Ridge Mahoney has a very nice review of Maurice Edu's crazy season in Scotland over at SI.com; if you haven't already read it, it's definitely worth the time.
Edu is currently injured, rehabbing a knee injury that he picked up in Rangers' title-sealing win over Dundee United, an injury that will keep him sidelined for the summer. This means no Nats duty for the midfielder, and his energy will be spent working to get back to full fitness as soon as possible; kickoff for the new SPL season happens in just over five weeks time.
But the story on Edu today, if you're so inclined to read it as I was, just puts him back in the minds of USMNT fans; it's hard to know where a fully-healthy Edu fits in the American set up, especially as his return will coincide with the tail-end of World Cup qualifying, as well as the potential entry into the team of German Jermaine Jones (okay, I know he's technically "German-American", but I have a hard time calling him that if he's never lived here).
With an apparent glut of options in the central midfield, Bob Bradley will have some tough decisions to make in the not-too-distant future. Michael Bradley and Ricardo Clark played the bulk of the minutes in the Confederations Cup, with Benny Feilhaber filling in when needed. Say what you will about Clark; when not fouling recklessly and getting sent off, he performed admirably in South Africa and has garnered some Europena attention. Even if his rumored move to Rennes falls through, it would appear he'll be heading to the continent sooner rather than later. With continued improvement and a European club on his resume (which appears to be Bob Bradley preference), Clark my only solidify his place in the team. Michael Bradley certainly isn't going anywhere, and whether you want to chalk that up to ability or nepotism, it doesn't really matter. Feilhaber has worked himself back into the mix after a poor 2008, but it's unclear how much Bradley really trusts him, or if his return to the National Team will be a "permanent" one.
Many, many things can and will change between now and 2010, of course, and there is that pesky matter of officially securing qualification; but let's take a look the central midfielders that made the Confederations Cup roster, add in the names returning from injury and switching allegiances, and attempt to conceive of who might be in South Africa next year:
Michael Bradley
Sacha Kljestan
Jose Francisco Torres
Benny Feilhaber
Ricardo Clark
Freddy Adu
Jermaine Jones
Maurice Edu
Bradley took eight midfielders plus Donovan (listed at forward) to the Confederations Cup, and there's no reason to assume more or less on the 2010 World Cup team (if you have a reason, let me know).
So who gets bumped? Even better, who starts? With a 4-4-2 including two defensive minded midfielders becoming the Bradley standard, Dempsey and Donovan playing wide, and only a few of these names being truly capable of playing elsewhere, it's difficult to see room for everyone. The conventional wisdom has Sacha Kljestan playing himself out of the "A" team for the time being, but he could still be in consideration for the World Cup team. Freddy Adu and Jose Francisco Torres saw no time in South Africa, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they won't play pivotal roles going forward.
As I said, much will change between now and next summer. Jones may not pan out for Bradley, Edu may not fully recover from his injury (though I highly doubt that), Adu and Kljestan could play themselves out of the mix completely or put pressure on Bradley by playing well in the lead up; too many variables to count really, and it may make this my most pointless post to date.
Perhaps what I should be asking, and what I suppose Bob Bradley will be forced to consider, is which players give the Americans the best chance at success. Simply on talent and pedigree, Jermaine Jones must be considered; but if the German simply jumps into the lineup, that will push Clark/Edu/Feilhaber to the reserves, which may not have enough spots to accommodate them all.
It's a lot of words that really lead nowhere, but I just can't get out of my head the depth the US suddenly has in this one spot.
Share you thoughts or poke holes in this post; it's really all the same anyway, and I've managed to get my mind off of work for a bit, which is always good.
Happy Monday, please check out the podcast.
