2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage Schedule

Yesterday saw the draw for the first ever Concacaf Champions League group stage. The two seeded MLS sides, DC United and Houston Dynamo, were drawn into groups A & B respectively.

As far as the other MLS clubs, if New England beat Joe Public FC in their preliminary playoff, they will move into group C along with Atlante FC. Chivas USA faces a possible date with Club Santos Laguna in the Group D.

MLS will likely have a fifth team in the group due to Canada getting one spot. If TFC does make it, they will join the Revolution in Group C.

The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout phase.

Since over half of the teams in the group phase are not known at this time, it is difficult to point to who has the toughest group, but it does look like Group A could turn into a very difficult one if Cruz Azul and Olimpia both advance (although Marathon is not much better).

After the playoff runs take place (26 Aug - 4 Sept), we'll be able to see who has, on paper, the hardest road to the knockout phase.

Group A
DC United (USA)
Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)
Winner: Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes
Winner: Isidro Metapan or Marathon

Home Team Listed First (All times Eastern)
16 Sept D.C. United – Deportivo Saprissa (8p)
17 Sept Isidro Metapan or Marathon – Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes (10p)

23 Sept Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes – Deportivo Saprissa (TBD)
24 Sept Isidro Metapan or Marathon – D.C. United (10p)

30 Sept Deportivo Saprissa – Isidro Metapan or Marathon (10p)
01 Oct D.C. United – Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes (8p)

07 Oct Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes – Isidro Metapan or Marathon (8p)
09 Oct Deportivo Saprissa – D.C. United (10p)

21 Oct Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes – D.C. United (10p)
23 Oct Isidro Metapan or Marathon – Deportivo Saprissa (8p)

29 Oct D.C. United – Isidro Metapan or Marathon (8p)
29 Oct Deportivo Saprissa – Cruz Azul or Hankook Verdes (8p)


Group B
Houston Dynamo(USA)
CD Luis Angel Firpo (SLV)
Winner: Jalapa or San Francisco FC
Winner: Harbour View FC or Pumas UNAM

Home Team Listed First (All times Eastern)
16 Sept Jalapa or San Francisco – Harbour View or Pumas (TBD)
17 Sept Houston Dynamo – CD Luis Angel Firpo (10p)

23 Sept Jalapa or San Francisco – Houston Dynamo (TBD)
24 Sept Harbour View or Pumas – CD Luis Angel Firpo (TBD)

30 Sept Harbour View or Pumas – Houston Dynamo (TBD)
02 Oct CD Luis Angel Firpo – Jalapa or San Francisco (8p)

08 Oct Houston Dynamo – Jalapa or San Francisco (10p)
09 Oct CD Luis Angel Firpo – Harbour View or Pumas (10p)

22 Oct Houston Dynamo – Harbour View or Pumas (10p)
22 Oct Jalapa or San Francisco – CD Luis Angel Firpo (TBD)

28 Oct CD Luis Angel Firpo – Houston Dynamo (10p)
29 Oct Harbour View or Pumas – Jalapa or San Francisco (TBD)


Group C
Atlante FC (MEX)
CD Olímpia or CD Marathon (HON)
Winner: Joe Public FC or New England Revolution
Winner: Montreal Impact or Real Esteli

Home Team Listed First (All times Eastern)
17 Sept Montreal or Esteli – Joe Public FC or New England Revolution (TBD)
18 Sept Atlante – HON1 (10p)

24 Sept Joe Public FC or New England Revolution – HON1 (8p)
24 Sept Montreal or Esteli – Atlante (TBD)

30 Sept Atlante – Joe Public FC or New England Revolution (8p)
02 Oct HON1 – Montreal or Esteli (10p)

08 Oct Joe Public FC or New England Revolution – Montreal or Esteli (8p)
08 Oct HON1 – Atlante (10p)

21 Oct Montreal or Esteli – HON1 (TBD)
21 Oct Joe Public FC or New England Revolution – Atlante (8p)

28 Oct HON1 – Joe Public FC or New England Revolution (8p)
28 Oct Atlante – Montreal or Esteli (10p)


Group D
Club Santos Laguna
CSD Municipal or Deportivo Jalapa
Winner: LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders
Winner: Chivas USA or Tauro FC

Home Team Listed First (All times Eastern)
16 Sept LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders – Chivas USA or Tauro (TBD)
17 Sept Club Santos Laguna – GUA1 (8p)

23 Sept Chivas USA or Tauro – GUA1 (TBD)
25 Sept LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders – Club Santos Laguna (TBD)

01 Oct GUA1 – LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders (8p)
01 Oct Chivas USA or Tauro – Club Santos Laguna (TBD)

07 Oct GUA1 – Chivas USA or Tauro (10p)
08 Oct Club Santos Laguna – LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders (8p)

22 Oct Club Santos Laguna – Chivas USA or Tauro (8p)
23 Oct LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders – GUA1 (TBD)

29 Oct Chivas USA or Tauro – LD Alajuelense or Puerto Rico Islanders (TBD)
30 Oct GUA1 – Club Santos Laguna (10p)

Other Concacaf World Cup Qualifer results

As much fun as it is to only focus on the great show the US put on yesterday, there were ten other Concacaf Qualifiers over the weekend. So how did they turn out? Most of them went as expected, but there were a couple shocks.

