Sunil Gulati finally got his man as Jurgen Klinsmann was announced today as the new US Men's National Team coach. The German veteran is the 35th coach of the national side after succeeding Bob Bradley, who was sacked yesterday. Klinsmann's first match in charge is the upcoming friendly on August 10th against the Yanks biggest rival, Mexico.

Klinsmann won a World Cup as a player in 1990 and played for Europe's elite teams. In 2006, he coached the German national team to the World Cup semis and a 3rd place finish. Most recently, Klinsmann coached Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the 2008-2009 season. Klinsmann brings loads of experience to the Yanks and has a proven track record on the international scene.

The credentials are all there for Klinsmann but what matters the most will be whether or not he can produce results. One thing Bradley did well was to get the program moving in the right direction, Klinsmann will need to build off of the foundation that Bradley has left him by achieving results on the grandest of stages. What this translates to, is the immense pressure Klinsmann immediatley will bear on his suddenly heavy shoulders.

The USSF and Gulati appear to be giving Klinsmann the “keys to the castle,” something Gulati was reluctant to do in his previous attempts to land the German legend. It will be interesting to see what kind of changes Klinsmann makes to the outline of the USSF.

Another aspect of this hire that many fans are awaiting to see is whom Klinsmann will bring in to complete his coaching staff. One name that many people are wondering about is Sigi Schmid, who currently is the head coach of the Seattle Sounders.  ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman tweeted some very interesting tidbits about the relationship between Schmid and Klinsmann. I tend to agree with Twellman on the fact that Schmid may be reluctant to leave his post with the Sounders even if Klinsmann offers him the assistant coaching job.

The full details of Klinsmann’s hire should be made public on Monday, when the USSF will hold a press conference in New York to make the hire official.

no comments

This afternoon Bob Bradley was relieved of his duties as head coach of the US Men's National Team. Bradley's tenure ends on the heels of a 4-2 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup Final, which saw the US blow a 2-0 lead. There was some talk immediately following the Gold Cup of Bradley's exit, instead, over a month later Bradley has been sacked.  

This is a surprising move and one I never expected Sunil Gulati to make. After the World Cup loss to Ghana, a change was clearly expected when Gulati indirectly bad-mouthed Bradley and said the team had the potential to go further in the tournament. Then after the embarrassing loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final many pundits were convinced Bradley's days were numbered, but Gulati seemed to be sticking it out. Perhaps, the US Soccer Federation was waiting for the right man to come along before giving Bradley his walking papers. In my opinion that is exactly what went on. 

Even after losing the interim tag, Bob Bradley was always just that, an interim coach in the eyes of the US Soccer higher-ups. Gulati and co were always waiting for a big-name to replace the diligent, chilled deamenor that is Bob Bradley. The bottom-line is that nobody in the organization was ever content with Bob. That's why US Soccer went after former German coach Jurgen Klinsmann so many times, which is something they will continue to do starting right now. no comments

If the Rose Bowl was the set of the Wild Wild West on Saturday night nobody would have known the difference. The Mexico-US rivalry lived up to the hype, producing an erratic game with plenty of surprises. Each team played their part in an action packed 90 minutes, where defense seemed to be an after thought. The first half alone consisted of 4 goals and 3 subs due to injuries, which barely out did the physical nature of the 2nd half that saw Mexico rise to the occasion.

Bob Bradley continued to shock everyone with his lineup choices, as he decided to insert Freddy Adu into his newly favored 4-2-3-1 formation. This meant that Landon Donovan would be sliding up top to play the lone forward position, while Adu sat in behind as the attacking midfielder. This was a very offensive minded approach and a risky one, as Bradley dangerously called for a wide-open match.

“I think sometimes a final becomes a real test of both teams going after each other. That was the way we chose to play this game, knowing it would still require good reactions defensively to deal with situations,” said Bradley of his team’s strategy.

Despite early Mexico pressure, Bob’s game plan seemed to pay off as his son scored a surprisingly early US goal in the 8th minute. Michael Bradley made a great near-post run and was able to flick on Adu’s corner kick. His flick was quickly in the back of the net, giving the US a 1-0 advantage.

no comments

At around 6pm local time tomorrow the US and their world-class rival Mexico will be taking the field in front of 90,000 crazed fans at the prestigious, yet antiquated Rose Bowl Stadium. It is a perfect scene for a classic match between the up-and-coming Yanks and a lethal Mexican team led by their prized forward, who goes by the nickname "Chicharito". The tiny Manchester United magician is proving his worth, as he already recorded 7 goals in this tournament. Landon Donovan knows how important it is for the US to stop "Chicharito" tomorrow,

"It's key that we play well against Chicharito. What he does on the field is different from all the other players."

Not only will Chicharito pose a big threat to Carlos Bocanegra and the rest of the US backline, but Mexico is the most offensively dynamic team in the Gold Cup, period. Most teams have chosen to bunker down and create a defensive shell to attempt to thwart a superior US attack. However, it might be Bob Bradley's side assuming that role, similar to what we saw Panama use to frustrate the Americans in group play. Bob Bradley knows his squad is in for a stiff test tomorrow, 

"They [Mexico] have some good young talent to go with the experience..."

Then Bradley specifically talked about how deadly Chicharito can be, 

"His movement and his timing make him dangerous. He has a great sense of arriving in the right spot at the right time...Takes a lot of awareness and a lot of alertness to understand where he's going and to cut those plays off." no comments

It wasn't easy, but the US got the job done and defeated Panama the second time around by the slimmest of margins.Bob Bradley's side stayed organized for a full 90 minutes, allowing them to gut out a 1-0 victory thanks to the brilliance of two surprise bench players. One is the face of the team, while the other used to represent the bright future of US Soccer, Landon Donovan and Freddy Adu. The two combined to set up the game-winning goal that was finished by the one and only Clint Dempsey. The win puts the Americans in the Gold Cup final at the famous Rose Bowl with a coveted trip to the Confederations Cup on the line.

Bob Bradley opened the match with the same lineup and formation he used for the majority of the Jamaica match, as this team turned in the best performance of the tournament for the Yanks. That meant Landon Donovan was once again relegated to the bench, a very bold decision from a boss that had a lot on the line. While Kljestan and Bedoya were called on to be more than glorified subs starting in a 4-2-3-1, where Juan Agudelo replaced the injured Altidore up top as the lone forward. 

The first half was rather uneventful. Possession was dominated by the US, but it wasn't purposeful possession. Real goal scoring chances were far and few between for the Yanks. Panama's big centerbacks, especially Baloy, were once again stifling the US attack. Part of this had to do with Kljestan's poor performance. He wasn't checking in to the right spots or linking with the attacking players at an elite level. This created a major hole in a US offense that was unable to take advantage of Panama's less defensive minded 4-5-1 formation.  no comments

The US have a rare chance at revenge on Wednesday, as they take on Panama for the second time in the Gold Cup. After succumbing to their vicious counter-attack play in the group stage, the Yanks can quiet all of the naysayers with a semi-final victory and a spot in the Rose Bowl final. As Tim Howard said it will not be a simple result for Panama to repeat.

"...if it is Panama they’re going to have to do it again and it’s not going to be an easy task for them."

Tim Howard and the rest of the squad are hungrier and more prepared to take on Panama the second time around. The Yanks are coming off their most impressive match in the tournament, dismantling a Jamaican squad that was not only undefeated, but they did not even concede a goal prior to the US' 2-0 victory. 

The US tactically and physically out-classed Jamaica in their 4-2-3-1 formation, which allowed them to control possession for the majority of the match. Bob Bradley would be wise to stick with this plan against Panama, a team that previously frustrated the old American 4-4-2 style by sitting back and waiting for the US to make a mistake. With the 5 midfield formation Bradley's squad is more potent in the attack, as they always have two or three players around the ball available for outlet passes. This ability to link up in tight windows all over the pitch allows the US to become a very dynamic team and one that Panama will have trouble stopping. This was clearly evident towards the end of the first match between these two sides when the US created chance after chance, but only managed to score one of the two necessary goals needed to complete the comeback.  no comments

The US lose their first ever game during the group stage of the Gold Cup to Panama 2-1 on a Saturday night in Tampa Bay.

The US came out of the gate extremely slow and Panama took advantage, putting the US on the defensive early. The Yanks played right into their opponent’s hands, constantly turning the ball over time after time and then giving Panama a lot of space to send balls over the top to their forwards. The US backline was completely lost and could not halt the Panama attack. Goodson and Ream were not communicating at all, which left huge gaps for Luis Tejada and Blas Perez to exploit.

This porous defense quickly resulted in a 1-0 lead for Panama. The goal was absolutely atrocious from a US perspective. First the US gave away a free header right in front of the net, which Howard managed to make a finger tip save on. However, he gave up a juicy rebound, allowing Luis Tejada to poke the ball into the back of the net. Goodson had a chance to clear the ball before Tejada got to it, but he completely whiffed.  As a result Panama went a goal in front in the 19th minute.

The US then responded with some energy as Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan had a couple of chances from outside the 18. However, extremely poor midfield play from Bradley and Jones saw the US on their heels once again.  Panama kept on threatening and then the unthinkable happened, Ream attempted to clear the ball in the box but instead of getting the ball he nailed Blas Perez. The foul was committed at the edge of the box, with Perez’s back to goal. Gomez then stepped up and rocked the PK into the top portion of the net to give Panama a surprising 2-0 lead in the 35th minute. no comments

It is time to put this past weekend in the rearview mirror and to move onto matters of greater importance. Those matters being, the start of the Gold Cup and the matchup with Canada on Tuesday evening.

