Will Oguchi Onyewu be apart of the Gold Cup roster? (Photo by ISIphotos.com)

We’ll know on Monday who Bob Bradley picks for the US National team for this summer’s Gold Cup and for the upcoming friendly against Spain. I figured today would be as good of a day as ever to throw out my 23-man roster that I think Bradley could select come Monday.

As we know this is a big Gold Cup for the US as they’ll want to get the crown back from Mexico in hopes to qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Keepers (3)

Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, and Nick Rimando

The first two are locks in my mind while Rimando would easily be beaten out by a younger keeper that Bradley wants to give some experience to for the training camps and what not. We know Howard is the starter no matter what here so this area is really the easiest to pick I would think. David Yelldell could see his name called as he saw time with the US against Paraguay earlier this year.

Defenders (9)

Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Timothy Chandler, Heath Pearce, Jonathan Spector, Tim Ream , Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Bornstein

Another group that seems fairly easy to figure out. I know Bornstein hasn’t played a lot in Mexico but you know there is a familiarity factor between him and Bradley. Believe me I hate even the thought of him in the mix here but it will likely happen since he is still one of Bradley’s guys. Lichaj was a toss up for me as I think Zak Whitebread could be a good idea for a call-up too. Chandler can also slide into the midfield if needed here too which makes me a lock for me.

I would like to see someone like FC Dallas defender George John get a look for this roster but I’m sure Ream will have beaten him out even though Ream has looked shaky at times this season for New York.

The big question for me comes down to Onyewu. He hasn’t played well since his injury in 2009 in a US kit and really he hasn’t played a lot of minutes since joining AC Milan. But like Bornstein, Bradley sees him as one of his guys and that’s why he falls into this camp.

Midfielders (8)

Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Jermaine Jones , Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Mixx Diskerud, Alejandro Bedoya

A tough group to predict outside the obvious (Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, Edu and Jones). I think Feilhaber is an easy pick, but Diskerud and Bedoya are toss-ups for me. I could easily see Bradley take a chance on Sacha Kljestan here over Diskerud and someone like Brek Shea over Bedoya.

I’d love to see Shea here but his lack of big international experience hurts him here I think for such an important tournament. I know his explosiveness off the bench would be great to have but given how well Diskerud does with the forwards that will be taken, its hard to pass up on chemistry for a risky move like Shea.

Forwards (3)

Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury

I don’t think this one needs any explanation. Altidore is a lock while Agudelo and Bunbury have formed quite a bond together with the US. Charlie Davies saw his chances go away last weekend when Bradley was in D.C. to watch him and United play Colorado. His chance fluttered away quickly when he went out of the game early with an injury.

I see no reason to even consider Eddie Johnson, Edson Buddle or even Herculez Gomez here. I’d say Gomez is really the only other player that could have a chance here to make the roster but it would be an outside one at best.

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.

Not a bad showing by the US against Holland. (Getty Images)

I won’t go too into the match just yet, I have a plan on re-watching some of it later on today but I did want to give my initial player ratings from this afternoon’s 2-1 loss to the Dutch in Amsterdam.

WVH USMNT Player Ratings:

Tim Howard – 7
Jonathan Spector – 5
Carlos Bocanegra – 7
Jay DeMerit – 5
Jonathan Bornstein – 2
Stuart Holden – 5
Michael Bradley – 5
Jose Francisco Torres – 5
Landon Donovan – 4
Jozy Altidore – 6
Robbie Findley – 4

Subs:
Maurice Edu – 4
DeMarcus Beasley – 7
Alejandro Bedoya – 6
Heath Pearce – 4
Eddie Johnson – 4
Clarence Goodson – 5

Top Three Players for US:

1. DeMarcus Beasley – Off the bench he was very good today, probably much better than he’s been in recent games that I’ve seen him in. I like the idea of him still coming off the bench though instead of starting for the US.
2. Tim Howard – He made his usual few big saves but got unlucky with the PK and the other goal. Still can’t blame this loss at all on Timmy, he worked his ass off as usual.
3. Carlos Bocanegra – Got the lone goal on a great free kick by Beasley. He was so freakin’ open on that play it was ridiculous. He also did well in the back today for the US.

