A lot has been made of the players this summer who have left Major League Soccer for higher wages in Europe. I figured since today was a slower news day I would take a look at the next group of guys that could potentially cash in on a move across the pond. Feel free to give [...] Click to continue reading...

The day before the Olympics officially begin with the opening ceremonies, what is really the U.S. Men's Under-23 National Team (with three over-age players) plays at 2 a.m. our time on MSNBC against Japan in its Group B opener.

The U.S. roster:

goalkeepers Brad Guzan (Aston Villa) and Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake; defenders Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC); midfielders Freddy Adu (Monaco), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio); forwards Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Brian McBride (Chicago Fire), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew).

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Across the internet I see the panic button being pushed after this match. Sure both the performance and result were not encouraging, but the back line thought to be the weakness of this side when the squad was named over two weeks ago now looks like a rock at the back entering the Olympic Games.

In the opening forty five minutes, Sacha Kljestan and Stuart Holden were both poor out wide as was Michael Bradley in the middle and Jozy Altidore up top.

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Olympic squads were finalized today. Here are the MLS, USL and NCAA based players as well a list of former MLS players particpating. Michael Boxall/New Zealand Craig Henderson/New Zealand Chris Seitz/USA Mo Edu/USA Marvell Wynne/USA Patrick Ianni/USA Michael Parkhurst/USA Stuart Holden/USA Robbie Rogers/USA Sacha Kljestan/USA Dax McCarty/USA Brian McBride/USA Emanuel Ekpo/Nigeria  FORMER MLS PLAYERS Ramon Nunez/Honduras Carlos Pavon/Honduras Ryan Nelson/New Zealand Simon Elliot/New Zealand Samuel Caballero/Honduras Freddy Adu/USA Michael Bradley/USA Danny Szetela/USA Jozy Altidore/USA Bookmark to: Click to continue reading...

The United States Men's Olympic Football squad for Beijing 2008: Coach: Piotr Nowak (43) Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (23) (Chivas USA) Chris Seitz (21) (Real Salt Lake) Defenders: Patrick Ianni (23) (Houston Dynamo) Michael Orozco (22) (San Luis, Mexico) Michael Parkhurst (24) (New England Revolution) Nathan Sturgis (21) (Real Salt Lake) Marvell Wynne (22) (Toronto FC, Canada) Midfielders: Freddy Adu (19) (Monaco, France) Michael Bradley (20) (SC Heerenveen, Holland) Maurice [. Click to continue reading...

With smart overage call-ups Brian McBride, Brad Guzan and Michael Parkhurst the U.S. Olympic doesn't look horrible.

Goalkeepers: Guzan, Chris Seitz.
Defenders: Patrick Ianni, Michael Orozco, Parkhurst, Nathan Sturgis, Marvell Wynne.
Midfielders: Freddy Adu, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Sacha Kljestan, Danny Szetela, Robbie Rogers. Click to continue reading...

Peter Nowak named his sqaud for the Beijing Olympics. The team includes several current and former MLS players. Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC and Houston Dynamo are all losing 2 players to Nowak's Olympic roster while the Columbus Crew, Chivas USA and the New England Revolution will be missing a single player to Nowak during the Olympics.

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With the Olympics about three weeks away, Salt Lake fans have something to be truly proud of; a fine export of talented players overseas to the Beijing Olympics. Real Salt Lake has been blessed with the selections of Midfielder, Nathan Sturgis and Goalkeeper, Chris Seitz to the 18 man roster with Forward, Robbie Findley [. Click to continue reading...

Happy Monday to all here as we are a hours away from the international summer transfer window opening back up for all clubs to trade parts, find new and exciting and whatever else those clubs do with the transfer window. But before an influx of new talent comes into Major League Soccer I wanted to spend [. Click to continue reading...

GOALKEEPERS (2): Dominic Cervi (out of contract), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (7): Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)

FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire),
Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

note: final squad yet to be announced


Men's Olympic Group B Schedule

Date Match-up Venue Kickoff (Local/ET) Aug. Click to continue reading...

Bob Bradley named his squad today for the irrelevant return World Cup qualifying leg in Barbados Sunday (caps and goals are in parentheses): goalkeepers Dominic Cervi (out of contract: 0/0), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA: 1/1 SO), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake: 0/0); defenders Carlos Bocanegra (out of contract: 12/1), Dan Califf (FC Midtjylland: 1/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC: 0/0), Drew Moor (FC Dallas: 0/0) Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege: 8/0), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock: 1/0); mikdfielders DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers: 15/4), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen: 1/1), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA: 0/0), Eddie Lewis (Derby County: 18/2), Danny Szetela (Brescia: 0/0), John Thorrington (Chicago Fire: 0/0; forwards Freddy Adu (SL Benfica: 1/0), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire: 0/0), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire: 0/0).

