U.S. Hot List: Bobby Wood in scorching form; Tim Howard fading

With a new Major League Soccer season finally underway, we mark the return of the U.S. national team Hot List, which will become a weekly feature in this space right up until Jurgen Klinsmann names his squad for this summer's Copa America Centenario in May.

While that high-profile tournament looms on the horizon, there are more pressing matters at hand (foot?) for the Americans. After a four-month break, the U.S. resumes its qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup in Russia later this month with an important home-and-home series against Guatemala.

A number of players have put themselves in position to merit strong consideration for minutes in those games alongside lineup shoo-ins like Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley and Fabian Johnson, based on strong recent club performances. Others are struggling in their day jobs, which is significantly reducing their chances of seeing the field. With less than two weeks to go before Klinsmann picks his next roster, here's a look at whose stock is rising and falling right now.

Warming up

Matt Besler, D, Sporting Kansas City (MLS)

Why he's here: The 2014 World Cup starter helped Sporting KC keep a clean sheet on the road in Sunday's 1-0 win over the 10-man Seattle Sounders.

What this means: Fellow left center back John Brooks remains ahead of Besler in the eyes of Klinsmann, who has suggested that with MLS players yet to hit full stride, he'll go with a Euro-heavy lineup in Guatemala City. Still, Besler has crucial experience playing in away CONCACAF qualifiers, while Brooks, despite his Bundesliga pedigree, does not. That should not be overlooked by the coach.

Geoff Cameron, D/M, Stoke City (England)

Why he's here: After missing almost two months with an ankle injury, the 30-year-old returned to Stoke's lineup on Feb. 27 and has gone the distance in the Potters' past three games -- twice in central defense and once at right-back.

What this means: Cameron's timing couldn't be better from a national team perspective. Where exactly he'll play isn't clear, but expect the Massachusetts native to reclaim the starting U.S. job he won at the end of 2015 later this month against Guatemala.

Brad Guzan, G, Aston Villa (England)

Why he's here: Guzan lost his starting job for relegation-bound Villa in early January but now appears to have won it back, playing in the last-place Premier League side's two most recent games.

What this means: With Tim Howard riding the bench at Everton (more on Howard below), Guzan will have the inside track for the U.S. job when World Cup qualifying resumes, if he keeps getting games at club level.

Omar Gonzalez, D, Pachuca (Mexico)

Why he's here: The big Texan has played all but 22 minutes of the nine games he's appeared in since transferring from the LA Galaxy in late December, helping the Tuzos concede just nine goals -- the fewest in Liga MX this season.

What this means: Gonzalez's instant success south of the border has not gone unnoticed by Klinsmann, who could use the 27-year-old in central defense if he opts to deploy Cameron at right back or defensive midfielder against the Guatemalans.

Bobby Wood, F, Union Berlin (Germany)

Why he's here: With seven goals in his past six 2.Bundesliga matches -- including two against FSV Frankfurt on Saturday -- no U.S. striker is hotter right now than Wood.

What this means: The 23-year-old Hawaiian could trade his super-sub role for a starting job against Guatemala if Jozy Altidore's hamstring hasn't recovered in time.

Bobby Wood continues to impress in Germany with 12 goals this season at Union Berlin.

DeAndre Yedlin, D/M, Sunderland (England)

Why he's here: The 22-year-old Seattle native has started Sunderland's past four Premier League games at right-back, helping the Black Cats go 1-1-2 and climb out of the relegation zone during that span.

What this means: The trust that manager Sam Allardyce has shown in the Tottenham loanee has been rewarded, as Yedlin's sometimes suspect defensive game has improved substantially in recent weeks. Will it be enough to convince Klinsmann to play the speedster on the back line rather than the wing later this month? Maybe.

Cooling down

Jozy Altidore, F, Toronto FC (MLS)

Why he's here: Despite dropping weight and changing his training routine in an effort to avoid the hamstring injuries that have, uh, hamstrung him at three of the Americans' past four major international tournaments, the 26-year-old missed TFC 's season opener with a recurrence of the ailment.

What this means: While Altidore -- who scored in the national team's first two games of 2016 -- is expected to return to the Reds' lineup before the Americans' two qualifiers, the layoff is sure to cost him crucial match fitness ahead of the qualifiers.

Tim Howard, G, Everton (England)

Why he's here: After a decade as the Toffees' undisputed No. 1, Howard, who turned 37 on Sunday, lost his starting job to Spaniard Joel Robles last month.

