Don't Forget About EJ & Freddy

I don't normally reserve an entire post for something this brief, but I figured I'd make an exception today given the players involved.

If you weren't up early this morning, you not only missed Aris' match against Xanthi, but you also missed a goal from Eddie Johnson set up by Freddy Adu.  Here it is (at 2:10):



Adu shows great vision with the pass and weights the ball very nicely to keep it far enough away from goal.  Johnson, meanwhile, made a well-timed run behind the defense and did well to get enough of a touch to get it past the Xanthi keeper before slotting it home.  Though the goal did not help Aris earn a positive result (they lost 2-1), it is a bright sign from two players who very well could work themselves back into the World Cup picture over the next couple of months.

While many have tried to leave both for dead in terms of the 2010 cycle, there is still a decent chunk of time for Johnson and Adu to get back onto Bob Bradley's radar, particularly if they continue to make this kind of impact at the club level.  It's not uncommon for a player or two to make a World Cup squad because of a well-timed run of form, so don't rule either out just yet.  Both also benefit from playing at positions without a great deal of depth for the USMNT, assuming Adu would be utilized as a wing midfielder.  Johnson has already earned consistent minutes as a substitute, turning in some solid performances thus far, while Adu impressed in his debut today and likely earned himself some more playing time in the near future. With Bob Bradley still facing a few lineup uncertainties, even these once thought long-shot options have a chance of pushing their way into the final 23. 

Yes, it is only one highlight, and both players still have a lot of work to do to get a call into camp.  But just keep both of them in mind as the World Cup roster deadline draws near, because a successful couple of months at Aris could book them a ticket to South Africa.

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Algeria Unimpressive in Angola

For those who haven’t been paying attention to the 2010 African Cup of Nations, Algeria’s campaign ended yesterday with the consolation game against Nigeria.  Though their appearance in that match may give off the impression that they had a successful run in the tournament, their actual play was underwhelming, to say the least, and should give USMNT fans reason for optimism.  In 6 games, they were 2-3-1 (W-L-D), out of which there was really only one strong performance, that being their extra time victory over Cote d’Ivoire (which looks like an aberration in retrospect).  Other than that lone exception, Algeria really looked like a mediocre side; they were embarrassed 3-0 by 99^th ranked Malawi, they scraped by an average Mali team for a 1-0 win, and they were gifted a 0-0 draw by a disinterested Angola side to make it to the knockout rounds (the extent of the perceived lack of effort from Angola even leading third place Mali to claim the sides colluded). 

After their one impressive win against Didier Drogba and company, the Algerians were utterly dominated in the semifinals by Egypt, who avenged their World Cup qualification loss with a convincing 4-0 victory.  The match added another example of what seems to be a lack of mental fortitude from the Desert Foxes, who absolutely lost their composure, picking up three red cards and surrendering goals just minutes after each.  If this were an isolated incident, it might not be worth mentioning, but Algeria showed a good deal of mental weakness in their opener, when they folded like lawn chairs after Malawi took a two goal lead in the first half.  Advantage USA in this department, if you ask me.

Throughout the tournament, Algeria also suffered from some very shoddy defending inside the box.  Whether it was poor marking on set pieces, awful clearance attempts, or some “olé” defending, Algeria gave up a lot of goals that were more the result of their own shortcomings, rather than the skill or cleverness of their opponents.  It was the type of defense that makes me optimistic that the mismatches that Bob Bradley’s side will create on corners and free kicks will almost certainly lead to at least one goal, and that quick dribblers like Landon Donovan or Charlie Davies (fingers crossed) could slice through the Algeria defense like a hot knife through butter. 

Now, at this point, you may be thinking to yourself, “it’s a tournament in January; they’ll be a better team once the World Cup rolls around.”  But why do so many of us make that conclusion when we would almost definitely not do so with regards to our own national team?  As much as some USMNT fans like to underestimate their own team’s ability, I think there is an equal propensity to be overly complimentary of another team’s talent or more forgiving of their flaws.  If the USMNT put together the same stretch of results against average to strong teams, the internet might crash from the ensuing message board and blogosphere panic. 

So let’s be real for a second: Algeria did not look like a strong team against teams that are at best on the USMNT’s level.  It took them 3 matches and 20 minutes to put in anything resembling a strong performance, something they won’t have the luxury of come June.  There is only five months until the World Cup, and this will only hurt the confidence of a camp that already has been the target of a good deal of criticism from fans and the media.  We wouldn’t dismiss a USMNT showing like this one, so why do so for another team? 

Does it mean 3 easy points in June?  Not at all.  But while it does not guarantee a good result for the Yanks, Algeria’s abysmal African Cup of Nations gives good reason for you to feel optimistic about facing at least one Group C opponent in South Africa.

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Yanks In Europe: Jozy Creates Two Goals, Spector Goes 90

It was a very busy morning for yours truly, with all the games involving USMNT players going on at the same time.  Fortunately for me, it was a pretty good morning in terms of how Yanks in Europe fared, so it wasn't a complete waste of time and effort.

Here's how things went:

Jozy Altidore had one of his strongest games in England thus far, starting and playing 68 minutes in Hull City's 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton.  In the 11th minute of the match, Jozy did very well to use his strength to hold off a defender and turn him about 40 yards from goal (a turn similar to the one that led to his goal against Spain last summer).  His clean first touch allowed him to run at the Wolves defense before slotting a perfectly weighted pass right into the path of strike partner Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who hit a one time shot from the top of the box that Marcus Hahnemann could do nothing about.  Altidore continued to be a key cog in the Hull attack after that, looking very active and threatening throughout the opening act.  Early in the second half, his hard work was rewarded once more, as he drew a penalty with his back to goal at the top of the box.  The ensuing PK was buried by Stephen Hunt to give Hull a momentary lead.

That alone would have been a great game for Altidore, but he came oh so close to making it a fantastic one.  In the 66th minute, he got a step on a couple of Wolves defenders and broke into the 18 for a one-on-one with Hahnemann.  From the left side, he tried to curl one around the oncoming keeper, but Hahnemann did well to get out quickly and make himself big, denying Jozy his first EPL goal.  Jozy was subbed off just two minutes later, with Wolves have tied the game up just a minute earlier.

Overall, it was really a strong game for Altidore, who created a number of opportunities by drawing fouls and making good attacking runs.  While it might be a little unsettling that he was unable to finish on his best opportunity, the fact that he created the other two goals should more than offset that unsuccessful effort.  The commentators were full of praise for Altidore when he came off, and rightly so; that type of performance should keep new addition Amr Zaki on the bench for the immediate future, with Jozy doing what he needed to do to earn another start.  It's glaringly evident that Hull are a better side when Jozy's in the starting XI, all biases aside, so hopefully Phil Brown recognizes that and continues to give the 20 year the call.  His effort was all the more impressive given that this was his first match since being granted leave from the team following the earthquake in Haiti.

Hahnemann was only forced to make two saves, but his breakaway stop on Altidore was the turning point in the match, as Wolves equalized just a minute later on their way to a road draw.  His solid play with Wolves is leaving Troy Perkins with a lot of work to do this spring if he wants to beat out the former Reading keeper for a spot in South Africa this June.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector went 90 minutes at left back for West Ham in their 0-0 draw with Blackburn.  He had another solid performance, showing good composure on the ball while also making several smart, aggressive challenges.  Spector also did well to get forward in the attack on the wing, but West Ham's attack wasn't able to create much on the day.  Once again, his play merits another start from Gianfranco Zola, as the Hammers try to distance themselves from the drop zone.

Last, but not least, from the English contingent are Landon Donovan and Tim Howard.  The Everton duo helped guide the resurgent Toffees to a 1-0 road win over Wigan, pushing them to 9th in the table.  Donovan was very efficient on the day, making the most out of his touches even though he did not see the ball a great deal.  He had several good attacking runs down the wing, showing off some of the creative dribbling and quickness that has wreaked havoc on MLS back lines for years.  Though he was unable to link up for that final pass in the attacking third, Donovan consistenly was a threat, with Wigan defenders resorting to some desperate defending on several instances.

He was one of Everton's best attackers on the day (not to mention his solid defensive play) before getting subbed off in the 75th minute with the score still level.  Donovan hasn't missed a beat since coming over to England, playing a key roll in Everton's quick rise up the standings, and it could be argued that this fine run of form stretches all the way back to the Confederations Cup last June, which is really remarkable.

Howard had another great game in goal, making five saves en route to another clean sheet.  His biggest save of the match came early in the first half, went he dove to his left to stop a low shot off a breakaway.  Howard was beaten late in the match by an absolute rocket from Charles N'Zogbia, but his crossbar came to the rescue, preserving the win.

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Outside of England, Michael Bradley played 90 minutes for Borussia Monchengladbach in their 4-3 victory over Werder Bremen.  He played in a more defensive role in the midfield today, playing a fairly average game by his standards.  He did play a big part in creating BMG's first goal in the 4th minute, with the MLS secondary assist on a nice throughball from the halfway line to put Raul Bobadilla behind the defense.  With essentially a two man breakaway, Bobadilla slid a pass to Marco Reus, who finished with ease for the early lead.

