With the third of three June World Cup qualifiers just a day away for the U.S. Men's National Team, The SBI Show's latest episode takes a look at the U.S./Honduras match, among other hot topics.
Episode 42 of The SBI Show features a closer look at Tuesday's qualifier, as co-host Garrett Cleverly and I discuss the current injury situation with Honduras, and the lineup options for Jurgen Klinsmann ahead of the match at Rio Tinto Stadium.
More reaction to Saturday's loss. Power rankings. Mac does the weather. SoB pres moving to Texas. MLS refs vote to unionize. More on NYC expansion. US Open Cup field set. More news.
Well, not so much, but they are definitely hatin. Bruce Arena, wherefore art thou, Bruce Arena? "Players on the national team should be - and this is my own feeling - they should be Americans," Arena told ESPN's The Magazine. "If they're all born in other countries, I don't think we can say we are making progress.
About five months from now, U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will have some serious decisions to make. A trio of World Cup qualifiers will be looming in June, a mini-tournament of sorts that will go a long way in determining how well the USMNT qualifying campaign is going.
Sean McElroy As 2012 winds to a close, any review of the USMNT needs to begin with an examination of the manager, Jurgen Klinsmann. More "progress report" than definitive report card, the examination is necessary because Klinsmann finally managed meaningful matches, with reasonable results. In between those fixtures, Klinsmann managed a team that delivered a [.
United States fans got an early scare on Tuesday night when Carlos Ruiz scored a goal in the 5th minute for Guatemala as it was taking on the United States in Kansas City during their final group stage match of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers for Brasil 2014. In the end, there was no need for US fans to begin the mourner's Kaddish or commission a requiem for the United States National team, because after 90 minutes plus change, it was the United States that was advancing to the Hexagonal thanks to one goal from Carlos Bocanegra and two goals from Clint Dempsey.
The Jamaican eleven ... will it play well in the islands?
The US dons the sunscreen in October and heads down to the land once sought by the British as they take on Antigua & Barbuda in the first game of an away and home series and the final qualifying coupling of 2012.
Whereas Bob Bradley's team trudged through World Cup qualifying in 2010 with less flare and a more "steady-as-we-can-go" approach leading to results, results and .
Seattle fans get their chance to vote Thumbs Up or Down on general manager Adrian Hanauer. Is he doing the job the supporters want? If they vote Yes then he stays and if they vote No he goes. Its amazing that the team has gone through with this early promise.
STORY OF THE DAY
Mike Woitalla of Soccer America looks at why youth development in Mexico has been so successful with the current generation of players.
When Jurgen Klinsmann because U.S. Men's National Team head coach more than a year ago, there was a widely-held belief that he was going to usher in a new era of attack-minded American soccer, and he would do away with the perceived ultra-defensive approach Bob Bradley was deemed guilty of subjecting U.
13.09.2012 - El buen momento de Panamá, Jamaica y Canadá (no así el de Cuba) pone pimienta de incertidumbre en la eliminatoria mundialista de la Concacaf (que da 3 ½ plazas para Brasil 2014). Jurgen Klinsmann (48), que cumple un año como DT de la selección de Estados Unidos (en reemplazo de Bob Bradley) se ve en la "obligación" de clasificar a un equipo que juega mundiales ininterrumpidamente desde 1990 (además de 1934 y 1950) con récord de cuartos de final (2002) y pone toda la carne al asador (?
After a busy weekend that saw both the Timbers first team and reserves play at Jeld-Wen Field,
the Timbers held a short practice session at their Beaverton training facility this morning. With
all the furor around the possible announcement of a new head coach this week and this morning's
announcement about the lack of a raise in season ticket prices, team owner Merritt Paulson was at
practice and spoke to the press despite being in obvious discomfort due to a herniated disc.
A little over a year ago, the US Men's National Team took the pitch against Mexico at Lincoln
Financial Field. Only a month earlier the two sides had met on the other side of the continent,
at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the Gold Cup final. Mexico had stormed back from two down at the
half, capturing the regional championship and thoroughly trouncing Bob Bradley's World Cup
veterans.
The U.S. Men's National Team will take the field at Estadio Azteca tonight trying to beat a
Mexico team riding a wave of confidence and good form. The Americans will also be trying to win in
a stadium they have never won in, a city they have never won in, and a country they have never won
in.
After a quiet month, the U.S. men's national team's place in the FIFA rankings is unchanged, and
the Americans remain at their lowest point of the Jurgen Klinsmann era in the international
standings.
The U.S. men held firm at 36th in the world, sandwiched in between Serbia and Wales, ahead of
next week's matchup against Mexico at Estadio Azteca.
He's two games away from becoming a legend in Egypt. With their 1-0 road win against Mozambique The Pharaohs sealed one of 10 spots in Africa's final-round playoffs that award the confederation's five spots in the World Cup. Egypt's last World Cup was Italy 1990. Mohamed Salah, 21, scored in the 42nd minute.
Through ongoing political strife and a year without a domestic league, Egypt is now remarkably one step closer to a spot in Brazil for next summer's World Cup.
The Pharaohs, led by former USMNT coach Bob Bradley, sealed the top spot in Group G of the African federation on Sunday with a 1-0 road win over Mozambique.
Although we're proud to publish plenty of articles by our talented network of writers and contributors here at AFR; we also keep an eye out for work which is being written elsewhere. Here are a few articles out there that we recommend, in no particular order:
Who is the ultimate big-game scorer in football history?
The U.S. men's national team's victory over Mexico at Estadio Azteca in last month's friendly
was touted as one that closed the gap between the two nations. At the very least, that is most
definitely true in terms of FIFA rankings.
