After Eight Long Years, The U.S. Men's National Team Is Headed Back To The (2022) World Cup!

 

    In the most anti-climatic way possible (all they needed to do was not lose by 6+ goals), the U.S. men's national team secured their place in the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 defeat tonight at Costa Rica. The Americans finished third in CONCACAF behind Canada (no really) and Mexico to earn the last automatic bid from the region; the Costa Ricans will have to face New Zealand in a playoff for another ticket to Qatar this fall. The World Cup draw is on Friday afternoon (11:30 am, FS1) with the event starting on November 21 and the Final is on December 17. Haha nothing like having one of the biggest events in the world smack dab in the middle of the holidays and a million other things going on in sports. 

    After infamously missing out on the 2018 World Cup, what should be a basically automatic thing for the USMNT became that much more important in this cycle. Sure they had their ups and downs (in case you forgot, qualifying takes forever) but all that matters for head coach Gregg Berhalter is that they got the job done. For casual fans who only tune into the World Cup, this promises to be the most talented squad that the United State has ever fielded. Almost all of the older players from previous World Cup teams have been phased out, replaced by precocious studs all over the pitch that are employed by some of the top clubs in soccer: forward Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) is the headliner that everybody knows but midfielders Giovanni Reyna (Dortmund), Weston McKennie (Juventus) and Tyler Adams (Red Bull Leipzig) along with defender Sergino Dest (Barcelona) are just a few of the names that you will be constantly hearing from now until November (Wyclef Jean voice). 

    It sounds like a cop out but so much of the USMNT's fate in Qatar will be determined by who are the other three countries in their group. With a favorable draw, they could potentially go very far in the tournament. Conversely, if they must play a couple powerhouse teams in the group stage then yikes. Regardless, this is a fun and likable collection of players that are only going to get better with this most valuable experience at the World Cup that most of them lack. Keep in mind that the 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico so given the young ages of most of our top players, you can start to understand why people have sky high expectations for that time since many of these guys hopefully will be in their primes by then.

    Finally, I would argue that there is no more important global sporting event than the World Cup and you simply cannot underestimate how much buzz soccer will generate if the USMNT can make a run in Qatar. Something similar to this has been said at every previous World Cup but thanks to video games and social media, the game has never been more popular in the States-just ask your kids or younger relatives. With so many of these players competing outside of MLS, you start to understand that this isn't your father's all-heart and little talent American teams of the past. There are plenty of questions about Berhalter and some time left to figure out who will make the final roster but at this moment, this is a time to celebrate and be proud once again of the USMNT because they are winners after the darkest time in their modern era.

UPDATE 4/1/22: The World Cup draw was this afternoon and I have to say that it went really well for the United States at least on paper. They are in Group B with England, Iran and the European playoff winner of Wales vs. Scotland/Ukraine. They'll meet the European playoff winner on the opening day of the tournament November 21. After that, they'll face England on Black Friday (November 25) and they will close out the group stage on November 29 vs. Iran. They should win the opener, a positive result against England is possible and they have to beat Iran.

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Dos A Cero Forever and Ever: The USMNT Beats Mexico For The Third Time In A Row Since June

 

    Remember when the USMNT (4-2-1) was on the brink of utter disaster just a few short months ago? That hardly seems to matter now as they beat their archrival Mexico (4-2-1) 2-0 tonight at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. Canada (3-4-0) held off Costa Rica (1-3-3) this evening in Edmonton leaving the Canadians one point behind both the United States and Mexico. Panama (3-2-2) is the only other country that is in the same neighborhood as those top three teams. Any victory against Mexico is a huge one but this carried extra meaning since it vaulted the U.S. to the top of their eight country CONCACAF group. It was also the first loss of this round (the 3rd) of qualifying for the Mexicans and it meant that the Americans have now beaten them in three staright matches dating back to this past June-something that neither country has done in this epic series since 1937. 

