US starting lineup for 2010 World Cup Qualifer against Barbados

US vs. Barbados
5p ET/2p PT
TV: ESPN2
Internet: ESPN360
Text call: Matchtracker

The US is less then an hour away from starting their long road to South Africa and Bob Bradley has released his lineup. Needless to say, there are a couple surprises. First of all, Guzan will start in goal instead of Tim Howard. Howard suffered a lower back strain in training on Friday.

Another little surprise, Ching is starting up top with Dempsey instead of Johnson. This is a good move, but I thought Bradley would give Johnson yet another chance to get things going. Instead, Ching has his opening to prove that he should get a full more calls. In addition, his ability to play balls in the air give the US something that they've been lacking for a while now.

It looks like Pearce has won the left side back spot with his outstanding play over the last three matches. It also looks like Mastroeni's unjustified red card against Argentina hasn't hurt him in Bradley's eyes.

Anyway, here is the lineup:

----------------------Guzan------------------------

Cherundolo--Onyewu--Bocanegra(c)--Pearce

------------Bradley---------Mastroeni-----------

-------Donovan---------------------Beasley------

-------------Ching-----------Dempsey------------

This is a lineup that should dominate Barbados. If they fail to win by three goals, it will be viewed as a loss.

Fulham drops Carlos Bocanegra

Fulham has reduced their American contingency by one as they dropped Carlos Bocanegra today. It is no big surprise that Bocanegra got the boot as manager Roy Hodgson had pretty much benched him for the last three months.

Bocanegra, who will likely be a starter for the US against England on Wednesday, is now looking for a new home. PSV Eindhoven has been mentioned as a possible landing spot. PSV was a good spot for DaMarcus Beasley as few years back and might be the change Bocanegra needs. If it works out, he might even get some Champions League action.

This move is a big one for Bocanegra as he needs to find playing time or else his spot on the national team will be less then assured.

Fulham also let go of Jari Litmanen, Philippe Christanval, Simon Elliott, Ian Pearce, Michael Timlin, Ismael Ehui, and Bjorn Runstrom. Looks like Eddie Johnson will get a little more time to make his mark.

Now the question is will Kasey Keller stick around?

Clint Dempsey sticking with Fulham

US international Clint Dempsey has decided to stay with the Cottagers after signing a contract extension that will keep him in West London through 2010. It had been rumored that if Fulham failed to stay in the Premier League, Dempsey would move along to another top-flight club, but this move seems to kill such talk.

Fulham beat Birmingham City over the weekend to move out of the bottom three for the first time in months, however they are still dangerously close to the drop zone. Since Dempsey signed even though the team might get relegated seems to suggest that he enjoys the club and that they plan on making him a key part of their future plans.

If Fulham do stay up, I'm think the only American that will leave is Bocanegra. If they don't, I see Eddie Johnson and Dempsey sticking around and possibly McBride.

Eddie Johnson signs with Fulham

US international Eddie Johnson has been granted a work permit and has signed with Fulham of the EPL. Johnson's deal goes through the 2011 season.

The move to Fulham is not an unexpected one, but it does come at a difficult time for the club as they are in the relegation zone. But with the club lacking in strikers, the odds of Johnson earning a lot of minutes looks good. Overall, this is bound to be a huge test of his abilities. He will be out of his comfort zone and under pressure to perform immediately.

One of the tags Johnson has gathered over the last few MLS seasons is that of a lazy player, however that probably has more to do with his lack of constant challenges in the league then his skill. During the 2006 World Cup, he showed some real force on the ball during some of his limited minutes, but it was obvious he needed more training. With this move, he should get it.

Congratulations to Johnson.

PS - Will Johnson be this season's Dempsey and get the goal that keeps the team up? If so, I doubt it will be his first and only goal.

KC gets top draft pick in San Jose trade, sign that Eddie Johnson is gone?

If there was any doubt that Eddie Johnson was about to fly off to Europe, today's trade of defender Nick Garcia for San Jose's number one overall pick in Friday's expansion draft should put that to rest. The move means the Wizards should pick forward Patrick Nyarko to replace Johnson.

This is a little risky, but the Wizards need a striker, even if he is untested at the professional level.

Klinsmann ready to coach again - Eddie Johnson buys jewel-encrusted mouthpiece

Jurgen Klinsmann has announced that he is ready to return to the world of full-time soccer management, but where will he end up. Will it be is old club Tottenham Hotspur or is Chelsea calling or could Alexi Lalas pull off a huge coup and land him in LA? Let's see, if I was a soccer manager, which club would I go for?

In other news, Eddie Johnson had a bit of a shopping spree over the weekend as he purchased $85,000 in jewelry while in LA. On his list, a new watch, necklace and a jewel-encrusted mouthpiece, "like a retainer." Could this be why he sparkled so much during their match with Chivas?

EPL's Derby County wants Eddie Johnson

That is the speculation after Derby County manager Billy Davies praised Johnson in the press:

"He is young, has great pace and also a point to prove because he has never played in England before," Davies told the Derby Evening Telegraph.

"He scores goals for fun and has started the American season like a house on fire. He is the most valued player in the MLS.

"Very few American players have come to this country and failed.

"They have a lot to offer, they are fit and they are very good professionals."

It is interesting the Davies says he is the MLS's MVP at this point because you don't hear much of that in the US. I'm not saying Davies is wrong, in fact I think he makes a good point. Without Johnson, KC are a below average mess, but with him they are challenging for the top of the East.

Anyway, Davies would not confirm that he has or will make a big for EJ, but with his club returning to the Permership for the first time since 2002, I'm sure he is concidering it.

Then there is Johnson himself who has torn things up domestically but never really clicked on the international stage. From a technical stand point, a move to the EPL would be be a complete test of his skills and if he ever wants to make such a move, at age 23, he doesn't have much more time.

But the major issue might be the league and the Wizards. As I noted above, Johnson is the main reason KC has a chance this year and I doubt they are fired up about losing that option. Also, he Eddie is one MLS's major promo guys and they will not want to let that go cheap. However, if the offer was high enough, they could go for it.

Personally, I would love for Johnson to make the move to the EPL because I think he has gone as high as he can go in MLS. He does have a great deal of talent, but he needs better training and opposition, which a newly promoted EPL side can offer. If he is ever to become the threat we all want him to be on the international stage, chances are it will involve a move out of the US.

"Who makes the most in MLS?" Brought to you by Becks millions.

Major League Soccer's Players Union has released this year's salaries. It should come a no surprise that the team with the largest payroll is LA thanks to David Beckham, who is the top earner in the league.

Anyway, here are the team numbers:

Team	Base Salary	Guaranteed Compensation
1. Los Angeles Galaxy	$8,056,188.83	$9,179,948.56
2. New York Red Bulls	$4,334,615.50	$4,896,656.83
3. Chicago Fire	$4,185,825.50	$4,464,612.50
4. Kansas City Wizards	$2,429,925.00	$2,625,050.00
5. Real Salt Lake	$2,168,437.25	$2,602,531.00
6. Toronto FC	$2,174,290.00	$2,497,378.50
7. Colorado Rapids	$2,322,113.75	$2,431,763.75
8. FC Dallas	$1,992,803.75	$2,385,628.75
9. DC United	$2,171,178.00	$2,328,503.00
10. Houston Dynamo	$2,184,349.00	$2,260,349.00
11. New England Revolution	$1,992,948.00	$2,087,948.00
12. Columbus Crew	$1,807,199.19	$2,064,349.19
13. Chivas USA	$1,757,875.08	$1,893,125.08
Totals	$35,584,945	$44,717,850

Chivas USA has a very small payroll, but it is actually less then what is reflected in the chart now that $291,250 Amado Guevara has left the club.

