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U.S. Advances 1-0 Over Barbados With a 1-0 victory against Barbados, the U.S. Men’s National Team captured the two-game, aggregate goal series by a 9-0 margin, advancing to the Semifinal Round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Eddie Lewis scored the only goal of the game in the second leg of the affair at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, providing the U.S. with their fourth straight shutout against the small Caribbean nation. The U.S. will now prepare for their first match of the Semifinal Round, which will be on the road against Guatemala on Aug. 20. Overall, the U.S. will play a total of six games in the round-robin Semifinal Round, facing all three opponents in the four-team group home and away. The top two teams will advance to the Final Round hexagonal that will be played in 2009. Along with the U.S. and Guatemala, Cuba advanced to the Semifinal Round group with an 8-3 aggregate score against Antigua & Barbuda, including a 4-0 victory this afternoon. Also advancing was Trinidad & Tobago, who defeated Bermuda 2-0 in the second leg for a 3-2 aggregate score. Guatemala advanced with a 9-1 aggregate score againt St. Lucia. After heading to Guatemala, the U.S. will travel to Cuba on Sept. 6 and then host Trinidad & Tobago in Chicago on Sept. 10. The second half of the round-robin play will begin against Cuba at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 11, before moving to Trinidad & Tobago on Oct. 14 and finishing in Denver against Guatemala on Nov. 19. “For the series we feel good about the work we've done,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “This was an opportunity to use different players and it is important to get some young players experience. We had the confidence that we were strong enough defensively that we would hold together to get the win." Lewis, wearing the captain’s armband as he earned his 19th World Cup qualifying appearance, struck the game-winning goal in the 21st minute. After some nifty dribbling in the midfield, Freddy Adu, who earned his first World Cup qualifying start, spotted Lewis slicing behind the Barbados defense and slipped a nicely weighted through ball between two defenders directly into his path. Charging into the area, Lewis spotted the ‘keeper closing in and calmly slotted his shot through Alvin Rouse’s legs to the far right corner. With a thumping 8-0 win in the first leg against Barbados, Bradley made
seven changes to his starting line-up in Bridgetown, fielding a youthful
side. The only remaining players that started last week were goalkeeper
Brad Guzan, defender Heath Pearce and
midfielders DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Bradley.
-- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Scoring Summary: 1 2 F Scoring: Lineups: BRB: 1-Alvin Rouse, 5-Bryan Neblett, 6-Jonathan Straker, 7-Paul Ifill
(capt.), 9-Marc McCammon, 11-Jonathan Nurse (12-Malcolm Marshall, 81),
13-Riviere Williams (8-Rondell Vaughan, 68), 14-Ramuel Miller, 15-Emerson
Boyce, 16-Barry Skeete, 17-John Parris Stats Summary: USA / BRB Misconduct Summary: Officials: Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Eddie Lewis The U.S. Men’s National Team opened 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying and took a commanding lead in first leg of their Second Round two-game series against Barbados this afternoon with a historic 8-0 victory at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The eight-goal win is the largest margin of victory ever in U.S. Men’s National Team history, and ties the record for the most goals scored by the U.S. in a match. The U.S. scored eight goals in a friendly against the Cayman Islands on Nov. 14, 1993, but also allowed a goal in the 8-1 victory. Clint Dempsey started the rout when he tallied the quickest goal ever scored by the U.S. in World Cup qualifying, when he finished a fantastic service from Carlos Bocanegra only 53 seconds into the match. Michael Bradley and Brian Ching added goals in the first half before the U.S. wore down a tired Barbados defense in the second half to score five more goals, including three in the final nine minutes of the game. Dempsey and Ching both ended up with two-goal performances with goals in the second half, while an own goal and strikes from Landon Donovan and Eddie Johnson provided the U.S. with the record performance. "It's good to get the whole thing underway,” said U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “We spent a lot of time thinking about just getting off on the right foot, and a goal early like that certainly is getting off on the right foot. From there, it's just an exercise of staying sharp, trying to play the right ball, the right timing, and finish off some of plays so we could have a margin. We were able to do that, so in those ways it was a definite success." The second leg of the two-game series against Barbados will be played on Sunday, June 22 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. It took the U.S. a little less than 11 minutes to get their next goal, this effort not coming as cleanly as the record breaker. Right back Steve Cherundolo streaked down the sideline and swung a cross into the penalty area towards both Ching and Dempsey who were crashing in on goal. With a defender attempting to cover both U.S. players inside the six yard box, the ball bounced around before popping out for Ching to take a strike on goal, but Rouse made the save. The deflection landed in the middle of the penalty area where Bradley was able to pounce on the rebound and rip a crushing left-footed strike into the right side of the net to record a goal in his first-ever FIFA World Cup qualifier. After just missing on the earlier sequence, Ching got some help from midfielder Pablo Mastroeni to earn his first goal since the 2007 Gold Cup. A short corner kick by Donovan to DaMarcus Beasley started the sequence, and Beasley then fed it back to Donovan who had run to the top of the penalty area. Donovan quickly slipped the ball to his right for a wide-open Mastroeni, and the two-time World Cup veteran unleashed a blast towards the mash of players in the box where it deflected off Ching and found the back of the net. The five second half goals were scored by Donovan, Dempsey, Eddie Johnson, Ching and an own goal by Barbados. There were six other CONCACAF Second Round qualifying matches played on Sunday, with the most surprising scoreline coming out of Trinidad & Tobago where the home team lost, 2-1, to Bermuda. Mexico, Canada, Panama and Jamaica all won their first leg matches, while Haiti and the Netherlands Antilles played to a scoreless draw.
Match-up: USA vs. Barbados Scoring Summary: 1 2 F Scoring: Lineups: BRB: 1-Alvin Rouse; 2-Dyson James, 3-Daryl Ferguson, 4-Greg Belle, 5-Bryan
Neblett; 8-Jonathan Forte (13-Riviere Williams, 69), 10-Norman Forde (Capt.)
