US MNT Archives

As I'm sure many of you know, yesterday's post was a bit controversial. I attempted to take a creative look at the CBA and the writing came across a bit poor to some of you -- while others seemed to like it.

While I'm happy that the piece provoked such strong reactions from some of you, I wanted to say that I didn't write the piece simply to get people fired up. Rather, I had been looking to write a more creative piece for a long time and thought that the CBA provided me with a good outlet for that. However, the execution of my idea wasn't the greatest. I was irresponsible in citing sources and I embarrassed myself with a particular error in word choice. But I learn with every piece I write and next time I choose to pen a "creative" article (which hopefully won't be too far off...), I'll be more selective, more thoughtful and more adept to ensure that I improve upon yesterday's entry.

So, with all of that said, I'm going back to an old-reliable "Links" style post to start the day. The news (along with my personal take on each subject...) is after the jump.

No matter what time of year, no matter what continent one is on, on any given weekend one can catch an entertaining soccer game. The key is to know where to look. Well, look no further -- here's a weekly feature that will preview (and eventually recap) my favorite match of the weekend. Consider this your open thread for all of the weekend's matches.

The match: Inter Milan vs. AC Milan

TV: Sunday. 1:30 CDT. FSC.

Quick Preview: This one really doesn't need a whole lot of set up. You have Inter -- four time reigning Serie A champs and current league leaders -- and intra-stadium rivals AC Milan -- currently six points behind Inter with a game in hand.

Becks will be there. Ronaldinho too. Eto'o. Maicon. Pato. Sneijder. This one has it all. I wouldn't miss it if I were you.

My prediction: 2-1 Inter

Result: 2-0 Inter

Match of the Week Honorable Mention: USA-Honduras. The match will air at 8 p.m. CDT on Saturday night on FSC. I'll likely be at the Northwestern-Illinois basketball game (Go Cats!) but I'm highly interested in that one to see if any Yanks step up and start to nail down one of the final spots on the World Cup roster.

Result: Honduras 3 - USA 1

I posted video highlights of both matches after the jump. Check them out.

Just a few quick things I wanted to pass along before heading off to class for the day...

The U.S. National Team is well into its annual January training camp and is set to face Honduras in a friendly this Saturday at the Home Depot Center. Though the game won't feature any of either countries bigger names, it's always interesting to see how the National Team is playing -- even if only for the purpose of seeing who's likely to fill out the World Cup roster. You can catch the game beginning at 8 p.m. central time on FSC.

Kansas City started construction on its very own soccer-specific stadium yesterday, putting the team on track to move into the new facility at some point in 2011. The stadium, which will be located on the Kansas side of the city, will have a capacity of 18,000. "This is a great day for soccer in Kansas City," investor Robb Heineman said.

The stadium -- much like some other MLS facilities -- will be a part of a complex that will house 18-24 additional fields for youth tournaments and an office complex. The project will cost around $400 million and will enable the Wizards to move out of the minor-league baseball stadium they currently occupy.

Yesterday afternoon was a busy one in the world of soccer. I didn't update then, so we're getting caught up now...

In an announcement that certainly surprised me (just take a look at yesterday's morning links for proof...), Landon Donovan has signed a new deal with the L.A. Galaxy which will keep him at the club through 2013. The deal, which reportedly will pay him $9 million over four years, allows Donovan to pursue short term European loans during the MLS offseason. Donovan's already taking advantage of that clause, having agreed in principle to head to Everton for a 10 week loan beginning on January 1st.

It's nice to see Donovan stick around in MLS. He's been the face of MLS for a long time and knowing that the best American field layer is going to stay -- and market -- the American league is comforting.

On another note, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced yesterday that a friendly against the Netherlands has been scheduled for March 3rd -- the lone FIFA date between now and the start of the World Cup. The match, which will be played at Amsterdam ArenA (which is a very cool stadium by the way, check it out in person if you get the chance), will be the fourth time the two nations have squared off. The Netherlands is ranked third in the FIFA World Rankings.

Also, D.C.'s scrambling as the list of head coaching candidates who have turned them down has grown to three. I'm sure some of you are taking a little bit of joy out of that one...

I'll be back later on today with a Fire related article. Check back for it.

I'll be back later on today with a full post, but here are some links to kick start your day.

