Soccer By Ives

Nowak names 24-man roster for U.S. Under-23 national team camp

European-based forwards Charlie Davies, Preston Zimmerman and Kamani Hill headline the 24-man roster chosen by U.S. Under-23 national team head coach Peter Nowak ahead of a two-week training camp in January in Bradenton, Florida. The camp is being held as part of preparations for U.S. Olympic qualifying.

Here is the roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake), Chris Brown (Boston College), Billy Chiles (Towson University)
DEFENDERS: Sean Franklin (Cal State Northridge), Steve Purdy (1860 Munich), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Greg Dalby (SC Charleroi), Julian Valentin (Wake Forest), Pat Phelan (Wake Forest), Mike Randolph (Galaxy), Chance Myers (UCLA)
MIDFIELDERS: Stuart Holden (Houston), Johann Smith (Darlington), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Stephen King (Maryland), Alejandro Bedoya (Boston College), Eric Avila (UC Santa Barbara), Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS: Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Charlie Davies (Hammarby), Preston Zimmerman (Hamburg), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Kamani Hill (Vfl Wolfsburg)

If you are wondering where MLS-based stars Jozy Altidore and Maurice Edu are, they are both taking part in the U.S. national team camp in California.

The U-23 camp will take place from Jan. 6 to Jan. 20 and will be used as preparation for the U.S. team's upcoming Olympic qualifiers in Tampa in March.

What do you think of this group of players? Is there anybody missing? Is there anybody who surprised you by being selected? Share your thoughts below.

Altidore and Donovan headline U.S. national team camp roster

Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Brad Guzan headline the 26-man roster Bob Bradley selected for the U.S. national team's January camp.

The squad will begin training on January 3 at Home Depot Center in Carson, California ahead of the national team's first friendly, on Jan. 19 against Sweden.

Here is the roster:

GOALKEEPERS – Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Will Hesmer (Columbus Crew), Matt Pickens (Chicago Fire), Zach Wells (D.C. United)
DEFENDERS  – Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Todd Dunivant (Toronto FC), Clarence Goodson (San Jose Earthquakes), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS – Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution)
FORWARDS – Josmer Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Eddie Johnson (Kansas Cit y Wizards), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution), Jeremiah White (AGF Aarhus)

If you are wondering where most of the big names are, keep in mind that European-based players are still in their seasons (except for Scandanavian leagues). I will offer my take on the roster shortly. Let me know what you think of Bradley's selections in the comments section below.

Morning Ticker: Olympic Qualifying Sked set, ManU in first, Fronaldo heads home and trouble for a former MLS player

 

Good morning everybody. Let me start by apologizing for the low number of posts recently. I can assure you that the action will pick up after New Year's Day. For now, I will try to keep you updates on the goings on in the American and international soccer world.

Before we get into the day's events, I must make another request for SBI readers to take part in the SBI reader roll call. If you haven't already taken part, please do so. Your input is going to go a long way toward helping me shape and set a direction for SBI as we head into 2008.

Secondly, I have not forgotten about the most recent Q&A session. I am working on it and am hoping to have it done for tomorrow. It will be done by Monday at the latest.

Now, onto the news. Here are some recent tidbits you may or may not have heard:

U.S. Olympic qualifying games set. The U.S. Under-23 national team learned the path it will take to Olympic qualifying yesterday as the match schedule for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying was announced. The Americans will face Cuba (March 11), Panama (March 13) and Honduras (March 15), with all matches being played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. There will be tripleheaders played each of these days, with the U.S. team's game serving as the nightcap on each occasion.

The top two teams in the group will join the top two teams in Group B (Mexico, Canada, Haiti, Guatemala) in the semifinals and final, which take place in Memphis Nashville on March 20 and 23.

I was going to point out that the Americans should have little trouble qualifying, but you know what happened the last time around. That said, this Olympic team should qualify and this qualifying tournament should give us a good glimpse at what Peter Nowak has planned for the Olympics.

Americans Abroad: Boxing Day Rewind

American soccer players had a busy Boxing Day in England on Wednesday, with 10 of them playing at least a half and nine earning starts (That's including Watford's Jay DeMerit and Millwall's Zak Whitbread.)

There were mixed results, from Tim Howard posting yet another shutout for Everton to Carlos Bocanegra watching his Fulham defense be torn to shreds yet again. There were even two goal-scorers on the day, with usual suspect Clint Dempsey being joined by DeMerit.

