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by jeff

Altidore Feeling Great

5:21 pm in International by jeff

U.S. striker Jozy Altidore is participating in full training to prepare for the opening match against England on Saturday.  Altidore has been recovering from a sprained ankle he suffered last week.  Altidore was quoted: “It’s a little sore, but I had no issues participating in all the exercises today. I’m happy to be part of the group again.”

This is great news for U.S. soccer fans.  Since it is looking like Altidore will be ready for Saturday’s match, Bob Bradley will have a tough decision on who to start alongside Jozy.  Though he lacks experience at this level, Edson Buddle is the best option.  Buddle is on fire in the MLS and just recently scored his first 2 international goals in the last U.S. tuneup verse  Australia.

Here is the full AP article from ESPN- Altidore says ankle feels fine

by jeff

USA Looks For Answers This Saturday

4:13 pm in International by jeff

This Saturday Bob Bradley’s squad will face Slovakia in an International friendly in Bratislava.  With this being the first match for the U.S. since qualifying for the 2010 World Cup there are numerous questions to be answered due to recent injuries.  Bradley is in a tough spot now with Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu out of the lineup.

Let’s start in the back where Onyewu’s presence will be missed dearly.  Onyewu tore his patella tendon in his left knee late in the last match against Costa Rica.  Barring any major setbacks in his rehabilitation he should be fit for next summer, But Bradley can’t count on it.  The next few matches for the U.S. will be mini tryouts for a few players.

The player we are looking at stepping in immediately would have to be Columbus Crew star Chad Marshall.  Marshall has been a stable presence at center back in the MLS and has recently had some success with the national team.  Along side Marshall look for Bradley to start with Jimmy Conrad.  Conrad himself has been banged up recently but Bradley needs to see how he can play at this level.

The other area of concern is the left back spot.  We see Bradley going with Heath Pearce, but we just don’t see him playing at this level.  He has proven to U.S. soccer fans that he is awful with the ball at his feet and makes terrible decisions in the back.  Bradley has yet to find a proven left back, and if this team wants to succeed they have a lot of work to do.

The midfield is just OK at the moment.  Michael Bradley has his ups and downs, so if he can just become more consistent he will do well in South Africa.  However, the other center midfield position is up in the air.  Look for Benny Feilhaber to get the nod on Saturday.  Feilhaber has done fairly well when he has been given his opportunities.

The real concern for the U.S. is replacing Charlie Davies, who was recently released from the hospital following his horrific accident a month ago.  Davies timetable for a return is anywhere from 6-12 months with the numerous injuries he had.  If  by any chance he gets fit to play for the World Cup it is hard to believe he will be the same player he was before the accident.  Davies is the type of player that relies on his great pace and with his injuries it will be difficult for him to get that back.

Look for Jozy Altidore and Connor Casey to get the start up top on Saturday.  Both have been in great form recently and hopefully this continues with the national team.

Here are a few players we hope can get some playing time in the future with the national team:

Chad Marshall- CB

Jose Fransisco Torres-CM

Robbie Rogers- LM

Jeff Cunningham- ST

Good Luck USA!

by jeff

Behind the Scenes With The U.S. National Team

12:17 pm in International by jeff

Here are some great behind the scenes videos that ussoccer.com released to the public. The videos are from the USA’s 2-1 victory over El Salvador.

The first video shows how the the U.S. team prepares for each match.  Some things on this video that stood out  were the limited pre-game meal which includes pasta and chicken, and how skillful Clint Dempsey is.  Another great  feature of this is how Spector uses video to prepare for the man he is responsible for.

The second video goes through the highlights of the match and has some great parts including Bob Bradley’s speech at halftime.

Hopefully there are more videos like this to come.  We would love to see a behind the scenes with Landon Donovan or Jozy Altidore!

by jeff

Altidore To Play In English Premier League

11:30 am in English Premier League, MLS by jeff

U.S. National Team striker Jozy Altidore is set to join Hull City of the English Premier League for the 2009/2010 season.  Altidore is on loan for the season from Spanish giant Villarreal, who bought his rights from the MLS for $10 million.

Altidore appeared in six matches last season with Villarreal scoring one goal before he was loaned to Spanish second division squad Xeres.  At Xeres, Altidore suffered from a nagging injury to his toe that eventually ended his season.

Before joining Villarreal,  Altidore scored 15 goals in 27 matches with the New York Red Bulls.

This is exactly what Hull City needs to improve their squad.  After a great start last year in the Premier League, Hull found themselves in a downward spiral throughout the remainder of the season.

Their main problem was not finding the back of the net.  With Altidore in great form, and only being 19 years old, he should provide that goalscorer mentality to the club.

This is great news for USA soccer fans.  Altidore will be playing in arguably the best league in the world with the opportunity to get a ton of minutes.  Good luck Jozy!

by jeff

USA On To The Finals!

12:36 pm in International by jeff

Wow! To say this was a huge win for U.S. soccer is an understatement.  This was one of the greatest upsets on the national level in the last decade. The Americans broke Spain’s 35-game unbeaten streak in front of a stunned South African crowd. From the first whistle the U.S. came out with speed, and they constantly pressured the ball. This style of play was the difference in the game, and it helped the U.S. go on to a 2-0 victory.

The match started with both teams coming out of the locker room looking to set the pace of play.  Spain immediately had pressure inside the American box during the first few minutes of the game.  The first real chance came in the 6th minute, when Clint Dempsey lofted a ball inside the box to a wide open Charlie Davies. He attempted a dramatic bicycle kick that went just wide of the goal.  Both teams had great chances to put their squad ahead, but neither could hit the back of the net.

The USA got on the scoreboard in the 27Th minute when Jozy Altidore received a pass from Clint Dempsey. Jozy then made a terrific turn against his defender to create a 1v1 against Spanish goal keeper Casillas.  He struck the shot well and Casillas got a deflection on it, but the ball found the back of the net.  The Americans erupted with joy after the goal, with Jozy receiving a yellow card for taking his shirt off.  Both teams had chances to find the back of the net throughout the rest of the half, but the U.S. went into half-time winning 1-0.

In the second half Spain came out of the locker room with a purpose to take it to the Americans. Possession throughout the second half was dominated by Spain.  USA goalkeeper Tim Howard was the man of the match in my opinion.  He was forced to come up with four key saves in the first ten minutes of the half.  The American back line was under full-attack from Spain, but they were up to every challenge.

Second half sub Benny Feilhaber was a huge boost to the American squad.  In the 74th minute Feilhaber found Landon Donovan on the right wing, who sent a low driven ball into the box. After bouncing around a little Dempsey pounced on the ball and found the back of the net.  The Spanish players were stunned as they went down two goals.

For the remainder of the match Spain kept constant pressure on the USA.  Tim Howard again came up huge throughout the final 15 minutes keeping the clean sheet.  Spain had a TON of chances, but it was just not their day.  The only negative that came from the match was Micheal Bradley receiving a straight red card in the 86th minute. It was a hard tackle, but was not worthy of a red card.  When the final whistle blew it was a great feeling for every USA soccer fan.  This match was won with a total team effort and most of all heart!

This was Spain’s first loss since 2006.  The win gives us great momentum going into the finals on Sunday, and ultimately for the World Cup next summer. This proves that  the USA can compete with anyone in the world when they are on their game.  This was the Americans second win in their history versus a number 1 ranked team. The last time was in 1998 against Brazil in the semi-final round of the Gold Cup.

GO USA!