USA Copa America 2007 Roster: A JOKE!
The USSF just doesn’t get it. I understand that winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup gives us the opportunity to play in the Confederations Cup in 2009. So I get why we sent our strongest team to the tournament. Now that the Gold Cup is almost over, it is time to put out the roster for the Copa America, a tournament that we were invited to.
Below, I’ve listed the players that will represent the United States in that tournament. Looking at this roster, I can’t help but feel that we are going to get destroyed.
GOALKEEPERS- Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
DEFENDERS- Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS- Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Lee Nguyen (PSV Eindhoven), Ben Olsen (D.C.United)
FORWARD- Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Herculez Gomez (Colorado Rapids), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
(Roster List from “Soccer By Ives”)
This lineup cannot beat any of the top teams in the Copa tournament. A quick scan of the Argentina lineup shows that they are ready for this tournament, and they are actually looking to win, something the USSF obviously isn’t looking to do. Argentina has brought its best players to the table. Lionel Messi, Juan Riquelme, Roberto Ayala, and Carlos Tevez are just a few of the big names. And Argentina won’t be the only team ready to play. Brazil, while missing Ronaldinho and Kaka, will have many other quality players such as Robinho, Diego, and Alfonso Alves.
The US is going to have to score goals to win this tournament, and Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson have proven in the Gold Cup that they aren’t scoring threats on the international level, so I can’t figure out for the life of me why Bob Bradley thinks that they will score against better competition. US fans should not buy the excuse of getting their younger players more experience and seeing which young players can really play. That’s why we play friendlies. Also, it is not as if European based players could not have played in the tournament. The Copa America is a FIFA sanctioned event, which means teams must release their players so that they can represent their countries in tournaments like this. Even Landon Donovan said that he wanted to play in this tournament, and he was not placed on the roster. No Donovan, no Clint Dempsey, no Tim Howard, nothing.
Don’t get me wrong. These aren’t bad players. They’re decent, some are even good. I hope that they shock me and I’m going to be rooting hard for them. I also understood that this could and has happened. But I know many USA fans, myself included, were looking forward to this tournament as a chance for the USA to reintroduce itself to the world as an up and coming power. I’m not saying the Gold Cup squad would have won the tournament, but they would have put up a great fight and shocked some people. There is a difference between getting young players experience and just flat out mailing it in, which is what we are doing here.
The next time you hear someone ask why the world doesn’t take the US National Team seriously, here’s yet another reason why.
There are some very good players in the squad - Boswell, Bornstein, Gaven and Johnson being some of the main ones - but I agree that as a squad, it doesn’t stand much chance of winning the Copa America.
Think of it this way though - many of these players have been on the fringe of the US National Team, so you might find a couple of gems within the squad who can push on into the first-team squad. Lee Nguyen looks like a promising prospect from what i’ve seen…
where is freddy adu?
i agree dude… squad is not good enough to challange for the title
Withe the squad they named for the Copa America, they woulnd’t have a chance to win the Gold Cup. But they were never going to come back with the trophy from Venezuela, so they decided to name a weakened squad that way they wont receive much criticism. But for anyone who has seen how Canada was cheated out of a last second equilizer in the Gold Cup final, they know that the US doesn’t even deserve the Gold Cup with their full squad available.
ronan mc was that a serious comment? Freddy Adu sucks, and besides, he’s at the U-20 world cup. I can understand why some of the big players like deuce and landycakes won’t be playing, but I’m still disappointed. However, I am excited to see Charlie Davies and Lee Nguyen play. I think the main problem with this roster is Taylor Twellman. He can’t score, can’t pass, and is overall good for nothing. We’d be better with me playing up top.
Brian - do you know any reason why Bob Bradley has done this - I did read on the US Soccer site and he did mention - as you indicate - giving youth a chance. But these are big tournaments - and we need our best players in there - and most of them would be hoping to play too. Very strange - probably shows the International inexperience of Bradley. Looking forward to Mexico - USA Sunday.
Andrei,
The US was the better team on the field on Thursday against Canada, it isnt fair to base the whole game off of that bad call. Remember the hand ball against Germany that should have given us a penalty kick back in 2002? Yeah no call there either, it happens, just not Canada’s day, not the USA’s fault.
Ed,
Not a clue. I’m guessing he must have reassurance that he won’t get fired because of this, because we are gonna get crushed.
where is landon and dempsey?
I was talking about this Gold cup with my friend yesterday and we agreed on one thing that the USA to boost their confidence created a tournemant to crash all the small teams and feel good about it, saying that they have a team that wins competitions and now they were invited to Copa America, where thay are going to be disgracefully crahsed and that’s why they put a weaker team to preserve the confidence and to have an wxcuse for loosing.
I am extremely dissapointed that such a weak roster is going to a tournament that we were INVITED to play. It jsut shows that here in America, the club over country mentality holds stronger than anything.
They’ll make more money with Donovan there to play with Becks in his debut than sending him to compete for a tournament title. It’s unfortunate, and it makes me mad.
Until this mentality is reversed, we will have no success like that of European and South American countries on the national stage because of the greed to make more money by having players play for their clubs. This ideology is dominant in every American sport and hinders international competition successes for American teams (see; World Baseball Classic, World Cup, FIBA Basketball Championships)
MLS MUST switch their season to have a summer break while playing from fall to spring, rather than trying to appeal and make money when all other leagues are resting and playing international friendlies.
