A more recent stab at the Gold Cup roster

(Originally posted on BigSoccer in response to "23 tickets to the Gold Cup")

Written Dec 14, 2010.

1. Tim Howard
2. Jonathan Spector
3. Carlos Bocanegra
4. Michael Bradley
5. Omar Gonzalez
6. Steve Cherundolo
7. Stuart Holden
8. Clint Dempsey
9. Teal Bunbury
10. Landon Donovan
11. Juan Agudelo
12. Jonathan Bornstein
13. Eric Lichaj
14. Edson Buddle
15. Jermaine Jones
16. Jose Francisco Torres
17. Jozy Altidore
18. Brad Guzan
19. Maurice Edu
20. Mikkel Diskerud
21. Clarence Goodson
22. Benny Feilhaber
23. Dominic Cervi

Gk: 3 ( Howard, Guzan, Cervi)
Def: 7* (Spector, Bocanegra, Gonzalez, Cherundolo, Bornstein, Lichaj, Goodson)
Mid: 9 (Bradley, Holden, Dempsey, Donovan, Jones, Torres, Edu, Diskerud, Feilhaber)
Fwd: 4 (Bunbury, Agudelo, Buddle, Altidore)

* Edu can be played at CB (See Poland friendly)

Gonzalez over Gooch for recent playing time and subsequent form (unless Gooch kills it against Egypt and Argentina, in which case he's got the 5 shirt back)

Starting XI:

--------------------------Altidore-----------------------
Donovan-------Bradley-------Holden-------Dempsey
---------------------------Jones-------------------------
Bornstein-------Bocanegra----Goodson----Cherundolo
-------------------------Howard--------------------------

How it could look depending on a situation:

Must score:

---------Donovan------Altidore--------Dempsey-------
-----------------------Holden-----------------------
---------------Bradley------Feilhaber-------------------
Bocanegra------Gonzalez-----Goodson----Cherundolo

(possibly see one of the other strikers if it's late and Altidore is tired)
*Feihaber in for Jones (offensive sparkplug)
*Gonzalez in for Bornstein, Bocanegra to LB (More height and danger on Set pieces, nobody in CONCACAF can mark both Goodson and Gonzalez in the air)
Bradley and Benny sit behind Holden, but it's really an alternating triangle, any of them can play anywhere, as they can all attack.

Defensive mindset (Can really only see this in the knockout stages where a hard-fought battle sees us up by 1 goal)


----------------Donovan-----------------Agudelo----------
----------Bradley------Holden-----------------
-----------------------Edu---------Jones------------------
Bornstein-----Bocanegra----Goodson---Cherundolo
--------------------Howard---------------------------

*Agudelo in up top for Jozy for his wilingness to chase relentlessly and make scrappy plays
*Edu for Dempsey for his defensive qualities
plays as a 4-2-2-2 shifting to a 4-4-2 when we're in clear posession
-Donovan and Agudelo use their work rate and fitness to chase and pressure backs/D-mids
-Bradley and Holden sit just below them, using their workrate and relentlessness on defense to disrupt the central midfield through which the opponent has to attack
-Edu and Jones sit just in front of the defense as a shield for short combinations at the top of the box, and long range shots (would have blocked the 1st goal from Slovenia, 1st goal at Azteca, and Rossi's strike in the Confed Cup) I put these two here because I'm sick of seeing our center backs fail time and time again to step up and block long range shots. With these two champions-league caliber players, we should see that eliminated.
-Backline stays the same as it's our best chance to keep the other team off the scoresheet.

Agudelo or Bunbury will make a name for themselves this summer at the Gold Cup, and Stuart Holden will cement his place as our x-factor. Typical heroics from veterans Howard, Bocanegra, and Cherundolo will give us a defensive presence, while Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore, and Bradley will be complemented by newcomers Holden and Jones to bring the Gold Cup title back to the proper side of the border.

Final: USA 2-0 Mexico via Holden and Agudelo
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