by Sean Heffernan

Its certainly very exciting times in the world of soccer as qualification for World Cup 2010 concluded with high drama. David Beckham and Landon Donovan look to capture their first MLS Cup and the US Men's National Team suffered two disappointing defeats in Europe. There's certainly plenty to think about in this edition of Five Thoughts on the Beautiful Game.

1. Ireland Cheated Out of World Cup 

Ireland’s National Football team was within grasp of what would have been one of the biggest athletic victories in the country’s history until Thierry Henry’s handball in extra time gave France a much undeserved goal crushing the Irish’s dreams of South Africa.

It was a disgrace to see Ireland get their hearts ripped out by an appalling decision on the referee’s part. Ireland captain Robbie Keane and his comrades in green left every ounce of sweat in their bodies on the pitch on Wednesday night against a French team that was obviously more talented.

When FIFA announced that they would not order a replay of the Ireland-France match citing all referees decisions are final according to their rule back no one surprised as the world wide football organization rarely gets things right ever. It would be a toss up between the United Nations and FIFA for Earth’s most incompetent global organizational body.

Even Thierry Henry admitted he used his hand to knock down the ball and that the fairest thing to do in this situation is to play another game. The honorable thing for France to do is to offer to play a replay on their own accord, but the Irish shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for that to happen. Would the Irish do the same for the French if they advanced on an obvious hand ball? I seriously doubt it.

Nonetheless this will go down as one of the biggest stories of the year in world football as the controversy is even garnering attention in America. The Prime Ministers of Ireland and France have even engaged in talks over the tensions between their countries over the controversy.  

This travesty proves that something as big as a possible World Cup berth should never be decided by something as unjust as human error. FIFA needs to write new rules for the future that enforces video technology into World Cup matches to prevent anything like what took place in the Stade de France last Wednesday from ever happening again.

2.  USMNT Riddled with Question Marks

The US Men’s National Team suffered two defeats on their trip to Europe against Slovakia and Denmark. For both friendlies the squad sorely missed important starters in Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Jose Francisco Torres, and Oguchi Onyweu who could not participate for various reasons. In Bratislava the US played a sloppy game with Slovakia which was ultimately decided when left Jonathan Borenstein committed foul in the US’s penalty boxing setting a penalty kick. The Slovaks converted the penalty winning the game 1-0.

The US had very little creativity in attack and had few real chances in the loss. Against Denmark the US jumped out to 1-0 lead in the first half on an impressive left footed goal from 33 year old MLS journeyman Jeff Cunningham. In the second half however, the US did not come out of the locker room mentally prepared for the Danish attack as the Danes scored 3 goals in eight minutes embarrassing Coach Bob Bradley’s side.

The most troubling aspect of the two losses was how the real problems on team were not addressed in these games. Bradley's experiement of playing Jonathan Spector at center back went haywire as the 24 year old (who traditionally plays at right back) looked completely out of sync with Carlos Bocanegra in during the Danes' three goal scoring spree.

When Bradley put in Clarence Goodson and Jimmy Conrad the US defense steadied making me wonder why the coach put Spector in that situation instead of giving experience to two players who play that position exclusivly with their club teams.

At left back Borenstien played all of both games when that position is in desperate need of improvement as was evident by the Borenstein penalty. Left back Edgar Castillo got his first US cap against Denmark coming on as subsitute, but for some reason Bradley played the speedy Mexican American as a left sided midfielder when every US fan watching wanted to see what the kid could do at left back.

I like what Bob Bradley has done with US team creating a unified group that believes in their head coach's system, but I was truly disappointed and frustrated over the defeats in Slovakia and Denmark. The US now must answer glaring questions both up front and in the back with the World Cup only six months away.

3. The Search for a Striker Continues

 The injury of Chalrie Davies in a tragic car crash in October will likely rule out the burgeoning star leaving the USMNT without a imposing threat at forward. Prior to the accident Davies was scoring goals for both club and country and giving defenders headaches with his blistering speed and quickness. Now the US must find a replacement for Davies if they want to improve upon their 2006 World Cup appearancewhere they only scored two goals.

Jozy Altidore has looked anything like the prodigy striker he looked like at this past summer’s Confederations Cup where he scored a crucial goal over number one ranked Spain in the US's historic upset. Altidore is a forward in desperate need of a goal as his confidence looks to be hurting.

The best thing the kid has going for him is his natural god given physical ability and it’s disheartening to see him trotting all over the field looking like he’s just out there for a jog. Until the 19 year old regains his confidence Bradley should leave Altidore out of the starting 11.

Jeff Cunningham, the lone goal scorer for the Americans on their trip to Europe, looked the only real threat up top for the US creating number of goal scoring opportunities in his 60 plus minutes against Denmark. Cunningham led MLS in goals this season including one four goal game against the Kansas City Wizards that grabbed national headlines. The 33 year old striker for FC Dallas is in form and could be the goal machine the US so desperatly need.

Outside of Connor Casey’s two huge goals against Honduras that qualified the US for the World Cup in October, the Colorado Rapids man hasn’t done much in a national team kit to ensure him a reoccurring role in the starting 11. Casey scored 16 goals this season in MLS to finish second in the race for the golden boot behind Cunningham. Like his fellow MLSer Cunningham, if Casey continues to score goals he’ll continue to be considered for the US, but he needs to do better job taking advantage of the opportunities he’s given with the national team.

Out of form Eddie Johnson looked like a man who hadn’t seen the pitch in ages which made sense as he has barely played at all for Fulham in the EPL this season. The inclusion of Johnson left many a US Soccer fan scratching their head why Bradley would bring in a player as cold as Johnson into the national team.

I’m still puzzled why Bradley didn’t call in Kenny Cooper who plays for 1860 Munich in Germany even though he has been getting more playing time than Altidore or Johnson has in Europe. Cooper’s critics have often pointed to fact that he doesn’t play as stereotypical holding forward despite being 6 ft 3. The former FC Dallas goal scorer has netted twice already in German League matches while Altidore has only scored one goal in England in a FA Cup match.