    It was scoreless at halftime and it remained 0-0 for much of the second half before the U.S. got a jolt of energy from its best player (who was a substitute) followed by an insurance goal by another one of their main stars. Of course, this was all made possible by goalkeeper Zack Steffen (4 saves) who earned the shutout with some solid play including a diving stop on a partial breakaway by Hirving Lozano-Mexico's best goal scorer-in the 18th minute. Forward Christian Pulisic did not start because he's only played two games for his club team-Chelsea-since returning from a serious ankle injury. In five minutes of action though, he made an immediate impact as he connected on a diving header with fellow forward Timothy Weah providing a picture perfect cross from the right side into the box. 

    Much like Pulisic, midfielder Weston McKennie is already proving to be a big-game performer for the USMNT not to mention his powerhouse club (Juventus). Unfortuately, in the 68th minute he picked up a yellow card for the second match in a row so he will miss the next U.S. World Cup qualifier-on Tuesday (5, Paramount+) at Jamaica (1-3-3). He made up for that by corraling a loose ball and dribbling through or around multiple Mexican defenders before finishing a low shot into the corner of the net. That made it 2-0 in favor of the U.S. in the 85th minute and stunned Mexico never had any time to recover. The only other negative for the Americans was that defender Miles Robinson picked up a red card in the 89th minute on a shaky at best call. He will sit out as well on Tuesday meaning that head coach Gregg Berhalter needs to make at least two changes to his starting lineup from tonight. 

    Finally, Tuesday night represents a golden opportunity for the U.S. to try and separate itself a bit at the top of the table. Sure from the outside it appears to have all the makings of the usual CONCACAF trap game that affects every country in this wacky region from time to time: they are facing an underdog opponent on a shoddy field and in a terrible stadium that has next to nothing to lose at this point. You'll remember that the previous time that the USMNT and Jamaica met on October 7, the Americans walked away with a 2-0 victory in Austin, TX. It will take another strong team effort to get the desired result of three more points. It is also their final World Cup 2022 qualifier in 2021 and the next one after that won't be for over two months (vs. El Salvador on January 27) so what better way to go into the holidays than with a win?

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Hoppe Got His First International Goal & USMNT Beat Jamaica 1-0 To Reach Gold Cup Semis

 

    You might not have noticed but the USMNT continues to get it done at the 2021 Gold Cup as they hung on for an exciting 1-0 victory tonight in the quarterfinals against Jamaica at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX (aka the home of the Dallas Cowboys). 20-year-old American forward Matthew Hoppe-who plays for FC Schalke in Germany-was the hero as he bravely headed in a cross from Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan in the 83rd minute for his first international goal. That turned out to be all the USMNT needed as New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner made five saves for his third clean sheet of the tournament. With the win, the U.S. advances to their 11th straight Gold Cup semifinal (and 15th overall) vs. Qatar on Thursday night (7:30, FS1) in Austin, TX at the beautiful new Q2 Stadium (home of MLS' latest expansion club, Austin FC). 

    If the US had somehow lost this match, it would have been super frustrating since they absolutely dominated possession (67%-33%!) but that really meant very little because both teams had exactly five shots on goal and seven corner kicks apiece. Hoppe's clutch goal saved head coach Gregg Berhalter from some nervy minutes in extra time-and possibly penalty kicks-as his guys battled Jamaica's fantastic goalkeeper Andre Blake (4 saves) who stars for the Philadelphia Union in MLS. As I explained in the previous post, this is far from the A-team for the USMNT these days but nevertheless, they have been grinding out results against other CONCACAF teams these past few weeks. In fact, if you throw out the 6-1 blowout of Martinique, the US has topped Haiti, Canada and Jamaica by the exact same 1-0 final score.

    You probably don't know much about Qatar (the Asian champion and host of the 2022 World Cup) but trust me, they will test the US on Thursday. They are here after a wild 3-2 nailbiter over El Salvador on Saturday night. Before that, they had won Group D-which also featured Honduras, Panama and Grenada-and including the El Salvador triumph, they have scored the most goals (12) in the entire competition. Moreover, they are fielding what is the closest to their best roster of all the countries in the Gold Cup so for those reasons, the semifinal is not a layup by any means even though it is guaranteed to basically be a home game for the USMNT. In the other semifinal on Thursday night (10, FS1), Mexico meets Canada so yes my friends, we are only one game away from possibly another installment of the superb USMNT vs. Mexico blood rivalry this time in the 2021 Gold Cup Final next Sunday night (8:30, FS1) in Las Vegas.

