Beasley is set to move from Germany’s Hannover to Mexico’s Pachuca, while Gomez is moving from Pachuca to Tecos.

You may be asking yourself why these two aren’t going to MLS anytime soon. Simple, money. Pachuca is loaded and can take a risk on a guy like Beasley. Plus, with all the injuries to big named playmakers in MLS this season you can probably see why a guy like Beasley, who has injury issues, would want to stay away from it until players are better protected. And the money thing, yeah, he’ll still get paid much better in Mexico than in the US.

Its disappointing not to see Run-DMB back in MLS but his time will come soon enough.

Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan could be the perfect duo for this U.S. team. (Getty Images)

It is so close we can taste it. One day away from the start of the World Cup and two days away from the biggest U.S. Men’s National Team game. Going into Saturday’s game and the rest of the group phase I do have a few questions to discuss.

1. How will the defense hold up to the pressure?

Injuries are a pain in the butt, there is no getting around that. We hear talk that everyone is good to go a full 90 but the issue becomes who are those four that will start in the back? Is it a four that we all expect (Onyewu, Bocanegra, DeMerit, and Cherundolo)? Or will someone like Clarence Goodson sneak into the lineup?

For me the key still rests on Onyewu. If he is indeed ready to go a full 90 and his head is actually strong again then the U.S. defense doesn’t worry me nearly as much. His timing has to be there both on the ball and in the air. Some reports have suggested he is looking better at both so that helps out a bunch. But if he doesn’t good I’d say Goodson will be in there to replace him, which to me is fine.

Depth is very low in this area, so if one falls the whole team could struggle.

2. Can this group keep the possession going?

On this big of a stage keeping possession and creating chances are key. In fact I’d argue keeping possession is a bigger factor facing this team. I think they’ll get that against Algeria and Slovenia but I have a feeling against England they’ll sit back more than anything else and wait for their chances. Its a risky tactic but we know it can pay off if a team gets frustrated like England will do.

3. Has the team gotten over the lack of Charlie Davies?

We’ll still hear Davies name come up in the World Cup, its almost certain to happen. Plus I don’t think they ever really had to “replace” him in the first place. Instead what Bob Bradley has done is shifted his team’s focus offensively a bit. There is some pressure on Jozy Alitdore but bringing in guys like Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez and Robbie Findley meant he is no afraid to find someone who is hot that will score.

Davies pace will certainly be missed here but we can’t help but like what we saw against Australia last week. Buddle as we know plays extremely well off the ball and he also knows how to link up well with Landon Donovan, something I’m not sure Davies is as good at doing here.

4. Will Donovan handle the pressure this time?

Absolutely. He’s saying all the right things about the pressure but we can tell this time around Donovan means business. In 2002 he was just a kid that was happy to be there, and in 2006 he wasn’t ready to handle it. He’s said that much and we knew that much. But 2010 is different as we already know. His time with Everton and the start of the MLS season with LA showed that Donovan is a real force for this U.S. team. The team goes as he goes and I feel very confident in knowing that he will lead this team to some good stuff.

5. Biggest X-Factor on this team?

Gomez. For me I want Gomez off the bench in late game situations. Its what he is comfortable with and its how he scores a majority of his goals. Findley wouldn’t be a bad choice here either but to me Gomez could really help carry this club far with some late-game goals.

6. How easy is this group?

No group is easy, even if you’re Brazil or Italy. I agree with what some others around the blogosphere are saying, this group is tricky. Its not deadly like in 2006 but it is tough. One slip and you’re done.

We know what to expect with England but Slovenia and Algeria are two different equations. Slovenia won’t be a push over but they should be someone the U.S. can beat. Algeria might not be a pushover but if they stumble in their first two games they could just pack it in for the final game against our boys.

Getting points in the England game are vital though. That will only build the proper momentum for the final two group games, which by most people’s expectations are suppose to be wins.

We’re better as the underdog so finding ways to live up to the hype will be interesting to see.

