More U.S. National Call Ups: June 2008

The details of the squad the US will travel with to Barbados this weekend for the second leg of their World Cup qualifying tie has been pretty fairly mum. Snooping around South Florida soccer circles while the National Team is in town I can report that several players will be called in to the team who play tonight for either Chicago or Chivas USA.

Steve Goff of the Washington Post reports John Thorrington and Chris Rolfe will be called in along with Chad Barrett. If you recall, last month I wanted to see Rolfe and Thorrington in all three friendlies held on European soil, and evidently while they were on Bradley’s radar, the scheduling practices of MLS which have been a hot topic on this blog and the American Soccer Show precluded Bradley from calling in the duo.

If Goff’s report is accurate and I believe it is based on what I’m hearing, I hope Thorrington and Rolfe both get an opportunity to start in the match. Thorrington’s quality is no secret: Not only was he signed by Manchester United at a young age but when things did not work out for him at United he was signed by Bayer Leverkusen, also a massive club in Europe. Even after being cut loose by Leverkusen, Thorrington was always in demand in England until his chronic injuries finally caught up with him.

While the National Team has dealt through the years with its share of perennially injured players, most notably the immensely skilled John O’Brien (arguably the most tecnhically gifted American of my lifetime) Thorrington’s injury history is lengthy and cruel even by American standards. Chris Rolfe is also a supremely skilled player and I am anxious to see what both players can do in a World Cup qualifier away from home.