The Union confirmed on Wednesday through the team's Twitter account that Zac MacMath is joined in preseason training by Chase Harrison, who had temporarily joined the club late last season when Faryd Mondragon and Thorne Holder were both out with injuries before the club declined the option to sign him in November to make him available for the Re-Entry Draft.

The January friendlies are usually for the hardest of die hards. Being held outside of a FIFA sanctioned window means that player pool is reduced for both sides, and tonight's game isn't against the highest profile of opponents. Venezuela is decent, currently ranked 31st and slightly ahead of the United States by ESPN's Soccer Power Index.

Had the MLS SuperDraft not been shortened to two rounds, then a lot more scrutiny would be applied to some of the early selections in Tuesday's MLS Supplemental Draft, with those picks typically being included among teams' draft hauls from last week's main event.

As it stands, the upcoming four-round affair provides another chance for teams to bolster their rosters as training camps open across North America.

Adu had some moments.The U.S. Men's National Team opened up 2012 with some very interesting talking points. Certain call ups, certain omissions, scrimmages and of course the obvious questions that accompany such things. First up would be the scrimmage between the full team and the Under 23's.
The senior squad paid a lesson to the U23 Olympic team with a 4-0 dismantling of their younger brothers.

Philadelphia Union assistant coach John Hackworth spoke to reporters via conference call on Wednesday night ahead of today's SuperDraft. He discussed the Union's approach to the Players Combine, the possibility of trades, particularly for an international spot, and how the Union are in a different position going into the 2012 SuperDraft compared to 2010 and 2011.

Skillful wingers in the player pool are at a premium ahead of Thursday's MLS SuperDraft, but three of the top players available at the position are some of the more sought-after attackers eligible for selection.

Sam Garza, a Generation adidas signing out of UCSB who can play up top or on the wing, helped his stock considerably with his showing while playing for the adiPure team at the Combine and had a big hand in helping set up Ethan Finlay as part of the Creighton forward's hat trick.

The December camp for the U-23 Men's National Team came to a close after eight days in Florida that included eight training sessions on the field and two 90-minute intrasquad scrimmages. U-23 head coach Caleb Porter and the coaching staff got a birds eye look at much of the player pool, and spent significant time educating the group
Terence Boyd and Sebastian Lletget (pronounced leh-JET) put in two nice finishes in the game at the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton.

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

With the 2012 MLS Draft now less than a month away, I have unveiled my first Fox Soccer 2012 MLS Mock Draft in an attempt to give people a sense of how things just might shake out when teams start making their selections in Kansas City four weeks from now.

On Thursday, United States Under-23 National Team coach Caleb Porter named a 28-player roster for the December 15th-23rd training camp in Florida. "At every camp we expect to push the group forward by continuing to evaluate the player pool while imprinting the concepts of how we will play as a team on both sides of the ball," Porter said in the press release.

It's always a good sign about the your club's future when three players, well three and a potential fourth future Dynamo star, get called in to a US Men's National Team U-23 training camp. Danny Cruz, Kofi Sarkodie and Will Bruin head to Florida starting next week for a week long camp with new U-23 head coach Caleb Porter.

The Seattle Sounders' search for Kasey Keller's successor has been completed.

Seattle announced the long-rumored signing of Austrian goalkeeper Michael Gspurning on Wednesday, ushering in a new era between the posts at CenturyLink Field.

"First off, you don't replace Kasey Keller.

By AVI CREDITOR

Don't expect to be wowed by the second edition of the MLS Re-Entry Draft now that most of the big names initially available are off the table.

Between Bobby Convey being traded to Sporting Kansas City, Bobby Boswell re-signing with the Houston Dynamo, Ante Jazic re-signing with Chivas USA and Santino Quaranta retiring, the quality of the draft pool has dropped immensely.

The accolades continue to pour for 15-year-old Zachary Herivaux, a member of the New England Revolution U-16 youth team. Herivaux, a midfielder who was named one of the top five U-17 players to watch in the world by FourFourTwo magazine in June, was recently named MVP of the Eastern Independent League (EIL).

