Carlos Bocanegra Out Six Weeks With Muscle Tear, Luckily The Next U.S. Game Is In February

For professional athletes, there is never a good time to pick up an injury. However, in the case of U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra, things could be much worse at this point.

He tore a muscle in his left leg in the 2-2 draw with Russia on November 14 and now he's expected to miss six weeks with his current club-Spain's Racing Santander. You'll remember that he's on loan there since his real club-Rangers-dropped down to the second division in Scotland after financial troubles.

The next U.S. men's game isn't until February 6, 2013 against Honduras in the hexagonal CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. If I'm American head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, I'm telling my best defender to take as much time as he needs to recover. No need to rush back or hurt it any further. The most important thing for him should be his country, not the club that he's only temporarily playing for.

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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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Clint Dempsey Seemed Destined For Liverpool, Until Tottenham Swooped In At The Last Minute

After months of rumors that Clint Dempsey was headed to Liverpool, it turns out that he went to Tottenham only a few hours before the end of today's transfer window for European soccer.

The American midfielder signed a three-year deal worth $9.5 million, ending his 6+ years at Fulham. Without a doubt, Dempsey's transfer represents the biggest move in terms of an American-born men's soccer player in Europe. That's what happens when you score 23 goals for an English Premier League club in one season (2011/12).

From espnsoccernet.com
"I'm very excited and looking forward to the challenge," Dempsey told Tottenham's official website. "To play under this head coach and play for this club is a dream come true. I want to make the most of it and work as hard as I can to get onto the field and do well. There are a lot of great players here, I'm looking forward to training and playing with them and trying to fight for a spot in the team."

Apparently, Tottenham beat out Liverpool not to mention Sunderland and Aston Villa in their bid for the U.S. men's national team's top field player.

"Clint was a very influential player for Fulham over a number of seasons and the club thanks him for his contribution and wishes him well for the future," a statement on the Fulham website read.

Liverpool has spent much of the summer chasing Dempsey, sparking an angry reaction from Fulham manager Martin Jol after the player went on strike on the eve of the new season.

"A lot was said and written ahead of me leaving Fulham," Dempsey told Spurs' website. "It wasn't how it was portrayed, but that's in the past now and we move on. I want to thank the fans for everything, some of the best memories I've had in football and thank the chairman for giving me the opportunity to come from the MLS and compete over here. All I can say is thank you and now I'm looking forward to the next challenge."

At 29, he still has plenty of top-level soccer left in him since he only started playing for the New England Revolution (MLS) at age 21. Plus, he's durable and consistent, he scored 60 goals in 224 career appearances at Fulham. His objective of playing for a team that can compete in the Champions League should be fulfilled with the Hotspurs. They would have made the Champions League last season (they finished 4th) but were bounced out by Chelsea's improbable run to the title.

Don't be surprised to see Dempsey coming off the bench since Tottenham's midfield is already loaded with Aaron Lennon, Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart not to mention forwards like Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor. After being the man the last few seasons for Fulham, it will be interesting to see how Dempsey adjusts to having an auxiliary role. Former US goalkeeper Brad Friedel (41 years old!) is Tottenham's starter so Dempsey at least has one close friend on the team.

Deuce wasn't the only American on the move as Maurice Edu officially completed his transfer to Stoke that I already wrote about. Carlos Bocanegra left Rangers for a season-long loan at Racing Santander, a Spanish club that was relegated from La Liga last season. Finally, Oguchi Onyewu (remember him?) was loaned from Sporting Lisbon to Malaga, a Spanish club that finished fourth in La Liga last season and by virtue of that, is in this year's Champions League.

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Maurice Edu Takes His Talents From Scotland (Rangers) To England (Stoke City)

Well it is safe to say that Stoke City has solidified its place in the hearts of U.S. men's national team's fans in just a few short weeks.

Coming on the heels of the news that defender Geoff Cameron had signed there, today we found out that midfielder Maurice Edu was leaving Rangers-bankrupt and banished to Scotland's third division-for greener pastures in the English Premier League. There had been rumors of Edu looking at Ipswich (which plays in The Championship) but I felt all along that he could play at a higher level than that.

