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.

Robbie Findley struggled yesterday in Holland. (Getty Images)

Do we chalk this loss yesterday to Holland as a bad thing. Uh, yes and no. Yes because its a loss and one that showed us exactly where we stand. No because it did help US manager Bob Bradley out in figuring out who exactly he needs to take with him to South Africa.

I felt like going into the classic good, bad and ugly theme for this recap. I gave it a day to mull things over and see where I think things stand. We did see some good, things we can take from the game and move forward with a positive attitude about. But on the flip side there were some negatives in this one and then some down right ugly items I hate even bringing up today.

The Good:

• DeMarcus Beasley: Boy I really was counting Run DMB out of the running for a South Africa ticket a month or two ago but lately I am starting to change my mind. Yesterday showed me he can still be dangerous for the US on the wings. Against top competition this summer we’ll need all the help out wide that we can get, especially if Stuart Holden isn’t fit to go.
• Carlos Bocanegra: He got the goal but there was more to it than that for me. He was strong in the back when the US needed him to be and wasn’t too fazed by a quality striker coming down his way. We’ll definitely need that against England with Wayne Rooney on the other side of the pitch.
• Jozy Altidore: Sure he didn’t look all that great yesterday but upon further review he had some chances (especially late) that could have been a game changer had it not been for a nice save. Altidore showed he isn’t afraid to take on the best the other side has to offer in the back. I also loved seeing him fire one off from distance too, more of our guys should do that.
• Alejandro Bedoya: I’ll admit I haven’t seen enough of this kid before yesterday. His chances of being apart of this roster come June are still pretty low but he wouldn’t be a bad option at all off the bench.
• Heath Pearce: Only got 20 minutes or so out of him yesterday but it was enough to make me think he’ll be on the roster come June. He’s showing he’s very dangerous on the wings…we’ll definitely need that.
• Tim Howard: I don’t think I have to explain this one, Howard is easily the best keeper this country has ever produced…there I said it.

The Bad:

• Bradley’s Subbing: Some subs were good (see Beasley, Edu, Goodson) but some were done too little too late. The subs themselves were good yesterday and did help the US, especially late but the timing was off with guys like Jonathan Bornstein not coming off soon enough. When a guy is struggling sometimes you do have to wait it out and hope he finds his way but in pressure situations you gotta be tougher and put in someone who works out better. Hopefully that improves this summer.
• Landon Donovan: So where was this guy yesterday? We need him to show up in big games not disappear.
• Robbie Findley: If he makes the roster in June it won’t be because of this game against Holland. Honestly he showed he doesn’t have the skills on the ball or the physical play to keep up on the international stage. He’s got speed to burn which I love but what I saw yesterday won’t cut it on the big stage in June.
• Jose Francisco Torres: For the most part when he was out there he was getting passed by left and right. He had one decent crack on goal and that was it. Plus he was a defensive liability far too often. I know there is a love-fest for him out there to be on this squad but I don’t buy it right now.

The Ugly:

• Jonathan Bornstein: Poor guy had a bad day but this wasn’t the first time we saw that he was out of his element on the international stage. Nope, this just put everything into perspective in regards to Bornstein. He’s good in MLS and against CONCACAF teams but outside of that there isn’t much there. The PK was a terrible play on his part and the other goal was just unlucky.
• De Jong’s Tackle: Just a stupid challenge that didn’t even get a card. Now Holden is out for six weeks (or more).

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.

Brian Ching will be called to lead the Dynamo yet again. (Getty Images)

The 2010 season presents a challenge for Dominic Kinnear and the Houston Dynamo. First of all their top two stars from a year ago are now gone to Europe. Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark left a big hole in the midfield and some would even argue that the club is still recovering from the trade of Dwayne de Rosario from last winter.

Today we take a gander at where they are right now going into the new year. So far the Dynamo have shifted some players around drafted a couple guys that may never see time on the field and for the most part done very little in terms of player movement this winter. We’ve actually heard more news surrounding this club’s potential stadium deal than new players joining the roster this winter.