The US Soccer Federation announced yesterday that the team will conclude its annual January training camp with a friendly against Honduras at the Home Depot Center. The match will take place on January 23rd -- which is a non-FIFA fixture date. That means that both rosters will likely feature domestically/Scandinavian based players -- opening the door for several current (and former) Fire players to get a look.

Charlie Corr posted the second -- and final -- part of his interview with Fire Technical Director Frank Klopas last night. The interview touches on the Fire's head coaching search, with Klopas being his usual, discreet self and not naming any names. Check it out.

The L.A. Galaxy announced yesterday that a press conference (featuring Bruce Arena and Landon Donovan) has been scheduled for today. Looks like Donovan's loan move to Everton has been finalized a little earlier than we thought it would...

I'll be talking with Fire Technical Director Frank Klopas later on this morning and posting a story about the remainder of the Fire's offseason after the interview.  Until then I'll leave you with a couple of MLS/USA related links. 

The Red Bulls officially named Norwegian Erik Soler as their new General Manager and Sporting Director yesterday.  Soler will have his hands full in trying to turn around New York, who finished dead last in the league in 2009.  He discussed his plans for attacking the numerous challenges he faces in a press conference yesterday.

Jack Bell of The New York Times Goal Blog did a nice piece on the English's perspective on getting placed with the U.S. in Group C of next year's World Cup.  You can check out the piece here.

I'll be back in a few hours.  Enjoy the rest of your morning.

Ever since Friday's World Cup Draw placed the U.S. and England in the same group I've had one thought racing through my mind. Will the Americans baste the Cornish game hens of those limeys and trample their arses up and down the pitch? Or will the English reforge the bonds of the British Empire and massacre the Yanks like it's 1770?

And while there's still over six months to go before the Yanks and Brits collide, the time's always right to start making predictions. With that in my mind and patriotism in my heart, I've created a little poll for you all.

To say the U.S. got a tough draw at the 2006 World Cup would be an understatement. Paired with European heavyweights Italy and the Czech Republic and African upstart Ghana, the Americans struggled in Germany and finished a disappointing fourth place in their group.

But it was a different story this time around for the U.S., who was favorably paired with England, Algeria and Slovenia in Friday morning's World Cup draw.

The U.S. will face England in their first match, which will occur on June 12th - the second day of the tournament.

"You look forward to big challenges and we're certainly looking forward to England," U.S. Head Coach Bob Bradley told ESPN's Jeremy Schapp.

The draw for the 2010 World Cup might be two days away, but FIFA got the process started this morning when they announced the four, eight team pots that will determine the results of Friday's draw.

Each World Cup group will consist of one team from each pot. Here's a full list of the teams in each pot:

Pot 1 (Seeded Teams): South Africa, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Spain, England, Holland, Argentina

Pot 2 (Asia, Oceania, North/Central America): Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Mexico, Honduras

Pot 3 (Africa and South America): Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay

Pot 4 (Europe): France, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Greece, Slovakia, Denmark, Serbia

So as I wait for tomorrow to arrive (Arsenal-Chelsea? Real Madird-Barcelona? Oh my!) I thought I'd share a couple of links with you guys to move your day along. Here we go...

Jimmy Bullard has a sit down with his teammates

After scoring a late equalizer for Hull during their match at Manchester City this morning, you wouldn't have thought that midfielder Jimmy Bullard would have felt the need to have a sit down meeting with his teammates.

But that's exactly what Bullard did, arranging his fellow Hull players in a circle and pointing to each of them in turn after slotting his penalty kick home.

Why, you ask? Well, Bullard was poking a little fun at his always tan, notoriously crazy manager Phil Brown. In his team's last game at Man City, Brown (who for some reason always wears a silly looking headset on the sideline) decided to berate his entire squad on the field (instead of the locker room...) at halftime.

The very-public team talk was widely pointed to as the start of Hull's tremendous decline last year. We'll have to wait and see what effect Bullard's speech has on the team....

Six teams qualified for next year's World Cup in South Africa today, finalizing the field that will compete in the first World Cup in African soil.

France, Slovenia, Uruguay, Portugal, Greece and Algeria advanced to the finals ending the dreams of Ireland, Russia, Costa Rica, Ukraine and Egypt in the process.

