Robben. Kuyt. Huntelaar. Van Bommel. Sneijder. van Bronckhorst. Stekenlenburg. These are the names the USMNT will be facing down as they continue to lay down the pavement on their road to the World Cup.

The Orange Machine will be sporting some heavy hitters, and the USMNT will be no different.

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The U.S. National Team roster for next Wednesday's friendly against Holland in Amsterdam is out, and former Wizards striker Eddie Johnson is on the list. The 20-player roster is comprised of 16 Euro-based players, 3 MLS players and Jose Francisco Torres of the Mexican Primera Division. The big-time match against one of the most skilled and precise teams in the world kicks off at 1:30 p. Click to continue reading...

Bob Bradley has named a 20-player roster to face the Netherlands at Amsterdam ArenA on March 3. Kickoff for the match is set for 2:30 p.m. ET with live coverage on ESPN2 and Galavision.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (7): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (7): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Everton), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley named the 20-man roster for Wednesday's friendly vs. the Netherlands in Amsterdam and, as expected, the roster is loaded with European-based players.

Just three of the 20 players called up for the match are MLS players, four counting Landon Donovan, who is currently with Everton on loan from the LA Galaxy.

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Well no goals from any Americans playing abroad thus far this weekend so I thought I'd post one that Michael Bradley scored for Borussia Mönchengladbach against Bayern Munich. Go USA!

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Es war am Ende ein hartes Stück Arbeit, doch nach der Hälfte der Fußball-Bundesliga Saison 2009/2010 steht die Mannschaft von Bayer 04 Leverkusen ganz oben in der Tabelle und sicherte sich folglich die Herbstmeisterschaft. Die "Werkself" darf sich zum zweiten Mal in der Vereinsgeschichte "Herbstmeister" nennen – selbiges gelang auch bereits in der Saison 2001/2002.

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• From the archives: a video interview with Robert Enke. (Deutsche Welle)
• The script for the Hertha movie is still being written, but you can already take a peek at the soundtrack. (Ballspiel)
• The Bundesliga's slapstacular weekend. (Guardian)
• Talent spotting: Hamburg's Eljero Elia.

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Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-3 Hannover 96
German Bundesliga - 12.12.2009
When a team concedes one own goal in a match you'd generally consider it unfortunate. Two own goals in a match has to go down as a rarity. But to concede three own goals in one game? Well that's just careless.
I just caught some Bundesliga highlights of Borussia Mönchengladbach's 5-3 win over Hannover 96 last weekend and by the end of it I was chuckling away to myself in complete disbelief, as I'm sure the majority of Gladbach fans were too. Click to continue reading...

... is to score more own goals. A player who scored an own goal will usually feel horrible about it. Even more so when he cost his team not just a goal but valuable points or at worst even a trophy. Depending on the overall comedic value of his blunder, the player will receive further ridicule [...] Click to continue reading...

Alle Welt spricht über den Wettskandal. Bestochene Fußballspieler da, vergiftetes Essen dort, Schiedsrichter-Fehlentscheidungen überall. Da will natürlich niemand durch eine unterirdische Leistung auf dem Platz auffallen, um jedem Verdachtsmoment zu entrinnen. Nicht so gut hat sich dabei Hannover 96 im gestrigen Spiel gegen Borussia Mönchengladbach angestellt.

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Wenn ein Spiel mit 5:3 endet, dann muss es ein ganz besonderes gewesen sein – eins von der Art eben, das nicht allzu oft vorkommt. Mit diesem Ergebnis trennten sich Borussia Mönchengladbach und Hannover 96 gegen 17:20 Uhr am heutigen Samstag beim 16. Spieltag der Fußball-Bundesliga. Doch wenn man nicht nur das Ergebnis, sondern auch die Entstehung dieses Ergebnisses genauer unter die Lupe nimmt, so war es ein noch viel unglaublicheres Spiel.

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Some sad, some odd and some encouraging records.

100. After already missing 100+ sitters much earlier in his career, Kevin Kuranyi now scored his 100th Bundesliga goal on Sunday. He scored it against Hertha, mind you, but congratulations anyway! He is the 47th player in the history of the Bundesliga to score 100 or more goals.

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Es ist etwas Ruhe eingekehrt – in München – nach dem Sieg in der Champions League und dem 3:0-Erfolg gegen Hannover 96 am vergangenen Spieltag. Doch die nächsten zwei Spiele werden schwer. Zum einen fordert van Gaal volle Konzentration auf das Spiel gegen Borussia Mönchengladbach an diesem Spieltag in der Fußball-Bundesliga.

