Upper 90

FIFA bans Peru

2008-11-25T16:24:00.006-05:00

Some interesting news I didn't get to touch on yesterday was FIFA's decision to ban Peru from all international competition. The ban comes as a result of the Peruvian government getting into a dispute with the Peru's soccer federation (FPF).

"The Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) will only return on the basis of negotiations with the president and the board of the FPF," said a statement.

The issue in question began when Peruvian President Alan Garcia choose not to accept the election of Manuel Burga as the FPF's president. This in turn has suspened all Peruvian teams from competing in international competitions ranging from youth tournaments, to club commitments and even World Cup qualifying. Peru currently sits last in the 10-team table and is a long shot at making it to South Africa 2010.

However this recent turn of events is just another blow to a once respected federation. Peru's national team, who was a promising side in the 70s and early 80s, has become a bottom feeder in the CONMEBOL.

Earlier this year they also suffered from an embarassing story as several key players stayed up past curfew, snuck women into the hotel and drank the night away just two days before a World Cup qualifer at Ecuador which they ended up losing 5-1. The players are still serving hefty suspensions for their disgraceful acts .

According to the statement, Peru has one month to sort out this mess or they could be expelled entirely.

Crew's Control: Columbus wins MLS Cup

2008-11-24T02:33:00.012-05:00

The Columbus Crew have capped off their dream season with their first ever MLS Cup. Yesterday afternoon's 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls wasn't as decisive as the score might indicate but it was enough to finish the Crew's impressive season on a good note.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto wasn't the MVP of the league, and of the game, for no reason. He simply tore up the Red Bulls, tallying three assists in the process. His most impressive; a chip through ball that allowed for Crew defender Franke Hejduk to head the ball over an oncoming Danny Cepero. Schelotto's patience, creativity and touch were all on display on that single play.

The first half saw Juan Carlos Osorio's group attack more and looked poised to pull off yet another upset. But inaccuracy and sloppy defending prevented that as a timid Columbus Crew offense drew first blood with a goal in the 31st minute.

The second set of 45 minutes saw the Crew respond with a much stronger performance and the Red Bulls began to falter. Schelotto stepped up and took control of the game as he curled in a corner that led to Chad Marshall's 53rd minute response to John Wolyniec's equalising strike two minutes prior. And the Argentine midfielder sealed things off with a beautiful assist to Hejduk in the 82nd minute.

There were some negatives though. As I had claimed earlier in the playoffs, Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero, who was outstanding throughout the post-season, was too inexperienced to not make one costly mistake. He kept proving me wrong, but the inexperience showed on the Crew' first goal yesterday.

Schelotto released Alejandro Moreno down the right flank with a long distance pass. As the veteran forward received the pass he took a couple of steps and noticed that Cepero was cheating too much towards the near post. Moreno released a low shot to the far post that the Red Bulls goalkeeper got a piece of, but it still managed to find the side netting, which in turn set the tone for the Crew's first MLS title.

MLS Cup Final: Columbus Crew v New York Red Bulls

2008-11-23T14:34:00.001-05:00

We are less than an hour away from the 2008 MLS Cup Final between the Columbus Crew and the New York Red Bulls. Both teams will be making their first appearances in the MLS Championship but only one will prevail today.

The two teams paved their road to the championship game under completely different circumstances. The Crew were the top-seeded team in the East and ran over the Kansas City Wizards before finishing a come-from-behind victory against the Chicago Fire. Meanwhile in the West, the New York Red Bulls stunned the defending champion Houston Dynamo before blanking Real Salt Lake at the Rio Tinto Stadium.

Expect two South American stars to play big roles in determining who comes out on top tonight. Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who was named 2008 MLS MVP earlier this week, has played a huge role in Sigi Schmid's team.

But if anyone has been just as important to their team's playoff success, it's been Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel. The former Aston Villa forward constantly draws attention away from defenders allowing for his teammates to find space in the attack. Such has been evident by Dane Richards emergence during the Red Bulls dream playoff run.

One could argue that even with the star-studded Colombian on their roster, the Crew are clearly more talented, but Juan Carlos Osorio's Red Bulls have managed to up-end more talented teams before and the team that sneaked its way into the playoffs may have it in them to do it one more time.

With both teams one step away from MLS history, who will rise to the occasion and be crowned MLS Champion? The answer to that question starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC and Telefutura.

U.S. drawn with Brazil, Italy and Egypt for Confederations Cup

2008-11-22T15:37:00.000-05:00

Back in 2007 many United States fans were disappointed that Bob Bradley sent an "A" team to the Gold Cup as opposed to the tougher Copa America. But Bradley insisted that the focus lied on the CONCACAF trophy as it held a ticket to 2009's Confederations Cup. Bradley's side ended up winning the Gold Cup 2-1 by making a second half comeback against their number one nemesis Mexico.

Fast forward a year and a half later and the United States has been drawn into a difficult group that will surely test the team's ability and character. Earlier this morning, the Americans were drawn into Group B of the Confederations Cup, which will be played in South Africa next June, along side Copa America winner Brazil, reigning World Cup champion Italy and African champ Egypt.

Group A is much weaker as it consists of hosts South Africa, European Champs Spain, New Zealand and Iraq.

But each contest for the stars and stripes, even the one against low-profile Egypt, will present a different challenge to the Yanks and should make for an intriguing group. Don't forget that the confrontation against Brazil will be the United States' second under Bob Bradley, as the Americans displayed a valiant effort in a 4-2 loss in Chicago, Illinois back in September of 2007.

But the match most fans are looking forward to is the date with Italy. After the controversial, physical battle that ended in a 1-1 draw in 2006's World Cup, you can bet Americans like Landon Donovan, Oguchi Onyewu and Clint Dempsey want another go at the World Cup winners.

Could you imagine if Giuseppe Rossi gets called in to the Italian side? The American-born player who elected to play for Italy, would be in for the game of his life. Add in the fact that Bob Bradley has more young talent at his disposal than the 2006 side (with players like Freddy Adu, Josmer Altidore, Michael Bradley) and you've got yourself quite an entertaining game in a very entertaining group.

United States opens up Hexagonal against Mexico

2008-11-22T15:19:00.004-05:00

Wow.

What a better way to start out the Hexagonal stage of World Cup qualifying than with a clash between archrivals United States and Mexico. The two CONCACAF giants will open up the final stage of qualifying as they square off in the United States on February 11. The location for this match has yet to be determined, though if history tells us anything, it'll be hosted in Columbus, Ohio.

The match should prove to be very interesting as it will serve as Sven-Goran Erikkson's first game against Bob Bradley's men. The Mexican national team coach must be a little worried as his team barely managed to squeak out of the semifinal round of qualifying.

Here are all of the United States' qualifying matches:

vs Mexico on February 11th
at El Salvador on March 28th
vs Trinidad and Tobago on April 1
at Costa Rica on June 3
vs Honduras on June 6
at Mexico on August 12
vs El Salvador on September 5
at Trinidad and Tobago on September 9
at Honduras on October 10
vs Costa Rica on October 14

What's my take on the schedule? It's tough to start qualifying against Mexico, but being at home and with all of the tricolor's woes as of late, maybe this early fixture will benefit the Americans. Playing away at El Salvador right after should also be something Bob Bradley is smiling about.

Where it gets tough is on games 8 and 9. I could see the Americans having a difficult time earning points at T&T and at Honduras. However, finishing with a home match on October 14 against Costa Rica is a plus for the U.S.

2009 will surely be interesting and it's right around the corner.

U.S. sets friendly with Sweden

2008-11-22T14:44:00.007-05:00

During Bob Bradley's tenure, the United States has played Sweden every year. 2009 will be no different.

The United States has scheduled to play the Swedes on January 24 in Carson, California to open up its jam-packed 2009 schedule that also includes 10 World Cup qualifiers, a challenging Confederations Cup and their title defense of the Gold Cup. The friendly between the two countries will be the third encounter in as many years.

2007's tilt saw the U.S. fall to Sweden 1-0 thanks in part to a 56th minute Kim Kallstrom strike. Earlier this year, Landon Donovan scored his record-breaking 35th goal and led the United States to a 2-0 victory.

According to the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), Bradley will run a training camp from the first week of January until gameday, just as he did in early 2008.

Midday Scrimmage: Cooper on the move, Blanco loaned out and more

2008-11-21T15:33:00.007-05:00

Cooper moving abroad?

According to Ives Galarcep, there were scouts from multiple teams in attendance during the U.S.-Guatemala bout this past Wednesday. What did the scouts have in common? They were on hand to witness Kenny Cooper.

Cooper, 24, received interest from Coca-Cola Championship sides this past winter but no deal worked itself out. Now however, it appears that MLS will seek to find a suitor interested as the FC Dallas forward heads into the final year of his current contract. With Cooper set to make more money than Dallas can afford, it seems evident that the former Manchester United protege will make a move.

According to the report, only German side Eintracht Frankfurt has been confirmed in showing interest.

Blanco loaned out

Cuauhtemoc Blanco can be added to the list of recent MLS stars to get himself a temporary loan during the MLS offseason.

According to reports, the Chicago Fire have come to an agreement with Mexican side Santos Laguna on a loan deal that will allow Blanco to aid them in their playoff run. The former Mexican national team player will make a brief spell in the Mexican First Division as he attempts to replace injured Ecuadorean Christian Benitez.

Schelotto wins MVP

Many fans believed this would be the year of Landon Donovan. They were wrong. Guillermo Barros Schelotto has been named the MLS MVP for the 2008 season.

The Columbus Crew player was awarded the accolade earlier this week by winning 54% of the votes. Donovan received 19% and Cuauhtemoc Blanco rounded out the top three with a meager 3%.

Now this may not come as news to some as a premature advertisement was released in this week's Sports Illustrated crowning Schelotto as the MVP, but this is still newsworthy.

Schelotto impressively tallied seven goals and 19 assists in his second MLS season. The Argentine midfielder helped the Columbus Crew win the Supporters' Shield by achieving the best record of the season and has also helped his team get to the MLS Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Well worth the wait

2008-11-20T16:05:00.009-05:00

U.S. fans fantasized all year long of seeing the trio of Josmer Altidore, Freddy Adu and Kenny Cooper on the pitch simultaneously. Last night the supporters got their wish as the trifecta helped the United States cruise to a 2-0 victory over Guatemala.

Although the young attackers played significant roles in yesterday's match, the win was a collective effort as not only did the stars and stripes stifle a Guatemalan side that was playing for their qualifying lives, but the team looked good in the process.

"It's a good way for us to finish up this round. It caps a successful run and now we focus on the challenge ahead," stated head coach Bob Bradley. " There was an opportunity tonight to see some different players and, as always, there were some things that were positive and some things that need work. All in all it was a good night for us.”

The first half saw the U.S. retain possession well and midfielders Sacha Kljestan and Adu were busy spraying pass after pass, releasing players behind the defense, only for them to squander their opportunities.

The inability to score ceased in the second half as in the 55th minute Cooper got on the end of a Jozy Altidore pass and put one past goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez.

The play began as Altidore received the ball on the left wing. The Villarreal striker approached a pair of defenders before buying himself time and space with some clever stepovers just before releasing the pinpoint pass to Cooper.

The goal marked the 6-foot, 3-inch player's first goal in World Cup qualifying, but he gave all the credit to Altidore.

“Jozy did all the work. He took some players on, and put the ball on a dime for me far post," said the humble FC Dallas forward. "I just had to put it in.”

Fourteen minutes later, Bradley's men doubled their lead courtesy of a picture perfect Freddy Adu free kick. The set piece was awarded when a Kljestan through ball saw Altidore get behind the defense. But defender Yony Flores, who was awarded a yellow for the play, grabbed the former New York Red Bulls forward to stop him from springing free.

Adu convinced Kljestan to allow him to take the ensuing free kick, and you'll hear no complaints from the Chivas USA midfielder as Adu found the back of the net. His first international goal was from 20 yards out and was curled beautifully to the far post.

"It’s nice to get the first national team goal. It definitely helps your confidence," said Adu of his free kick. "Hopefully you build off of this, and even if you don’t score goals, you help the team in different ways.”

The 19-year-old, who has run into tough times with his club Monaco, enjoyed one of his best performances on the senior national team against Guatemala.

Adu amazed spectators all night as he placed precise passes to his teammates, shot accurately from distance and crossed in dangerously off set pieces.

Though this shutout victory wasn't all about the three young attackers, they were the focal point of the night. Fans are rejoicing as the wait for them to play together is finally over. All three proved their worth and each added a different element to the attack. Adu's creativy, Cooper's prowess and Altidore's nifty attack-minded play are all something the full squad could use, even if it's off the bench.

With the Hexagonal looming closer, Bradley will need to find a way to incorporate these youngsters into his full side as they appear to be ready for bigger challenges. This is one problem Bradley surely doesn't mind.

Player ratings (scale of 1-10)

GK, Brad Guzan, 6 -- Made saves when needed, but his distribution was poor. Needs to work on holding onto shots as he continues to fumble them.

D, John Thorrington, 6 -- For not being a natural right back, he sure was solid. Jumped into the attack effectively and almost earned the U.S a early penalty kick.

D, Clarence Goodson, 6 -- Was strong in the air and like Parkhurst, his distribution was sharp. Solid game for the unknown commodity that's plying his trade in Norway.

D, Michael Parkhurst, 6 -- Didn't notice him much, but when talking about defenders that isn't necessarily a bad thing. His distribution was impressive, but he lacks physicality and that can prove to be costly against more talented opponents.

D, Jonathan Bornstein, 4 -- Got forward efficiently, but that was all he did well. Not only did he continuously stumble, but he got beaten badly on two occasions. Thankfully for him, he had teammates around who picked up the pieces. Bornstein doesn't appear to be the answer at left back.

M, Pablo Mastroeni, 6 -- Showed off his experience tonight with a calm and cool performance. Impressively struck a ball from long distance that could've turned into a U.S. goal had Goodson reacted faster on the rebound. Committed a silly foul that earned him a yellow in the latter stages of the match.

M, Ricardo Clark, 6 -- Played well defensively and showed some impressive range on his long passes. A composed performance.

M, Freddy Adu, 8 -- This is the type of game U.S. fans have been clamoring for. Was active throughout the game and looked good passing, dribbling and shooting. Combined well with teammates but he needs to learn to defend better, though that's the only quibble one could have of his game tonight. Put forth some dangerous shots from distance and his free kick goal was picture perfect.

M, Sacha Kljestan, 7 -- Hustled up and down the field and made some nifty through passes that sprung fellow attackers. Almost scored a goal of his own had it not been for a wonder save by Guatemalan goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez. Closed out the year with another solid performance.

F, Kenny Cooper, 6 -- Tirelessly chased after the ball as if he was a defensive midfielder. Was also physical in his attempts to recooperate 50/50 balls. Made a good run behind his defender to get onto Altidore's pass for the first goal.

F, Jozy Altidore, 7 -- Had a quiet first half, but a much improved second. A clever stepover allowed him the time and space to released the pinpoint pass that led to Cooper's goal. Was hungry to get a goal of his own but his finishing was off.

Subs:

F, Brian Ching, 6 -- Looked good shielding the ball away from defenders and immediately jumped into the attack.

F, Conor Casey, 5 -- The hometown boy didn't get much of anything going in his 15 minute appearance.

M, Davy Arnaud, NR -- Another cap to his name but did nothing noteworthy during his short stint on the field.

Donovan loaned to Bayern Munich

2008-11-20T12:24:00.005-05:00

Landon Donovan will give Germany another go around.

Donovan, who has been training with Bayern Munich for the past week, has landed a loan deal similar to that of David Beckham's with AC Milan. According to the German club's website, the loan will start on January 1 and run through the middle of March, once MLS kicks off its 2009 season.

However, unlike Beckham's loan, if Donovan impresses, he can be outright bought by the German giants. If that happens you could expect Donovan, 26, to stay until the remainder of the season, if not longer.

"The goal will be to see if we can get him long term, at least until the end of the season," said head coach Juergen Klinsmann to the club's site.

This move will mark Donovan's third stint with a German club, as he had two unsuccesful attempts with Bayer Leverkusen in 2001 and 2004. Will it be third time's a charm, or will it be three strikes and out for the American? Donovan's confident it will be the former.

"As a person and a player, I am completely different now to how I was then, I have matured. I am ready. I believe I can keep up with all the other players, even if I am not the best player here."

Starting XI: Cooper to start

2008-11-19T19:43:00.001-05:00

It appears that hard work and patience really do pay off. Well, as long as your name is Kenny Cooper they do. Bob Bradley's starting eleven has been announced on the U.S. MNT blog for tonight's encounter against Guatemala.

Cooper has been listed as one of those starters and that'll come as joyful news to many U.S. supporters who've been chiming for months that the FC Dallas forward should get some time with the national team.

Here are the rest of the starters:

----------------Ching--------Altidore---------------
Adu-------------------------------------------Kljestan
----------------Mastroeni(c)---Clark----------------
--Bornstein-------Parkhurst----Goodson--------Thorrington
-------------------------Guzan----------------------

It appears I was completely off base with my prediction as Bradley has thrown a curve ball and elected to let Brian Ching start this game on the bench. John Thorrington at right back is also an unforeseen decision. Another interesting tidbit, Adu playing on the left side. Can he handle that position? We'll see. Kickoff is in 15 minutes.

Round 'em up!

2008-11-19T10:45:00.005-05:00

Argentina faces Scotland in Maradona's first match as the albiceleste's coach. It's the final day of the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying for CONCACAF teams (lets not even begin to speculate what would happen if Mexico doesn't qualify). England's injury plagued (and Beckhamless) squad will visit Germany for a friendly. These are just some of the more intriguing stories to follow during today's jam-packed international schedule.

