USA Roster will be announced today. I would guess the following 22 will be going to the Azteca: G - Tim Howard D - Jonathan Spector D - Jonathan Bornstein D - Oguchi Onyewu D - Carlos Bocanegra M - Clint Dempsey M - Landon Donovan M - Michael Bradley M - Benny Feilhaber F - Jozy Altidore F - Charlie Davies G - Brad Guzan D - Steve Cherundolo D - Frankie Hejduk D - Jay DeMerit D - Chad Marshall M - Stuart Holden M - Sacha Kljestan M - Ricardo Clark M - Kyle Beckerman M - Jose Francisco Torres F - Brian Ching
Mexico announced their roster a while back: GOALKEEPERS: Guillermo Ochoa (América), José de Jesús Corona (Cruz Azul). DEFENDERS: Efraín Juárez (Pumas), José Antonio Castro (Tigres), Ricardo Osorio (Stuttgart, Alemania), Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven, Holanda), Oscar Rojas (América), Rafael Márquez (Barcelona, España), Jonny Magallón (Chivas), Aarón Galindo (Chivas). MIDFIELDERS: Israel Castro (Pumas), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Andrés Guardado (Deportivo La Coruña, España), Alberto Medina (Chivas). FORWARDS: Miguel Sabah (Morelia), Giovani Dos Santos (Ipswich, Inglaterra), Carlos Vela (Arsenal, Inglaterra), Guillermo Franco (sin equipo), Nery Castillo (Shakhtar Donetsk). All five goal scorers from the Gold Cup final are on the roster, as are eight of the starters. I'm thinking that three from the US lineup in that match will make the team and none will start.
In news that will make US fans sadder than Mexicans, Rafa Marquez is out with a torn calf muscle. He's usually good for a massive failure that leads to a US goal and/or a red card for something idiotic whenever these teams meet.
Official USA Roster is out: Goalkeepers- Tim Howard (Everton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa) Defenders- Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA) Midfielders- Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo) Forwards- Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Charlie Davies (Sochaux), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids) I had too many on the roster I made up. Hejduk and Beckerman were my last choices anyway. Casey for Kljestan was the only change from what I had proposed. I'm somewhat surprised at four strikers going to Mexico. That makes me think that we'll see Ching and Altidore starting up top. I don't particularly care for that idea as I think that Altidore and Davies work a lot better and are just an absolute handful for defenders.
that's a good roster from the US. this is bradley's A team. only surprises to me were the inclusion of torres when he never saw the field in the confederations cup and then conor casey because he sucks. it should be interesting to see the lineup. it's basically set but a couple of spots could be had by a couple of guys. altidore and davies/ching up top. donovan, dempsey, clark, bradley in the midfield. boca/bornstein, boca/demerit, onyewu, spector/dolo on the back line. personally i'd like to see a spector, boca, onyewu, dolo back line but i think that's unlikely. and i expect feilhaber to be a 2nd half sub for one of the forwards pushing dempsey up top. if ching starts i'd expect to see davies in the 2nd half as well.
SoccerByIves with some notes from Mexican media outlets involving El Tri talking smack. Andres Guardado says, "Of course we will win, 3-0. We have players of high quality and you can see that the team has prepared well, now there is only the question of showing it on the field on Wednesday." Guillermo Ochoa adds "(The United States) is a rival of respect, that you must be careful of, but it is a rival we know, whose style we know. We know that physically, and soccer-wise, we are better, so we just have to apply that on the field and do our talking on the field." Should be a fun match up. I'll be looking forward to the look on Guardado's face when its not a 3-0 romp. These are not the fringe MLS players who lost 5-0 in the Gold Cup. This time, its the best the USA has to offer as they are bringing the team that beat Spain. I'm also questioning Ochoa's assessment of the physical superiority that Mexico has. Simply put, where is it?
After talking yesterday, Guillermo Ochoa has now decided that the talking will be done on the field. As Ochoa said to Goal.com, "We need to focus on playing - the talking will be done in the field." Interesting considering that just yesterday, he talked.
Starting Lineups: USA ---------------Ching----------Davies----------------- Donovan----------------------------------Dempsey -----------------Bradley-----Clark------------------------ Bocanegra-----Onyewu-----DeMerit-----Cherundolo -------------------------Howard-------------------------- MEXICO -----------------Franco---------Blanco-------------------- Guardado---------------------------------------Dos Santos ------------------Torrado------Castro--------------------- Juarez---------Magallon-------Salcido----------Osorio --------------------------Ochoa------------------------------ That's one starter from the Gold Cup Final from the US lineup and 6 from Mexico's. Just for fun facts. For some reason, Vela isn't starting, which is absurd.
