The first U.S. national team match of the year won't feature many familiar faces. In fact, there are no players who could be considered first-choice national team options. No, Saturday's friendly against Chile is instead about new faces and Bob Bradley's chance to see how a new crop of MLS players can measure up in what will be a first or second appearance for many of them.

Found At soccerchris.com

TEAM: Colorado Rapids

COACH: Gary Smith (ENG)

2010 LEAGUE RESULTS: 46 pts (12-8-10), 5th Western Conference, MLS Cup Champions

2010 REVIEW: In 2010, the Colorado Rapids became the 9th team to capture the MLS Cup.

This year starts on a much better note than the last 3 years. Before our first kick of 2011 we'll be raising our 2010 Champions banner (I assume)! That's a much better place to be than on a 3-year playoff drought like last year. With the added CONCACAF Champions League games the Rapids have a full schedule this year.

In cold wintry weather the Rapids gave a surprise start to Caleb Folan. The weather must have reminded him of home or something as he rewarded the team with 2 goals and a dominating performance. There were less than 10K of us to see it, but it was worth the cold to watch the Rapids demolish DC.
The first half was quite dull, and some ugly soccer.

The Chicago Fire have now played all four of their scheduled games against the 2011 MLS Expansion teams. Their final record against the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps is 0 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses while getting outscored 9-5. Each expansion team even defeated the Fire 4-2 at one point.

The Rapids are on the road this week, some of them on a very long road trip, in San Jose. Last time these two teams met a great Kosuke Kimura goal gave the Rapids the win and, more importantly, the Eastern Conference Championship en rout to their MLS Cup victory. I think we can expect the Earthquakes to be looking for some revenge after that loss.

(Editor's note: This is part three of a series looking at how the Rapids will fill out an expanded roster for 2011.)

The Rapids won an MLS cup with a team that relied on a midfield built to challenge balls, disrupt attacks and allow little room for opponents.

Colorado midfielders spent a lot of energy.

(Editor's note: This is part three of a series looking at how the Rapids will fill out an expanded roster for 2011.)

The Rapids won an MLS cup with a team that relied on a midfield built to challenge balls, disrupt attacks and allow little room for opponents.

Colorado midfielders spent a lot of energy.

Here's all the news and notes you need to get ready to watch USA-Chile. Here's some highlights:

• The 23 players eligible for selection to the roster have won a combined total of 26 caps. A total of 12 players are looking for their first cap with the full national team. The game-day roster will be cut down to 18 players.

Checking in now as Nick Rimando and Sean Johnson start warming up.

Sean Franklin: Starting in his club stadium....so proud...

You're starting line-up...sorry we're late:

GK: Nick Rimando

DEF: Zach Lloyd, Omar Gonzalez, Tim Ream, Sean Franklin

D MID: GINGER NATION (Dax, Larentowicz)

MID: Brek Shea, Mix Diskerud, Ale Bedoya

STR: Chris Wondolowski

Bench: GK Sean Johnson; Ds A.

Two teams in red, the home side Portland Timbers and the visiting Colorado Rapids, put the throttle to the floor and did not relent for 90-plus minutes on Saturday night.

Finally, in stoppage time, the Rapids found a goal. Following two great saves from Troy Perkins, Drew Moor rushed in to deliver a dagger that finished the Timbers 1-0 and snapped an MLS-record of six ties.

The Rapids get their first look at the team trying to swamp their control of water nicknames in MLS, the Vancouver Whitecaps. Essentially you've got turbulent river water versus turbulent sea water at the Dick tomorrow. Vancouver just traded for former Rapid Jordan Harvey, so we may see him back at the Dick for a second time this year (he already played for Philly last month).

The Colorado Rapids have only four home games remaining in the MLS regular season, and as the dates dwindle, The Tuesday List takes a look at how the roster has changed since the team moved to Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the 2007 season.

Looking at the 2011 roster, we go back in time to who was here in each of the previous seasons.

Sanna Nyassi maneuvers past an Isidro Metapan defender during a CCL match in Seattle on July 28, 2010. Nyassi and the Colorado Rapids face Metapan on Wednesday. (Photograph by Jane Gershovich/Prost Amerika Soccer)

Nearly nine months after winning the team's first title, the Colorado Rapids finally start the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday night.