Here's a list of some of today's matchups:

Honduras v Mexico
Jamaica v Canada
United States v Guatemala
Saudi Arabia v South Korea
Greece v Italy (will be shown on ESPN2 at 4:30 pm ET)
Germany v England
Netherlands v Sweden
Scotland v Argentina
Spain v Chile
South Africa v Cameroon
Brazil v Portugal
France v Uruguay
Colombia v Nigeria

Lots of quality games to be played so we should be in for an intriguing day of footy.

Starters vs Guatemala?

2008-11-18T22:59:00.013-05:00

Will fan favorite Kenny Cooper get his first taste of World Cup qualifying tomorrow against Guatemala? Most likely, but it probably won't be as a starter. With the surplus amount of forwards Bob Bradley has brought along for this qualifier, you can expect to see some disappointed fans tomorrow as not all the forwards will see the pitch in Colorado. Will the Cooper supporters go berserk if he doesn't play? You can count on it.

Another main story line to follow is Freddy Adu, who desperately needs to be on the pitch tomorrow. With his Monaco woes fresh in his mind, Adu needs some playing time. This match against a physical Guatemala team can serve as a way for the 19-year-old to not only gain some confidence back, but to also demonstrate to the coaching staff that what's going on in France is an anomaly and that he is ready to handle a bigger role come Hex time.

With that said, here's who I think Bob Bradley will field tomorrow:

----------------Ching--------Altidore---------------
Adu------------------------------------------Thorrington
--------------Kljestan--------Mastroeni---------------
Bornstein-------Gibbs-----------Parkhurst------------Moor
------------------------Guzan--------------------------

Notes:

Don't be too surprised if Sean Franklin gets the nod over Drew Moor at RB, especially if he's impressed during this week's training. But I'd still expect Moor to start.
No Kenny Cooper? Bradley didn't bring the veteran presence of a Brian Ching to be left on the bench. And Josmer Altidore is a no brainer. Cooper will most likely see minutes, but it'll probably be off the bench.
Expect Kljestan to maintain his role as a center midfielder along side Pablo Mastroeni as Bob Bradley saw against T&T that Sacha is not made for the right side, at least not at the international level.
Cory Gibbs and Jonathan Bornstein should make their comebacks to the National Team after lengthy layoffs.
I expect Chicago Fire midfielder John Thorrington to get the start at RM, as the coaching staff looks to add depth to a position that the U.S. needs help with.

Who do you think Bob Bradley will put on the pitch? And in what formation? Share your thoughts below.

Michael Bradley burns Bayern

2008-11-18T01:21:00.006-05:00

Another event I didn't get to touch on during this past weekend (ugh, how I loathe studying) was Michael Bradley's late equalising header that sealed off a late come-from-behind effort as Borussia Monchengladbach earned a crucial 2-2 draw against German powerhouse Bayern Munich.

The late rally began in the 79th minute as Canadian international Rob Friend nodded one home to cut the deficit in half. Two minutes later, it was another CONCACAF representative that scored, as Michael Bradley brought the home crowd to its feet with his clutch header.

Monchengladbach now sits in 14th place, out of the Bundesliga relegation zone (16th-18th) courtesy of the 21-year-old's timely goal. One has got to wonder though, how did American star Landon Donovan feel as he witnessed his international teammate net against the team he is on trial with? Bittersweet? Probably.

Here are all the goals from this weekend's clash. Bradley's starts at the 1:27 mark.

Bradley calls in 20 for final qualifer of 2008

2008-11-17T13:02:00.007-05:00

Freddy Adu is one of the 20 players that Bob Bradley has summoned upon for the United States' final 2008 World Cup qualifier against Guatemala this Wednesday in Commerce City, Colorado.

As expected, Bradley has left most of the European contingent with their clubs and has decided to go with a heavily based domestic side, as 14 of the 20 players are plying their trade in Major League Soccer.

The squad selected also consists of mostly inexperienced players as 13 of the 20 have 10 caps or fewer. But with the Americans already having secured their passage into next year's Hexagonal, this game serves as a way to give those inexperienced guys some minutes against a Guatemalan side that has everything to play for.

“This match gives us an opportunity to test many of our players in what will be a very hard game,” said Bradley. “Guatemala will certainly be pressing for a victory, and we want to end this round on a positive note."

Here's the roster for Wednesday's tilt:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF), Matt Pickens (out of contract)

DEFENDERS (6): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Sean Franklin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Cory Gibbs (Colorado Rapids), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), John Thorrington (Chicago Fire)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire)

Caught up in all of the MLS Final talk as well as the Neven Subotic hoopla yesterday (which got kind of ugly on some parts of cyber space), I didn't get a chance to talk about Bob Bradley's roster, which was released yesterday evening. My take on his player selections are that though this wasn't a predictable bunch, it was quite obvious that he didn't intend on calling up the core group.

With that said, there remains much to play for as far as the Americans are concerned. Guys like fan favorite Kenny Cooper and veteran Pablo Mastroeni will have a chance to show Bradley that they want to be a part of the squad in 2009 and beyond. While the trio of Adu, Sacha Kljestan and Jozy Altidore look to cement their spots with the "A team", other players, like defenders Cory Gibbs and Jonathan Bornstein, look to bounce back and impress after injuries caused them to serve lengthy hiatuses from the squad.

For a game that's so meaningless, it sure should be interesting.

Red Bulls stun Real Salt Lake

2008-11-16T13:17:00.005-05:00

The improbable run continues. The New York Red Bulls have made it to their first MLS Cup Final in the team's 13-year history after defeating Real Salt Lake at the Rio Tinto Stadium last night by the score of 1-0.

Dave Van Den Bergh's easy first half tap-in was the decider in a game that saw Real Salt Lake hit the woodwork on three seperate occasions. Goalkeeper Danny Cepero, who has been lights out thus far in the playoffs, also salvaged the Red Bulls' victory as he made big save after big save, including a left handed swat off a Yura Movsisyan shot in the 71st minute.

Real Salt Lake's lone defensive meltdown in the 28th minute proved to be a season-ending mistake as they couldn't find a response to New York's first half goal. A plethora of missed opportunities paired with Lady Luck's absence saw RSL eliminated in front of their home crowd.

Juan Carlos Osorio's Red Bulls will now look to finish off this magical ride next Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET as they take on the East's top-seeded Columbus Crew at the Home Depot Center.

The Red Bulls will undoubtedly be the underdogs for the championship bout, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

What did you think of last night's match? Is Cepero the MVP of this year's playoffs? Do the Red Bulls have it in them to knock off the Crew? Express your thoughts below.

Preview: New York Red Bulls v Real Salt Lake

2008-11-15T21:11:00.004-05:00

We're just moments away from kickoff and the teams' lineups look like this:

New York Red Bulls

----------------Angel---------Wolyniec---------------
Van Den Bergh-----Ubiparipovic---------Richards
------------------------Sassano---------------------
Goldthwaite----Jimenez----Mendes-------Leitch
------------------------Cepero----------------------

Real Salt Lake

---------------Movsisyan-----------Mathis-------------------
Johnson------------------Morales----------------Kovalenko
--------------------------Beckerman-------------------------
Russell----------Olave--------------Borchers-------Wingert
--------------------------Rimando----------------------------

Keys to the game:

New York Red Bulls: Juan Pablo Angel is the key to the Red Bull's attack, but he needs a supporting cast in order to outdo Real Salt Lake. If Dane Richards can put forth an effort like he did last week against the Houston Dynamo, then you could expect New York to make it the MLS Cup Final.

Real Salt Lake: Danny Cepero has played like a ten year veteran since becoming the starting goalkeeper for the Red Bulls, however he's still inexperienced and I still believe he's prone to making at least one costly "rookie" (inexperienced) mistake in these playoffs. Real Salt Lake have to test him, especially from distance.

Journeyman Dema Kovalenko could also play a vital role for Real Salt Lake in tonight's match as he will go against left back Kevin Goldwaite. This matchup could be key in deciding who advances to the MLS Final next week.

We're minutes away from kick-off so I'll go with the prediction that the New York Red Bulls upset Real Salt Lake 3-2 in extra time

Who do you think will win tonigh's tilt? What will be the key to the game? Predictions on the scoreline? Share your thoughts below.

Not so fast: Subotic saga continues

2008-11-15T15:27:00.005-05:00

If you're an American fan closely keeping tabs on Neven Subotic, then this morning's news that stated that he had declared for the Serbian national team may have left you feeling a little down and out. But U.S. soccer president Sunil Gulati has squashed those reports claiming that Subotic is still undecided.

"We have spoken to Neven's representative and can confirm the story is untrue," Gulati said.

Gulati's words have brought a sigh of relief to many Yanks' fans who we're busy this afternoon expressing their dejection on forums throughout cyber space. So you fans that were so dismal just hours ago can now once again hope that the Borussia Dortmund defender, that net twice today in his team's 4-0 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt, will choose the United States when everything is all said and done.

Here's a lengthy video that shows both of Subotic's goals from today:

Are you jumping for joy now? Back to being optimistic? Or do you still see him going to Serbia eventually? Express your thoughts below.

Subotic selects Serbia

2008-11-15T10:57:00.013-05:00

Add Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic to the list of Giuseppe Rossi, Bakary Soumare and Edgar Castillo as American-eligible players who chose to represent another country. Fox Sports is reporting that Subotic has elected to play for the Serbian national team.

The news comes as a surprise as Subotic had claimed earlier this year that he would not declare for a national team in the immediate future as he wanted to concentrate on his club. Yet it appears that the 6-foot, 4-inch defender has finally come to a decision.

Subotic's lack of interest in playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina paired with FIFA's recent ruling that denied the 19-year-old of the opportunity to play for Germany, left him with two options, the United States or Serbia. He's chosen the latter.

His decision comes as an immense blow to American fans as not only were they enamored by his skill-set, but less than a month ago another towering defender, Chicago Fire's 6'4 Bakary Soumare, opted to pass on the United States and play for Mali.

With two top prospects choosing to play for other countries in the past month, can you really blame the fans for their woes? Perhaps a win over Guatemala in next week's World Cup qualifier will suffice to help the fans recover from this hang over.

What do you think of Subotic's decision? Upset? Was it a foregone conclusion? Share your comments below.

Gaven's glorious goal sinks Fire; Crew to the Finals

2008-11-14T09:51:00.006-05:00

The Columbus Crew were down 1-0 heading into the first half and the Supporters' Shield winner appeared to be at risk of failing to get to the MLS Final yet again. However, two quick second half strikes killed the dreams of the Chicago Fire and their fans as Columbus earned its first ever trip to next Sunday's championship game.

Near the half hour mark, a pass close to the left sideline took a deflection and Cuauhtemoc Blanco intelligently shielded veteran defender Frankie Hejduk off the ball leaving the U.S. national team defender on the ground and seeking a foul. He didn't get the call as the ball rolled out of bounds for a Columbus throw-in.

Blanco then once again outsmarted the American as he threw the ball in quickly to Justin Mapp who had loads of room on the left flank due to Hejduk being caught off guard and out of position. Mapp put in a well-weighted cross that found the head of Brian McBride. The former Columbus Crew player hit the ball with a trademark header and saw the it sail over goalkeeper Will Hesmer for the 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.

But four minutes into the second half, Columbus would find the break they needed as they notched things up.

Eddie Gaven drew a foul from Gonzalo Segares on the right flank and Columbus was awarded a free kick. Guillermo Barros Schelotto curled a beautiful ball into the penalty area that found the towering Chad Marshall. The MLS defender of the year got away from McBride and adjusted to the ball to head home the equalizer.

Six minutes later, Columbus found the go-ahead goal as a set of headers floated over Chicago Fire defenders before landing to Gaven, who would net from 12 yards out.

Gaven made a diagonal run as he received the headed-pass and controlled the ball with his left foot before slotting it past goalkeeper Jon Busch with his right. The midfielder then ran to fans in the stands and let out his emotions as the Crew supporters embraced him for what turned out to be the eventual game-winning goal.

Columbus now has a date with destiny next Sunday as they've punched their first ever trip to the MLS Cup Final. Who they'll play will be determined this Sunday as the New York Red Bulls travel to Utah to take on Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Championship.

What did you think of last night's game? Is it the Crew's year? Were you impressed by Gaven's goal? Share your thoughts below.

MLS Rookie of the Year: Sean Franklin

2008-11-13T16:22:00.002-05:00

Sean Franklin has been named MLS Rookie of the Year. Franklin, who made his debut on April 3, 2008 against the San Jose Earthquakes, was the lone bright spot on a dreadful Los Angeles Galaxy defense that ranked last in the league.

A natural right back, Franklin was asked to man the center of the defense and although he was out of position, Franklin demonstrated he had all the abilities one looks for in a defender. The 23-year-old played in 27 games, while starting in 26 of them.

This week must've been one of his proudest as not only did his play warrant the rookie accolade over New England's Kheli Dube and Houston's Geoff Cameron, but he also was earned a callup from U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley for a training camp ahead of next week's World Cup qualifier against Guatemala.

"It has been a big week, a very exciting week for me and for my family," said the Rookie of the Year. "I'm really excited where I'm at right now."

If Franklin can impress in the training camp, as he has all season long, then expect him to earn his first cap next Wednesday.

What do you think of Franklin winning the ROTY award? Do you think he'll make the gameday roster against Guatemala? Think he'll start? Share your comments below.

Morning Scrimmage: Maradona staying put, Ruud out for the season & more

2008-11-13T09:52:00.005-05:00

Maradona staying put

There have been rumors surfacing that after 10 days of being the man in charge of Argentina, Diego Maradona might call it quits.

The reason for him potentially leaving his post so prematurely is due to conflict with AFA president Julio Grondona, who has prohibited Maradona from hiring former teammate Oscar Ruggeri as an assistant coach. The reason as to why that is has not been revealed, but it appears to be personal.

"It's my problem," Grondona said. "I don't want to talk about this."

Carlos Bilardo, who was appointed technical secretary by Maradona himself, has come out and claimed that the former legend is staying put.

Bilardo stated: "He won't resign."

"I have spoken to Diego and told him he has to go slowly. There are 500 people he can choose to assist him."

Nistelrooy out 6-9 months

Real Madrid striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy's season has come to a close. Nistelrooy travelled to the United States earlier this week and after examination, it was revealed that his knee injury required surgery. According to a statement released by Madrid, the Dutchman will be out six to nine months depending on his recovery.

Nistelrooy's injury may prove to be costly for coach Bernd Schuster as he has found himself on the hot seat due to recent less-than-stellar performances from Los Galacticos. Rumors have been swirling that Schuster could find himself jobless if Madrid fail to beat Real Valladolid this weekend. Even if they do manage to win, losing the former Holland international for the season is not going to help Schuster's cause.

Beckham's Milan arrival delights Ronaldinho

While L.A. Galaxy fans bemoan the departure of David Beckham to Italy in January, someone at AC Milan is eager for his arrival. That someone is Ronaldinho.

"I am very happy to know that he's coming," Ronaldinho told Setanta Sports News.

The Brazilian star, who has netted five times in nine appearances for Milan, admitted that he's had an admiration for the England international's style of play and he believes that Beckham's arrival will benefit the entire squad.

"He's going to help us a lot and I'm looking forward to helping him be the great player he is as well.

"I always like the way he plays. I always admired him and it's very cool to play with important people. It's always very motivating."

When asked if he would let the Spice Boy take set-pieces, Ronaldinho stated that there would be no issue with him stepping aside for Becks.

"That's not a problem, (although) it could be a problem for the team we're playing against. I hope to learn a lot with David Beckham."

Think Maradona could leave so quickly? Is Grondona being immature about the situation? Do you see Schuster getting the axe before seasons-end? Are you as excited as Ronaldinho for Beckham's move to Milan? Share your thoughts below.

Donovan wins 2008 Honda Award

2008-11-12T10:29:00.004-05:00

Though he's training in Germany with Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich, Landon Donovan is still getting recognition here in the United States. The 26-year-old was rewarded as the best American player in 2008 after receiving his record-breaking fifth Honda Player of the Year Award yesterday.

The Los Angeles Galaxy player received 297 points from journalists across the country, ahead of goalkeeper Tim Howard and forward Clint Dempsey who finished with 240 and 176 points respectively. Donovan also captured the Honda Award in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007.

Donovan had himself an impressive year by breaking the national team record for goals (currently 37), as well as leading the MLS in scoring this season (20 goals), yet many fans believed that 2008 was Tim Howard's year. The Everton goalkeeper also had himself a solid year for the National team by posting 5 shutouts in 9 games.

Yet Howard showed no hard feelings on losing out on the award and expressed his utmost respect for the United States all-time leading goal scorer.

“Landon is a presence,” Howard said by phone. “When you line up in the tunnel to go onto the field and you see Landon there, it gives you confidence.”

Donovan not only showed his gratitude for the award and the kind words he received, but he also spoke out on his 10-day training stint with Bayern Munich, expressing that he now has the confidence to compete in Europe.

"I'm a different player than I was then, competing for a spot," Donovan said. "While at the time it seemed like everything was against me, the reality was I just wasn't ready yet. Now I know I'm ready and want the chance to prove myself. In my mind, I just want to know if it's possible."

What is your take on Donovan winning his fifth Honda Award? Surprised that he won? Think Howard or Dempsey should've won it? Express your comments below.

Bradley Summons 19 for a 4-day Training Camp

2008-11-11T15:57:00.006-05:00

Cory Gibbs is just one of the familiar faces that has been called into a four-day training camp by Bob Bradley. The training camp comes in preparation for next week's World Cup qualifier against Guatemala on Nov. 19 in Commerce City, Colorado. The 19-man roster is filled with domestic based players (with three exceptions) and although some players may indeed make the roster for next week's qualifier, expect the majority of the guys to be sent back to their clubs.