So there is no Altidore in the starting XI. SoccerByIves has suggested that he was left out because he is the least fit of the forwards available. Ching is in midseason form, Davies has been training with Auxerre for over a month already, but Altidore joined Hull a bit over a week ago.
Haven't been around much to update because it messes with the stream I have going. 1-1 Mat the moment. Both were excellent goals. Charlie Davies with a bending chip around Ochoa opened the scoring. I'm not sure who scored for Mexico, but it was a great shot from distance. DeMerit and Onyewu both have received yellows in defense for the US. Here's the Telemundo stream. Not sure what the rules on for streams, but this one is legal as it was posted on the US Soccer website and is allowed by Telemundo. An English stream I found was cut off shortly after I found it.
Now Bocanegra has a tarjeta amarilla for a tackle on Dos Santos. This is not good as one of the three with cards will inevitably have to take another when Carlos Vela comes on in the second half. And that's the half.
Second half just started, in time for me to leave work and re-establish my internet connection for the Terra stream. I was only half paying attention while at work. SoccerByIves has Onyewu as the man of the half for the US, with honorable mentions for Davies for the goal and Donovan for setting it up. Personally, I haven't seen much except your typical MLS first touch for Donovan. Lots of turnovers. Players struggling as per Ives are Bocanegra and Cherundolo. This was expected as they have had to deal with Guardado and Dos Santos on the wings respectively. What's unfortunate is that Cherundolo was played for his speed over Spector. No subs at the half, so we'll have to wait for Vela and Altidore. From what I have seen when I have been focusing on the match, Davies has been brilliant in the attack going at defenders with pace and skill, but needs better support. Ching has provided nothing. Other highlights are Onyewu and DeMerit as Mexico has had zero opportunities coming through the middle. I have heard the Telemundo announcers yelling "Gooch" as attack after attack for the Mexicans have been destroyed. USA needs to go with Altidore and Davies by about the 60th minute as Ching might as well have stayed in Houston. Dempsey hasn't done much of anything after getting an attacking throw deep in the box in the first minute. Hoping for Feilhaber. And as I am typing, Vela appears to be coming on in the 54th.
Vela enters for Blanco in the 56th. Bradley responds with an interesting double sub a few minutes later. Stuart Holden and Benny Feilhaber enter for Brian Ching and Rico Clark. Looks like a 4-4-2 now as Holden will go out right and Dempsey will go alongside Davies up top. Davies-Dempsey worked at the Gold Cup, lets see if it continues at the Azteca.
Looks like I was a bit more worried about Vela than I needed to be. However, I did see Dempsey back from forward sliding in on him. The US attack has lost a lot of creativity as Feilhaber and Holden have both been pinned back in more defending positions than usual. Davies' speed adds a dimmension that the US has likely never had. Eddie Johnson could outrun anyone, but was never willing to and rarely took the ball at a defender. The ball needs to get to his feet. Mexicans have been going down easy all over the pitch. Still waiting for a dive to be called as the next one would be the first. Lots of dangerous set pieces and corners for El Tri.
Holden with a cross at an open Davies in the 71st just sent it an inch too far as Davies couldn't connect with the diving header. Would have been a brilliant goal for Davies. And a moment later Davies gets in behind the defense and Donovan sends him onto Ochoa, but Davies was just a moment off sides. Charlie Davies will leave Mexico City with a brace at the rate he's going.
Bradley with a silly foul just outside the box on Nery Castillo in the 73rd. Great chance on the free kick. Howard with four in the wall and the wall does its job on the Dos Santos free kick. Davies goes down after the free kick and its turning into a shit show as the Mexicans were trying to pull him off the ground to continue with their attacking throw. Feilhaber was shoved in the throat. Tim Howard sprinted out of goal to break it up. Gooch was about ready to murder Castro before Howard removed him from the situation. Davies is getting carted off after taking the free kick directly in the chest. No cards in the whole situation and Mexico gets a corner, saved by Howard after it bounces around. Altidore comes on, but I'm not sure for whom.
Altidore in for Davies. Perhaps that injury was a bad one. That's too bad as Davies was brilliant while he was in there.