Before I get to the rundown, I wanted to talk about Benny Feilhaber's performance for Derby County against Liverpool. It had its ups and downs, but his effort, or lack thereof, late in the match could hurt his chances for more playing time in the future.

Americans in European Soccer: Weekend Rewind

Good afternoon everybody (good morning to the West Coast). As great as the European soccer action was this past weekend, it was also a great weekend for American players.

Why? No, there weren't goals in bunches (though Clint Dempsey scored another clutch goal for Fulham). It was great for American players because most of them started and played good minutes. The number of "did not dress" and "did not play" announcements was the fewest I think it's been all season.

Eddie Lewis and Jonathan Spector both earned starts and Benny Feilhaber made his way onto the field as every healthy American in the English Premier League saw playing time, with Feilhaber being the only one not to start (that's not including young reserve players like Johann Smith and Eric Lichaj of course).

Before we get to how the Americans Abroad did this weekend, I need to make one more reminder for those of you who have yet to take part in the Soccer By Ives Reader Roll Call to please do so. Your input is going to go a long way toward helping me shape and set a direction for SBI as we head into 2008.

Now, back to the action. Here is how the Americans in Europe did this past weekend:

Greg Ryan Speaks

Good evening all. Apologies for the afternoon absence of posts. Like some of you, I was trying to get some Christmas shopping done.

For those of you on the West Coast checking in, and there are a bunch of SBI readers in Cali, here is an interesting read courtesy of the Arizona Republic. Former U.S. women's national team coach Greg Ryan made an appearance in Phoenix and discussed his time with the national team, including the Hope Solo World Cup blowup.

What's my take? It is interesting to see Ryan give details of how bad Solo was supposedly looking in practice before the Brazil game, and how she missed a team meal. Was Miss Solo distracted? You have to wonder what else was going on with her during this time and maybe Ryan shouldn't have been the villain after all. Alas, we'll never know. At least not until Solo writes a tell-all book, which I'd bet a bronze medal she does eventually.

What do you think of Ryan's comments? Share your thoughts below.

Morning Ticker: Nowak clarification, the concession speech, UEFA Cup update and Schopp

Jo San everybody. It is Thursday morning and I'm sitting here trying to figure out how I will get my Christmas shopping done. I'm technically on vacation (have been all week), but as you know, SBI never really goes on vacation.

I will be taking a bit of a break from the blog today but before I do, here is some news to tide you over. Before I get to that, I will make the now daily reminder to readers to take part in the SBI Reader Roll Call if you haven't already.

Now, onto the news and notes:

Nowak NOT a Red Bulls finalist. When Juan Carlos Osorio was hired as head coach of the Red Bulls it was widely reported (by SBI as well) that Peter Nowak was one of the other three finalists for the job. Nowak's agent insists that this was not the case.

"Peter left a great MLS job with DC United for his current position with US Soccer," said Ron Waxman, Nowak's agent, in a written statement. "Peter is fully committed to his work with the U.S. Under-23 team and the senior (national) team. He is not interested in leaving for any MLS position."

According to sources, Nowak was contacted by the Red Bulls but was not interested in the position, or any other MLS position. This is bad news for Chicago Fire fans, who were surely holding out hope that Nowak would make a return to Chicago as head coach after having captained the Fire to the 1998 MLS Cup title.

Chivas USA coach Preki and St. John's head coach Dave Masur have been identified as two of the candidates managing director Marc deGrandpre did interview for the position.

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Good afternoon everybody. It was a rather low-key weekend for Americans in Europe. There were no hat-tricks or crazy goals to speak of, though there was a shutout (by Tim Howard) and another win for Michael Bradley's Heerenveen. There was also another set of Did Not Play notes for Derby duo Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber.

There was some good news too. Carlos Bocanegra returned to the starting lineup in Fulham's tragic 1-0 loss to Newcastle (I say tragic because the penalty call that gave Newcastle the win was extremely harsh). Gregg Berhalter kept this list from being goal-less by providing a score in 1860 Munich's romp on Sunday.

Here is the rest of how the Americans in Europe did this past weekend:

USA Under-23s leaves China with pair of ties

The U.S. Under-23 national team is on the way back home after its two-game friendly series against China in China and the Americans were forced to settle for a pair of ties after a goal-less first match and some questionable officiating in the second match.