What this means: Klinsmann had planned to rotate his keepers heading into this summer's Copa America Centenario, but it's hard to see Howard getting the nod for this month's games ahead of Guzan if the latter keeps on playing in the Premier League.

Colorado Rapids target Tim Howard has been demoted to backup goalkeeper at Everton.

Jermaine Jones, M, Colorado Rapids (MLS)

Why he's here: Jones signed with the Rapids last week, officially beginning the six-game suspension that will rule him out of both March qualifiers.

What this means: While he won't be available for the U.S. this month, the 34-year-old German-American remains one of Klinsmann's most trusted veterans. As long as Jones can stay healthy and keep his hands off referees, he'll be on the Copa squad (and likely on the field).

Christian Pulisic, M, Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Why he's here: The 17-year-old captured the imagination of American fans when he appeared in four consecutive Bundesliga games (one start) in January and February. But Klinsmann is wisely preaching patience with the youngster, who has since been returned to the German power's under-19 squad.

What this means: Pulisic remains the brightest talent in the American youth ranks, but there's no need to rush him into the senior team right now. However, Pulisic could well be with the U.S. U-23s for their two-leg Olympic playoff against Colombia later this month if coach Andi Herzog receives Dortmund's blessing.

Tim Ream, D, Fulham (England)

Why he's here: The former New York Red Bull's run of 20 consecutive starts for Fulham ended in January. Since then, Ream has appeared in the Cottagers' lineup just once.

What this means: Ream started the Americans' final two matches of 2015 at left back, but it's hard to see him reprising that role this month given his lack of recent playing time. Look for Johnson to get the nod there instead.

Tim Howard Would Be an Unnecessary Signing for the Colorado Rapids

Everton and U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Tim Howard are nearing a deal with the Colorado Rapids, per Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC.

Despite his recent struggles in the Premier League, Howard would instantly become one of MLS' top shot-stoppers. However, this is still a curious move by the Rapids.

Colorado finished last in Major League Soccer's Western Conference in 2015, although the Rapids defense was formidable. They conceded 43 goals, which was less than Sporting Kansas City and the LA Galaxy, who both made the playoffs.

This still did not stop the Rapids from trading goalkeeper Clint Irwin toToronto FC. Defender Drew Moor also joined TFC via free agency. Both players were defensive pillars for the past few seasons.

Those two departures weren't even Colorado's strangest decisions. Homegrown defender Shane O'Neill was sold last August.

Deshorn Brown, who led the Rapids in goalscoring in 2013 and 2014, transferred to Norwegian club Valerenga in March 2015. He scored 20 goals over those two seasons. The Rapids finished the 2015 campaign with 33.

The likes of Kevin Doyle and Luis Solignac arrived last summer to provide a scoring boost, but it wasn't enough.

The Rapids were a playoff team under ex-head coach Oscar Pareja in 2013. They were a young and exciting side with a real future. Nearly three years later, there is no identity and Dick's Sporting Goods Park is virtually empty.

Colorado's average attendance was the lowest in MLS last season, per Paul Kennedy of Soccer America. The number increased from 2014, but it still wasn't sufficient enough to surpass the Chicago Fire.

This is why the Rapids are trying to sign a marquee player.

Colorado was reportedly interested in United States international Alejandro Bedoya and Mexican forward Alan Pulido, according to Goal.com's Ives Galarcep.

However, Bedoya rejected a return to MLS, and Pulido ruled out a transfer to the U.S., per Mexico-based radio station RG 690 (via Mexican soccer journalist Eric Gomez):

Bedoya and Pulido would have been perfect signings for a dull and listless Colorado attack. The Rapids have since acquired Marco Pappa, Zach Pfeffer and Shkelzen Gashi, which should stimulate the offense.

However, the Rapids are still scrambling to sign a big-name star to attract fans to the stadium.

According to Carlisle, Howard will be paid $2 million a year, which would make him one of the 15 highest-paid MLS players. Colorado also has to pay Everton a fee between $600,000 and $750,000.

Considering the Rapids had Irwin, who is a more-than-capable goalkeeper, this just makes the Howard chase all the more peculiar.

The investment may pay off for the Rapids if this fills the stadium. However, if the team continues to struggle on the field, the fans will likely not show up.

This is not a slight on Howard. His relationship with Everton is waning, and his agility is lacking these days, but the American is still a quality goalkeeper who would excel in MLS.

