U.S. roster for El Salvador friendly announced

February 4th, 2010 • Roster Announcement • No comments

The roster includes 21 players from the January training camp. Michael Orozco and Brian Ching are the additions.

GOALKEEPERS: Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA).

DEFENDERS: Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Orozco (Philadelphia Union), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC).

MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew).

FORWARDS: Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake).

Bradley’s Babes: 23 for 2010 [January]

January 31st, 2010 • Bradley's Babes: 23 for 2010 • No comments

In this monthly segment, we attempt to answer the question, “Who should we take to South Africa?” Rather than taking the standard approach (doing our best to guess who Bob will take to South Africa), we focus on who we think Bradley should take.

This month’s edition of Bradley’s Babes is coming out a little late because we wanted to wait for the month’s lone friendly before we made our selections.  Unfortunately, the Honduras game did little to clarify the situation and instead, only made the whole process muddier.  Players who were moving closer and closer to the “lock” category–Chad Marshall and Jimmy Conrad, in particular–only hurt their causes.  Meanwhile, Clint Dempsey’s injury scare made the forward situation look even bleaker for a while.  Just to keep ourselves from suffering from a crippling bout of depression, we’ve made the decision to stop excluding our injured contingent–it’s looking more and more like they’ll all be recovering ahead of schedule (Jermaine Jones excluded), so it’s time to bring them back into the mix.  Here it is–your January edition of Bradley’s Babes: Read more »

Kenny Cooper loaned to Plymouth Argyle

January 28th, 2010 • Transfer News • No comments

American striker Kenny Cooper has been loaned by 1860 Munich to Plymouth Argyle of England’s Coca-Cola Championship. So he has moved from second division Germany to second division England in hope of playing time and a shot at the World Cup squad. I hope this works out for him, because I still think he’s a better option up front than some of the players Bradley has been calling in.

Stuart Holden completes move to Bolton

January 25th, 2010 • Transfer News • No comments

Sky Sports is reporting that Stuart Holden has finalized a move to Bolton Wanderers. He is currently recovering from a slight injury, so it looks like he will have to wait for his debut. The deal will last until the end of the season, with a possible extension if Holden impresses. Sounds like a good move for Stuart. Now let’s see what he can do.

5 Predictions [11.23.10, vs. Honduras] (GRADED)

January 25th, 2010 • 5 Predictions • No comments

1.  Bornstein’s goal against Costa Rica will be mentioned a total of seven times.  The highlights will be shown in both the pre-game and half time specials.
The focus seemed to be more on the Costa Rica result than Bornstein’s goal.  And the highlight wasn’t overplayed like I thought it might have been.  Although I’d argue I was on target with the the spirit of my prediction, I can’t give myself full credit after completely whiffing on the specifics.  Not off to a good start.  GRADE: C-

2.  Conor Casey will score a goal, making it even more likely that he’ll make our World Cup roster.  Ugh. 
Conor Casey didn’t score.  In fact, he didn’t even start.  But there are three reasons I’m not going to give myself an “F” on this one: 1. He did get on the field; 2. He had a decent scoring opportunity go just wide; and 3. He might not have helped his World Cup chances, but he’s still in the conversation.  GRADE: D-
Read more »

5 Predictions [11.23.10, vs. Honduras]

January 23rd, 2010 • 5 Predictions • 2 comments

1.  Bornstein’s goal against Costa Rica will be mentioned a total of seven times.  The highlights will be shown in both the pre-game and half time specials.

2.  Conor Casey will score a goal, making it even more likely that he’ll make our World Cup roster.  Ugh.

3.  The central defense will look pretty strong considering this is our “B-Team”.  Unfortunately, Honduras will steal a goal off a giveaway by one of our outside backs.

4.  Kyle Beckerman will solidify his place in our upcoming list, “The Greatest Hair in US Soccer History.”  Unfortunately, he’ll be edged out of the top three by Tony Meola.

5.  The US walk away from this match with a 2-1 victory.  It will be far from inspiring, but several players (Benny Feilhaber, Jimmy Conrad, Chad Marshall, and Robbie Rogers) will see their stock rise.  Beckerman and Kljestan will look pretty bad, but people will want to keep them in the World Cup conversation.

The new U.S. 2010 Nike jerseys on eBay

January 22nd, 2010 • World Cup News • No comments

Quick note:  We received word from reader Patrick that one of the new US shirts–the ones we discussed here–was recently put up for sale on eBay.  The reaction has been surprisingly negative, if our comments section is any indication.  But love ‘em or hate ‘em, it’s looking more and more like they’re the real deal, although we’re still waiting for the official press release and fashion show.

Dempsey Injury: A Look at the U.S. Depth Chart

January 20th, 2010 • Link Blogging • No comments

There’s an interesting article over at the NY Times Goal Blog that looks at who will replace Clint Dempsey for the US if he’s not fit for the World Cup. It’s a good piece, but I do take issue with the main premise–Jeffrey Marcus looks at replacement midfielders (Rogers, Holden, and Kljestan), but I feel that Dempsey should be playing forward, where he generally lines up at Fulham. I realize that Bob Bradley won’t play him up top (other than late in the game), and that a healthy Charlie Davies would push him back into the midfield, but it’s pretty obvious to me that he’s much more effective when he lines up at forward, so it’s at least worth mentioning in the discussion of who replaces him.

Clint Dempsey injury update

January 19th, 2010 • Link Blogging, World Cup News • No comments

From FulhamFC.com

“During the Blackburn Rovers fixture on Sunday 17 January, Clint Dempsey sustained moderate damage to a ligament in his right knee. Following the results of a scan, early indications are positive in that no operation is required. At this stage it is thought that the injury will not prevent him from featuring for Fulham, prior to the end of the season.”

U.S. transfer updates: Clark, Holden, Bocanegra, Feilhaber, Johnson

January 19th, 2010 • Transfer News • No comments

Lots of American transfer updates this morning, so I’m lumping them all together. I’m pulling most of this from the excellent Soccer By Ives…

• In Germany, Kicker is reporting that Ricardo Clark has signed with Eintracht Frankfurt until the end of the season, with the club having the option to extend the deal for another three years.