La Dirección General de Selecciones Nacionales da a conocer la convocatoria de jugadores de la Selección Nacional Preolímpica para la concentración del 12 al 15 de febrero. La cita para iniciar la concentración será el domingo 12 de febrero a las 20:00 hrs. en el Centro de Alto Rendimiento y la atención a prensa se realizará el lunes 13 de febrero a las 11:45 hrs.

Fútbol México - Fútbol MéxicoFútbol México -

Los rojinegros del Atlas cierran el año derrotando a las Chivas en el Omnilife para coronarse campeón de la copa Asia Jalisco, sin duda el pedigrí de la copa no es algo para presumir pero por lo menos le da ilusión a un plantel que tiene un año muy complicado por delante.

The U.S. Men's National Team has completed the 2011 campaign, finishing on a high note with an entertaining 3-2 victory against Slovenia in Ljubljana. Along with the introduction of Jurgen Klinsmann as head coach, there were a few key highlights:

• Clint Dempsey finished with a team-high five goals
• Carlos Bocanegra and Tim Howard finished with team-high 15 starts, the most appearances in a year in each of their careers
• Bocanegra became the 12th player in U.

The U.S. Men's National Team has completed the 2011 campaign, finishing on a high note with an entertaining 3-2 victory against Slovenia in Ljubljana. Along with the introduction of Jurgen Klinsmann as head coach, there were a few key highlights:

• Clint Dempsey finished with a team-high five goals
• Carlos Bocanegra and Tim Howard finished with team-high 15 starts, the most appearances in a year in each of their careers
• Bocanegra became the 12th player in U.

Here is tonight's lineup for the USA's final match of 2011:
1-Howard
2-Cherundolo 3-Goodson 5-Bocanegra (capt.) 3-Chandler
6-Beckerman
7-Bradley 8-Johnson
10-Dempsey
11-Buddle 9-Altidore
Reserves:
12-Bill Hamid
13-Michael Orozco
14-Danny Williams1
15-Maurice Edu
16-Jermaine Jones
17-Robbie Rogers
18-Brek Shea
Lineup notes:

• Three changes to the lineup that faced France In are Bradley, Buddle and Johnson; out are Edu, Shea and Williams
• Carlos Bocanegra earns his 100th cap for the United States
• Fabian Johnson makes his first start for the United States

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

The U.S. men's national team faces its first World Cup 2010 rematch on Tuesday against the same Slovenia side the Americans earned a dramatic 2-2 draw against in World Cup group play.

Jurgen Klinsmann will look to find the right combination of players to help a sagging offense that has managed just two goals in six matches since he took over as head coach.

Tough one.

Can't call them "snap judgments" because they took way too long. TSG's Tuesday will be along shortly with the official review.

Here are some thoughts that I want to spill out on the screen. We'll give it the "Good, Bad, Ugly" treatment because it works well here.

Gloves?

Con goleada de 5-2 sobre Uruguay, la selección mexicana se reivindicó de esos desiguales funcionamientos y falta de contundencia que tuvo en los dos anteriores encuentros, para clasificar en primer lugar del Grupo A a las semifinales del torneo de futbol de los Juegos Panamericanos Guadalajara 2011.

Here is your somewhat frustrating USMNT line-up:Howard; Cherundolo, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Chandler; Beckerman; Williams, Edu, Shea; Dempsey, AltidoreHere is my Top 5 Debunked 4-3-3 Misconceptions list (even if ol' boy has momentarily sailed off in a slightly different direction).And here is the preview reel.

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

The U.S. men's national team's 1-0 victory against Honduras had its share of bright spots, but also some question marks, making Tuesday's friendly against Ecuador a good chance for some players to redeem themselves, and for some to show their stuff after seeing only limited time on Saturday.

The U.S. men's national team will field as close to a full strength squad as it has had since Jurgen Klinsmann took over, leaving what should be some easy decisions when it comes time for him to pick a lineup for Saturday's match vs. Honduras.

Landon Donovan is the lone regular starter not to make the trip to South Florida, and now Klinsmann will have some good options as he tries to put together a team to deliver his first win as U.

Here's all the news and notes to get you prepped and ready for the USA-Honduras match. Some highlights:
Jozy Altidore hails from Boca Raton, Fla.

• Jurgen Klinsmann has called nineteen of the players on the squad into at least one MNT camp. The neophytes: Oguchi Onyewu, Nick Rimando and Danny Williams.

