USA Line-up Outlook

I got to thinking about potential line-ups for the US against El Salvador and I came up with a few interesting variations on the line-up. Here's what I came up with:
1.)

------------------------Howard

Cherundolo-----Marshall-----Bocanegra-----Spector

----------------Bradley-------Feilhaber

Dempsey-------------------------------------Donovan

----------------Altidore-------Davies


2.)

---------------------Howard

Spector-----Marshall-----Bocanegra-----Bornstein

-------------Bradley------Feilhaber

Holden-----------------------------------Donovan

-------------Dempsey-----Davies


3.)

------------------------Howard

Cherundolo-----Marshall-----Bocanegra-----Bornstein

-----------------Torres------Bradley

----------Feilhaber-----------------Donovan

-----------------Davies-------Altidore



4.)

------------------------Howard

Cherundolo-----Marshall-----Bocanegra-----Spector

------------------------Bradley

Dempsey--------------Feilhaber-------------Donovan

--------------Davies--------------Altidore


If I had my choice I'd pick number 1 or number 4. I think the US is looking to dominate possession and these players give the US that opportunity. Tomorrow can not come fast enough!! COME ON YOU YANKS!!

Chris Rolfe Signs with Aalborg BK, and an injury update.

Chris Rolfe is on his way to Europe in January according to the Chicago Fire website. He will join the reigning Danish champions Aalborg BK on a free as his contract with Major League Soccer runs out at the end of the season. Rolfe, who has been capped 10 times by the United States, is the Chicago Fire's second all time leading goal scorer with 35 goals in 5 seasons and has registered 5 goals and 1 assist this season. The Danish front office say Rolfe will be an important player for them and if he can see playing time, look for him to possibly sneak into the 23 for next summer if some players arn't making the cut. This is a good move for Rolfe who will be making his payday very soon.



In some rather worrying news coming out of the US camp, center back Jay DeMerit has suffered a groin strain and is "day to day" according to media relations manager Michael Kammarman. This does not bode well for the US team if he can't go, as Onyewu is already relegated to the stands with a yellow card accumulation suspension. With only two other center backs in camp, and relatively green ones at that in Chad Marshall and Clarence Goodson, if DeMerit can't go I'd go with Marshall due to his recent good showing at the Gold Cup and experience in pressure situations, helping the Columbus Crew win the MLS Cup last season. But for all intents and purposes, if DeMerit is healthy, he should go. Let's just hope that the training staff can get him going by Saturday.

Heath Pearce Signs With Bursaspor in Turkey

Lost in the days confusion yesterday was the fact that Heath Pearce has signed a three year deal with Turkish top flight side Bursaspor and was given the number three shirt. Should he play a good amount I have no doubt that he can work his way back into contention for the left back spot. It's a good move for Pearce who was in desperate need of a change when he found himself on the outs at Hansa Rostock for quite some time and was looking at MLS as a final option but signed with Bursaspor in the waning moments of the transfer window.

Trinidad & Tobago Release Roster for Qualifier

Trinidad & Tobago's roster for the US match was released with a few new interesting names added. Here's the roster:

Goalkeepers
Clayton Ince, Marvin Phillip, Jan Michael Williams,

Defenders
Keyeno Thomas, Radanfah Abu Bakr, Marvin Andrews, Jlloyd Samuel, Silvio Spann, Keston Williams,

Midfielders
Lyndon Andrews, Hughton Hector, Densill Theobald, Carlos Edwards, Trent Noel, Chris Birchall, Keon Daniel, Hayden Tinto,

Forwards
Kerry Baptiste, Kenwyne Jones, Jason Scotland, Bobby Zamora, Cornell Glen

That's right, that's THE Bobby Zamora, teammate of Clint Dempsey at Fulham. Also added was Bolton defender Jlloyd Samuel. Both players recently received their Trinidadian passports and were immediately added to the roster for the match. A strike force of Kenwyne Jones and Bobby Zamora is a new tough test for CONCACAF, and the addition of a Premiership defender will add quality on the backline. For Trinidad and Tobago, it may be to little to late and will need things to go their way from all angles for them to have a shot as they sit in last place in the standings for qualification. Don't count out the Soca Warriors now though, there's still four games to play and plenty of drama to follow for sure. It is World Cup qualification isn't it?

US vs El Salvador Preview

Does everyone realize just how important Saturday's game is? With the US sitting in third place behind leading Costa Rica and trail Honduras on goal differential, these three point are all important heading into the tail end of qualifying. Should the US win? Yes, they are the better team by far. But remember well how El Salvador dominated the earlier match in El Salvador for some time before the historic comeback to grab a point. They played a disciplined, counter-attacking game and gave the US fits all night with their speed. A familiar face also joins them this time around in Arturo Alvarez. The former US youth prospect switched allegiances earlier this summer and played in his first official match earlier this month vs. Trinidad & Tobago. Why has his switch gone through quicker than Jones' and Castillo's? Sources say that it was because he had earlier appealed for the switch last year, which was before the latest rule changes.