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Borussia Mönchengladbach wasn't the club you'd go to to watch some attractive attacking football last season. The team was fighting relegation and their coach Hans Meyer was willing to bring back from the dead whatever it took sweepers, man marking etc. to grind out the necessary results.

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Edgar Castillo fue convocado de nuevo por Bradley, técnico de los Estados Unidos para el partido de éste miércoles ante Dinamarca, en Aarhus.

Edgar debió de haberse presentado ayer lunes en Dinamarca junto con Stuart Holden y Ricardo Clark jugadores del Dynamo para unirse el grupo que ya está en aquel país.

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Bob Bradley added four players over the weekend to his roster for the upcoming friendly in Denmark. Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden, and Edgar Castillo.

José Francisco Torres was initially called into the camp for Denmark and has since been excused for personal reasons.

Steve Cherundolo, Clint Dempsey and Chad Marshall have been released back to their clubs after the USA's 1-0 loss to Slovakia on Nov.

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Edgar Castillo, Stuart Holden, Jose Francisco Torres, and Ricardo Clark were called in. Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundolo and Chad Marshall have been sent home.

The full squad:

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton), Troy Perkins (Valerenga)

DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Edgar Castillo (Tigres), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

MIDFIELDERS: Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)

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Edgar Castillo, Stuart Holden, Jose Francisco Torres, and Ricardo Clark were called in. Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundolo and Chad Marshall have been sent home.

The full squad:

GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton), Troy Perkins (Valerenga)

DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Edgar Castillo (Tigres), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

MIDFIELDERS: Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Eddie Johnson (Fulham)

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Edgar Castillo has been called into his first U.S. national team camp.

The New Mexico native and former Mexican national team player was one of four new players called into the U.S. men's national team camp ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Denmark.

Midfielders Stuart Holden and Jose Francisco Torres were also called in, as was Ricardo Clark.

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Edgar Castillo has been called into his first U.S. national team camp.

The New Mexico native and former Mexican national team player was one of four new players called into the U.S. men's national team camp ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Denmark. He will be joining the U.S. team for the first time since the new FIFA rule that allowed him to change national team affiliations from Mexico to the United States.

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Marcus Hahnemann is back in the US MNT roster with his new ride (hint: it's his bike don't get you hopes up for a pimped out 1970s army tank or something), but first, the best news of the week from The AP:

U.S. forward Charlie Davies was released from a Washington hospital on Tuesday nearly a month after a car accident killed a fellow passenger.

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Sad news today. Robert Enke, Hannover and Germany's goalkeeper has been found dead in an underground train passage in Neustadt am Rübenberge, Germany. According to police, it appears the 32 year-old has committed suicide by train.

Enke hadn't been playing a lot due to a mysterious infection.

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I guess the late season run for FC Dallas helped cash things in for a couple guys as Bob Bradley named a handful of FC Dallas players to his 22-man roster for the Slovakia friendly later this month.

Also the loss of Columbus in the playoffs meant callups for a few Crew players as well.

To me though the big news may be the re-call of Eddie Johnson, someone we haven't seen called into action in a very long time.

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The top of the league collectively dropped points, allowing Hoffenheim to close the gap but not much more. The bottom of the league collectively dropped points, allowing Hertha to keep dreaming about Bundesliga survival but not much more.

Rookie Coach of the Year. Also known as the Markus Babbel Trophy.

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Vintage, in this context, means 1970s and brilliant. Borussia Mönchengladbach were the league's most dominant club during that decade and won a then record five Bundesliga titles. Moreover they were also the ambassadors of style, with inspirational midfield and attacking talent in players like Jupp Heynckes, Günter Netzer (Ballon d'Or runner up 1972) or Allan SImonsen (Ballon d'Or 1977).

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After a joyous weekend during which the US Men's National team clinched qualification for the 2010 World Cup, tragedy struck when Charlie Davies USMNT and Sochaux was involved in a horrific one-car collision on October 13th.
Elsewhere, Michael Bradley scored in Borussia Mönchengladbach's loss. Click to continue reading...

Not much change as one might expect at this stage of the competition, while Robbie Rogers, Landon Donovan and Jonathan Bornstein all retain their spots.

A victory in either game and the U.S. has booked a spot in South Africa.

The squad (with club and WC caps and goals):

Goalkeepers - Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton: 14/8 SO)

Defenders - Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 24/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 4/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards: 1/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 18/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 3/0)

Midfielders - Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 13/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 7/1), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 20/5), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 4/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 3/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 6/0)

Forwards - Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 11/6), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Kenny Cooper (1860 Munich: 1/1), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 5/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 33/11).

