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Brazil Rallies To Edge USA 3-2 After taking a 2-0 halftime lead, the U.S. MNT saw its hopes of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup championship dashed as Brazil came back with three unanswered second-half goals for a 3-2 victory. The game marked the end of an amazing run for the U.S. in a tournament that had started badly with losses to Italy (3-1) and Brazil (3-1). The U.S. advanced out of the tournament’s most difficult group with a 3-0 win over Egypt, coupled with Egypt’s 1-0 win over Italy and Brazil’s 3-0 shutout of the defending World Cup champion Italians. The U.S. reached the championship game and a second meeting with Brazil, by beating Spain 2-0 in the semifinals. Spain, the #1 ranked team in the world, was on a 15-game win streak and had an unbeaten streak of 35 games broken. Clint Dempsey’s redirected goal in the 10th minute gave the U.S. a 1-0 first-half lead and snapped a streak of 315 scoreless minutes for Brazil. Landon Donovan combined with Charlie Davies on a long counter attack in the 27th minute, and finished a shot from 15 yards out to stretch the margin to 2-0. Brazil wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard in the second half, as Luis Fabiano scored the first of his two goals one minute into the final period. He tied the game in the 74th minute. Lucio got the game-winner in the 84th minute. The last two goals came off set pieces. The game marked the first time the U.S. MNT had ever reached the final in a senior FIFA national championship. Brazil, the five-time World Cup champion, has now won the Confederations Cup title three times. Brazil 3, USA 2 Match: United States vs. Brazil Lineups: USA: 1-Tim Howard; 12-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 15-Jay
DeMerit, 3-Carlos Bocanegra; 10-Landon Donovan, 22-Benny Feilhaber (2-Jonathan
Bornstein, 75), 13 -Ricardo Clark (4-Conor Casey, 88), 8-Clint Dempsey;
9-Charlie Davies, 17-Jozy Altidore (16-Sacha Kljestan, 75) ?Subs not used:
6-Heath Pearce , 7-DaMarcus Beasley, 11-Marvell Wynne, 18-Brad Guzan,
19-Freddy Adu, 20-Jose Torres, 23-Luis Robles ?Not available: 12-Michael
Bradley (suspension) Stats Summary: Misconduct Summary: Rewind the tape to 1980. Lake Placid on a cold and snowy day. The U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, a team of amateurs, beat the #1 team in the world, the all-professional Soviet Union. “Do you believe in miracles,” screamed announcer Al Michaels. Fast forward to June 24, 2009 on a cold night in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The U.S. men’s national soccer team beat the #1 team in the world. They broke Spain’s 35-game unbeaten streak, and broke the Spainards’ hearts in a 2-0 decision that advanced the U.S. to the champ8onship game in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Say it again Al Michaels…..Do you believe in miracles?” The win came out of nowhere. The U.S. has been less than impressive in recent CONCACAF World Cup qualifying games. They had some positive moments in Confederations Cup losses to Italy (3-0) and Brazil (3-1). The U.S. finished both of those games with 10 players on the field, after red card ejections. Packed and ready to go home, they beat Egypt 3-0 to advance to the semifinals, but that was aided mightily by Brazil’s 3-0 win over Italy, which eliminated the defending world champions. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the U.S. came out with confidence and played Spain straight up. They played like a gambler playing the table with house money. Jozy Altidore’s goal in the 27th minute put the U.S. ahead. That was a chance of fortunes. It has been the U.S. recently that has given up an early goal. The second goal that clinched the win came in the 74th minute. Landon Donovan played a ball across the six-year box that was not cleared by Spain’s defenders. Clint Dempsey came back to poke the ball off the defender’s foot and into the goal. "For us it's a big night,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “The players all worked hard. We constantly talk about reaching higher and trying to accomplish new things. “Spain is a team that we have the greatest respect for. They are a super team. Their ability to play, pass and move. We knew it was a challenge, but we felt that we would have a chance and that we could win this game. The only true disappointment in the game was the red card to midfielder Michael Bradley in the 86th minute. But being down a man did not affect the U.S. team this time. It’s the next game that will be impacted. He’ll miss the championship game. It should be noted that the same referee, Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay), who was in the middle of the U.S. vs. Italy 1-1 draw in the 2006 World Cup, was in the middle of this game. In the World Cup match there were three red cards given, two to the U.S. The two goals against Spain gives the U.S. six in the Confederations Cup. Altidore, Bradley and Dempsey scored in that shutout. The win over Spain will probably quiet the calls for US Soccer to fire Bradley as the head coach, after the lackluster effort in a couple of qualifiers, and the lack of confidence and aggressiveness the team showed against Brazil and Italy. One New York Times reporter wrote that the paper had received over 200 emails from fans calling for Bradley to be replaced. Against Spain, Bradley’s team showed the heart that had not been obvious in recent games. “We had a real confidence that we could try to make it harder for them than some of the other teams they have play against, and we had the weapons that could cause them some trouble,” he said. “We have some speed up front. We have some guys that come out of the midfield. I think that those are all things that work for us.” The U.S. got a boost from the return of captain Carlos Bocanegra, who moved out to left back from his normal center back position. That slot has been taken over by Jay DeMerit as Bocanegra recovered from a hamstring injury. DeMerit has been rock solid in the center, along with Oguchi Onyewu. Jonathan Spector, who has played every minute of every game in the Confederations Cup, has probably earned the right to be a regular starter at right back. Veteran Frankie Hedjek was playing there before he went down with an injury. “We aren’t used to losing,” said Spain’s coach Vincente del Bosque. “We’ve given 100% and if we haven’t been able to win, it’s because we couldn’t win. “We did everything to win, we dominated, but we couldn’t finish. We are all responsible for this loss.” The U.S. will play the winner of the semifinal between host South Africa and Brazil. U.S. Soccer Announces Gold Cup Roster CHICAGO (June 25, 2009) - U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has announced the 23-player roster that will represent the U.S. at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup from July 3 to July 26, 2009. Two days after Sunday’s final at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup live on ESPN2 and Univision, the U.S. will gather in Seattle where the U.S. team and staff will regroup to prepare for the opening game against Grenada on July 4 at 6 p.m. PT at Qwest Field. The team then crosses the country to face Honduras on July 8 at 9 p.m.
ET at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., before rounding out group play
against Haiti on July 11 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., with
kickoff slated for 7 p.m. ET. The roster, which carries over four players from the FIFA Confederations
Cup squad in Freddy Adu, Charlie Davies, Heath Pearce and Luis
Robles, also includes the return of regular starters Steve
Cherundolo and Brian Ching from injury. Overall, just six players on the roster have more than 10 caps, with Cherundolo leading the way at 51 international appearances. Seven players – including Robles – will be looking to make their U.S. National Team debut, while another nine have five or fewer caps. The 23-man roster averages just eight caps against the 27-cap average for the 2009 Confederations Cup roster as Bradley let most of the regular national team players either return to their clubs or have a brief break before starting training camp for the 2009-10 season. Only Ching and defender Michael Parkhurst return from
the 23-man squad that won the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, with Ching responsible
for drawing the foul in the final against Mexico that led to the game-tying
penalty kick by Landon Donovan. Unbelievable….USA Wins 3-0 To Advance RUSTENBURG, South Africa (June 21, 2009) — Needing to score at least three goals and on the verge of elimination, the U.S. Men’s National Team overcame incredible odds and advanced to the semifinals of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup this evening with a 3-0 victory against Egypt in their final Group B match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa. Combined with Brazil’s 3-0 victory against Italy, the U.S. moved from last to second place in the group and will face Spain in the semifinals on Wednesday, June 24. Playing in by far the most difficult group, the U.S. lost their first two games to world champions Italy (3-0) and Brazil (3-1), finishing tied with Italy on points (three) and goal differential (minus two), but advanced to the semifinals by virtue of more goals scored. Along with the goals against Egypt, Landon Donovan’s penalty kick against Italy provided the U.S. with four total goals. Italy only tallied three goals during the tournament, all against the U.S. Getting his first start since the USA’s 2009 opener on Jan. 24, forward Charlie Davies scored the opening goal of the match with a dogged determination during a scramble in front of the net. With Brazil leading Italy by three goals at halftime, the U.S. was in position to make what seemed improbable at the start of the day a reality. In the second half, the U.S. took full advantage with goals from Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey that put the U.S. into the semifinals. The U.S. will face Spain at Free State Stadium in Mangaung/Bloemfontein at 2:25 p.m. ET. The match will be live on ESPN and TeleFutura. Spain, ranked #1 in the FIFA World Rankings, won Group A with three victories against New Zealand, Iraq and South Africa. The reigning European champions are currently on a world record-setting run of 15 consecutive victories, while tying the record of most consecutive matches without a defeat (35), originally set by Brazil. “Without a doubt, we were focused on all three games knowing it was a tough group,” U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley said. “We knew that in the last game that we need to get after it in a way that would give us a chance. “We started the game with a lot of energy. Getting the first goal becomes important. At halftime, we felt that if we were smart, and we continued to press in a good way that there would be chances and that we would get two more goals. In that regard, credit to the players for the push they made throughout the game. We’re excited to move on.” A key to the win was being able to keep 11 players on the field for the entire game, after finishing against both Brazil and Italy, after red card ejections of Ricardo Clark and Sasha Kljestan, respective. Bradley called upon goalkeeper Brad Guzan and Davies for the first time in the tournament, while also plugging Clark back into his central midfield role with Michael Bradley after serving his one-game suspension for the red card in the opening match. Looking for the all-important third goal, Bob Bradley brought in Benny Feilhaber in to replace Jozy Altidore in the 69th minute and moved Clint Dempsey up to forward. The U.S. finally broke free two minutes later. Michael Bradley found defender Jonathan Spector who had found space along the right flank. Spector took a settling touch and looked up to see even numbers along Egypt’s backline, with four U.S. players converging towards the penalty area. He whipped in a curling service that found Dempsey, who held off Wael Gomaa and directed a perfectly-placed header just inside the left post. “We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Dempsey. “The odds were against us and the chances of us going through were slim. All we could control was ourselves. Credit to all the guys and the coaching staff. We worked hard this whole tournament so far and believed in ourselves. Now it’s time to refocus and get ready for Spain.” The three-goal performance marked the second most goals the U.S. has scored in a single FIFA Confederations Cup match since a 5-2 victory against Ivory Coast on Oct. 19, 1992, when the tournament was called the King Fahd Cup. This was the first time the U.S. had ever defeated Egypt, falling 3-1 to the African champions in their only other meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on June 8, 1987. With his start today, Donovan passed Claudio Reyna and moved into fourth all-time on the U.S. cap list with 113 appearances. Cobi Jones tops the list with 164 caps. In group A action on Saturday, Spain won their third straight match with
a 2-0 victory against South Africa. Despite the loss, the hosts advanced
to the semifinals along with Spain as Iraq and New Zealand played to a
scoreless draw. South Africa will face Brazil on Thursday, June 25 in
the other semifinal live on ESPN and TeleFutura. Match: United States vs. Egypt Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA – Charlie Davies 21st minute Lineups: EGY: 1-Essam El Hadary (capt.); 7-Ahmed Fathi (4-Ahmed Said, 53), 6-Hani
Said, 20-Wael Gomaa, 15-Ahmed Farag; 3-Ahmed Al Muhamadi, 11-Mohamed Shawky,
22-Mohamed Aboutrika, 8-Hosni Abd Rabbou; 10-Ahmed Eid (17-Ahmed Hassan,
50), 18-Ahmed Abdelghani (19-Mohamed Abougrisha, 62) Stats Summary: USA / EGY Misconduct Summary: Officials: ussoccer.com Man of the Match: U.S. coach Bob Bradley took the U.S. MNT to South Africa for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup hoping to answer some questions about his team with the 2010 FIFA World Cup about a year away. The U.S. faced a challenge in the draw that placed the Americans in a group with five-time world champion Brazil and defending World Cup champion Italy. A 3-1 loss to Italy to open the tournament, and a 3-0 loss to Brazil probably answered some questions, but likely not the one’s Bradley had hoped for. He was probably looking for players who could step up and compete on the world soccer stage. Instead, he got some insight into some who are either not ready or whose time has passed them by. In both losses the U.S. went down to 10 players by having a player ejected with a straight red card for a reckless and unnecessary sliding tackle. Ricardo Clark was dismissed midway through the first half in the loss to Italy, and his replacement, Sasha Kljestan, was red-carded early in the second half against Brazil. Against Brazil the U.S. came out very tentative, and like they had done
in a couple of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, gave up a goal inside of
eight minutes in the first half. By halftime it was 2-0, and then 3-0
before Benny Feilhaber and Connor Casey
knocked balls off the crossbar, inches higher than the opening into the
back of the net. Maicon scored the third, seven minutes after Kljestan was sent off. Brazil put 11 shots on goal. The U.S. only had two. “We had a very nervous and tentative start to the game,” said Bob Bradley. The two losses leaves the U.S. at the bottom of the standings with one game to go against Egypt on Sunday. Egypt, the defending Asian Nations Cup champion, lost 3-2 to Brazil to open the tournament. Landon Donovan, up front, played well, but was not as effective as he had been against Italy. Oguchi Onyewu at center back, had another strong game, as did Jonathan Spector at outside right back. For the most part, Tim Howard played well in goal, but probably could have done more on the first goal, which came on a bending free kick that was headed in from near the six-yard box. Jozy Altidore did not play with the same energy he showed against Italy, and when Colorado Rapids forward Connor Casey came on as a second half substitute, he hardly got out of a jog. Two of the USA’s most experienced players, Clint Dempsey and DaMarcus Beasley, had little impact on the game. In fact, Beasley would have had to play better just to get to the level of terrible. Much has been said about the U.S. players who have signed with European professional clubs, only to seldom find themselves in the lineup. They were good enough to be signed, but turns out not good enough to play. Injuries also play a part, but too many of the U.S. players from foreign clubs in this tournament are not making much of an impact with their club teams. It shows with the national team. The ejection situation has gotten past being something that came be blamed on poor officiating. Back in the 2006 World Cup in Germany the U.S. was forced to play a man down against Italy after Pablo Mastroeini’s ejection for a reckless tackle. Earlier this year, Michael Bradley, who was red-carded from a game in the ’08 Olympics, was sent off in a loss in Costa Rica. It would appear that when the pressure is on, some of the U.S. players lose their composure and allow emotion and frustration to take over. It no longer is good enough to say that the U.S. Men’s National Team played well and lost 3-1 to the current World Champions. That is exactly what they did, being beaten by Italy to open the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa. The difference was not entirely a difference in talent levels. The U.S.
fell into a deep hole when midfielder Ricardo Clark was
ejected after a reckless and unnecessary foul near midfield only 33 minutes
into the game. For the most part, the U.S. adjusted well and actually scored a goal on a penalty kick by Landon Donovan to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. What the ejection did was change the marking responsibilities, and remove a striker from the attack as Donovan moved back into the midfield. Eventually, the lack of pressure on the ball, and some defensive mistakes, led the three second-half goals by Italy. “Against a team like that, it’s really hard to play against them with 11 men, let alone 10,” said U.S. defender Jay DeMerit. “When the midfield opens up and guys get gree, it makes it really hard for us to make the right decisions.” The first goal came off the foot of American-born Guisseppe Rossi, a 57th minute substitute, who scored the equalizer two minutes after entering the game. The goal came from at least 30 yards out, a world class strike, that blew past U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard. The game-winner was another goal from long range, as Daniele de Rossi, wide open, fired a shot that U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu waved a leg at as it past by him. He probably screened Howard from seeing the ball, which also went past him into the goal. The third came in injury time by Rossi, the New Jersey kid who rejected an opportunity to play for the U.S. MNT to play for Italy. U.S. coach Bob Bradley, who does not have Brian Ching or Frankie Hedjek on the trip because of injuries, was without central defender Carlos Bocanegra because of a hamstring injury. Jay DeMerit, playing in the middle next to Onyewu, played well, but ran out of gas with 15 minutes left to play. Jonathan Spector was exceptional at right back for the third straight game, and Donovan made himself a factor in the game by working tirelessly all over the field. However, one can’t escape the fact that Italy scored without much pressure on the ball, and the U.S. could not finish what few opportunities it had. Michael Bradley took the ball deep into the box, but almost whiffed a left-footed shot, and Jozy Altidore, who did well to draw the penalty kick that Donovan finished, drove in one-on-one with Italy’s goalkeeper only to pass the ball instead of shooting it. The ejection leaves Bradley with a decision to make at defensive midfield in the Wednesday match against Brazil. The U.S. will need at least a draw with Brazil to have any hopes of advancing from group play. They play Egypt in the third group game on Sunday, and would not advance even with a win there. - U.S. Men's National Team Match Report- Match: United States vs. Italy Scoring Summary: USA – Landon Donovan (penalty kick) 41st minute Lineups: ITA: 1-Gianluigi Buffon; 19-Gianluca Zambrotta, 4-Girogio Chiellini,
6-Nicola Legrottaglie, 3-Fabio Grosso; 8-Gennaro Gattuso (17-Giuseppe
Rossi, 57), 10-Daniele De Rossi, 21-Andrea Pirlo; 15-Vincenzo Iaquinta,
11-Alberto Gilardino (9-Luca Toni, 69), 16-Mauro Camoranesi (20-Riccardo
Montolivo, 57) Stats Summary: USA / ITA Misconduct Summary: Officials: U.S. Men Fall 3-1 To Costa Rica SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (June 3, 2009) – Everyone who
follows U.S. Men’s National Team Soccer knew the World Cup qualifier
in Estadio Ricardo Saprissa would be difficult. Few expected the way the
game turned out. "As a group tonight, we came up short in every way," said Bradley. "I don't think there was any area at all where we were good enough to win a game against a good team. We were under pressure from the start. We fell short. We recognize that, and we have a quick turnaround for the next game." With injuries to defender Frankie Hejduk and forward
Brian Ching, the U.S. was without two of its most veteran
players - both of whom have experience playing in the unfriendly confines
of Estadio Ricardo Saprissa. Bradley will be forced to make another change to his lineup against Honduras as he will be without the services of Michael Bradley, who picked up his second yellow card of the final round for a reckless foul from behind. The U.S. could once again be without the services of Hejduk and Ching for Saturday's contest as their status is still undetermined. Match: United States vs. Costa Rica Bradley Names Roster For Qualifiers CHICAGO (May 24, 2008) — U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 24 players that will train in advance of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Honduras. The U.S. will be seeking its first-ever victory away to Costa Rica when they meet at Estadio Saprissa in the fourth match of the 10-game final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Kickoff on June 3 is set for 8 p.m. MT, and the match will be broadcast live on the ESPN Networks and Galavision. Three days later, the city of Chicago will host its first World Cup qualifier when the U.S. welcomes Honduras to Soldier Field. More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for the USA’s third home match of the final round, where the U.S. will face the team who delivered them their last home loss in World Cup qualifying, a 3-2 defeat on Sept. 1, 2001, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The match will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN Classic and Galavision. Fans can follow both matches live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The U.S. is in first place in the final round hexagonal with an undefeated 2-0-1 record. Costa Rica sits one point behind, while Honduras holds the third position. The top three teams will automatically qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. “Clearly these next matches are very important in our efforts to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who is 9-1-1 overall in qualifying action. “Both teams have been very good throughout the qualifying process. We are certainly aware of the challenges of playing in Costa Rica, and Honduras has produced some great results, including two wins against Mexico. We are excited for the start of a very competitive summer for our team.” The U.S. team will begin assembling on May 26 in Miami, and depart June 1 for San Jose. Several players will join camp following weekend club competition, including 2008 U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Tim Howard, who will lead Everton against Chelsea in the FA Cup final on May 30 at Wembley Stadium, and DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu, who can win the Scottish league title later today and will play in the Scottish FA Cup final against Falkirk next weekend. José Francicso Torres will arrive late if Pachuca reaches the finals of the Mexican league playoffs, and the MLS-based players will travel to Miami following their league matches this week. The roster boasts nine players who have appeared in all three of the USA’s final round qualifiers, including seven who have started every game. Three players: Michael Bradley – the ussoccer.com Man of the Match after scoring a pair of goals in the 2-0 win against Mexico – DaMarcus Beasley and Heath Pearce are tied with nine starts during the 2010 qualifying campaign. Following his record-setting hat trick in the 3-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago on April 1 in Nashville – he is the youngest U.S. player ever to put in three goals in a game – Jozy Altidore now leads all U.S. attackers with five goals in this World Cup qualifying cycle. Bradley, Brian Ching and Clint Dempsey all have four goals each. Dempsey is one game shy of his 50th appearance for the United States. Landon Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 108 international appearances, the USA’s all-time leader in goals and assists is one goal shy of tying Brian McBride for the most career goals in World Cup qualifying (10). He recorded assists on all three of Altidore’s goals against Trinidad & Tobago, improving his career tally to 36 assists. In addition to the 24-man roster, two players have been invited to participate in their first camp with the full team: Aston Villa defender Erich Lichaj and Kaiserslautern goalkeeper Luis Robles. Following the two qualifiers, the U.S. will depart June 8 for South Africa to begin preparations for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The final 23-man roster for the event will be announced June 7 in Chicago. The United States has been drawn into a powerful Group B along with reigning world champions Italy, five-time World Cup winners Brazil, and reigning African Cup of Nations winners Egypt for the tournament, which will be played from June 14-28. The U.S. kicks off action against Italy on June 15 at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane/Pretoria, and then faces Brazil on June 18 in the same venue. The United States finishes group play on June 21 against Egypt at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION Head Coach: Bob Bradley (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) Mexico, following a 3-1 loss to Honduras in the first game of the CONCACAF Hexagonal, has fired coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. Erricksson, the Swede who is former national coach of England, coached his first game for Mexico last August, registered six losses in 13 games with Mexico, which is now fourth in the regional standings for World Cup 2010 qualification. It was an expensive firing! Eriksson reportedly had a contract with the
Mexican federation worth $4 million. Mexico did get a win over Costa Rica in he second game of the final round, but the loss to Honduras put the Mexican federation over the edge. Mexico failed to qualify for the 208 Olympics (U-23) and for the 2007 U-17 World Cup. They were also winless in the 2009 Under-20 World Cup qualifying tournament. There are no frontrunners to replace Eriksson, who had been hired to replace Hugo Sanchez as Mexico’s national coach. Among those mentioned are Jesus Ramirez, head coach of Club America, and Manuel “Chepo” De La Torre, head coach of Toluca. Jozy’s Hat Trick Leads U.S. Over T&T NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 1, 2009) — Forward Jozy Altidore became the youngest player in history to score a hat trick for the U.S. Men’s National Team, tallying all three goals tonight for the U.S. Men’s National Team in a dominating 3-0 victory against Trinidad & Tobago in front of a raucous crowd of 27,959 at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. With the victory, the U.S. continued to hold their place at the top of the hexagonal in the final round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Altidore had midfielder Landon Donovan to thank for his record-setting performance, as the USA’s all-time leading scorer set up the 19-year-old forward for all three of his strikes while increasing his record-setting tally to 35 career assists. The first connection between the two occurred in the 13th minute, and the duo hooked up two more times in the second half as the U.S. continued their dominance against Trinidad & Tobago at home, now 7-0-1 overall in World Cup qualifying. With Mexico losing 3-1 to Honduras, and Costa Rica posting a 1-0 win
against El Salvador, the USA’s seven points from three games provides
them a one-point advantage over second place Costa Rica. "Full credit to the players," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who continued the team’s unblemished 6-0-0 home record in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. "After the last match we were certainly pleased with the push we made when we were behind, but there were things in that match that we felt were not indicative of what we're all about. The players felt strongly about that, and I think you could see the response from the team from the beginning tonight." Altidore’s goals marked the first time in his career in which he has scored goals in consecutive games, having scored the USA’s first goal against El Salvador in the 2-2 draw on Saturday, March 28, at Estadio Cuscatlán. It also marked the first time that the U.S. has produced multiple goal scorers in three consecutive home matches, with Sacha Kljestan notching a hat trick in the 3-2 win against Sweden on Jan. 24, 2009, and Michael Bradley scoring a brace in the 2-0 win against Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus. “When you have 11 guys on the field working hard and working together as a team, an individual can have a good night. That's just how it happens, “said Altidore, who increased his tally to five goals in 2010 World Cup qualifying. “When the team plays well, individuals will shine, but at the same time we have to keep the mentality that things aren't easy in CONCACAF. These are good teams to play against and sometimes they're tough to break down, as you saw tonight. I just want to keep going forward and keep working hard and hopefully good things will happen.” Bradley made a handful of changes from the lineup that started the 2-2
draw against El Salvador four nights earlier, deploying DaMarcus
Beasley at left back behind Landon Donovan as a left-sided midfielder.
Goalkeeper Tim Howard returned to the starting lineup
after serving a one-match suspension for accumulation of yellow cards
to earn his seventh career shutout in FIFA World Cup qualifying. Three-time
World Cup veteran Pablo Mastroeni also returned to the
starting lineup, while Altidore earned his fourth start in qualifying.
Match: United States vs. Trinidad & Tobago Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA – Jozy Altidore (Landon Donovan) 13th minute Lineups: TRI: 1-Clayton Ince; 3-Aklie Edwards, 8-Anthony Wolfe (4-Makan Hislop,
46), 5-Keyeno Thomas, 6-Dennis Lawrence; 7-Christopher Birchall (16-Khaleem
Hyland, 56), 11-Carlos Edwards, 2-Clyde Leon, 17-Keon Daniel (12-Jason
Scotland, 71); 15-Kenwyne Jones, 14-Stern John Stats Summary: USA / TRI Misconduct Summary: Officials: ussoccer.com Man of the Match: Late Goals Give U.S. Tie With El Salvador Second-half goals by Jozy Altidore and
Frankie Hejduk lifted the United States to a 2-2 tie
against El Salvador in World Cup qualifying action. • Khaleem Hyland scored in the 89th minute to pull Trinidad &
Tobago into a 1-1 tie with Honduras. The result left the Soca Warriors
with two points in their first two CONCACAF Hexagonal matches. They drew
2-2 with El Salvador last month. Bradley Names Roster For Next Matches U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 22 players that will train in advance of the critical FIFA World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago. The U.S. first travels to face El Salvador at Estadio Cuscatlán in the second match of the 10-game final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Kickoff on March 28 is set for 9 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Telefutura. Four days later, the state of Tennessee will host its first World Cup qualifier when the U.S. welcomes T&T to LP Field in Nashville. More than 14,000 tickets have been sold for the match, and tickets are still available through ussoccer.com and Ticketmaster. Coverage of USA-Trinidad &Tobago, presented by Dodge, begins at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans will also be able to follow live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The U.S. is tied for first place in the final round hexagonal following the comprehensive 2-0 victory against Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio. U.S. Men's National Team Roster U.S. Men’s National Team 2009 Schedule Date * FIFA World Cup Qualifier For the third straight time, the United States defeated Mexico 2-0 in a CONCACAF Final Round World Cup Qualifying match Crew Stadium. This one was a gritty victory in difficult conditions in front of 23,776 fans who braved strong wind and rain. The match was played mostly in the midfield and that's where the U.S. won it. The determined Americans, led by midfielder Michael Bradley's inspired play, were able to control Mexico and never let it get into the match. "We needed to impose our game on them," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "We needed to push hard and to be aggressive. Our midfield play as a group set a tone collectively. "In conditions like these, it's important to move as a team and not leave any gaps on the field, to connect passes. We understood how important it was to shut them down. Maybe some of our guys did not have their best performances individually, but we worked as a group." The U.S., which is 9-0-2 in its last nine home games against Mexico, pushed hard from the opening whistle. The first 20 minutes were played at a frantic pace with neither team really able to get much of an edge. The match settled in after that, but most of the play remained in midfield with neither side able to break through. When the U.S. finally did take a lead, it was with the kind of goal that was fitting, considering how tightly the first half was played. In the 43rd minute, midfielder DaMarcus Beasley sent a right-side corner past the goal. Striker Landon Donovan kept the ball in play, heading it back into the crowded middle where defender Oguchi Onyewu hit it at Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez, who couldn't hold it. The ball bounced out to Bradley whose shot went through a crowd into the net. Mexico coach Sven Goran-Eriksson, despite being without injured left winger Andres Guardado and suspended regulars Gerardo Torrado, Carlos Vela, and Fernando Arce, started an attack-minded lineup with three forwards -- Giovani dos Santos, Nery Castillo and Carlos Ochoa. The Mexicans came out ready to push forward, but the U.S. stayed right with them and Eriksson suffered a blow when Castillo went out in the 14th minute with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Mexico was never in the match after the Rafael Marquez received a red card from referee Carlos Batres in the 65th minute after he kicked U.S. keeper Tim Howard as the two of them collided going for a lofted ball. Howard came away holding his side. The U.S. scheduled the match here hoping for cold weather, such as in a the 2001 qualifier in Columbus when the Mexicans were deeply distracted by bitter cold temperatures and lost 2-0. Tonight, there was rain, wind, flooding and tornado warnings with the field swamped by water 90 minutes before kickoff. The stadium field crew worked furiously and by kickoff most of the standing water had been removed, leaving the playing surface was decent. After a lull, however, the wind picked up again at times almost gale strength. The U.S. won the coin toss and elected to take the wind the first half, had the best run of play and came away with the lead. In the second half, the Americans' high work rate in the middle kept Mexico at bay despite its obvious advantage of the wind at its backs. Then Marquez was sent off. Finally, in the match's dying moments Bradley, coming up the middle unmarked, took a pass from Donovan and lashed a ball through Oswaldo for the final 2-0 margin. After the match tempers flared a bit as the two teams made their way through the same exit from the field to their almost adjoining dressing rooms. Order was quickly restored after a bit of pushing and shoving. "It's great to start the final round with a win against Mexico," Bob Bradley said. "The all-around team effort was good and it's a good starting point to build on." - U.S. Men's National Team Match Report - Match: United States Men's National Team vs. Mexico Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA – Michael Bradley (unassisted) 43rd minute Lineups: MEX: 1-Oswaldo Sanchez; 2-Aaron Galindo, 3-Carlos Salcido, 4-Rafael Marquez
(capt.), 5-Ricardo Osorio; 6-Leandro Augusto, 12-Alberto Medina (15-Antonio
Naelson, 60), 8-Pavel Pardo; 11-Carlos Ochoa, 10-Nery Castillo (14-Israel
Martinez, 34), 17-Giovani dos Santos (9-Omar Bravo, 72) Stats Summary: USA / MEX Misconduct Summary: Sacha Kljestan’s Hat Trick Tops Sweden 3-2 CARSON, Calif. (Jan. 24, 2008) — Sacha Kljestan scored the 11th hat trick ever for the U.S. Men’s National Team Saturday evening to earn a 3-2 victory against Sweden open their 2009 campaign at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. In a fairly tepid first 45 minutes, Kljestan provided the U.S. with a 2-0 lead going into the locker room. His first goal was a stunning 35-yard free kick that he placed perfectly into the upper left corner, before following up that effort by burying a penalty kick with five minutes remaining in the half. With Sweden pulling a goal back in the 73rd minute, it was Kljestan once again who answered for the U.S., taking a feed from Brian Ching to bury a left-footed shot just one minute later. In the 89th minute, Sweden struck again to make things interesting, but the U.S. was able to kill off any last minute attacks for an equalizer. The three goals by Kljestan were the first of his career with the full team, and put him in unique company as only the second player ever to open his national team scoring account with a hat trick. The only other player to pull off the feat was Aldo “Buff” Donelli, who tallied four goals in a 4-2 victory against Mexico on May 24, 1934, in the lone qualifying match for the 1934 FIFA World Cup in Italy. “Getting a hat trick is pretty exciting for me,” said Kljestan. “I’ve never scored more than one goal in a game as a professional, so it’s definitely exciting. I’m just as happy about the win and I’m glad we held on in the end. It was great to do it [score a hat trick] here at the Home Depot Center. I have a lot of friends and family that come and support me every game, so that was pretty cool to have them here.” The victory kept the U.S. undefeated in eight matches at The HDC (7-0-1) and was the eleventh straight time the U.S. has either tied or won their opening game of the year, with the U.S. also defeating Sweden 1-0 to start the streak in 1998. Overall against Sweden, the U.S. now holds a winning record with four victories and three losses in seven games. Despite a fairly inexperienced roster, the U.S. was able to control the majority of the match and provide an effective attack, especially in the second half. Of the 18 players on the roster, 13 had less than 10 career caps, and six of the starters chosen by U.S. head coach Bob Bradley had less than 5 caps, including two – goalkeeper Troy Perkins and midfielder Robbie Rogers – who earned their first caps on the night. “It’s important to start the year off with a win,” said Bradley, who opened the calendar year with a victory for the third straight time since taking over in late 2006. “When you’re in a long camp, with three weeks and a lot of work, it’s nice at the end to have the reward of winning. From a coaching standpoint there’s always going to be things, at this time of year, that you feel good about, and there’s always going to be things that need improvement.” The U.S. now looks ahead to their opening match of the final round of FIFA World Cup qualifying against archrival Mexico on Feb. 11 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match, the first of 10 games in the final round – commonly referred to as the ‘hexagonal’ – will kickoff at 7 p.m. ET and fans can watch the match live on ESPN2 HD and Univision, or listen on the Futbol de Primera radio network. - U.S. Men’s National Team Match Report - Match: United States Men's National Team vs. Sweden Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA – Sacha Kljestan 17th minute Lineups: SWE: 12-Johan Dahlin, 7-Markus Jonsson, 8-Marcus Lindberg, 9-Max von
Schlebrügge, 5-Adam Johansson; 10-Andreas Dahl (14-Rasmus Elm, 62),
6-Daniel Andersson (capt.) (13-Martin Ericsson, 71), 20-Gustav Svensson,
16-Samuel Holmén (15-Alexander Farnerud, 62); 11-Mikael Dahlberg,
19-Daniel Nannskog Stats Summary: USA / SWE Misconduct Summary: Officials: ussoccer.com Man of the Match: U.S. Men’s Clinch Berth in Regional Final Qualifications The U.S. Men's National Team clinched a berth in the Final Round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying with a dominating 6-1 victory against Cuba at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. DaMarcus Beasley scored two goals, while Landon Donovan, Brian Ching, Jozy Altidore and Oguchi Onyewu added tallies as the U.S. took full advantage of the passionate home support. The U.S. is undefeated in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, with six consecutive wins. In what is the best ever start to a U.S. qualifying campaign, the team has set a record for the most consecutive victories in one World Cup qualifying cycle. The victory also increased the U.S. Men’s record run of qualifying wins in a row to seven, dating back to the last match in the Final Round of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. “Our goal was to earn a spot in the next round, and we’re very pleased we were able to accomplish that tonight,” said U.S. Men’s National Team Bob Bradley. “We were also pleased with a strong team performance, especially against a Cuba team that fought hard and were difficult to break down despite coming in with no points.” Bradley’s side started strong, taking the game to the Cubans from the opening whistle. They found the breakthrough just ten minutes in, when Beasley latched on to an excellent through ball by midfielder Sacha Kljestan. Beasley’s one-time finish, his 16th goal for the U.S., was perfectly placed to beat Cuban goalkeeper Odelin Molina to the far right post. The goal rattled Cuba, allowing the U.S. offense to continue churning, generating more chances in front of an excited home crowd. Midfielder Clint Dempsey sent an attempt just over the bar in the 22nd minute, and then a minute later Michael Bradley had a goal disallowed for offside. In the 30th minute, Donovan collected the ball on the right flank, looked to the far post and whipped in an excellent ball to Beasley, who timed his run to perfection. He controlled well with his chest, before forcing the ball past Molina with his right foot for his second goal of the night. For most teams, the early goals would signal an oncoming rout, but Cuba fought the odds and surprised everyone by responding immediately in the 32nd minute. Jenzy Muñoz pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the U.S. area, and with the outside of his foot he hit a perfectly weighted shot that barely grazed the crossbar before going in the goal over the outstretched Tim Howard. The goal was the first for a U.S. opponent in 582 minutes of action since Spain scored against the U.S. on June 4 in Santander. It also ended a shutout streak of 573 minutes during World Cup qualifying. Already a goal down, Cuba’s task was made even harder in the 41st minute when Yoel Colomé was dismissed for his second yellow card. Colomé clipped Donovan, who had used his pace to beat the Cuban defender to the ball, and referee Roberto Moreno Salazar had little choice in putting the offender in his notebook for the second time. The U.S. made a slight tweak to their formation to start the second half, but continued to keep the pressure on Cuba, and Donovan put the proverbial nail in the coffin just three minutes in when he finished off one of the prettiest goals of the evening. After a series of passes through the midfield, Ching collected the ball at the top of the penalty area with his back to goal and then slipped the ball wide left to Heath Pearce. With his first touch toward the endline, Pearce then slipped the ball through the six-yard box where a crashing Ching let the ball go and allowed Donovan the easy tap-in past Molina. After two point-blank attempts from Dempsey and Beasley were saved by Molina, the Cuban goalkeeper was unable to keep out Ching’s goal-line header in the 63rd minute. Beasley whipped in a free kick from the right side to the back post for a wide-open Kljestan, who headed the ball along the goal line where Ching did the last bit to make sure it was across the line. In the 68th minute, José Torres made his international debut for the U.S. when he came in for Heath Pearce, while Altidore replaced Ching. Altidore was the first to provide a spark, collecting a through ball on the right side and holding off his defender as he darted on goal, but Molina once again proved up to the task, this time knocking away the attempt with his right knee. Altidore would get another chance, but first Donovan came just a foot from tallying his second on the night, his free-kick skimming the outside of the post from 25 yards. Torres meanwhile, was making his mark on proceedings, and the debutant unleashed a rocket just high from 30 yards out. In the 87th minute, Altidore finally broke through when Dempsey slipped him straight up the gut of the Cuban defense and the youngster held off his defender before burying a low shot past a helpless Molina. Onyewu finished off the scoring in the 90th minute when he headed home a cross from Freddy Adu, who had replaced Kljestan in the 76th minute. The U.S. will announce the travel roster Sunday for the upcoming match against Trinidad & Tobago, which kicks off on Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN and Galavision. Notes: This was the fourth consecutive win in the Semifinal Round, which ties for the most wins ever in a Semifinal Round (four in 1998 WC qualifying as well) … Costa Rica became the first team to book their place in the final hexagonal with a 4-1 victory against Suriname in Paramaribo in Group 3 on Saturday afternoon … The U.S. will not know it’s schedule in the Final Round of qualifying until December. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Cuba Scoring Summary: Scoring: Lineups: CUB: 12-Odelín Molina; 6-Yoel Colomé, 16-Reysander Fernández,
3-Yeniel Márquez, 2-Silvio Miñoso; 14-Jaime Colomé
(8-Alianas Urgelles, 72), 5-José Luis Clavelo (capt.), 7-Luis Villegas
(13-Carlos Domingo, 46), 9-Alain Cervantes, 11-Jenzy Muñoz (10-Mario
Ruiz, 80), 15-Leonel Duarte Stats Summary: Misconduct Summary: U.S. World Cup Qualifying Perfect The United States ran its record in CONCACAF World Cup 2010
qualifying to 3-0 with a 3-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago at Toyota
Park outside of Chicago. Michael Bradley’s redirection of a free kick from Landon Donovan in the first half gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead. Clint Dempsey made it 2-0 in the first half and Brian Ching completed the scoring with the third goal in the second half. The U.S. has now won five straight qualifying games by shutout, but the last three have been unexciting 1-0 affairs. All on the road, against Barbados in the preliminaries and over Guatemala and Cuba in pool play. The win over T&T was the first at home in this round of games and came before a noisy crowd of 11,452. “It’s good to have gotten this round off to such a good start," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "We found a good rhythm and did a good job moving the ball and finding the little seams in their defense. I think that set the tone for the game. It was a good win, and halfway through this round I think we continue to improve and that’s what it’s all about.” The closest T&T came to scoring was late in the game after a corner kick when a followup shot was cleared off the line by defender Steve Churundalo. The U.S. outshot the visitors 11-6, but only two of T&T’s shots were on goal and U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard had to only make one save. Mexico and Costa Rica also ran their group records to 3-0-0. Mexico edged Canada 2-1 and Costa Rica beat Haiti 3-1. In Group A with the U.S. Guatemala beat Cuba 1-0 and moved into a tie with T&T for second place in the group. The top two teams in each of the three groups advance to the final round robin. Following Mexico’s win over Canada, the Chicago Fire’s Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who came on in the 89th minutes after not playing against Honduras and Jamaica, announced his retirement from international play. Bradley Names Qualifying Roster U.S. coach Bob Bradley has selected a 20-man roster for a pair of upcoming qualifying games against Cuba Sept. 6 in Havana and Trinidad & Tobago Sept. 10 in Bridgeview, Ill. Bradley has selected six players from the 2008 Olympic team, including Michael Orozco, the Mexican-based defender who picked up a third-minute red card in the USA’s loss to Nigeria. Eddie Johnson returns to the roster, while Kenny Cooper, who is lighting up Major League Soccer in scoring, was left off the roster. The U.S. opened the semifinal round of the CONCACAF qualifying with a 1-0 road win over Guatemala. "These next two games are very important to help us position ourselves to advance to the final stage," said Bradley. "With the win against Guatemala, we have put ourselves in a good situation at the start of the semifinal round. I was very pleased with the way our team stuck together in a difficult environment. We need to have that same type of effort in the matches against Cuba and Trinidad & Tobago." The roster is comprised of 13 foreign-based players and seven MLS men. Orozco, the only player on the roster who has yet to earn a U.S. international cap, is one of six players from 2008 Olympic team. The others are: midfielder Sacha Kljestan, defender Maurice Edu, who recently joined Glasgow Rangers, midfielder Michael Bradley, goalkeeper Brad Guzan, and defender Marvell Wynne. U.S. MNT Roster Vs. Cuba GOALKEEPERS DEFENDERS MIDFIELDERS FORWARDS The U.S. Men’s National Team earned their first-ever FIFA World Cup qualifying win in Guatemala on behind a Carlos Bocanegra goal after both sides had been reduced to 10 men in a physical match that produced seven yellow cards, two red cards and 40 total fouls. The victory was the first for the United States in Guatemala since 1988, and marked their third-straight shutout victory in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard starred between the pipes, making seven saves and more importantly controlling his area both in the air and on the ground. He earned his third shutout in four World Cup qualifying appearances. "It was a very hard fought game, and for us a hard earned three points," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "The win is based more on the determination of our team. Sometimes it's necessary to win games in that way. It was a game where we relied on the effort, team spirit, and the mentality of the group. “Our experienced players have made the point to the team that qualifying is always difficult away from home. You have to expect games to be very tough. We have played some tough games in the last year, but none of them are qualifiers. To experience it and to win in that fashion is good for the group." An afternoon rainstorm soaked an already wet field, creating a slippery and heavy surface. The chippy first half generated more yellow cards than shots on goal. Steve Cherundolo, Clint Dempsey and Pablo Mastroeni were all booked in the first 33 minutes, as was Guatemala’s Guillermo Ramirez. In the first 15 minutes of the second half, Guatemala created some of their best chances of the match with the first five shots of the half and other chances as space opened on the wings and in front of the U.S. back line. Things got trickier when Cherundolo pulled down Fredy Garcia near midfield and was shown his second yellow card of the game. The fortunes reversed just three minutes after Guatemala took the man advantage with the U.S. rushing to bring on Frankie Hejduk to provide cover at right back. On a long ball out of the back, Eddie Lewis looked to flick the ball on when he was violently met by Guatemala’s Gustavo Cabrera, who came flying in from the blind side with his elbow up. The two crashed heads, with Lewis falling to the ground with a gash on his forehead that required five stitches to close. Cabrera was shown a red card as soon as he regained his feet. Bradley quickly went to his bench, bringing on DaMarcus Beasley in addition to Hejduk, and the move quickly paid dividends. As Lewis headed to the locker room for more medical treatment, the U.S. quickly took an advantage that they would not relinquish. Landon Donovan drew a foul in the attacking third, his first free kick was stopped by the arm of Jose Manuel Contreras, who earned a yellow card for his transgression. On the next free kick, Donovan sent in a perfect ball to Oguchi Onyewu, who forced Trigueno to make his best save of the game tipping his headed ball over the crossbar. On the ensuing corner, Beasley curled the ball into the center of the area. As Onyewu was ridden down at the near post, Bocanegra used Brian Ching to set the perfect pick and he was wide open to head the ball inside the far post. It was Bocanegra’s second career World Cup qualifying goal and 10th of his international career. Down the stretch the U.S. held strong, with Howard being called to action several times to come off his line. Guatemala missed their best chance after Yony Flores shanked a left-footed shot at the far post in the 74th minute. Eight minutes later, Carlos Gallardo challenged Howard at the far post with a low shot. The U.S. goalkeeper smothered the shot, but a charging Ruiz kicked the U.S. goalkeeper as he challenged for a rebound that wasn’t there. After the foul was called, Howard returned to his feet and was given a yellow card for shouting at Ruiz, who mysteriously was not shown a card on the play. With the red card, the U.S. will be without the services of Cherundolo for the next qualifier in Havana vs. Cuba on Sept. 6. That match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision at 8 p.m. ET. That match is the first of two in a double match date that will include the USA’s first home qualifier of the semifinal round on Sept. 10 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. After MatchDay 1, the U.S. is in second place of Group 1 behind Trinidad & Tobago, 3-1 winners against Cuba. By earning yellow cards in the match, Dempsey, Mastroeni, and Howard join Onyewu – who carries a yellow from the Barbados second round series – on the list of players who will earn a one game suspension if they receive another caution in future qualifying matches. - U.S. Men’s National Team Match Report - Participants: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Guatemala Scoring Summary: USA – Carlos Bocanegra (DaMarcus Beasley) 69th minute Lineups: GUA: 1-Ricardo Trigueno; 4-Yony Flores, 14-Luis Rodriguez, 7-Mario Rodriguez,
11-Guillermo Ramirez, 9-Carlos Ruiz, 5-Carlos Gallardo, 6-Gustavo Cabrera,
10-Fredy Garcia (2-Carlos Castrillo, 66), 15-Fredy Thompson (12-Jean Marquez,
64), 16-Jose Manuel Contreras (13-Marco Pablo Pappa, 74) Statistical Summary: Misconduct Summary: Match Officials Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Tim Howard McCarty Replaces Sturgis On Olympic Team FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty, who played collegiate soccer at UNC Chapel Hill, has been named the the U.S. men's Olympic soccer team. McCarty, who was announced as an alternate when the team was named last week, will replace the injured Nathan Sturgis, former ACC Defensive Player of the Year at Clemson, on the U.S. roster. The 21-year old McCarty was to join the Olympic team for training in Palo Alto, Calif., on Thursday. "I've always thought that the Olympics were one of the biggest sporting events in the world, and like many kids, I dreamt of one day playing in such a tournament," said McCarty. "It's obviously not the ideal way to be called up – you never wish injury upon anyone. But it is still an honor." The team will travel to Hong Kong on Friday for the ING Cup, facing fellow Olympic participants Ivory Coast on July 30 and Cameroon on Aug. 2 in the final two matches before the start of the Games. "The initial shock of learning that I will be an Olympian was unbelievable," McCarty said. "It's an honor, and I was speechless when I found out. I just want to help the team out anyway possible and hopefully help us win a medal." In March, McCarty helped the U.S. team qualify for the Olympics. He played in four of the five CONCACAF qualifying tournament games, in which the U.S. finished second behind Honduras. The U.S. has been drawn into a difficult Group B of the Olympic Games and will open against Japan on Aug. 7 before facing the Netherlands on Aug. 10, with both games taking place at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Tianjin. The team will then travel to Worker's Stadium in Beijing to conclude group play against 1996 gold medalist and 2005 Under-20 World Cup champion Nigeria on Aug. 13. McCarty has appeared in 11 games for FC Dallas this season, registering one assist. Michael Harrington, another former Tar Heel, has been added as an alternate to the Olympic team in McCarty’s slot. Harrington plays for the Kansas City Wizards. U.S. men's Olympic team Goalkeeper (2): Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake) Defenders (4): Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC) Midfielders (8): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas). Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Brian McBride (out of contract), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew) Head coach: Peter Nowak The long-anticipated announcement of the U.S. Men’s Olympic team included three overage players -- a goalkeeper, a defender and a forward. Brad Guzan, who is headed from MLS to England’s Aston Villa, was named to the team, along with Chris Seitz, who was the U23 goalkeeper during CONCACAF qualifying. The defender is Michael Parkhurst of the New England Revolution, and the forward is Brian McBride, who is the most senior member of the 18-player roster. The youngest players on the team are Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley. All of these six have international experience with the senior national team. The selection of the Olympic team was a collaboration between U23 coach Peter Nowak, who is also a full national team assistant, and MNT coach Bob Bradley. Part of the consideration was how not being able to include Olympic players on the roster for an Aug. 20 World Cup qualifier in Guatemala might impact the U.S. chances in that important game. The U.S. advanced to the semifinals of the CONCACAF qualifying with
a 9-0 aggregate thumping of Barbados, and is now in the six-game round
robin semifinals. That said, Nowak was able to get most of the players that he had hoped would be available. It is likely that this team, comprised entirely a professionals, is the most talented that the U.S. has sent to the Olympic Games. Joining Parkhurst, who is the current MLS Defender of the Year, on defense will be Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis, Mexico), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake) and Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC). The midfield includes Adu (SL Benfica), Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA) and Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio). Up front, joining McBride who is currently out of contract, will be Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF) and Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew). McBride, 36, the former captain of Fulham FC of the English Premier League, has appeared in three World Cups for the U.S. MNT. From 1993-2006 he made 95 appearances and scored 30 goals. He retired from international soccer following the 2006 World Cup. He is the only U.S. player to ever score in more than one World Cup. “After an extensive process of evaluation, we are very excited about the group of players that we have chosen to represent the United States at the Olympic Games,” said Nowak in a conference call. “It has been a very competitive environment, and we have had some
tough decisions to make. It’s no secret that we have a difficult
challenge in front of us in our group.” The Americans, in a very difficult group, begin Group B play on Aug. 7 against Japan, the Netherlands on Aug. 10 and Nigeria on Aug. 13. (See page 4 for schedule). U.S. Men’s Olympic Roster 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.” Switzerland’s starting line-up featured eight players from the team’s strong 2006 FIFA World Cup team and nine who were on the field just four days earlier in an impressive 3-1 win over Austria. The match was mostly an even affair, played in a steady rain that created some treacherous footing for both teams. It was the U.S. that finally broke through in the last five minutes, though. Moments after Bradley’s goal, Dempsey was at it again, this time turning on a ball and sending Freddy Adu into the area on a breakaway that he did well to touch with the outside of his left foot to try and lift over the goalkeeper and into the corner of the goal, but it sailed just over the bar. In addition to first-ever appearances for Edu and Szetela, the match also marked the first ever appearance for Real Salt Lake forward Robbie Findley, and just second appearance for Adu. The game was also the third for goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who played the final 45 minutes and earned credit for the win in relief of Marcus Hahnemann. Just three minutes before Bradley’s strike, Guzan was called upon to make an important save on a free kick by Hakan Yakin from exactly 18 yards out. The attempt was set-up when Guzan handled a tricky ball just outside the penalty area. The U.S. will make their first-ever trip to South Africa when they take
on the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts on Saturday, Nov. 17, in Johannesburg
as part of the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup. Kickoff at Ellis Park Stadium,
which will host one World Cup semifinal match in 2010, is set for 4 p.m.
local time (9 a.m. ET) live on Fox Soccer Channel. Fans can follow the
match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. Match-up: USA vs. Switzerland Scoring Summary: 1 2 F Scoring: Lineups: SUI: 1-Pascal Zuberbühler; 2-Johan Djourou (25-Steve Von Bergen,
17), 3-Ludovic Magnin (Capt.), 5-Xavier Margairaz (22-Hakan Yakin, 46);
11-Marco Streller (31-Blaise Nkufo, 46), 13-Stephane Grichting, 14-David
Degen, 16-Tranquillo Barnetta (17-Christoph Spycher, 75), 27-Gokhan Inler,
29-Stephan Lichtsteiner, 35-Fabio Celestini (33-Gelson Fernandes, 46) Stats Summary: USA SUI Misconduct Summary: U.S. Game With Catalonia Cancelled The U.S. Men’s National Team’s friendly against Catalonia has been cancelled after the Royal Spanish Football Federation voted not to approve the application to play the match. The teams were to have met on Oct. 14 in Barcelona. No replacement match will be scheduled, and the U.S. will face 2008 European Championship co-host Switzerland on Oct. 17 in Basel. Kickoff at St. Jakob Park is set for 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. U.S. Soccer spent two weeks negotiating with the Catalonian Federation and the RFEF trying to reach a positive resolution. The Spanish Federation, who has authority for sanctioning any match played in Spain, ultimately chose not to allow the match to take place. "We are disappointed that the match will not be played, since we believe playing Catalonia would be an excellent experience for our players,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “Nonetheless, we respect the decision of the Spanish Federation.” With the limited time frame, no replacement match will be scheduled and the U.S. will now focus on playing Switzerland on Oct. 17 in Basel. Switzerland finished in first place in Group G of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, ahead of eventual runners up France. Falling to Ukraine in the Round of 16 in penalties after a 0-0 draw in regulation time, the Swiss became the first team in World Cup history to be eliminated from the tournament without surrendering a single goal. As co-hosts, Switzerland is automatically entered into Euro 2008, which will take place from June 7-29 across eight venues in Austria and Switzerland. In November, the U.S. Men’s National Team will make their first-ever trip to South Africa when they take on the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts on Nov. 17 in Johannesburg as part of the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup. Kick off at Ellis Park Stadium, which will host one World Cup semifinal match in 2010, is set for 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET). Fans can follow the math live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. Bradley Pulls Players From Europe For Brazil CHICAGO (September 3, 2007) -- United States men's coach Bob Bradley has chosen 19 players for Sunday's match against Brazil, the top-ranked team in the world, a 4 p.m. (ET) game that will be broadcast by ESPN and Spanish-language Univision. Fourteen of the U.S. team members play professionally overseas as Bradley and Brazil coach Dunga both try to field the strongest side possible for this friendly. The U.S. holds a No. 17 international ranking. Soldier Field has a capacity of 61,500 and ticket sales have surpassed 28,000 as of today, the U.S. Soccer Federation reported. This unique game pits the U.S., champion of CONCACAF, the region of North America, Central America and the Caribbean, against Brazil, which won the title of CONMEBOL, the South American federation, by capturing Copa América. There were 60,000 at a sold-out Soldier Field June 24 when the U.S. came from behind to defeat Mexico 2-1 in the Gold Cup final. Donovan netted the equalizer and midfielder Benny Feilhaber's thunderous strike became the game-winner as the U.S. extended its unbeaten streak against Mexico on home soil to nine matches over eight years. In July, Brazil dominated favored Argentina 3-0 in the title match to collect its eighth Copa América crown. "The schedule this year has included some great challenges and playing against Brazil is another outstanding opportunity for this group," Bradley said in a USSF press release. "We have a good mix of players in camp and are excited about the chance to play against one of the best teams in the world." The U.S. is 10-4-1 since Bradley took over for 2007, but the Americans have dropped their last four outings. The U.S. won twice at Soldier Field in June, defeating Canada 2-1 June 21 in the Gold Cup semifinals before downing Mexico three days later in the championship game. Since that, the Americans are 0-4, most recently falling 1-0 to host Sweden on August 22. Thirteen of the players Bradley chose participated in the Gold Cup, led by striker Landon Donovan, who had a team-best four goals in the tournament and has nine goals in 11 outings with his national team in 2007. With 34 goals, Donovan is tied with Brian McBride for the most career tallies in U.S. men's history and the Los Angeles Galaxy star is one of five players from Major League Soccer. In 2007, Feilhaber became the seventh player in U.S. history to appear in 10 or more matches in his first calendar year with the full team. U.S. players come from five countries (Belgium, England, Germany, the Netherlands and Scotland) with England's Fulham sending two players in defender Carlos Bocanegra, who recently was named captain to replace the injured McBride, and midfielder Clint Dempsey. Bocanegra earned his 50th cap against Sweden last month. Tim Howard, who plays in England for Everton, was in net for the Gold Cup final against Mexico and has 10 shutouts in 23 career games for the U.S. Glasgow Rangers midfielder DaMarcus Beasley has three goals and three assists for the U.S. in 2007. Josh Wolff of 1860 Munich is the only of the four front-liners to be foreign-based. Wolff, Beasley and Bocanegra are all alumni of MLS's Chicago Fire and were part of Bradley's 2000 Fire that captured the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title. Bradley's top assistant, Peter Nowak, also played for that team which edged MLS rival, the Miami Fusion, 2-1 in the final October 21 at Soldier Field. Two other American players on this roster hold ties to the Chicago area. Defender Jonathan Spector, who is part of England's West Ham United, comes from suburban Arlington Heights, Ill., while Jay DeMerit, a defender for Watford in England, played his college ball for the University of Illinois at Chicago. While club teams around the world stand down this coming weekend for an international play date, MLS will hold a full schedule. However, the Kansas City Wizards are not in action again until September 15, so Bradley has summoned two of the team's best players. Striker Eddie Johnson, who has 11 goals in 30 international appearances, is tied for the MLS lead with 14 goals and will be joined by fellow attacker Davy Arnaud. Arnaud and reserve keeper Chris Seitz of MLS's Real Salt Lake are the two members of the U.S. roster yet to earn a cap. Seitz was strong for the U.S. in the recent Under-20 World Cup in Canada until he was hampered by injury. Dunga has called on a full-strength side, led by two-time FIFA "World Player of the Year" Ronaldinho, a midfielder for Spanish power Barcelona. In Brazil's last outing, he had a goal and an assist in a 2-0 decision over Algeria. Ronaldinho has 40 goals for Barcelona during the last two seasons and scored twice for Brazil when it won the 2002 World Cup. A.C. Milan midfielder Kaká, who led all scorers in the 2007 European Champions League with 10 goals in helping his Italian club to its seventh championship, is regarded as one of the best passers in the world. Robinho scored 14 goals while helping Real Madrid to capture the 2006-07 Spanish La Liga title and ended as the leading scorer in the 2007 Copa América with six goals. His fellow Real Madrid striker, Julio Baptista, and defender Daniel Alves of Spain's Sevilla scored two of the three goals in the 3-0 Copa América championship win over Argentina. After the Brazil clash, the U.S. is off until a trip to Europe for an
October 14 date against Catalonia at the Nou Camp in Barcelona before
facing Switzerland October 17 in Basel. Both October matches will be televised
on Fox Soccer Channel and Spanish-language Galavision. United States Goalkeepers (2): Tim Howard (Everton FC, England), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake, Major League Soccer). Defenders (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC, England), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC, England), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liège, Belgium), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, Germany), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday, England), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United, England). Midfielders (6): DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen, Netherlands), Bobby Convey (Reading FC, England), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC, England), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County, England), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City, MLS). Forwards (4): Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards, MLS), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City, MLS), Josh Wolff (1860 Munich). Brazil Goalkeepers (2): Doni (Roma, Italy), Julio Cesar (Inter Milan, Italy). Defenders (8): Maicon (Inter Milan, Italy), Daniel Alves (Sevilla, Spain), Alex Silva (São Paulo, Brazil), Lúcio (Bayern Munich, Germany), Juan (Roma, Italy), Alex (Chelsea, England), Kleber (Santos, Brazil), Gilberto (Hertha Berlin, Germany). Midfielders (8): Gilberto Silva (Arsenal, England), Mineiro (Hertha Berlin, Germany), Josué (VfL Wolfsburg, Germany), Fernando (Bordeaux, France), Elano (Manchester City, England), Kaká (AC Milan, Italy), Julio Baptista (Real Madrid, Spain), Diego (Werder Bremen, Germany). Forwards (4): Ronaldinho (Barcelona, Spain), Robinho (Real Madrid, Spain), Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Afonso (SC Heerenveen, Netherlands). U.S. To Play Brazil In Chicago CHICAGO (August 13, 2007) — US Soccer has replaced Mexico with #1 ranked Brazil for its September 9 international friendly. The game will be played in Chicago at Soldier Field. Billed as “The Clash Of Champions” both the U.S. and Brazil recently won their regional championships, with the U.S. beating Mexico for the CONCACAF Gold Cup title, and Brazil winning Copa America for the CONMEBOL South America championship. The game is set for 4 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Univision. Fans can also follow the match live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. Fans can find out the latest ticket information at ussoccer.com. The original match between the U.S. and Mexico was canceled due to contractual and financial considerations. Brazil will be making a rare trip to the United States with their full roster as they begin preparations for the start of South American World Cup qualifying in October. Led by two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and Barcelona midfielder Ronaldinho, Brazil can deploy some of the finest attacking talent in the world. The midfield magician has scored 40 goals for Barcelona during the last two seasons, and scored two goals as part of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning side. Kaká is regarded as one of the most superb passers in the world. Real Madrid striker Robinho scored 14 goals in helping his side capture the 2006-07 Spanish league title, and ended as the leading scorer in the 2007 Copa America with six goals. Former Brazilian international midfielder Dunga took the reigns following the 2006 World Cup, and has amassed an 11-2-3 record since then, including a pair of 3-0 victories against archrivals and No. 2 ranked Argentina. This unique game pits the champions of CONCACAF against the champions of CONMEBOL after both teams captured their confederation championships earlier this summer. In Maracaibo, Venezuela, in July, Brazil dominated in a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Argentina in the final to collect their eighth Copa America crown. Goals by Julio Baptista and Daniel Alves paced the Seleção, the victory elevating Brazil back to the #1 position in the FIFA World Rankings. With 60,000 fans on hand at a sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago, the United States defeated Mexico 2-1 in the final to secure their second-consecutive Gold Cup title. Landon Donovan netted the equalizer and Benny Feilhaber’s thunderous strike became the game-winner as the U.S. extended their unbeaten home streak against Mexico to nine matches over eight years. "It is a very exciting opportunity for our players to get to play perhaps the most storied team in the world,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “We have developed a tremendous schedule for 2007, and adding Brazil is another important piece of the puzzle as we continue to build our team towards World Cup qualifying next year. I have told our players many times that these are special games, and we need to take advantage of the opportunity. We are very much looking forward to the challenge.” Under the leadership of Bradley, the United States has posted an impressive 10-3-1 record in 2007. Bradley, who took the reigns in December of 2006, became the first coach in U.S. history to record victories in his first three games with wins against Denmark, Mexico and Ecuador. Leading the charge on the field has been two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Landon Donovan, who has already amassed nine goals in 10 games this year. With his strike in the Gold Cup final, the 25-year-old moved into a tie for first place on the USA’s all-time leading goal-scoring chart with 34 goals. The U.S. has only one victory in the lifetime series against Brazil, holding a 1-11-0 record overall in meetings dating back to 1930. The lone win came on Feb. 10, 1998, in Los Angeles during the Gold Cup, with Preki Radosavljevic tallying the game-winner and Kasey Keller turning in a magical performance which Brazilian legend Romario described as “the greatest performance I have ever seen from a goalkeeper.” The teams last met in the 2003 edition of the Gold Cup, goals by Diego and AC Milan midfielder Kaka delivering Brazil a thrilling 2-1 golden goal victory in overtime in the tournament semifinals. By virtue of their respective titles, both the USA and Brazil will compete in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, a tournament which is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships (CAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, AFC, OFC, CONCACAF), along with the FIFA World Cup champion (Italy) and the host country (South Africa). Next up on the U.S. schedule is the team’s first trip to Europe under Bradley, a match-up against 11-time World Cup finalist Sweden on Aug. 22 in Goteberg, Sweden. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. ET, and the match will be shown live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. After the Brazil clash, the U.S. then takes advantage of a double FIFA
date in October, first facing Catalonia on Oct. 14 at the Nou Camp in
Barcelona, Spain, and then traveling to face Switzerland on Oct. 17 in
Basel. Both October matches will also be televised on Fox Soccer Channel
and Galavision. Date Match Venue Kickoff ^ CONCACAF Gold Cup U.S. vs. Mexico At Estadio Azteca on Sept. 9 CHICAGO (August 1, 2007) — The U.S. Men’s National Team will continue their long rivalry against Mexico when their third meeting of the year takes place Sept. 9 at the famed Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Kickoff for the teams’ first friendly on Mexican soil since 1984 is set for 3 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. "Playing a match at the Estadio Azteca is one of the truly special qualities of the U.S.-Mexico rivalry," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who is 2-0-0 in first two games against Mexico. "Along with the history and passion of the series, the distinctive challenges of playing away against Mexico present another valuable opportunity to advance our program.” The U.S. has dominated the series of late, collecting an 8-0-1 home record against Mexico since 2000. In the team’s last meeting, the U.S. engineered their first-ever come-from-behind victory against El Tri to complete a 2-1 victory and collect the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup title their fourth regional championship trophy (watch celebration on YouTube). In the other contest this year, goals from Jimmy Conrad and Landon Donovan elevated the U.S. to a 2-0 win on Feb. 7, 2007, before a sold-out crowd of 62,462 in Glendale, Ariz. The USA has never won a match on Mexican soil, holding a lifetime record of 0-22-1. Their last friendly in Mexico resulted in a 1-2 loss on Oct. 17, 1984, in Mexico City. The teams have played south of the border five times since, the USA’s lone goal during that span coming in the 2-1 loss in 2006 World Cup qualifying on March 27, 2005. Despite the loss, the Eddie Lewis strike in the 59th minute proved to be decisive in the final standings, giving the U.S. a one-goal advantage in goal differential and a first-place finish in the group. The U.S. has a lifetime record of 14-29-10 against Mexico in a series that dates to 1934. Since the rivalry between these two teams began in earnest in 1990, the sides have played 26 times, with the U.S. holding a 12-7-7 advantage. In the teams’ most significant matchup, the United States defeated Mexico, 2-0, in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, advancing the U.S. to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in 72 years. Next up on the U.S. schedule is the first trip to Europe of the year, a matchup against 11-time World Cup finalist Sweden on Aug. 22 in Goteberg, Sweden. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. ET, and the match will be shown live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. After the Mexico clash, the U.S. then takes advantage of a double FIFA date in October, first facing Catalonia on Oct. 14 at the Nou Camp in Barcelona, Spain, and then traveling to face Switzerland on Oct. 17 in Basel. Both October matches will also be televised on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. U.S. MNT 2007 Schedule ^ CONCACAF Gold Cup U.S. Three-And-Out In Copa America BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela (July 5, 2007) — With six players getting their first starts of Copa America, the U.S. fell to Colombia, 1-0, in the final match for the two teams that had both been previously eliminated from advancing to the second round of the 2007 tournament. Only two players in the U.S. starting lineup – Eddie Johnson (29) and Dan Califf (15) – came into the match with double-digit caps, and six of the first XI for the U.S. had three or fewer caps. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan, defenders Drew Moor and Bobby Boswell, midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Sacha Kljestan and forward Herculez Gomez came into the match with a combined 10 caps. Despite a heroic penalty kick save by Guzan in the first half and a late red card to the Colombian goalkeeper, the U.S. wasn’t able to overcome a 15th minute goal by Jaime Castrillon. "In all three games, I think we had moments when we played well,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “We still must be more consistent over 90 minutes in order to move to the next level. As we have said over the last few weeks, it is a great challenge to play in back-to-back tournaments. You run into situations with the various clubs, and as a result we brought a younger team here.” “This is an excellent tournament. The atmosphere in the stadiums, the passion, is something that is very special. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to have played in the 2007 Copa America." The first-ever match at the newly minted Estadio Metropolitan saw both teams with several free kicks in dangerous areas in the first half, but neither side was able to convert. Gomez put a shot wide in the fifth minute, and Kljestan fired right at the keeper in the 22nd minute for the most dangerous efforts for the U.S. Colombia got on the board first in 14th minute on a goal by Castrillon. After Boswell cleared out a long ball, Camilo Zuniga received a throw in and was able to send an uncontested cross in to Castrillon, who made a perfect run, beat Moor to the ball and headed it down inside the far post to a helpless Guzan, who, making his first start of 2007, had no chance. After a turnover in the U.S. half in the 35th minute Colombia quickly countered, slotting a ball between the U.S. back line to the on-rushing Hugo Rodallega who was in alone when Guzan came off his line and took him down as Rodallega tried to take a touch around the U.S. goalkeeper. Rodallega stepped up to take the spot kick, and his effort was denied by Guzan, who dove to his right to make the save. At halftime, Eddie Gaven made his second appearance of the tournament and the fifth of his career, as the former Under-17 and Under-20 National Team star replaced Gomez. The change combined with the halftime break sparked life into the U.S., who at times had the better of play in the second half. Gaven put a shot over the cross bar after Justin Mapp served in a cross from the left in the 53rd minute, and later in the 70th minute the U.S. put together on of it’s best chances. Second-half substitute Charlie Davies, making his Copa America debut, muscled off a defender in the area after Kljestan played one-touch chip over the Colombia back line. Davies dribbled out the left side of the area, Colombia goalkeeper Robinson Zapata in tow, before dropping the ball off to Eddie Johnson. Johnson took a touch inside before curling his shot toward the far post as Zapata scrambled back into his goalmouth. After a Kljestan header went over the goal in the 79th minute, the Colombians had the next chance in the 83rd minute. Andres Chitiva started the counter-attack after the U.S. had pushed forward, rushing up the right side and drawing Guzan off his line. Chitiva then touched a square ball to Rodallega in the center of the area looking at an open goal, but Lee Nguyen ran the full length of the field to touch the ball out for a corner at the last moment to keep the U.S. hopes for a result alive. A bizarre sequence in the 86th and 87th minutes saw a U.S. goal by Kyle Beckerman called back correctly for offside just prior to Zapata, the Colombian goalkeeper, being shown a red card after receiving his second yellow card, both of which were for delay. Off a corner kick, the ball bounced into the area for Boswell and Davies, who each tried to take a shot from near the penalty spot. It was Boswell who finally connected, but his effort bounced to the right post where Beckerman hammered it into the net from five yards out. The assistant referee's flag, however, went up immediately as Beckerman was clearly behind the Colombian back line. On the restart, Venezuelan referee Manuel Andarcia determined that Zapata was, again, taking too long as he took off his gloves to adjust his shoelaces. Andarcia wasted no time and showed the goalkeeper his second caution of the night. The game eventually resumed in the 90th minute as a 10-man Colombian team put Rodallega, who had earlier missed from the penalty spot, in the net as they had already made their three allotted substitutions. In four minutes of stoppage time, the U.S. only managed to one opportunity as a more experienced Colombian team was determined to kill what little time remained on the clock. The U.S. returns from Copa America having given 11 players their first taste of a tournament with the full national team, as Beckerman, Boswell, Davies, Gaven, Gomez, Guzan, Kljestan, Moor, Nguyen, Heath Pearce and Marvell Wynne had never before appeared in a FIFA World Cup qualifying or CONCACAF Gold Cup match. For Gomez, Moor and Wynne, it was their first-ever national team caps. After a 10-0-1 start under Bradley that included winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the USA’s home confederation’s tournament, the U.S. traveled to Venezuela with a youthful team and has lost three consecutive games for the first time since a trio of World Cup qualifiers between July 1 and Sept. 5, 2001. Next up on the U.S. schedule are three friendlies in Europe, beginning on Aug. 22 vs. Sweden in Goteberg, Sweden at 2:30 p.m. ET live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. The U.S. then takes advantage of a double FIFA date in October, first facing Catalonia on Oct. 14 at the Nou Camp in Barcelona, Spain, and then traveling to face Switzerland on Oct. 17. Both October matches will also be televised on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Colombia Scoring Summary: 1 2 F COL – 17-Jaime Castrillón 14th minute Lineups: COL: 12-Robinson Zapata, 22-Camilo Zuñiga, 14-Luis Perea, 3-Mario
Yépez, 5-Javier Arizala; 17-Jaime Castrillón, 21-Jorge Banguero,
15-John Viáfara (13-Vladimir Marín, 55), 20-Macnelly Torres
(8-David Ferreira, 85); 19-César Valoyes (10-Andrés Chitiva,
78), 11-Hugo Rodallega Stats Summary: USA COL Misconduct Summary: Officials: Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Brad Guzan Young U.S. Team Falls To Paraguay 3-1 BARINAS, Venezuela (July 2, 2007) — In a match similar to their setback against Argentina four days earlier, a young U.S. Men’s National Team took a 1-1 game into the second half but could not convert their chances and eventually succumbed to Paraguay 3-1 in the team’s second Group C match of the 2007 Copa America in Estadio Agustin Tovar in Barinas, Venezuela. Once again, the U.S. team featured a line-up that included six players with fewer than 10 caps, just one week removed from qualifying for a spot in the prestigious 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa by winning the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup championship. "I feel very good about the young players that we have here with us," said U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller after the game. "We played very well, we just gave them a couple of easy chances, and when you give a good team and good players, easy chances, they are going to beat you. This is why we are here. We are here to give these guys this experience. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to make mistakes to learn. Hopefully now as we go forward in this tournament and into future games, we have learned from this experience and will be better for it." Despite creating more than a half-dozen quality scoring chances throughout the game, the U.S. could only find the net once in the match through a great Ricardo Clark strike in the 40th minute. The U.S. remains alive for a sport in the second round, as a victory over Colombia on July 5 could still see the team through with three points. In order for that possibility to exist, though, the U.S. will need to finish as one of the two best third-place teams in the competition, something that is mathematically still very much a possibility with four other teams in Group A and B all sitting on three points (Peru, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile). Should any of those four teams lose and finish in third place in their group, the U.S. would need to better them on goal differential to advance. The U.S. came into the game on the heels of a 4-1 loss to tournament-favorite Argentina, which blew the game open with two goals in the final 12 minutes. Paraguay had been embarrassed by Colombia 5-0 in their opener. Before this game, the U.S. had an all-time record of 2-0-2 against Paraguay. The U.S. goal came 10 minutes after going down 1-0 in the first half, with Clark firing a rocket along the ground and into the lower right corner of the goal from 18 yards out. Taylor Twellman had the assist on the goal, swinging his leg to smack a great cross-field pass from Moor backwards into Clark's path. The goal was the result of sustained possession by the United States, with Clark actually starting the possession in the USA half and Jonathan Bornstein and Benny Feilhaber helping to move the ball around. For Clark, the goal is his first in nine appearances for the United States. In the second half, the USA created two quick chances in the opening minute, and seemed to have the upper hand in the match, only to gift Paraguay the winning goal in the 56th minute. The goal came on a poor back pass from Bornstein that died in the heavy turf, leaving defender Jimmy Conrad and Keller stranded as Edgar Cardozo swooped in and easily stuck the ball into the upper left corner of the goal from 15 yards out. "The result is difficult for us tonight," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley after the game. "We feel that the effort of the team was strong, nonetheless we didn’t do very well with some of the chances that we created, and we certainly made a mistake that Paraguay was able to take advantage of." Paraguay iced the game in the third minute of stoppage time with Salvador Cabanas scoring his third goal of the tournament on a free kick from 22 yards that sneaked just inside the right post past a diving Keller. Cabanas earned the free kick at the top of the area after a foul from defender Danny Califf. Feilhaber and Bornstein were each making their 10th appearance in their first year with the U.S. team, marking the first time ever that two U.S. players have earned their first 10 caps in the same year and the first time since Claudio Reyna debuted with 19 caps in 1994 that any player had double-digit caps in their first year with the team. Also, Moor became the 16th player to earn his first cap in 2007, the most in any year since Brad Friedel, Cobi Jones and Joe-Max Moore were among the debutants in 1992, but well behind the record of 49 players set in 1973. The U.S. concludes Group C action against Colombia on Thursday, July 5 at Estadio Metropolitano de Futbol de Lara in Barquisimeto at 6:30 p.m. ET (live on on GolTV and Telefutura). Fans can also follow the action on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Paraguay Scoring Summary: 1 2 F PAR – Edgar Barreto (Oscar Cardozo) 30th minute.
USA Lineup: Stats Summary: USA PAR Misconduct Summary: Argentina Beats U.S. 4-1 In Copa America MARACAIBO, Venezuela (June 28, 2007) — A young U.S. Men’s National Team played an inspired match against Argentina, taking an early lead but eventually falling 4-1 to the South American side in their opening match of the 2007 Copa America in Estadio Jose Panchencho Romero in Maracaibo, Venezuela. The U.S. team featured a line-up that included six players with fewer than 10 caps squaring off against an Argentina side focused on capturing the Copa America crown and earning a spot in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, something the United States did last week by winning the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. "We put a lot of effort into the first 60 minutes, and I think when Argentina raised the level over the last 30 minutes we were unable to match that," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley after the game. "When you play in tournaments like this, you have to understand the level of competition. We certainly started this tournament playing against one of the favorites. This is the first game. We understand that the first round is three games, so it is critical that we pull ourselves together for the match against Paraguay. Argentina is a good team. We all know they have great players." The U.S. achieved a dream start against the heavily-favored Argentines, earning a clear penalty kick just seven minutes into the game when Gold Cup hero Benny Feilhaber hit a 30-yard pass with the outside of his right foot that split the Argentina defense and sprung Eddie Johnson on a breakaway. With Johnson free in the area, he was tripped up from behind by Gabriel Milito and Roberto Ayala. On the ensuing penalty kick, the Kansas City Wizards forward confidently slotted the ball to the right, freezing Argentina’s World Cup goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri. Johnson now has 11 international goals in 27 appearances. The USA lead was short lived, though, with Argentina earning a free kick just three minutes later that Juan Roman Riquelme deftly lifted into the area behind the U.S. defense. With Kasey Keller coming off his line, Gabriel Heinze crashed into the ball, keeping it alive for Hernan Crespo to touch home for his first goal of the night. Argentina’s eventual onslaught would begin at the 64-minute mark, with the game tied at 1-1 and Riquelme, Lionel Messi and Crespo all combining on a goal highlighting their world-class qualities. The goal began with Messi impressively dribbling into the U.S. half of the field, playing a perfect give-and-go with Riquelme, and then sliding a precise ball into the area for the lurking Crespo to finish past Keller. The last two goals came in the final 12 minutes of the game. The loss for the USA marked their first defeat in nearly a year, ending the team’s 10-0-1 run in 2007 under Bradley. The USA’s young line-up featured two debutantes in the match, Marvell Wynne (who started and played 90 minutes) and Herculez Gomez (who entered the game in the 69th minute). The U.S. continues Group C action against Paraguay on July 2 at Estadio Agustin Tovar “La Carolina” in Barinas, before finishing group play against Colombia on July 5 at Estadio Metropolitano de Futbol de Lara in Barquisimeto. Wins over Paraguay and Colombia would advance the U.S. to the second round. In the opening match of Group C action, Paraguay defeated Colombia 5-0, behind three goals from Roque Santa Cruz. On Wednesday in Group B, Mexico shocked Brazil 2-0 to take lead in the group that also includes Ecuador and Chile. -- U.S. Men's National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Argentina Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA – Eddie Johnson (penalty kick) 9th minute. Lineups: ARG: 1-Robert Abbondanzieri; 8-Javier Zanetti, 2-Robert Ayala (capt.),
15-Gabriel Milito, 6-Gabriel Heinze; 14-Javier Mascherano, 20-Juan Sebastian
Veron, 19-Esteban Cambiasso (16-Pablo Aimar, 58), 10-Juan Roman Riquelme;
18-Lionel Messi (11-Carlos Tevez, 79), 9-Hernan Crespo Stats Summary: USA ARG Misconduct Summary: Officials: Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Lionel Messi 2007 COPA AMERICA GROUP C STANDINGS and SCHEDULE GROUP C STANDINGS
Group A June 26 June 30 July 3
June 27 July 1 July 4
June 28 July 2 July 5 Quarterfinals July 8 Semifinals July 11 Third Place Finals U.S. Rallies To Beat Mexico 2-1 U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley continues to orchestrate a winning gameplan as the U.S. rallied from a goal down to beat Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup championships game before a crowd of nearly 60,000 at Chicago’s Soldier Field. U.S. MNT continued their domination of Mexico with a sterling, come-from-behind 2-1 masterpiece to claim their fourth all-time CONCACAF Gold Cup championship. Despite a 1-0 halftime deficit, a confident and powerful U.S. team dominated Mexico in the second half, behind goals from Landon Donovan and Benny Feilhaber, while also twice hitting the post. In addition to laying claim to their third regional crown since 2002, the victory in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup paves the way for the USA’s invaluable participation in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, an eight-team tournament being staged in South Africa one year before the 2010 World Cup. “This is the kind of effort on the inside of our team that we keep talking about,” said Bradley after extending his record with the United States to 10-0-1 since taking over at the start of the year. “(It is) a result that didn’t come easy. A result where we had to come from behind. A result that comes from the effort of our entire group. We are proud of defending the Gold Cup championship and keeping the trophy in the United States.” The second half began with another savvy tactical move from Bradley, who brought Ricardo Clark on for tournament standout Pablo Mastroeni to help the U.S. midfield cover more ground across the field. Clark’s impact was felt immediately and helped unify a backline that had been a bit unsettled in the first half. The USA’s first goal came on a nice build-up from the U.S., who seamlessly moved the ball from the left to right flank at the midfield stripe through DaMarcus Beasley, setting up Jonathan Spector to send a perfect cross into the area for Brian Ching. The Hawaiian forward controlled the ball well, spun around his marker and was setting up for a chance on goal when Jonny Magallon clipped his legs from behind, setting up an easy penalty call for Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres. "Chingy made a great play to get the penalty," said Donovan after the game. "He's in there to do that. He's tough to play against. He used his body well, and the guy had no choice but to foul him." As he has done throughout the tournament, Donovan stepped up and drained the spot kick, the fourth consecutive game in which the forward scored on a penalty kick. For Donovan, the goal was a historic one in many ways, tying him for the USA’ all-time goal-scoring lead with Eric Wynalda at 34 and also tying the all-time Gold Cup goal-scoring record with Mexico’s Luis Robert Alves with 12. "I'm proud of it certainly,” said Donovan about tying Wynalda’s record. “I'm more happy we won the game, but when I sit down tonight and think about it, it will be awesome. But now I want to get the next one in." With the game now tied, the U.S. continued their inspired play in the second half, eventually leading to a game-winning goal that will surely go down as one of the greatest in U.S. Soccer history. Mexico was beginning to feel the pressure