Projecting the U.S. roster for Egypt friendly (UPDATED)

photo by Getty Images

The U.S. national team's looming friendly in Cairo to take on Egypt may be in doubt due to political reasons, but if it's not canceled, then the roster for the match should be released soon.

Assuming head coach Bob Bradley is to take advantage of the single FIFA fixture date, it's likely only 20 players will be called into camp for the Feb. 9 match. Most will be European based as Bradley will try to avoid interrupting MLS players' pre-seasons as much as possible. Still, there should be a couple of domestically-based players in the squad.

With that said, here's a look at which 20 players I think Bradley will call up:

Goalkeepers (2): Tim Howard (Everton, England), Brad Guzan (Hull City, England)

Defenders (8): Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, Germany), Oguchi Onyewu (FC Twente, Netherlands), Clarence Goodson (Brondby IF, Denmark), Carlos Bocanegra (St Etienne, France), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa, England), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United, England), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas)

Midfielders (7): Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers, England), Jermaine Jones (Blackburn Rovers, England), Michael Bradley (Aston Villa, England), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Maurice Edu (Rangers, Scotland), Sacha Kljestan (RSC Anderlecht, Belgium), Mikkel Diskerud (Stabaek IF, Norway)

Forwards (3): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal, Spain), Edson Buddle (FC Ingolstadt 04, Germany), Eddie Johnson (Fulham, England)

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Some quick thoughts:

• Ream, Loyd and Diskerud make it from January camp/Chile roster onto Egypt roster due to their performances in the 1-1 draw.

• Highly hyped forwards Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury do not get called in as Bob Bradley is likely to continue to bring them into the program at a slow but steady pace while also trying to limit fans' exceeding expectations of the talented tandem.

• No Landon Donovan, and that's because he hasn't played in a single game since November. Bradley is likely to leave Donovan with the Los Angeles Galaxy in order to allow him to completely get into shape for his upcoming season.

• Of the 20 players called in, only two ply their trade in MLS while nine earn their wages in England.

(UPDATE 1/31 - The U.S. Soccer Federation announced on Monday that the United States' friendly against Egypt has been canceled. The federation looked for other locations in which to hold the game, and different opponents to play, but nothing could be finalized in such a short amount of time.)

Future looks bright for U.S. front line

photo by AP Photos

The U.S. national team saw its forwards score zero goals in last year's World Cup, and while concerns remain about the American frontline, help might be on the way in the shape of two youngsters not yet old enough to buy a beer.

New York Red Bulls' Juan Agudelo, 18, and Sporting Kansas City's Teal Bunbury, 20, each built on their impressive national team debuts (in a 1-0 win versus South Africa last November) by injecting life into a U.S. attack that lacked any real creativity against Chile in a 1-1 draw on Saturday in Carson, California.

Trailing 1-0 due to a goal from Esteban Paredes, the United States felt an immediate impact when both forwards entered the game in the 60th minute. Bunbury's combination of size and strength gave Chile's defense fits, while Agudelo's willingness to take on defenders was as effective as it was impressive.

Agudelo, who scored the lone goal against South Africa in his debut in November, even helped set up the equalizer when he played a one-two with midfielder Alejandro Bedoya before getting fouled inside the penalty area.

The foul on Agudelo may have been questionable, but American fans forgot about that as they were quickly celebrating a goal moments later. With Agudelo preparing to take the penalty kick, Bunbury convinced his younger teammate to let him take it.

Bunbury hit the spot kick firmly and accurately into the back of the net to pull the U.S. level. He and Agudelo then celebrated the goal by doing the Dougie dance, which Telefutura broadcaster Jorge Ramirez comically called (see below) by referencing the Black Eyed Pea's hit single Boom Boom Pow and saying "Boon-boo-ree!", playing off the pronunciation of Bunbury's name in Spanish.

Regardless of the comic relief fans had after the game due to Ramirez's commentary, they likely had even more optimism about the future of the American frontline, especially considering that former teen sensation and Villarreal striker Jozy Altidore can help groom the two starlets.

Expectations should be tempered, but they likely won't be. Not from American fans who saw a second straight World Cup finish for the U.S. without a single goal from a forward. That may lead to disappointment down the road, but then again it might not.

For now, American soccer fans are just reveling in the fact that there are two more young forwards to get excited about.

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Here is Teal Bunbury's first international goal, and Jorge Ramirez's hilarious Spanish call: