A slightly (completely?) different version of the United States Men's National Team from the one that just competed for the Confederations Cup took to the field last night against Grenada in their first match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Americans stomped the island boys 4-0 with goals from Freddy Adu, Stuart Holden, Charlie Davies, and Robbie Rogers. Bradley's "B" squad looked good together, dominating the match and creating chance after chance.

A few observations from the game, keeping in mind the competition (of whom I have no real sense, and who was missing two key players):

Freddy Adu is a rusty player

Adu was a model of inconsistency last night, his passes often going astray, his positioning questionable, and his ability to keep the ball suspect. I'm willing to give him a bit of a pass considering his lack of competitive game time, but he better get himself together quickly if he wants to both be a part of the US team going forward as well as get himself to a new club at any point in near future.

Robbie Rogers is damn good

Rogers was the Man of the Match for most last night (including me), constantly harassing the Grenadian defense and serving dangerous balls into the middle for his teammates. One match means nothing in the grand scheme, but if Rogers plays like he did last night throughout the remainder of the tournament, his chances of heading to Mexico in August might be pretty good.

The Gold Cup is worth a look

I'll admit, it's hard to get up for this tournament the way we all did for the Confederations Cup; but it's clearly a tournament worth watching, both from a USMNT fan perspective as well as from a pure footy-freak one. The US shouldn't (knock on wood) have too much trouble getting themselves into the final, and I'll be extremely interested to see how these kids and a few retreads handle the pressure.

Keep playing the kids

I for one, would prefer not to see known quantities play too much in the Gold Cup. I had assumed the worst and predicted that Bradley would play Brian Ching last night; not only did Ching not play, he didn't even dress for the match. That's a good sign, and perhaps shows that Bradley intends to give the younger players as much of a run-out as is possible while maintaining control of the team's tournament chances. Experience isn't gained by simply being there; the kids need to play, and play as much as is possible.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the next US match at RFK Stadium on Wednesday night, so I'll be at home attempting to glean what I can from the FSC broadcast. Honduras will definitely be a stiffer test than Grenada, and I think we'll learn a lot more about those players Bradley sends out (provided they're not the same old guys or too many of the seven added players that were on the Confed Cup team) in that match than we did last night. But a 4-0 win over a team they were supposed to beat and beat handily is a good start.

Epic Footy is running a continuous live blog for all of tonight's MLS and Gold Cup action; I'm part of the mix, and will be focusing on USA-Grenada when that game starts at 9 pm ET. Join in the discussion, as the Yanks kick off their Gold Cup campaign.

It's the Fourth of July, and what better way to celebrate the day than with a peek at the future of the USMNT. Our Yanks take on Grenada today in their opening group match of the Gold Cup; the roster Bob Bradley has called up should give us an opportunity to see a few players that could figure prominently in not-too-distant future, and perhaps even earn a spot on 2010 World Cup squad.

Top of most minds is Freddy Adu, who saw no time in the Confederations Cup and will need to assert himself on this lesser stage if he is to make his way into Bradley's long term plans. I'm also excited to see what Stuart Holden can do, and hope to see him play a prominent role during the tournament.

Here's the lineup I would like to see, with no real belief that this is what we'll actually see Bob Bradley put on the field:


-------------------Robles----------------------

Cherundolo----Parkhurst----Marshall------Pearce

Adu--------Holden-------Beckerman--------Rogers

-------------Davies----Cooper-------------------


The unknown, of course, is how the additional seven players that the US was allowed to add to the roster will figure in the tournament. All them were on Confederations Cup roster, and those with MLS clubs will be allowed to play with their clubs unless brought in by Bradley for a game day roster.

Who would you like to see in the lineup tonight?

I'm tentatively planning a live blog for the game tonight, so check back later for confirmation.

There's a new column by yours truly up at MLS Daily.

Please go give it a read.

Poor MLS Scheduling Once Again In Focus

Edgar Castillo's recent statements that he would like to switch national team affiliation have brought him some criticism from a FMF executive.

Nestor de la Torres makes sure to direct his comments generally rather than to attack Castillo directly, but the message is clear. The Mexican federation, whether Castillo is a part of the national team's future plans or not, can't be happy a trend is developing. Add Castillo's reversal to the decision of Jose Francisco Torres to play for the US, and it appears that Mexico will not longer get every prospect with dual-citizenship by default, as they have in the past.

It's interesting to note that de la Torre does not think the FMF should have to convince players to play for El Tri, that the players themselves must convince the federation. It's just another example of the typical arrogance that has pervaded the Mexican National Team program. Unfortunately for Mexico, as more players with dual-citizenship come to the fore, they may find themselves on the short end of the stick if they choose not to actively recruit those players.