 In the Gold Cup this summer Bradley used Cooper mostly in a substitute role where he made the most of his time on the field scoring two goals in the tournament. To add further insult to injury, Cooper himself was injured a few days ago training with 1860 Munich and will be out for three weeks.

 Brian Ching and Robbie Findley also will have their chances to fight for the two starting forward spots as the position battle is far from over.

4. MLS Cup: Can David Beckham Finally Conquer America?

After two miserable seasons in Los Angeles, Becks and the LA Galaxywill be playing for the MLS Cup on Sunday (8:30 ET, ESPN) at Qwest Field in Seattle, WA. The Galaxy will face off against under dogs Real Salt Lake who upset Columbus and Chicago to make it to the Emerald City. Beckham has been a sensation for the Galaxy in the midfield since returning from his loan deal from AC Milan last summer.

In the opening round of the playoffs against Chivas USA Beckham catapulted a bending pass from the halfway line that faked out the camera man as well as a streaking Landon Donovan. Even though Donovan was unable to score on the goal, Beckham's pass was world class proving the former England captain still has some magic left.

I attended Real Salt Lake's penalty shoot out win over the Chicago Fire at Toyota Parklast Saturday night and one thing I noticed about RSL was how defenders Jamison Olave, Nat Bochers, and Robbie Russell were dominating the Chicago Fire's attack. You just got the sense that there was no way the Fire were going to score. The speed of 2009 MLS MVP Landon Donovan could open more space for the Galaxy against RSL then there was for the Fire, but expect Sunday's game to be low scoring.

5. The World Cup Finals is Set

Here is the list of the 32 countries that will compete in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Africa - Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa

Asia - Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea

Europe - Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland

North America - Honduras, Mexico, United States

Oceania - New Zealand

South America - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

My early favorite to win the World Cup is Brazil. The Samba Kings are the most talented, deepest team in international football hands down. When you have players like Ronaldhino and Diego unable to even make the roster you really should be the best in the world.

What are your thoughts on the beautiful game? Leave comments below.

Who Will Make it to South Africa?

by Sean Heffernan

This week we saw all over the world a number of countries beginning to make their way toward South Africa, where in 272 days, World Cup 2010 will begin. The United States took two steps closer to qualifying with two hard fought victories against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago. Many complained about the Americans difficulty defeating two teams who on paper were significantly inferior, but in World Cup Qualifying a win is a win. It was a great week in the Beautiful Game. So without further adieu here are my thoughts...

 1. Will the World's Two Best Players Miss Out on the World Cup?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely regarded as the two best footballers in the world, but it is very possible that they won't take part in the upcoming World Cup. Messi's Argetina lost twice last week at home to Brazil and then again days later away to Paraguay. As for Ronaldo, his beloved Portugal won a crucial game against Hungary 1-0, but will have a tough fight in the coming months to earn a playoff spot in their group if they want any chance of making it to South Africa. Argentina is currently in fifth place in South America and would have to face the fourth place team from the US's group in a playoff if they held their current position.

Who doesn’t want to see the best players on Earth play on the biggest stage there is in sports? Each player led their clubs to the last two Champions League Championships. Ronaldo is the most complete attacker in the world. He can score in any way imaginable on the pitch:  the run of play, free kicks, long range bombs, headers, etc. The 24-year-old just left Manchester United for Real Madrid on $132 million deal making him one the richest athletes on the planet. Messi won the Champions League with FC Barcelona over Manchester Untied this past season displaying his world class playmaking abilities. Messi can change direction with the ball like Barry Sanders and create scoring opportunities out of nothing. Despite both players brilliance, their countries are in real danger of not qualifying. It would be a shame if these two athletes, in their primes, on top of the world with their clubs, don't even make it to South Africa.

2. Remaining Questions for the USMNT

The United States should always beat El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago, but US fans can't expect them to blow them out every time they play. The US on Wednesday won a crucial match against T&T in the Port of Spain 1-0, putting themselves on top of their group. The top three teams make the World Cup automatically in the region and with Costa Rica looking terrible the US are pretty much are a shoe in for 2010.

At left back the US continues to struggle and former Mexican international Edgar Castillo, who was recently cleared to play for the United States, should get a real shot at the position. The only viable option head coach Bob Bradley has is moving over Carlos Bocanegra over to left back and playing Jay DeMerit in the center with Oguchi Onyweu. Jonathan Borenstien's ill fated clearance gave El Salvador an early lead last Saturday. The US cannot afford mistakes like that in the future. To Borenstien's credit he did have a better game against T&T, but not good enough to inspire any kind of confidence in US Soccer fans. Bradley could consider some new faces from MLS like Tim Ward of the Chicago Fire or Todd Dunivant of the LA Galaxy, but the coach doesn’t have a whole lot of time to make up his mind before next summer.

The US needs to improve on how they start games. They have given up to many early goals in qualifying and against better teams they won't have a chance at coming back. The second half of the T&T game was the first time in as long as I can remember that the US really possessed the ball for long periods of time. Once the Americans started sitting on the ball they took control of the game which resulted in the lone goal from Ricardo Clark. After a frustrating first half, Michael Bradley stepped up his game, distributing the ball out of the midfield with accuracy and grit. If the US can possess the ball consistently good things will happen.

3. The Battle for the Midfield

The other position battle is in the middle of the field, where US coach Bob Bradley's son Michael Bradley has been a constant in qualifying. Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, and Jose Francisco Torres have also been in the mix for the position in the past year. Clark scored the crucial goal against T&T on a wicked bending ball from outside the penalty box and is rumored to be moving abroad after this season with Houston. Feilhaber could be the best passer the US has outside of Landon Donovan, but looked better on the wing as a substitute against T&T as he did when he started against El Salvador in the middle.

There is a growing movement within US fans who want to see Jose Francisco Torres play more. The Mexican-American has been a solid contributor down in Mexico for his club Pachuca and showed promise when he's donned the Red, White, and Blue.  Torres really can play anywhere in the midfield for Bob Bradley which helps his chances of making the team in 2010.

Former Toronto FC man Maurice Edu was making his case earlier this year for as he worked his way into the starting lineup at Rangers. Edu was part of the Rangers squad that won the league title and the domestic cup in Scotland this past season. However, Edu had surgery on his knee in the off season and is slowly making his way back to the field. If Edu wants to be considered for the US team he will have to get healthy as soon as he can and get back into the Rangers roster.

The wild card in the battle for central midfield is German born Jermaine Jones, who is on the verge of becoming eligible to play for the United States. The 28-year-old is one of the best defensive midfielders in Germany with a knack for shutting down the center of the field and just being a bad ass. He's also known for speaking his mind freely and we shall see if his personality fits into Bob Bradley "group" mentality. To get an idea of both the good and the bad that comes with the Schalke midfielder check out this video.

In 2007 Jones helped Schalke advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. From the video you can tell he has a temper as in one clip he freaks out after being given an unjust yellow card for a superb tackle he made and earns himself a red card for dissent. Jones is coming off a hair-line fracture in his leg and has recently returned to training with Schalke and could be available for the US's trip to Honduras on October 10th.

We obviously have a real depth in the central defender role and we don't have anyone in our player pool who can be a Xavi or Steven Gerrad so why shouldn't Bob Bradley play two central defenders in the midfield. I almost wish Bradley would play a 4-3-3 with Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, and Clint Dempsey up top and Donovan in the midfield with two central defenders ( i.e. Bradley, Jones, Edu, or Clark). I'd rather have Dempsey up top where he's more comfortable than have him doing tricks with the ball in the midfield. I doubt that Bradley would veer from the 4-4-2 with less than a year to go to the World Cup, but it’s just a thought. The left back spot no matter what will be a question mark going into South Africa, but the race for the central midfield will be the most interesting by far on the US national team.

4. England Continues to Dominate

With England's thrashing of Croatia 5-1, the Three Lions are through to the World Cup with Wednesday's victory. One thing England really has going for them is that they have two of the best midfielders in the world in Steven Gerrad and Frank Lampard. You know Lampard and Gerrad are going come through for their squad whether it’s for club or country. They both just have a hero quality to them that few players truly have. The duo had two goals each in the drubbing of Croatia (whom happens to be ranked 9th in the world by FIFA). England was expected to win at home in Wembley, but not by that margin.

One question mark is finding a striking partner for Wayne Rooney. Manager Fabio Capello has been starting Emile Heskey who has only scored 7 times in 56 appearances for England. One would think Jermaine Defoe would be considered in that role as the Tottenham man has been red hot of late for both England and Spurs. Defoe has scored 11 goals in just 36 appearances. He's smaller than the physical Heskey or 6 ft 7 Peter Crouch, but if he keeps scoring goals the way he has than I don't know how Capello can keep him off the pitch.

Now that the English are qualified for the World Cup, it will be interesting to see how Capello experiments with his team for the rest of their games. There’s still a lot of time from now until next summer, but presently England looks like a force to be reckoned with.

5. Knock, Knock. Who's There? (Slap) KGB! We Shall Ask the Questions!

The Russians are coming! Andrei Arshavin and company defeated Wales and Lichtenstein over the weekend putting them second in the group behind Germany. If Russia can win at home against the Germans they’ll have a very good chance of winning the group. In what could prove to be a crucial blunder Germany tied Finland 3-3 last October currently leaving Russia just one point behind the Die Mannschaft. Russia’s captain, Arshavin is playing brilliantly for Arsenal and looks to be worth every penny the club spent on him. Striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has been on form for his country scoring 5 goals in World Cup qualifying wile Zenit St. Petersburg's Konstantin Zyryanov has been a creative force in the midfield for the Russians. Look for Russia to surprise a lot of people next year in South Africa as they did at Euro 2008.

Do you have any thoughts on the Beautiful Game? Please share them below.

 by Sean Heffernan

Following the Americans' defeat in Azteca to fierce rivals Mexico, the United States Men's National Team looks to secure its entry to the 2010 World Cup with their four remaining World Cup Qualifiers. This coming Saturday the US will welcome El Salvador to Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah for the first of two qualifiers the US will play in Septmeber. The following Wednesday the Yanks will travel to Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago where they will try to capture three points from the "Soca Warriors" away from home. ...

 Time is on the US's side with full week to prepare for the two games as oppose to only a day or two as was the case with the Mexico game. The starting 11 will likely include mostly European based players who have to travel from overseas and need time to recover from jet lag. Late goals from Jozy Altidore and Frankie Hedjuk helped the US salvage a tie in front of 30,500 urine bag throwing Salvadorans last March in San Salvador. 

 El Salvador is coming off an away defeat to Trinidad and Tobago 1-0. The Americans should look out for Rudis Corrales who's scored 14 goals in 63 appearances for his country and former DC United winger Eliseo Quintanilla who scored against the Americans early in the first half the last time the two teams faced off. Head coach Bob Bradley called in 24 to Salt Lake City for the national team camp.

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Houston), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca, Mexico)

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Conor Casey (Colorado), Brian Ching (Houston), Charlie Davies (Sochaux, France), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Robbie Findley (Salt Lake)

Here is my starting 11 for Saturday's game against El Salvador. I'm assuming how the El Salvador game goes will affect the lineup for T&T.

Goalie: Tim Howard

No surprise here. "Timmaaay" has been rock solid for the U.S. since he took the reigns from Kasey Keller after the 2006 World Cup. Although Brad Guzan doesn't start for Aston Villa he played well for his club in the pre-season and is capable back up for the U.S.

Center Back: Carlos Bocanegra

After a tough game in Mexico where the U.S. captain found himself out of position at left back and exposed by the Mexican wingers I think Bob Bradley should place Boca back in the middle of the defense especially with Oguchi Onyweu out because of yellow card accumulation. Playing Bocanegra in the middle plays to the intelligent defenders' strengths even though he does play left back for his club. 

