Bradley Releases Four Players; Keller Will Start on Wednesday

US MNT Coach Bob Bradley released four players to return to their clubs following the 3-1 victory over Ecuador (highlights). Fulham’s Carlos Bocanegra, Newcastle’s Oguchi Onyewu, Everton’s Tim Howard, and DC United’s Brian Carroll will all be heading home.

With Howard returning back to England, 37-year-old Kasey Keller is sure to start against Guatemala this Wednesday.

Additionally, Bocanegra and Onyewu’s exit will leave a noticeable hole in the US defense. Here’s a list of the American defenders still present:

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Wade Barret (Houston Dynamo)

Jimmy Conrad and Steve Cherundolo will most likely start. Maybe we’ll see Jay DeMerit and Jonathan Spector as well.

Brian Carroll’s heading back to the Dynamo in preparation for their game against Chivas in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. He came in as a 91st minute sub today in Florida and only saw a minute or two of action.

The US team will leave Florida tomorrow en route to Frisco, Texas. There they will face Guatemala this Wednesday, March 28 at Pizza Hut Park. The kick off is set for 8 PM CT and will be live on ESPN2 and Galavision, as well as ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.