The main issue is the Rapids addressing a problem they did not have, even after they traded Irwin.

Zac MacMath is a solid young goalkeeper who is a formidable starter. The 24-year-old faced as many shots (125) as Irwin in 2014 and made more saves (77) in 2014, per the official MLS website.

Colorado traded Marcelo Sarvas to D.C. United, even though the Rapids desperately need a quality deep-lying midfielder.

Pappa, Pfeffer, Dillon Serna and Dillon Powers are all attack-minded players. Meanwhile, the likes of Jared Watts and Sam Cronin pale in comparison to Sarvas. This is where Colorado should spend the money, not on a 36-year-old goalkeeper.

Winning is the ultimate formula to fan popularity. The only way of ensuring a successful product on the field is by addressing the team's weaknesses. Goalkeeper is not one of them.

You Guys, What if Tim Howard is just a Ruse?

The world of Major League Soccer player transaction is nothing if not a complicated web of backroom transactions and intrigue. When you take out the chaos of the transfer market, where money is king, you create a kind of shadow economy, where different resources are worth different things.

It occurred to me, "What is the Number One Allocation Spot worth?"

What would it be worth to a team like NYCFC?

It's no secret Major League Soccer handles the bulk of contract negotiations with players coming back to the league. So when Pablo Mastroeni or Paul Bravo says that he doesn't know anything about a Tim Howard deal, it may be because it's Major League Soccer who is at the table doing the negotiating.

We've exhausted the topic of the Howard move making no sense for Colorado Rapids. We have goalkeepers and the goalkeeper spot wasn't one of need. What Colorado needed, and has needed, is to bulk up their attack--to make it more versatile and to have players who can keep possession and move the ball from back to front, as opposed to players who boot the ball forward for a lone guy to make something happen while everyone else plays defense (see, 2015).

No matter how excited people get over the prospect of Tim Howard, the move makes absolutely zero sense from an on-field perspective. Sure there are intangibles, but look at it objectively: on the field, it makes no sense. Off the field? Sure. Ton of sense.

But then I thought to myself: what if Colorado really isn't that stupid at all?

What if this is all just a ruse, and they already have a deal in mind to bring Tim Howard to Major League Soccer, though not to Colorado? What if Colorado is going to make a deal with another team for Tim Howard?

And then it made sense.

The Rapids ::must:: be making a move for Mix Diskerud.

Hear me out on this one, because I thought it sounded crazy at first too.

And for the love of God please leave out my relentless fanboying over Mix Diskerud. This is for real.

"But Ben, NYCFC already HAVE three DPs!"

"Ah, my friend. If there's one thing I know, it's that MLS is nothing if not entirely flexible on its rules when it comes to teams that want to make big moves for big stars!"

More than likely, there will be some rule in there where Tim Howard doesn't quite count as a DP because he had to go through the Allocation Order and instead counts as a returning American player. I'm imagining something like that will be used as the justification for how this deal is even possible. It's not a great or air tight explanation, but it's how Major League Soccer does business. They act first and justify later. See also,Clint Dempsey.

I believe Diskerud is a good player. Technically skilled. Intelligent passer of the ball. That's Powers' skill set as well, but Diskerud goes even further forward than Powers would in his most comfortable position. Rather than competing with Dillon Powers for midfield playing time, I can see a world in which Diskerud and Powers can play off of one another as a midfield fulcrum. Sort of like the midfield with Powers and Sturgis, though with a significant upgrade through Diskerud.

If you think back to the Pareja days, the 3 in his midfield core were a gritty defensive mid (Hendry Thomas) a skilled attacking mid (Powers) and a utility box-to-box mid who kind of free floated to do intelligent off the ball movement and passing. Powers and Diskerud equally could fit into either role as box-to-box or attacking mid as part of a midfield "core" or "spine" regardless of whether you play a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. If MLS teaches us nothing else, with the right midfield core combination you can tear up the league. You can surprise people.

If New York want to use Mix as trade bait, the fans are have called  for him to be sold. They've called him "perfectly mediocre."

Ladies and Gentlemen, what do we want here at Colorado if not the perfectly mediocre.Nathan Sturgis was a perfectly mediocre player who turned into a very effective midfielder for Oscar Pareja. The entire 2010 Rapids team was full of perfectly mediocre players. And let's not forget, Diskerud played a complicated role for a team that was absolutely terrible last season. And if he's on the outs... the Rapids should be there to pick him up.