Center Back: Jay DeMerit 

The Wisconsin native and captain of his club team Watford, Jay DeMerit proved his worth the US in the Confederations Cup where he earned praise for his super human efforts in the upset over Spain and Egypt. The former University of Illinois-Chicago standout will cover for the absent Onyweu and continue to solidify his role in the team. 

Left Back: Jonathan Borenstein 

It would be fair to wonder if the US will ever find stability at the left back position, but if the Chicago Bears can get a quarterback anything can happen I guess. A Éric Abidal is walking through the door anytime soon so we should probably work with what we have. Borenstein hasn't proven himself the out and out starter, but he's the only natural left back in Bradley's roster. He offers more going forward than Bocanegra. I think Edgar Castillo and Heath Pearce still have a shot at the job before the 2010 World Cup. The sooner someone steps up and wins the position the better for the US.

Right Back: Jonathan Spector

Not that I have a thing for both of the US full backs being named Jonathan, but Jonathan Spector has been seeing the field for West Ham recently in arguably the best league in the world, the English Premier League. Many were convinced that Spector's play at the Confederations Cup won him the right back job, but Bradley started the more experienced Steve Cherundolo against Mexico in Azteca. Earlier this summer in South Africa, Spector displayed his dangerous crosses from the right flank, two of which found Clint Dempsey for goals.

Right Midfield: Clint Dempsey

The winner of the Bronze Ball, awarded to the third best player at the Confederations Cup, Clint Dempsey looks to carry his national team exploits into the upcoming qualifiers. When he's at his best he can do things no other US player can do. Dempsey didn't have a great game in Mexico, but he'll have opportunity to make up for it against El Salvador and T&T. 

Left Midfield: Landon Donovan

Landon Donovan is playing the best soccer of his career with the LA Galaxy and the US. His disappointing performance in Azteca was attributed to him having contracted Swine Flu, but was quickly back to his good form in MLS. Donovan's best position with the national team is on the right side of midfield because the U.S. needs him to touch the ball as much as possible being the team's best creator. 

Center Midfield: Michael Bradley

Coach Bob Bradley's son, Michael, has proven himself as a starter on the national team and with his German club, Borissa Mochengladbach. However, Bradley was left out this weekend's team because of a disagreement with his coach over his recent play with his club. Unlike his father's cool, calculated demeanor, Michael's hot head has got him in trouble before as was the case when he earned himself a suspension after screaming at a referee after a game in the tunnel.

I would like to see Bradley adopt a more defensive minded roll which will allow him to focus on what he does best: Putting pressure on the opposing team's midfield and obtaining possession. Bradley's fire is what makes him the midfielder we need on the field as long as it doesn't earn him a red card. Bradley starting position will be called into question once Maurice Edu and Jermaine Jones get healthy.  

Center Midfield: Benny Feilhaber

Instead of going with Bob Bradley's usual pairing of Ricardo Clark with Michael Bradley I propose utilizing Benny Feilhaber's offensive attributes in the center of the midfield. Feilhaber showed some class in the Confederations Cup setting up a number of goals for the US. The Brazilian born, UCLA product has displayed a creative element that the US team frequently lacks.

Forward: Charlie Davies

No American player is hotter than Charlie Davies who has already scored twice for his French club Sochaux and earned penalty kick that resulted in the game winning goal over the weekend. Not to mention Davies got on the scorer's sheet in the Mexico game curling the ball cleverly around Memo Ochoa. Davies' speed cannot be understated and if he times his runs right he'll be able to find the net.

Forward: Jozy Altidore

Many US fans were upset over Jozy Altidore not starting the Mexico game, but now that the 19-year-old has gotten some games under his belt at his new English club, Hull City, hopefully he'll be in the starting 11. Altidore's first touch in a Hull kit was a over-the-head flick to that set up a game winning goal. Jozy started a few days later in a Carling Cup match scoring on a long range free kick that whistled into the goal.  The US has two of the most promising young strikers in Europe in Altidore and Davies and they need to be on the pitch.

Share your thoughts on who should start for the US below!

by Sean Heffernan

While the United States Men's National Team was in the throes of the Confederations Cup earlier this summer I remember driving across the Midwest from Columbus to Chicago and listening to the "The Herd" hosted by Colin Cowherd and ESPN 1000 as I passed cornfield after cornfield. ...It was right after the the US defeated Egypt and somehow advanced to the second round of the tournament to face the #1 ranked team in the world. To my surprise Cowherd was actually talking about US Soccer. Despite the miracle win against the Pharaohs, the ESPN talk show host did not give the Americans a shot in hell in defeating Spain and went on to talk mostly about how soccer will never be important in our country. Of course things went quite different and the US pulled off the historic upset over Spain before almost winning our country's first international tournament in the final against Brazil 3-2.

I turned on the television today and Colin Cowherd was interviewing Landon Donovan on SportsNation. Cowherd called Donovan his new man crush and said that he remodeled his basement for the US vs. Mexico game tomorrow (4 PM ET on MUN 2, check your local listings). The ESPN analyst went on to apologize for everything he said negatively on his show over the years about US Soccer and that he was now a converted fan.

Not the soccer movement in America was hinging on one radio/T.V. personality's allegiance, but it is indicative of the new consciousness America is gaining of international soccer. All summer European clubs like AC Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Barcelona have been selling out stadiums in pre-season tours of America. Unlike any other sport soccer unites countries. I was in Rome when Italy won the World Cup in 2006 and I can tell you that the joy in the Italian people that night was something truly indescribable. In the Ivory Coast when their national team advanced out of the group stage of the World Cup in 2006 it stopped a civil war. Soccer truly is the world's game. It's about time the US became a world leader in it.