Let’s take a look at who the Dynamo have and where they still need to go before the new season starts next month.

Keepers:

Who they have: Pat Onstad, Tally Hall, and Tyler Deric.

Notes: As long as Onstad remains healthy this isn’t an area of concern for Kinnear. Big thing will the the development of Deric who has to be in some way the future keeper of this club. My bet is they will loan out Deric this season to a USSF Division II club or even a USL-2 club. They have to get him some playing time to get any sort of progression out of their first academy signing.

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Defense:

Who they have: Bobby Boswell, Eddie Robinson, Ryan Cochrane, Craig Waibel, Mike Chabala, Wade Barrett, and Andrew Hainault.

Notes: Getting a healthy Robinson back this season should be a big thing for the Dynamo. This group will still be solid with all the talent they still have in the back. One thing though will be getting some depth and some youth here.

I still believe if this group stays healthy they won’t have too many issues this season. I kind of see Kinnear trading for a defender to add depth at some point this season.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Kevin Harmse, Geoff Cameron, Brad Davis, Daniel Cruz, Erik Ustruck, Richard Mulrooney, Brian Mullan, Corey Ashe, Samuel Appiah, and David Walker.

Notes: Big change here will be seeing Cameron slide into the midfield. Honestly from knowing Cameron and seeing him play he’s probably better suited for the midfield than in the defense anyways. Houston will be looking for him to really step it up this season and carry the load in the midfield. Thankfully he does have some quality offensive players like Brad Davis to help out in the assist department.

Big thing here will be if guys like Ashe can step up play on the wings. If Houston’s wing play is weak this season so will their offense. Ashe, Davis, and Cameron have to step it up in order to keep the Dynamo near the top in the west.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Brian Ching, Dominic Oduro, Luis Angel Landin, and Cam Weaver.

Notes: We know this, Ching will have to carry the load once again…that is if Landin doesn’t finally step up and play to his DP status. Those are two guys that will have to score the goals this season we know that but don’t sleep on Oduro or Weaver here. Oduro and his speed along with Weaver’s size are big parts to this groups offensive output. How Kinnear uses them this season will be key.

Landin, Weaver and Oduro will likely have to step up production though if Ching does make it to South Africa with the USMNT this summer. Should any dip in goals happen while Ching is gone this club will be in trouble.

More than likely we’ll see a trade for this group though at some point in the season. It seems like once a year Kinnear makes a trade for a striker within the league. I look for that to happen yet again this season towards the middle part of summer.

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Overall:

The questions always surround this club each year about their offense and where it will come from. Now the question will be can they improve from losing two important players in their midfield. They can replace one with Cameron and they’ll get away with guys like Mulrooney filling in for Clark but will that be enough? I honestly doubt it.

Funny thing is we always doubt something with this club each year and yet they still show up when it matters. Kinnear knows what he is doing more than most coaches in this league do. He works his system well and always knows how to find the right parts for it. They won’t be flashy this year but they’ll get by. I think adding a couple more parts in the midfield on the wings and maybe a defender or two in the back for depth purposes will suit them well.

Stuart Holden is on his way to Bolton. (Getty Images)

The day has some for those Houston Dynamo fans, their club no now longer has Stuart Holden. Bolton manager Owen Coyle has confirmed that the club will sign Holden as one of two winter acquisitions.

Holden joins former Dynamo teammate Ricardo Clark, who has signed with Eintracht Frankfurt, as Americans to make major transfer moves from MLS this winter.

How can a team recover from the loss of their two most important midfielders? It won’t be easy though having quality coaching in Dominic Kinnear, who has been a master at getting exactly what he wants out of players and deals with other teams. Also having some quality talent like Brad Davis and Geoff Cameron doesn’t hurt either.

