Bad News for US Soccer
It looks like Charlie Davies’ inspirational attempt to come back from life-threatening injuries to make the 2010 US World Cup squad has fallen short. I’ve little doubt that Coach Bradley made the right decision, but Davies’ presence will be sorely missed alongside Jozy Altidore. Before Davies’ crash, he and Altidore looked ready to provide a combined threat at striker that the US had never before had. Instead – and assuming Bradley goes with a 4-4-2 lineup – Altidore will likely have to see his promise paired with the consistently mediocre and uninspiring Brian Ching or the perenially disappointing Eddie Johnson.
The good news is that Bradley saw fit to includethe stalwart Oguchi Onyewu, who tore his ACL in a meaningless effort just hours after Davies’ accident, on the 30-man roster. It increasingly looks like Onyewu will be back up to 100% by the time the tournament gets started next month. Here’s hoping. Failing to get past the likes of Slovenia and Algeria in the first round would represent an epic disappointment for US soccer fans.
Except that EJ just strained his hamstring for Aris. Nice work.
Ching and Jozy up front would be a disaster. I think Buddle or Gomez would be much more likely.Report
@sidereal, I’m fully on board with an “Anybody But Ching” campaign. I’d probably prefer Findley, since he’s several years younger than the others, so he’s got the most potential for turning in a surprise performance, and at the very least he’ll gain a lot from the experience for the 2014 campaign. We know exactly what to expect from Ching, though, and it’s not like he’s going to be around for 2014, when he’ll be 36.Report
Failing to get past the likes of Slovenia and Algeria in the first round would represent an epic disappointment for US soccer fans.
Both of which probably have more soccer fans total than the US despite their smaller populations. :pReport