Countdown to South Africa: Picking the 23-man U.S. World Cup roster

Grant Wahl (Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated): Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan.

No suspense here. Hahnemann has played enough in the Premiership this season to earn the No. 2 spot behind Howard.

Steve Davis (Writer for SI.com): Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

Is there really an explanation necessary at this position? Howard is The Man. Hahnemann is a capable backup and Guzan won't cause waves as the distant No. 3. (That's always the key for a No. 3; you need a good and loyal team-oriented soldier.)

Mark Mravic (Soccer Editor for Sports Illustrated): Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

By far the easiest selection. I'd be comfortable with any of these three in South Africa. In fact, I'd take the U.S. No. 3 over England's No. 1.

George Dohrmann (Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated): Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

No surprises here. The only question is whether Guzan or Hahnemann is the No. 2 behind Howard. I see little separation between them, and so I'd give Guzan the nod. Any minutes he sees will provide needed experience for when he takes over for Howard in a few years.

Jen Chang (Soccer Editor for SI.com): Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

The trio of Premiership keepers is an absolute no-brainer and Guzan and Hahnemann provide enviable depth.

Wahl: Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Frankie Hejduk, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein.

My starters would be Spector, Onyewu, DeMerit and Bocanegra. Had Chad Marshall been healthy all spring I probably would have chosen the two-time-defending MLS Defender of the Year over Goodson at centerback. But Marshall hasn't been healthy, so I'd go with Goodson. I don't have as many issues with Bornstein as some observers do. He'd probably be my last guy off the bench, but he has big-game experience and he's better than the other (limited) options at left back. Finally, I'd take Hejduk instead of Heath Pearce. There isn't much to separate them, but Hejduk is one of the all-time-great team guys, he's super-fit and he always seems to answer well when called upon.

Davis: Onyewu, Bocanegra, Cherundolo, DeMerit, Spector, Bornstein, Goodson.

Onyewu's tenuous status makes it tempting to take eight instead of just seven. But Spector's versatility (comfortable on the right or left) means seven should work out.

Mravic: Bocanegra, DeMerit, Onyewu, Cherundolo, Spector, Edgar Castillo, Chad Marshall, Bornstein.

The back line offers flexibility and coverage for the inevitable injuries/suspensions to come in the tournament: Though he's had a poor season with West Ham, Spector provides cover at any spot; Bocanegra and Bornstein can play both on the left and centrally; and Maurice Edu can slide back from the midfield to central defense, as he did in the Olympics. I'd love to see Red Bulls rookie defender Tim Ream get a call into camp -- he clearly has a future with the Nats -- but 2010 is too early.

Dohrmann: Bocanegra, Onyewu, DeMerit, Goodson, Spector, Cherundolo, Bornstein.

I have a hard time believing Bob Bradley will take only seven defenders, but that is what he should do. The pickings get slim after Bornstein (Heath Pearce, Frankie Hejduk, etc.), and the versatility of Spector, Bocanegra and even Bornstein (who has played some centerback) makes an eighth defender unnecessary. Also, in a pinch, midfielders Maurice Edu and DeMarcus Beasley can drop to the back line.

Chang: Cherundolo, Onyewu, DeMerit, Bocanegra, Hejduk, Castillo, Marshall, Spector.

I've never been particularly impressed with either Bornstein or Pearce. Both are shaky defensively, prone to costly mistakes and inconsistent on offense, so I'd leave them at home in favor of Castillo. He's only average defensively but far superior going forward, although realistically the chances of Bradley taking him to South Africa are slim to none. Hejduk is there for his veteran experience and intangibles, qualities that are never to be underestimated, and let's face it, for the 22nd or 23rd man on the roster, one should be thinking more about what the person adds to team chemistry at that point.

Wahl: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Torres, Alejandro Bedoya.

Seven of these eight would be on just about everyone's roster. That leaves one spot for several candidates: Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan, DaMarcus Beasley, Robbie Rogers and Freddy Adu. Faced with a tough call, I'd go with Bedoya, a player who's on the upswing these days in Sweden and could be a useful late-game sub.

Davis: Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Bradley, Feilhaber, Clark, Edu, Torres, Holden, Kljestan.

Kljestan's versatility and recent form put him on board. Holden is the closest thing this group has to a true winger. (Sorry, Robbie Rogers, you just never showed enough during ample opportunities.) Nine might sound like a lot, but consider that Donovan, Dempsey and Kljestan could all play as a forward.

Mravic: Donovan, Bradley, Edu, Holden, Torres, Clark, Feilhaber, Bedoya

I resisted the strong urge to include Freddy Adu; Torres and the promising Bedoya have been playing more regularly and provide adequate creativity off the bench.

Dohrmann: Bradley, Clark, Edu, Feilhaber, Donovan, Holden, Beasley, Torres, Bedoya, Rogers.

