The U.S. had a chance to make a statement against the Netherlands in their final tune-up before U.S. head coach Bob Bradley names his 2010 World Cup roster. But in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss, his squad brought to mind former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green: “They were who we thought they would be.”
To change that outlook, here are two positions, besides forward, where the U.S. team must improve before it heads to South Africa in June:
Central midfield
Frontrunners » Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu
Others » Benny Feilhaber, Sacha Kljestan, José Torres
Wildcard » Jermaine Jones
Edu, who plays for Glasgow Rangers, returned from a long injury layoff to play in the second half versus the Dutch. The former Maryland standout wasn’t spectacular, but he made it clear that the player he replaced, Torres, had no business starting. With Clark and Feilhaber injured, and Kljestan streaky, the job alongside Michael Bradley should be Edu’s to lose. Jones, a German-American from the Bundesliga who wants to play for the U.S., could sneak in late if he gets healthy.
Left back
Frontrunners » Jonathan Spector, Jonathan Bornstein
Others » Heath Pearce
Wild card » Carlos Bocanegra
Bornstein had a shocking night in Amsterdam, giving up a penalty kick for the first Dutch goal and then having the ball deflect off him for the second. But replacement options are few. Spector needs to stay on the right side, and Pearce isn’t nearly good enough. As soon as Oguchi Onyewu returns to central defense, Bradley needs to shift Bocanegra from the middle out wide.
