US National Team Events

PANAMA CITY – Former University of Maryland All-America Graham Zusi scored his first international goal and it was a big one. His eighth minute strike gave the United States a 1-0 victory in an international friendly in Panama City. It was the USA’s third consecutive victory.

The win evened the USA’s record at 4-4-2 since Jurgen Klinmann replaced Bob Bradley as coach last summer.

Playing with a young and inexperienced roster, Klinsmann relied on players who play in Major League Soccer, while most of the European-based regulars remained with their club teams.

Zusi’s goal came in the eighth minute when he got on the end of a lose ball just outside the six-yard box and slammed it home.

Panama, which upset the U.S. in the first round of last year's CONCACAF Gold Cup, had a man advantage after Geoff Cameron received a red card in the 52nd minute for shoving Blas Perez from behind on a breakaway just outside the penalty area.

Goalkeeper Nick Rimando came up big in the match, making several difficult saves to prevent the hosts from scoring.

During a three-week training camp, Klinsmann got to test the depth of his player pool as the Americans prepare for the start of World Cup qualifying on June 8 against Antigua and Barbuda. The U.S. beat Venezuela 1-0 on Saturday at Glendale, Ariz.

"Our team had a very hard three weeks, and they had tired legs today and you could see that," Klinsmann said. "After the red card, we couldn't pressure enough anymore to create more chances. Overall, I think it really paid off doing this, not only playing a game in the U.S., but coming down here. A lot of the young players learned their lesson today."

Klinsmann figures to have most his top players for the Americans' next game, against Italy in Genoa on Feb. 29.

Zusi, a 25-year-old midfielder with Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City, made his national debut last weekend. His goal came after left back Zach Loyd's cross fell at Teal Bunbury at the top of the 6-yard box and appeared to bounce off him to Zusi, who slammed it in with a right-footed shot from 7 yards.

Rimando, making his first national team appearance in a year, dove midway through the first half to block Luis Renteria's point-blank shot, which bounded in front of the net. Rimando then got up and managed to poke the ball away before the rebound could be knocked in.

Klinsmann switched to a 4-4-2 formation from the 3-5-1 he began with last weekend and made four changes to his starting lineup, also inserting Rimando, Loyd and Wondolowski in place of Bill Hamid, Heath Pearce and Benny Feilhaber. Rimando, Loyd and Wondolowski started for the first time since the 1-1 tie against Chile on Jan. 22, 2011.

"Our goal with these two games was very simple," Klinsmann said. "We wanted to introduce the players to those difficult games in different environments, especially away from home outside of their comfort zone. We wanted them to come here and experience this atmosphere and a different way of doing things. I think they did very well with all that."

Ricardo Clark headed home Jermaine Jones' corner in the 7th minute of stopping time to help the United States to a 1-0 victory over 10-man Venezuela in a friendly on Saturday night in Glendale, AZ.

The U.S. had dominated play with nothing to show for it before Clark beat goalkeeper Jose Morales for his third international goal and first since September 2009. Clark entered the game as a substitute in the 86th minute.
Moments after Clark scored, Venezuela's Jose Velasquez was sent off.

The first match between the countries in five years featured the "B'' teams of both nations because the top players are with their professional clubs, mainly in Europe.

An exception was Jones, who is playing with the national team while serving an eight-game suspension by the German football federation.

"It was a great cross," Clark said of the corner kick that led to the game winner. "I found a good spot and made the most of it."

It was Clark's first game since the United States played Mexico on Aug. 10. He last scored in international competition against Trinidad and Tobago on Sept. 9, 2009.

The 28-year-old midfielder is ignominiously remembered for his error in the 2010 World Cup, when Ghana's Kevin-Prince Boateng stripped the ball from him and put the Black Stars ahead in the fifth minute. Ghana went on to eliminate the Americans 2-1 in extra-time.

Jones, who served as U.S. captain for the game, was suspended when the German federation concluded he had intentionally stepped on the foot of star player Marco Reus during a break in a German Cup game between Jones' team Schalke and Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The U.S. had five times as many shots as Venezuela, many of the opportunities from short range, but the shots were either wide of the target, or saved by Morales.

Morales was shaken up after he took a knee to the left thigh from American C.J. Sapong. The goalkeeper sat on the ground for several minutes until the decision was made to leave him in the game, an incident that led to the extended stopping time that featured the winning goal.

The United States beat a team from South America for the first time since a 3-1 win over Ecuador on March 25, 2007. The U.S. had 10 losses and three draws against teams from that continent since then.

The American's win was its third in eight matches since former German World Cup star Jurgen Klinsmann took over from Bob Bradley as coach last year.

Venezuela had a scoring shot in the 62nd minute but Salazar's header went right into the hands of goalkeeper Bill Hamid. Moments later, the U.S. missed another chance when Teal Bunbury's shot off a counterattack went just right of the post.

CHICAGO (Jan. 9, 2012) - The U.S. Men's National Team will face four-time World Cup Champion Italy on Feb. 29 in Genoa. Kickoff at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris is set for 8:45 p.m. local (2:45 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

The match falls on the final FIFA international fixture date before the team gathers in May to prepare for the start of World Cup qualifying, and U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be able to select a full complement of players.

"Obviously we are very excited to be playing a team of such high quality," said Klinsmann. "We are slowly trying to raise the bar for our team, and this is an awesome opportunity for the players to be challenged against one of the top teams in the world."

The match in Genoa will be the third meeting on Italian soil between the teams and the first since 2002, when Italy snatched a 1-0 victory in Catania in a tune-up for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The United States has never beaten the four-time World Cup champion, holding a 0-7-3 lifetime record.

The teams have played four times in major international tournaments, including the thrilling 1-1 draw in the second match of group play in the 2006 FIFA World Cup on June 17, 2006, in Kaiserslautern.

One of the finest performances in team history, that match is as memorable for the massive support of U.S. fans as for holding off the Italians after being reduced to nine men. The most recent encounter came in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, when the Italians captured a 3-0 victory in group play against a U.S. team reduced to 10 men.

The ninth-ranked Italians have a storied history that includes four World Cup titles, the most recent from the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. They are preparing for the 2012 European Championship, having been drawn into a monster group that includes defending World Cup champion Spain, as well as Ireland and Croatia.

Going to Genoa will also be a homecoming of sorts for Klinsmann, who played in the Serie A from 1997-98 for Sampdoria. The U.S. Men's National Team is currently in Phoenix, Ariz., in training camp preparing for a pair of January friendlies.

The U.S. will host Venezuela on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. MT at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and Galavision.

Four days later, the U.S. faces Panama at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City, live on Galavision.

LA Galaxy's star defender and 2011 MLS Defender of the Year Omar Gonzalez suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on his first day of practice with Germany's FC Nurnberg.

The 23-year-old's injury was a result of a hard tackle by U.S. international Timmy Chandler and an MRI confirmed the injury. Gonzalez will return to the U.S. to have surgery, and it is unknown at this point when he will return to the pitch.

After a standout season with the Galaxy in 2011, where he helped the team win the 2011 MLS Championship in addition to his individual accolades, Gonzalez received his first call up to the U.S. Men's National Team from head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. However, when Nurnberg came calling, Gonzalez chose to take the next step in his career and travel to Germany for two months, with his contract ending on February 15.

While players going on loan to other clubs during MLS' off season is nothing unusual, Gonzalez's situation appeared to be more of an extended trial than a loan, considering Nurnberg already expressed interest in signing him this summer.

Regardless, Gonzalez is headed home early, and both clubs are hoping for a speedy recovery.

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has named 20 players to the training camp roster that will run from Jan. 3-26 in the United States and Panama.

The U.S. will host Venezuela on Jan. 21 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (TICKETS). Four days later, the U.S. faces Panama at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez in Panama City.

The players and staff will report to Phoenix, Ariz., on Jan. 3 to begin training. The team will move to U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., to continue training from Jan. 13-20, and then return to Arizona to finalize preparations for Venezuela.

"This is a very important opportunity for these players," said Klinsmann. "They are the next in line behind the established players, and this is a chance to prove themselves. We will spend the next few weeks introducing them to our ideas on how we want to play and what it means to be a part of the National Team. Ultimately, it will create more depth for us, which you need at this level. I'm very curious and excited to see this group." [More quotes]

The annual camp held in January for players in their offseason is a largely domestic-based group that includes 18 players who ply their trade in the United States. More than half the players have two caps or less for the full National Team, and five will be seeking their first appearance.

Major League Soccer is well represented, with 12 clubs contributing players. Two come from the MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy, including starting defenders A.J. DeLaGarza and Omar Gonzalez, who was voted the 2011 MLS Defender of the Year. FC Dallas sends a trio, led by midfielder Brek Shea, who along with Gonzalez is part of the 2011 MLS Best XI. Shea is one of only three players to appear in all seven matches coached by Klinsmann thus far.

A pair of 2010 FIFA World Cup veterans return to the fold, as Ricardo Clark and Benny Feilhaber appear for the first time in more than a year. Clark is one of two European-based players on the roster, along with Michael Parkhurst.

Six of the players spent time in the offseason training with clubs in Europe: Agudelo (Stuttgart, Liverpool), Beckerman (FC Kaiserslautern), Bill Hamid (West Bromwich Albion), Sean Johnson (Everton), Jeff Larentowicz (Bolton) and Shea (Arsenal). Additionally, five players on the roster are age-eligible to compete in qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games: Agudelo, Bunbury, Hamid, Johnson and Shea.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (7): Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), A.J. DeLaGarza (LA Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), George John (FC Dallas), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), C.J. Sapong (Sporting Kansas City), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

The U.S. national team’s offense came to life Tuesday in a wild 3-2 win over Slovenia that saw a suddenly vibrant American attack produce more goals in one half than it did in the first six games combined under coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

The new manager demonstrated his flexibility following Friday’s 1-0 loss to France, which was his fourth shutout loss since taking over for Bob Bradley in late July. It was the United States' first win on European soil since March 2008, when it beat Poland, 3-0, in Krakow.

The U.S. finished an up-and-down 2011 campaign—which featured a crushing loss in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final and Bradley’s dismissal—at 6-8-3. The U.S. will gather again when Klinsmann holds the program’s traditional January camp in Southern California.

Ironically, it was a switch back to Bradley’s favored 4-4-2 formation that was part of the solution Tuesday. Forward Edson Buddle joined Jozy Altidore up top, with Clint Dempsey dropping back to serve as the playmaker in a diamond-shaped midfield.

"It put more pressure on their back four, and they didn’t have time to move the ball around in the back that much,” Dempsey told ESPN. “It made them get out of their rhythm a little bit.”

Said Klinsmann: “It looked much better.”

The extra pressure on the defense created by the second forward created immediate dividends, as Buddle knocked a pass back to midfielder Fabian Johnson for a first-minute shot that forced a save from Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.

Johnson and fellow midfielder Michael Bradley, getting just his second start under Klinsmann, were active and incisive in the heavy fog at Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana.

The U.S. broke through in the ninth minute when Dempsey stole the ball from a Slovenia defender and found Buddle. The FC Ingolstadt striker hit a perfect shot from 25 yards out that glanced off the inside of the left post. It was his third goal for the U.S. and first since a June ’10 friendly against Australia.

Slovenia tied the match in the 27th through forward Tim Matavž, who plays in the Netherlands for PSV Eindhoven. The U.S. was playing a high defensive line for much of the first half and was beaten when Matavž was played through by Zlatan Ljubijankic, who scored against the U.S. at the World Cup last summer. Matavž was in alone on goalkeeper Tim Howard and scored easily.

That roused the Americans. Dempsey went just wide on a 37th-minute header that resulted from some nice buildup. He then scored in the 41st, nodding home a perfect corner kick from Bradley. The goal lifted the Fulham forward to a tie for fourth on the national team’s all-time scoring list with 24 goals.

A minute later, a slick turn from Johnson in the penalty area gave Slovenia defender Mišo Brecko little choice but to bring the American down. Altidore stepped up and converted the penalty kick.

The defensive mishaps the U.S. experienced several times during the first half became more pronounced in the second, an unfortunate factor in captain Carlos Bocanegra’s historic 100th appearance for the national team. Central defender Clarence Goodson struggled and left back Timmy Chandler was caught out of position several times. Slovenia hit the post and the crossbar and was unlucky to score just once. That goal came from Matavž in the 61st.

Klinsmann has said he’s not concerned with exhibition results, but a couple of late substitutions and the way his players battled during the final minutes suggest otherwise. Slovenia had the edge in play, but the U.S. held on for the win.

“We’d have liked to finish the game up a bit stronger than we did,” Dempsey said. “We were up against it a bit at the end, but we’re happy with the win.”
Slovenia certainly isn’t a world class team and was disappointing this year in qualifying for the 2012 European Championship, but it is a side that has advanced to two of the past three World Cups. There is some genuine attacking talent, and the goalkeeper and back four who started Tuesday were the same who faced the U.S. in South Africa.

Plus, a win in Europe is a win in Europe. Those aren’t easy to come by, and Tuesday’s victory demonstrated that with a few tweaks, this U.S. team under Klinsmann can create chances and score goals.

Note: On Tuesday, the Panamanian Football Federation announced that it will host the U.S. in an exhibition Jan. 25, which should fall at the conclusion of Klinsmann’s January camp. Neither the U.S. Soccer Federation nor FIFA lists the game on its schedule. The U.S. and Panama split two games at the Gold Cup, with the Americans overturning a first-round upset with a 1-0 win in the semifinals. Panama is set to face Honduras, Canada and Cuba in World Cup qualifying next fall.

US Soccer has announced that forward/midfielder Landon Donovan has withdrawn from the U.S. national team roster for the upcoming friendlies against France and Slovenia.

US Soccer also added that no replacement for Donovan was going to be added to the roster at this time.

Donovan has missed the three previous U.S. games against Ecuador, Honduras, and Belgium. His last international appearance was against Costa Rica in California back in September.

U.S. MNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann had planned on using Donovan against France, and then releasing him back to the Galaxy before the game with Slovenia. His absence means that Klinsmann has yet to field a team that has both Donovan and Clint Dempsey on the field at the same time.

Donovan is missing the upcoming friendlies to focus on the MLS Cup. After winning the Supporters Shield for the best regular season, the Galaxy qualified for the MLS Cup final after a 3-0 win over Real Salt Late on Sunday.

U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann called up 22 players to prepare for friendlies against France and Slovenia. The only newcomer in the squad is Alfredo Morales of German club Hertha Berlin. (more on Morales here)

The USA will face France on Nov. 11 at the Stade de France in St. Denis (TV: ESPN2, ESPN3, Univision, Univision.com, 3 pm ET). Four days later, it plays Slovenia at Stozice Stadium in Ljubljana (TV: ESPN2, ESPN3, Galavision, 1 pm ET).

Morales is eligible to play for Germany, Peru and the USA. Back in the U.S. squad are Broendly defender Clarence Goodson and Jermaine Jones, who has regained his starting job at Schalke 04. Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim) will be in camp for the first time since FIFA cleared him to play for the USA.

Five players called up for the October friendlies won't be with the USA against France and Slovenia: Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls) and Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City).??

Regarding Agudelo and Bunbury, Klinsman said, “Both right now are in a challenging position with the full team because of players ahead of them. Our thought is that if they are not in the starting lineup for us, this is a great opportunity to get an introduction with the under-23 team and to play two full games. It’s better for them than sitting on the bench, and they experience another development path by playing with the U-23s.

“It’s a good message to Juan and Teal that this is your age group, and they can now be challenged in different ways. In the senior team they measure themselves against the best as they fight against established older players. With the U-23 team, they are challenged in a different way by being two of the more experienced players in that group, and having a chance to continue to grow and mature.”

U.S. Men’s National Team Roster
Goalkeepers (2): Bill Hamid (D.C.United), Tim Howard (Everton).?Defenders (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Alfredo Morales (Hertha Berlin), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon).?Midfielders (9): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim).?Forwards (4): Jozy Altidore (AZ), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Edson Buddle (Ingolstadt), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy).

HARRISON, N.J. (Oct. 11, 2011) – The U.S. Men’s National Team fell 1-0 to Ecuador its second match in three days, falling victim to a defensive lapse in the 79th minute that resulted in a diving header goal from substitute forward Jaime Ayovi.

Jurgen Klinsmann made only one change to the starting lineup that defeated Honduras 1-0 on Oct. 8 in Miami, inserting Oguchi Onyewu in place of Michael Orozco Fiscal. The Sporting Lisbon defender had a fine game, plugging up the middle and even contributed a bit on the offensive end.

Both countries were coming off wins this past weekend as Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-0 to start its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, while the USA defeated Honduras 1-0 on a rain-drenched Saturday night in Miami, Fla.

"The team tried really hard to do what we asked them to do," said U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. "We asked them to step it up another notch after the Honduras game and I think they did that. I think we played a brilliant first half and created a lot of chances. We didn't score but we didn't allow anything for Ecuador at all.

“We had to make some changes and we also wanted to give players the possibilities to express themselves and show themselves. Ecuador in the second half got more into the game. They created some chances but never really threatened Tim Howard besides the one beautiful goal they scored.

Up next for the U.S. MNT will be a pair of friendlies scheduled from Nov. 11-15 on FIFA’s international calendar. The two matches will be played in Europe and will be announced in the near future. U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra earned his 98th cap tonight and could hit the historic 100-cap mark should he play in both November friendlies.

It was the USA that started this match on a roll, firing five shots in the first 10 minutes. Just seconds into the game, Jozy Altidore got a sliver of space in the left side of the penalty box after running under a long pass and smacked a left-footed shot from a sharp angle that Ecuadorian goalkeeper Maximo Banguera had to parry away.

In the fifth minute, right midfielder Danny Williams, playing in just his second match for the United States, made a dynamic run into the middle of the pitch, touching the ball around a defender and then playing Brek Shea on the left wing. The young U.S. midfielder had a go with his left foot and crushed a drive to the near post that Banguera once again had to push away.

Klinsmann made four changes at halftime, bringing on Jonathan Spector for veteran Steve Cherundolo at right back, Michael Bradley for Maurice Edu in the central midfield, DaMarcus Beasley for Shea on the left wing and Juan Agudelo for Altidore up top.

Ecuador’s goal came in the 79th minute off a seemingly innocuous throw-in from the left wing. The ball was played back to team captain Walter Ayovi on the sideline and crossed into the middle where his cousin Jaime Ayovi stepped in front of substitute Tim Ream to send a diving header just past Howard and into the right side of the net from eight yards away

U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report –

Match: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Ecuador
Date: Oct. 11, 2011
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J.
Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. ET
Attendance: 20,707
Weather: 65 degrees, clear

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 2-Steve Cherundolo (13-Jonathan Spector, 46), 4-Oguchi Onyewu, 5-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.) (14-Tim Ream, 72), 3-Timmy Chandler; 6-Kyle Beckerman; 7-Danny Williams (17-Edson Buddle, 65), 8-Maurice Edu (15-Michael Bradley, 46), 11-Brek Shea (16-DaMarcus Beasley, 46); 10-Clint Dempsey, 9-Jozy Altidore (18-Juan Agudelo, 46)
Subs Not Used: 12-Nick Rimando
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

ECU: 1-Maximo Banguera; 2-Eduardo Morante, 3-Fricson Erazo, 18-Gabriel Achilier, 10-Walter Ayovi; 16-Antonio Valencia (13-Cristian Suarez, 63), 8-Edison Mendez (19-Luis Saritama, 69), 14-Segundo Castillo, 9-Jefferson Montero (17-Jaime Ayovi, 60); 11-Christian Benitez (15-Jairo Campos, 90), 7-Michael Arroyo (4-Juan Carlos Paredes, 86)
Subs not used: 6-Michael Quiñonez, 12-Adrian Bone
Head coach: Reinaldo Rueda

Stats Summary: USA / ECU
Shots: 22 / 9
Shots on Goal: 8 / 4
Saves: 3 / 8
Corner Kicks: 10 / 5
Fouls: 12 / 19
Offside: 2 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Carlos Bocanegra (caution) 62nd minute
ECU – Luis Saritama (caution) 87
ECU – Jaime Ayovi (caution) 88

Officials:
Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)
Assistant Referee 1: William Torres (El Salvador)
Assistant Referee 2: Juan Zumba (El Salvador)
Fourth Official: Terry Vaughn (USA)

Clint Dempsey scored off a nifty dribble and finish in the 36th minute in the U.S. MNT victory over regional foe Honduras to give U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann his first win at the helm of the U.S. team.

The 1-0 win broke a two-game losing streak of 1-0 results for the U.S., which had lost one-goal games to Costa Rica and Belgium after playing Mexico to a 1-1 draw, all international friendlies.

Goalkeeper Tim Howard earned Budweiser Man of the Match honors, posting six saves en route to his 37th victory. With the win, Howard moves into a second-place tie with fellow New Jersey native Tony Meola on the USA’s all-time win list for goalkeepers.

“I think we saw a match that we kind of expected,” said Klinsmann. “Honduras is a strong and physical side, with surprises and technically gifted players who can score goals out of nothing. It took us a bit to get to a higher pace and the first 20 minutes were a bit too static movement-wise.

“Then we took over, created a lot more chances and I had a feeling it was just a question of time until we scored that first goal. The important thing was that we got three points because this team is hungry for success. They want to do well and get the results done right.”

The U.S. probably should have scored 2-3 more goals, as several good scoring opportunities were squandered. Honduras also had several outstanding opportunities to score, but Howard came up big time after time.

Klinsmann opened the game in a 4-1-3-2 formation with U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra, making his 97th career appearance, paired centrally with Michael Orozco Fiscal. Veteran defender Oguchi Onyewu came on for Orozco Fiscal at halftime.

German Bundesliga defenders Steve Churundolo and Tim Chandler were the outside backs. Danny Williams, a German-American like Chandler, made his U.S. debut at outside right midfield. Dempsey played up front along with Jozy Altidore.

The U.S. was without Landon Donovan, who missed the game with an injury. He will also be on the sidelines when the U.S. plays Ecuador Tuesday evening, Oct. 11, at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey.

CHICAGO (Sept. 29, 2011) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has named a squad of 22 players <http://listmanager.ussoccer.com/t/16646/2175189/2667/0/> to prepare for the upcoming friendlies against Honduras and Ecuador. The U.S. first hosts Honduras on Oct. 8 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer and Univision. Three days later, the U.S. makes its first appearance at Red Bull Arena when they welcome Ecuador to Harrison, N.J. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Bill Hamid (D.C.United), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers), Timmy Chandler (Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Oguchi Onyewu (Sporting Lisbon), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (Birmingham City)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)
FORWARDS (5): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)

“We would like to continue seeing our players develop through these initial couple of months,” said Klinsmann. “One important thing is to see continuity in the build-up of our national team and also in the way we work as coaches. We'd like to see new faces as well, but we also don't want to shake up the core structure of the team too much. The two results with Costa Rica and Belgium didn't work in our favor but we saw clearly that the team started to understand what we demand from them in terms of pace, playing style and how to play. We are definitely on the right path, and what we now need to focus on in this get together is the eagerness to finish things off up front.”

All but three of the players on the roster have been in camp since Klinsmann took the helm in August. Two-time World Cup defender Oguchi Onyewu returns to the fold, along with Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando, while Danny Williams get his first introduction into a U.S. camp. Born in Germany, the 21-year-old will be eligible to play for the United States after certifying his U.S. citizenship with the U.S. Consulate in Germany.

The U.S. and Honduras have met 17 times in the series dating back to 1965, with the U.S. collecting a 11-3-3 advantage. The teams have played several memorable matches, including the USA’s stunning 3-2 victory on Oct. 10, 2009, in San Pedro Sula that sealed their place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Four days later, the United States earned a dramatic 2-2 draw against Costa Rica that delivered Honduras a spot in South Africa.

The U.S. only holds a 2-4-4 record against Ecuador, but both wins have come in the last two meetings. After only scoring two goals in eight games (both in a 2-2 draw on Dec. 2, 1984), the U.S. finally earned their first victory against Ecuador on March 10, 2002, with a 1-0 victory in Birmingham, Ala., that saw U.S. goalkeeper and New Jersey native Tim Howard earn his first cap and first shutout. In the next match of the series, the U.S. was led by all-time leading goalscorer Landon Donovan who registered a hat trick in a 3-1 victory on March 25, 2007, in Tampa, Fla.

As part of the activities during camp, the U.S. Men’s National Team will hold public training sessions at Sun Life Stadium and Red Bull Arena. The public training session in Miami will take place Friday, Oct. 7 from 5-6 p..m., and at Red Bull Arena on Oct. 10 from 5-6 p.m. Admission to both sessions are free

Three games into the “Jurgen Klinsmann Era” of US Soccer, the U. S. Men’s National Team is still looking for its first victory.

After drawing 1-1 with rival Mexico shortly after losing to the same team 4-2 in the finals of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the U.S. has dropped 1-0 decisions to Costa Rica (Sept. 2) and to Belgium (Sept. 6).

While winning those would have been good, losing them might actually be more beneficial as it is a useful guide to the state of the national program as a new coach takes over.

In the totality of the transition, there are no short-term solutions for a long-term situation.

When Klinsmann was named Germany’s national coach in 2004, he began a process of evaluation that led him to replace some of the older players on the team with younger ones who would be key players four years in the future when Germany was to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

He drew some criticism for doing that, but remained resolute in changing the face of Germany’s national team. Those young, talented players led Germany to the 2006 World Cup semifinals and a third-place finish.

In a very short period of time, three things have become apparent with Klinsmann’s approach. He has been willing to reach out to a number of players already in the U.S. system who were not used by Bradley. He injected several younger players who had not previously been in U.S. MNT camps, and he has begun to introduce a system of play that encourages possession and patience.

In fairness to Bradley, when he replaced Bruce Arena as MNT coach in 2006, he also began a process of player evealuation that included nearly 100 players before the 2010 World Cup cycle began.

However, most of those players came from Major League Soccer. While Klinsmann will continue to include young MLS talent, which is where many of the U.S. U20s play, he has shown that he will reach out to those playing abroad.

It should be noted that in neither the game against Costa Rica nor the one in Belgium, did the U.S. have all of its key veteran players on the roster. Landon Donovan played against Costa Rica, but Clint Dempsey did not. Dempsey traveled to Belgium, Donovan did not.

The Americans dominated possession in the first half, but could not finish opportunities that would have changed the game dramatically by halftime.

Klinsmann paired veteran Carlos Bocanegra with Mexican-American Michael Orozeo Fiscal in the middle of the defense, with Edgar Castillo at left back, and Jose Torres at central midfield. All three play professionally in Mexico, and all three had less than six international caps.

He also started Robbie Rogers and Brek Shea, the two MLS players who combined for the goal that tied Mexico in Klinsmann’s first game as national coach.

Jozy Altidore was isolated up top and not productive, and was replaced in the second half by teenager Juan Agudelo, who paired with Shea, normally a wide midfielder. Donovan, the best player on the field for the U.S., was not a factor.

However, the second half disaster returned for the U.S., which has developed a frustrating pattern over the last year or so of falling behind by allowing easy goals.

Rodney Wallace, the former Universty of Maryland standout, scored a rebound 20 minutes into the second half for Costa Rica. The U.S. was behind for good!

In the closing 20 minutes the U.S. relentlessly attacked Costa Rica’s goal, but could not equalize.

The U.S. outshot Costa Rica 11-6, but only four were on goal. Four of Costa Rica’s shots were on frame.

“I nver like to lose a game, but it was a very good performance,” said Klinsmann. “I was pleased with the way the players tried to implement all the work that we did on the training field throughout the week. The players are starting to learn what it means to play your way through and keep a high tempo and a high pace..

“We tried everything to get back into the game and score our goal, but unfortunately we weren’t able to. I told the guys in the locker room that from performance point of view it was very, very positive.”

Again the U.S. found itself in a scoreless draw through halftime. This time the opposing goal came 10 minutes into the second half.

Against Belgium, playing in rainy conditions on foreign soil, Klinsmann started the same 4-3-3 formation that he had utilized four days earlier. Dempsey was slotted into a three-man center midfield alongside Torres and in front of Maurice Edu.

The U.S. showed good possession and energy for the first 20 minues or so, but began to fade. Belgium was the dominant team as the first half came to an end.

A late second-half goal by Edu, which would have tied the game, was disallowed by the assistant referee for offsides.

“I think it was an interesting game for both sides,” said Klinsmann, ever the diplomat in his post-game comments. “You saw in the first 25 minutes we had good passing movement nd we were really involved in the game. The Belgian side, with their individual class, created some good chances before halftime.

“Second half, the reaction was very positive after conceding the goal. We kept moving forward and we kept creating chances. We take a lot away from this game. Overall some very, very good points and an interesting game, I think, for everybody.”

So, the U.S. MNT under Jurgen Klinsmann is a work in progress, as it should be. Qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil does not begin until next summer.

The U.S. has games scheduled on home soil in October against Honduras and Ecuador. There are likely to be one or two more before the end of the year.

Losses are disappointing, but one must consider “the big picture.” Wins in international friendlies are not that important at this stage of the transition. Identifying the players who will play four years from now, and training them in the system is what is important.

BRUSSELS -- Belgium beat a youthful United States team 1-0 in an international friendly on Tuesday in new coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s first away match.

