The USMNT has won it's 5th Gold Cup and did so in dominating fashion. In this blog post I will go through every player on the Gold Cup roster and evaluate their performance in the tournament and where that leaves them in the grand scheme of things. Let's get started:
Goalkeepers -
Nick Rimando: While starting all but one game, Rimando had a steady Gold Cup with little to no bumps in the road. He made all the saves he was supposed to make and was brilliant in distribution and ball handling.
Prognosis: Unfortunately no matter how well Rimando did he was never moving up the depth chart ahead of Brad Guzan or Tim Howard. He did nothing to hurt his case, but only proved he's a reliable option in an emergency situation.
Sean Johnson: Johnson started the last group game against Costa Rica. He had a very good game making a tremendous save moments before Brek Shea scored the game-winning goal.
Prognosis: Johnson has solidified his spot as the Goalkeeper of the future in the player pool but barring injury has no shot at making the 2014 World Cup roster.
Bill Hamid: N/A
Defenders -
DaMarcus Beasley: After being named captain, Beasley led the ship like a true captain would. Always working hard he had only one noticeable defensive lapse in the entire tournament. Bring down Ricardo Zelaya for a penalty in the Quarterfinal will be the only mark on his otherwise perfect record.
Prognosis: The revitalized Beasley has proven himself more than worthy of a World Cup spot. He has locked down the backup Left Back job and could even start depending on where Fabian Johnson is used.
Edgar Castillo: In the beginning of these seven games it looked like Castillo would play a big role. Unfortunately for him he could not replicate his good club form to the international level. Struggling with first touch issues, he never got going in the tournament after losing his spot(s) to Beasley and Torres.
Prognosis: Barring injury, I see no reason to bring Castillo to Brazil. With Beasley locking down the second Left Back spot and Torres and Shea emerging as Left Mid options, he may be out of luck.
Michael Parkhurst: Parkhurst started every crucial game for the Yanks in the Gold Cup. Without any stand out options at Right Back, it was left up to him to hold down the fort. Hold the fort he did. Parkhurst is a very good defensive player. Only problem is he offers very little going forward.
Prognosis: Parkhurst is a 'wait and see' case. He is very much on the bubble right now waiting to see what happens with Cherundolo and Chandler.
Tony Beltran: Tony Beltran started a game. That's all I have. Nothing impressive or bad about his 90 minutes.
Prognosis: Beltran has no chance of making the World Cup roster in my opinion. He is at best an MLS filler for Camp Cupcake and B Team Gold Cups.
Clarence Goodson: Goodson had a very good Gold Cup. He started every crucial game and was solid in all of them.
Prognosis: I think it is safe to say Goodson has booked his ticket to Brazil as at worst the third Center Back on the depth chart.
Oguchi Onyewu: Gooch had a promising start in the warm up friendly versus Guatemala. That was followed by a good performance against Cuba in which he sustained another injury making a goal-saving tackle. He was replaced after the group stage.
Prognosis: I think we may have seen Onyewu play his last game for the USMNT. Oh what could have been for the once-dominant Gooch.
Matt Besler: Besler replaced Onyewu after the group stage. He started every game after doing so. He was flawless in the tournament and solidified himself as the best Center Back in the current USMNT pool in my opinion.
Prognosis: Besler is surely a lock to go to Brazil and most likely will be a starter.
Michael Orozco-Fiscal: Orozco played sparingly but was solid in doing so. He also scored a goal versus Belize.
Prognosis: If certain chips fall, I could see Orozco sneaking on to the World Cup roster as the last defender. He's certainly on the bubble.
Omar Gonzalez: N/A
Corey Ashe: N/A
Midfielders -
Mikkel Diskerud: It is no secret that I rate Mix very highly, so I'll try to be as unbiased as possible in my evaluation. Mix had a good but not great tournament. He showcased his skills for the first time in front of the US Soccer fan base. He is not a flashy player. To truly appreciate Mix's talents you have to understand and appreciate the small details of Soccer. His technical ability, in my opinion, is second to none in the player pool. This is not to say he doesn't have flaws. He could certainly be more aggressive in attack and a little more aware defensively.
Prognosis: While on the bubble, I think Mix is on his way to Brazil with Stuart Holden's injury.
Joe Corona: 10 years from now we may look back at this tournament as the starting point of a great career for Joe Corona. I really think he's destined for great things with the USMNT. He had a very good tournament and proved his quality. Versatile and Dynamic, Corona can play in the middle and on the wing. His best moment of the tournament was finishing off a 23 straight pass move with a wonderful finish. He has a bright future ahead of him.