Convocatoria de la Selección Varonil Mexicana
1. José de Jesús Corona - Cruz Azul
2. Antonio Rodríguez - Veracruz
3. César Ibañez - Santos
4. Ricardo Hiram Mier - Monterrey
5. Nestor Araujo - Cruz Azul.
6.

Carlos Bocanegra and Onyewu are the only players on the current U.S. roster with goals against Honduras, and both were important game-winners. In Chicago, Bocanegra's header handed the U.S. a 2-1 win on June 6, 2009 in a final round qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup. Four years earlier, Onyewu made his first goal for the United States count as he scored in the 92nd minute to lift the U.

There was a decidedly American flavor to Glasgow Rangers' 4-0 rout of Motherwell on Saturday, as U.S. teammates Carlos Bocanegra and Maurice Edu both scored goals for the Scottish champions.

Bocanegra opened the scoring in the ninth minute on a powerful header, while Edu blasted a long-range left-footed shot in the 17th minute.

Are they the best?

In his last post, Jacques posed an interesting question:

Is it acceptable/effective to select experienced players with incomplete skill sets and little tactical malleability? Or, is the system Klinsmann seeks to implement better served by selecting players with less pedigree but with skill sets better suited to succeed in a possession based system?

This is a guest post by Jacques Pelham.

Predictably, there are still many outstanding questions regarding Juergen Klinsmann and the US national team after Klinsmann's second and third games as US coach. On Tuesday, the US demonstrated sustained effort for 90 minutes and crafted occasional quality sequences against a Belgium team that effectively pressed the US without the ball and featured dangerous attacking talents.

Each Sides' Setup
Juergen Klinsmann made three changes from the side that lost to Costa Rica on Friday. Steve Cherundolo slotted in at right back and Timmy Chandler auditioned at the problem position of left back. Clint Dempsey came in for Landon Donovan in attacking midfield and Clarence Goodson came in centrally to replace Michael Orozco Fiscal.

USA Setup: Jurgen Klinsmann set up the USA in a 4-3-3. Castillo was back at left back, and Timmy Chandler was in at right back, making his second appearance for the USA. Orozco and Bocanegra partnered in the center. Castillo looked better than the Mexico match for sure, but his slight build continues to show a cause for concern, as he was troubled with the bigger and stronger Costa Rica players.

What: The United States Men's National Team (USMNT) is hosting the Costa Rican National Team at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California tonight in an international friendly.

When/Where: 11 pm on ESPN 2. Andy Roddick and some guy with the last name of "Sock" are currently playing in the second set of their tennis match on ESPN 2.

1. With a new coach in place, there's an awful lot of uncertainty about what's to come. I think it's best if we just get the obvious, can't-miss prediction out of the way: Our coach will wear slacks for the first time in nearly five years.

Slacks it was. Klinsmann elected to go with the business-casual, polo-and-slacks combo.

1. With a new coach in place, there's an awful lot of uncertainty about what's to come. I think it's best if we just get the obvious, can't-miss prediction out of the way: Our coach will wear slacks for the first time in nearly five years.

Slacks it was. Klinsmann elected to go with the business-casual, polo-and-slacks combo.

Glasgow Rangers has grabbed the unofficial title of Team America on Wednesday after making U.S. national team captain the second American to sign with the Scottish club champions on Wednesday.

Bocanegra joins Rangers via transfer from St. Etientte, and could be in action as soon as Thursday.

USA Setup: USA Coach Jurgen Klinnsman set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Michael Bradley as the #10 behind lone striker Edson Buddle. Bradley was not close enough to Buddle, and therefore Edson was isolated up top. He did however hold up the ball well when given the opportunity, it was just that his opportunities were few and far between.

US

Check out PSP photographer Daniel Gajdamowicz's pre-game and match photo essays.

Tim Howard said before Wednesday night's friendly between the USA and Mexico, "It's going to take all hands on deck." He wasn't wrong. And after a shaky first half, the defense's confidence grew and the offense started creating real chances in what was, in the end, a great effort from the US against an objectively superior Mexican team.

United States vs. Mexico Gamethread

United States starting XI: Howard; Cherundolo, Orozco Fiscal, Bocanegra, Castillo; Jones, Beckerman; Donovan, Bradley, Torres; Buddle

United States bench: Hamid, Loyd, Pearce, Clark, Rogers, Shea, Agudelo.

Mexico starting XI: Ochoa; Juárez, Márquez, Moreno, Salcido; Barrera, Torrado, Castro, Guardado; Naelson, Peralta.