Nicholas Lombaerts’ half volley in the 55th minute settled a match which the Belgians dominated throughout, while the U.S. rarely threatened.

Klinsmann was looking for his first win in the friendly, following a draw at home against Mexico and a loss to Costa Rica.

He has limited time left to assemble the players who will play in the World Cup qualifiers which start next June.

“It was an interesting game for both sides,” Klinsmann said. “For the first 25 minutes the U.S. had a good passing game going, but then the individual Belgian class started to show.

“The (U.S.) players have learned a lot from the game.”
He said the match showed that the U.S. had some good players coming up right now, including Juan Agudelo, Jose Torres, Brek Shea and Timmy Chandler.

Meanwhile, Belgium’s chances of qualifying for next year’s European Championship receded after it drew against Azerbaijan on Friday. Germany has already qualified in Group A, and Turkey is ahead of the Red Devils by one point.

The U.S. team played aggressively only in the opening minutes. In the sixth minute, Clint Dempsey’s free kick was fumbled by Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. Ten minutes later U.S. playmaker Torres curled a free kick from the right just past the far post.

Although both sides found it hard going on a rain-soaked pitch, the home side looked increasingly dangerous as the match went on, repeatedly testing the U.S. defense.

In the 25th minute Timmy Simons struck a low ball from the right edge of the area, which U.S. keeper Tim Howard deflected. Seven minutes later, Dries Mertens crossed the ball into the area to an unmarked Marouane Fellaini, whose close-range shot was stopped by Howard.

Second-half substitutes Agudelo and Kyle Beckerman did little to energize the U.S. performance.

Still, the Americans had their best chance five minutes before the end, when a midfield cross found its way to Edu, who headed the ball past Mignolet. But the referee disallowed the goal because Clarence Goodson was deemed to have handled the ball inside the box.

Belgium coach Georges Leekens said the U.S. team had played well for the first 15 minutes, adding: “Then we got a grip and we really wanted to win at home after the Azarbaijan match.”

Lineups:
Belgium: Simon Mignolet, Laurent Ciman, Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Lombaerts, Timmy Simons, Eden Hazard (Marvin Ogunjimi, 61), Marouane Fellaini (Romelu Lukaku, 61), Igor De Camargo, Axel Witsel, Dries Mertens.
United States: Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Timmy Chandler, Clarence Goodson, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, Robbie Rogers (Kyle Beckerman, 46), Maurice Edu, Jozy Altidore (Juan Agudelo, 46), Jose Torres (Jeff Larentowicz, 75), Brek Shea.

CARSON, Calif. (Sept. 2, 2011) – The U.S. Men’s National Team fell to Costa Rica 1-0 on a 65th minute goal from former University of Maryland standout Rodney Wallace, who had entered the match just four minutes before scoring the game-winner.

It was a night that saw the Americans dominate possession while the Central Americans capitalized on their one legitimate scoring chance to hand U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsman his first loss at the helm of the U.S. team.

“I never like to lose a game, but it was very good performance,” said U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “I was pleased with the way the players tried to implement all the work that we did on the training field throughout the week.
“The players are starting to learn what it means to play your way through and keep a high tempo and a high pace. We have to congratulate Costa Rica. We tried everything to get back into the game and score our goal and unfortunately we weren’t able to. I told the guys in the locker room that from performance point of view it was very, very positive. “

The U.S. team will leave on Sunday evening for Brussels and the first match abroad under Klinsmann as the Americans face Belgium on Sept. 6 at King Baudouin Stadium. The match will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN3.com at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The U.S. started in an attack-minded 4-3-3 formation with Jozy Altidore as the center forward, and Robbie Rogers and Brek Shea running the flanks.

U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra was the most familiar face in an otherwise young backline, while Michael Orozco Fiscal, Edgar Castillo and Timmy Chandler all earned the third caps of their career. Chandler was playing in his first match since April 1 against Paraguay and got the nod at right back where he got forward with great effectiveness in the early going.

The three-man center midfield featured Maurice Edu sitting deeper behind Jose Torres and Landon Donovan. The trio went the entire 90 minutes and orchestrated numerous high-paced, high-quality and dangerous passing sequences throughout the match, but credit goes to an organized Costa Rican defense that consistently got numbers behind the ball.

In the 22nd minute a Costa Rica handball gave the USA a free kick from 26 yards out just a tad to the left of center. With Torres also standing over the ball, Donovan elected to go at it with his right foot but he bent his shot just over the crossbar at the left upper corner.

In the 27th minute another crisp passing sequence sprung Donovan down the right wing and he played a long square pass to Altidore making a run towards the top of the penalty area. The big U.S. forward’s excellent first touch beat two defenders and took him into the box, but Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas was quick off his line to smother.

In the 54th minute the USA put the ball in the back of the net after Rogers and Altidore carved out an expertly worked give-and-go, but the goal was not allowed and was correctly called back after Altidore was adjudged to be offside.

Costa Rica’s goal came after forward Alvaro Saborio timed his run perfectly to get behind the U.S. back line. The pass took him into the right side of the penalty area, and with the U.S. defenders scrambling to recover he served a hard cross on the ground towards the penalty spot.

The onrushing Michael Barrantes struck a hard first-time shot and Howard made a great reaction save, sticking out his arm to knock the ball down, but the rebound fell right to Wallace. The substitute came flying in to send a diving header on frame from inside the six yard box, which Howard got a piece of but could only redirect it into the roof of the net.

The U.S. pushed hard for the equalizer for the rest of the match, but struggled to turn some excellent possession into dangerous shots while the visitors were more than content to drop back and protect the lead. Shea was a willing runner on the left wing, using his pace to unsettle Costa Rica and continually send dangerous balls into the area.

- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report –
•
Match: USA vs. Costa Rica
Date: Sept. 2, 2011
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: The HomeDepotCenter
Kickoff: 8 p.m. PT
Attendance: 15,798
Weather: Cool, clear – 63 degrees

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 0 0

Costa Rica 0 1 1CRC – Rodney Wallace (Michael Barrantes) 65th minute

Lineups:
USA : 1-Tim Howard; 2-Timmy Chandler, 4-Michael Orozco Fiscal, 5-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 3-Edgar Castillo; 6-Maurice Edu, 10-Landon Donovan, 8-Jose Torres; 7-Robbie Rogers (16-Sacha Kljestan, 66), 9-Jozy Altidore (18-Juan Agudelo , 63), 11-Brek Shea
Subs not used: 12-Bill Hamid, 13-Clarence Goodson, 14-Jonathan Spector, 15-Jeff Larentowicz, 17-Tim Ream
Head Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann
CRC : 1-Keylor Navas; 19-Carlos Johnson (3-Jose Salvatierra, 82), 4-Michael Umaña, 20-Jhonny Acosta, 15-Roy Miller; 17-Josue Martínez (22-Daniel Colindres, 46), 11-Michael Barrantes (5-Jose Mena, 87), 14-Randall Azofeifa (capt.), 25-Álvaro Sanchez (16-Kareem Mclean, 79); 9-Alvaro Saborio 10-Randall Brenes (12-Rodney Wallace, 61)
Subs not used: 18-Leonel Moreira, 23-Danny Carvajal; 6-Christopher Meneses, 2-Roy Smith, 24-Allen Guevara, 8-David Guzmán, 21-Winston Parks
Head coach: Ronald Gonzalez

Stats Summary: USA / CRC
Shots: 11 / 6
Shots on Goal: 4 / 5
Saves: 4 / 4
Corner Kicks: 4 / 1
Fouls: 12 / 27
Offside: 5 / 6

Misconduct Summary:
CRC – Josue Martínez (caution) 29th minute
USA – Landon Donovan (caution) 58
CRC – Roy Miller (caution) 73
USA – Brek Shea (caution) 78
USA – Sacha Kljestan (caution) 79
CRC -- Jhonny Acosta (caution) 90+1

Budweiser Man of the Match: Jose Torres

The U.S. Men’s National Team will host Honduras in an international friendly on Saturday, Oct. 8, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. Kickoff for the USA’s first match in South Florida since 2004 is set for 6 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on FOX Soccer and Univision.

The match falls on an international fixture date, which gives U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann the opportunity to call in a full complement of players.

“Honduras is a team that we may see in World Cup qualifying, so this is a very good opportunity for our players,” said Klinsmann. “Honduras is a skillful team, and you could see their quality in the last World Cup. These are important experiences for our team as we prepare for next summer.”

The U.S. holds an 11-3-3 advantage in the series dating back to 1965. The teams have played several memorable matches, including the USA’s stunning 3-2 victory on Oct. 10, 2009, in San Pedro Sula that sealed their place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Four days later, the United States earned a dramatic 2-2 draw against Costa Rica that delivered Honduras a spot in South Africa.

Honduras has twice qualified for the World Cup, and remains one of the strongest teams in the region. The Catrachos were semifinalists in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, losing out to eventual champions Mexico.

The U.S. returns to South Florida for the first time since 2004 and makes their first appearance at Sun Life Stadium since Feb. 21, 1998, a 2-0 loss to Holland. Holding a 3-10-4 record in Miami, the USA’s last visit resulted in a 1-1 draw on March 13, 2004, against Haiti.

The U.S. Men’s National Team will play a pair of friendlies on the international fixture dates in September, hosting Costa Rica on Sept. at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., before traveling to face Belgium on Sept. 6 in Brussels. Kickoff on Sept. 2 at the National Training Center is set for 8 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Galavision. Four days later, coverage from King Baudouin Stadium begins at 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) on ESPN and ESPN3.com.

D.C. United midfielder Chris Pontius and Birmingham City defender/midfielder Jonathan Spector have been called into the U.S. men's national team training camp as injury replacements for Heath Pearce and Zach Loyd, U.S. Soccer announced on Friday.

Pontius and Spector took part in this week's U.S. training camp ahead of the team's upcoming friendlies against Costa Rica on Friday in Carson, Cal., and Belgium in Brussels on Wednesday, Sept. 6th.

Pontius is enjoy a stellar season for D.C. United as a goal-scoring left winger while Spector brings his usual versatility and skill to the U.S. squad.
Pearce suffered a hamstring injury in Chivas USA's loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday while Loyd has been carrying a knock for some time that he was unable to overcome.

In other USMNT camp developments, Clint Dempsey will join the U.S. team in Belgium for the second friendly and will not be joining the team in camp in California, thereby skipping the Costa Rica friendly.

German-born midfielder/defender Fabian Johnson was one of the more intriguing call-ups by Jurgen Klinsmann for the U.S. men's national team's upcoming training camp, but he won't be playing in the team's friendlies against Costa Rica and Belgium.

U.S. Soccer has announced that Johnson is not eligible to play in the upcoming friendlies while his paperwork to switch from Germany to the United States is processed.

Johnson played with Germany's youth national team set-up, and must therefore have his switch to the U.S. national team approved by FIFA. Klinsmann was aware of this when he called Johnson into camp, but wanted the Hoffenheim standout to take part in a camp anyway so he could spend time with the team.

The U.S. Men’s National Team tied Mexico 1-1 at Lincoln Financial Field in the first game under newly appointed head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Mexico scored in the 17th minute through Oribe Peralta, but three substitutes combined for a Robbie Rogers goal in the 73rd minute to earn the Americans the tie in the regional rivals’ first friendly match since 2008.

“I think we saw a real interesting game, and especially in the second half, a very exciting game,” said Klinsmann. “It was an amazing learning process the players went through in just 90 minutes.

“We gave them the task to move step-by-step more forward and get more confident the longer they were in the game and put Mexico under pressure. That’s what we saw in the last half hour where I think the players felt more and more confident.

“All of their defensive tasks were kind of under control and they challenged that Mexican side, which as I said before the game is a very, very good team that we have a lot of respect for.”

The match started with tremendous pace and Mexico earned most of the possession, but an organized U.S. defense kept the Mexicans from turning that advantage into dangerous chances, a theme which held up through the entire match.

Klinsmann started two highly experienced veterans in defense – Steve Cherundolo and captain Carlos Bocanegra (combined 165 caps coming into the match) – along with two young defenders in Edgar Castillo (who made his first start for the USA) and Michael Orozco Fiscal. The two had a combined two caps entering the match.

The quartet, aided by defensive midfielders Jermaine Jones (until he gave way to Brek Shea in the 60th minute) and Kyle Beckerman, locked down the USA’s defensive third for most of the match. Aside from the goal, Mexico fired almost every shot from distance and did little to trouble Tim Howard.

The USA started the game in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Edson Buddle making his first appearance in a year as the lone striker while Jose Torres and Landon Donovan ran the flanks.

The USA’s best chance of the first half came six minutes into the game. Donovan got free on the right wing and bent a cross into the middle where a sliding Jones arrived a second too late to get a foot on the ball as it skipped tantalizingly through the penalty area.

Mexico’s goal came after Bocanegra did well to slide and block a cross from Antonio “Sinha“ Naelson deep in the right side of U.S. penalty box. The ball ricocheted out for a corner kick, which Mexico took short and quickly to Andres Guardado.

The Mexican midfielder then struck a powerfully driven cross from just outside the penalty area on the right wing. Peralta was tightly marked by Michael Bradley but somehow wrapped his right foot around the U.S. midfielder to re-direct the ball in the air and into the left corner from seven yards out, spinning his shot just inside the post.

The USA did not take its first shot until the cusp of the 57th minute as a Donovan corner kick found Bocanegra’s head just outside the six-yard box. The second-most prolific goal scoring defender in U.S. history powered a header at frame. It was struck hard enough that it would have certainly gone in had it been directed anywhere but right at Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who parried the shot back into the middle. Buddle looked to have a chance to swing at the ball, but the quick rebound caught him off guard and the ball was cleared out of danger.

The U.S. defended in numbers to stymie the Mexican attack but didn’t start to exert its own attacking personality until about the last 20 minutes. Truth be told, the teams created just one truly dangerous chance each through about the first 70 minutes, but the end of the game belonged to the Americans.

Klinsmann made his first two changes in the 60th minute, replacing Jones with Shea, who earned just his third cap, and sending 18-year-old Juan Agudelo on for Buddle. Shea moved to the left flank while Torres moved into the middle. Both youngsters immediately injected some verve into the U.S. attack.

Agudelo shot high in the 61st minute and then latched onto a nice pass from Donovan inside the penalty area in the 73rd minute but couldn’t get his shot off as he was bundled down by the Mexican defense.

Rogers would come on in the 72nd minute for Michael Bradley, and one minute later Shea and Agugelo combined to set him up for his second career national team goal.

The USA earned a throw-in on the left flank and it was taken quickly by Castillo to Agudelo, who was almost on the end line. Agudelo touched the ball back to the charging Shea, who shrugged off the challenge of Israel Castro, burst to the end line, and then sent a pass on the ground through the six-yard box that evaded the diving Ochoa at the near post. The cross rolled right into the path of the totally unmarked Rogers at the far post, and he tapped in from four yards out.

The goal energized the U.S., and seconds later Torres had a crack from 23 yards out but curled his chance wide right of the goal.

In the 77th minute Donovan raced into the penalty area from the left wing after a long dribbling run and was taken down in the box, but the USA’s shout for a penalty kick went unheeded.

Rogers had another chance in the 81st minute but fired high after a blocked pass high rolled to him at the top of the penalty area. One minute later, the USA was away on a counter and Donovan fed Shea into the left side of the penalty area, giving him a good look at the Mexican net.

The 21-year-old Shea fired a shot with his preferred left foot that seemed headed into the lower right corner, but Ochoa managed to stab the ball with a dive to his left.

The drama was not over, however, as with about five minutes left in regulation Agudelo sprung Rogers on a breakaway. As Rogers burst into the open, Mexican defender Gerardo Torrado took him down, first stepping on his ankle while tugging him to the ground by his jersey. Torrado amazingly escaped being sent off as the card that Jamaican referee Raymond Bogle produced was yellow, not red.

The USA then created a flurry of attacks in stoppage time that led to several shots and an exciting last few minutes, but in the end had to settle for the draw against a Mexican team that featured almost all of its players from its CONCACAF Gold Cup Final victory over the USA about seven weeks ago.

“I think now we can be very satisfied with that performance,” said Klinsmann. “It’s great to see some young players stepping into this team and being guided by the experienced ones. It was really enjoyable to see how they then kind of expressed themselves. This is what we want in this team. We want them to express themselves and have fun, and I think that’s what we saw.”

With the draw, the U.S. maintained its perfect record at Lincoln Financial Field, now boasting a 3-0-1 all-time record.

Klinsmann, the 35th head coach in Men's National Team history, earned a draw in his first match at the helm of the program less than two weeks after being hired. His starting lineup featured six players with 12 caps or fewer: Castillo, Orozco Fiscal, Beckerman, Jones, Buddle, and Torres.

Three players who featured for the USA -- Castillo, Orozco Fiscal and Torres – play for professional clubs in Mexico, and the match saw the only two men ever to play for both Mexico and the USA at Lincoln Financial Field tonight. One is Castillo, who played several times for Mexico before choosing to represent the USA, and the other is U.S. assistant coach Martin Vasquez.

Ricardo Clark and Torres made their first appearances for the USA since the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. For Torres, who holds both U.S. and Mexican passports but chose to represent the United States, this was his first match against Mexico at the international level.

Match: USA vs. Mexico
Date: Aug. 10, 2011
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Attendance: 30,138
Weather: Clear and warm, 80 degrees

MEX – Oribe Peralta (Andres Guardado) 17th minute
USA – Robbie Rogers (Brek Shea) 73

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 6-Steve Cherundolo, 5-Michael Orozco Fiscal, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 2-Edgar Castillo; 7-Kyle Beckerman 4-Michael Bradley (16-Robbie Rogers, 72), 8-Jermaine Jones (17-Brek Shea, 60) ,10-Landon Donovan, 11-Jose Torres (15-Ricardo Clark, 84); 9-Edson Buddle (18-Juan Agudelo, 60)
Subs not used: 12-Bill Hamid, 13-Zach Lloyd, 14-Heath Pearce
Head Coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

MEX: 1-Guillermo Ochoa, 16-Efrain Juarez (22- Paul Aguilar, 75), 4-Rafael Marquez (2-Francisco Javier Rodriguez, 69), 15-Hector Moreno, 3-Carlos Salcido; 7- Pablo Barrera (21-Christian Bermudez, 72), 6-Gerardo Torrado, 17-Antonio Naelson (10-Giovani dos Santos, 55), 8-Israel Castro, 18-Andres Guardado; 19-Oribe Peralta (9-Omar Arellano, 62)
Subs not used: 11-Javier Aquino, 12- Alfredo Talavera, 13-Jesus Zavala, 20-Jorge Torres Nilo
Head coach: Jose Manuel de la Torre

Stats Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 6 / 7
Shots on Goal: 3 / 1
Saves: 0 / 2
Corner Kicks: 2 / 4
Fouls: 8 / 16
Offside: 0 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
MEX – Efrain Juarez (caution) 42nd minute
MEX – Rafael Marquez (caution) 67
MEX – Gerardo Torrado (caution) 86

New U.S. coach Juergen Klinsmann has released a 22-player roster for the United States international against Mexico in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

The roster includes seven players players from Major League Soccer. Six are playing professionally in Germany, including defender Tim Chandler, and four are playing professionally in Mexico.

The rookie on the roster is D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who has yet to earn his first national team cap. He will backup U.S. starter Tim Howard.

The only uncapped player is 20-year-old D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who will serve as understudy to veteran Tim Howard.

DaMarcus Beasley, who played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and is trying to revive his career with Mexico's Puebla after spending last season on Hannover 96's bench, gets his first call-up since before the 2010 World Cup.

Three players called up by Klinsmann who had fallen off consideratioin by former U.S. Coach Bob Bradley are Mexican-Americans Jose Torres, Edgar Castillo and Michael Orozco. Torres had not been called in since playing 45 minutes at the 2010 World Cup. Castillo (as a second-half sub in 2009 vs. Denmark) and Orozco (90 minutes vs. Trinidad & Tobago in 2008) played one game under Bradley.

The six German-based players include Michael Bradley, the son of former U.S. coach Bob Bradley, and two German-raised players, Chandler and
Jermaine Jones, who both made their U.S. debuts under Bob Bradley.

"One of the goals of the roster for this game and moving forward is to create competition at each position," said Klinsmann. "There are many players who are established as well as many players who will get opportunities, and we want there to be a healthy contest for spots on the roster. We will get a good look at where each player is as quickly as we can during the short time in camp, and we will finish with an exciting game against Mexico."

GOALKEEPERS
Bill Hamid (D.C. United) 0 caps/0 goals
Tim Howard (Everton/ENG) 65/0

DEFENDERS
Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne/FRA) 93/12
Edgar Castillo (Club America/MEX) 1/0
Timmy Chandler (FC Nuremberg/GER) 2/0
Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96/GER) 72/2
Clarence Goodson (Brondby/DEN) 24/3
Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis/MEX) 1/0
Heath Pearce (Chivas USA) 33/0
Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls) 6/0

MIDFIELDERS
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) 12/1
Michael Bradley (Borussia M’gladbach/GER) 59/9
Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER) 31/2
Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers/SCO) 25/1
Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04/GER) 11/1
Brek Shea (FC Dallas) 2/0
Jose Torres (Pachuca/MEX) 11/0

FORWARDS
Freddy Adu (Benfica/POR) 17/2
Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls) 10/2
DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla/MEX) 93/17
Edson Buddle (FC Ingolstadt/GER) 6/2
Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) 136/46

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati has named Jürgen Klinsmann as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, making him the 35th coach in the history of the program.

“We are excited to have Jürgen as the head coach of our Men’s National Team,” said Gulati. “He is a highly accomplished player and coach with the experience and knowledge to advance the program. Jürgen has had success in many different areas of the game and we look forward to the leadership he will provide on and off the field.”

Klinsmann’s first match in charge of the U.S. National Team will be against Mexico on Aug. 10 in Philadelphia. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Univision. In addition, Univision will air a live pre-game show beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.

“I am proud and honored to be named the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team,” said Klinsmann. “I would like to thank the U.S. Soccer Federation for the opportunity, and I’m excited about the challenge ahead. I am looking forward to bringing the team together for our upcoming match against Mexico and starting on the road toward qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.”

Klinsmann has been involved in soccer almost his entire life as a player, coach, television analyst and consultant. As a player, Klinsmann was one of the game’s premier forwards and enjoyed a 17-year career that included stints in four major European leagues for a number of clubs, including VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich. One of the most well-known international players of all-time, he earned 108 appearances for Germany and scored 47 goals while helping the team win the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy and the 1996 European Championship.

After retiring from professional soccer following the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Klinsmann moved into different areas of the sport. He also moved to the United States with his wife, Debbie, and they currently reside in California with their two children, Jonathan and Laila.

In July of 2004, Klinsmann was named manager of the German National Team. He guided Germany to a 20-8-6 record and a third place finish in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, earning him Coach of the Year honors in Germany. Despite stepping aside as Germany’s manager after the World Cup, he left a foundation for ongoing success, including the core of the German National Team coaching staff and players.

Two years later, Klinsmann took over the head coaching position at Bayern Munich. Under his guidance, Bayern reached the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League, losing to eventual champion Barcelona. Overall, his record with Bayern from 2008-09 in all competitions was 25-9-9.

After the match against Mexico, the U.S. will play a pair of friendlies in September, hosting Costa Rica on Sept. 2 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., before traveling to face Belgium on Sept. 6 in Brussels. Kickoff on Sept. 2 at the National Training Center is set for 8 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3.com and Galavision.

In as move that many felt would be made after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati has announced that Bob Bradley has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Bradley’s contract was due to expire following last year’s World Cup, but he was given a new four-year extension. However, concerns about whether the U.S. MNT program had grown stale were underlined with the U..S. loss to Mexico in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup title match. The U.S. took a 2-0 lead in that game, only to watch Mexico score four unanswered goals for the victory.

“We want to thank Bob Bradley for his service and dedication to U.S. Soccer during the past five years,” said Gulati. “During his time as the head coach of our Men’s National Team he led the team to a number of accomplishments, but we felt now was the right time for us to make a change. It is always hard to make these decisions, especially when it involves someone we respect as much as Bob. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

This announcement comes after a meeting at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., between Gulati, Bradley and U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn.

Bradley was named the head coach of the U.S. MNT in January of 2007 and during his five-year tenure compiled a 43-25-12 record. He led the team to a number of accomplishments, including winning the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, finishing second in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, winning their World Cup qualifying group and advancing to the Round of 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The U.S. took an early 2-0 lead and then watched Mexico scored four unanswered goals to win the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup championship before a crowd of over 90,000 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.

Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan scored the two U.S. goals. Freddy Adu, getting his first U.S. MNT start in three years, had a hand in setting up both goals.

Mexico tied the game at 2-2 before halftime. Mexico owned the second half. It was the second consecutive Gold Cup title for Mexico, and sixth overall.

Pablo Barrera, who scored twice in the game, got the game winner five minutes into the second half.

With the win Mexico earned CONCACAF’s berth in the 2013 FIFA Confvederations Cup in Brazil, a preview of the 2014 World Cup.

The loss was a bitter result for the U.S. which struggled in group play, losing to Panama for the team’s first-ever loss in Gold Cup group play. However, the Americans reached the final with a 1-0 win over Jamaica in the quarterfinals and by beating Panama in a semifinal rematch.

The U.S. Men’s National Team lost their first-ever match in CONCACAF Gold Cup group play on Saturday night with a 2-1 loss to Panama at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla.

The loss, which was also the first against Panama, puts the U.S. in second place with one match left to play in Group C action.

The U.S. takes on Guadeloupe on Tuesday, June 14 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. Kickoff for the match is 9 p.m. EDT (broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and TeleFutura).

The U.S. can clinch a spot in the quarterfinals with a victory against Guadeloupe because no other team could finish in third place in Group A or B with six points. However, there are scenarios that could have the U.S. finish in any of the four positions in the group. The U.S. could also finish as high as second in the group with a draw or even a loss, depending on the match earlier in the evening between Panama and Canada.

There are also scenarios where the U.S. ties or loses against Guadeloupe and finishes third in the group, but still advances. Those scenarios are dependent on results in Group A and B matches involving the current third and fourth place teams.

With the loss, the U.S. unbeaten record in Gold Cup group play ended at 27 games and now stands at 24-1-2 all-time. The U.S’s record against Panama now stands at 6-1-2 all-time.

“On the night we weren’t good enough. In the game we had the ball early and a chance to gain control,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “Panama did a good job defending, and as we’re trying to open them and find spaces, we allow them the first goal. At that point their game plan becomes stronger. We still have the same approach, but the second goal makes it hard. In the second half we put a lot into it. We had some good chances, but nonetheless we weren’t sharp enough in the areas that mattered.”

Bradley selected the same starting line-up as the team’s opening match and early on it appeared the U.S. might again take the lead when Dempsey nearly finished in the eighth minute. Starting with a throw-in deep in Panama’s defensive half, Jozy Altidore challenged three defenders and the ball deflected away from goal towards Dempsey, who pounced on the loose ball and hit a one-time volley from 17 yards out that flew just wide.

U.S. midfielder Jermaine Jones had an attempt from 35 yards out that went over the bar a few minutes later, but it was a foul called against him on the defensive end that eventually led to Panama’s first goal in the 19th minute. Panama’s free kick was blocked by the U.S. wall, but the ball deflected back to Gabriel Gomez, who sent a perfectly placed pass to the far post, where Eduardo Dasent had lost his marker, Carlos Bocanegra. Crashing in towards goal, Dasent bent down to head the ball on goal from the right corner of the six-yard box, but Howard was up to the challenge with a low reaction save to his right. With the ball loose inside the box, Goodson tried to get a foot to it, but Tejada got there instead and was able to direct it over the goal line from five yards out.

After going down a goal, the U.S. peppered Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo for the next 10 minutes but weren’t able to find the equalizer. After an attempt by Agudelo was easily saved by Penedo, Dempsey made things more difficult with a dipping shot from 25 yards out that forced the ‘keeper into a diving save.

Landon Donovan, who set the U.S. and CONCACAF record for the most all-time Gold Cup appearances with 24, provided a number of dangerous crosses into the penalty area from free kicks and corners. In the 26th minute, Dempsey got his head to a Donovan free kick but couldn’t get enough on it to trouble Penedo and two minutes later Goodson’s header off a corner went wide right.

Donovan had his own chance in the 30th minute when he ripped a volley from 22 yards out, but it was straight to Penedo.

While it was the U.S. pressing, Panama was able to increase their lead when defender Tim Ream was whistled for a foul on Blas Perez while trying to clear the ball near the edge of the penalty area. Referee Marco Rodriguez quickly pointed to the spot for a penalty kick and Gomez stepped up and drilled his shot high and right up the middle of the goal past a diving Howard.

Down two goals, the U.S. struggled to regain any momentum and remained on the defensive early in the second half. In the 60th minute, Bradley made his first two substitutions in the game, brining Sacha Kljestan in for Jones and Alejandro Bedoya for Agudelo. While staying in a 4-4-2, Bedoya took over the left midfield position as Dempsey moved up front with Jozy Altidore.

In the 64th minute, it looked as if the U.S. was going to earn a penalty kick when Bedoya appeared to be brought down in the box by Penedo after chasing down a well-placed through ball by Donovan. Instead, Rodriguez gave a yellow card to Bedoya for diving.

