No Problem Tim (Seriously), Take the Next Year Off from the USMNT

If anyone currently on the U.S. men's national team has earned himself a sabbatical, surely it's goalkeeper Tim Howard. This afternoon he made the unexpected decision to take the next year off from the squad to concentrate on his powerhouse club-Everton-while also spending more time with his family. For most players (cough cough Landon Donovan) this would be a recipe for disaster to go away in their prime but there are a few reasons why this makes perfect sense.

Howard is 35 so while he's not getting any younger, his goal of playing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia is attainable (since goalkeepers can hang around forever). Saving himself extra wear and tear with the U.S. should help maintain his legs. Keep in mind that other than the Gold Cup next summer (and really, who cares?) and some random friendlies, the Americans don't have many important matches through next September-when he'd prefer to return.

Also unlike Donovan, you can't doubt Howard's passion for the sport and underlying motivation. Plus, it's not as if he's taking time off just to do nothing or simply hang out/chase women after a divorce. He'll still be the No. 1 goalkeeper for one of the best clubs in England and by extension the world. That'll keep him plenty busy with that and remember that the EPL season (which just started last weekend) goes all the way until May with very few breaks.

Enjoy your USMNT time off Tim, hope you come back refreshed for head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and your teammates. For the next year, Brad Guzan (Aston Villa) figures to be the No. 1 goalkeeper for the U.S. with Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) backing him up. I've always said that goalkeeping is the one position that we can match up favorably with any other country in the world. Guzan is very good, another starter in the EPL, while Rimando has become one of the top goalkeepers in MLS history.

Their first chance to shine will be on September 3 when the U.S. takes on Czech Republic in Prague. Howard and Everton host Arsenal on Saturday (12:30, NBC) at Goodison Park in arguably the top match of the weekend.

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It Was A Good Weekend For The U.S. Men's National Team

Without even playing a game this weekend, it was a great time to be a member of the U.S. men's national team. On Friday, striker Jozy Altidore's long rumored transfer from Holland's AZ Alkmaar to England's Sunderland finally became reality. He is scheduled to have a medical with the English Premier League side tomorrow and that's when the details will be sorted out. In addition, goalkeeper Brad Guzan signed a four-year deal with Aston Villa, meaning he'll stay there through the 2016-17 season.

Altidore's move is the headline since the 23-year-old has been playing the best soccer of his young life in the past season (both with his club and for his country). He scored 31 goals in all competitions for the Dutch team and helped them win their first Dutch Cup in 31 years. It was one thing for U.S. fans to read about that but never really see those games however he's been able to transfer that over to the U.S. with goals in his last four contests: in the friendly vs. Germany and three World Cup qualifiers (Jamaica, Panama and Honduras).

The good part for Altidore-assuming that the move happens-is that Sunderland should offer playing time right off the bat. He was really young when he competed for Hull City in 2009-10, making it no wonder that he struggled so much for a bad team. He is guarantted to have more expectations with Sunderland but that's a positive thing since he has shown lately that he is becoming the great player on a consistent basis that we've all been waiting for.

Guzan is still living in Tim Howard's long shadow for the U.S. but he has more than made a name for himself at Aston Villa. Last season he became the full-time starter and he responded with his best professional season. He is 28 and in limited time playing for the U.S. when Howard was unavailable (due to injuries or mandated rest), he has shown that he could be counted on should something happen to Howard when it really matters.

From Aston Villa's website
"This is just the start now, the start of hard work. We have to build on last year and go forward and that is very much the collective mindset at the club.

"For me, it's an honour and a privilege to play for Aston Villa Football Club and to commit my future long-term. I'm overjoyed by it.

"To have this opportunity to commit my future, with the plans and the future being what they are going forward, it's tremendously exciting and I know that's not just for me but for everybody, including the fans."

UPDATE 7/10: Jozy got a four-year deal worth $13 million.
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Brad Guzan: The Best Backup Goalkeeper That Money Can Buy

It takes a ton of confidence to accept your fate as a backup in professional sports. Doubly so when you do that for both club and country like American Brad Guzan.

Today, Tim Howard's backup inked a new three-year deal with Aston Villa-his English Premier League club.

Guzan will join his teammates on a preseason tour of the United States and he's expected to be at Villa until the end of the 2014-15 season. Irish goalkeeper Shay Given-one of the best at his position in the world-stands in front of Guzan and more substantial playing time in England. Guzan played in seven games last season including one FA Cup match when Given was hurt.

Some people will probably think that Guzan is crazy since at 27, he should be starting to reach his prime years as a pro yet he's going back to a place where he's played in eight EPL games over the last four years (all but one last season) and 10 overall (2 FA Cup matches).

