Editors Note: I apologize for not keeping the blog up to date over the last few weeks. I had to attend a family reunion and had some vacation time mixed in. In addition, I got behind at my real job and had to spend most of time on a few key projects. Things have settled down and I am looking forward to writing again.

Galaxy, Rapids, Real Salt Lake, Crew, and Dynamo Record MLS Wins

The MLS weekend featured plenty of exciting action. Connor Casey recorded a hat trick and Landon Donovan scored a cracking goal. MLS Recaps: MLS Week 21 Analysis, MLS Week 21 Recap, Domestic Weekend Wrap, The Weekend in Context, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Weekend Recap

Cooper’s goal highlights weekend for Yanks Abroad

Kenny Cooper scored in his debut for 1860 Munich, rising up for a header in the 17th minute. Charlie Davies made his debut for Sochaux and turned in a productive twenty minutes. More Yank Abroad Recaps: Americans Abroad in France and Germany,  Americans Abroad in England, Americans Abroad, Americans Abroad: Weekend Rewind, Big Debut for Cooper

Real Madrid tops DC United 3-0

The new galacticos put three past DC United in front of 72,368 punters. The fans were treated to a display of football talent. United played well in the first-half, but were outclassed in the second stanza. More: Top 5 Things I Learned in Landover, United Rewind,

Howard, US Prepare for Mexico Match

Eighteen players, including goalkeeper Tim Howard, have arrived in Miami for a brief training camp before Wednesday’s critical away qualifier. The rest of the squad will arrive shortly. Howard tells the New York Times, “We Don’t Have the Luxury of Looking Back“. Additional coverage: USA-Mexico Update, US National Team Practice Report, Howard and Bradley Talk Qualifier, Donovan Wants the Win, Quick Training Camp Notes

Altidore Secures Work Permit

Jozy Altidore has been granted his work permit and will play this season with expected relegation battlers Hull City in the English Premiership. Altidore should be given plenty of minutes for the club, which has an option to buy him after the season.

Before the US begins its next international competition, let’s take one final look at the Confederations Cup. Below are the player grades for the tournament, which takes into consideration all five games. The grades:

Goalkeepers

Tim Howard - He deservedly won the Golden Gloves for the tournament. He was huge in the semi-final and final. He established himself as one the top goalkeepers on the planet. Grade: A

Brad Guzan – He only played in one match but had a good showing against Egypt. He firmly claimed the backup role for 2010. Grade: B

Defenders

Oguchi Onyewu – He had a little extra motivation, looking to earn a contract with a big club in Europe. He was the rock of the defense and won almost every ball in the air. His only fault was not being more dangerous on attacking set-pieces. Grade: A-

Jay DeMerit -He had an excellent tournament and elevated his status as a fringe player to a lock. A move the Premiership would bolster his chances of starting alongside Onyewu for 2010. Grade: B

Jonathan Spector – He turned the right back position into a competition and established himself as the front runner.  Regular time will benefit his cause. He could shift over and partner with Onyewu to form an interesting pair. Grade: B+

Carlos Bocanegra – He impressed in the Spain game but struggled against Brazil. His biggest problem is lack of holding the ball, when he just clears instead of looking to build. He is still the best option at left back. Grade: C+

Jonathan Bornstein – He proved to be a serviceable left back at the international level. But he did nothing to standout and had some break downs defensively. Never-the-less, he is a versatile player who probably did enough to earn a spot. Grade: C

Midfielders

Michael Bradley – He had moments of brilliance but also showed immaturity. His work ethic and play attracted interest from major European scouts. However, he must show more discipline at the international level. Grade: B-

Ricardo Clark – He recovered from his early red card and had an incredible game against Spain. He will most likely be on the 2010 roster, but a move to Europe will help his development. Grade: C+

Benny Feilhaber – He is back after dropping off the radar and showed the most skill on the ball. He proved he could be an effective two-way midfielder at this level. Grade: B-

Clint Dempsey – He started the tournament out horribly, but was a different player the last three games. A much needed rest will help for the qualifiers, and a proposed move to a bigger club will be beneficial. Grade: B-

Landon Donovan – He was the best field player for the US, and should have won the Bronze Ball. He showed that a MLS player can excel against the world’s best. Grade: A

Sacha Klejstan – He is struggling with confidence and this tournament did nothing to booster it. He needs to get out of his funk. Grade: D-

DaMarcus Beasley – Sadly, his days are likely done for the national team. He is still young enough to contribute, but injuries and lack of playing time have slowly taken a toll. Grade: F

Forwards

Jozy Altidore – He scored with great individual effort, but that was his only goal. His recent injury and lack of playing time showed, as he was usually spent by half-time. He needs to get regular first team football. Grade: B-

Charlie Davies – He is another player who improved his status from fringe to nearly a lock. His speed created all sorts of problems for opponents. Hopefully, he will break-out in the Gold Cup and move to a larger club. Grade: B

Connor Casey – He has been scoring goals and that warranted a call-up, but he played himself off the World Cup squad. He was lethargic and was never dangerous, which is not a good combination for a striker. Grade: D

Are these grades fair? Which players improved their stock? Which players should not be on the World Cup roster? Share below.

The US played a hard-fought game against Brazil in the Confederations Cup final. Unfortunately,  tired legs and some questionable coaching decisions led to a heartbreaking loss. But the US proved that they could play with world’s best when the spotlight is on. Here are the ratings:

Tim Howard [9] – He was fantastic. He made excellent save after excellent save. There was not much he could do on any of the goals. But he may have been able to get the third one. The back post is his responsibility if he does not assign a defender.

Jonathan Spector [8]  He made several good defensive plays and hit another great cross that led to Clint Dempsey’s goal. He showed some fatigue at the end, but it was probably the result of playing every minute and not being match fit coming into the tournament.

Jay DeMerit [7] – He made some big defensive plays in the first half and had a critical tackle late while the game was still tied. But he allowed way too much space on the first Brazil goal.

Oguchi Onyewu [8] – He won everything in the air as usual. He did a better job looking to possesses and not boot the ball up-field. He needed to put his header on target in the 88th minute.

Carlos Bocanegra [5] – He drew an early caution on a questionable decision to hold back Kaka. He just knocked the ball up-field with little pressure instead of looking to possess the ball. He could have redirected the cross on the second goal.

Landon Donovan [9] – He worked hard throughout the entire match. He began the counter-attack by running into his space and then used his speed and precision to finish the second goal. He created chances and was not afraid to look for a shot.

Ricardo Clark [6] – He turned the ball over too easily but had the pass to Donovan that sprung the counter-attack. He forced passes in the second half, instead of knocking the ball around to try to keep possession.

Benny Feilhaber [7] – He did a good job filling in for Michael Bradley, but looks more comfortable in an attacking role. He was a little careless with his tackles but worked hard to get back and defend. He held the ball for too long in the attacking third.

Clint Dempsey [7] – He had the early goal but disappeared for long stretches of the match. He was willing to take shots if he had space. He could have marked up better on the header that led to Brazil’s third goal.

Jozy Altidore [6] – He had a quiet match. He did draw a free kick with a nice turn on the ball. Fatigue was an issue, and he looked exhausted in the second half.

Charlie Davies [7] – He did well to get forward and setup the second goal for Donovan. He showed energy by getting back and defending. But he tried to force the attack in several situations, which resulted in turnovers.

Sacha Klejstan [5] – He continues to struggle with his confidence. He gave the ball way too easily. He made a bad pass after the US had gained possession in the closing minutes.

Jonathan Bornstein [5] – He showed impatience on the ball and failed to hold possession.

Connor Casey [NR] – He was not on the pitch long enough to generate a rating.

Are these ratings fair? Who was your man of the match? What did you think of the game, now that you have had time to reflect back on it?

The  US shocked the world on Wednesday, with a 2-0 win over Spain. The Americans used a combination of discipline, effort, and all-around solid play to defeat the Spaniards, ranked number one by FIFA. The ratings:

Tim Howard [9] – He was steady and made several correct decisions to parry instead of attempting to catch difficult shots. He set the tone with an important save in the beginning of the second half. He came off his line well, but his distribution was shaky at times.

Jonathan Spector [8] – He continues to impress. He did have a shaky moment early, when a bad touch led to a chance. But he stayed composed on the ball and made smart decisions on when to attack. He helped kill the game by staying compact and closing-down well.

Jay DeMerit [9] – He was the man of the match. He had several clutch tackles, and he threw his body around to block shots.

Oguchi Onyewu [9]- He was dominant in the air and quickly covered ground to thwart the attack. He was crtical down the stretch.

Carlos Bocanegra [8] – He positioned himself well. He helped to keep the back line composed. However, he did not get forward in the attack much and had an embarrassing foul throw.

Clint Dempsey [8] – His finish was pure effort. He opened the game up early with a long shot and combined well with teammates to set-up chances. He defended when called upon.

Ricardo Clark [9] – He ran with the ball well in the midfield, which helped to relive pressure off the back line. But he was everywhere on defense. He blocked at least three shots and was amazing in the closing minutes, highlighted by a bicycle clearance.

Michael Bradley [6] – His red card was unfair, but he has to show more discipline. He worked hard to pressure the ball in the midfield. He failed to connect on several through-balls.

Landon Donovan [8] – He put in another excellent, work-man type effort. He played box to box , and his set pieces were dangerous.

Charlie Davies [7] – He looked spectacular in the first twenty-five minutes. His bicycle kick would have been amazing. His pace caused problems, but he needs to work on his crossing.

