This is the first in a series of articles on the US qualification process for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. You can also look for previews of the CONCACAF Gold Cup & FIFA Confederations Cup in the coming months.

Hoping to build on the success of the 2-0 win over Mexico in February, USMNT head coach Bob Bradley recently named his squad for the second and third games of the last round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. The selected players will play at El Salvador on 3/28 and against Trinidad & Tobago on 4/1 in Nashville. Both games will be on ESPN2. The US is tied with Costa Rica atop the “Hex” table after each team won their opener 2-0.

El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago drew 2-2 on February 11th in San Salvador. The hosts were down 0-2 at halftime in that game, but stormed back with two goals to earn a point in the first game of the final round for both teams. Trinidad & Tobago handed the US their only loss of this qualifying campaign in October with a 2-1 win at Port of Spain.  They probably shouldn’t gain too much confidence from that win as the US had already clinched passage to the final round and played with only three starters from the previous game against Cuba.

The call ups:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, Tim Howard and Marcus Hahnemann – - Tim Howard is suspended for the El Salvador game for an accumulation of yellow cards. Guzan, who got his Premier League debut on Sunday for Aston Villa, looks to be the #2 for Bradley at this stage of qualification. Guzan has already played four games during the first round of qualification, and earned two clean sheets. Let there be no question, Tim Howard has proven to be the US #1 from his play over the past year for the USA and the experience gained as the first choice for Everton in the Premier League.

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Danny Califf, Jay DeMerit, Frankie Hejduk, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce & Jonathan Spector – - The US defense has given up only three goals in seven games of World Cup qualifying, one coming on a PK during the aforementioned loss to Trinidad & Tobago. You could argue this has less to do with the strength at the back for the US and more to do with the weakness of the teams in the CONCACAF region.  You can look to see the group of Bocanegra, Pearce, Hejduk & Onyewu anchor the US defense for these two games as they did against Mexico in February. DeMerit & Spector are back on the the National Team after long injury layoffs. Either could see time as a substitute in these games. Right back Steve Cherundolo should be called up again soon as he battles back from injury.

Midfielders: Freddy Adu, DaMarcus Beasley, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, Pablo Mastroeni, Sacha Kljestan & Jose Francisco Torres – - Michael Bradley has earned starts in both games after his two goals against Mexico and recent quality form for Borussia M’bach in the German Bundesliga. Mastroeni is back after a yellow card suspension and should see time against El Salvador.  Freddy Adu’s inclusion is most likely on reputation & potential as he has received limited playing time in Europe.  He has only appeared nine times in the league for AS Monaco this season, all as a sustitute.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Brian Ching, Landon Donovan & Eddie Johnson. – - Donovan & Dempsey are the cream of the crop for the Yanks up front, making positive contributions recently for Bayern Munich & Fulham respectively.  Donovan’s loan deal with Bayern recently expired and he will be back with the Galaxy for the start of the MLS season. Dempsey has five goals and two assists for 8th place Fulham. Ching is no slouch himself and leads the team with five goals in World Cup qualifying. Altidore is starving for playing time, like Adu, at Spanish club Xerez. He is on loan from Spanish giant Vilarreal. (Difficult to tell if Altidore’s playing time will increase after the Xerez Club President resigned from his involvement in a shooting outside a brothel.)  Another player in good club form is Eddie Johnson. Johnson has started three of the last six games for Cardif City and appeared in 22 games overall, with a goal & four assists as City fight for promotion to the Premier League.

Six points from the next two games would put the US in the driver’s seat to finish first in the group.  Conventional wisdom dictates that a single point from an away match is as good as a win in CONCACAF.  Regardless, the United States has the players to finish first in their group as they prepare for the Gold Cup, Confereations Cup and, ultimately, the World Cup.

Feel free to comment below about Bob Bradley’s picks.  Still think Coach Bradley is serving up the nepotism? Should Coach Bradley have left the MLS players off the roster to get acclimated to the new season? Should someone really have to resign after firing a gun outside a brothel?  Should Adu & Altidore return to the MLS post-haste?  What say you?