Here's the roster:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brian Edwards (Toronto FC), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF), Matt Pickens (out of contract)

DEFENDERS (6): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Sean Franklin (Los Angeles Galaxy), Cory Gibbs (Colorado Rapids), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution)

MIDFIELDERS (5): Colin Clark (Colorado Rapids), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Nick LaBrocca (Colorado Rapids), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids)

FORWARDS (5): Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Chad Barrett (Toronto FC), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas)

What's my take on this mini-camp? I expect less than half of these guys to make the gameday roster and I, like many fans out there, are surprised by the exclusions of Stuart Holden and Marvell Wynne. However, it is nice to see guys like Cory Gibbs, Kenny Cooper and Conor Casey back in the fold. It seems obvious that once the four days pass, we'll see Bob Bradley fill up the remainder of the squad with the Europe based players, like Freddy Adu and Brad Guzan.

What's your take on this four-day training camp? Who are you excited to see? Who do you think should've gotten a call? Who will make the final roster? Share your thoughts below.

Morning Scrimmage: Donovan with Munich, Buffon out until 2009 & More

2008-11-11T08:51:00.007-05:00

Donovan on trial with Bayern Munich

Landon Donovan has pulled a Beckham. Bayern Munich's website reported this morning that the withdrawn striker has flown to Germany and will be on a 10-day trial with the team to keep himself in playing shape.

Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinnsman, who has a home in California, is no stranger to Donovan's skill-set as he pursued the signing of the American during last summer's transfer window. But Donovan was in the midst of the MLS season then, and wasn't as adamant about making a move to Europe as he is now.

This is an interesting development and something to keep close tabs on in the coming weeks.

Buffon's recovery delayed until 2009

Gianluigi Buffon's recovery from a leg muscle injury, suffered on Oct. 5, has been postponed a month. The Juventus goalkeeper was expecting to return to action in December, but further examination of the injury revealed that he needs extra time off.

"It's a little more serious than expected," said the Italian international. "I still have to recover physically, but I should be ready for 2009."

Buffon is now targeting a January 11 return against Siena.

Julio Cruz on the move?

The Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Argentine striker Julio Cruz may be on his way out of Inter Milan sooner than expected. Cruz's contract expires after this current season and it appears that Inter does not seem interested in resigning the 34-year-old striker.

Head coach Jose Mourinho has had issues with Cruz as of late, stating that the forward is not a team player. These words have fueled the rumors that Cruz, who has scored crucial goals in Inter's last two matches, could be leaving Inter during the winter transfer window.

The reports are linking Cruz to either surprisingly struggling AS Roma or Spanish giants, Barcelona. Don't be too surprised if you see the Argentine heavily pursuing a move in January, as he still has dreams of playing for the albiceleste in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Think Donovan's "trial" is more than just a trial? How do you think Juventus will do without Buffon until mid-January? Do you feel that Cruz is a selfish player? Express your feelings in the comment box below.

Red Bulls Devastate Dynamo 3-0

2008-11-10T09:14:00.007-05:00

The New York Red Bulls are headed for the Western Conference Championship after yesterday's 3-0 demolition of the Houston Dynamo. The two-time defending champion Houston Dynamo became the fifth team with the best record in the West to fall in the first round of the playoffs in as many years.

The Red Bulls opened up the scoring midway through the first half as Sinisa Ubiparipovic sent a forward pass to Dane Richards, who took full advantage of the loose marking he was receiving from defender Wade Barrett. As he received the ball, he quickly turned upfield and sped passed Barrett before he blasted a shot into the left side's upper ninety.

New York then found the scoresheet again just nine minutes after their initial goal. In the 36th minute, midfielder Ricardo Clark was called for a hand ball in his area and Juan Pablo Angel rocketed the ensuing penalty kick into the upper left corner giving the Red Bulls an improbable 2-0 lead in Houston.

Juan Carlos Osorio's men would put the nail in the coffin late in the second half. It was just ten minutes away from the final whistle when Richards once again flew by his defender to control the ball just before the touchline. He then placed a firm cross along the ground towards the center of the penalty area and John Wolyiece took care of business as he struck the ball to the back post.

The New York Red Bulls did the unthinkable yesterday by shellacking the Dynamo and they are surprisingly turning their late season adversity into post-season motivation. But Houston did have its fair share of chances in the second half to mount a comeback but to no avail as goalkeeper Danny Cepero made some out of his mind saves to preserve the shutout. The Red Bulls will now have a week to prepare before their clash with Real Salt Lake in this Sunday's Western Conference Final.

Did you see the match? What do you think of the Dynamo's downfall? Think the Red Bulls have what it takes to make it to the MLS Cup Final? Share your thoughts below.

One Step Closer: Crew and RSL Advance

2008-11-09T11:40:00.010-05:00

The Columbus Crew and Real Salt Salt Lake have advanced to the next round of the MLS playoffs after both teams held their own against fiesty opponents. The top-seeded Crew have a date with the Chicago Fire next week after their 2-0 blanketing of the Kansas City Wizards. Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake's 2-2 draw with Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center saw them advance on aggregate (3-2) due to last week's final minute goal.

Sigi Schmid's men drew first blood seven minutes from kickoff against their foes as Brian Carroll's chip pass found forward Brad Evans on a well timed run. Evans' run left him isolated and on a breakaway. He then simply flicked the ball over oncoming Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman to give the Crew an early lead.

The Crew then doubled their lead 50 minutes later with a Robbie Rogers strike. The goal came as Argentine Guillermo Barros Schelotto put a through pass to Alejandro Moreno down the right flank. Moreno jolted forward before laying a cross through the penalty area to find an unmarked Rogers, who easily buried the ball into the back of the net.

Up next for Columbus, a meeting with the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Championship on Thursday at 7:30 PM ET. You can see the game nationwide on ESPN2.

On the West Coast, the game between Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake remained scoreless until the 29th minute when Ante Razov dribbled past a pair of players before being fouled by Javier Morales inside the penalty area. Sacha Kljestan, who has been linked to a European move during the upcoming winter, took the penalty kick and struck the ball cooly into the upper right corner.

Real Salt Lake answered with a goal of their own just ten minutes later. Morales found redemption as he sent a cross from the right side of the pitch to midfielder Dema Kovalenko. The 5-foot, 8-inch player lunged forward and headered the ball just inside the back post.

In the 77th minute, Morales added an insurance goal as he received a ball towards the left edge of the penalty area. He cut in front of his defender before hitting a low curler to the far post past Chivas USA goalkeeper Zach Thornton.

Chivas USA made it interesting once again as they tied the score in the 83rd minute. A through ball from Francisco Mendoza gave second half substitute Justin Braun enough space to strike the ball past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

However, Chivas USA needed another goal to even things up on aggregate and Kljestan's late 15-yard shot almost accomplished that feat but the ball went just inches over the crossbar.

Jason Kreis' team now has time to rest until next Sunday's Western Conference Final. The red and blue army will take on the winner of the series between the Houston Dynamo and the New York Red Bulls, which is 1-1 on aggregate and set to be determined later today.

For now though, both the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake can rest easily as they've both punched their tickets to their Conference Championships and are one step closer to reaching the MLS Cup Final.

Did you watch the games last night? Think RSL has what it takes to make it to the MLS Cup Final? Excited about the Crew's chances against the Fire? Express your comments below.

Saturday Scrimmage: Castillo Recalled, Arsenal Tops Man United & More

2008-11-08T14:49:00.006-05:00

Nery Castillo Returns

Sven-Goran Erikkson has recalled Manchester City forward Nery Castillo to the Mexican national team for a friendly against Ecuador in Phoenix, Arizona next week. You might remember Castillo for his darting run and pinpoint cross that led to Mexico's lone goal in their 2-1 loss against the United States in last year's Gold Cup Final as well as for his tantalising performance in the 2007 Copa America, which was the last time the former Olympiacos player dawned the Mexican jersey.

"I am happy to be again in the national squad and I am also anxious to see my team mates again and work for the challenge," said an elated Castillo.

Nasri Double Topples Manchester United

A pair of Samir Nasri goals aided Arsenal in gaining a crucial victory over Manchester United. In the 22nd minute, a Dimitar Berbatov headed clearance fell to Nasri who attempted a left-footed volley toward goal that deflected off of defender Gary Neville and passed goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

The Frenchman struck again as he scored his fifth goal of the season in the 48th minute. A Cesc Fabregas feed found Nasri wide open and the former Marseille midfielder made no mistake as he hit another past a helpless Van der Sar.

Manchester cut the deficit in half as substitute Rafael volleyed a ball into the net one minute from the final whistle. However, even with a prolonged amount of stoppage time, it was not enough for a miracle comeback and Arsenal came out victorious much to the delight of Arsene Wenger.

MLS Playoffs Continue

Two more MLS teams will secure their berths in the next round of the playoffs today as there are a pair of intriguing matchups listed on today's schedule. The Columbus Crew look to pull out a home victory tonight against a stubborn Kansas City Wizards side that surprisingly kept up with the top-seeded Crew last week. After a 1-1 draw, Sigi Schmid's men must win tonight or else they can expect to feel the wrath of their fans in what would be the start of a long offseason. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM ET.

Chivas USA will also be defending their home-turf tonight at 10:30 PM ET. as they look to bounce back from a 1-0 loss in last week's match against Real Salt Lake. A tie in the Home Depot Center tonight would see Real Salt Lake through on aggregate so expect RSL to come out a bit more passive than usual. Could this be Sacha Kljestan's last game in MLS? It's a possibility but expect him and Chivas USA to put it all on the line tonight.

Who do you think will prevail in tonight's MLS matches? Is Manchester United falling from grace? Happy to see Castillo back with Mexico? Feel free to express your thoughts below.

Fire Torch Revolution 3-0

2008-11-07T09:08:00.006-05:00

They've finally done it. Denis Hamlett's Fire have knocked out the New England Revolution from the MLS play-offs. After three years of futile play-off performances resulting in elimination at the hands of the Revolution each season, Chicago has advanced to the Eastern Conference Championship by winning last night's match in impressive fashion.

"It's a big relief to win this series because they have knocked us out of the playoff so often," coach Hamlett said. "New England has shown a consistency of being a good team, but tonight, our guys showed the will to move on."

But this one sided affair shouldn't have come as much of a surprise at all. During three regular season contests in 2008, the Fire had won all of the bouts by a total score of 9-1. Last night's 3-0 victory was just another impressive win over New England this year.

The scoring started right before the end of the first half as Chris Rolfe pounced on a rebound and struck the ball home in the second minute of injury time.

"I saw Cuauhtemoc (Blanco) sizing up a shot and thought it may have a chance to be deflected off Matt (Reis)," Rolfe said. "The ball came right to me and I was able to score. That goal meant a lot to us because we knew they wanted to keep the game at 0-0. When we attack and we are getting chances, we are a hard team to beat."

The Fire added two second half tallies with goals coming from defenders Wilman Conde in the 49th, and Gonzalo Segares in the 74th. The Revolution searched all of the second half for an answer to the productive offense they encountered but with key players missing, it was too much of a task for Steve Nicol's men.

"The injuries were huge," Nicol stated. "Losing Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman, it's been a struggle, it's been really tough. Plus, Sharlie (Joseph) was off tonight. But you try to stand up and get it done, but it just didn't work out today."

Chicago now has some time to rest as they await the winner of the battle between the Columbus Crew and Curt Onalfo's Kansas City Wizards, who will play the second leg of their series on Saturday.

What did you think of last night's game? Happy to finally see the Fire topple the Revolution? Think it would've been different had New England's trifecta been healthy and ready? Share your thoughts below.

Chad Marshall wins MLS Defender of the Year

2008-11-06T12:49:00.003-05:00

Columbus Crew defender Chad Marshall was crowned the 2008 MLS Defender of the Year. Marshall beat out recent Mali-declared and Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare and Kansas City Wizards captain, Jimmy Conrad.

Marshall made 29 appearance this season for the Crew and he started in each one of them. The former long haired (as seen above) defender also helped the Crew backline concede the third fewest goals this year.

Marshall had himself quite the comeback year after a 2007 season that was riddled with injuries. The 24-year-old scored four goals in 2008 and helped the Crew get to the play-offs in impressive fashion as they won the Supporters' Shield by being the team with the best overall record.

Don't be surprised if you see the 6-foot, 4-inch center back in a U.S. National Team uniform in 2009.

What do you think of Marshall winning the award? Think Soumare or Conrad deserved it more? Think Marshall will put himself on Bob Bradley's radar now for the National team? Share your comments below.

Maradona Appoints Mascherano as Captain

2008-11-05T16:03:00.005-05:00

Diego Maradona has officially begun his term as Argentina head coach by making his first move in appointing midfielder Javier Mascherano as the albiceleste's new captain.

Maradona stated on Tuesday, when he was formally announced as Argentina's new manager, that he would convince the Liverpool midfielder to accept his proposal. Reports then leaked out that the football legend would fly out to England today to speak with Mascherano.

And while Maradona has been outspoken about his choice, the 24-year-old has remained relatively quiet about becoming Argentina's skipper.

"I haven't spoken to Maradona about anything yet. Before he arrived we had a captain in (Javier) Zanetti, so I don't want to talk about this out of respect for him," said Mascherano.

However, Mascherano did confirm that a conference between he and Maradona must occur before anything is finalized.

"But I have to have a meeting with Maradona and then we will talk."

What do you think of Mascherano being appointed skipper of the albiceleste? Think he's a good choice? Who would you have chosen? Share your thoughts below.

Barack Obama Elected President of the U.S.

2008-11-05T00:01:00.006-05:00

I know this is a soccer blog, but with the key word being blog, I decided to post some off-topic yet enormous news.

After one of the most followed elections in recent memory, Illinois senator Barack Obama has been named the 44th President of the United States of America defeating Arizona senator John McCain. Obama will be taking charge of the Oval Office for his four year term starting on January 20, 2009.

Whether you voted for Obama or not, you can't deny the fact that this evening's election was history in the making. The next four years will be very interesting for this country and you're more than welcome to discuss your views on this historic election in the comment box below.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled soccer programing!

Bakary Soumare Elects Mali

2008-11-04T18:30:00.007-05:00

A few months ago, Chicago Fire defender Bakary Soumare was eagerly preparing to complete the final stages of receiving his citizenship in the United States. Soumare wanted to give back to the country that gave him so much by playing for the U.S. Men's National Team. Yet all those plans changed once he received the heart breaking news that it would take at a minimum, two more years before he'd become an American citizen. That wait was too long for Soumare as he opted to play for Mali's national team.

"Sometimes things don't go the way you want them to go," Soumare told Soccernet.com. "In a perfect world I would be playing for the U.S. national team. Everything I am as a person and as a soccer player has been helped by America so I wanted to give back.

"That said, I'm also excited to be playing for Mali," Soumare added. "My father is very excited, my family back home is very excited. Either way I was going, there were going to be people would be disappointed."

People who are clearly disappointed by this decision are American fans who were delighted weeks ago when Soumare publicly voiced his aspiration of playing for the stars and stripes. It's evident that the Mali native had America as his first choice, but he admitted that the only reason he expressed his feelings publicly was because of incorrect information that he received.

"It seemed like there were ways to get that process expedited so I thought to myself, 'if it takes a year then why not [talk about it],'" Soumare stated. "I know that I've done my best to be a part of the team here in the United States, I did my homework and everything I could on my end, but it just couldn't happen."

It appears that the 2008 MLS defender of the year finalist saw the opportunity to improve his game and ran with it.

“I just had to ask myself, ‘Do I really want to wait two and a half years to start playing national team soccer’,” Soumare told SoccerbyIves.net. “Knowing that Mali has a good shot at (the 2010 World Cup), and knowing all the chances I could have playing for Mali, I decided to go for it.”

Those chances include World Cup qualifiers, and the African Cup of Nations in 2009. That was too much football to pass up on for the 22-year-old.

“Those are a lot of games,” Soumare said. “We are talking about two years worth of soccer games that can help my development as a soccer player, playing in a top international environment and in big competitions.”

It is believed that Mali would be calling up the MLS defender for a friendly on November 19th against Algeria in Paris. Soumare expects to be included in the roster for that game and MLS has no way of vetoing that as the game falls on a FIFA date. However, Soumare expects that something can be worked out between Mali and the Chicago Fire if the Fire make it to the MLS Cup Final on November 23rd.

If Soumare does receive a callup he will join a roster that includes the likes of Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid), Frederick Kanoute (Sevilla), Seydou Keita (Barcelona) and Mohamed Sissoko (Juventus).

Mali has talent but must finish first in their World Cup qualifying group that includes Ghana, Benin and Sudan in order to qualify for South Africa 2010. Soumare looks to assist Mali in their efforts to accomplishing that goal.

What do you think of Soumare's decision? Disappointed? Think he'll aid Mali in their quest to qualify for the World Cup? Share your thoughts below.

American Altidore Nets First La Liga Goal

2008-11-03T13:32:00.006-05:00

Jozy Altidore has done it. He has become the first American to net a goal in La Liga. His 90th minute strike came seconds after he stepped onto the pitch as a late game substitute for Joseba Llorente.

The record-breaking goal against Athletic Bilbao was not only his first official goal with Villarreal but the splendid strike made him the first American to score in Spain's first division and came just five days before his 19th birthday.

Although Altidore's teammate, New Jersey born Guiseppe Rossi has scored for Villarreal, he represents the Italian National Team at the International level thus making Altidore the first American to net in La Liga.

What do you think of Altidore becoming the first American to score in La Liga? Will this get him more looks with Villarreal? Think Josmer will send Santi Cazorla some flowers for that picture-perfect pass? Share your thoughts below.

MLS Play-off Rewind

2008-11-02T06:53:00.008-05:00

Well the first legs of the 2008 MLS Play-off series have come to a close. Every team is in a good position to have a realstic shot of advancement heading into this week's second leg matches. The teams to advance are the ones with the higher score on aggregate.