The U.S. must bounce back quickly and not let the Spain result hinder their Gold Cup ambitions; goalkeeper Tim Howard is confident his team can do so stating, 

“If we let one decision rock the whole boat, then we're not much of a team. This is a strong team and we're strong willed. I think you'll see the right mentality again on Tuesday."  

A strong will is something that will be needed against Canada as they cannot be considered a pushover. Canadian head coach, Stephen Hart, has selected a squad that can present some problems for the U.S. Coach Hart is confident in his bunch saying, 

“I think we've picked a balanced squad, I also like the fact that there's some young players that will be given the opportunity to prove themselves in the camp and to push the other players for selection.”

Canada’s squad is lead by MLS veteran and current New York Red Bull midfielder, Dwayne De Rosario, but there is more to this Canadian squad besides the aforementioned veteran. Canada has a bunch of talented players such as Atiba Hutchinson of PSV, Will Johnson of Real Salt Lake, Julian De Guzman of Toronto FC and Simeon Jackson of Norwich City FC, who can all present problems for the U.S. team. Coach Bradley will not let the U.S. underestimate the Canadians, which he reiterated after Saturday's loss to Spain,  

“(Canada is) a team that we have a lot of respect for, a team that comes into this Gold Cup feeling confident. They've had some good results in the last six months, and so we understand that the first game of any tournament is always a tough one, and we expect a real difficult game against a rival.”

Now lets discuss a few key points that the US team will need to address...

1. Who should the U.S. start in the center of the midfield? no comments

On Wednesday, April 27, the city of Tuscaloosa was devastated by an EF4 tornado. Over 200 people were killed and countless homes were damaged or destroyed. Now, one of the most sports-oriented cities in the country is looking for hope, and the University of Alabama Softball team is looking to provide the first dose of that.

For the first time in six tries, the Alabama softball team is finally in the winner's bracket of the Women's College World Series. Depending on who wins today, they will face either Florida or California tomorrow (to the best of my understanding anyway). They beat Cal two days ago in the first round of the WCWS, and beat Florida once out of three times in regular season conference play in a series at Gainesville. Alabama needs just one win to advance to the title series, while their opponent will need to beat Bama twice. Odds seem to be in favor of Alabama advancing to the title game. Arizona State will be the most likely opponent at that point.

This would be the best possible time for them to win it all. Some of these girls no doubt had family or friends affected by the tornadoes that horrible night, but all of them had fans that were affected. Alabama's Softball team is the most supported in the country, and now they need to do their best to support the community back. It's going to be difficult,but they can do it. no comments

The much anticipated Confederations Cup re-match between the US and Spain was not much of a contest and even that's giving the US too much credit. The US got blown out of Gillette Stadium, as Spain methodically picked them apart one pass at a time. The World Champs innate ability to string together passes in tight spaces and then dazzle in the final third, resulted in three first half goals, two of which were scored by Cazorla. To make matters worse Fernando Torres added to Spain's scoresheet in the 2nd half, as a lifeless US team lost the friendly by an embarrassing 4-0 score.

Granted Bob Bradley did not start his strongest possible side, as Landon Donovan missed the match due to an illness* and Clint Dempsey only played in the 2nd half, a half in which the US looked noticeably improved. However, Spain relaxed considerably after they had their tremendous 3 goal advantage, which made the US look a little bit better in half #2. No matter how you analyze this match, the US got smoked with many key players coming up short.

*Bradley said Donovan's illness is hopefully a 24 hour thing and he should be ready to go for Tuesday's Gold Cup Match vs. Canada

Quick Thoughts

1. What has happened to Jozy?

The once heralded forward looks flat out lost. Jozy's form has clearly been affected by his rollercoaster season, in which he first struggled to play at Villarreal and then after a loan move, had a difficult time finding a rhythm in Turkey. Altidore showed no ability to find space in front of Spain's defense and was never really around the ball. One of my colleagues said it best referring to Jozy as a statue. This was a big game for Jozy to show his worth, which he failed to do, making the Gold Cup an even bigger tournament for him. On a side note, he was clearly frustrated with his play when I spoke to him after the game.

On the other hand Agudelo is stepping up. No, he didn't have a lot of the ball but let's be honest no US player did, as Spain controlled a ridiculous amount of the possession. He was very active in today's match without the ball though. Bob Bradley put it perfectly in his post game press conference when he said, "Juan wants the ball...he goes into real spots...". This means that Agudelo is going after it and at least is trying to find pockets of space to check into. Jozy on the other hand, is not exhibiting these qualities at the moment.

2. The US needs Donovan and Dempsey to be effective no comments