Despite not getting the penalty, the U.S. continued to push forward and finally broke through three minutes later off a Donovan corner kick. Michael Bradley flicked the ball to the back post where Goodson laid out to finish from five yards into the open net. The goal was the third of Goodson’s career and his second in Gold Cup competition, with his first coming against Honduras in the 2009 semifinal.

Bradley made his last substitution in the 78th minute, bringing on forward Chris Wondolowski for Goodson and changing to a 3-4-3 in an attempt to find the equalizer.

Three minutes later, it looked as if Bradley’s tactical move would pay dividends when the U.S. put together the best passing sequence of the night. Starting deep in their defensive half, the U.S. quickly moved up the field, starting along the left sideline before switching it to the left where Donovan dribbled toward the penalty area. He slipped the ball into the box for Altidore, who got around his defender and was able to put in a cross for a wide-open Wondolowski in front of goal, but the forward’s touch failed him and he skied the ball over the goal from four yards out.

The U.S. created their next great opportunity in the 90th minute with another impressive build-up. Donovan crossed the ball from the right flank to Kljestan at the top left corner of the penalty area and the midfielder quickly found Bedoya to his right. Bedoya touched the ball inside the box to Wondolowski and he touched it back for a streaking Bradley who hit a one-timer that screamed past the right post.

A minute later, Dempsey connected well on a header from seven yards out that looked destined for the upper right corner, but a sprawling save from Penedo kept it out.

The final chance came in the 92nd minute when a cross in by Steve Cherundolo deflected off Dempsey and fell to the feet of Donovan, but his one-time volley hit the outside of the side netting.

The U.S. is seeking their fifth Gold Cup title and first since 2007 when they defeated Mexico 2-1 in the final in Chicago. The winner of this year’s tournament earns a berth in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

-- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report --

Match: USA vs. Panama
Date: June 11, 2011
Competition: 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup; Group C
Venue: Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Attendance: 27,731
Weather: 85 degrees, warm

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
PAN 2 0 2

Scoring:
PAN – Luis Tejada 19th minute
PAN – Gabriel Gómez (penalty kick) 36
USA –Clarence Goodson (Michael Bradley) 68

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 6-Steve Cherundolo, 21-Clarence Goodson (11-Chris Wondolowski, 78), 15-Tim Ream, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.); 8-Clint Dempsey, 4-Michael Bradley, 13-Jermaine Jones (16-Sacha Kljestan, 60), 10-Landon Donovan; 17-Jozy Altidore, 9-Juan Agudelo (22-Alejandro Bedoya, 61)
Subs not used: 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 7-Maurice Edu, 14-Eric Lichaj, 23-Marcus Hahnemann
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

PAN: 1-Jaime Penedo; 5-Román Torres, 14-Eduardo Dasent, 17-Luis Henríquez, 23-Felipe Baloy (capt.); 6-Gabriel Gómez, 10-Nelson Barahona (8-Gabriel Torres, 70), 11-Armando Cooper (19-Alberto Quintero, 84), 21-Amilcar Henríquez; 7-Blas Pérez, 18-Luis Tejada (22-Eybir Bonaga, 81)
Subs not used: 3-Harold Cummings, 12-Luis Mejía, 15-Eric Davis, 16-Luis Renteria
Head Coach: Julio Dely Valdes

Stats Summary: USA / PAN
Shots: 20 / 12
Shots on goal: 4 / 5
Saves: 2 / 6
Corner Kicks: 7 / 2
Fouls: 18 / 17
Offside: 0 / 2

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Jermaine Jones (caution) 18th minute
PAN – Armando Cooper (caution) 25
USA – Jozy Altidore (caution) 25
USA – Clarence Goodson (caution) 56
USA – Alejandro Bedoya (caution) 64
PAN – Jaime Penedo (caution) 90+2
USA – Carlos Bocanegra (caution) 90+3

Officials:
Referee: Marco Rodríguez (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Jose Luis Camargo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Alberto Morín (MEX)
Fourth Official: Jeffrey Solis (CRC)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (June 4, 2011) – The U.S. Men’s National Team fell to current FIFA World Cup Champion Spain 4-0 on Saturday night in front of a record crowd of 64,121 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Balancing the amount of time his players would receive against Spain with the more important opening match of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup just three days away, U.S. head coach Bob Bradley utilized an inexperienced line-up and the current FIFA World Cup Champion was able to capitalize.

In a span of less than 15 minutes in the first half, Spain was able to take a three-goal lead that they would only add to in the second half. Santiago Carzola notched two of the first three, bookending his around a finish by Alvaro Negredo. Fernando Torres finished the day off with his own strike in the 73rd minute. Spain improved their record to 57-4-4 since November 2006.

The U.S. players and staff left for the airport directly after the match to travel to Detroit in preparation of their Group C opener on Tuesday, June 7, against Canada in the Gold Cup. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. ET at Ford Field and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer.

“Spain is a great team,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “It’s a tough test to play against them at any time and it becomes an even tougher on the eve of the Gold Cup. We’ve always chosen to take these challenges and we want to play against the best teams because It’s what the game at the highest level is all about. It’s the best way for our team to improve. Hopefully there are things that we can take from this game that will not only help us during the next three weeks but things that we can take that will help us as we move forward again."

Adding to the challenge of facing one of the best teams in the world, Landon Donovan, the USA’s all-time leading scorer, was deemed unavailable due to an illness hours before the match. Resting players for the Gold Cup, Carlos Bocanegra was not named to the game day roster, while Clint Dempsey and Steve Cherundolo started on the bench, leaving goalkeeper Tim Howard, who wore the captain’s armband, and Oguchi Onyewu as by far the most experienced veterans in the starting line-up.

The young and inexperienced U.S. was outmatched early in front of 64,121 fans, the largest crowd to watch the U.S. MNT in the State of Massachusetts and throughout the New England area. Wearing their red jersey for the third game in a row, the U.S. had little possession and trouble tracking Spain’s attacking players.

After knocking on the door a few times, Spain broke through with a classy finish in the 28th minute. After a nice give and go, David Silva slipped into the left side of the penalty area and cut back against defender Jonathan Spector to buy some space and time. He slipped the ball back toward the top of the penalty area to a streaking Cazola who hit a left-footed strike into the upper-left corner past a helpless Howard.

Four minutes later, Spain doubled their lead, this time striking in a much more direct fashion. With the ball in the center circle, Xabi Alonso lofted a pass down the middle of the field for Negredo who sliced in behind Tim Ream and took a couple touches before finishing past Howard with a calm left-footed strike from 12 yards out.

A minute later, Spain scored their final goal of the half and put the game virtually out of reach. Working down the left flank, the ball was slipped into the path of a streaking Silva along the edge of the penalty area. Silva took a touch before sending the ball across the face of the goal where David Villa missed his attempt but an unmarked Carzorla was darting into the box and had an easy left-footed finish from the penalty spot.

The U.S. will seek its fifth confederation championship title when they compete in the 2011 Gold Cup. After their first match against Canada, the team travels south to face Panama on June 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., before rounding out group play against Guadeloupe on June 14 at the brand new LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. CT. Both games will be live on Fox Soccer.

-- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report --

Match-up: USA vs. SpainDate: June 4, 2011
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, Mass.
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. ET
Attendance: 64,121
Weather: 64 degrees; sunny

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 0 0
ESP 3 1 4

Scoring:
ESP – Santiago Cazorla (David Silva) 28th minute
ESP – Álvaro Negredo (Xabi Alonso) 32
ESP – Santiago Cazorla (David Silva) 41
ESP – Fernand Torres (Borja Valero) 73

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard (capt.); 2-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu (21-Clarence Goodson, 46), 15-Tim Ream, 14-Eric Lichaj; 16-Sacha Kljestan, 13-Jermaine Jones (4-Michael Bradley, 46), 7-Maurice Edu (6-Steve Cherundolo, 46), 19-Robbie Rogers (8-Clint Dempsey, 46); 17-Jozy Altidore (11-Chris Wondolowski, 46), 9-Juan Agudelo (22-Alejandro Bedoya, 65)
Subsnot used: 23-Marcus Hahnemann
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

ESP: 23-Pepe Reina (1-Iker Casillas, 76); 15-Sergio Ramos (11-Joan Capdevila, 65), 3-Gerard Piqué, 2-Raúl Albiol, 17-Álvaro Arbeloa; 16-Sergio Busquets (8-Bruno Soriano, 46), 7-David Villa (6-Andrés Iniesta, 46), 14-Xabi Alonso (capt.), 20-Santiago Cazorla; 21-David Silva (10-Borja Valero, 65), 22-Álvaro Negredo (9-Fernando Torres, 46)
Subs not used: 4-Carlos Marchena, 5-Andoni Iraola, 12-Victor Valdés, 18-Pedro Rodríguez, 19-Fernando Llorente 24-Manu del Moral
Head Coach: Vicente del Bosque

Stats Summary: USA / ESP
Shots: 6 / 20
Shots on Goal: 1 / 8
Saves: 2 / 1
Corner Kicks: 2 / 3
Fouls: 11 / 9
Offside: 1 / 4

Budweiser Man of the Match: Clint Dempsey

Freddy Adu has been selected to the U.S. roster for next month's Gold Cup as well as a June 4 exhibition against World Cup champion Spain, the first time in two years he's been selected.

The 21-year-old midfielder has struggled to fulfill the potential he showed when he joined D.C. United at age 14, being left off the World Cup team last summer. But he's gotten regular playing time at Rizespor in Turkey.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley's 23-man roster is heavy on veterans, including Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Jozy Altidore and captain Carlos Bocanegra. He also chose up-and-comers Juan Agudelo, Eric Lichaj and Tim Ream for the all-important Gold Cup, soccer's championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The USA will begin Group C play on June 7 against Canada at Ford Field in Detroit at 8 p.m. ET. Group play continues June 11 against Panama at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. ET.

The group stage will end for the U.S. on June 14 against Guadeloupe at 8 p.m. CT at the newly christened LIVESTRONG Park in Kansas City, Kan.

The team will begin gathering for training May 26 in Cary, N.C. Players who are still involved in league competition will join camp following their weekend matches.

“We have said since the start of the new cycle that winning the Gold Cup this year is a top priority, and that was our focus as we built this roster,” said Bradley. “We have a very experienced group, and we know that in a tournament like this all 23 players will need to contribute in order for us to be successful.”

The U.S. roster is packed with experience, returning 14 players from the squad that won its group at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. There are 11 players on the roster with a Gold Cup title to their credit, with Landon Donovan a three-time winner. Donovan, who is the USA’s all-time leader in Gold Cup scoring with 12 career goals, is one appearance shy of tying Kasey Keller (23) for the most ever by a U.S. player. Carlos Bocanegra, who has captained the United States since 2007, Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu have each collected a pair of championships. At the other end of the spectrum, nine players will be playing in their first Gold Cup finals.

Sixteen players on the roster are plying their trade overseas. Tim Howard backstops the U.S. defense, carrying 58 caps and 20 career shutouts into this summer. He earned Man of the Match honors in the USA’s 2-0 win against Spain in the semifinal of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, ending their 35-match unbeaten run. In central defense, Clarence Goodson joins Bocanegra and Onyewu, the Brondy-based defender appearing in his second Gold Cup after scoring the game-winner in the 2009 semifinal against Honduras. Steve Cherundolo makes his debut for the U.S. in 2011, having captained Hannover to a fourth-place finish in the Bundesliga and a place in the Europa League. Tim Ream is the only MLS-based defender on the roster, the 2010 Rookie of the Year finalist bringing three national team appearances into his first confederation championship.

Along with Dempsey and Donovan in the midfield, veterans Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu are joined by Jermaine Jones, who is making his debut in an international tournament for the United States. Benny Feilhaber was the hero of the 2007 Gold Cup final, his stunning volley lifting the U.S. to a 2-1 victory against Mexico that earned the U.S. a place in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa. Both Robbie Rogers and Sacha Kljestan were on the USA’s 30-man preliminary roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Jozy Altidore leads the attacking contingent and will be participating in his first Gold Cup. Into double digits in scoring for the United States, he tallied the game-winner in the Confederations Cup semifinal against Spain. Juan Agudelo was the first U.S. Soccer Development Academy alumnus to play for the full team and has two goals in four appearances. Chris Wondolowski, the 2010 MLS Golden Boot winner, currently ranks third on the MLS scoring charts with five goals in 10 matches.

Three players enter the tournament having collected honors with their clubs. Dempsey finished a fantastic season at Fulham where he set both the single-season record for an American scoring in the English Premier League (12 goals) and set the club mark for career goals in the EPL (33). Edu helped Rangers complete the domestic double, capturing their third-straight Scottish Premier League crown as well as the Scottish FA Cup. Onyewu, on loan to FC Twente, was part of the team that won the Dutch FA Cup.

The United States has won four Gold Cup championships since the tournament began in 1991, including three of the last five, and has reached the final of the last three editions of the event. Incredibly, the U.S. has never lost a match in group play, holding a 23-0-2 lifetime record. Overall, the U.S. has a 38-5-6 record in Gold Cup action.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne), Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Eric Lichaj (Leeds), Oguchi Onyewu (FC Twente), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Freddy Adu (Rizespor), Michael Bradley (Aston Villa), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jermaine Jones (Blackburn Rovers), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (3): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (Bursaspor), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (March 26, 2011) – The U.S. Men’s National Team came from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw with Argentina in front of a record crowd of 78,936 fans at New Meadowlands Stadium on Saturday.
Forward Juan Agudelo’s second-half strike from close range and goalkeeper Tim Howard’s Budweiser Man of the Match performance secured the result for the United States, whose record against Argentina now stands at 2-6-2.

The U.S. now heads to Nashville to face 2010 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists Paraguay on March 29 at LP Field. Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura will broadcast the match live at 8 p.m. ET.

"Whenever we get the opportunity to play against these great teams there are a lot of challenges, and there are things that now we can set our sights on," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "Argentina was very good with the ball in the first half and found a great rhythm that made it difficult on us, and the goal before halftime changed the thinking.

“I was very pleased with response from the team in the second half. To come away with a good result against a very good team there are some things to talk about, some things that need to be improved but also some positives."

Argentina dominated the first half, taking a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute. The play of Howard kept the U.S deficit from being greater.

The goal was scored by Esteban Cambiasso, who slammed a rebound into the roof of the goal. Howard, who had knocked the initial shot down, was on the ground and had no chane to make the save.

Bradley made two subs to start the second half, bringing on Agudelo for Jones and Timmy Chandler for Jonathan Spector. The appearance was the first cap for Chandler, who became the 59th player to earn his first cap under Bradley.

The equalizer was set up with a free kick after Jozy Altidore was fouled. Landon Donovan curled a free kick in from the right where Carlos Bocanegra rose highest to head the ball on frame.

Argentina’s goalkeeper Mariano Andujar made the initial save, but Agudelo was there to clean up the rebound for his second goal in just his third cap. The young forward has two goals in 106 total minutes for the United States.

Seven players in the U.S. lineup were part of the team that drew with Argentina on June 4, 2008, at the former Giants Stadium in East Rutherford including New Jersey native Howard who made five saves in another world-class performance against La Albiceleste.

FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi was Argentina’s main threat and the Barcelona forward was devastatingly effective for moments in the first half. In the 12th minute he elicited a save from Howard – one of four in the first half – and later worked a silky give-and-go with Ezequiel Lavezzi before sending the ball just wide of the left post.

Howard was at his best again in the 39th minute, stopping Messi after a 50-yard dribbling run that stretched from the center circle into the penalty area. The Argentina number 10 could only be held at bay for so long and eventually created his team’s goal just before the interval.

Howard was also the Budweiser Man of the Match the last time these two teams met in 2008 and he had to be alert for the USA early in the second half. In the 47th minute Di Maria cut the ball back to an onrushing Messi, but Howard sprung off his line to smother the shot and make a vital save. In the 58th minute Howard stood strong again, stopping Lavezzi’s effort from a tight angle.

Fittingly, Messi had the last good chance of the game. In the 87th minute he controlled a ball in his stride while barreling into the USA’s area. Oguchi Onyewu and Bradley did well to force the Argentina winger wide, and in the end he could only lift his left-footed shot over the goal.

The enthusiastic crowd of 78,396 is the largest crowd ever to watch a soccer game at New Meadowlands Stadium.

The USA will depart for Nashville on Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s match with Paraguay.

The United States will seek its fifth confederation championship title when they join Group C of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup along with Canada, Panama and Guadeloupe.

The U.S. will first take on Canada on June 7 at 8 p.m. ET at Ford Field in Detroit. The team then travels south to face Panama on June 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., before rounding out group play against Guadeloupe on June 14 at the brand new LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. CT.

-- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report –

Match: USA vs. Argentina
Date: March 26, 2011
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: New Meadowlands Stadium – East Rutherford, N.J.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Attendance: 78,936
Weather: Clear and windy, 35 degrees

Scoring:
ARG – Esteban Cambiasso 42nd minute
USA – Juan Agudelo (Carlos Bocanegra) 59

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 2-Jonathan Spector (21-Timmy Chandler, 46), 15-Jay DeMerit, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (Capt.), 13-Jermaine Jones (9-Juan Agudelo, 46), 4-Michael Bradley, 7-Maurice Edu, 8-Clint Dempsey, 10-Landon Donovan; 17-Jozy Altidore
Subs not used: 6-Tim Ream, 12-Jonathan Bornstein, 14- Edson Buddle, 16-Sacha Kljestan, 23-Marcus Hahnemann
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

ARG: 1-Mariano Andujar; 8-Javier Zanetti, 4-Nicolas Burdisso, 6-Gabriel Milito; 24-Marco Rojo, 20-Ever Banega, 14-Javier Mascherano (Capt.), 5-Esteban Cambiasso (16-Lucas Biglia, 73); 22-Ezequiel Lavezzi, 10-Lionel Messi, 7-Angel Di Maria
Subs not used: 3-Nicolas Otamendi, 9-Jose Josa, 11-Javier Pastore, 12-Adrian Gabbarini, 15-Marcos Angeleri, 17-Fernando Belluschi, 18-Nicolas Gaitan, 19-Mario Bolatti, 21-Augustin Marchesin, 23-Eduardo Salvio
Head Coach: Sergio Batista

Stats Summary: USA/ARG
Shots 7/13
Shots on goal 4/6
Saves 5/3
Corner Kicks 2/6
Fouls 12/9
Offside 0/1

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Maurice Edu (caution) 35th minute
USA – Timmy Chandler (caution) 48
USA – Landon Donovan (caution) 79
USA – Carlos Bocanegra (caution) 90+1

Officials:
Referee: Roberto Garcia (MEX)
First Asst: Marcos Quintero (MEX)
Second Asst.: Victor Calderon (MEX)
Fourth Official: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)

CHICAGO (March 25, 2011) — The U.S. Men’s National Team will face 2010 FIFA World Cup Champion Spain on June 4 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Kickoff against the #1 ranked team in the world and defending European Champion is set for 4:30 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN and Univision.

Ticket information will be announced in the near future.

The high-profile friendly takes place three days before the U.S. begins group play in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“Spain is clearly one of the most talented teams in the world,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “We value the opportunity to test ourselves against a team of their quality, and we couldn’t ask for a better match to prepare for the Gold Cup.”

The U.S. and Spain have met just four times previously, with Spain holding a 3-1-0 edge. The USA’s lone victory during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup is the most famous of the encounters. Facing a Spain team that had been on an international record run of 15 consecutive victories and a 35-game unbeaten streak, goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey lifted the United States to a 2-0 victory and a place in its first final of a major FIFA tournament.

This is the first meeting between the countries on U.S. soil. It will be three years ago to the day that the U.S. traveled to Spain, the teams remaining scoreless through 78 minutes before a goal from Xavi Hernandez carried Spain to a 1-0 victory. The first meeting between the teams came at the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, with Gino Pariani scoring the only U.S. goal in a 3-1 loss in group play (although the goal is disputed in the record books and FIFA still credits John Souza). The only other meeting between the teams was a friendly on March 11, 1992, in Valladolid, Spain, that was won 2-0 by the host.

The U.S. is making its 12th appearance in Foxborough, posting an impressive 9-1-2 record. Remarkably, 10 of the 12 matches have been either in the Gold Cup or FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The U.S. has tallied 28 goals and surrendered six in the facility, with eight shutouts.

The match against Spain will be the team’s final preparation before they join Group C of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup along with Canada, Panama and Guadeloupe. The U.S. will first take on Canada on June 7 at 8 p.m. ET at Ford Field in Detroit.

The team then travels south to face Panama on June 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., before rounding out group play against Guadeloupe on June 14 at the brand new LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. CT. The U.S. will be attempting to earn its fifth confederation championship title.

More than 67,000 tickets have been sold the U.S. Men’s next match on Saturday, March 26 against Argentina at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Kickoff in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Univision.

BOLTON, England—The U.S. MNT will be without American midfielder Stuart Holden in this June's CONCACAF Gold Cup. Holden suffered a knee injury that after surgery will sideline him for at least six months.

The injury occurred late in last Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United. At the time, Holden’s Bolton club was 0-0 with Man U. United defender Jonny Evans drove in a cleats up sliding tackle that took Holden out and resulted in an ejection. The tackle opened a huge gash on Holden’s left knee that required 26 stitches to close right after the game.

Holden wrote on his Twitter account that he was having surgery Monday in London.

"Just had a sincere phone call from Jonny Evans wishing me the best in my recovery," he wrote. "Def wasn't intentional, just unfortunate part of the game."

It was the second significant injury for Holden in the last two yersd. He suffered a broken leg by a challenge from the Netherlands’ Nigel de Jong during an international friendly March 3. He recovered in time to play for the U.S. last summer in the World Cup in South Africa.

"I can promise you all I will come back stronger and better than before," Holden wrote. "Have had bad luck in the past and will continue to beat it."

The U.S. Men’s National Team opened 2011 with a 1-1 draw against Chile in front of 18,580 fans at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, CA. The U.S., which started a very young and inexperienced squad, came from behind to earn the draw.

Chile got on the board first in the 53rd minute when Esteban Paredes brought down a cross from Felipe Seymour and struck an impressive shot from close range. The U.S. equalized in the 75th minute after Juan Agudelo was tripped up in the penalty area by the Chilean defense. Teal Bunbury stepped up and buried the penalty kick, slotting it into the lower right corner for the first goal of his national team career.

“From the start of this camp we talked about how international games are faster so our movement needs to be better and things need to be cleaner,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who is now 3-1-1 all-time in opening matches of the year as head coach of the MNT. “For the past few weeks we tried to establish an idea of what that's like and today that's exactly what we got.

“We had seven guys get their first cap tonight, so that's always positive. When you have a young group of guys in camp, at the end of everything you want to put it to the test and it gives you a good picture of where these guys are, and I think that part was excellent.”

Four players in Bradley’s lineup against Chile were making their national team debut: Sean Franklin and Zach Loyd, the Budweser Man of the Match., on the back line, Jeff Larentowicz as a holding midfielder and Chris Wondolowski playing as the lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation.

By the end of the game seven players had earned their first caps as goalkeeper Sean Johnson came on at halftime, Anthony Wallace entered in the 73rd minute and Eric Alexander was the last of the debutants in the 83rd minute. Loyd was named the Budweiser Man of the Match for his performance at left back.

The game lacked much rhythm in the early going as players on both teams adjusted to the pace, but as it continued, both teams settled in and created several good chances.

Agudelo and Bunbury both entered in the 59th minute and immediately added an offensive spark by combining on a number of attacks forward.

Building up near the center of the pitch, Agudelo played a great give-and-go with Bedoya near the top of the penalty area. Getting the ball back, Agudelo carried the ball past one defender but was tripped up by Chilean defender Francisco Silva. Referee Francisco Chacon Gutierrez did not hesitate to point to the spot, and Bunbury finished from the spot.

The U.S. is now 3-4-2 all time against Chile, but is undefeated in the last four matches against the South American side.

The next game for the U.S. will be against Egypt in Cairo on Feb. 9. That match, which kicks off at 12:30 p.m. ET, will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes. Fans can also follow along on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer.

After the Egypt match, the U.S. will return to home soil to take on two-time FIFA World Cup Champion Argentina on March 26 in East Rutherford, N.J. Kickoff at the New Meadowlands Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Univision.

Three days later, the U.S. hosts Paraguay at LP Field in Nashville. The match will be televised live on an ESPN network and TeleFutura beginning at 7 p.m. CT

- U.S. Men's National Team Match Report -

Match: USA vs. Chile
Date: January 22, 2011
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: The Home Depot Center – Carson, California
Kickoff: 7 p.m. PT
Attendance: 18,580
Weather: 60 degrees, clear

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
Chil e 0 1 1

CHI – Esteban Paredes (Felipe Seymour) 53rd minute
USA – Teal Bunbury (penalty) 75

Lineups:
USA: 18-Nick Rimando (1-Sean Johnson, 46); 15-Sean Franklin, 5-Tim Ream, 4-Omar Gonzalez (2-Marvell Wynne, 46), 12-Zach Loyd (3-Anthony Wallace, 73); 8-Jeff Larentowicz, 10-Dax McCarty (capt.); 7-Alejandro Bedoya (19-Eric Alexander, 83) 16-Mixx Diskerud, 21-Brek Shea (17-Juan Agudelo, 60); 11-Chris Wondolowski (9-Teal Bunbury, 60)
Subs not used: 6-A.J. DeLaGarza
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

CHI: 1-Paulo Garces, 16-Paulo Maglhaes, 5-Sebastian Toro, 2-Eugenio Mena, 3-Juan Abarca, 8-Fernando Meneses (capt.), 6-Francisco Silva, 20-Luis Pedro Figueroa (14-Felipe Seymour, 46), 9-Esteban Paredes, 18-Edson Puch, 10-Daude Gazele (4-Lucas Dominguez, 71)
Subs not used: 7-Franco Ragusa, 11-Felipe Gutierrez, 12-Raul Olivares, 13-Santiago Dittborn, 15-Nicolas Mancilla
Head Coach: Marcelo Bielsa

Stats Summary: USA / CHI
Shots: 7 / 9
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 2 / 0
Fouls: 18 / 9
Offside: 4 / 5

Misconduct Summary:
CHI – Francisco Silva (caution) 17th minute
USA – Zach Loyd (caution) 23
CHI – Sebastian Toro (caution) 82

Officials:
Referee: Francisco Chacón Gutiérrez (MEX)
First Asst.: José Luis Camargo (MEX)
Second Asst: Alberto Morin (MEX)
Fourth: Ricardo Salazar (USA)

England, favored to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the United States, which had submitted a letter-perfect bid for the 2022 World Cup, left Zurich, Switzerland, empty-handed.

Instead, the 2018 World Cup will be held in Russia, and Qatar, an oil-rich Middle East country the size of Connecticut, will host in 2022.

Neither has previously hosted a FIFA Men’s World Cup. In fact, Qatar currently has no stadiums, but has hundreds of billions of dollars and is willing to spend to build them, air condition them, and then dismantle and give them away at the conclusion of the event.

The vote concluded a two-year process in which there were four final bid proposals for 2018. England, who hosted in 1966, was the early favorite. Spain/Portugal submitted a joint bid, as did the Netherlands/Belgium.

The U.S., which hosted in 1994, originally also submitted its bid for 2018, but earlier this year pulled it back to concentrate efforts on 2022.

The U.S. was one of five vying for the 2022 World Cup, along with Qatar, Australia, South Korea and Japan. South Korea and Japan jointly hosted the 2002 World Cup.

The FIFA Executive Committee, representing the six FIFA Confederations, is comprised of 24 voting members. However, two were suspended from this year’s voting process after being caught in a corruption sting by the BBC. Amos Adamu of Nigeria and FIFA Vice-President Reynald Temarii of Tahiti are alleged to have been willing to exchange their support and vote for money, reportedly to build soccer facilities in their respective countries.

The final voting was done by secret ballot, with the 2018 results awarding the event to Russia was announced first to a world-wide audience.

Qatar’s bid reportedly came with the stipulation that most, if not all, of the eight stadiums that would be constructed for the World Cup would be dismantled after the tournament and given to poorer countries with emerging soccer programs.

Former U.S. World Cup forward Eric Wynalda, a commentator on the Fox Soccer Channel coverage of the announcement quipped that we would finally know who voted for Qatar in 2023 when stadiums started popping up around the world.

2018 FIFA World Cup™

Round 1: England 2 votes, Netherlands/Belgium 4 votes, Spain/Portugal 7 votes and Russia 9 votes (as no absolute majority was reached, the candidate with least amount of votes, England, was eliminated)

Round 2: Netherlands/Belgium 2 votes, Spain/Portugal 7 votes and Russia 13 votes (Russia obtained an absolute majority)

Round 1: Australia 1 vote, Japan 3 votes, Korea Republic 4 votes, Qatar 11 votes, USA 3 votes (Australia eliminated)

Round 2: Japan 2 votes, Korea Republic 5 votes, Qatar 10 votes and USA 5 votes (Japan eliminated)

Round 3: Korea Republic 5 votes, Qatar 11 votes, USA 6 votes (Korea Republic eliminated)

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Seventeen-year-old forward Juan Agudelo, the first product of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy to make an appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team, became the youngest player to score in the modern era as the U.S. defeated South Africa 1-0 to win the 2010 Nelson Mandela Challenge in Cape Town, South Africa.

