'NewlyRetired said:
US Final 23 and stand by speculation
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I pretty much agree with all of this, my only real question is why Rimando ahead of Hamid? Hamid is the first potential successor to Howard that we've seen emerge, I think - why not bring him in for some experience? Is it because he looked poor in the Olympic qualifying? Is he still hurt from that injury (I don't actually know, though I'm guessing it's not serious cause you have him in the stand-by list)?I don't have a problem with Rimando, but he's a known commodity at this point and he's 32. If I were selecting a team to take to the World Cup today, I'd agree that Rimando should be in it. Just wondering your thoughts...
Also, I think it says a lot about the overall quality (which is to say - not very high quality at this point at the international level) of the USMNT strikers if you consider the volatility in the position. Altidore is and should be the top guy, and I'd think that Agudelo stays in the picture if healthy. But consider that 2 of the 4 strikers that the USMNT took to the 2010 Cup have barely featured at all for the USMNT since then (Findley, Buddle....Buddle has made some appearances, but has Findley? I honestly can't recall any caps for him since the Cup), and the 3rd (Gomez) was on the absolute fringe of the squad until going on a tear. Just a few months ago we were lamenting the lack of really ANY good strikers for the USMNT, and now heading into qualifying, the USMNT has 4 of the strikers in the best form that I can ever recall a group of strikers having at the same time (Altidore, Gomez, Cooper, Wondo). And after all that, you've got the ultimate wildcard in Boyd, who hasn't even featured for his club at the senior level yet might bump one of the 4 listed above.