I have mixed feelings on the eve of the United States' opening match of the 2011 Gold Cup. Everything that I was afraid of happening in the Spain match (except injuries) happened, and now Bob Bradley's team has U.S. fans nervous and somewhat pessimistic the day before they face the 76th ranked country in the world, according to FIFA and Coca-Cola.

Thoughts on the United States 4-2 loss to Mexico;

• Cherundolo's early injury hurt the United States much more than anything else in the game. Bob Bradley had just two options to replace Dolo, Bornstein or Spector. Bornstein as it turns out was the wrong decision for so many reasons however lets not forget Spector is not exactly a track star.

Bob Bradley had his many detractors for various reasons but one anti-Bradley sentiment centered on his choice of one player - Jonathan Bornstein.
The 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year did well in his initial call-ups to the national team but overall has had an up-and-down time of it with the United States, mostly down.

After watching World Champion Spain dispose of the Americans 4-0, I'm left wondering. I'm left wondering a lot of things. It seems as though the game would have gone about much differently if not for some questionable personnel decisions, but we'll get to that.
This game never needed to happen.

DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD
"I've been hung out to dry." - Jack Warner
Yes you have Jack. On a clothesline that you were a chief architect in imagining, building, stealing from, hiding behind, and using to line your pockets for over two decades.
I love how he hid behind his role as guardian of fellow Caribbean nations only to bully them all into kowtowing to his every whim.

A pesar de que el equipo felino no obtuvo el resultado que se esperaba, creo que fue un buen punto en una cancha que como todos sabemos, si bien no es una de las más difíciles del torneo si es una aduana de respeto. De acuerdo a las circunstancias del encuentro creo que un empate es un buen resultado en donde deja muchas cosas que mejorar pero también muchas cosas que nos da la pauta que el equipo puede hacer buenas cosas.

STARTERS
MLS Commissioner Don Garber told reporters that the league is throwing their weight behind Grant Wahl for the next FIFA president. Nice one!
dN
Sporting Kansas City's Teal Bunbury took NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco to Oklahoma Joes for lunch on Wednesday.

Clint Dempsey makes it 2-0 in South Africa two years ago.

Update: The US has the following 18 available for today.

(Confirmed by US Soccer)

G: Tim Howard, Hahnemann
DEF: Lichaj, Ream, Goodson, Onyewu, Cherundolo, Spector
MID: Dempsey, Kljestan, Edu, Bradley, Jones, Rogers, Bedoya
STR: Altidore, Wondolowski, Agudelo

Notable: Landon Donovan ruled out with illness.

The embarrassingly do-or-die Gold Cup match with Guadeloupe sees Bob Bradley making a few tweaks:Howard; Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra, Lichaj, Bradley, Jones, Dempsey, Donovan, Wondolowski, AltidoreSubs: Hahnemann, Onyewu, Bornstein, Edu, Kljestan, Bedoya, AgudeloI'm not convinced the coach has made the best changes, but by me it seems safe to say they should still win rather handily.

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

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.

You have NO IDEA how much I'd rather talk about Earthquakes-Galaxy, but oh well.
Occasionally on the way to games, I like to play MP3 I Ching. You put the player on shuffle, and try to guess from the mood of the songs how the day is going to go.
Did it work? Well, I'll sprinkle in a few lyrics here and there, and let you judge for yourself.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

Union

Paunovic or Dax McCarty? Who would you take? New York dispatched with a high-priced, moody and inconsistent veteran offensive player (Dwayne "Tiny Dancer" de Rosario) and received Dax McCarty in return. The best part of this trade?

Photo by Juan Miranda/Chivas USA

BY ADAM SERRANO

CARSON, CALIF -- After a host of rumors and speculation, Chivas USA unveiled head coach Robin Fraser on Wednesday afternoon. Fraser, a former assistant to Jason Kreis at Real Salt Lake comes to a team that is seeking to overcome a host of issues.

Tigres sufrió un poco más de lo previsto para sacar un triunfo de 1-0 sobre los Rayos de Necaxa y empezar de gran manera su participación como local. Con esto los felinos llegaron a cuatro puntos en dos partidos y los de Aguascalientes se quedaron en cero, cada vez más complicados en la tabla del descenso.

The US's first test of 2011 will be highlighted with youth and inexperience this Saturday when the Americans take on an equally untested Chilean squad at the Home Depot Center. Both teams have rosters that are dominated by players from their respective domestic leagues earning this game the image of a meeting of "B-squads.

