Total Futbol

Jozy's Baaaaack!!

Jurgen Klinsmann announced his 20-man roster for the upcoming friendly at Russia, and Jozy Altidore is back in the group. News and full roster below...

CHICAGO (Nov. 12, 2012) - U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called 20 players into training camp to prepare for the final match of 2012, a friendly against No. 9-ranked Russia in Krasnodar. Kickoff at Kuban Stadium is set for 10 a.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision. Fans can follow the match live on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and via Twitter @ussoccer.

Players began reporting Sunday night into Frankfurt, Germany. The team will train twice Monday before departing Tuesday morning for Krasnodar.

"We ask for these games because they are big learning curves for us," said U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. "We need to measure ourselves against the best teams out there and build even more confidence. We want to close the year in a very positive way and then go into a busy 2013 that includes World Cup qualifying, the Gold Cup and some exciting friendlies."

The United States concludes a successful year holding its best winning percentage in the modern era, having posted a 9-2-2 record and a (.769) winning percentage. The next best performance came in 2008 when the team earned a 9-3-2 record (.750). The U.S. is looking for its first victory against Russia, which holds a 2-0-2 advantage in the series that dates back to a 1-0 Russia win on Feb. 13, 1993, in Orlando, Fla. (USA-Russia history) The team has already collected historic wins on the road this year against Italy in Genoa and Mexico at Estadio Azteca. After winning Group A in the Semifinal Round of FIFA World Cup qualifying, the U.S. learned its schedule for the Final Round following the Official Draw on Nov. 7 in Miami. The team kicks off the Hexagonal on Feb. 6 in Honduras, and will play three of its first four matches on the road.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION -

GOALKEEPERS (3): Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (6): Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg), Maurice Edu (Stoke City), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Michael Bradley (Roma), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Joshua Gatt (Molde), Joe Gyau (Hoffenheim), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim)

FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna)

US gets tough draw, Miami not in mix

By Michelle Kaufman

mkaufman@MiamiHerald.com

The road to the 2014 Brazil World Cup included a brief stop on South Beach Wednesday night for a glitzy CONCACAF Hexagonal draw ceremony complete with women in gowns selecting small soccer balls from glass bowls.

Executives from the CONCACAF region – North and Central America and the Caribbean -- and representatives of the six national teams in contention gathered at the W Hotel for the event, which determined the pairings for the final round of qualifying. Matches will be held between February 6 and October 15, 2013. 

Costa Rica,Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and the United States are the six teams that advanced to the Hexagonal. Each team will play every other team twice – once at home, once away – for a total of 10 matches. The top three finishers earn berths to the 2014 World Cup. The fourth-place team enters a two-game intercontinental playoff against the winner of the Oceania region for a final spot.

The U.S. got a tough draw, with three of its first four matches on the road. They open at Honduras Feb. 6, play Costa Rica at home March 22, on the road at Mexico’s Azteca Stadium March 26, and at Jamaica June 7.

Their other six matches are at home June 11 against Panama, at home June 18 against Honduras, at Costa Rica Sept. 6, at home against Mexico Sept. 10, at home against Jamaica Oct. 11 and at Panama Oct. 15.

“Usually a team would like to have its first game at home, but if you don’t, you make the best of it,’’ said U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “If you get results on the
road, you are far more confident for your home games. It’s fine with me. We’ve
just got to be really sharp and focused and get the job done on the road in
difficult environments, which is what this region is about. We are looking
forward to playing at Honduras and will take it one game at a time. We are
excited to finally have our schedule. ‘’

Added U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati: “Honduras is a tough team, but the last time we played there, we won and qualified for the World Cup, so it’s got some pretty good memories for us.’’

The U.S. has qualified for the past six World Cups since 1990.

Unlike the other five teams, which play their matches at designated national stadiums, the U.S. team must now determine sites for its five home games. Gulati said 10 to 12 venues are being considered. Stadium size, time zone, fan demographics, field surface, and weather are among the considerations for home-field advantage. Miami’s Sun Life Stadium is not expected to be a site partly due to the warm climate, and also because it tends to attract opposing fans from
Central America and the Caribbean.

Jurgen on South Beach

The CONCACAF Hexagonal draw is tonight at the W Hotel on South Beach. Leaders of all six federations (USA, Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama) will be there, as will US coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

The draw determines the schedule for the final round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Each team plays five home games and five road games between February and October 2013. The top 3 advance to the World Cup in Brazil. The fourth-place team enters a 2-game playoff with the winner of the Oceania region.

In other news Wednesday...

Champions League results: Barcelona LOST to Celtic 2-1 (no, that is NOT a typo), Chelsea d. Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2, Juventus beat FC Nordsjaelland 4-0, Bayern Munich crushed Lille 6-1, Valencia d. BATE Borisov 4-2, , ManU beat Braga 3-1.

In Tuesday's Champions League action, PSG d. Dinamo Zagreb 4-0, Olympiakos d. Montpellier 3-1, Arsenal and Schalke 04 tied 2-2, AC Milan tied Malaga 1-1, ManCity tied Ajax 2-2, Real Madrid tied Borussia Dortmund 2-2

Tonight, MLS confeference semifinals, second legs. Red Bulls vs. DC and San Jose vs. LA. Red Bulls and DC tied 1-1 first match, San Jose beat LA 1-0. Quakes v. Galaxy at 11 p.m. tonight on ESPN2.

