CONCACAF Cup Offers Fringe US Players Golden Opportunity

The 2006 World Cup is remembered as a tournament where key players fell well short of expectations. It should also be remembered for the play of Clint Dempsey and Jimmy Conrad, the two MLS players who arguably were the only members of that U.S. national team who could be proud of their performances in Germany.

Why is that relevant today? Because both Dempsey and Conrad likely cemented their roles on Bruce Arena's World Cup roster with their play at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Neither was a national team fixture before that tournament, but in helping the Americans to their third title, they established themselves as legitimate World Cup options. The U.S. team that takes the Qwest Stadium field tonight against Grenada in their Gold Cup opener will be composed of players with similar status -- on the outside looking in as the next World Cup approaches. History suggests that two or three of those athletes will play their way onto Bob Bradley's team for next summer.

The 10th Gold Cup basically is a necessary evil. It's the confederation's principal source of revenue and gives the Jamaicas and El Salvadors of the region (not to mention the Grenadas), an opportunity to play meaningful matches in between World Cup cycles. Anything that improves the overall quality of the soccer played in this part of the world eventually should benefit the U.S., so we grin and bear it and use it as an opportunity to have a look at some younger, fringe players.

In the past, that has served the national team program well. In 2002, when the U.S. won its second Gold Cup, Pablo Mastroeni and Carlos Bocanegra solidified their national team futures. Mastroeni had received his U.S. citizenship in early 2001 and made his national team debut that June, but he had not played in a single World Cup qualifier. Arena added him to the Gold Cup roster (the tournament was played in January) and Mastroeni started the last four games for the U.S., all shutouts. He then started against Portugal, Mexico and Germany in the World Cup.

Bocanegra's start against South Korea in the 2002 Gold Cup was only his second cap. But he was a force throughout the tournament, leading an American defense that yielded just one goal. He made the 2002 World Cup team and now, of course, is the national team captain.

In 2005, the U.S. won its fourth Gold Cup, tying rival Mexico for the all-time lead. Conrad made his national team debut in the opener and wound up starting five of the six games. He then appeared twice in Germany, starting and playing well in the first round finale against Ghana. Dempsey had started just twice for the national team prior to the Gold Cup. He scored in both that tournament and the World Cup and obviously will be a national team fixture for years to come.

Another player who cemented his national team place in 2005 was Oguchi Onyewu. He had started just three natioanal team matches before the tournament, but scored the injury-time winner against Honduras in the semifinals and went on to start all three group games in the World Cup. He remains a first-choice player for the national team.

So who will emerge this time around? We're not likely to find out tonight, as the U.S. puts its 21-0-1 record in the Gold Cup's group stage on line against the smallest nation (the population could fit in the Rose Bowl) to ever qualify for the tournament. The other Group B contest pits Haiti against Honduras, the last CONCACAF team to beat the U.S. on home soil (2001).

Bradley could certainly add a bit of excitement to the tournament by handing the keys to Freddy Adu, and giving the 20-year-old playmaker a real opportunity to make an impact at the senior level. Regarding Adu's lack of playing time at the Confederations Cup and his difficult situation with Monaco and Benfica, Bradley said:

"It's important that Freddy can now, with his club team, make the next step. Certainly, we recognize that there is talent and, yet, it's not easy to come into a national team during a period when you're not playing and to play against the likes of Italy, Spain, and Brazil. But having him in the group is a way of letting him know that we still want to push him forward. It's most important that he can push his way through with his club team so that that playing time, that experience, the lessons you learn from being on the field start to help him with our national team."

Bradley compred Adu to Jozy Altidore, who also is having difficulty getting on the field in Europe yet played significant minutes in South Africa: "I think that at this time Jozy has shown that he is closer to being able to step onto the field with us to help, to contribute in that part of the field. It hasn't been as clear with Freddy."

Adu's contribution, or lack thereof, may be the story of the Gold Cup.

The American back line looks solid, with Conrad returning to the national team fold alongside Steve Cherundolo, who missed the Confederations Cup through injury, and the Columbus Crew's Chad Marshall, the reigning MLS defender of the year.

The midfield is a bit less certain, and Bradley has a host of options. It will be interesting to see what players like Stuart Holden, Robbie Rogers and Kyle Beckerman, all MLS standouts, can do against international opposition. Santino Quaranta is a great story as well, recovering from alcohol and drug addition to re-establish himself as a starter at D.C. United and a national team prospect. Quaranta converted a penalty in the shootout win over Panama in the 2005 Gold Cup final. Charlie Davies, whose performance at the Confederations Cup was a revelation, also will feature.

Bradley was allowed to add seven players to his pool because of the U.S.'s workload this summer, but most of those chosen are established national teamers. We know what they can do, and the coach would be wise to use them only if necessary.