elder brothers?

I learned a number of things from last night’s 2-4 loss versus the Czech Republic in Hartford. Before Bob Bradley announces his final 23-man roster in the next few hours, please allow me to share a few of them with you here.

• Our fans are great! Hartford was packed last night, and the fans were really into it. Having seen this team play many times over the years, it’s amazing how far we’ve come. It’s been a steady climb, but when you think about how different it used to be…wow. Just wow.
• We have a serious problem at left back. Bornstein and Pearce both seem determined to lose their chances of making this World Cup roster. Bornstein was made to look bad several times in the first half, while Pearce got burned a few times in the second, including the Czechs’ third goal. My hope is that Bradley takes the most talented team of backs he can, and just plugs one of them in at the position and hopes that talent trumps positional familiarity.
• Don’t trust Oguchi Onyewu. Yes, I know he plays for AC Milan. No, I don’t have any idea why they signed him. Onyewu has never earned my trust since giving up the opening goal of the last World Cup to Jan Koller, of…you guessed it…the Czech Republic. Coming into that game, Onyewu had one responsibility: don’t let the big man get the header. After all, Onyewu is supposed to be our biggest, toughest defender who should win everything in the air. Well, it turns out he couldn’t get off the ground to stop the first header last night either. So that’s two opening goals that our biggest, toughest guy couldn’t get to. Against the same team. And he plays badly with his feet when he’s under pressure. I would leave him on the bench and use him as a substitute only when absolutely necessary.
• Jonathan Spector and Clarence Goodson are both offensive weapons coming out of the back. Goodson and Spector are not the world’s greatest defenders, but both seem to be able to get the job done and also provide strong targets up front who consistently win difficult headers in the attacking third. Spector adds a special crossing ability when he is able to get wide on the flanks, giving his strikers a chance to capitalize in front of net. Goodson proved last night with his header off the set piece that he is a force to be reckoned with in front of goal. I like them both to make the squad.
• Maurice Edu is on the team. Mo’ played great last night, apart from the last 2 minutes of the game when he was caught out of position and cost the team a final goal. It’s not really his fault though – Bradley basically had him play three different positions last night, including sweeper, which was where he looked the least comfortable. When used as a defensive midfielder, I like Mo’ quite a bit. He’s a bit less reckless than Clark with his challenges, and we know how red cards have hurt the US in recent international matches. He was very good last night.
• Goodbye, Sacha Klejstan. It was nice knowing you on the National Team, but I don’t think I will miss your services in South Africa. What exactly were you doing last night?
• Pray that Tim Howard stays healthy. I like Brad Guzan, but he didn’t look very good last night, and didn’t come close to stopping any of those 4 goals that went in.
• Hello Hercules Gomez! The Puebla man looked great last night, showing why his killer instinct has made him a force to be reckoned with. His goal was nice, but I was more impressed with the one he didn’t score — a great diagonal run up the middle followed by a decisive first-time strike on goal. I love his aggression. Sign that guy up! He is our super-sub, period.
• Sorry, Edson Buddle. You played fairly well last night, but I don’t think Bradley will take both you and Gomez. Keep up the good work in MLS and your time may come.
• Robbie Rogers, Stuart Holden and DaMarcus Beasley showed that they can contribute, but none of them was able to distinguish themselves. Holden’s crosses, which are usually excellent, were floating way too high last night. Rogers provided hustle but not too much imagination. They are both definitely on the bubble. Each of their chances of making the roster depends on whether or not Bradley takes extra midfielders and uses Donovan and Dempsey up front when needed. All three mens’ fates are directly connected to the fates of Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson.
• Brian Ching still works hard to keep possession, but I don’t know how valuable he is to a team if he can’t score goals.
• Eddie Johnson looked sharper last night than I had seen him in three years, showing that his play at Aris FC in Greece is not a fluke. He could make this squad after all, but his fate is still very much in doubt.
• I like late night cheeseburgers!

Tune into ESPN today at 1:30PM EST to hear who Bob Bradley selects for the squad. Up next, Turkey!