This US roster is chock full of talent, but there are really some question marks for me. Why are Beckerman, Casey, Findley, and Rogers here? No disrespect to them, but Rogers and Casey have never impressed on the international level, Beckerman is at least seventh on the CM depth chart behind Bradley, Jones, Edu, Feilhaber, Clark, and Torres. He's also battling for that place with Sacha Kljestan. I see no reason for calling him in. Instead call in an Eddie Johnson or Kenny Cooper who are enjoying better seasons abroad. In actually better with Findley, as he is a younger player with potential. Better than the 31 year old Ching and 29 year old Casey. Two slow, lumbering forwards who's best days are behind them and who will be even less effective come next year. Rogers had his chance in the Gold Cup and failed to be effective against everyone except Grenada, and honestly, my sister could have been effective against them. Sure, he has potential for the future, but cannot change the game like Dempsey, Donovan, and emerging Stuart Holden. As for a starting 11:

-----------------------Howard

Cherundolo-----DeMerit-----Bocanegra-----Spector

----------------Bradley-------Feilhaber

Dempsey------------------------------------Donovan

----------------Altidore-------Davies

With Onyewu serving his one-match suspension, Bocanegra will slide back into the middle and I'd take Spector on the left because that's where he has played in recent weeks with West Ham, so I'd feel safe with that pick. Feilhaber gets the nod over Clark because the US needs to come out flying and while Clark is a solid defensive mid, the US needs to dominate possession in this one which Benny is excellent at and which isn't one of Clark's strong points. Altidore and Davies need to start up top from now through the World Cup. They are getting minutes with better teams, in better leagues, against better players. Ching and Casey need to be sent out to pasture (damn, I'm killing them today). Now is the time for Altidore and Davies to develop a relationship with each other.

Jermaine Jones and Edgar Castillo apply for International Switches

This is a topic from ESPN Soccernet, but I thought I'd share my own thoughts on the matter. FC Schalke 04 midfielder Jermaine Jones and Tigres UANL left back Edgar Castillo have officially sent FIFA their paperwork regarding the switches in international allegiance (from Germany and Mexico respectively). As Jones requested his switch a couple months ago an announcement could be imminent. Castillo on the other hand requested his in early August so his wait could be longer. With only one central midfielder spot nailed down for the US in Jones' Bundesliga compatriot Michael Bradley, Jones would certainly be in with a chance against the likes of Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, and Jose Torres.


Concerns for the US at left back are even more troublesome, as Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, and now Carlos Bocanegra (even DaMarcus Beasley for a couple matches) have all vied for it and none have come away looking completely dominant. Bornstein had the spot nailed down for most of 2007, then Pearce for 2008 and the start of 2009 until he fell out of favor with his club. Now converted center back Carlos Bocanegra (who plays left back for club side Stade Rennais in France) has the spot and Watford captain Jay DeMerit takes his vacated center back spot. Edgar Castillo offers speed on the flank, something that somewhat hamper's Bocanegra's chances. He scored a peach of a goal in last nights match vs Santos, and his flair going forward would be a nice addition to a US squad in need of certainty at the position, and while the position may Bocanegra's for the time being, Castillo's improvement with Tigres will surely earn him high marks and then when he does finally get the call up, we can let Bob Bradley decide between Bornstein, Castillo, Bocanegra and Pearce.

Ultimately, there will be several position battles heading into 2010, which will make this season critical for players chances. Jones and Castillo will only make Bob Bradley's decision harder, but then again, a coach should love this sort of problem.

Adu Secures One Year Loan with Belenenses

On the final day of the transfer window, Freddy got what Freddy needed: a move away from Benfica where he was on the fringes of the team. This from his twitter page:

"i just completed a 1 year loan move to Belenenses. And im excited to join the team tomorrow for training"

It's a good move for Adu as he can stay close in Portugal and should see additional minutes for a team who sits in 7th place after three matches. It should be interesting to see how this plays out in the short run as Adu could break into the starting 11 quickly. Stay tuned throughout the day as we await news on other yanks transfers including free agent Heath Pearce.

MLS Weekend Round Up

With the playoff race heating up, teams are trying more than ever to grab points when available, and results are getting a bit crazy, even the New York Red Bulls have won two straight! Here are the results from this MLS weekend:

Sunday Games:
Houston Dynamo 0, Colorado Rapids 1
Columbus Crew 0, New York Red Bulls 1

Saturday Games:
Toronto FC 0, Seattle Sounders FC 0
San Jose Earthquakes 1, New England Revolution 2
DC United 1, Chicago Fire 0
Real Salt Lake 1, Kansas City Wizards 0
Chivas USA 0, LA Galaxy 1

Yanks Abroad Ticker

It was a good weekend for Yanks Abroad, as Charlie Davies, Clint Dempsey, and Jose Torres all enjoyed good performances, there was even an Eddie Johnson sighting, here is how everyone fared this weekend:

England

PREMIERSHIP

• Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Everton's 2-1 win vs. Wigan Athletic on Sunday.

