“Here’s what Tuesday’s U.S. game was supposed to be: a meaningless Gold Cup group-stage finale against Guadeloupe (9 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer, TeleFutura), a tiny Caribbean island that (as part of France) isn’t even allowed to compete in World Cup qualifying.” SI

“Tomorrow night, in Kansas, we’ll be able to enjoy one of those fixtures that makes the Gold Cup such a pleasure to some of us, and a rather mystifying affair to many others. Indeed, the Gold Cup competition, while it takes place year after year in the U.S., seems to largely fly under the radar for many in this country — except, of course, for fans of the Mexican national team, and for those of the Central American and Caribbean teams for whom it represents perhaps the most important international competition.” Soccer Politics

“You’ve Never Heard of Chicharito?”
“That was the dismayed, slightly disbelieving, question posed by a fan of a Mexico team last night to the North Carolinian worker at the food stand getting him a beer and hot dog. We were at the Carolina Panthers stadium (actually named, of course, after a large financial institution, the Bank of America), and it was clear that the phenomenon of tens of thousands of people needed to go to the bathroom and buy food during a sharply circumscribed fifteen-minute period was strange and overwhelming to a system set up for U.S. football.” Soccer Politics

Gold Cup 2011: US Falls To Panama 2-1, and this was a player’s loss
“What follows is the match recap I wrote last night for The Shin Guardian. The only changes are a few links I thought I would add, and one more disclaimer. Below where it reads ‘This loss isn’t on Bob Bradley’, after a spirited comment discussion at TSG, I’ll amend slightly. Yes, Bob Bradley’s tactics weren’t perfect. But he had a plan (attack Panama’s right flank, (Try) to establish width. His substitutions were (with the possible exception of Goodson off instead of Ream) spot on.” Yanks are coming

“The US national team is part of that élite group referred to in England by their demonym rather than by the name of the country. At the last World Cup, for instance, England were shut out by Algeria after drawing against the Americans. They beat Slovenia but they lost to the Germans. It could be regarded as something of a badge of honour, like being criticised by the TaxPayers’ Alliance. Last summer, an English football website published a link to footage of American fans celebrating Landon Donovan’s goal against Algeria. Readers were advised to ignore the ‘obnoxious’ chanting of ‘USA! USA! USA!’” The Carvalho Peninsula

“Earlier this month, Major League Soccer proudly announced the launch of the Castrol Index to ‘objectively’ rank its players’ performances. As if the modern game was not already burdened with enough useless statistics, we can now enjoy the benefits of this ‘proprietary technology’ that purports to track around 1,800 player movements per game, and then produce a league table of ranked individuals. The first monthly table told us what we possibly already knew: Thierry Henry is the best player in MLS.” WSC

“The moment when the Pacific Northwest succumbed to soccer nirvana came during—what else?—a steady downpour at 8:03 p.m. last Saturday at Qwest Field in Seattle. On the night the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers resumed the fiercest rivalry in American club soccer, a sellout crowd of 36,593 watched in awe as the Emerald City Supporters unveiled a 23,000-square-foot display of nine green-and-blue banners telling the pictorial story of the Sounders’ DECADES OF DOMINANCE over their Oregon neighbors—like cave paintings of a modern-day sports culture.” SI

“This infographic about Real Salt Lake’s road to the two-legged final of the CONCACAF Champions League is pretty damn awesome, and more than worth glancing at ahead of tomorrow’s second leg in Salt Lake, with the Americans tied 2-2 on aggregate with Monterrey of Mexico. It’s informative for the newbie, and interesting enough for the nerd.” Pitch Invasion

“It took decades, but in the end it was just a short journey to find something seemingly so far away: the transcendent football experience. On a Sunday morning in April, soccer fan Dean Mitchell leaves his home in San Diego and heads south towards the border. The barren desert geography doesn’t change much between his home and Tijuana, Mexico, but nearly everything else brightens once he passes that wall, including Dean’s mood. Crossing the border on foot it takes literally one step to enter a completely different world – away from a soccer niche to a land hot with football fever.” this is american soccer

“Charlie Davies has seen the photograph. Taken on the morning of Oct. 13, 2009, it shows the back section of a gray Infiniti SUV, sheared clean in half by the impact of a horrific one-car accident on the George Washington Parkway in northern Virginia. One passenger in the vehicle died. Davies, a blazing striker who had emerged as a vital piece of the U.S. World Cup puzzle, was in the back. Partway through the ride he had put on his seat belt, a move that probably saved his life. ‘When I saw the car, I thought, Was I really in there?” says Davies. “How could someone just six inches in front of me die and I’m still alive?'” SI

“The orchestrated crescendo of Parisian boos that greeted Kasabian front man Tom Meighan as he walked onstage at the L’Olympia in the French capital. Adorned in the red of England’s latest away shirt, the stunt on the surface appeared to be little more than a brazen example of jingoistic marketing, designed to appeal to the white-van-driver that lurks deep within every England fan.” In Bed With Maradona