(12-Malcolm Marshall, 72), 11-Jonathon Nurse (17-John Parris, 76), 15-Rommelle
Burgess; 7-Paul Ifill, 9-Mark McCammon. Stats Summary: USA / BRB Misconduct Summary: SANTANDER, Spain (June 4, 2008) – The U.S. Men’s National Team fought fourth-ranked Spain toe-to-toe for more than an hour before an opportunistic goal by Xavi Hernandez in the 79th minute delivered Spain a 1-0 victory before 13,500 fans at the Estadio El Sardinero in Santander. Eddie Johnson had one goal called back and barely missed a second as Spain extended its unbeaten run to 17 matches and improved its record against the United States to 3-0-0 all-time. Kicking off at 10 p.m. local time, the U.S. played much better than they
did a week ago against England, creating a handful of chances during a
fairly even affair with the fourth-ranked team in the world. The U.S. will have a short turnaround as they next face No. 1-ranked Argentina on June 8 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the team’s final match before beginning their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. More than 63,000 tickets been sold for the match, which will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Galavision at 7:30 p.m. ET. "In certain areas, I think there was improvement (from the match against England)," said U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradly. "In the first half, I certainly felt that we passed the ball better. In the second half, we had a very good chance early on but we lost a little bit of energy and Spain was able to capitalize." "I thought we stopped moving to support each other when we had the ball. [Cesc] Fabregas and Xavi started moving very well to find little gaps in our midfield. At that point, Spain was able to take advantage. They're a very good passing team." The U.S. began the match with a renewed spirit and determination, staying compact and organized while constantly shutting down the Spanish passing lanes. The duo of Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu kept Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabrergas in check, while centerbacks Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu limited the chances for the Liverpool’s dangerous frontman, Fernando Torres. The U.S. made three changes to start the second half, once again inserting Brad Guzan for Tim Howard and Frankie Hejduk for Steve Cherundolo. DaMarcus Beasley made his second appearances in as many matches, replacing Adu and pushing Clint Dempsey into the center of the 4-2-3-1 formation. Spain also made a handful of changes in the second half, and almost immediately Ruben De La Red and then Xavi began to find space between the USA’s central midfield and backline to orchestrate attacks. Nonetheless, it was Johnson who once again almost broke the deadlock in the 49th minute. Eddie Lewis received the ball wide and drove down the left flank, delivering a cross reminiscent of his pass to Landon Donovan to set up the USA’s second goal in the Round of 16 victory against Mexico in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Johnson had done well to position himself ahead of his mark, but his glancing header skimmed agonizingly wide of the right post. As the half wore on, Spain began to show why they’ve been chosen
as a favorite to win the 2008 European Championships, which kick off this
weekend. They nearly grabbed the lead in the 62nd minute when a well taken
free kick from Xavi clanged off the crossbar. Down a goal, the U.S. picked up the pace and continued to push for an equalizer until the final whistle. They created two chances in added time, starting with a header from Bradley off a cross from Hejduk that didn’t find the mark. Johnson made a last-minute foray into the box, unleashing a tight-angle shot that was well handled by Casillas. After the Argentina match, the U.S. opens qualifying play for the 2010
FIFA World Cup in a Second Round series with Barbados that begins Sunday,
June 15, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff for the first
leg of the series is set for 2 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast
live on ESPN2 and Galavision. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Spain Scoring Summary: Scoring Summary: Lineups: ESP: 1-Iker Casillas (capt.); 11-Joan Capdevila (3-Fernando Navarro,
53), 4-Carlos Marchena, 5-Carlos Puyol, 15-Sergio Ramos; 12-Santi Cazorla,
8-Xavi Hernandez, 14-Xabi Alonso (19-Marcos Senna, 46), 21-David Silva
(22-Ruben De La Red, 58); 9-Fernando Torres (17-Daniel Güiza, 46),
10-Cesc Fabregas (18-Álvaro Arbeloa, 84) Stats Summary: Misconduct Summary: The U.S. Men’s National Team fell to a determined England side on Wednesday evening in front of 71,233 fans at Wembley Stadium in London. John Terry, acting as the team captain on the night, and Steven Gerrard scored on either side of halftime to deliver a 2-0 victory to the world’s 11th ranked team. The loss was the first for the U.S. in 2008, and broke their five-game undefeated streak going back to October of last year. It was also the USA’s first loss in four away matches after setting a team record of three consecutive victories outside their borders. The U.S. now turns their sights on fourth-ranked Spain, who are in final preparations for the 2008 European Championships. The team travels to Santander on Thursday to prepare for their match-up at on Wednesday, June 4 at Estadio El Sardinero. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN360.com and delayed on ESPN2 (5:30 p.m. ET) and Galavision (7 p.m. ET/PT). “First, I would give credit to England,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “Overall, I thought that the first 30 minutes we dealt pretty well with the speed of the game. As we moved on in the half, certainly we hurt ourselves with giving away some fouls around the box to a dangerous team on set pieces, and they took advantage of that. In the second half there was an attempt to push a level up on our end, but we couldn't sustain enough pressure, and in that regard England on the night was quite good. The second goal for them was excellent passing movement and I give them credit.” The U.S. was without the services of midfielder Landon Donovan, who was a game-time scratch due to a strained groin which he suffered during the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 3-1 win against the Kansas City Wizards this past weekend. Without Donovan, who is just one cap away from reaching 100 international appearances, the U.S. struggled to create enough dangerous chances against the quality defensive line of England. A compact U.S. defense did a good job of denying quality scoring chances throughout the opening stanza, and in particular keeping Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney from getting good looks at goal. The majority of England’s chances in the first half were created from the deadly foot of David Beckham, the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder finding numerous chances to whip crosses into the U.S. penalty area. England’s first real opportunity came in the 12th minute when Beckham’s service from the left flank dangerously skipped through the six-yard box before ending up harmlessly over the endline. Along with Beckham, Gerrard proved dangerous all over the pitch as the Liverpool midfielder found open areas in the final third to exploit the U.S. defense. Beckham served in another dangerous kick in the 24th minute from just outside the area. Gerrard ran into the penalty box unmarked and pulled off a shot that was deflected by Carlos Bocanegra. The U.S. got a look at the England goal two minutes later when Eddie Johnson held off his defender near the English endline on the right side of the 18-yard box and chipped the ball across the goalmouth. Michael Bradley was waiting at the far post but couldn’t stretch high enough to get a head on the ball. Jermaine Defoe came close to opening the scoring in the 34th minute after a great build-up from the English team. David James sent a long ball to the feet of Wayne Rooney in the center circle. Rooney passed to Gerrard who sent a quick, sharp pass to Defoe. Despite being tightly marked by Pearce, Defoe managed to hit a shot that went wide left of the U.S. goal. After missing a penalty kick for Chelsea in the Champions League final against Manchester United, Terry went into the match with a heavy heart. However, in the 38th minute the weight was slightly lifted when he put England in the lead by converting a trademark