Latest U.S. World Cup qualifying roster ignores MLS top goal scorer

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Coach Bob Bradley has unveiled the 22-player roster he will employ in the final two U.S. qualifying matches for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa -- away to Honduras on Oct. 10 and against Costa Rica in Washington on Oct. 14.

There are few, if any, surprises, but there is one notable name absent from the list, probably with good reason but absent nonetheless.

FC Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham (pictured at left after scoring last month against the Galaxy) has been on a tear this MLS season. On Wednesday night, in an upset win over D.C. United, Cunningham scored his league-high 16th goal. That’s one more than the Colorado Rapids’ Conor Casey, who is on the roster, and six more than the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan, last season’s top MLS goal scorer.

No one is suggesting that Cunningham, 33, replace either in the American squad, but if Bradley could call up the powerful but ponderous Kenny Cooper, why not give a nod of recognition to Cunningham, who has speed to match that of Charlie Davies and is obviously red hot at the moment?

During his eight-year tenure as national coach, Bruce Arena played Cunningham in 10 games between 2001 and 2005, starting him twice. Arena suggested Thursday that the step up might be too great for Cunningham and that the timing was bad.

‘There’s a difference between playing club soccer and playing international soccer,’ Arena said. ‘I’m not sure this, right now, is the time.’

Cunningham’s 120 goals in MLS put him second behind D.C. United’s Jaime Moreno (130 goals) on the MLS all-time list. But, like Ante Razov (114), Jason Kreis (108) and Taylor Twellman (101), he might be destined to be remembered as a great club player, not as a national team standout.

The full U.S. roster:

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan.

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Jimmy Conrad, Clarence Goodson, Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Spector.

Midfielders: Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Robbie Rogers, José Francisco Torres.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Brian Ching, Kenny Cooper, Charlie Davies, Landon Donovan.

-- Grahame L. Jones