The USMNT, the "B" version, takes the field tonight against El Salvador in Tampa. While it's not the team we'll see in South Africa, it's still worth our attention, if for no other reason that it will help take our minds off of the MLS CBA fustercluck.


I'll be watching the play of the forwards most closely, with an eye to see who (if any) can distinguish themselves out of a somewhat underwhelming group. I've defended Brian Ching and what he brings to the table in the past, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want someone else to step up and zoom past him on the pecking order. It just feels like it's time.


The problem, of course, is that there's only one other guy who will be dressed tonight that also plays Ching's target forward role: Conor Casey. Hmm...maybe we'll forget about the target man problem for now. Though Casey did surprise us all once in Honduras, I suppose it's possible he could do it again.


The other two forwards are Robbie Findley and Jeff Cunningham, players who use their speed to create chances. I root for Findley, though I'm beginning to wonder if he has that extra bit of talent that would make him a viable inclusion for this summer's World Cup squad. Cunningham knows how to score, as evidenced by his MLS tally last year, but is inconsistent and ill-equipped for the international level.


Why do I plan to watch the forwards closely again?


The other areas of interest really has more to do with the future of the squad past the World Cup than it does with the present; aside from seeing how Bornstein does (he's a lock in my opinion) and whether Goodson can add to his case for a reserve centerback spot, the young guys will be the most intriguing.


Onto to the Match Fit USA/American Soccer Show schedule of events for this evening:

Keith Hickey will be running a MFUSA live blog during the game

I'll be there, just not consistently enough to run it myself, so Keith will handle the duties. It's been a long time since we've had reason to do one of those.

The American Soccer Show will be live immediately follwing the final whistle (shortly after 9PM)

Zach and I will give our own takes on the game as well as get your immediate reactions via Skype (AmericanSoccerShow is the show Skype name), Twitter, Email, and the show chat room at the UStream page.

You can listen at the aforementioned American Soccer Show UStream channel, or through the show's website.

American soccer fans, because the US remains a country with unfulfilled potential, are notorious for finding the bad in a good situation. It just comes with the territory; we can't seem to allow ourselves to be happy, no matter how much celebration makes more sense than hand-wringing.

I'm generalizing, of course, and I'm not necessarily saying there's anything wrong with the constant questioning, diminishing, and pessimism. There's a place for all types, and far be it from me to tell you how to feel. Extremes seems to take over, though, and it bothers me that fans/bloggers/analysts are labelled either "Chicken Littles" (or worse) or "Pollyanna" with no room in between.

Still, it does get me down a little to see how many people just can't enjoy being a fan when the team is up. The United States qualified for next year's World Cup on Saturday, and yet I get the sense that many are swimming in pools of "we're not good enough" rather then "WORLD CUP HERE WE COME!". Again, not criticizing, just observing. I suppose those making derogatory statements would defend themselves as realists and pragmatists rather than wet blankets and "haters". In some case it's a reasonable defense; in others, not so much.

• Conor Casey's brace on Saturday doesn't mean he should be a first team regular, argues Compelling Soccer. There's an element of Eurosnobbery here, but I'm finding it hard to counter his argument; I certainly wasn't happy to see Casey in the lineup on Saturday night, and I don't know that I'll be banging the drum for him to start again, no matter the brace. Still, I can find fault with the criticism of Bradley because of his explanation as to why Casey played. Bradley got it right, and that's all that matters; to withhold credit from him because his thought process didn't match up what you wanted to hear is completely unfair. Bradley is the head coach for a reason, obviously knows his team, and led them to a victory not everyone believed was possible. Does that mean you have to jump on the Bob Bradley bandwagon? Of course not, but stop looking for reasons to diminish his leadership.

• Promotion/relegation based on financial concerns is something that has bounced many American soccer minds; Only One Football uses the USL/TOA disagreement as a reason to tread that path, using a potential MLS2 as a feeder league for MLS. I created my own wacky pro/rel system not too long ago, incorporating attendance as an element of the process, which was my nod to finances being part of the mix in the United States. Only One Football's approach is much more pragmatic, even if it is completely untraditional, but makes sense on many levels. It's voluntary, meaning that an MLS2 club can only move up if an MLS1 franchise chooses to go down. That wouldn't satisfy those who want to see a pyramid modeled after Europe, but might actually increase the reach and stability of pro soccer in the US. Still, I can't see it happening any time soon.

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• Lamenting the lack of access American fans had to the Honduras match is likely to continue for a few days. Out of Southern Illinois University comes a good example, in which the writer argues the the US always comes just short of getting over the public-awareness hill. "It’s the major problem for the American soccer team: Every time it has a chance to put the elusive spotlight on the sport, its poor performance or the powers-that-be have dashed any hopes." I think that's just a little harsh, and doesn't address the extenuating circumstances that surround each "chance". In the case of Saturday's match, it was the inability of American leadership to dictate where the game would be shown; we can whine and moan that US Soccer should have stepped up and made sure the game would be available to the widest audience possible, but without all of the relevant details (price, logistics, scheduling, etc.) I have a hard time justifying any explosive criticism. The fact remains that if more Americans were interested the TV situation when the US is playing outside of the country in qualifying would improve. At least we won't have to worry about it for awhile.

Shallow Scratches finds stories that anyone else can find and points them out. Sometimes that means relevant commentary, and sometimes I just write stuff to make the post look good. If you want to contribute to Shallow Scratches (or hell, take it over), step right up and send an email matchfitusa@gmail.com.