Jozy Altidore [8] – He had a great individual effort on the goal, by using his strength to shield and then calmly converting. He won two corners and was a nuisance the entire match.

Benny Feilhaber [8] – His patience to hold the ball-up led to the run that created the second goal. He was smooth on the ball and worked hard to defend in the closing minutes.

Connor Casey [6] – He helped to kill some time, but should have held the ball in the corner.

Jonathan Bornstein [NR] – He was not on the pitch long enough to evaluate, but did block a shot late.

What did you think of the US’ historic performance? Who was your man of the match? Share your thoughts below.

The US will play Spain on Wednesday, after an unlikely run to the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. The Americans will have another shot at proving they can play with the world’s elite teams, after struggling earlier in the tournament against Brazil and Italy.

There is a bit of keeper controversy, as Brad Guzan performed admirably in the nets against Egypt. However, Tim Howard should start. Howard is the undisputed number one, and he should play in any important match.

The back line will remain the same, as the unit has developed cohesion throughout the competition. Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Bornstein will be instrumental in getting forward, as well as helping shut down the potent Spanish attack. Ougchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit will have to stay connected and balanced while patrolling the center of the defense.

The midfield will need to stay compact, in order to force Spain wide. Ricardo Clark will have to tuck in and destroy. Michael Bradley will need to be more cautions and pick the right spots to join the attack.

Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey will presumably be playing the outside positions in the midfield. Donovan will need to run at the Spanish defense to create opportunities. Dempsey will need to continue to play with creativity and vision, all while avoiding being dispossessed in the midfield.

The US could opt to use a 4-5-1, but will most likely start with two strikers. Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies combined for a goal against Egypt, and the pair will need to pressure the back line of Span into a mistake. That is not likely considering that Spain has been scored on in the last four games.

The key for the US will be creating space in the attack, but quickly clamping down once the ball is lost. The Spaniards know how to score when give time and space. The Americans will need to be cautions while defending, but the fullbacks will need to provide width to the attack when necessary.

On my second viewing of the US vs. Brazil game, I was optimistic to see more positives emerge from my frustrated initial thoughts. But that was not the case. It was a  lousy performance from a team that played on its heels and rarely showed a complete effort. The ratings:

Tim Howard [7] – He could have done better on the first goal. But he kept the US in the game. Two plays standout: his punching out a chance in the 72nd minute and coming off his line to snag a ball in the 77th minute.

Jonathan Spector [8] – He was the man of the match for the US. He was collected and poised bringing the ball out of the back and provided support for the attack with his creative runs. He threw himself in the way of shots and intercepted numerous through-balls. The only knock was his partial responsibility on the first goal.

Jay DeMerit [6] – He was able to get his head to the ball in several dangerous situations and did a good defending when isolated. But he needed to read the game better on the third goal, where he got caught ball-watching.

Oguchi Onyewu [8] – He covered a lot of ground in the back for the US and continually pressured and forced shots wide. He had a critical tackle in the box and read the game well to cut-out many chances.

Jonathan Bornstein [6] – He did not appear to be intimidated and did a good job defending. But he has to do better at keeping possession of the ball. He had a couple of dangerous crosses.

Landon Donovan [7] – He put in a tireless effort, creating chances with his work-rate and composure on the ball. He combined well with teammates. His set-pieces were dangerous, and he worked with Spector to shut-down the right flank.

Michael Bradley [6] – He did well pressing in the midfield, but his passing out of the back was inconsistent. His bad touch led to the set-piece in the 7th minute.

Sacha Klejstan [3] – The red card was deserved for the unnecessary foul, committed out of frustration. He did a bad job of defending in the box , where Kaka blew right past him. His passing was questionable, and he was never dangerous.

Clint Dempsey [4] – Arguably, his worst performance for the national team. He repeatedly turned the ball over and struggled to defend. He held the ball for too long in the attack, when better options were available.

DeMarcus Beasley [3] – He has become painful to watch, taking too many touches and not connecting any passes. He gambled in the wrong spot defensively, but then failed to close his man down in the defending third.  He takes the entire blame for the second goal, where a lack of concentration led to an easy chance for Brazil.

Jozy Altidore [6] – He was starved for service, and rarely got the ball where he could be dangerous. He had the best chance for the US. But his first touch popped the ball up, not allowing him to get a good strike on it.

Connor Casey [4] – He was lazy. He did not apply any pressure and committed too many fouls. He did have good one-touch pass and the header off the bar.

Benny Feilhaber [7] – He brought a much needed creative spark and energy to the game. He did well chasing back to cover and got forward to support the attack.

