As Klinsmann's roster to face France & Slovenia

"Morales, where'd you learn to play son?"

G: Tim Howard, Bill Hamid

The skinny: Just calling this "Double H" from now on. By the way truth Bill Hamid's email address begins with "YoungTimHoward"

DEF: D: Carlos Bocanegra, Timmy Chandler, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson, Alfredo Morales, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Oguchi Onyewu

The skinny: Was a 1st team call-up part of Morales's deal to play for the US?

As Klinsmann's roster to face France & Slovenia

"Morales, where'd you learn to play son?"

G: Tim Howard, Bill Hamid

The skinny: Just calling this "Double H" from now on. By the way truth Bill Hamid's email address begins with "YoungTimHoward"

DEF: D: Carlos Bocanegra, Timmy Chandler, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson, Alfredo Morales, Michael Orozco Fiscal, Oguchi Onyewu

The skinny: Was a 1st team call-up part of Morales's deal to play for the US?

After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the United States National Team players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection). This week Brian O'Connell and Sean Donahue contributed ratings for the USA's 1-0 loss to Ecuador.

Good first half. Familiar lack of finishing. Weak second and predictably punished. The defense did look better organized (at least until Bocanegra left) though uncomfortable against the quick counter, something that should have Mexico salivating. Anyway, just a few thoughts...
* Chandler looked really impressive at the problem left back spot.

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Landon Donovan is OUT of the upcoming USA friendlies with a thigh muscle injury. Edson Buddle has been called in to take his place.
dN
Montreal's big splashy first MLS signing is a centerback who has barely played a game since the middle of 2006 - 28 year old Colombian Nelson Rivas.

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During surgery yesterday to clean Stuart Holden's knee that he injured last spring more damage was found and more extensive surgery was needed. Do to this Holden wil not be out for 6 more MONTHS, not weeks as originally thought. Damn.
dN
Americans went an incredible 7W-0L-1D in the Europa League today, including 4 road wins!

What: The United States Men's National Team (USMNT) is hosting the Costa Rican National Team at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California tonight in an international friendly.

When/Where: 11 pm on ESPN 2. Andy Roddick and some guy with the last name of "Sock" are currently playing in the second set of their tennis match on ESPN 2.

Still exacting payback for that Saprissa disaster, I see. - Charlie Davies remembers the last time he played Costa Rica - Attack-minded is the idea of the night - No hype here... just results (hopefully) - Michael Umana is right at home tonight - Relief for all of us, Mr. Spector - A WaPo preview - Will Parchman

The P2010 Index tracks every performance of every player who suits up for the National Team during the 2014 World Cup cycle, using match ratings from the country's top soccer writers. The Index factors in recent form, strength of opponent, match type, and location, making it something like Power Rankings for the USMNT.

Thoughts on the United States 4-2 loss to Mexico;

• Cherundolo's early injury hurt the United States much more than anything else in the game. Bob Bradley had just two options to replace Dolo, Bornstein or Spector. Bornstein as it turns out was the wrong decision for so many reasons however lets not forget Spector is not exactly a track star.

::: FistedAway today welcomes a guest post from Elliott, editor of the rather lovely Futfanatico :::

Save your St. Crispin's Day speech for another tournament. Rather than roll into the semifinals of the U21 Championships, Stuart Pearce's side won the hearts, admiration, and plaudits of its home nation for a scintillating run all the way to the end of the group stage.

Saturday's game proved once again that a determined Spaniard always gets their revenge.

Grant Wahl tweeted before kick-off that Spain was resting so many starters that it was like going to see the Beatles with Ringo doing all the singing. Well, if Spain was a Ringo-only Beatles, the US was more like a full strength Rebecca Black.

We have a rather surprising line-up for the USMNT rematch with World Cup kings Spain outside Bah-ston.Before you ask: Landon Donovan is ill and thus ruled out for tonight. I cannot tell if this is the bucket or a 4-5-1/4-3-3.Howard; Lichaj, Onyewu, Ream, Spector, Edu, Jones, Kljestan, Agudelo, Rogers, Altidore- Greg Seltzer

Clint Dempsey makes it 2-0 in South Africa two years ago.

Update: The US has the following 18 available for today.

(Confirmed by US Soccer)

G: Tim Howard, Hahnemann
DEF: Lichaj, Ream, Goodson, Onyewu, Cherundolo, Spector
MID: Dempsey, Kljestan, Edu, Bradley, Jones, Rogers, Bedoya
STR: Altidore, Wondolowski, Agudelo

Notable: Landon Donovan ruled out with illness.