Justin Mapp -- Getty ImagesBy Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com
Any concerns over losing a portion of the Chicago Fire's roster were put to rest as the Montreal Impact made 10 selections outside of the Fire's unprotected player pool during Wednesday's MLS Expansion Draft.
Former Fire midfielder and Impact head coach Jesse Marsch inherits a franchise that selected former Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching with the top pick in the draft.

Tuesday's 3-2 win in ridiculously foggy Slovenia was big for the U.S. program. In fact, let's file this one under "Huge."

It must be qualified with this reality: Slovenia doesn't look anything like the close-knit, highly organized side that swept shockingly into World Cup 2010, riding role players and a heavy dose of esprit de corps.

Renken (middle) is Back in Camp with the Natinoal Team
We spoke to midfielder Charles Renken about his experience in this U-23 Men's National Team Camp. The midfielder seems like he has been around awhile - he was in Residency in 2008 - but he's still only 17 figures to be a part of Tab Ramos' player pool during the U-20 cycle.

Caleb Stanko Started in the Middle for Azerbaijan

A U.S. Men's National Team comprised mostly of players born in 1993 tied Azerbaijan in a scrimmage on Friday in Duisburg, Germany. U-20 Men's National Team head coach Tab Ramos led the team, which featured eight players in the starting lineup who were age eligible for the 2013 U-20 FIFA World Cup cycle.

U.S. right back Ali Krieger played 90 minutes in FFC Frankfurt's 2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Women's Champions League. Despite the loss in Paris, Frankfurt advanced to the quarter-finals on the strength of its 3-0 victory in the first leg in Germany, giving them a 4-2 aggregate goals victory.

Photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

Clint Dempsey has had a tremendous year, and now he's got the hardware to prove it.

Dempsey was named the Futbol de Primera U.S. Soccer Player of the Year on Wednesday, winning the award for the second time in his career.

If you're the sort of person who likes to discuss the history and future of the US National Team, you know you're never far from a discussion about the quality of the US player pool. Specifically, people want to understand - and argue about - why the leading economy in the world (at least for now) with the fourth largest population doesn't have a more successful international soccer pedigree.

We shouldn't be too surprised that the U.S. attack currently has all the potency of a spaghetti dinner.

First, there's no Landon Donovan. Over the last few years, the U.S. attack is cut pretty much in half when Donovan hasn't been around. His contributions to the U.S. effort have long been, in my opinion, routinely underrated.

Jurgen Klinsmann's appointment as the head coach of the US Mens National Team was met with excitement for many reasons. The stagnating program looked at Klinsmann as a proven winner who could help reestablish the USA as the dominant nation in CONCACAF while helping to build a system to make the Nats more dangerous in international competitions and against European opponents.

Some 78 clubs currently comprise US Soccer's Development Academy and three of those clubs—FC Delco, PA Classics and Players Development Academy—are part of the Philadelphia Union's Youth Development Affiliate program.

Evaluations of these clubs were first started by US Soccer in 2007 with the founding of the Development Academy.

Eclipse Select & U.S. Soccer Communications
Eclipse Select Soccer Club forward and Highland Park, Ill., native Zoe Redei is one of 36 players called up to the U.S. U-14 Girls' National Team training camp, which runs from Sunday, Sept. 18, to Sunday, Sept. 25, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

The US Men's National Team will try for its first win under new coach Jurgan Klinsmann tomorrow when it takes on CONCACAF rival Costa Rica at the Home Depot Center. Klinsmann is still getting familiar with the US player pool and has brought in a number of new faces from Europe and a couple of [...]

Kenny Dalglish will get his first real up close look at the strength in dept of the Liverpool squad when his new look side face Exeter in the 2nd round of the Carling cup.
While the clash at St James Park is not the type of midweek game that Liverpool are used to at this stage of the season, the Carling represents a chance for the Anfield club to end their recent trophy drought not to mention give some players an early season run out.

Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz

The newest member of the Philadelphia Union is our guest on the latest KYW Philly Soccer Show podcast as Freddy Adu joins KYW's Greg Orlandini and PSP's Eli Pearlman-Storch. Adu joined MLS as a 14-year-old in 2004, winning a MLS Cup with Union Coach Peter Nowak when both were at DC United.

-Ben McCormick
Say what you will about the positives Juergen Klinsmann has brought to the USMNT, there are still some things he can't change, like the US player pool...or can he? Although he may not be able to magically produce eleven world class American players, he is in a unique position to cure one of the US's most painful ailments: left back.

As reported originally on Soccer by Ives a couple of weeks ago, the Chicago Fire have signed 17 year-old striker Kellen Gulley as a Home Grown Player. Gulley comes from the Chicago Fire Juniors - Mississippi and becomes the first player from the three Juniors programs based outside of Chicagoland to sign with the club's first team.

The U.S. men's national team begin the Jurgen Klinsmann era tonight with a friendly against arch-rival Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field (9pm, ESPN2).

The United States takes on Mexico for the first time since the Gold Cup Final, which Mexico won 4-2, but the circumstances tonight are much different, with Klinsmann looking to learn about his player pool.

Forward Jozy Altidore is one member of the U.S. MNT player pool not on the roster for the game against Mexico. After a hamstring injury cut his Gold Cup short, Altidore made the move to AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie. He's been working his way back to full fitness and today he scored on his debut for the club in AZ's 3-1 win against PSV to start the season.

World Cup champ, Euro champ, Germany 2006 coach, Bayern Munich, blah, blah, blah.

Looks great from 10,000 feet, huh? That's the resume/pedigree trap. Don't fall into it, because it loves to claim victims.

Hopefully it's understood by now that sparkling player resumes don't correlate with quality coaching.

Sunil Gulati finally landed his man. It took nearly five years and multiple conversations before Jurgen Klinsmann agreed to take the helm of US Soccer. What can we expect from the Klinsmann era? To get a glimpse of what to expect all you need to do is look at what transpired in Germany after Klinsmann took over the national team on July 26, 2004.

(It was either that or "Deutsch Treat." Did I choose wisely?)

I've written before about Jürgen Klinsmann's reputation outstripping his actual resume, but the time for all that talk is over now that Klinsmann is, officially, the 35th head man in the history of the US National Team.

I went to lunch yesterday and, by the time I had finished with my blackened fish sandwich, the domestic soccer world was standing on its head.

I have a strong suspicion that we'll know who the new U.S. coach is by midday. So, I'll save the bulk of any comments / commentary until then.

This summer did not live up to the expectations of Minnesota Kings FC owner Tim Haselberger. Both the men's team and the first-year women's team struggled during the season with player attendance and missed the play-offs. However, despite the on-field disappointment, the Minnesota Kings FC organization has been taking large steps forward and is wasting no time improving the quality and size of their youth academy and adding to their training resources and facilities.

This summer did not live up to the expectations of Minnesota Kings FC owner Tim Haselberger. Both the men's team and the first-year women's team struggled during the season with player attendance and missed the play-offs. However, despite the on-field disappointment the Minnesota Kings FC organization has been taking large steps forward and is wasting no time improving the quality and size of their youth academy and adding to their training resources and facilities.

The US National Team is facing a critical period and a possible loss in identity. After being the undisputed kings of Concacaf for the majority of the last decade, Mexico has knocked us off our perch. With stronger competition for World Cup qualification, the path to Brazil will be incredibly difficult.

Finals Week has showcased some of the best youth soccer players in the United States, and there are bound to be Academy players that have made the crossover to the U.S. youth national teams. This year's Finals Week in Milwaukee is no exception, with players representing the U.S. U-15, U-17 and U-18 Men's National Teams.

Photo by lucam

As we enter July, the summer transfer market is sure to ratchet up to a fever pitch. Over the next few weeks we will focus on the top targets who may potentially make a move to or with Serie A. Today we focus on one of Italy brightest young stars, Giuseppe Rossi.

Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Rossi began his professional career when Manchester United purchased his contract from Parma as a 17 year old.