Beckham set piece. Handed a free kick on the right flank 40 yards from goal, the Galaxy midfield swerved in a dipping cross and the England captain rose above the crowd near the penalty spot to nod one home past Howard into the right corner. The U.S. made two changes at halftime, swapping Brad Guzan for Tim Howard, and replacing Steve Cherundolo with Frankie Hejduk. The team came out of the locker room with a renewed sense of purpose, creating their most dangerous opportunity of the night in the first minute of the second half. Pearce advanced up the left flank and picked out Johnson making a run to the near post. The Sierra Mist Man of the Match hit a one-time volley toward goal that narrowly missed finding the inside of the left post. Defoe once again created danger for the U.S. in the 53rd minute, taking an unbelievably swift first touch and turning on Pearce after collecting a free kick from Terry directly in front of the goal. The Portsmouth striker's snap shot was well saved by Guzan, who maintained his composure in the face of a dicey scoring chance. England doubled their lead in the 59th minute with Steven Gerrard showing his class. Manchester United defender Wes Brown played a ball to Gareth Barry in the middle of the park, who clinically spliced a ball between the U.S. defense and into the path of the perfectly timed run by Gerrard. The England number 10 made no mistake, calmly holding the ball at his feet long enough to draw Guzan out before slipping a shot across the goal into the lower left corner. The U.S. continued to search for a goal of their own, getting two sniffs in the 66th and 68th minutes. On the first, Michael Bradley drove a ball into the area for Josh Wolff, but his diving header went well left. Dempsey followed that up two minutes later with a shot from 35 yards out, but the deflected effort fell harmlessly to James. Bradley made three more changes to the U.S. lineup as Freddy Adu came into the match for Wolff in the 68th minute, along with Eddie Lewis, who replaced DaMarcus Beasley. Lewis put his experience to work with some fancy footwork along the right endline to get past English midfielder Joe Cole, then floating the ball to the back post. With U.S. captain Bocanegra ready to pounce, James managed to stretch a paw out and swat the ball out for U.S. corner. With the game in hand, England was able to keep the U.S. chasing until the final whistle. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. England Scoring Summary: Scoring:
Subs not used 2-Dan Califf Head Coach: Bob Bradley ENG: 1-David James; 2-Wes Brown (13-Glen Johnson, 58), 6-John Terry (capt.), 3-Ashley Cole (14-Wayne Bridge, 83), 5-Rio Ferdinand; 7-David Beckham (17-David Bentley, 46), 4-Owen Hargreaves, 8-Frank Lampard (21-Gareth Barry, 57), 10-Steven Gerrard; 9-Jermain Defoe (25-Peter Crouch, 68), 11-Wayne Rooney (22-Joe Cole, 79) Subs not used: 12-Joe Hart, 15-Stephen Warnock, 16-Jonathan Woodgate, 18-Phil Jagielka, 19-David Wheater, 20-Tom Huddlestone, 23-Stewart Downing, 24-Ashley Young, , 26-Dean Ashton, 27-Theo Walcott, 28-Gabriel Agbonlahor, 29-Joe Lewis Head Coach: Fabio Capello Stats Summary: Misconduct Summary: Officials: Bradley Will Draw From Top 33 Player Pool U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a 33-man player pool that will be used to select rosters for the upcoming trio of blockbuster friendlies against England, Spain and Argentina. The roster for the England match, which will include approximately 22 players, will be announced early next week. All three of the USA’s World Cup qualifying tune-up matches will be broadcast on the ESPN and Univision networks, and fans can follow each game live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. “With the challenging schedule of friendlies we have organized to prepare for World Cup qualifying, this is an excellent opportunity to continue to evaluate our player pool and at the same time balance the workload,” said Bradley, who is presiding over a five-match unbeaten run for the United States. “Many of our players have just completed seasons in Europe, and the MLS schedule is in full swing, so it is important that we manage the time wisely to give ourselves the best chance to be successful in the important matches this summer.” The friendly schedule kicks off with a trip to famed Wembley Stadium for a May 28 clash with England that will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic at 3 p.m. ET and tape delay on Galavision at 7 p.m. ET/PT. More than 1,300 tickets were sold in the U.S. Supporters Section for the USA’s second-ever trip to London. The U.S. will then face fourth-ranked Spain on June 4 at the Estadio El Sardinero in Santander. The match will be shown live exclusively on espn360.com, and broadcast via tape delay on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. ET and Galavision at 7 p.m. ET/PT. The U.S. will head back across the Atlantic to face No. 1-ranked Argentina on June 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET in New Jersey. More than 46,000 tickets have been sold for the USA’s final match at Giants Stadium. The USA’s final match before the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. The U.S. is currently riding a five-match unbeaten run that includes back-to-back victories on European soil for the first time in team history. Prior to the USA’s first qualifying match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup cycle, the U.S. will have played in two major international tournaments, defended their Gold Cup title, qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and competed against four teams who were ranked in the top 10 in the world when they faced the United States (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Spain). The U.S. opens qualifying play for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in a Second Round series with Barbados that begins Sunday, June 15 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff for the first leg series is set for 2 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. The second leg will be played on June 22, with details still to be finalized. U.S. Men’s National Team Player Pool U.S. To Play Argentina In New Jersey Coming off a 3-0 victory over Poland, the U.S. MNT’s first-ever back-to-back wins in Europe, U.S. Soccer has announced a May 28 game against England in Wembly Stadium, and a June 8 game at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands, NJ against #1 ranked Argentina. The 3-0 victory in Krakow followed last fall’s 1-0 win over Swizerland in Basel. The games with England and Argentina, along with a June 4 game against Spain in Santander, gives the U.S. three consecutive high-level games before going into World Cup 2010 qualifying in June. The match against Argentina will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. "Argentina is clearly one of the best teams in the world and playing against an opponent of that caliber is a great opportunity for our team," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "Combined with the matches against England and Spain, we have put together a very good schedule to help us prepare for World Cup qualifying. We expect it will be a fantastic crowd at Giants Stadium, and we are looking forward to an exciting atmosphere." The U.S. begins the quest to qualify for their sixth-consecutive World Cup finals when they take on Barbados on June 15 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The second leg of the home-and-away series will be played either June 21 or 22 in Barbados. Prior to the USA’s first World Cup qualifier, the U.S. will have faced six teams that have been ranked in the top 15 in the world since 2007 – Argentina, Brazil, England, Mexico, Sweden and Spain. The U.S. is 2-0-1 this year, having also beaten Sweden 2-0 and played Mexico to a 2-2 draw. The U.S. has played top-ranked Argentina eight times in their history, holding a lifetime record of 2-6-0 against the South American juggernaut. Of those eight matches, only three have been played in the United States, with the other five taking place in neutral sites. The two U.S. victories include a 3-0 upset of the defending champions in the group phase of the 1995 Copa America, and a 1-0 win in 1999 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., when a Joe-Max Moore goal was the difference. This will be the last friendly match for the U.S. Men at Giants Stadium. The U.S. Men have played at Giants Stadium seven times