Friday Football: U.S. WCQ Squad Announced & More
Facing a weak Cuba team on Oct. 11 in World Cup qualifying, U.S. Coach Bob Bradley has finally shown a bit of an adventurous streak by dropping striker Eddie Johnson and adding the likes of Mexican league players Michael Orozco and Jose Francisco Torres to a 23-player squad announced today (World Cup qualifying caps and goals - or shutouts in the case of goalkeepers - are in parentheses):
goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 2/2 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 6/5 SO), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF: 0/0).defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 16/2), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland: 2/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96: 17/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC: 1/0), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew: 13/1), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege: 11/0), Michael Orozco (San Luis: 0/0), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock: 5/0).
midfielders: Freddy Adu (AS Monaco: 1/0), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers: 19/4), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach: 5/2), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers: 3/0), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA: 3/0), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 0/0).
forwards: Jozy Altidore (Villarreal C.F.: 0/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 9/4), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF: 0/0) Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC: 11/4), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 24/8).
Good to see Altidore and Adu back in the team, too. Nine players from the Olympic squad are in this one. No room for the Galaxy's Eddie Lewis, although I'm guessing Bradley is trying to help out Bruce Arena there.
In college games Thursday:
*Amy Rodriguez scored a hat trick as No. 5 USC (9-1-0) demolished Cal State Bakersfield (4-8-1) 7-0 for the Trojans' seventh straight win. How dominating was this victory? USC out shot their opponents 37-2. Ouch. That's not a game - it's target practice. Next for USC: Cal State Northridge at 1 p.m. Sunday at McAlister Field.
*The Loyola Marymount men (2-2-4) beat Cal State Bakersfield (2-10-0) 2-1in overtime with freshman Fernando Barba scoring the winner. LMU visits Saint Mary's Sunday to open West Coast Conference play.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
There are only 4 MLS players on the roster. I think that Bob should not have called them so those players can help their teams with the play-offs push.
Michoacano