Robbie Rogers, Patrick Ianni and Charlie Davies scored first-half goals to stake the U.S. team to a 3-0 lead, but a China comeback and a terrible penalty call helped the Chinese pull all the way back and salvage a 3-3 tie on Sunday.

Rogers headed home a re-directed Marvell Wynne throw-in, Ianni headed home corner kick and Davies blasted one home from the edge of the penalty area to help the American attack show some life after being held scoreless in a 0-0 tie in the first meeting between these teams on Dec. 13.

Americans Abroad: Weekend rewind

You can start calling Michael Bradley a goal machine.

Bradley was the unquestioned star among Americans Abroad last weekend, netting a first-half hat-trick to lead Heerenveen to a 4-2 derby victory against Groningen on Sunday.

Bradley wasn't the only American to do well. Bobby Convey was stellar in helping Reading knock off Liverpool on Saturday. He helped set up two goals in the 3-1 victory and his resurgence has American fans feeling a little more at ease about DaMarcus Beasley's lengthy layoff due to knee surgery.

It wasn't all good news though. Carlos Bocanegra remains in the Fulham doghouse, failing to make an appearance for the second straight game. Meanwhile, new Derby manager Paul Jewell continued ignoring his two American players, choosing to leave Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber off the bench for their 4-1 loss to Manchester United.

Here is how all the Americans Abroad did last weekend:

Michael Bradley nets hat-trick in Heerenveen romp

Michael Bradley cannot stop scoring.

The U.S. national team midfielder netted his first career hat trick on Sunday to lead Heerenveen to a 4-2 win against Groningen on Sunday. Bradley scored all three goals in the first half to help Heerenveen win its derby.

When was the last time an American scored a hat-trick in a top European league? Very good question. Bradley was already beginning to draw interest from bigger European clubs. His performance on Sunday should only serve to send more clubs on the trail of the 20-year-old former MetroStar.

Here are the goals:

Also, here is Bradley's post-match interview in Dutch. Okay, I know most of you don't know Dutch, but I figured you might want to see the interview anyway. Maybe someone can translate.)

What do you think of Bradley scoring a first-half hat-trick? Share your thoughts below.

This weekend's soccer on TV

If you were hoping to see some high-profile European club matches this weekend, I'm afraid to break it to you. There aren't any can't-miss encounters.

That doesn't mean there isn't still some good soccer to watch. Fiorentina at Palermo and Espanyol at Zaragoza are two of the better matches on offer this weekend, while EPL lovers can turn to Liverpool-Reading and Manchester City-Tottenham for good match-ups.

Here is the rest of the weekend's soccer on TV:

Morning Ticker: Solo speaks, Milan arrives and Jose is closing in England

Goedemorgen everybody. It is bright and early and I would be feeling just fine if I wasn't in the midst of an all-nighter. I just came from Atlantic City where some friends and I celebrated the last night of bachelorhood for one our buddies (well, not THE last night, but the last night 10 of us could pile into a limo and make a run to AC).

Needless to say I'm dragging right now. It's one thing to operate on no sleep at a poker table, where a steady stream of caffeine coupled with 20-second mini-naps can keep you going. It's not the same when you're trying to blog and offer up some coherent thoughts.

Before I pass out, here are some news nuggets for you to munch on this morning:

A look at the next generation

If you are sitting around wishing there was some soccer to watch this afternoon, you are in luck.

The U.S. Under-17 national team will be playing Russia today on Fox Soccer Channel at 3pm. The match is part of the Nike Friendlies down in Florida.

I'm not sure which players will be playing, but you may get a chance to see  U-17 national team standouts such as Ryan Finley and Charles Renken (the players I mentioned before are not playing in these games. Apologies for any confusion).

If you can't catch today's match, you're in luck. The Americans will face Brazil on Saturday (2:30pm) and Turkey on Sunday (8pm). Both matches will be shown on Fox Soccer Channel. These are the types of games you tape and pull out five years from now and chuckle at how far some of these players have come.

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Good morning SBI Nation, it is Tuesday and there should be plenty to discuss today. I will start the day off with the weekly installment of Americans Abroad.

There were no goals scored by Americans this past weekend but there were more players playing than usual (at least it seemed that way). Yes, injuries have several top Americans on the sideline now (Beasley, McBride, Keller) but players from Josh Wolff to Bobby Convey made their ways into starting lineups.

