Blanco To Join Chicago

According to various sources, the Chicago Fire will be announcing their new signing on Tuesday: Cuauhtemoc Blanco. He will become the league's third Designated Player. Blanco is known as much for his fiery personality as he is for his skill with the ball. He has had knee problems recently, but appears to be back at full-strength.

The 34-year-old Club America and Mexican National Team star will likely be joining the Fire at the end of the current Mexican First Division season, which wraps at the end of April.

Fire After Blanco?

A report has surfaced claiming that the Chicago Fire are contempleting making an offer to Mexican attacker Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Blanco, 34, is a veteran on the Mexico National Team, scoring 30 goals in 82 appearances for his country. He currently plays for Club America.

Blanco was controversially left out of the squad for the 2006 World Cup, but has since returned and was in the lineup last month when the U.S. National Team defeated Mexico, 2-0 in Arizona.

Bornstein Injured

Upcoming U.S. National team and Chivas USA defender Jonathan Bornstein has suffered a partial tear of his left MCL and is expected to miss six weeks. That means he won't be a part of the USMNT's games against Ecuador and Guatemala next month and his status is in question for the Chivas season opener against Toronto FC, scheduled for April 7th. His injury occurred during practice on Thursday.

Bornstein, 22, was the MLS Gatorade Rookie of the Year last year, registering 6 goals and 4 assists. He made his debut for the USMNT last month vs. Denmark, scoring the second goal in a 3-1 U.S. victory. He also played all 90 minutes of the U.S. win over Mexico earlier this month.

U.S. vs Mexico Tonight!

The U.S. men's national team will take on Mexico tonight in Glendale, Arizona. The 62,000-seat University of Phoenix Stadium is expected to be overflowing with fans for the first meeting between the teams since 2005. Though it is only a "friendly" there is no love lost between the two teams. "I don't have friendly matches, much less against them (the U.S.)," Mexico forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco said during a new conference in Mexico recently.

Each side is being led by a new coach, with this being Hugo Sanchez's first go-round with Mexico. Bob Bradley is at the helm of his second game since replacing Bruce Arena - on an interim basis; Bradley's boys defeated Denmark at the Home Depot Center last month. Neither coach can afford a loss in this highly-publicized (at least in Mexico) match-up. The U.S. has come away with a win in seven of the past 10 matches between the two teams since 2000. The last meeting was held in September 2005, with the U.S. claiming a 2-0 victory in Columbus, Ohio.

Bradley has named an MLS-heavy roster for the match, with only eight players that have had previous experience against the Tricolor. Several European players will also suit up for the U.S., including Carlos Bocanegra, Tim Howard, Bobby Convey, and the newly-transferred Clint Dempsey.

My prediction is a 2-1 win for... the U.S., of course.

The match will be televised on ESPN2 and Univision beginning at 9 p.m. ET, with kickoff slated for 9:25 p.m.

Offers For Revs' Joseph, Twellman Rejected

Major League Soccer has rejected offers for two of the New England Revolution's biggest stars in recent weeks, it has been revealed.

Shalrie Joseph had been pursued by Celtic FC, with the Scottish club offering upwards of $2 million for the 28-year-old defensive midfielder. They had previously submitted a bid of $1 million for Joseph last August. Joseph currently makes about $150,000 annually.

The other target of a European club recently was Taylor Twellman, with the MLS rejecting a $1.2 million bid from Odd Grenland in Norway for the striker. Twellman is currently training with the U.S. Men's National Team in preparation for Wednesday's clash with Mexico in Glendale, AZ. Celtic FC may get another look at Joseph and/or Twellman on July 19th, when they travel to Commerce City, CO, to play against the MLS All-Stars.