Overall it wasn’t a terrible game by the US. I thought Donovan was a ghost most of the game but that could be due to poor service from out of the back for him. Early on the US was too predictable in the midfield and in the final third. Robbie Findley was okay but really showed he has no shot at a roster spot in South Africa after getting over powered in this game by the Dutch defense. He has the speed to beat them but never really took people on like we would have liked.

Bad day for Bornstein though. First the penalty late in the first half and then the deflection for the second Dutch goal in the second half. I thought Bob Bradley should have subbed him at half for someone like Pearce but he’s got too much of a love fest for Bornstein.

Again, I hope to have more later on this game.

Bob Bradley has some tough choices to make for tomorrow's friendly against Holland (Getty Images)

Honestly I need to amp up my USMNT cover on here. I’ll admit I don’t get to see every game like I would like and I honestly nearly forgot the El Salvador game last week. In fact I didn’t even get to watch all of it but what I did see what the final 20 minutes or so which were fun to view since it was a nice comeback for the US.

What we know is this Holland game tomorrow is a biggie. Its in Holland and the Dutch are easily one of the best squads in the World right now. But this is more than a high profile friendly for Bob Bradley it is a chance to really finish filling out his roster for June at the World Cup in South Africa.

A good chunk of the roster is probably set but for those bubble players this is a big test. The two friendlies so far this year were definitely for the MLS talent to show their stuff and while they did a decent job only a couple of that B or C bunch will make an sort of dent in this roster come June.

Bradley has a couple areas to hammer out before June. The nearly all his defense needs to be figured out, his defensive midfield spot, and a striker.

Left Back: It will either be Jonathan Bornstein or Heath Pearce come June in this spot. That I am certain of. Pearce had a nice game against El Salvador and really seems to be doing well in Dallas right now. Having quality playing time has certainly helped him out too. Depending how they look tomorrow will go a long way in determining who gets a roster spot in June. My money is on Pearce right now.

Center Back: I still have a guy feeling Oguchi Onyewu will be available come June but some how if he isn’t it will be between Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson and Carlos Bocanegra to pick up the slack. I think the bigger story will be if Goodson can continue to impress Bradley. I think should Onyewu return to full health and Goodson continue to impress it will make Bradley’s life tough but in a good way. I’m not saying that he’d take Goodson over Onyewu here but having an improving Goodson only helps our chances in the back.

Right back: I worry about the wings in the back but if Pearce can get up to speed on the left I think so can Jonathan Spector on the right. But let’s not sleep on Frank Simek here, this game could be his big chance to make it in June.

Defensive Mid: It will likely be a WVHooligan favorite Maurice Edu to go in the midfield along side Michael Bradley. I think at this point this is Edu’s spot to lose. With Ricardo Clark on the outside looking in for a roster spot at this point I think Edu is a good bet, which I am happy with here too.

Striker: Ok we know Jozy Altidore is set and if Charlie Davies doesn’t return in time it will come down to three guys: Jeff Cunningham, Robbie Findley or Eddie Johnson. If that is the case my money is on Findley here. I’m curious to see which gets the start tomorrow with Altidore though because both need a strong start to do well.

Again tomorrow is a big deal. We must find a way to stop the Dutch on the wings. I’m very worried that Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart will eat our boys alive on the wings. If we find a way to stay in front of them and keep them honest we’ll be fine. If not it could be a very long night in Amsterdam.

The Dutch also like to shoot from range, so guys in the midfield and in the center part of the pitch must be on guard. One slip up will put Tim Howard in some jeopardy. Protecting the ball in the midfield will be key for the US.

I expect a high tempo to this game from both sides but the US will be wise to slow it down at some points to keep the pressure off the defense. Our forwards will need to work together to get quality looks on goal. The Dutch defense is a savvy one, but isolating one of them at a time can help work wonders. A big game from Landon Donovan also wouldn’t hurt!

This won’t be an easy game by any stretch for the US. Holland is damn good and they are very tough to beat in Holland. Forcing mistakes early will boost our confidence if we can get them but giving up silly passes in the midfield and on the wings will doom us. I hate going against the US but until we show up on the road, particularly in Europe I have to go against us. It should be fun to watch…key word is should.