Birmingham, UK Rumors have surface that up and coming American defender, Eric Lichaj will be loaned by Aston Villa to a yet-unnamed Polish club. Anonymous team sources said that "Lichaj" was too hard for supporters to pronounce, much less incorporate into song. Such move would likely allow Lichaj more playing time and greater reception by the local supporter base.

*The Special One says he eventually wants to coach in MLS - and the Galaxy are one of his top two choices. Good luck with that commute from Malibu to the South Bay though, Jose.

*Former Chivas USA defender Jonny Bornstein got his first assist with Tigres, supplying the cross that led to their opening goal in a 2-0 win Sunday over Santos Laguna.

Here is the 24 player roster for the two upcoming friendlies:
G:
Marcus Hahnemann - Wolverhampton
Tim Howard - Everton
David Yelldell - Duisburg
D:
Carlos Bocanegra - St Etienne
Jonathan Bornstein - UANL Tigres
Timothy Chandler - Nurnberg
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover
Jay DeMerit - Vancouver Whitecaps
Oguchi Onyewu - Twente
Tim Ream - Red Bull New York
Jonathan Spector - West Ham
Zak Whitbread - Norwich
M:
Michael Bradley - Aston Villa
Clint Dempsey - Fulham
Mikkel Diskeruud - Stabaek
Landon Donovan - LA Galaxy
Mo Edu - Rangers
Benny Feilhaber - AGF
Stuart Holden - Bolton
Jermaine Jones - Blackburn
Sacha Kljestan - Anderlecht
F:
Juan Agudelo - Red Bull New York
Jozy Altidore - Bursaspor
Edson Buddle - Ingolstadt
A couple of big surprises selections: Veteran goalkeeper David Yelldell of Duisburg in Germany's 2.

STARTERS
The injury to Stuart Holden's knee is so bad that he will be out of action for 6 months, meaning he will miss the rest of this season at Bolton and the Gold Cup with the USA. Via the Guardian.
dN
Clint Dempsey became the first American to score 10 goal in a Premiership season over the weekend.

I suspect few of you get the reference to old Wendy's commercial from the '80s about how their new burger was unlike the drab competition. Unfortunately, our USMNT seems unlikely to be much like Wendy's in this respect.

Players are in the camp now for upcoming friendlies against Argentina this weekend and Paraguay shortly thereafter.

STARTERS
An important message from the creators of the great soccer movie Pelada:
Add Pelada to your Netflix Queue
Help us make the movie available on Netflix by saving Pelada to your queue.
Simply "save" Pelada to your queue, even if you've already seen the film.

I'm discouraged by the lack of a proper ideas man in midfield, as you'd probably have guessed.Tonight, we will not see Yelldell, Lichaj, Benny or Mix in uniform. Hopefully, they will get starts against Paraguay.Enjoy the game.Howard; Spector, DeMerit, Onyewu, Bocanegra - Jones, Bradley, Edu - Dempsey, Donovan - AltidoreBench: Hahnemann, Bornstein, Ream, Chandler, Kljestan, Agudelo, BuddleAndujar;

The U.S. men's national team heads into tonight's friendly vs. Paraguay searching for its first win of 2011, but also searching for the right combination of players as the team draws closer and closer to this summer's Gold Cup.

Tonight's friendly (8pm, Fox Soccer Channel) should provide a showcase for some talented youngsters who impressed in Saturday's match against Argentina.

I've renamed this one where we gather the line-ups, pre-game thoughts and eventually highlights and reaction. It figures to be easier to find these that way for any later reference.Tonight, Tim Howard, Oguchi Onyewu and Benny Feilhaber are not dressed. Thus, this is what I'd like to see: Yelldell; Chandler/Lichaj (half each), DeMerit, Ream, Bornstein - Edu, Bradley, Diskerud - Donovan, Altidore,

Be Ugly in Vegas Wrap Up Show: "Richard's Gonna Knock You Out"
Host: Scott Bornstein & Zach Woosley
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The first ever Be Ugly in Vegas trip was a huge success!