7. How far can this bunch really go?

When I first looked at the bracket and made a first guess on all the results I had the U.S. in the semifinal. It was just a gut check kind of call. Will it actually happen though? I doubt it, but a quarterfinal visit should be doable. The draw is favorable to get out of the group though, which is more than we had in 2006.

8. How will this World Cup affect the game back here in the States?

We’ll unfortunately hear Alexi Lalas say something about the “power of a World Cup” a million times of the next month. But there is some truth to what he is saying. A good World Cup for the U.S. will only increase the profile here. Though in 2006 the team crashed pretty hard but the game didn’t seem to die here because of it.

The deeper this team goes the better off the game will be back here. Without a doubt. The fact that people who barely watch the game expect the U.S. to get out of this group tells us a lot about where this game is going here in the U.S.

Robbie Findley makes the World Cup squad because of his speed. (Getty Images)

Youth will be served, that seems to be the theme for the U.S. Men’s National team roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Manager Bob Bradley announced his 23-man roster yesterday afternoon to the press and the world. I thought talking about it yesterday but I really wanted to give myself a day to cool off and really look at the roster from top to bottom to see if I did like it or not.

For the most part the roster didn’t surprise me. At first the omission of Brian Ching for Robbie Findley was surprising but on a deeper look it wasn’t too shocking. Ching is older, a little more banged up while Findley has speed to burn and could be a spark off the bench.

I’ll be pretty blunt when I talk about Findley so Real Salt Lake fans don’t get too angry with me here. I really don’t see Findley getting lots of minutes in this World Cup so his selection is there for additional speed if Bradley needs it off the bench. I’d be utterly shocked if he starts a game there but I am always willing to be surprised in a good way if it comes to it.

A lot of folks will rail on Bradley for his selections but let’s face it the man knows what he is doing and for the most part his hands have been slightly tied behind his back lately with all the injury issues and lack of form for some keys that were considered for selection (ie Conor Casey, Jeff Cunningham, etc.).

We’ve been speculating for what seems like ages about who would replace the speed and power of Charlie Davies since his car crash in October. Bradley shocked some folks by selecting Findley, Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle. Findley we know is there for speed but Gomez and Buddle are there for other reasons, ones that Bradley should be happy he had to deal with. Gomez is playing better than any striker the U.S. has right now anyways and Buddle just continues to do the little thing right. Its hard not to go against those guys.

Experience is lagging up top and I get that. But remember the last time we had a fairly inexperienced group at a World Cup? Yeah 2002 was a fairly young bunch of guys that did alright and made it to the quarterfinals. I’d be willing to bet that most American fans would take that kind of run again this year.

I mentioned above that the majority of the roster was not a real shocker. The midfield selections were just about what we expected even before the friendly against the Czech Republic. Some folks wanted Robbie Rogers included here while others expected Alejandro Bedoya. Both were wingers and both would have trouble finding playing time with the likes of Stuart Holden and DeMarcus Beasley there.

In the back is still an issue but that may be a topic for another day. None of the selections surprised me and I know lots of you hated seeing Jonathan Bornstein’s name being called. Deal with it, we’re weak at left back and as much as I hate to say it he may be the best that we have right now. Carlos Bocanegra could be an option for Bradley but don’t be shocked if its Bornstein.

Depth is an issue that we should be used to by now. But even with the glaring issues I still feel confident about our chances in this tournament. It won’t be pretty but the results will come.

Bob Bradley has a lot of thinkin' to do right now. (Getty Images)

I realized I’ve slacked on my World Cup hype duties these last couple months and now that the big event is a month and a half away I need to pick it up here. Today just seems like a good day to talk about the USMNT and who Bob Bradley will call into camp next month.

We know Bradley will be calling in more than what will ultimately become the final 23-man roster for the World Cup. He’s gotta do this to evaluate the final few roster spots that aren’t finalized just yet. Most would agree that a good chunk of the roster is probably already set in Bradley’s mind. He knows his keepers and likely most of his defense and midfield. But up top things get dicy with the slew of injuries and lack of quality form out of some guys in the pool.

