The U.S. men's national team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup on Saturday with what was essentially a "B" squad, winning its group. During the group stage, the team didn't seem to have enough firepower to win the tournament. After Sunday's drastic roster changes, it now does.
On Sunday, Bruce Arena made six moves to his roster, as allowed per the CONCACAF Gold Cup rules, bringing in some big-time players. Goalkeepers Tim Howard and Jesse Gonzalez, midfielders Michael Bradley and Darlington Nagbe and forwards Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey are on the roster for the knockout rounds, replacing Brad Guzan, Sean Johnson, Alejandro Bedoya, Cristian Roldan, Kelyn Rowe and Dom Dwyer.
"We have added some experienced players to the roster that can help us in the knockout round of the Gold Cup. The players leaving all made a good impression, and I'm optimistic for their future with the national team program," Arena said via a press release from U.S. Soccer.
These are big changes that really shift the outlook of the cup. Bradley, Nagbe, Altidore, Dempsey and Howard are five good starters to add to the squad and should offer plenty.
Great news for USA fans, bad news for everybody else.
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