By Ridge Mahoney
Believe Bruce Arena when he says there aren't any backups on his World Cup team. The players do.
Doubtful may be the chances of Tim Howard, Jimmy Conrad, Ben Olsen or Brian Ching to start a game, but for months Arena has stressed every player could be called upon and no one goes along for the ride.
With too many achy central midfielders, Olsen could well have to step in to shore up the middle. Arena went two deep, at least, at each of the four back-line positions, although he has tinkered with a three, remember. Conrad has played in both systems.
Howard is the least likely to play, yet all it would take for him to make a game roster is a twisted ankle or clumsy challenge by Kasey Keller. And whoÆs to say that with a few weeks of zealous training he can't eke past Marcus Hahnemann?
Did Arena exclude Taylor Twellman in favor of Ching, as many fans and media members surmised since that's a simple, direct comparison, or did he find qualities in Ching similar to those of Brian McBride that made him essential to the 23-man roster?
Landon Donovan, a teammate of Ching on the 2003 and 2004 San Jose teams, believes the latter.
''Forwards are on the field to score goals,'' he said. ''But, in the World Cup, last time I checked, youÆre not averaging three goals a game. So, you might get one chance or you might get two chances and you have to make the most of them.
''If not, and youÆre not on your game and youÆre not scoring goals, what are you doing for the team? Ching is a lot like Brian (McBride) in that way, in that he does things that you canÆt really quantify, they donÆt show up on the stat sheets but he holds the ball, he challenges, he works hard defensively.''
Arena cited ChingÆs presence atop the MLS scoring leaders with six goals as another reason to take him, but five of ChingÆs goals this season were scored against Colorado, which is not in Group E. Rather, Arena believes at the World Cup Ching can replicate what heÆs done in MLS and for the national team: be a strong, physical, powerful presence who can hold the ball in the hurly-burly of the attacking third and duel for balls in the air.
Arena set his limit at four forwards, plus Donovan, and since he believes that Eddie Johnson will come out of his funk sooner or later, and Josh Wolff's speed and knack to link up teammates is essential, and McBride is irreplaceable, well, do the math.
The inclusion of Conrad is perhaps the biggest surprise, yet for the past 16 months Arena has sung the praises of this coachable, likeable, formidable player. Both Gregg Berhalter and Conrad had rough nights in that 4-1 Dortmund debacle against Germany in March, yet in age (Conrad is 29, Berhalter is 32) and temperament (jovial vs. terse) Arena chose Conrad while, perhaps, subtly giving a chemistry lesson.
''HeÆs a genuinely a good person and has a great sense of humor,'' Arena said of Conrad. ''HeÆs friendly, outgoing and extremely supportive. HeÆs a good guy. If Jimmy wasnÆt playing soccer, he would do very well in a variety of fields. HeÆs just a guy that brings a lot of support to his teammates and creates a great environment.''
Sweet and bubbly and being a good guy donÆt get you on a World Cup team. But talent blended with the right temperament does. More than any other U.S. coach, he frees his players to perform, not just play, and he truly believes that brio is borne of camaraderie. And confidence.
''You canÆt go into a World Cup timid, you canÆt go into it shy, thinking, 'Well, IÆm happy to be here and let's get out there and play,''' said Donovan. ''WeÆre there for a reason and weÆre there to win. Everyone has to be on that same page and willing to take responsibility.''