in their history, holding a 4-1-2 record. One of the most memorable matches in U.S. history occurred at the East Rutherford venue on June 11, 2000, when the U.S. defeated Mexico, 3-0, to win the 2000 Nike U.S. Cup. The emphatic victory was the beginning of the team’s current 10-game undefeated streak on home soil against their archrival. The U.S. played their last two matches at Giants Stadium during the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup, defeating Honduras, 2-1, in the semifinals and then Panama in penalty kicks to earn the title. The teams last met during the 2007 Copa America, with the Argentines outclassing a young and inexperienced U.S. team in their 4-1 win on June 28 in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Argentina advanced to the final before falling to Brazil, 3-0, to finish in second place. Argentina currently sits in second place of CONMEBOL qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, collecting three victories while suffering one defeat through four matches. Following the match against the United States, the Argentines will play qualifiers against Colombia at home on June 14 and away in Brazil three days later. The match against England on May 28 will take place at the new 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium and will kick off at 8 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET), live on ESPN Classic and Univision. The U.S. will then move to continental Europe to take on fourth-ranked Spain on June 4 at the Estadio El Sardinero in Santander. Goals by a pair of defenders and a swerving free kick from Eddie Lewis paced the U.S. to a convincing 3-0 win against Poland as the U.S. improved their lifetime record against Poland to an even 7-7-2. Landon Donovan provided both assists on the first half goals from Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu as the U.S. remained unbeaten in 2008, posting a 2-0-1 record. The victory marked the first time the U.S. MNT has won consecutive games on European soil. The U.S. defeated Switzerland, 1-0, in Basel on Oct. 17, 2007, in their last trip across the pond. The three-goal margin of victory was also the largest for the U.S. in Europe since a 3-0 victory against Austria in Vienna in 1998. “I thought it was a great team effort tonight,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “Obviously we took advantage of set pieces, which is always a positive. More importantly, we showed the mentality and discipline necessary to win games on the road against good opponents like Poland. I thought the crowd tonight was fantastic. It was a special atmosphere, one that our players really appreciated.” After coming off the field in Krakow, the U.S. learned their opponent for the second round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, as Barbados defeated Dominica 1-0 to win the first-round series 2-1 on aggregate. The U.S. hosts their first qualifier on June 15 at The Home Depot Center, with the second leg to be played either June 20 or 21 in Barbados. In preparation for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, the U.S. will play a set of friendlies in Europe, facing England on May 28 in London before moving to continental Europe to play fourth-ranked Spain on June 4 at the Estadio El Sardinero in Santander. Kickoff against England at the new, 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium is set for 8 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Univision. Against Poland, the U.S. came out organized and disciplined from the opening whistle, and Bradley’s side dealt with the slippery conditions much better than the hosts. Time and again, the U.S. pressure led to poor passes and turnovers from Poland, and the U.S. was able to string together series of combinations to create opportunities. The U.S. snatched the lead in the 12th minute off a trademark Donovan free kick, which was earned when a charging Heath Pearce was fouled on the left flank. Set up 25 yards from goal along the sideline, he swerved an in-swinger six yards in front of the near post, where Bocanegra laid more shoulder than head to the ball, directing a shot to the lower left corner. The goal marked the ninth international strike for the U.S. captain, who was named Sierra Mist Man of the Match for also having an impressive performance with his defensive duties to help earn the shutout. Offensively, the U.S. continued to maintain pressure, while staying strong in the back. The central tandem of Bocanegra and Onyewu kept the middle clean and Steve Cherundolo and Pearce contained the runs of the Polish wingers. Another service from Donovan, who earned his 99th cap against Poland, led to the USA doubling their advantage in the 35th minute. This time it was Onyewu who was on the end of the expert service. A corner kick delivery from the right reached the head of the 6’4” defender, who got free when defender Marcin Wasilewski slipped while jostling in the area. Onyewu made no mistake, powering home a drive from seven yards to record the fourth goal of his career, and mark the first ever time scoring in back-to-back games. Despite several changes at halftime by Leo Beenhhakker, the U.S. never took their foot off the gas and nearly struck again just three minutes into the second stanza. Taking advantage of a miscue by defender Grzegorz Bronowicki, who was the last man with Poland’s entire team pushed forward, Donovan snuck behind him and stole the ball inside the midfield circle. With Bronowicki chasing, Donovan sprinted in alone on goal and tried to curl a shot to the far corner when the ‘keeper came to cut off his angle, but his attempt narrowly skimmed past the right post. A pair of second-half substitutes combined to end all hope for Poland in the 73rd minute. A foul on Josh Wolff about 20 yards from goal set the table, leaving Lewis and Clint Dempsey standing over the ball. It would be Lewis to pull the trigger, the left-footer bending a wicked strike over the Polish wall that nestled into the lower right corner. Poland’s best chance of the night was in the 30th minute when a poor clearance by Pearce allowed Poland to regain possession near the top of the penalty area. The ball was eventually played back to Dariusz Dudka and he unleashed a bullet on target, but Tim Howard was up to the challenge, diving to his left to push it wide of the post. With only three saves on the night, Howard picked up his 11th career shutout and 18th career victory. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Scoring Summary: Scoring: Lineups: POL: 1-Artur Boruc; 13-Marcin Wasilewski, 6-Jacek Bak, 16-Arkadiusz Radomski
(19-Michal Golinski, 63), 3-Grzegorz Bronowicki; 21-Lukasz Piszczek (17-Wojciech
Lobodzinski, 46), 18-Mariusz Lewandowski, 5-Dariusz Dudka, 8-Jacek Krzynowek
(7-Euzebiusz Smolarek, 46); 9-Maciej Zurawski (10-Lukasz Gargula, 46),
20-Pawel Brozek (11-Radolsaw Matusiak, 46) Stats Summary: Misconduct Summary: Officials: Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Carlos Bocanegra Bradley Names Roster For Poland Friendly U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named 18 players to the roster that will face Poland on Wednesday, March 26 in Krakow. Kickoff at Wisla Stadium is set for 8:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The match in Poland represents the first of three friendlies the U.S. will play on European soil prior to the start of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. begins the quest to qualify for their sixth-consecutive World Cup finals when they take on the winner of the first round series between Barbados and Dominica. The Caribbean nations drew 1-1 in the first leg on Feb. 6 in Dominica, with Barbados hosting the return leg on March 26 in Bridgetown. The U.S. will host their first qualifier on June 15 at The Home Depot Center, with the second leg to be played between June 18-21 on the road. The U.S. Men will travel to England for the first time since 1994 to meet the #11 ranked England National Team on May 28 in London. Kickoff at the new, 90,000-seat Wembley Stadium is set for 8 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Univision. The ninth meeting between the nations will serve as preparation for both teams as they gear up for the start of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. A week after taking on England, the team will head to continental Europe to face Spain at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 4, at Estadio El Sardinero in Santander. U.S. MNT Roster Vs. Poland It’s Official! The U.S. Men’s National Team
