Jurgen Klinsmann has been a polarizing figure since being named head coach of the USMNT, for me the jury is still out. Soon the US U23's will begin the qualifying rounds to earn their ticket London and the 2012 summer games. The problem I have at the moment (and this just might be my brain) is that Klinsmann isn't being too positive about the whole thing.

Philadelphia Union

The Goalkeeper has a transcript of Wednesday's press conference with Peter Nowak. Among the highlights:

On Pajoy: "He's a guy who brings not only character but also a mentality to the game. He's very physical, and very fast as well. He can change the game, because he's a different option.

David Beckham's reent ejection from a youth soccer game has been receiving a lot of attention in the press. To hear Becks describe it, he quite rightly protested a referee ejecting a 7-year old from a youth soccer game and the ref kicked him out of the park as a result.

If Beckham's telling is accurate, it seems the ref overreacted twice and this is all much ado about nothing.

We pick our Camp Cupcake USMNT starting XI to face Venezuela. It will be similar to Klinsmann's selection, just better. We also play a USMNT abroad-themed game of Over/Under with Taylor and give our reactions to Eric Wynalda's already infamous speech and Robbie Findley's seemingly impossible miss.

Where's Waldo? The question should instead be, Where isn't he?

Former US international and current Fox Soccer broadcaster Eric Wynalda may be called many things, but one of them is definitely not "shrinking violet." Wynalda, at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

Eric Wynalda's NSCCA Seminar

A full transcript isn't out yet, but this Storify of tweets by Philly.com writer Tannenwald captures the essence of Wynalda. That essence shows a certain affinity for pro/rel, split schedules, incentivized contracts and professional training.

Episode 04: Wynalda is Even Crazier Than We Thought

On this special edition, I react to Eric Wynalda's free form comedy show at today's NSCAA Convention in Kansas City. The details of which were brought to us via Twitter thanks to Jonathan Tannenwald. More importantly, I'm joined by Sarah Wilson who was there in person for the entire speech and offers her reactions.

Episode 04: Wynalda is Even Crazier Than We Thought

On this special edition, I react to Eric Wynalda's free form comedy show at today's NSCAA Convention in Kansas City. The details of which were brought to us via Twitter thanks to Jonathan Tannenwald. More importantly, I'm joined by Sarah Wilson who was there in person for the entire speech and offers her reactions.

Episode 02: Eric Wynalda is the Art Bell of American Soccer

On this edition of the show, I explain why Eric Wynalda is the Art Bell of American Soccer...and why it's either a clever bit of genius or he's just completely insane. Either way, American soccer fans should be warned not to take him seriously.

Episode 02: Eric Wynalda is the Art Bell of American Soccer

On this edition of the show, I explain why Eric Wynalda is the Art Bell of American Soccer...and why it's either a clever bit of genius or he's just completely insane. Either way, American soccer fans should be warned not to take him seriously.

The dust has settled somewhat from part one of our interview with former U.S. Men's National Team forward and current Fox Soccer analyst Eric Wynalda.
Part two includes our conversation about working for Fox Soccer, what it's like to put on the red, white, and blue and play for your country, owning a soccer team, and his favorite beer.

The dust has settled somewhat from part one of our interview with former U.S. Men's National Team forward and current Fox Soccer analyst Eric Wynalda.
Part two includes our conversation about working for Fox Soccer, what it's like to put on the red, white, and blue and play for your country, owning a soccer team, and his favorite beer.

Photo Credit: John Todd / MLSTo say Eric Wynalda is opinionated does do him justice. The man has opinions about opinions! When we caught up with the former Men's National Team player and current Fox Soccer deskman he had just finished recording his podcast, "Sent Off", with fellow Fox man, Christian Miles.

Photo Credit: John Todd / MLSTo say Eric Wynalda is opinionated does do him justice. The man has opinions about opinions! When we caught up with the former Men's National Team player and current Fox Soccer deskman he had just finished recording his podcast, "Sent Off", with fellow Fox man, Christian Miles.

The holiday season is over and now its time to turn our attention to our regular business coverage. We'll start 2012 with a potpourri of media related items. First, longtime ESPN soccer personality Rob Stone has officially moved to Fox Soccer to serve as their primary soccer studio host. He will be joined by former United States International Eric Wynalda who serve as the primary studio analyst.

