Bob Bradley has called up a twenty-three man roster ahead of two crucial World Cup qualifiers set for next week. "Predictable" is the word that comes to mind, as it's a squad filled with familiar names and returning National Team regulars.
Included in the U.S. roster are seven current MLS players. Four of them are solidified National Team mainstays (Donovan, Ching, Mastroeni, and Hejduk) while three are up-and-coming players looking to make their mark (Kljestan, Bornstein, and Wynne). Seven of twenty-three is not a significant ratio, and it appears that Bradley will lean more and more on European-based players as the team pushes towards South Africa and the 2010 World Cup.
With back-to-back CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers at Costa Rica (where the United States has never earned a result) and in Chicago against a dangerous Honduran side, Bradley is forced to choose what he believes is his strongest team, regardless of current league schedule or more obvious concerns like fitness and form. MLS players will miss time due to the league's policy of playing through international breaks, while a few names on the list are conspicuous in their lack of recent club playing time overseas.
If this is Bradley's strongest team, and only seven MLS players made the cut, what does that say about the American top-tier? Is Bradley eschewing MLS players for a particular reason? It wasn't that long ago that eighty percent of the players on any United States National Team roster would have been playing their club soccer inside American borders. The influence of Major League Soccer on the Nats seems to be fading, and fading fast. Be it circumstance or preference, less and less of the U.S.-based contingent is top of mind for the National Team manager.
To be fair, those players in the squad that are MLS-based span a fairly wide range of roles. Landon Donovan is a driving offensive force, a guaranteed inclusion for every competition that matters. Pablo Mastroeni is a veteran influence, a defensive midfielder with leadership abilities and experience on the international stage. Sacha Kljestan is a young newcomer, who despite his ups and downs, looks to have a bright future wearing American colors. Add to that mix a young speedy defender in Marvell Wynne, a hard working target forward in Brian Ching, the ageless and always reliable Frankie Hejduk, and up-and-coming fullback Jonathan Bornstein, and MLS players cover a full range of on-field job descriptions.
Still, there seems to be something to Bradley's reliance on players plying their trade in foreign leagues. Maybe the quality of MLS simply isn't good enough to provide Americans capable of performing in international competition; or perhaps it's just his personal preference, and not a de facto statement about the skill level of players in Major League Soccer. Either way, it doesn't appear to be a trend that will reverse direction any time soon. While more and more young American players head to Europe and Mexico for bigger dollars and brighter stages, it's likely that the number of domestically-based players chosen will drop even further.
Major League Soccer will continue to improve in quality and depth as time goes on. As the league progresses steadily towards across-the-board profitability and greater monetary resources, the level of play should rise accordingly. Professional academy systems are just now becoming a factor in the development of young players, something that should benefit the U.S. National Team in the long run. For now, the influence of the league on the first choice roster is at an ebb. Higher demand for American talent from abroad, the still-evolving club environment in the United States, and the preferred choices of the head coach leave the Nats with only a smattering of MLS talent.
It's hard to know for how long this situation might hold. The improvement of MLS and its player pool is bound to be slow and arduous if the current financial prudence remains in place. American kids, as they are increasingly scouted by foreign clubs, will go abroad in greater numbers. National Team managers, no matter who they might be, will bring with them their own individual preferences that could swing the pendulum in either direction. It's almost as difficult to determine which situation is better; as long as MLS is only modestly represented during international periods, the league suffers less while ignoring the breaks. But without a strong National Team presence, MLS looks less important.
It may be that we will one day once again see a USMNT roster chock full of U.S.-based players. A strong, deep, talented and highly competitive league is what all MLS fans desperately wish for, and a stronger league means more of the best Americans staying at home. When World Cup qualifying comes back around in 2013, how many Major League Soccer players will make the roster then? Only time will tell.
Jason Davis pens a weekly column for MLS Daily every Friday. He can be found seven days a week at his very own site, Match Fit USA - Examining The State Of American Soccer.
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