WVH Prediction: Holland 2, US 0

Edu joins fellow US National team member DeMarcus Beasley on the Rangers roster. Edu must still secure a UK work permit, but if and when he does, he is expected to challenge for a starting role with Rangers immediately.

The 22-year old, was in Glascow to watch Rangers beat Hearts 2-0 on Saturday before returning to the States with Beasley ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier in Guatemala.

No word yet out of Toronto though. They’ve been very quiet on this deal from the start. Then again losing one of the faces of the club is tough to do. They should bounce back but how they replace Edu will be the biggest question on my mind. They haven’t looked good in his absence for the most part. His presence on the field allows the defense a bit of a break and he also helps contribute on the offensive side of the ball.

TFC does have some allocation now with this deal so they could still go after someone who is a free agent at this point. My feelings they will wait for the MLS SuperDraft, where they have plenty of picks to find a replacement.

Again, its tough to see another young star leave MLS but in all honesty Edu was one of those guys that could have probably gone right out of college to Europe had he wanted to.

According to Ives Galarcep, MLS and Toronto FC have accepted a $5 million transfer fee for Edu from Glasgow Rangers. Edu is still finalizing personal terms with Rangers, but a deal is expected to be completed soon. All this comes just in time for the summer transfer window to close at the end of the day.

Tough break really for Toronto but in all honesty they will bounce back from losing one of their best players. Over this past season they’ve gotten quite accustom to not having Edu in the line up for various international call-ups. It never helps losing a player like Edu but gaining that kind of transfer fee can surely help soften the blow.

I think both MLS and Toronto knew that that transfer fee mark was about as high as they would be able to get for Edu. A defensive midfielder is a tough position to gauge in terms of pay in my opinion. It isn’t a flashy position and it doesn’t always come with a lot of goals. I would argue though that it is one of the toughest positions to play on the field and probably one of the most underrated positions (yes I spent time in the defensive part of the midfield in my playing days so I have a bit of a biased opinion on the spot).

Edu joins Jozy Altidore ($10 million move to Villarreal) and Brad Guzan ($1.5 million move to Aston Villa) on the list of MLS standouts to make moves to Europe this summer.

I guess the next guy in line for a move over across the pond would have to be Chivas USA midfielder Sasha Kljestan or maybe even a guy like Houston Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden. Both have had solid campaigns on the international stage at the Olympics here recently.

What do you all move of this move? And who do you see leaving MLS next in the winter?

Thanks to Steve Goff, Scottish power Glasgow Rangers are said to be interested in the former number one overall pick by Toronto. The transfer fee would approach $5 million. It’s not a done deal, but the sides are apparently nearing an agreement.

Edu is scheduled to be with the US National team in Miami this weekend to prepare for the World Cup qualifier with Guatemala next week.

If a deal is to go through it has to be done by the end of the day today. The international transfer window closes today so the clock is ticking very quickly for Rangers and very slowly for Toronto.

This is one of those deals that as a fan of Edu you hate to see him leave MLS but you’re happy to hear a big club is interested in him like Rangers. I like that transfer fee number too because that may be as high as he will go.

I will try to keep a tab on this all day to see if anything goes down. If you hear nothing by the end of the day then Edu is staying with the league, but if you do hear something then it probably means he will be sold to Rangers.

Should be a good game tonight though for those who want to get their soccer fix early this week. You get one of the best home clubs (I’m sure Toronto fans would say they have the best home team) against one of the worst road clubs. Could it sound like draw city? Maybe, we’ve had a bunch of them lately (12 of 21 games in July have been draws) so let’s hope not.

Toronto will be without a few too many key players (Edu, Wynne and Dichio all out for Olympics or injuries) and RSL is as solid as it comes on the turf at Rice-Eccles. The thing that worries me for RSL is Toronto is not like most clubs in this league, they know how to handle the turf and how to win on it. They proved it last year in Salt Lake city with their first ever road win there.

RSL has to get on the board early with guys like Javier Morales leading the charge and Kyle Beckerman finding gaps in the defense. Should those two have a good game you can bet RSL will walk with three points tonight. If they are stopped by Toronto, I wouldn’t expect more than a draw then.