Bradley has a lot to consider in the form of guys coming off of injuries too at this point, which in a way is a good thing. Sure their form could be off but having a few main guys back will go a long way in getting out of the group stages in June.

You’ve probably seen plenty of these rosters guesses but this is my take at it. Feel free to agree or disagree below in the comments section. I’ll give you my 26-28 guys I think that could be called in next month (obviously not all will be called here).

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

There’s really no dancing around this one unless one of these guys goes down in the final weeks of the English season. Howard is the easy pick for starter and really if we had to go with the other two in any game I’d feel okay with that as well.

Defense: Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay Demerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Heath Pearce

This area is fairly set in my mind. Having Onyewu back in training at AC Milan is huge for him and the US. I’ve gone back and forth in my mind over Bornstein’s inclusion with the team but he’s a Bradley guy so he’s in no matter what really. I won’t go into who should start on the right or left back but with this group we should be ok. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Spector at left back at this point but Bocanegra could end up there as well based on his play in France this year.

Midfield: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Ricardo Clark, Alejandro Bedoya, Jose Francisco Torres, DaMarcus Beasley

Things get a little tougher here. In a way I consider both Deuce and Donovan more as strikers than as midfielders but I know they’ll be listed here when the roster comes out so I won’t even try arguing it. There is a thought too that Edu could slide into a centerback role as well which could free up another spot for another midfielder or take away from one defender.

Holden is getting healthy and that’s a real positive thing to see for this group of players. I think Bedoya has made some major strides in getting close to winning a roster spot, he’s one of my darkhorse picks here. Beasley is another guy that is on the fringe for me but I just got a gut feeling that he’ll make it.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez, Charlie Davies, Eddie Johnson, Brian Ching

This group is the hardest to figure out. Part of me thinks Brian Ching will make it if he returns from injury in time, the other part of me figures at this point its a long shot. With the way that Buddle and Gomez have played recently we know at least one of them should probably make it to South Africa.

I put Casey up there because I see him as another one of those Bradley guys. His form hasn’t been great this season but its been good enough. I don’t love the idea of Johnson here but he’s really finding his own way in Greece right now which should boost his confidence. He’s one of those guys that rides good confidence to the bank and if he is sailing high right now in Greece it will only make things tougher on Bradley, which isn’t a bad thing either.

Edson Buddle is lighting up MLS. (MLSSoccer.com/Getty Images)

In American soccer right now there aren’t any other guys that are hotter on the scene than Edson Buddle or Herculez Gomez. One is lighting things up in Major League Soccer, the other in the Mexican first division. In a year where the US Men’s National team is in need of a couple strong strikers for the World Cup due to a long list of injuries or lack of scoring Buddle and Gomez may be the best bet for a South Africa spot.

Question is which should Bob Bradley really consider here? Just Buddle? Gomez? Or both?

The lingering issue here isn’t how their are playing right now but it’s their history on an international level. Neither have spent a lot of time with the USMNT, Buddle has only been called up once and Gomez has played with his name on a US jersey only twice. Their streaky nature caused that, probably along with other factors.

Neither have really enjoyed where they’re playing until right now. Its obvious you put the right guy in the right system and things will pay off. For Gomez it is with Puebla in Mexico and for Buddle it’s this current group with the Galaxy.

Both bounced around MLS a lot in their short careers. Buddle saw some success early on with Columbus before he got sent off to New York, then Toronto and then finally in LA. He’s seen success in LA when he is healthy but he’s also see disappointment there to, just look at last season and you’ll know why.

Gomez isn’t far off from Buddle in going around the MLS circles, he started off in LA, then got shipped to San Diego and Seattle for a couple loan spells, then he got traded to Colorado and then finally to Kansas City. His final two stops in the league weren’t great as he gradually lost playing time, but in all honesty I see this more as a coaching issue rather than a player issue. He had to deal with Fernando Clavijo in Colorado and Curt Onalfo in Kansas City. Neither are great MLS coaches by any stretches.