Youth was the theme of the day as defender Tim Ream earned his first appearance in a U.S. starting lineup that averaged just 10.5 caps per player. After halftime, four of the six substitutions for the U.S. were 20 years old or younger and making their international debut, including Gale Agbossoumonde who became was the second Development Academy product to take the field.

“I thought that both teams were able to pressure and make it difficult for each other, and South Africa put the pressure on us more in the first half,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. We weren’t able to connect a lot of passes, but we did a solid job of holding together defensively. /

“I thought Brad Guzan played very well. As the game went on, we found a little bit of ability to connect. It was exciting for us to see some of our young players get an opportunity to play for the national team.”

After 84 minutes of scoreless soccer, the U.S. broke through with Agudelo combining with fellow debutant Mikkel Diskerud for the 85th minute strike. From a throw in on the left wing, Eddie Gaven dropped the ball back to Brian Carroll and he spun to play the ball square to Clarence Goodson who stepped up across midfield. Goodson played a ball to Agudelo, who had checked back 30 yards from the endline.

The New York Red Bulls Academy alum turned and slotted a ball into the left side of the penalty area for Diskerud, who attracted the attention of three defenders. Agudelo made a hard near post run, and Diskerud pulled the ball back before playing a hard chip right into Agudelo’s path. The 17-year-old trapped the ball off his thigh before blasting a shot with the outside of his right foot, past the charging ‘keeper, off the underside of the crossbar and in.

Agudelo is the 46th player in U.S. history to record a goal in his first cap, and the first since Stuart Holden struck in his debut against Grenada on July 4, 2009.

Brad Guzan wore the captain’s armband for the U.S. for the first time in his career and the 26-year-old goalkeeper earned ussoccer.com Man of the Match honors for his five save performance and general command of his penalty area, particularly on crosses immediately in front of his goal.

In front of Guzan, Bradley went with a mix of experience and youth on the back line. Eric Lichaj earned his second cap at right back while Ream debuted in the middle with 2010 FIFA World Cup veterans Clarence Goodson and Jonathan Bornstein rounding out the defense.

Lichaj played hard at both ends, and in the 22nd minute set up the first shot on goal by the U.S. in the match. The Aston Villa defender dug in at the endline after an overlapping run and went to the ground to win a ball that he dropped back for Eddie Gaven. Gaven quickly squared the ball to his Columbus Crew teammate Robbie Rogers, who hit a left-footed shot that was saved low and to the right by Itumeleng Khune in the South African goal.

Other than the goal, the U.S. only had three other shots on target in the match. The second was also set up by Lichaj, who played a chip into the box that Teal Bunbury settled, and was able to turn and get a shot on goal low to the near post that Khune saved in the 55th minute. One minute later Gaven tried to create for himself but Khune had time to see his 19-yard effort and caught it easily.

With the MLS Playoff semifinal matches taking place last weekend and the top players abroad in the U.S. player pool entrenched in their club season, Bradley called upon the relatively inexperienced side for the final match of the year.

Brian Carroll, who last played in January of 2009, and Logan Pause, who debuted for the U.S in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup partnered well as central midfielders. Defender Nat Borchers, a 2010 MLS Best XI selection, wore the U.S. shirt for the first time since March 19, 2005.

In all, five players – Agudelo, Agbossoumonde, Bunbury, Diskerud and Ream – made the U.S. Men’s National Team debut and help earn the win that drew the 2010 record to 5-5-4 for the U.S

The match was the 12th in South Africa during the last three years and one day. The U.S posted a 6-4-2 record there while 41 different U.S. players earned a cap in the home of the 2010 FIFA World Cup between Nov. 17, 2007 – the prior date of a U.S. 1-0 win in the Mandela Challenge – and today.

“We have had great experiences here in South Africa starting with the Nelson Mandela Challenge in 2007,” Bradley said. “Once again we thank everybody for the way we have been treated every step of the way.”

The U.S. will play its first match of 2011 when it faces Chile on Saturday, Jan. 22, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., to open the year in its regular match that acts as the conclusion to the January training camp

Match-up: USA vs. South Africa
Date: November 17, 2010
Competition: Nelson Mandela Challenge
Attendance: 52,000
Weather: 68 degrees, clear

Lineups:
USA: 18-Brad Guzan (capt.);13-Eric Lichaj, 21-Clarence Goodson (22-Gale Agbossoumonde, 87), 5-Tim Ream (6-Nat Borchers, 67), 12-Jonathan Bornstein (2-Jonathan Spector, 46); 15-Logan Pause, 16-Brian Carroll; 8-Robbie Rogers (17-Juan Agudelo, 61), 11-Eddie Gaven, 7-Alejandro Bedoya (14-Mikkel Diskerud, 79); 20-Robbie Findley (9-Teal Bunbury, 46)
Subs not used: 23-Dominic Cervi
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

RSA: 16-Itumeleng Khune; 5-Anele Ngongca (2-Siboniso Gaxa, 79), 3-Tsepo Mansilela, 23-Morgan Gould, 21-Siyabonga Sangweni, 13-Kagisho Dikgacoi (15-Andile Jali, 60), 18-Thanduyise Khuboni (9-Matthew Pattison, 88), 10-Stephen Pienaar (capt.) (7-Daylon Claasen, 79), 8-Siphiwe Tshabalala, 19-Davide Somma (20-Sthembiso Ngcobo, 60), 17-Bernard Parker
Subs not used: 1-Moeneeb Josephs, 4-Keegan Ritchie, 12-Reneilwe Letsholonyane, 24-Kermit Erasmus, 14-Bevan Fransman, 11-Teko Modise
Head Coach: Pitso Mosimane

Stats Summary: USA / RSA
Shots 5 / 8
Shots on Goal 4 / 4
Saves 4 / 3
Corner Kicks 1 / 11
Fouls 11 / 9
Offside 0 / 2

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named 20 players to the roster that will prepare for the upcoming friendlies against Poland and Colombia.

The U.S. first takes on Poland at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Sat., Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. CT, with the match to be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. Three days later, the U.S. will host South American rivals Colombia on Oct. 12 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa.

Kickoff for the USA’s first match on the Chester waterfront is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans can follow both matches live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and at twitter.com/ussoccer.

Thirteen players on the roster were part of the squad that led the U.S. to a first place finish in group play at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 80 years, and six of those are 25 years old or younger.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to gather many of our players based in Europe and continue to build on the foundation we established during the last four years," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "We believe we have a strong nucleus of talented players, many of whom we are going to challenge to assume greater leadership roles during the next four-year cycle. We certainly have ideas on how we want to move forward, and these games will be the start of that process."

With the fixture dates falling during the heart of the MLS playoff race, Bradley elected to choose a largely European-based roster. The FC Dallas duo of Heath Pearce and Brek Shea will join the U.S. team in Philadelphia on Oct. 10 following their weekend league match.

“We understand this is a critical point in the season for teams in MLS,” said Bradley. “Given the circumstances, we felt it was important that the MLS players be given as much opportunity as possible to remain with their clubs and continue to make important contributions as the playoffs approach.”

Clint Dempsey returns to the national team for the first time since the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where his fearless run and shot forced the rebound that set up the game-winning goal against Algeria. Dempsey tallied his first career goal for the national team when he scored against England on May 28, 2005 at Soldier Field. He is one of seven players on the roster who ply their trade in the English Premier League.

Tim Howard – whose shutout against Algeria is only the second for the United States in 22 World Cup matches dating back to 1950 - continues his long standing service as Everton’s first choice ‘keeper, while Stuart Holden has parlayed a starting role at Bolton into a new three-year contract.

Four players in the roster played every minute in South Africa this summer. Michael Bradley netted the game-tying goal in the 82nd minute of the 2-2 draw against Slovenia that salvaged the USA’s hopes for advancing in the tournament.

Having recently been named captain at Hannover, Steve Cherundolo contributed perhaps his finest collection of performances in his national team career during the tournament.

Three players on the roster are playing on teams who currently lead their respective leagues. Carlos Bocanegra and Saint-Étienne are in first place in the French Ligue 1 after finishing in 17th place last season, going 5-1-1 to start the campaign. Maurice Edu has earned a regular starting role for defending Scottish Premier League champion Rangers – who are tied with rivals Celtic on points but ahead on goals scored - while Benny Feilhaber has scored five goals in his last three matches as AGF Aarhus hold the top spot in the Danish 1st Divisionen.

Villarreal striker Jozy Altidore has seen action in each of the club’s matches in the UEFA Europa League, starting three of four games. Villarreal are currently in second place in Spain’s La Liga behind Valencia and ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

FC Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones is making his first appearance on a U.S. roster since becoming eligible to play for the United States in August of 2009. Jones had been sidelined by a shin injury for nearly a year.

Aston Villa defender Eric Lichaj has been named to the official roster for the full team for the first time, having participated in training in the team’s training camp in June prior to the USA’s final round qualifiers against Costa Rica and Honduras. Shea is the only other member for the squad seeking his first international cap.

Several members of the U.S. squad have ties to Chicago. Bocanegra played four years for the Chicago Fire, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2000 and back-to-back MLS Defender of the Year awards in 2002 and 2003 before heading overseas. Brad Guzan (Homer Glen), Lichaj (Downers Grove), and Jonathan Spector (Arlington Heights) are native to the area, while Michael Bradley played youth club soccer for U.S. Soccer Development Academy side Chicago Sockers FC.

In addition, U.S. coach Bob Bradley earned his first professional head coaching job with the Chicago Fire in 1998, launching the expansion franchise and capturing the MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup titles in their debut season.

The U.S. Men’s National Team will travel to South Africa to take on 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts South Africa on Nov. 17 at the magnificent Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. Coverage of the USA’s final match of the year begins at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and the match will also be broadcast live on Galavision.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Étienne), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), Jermaine Jones (FC Schalke), Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)

U.S. Soccer has announced that it had agreed to a four-year extension with Bob Bradley, ending speculation that he was seeking a job in Europe and that the federation wanted a new national team coach in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“Bob is honored to be the U.S. coach,” said Ron Waxman, Bradley’s agent. “It’s a job he enjoys very much, and he’s very happy.”

At a press conference, Bradley said, “I’m very, very excited to continue in the role as the head coach of the United States.”

U.S. Soccer said its president, Sunil Gulati, and Bradley would address the deal Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Bradley is 38-20-8 in four years as United States coach, including a victory last year over top-ranked Spain that earned the Americans a spot in the Confederations Cup final, their first at a major FIFA tournament. The United States also won its group at the World Cup in South Africa before being eliminated by a 2-1 overtime loss to Ghana.

Though many countries addressed their coaching situations right after the World Cup, Gulati felt no pressure to move quickly because Bradley’s current deal did not expire until December.

As the weeks passed, however, it seemed less likely Bradley would be retained. Despite reaching the second round, Gulati has said he thought the Americans were capable of more in South Africa. Bradley also expressed interest in jobs overseas, including with Fulham and Aston Villa in England’s Premier League.

Neither EPL club spoke directly with Bradley. His retention may say as much as a statement of continuation of the past four years, as it does with the future of the U.S. international men’s national team program.

The U.S. Men’s National Team will host South American rivals Colombia on Oct. 12 at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Kickoff for the USA’s first match on the Chester waterfront is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision.

Prior to the Colombia match, the U.S. will take on Poland on Oct. 9 at Soldier Field in Chicago (7pm CT). A third match is reportedly in the works against a European opponent to be played in Europe.

"One of the important parts of developing the program is to expose the team to different experiences, and Colombia presents a difficult challenge,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “We are thrilled to be heading back to Philadelphia where we received such a great sendoff prior to the World Cup. The new PPL Park is a fantastic facility, and we are happy to have the opportunity to play in another of the growing number of soccer specific stadiums in the United States.”

The U.S. holds a 3-9-3 all-time record against the 2001 Copa America champions. Their most famous meeting came in group play of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where an Columbia’s Andres Escobar scored an own goal that that led to a 2-1 U.S. win, propelling them into the second round, and is believed to have led to his murder back in Colombia a short time thereafter. The teams last met during the 2007 Copa America, where a young U.S. side fell 1-0 on July 5, 2007, in Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

The U.S. National Team will return to Philadelphia - one of 18 cities included in the USA's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 – for only the third time since 1990, and will play their first match at the new home of Philadelphia Union.

Most recently, the USA captured a 2-1 victory against Turkey in the final match before the team departed for South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. More than 55,000 fans saw goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey that built the momentum heading into the tournament where the U.S. finished first in group play for the first time in 80 years.

Much had been made of the U.S. fielding a veteran team loaded with players who were at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Brazil was brining a young team, a number of who would be making their senior team debut.

Eventually, it was accepted that getting the U.S. team together for the game at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, was for the fans to show their appreciation for the effort the U.S. team put into the World Cup effort.
It would also give the team an opportunity to play together again in front of a big home crowd.

A near sellout crowd of 77,223 was on hand for the game, which was won 2-0 by Brazil.

What was missing was the effort and spirit on the part of many of the U.S. players. At times they looked like a lower division NBA team going through the motions midway through the prfessional basketball season.

To say the U.S. team was unimpressive is an understatement. It was embarrassing.

"Early on, the ball was moving quickly and we had good energy,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “The fact that we were not able to sustain that is certainly more of an indication of where the players are at this point in the year in terms of pre-seasons.

That comment took the players off the hook. Another Bradley comment was more telling.

“The things we need to work on are always the same,” he said. “When you play at a high level, the ability with the ball, to see things faster, move it quickly, create advantages, take advantage of situations. The window is smaller, it closes faster.”

Bradley started nine players who were on the 2010 World Cup team, and the U.S. came out strong. Landon Donovan took a pass from LA Galaxy teammate Edson Buddle into the penalty area, but didn’t get a shot off.

For the first 25 minutes the U.S. held it own, but slowly dropped deeper and deeper, giving Brazil more and more space to possess the ball and exploit the U.S. defense.

Brazil. playing its first game under new head coach Mano Menezes, got on the scoreboard in the 28th minute when Andre Santos took the ball down the left wing and crossed it to the back post where Neymar, the young Brazilian scoring sensation, beat Jonathan Bornstein and headed the ball pass U.S. keeper Tim Howard.

Brazil scored its second goal in stoppage time of the first half as a nice build-up through the center of the midfield led to Ramires playing a ball behind the U.S. defense to Pato. The AC Milan striker had plenty of time and space to evade Howard with a dribble to the right before rolling the ball into the open net.

Brazil dominated the second half after both teams made massive substitutions. They did not score again, but bounced two shots off the goalpost.

The U.S. forwards did not score, nor did they put in the effort required to get a decent chance on goal. The U.S. had only three shots on goal.

Michael Bradley, usually one of the best Americans on the field, played more passes to his opponents than he did to teammates.

On the plus side, former University of Maryland Omar Gonzales (LA Galaxy) made his debut and did a creditable job at central defense. Backup goalkeeper Brad Guzan didn’t allow a second-half goal and was named the USA’s Man of the Match.

Much was made by television commentators about the future of Bradley as the U.S. MNT coach, and whether this would be his last game at the helm.

The common wisdom was that a decision on his future should be made soon, so the program could more forward to prepare for the very important CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2011, which carries a berth to the winner to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

The U.S. men will have two international friendlies in October.

There is a lot of support for US Soccer to thank Bradley for a good job over the last four years, and to have a new coach on the field for those games. The top candidate remains Juergan Klinsmann.

As for Bradley, don’t be surprised to see him named as the next coach at D.C. United in Major League Soccer.

U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM GAME REPORT

Match: United States vs. Brazil
Date: August 10, 2010
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: New Meadowlands Stadium – East Rutherford, N.J.
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Attendance: 77,223
Weather: Clear, warm – 82 degrees

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard (18-Brad Guzan, 46); 2-Jonathan Spector, 5-Omar Gonzalez, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.) (21-Clarence Goodson, 62), 12-Jonathan Bornstein; 11-Alejandro Bedoya (9-Herculez Gomez, 67), 4-Michael Bradley, 19-Maurice Edu, 22-Benny Feilhaber (16-Sacha Kljestan, 46); 10-Landon Donovan (20-Robbie Findley, 62), 14-Edson Buddle (17-Jozy Altidore, 46)
Subs not used: 6-Steve Cherundolo
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

BRA: 1-Victor, 2-Dani Alves, 3-Thiago Silva, 4-David Luiz, 6-Andre Santos, 5-Lucas, 8-Ramires (18-Hernanes, 59), 10-Paulo Henrique Ganso (17-Jucilei, 89), 7-Robinho (capt.) (20-Diego Tardelli, 81), 11-Neymar (19-Ederson, 72; 16-Carlos Eduardo, 75), 9- Pato (21-Andre, 67)
Subs not used: 12-Jefferson, 13-Rever, 14-Henrique, 15-Marcelo, 22-Renan, 23-Rafael
Head Coach: Mano Menezes

Stats Summary: USA / BRA
Shots: 7 / 20
Shots on Goal: 3 / 11
Saves: 9 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 6
Fouls: 11 / 12
Offside: 1 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
BRA – David Luiz (caution) 70th minute

Officials:
Referee: Silviu Petrescu (CAN)
AR1: Joe Fletcher (CAN)
AR2: David Belleau (CAN)
Fourth Official: Mark Geiger (USA)

usssoccer.com Man of the Match:
Brad Guzan

When Bob Bradley leads the U.S. Men’s National Team onto the field against Brazil at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Ryutherford, NJ, on August 10, he might be coaching the team for the last time.

Bradley’s contract expires at the end of this year. It is no better than 50-50 that he will be retained. Already a number of coaches who led teams to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, have resigned or been fired. Mexico and Brazil have new coaches, and Argentina fired Diego Maradona, but may be on the verge of rehiring him.

Bradley picked 14 players from the World Cup roster. Jozy Altidore, who was not originally on the roster, has been added, replacing midfielder Jermaine Jones, who accepted the invitation and then turned it down to prepare for the Bundesliga season with Schalke.

Jones, 28, born in Germany to an American father, previously played for Germany, but declared last year that he would play for the U.S. However, a shin injury has kept him on the sidelines for almost a year.

Jones, a central midfielder, recently scored a goal to help Schalke to a 2-1 in over Hamburg in the semifinal of the preseason LIGA total! Cup.

Former University of Maryland defender Omar Gonzales, a standout with the Los Angeles Galaxy, has also joined the Brazil roster, replacing Chad Marshall. Alejandro Bedoya and Sacha Kljestan are the other non-World Cup players on the roster.

Bradley did a good job in his four years as the U.S. coach. He led the team to the Gold Cup championship that carried a berth in the FIFA Confederations Cup championship to the winner. The U.S. reached the Confederations Cup final in South Africa, losing 3-2 to Brazil, after leading 2-0 at halftime.

He was not the first choice for the job. That was probably German Juergen Klinsmann, with whom US Soccer could not reach a deal. He worked hard at the job, and achieved most of the program’s stated goals.

However, when the U.S. was eliminated in the second round match against Ghana, the feeling was the tream had underperformed in that game and had left a positive outcome on the table.

Replacing Bradley will be difficult, as it is important that his replacement has to be a person who can impact the entire national team program. Just hiring a international professional coach to coach the national team is not enough. Nor would hiring a former U.S. player to the job bring the type of experience necessary to take the U.S. to a higher level.

Klinsmann, who lives with his family in California, is again mentioned as the prime candidate for the job .

Nothing should be read into the decision to have Bradley coach the team against Brazil. He is still the coach, and there is no reason why he should not coach this game. Also, there is no immediate reason why a new coach needs to be in place before the first of the year.

It became obvious even to the most loyal U.S. MNT fans, that we need better players, and an injection of passion in some who will probably be around for the next World Cup cycle.

We need to find some forwards who can score at the international level. Against Brazil, we will have Altidore, Robbie Finley, Edson Buddle and Hercules Gomez. Buddle has scored a lot of goals for the Galaxy this year and Gomez led the Mexican league in scoring last season. However, neither got significant time in South Africa.

Altidore started all four games at the 2010 World Cup, and the only one Finley missed was the one he sat out with yellow card accumulation. Neither scored. In fact, the U.S. has not gotten a goal from a forward in the last two World Cups.

In South Africa both Altidore and Findley had good opportunities. Altidore couldn’t finish from right in front of the goal, and Findley couldn’t kick the ball into the ocean.

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named 18 players to the roster that will face five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil on Tuesday, Aug. 10, for the USA’s first match since the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

More than 55,000 tickets have already been sold for the first meeting between the two nations at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, Univision and ESPN Deportes Radio.

Fourteen players on the roster were part of the squad that led the U.S. to a first place finish in group play at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 80 years. The team’s dramatic performances garnered record television ratings for the ESPN and Univision Networks and captured the imagination of millions of Americans.

"This game is a great opportunity to showcase many players from the World Cup team who earned the respect and appreciation of fans across the country," said Bradley. "At the same time, our goal continues to be to compete and succeed against the best teams in the world. With an extremely talented group of players, Brazil will be another difficult test."

The U.S. team will begin gathering Sunday, Aug. 8, and will have the opportunity for only one training session prior to match.

Landon Donovan, who has now appeared in a U.S. record 12 World Cup matches, scored three times in South Africa, including the memorable goal in second-half stoppage time that elevated the United States to a 1-0 victory against Algeria and earned the team a place in the Round of 16. That epic moment sparked massive celebrations across the United States, and later won the award for ‘Best Moment’ at the 2010 ESPYs..

Tim Howard earned a shutout in that match, the USA’s first in the World Cup since the team's historic 2-0 victory against Mexico in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea Republic. The shutout was also just the second for the United States in 22 World Cup matches dating back to 1950.

Michael Bradley netted the game-tying goal in the 82nd minute of the 2-2 draw against Slovenia that salvaged the USA’s hopes for advancing in the tournament. Needing at least a point from the second group game to stave off elimination, his expert toe-poke finished off a fantastic passing sequence combining skill, coordination and hustle that completed the USA’s comeback from two goals down.

Five players on the roster played every minute in South Africa, including team captain Carlos Bocanegra and defender Steve Cherundolo. Having recently been named captain at Hannover, Cherundolo contributed perhaps his finest collection of performances in his national team career during the tournament.

Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kljestan and Chad Marshall were named to the preliminary roster for the World Cup, Kljestan having recently moved to Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht where he has earned a starting role.

Jones had previously made appearances with Germany’s national youth teams, and is reported to be one of the top defensive midfielders in the German Bundesliga.

The United States and Brazil last met in the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where the U.S. jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Clint Dempsey and Donovan before Brazil rallied for a 3-2 victory.

The U.S. played six times in the former Giants Stadium, collecting a 3-1-2 record. After defeating Panama in the final of the 2005 Gold Cup, the U.S. played then #1 ranked Argentina to a thrilling 0-0 draw on June 8, 2008, in front of more than 78,000 fans.

U.S. MNT Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (6): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Étienne), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht)
FORWARDS (3): Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Pachuca)

U.S. Men’s National Coach Bob Bradley announced his 30-player preliminary World Cup roster, and it did not include forward Charlie Davies.

Davies, who suffered serious injuries last fall in an auto accident days before the final World Cup qualifying match in Washington, DC, had used the hope of making the U.S. roster as a motivating force in staging a remarkable comeback. He had returned to training with his French professional club, F.C. Sochaux, but has yet to play in a game.

Bradley stressed that to be considered for the World Cup team, game-fitness would be a consideration.

The roster did include defender Oguchi Onyewu, who tore his patella tendon in that last qualifier against Costa Rica, and midfielder Stuart Holden, who suffered a broken leg in the USA’s international friendly with The Netherlands on March 3. Neither has played since going down with their injuries. However, both appear ready to return to the field.

Bradley will begin training camp next week at Priceton University. The final 23-man roster for the trip to South Africa must be submitted to FIFA by June 1. However, it is expected that the 23 will be known before the May 29 Sendoff Game against Turkey in Philadelphia.

While Davies, who will be hard to replace in the U.S. lineup, was considered a “long shot” to make the roster, the absence of forward Conor Casey was a bit of a surprise.

Two forwards on the squad of 30, who have played their way into consideration with their pro teams are Los Angeles Galaxy striker Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez (Puebia), who led the Mexican league in scoring this past season. Buddle leads Major League Soccer in scoring with nine goals.

The first of two Send Off games will be played in East Hartford, CT, on May 25 against the Czech Republic. Bradley is expected to use that game for final evaluations before making his final selection of the 23 players that will play in South Africa.

GOALKEEPERS: Tim Howard (Everton, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England).

DEFENDERS: Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England), Steve Cherundolo (Hanover, Germany), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, MLS), Clarence Goodson (Start, Norway), Chad Marshall (Columbus, MLS), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas, MLS).

MIDFIELDERS: Michael Bradley (Moenchengladbach, Germany), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca, Mexico) Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus, Denmark), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro, Sweden), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA, MLS), Robbie Rogers (Columbus, MLS), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland).

MIDFIELDER-FORWARDS: Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles, MLS).

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Hull City, England), Brian Ching (Houston, MLS), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles, MLS), Herculez Gomez (Puebla, Mexico), Eddie Johnson (Aris, Greece), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake, MLS).

The injuries to the U.S. Men’s National Team continue to happen. The latest is the broken leg suffered by midfielder Stuart Holden in the USA’s 2-1 loss to The Netherlands.

What was originally thought to be a shin contusion turned out to be a break, which will sideline Holden from his English Premier League Bolton Wanderers team for about weeks. Bolton Wanderers midfielder Stuart Holden will be out of action for six weeks because of a broken leg,

That announcement was made by the Wanderers club manager Owen Coyle. Holden has been impressive since joining Bolton and recently made his debut with his new club. It had been said that Bolton had expressed interested in extending Holden’s contract past the summer.

"It's disappointing for Stuart because he's come into the team and done ever so well," Coyle told the club's website.

"He's a very good player, an international player and he has shown a real desire and hunger to do well for our club. The most important thing is he returns bigger and better."

Holden joined Bolton in January from Houston Dynamo and has made two appearances for the club.

AMSTERDAM (March 3, 2010) – The U.S. pressured the Netherlands late with three chances to tie the game in the closing minutes, but could not get the equalizer, falling 2-1 at Amsterdam ArenA in the final match before Bob Bradley selects his roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

After falling behind 2-0 in the 73rd minute, Carlos Bocanegra’s 12th career goal in the 88th minute provided the U.S. with its first-ever score against the Dutch, who had shut out the U.S. in three previous meetings. DaMarcus Beasley, who came on in the 34th minute for an injured Stuart Holden, assisted on the set piece goal after drawing the foul.

After cutting the deficit to one, the U.S. had three chances to equalize. Alejandro Bedoya drew a free kick just outside of the penalty area, and Beasley’s 18-yard free kick beat the wall but found the goalkeeper’s hands in the 90th minute. In the first minute of stoppage time, Clarence Goodson overshot a difficult side-volley from six yards out, and in the fourth minute of stoppage time Jozy Altidore cut inside to get shot off from 22 yards that Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg dived right to save.

The Netherlands took the lead on a 40th-minute penalty kick by Dirk Kuyt after Wesley Sneijder was tugged down by Jonathan Bornstein in the penalty area. The lead was doubled in the 73rd minute as Sneijder orchestrated a Dutch attack that resulted in a goal by Klaas Jan Huntelaar that deflected off Bornstein at the top of the penalty area.

"Certainly it was a good test for us, and I think overall the team played well,” Bradley said. “The collective effort was pretty solid. There were moments where it needed to be sharper, quicker and better and we still need to raise the bar. Late in the game it was nice to see a good push. We had the ability to move the ball forward get people running off it and we created some good opportunities. We take a lot from the game.”

The U.S. is now 0-4-0 all-time against the Netherlands, currently ranked third in the world by FIFA. The U.S. is 2-12-1 all-time against teams ranked in the top three.

Following a training camp that begins in mid May, the U.S. will play a two-match Send-Off Series in late May before departing for South Africa. First, on May 25 the U.S. will play host to the Czech Republic at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn., with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff. Four days later, the U.S. will kick off Memorial Day weekend against Turkey in Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, May 29, at 2 p.m. ET. Tickets for the match in Connecticut go on sale March 11, and more than 20,000 tickets have been sold for the match in Philadelphia.

The U.S. Men's National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. After traveling to South Africa on May 30, the U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.

