v1lla21 said:

Has there been any news at to who the national team face on their next friendlies, and also what venues?

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toxk_02 said:

ESPN reported during today's match that the US is looking at 3 friendlies right before Brazil. Nothing confirmed, but they mentioned:

USMNT set up final World Cup camp in northern California
May 27th - Stanford Stadium, CA - possible opponents: Sweden, Serbia, Turkey

And of course the confirmed March friendly at Ukraine. There's also rumored to be a friendly against Mexico, early April, in Phoenix.

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v1lla21 said:

Oh wow, that's great since it is close to me. All 3 teams seem to be good opponents. I also heard about the possible match against Mexico, but that was during the Mexico vs. Korea match.

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NoRéN;99332567 said:

How is that stadium? Do you know?

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Cornballer said:

Stanford Stadium is great for soccer after they renovated it. Nice, tight sight lines and a good steep slope to the seating. I've been there for a couple Earthquakes games and there really aren't any bad seats in the place.

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NoRéN;99332567 said:

How is that stadium? Do you know?

I'm debating going to the game next month. I would have a reason to go see family and it's only about a 3 hour drive from their hometown to Kharkiv. However, not really the best time to go to Ukraine so there's that.

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Clydefrog said:

Is Bedoya considered a starter yet?

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Cornballer said:

Seems like he and Zusi are battling it out for that right wing spot, but it depends how Klinsmann wants to line up. Donovan could also play there if someone else, like Johannsson, is going to sit underneath Jozy.

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toxk_02 said:

ESPN reported during today's match that the US is looking at 3 friendlies right before Brazil. Nothing confirmed, but they mentioned:

USMNT set up final World Cup camp in northern California
May 27th - Stanford Stadium, CA - possible opponents: Sweden, Serbia, Turkey

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Cornballer said:

Seems like he and Zusi are battling it out for that right wing spot, but it depends how Klinsmann wants to line up. Donovan could also play there if someone else, like Johannsson, is going to sit underneath Jozy.

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toxk_02 said:

ESPN reported during today's match that the US is looking at 3 friendlies right before Brazil. Nothing confirmed, but they mentioned:

USMNT set up final World Cup camp in northern California
May 27th - Stanford Stadium, CA - possible opponents: Sweden, Serbia, Turkey
early June - Red Bull Arena, NJ - possible opponents: Sweden, Serbia, Turkey
June 7th - Jacksonville, FL - opponent: Nigeria
off to Brazil

And of course the confirmed March friendly at Ukraine. There's also rumored to be a friendly against Mexico, early April, in Phoenix.

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ROAD TO BRAZIL PARTICIPANTS (as of Feb. 3, 2014)
Bolivia
Bosnia-Herzegovina**
El Salvador
Greece**
Honduras**
Ivory Coast**
Nigeria**
Spain**

** = Teams participating in the 2014 World Cup

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xbhaskarx said:

I think Klinsmann's current lineup would look something like this:

-------Altidore-------
--LD----CD----GZ--
--Bradley--Jones--
-FJ--MB--OG--GC-
-------Howard--------


What I'd like to see:

-------Altidore-------
--CD----AJ----LD--
--Bradley--Jones--
-FJ--MB--GC--TC-
-------Howard--------

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gutshot said:

Swap out Jones for Cameron as d-mid and put Gonzalez in as central defender and that is my ideal lineup.

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gutshot said:

Aron Johannsson has left AZ's game versus Vitesse due to an injury, according to Fox Sports NL. Hopefully it is nothing serious...

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Cornballer said:

Sciaretta confirmed it's a mild thigh sprain. Shouldn't keep him out very long, fortunately.

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Nesotenso said:

I worry about the passing out of the back with both Besler and Omar honestly. They both need to work on it with their clubs. Aron I think, even with this stellar form so far, will be a off the bench option for Jurgen.

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Nesotenso said:

I worry about the passing out of the back with both Besler and Omar honestly. They both need to work on it with their clubs. Aron I think, even with this stellar form so far, will be a off the bench option for Jurgen.

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Grant Wahl said:

Am told US Soccer spent around $500K on Jan camp, including long trip to Brazil, 5-star hotel. A story of Nike money & Klinsmann stature.

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ussoccer.com : Two players who were most recently on the U-20 World Cup roster earned their first caps with the Senior Team. How did Luis Gil and DeAndre Yedlin do in their first time in and what messages do you want them to take away?

JK : “The youngsters DeAndre Yedlin and Luis Gil did well in their first introduction to the senior National Team. That’s why we gave them their first cap, their first couple of minutes on the field with the so-called older guys. They have a lot of talent, there’s no doubt about it. That’s why they played in the Under-20 World Cup with Tab Ramos. I’ve spoken to both of them about keeping their feet on the ground, that they stay modest but be proud of that moment because it’s a special moment when you play your first cap. This is just the beginning of a very good career, and we need them to push the envelope with their MLS teams, we need them to understand there’s more responsibility on their shoulders as a senior National Team player. We need them to understand that they need to work far more than anybody else on their club teams because they are National Team players. We want to see that process now taking place and we will communicate with their club coaches. It’s up to them now how well and how fast they develop over the next couple of years.”

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ussoccer.com : You have stated that the door is still open for players to make their case for the World Cup roster. There are several players in Europe who are experiencing new opportunities with their clubs and others coming back from injury. What do you need to see from them?

JK : “We just want them to be on the field and build their case. We communicate with them, players like Oguchi Onyewu, Tim Ream, and Danny Williams. You have Brek Shea, who went down into the Championship from Stoke to play games and is now playing 90 minutes almost every week. You have Timmy Chandler at Nurnberg, who for six months has been doing a very consistent, good job. Jermaine Jones goes to Besiktas and will pick up the rhythm of playing games again. We follow the players that have injury problems like Steve Cherundolo, who is still having issues, and John Anthony Brooks with Hertha Berlin who is hopefully back next week. Same with Fabian Johnson who broke his arm and is hopefully back next week as well. Being in February and a few months prior to the World Cup, you want to see them all play. You have to give them a clear message that only if you pick up a rhythm and play week-in, week-out, will you complete one of the big keys in order to make the World Cup roster. That’s why we are really happy some of them now are starting to get their rhythm. This all plays a vital role in evaluating them, and then we have to make the vital calls in May.”

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Paul Carr said:

Juan Agudelo scores his first Eredivisie goal to put Utrecht up 1-0 on Zwolle.

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Cornballer said:

Hoffenheim confirmed that Fabian Johnson is leaving at the end of the season. No word on which club he will be joining.

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methodman said:

I still believe in Stuart Holden being back for the world cup. I believe in you stu!!

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gutshot said:

Los Angeles Galaxy

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methodman said:

I still believe in Stuart Holden being back for the world cup. I believe in you stu!!

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The two demographic groups most passionate about soccer are young adults -- those ages 18 to 29 -- and Hispanics. Demographers expect the Hispanic population to triple by 2050 making up roughly one-third of the population . And Hispanic sport preferences differ starkly from those of other Americans. Twenty-six percent of Hispanics say that soccer is their favorite sport to watch, followed by football (22 percent), basketball (14 percent) and baseball (13 percent). In contrast, only 3 percent of white non-Hispanics Americans say soccer is their favorite sport. Hispanics also report greater interest in the World Cup with 56 percent saying they are likely to watch the tournament, compared to 20 percent of white non-Hispanic Americans.

Football remains the most popular sport among young adults, but soccer is the runner-up. Thirty-two-percent of young adults say football is their favorite sport, compared to 13 percent who say soccer, 10 percent who say basketball and just 7 percent who say baseball. Further, soccer fans tend to be much younger than other fans. The average age of Americans who say soccer is their favorite sport is just 37, while the average age for football fans is 46 and for baseball 53. If baseball is America's past, and football is its present, then soccer may be its future.

Third, the cultural impact of soccer is also likely to grow as more young people participate in the sport. In 1974, the U.S. Youth Soccer Association registered only about 100,000 players. Today that number is over 3 million. A recent ESPN sports poll found that 30 percent of American households have at least one member who plays soccer.

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xbhaskarx said:

Another one of those "Soccer is gonna be huge" articles...

Is Soccer Destined to Become America's National Pastime?

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Clydefrog said:

heh

I have a few Tottenham jerseys that I wear on occasion. It's weird when you see someone else wearing a soccer jersey.

I almost never see MLS jerseys though.

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platypotamus said:

Pretty common up here in Seattle.

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