Time is running out and roster spots are few for U.S. players on 'bubble.'

By Robert Wagman
SoccerTimes

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Tuesday, March 19, 2002) -- Some time around April 21, shortly after the United States men’s April 17 friendly against Ireland in Dublin, coach Bruce Arena will choose the 23 players he will take with him to the World Cup in South Korea and possibly Japan.

Arena said yesterday, assuming everyone is healthy; he probably knows who 20 of those players are, though only 16 to 18 of those certainties appear obvious. For the others, those on the so-called "bubble," they have three matches in which to impress the coach -- March 27 against Germany in Rostock, April 3 against Mexico in Denver, and then finally in Dublin.

The U.S. does not have to turn its final roster into world governing body FIFA until May 21, but Arena wants to have his full team together from the beginning of May with a training camp leading up to East Coast games against Uruguay, Jamaica and the Netherlands between May 12-19.

Since all European leagues play until the weekend ending May 5, except England’s Premier League which closes one week later, Arena might not have his full squad in camp until the Jamaica match in Giants Stadium on May 16. But the actual May 21 deadline allows for injury substitutions during the month of May.

Based on the play through the 1-0 defeat of Ecuador March 10 in Birmingham, March 10, here is how I see the roster fight right now:

Under the rules, Arena must take three goalkeepers. Clearly Kasey Keller (Tottenham, England) and Brad Friedel (Blackburn, England) will be two. One of the more interesting roster spot competitions on the team is for the third goalkeeper position. Right now it would seem to be between Kansas City’s Tony Meola (Kansas City, Major League Soccer and the MetroStars’ Tim Howard (MetroStars, MLS). Zach Thornton (Chicago, MLS) would seem a distant third.

The likelihood of having to play a third keeper is remote. So while Arena might be more comfortable with the experienced Meola in an actual match, he might opt to give Howard, who looks like a keeper for the future, the exposure to the World Cup experience.

Arena has said he will probably take seven defenders. It seems pretty certain that David Regis (Metz, France), Jeff Agoos (San Jose, MLS), Eddie Pope (D.C. United, MLS) and Tony Sanneh (Nürnberg, Germany) will be four of those seven. The other three will almost surely come from a group including Carlos Llamosa (New England, MLS), Gregg Berhalter (Crystal Palace, England), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado, MLS), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, Germany), Greg Vanney (Bastia, France), Frankie Hejduk (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany) and Richard Mulrooney (San Jose, MLS).

Which three emerge could depend on positional considerations. Agoos can play on the left side if something happens to Regis. In a crisis, wing midfielder Eddie Lewis (Fulham, England) could fill in on the left side of defense. Of the bubble defenders only Vanney plays on the left side and he may end up the victim of the numbers.

My best guess is that Arena will take four central defenders. That means Llamosa, Berhalter and Mastroeni are competing for two spots. Llamosa has shown he is the U.S.’s best man-marker, so if he is fit, I think he goes. That would leave the contest in the middle between Berhalter and Mastroeni. Each brings different strengths. Berhalter is strong in the air, Mastroeni has better pace. It will likely come down to which strength Arena values most.

A month ago, I would have said Cherundolo would have a lock on making the squad and might actually end up starting. But he has been injured and the quality of his play of late in Germany has suffered. Mulrooney on the other hand, was the surprise of the March training camp and, by logging solid matches against Honduras and Ecuador, has propelled himself into real contention to make the final 23.

Three goalkeepers and seven defenders means 13 spots are open for midfielders and forwards. It would seem that seven players have already punched their tickets for South Korea: midfielders Claudio Reyna (Sunderland, England), John O’Brien (Ajax, Netherlands), Chris Armas Chicago, MLS), striker Brian McBride (Columbus, MLS), and swingmen Earnie Stewart (NAC Breda, Netherlands), Clint Mathis (MetroStars, MLS) and Landon Donavan (San Jose, MLS). That would leave six spots open.

Right now one of those spots has to go to Eddie Lewis who played his way back onto the squad over the past 60 days with his showing in the Gold Cup and the March friendlies. Given he is the only natural left-sided player in the group, and that he can fill in on defense, he should have a spot secured.

In my personal opinion, Richie Williams makes the team for a number of reasons. He is an Arena favorite, a terrific practice player, has considerable international experience and there is no one Arena would rather have in the last five minutes of a match trying to hold a lead or in playing for a draw.

Competing for these final four spots would appear to be Jovan Kirovski (Crystal Palace, England), Joe-Max Moore (Everton, England), Cobi Jones (Los Angeles, MLS), all who can play midfielder or forward, striker Josh Wolff (Chicago, MLS), midfielder DaMarcus Beasley (Chicago, MLS) and forward Ante Razov (Chicago, MLS).

Here the equation gets complicated and where other considerations might come to the fore. Arena has repeatedly said over the past few months that he greatly values compatibility. He, his assistant coaches, and U.S. Soccer officials have exhaustedly examined what went wrong in France in 1998 and have come to the conclusion that the team coach Steve Sampson assembled was never completely unified and then broke into factions when the going became tough.

Arena wants to avoid that at all costs in South Korea. He has specifically said he wants no malcontents along on this team, and in the final analysis it might be more important to have a strongly unified team, than the absolute 23 best players.

Several of the players who would appear to be competing for the final roster spots have developed reputations for some attitude problems. They are going to have to be on their best behavior.

If I had to guess, and it is only a guess, Moore and Wolff will get two of the remaining openings. As for the final spots, it is between Jones with his experience, Kirovski with his ability, and Beasley with his promise. There are two final factors. MLS has been extremely cooperative with Arena and he in turn might, in close situations, chose domestic players over those based in Europe. Perhaps he would choose Mulrooney over Cherundolo, or Wolff over Kirovski in such a situation.

Then there are injuries. It is hard to imagine a scenario where at least one player doesn’t go down in training or the six remaining matches with an injury serious enough to keep him out to the end of June, thus causing him to miss the World Cup. Reyna’s fragility continues to be a factor with Sunderland in England.

The nucleus of the team is clearly in place. But it would seem eight or nine players are on the bubble and will need good showing in the next three tune-ups to assure their spots on the final 23. It will be an interesting few weeks

Senior correspondent Robert Wagman's "It Seems To Me . . . " appears regularly on SoccerTimes. He can be e-mailed at bobwagman@soccertimes.com..