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USMNT Beat Canada 1-0 To Finish Atop Group B & Advance To The Gold Cup Quarterfinals

 

    On the one hand, I cannot blame you for not paying much attention to the 2021 Gold Cup which is a joke compared to the recently completed Euro 2020 or Copa America. Then again, what the hell else is there to watch in this super boring time of the sports summer? After beating mighty Haiti and Martinique earlier in the week, the US men's national team finally faced a half decent opponent this afternoon at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City. Midfielder Shaq Moore scored his first career goal 20 seconds into the match (a modern USMNT and Gold Cup record for the fastest opening goal) and goalkeeper Matt Turner made three saves for the clean sheet as the U.S. held off Canada 1-0 to finish first in Group B. From here on out, they will likely only see other quality opponents as they proceed to the quarterfinals next Sunday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (aka the home of the Dallas Cowboys) where they meet either Costa Rica or Jamaica. 

    As you can probably guess from the aforementioned names, this is far from the A-team for the USMNT. It is basically the American MLS All-Stars with a few other random guys sprinkled in, minus all the top players that compete for European clubs. Still, guys like Moore and Turner are perfect examples of younger players that are fighting like hell to earn a spot on the top roster as they continue World Cup qualifying this fall in hopes of making it to Qatar next November for the 2022 World Cup (that will never sound right). Today's match was one of those classic soccer games where if you only saw the first few minutes, you really didn't miss anything else that was notable. The Americans hit the Canadians with a quick opening strike and Canada (2-1-0) never really had a proper response but they also advance to the quarterfinals since they finished a close second in Group B. 

    Thankfully for a match that was devoid of too many highlights or interesting moments, Moore's goal was awesome. Midfielder Kellyn Acosta won the ball in the center of the field and served it out wide to midfielder Sebastian Lletget who one-timed a dime of a low cross to Moore at the far post who tapped it in. Besides Moore, Turner was the other real standout for the USMNT as the New England Revolution star (arguably the best goalkeeper in MLS these days) continued his rapid rise. He stuffed Revs teammate Tajon Buchanan and also made a diving stop on dangerous Canadian striker Cyle Larin. Zach Steffen plays at Manchester City so he obviously will be the USMNT's starting goalkeeper for a long time but there is no clear backup behind him so Turner-who has started and won all three of these Gold Cup matches-could very well be that guy. 

    From an American perspective, the only bad news from the day was that captain Walker Zimmerman had to leave in the 15th minute after picking up an early injury from a rough challenge. With this group, he's probably the best American defender so hopefully it was nothing too serious and he can return to action on Sunday in the knockout round. The margin for error with this version of the USMNT is pretty small so while they have the ability to win the Gold Cup, they could likewise get upset by their next opponent. That unpredictability makes this tournament more watchable than it has any right to be. With most major soccer tournaments, there are only a handful of teams that can truly go all the way but with wacky CONCACAF (and a few invited guests), anything can happen this summer.

UPDATE 7/20: Zimmerman has been ruled out for the rest of the Gold Cup with a hamstring injury; Earthquakes forward Cade Cowell & Revolution defender Henry Kessler will join the USMNT for training tomorrow. Also, Costa Rica just beat Jamaica 1-0 to win Group C meaning that the U.S. will face Jamaica on Sunday night (9, FS1) while Canada gets Costa Rica (7, FS1) before them on Sunday night in the quarterfinals. 