Sanna Nyassi maneuvers past an Isidro Metapan defender during a CCL match in Seattle on July 28, 2010. Nyassi and the Colorado Rapids face Metapan on Wednesday. (Photograph by Jane Gershovich/Prost Amerika Soccer)

Nearly nine months after winning the team's first title, the Colorado Rapids finally start the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday night.

After a successful Champions League match in mid-week the Rapids are once again back in MLS play which the Under-a-Chivas coming to town. Along with the game Class VI and the Pid Army are holding their second annual home brew contest! Tailgate starts at 4pm and all are welcome to sample the entries and vote for your favorite.

Brad Evans could be that one Sounder that will be picked by Montreal. (Getty Images)

Over the last few weeks I've gone through each of the 18 Major League Soccer clubs and put out the list of players I could see them protecting and not protecting. Many of you have emailed, tweeted, sent messages on Facebook to let me know you've enjoyed these lists and that you want a mock draft from these lists.

Houston's Danny Cruz could be an easy selection for the Impact tomorrow. (Getty Images)

I've already given a mock draft based on my predictions of each MLS club's protection lists and now that the real lists are out we can get a better sense of who could be actually taken tomorrow.

Every team released their protection lists yesterday evening with a few surprises listed Montreal should come away with a decent start to their expansion campaign.

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

BY ADAM SERRANO

For the United States National team, there are plenty of new faces in an old place.

The annual January camp kicked off on Wednesday at the Home Depot Center ahead of the January 23rd match-up with Chile.

While Anthony Wallace is making his first appearance with the full team, he is no stranger to the U.S. National Teams set-up. A former member of the U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, he has represented the U.S. at the U-18 level and played in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship.

(Editor's note: This is part two of a series looking at how the Rapids will fill out an expanded roster for 2011.)

There are only six defenders on the current roster, but there is probably no position in better health for the Rapids. There's also no area that will tell more about the team's long-term plans for captain Pablo Mastroeni, 34, than what Colorado does on defense.

(Editor's note: This is part two of a series looking at how the Rapids will fill out an expanded roster for 2011.)

There are only six defenders on the current roster, but there is probably no position in better health for the Rapids. There's also no area that will tell more about the team's long-term plans for captain Pablo Mastroeni, 34, than what Colorado does on defense.

With the 2011 MLS SuperDraft taking place today, ussoccer.com examined the January camp roster to gain some insight into their draft history. Overall, there are 19 players on the roster who participated in the MLS Draft, and of those only one did not sign a contract. There are heaps of first rounders and a few who went in the fourth, MLS Cup champions and several picked by the same team.

The Rapids had the 36th and 54th (and final) picks in today's Supplemental Draft, having traded the 18th pick to Dallas for Anthony Wallace.
With the 36th pick they took Philip Bannister
A forward out of Loylola University.

The roster of the Rapids is starting to take shape, and it looks like a lot of youth for the 2011 season.

The Rapids Tuesday selected forward Philip Bannister from Loyola University (Maryland) with the last pick in the second round (36th overall) in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft. The club then selected defender Javed Mohammed from the University of South Florida with the 54th overall selection, which was the last in the 3rd round and of the draft.

Tomorrow night (or evening for those on the West Coast) the United States January camp team will take the pitch against Chile in a friendly where both sides are lacking all of their biggest stars. Chile is a good South American squad, normally second-tier behind countries like Brazil and Argentina, but with their former coach leading the team and not bringing many starters, this is a tough match to judge how far the U.

About 15,000 tickets - yes, many of them to Chileans - have been sold for tonight's annual January Home Depot Center international friendly that features a very young American squad, as reporter Phil Collin observes.

The result of this game, perhaps, matters even less than it has in the past seven years, but to me it still boasts several compelling features.

The U.S. men's national team will open a new year and new four-year World Cup cycle tonight when the Americans take on Chile at Home Depot Center (10pm, Telefutura/ESPN3.com).

Bob Bradley will be fielding a young squad against a Chile side made up of domestic league players.