So far the defenses have dominated, with the total amount of goals scored in the four matches at a minimal five. Here's a recap of the four games that took place in the past three days and what to look forward to this week:

Chicago Fire v New England Revolution (0-0)

A scoreless draw at home is never a good thing, especially when you're in a play-off series against a hot Chicago Fire team. Yet the New England Revolution put themselves in that situation with their performance in Thursday night's match. The Fire, who also struggled to get much going offensively in this physical encounter, still have room for optimism. A win at home this Thursday against this bruised and battered Revolution team would see Chicago finally exercise their New England demons after being eliminated by them in each of the past three seasons. The game can be seen live nationwide on ESPN2 at 8:30 PM.

Houston Dynamo v New York Red Bulls (1-1)

The Red Bulls were five minutes away from winning the game on Saturday night which would've really boosted the team's morale given all of the tough circumstances they've encountered in recent weeks. Heading into the second leg with a 1-0 aggregate score against a heavily-favoured Houston side would've been ideal, but Kei Kamara would not allow it. His 85th minute equaliser silenced the home crowd and salvaged a 1-1 draw for the Dynamo.

With everything to play for next Sunday, expect an intense game in Houston, where the two-time defending champs only lost once all season long. New York on the contrary only managed to win one road game this year and that sounds like recipe for disaster if you're a Red Bulls fan. But don't be surprised if New York comes out swinging with full force as they know that they were minutes away from beating Houston last night.

Chivas USA v Real Salt Lake (1-0)

You can thank Real Salt Lake forward Yura Movsisyan for ruining what would've been a first round full of draws due to his game winning goal in the 90th minute. In all seriousness, his late game heroics have come in handy once again, as last week's late equalizer gave RSL their first play-off berth in franchise history.

Movsisyan's clever backheel has left fans raving, while Chivas USA needs to find a way to overcome the 1-0 aggregate. If they put forth an offensive performance as feeble as last night's, then you can stick a fork in them. Three shots (one shot on target) is not enough for a team to compete in the play-offs. The positive for Chivas USA is that they'll be at home for next Saturday's encounter.

Columbus Crew v Kansas City Wizards (1-1)

In the 52nd minute, Claudio "El Piojo" Lopez put in a beauty of a cross that found the head of a diving Davy Arnaud to give Kansas City an unlikely lead against the best team in the MLS. It appeared that the Wizards were on the verge of doing the impossible, but the Crew were resilient and equalized against a 10-man Kansas City side with a 92nd minute goal by Steven Lenhart, who had come off the bench nine minutes prior to his salvaging strike.

The Supporters' Shield winners are now going to fly back to Columbus in preparation for next Saturday's match where the Wizards will be without Herculez Gomez, as he was given a straight red card for a two-footed challenge in the 75th minute. The Wizards may be distraught after conceding the late goal but with all to play for this coming weekend, they'll need focus once again if they want to beat the best team in the MLS.

Which games did you see this weekend? Why do you think all the games were so close? Expect them to be as close in the second legs? Share your thoughts below.

Tevez Insists on Man. U

2008-11-01T11:03:00.005-04:00

When the name Carlos Tevez pops up into your head, one of the things you don't dare associate with the young Argentinian striker is the bench. Yet unfortunately for him, that's what he's reverted to this season for Manchester United.

After being a key figure in United's run to the Champions League & Premiership League Title double, the off-season acquisition of Dimitar Berbatov and the stellar form Wayne Rooney has been in has benched the 24-year-old Argentinian.

Even though Tevez is on a two-year loan from West Ham United which expires next summer, he believes United is the place for him.

"This club have the most talented forward line in England and the manager has decided that we cannot all play in the team at the same time," said the former Boca Juniors standout to the Daily Mail, "I want to play more and the coach knows this."

Even though he longs for more playing time, Tevez insists he has no problem patiently waiting for his turn to come.

"But I have no problem with (Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson). We have spoken. There is no way I would want to leave this club. I insist I am calm."

If Tevez continues to start games on the bench, we'll see if his patience with Manchester United has its limits, especially with him knowing that Diego Maradona, the football legend turned Argentina coach, is scouting players for his player pool. Being on the bench would not make the best impression.

What do you think of Tevez's situation? Think he should leave Manchester United once his loan is over? Where do you think he would be a good fit? Share your comments below.

Galaxy Expect Donovan to Play in 2009

2008-10-31T19:03:00.006-04:00

If you think Landon Donovan will undoubtedly be playing his club football in Europe next year, then think again. According to reports, the Los Angeles Galaxy are expecting the all-time leading goal-scorer for the United States, to be apart of their 2009 campaign.

"We certainly desire, want and demand that (Donovan and David Beckham) going to be playing with us in March" said L.A. Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, who also coached Landon Donovan during the initial years of Donovan's career with the U.S. Men's National Team.

It could be that the club is just doing its job by saying all the right things, but what if they're sincere in their approach to making sure the 26-year-old stays put? Well then we'd be in for quite the battle in the next coming months as Donovan would do everything in his power to persuade the L.A. front office to sell him abroad.

Though the former Galaxy captain has stated there's no problem in staying with MLS, he's vigorously expressed his desire to make the move now while he's entering his prime years. But would the Galaxy really want an unpleased Donovan on their roster? One would think not, especially after he's brought the team four solid seasons as well as an MLS trophy. Add in the fact that the cap space he'd free up would allow for a substantial amount of money to be used for other positional upgrades and Donovan's got himself quite a case.

Yet Arena is still a firm believer that the talented attacker is not going anywhere.

"I believe that Landon Donovan is going to be playing with the LA Galaxy in March,"

It's going to be an intriguing off-season for Landon Donovan and the Galaxy.

What do you think of the Galaxy's desire to keep Donovan? Do you believe they should just sell him if he wants to go? What would be best for Landon? Share your thoughts below.

MLS Playoff Predictions

2008-10-30T14:57:00.005-04:00

With the MLS play-offs kicking off in just a mere four and a half hours, it's time for me to make my predictions on who will head to the MLS Cup Finals and who will be the initial team to boast the brand-new lustering MLS Cup in their trophy case.

(Note: This is just what I think based on match-ups, team play, individual players' form and circumstances.)

New England Revolution v Chicago Fire

New England would usually be the favorites, but with the injury bug biting them at the worst time of the year I see Brian McBride and the Fire stunning the Revolution and making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Columbus Crew v Kansas City Wizards

Is there anyone outside of Kansas City who believes the Wizards can upset the forcible Crew? Didn't think so. Columbus has simply been outstanding this year on the way to MLS' best record
for 2008. With veteran and captain Frankie Hejduk, young stud Robbie Rogers, and the sensational Guillermo Barros Schelotto leading the charge, I don't see any manner in which the Wizards have a chance at advancing.

Houston Dynamo v New York Red Bulls

Call me crazy, but even with all the talent that Houston has at its disposal, I see Juan Carlos Osorio's men overcoming all the adversity they've faced in recent weeks and upsetting the reigning MLS Champions. I think former Colombian National Team standout Juan Pablo Angel is going to have himself quite the play-off series against the Dynamo.

Chivas USA v Real Salt Lake

Both teams are a pretty even match up with both sides scoring the same amount of goals (40) this season and this match-up could go either way especially if Clint Mathis can showcase his talents. However, there's one element in which I see pushing Chivas USA to the next round.

That element is Sacha Kljestan. While he's had himself a solid year with his club, Kljestan has also become a fixture with the United States National Team and has received invaluable big game experience from his matches in the Olympics and World Cup Qualifiers. I can see him being the x-factor against Real Salt Lake.

Eastern Conference Championship: Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire

What a match-up this would be, the top two seeds in the East fighting to represent in the MLS Cup Finals. Though I see the Fire coming close, I can't envision Columbus falling to Chicago. The Crew are simply too talented for any team in the East to match up against. I see central defender Chad Marshall shutting down Brian McBride and though Cuahtemoc Blanco is playing some inspired football, I don't think he'll be able to do it alone against a side with so much depth, they would make the Deep Ocean jealous.

Western Conference Championship: Chivas USA v New York Red Bulls

Though I see the Red Bulls pulling off a massive upset over the Dynamo, I don't see lightning striking twice for the New York based squad. Juan Pablo Angel will be key, but I have a feeling that Chivas USA will give him fits thus rendering the Red Bulls' offense helpless. Expect Chivas in the finals.

2008 MLS Cup: Columbus Crew v Chivas USA

In a final that would surely be intriguing based on talent and style of play, I would expect nothing more than a good old fashioned scorefest with both teams scoring multiple goals. Both teams have enough fire power to make this match very entertaining and easy on the eyes.

But with that said, though I believe Chivas are destined to make a big run behind Sacha Kljestan's efforts, it just appears to be the Crew's year. I see Sigi Schmid's Columbus Crew coming out victorious and raising the 2008 MLS Cup when everything is all said and done.

(My Predicted) 2008 MLS Cup Winner: Columbus Crew

What do you think of my predictions? Where you do agree? Disagree? Who do you see winning it all? Share your thoughts below.

Officially Official

2008-10-30T11:50:00.006-04:00

After a week of never-ending news, it has been finally made official that David Beckham will be heading to Italy to play for AC Milan on a two month loan.

It's time to bid farewell to Beckham (at least for now) as he will be joining the likes of Ronaldinho, Kaka and Andrea Pirlo on a team that has an abundance of talent, especially in the midfield. There is no guarantee that he will play, much less start.

''He will train with the other Milan players and the selection will be up to the coaches.'' remarked Milan director Umberto Gandini.

Speculation has begun on whether or not Beckham could be leaving MLS permanently, but everyone involved in this move has declared those rumos as false, stating that he is focused on the 2009 MLS Season and aiding the Galaxy in having a successful season.

The Posh Boy's loan begins on January 7th but Becks will reportedly be back by the start of the MLS season.

''Next season is an important one for the Galaxy,'' Beckham claimed. ''We haven't been in the play-offs for three years now and for a team like LA Galaxy we all know that isn't good enough."

Hopefully for MLS' sake, Beckham stays true to his word and returns in March.

Happy the move finally took place? Think Bruce Arena is steaming over this move? Will Beckham have a successful stint with Milan? Ready to order a Beckham-Milan jersey? Share your comments below.

Ronaldo Returning to Brazil

2008-10-29T11:19:00.006-04:00

Ronaldo, the Brazilian legend that shined as one of the best players in his generation, has called it quits in terms of European football and expects to return to his native homeland to play for Flamengo as he finishes the final stages of recovery from his latest injury.

"I've been in Europe for 16 years. Flamengo are my favourite," said the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year "But I don't want to play there as a favour. I want to deserve to play there.''

Ronaldo, who has been training and rehabbing with Flamengo since becoming a free agent, also stated that he is considering retirement if he cannot return to top playing shape.

He added: "If I think I am not fine, I will retire. It's useless if you are physically fit but you are not fast. I already lost some weight but I must lose more.''

Rumors have been swirling on whether or not an MLS side could possibly offer the all-time leading World Cup goal scorer a contract, but it appears that Ronaldo will stay put in Brazil, where he will stay close enough to home to perhaps warrant a national team call-up.

''I am a wounded soldier who is recovering, but not dead. The national team is part of my life. I have big history with it, with a number of titles and defeats. I am making a big sacrifice and I do dream of the national team.''

The clock is working against Ronaldo, so for him to give it one more go he's going to have to make a full recovery, and do so expeditiously.

Do you think Ronaldo is finished? Do you ever see him playing for the National Team again? Think an MLS side should attempt to snatch up his services before Flamengo makes him one of their own? Share your comments below.

Maradona Hired as Argentina Manager

2008-10-28T16:11:00.004-04:00

Did your jaw hit the floor earlier today when you heard the news of Diego Maradona being hired as the new Argentina manager? Mine did. I knew it was a possibility that the football legend could land the vacant Argentina position, but I didn't see him realistically being hired.

Well I, like many, were stunned today as reports leaked out that Maradona had come out of a meeting with Argentinian Football Association president Julio Grondona. The meeting confirmed that Maradona would be the new man in charge of the albiceleste.

"I'm putting everything aside for this," said Maradona "There is nothing that can make me look past the national team. Today my path is the national team, my task is to talk to the players and build a solid group. I am sure the guys and Argentinian football will pull through."

The 47-year-old also appointed Carlos Bilardo as director of football. Bilardo was the head coach of the Argentina side that Maradona was on when they found World Cup glory in 1986.

"I am going to listen to everything Bilardo has to say. He is going to help me as we can't leave someone with the success, experience and knowledge he brings on the sidelines." said the former Napoli star.

The player with the infamous Hand of God's first task will be to watch the players as often as possible before establishing his player pool in the build-up to his first match in charge of the albiceleste, which will be a friendly with France on February 11th. Argentina will resume their World Cup Qualifying campaign in March and are sitting in third place, seven points behind leaders Paraguay with eight games to play.

Some Argentinian fans may be skeptical of the hiring due to his lack of experience at the coaching level, but Diego Maradona wants nothing more than to help Argentina achieve World Cup glory, just as he did in 1986.

"I think we must make the players understand that our shirt is the most important thing, that they cannot exchange money for glory. Glory is much more than money. I know they know that, but we must make them remember that every day."

What do you think of Maradona as the man in charge of the albiceleste? Will he be a good coach despite his lack of experience? Think bringing Bilardo along for the ride is a good choice? Who would you have hired if not Maradona? Share your thoughts below.

Ronaldo Wins FifPro Award

2008-10-27T15:53:00.002-04:00

Breaking News: Cristiano Ronaldo is the best footballer on the face of the planet. Well at least if you consider winning the FifPro Award to give a player that distinct honor. Ronaldo was given the award after a year that saw him win the double with Manchester United, and also saw him lead the Premiership in goals scored.

"I would like to thank my teammates and coaches and everyone involved at Man United and the national team, as well as my family and friends for their support," Ronaldo said. "Thank you also to FIFPro for this award and for your work in protecting the interests and welfare of players around the world."

Ronaldo's 42 goals in the English Premier League will most likely see him win the Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award as this year comes to a close, but that isn't too shocking. However, the Portugal winger did make one surprising comment.

''I insist that I am a Manchester United player and now I think that next year I will continue here,''

After a summer full of turmoil between Ronaldo and Manchester United, the 2007-2008 Golden Boot winner appears to have Deja Vu as he has completely forgotten of his fierce desire to play for Real Madrid.

''But what happened in the summer is finished. Now my head is on the club. My focus is solely on playing well for Manchester United and winning the Premier League and Champions League again.''

Something tells me the former Pro Evolution Soccer cover boy is not being entirely honest, but regardless, if Ronaldo can manage to duplicate last season's accomplishments, then he'd undoubtedly be considered for the FifPro award again next year. A big question remains however; would he receive the award as a Manchester United standout or a Real Madrid star? Only he knows what his mind is set on and for now he's satisfied being named the #1 footballer on the planet.

"'I am still young and if I am being honest, I did not think I would reach this level so quickly."

Happy Cristiano was awarded the FifPro award? Or should someone else have won it? Think he's telling the truth when he says that he'll be at Old Trafford next season or is he just trying to make up for his semi-tarnished image? Share your thoughts below.

Donovan Done in MLS?

2008-10-26T20:03:00.004-04:00

Has Landon Donovan played his final match in MLS? Maybe not, but today's 2-2 draw against FC Dallas will probably be Donovan's last game in Major League Soccer for quite some time. Donovan has made it abundantly clear that he wants to make the move to Europe during this winter's transfer window.

Departing from the Galaxy means that the 26-year-old believes he has accomplished all he could in MLS and that he needs to make a move to Europe while he enters the prime years of his career to become the best player possible. A move to the Premiership or to Spain's La Liga seem to fit him best, but don't count out another attempt at playing in Germany as Bayern Munich have shown interest in the Galaxy star since this past summer.

"'I'm ready and I wasn't ready before in any way or capacity," said the all-time leading goal scorer for the U.S. about his previously troubled European stints, "I'm ready and I want to make the most of that. I've only got one career and I want to make sure that I give myself a chance.''

All of his critics will now be keeping a watchful eye on him to see if he will be as unsuccessful as he was with Bayer Leverkusen before signing with Los Angeles in 2005. But the Galaxy forward is ready to prove his critics wrong.

''Competitively I have that itch and I want to go and I will make that very clear to people,"

The 2008 MLS Golden Boot winner sounds hungrier than ever to push himself to the limit.

What do you think of Donovan giving Europe another shot? Should he just stay in MLS? What league/team do you think would fit him best? Share your comments below.

Seattle to Sign Freddie Ljunberg?

2008-10-25T19:01:00.007-04:00

According to a Swedish newspaper, the Seattle Sounders are preparing to announce the signing of former Sweden international Freddie Ljungberg.

Rumors had been swirling around the Internet for a couple of weeks about Ljunberg heading to Seattle to play for the newest MLS side in 2009. The former Arsenal and West Ham midfielder, who is currently clubless, is reported to complete a deal later this week that will see him become the Sounders' designated player.

If the Ljunberg rumors are indeed true - and they appear to be with each passing day - then he will join midfielder Sanna Nyassi, forward Sebastien le Toux and former U.S. national team goalkeeper Kasey Keller as the first players on the Sounders' squad.

Seattle starts their 2009 campaign in March.

What do you think of Ljunberg to Seattle? Smart move by both sides? At 31-years-old is he worth a DP slot? Will Seattle be the worst team in MLS in 2009? Share your thoughts below.

Fire Dominate Red Bulls 5-2

2008-10-24T00:33:00.008-04:00

A Chris Rolfe hat trick was all that was needed against the New York Red Bulls for a victory on Thursday night, but the Chicago Fire forward also set up two more goals in what was one of, if not, his best performance of the year as the Fire beat up on the Red Bulls 5-2.

Rolfe's inspired performance started in the 11th minute as he headed the ball into the open net from close range with nobody marking him. His seventh goal of the season was followed up by two more first half goals, the second of which was a splendid volley, and he then capped off the night with two second half assists.

"It's the first time I have had a hat trick since, I don't know, college or high school," said the Man of the Match. "It feels great. It was just one of those nights."

