2010 World Cup Roster Projections — Overview

Shortly after the Confederations Cup, we featured a post, Please Freddy, Do Hurt ‘Em, that concluded that most of the U.S. 2010 roster spots were already filled and that, at best, three spots were open to standouts from the Gold Cup.  Recently, Yanks Abroad (who we acknowledged as the inspiration for our analysis) and ESPN have released their post-Confederations Cup 2010 rosters.

I have a couple problems with the way these analyses are presented.  First, although I appreciate the expert’s attempts to accurately predict the rosters, with so much time left before the World Cup I wish they would use their soap box to assert the roster that should go.

And second, for my tastes, the whole format allows the authors to skip the difficult questions.  For example, most U.S. fans know that Bob Bradley loves Brian Ching.  But what’s Ching’s role on a World Cup squad?  If he’s a definite starter, maybe we need a backup for him.  But if he’s not, then there’s no reason to waste  a precious spot backing up a substitute.  And if Ching’s not a definite starter, then we have to ask whether he provides enough off the bench to merit a spot over another guy.

I am confident that someone will step into the breach and address these questions.  In the interim, I thought it would be helpful to take a moment and check out some basic stats for the pool of players for each position.  So, I’m posting a series about the players in consideration for a roster spot, organized by position.  The stats will be simple.  For both 2009 and the Bob Bradley era, I’ll provide total minutes, goals, and assists.  And for the goalkeepers, we’ll add in goals against average, goals for average, total shut outs, and the win-loss record.

The first post, about our goalkeepers, will be on its way shortly.