US boss Bob Bradley has singled out a number of overseas-based players as he gets ready to launch the US offensive on the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The coach recently concluded a mini-tour of foreign-based internationals that saw him take in games in England, Central Europe and Scandinavia.
In his press conference to announce the 23 men he had selected for his first tournament roster, Bradley mentioned eight of the 11 European-based Americans.
Most significantly, Everton's Tim Howard was confirmed as first choice between the sticks, with Borussia Moenchengladbach's Kasey Keller second in the pecking order.
"We enter this tournament with the thought that Tim Howard is our #1 goalkeeper," Bradley told reporters, adding, "I do foresee the idea that in the first round Kasey will also play one of those games."
Clint Dempsey should also play a key role after Bradley consulted his American club colleagues on his progress at Fulham.
"I had very, very good conversations when I was in England with Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra about Clint," reported Bradley, "Both felt that he was training very well, working very hard. He obviously got a reward in the sense that he played more towards the end of the year and scored a huge goal for that club."
Jay DeMerit's progress to his first international call-up at the age of 27 was touched upon. "We know that it's a great story," confirmed Bradley. "What interests, I think, all of us is that week in and week out he continues to compete very, very well for Watford. He's a player whose experiences continue to push him up the ladder."
Bradley went on to mention his son Michael, like DeMerit a debutant against Guatemala in March, and now beginning to establish himself in the National Team set-up.
"He has shown in the camps this year that he's one of the young midfielders that I think we want to continue to work with," he said. "He possesses a good understanding of the game and a maturity of play."
Oguchi Onyewu received a reassuring pat on the back after his recent move to Newcastle failed to pan out as hoped.
"As we know, Newcastle was a difficult situation," said Bradley. "There was some turmoil in and around the club and it's not easy for anyone to settle in, given those circumstances. I know that he's anxious to see what the next move in his career will be but I think he continues to believe in his ability, as we do."
Lastly, Bradley praised West Ham's Jonathan Spector. "Even as a young player, he’s confident, he believes in himself," said the coach.
"At times he has played, actually, all the positions of the back four and it's impressive to see a young player put in difficult situations and show that he belongs and that he can compete at that level. We're hopeful that type of experience will pay dividends for us with the National Team."
While the US coach was full of compliments for his chosen players, he also found time to mention a trio of injured Americans who might well have figured in this summer's tournaments had they been fit.
"Bobby (Convey) is rehabbing," said Bradley. "He is not back into training at this time, and he is concentrating on rehabbing and getting ready for the start of the season in England.
"Cory (Gibbs), I believe, has just started to do some training, but with him being out for this amount of time this is not the right situation for him, and I know his focus is on his preseason abroad."
"Steve Cherundolo finished the season with some injury concerns, and he's going to spend the summer assessing those injuries with Hannover and make sure he’s ready to go when they start."
The European-based players arrive in Carson, California this Sunday, and the roster for the June 2nd China clash in San Jose will be announced on Tuesday. |
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