Last night's loss automatically forces the Red Bulls to become die-hard Colombus Crew supporters. A win or a tie by the Crew over D.C. United this weekend sees the Red Bulls advance to the play-offs, while a win by D.C. would mean the end of New York's post season dreams.

"Collectively, except for one or two players, everybody else should be very ashamed of how we played," said Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio. "To be honest, as it is right now, I have a big question mark about whether we deserve to be in the play-offs."

Regardless of his post-game sentiments, Osorio wants to extend this year and make it into the post season, but his team must now sit anxiously and hope that the Columbus team, which has already secured its Eastern Conference play-off spot, can manage at least one point against a D.C. United side that will be fighting for their play-off lives.

Osorio may not have admit it, but at this point, that's all that matters to him.

What did you think of last night's game? What about Rolfe's jaw-dropping performance? Will D.C. United beat Columbus this weekend? Share your comments below.

Chicago Fire v New York Red Bulls

2008-10-23T12:20:00.012-04:00

The 2009 MLS regular season initiates its final week with an entertaining yet interesting match-up tonight. The Chicago Fire, looking to secure their spot as the #2 seed in the East, will be hosting the troubled New York Red Bulls, who have just started to recover from the hang over that was last week when lengthy suspensions were issued to goalkeeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke for taking banned substances.

The Red Bulls can secure their position in the play-offs with a victory tonight, and head coach Juan Carlos Osorio would love for nothing more than to get to the postseason by defeating his former team. However, the opposite also holds true as the die-hard Chicago fans would be pleased with derailing New York's play-off aspirations.

Tonight's match can be seen nationwide on ESPN2 at 9:00 PM eastern. The windy city is the venue for this evening's bout and the Fire should expect to have a rowdy crowd in attendance. Can Osorio's Red Bulls overcome all the adversity they're facing and secure their play-off spot or will Chicago ruin their dreams with a win at home? Tune into ESPN2 tonight and find out.

Who do you think will come out on top tonight? Any key match-ups your looking forward to? What's your prediction for tonight's match? Share your thoughts below.

UEFA Champions League: Matchday 3 Results

2008-10-22T21:44:00.003-04:00

Well Matchday 3 has come to a close and there were some very entertaining games on display. We witnessed some impressive team play as well as incredible individual efforts. All in all, it was a good two days of football action.

If you missed any of the matches or didn't get to catch some of the final scores, here are the results from Matchday 3:

Group A

Chelsea 1-0 AS Roma
Bordeaux 1-0 CFR Cluj

Group B

Inter Milan 1-0 Anorthosis Famagusta
Panathinaikos 2-2 Werder Bremen

Group C

FC Basel 0-5 Barcelona
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 Sporting Lisbon

Group D

PSV Eindhoven 2-0 Olympic Marseille
Atletico Madrid 1-1 Liverpool

Group E

Manchester United 3-0 Celtic
Villarreal 6-3 AaB Aalborg

Group F

Bayern Munchen 3-0 Fiorentina
Steaua Bucharest 3-5 Olympic Lyon

Group G

FC Porto 1-0 Dynamo Kiev
Fenerbahce 2-5 Arsenal

Group H

Zenit St. Petersburg 1-1 BATE
Juventus 2-1 Real Madrid

Which games did you get to watch? How did your favorite club team do? Which goal scored was your favorite for Matchday 3? Share your comments below.

Eriksson on the Hot Seat in Mexico?

2008-10-21T13:58:00.004-04:00

Could Sven-Goran Erikkson really be on his way out of Mexico already? It's a possibility.

According to the secretary general of the Mexican Football Federation, the Swedish-born manager's future will be decided after Mexico's World Cup qualifier against Honduras. Mexico needs at least one point against the Catrachos to secure their spot in the final round of World Cup qualifying for CONCACAF in 2009.

"There is full support for this process of the national team and we'll meet again after this round of the qualifiers" said secretary general Decio de Maria.

El Tri opened up this round of qualifying with three home victories but failed to win either of their last two road qualifiers as they lost to Jamaica 1-0 and had to come from behind twice to draw with Canada 2-2.

It's simple for Mexico, a draw or a win and they're through to the Hexagonal. Either result will be enough to satisfy their rabid fan base, but a loss could end their World Cup dreams prematurely.

Sure the men in charge will review Eriksson's first six months as Mexico's manager regardless of the result, but I just don't see how the FMF goes searching for their third coach in as many years unless the Mexicans fail to get out of this semifinal round, which is possible but improbable.

What is your take on Eriksson's results so far with the National Team? Is he to blame for the situation they're in? Even with a win, could you see Eriksson getting the axe? Share your thoughts below.

Beckham to Train with AC Milan

2008-10-20T10:21:00.007-04:00

Updating previous reports, it appears that David Beckham will indeed train with a European team this winter. However, it won't be with an English club. Reports have come out stating that the MLS poster boy will be heading to Italy to train with AC Milan.

"If Beckham would like to train with us, there wouldn’t be a problem for me,” said Milan's Head Coach Carlos Ancelotti, who also admit to the team being in the running for Becks' services when he was set to leave Real Madrid two summers ago. But the Los Angeles Galaxy were also interested in Beckham and offered him a lucrative deal that he couldn't refuse as he put pen to paper for the MLS side instead of the Italian heavyweights.

The Galaxy wraps up its 2008 season this weekend and the former England captain should head out for Italy not too long after the season finale. With Beckham leaving to train with Milan, could a potential loan work itself out? One would think so, especially with England Manager Fabio Capello asking for first team minutes from his players.

How do you feel about Beckham training with AC Milan? Do you see a loan in the works? If so, how would a Ronaldinho-Kaka-Beckham-Pirlo midfield pan out? Share your comments below.

Becks Eyeing Premiership Loan?

2008-10-19T10:32:00.002-04:00

David Beckham could be heading back to England to play his club ball, but only temporarily. The Spice Boy's LA Galaxy have been eliminated from play-off contention after last night's 3-0 defeat to the Houston Dynamo. Becks will be heading into another long offseason, one which England Manager Fabio Capello is not too fond of.

"For the next game Beckham can play. Whether he will play, I don't know. But for the game against Spain he won't play. He will not be in the squad." said the Three Lions manager.

Beckham is hoping to find a loan move during the MLS offseason in an effort to stay in playing shape while also maintaining himself in Capello's good graces. With Beckham only being a role player for England, he is expendable, at least in Capello's eyes.

For the former England skipper to prolong his career with the one time World Cup Champions, he's going to need to make the move to Europe soon, especially if he wants to earn that coveted 108th cap.

How do you feel about Beckham's situation? Think Capello is doing the right thing? What team would you like to see Becks loaned out to? Share your thoughts below.

Caught in the Middle

2008-10-18T15:11:00.018-04:00

It's been difficult for the U.S. to replace the midfield tandem of Claudio Reyna and John O'Brien since their retirements from the International game following the 2006 World Cup. Their departures left two vacant spots in the center of the pitch.

2007 rolls around and in comes new head coach Bob Bradley, who has quite the task at hand as he has to attempt to rebuild a team that has lost key veterans, including the pair of talented center mids that retired the previous summer.

Bradley introduced a plethora of youngsters who had talent but lacked experience. Two faces emerged during the opening months of 2007 in the mold of Brazilian-born Benny Feilhaber and Bradley's son, 20-year-old Michael Bradley.

Both players were asked to take on key roles but the dynamic duo was up for the challenge. Michael Bradley showed outstanding hustle and great defensive efforts as he would run all over the pitch to break up plays while Feilhaber was more attack oriented in his game, setting up teammates with pinpoint passes and scoring goals with a touch that isn't often seen for the United States. The two midfielders secured their starting spots and aided the team in their run to Gold Cup glory in June of 2007. The sky was the limit.

Since then however, it's been a different story as the two promising youngsters have gone down two completely different roads. While Bradley progressed as a solid midfield candidate for both country and club, Feilhaber fell on hard times that he has yet to come out of.

Due to Feilhaber's fall from grace, Bob Bradley has looked for other potential candidates to start next to his son, who has become a mainstay with the squad due to his willingness to defend as well as his ability to jump into the attack. While some players have shown glimpses of skill, they've also made errors that can't be afforded at the top level if the United States wants to be competitive.

With no clear cut winner and more midfielders rising their stock at the club level, it looks to be a pretty intense race as the American center mids all battle it out for the remaining starting spot. Here's a look at the players vying for that starting central midfield position and the order in which is most probable that you'll see them starting along side Bradley in 2010:

7) Ricardo Clark - Has looked less than impressive in his latest stints with the National Team. Looked to be a top of Bob Bradley's list until the end of 2007, when Maurice Edu was introduced to the senior squad. Clark still has the potential but he needs to make a move abroad to really improve his game.

6) Pablo Mastroeni - Some say he's too old to be considered but with him likely making a move to Spain or Italy this January, some European seasoning can't hurt his chances. There's a real possibility that a 33-year-old Mastroeni could still get the nod in 2010.

5) Benny Feilhaber - The player who looked so prepared to fill in the big shoes left by Claudio Reyna has fallen on tough times. Injuries, limited playing time and coaching changes have all affected Benny's career for the worse. If he can somehow get through all the adversity and get back to the player he was in the summer of 2007, then he can't be denied of a starting spot as he has the tools to add a different element to the American attack which makes him a unique asset. But asking him to do that is a pretty tall order.

4) Danny Szetela - At the moment, he's one of the few younger midfielders actually seeing playing time with his club. He has become a regular for Brescia Calcio and his chemistry with Michael Bradley is well documented as the Americans made an impressive run to the quarterfinals in the 2007 U-20 FIFA World Cup with both Danny and Michael manning the center of the field. Szetela deserves more looks and he may get them once 2009 rolls around.

3) Jose Francisco Torres - By deciding to play for the U.S. just a couple of weeks ago, Torres has already shown in two caps what has made him such a hot commodity at Pachuca. Torres has a strong set of attributes such as a good first touch, long range shooting and a vision that most other American central midfielders don't possess. 2009 will be a big year for him.

2) Maurice Edu - His last two efforts left for much to be desired, but one can't deny that he has all the physical attributes to be a successful midfielder for the United States. Mo needs to see time with Rangers and work vigorously on his passing, but if he can accomplish that, then a starting role awaits him.

1) Sacha Kljestan - 2008 was Sacha's coming out party. From his incredible goal against the Netherlands in this summer's Olympics, to his pair of assists against Cuba in a World Cup Qualifier, Kljestan looks poised to take control of the vacant center midfield position. Needs to work on not giving the ball away so easily but that'll come as he's destined to make a move to Europe during this winter's transfer window. Heading into 2009, it's Sacha's position to lose.

Argentina Coach Basile Resigns

2008-10-17T16:13:00.007-04:00

Argentina head coach Alfio Basile has called it quits. Wednesday's loss to Chile capped off what was an uneventful second stint for Basile as the man in charge of the albiceleste.

The two time World Cup champions have only managed to win one World Cup Qualifier this year and that was during this past weekend when the Argentines took on Uruguay, beating them 2-1. Before that victory however, four consecutive draws this year had fans questioning the coach's decisions.

But Basile hasn't left the team in shambles, as they're currently sitting in third place of the CONMEBOL standings. While they appear to be a lock for the 2010 World Cup, being in third place is unacceptable for the Argentines. Only first place matters, at least to the Argentine fans. A prime example of this was when Basile took heavy criticism after becoming runners-up in the 2007 Copa America Final, as Argentina was demolished by arch-rivals Brazil 3-0. His resignation has left the team coachless.

The AFA has three possible candidates they're looking at to possibly hire as Basile's successor before Argentina resumes World Cup Qualifying in March of 2009. Former Argentine International, and current River Plate Manager Diego "El Cholo" Simeone is one of the three candidates for the job. The other two potential head coaches are San Lorenzo's Miguel Angel Russo and Sergio Batista, who coached the Argentina Olympic team to Gold this past summer.

What do you think of Basile's resignation? Surprised? Who would you like to see take the role of the manager of the albiceleste? Share your comments below.

Lesson Learned: U.S. Fall to T&T 2-1

2008-10-16T09:13:00.008-04:00

When the young and inexperienced Americans took the field on Wednesday, all that fans were looking for were solid performances out of players who were ready to prove they are ready for the real deal as the Hexagonal looms closer. The fans were disappointed.

The Yanks lost to Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain by the final score of 2-1. Trinidad was quicker, stronger and more composed while the United States struggled to find its rhythm. Bob Bradley's youngsters found themselves outmatched physically as the home team earned a crucial three points.

"It was a hard fought match. I thought both teams went after each other in a way that made it hard," said Head Coach Bob Bradley "In the second half, I thought we had a good response when we went down 1-0, and unfortunately when the game is 1-1 and everything is to play for, we have a foul."

The first half saw the stars and stripes come out flat-footed as Trinidad showed aggressiveness from the start. A dangerous free kick early on resulted in a poor clearance by Brad Guzan, gifting the home side with an open net. Fortunately for the Yanks, Michael Orozco managed to kick away the loose ball.

The first half was uneventful for the most part, but the second half saw more of an upbeat tempo, especially after T&T found the back of the net in the 61st minute. The home side was rewarded after Frankie Hejduk hit a wayward pass at midfield. A quick counter attack ensued and Trinidad found space down the right flank. Carlos Edwards took Heath Pearce for a dance before crossing the ball to a wide open Russell Latapy. The 40-year-old struck the ball as it fell to his right foot, and lady luck gifted him a goal. The ball stung off the left post and crashed into Brad Guzan's back before rolling over the goal line to give Trinidad the lead.

The U.S. equalized with a goal just 15 minutes before the final whistle blew. A faulty touch by Maurice Edu luckily fell into the path of Jozy Altidore, who pulled the ball backward and sprayed a low cross to substitute forward Charlie Davies. Davies easily knocked the ball in and the American juveniles looked to potentially leave T&T with a point.

But Altidore, who looked so brilliant just moments prior, made a costly mistake in the 79th minute as he yanked on Makan Hislop's jersey on a corner kick in full view of referee Walter Quesada. Quesada awarded the home side a penalty kick, and the 37-year-old Yorke converted from the spot.

Most fans wanted to see what the former could do when given the chance and last night's performance showed that although they have talent, they're not capable of winning games without some more veterans to lead the way. But make no mistake about it, this experience will go a long way for guys like Altidore, Freddy Adu, Jose Torres and co.

Even though the Soca Warriors triumphed on Wednesday night, Bob Bradley found some positives to take out of the match that meant nothing to the Americans as they've already clinched a berth in next year's Hexagonal.

"One of the objectives is that we have some players who have talent and need the experience playing difficult games. This was an intense game with a lot on the line, and it's important for players to experience that" declared Bradley "We continue to work as a team to improve and I think we've shown in this round that we're a good team, but we still understand that we have to get better. We're working very hard and we have a good pool of players."

The experience was indeed necessary as the next generation of Americans continue to grow as players. Bradley's approach to next month's qualifier looks to be similar, as he'll call in youth instead of seasoned veterans once again.

Perhaps the youngsters will have learned from last night's performance and will end the year with a win.

Player ratings (scale of 1-10)

GK, Brad Guzan, 5 -- Guzan's lack of playing time was evident today as he fumbled a couple of balls that he needs to hold on to. Nothing he could do about either goals, but still, not his best game.

D, Heath Pearce, 5 -- Being one of the more seasoned players on the pitch for the Americans, you would've expected a bigger performance. Heath got forward well in the second half, but he was outmatched against Dwight Yorke, especially as he was tossed and turned on the first goal.

D, Danny Califf, 4 -- Had a prime opportunity to show that he is capable of taking a starting role for either Oguchi Onyewu or Carlos Bocanegra but he lacked composure at the back. Got away with a mistake on a corner kick in the first half and was ball watching on T&T's first goal. Still decent for depth purposes, but a starter he is not.

D, Michael Orozco, 6 -- Not bad for his first International cap. Had some nice positioning and defended well. Cleared the loose ball that Guzan's flubbed punch failed to do. He could be moving up the Center Back depth chart.

D, Frankie Hejduk, 4 -- As always, he showed life and energy as he was all over the right flank. However, tonight could be the beginning of the end for Frankie. His poor distribution of the ball was costly, especially the wayward pass that caused T&T's counter attack on the first goal. Marvell Wynne is awaiting in the wings.

M, DaMarcus Beasley, 6 -- Beasley did a good job at staying active as he captained the team for the first time. He's no Donovan though as he wasn't able to carry the offense and kick it into third gear.

M, Maurice Edu, 3 -- Ouch. All the Edu fans that believe he warrants more minutes with the regulars instead of Michael Bradley were silenced tonight. Edu made turnover after turnover and didn't even defend competently. He was nowhere to be seen on T&T's first goal.

M, Jose Francisco Torres, 5 -- Did a decent job in his first start and showed off his vision as he layed off a nice pass behind the defense in the first half that Altidore couldn't get to. Was physically overpowered on a few occasions.

M, Sacha Kljestan, 4 -- The right wing is not for him at the International level. He made numerous mistakes and lost possession far too often.

M, Freddy Adu, 6 -- Retained possession better than most in the first half but as the second half unraveled, he started to drift out of the match. If Adu wants to become a starter by 2010, he needs to find minutes at the club level.

F, Jozy Altidore, 5 -- One minute he's celebrating his first assist for the National Team, the next he's hanging his head in disbelief as he made a boneheaded error that gift-wrapped T&T a penalty kick. If he can prevent mistakes like this, he's a bonafide starter in 2009.

SUBS:

F, Charlie Davies, 7 -- Moving up the depth chart at forward after a nice performance tonight. His goal was simple yet he was effective and put himself in good positions during his short stint.

M, Danny Szetela, 6 -- Did a good job at getting forward in his limited time. His late cross looked dangerous but none of his teammates managed to get a foot on it.

F, Chris Rolfe, NR -- Not enough time on the pitch to make an impression.

Starting XI vs Trinidad and Tobago?

