We start in the Bundesliga, where Fabian Johnson scored in Hoffenheim's 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen. Trailing by two goals, Johnson scored in the 59th minute. Steve Cherundolo and Hannover were on the wrong side of a 5-0 shutout against Bayern Munich. Bayern have a nine-point lead at the top of the table after 13 games.
Clint Dempsey has had a difficult time finding his feet since joining Tottenham, but his performance on Sunday might just be what sparks his first string of strong outings with Spurs.
Dempsey enjoyed a stellar showing against West Ham United, assisting on one goal and taking part in the buildup of another in Tottenham's 3-1 win.
TSG Hoffenheim used two first half goals to take a 3-1 victory over FC Kaiserslautern in the first-leg of the Bundesliga relegation playoffs.
With Fabian Johnson starting on the left wing, Hoffenheim scored their highest goal total since April 5. Roberto Firmino scored twice for the Bundesliga side and provided the assist for the third goal scored by Sven Schipplock.
When the new U.S. Men's National Team roster was announced earlier today, the initial reaction was one of shock at the dearth of defensive options on the 23-man roster, but you only needed to look a little closer to find that there aren't as few defensive options as you might think.
The suspense continues to build around the USMNT roster announcement for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico, and now the wait to find out the players on the roster has been extended.
U.S. Soccer will announce the training camp roster at 1pm, with some weekend injuries apparently forcing the team to reconsider options.
U.S. Men's national Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann took to Twitter on Monday for a live Q&A on the U.S. Soccer Twitter account, and among other tidbits, revealed some very encouraging injury updates on some national team veterans.
Klinsmann revealed that both Clint Dempsey and Steve Cherundolo are back in training with their respective teams, and stated that Dempsey should be fine for World Cup qualifiers later this month.
The US kicks off the final round of World Cup Qualifying tomorrow night with a very tough match at San Pedro Sula. The road match in Honduras is the second-toughest match of the final ten games of qualifying, second only to the quadriannual trip to Estadio Azteca in Mexico city, where we have never won.
The roster for the first hex qualifier is set. As you'd probably predict, I have a few squad gripes. The most disconcerting is a near-to-complete lack of natural wide attack threats, a situation not helped by Klinsi' preference to play Fabian Johnson at the back. I've also listed the guys positionally how the USMNT release stacked 'em up - take from that what you will.
Fabian Johnson's emergence at left back was one of the highlights of 2012. (Photo: U.S. Soccer)
(Editor's note: with the end of the calendar upon us,New England Soccer Todayis taking a look back at the most memorable moments of 2012.In this edition, Sean Donahue reviews the top fiveU.
When Jurgen Klinsmann was hired as U.S. Men's National Team head coach, it seemed only a matter of time before he would schedule a friendly against the other national team he used to coach, Germany.
That friendly is in the works, and if the German Federation can get full approval from the German Bundesliga, Germany will play the U.
Jon Levy Tuesday night could become one of the two or three best moments of Jurgen Klinsmann's time in charge of the national team. It could also become debatably the worst night in the history of the United States Men's National Team. Not qualifying for a World Cup the first time in the modern era [.
And there it is. Jurgen Klinsmann going wide and expansive with his camp roster next week. The roster dominated by the return of golden boy Stu Holden and no place for Steve Cherundolo (or Carlos Bocanegra).
GOALKEEPERS (6) : Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.
Remember how the U.S. entered last two World Cup qualifiers with no fewer than eight players unavailable through injury, and how despite that the team collected a 1-0 win at home against Costa Rica, and then two more players got hurt, and we still pulled off a huge 0-0 draw at Estadio Azteca?
As it turns out, Fabian Johnson does not pass fit in time, Jonathan Spector gets injured on the weekend and there's no Michael Parkhurst. Meanwhile, Cpt. 'Los and Gooch have been a-bench-sittin' lately, while Tim Howard remains sidelines. You may all commence advanced fretting... now.On the other hand, we actually have a couple of proper wingers along this time.
It was ugly, but Union get it done in Colorado with goals from Amobi and Jack for first win of the season and rise to fourth place. Harrisburg City Islander's preseason begins today. Eastern Conference results. More news
It's time for the Hex! The United States is about to take on Honduras, and while the Yanks' roster features several former New England Revolution players, no one will draw more attention from Fort fans than Los Catrachos' striker Jerry Bengtson. This is a good opportunity for all of us to see him in action for his national team, where he appears to be scoring all the goals.
