Davies, Dempsey Try to Lead US

Local Players Becoming American Mainstays

October 3, 2009

CHICAGO — New US mainstays Charlie Davies and Clint Dempsey are a part of the National Team’s 22-man roster for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica.

Former Boston College star Davies and former Revolution striker Dempsey have combined with Jozy Altidore to breathe new life into Bob Bradley’s US squad.

Charlie Davies

Charlie Davies is back on the US National Team. (Chris Aduama/ADUAMA.com)

The U.S. first travels to San Pedro Sula to face Honduras, with kickoff on Oct. 10 at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano. Four days later, the U.S. returns home for the last match of final round qualifying when they will take on Costa Rica in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. currently sits in first place in the final round hexagonal, collecting 16 points and a 5-2-1 record through eight games. Only four points separate the top four teams with two games remaining. The top three teams automatically advance to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while the fourth place team will participate in a two-leg playoff against the fifth place team from South America.

While a victory in either of its last two matches would ensure the USA’s place in South Africa next year, there are several scenarios in which the U.S. could advance.

“These are hugely important games for us as we have the opportunity to clinch a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said Bradley, who has led the U.S. to a 12-3-1 record in World Cup qualifying. “Each of these games presents an opportunity to advance, and we face two very different and difficult challenges against Honduras and Costa Rica. We have been preparing this group for the last three years to be ready for these situations, and we are confident in our ability to get the results we need to achieve our goal of qualifying for South Africa.”

The U.S. roster remains largely unchanged from the team that collected a pair of victories against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago in the previous two qualifiers.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton: 14/8 SO)

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 24/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 4/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards: 1/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 18/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 3/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 13/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 7/1), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 20/5), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 4/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 3/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 6/0)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 11/6), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Kenny Cooper (1860 Munich: 1/1), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 5/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 33/11)

Return from Davies, Dempsey Try to Lead US to US National Teams

ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS: