Evening News: Gooch, Holden, Kits, and More

Sorry for the lack of posts today, folks.  Here's some news to mull over this evening:

Onyewu back in full training

Today, we heard it straight from the man's mouth, as Gooch told his fans the following via Twitter:

"The kid is back!!!! Normal training from here on out, no restrictions.... Bless!!! God is Great!!!"

This is great news with the May national camp now just a few weeks away.  AC Milan have just two matches prior to May 15th, when players are expected to report to camp, those being May 2 and May 9 against Fiorentina and Genoa, respectively.  AC Milan's final match of the season is on May 16 against Juventus, which could also be a possibility for Gooch if Bob Bradley wants to give him one last shot to get some game minutes (though I don't expect that to be the case).  Milan have been very thin at center back lately, so there is a chance that Onyewu could make his Serie A debut before leaving for international duty.  If it were to happen, it'd probably be against Genoa, particularly if the results this upcoming weekend allow AC Milan to clinch third place.  That being said, I wouldn't put any money on it; the real victory here is that he will get two weeks of full training in before heading to Princeton. 

In some other Gooch-related news, AC Milan have confirmed that manager Leonardo will leave at season's end.  How this will affect Onyewu is not yet known, but it didn't appear that the Brazilian was too high on Gooch based on his selections in the fall prior to the knee injury against Costa Rica.  A new manager might provide Onyewu with an opportunity to prove himself, obviously a plus, but it also might mean some new players brought in to push the former Clemson star further down the pecking order.  With that in mind, I do wonder if Onyewu will get some time before the end of the season for evaluation purposes.  Who knows, at this point, but we'll just worry about that in August; for now, let's just be glad that he's back to full training.

Here is some video of Milan's training, with a couple glimpse of Onyewu, who appears to be sporting a beard these days.


Holden back, too

Stuart Holden is also back to regular training with Bolton, with manager Owen Coyle suggesting that he may feature in the team's final two matches.  Coyle seems to be taking a cautious approach with Holden, but it does also seem that he is keeping the door open for a final appearance or two ahead of his midfielder's probable international duty. 


Bradley on ESPN's First Take

Bob Bradley appeared on ESPN's First Take this morning, discussing the team's new home kit, injuries, and some other topics.  You can watch the video by clicking here.  Was that a hint I heard that Charlie Davies will at least be in camp to get a look?  Hmmm...sounds like what most of us have been expecting and hoping for will indeed happen.


Home Kit Officially Revealed


Speaking of that home kit, the USMNT's white jersey was officially introduced today.  Though I like the previous jersey and the '06 World Cup jersey better, I still like this one, too:

Now the issue for me is whether to buy a blue one or a white one...


Deuce to Europa League Final, JFT to CWC
 
Clint Dempsey came on as a substitute in the second leg of Fulham's semifinal with Hamburg this afternoon.  Trailing 1-0 in the second half, the Cottagers needed to put together a comeback victory to advance, and they did just that once Deuce came on.  Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera scored within seven minutes of each other, with Dempsey involved in the build up to the first, and they managed to hold on for the 2-1 win.   Roy Hodgson and company will now face off against Atletico Madrid in the final on May 12 in Hamburg. 

Jose Francisco Torres and Pachuca, meanwhile, are headed to the Club World Cup after knocking off Cruz Azul to take home the CONCACAF Champions League title.  Torres started and went 81 minutes in last night's second leg.

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That's all for now, everybody.