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I just realized there was not a discussion for U.S based football including their World Cup team or MLS teams. I will start by talking about the World Cup squad which was named yesterday for the 2006 World Cup. Here is the roster:

US squad for Germany:
Goalkeepers: Kasey Keller (Borussia Monchengladbach), Tim Howard (Manchester United), Marcus Hahnemann (Reading)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Cory Gibbs (ADO Den Haag), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Eddie Lewis (Leeds United), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege), Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake)
Midfielders: Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution), Claudio Reyna (Manchester City), John O'Brien (Chivas USA), Ben Olsen (DC United), DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Bobby Convey (Reading)
Forwards: Brian McBride (Fulham), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo).

https://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060502/1/6o8q.html

I was surprised to not see Twellman in the listing, as he has been a prolific goal scorer for the US recently. Either way, I agree with the choices in Dempsey and Ching. Convey is a shaky pick in my opinion, and so was Conrad. The US will have a tough first round having to play both the Czech Republic and Italy.

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I was quite surprised by this squad as well. Do you think it is weaker than their last World Cup squad?

I would like to see the US do well again because I love their team spirit but against Italy and Czech Republic I am not sure they have the firepower to get through.

What is happening to Freddy Adu? There was so much hype about him that I thought he would have been injected into a US squad that appears to lack creativity.

And also I cannot understand why Brad Friedel is not the starting 'keeper? Friedel is American right?

Their strikers are interesting, but I am not sure if they will bother the Italians. I think Landon Donovan, who is a calssy playmaker, really holds the key for the US team this time.

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I am not sure that Adu is a US citizen yet, that may have something to do with his eligibility for the team. As for Friedel, yes, he is American, but seemed to have lost favor with Arena for some reason. Keller however, in my opinion, is a better goalie. However, you would think Friedel would be his backup, which isn't the case. As for the strikers, the insertion of Eddie Johnson is a plus, but he is young and inexperienced, and has shown his immaturity at times.

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You would think on a world cup team that is less than exciting and is not drawing a lot of interest this year that they would have really pushed to get the likes of Freddy Adu on the team. I am no happy with the marketing or the building of this years team at all. The last few years, there have been major attempts to bring soccer to the forefront of US consciousness, but that push has slowed and even stalled this year. The team is lacking star power and outstanding talent in my opinion. It appears to be a solid team, but not one that is dynamic enough to really compete, but I guess we will see.

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I thought Adu already was a US citizen? I agree with Konq, if Freddy had expressed a desire to be American a few years ago they should have done everything in their power to make this happen. This kid is being touted as one of the most exciting talents in the world and I would have loved to see him at the world cup.

I think Friedel has had an outstanding season in the Premier League, a much more difficult competition than the Bundesliga, where Keller plays. I think Friedel is a more solid keeper overall. He is better with his feet and makes less mistakes. But Keller for me is a better shot-stopper, he has better reflexes. But he is also prone to the odd mistake, which in a world cup could be costly. These two men should at least be one and two.

I"m just not convinced the US strikers are really world class. And in the World Cup that makes a huge difference. This is an area I fear Australia could struggle with as well, especially if Viduka doesn't fire. However we have a few more gifted midfielders who can score.

I also raise questions about the creativity of their midfield. Donovan will create chances and can be a match winner. So will Reina to an extent but he is more a pivotal player. Other than that I cannot see anything that would threaten too many defences. Also, if one of these key players gets injured is their enough depth to back-up?

The US will rely on their best asset, which is mental strength, that fighting quality that is sometimes worth a 12th man. I hope they do well because I like their attitude, it's very similar to Australia's, but I will be surprised if they repeat their 2002 effort.

USA Football / United States Soccer Team

ARENA: 'RIGHT NOW, I'M JUST AN IDIOT'

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -- Bruce Arena sounded more like a man ready to say goodbye than a coach eager to sign on for another World Cup.
Ref. https://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/socc...a.ap/index.html

USA Football / United States Soccer Team

I believe some changes are in order after the dismal performance of the US squad this World Cup. In 2 of the 3 games, they played very lackluster football. I was more impressed with T&T's performance in their 3 games than the US'. When the next FIFA rankings come out, the US should be dropped out of the top 10, and Bruce Arena should do the right thing and step down. I think he has taken the team as far as he can, and they need a coach with World Cup experience to take them to the next level.

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U.S. Team preparing for El Salvador

PARK CITY - The United States Men's Soccer Team is in town this week preparing for its World Cup 2010 qualifying match against El Salvador Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium at 6. There are 24 players training, and coach Bob Bradley has the task of preparing that group and making sure it is ready to play at a top level. Ref. Source 9