So what should happen to both come next month? We know Bradley is expected to call in a few more guys than normal to camp to try to sort things out. It would be shocking if both somehow failed to get calls from Bradley to this camp. They’ve both booked their tickets to at least the camp, if not even to South Africa.

Both are highly motivated right now and are loaded with confidence. Two factors not many strikers possess right now on our national side. While last year’s MLS bunch of Jeff Cunningham, Robbie Findley and Conor Casey are all struggling to find their form again, its Buddle and Gomez who are finding the back of the net like never before.

I look at Gomez in particular here and see a guy that is lighting up one of the world’s better leagues. Mexico isn’t Australia or anything here, but I’d be willing to say it’s as tough of a place to produce well in as some leagues in Europe.

If I’m Bradley I’d welcome the fact that I’d have to deal with this situation of two guys playing so well right now. Its better to have this situation than to figure out if he needs to pull an attacking midfielder into a striker role to make up for the injuries and issues that have gone on over the past few months.

So who do you have going here? One, both, or neither?

Herculez Gomez is back...but will it be good enough to get on the National team? (Getty Images)

Okay, you’ve scored scored six goals in his past seven matches for Mexican first division side Puebla there Herculez Gomez, now what did you do with the real Herculez Gomez?

No really, tell us!

This isn’t your normal Gomez that scored just 23 goals in Major League Soccer between 2003 and 2009. So far his six goals for Puebla have nearly matched his production from his last three years in the league with the Kansas City Wizards and Colorado Rapids.

It comes to show if you put the right player in the right system things can happen. Gomez is obviously in the right system at Puebla for him. His time with the Rapids and Wizards was down right awful, then again both of those teams over the last couple years have been painful to watch at times so its no wonder why he didn’t flourish in either system.

But is this recent outburst down south National team worthy? If there were more friendlies other than the two big World Cup tune-ups in May I’d say yes but for now sadly its almost too little too late for Gomez to get on Bob Bradley’s good side. Then again if he continues to score goals like no other in the Mexican first division between now and the time Bradley picks his roster he may be a good backup choice.

What do you think? Should Bradley give Gomez a look over say a Jeff Cunningham or a Robbie Findley? All three can go from hot to cold real quick.

Now I will stay away from the allocation trades and things like that. So you won’t see a grade for Brian McBride or Will Johnson or guys in that category since clubs signed them, even though allocation position was traded. We can do grades on guys like that later on.

Interestingly enough, only Columbus is missing from the trade game this season. They’ve made some moves (and yes I know they traded for Pat Noonan’s rights) but haven’t gone after a player from another club like some teams have this season. Very interesting, maybe that is why they are on top of the standings and everyone else is looking up at them.

But as for how the other trades have gone this year, here is what I am giving them. Feel free to discuss trades involving your clubs or moves you thought worked out well this year.

Chad Barrett to Toronto FC: For the most this move has worked out well for this club. He’s produced and has actually been fairly consistent with his play. Not to mention he’s signed a contract extension with the club already.WVH Trade Grade: A-

Arturo Alvarez to San Jose Earthquakes: Alvarez wasn’t going to cut it in Schalles Hyndman’s system so a move was going to happen. San Jose was the best destination for him and so far this move has worked out well for the Quakes as they’ve made a serious push for the playoffs in recent weeks.  WVH Trade Grade: A

Abdus Ibrahim to Toronto FC: He had to leave Dallas due to family issues but I must say Toronto got a hell of a deal with this kid. We may not see it on the field this year but in years to come he will end up being a big time player in this league. WVH Trade Grade: A

Ivan Guerrero to DC United: Guerrero didn’t work out well enough in San Jose but his move to the Nation’s Capital has worked out. He’s been a quality addition to DC’s midfield play and has established himself as a starter. WVH Trade Grade: B+

Preston Burpo to Colorado Rapids: Smart move really to land this veteran keeper by Colorado. San Jose was wise to get him even though they had Joe Cannon. Once the season got going they knew Burpo would be instant trade bait. Colorado took it and he has actually become a starter in recent weeks for the Rapids. So this trade worked out for everyone. WVH Trade Grade: B+

