Jozy Altidore's start, and the resulting goals he scored, got me thinking about the state of the National Team's striker pool. For most fans, Jozy has vaulted himself to the top of the selection list, and should get the start whenever he is available. But what about everyone else?
The following is an overview of each striker that has been called up in 2009 by Bob Bradley, with my thoughts on them. Additionally, I've come up with a few names that intrigue me that have yet to earn a senior cap.
Break down of the striker pool after the jump.
Josimer Altidore
I already mentioned this above, but I think digging a little deeper is warranted here. Jozy has now scored six goals in nine senior appearances, a fantastic strike rate that has fans abuzz. Altidore would seem a stalwart now, one of those guys that gets called up for every significant match/tournament, a la Donovan, Howard, Dempsey, etc. And he gets first billing because he scored a hattrick. Nuff said.
Strengths: Um, scoring I think. Jozy is big, strong, and seems to have a pretty darn good first touch. At least in CONCACAF, there are few defenders that can handle him.
Weaknesses: Fitness, though that is more related to the concerns listed below and isn't likely to be a long term problem, and experience (or more correctly, lack thereof). It looks like Bob used the two games this past week to properly blood Jozy, and to say he passed with flying colors would be an understatement. Still, there is bound to be a learning curve, and it will be important for Jozy to lean on his more experienced teammates when trips to San Jose and Mexico City come around. Let's not forget what Eddie Johnson did in his first taste of international soccer back in 2004.
Concerns: Club playing time. Jozy still isn't seeing the field for Xerex, and it's unclear how Villareal views the situation (or if they will recall him). As long as Alitdore is caught in limbo in Spain, this will continue to be a concern. It is heartening, though, that one week in Nats camp got him in form enough that he went on a scoring spree. Still, it would be folly to count on that happening too often.
Brian Ching
Strengths: Experience, workrate, and history of understanding with many of the players he's on the field with. Ching could never be accused of phoning in a peformance, though his effectiveness it often both relative and inconsistent.
Weaknesses: Bluntly put, Brian doesn't score. He's most likely to on set-pieces, as his height makes him an obvious target. He gets by with size and the aforementioned workrate, and does not create on his own.
Concerns: Age. Ching is on the wrong side of thirty, and his long-term (i.e., through qualifying and into 2010) ability to contribute will depend largely on how he holds up. A summer of dual-duty, with a packed Nats schedule (assuming he's called in for the Confed Cup and/or Gold Cup) on top of his club duties with Houston Dynamo, could simply be too much for Ching.
Eddie Johnson
Strengths: Speed. Always the calling card of EJ's game, his speed can turn a match on it's head if he finds himself in position to use it.
Weaknesses: Everything else. Eddie hasn't exactly burned up the pitch since his move to the U.K. (first England, now Wales), and it's most likely due to his limitations; work ethic had been a concern with EJ, though his current manager at Cardiff has said that he works harder in training than almost anyone else with the club. Eddie tends to disappear at times, however, and it will take a strong National Team peformance for him to shed the label of intermittant slacker.
Concerns: See above. Those things that are concerns with EJ are also his weaknesses. Additionally, it's only been over the past month that Eddie has seen the field in the Championship; what that means for his form as qualifying goes forward, and then heading into next year's World Cup, is yet to be seen.
Charlie Davies
Strengths: Charlie has pace, Charlie has skill. Charlie can score. Everything else is a bit of a mystery to me.
Weaknesses: Davies is another young, unproven striker. All of the ingredients for him to be a solid contributor seem to be there, and it appears he's over the finishing issues he had when he initially signed with Hammarby. Still, Charlie can hardly be called a "rising star" and wouldn't rate on most USMNT fans' preferred teams.
Concerns: Development. The thought is that Davies has a good National Team future if he continues to develop; he's only twenty-two, so the next year or two will be crucial to determining his future on the international stage.
The 2009 player pool includes four others listed at "forward". Donovan, Dempsey, Kenny Cooper, and Chris Rolfe. I'm ignoring Donovan because enough has been written, Dempsey because he rarely plays up top, Cooper because this post is already long enough and I need to end it, and Rolfe because he's unlikely to figure prominently.
Players to watch:
Marcus Tracy
Chris Pontius
Mike Grella
*UPDATE*
Adding some names here, purely speculative:
Jemal Johnson (though I'm not impressed by where he plays his club soccer)
Robbie Findley
Also, two players whose international status is unclear to me:
Steve Zakuani (Seems like a very remote possibility)
Yura Movsisyan
These are off the top of my head, reflect my inability to do proper research while at work, and should in no way be taken as a complete or properly informed list. I may be way off, so if you are more in tune with some of the younger players and want to yell at me, please do.