will travel to England for the first time since 1994 to meet the 11th
ranked England National Team on May 28 in London. The ninth meeting between the nations will serve as preparation for both teams as they gear up for the start of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Ticket information for U.S. fans wanting to travel to the England match will be announced shortly. "We have consistently said that one of our goals is to play matches
against good opponents and in environments that will really challenge
our team,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. With previously announced matches against Poland on March 26 and Spain on June 4, the meeting with England will provide the U.S. with an impressive three games on European soil in preparation for World Cup qualifying. The U.S. will face Poland in Krakow at 3:30 ET (live on Fox Soccer Channel) and Spain at Estadio El Sardinero in Santander at 4 p.m. ET. The U.S. begins the quest to qualify for their sixth-consecutive World
Cup finals when they take on the winner of the first round series between
Barbados and Dominica. The U.S. and England last met on British soil at the original Wembley Stadium in London on Sept. 7, 1994, with the Three Lions earning a 2-0 victory. One year before, the USA posted a matching 2-0 scoreline at Foxboro Stadium as part of the build up to the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The most memorable meeting between the teams occurred 58 years ago at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. In that match, the United States provided one of the sport’s biggest all-time upsets with a 1-0 win in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. England holds a 6-2-0 lifetime advantage in the series that dates back to 1950. The teams last played on May 28, 2005, in Chicago where Clint Dempsey’s first international goal wasn’t enough to cancel out the pair from Kieran Richardson as England hung on for a 2-1 win before 47,637 fans at Soldier Field. (Watch the highlights here) England has been drawn into Group 6 of UEFA qualifying for the 2010 FIFA
World Cup, headlining a group that includes Croatia, the third place team
in the 1998 World Cup. The English open qualifying action with a pair
of away matches, traveling to face Andorra on Sept. 6, before meeting
Croatia in Zagreb four days later. Dorrance, Perez Elected To National Soccer HOF Legendary University of North Carolina Women’s Soccer Coach Anson Dorrance and highly respected U.S. National Team Veteran Hugo Perez have been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame President Steve Baumann announced today. Unfortunately, in the 2008 Player election no individual exceeded the required 75% of ballots cast to gain entrance into the Hall of Fame. Top players were Preki Radosavljevic with 67.97% and Joy Fawcett with 67.19% of the vote. This is the first time this has happened since a voting change was made in 2004. “We are excited to reveal such a prestigious 2008 Hall of Fame
Class,” he said. “Anson Dorrance has set an unbelievable standard
for American soccer coaches. His success at UNC is staggering and his
World Championship with the U.S. Women’s National Team has inspired
coaches to higher levels of excellence. Induction into the National Soccer
Hall of Fame is a natural outgrowth of his exemplary and continuing career.” The U.S. Men’s National Team continued their dominating undefeated streak at home against Mexico this evening with an exciting 2-2 draw in front of 70,103 fans at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The match was a high-paced affair, with the U.S. jumping out to a 2-1 lead at halftime, only to surrender the tying goal just two minutes into the second half to Mexico’s Jonny Magallón, who had both goals for the Tri-Colores. The U.S. goals came from defender Oguchi Onyewu and 18-year-old Jozy Altidore, making his first start for the United States. “There were some good things that you need to see in a tough environment and in a tough game,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, whose U.S. record now stands at 13-5-2, “and there were some things that you see that you still need to improve on. These kind of games are what the players look forward to and as coaches, we understand that we need this kind of games in order to look hard at our players and our team to find things that we need to improve.” The U.S. is now undefeated in its last 10 home games against Mexico, compiling an impressive 8-0-2 record since 2000. The U.S. has outscored Mexico 17-3 in that stretch, including Wednesday’s match, which was the highest scoring game in the series in almost 11 years (dating back to a 2-2 draw on April 20, 1997, a span of 17 games). The opening goal of the game came in the 29th minute after the USA’s first sustained pressure of the match, with Onyewu finishing a towering, precise header from eight yards out that left Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa helpless. Onyewu began the sequence with a long throw-in from the left sideline that the Mexican defense failed to clear, allowing Landon Donovan to alertly lift the ball back into the area from the right side of the penalty area and allow the hulking defender to expertly head home off the right post. Mexico tied the match in the 35th minute on a close-range strike from Jonny Magallón, after a brilliantly played free kick from Pavel Pardo on the right flank eluded the U.S. defense and slid dangerously to the back post. Magallón eluded Drew Moor to slam his shot from four yards out into the upper left corner of the goal. Mexico’s second goal also came on a close-range back-post strike from Magallón, who again beat Moor to the spot, this time finishing a deflected corner from Carlos Vela (by defender Carlos Salcido at the near post) just two minutes into the second half to even the score. Magallón’s two goals were sandwiched around a stunning header from the young Altidore (18 years, 92 days), making his first start for the United States. Altidore’s 40th minute strike was slammed home from nine yards out after Moor had gotten forward on the right flank to hit a pinpoint cross into the area. The goal was the result of a strong U.S. counterattack led by Bobby Convey, who eventually fed Clint Dempsey, who in turn fed Michael Bradley to create the space for Moor. With the goal, Altidore became the youngest player to score for the United States in the modern era. Just two minutes after the USA’s second goal, Dempsey thought he had a goal of his own, hitting a 22-yard turnaround laser into the lower right corner of the goal. However, in controlling the ball off his chest on a long pass from Onyewu, the Texas native was whistled for offside. Despite watching the U.S. surrender two goals to Mexico at home for the first time in 11 years, goalkeeper Tim Howard was exceptional in the net for the United States, making a number of strong saves, and more importantly securely controlling every ball he was able to get his hands on. The Everton goalkeeper finished the match with six saves. Overall, the testy match between the two old rivals featured six yellow cards, including four against the United States. Through 54 all-time meetings with Mexico, the U.S. has a lifetime record of 14-29-11 in a series that dates to 1934. However, the United States owns a dominating 12-6-9 advantage in home matches since 1957. Additionally, since the rivalry between these two teams began in earnest in 1990, the sides have played 27 times, with the U.S. holding a 12-7-8 advantage. The 70,103 fans marked the fourth largest attendance for a USA-Mexico match in the United States (and the largest outside the state of California). It was also the second largest soccer crowd in Texas history. The U.S. wore their new home white Nike uniforms for the first time, and the match also featured the debut of the team's new game ball (the Total 90 Omni). Next up for the United States is an away match on March 26 against Poland in a city to be determined. The U.S. last faced Poland on March 1, 2006 in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where a lone goal from Clint Dempsey provided a 1-0 victory in a match that included a heavy snowfall during the second half. In June, the U.S. will travel to face fourth-ranked Spain as both teams prepare for major international events in the summer, the United States getting ready for their