- U.S. Men's National Team Match Report -

Match: U.S. vs. Netherlands
Date: March 3, 2010
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Amsterdam ArenA; Amsterdam, Netherlands
Kickoff: 8:45 p.m. local/2:45 p.m. ET
Attendance: 46,630
Weather: 40 degrees

NED – Dirk Kuyt (penalty kick) 40th minute
NED – Klass jan Huntelaar (Rafael van der Vaart) 73
USA – Carlos Bocanegra (DaMarcus Beasley) 88

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 2-Jonathan Spector, 15-Jay DeMerit (11-Heath Pearce, 70), 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 13-Jonathan Bornstein (21-Clarence Goodson, 86); 22-Stuart Holden (7-DaMarcus Beasley, 34), 14-José Torres (16-Maurice Edu, 46), 4-Michael Bradley, 10-Landon Donovan (9-Eddie Johnson, 76); 12-Jozy Altidore, 19-Robbie Findley (17-Alejandro Bedoya, 63)
Subs not used: 18-Brad Guzan
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

NED: 1-Maarten Stekelenburg; 2-Gregory van der Wiel, 3-John Heitinga, 4-Joris Mathijsen (20-Ron Vlaar, 46), 5-Giovanni van Bronckhorst (capt.) (15-Edson Braafheid, 67); 7-Arjen Robben (19-Klaas jan Huntelaar, 46), 8-Nigel de Jong (23-Rafael van der Vaart, 60), 10-Wesley Sneijder, 6-Mark van Bommel (17-Ibrahim Afellay, 74); 11-Eljero Elia, 9-Dirk Kuyt (21-Ryan Babel, 81)
Subs not used: 12-Andre Ooijer, 13-Piet Velthuizen, 14-Demy de Zeeuw, 16-Sander Boshker, 18-Orlando Engelaar, 22-Stijn Schaars
Head Coach: Bert van Marwijk

Stats Summary: USA / NED
Shots: 8 / 10
Shots on Goal: 3 / 6
Saves: 4 / 2
Corner Kicks: 4 / 3
Fouls: 17 / 17
Offside: 1 / 4

Misconduct Summary:
NED – Nigel de Jong (caution) 31st minute
USA – José Torres (caution) 31
NED – Edson Braafheid (caution) 90

CHICAGO (Feb. 25, 2010) — U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a 20 player roster to face the Netherlands on March 5. Kickoff for the match is set for 2:30 p.m. ET with live coverage on ESPN2 and Galavision. Fans can also follow the game on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and at twitter.com/ussoccer.

The team, which includes sixteen European-based, three domestic-based players and one player based in Mexico, will begin gathering on Sunday, Feb. 28 in Amsterdam. The U.S. will train have two days of training before facing the Netherlands. The match will also be the on-field debut of the 2010 Men's National Team Away kit which the team will wear during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

“This is a great opportunity for us to bring many of our European-based players together as we continue to finalize our plans for the World Cup roster,” Bradley said. “This is the final match before we bring the team together for the World Cup, so to have a match against one of the top teams in the world like the Netherlands is a big benefit and a good challenge for our group. They are expecting a large crowd to turn out for the game, and we are looking forward to an exciting atmosphere in Amsterdam.”

Many of the players based abroad will be looking to make their first appearances since the team’s final match of 2009 on Nov. 18 against Denmark. U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra leads the list of names while goalkeeper Tim Howard, who was unavailable during last November's friendlies, could make his first start for the U.S. since the memorable conclusion to World Cup qualifying against Costa Rica on Oct. 14, 2009. The goalkeeper contingent is rounded out by fellow Premier League goalkeepers Brad Guzan and Marcus Hahnemann.

Midfielder Landon Donovan is the team's leading capwinner and goalscorer. The Everton winger has been enjoying a prosperous spell with his club in the Premier League, having joined the team on a 10-week loan at the start of the new year.

There is a return to the Netherlands for midfielder Michael Bradley, who spent two and a half seasons with Heerenveen of the Dutch Eredivisie. After moving to the Eredivisie in early 2006, Bradley established himself as an important part of the Friesland club before moving to his current team, Borussia Mönchengladbach of the German Bundesliga, in 2008. Longtime U.S. midfielder DaMarcus Beasley will also make the trip to Holland, where he formerly played for PSV Eindhoven before eventually landing at Rangers.

Nine of the players in Bradley's squad are currently playing in England, with Watford's Jay DeMerit among those included. DeMerit has not featured for the U.S. since the Aug. 12, 2009, game against Mexico in Mexico City, but has returned from injury to feature for his team in the English Championship. Midfielder Stuart Holden is called into his first U.S. squad since signing with Premier League side Bolton Wanderers following the conclusion of the 2009 MLS season.

Also returning to the fold is defender Frank Simek, who last appeared for the U.S. on June 24, 2007, in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, a 2-1 win against Mexico at Soldier Field. Maurice Edu, a teammate of Beasley’s at Rangers, rejoins the U.S., having last appeared for the U.S. in the semifinal round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying in a 2-1 win against Trinidad & Tobago on Oct. 15, 2008, in Port of Spain.

Rounding out the European contingent are Jonathan Spector, Jozy Altidore, Clarence Goodson and Eddie Johnson, who recently joined Greek club Aris Thessaloniki on loan from Fulham, as well as Alejandro Bedoya, who earned his first U.S. MNT cap against Honduras in January. The only player who does not ply his trade in MLS or in Europe is José Torres, who has been a consistent performer for Pachuca in Mexico.

Four members of the roster featured in the USA's recent 2-1 defeat of El Salvador. Defenders Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce and Goodson all played 90 minutes on the backline. Bornstein captained the U.S. for the first time while Pearce provided an assist during the victory in Tampa. Robbie Findley, along with Bornstein and Pearce, rounds out the trio of domestic-based players traveling to the Netherlands.

The U.S. will be facing the Netherlands for the fourth time in history, the hosts holding a 3-0-0 record. The teams last met Feb. 18, 2004, at the same venue, with Holland walking out 1-0 winners. The U.S. has previously met the Netherlands in a World Cup year, falling 2-0 on May 29, 2002, in Foxborough in the final Send-Off match before the USA went on the historic run to the quarterfinals of Korea/Japan.

The U.S. Men's National Team has been drawn into Group C with England, Slovenia and Algeria for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The U.S. will open its sixth consecutive World Cup finals tournament against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, and will follow that game with matches against Slovenia on June 18 in Johannesburg and Algeria on June 23 in Tshwane/Pretoria.

U.S. Men's National Team Roster by Position
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (7): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (7): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Everton), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 24, 2010) – The U.S. Men’s National Team came from behind against El Salvador for the third consecutive time with a 2-1 victory in front of a crowd of 21,737 fans this at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

El Salvador took the lead in the 59th minute on a Rudi Corrales goal, but halftime substitute Brian Ching equalized in the 75th minute with a well-struck header. Ching then turned provider in stoppage time as he played a one-two with Sacha Kljestan to put the midfielder through on goal and snatch the win with a clinical finish.

The U.S. also came from behind to win or tie against El Salvador in their last two meetings during the final round of FIFA World Cup qualifying, drawing 2-2 last March in San Salvador after falling behind by two goals and then bouncing back after allowing an early first half goal to win 2-1 on Sept. 5, 2009 in Sandy, Utah.

The U.S. will next travel to Amsterdam where they will take on the third-ranked Netherlands at Amsterdam ArenA on March 3 at 2:30 p.m. ET. The match will be televised live on ESPN2 and Galavision and fans can follow via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

“Overall, there were some good efforts and we saw some very positive things on the field tonight,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “We went down but continued to push to get a win, and when you can come away with a result from a good play at the end that’s very positive.”

As the match entered stoppage time, a draw seemed certain even though the U.S. still looked for a way to unlock the El Salvador defense. Kljestan provided the heroics in the second minute of stoppage time when he dispossessed Marvin González after a rather nonchalant pass from goalkeeper Meguel Montes. Kljestan picked up the ball in the center of the field 25 yards from goal and played a ball ahead to Ching. The forward returned the ball with a neat pass right into the path of Kljestan who slotted the ball behind Montes from eight yards to seal the win.

It was Kljestan’s fourth international goal and his first since his debut hat trick against Sweden on Jan. 24, 2009, at The Home Depot Center.

- U.S. Men's National Team Match Report -

Match: U.S. vs. El Salvador
Date: Feb. 24, 2010
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Attendance: 21,737
Weather: 56 degrees, rain

SLV – Rudis Corrales 59th minute
USA – Brian Ching (Heath Pearce) 75
USA – Sacha Kljestan (Brian Ching) 90+2

Lineups:
USA: 1-Nick Rimando; 21-Brad Evans, 13-Jonathan Bornstein, 15-Clarence Goodson, 6-Heath Pearce; 14-Robbie Rogers (5-Geoff Cameron, 86), 16-Sacha Kljestan, 7-Kyle Beckerman (17-Dax McCarty, 79), 8-Brad Davis (3-Eddie Gaven, 46); 9-Conor Casey (11-Brian Ching, 46), 10-Robbie Findley (19-Jeff Cunningham, 68)
Subs not used: 1-Troy Perkins, 4-Chad Marshall
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

SLV: 1-Miguel Montes; 2-Alexander Escobar, 3-Marvin González, 5-Ramón Flores (20-Odir Flores, ), 12-Manuel Salazar, 13-Deris Umanzor; 7-Ramón Sánchez (capt.), 8-Osael Romero (14-Dennis Alas, 71), 17-Juan Carlos Moscoso; 9-Rudis Corrales, 16-Arturo Álvarez
Subs not used: 4-Mardo Henríquez, 11-Andrés Flores, 15-Alfredo Pacheco, 6-Shawn Martin, 18-Dagoberto Portillo, 19-Edgar Álvarez
Head Coach: José Luis Rugamas

Stats Summary: USA / SLV
Shots: 18 / 3
Shots on Goal: 11 / 2
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 9 / 1
Fouls: 14 / 10
Offside: 4 / 2

U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley named the 20 players he will take to Tampa for Wednesday's friendly against El Salvador at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL.

Bradley dropped four players from the national team training camp at the Home Depot Center that led up to the exhibition game: goalkeepers Kevin Hartman and Zach Thornton and defenders Omar Gonzalez and Michael Orozco.

The U.S. is coming off a 3-1 January loss to Honduras. Next up is a game in The Netherlands on March 3 against the #3 ranked Dutch. Bradley is expected to use his European-based players in that game. The roster for that game has yet to be announced.

USA vs. El Salvador Roster
GOALKEEPERS: Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake).
DEFENDERS: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), 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).

U.S. hopes for the 2010 World Cup may have taken a bit hit over the weekend when U.S. MNT veteran midfielder Clint Dempsey went down with a knee injury in his club team’s 2-0 loss to Blackburn.

Dempsey, one of Fulham FC’s top players, may have torn his posterior cruciate knee ligament, and if MRI scans prove that to be the case the recovery time could be as long as 12 months. That would cause him to miss the World Cup next summer in South Africa.

Dempsey is the third key member of the U.S. national team to suffer an injury that could affect availability for the World Cup.

First Charlie Davies suffered severe injuries in an automobile accident days before the CONCACAF qualifier against Costa Rica in Washington, DC, and centeral defender Oguchi Onyewu suffered a patella tendon injury late in that qualifier.

Dempsey earned the Bronze Ball as the #3 player in the MVP voting at the FIFA Confederations Cup last summer.

The Americans open World Cup play against England in Rustenburg, South Africa June 11.

AARHUS, Denmark — The United States finished its 2009 schedule with a 3-1 loss to Denmark, losing its second straight match on a quick tour that was the last time Europe-based players will gather before March.

Jeff Cunningham gave the United States the lead with a 26th-minute goal, but substitutes Johan Absalonsen, Soren Rieks and Martin Bernburg beat goalkeeper Brad Guzan during the first 10 minutes of the second half.

The United States finished the year with 13 wins, eight losses and three ties, qualifying for its sixth straight World Cup and losing in the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

"It kind of stinks that we ended it this way. You never want to go out on a loss," U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said. "Do we still have things to work on? Yeah. But heading into the World Cup, we have a lot of confidence and we'll be pushing forward."

After the World Cup draw on Dec. 4, the next time most of the U.S. squad will be together is March 3, when the Americans are likely to play an exhibition game at the Netherlands.

"2009 was still an excellent year," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "We'll always look for things as reminders of the work that still needs to be done, and when you end with a game like Denmark it provides the opportunity to look hard at things and remind players hard work is necessary to continue to be successful."

Edgar Castillo, who switched from Mexico's national team to the United States earlier this year, made his American debut when he entered in the 61st minute.

"It was a good experience for my first time," the 23-year-old defender said. "I was a little nervous but the nerves went away and I got excited when I was going to step on that field. I'm happy to be here and happy to be playing here."

Cunningham, Major League Soccer's scoring leader this year, put the U.S. ahead in the 26th minute after a poor clearance by Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen. It was the first international goal in 12 appearances for Cunningham, who before last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Slovakia hadn't played for the U.S. since 2005.

He became the 21st player to score this year, an American record, and the ninth to get his first international goal, tying a U.S. mark set in 1993.

The Americans were missing Landon Donovan, who remained in the United States to play in this weekend's MLS Cup for the Los Angeles Galaxy, and several other regulars. Houston's Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden started after being added to the roster when the Dynamo were eliminated from the MLS playoffs.

Denmark was without Jon Dahl Tomasson, Dennis Rommedahl, Daniel Agger, Soren Larsen and Nicklas Bendtner.

U.S. midfielder Benny Feilhaber of Aarhus, playing in his home stadium, had a seventh-minute shot that was deflected by a diving Sorensen. Cunningham put the United States ahead with a left-footed shot from about 26 yards.

Absalonsen, Soren Rieks and Martin Bernburg entered at the start of the second half, and all played key roles in Denmark's comeback.

Simon Kjaer looped a pass over Jonathan Spector in the 47th minute, and Absalonsen tied the score. Five minutes later, Absalonsen sent a low ball to Rieks, who pushed it past Guzan. Bernburg added the third goal in the 55th minute after the ball went between Bocanegra and Jonathan Spector.

"It would have been nice to finish off the year with two better results, but that's life," said midfielder Michael Bradley, son of the U.S. coach. "We'll get ourselves ready at the beginning of next year and make sure we're ready for a strong push at the World Cup."

The U.S. men’s national team has added a second game to their November trip to Europe where they will play, Slovakia and Denmark. Both have also qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The Nov. 14 game against Slovakia in Bratislava, will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams. It comes four days before the U.S. is scheduled to play Denmark in Aarhus.

The two games gives U.S. coach Bob Bradley an opportunity to test his European-based players against World Cup 2010 finalists.

"We are very pleased about the opportunity to face another quality opponent on European soil," said Bradley, after Slovakia was announced as the second opponent. "Slovakia finished on top of a very competitive group in UEFA qualifying, and has demonstrated their capabilities throughout the process. With so few available dates for international matches between now and the World Cup, having the chance to play two fellow World Cup finalists is a big plus in terms of our preparations."

Slovakia qualified for the World Cup for the first time since beginning competitive international soccer as an independent nation in 1993, following the division of the former Czechoslovakia into two independent states -- Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Denmark finished first in Group 1 of UEFA Qualifying for South Africa with a 1-0 win over Sweden. The U.S. and Denmark have met five times in their history, never on Danish soil, and the teams have split the games with an even 1-1-3 record. The last meeting was Jan. 20, 2007, at The Home Depot Center when Jonathan Bornstein and Kenny Cooper scored in their national debuts in helping the U.S. to a 3-1 victory.

After the way the game ended in Honduras, a 3-2 road victory that earned a berth in the 2010 FIFA World Cup next summer in South Africa, everyone expected the final CONCACAF qualifying game at RFK Stadium to be rather routine.

The U.S. was hosting Costa Rica, which needed to win in order to earn one of CONCACAF’s automatic World Cup berths, but Costa Rica hadn’t beaten the U.S. on American soil since 1985.

What was at stake was first place in the final regional standings, as the U.S. began the game atop the standings by one point overe rival Mexico, which was playing a road game against last-place Trinidad & Tobago.

The U.S. was shocked early as Bryan Ruiz scored back-to-back goals within three minutes of each othere to give Costa Rica a 2-0 lead 24 minutes into the game.

The U.S. had plenty of opportunities to score, but misfired time after time. Michael Bradley finally trimmed the margin to 2-1 when he knocked back a rebound of Landon Donovan’s shot in the 72nd minute.

The U.S. continued to pump ball after ball into Costa Rica’s penalty box, but could not get the equalizer. In the 83rd minute things went from bad to worse, as Oguchi Onyewu, the veteran central defender, went down with a torn patella tendon in his left knee.

Having already used its three substitutions, the U.S. was forced to play the rest of the game with 10 players.

Five minutes into stoppage time, and with only seconds remaining to play, the U.S. got a final corner kick, which reserve midfielder Robbie Rogers played in front of the goal where defender Jonathan Bornstein, wide open, headed it past Coasta Rica keeper Keilor Navas.

The 2-2 draw, which looked like a 2-1 win for Costa Rica until the final 20 seconds, denied the Ticos of the automatic berth, which went to Honduras, a 1-0 winner over El Salvador. The difference was goal differential.

It also gave the U.S. first place in the final standing, as Mexico had to settle for an unexpected 2-2 draw with Trinidad & Tobago.. Costa Rica now goes into a two-game series with the #5 team from South America, Uruguay, for the final spot in the World Cup.

The injury to Onyewu was a costly one. That injury typically takes 3-4 months of recovery and rehab following surgery. The injury also came a day after a car crash severely injured U.S. forward Charlie Davies, which likely will take him out of the World Cup.

“We’ve had two days of tough news,” said U.S. coach Bob Bradley. “It’s another setback for us. Gooch has been such as important part of our team. He’s young. He’s healthy. He has good doctors. He’s someone we’re sure is going to get back.

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (Oct. 10, 2009) — The U.S. Men’s National Team qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 win against Honduras with five goals scored and a penalty missed by Honduras in a heart-stopping second half.

A standing room only crowd of Honduran supporters rocked Estadio Olímpico in San Pedro Sula, uniting behind their national team despite the domestic political strife dominating international headlines. After a scoreless first half that saw both teams shooting off-target, the second half turned into an instant classic with the U.S. getting the deciding goal in the 71st minute from a free kick by midfielder Landon Donovan.

Forward Conor Casey provided the heroics for the U.S., scoring the first two goals of his international career in the 55th and 66th minutes, and setting up the Donovan freekick. It was Casey’s third appearance in the 2010 qualifying cycle, and the 15th of his career.

The Honduras faithful thought their side would draw even in the 87th minute when the referee awarded a penalty kick in their favor. Carlos Pavon, the all-time leading scorer for Honduras with 55 career goals, shockingly blasted his penalty over the crossbar. Despite the misfortune, the Honduran crowd showed their class by offering the U.S. team a warm ovation following the match.

“This was the most important game in qualifying because it was the one that qualified us for South Africa 2010,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “The celebration was a very good one because when you have a group that has come together, that has worked hard, that has grown, when they’ve accomplished something it’s a special feeling. Tonight we can all share that feeling.”

After Honduras got things started with a handful of shots in the first few minutes of the game, the U.S. had the first dangerous opportunity in the 18th minute on a second consecutive corner kick by Donovan. His in-swinger from the left side bounced once in the middle of the penalty area and skipped to an unmarked Carlos Bocanegra. The bounce was too high for Bocanegra to get on top of and he headed the chance over the crossbar.

Eleven minutes later, Carlo Costly perfectly timed his run to beat the U.S. to a clearance over the heads of the U.S. back line. As he dribbled toward goal, he scuffed his shot just inches wide of Tim Howard’s right post.

After a scoreless first half, the complexion of the game changed completely just 20 seconds into the second half. U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu fell and made a clumsy foul that set up a Honduras freekick just a yard outside of the U.S. penalty area. Julio Cesar de Leon took a one-step approach on his right-footed shot that curled over the U.S. wall and under the cross bar, just out of the reach of Howard in the 47th minute.

The U.S. answered eight minutes later with Onyewu getting involved in the goal. The U.S. center back served a 50-yard ball to the top of the penalty area, where Davies won the header and popped the ball high in the air. As it came down at the top of the six yard box, Casey spun in the air as he challenged Valladares for the ball, and he made first contact with the back of his head before the goalkeeper could get a hand on it. The ball bounced once before going into the empty goal.

In the 64th minute, forward David Suazo came on for Honduras and moments later he made a great diagonal run right from left to right. He received the ball in stride before unleashing a shot from the right side of the area to the far post that forced Howard to make his best save of the night with a two-handed parry to keep the ball from curling inside the far post.

In the 66th minute, the U.S. took the lead that it would not relinquish. Onyewu stepped in at the top of the U.S. penalty area to win a through ball, and carried the ball forward before he found Davies available on the left wing at midfield. Davies took the ball across midfield before playing it square to Donovan. Donovan dribbled toward the middle and threaded the defense for Casey who got behind the last defender in the area. Casey faked a shot to get Valladares to go down, and then calmly slotted the ball inside the right post.

The U.S. continued to put the pressure on, and Casey earned a free kick after de Leon was whistled for a foul 22-yards from goal. Just three yards further from goal than de Leon scored from earlier in the half, Donovan perfectly placed the ball over Ricardo Clark standing at the end of the wall. Valladares was screened, and couldn’t react in time as the shot sailed over his back shoulder in the 71st minute.

In the 87th minute, a Nuñez free kick bounced in the area before coming up and hitting Holden’s left arm. Referee Roberto Moreno immediately pointed to the spot, and Pavon – who converted a penalty against the U.S. on Sept. 1, 2001, in Washington, D.C., in the last U.S. loss on home soil – missed the chance to equalize.

The U.S. held on for the next five minutes of regulation plus four minutes of added time to become the first CONCACAF team to win in Honduras during the 2010 qualifying cycle.

Honduras was previously 8-0-0 at home in qualifying for South Africa, and with three goals scored the U.S. matched the total that Honduras had allowed in their prior eight home games. The U.S. is now 5-3-1 on the road in qualifying, the best mark in CONCACAF heading into Matchday 10.

The match was the fourth time in nine qualifies that the U.S. surrendered the first goal. In those four matches, however, the U.S. has earned 10 of their 19 points with three come-from-behind wins and one come-from-behind tie.

With his goals, Casey became the 20th different player to score a goal for the U.S. in 2009 – the most ever in one year for the team. Donovan, with his pass to Casey on the second goal, set the U.S. single-year assist record with 10 to pass Cobi Jones.

The USA joins Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain and Korea Republic as the only teams who have participated in all six World Cup since 1990, including secured berths to South Africa in 2010.

- U.S. Men's National Team Game Report –

Match: United States vs. Honduras
Date: Oct. 10, 2009
Competition: FIFA World Cup Qualifier – Final Round
Venue: Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano – San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Kickoff: 8 p.m. MT
Attendance: TBA
Weather: 80 degrees

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 3 3
HON 0 2 2

HON – Julio Cesar de Leon (unassisted) 47th minute
USA – Conor Casey (Charlie Davies) 55
USA – Conor Casey (Landon Donovan) 66
USA – Landon Donovan (unassisted) 71
HON – Julio Cesar de Leon (David Suazo) 78

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 2-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 12-Jonathan Bornstein; 7-Stuart Holden (6-Steve Cherundolo, 90+3), 13-Ricardo Clark, 4-Michael Bradley, 10-Landon Donovan; 9-Charlie Davies (17-Jozy Altidore, 79), 8-Conor Casey (16-Benny Feilhaber, 84)
Subs not used: 11-Kenny Cooper, 14-Jose Francisco Torres, 15-Jimmy Conrad, 18-Brad Guzan
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

HON: 18-Noel Valladares; 16-Mauricio Sabillon, 2-Osman Chavez, 3-Maynor Figueroa, 12-Emilio Izaguirre; 17-Edgard Alvarez (11-David Suazo, 64), 6-Hendry Thomas (7-Ramon Nunez, 75), 8-Wilson Palacios, 10-Julio Cesar de Leon (15-Walter Martinez, 80); 13-Carlo Costly, 9-Carlos Pavon
Subs not used: 1-Ricardo Canales, 5-Erick Norales, 14-Boniek Garcia, 4-Melvin Valladares,
Head Coach: Reinaldo Rueda

Stats Summary: USA / HON
Shots: 16 / 13
Shots on Goal: 7 / 5
Saves: 3 / 4
Corner Kicks: 5 / 5
Fouls: 12 / 16
Offside: 1 / 2

Misconduct Summary:
HON – Osman Chavez (caution) 47th minute
HON – Maynor Figueroa (caution) 73
USA – Jonathan Bornstein (caution) 85

Officials:
Referee: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Jaime Smith (PAN)
Fourth Official: Jose Luis Rodriguez (PAN)

ussoccer.com Man of the Match:
Conor Casey

U.S. Men’s National Team forward Charlie Davies underwent six-hours of surgery at Washington Hospital Center Medstar after suffering several broken bones and a lacerated bladder in a one-car accident early Tuesday morning. One person was killed in the accident.

Davies, who was a passenger in the car, survived along with another passenger. He was the only member of the U.S. team the automobile.

The accident occurred in Northern Virginia at approximately 3:00 in the morning on the Southbound lane of the Washington Memorial Parkway. According to U.S. Park police, Ashley J. Roberta, 22, of Phoenix, Md., was killed in the crash.

The name of the third person in the car, nor the name of the driver, has not been released. However, it was released that Davies was not the driver.

Davies underwent surgery to repair the ruptured bladder, and then had titanium rods inserted in both broken leg bones. The tibia and femur in Daviews’ right leg were broken. He also had some broken facial bones as well as facial lacerations, as well as a broken left elbow.

It is expected that he will remain in the hospital for about a week. He will need further surgery at a later time, and recover for these types of injuries is 6-12 months. That is expected to eliminate him from participating in the 2010 FIFA World Cup next June and July in South Africa.

The U.S. MNT was in Washington, DC, preparing for the final CONCACAF World Cup qualifying game, Oct. 14, at RFK Stadium against Costa Rica. It was reported that the players were subject to a team curfew on Monday night, and Davies had violated that curfew.

CHICAGO (Oct. 1, 2009) — U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 22 players that will train in advance of the crucial FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica that will determine if the United States automatically qualifies for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The U.S. first travels to San Pedro Sula to face Honduras, with kickoff on Oct. 10 at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano set for 8 p.m. MT. Four days later, the U.S. returns home for the last match of final round qualifying when they will take on Costa Rica in Washington, D.C. Kickoff at RFK Stadium is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision.

The U.S. currently sits in first place in the final round hexagonal, collecting 16 points and a 5-2-1 record through eight games. Only four points separate the top four teams with two games remaining, as Mexico sits one point behind the U.S., Honduras has 13 points and Costa Rica lurks just behind with 12 points. The top three teams automatically advance to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while the fourth place team will participate in a two-leg playoff against the fifth place team from South America.

While a victory in either of its last two matches would ensure the USA’s place in South Africa next year, there are several scenarios in which the U.S. could advance. In order to qualify on Oct. 10, the U.S. would need to earn at least as many points as Costa Rica that day – with Costa Rica hosting Trinidad & Tobago, a team that has already been eliminated – or Costa Rica would have to lose. If the U.S. does not qualify on Oct. 10, it would need at least a tie against Costa Rica on the final match day to guarantee a sixth consecutive appearance in the FIFA World Cup.

Advance tickets for the Costa Rica match starting at $35 are on sale now online at ussoccer.com, through all Washington-Baltimore Ticketmaster outlets (including Macy’s stores), and by phone (Washington 202-397-SEAT (7328); Baltimore 410-547-SEAT (7328); Northern Virginia 703-573-SEAT (7328); out of state 1-800-551-SEAT (7328)). Groups of 20 or more can obtain a group order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290.

“These are hugely important games for us as we have the opportunity to clinch a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said Bradley, who has led the U.S. to a 12-3-1 record in World Cup qualifying.

“Each of these games presents an opportunity to advance, and we face two very different and difficult challenges against Honduras and Costa Rica. We have been preparing this group for the last three years to be ready for these situations, and we are confident in our ability to get the results we need to achieve our goal of qualifying for South Africa.”

The U.S. roster remains largely unchanged from the team that collected a pair of victories against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago in the previous two qualifiers. The attack is led by Landon Donovan, who recently became the USA’s all-time leader in World Cup qualifying appearances when he earned his 32nd and 33rd caps in the competition. Donovan has contributed to 10 of the USA’s 14 goals in the final round of 2010 qualifying, amassing two goals and eight assists.

The U.S. defense is led by goalkeeper Tim Howard, who earned the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. He has posted an impressive eight shutouts in 14 all-time World Cup qualifying appearances, including the 1-0 shutout against T&T on Sept. 9 in Port-of-Spain that gave the U.S. their first away victory in the final round.

U.S. captain and defender Carlos Bocanegra is one of four players to have appeared in all eight of the USA’s final round qualifiers thus far, along with Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey and Donovan. AC Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu is poised to earn his 50th international cap for the United States, while Hannover defender Steve Cherundolo is the only player in the group to have played in the USA’s last visit to Honduras, earning his second-ever cap in a 2-1 victory on March 28, 2001, in the final round of qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The Houston Dynamo contributes the most players to the roster, sending three to players to the camp that begins Oct. 4 in Miami. Ricardo Clark scored his second international goal and first in qualifying when he netted the critical game-winner against Trinidad & Tobago last month. Brian Ching is tied for third in scoring for the U.S. in this cycle with four goals, while Stuart Holden has entered as a substitute in the USA’s last three qualifiers.

Honduras holds an unblemished 8-0-0 record at home in 2010 qualifying, including five shutouts and two victories against regional rivals Mexico. During the final round of qualifying, there has been only a single loss at home for one of the top four teams, that coming when Costa Rica fell 3-0 to Mexico on Sept. 5 in San Jose. The U.S. has a lifetime record of 10-2-3 against Honduras, with a 3-1-1 record in World Cup qualifying. The U.S. is 2-1-1 lifetime on Honduran soil, with three of the four visits coming before 1994.

