Bob Bradley Names US Squad for Final 2010 Qualifiers

Whichever side of the fence you fall on in the matter of Bob Bradley coaching the U.S. men's national team, there's one thing both his supporters and detractors can agree upon -- the man is consistent.

Thursday Bradley selected his 22-man roster for the upcoming CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica. There is little, if any, surprise in the players Bradley recalled for the crucial games, which will determine if the U.S. qualifies for South Africa automatically.

The only real issue that Bradley faced when deciding on the roster was in the defense. Central defender Jay DeMerit picked up an injury to his eye while playing for his club, Watford, as was unavailable. Usual U.S. stalwart Oguchi Onyewu finally featured for AC Milan during its midweek shock defeat to FC Zurich in the Champions League, coming in as a 61st minute substitute, but he still could be rusty come Oct. 10 in Honduras.

With those issues in mind, Bradley brought in some cover in the forms of Jimmy Conrad and Clarence Goodson.

Somewhat surprisingly, New Mexico-born Edgar Castillo -- who's recent switch from Mexico to the U.S. was approved by FIFA -- wasn't included. It's hard to imagine Bradley would have given Castillo his first start in a such a difficult environment like Honduras, yet he could have included him in the squad to get him acclimated going forward. That means the much-maligned Jonathan Bornstein is probably the starting left back since recent FC Dallas signing Heath Pearce was also left out of the mix.

There's nothing remarkable about the U.S. midfield, other than the fact Robbie Rogers was included while Kyle Beckerman stays home.

At forward, Kenny Cooper gets recalled after a nice start since transferring to 1860 Munich from FC Dallas. Unless the U.S. clinches in Honduras, it's hard to see him getting any playing time, but at least he provides another option should the first-choice pairing of Charlie Davies and Jozy Altidore fizzle.

The U.S. wraps up an automatic berth in the World Cup with a win or if Costa Rica loses to Trinidad & Tobago. The U.S. can move to South Africa with a draw at Honduras, should Costa Rica also draw.

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew, José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (1860 Munich), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)