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

SI.com staff

Everton's Tim Howard is the undisputed No. 1 goalkeeper for the U.S. Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

With U.S. coach Bob Bradley set to announce his preliminary 30-man World Cup roster on Tuesday ahead of the June 1 final roster cutdown, the staff at Sports Illustrated and SI.com decided to chime in with its thoughts on the 23 players whom Bradley should take to South Africa. (Weigh in with your own choices here.)

Goalkeepers

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.

Defenders

Related Links COMMENT: Who should U.S. coach Bob Bradley take to South Africa?

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.