So what will happen tonight? I think it will be similar to their last meeting in Toronto. It was a tight game that saw Toronto escape with a 1-0 win. RSL had some decent chances that day at BMO Field but it was their lack of attack in the first half that really did them in. I sort of see that kind of thing happening tonight. Defensively these two can shut one another down. Its just a matter of who makes that mental error in the final third.

I think RSL will win tonight though, Toronto has just been unimpressive lately and that should carry over tonight. RSL has done well enough in recent games to get themselves in position to win the west this season. It may not be pretty but whatever Jason Kreis is doing is working.

It will be another close one though, RSL sneaks by and moves up the standings in the process.

WVH Prediction: RSL 1, Toronto 0

But before an influx of new talent comes into Major League Soccer I wanted to spend a little time looking back at the homegrown stuff here in the States. More importantly the homegrown talent that comes out of the college ranks and what not through the league’s SuperDraft.

I am mainly looking at old drafts and thought it was worth a mention to take a look back at the last few drafts to see not only how clubs did but the players that have moved on to bigger and better things through the league. Also to talk about the players who were picked high and ended up as duds (there are more than you’d think).

For the most part the MLS SuperDraft finds us about 10 good players and about 30 or so not-so-good players. Some last in the league, others don’t make it, and some head for Europe before the first kick of their rookie season. I think the draft will continue to go on in the future but with fewer rounds before long. Once the homegrown talent from youth academies kick in we will mainly see college players go through this process. And most of those won’t come with a high profile either in my best estimate.

I’m only taking us as far back as the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. I feel like in this now-expansion era of MLS soccer, that’s a solid starting point for discussions like these. Not to mention most of those players by now are either hits or misses.

As always feel free to pipe in your own thoughts about these past drafts below.

2005 MLS SuperDraft:

• I think it is fair to say that the top pick in this draft is still a kid. Nikolas Besagno probably didn’t go to the best club (RSL) to develop his talents but the jury may actually still be out on this kid. But by other people’s standards a top pick that has only seen eight league matches since being draft isn’t a good thing. If he was worth the top pick he would be a steady starter by now, at least.
• Brad Guzan went second to Chivas, I think right now we all know how well that pick turned out to be for both sides.
• I forgot Chad Barrett went at number three to Chicago in this one. Worthy of a top three pick? Maybe not with his inconsistent finishing. Still fairly young though, but I’m sure looking back on this the Fire would have loved to get a better defender out of this draft (Michael Parkhurst or Drew Moor). Though they did end up with a LATE steal in the third round with Gonzalo Segares.
• Speaking of Parkhurst, he was easily the best player in the draft now that we look back on it four years later.
• Rounding out the rest of the first round, lots of role players right now for the most part. Not a lot of big names to speak of. That’s what you get when seven of the first 12 picks are defenders.
• Chicago easily had the best draft…along with Barrett they got two third round gems in Segares and Chris Rolfe. Not many clubs in any sport in America can say they got two steals in a late round like the Fire did. Pretty impressive.

2006 MLS SuperDraft:

• Marvelle Wynne was the top pick with New York, though his time didn’t last long in New York I still believe he is one of the better wingbacks in the league right now. His pace and ability to get down the wings shows us reasons why he was the top pick in 2006.
• Mehdi Ballouchy carried on the tradition of terrible draft picks for RSL in their first couple of seasons. How this guy is not in the USL or somewhere below that is beyond me.
• Then again the jury is almost out of time on guys right after Ballouchy like Jason Garey and Yuri Movsisyan.
• Best draft may have gone to Chivas who nabbed Sasha Kljestan with the 5th pick and then in the forth round with a steal of a pick in Jonanthan Bornstein.
• We all know Jozy Altidore was drafted in the second round and how big that was. Easily a steal by anyone’s account, especially now looking at some of the crap drafted above him.
• Some decent picks here and there in the first round now that we know more about some of these kids. Kai Kamera shows flashes here and there, Dax McCarty is as solid as they come when he is healthy, same could be said about guys like Jed Zayner, Nathan Sturgis, and Patrick Ianni.
• Biggest dud of the draft may have been New England’s pick with Leandro de Oliveria. Yeah I don’t recall the name and couldn’t find a bit on him. Wow, for all the praise we give Steve Nicol and the Revs for finding gems in each draft he came up short on that one. Anyone have a story on that kid?

