Bradley to field young forwards against China

Building continuity within a national team program is a challenge for any head coach, especially given the short amount of time that international players spend together. For U.S. coach Bob Bradley, that task has become more difficult entering Saturday's friendly against China (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2) at San Jose's Spartan Stadium, especially as he prepares for the start of the Gold Cup next week.

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DaMarcus Beasley is likely to start in midfield against China.

With the exception of Chivas USA, who has this weekend off, MLS clubs are hanging on to their international players for one last match. That leaves Bradley in the unenviable position of having to build a team with half of his Gold Cup roster missing until Monday, as well as integrating several players with little to no international experience for Saturday's match.

"It's not perfect," said Bradley about the lack of domestic players on the roster. "But we've had good camps earlier in the year where we've been able to establish a good sense of how to work and how to train; we've gotten some good things going. I think it's something that we'll handle without a problem."

Bradley's optimism also can be traced to the fact that there are enough European-based players at his disposal to make Saturday's match worth his while. In fact, the players available in defense and midfield could be the ones that take the field for the Gold Cup opener against Guatemala on June 7.

With Tim Howard in goal, a back line of Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, and Jonathan Bornstein looks to be a close approximation of Bradley's first choice defense, although Frank Simek is in contention as well.

As for the midfield, it's possible Bradley will opt for a more veteran crew during the Gold Cup. But the quartet of Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber and DaMarcus Beasley is one that could also see some time. The foursome performed well together in the friendly against Ecuador, and it makes sense to continue with that group for Saturday. It also would give Feilhaber and Bradley -- who look like the Americans' central midfield pairing of the future -- an ideal opportunity to obtain some further seasoning.

Up top, the situation couldn't be more different. The absence of the team's MLS contingent means that the U.S. only has youngsters Charlie Davies and Kamani Hill, as well as veteran Ante Razov available, although the likes of Dempsey could slide up top. Offensive-minded players like PSV Eindhoven midfielder Lee Nguyen and Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan could get a look as well, albeit further away from goal.

At the least, Saturday's match will provide the young attackers with an opportunity to impress and possibly earn a spot on the Copa America roster at the end of the month, although the fact that Davies is in the middle of his season with Swedish side Hammarby will likely render him unavailable for the Copa. And while Razov -- and to a lesser extent Kljestan -- are better known to American audiences, the game against China could provide most U.S. fans with their first viewing of Davies, Nguyen and Hill.

All three players ply their trade overseas, and each has encountered some speed bumps in the past year. Nguyen had some good moments back in 2006 with PSV, but a season-ending shoulder injury slowed his progress. After a stellar career at Boston College, Davies has struggled in his brief time with Hammarby, failing to find the net so far. Hill signed with Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg in the fall and made 11 appearances in all competitions following the winter break, using his electric pace to slide in at either forward or on the right side of midfield. But the firing of coach Klaus Augenthaler, and the subsequent hiring of Felix Magath as his replacement means that Hill will have to prove himself all over again when preseason training resumes in a couple of months.

Yet despite the struggles of each player, Bradley feels their potential is vast.

"If I were to talk about all three, clearly there are good starting points," Bradley said. "[Nguyen] is gifted technically. [Hill], for a big guy, is also good with the ball and tricky. [Davies] physically is very talented. All now need to become more consistent; all need to develop a little better feel for everything that goes on in the game, not just the things that come easy. I think camps like this really help in that regard."

As for China, coach Zhu Guanghu finds himself in a situation similar to that of Bradley. Chinese clubs Shandong Luneng and Shanghai Shenhua are both occupied by the East Asian Champions Cup, robbing Zhu of several players, although Manchester United forward Dong Fangzhuo is on the team.

But unlike Bradley, Zhu finds himself under increasing fire. A 1-0 loss to Thailand two weeks ago -- China's first defeat against Thailand in 14 years -- has prompted several media outlets to call for Zhu's resignation with the start of the Asian Cup just five weeks away. Yet despite this turmoil, Bradley feels that the Chinese -- as well as the venue -- should provide a sufficient test leading up to the Americans' own continental championship.

"They're an organized team," Bradley said. "They've made strides in the last few years, and physically, they're pretty good. Playing them in San Jose, where the field is tight to begin with, will be clearly a good challenge, because they're not an easy team to break down."

Spartan's snug dimensions make it imperative that the U.S. win 50-50 challenges and is first to react in goalmouth situations. Bradley is also hoping that the lack of space will force his side to play at a higher speed, which should prepare it well for the likes of Gold Cup foe Guatemala, which frustrated the U.S. in a 0-0 tie on March 28.

"You wouldn't want to play every game [at Spartan]," Bradley said. "But it still makes it a good place to help us prepare for the games ahead."

Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet. He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com.