“And so it began with A Gentleman’s History of the Stanky Legg. An opportunity to use goal celebration dances to learn about ourselves and share some of what we are with our friends around the world. I know, it’s just a game, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be just a game.” Nutmeg Radio

“This David Beckham character has the world in his palm. After successful stints at Manchester United and Real Madrid, Beckham decided to pursue a new challenge in America (the North one). As part of Beckham’s unique deal with MLS, he was given the option to purchase an MLS club if he stays with the LA Galaxy for the remainder of his contract. That’s a good deal for Team Beckham. And now, long-time Daily Mail football writer Martin Samuel wants to give Beckham English football.” Nutmeg Radio

“Goal scorers have pumped fists, stripped down, slid on the ground, assembled in Voltron-like formations with teammates, climbed on top of teammates, screamed at television cameras, pointed to the heavens, made out with their team badges, assaulted corner flags, paid tribute to pregnancies by giving birth to soccer balls, displayed shirts with birthday and freedom messages, planted corner flags like an explorer, snorted end lines, and sprinted off into a corner to share a few dance moves with an adoring or enraged public. Anything and everything goes after scoring a goal. That’s the beauty of the soccer celebration.” Nutmeg Radio

“Many of us have watched our team drift away from the clubs with big cash and thought; this isn’t right, is there an alternative? Screw the cash, revolution is in the air, here’s Nick Rosano on the MLS.” In Bed With Maradona

“Michael Bradley; he’s a household name to the frequent visitors of this distinguished soccer blog. It is kind of weird to actually type out the full name that Bobbo saw fit to give him though. Junior, MB90, Coach’s Kid, whatever you want to call him, Bradley’s a top performer for a Yank in Europe, and at 23 years old, he’s just entering his prime. So where will the future take the young midfielder? And why must he get out of Borussia Mönchengladbach as soon as possible? Let’s kick the ballistics.” (Yanks are coming)

“Yesterday on the American Soccer Show, Ted Westervelt, founder of Soccerreform.us, shared his views on why he finds the current MLS structure to be an impediment to the soccer’s growth in the United States. He then attempted to lay out his alternative vision for the professional U.S. soccer system. After listening to Westervelt deliver his argument using a variety of metaphors and anecdotes (there’s talk of wolves and various canine experiments), I realized that several important details were missing from his vision (although a more robust argument can be found on his here on his website). As a public service, I want to help Westervelt out.” (Nutmeg Radio)

“Here’s the important thing to remember when it comes to experiments in soccer, or anywhere else for that matter: sometimes the results are gonna stink. Testing a different tactical arrangement was certainly worth a look-see. And who has enough imagination to say what Tuesday’s new formation would have looked like with Landon Donovan in one of the wide spots? U.S. coach Bob Bradley arranged his team in (ostensibly) a 4-3-3 for Tuesday’s friendly with Colombia outside Philadelphia.” (SI)

USA 0-0 Colombia – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)

“Tinkering and a desire to experiment is a good thing as another World Cup cycle commences, especially when it comes from a noted anti-tinkerer. United States coach Bob Bradley typically prefers his “something old” over his “something new” when it comes to the marriage of personnel and tactics. But the changes made Saturday in his team’s 2-2 draw with Poland in Chicago do beg a vexing question: how much assessment and subsequent development can you really do around a tweaked formation when several players are out of their best positions? (Or, when a player or two just aren’t up for the job in certain spots?)” (SI)

United States (USA) 2-2 Poland – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)

“For the few remaining stragglers in Europe who still see the United States as a footballing backwater, the country’s television schedules make for an instructive read. With relatively cheap subscriptions to the appropriate channels this past weekend, you could have watched eight Premier League games, another eight from the Mexican League, four Bundesliga match-ups, six from La Liga, five from Serie A, two from Brazil and two from Major League Soccer (and another four if you subscribe to the league’s bargain Direct Kick package at around 50 quid a season).” (WSC)

“A funny thing happens during international friendlies, particualrly when a team loses. Invariably, cries that “this game doesn’t matter” eminate from supporters, conveying a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of international friendlies. In many ways, it’s self-delusion at its finest. It’s like a jaded boyfriend saying, “I didn’t like her anyway,” after a girlfriend breaks up with him. These are defense mechanisms signifying denial and/or hurt, which is why you rarely hear this refrain after an emphatic victory.” (Nutmeg Radio)