The U.S. faces Costa Rica on Oct. 14 in what could be the definitive match of World Cup qualifying in the friendly confines of RFK Stadium. The venue in the nation’s capital has hosted the national team 18 times, and has been the site of 12 U.S. wins - more than any stadium in the world. Overall, the U.S. is 12-3-4 on East Capitol Street. The most recent victory came in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a 2-0 win against Honduras on July 8 in Group B, with goals from Santino Quaranta and Ching. The U.S. has a lifetime record of 11-11-5 against Costa Rica. In their last 10 meetings, the U.S. holds an even 4-4-2 against the Ticos, with all four wins coming in the U.S. and all four losses coming in San Jose, Costa Rica.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton: 14/8 SO)

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 24/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 4/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards: 1/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 18/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 3/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 13/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 7/1), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 20/5), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 4/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 3/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 6/0)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 11/6), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Kenny Cooper (1860 Munich: 1/1), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 5/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 33/11) *numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 24 players that will train in advance of the critical FIFA World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago. The U.S. first hosts El Salvador on Sept. 5 in Sandy, Utah. Kickoff at Rio Tinto Stadium is set for 6 p.m. MT., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and TeleFutura.

Four days later, the U.S. returns to Hasley Crawford Stadium to take on Trinidad & Tobago. The match kicks off in Port-of-Spain at 7 p.m. ET, with live coverage on ESPN Classic and Galavision. Fans can follow both matches live online via ussoccer.com’s newly upgraded MatchTracker.

The U.S. team will begin gathering Aug. 30 in Utah for training. Following the match against El Salvador, the U.S. team will travel Sept. 7 to Trinidad.

The U.S. currently sits in third place in the final round hexagonal, collecting 10 points and a 3-2-1 record through six games. Costa Rica leads the pack with 12 points, while Honduras holds second place based on a superior goal differential to the United States. The top three teams automatically advance to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while the fourth place team will participate in a two-leg playoff against the fifth place team from South America.

“Clearly these are very important games in our effort to qualify for 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who holds an unblemished 7-0-0 record at home in World Cup qualifying. “As we expected, qualifying in this region is very competitive. Both El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago will be hungry to get points from these matches, and we have an opportunity to position ourselves well to secure a berth for South Africa.”

Seventeen players on the roster return from the group that defeated #1-ranked Spain and finished runners up to Brazil in the FIFA Confederations Cup in June. Tim Howard, who missed the previous match in this round against El Salvador while serving a one-game suspension, has posted an impressive seven shutouts in 12 all-time World Cup qualifying appearances.

Clint Dempsey, honored with the Bronze Ball as the third best player in the Confederations Cup, tallied three times in South Africa, including goals against Spain and Brazil. Dempsey is tied for second place in scoring for the U.S. in this qualifying cycle, netting four goals along with Michael Bradley, Brian Ching and Landon Donovan.

Led by team captain Carlos Bocanegra, four players have appeared in all six of the USA’s final round qualifiers thus far. Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 116 international appearances. Long the USA’s all-time leading scorer in both goals and assists, his strike in the 2-1 qualifying win against Honduras on June 6 in Chicago lifted Donovan to the top of the team’s all-time scoring list in World Cup qualifying with 11 career goals. Now with 31 career World Cup qualifying caps, Donovan is poised to surpass Kasey Keller, Eddie Pope and Claudio Reyna as the USA’s leader in appearances in qualifying.

Jozy Altidore leads all U.S. scorers in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals, including a record-setting hat trick performance in the 3-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago on April 1 in Nashville, Tenn. With the three goals, the 19-year-old Altidore became the youngest player in U.S. history to record a hat trick. Altidore also scored the first goal to spark the USA’s comeback in the 2-2 draw on March 28 in El Salvador, marking the first time the team has faced and erased a two-goal deficit to earn a point on the road.

Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman and forward Robbie Findley are making their first appearance on a World Cup qualifying roster. Along with Robbie Rogers, they are only players on the roster without a cap in qualifying. Stuart Holden earned his first World Cup qualifying cap against Mexico. With his goal at Estadio Azteca, Charlie Davies now has recorded two goals in qualifying in three appearances.

The U.S. is playing for the first time at Rio Tinto Stadium, and only the second-ever match in the state of Utah. During qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, two goals from Donovan paced the U.S. to a 3-0 win against Costa Rica on June 4, 2005, at Rice Eccles Stadium in front of more than 40,000 fans.

Holding a lifetime record of 13-1-5 against El Salvador, the U.S. has never lost to the Salvadorans in World Cup qualifying (4-0-3). The team will be without the services of defender Oguchi Onyewu, who will be serving a one-match suspension due to yellow card accumulation.

This is the fourth consecutive World Cup qualifying cycle in which the U.S. and T & T have faced off, and the sixth overall since 1985. The U.S. holds a 10-1-2 record in qualifying against Trinidad & Tobago, including a 3-1-1 record on the road.

Following these matches, the U.S. will close out the 10-game, round robin final round with matches against Honduras and Costa Rica. The United States will travel to face Honduras on Oct. 10, and finishes group play on Oct. 14 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Men’s National Team Training Camp Roster
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 12/7 SO)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 22/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 2/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 3/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew: 2/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 17/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake: 0/0), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 11/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 6/0), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 18/4), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 2/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 1/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 5/0)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 9/5), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 3/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 31/11), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake: 0/0)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

MEXICO CITY (Aug. 12, 2009) — The U.S. Men’s National Team took its first-ever lead at Estadio Azteca in the ninth minute, but Mexico quickly tied the game before striking for the game-winner in the 82nd minute in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 100,000.

U.S. forward Charlie Davies scored nine minutes into his first FIFA World Cup qualifying start, but Mexico came from behind with a rocket of a goal by b in the 19th minute and an 82nd-minute strike from substitute Miguel Sabah.

“It was a tight game and a fair score,” U.S. head coach Bob Bradley said. “It's a tough loss to have so many guys work so hard and then give up a late goal. The feeling inside is one of great disappointment, because the idea that you could still walk away today with a point after everyone gave everything they had is important for any team.

“Overall, our defending was very good. On the other side, I think we could still connect some more passes and hold the ball a little bit better. I think that probably was the area that let us down the most.”

In other CONCACAF qualifiers Honduras blanked first-place Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago won its first hexagonal game 1-0 over El Salvador. That resulted in a tightening of the standings, but no change in the order. Costa Rica still leads with 12 points, Honduras and the U.S. are tied for second with 10 points each and Mexico is fourth with nine points. Honduras has a goals advantage over the U.S.

With two of the qualifying games yet to conclude, the U.S. is still in second place with 10 points from six games, while Mexico has passed Honduras for third place with nine points. Honduras hosts Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago hosts El Salvador in the other matches

Mexico’s win means that the teams have now split their final round qualifying games in each of the last three World Cup cycles. Dating back to 2001, the U.S. has won the home leg 2-0 while losing by one goal on the road for the third consecutive game. The U.S. is still seeking its first road win against Mexico, falling to 0-23-1 including 0-9-1 at Estadio Azteca.

Mexico got the action started in the second minute when Andrés Guardado let a 23-yard shot fly at Tim Howard in the first of seven shots on goal on the day for Mexico.

The only U.S. shot on goal on the day was the Davies tally in the ninth minute, and with the strike he joined Willie Roy, Rick Davis and Eddie Lewis as the only U.S. players to score against Mexico at Estadio Azteca.

The scoring play started with a clearance by Howard that a Mexican defender headed back to Clint Dempsey.

Dempsey touched the ball back behind the midfield stripe to Michael Bradley, who took a touch before playing the ball to Donovan. Donovan came back to receive the ball at the front edge of the center circle, and quickly turned inside Guardado and dribbled forward. He looked up and found Davies behind the left side of the Mexico defense. Davies sped in on Guillermo Ochoa’s goal and coolly curved a right footed shot around the Mexico goalkeeper from 16 yards.

The first ever lead against Mexico for the U.S. at Estadio Azteca lasted just 10 minutes, as Castro hit a bomb off the underside of the crossbar in the 19th minute. Castro tackled the ball away from Donovan in the U.S. defensive half and popped up quickly to play the ball to Guardado. He played the ball to Cuauhtemoc Blanco on the left wing, and Blanco brought the play inside where he drew the attention of both Bradley and Ricardo Clark. Blanco then found Castro wide open 28 yards from goal in the middle of the field. After one touch, he blasted a shot off the underside of the crossbar that bounced across the goal line.

Five minutes later, Mexico nearly went ahead as Giovanni dos Santos played a one-two with Guillermo Franco and shot just wide of the post, but Franco was correctly flagged offside.

For the remainder of the first half, Mexico put on most of the pressure and referee Roberto Moreno from Panama showed the U.S. three yellow cards. Oguchi Onyewu will miss the next U.S. qualifier after a handball in the 27th minute, and two minutes later Jay DeMerit was booked for a late challenge on dos Santos outside the U.S. penalty area that led to a Blanco shot on goal that was saved by Howard. In first half stoppage time, Carlos Bocanegra went into the book for a tackle on dos Santos at midfield.

In the second half after Mexico coach Javier Aguirre replaced Blanco with Carlos Vela in the 56th minute, the U.S. countered by bringing in Benny Feilhaber for Brian Ching and Stuart Holden for Ricardo Clark. For Holden, it was his first career appearance in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Each team’s defense continued to stand strong, as they had for much of the first half. Mexico had a pair of chances from dos Santos in the 59th minute. On the first, Guardado crossed to a wide-open dos Santos outside of the far post, and his hard shot was saved by Howard at the near post. On the ensuing corner, the 20 year old again tried to find the near post but his rolling shot was picked up by Howard.

Later, Davies injected himself into the best two chances for the U.S. in the second half. The first came when he was called offside as a pass from Bradley came just as Davies passed the last Mexico defender, and the second coming as he narrowly missed a diving chance as Holden sent in a driven cross from the right wing.

After a Mexico free kick in the 75th minute, Davies went down injured with leg cramps and while on the ground was confronted by Mexico captain Gerardo Torrado. Feilhaber came to Davies’ defense, shoving Torrado away, and both were shown yellow cards as Davies was carted off the field and replaced by Jozy Altidore.

The Mexico game-winner came in the 82nd minute with Mexico switching fields to find Efrain Juárez on the right wing. Donovan gave chase and Juárez passed Bocanegra on the way to the endline, where his pass into the middle deflected off DeMerit attempting a slide tackle and found Sabah. The Mexico substitute, who had come on just three minutes earlier, crushed a shot into the goal over Howard from close range.

Mexico held on down the stretch, with Donovan’s only corner of the second half punched away by Ochoa in the 88th minute.

The final round of qualifying resumes on Sept. 5, when the U.S. hosts El Salvador at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, followed four days later by a trip to play at Trinidad & Tobago.

ESPN To Air Unprecedented Pre-Game and Post-Game Shows Beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT

CHICAGO (Aug. 7, 2009) — U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 20 players that will train in advance of the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Mexico that will take place Aug. 12 in Mexico City. The U.S. seeks its first-ever victory on Mexican soil, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. CT at Estadio Azteca, famed for its grueling combination of altitude, smog and more than 100,000 spectators. The match will be broadcast live on Telemundo, mun2, and the Futbol de Primera Radio Networks. Fans can follow live online via ussoccer.com’s newly upgraded MatchTracker and twitter.com/ussoccer.

Additionally, ESPN will provide unprecedented studio coverage, highlighted by a 30-minute SportsCenter 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Special from outside Estadio Azteca beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT. The special marks the first time in its 30-year history that ESPN will air a live pre-match show for a soccer event it is not televising.

The U.S. team will begin gathering Aug. 9 in Miami, and will depart for Mexico on Tuesday. With a lifetime record of 0-22-1 in Mexico and currently in second place of final round qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. looks to pick up points on the road to start the second half of the hexagonal after posting a 3-1-1 record through five games. Mexico sits in fourth place in the group with a 2-3-0 record. The top three teams automatically advance to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while the fourth place team will participate in a two-leg playoff against the fifth place team from South America.

“We are excited about the challenge and the opportunity,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who guided the U.S. to a second-place finish in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. “Mexico is a very good team, and we are all aware of their great success playing in Mexico City. Every game in qualifying is important, and this is a chance to gain further ground in the group. Our team continually tries to raise the bar, and certainly the chance to win for the first time in Mexico is a welcome opportunity.”

Seventeen players on the roster return from the group that defeated #1-ranked Spain and finished runners up to Brazil in the FIFA Confederations Cup in June. Tim Howard, who earned the Golden Glove award in South Africa as the tournament’s best goalkeeper, is unbeaten in five matches against Mexico and has posted an impressive five shutouts in seven all-time World Cup qualifying appearances. Clint Dempsey, honored with the Bronze Ball as the third best player in the Confederations Cup, tallied three times in South Africa, including goals against Spain and Brazil. Oguchi Onyewu turned in one of the stand out performances for the U.S. team, his efforts helping ignite a transfer to AC Milan of the Italian Serie A.

Nine players in this group appeared in the USA’s comprehensive 2-0 victory against Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus to start final round qualifying, including ussoccer.com Man of the Match Michael Bradley, who scored both goals that day.

Led by team captain Carlos Bocanegra, four players have appeared in all five of the USA’s final round qualifiers thus far. Landon Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 115 international appearances. Long the USA’s all-time leading scorer in both goals and assists, his strike in the 2-1 qualifying win against Honduras on June 6 in Chicago lifted Donovan to the top of the team’s all-time scoring list in World Cup qualifying with 11 career goals.

Donovan has been a particular nemesis to El Tri, having scored four times in his career against Mexico, highlighted by the second goal in a 2-0 win in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Jozy Altidore, who is set to go on loan to Hull City of the English Premier League pending work permit approval, leads all U.S. scorers in the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals, including a record-setting hat trick performance in the 3-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago. With the three goals, the 19-year-old Altidore became the youngest player in U.S. history to record a hat trick.

Chad Marshall and Stuart Holden are making their first appearance on a World Cup qualifying roster, both coming off solid performances during the USA’s run in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Also returning from the Gold Cup roster is forward Brian Ching, who is tied with Bradley, Dempsey and Donovan with four goals each in the current qualifying campaign. Veteran defender Steve Cherundolo returns to the fold for the first time in the final round after being sidelined by injury through the first half of the hexagonal.

The U.S. has never won in Mexico, and has only earned one draw. Down a man for nearly an hour, the U.S. earned a 0-0 draw on Nov. 2, 1997, in World Cup qualifying at Estadio Azteca. It has been a much different story on U.S. soil, with Mexico finally putting the brakes on the USA’s decade of dominance at home with their victory in the Gold Cup final. Prior to that match, the U.S. had posted an unbeaten 9-0-2 home record against El Tri dating back to 1999.

Costa Rica currently leads the group on 12 points, followed by the United States with 10 points. In other CONCACAF qualifying action Aug. 12, third place Honduras hosts Costa Rica while winless Trinidad & Tobago welcome El Salvador. Following this single fixture date, the U.S. will host El Salvador at Rio Tinto Stadium on Sept. 5 in Salt Lake City, Utah, before traveling to face Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 9 in Port-of-Spain.

U.S. Men’s National Team Roster vs. Mexico
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 11/7 SO)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 21/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 2/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 18/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 2/0), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew: 0/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 16/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 10/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 5/0), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC: 17/4), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 1/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 5/0)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal: 8/5), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 15/6), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 2/1), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 30/11)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (July 26, 2009) — Playing in its second final of a major international tournament in two months, the U.S. Men’s National Team fell to Mexico this afternoon in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup in front of a sell out pro-Mexico crowd of 79,156 at Giants Stadium.

Playing their 13th game in 54 days, the U.S. had the better of play in the first half against Mexico, but in the 55th minute Jamaican referee Courtney Campbell awarded Mexico a penalty kick that shifted the momentum.

A foul was called on defender Jay Heaps in the penalty box as he pulled down Giovani Dos Santos, after being struck in the side of the head by the Mexican forward’s elbow. Heaps would pick up his second yellow in the final minutes of play and was ejected.

After Gerardo Torrado’s conversion, the U.S. pushed forward in hopes of the equalizer and Mexico was able to capitalize with four more goals in for a 5-0 victory.

The loss to Mexico ended the USA’s 11-game unbeaten streak on U.S. soil against their archrival dating back to 1999, and was the team’s first loss to a CONCACAF opponent at home in 58 matches.

The defeat was the worst by the U.S. since a 5-0 loss to England in Los Angeles on June 16, 1985. Mexico’s win on U.S. soil was their first against the Americans since a 2-1 win on March 13, 1999. Between defeats, Mexico posted a 0-9-2 record.

The match was the 46th meeting in the rivalry, and the largest margin of victory since a 7-2 by Mexico on April 28, 1957, in Long Beach, Calif., and the first time a team scored five goals against the United States since Czechoslovakia won by a 5-1 margin in the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

The U.S. used the same players in the final as had played in the quarterfinals and semifinals, despite having a number of first-level players approved to play.

Only forward Bring Ching was from the full first-team roster, with the rest being young, inexperienced players from Major League Soccer. Midfielders Benny Failhaber and Freddy Adu and forward Charlie Davis were used in early group games, but released to return to Europe with their professional teams.

Regulars like forwards Conor Casey and Jozy Altidore, defender Jonathan Bornstein, midfielders Ricardo Clark and Sasha Kljestan and goalkeeper Brad Guzan were on the roster, but not called in for any Gold Cup games.

Defender Michael Parkhurst, on the original roster, was released to return to Europe after group play, but was called back to replace injured Jimmy Conrad, but was not used in the final.

After the Torrado penalty, Dos Santos, Carlos Vela, Israel Castro and Guillermo Franco put in four straight unanswered goals for the 5-0 result.

Next up for both the U.S. and Mexico is the matchup in Mexico City’s Acteca Stadium on August 12, a place where the U.S. has never won a game.

That game will be televised in Spanish on Telemundo, and can only be seen in English on Telemundo’s hardly-available cable network Mun2. Unless other arrangements will be made, it will not be televised on ESPN or Fox Soccer Channel.

Match: United States vs. Mexico
Date: July 26, 2009
Competition: CONCACAF Gold Cup – Final
Venue: Giants Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
Attendance: TBA
Weather: 80 degrees and cloudy

MEX – Gerardo Torrado (penalty) 57th minute
MEX – Giovani Dos Santos 64
MEX – Carlos Vela (Giovani Dos Santos) 70
MEX – Israel Castro (Carlos Vela) 79
MEX – Guillermo Franco (Fausto Pinto) 90

Lineups:
USA: 1-Troy Perkins; 16-Jay Heaps, 4-Chad Marshall, 3-Clarence Goodson, 2-Heath Pearce; 10-Stuart Holden, 8-Logan Pause (20-Santino Quaranta, 64), 5-Kyle Beckerman (15-Sam Cronin, 81), 7-Robbie Rogers; 11-Brian Ching (capt.), 22-Davy Arnaud (17-Kenny Cooper, 64)
Subs not used: 13-Colin Clark, 14-Michael Parkhurst, 21-Brad Evans, 23-Jon Busch
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

MEX: 1-Guillermo Ochoa; 15-Juan Antonio Castro, 21-Juan Valenzuela, 2-Jonny Magallón, 5-Fausto Pinto; 6-Gerardo Torrado (capt.), 22-Efrain Juarez, 8-Israel Castro (16-Carlos Esquivel, 89); 17-Giovani Dos Santos, 14-Miguel Sabah (10-Guillermo Franco, 70), 7-Alberto Medina (11-Carlos Vela, 46)
Subs not used: 3-Ismael Rodriguez, 12-Jose Coronoa, 13-Pablo Barreja, 19-Luis Noriega
Head Coach: Javier Aguirre

Stats Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 14 / 14
Shots on Goal: 1 / 10
Saves: 5 / 1
Corner Kicks: 4 / 2
Fouls: 8 / 10
Offside: 2 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Jay Heaps (caution) 24th minute
USA – Logan Pause (caution) 27
MEX – Alberto Medina (caution) 45+
MEX – Miguel Sabah (caution) 64
MEX – Guillermo Franco (caution) 73
MEX – Israel Castro (caution) 80
USA – Jay Heaps (caution) 88
USA – Jay Heaps (sent off) 88
USA – Kenny Cooper (caution) 90+

Officials:
Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM)
Assistant Referee 1: Ricardo Morgan (JAM)
Assistant Referee 2: William Torres (SLV)
Fourth Official: Joel Aguilar (SLV)

PHILADELPHIA (July 18 2009) — The U.S. Men’s National Team got a stunning strike from Kyle Beckerman and a penalty kick in overtime from Kenny Cooper to defeat Panama 2-1 at Lincoln Financial Field and advance to the semifinals of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The U.S. will face Honduras in the semifinals on Thursday, July 23 at 6 p.m. CT at Soldier Field in Chicago. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel, TeleFutura and the Futbol de Primera Radio Network. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and Twitter.

The U.S. fell behind when Panama capitalized on a corner kick during injury time of the first half, but Beckerman struck back early in the second half for the equalizer. Cooper, who came on for Davy Arnaud in the 77th minute, was fouled inside the penalty area late in the first overtime. Cooper took the spot kick himself, placing it just past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Jaime Penedo, off the post and in for the game-winner.

“It was a challenge to the team to be in that spot at halftime and I still felt good that the response was strong,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “When we didn't finish the game in regulation, you still got a sense the mentality was "we're going to take care of this thing. The players deserve a lot of credit for that."

The U.S. applied pressure from opening whistle, finding success through combination play, particularly down the left flank. In the eighth minute, forward Brian Ching nearly got the early goal for the U.S. with a header. Rising up to meet a Stuart Holden cross, the Hawaiian put the header towards the right side of the net with power, but agonizingly saw it hit the post.

A frightening collision occurred just before halftime when defender Jimmy Conrad, wearing the captain’s band, went up for a header on a U.S. corner and knocked heads with a Panamanian defender. Clearly shaken, Conrad was helped to his feet and taken off the field, forcing Bradley to make an early substitution and bring on Clarence Goodson to replace him.

Goodson was immediately thrown into the fire since Panama earned a corner kick as the first half came close to its end. The corner was sent into the middle of the box and flicked on towards the far post by Goodson’s mark, Felipe Beloy. Bouncing off Holden, who couldn’t control the ball or clear it from danger, the loose ball was blasted into the roof of the net by Blas Perez to give the Central American side the lead going into halftime.

Coming out in the second half with aggression, the U.S. got right down to the business of tying the match. In the 49th minute, Robbie Rogers sent a floater to back post. With no clear shot on goal, Arnaud played the ball back seemingly looking for Holden but it was out of his reach but provided a perfect set-up for Beckerman just inside the penalty area and he unloaded a rocket to the upper right corner. The goal marked Beckerman’s first in seven appearances for the full team, making him the eighth different goal scorer for the U.S. in the 2009 Gold Cup.

“The ball went out wide and was sent across. I gambled a little bit just thinking it may pop out to the top of the box,” said Beckerman. “Sometimes you gamble and sure enough the ball finds your foot.”

The game remained tied at 1-1 through the rest of the second second half, forcing the first overtime in 2009 Gold Cup play.

The U.S. got the game-winner from the foot of Cooper in the 105th minute. Looking for the towering forward, Holden struck a pass into the top of the box. Attempting to collect, Cooper was kicked high in his chest by defender Roman Torres. With a perfect view of the foul, referee Benito Archundia wasted no time in pointing to the spot and giving a yellow card to Torres.

Stepping up to take his own penalty, Cooper hesitated on the run-up before placing the ball perfectly on the inside left post and into the goal. Penedo guessed correctly, but the bottom corner shot was just out of reach. It was Cooper’s third career goal for the U.S. and first penalty strike.

“It’s fortunate any time you can get a penalty,” said Cooper. “It obviously came at a good time in overtime. Fortunately, it snuck in and the guys did great to hold on defensively.”

Match: United States vs. Panama
Date: July 18, 2009
Competition: CONCACAF Gold Cup – Quarterfinal
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Attendance: 31,087
Weather: Sunny, 75 degrees

PAN – Blas Perez 46+ minute
USA – Kyle Beckerman (Davy Arnaud) 49
USA – Kenny Cooper (penalty kick) 105

Lineups:
USA: 1-Troy Perkins; 16-Jay Heaps, 4-Chad Marshall, 12-Jimmy Conrad (capt.) (3-Clarence Goodson, 46+), 2-Heath Pearce; 10-Stuart Holden, 8-Logan Pause, 5-Kyle Beckerman, 7-Robbie Rogers (21-Brad Evans, 110); 11-Brian Ching, 22-Davy Arnaud (17-Kenny Cooper, 77)
Subs not used: 13-Colin Clark, 15-Sam Cronin, 18-Luis Robles, 20-Santino Quaranta
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

PAN: 1-Jaime Penedo; 5-Roman Torres, 23-Felipe Baloy (capt ), 14-Armando Gun; 3-Luis Moreno, 6-Gabriel Gomez, 16-Manuel Torres, 20-Rolando Escobar (15-Ricardo Phillips, 78), 10-Nelson Barahona (11-Victor Herrera, 96); 9-Jose Luis Garces, 7-Blas Perez
Subs not used: 2-Carlos Rivera; 8-Alberto Blanco, 12-Oscar McFarlane, 18-Luis Tejada, 21-Amilcar Henriquez
Head Coach: Gary Stempel

Stats Summary: USA / PAN
Shots: 16 / 3
Shots on Goal: 6 / 1
Saves: 0 / 3
Corner Kicks: 6 / 2
Fouls: 19 / 20
Offside: 0 / 1

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Jimmy Conrad (caution) 11th minute
PAN – Blas Perez (caution) 25
PAN - Felipe Baloy (caution) 63
PAN – Ramon Torres (caution) 104
PAN – Felipe Baloy (sent off) 120
PAN - Blas Perez (caution) 120
PAN - Blas Perez (sent off) 120

Officials:
Referee: Benito Archundia (MEX)
Assistant Referee 1: Hector Delgadillo (MEX)
Assistant Referee 2: Luis Camargo (MEX)
Fourth Official: Walter Quesada (CRC)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 8, 2009) — Second half goals by Santino Quaranta and Brian Ching four minutes apart fired the U.S. to a 2-0 victory against Honduras the top spot in Group B before an enthusiastic crowd of 26,079 at RFK Stadium.

The U.S. currently sits in first place in Group B as the only team with six points after two games. Honduras and Haiti each have three points, while Grenada sits in last place with zero. A win or a tie for the U.S. against Haiti in their final group match on Saturday, July 11, in Foxborough, Mass., would clinch the top spot in the group.

“We knew that this would be a good challenge tonight,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “Honduras is a good team and this was the game that was going to go a long ways towards determining who would finish first in the group. I thought the response of our team was quite good. Games like this there's got to be a good collective effort from start to finish, you have to have the ability at certain points to bring on subs who help and in all ways I thought it was a good solid team effort.”

For each of the goal scorers, the match marked a return to international action after a layoff – although Quaranta’s was by far the most notable and longest. The 24-year-old, who was a member of the U.S. Gold Cup champion team in 2005 and made his most recent appearance more than three years ago, provided a storybook return by netting the game-winner – and first career international goal – in his home stadium in front of family and friends.

Quaranta broke the deadlock after a nice build-up that started on the right sideline when Chad Marshall reacted quickly to step around his man and win the ball just across the midfield line. The ball found the feet of Heath Pearce and he squared the ball for Benny Feilhaber, who entered the game only 10 minutes earlier. Feilhaber played a quick combination with Ching and then found his fellow substitute Charlie Davies with his back to goal about 16 yards out. Holding off his man, Davies smartly guided the ball to his right toward a charging Quaranta near the top of the box and the D.C. United midfielder directed a hard, first-time shot low and to the left of goalkeeper Donis Escobar.

“It was a very special night for me, personally,” said Quaranta. “But to be back wearing the jersey was probably more special. Just to be back with the team and to listen to the anthem was very emotional for me because it's been such a fun and long road back. It was a special night.”

The goal took the wind out of the Hondurans’ sails, and off a restart in the 79th-minute the U.S. doubled the lead. Ching, who hadn’t played for the U.S. since April 1 due to a hamstring strain, drew a foul trying to turn with the ball 40 yards from goal on the left side of midfield, and after Honduras brought on Georgie Welcome for Carlos Costly, Feilhaber quickly restarted play and switched the ball to Steve Cherundolo who had acres of space on the right side. Cherundolo served a cross into the six-yard box, where Ching out jumped his defender and headed the ball off Nery Medina’s shoulder and into the top of the net.

The goal was Ching’s 10th of his career, becoming the 18th player in U.S. history to tally double digits in his career. It was also Ching’s second career Gold Cup goal, with the last coincidentally coming in the second group match of the 2007 Gold Cup.

Bradley brought in three new faces to the starting lineup from the Group B against Grenada on July 4 by Quaranta starting on the right, Ching starting at forward, and Michael Parkhurst stepping into the back line.

Following the Honduras match, both Adu and Feilhaber were released to join their clubs in Europe to begin preseason training for the upcoming season.

The U.S. improved to 12-3-3 at RFK Stadium, and closes out Group B play at against Haiti on July 11 in another familiar location, Foxborough, Mass., where the U.S. is 16-1-4 all time, including a 6-0-1 record in the Gold Cup at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff on Saturday is 7 p.m. ET live on Fox Soccer Channel, TeleFutura and the Futbol de Primera Radio Network.

