From 30 to 23, who is going to Brazil for the USMNT? Part 2: Midfielders and Strikers

Midfielders:

We are going to Brazil: Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Mix Diskerud, Maurice Edu, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi

You're not going to Brazil: Joe Corona, Brad Davis

Starters: Michale Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey

Ok, so I cheated and stuck two of my strikers whom I haven't even covered yet as midfielders in a 4-2-3-1. Bradley is the closest thing to a world-class midfielder we have. Jones is an all-action dynamo whose distribution is suspect, but he adds bite to the midfield. Zusi provides great service going forward, attends very well to his defensive duties, and has proven his worth over the past year. I have Donovan as an inverted winger on the left side of the pitch. He's experienced, won't shirk defensive duties, and is still one of the best players in the pool despite losing a step recently due to father time. Dempsey plays the "Dempsey Role" as a withdrawn striker.

So why am I taking 8 midfielders if only 3 of the listed midfielders are going to start? Each of the 5 subs has a job to do and a specific tactical role to play. Want to add a little possession to slow the game down, or someone who is positionally disciplined enough to unchain Bradley, our best (debatable) and most important (almost undeniable) player? Bring on Beckerman. Maurice Edu is there to add some bite, speed, and industry and fill in at CB in a real pinch. Behind in a game and need some creativity to unlock the defense who are packing it in? Diskerud's flowing locks get the call. Bedoya provides cover on both wings, which is where we are weakest since both Zusi and Donovan like to operate more centrally. Julian Green is the wild card here. Apart from his Mexico cameo and the odd Youtube clip, I have not seen him play at all, so part of this is just trusting what the players and Klinsmann have said. However, the one thing this roster indisputably lacks, in my opinion, is a winger with pace to get in behind or run at the defense and make them uncomfortable. Nobody else on this roster can stretch the defense horizontally or vertically like Green. I think we need somebody who isn't afraid to run at the defense, put them on their heels, and make them uncomfortable. Green has that skill set, and he is just young enough to have the fearlessness that is needed for that role.

Courtesy of zimbio.com

Joe Corona misses the cut mostly because the position he ostensibly plays at the national team level is in the withdrawn forward role, and he isn't supplanting Dempsey or Donovan in that role any time soon, and even their backup is probably Mix. He can also play on the wings, but Bedoya can do the same job as him, only with more endurance and better defensive effort. Brad Davis is a great player, but his limitations (speed) outweigh his strengths (excellent left-footed service) because there are other players on the squad who are also capable from dead-ball situations.

Forwards:

We are going to Brazil: Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Aron Johannsson, Chris Wondolowski

You're not going to Brazil: Nobody

Starter: Jozy Altidore

Because of the roster compromises I made with the defenders, there are enough places to take every forward on the provisional roster. Two of these guys, Donovan and Dempsey, are playing in the midfield anyway. That leaves 4 guys to fill the one starting striker role in the 4-2-3-1. Say what you will about Jozy's poor season for Sunderland, and many have, but he's still the most complete striker on the roster. He needs to man up, body up, and work harder than he ever has defensively, but nobody else has his combination of size, athletic ability, power, and (even at only 24) experience on this roster. Aron Johannsson is a great technical player and a better pure finisher than Jozy, but his frame won't allow him to be the target man we will need in Brazil. He makes for a great bench option if we switch to the diamond 4-4-2 we saw used in the Mexico friendly, and that has been trotted out in a couple of games as a tactical switch in the Klinsmann era.

Boyd is the best like-for-like replacement if Jozy gets injured, needs to be spelled, or accumulates too many yellow cards. He is also the in-form player as he has been money recently for Rapid Vienna. Wondo, like him or not, is the best poacher we have. He may not hold up the ball well, or be fast, or make the best runs, or finish with power, or even look like somebody who plays striker on a World Cup team, but his knack for popping up in the right place and calmly finishing a play is absolutely uncanny and unteachable. If we are down late, pushing hard, and needing a goal, he represents one of the better options off the bench to find that tiny bit of space in the box and capitalize on any goal-mouth scrums or poor positioning by the oppositions' defenders

So here it is, my 23 for Brazil '14:

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Nick Rimando

Defenders: DeMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron, Omar Gonzalez, Fabian Johnson, Michael Parkhurst

 Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Mix Diskerud, Maurice Edu, Julian Green, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Terrence Boyd, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Aron Johannsson, Chris Wondolowski

And my starting XI:

Courtesy of americansoccernow.com

Let me know in the comments what you think about my 23 and my XI