This is unfamiliar territory for Robbie Rogers.
Rogers has made a name for himself as a key midfielder for the Columbus Crew. On the national stage, however, he almost feels like a rookie all over again -- training alongside such U.S. national team veterans like Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.
"I'm still getting my feet wet with the national team and have a lot to learn," Rogers said.
A glance at the U.S. national team roster assembled for Saturday's 2010 World Cup qualifying match between the United States and El Salavdor at Rio Tinto Stadium reveals a group peppered with plenty of fresh faces from the MLS ranks among the usual cadre of veterans.
Some newer players -- like Rogers, Houston Dynamo midfielder Stuart Holden and Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman -- earned a slot in the squad with productive national team stints at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July.
Coming on the heels of the FIFA Confederations Cup a month earlier, U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley dipped deep into the player pool to field a team primarily composed of younger players for the Gold Cup. After watching that team reach the final, before losing a heartbreaker to Mexico, plucking a few standouts from that group and placing them on the 24-man roster for the World Cup qualifier only made sense.
"One of the things we certainly got out of the Gold Cup was the chance to work with a different group," Bradley said. "See how they responded during the entire tournament. Give them ideas if they hadn't been in regularly just in terms of how we do things. That helps when you need to dig a little bit deeper into your pool."
Experience gleaned from dealing with pressure packed games on an international stage has certainly proved valuable for those Gold Cup contributors as they now seek to prove their worth in a game with even more at stake.
"I definitely got a taste of what international soccer is about with the Gold Cup," Rogers said. "Played some tough games. Unfortunately we had that loss against Mexico. But, still, playing in that environment definitely has taught me how to deal with big games."
The big difference for Rogers and his Gold Cup teammates is that instead of leading the way they are essentially the new kids on the block this time around.
Holden said he views training with veteran players -- many of whom play major roles on European clubs -- as the consummate learning experience in his efforts to grow his own playing career.
"They play at the highest level," Holden said. "Those guys have a lot of experience in the way they train on a daily basis and the things they do on the field. I try to take it all in and learn and take things like that which can help my game and make me a better player as a whole."
The chance to compete with the best U.S. players can pay dividends for each of these MLS standouts once they resume league play. Being a part of the push to qualify for the World Cup has inspired them to adopt the kind of higher standard they see from national team veterans.
"I felt like when I came back from the Gold Cup I had a lot of confidence," Beckerman said. "I just knew how to play and was a little bit quicker. I'm just trying to take what I've learned from the Gold Cup and what I've learned from this team and really continue that in MLS."
John Coon is a contributor to MLSnet.com
