Bradley on the panic button?

Yesterday, US coach Bob Bradley announced his final 23-man roster for the World Cup. (Check the bottom of the post for the full list, pulled from SI.com) A few things stand out immediately:

NO BRIAN CHING: Many times, the selection of a World Cup final roster brings at least one OMG moment. Ching's omission is definitely Bradley's contribution to the dropping of jaws around the soccer world. The fact that Ching was dropped and three inexperienced forwards (Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez, Robbey Findlay) were taken in his place was quite a stunner.

YOUTH WAS SERVED: The selection of Torres and Holden was not surprising, but encouraging to see the brightest stars on the US horizon included as part of the roster. But the three inexperienced forwards really speaks volumes about what Bradley thinks he's going to need in South Africa.

EXPERIENCE AT THE BACK: It wasn't all kids, of course. Veterans like Oneyewu and Bocanegra at the back were selected. Given the defensive foibles the US has struggled with, particularly with their most recent outing against the Czech Republic, that experience will be important. So would a talented left back, but that's another story.

So, was Bradley's omission of Ching in favor of Findlay/Buddle/Gomez a sign of desperation? Is Bradley's confidence with the current crew (including injuries, particularly to Charlie Davies) so shot that he's rolling the dice with untested rookies?

Maybe in part. It's clear that Bradley wants to keep Donovan and Dempsey in midfield (as Grant Wahl pointed out, the fact that he left midfielder Alejandro Bedoya at home lends more credence to the argument). If he's going to do that, he's going to need a strike partner for Jozy Altidore, and apparently he's going to put the new kids up there to do so.

That's assuming, of course, he doesn't just play with a lone striker and a five-man midfield. Unlikely in the extreme, but not impossible.

Although Buddle was disappointing against the Czechs, he did play with a lot of energy. Gomez looked dangerous at times, and Findlay brings the kind of blazing speed to the field that will terrify an opposition. So there's a lot of potential.

But maybe the most exciting thing is that Bradley's taking a big risk, swinging for the fences with his selections. I'm thrilled. Playing it safe might be OK if you're an established power in world soccer. If you're the United States, and fighting for a place at the grownups' table, you need to think big and be willing to take a shot. At the very least, Bradley is taking his shot with this roster selection.

US 23-MAN WORLD CUP FINAL ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Jose Torres (Pachuca, Mexico)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles), Robbie Findley (Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Pachuca, Mexico)