As for the rivalry between Mexico and the United States it's becoming one of the best in sports. American media is becoming more aware of the long history between the two countries' national teams therefore only now is the game being visible in mainstream sports. The political aspects of the game cannot be ignored as America and Mexico have become two nations deeply embedded in each other. I attended the double header Gold Cup semifinal in Chicago where the US defeated Honduras 2-0 and Mexico beat Costa Rica on penalties in Soldier Field.It was interesting to see people waving both US and Mexico flags and see the divisions within families as some family members wore red, white, and blue while others donned the red, white, and green.

The United States and Mexico will face each other Wednesday in a crucial World Cup Qualifier inside Mexico City's Estadio Azteca with a lot on the line. The Americans will have a another oppurtunity to make history this summer by winning for the first time in Azteca. As for Mexico, this is a must win game, because if they lose, qualifying for next year's World Cup will become much more difficult for El Tri. Any defeat to the Americans at home would be a national tragedy in Mexico. Expect an atmosphere unlike anything you've ever seen tomorrow evening. Skip out of work early or set your DVR. Games this special don't come around too often.

Share your thoughts below.

The daunting Estadio Azteca awaits the United States

by Sean Heffernan 

BTeamBombers writer Sean Heffernan touches on five topics heating up in the soccer world from David Beckham to the upcoming World Cup Qualifer between US/Mexico to the MLS salary cap to Real Madrid. Enjoy! ...

1. Next week: US Goes to Azteca to Face Mexico in World Cup Qualifier

The United States has never beaten Mexico inside the massive 105,000 seat Estadio Azteca. A upset over El Tri this coming Wednesday would be the perfect ending to a history making summer of soccer for the U.S. National Team. That feat is easier said than done. Just imagine a 100,000 plus screaming Mexicans in a mist of colored smoke bombs, flying beers, and waving Mexico flags. Not to mention the August late afternoon  humidity beating down on the field at 7200 feet above sea level.  Azteca is undoubtidly one of the hardest places to play in the world. Although, the U.S. has already done the impossible this summer. The upset over #1 ranked Spain in the Confederations Cup has made the U.S. team relevant in the American sports landscape to a degree even David Beckham has yet to truly achieve. ESPN was unable to aquire the game's rights (NBC will show the game on Mun2 in English as well as telemundo...check your local listings), but is still putting on a full out pre-game and post-game shows  even though the game will not be aired on their network.

Expect US coach Bob Bradley to stick to the lineup he used in South Africa during the Confederations Cup with U.S . all time leading goal scorer,  Landon Donovan leading the attack. Donovan will be the most hated man in Mexico City when the two countries hit the field as he long has been a pest to the Green, Red, and White. The US/Mexico game  (4 P.M. EST, set your DVRs if you can't get out of work) will likely be one of the most watched soccer games in United States' history. Any world football expert would be hard pressed to find a more heated rivalry between two countries than the "Border War" between the US and Mexico. If you love rivalries you will love US and Mexico in Azteca.

2. Fox Soccer Channel Needs HD ASAP

Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) should be commended for all the significant number of games it televises as well as their  nightly soccer reports and terrific soccer talk show, Fox Football Fone In, but the channel is falling behind in one area specifically: High Definition. FSC has set a target date of January 2010 to begin airing some matches in HD. The fact that FSC is not being concrete about an exact date when they will be HD operational makes me worry if they'll actually be able to meet their tentative goal. Today,  a televised athletic event that isn't in HD looks 10 years old compared to a game in HD. Not having HD makes it harder for FSC to compete with ESPN who has HD and bigger budgets for their broadcasts. ESPN already has won the rights to some EPL coverage as well the World Cup next summer. Fox onthe rights to this year's Champions League and hopefully will air some games on other Fox channels other than FSC that actually have HD until the channel is available in HD. C'mon Rupert Murdock! Get her done!

3. FC Dallas on the Rise?

After selling their leading goal scorer American Kenny Cooper to 1860 Munich earlier this month, FC Dallas has won two straight slowly creeping back into the playoff picture. Long time MLS pro Jeff Cunningham has scored 5 goals in two games (4 goals in last Saturday night's game). Check out my interview with FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty. I'm excited to see what FC Dallas young group of American players can do the second half of the season with the likes of Brek Shea, Kyle Davies, Anthony Wallace, and McCarty leading the way. Now if they could only figure out a way to get more fans at their games. Maybe owner Clark Hunt should give Jerry Jones a call. Winning for a change should help though.

4. MLS Players Union After Free Agency

Unlike other major sports in this country MLS players do not have the luxury of free agency where they have multiple teams bid for their services which drives up salaries. Instead the league handles all the players contracts  as one single entity. It seems unlikey that the owners will give in to the players's demands especially in this economic climate, but any type of lock out would be devastating for the 16-year-old league. The MLS's salary cap desperatly needs to be raised with  too many players getting paid less a year than they would  make if they were out digging ditches on the side of the road. Some players even have to coach youth soccer teams or work a side job just make ends meet. You have to respect these guys playing for the love of the game, but the league is big enough to point where teams should be able to pay their players enough to live on. If teams are allowed to spend more, teams can bring higher quality talent to the league improving the product on the field: the most vital component to MLS growing as a league. Hopefully this matter between the players and the league will be resolved shortly.  

5.  What to Watch This Weekend

Mega rich Spanish club Real Madrid and their duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka are rumored to be making their debut together tonight as the Galacticos face MLS side Toronto FC in a pre-season friendly (ESPN 7:30 EST). Madrid signed the Brazilian, Kaka ($92 million), former Manchester United star and Portugese international  Ronaldo  ($131 million), and French goal scorer Karim Benzema ($48 million) this offseason.

