Alejandro Bedoya Replaces Injured Benny Feilhaber On United States Gold Cup Roster

Benny Feilaber's loss is Alejandro Bedoya's gain. Feilhaber injured his ankle in his New England Revolution's 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday and when he was spotted after the match in a boot with crutches it was widely speculated that the midfielder would not be able to play for the United States in next month's CONCACAF Gold Cup. That speculation became truth on Sunday when the sporting director of Bedoya's club, Orebro in Swden, confirmed that U.S. head coach Bob Bradley called up Bedoya to replaced the injured Feilhaber.

Most expected Bedoya to be on the 23-man roster when it was announced on Monday, but he was left off in one of several roster surprises. It took only six days for him to find his way onto the team though, although it does come at Feilhaber's expense.

Bedoya will be expected to give the Americans some width in the attack during the tournament. The team's only other true winger is the much-maligned Robbie Rogers so Bedoya could find a home as an attacking substitute late on in matches. What will be tough for Bradley is to replace what Feilhaber brought to the team. He spent much of the last two years as the first substitute in the match on the left side of the midfield where he would pinch inside and provide the U.S. with the type of passing and possession they sometimes lack.

The U.S. will open their Gold Cup on June 7 against Canada in Detroit, MI. The Americans are favorites, along with Mexico, to reach the tournament final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on June 25.

Bob Bradley spoke with the media via a conference call right after the announcement of his roster for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. It's fair to say that most of the media members who asked questions were as confused by some of Bradley's decisions as fans appear to be. If you were hoping for some clear and concise explanations to your concerns, you probably won't feel much better after reading what Bradley had to say.

None the less, the roster is set and here are some highlights from Bob Bradley's conference call...

General thoughts:

"We look at this Gold Cup as such an important tournament for the team. It's a roster we think gives us versatility, experience."

"In addition to being the best team in CONCACAF there's the extra part of the Confederations Cup & what that means..."

On Freddy Adu's inclusion on the roster:

"There are good signs. Freddy is a player who in the past has shown soccer qualities that can help our team."

"This seems like a good opportunity to get him back in with the team as he continues to grow and mature."

"It's an opportunity that has been earned. We felt it was a good time to bring him back in and challenge him"

On Timothy Chandler not making the roster:

"He told us physically and mentally this season has been a long one ... Time wasn't right for this Gold Cup."

On Chris Wondolowski:

"We felt (he) was in good form. He has scored good goals and different types ... gets a couple chances every game"

On Robbie Rogers:

"Ability to run at people, get behind ... playing on both flanks. He's started the season with mobility & energy"

On Oguchi Onyewu:

"He's had some ups & downs with injuries... Been important for him to get back playing & loan to Twente was a good move"

On Herculez Gomez:

"In this case, different things added up in a way and we made decision that we did. Didn't come down to Jozy vs Gomez"

On Jozy Altidore:

"Jozy still young, club form not great, but shown he's important part of team: WC qualifying, Confederations Cup, unlucky in World Cup"

"I will emphatically say that we believe Jozy has done a lot for us and we will continue to put him forward for us because we believe he's a big part of US soccer."