I believe the final roster spot should go to a promising player who isn't likely to get on the field in South Africa but who could figure prominently in the next cycle. It came down to Freddy Adu, Sacha Kljestan and Robbie Rogers, and Rogers has the superior mental makeup and the best combination of size and skill. Let him learn from the bench. Beasley's inclusion will surely rankle some, but he has World Cup experience.

Chang: Donovan, Dempsey, Holden, Bradley, Edu, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Bedoya.

It's at midfield where Bradley will likely face his most difficult cuts. I believe seven of the first nine listed should be certain of their spots, and while I would include both Torres and Bedoya, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Bradley leave out one if not both for Beasley or Kljestan.

Wahl: Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Herculez Gomez.

I would at least bring Charlie Davies into the New Jersey camp and give him a chance to make the team and show he's at full strength. If he's not, then my front-line pairing against England would be Dempsey and Altidore. If Ching can show he's recovered from his hamstring injury, I would take him as well. If he isn't, then I'd probably go with Edson Buddle. As for Gomez, he tied for the golden boot in the Mexican League, a league that (at the moment) is far better than MLS. Given how thin the U.S. front line is, that's easily enough for me to include him.

Davis: Altidore, Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Brian McBride.

I just don't see Charlie Davies being at a point where he can reasonably be expected to contribute. McBride would not be a candidate to start. But he would be a late option for desperate times; he looked pretty good earlier this year when brought in for a similar role for Chicago. (Yes, he has retired internationally. But he would surely ride in to the rescue if his country called.)

Mravic: Altidore, Dempsey, Ching, Buddle.

In Davies' absence, Dempsey is by far the best choice to pair with Altidore. Ching gets the call for his experience and because, as Bob Bradley noted in his recent media roundtable, he's a decent complementary player to Altidore. And I'm giving the Herculez Gomez/Edson Buddle battle to the Galaxy striker as a nod to MLS.

Dohrmann: Dempsey, Altidore, Davies.

Forget Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez. Their club success isn't likely to transfer to the World Cup, and they have little national team experience. Davies isn't 100 percent, but I'd take him anyway for morale and to chase the ball late in games. A case can be made for Brian Ching (whom Bradley will surely select if he's healthy), Conor Casey and others, but if either Dempsey or Altidore is unavailable, the U.S. is better switching to a 4-5-1 and utilizing the team's midfield depth than turning to a lesser talent who just happens to be a striker.

Chang: Altidore, Ching, Gomez.

I expect Charlie Davies to be called up to camp and given a final chance to prove he's in game shape for South Africa. If he fails the test, the sensible choice is Gomez as a direct replacement and Ching as the target forward option. Altidore is obviously assured of his place, and with Dempsey and Donovan both able to play forward, it makes more sense to take an extra midfielder.

Wahl: Let's be honest: No matter which players are the final cuts from the U.S.' 23-man World Cup roster this month, not one of them will be able to say it was an injustice. (This isn't Brazil, which will probably go to South Africa without players like Diego, Neymar and Ronaldinho.) Only four or five U.S. roster slots are up for argument, and they aren't starting spots anyway.

Goalkeepers (3) -- Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

Defenders (8) -- Bocanegra, Onyewu, DeMerit, Spector, Cherundolo, Hejduk, Goodson, Bornstein.

Midfielders (8) -- Donovan, Bradley, Edu, Holden, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Bedoya.

Forwards (4) -- Dempsey, Altidore, Ching, Gomez.

Davis:

Goalkeepers (3) -- Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

Defenders (7) -- Onyewu, Bocanegra, Cherundolo, DeMerit, Spector, Bornstein, Goodson.

Midfielders (9) -- Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Feilhaber, Clark, Edu, Torres, Holden, Kljestan.

Forwards (4) -- Altidore, Buddle, Johnson, McBride.

Mravic:

Goalkeepers (3) -- Howard, Hahnemann, Guzan.

Defenders (8) -- Bocanegra, DeMerit, Onyewu, Cherundolo, Spector, Castillo, Marshall, Bornstein.

Midfielders (8) -- Donovan, Bradley, Edu, Holden, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Bedoya.

Forwards (4) -- Dempsey, Altidore, Ching, Buddle.

Dohrmann:

Goalkeepers (3): Howard, Guzan, Hahnemann.

Defenders (7) -- Bocanegra, Onyewu, DeMerit, Goodson, Spector, Cherundolo, Bornstein.

Midfielders (10) -- Bradley, Clark, Edu, Feilhaber, Donovan, Holden, Beasley, Torres, Bedoya, Rogers.

Forwards (3) -- Dempsey, Altidore, Davies.

Chang:

Goalkeepers (3): Howard, Guzan, Hahnemann.

Defenders (8) -- Cherundolo, Onyewu, DeMerit, Bocanegra, Hejduk, Castillo, Marshall, Spector.

Midfielders (9) -- Donovan, Dempsey, Holden, Bradley, Edu, Clark, Feilhaber, Torres, Bedoya.

Forwards (3) -- Altidore, Ching, Gomez.