The USMNT opened 2009 Confederations Cup play with a 3-1 loss to the defending world champs Italy. However, despite the loss, the US team showed some promise. Below are the player ratings:

Tim Howard [8] – He was his normal self, coming-up with two big saves in the closing minutes. He did a good job staying composed on the long range efforts. There was not much he could do on any of the goals, although the second was stoppable.

Jonathan Spector [8] – He turned in a solid performance. He was composed in the defending third while on the ball. He was very good in the air and stepped in bravely in the 42nd minute to clear a bicycle attempt. His offensive game was a letdown, as he muffed a chance in the box.

Jay DeMerit [7] – He was steady up until the very end, when fatigue allowed Andrea Pirlo to blow past him. He made a good decision early to clear a ball into touch. He even had a nifty bicycle clearance.

Oguchi Onyewu. [8] – He was well positioned the entire game. He did commit some fouls but they were in non-dangerous situations. He did well to clear out a corner right before half time. He had one poor clearance, where he sent the ball over his own net.

Jonathan Bornstein [6] – He got caught out of his position several times that led to silly fouls, including one that drew a caution. He was lucky not to have scored an own goal. He also had a couple of iffy touches and poor crosses in the early portions of the match. However, he seemed to improve as the match went on.

Ricardo Clark [4] – The red card was harsh, but he should have known better to have gone into that challenge with his foot off the ground. The send-off was his third foul of the match. He must learn to be disciplined when challenging for the ball.

Clint Dempsey [5] – He played very predictable. He wasted a chance when he cracked a free kick well wide. He also played a short, terrible ball into pressure that led to the first Italian goal. His best contribution to the match was throwing himself into the fray when defending corner kicks.

Michael Bradley [8] – He was easily the man of the match in the first half, and he controlled the width of the midfield by spreading the ball around. He worked hard to apply pressure and force some bad decisions from the Italians.

Benny Felihaber [6] – He had an up and down match. He did show good, creative vision at times. He seemed to lose some composure as the match went on. His pass to Altidore set-up the only goal. However, he did not do a good job tracking back.

Landon Donovan [8] – He scored the only goal, by stepping up and converting a penalty. He did good job running at opponents into space and made himself a problem. He was forced to play more defensively in the second half.

Jozy Altidore [8] – He played the role of holding striker very well. He was constantly drawing fouls and causing problems. He showed poise when drawing the penalty.

Charlie Davies [6] – There was a drop-off when he entered the match. He mistimed a header off a corner kick and should have done better.

DeMarcus Beasley [5] – He showed his age and rust in limited action today. He had a poor cross that should have led to a much better opportunity.

Sacha Klejstan [NR] – He was not on the pitch enough to generate a rating.

The United States will face its toughest challenge of the 2009 campaign when it squares off against the defending world champions, Italy. The Italians have a brought a star-studded team to the Confederations Cup.

Breaking down the veteran defense of the Italian squad will be a tough challenge. It does not help matters that the US has failed to click on offense and has not scored a goal from the run of play in its last two matches. The Americans seem to lack a creative spark and organization in the attacking third, which has led to few quality chances.

Talented striker Jozy Altidore has failed to live up his expectations this summer after a hat trick against Trinidad and Tobago. There are questions concerning his health following a lingering toe injury. Connor Casey started against Honduras, but he struggled and was substituted before making an impact on the match. However, if Bradley wants to deploy his traditional holding striker, Casey is the only option. It is possible that the US could line up in hybrid 4-5-1, with Landon Donovan playing an attacking midfield role. Donovan will need to use his pace to go at players in the attacking third.

Ricardo Clark, who had a very good game against Honduras, will have to play well for the Americans to keep things close. Michael Bradley will need to have a workman type performance as a box to box midfielder, while avoiding an early caution. Clint Dempsey has to be a constant danger on the right wing.

There are several options on the left wing. DeMarcus Beasley is the veteran of the group, but his his form is in question. Sacha Kljestan could provide some much needed creativity to the attack, but has also struggled with form. Jose Francisco Torres is another option, but he has fallen out of favor with Bradley after being at yanked at half-time against Costa Rica.

Carlos Bocanegra’s probable absence has led to a question mark as to who Bradley will pair with Oguchi Onyewu. Jay DeMerit came on as substitute in the Honduras match, and is expected to get the starting nod. However, another option would be to slide Jonathan Spector over to the central defender role. Marvell Wynne, who would fill in at the right back slot, did have a poor match against Costa Rica. However, Wynne has performed well in tournaments similar to the Confederations Cup (see U20s, Copa America, and the Olympics). Jonathan Borenstein looks like a safe pick for the left back spot, and he will need to provide overlapping runs and good service.

The Americans will likely need to convert a set piece opportunity and hope that Donovan and company can spring a counter attack. The defense will likely leak a goal or two. However, with Brazil and Egypt on deck, the US will need to take some chances and try to get the full three points.