Here is how European-based Americans fared this past weekend in Europe's top leagues:

Some light reading on the U.S. Under-23 National Team

Good afternoon folks. A few SBI updates for you. I won't be doing Americans Abroad today (Fulham plays today so I'll just wait a day) and I was unable to finish the rest of the Q&A (some real tough ones in the latest batch). I'll try to finish them tonight. There will also be a second SBI Roll Call coming in the near future.

For now, here is my column on the U.S. Under-23 national team for ESPN.com. Actually it is more a piece on the battle for starting spots on the U.S. Olympic team, using the upcoming Under-23 tour of China for some context. After doing the research for that piece I must say that the Olympic talent pool is pretty impressive, and I mean that in the context of past talent pools not in an international context. Obviously international powers like Brazil, Argentina and France have obscenely loaded Olympic talent pools, but this U.S. group could be pretty good come August.

What are your thoughts on the squad Peter Nowak is taking to China? Share your thoughts on that, my column and anything else relating to the Olympic team below.

Beasley could miss rest of European season

DaMarcus Beasley looks to be out for the year with damaged knee ligaments, according to the Glasgow Daily Record. Beasley injured his left knee after colliding with Stuttgart goalkeeper Raphael Schafer during Stuttgart's 3-2 Champions League win against Rangers on Wednesday.

If Beasley has torn knee ligaments, he could be sidelined through the summer, with a fall return likely at best. Torn ligaments would also mean that the U.S. national team winger would almost certainly miss the U.S. team's second-round World Cup qualifying match against the Barbados/Dominica winner and could lead to him missing some games in the first group stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

The injury comes just as fellow American left winger Bobby Convey has recovered from his own injury issues. The U.S. team will lean heavily on Convey come the summer (if he is healthy) and will also need to turn to veteran winger Eddie Lewis as well. Lewis has remained on the U.S. team radar in recent months despite his age (33).

As it stands, the Glasgow Daily Record is reporting this exclusively. I will post further confirmation as it surfaces.

What do you think of this potentially devastating news? Share your thoughts below.

Beasley suffers serious knee injury in Rangers UCL loss to Stuttgart

U.S. national team winger DaMarcus Beasley was taken off the field on a stretcher during Rangers' 3-2 loss to Stuttgart on Wednesday. Beasley stated after the match that he believes he injured a knee ligament. The extent of the injury is not known yet but Rangers manager Walter Smith is calling the injury serious.

Beasley is expected to have an MRI today which will reveal the extent of his injury.

Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind

Freddy did it again.

Yes, Freddy Adu scored another goal and Benfica fans are starting to feel the same Adu-mania that enveloped MLS fans just a few years ago.

Adu was the only American to deliver a goal in Europe last week, but there were plenty of other quality performances. Bobby Convey started and played 90 minutes for Reading, moving him closer to a return to the U.S. national team mix. U.S. national team defensive anchors Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo sat out the action last weekend.

Here is a rundown of how American soccer players did in Europe's top leagues last weekend:

2010 World Cup Qualifying Draw: CONCACAF

The U.S. national team's path to the 2010 World Cup will begin with a match-up against the winner of the Dominica/Barbados play-in qualifier. As you may recall, the US team faced Barbados in the second round of the 2002 World Cup qualifying cycle (winning both matches by a combined score of 11-0).

If you are wondering about Mexico, 'El Tri' will face face the winner Belize/St. Kitts and Nevis. Easy as cake right? Well, things get a wee bit tougher for the Mexicans in the next round, where they just may be in the region's group of death.

Here is a closer look at the rest of the CONCACAF Draw:

Monday Morning Center Back: The day after

Good morning folks. It is the day after one busy weekend of soccer action. You had MLS Cup, the US national team playing its last game and European championship and South American World Cup qualifiers going on. It truly was a soccer fan's paradise.

Here is a look back at some of the weekend's highlights:

USA vs. South Africa (Your running commentary)

Good morning folks. Yes, I am awake (barely) and am about to head to Summer's in Arlinton VA. The lineup for today's match is out and the only variation from my proposed lineup is Heath Pearce at left back (with Feilhaber on the right wing and Bradley in central midfield)

I will attempt to do some running commentary from Summer's but if I can't you can at least post your thoughts on the match here.

Enjoy the match

USA vs. South Africa: Who will Bob Bradley start?