That means that Costa Rican and current (for now anyway..) Fire Defender Gonzalo Segares will not participate in the World Cup, something that will be very disappointing for Gonzalo personally (he told me yesterday he was hoping Costa Rica would "come up with a big upset") and the nation of Costa Rica as a whole -- who looked to be a shoe in to qualify for nearly the entire CONCACAF Qualification process.

I've provided a full list of the 32 finalists after the jump but I wanted to share my early favorites here. My pick to win it all (and again this could change during the course of the next 6-7 months) is Brazil with Spain following up closely. My early sleeper is Serbia -- I think they could surprise a lot of teams next summer.

With the South American qualifiers about to finish up and the CONCACAF qualifiers about to start, it's about time for me to get a World Cup Qualifier thread started. 

I'll be sharing some thoughts/observations on the qualifiers throughout the evening, and I encourage you to do the same.  I'll also be posting the winner of the U.S.-Costa Rica first goal contest on this thread, so stay tuned for that.  Enjoy the matches.

As I'm sure most of you now know, U.S. National Team forward Charlie Davies is in serious but stable condition after surviving a one car accident in which another person was killed.

Davies underwent five hours of surgery Tuesday to repair a lacerated bladder, fractured femur, fractured tibia, left elbow fracture and facial fractures. The 23-year-old forward, who established himself as the U.S.'s top striker this year, will remain in the hospital for at least another week and undergo several more surgeries.

The U.S. National Team is set to take on Costa Rica tomorrow night in both sides' last World Cup Qualifying match. The American team qualified for the Cup with their 3-2 win over Honduras last Saturday and they'll be looking to finish qualification strong with a win over Costa Rica, who currently sit in the group's third and final qualification spot.

Despite having already secured their World Cup berth, I expect the U.S. team to come out and fight tomorrow night at RFK Stadium. I think Head Coach Bob Bradley will want to give the Costa Ricans a run for their money tomorrow night and I think he'll feel compelled to play something that resembles his normal starting 11 at D.C.'s RFK Stadium.

The U.S.'s 1-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago was hardly the only news coming out of CONCACAF tonight, as two other (and equally important) World Cup Qualifiers took place. 

Mexico-Honduras was the high-profile match of the evening and Mexico took the honors, defeating the Hondurans 1-0 at Estadio Azteca.  Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco played the full 90 minutes and scored the games only goal, coolly netting a second half penalty kick for 'El Tri.'  Mexico moves into second place in qualifying with the win, only a point behind first place U.S.

The other match of the night took place in San Salvador, with 4th place Costa Rica taking on fifth place El Salvador.  The hosts got the best of the 'Ticos,' getting a second half goal of their own to defeat Costa Rica 1-0.  Despite losing their last two games, Costa Rica remains in 4th place in the group.  El Salvador -- who needed all three points tonight just to stay alive -- moves three points closer to the playoff spot of 4th place with the win, though they are still four points behind Costa Rica with only two games to go. 

Tonight's action cleared up the (previously extremely muddled) standings situation a bit as well.  The U.S. now sits on top of the group with 16 points, one point clear of second place Mexico and three points ahead of third place Honduras. 

Hey everyone, thought I'd let you know that I'll be doing a running diary tonight for the U.S.-Trinidad & Tobago match. Tonight's diary should be a little different than past running commentary posts in that I'll keep it a little lighter and (hopefully) provide you guys with some entertainment along with match analysis. I hope some of you will be following along with me as we go and (if you do) feel free to share any thoughts/ask any questions you may have in the comments section.

6:34: Oh, crap. Well it looks like this diary is starting a tad late.Definitely thought the game started at 7:00 p.m. (where did I read that...?). No matter though, I'll just post extra often to make up for it.

Only 3 days removed from Saturday night's 2-1 win over El Salvador, the U.S. National Team is back in action tonight, when they meet last place Trinidad & Tobago in an extremely important World Cup Qualifying match in Port of Spain.

El Salvador gave the U.S. a whole lot to handle on Saturday night, but in the end the Americans pulled through, winning the important World Cup Qualifier 2-1 in Salt Lake City. The U.S. - who now has 12 points from seven games in the final qualification round - moves into second place with the win, trailing Honduras only on goal differential.

The Fire may be sitting at home enjoying their bye week this Labor Day weekend, but the rest of the soccer world isn't slowing down one bit. Apart from featuring a few solid MLS matchups, this weekend is packed with some absolutely huge World Cup Qualifiers. So, without a Fire preview to do, I thought that I'd go through some of the weekend's top matches, give them a little preview and maybe even share a prediction or two...