from the U.S. again when a dangerous cross from Jonathan Bornstein earned the USA a corner kick in the 72nd minute. As Donovan’s corner kick slid into the area, it was headed out by the Mexican defense, falling to the top of the area where Feilhaber hit a one-time, full-volley blast out of the air and into the upper left corner past a helpless Oswaldo Sanchez. “The first thing I was thinking of when the ball was coming in the air was that I’d had a couple of shots in the El Salvador game that were the same as that one,” said Feilhaber, who scored for the second time in seven appearances. “I was just looking to get good contact on the ball and send it toward the goal. I knew as soon as I hit it that it was going in. It felt great.” With the U.S. ahead 2-1, Mexico began to crumble under the pressure of trying to end their decade-long losing streak against the USA in the United States. Their efforts were to no avail, as the U.S. created two more scoring chances that were stopped by the woodwork, but ultimately didn’t help the Mexicans overcome their nemesis. The first shot off the post came in the 76th minute, when the ever-active Ching spun on Magallon in the penalty area again, stepped around Sanchez, and then hit an off-balance shot at an empty net that bounced off the right post as he was falling backwards. In the 89th minute, a patented late-game burst from Donovan saw a two-on-none breakaway end with DaMarcus Beasley banging his empty net shot off the cross bar. Those two misses were ultimately not a factor, but could have been if not for a world class save from Tim Howard on Mexican substitute Adolfo Bautista in the 89th minute just seconds before Beasley’s miss. On the sequence, Nery Castillo dribbled into the penalty area and hit a shot that ricocheted to Bautista eight yards in front of the goal. Bautista had time to take a touch, but his hard shot was pushed over the bar by Howard with two hands. “I’m still in shock you know,” said Howard about his late heroics. “It’s just one of those things where you practice all the time, and sometimes it comes off for you. I saw the ball break through and I tried my best and today it was good enough. It's one I'll remember forever. Sometimes the team needs you to come up with a big save, and you know you can make a difference. I was elated." The USA is now 8-0-1 in nine home games against Mexico this decade, outscoring their rival 15-1. Mexico's goal in this match did manage to end their goalless streak in the U.S. at 797 minutes across 10 games. Since 1990, the U.S. is 12-7-7 in 26 games against Mexico, which includes a dominating 11-3-5 record in the United States (and a 1-0-1 record in neutral venues). The victory also marked the first time the U.S. had ever come-from-behind to defeat their arch-rivals. In another USA milestone, for the first time ever, the U.S. went a perfect 6-0 in the tournament, improving their all-time Gold Cup record to an impressive 34-4-5. The U.S. outscored their opponents 13-3 across their 2007 tournament run. The U.S. team departs on Monday for Venezuela, just three days in advance of the 2007 Copa America, the regional championship of South America. The 12-team tournament will run from June 26 to July 15 in nine cities across Venezuela. The U.S. has been drawn into Group C along with Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia. The U.S. will open the tournament against Argentina on Thursday, June 28 at Estadio Jose “Pachencho” Romero in Maracaibo. The U.S. will then face Paraguay on July 2 at Estadio Agustin Tovar “La Carolina” in Barinas, before finishing group play against Colombia on July 5 at Estadio Metropolitano de Futbol de Lara in Barquisimeto. For the United States, the appearance will mark their third entrance into CONMEBOL’s signature event. The last time the U.S. competed in the tournament in 1995, the team upset defending champion Argentina, 3-0, to advance to the quarterfinals where they defeated Mexico and eventually finished in fourth place. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Scoring Summary: 1 2 F Lineups: Subs not used: 9-Eddie Johnson, 12-Jay DeMerit, 14-Steve Ralston, 18-Kasey Keller Head Coach: Bob Bradley
MEX: 1- Oswaldo Sanchez, 2- Jose Jonny Magallon, 3-Carlos Salcido, 4-Rafael Marquez (capt.), 5-Ricardo Osorio, 7- Alberto Medina (10-Cuauhtemoc Blanco, 78), 8- Pavel Pardo, 9-Jared Borgetti (19-Omar Bravo, 40’), 16-Jaime Lozano (23- Adolfo Bautista, 81’), 18-Jose Andres Guardado, 21-Nery Castillo Subs not used: 13-Guillermo Ochoa,14-Fausto Pinto, 20- Fernando Arce, 22- Francisco Rodriguez, Head Coach: Hugo Sanchez Stats Summary: USA MEX Misconduct Summary: Officials:
Bradley Names Copa America Roster CHICAGO (June 22, 2007) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named the 22-man roster that will compete in the 2007 Copa in Venezuela. The team, which includes nine players that are on the current Gold Cup roster, will depart on June 25 for Maracaibo, Venezuela, their base of operations for the beginning part of the tournament. The U.S. will open the tournament against Argentina on Thursday, June 28, at Estadio Jose “Pachencho” Romero in Maracaibo, which is in the northeast corner of the country on the western side of Lake Maracaibo and will also be the venue for the final. The U.S. will then face Colombia on July 2 at Estadio Agustin Tovar “La Carolina” in Barinas, before finishing group play against Paraguay on July 5 at Estadio Metropolitano de Futbol de Lara in Barquisimeto. All of the USA’s matches will be broadcast live on GolTV and Telefutura. Fans can also follow all the action live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker, and the games will be aired delayed on Fox Sports Espanol. "Copa America is going to be a great opportunity for our younger players to gain invaluable experience at the highest international level," said Bradley. "Playing two major tournaments back-to-back is both a privilege and a difficult challenge in terms of putting together rosters, and this is something we've known all along. This group has many of the faces that could play a role in 2008 and 2009 when our focus turns to our ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa." While the roster is loaded with youth, there is some important experience to anchor the U.S. squad. Kasey Keller, who earned his 100th cap in the 2-1 win against Canada in the semifinals of the 2007 Gold Cup, is the only player on the roster to have played in a Copa America, making the all-tournament team in 1995 when the U.S. advanced to the semifinals. A veteran of four World Cups, he is joined by three other players from the 2006 FIFA World Cup roster. Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad played in two matches in Germany, including the 1-1 draw against eventual World Champion Italy. Eddie Johnson and D.C. United midfielder Ben Olsen also saw action in Germany. At the other end of the spectrum, there are 16 players on the roster who have 10 caps or less. Fourteen players are under the age of 25, with Eddie Gaven serving as the team’s youngest at 20 years old. There are three members of the group who are entering their first-ever camp with the MNT and will be in search of their first cap: Colorado Rapids forward Herculez Gomez, FC Dallas midfielder Drew Moor and Toronto FC defender Marvell Wynne. The roster lays claim to several players with success at the youth national team level. Altogether, 13 players on the roster have been a part of a youth FIFA World Championship roster, whether it be at the U-23, U-20 or U-17 level. A total of nine players were members of the USA’s roster for either the 2003 or 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Justin Mapp, a veteran of two World Youth Championships, started and played in all five matches with the U.S. U-20’s at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates, scoring the game-winning goal against the Ivory Coast to help the squad advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Mapp also has five caps with the full team. Ricardo Clark, who plays for current MLS champion Houston Dynamo, was also a member of the 2003 U-20 World Cup team and has appeared for the U-23 National Team. Johnson and Moor also helped the U.S. to a fifth-place finish, with Johnson earning the Golden Boot as the tournament’s leading scorer. Benny Feilhaber, Sacha Kljestan, Lee Nguyen, Wynne and Gaven were all members of the U-20 side that advanced to the knockout phase of the 2005 World Youth Championship in Holland after defeating Argentina in their opening game. MLS players dominate the roster, with 15 of the 22 players plying their trade in the United States. Overall, 10 of the 13 teams in MLS will be represented in Venezuela. Chivas USA contributes a trio of players, including 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year Jonathan Bornstein, who has started four of five matches in the run to the Gold Cup final, Kljestan, who captained the U-23 MNT on their last trip to Japan, and goalkeeper Brad Guzan also head south from Los Angeles. Along with Gomez, the Colorado Rapids provide Kyle Beckerman who was in with the MNT earlier this year. New England Revolution’s Taylor Twellman will continue with the U.S. after scoring against El Salvador in the first round of the Gold Cup, while Bobby Boswell, the 2006 MLS Defender of the Year, returns to the U.S. fold. Along with Keller and Feilhaber, the U.S. will have four other European-based players in Venezuela. Watford FC’s Jay DeMerit will stay with the team after contributing during the Gold Cup, and he’ll be joined by Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF) and Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland). The last time the U.S. competed in the tournament in 1995, the United States upset defending champion Argentina, 3-0, to advance to the quarterfinals where they defeated Mexico and eventually finished in fourth place. Overall, the U.S. has played Argentina seven times in their history, holding a lifetime record of 2-5-0 against the South American juggernaut. The only other victory came in 1999 when a Joe-Max Moore goal was the difference in Washington, D.C. U.S. MNT 2007 Schedule Jan. 20 USA vs. Denmark Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.) 3-1 W March 28 USA vs. Guatemala Pizza Hut Park (Frisco, Texas) 0-0 T GOALKEEPERS (2) – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach) DEFENDERS (8) – Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Heath Pearce (FC Nordsjælland), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC) MIDFIELDERS (8) – Kyle Beckerman (Colorado Rapids), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Lee Nguyen (PSV Eindhoven), Ben Olsen (D.C.United) FORWARDS (4) – Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Herculez Gomez (Colorado
Rapids), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Taylor Twellman (New England
Revolution) U.S. Advances To Sixth Gold Cup Final For the second consecutive game, the U.S. Men’s National Team couldn’t hold a 2-0 lead, giving up a late goal and hanging on for a win at Chicago’s fabled Soldier Field. This time the U.S. almost saw the lead totally evaporate when a controversal stoppage-time goal by Canada was disallowed and the U.S. came away with a 2-1 semifinal victory in the Gold Cup. The U.S., which edged Panama 2-1 in the quarterfinals, took the lead in the semifinals when Frankie Hejduk scored his first-ever Gold Cup goal. Landon Donovan moved one step away from history as he made it 2-0 before halftime on a penalty kick. The U.S. will play Mexico, a 1-0 winner over Guadeloupe in the second semifinal. That is set for Sunday afternoon, June 24, at Soldier Field. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller made three saves while earning his 100th career cap, tying the all-time appearance record set for goalkeepers set by Tony Meola. "We are very excited to be in the final," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who improved to 9-0-1 since taking over in December. "As a group, we have worked very hard. When you play in these kind of tournaments, you have periods where the soccer is good. As a team you have to fight for each other and survive when the soccer isn't as good. And when you put it all together, it's what makes you a team. I feel very good that we are getting stronger, the mentality is getting better, and it is very important to be in the final." The U.S. was the dominant team for most of the match. Canada, which put together probably its best roster for the Gold Cup, did not offer much of an offensive threat until late in the second half when the game became chippy and Bradley’s players appeared to be distracted and tentative. Seven cards were given, five to the U.S., including a straight red to midfielder Michael Bradley for a bad tackle in the 89th minute of play. He will miss the final against Mexico, as will Hejduk, who picked up his second card in two games and will sit out because of caution accumulation. Hejduk broke the deadlock in the 39th minute on a play that began with a U.S. free kick. While Canada attempted to clear the cross, Pablo Mastroeni fought to keep the play alive, winning a tackle and playing into Donovan. He spun inside towards goal and dished off to Hejduk, who unleashed a low right-footed blast that banged off the inside of the left post and caromed into the back of the net. The goal was Hejduk’s first in five Gold Cup tournaments and sixth of his career, the defender getting on the scoresheet for the first time since June 11, 2000, a span of 47 matches. The U.S. would double the lead just before halftime with Donovan converting his third penalty of the tournament. The USA earned the penalty when DaMarcus Beasley got on the end of a brilliant through ball by Clint Dempsey and attempted to dribble past GK Pat Onstad. "It was nice to get the 100th cap, but it was important to get the 100th cap and win and now to be able to go into the final and try and get another trophy,” Keller said “It's been a whole team effort for these five games so far, and I'm sure it's going to be another great effort for the final. We want to win this thing." Iain Hume cut the U.S. margin to 2-1 in the 76th minute and from that point on, including over five minutes of stoppage time, the U.S. began to falter. Late in the second half, Canada furiously fought for the tying goal, and appeared to have earned it in the fourth minute of stoppage time when a shot from 30 plus yards hit off the head of defender Onyewu directly into the path of Atiba Hutchinson who cracked home a shot from 12 yards out in the 95th minute, only to be whistled offside. The controversial call was practically the last touch of the game. The U.S. team remains in Chicago through the Gold Cup final. Just four days later, the U.S. will participate in the 2007 Copa America, the regional championship of South America. The 12-team tournament will run from June 26 to July 15 in nine cities across Venezuela. The U.S. has been drawn into Group C along with Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia. For the United States, the appearance will mark their third entrance into CONMEBOL’s signature event. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Canada U.S. Men Reach Gold Cup Semifinals The U.S. Men’s National Team moved into the semifinals of the 2007 Gold Cup by overmatching Panama 2-1 before 22,412 in Foxborough, Mass. Landon Donovan converted a penalty in the 60th minute and Carlos Bocanegra doubled the lead two minutes later to move the U.S. into the final four of the tournament for the eighth time in nine overall Gold Cups. “It’s a good win for us,” said U.S. head coach Bradley, who improves to 8-0-1 since taking the helm. “Going into the match, we felt that Panama had an excellent team and had played very well in group play. We were pleased with our play. We had good chances in the first half, and were disappointed not to be up at halftime, but I think the mentality was to keep going and not lose sight of what we were doing well. We knew the chances would continue to come.” With the win, the U.S. improved to 11-4-4 lifetime in the knockout phase of the tournament. The team moves on to face Canada on June 21 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and TeleFutura. Canada advanced earlier in the day after defeating Guatemala, 3-0, in the first match of a triple-header. With the temperature a balmy 81 degrees, the U.S. began applying heavy pressure all over the field from the opening whistle. Their tenacity nearly paid off just four minutes in when Landon Donovan emerged from a scrum in the box with the ball at his feet and poked a shot that goalkeeper Jaime Penedo did well to deflect wide Penedo, who had a spectacular performance against the U.S. in the 2005 Gold Cup final, once again proved the savior for the Panamanians in the first half, making several sparkling saves to keep the match level going into the intermission. Throughout the first half, the U.S. was able to create opportunities by combining through the center of the park as well as finding Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley with space out on the wings. Twice the U.S. struck the goalpost, both on efforts by Taylor Twellman. The striker nicked the outside of the right post in the ninth minute after getting on the end of a Clint Dempsey knockdown, then headed it off the top of the crossbar near the half hour mark. The USA’s best chance in the opening stanza came off a lightning quick counter attack that began from a Panama corner that Frankie Hejduk headed clear. Beasley picked up the loose ball, and picked out a streaking Donovan just past the midfield stripe, sending the speedy midfielder in on goal with a defender in hot pursuit. He elected to try and round Penedo and catch him off balance, only to see the ‘keeper recover in time to make a diving save. Panama managed their best opportunity in the 32nd minute, striker Blas Perez receiving a pass from Ricardo Phillips at the top of the area and spinning towards the goal. He found enough space past Bocanegra to snap off a shot which went by both Tim Howard and the far right post. The second half began with Panama beginning to match some of the intensity of the U.S. team, creating end-to-end action. They nearly grabbed the lead in the 48th minute, Perez once again on the receiving end of a pass from Philips, this time a curling ball played behind the U.S. backline. Howard was quick off his line to close the angle, kick saving the first-time effort from 12 yards out. The teams traded opportunities through the first 15 minutes, Donovan
finally delivering the U.S a deserved lead from the penalty spot right
on the hour mark. Having been pulled down in the box by Carlos Rivera
after Dempsey played him clear into the area, he calmly waited for Penedo
to commit before sending a low drive to the right side of the goal. It took only two minutes for the USA to double the lead, this time off
the head of team captain Carlos Bocanegra. With the U.S.