To balance that nice play out, though, there was a pretty embarrassing moment later on in the first half that Mike will soon want to forget.  Inside the 18, his former teammate Marco Marin hit him with a couple of stepovers before cutting past him inside the six, leaving Bradley completely wrong-footed and off balance.  Fortunately, Marin was unable to finish, so it was more of a funny moment in retrospect, rather than a serious gaffe.

Steve Cherundolo was not in the matchday squad for Hannover in their 3-1 loss to Nuremburg, due to yellow card accumulation.

Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley were both absent from the Rangers lineup once again, as they look to get healthy and make a late push for a World Cup roster spot.

Last, Carlos Bocanegra was once again in the starting lineup for Stade Rennes in their match against Grenoble.  That makes three starts in a row for Bocanegra, who had previously been rooted to the bench.  It very well could just be to showcase him for transfer suitors, but minutes are minutes, so I'm not complaining.  He's taken advantage of his opportunities by turning in a couple of solid performances, including today's contribution in a comfortable 4-0 defeat.  He drew a red card in the 65th minute and played 90 minutes at left back, as Rennes dominated throughout.

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For all those of you who had to make some tough decisions and couldn't watch all your national team players this morning, I hope this helped you catch up on things!

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World Cup Age Fallacy?

Sorry for the delay, folks, I spent quite a while trying to compile some data for this post, which was very tedious, to say the least (USSD needs to get some interns to do that dirty work).  For those of you who aren't big fans of math, I apologize in advance for what is as mathematical of a post as I've ever put up, but I think it's still worth a read and isn't overly scholarly.  I want what I write to be accessible for everyone, so I've tried to be clear enough that anyone can understand my main points.

Anyway, without further ado, some numbers for you to digest along with your dinner.

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I feel like for as long as I've been watching sports, there's always been this common belief that a young team most likely doesn't have enough experience to truly flourish, and that an older team might not be able to hold up over the demands of a season or tournament.  These two beliefs ultimately lead to the conclusion that there needs to be some sort of mix between youth and experience to create the most effective team.  The idea that a team of teens and 20-somethings need to be buoyed by a veteran presence for maximum success comes up fairly frequently amongst analysts and writers of all sports, with the World Cup being no exception.  And for a long time, I (along with many, many others, I'm sure) just accepted that as fact, not bothering to delve any deeper into a topic that seemed like just good common sense. 

Which brought me to today, when I was mulling over the latest batch of mock World Cup rosters and searching for something to write about.  I decided that I'd see if the numbers actually back up that fairly commonly held belief that the most success comes with a good blend of young and old.  So, I spent a couple of hours calculating the average age of the teams from the 1990 World Cup to the 2006 World Cup (choosing that launch point only because of the USMNT's renewed involvement in the tournament), while also calculating each team's points per game for their respective campaigns.  I counted extra time losses as 1 point, with wins as 3 points in all tournaments, despite the fact that they only counted as 2 points in the early 1990s.  I considered just using total points, in an effort to reflect the length of a team's run, but the results ended up actually being very similar, so I just stuck with PPG.

Now, I'm still not very happy with this analysis, and I plan on expanding upon it in an effort to get a formula that can take into account a team's quality (i.e. FIFA or ELO rankings) or other factors, but for now I'll just pass along what I've come up with.  If anything, I'm just looking at this as a spring board for some improvements through my own changes, and any suggestions any readers might want to offer in the area of statistical analysis.

With that, here is a scatter plot of Average Team Age against Points Per Game for the 144 teams that took part in the World Cup from 1990-2006:

Just from a first glance, there doesn't appear to be any strong trend within the data.  But since the naked eye is often not enough, I fit a linear regression to the plot:

 

 
With a line that's nearly flat and an "r" value of .0735, this regression can be summed up simply by saying that, basically, it doesn't explain much.  But this seems logical; after all, we wouldn't expect any kind of upward trend where older teams generally do better, or a negative trend that indicates that younger teams seem to have more success on the whole.  Based off of the previously discussed belief in a need for a good mix of youth and experience, my intuition told me that, if any trend existed, it would be a quadratic one, one that shows that the middle of the graph (from 26-28) is where the high point is, with the upper and lower ends tailing off in comparison.

So, I put in a quadratic fit, and was somewhat surprised at what I found:

The regression shows what I suspected, with a hump peaking around 27 and dipping off with the younger and older teams.  The equation for the fit is:

PPG = -37.17831 + 2.8522234*Avg Age - 0.0527811*Avg Age^2

Using some calculus, we find that the Average Age that gives the maximum predicted PPG value is 27.02 years old.  Just to give you something to think about, the average age of this predicted USMNT roster is 26.35, not too far off from the point of maximization.  But don't get too excited, because the numbers behind the plot tell the real story.

We can interpret the regression's R^2 value of .029844 to mean that the quadratic curve explains only 3% of the data.  So, in short, this plot says that there really isn't any strong correlation between Average Age and PPG.

So could it be that a fairly long held belief that you need a good mix between young and old on a roster has no factual support?  Well, no, not necessarily.  There are a lot of things that go in to this that are hard to quantify, and I might have been better served using caps instead of age to reflect certain young players who have unusually high amounts of experience (like Landon Donovan).  But on the surface, there really doesn't seem to be any strong support for any type of roster composition. 

I guess the point of this post is that maybe coaches, fans, and pundits shouldn't feel apprehensive about fielding a particularly youthful or veteran team when the World Cup rolls around, since there is little correlation between age and success.

Are there flaws in this analysis?  Sure.  I really just tried to throw this all together this afternoon/evening, when I would have preferred to have a couple of days to really think this through.  I'm not overly happy with it, but I think the findings are still somewhat relevant, if for no other reason than to provide some food for thought with June approaching and an alternative look at the roster selection process.

Hopefully, I can make some improvements in the coming days to make a more concise and well-supported case, but for now, I'll leave you to mull everything over.

And if you're one of those anti-math folks I warned at the beginning of the post, I commend you for taking the time to go through what may have been a less-enjoyable read.

And to all of you, thanks for letting me take this chance to let out the inner nerd within.

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Some Love for a Real USMNT Star

From Charlie Davies miraculous recovery all the way down to Eddie Johnson's consistent substitution appearances over the past couple of weeks, it seems like everything's coming up Milhouse for the USMNT these days.  Even potentially awful developments have been followed by reassuring prognoses (see: Clint Dempsey), leading at least this blogger to wonder if the good fortune just might lead to even bigger things this summer.  But all wishful thinking and superstition aside, I think it's time to give some props to the guy behind the recoveries of two of the USMNT's most important players, Oguchi Onyewu and Charlie Davies.  Jim Hashimoto, the head trainer of US Soccer's rehabilitation program, deserves a raise for the work he's done to help guide the aforementioned duo to smoother recoveries than any of us could have hoped for, and for helping countless American soccer fans rest a little easier as soccer's biggest stage draws near.  

Onyewu's torn patellar tendon initially had even the most respected writers, let alone the millions of part time doctors that seem to congregate in soccer forums across the internet, questioning if the back line stalwart would be available for South Africa at all, while Davies' extensive injuries had even the most optimistic fans (i.e. me) convinced that we'd have to wait until 2014 to see a World Cup stanky legg.  But under the watchful eye of Hashimoto, and with the support of each other, Gooch and Chuck have made such incredible strides that the question has shifted from "will they be healthy by June?" to "how much time will they get in with their respective club teams before June?"  When you consider for a second that Davies injuries were originally believed to be career threatening (and potentially life threatening), the fact that he's openly discussing his belief that he can be back to help Sochaux secure a spot in Europe this season is absolutely unbelievable, and Jim has played a big part in that.

I know Hashimoto isn't the only one involved, with surgeons, doctors, and the players themselves (not to mention their support systems) deserving of some serious praise.  But I'm going to give Jim the spotlight today for what he has done in this process, since he's been one of the most prominent players throughout.  It's comforting to know that the national team has such a capable individual waiting in the wings for the inevitable injuries that come with rigorous demands of professional soccer, and US Soccer should be commended for assembling a quality staff of health experts to take care of their most visible employees.  Too often, US Soccer is the target of criticism from various fronts, most of which boil down to an impatient dissatisfaction with the rate at which the USMNT is climbing up the ranks (slow and steady, folks), but we would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge the other facets of building a successful national team (like putting together a top-notch rehabilitation team) that take place away from the field, which Sunil and company have been quietly fortifying over the years.  His Delaware rehab center might not exactly have the same glitz and glamor as the HDC, but it has really been a godsend for a community that was once mired in uncertainty and pessimism.  In the midst of all that turmoil, recovery, frustration, and now rapid progress, Hashimoto has provided the expert touch to not only keep the uphill climb steady, but to also keep both players in check and complication free  by making sure they don't push too hard along the way.