Argentina vs. Brazil (7:30 p.m. on ???? -- full preview here)

Oh, what can I say about this one? I mean, I could wax poetic for a thousand words about this matchup but you guys already know the deal. I mean, it's Argentina-Brazil. It's a huge rivalry and -this time - it has huge importance, as hosts Argentina find themselves in 4th place (the lowest automatic qualifying spot...) and on the brink of failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1970.

From my point of view, there is only one thing wrong with this match: it's not on TV in the States. Frankly, I'm pissed. I mean, it's not often one gets the chance to see two sides this packed with star-power (Messi? Kaka? Aguero? Robinho? I could go on...) go against each other in a match this important (again, Argentina is fighting for their World Cup life...) and we can't watch it on TV. That sucks.

Ok, enough with my complaining, it's time I make a prediction. I'm going to say that a Maradona led Argentina edges out Brazil by a score of 2-1. Messi gets both goals for Argentina and Luis Fabiano scores for Brazil.

UPDATE -- Argentina vs. Brazil is available to watch on pay per view. Comcast is offering the game for $35, but I'm not sure I'm willing to fork over that kind of cash when (as Fireman451 pointed out) you can just catch the game online. We'll see what happens though...

In a match that lived up to all of its billing, all of the hype, the Mexico defeated the U.S. 2-1 in a World Cup Qualifying Match at the vaunted Estadio Azteca.

Mexico dominated the possession for the entire 90 minutes but it was the U.S. that struck first, scoring the opener through forward Charlie Davies in the 9th minute. Davies - who found himself unmarked and with the ball on his feet on the left flank after a great diagonal through ball from Landon Donovan - finished his chance nicely, curling his shot past Mexican keeper Guillermo Ochoa and into the back of the net.

Wednesday is typically a pretty slow day in the world of soccer but tomorrow (or Wednesday, August 12th for those of you not paying attention...) isn't any ordinary Wednesday.

That's because tomorrow is when the next slate of World Cup Qualification matches are going down and there are some big matches, most notably the U.S. vs. Mexico clash (3 p.m. on mun2/Telemundo) in Mexico City.

Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco has been named to the Mexican National team roster ahead of their all important World Cup Qualifier against the United States.

Fire defender Gonzalo Segares was also named to his country's roster; he'll play with Costa Rica when they take on Honduras on the same day.

The early word is that Mexican Head Coach Javier Aguirre will call his players into camp a full week ahead of the match, which takes place on August 12th.

Edit: Both Blanco and Segares will report to their teams on August 7th. They'll both miss the August 9th match at Houston but both will be available for the SuperLiga final.

But where does this news leave the Fire?

For those of you that haven't heard, Mexico absolutely demolished the U.S. today in the Gold Cup Final 5-0.  Click on the link for ESPN's match recap (if you even want to read about the drubbing that took place at Giants Stadium that is...).

Mexico, who scored all of their goals in the second half, was able to stop a long losing streak to the Americans in the States and end the 'Nats streak of two consecutive Gold Cups with the win.  

Fire midfielder Logan Pause started the match and picked up a yellow card in 63 minutes of action.

I apologize for the lateness and the brevity of this post but I had family obligations this afternoon and have not been able to watch the match yet.  

The U.S. and Mexico face off today in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final. Today's match, which will be the second consecutive Gold Cup Final between Mexico and the States, is the first of two U.S. - Mexico clashes in a span of 17 days. The second match, which is a World Cup Qualifier, will take place on August 12th at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

The U.S. blanked Honduras 2-0 tonight at Soldier Field and, in doing so, advanced to their third straight Gold Cup final.

The final, which will be played on Sunday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford N.J., will feature the U.S. against Mexico or Costa Rica, who are currently tied 0-0 in the second half of a highly entertaining match.

Click here to read the match report I wrote for the Tribune and read on for a few thoughts I had on the match.

Chicago's getting a double dip of soccer action as the Gold Cup semifinals make their way to Soldier Field on Thursday for an exciting night of international soccer.

I'll be at Soldier Field for both the U.S. - Honduras match as well as the Costa Rica - Mexico game (look for a matchday post later on in the day, I might provide a bit of running commentary...) and you can click here to read the semifinal preview I put together for the Tribune.

