With the 2010 World Cup qualifying starting next year, I thought this thread would be good to discuss the team in the interim. Everything from the friendlies scheduled to the Gold Cup and Copa America in Venezuela this summer.
The coach question is still up in the air. I think Gulati is a chump! The team manhandled Denmark 3-1. Clark getting the penalty and Donovan converting and Mapp with an amazing run to assist Bornstein and Kenny Cooper with the final score! That Cooper certainly is a big boy.
The Mexico match was great. The first 25 minutes was nerve-racking. Both teams were getting settled in and I felt like anyone could have made a huge mistake to go behind early. Luckily they settled in and the end of the first half showed some solid play on both sides. The second half after Conrad's goal, the Mexicans were relentless. Shot after shot, especially coming up on the left side. Hats off to Howard on goal and Conrad/Bocanegra defending. Rolfe did not have a good night and I was thinking the same thing about Clark but he really came into play in the second half. He some solid passes, especially at the end to give Donovan the breakaway goal. I think playing with these pro-Mexico crowds can only help them and we will soon be beating them in Mexico.
Upcoming matches:
MAR 25th: USA v. Ecuador in Tampa, FL (12:00 PM ET on ESPN2)
MAR 28th: USA v. Guatemala in Dallas, TX (9:00 PM ET on ESPN2)

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is from June 6th - 24th and will be played here in the US. We are defending cup champions and the winner of the tournament advances to 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.
The CONMEBOL Copa America is from June 26th - July 15th in Venezuela. The US and Mexico are invited to participate and Brazil is the defending cup champions. The group stage drawing is next week (Feb. 14th) in Caracas.

So the start of Copa America is 2 days after the Gold Cup final. Do you think we have the depth to pull off two good runs? Are we going to rely on our footballers abroad? How will it affect MLS play, especially with the teams playing in the US Open Cup and in SuperLiga?

Unfortunately the issue of security may cast a shadow over the upcoming cup in SA. Routine violence there is becoming a serious problem.

Then there is the matter of Italian fans trying to one-up the Brits at their worse, causing the death of a policeman and the temporary suspension of all pro play.

Maybe the civil problems in Jo-burg won't mean much for fan behavior, but it will not look good to all the soccer-tourists expected to boost the economy enough to make the games affordable for the country.

That said I hope they can swing it. It would be great to make a dream trip there after the matches when prices drop to something near normal.

Yes, they have had a couple of incidents recently in South America. Hopefully the new socialist Chavez government will realize the need for military crowd control. Hugo Chávez at the ceremony said, "I lift the Cup for peace, unity and life." Let's hope there is an emphasis is on peace. Venezuela spent US$980M on upgrades and construction of new stadiums. So the group drawings were held last Wednesday. The United States will open group play against Argentina (yikes!) on June 28th in Maracaibo. The United States will host Paraguay in Barinas on July 2nd and Colombia plays the United States in Barquisimeto (Elev. 2,198 ft) on July5th. The top 2 teams from each group plus the next two countries with the best records will advance to the quarterfinals knockout stage.
Copa America Groups
Group A
Venezuela
Uruguay
Peru
Bolivia
Group B
Brazil
Mexico
Chile
Ecuador
Group C
Argentina
United States
Paraguay
Colombia

Sorry I haven't been posting often, guys...college is incredibly hectic, and I'm learning time and time again that guys suck! Where's Cristiano Ronaldo when you need him lol?


Anyway, this summer should be a great test for the US. The sad thing is, with European and MLS clubs unwilling to give their players over for a whole summer, one of the tournaments is likely to feature the top US team, whereas the other will feature younger, less known players.

The Gold Cup, because it's right after the end of the European club seasons, will likely feature the majority of European players, guys like DaMarcus Beasley, Carlos Bocanegra, Tim Howard, and Clint Dempsey. Expect more domestic players to play in the Copa America, or at least, players with less experience on the national team. Guys like Michael Bradley, Eddie Gaven, Justin Mapp, Jay DeMerit (I think that's his name- he's one of Watford's center backs), and maybe even a Mr. Freddy Adu could feature in the US lineup for that tournament.


And I know this is the USMNT thread, but don't forget to show some support for the women too! They are preparing this year for the 2007 Women's World Cup in China... Featuring veterans like Kate Markgraf, Heather Mitts, Kristine Lilly, and Abby Wambach, they're a favorite to win their third World Cup.

It's good to hear from you MM13. Cristiano may be a little busy - he's having a good year with ManU. Just try to think positvely - sometimes "guys suck" can be a good thing!

JUN 6th - 24th: CONCACAF Gold Cup
Hey guys, the groups were announced yesterday and the USA is in a relatively strong group. The winner advances to the FIFA Confederations Cup. The USA got jipped this year because FIFA decided to play the tournament every 4 years after 2005 so there will be no Confederations Cup in 2007.
Therefore, we have to defend our title to advance to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. Mexico represented CONCACAF at the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany because they won the Gold Cup in 2003.
The six-region winners advance plus the host country and the reigning World Cup champion. So Italy and South Africa have already qualified for 2009.

CONCACAF Gold Cup Groups
Group A
Canada
Costa Rica
Guadeloupe
Haiti
Group B
USA
Guatemala
El Salvador
Trinidad & Tobago
Group C
Mexico
Panama
Cuba
Honduras
JUN 7th: USA v. Guatemala at Home Depot Center, Los Angeles, CA
JUN 9th: USA v. Trinidad & Tobago at Home Depot Center, Los Angeles, CA
JUN 9th: USA v. El Salvador at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Wow, did anyone else see the US v. Ecuador match yesterday? A Donovan hat trick and Ching getting a John Terry-style kick in the face. I am so glad his nose isn't broken. I was extremely worried and glad he was able to get a little retaliation. Ouch! Oh you need the stretcher! Who called these matches "friendlies" again?
Anyway, it was great to see some of our euro-based talent that we rarely or never have seen such as Benny Feilhaber (Hamburg) and Jonathan Spector (West Ham). Feilhaber was outstanding in the midfield. He had great ball control and passed to the flanks very well. Spector came in very late but he had a great defensive clearing header when Ecuador pushed us late in the match. Here are a couple of digi-pics from foxsoccer.com:
Tight Team
Donovan's Dance