Jeff Cunningham to FC Dallas: A trade I called for a while back that actually happened. I think its working out well despite the results for Dallas right now. Cunningham and Kenny Cooper showed last night that they can work well together given the proper time to get use to one another. The results will come and I think Cunningham is a perfect fit for Dallas. WVH Trade Grade: B+

Kei Kamara to Houston Dynamo: Dominic Kinnear searching for this year’s Joseph Ngwenya. I think he found it too. WVH Trade Grade: B

Scott Sealy to San Jose Earthquakes: The Quakes got a steal in this deal I thought. Sealy is a good scorer when he is given the chance. Out in San Jose he will and has been given a solid chance with Frank Yallop. Not to mention his price tag is really cheap, which makes this deal even better for the Quakes. For KC it was kind of a bad move now that we look at it since they are having to trade their way back into things up top. WVH Trade Grade: B

Pat Phelan to New England Revolution: Phelan is definitely a Steve Nicol kind of guy. Toronto needed to make room on their roster so moving the young rookie was the thing to do (though stupid on their part because Phelan is a solid player). I think in years to come we will see more of a value in this move but I still think looking back on it was the right move for the Revs. WVH Trade Grade: B-

Zach Thornton to Chivas USA: I think they over spent for this one though they did need a keeper at the time when Brad Guzan left for England. But at least Thornton is getting another chance. WVH Trade Grade: C-

Carey Talley to Chivas USA: Decent trade but Talley hasn’t been all that big for Chivas this season. WVH Trade Grade: D+

Carlos Ruiz to Toronto FC: Its a gamble for Toronto but from what I’ve read its a smart one even if he doesn’t produce anything. I believe they won’t be on the hook for him next year in terms of salary. Honestly I don’t see him in Toronto next year anyways or in MLS for that matter. Still if he can score a few before the end of the year it will be good. But for now its been a bit of a bad gamble. WVH Trade Grade: D+

Joey Franchino to LA Galaxy: Some said at the time this was a smart move for the Galaxy. Uh, yeah I said it was a pointless move. And it still is, definitely an Alexi Lalas move. WVH Trade Grade: F

Jovan Kirovski to San Jose Earthquakes: An early season move that was a bit of a waste. Does Jovan even play any more? He may be hurt for all I know. Anyways this wasn’t a great move afterall. WVH Trade Grade: F

Chris Pozniak to Chivas USA: Another waste. They ended up waiving him. WVH Trade Grade: F

Herculez Gomez to Kansas City Wizards: When he is on his game he is one of the better young strikers in the league. The thing is he fades away too much. I think KC will be a good place for him if he gets his time but he needs people feeding him the ball, and if Claudio Lopez is doing that this move could end up being good. I won’t grade it though until I see him in a Wizards kit. WVH Trade Grade: Incomplete

Abe Thompson to Kansas City Wizards: Another player that if you give him his time he will score lots of goals for you. He did that here and there in Dallas, and in big spots too. Thing is he comes and goes and that isn’t a good thing for a club making a playoff push. Like Gomez I won’t grade it until I see him on the field with his new club. WVH Trade Grade: Incomplete

“I feel good. It’s sad to leave a great place like Colorado,” said Gomez, who joined the team prior to the 2007 season. He had two goals and an assist this year after coming back from an ACL tear.

From a Colorado side of things its merely a start of change with this roster. I see Gomez as the start of a roster dumping here in the coming weeks/months. It all really depends on who they get as a head coach for next year. If they keep Gary Smith on and move him from interim to full time head coach you could easily see these changes take place more rapidly. Now if they get a different coach you may not see these moves happen as fast and maybe not until the winter.

Either way with the Rapids I see this as a start of lots of moves in the coming weeks and months.

For KC they add some needed depth up top. Simple as that. They need scoring and it looks like they are banking on some new blood to do just that. Anytime you have a leading scorer out of your defense something isn’t working up top. Is Gomez the answer to their problems? No, I think that resides a bit more in their midfield play but he certainly doesn’t hurt to have in case.

What do you make of this deal?