Surprising Forwards Highlight Final US World Cup Roster

In the end, a couple of tweaked hamstrings set in motion the decision-making process that would result in a 23-man World Cup roster that features just six players with experience on the sport's biggest stage, several who came from nowhere to make the team and three surprising strikers.

The real roster questions were always -- and will continue to be -- up front.

While the U.S. back line's performance against the Czech Republic on Tuesday left something to be desired, there never was a chance that injuries would force defenders Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra or Jay DeMerit off the squad. Clarence Goodson's effectiveness on the offensive end, demonstrated with his second-half assist, gave him the edge over a nicked Chad Marshall, and coach Bob Bradley has always loved Jonathan Bornstein.

In midfield, Robbie Rogers and Alejandro Bedoya were long shots from the beginning. Sacha Kljestan has performed well at times, and we'll always appreciate his hat trick against Sweden 16 months ago, but he isn't consistent enough to vie for playing time at the expense of Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber or Ricardo Clark.

The real intrigue was up front. Jozy Altidore was a lock, and Clint Dempsey always an option. But then there was uncertainty. It was all injuries and unknowns.

Veteran Brian Ching had his detractors and a bum hamstring, but offered experience and a sturdy presence in the penalty area the others lacked. Eddie Johnson and Robbie Findley had been on Bradley's radar for a while. Both have speed. Findley was hot last fall but has cooled off considerably since, scoring just one goal for Real Salt Lake this year and struggling in three national team friendlies. Johnson, also dealing with a hamstring injury, performed well at his Greek club, Aris, toward the end the European season. Johnson featured on Tuesday against the Czechs, Findley did not.

USA Final Roster Analysis
"It's always important when you make tough decisions to factor in everything. We talked a lot about how guys have been doing in camp, but you also have to take into account where they are in their seasons," Bradley said Wednesday. "As we moved through the camp and looked at the game last night, fitness, and knowing that the World Cup begins in 15 days and 12 hours as I sit here at ESPN, those are things that count a great deal."

The coach continued: "Throughout this camp we emphasized fitness. We got a good read where guys are in the whole thing, and last night's game helped us assess that in a game-type situation."

So Ching and Johnson got their chances. The latter did little in the first half against the Czechs, then Ching entered in the second and had some impact, showing some ability to link up with his teammates in the offensive third. It wasn't enough. They're both staying home, meaning two players who weren't even being considered four months ago (Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez) and the struggling Findley are going to the World Cup.

Bradley emphasized that Gomez and Buddle's health and recent form with their clubs was key, despite their obvious lack of national team experience. "We believe they have qualities that can help us and felt that was the best way to go," he said. Both performed decently on Tuesday, with Buddle a presence during the first half and Gomez a goal scorer in the second. His was an easy finish, but good strikers put themselves in position for easy finishes.

The surprise was the inclusion of Findley at the expense of Ching. The hamstring was an issue, but he offered a relatively unique skill set. Bradley obviously figured that Ching at less than 100% could not offer anything the team really needed. He said the decision to send Ching back to Houston was "extremely hard."

"The respect we all have for Brian as a person, for the way he plays on the field, his commitment to the team, it's always hard whenever you make these kinds of decisions. But it's particularly difficult when it's a player who's contributed so much to the national team over the years," Bradley said.

What does Findley offer? Certainly not the strength in the air and the ability to hold the ball that Ching is known for. Instead, he has raw speed -- the kind of speed that was lost when Charlie Davies could not recover from his injuries in time. The kind of speed that changes games late.

See the preliminary rosters for all 32 teams participating in this summer's 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Countries can currently have up to 30 players on the roster, but will have to submit their final 23-player rosters to FIFA by June 1.

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View All 32 Full Rosters

"That was one of those tough late decisions," Bradley said in response to question from FanHouse about the decision to bring the Real Salt Lake striker. "We feel that Robbie still brings something special, especially as a reserve. His speed when he comes into a match, his willingness to try and run behind the defense. We felt those are things that when we looked at everything our team had, we still felt we could use some of those qualities."

Findley showed little knack for finding the ball or the team's attacking rhythm in his previous international appearances. He was a non-factor. Bradley said he didn't feel the need to play Findley on Tuesday because he "already had a good feel for where Robbie was." More training time with the national team can only help. He called Findley "the kind of player that defenders are worried about" and said he hoped the forward would continue to develop the confidence needed to attack those defenders in the right situation.

The mental state of all four U.S. forwards will be worth scrutinizing as the World Cup approaches. Buddle, Gomez and Findley have next to no international experience. Altidore is talented and a familiar name, but the fact remains that he's 20 years old, scored just two goals for Hull City this season and saw his season end on a head-butt. The continuing evolution of this unexpected quartet, and the possible inclusion of Dempsey, will be absolutely critical to U.S. hopes of advancing to the World Cup's second round.

It's also an incredible story. The World Cup is the pinnacle of a player's international career, not the beginning. Yet it will be for the men that Bradley will depend on in South Africa.