It's hard to say how good he could be since he went from Chivas USA in MLS to Aston Villa in 2008 and he's basically been stapled to the bench since then. He also played on loan at Hull City for four months during the 2010-11 season where he made 16 starts for the Football League Championship squad. Apparently, the new manager of Aston Villa-Paul Lambert-has seen enough since he remarked that "I've watched Brad and some of his games when he was on the team last year and he was excellent."

Howard is 33 and Given is 36 so no matter what, Guzan is much younger than both of the guys he is stuck behind. However, unlike most field positions, players have a better chance to hang around (think Brad Friedel who is 41 on Tottenham) when they are goalkeepers since you don't have to run. For his sanity, let's hope that Guzan gets more of a chance to show what he can do in the next few years. Nobody deserves to sit that much, assuming they have some ability.

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Mark Your Calendars: Liverpool vs. AS Roma, July 25 At Fenway Park

After knowing about this for months, Liverpool officially announced today that they will face AS Roma on Wednesday, July 25 at Fenway Park.

As any Boston Red Sox fan knows, the Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner have owned Liverpool since 2010. With this year's 100th anniversary of Fenway, what better time to bring their two cash cows together for one night only.

Liverpool will be in the United States for 12 days this summer and they've already been slated for two exhibition matches. Big time European clubs often take U.S. tours (to improve the brand abroad) and Liverpool last appeared in North America in 2004 (NJ, CT and Toronto).

A group of four Boston executives closed a deal for Roma in August to become the first foreign majority owners of a Serie A club. New Roma president Thomas DiBenedetto is also a limited partner in the Fenway group.

"During its 100-year history, Fenway Park has hosted some of the best in athletic competition, and a match between Liverpool and Roma -- two of the world's most well-known and respected clubs -- is an appropriate way to ... showcase our ballpark to an international audience," Liverpool owner John Henry said.

The match also features the two teams that contested the 1984 European Cup final, which Liverpool won in a penalty shootout.

Liverpool is the fourth Premier League team to announce a preseason tour of the United States, following Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Boston will serve as Liverpool's base throughout the tour, and the team will train at Harvard University.

"Our goal is to create an unforgettable experience for our North American fans while building a lasting legacy for Liverpool here in the States," Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said.

I was lucky enough to get to cover Sporting vs. Celtic at Fenway two summers ago so I'm really hoping that I can get a credential for this one too. That first match was nice but admittedly, there aren't a ton of Portuguese or Scottish people in New England. However, Liverpool is a huge draw anywhere in the world and there are plenty of Italians (and wannabe guidos) in the immediate area-the North End might shut down for a few hours.

It couldn't come at a better time in the summer since by then, only Major League Baseball will be going on and the weather should be perfect. The Champions League, London Olympics (no U.S. men) and Euro 2012 will have all concluded by the time these squads make their way to Boston. Picturing Steven Gerrard, Pepe Reina, Luis Suarez and Co. at Fenway is pretty cool, this is going to be a can't miss event for local soccer fans who want a taste of European soccer and crowds.

UPDATE 3/30: Liverpool will play Tottenham on July 28 in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium. Tottenham plays the LA Galaxy on July 24 and the New York Red Bulls on July 31.

Chelsea and Aston Villa also have U.S. tours. The 2012-13 EPL season starts on August 18.

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Michael Bradley loaned to Aston Villa

Rumors have been swirling for the last week that U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley (son of head coach Bob Bradley) was going to be loaned from his German side Borussia Monchengladbach to Turkey's Gastalray.

I found that possibility kind of puzzling, though his German team is struggling and he recently lost a starting spot, it seemed like a lateral move at best. Well not anymore. Today it came out that Bradley will be loaned to Aston Villa until this summer.

The move ends weeks of speculation that Bradley, who has a year-and-a-half left on his Gladbach contract, might join Sunderland. But Sunderland's sale of forward Darren Bent to Aston Villa has put them in need of a striker, and apparently cooled their interest in Bradley.

The loan to Aston Villa will end in the summer, leaving Bradley with a year on his current Gladbach contract at the start of the summer transfer market.

The loan also gives Bradley, who impressed while with United States at the 2010 World Cup, a new lease of life. Gladbach are mired in the Bundesliga relegation zone, and though Bradley has played solidly all season, with three goals and three assists in 19 games, he was benched recently as coach Michael Frontzeck looked in vain for a line-up that could produce results.

At Villa, the American midfielder joins a team that has shown renewed vigour since acquiring Bent.

