An intriguing foursome that we’ll see in the U.S. national camp

Dec 21, 2010, 9:19 PM UTC

I’m eager to see how Red Bulls center back Tim Ream (right) does over 20 or workouts next month at the Home Depot Center. The U.S. camp begins Jan. 4.

Bob Bradley named 24 who would dare on Tuesday. These are two dozen promising up-and-comers who will get their chance to impress the U.S. boss over 20 or workouts in sunny So Cal in January – assuming the sun does come out, and that the Home Depot Center training fields don’t erode away in the Pacific in all this Cali-crazy weather.

I wrote more extensively about the just-released roster at SI.com. Today's piece includes a sentence or two about all 24 members. Pretty much all of the words are spelled right, so check it out.

Meanwhile, here is a foursome of players that I’m particularly intrigued with:

Six months ago Chicago Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson was an unknown backup to an unknown starter. So, suffice to say, he was stuck pretty far down the list. But he got his shot and, at 21, opened eyes with big and brave and sure performance in a nationally televised match against Los Angeles. What really stuck out that night for me was his presence. He never looked out of his element, managing a big night with aplomb.

If you follow MLS, you know about steady center back Tim Ream. And he’s no longer a stranger to the national team, having played almost 70 minutes in the 1-0 win last month over South Africa, a match that capped the U.S. year. Ream looked a wee wobbly in the first half but settled down and seemed the same trusty presence we saw all of his highly successful rookie year at Red Bull Arena. You got the feeling that he is a player on the cusp, and that he needs only a little more seasoning at the international level to really flourish. I’d say that he has already lapped Chad Marshall, who remains a good domestic center back but may have plateaued in terms of how high he can climb internationally.
Talented striker Justin Braun scored nine times this year for Chivas USA in 2010, which may be as impressive a total as anyone in MLS employment could muster last year. That’s because Chivas USA was bad. I mean, bad like a sitcom that gets cancelled after six eps. (We’re lookin’ at you Cavemen.) You could have listed Braun as one of the “surprise names” on the 2010 January camp. “Hmmm. Look who’s in camp. That’s interesting.” Now he’s had another year of MLS to learn from, and he’s got the confidence of last year’s camp to work from. If Braun can keep climbing the ladder, he can be the target man they’ll need in some situations going forward.
I suspect that attacker Chris Wondolowski’s memorable run to the 2010 MLS Golden Boot was lightning in a bottle type stuff – and that it will be difficult to repeat. I’d wager a delicious cup of granny’s special eggnog that he can’t hit the 18-goal mark again. And I don’t see him as a guy who can make a difference at the international level. That said, here’s his chance to put me in my place. I suspect he would be putting a lot of people in their place, as I don’t think I’m alone in my opinion.