US Soccer has announced the roster for the upcoming friendlies vs. Slovakia (11/14) and Denmark (11/18).

GK: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton), Troy Perkins (Valerenga).
DEF: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (Start), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham).
MID: Michael Bradley (Monchengladbach), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew).
FWD: Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Eddie Johnson (Fulham).

Soccer Insider reports that US U-20 starlet Dilly Duka has signed with MLS. Duka was exploring options in Europe, but has opted to enter the MLS draft this winter. A product of the Red Bulls academy, he has made it known that he hopes to end up in New Jersey. Seems likely, as Red Bull New York Red Bulls have the second overall pick.

As much as I like to see our top youngsters head over to Europe at an early age, I think it’s great that MLS is able to land some promising young Americans. It’s an option that seems to really work for a lot of players.

Soccer by Ives is reporting that US U-20 and Miami FC’s Gale Agbossoumonde is in serious negotiations with Sporting Braga to join the club on loan on Nov. 17, when he turns 18. At 6′2 and 185 pounds, Agbossoumonde is expected to join the club’s youth team.

Now that we have officially qualified for the World Cup, it is time for the first installment of Bradley’s Babes: 23 for 2010–our attempt to answer the question, “Who should we take along?”  But instead of taking the standard approach–doing our best to guess who Bob will take to South Africa–we decided to focus on who we would like him to take.

Before we get started, a couple of notes specifically pertaining to this list:  We are going to assume the worst-case scenario becomes reality–Oguchi Onyewu and Charlie Davies are out for the World Cup.  Of course we don’t want this to happen–we aren’t even suggesting it is the most likely outcome–but there are two reasons we decided to approach it this way: prepare for the worst, but hope for the best; and it’s just more interesting (everyone knows Davies and Onyewu are locks, if healthy and match fit).  It should also be noted that we are trying to take into account what will happen over the next year.  For example, Castillo and Jones might not be ready to go into action with the Yanks today, but by next summer, we think they will be.

Without further ado, here is Bradley’s Babes, edition one:

GOALKEEPERS

Tim Howard – A sure thing.

Brad Guzan – Still the clear number two in the pecking order.

Kasey Keller – He’s had a great year in MLS.  He’s a proven World Cup veteran.  It is close, but I would take him over any of the contenders for the #3 goalkeeper spot.

FRINGE - Anyone willing to step up.  Third-string is still wide open.  Troy Perkins is probably the closest to taking this spot.

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DEFENDERS

Carlos Bocanegra - Can play center back or left back.  No doubt he will be in South Africa.

Jay DeMerit – After his great showing in the Confederations Cup, he has emerged as the clear #3 center back.  Now if he could only recover from his eye injury…

Jonathan Spector – I believe he is our best right back.  If he’s ever given a chance, he might just prove he’s our best left back, too.

Steve Cherundolo – For some reason, people started writing him off during his extended injury.  He has quickly proven that he is still steady and capable.

Chad Marshall – Has shown well when given the chance.  Should be in South Africa, even if Onyewu returns.

Jimmy Conrad – He has not been given enough looks.  Showed very well in the Gold Cup.

Edgar Castillo – Because of the recent onslaught of Bornstein-love, Castillo might not see starting opportunities any time soon.  I have a feeling that he might just prove to be the best natural left back in the system.

Clarence Goodson – Since Bocanegra and Spector can both play left back, and I’m not a big fan of Bornstein or Pearce, I’ll use the final spot on another center back.  Goodson, for the most part, showed well in the Gold Cup.

FRINGE -  Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce.  It wouldn’t take much for either of these players to displace Goodson on the roster, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable with either playing in a World Cup game right now.  Maybe they’ll change my mind in the first half of 2010.

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MIDFIELDERS

Landon Donovan – Does anything need to be said?

Clint Dempsey – Hasn’t shown too well this year, but still clearly one of our most talented players.

Michael Bradley – I sometimes question whether he should have his position locked down.  He’s still a no-brainer as far as the World Cup roster goes.

Jose Francisco Torres – He consistently shows well as a substitute and definitely deserves more minutes.

Jermaine Jones – Once he recovers from injury, he should be an immediate contributor.

Benny Feilhaber – Does very well as a substitute.  Can’t seem to show as much as a starter.  There’s still hope.

Robbie Rogers – He might be our best natural winger.  I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Maurice Edu – It’s an absolute shame that his injury halted his rapid rise in Glasgow.

Stuart Holden -  Since both Donovan and Dempsey could be categorized as forwards, we’re going to go ahead and take a ninth midfielder–Stuart Holden.  He’s been solid in his recent National Team performances.  We could always use another player capable of playing on the wings.

FRINGE - Freddy Adu, Ricardo Clark.  Ricardo Clark is probably our most surprising exclusion from this list.  If Edu’s injury drags on too much longer, we’ll probably have to go ahead and put Clark in his place.  Adu has a lot of potential, but he’s still not getting enough playing time.  A starting role in the second half the of the season would probably be enough for us to give him the nod, but even that is no guarantee with the strength of our midfield.

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FORWARDS

Jozy Altidore – After his showing against Costa Rica, there is no doubt that this kid should be a starter.  If he could finish a little more consistently, he would be an absolute monster.

Kenny Cooper – Hopefully he will solidify a starting role in Munich in the second half of the season.  This would also likely solidify his starting role next to Jozy (in Davies’ absence).

Brian Ching – I disagree with the assertion that we need a target forward in our starting line-up.  Regardless, I think Ching is still the best we’ve got.  You hate his woeful finishing, but he does everything else pretty well.

