the type that tune in now and then, but don't own a Sam's Army shirt and cannot even make an attempt at correctly naming or spelling Kasey Keller's current employer -- were arguing between Taylor Twellman and Brian Ching as the team's fourth striker.
Sportswriters who normally only write about soccer after getting in trouble with their boss were predicting the roster, and wondering aloud whether Chris Albright or Jimmy Conrad would sneak in as the last defender chosen or if one of the two injured Revs -- Pat Noonan and Steve Ralston -- would get the nod.
You almost expected Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon to open "PTI" with their list of who's on the bubble and who's not.
(Tony: Arena HAS to pick Meola. He HAS to. Marcus who? Hahnemann? Hahnemann is the name of my accountant! You HAVE to go with a guy from JERSEY to protect your goal!
Michael: You can have your boy, Meola. Two words for you: Ben Olsen.)
It was fun, guys. Really, it was.
But, in the end, the announcement didn't deliver any shocks. Conrad made the team and Gregg Berhalter didn't. Twellman didn't make the cut and Ching did. Olsen completed his late run to Germany, while injuries derailed the bids made by Chris Armas, Noonan and Ralston. It was as simple as that.
Had Arena named Conor Casey, the oft-injured FSV Mainz striker, or another young European-based player such as Heath Pearce or Benny Feilhaber had been named to the 23, there would have been some shockwaves sent throughout the U.S. soccer community. Had the U.S. manager left off John O'Brien, more than an eyebrow would have been raised. Had he cut the team captain, Claudio Reyna, as his predecessor, Steve Sampson inexplicably did with John Harkes in April of 1998, the wheels would have fallen off the "In Bruce We Trust" mantra that most fans of the side seemingly live by.
If Arena had any tough calls, it was going with his gut on Olsen over someone such as Ralston, who had played such a huge role in the team's qualifying for Germany. But much of that decision was made for him, as the 31-year-old New England Revolution midfielder wasn't even able to play in his team's home opener Sunday because of his groin injury.
Even if Ralston had been healthy, you get the feeling that Olsen would have somehow been in the mix, regardless. If you needed a hint, I felt it came during the team's nightmare of a second half against Germany in the 4-1 loss back in March. Right after the Germans scored their second goal to take a 2-0 lead, Olsen was sent onto the field for Pablo Mastroeni. It seemed like one of those moves where Arena knew the team seemed to be a bit shell-shocked and was in need of both leadership and a no-nonsense presence who was not going to wilt just because the team was losing and the Dortmund faithful were now worked into a frenzy.
On a team that does lack leadership at times, especially when it comes to the on-field vocal type, Olsen was a logical selection. Of course, his play with both the national team and D.C. United -- when did he all of a sudden become a goal scorer? -- clinched him a spot. It was all the intangibles that a Type A guy like Olsen brings to the table that will allow Arena to sleep well at night over his decision.
"Ben's a winner," remarked Arena on his teleconference with the national media on Tuesday evening.
'Nuff said.
One could easily have argued Albright's selection all the way until the final announcement heard well into the 6 p.m. ET "SportsCenter" broadcast. The thinking was that his versatility would give Arena the flexibility to slot him as either a right back or left back in place of starter Steve Cherundolo and Eddie Lewis. But, by naming Conrad, Arena showed how important it is to carry four true centerbacks to give him cover in case injuries or an accumulation of cards should arise as it did four years ago. The inclusion of the MLS Defender of the Year also means he keeps another good teammate on the roster -- one he knows will not pout or start whispering to the media if he does not see the field in Germany.
"He's just a guy," said Arena, "who brings a lot of support to his teammates and creates a great environment."
Landon Donovan, who is a close friend of Conrad and a former teammate of his with the then-San Jose Earthquakes added: "I think Jimmy understands where he stands on this team. I don't think Jimmy would expect to start in the opening game, and he's okay with that and understands that. If anybody is going to be ready at any time, it's Jimmy."
Personally, I'm surprised to see Ching on the roster over Twellman. When you sat down and put up the pros and cons for both players, the columns are probably pretty equal. I just got the idea that when Arena envisioned looking down the bench in the middle of a tie match and needed to insert a player into the game to get him a goal, he'd want Twellman over Ching. Maybe that would have been the case back in February or March. But Ching's impressive display of goal-scoring ability over the month of April (six goals) compared to Twellman's lone tally last weekend might just have been enough to separate what was a paper-thin difference between the two strikers.
"Brian didn't necessarily win us over the last six weeks," said Arena. But he also followed that up by saying that "form, at the moment" had a little to do with the decision.
If anything, Twellman should be frustrated by the fact that his Revolution side switched to a 3-4-3 formation this spring, which made it difficult on him because it took over his freedom as far as making angled runs and it often isolated him against two bigger and taller centerbacks throughout the first month of the MLS season.
Holding true to his statements that the roster would be decided over the sum of the players' contributions from the last World Cup onward, Arena mentioned Ching's solid play in the qualifying win over Guatemala last March in Birmingham, Ala., when he started up top alongside Eddie Johnson and from his game-tying goal against Jamaica way back in August of 2004 when he helped the U.S. earn a vital point on the road in Kingston.
By mentioning how the opponents of the side played a role in shaping his roster, Arena clearly likes the size and power that Ching brings to the table. It gives him an option to pair with a quicker player such as Johnson, Josh Wolff and even Donovan.
Donovan, a former teammate of Ching, as well, from their time in San Jose said that Ching "does the things that do not show up on a stat sheet," as he battles and knows how to help clear space for his fellow front-runner.
Even with Ching and Conrad being two mild surprises on this list, what's most mind-boggling is how nobody knew Arena's final 23. Usually, news gets passed around pretty quickly. It just takes one source to leak it to the right person, and the information engine seems to rev up at light-warp speed. It may not always get reported on, but it's whispered about and disseminated to those who have been trustworthy time and time again in the past.
In the case of this roster, it was truly kept top secret. Both Conrad and Clint Dempsey said they found out that they were going to Germany minutes before most soccer fans heard the announcement from their televisions.
"I'm kind of in shock still," said Conrad.
Donovan notified Conrad about the good news right before the e-mail from Arena arrived to his laptop, so it's likely that the 24-year-old star wasn't even privy to the set list until this afternoon.
"It all happened pretty quick," added Conrad.
When questioned, Arena explained how he had 18 names set on April 12. In the days following, it moved to 19 (Olsen?).
"There were four decisions that came right down to the end," said Arena.
It was probably Bocanegra, whose health Arena admitted that he's been monitoring for some time, Ching (between him and Twellman), Conrad (hernia surgery) and O'Brien (multiple injuries).
On Sunday night, after watching a full slate of games over the weekend, Arena finalized his list. After taking a chance to let it filter through his brain on Monday, he notified the 13 alternates of their fates on Tuesday morning. More e-mails went out later in the day to players who made the roster, while subsequent messages were sent to the alternates in the early evening -- after the decisions had been processed -- to let them know how they need to be ready if called upon and also reminding them how both Greg Vanney and Steve Cherundolo were summoned from the alternates list in 2002 after the initial roster was named.
The debates are now over. If there's second-guessing to be done, it won't come until the World Cup in June.
I miss it already.
Marc Connolly is the managing editor of ussoccerplayers.com and regularly writes to MLSnet.com. Marc can be reached at marc@oakwoodsoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