Since being drafted as a 16-year-old in 2004 by the MetroStars of MLS and coached by his father, current national team coach Bob Bradley, the younger Bradley spent two years in New Jersey before being sent to Heerenveen in the Eredivisie. Bradley scored 21 goals for the Dutch club in 2007-08 - a record for an American at a top-division European club.

That led to a transfer to to Monchengladbach in the summer of 2008, where he has held down a starting position for the better part of his stay. At Aston Villa, Bradley joins fellow Americans Brad Friedel and Eric Lichaj.

Bradley is one of my favorite current players on the U.S. national team (see my jersey) so I'm psyched that I get to see him much more competing in the EPL. It's pretty much perfect situation since I think he can play there right away.

Aston Villa decides to have a manager

Most times when you have a coaching vacancy for a professional sports team, you try to fill it as quickly as possible while also doing your diligence to find the best candidate at the time.

Aston Villa certainly took their sweet time but it looks like they scored big time by bringing Gerard Houllier aboard.

At first the name didn't ring a bell since most recently he was technical director for the French national team (insert joke here) but further down on his resume were winning stints at Lyon and Liverpool.

French Football Federation (FFF) president Fernand Duchaussoy had earlier announced that Houllier had resigned his role as technical director of the French national team to return to full-time management.

"Yes, it's true we're letting him leave for Aston Villa," Duchaussoy told RTL radio. "He's been a friend of mine for a long time, and is someone I admire a lot. It was a personal choice on the part of Gerard Houllier. He wanted a new adventure. It is his main motivation and is a unique opportunity to relive the sensations of the past."

Villa confirmed the appointment shortly afterwards, and Houllier told the club's official website: "I am very happy and proud to join this great and historic club. It was a very difficult decision for me to leave the FFF but I could not turn down the opportunity to manage a club whose approach, both on and off the pitch, I have long admired.

"Aston Villa is one of England's biggest clubs and has an amazing set of fans. This is a tremendous challenge and one I am very much looking forward to taking on."

Chief executive Paul Faulkner added: "Two of the key qualities we identified as being of crucial importance in our search for the new manager were experience of managing in the Premier League and a strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad, and Gerard Houllier comfortably satisfies these criteria.

"In fact, he stands out as a football man who understands the ethos of our club and shares our core values. We look forward to working with Gerard and supporting him and we ask our supporters to get behind the new manager and the team as we look to build on the progress we have made over the past four years in all areas of the club."

Houllier, 63, takes charge with immediate effect, and is set to lead his side out for the first time in Monday's Premier League game at Stoke.

His last full-time management role was with Lyon, where he won the Ligue 1 title in 2006 and 2007, and he previously had a six-year spell at Liverpool in which he clinched trophies including the UEFA Cup and FA Cup.

What about Bob? (starring Bob Bradley)

Bob Bradley is a smart man: he did go to Princeton after all so he has to know that his time coaching the U.S. men's national team is running out.

This should help explain why he's making every effort to get his name out there for the Aston Villa job.

It's turning into a very bizarre situation and hopefully having a lame-duck coach doesn't happen or at least not for too long. Shimer and I both like Bradley but we agree that to take the U.S. to the next level, they'll need a coach with more star power and a more impressive resume than Bradley.

Seeing this set of musical chairs as Bradley likely pursues his next job is not a good look for any involved. The U.S. has to make a decision (and fast!) to figure out if they want Bradley or not. If they do, lock him up through the next World Cup. If not, get his diplomas off the wall and send him packing.

There are four years between World Cups but with qualifying, friendlies and countless other tournaments, the time goes by much faster than you'd expect.

United States coach Bob Bradley says he is keen to hold talks with Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner about being their next boss following Martin O'Neill's exit earlier this month.

Bradley, who led the USA to the last 16 of the World Cup, has had no formal talks with Villa's American owner but his representatives have made contact with the club.

"I think Aston Villa is a massive club with great history and a great following and those type of opportunities would of course be of interest," Bradley told BBC Radio Five Live. "I would certainly be honoured to have that conversation but I'm impressed with the way things have been handled so far and we'll see what the future holds."

Ironically, Newcastle (in its home opener since returning to the EPL) embarrassed Aston Villa earlier today 6-0. Villa has Kevin MacDonald as its interim manager; they won their first match but without a suitable replacement for Martin O'Neill, it's hard to see Villa having a good season.

But while Bradley, 52, has a contract with the United States which runs until the end of the year, he is ambitious to manage in Europe.

He said: "I've always been excited about being a manager in Europe but at the same time I'm proud of the work we've done with the US team over the last four years. It is important to consider that as a challenge as well. So we'll see what happens.