Say what you will about the USSF; at least they make an effort when they can to present their case to young players with a choice. Torres may not represent an example as I have no insight into the courtship process that may or may not have occurred, by the proactive approach is clearly going to serve the US well into future.

On the flip side of the criticism Castillo has received are the words of his coach at Tigres, Daniel Guzman, who supports the defender's decision. Freedom of choice is at the heart of the matter for Guzman.

A final note: Sunil Gulati has confirmed that US Soccer has made contact with Castillo, and that they are discussion his inclusion in the National Team. Gulati deferred to his head coach, of course, saying that any role Castillo will have in the team is up to Bob Bradley. Let's hope Bradley takes a good long look.

I'd like to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for just a moment to express a since thank you. June was Match Fit USA's biggest month ever (by far), and it's extremely humbling to me how many of you find something worthwhile here.

As the blog and the podcast continue to evolve, you can expect that there will be as much quality content as I can pump out. Others have joined the fold as well, and those of you that make MFUSA part of your regular footy rotation should already be familiar with the work of Jason Kuenle, who contributes on a semi-regular basis. We've also added Kevin McCauley, and while Kevin and I disagree on several subjects, I think he'll bring a new element to the site, and create new and healthy debate.

A blogger's lifeblood is word of mouth, and so I kindly ask you to help spread the word about both the site and the podcast. If you're part of a soccer community, be it online or out in the real world, and you enjoy MFUSA, let others know about us. It will only help things grow around here, which should eventually mean both better and more frequent content.

Finally, a hearty thanks to all of the haters as well. There are clearly some of you out there, above and beyond the ones that choose to denigrate me at every opportunity. I know that if everyone liked me, I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks to everyone again.

As Americans, we're all still basking in the afterglow of the USMNT Confederations Cup performance; we're analyzing our players, talking about our coach, and considering public opinion on our beloved sport on the greater national stage. As we are understandably inwardly focused these days, I thought it might be interesting to get some sense of how the Americans' efforts in South Africa are being viewed on the other side of the Atlantic.

To that end, I've asked Chris Nee of twofootedtackle to answer a few questions I had on the English perception of our boys and our success in South Africa.

MFUSA: Have you seen or do you believe there will be any appreciable change in the way the English press views the US National Team in light of their run to the Confederations Cup final?

Chris Nee: I think we were given the usual platitudes after the win over Spain. By its very nature the press likes to latch onto the big stories and hype them up, but at the core was a self-serving desire to portray the USA as a brilliant side - at least for that one game - because how else could they beat a team England couldn't touch? Of course losing to Brazil now means the USMNT is back to its plucky underdog status, but I hope a little of the residual appreciation of what they actually achieved will remain.

MFUSA: Do you believe there has been any change in the way American players are viewed?

Chris Nee: Yes and no. Seeing how Jozy and Gooch played (good at it though they were) probably reinforces the perception of American players as amazing athletes and not a lot else. Maybe Jozy's goal against Spain showed some of us the other side of his game. For many English viewers it was a first proper look at the US (the tournament was much more accessible than previous Confederations Cup games), and I think more people now appreciate that while there are a lot of big guys in the current US team, there's plenty of skill too. US players certainly seem to now be considered as full of character and determination, and deservedly so.

MFUSA: Which American increased his standing most in the minds of English observers?

Chris Nee: We're now much more aware of Charlie Davies and Michael Bradley, both of whom I thought were excellent in the USA's great run to the final. Bradley in particular is now a popular name to throw around in speculation about a Premier League move because he showed himself to be the type of midfielder we love here, a dynamic box-to-box player with stacks of energy and no problem getting stuck in. We know Jay Demerit well enough, but I think even those of us who like him at Watford were surprised at just how good he was.

But ultimately the biggest gains were made by the man every English fan is talking about today thanks to Grant Wahl: Landon Donovan. We knew he was good, and I've seen some great things from him in a Galaxy shirt, but he surprised everyone with his effort, pace and ability. His goal in the final was incredible.

MFUSA: What was the English perception of the US victory over Spain?

Chris Nee: Everybody was just surprised, but I think that's more to do with our fear of Spain. We've put them on a pedestal and didn't think the US had a hope in hell of knocking them off it. Most of us were pleased, and the fact that it was done in such an attacking, confident way really did you guys a favour. Had it been a case of smothering the game the US would've got slated in the press, but Bob Bradley set his team up to go at Spain and got the rewards. Overall it was pretty impressive stuff.

