USA vs. Czech Republic World Cup Warm-Up Post Mortem

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa):  Any time you let 4 goals get by you, you can't really say you've had a good game.   Gunzan did not do anything spectacular... and you expect at least one exceptional save from your nation's #2 to help keep your squad in the match.   Right now there is a huge gap between our #1 and #2 GKs.   Lets hope Howard stays healthy.

Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA):  Did not play well.

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover):  Well played.  Maintained positive possession with several nice moves on the touch line.

Clarence Goodson (IK Start):  Very impressive.   Both goals were due to contributions by Goodson.  Played very well in the air.   May be a good counterpart to Peter Crouch.

Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew):  Was available as a sub but did not play.  We should assume Chad will not be boarding the plane to South Africa.

Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan):  Disappointed.  Did not look stable on the rehabilitated left knee.  Played okay when the ball was on the ground, but did not appear to be the old Gooch on air-balls.  Appeared to limp around the field.   I'm not sure he will be able to hold his own in South Africa.

Heath Pearce (FC Dallas):  Poor showing.  Won't be in the final 23.

DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers):  Above average.  Beasley has the ability to be dangerous with his change of pace.  I've seen him play brutal and play great wearing the US jersey.  His experience in 2 previous world cups, a decent performance against the Netherlands, and a solid performance here will probably earn him a ticket.

Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro):  Played okay.  I don't think he's done enough to be in the final 23.

Maurice Edu (Rangers):  Played well in the midfield.  Struggled when he got pushed to center-back with the Onweyu substitution.   Got a goal... positive performance.

Stuart Holden (Bolton):  Along with Goodson, the most impressive performance of the night.  Handled nearly all set-piece duty.

Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA):  A non-factor.  Touched the ball maybe 5 times.   Looked lost in the midfield.

Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew):  Average.   Got off a decent shot.   Probably won't be on the plane.

José Torres (Pachuca):  Played very well.  Ball movement was crisp between Adu, Torres, and Holden.

Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy):  Played above average.  I was hoping to see Edson get a few more chances.   Being pulled out to fix his wounds took away from his time on the pitch.  Was in the middle of the aerial challenge that produced the first goal.

Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo):  Slightly above average.  Ching made a few creative touches and set up Gomez for a clear chance at goal.  He may not have the ability to hold the ball long enough to get players forward in the World Cup.

Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake):  Did not play.   Won't be going to South Africa.

Herculez Gomez (Puebla):  Got a goal with a lot of help from Goodson.  I liked how he angled his runs when pressuring the Czech defenders and GK.  May have earned a place on the squad.

Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki):  Better than I expected.   E.J. will be the safe selection if Bradley decides to go with international experience instead of un-tapped potential (Buddle, Gomez).   I think Bradley may leave Eddie behind.  If he doesn't... Ching may get the short straw.


MY FINAL 23 FOR THE USA - 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Marcus Hahnemann

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Spector, Jonathan Bornstein

MIDFIELDERS (9): DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, José Torres

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez, Brian Ching

Tomorrow at 12 noon CT... we will find out for sure as Bob Bradley announces his final 23 on ESPN.