FRINGE –   Conor Casey, Eddie Johnson, Jeff Cunningham, Robbie Findley.  Any of these players could potentially take a roster spot with a strong start in 2010.  I’m willing to take Conor Casey or Brian Ching–not both.  It could go either way.  Eddie Johnson seemed completely out of the race a year ago, and he’s not very close at the moment, but if he can get some regular playing time at Fulham, he’s got a chance to steal the final roster spot (probably at the expense of Rogers or Holden).  His speed is an asset, and if he can find a decent finishing touch, he could go a long way to ease the pain of the loss of Davies.  Cunningham had an amazing MLS season, but his age is still a concern.  Findley should get a look in upcoming friendlies–I’d be interested to see what he can do on the international stage.

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Now that we’ve set our roster, let’s take a look at our prefered line-up:

————————Jozy Altidore———-Kenny Cooper——————

Jose Francisco Torres————————————–Clint Dempsey

———————————–Landon Donvoan——————————-

————————————Michael Bradley——————————–

Jonathan Spector——————————————Steve Cherundolo

———————-Carlos Bocanegra——–Jay DeMerit——————–

—————————————-Tim Howard———————————

We feel there is plenty of room for improvement at Kenny Cooper’s position and he could easily be displaced.  Chad Marshall is a good alternate candidate for DeMerit’s spot.  We also feel there’s a lot of potential shifting that could occur with our attacking midfielders; Torres could switch places with Donovan or move to the opposite wing in order to bring Dempsey to the center.

**Jones and Castillo could potentially fill starting roles by next summer, but we feel slightly uncomfortable putting them in before they’ve played a single game for the Nats.  If Jones proved to be a good option, we’d put him in as a defensive midfielder with Bradley playing slightly forward.  Castillo on the left would lead us to start Spector over Cherundolo on the right.

All of the American’s matches in the U-17 world cup will be televised here in the States:

-Mon Oct 26
Spain v USA – 2pm ET on ESPNU & Galavision
-Thu Oct 29
USA v Malawi – 11am ET on ESPNU
-Sun Nov 1
USA v UAE – 10am ET on ESPNU

These are all available on ESPN360 as well.

As reported just about everywhere, the USSF seems to have nailed down a friendly with Slovakia on November 14. This news comes on the heels of the announcement of the November 18 match against Denmark.

Soccer by Ives is reporting that Luis Gil’s move to Arsenal has not been completed. Gil has received interest from other European clubs and is looking to turn his trip to the U-17 World Cup into a new contract.

FIFA has approved the change of association application for Jermaine Jones, making the midfielder available for selection for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Well, qualifying is over and Jones is still fighting an injury, but this is still good news. He should help the team immensely once he has recovered.

The U.S. will open Group E play in Kano, Nigeria against Spain on Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET). The team will stay at Sani Abacha Stadium to play Malawi on Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. (11 a.m. ET) before moving to Ijebu-Ode and Gateway International Stadium to finish the first round against United Arab Emirates on Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. (10 a.m. ET). All three of the American’s group games will be televised live on ESPNU and Galavision.

GOALKEEPERS: Keith Cardona (NY Red Bulls; Glen Rock, N.J.), Earl Edwards (La Jolla Nomads; San Diego, Calif.), Spencer Richey (Crossfire Premier; Seattle, Wash.)
DEFENDERS: Zachary Herold (West Pines United FC, Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Perry Kitchen (Chicago Magic; Indianapolis, Ind.), Boyd Okwuonu (Celtic Green; Edmond, Okla.), Tyler Polak (CSA Legacy; Lincoln, Neb.), Jared Watts (North Meck Storm; Statesville, N.C.), Eriq Zavaleta (FC Pride; Westfield, Ind.)
MIDFIELDERS: Marlon Duran (Latino Americana; Ducanville, Texas), Luis Gil (Pateadores; Garden Grove, Calif.), Carlos Martinez (Wilmington Jr.; San Pedro, Calif), William Packwood (Birmingham City, Concord, Mass.), Nick Palodichuk (Washington Premier; Battleground, Wash.), Alex Shinsky (Super Nova FC; York, Pa.)
FORWARDS: Juan Agudelo (NY Red Bulls; Barnegat, N.J.), Victor Chavez (Real So Cal; Fontana, Calif), Andrew Craven (First Coast Kickers; St. Simons Island, Ga.), Stefan Jerome (West Pines United FC; Davie, Fla.), Jack McInerney (Cobb SC; Alpharetta, Ga.), Dominick Sarle (BW Gottschee; Huntington, N.Y.)

The 2-0 first-half deficit made it seem unlikely, but the US were able to battle back to match points with Mexico, and therefore, win the group.  Well done, boys!  Here are some thoughts from the game:

-It was great to see the US create so many chances.  You’d like to see us finish more of those (obviously), but on another day, it could have easily been 5-2.

-Despite John Harkes’ love for our left back, I think Bornstein actually had a pretty bad game (other than the goal at the end, which was pretty great).  He has the speed, but he gets beat a little too easily.  He isn’t that great on the ball.  His crosses aren’t very good.  I’d like to see us try out some other options at left back.

-Benny!  You look so good coming off the bench.  Why can’t you make more of your starting opportunities?

-Robbie Rogers looked good out there.  I don’t think Holden should be a lock as Dempsey’s replacement.

-Torres needs more playing time.

-That’s the Conor Casey we’re used to seeing.  I think it’s time to give Kenny Cooper another crack at the starting XI.

-Jozy Altidore may have had the best Brian Ching performance ever (distributing, drawing fouls, but unable to finish).  He is very close to being an absolute monster.

-Gooch out 3-4 months.  DeMerit out indefinitely.  Davies out 6-12 months.  Our depth is about to be put to the test.

-For the next two games, I’m a Costa Rica fan.  Let’s hope Ruiz can put in performances against Uruguay like the one he did against the US last night.  Best of luck, Ticos.