On Saturday, David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy will see if they can continue their recent success as they travel to New England to face the Revolution (6 PM EST, FSC). Beckham was booed last week in the Galaxy's friendly with FC Barcelona until he scored a bending free kick for L.A. to tie the game up with the Champions of Europe. The Galaxy eventually lost the game 2-1 to Barcelona, but one would think if Beckham continues to play as well as he has been playing Galaxy fans will quickly forgive him for his loan departure last winter to AC Milan. I don't know how well the Revolution fans will treat the Englishmen on Saturday, but hopefully they get a nice crowd for the game. The Galaxy/Revolution game will be followed on FSC by another MLS contest between the San Jose Earthquakes and 2008 MLS Cup Champs the Columbus Crew which in addittion will be followed by Barcelona facing Mexican club Chivas Guadalajara live from San Francisco in another friendly match.

If that's not enough soccer for you on Sunday the Houston Dynamo host the Chicago Fire in a battle of two of the leagues best teams (Go Fire! Sorry, Chicago bias). The English Premier League kicks off as the world's most popular club Manchester United and the Blues of Chelsea square off in the Community Shield (10 AM EST, FSC). Then to cap off your soccer weekend you can catch DC United have their stab at Real Madrid (3 PM ET, FSC). Here's to sitting on our arses all weekend!

Please comment below!

In a new segment, soccer writer Sean Heffernan takes the pulse of the American soccer landscape. Today's installment touches on the MLS All Star Game, the U.S.'s failure in the Gold Cup Final against heated rival Mexico, Manchester United's hopes for another EPL title, Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu's loan possibilites, and the upcoming L.A. Galaxy/Barcelona friendly. Enjoy! ...

1.       MLS All-Star Game: The Most Entertaining All Star Game in Sports

Last night the best players in Major League Soccer squared off against English Premier League club Everton in Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. Instead of the typical interleague East vs. West format other American sports use, MLS chooses one squad of All Stars and plays a club from overseas. American soccer fans get to see the best players in their domestic league (MLS) as well as stars they normally would never see play.

In terms of quality of the actual game the MLS is ahead of the rest of the country’s professional sports leagues. The MLB All Star game is bound in controversy over the World Series home field advantage rule and more people seem to enjoy the Home Run Derby than the actual game. The NHL All Star game is a watered down version of hockey with very little checking.  Five minutes into the NBA All Star Game you realize that every play ends in a dunk. No one watches the Pro Bowl. I don’t know what it is about soccer, but last night you could tell that both squads were going full speed. Seeing stars like Landon Donovan, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, and Freddy Ljungberg putting in a whole hearted performance is much more entertaining to me then watching Kobe, Lebron,and Shaq playing at 70%. Inside Rio Tinto Stadium (brand new soccer specific home of MLS side Real Salt Lake) the crowd of over 20,000 got their money’s worth on the field.  

After 90 plus minutes the game was tied thanks to a clinic put on in both nets by current and former U.S. National Team goalies Tim Howard (Everton) and Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC). In the penalty shootout, both goalies continued to display their brilliance in net blocking numerous free kicks (most goalies can only muster a save or two in penalty kicks if their lucky) In the end Tim Howard made one more save then fellow countrymen Kasey giving the victory to Everton.

2.       The Golden Disappointment: Mexico’s Thrashing of US in Gold Cup

I was at Soldier Field for the Gold Cup semifinal doubleheader between U.S. vs. Honduras and Mexico vs. Costa Rica. Towards the end of the U.S. game it was really noticeable how tired the U.S. squad was. A late game injection of Kenny Cooper galvanized the American squad for a second goal, but I felt Bob Bradley would have to mix up the lineup for the final as to put the freshest team on the pitch in New York against Mexico. Instead U.S. coach Bradley put the same starting 11 out against Mexico leaving hungry players like Kenny Cooper, Sam Cronin, and Santino Quaranta on the bench. The US played Mexico to tie at half, but Mexico made early subs whereas Bradley held off aiding his tired squad until it was too late and the Mexican onslaught ended in a embarrassing score line of 5-0. Bradley simply mismanaged the U.S. squad’s fitness going into the final. Our boys simply ran out of legs. Hopefully, we’ll get some revenge in the massive World Cup Qualifier against Mexico in Azteca coming up in a few weeks.

3.       Man United Looks Pedestrian Without Ronaldo and Tevez

Despite selling Cristiano Ronaldo for a fortune, Manchester United has yet to buy a big name this offseason as they prepare to defend their English Premier League title for the second year in a row. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed Englishmen Michael Owen even though the former Newcastle striker hasn’t been in form for a few years. However, I did watch a classic match on FSC when Owen played for Liverpool and in the early part of this decade he was one of the best forwards in the world. Still, without the creative spark of a Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez I would not be surprised to see the Red Devils fall behind the likes of Chelsea or Liverpool this year in the EPL.

4.       Americans Abroad Transfer Talk: Altidore and Adu Up in the Air

Last season was a lesson for both U.S. youngsters Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu. Altidore and Adu spent last season on unsuccessful loan deals from their respective clubs. Altidore looked promising earlier in the year earning a few appearances for Villarreal in Spain, but was loaned to Segundo club Xerez where he never saw the field. Former child prodigy Freddy Adu was loaned from his Portugese club Benfica to Ligue One side Monaco, but the 20-year old never really figured into the team’s plans while in the south of France. Now back with their original clubs both Americans are looking for more playing time. Rumors had been swirling around Altidore going to Greece and playing for Olympiakos, but no deal ever materialized. The latest news on Altidore is that Spanish club Malaga CF is back in the hunt for the striker according to goal.com and radio reports out of Spain. As for Freddy Adu there was reported interest from an unnamed Dutch club a few days ago, but he is now currently training with Benfica.

5.       David Beckham and the Galaxy Face Barcelona in the Rose Bowl  

This month European clubs such as Chelsea, AC Milan, and Inter Milan have drawn huge crowds across America hinting at a growing fan base for “The Beautiful Game” stateside. This coming Saturday’s match between David Beckham’s L.A. Galaxy and Champions League winners, Barcelona, should  add to what has been a great summer for soccer in this country. There should be a great atmosphere inside Pasadena’s massive Rose Bowl. Barcelona has two of the biggest names in world football on roster in Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi along with a slew of other world class stars. Messi has to have the inside track for FIFA’s Player of the Year award after leading Barcelona past Manchester United in the Champions League Final earlier this year in Rome. Saturday’s game should be competitive as the Galaxy are currently playing wonderfully in MLS while Barcelona’s squad is out of form with the La Liga season kicking off at the end of August. Regardless, this David vs. Goliath match should make for good television (Saturday, 8 P.M. EST, Fox Soccer Channel).

