US v Italy Roster thoughts

JK has called in his players for the February 29 match with Italy.  It is a very strong US roster, and marks the first time that JK will use Deuce and Landon at the same camp.  Injuries, form, and where players are in their season all played into JK's decisions.  Here are his roster picks:

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard (Everton), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Timmy Chandler (Nurnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Jose Torres (Pachuca), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Borussia Dortmund), Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)

 

This is now the part where US fans get to debate about who is there that should not be, and vice versa.


So, here goes.


Goalkeepers:  The goalies seem pretty well set.  There is not much room for debate.  It might be nice to give Sean Johnson a look.  He has played looked like a player with some potnetial, so an argument could be made in his favor, but not a big issue.


Defenders:  This is an exciting group of defenders.  JK seems to value players with some mobility who do not panic with the ball at their feet.  Perhaps the only addition I would want to see to this group is Tim Ream.  I still feel like his main opportunity with the Nats was with a virtual B-team.  I would like to see him play with a strong group and see how he competes.   Italy's style of play may have been a good chance to get him involved again, as they do not depend on ball trickery and players that are super crafty with the ball.  George John is another player I would like to see get another look.  His recent move to England makes it an easy pick.


Midfielders:  There are two names missing from this squad that I think deserve a look.  The first is Benny Feilhaber.  As a fan, it is my job to remember the fantastic.  Benny has provided these moments.  Intellectually, i realize there is more to the game than beautiful goals (and you need to score them more oftenly), but it is tough to think of many Nats that can do what he did on these plays.  Also, he seems to have type of skills that JK values.  Perhaps, he will get some more looks during the midseason.  The second midfielder that is a puzzling omission is Sacha Kljestan.  First, he has had some of the best looks in the history of the US Soccer... mustaches and haircuts that change regularly and always look pretty bad.  That is a respectable characteristic.  With his soccer, he is also a success.  He has established himself as a starter (34 starts this year) for Anderlecht.  He has even scored a handful of goals and assisted on many more.  While this may not be a top league in Europe, it is a team that is still alive in the Europa League and is currently seven points clear in first place.


Forwards:  As far as the forward pool goes, I can not think of anyone else i would like to see.  The pool is not that deep.  Hopefully, in a couple of months, we will be able to make a case for Teal, or Aguedelo or someone.  But for now, this seems like a good group.


Is there anyone you wish were in the player pool for this match?  Any one i mentioned that you disagree with?