- U.S. Men's National Team Match Report -
Match: United States vs. Honduras
Date: July 8, 2009
Competition: CONCACAF Gold Cup – Group Stage
Venue: RFK Stadium – Washington, D.C.
Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
Attendance: 26, 079
Weather: 71 degrees, mostly cloudy

USA – Santino Quaranta (Charlie Davies) 75 minute
USA – Brian Ching (Steve Cherundolo) 79

Lineups:
USA: 1-Troy Perkins; 6-Steve Cherundolo (capt.), 4-Chad Marshall, 14-Michael Parkhurst, 2-Heath Pearce; 20-Santino Quaranta, 8-Logan Pause (25- Benny Feilhaber, 64), 5-Kyle Beckerman, 7-Robbie Rogers; 11-Brian Ching (17-Kenny Cooper, 82), 19-Freddy Adu (9-Charlie Davies, 64)
Subs not used: 10-Stuart Holden, 16-Jay Heaps, 18-Luis Robles, 21-Brad Evans
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

HON: 22-Donis Escober; 5-Erick Norales, 11-Mariano Acevedo, 2-Osman Chavez, 16-Nery Medina; 14-Carlos Palacios, 23-Roger Espinoza (7-Rigoberto Padilla, 70), 18-Melvin Valladares, 13-Carlos Costly (24-Georgie Welcome, 79); 10-Marvin Chavez (8-Allan Lalin, 65), 15-Walter Martínez (capt.)
Subs not used: 3-David Molina, 4-Johnny Palacios, 12-Ricardo Canales, 21-Luis Ramos
Head Coach: Reynaldo Rueda

Stats Summary: USA / HON
Shots: 16 / 6
Shots on Goal: 6 / 2
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 8 / 2
Fouls: 15 / 8
Offside: 1 / 8

The United States soccer team beat a small country in front of a small crowd at Seattle’s Qwest Field, but there were smiles all around.

The 4-0 victory over Grenada before a crowd of 15,378 at Qwest Field was the U.S. team’s first soccer victory on the Fourth of July.

And it got the red, white and blue off to a sold start toward defending its CONCACAF Gold Cup title.

Grenada is an island nation with a population of about 90,000, and the smallest country ever to qualify for the Gold Cup. And this U.S. team, even lacking most of the stars who advanced to the recent Confederations Cup final, was expected to win handily.

It did.

“(It was) important to start the Gold Cup the right way,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “It was a really good team effort. Four different guys scored tonight.”

First to snap the net was Freddy Adu, in the seventh minute. Stuart Holden made it 2-0 before halftime. Then, Robbie Rogers and Charlie Davis set the final score in the second half. Rodgers also assisted the Adu and Holden goals and was selected player of the match.

The U.S. team outshot Grenada 25-3, and U.S. goalkeeper Troy Perkins was called upon to make only one save.

The Seattle Sounder’s Brad Evans was one of several players who made their national team debuts in the game. He came on as a substitue in the 62nd minute. Former UNC standout Logan Pause got his first cap and earned a midfield starting position, as did Holden, who played collegiate soccer at Clemson.

“It’s special when you put on the national team jersey,” said Evans. “Overall, it’s a great feeling for sure: good to get on the field and connect some passes and kind of get into the rhythm of the game. ... It was just a special day. My fiancee was in the crowd, some buddies in the crowd, as well. For sure, a day to remember.”

Evans’ national team career got off to an awkward start as he actually got a yellow card before his first national cap because he ran onto the pitch before being officially waved in by the referee.

“He told me to wait a little bit going onto the field, but I couldn’t hear him – that’s how loud it was,” Evans said. “I was excited.”

The Sounders draw crowds about twice the size of the Saturday gathering, and Evans said it was odd to see the stadium so empty. However, he also heard many in the crowd who cheered every time he touched the ball.

One spectator looking on from one of the Qwest Field suites was David Downs, executive director of the USA Bid Committee. He is trying not only to get FIFA to grant either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup to the United States, but also to decide which cities should host games if the bid is successful.

Seattle is one of 37 U.S. cities being considered, and Downs said Saturday’s empty seats wouldn’t be a mark against the city.

“This is a bit of a soft crowd,” he said. “But I’m fully aware of how terrific the attendance is for the Sounders. I know when Barcelona is coming back here there will be 50,000- 60,000.”

The United States continues Gold Cup group play Wednesday against Honduras at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Honduras beat Haiti, 1-0, in the first game of the Qwest Field doubleheader Saturday.

Match: United States vs. Grenada
Date: July 4, 2009
Competition: CONCACAF Gold Cup – Group Stage
Venue: Qwest Field - Seattle
Kickoff: 6 p.m. PT
Attendance: 15,387
Weather: Warm, 75 degrees

USA – Freddy Adu (Robbie Rogers) 7th minute
USA – Stuart Holden (Robbie Rogers) 31
USA – Robbie Rogers (Logan Pause) 60
USA – Charlie Davies (Heath Pearce) 68

Lineups:
USA: 1-Troy Perkins; 6-Steve Cherundolo (capt.) (21-Brad Evans, 63), 4-Chad Marshall, 3-Clarence Goodson (14-Michael Parkhurst, 71), 2-Heath Pearce; 10-Stuart Holden, 8-Logan Pause, 5-Kyle Beckerman, 7-Robbie Rogers; 9-Charlie Davies (22-Davy Arnaud, 70), 19-Freddy Adu
Subs not used: 16-Jay Heaps, 17-Kenny Cooper, 18-Luis Robles, 20-Santino Quaranta
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

GRN: 30-Desmond Noel; 4-Cassim Langainge, 5-Jason James, 6-Marc Marshall, 11-Anthony Modeste (capt.); 23-Patrick Modeste, 7-Byron Bubb, 9-Ricky Charles, 25-Shane Rennie; 10-Kithson Bain (12-Denron Daniel, 56), 14-Marcus Julien (20-Jake Rennie, 56)
Subs Not Used: 1-Andre Baptiste, 13-Dwayne Leo, 15-Rimmel Daniel, 16-Kwasi Paul, 19-Michael Mark
Head Coach: Tommy Taylor

Stats Summary: USA / GRN
Shots: 25/ 3
Shots on Goal: 10 / 1
Saves: 1 / 6
Corner Kicks: 9 / 1
Fouls: 8 / 8
Offside: 0 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
GRN – Jason James (caution) 40th minute
USA – Brad Evans (caution) 63
USA – Freddy Adu (caution) 80

After taking a 2-0 halftime lead, the U.S. MNT saw its hopes of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup championship dashed as Brazil came back with three unanswered second-half goals for a 3-2 victory.

The game marked the end of an amazing run for the U.S. in a tournament that had started badly with losses to Italy (3-1) and Brazil (3-1). The U.S. advanced out of the tournament’s most difficult group with a 3-0 win over Egypt, coupled with Egypt’s 1-0 win over Italy and Brazil’s 3-0 shutout of the defending World Cup champion Italians.

The U.S. reached the championship game and a second meeting with Brazil, by beating Spain 2-0 in the semifinals. Spain, the #1 ranked team in the world, was on a 15-game win streak and had an unbeaten streak of 35 games broken.

Clint Dempsey’s redirected goal in the 10th minute gave the U.S. a 1-0 first-half lead and snapped a streak of 315 scoreless minutes for Brazil. Landon Donovan combined with Charlie Davies on a long counter attack in the 27th minute, and finished a shot from 15 yards out to stretch the margin to 2-0.

Brazil wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard in the second half, as Luis Fabiano scored the first of his two goals one minute into the final period. He tied the game in the 74th minute. Lucio got the game-winner in the 84th minute. The last two goals came off set pieces.

The game marked the first time the U.S. MNT had ever reached the final in a senior FIFA national championship. Brazil, the five-time World Cup champion, has now won the Confederations Cup title three times.

Match: United States vs. Brazil
Date: June 28, 2009
Competition: FIFA Confederations Cup – Final
Venue: Ellis Park - Johannesburg
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. local time
Attendance: TBD
Weather: 46 degrees, fair

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 2 0 2
BRA 0 3 3

USA – Clint Dempsey (Jonathan Spector) 10th minute ?
USA – Landon Donovan (Charlie Davies) 27 ?
BRA – Luis Fabiano 46
BRA - Luis Fabiano 74
BRA - Lucio (Elano) 84

Lineups: USA: 1-Tim Howard; 12-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 15-Jay DeMerit, 3-Carlos Bocanegra; 10-Landon Donovan, 22-Benny Feilhaber (2-Jonathan Bornstein, 75), 13 -Ricardo Clark (4-Conor Casey, 88), 8-Clint Dempsey; 9-Charlie Davies, 17-Jozy Altidore (16-Sacha Kljestan, 75) ?Subs not used: 6-Heath Pearce , 7-DaMarcus Beasley, 11-Marvell Wynne, 18-Brad Guzan, 19-Freddy Adu, 20-Jose Torres, 23-Luis Robles ?Not available: 12-Michael Bradley (suspension)
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

BRA: 1-Julio Cesar; 2-Maicon, 3-Lucio, 14-Luisao, 16-Andre Santos (13-Daniel Alves, 66); 18-Ramires (7-Elano, 67), 8-Gilberto Silva, 10-Kaka, 5-Felipe Melo; 9-Luis Fabiano, 11-Robinho ?Subs not used: 6-Kleber, 12-Victor, 15-Miranda, 17-Josue, 19-Julio Baptista, 20-Kleberson, 21-Alexandre Pato, 22-Nilmar, 23-Gomes ?Not eligible: 4-Juan (injury)
Head Coach: Dunga

Stats Summary:
USA / BRA
Shots: 9 / 25
Shots on Goal: 4 / 11
Saves: 8 / 2
Corner Kicks: 5 / 10
Fouls: 15 / 14
Offside: 1 / 5

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Bocanegra (caution) 19th minute
BRA – Melo (caution) 25
BRA – Santos (caution) 36
BRA – Lucio (caution) 70

Rewind the tape to 1980. Lake Placid on a cold and snowy day. The U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, a team of amateurs, beat the #1 team in the world, the all-professional Soviet Union.

Fast forward to June 24, 2009 on a cold night in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The U.S. men’s national soccer team beat the #1 team in the world. They broke Spain’s 35-game unbeaten streak, and broke the Spainards’ hearts in a 2-0 decision that advanced the U.S. to the champ8onship game in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

The win came out of nowhere. The U.S. has been less than impressive in recent CONCACAF World Cup qualifying games. They had some positive moments in Confederations Cup losses to Italy (3-0) and Brazil (3-1). The U.S. finished both of those games with 10 players on the field, after red card ejections.

Packed and ready to go home, they beat Egypt 3-0 to advance to the semifinals, but that was aided mightily by Brazil’s 3-0 win over Italy, which eliminated the defending world champions.

With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the U.S. came out with confidence and played Spain straight up. They played like a gambler playing the table with house money.

Jozy Altidore’s goal in the 27th minute put the U.S. ahead. That was a chance of fortunes. It has been the U.S. recently that has given up an early goal.

The second goal that clinched the win came in the 74th minute. Landon Donovan played a ball across the six-year box that was not cleared by Spain’s defenders. Clint Dempsey came back to poke the ball off the defender’s foot and into the goal.

"For us it's a big night,” said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. “The players all worked hard. We constantly talk about reaching higher and trying to accomplish new things.

“Spain is a team that we have the greatest respect for. They are a super team. Their ability to play, pass and move. We knew it was a challenge, but we felt that we would have a chance and that we could win this game.

The only true disappointment in the game was the red card to midfielder Michael Bradley in the 86th minute. But being down a man did not affect the U.S. team this time. It’s the next game that will be impacted. He’ll miss the championship game.

It should be noted that the same referee, Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay), who was in the middle of the U.S. vs. Italy 1-1 draw in the 2006 World Cup, was in the middle of this game. In the World Cup match there were three red cards given, two to the U.S.

The two goals against Spain gives the U.S. six in the Confederations Cup. Altidore, Bradley and Dempsey scored in that shutout.

The win over Spain will probably quiet the calls for US Soccer to fire Bradley as the head coach, after the lackluster effort in a couple of qualifiers, and the lack of confidence and aggressiveness the team showed against Brazil and Italy.

One New York Times reporter wrote that the paper had received over 200 emails from fans calling for Bradley to be replaced.

Against Spain, Bradley’s team showed the heart that had not been obvious in recent games.

“We had a real confidence that we could try to make it harder for them than some of the other teams they have play against, and we had the weapons that could cause them some trouble,” he said. “We have some speed up front. We have some guys that come out of the midfield. I think that those are all things that work for us.”

The U.S. got a boost from the return of captain Carlos Bocanegra, who moved out to left back from his normal center back position. That slot has been taken over by Jay DeMerit as Bocanegra recovered from a hamstring injury.

DeMerit has been rock solid in the center, along with Oguchi Onyewu. Jonathan Spector, who has played every minute of every game in the Confederations Cup, has probably earned the right to be a regular starter at right back.

Veteran Frankie Hedjek was playing there before he went down with an injury.

“We aren’t used to losing,” said Spain’s coach Vincente del Bosque. “We’ve given 100% and if we haven’t been able to win, it’s because we couldn’t win. “We did everything to win, we dominated, but we couldn’t finish. We are all responsible for this loss.”

The U.S. will play the winner of the semifinal between host South Africa and Brazil.

CHICAGO (June 25, 2009) - U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has announced the 23-player roster that will represent the U.S. at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup from July 3 to July 26, 2009.

Two days after Sunday’s final at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup live on ESPN2 and Univision, the U.S. will gather in Seattle where the U.S. team and staff will regroup to prepare for the opening game against Grenada on July 4 at 6 p.m. PT at Qwest Field.

The team then crosses the country to face Honduras on July 8 at 9 p.m. ET at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., before rounding out group play against Haiti on July 11 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. ET.

All of the U.S. matches in the CONCACAF Gold Cup will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and the Univision networks, with all three group games airing on TeleFutura. (complete broadcast schedule.

The roster, which carries over four players from the FIFA Confederations Cup squad in Freddy Adu, Charlie Davies, Heath Pearce and Luis Robles, also includes the return of regular starters Steve Cherundolo and Brian Ching from injury.

Cherundolo, sidelined after hip surgery, has not appeared since Oct. 11, 2008, against Cuba, and Ching returns after missing the last two FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the Confederations Cup with a hamstring strain.

Overall, just six players on the roster have more than 10 caps, with Cherundolo leading the way at 51 international appearances. Seven players – including Robles – will be looking to make their U.S. National Team debut, while another nine have five or fewer caps. The 23-man roster averages just eight caps against the 27-cap average for the 2009 Confederations Cup roster as Bradley let most of the regular national team players either return to their clubs or have a brief break before starting training camp for the 2009-10 season.

Only Ching and defender Michael Parkhurst return from the 23-man squad that won the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, with Ching responsible for drawing the foul in the final against Mexico that led to the game-tying penalty kick by Landon Donovan.

U.S. CONCACAF Gold Cup Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Troy Perkins (IK Start), Luis Robles (FC Kaiserslautern)
DEFENDERS (7): Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Jay Heaps (New England Revolution), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaellands), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado Rapids), Sam Cronin (Toronto FC), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Logan Pause (Chicago Fire), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (5): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Santino Quaranta (D.C. United)

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (June 21, 2009) — Needing to score at least three goals and on the verge of elimination, the U.S. Men’s National Team overcame incredible odds and advanced to the semifinals of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup this evening with a 3-0 victory against Egypt in their final Group B match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa.

Combined with Brazil’s 3-0 victory against Italy, the U.S. moved from last to second place in the group and will face Spain in the semifinals on Wednesday, June 24.

Playing in by far the most difficult group, the U.S. lost their first two games to world champions Italy (3-0) and Brazil (3-1), finishing tied with Italy on points (three) and goal differential (minus two), but advanced to the semifinals by virtue of more goals scored. Along with the goals against Egypt, Landon Donovan’s penalty kick against Italy provided the U.S. with four total goals. Italy only tallied three goals during the tournament, all against the U.S.

Getting his first start since the USA’s 2009 opener on Jan. 24, forward Charlie Davies scored the opening goal of the match with a dogged determination during a scramble in front of the net. With Brazil leading Italy by three goals at halftime, the U.S. was in position to make what seemed improbable at the start of the day a reality. In the second half, the U.S. took full advantage with goals from Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey that put the U.S. into the semifinals.

The U.S. will face Spain at Free State Stadium in Mangaung/Bloemfontein at 2:25 p.m. ET. The match will be live on ESPN and TeleFutura.

Spain, ranked #1 in the FIFA World Rankings, won Group A with three victories against New Zealand, Iraq and South Africa. The reigning European champions are currently on a world record-setting run of 15 consecutive victories, while tying the record of most consecutive matches without a defeat (35), originally set by Brazil.

“Without a doubt, we were focused on all three games knowing it was a tough group,” U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley said. “We knew that in the last game that we need to get after it in a way that would give us a chance.

“We started the game with a lot of energy. Getting the first goal becomes important. At halftime, we felt that if we were smart, and we continued to press in a good way that there would be chances and that we would get two more goals. In that regard, credit to the players for the push they made throughout the game. We’re excited to move on.”

A key to the win was being able to keep 11 players on the field for the entire game, after finishing against both Brazil and Italy, after red card ejections of Ricardo Clark and Sasha Kljestan, respective. Bradley called upon goalkeeper Brad Guzan and Davies for the first time in the tournament, while also plugging Clark back into his central midfield role with Michael Bradley after serving his one-game suspension for the red card in the opening match.

Looking for the all-important third goal, Bob Bradley brought in Benny Feilhaber in to replace Jozy Altidore in the 69th minute and moved Clint Dempsey up to forward. The U.S. finally broke free two minutes later. Michael Bradley found defender Jonathan Spector who had found space along the right flank. Spector took a settling touch and looked up to see even numbers along Egypt’s backline, with four U.S. players converging towards the penalty area. He whipped in a curling service that found Dempsey, who held off Wael Gomaa and directed a perfectly-placed header just inside the left post.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Dempsey. “The odds were against us and the chances of us going through were slim. All we could control was ourselves. Credit to all the guys and the coaching staff. We worked hard this whole tournament so far and believed in ourselves. Now it’s time to refocus and get ready for Spain.”

The three-goal performance marked the second most goals the U.S. has scored in a single FIFA Confederations Cup match since a 5-2 victory against Ivory Coast on Oct. 19, 1992, when the tournament was called the King Fahd Cup.

This was the first time the U.S. had ever defeated Egypt, falling 3-1 to the African champions in their only other meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on June 8, 1987.

With his start today, Donovan passed Claudio Reyna and moved into fourth all-time on the U.S. cap list with 113 appearances. Cobi Jones tops the list with 164 caps.

In group A action on Saturday, Spain won their third straight match with a 2-0 victory against South Africa. Despite the loss, the hosts advanced to the semifinals along with Spain as Iraq and New Zealand played to a scoreless draw. South Africa will face Brazil on Thursday, June 25 in the other semifinal live on ESPN and TeleFutura.

-- U.S. Men’s National Team Game Report --

Match: United States vs. Egypt
Date: June 21, 2009
Competition: FIFA Confederations Cup – Group Stage
Venue: Royal Bafokeng Stadium - Rustenburg
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. local time
Attendance: 23,140
Weather: 57 degrees and clear

USA – Charlie Davies 21st minute
USA - Michael Bradley (Landon Donovan) 63
USA - Clint Dempsey (Jonathan Spector) 71

Lineups:
USA: 18-Brad Guzan; 12-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 15-Jay DeMerit, 2-Jonathan Bornstein; 10-Landon Donovan (capt.), 13 -Ricardo Clark, 12-Michael Bradley, 8-Clint Dempsey; 9-Charlie Davies (4-Conor Casey, 82), 17-Jozy Altidore (22-Benny Feilhaber, 69)
Subs not used: 1-Tim Howard, 3-Carlos Bocanegra, 6-Heath Pearce , 7-DaMarcus Beasley, 11-Marvell Wynne, 14-Danny Califf, 19-Freddy Adu, 20-Jose Torres, 23-Luis Robles
Not Eligible: 16-Sacha Kljestan (suspension)
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

EGY: 1-Essam El Hadary (capt.); 7-Ahmed Fathi (4-Ahmed Said, 53), 6-Hani Said, 20-Wael Gomaa, 15-Ahmed Farag; 3-Ahmed Al Muhamadi, 11-Mohamed Shawky, 22-Mohamed Aboutrika, 8-Hosni Abd Rabbou; 10-Ahmed Eid (17-Ahmed Hassan, 50), 18-Ahmed Abdelghani (19-Mohamed Abougrisha, 62)
Subs Not Used: 16-Wahid, 23-Mohamed Sobhi, 2-Mahmoud Fathalla, 5-Ahmed Khairy, 9-Mohamed Zidan, 12-Mohamed Homos, 13-Abdelaziz Tawfik, 14-Sayed Moawad, 21-Ahmed Raouf
Head Coach: Hassan Shehata

Stats Summary: USA / EGY
Shots: 14 / 9
Shots on Goal: 9 / 4
Saves: 4 / 7
Corner Kicks: 1 / 7
Fouls: 11 / 8
Offside: 0 / 5

Misconduct Summary:
USA – Jonathan Spector (caution) 38th minute
USA – Michael Bradley (caution) 48
EGY – Ahmed Al Muhamadi (caution) 83

Officials:
Referee: Michael Hester (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Jan-Hendrik Hintz (NZL)
Assistant Referee 2: Mark Rule (NZL)
Fourth Official: Matthew Breeze (AUS)

U.S. coach Bob Bradley took the U.S. MNT to South Africa for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup hoping to answer some questions about his team with the 2010 FIFA World Cup about a year away.

The U.S. faced a challenge in the draw that placed the Americans in a group with five-time world champion Brazil and defending World Cup champion Italy.

A 3-1 loss to Italy to open the tournament, and a 3-0 loss to Brazil probably answered some questions, but likely not the one’s Bradley had hoped for.

He was probably looking for players who could step up and compete on the world soccer stage. Instead, he got some insight into some who are either not ready or whose time has passed them by.

In both losses the U.S. went down to 10 players by having a player ejected with a straight red card for a reckless and unnecessary sliding tackle.

Ricardo Clark was dismissed midway through the first half in the loss to Italy, and his replacement, Sasha Kljestan, was red-carded early in the second half against Brazil.

Against Brazil the U.S. came out very tentative, and like they had done in a couple of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, gave up a goal inside of eight minutes in the first half. By halftime it was 2-0, and then 3-0 before Benny Feilhaber and Connor Casey knocked balls off the crossbar, inches higher than the opening into the back of the net.

Felipe Melo got on the end of the free kick to head in the first Brazil goal, and Kaka, on 70-yard counter attack run, squared the ball to Ramires, who finished an easy goal for the 2-0 lead.

Maicon scored the third, seven minutes after Kljestan was sent off. Brazil put 11 shots on goal. The U.S. only had two.

The two losses leaves the U.S. at the bottom of the standings with one game to go against Egypt on Sunday. Egypt, the defending Asian Nations Cup champion, lost 3-2 to Brazil to open the tournament.

Landon Donovan, up front, played well, but was not as effective as he had been against Italy. Oguchi Onyewu at center back, had another strong game, as did Jonathan Spector at outside right back.

For the most part, Tim Howard played well in goal, but probably could have done more on the first goal, which came on a bending free kick that was headed in from near the six-yard box.

Jozy Altidore did not play with the same energy he showed against Italy, and when Colorado Rapids forward Connor Casey came on as a second half substitute, he hardly got out of a jog.

Two of the USA’s most experienced players, Clint Dempsey and DaMarcus Beasley, had little impact on the game. In fact, Beasley would have had to play better just to get to the level of terrible.

Much has been said about the U.S. players who have signed with European professional clubs, only to seldom find themselves in the lineup. They were good enough to be signed, but turns out not good enough to play. Injuries also play a part, but too many of the U.S. players from foreign clubs in this tournament are not making much of an impact with their club teams. It shows with the national team.

The ejection situation has gotten past being something that came be blamed on poor officiating.

Back in the 2006 World Cup in Germany the U.S. was forced to play a man down against Italy after Pablo Mastroeini’s ejection for a reckless tackle. Earlier this year, Michael Bradley, who was red-carded from a game in the ’08 Olympics, was sent off in a loss in Costa Rica.

It would appear that when the pressure is on, some of the U.S. players lose their composure and allow emotion and frustration to take over.

It no longer is good enough to say that the U.S. Men’s National Team played well and lost 3-1 to the current World Champions. That is exactly what they did, being beaten by Italy to open the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa.

The difference was not entirely a difference in talent levels. The U.S. fell into a deep hole when midfielder Ricardo Clark was ejected after a reckless and unnecessary foul near midfield only 33 minutes into the game.

The U.S. was forced to play the rest of the way with only 10 players.

For the most part, the U.S. adjusted well and actually scored a goal on a penalty kick by Landon Donovan to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.

What the ejection did was change the marking responsibilities, and remove a striker from the attack as Donovan moved back into the midfield.

Eventually, the lack of pressure on the ball, and some defensive mistakes, led the three second-half goals by Italy.

“Against a team like that, it’s really hard to play against them with 11 men, let alone 10,” said U.S. defender Jay DeMerit. “When the midfield opens up and guys get gree, it makes it really hard for us to make the right decisions.”

The first goal came off the foot of American-born Guisseppe Rossi, a 57th minute substitute, who scored the equalizer two minutes after entering the game. The goal came from at least 30 yards out, a world class strike, that blew past U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard.

The game-winner was another goal from long range, as Daniele de Rossi, wide open, fired a shot that U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu waved a leg at as it past by him. He probably screened Howard from seeing the ball, which also went past him into the goal.

The third came in injury time by Rossi, the New Jersey kid who rejected an opportunity to play for the U.S. MNT to play for Italy.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley, who does not have Brian Ching or Frankie Hedjek on the trip because of injuries, was without central defender Carlos Bocanegra because of a hamstring injury. Jay DeMerit, playing in the middle next to Onyewu, played well, but ran out of gas with 15 minutes left to play.

Jonathan Spector was exceptional at right back for the third straight game, and Donovan made himself a factor in the game by working tirelessly all over the field.

However, one can’t escape the fact that Italy scored without much pressure on the ball, and the U.S. could not finish what few opportunities it had.

Michael Bradley took the ball deep into the box, but almost whiffed a left-footed shot, and Jozy Altidore, who did well to draw the penalty kick that Donovan finished, drove in one-on-one with Italy’s goalkeeper only to pass the ball instead of shooting it.

The ejection leaves Bradley with a decision to make at defensive midfield in the Wednesday match against Brazil. The U.S. will need at least a draw with Brazil to have any hopes of advancing from group play. They play Egypt in the third group game on Sunday, and would not advance even with a win there.

Match: United States vs. Italy
Date: June 15, 2009
Competition: 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
Venue: Loftus Versfeld Stadium; Tshwane/Pretoria, South Africa
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. local (2:30 p.m. ET)
Attendance: 34,341
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 65 degrees

USA – Landon Donovan (penalty kick) 41st minute
ITA – Giuseppe Rossi 58
ITA – Daniele De Rossi (Girogio Chiellini) 72
ITA – Giuseppe Rossi (Andrea Pirlo) 94+

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 21-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 15-Jay DeMerit, 2-Jonathan Bornstein (16-Sacha Kljestan, 86); 22-Benny Feilhaber (7-DaMarcus Beasley, 72), 13 -Ricardo Clark, 12-Michael Bradley, 8-Clint Dempsey; 10-Landon Donovan, 17-Jozy Altidore (9-Charlie Davies, 66)
Subs not used: 3-Carlos Bocanegra, 4-Conor Casey, 6-Heath Pearce, 11-Marvell Wynne, 14-Danny Califf, 18-Brad Guzan, 19-Freddy Adu, 20-Jose Francisco Torres, 23-Luis Robles
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

ITA: 1-Gianluigi Buffon; 19-Gianluca Zambrotta, 4-Girogio Chiellini, 6-Nicola Legrottaglie, 3-Fabio Grosso; 8-Gennaro Gattuso (17-Giuseppe Rossi, 57), 10-Daniele De Rossi, 21-Andrea Pirlo; 15-Vincenzo Iaquinta, 11-Alberto Gilardino (9-Luca Toni, 69), 16-Mauro Camoranesi (20-Riccardo Montolivo, 57)
Subs not used: 2-Davide Santon, 5-Fabio Cannavaro, 7-Simone Pepe, 12-Morgan De Sanctis, 13-Alessandro Gamberini, 14-Marco Amelia, 18-Angelo Palombo, 22-Andrea Dossena, 23-Fabio Quagliarella
Head Coach: Marcello Lippi

Stats Summary: USA / ITA
Shots: 7 / 21
Shots on Goal: 4 / 13
Saves: 10 / 3
Corner Kicks: 1 / 10
Fouls: 14 / 16
Offside: 1 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
ITA – Nicola Legrottaglie (caution) 11th minute
USA – Jonathan Bornstein (caution) 20
USA – Ricardo Clark (sent off) 33
ITA – Fabian Grosso (caution) 35

Officials:
Referee: Pablo Pozo (CHI)
Assistant Referee 1: Patricio Basualto (CHI)
Assistant Referee 2: Francisco Mondria (CHI)
Fourth Official: Eddy Maillet (SEY)

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (June 3, 2009) – Everyone who follows U.S. Men’s National Team Soccer knew the World Cup qualifier in Estadio Ricardo Saprissa would be difficult. Few expected the way the game turned out.

