Editors note: A group of ASN staffers have created a 23-man roster for the January U.S. national team camp. These are not our predictions—these are the players we would like to see named to Jurgen Klinsmann's squad.

OMAR GONZALEZ BELONGS in Europe somewhere. The Bundesliga. The English Premier League. Maybe Italy.

Yes, Gonzalez was named to Major League Soccer's Best XI yet again this year. I am fully aware that he's ranked No. 14 in the ASN 100. And sure, he performed well at the World Cup—better than any of us had a right to expect. But I can't shake the feeling that he, more than just about anybody in the U.S. player pool, would benefit from a three- or four-year run in a top European league.

Comfort is a wonderful thing when you're on a transcontinental flight or curled up in an Eames Lounge Chair next to a fireplace, but is it a necessary component of a professional athlete's career?

Gonzalez knows he is an automatic starter for Bruce Arena; he knows he can neutralize 95 percent of the strikers in MLS without much trouble; he knows the Los Angeles Galaxy are perennial candidates to win MLS Cup; and he knows that his $1.25 million annual salary allows him to eat at all of the best restaurants in southern California (dude—try Juniper and Ivy; it's great) and fly his drone on the beach whenever the mood strikes him.

None of this makes the big guy a better soccer player, however.

There's a very real chance that Jermaine Jones will start in central defense for the United States national team throughout the coming World Cup cycle. John Brooks, 21, will have to scratch and claw his way through every training session just to stay on the field for Hertha Berlin—and then he has to nullify top-quality attackers in the Bundesliga week in and week out. Stoke City's Geoff Cameron hasn't been shy about his desire to play a more central role, and if he lands a Premier League gig that allows him to do so, his game will only improve.

And Gonzalez? If he stays in MLS he will be honing his craft against the likes of Tesho Akindele and Steven Lenhart and C.J. Sapong. In the process Gonzalez will no doubt find short-term success easier to come by. But over the long haul, he might be hurting his chances to play a starring role in Russia and possibly even Qatar.

I'm not sure Gonzalez has much more to prove at the MLS/January camp level, but he is one of the best defenders in the U.S. pool and a shoo-in to join the squad. I just wish he was otherwise engaged next month—perhaps helping Burnley or Queens Park Rangers stave off relegation.

ASN's January roster so far

1. Tesho Akindele
2. Lee Nguyen
3. Robbie Rogers
4. Matt Besler
5. Gyasi Zardes
6. Bill Hamid
7. Matt Hedges
8. Luis Gil
9. Steve Clark
10. Charlie Davies
11. Perry Kitchen
12. Andrew Farrell
13. Miguel Ibarra
14. Jermaine Jones
15. Clint Dempsey
16. Kelyn Rowe
17. Graham Zusi
18. Omar Gonzalez

Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the Comments section below.

John Godfrey is the founder and editor in chief of American Soccer Now.