“The hearsay and conjecture is finally over, and well, meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Bob Bradley, Bobbo, Skeletor, or Junior’s Dad if you like, will hold tight to the reigns of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. Here at Yanks we’re not above delving into fits of über-reactionary blogitude from time to time, but if there ever was a character whose case deserved a measured, reasoned, and tempered response, it’s none other than Bobbo. Hell, we’d have given him a nickname like “Bob Cool” already if his constantly unfazed sideline expression (or lack thereof) didn’t make him look like he just ate a dog turd. Nevertheless, Bob is our man, and whether he’s more boon or burden is rightfully the subject at hand. You didn’t expect us to write about Jon Spector ceding PK’s to Man U for two weeks did you?” (The Yanks Are Coming)

“The US Soccer Federation have decided to give current manager Bob Bradley another four years with a contract extension. The move is a bit of a surprise as reports had Jurgen Klinsmann as a possible replacement and the history of national team managers who have stayed on for two consecutive World Cups.” (The 90th Minute)

“Perpetual limbo. Seemingly no one knows anything about the negotiations that are not taking place about the U.S. manager position. We do know, however, that Bob Bradley is interested in opportunities in Europe. The only reason to reveal this tidbit is because Bradley is, well, interested in opportunities in Europe.” (Nutmeg Radio)

“This is the third of a four-part Series of Report Cards for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s Four Year World Cup Cycle, 2007-2010. While we are not issuing grades for all 92 players capped by Bob Bradley during the cycle, we will feature players not on the World Cup roster who figured prominently in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup. We will issue grades of A-F, rather than player-rankings style grades of 1-10. This edition focuses on the American strikers. For prior entries– See Part I, Goalkeepers. See Part II, Midfielders.” (Yanks are coming)

Michael Bradley
“After all the hype and speculation surrounding a major transfer for Michael Bradley in the aftermath of the World Cup, the 23-year-old New Jersey native stayed put at Borussia Monchengladbach, and the Bundesliga club couldn’t be happier to have him. Bradley scored the opening goal in his team’s DFB Pokal (German Cup) first-round victory on Saturday, executing a give-and-go with Mohamadou Idrissou and bouncing a sliding volley from about nine yards out into the goal in the 39th minute to keep up his run of good form.” (SI)

Bob Bradley
“At a crossroads, the United States Men’s National Team’s decision about its next coach seems to break down to simple mathematics. Don’t worry or stop reading now, I’m not about to break into a lecture on derivatives or differential geometry. I might however, use a rudimentary game theory model. In fact, I will. You have three Figures involved in the search, or technically, a figure Y, a figure X, and an unknown variable that at least has a relatively stable, speculative identity based on the Federation’s past. In other words, we don’t know who Figure Z is, but we can make a predictive assessment about the pool where Figure Z will be drawn from, if chosen. Let’s try this out, shall we?” (Yanks are coming)

“I’ve searched online for the 31st minute of the U.S. versus Ghana game, the moment Ricardo Clark is pulled and then held by his coach. I do not know precisely why I was searching, but standing in a bar in Hoboken witnessing the scene live I felt something, and, post-World Cup, I’d like to try to feel it again. I’m dangling the scene, or maybe the recollection or recreation of the scene. I should have TiVO. I should just have a friend replay the damn thing for me. I should give this up. But I remember it like this: Rico plays defectively, commits an egregious error, is yanked. The unremitting game even stops for his error. Slumping off the field he looks at the least like a boy ready for admonishment.” (This Is American Soccer)

Michael Bradley
“This is the second of a four-part Series of Report Cards for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s Four Year World Cup Cycle, 2007-2010. While we are not issuing grades for all 92 players capped by Bob Bradley during the cycle, we will feature players not on the World Cup roster who figured prominently in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup. We will issue grades of A-F, rather than player-rankings style grades of 1-10. This edition is likely the longest, focusing on the American midfielders.” (Yanks are coming)

“This is the first of a four-part Series of Report Cards for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s Four Year World Cup Cycle, 2007-2010. While we are not issuing grades for all 92 players capped by Bob Bradley during the cycle, we will feature players not on the World Cup roster who either figured prominently in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup. We will issue grades of A-F, rather than player-rankings style grades of 1-10. We’ll also account for players who will surely be on the USMNT radar as they prepare to find 23 good men to travel to Brazil. We begin with goalkeepers.” (Yanks are coming)

“With the Go-Go-USA lovefest starting to fade into the rearview mirror, we’ve reached the one time of year tough for soccer fans—the dog days of July. It’s always tougher to deal with the dog days after the excitement of a major international tournament, and nearly impossible after a World Cup. A week removed from the World Cup Final, soccer junkies from Atlanta to Australia are stuck, for the moment, in soccer Siberia. Essentially soccer’s dog days of July are similar in misery to the sporting month they reference—baseball’s ‘dog days of summer’, which are the brutal just past 100 games but not close to September stretch of the schedule played in the big leagues in late July and August, featuring frequently poorly played and error-prone games where the goal is to avoid injury and as a team try not to lose the division before you win it in September.” (Yanks are coming)