While the majority of next year's U.S. World Cup squad is likely to be made up of those currently in South Africa for the Confederations Cup, it is clear there remains spots up for grabs. If timing is everything, there are a number of MLS-based Americans who are hitting top form at just the right moment.
Six days after the final of the Confederations Cup takes place in Johannesburg, the U.S. kicks off its Gold Cup campaign against Grenada on July 4 in Seattle, Wash. Regardless of how Bob Bradley's side fares in South Africa, it is likely that the squad that ends the first tournament of the summer will be vastly different than the team that kicks off the second. So, who are the candidates for inclusion?
With goals from open play proving nigh-on impossible for the national team at the present time, recent scoring displays from the Revolution's Taylor Twellman and the Galaxy's Edson Buddle could be a boost to the depth chart at forward. Meanwhile, Kenny Cooper has to be a shoo-in for selection. In the limited chances he's had at the international level, the FC Dallas man has shown promise, and is worthy of an opportunity to play a number of games in a row at the Gold Cup.
Among the midfielders Bradley's should be considering are the Houston Dynamo duo of Brad Davis, who offers a welcomed left-footed option, and Stuart Holden, whose development as an attacking threat from central areas has been very impressive. Beyond this Texas twosome is a couple from the capital city -- D.C. United's Santino Quaranta and Chris Pontius -- and the Seattle Sounders' Brad Evans, whose form is as consistent as it was in Columbus last season.
At the back is a trio of central defenders worthy of consideration. Bobby Boswell has emerged as the leader of a Houston defense that has allowed just seven goals in 11 games. Boswell made his international debut in 2006, the year that Cory Gibbs won the last of his 19 caps. Now finally over the string of injuries which caused him to miss two years, Gibbs is getting back to the form that made him a. force for the U.S in the World Cup.
Another defender worthy of a Gold Cup call-up is Jimmy Conrad, whose stock in national team circles appears to have fallen recently. Despite that, his form in MLS play has remained consistent, and he is capable of making a late run onto the 2010 squad similar to the way he did four years ago when he, along with Clint Dempsey and Brian Ching, forced his way onto Bruce Arena's roster in the year prior to the tournament.
Well played, returning man
The return of Twellman is arguably the most significant occurrence in this MLS season. The presence of the franchise's all-time leading scorer has transformed the Revs, who, until two weeks ago, were a side struggling to keep pace in the playoff chase.
During the 110 minutes that Twellman has been on the field this season, New England has scored five goals. Before he made his season debut, Steve Nicol's side found the net just nine times in 880 minutes. The 29-year-old Twellman's two goals on Sunday against New York took his career tally to 101, making him the youngest-ever to reach three figures.
Twellman's 101 goals came in 174 games, another league record, but perhaps even more impressive than that, just three of his goals have been on penalty kicks. None of the other four centurions -- Jaime Moreno, Ante Razov, Jason Kreis and Jeff Cunningham -- have a spot-kick tally in single digits.
The rest of the league should sit up and take notice of New England's display on Sunday. With Twellman back in the fold, Nicol's side has its spine restored and a spring back in its step.
A thing that made me go hmmm
When does a seat become too hot? There seems to be no hope for Juan Carlos Osorio in New York after the Red Bulls' latest road loss. The stats are well known -- of the nine points New York has collected in 2009, just one has been scored away from Giants Stadium, while the Red Bulls have failed to score once in a road game.
Five of the seven games New York will play before the all-star game are on the road, and the question now appears to be when, rather than if, the its coach will be relieved of his duties. It's been quite a fall from grace for the Colombian, who was pried away from Chicago by the Red Bulls -- at no small financial cost -- in December 2007.
Osorio took the Red Bulls to MLS Cup just eight months ago, and that, along with the money invested in recruiting him and building the team he wanted -- though it is hard to pinpoint one of his signings as a success -- is a reason why he may be given time to keep afloat what appears to be a sinking ship.
Even though there are few obvious candidates to step in and clean up the mess, especially in midseason, it seems that New York's players have either stopped playing for their coach or, more likely, are simply not good enough to save him. The likelihood is that Osorio will be fired sooner rather than later, in what is set to be the latest ugly chapter in the history of MLS' most underperforming franchise.
Andrew Hush
