The training camp roster for the January Camp was released today. The group is filled with mostly MLS players and four players from Scandinavian leagues.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (4): Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Will Hesmer (Columbus Crew), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF), Matt Pickens (out of contract)

DEFENDERS (8): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Sean Franklin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Cory Gibbs (Colorado Rapids), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Chris Wingert (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brian Carroll (Columbus Crew), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Jack Jewsbury (Kansas City Wizards), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), John Thorrington (Chicago Fire)

FORWARDS (4): Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire)

Busch had an outstanding year with Chicago and I think he deserved a look. Matt Pickens might be using this an audition for a job next season since he is out of contract. It was rumored that he might be on his way to LA Galaxy but Bruce Arena has already acquired the services of Jamaican international goalie Donovan Ricketts.

Chris Wingert is a highly underrated player and it is good to see him in the mix. Sean Franklin received another invitation, which is a good sign. Clarence Goodson is coming off an excellent performance against Guatemala and is a serious contender for a starting spot in the upcoming qualifiers. Wynne is a player who’s stock has sky rocketed since the Olympics. I like his raw potential and it seems like he has really dedicated himself to improving the weaker parts of his game. Chad Marshall recently re-signed with Columbus Crew and will be working hard to get on the field when the US faces Mexico at the Crew’s stadium.

Cameron and Jewsbury are two interesting and refreshing invitees. They are both underrated and should add a new dimension to the camp. Thorrington made a good impression on Coach Bradley during the qualifier against Guatemala. Coaches love versatility. With Thorrington, Bradley has an outside back, outside mid, and center midfielder. Robbie Rogers is a prime example of why coming back to MLS is a good idea for young players. Rogers went to Dutch side Heerenveen after his freshman year of college only to return six months later. He didn’t make the cut in Holland and returned to MLS and became one of the most exciting young attacking players in the league. (Nguyen, Feilhaber, and Ochoa should be paying attention).

Kenny Cooper fans must be excited to see his name on the list. He played well against Guatemala, but the defenders in the upcoming qualifiers will be much better. I have faith in Cooper, he will make a roster and hopefully work his way into the starting lineup. Charlie Davies is looking like the player we all hoped Eddie Johnson would become. Davies is coming off an amazing season with Hammarby in the Swedish League, scoring 14 goals in 27 games.

What do you guys think of the camp? Who are you really excited to see on or off the list?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 10:34 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.