It’s a tough situation Bob Bradley finds himself in. With very few friendly dates left before South Africa to test our best against quality opposition, today’s game against Denmark appears to be a dud. The US is without its two most recognizable field players, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, while the Danes basically have a “B” side at their disposal which excludes such recognizable names as Daniel Agger and Niklas Bendtner.

So Bradley finds himself, much like his opposite number Morton Olsen trying to figure out spots 16 thru 23 for his World Cup selection today. Following the 1-0 defeat to Slovakia, where few players not already on the plane to South Africa stood out, Bradley will use this as an occasion to ascertain the value of new players.

One such player Edgar Castillo of Tigres was a disappointment for me this Primera Division Apertura campaign. But his previous friendly performances for Mexico were adequate, creating a strong presence on the left side of defense and pushing forward with timely runs and outstanding crosses.
Another such player, Dax McCarty could be a key to providing depth off the bench in South Africa. McCarty may not have the build of some of his counterparts in the player pool, but his record at the youth level in critical matches speaks for itself.

With the last day of World Cup qualifying going on simultaneously with this friendly and a match here in Miami involving CONCACAF qualifier Honduras tonight (they face Peru), I likely will not provide the usual post match coverage until tomorrow. But feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section