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After Almost 5.5 Years in Charge, Jurgen Klinsmann is Fired as USMNT Head Coach & Technical Director

After a wretched 4-0 loss in a World Cup qualifier last Monday night in Costa Rica, you had to wonder if Jurgen Klinsmann was done as both the USMNT head coach and technical director. U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati was non-committal after the match and after he had a week to think about it, today he made the somewhat expected move: Klinsmann was out in each capacity. By itself, this was disappointing enough but heap on the fact that LA Galaxy head coach (and former USMNT head coach Bruce Arena) is said to be returning once again so I can't help but feel like the U.S. Soccer Federation has lost its common sense.

I understand that it's quite possible many of the key players (Michael Bradley for sure) had begun to tune Klinsmann out, how else do you explain their recent form, but you'll never convince me that Arena or any other American for that matter will be able to match Klinsmann's all-World resume. He was a World Cup winner as a player with Germany and also coached their national team along with Bayern Munich (Germany), one of the most powerful clubs in the universe. Instead, they are at least temporarily going back to a guy that hasn't been in charge of the USMNT in a decade (1998-2006) and who has been coaching in lowly MLS (New York Red Bulls and Galaxy) since then. Ugh. Thanks to Klinsmann, the U.S. was able to bring in many Mexican-American and German-Americans (Jermaine Jones, John Brooks, Julian Green, Fabian Johnson and Timmy Chandler) who have become some of the top players.

The U.S. just doesn't seem to have a realistic view of itself or rather, they are completely mistaken for what is the proper way to go from a mid-tier country (their usual status) to one that can consistently challenge for major titles. Where is that outside the box thinking that brought them Klinsmann? This is all semantics since Arena is still the winningest head coach in USMNT history but Klinsmann is second (55-27-16) since he took over on July 29, 2011. He led the team to a program-record 12-game winning streak in 2013 and their 16 wins overall and .761 winning percentage in 2013 are an all-time record for a calendar year. They also advanced out of an extremely difficult group at the 2014 World Cup before losing to a far superior Belgium squad in the round of 16. Things seemed to have turned stale this year though as they finished a disappointing fourth in the Copa America on their home soil (losing a knockout game to Jamaica, come on) and they lost a heartbreaker 2-1 to Mexico in World Cup qualifying on November 11 in Columbus, Ohio.

The weird part is that the men's national team has never been more popular and therefore also more scrutinized in the United States than it is today. This is of course a good thing. With such easy access to games from all over the world constantly (featuring many of our brightest stars), we are much more knowledgeable when it comes to the beautiful game. Of course, the sad truth is that the men's team will probably never be an upper-echelon program simply because most of our best athletes play other sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey, etc) that pay better and bring far more fame at least in the states. Non-soccer fans never quite understand why the USMNT isn't better but that is the main reason why. As technical director, Klinsmann made sweeping changes to the U.S. youth national teams and the fruits of that are already being seen with an amazing prospect like Christian Pulisic who rightfully got the hell out of the U.S. to test himself at a very high level (Borussia Dortmund).

Arena is just a placeholder, a lame duck coach that is said to only be around through the 2018 World Cup. I know we are all starting to get worried about even reaching that point but keep in mind that Mexico had to go all the way to a playoff (vs. New Zealand) to reach the 2014 World Cup and CONCACAF is still filled with numerous awful teams so the U.S. should bounce back in March when they finally reconvene to face Honduras on March 24 and go to Panama on March 27. The U.S. under-23 men's head coach and former U.S. star midfielder Tab Ramos is apparently a candidate further down the road for this job but he's not ready for it yet.

Even before Klinsmann took over, I've felt for a long time that the U.S. men's national team should have a non-American in charge in order to reach our ultimate potential. I believe it's the exact opposite thinking for the U.S. women's national team since they are the gold standard in their sport so why mess with their immense success? He gave us a certain amount of credibility globally that is suddenly gone and will never be replaced by the likes of Arena, Ramos or any other U.S. lifer that has yet to experience the highest levels of competition that the sport has to offer. I know that many bandwagon fans wanted to see this happen but I'm pretty sure this will be your classic case of buyer's remorse when the U.S. fails to really grow at all in the next few years. Honestly, getting to the 2018 World Cup won't be much of an achievement if they bow out in the group stage.