2007 MLS SuperDraft:

• Its almost like a gulf in class between some of these drafts and this one. I think it may be a product of younger and better talent either not going into college or in the top pick’s case not staying in college very long. Either way this was a pretty solid draft.
• A lot of trades in this draft…and I mean a lot. The Joe Cannon trade, the Ronnie O’Brien trade, the popular Amado Guvara deal. Plus many others that really shaped this draft.
• Of course it is still early to tell with some players still in this draft but we are starting to see some key role players out of this bunch with guys like Wells Thompson, Brad Evans, Anthony Wallace, and Amaechi Igwe.
• Maurice Edu was by far the best player in the draft, may be one of the best number one picks the league has ever seen really.
• I was low on the second pick for a little while but I’ve come around to Chicago’s Bakery Soumare.
• Chris Seitz continues to be talked about as the best keeper in this draft (which he was by and far) but we haven’t seen much of that in league play out of him. Tough to be a young budding keeper when you have a veteran standing in the way. Don’t be shocked if this kid is in Europe in a year or two.
• Steal of the draft by some accounts was New England’s forth round pick in Adam Cristman.
  
• Second round steal goes to New York (again) with Dane Richards.
  
• Some could say Robbie Findley was a steal in the second round as well. Considering some of the players picked above those two (hello, Chicago picking Jerson Monterio or Colorado taking Nico Colaluca).

2008 MLS SuperDraft:

• Yeah okay, I won’t go into this one too much since we are STILL figuring this draft out. Come back next year I suppose. Its anyone’s guess who got the best draft, much less the best player!

By now you should all know the set up for the roster; a keeper, three defenders, five midfielders and two strikers.

Just comment below or send an email with your picks.

Keeper: Matt Reis, New England – I considered a couple guys for this but I can’t see any other way to not go with the Rev’s most consistent player this season. Reis kept them in games they could have easily lost, helped them win games and has made save after safe this season.

Also worth a consideration: Jon Busch, Chicago; Greg Sutton, Toronto FC – Busch for his ability to surprise me more than anyone else this season in goal and Sutton because the game is in Toronto and that cat knows how to win at BMO Field.

Defense: Michael Parkhurst, New England – I tried to find a reason not to have Parkhurst starting in my line-up. And I failed terribly at it.

Gonzalo Segares, Chicago Fire – When he was gone for National team duty his club looked rather weak in defense. That’s a good sign of how good this guy really is. I’ve said he was one of the most underrated defenders in the league.

Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy – I’m pretty serious about this one. I honestly believe the Galaxy would have given up around 30 or 40 goals already if Franklin wasn’t in their line up (so far the have given up 24, second worst in MLS). Sure he is a rookie and probably won’t get the nod but I don’t think most people appreciate how good of a defender this kid is right now.

Also in consideration: Frank Hejduk, Columbus Crew; Jimmy Conrad, KC Wizards; Bakery Soumare, Chicago Fire.

Midfield: David Beckham, LA Galaxy – I don’t even need to explain this one.

Blanco, Chicago Fire – Ditto.

Shalrie Joesph, New England Revolution – I tabbed him as my MVP for this year back in the preseason and so far he isn’t letting me down.

Maurice Edu, Toronto FC – Hometown guy for the TFC fans, I think he is worth starting here too.

Robbie Rogers, Columbus Crew – He’s cooled off a bit from earlier in the year but this kid has made serious strides in his game this season and it’s paid off for the Crew.

Also in consideration: Andre Rocha, FC Dallas; Kyle Beckerman, RSL; Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus Crew; Steve Ralston, New England Revolution; Dwayne De Rosario, Houston Dynamo; Sasha Kljestan, Chivas USA; and Justin Mapp, Chicago Fire.

Strikers: Landon Donvoan, LA Galaxy – 11 goals, 6 assists. Uh, any reason not to?

Kenny Cooper, FC Dallas – A bit of a homer pick for me but Cooper is having a moster year so far for Dallas. Seven goals so far this year, well on his way to a career year.

Others in consideration: Edson Buddle, LA Galaxy; Luciano Emilio, DC United; Danny Dichio, Toronto FC; and Alejandro Moreno, Columbus Crew.