Robbie Findley has signed with Nottingham Forest of the English Championship. Despite rumors that the former RSL striker had interest from Mick McCarthy at Wolves, going to Forest is a good move for Findley. Hopefully Findley grows as a player and refines some of the natural ability he certainly possesses.


In this part of the world, there is some understandable surprise that Findley garnered as much attention as he did. Having seen him play over the last few years and in South Africa (where he supposedly caught the eye of the aforementioned McCarthy, who might want to have his eyes checked), Americans will have to fight the urge to chuckle that anyone on Forest's level would want Findley. Point for Robbie and his agent however; his decision to not re-sign with RSL paid off in the end.

A undeniably true fact: If Charlie Davies hadn't been injured in that terrible car crash last October, Robbie Findley is not only not in the U.S. World Cup squad, he might not have even landed in Bob Bradley's fairly wide American talent net.


The loss of Davies created a speedy striker-sized hole in the American team, and Bradley decided early on that Findley was the best approximation of Davies available. Findley has shown flashes at the MLS level of turning into something special, and hell, Davies burst onto the scene as if our of nowhere in 2009, why couldn't Findley do the same?


But Findley struggled in his USMNT appearances for the most part, always seemingly in over his head in the international game. His speed is only useful if knows what he's doing with it; bad touches and bad decisions appeared to doom him and his World Cup chances. Few (if any) gave him a shot of "making the plane", as they say.


Shock of all shocks then when Findley made the World Cup squad over veteran Brian Ching. Bradley's desperate need for a speed option was truly in evidence now, with Findley not even playing in the warm up friendly against the Czech Republic's "B" team and yet somehow showing up on the final 23-man roster. Was Bradley grasping at straws, or did he see something that the rest of us were simply weren't seeing? How could he view Robbie Findley as anything more than an nice MLS player? Robbie Findley at the World Cup? Really?


Alright, but there was no way Findley would see the field in South Africa. Despite a thin and inexperienced striker pool, Bradley has options; Buddle or Gomez might not be the answer, but Clint Dempsey or Landon Donovan can slide up if needed. Findley will have a nice little vacation, get the experience the pomp and drama of the World Cup, and replicate Brian Ching's playing record from 2006: zero appearances.


Then Saturday changed everything, again. This time the change came from Findley himself, on the field against Turkey, showing the 55,000 in attendance and those watching on television what he could do and why Bradley exhibited so much faith in him. Sure, it was only a half, but at least Findley showed he belonged; in the right circumstance in South Africa, his hellish wheels might be enough to make a difference against a worn down opponent. Either Bradley really knew what he was doing, no matter the doubters (remember when "Findley" was trending on Twitter? - it wasn't because people were happy to see his name), or he got lucky. Flash in the Turkey frying pan or not, Robbie Findley leaped up the perceived depth chart.


And this is where it ends, for now. Robbie Findley the choice of some to be first off the bench at striker, the guy coming into a game against a tired defense, perhaps pressuring them into a critical error or providing the American midfield with additional options they lacked before. Give the opponent a new look at minute sixty-five, see how they cope. A change of pace. Findley showed he's capable, so that level of responsibility seems about right. Speedy supersub.


Because really, no one could have Findley as a projected starter based on one forty-five minute period against a non-World Cup team who may or may not have pulled back on the throttle, right? No way someone who knows the game and covers the team on a regular basis could possibly have a sometimes-starter for an MLS team as the strike partner for Jozy Altidore when the United States faces off against England on June 12th. Absurd. Not possible.


Madness.


Right?

I think we've all gotten over the initial shock of yesterday's selections but still, wow. I mean who saw that one coming? 24 years old, and your biggest dreams coming true? Captivating the hearts of a nation and swaying the opinions of some of the world's foremost judges of talent? Congratulations to Lee Dewyze, and a good ole "nice try" to Crystal.


Oh, and Robbie "Even his mother knows he has no chance" Findley is going to the World Cup. Whoops. Mea Culpa on that one, guys. But hey, thanks. Where would bloggers be if we didn't have readers to nitpick every single throwaway joke weeks after we've made them? I kid, I kid. I'm just happy someone besides Jason's mom is reading the site.


Speaking of soccer bloggers, I'm convinced that's how Bobby tracksuit (kudos for his ability to put on khakis to meet the three of the most influential men in the World) picked his World Cup squad.


"You know how everybody thinks Ching is a lock, EJ is my homeboy, Robbie Findley has about as much of a shot as I do when making my annual run at Amy Wynalda, and that I'm going to make Buddle and Gomez work a spot out Thunderdome style? Screw 'em. And I'm gonna take Feilhaber and Torres and leave out my pet project Bedoya. Ever see a blogosphere crap its pants out of shock? Well you will."


Speaking of crapping your pants, who else enjoyed watching the comedy of errors at left back Tuesday night? Jonathan Bornstein looked more lost out there than the tribe of Reuben. Aaron Lennon is already practicing signing a copy of The Sun with a terrible pun on the front page. Heath Pearce looked about as interested in defending as Marcus Hahnemann does at a performance of The Vagina Monologues. "But there's always Bocanegra!" cry the hilariously optimistic US fans. Yep, the same Bocanegra who just had a hernia operation and spent most of the evening filling his finely tuned body with burgers and buffalo wings.


At least it's American junk food. Wouldn't want his time at Rennes turning him into some frog-leg munching nancy boy, like some twisted continental version of Brad Friedel. Or John Harkes, when he tries to drop slang.