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At This Point, Qualifying For the World Cup is a Formality; It's Time For The U.S. Men To Take The Next Step

Let me be clear: tonight is rightfully a time of celebration after the U.S. men's national team beat Mexico 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier at Columbus Crew Stadium. Coupled with Panama's 2-2 tie with Honduras, the Americans have reached the World Cup for the seventh consecutive time and 10th overall. That got me to thinking: it's about time that we started striving for more.

Being a Top-3 team in CONCACAF is not that difficult (Costa Rica also clinched a spot) and heaven forbid the U.S. comes in fourth, then they get to wipe the floor with a patsy from Oceania. What I'm trying to say is that now that we know what Jurgen Klinsmann (25-9-6) is all about, why don't we start demanding greater success at the World Cup? I'm sick of the U.S. struggling to get through the group stage then bowing out to an average team (hello Ghana in 2010). It's silly to think they can win the World Cup next summer in Brazil but why not make an unlikely run to the semifinals?

Mexico is a dumpster fire that looks destined for a date with New Zealand in the playoff after tonight's loss which was preceded by them firing their coach last weekend. To complete qualifying, the U.S. will meet Jamaica (Oct. 11) and Panama (Oct. 15) but this evening's results took all the intrigue out of them (which is what we were hoping for).

It was scoreless at halftime but the U.S. made it 1-0 on Eddie Johnson's powerful header (from Landon Donovan's cross) in the 49th minute then fittingly Donovan iced it in the 78th minute with a redirection from Mix Diskerud. Clint Dempsey had a chance to leave it at 3-0 but his last-second penalty kick missed the net.

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U.S. Men Complete 3 For 3 Run, Jozy Altidore Scores In 4th Straight Match

It lacked the excitement of their improbable 2-1 win at Jamaica from a few weeks ago or the incredible crowd in Seattle for the 2-0 win over Panama last week but tonight at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, the U.S. men's national team got three more vital points thanks to a 1-0 win over Honduras. This put them in real good shape to come in first place in the hexagonal to reach the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Jozy Altidore had the goal on a one-timer in the 71st minute after a cross by Fabian Johnson and Tim Howard earned the clean sheet despite a very quiet night in the goal. Altidore now has scored in four straight matches, tying a U.S. record held by five other guys: William Looby, Eric Wynalda, Brian McBride, Eddie Johnson and Landon Donovan (twice).



The Americans have won their last four matches including three World Cup qualifiers in a row. The U.S. leads the hexagonal standings after six matches with 13 points, Costa Rica (11), Mexico (8), Honduras (7), Panama (6) and Jamaica (2) round out the rest of the group.

This was the perfect way to begin the summer since the top players can get some rest before younger guys or washed up former stars (Donovan) start training in July for the Gold Cup. The U.S. opens up with Guatemala on July 5 in San Diego; they meet Belize on July 9 in Portland, Oregon; they are back in Sandy, Utah on July 13 to play Belize and finally they take on Costa Rica July 16 in Hartford, CT.

They have four more hexagonal matches left: two in September, at Costa Rica (Sept. 6) and hosting Mexico (Sept. 10) in Columbus, Ohio. Things will be sorted out in October as the U.S. hosts Jamaica (Oct. 11) in Kansas City then travels to Panama (Oct. 15).

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U.S. Men Get Ready For A Busy Couple Weeks, Calling 26 Players Into Training Camp

I have been slacking lately with this blog but things should be picking up in the next month. The U.S. men's national team has a pair of top-notch friendlies stateside (vs. Belgium and Germany) before they get back to 2014 World Cup qualifying against Jamaica, Panama and Honduras. In anticipation of those matches, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann today named his 26-man roster that's coming to training camp in Cleveland starting on May 26.

U.S. ROSTER
GOALKEEPERS (6) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8) : DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg)
MIDFIELDERS (10) : Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (5) : Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)

For me, the most notable parts of the roster are Holden who hasn't played for the U.S. since October 2010 because of various injuries. Also, Howard and Johnson are back after they missed the last qualifiers-in March. Of course the biggest name not to be on here is Landon Donovan although reports earlier in the week indicated this would be the case. Defenders Steve Cherundolo and Timmy Chandler are both still out like in March as they rehab from knee injuries.

