks he can afford to keep players like Ream & Lichaj home for Antigua & Guatemala given the relative inferiority of each opponent.  We’re curious to see how the 3rd & 4th match days (in the beginning of September, both against Jamaica in a 4 day span) play out in terms of roster makeup in defense.

The Prodigal Son Returns: You can put your pitchforks and Gulati voodoo dolls down – Herc finally got the call.  If you’re reading this you probably have an idea of his story but if in the off chance you don’t, the man lit the Primera on fire this year on the Mexican first divisions most dynamically attacking side.

Despite his ability to practically score at will, the national team continually passed him over, amounting to an 18 month drought of international caps.  Last night Gomez & Santos won the 2012 Mexican Clausura, making Herc the first player in history to win a championship in MLS (Los Angeles ’05) and the Primera.  About 12 hours earlier he received the call to come to Florida.  Sunday Funday indeed.

It’s a Numbers Game: While Klinsmann mentioned having as many as 29 call ups for the Orlando camp, only 27 were present when the dust settled (perhaps some undisclosed injuries for the two missing call ups?).  Four cuts are forthcoming this Friday to get down to the 23 man roster.

Our most likely cut candidates as of Monday would be: Zusi, Corona, Morales, and one of Agudelo or Wondolowski.  The roster is forward heavy but a late arrival for Gomez suggests he’s already booked a place to the final 23.

Our money is on Wondo to head back to Buck Shaw early…Agudelo offers greater formation flexibility and is simply a more gifted technical player than the prolific late blooming San Jose forward.

Stay with us through the week as we bring you more analysis & news from USMNT camp.

Match Report – FC Buffalo: 2 AFC Cleveland: 4

FC Buffalo came into Friday night’s match against AFC Cleveland hobbled not by injuries but by a slate of college graduations for many of their starting players. Back liners Kendell McFayden, Pat Zelko and Josh Hall were all out as well as forward Alex Rouse. The omissions proved to be too much to overcome as the Buffalonians dropped the second match of the young season in a decisive 4-2 loss.

TSR on Tour

AFC Cleveland dominated play early on and kept high pressure on goalkeeper Jordan DiLapo and the new look FC Buffalo defense. Despite strong play from Andy Tiedt and Gary Boughton, FC Buffalo did little to sustain any offensive pressure.

AFC Cleveland nearly capitalized on a miscue by DiLapo as the FC Buffalo keeper was caught out of position on a throw in, but was able to recover in time to keep the score even.

Sloppy play continued for the visiting club in the 41st minute as John Grabowski was called for a foul in the box, gifting a penalty to AFC Cleveland. To the delight of the home crowd, Cleveland striker Vinny Bell was able to slot home and put the Ohio side up 1-0.

The score remained 1-0 as the teams retired to their respective rooms for the half. In an effort to turn the tide of play, Buffalo used 2 substitutes to start the second 45 as Ordonez came in for Ventura & Scirto in for Snelgrove as FCB gambled on a change in tone to try and bring at least a point back to All High Stadium.

The moves appeared to pay off as Ordonez generated an early chance in the 50th minute, but his strike sailed a bit high.

A breakthrough finally came in the 56th when Andy Tiedt was hauled down in the penalty area and the officials awarded a penalty to FC Buffalo. Mike Reidy took advantage and evened the score at 1-1.

The joy was to be short lived. Cleveland answered 3 minutes later as Dennis Holowaty put one past DiLapo in the 60th to go up 2-1. The action didn’t stop there as Dean Miller added another goal for Cleveland and put the home team in pole position for all three points at 3-1.

Andy Tiedt attempted to cut the deficit back to 1 but in what seems to a theme early on this season, his strike found the woodwork rather than the twine.

Pressure continued for AFC Cleveland as CJ Scirto went down with a knee injury in the 69th minute. Dean Miller and Tyler Johnston attempted to put the nail in the coffin but their chances went begging as FC Buffalo remained in it with a half a chance.

Gary Boughton gave FC Buffalo some life late as he put one past Ben Yabrow at the 86th minute mark and brought Buffalo to within one.

Any further hope was extinguished as Ruairidh Winters put Cleveland back in control of a 2 goal lead in the 89th minute. This would conclude the scoring and, in turn, the match.

The loss drops FC Buffalo to 0-1-1 early on this season. Play by Tiedt, Reidy and Boughton kept Buffalo in the game but missing 4 starters from last week including including 3 crucial defenders ultimately proved the Blitzer’s undoing.

FC Buffalo returns home to face the same AFC Cleveland squad on 5/27 at 3pm at All-High Stadium.

FC Buffalo Starters: GK Dilapo, D – Lill, Tor, Grabowski, Snelgrove, M – Stedman, Boughton, Ventura, Reidy, Faga, F – Tiedt

Special thanks to AFC Cleveland for providing webcast coverage of this match.

Report compiled by Jeff Fabin

Guzan & Torres Interviews from Orlando

USMNT Camp Part Deuce: Predicting the Next 13

With the furor surrounding Wednesday’s partial roster announcement and the implications surrounding Chandler-gate starting to finally subside a bit, we figured this Friday evening would be a great time to dig out the crystal ball and try to take a stab at the baker’s dozen of USMNTers Klinsmerica will be calling on this Sunday.