Feel free to comment below!

by Sean Heffernan

The storm over David Beckham’s return to America came to a head in an awkward moment during a press conference prior to the LA Galaxy’s match with the New York Red Bulls last Thursday. Beckham responded to a question from Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl by asking if Wahl’s question was for his second unofficial book or his magazine. The unofficial book Beckham referred to was Wahl’s The Beckham Experiment, which has been the biggest source of negative media coverage that has met the midfielder since he’s returned stateside from his loan deal with AC Milan. ...Wahl’s book included comments from Galaxy captain Landon Donovan criticizing the way Beckham handled himself the past few years in Los Angeles.

To add to the media fire during the half time of last weekend’s friendly between the Galaxy and AC Milan (the game was negotiated as part of Beckham’s loan deal) Beckham almost got in a physical altercation with an angry Galaxy fan who had jumped onto the field.  Yet, despite all the hullabaloo surrounding the international star, on the pitch things have turned around for Beckham and the Galaxy. L.A. is the hottest team in MLS at the moment, riding a three game win streak into this weekend’s clash with the Kansas City Wizards. As for the controversy, Beckham and Donovan met with each other in a meeting set up by Galaxy manager Bruce Arena upon the Englishmen’s return and worked out their differences. Still, as much as the Galaxy may want to put the disturbances aside and focus on soccer, I get the feeling that the rest of the season in L.A. won’t go drama-free.

When David Beckham first came to the Los Angeles Galaxy from Real Madrid, the Englishmen arrived in a media whirlwind as a soccer missionary to the United States. The American public underwent Beckham-mania leaving a lot of people wondering “Who was this extremely famous soccer player who talks like the GEICO gecko?” Beckham increased America’s awareness of soccer and the MLS, but the league was unable to fully capitalize on Beckham’s marketability as the midfielder’s first two years in the league were marred by injury and losing.

Beckham had come to Los Angeles with his tenure with England's national team seemingly on its last legs following his involvement in the 2006 World Cup. Then his former manager at Real Madrid, Fabio Capello, was hired as England manager following the Three Lions’ failure to qualify for EURO 2008. Capello began to call Beckham back into the England roster, but made it clear that if he wanted to be a part of the World Cup in 2010 that he needed to be playing at a top level European club. Bunkered in the terror that was last season for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Beckham made the decision to honor his Capello’s request and go overseas to super-club AC Milan on a loan deal.

Upon the Englishmen's arrival to Milan, Beckham answered his critics quickly earning a spot in the starting lineup chock full of elite players. Beckham’s playmaking abilities meshed well with the world class finishing of Alexander Pato, Filippo Inzaghi, and Ricardo Kaka helping the Italian club rediscover its form after a disappointing start to the season. Enjoying his success in Milan, Beckham announced that he'd like to stay beyond the original loan deal infuriating some Galaxy fans back across the pond. Was Beckham abandoning his American expedition?

His aspirations to lead the great conversion of America to “the beautiful game” had fallen to the wayside with his revised personal goals forging a new future for the world famous footballer. However, the LA Galaxy refused to topple over in negotiations when many European pundits thought the MLS club would cave in quickly to Beckham and mighty AC Milan’s demands. The Galaxy awarded Beckham an extension to his loan deal on the condition that returned for the second half of the Galaxy’s 2009 campaign and forked over a healthy amount of his own money to finance the loan.

 The debate over Beckham’s act of self interest was on display in his return to the Home Depot Center against AC Milan as the Galaxy’s supporters’ club the “LA Riot Squad” waved banners calling Beckham a fraud and a traitor. In the game of soccer playing for your country is everything. The World Cup is the biggest stage in the world of sports and you can't really fault any human being for wanting to be a part of that. If Beckham went against Capello's advice and thrown away his national team chances he would have been thrashed in the U.K. for turning his back on his country. The fact is that despite being in the latter stages of his career, Beckham’s skill set hasn’t deteriorated with his age. Beckham has made his living making his teammates better with his intelligent, deadly accurate passing. Prior to coming to America, Beckham should have known that his England days were not quite behind him yet. He’s guilty of underestimating himself, but Beckham doing what he needs to do to make it to South Africa next year isn’t something that should keep Galaxy fans up at night. However, there may be a few inebriated “Riot Squad” members that just think it’s too much fun to not harass Beckham now that he’s challenged them to a fight once already.

In the first half of Saturdy's friendly whenever Beckham touched the ball an amalgamation of cheers and boos cascaded onto the field from the stands evocative of the spilt amongst American soccer fans over #23. At half time Beckham approached the “Riot Squad” to make peace, but his efforts seemed to only encourage the section’s taunting of the superstar. Then uncharacteristically Beckham lost his cool and attempted to hop the barrier to confront the “Riot Squad” member. Thankfully security and the players on the field got a hold of Beckham before the situation got completely out of hand.

Earlier in his career Beckham had flicked off raucous soccer hooligans, but never had the former England captain lost his cool to the point of almost getting in a physical altercation with a fan. In the second half Beckham had the last word, rifling a hurling corner kick off teammate Bryan Jordan’s head and into the back of the AC Milan goal. Beckham turned around to find most of the Riot Squad cheering for the goal, a sign that in the end winning cures all. The Galaxy are a better team with Beckham is on the field and I don’t think it will take long for the fans to realize that.

