World Cup Qualifiers
Rustiness Report: Key U.S. Players Remain Inactive
Numerous U.S. national team hopefuls have missed action due to form, health, or scheduling quirks. We dusted off our trusty abacus and calculated the various degrees of inactivity. It's not pretty.
Carlos Bocanegra
The U.S. captain played 69 minutes in Racing Santander's February 2 win over Sporting Gijon...and not a moment since. He was left out of the Hexagonal opener in Honduras and has not seen any club action either. Will this keep him off the roster? Out of the Starting XI? We'll find out soon enough.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 48 days. Edgar Castillo
The marauding left back suffered broken bones in his face in a March 2 match against Atlas and has not played since. U.S. fans were hoping Castillo might see action in Club Tijuana's late Saturday/early Sunday match with Monterrey, but he did not make the team. It now looks like he will return to training in April.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 20 days. Steve Cherundolo
The Hannover fullback has not played since December 19 due to injury. While reports have him on the road to recovery, he is not in consideration for the next Hexagonal match.
Time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 93 days. Clint Dempsey
American supporters were thrilled to see Dempsey back in the 18 as Tottenham hosted Fulham at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Dempsey came on at intermission, getting a nice run out prior to his all-but-certain call-up to the national team. Encouraging as this is, the fact remains that Deuce has played just 45 minutes since February 21. That's 45 minutes in 29 days. Mix Diskerud
The Rosenborg midfielder has not played since a Europa League match against Bayer Leverkusen on December 6.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 106 days. Landon Donovan
Perhaps you've heard: Donovan went off the grid after the Los Angeles Galaxy won the MLS Cup on December 1.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 111 days. Josh Gatt
Due to the scheduling quirks of the Norwegian Eliteserien, Gatt hasn't seen much action in recent months. He played 90 minutes in Molde's 2-1 loss to Viking on Friday, but prior to that he has played just 45 minutes—in that dull U.S. draw against Canada—since December 6. Fabian Johnson
The man who solved the U.S.'s longstanding problems at left back played 90 minutes against Bayern Munich on March 3rd, and hasn't played since. American fans were glad to hear that Jurgen Klinsmann expects Johnson to be healthy enough for the Hex, but the fact that he didn't even make the 18 for Hoffenheim this past weekend raises alarm bells.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 19 days. Eric Lichaj
Lichaj, once a strong candidate for a U.S. national team fullback spot, has not played for Aston Villa since a January 25 FA Cup contest.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 56 days. Oguchi Onyewu
The big central defender started for Malaga against Eibar on January 8, but has not seen any action since.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 73 days. In light of these statistics, should any of the above players be left off the team? Included nonetheless? Dempsey is a lock and Donovan is out of the mix, but what about the others? Share your thoughts below.
The U.S. captain played 69 minutes in Racing Santander's February 2 win over Sporting Gijon...and not a moment since. He was left out of the Hexagonal opener in Honduras and has not seen any club action either. Will this keep him off the roster? Out of the Starting XI? We'll find out soon enough.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 48 days. Edgar Castillo
The marauding left back suffered broken bones in his face in a March 2 match against Atlas and has not played since. U.S. fans were hoping Castillo might see action in Club Tijuana's late Saturday/early Sunday match with Monterrey, but he did not make the team. It now looks like he will return to training in April.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 20 days. Steve Cherundolo
The Hannover fullback has not played since December 19 due to injury. While reports have him on the road to recovery, he is not in consideration for the next Hexagonal match.
Time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 93 days. Clint Dempsey
American supporters were thrilled to see Dempsey back in the 18 as Tottenham hosted Fulham at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Dempsey came on at intermission, getting a nice run out prior to his all-but-certain call-up to the national team. Encouraging as this is, the fact remains that Deuce has played just 45 minutes since February 21. That's 45 minutes in 29 days. Mix Diskerud
The Rosenborg midfielder has not played since a Europa League match against Bayer Leverkusen on December 6.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 106 days. Landon Donovan
Perhaps you've heard: Donovan went off the grid after the Los Angeles Galaxy won the MLS Cup on December 1.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 111 days. Josh Gatt
Due to the scheduling quirks of the Norwegian Eliteserien, Gatt hasn't seen much action in recent months. He played 90 minutes in Molde's 2-1 loss to Viking on Friday, but prior to that he has played just 45 minutes—in that dull U.S. draw against Canada—since December 6. Fabian Johnson
The man who solved the U.S.'s longstanding problems at left back played 90 minutes against Bayern Munich on March 3rd, and hasn't played since. American fans were glad to hear that Jurgen Klinsmann expects Johnson to be healthy enough for the Hex, but the fact that he didn't even make the 18 for Hoffenheim this past weekend raises alarm bells.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 19 days. Eric Lichaj
Lichaj, once a strong candidate for a U.S. national team fullback spot, has not played for Aston Villa since a January 25 FA Cup contest.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 56 days. Oguchi Onyewu
The big central defender started for Malaga against Eibar on January 8, but has not seen any action since.
Elapsed time between his last action and the March 22 match against Costa Rica: 73 days. In light of these statistics, should any of the above players be left off the team? Included nonetheless? Dempsey is a lock and Donovan is out of the mix, but what about the others? Share your thoughts below.
