Davies is optomistic, Hejduk is back

October 7th, 2009 | by: Brooks Peck | View Comments

Hey, remember when the US MNT finished second at the Confederations Cup? Me too. And so does Charlie Davies, who is still holding onto that moment as reason to believe in this team once the big dance (screw the NCAA tournament, this is bigger) rolls around in the summer:

“I think we showed we have the potential to really make an impact at the World Cup. If we are all playing well, with the players we have and if we are all on the same page there is no reason why we couldn’t win a World Cup that’s for sure.

“We have what it takes, we have beaten Spain, we have played against Brazil and we went toe to toe with them – it all depends what sort of team we are going to play like. If we play like we did against Spain there is no reason why we couldn’t make a big impact in the World Cup.”

Given the team’s splotchy performances since the Confederations Cup (and even during it), I’d say that’s quite a bold statement. But I do like the attitude. Unfortunately, I always remember that Bob Bradley is still the manager of this team, so I have a hard time sharing it.

Anyway, guess who’s replacing Clint in the roster for the upcoming matches? No, not another attacking or midfield player like logic would suggest — it’s old man Hejduk and all his lovable hair! This is actually a pretty solid choice. Frankie has played well for the US MNT in most of his more recent appearances and he’s always a positive influence on morale. Plus, who knows — maybe he’ll shotgun a beer at some point.

[Sources: FourFourTwo and AFP]