MFUSA: In your opinion, how much of any negative perception on the part of the English (both media and public) towards the US National Team and soccer here on the whole is based on fact and how much is simple dismissive arrogance?

Chris Nee: It's a bit of both. You know as well as anyone that US soccer has its obstacles, and the English media and footy public are well aware of some of them - though not all. Generally, the US is written off because of competition with NFL, MLB, NBA and MLB. Of course, nothing gets noted about Major League Soccer's internal dilemmas (parity, capping, expansion etc) and that's largely because MLS - much more than the national team - is totally ignored. The growth of MLS is completely unknown.

There is a definite arrogance about it, but it's just a magnified version of the attitude we have towards every country except Brazil, Argentina and Germany. The fact that football isn't America's biggest sport means the English simply don't see the USMNT as even the slightest threat. That has changed in the sense that we sure as hell don't want to draw you in South Africa, but the press would still just assume an English win.

Check out Chris' blog and podcast on all soccer topics at twofootedtackle, as well as his views on MLS at Soccerlens and Some People Are On the Pitch.

Last night in Portland, the Seattle Sounders downed the Timbers 2-1 in the third round of the US Open Cup. It was a back and forth match, with good chances for each side, physical play, and the obvious heat of a natural rivalry.

But for me, the game itself wasn't the real story.

Instead, I was focused on the atmosphere at PGE Park; it's one that few stadiums in MLS can match, and it was on full display last night.

The Timbers and their fans only reinforced the notion that MLS needs them desperately. The league needs Portland for the fans and the atmosphere, for the rivalry with Seattle (and Vancouver), for the environment and energy that a packed stadium with flags, banners, signs, giant lumberjacks, and even a contingent of traveling support brings.

There is, of course, a problem; the city has yet to finalize the financing for the stadium renovations. A $15 million gap remains, and all of the mayor's efforts to fill it to this point have been fruitless. A September 1st deadline looms, and he's now showing down with the County Chair over the matter.

It would be a pity if MLS is forced to pull out of Portland and rescind the expansion franchise; the league would take a public relations hit and Garber would have to serious damage control.

Let's hope they get it done. I won't go as far as to suggest that MLS should knock $15 million off of the franchise fee in order to help Paulson fill the funding gap himself (which was my first instinct), I will say that extreme measure might be necessary. America's top division needs Portland more than Portland needs them.

Head over to Ginge's place for a nice gallery and video of the atmosphere at PGE Park.

Day two of the European transfer window, and the rumors are at a fever pitch.

Our man Deuce is now the subject of rampant speculation, with Dempsey linked to Everton in the English rags.

But wait, there's more. While Everton is the favorites according to the Sun, other clubs are in the mix as well. Dempsey's agent says that English, French, German and Spanish clubs have inquired about the American's services.

All of this comes directly after Clint himself said that he wants to stay with Fulham. But he only has one year left on his contract, and while I don't believe that he has "rejected" a new one (The Sun's choice of words), it is telling that he has yet to sign a new one.

It's quite a list (even though we don't know which clubs are involved other than the Toffees), and it speaks to Dempsey's strong season at Fulham and his impressive showing at the Confederations Cup. While many of us were just a little critical of Clint during the tournament because he seemed to disappear at time, he did win the Bronze Ball as the third best player in the tournament. Clubs have certainly taken notice. Dempsey is an excellent player, and one some might even called the best of the Americans; a move to a bigger club on a bigger contract is well-deserved.

The question is whether it serves Dempsey to move. Many I talk to would rather see him stay a Fulham, where he has steadily improved over his time there. After Roy Hodgson took over at Craven Cottage, it took some time for Dempsey to work his way into the manager's good graces and into the regular first eleven; but he's done so, and excelled in the process.

I'm torn here, because I think that Dempsey has done so well and grown so much at Fulham and under Hodgson that a move might be a bad thing. On the other hand, the more Americans move up the food chain and break down the belief that Yanks can't play, the better. Everton is a bigger club than Fulham, plain and simple; playing for the Toffees, who might push for a Champions League spot, would certainly raise Dempsey's profile at the least.

What do you think? If any of these rumors are true (and take them with a grain of salt, naturally), would you rather see Clint stay at Fulham, or move on to Everton or one of the other leagues rumored?

by Kevin McCauley

I think that most of us that follow United States soccer closely had similar reactions when the 23 man roster was released for the Gold Cup was released last week.

Logan Pause? Jon Busch? Jimmy Conrad? Jay Heaps?