I'm not seeing much team news today that would prompt me to change my line-up. I'm still not convinced by Krul, not expecting Spector to play, and not expecting Olsson to line-up in midfield again. But otherwise the team sheet makes some sort of strange sense. Here's hoping. Any last minute changes to your last team today?

The P2010 Index is a ranking system based on player ratings assigned by some of the country's top soccer sites and journalist. These ratings are then weighted by strength of opponent, match significance, venue, and recent form. (It's all explained here.)

...And we're back!

Hopefully Michael will give a more detailed post-game analysis. But to me there are two takeaways from the US draw with Argentina tonight. First, that we are better off with a 4-4-2 than a 4-2-3-1. Second, that the second half of the 2 should be Juan Agudelo.

The first half was like a bad display of catenaccio for the US.

I'm discouraged by the lack of a proper ideas man in midfield, as you'd probably have guessed.Tonight, we will not see Yelldell, Lichaj, Benny or Mix in uniform. Hopefully, they will get starts against Paraguay.Enjoy the game.Howard; Spector, DeMerit, Onyewu, Bocanegra - Jones, Bradley, Edu - Dempsey, Donovan - AltidoreBench: Hahnemann, Bornstein, Ream, Chandler, Kljestan, Agudelo, BuddleAndujar;

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An important message from the creators of the great soccer movie Pelada:
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I suspect few of you get the reference to old Wendy's commercial from the '80s about how their new burger was unlike the drab competition. Unfortunately, our USMNT seems unlikely to be much like Wendy's in this respect.

Players are in the camp now for upcoming friendlies against Argentina this weekend and Paraguay shortly thereafter.

8:30am ET, live in the US on FSC
Last four head-to-head:
3-0 Liverpool (h) 11.20.10
3-0 Liverpool (h) 04.19.10
3-2 Liverpool (a) 09.19.09
3-0 Liverpool (a) 05.09.09
Last three matches:
Liverpool: 1-0 Sparta (h); 0-0 Sparta (a); 1-1 Wigan (h)
West Ham: 5-1 Burnley (h); 3-3 West Brom (a); 0-1 Brum (h)
Goalscorers (league):
Liverpool: Meireles 5; Gerrard, Kuyt 4; Maxi 3; Kyrgiakos, Ngog 2; Cole, Johnson, Skrtel, Suarez 1
West Ham: Piquionne 6; Cole, Parker 4; Obinna 3; Ba, Behrami, Noble 2; Keane, Sears, Spector, Stanislas, Tomkins 1
Referee: Mark Halsey
Guesses at a line-up:
Reina
Kelly Carragher Skrtel Johnson
Lucas Gerrard
Maxi Meireles Suarez
Kuyt
Well, after routinely guessing three at the back for the last few previews, I should probably stop.

Birmingham, UK Rumors have surface that up and coming American defender, Eric Lichaj will be loaned by Aston Villa to a yet-unnamed Polish club. Anonymous team sources said that "Lichaj" was too hard for supporters to pronounce, much less incorporate into song. Such move would likely allow Lichaj more playing time and greater reception by the local supporter base.

The US's first test of 2011 will be highlighted with youth and inexperience this Saturday when the Americans take on an equally untested Chilean squad at the Home Depot Center. Both teams have rosters that are dominated by players from their respective domestic leagues earning this game the image of a meeting of "B-squads.

Lineups are in:

West Ham: Starters:Green, Faubert, Tomkins, Upson, Bridge, Kovac, Noble, Spector, Sears, Hines, Cole Bench: Boffin, Reid, Gabbidon, Boa Morte, Barrera, McCarthy, Nouble

Arsenal: Starters: Wojo, Eboue, Clichy, Koscielny, Djourou, Song, Wilshere, Nasri, Cesc, Van Persie, Theo Bench: Shea, Gibbs, Denilson, Arshavin, Chamakh, Bendtner, Vela

No surprises at all for us that's the lineup I (and probably everyone else) predicted, and that's what we get.

Under pressure Avram Grant saw his West Ham side beat Birmingham City 2-1 in the first leg of their English League Cup semi-final.

West Ham took a deserved lead on 13 minutes when Mark Noble drove a ferocious shot through a throng of Birmingham bodies to make it one nil. West Ham continued to pile on the pressure but they could not get a second goal past Ben Foster as denied Spector, James Tomkins and, most impressively, Obinna all in the first half.

Under pressure Avram Grant saw his West Ham side beat Birmingham City 2-1 in the first leg of their English League Cup semi-final.

West Ham took a deserved lead on 13 minutes when Mark Noble drove a ferocious shot through a throng of Birmingham bodies to make it one nil. West Ham continued to pile on the pressure but they could not get a second goal past Ben Foster as denied Spector, James Tomkins and, most impressively, Obinna all in the first half.