He's a National Team player, and a frequent call up by Jurgen Klinsmann. He was just in camp in February. No matter how maligned he may be, Klinsmann keeps giving him chances to prove himself. Not bad for mediocre.

Coaching problems aside (and of course the Rapids will be terrible this year if something doesn't improve in coaching and from watching pre-season line ups and play I have seen nothing to convince me that the Mastronaccio still isn't king in Colorado), this would be a good move to make, and would be a sign that the Rapids are turning themselves in a more attacking direction.

Everybody wins here. Rapids get an attacking player. NYCFC upgrade their goalkeeping. Howard goes to a marquee team close to home. And MLS gets to have another star added to its roster.

Kasey Keller comments on Tim Howard's potential Columbus Crew switch

The Everton goalkeeper is being linked with a MLS switch this summer.

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has had a tough season. The American international was in poor form throughout the campaign and that has seen him lose his place in the Everton first-team to Spaniard Joel Robles.

Howard is therefore being linked with a move back to America. MLS side Columbus Crew have been heavily linked with a move for the player next season - with Howard being a major coup for a side Stateside.

Now a former Premier League and USA international goalie has been having his say on this potential move.

Kasey Keller, who played for Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City in his professional career,told the Denver Post this week:

"He'll be the best goalkeeper in MLS. No question.

"He'll be very effective.

"So much of goalkeeping as you get older is kind of how you read the game, how you organize in front of you, and Tim's extremely fit and really hasn't had any major injuries."



He went on to discuss the likeliness of a move, suggesting what Howard had told him about the potential move:

"The last conversations I had with Tim, he was just looking for what felt right at the time.

"If it's right to move back to MLS and the money's right and the situation's right, then cool. If it's not, he's got two years left on his contract. So he's in the driving seat a little bit."

It is looking likely that Everton will move for a new goalkeeper in the summer and Howard's future does appear to be in doubt considering his advancing years and poor form.

It may very well be that his best option is to head back to America and Keller is clearly certain that he would be a hit in MLS.

Would Howard be right to make the move this summer?

Kasey Keller: Rapids netting Tim Howard would be coup

Former U.S. National Team goalkeeper says Tim Howard can still be very effective at his age

COMMERCE CITY — If anyone knows goalkeeping, it's Kasey Keller.

The former U.S. national team top goalie was on four World Cup teams and was the first American keeper to start regularly in the best leagues in England, Spain and Germany. Keller finished his career in MLS with the Seattle Sounders, returning in 2009 at age 39 and playing three seasons.

Now an MLS analyst, Keller believes that Tim Howard, at 37, has plenty left in the tank and would make a huge difference for the Colorado Rapids if his reported transfer from Everton becomes official.

"He'll be the best goalkeeper in MLS," Keller told The Denver Post. "No question."

Howard took over for Keller in 2007 as the first-choice U.S. goalkeeper and has since surpassed him for most appearances (106) by a U.S. national team goalie. Howard has been linked with the Rapids since January when Colorado acquired the top spot in the league's player allocation ranking, giving the Rapids first crack at his MLS rights. ESPN reported last month that Howard was on the brink of joining Colorado on a contract that would pay him $2 million annually through 2019.

The Rapids and Howard's agent have declined to comment.

"He'll be very effective," Keller said. "So much of goalkeeping as you get older is kind of how you read the game, how you organize in front of you, and Tim's extremely fit and really hasn't had any major injuries."

Keller said Howard has mentored younger keepers on the U.S. national team and would be a great teacher for the young goalies on the Rapids' roster.

"He would come in with a tremendous attitude," Keller said. "There's no big ego."

Keller said Colorado's young players would really listen to an experienced field general such as Howard.

"If Tim can move a player three yards before a play starts, he doesn't have to make a save because that player is already in a good position," Keller said. "Those little, simple things — which are difficult to see throughout a season — could be the difference between a team conceding 10 extra goals."

Add to the equation Howard's ability as a shot-stopper and he would be far and away on the positive side of the saves-to-mistakes ratio, Keller said.

Last week, Rapids vice president of soccer operations Paul Bravo said the club was close to adding another impact player to their roster.

"The last conversations I had with Tim, he was just looking for what felt right at the time," Keller said. "If it's right to move back to MLS and the money's right and the situation's right, then cool. If it's not, he's got two years left on his contract. So he's in the driving seat a little bit."