Read on after the jump for some more coverage on the U.S. - Honduras match and two (that's right, two!) predictions that will inevitably both be wrong.

Remember Logan Pause?

It seems like it's been a while since we last saw the central midfielder suit up for the Fire (mainly because it has, June 27th was the last time he played with the club...) but Logan has been keeping busy, playing with the U.S. National Team in their journey through the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Pause, who returned to Chicago ahead of the U.S.'s semifinal match against Honduras Thursday at Soldier Field, has been enjoying his time with the 'Nats, starting three of the team's four matches in the biennial tournament.

The Fire took part in a very tough practice today, doing a ton of conditioning work while not spending a ton of time on the ball. After Fire training I (along with a mass of other media members...) headed into Toyota Park to catch the end of the U.S. team's practice and I was fortunate enough to talk to Logan Pause and Bob Bradley. I'll have a full write up on Logan for tomorrow and you can click after the jump for a few more notes from the Fire (and U.S.) practice.

The Fire will just have to wait a little bit longer for Logan Pause and Gonzalo Segares.

This past weekend saw both Pause and the U.S. team and Gonzalo and the Costa Rican squad win their quarterfinal matches and advance to the Gold Cup semifinals, which will be played on Thursday night at Soldier Field.

Hey all, well today is another busy day for Chicago soccer fans as the Fire take on the San Jose Earthquakes at Toyota Park (7:30 on My50) in their first match without the injured Brian McBride and Logan Pause and the U.S. National Team take on Panama in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup (7 on FSC/TeleFutura).

I hope that these little 'Matchday' posts can turn into a place where you can discuss any thoughts you have in the lead up to the match, any commentary you have during the match, and any ramblings that you want to post in the game's immediate aftermath.  So, feel free to comment and check back later as I'll post the starting lineups from Toyota Park in the comments section as soon as they are announced.

Today is another busy day in the world of Chicago soccer fans as the Fire take on the Crew (7 p.m. ESPN 2) and the U.S. National Team finishes Gold Cup group play when they take on Haiti (6 p.m. FSC/TeleFutura).

I previewed the Fire-Crew match yesterday (just scroll down for it) and the U.S. match tonight should see Bob Bradley give some new faces some playing time as the 'Nats are practically through to the next round already.  I see the U.S. defeating a pretty weak Haiti squad tonight by a score of 2-0. 

And in other Gold Cup news, Gonzalo Segares and his Costa Rican teammates tied with Canada, which was enough to put them in second place in Group A and give them a spot in the quarterfinals.  Gonzalo played the full 90 last night and picked up a yellow card.

Fire midfielder Logan Pause and the U.S. National Team are all set to take on Honduras tonight (8 p.m. FSC/TeleFutura) in the Americans second match of Gold Cup play.

The U.S. and Honduras, who last played each other in June's World Cup Qualifying match that saw the Americans win 2-1 at Soldier Field, are currently tied atop of the Gold Cup's Group B.

Honduras, who (like the U.S) brought a 'B' team to the Gold Cup, beat Haiti 1-0 in their first game of the tournament and should be a pretty tough opponent for the American squad.

"This is going to be a much better [match]," said U.S. Head Coach (and former Fire head man) Bob Bradley to ussoccer.com. "We expect that this is the game for putting ourselves in position to win the group."

The U.S. Men's National Team is all set to take on Brazil in the FIFA Confederations Cup Final. The match is the first FIFA tournament final for the U.S. team and a win (though it would be an upset...) would really announce the American team's arrival to the big-time.

Today's game (which kicks off at 1 p.m. central on ESPN/ESPN 360) is a rematch of Brazil's 3-0 smack-down of an uninspired U.S. team in Confederations Cup group play on last Thursday. However, today's U.S. team is a much different one from last Thursday's and at the very least, the 'Nats should be a formidable opponent for Brazil.

The U.S. Men's National team takes on Spain later on today in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. The match is no doubt one of the biggest matches for the 'Nats in recent memory.

Spain comes into the match riding a 35-game unbeaten streak and is (right now) the definitive best team in the world.

I'm really looking forward to the match today (it kicks off at 1:25 on ESPN) and it should be a great test to see how the U.S. stacks up against the best in the world. As far as a prediction goes, I think that Spain will walk away with the win, but that it will be a hard fought match. I'm saying a score of 1-0 with Xavi putting it into the back of the net.

