The US Men's National Team

With the game against Egypt canceled, the United States Men's National team are looking ahead to their match with Argentina on March 26, 2011.  Having recently played Chile with a roster filled with young players, one wonders who Bald Bob will bring in for the Argentina and Paraguay matches (Paraguay will be played on the 29th of March and will probably have a completely different lineup).

One can expect the likes of Sporting Kansas City break out striker Teal Bunbury, who some argue could steal the number 9 shirt from Charlie Davies if he doesn't find fitness after a life threatening car accident last year, and Juan Agudelo, the teenage sensation that plies his trade for the Red Bulls of New York.  But who else should we see?  Mikkael Diskerud is a player that has my interest peaked.  He is a Norwegian-born American player who plays for Norwegian club Stabaek and the USA.  I got to see him play last year on TV and the kid stole the show.  He facilitated play showing a creative spark that the defense of South Africa couldn't handle.  He eventually delivered the assist on the winning goal from none other than the previously mentioned Juan Agudelo.

Midfielder Brek Shea and defenders Tim Ream and Omar Gonzalez also seem to be the future of the national team.  This trio showed MLS fans last year that they are more than capable of playing on the professional level in the United States, and every player mentioned thus far is under the age of 24.  Now consider Jozy Altidore stepping into this mix.  The target striker has the capability of holding on to the ball as well as scoring the occasional goal for his teams.  He recently moved to Turkey to help the defending champions, Bursaspor, claim yet another title. 

The player I want to bring up next has fallen off over the past 3 years.  After a move to Benfica, Freddy Adu seemed to be on the right track.  However, after 11 appearances and 2 goals scored, Adu has since played in France, Greece, another club in Portugal, and now the second division of Turkey with Rizespor.  This kid had potential.  So what happened?  No one is really sure.  Adu had the technical ability to play, as well as the energy.  Maybe all the hype that has surrounded him since he was 14 has led him to believe that he is entitled to play regardless of his work ethic.  Consider Ronaldinho, who plays a similar position.  He moved from Barcelona to Milan because the Spanish club felt that he wasn't working hard enough to realize his potential.  He left Milan last month because the coach felt that the once World Player of the Year wasn't good enough to break into the starting XI.  He has since returned to Brazil where no one will see him play ever again.  And some people wonder if they will ever see Freddy Adu again.  He has rejected moves back to MLS, probably because he sees that step as a failure.  The truth is that Freddy won't regain his form until he starts earning match time.  He needs to come back to the US and play for a club that will utilize his talents.  Bald Bob Bradley would be able to watch his progress and if, this is a big if, Freddy earns another chance, Bald Bob just might give it to him.

My 2014 World Cup Starting XI:

GK: Guzan
D:   Lichaj, Gonzalez, Ream, Bornstein
M:  Bradley, Jones, Dempsey, Donovan, Holden
F:  Altidore