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The United States has two key 2010 World Cup Qualifiers in the CONCACAF region and has named their roster. The two matches will be against Honduras on October 10 and against Costa Rica on October 14. Here's the full roster named on Thursday, October 1, 2009.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton: 14/8 SO)

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 24/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 4/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards: 1/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 18/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 3/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 13/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 7/1), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 20/5), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 4/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 3/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 6/0)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 11/6), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Kenny Cooper (1860 Munich: 1/1), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 5/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 33/11)

*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

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Hamburg remain in control of the top, Hertha remain in control of the bottom and with his wins over Bochum, Dortmund and the Schalke fans Felix Magath is now in total control of the Ruhr Valley.

Battle Chess. When a commenter on one of Germany's public broadcasters attempted to summarize and categorize the match between Hamburg and Bayern, he kept talking about this game being for tactic freaks, but with an uncertainty to his statements, as though he didn't really know what was going on and didn't want to admit to it.

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There are many legendary football players. There are many legendary hair styles. But only a select few managed to combine the two. Germany and Borussia Mönchengladbach playmaker Günter Netzer is one who had the hair of legends.

This post sets out to tell its' story.

Season 1965/1966 to 1966/1967

Here's the template from which to start.

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There are many legendary football players. There are many legendary hair styles. But only a select few managed to combine the two. Germany and Borussia Mönchengladbach playmaker Günter Netzer is one who had the hair of legends.

This post sets out to tell its' story.

Season 1965/1966 to 1966/1967

Here's the template from which to start.

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Es ist Montag, der erste Arbeitstag der Woche ist vorbei. Zeit, auf zwei Highlights des vergangenen Spieltages hinzuweisen. An erster Stelle steht ein blutjunger Mann, der nicht nur durch seinen Vornamen, sondern auch aufgrund seines äußerlichen Erscheinunsbildes an Marko Marin erinnert. Klein, schmächtig, aber ein Dribbler vor dem Herren.

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In addition to Columbus Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers, uncapped former Galaxy striker Robbie Findley was also called up for the games Sept. 5 against El Salvador in Salt Lake City and Sept. 9 in Trinidad & Tobago

Here's the full 23-man squad U.S. Coach Bob Bradley named today for the qualifiers:

goalkeepers - Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 12/7 SO)

defenders - Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 22/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 2/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 3/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew: 2/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 17/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 2/0)

midfielders - Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake: 0/0), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 11/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 6/0), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 18/4), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 2/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 1/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 5/0)

forwards - Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 9/5), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 3/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 31/11), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake: 0/0)

*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

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Derby County fans - look away now...
15 Derby Matches Played Around The World
1. Basque Derby - Real Sociedad v Athletic Bilbao (Spain)
2. Borussen-Derby - Borussia Dortmund v Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany)
3. The City Derby - Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory (Australia)
4. Click to continue reading...

Bob Bradley has named his squad for the crucial World Cup Qualifier against Mexico this week, in a game that is being dubbed the most important game in U.S. soccer history.

The U.S. has never won in Mexico and the U.S. team will have to overcome the grueling combination of altitude, smog and more than 100,000 hostile fans if they are going to pull off a famous victory.

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Some countries in Europe have already begun the domestic calendar, a few started their cup competitions this weekend, while other teams are wrapping up their preseason schedules. Here's a few notes from the past few days:

• Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach got past FSV Frankfurt in the DFB Pokal Cup.

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I tend to get too excited about the young kids, when they move. I will often over-value the transfers of the the Zuculini, Sven Bender and Lewis Holtby's of the footballing world. I will see Ralf Fahrmann's move to Eintracht as the bargain of the century. But youth takes time to develop, so this year I am going to concentrate on the seven best transfers made so far this summer, in relation to how the players will aid their teams in the coming year.

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The DFB Pokal Cup kicks off this weekend in Germany as teams from the Bundesliga get set to take on lower division sides. Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach face FSV Frankfurt, while Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96 travel to meet Eintracht Trier on Sunday. Luis Robles and Kaiserslautern get the action underway on Friday with a game against Eintracht Braunschweig. Click to continue reading...

Derek Rae of ESPN was kind enough to speak to me at length about Germany and German football. If you have access to ESPN/ESPN International, you may be accustomed to Rae's commentary for the Champions League, La Liga or even Eredivisie; therefore, you might find that an interview of a football announcer who doesn't announce Bundesliga games a bit odd.

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German international attacking midfielder Marko Marin is finally heading to Werder Bremen after striking an agreement to meet Borussia Monchengladback's 10million euro asking price, an initial figure that has caused the transfer to develop into a hard-fought saga.
The Bosnian-born 20-year-old, praised by Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf as "One of the biggest talents in German football,"could have walked away on a free transfer in twelve months but Monchengladback were relentless in ensuring they received an adequate fee for their highly-rated creative midfielder. Click to continue reading...