Prognosis: While he's not a lock, with another good club season I think Corona can make the roster to Brazil with the National Team lacking options on the wing.
Jose Francisco Torres: My love/hate feelings towards Torres continue to fluctuate in this tournament. He had a really good Gold Cup, holding possession and creating chances. He seemed to fit Jurgen Klinsmann's gameplan perfectly. Inexplicably he was left out of the starting lineup in the Final and was missed dearly, in my opinion.
Prognosis: Torres is a Central Midfielder by trade. We are far too deep at this position for him to break in there. Fortunately for him, Jurgen also sees him as an option on the the left wing. This could be his ticket to Brazil. He has to beat out Brek Shea and Edgar Castillo over the next year to win a spot.
Stuart Holden: I love Stuart Holden. You love Stuart Holden. How could you not? However this will be a unsentimental as possible. Holden started off the Summer with a great performance against Guatemala. After that however, he faded into obscurity on the field. While everyone wanted him to be his old self, he didn't show much in terms of productivity. While the old intelligent movement was there, the explosiveness was no where to be found. Now turning sentimentality back on: NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! My heart, along with every other US Soccer fan's broke seeing Stu laying on the ground in the Final. Another knee injury, likely another long recovery.
Prognosis: As hard as it is to stomach, we may have seen Stuart Holden's last meaningful USMNT game.
Kyle Beckerman: Kyle Beckerman had a dominant tournament. This is undeniable. However, he is still a very average player, in my opinion. While he's able to dominate much weaker opposition, his effectiveness is diminished against good competition. His passing ability is nullified when he doesn't have tons of space in the midfield to work with. On the other hand, he is still the best defending midfielder in the player pool.
Prognosis: With Danny Williams falling off of the map, Beckerman will likely be on the roster as the only true defensive midfielder.
Alejandro Bedoya: Bedoya had a few bright spots this summer. He scored a goal against Guatemala and was also involved in a few goals in the Semi-Final. I'm not a huge fan of his. He is a useful player but lacks the "it" factor, in my opinion.
Prognosis: While anything is possible, I don't see Alejandro making it to Brazil unless Zusi or Corona get hurt.
Brek Shea: Has there ever been a USMNT player more frustrating than Brek Shea? As Mr. Gump will attest, Shea is the proverbial box of chocolates every game. One game he can look like he's never played the sport before, the next he can look like a world beater. With 2 game-winning goals including a cup-winning one, Brek seems to have embraced the Super Sub role. It's hard to judge Shea right now, as he hasn't gotten consistent club minutes since December. If he ever breaks through at Stoke City and gains regular playing time, look out world.
Prognosis: Brek seems to be Jurgen's boy. If he gets club minutes I think he'll beat out Jose Torres for the back up Left Midfield spot.
Forwards -
Landon Donovan: He's Landon Donovan. He's All-American. And he is back. Not back to 2010 World Cup form, but pretty close. He pretty much put this inexperienced Gold Cup team on his back and carried them to victory. He tied for the Golden Boot and won the Golden Ball as the tournament's most valuable player. He also became the inaugural member of the USMNT's 50-50 club. Most importantly he's enjoying his Soccer again. His self-imposed sabbatical seems to have done wonders for him.
Prognosis: Barring some catastrophic England-like feud with Klinsmann, Landon will be in the starting lineup the opening match in Brazil.
Chris Wondolowski: Wondo is a good striker. He is just not an International level striker. I'm sorry. He can score all the goals he wants in MLS but he'll never have what it takes to be successful against strong competition for the USMNT. He started out like a bat out of hell with five goals in the first two group games against terrible opposition. After that, he disappeared when the competition got even remotely difficult.
Prognosis: There is no need for Wondo in Brazil.
Herculez Gomez: I don't think any player hurt his cause more in the Gold Cup than Herc did. Coming into the tournament he was looking like an easy choice for the full USMNT. Granted he was playing slightly injured, he was extremely ineffective during the group stage and was subsequently replaced before the knockout rounds.
Prognosis: While his case is stronger than Wondo's, I could see a scenario in which Herc is left at home during the World Cup. It's very much a 'wait and see' case at this point.
Eddie Johnson: While Gomez hurt his case, I think EJ did the most to solidify his spot. He almost had a flawless tournament. If not for one terrible miss in the last moments of the Final, EJ would've been a perfect 3 for 3 in his Gold Cup appearances. He's all but locked up the second striker spot on the depth chart.
Prognosis: I hope Brazil is ready, because a Grown Ass Man will be there in 2014.
Will Bruin: N/A
Jack McInerney: N/A
Alan Gordon: N/A