But in the background of the rapid recoveries of Gooch and Charlie, there's a stark contrast, a possible picture of what might have been had these players not had the benefit of a guy like Jim Hashimoto.  Jermaine Jones, who is still trying to rehab from surgery on a hairline fracture that he suffered last summer, has hardly had the same type of seamless road to recovery, despite the fact that his injury would seem to be the least serious of the three players.  Now, I know that all people recover at different rates and have unique bodies (superhuman ones, in the case of people like Charlie Davies), but I can't help but wonder if things would have been a little different if Jones was going through rehab in Delaware with Hashimoto, rather than in Europe.  Had he done so, who knows, maybe we would have already seen him suit up for Bob Bradley by now or, at worst, gotten some good looks at him with Schalke over the past couple of months.  But as it stands now, he's looking like a real-long shot to make it to South Africa, and all the hype and fuss surrounding his change of allegiance seems to have been for naught.  It would have been hard to believe three and a half months ago, but out of Jones, Onyewu, and Davies, it's the German-American who is most likely to be watching the World Cup from his couch come June. 


With this ramble going farther and farther off track, I just want to finish off with one request, to a certain injured Fulham star.  Clint, I don't know much about PCLs or how you recover from them, but do me this one favor: give Jim Hashimoto a call.  Listen to what he has to say, and if he thinks you'd benefit from going to Delaware, go.  The guy has been like Midas so far, and I'm sure he'd get you back on the field even quicker than any of us thought possible.

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Milestones for Donovan, Howard in Everton Win

With Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley still out of the Rangers lineup due to injury, there was only one game involving USMNT players on the day.  Tim Howard and Landon Donovan were in the starting XI for Everton, as the Toffees played host to a Sunderland side coming off of a 7-2 defeat to Chelsea.  David Moyes' men were able to secure a fairly comfortable 2-0 victory to extend their league unbeaten run to eight games, with both Donovan and Howard playing an integral part in the result.

Landon Donovan has had some close calls in his first couple of games, but has ultimately been unable to bag his first Premier League goal.  That is, until today.  With Everton already leading 1-0 thanks to a 6th minute flick-on header from Tim Cahill, Donovan cut in from the wing searching for a second ball off of a long ball from the back.  Tim Cahill rose up and nodded the ball into Donovan's path at the top of the box, with the LA Galaxy captain taking the bouncing ball down with his chest before hitting a low left footed shot on goal.  The shot took a slight deflection along the way, leaving Craig Gordon wrong-footed in the middle of the net as the ball skipped by and rippled the back of the net.  Click here to get a look.

The goal was the highlight of another strong performance from Donovan, who continues to garner rave reviews for his play in England.  It seemed to give him a boost early on, as he became very involved on both ends on the field.  In addition to linking up in the attacking third on several occasions in the first half, Donovan provided quality defensive effort on the wing, doing the dirty work with a number of tracking runs, challenges, and tackles.  Everton controlled the opening 45 minutes, so much so that Tim Howard did not face a single shot in the first half.

(Aside: Who would have thought back in August that Landon Donovan would score an EPL goal before Jozy Altidore?  Can't say I would have bet on that.)

Donovan nearly made it a brace in the second half, as he was able to beat a couple of defenders and round Craig Gordon inside the 18 before putting a shot on goal.  His effort, however, was cleared off the line by a Sunderland defender, keeping the visitors within striking distance.  This was just one of several aggressive runs from Donovan throughout the second half, as he was buzzing around the field looking to get involved in the attack.  His confidence in getting forward was evident in a display of raw speed that USMNT fans have come to grow accustomed to, as he made a blazing 80 yard run on a counterattack looking for a feed from Louis Saha.  Though Landon was able to out run the Sunderland back line, Saha opted to keep the ball himself, eventually ending in a blocked shot.  It was reminiscent of his incredible run against Brazil in the Confederations Cup final, only this time he didn't have a player like Charlie Davies to supply him with the final pass.

In the 76th minute, David Moyes brought on Mikel Arteta to replace Donovan, with the Goodison Park faithful giving the LA Galaxy captain a warm ovation as he came off.  The Toffees managed to hold on for the win, but their play on Donovan's side was noticeably lacking once he was removed.  Before Landon had been brought off, Sunderland had only managed one weak shot on goal, but they were able to generate a pair of fantastic scoring opportunities soon after his substitution.  Despite the inactivity leading up to that point, Tim Howard stayed focus and was able to make two stellar saves late in the second half to preserve what would become his 50th EPL clean sheet.  In the 86th minute, Boudewijn Zenden hit a rocket from 10 yards out toward the upper near corner, but Howard dove to his right and got a glove on the effort to steer it aside.  Then in the 90th minute, T&T international Kenwyne Jones hit a thumping header on frame from 8 yards out, with Howard making a terrific leaping reaction save to tip the shot over the bar.  Though he only made 3 saves on the day, it was an outstanding performance by Tim Howard, one which kept Everton from dropping points late in the match. 

Overall, there are really nothing but positive things to say about Landon and Timmy's play.  Though it wasn't a particularly busy day for Yanks in Europe, it was one that USMNT fans everywhere should be very pleased with.

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90 Minutes From A World Championship

Do you think you'll have to wait until July 11 to witness the USMNT be crowned champions of the world?  Do you think the possibility of Bob Bradley and company earning that title is just too unlikely to even consider for more than a moment?

Think again.

The USMNT is just one victory away from earning the title of football world champions.  No, we're not talking about any World Cup glory; we're talking about a competition that dates back to nearly 60 years before FIFA's quadrennial showcase ever took place.  This competition, the Unofficial Football World Championships, has crowned the world's best for 137 years now, and its twists and its turns have brought us to 2010, where the Yanks are just 90 minutes away from soccer immortality.

For those not familiar with the historic competition, it essentially crowns its champion in the same fashion that boxing handles its titleholders.  If a team has the title, they retain it until another team is able to knock them off.  Whether it's a World Cup match, a continental qualifier, or a January friendly, the holders must muster at least a draw to hang on to the oh so coveted title.  It all started with England back in 1873, who were able to defeat their Scottish neighbors in a 4-2 classic that I'm sure is still fresh in the minds of soccer fans across the globe.  Since then, 46 countries, from mighty Brazil to the much less-storied Netherlands Antilles, have tasted the glory that comes with conquering the international soccer world.  Now, after decades of jaunts across oceans, mountains, and deserts, the crown rests comfortably in Amsterdam, with the Oranje having successfully defending the title for over a full calendar year.

Whose next in line to take a crack at knocking off the champs, who have managed to stave off advances from the likes of England, Italy, and Paraguay along the way?  None other than our boys clad in the Red, White, and Blue.  Landon Donovan and the gang will have their work cut out for them, battling a Dutch that is third in the FIFA rankings at a venue where Bert van Marwijk's men are 3-0-1 in title defenses.  But a victory would see the USMNT regain the honor for the first time since 1992, and would likely remove all the sting from last summer's heart-wrenching Confederations Cup final defeat. 

So when you sit down on your couch or head over to a bar on March 3, just know that you very well could be witnessing history, as the Yanks play in what is so much more than just a World Cup warm-up friendly.  The hopes and dreams of two nations will be on the line, as billions of eyes descend on Amsterdam ArenA.  Oguchi Onewyu has been rehabbing furiously just to try to play in this monumental match (though the media has foolishly claimed that it is in an effort to prepare for some tournament in South Africa next summer); will he be able to give the USMNT the boost they need to topple the tangerine titans?  Only time will tell.

All I know is that I, along with what I'm sure is millions of others across the country, will be able to rest peacefully if we're able to walk off that field with a win.  Let's bring it home, boys.


[OK, maybe I'm getting a little carried away and exaggerating just a bit.  But hey, how often can you get the chance at holding the title of world champions?]

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Yanks in Europe: Hahnemann Blanks Liverpool

Alright, so that headline might be a little misleading, but I'll get to that in a second.  There isn't too much to cover in today's Yanks in Europe installment, with only two USMNT players in action.  Nevertheless, I spent the last two hours watching grainy streams that make 1920s-style film reels look like HD just so I could inform you, my loyal readers, about the performances of a couple of guys on track for South Africa.

Behind Brad Guzan and Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann is battling it out for the third goalkeeper roster spot with Troy Perkins, who recently returned to MLS.  On the surface, Hahnemann's clean sheet today against Liverpool would appear to be the type of performance against a quality opponent that puts him miles ahead of Perkins in the race for the final 23.  But the score line is more reflective of an impotent Liverpool attack and a stubborn Wolves defense than anything else.  Hahnemann was only forced to make one save in 90 minutes, stopping Alberto Riera's 48th minute strike from 20 yards out.  Other than that, the Wolverhampton defense made things pretty easy for the former Reading stalwart, with Hahnemann only needing to provide the occasional punch or catch to keep things tidy in the 18. While it may not be the type of performance that wins Bob Bradley over, it certainly doesn't hurt Hahnemann's case as South Africa nears.  The draw vaulted Wolves out of the drop zone, while adding another blemish to Liverpool's sub-par (by their standards) season.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector went 90 minutes at left back for West Ham in their 1-1 draw with Portsmouth, a result which kept Gianfranco Zola's side out of the relegation spots for another week.  Spector's name wasn't called too often during the match, as Portsmouth frequently attacked down the opposite wing, but that very well could be indicative of good positioning on his part.  His performance would be best categorized as solid, as he made some good challenges and a few good runs forward throughout the course of the match.  He was not involved in Portsmouth's lone goal, and his only real slip ups in the match were, literally, slip ups caused by some poor footing on the field.  After a midseason stint of riding the bench, Spector seems to have won back a spot in the starting XI, and his performance today should only merit another start this weekend.  With Hannover's recent defensive struggles, Spector might just be nudging ahead of Steve Cherundolo in the race for right back.  Then again, who knows, maybe Bob Bradley will opt to put both on the field at the same time, with Spector on the left.  But that's for another day.