From The Sporting News
"After Rangers filed for bankruptcy, Edu announced he would leave the club. He turned down offers from Bursaspor, Evian, Trabzonspor and Valenciennes before accepting the move to Stoke City."

The former University of Maryland star and native of California will never wow you with his flashy moves or impressive statistics. His best attributes as a center midfielder (or center back where he had to play last week against Mexico) include work rate, high fitness level and being a capable two-way player. He is very consistent and you know what to expect from him which is always a good thing.

He also follows the path of Alejandro Bedoya, who left Rangers for Helsingborgs IF (Sweden). Edu had been practicing with Rangers but he didn't suit up in their league games this season. On the other hand, U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra so far has chosen to honor his contract and stay in Scotland. There is only six days left until the transfer window closes (August 31) so I wish I could get to Scotland and convince him that is not the best route for his career. I'm pretty sure that if he wanted to, he could still compete in the EPL or at least a higher level than Scotland in Europe.

MLSSoccer.com reported that Edu (who is 26) became Stoke City's fallback option once Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone wasn't signed. I could care less the reasoning and semantics behind the move, I'm just happy to say that another American is playing in what I consider the top soccer league in the world: the English Premier League. That will never get old in my book.

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With Rangers Dropping To The 3rd Division, Bedoya Elects To Go To Sweden

It was only a matter of time before the U.S. men's national team members on Rangers went elsewhere to play this season since the Scottish club is being punished for its financial problems by getting dropped to the third division.

Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, who has 13 CAPs for the U.S., was the first to break the ice as he announced earlier today that he's headed for Helsingborgs IF in Sweden. The Boston College product was only in Scotland for one season and while he scored but one goal in 13 appearances, his future is still bright because he's only 25.

With players leaving Rangers left and right, he would have received more playing time but he probably weighed that against the fact that they wouldn't be on the biggest stage for at least a few more years. We'll have to see what happens with U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra and midfielder Maurice Edu, the two other Americans that called Rangers home.

The roster for the U.S. vs. Mexico friendly next week will be announced on Sunday at 4 p.m. Jurgen Klinsmann hasn't called Bedoya into training camp in a while so it'll be interesting to see if he gets some love any time soon from his country. In the limited amount that he has played for the U.S., he has looked good. I'm not sure why he seemingly fell out of favor.

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U.S. Men Beat Antigua & Barbuda 3-1 In World Cup Qualifying Opener

For the second game in a row, the U.S. men's soccer team played awful against an overmatched opponent. I'm ignoring the 4-1 loss to Brazil since they weren't all that bad in that match given the talent they faced but tonight's very uneven 3-1 win vs. Antigua and Barbuda left fans with many questions and concerns.

Yes, the bottom line is that the U.S. was able to start off this phase of World Cup qualifying with three points in front of a soaked pro-American crowd in Jacksonville, FL. However, playing like this against most other teams will likely result in a loss or at best a tie.

U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra scored his 13th international goal (tying Marcelo Balboa's record for American defenders) in the eighth minute following Landon Donovan's corner kick and Herculez Gomez's header that Antigua and Barbuda goalkeeper Molvin James left right at Boca's feet.

The small Caribbean island nation of 88,000 people that's just happy to be here (they've never made it this far) almost reached halftime only down 1-0 but Donovan was violently tackled on the edge of the box in the 44th minute. Clint Dempsey stepped up and scored on the penalty kick, his 26th for the U.S, as they took a more secure 2-0 lead.

Antigua and Barbuda's only real chance of the half was blocked in the box by U.S. defender Clarance Goodson's sliding challenge.

The troubling aspect of this match was that the U.S. showed no real ability to put away a team that they should beat by five goals every day of the week. I guess a long training camp and a bunch of games in a short amount of time (coupled with some injuries) has left them drained. It probably didn't help that this game was delayed by rain and it continued to pour all night.