If anyone things the Gold Cup is a more important event than Copa America should have their head examined. We need to have our best players representing us at CA so that we are taken seriously by the opposition and the world. Because we have basically snoobed the event by selecting to be under-represented if I were a representative from Copa America I would insure the US would never be invited again to their tournament unless they need a whipping boy in their tournament.
PS To coach Bradley: What have you done to the US players? They played a 100 times better for Bruce Arena. Now they are painful to watch with their constanct errors, non inspiring plays, and just walking around on the field.
Guys, this is kind of a lose-lose situation. There are not many players who can play in two summer tournaments and not be tired at the end of the season. So Bradley has picked a completely different squad. The fact of the matter is that the World Cup is a much bigger priority than the Copa American, which is what this is really about. The Confederations Cup gives the team an opportunity to play in South Africa a year before the World Cup and gain invaluable experience. They can spend 2 weeks in the country of the WC prior to when it happens and adjust. They even play some great teams like Brazil and Italy. They were invited to the Copa America, and it’s just not practical at this point to bring the same squad to both tournaments and risk extreme tiredness in the future. That’s in fact extremely stupid.
And for the record, Bradley has done a fantastic job of bringing in new players like Bornstein, Feilhaber, and Clark. Bruce Arena’s team at the 2006 WC was stale, and they had gone backwards from 2002. And based on the performance in the Gold Cup final, you can’t say that the players that he’s used aren’t very good or don’t play well for him. We’re much better off with the new setup.
And who cares if we’re respected? We weren’t respected in 2002 and we were in 2006. Look what happened. It doesn’t matter if people respect us. It just means we can surprise them later.
And don’t be stupid and say that the “club-versus-country mentality” is more important. That’s idiotic. It’s the other way around. The National team is definitely the top priority. But it really undermines MLS to have Landycakes away for 2 (!) summer tournaments when his team is struggling. It also would really piss off European coaches to extend the season like that.
Cheers.
My thoughts exactly —-^
Stay limber coach Bradley…
I am very upset with this roster. I really would have thought Ned Grabavoy (Columbus Crew) would have been given a chance to play mid for Bradley. I’m still pulling for the USA, but chances are very slim.
I understand the reasons behind putting this roster together. I understand the reasons for why Bradley has not included players like Donovan and Dempsey. But understanding the reasons is not enough.
To all of you who say that the Copa America is not important and that it doesn’t really matter, I would say, “Hold on one sec. Let’s think about that.” Yes, this Cup is not the Confederations or the World Cup. It is however, the oldest and longest standing Cup in the world. It is a Cup where powerhouses like Brazil and Argentina play. It is a FIFA sanctioned Cup and while not the World Cup, it is prestigous in its own right. And for South America, this is a VERY prestigous tournament.
We were INVITED to play. Invited. The CONMEBOL thought enough of our soccer to invite us to participate in their tournament. We might not be favored. We might not win. But our soccer is now good enough that we are invited to play in a tournament that is not one we can freely participate in. The invitation is a subtle nod in our direction from the like of Argentina and Brazil, which says “yes, we think you can play at our level.” And whether you like that or not, you must admit that it is an accomplishment for us.
We aren’t a member of the elite group of soccer powerhouses of the world. But we are moving up. Our soccer keeps getting better, and the sport grows in importance in our country. Some do not like to hear it, but we still have a ways to go. But we are getting there and we will get there.
To look down our noses at a tournament line Copa America, and say “meh, it doesn’t matter” is ridculously self-centered. To say “we shouldn’t go, because we’ll get crushed” is a defeatist attitude that has no place in soccer.
If the world is begining to take our soccer seriously, we need to reciprocate. That means you treat big, international tournamnets seriously, and you send a team that will represent us well. That means that when you are invited to play against giants, you send a squad that could be a giant killer, not a giant’s dinner.
If you are invited to a fancy dinner party and the hostess asks you to bring a bottle of wine, do you choose a good wine or do you pick up a bottle Thunderbird?
The idea of taking the best squad to the Copa America is romantic and naive. The players who haven’t been brought have all played against top-class opposition. Brazil don’t ever take a full-strength squad (I know their players are much better, that’s not the point), yet their coach is never lambasted. Keeping players fit for their club seasons and getting to the Confederations Cup are the most important attainable tasks at hand. The players in the squad will benefit from this more than Dempsey, Beasley, and Donovan, who have already played against world class players.
Well i was in Buenos Aires when the game was played and well Argentina did bring in their top guns…USA i don’t Know!!! so they beat Mexico yay but come on it’s Argentina the big dogs in the World…
I was rooting for the USA but then they slowed down as the game progressed and i still haven’t seen the rest of Argentinas weapons until the end of the Second half where Aimar and Tevez scored easily I mean very easy!!!
4-1 terrible, pathetic actually
The one time you can play Brasil and Argentina you bring in the crap players
it’s like sending in minor leaguers in the Major League
Silly Bradley, Just Silly? Why cant we see what our BEST players can do against the world’s best?
I can’t wait til the 2010 world Cup in South Africa! But it doesn’t really matter what squad the US takes there, whether it has donovan or howard or dempsey cuz they won’t win…as always i will be cheering for brazil or argentina or portugal, not cuz im an argentine or brazilian or portuguese, but cuz they’re soccer is beautiful. Joga Bonito! The USSF could learn a lil from that