Good afternoon folks. I'm freezing to death in the RFK Stadium press box and finalized plans for watching the USA-South Africa friendly on Saturday. I will be watching it at Summer's in Arlington VA. Bruce from the Dunord blog is hosting a viewing party and he has given me permission to crash it. That means all SBI Mafia members are encouraged to attend. I will be there (let me add the disclaimer that 9am is pretty early in the morning for me so there is a remote possibility that I will be late. I will try to limit the amount of boozing I do tonight.)

Now, on to the game. Bradley will be without Landon Donovan for the match and will have 17 players available for a friendly against the 2010 World Cup hosts. You know the question I always ask. What starting lineup should he use? Here is the lineup I think he will use:

Szetela earns first start for Racing

Clifton native and U.S. Under-20 national team standout Danny Szetela earned his first official start for Spanish club Racing de Santander on Wednesday. He played 65 minutes in Racing's scoreless tie against Malaga in the fourth round of Copa Del Rey.

The start is a promising development for the former Columbus Crew midfielder, who hadn't made an appearance yet in a first team match since signing with Racing in August. The start on Wednesday is made even more significant by the fact that Racing had most of their top starters in the lineup for the match.

He may not have scored a goal, or played a full 90 minutes, but it is certainly a start.

What do you think of this news? Share your thoughts below.

Say hello to Pia Sundhage, new US Women's national team coach

Apologies for the delay in posting about the hire, but for those of you who missed it or were trying to avoid it, the U.S. Women's national team named Pia Sundhage as its new coach.

What do you think of the hire? Like it? Hate it? Don't care? Wish it had been Tony DiCicco again? Wish Brianna Scurry had retired and taken it so she could torment Hope Solo? Share your thoughts below.

U.S. national team to face Mexico in Houston on Feb. 6

The rivalry is back.

The U.S. national team is set to face Mexico at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Feb. 6th in the first meeting between the teams since the Americans downed the Mexicans in the Gold Cup Final, 2-1, in June.

Donovan Out of South Africa friendly

U.S. national team star Landon Donovan will miss the team's friendly against South Africa with a calf strain suffered during an exhibition match for the Galaxy. The injury reduces the number of players in the U.S. Camp to 17 and should leave Bob Bradley with some interesting decisions.

Chief among them is whether to give Jozy Altidore his first national team start in his first call-up. With just two forwards on the roster, Bradley may be inclined to keep Altidore on the bench as a replacement option for Clint Dempsey in the second half.

Here is how I see the U.S. starting lineup looking based on recent developments:

U.S. Women to name new head coach Tuesday

The search for Greg Ryan's replacement has ended.

The U.S. Soccer Federation will announce the new U.S. Women's national team coach on a conference call on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

Who will it be? I have no idea. Tony DiCicco? Pia Sundhage? I can tell you who it won't be. Bruce Arena.

Here is a good article recapping the U.S. women's situation.

Lewis out, Spector and Pearce in

U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley has called up Jonathan Spector and Heath Pearce for the team's upcoming friendly against South Africa. The national team soccer blog reported that Spector and Pearce on their way in while veteran Eddie Lewis will NOT be joining the squad in South Africa.

Things just got interesting. With Jonathan Bornstein alreay in camp, we will now get a good idea how the national team's left back prospects stack up heading into 2008. Spector has moved into the West Ham starting lineup and could pose a strong threat to Bornstein and Pearce, who is struggling for minutes with Hansa Rostock. Spector's versatility should make him a national team regular as long as he is getting steady minutes for West Ham.

What do you think of this development? Share your thoughts below.

Michael Bradley does it again

Good morning folks. I was going to save this for the Americans in Europe roundup, but decided to give you guys an early-morning treat.

U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley continued his goal-scoring exploits this weekend, scoring the game-winning goal to help Heerenveen overcome an early red card and post a 1-0 victory over Vitesse Arnhem on Sunday.

Pretty decent finish from the New Jersey native. At this rate we're going to need someone to put together a Michael Bradley goal compilation.

Altidore on U.S. roster for South Africa friendly

Yes, the time has finally come.

Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore has been called in for the U.S. national team's upcoming friendly against South Africa on Nov. 17. He and fellow U.S. Under-20 stars Freddy Adu and Michael Bradley will join veteran standouts Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley, Tim Howard and Landon Donovan on the squad that will travel to Africa to face the 2010 World Cup hosts in the Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup.