It's make it or break it time for the US Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann as he gets ready to take part in the first Hexagonal World Cup Qualifier of the year. Wednesday's result, while it certainly doesn't seal the fate of the USMNT in the 2016 World Cup, could very well set the tone of what we can expect from team this year.
No real surprises in this one here and only a few minor takeaways.
First, the roster:
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (World Cup qualifying Caps/Goals) – Detailed Roster
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)
The match will air at 3 PM CST on Wednesday and it will be televised on beIn Sport (channel 620 for those of you with DirecTV). Here's the full roster for you USMNT fans out there:
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)
The numbers are world cup qualifying gaps and goals, respectively.
U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann looks ahead to the first game of the final round of World Cup Qualifying, and discusses some of the challenges the team will face going up against Honduras.
No real surprises in Klinsmann squad for Honduras. It's a squad heavy on European-based players that is led by veterans Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley.
Veterans Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley headline the U.S. Men's National Team roster chosen to travel to San Pedro Sula ahead of Wednesday's vital World Cup qualifying clash against Honduras, a roster heavy on European-based players.
Graham Zusi, Eddie Johnson and Matt Besler headline a contingent of seven MLS-based players.
Everton and Aston Villa went for six goals in a draw over the weekend in England's Premier League and Fabian Johnson got the start for Hoffenheim. Read More
The U.S. Men's National Team, fresh off its Group A victory in the Semifinal Round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, will travel to Russia for an international friendly on Wednesday, Nov. 14, in Krasnodar for the final match of the 2012 campaign.
It nice to see that Sean still seems to be the preferred young goalkeeper at this point in Jurgen's mind. While he likely won't get any playing time, every international cap he can get is valuable experience. Getting to work with Tim Howard can only be a positive learning experience in my mind. Check out the full story if you want here.
Jurgen Klinsmann called in a young squad of players for the U.S. Men's National Team's upcoming friendly vs. Russia on Wednesday,including five players from the U.S. Under-23 national team that fell short in Olympic qualifying last spring.
Joe Gyau, Mix Diskerud, Juan Agudelo and Sean Johnson were all called into the squad, as was Timmy Chandler, who returns to the team after more than a year away.
Jermaine Jones hopes to carry over his good play from the previous week, while Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and Hoffenheim face high-flying Bayern Munich.
Fabian Johnson, Danny Williams and Hoffenheim will try to hold onto the playoff spot, while Jermaine Jones and Schalke are in dire straits going to Munich.
Yanks Abroad confirms Union have already picked up the 2014 option on Pfeffer's contract. Eastern PA USOC qualification recap. MLS Cup Final viewership numbers. Will Messi break Muller's record today? More.
Fabian Johnson scored his second goal of the season in the 59th minute of Hoffenheim's 1-2 loss at home against Bayer Leverkusen. The loss keeps Hoffeheim in 16th in the Bundesliga. Johnson came off in the 83rd for Takshi Usami and Danny Williams was an unused sub. Nice deflected strike though: Hoffenheim - Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 25.
The midweek fixture dates present unique challenges for the MNT players abroad. They typically play Saturday or Sunday, make the long trip to the U.S. and points beyond, play a huge World Cup qualifier and then hightail it home for games the following weekend. To give you an idea of the schedule, here are the league games both before and after Honduras for the 17 foreign-based guys.
After starting and playing the entire match against Pescara last weekend, Michael Bradley will look to continue his momentum as AS Roma travels to Artemio Franchi to take on Siena. Roma will also be looking to continue its momentum, having won three of their last four, as they look to move into the top five of the Serie A standings.
Major League Soccer takes center stage in the latest episode of The SBI Show, with MLS expansion and a loaded slate of action in Week Nine leading the topics discussed.
Co-host Garrett Cleverly and I discuss a wide range of topics, from Tim Leiweke's move to Toronto FC, to Tim Cahill's value as a Designated Player, and Portland's statement victory against Sporting Kansas City.
Steve Cherundolo and Jermaine Jones both tasted victory in impressive comebacks for Hannover and Schalke, while Fabian Johnson and Daniel Williams picked up a point with Hoffenheim.
The illness that kept Fabian Johnson from reporting to camp will keep him out of the October qualifiers entirely, the US Soccer Federation confirmed in an announcement. Johnson has the flu, and will not be available for Tuesday's game against Guatemala. That leaves the USA with 16 field players and three goalkeepers.