2008-10-15T13:01:00.004-04:00

The players in the picture above all started last time the Americans confronted Trinidad and Tobago, but most of them won't play today much less start, as they've been released back to their club teams after the 6-1 shredding of Cuba which gave the United States a berth in the Hexagonal next year.

Here's how I think Bob Bradley will line the guys up for tonight's encounter against Trinidad and Tobago...

-----------------------Guzan------------------------
--Wynne----------Califf---Orozco--------Pearce----
----------------Edu-------------Torres-------------
----Kljestan-----------Adu------------Beasley-----
---------------------Altidore----------------------

I still see Bradley continuing his experimentation with the 4-5-1 but this time it'll be with younger faces starting.

Brad Guzan will get the nod at the back after Tim Howard was released back to Everton following the Americans win over the Leones del Caribe.

I see the four defenders in front of "El Guzano" consisting of Marvell Wynne, Danny Califf, Michael Orozco and Heath Pearce. The back four appear to be mostly inexperienced which could be a weakness for the States tonight. But I think we'll see the duo of Maurice Edu and Jose Francisco Torres in front of the defense as they'll both attempt to neutralize the center of the pitch and create attacks.

Sacha Kljestan will move a little bit higher on the pitch as he'll probably be pushed out wide to play right attacking mid, a position he is familiar with. On the left we'll see the incumbent DaMarcus Beasley get the nod as he continues to build chemistry with LB, Pearce. Expect Freddy Adu to be lined up in the center behind lone striker Jozy Altidore as the two teenagers have quite the understanding with one another.

The team looks relatively young and I wouldn't be surprised if the Americans came out of the gate a bit slow tonight, but we'll find out soon enough.

What do you think of this Starting XI? Agree that this will be the lineup thrown out to start the game tonight? If not, who do you see starting? What formation? Share your thoughts below.

Barcelona to bid for MLS Expansion Team in Miami

2008-10-14T22:05:00.004-04:00

Spanish heavyweight Barcelona is one step closer to expanding their storied franchise in the United States as they prepare to bid for an MLS expansion team. The Miami Herald has reported that Barcelona will make the formal bid tomorrow - the day of the deadline for owners and companies to apply - for one of the two expansion spots for the 2011 season.

The article also states that Barcelona's website stated that their new club would most likely play at the Florida International University facility for the first two seasons while they search for a permanent home.

Living in South Florida, you can aleady conclude that I would love to see this happen. It would be great for the next generation of footy fans to have a South Florida team. Yes the Miami Fusion bombed out during their time here but if anyone can run a soccer business in the 305, it's Barcelona.

The only negative I see is that the team would be playing near my university's rival , FIU. (Go FAU Owls!) In all seriousness, it would be better if the expansion club could find a steady stadium to call home so as to build stability within the club. Southh Florida sports fans have been through enough "Are we going to move the team or not" debates.

Regardless, Barcelona potentially bringing an MLS team back to Miami is nothing but positive news.

What do you think of this news? Would you like to see a team located in Miami again? Happy Barcelona is interested in backing the team? Share your comments below.

Mastroeni & Rogers Out, Carroll & Rolfe In

2008-10-13T17:20:00.002-04:00

The blog over at Ussoccer.com is reporting that Colorado Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni and Colombus Crew forward Robbie Rogers have been ruled out for Wednesday's World Cup Qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago.

Mastroeni suffered a slight knee injury in his team's 3-2 defeat against David Beckham's Galaxy on Sunday, while Rogers is experiencing back problems due to a collision he took in a 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire.

The 32 year old Mastroeni was replaced by Crew midfielder Brian Carroll, who has six caps with the National Team. Carroll's teammate Rogers was replaced with Fire forward Chris Rolfe (8 Caps) for the match against the Soca Warriors at Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Don't expect either of these late replacements to see time on Wednesday unless the injury bug suddenly hits the U.S. team's camp as both players have been primarily called up for depth purposes.

How do you feel about the injuries? Has Mastroeni seen his last game with the full squad?When will Rogers get another chance to play? Like the Carroll and Rolfe additions? Share your comments below.

U.S. Roster Released for T&T Bout

2008-10-13T08:41:00.003-04:00

Lost in all the Kenny Cooper commotion yesterday, I forgot to talk about the actual roster that was released by Bob Bradley for the upcoming World Cup Qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago.

The team released nine players while adding four.

Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Brian Ching, Michael Bradley, Jay DeMerit, Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra were all sent back to their clubs. Meanwhile, Bob Bradley summoned Pablo Mastroeni, Robbie Rogers, Marvell Wynne and Jonathan Bornstein from their MLS sides.

The team that will be fielded on Wednesday in Port of Spain will most likely combine the few remaining veterans (DaMarcus Beasley, Pablo Mastroeni, Frankie Hejduk) with many of the inexperienced youngsters. Expect Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Jose Torres to start after coming off the bench and demonstrating some impressive play on Saturday night.

The approach Bob Bradley is taking for this match will give him and the coaching staff a clearer picture of who is ready to contribute once the Hexagonal begins in 2009. This is a prime opportunity for guys on the border of making it into the National Team mix. A guy like Robbie Rogers or Danny Szetela could really make a case for one self with a solid performance against the Soca Warriors.

The game kicks off at 8:00 PM ET.

The 18 Man Roster

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF).

DEFENDERS (6): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC).

MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio) José Francisco Torres (Pachuca).

FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal C.F.), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew).

Happy with the roster? Excited that Robbie Rogers got called up? Will Bornstein start over Pearce? How do you think the likes of Adu, Altidore and Torres will do together? Share your thoughts below.

Cooper Turns Down National Team Call-up

2008-10-12T22:01:00.004-04:00

Just when some fans began to bicker about yet another exclusion of forward Kenny Cooper from the 18 man roster that would take on Trinidad and Tobago in three days, news broke out that Cooper had indeed been part of Bob Bradley's plans for the game.

He simply turned them down.

The FC Dallas standout has been a top of the list of players that fans have wanted to see get called in more frequently. Many have come to the conclusion that he is the solution to the forward dilemma that has plagued the Americans all year long. However, Cooper felt that now was not his time.

"I feel so fortunate and honored to have been invited to join up with the U.S. Men’s National team in Trinidad and Tobago. I made the difficult decision to pass on this opportunity because I had picked up a virus and have been playing with a sprained ankle," stated Cooper to his club team's blog "Considering the importance of my club’s game versus Real Salt Lake this week, and that the National Team has already clinched a berth in the next round of qualifying, I felt it was the right thing to do to stay in Dallas and make sure I get well, and hopefully there will be other opportunities down the line."

While Cooper has deservedly warranted more looks than he's been given, he should've taken full advantage of the one he was offered. Whether or not he made the right decision, choosing club over country in this instance might not sit well with Bradley and the coaching staff. And while Cooper's fans will point out that his team is in the midst of a playoff hunt, so are Bornstein's Chivas USA, and Mastroeni's Rapids.

Now this isn't to say Kenny will never get another call-up. If he continues to play at the level he's currently playing at then he will deserve another shot with the full squad. What this does do however, is hurt his chances to raise his stock to a coaching staff that doesn't rate him as highly as many of his fans do. And with time winding down before the Hexagonal begins, Cooper may look back on this as a missed opportunity.

What is your opinion on Cooper saying no to the National Team? Think he did it out of spite? Will he get another look before the Hex begins next February? Share your thoughts in the comment box.

United States Clinch in 6-1 rout over Cuba

2008-10-12T10:38:00.010-04:00

The United States are through to the Hexagonal Round of Qualifying in 2009 after their 6-1 drubbing of Cuba last night at RFK Stadium.

Although the Americans allowed their first goal of qualifying, they put together their best offensive display this year against a short-staffed Cuban team. Earlier in the week, midfielder Pedro Faife and forward Reynier Alcantara defected, leaving the Cubans with only five eligible subs to choose from for Saturday night's game.

The depleted Cuban team did not take long to break down as the Yanks began the scoring festivities in the 10th minute when Sacha Kljestan placed a perfect through ball in the path of DaMarcus Beasley, who curled it past the slow-footed dive of Odelin Molina.

"(Kljestan) collected a ball in the midfield and played it into my path," said Beasley during the post-game press conference "The only thing I thought of was to shoot far post and that’s what happened. To get the first goal was great, because that’s the most difficult one."

The two-time World Cup veteran would strike again just twenty minutes later. A beautiful long ball by Landon Donovan found the defense flat-footed as Beasley had enough time and space to chest the ball down, before seeing it take a bounce and then striking it into the back of the net with his right foot.

Cuba responded with a goal of their own just two minutes later. Michael Bradley's failure to clear the ball saw him stripped away as Hensy Munoz took a shot from distance that sailed over Tim Howard's head before hitting the crossbar and bouncing into the goal.

It appeared that Cuba would have walked into halftime with the thought of them possibly getting a result in the U.S. That thought was quickly erased as a silly foul saw Cuban defender Yoel Colome awarded his second yellow of the match leaving Cuba with 10 men.

The one player difference became evident immediately in the second half as the Americans were able to score three minutes in. A string of seven sharp passes ended when Heath Pearce placed a low cross into the area that Donovan easily tapped home from six yards out.

In the 63rd minute the Yanks netted their fourth. Beasley's free kick from the right side found Kljestan, who headed the ball across the six yard line and then finished off by Brian Ching.

That was enough for Bob Bradley as he then summoned upon the services of his youngsters in clean-up duty. Jozy Altidore came on for Brian Ching in the 68th minute and Jose Francisco Torres officially became cap-tied to the United States as he went on for Heath Pearce. Freddy Adu also entered the game just 14 minutes from the final whistle as he was subbed on for Chivas USA midfielder Kljestan.

The Americans would finish off the game with two more goals. In the 87th minute, Jozy Altidore showed his strength and speed combination that has so many fans proclaiming he's the forward of the future. Clint Dempsey sprung Altidore loose with a through ball that left the 18 year old with one defender to beat. Altidore managed to fight off the tight marking before cleverly cutting in and scoring with a strong finish to the near post.

The final goal came in stoppage time when Oguchi Onyewu headed home a cross from Adu. The Monaco midfielder took a defender head on before creating just enough space to get a beautiful cross off to the center of the area. Gooch was able to track the ball down and leap over his defender before netting the American's sixth goal. Onyewu celebrated by blowing a kiss to his family and friends that were 100+ strong in attendance.

But although Adu may have gotten an assist and Altidore a goal, it was Torres who received the loudest ovation.

The 20 year old player from Pachuca (Mexico) just recently chose the stars and stripes over the Mexican NT and he was the most talked about player for the past week with good reason. Even one gigantic sign at RFK Stadium showed the fans' support for the 5'5 player as it said "Torres > Castillo" (referring to another Mexican-American who opted to play for Mexico instead of the States).

But Torres wasn't just cheered on for his decision on Saturday night, he was also cheered for his play. Torres should good touch, vision and even managed to rifle a shot from distance that just went over Cuba's goal.

“My nerves were calm when I first went in. During the week, I got to know my teammates better during training. These are great teammates," commented Torres of his early game jitters "They have so much experience, playing in World Cups. The first ball, I was a little nervous. Once I got a hold of it, started passing, and started shooting, I was comfortable.”

With the win last night, the Americans are through to next year's Hexagonal and that was the most important goal heading into last night. But with a pair of qualifiers remaining, Torres and the other younger players will have more than enough time to get more comfortable, as the remaining qualifiers will be served to test the youngsters in difficult matches.

Player ratings (scale of 1-10)

GK, Tim Howard, 6 -- May have been a little too far off his line on the goal, but besides that Tim was just another spectator tonight as he rarely touched the ball.

D, Steve Cherundolo, 5 -- Defended well when needed, which wasn't often, but for some reason he was timid going forward. Not the usual Cherundolo effort.

D, Oguchi Onyewu, 7 -- Gooch didn't see many challenges and he scored the final goal of the game in front of his friends and family. Solid performance for the Gooch.

D, Carlos Bocanegra, 6 -- Another solid display for the Captain as he was rarely challenged.

D, Heath Pearce, 6 -- Didn't have a tough task tonight as he was able to sit back and choose when to get forward as he had noone pressuring him. Credit to him for the assist on Donovan's goal.

M, Michael Bradley, 6 -- Stayed active throughout the game and could've had two goals on a pair of shots he wishes he could have back. Was responsible for Cuba's goal but other than that, a nice game for MB tonight.

M, Sacha Kljestan, 7 -- Is Sacha the answer for the other CM position? Kljestan was active throughout and got himself a nice couple of assists.

M, Clint Dempsey, 6 -- Did more dirty work than usual and a header in the second half almost continued his scoring streak.

M, Landon Donovan, 7 -- Landon continues to show that he's ready for another shot at European football. His jaw-dropping passing that left Beasley wide open for the second goal stamped that statement. He also scored in open play for the first time in what seems like forever. Granted it was against Cuba, but still.

M, DaMarcus Beasley, 8 -- A pair of goals gave Beasley his first for the National Team since last summer's Gold Cup. If Beasley can continue to play like this, the Americans will have a more potent offense in 2009. However, once he was pushed to left back, one could see the potential to be a possible candidate for left back which would allow another offensive weapon to step onto the pitch.

F, Brian Ching, 6 -- Did well holding the ball up and his hold up play allowed for teammates to jump into the attack. A prime example of how well he does this was on the Donovan goal, where Ching holds the ball before Heath makes a darting run down the left. Still, Ching doesn't create enough on his own and Altidore could be his spot replacement in 2009.

SUBS:

F, Josmer Altidore, 7 -- Showed off the speed and strength combination which granted him a move to Villarreal this past summer. His goal was a thing of beauty and Jozy deserves more looks come next year.

M, Jose Francisco Torres, 7 -- An impressive performance for his first cap. Stepped in and showed off his touch immediately which is a trait that is sorely lacking in the U.S. midfield right now. Almost scored a goal from distance which was nice to see. He'll most likely start on Wednesday.

M, Freddy Adu, 7 -- Adu stepped in and made an impact during the 14 minutes he played. Went at his defender late before crossing the ball towards the center that Gooch finished off.

A Tale of Two Halves, England 5-1 Kazakhstan

2008-10-11T14:20:00.004-04:00

Well, isn't that just the wonders of Football. One moment can change everything. In this instance, it was one half.

After a horrendous first 45 minutes, England responded with five goals in the second half. The score-fest began on a corner in the 52nd minute, when Rio Ferdinand headed the ball into an open net following the mistimed read of the ball by goalkeeper Alexandr Mokin.

Thirteen minutes later, England made it 2-0 as Frank Lampard curled a free kick into the area that slid off of defender Aleksandr Kuchma's head and into his own net.

But things got interesting as left back Ashley Cole, made a disastrous decision just three minutes after. Cole attempted to bounce a ball back to goalkeeper David James, but the ball lacked pace and Zhambyl Kukeyev alertly pounced on it and struck well-hit ball passed a helpless James.

It appeared that Kazakhstan was poised for a comeback but any thought of that was crushed when in the 77th minute, Wayne Rooney made it 3-1 with a clinical header as he was left unmarked on a cross from Wes Brown.

England just added to the scoreline as David Beckham, who had come on as a sub for Theo Walcott a minute after Rooney's goal, put in picture-perfect cross after picture-perfect cross.

Becks was cheered every time he touched the ball, and in the 86th, the fans were rewarded. The L.A. Galaxy Captain put in one of his trademark crosses that bounced off of a falling Frank Lampard's thigh and into the path of Rooney who hit home his second of the night.

The scoring wasn't finished however as in the 90th minute Jermaine Defoe, who had come on for Rooney, was sent clear by a clever header from Emile Heskey. Defoe went 1v1 with Mokin and he calmly curled the ball around the Kazakhstan keeper.

It wasn't all pretty though as the Lampard and Steven Gerrard duo struggled to play well together and the Ashley Cole give-away could be a cause for concern. The game wasn't nearly as easy as the scoreline indicates, but the Three Lions fans can rest assure that their team is in a good position thus far in qualifying with three wins in as many games. Up next for England, Belarus on Wednesday.

What did you think of the game? How about Wayne Rooney's second half performance? What about Ashley Cole's give-away? Should the Gerrard and Lampard duo be split once and for all? Share your thoughts below.

Halftime Report: England 0-0 Kazakhstan

2008-10-11T13:08:00.008-04:00

It's truly remarkable. 45 minutes of the game have passed by and England has yet to score, much less create a real dangerous opportunity on Kazakhstan's goal.

Fabio Capello's men were booed off the pitch as the first half concluded. The team has yet to look very threatening, and the theorists that say Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard can't play well together continue to have more ammunition for their viewpoint as both players have struggled to get much of anything going. Wayne Rooney has also been out of sorts thus far with a lackluster performance.

Credit must go to Kazakhstan though for defending as a unit, and not getting caught out of position against the world class talent that England possesses. Lets see Bernd Storck's men can hang on for another 45 minutes, or if the fans at Wembley will finally have something to celebrate.

Are you watching the game? Surprised by the performances shown by each side? Will England win? Who will be England's three subs? Beckham to the rescue? Share your thoughts below.

United States v Cuba Preview

2008-10-11T12:20:00.002-04:00

Well, we're hours away from kickoff between the United States and Cuba at RFK Stadium in our nation's capital. The Americans are not only looking for a victory, which would secure their qualification to the Hexagonal in 2009, but also an impressive (if not dominant) performance.

However, the guys are aware that Cuba has all to play for and is in a desperate situation.

"They have nothing to lose..." said Oguchi Onyewu "So you know, I'm expecting them to go out on all cylinders and go out flying, you know and hopefully try and get a result over here against us."

Regardless of the fact that the Leones del Caribe will be attempting to keep their World Cup dreams alive, to win their first game of this qualifying round as visitors against a stacked American team seems like a pretty tall order. The Cubans have only scored twice thus far, both goals coming in drubbing defeats, 4-1 away at Guatemala last month and the dissapointing 3-1 loss at home against Trinidad and Tobago.

Kickoff is at 7:oo PM ET.