• Jozy Altidore came off the bench and played 27 minutes in Hull City's 1-1 draw vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

• Clint Dempsey started and played 90 minutes in Fulham's 2-0 loss vs. Aston Villa on Sunday.

• Eddie Johnson came off the bench and played 14 minutes in Fulham's 2-0 loss vs. Aston Villa on Sunday.

• Jonathan Spector started and played 90 minutes in West Ham's 0-0 draw vs. Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

• Brad Friedel started and played 90 minutes in Aston Villa's 2-0 win vs. Fulham on Sunday.

• Brad Guzan dressed but did not play in Aston Villa's 2-0 win vs. Fulham on Sunday.

• Eric Lichaj did not dress in Aston Villa's 2-0 win vs. Fulham on Sunday.

• Marcus Hahnemann dressed but did not play in Wolverhampton Wanderers' 1-1 draw vs. Hull City on Saturday.

COCA COLA CHAMPIONSHIP

• Jay DeMerit started and played 90 minutes in Watford's 1-1 draw vs. Swansea City on Saturday.

• Frank Simek did not dress in Sheffield Wednesday's 3-1 win vs. Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

LEAGUE ONE

• Ian Joyce did not dress in Southend United's 2-1 loss vs. Swindon Town on Saturday.

• Zak Whitbread did not dress in Millwall's 1-1 draw vs. Brighton on Friday.

• Mike Grella dressed but did not play in Leeds United's 2-1 win vs. Colchester United on Saturday.

• Jemal Johnson started and played 62 minutes in Milton Keynes Dons' 2-1 win vs. Exeter City on Saturday.

• Jon-Paul Pittman came off the bench, played 30 minutes and scored a GOAL in Wycombe Wanderers' 2-1 win vs. Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

Scotland

• Maurice Edu did not dress in Rangers' 4-1 win vs. Hamilton Academical on Saturday. He is recovering from an injury.

• DaMarcus Beasley dressed but did not play in Rangers' 4-1 win vs. Hamilton Academical on Saturday.

Italy

• Oguchi Onyewu dressed but did not play in AC Milan's 4-0 loss vs. Inter Milan on Saturday.

Germany

BUNDESLIGA

• Michael Bradley did not dress in Borussia Moenchengladbach's 2-0 win vs. Mainz on Friday.

• Steve Cherundolo started and played 90 minutes in Hannover 96's 1-0 loss vs. TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday.

• Sal Zizzo dressed but did not play in Hannover 96's 1-0 loss vs. TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday.

• Jermaine Jones did not dress in Schalke 04's 1-0 loss vs. SC Freiburg on Saturday. He is recovering from an injury.

BUNDESLIGA 2

• Kenny Cooper started and played 90 minutes in 1860 Munich's 0-0 draw vs. Ahlen on Friday.

• Luis Robles dressed but did not play in Kaiserslautern's 0-0 draw vs. SC Paderborn 07 on Sunday.

• Matt Taylor came off the bench and played 2 minutes in FSV Frankfurt's 3-0 loss vs. Alemania Aachen on Sunday.

• David Yeldell started, played 90 minutes and made one save in TUS Koblenz's 2-0 loss vs. Energie Cottbus on Friday.

France

• Carlos Bocanegra started and played 90 minutes in Rennes' 2-2 draw vs. Lens on Saturday.

• Charlie Davies started and played 85 minutes in Sochaux's 1-0 win vs. AS Monaco on Saturday.

Denmark

• Benny Feilhaber started and played 70 minutes in AGF Aarhus' 2-0 win vs. FC Nordshaelland on Saturday.

• Jeremiah White started and played 61 minutes in AGF Aarhus' 2-0 win vs. FC Nordsjaelland on Saturday.

• Dan Califf did not dress in FC Midtjylland's 1-0 loss vs. Aalborg on Sunday.

• Michael Parkhurst started and played 90 minutes in FC Nordsjaelland's 2-0 loss vs. AGF Aarhus on Saturday.

• Marcus Tracy did not play in Aalborg's 1-0 win vs. FC Midtjylland on Sunday.

Norway

• Troy Perkins started and played 90 minutes in Valerenga's 2-1 win vs. Molde on Saturday.

• Mikkel Diskerud and Stabaek play Lillestrom on Monday.

• Clarence Goodson started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in IK Start's 1-0 loss vs. Brann on Sunday.

• Hunter Freeman did not dress in IK Start's 1-0 loss vs. Brann on Sunday.

Sweden

• Alejandro Bedoya and Orebro SK play Gefle IF on Monday.

Mexico

• Jose Francisco Torres started and played 90 minutes in Pachuca's 2-2 draw vs. Guadalajara on Saturday.

• Michael Orozco started and played 90 minutes in San Luis' 0-0 draw vs. Puebla on Saturday.

• Edgar Castillo started and played 90 minutes and scored a GOAL as UANL beat Santos 2-1 on Sunday.

• Marco Vidal started and played 90 minutes in Indios de Ciudad Juarez's 1-1 draw vs. Atlas on Saturday.