2013 Gold Cup
U.S. Names 35 Players to Provisional Gold Cup Team
The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup doesn't get started until July 7, but Jurgen Klinsmann was forced to name a provisional roster 45 days ahead of the match. There are some curious choices, to say the least.
First off, here are the names:
Ashe, Corey
Beasley, DaMarcus
Beckerman, Kyle
Bedoya, Alejandro
Beltran, Tony
Besler, Matt
Bocanegra, Carlos
Bruin, Will
Castillo, Edgar
Corona, Joe
Davis, Brad
Diskerud, Mix
Donovan, Landon
Evans, Brad
Feilhaber, Benny
Gatt, Josh
Gomez, Herculez
Gonzalez, Omar
Goodson, Clarence
Gordon, Alan
Hall, Tally
Hamid, Bill
Holden, Stuart
Johnson, Eddie
Johnson, Sean
McInerney, Jack
Onyewu, Oguchi
Orozco, Michael
Parkhurst, Michael
Rimando, Nick
Shea, Brek
Torres, Jose
Wondolowski, Chris
Wood, Bobby
Zusi, Graham Why 35 names and not, say, 23? And why so soon? Here's why, per the official Gold Cup press release: "In line with the recently announced changes to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Regulations, the preliminary rosters publicized today will provide the total universe of players from which a national team can choose to make replacements to their 23-man rosters after the conclusion of the tournament's group stage. This change in the regulations is intended to provide teams with additional flexibility, so that they can field the most competitive squad in their search for regional supremacy and half a ticket to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup." For the complete rosters of all competing nations, click here. So, thoughts? Wondering why this team includes the long-in-the-tooth likes of Alan Gordon, Oguchi Onyewu, and Clarence Goodson rather than up-and-coming younger players such as George John, Amobi Okugo, Joe Gyau, and Eric Lichaj? We are too. While it makes perfect sense to include Carlos Bocanegra, Landon Donovan, and Stuart Holden on this team—all three are veterans who need to reestablish their places on the team—does Michael Orozco really have a chance to make the 2014 World Cup roster? If not, well, why is he here? We are quietly thrilled to see Jack McInerney, Josh Gatt, and Mix Diskerud get a chance on this sort of stage, but exactly what has Benny Feilhaber done to earn yet another shot with the national team? Also puzzling: Graham Zusi and Omar Gonzalez are likely to see a ton of playing time in the June World Cup qualifiers. Shouldn't they be released to their respective Major League Soccer teams so that somebody else can get some playing time in the Gold Cup? It's very confusing. We're not exactly vexed. But we are confused. We'll be dedicating a lot of space to the Gold Cup in the coming weeks, and the roster issue is officially front of mind. How do you feel about it? Share your thoughts below, fellow American soccer obsessives. John Godfrey is the editor in chief and founder of American Soccer Now.
Beasley, DaMarcus
Beckerman, Kyle
Bedoya, Alejandro
Beltran, Tony
Besler, Matt
Bocanegra, Carlos
Bruin, Will
Castillo, Edgar
Corona, Joe
Davis, Brad
Diskerud, Mix
Donovan, Landon
Evans, Brad
Feilhaber, Benny
Gatt, Josh
Gomez, Herculez
Gonzalez, Omar
Goodson, Clarence
Gordon, Alan
Hall, Tally
Hamid, Bill
Holden, Stuart
Johnson, Eddie
Johnson, Sean
McInerney, Jack
Onyewu, Oguchi
Orozco, Michael
Parkhurst, Michael
Rimando, Nick
Shea, Brek
Torres, Jose
Wondolowski, Chris
Wood, Bobby
Zusi, Graham Why 35 names and not, say, 23? And why so soon? Here's why, per the official Gold Cup press release: "In line with the recently announced changes to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Regulations, the preliminary rosters publicized today will provide the total universe of players from which a national team can choose to make replacements to their 23-man rosters after the conclusion of the tournament's group stage. This change in the regulations is intended to provide teams with additional flexibility, so that they can field the most competitive squad in their search for regional supremacy and half a ticket to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup." For the complete rosters of all competing nations, click here. So, thoughts? Wondering why this team includes the long-in-the-tooth likes of Alan Gordon, Oguchi Onyewu, and Clarence Goodson rather than up-and-coming younger players such as George John, Amobi Okugo, Joe Gyau, and Eric Lichaj? We are too. While it makes perfect sense to include Carlos Bocanegra, Landon Donovan, and Stuart Holden on this team—all three are veterans who need to reestablish their places on the team—does Michael Orozco really have a chance to make the 2014 World Cup roster? If not, well, why is he here? We are quietly thrilled to see Jack McInerney, Josh Gatt, and Mix Diskerud get a chance on this sort of stage, but exactly what has Benny Feilhaber done to earn yet another shot with the national team? Also puzzling: Graham Zusi and Omar Gonzalez are likely to see a ton of playing time in the June World Cup qualifiers. Shouldn't they be released to their respective Major League Soccer teams so that somebody else can get some playing time in the Gold Cup? It's very confusing. We're not exactly vexed. But we are confused. We'll be dedicating a lot of space to the Gold Cup in the coming weeks, and the roster issue is officially front of mind. How do you feel about it? Share your thoughts below, fellow American soccer obsessives. John Godfrey is the editor in chief and founder of American Soccer Now.