Here are the top ten paid players in MLS:

Player	Team	Guaranteed Compensation
1. David Beckham	LA	$6,500,000
2. Cuauhtemoc Blanco	Chicago	$2,666,778
3. Juan Pablo Blanco	NY	$1,593,750
4. Claudio Reyna	NY	$1,250,008
5. Landon Donovan	LA	$900,000
6. Eddie Johnson	KC	$875,000
7. Freddy Adu	RSL	$550,000
8. Carlos Ruiz	FCD	$435,000
9. Clint Mathis	NY	$410,000
10. Taylor Twellman	NE	$350,008

Again, no shock that Beckham is making the most. Actually, Becks will make more this season then the total salaries for Chivas USA, the Columbus Crew and the New England Revolution combined.

Now lets look at pay by position.

Forward

Player	Team	Guaranteed Compensation
1. Cuauhtemoc Blanco	Chicago	$2,666,778
2. Juan Pablo Blanco	NY	$1,593,750
3. Landon Donovan	LA	$900,000
4. Eddie Johnson	KC	$875,000
5. Carlos Ruiz	FCD	$435,000

Midfielder

Player	Team	Guaranteed Compensation
1. David Beckham	LA	$6,500,000
2. Claudio Reyna	NY	$1,250,008
3. Freddy Adu	RSL	$550,000
4. Clint Mathis	NY	$410,000
5. Ronnie O'Brien	TFC	$258,750

Amado Guevara of Chivas was in fifth till he left the league.

Defender

Player	Team	Guaranteed Compensation
1. Pablo Mastroeni	CR	$298,000
2. Eddie Pope	RSL	$265,000
3. Greg Vanney	CR	$236,667
4. Jimmy Conrad	KC	$206,000
5. Ivan Guerrero	CF	$187,500

Goaltender

Player	Team	Guaranteed Compensation
1. Shaka Hislop	FCD	$220,800
2. Ronald Waterreus	NY	$200,000
3. Joe Cannon	LA	$192,000
4. Pat Onstad	HD	$168,000
5. Matt Reis	NE	$150,000

I guess if you want to get rich in MLS, being a goalie is not the way to do it. Interesting that Hislop is FCD's backup keeper. Their started Dario Sala earns almost half of what Hislop does at $119,875.

If you want the numbers for all the players, take a look here.

Clint is a Bull, FCD wants an Argentine and Johnson to Boca?

Clint Mathis has been traded from Colorado to New York, in a move that could only make people think, "the Red Bulls couldn't find any other forward."

New York has been looking for help up front during the whole of the off-season. This search sparked many rumors on who might be coming in as a designated player, but in the end, Mathis was what they got.

Last year Mathis had his moments, but they were very few in number and often punctuated by stupid fouls that resulted in cards. That Bruce Arena is turning to him to guide their offensive attack has to worry the Red Bull faithful.

Mathis is due to join the team in Charleston, South Carolina today and is likely to mark his return to New York (he played for the MetroStars from 2000-03) on April 7 when they play Columbus.

Meanwhile, down in the oil palace known as Dallas, it looks like FCD is about to fill the hole in their midfield caused by the trade of Richard Mulrooney. Argentine Pablo Ricchetti is all but on the team, now they just need to work out some details with his visa. They expect this to take a couple weeks, but coach Steve Morrow is hoping he will be available for their April 7 opener against Real Salt Lake.

Ricchetti brings something special to the middle of the pitch for Dallas. His ability to read the game and his great touch will give the side more offensive options and should help take some pressure off their defense. And let's be honest, anything that takes pressure off their defense is pure gold.

Finally, as pointed out by reading 'Pitch to Pub', it looks like Boca Juniors are interested in Eddie Johnson.

Now that article is in Spanish and although my language skills are not great, it seems that chairman Mauricio Macri wants to get EJ for next season. If I recall my international soccer schedule correctly, that would mean a move during the August transfer window.

Johnson is one of MLS's stars, however the last two years have seen him collapse. As difficult as it would be for the league and Kansas City to let him go, they really should give him the chance, if he wants it. Sometimes players need to get completely out of their element to rework themselves. So far, his time back in MLS since his 2005 injury has not resulted in a reawakening of his play. If the next few months of MLS play do not sort him out, then, for the betterment of his future, he should go elsewhere.