Bob Bradley has called in a 22-man roster ahead of a friendly against Slovakia set for Saturday, November 14th in Bratislava (10 am ET, FSC). The squad is a blend of European-based players and MLS players available.
With more than a handful of players who would have likely been selected tied up with the MLS playoffs, Bradley called in a mix of National Team veterans and younger players. With no Tim Howard in the team, the European friendlies represent a good chance for number two keeper Brad Guzan to get some first team time.
Three players that jump out as interesting choices are MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham, his teammate at FC Dallas Dax MaCarty, and long out-of-favor striker Eddie Johnson. The first two are extremely unlikely to make next year's World Cup roster, but Johnson's inclusion could be the first chance for him to take a step in that direction. The loss of Charlie Davies through the tournament has created a hole, and Johnson may be as likely a choice as any to fill it.
Another player who might step in for Davies, Robbie Findley, is one of the unavailable MLSers; RSL's victory over the Crew on Thursday eliminated any chance to see the speedy striker during this pair of friendlies, an unfortunate consequence of the timing of the MLS playoffs.
This is an extremely uneven roster. Bradley did the best he could, I suppose, and no names jump out as "missing" in any real sense (unless you're holding out hope for Freddy Adu, but he needs days in training with Belennesses more than he does a National Team call up). There are not, however, any "unknown" players here, guys that we know little about in the senior setup but have heard could get a look (Jeremiah White, Alejandro Bedoya).
Keep in mind that Bradley's goals for this trip probably have little to do with results and everything to do with finding capable replacements for Onyewu and Davies as well as depth for 2010. Beating Slovakia and/or Denmark would be nice, and we certainly don't want to see a terrible performance in which the Americans aren't competitive; but winning the matches are secondary to the longterm managerial tasks at hand.
Edgar Castillo, also rumored to be part of this set of friendlies, is unavailable due to club commitments, as is Jose Francisco Torres.
The roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton), Troy Perkins (Valerenga)
DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)
What do you make of Bradley's roster, and who is missing for you?