The United States' win was good for a three-place boost in the FIFA rankings, and it cost Mexico
three places as well, as the Americans are up to 33rd in the world, while El Tri is down from 18th
to 21st.
Bob Bradley's task at attempting to guide Egypt to the World Cup something unlike any other
challenge an American soccer coach has faced around the world. Considering the state of the sport
in Egypt following the riots at Port Said this past February and how the national team can be used
as a rallying point for Egyptian people, Bradley's task is about more than just simple wins and
losses.
It's a busy week, plus I'm getting prepared for my trip to Turkey next week - and by "getting prepared" I mean hoping I leave there in one piece. As such, you all get thrown in front of the tube while I nap ahead of tonight's World Cup qualifier... The ESPN Press Pass crew discuss tonight's tilt with Panama.
And Stu Holden came through unscathed. For a fan base who has witnessed "delivers to the promised land" get cut down over the years Charlie Davies, John O'Brien Holden back on the pitch and with time to build his fitness, experience and resume in advance of World Cup 2014 is terrific.
Quotes, reports, and reaction from Union's win in Chicago. City Islanders top Antigua 4-0 while Reading thumps Westchester 8-0 in season opener. Eastern Conference roundup as Union move to 5th. More news.
Geoff Cameron is one step closer to the English Premier League.
According to multiple reports out of England, Stoke City and Major League Soccer have agreed on
a $2.5 million transfer fee that would send the Houston defender abroad. Stoke are still
negotiating personal terms with the U.
I am going to be hella-busy today and there's all sorts of madness going on, so allow me to
distract you like children by shoving you in front of the tube with a plate of peanut butter
crackers... I meant to get this trailer for the forthcoming Bob Bradley documentary up last week,
my bad. You know my "just in case some missed it" rule, so here it is.
Remember when one of the bigger complaints about the U.S. Men's National Team was the notion of the "Empty Bucket" and the fact that Bob Bradley preferred a central midfield of Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley? The argument back then was that it was too defensive a set-up, and the U.
Hackworth has more praise for Conor Casey. Soccer America rates Le Toux return and Parke signing in top five of offseason moves so far. Lots of Union players on SBI U-23 Team of the Year. More news.
CHICAGO - Despite the change in scenery, it appears Michael Bradley won't have too much trouble
adjusting to life at AS Roma. The American midfielder, who signed with the club last week from
Serie A rival Chievo Verona in a $4.6 million transfer, picked up an assist in Roma's 4-0 win over
Polish club Zaglebie Lubin in front of 22,181 at Wrigley Field.
CHICAGO -- The timing for Michael Bradley's signing with AS Roma couldn't have been much better.
With the Italian side playing their first match of their American tour this afternoon at Wrigley
Field against Polish side Zagłębie Lubin, it was a homecoming of sorts for the United States
Men's National Team midfielder.
The triumphant return!Orange Slices is our game day, catch-all post that we update during the day before and day of the match.
It's a game that means little for everyone but some of the participants. The true challenge for the USMNT on the Road to Brazil 2014 begins next week in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Benny Feilhaber in 2010 was a great player. He saw regular time on Bob Bradley's USMNT squad and saw minutes in the US' last three matches in the 2010 World Cup. The future looked as bright for Benny. Opting to come to the US when his contract expired in Denmark should have been our first indication that Benny was not a "great" player, but rather a really good player.
One CONCACAF nation is through to the Olympic semifinals and one is out after a pair of close
and entertaining quarterfinal matches on Saturday.
Mexico booked their ticket to the next round and gave themselves a chance of claiming a medal in
this summer's tournament with a 4-2 extra-time win over Senegal at Wembley Stadium.
UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Eddie Johnson may seem like a confident player for the Seattle Sounders
these days, but that's only because of the belief his new team has had in him.
After spending eight months without a club and rejoining MLS this past winter, Johnson has
shaken off a rough start to the season by finding the scoring touch that made him one of the most
lethal forwards in MLS prior to his departure for Europe four years ago.
As I have to point out occasionally, we put out at least half of the D.C. United-related content on the internet. The only bit of United stuff out there yesterday was Steve Goff passing along the news that Dwayne De Rosario is likely to play this weekend, which we expected to be a thing. Because of that, today's edition Freedom Kicks is about other random things.
Big Debate: Who got the best of Chicago-Columbus trade? The Chicago Fire have acquired Dilly Duka from the Columbus Crew in exchange for Dominic Oduro. Simon Borg and Jason Saghini debate: who will this work out best for?
FC Dallas acquires forwards Kenny Cooper and Eric Hassli I guess FC Dallas was unhappy with the forwards on their roster, as they've brought in two new ones today.
A Note from Luke Lohr This story is one that should be shared with everyone.
It is one of the most empowering stories in soccer. Bob Bradley took the job in Egypt after being unceremoniously removed from the US Men's National Team. After arriving there he set a standard for football, only to see the country's turmoil derail its domestic league and national team.
After last year's 6-part Premiership preview, the expectations were high this year.
We let you down. Our board has instructed us to cut back our budget of $0, free writers were
asked to take gouging pay cuts, even TSG's plan to actually, finally!
It's a tired movie analogy, but it works oh so well here.
The movie of course the Princess Bride. The scene? Billy Crystal's Mirace Max character has just
returned the Dred Pirate Roberts ("Wesley") to life.
Along with swordsman Indigo Montoya and behemoth Andre The Giant rest his soul the
half-alive-Wesley and crew are expected to take on Prince Hupperdink's army, liberate the princess
and make a be-pajamaed Fred Savage happy that his Peter Falk grandfather came over to read
stories.