The initial roster is made up of just 17 players, with four more expected to be added after this week's MLS conference championship matches. The loser of the KC-Houston Western Conference final can expect to see a forward called in (Ching or Eddie Johnson) while Chicago's Chris Rolfe has to be considered for a spot. A defender should also be added, whether it's Houston's Eddie Robinson or KC's Jimmy Conrad.

Altidore, who turned 18 on Tuesday, scored nine goals for the Red Bulls this season and looks like a good bet to earn his first senior national team cap.

Here is the full U.S. roster (and the starting lineup I see Bradley using):

Americans in Europe: Weekend Rewind

It was a good weekend for American soccer players in Europe. No, they didn't score goals in bunches (though Clint Dempsey did find the net again) but more of them are getting playing time as some return from injury and others from the depths of the bench.

You already know about how Freddy Adu has established himself in recent weeks as a regular contributor to Benfica, but now Jonathan Spector and Heath Pearce have managed to escape from the 'Did not Dress" category to play for their respective teams. Danny Szetela also dressed for Racing de Santander for the first time since signing with the club. Very promising stuff indeed.

Here is a rundown of how the American players did in European action this weekend:

Adu scores game-winner for Benfica

Freddy Adu's stock keeps on rising. The young American striker scored his first league goal for Benfica, netting a game-winner in the 87th minute to help Benfica score a 2-1 victory against Maritimo on Sunday.

Adu's goal follows his Champions League group stage debut at midweek and his late game-tying goal in Benfica's Portuguese Cup match last weekend. Then there was his impressive cameo for the United States against Switzerland.

Yes, it's still early, but this is clear sign of progress for Adu, who struggled for playing time in September. Now he's in the mix and making the most of his opportunities.

What do you think about Adu's rapidly rising stock and recent impressive performances? Share your thoughts below.

Americans in Europe: Weekend Rewind

It wasn't a bad week for Freddy Adu, was it?

After impressing in a reserve role for the U.S. national team against Switzerland on Wednesday, Adu rejoined Benfica and played the role of super sub again, scoring a stoppage-time equalizer to help Benfica salvage a 1-1 tie Setubal in the fourth round of the Portuguese Cup.

Adu's goal is his second in a row in Cup play and could help lead to the youngster seeing more time for Benfica, which will take part in Champions League play this week.

Here is how the rest of the Americans in Europe did last weekend:

Ryan dumped as U.S. women's coach

US Soccer president Sunil Gulati just announced that Greg Ryan will not be retained as U.S. women's national team coach. A search is under way for his replacement and the federation wants a replacement selected within the next 30 to 45 days. Mia Hamm will play a key role in helping find a replacement.

It isn't exactly a surprise but, now that this formality is out of the way, what do you think should happen next? Who would you hire if the choice was yours? Share your thoughts on this news below.

Gulati to address Ryan's status today

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati will hold a conference call today at 4 p.m. to address the status of U.S. women's national team head coach Greg Ryan. It is unclear what Gulati has in store but if it is anything but announcement that Ryan will not be retained then Gulati will be in for more criticism than Ryan faced when he turned the Women's World Cup into his personal coaching bloopers reel.

U.S.-Switzerland (A second look)

Good morning folks. It was a busy day on the international soccer scene yesterday, with Euro qualifiers, South American World Cup qualifiers and the U.S. national team's friendly in Switzerland.

I'll start today's proceedings with a look back at the U.S. team's 1-0 win against Switzerland.

U.S. vs. Switzerland (Running Commentary)

Good afternoon folks. Apologies for the late start but I'm ready to roll with the running commentary. Follow along below:

Who should Bob Bradley start vs. Switzerland

Good morning folks. We're a day away from the U.S. national team's upcoming friendly against Switzerland and it is time to start thinking about what sort of team Bradley will field against the Swiss.

Yes, the squad he brought in to camp is very young, with several players brought in with an eye toward the 2008 Olympic team, but that doesn't mean those fresh faces will be starting against a team like Switzerland on the road.

This match is still about getting Bradley's best players experience playing together against a quality opponent. For that reason, I see this as Bradley's starting lineup on Wednesday:

Twellman, Guzan added to U.S. roster for Switzerland friendly

New England forward Taylor Twellman and Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan have been added to the U.S. national team's roster for its upcoming friendly against Switzerland on Wednesday (2:30pm, Fox Soccer Channel).