first World Cup qualifier on June 15 in Carson, Calif., while Spain gets ready for the 2008 European Championship. CHICAGO (January 24, 2008) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has recalled 21 players to the U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, CA, to begin preparations for the match against Mexico. More than 43,000 tickets have been sold for the showdown with the USA’s regional rivals on Feb. 6 in Houston. Kickoff at Reliant Stadium is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Univision, as well as on 75 affiliates of the Fútbol de Primera Radio Network. Fans can also follow the game live via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. All 21 players on the Carson roster were part of the group that began training in early January and finished with a 2-0 win against Sweden on Jan. 19 at the HDC. Missing are four members of the Under-23 Men’s National Team – Jozy Altidore, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan and Marvell Wynne – who will participate in the U-23 camp being held from Jan. 24-Feb.3 in Bradenton, Fla. "We are very pleased with the work we put in so far this year, and are looking forward to the next challenge against Mexico,” said Bradley. “We will continue to build on the concepts that we have established during the last year, and we are clearly progressing as a team as we move forward in preparing for the start of World Cup qualifying this summer.” Fourteen of the players saw action in the Sweden match, with three players earning their first international appearance. Houston Dynamo defender Eddie Robinson bagged his first goal in addition to his first cap, slamming home a rebound off a Pat Noonan shot to tally the game-winner. In the USA’s 500th international match, Landon Donovan made another U.S. scoring record all his own, converting a penalty for his 35th career goal, making him No. 1 on the USA’s all-time scoring list. Brad Guzan got credit for his first shutout in five internationals played, after having split time in three previous U.S. shutouts in which he appeared. The 21-man training camp roster remains a largely domestic-based group, holding 16 players who ply their trade in the United States. The MLS teams are well represented, with 11 of 14 clubs contributing players to the Carson camp. The roster boasts several year-end award winners, including MLS Goalkeeper of the Year (Brad Guzan) and Defender of the Year (Michael Parkhurst). In addition, New England Revolution forward Taylor Twellman finished third on the leaguegoalscoring chart with 16 goals, the fourth time in his six-year career he has tallied 15 goals or more. The list of Scandinavian-based players on the roster has grown to five, with Clarence Goodson (IK Start) and Noonan (Aalesund FK) both signing contracts to head to Norway at the conclusion of their service. They join Aalborg BK captain Dan Califf, Ramiro Corrales and Jeremiah White, who collected his first cap when he replaced Donovan in the second half of the Sweden match. The team will train in Carson until Feb. 3 before leaving for Houston. The final roster for the Mexico match, which may include more European-based players, will be finalized prior to the team’s departure from Carson. After the Sweden match, the U.S. will compete in a series of friendlies before beginning the attempt to qualify for their sixth-consecutive World Cup finals when they take on the winner of the first round series between Barbados and Dominica. The U.S. will host their first qualifier on June 15, with the second leg to be played between June 18-21 on the road. U.S. Men's National Team Training Camp Roster Johnson Is Fifth American On Fulham United States striker Eddie Johnson has became the fifth American player to sign with Fulham of the English Premier League. He has received an English work permit and was immediately signed by Fulham to a contract running through the summer of 2011. Johnson, a Florida native who has 11 goals in 31 matches with the U.S. men, is likely to join Fulham within the week and he could make his EPL debut within days of arriving in England. Johnson’s initial application for a work permit was denied because he was one match short of playing for the necessary 75 percent of U.S. national team “official matches” over the past two years. His 72 percent was sufficient upon appeal. The deal between Johnson, who has been playing for the Kansas City Wizards, and Major League Soccer has been negotiated with the London club for transfer for several weeks. As is its policy, MLS did not disclose the amout, but it is reported that the transfer fee for Johnson is the largest MLS has ever received for a player. Johnson signed a new contract with MLS last season and it reportedly contained a buyout clause valued at $4 million. Johnson becomes the fifth U.S. player on Fulham. “I have made no secret of the fact that I believe the squad lacks a certain balance in specific areas of the team and following the loss of (American forward) Brian McBride to injury, this is true of our strike force,” Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said “At six-foot, one-inches tall, Eddie has the presence that will complement the other forwards within our squad and he has the ability to offer us another dimension to our attacking play.” The other Americans on Fulham are McBride, who is about to return to action after dislocating his left kneecap in the season-opener, soon after he was named team captain; defender Carlos Bocanegra, midfielder-striker Clint Dempsey and goalkeeper Kasey Keller. Johnson, 23, played seven seasons in MLS, the first five for FC Dallas (nee Dallas Burn) and the last two in Kansas City. In 127 regular-season matches, he scored 41 goals and added 13 assists. He had one assist in six playoff games. McBride has returned to training, but no date has been set for his return to the lineup. Fulham is in 19th place at 2-12-9 with 15 points, five points from escaping the drop zone with 15 games left. Robinson, Donovan Lead U.S. Men Over Sweden Landon Donovan became the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. Men’s National Team after scoring from the penalty spot in the second half to help defeat Sweden, 2-0, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. For Donovan, his penalty kick in the 48th minute was his 35th goal in international play, pushing him past Eric Wynalda for the all-time lead in his 97th appearance. “I wouldn’t classify it as important but it’s something that I’m very proud of,” said Donovan of the record. “More so than scoring goals, being part of the team for a long time it’s something I’m proud of. For me, the most important part of any game is helping the team get a victory.” Donovan wasn’t the only one who made history on the night as defender Eddie Robinson’s opening strike put him into the history books as well, although not as exclusive. By burying his one-timer off deflected save in the 15th minute, Robinson became just the 44th player in U.S. history to score a goal in his first appearance – something Donovan, still just 25 years old, had done himself back in 2000. The victory was the 10th straight time the U.S. has either tied or won their opening game of the year, with the U.S. also defeating Sweden to start the streak, 1-0, in 1998. “For us it’s a good way to start the year. This camp is always a challenge because guys have been off for a while, but we felt throughout the camp that things we worked on throughout last year were coming back, especially working as a team. Our fitness levels came along quickly, and tonight we played against a team who is always a good match for us. The game had tempo. It was physically challenging. I think to come out of it with a good result was important.” The U.S. started the game brightly and created the first real chance of the game in the seventh minute. Left back Ramiro Corrales, making his first international appearance since 2004, lifted the ball towards Taylor Twellman near the edge of the area. The New England forward cleverly flicked the ball behind him to Revolution teammate Pat Noonan, who dropped the ball back to midfielder Ricardo Clark just outside the area. Clark’s stinging one-timer was saved well by Rami Shaaban, who parried the ball away. Brad Davis, starting on the left flank for the U.S., took the majority of the free kicks and his deliveries were dangerous all night. In the 12th minute, his well-placed free kick just missed an onrushing Twellman