Why in the world would Bob Bradley include players in this Gold Cup roster that not only have no chance of making the roster for next year’s World Cup, but have no chance of making the roster for any future international tournament? Since this tournament lies between the Confederations Cup and the massive World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Azteca against our biggest rivals, El Tri, bringing an “A” squad to the Gold Cup in a year where winning the tournament doesn’t have the reward of qualification for the Confederations Cup is impractical. On the flip side, these are competitive games that could provide invaluable experience to the youngsters. No offense intended to someone who I regard to be a decent footballer, but why are we calling up the likes of 32-year-old Jay Heaps?

Let’s be honest; our youth development system is not only far from world class, but I can’t think of a single knowledgeable U.S. fan that I have met who would consider it to be up to par with the rest of the top 25 footballing nations in the world. Our level of coaching is a joke, and our professional clubs, for the most part, do not have respectable youth academies. The best one in MLS or USL is Vancouver Whitecaps Residency, and not surprisingly, more than half of their players are Canadian. Only two Americans train there, neither of which has ever been called up to the senior roster or offered a senior contract. The only two other youth academies that most would consider to be up to a respectable level are Chicago Fire Premier, run by MLS’s Chicago Fire, and Bradenton Academics, which is run by U.S. Soccer.

So, in all of American soccer, there are three decent youth programs, only one of which is actually run by an American professional team. This, above all else, is the biggest problem facing U.S. soccer and the United States national team.

Of course, this is no fault of Bob Bradley’s; he’s just the senior national team coach, and Director of U.S. Soccer Sunil Gulati has refused to give full control of the system up to any manager, no matter his resume. Don Garber, the commissioner of MLS has to take a little bit of the blame here as well. What better way to keep a financially strapped soccer league running than to produce your own employees at discount prices? His muppetry deserves its own 10,000 word column, but that’s beside the point, which, of course, is figuring out the best way to get around the lack of production of good young players in the short term.

If we have a broken youth system that Bob Bradley doesn’t have the means to improve, how can he work around this problem?

By playing kids in any game that isn’t essential, of course.

These are the reasons why I find the call-ups of older players to this year’s Gold Cup roster absolutely inexcusable. The only way for young American players to become international quality is to start playing in competitive senior international fixtures at a younger age than their foreign counterparts. Obviously, there is no substitute for top-shelf coaching at a young age for footballers; but competitive, high-level game experience is as good a substitute as we can possibly find. The likes of Brek Shea, Abdus Ibrahim, Jorge Flores, etc. need to be in this squad, and need to be playing. I refuse to believe that this national team is better served by veteran players who will never feature in a World Cup dominating Gold Cup than it would be by inexperienced kids getting truly challenged in Gold Cup.

If these kids don’t play now, I absolutely guarantee you they will be worlds behind all of their peers in their early and mid-20s. It took Landon Donovan until the age of 27 to become the player U.S. fans told non-Americans for years he had the potential to be, and he’s someone who both got playing time in the senior squad at a young age and moved to Europe to train at the age of 16. If the best we have to offer doesn’t mature until the age of 27, what chance does Brek Shea have to fulfill his promise without getting games now?

In the best case scenario, we’d see a rich investor give a ton of money to U.S. Soccer and MLS to start a truly world class youth development system in which top foreign coaches from all across the globe would come in and completely re-vamp the coaching system with everyone’s badge being rescinded. We’d start from scratch, and as a result, we’d probably start churning out true international quality youngsters within ten years. That’s not going to happen, however, and even if it did, it would probably take ten years to really see results. The best youth program we have right now is, sadly, out on the field with the big boys.

Today, news came out that Bob Bradley will be allowed to add 7 players to his Gold Cup roster. If a couple of those aforementioned youngsters aren’t part of that addition to his squad, I will not be a happy camper.

Come on, Bob. Do it for the kids.

Tonight in Portland, thanks to the magic that is the US Open Cup, the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders will renew their intense rivalry. Longtime adversaries in the USL, A-League, and NASL, the Timbers and Sounders don't generally get along.

In fact, the regional derby might be the singularly most intense in American soccer.

Seattle's "promotion" to MLS put things on hold for a spell, and it's wasn't a guarantee that the two clubs would meet again until the Timbers move up themselves in 2011; but with the US Open Cup involving teams from both USL and MLS, the regional match ups the tournament provides, and each team taking care of their preceding matches to get to this point, the rivalry is back in full effect.

Portland is expecting a near-sellout for the game will have a sellout for the game and has added 400 standing room only tickets. Sounders fans are traveling, the Timbers Army will be in full voice, and the concern over fans clashing has even led to the Portland organization to put out a plea for peace.

While I abhor the fan violence and discourage it at every turn, I do appreciate the passion that can be behind it's potential. Both the Sounders fans and the Timbers fans care about their clubs desperately, and it would be difficult to argue that's a bad thing as long as no one gets hurt.