Los Angeles, CA The United States Men's National Team opened 2011 with a 1-1 draw against Chile at the Home Depot Center on Saturday night. Both sides used inexperienced experimental squads, with the U.S. featuring mostly players based in Major League Soccer.

The U.S. fell behind nine minutes into the second half when Chile's Esteban Paredes scored an impressive goal.

A very young and inexperienced U.S. side showed a lot of heart in coming back to draw 1-1 with Chile. Esteban Paredes scored the opening goal of the match for Chile early in the second half while Teal Bunbury equalized from the spot late in the match.

As expected Bob Bradley continued to look for new faces for the national team as seven MLS-based Americans; Eric Alexander, Sean Franklin, Jeff Larentowicz, Zach Loyd, Sean Johnson, Chris Wondolowski and Anthony Wallace, all earned their first senior-team caps.

U.S. 1 Chile 1

Good friends off the field, good partnership on it: USMNT camp roommates Teal Bunbury, right, and Juan Agudelo, who drew the foul for the PK, celebrates Bunbury's penalty kick conversion at Home Depot Center Saturday that tied the game with Chile (AP Photo).

Here's a look back at the USA's 1-1 draw against Chile that drew 18,580 fans, the most ever for an MNT friendly at The Home Depot Center.
Teal Bunbury's game-tying PK (and accompanying goal call!)
Post-Match Reaction from Bob Bradley and players
NEWS AND NOTES

• Seven players earned their national team debut, four as starters: Sean Franklin, Jeff Larentowicz, Zach Loyd, Chris Wondolowski; and three substitutes: Sean Johnson, Anthony Wallace and Eric Alexander.

The team reported to Commerce City yesterday for the official start of pre-season. The first few days are physicals and fitness tests, including concussion tests. They'll hit the fields for the first time on Thursday.
The Rapids open camp with a 23 man roster and 4 draft picks. Rosters this year are 30 players, but there are restrictions on the salaries and availability of spots 21-30.

Some news today out of Rapids camp about a number of trialists. The big news is that Irish striker Caleb Folan will be trialling with the team on the Arizona trip. Folan is currently with Championship side Hull City, but with their current financial difficulties they are looking to off-load salary and would be willing to let Folan out of his contract.

By JOSE M. ROMERO

PHOENIX – The defending MLS champions hadn't been in Arizona more than 24 hours before they had to play the first of three preseason games of a tightly-scheduled six-day trip to the desert.

It showed. To some degree, anyway.

The Colorado Rapids and Sporting Kansas City played to a scoreless draw after 120 minutes – two 45-minute periods and a 30 – before a decent-sized crowd of onlookers and Omar Bravo fans Saturday morning at the Reach 11 soccer complex.

Sorry for the false alarm on the game stream last night. Turns out it was only available in the Seattle area. The Rapids lost 3-1, but the Rapids didn't give up a goal until 3rd string keeper Steward Ceus was subbed in, and the last two came after Gary Smith made wholesale changes to the lineup.
Meanwhile there's news on a couple of players.

The Colorado Rapids delivered their fans the club's first championship last fall, winning the 2010 MLS Cup in dramatic fashion. With that first MLS Cup in the trophy case, the Rapids must now try to live up to the champion status they now hold.

If the Rapids are going to repeat, they're going to do so with all of the key players back in 2011.

By JOSE M. ROMERO

The Colorado Rapids are off to their best start ever in team history, offering further proof that last season's MLS Cup run perhaps was no fluke.

Imagine, then, what more the Rapids might have accomplished with big Caleb Folan available to them.

By ALAN LEDBETTER

This is Alan Ledbetter, and I will be the SBI Fantasy MLS guru for the rest of the year. Why me you ask? I have been the SBI Fantasy MLS champion the past two seasons (once in MFLS and once in the old MLSnet.com).

Last year, my first year of MFLS, I finished fourth in the entire game in addition to my SBI League title, and I look to build on that performance this year.

As the Seattle Sounders travel later today to Commerce City, CO to take on the Colorado Rapids this has been set-up as a battle between the annually good and the suddenly Cup Champions. The Rapids did not just sit on their hands during the off-season, but traded a few players away, acquired several Seattle players through various mechanisms and even added a fringe EPL player in Caleb Folan.