Do I think Twellman will play? I can't imagine that Bob Bradley would call Twellman over just to have him around for training. I'm not sure if he starts (as I projected before the rosters were announced) but Twellman should get a good chance to show something against a strong Switzerland defense.

So why is Guzan in? He's in because he's one of the best young keepers in the national team system (and third choice overall behind Howard and Hahnemann) and will probably get the call as Hahnemann's back-up. Chris Seitz and Tally Hall will be battling for the Olympic team job so it wouldn't surprise me if the U.S. coaches didn't want to have to pick one to be Hahnemann's back-up and give the impression that one has the edge over the other.

What do you think of the call-ups? Share your thoughts below.

Guess who's back?

Well, that didn't last long.

U.S. Women's national team goalkeeper Hope Solo has seen her banishment from the team cut short. She has been named to the U.S. women's team roster for its upcoming series of friendlies against Mexico.

So what gives? Did all the wounds really heal that quickly? Did her teammates really decide to take her back after spending the past two weeks bashing her? Did Greg Ryan wake up one day and realize it all really was his fault?

Call me a cynic but I think it has more to do with ticket sales than anything else. The vibe surrounding the U.S. women's team following the World Cup wasn't exactly a positive one and I have to believe that U.S. Soccer officials were at least a little concerned about how the public would respond to this three-game series in the wake of all that bad blood. I know there were plenty of fans either ready to ignore the series out of disgust with the whole goalkeeper fiasco while others were ready to go to these games with home-made signs that would express their unhappiness.

I'm sure the U.S. women will try to sell the story of reconciliation but color me skeptical. If everyone really has kissed and made up then that would be something, but I think the whole World Cup fiasco showed us that we probably shouldn't believe everything we're told about the U.S. women's soccer team.

So who are Tally Hall and Steve Purdy?

Those two names left more than a couple of U.S. Soccer fans scratching their heads as they read the roster for the U.S. national team's upcoming friendly against Switzerland.

In this world of easy internet access and steady info on American soccer players, it is rare when two players can fly under the radar like Hall and Purdy did. Well, those days are over. Hall and Purdy are now on the watch lists of every journalist, Big Soccer addict and general U.S. fan around.

So who are they?

U.S. Team announced 21-man roster for Switzerland friendly

U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley named the 21-man squad for the team's upcoming friendly against Switzerland on Oct. 17th.

Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley and Carlos Bocanegra lead a roster that is filled with young players, a roster built with an eye toward the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. U.S. Under-20 stars Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela, Chris Seitz and Sal Zizzo join Michael Bradley on the roster.

Here is rest of the roster:

GOALKEEPERS- Marcus Hahnemann (Reading FC), Tally Hall (Esbjerg), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS- Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Dan Califf (Aalborg BK), Jay Demerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Steve Purdy (1860 Munich)
MIDFIELDERS- Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Lewis (Derby County), Danny Szetela (Racing Santander)
FORWARDS- Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Preston Zimmerman (Hamburger SV), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)

RSL forward Robbie Findley and Hamburg forward Preston Zimmerman are two pleasant surprises on this quad.

Remember, not all 21 players will be in uniform for the Oct. 17th friendly.

What do you think of the roster? Share your thoughts below

The deal with Giuseppe Rossi

Will he or won't he? That seems to be the hot question surrounding whether Giuseppe Rossi will actually consider playing for the U.S. national team and change his mind about playing for Italy.

Why the sudden spark in interest? It comes on the heels of Bob Bradley admitting that Rossi has been contacted about the possibility of playing for the United States. Here's the thing. There isn't much to this story aside from the admission that U.S. Soccer has been in touch with Rossi.

Adu, Szetela called in to camp for USA vs. Switzerland

The U.S. national team could have a distinctively young feel to it when it faces Switzerland in a friendly in Basel on Oct. 17th. U.S. Under-20 national team stars Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela, Sal Zizzo and Chris Seitz have all been called in for the training camp ahead of the senior national team's friendly against the Swiss.

The U.S. Soccer Federation is expected to release the camp roster on Tuesday but the Herald News/SBI has learned the names of 11 of the players selected to the roster for the camp in Switzerland. The roster should have its share of veterans, with Steve Cherundolo and Eddie Lewis among the players identified by SBI, but it will be loaded with players in the under-23 age range.