More than just a chance to renew a rivalry, tonight's Timbers-Sounders match represents a chance to see soccer at it's most appealing. Thousands of fans singing, chanting, waving flags, and exhorting their team on to victory at any cost; I might even argue that there's not a sports atmosphere in America that can compare the total package that tonight's game will produce. Sure, more mainstream American sports get larger crowds, and there are clearly rivalries that have more history and just as much intensity; but for those of us that love this sport, little can compare to soccer for the passion of its fans and the energy of its best environments.

Disagree with me or not about its place in the wider sports picture, tonight's match should be the best American soccer has to offer. As much as we hope it was so, packed houses of people who care desperately on both sides simply aren't common enough in this country to make this game a normal occurrence. I'm looking forward to this game for the energy it will possess and the passion that it will display more than I am for the play on the field; while I expect the Timbers and Sounders to battle it out until the last minute, I have and will see many games like it this year. What I won't see is anything that matches it for what it will provide off the field.

It's a pity this game isn't not being broadcast nationally. It's too bad that so many people will miss out on the showcase of American soccer because the game will only be broadcast on the relatively unknown USL Live for most of us. But at least it's there.

I wouldn't want to miss it.

As our man Ginge said on the MFUSA Soccer Show only a few weeks back; tonight you will see why MLS needs Portland. Now if they could just get that damn stadium renovation fund figured out.

Oh, and I just had to share this: Apparently there was a battle over who gets to wear green for this match. Neither team wanted to back down. How fantastic is that?

Last night, the third round of the US Open Cup began. The third round is the first appearance of MLS clubs in the tournament proper, when the "giants" take on those clubs from lesser leagues in David v. Goliath match ups.

Score one for David.

Score four, actually, because out of six games pitting USL sides from two different divisions against the higher-profile Major League Soccer clubs, four teams from the lower divisions came out on top.

The USL-2 Wilmington Hammerheads beat the Chicago Fire 1-0. The USL-2 Harrisburg City Islanders beat the New England Revolution 2-1, in a game that saw the Revs finish with nine men. The Rochester Rhinos knocked off the defending MLS Cup champions in penalties, and the Charleston Battery took care of Chivas USA 3-1.

Four upsets, and four more bullets for the quality argument; last night did nothing to dispel the myth that USL teams are close to or on par with MLS clubs, and it's bound to set off a barrage of said argument across the soccer community.

That's right, I said myth.

MLS clubs should be, and in my estimation still are not matter the results of last night, superior to their USL counterparts. But MLS clubs are making my belief increasingly shaky, and I'm beginning to find myself frustrated with the amount of ammunition available to those that think otherwise. But one round of one-off victories by a few committed and hard-charging teams does not prove an argument for USL being equal to MLS. What is does prove is that MLS on the whole should be ashamed of itself; because the league chooses to sleepwalk through the Open Cup at almost every turn, because coaches choose to put out what amounts to reserve sides, and because the players themselves are likely less motivated to play well than they might in other competitions, the league finds itself where it is today.

Six games, four losses. Even the fact that three of the upsets took place at the home stadiums of the USL clubs involved doesn't lessen the blow; and although "upsets happen" and the "any given night" rule certainly applies in the Open Cup, it's not an unreasonable expectation that the teams from the richer league should come out on top more often than not. Clearly, expectations mean nothing when one of the participants treats the games as they would a reserve match.

The "ouch" factor is incredibly high today for America's top division, and it has no one to blame but itself. It's clear that few truly care about the under-publicized and under-funded Open Cup, and as long as that's the case, results like those we witnessed last night will continue to happen.

The romance of a tournament like the US Open Cup is undeniable. The potential for massive upsets and lower division teams shining against bigger clubs is appealing. But for me, it sucks away the romance to see MLS teams field lineups full of players we barely recognize, and it does the game as a whole no favors in the United States. Despite opinions to the contrary, when Major League Soccer gets a black eye, the public perception of American soccer on the whole takes a hit. For better or worse, the overall health of professional soccer in the United States is directly tied to the success of MLS, both on and off the pitch; last night is yet another example of the league missing the point and shooting themselves in the foot, both because so many of its teams went down to "lesser" opponents and because many of those teams refused to treat their opponents or the competition in which they were playing with the proper respect.

MLS teams, from top to bottom and in almost every case, should be better then USL teams. I still believe that, but it's getting increasingly difficult to back up that argument. For that I blame the league.

Shame on you MLS. There's no shame in being upset; there's shame in being upset when you're clearly not giving it your all.