To recap, the Orlando camp began with the following 16 deplaning into The City Beautiful:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (4): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)
FORWARDS (1): Clint Dempsey (Fulham)

With 3 keepers already in camp, the final 13 will be dispersed among the outfield positions, more than likely to be slanted towards defense and forward considering a majority (8) of the midfielders have already been called.

Let’s begin in the back and work our way forward up the park:

Defense

1.  Oguchi Onyewu – The hulking center half has unfinished business with Sporting Lisbon – the Portuguese Cup final is this Sunday & Gooch figures to assume a starting role.  Not much will change when he comes home; a healthy Gooch is a lock to start outright next to Bocanegra

2.  Eric Lichaj – One man’s snub is another man’s gain.  With Chandler out of the picture indefinitely, Lichaj is in pole position to assume the mantle of Steve Cherundolo’s heir apparent.

The young full back has made a habit of taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves this season as he was able to feature prominently for Aston Villa when injures opened up the left back spot for the taking.  Capable on either the left or right, everything seems to be falling into place for Lichaj to play a major role for the Stars & Stripes this World Cup cycle.

3.  Clarence Goodson – While having a drop off season with Brondby in Denmark, Goodson has shown well for his country when called upon – Goodson started in the historic win in Genoa against Italy back in February and provides invaluable center back depth.

4.  Michael Parkhurst – While Goodson’s Danish club is struggling, Parkhust’s tiny F.C. Nordsjælland is threatening to topple Copenhagen in a thrilling Danish Superliga race.  The former New England Revolution man has played a large role in that and will come into camp in fine form and able to slot in at center of defense, right back or even defensive midfield

5.  Geoff Cameron – Cameron’s wonderful showing during Camp Cupcake in January did not translate into a hot start with Houston in MLS as an extended road trip in anticipation of the opening of BBVA Stadium has mired the Dynamo in mid table mediocrity.  However, that stadium has since opened and the Dynamo back line has looked stouter and more effective with Cameron featuring in the middle.

6.  Tim Ream – Bolton has fallen victim to the drop but Tim Ream has found his legs in the North of England.  Concerns about his ability to adapt to the blistering pace of English football abounded when the transfer from New York happened but Ream has kept his head above water and his international career will be all the better for it.

Midfield

1.  Landon Donovan – Los Angeles has been poor and Donovan hasn’t lit the world on fire this season but he’s still Landon Donovan and it’s been much too long since we’ve seen Donovan & Dempsey on the field together.

2.  Brek Shea – The spectacularly coiffed Shea is struggling to find his game this season but seems to have gained the full confidence of Klinsmann – starting for the USMNT when it may have been arguable there were better options available.  Like Lichaj, Shea benefits from Chandler’s choice in that an extra available winger spot makes his inclusion more logical.  With a lukewarm MLS campaign and Olympic qualifying calamities, 2012 hasn’t been kind to Brek – qualifying offers redemption.

3.  DaMarcus Beasley – After a shiftless 6 years of club ball, one of the heroes of South Korea has found his form again in the Mexican 1st division.  With Sacha Kljestan apparently (undeservedly) excluded and on vacation in New York, we feel Klinsmann will overcompensate with versatile wingers and bring the pacy World Cup veteran in for a look.

Forward

1.  Jozy Altidore – Jozy has never played more European matches or scored more goals – the maligned 22 year old has been weighed down by familiar and unrealistic expectations many young American soccer prodigies are saddled with.  Altidore’s hold up play has never been better and his finishing has been clinical.  The United States dodged a major bullet when concussion tests came back negative after a nasty collision with a cement wall during a late season Eredivise match.

2.  Herculez Gomez – First, a mea culpa from us here at In Towards McBride – in our initial roster reaction piece we noted Gomez not being included along with other Mexican Primera call ups such as Joe Corona & Edgar Castillo thus assuming Gomez had been passed over yet again despite turning in a career season at Santos Laguna.  What we failed to mention is that Herc is still South of the border playing for the 2012 Clausura in the final against Monterrey.

While the possibility still exists of Gomez being passed over, most indications by writers more in the know than we suggest we’ll be seeing US Soccer’s prodigal son in Orlando next week.

3.  Chris Wondolowski – Late bloomer, California native, scores bags of goals at the domestic level but hasn’t been able to translate that success to the international stage but looks to finally be getting his chance in meaningful games.  There’s a reason we call him the Polish Gomez.

4.  Terrance Boyd – Klinsmann has been taken with the Borussia Dortmund starlet for some time, even giving him mop up minutes against Italy in February.  However this inclusion may indicate a bit of desperation by Soccer House to avoid another Chandler debacle seeing as Boyd is also a dual German American national.

With these call ups, the Orlando camp pool would look something like this:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (10): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Tim Ream (Bolton Wanderers), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), Clarence Goodson (Brondby IF), Michael Parkhurst (F.C. Nordsjælland)

MIDFIELDERS (11): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla F.C.)

FORWARDS (5): Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Terrance Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar)

Stay with us through the weekend as we bring you more from USMNT training camp in Orlando and break down Klinsmann’s options through next week in the build up to USA v. Scotland.