at the edge of the six yard box. The U.S. was getting the better of their opponents, and in the 15th minute Robinson gave them the deserved lead. Davis whipped in an enticing corner, and Noonan’s flicked header caught the Sweden goalkeeper Rami Shaaban by surprise, but he was still able to punch it off the line. The ball deflected inside the area and Robinson pounced on the rebound, slamming the ball into the roof of the net from seven yards out. The goal was the wakeup call Lars Lagerbäck’s side needed, and Sweden began to come back into the game. Brad Guzan was forced into action in the 30th minute after a Sweden free kick fell invitingly for forward Pontus Wernbloom. Guzan was quick to react, however, and he made himself big to deny Wernbloom from close range. Three minutes later, Guzan was called upon again and denied Wernbloom for the second time. A mixup between Robinson and defender Jimmy Conrad gifted Wernbloom the ball in the box. But Guzan flew off his line and smothered the shot to deny Sweden its best chance of the match. The U.S. carried its one goal advantage into the break, and made three changes to start the second half. One of those subs, forward Jozy Altidore, stamped his authority on the game almost instantly, as he was brought down in the box in the 48th minute. A good combination from Donovan and right-back Drew Moor lead to a low cross into the area. Noonan controlled well, and found Altidore streaking to the edge of the six yard box. The New York Red Bulls forward wound up to shoot, but was impeded by Sweden’s Mattias Bjärsmyr. Donovan took it upon himself to dispatch the spot kick and came through for the U.S. as he has done so many times before. The weight of history seemed to have no effect on the California native, but he clearly knew what his achievement meant to U.S. soccer history, grabbing the ball immediately after the goal and taking it to the sidelines to be saved. Now up 2-0, the U.S. began to stroke the ball around with confidence. Altidore was causing all sorts of problems for the Swedish backline, who had to resort to physical play in order to stop the athletic 18-year old. In addition to Robinson, Bob Bradley handed debut caps to defender Clarence Goodson and midfielder Jeremiah White. The young U.S. internationals were unfazed by the bright lights and the team closed out the final whistle without ever really being threatened in the second half. The U.S. Men’s National Team will next play host to CONCACAF rival Mexico on Feb. 6 in Houston. Kickoff at Reliant Stadium is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Univision. Fans can also follow the match live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Sweden Scoring Summary: USA – Eddie Robinson (Pat Noonan) 15th minute Lineups: SWE: 1 Rami Shaaban; 2-Mikael Lustig, 3-Mattias Bjärsmyr, 4-Peter
Larsson, 5-Oscar Rönningberg (15-Behrang Safari, 61), 6-Daniel Andersson
(capt.); 7-Niclas Alexandersson (18-Viktor Elm, 46), 8-Anders Svensson,
9-Andreas Johansson (16-Samuel Holmen, 61); 10-Rade Prica (20-Johan Oremo,
61), 11-Pontus Wernbloom (19-Andreas Dahl, 78). Stats Summary: USA / SWE Misconduct Summary: Officials: Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Landon Donovan U.S.-Cuba showdown looming in World Cup The United States will open qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in June against the tiny Caribbean nations of Barbados or Dominica and is likely to wind up in a politically charged semifinal group with Cuba. ''The opportunity to play in Cuba will be significant,'' U.S. coach Bob Bradley said after goalie Kasey Keller set the matchup by plucking a blue ball from a bowl during the World Cup draw Sunday in Durban, South Africa. ''I think the players will look forward to it.'' The U.S. team, which will be trying to reach its sixth consecutive World Cup, has a first-round bye. After advancing to the quarterfinals in 2002, it was eliminated in the first round in 2006. ''We're pretty excited to get the process started,'' U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said. ''Playing in Cuba would be a new experience. As we know from previous qualifying campaigns, it's tough to play in hostile environments like the ones we find in Guatemala and [Trinidad & Tobago]. From difficult conditions to hostile fans, you can't take any of these games for granted.'' The U.S. team is 5-1-1 against Cuba but never has traveled to the island nation. The teams have not met in a World Cup qualifier since 1949, when they played twice in Mexico City. The teams tied in their first matchup, and the United States won the second 5-2 to reach the 1950 tournament. The United States has maintained sanctions against Cuban leader Fidel Castro's government since 1962. Cuba has come to this country to play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but the teams have not met since the United States earned a 4-1 victory in the 2005 Gold Cup in Seattle. ''We've got an opponent in June, and if we're successful with that, we'll look at the semifinals,'' U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said. ''We played all three teams previously, but we haven't played Cuba away. That would pose some new challenges. But they are soccer challenges, and we'll deal with all those other issues at the time.'' U.S.
Tops South Africa 1-0 In their final match of 2007, the United States men defeated
South Africa During training, the U.S. had some difficulty acclimating to Johannesburg's Much to the obvious dismay of South Africa's well traveled coach, Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira, the host did not push the issue very hard during the opening 45 minutes. The result was much of the action was confined to the midfield with neither side doing much pressuring. South Africa giving the U.S. plenty of space, but the Americans failed to take full advantage. Still, the U.S. took a 1-0 lead into intermission when defender Steve Things changed a bit in the second half. Both Carlos Bocanegra
and Yet, South Africa was not able to create much in the way of quality chances and the Americans were able to protect their advantage without a great deal of difficulty. As has been the case in recent matches, the U.S. showed almost no offense. With a pair of natural midfielders -- Clint Dempsey and Freddy Adu -- on top, the Americans were outshot 12-3 and managed only two shots on goal. Cherundolo's goal was one of few times the U.S. created danger for the South African back-line. U.S. coach Bob Bradley did not have his full complement
of players Without Twellman, Adu started and showed improvement in his play. Edu has looked good in his first two starts. Otherwise, the squad was about what Bradley has started recently. South Africa is building toward the African Nations Cup, which starts
in However, for whatever reason, the team is not playing as a unit. McCarthy, supposedly the best South African, had an off-day against the U.S. and was seldom a factor. Parreira has his work cut out if his team is to have much of a showing as the World Cup host in 2010. The U.S. is now off until it meets Sweden January 19 at The Home Depot Starters Goalkeeper Tim Howard - 6: Did not have much to do. Controlled his box well and stopped the only decent South African shot of the day. Defender Steve Cherundolo - 6: A solid game on the right side of the Defender Oguchi Onyewu - 5.5: Played well for the entire 90 minutes,
but Defender Carlos Bocanegra - 6.5: Is the heart of the U.S. defense. That was never more apparent then when he was not there in the second half. Defender Heath Pearce - 5.5: Went the distance and while he did little Midfielder Benny Feilhaber - 5: He has not been getting playing minutes
in Midfielder Maurice Edu - 5.5: The Major League Soccer "Rookie of the Year" shows a big upside. Played solidly today and at times better than that. Midfielder Michael Bradley - 5.5: At times today was very good, making
one good defensive play after another, but did little to help the attack
and Midfielder DaMarcus Beasley - 5: Given the amount of room in which he had to work, he might have been expected to do more. Not a big game. Forward Freddy Adu - 5.5: Is showing development since he signed in Forward Clint Dempsey - 5: Didn't get much service so his offensive role Reserves Defender Dan Califf (46th minute for Cherundolo ) - 4.5: Made several good recoveries and clearances, but clearly was struggling at times and not of the quality of player he replaced. Defender Jonathan Spector (46th minute for Bocanegra) - 5: Likewise,
