If I might lend a machette to the transfer season thicket...

Transfer season is full go right now and there are multitudes of yanks abroad looking for new homes.  Let's run down the list with what we know right this very moment:

Landon Donovan- British tabloids have Manchester City and Everton in the hunt for the American sensation.  But MLS commissioner Don Garber is vehemently stating that Landon is going nowhere, ever.  I guess its what the fans want to hear and what he has to say, but Citeh are reportedly ready to offer $15 million for his services and Donovan would see a three-fold increase in his salary to around $7 million per year.  There's also an AC Milan rumor floating around stating a player swap with Ronaldinho is in the works.  All seem plausible at this point.

Clint Dempsey- With the last few weeks of uncertainty at Fulham, Dempsey is in a precarious position.  Not knowing who his next manager can be irritating and there are rumors of a transfer to Liverpool to hook back up with former Fulham boss Roy Hodgson.  AC Milan and Napoli are also reportedly interested.

Jozy Altidore- Villarreal seem keen to sell the wayward forward.  Ajax, Besiktas, and some other unnamed clubs are sniffing around, with Ajax wanting a season long loan, but Villarreal is demanding a full sale.  The Netherlands would be great for Jozy, let's hope this goes through.

Carlos Bocanegra- Signed, sealed, and delivered....to Saint Etienne for around 400,000 Euros.

Jay DeMerit- Blackpool, Crystal Palace, Leeds United are among the primary names in the chase for the former Watford captain.  He also has interest from Germany, Turkey, and the Netherlands according to his agent. 

Clarence Goodson- Turned down a move to FC Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga and is currently hearing from Danish Superliga runners-up Odense BK. 

Benny Feilhaber- AGF Aarhus are trying desperately to sell the midfielder and Feilhabers agent claims interest from Spain, the Netherlands, and Turkey, but according to Feilhaber he is keeping his fingers crossed for a move to La Liga.

DaMarcus Beasley- Blackpool is reportedly interested in Beasley, but the more likely move seems back to the Netherlands or to Spain.

Jonathan Bornstein- Signed a 3-year deal with Tigres UANL in the Primera Division in Mexico.  I like this move.

Freddy Adu- Revamped Aris deal in hand, Adu is in Greece for at least a year.

Eddie Johnson- Aris reportedly wanted to extend the loan for Johnson, but Fulham said buy or nothing.

More to come....

Forecast 2014: Your USA Squad

Everyone loves to play armchair manager.  Yours truly included.  So let's take a peak at who your squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup could be. 

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard will be 35 by the time Brazil roles around, but could still very well be the starting keeper should he keep his form and job at Everton.  Brad Guzan should be in firm control of Aston Villa's pipes by that time and could supplant Howard.  Third keeper will be an interesting one.  Bill Hamid, Dominic Cervi, and Chris Seitz are all in line for a shot.

Defenders: Just going to throw some names out there.  On the right side  Eric Lichaj from Aston Villa is a good bet since he's likely to be included in that clubs first 18 starting this season.  Daniel Williams from Freiburg is also an option, as is Fabian Williams of Wolfsburg.  Jonathan Spector is the easy choice, but could be anywhere on the backline.  Another two to keep an eye on are Sean Franklin and Greg Garza.  In the center, Oguchi Onyewu will be 32 but should still be at the top of his game.  Other center options include Omar Gonzalez, Ike Opara, Gale Agbossumonde, Chad Marshall, and Tim Ward.  This wouldn't be the US National Team if there wasn't questions on the left flank.  Edgar Castillo, Heath Pearce, Jonathan Bornstein and Hunter Freeman are options, and hopefully by that time a viable option has come to fruition.

Midfielders: I don't expect to many new names this time around.  Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu should be the starters, and Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, and Jose Torres should round out the middle.  Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, and DaMarcus Beasley should all still be in the mix.  Other names to watch include Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya, Luis Gil, Sebastian Lleget, Danny Cruz, Robbie Rogers, Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela, Sal Zizzo, Geoff Cameron, Alex Zahavi,  Dax McCarty and Sam Cronin.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies are the two for sure things (fingers crossed).  Who backs them up could include Danny Mwanga, Mike Grella, Marcus Tracy, and Adrian Ruelas or any high risers who haven't yet been named.

Isn't this fun?  Only four years away from the Brazilian spectacle.  Next up we'll look at who the new coach of the US National Team could be.  