Tune in tomorrow, when Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, and the rest of Everton play host to Sunderland, while Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley look to return from injury in Rangers' road match against St. Mirren.

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Tales from 1930: USMNT Tidbits From the First World Cup

As we get ready for the stretch run leading up to the 2010 World Cup, let's take a minute and reflect back on a time when things were a little bit different.  OK, a lot different.  After all, 1930 was a year when steelworkers, part-time students, and immigrants galore traveled down to Uruguay for some new tournament being put together for the first time.  Though a good portion of the players on the USMNT were professionals, it was hardly in the sense that we know the word today, in that soccer was hardly their main source of income.  No, instead of cushy endorsements and hefty wages, there were extra hours at a factory or in a classroom during their off time.  But although there was a lot less glitz and glamor, there was still plenty of glory and pride on the line for the first team to done the Red, White, and Blue on what has now become the world's biggest stage. And out of their quest for global supremacy, we find several facts and anecdotes worthy of a few words.

To this point, I can't say that I knew too much about the 1930 team, other than the fact that they achieved the USA's best World Cup finish to date with their third place showing.  But upon looking back on the players and the stories from Uruguay, I found more than a few interesting little tidbits that I felt compelled to pass on, if for no other reason than to share the new things I've learned about our national team's past with others like myself who were not too familiar with the early years.  If you think Mexico plays dirty or that Brian McBride is a true tough guy for the way he continued to play through a bloody face or swollen eye, just wait until you hear some of the things that the other Bob (head coach Bob Miller) and company had to deal with 80 years ago.
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When a Mexican player put a hand up to Benny Feilhaber's throat in the Azteca last August, I'm sure I wasn't alone in being furious yet completely unsurprised.  But I can only imagine what my reaction would have been to what happened to Andy Auld against Argentina in the 1930 World Cup semifinals.  The match was a physical affair featuring several injuries for the Yanks (they finished with just 8 field players), one of which being the bloody face and mouth that Auld suffered after being kicked in the mouth.  As if that wasn't bad enough, one of the opposing players (according to US coach Wilfred Cummings) knocked the US trainer's smelling salts into Auld's eyes, temporarily blinding him.  Unable to bring in a substitute because of the rules at the time, Auld was forced to play on with a bloody rag in his mouth and impaired vision.  If you ask Auld, I'm sure he'd gladly take a Rafa Marquez elbow rather than suffer through that particularly dirty sequence again.  I can only imagine what guys like Auld would think of the modern player, who all too often lies face down on the turf clutching at a phantom injury.
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It's a fairly frequent complaint when youth tournaments roll around that the US doesn't have an extensive enough youth development program, with a desire for more quality coaches at every level often coming up from a segment of the dissatisfied.  While that is a valid wish and one that would likely help the national team, let's not take for granted what the team already has at its disposal.  Trainers, public relations workers, and translators make life a whole lot easier for everyone involved in the process of preparing the team and playing the games.  The men back in 1930 would have relished the opportunity to have just a fraction these kinds of services at their disposal, but instead had to rely on one another to get things done off the field.  One such example is Massachusetts native James Gentle, who was an integral part of the USMNT's success in 1930.  Not so much for what he did on the field, but for what he did off it.  With the tournament located in South America, all of the logistics and scheduling required at least a working knowledge of Spanish.  This ultimately fell upon Gentle's shoulders, the only person in the USMNT camp who knew the language.  I don't know about you, but the thought of Jozy Altidore or Charlie Davies serving as both the team's starting striker, official liason, and in-game interpreter seems ridiculous, at best.
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The list goes on and on, from Raphael Tracey finishing a half after breaking his leg in the first 10 minutes to Bert Patenaude recording the first hat trick in World Cup history only after being awarded a goal that had previously been called an own goal and then attributed to another US player.  It was definitely a fascinating era with its own sort of unrefined charm, and it's one I'd really likely to learn more about (if I ever have time for any leisurely reading).  Too often, I feel like USMNT fans have a line drawn in the sand at 1990, as if the federation prior to that year was completely disjoint from the one we support today.  Only the victory over England in 1950 seems to permeate that threshold, leaving 40 years of futility, 20 years of World Cup play, and decades prior to that largely unknown in the minds of most American fans (to which I am no exception).  Though that 40 year gap between World Cups certainly does little to help matters, I feel like there should be a more concerted effort to celebrate a past that is littered with historic moments and interesting characters, to say the least.  Let's give the guys that laid the foundation for the likes of Landon Donovan their due; after all, they're the ones that have set the bar the highest.
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If history isn't your thing and you were looking for something a little more forward looking with the World Cup being just six months away,I'll leave you with one last fact that you can bring with you on June 10th when you sit down to watch the US play England. As Wayne Rooney, John Terry, and David Beckham step onto the field in South Africa, they will be following in the footsteps of the first Englishman to ever play in the World Cup.  Who was he?  None other than USMNT defender George Moorhouse.  Take that, Three Lions.

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Thoughts on Holden to Bolton

Just a week or so after his former Houston Dynamo teammate Ricardo Clark inked a new deal in Europe, Stuart Holden has signed one of his own, joining Bolton for the remainder of the EPL season.  After four productive seasons in MLS, Holden will now join a club that is in the midst of a serious relegation battle, as teams 12 through 19 (Bolton) in the EPL table are separated by just 6 points. 

There are positives and negatives about this move (mostly positives in my opinion), but overall I think it is a good one for Stu.  Unlike Ricardo Clark's deal that includes club options for up to three years, Holden's contract ultimately leaves him in control.  If Bolton gets relegated, if he decides that another league better suits his style of play, or if he simply chooses to go elsewhere in hopes of a more prominent role in a team, he will not have to worry about the looming possibility of the club picking up his option for another season, essentially locking him into a situation that he might not want to be in (the same logic could be applied in the event of a managerial change and a slew of other circumstances, but for the sake of brevity I'll just leave it at that).  On the flip side, a good showing over the next couple months capped off by a strong World Cup would boost Holden's stock even further and attract attention from bigger clubs or, at least, give him some more leverage in contract negotiations.

Another good thing about this move is Owen Coyle's fairly brief reign as Bolton manager.  In such little time at the helm, Coyle will have hardly developed any strong favorites, so Holden will have a little less of an uphill battle to win playing time compared to if he was entering a club where the manager had an established preferred lineup that he penciled in week after week.  Further Coyle seems pretty keen on Holden, having brought him over for a trial with Burnley and then bringing him over to Bolton upon his change of positions.  Despite the fact that a minor injury limited Holden's participation in training to little more than a week, Coyle still offered the former Clemson standout a contract, a positive sign (though not overly big) of his faith in Holden's ability to contribute.  Though the response to Holden seemed fairly tepid throughout the process because of the injury, a lack of updates, and a few tabloid rumors, there is reason to believe that Coyle does expect him to bolster the Bolton lineup down the stretch in hopes of staying up.  I mean, he's not going to sign a "project" to a four month contract, is he?

One of the downsides I can see with this contract is that an established lineup could very well rise out of the relegation battle.  As times get desperate, Coyle might find a lineup that he particularly likes and will continue to go to that in the final months of the season.  While Holden could be fortunate enough to find himself in these plans, he could also find himself on the outside looking in, earning little playing time in the lead up to South Africa.  Were he at a solidly mid-table club, the last month of the season might provide a couple meaningless games in which he might get an extended run to hone his abilities.

The relegation battle, though, could actually end up being a positive, considering Coyle will likely exercise all his options over the coming weeks in hopes of stumbling upon the right mix of players to get the Wanderers out of the drop zone.  From this point of view, it would seem likely that Holden would at least get a chance or two to show his stuff in an EPL game (something other Yanks in Europe have had to wait awhile for), potentially earning some more minutes thereafter.  Even just these couple of appearances would be invaluable experience for a young player likely headed to his first World Cup. 

Holden likely has several years in Europe ahead of him, and a four month stint at Bolton is a good point of entry.  His new team will play host to Owen Coyle's old team tomorrow, as Bolton play host to Burnley in a critical bottom-half affair.  Let's hope Stu can recover from his injury soon and get off to a good start with his new club.