Changeover at ESPN and Arlo White being hired to be the new voice NBC Sports soccer coverage has raised some interesting discussions on just what exactly makes for a good television announcer in Major League Soccer coverage. Debates over what matters, how credibility is earned and why an accent can make a difference have all been waged.

Changeover at ESPN and Arlo White being hired to be the new voice NBC Sports soccer coverage has raised some interesting discussions on just what exactly makes for a good television announcer in Major League Soccer coverage. Debates over what matters, how credibility is earned and why an accent can make a difference have all been waged.

Editor's note: Heard about this happening but didn't catch it. In any case, some fun speculation as to what Kasey Keller's appearance on Fox Soccer Channel could mean for his future with the Sounders. - Jeremiah

My wife and I almost missed it as we sat down to watch a DVR of Chelsea hosting Valencia in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage in what was an elimination game.

Their Words It would be better for US Soccer, and specifically also for the National Team. And the popularity inside the country. FIFA president Sepp Blatter telling Fox Soccer's Eric Wynalda that he believes MLS should adopt the traditional season schedule. Other Sources Dynamo soar into offseason with optimism - from The Houston Chronicle's Jose De Jesus Ortiz: "On the field, it's very bright.

Can't shake it.

Just can't shake it.

The US Men's team came under fire after Friday's loss to France for its inability to create attacking chances and it's failure to scintillate under new manager Jurgen Klinsmann. For a brief moment now, with a 3-2 victory on the road in Slovenia, the nervous fidgeting that was beginning to surround the team and it's new manager has quelled.

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Carlos Bocanegra has enjoyed a distinguished career as a U.S. national team defender, and he joined exclusive company on Tuesday, becoming the 12th player in U.S. Soccer history to reach 100 caps.

The steady U.S. captain marked the 3-2 victory over Slovenia by joining Cobi Jones, Jeff Agoos, Landon Donovan, Marcelo Balboa, Claudio Reyna, Paul Caligiuri, Eric Wynalda, Kasey Keller, Earnie Stewart, Tony Meola and Joe-Max Moore in the century club at the start of his 90-minute shift.

Their Words For me, the best part of it all was sharing the moment and that feeling with my teammates. Throughout the whole World Cup, you could see the spirit and the strength of the team, and it was reflected in the way we celebrated goals. USA midfielder Michael Bradley on scoring against Slovenia in the 2010 World Cup.

TEAM USA - EL EQUIPO DE TODOS
SPECIAL NOTE: Soccer By Ives uncovered info from Panama that the USA will play a friendly in Panama City on Wed Jan 25.
-You can also expect to see another friendly match to be scheduled for Sat Jan 21 on USA soil.
dN
Today is Slovenia and what on paper should be an easier game than last Friday in Paris.

FC Dallas winger Brek Shea will soon set camp at Arsenal's training site in leafy Hertfordshire, about 45 minutes from the Emirates.

(Sounds quite nice, eh? He told me last week that he's a tea guy, not a coffee guy, so he'll fit right in.)

D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid won't be far away, training at EPL side West Bromich Albion.

Editor's Note: With all due respect and a thousand plaudits to "Dirty Tackle" (It's only fair... they spun off one of our series, too) we present the potentially true life and times of America's favorite soccer commentator, John Harkes.


A few years back I decided to start my own blog.

The annual NSCAA convention just got a lot more fun with the announcement that two MISL teams, The Comets and Wings, will play a match during the weekend long soccer convention taking place this year in Kansas City, MS.
The MISL put out the following press release regarding the NSCAA match:
The MISL's Missouri Comets will play their annual "Retro Game" honoring the area's rich indoor soccer history against the Wichita Wings at Sprint Center on January 14, 2012, during the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Annual Convention in Kansas City.

The annual NSCAA convention just got a lot more fun with the announcement that two MISL teams, The Comets and Wings, will play a match during the weekend long soccer convention taking place this year in Kansas City, MS.
The MISL put out the following press release regarding the NSCAA match:
The MISL's Missouri Comets will play their annual "Retro Game" honoring the area's rich indoor soccer history against the Wichita Wings at Sprint Center on January 14, 2012, during the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Annual Convention in Kansas City.