The four Under-20 standouts aren't the only new faces in the fold. Here are some of the other players who have been called in for the Switzerland match:

Americans in Europe: Weekend rewind

Marcus Hahnemann rebounded from last week's seven-goal horror show to post a shutout in Reading's 1-0 win against Derby.

Hahnemann's shutout capped a busy weekend for Americans in Europe. You had Giuseppe Rossi scoring again, though in a Villarreal loss this time, and Michael Bradley started for Heerenveen in a 9-0 thrashing of Heracles. And no, Bradley did not register any assists. Apparently Afonso Alves was just running by Heracles defenders like traffic cones.

Here is the rundown of how Americans did in the European soccer scene this weekend:

Americans in Europe: UEFA Cup rewind

Thursday offered up a mixed bag of results for Americans playing in the UEFA Cup. Some survived the day while two U.S. national team standouts saw their UEFA Cup runs end.

Michael Bradley's Heerenveen dropped a 5-1 decision in the second leg of their series with Helsingborg, giving the Swedish club an 8-6 aggregate victory. Bradley came off in the 58th minute as Heerenveen added a forward in an attempt to close a 4-0 gap.

Oguchi Onyewu registered a goal and red card as Standard Liege fell short again Zenit St. Petersburg. Onyewu scored in the 37th minute then received a straight red card just four minutes later. Zenit won the series 4-1 on aggregate.

Here is how some of the other teams with American players did in Thursday's UEFA Cup action:

Americans in Europe: Keller, Bocanegra shut out Chelsea

Kasey Keller didn't waste any time rewarding Fulham coach Lawrie Sanchez for making him the Cottagers' No. 1 goalkeeper. Keller made four saves in shutting out Chelsea on Saturday, along with the help of Carlos Bocanegra, who played a strong match. Clint Dempsey played his part. No, he didn't score, but Dempsey did collide with Chelsea captain John Terry, leaving him with a fractured cheek bone.

Keller's day was slightly better than Marcus Hahnemann's. the Reading goalkeeper watched seven shots go past him in Reading's 7-4 loss to Portsmouth. Ouch.

There were no goal-scoring exploits among the Americans in Europe this weekend (Michael Bradley finally cooled off) but there were still plenty of Americans contributing in key matches. Here is a rundown of how American-born players did in Europe's top leagues this weekend.

Monday Morning Center Back (The worst coach you never heard of)

Admit it. Before last week you had never heard of Greg Ryan. Only die-hard followers of the U.S. women's national soccer team had heard of the anonymous coach before his fateful decision to start Briana Scurry against Brazil in the World Cup semifinals last week. Now Ryan has quickly become as well-known an American soccer coach as you'll find, be it in men's soccer or women's soccer. Unfortunately now Ryan is well known for being an idiot.

I'm sure many of you are sitting there saying, "Come on Ives, it's the MMCB, why waste in another women's soccer post". I just couldn't help but wonder how much of a setback this World Cup was for the women's game in this country.

Convey Hurt Again

Bobby Convey can't catch a break.

He finally returns from a long injury layoff to score a stunning goal against Liverpool earlier this week but now reports are surfacing that he injured his leg in training and won't play this weekend.

There are no details on the injury yet but it does not appear severe enough to keep him out for an extended period of time. At least you hope so for Convey's sake.

Brazil blasts USA in Women's World Cup semis (Hope Solo sounds off)

Marta scored two goals to lead Brazil past the U.S. women's national team in the World Cup semifinals. The story of the match was U.S. coach Greg Ryan's decision to start Brianna Scurry in goal ahead of Hope Solo. Scurry looked old and slow in net today, with at least two of Brazil's shots coming close enough to save only to have Scurry fail to make the stop.

Ryan was already going to face the heat for his decision but Solo hasn't made things any easier after blasting Ryan's decision in post-match interviews. I don't have a link to her comments yet but I'm sure they will hit the web soon. Keep an eye out and get ready for some raw anger from Solo, who has every right to be upset about Ryan's ridiculous decision.

Would Solo in net have helped the Americans win? I'm not sure about that one, but I do doubt the score is a blowout with her in goal.

What do you think of today's events in China? Share your thoughts below.

Americans in Europe: Bradley scores again

Michael Bradley can't stop scoring.

The U.S. national team midfielder netted his fourth goal in three matches for Heerenveen, scoring his team's first goal in a 3-2 loss to FC Utrecht. Bradley scored in the 50th minute to tie the match at 1-1 but Utrecht scored two late goals to win. Here are vi