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USMNT projected 2010 World Cup roster

This will be the first in an occassional series of posts where we look at the available players for the US heading into the 2010 World Cup, and the players that we think are likely to get the call.

With a second-place finish in the Confederation's Cup, which included a huge 2-0 win over Spain, and a hard-fought championship loss to Brazil, it's hard to argue against using most of the players who saw action in the Confed. But 6 points earned to date in the group stage of the Gold Cup also gives the US a deep list of options. Here's the list of players I see as currently occupying the 23 spots available for the 2010 World Cup:

Goalkeepers:
Tim Howard - One of the best keepers in the world.
Brad Guzan - Played very well in shutting out Egypt in the Confed.
Troy Perkins - Two clean sheets so far in the Gold Cup.

Defenders:
Oguchi Onyewu - Signing with AC Milan this week is huge for US.
Carlos Bocanegra - Full team's captain can start at CB or LB.
Jay DeMerit - Would not have been on this list a month ago.
Jonathan Spector - Has emerged as our best option at RB.
Steve Cherundolo - Tough battle with Spector for starting RB.
Chad Marshall - Gold Cup starter might be our best backup CB.
Jonathan Bornstein - Consistency is hard to come by at LB.
Frankie Hejduk - Fantastic in the twilight of his career in WCQ.

Midfielders:
Landon Donovan - The best player ever to wear a US uniform.
Clint Dempsey - Came up big multiple times in the Confed.
Michael Bradley - Great, calm passer, and with a scoring touch.
Benny Feilhaber - Versatile midfielder can play CM or on the wing.
Ricardo Clark - Love him in the bruiser role, when in control.
Robbie Rogers - MVP of the Gold Cup so far with 1 goal, 2 assists.
Maurice Edu - Injuries have kept him out lately, hopefully he recovers.
Kyle Beckerman - Strong showing at CM in the Gold Cup.

Forwards:
Jozy Altidore - Huge in the Confed, with a goal against Spain.
Charlie Davies - Huge in the Confed, with a goal against Egypt.
Brian Ching - Maintains possession and good at drawing fouls.
Freddy Adu - Always looks dangerous, deserves more time.

Out:
Luis Robles - Third keeper in the Confed, yet to get an opportunity.
Danny Califf - No appearances in Confed. Competing for 4th CB.
Michael Parkhurst - 1 Gold Cup appearance, competing for 4th CB.
Clarence Goodson - 1 Gold Cup appearance, competing for 4th CB.
Heath Pearce - One good cross, otherwise unimpressive for the Nats.
Marvel Wynne - Physical presence, still low soccer skills.
Michael Orozco - Disappeared from Nats for unknown reason.
Stuart Holden - Waiting to see more against stronger opponents.
Santino Quaranta - Earned first international goal against Honduras.
Francisco Torres - Wondering if he was benched for a reason?
Pablo Mastroeni - Former starting CDM at the end of his career.
DaMarcus Beasley - Was terrible in the Confed.
Logan Pause - OK defensive midfielder, can he handle the big boys?
Conor Casey - Great MLS season, done nothing on the national level.
Kenny Cooper - Doesn't score from less than 40 yards from goal.