Shana, Kirsten, and Amanda start this week's show with a preview of the MLS wild card and playoff games, and some Houston v. Philly trash talk for good measure. Amanda has a funny feeling about Seattle, and once again, you may not want to listen if you support DC or NY. Sorry! In the second segment, they discuss World Cup rights moving to Fox from 2015 on, what that could mean for the WNT and youth national teams, and shudder at the prospect of Eric Wynalda trying to plug The X-Factor.

Dempsey has Produced throughout his Career for the National Team
Clint Dempsey has proven himself a consistent goal scorer throughout his eight year career with the national team. He debuted in 2004, playing 25 minutes as a sub and in every year since he's managed to score at least two goals.

I wrote for SI.com this morning about Jurgen Klinsmann and his biggest challenge ahead: identifying that final 10 percent, that little "something extra" from a talented young group that still clearly needs some seasoning.

Anecdotally, we can all see that something is surely missing, that extra sliver of quality that makes the difference at the highest level.

In 2008 Landon Donovan became the all-time leading scorer for the Men's National Team when he converted a penalty in the USA's 2-0 win against Sweden here at The Home Depot Center.
Donovan's goal was his 35th, taking him past Eric Wynalda in the all-time chart. Since then Donovan has continued to find the net, and his record now stands at 46.

The Chicago Fire tasted their first defeat in Reserves League play yesterday. Colorado pulled out a 2-0 victory in a reversal of Saturday night's senior squad game final score. Guillermo Rivera has a recap on the game play over at Chicago Fire Confidential along with an interesting bit on Eric Wynalda being in attendance and sitting next to Frank Klopas during the match.

David McNabb is a buddy who worked with me at The Dallas Morning News back in the day. Yesterday, he saw something I wrote about Jurgen Klinsmann and told me a quick story via Facebook. It's so quintessentially Klinsi. Remember, this was around the time Klinsmann was discovering the United States on summer drives.

Jason. Jared. So You Think You Can Dance? tapings and Jared stepping out on AmSoc. Drama. Well, not really.

The boys, having done the show before the USWNT's loss in the World Cup final, talk about other things. First, it's Jared's super aweseme week, reality dancing competitions and guest spots on other soccer shows included.

USWNT

Abby Wambach says the US is ready to face Japan.

The USA v France Women's World Cup semifinal was the fourth most watched USWNT match ever. An average of 3.35 million people watched the match on ESPN, another 450,000 on ESPN3. Philly was not one of the top-five markets for that or any of the games.

My latest piece for SI.com is up, and while I worked hard to both confirm the story and verify facts with US Soccer itself, I was accused by some in the organization of "tabloid journalism".
Never mind that what Michael Bradley said was done publicly, even though it was a small group of people.

Wow, in HD one can really see the sun damage on John Harkes's face. Need more make-up, John.
I love Toyota Park by the way. Great stadium. Nice views everywhere, and the brickwork is sweet.
Bretos, A. Lalas and Twellman discussing the USA loss. Twellman has an excellent point about the youth of the USA team not matching Mexico's talent with young players.

Orange Slices is our game day, catch-all post that we update during the day before the match. Don't accept substitutes, imitators or copycats! Ask for fresh, wholesome Orange Slices by name.

Orange Slices! US vs. Mexico

Hello and welcome to game day! That is, the final game for the States at Gold Cup 2011 and.

The next mention of soccer in the book on ESPN's history is on page 373, well, actually the word "soccer" isn't even mentioned, but the 1998 World Cup is, so I'm counting it.
TV exec Geoff Mason related how ABC Sports and ESPN combined for coverage of the event.
It made no sense for us to ship a prouction team from ABC to Paris and to send another production team from ESPN there as well.

The next mention of soccer in the book on ESPN's history is on page 373, well, actually the word "soccer" isn't even mentioned, but the 1998 World Cup is, so I'm counting it.
TV exec Geoff Mason related how ABC Sports and ESPN combined for coverage of the event.
It made no sense for us to ship a prouction team from ABC to Paris and to send another production team from ESPN there as well.