Huge match for the US Men's National Team tonight... well actually not really. If anything it's really just a big game for our national team's new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann who signed on with the club a little more than two weeks ago. Fans will be expecting results, changes, and a long term vision for future successes, the latter of which being something that many complained Bradley lacked.

1. With a new coach in place, there's an awful lot of uncertainty about what's to come. I think it's best if we just get the obvious, can't-miss prediction out of the way: Our coach will wear slacks for the first time in nearly five years.

2. Most pundits are expecting a Bradley-type lineup today, since it's Klinsmann's first game and he'll be feeling things out.

1. With a new coach in place, there's an awful lot of uncertainty about what's to come. I think it's best if we just get the obvious, can't-miss prediction out of the way: Our coach will wear slacks for the first time in nearly five years.

2. Most pundits are expecting a Bradley-type lineup today, since it's Klinsmann's first game and he'll be feeling things out.

Some quick Tuesday bullets:

• First, a training video from US Soccer:

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» Why do I have this sneaking suspicion that Brek Shea might get a look at leftback?

» Clarence Goodson rules out for Wednesday with a hammy strain. Could Michael Orozco make the start or will it be Bocanegra and Tim Ream?

After his release from West Ham at the end of last season, several followers of the future of the USMNT wondered what was happening. Gooch was in limbo at Milan (although later made his way to Porto), Bocanegra was on his last legs, and most of the rest of the back line for the US was playing in MLS where hacking seems to take precedence over finesse.

Bob Bradley is gone from the US national team, and with his ouster and impending replacement, the national team figures to undergo change. Certainly this team will be different now that Bradley is gone, with some new faces coming in and some old faces gone.
Who stands to gain from the move?

Photo by Sam S. Osman

I felt like I was watching my favorite Premier League side Arsenal Saturday night. The United States built a 2-0 advantage over Mexico in the Gold Cup final before coughing up four goals. It was an epic collapse and now it is time to look at what went wrong for the US.

3:10 p.m. Well, ok, we're not actually at the Rose Bowl yet. Luis and I decided to be environmental and carpool to the game and at this moment, we're stuck in the traffic leading to the stadium parking lots. People are walking past us at a steady clip, going faster than the molasses pace of the crowded cars.

USA-MEXICO SERIESALL-TIME

• The U.S. has a 15-31-11 all-time record against Mexico in 57 meetings; however, since 2000 the U.S. has a 10-4-2 advantage in the series.
• At home, the U.S. has a 13-7-9 record including a 9-1-2 mark since 2000. The 2009 loss in the Gold Cup final was the first defeat in the last 12 meetings in the U.

With the U-17 MNT already having dropped a 2-1 decision to Uzbekistan in their second World Cup group match today, the senior side is now less than an hour away from their Gold Cup final four battle with Panama.Bob Bradley has started the same eleven that worked the lion's share against Jamaica, with Landon Donovan again among the subs:Howard; Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra, Lichaj, Bradley,

The United States gets a chance to avenge its most shocking loss in the history of the Gold Cup tonight when it takes on Panama at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Just eleven days removed from the 2-1 defeat the United States are a completely different team, in terms of attitude and tactics. Bob Bradley made excellent adjustments to his squad for the game against Jamaica on Sunday, switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation and inserting both Alejandro Bedoya and Sasha Kljestan in the midfield.

Tomorrow the US will get a second chance at Panama when the two teams meet in the semi-final of the Gold Cup. In group play Panama earned its first ever win against the Americans while also snapping the US's undefeated streak when competing in the Gold Cup group stage.

Since the 2-1 loss to Panama the US has come back with two straight shutouts and has tightened up its back four by moving captain Bocanegra to center back and bringing in Lichaj at left back.

US Strategy Bob Bradley elected to change his tactics after playing a 4-2-2-2 in the three group matches. Landon Donovan was unavailable to start after arriving late from his sister's wedding. Consequently, Sasha Kljestan and Alejandro Bedoya were brought into the starting XI to replace Donovan and Chris Wondolowski.

Today's subs bench has a couple of entertaining names not seen there yet in this tourney. It looks like 100% Jamaica will see a 4-2-3-1 at the top of the hour.Howard; Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra, Lichaj, Jones, Bradley, Bedoya, Kljestan, Dempsey, AltidoreBench: Hahnemann, Ream, Bornstein, Edu, Adu, Donovan, Agudelo - Greg Seltzer