he did not do nearly as well as Bocanegra, especially when he was put
under Goalkeeper Brad Guzan (46th minute for Howard) - 5.5: Did fine, though he was not really called on to do much. Forward Josmer Altidore (65th minute for Dempsey) - 4.5: This could have been a big chance for him to show what he can do, but he displayed almost no offensive instincts and essentially became another defensive midfielder helping to kill off the match Midfielder Sacha Kljestan (74th minute for Adu) - 5: Made no impression on the match Defender Jonathan Bornstein (86th minute for Feilhaber) - no rating: A few minutes to earn a cap and a match check after a long trip. SoccerTimes U.S. Player of the Match: Carlos Bocanegra. Hackworth Moves To Assistant MNT Coach Longtime U.S. Soccer Youth National Team coach John Hackworth has been named as an assistant coach Bob Bradley and the U.S. Men’s National Team. The move comes one month before the USA’s final game of 2007 on Nov. 17 against South Africa in Johannesberg (live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision at 9 a.m. ET), and seven months before the team’s road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup officially begins next June. “John is a great addition to our coaching staff,” said Bradley. “He’s had a tremendous amount of success helping to create a framework for the player development initiatives within all of our national teams, and now that vision is being executed within the Development Academy. Having him on our staff, while also working directly with the technical aspects of the Academy program, is going to help us forge a very strong connection between those youth clubs all the way through the elite national team level.” In addition to joining Bradley’s national team staff, Hackworth will also serve as the Development Academy Director in U.S. Soccer’s new player development initiative that launched earlier this year. The program which launched this fall is designed to improve the environment for elite players throughout the country, in many ways emulating the successful U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla., which Hackworth has been a part of since 2002. “Joining Bob Bradley’s staff as that team gets focused on World Cup qualifying in 2008 is a great next step as a coach,” said Hackworth. “I’ve known Bob for many years and we have a great connection in terms of how we see the game, both technically on the field and in the ways you can help prepare a team off the field. I’m greatly looking forward to being a part of his staff on the road to South Africa.” In his additional role with the Development Academy, Hackworth will be the primary liaison to Academy clubs on all technical issues. That duty will include a focus on ensuring technical compliance within each of the 64 clubs in the system, as well as communicating policy decisions, training guidelines and, ultimately, connecting the clubs to the National Team program. “It has been very rewarding for me to see the Development Academy take shape over the past eighteen months,” said Hackworth. “The program provides the elite player with the proper environment for their development. In the past month, we have already identified a number of players for the National Team program and we expect that the opportunity for players to train more and play in a highly competitive environment will pay dividends in the future.” The Development Academy was created to provide players with the best possible opportunity to develop and was initiated by U.S. Soccer after a comprehensive review of player development systems in the United States and around the world. Hackworth took over the reigns of the U-17 National Team in November of 2004, after joining U.S. Soccer in early 2002 and serving as an assistant under John Ellinger for more than two years. As a head coach, he led the team through two FIFA Under-17 World Cup cycles, twice advancing the team into the tournament’s second round. In 2005 in Peru, Hackworth’s squad took the top spot in their group to advance to the quarterfinals and eventually finish in fifth place. Two years later in a newly-expanded 24-team World Cup, the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16 with a second-place group finish before falling to Germany. The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team is the only team in the world to have qualified for every World Cup at that age level, earning one fourth-place and two fifth-place finishes in five World Cup cycles since the launch of the U-17 Residency Program in 1999. Since the establishment of U-17 Residency almost nine years ago, the program has seen remarkable success in connecting players through U.S. Soccer’s National Team program and on to the full team. Of the 60 players capped by Bradley in 2007, 12 have been a part of the Under-17 Residency Program, a strong reflection of the programs development. Five players from the U-17 Residency Program (Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu, Bobby Convey and Eddie Johnson) participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. A replacement for Hackworth as the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team head coach will be named in the near future. Kasey Keller Out 3-4 Month With Injury American Kasey Keller, who had established himself as Fulham's starting goalkeeper in recent weeks, admitted to being "devastated" after finding out he would miss at least three, and possibly as much as four months of the English Premier League season with an arm injury. Keller, 37, damaged his left biceps in a Friday training session and it is being determined whether he will require surgery. "I feel absolutely destroyed, devastated," Keller told the Daily Mirror. "It's hugely disappointing because things were going so well and then this comes along and now I have to start all over again. I just wanted to make my name here and I was doing that until I suffered this cruel injury." Keller returned to the Premier League after spending the last two seasons with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Bundesliga when he signed with Fulham August 23. Brought in ostensibly as the backup for Tony Warner when the normal #1 keeper Antti Niemi began the season injured, Keller was starting in goal by the first game after his signing. After Niemi returned, Keller went to the bench briefly, but then earned the starting job. He was in net for the last four matches, three Premier League outings and one in the Carling Cup. Keller has played abroad longer than any other American, first joining Millwall in England in 1992. He also played for three other English clubs, as well as working in Spain and Germany. Keller is one of four Americans on the Fulham roster and joins his former U.S. teammate Brian McBride on the sideline for an extended period of time. McBride is expected to be out until after Christmas after undergoing knee surgery. In a freak occurrence, McBride dislocated his left patella while scoring Fulham's opening goal in a 2-1 loss August 18 to Middlesbrough. After being named the Cottagers' "Most Valuable Player" for the 2006-07 season, McBride was made captain. After his injury, fellow American defender Carlos Bocanegra was given that honor. The last member of the U.S. contingent is midfielder Clint Dempsey, who has excelled in his first full season in the EPL. At 1-4-5, Fulham is tied for 13th place, one of five EPL teams with eight points and only one point above the relegation zone. (From www.soccertimes.com) U.S. Beat Swiss 1-0 On Bradley Goal The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Switzerland 1-0 behind a late goal from midfielder Michael Bradley on a rainy evening in front of 16,500 fans at St. Jakob Park in Basel, Switzerland. The victory was the first for the U.S. in Europe in six games, improving the team’s record to 3-5-2 in their last 10 matches on European soil. The victory also ended the team’s five-game losing streak. “It was a typical game in Europe,” said U.S. head coach Bob
Bradley, who improved his overall record with the team to 11-5-1.
“Both teams made it hard for the other team. For us, it is important
to understand the mentality of being in these games and still finding
ways to win. It is still an important step for us. It's a game where credit
goes to the team for sticking together, being organized and not giving
too much away. And finding a way to win at the end.” |