USA 1, Ghana 2: Picking Up the Pieces

One bridge to far and another early goal.  The US' dream ended in a heartbreaking, yet deserved loss to Ghana, for the second consecutive World Cup.  Again, for the 3rd time in 4 matches, the US conceded an early goal, made a comeback, but couldn't pull off another amazing comeback after conceding another goal three minutes into extra-time.  The American's will rue missed opportunities and probably missing out on taking advantage of the easiest road to the semi-finals that will ever be laid before them.  You all watched the game.  No player ratings this time.  Ricardo Clark, worst game of his career.  Tim Howard should've saved both goals.  LD10 was invisible for most of the game.  Basically the worst from everyone (Bob Bradley included) on this one.  Moving on will be very hard, but there are new tasks at hand.  Like finding a new coach (one would think), roster selections for the Aug. 10 Brazil match, and summer transfers.  Failure is nothing but the first step toward something better.  GO GO USA!!!

USA 1, Algeria 0: The Day After

A day for headaches and heartbreaks, elation and despair, heart attacks and tears of joy.  All of it was on the pitch when the referee blew the final whistle yesterday.  The Americans were through.  Through, on top of their group, for the first time since 1930.  And it was the poster boy who got them there.  After an exhausting 90 minutes, where the chances were coming in bunches for the Americans, but the goals weren't, Landon Donovan slotted home a rebound off a Clint Dempsey shot in the 91st minute.  Bars and public areas around the country exploded with happiness.  I, alone in my living room after taking the day off work, jumped out of my chair, screamed like a school girl, and fell to my knees in disbelief at what had just unfolded.  Ian Darke's call was mesmerizing, of course, I didn't hear it until after I'd watched a replay of the game.  After all the doubt had crept in, when you thought the US just wasn't going to score, after another disallowed goal, when chance after chance went begging, the US found a way and a will to succeed in the dying embers of the match.  God Bless the USA.

Player Ratings:

Tim Howard- 10- My first ever perfect score for a player, but Tim kept the shutout, controlled the back line, and flung the pass that led to the winner.  Can't ask for any more from Howard on the day.

Steve Cherundolo- 8- Another massive performance from the diminutive right back.  Ziani and Belhadj were non-factors for the majority of the match, and we have Cherundolo to thank for that.

Jay DeMerit- 8- Newcastle and West Ham take notice.  Another great day at the office for DeMerit, who stood tall in the back, even after losing their midfield cover.

Carlos Bocangrea- 6.5- Had some shaky moments early, but picked it up and helped maintain the clean sheet with some fine aerial defending.

Jonathan Bornstein- 5.5- Not his worst game ever, but he should really learn how to clear a ball.  There were at least two or three times his clearances went straight to the Algerian side.  That said, he did make some solid tackles and his speed helped.

Landon Donovan- 7- Did disappear for some stretches, but was very dangerous several times.  And of course, he scored the goal, probably the most important of his career.

Michael Bradley- 8- Yet again, a massive performance from Bradley Jr.  He is definitely looking at a big money transfer this summer if he continues at this pace.

Maurice Edu- 6.5- Finally, an Edu-Bradley combo in the midfield and it worked wonders.  Edu was deployed in the holding position, allowing Bradley to push forward into the attack.  Expect another start from Edu against Ghana.

Clint Dempsey- 7- So many chances, but just couldn't capitalize.  He played very well though and caused the spill from the keeper that led to the goal.  His early goal should've counted though.

Herculez Gomez- 6.5- I was very impressed with Gomez.  He tested the keeper on every chance he got.  Really hope he gets another start against Ghana.

Jozy Altidore- 8- Huge FULL game from Altidore today.  Great 90 minutes, showed a nice first touch, and attacked with fervor.

SUBS:

Benny Feilhaber- 7- Has got his touch back and probably should've had an assist if not for a "save" by the keeper.

Edson Buddle- 5.5- One good chance from 5 yards which probably should've been converted.  Played physical up top.

DaMarcus Beasley- NA- Nothing more than his WC 2010 cameo.

Transfer Goodies

Caught up in all the World Cup hoopla, a few big names in US Soccer have popped up on the map.  One is already done, and that is Sacha Kljestan joining Belgian champions Anderlecht.  Great move for him, not a lot of pressure and he certainly has the talent to make something of himself.

On the rumor side, Jonathan Bornstein is rumored to be on his way to Atlante in the Mexican Premier League.  Again, another move I like.  He could play against better attackers and thus improve his game.  Also, Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel are rumored to be in the market again.

Aris Thessaloniki are continuing to try to extend the loan for Eddie Johnson.  After a mildly successful tail end of the season in Greece, Johnson apparently made enough of an impression to warrant another go around.  Should he remain at Fulham, he probably won't see much action.

Also, just a couple hours ago, Ives tweeted about having a chat with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and undoubtedly talked about the American players, then Ives guaranteed an American transfer to Arsenal.  Howard, Bradley, Dempsey, and Donovan are all on the radar.

More to come...