Does this incident show that Beckham does care about salvaging something from his time in L.A. and even willing to go blows over it? I don’t blame Beckham for going to Italy, but I do think that he does owe an apology to Galaxy fans for the team’s poor play the last two seasons. The Galaxy invested a fortune in him and the least he can do is apologize for his mistakes and other commitments and move on. It doesn’t matter if leaving the Galaxy was the best option for Beckham, it matters that he takes responsibility for his actions. Honesty goes a long way with people.

I can see why Galaxy fans would be upset over not having Beckham for the first half of their season, but I think the fans have a lot more to gain by embracing Beckham than they do booing him. What does turning Beckham into a backstabbing villain do for the growth of soccer in this country? Nothing. All it is cannon fodder for Beckham haters and soccer haters.

MLS has learned its lesson in that one player can’t turn America into a soccer nation overnight, but at this juncture the best thing for this league is to get the most out of Beckham as they can before he leaves for Europe on another probably loan deal. Hopefully, the Galaxy will do everything in their power to secure Beckham’s return following next summer’s World Cup. His family will be settled in Los Angeles and Beckham can finish what he started in America.

Running the most marketable soccer player in the world out of the league is not a good business strategy for the MLS. The best thing for the development of soccer in America is for the Galaxy to continue to play the way they’re playing and make a run deep into the playoffs. It might even be ideal that LA comes up just short in the playoffs so that Beckham has additional incentive to return in 2010 and claim the MLS Cup.

We may not know what the future holds for the world’s most well known footballer and his foray into the American sports landscape, but the coming months will certainly help to define what David Beckham’s legacy will be in the United States when all is said and done.

I hope Jozy likes Gyros

By Sean Heffernan

Young striker Jozy Altidore could be joining fellow countrymen Oguchi Onyweu (AC Milan in Serie A) and Charlie Davies (Sochaux of the French Ligue 1) to switch clubs this week as a loan deal is in the works with the Greek Super League defending champions, Olympiacos, according to Goal.com. ... Altidore made worldwide news earlier this summer in South Africa, scoring the winning goal for the United States in their impromptu defeat of FIFA #1 ranked Spain in the Confederations Cup. After putting the ball past Spanish keeper Iker Casillas and running to the sideline ripping his shirt off I had a feeling someone was going to take the 19-year-0ld forward off Villarreal's hands this season.

Last summer Altidore set a record transfer fee for Major League Soccer when the Spanish club bought the former New York Red Bull for $10 million. The youngster looked promising in his six appearances for Villarreal scoring one goal. However, a loan deal to second tier club Xerez in Spain was struck where Altidore oddly was never given an opportunity to play.

Altidore's prospects for finding the field in Greece will be much better. Olympiacos does have two promising young forwards in Brazilian Diogo and Englishmen Matt Derbyshire on roster. Diogo's time with the club has been plagued by injury, but is still regarded as one of the most promising young exports from Brazil playing in Europe today. Derbyshire spent time in the English Premier League with Blackburn Rovers seeing some success, but was loaned to Olympiacos last year where he flourished in his 13 appearances scoring 8 goals. The Greek side bought the former England U-20 prospect outright from Blackburn after the season.

Without ever stepping on the field one would assume Altidore will at least be the first striker off the bench at Olympiacos. Last season the Athens based club's leading scorer was Argentine midfielder Luciano Galletti leaving manager Temuri Ketsbaia expecting more goal production out of the club's forwards for the coming Greek Super League season.  

For now the deal has not been announced by either parties and agent Lyle Yorks has suggested Altidore has other options other than Greece, "There is also interest in Spain (La Liga), Germany and the EPL," Yorks told Goal.com.  The striker's agent hinted that Altidore'sfuture will be solidified shortly "We should finalize something in the coming week or two."

When all is said and done I hope that Jozy finds himself in Athens. United States Men's National Team fans will hope that wherever their budding goal scorer ends up that he finds himself in the starting 11 on a regular basis so that he is fit for next summer's World Cup in South Africa. At Olympiacos Jozy will compete for a starting spot on a good team and will have ample opportunitieswith the club's involvement in Greek Cup competitions and the Champions League in addition to the domestic campaign. Let's hope for an official announcement in the coming days.

 Leave your comments below!!

Zak Whitebread
Perhaps the biggest surprise snub from Bob Bradley’s 23 players he has initially called in to the US camp is Milwall center back Zak Whitebread. The defender had a great season in England helping Milwall make a run at the championship. It was even rumored that he was getting looked at by a number of bigger clubs around Europe.

Chris Pontius
The DC United winger is an early candidate for rookie of the year award this season in the MLS. Pontius has size, speed, and the knack to make things happen around goal. This season the former University of California –Santa Barbra standout has already scored four goals and notched two assists.

Mikkel “Mix” Diskerud
The Norwegian-American recently played for the U-20 US squad in a friendly against Egypt scoring the only goal in 1-0 victory. Every time “Mix” is on the field he makes an impact with his club. The sooner we get him in the Men’s team the better. He’s only a year younger than Altidore who started every game of the Confederations Cup. I’d hate to lose him to Norway’s national team.

Jemal Johnson
The MK Dons regular is another Yank who has seen success in England’s League One division. The speedy winger can score goals as well cross dangerous balls into the box. His experience abroad would be a nice addition to a MLS-heavy Gold Cup squad.

Chris Rolfe
Partnered with Brian McBride in Chicago, Rolfe won back his starting striker position from Patrick Nyarko after coming off the bench the first few weeks of the season. Rolfe has “Landon Donovan” qualities and is a creator on the attack.

Nate Jaqua
The big bodied Seattle Sounders striker has found the back of the net six times already this season in the MLS. The US team seems to play well with at least one “big” striker who can hold up the ball and be dangerous in the air. Jaqua has five assists to go along with his goal scoring prowess anchoring the potent Sounders attack.

Jeremiah White
Teammate of Benny Feilhaber at AGF Aarhus has been a career journeymen in Europe who had one of the best years of his career this season in Denmark. His speed and experience as a natural right winger could benefit the US.

Honorable Mention: Bobby Boswell, Robbie Findley, and Brad Davis