After a lengthy break in operations, Cesare Prandelli has once again convened a select band of the most able players of Italian passporture, for yet another gallant ride into the sunset, this time against the national selection of Giuseppe Rossiland, more commonly known as the United States. These two sides are not without history; having shared more than one 90 minute tryst in recent years, having played each other first at the 2006 world cup; a 1-1 draw overshadowed by a gruesome foul in which Brian McBride threw his face into Daniele De Rossi's elbow, and second; at the 2009 confederations cup, when our boys in powder blue triumphed by a score of three goals to one.

Well, this probably isn't an objective statement, but the Chicago Fire really have started off 2012 well...just in the same way that Quaker Oats breakfast products are a great way to start the day!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

In all seriousness though, I can't remember a sponsorship providing such a boost to a club in general and to a fan base in particular.

Photo: Paul Rudderow

Le Talk

Yesterday he's going, today he is staying. An article from sportinglife.com suggests that Le Toux "did not impress sufficiently" at Bolton. Owen Coyle is quoted in the article, "Sebastien came in for a couple of days, and to be fair to him he hadn't trained for four or five weeks.

Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey has made it clear that he would like his long-term future to be at a club with Champions League aspirations, alerting many potential suitors to make a move for the U.S. international.

Dempsey has scored nine goals in 22 matches so far this season, with his most recent accomplishment being a remarkable hat-trick the first for an American in the Premier League against Newcastle United.

It happens all too often in football. A player will have a good tournament or season and suddenly teams with more money than sense are lining up to sign him. And more often than not it turns out he was just a one-hit wonder and becomes an expensive bust. We all know dozens of players who fit this bill, but when it comes to American Clint Dempsey, he just may be the real deal.

Four-time World Cup champion Italy has had the upper hand against the U.S. Men's National Team since the two sides first met in 1934. The U.S. faces Italy at 8:45 p.m. local time (2:45 p.m. ET) on Wednesday in Genoa, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Galavision:
• The U.

Interesting, albeit not wholly original, read from ESPN's David Hirshey:

If it wasn't clear before last Sunday, it is so obvious now that even Piers Morgan couldn't help but notice: Fulham is everybody's second-favorite team.

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The "Fulham As Mistress" phenomenon is not new.

One of the shames of the unbalanced schedule is that teams that were developing a strong on-field rivalry are now split apart. Houston Dynamo v Seattle Sounders FC matches birthed zombie Jaqua, the Dynamo were the first team to beat Seattle in the MLS Cup Playoffs and only the LA Galaxy have played Seattle more in the MLS era.

Their Words "Fulham have been major players in increasing awareness of what American soccer players have to offer." former Fulham forward Brian McBride. Other Sources Olympic Qualifying: USA, Mex. favored for London berths - from MLSsoccer.com's Greg Lalas: As is usually the case, the USA and Mexico are favorites to qualify.

If you don't replace the foundation, the building might fall down. This applies to the national team. The upper floors of international US soccer have been furnished over the last decade with consecutive World Cup appearances and thrilling moments. We can hang the portraits of the heroes Landon Donovan, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, and Tim Howard on the walls and admire their commitment to the colors.

Familiar faces. Familiar result.

An older generation of U.S. men's national team players defeated Mexican rivals of years past, 2-0, in the Legends Game played at the Home Depot Center on Sunday night. Roy Lassiter and Brian McBride scored in the 70-minute match and goalkeeper Ian Feuer came up with several saves to give the Americans their latest dos-a-cero victory.

First, let us be among many, but hopefully not the last, to wish all our readers a Happy New Year. We wish you blessings, good fortune and health in 2012. We begin a comprehensive look at the Men's U-23 Olympic Team this week, and we're very excited about those pieces given our background as a [...]

The Legend of Clint Dempsey continues to grow at Craven Cottage.

Just over a month removed from eclipsing Brian McBride's record 36 career goals scored by an American in the English Premier League, the former Revolution midfielder pulled the trigger three times in a 4-0 FA Cup tournament victory over Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

Former Chicago Fire defender Wilman Conde wants back in Major League Soccer. This isn't news. It has been floating around for awhile now. What has changed is it now appears that a Major League Soccer team wants him back in the league as well. In fact, the New York Red Bulls have reportedly purchased his rights.

Chicago Fire original CJ Brown played in his last professional soccer game on October 23, 2010. Both Brown and teammate Brian McBride had announced their retirements days earlier. Chicago was already eliminated from the playoffs going into the game. Prior to kick-off the players knew it was going to be only the second time in the club's history that the Fire did not make the playoffs.

Brian McBride and the U.S. Men's National Team played Italy to a 1-1 draw
in the 2006 FIFA World Cup - Italy's only blemish en route to its fourth crown.

One of the more iconic images in U.

Their Words "When you play Italy, you've got to be smart enough to not get involved in some of the mental sides of the game that they're very smart at. They get you out of your game both individually and as a team." US National Team alum Brian McBride. Other Sources U.S. team not just looking for a learning experience against Italy - from SI.

COUNTDOWN TO MLS 2012 - SEASON 17

TEAM USA
This is the real deal. It will debut tomorrow in Italy.
Image courtesy of Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.

Prepare for the coming of The Sacha. Two assists off a backhanded call-up. Book it. (Or don't). - Wins and wins and more wins - Fabian Johnson is a "German gift," NYT says, lustily - Brian McBride could probably do with an elbow to DDR - Prandelli's lineup: Giovinco is fast To the AV room! - Will Parchman

Stumbled across this AMAZING website the other day that archived the entire 2002 FIFA World Cup. Relive the stunning 3-2 win over Portugal, the 1-1 tie versus South Korea, no way to the Poland match, and then watch Mexico crumble to the US in the Round of 16. We're not even going to talk about the quarter-finals.

Chicago Fire defender Dan Gargan, boisterous about the Fire's chances always on Twitter, goes video with a build-up to Saturday's game.

As Brian McBride has retired, the ambassador gauntlet has been thrown down. Gargan is running with it.

Fox Sports Media Group and ESPN will provide an unprecedented level of coverage for the final matchday of the 2011-12 English Premier League season. ESPN will be broadcasting one match while the other nine will be available on a variety of Fox Networks (on TV and online).

Full details of the schedule are below via a FSMG press release.

Greetings from Los Angeles. Trading in the training ground for the studio has been an interesting switch. Few people realize how much hard work, precision timing and copious amounts of caffeine go into making a broadcast (particularly a studio show). Below are some shots from my time on set for FOX Soccer's Match Day and Goals on Sunday.