US vs. Guatemala

The U.S. friendly against Guatemala is just underway from Frisco, TX. U.S. is going with a younger lineup and troublesome Eddie Johnson up top with Landon Donovan. I'm looking for good things from the Feilhaber/Bradley combination in midfield.


Halftime - 0-0 at the half. Neither side has looked particularly impressive in the first 45 minutes. Eddie Johnson showed signs of life towards the end of the first half and Justin Mapp has been a bright spot on the left flank.

Eric Wynalda called out the Red Bull New York management and FIFA chief Sepp Blatter during his Yellow Card/Red Card segment. His only praise went to Landon Donovan, who is about to pass Wynalda on the all-time scoring list for the MNT.


Final - Game ends in a disappointing 0-0 draw. Neither team looked good offensively - it was an ugly game to watch. Respectable showings from Justin Mapp and the young back line. Didn't see anything good from Clint Dempsey in this one, and though Eddie Johnson got better as the game went along, he's not where the team needs him to be in his development as a player. Landon Donovan was almost completely shut down, so kudos to Guatemala for keeping Landy Cakes quiet for the first time this year.

These two teams will meet again in the Gold Cup this June.

MLS Zone Player of the Week

So where are all of those LD haters now? The first ever MLS Zone Player of the Week award goes to Landon Donovan, forward for the Los Angeles Galaxy and U.S. MNT. He scored three times in yesterday's friendly vs. Ecuador (1', 66', 67'), giving him five goals in the team's three friendlies in 2007. He opened the scoring just 41 seconds into the game and came close several other times in the 3-1 victory, looking very potent in the attack throughout the game.

Donovan's reaction upon hearing he won the MLS Zone POW honor.

My take: Critics are calling out Donovan because of the way he "disappeared" during the '06 World Cup and because he's said he wants to skip the Copa America later this summer to be with his club. With a crowded summer schedule coming up, Donovan's decision makes sense. He is a leader on the Galaxy and if he's away for the better part of two months again this summer (like in '06), his team could sink out of contention while he's gone.

On the international side, Donovan is clearly out to make a statement this year and can excel in Bob Bradley's new system when surrounded by the right talent. If he continues to improve his play and can stay healthy, 2010 may be a great year for United States Soccer.

Three Uncapped Players Plucked For U.S. Roster

U.S. MNT coach Bob Bradley has announced his roster for the upcoming exhibition games against Ecuador and Guatemala. It consists of 13 foreign-based players and 11 MLS-based players, and should give Bradley his first good look at some of the "premier" American talent from overseas.

Eleven of the players named are World Cup veterans, including goalkeeper Kasey Keller and forward Landon Donovan. Three have never donned a U.S. jersey: defenders Frank Simek and Jay DeMerit, and midfielder Benny Feilhaber. Here's a little more about them:

Jay DeMerit is a 27-year-old defender for Watford, currently the bottom team in the EPL table, and 11 points from safety. He played for the Chicago Fire Reserves, but wasn't offered a contract by any MLS team and headed to Europe, working his way through the ranks. Now he will put on a U.S. jersey for the first time. Great story.




Frank Simek is a 22-year-old defender who currently plays for English club Sheffield Wednesday of the English League Championship. He was signed by Arsenal to a developmental contract and at one point assumed the captaincy of the reserve side, but had difficulty breaking into the first team. He is now a regular at right back for Sheffield Wednesday.




Benny Feilhaber, also 22, plays for Hamburger SV in the German Bundesliga. He played his way onto the U-20 MNT in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, where his performances caught the attention of several European scouts. He signed with Hamburg in July of 2005.


The U.S. MNT will take on Ecuador on March 25th (12:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2) and Guatemala on March 28th (9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2). After these games, the only other tune-up scheduled before the summer is an exhibition vs. China on June 2nd in San Jose.

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.

Chinese Player On Trial In L.A.

Chinese defender Yao Lijun will soon be on trial with the Los Angeles Galaxy, according to reports. He was invited by the club and is now awaiting a visa. "I will kick off the tour right after my visa is ready. I am well prepared." Yao told Eastday.com yesterday.

Yao plays for Shanghai Shenhua and says he feels lucky because the bosses in Shenhua have fully supported his U.S. tour.

The Los Angeles Galaxy are looking for depth in defense. They traded away promising young defender Ugo Ihemelu to the Colorado Rapids this offseason and will also likely be without U.S. National Team call-up Chris Albright for part of the upcoming MLS season due to national team duty.

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.