The friendlies start on May 29 as the Americans host Belgium at First Energy Stadium. After that, they'll play Germany on June 2 at RFK Stadium in Washington DC. Things get real on June 7 as the U.S. visits Jamaica in Kingston then they return home to face Panama on June 11 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. This very busy stretch wraps up on June 18 with the U.S. taking a trip to Rio Tinto Stadium in Honduras.

“We are very excited about the group we have put together,” said Klinsmann in a press release. “The players understand more how we’re working, what we’re looking for, the way we want to play and the way we want to challenge big nations eye-to-eye. As we go into this stretch of two friendly games against Belgium and Germany and three big World Cup Qualifiers, we want to see more consistent performances. There is a huge opportunity to pick up a lot of points and put ourselves in a good position to qualify for Brazil.”

Michael Bradley will compete in the Coppa Italia Final on May 26 in Rome against Lazio.

Edgar Castillo and Joe Corona have continued the historic run with Club Tijuana in the 2013 Copa Libertadores, advancing to the quarterfinals to face Atletico Mineiro on May 22 and May 29.

Sean Johnson (May 26-30), Bill Hamid (May 30-June 2), Tally Hall (June 2-June 8) and Nick Rimando (June 9-19) will all rotate through camp at different stages and serve as the third goalkeeper.

Eight players are carrying yellow cards into the next World Cup qualifiers: DaMarcus Beasley, Michael Bradley, Matt Besler, Brad Davis, Clint Dempsey, Maurice Edu, Fabian Johnson and Graham Zusi. Their next caution will result in a one-match suspension.

I'm looking forward to all these matches since it's rare that they get to play such quality European squads. The World Cup qualifiers are their own animal and it will be exciting to get back into that emotional grind.

UPDATE 5/21: Midfielder Brad Davis was added to the training camp roster.

UPDATE 5/23: Houston Dynamo defender Corey Ashe was added to the training camp roster for the U.S.

UPDATE 5/28: Edu, Shea and Ashe are all out with injuries that will force them to miss this week's friendlies and the World Cup qualifiers in June.

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This Is It, Don't Get Scared Now: U.S. Men Set For World Cup Qualifier At Honduras On Wednesday

Nobody has really focused on it, since there have been a million other things going on in the sports world but the U.S. men's national team's final round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil begins on Wednesday at Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Luckily for us, the game (4 p.m. EST) will only be broadcast on beIN SPORT which means that most will be following it on ussoccer.com's gametracker and their Twitter account (@ussoccer). Sigh.

This morning, U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann released his 24-man roster for the match. They'll train in Miami today before leaving for Honduras later this afternoon.

From ussoccer.com
“We want to have a sense of urgency right from the start of the Final Round," said Klinsmann. “We have a lot of respect for Honduras, but our message to the team is that we are going there to get three points. One thing we learned from the Semifinal Round is that you have to bring the right mentality to play in the tough games on the road, and I’m confident we are ready to do that.”

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (World Cup qualifying Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (3) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa - 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton – 22/9 SO), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire – 0/0)
DEFENDERS (9) : Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City – 0/0), Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander – 31/5), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City – 5/0), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana – 0/0), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg – 0/0), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders – 0/0), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy – 0/0), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim – 3/0), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg – 3/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8) : Michael Bradley (Roma – 19/5), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo - 0/0), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor – 9/0), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04 – 5/0), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht – 12/0), Jose Torres (Tigres – 9/0), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim – 4/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City – 3/0)
FORWARDS (4 ): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar – 17/6), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur – 26/10), Herculez Gomez (Santos – 6/2), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders – 11/10)

Since it is on an official FIFA approved international fixture date, Klinsmann will bring in the varsity as opposed to the JV squad that had a scoreless draw with Canada last week (that's the last time I'll ever reference that worthless friendly). 17 of these players compete for clubs in Europe or Mexico and five of them have 50 or more CAPs.