Costa Rica scored twice in the first 13 minutes to take the game by the throat in front of a raucous home crowd of 19,200. They made it 3-0 in the 69th minute.

Alvaro Saborio scored the first goal 85 seconds into the game. Costa Rica doubled the score 13 minutes in on a first-time volley from Celso Borges.

The U.S. avoided the shutout when Landon Donovan put away a penalty kick in stoppage time.

The U.S., entering a monthy filled with two qualifiers, games against Brazil, Italy and Egypt, followed by the CONCACAF Gold Cup. A 3-1 loss was not the way the U.S. wanted to start the month.

The worse part of the scenario was the way Coach Bob Bradley’s team lost. Hardly any player made a positive impact on the game. Goalkeeper Tim Howard played well, but had little help from the defense and midfield, and couldn’t be faulted on any of the three goals.

Donovan’s PK was the best ball he struck all night. Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley could not hold the middle of the field, and the defense left large gaps that the Ticos ran through at will.

“We didn’t compete hard enough," Howard said, giving a good assessment of the effort. "We got beat to balls and they caused us problems we couldn’t figure out. A lot went wrong for us.

“We consider us probably the fastest, strongest team in the region but today we got out-passed, outplayed and out-competed in every sense. We have to hold our hands up we were below average across the board.”

The U.S. will return to home soil on Thursday and have just two days to recover before facing Honduras on June 6 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
More than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the USA’s third home match of the final round, where the U.S. will face the team who delivered them their last home loss in World Cup qualifying, a 3-2 defeat on Sept. 1, 2001, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. held first place in the final round of World Cup wqualifying going into the Costa Rica game, but fell to second with a 2-1-1 record. Costa Rica now leads with nine points through the first four games, while the U.S. has seven.

"As a group tonight, we came up short in every way," said Bradley. "I don't think there was any area at all where we were good enough to win a game against a good team. We were under pressure from the start. We fell short. We recognize that, and we have a quick turnaround for the next game."

With injuries to defender Frankie Hejduk and forward Brian Ching, the U.S. was without two of its most veteran players - both of whom have experience playing in the unfriendly confines of Estadio Ricardo Saprissa.

Bradley opted to start in a 4-3-3 formation, and a handful of players were provided opportunities in the starting line-up, including Marvell Wynne at right back and DaMarcus Beasley, who got his second-consecutive start at left back. Jose Francisco Torres picked up just his fifth appearance and second start for the U.S. in the hostile environment, joining Pablo Mastroeni and Michael Bradley in midfield, while Jozy Altidore got his second straight start up top, this time working with Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.

Bradley will be forced to make another change to his lineup against Honduras as he will be without the services of Michael Bradley, who picked up his second yellow card of the final round for a reckless foul from behind. The U.S. could once again be without the services of Hejduk and Ching for Saturday's contest as their status is still undetermined.

Match: United States vs. Costa Rica
Date: June 3, 2009
Competition: FIFA World Cup Qualifying; Final Round
Venue: Estadio Ricardo Saprissa; San Jose, Costa Rica
Kickoff: 8:06 p.m. MT
Attendance: 19,200
Weather: Partly cloudy, 70 degrees

Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
CRC 2 1 3

CRC – Alvaro Saborio (Andy Herron) 2nd minute
CRC – Celso Borges (Esteban Sirias) 13
CRC – Pablo Herrera (Walter Centeno) 69
USA – Landon Donovan (penalty kick) 92+

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 6-Marvell Wynne, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 4-Pablo Mastroeni (11-Freddy Adu, 63), 12-Michael Bradley, 9-José Francisco Torres (16-Sacha Kljestan, 46); 8-Clint Dempsey (15-Charlie Davies, 80), 10-Landon Donovan, 17-Jozy Altidore
Subs not used: 18-Brad Guzan, 2-Ricardo Clark, 13-Jonathan Bornstein, 14-Jay DeMerit
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

CRC: 1-Keylor Navas; 15-Harold Wallace (2-Pablo Herrera, 56), 4-Michael Umana, 3-Freddy Fernandez, 17-Junior Diaz; 7-Andy Herron (6-Cristian Bolanos, 72), 5-Celso Borges, 10-Walter Centeno, 8-Esteban Sirias; 11-Bryan Ruiz, 9-Alvaro Saborio (16-Carlos Hernandez, 77)
Subs not used: 18-Ricardo Gonzalez, 12-Andy Furtado, 13-Gonzalo Segares, 14-Armando Alonso
Head Coach: Rodrigo Kenton

Stats Summary: USA / CRC
Shots: 11 / 8
Shots on Goal: 2 / 6
Saves: 3 / 1
Corner Kicks: 3 / 5
Fouls: 14 / 15
Offside: 0 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
CRC – Freddy Fernandez (caution) 30th minute
USA - Michael Bradley (caution) 54
USA – Sacha Kljestan (caution) 66
CRC – Pablo Herrera (caution) 67
CRC – Junior Diaz (caution) 91+

Officials:
Referee: Neal Brizan (TRI)
Assistant Referee 1: Joseph Taylor (TRI)
Assistant Referee 2: Michael Ragoonath (TRI)
Fourth Official: Geoffrey Hospedales (TRI)

CHICAGO (May 24, 2008) — U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 24 players that will train in advance of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Honduras.

The U.S. will be seeking its first-ever victory away to Costa Rica when they meet at Estadio Saprissa in the fourth match of the 10-game final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Kickoff on June 3 is set for 8 p.m. MT, and the match will be broadcast live on the ESPN Networks and Galavision.

Three days later, the city of Chicago will host its first World Cup qualifier when the U.S. welcomes Honduras to Soldier Field. More than 40,000 tickets have been sold for the USA’s third home match of the final round, where the U.S. will face the team who delivered them their last home loss in World Cup qualifying, a 3-2 defeat on Sept. 1, 2001, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The match will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN Classic and Galavision. Fans can follow both matches live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

The U.S. is in first place in the final round hexagonal with an undefeated 2-0-1 record. Costa Rica sits one point behind, while Honduras holds the third position. The top three teams will automatically qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

“Clearly these next matches are very important in our efforts to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who is 9-1-1 overall in qualifying action. “Both teams have been very good throughout the qualifying process. We are certainly aware of the challenges of playing in Costa Rica, and Honduras has produced some great results, including two wins against Mexico. We are excited for the start of a very competitive summer for our team.”

The U.S. team will begin assembling on May 26 in Miami, and depart June 1 for San Jose. Several players will join camp following weekend club competition, including 2008 U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Tim Howard, who will lead Everton against Chelsea in the FA Cup final on May 30 at Wembley Stadium, and DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu, who can win the Scottish league title later today and will play in the Scottish FA Cup final against Falkirk next weekend. José Francicso Torres will arrive late if Pachuca reaches the finals of the Mexican league playoffs, and the MLS-based players will travel to Miami following their league matches this week.

The roster boasts nine players who have appeared in all three of the USA’s final round qualifiers, including seven who have started every game. Three players: Michael Bradley – the ussoccer.com Man of the Match after scoring a pair of goals in the 2-0 win against Mexico – DaMarcus Beasley and Heath Pearce are tied with nine starts during the 2010 qualifying campaign. Following his record-setting hat trick in the 3-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago on April 1 in Nashville – he is the youngest U.S. player ever to put in three goals in a game – Jozy Altidore now leads all U.S. attackers with five goals in this World Cup qualifying cycle. Bradley, Brian Ching and Clint Dempsey all have four goals each. Dempsey is one game shy of his 50th appearance for the United States.

Landon Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 108 international appearances, the USA’s all-time leader in goals and assists is one goal shy of tying Brian McBride for the most career goals in World Cup qualifying (10). He recorded assists on all three of Altidore’s goals against Trinidad & Tobago, improving his career tally to 36 assists.

In addition to the 24-man roster, two players have been invited to participate in their first camp with the full team: Aston Villa defender Erich Lichaj and Kaiserslautern goalkeeper Luis Robles.

Following the two qualifiers, the U.S. will depart June 8 for South Africa to begin preparations for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The final 23-man roster for the event will be announced June 7 in Chicago. The United States has been drawn into a powerful Group B along with reigning world champions Italy, five-time World Cup winners Brazil, and reigning African Cup of Nations winners Egypt for the tournament, which will be played from June 14-28. The U.S. kicks off action against Italy on June 15 at Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane/Pretoria, and then faces Brazil on June 18 in the same venue. The United States finishes group play on June 21 against Egypt at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton: 9/7 SO)
DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 19/2), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA: 1/0), Danny Califf (Midtjylland: 4/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 1/0), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew: 17/2), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege: 14/1), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock: 9/0), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United: 2/1), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC: 0/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Freddy Adu (Monaco: 5/1), DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers: 24/6), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 9/4), Maurice Edu (Rangers: 4/0), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus: 0/0), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA: 9/0), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids: 13/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 4/0)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Xerez: 6/5), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 15/6), Charlie Davies (Hammarby: 1/1), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 15/4), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 28/9)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

Head Coach: Bob Bradley (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
All-time Record: 24-8-4
World Cup Qualifying: 9-1-1

Mexico, following a 3-1 loss to Honduras in the first game of the CONCACAF Hexagonal, has fired coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. Erricksson, the Swede who is former national coach of England, coached his first game for Mexico last August, registered six losses in 13 games with Mexico, which is now fourth in the regional standings for World Cup 2010 qualification.

It was an expensive firing! Eriksson reportedly had a contract with the Mexican federation worth $4 million.

Mexico advanced to the final round of regional qualifying on the basis of goal difference after going winless in its last three games in the semifinal round. El Tri’s lost to Jamaica and Honduras, and tied Canada, and then opened the Hexagonal by losing 2-0 to the United States.

Mexico did get a win over Costa Rica in he second game of the final round, but the loss to Honduras put the Mexican federation over the edge.

Mexico failed to qualify for the 208 Olympics (U-23) and for the 2007 U-17 World Cup. They were also winless in the 2009 Under-20 World Cup qualifying tournament.

There are no frontrunners to replace Eriksson, who had been hired to replace Hugo Sanchez as Mexico’s national coach. Among those mentioned are Jesus Ramirez, head coach of Club America, and Manuel “Chepo” De La Torre, head coach of Toluca.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 1, 2009) — Forward Jozy Altidore became the youngest player in history to score a hat trick for the U.S. Men’s National Team, tallying all three goals tonight for the U.S. Men’s National Team in a dominating 3-0 victory against Trinidad & Tobago in front of a raucous crowd of 27,959 at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. With the victory, the U.S. continued to hold their place at the top of the hexagonal in the final round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Altidore had midfielder Landon Donovan to thank for his record-setting performance, as the USA’s all-time leading scorer set up the 19-year-old forward for all three of his strikes while increasing his record-setting tally to 35 career assists. The first connection between the two occurred in the 13th minute, and the duo hooked up two more times in the second half as the U.S. continued their dominance against Trinidad & Tobago at home, now 7-0-1 overall in World Cup qualifying.

With Mexico losing 3-1 to Honduras, and Costa Rica posting a 1-0 win against El Salvador, the USA’s seven points from three games provides them a one-point advantage over second place Costa Rica.
The top two teams in the group will face off on June 3 in Matchday 4, with the U.S. traveling to Costa Rica for their second match on the road in the final round. The match is three days earlier than the rest of the hexagonal due to the need to travel to South Africa in preparation for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The second match for the U.S. on the double fixture date will be against Honduras on June 6 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Two days later, the U.S. will depart for South Africa.

"Full credit to the players," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, who continued the team’s unblemished 6-0-0 home record in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying. "After the last match we were certainly pleased with the push we made when we were behind, but there were things in that match that we felt were not indicative of what we're all about. The players felt strongly about that, and I think you could see the response from the team from the beginning tonight."

Altidore’s goals marked the first time in his career in which he has scored goals in consecutive games, having scored the USA’s first goal against El Salvador in the 2-2 draw on Saturday, March 28, at Estadio Cuscatlán. It also marked the first time that the U.S. has produced multiple goal scorers in three consecutive home matches, with Sacha Kljestan notching a hat trick in the 3-2 win against Sweden on Jan. 24, 2009, and Michael Bradley scoring a brace in the 2-0 win against Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus.

“When you have 11 guys on the field working hard and working together as a team, an individual can have a good night. That's just how it happens, “said Altidore, who increased his tally to five goals in 2010 World Cup qualifying. “When the team plays well, individuals will shine, but at the same time we have to keep the mentality that things aren't easy in CONCACAF. These are good teams to play against and sometimes they're tough to break down, as you saw tonight. I just want to keep going forward and keep working hard and hopefully good things will happen.”

Bradley made a handful of changes from the lineup that started the 2-2 draw against El Salvador four nights earlier, deploying DaMarcus Beasley at left back behind Landon Donovan as a left-sided midfielder. Goalkeeper Tim Howard returned to the starting lineup after serving a one-match suspension for accumulation of yellow cards to earn his seventh career shutout in FIFA World Cup qualifying. Three-time World Cup veteran Pablo Mastroeni also returned to the starting lineup, while Altidore earned his fourth start in qualifying.

- U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT -

Match: United States vs. Trinidad & Tobago
Date: April 1, 2009
Competition: FIFA World Cup Qualifying; Final Round
Venue: LP Field - Nashville, Tennessee
Kickoff: 6:45 p.m. MT
Attendance: 27,959
Weather: Fair, 61 degrees

USA – Jozy Altidore (Landon Donovan) 13th minute
USA – Altidore (Donovan) 71
USA – Altidore (Donovan) 89

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 2-Frankie Hejduk, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 8-Clint Dempsey (16-Sacha Kljestan, 84), 12-Michael Bradley, 4-Pablo Mastroeni, 10-Landon Donovan, 11-Brian Ching (6- José Francisco Torres, 81), 17-Jozy Altidore
Subs not used: 18-Brad Guzan, 9-Eddie Johnson, 13-Maurice Edu, 14-Jay DeMerit, 15-Jonathan Bornstein
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

TRI: 1-Clayton Ince; 3-Aklie Edwards, 8-Anthony Wolfe (4-Makan Hislop, 46), 5-Keyeno Thomas, 6-Dennis Lawrence; 7-Christopher Birchall (16-Khaleem Hyland, 56), 11-Carlos Edwards, 2-Clyde Leon, 17-Keon Daniel (12-Jason Scotland, 71); 15-Kenwyne Jones, 14-Stern John
Subs not used: 9-Trent Noel, 10-Russell Latapy, 13-Densill Theobald, 18-Jan Michael Williams
Head Coach: Francisco Maturana

Stats Summary: USA / TRI
Shots: 14 / 6
Shots on Goal: 6 / 1
Saves: 1 / 3
Corner Kicks: 2 / 2
Fouls: 12 / 14
Offside: 3 / 0

Officials:
Referee: Roberto Moreno (PAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Daniel Williamson (PAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Carlos Pastrana (HON)
Fourth Official: Luis Rodriguez (PAN)

Second-half goals by Jozy Altidore and Frankie Hejduk lifted the United States to a 2-2 tie against El Salvador in World Cup qualifying action.

The tie gives the Americans four points through two games of the final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, putting them in sole possession of first place in the hexagonal table.

The United States trailed 2-0 after Cristian Castillo scored for El Salvador in the 72nd minute.

Altidore cut the deficit in half five minutes later, heading home a cross by Hejduk. Hejduk then evened the score with a header of his own in the 88th minute.

Eliseo Quintanilla opened the scoring for El Salvador in the 15th minute.

The United States next hosts Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday at Nashville, Tenn.

In other action

• Mexico tops Costa Rica — In other CONCACAF action, Mexico defeated Costa Rica 2-0 at Azteca Stadium for the Tricolores’ first win of the final round, and Trinidad and Tobago scored late for a 1-1 tie against visiting Hunduras.

• Khaleem Hyland scored in the 89th minute to pull Trinidad & Tobago into a 1-1 tie with Honduras. The result left the Soca Warriors with two points in their first two CONCACAF Hexagonal matches. They drew 2-2 with El Salvador last month.

In Europe, Andrea Pirlo and Giampaolo Pazzini scored to lead Italy to a 2-0 victory at Montenegro. Germany routed visiting Liechtenstein 4-0, Spain beat visiting Turkey 1-0, France won 1-0 at Liuthuania and the Netherlands beat visiting Scotland 3-0.

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 22 players that will train in advance of the critical FIFA World Cup qualifiers against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago.

The U.S. first travels to face El Salvador at Estadio Cuscatlán in the second match of the 10-game final round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Kickoff on March 28 is set for 9 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Telefutura.

Four days later, the state of Tennessee will host its first World Cup qualifier when the U.S. welcomes T&T to LP Field in Nashville. More than 14,000 tickets have been sold for the match, and tickets are still available through ussoccer.com and Ticketmaster. Coverage of USA-Trinidad &Tobago, presented by Dodge, begins at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and Galavision.

Fans will also be able to follow live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The U.S. is tied for first place in the final round hexagonal following the comprehensive 2-0 victory against Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio.

U.S. Men's National Team Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 4/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 8/6 SO), Marcus Hahnemann (Reading FC: 1/1 SO)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Stade Rennais: 17/2), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland: 3/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC: 1/0), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew: 15/1), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege: 13/1), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock: 8/0), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United: 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco: 5/1), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers: 22/6), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 7/4), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers: 3/0), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA: 7/0), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids: 12/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 2/0)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Xerez C.D.: 4/1), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 13/6), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC: 13/4), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 26/9), Eddie Johnson (Cardiff City: 9/8)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

Date
Opponent
Time / Result
TV / U.S. Goal Scorer(s)
Venue; City
Jan. 24
Sweden
3-2 W
Kljestan (3)
The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif.
Feb. 11
Mexico*
2-0 W
Bradley (2)
Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
March 28
El Salvador*
9 p.m. ET
ESPN2/Telefutura
Estadio Cuscatlán; San Salvador, El Salvador
April 1
Trinidad & Tobago*
6:30 p.m. CT
ESPN2/Galavision
LP Field; Nashville, Tenn.
June 3
Costa Rica*
TBD
TBD
Away (Venue TBD)
June 6
Honduras*
7 p.m. CT
ESPN Classic/Galavision
Soldier Field; Chicago, Ill.
June 15
Italy #
8:30 p.m. / 2:30 p.m. ET
TBD
Loftus Versfeld; Tshwane/Pretoria
June 18
Brazil #
4 p.m. / 10 a.m. ET
TBD
Loftus Versfeld; Tshwane/Pretoria
June 21
Egypt #
8:30 p.m. / 2:30 p.m. ET
TBD
Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace; Rustenburg
July 3-26
CONCACAF Gold Cup
TBD
TBD
13 cities across the U.S.
Aug. 12
Mexico*
TBD
TBD
Away (Venue TBD)
Sept. 5
El Salvador*
5:30 p.m. MT
ESPN Classic/Galavision
Rio Tinto Stadium; Sandy, Utah
Sept. 9
Trinidad & Tobago*
7 p.m. ET
ESPN Classic/Galavision
Away (Venue TBD)
Oct. 10
Honduras*
TBD
TBD
Away (Venue TBD)
Oct. 14
Costa Rica*
TBD
ESPN2/Galavision
RFK Stadium; Washington, D.C.

For the third straight time, the United States defeated Mexico 2-0 in a CONCACAF Final Round World Cup Qualifying match Crew Stadium. This one was a gritty victory in difficult conditions in front of 23,776 fans who braved strong wind and rain.

The match was played mostly in the midfield and that's where the U.S. won it. The determined Americans, led by midfielder Michael Bradley's inspired play, were able to control Mexico and never let it get into the match.

"We needed to impose our game on them," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "We needed to push hard and to be aggressive. Our midfield play as a group set a tone collectively.

"In conditions like these, it's important to move as a team and not leave any gaps on the field, to connect passes. We understood how important it was to shut them down. Maybe some of our guys did not have their best performances individually, but we worked as a group."

The U.S., which is 9-0-2 in its last nine home games against Mexico, pushed hard from the opening whistle. The first 20 minutes were played at a frantic pace with neither team really able to get much of an edge. The match settled in after that, but most of the play remained in midfield with neither side able to break through.

When the U.S. finally did take a lead, it was with the kind of goal that was fitting, considering how tightly the first half was played. In the 43rd minute, midfielder DaMarcus Beasley sent a right-side corner past the goal. Striker Landon Donovan kept the ball in play, heading it back into the crowded middle where defender Oguchi Onyewu hit it at Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez, who couldn't hold it. The ball bounced out to Bradley whose shot went through a crowd into the net.

Mexico coach Sven Goran-Eriksson, despite being without injured left winger Andres Guardado and suspended regulars Gerardo Torrado, Carlos Vela, and Fernando Arce, started an attack-minded lineup with three forwards -- Giovani dos Santos, Nery Castillo and Carlos Ochoa. The Mexicans came out ready to push forward, but the U.S. stayed right with them and Eriksson suffered a blow when Castillo went out in the 14th minute with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

Mexico was never in the match after the Rafael Marquez received a red card from referee Carlos Batres in the 65th minute after he kicked U.S. keeper Tim Howard as the two of them collided going for a lofted ball. Howard came away holding his side.

The U.S. scheduled the match here hoping for cold weather, such as in a the 2001 qualifier in Columbus when the Mexicans were deeply distracted by bitter cold temperatures and lost 2-0. Tonight, there was rain, wind, flooding and tornado warnings with the field swamped by water 90 minutes before kickoff.

The stadium field crew worked furiously and by kickoff most of the standing water had been removed, leaving the playing surface was decent. After a lull, however, the wind picked up again at times almost gale strength. The U.S. won the coin toss and elected to take the wind the first half, had the best run of play and came away with the lead.

In the second half, the Americans' high work rate in the middle kept Mexico at bay despite its obvious advantage of the wind at its backs. Then Marquez was sent off. Finally, in the match's dying moments Bradley, coming up the middle unmarked, took a pass from Donovan and lashed a ball through Oswaldo for the final 2-0 margin.

After the match tempers flared a bit as the two teams made their way through the same exit from the field to their almost adjoining dressing rooms. Order was quickly restored after a bit of pushing and shoving.

"It's great to start the final round with a win against Mexico," Bob Bradley said. "The all-around team effort was good and it's a good starting point to build on."

Match: United States Men's National Team vs. Mexico
Date: Feb. 11, 2009
Competition: FIFA World Cup Qualifying; Final Round
Venue: Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Attendance: 23,776
Weather: 53 degrees, overcast

USA – Michael Bradley (unassisted) 43rd minute
USA – Michael Bradley (Landon Donovan) 92+

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 2-Frankie Hejduk, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 15-Heath Pearce; 8-Clint Dempsey, 4-Michael Bradley, 16-Sacha Kljestan (13-Ricardo Clark, 86), 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 10-Landon Donovan, 11-Brian Ching (9-Jozy Altidore, 83)
Subs not used: 18-Brad Guzan, 6-Jonathan Bornstein, 14-Danny Califf, 17-Jose Francisco Torres, 12-Marvell Wynne
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

MEX: 1-Oswaldo Sanchez; 2-Aaron Galindo, 3-Carlos Salcido, 4-Rafael Marquez (capt.), 5-Ricardo Osorio; 6-Leandro Augusto, 12-Alberto Medina (15-Antonio Naelson, 60), 8-Pavel Pardo; 11-Carlos Ochoa, 10-Nery Castillo (14-Israel Martinez, 34), 17-Giovani dos Santos (9-Omar Bravo, 72)
Subs not used: 13-Guillermo Ochoa, 18-Leobardo Lopez, 7-Luis Perez, 16-Guillermo Franco
Head Coach: Sven-Goran Eriksson

Stats Summary: USA / MEX
Shots: 10 / 9
Shots on Goal: 5 / 3
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 1
Fouls: 26 / 16
Offside: 4 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
MEX – Rafael Marquez (sent off) 65th minute
USA – Tim Howard (caution) 67

CARSON, Calif. (Jan. 24, 2008) — Sacha Kljestan scored the 11th hat trick ever for the U.S. Men’s National Team Saturday evening to earn a 3-2 victory against Sweden open their 2009 campaign at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

In a fairly tepid first 45 minutes, Kljestan provided the U.S. with a 2-0 lead going into the locker room. His first goal was a stunning 35-yard free kick that he placed perfectly into the upper left corner, before following up that effort by burying a penalty kick with five minutes remaining in the half.

With Sweden pulling a goal back in the 73rd minute, it was Kljestan once again who answered for the U.S., taking a feed from Brian Ching to bury a left-footed shot just one minute later. In the 89th minute, Sweden struck again to make things interesting, but the U.S. was able to kill off any last minute attacks for an equalizer.

The three goals by Kljestan were the first of his career with the full team, and put him in unique company as only the second player ever to open his national team scoring account with a hat trick. The only other player to pull off the feat was Aldo “Buff” Donelli, who tallied four goals in a 4-2 victory against Mexico on May 24, 1934, in the lone qualifying match for the 1934 FIFA World Cup in Italy.

“Getting a hat trick is pretty exciting for me,” said Kljestan. “I’ve never scored more than one goal in a game as a professional, so it’s definitely exciting. I’m just as happy about the win and I’m glad we held on in the end. It was great to do it [score a hat trick] here at the Home Depot Center. I have a lot of friends and family that come and support me every game, so that was pretty cool to have them here.”

The victory kept the U.S. undefeated in eight matches at The HDC (7-0-1) and was the eleventh straight time the U.S. has either tied or won their opening game of the year, with the U.S. also defeating Sweden 1-0 to start the streak in 1998. Overall against Sweden, the U.S. now holds a winning record with four victories and three losses in seven games.

Despite a fairly inexperienced roster, the U.S. was able to control the majority of the match and provide an effective attack, especially in the second half. Of the 18 players on the roster, 13 had less than 10 career caps, and six of the starters chosen by U.S. head coach Bob Bradley had less than 5 caps, including two – goalkeeper Troy Perkins and midfielder Robbie Rogers – who earned their first caps on the night.

“It’s important to start the year off with a win,” said Bradley, who opened the calendar year with a victory for the third straight time since taking over in late 2006. “When you’re in a long camp, with three weeks and a lot of work, it’s nice at the end to have the reward of winning. From a coaching standpoint there’s always going to be things, at this time of year, that you feel good about, and there’s always going to be things that need improvement.”

The U.S. now looks ahead to their opening match of the final round of FIFA World Cup qualifying against archrival Mexico on Feb. 11 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match, the first of 10 games in the final round – commonly referred to as the ‘hexagonal’ – will kickoff at 7 p.m. ET and fans can watch the match live on ESPN2 HD and Univision, or listen on the Futbol de Primera radio network.

Match: United States Men's National Team vs. Sweden
Date: January 24, 2009
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif.
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. PT
Attendance: 9,918
Weather: 59 degrees, mostly cloudy

USA – Sacha Kljestan 17th minute
USA – Kljestan (PK) 40
SWE – Daniel Nannskog (Alexander Farnerud) 73
USA – Kljestan (Brian Ching) 74
USA – Mikael Dahlberg (Farnerud) 89

Lineups:
USA: 1-Troy Perkins; 12-Marvell Wynne, 2-Danny Califf (capt.), 4-Michael Parkhurst (3-Ugo Ihemelu, 82), 6-Jonathan Bornstein (15-Chris Wingert, 79); 17-John Thorrington (20-Chris Rolfe, 61), 13-Ricardo Clark, 16-Sacha Kljestan, 30-Robbie Rogers (22-Brian Carroll, 69); 10-Charlie Davies (27-Kenny Cooper, 46), 11-Brian Ching (29-Eddie Gaven, 77)
Subs not used: 18-Jon Busch
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

SWE: 12-Johan Dahlin, 7-Markus Jonsson, 8-Marcus Lindberg, 9-Max von Schlebrügge, 5-Adam Johansson; 10-Andreas Dahl (14-Rasmus Elm, 62), 6-Daniel Andersson (capt.) (13-Martin Ericsson, 71), 20-Gustav Svensson, 16-Samuel Holmén (15-Alexander Farnerud, 62); 11-Mikael Dahlberg, 19-Daniel Nannskog
Subs not used: 1-John Alvbåge, 2-Patrik Anttonen, 3-Rasmus Bengtsson, 4-Mattias Bjärsmyr, , 17-Andreas Johannson, 18-Andreas Landgren, 21-Denni Avdic
Head Coach: Lars Lagerbäck

Stats Summary: USA / SWE
Shots: 13 / 9
Shots on Goal: 6 / 6
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 7 / 1
Fouls: 15 / 15
Offside: 2 / 5

Misconduct Summary:
SWE – Daniel Andersson (caution) 27th minute
USA – Danny Califf (caution) 59

Officials:
Referee: Silviu Petrescu (CAN)
Assistant Referee 1: Hector Vergara (CAN)
Assistant Referee 2: Darren Clark (CAN)
Fourth Official: Baldomero Toledo (USA)

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