UNITED STATES
1 Tim Howard 03/06/79 GK2 Jonathan Spector 03/01/86 DF3 Carlos Bocanegra 05/25/79 DF4 Michael Bradley 07/31/87 MD5 Oguchi Onyewu 05/13/82 DF6 Steve Cherundolo 02/19/79 DF7 Maurice Edu 04/18/86 MD8 Clint Dempsey 03/09/83 MD9 Juan Agudelo 11/23/92 AT10 Landon Donovan 04/03/82 MD11 Chris Wondolowski 01/28/83 AT12 Jonahtan Bornstein 11/07/84 DF13 Jermaine Jones 11/03/81 MD14 Eric Lichaj 11/17/88 DF15 Tim Ream 10/05/87 DF16 Sacha Kljestan 09/09/85 MD17 Jozy Altidore 11/06/89 AT18 Nick Rimando 06/17/79 GK19 Robbie Rogers 05/12/87 MD20 Freddy Adu 06/02/89 AT21 Clarence Goodson 05/17/82 DF22 Benny Feilhaber 01/19/85 MD23 Marcus Hahnemann 06/15/72 GKManager Bob Bradley Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

STARTERS
Lille has won the French Ligue 1 Championship. It is their first title since 1954!
dN
NSC Minnesota Stars game watch party Mon May 23 8:30pm - Sweetwater in St Paul - the team is in Edmonton for the first time ever.
dN
UNAM Pumas has won the Mexican Primera Clausura championship.

So much going on this morning... I'm trying to get my thoughts together for my Press-Enterprise column so this kind of a rough draft for that...
I was originally going to focus on the Gold Cup but there's a lot to get to so I think I'll have my expanded Gold Cup thoughts right here since I've gotta get them out somewhere and Twitter's 140-character limit isn't quite enough.

STARTERS
Seattle Sounders v New York Red Bulls - last night - attendance: 46,065 - amazing. Seattle knows how to do it right.
dN
Inter Milan has named Gian Piero Gasperini as its new manager.
-He was fired last fall by Genoa.
THE FIFA SCANDAL STORY NEVER ENDS
The Trinidad Guardian reports that Jack Warner's resignation is the only thing that kept him from being found guilty by the FIFA ethics committee.

The Philly Soccer Page " Stat Chat: Union v Chivas USA
You know the old line, "It was a game of two halves." And so it was on Saturday. In the first half the Union managed five shots, only one of which was on goal.

Roger Torres: The Playmaker | Philly Union Talk
Playmaker. Number 10.

By Dr. Raf Crowley ...weird game b/c Bobbo did all he could do. F@#* Bornstein...... The Yanks are Coming Editor in Chief Neil W. Blackmon after Mexico's second goal Saturday night. ....No one can answer the "who is better" claim without the laughable Klinsmann assertion.... – NWB a little while after the game after [.

STARTERS - BOB BRADLEY IS OUT
Bob Bradley was fired today as head coach of the USA national team. The federation has stated that they will have another announcement tomorrow. Don't know if that will be about a new coach, or an interim, or etc etc etc.
We here at du Nord are big fans of coach Bradley and want to thank him for all his hard work, and wish him all the best in his next endeavor.

Bob Bradley's out, and tomorrow, in all likelihood, we learn the replacement1.

I'm not a Bradley hater or apologist. I think he's a fine coach, even if he's tactically limited/cautious, too attached to "trusted" players"2, and lacks the appropriate personality for the grandest stage3. He'll probably pop up somewhere in MLS next year and have a fine career to follow, maybe even fine enough that he gets a second chance at the adult table someday.

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?

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?

Episode 129: "Scott is Bald, Large and In Charge"
Host: Scott Bornstein
Panel: Mark Fishkin, Zach Woosley, Ped McPartland
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The 2011 edition of the Winning Ugly Champions League begins with the first of three qualifiers.

Episode 130: "I'm Like a Teenage Girl Around Fredy Montero"
Host: Scott Bornstein
Panel: Ted Meyer, Keith Hickey, Brian Cormack
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After the Champions League got off to a roaring start last week, we're back to normal play with the return of the CSRN Cub, Ted Meyer and two newbies, Keith Hickey and Brian Cormack.

1. Much like the Project 2010 Blog, Oguchi Onyewu will rise from the ashes today, getting a rare start. He won't quite look like his old self (see: Oguchi Onyewu, Confederations Cup 2009), but it will be promising. He'll get beat where he shouldn't on a couple of occasions, but he'll show some ability to recover, which he's been lacking for a while.

1. Much like the Project 2010 Blog, Oguchi Onyewu will rise from the ashes today, getting a rare start. He won't quite look like his old self (see: Oguchi Onyewu, Confederations Cup 2009), but it will be promising. He'll get beat where he shouldn't on a couple of occasions, but he'll show some ability to recover, which he's been lacking for a while.