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GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Dominic Cervi (out of contract),  Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake) DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Dan Califf (FC Midtjylland), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Drew Moor (FC Dallas) Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock) MIDFIELDERS: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Eddie Lewis (Derby County), [. Click to continue reading...

USA vs. Barbados
Sunday - 2:55p ET/11:55a PT
TV: ESPN Classic & Galavision (Spanish)

Bob Bradley has released his 18-man roster for the second leg of the US-Barbados World Cup Qualifier. With the US up 8-0, the starting lineup is likely to include a number of younger players. Click to continue reading...

So my wife is taking the day off work to watch the Portugal-Germany Euro 2008 quarterfinal (11:30 a.m. ESPN).

I'm goiing to work in part because of tonight's Chivas USA-Chicago Fire game at Home Depot Center (7:30 ESPN2).

What's wrong with this picture?

A preview of the MLS game tonight is here.

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A report by the Tampa Tribune in Florida says the Tampa Bay Rowdies will be back next season, playing in the USL First Division!

~and~

Barbados captain Norman Forde commenting on last Sunday's 8-0 loss to the USA: "I have never been this down. Since we returned Monday, I have not even left home. Click to continue reading...

Bob Bradley and me - thinking alike!
Well, so far, at least. Bradley has started bringing in the new players for Barbados, and the first two, Danny Szetela and Chris Seitz, were ones on my list. Now, if he picks the rest of the eight I had, well, that would be a little eerie. Click to continue reading...

With the big 8-0 lead leaving no doubt about the return leg to Barbados, a number of players have been excused by Bob Bradley for a break or to return to their MLS clubs.

10 new spots open up on the roster.

Brian Ching, Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundolo, Landon Donovan, Brad Guzan, Frankie Hejduk, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Pablo Mastroeni, and Matt Reis have been released. Click to continue reading...

This clinches it: we need to discuss the overage options for the U-23 squad this summer.

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McBride on the U-23 squad? Yes, please. He's a great option, and for so many reasons:

1) The national depth pool at forward is seriously lacking; we don't have many quality options. Click to continue reading...

My heart is still pounding. I can't believe how disappointed I am.

Here's the only thing I can figure about this game: Austria made a brilliant substitution and Rongen failed the world with his. The US pressed and pressed and should have finished, but the clock seemed to pound louder than their hearts and every chance was squandered.

Seitz put in a hero's performance, injured and playing through the rain, but in the end the conditions proved to much even for him and the Austrians slipped through. Click to continue reading...

First half
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- Adu has stayed surprisingly consistent throughout the tournament. The same applies for this game.

- Austria look big and slow, perfectly suited for the US' style of play. (See: Adu, Altidore, Bradley.) The US has the physicality to compete with just about any U-20 side in the world; where their ability lies is their ability to temper that physicality with speed on the flanks and creativity in the middle. Click to continue reading...

It's just as I feared: Seitz won't be playing against Uruguay. Ives is pegging Perk for the start. I hope the kid has been good in practice, because Seitz has been phenomenal on the pitch. This strikes a bit of fear in my heart.

The only solace I have is that Seitz wasn't kept out of the match by the knock he picked up during the game v. Brazil. Click to continue reading...

USSoccer.com (along with Center Circle & Studio90) tends to deviate sometimes from being the mouthpiece of US Soccer Federation to the lowdown, player-access type website you would expect from a club team. I really like that.

Recently they've come up with an interview with US U-20 and senior MNT hopeful, Chris Seitz. Spectacular kid, one of the gems against Brazil, and one of the few players whom I would personally select as a soccer ambassador from my nation to the footballing world at large. Click to continue reading...

What a thrilling match. Fantastic. As a soccer fan, I am thoroughly enjoying myself. With this win, the US is one of the strongest contenders for U-20 World Cup glory. I predict an amazing run towards the final.

Let's get right into it. In no particular order:

Outstanding players in the first half
(US)

-Sal Zizzo did a great job at right wing and his drives toward goal were one of the US' most consistently dangerous threats throughout the match. Click to continue reading...