2016 Copa America in US? Not so fast...

Don't mark your July 2016 calendars just yet...

A day after CONMEBOL, the South American soccer governing body, announced that a special 2016 Copa America would be held in the US with 10 South American teams, USA, Mexico and 4 other CONCACAF teams, word out of US Soccer Federation and CONMEBOL offices is that the deal is still in discussion stages.

''Even though playing the 2016 Copa America in the CONCACAF
region with our teams and those from CONMEBOL would be a wonderful experience
for all fans, we are still in the midst of talks and negotiations between all
parties involved in this decision,'' said Enrique Sanz, CONCACAF's general
secretary. ''This is an idea we are hoping to materialize,
but we are still evaluating and discussing before it becomes official, but the
intention is definitely there.''

Here's hoping the work out a deal because surely Miami's Sun Life Stadium would be in the mix and it would be fun to see so many great players and teams on American soil.

 

Three BIG Thursday headlines

1. 2016 Copa America comes to the United States!

CONMEBOL announced Wednesday that it will hold a special Copa America in 2016, and the tournament will be held in the United States (SURELY, Miami's Sun Life Stadium will be a site). The event, to commemorate CONMEBOL's 100th anniversary, will include the 10 South American teams, plus the US, Mexico and 4 more CONCACAF teams based on rankings. The tournament will be held in July 2016. The regular 2015 and 2019 Copa Americas will still go on as scheduled.

2. Big teams go down in Champions League

Manchester City lost 3-1 to Ajax. Real Madrid lost 2-1 to Dortmund. Arsenal lost 2-0 to Schalke.

3. Wondo goes for record

Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes is one goal shy of tying the MLS record, which was set in 1996 by Roy Lassiter of the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny. Lassiter scored 27 goals that season. Wondo has 26. He plays his final regular season game Saturday against Portland.

 

Will the US beat Guatemala?

The US barely squeaked by Antigua 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier Friday night, a country whose entire population fits into Sun Life Stadium. Eddie Johnson saved the day with two headers, more than justifying Jurgen Klinsmann's decision to bring him into camp after a 2-year absence. Next up: Guatemala Tuesday night in Kansas City. The US needs a win or a tie to advance for sure. They can still move on with a loss, but would need help from Jamaica.

What do you think will happen?

 

Injured Donovan, Shea sent home

Landon Donovan and Brek Shea were sent home from the U.S. training camp in Miami after team doctors determined their injuries were more serious than anticipated. They were both ruled out of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers at Antigua on Friday and against Guatemala in Kansas City on Tuesday.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said no immediate replacements will be added to the roster.

Donovan suffered a knee injury in the LA Galaxy's 2-1 loss on Saturday night. He will return to Los Angeles tonight and be seen by team doctors. He felt much better on Monday and Klinsmann said Tuesday morning he expected Donovan to play, but Dr. Dan Kalbac, the team's Miami-based physician, examined him and suggested he be kept out. 

Shea entered camp with an abdominal strain and will be treated in Dallas. 

"It's unfortunate for Landon and Brek that they won't be able to play," said Klinsmann. "Landon was very optimistic over the weekend when his knee was feeling much better, but now he needs time to recover. We knew Brek was a question mark coming in, and now we have a clear picture of where he stands. We feel confident that the group we have will get the job done."

Notes from US practice...

Just back from US national team practice at FIU. Half the team was on the field under the sweltering sun, the other half worked out in the gym. Among those missing was Landon Donovan, who was having his injured left knee examined by Miami-based team doctor, Dr. Dan Kalbac. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann said he doesn't think it's serious and fitness-wise feels Donovan could go "two 90 minutes'' against Antigua and Guatemala in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Michael Bradley was back on the field after missing the past two games with injuries. Klinsmann said he is happy to have "team leaders'' Donovan and Bradley back because they help everyone around them.

One of the happiest players in camp was forward Eddie Johnson, who has resurrected his career with the Seattle Sounders after struggles in Europe. He hadn't been with the national team since before the 2010 World Cup, and is thrilled to get a second chance.

With Jozy Altidore left off the roster for the first time in 17 World Cup qualifiers, Johnson will get a chance to prove himself.

The U.S. team will have a closed training session in Miami on Wednesday and fly to Antigua on Thursday. The game is Friday at 7 p.m.

Do you think Klinsmann made the right choice leaving Altidore off the roster? Share your views.

US team heading to Miami

The US men's national team is making its way to Miami to train this week for Friday World Cup qualifier at Antigua.

Coach Jurgen Klinsmann just released the roster of 24. Here it is. Share your thoughts. Who would you start if you were US coach???

GOALKEEPERS (3) : Brad Guzan
(Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8) : Carlos Bocanegra
(Racing Santander), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana),
Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Maurice Edu (Stoke City), Clarence Goodson
(Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst
(Nordsjaelland)
MIDFIELDERS
(8) : Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona
(Club Tijuana), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek
Shea (FC Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas
City)
FORWARDS (5): Clint
Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez
(Santos), Alan Gordon (San Jose Earthquakes), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders)

1-legged player scores AMAZING goal!

Of all the amazing goals I have watched in my life, this one may be the most incredible -- not to mention inspiring. That's all I'm going to say. Watch for yourself.