Opening Gold Cup games provide Bradley with some answers

As far as the starts of tournaments go, the start of the CONCACAF Gold Cup could not be more different than the start of the Confederations Cup for the U.S. national team.

Through two matches in South Africa, the Americans were 0-2, looking ready to pack up and head home early after being outscored 6-1. In the Gold Cup, the Americans have rolled to a pair of convincing victories, outscoring their opponents 6-0. While the competition is obviously several notches lower, the U.S. team shouldn't need to be reminded how drastically things can change in a tournament.

(In case you missed it, the Americans defeated Egypt 3-0 in the final Confederations pool-play match to improbably advance to the semifinals, where they stunned Spain before succumbing to Brazil's second-half rally in the final. It was the first U.S. appearance in a FIFA tournament championship.)

That knowledge will temper the enthusiasm that stems from the United States' victories against Grenada and Honduras. The 2009 Gold Cup was always about testing young players and allowing some veterans to work their way back into the U.S. national team mix. It was supposed to be about helping coach Bob Bradley answer some questions about his team, and specifically, some of his more high-profile young players.

So what have we learned about the U.S. national team through two Gold Cup matches? Here are five of the more important revelations of the Gold Cup for the Americans so far:

1. Freddy isn't ready

The Gold Cup was supposed to be Freddy Adu's chance to shine, an opportunity to prove he is ready for a larger role with the U.S. national team. After two starts, and two less-than-stellar performances, all that Adu has proven is that he has plenty of developing still to do before he can hope to have an important role on the national team.

Does that mean he doesn't have a national team future? That is a bit crazy to suggest about a player who is just 20 years old. Adu still has considerable skill, but cannot afford another wasted year of development, and if he doesn't find playing time somewhere his chances of making the 2010 World Cup squad will be very slim. His Gold Cup is already over as he has returned to Portugal to join Benfica in preseason.

2. Robbie Rogers may be the team's best natural winger

Since DaMarcus Beasley is struggling with his form, the U.S. national team pool is sorely lacking in pure wingers, be it on the left or right side. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey have proved themselves capable of playing on the flanks with the full first team, but neither can be considered a natural flank player.

Enter Rogers, who has always had good speed on the left wing, but who has shown an improved ability in this tournament to move with the ball and make better decisions against opposing defenses. His game has certainly evolved from the player we saw in the 2008 Olympics. While he isn't about to unseat any of the current starters in the U.S. attack, he is definitely showing himself to be someone who deserves consideration as an attacking substitution option.

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3. Chad Marshall is ready to challenge the big boys

On the heels of Jay DeMerit's stellar performance in the Confederations Cup, which officially proved that the U.S. team has at least three strong center backs, Marshall has stepped up in the Gold Cup to show that there are, in fact, at least four.

The Crew defender hasn't put a foot wrong in two stellar outings so far, and his performance against Honduras, which included several successful battles with highly regarded Honduras forward Carlos Costly, was the type of showing that just might earn Marshall a place on future World Cup qualifying rosters. His combination of size and speed, coupled with a definite air of confidence that comes with having won an MLS Cup title last year, has Marshall moving past both current teammate Michael Parkhurst and Dan Califf on the depth chart.

4. Steve Cherundolo is still a threat at right back

When Jonathan Spector put on his great Confederations Cup tournament, which included stout defending and some of the best crosses U.S. national team fans have seen in years, it was easy to believe that Spector had taken the starting right back spot for good. But veteran Steve Cherundolo is clearly going to have something to say about that.

Back from hip surgery, Cherundolo has looked very sharp in two Gold Cup starts, and while he is still not all the way back, he does look good enough to be considered for the starting job again. Always effective going forward, Cherundolo needs to continue his strong defensive showing in order to make Bradley think about who he will start versus Mexico in Azteca on Aug. 12.

5. Charlie Davies and Benny Feilhaber are on another level compared to the rest of the squad

It might have been only two months ago that Davies and Feilhaber would have been considered good candidates to be B-team regulars, but their performances in the Confederations Cup have catapulted them into consideration for starting roles with the full national team. Both showed versus Honduras that their experience in South Africa has done wonders for their confidence and has them playing a step above the rest of this current U.S. group.

Sure, Davies didn't exactly dominate in the opener versus Grenada, but it was clear he was pressing and trying too hard to impress. Against Honduras, Davies looked much calmer, and the result was a tide-turning impact as a sub. Feilhaber played only as a sub in the Honduras game, but in that match he showed the vision and touch that has him firmly entrenched in the mix for central midfield roster spots in the 2010 World Cup.

As for Feilhaber, his Gold Cup will consist of one second-half cameo that helped the United States beat Honduras. That match alone, coupled with his performances late in the Confederations Cup, has cemented Feilhaber's place on the national team, a position he hasn't enjoyed in two years.

Much like the Confederations Cup, many of these impressions can be changed either positively or negatively based on performances later on in the tournament. And also like the tourney in South Africa, there are questions that haven't even been closed to being answered, such as whether Troy Perkins is really good enough to be a No. 3 goalkeeper for the national team. The jury is still out on whether Kenny Cooper can be an impact starter up top. Also, is Heath Pearce close to returning to the form that once made him the lock starter at left back just a year ago? Finally, can Brian Ching play well enough in this tournament to regain his starting job in time to face Mexico in qualifying?

We will be getting answers to these questions shortly, and Bradley can only hope that his current U.S. squad can step up to the challenge of providing answers the way his Confederations Cup squad did just two weeks ago.

Ives Galarcep covers the U.S. national team and MLS for ESPN Soccernet. He also writes a blog, Soccer By Ives. He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.