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Cote d'Ivoire Ousted in 5 Goal Thriller

World Cup participants clashed in Angola this afternoon, as Cote d'Ivoire and Algeria squared off in the last Africa Cup of Nations match played in Cabinda. The quarterfinal matchup was the second of the day, with Ghana knocking off the hosts earlier in the day. It was a match full of drama, and one that USMNT fans should take notice of.

To say that Algeria started the Africa Cup of Nations off slowly would be a gross understatement; their 3-0 loss to Malawi has been one of the most shocking results thus far. Cote d'Ivoire, meanwhile, dismantled a talented Ghana team that is headed to the semifinals. Early on in today's match, the proceedings reflected the aforementioned performances, as Didier Drogba and company stormed out of the gates to send a shaky Algeria side back on their heels. Just four minutes in, a deflected shot from the edge of the box found the feet of a wide open Salomon Kalou, who beat Faouzi Chaouchi with a low strike to the near post from 8 yards out.

The West African side dominated play thereafter, threatening to double their lead on several occasions. They had great success attacking the Algerian defense down the wings, particularly with overlapping runs from the outside backs. With outside backs that like to get forward like Jonathan Spector, Jonathan Bornstein, and Steve Cherundolo, this could suit the USMNT nicely come June.

Despite the relentless pressure, Cote d'Ivoire were unable to find another goal, and Algeria eventually settled into the match. The Desert Foxes turned things around soon after, gaining more and more confidence after weathering the early storm. They eventually found the equalizer five minutes before half, when Karim Matmour took down a long ball beautifully before quickly firing a strike from the top of the box off of the near post and in. Cote d'Ivoire could not apply the fatal blow with a second goal early on, and Algeria only gained confidence when they were able to keep such an imbalanced game close. If the USMNT is able to take an early lead, they could very well seal the result by putting in another soon thereafter. It's no secret or real revelation, but it bears mentioning considering Algeria essentially folded earlier in the tournament when they went down 2-0 to Malawi in the first half.

In the second half, the match went back and forth, with both sides applying pressure and squandering quality opportunities. Both goalkeepers also did their part to keep the score level, with Chaouchi and Barry Copa making some nice saves. It wasn't until the 89th minute that the deadlock was broken, as Abdulkader Keita scored one of the best goals of the tournament, sending a screamer into the far upper corner from over 25 yards out. The 2-1 lead and thoughts of the semifinals from the Cote d'Ivoire players were short lived, however, as Algeria showed their mental fortitude with a quick response from the head of Madjid Bougherra. The 2-2 draw after 90 minutes was a fair result, and a pretty impressive performance by Algeria against one of the tournament favorites.

In a complete reversal of the start of the game, the Cote d'Ivoire players looked shaky and uneasy as extra time began, with the Algerians smelling blood in the water. It wasn't long before they struck either, as Hameur Bouazza found himself completely unmarked at the back post and nodded home a long, arcing cross into the side netting. In the following 27 minutes of play, Algeria failed to bury their opponents, but they managed to stave off a few last ditch efforts to secure a somewhat surprising victory.

While it might be unsettling that one of the USMNT's Group C opponents just thwarted a very talented Cote d'Ivoire team, there is a bright side. It took Algeria three matches and 20 minutes in this tournament before they finally hit their stride and turned in a strong performance. Up until that point, they looked like a very average, even weak, side. If they replicate that slow start in the group stage of the World Cup, the USMNT will be able to take advantage, and Algeria could very well even be eliminated and less motivated by the time their third match rolls around (though national pride likely would limit the impact).

Further, on a smaller scale, Algeria has struggled to control matches early on, getting outscored 3-0 in the opening 35 minutes of their Africa Cup of Nations matches to this point and looking shaky in general. A slow start from Algeria could help the USMNT keep the game close in a period during which they struggled throughout qualification, as the Yanks were outscored 8-2 in the opening 35 minutes of their Hexagonal matches.

To learn more about Algeria or to see if today's display was simply a fluke, tune in to their semifinal match on Thursday, when they take on the winner of Egypt-Cameroon.

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Not So Fast: Things We Can Take From USA-Honduras

Alright, so three weeks worth of training and preparation kind of went out the window thanks to a quick red card to Jimmy Conrad (whether or not it was deserved is a whole 'nother argument, which I don't feel like getting into). But I think there are still some things we can take from yesterday's game as it relates to Bob Bradley's quest to put together a final roster for South Africa. We didn't expect to have any real revelations during this match, and many (myself included) preached perspective for the observer. The best we could have reasonably taken from this match was whether a player looked completely out of place, or whether they might be able to hold their own at the international level. From that point of view, I think we learned a thing or two from last night's 3-1 loss.

Robbie Findley was the focal point of much analysis leading into the game, though his role was quickly made a lot more difficult by the man disadvantage. Nevertheless, we saw some positive signs from his play that were (dare I say) reminiscent of Charlie Davies. Unlike his strike partner, Findley made several diagonal runs into space to spread the defense and provide an easier outlet for the midfielders and defenders. He showed some scrappiness and fight with a couple loose balls and 50/50 challenges, starting the US defense from far up the field. This is something that Davies adds to the table that makes life a little bit easier for those behind him, and it was good to see Findley do just that much.

Now Findley was not Charlie Davies last night by any stretch of the imagination; he just did some of the little things like defending and making productive runs that Chuck does that help his teammates out. He was unable to provide that attacking bravado and bite that Davies does, instead looking a little hesitant to take on a defender or trying anything audacious in a 1 v. 1 situation. But that kind of confidence will come with some more minutes, which Findley will likely get against El Salvador. The bottom line is, Findley did not look out of place at the international level, and he made several positive, though subtle, contributions in his appearance. We didn't expect to make any conclusions about whether Findley belongs in the final 23 or not, so why worry that we didn't get to see all aspects of his game? If anything, a goal may have inflated our opinions or clouded our judgement. So, though it was a tough situation for someone making their first start, I think Findley made enough of a positive impression to merit another call into camp in the coming months, which is all we should have realistically tried to determine from last night's performance anyway.

The 10 v. 11 situation might excuse a hole or two in the defense or difficulty breaking down the opposing back line, but it does not excuse poor decision making and touch. That's what we saw from Sacha Kljestan on a number of occasions in the attacking third. His runs at several defenders were overly ambitious, and it seemed as if he didn't have any plan of what to do once he beat the first Honduran. Several of his runs concluded with a hopeful chip into space or too large of a touch, as he tried to improvise a way through the next wave of defenders. These types of runs are not necessary in a 10 v. 11 situation, yet Sacha kept on trying. His World Cup dreams were already pretty slim heading into yesterday's match, but I think they may have dwindled even more after that performance.

Another thing that was evident from the get go was that Jeff Cunningham is a very one dimensional player. We kind of knew this heading into the match, but some still have hopes of the FC Dallas front man filling the void at striker in South Africa. Though he and Robbie Findley both provided speed up top, there was a stark contrast in their play throughout. Cunningham consistently was only looking to go forward, doing his best Marvell Wynne impression by trying to beat everyone with raw speed. But this stalled several attacks, and not even in a productive manner. They were cheap giveaways that shifted the US back into a defensive posture soon after they had just won possession. Findley, on the other hand, utilized his speed but also got his head up and surveyed the field when he got the ball at his feet. For a team like the USMNT that tends to bunker in against quality opponents, it's imperative that the strikers maintain possession or at least win a throw-in or set piece to give the defense a brief respite from the onslaught. At some point, Cunningham has to realize that there is a big difference between running past the Kansas City Wizards defense and running past the defense of an international team. Until that happens, I don't think he will be much of an asset to Bob Bradley.

We also saw some good things from debutant Alejandro Bedoya, who made a few attacking runs down the wing and provide a couple of decent crosses late in the second half. While he did not have much time to show his stuff, he definitely was a bright spot in the second half and helped his case to be considered as an option at outside midfield. This was the first time that most of us have had the opportunity to see Bedoya play, but I was pleasantly surprised with his skill and think that, like Findley, he should be brought into camp again next month.

Last but not least, we learned once again that Jonathan Bornstein is maddeningly inconsistent. After his awful showings in November, Bornstein was arguably the USMNT's best player last night, following a pattern of awful-solid-awful-solid that has gone on for the better part of a year now. Like it or not, there's still a high probability that Bornstein is in the starting XI come June. All we can do is hope he hits one of those peaks in form for that month, rather than one of those valleys that cause us viewers to age prematurely.

Maybe I'm reading to much into a few things I saw in a friendly between "B" teams (which I had to watch on Telefutura thanks to the complete failure that was foxsoccer.tv), but I feel like there were some legitimate things to take from last night's match.

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Yanks In Europe: Unremarkable Day

Today's one of those rare occasions where we'll get to see most of the top USMNT players plying their trade with their respective clubs while also getting to see the Yanks (albeit a disjoint group) play a match as well. For those not in Carson, it was a busy Saturday morning, but a fairly unremarkable one as well. Here's how everyone fared:

Jozy Altidore was not in the matchday squad for Hull City, who dropped a 4-0 decision at the hands of Manchester United. Altidore's absence likely stems from his recent compassion leave from the team, as he continues his efforts to get in touch with family members in Haiti and raise awareness of relief efforts.