But it is more than losing the likes of Clark and Holden that will be a game changer this winter for Houston and for that matter Major League Soccer. Clark we knew was headed overseas and the Dynamo easily knew last winter that they’d need to prepare for such a move. As for Holden there was always some hope that they could retain him even though his price tag was far higher than anything they could pay for.

Houston will have to recover fast here as the western conference is getting better each day with LA, RSL, Chivas, Seattle and even Dallas being major players for this coming season. If they don’t want to get passed up as the top dog in the west for good Kinnear will have to make some moves, which have to be expected at this point. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go within the league for a veteran looking for a new home. Possibly a guy like Pablo Mastroeni would be a decent fit to replace Clark (just an idea floating in my head).

Houston is going to be down this year but I don’t think we can count them out just yet.

By now we’ve all all read and heard about the decision that Houston Dynamo attacking midfielder Stuart Holden has to make: Should he sign a new contract with the MLS and stay in Houston on a much better one then he has had the last few seasons, or taking the next step to get to the promised land of where the world’s best compete on a weekly basis? It’s the same dilemma that every young player has anywhere in the world.

Holden’s case is perhaps the most intriguing on any young American player in quite some time. First of all, being born in Scotland and holding duel citizenship opens doors without having to unlock any of them, especially in the British Isles where foreign players coming into the UK must provide the Home Office proof of having played in 75% or more national team games over the course of a calender year to obtain a work permit. Just ask Brad Friedel how many times he got turned down before finally getting accepted.

The second question would be where would a good destination be for him where he can improve his career? The club he’s played for the last few seasons certainly have an argument where arguably the best playing environment in MLS is in Houston under Dominic Kinnear and John Spencer. Not to mention Houston is where his family is based currently and is his hometown. But has MLS and the Dynamo taken him as far as they can? Would he improve if he went to the SPL to play for Rangers or Aberdeen? Don’t count on it, as the SPL is currently losing respectability on the global stage. Even the old firm clubs are struggling to attract top talent anymore. Would he improve if he signed with a club in the EPL? Depends on the environment. Currently on trial at Burnley initially looked like a smart play, but with Owen Coyle all but guaranteed to move to local rivals Bolton Wanderers depending on how quickly a compensation package can be arranged by both clubs, it makes the situation a little more stickier. Another Lancashire club, Blackburn Rovers were linked with Holden, but it is to be believed that was no more then English tabloid talk which we all know the English tabloids are about as truthful as OJ Simpson under oath.

Another question that remains is would any clubs on mainland Europe take a serious look at him in this very short transfer window? One of the problems with MLS players looking to move overseas this time of year is yes there are a lot of dealings going on by clubs to bring players in, but most of the activity takes place during the summer months in the off season, just as MLS has reached it’s mid season point. Landon Donovan has pretty much got all his bases covered only signing a short 10 week loan period on Merseyside with Everton, where if he impresses before heading back to southern California and continues to impress through the world cup, new options will arise and good offers will come in for him. If the loan period doesn’t go as planned, he still has a guaranteed contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. It is to be believed with the new and improved contract Donovan signed, the league will listen to serious offers for him. Figure if Jozy Altidiore got sold for $10 million, Donovan would go for more given his age and experience. But with Holden, he is essentially a free agent and while that has it’s numerous advantages, sometimes things do not go as planned and while the Dynamo would keep him in a heartbeat if they could, they have to plan to do what’s best for the team and that could potentially be without Holden so he could end up in a place and environment where he’s not totally comfortable.

Holden will also be analyzing other players that have gone to Europe and have been successful and not so successful. Things have not worked out for Freddy Adu, Eddie Johnson or Jozy Altidiore thus far. Then of course you have players that are fellow MLS Alumni who have had success like Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Tim Howard and Michael Bradley after taking that chance. Some have been in between like DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu. Beasley has had trouble with injury which has led to dips in form, but no doubt when healthy and full of confidence has done well at PSV Eindhoven under Guus Hiddink, and in spurts at Rangers. Maurice Edu caught a break when former Rangers player and captain Barry Ferguson decided to shoot his career in the foot, and took the opportunity with both hands before injury has held him back.