World Cup Qualifiers Galore

2008-10-11T08:53:00.000-04:00

Nothing is as refreshing as waking up on a Saturday morning (or afternoon) and getting to watch nothing but footy all day. We have a plethora of games today from all over the globe, as World Cup Qualifying recommences.

Here is just a list of games to keep a watchful eye on this weekend:

England v Kazakhstan

Sweden v Portugal

Poland v Czech Republic

Germany v Russia

Estonia v Spain

Ukraine v Croatia

Romania v France

Colombia v Paraguay

Argentina v Uruguay

United States v Cuba

Jamaica v Mexico

Nigeria v Sierra Leone

Senegal v Ghambia

Ivory Coast v Madagascar

What a day we have in store for us today. And to boot, there will be plenty of other games to choose from as well. It should be a great day!

Which games are you looking most forward to today? Is Ronaldo's Portugal v Ibrahimovic's Sweden on your list? How do you think the Terry-less English will fair? Who do you have winning between Argentina and Uruguay? Can the African heavyweights avoid upsets? Share your thoughts below.

Terry Ruled Out

2008-10-10T11:26:00.000-04:00

England Captain, John Terry will be watching Saturday's World Cup clash against Kazakhstan as opposed to playing in it, after he was ruled out with a back injury. Terry suffered the injury last week in Chelsea's Champions League bout against CFR Cluj.

The Chelsea skipper has suffered back problems in the past. In late 2006, Terry had surgery on his back which caused him to miss two months of action. It appears however, that his current injury could've been prevented.

Terry suffered the injury due to the hard surface last week at Cluj's home, Gruia stadium. Even with the discomfort in his back, the 27-year-old opted to play in Chelsea's league match against Aston Villa over the weekend. Terry showed toughness as he played through the pain, and went the full 90, but that decision has proven to be costly.

The world class defender will miss tomorrow's match and is most likely not going to partake in next Wednesday's World Cup Qualifier against Belarus either. It appears that England manager, Fabio Capello will hand the captain's armband to fellow defender Rio Ferdinand during Terry's hiatus.

What do you think of Terry's injury? Was it just bad luck? Or wrong decision making? Should Ferdinand be England's Captain from here on out? Share your thoughts below.

The Starting XI?

2008-10-09T18:43:00.011-04:00

Here's what I think Bob Bradley will put out on the pitch come Saturday night...

-----------------------Howard-----------------------

--Cherundolo----Onyewu---Bocangera----Pearce--

----------------Bradley-------Kljestan-------------

----Dempsey---------Donovan---------Beasley----

-----------------------Ching-----------------------

It seems abundantly clear that Bob Bradley is going to go with a veteran line-up very similar, if not identical, to last month's team that earned an impressive victory against Trinidad & Tobago. We all know Tim Howard and the back four will remain untouched, while the Michael Bradley-Sacha Kljestan pairing will probably get another look in the center of the pitch to see if they can build on the strong performance put forth by both players in the 3-0 victory in September. As for attacking options, I see the trio of Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, and DaMarcus Beasley playing as the attacking midfielders behind lone striker, Brian Ching.

I wouldn't be surprised if Maurice Edu got the nod over Kljestan, but with the way the Chivas USA midfielder hustled and the manner in which he linked up with Michael Bradley last month in Chicago, it appears Sacha starting is a foregone conclusion.

I could also see Josmer Altidore starting as the lone striker instead of Brian Ching, but there's little to no chance that Bob Bradley will leave the Houston Dynamo forward on the bench when the game kicks off. With that being said, if all goes according to plan, I see Altidore, Freddy Adu , and Jose Francisco Torres coming off the bench.

What Starting XI do you think Bob Bradley will go with? What would you like to see? Will Bob Bradley throw some of the youngsters onto the pitch? Edu or Sacha? Share your comments below.

FIFA Rankings Released

2008-10-08T13:13:00.002-04:00

The FIFA Rankings for October were released this morning and with no real surprise, Spain remained at the top. The top three went untouched as the second and third place teams were Italy, and Germany.

We finally saw movement as Brazil rose up two spots to No. 4 ahead of the Netherlands and Croatia, who each dropped a position. The other South American heavyweight, Argentina, remained in the 7th spot.

Elsewhere, the United States leap frogged seven positions, to climb to No. 21. The Americans arch-rival, Mexico, made no change as they stayed at 24th, one position ahead of Ghana, who dropped five places.

You can view all the October 2008 rankings here.

How did your team do? Upset that Brazil managed to move up two spots despite a scoreless draw against a 10-man Bolivian squad? What do you think about the positions of Mexico and the United States? Share your comments below.

UEFA Cup Draw

2008-10-07T19:28:00.004-04:00

The UEFA Cup Draw was held on early Tuesday morning, and there are two to three really challenging groups. I think the most difficult group has to be Group A, which is made up of German side Schalke 04, Paris Saint-Germain from France, Robinho's Manchester City, Racing Santander of La Liga, and rounding things off are Eredivisie's FC Twente.

That entire group should be full of interesting matches, but here are some other matches to look forward to. Group C's Sevilla v Stuttgart clash should be fun to watch, as well as
the Ajax, Hamburg and Aston Villa games in Group F.

Here are the groups in their entirety:

Group A

Schalke 04
Paris Saint-Germain
Manchester City
Racing Santander
FC Twente

Group B

Benfica
Olympiacos
Galatasaray
Hertha Berlin
FC Metalist Kharkiv

Group C

Sevilla
VfB Stuttgart
Sampdoria
Partizan Belgrade
Standard Liege

Group D

Tottenham Hotspur
Spartak Moscow
Udinese
Dinamo Zagreb
NEC Nijmegen

Group E

AC Milan
SC Heerenveen
SC Braga
Portsmouth
VfL Wolfsburg

Group F

Hamburg
Ajax
Slavia Prague
Aston Villa
MSK Zilina

Group G

Valencia
Club Brugge
Rosenborg
FC Copenhagen
Saint-Etienne

Group H

CSKA Moscow
Deportivo La Coruna
Feyenoord
AS Nancy
Lech Poznan

Which group do you think is the toughest? Which matches are you most looking forward to? Who do you think will make it out of the group stage? Who will be the ultimate winner? Share your comments below.

Euro Weekend Round-up

2008-10-06T09:20:00.006-04:00

Here are the scores from some of this weekend's endless list of games:

English Premier League

Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal
West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Fulham
Wigan Athletic 0-1 Middlesbrough
Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Manchester United
West Ham 1-3 Bolton Wanderers
Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa
Manchester City 2-3 Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Hull City
Portsmouth 2-1 Stoke City
Everton 2-2 Newcastle

La Liga

Villareal 2-1 Real Betis
Barcelona 6-1 Atletico Madrid
Deportivo La Coruna 1-0 Numancia
Mallorca 0-2 Real Sporting de Gijon
Osasuna 0-1 Racing Santander
Sevilla 4-0 Athletic Bilbao
Recreativo de Huelva 0-4 Malaga
Getafe 2-2 Almeria
Valladolid 0-1 Valencia
Real Madrid 2-2 Espanyol

Serie A

Lazio 1-1 Lecce
Inter Milan 2-1 Bologna
Atalanta 4-2 Sampdoria
Juventus 1-2 Palermo
Reggina 1-1 Catania
Udinese 2-0 Torino
Chievo 0-2 Fiorentina
Genoa 3-2 Napoli
Siena 1-0 AS Roma
Cagliari 0-0 AC Milan

Bundesliga

Arminia Bielefeld 1-2 Karlsruhe
Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 Hertha Berlin
Bayern Munich 3-3 VfL Bochum
VfB Stuttgart 4-1 Werder Bremen
Monchengladbach 1-2 FC Koln
1899 Hoffenheim 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Energie Cottbus 1-2 Hamburger SV
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Hannover 96
Schalke 04 2-2 VfL Wolfsburg

Ligue 1

Marseille 2-1 Caen
Lorient 1-2 Bordeaux
Nice 1-1 Sochaux
Le Havre 1-2 Le Mans
Toulouse 1-0 Auxerre
Grenoble 0-1 Nantes
Lille 1-0 Valenciennes
Rennes 3-0 Lyon
St. Etienne 2-0 Monaco
Nancy 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain

Eredivisie

AZ Alkmaar 6-0 Sparta Rotterdam
Vitesse Arnhem 2-2 Willem II
PSV Eindhoven 3-0 De Graafschap
Heracles Almelo 2-0 Roda JC
Groningen 3-0 ADO Den Haag
Feyenoord 0-2 NEC Nijmegen
Utrecht 3-0 Twente Enschede
Volendam 2-4 NAC Breda
Heerenveen 5-2 Ajax

Which games did you see? Witness Ibrahimovic's clever backheel? What did you think of the finishing clinic Barca put on Atletico? Did you catch Bayern Munich's 3-3 tie? Share below.

Owen Omitted for England Qualifiers

2008-10-05T20:46:00.004-04:00

Michael Owen has once again been left off the England roster by manager Fabio Capello. The team will continue its qualifying campaign on October 11th at Wembley Stadium against Kazakhstan, and will then travel to Belarus for a match on the 15th in Minsk.

Owen, who has 89 Caps for England, did not get called up for either of their qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia last month as Capello claimed that Owen was not fit enough. That may have served as motivation for Owen as he's managed to find the back of the net for the abysmal Newcastle United during their most recent matches.

Capello has opted to go with five forwards for England's next two matches, including the surprise call-up of Portsmouth striker, Peter Crouch who also missed out on last month's qualifiers. Midfielder, Joe Cole is ruled out with a foot injury as is goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who is suffering from a calf strain.

The Squad:

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham United), Scott Carson (West Bromwich Albion)

Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), John Terry (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Matthew Upson (West Ham United)

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham Hotspur), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), David Beckham (LA Galaxy)

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jermaine Defoe (Portsmouth), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Emile Heskey (Wigan Athletic), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth)

What do you think of the roster? Should England have called up Michael Owen? How do you think this will affect the Newcastle striker? Leave your comments below.

Jose Francisco Torres

2008-10-04T21:31:00.003-04:00

Born in America. Raised under Mexican heritage. That describes Jose Francisco Torres, the 20 year old midfielder who is currently plying his trade over at Pachuca in Mexico. The youngster can play on the left side of the midfield or in a center (attacking) midfield spot. The addition of Torres to the squad will provide for more cover at positions in which the United States is lacking depth.

Mexico, however, is still interested in Torres playing for their team. Mexico had been scouting the player before he made his announcement. They were shocked when he revealed that he would rather play for the red, white, and blue instead of the "tri-color". Even after the announcement, Mexico has attempted to persuade Torres to change his mind.

Credit must also be given to fellow U.S. National Team player Michael Orozco, as he has kept in contact with the Texas-born Torres, telling him about the team and how things are run. If Torres sees even a nano-second of playing time against either Cuba, or Trinidad and Tobago, he will be cap-tied to the Yanks, something Mexico must be dreading at this point.

Did Torres make the right decision? Do you think he is capable of making the 2010 World Cup squad for the United States? With Orozco and Torres choosing the United States, is this a sign of things to come with more fellow Mexican-Americans? Share your thoughts below.

Oh, Happy Day!

2008-10-03T18:37:00.009-04:00

It's official, the masses are content. After all, Bob Bradley has just released a 23-man roster that is made up of the usual suspects, mixed in with some younger talent for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago.

Fans had been pleading for the inclusion of the likes of Freddy Adu, Josmer Altidore, and other young talented players since the beginning of this round of Qualification. Many believed that the younger group would provide for more exciting soccer, and would have pulled out better results than the 1-0 scorelines witnessed at Cuba and Guatemala.

However, Bob Bradley continued to call in mostly veterans to his camps, much to the dismay of the fans. What many fans overlooked though, was the fact that Bradley was indeed incorporating young talent into his rosters. Sacha Kljestan, Maurice Edu, and Heath Pearce all saw extended time during the first three matches, and that's invaluable experience gained to young players who look to be apart of the 2010 squad.

What was important for the team was to secure qualification as quickly as possible and they've pretty much assured that by winning their first three games with a goal differential of +5. The team would have to lose the next three matches, two of which are at home, to possibly be knocked out of qualifying. To be honest, the chances of Sunil Gulati winning the lottery is more probable than the American's not making it to the Hex in 2009.

During the three games, although the play wasn't always pretty, it was effective. The older veterans like Brian Ching, Frankie Hejduk, and Eddie Lewis all made contributions to the team's success. Ching, especially, should be applauded for the job he put forth against Guatemala. Not sure that Jozy Altidore - for all the talent he has - would've been able to hold the ball up like Ching did in the closing minutes of that grueling encounter.

Regardless, the United States has put itself in a good position to advance, and now has the flexibility to insert some of the younger players into the mix, which looks to have been Bradley's plan all along. The roster called up for the next two matches includes a little bit of everything for everyone. You have the veterans such as Ching, and Landon Donovan mixed in with some of the younger regulars like Pearce, and Michael Bradley. Then there's the talented youngsters looking to impress including Freddy Adu, Charlie Davies and even surprise call-up, Jose Francisco Torres of Pachuca, who just announced he'd play for America instead of Mexico.

With a win against Cuba, the Americans will officially be through to the final stage of qualifying, with two games remaining. Those two games will most likely be served as a way for Bob Bradley to continue his scouting of younger players. It looks plainly obvious, that Donovan, Tim Howard and other mainstays at the club level will be released to their clubs if the Yanks beat Cuba on the the 11th. That would leave for a much younger, inexperienced lineup with a sprinkle of veteran leadership for the match at Trinidad and Tobago.

Regardless of the results in the next two matches, we will see new faces get playing time. Bob Bradley has done a superb job mixing youth with experience for this roster and still, some fans will complain that there is no Kenny Cooper, Robbie Rogers, Marvell Wynne, or Chad Marshall on this roster. Those fans are either related to one of those individuals, or they'll probably never be satisfied.

For the time being though, the majority are pleased with the roster, and that in itself, is a rare occasion.

23 Man Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF).

DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock).

MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca).

FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal C.F.), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy).

What do you think of the roster? Which players are you most excited to see? Anyone make the team that should've been left off? Anyone not make the team that you'd like to see? How do feel about the call-up of Jose Francisco Torres and him deciding to play for America? Share your comments below.

FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer?

2008-10-02T19:11:00.011-04:00

Alright, cough it up, who plays what? Which game do you spend countless hours of your life playing?

I, myself, use to be an avid PES (Winning Eleven) fan, playing the game like if it were part of my tradition, but last year's version of the game, dissapointed me tremendously. Things just didn't add up. The graphics were improved, but still looked PS2-ish, the gameplay had more holes than swiss cheese, and it just wasn't the same video game I had fallen in love with years before.

I gave into the dark side and gave FIFA a shot. I was Anakin Skywalker, as I betrayed my PES days to jump on FIFA's bandwagon. I surprisingly was blown away by how FIFA had improved their gameplay. A lot of the game did resemble PES, such as the double teams, crossing system, fake shots etc, but it also added a little of its' own spice. The numerous tricks and flicks you could perform were fun to mess with, and the graphics really did look like a next-generation video game.

I let my PES gather dust while I played FIFA as much as possible. Although I didn't have much fun playing multiplayer matches - the exceptions being my brother and online - I figured this year I'd just go with FIFA. But, like an old ex-girlfriend who you just can't get enough of, PES appears to be back on track, at least according to the gossip being shared on forums, and blogs all over the world.

PES has agreed to a four year deal to have the official licensing of UEFA's Champions League and has also corrected the so many wrongs that hurt its reputation last year. The gameplay is also as good as its ever been, according to some video gaming websites. I'm still tempted to pass, but then I picture the old days, memories of me having tournaments with friends at my house where the grand prize was a whopping $30 ($3-5 a person. Hey, we were jobless teenagers!) and it gives me goosebumps. If PES has been able to sprinkle some of its magic fairy dust that was misplaced last year and can return to that, then I'll be one happy customer.

FIFA, however, have not sat back either. The guys over at EA Canada have continued to build on the solid game play of FIFA 08, and have fixed the kinks one would encounter when playing the game. The goalkeepers react smarter, the gameplay is smoother, it is more difficult to score and FIFA has incorporated "tactics" which could make the game un-droppable (err, is that a word?). It has also added "250 improvements". The reason I put quotation marks around that, is because I highly doubt we'll notice anything close to 250, and that FIFA is just self-promoting itself more than Paris Hilton does. Regardless, it appears that FIFA could turn out to be the better product this year.

I've played the demos for both, and have been rather impressed with each, so I've decided to give each one a try. With FIFA hitting the stores in 2 weeks, and PES trying to get its North American customers back in its good graces by releasing the game in early November, (as opposed to February-March) it looks to be one interesting year.

Ah, it's good to be a video-gaming footy fan!

Which game do you plan on buying? Both? Any specific things you're really looking forward to? Ps3 or Xbox 360? Anything you'd wish these games would incorporate into their series? Share below.

Once Upon a Time

2008-10-01T09:16:00.007-04:00

It seems like just yesterday, Benny Feilhaber was basking in the glory of a solid 2007 year with the United States Men's National Team, which was highlighted by his game-winning golazo in the Gold Cup Final against arch-rival Mexico.

The Brazilian-born player's career looked promising, and a move to newly promoted Derby County in the Premiership seemed like a step forward. It didn't turn out that way.

Coaching changes, injuries, and poor play all plagued Feilhaber's stint at Derby, as he saw little playing time. Yet fans remained optimistic that the 23-year-old still had the talent to get it it done with the National Team.

Feilhaber made an appearance off the bench in a friendly against Mexico back in February and provided the Americans with a calming presence in the midfield that had been absent all game long.

A month later, he was surprisingly cut by Peter Nowak from a group of U-23 players that would attempt to qualify for the Olympic games. Fans speculated that poor attitude, and an on-the-field argument with teenage sensation, Freddy Adu, contributed to his dismissal.