"There have been discussions with some of my representatives to at least find out the situation but Aston Villa seem to have taken a good stance where they have been patient.

"They have a very good man in Kevin MacDonald who is highly respected in the club so I think on the one hand they are probably putting a list together and on the other making sure Kevin has the time to consider his future as well. It has been handled very well.

"I had some people do some checking just to find out where things stood."

Reading the tea leaves, it's obvious that Bradley knows he's done with the U.S. and he's giving his due diligence to see what's available in Europe.

Like any U.S. player, we encourage our coaches to go abroad and coach at the highest level; it can only help the USMNT and soccer in our country to see more Americans succeed.

Milner leaving Aston Villa, shipping up to Manchester City

It was a move that was whispered for weeks and possibly months, now it's official: James Milner is done at Aston Villa and bound for Manchester City.

Milner, 24, will undergo a medical at Eastlands on Tuesday afternoon and City midfielder Stephen Ireland will move in the opposite direction to Villa Park.

City manager Roberto Mancini hopes to tie up all the loose ends by Wednesday at the latest.

"I hope we can close it between today and tomorrow,'' Mancini said. "I think that Milner is a good player, an English player which is important. I think that Milner can play in different positions.''

City have been pursuing the England international all summer and had an initial bid rejected before the start of the World Cup. The final fee is reported to be around £20 million.

Milner played his final game for Villa in their opening Premier League fixture on Saturday, starring and scoring in a 3-0 home win over West Ham. He received a standing ovation from the home fans.

The midfielder moved to Aston Villa in 2008 having enjoyed a successful loan spell at Villa Park during the 2005/2006 season. Last term he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year and was also selected in the Premier League's Team of the Year.

Aston Villa is good but Manchester City is better, expect them to finish in the top four in the EPL this season and qualify for the Champions League after they just missed out last season by finishing fifth. They lacked an English presence so Milner is a good choice since he's young and his best years should be ahead of him, particularly when you surround him with such talent.

Bob Bradley: a coach facing an uncertain future

Tomorrow night when the U.S. men's national team takes on Brazil at the New Meadowlands, what happens on the field is quickly becoming a mere subplot to what will happen with U.S. head coach Bob Bradley.

Not only is he facing an uncertain future with the U.S. team, now there are plenty of rumors (coming out of England) that he might be in line for the vacated Aston Villa post.

His contract with the U.S. is up in December and he's supposed to have a converstation with the U.S. soccer federation after the Brazil exhibition.

"I think some general starting points were laid out and I think it was agreed at that time that with this game coming up so quickly that it just made sense to use the starting points," he said Monday. "Both sides, you know, could think a little it about what was laid on the table and then we could pick up following the game."

British media speculated Monday that Bradley would be considered for the Aston Villa job that opened when Martin O'Neill quit Monday, five days ahead of the club's opener.

"I've said over and over as well that [I'm] always excited about new and different challenges," Bradley said. "Certainly coaching in Europe at some point is something that I would love to do. At the same time I also consider it a challenge when you finish one cycle and begin the process of working on another one."

Bradley said he never made direct contract with Fulham about its job, another one British media had speculated he would be considered for. Mark Hughes was hired after Roy Hodgson quit the Cottagers to become Liverpool's manager.

"People spoke to Fulham on my behalf," Bradley said. "I did not actually speak to anyone at Fulham."

Bradley is still firmly entrenched on the job but this story also noted who might be waiting in the wings (fingers crossed) should he be replaced: Juergen Klinsmann.

Shimer and I talked about that dream scenario tonight and we both believe Klinsmann would take the U.S. to new levels by focusing on improving the U.S. youth programs and just the structure of soccer for our best and brightest.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Bradley is still the U.S. coach until further notice. Like we say with his players, we want to see them compete at the highest level (ie. abroad) so it would also be great to see a U.S. coach try his luck overseas in the best soccer league in the world: the EPL.

U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan thinks Bradley deserves a shot in England.

Guzan, the backup to Brad Friedel on Aston Villa, said O'Neill's decision was a surprise. Guzan thinks Bradley is up to managing in the Premier League.

"He's obviously a good manager," Guzan said. "When you're at that level and you've put in good performances, it's going to go noticed by big clubs all around the world. And so for him, obviously I'm sure he's honored by being put in the mix.

Brad Guzan is better than Peter Cech, for one fleeting moment

Jaroslav Plasil tested US goalkeeper Brad Guzan with a tough cross off a free kick but the Aston Villa man did well to deflect it out for the corner.

With starter Tim Howard, Guzan and third goalie Marcus Hahnemann, can I submit that the US has the best goalkeeping trio in the World Cup?