DaMarcus Beasley was absent from the Rangers squad once more, as he is struggling to return from an injury that was once thought to be fairly minor. Though Bob Bradley said earlier in the week that Beasley would be considered for South Africa, the clock is ticking, and DMB cannot afford to be away from the playing field for much longer.

Maurice Edu was not in the matchday 18 either. He was sidelined by an ankle injury that is believed to be fairly minor.

Landon Donovan and Tim Howard started in Everton's FA Cup match against Birmingham. For a full analysis of how each played, head over to this post from earlier in the day.

Michael Bradley went 90 minutes for Borussia Monchengladbach in their 0-0 road draw with last-place Hertha Berlin. Bradley and BMG did not turn in their greatest performance, giving up nearly twice as many shots to their opponents before escaping with a point. BMG could not muster much offense, though they did earn a penalty kick late in the first half. As the score line indicates, however, it wasn't a successful attempt, as they wasted an opportunity to earn three points against the Bundesliga's weakest team. Bradley contributed on the defensive end with his typical work rate and several tackles, but the BMG defense was not at its best today, with goalkeeper Logan Bailly bailing them out a few times.

Steve Cherundolo went 90 minutes for Hannover in their 1-0 loss to Mainz, picking up a yellow card in the 90th minute. Cherundolo drew a handful of fouls and got forward on a few occasions without much success. He was involved in the lone goal, though it'd be harsh to place the blame on his shoulders. A poor pass from the Hannover centerback was too far ahead of Cherundolo, instead going closer to the feet of Mainz' Andre Schurrle. Cherundolo slid in an effort to knock the ball away, but Schurrle was able to usher it forward and exploit the vacated space down the left side. He eventually dribbled deep into the 18 before finishing past the Hannover keeper.

The Hannover defense has struggled of late, and Cherundolo has been no exception to that trend. While his play has hardly been poor, it has not been consistently solid, which we have grown accustomed to over the years. A lot of it has to do with the fact that Hannover are struggling as a unit right now, but if it continues, Jonathan Spector could take the lead in the race for the starting right back spot in South Africa.

Jay DeMerit started and played 90 minutes for Watford in their road match against Blackpool. DeMerit anchored the backline to a solid performance, with the Hornets taking a 2-1 lead deep into the second half. Unfortunately for DeMerit and company, however, Blackpool scored two goals in the last two minutes of the match to steal a 3-2 victory.

Brad Guzan had a day like Tim Howard, as he saw few shots but still had to turn around and take the ball out of his own net a couple of times. Aston Villa eventually defeated a scrappy Brighton side in their fourth round FA Cup tie by a score of 3-2. The League One side was able to beat Guzan from about 12 yards out on two occasions, in the 41st and 90th minutes, respectively. Other than those two shots, Guzan was only really tested one other time, when he did well to tip a shot from 15 yards up over the bar. It wasn't an incredible performance, but it was a step up from Guzan's midweek disaster against Blackburn.

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Everton v. Birmingham: USMNT PbP

It was a hit last week, so I'll do it once again. I'll be doing a USMNT-focused play-by-play of the Everton-Birmingham FA Cup match today. Landon Donovan is starting out wide in the midfield once more, with Tim Howard in goal for the Toffees.

Enjoy!

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Post Game Thoughts

Landon Donovan had his weakest game as a Toffee thus far. He struggled to get into the flow of the match in the first half because of a lack of service, and he started drifting centrally in an unsuccessful effort to find the ball more. Phil Neville did Donovan no favors, passing up a number of opportunities to play the ball in to Donovan's feet. Aside from a couple of positive contributions to the attack, Donovan's play was fairly neutral and conservative throughout, without many of the through balls or cutting runs that we've seen in the past two weeks.

I don't think Donovan was playing tentatively, necessarily; he just looked like a player who had not gotten into the flow of the match because he hadn't seen the ball too often. Early in the second half, Donovan looked more active and involved, showing more intent on the ball as he got more integrated into the flow of the attack. One of his better moments came just before he was subbed off, when he used a quick burst of speed to split to Birmingham defenders on the wing and take the ball towards the top of the box, eventually laying a pass off for Steven Pienaar. Unfortunately, you can't expect to get 90 minutes to work yourself into a match, and David Moyes made a change in hopes of a more immediate impact.

In essence, it was a game where you didn't hear Donovan's name called too often, which is rarely a positive indication of the a player's performance. if there's any silver lining, this game may bring down some of the inflated expectations surrounding Donovan that have risen out of his early success, as well as bringing USMNT fans back down to earth.

Tim Howard did not have a very busy game, with a couple of comfortable saves and catches. The two Birmingham goals were very well worked (the second of which being worthy of a highlight reel), and Howard was not at fault on either occasion.

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Play-By-Play

7'- Tim Howard gets beat by a Christian Benitez header, Birmingham lead 1-0. The Toffees got beat by a counterattack, with a cross finding an open Benitez 10 yards from goal. Howard could do nothing about the header, which went back to the far post.

9'- Donovan receives a pass on the wing, but the ball gets caught in his feet and is knocked away by a defender.

10'- Donovan is streaking down the wing trying to receive a long ball, and he gets his leg clipped by Liam Ridgewell. The ensuing free kick from 30 yards out is cleared by Birmingham.

12'- The match started slow, with Birmingham's goal really coming out of nowhere, but Everton have picked it up in the past couple minutes, with a lot of possession in the attacking third.

17'- Donovan nods a Pienaar cross on goal, but it's just a looping effort that's easily saved. Donovan had to really stretch just to keep the long cross in play, and his attempt to head the ball back across goal was to close Joe Hart.

21'- Donovan hasn't seen too much of the ball yet, in part because Everton been have been doing a fair amount of attacking from the left side, and also because Phil Neville is getting forward from right back and pushing Donovan more central.

30'- Donovan has slid up to striker, and a Pienaar ball over the top almost reaches him in the box behind the defense, but it's nodded away. Donovan has hardly made the same type of impression that he has on past games; he hasn't be able to get enough touches to really make an impact.

33'- Howard catches a corner kick, his first real action since the early goal.

35'- Howard comes out to grab a bouncing long ball in front of an oncoming Birmingham attacker. Birmingham's attack has really been nonexistent since the goal.

38'- Now Donovan is back receiving the ball out wide. Still not entirely sure if Moyes swapped Landon and Saha, or if the two are just changing on their own at times.

40'- WOW. A fantastic team goal from Birmingham, out of nowhere once again. A ball from the wing is dummied by the first striker, with the second striker giving a one touch spinning pass back to the cutting first striker. Open inside the 18, Barry Ferguson slots it home easily to the far post. Tim Howard had no chance of stopping the 12 yard strike to the far post. 2-0 Birmingham.

43'- Most of Everton's play down the right side has been through Phil Neville, but his service has been very ineffective.

45'- Neville opts twice to serve in a poor cross rather than play the ball to Donovan's feet out wide. Donovan finally gets a touch and serves in a decent cross, but it's headed clear.

45+1'- Donovan draws another foul from Ridgewell. Off the restart, he takes the ball down the wing and cuts past his defender before trying to thread a ball across the top of the box to an open teammate, but it's not hit hard enough and is cut out by a Birmingham defender.

HALFTIME- The Everton fans are unhappy with their team's play, and for good reason. The Toffees have controlled possession, but have struggled to put good attacks together. Landon Donovan has not seen much of the ball, and as a result, he hasn't made much of an impact on the match. He has drawn a couple of fouls and is clearly faster than the Birmingham defenders, but he has not received a great deal of service. It will be interesting to see if there's a more concerted effort to get him the ball out wide so he can run at defenders, which had decent success in the last sequence of the half.

It must be noted, though, that Everton as a whole is struggling to make an impact in the attack. They are failing to link up in the final third, with cross after cross being cleared out. Steven Pienaar has made a couple of nice passes, but those opportunities were squandered, as well.

Tim Howard, meanwhile, has had nothing to do but pick the ball out of his net. He couldn't do anything about either goal, which were well put together counterattacks from Birmingham City.

46'- One sub for Everton at half. Osman on, Bilyaletdinov off.

46'- A low, hard shot from distance comes in on Howard, but goes wide. Howard had it covered comfortably.

48'- Donovan gets a pass on the wing and looks to be sizing up his defender to take him on. But with help coming and not many Everton players forward in the attack, Donovan opts to play it back to a defender. Good sign that he's gotten a ball to his feet early on.

50'- Tim Howard makes a save off of a Benitez shot from the top of the arc. Benitez received a pass that split the Everton defense and probably could have taken the ball well inside the 18, but inside opted to try to curl it from farther out. His effort was a poor one right at Howard, though, who made the easy save.

51'- Donovan sets up a cross that finds Fellaini's head in the area, but it comes to nothing. More involvement, though.