In May, the midfielder was called up to an U-23 team that would compete in the Toulon Tournament in France. The team consisted of mostly back-ups looking to impress Nowak and it was captained by Feilhaber himself. That was until he picked up a serious injury against Turkey. The injury would force him to not return to action for club or country for the most part of the summer. The five-foot, nine-inch player missed three big friendlies against England, Spain, and Argentina that could've raised a few scouts' eyebrows.

However, Feilhaber went through rehab and was released by the relegated Rams, as they prepared for their Coca-Cola Championship season. Speculation began between fans on where Benny would go. Many thought he would go to Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel, who had expressed interest in the American during the Winter Transfer Window. Another possible destination was the MLS, but Benny seemed determined to stay abroad.

Feilhaber made the Olympic squad that played in Beijing. He didn't start any of the group stage matches, although he was used as a sub in all three. His most impressive game during the Olympics was in the final match against Nigeria, where he looked composed, receiving balls from the defense, and starting attacks by stringing passes together with the forwards. The 10-man USA team almost managed to come from behind and tie Nigiera, but they fell just short losing 2-1. The American midfielder however, made an impression.

The valiant effort in the final Olympic match brought a potential new suitor for the former Hamburg player. AGF Aarhus of the Danish Superliga had expressed interest before the Olympics, and offered Feilhaber a contract afterwards. He put pen to paper in mid-August. Fans thought it was a good move as he would finally see consistant playing time.

Unfortunately, once again, it didn't work out that way. It took Feilhaber a few weeks to be granted a work permit, but once it was received, he began to play. Shortly after, the American picked up a slight injury in a league match. A closer examination revealed that the once promising player needed surgery and would be out until the Spring of 2009.

Feilhaber has remained positive, but with so much gone wrong for the talented midfielder, he may miss out on the World Cup in 2010. By the time he even returns to his club, he'll have little more than a year to get back in Bob Bradley's good graces. If that's enough time, remains to be seen, especially with young midfielders Sacha Kljestan, and Maurice Edu emerging as potential starters for South Africa.

Most fans have given up hope on the talented midfielder, and with good reason. However, there's no denying that Feilhaber has a skill set rarely seen in an American and could still make the 2010 team if he returns from injury and plays to the level that he's capable of.

If he can accomplish that, then just maybe, fans will embrace him once again and be able to remember him for more than a Gold Cup winning wonder-strike against Mexico.

Does Feilhaber have any chance of making the 2010 squad? Can he revive his career, or is it too late? Is Aarhus a good fit for him, or should he make a move to MLS? Share your thoughts below.

Running Commentary - Manchester United v Aalborg Bk

2008-09-30T14:31:00.011-04:00

Manchester United are looking for their first victory of this season's Champions League Group Stage after a dissapointing 0-0 tie with Villarreal back at Old Trafford on September 17th. Aalborg, the Champions of Denmark, also opened up their group stage with a scoreless draw against Celtic. If they could steal a point (or three) at home from heavily favored Manchester United, they would put themselves in a much better position to possibly get out of this tough group.

Lots to play for today for both squads, especially the local team. Can Aalborg pull of an upset of mammoth proportions? We'll see.

Here are the starting line-ups...

Aalborg BK
1. Karim Zaza
3. Steve Olfers
6. Martin Pedersen
16. Kasper Bogelund
4. Michael Beauchamp
8. Andreas Johansson
21. Kasper Risgard
14. Jeppe Curth
23. Thomas Enevoldsen
10. Marek Saganowski
9. Thomas Augustinussen

Manchester United
1. Edwin Van der Sar
5. Rio Ferdinand
22. John O'Shea
3. Patrice Evra
21. Rafael
15. Nemanja Vidic
18. Paul Scholes
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
17. Nani
10. Wayne Rooney
9. Dimitar Berbatov

0' - And we're off! Can Aalborg manage to upset the reigning champs? We're about to find out..

5' - Manchester has earned a corner kick after some sloppy man marking

6' - A flubbed clearance by Zaza found Berbatov, who hit the ball as it came in front of the net but it went just wide! Big mistake by Aalborg there.

7' - The Cristiano Ronaldo show has begun. Some nice moves in the center of the park.

8' - Another corner earned for Manchester as a Rafael shot was deflected out of bounds.

8' - Ferdinand gets to the back post on the corner and rips a shot from a tough angle! Zaza makes the save with his leg.

9' - Lots of pressure from Manchester's forwards. Aalborg is having a tough time finding the open man.

10' - Aalborg manages to get a low cross that painfully rolled across the 6 yard box with noone able to get a shot on goal. The ball gets hit out and a corner is awarded for Aalborg.

10' - Nothing ensues from the corner...

13' - The Aalborg fans are quite lively tonight.

16' - Paul Scholes was fouled, and is subbed out for number 11, Ryan Giggs. The foul didn't look like much from here, but Scholes was carted off. Hopefully for Scholes, it's not too serious.

20' - Rafael manages to get forward and found enough space to rip a shot that's saved by Zaza! Aalborg hits the rebound out for a Manchester corner.

21' - Corner is cleared out with no real problem.

22' - GOAL! Nani passes the ball to Ryan Giggs in the middle of the attacking third, who strings a beautiful pass to Wayne Rooney. Rooney, left 1v1 with Zaza, finishes with a strong low shot to the left.

25' - Ronaldo makes something out of nothing and sees his shot just sail over the crossbar.

28' - Aalborg seems content to sit back and watch Manchester play with the ball. Not much pressure from the Danish side.

29' - Van der Sar punches the ball clear after a shot took a deflection off a Manchester defender.

32' - Cristiano is fouled and Manchester take a quick Free Kick. Ronaldo crosses a nice ball that gets knocked out of bounds.

33' - Michael Beauchamp seems to be in pain after the corner was taken and cleared.

34' - A shove fest initiates between Ronaldo and Pedersen. What a peculiar hairstyle Pedersen is sporting today, maybe that sparked the argument.

38' - Bad challenge by Rafael sees him given a yellow card after he dove in to tackle Pedersen.

39' - Beauchamp can't go any longer and is replaced by Caca.

40' - A quick counter ends up turning into a corner for Manchester United. A reoccuring theme tonight.

43' - Rafael fights for the ball and manages to get a left-footed shot off that Zaza barely got a hand too! Impressive game thus far for Rafael.

44' - Nice buildup by Aalborg ends with a Jeppe Curth shot that goes well above the goal.

45+' - End of the first half. Manchester is up 1-0 thanks to a Wayne Rooney strike. Aalborg look overmatched as the team can't handle all the offensive fire power Manchester has to offer. Manchester is unlucky to be only up by one right now.

46' - And the second half is underway!

46' - Corner for Aalborg. Lets see if they can make something out of it. Pedersen will take the corner.

47' - The ball is knocked away before Rafael is tripped up and fouled.

49' - Long range shot by Enevolsen poses no pressure on Van der Sar as it flies into the stands.

50' - Berbatov looks out of sorts. Rooney was making a nice run in front of him and Dimitar decided to try and pass it wide only to have it intercepted. Tevez anyone?

52' - Rafael is fouled by Johanssen, who is given a yellow card for the challenge. The 18 year old just keeps cutting to the inside and leaving Aalborg defenders in the dust. Very impressive game thus far for the Brazilian teen.

54' - Zaza is awarded a yellow card for time waisting on a goal kick. Not sure why he took so long, his team is trailing 1-0.

55' - GOAL! Berbatov rifles one home, after capitalizing on a huge mistake by Augustinussen. The poor first touch bounced into the air and the Bulgarian striker took care of business. Berbatov didn't even celebrate his goal, he must know he's playing poorly.

59' - Rooney is replaced by Carlos Tevez who will want to impress here so as to show Sir Alex, that he does not want to get too comfortable with the bench.

60' - Tevez stumbled with the ball into the back of the net after a Nani shot was saved. No goal awarded though as the ref is indicate Tevez brought it down with his arm. I didn't see any infraction, should've been a goal for the Argentine forward.

63' - Rafael is asking for a sub. Must be because of one of the numerous fouls he picked up with his hip-breaking moves.

66' - Wes Brown steps in for Rafael, who had himself quite a debut. More looks are sure to come his way.

67' - Brown surprisingly did get forward and crossed one into the area. It was headered out and a quick counter is building up for Aalborg.

68' - Aalborg had an opportunity on the counter but Curth fails to get the ball on frame from 10 yards out. Big opportunity lost there.

72' - Ronaldo rolls a ball forward before taking a stinging shot that Zaza manages to pounce on.

74' - Aalborg looks to respond with their own chance on goal...a nicely weighted cross is headered just wide of the net by Johanssen!

75' - Tevez puts a nice move on his defender and finds space to get a shot off but it goes high and wide.

79' - GOAL! Ronaldo does a traditional move, leaving a defender behind, before looking up and placing a well weighted ball to the center of the area. Berbatov adjusts to a deflection and hits it with a well timed volley.

81' - Aalborg never had a chance. They looked like a deer in the headlights all game long.

85' - Berbatov has looked better in the last 15 minutes, then he has all game. He puts a beautiful pass into space that finds Cristiano Ronaldo on the run. Ronaldo's shot hits the side netting as he couldn't get a good shot off due to Zaza closing off his angle.

87' - Manchester United are just toying with Aalborg now. Everytime Aalborg thinks they have a chance at the goal of honor, Manchester counters with a dangerous pass upfield.

90' - Two minutes of stoppage time added on.

90+' - Game over. Berbatov hits a pair tonight, and Manchester United have picked up three points as well as a few injuries. Brazilian right back, Rafael was the Man of the Match tonight in my opinion, with a strong overall performance. His timely defending mixed with his runs forward made for an impressive debut.

That wraps it up for today! What did you think of the game? What did you think of Rafael tonight? Who was your Man of the Match? Share your comments below.

Euro Weekend Round-up

2008-09-29T11:23:00.014-04:00

At the conclusion of Sundays (maybe early Mondays), I'll try and give scores for most of the games that took place throughout the weekend. Here are the results for this past weekend's matches.

English Premier League

Everton 0-2 Liverpool
Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland
Manchester United 2-0 Bolton Wanderers
Middlesbrough 0-1 West Bromwich Albion
Newcastle 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Fulham 1-2 West Ham
Stoke City 0-2 Chelsea
Arsenal 1-2 Hull City
Portsmouth 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Wigan Athletic 2-1 Manchester City

La Liga

Real Betis 1-2 Real Madrid
Espanyol 1-2 Barcelona
Sporting Gijon 0-1 Villarreal
Almeria 1-0 Recreative Huelva
Racing Santander 1-2 Mallorca
Athletic Bilbao 0-1 Getafe
Valencia 4-2 Deportivo La Coruna
Malaga 2-1 Valladolid
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Sevilla FC
Numancia 0-0 Osasuna

Serie A

Sampdoria 0-0 Juventus
Fiorentina 1-0 Genoa
Bologna 0-1 Napoli
Lecce 2-0 Cagliari
AS Roma 2-0 Atalanta
Udinese 2-1 Siena
Torino 1-3 Lazio
Palermo 1-0 Reggina
Catania 1-0 Chievo
AC Milan 1-0 Inter Milan

Bundesliga

FC Koln 1-0 Schalke 04
Hertha Berlin 0-1 Energie Cottbus
Vfl Bochum 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Werder Bremen 5-4 1899 Hoffenheim
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 VfB Stuttgart
Hamburger SV 1-0 Borussia Monchengladbach
Hannover 96 1-0 Bayern Munich
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Arminia Bielefeld
Karlsruhe 2-1 VfL Wolfsburg

Ligue 1

Lyon 2-1 Nancy
Auxerre 3-0 Le Havre
Sochaux 1-1 Lorient
Rennes 1-0 Nice
Le Mans 1-1 Marseille
Caen 3-0 Nantes
Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Grenoble
Monaco 0-2 Lille
Valenciennes 0-1 Toulouse
Bordeaux 1-1 St. Etienne

Eredivisie

NAC Breda 4-2 Heerenveen
PSV Eindhoven 1-0 Volendam
Twente Enschede 3-0 De Graafschap
Willem II 2-5 AZ Alkmaar
ADO Den Haag 0-0 Utrecht
Ajax 3-0 Vitesse Arnhem
NEC Nijmegen 1-1 Heracles Almelo
Groningen 3-1 Feyenoord
Sparta Rotterdam 2-2 Roda JC

Which games did you get to watch this weekend? How did your favorite teams do? Any leagues I should include? Share your thoughts below.

Ronaldinho Goal Tops Inter in Milan Derby

2008-09-28T23:57:00.006-04:00

Did anyone else witness Ronaldinho's first goal in Italian Football? Well, if you didn't, you might've missed the beginning to a new start for the player also known as Jar Jar Binks, as his goal was the game winner against Inter in this season's first Milan Derby.

Ronaldinho played a pin-point long ball to fellow National Team player, Kaka. Kaka ran onto the ball and as he entered the 18, he paused, looked up, and saw Ronaldinho crashing into the area. Kaka returned the ball with a perfectly weighted pass that found Ronaldinho, who leaped over his defender and placed the ball into the upper right corner, leaving keeper Julio Cesar helpless.

The former player of the year, gave credit to Kaka for the assist, but also thanked the fans after the game, "I was hoping to score a goal. This is for the fans who made me feel at home. Every day I feel more at home here at Milan."

You can see the goal here.

What did you think of the goal/play? Will Ronaldinho thrive in Serie A? Will he lead AC Milan to the Serie A championship?

Hull City Shock Gunners 2-1

2008-09-27T22:11:00.009-04:00

Two goals in five minutes was enough for Hull City to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season against Arsenal.

The Gunners had more shots, more possession, and yet they still ended up losing the game, which snapped their 17 month run without a loss at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal managed to get passes in bunches as well as numerous opportunities, but they once again struggled to score. The hosts didn't find the back of the net until the 50th minute when Theo Walcott made a magnificent run in the box before crossing the ball, low and hard towards the middle that defender Paul McShane unfortunately hit into his own net.

Hull City responded with a Marcio Geovanni wonder-strike from 30 yards out that even made ESPN's Top 10 plays for Saturday. The Brazilian managed scoop up a ball on the left side before he cut and rifled a beauty of a ball into the upper right corner of the net leaving keeper Manuel Almunia with no chance.

Minutes later, Hull struck again. Andy Dawson curled a corner into the area and fellow teammate Daniel Cousin managed to elude William Gallas and found enough space to place a header over back-post man, Cesc Fabregas.

With the win today, Hull has continued their impressive form in the Premiership this season, only losing once. On the other hand, as manager Arsene Wenger put it, Arsenal may have learned a lesson at the cost of an EPL title, "We don't know how costly it could be but they were committed and it was a good lesson for us. We now know that if our attitude isn't right, we can lose games."

What did you think of the upset? Even though it's early, did Arsenal cost themselves any chance at an EPL title this year with this loss? What about Geovanni's blast? Share your thoughts below.

Mastroeni Receiving Interest Abroad

2008-09-26T22:35:00.006-04:00

Pablo Mastroeni might be heading to Europe once the Winter Transfer Window opens in January of 2009. The former Miami Fusion player has made it abundantly clear as of late, that he wants to end his career in Europe.

"My mind is made up, I'm ready to go. Every soccer player wants a challenge every day." said Mastroeni earlier this year after his Colorado Rapids trounced the New York Red Bulls 4-0.

The defensive midfielder, that can also play center back, received interest from teams in La Liga (Spain), and Serie A (Italy), during the closing weeks of the summer transfer window. Pablo didn't make the jump to Europe, but all signs point to him leaving MLS once January rolls around.

The Colorado Rapids captain received calls from two teams in Spain, Paco Chaparro's Real Betis, and recently promoted, Malaga. Pablo remains confident more teams will show their interest, "I think it's going to be a question of five possibilites and picking what we think is right."

A veteran of two World Cups, Mastroeni can still be an effective defensive midfielder, although he is known to occasionally make a rash tackle or two. At 32, Mastroeni is not a long-term solution, but rather a servicable player for any side interested in his services.

What do you think of Pablo Mastroeni heading to Europe? Would he fit better in Spain or Italy? At 32, should he just consider finishing his career in MLS? Share your thoughts in the comment box.

Cervi to Celtic?

2008-09-25T04:07:00.027-04:00

It appears that towering keeper, Dominic Cervi is preparing to put pen to paper for Scottish heavyweight, Celtic F.C. Reports have come out that the 22 year old, who turned down a Chicago Fire contract nine months ago, will take a physical later today before finalizing a three year deal.

Cervi will also need to get an Italian passport, which is possible due to his ancestry, to get a necessary work permit. The 6'6 keeper is positive he'll receive it, "We’re currently trying to work to get an Italian passport. My great-grandparents were the ones who came over from Italy. It’s easy to trace because it was my dad’s grandfather so the names were easy.”

The move would make Cervi the fourth American playing in the Scottish Premier League, joining DaMarcus Beasley, Maurice Edu (both for Rangers F.C.) and unkown commodity, Mike Videira (Hamilton). The University of Tulsa alumni was on trial with Celtic earlier this year, and is being signed to back-up Artur Boruc. Cervi is seen as a possible replacement for the Polish goalkeeper, down the road.

What do you think of Dominic Cervi? Is Celtic making a worthy investment? Or will they be dissapointed? Can Cervi ever develop into a #1 GK for the US MNT?

Welcome!

2008-09-22T09:30:00.013-04:00

After much thought, I decided to go ahead and create my very first blog. As you may know, it will be soccer related, with most of the focus on the United States National Team and its players. I attend FAU in Boca Raton, Florida and I'm planning on majoring in Journalism. Being that this is my first experience with the creation of a blog, I would ask any reader to feel free and leave comments on what I post and the manner in which my posts are written. Constructive criticism is encouraged, and I anticipate this to be a great learning experience.

If there's any topic, team, league or anything else you'd like me to dig into, let me know through an email or in the comment section below.

Welcome to the Upper 90 Blog!