The United States holds a 12-3-3 lifetime record against Honduras in a series that goes back to 1965. Both the United States and Honduras earned a place in the here by virtue of winning their respective semifinal round groups. The Catrachos qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup after only losing once at home in nine qualifiers throughout the cycle. That lone loss came against the United States.

The U.S. and Honduras are part of the six-team hexagonal along with Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama. The 10-game, round-robin format will take place from Feb. 6-Oct.10. The top three teams will automatically advance to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, while the fourth-place team will compete in a two-leg playoff against the champion from the Oceania Confederation.

It's important that the U.S. get off to a good start since this round means everything and only the best teams remain alive. Their next match won't be until March 22 when they host Costa Rica at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. That's a long time to think about a loss so they at least need a draw to feel confident about themselves.

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Official Draw Held For CONCAF's Final Round Of 2014 World Cup Qualifying

You probably weren't aware of it but tonight was a big evening for the U.S. men's national team as CONCACAF held the draw in Miami for the Final Round of 2014 World Cup qualifying.

The U.S., Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama are the six teams that will battle in a 10-game round-robin format which begins on February 6, 2013 and concludes on October 15. The top three will advance to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil while the fourth-place team faces the Oceania region winner in a two-game playoff for the last spot.

From ussoccer.com
“Usually, a team would like to have the first game at home, but if you don’t have the first game at home you make the best out of it,” said U.S. MNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “We are looking forward to going to Honduras for the first game and then we’re going to take it one game at a time. I think it’s an exciting group and it will go all the way down to the last game to decide who is going to the World Cup. We are excited. Finally, we have our schedule and we can plan ahead like coaches want to plan, so it’s all good.”

The journey begins with a trip to Honduras on February 6. From there, the U.S. opens at home against Costa Rica on March 22 but goes back on the road for two more: at Mexico on March 26 and at Jamaica on June 7. The U.S. enjoys back-to-back home games on June 11 vs. Panama and June 18 vs. Honduras. They visit Costa Rica on September 6 and play Mexico in the U.S. on September 10. Their last game on home soil is October 11 vs. Jamaica then it ends on October 15 in Panama.

Some historical notes courtesy of ussoccer.com
The U.S. has qualified for six consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments, amassing an overall record of 63-34-31 overall in World Cup Qualifying, including a record of 40-6-12 all-time in qualifiers played on American soil. Against Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica and Panama, the U.S. has an all-time record of 58-49-31 in all competitions.

They haven't decided the locations for the qualifiers in the United States yet so stay tuned for the details on those.

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U.S. Men Jump 5 Places To No. 27 In Latest FIFA Rankings

Here is a little something to tide us over while we eagerly await the U.S. men's friendly in Russia next Wednesday (10 a.m., ESPN2 & ESPN3.com), their last game of 2012. The latest FIFA rankings were released today and the Americans find themselves situated at No. 27, up five spots from the last time.

The top five are Spain, Germany, Argentina, Portugal and Italy. England, Netherlands, Colombia, Russia and Croatia round out the Top 10. Uruguay dropped four spots to No. 11 while 2014 World Cup host Brazil is No. 13.

CONCACAF rival Mexico is No. 14 while the top African team is Ivory Coast (15) and the top Asian squad is Japan (24). What does this all mean? Absolutely nothing but it's fun to see where all the top teams are at this quiet point in international soccer.

Just going by the rankings, the U.S. men should have their hands full in Krasnodar next week. Russia is one of the best European countries yet nobody seems to talk about them as an elite power. I guess we'll be able to decide for ourselves if they are legitimate or not.

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U.S. Men Beat Guatemala 3-1 To Advance To Final Qualifying Round For The 2014 World Cup

The U.S. men couldn't have gotten off to a worse start tonight in their semifinal round World Cup qualifying match against Guatemala at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City. A simple long ball from Jose Manuel Contreras found the ever dangerous Carlos Ruiz and the MLS star reached daylight behind the U.S. defense before tapping past Tim Howard five minutes in, 1-0 Guatemala.