Jose Torres went down with an ankle injury in the 54th minute and that's when the bad vibes really permeated for the U.S. With Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo both unavailable (due to injuries of their own), Torres had to start at left back. Once he was subbed out, Bocanegra had to shift over there while Oguchi Onyewu entered the action. I've long made my disdain for Gooch known so all I can hope is that his woeful defending which allowed Antigua and Barbuda sub Peter Byers to score in the 65th minute serves as the final nail in Gooch's USMNT coffin. I don't know how many more times he can continue to make critical mistakes before the U.S. finally pulls the plug on this failed experiment.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a guy that had zero expectations when he made the World Cup roster in 2010 continues to see his performance level rise. Gomez scored his fourth international goal in the 72nd minute, the result of good old fashioned effort and hard work. After two U.S. shots were blocked by Antigua and Barbuda defenders, the ball bounced to Gomez who calmly dribble around James and finished, 3-1 U.S.

The U.S. found a reserve of energy as they pressed for more. Bocanegra pulled it back to Gomez and his shot went off the crossbar. Then Michael Bradley's cross was nearly deflected in the net. Ultimately, 3-1 is probably what the U.S. deserved. They dominated possession in the first half but were more loose in the second half. Still they had many more scoring opportunities (19-7 shots) and a 14-2 advantage in corner kicks (9-0 first half).

For their troubles, Jurgen Klinsmann's team gets one last trip before a welcome break from their national team duties: they travel to Guatemala on Tuesday night (10 p.m., Pay Per View). Guatemala lost 2-1 at Jamaica tonight so they'll be desperate to salvage any kind of point(s). Getting zero in their first two games could be fatal. The U.S. will have their hands full, playing away in these CONCACAF matches can be dicey since many of the stadiums/field conditions are less than second-rate. They need to find a way to put forth a more complete effort against another team that they should normally have no problem beating.

UPDATE 6/9: Torres' x-rays were negative, he was diagnosed with a bone bruise and is receiving treatment. Exhale!

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Carlos Bocanegra after practice

"We want to step on the field and do well but in the back of our minds, we realize that Canada is the real focus (in the Gold Cup opener next week). We've been talking about Canada a little bit, after the Spain game we'll watch some video and get to know all their players and their tendencies. It's not that hard to switch over."

"Normally you're not talking about the second team in a lead up. It's a little different."

"Anytime you can get a game like this, test yourself against the best. They do all the things right at the highest level. If we do it against these guys, we should be able to do it against the CONCACAF teams."

Does Eddie Johnson have naked pictures of Bob Bradley?

It's only fitting that a day after being named to the 30-man preliminary roster that U.S. striker Eddie Johnson strained his hamstring playing for Aris in a Greek playoff game against AEK Athens on Wednesday.

He will report to U.S. training camp on Monday and not to belabor the point that Shimer and I have made a million times but why does Eddie Johnson get this many chances?

Freddy Adu has become a cautionary tale of rushing a guy that's too young into professional soccer but doesn't he deserve a shot more than Johnson? Adu didn't make the 30-man roster and I guess we have more faith in him than anybody else in the world.

Other than a hot start with the U.S. national team, when he came out of nowhere, Johnson has done absolutely nothing to earn any type of recognition. I will still root for him if he makes the team but come on Bob, get real.

Carlos Bocanegra should be fine for training camp next week and it looks like Oguchi Onyewu will play for AC Milan tomorrow night in their season finale. Gooch hasn't seen the field since injuring his knee in October.

Bocanegra isn't scared bitches

During the US-Holland game last month, I seem to remember saying something along the lines of how underrated Carlos Bocanegra was for the US.

The US captain and defender for the French club Rennes further earned my respect today when he openly talked about how the Americans should be going into South Africa with plenty of confidence.

"When it hits the knockout stages it's a one-off game, and who knows what can happen? We always take the example we beat Spain in the Confederations Cup," Bocanegra said during an interview with The Associated Press. "Before that we beat Egypt 3-0, the champions of Africa. So on our day we feel like we can beat anybody."

"It's a great chance for us, and we thought we got a fair draw and we have a good chance," said Bocanegra, a defender for French club Rennes. "We feel like we have a good team and we have gained a lot of confidence and experience over the past four years."

This is exactly the type of players that we need on the field. Guys that have confidence but also have the resumes (over 100 matches with Fulham) to back it up. The US still doesn't get any respect around the world and frankly why should they? Every time it seems like they take a step forward (1994, 2002), they take two steps back (1998, 2006). With a very beatable Group C (England, Algeria, Slovenia), Bocanegra is right, we should be thinking big.