earning a free kick just outside the area on the right side, Beasley whipped
a perfectly curled cross into the six-yard box. Bocanegra slipped his
mark and hammered a header past a helpless Penedo, getting his third career
goal in the tournament and seventh in 47 international appearances. The wasted chance nearly proved costly when Blas Perez cut the lead in
half two minutes later, unleashing a wicked strike from just inside the
area. The goal ended a 254-minute shutout streak for the U.S. in the tournament,
and set the stage for a tense conclusion to the match. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Panama Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Landon Donovan Beasley Scores Two In 4-0 Win Over El Salvador Midfielder DaMarcus Beasley struck twice, while forwards Midfielder Landon Donovan and Taylor Twellman also found net for the United States which cruised to a 4-0 decision over El Salvador to complete a 3-0 record and win Group B of the CONCACAF Gold Cup before 26,523 at Gillette Stadium. The American quarterfinal opponent will be Guadeloupe, the Panama, the third-place finisher from Group C. Panama lost its third and final group game 1-0 to Mexico. "We are happy with the results from the first three games, but we know it is going to be tough the rest of the way," Beasley said. The U.S. did not allow a shot on goal in rolling over El Salvador, holding a 10-5 shots advantage, 9-0 on frame. The Americans are the only team among 12 in the Gold Cup to win, or have the possibility to win, all three group matches, and the only one not to concede a goal after opening with a 1-0 defeat of Guatemala and then dropping Trinidad & Tobago 2-0, both at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Downing El Salvador was "a good win for us," said U.S. coach Bob Bradley, who has lead his team to a 7-0-1 record since being hired in December. "It's especially nice, that when the game opened up in the second half, to see some of the soccer that we put together. That's a nice reward for the hard work early in the match. In tournaments like this, the beginning of the tournament always starts with games that are pretty tight, and we knew that right away against Guatemala. So today we had a good chance to finish on a different note. Certainly we know going into the knockout stage that things will tighten up again. We look forward to it." Despite total dominance, the U.S. did not manage a lead until Beasley scored in the 34th minute. Continual American pressure resulted in a left-side corner kick which Donovan sent into a crowd at the near post. The ball caromed out to Beasley who, facing the left post from 16 yards out, poked an easy shot into the unattended right side of the net for a 1-0 lead. Goalkeeper Miguel Montes dove to his left, but didn't come close to the shot. "I just kind of threw my foot at it and it went in," Beasley said. "I think the turning point of the game was Landon's penalty kick (for a 2-0 advantage three minutes into first half stoppage time). That really threw them on their heels. They threw a lot at us in the first 15 minutes of the second half, but after that we were in control. It was important to get the first goal. We knew El Salvador was going to be very compact and difficult to break down. Teams know us now and know what the United States brings." The Americans doubled its margin to 2-0 after a bizarre sequence just before intermission. After taking a pass from Donovan, midfielder Benny Feilhaber approached they top right of the penalty area and attempted to cross to the far post. Retreating El Salvador midfielder Alfredo Pacheco knocked the ball down with his left hand just as it entered the box. Montes dove to his right to stop Donovan's first attempt on the subsequent penalty kick. The ball bounced across the face of the goal back to Donovan who tucked a shot into the right side of the net, but the goal was disallowed and the PK was ordered to be retaken because U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley had encroached into the box before Donovan shot. On his second try, Donovan drove his shot behind Montes as he moved to his left, making it 2-0 in the fourth minute of time added to the first half. Had Donovan not put away the rebound of his PK miss, play would have continued and Donovan would not have been given a second chance. Twellman replaced Donovan at the break and made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute. Beasley tackled a ball deep in his defensive area and charged down the left flank from before crossing to striker Brian Ching in the middle. Ching carried forward before finding Twellman approaching the top right of the box. Fropm about 15 yards out, Twellman drilled his low shot at Montes, but the ball squirted through the legs of the sliding keeper into the net for his sixth international goal. Donovan's 31st international goal is three behind all-time leader Eric Wynalda's 34. With a record 25 career assists, Donovan has all-time best 87 points, three more than Wynalda. The tally was also Donovan's ninth in the Gold Cup, tying him with Wynalda for the most by an American in the tournament. In the 89th minute, Ching made a long run from his side of the center stripe down the left center of the field, touching right to midfielder Clint Dempsey as the approached the box. Just before crossing the 18-yard line, Dempsey fed Beasley, who was approaching the right post. Beasley had an easy finish from seven yards out for his 15th international goal to make it 4-0. Notes: Midfielder Pablo Mastroeni returned to the U.S. lineup after completing a three-game suspension from his red card against Italy last June in the World Cup. Only "official" matches -- those in major competitions -- counted in the ban. Feilhaber was the only player to start for the U.S. in all three Group B matches. Making its ninth tournament appearance, the U.S. is 21-0-1 in Gold Cup
group matches. Lineups: United States - Tim Howard, Jonathan Spector (Frank Simek 81), Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Parkhurst, Jonathan Bornstein, Michael Bradley (Brian Ching 64), Pablo Mastroeni, Benny Feilhaber, Landon Donovan (Taylor Twellman 46), DaMarcus Beasley; Clint Dempsey. El Salvador - Miguel Montes, Leonel Guevara (Manuel Salazar 46), Jose Henriquez, Ramiro Carballo (Julio Martinez 46), Ramon Sanchez, Dennis Alas, Alexander Escobar, Alfredo Pacheco, Jose Martinez, Juan Campos (Cesar Lario 77), Ronald Cerritos Scoring: Shots: United States 10, El Salvador 5 Shots on goal: United States 9, El Salvador 0 Saves: United States 0, El Salvador 4 Corner kicks: United States 3, El Salvador 1 Fouls: United States 15, El Salvador 11 Offside: United States 3, El Salvador 0. Yellow card cautions: United States - Bradley 10, Mastroeni 46+, Onyewu 56; El Salvador - Guevara 19, Campos 29, Cerritos halftime. Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico). Referee's assistants: Jose Luis Camargo (Mexico), Alejandro Azofeifa (Costa Rica). Fourth official: - Javier Jauregui (Antigua & Barbuda). Attendance: 26,523 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Weather: 65 degrees, cloudy. The U.S. MNT moved to 2-0 in Group B of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago. That guaranteed the U.S. a spot in the tournament quarterfinals. Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson scored the goals, giving the USA the win in front of a sold-out crowd at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Second-half sub Landon Donovan assisted Johnson’s goal to move into first place all-time with 85 career points, one more than former U.S. striker Eric Wynalda. The U.S. made 10 changes to the lineup that opened the tournament by defeating Guatemala 1-0 on June 7 with Benny Feilhaber the lone carryover. “Before the tournament we wanted to look at two groups for sure,”
said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley after the game. “When
the games come so quickly, we feel good about the depth that we have.
I think that showed today. As they did against Guatemala, the U.S. got on board in the first half, after dominating possession for most of the game. In the 29th minute Justin Mapp turned the corner down the left flank after running down a long ball from Jonathan Spector. He rolled the ball back to towards the top of the box where Ching closed and pushed the ball into the goal for the 1-0 lead. That goal was much like the one Clint Dempsey scored against Guatemala after Taylor Twellman carried the ball to the end line and laid it back in the middle for the one-touch finish. The second goal against T&T came when Donovan broke through into the box, but instead of taking a shot, he squared the ball across to a wide-open Johnson, who hit it into the open goal. Donovan’s assist was the 25th of his career, which is also a national team record. Tim Howard picked up the shutout against Guatemala, while Kasey Keller earned his 99th career cap against T&T. It was the 51st win of his career and his 47th all-time shutout. All are national team marks for a U.S. goalkeeper. The second win improved the USA’s incredible all-time record in opening round Gold Cup action to 20-0-1 and gave the team six points after two games, three more than both El Salvador and Guatemala. The U.S. is the first team in the tournament to guarantee passage into the second round, and is the only team in the tournament not to allow a goal. The U.S. will close out group play on Tuesday, June 12 in Foxborough, MA, against El Salvador. The game will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel at 7:00 pm ET. -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago Scoring Summary: 1 2 F USA – Brian Ching (Justin Mapp) 29th minute Lineups: TRI: 21-Jan Michael Williams, 5-Keyeno Thomas, 6-Thomas
Nickcolson (8-Kerry Baptiste, 24), 17-Seon Power, 20- Anthony Noriega
(13-Christon Baptiste, 20), 2-Romauld Aguillera, 15-Andrei Pacheco (7-Trent
Noel, 81), 16-Silvio Spann, 18-Densill Theobald, 11-Andre Toussaint, 14-Darryl
Roberts Stats Summary: USA TRI Misconduct Summary: Officials: Sierra Mist Man of the Match: Brian Ching 2007 CONCACAF GOLD CUP GROUP B STANDINGS and SCHEDULE GROUP B STANDINGS TEAM W L T GF GA GD PTS * clinch spot in tournament quarterfinals 2007 CONCACAF GOLD CUP SCHEDULE Group A (Miami) June 6 June 9 June 11 Group B (Los Angeles, Boston) June 7 June 9 June 12
June 8 June 10 June 13 Quarterfinals June 17 Finals In the team’s final preparation match before the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team steamrolled China 4-1 in front of 20,821 fans at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif. Four different players tallied goals for the U.S., as DaMarcus Beasley and Benny Feilhaber tallied in the first half, and then assisted on back-to-back headed strikes from Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu. The victory improved the USA’s overall record in 2007 to 4-0-1 in five games under head coach Bob Bradley. “Overall we were pleased with the effort,” said Bradley following the match. “I think that we got a lot out of this game. Anytime you play on this field in San Jose, the fact that it is a little smaller sharpens up a lot of things. Generally, I felt that there were a lot of good efforts. It is good for us, going into the Gold Cup, to get a game like this under our belts.” The U.S. jumped out to an early lead with Beasley slamming home his first-ever penalty kick for the USA in the 10th minute. It was the speedy midfielder himself who was tripped up in the penalty area, after trying to round Chinese goalkeeper Chen Dong on a breakaway that was set up with a perfectly weighted pass into space by midfielder Michael Bradley. The goal was the 13th of Beasley’s 63-game career. Just five minutes later, though, some sloppy defending got China right back into the game as centerback Zhang Yaokun pounced on a loose ball in the area and ripped an uncontested shot from 11 yards into the upper left corner of the goal. Zhang’s good fortune was set up with the U.S. defense on its heels and failing to fully clear a cross into the area from the left flank. With the ball skittering out to the right, a wide-open Dong Fangzhuo shot errantly on goal, but a lunging stab from forward Wang Peng settled the ball perfectly for Zhang to rip past Tim Howard. The winning goal for the U.S. came in the 28th minute on a beautiful combination from former U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team teammates Feilhaber and Sacha Kljestan. After Clint Dempsey found Kljestan on the right wing, Feilhaber sprinted into the area onto a pass from the first-time cap-winner and reached the bouncing ball just in front of Chen to lift it toward the goal. With the ball destined to find the net, a desperate defensive lunge from Zhang went for naught as the USA took the lead for good. “Sasha just sent me through,” said Feilhaber. “At first the goalkeeper hesitated and I wanted him to come out. I even slowed down a little bit to see if he would come out. The ball started bouncing a little bit further away, skipped off the grass and on the second touch it sat up a bit. I figured that I would put the ball over the top. I was just hoping that the defender was not going to get there before the ball crossed the line.” The USA’s dynamic 4-3-2-1 line-up took it to the Chinese from outset, with a high goal tally seeming to be in the cards as the second half began. After peppering China with a 7-2 shot advantage in the final 45 minutes, the dam finally broke for the USA with back-to-back headed goals in the 75th and 79th minute. Dempsey knocked the USA’s third goal home on a perfectly placed corner kick from Feilhaber, emerging at the backside of the goal to easily head it past the potted Chen. The goal for Dempsey was a breakthrough of sorts, after Chen had made two fine saves to keep him off the board in the preceding 10 minutes. With the game under control, Onyewu got into the act four minutes later
crushing a header past Chen from seven yards out on a free kick from Beasley. Carlos Bocanegra went the entire 90 minutes for the U.S., wearing the captain’s armband for the first time in his USA career. Bocanegra is the fourth different player to serve as captain under Bradley. “What we've tried to do is make sure that there are a group of guys who are ready to take bigger roles in this team … guys who are ready to step-up to set the tone all the time,” added Bradley. “It has been really nice in every camp to see more and more guys joining that group. In this particular camp, Carlos Bocanegra got the nod. Carlos is a player who, for sure, has earned the respect of all his teammates with his commitment to the game. He plays hard. He talks. He organizes. “Going forward, he is a key guy in what we are doing. At the same time, it could have been Tim Howard. It could have been Oguchi Onyewu. More and more, I am very pleased with the way DaMarcus has stepped-up. We will think about the part of who gets it permanently as we more forward. But for right now, it is very important just to see a group of guys feeling that this next cycle is in their hands.” Next up for the USA is their much-anticipated title defense at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which kicks off with a rematch against Guatemala on June 7 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The U.S. will then face Trinidad & Tobago on June 9 in the same venue, before concluding group play against El Salvador on June 12 in Foxborough, Mass. The 12-team Gold Cup tournament runs through June 24 where the final is slated for Soldier Field in Chicago. Immediately following the Gold Cup, the USA will participate in the 2007 Copa America, the regional championship of South America. The 12-team tournament will run from June 26 to July 15 in nine cities across Venezuela. The U.S. will open Group C play against Argentina on June 28, before facing Paraguay on July 2 and Colombia on July 5. 2007 USA Schedule -- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report -- Match-up: USA vs. China CHICAGO (May 24, 2007) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named the 23-man roster that will seek to defend their CONCACAF Gold Cup title in the 2007 edition of the tournament that takes place from June 6-24 in six cities across the U.S. The USA kicks off action on June 7 vs. Guatemala at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, and will also play their second group match there on Saturday, June 9, vs. Trinidad & Tobago at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT. The group stage will end for the U.S. on June 12 vs. El Salvador at 7 p.m. ET after a cross country trip to Foxborough, Mass. All three U.S. group matches will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura. The European-based players will begin arriving into the Los Angeles area on May 27 to start training, with the MLS contingent reporting to the Gold Cup camp on June 3. “As I have said, winning the Gold Cup is our most important priority this year, and I believe we have assembled a team capable of doing that,” said Bradley. “We have a very good blend of talent, youth and experience. This is a great opportunity to continue to secure our place as one of the top teams in the region, as well as obtain valuable experience as we progress towards World Cup qualifying in 2008.” The U.S. returns eight players from the 2005 championship team, led by Golden Boot winner DaMarcus Beasley. Kasey Keller, who is the all-time leader in Gold Cup appearances for the USA (21), can become the only player in U.S. history to appear in six of the regional championship tournaments. Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, who already has five goals and one assist in 2007, is tied for second on the all-time U.S. Gold Cup scorers list with Brian McBride at eight goals. At the other end of the spectrum, a total of 14 players will be vying for their first-ever Gold Cup cap. The roster is a near even split of players based in Europe and at home, with Bradley calling on the services of 12 players from overseas. Oguchi Onyewu, who was named Man of the Match in the 2-0 win against Canada on July 9, 2005, in Seattle, scored his first career goal in second-half stoppage time to lift the U.S. to a 2-1 win past Honduras and into the 2005 final. Fulham send the duo of Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey, with Bocanegra having started all five matches in the USA’s run to the 2002 Gold Cup crown. Seven of the ‘Euro’s’ will have the chance to make their Gold Cup debuts, including goalkeeper Tim Howard, who has already amassed eight shutouts in 18 international appearances. Michael Bradley, who is expected to be part of the team that represents the U.S. in the U-20 World Cup in Canada this summer, is part of the youth movement along with Benny Feilhaber and Jonathan Spector. On the domestic front, the New England Revolution contributes the most players of any squad, sending three players to California. Steve Ralston is the only member of the trio with Gold Cup experience, having played eight games over two tournaments and collecting a medal in ’05. Current MLS leading scorer Taylor Twellman and Michael Parkhurst also head west from Boston. The Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA both send a pair, Brian Ching the veteran of that quartet with 21 caps and four goals for the U.S. Colorado Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni appears in his fourth Gold Cup, and is one of six players on the roster with two Gold Cup medals (Beasley, Bocanegra, Donovan, Frankie Hejduk, Keller). All told, eight MLS teams will be represented in the tournament. In addition, there will be players on the roster hailing from an amazing 15 different states. The U.S. claimed the regional crown in 2005 by topping Panama in penalty kicks 120 minutes of scoreless soccer at Giants Stadium. Conversions by Santino Quaranta, Donovan and Brad Davis, as well as a key save from Keller, clinched the trophy for the U.S. Donovan and Beasley led the U.S. through the tournament scoring three goals each, and Onyewu and Jimmy Conrad established themselves in the center of the U.S. defense. The U.S. is 18-0-1 all-time in group play at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In addition to the three aforementioned titles in the first eight editions of the regional championship, the U.S. has also finished second twice and third twice. Overall, the U.S. has a 29-4-5 record in Gold Cup play, and the U.S. is 3-1 in penalty shootouts. Brazil and Mexico are each responsible for two of the U.S. defeats, while Colombia eliminated the U.S. on penalties in the 2000 quarterfinals. The U.S. is gearing up for a busy summer, beginning with a tune-up match
against China on June 2 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose. Following the
Gold Cup, the U.S. will participate in the 2007 Copa America, the regional
championship of South America. The 12-team tournament will run from June
