Next stop, Germany

During the United-Crew game last night, discussion naturally wandered to the World Cup and the US roster. Back in December, I drew up my ideal lineup which looked like this:

G- Keller
D- Onyewu, Pope, Lewis, Cherundelo
M- Beasley, Reyna, Donovan, O'Brien
F- McBride, Johnson

After all the games between March 1 and now, it seems a few changes are in order. DC United alum Bobby Convey is pushing for a spot in the starting lineup, Beasley is a bit off his game, and Johnson is in a terrible slump. So, with all that in mind, here is one man's opinion on who should start, who the top subs are, and who I pray never sees the field.

Starting 11:

G - Keller
D - Onyewu, Pope, Lewis, Cherundelo
M- Convey, Reyna, O'Brien, Beasley
F- McBride, Donovan

This lineup would have Reyna playing the holding midfielder position and Donovan playing withdrawn forward. Cherundelo and Lewis would be pushing up the wings and Beasley and Convey would have significant defensive responsibilities to cover for their runs.

Potential subs:

Johnson, Dempsey, Mastroeni, Wolf, Olsen

Johnson would sub late in games to try for an equalizer. Dempsey, Wolf, and Mastroeni for posession, and Olsen for an injury to Reyna or O'Brien. None of the defenders should see the field unless someone is injured.

Who should go uncapped:

Albright, Bocanegra, Ching, Howard, Hahnemann, Berhalter

Group E Prediction:
1. Italy 7
2. USA 5
3. Czech 2
4. Ghana 1

Which would mean the Italy-Czech game would have meaning for Italy as they would need to win to avoid Brazil in Round 2.

Predictions for all groups in a few days.