For a full match preview written by Soccernet's Jen Chang click here. Feel free to share any thoughts you have on the match below.

The US men's national team is ready for their second match of the Confederations Cup. The 'Nats, who are coming off of a tough 3-1 defeat to Italy, will take on a vaunted Brazil side that is coming off of a controversial 4-3 win over Egypt.

The U.S. needs at least a tie to keep alive their hopes of advancing past the group stage of the tournament, but Brazil will no doubt provide a very tough opponent for a U.S. team that hasn't been playing its best as of late.

I see the Brazilians walking away with a victory from the match. I think that the Kaka led midfield will completely dominate possession and not give the U.S. much of a chance on the ball. Maybe the U.S. gets lucky on a counter attack at some point in the match but regardless I think Brazil takes all three points and dashes the Americans hopes.

Just curious here, does anyone think that the U.S. has a chance of winning this one?

In a rematch of a 2006 World Cup battle (and I mean that in almost every sense of the word) the U.S. Men's National Team will face off against World Champions Italy in the Confederations Cup today (1:25 CDT on ESPN).

The Confederations Cup, an 8-team "dress rehearsal" to the World Cup, kicked off yesterday when host country South Africa played Iraq to a scoreless tie and European Champions Spain smashed Oceania champs New Zealand 5-0.

The Cup, which (like the World Cup) takes place once every four years, will be a tough test for a U.S. team who is grouped with South American Champions Brazil, African Champions Egypt and the aforementioned Italy.

To get out of the group stage and into the four team playoff round, the US will have to finish in one of the top two spots in Group B. Given their recent form, most people are not giving the U.S. too much of a chance at advancing past their 3 group games and I definitely fall into this majority.

I think that the U.S. will finish with four points after the group stage, but will come in third in the group due to goal differential. I see the U.S. drawing with Italy this afternoon, losing to Brazil on Thursday, and defeating Egypt on Sunday but eventually falling just short of advancing.

As I'm sure all of you know, the US National Team pulled off a very important comeback Saturday night, defeating Honduras 2-1 at Chicago's very own Soldier Field.

I was at the match (as a fan) and I couldn't have hoped for a better one.  Both sets of fans were great, the game was very entertaining and the US took all three points (which made the el ride back home a lot quicker...).  But most importantly, I made a new friend!

Now, I normally try to keep my personal life out of the blog, but tonight's match presented me with an opportunity that I couldn't pass up.  A few friends and I had seats in the 200 level of the North End Zone, which apparently turns into Tegucigalpa North on Saturday nights.  Who knew?  I mean, my friends and I were literally the only American fans in our section.  The place was completely packed with Honduran supporters.

So, in an effort completely motivated by my desire to not get into a fight, I decided to make friends with some Honduran fans.  Everything was going great at first, I exchanged some small talk with my seat neighbors and all signs pointed towards a peaceful evening.

Then the match started.  Then Honduras scored.  Then all hell broke loose. 

In a non-Fire related topic, the U.S. Men's National Team takes on Costa Rica tonight in a World Cup Qualifying match.

The match pits the CONCACAF leading U.S. side against 2nd place Costa Rica (which features Fire defender Gonzalo Segares).   Costa Rica will have the advantage of playing at home in the vaunted Estadio Saprissa, a place where the U.S. has never won.

I expect a hard fought match tonight, but I predict that the sides will walk away with a 1-1 draw.  I see Costa Rica opening the scoring with a first half tally, but I think that the U.S. will equalize through a Brian Ching second half goal.

If you are looking for a place to watch the match, all three Fire goalies will be bartending at Fado Irish Pub in Chicago.  It should be a decent opportunity to talk to/pick the brain of the Fire keepers.  

US Men's National Team Head Coach Bob Bradley announced today the players who will be called in to train with the National Team prior to the US's World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Honduras.

Bradley named 24 players to the squad that will start training in Miami on May 26th.  7 MLS players were called in, but none from the Fire. 

For selfish reasons, no Fire players being called in to the camp is a good thing.  The Fire are about to begin a stretch of 4 games in 13 days and losing anymore players to international duty (Cuauhtemoc Blanco has already been called in to Mexico's squad) would make that stretch even tougher.