MOVED

Alas, my days on Blogspot have ended. You can now find me at http://twelfthyank.com/. See you over there!

A Few Notes

Camp is now in full swing. There are loads of photos up at ussoccer.com, so head over and check it out.

In other great news, I will have a full preview of the USA up at Outside of the Boot - a website I have written several times for - in the next few days. They were pretty impressed with it, so hopefully you will be too. You can find it at outsideoftheboot.com.

I have applied for a credential to the US-Turkey game in New York. Hopefully I pass and can bring you greater access as we prepare for Brazil!

Lastly, if you haven't watched this, do it!

30 For 30 2.0

Here it is - the final prediction for the 30-man roster to come out later today. Not surprisingly, there are no new faces from the last one. The field seems set. One minor note - I will be shocked if Shea makes it. I have nothing against the player but there are better options at this time.

GK: Howard, Guzan, Rimando

D: Cameron, Gonzalez, Besler, Goodson, Beasley, Parkhurst, Evans, Brooks, Chandler, Ream, F. Johnson

MF: Bradley, Diskerud, Zusi, Bedoya, Davis, Green, Jones, Edu, Beckerman


F: Johannsson, Dempsey, Donovan, Altidore, Wondolowski, E. Johnson, Boyd

First Crack for Brazil

You know by now the 30 players I expect to get called up this month. If not, see below. So, feeling inspired I decided to take a crack at my 23 for Brazil. I will do two of these - this is the first. The second will come at the beginning of June, after we've gone through camp.

Goalkeepers - 3: Howard, Guzan, Rimando

Defenders - 8: Beasley, Besler, Cameron, Goodson, Evans, Gonzalez, Parkhurst, F. Johnson

Midfielders - 9: Bedoya, Bradley, Donovan, Zusi, Jones, Beckerman, Dempsey, Diskerud, Green

Forwards - 3 : Johannsson, Altidore, Boyd

30 For 30 1.4

Now that Klinsmann has confirmed he is called the full compliment (as he should), we can now really go at this with gusto. Here's the update. There will be one more next week before the actual 30-man roster is announced.

BOLD = New this week.

GK: Howard, Guzan, Rimando

No change here. None needed.

D: Cameron, Gonzalez, Besler, Goodson, Beasley, Parkhurst, Evans, Brooks, CHANDLER, Ream, F. Johnson

Chandler makes his return to the mix, having been out of the squad for some time. It's a long shot for him still to make Brazil. He must leave everything on the pitch at camp. Beasley is in FL training, so it looks like he will be ready to go and should be called up after his minor injury scare. Tim Ream can no longer be left at home - a solid year was crowned with the addition of being voted Player of the Year at Bolton.

MF: Bradley, Diskerud, Zusi, Bedoya, Davis, Green, Jones, Edu, Beckerman

The only change here is the drop of Corona. Although getting sub minutes in the playoffs for Tijuana should count for something, in Klinsmann's mind I believe it's between Corona and Davis for a spot to camp. Right now Davis takes it because of his left foot and he's a regular starter (scored this weekend). Personally, I'm for Corona but what do I know. Otherwise, the midfield core for the 30-man camp seems pretty set.

F: Johannsson, Dempsey, Donovan, Altidore, Wondolowski, EDDIE JOHNSON, Boyd

That's a lot of forwards, and reality is that only about half of them will make it to Brazil. Eddie Johnson returns this week (even though he didn't play due to injury) because that's the battle that will occur in this month's camp up front. Wondo, EJ, and Boyd will duke it out for the possible final forward spot. If you tuned in to the Two Daft Yanks podcast this past week, I mentioned that right now EJ is on the outside looking in for two reasons; 1) He isn't scoring with DC United, and 2) Boyd has come on very strong at Rapid, trying to play catch up. Boyd overtook EJ (at least in my head) this weekend (5 goals in 3 games will do that). Get ready folks, this is about to get heavy.

Update on Gatt

No World Cup for the lad this time. That was pretty much a given anyway. We wish him all the best in his recovery!

@twelfthyank I am in Oslo for the surgery that will take place on the 7th, recovery after that in the states!! Little update now, more comin
— Joshua Gatt (@JoshuaGatt) May 2, 2014

30 For 30 1.3

As we get closer and closer, performances matter. Can you lift your club from relegation? Can you launch them into European competition? Are you starting regularly? These are all items that Klinsmann and co. will pay large attention to until the roster is released in about 3 weeks for May's camp. Let's get to it.

BOLD = new this month.

GK: Howard, Guzan, Rimando

No change here. None needed.

D: Cameron, Gonzalez, Besler, Goodson, Beasley, Parkhurst, Evans, Brooks, Yedlin, Ream, F. Johnson

No change here either. Looking good. Keep an eye on Beasley's injury and Timmy Chandler's return. It's close now.

MF: Bradley, Diskerud, Zusi, Bedoya, Davis, Corona, Jones, EDU, Beckerman

Where to fit Edu...a big question going into camp now. It should NOT be at the expense of a creative player like Diskerud, who has fought his was back into the starting lineup for Rosenborg. For now, I've taken Danny Williams off the roster because of his nagging injuries and because they play the same position. For what it's worth, a healthy Williams will challenge Edu for a spot.

F: Johannsson, Dempsey, Donovan, Altidore, Wondolowski, Green, BOYD

After this weekends solid double, Boyd finds himself back on the roster for May's camp. That's harsh on Agudelo, who has done well in the face of adversity after losing his starting spot at Utrecht and scoring goals off the bench. Harsh reality I'm afraid.