54'- Donovan gets an opportunity for a header around the six, but he can't get much behind it. Decent opportunity, one of Everton's better attacks thus far.

56'- GOAL Everton! 2-1 Birmingham, now. A well constructed attack down the left side leads to a curling Leon Osman strike from the top of the 18, which finds the far corner to cut the deficit in half.

59'- Donovan getting much more involved in the attack, breaking out from the defensive third and then playing a little give-and-go with Neville. Nothing too remarkable, but he's seeing the ball a lot more frequently then he did in the first 45. He is drifting centrally a fair amount.

62'- Howard leaps to grab a looping ball in the 18 in the face of a couple of oncoming Birmingham attackers. He then distributes quickly to the wing to start up the attack.

65'- Everton have been controlling the match since their goal. Looks like there's still another goal to be had in this one.

65'- The announcers criticize Donovan for not opening up quick enough to give Neville an option out wide, which would be a fair comment if not for the fact that Neville has been consistently passing up the opportunity to play the ball to Donovan's feet, instead sending in poor cross after poor cross.

69'- Landon with a clearance. Louis Saha off, James Vaughan on for Everton.

71'- Donovan with a burst of speed past a couple of defenderes into the center and has an opportunity to take a left footed shot from 20 yards out, but he lays it off for Pienaar, whose shot is deflected out for a corner. Donovan's ensuing corner is cleared out. Donovan's not a lefty, but it would have been nice to see him put one on goal from there.

75'- Another Donovan corner, put it doesn't lead to much.

76'- Landon Donovan taken off in favor of Mikel Arteta, who is returning from injury. Donovan's weakest performance thus far in an Everton uniform.

90'- 4 minutes of added time, as Everton try to find the equalizer. Howard hasn't had much to do, as Birmingham are bunkering in trying to preserve the lead.

FULL TIME- Birmingham win 2-1. After reaching the FA Cup final last season, Everton crash out in the fourth round.

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The USMNT at the Home Depot Center Through the Years

Christened in June of 2003, the Home Depot Center is the crown jewel of US Soccer (that is, until Red Bull Arena opens in a couple months). Over the past six and a half years, the House that Anschutz Built has hosted the USMNT on eight occasions, with the Yanks compiling a record of 7-0-1 in those matches.

Despite having been around for two full cycles now, the HDC has hosted just one World Cup qualifying match to this point. The fact that the Los Angeles area doesn't exactly provide a home field advantage against a good portion of CONCACAF makes the HDC a less than appealing venue when a World Cup berth is on the line. But Bob Bradley's side did choose to kick off their 2010 qualifying campaign at the home of Chivas USA and the LA Galaxy, taking on Barbados in their opening match. Not only was this match noteworthy for the fact that it was the first WCQ at the Home Depot Center, but it would also end up being the largest win in USMNT history, as the Yanks steamrolled the Bajans by a score of 8-0. The Yanks wasted no time in starting qualification off on the right foot, with Clint Dempsey topping another USMNT record by scoring just 53 seconds into the match. So, though the stadium has hosted just one qualifier, it has still been the scene of several historic USMNT moments.

Outside of the WCQ, the HDC has hosted two other competitive matches featuring the USMNT, albeit as a "neutral" venue. Back in '07, the Yanks had two Gold Cup group stage matches, one against Trinidad & Tobago and the other against Guatemala. Much like the other their game against Barbados, the USMNT was unbeatable at the friendly confines of Carson, blanking both opponents for wins of 2-0 and 1-0. Those wins were part of what would end up being another Gold Cup triumph for the Red, White, and Blue, which booked them a ticket to last summer's memorable Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Tomorrow will mark the sixth January friendly played at the Home Depot Center, the fifth consecutive year that the Yanks' first match will take place in Carson. In the five friendlies, the USMNT outscored its opponents by a combined score of 14-4 (2.8 goals for per game, just .8 goals against). All of the previous friendlies have been against Scandinavian teams (Sweden in '09 and '08, Denmark in '07 and '04, and Norway in '06) thanks in large part to the coinciding domestic offseasons. The friendlies have been the scene of some history, as well, with Landon Donovan passing Eric Wynalda to become the USMNT's all-time leading goalscorer by burying a penalty in a 2-0 victory over Sweden back in 2008. Who knows, even though it is just a friendly, tomorrow's match at the HDC might just have another historic moment in store for us.

The only blemish on an otherwise impeccable run at the HDC actually came in the USMNT's first game there back in '04, as they split the points with the Danes after trading penalty kicks for a 1-1 final. Since then, the Yanks have always sent the home fans happy, with last year's 3-2 win and 2007's 1-0 victory over Guatemala being the only games with less than a two goal margin of victory.

Tomorrow's match will mark the first time that a non-Scandinavian team comes to the HDC for the January friendly, with US Soccer instead opting for fellow World Cup qualifier and CONCACAF rival Honduras. Expect another US win, and look for Honduran national hero Jonathan Bornstein to get a rousing ovation from the fans of Los Catrachos in attendance. It might not exactly be all of the guys we're going to see in South Africa, but it's the USMNT nonetheless, and I for one can't get enough of seeing the Yanks play.

Tune in at 9 PM ET on Fox Soccer Channel to see if Bob Bradley and company can kick off the new year on the right foot.

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US Soccer Daily Makeover

I've decided to clean up the site a bit with a new layout and color scheme. I always wanted the original look to be nothing more than a place holder until I could come up with something a little better, and I think I've done that.

Feel free to tell me what you think, whether through the comments section or by sending an email. If there's really a big opposition to the new look (and I don't think there will be; at least I hope not, since doing this was kind of a pain), I'll bring back the old-school, less refined look.

If you want to show off your creative talents, I'm always open to logo suggestions, but for now I'll just stick with something simple.

It's a new look, but the same ol' US Soccer Daily, so keep coming back for news and thoughts on the USMNT and the world of international soccer.

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Excitement is Fine, But Perspective is Necessary

Yes, after more than two agonizing months without a USMNT game, we will finally get to see the Yanks (albeit a Yanks Lite, if you will) take the field this Saturday. I'll certainly be tuning in (what kind of US Soccer blogger would I be if I didn't?), and my attention will be focused primarily on a certain Real Salt Lake striker, as Robbie Findley looks to impress Bob Bradley.

(Aside: It's not that I don't care about Conor Casey or Jeff Cunningham or Justin Braun, but let's face it, we've seen everything Conor Casey has to offer, there aren't going to be any real revelations there. Justin Braun, meanwhile, doesn't seem to have a realistic chance of going to South Africa, and might not even play against Honduras. I do want to see Cunningham get another run, but like Casey, I feel like we've pretty much seen everything that he brings to the team. If Charlie Davies is unable to return for the World Cup, though, we very well good see a "speedy forward by committee," for which Cunningham is still a notable candidate, so another game might help Bob Bradley figure out the FC Dallas striker's place in the pecking order.)

After his strong finish to the MLS season, Findley's being touted by many as the best option to fill the void at striker in Bob Bradley's squad. With Real Salt Lake, he has shown great speed and a nose for goal, but with only 1 minute of USMNT experience to his name, he is still an unknown quantity at the international level. There have been plenty of players whose game hasn't translated to the next level, so I'm hesitant to float Findley into the South Africa conversation without having made any extended appearance with the Yanks. With that being said, I am excited to see what he can bring to the table; with the World Cup inching closer and closer, all options must be explored. I would have loved to see Marcus Tracy, as well, but alas, we might have to wait until 2011 for that.

As you gear up for up for your first glimpse of Bob Bradley's sweatpants in 2010, I just want to make one point as clear as possible: Saturday's match is a friendly between two less-than-full-strength teams, featuring a lot of fringe players and domestic youngsters. Even if Findley scores 4 goals, let's not get too carried away with what this means for the full national team. Will it be a positive sign and indication that he might be able to contribute with the full squad? Absolutely. But it is reason to pencil him in to the final 23? Hardly.

We saw last year how deceiving a dominant January friendly can be. Sacha Kljestan bagged three goals against Sweden and was the toast of US Soccer. Then, six months or so later, he was off the USMNT radar completely. I'll admit, I too was guilty of getting caught up in the hoopla, but we should know now that one fantastic January friendly does not mean someone is ready to handle the demands and pressures of a game against the Netherlands in Amsterdam, let alone the World Cup. So let's keep our reactions in check and maintain some perspective throughout the game.

I'm hoping Bob gives Robbie the start, but I'm sort of expecting to see Cunningham and Casey paired up in the starting XI. I really don't care too much about the result of this match (OK, I do care, but not more than I care about finding the best players for South Africa), so I'd really like to see Findley get an extended audition, rather than getting thrown in for the last 10 minutes with little opportunity to put his skills on display. I also hope he gets some time on the field with guys like Robbie Rogers and Benny Feilhaber to get some quality service from the midfield.

I'm not sure if there was any real need to make this an entire post; it probably could have been summed up in a sentence or two. Nevertheless, I hope American fans keep its message in mind when they tune in to see the Yanks play Saturday night.