Speaking of of Mr. Amy Wynalda (I know! Two Amy Wynalda jokes in one post. I'm so cutting edge, like Vanilla Ice's heavy metal album.), he sounds like an idiot when paired with JP Dellacamera. Putting him in a booth with Martin Tyler is like playing co-op Halo 3 with your friend who spends 6 hours a day on X-Box Live. Either way, it's not pretty. Brad Guzan levels of not pretty.


Tyler and Harkes isn't so much Abbot and Costello as it is Abbot and Carlos Mencia. But hey, it could be worse. I mean, it's not like our three best central defenders have serious health issues and our most important striker couldn't get playing time at one of the most abominable teams in Premiership history, right? I mean, that would bum me out like Taylor Twellman after TMZ's over.


Well, crap.


Better start working your ass off, Landon.

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.

After my dabbles in the world of over-excited, exclamation point-saturated writing over the last few weeks, it pains me to use the dreaded line-over-dot, even in a sarcastic sense. Yet there it is, because it adds to the effect of the headline; unless you're going to the the game I can't honestly find a reason to get too worked up about tomorrow's friendly in Carson.


But it is the National Team in action, and it will serve as an opportunity to see some younger and fringe players against real competition as they push for South Africa. The focus for many, like it is for Matt at US Soccer Daily, will be on Robbie Findley; the RSL striker is the best analogue for Charlie Davies currently available to Bob Bradley, and the hope is that he'll play and play well against Honduras. If Bradley is looking for a speedy option to fill the Davies role (not a given), then Findley will need to show he's capable against the Honduras "B" side to even gain consideration.


But, as Matt states (you stole my thunder, Matt), we can't put too much into anything that happens tomorrow. It's a friendly and it's Honduras "B". The "Kljestan Effect" is a very real possibility; if the Americans win, and a particular individual plays well, he'll immediately be pushed for the World Cup squad. Repeating Matt again, it's all about perspective.

Sacha in January 2009

So when you're watching tomorrow night, naturally pulling for a US victory, and preferably a rout, make sure you view whatever happens through the proper lens. Bradley, setting his team up in a way that should give him the most possible information on certain players, will take things out of it you and I will never notice. But there will be obvious good and bad performances, players who step up and play over their respective heads, and others who fail or fall flat. From those things we can attempt to draw conclusions. They won't mean much.


In a World Cup year, even when the match in question is a "B" team friendly involving a large group of players who may never really figure in the National Team setup, it's almost impossible to relax. I intend to try, and I suggest you do the same; I'd like the Yanks to win, and I'd love to see some amazing performances, but nothing that happens will have any far reaching meaning.

Guest Post by Matt - US Soccer Daily

After the France-Ireland game on Wednesday, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about. The swirling amalgam of anger, frustration, and disappointment made me eager to get my feelings down on paper, but also impeded my ability to actually express many coherent thoughts. With time, my emotions have simmered, though I still feel strongly opinionated about what transpired. Over the past couple days, though, this topic has been talked about so much that I feel like I’d be beating a dead horse to post on it now. Instead, I think it’s the right time to start looking forward to MLS Cup, our domestic league’s biggest spectacle, and what it means in terms of the USMNT.


I’ll probably take a stroll down memory lane on Sunday, back to 2002. I’ll see the fields of Korea and Clint Mathis, streaking down the field with a flashy Mohawk to match his fiery swagger. I’ll see Bruce Arena pumping his fists after Brian McBride’s diving header pushed his team’s unlikely lead over Portugal to 3 goals. I’ll see Eddie Lewis and Gregg Berhalter celebrating after beating Mexico in the Round of 16. I’ll see Cobi Jones taking a vicious challenge from Rafael Marquez. And I’ll see Landon Donovan, in a daze, being helped off the field after the heartbreaking loss to Germany. So much of the USMNT’s past will be on the field and on the sidelines at Qwest Field that fans like me can’t help but feel nostalgic.


I’ll also get to see the current face of American soccer on the league’s biggest stage. Landon Donovan has answered his numerous critics by putting in arguably his best year as a professional. It’s almost a shame that Landon won’t have any games for a little while after MLS Cup; it just might be the only thing that can put a halt to his incredible run of form that has spanned several months. This past week’s games only confirmed what every USMNT fan already knew: Landon is the engine that drives the team. Captain or not, Donovan has emerged as the leader on the field, and the USMNT will only go as far as he takes them in the World Cup.


I might just be getting a glimpse into the future too, with guys like Robbie Findley and Omar Gonzalez squaring off. The incredible consistency and poise that Gonzalez has shown (particularly for a rookie) has helped turn a previously woeful Galaxy defense into one of the league’s best. Findley’s raw speed and nose for goal have seen his stock rise considerably as well, particularly with Bob Bradley in desperate need of someone to help fill the void left by Charlie Davies’ unfortunate injuries. While Findley’s opportunity will likely come well before Gonzalez’s, I can’t help but think that both of these guys could very well be making the trip down to Brazil four and a half years from now.


An MLS Cup between Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy might not have been everyone’s dream matchup, but it will definitely be a unique opportunity for fans to see several eras of the USMNT connected by one common venue. Who knows, maybe Clint Mathis will turn back the clock and show us one more flash of brilliance. Or maybe Robbie Findley will turn in a scintillating performance and make us eager for the annual January friendly to roll around. Or maybe, and this one is most likely, Landon Donovan will leave his mark on the game and remind us all once more that he is the best player in the United States. Regardless of the result, I’m going to enjoy this game, and I hope all of you do too.