USA Can Add Another Seven to Gold Cup Squad

Bradley May Lean to Sides Contributing Fewer Players Including Seattle

July 1st – Canada Day

CONCACAF have just made an announcement that will impact several MLS sides, perhaps including Sounders FC. Any team playing in both the Confederations Cup and Gold Cup in the same year will be allowed to increase its roster from 23 to 30 players, CONCACAF announced Tuesday. The decision will enable the United States to add seven players to its already announced squad for the tournament that starts Friday.

CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer said, “In light of the consecutive competitions, the Confederations Cup and the Gold Cup, with the objective of providing the best performance possible for the public, and in recognition that the back-to-back tournaments strain players and their clubs, CONCACAF will give permission to any team who also is participating in the Confederations Cup in the same year to enlarge their roster to 30 from the 23 already permitted. This year, we have the Confederations Cup ending just five days before the start of the Gold Cup. This allowance will be extended to any team in the future that finds itself in the same situation.”

Teams still will be limited to 18 players for any one match. As a set rule, the other participants have no cause for objection but clearly many will feel that with home advantage already, together with a vibrant lead and the top rated side, the USA didn’t need yet another advantage over the competition.

Furthermore, grumbling is already a cottage industry among MLS sides about the numbers of players being lost for key periods of the league season. Toronto FC for example are without six players during the Gold Cup. Worst hit American sides are Colorado Rapids with four players out, and Houston and Chivas USA with three. There aren’t too many more Americans at Toronto to pick, but it will be interesting to see if Bob Bradley makes an attempt to avoid selecting players from sides already badly hit.

Certainly, Seattle will be one of several clubs who may be awaiting the announcement of who the other seven are nervously, with Nate Jaqua and James Riley looking to be the players most at risk, given that they are in form and automatic selections for the side. However, sources tell Prost Amerika that players who participated in the Confederations Cup are the more likely selections. Houston’s Ricardo Clark may not get to drink on Austin’s famous Sixth Street after all tonight! Colorado’s Conor Casey is another player who went to South Africa but isn’t in the Gold Cup squad so far. The Rapids have already surrendered Colin Clark (USA), Steward Ceus (Haiti), Omar Cummings (Jamaica) and Pablo Mastroeni (USA) to the tournament.

The United States played two World Cup qualifiers in four days to start June, then traveled to the Confederations Cup in South Africa where it played five more games including the title match against Brazil, losing 3-2 on Sunday in its first FIFA tournament final.

Also see MLS Clubs Hit by Gold Cup Call-ups

Full USA Squad Before the Additional Seven

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Troy Perkins (IK Start), Luis Robles (FC Kaiserslautern)

DEFENDERS (7): Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Jay Heaps (New England Revolution), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaellands), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado Rapids), Sam Cronin (Toronto FC), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Logan Pause (Chicago Fire), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

FORWARDS (5): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Santino Quaranta (D.C. United)

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