26 to July 15 in nine cities across Venezuela. GOALKEEPERS (3) – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach) DEFENDERS (8) –Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United) MIDFIELDERS (8) – DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Benny Feilhaber (Hamburger SV), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution) FORWARDS (4) – Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution) Head Coach: Bob Bradley When soccer in the United States called on Bob Bradley last fall, he didn’t waiver when he left a secure MLS coaching job with Chivas USA to become the U.S. U-23 MNT coach, as well as the interim full National Team coach. He did the job just like it was his forever. The interim tag didn’t spin the way he looked at the position. He never politiced, even when his supporters did, for the tag to be removed. He went about the business of charting a new path for the program, and when US Soccer took away the interim tag in mid-May, it was evident to all that Bradley, at age 49, had earned the job. “I think it’s a job well-accomplished,” Eddie Johnson, MNT striker said when told of the appointment. “He deserves it.” When he made the announcement, Sunil Gulati mentioned the process of finally arriving at Bradley as the full-time coach. “We talked to a number of people,” Gulati said. “None of those coaches had withdrawn from the process. We had the luxury of time. From the first day, Bob has treated the job as if it was his. He’s an intellectual about the game. In December, I said to him that this may or may not happen. Are you interested? He said yes.” Bradley, who was fired as coach of the MLS MetroStars late in the 2005 season, remarked, “You never know what’s around the next corner.” Bradley understood that he was at least Gulati’s second choice to fill the position. The top candidate was Germany’s Juergen Klinsmann, who lives in California with his American wife and their children. Bradley came to the job with a knowledge of the U.S. player pool and a good relationship with many of the players. And in the games he got results. The win over Mexico, 2-0, was a big result, so were wins over Ecuador and Denmark. He took on Guatemala with a roster of young players after releasing most of the veterans back to their professional teams, and came away with a 0-0 draw. When he confirmed the announcement the night before it was official, Gulati spoke of the results when he said “It wasn’t the input--it was the output.” The US Soccer officials had originally wanted an international coach with international experience. They eventually settled on a coach born in New Jersey with very little international experience. But he is a proven winner, who sees potential in players and gets the best from them. No one in the 11-year history of Major League Soccer has more coaching wins than does Bradley. He is intense, and often criticized for not smiling. “I have a lot of things on my mind,” he said. “After we win a game, I worry about whether we can do it again. My wife once said to me after a game, ‘Can’t you just enjoy it for a few moments.’” Because of his close association with former coach Bruce Arena, some feared that what they were getting in Bradley was a form of Bruce Arena Lite. That would not be further from the truth. Bradley has proven to be fair, demanding, understanding and intuitive. He speaks his mind, and expects a level of professionalism from his players. “They know me,” said Bradley, speaking of the players. “Everyone has a style as a coach. I’m not one who chooses to play mind games. Do they like me? Some do. Some don’t. Sometimes it has to do with whether you put them in the lineup that day.” Of all the success that Bradley has had as a coach, perhaps the defining moment of his career was the day he was fired by the MetroStars. For the first time in his 20 year coaching career he had no team to coach. Twenty months later he would be named the full-time Men’s National Team Coach. “You probably don’t become a real coach until you know what failure is all about,” Bradley said. “Humility is incredibly important. You learn that you’d never know what’s around the next corner so it’s really important to believe in what you’re doing and concentrate on every day. “In the last couple of years it only made me stronger in terms of feeling that the things I was doing were right. The game keeps you honest, for sure, and failure is a part of it sometimes.” Bradley’s contract will keep him as the MNT coach through the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Nothing is guaranteed past then. “I’m proud today,” Bradley said. “I’m excited. I’m honored to be named coach of the U.S. National team. But more than that it’s probably not a day when I have anything enlightening to say.” Bradley has been busy trying to finalize the rosters he will choose for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup, June 6-24 in the U.S., and the Copa America in Venezuela on June 26-July 15. He’ll gather players at The Home Depot Center on May 27 to begin final preparations. Gulati also announced that will soon create a new position of U.S. Soccer’s Technical Director, who would oversee all national team programs. He admitted to having spoken with Klinsmann since negotiations came to an end last December, but said that he had not discussed the new position with him. “From what I’ve read,” Gulati said, “Juergen is more interested in directly coaching a team at this stage, so (technical director) is not something we’ve talked about.” Goalkeeper Kasey Keller recorded his 46th career shutout, but the United States attack was stifled, leaving the Americans to settle for a dreary 0-0 draw with Guatemala March 28 before 10,932 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, TX. Keller needed to make only two saves in his 97th international appearance. He passed Alexi Lalas to move into 10th place all-time in caps and should become the ninth American to reach the 100 milestone sometime in June. Neither team generated much offense with the U.S holding a 7-6 edge in shots, 3-2 on frame. While the Americans maintained a significant edge in possession, it had little success solving the packed defense of Guatemala, which was satisfied waiting for the occasional counterattack. "I think it was a good learning experience, particularly for our younger players," said interim coach Bob Bradley, who was the first to win his first three matches at the U.S. helm and is now 3-0-1. "It's a different kind of game, one that they need to see because we all understand that we are going to see these kind of games in (World Cup) qualifying. At times tonight, it seemed like we were afraid to make a mistake. We have to find the confidence to push the game harder. There is a mentality that goes along with it, that even if the goal doesn't come easily, it's not something that you allow to frustrate you. Those are things that hopefully we can learn from." The U.S. and Guatemala meet again June 7 to open Group B in the CONCACAF Gold Cup at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. U.S. striker and captain Landon Donovan expects the same tactics from the Chapines. "Sure. Why not? It worked, right?" he asked. "They don't care what it looked like, they were there to get a result. Give them credit, they did what they needed to do." Bradley said his team had gained "an understanding of the possibility of another game that feels like this. Knowing how to stick to the task a little bit better, knowing how to break things down. . . It's certainly good for us to experience this kind of game." Donovan, coming off a sensational three-goal effort in Sunday's 3-1 triumph over Ecuador in Tampa, Fla., was held scoreless after finding net five times in the first three outings of the year. He remained at 30 career goals, tying him with Brian McBride for second all-time for the U.S., four behind Eric Wynalda. Guatemala's best chance came moments before intermission when striker forward Carlos Ruiz, who plays his club ball here with Major League Soccer's FC Dallas, slipped the mark of U.S. defender Jimmy Conrad to receive a corner kick and hit a side-winding blast that bounced once over the crossbar. In the 55th minute, Ruiz tried to catch Keller off his goal-line, but the keeper easily caught up with the Guatemalan's shot from 30 yards. Otherwise, limited by Conrad's tight coverage, Ruiz most notably lived up to his nickname "El Pascadito (Little Fish)" by flopping around on the ground, feigning injury, usually on phantom fouls. He was lustily booed throughout the match by a crowd that consisted of his usual home fans. The U.S.'s first good chance to score came in the 61st minute when Donovan's entry pass into the penalty area was weakly cleared to wide-open U.S. defender Jonathan Spector. The 21-year-old mis-hit his attempt from 15 yards and it trickled over the end line. A minute later, a nice combination of passes culminated with Clint Dempsey freeing fellow midfielder Justin Mapp, who shot low and just wide right from 12 yards. "There were a few decent (opportunities), but still, in a game like that, you're probably not going to see a lot of chances," Donovan said. "We didn't do a good enough job to get the ball into the places where we needed to create chances." After that, Guatemala seemed increasingly content to leave with a draw and the Americans, despite more and more time with the ball, were powerless to crack the bunker. Notes: Two defenders based in England made their international debuts for the U.S. -- Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday) on the right and Jay DeMerit (Watford) in the middle. "It was pretty cool. It was something I've wanted to do for awhile now and it was a great honor to get my first cap," Simek said. "The result could have gone better for us, I thought, but (Guatemala) sat in and frustrated us. All in all, it was a decent performance, but we should have ended up better." Said Demerit: "It was good. I enjoyed every minute of it. Obviously, there are still things to improve on, but as a first time out, we held together and kept a clean sheet. It would have been great to get a win in your first cap, but overall I enjoyed it and we got a decent result. It was a great challenge and hopefully, there is more to come." Three Americans earned their second caps, including FC Dallas' Kenny Cooper who entered the front line, moving Donovan back to midfield. Midfielder Benny Feilhaber, whose international debut was Sunday against Ecuador, and midfielder Brian Mullan joined Cooper. The U.S. will face China June 2 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif., before facing an important summer. The Americans will attempt to defend their title against 11 other contenders in the Gold Cup, the championship for the region of North America, Central America and the Caribbean, June 6-24 in several U.S. cities Then comes Copa America, a 12-nation battle for the South American championship,
June 26-July 15, competed in nine cities in Venezuela. Lineups: United States - Kasey Keller, Frank Simek, Jay DeMerit, Jimmy Conrad, Jonathan Spector (Wade Barrett 74), Clint Dempsey, Benny Feilhaber (Kenny Cooper 59), Michael Bradley, Justin Mapp, Landon Donovan (captain), Eddie Johnson (Brian Mullan 67). Guatemala - Ricardo Tregueno, Henry Medina, Pablo Melgar, Gustavo Cabrera, Claudio Albizuris, Leonel Noriega, Freddy Thompson, José Contreras, Carlos Figueroa, Carlos Quinonez, Carlos Ruiz (Dwight Pezzarossi 91+) Shots: United States 7, Guatemala 6. Saves: United States 2, Guatemala 3 Corner kicks: United States 3, Guatemala 1. Fouls: United States 14, Guatemala 11. Offside: United State 0, Guatemala 4. Yellow card cautions: United States - DeMerit 50; Guatemala - Figueroa 34, Medina 69, Melgar 71, Tregueno 92+. Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico). Assistant referees: Marvin Torrentera
(Mexico), Alfonso Delgado (Mexico) Fourth official: Jair Maruffo (United
States)/ Attendance: 10,932 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. Weather:
Partly cloudy, 76 degrees. Landon Donovan fueled the USA’s 3-0 victory over Ecuador in an international friendly at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL, by scoring all three goals. The game was played before a crowd of 31,547, the largest for an international game in the state of Florida. The first goal came just 43 seconds from the opening whistle, as he drove a ball, which was cleared right to his feet, past Eucador’s goalkeeper from the top of the penalty box. He would add two more in the second half, both quality goals. The victory gave interim head coach Bob Bradley his third win as the national team coach, keeping his record perfect. Ecuador fought back, however, and were level within ten minutes. Moments after Carlos Tenorio had been denied by Tom Howard, his strike partner, Felipe Caicedo, floated past the flat-footed Oguchi Onyewu and flicked a shot off the USA goalkeeper’s legs and into the net. Bradley had a veteran lineup against an Ecuador side that included eight starters from its World Cup 2006 team. One young player who earned his first U.S. international cap was Benie Feilhaber, who plays professionally in Germany, who had an outstanding debut at defensive midfield. The USA took control after the break and came close to retaking the lead
on the hour when Donovan was denied by Rorys Aragon in
the Ecuador goal. Two minutes later, Clint Dempsey had
a golden chance to score, only to slide on top of the ball, three yards
out, from Carlos Bocanegra’s centering header.
"We're certainly pleased with the outcome," said Bradley after the game. "I thought it was an exciting game, highlighted of course by a great performance by Landon. Throughout this camp, you could tell that he had really stepped things up in terms of his role on the team. He was our captain today; more than that, he really came through with the goals and good movement off the ball, which is something that he does really well." USA: Howard, Cherundolo (Spector 81), Conrad, Onyewu,
Bocanegra, Dempsey (Mullan 81), Feilhaber, Donovan (c) (Carroll 90), Beasley
(Mapp 83), Ching(Twellman 73), Johnson (Bradley 46) Argentina,
Colombia, Paraguay The United States men were drawn into Group C with Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay for the 2007 Copa America, a 12-team tournament which will take be competed between June 26 and July 15 in nine cities across Venezuela. The draw for the South America championship tournament was held at Teatro Teresa Carreño de Caracas, Venezuela. The U.S. will open against Argentina June 28 at Estadio Jose "Pachencho" Romero in Maracaibo, which will be the venue for the title match and is located in the northeast corner of the country. Next for the Americans will be Paraguay July 2 at Estadio Agustin Tovar "La Carolina" in Barinas. Three days later, the U.S. concludes group play against Colombia at Estadio Metropolitano de Fútbol de Lara in Barquisimeto. "I think quite obviously we have been put in a very competitive group," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "When we decided that we wanted to enter Copa America, we did so with the understanding that we would have excellent games for our players and I know that will be the case." In the other two groups, host Venezuela heads Group A which includes Bolivia, Peru and Uruguay. Brazil, which saw its four-and-one-half-year hold on the world's top ranking ended today by Italy, is in Group B with Chile, Ecuador and Mexico. The top two nations from each of the three groups advances to the quarterfinals along with the two third-place finishers with the best records. The Americans will make their third appearance at Copa America and first in 12 years. In 1995, the U.S. upset defending champion Argentina 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals where it drew with Mexico 0-0, but advanced on tiebreaking penalty kicks 4-1 en route to fourth place. Argentina holds a 5-2 advantage in the series with the U.S. with the other American victory coming in 1999 when Joe-Max Moore's strike proved to be the difference in a 1-0 result at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The U.S. is 3-8-3 all-time against Colombia in a series that began in 1961 with Colombia taking a 2-0 decision at home in Bogata. The biggest American triumph in the series came in the 1994 World Cup when Earnie Stewart found net with the decisive tally in a 2-1 win. It was the first victory for the U.S. in the World Cup since 1950. In the last meeting between the nations, the U.S. prevailed 3-0 March 9, 2005, in Fullerton, Calif. Paraguay is the only team in the tournament against which the U.S. has a winning record (2-0-2). The first meeting between the two countries came during the first World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay and the Americans came out on top 3-0 with Bert Patenaude recording the first hat trick in World Cup history. Copa America is the second international tournament in which the U.S. will play this summer. The Americans will seek to defend their Gold Cup championship June 6-24 in an event which will be held in several U.S. cities. "As you know, we have a busy schedule this summer. Copa America follows the Gold Cup, which will be played in the United States," Bradley said. "We have a lot of work to do in terms of putting together rosters, but they are both very, very important events as we go forward with our national team program." The U.S. is 2-0 in 2007, opening with a 3-1 decision over Denmark January
20 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., followed by a 2-0 shutout
of Mexico last Wednesday at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale,
Ariz. June 28 -- Argentina at Estadio Jose "Pachencho" Romero in
Maracaibo. It was the game that Mexico’s coach, players and fans thought would be sweet revenge. Surely, in coach Hugo Sanchez’ long-awaited debut as head coach of the Tri-Colors, Mexico would beat the U.S. on its home soil for the first time since 1999. Didn’t happen! Before a sellout, a pro-Mexico, crowd of 62,462 at the University of Phoenix Stadium, it was a 2-0 USA victory. Mexico had brought it’s A-team to Phoenix, calling in 10 players who played in last summer’s World Cup in Germany. By contrast, Interim U.S. coach Bob Bradley brought in only four European based players, and started three players with a combined five national team appearances. It was Bradley’s second game as U.S. coach, both wins. The first half was played between the penalty boxes, with Mexico having a bit better of the play. However, eight minutes into the second half defender Jimmy Conrad headed in a perfectly served corner kick from Landon Donovan for a 1-0 lead. Donovan’s breakaway goal in stoppage time sealed the deal 2-0. Sanchez, who had politicked for the coaching job for years, used his six reserves to increase the offensive pressure on the U.S. end of the field. Conrad and Carlos Bocanegra were solid in the middle of the defense and goalkeeper Tim Howard was outstanding in goal. “The result was unjust,” Sanchez said. “This is a unique game in that you can deserve to win and still lose. We deserved to win and they did not.” When the final whistle sounded, the U.S. had run its record to 7-0-1 since 2000, outscoring Mexico 15-0 in those eight games. In all games during that time period, the U.S. holds an 8-2-1 advantage. The Mexicans left the field without shaking the Americans’ hands or exchanging jerseys, as is customary. In fact, some of the players seemed to have convinced themselves that this eight-game run by the American’s is a matter of sheer luck. “We can beat the U. S. playing exactly like we did today,” Mexico goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez told Luis Bueno of Arizona’s The Press-Enterprise. “If we play like we did today, we will win a number of games. Tonight we had a number of opportunities that we couldn't convert and their goalkeeper was lucky on a number of occasions.” Oswaldo Sanchez was beaten twice for goals, the latter came when Donovan dribbled around him on the breakaway and drove a shot into the empty goal. “I love to score goals, in particular against Mexico,” said Donovan, who now has three career goals against Mexico. During the telecast of the game, former U.S. national team veteran Eric Waynalda mentioned several times that his former teammate Cobi Bryant had offered the opinion that Mexico “was in a permanent state of denial” about which was the better side despite the now eight-game scoreless and winless streak by Mexico. A rematch is likely later this summer in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and that will also be played on U.S. soil, but likely in front of a pro Mexico crowd. Former U.S. Goalkeeper Dead At 43 Former U.S. National Team goalkeeper David Vanole, a longtime player and coach at the highest levels of the sport in the United States, has passed away at the age of 43. In addition to being part of the U.S. National Team's 1990 FIFA World Cup team, Vanole started all three games for the United States at the 1998 Olympics in Seoul. As a coach, Vanole represented the United States again at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, serving as goalkeeper coach for the silver-medal winning U.S. Women's National Team. He most recently served as goalkeeper coach of the New England Revolution, a position he also held with D.C. United in MLS and the Washington Freedom in the WUSA. He was also a coach at various youth national team levels, including a stint under Sigi Schmid with the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1999 in Nigeria. It was as a player, though, that the native of Redondo Beach, Calif., made his biggest mark back in the late 1980s, playing a key role in helping the United States qualify for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, the team's first appearance in the world's largest sporting event in 40 years. Vanole's most memorable moment on the field came when he saved a 90th minute penalty kick against Costa Rica on April 30, 1989, to preserve a 1-0 victory in St. Louis. Vanole held his ground on the kick, which was driven just to his right, saving the shot with his neck and upper arm. The save in the USA's fourth qualifying match earned valuable points for the USA, which proved priceless when Paul Caligiuri's "Shot Heard 'Round World" against Trinidad and Tobago qualified the Americans for Italy. In Italy, Vanole served as a back-up to goalkeeper Tony Meola. "Vanole was one of the pioneers at the start of a new era for U.S. Soccer," said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. "I remember very well his impact on the team at the 1988 Olympics and in helping the United States end a very long World Cup drought in 1989. He should be remembered for that right alongside the other early stars of the sport in our country. At this difficult time, we wish his wife, Kerry, and his family the best and our thoughts are with them." An imposing figure in goal, he eventually earned 13 caps with the U.S. National Team from 1986-1989, recording three shutouts. He also went undefeated in five World Cup qualifying games on the road to Italy (3-0-2). Vanole also played nine times for the U.S. Olympic team, helping the team qualify for the 1988 tournament and then starting all three matches in Seoul, South Korea. A member of UCLA's 1985 NCAA championship team, Vanole served as the goalkeeper coach for the UCLA men's and women's teams in the late 1990s (and was a part of the team's 1997 NCAA championship). A longtime resident of Manhattan Beach, Calif., Vanole was born on Feb. 6, 1963.
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