So by looking at all the angles, it’s a risk at every point. It is a risk if Holden stays in MLS because his game might not develop any further, yet it might progress if he stays in Houston. It is a risk to try Europe and test the waters for sure. But it all comes back to the same problem that exists in MLS: you just can’t compete with the history, culture, tradition and money of European football. South American clubs can’t even hold on to their best players. If you are in Holden’s situation, don’t you want to aim for the very top? In his profession the very top is in Europe, where the world’s best compete week in, week out. What is also an extra question mark is that this is a world cup year. Right now, Holden seems to be a lock for at least the final 23 in Bob Bradley’s squad, barring injury or significant loss of form. He has a chance to start with Charlie Davis’ situation still up in the air, especially if Clint Dempsey gets moved up top. You figure if he stays in Houston, there will be much more of a chance to keep that national team place locked up. That way, if he has a good world cup, good offers will come in and better ones since it will be the summer and that’s when European clubs do most of their business anyway.

Whatever decision Holden makes, it will not be without risk.

Editor’s Note: Geoff Reid appears each week on WVHooligan.com. Feel free to leave him your thoughts and comments below.

What's the best move for Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark? (Getty Images)

I won’t lie, I’ve been busy today with loads of last minute work at the office thanks to everyone taking their holiday breaks tomorrow and due to having to finalize all my Christmas shopping. Yes busy day and I’m partly to blame for the ladder of those two items since I put that kind of stuff off until the last minute.

But what I do want to discuss is from an article on Soccernet from one of my favorites Jeff Carlisle. Basically this link is all about how going to Europe for some young players isn’t what it use to be and boy this is dead on as well. I think too many times we see players go to Europe for the money and the “dream of playing” in Europe rather than actually looking at their situation as a player.

This is something I’ve been meaning to go into for a while. What I mean by it is take a guy like Stuart Holden or Ricardo Clark. They both have a chance to play in next year’s World Cup and could see plenty of playing time there too. Both are in a situation where they could go to Europe and play for a club and live that dream but potentially not see any playing time in the process, thus hurting their World Cup dreams. And also potentially putting their career in a bad situation where they don’t progress any further due to that lack of playing time. Call it the “Adu Syndrome” if you will. Quality player with a chance at something special but sees no field time to produce anything thus killing his National team chances.

And as Carlisle mentions we are seeing some of these players return to MLS because of this lack of playing time.

Now back to Holden and Clark, they are both in a situation where they need playing time to get on Bob Bradley’s roster next summer. Its coming down to either staying in MLS where the money is lacking or go to Europe and get paid but potentially just see the bench and possible no trip to South Africa.

Its a toughie.

Staying in MLS and making the World Cup roster isn’t a bad way to go either. Remember it’s playing big on the international stage that gets you that big pay day in terms of a transfer. If I were those two I’d stay in MLS for the first few months of the year and then look elsewhere in the summer after the World Cup.

Stuart Holden has plenty of offers now. (Getty Images)

We know MLS is trying to keep him but some clubs overseas want to have him pretty badly. According to multiple reports out of England and Scotland, Premier League side Blackburn Rovers is now in hot pursuit of Stuart Holden.

Of course that goes with Holden’s other possible suiters in SPL clubs Aberdeen and Rangers.

Honestly, I don’t like the idea of Holden going to Blackburn, a club that is close to relegation and could possible just place Holden on the bench. For a guy that needs playing time in a World Cup year he needs to go to a place where he will see plenty of action on the field. Which is why I really believe staying in Houston right now would be a better fit than going to the EPL with Blackburn or even the SPL with Rangers.

Now we know the league’s big pay raise offer won’t come close to matching Blackburn or the two SPL club’s offers. But does a young guy like Holden risk his potential playing time in the World Cup this year by going to a place that he will end up just sitting on the bench at or does he stay in MLS where he gets plenty of playing time? Let’s hope the ladder of the two happens.