Robbie Findley (or any player who has a breakout game, for that matter) might be good enough to make it to South Africa, but we'll learn that in March or May, not January.

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Africa Cup of Nations Quarterfinals Set

After slow starts to their respective 2010 Africa Cup of Nations campaigns, the five World Cup qualifiers from Africa participating in the tournament (South Africa, the sixth CAF nation in the World Cup, failed to qualify for the 2010 ACN) have each secured a spot in the tournament quarterfinals. Joining Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Algeria in the knockout stages are Zambia, two-time defending champs Egypt, and hosts Angola.

The first pair of quarterfinal matches will take place on Sunday, with Angola taking on Ghana and Group B winners Cote d'Ivoire squaring off against Algeria. Though the hosts will surely have their work cut out for them against the Black Stars, they will be buoyed by the raucous support from Angolan fans at Estadio 11 de Novembro in Luanda, which has been one of the highlights of the tournament. Both sides have had some ups and downs in this tournament, and the result really could go either way depending on which teams show up come Sunday. Angola showed some impressive offensive spark against Mali, but then showed a lack of mental fortitude, as they let a four goal lead slip away in the final 15 minutes. Ghana, meanwhile, were completely outplayed in their opener against Cote d'Ivoire, but put in a much better performance to secure a victory over a solid Burkina Faso side. With the variability in both teams' performances and what surely will be an electric atmosphere, this should be a great game to watch.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Didier Drogba and company will take on Algeria, who secured a spot in the quarterfinals after a 0-0 draw with Angola that led to accusations of collusion from Group A opponents Mali. This match will be the last played in Cabinda (which, thankfully, have gone off without another incident), where the tragic attack on the Togolese camp occurred. Like Angola and Ghana, Algeria has struggled with consistency thus far, getting blown out by lowly Malawi before earning a good result against Mali. Cote d'Ivoire, meanwhile, turned in arguably the most impressive performance of the tournament, dominating Ghana for a 3-1 that was even more impressive given the fact that the Elephants added two more goals to their halftime lead after defender Emmanuel Eboue was sent off in the 55th minute. Cote d'Ivoire look poised to reach the semifinals for the third consecutive edition of the ACN, and manager Vahid Halilhodzic has strong ambitions of taking the continental title back to the West African nation for the first time since 1992.

On Monday, the rest of the final eight will finish off the round, with the surprise of the tournament, Zambia, looking to add another chapter to the story by toppling the Super Eagles of Nigeria. In a wide open Group D, Zambia turned in three quality efforts, earning a draw against perennial African powers Tunisia and nearly upsetting Samuel Eto'o and Cameroon before dropping the points late in the match. Herve Renard's side was unlucky not to take at least a point from that match, but they rebounded nicely to defeat a tough Gabon side earlier today, vaulting them to the top of the table. They will look to continue their solid run of form against Nigeria, who have gotten stronger as the tournament has gone on. After an ugly 3-1 loss to Egypt in their opener, the Super Eagles defeated Benin by a score of 1-0 and then secured a berth in the next round with a convincing 3-0 victory over Mozambique. Nigeria's group was probably the weakest of the four, however, and they struggled mightily in their only real test, so an on-form team like Zambia could very well cause heaps of trouble for the West Africans.

Last, but not least, Egypt and Cameroon will meet in Benguela. Egypt always seem to save their best for the continental championship, and this year seems no different. They controlled all three of their group stage matches en route to three comfortable victories, and they will pose a significant challenge for Cameroon on Monday. The Indomitable Lions have struggled early on, conceding a goal in the first 20 minutes of each of their three matches. If they want to knock off the defending champions, they will have to tighten things up at the back and break down a Pharaohs defense that surrendered just one goal in the group stage.

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Predictions:

Ghana over Angola
Zambia over Nigeria
Cote d'Ivoire over Algeria
Egypt over Cameroon

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Be sure to tune in and see how things turn out this weekend!

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Guzan Headed to Wembley

For the second time in 9 months, an American goalkeeper will be starting at Wembley, as Brad Guzan and Aston Villa are through to the Carling Cup final thanks to a victory in the second leg of their semifinal tie with Blackburn. It wasn't Guzan's best game, but it puts him on the brink of glory nonetheless, as he and his teammates await the winner of the Manchester City-Manchester United tie.

To this point, Guzan has been a key figure in Villa's Carling Cup success, with 3 clean sheets in 4 matches. Today's match was a different story, however, as Guzan conceded more goals than he had in the aforementioned cup matches combined. He looked tentative at times and made a meal out of several balls into the box, turning in his worst performance of the season thus far. Fortunately for him, he picked a great day to do it, as the Villa attack exploded for 6 goals for an aggregate victory of 7-4.

There were some nervous moments for Guzan early in the match, as he had to fight through a crowded six yard box to get just enough of a 6th minute corner kick to clear it out of danger. Unfortunately for Guzan and Villa fans, this was just a precursor to an even shakier effort a few minutes later. A David Dunne corner kick in the 10th minute flew into a crowded 18, with Guzan again having a difficult time asserting himself in the crowded box and sizing up the long ball. This time, however, he was unable to even get a hand on the cross, finding himself in no man's land and watching Nikola Kalinic nod the ball into the back of the net. The 10th minute goal leveled the aggregate and silenced the home crowd, with Blackburn taking all the momentum.

It would go from bad to worse for Villa, as Blackburn continued to control the match and get into dangerous attacking positions. Brad Guzan made a valiant effort to redeem himself for his previous miscue, with a fantastic save in the 26th minute off of the head of Martin Olsson. A cross from the wing found Olsson just 10 yards from goal, and he headed back across Guzan, who made a quick reaction and reached back to get a hand on the strong header. It might have been more of a highlight in the half if not for what transpired directly after, as the rebound was tapped in by Kalinic to double the Blackburn lead and take command of the aggregate score with another away goal. On the replay, it's evident that Guzan's defenders didn't do him a lot of favors in this sequence, as both got beat to the ball by their respective men on the initial shot and the follow up.

The save was Guzan's only one of the first half, as the Villa defense tightened things up after that point, not allowing another Blackburn shot for the rest of the half. Martin O'Neill's men were also so busy in the attack, that Blackburn were constantly on their heels for the final 15 minutes or so, as momentum shifted back to the home side. A 30th minute cross from Ashley Young was met at the back post by Stephen Warnock, who smashed it into the roof of the net to breathe life back into Villa Park. 10 minutes later, the match got turned on its head, as Blackburn's Christopher Samba was sent off for hauling down Gabriel Agbonlahor from behind inside the 18. James Milner made no mistake with the ensuing penalty, putting it into the side netting to level the score and give Villa the aggregate edge once more.

With a man advantage, Villa continued to dominate possession in the second half. It wasn't long until they added another to their lead, as a loose ball off a corner was muscled across the line to give Guzan and company a commanding 4-2 lead in the two-legged tie. As if that wasn't crushing enough for a Blackburn side that showed a lot of spunk and energy earlier in the match, it wasn't over yet, as a James Milner blast from distance glanced off Agbonlahor and into the corner of the net, giving Villa a 5-2 aggregate lead and essentially sealing a date at Wembley.

Another goal from Emile Heskey added to the lead, but Brad Guzan would see his stat line take some more hits, as Martin Olsson provided a quick, spectacular answer to the Heskey goal with an overhead kick from 12 yards out that found the far corner. Guzan really couldn't do much on the shot, which was an audacious effort to say the least, and his defense may have been guilty of falling into a post-goal lull.

After some issues with air balls earlier in the match, Guzan came out very strong for a free kick in the 74th mintue. He grabbed a long ball from Paul Robinson and did very well to keep hold of the ball despite the fact that MLS alumnus Ryan Nelsen ran straight into him. This was the lone highlight of the second half for Guzan, who would concede one more goal in the 84th minute, as a looping effort from Brett Emerton took a slight deflection and trickled through his legs. A couple minutes later, Guzan had some more difficulties with a ball up in the air, as he struggled to out-leap and out-position Ryan Nelsen for a high floater in the area. A foul was called on Nelsen, but there didn't appear to be much there, instead looking like the ref bailed out the former Chivas USA keeper.

The match would finish 6-4 in favor of Aston Villa, with Guzan taking home an unimpressive stat line of 3 saves and 4 goals conceded. Though he will shoulder some of the blame for the goals, there wasn't exactly a lot of spectacular defending in the match (look no further than the score line for evidence of that). Overall, it was a match that Guzan will want to soon forget. USMNT fans shouldn't be too worried about it, though, as it's really Guzan's first poor performance in months. At some point, the guy was due for a bad outing, and it's kind of remarkable that he has been able to play so well to this point despite long spells between appearances. There shouldn't be any worries about him losing the starting gig in the final either, as Martin O'Neill has assured the US #2 that he will continue to get the nod over Brad Friedel throughout the competition.

Guzan will likely put this behind him very quickly, as he is probably already instead looking ahead to what will surely be an incredible experience at the 2010 Carling Cup final on February 28th.

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