Thankfully, things quickly turned from there as American defender Carlos Bocanegra tied it up in the 10th minute by redirecting Clint Dempsey's header off a corner kick. That was his 14th career goal for the U.S., the most by a defender. Dempsey wasn't done as he scored twice, in the 18th and 36th minute as Jurgen Klinsmann's team beat Guatemala 3-1 to win Group A with 13 points.

They advance to the final round of qualifying with five other CONCACAF squads: Jamaica (2nd in Group A), Honduras, Panama, Mexico and Costa Rica. That begins in March 2013 with the top three teams making World Cup 2014 in Brazil and the fourth-place squad going to a playoff vs. Oceania (probably New Zealand).

After a good deal of panic, it was nice that the U.S. was able to give their fans something to cheer about (after the nightmare start) and not more heart attacks. Dempsey became the fourth American to score 30 career goals (Landon Donovan, Brian McBride and Eric Wynalda). First, Eddie Johnson flew down the right side then crossed a low but firm pass that Dempsey ran onto and deflected enough to go in.

His other goal was similarly beautiful as Michael Bradley gave him a perfectly weighted pass and once again Dempsey was able to time his run at the exact right moment. Another tap in and some breathing room for the U.S.

Guatemala never really tested Tim Howard in the second half and most importantly, the U.S. was able to control the ball and work the clock down. Sporting KC's Graham Zusi played superbly in front of his home crowd while Herculez Gomez continued to lock down his roster spot going forward.

I couldn't get too excited about this result because while it is satisfying, I totally expected it but I also demand much more from the U.S. men. Beating Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda is one thing but the Americans will have to regroup and play at another level next year. Their biggest issue continues to be their backline which can't seem to find a cohesive unit or the right combination of players.

It still hasn't been confirmed yet by US Soccer but all signs point to one more game in 2012 for the men: November 14 at Russia which would be a quality friendly. Let's hope it happens. The more game situations this team can get, the better they should look. Tonight was only the middle part of what we hope is a long road to Brazil.

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Costa Rica hires a new coach, preferably one that doesn't let them miss the World Cup

Say what you want about CONCACAF (namely that it's terrible) but you have to admit that Mexico and Costa Rica are quality teams and always the U.S.' biggest tests in qualifying and tournaments.

Ricardo La Volpe was hired to be Costa Rica's new coach as they try to move on from their choke job extrodinaire against the U.S. last fall that cost them a spot in the 2010 World Cup.

He's from Argentina and he last coached Mexico at the 2006 World Cup.

Costa Rica played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and has been a force in Central American soccer. It failed, however, to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa and has fired two full-time coaches in the last year -- Rodrigo Kenton and Rene Simoes. The team has been handled recently by interim coach Ronald Gonzalez.

La Volpe coached Mexico to the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup, where the team lost to Argentina. La Volpe is expected to begin coaching Costa Rica in January and will be on the bench for next year's Copa Centroamericana, the regional championship.

La Volpe is known as an outspoken coach. He met with Costa Rican officials several weeks ago but reportedly balked at signing after disagreeing on compensation if he were fired. His salary is reported to be $50,000 a month.

Costa Rica was only 20 seconds from qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. The Ticos led the United States 2-1, a score that would have allowed them to advance. But the Americans scored in the closing seconds in stoppage time to salvage a draw.

The tie gave Honduras the third automatic qualifying spot. Costa Rica subsequently lost a playoff against Uruguay for the final spot in the 32-team World Cup.

Costa Rica had been first in its qualifying group early on, but three straight losses to Honduras, Mexico and El Salvador sent them tumbling and cost Kenton his job. Simoes was called in to coach the last three matches against Trinidad, the U.S. and Uruguay.

Let me be the first to welcome La Volpe aboard and wish him plenty of losses when he plays our boys.

Do it for CONCACAF!

France has never lost to a CONCACAF team, so do it for all the shitbums in our region Mexico that'll never get here.