NEVER WASTE AN OPPORTUNITY:

USA Gold Cup Additions (Steven Goff, 7/02/09, Soccer Insider: WP)

Given permission by CONCACAF to supplement its Gold Cup roster, the USA national team has added forwards Jozy Altidore and Conor Casey, midfielders Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber and Sacha Kljestan, defender Jonathan Bornstein and goalkeeper Brad Guzan. However, according to the USSF, not all seven will be present for each Gold Cup match. The schedule for each player will be announced in the days leading to the matches. Of the pool of 30 players, only 18 will be in uniform.

It's good that some new guys are getting a chance in the Gold Cup and that Freddy Adu will get a chance to show what he can do once and for all, but it seems like a golden opportunity to get Guzan some game time, to play Altidore and Brian Ching together--a front line with such size and physicality (for soccer) that few countries can match up with them--to see if Feilhaber can be our main playmaker in an attacking midfielder role, and to see if Bornstein and Marvell Wynne (who I believe still isn't on this squad) can develop into effective wing backs to give our attack some width.

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 2, 2009 12:29 PM