Trinidad and Tobago 1-2 Bermuda - T&T get shocked at home by Bermuda. Could the team's dream of back-to-back World Cups crash out next weekend? If so, will Jack Warner get any heat for the way he destroyed the team?

Haiti 0-0 Netherlands Antilles - Haiti are the reigning Caribbean champions and Antilles held them on the road. Not as big an upset as T&T, but still something to watch.

Suriname 1-0 Guyana - The battle of the South American members of Concacaf ended in a minor surprise as Suriname beat the seeded Guyanese. The return leg is going to be fun.

Grenada 2-2 Costa Rica - This was a much tougher start then Costa Rica wanted. On the plus side, they did come back from two goals down to get the tie, but will this be enough for coach Hernán Medford to keep his job?

Panama 1-0 El Salvador - Panama has to be worried going into their second leg. The rains slowed this game down, which worked for El Salvador.

Belize 0-2 Mexico - Mexico continued their tradition of under performing against teams they do not respect. This match was never in question as Belize pretty much just sat 10 players behind the ball, but it is still a poor game by El Tri.

Guatemala 6-0 Saint Lucia - Looks like the US will have to deal with the little fish again as Carlos Ruiz netted four in this one.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0-3 Canada - Ali Gerba was the hero for Canada as he netted two. Canada should have an easy time at home this Friday.

Jamaica 7-0 Bahamas - The Reggae Boys just smashed their way into group play. Six different players, including Andy Williams, scored so this was an all over effort.

Puerto Rico 2-2 Honduras - This result means Honduras advances to the first group phase with a 6-2 aggregate win. Puerto Rico went down a goal in the 22', but tied is a few minutes later. They then went up one right before the half, but it was not meant to be as Wigan Athletic midfielder Wilson Palacios knotted it up in the 52'.

Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda play their first leg tomorrow.

Concacaf 2010 World Cup Qualifying schedule - Second Round

The second leg of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying swings into full gear this weekend as 24 teams look to advance to the first group phase. Although there are strong favorites in just about every one of these contests, the constant possibility of an upset will be present. Who knows, an early surprise goal or red card could kill a team's dream.

America will take on Barbados in their opening match at the Home Depot Center. The red, white and blue are coming off a strong tie against Argentina in front of almost 80,000 at Giants Stadium. There are still tickets available for Sunday's match.

Anyway, here is the full schedule of second round matches:

First Leg

Home	Score	Visitor
USA	8-0	Barbados
Guatemala	6-0	Saint Lucia
Trinidad and Tobago	1-2	Bermuda
Antigua and Barbuda	3-4	Cuba
Belize	0-2	Mexico
Jamaica	7-0	Bahamas
Honduras	4-0	Puerto Rico
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	0-3	Canada
Grenada	2-2	Costa Rica
Suriname	1-0	Guyana
Panama	1-0	El Salvador
Haiti	0-0	Netherlands Antilles

Second Leg

Home	Score	Visitor
Barbados	0-1	USA
Saint Lucia	1-3	Guatemala
Bermuda	0-2	Trinidad and Tobago
Cuba	4-0	Antigua and Barbuda
Mexico	7-0	Belize
Bahamas	0-6	Jamaica
Puerto Rico	2-2	Honduras
Canada	4-1	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Costa Rica	3-0	Grenada
Guyana	1-2	Suriname
El Salvador	3-1	Panama
Netherlands Antilles	0-1	Haiti

USA advances to group A in Concacaf first group phase with 9-0 aggregate win over Barbados.
Guatemala advances to group A with 9-1 aggregate win over Saint Lucia.
Trinidad and Tobago advances to group A with 3-2 aggregate win over Bermuda.
Cuba advances to group A with 8-3 aggregate win over Antigua and Barbuda.

Honduras advances to group B in the first group phase with a 6-2 aggregate win over Puerto Rico.
Jamaica advances to group B with a 13-0 aggregate win over Bahamas.
Canada advances to group B with a 7-1 aggregate win over Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Mexico advances to group B with a 9-0 aggregate win over Belize.

Costa Rica advances to group C with a 5-2 aggregate win over Gernada.
Suriname advances to group C with a 3-1 aggregate win over Guyana.
El Salvador advances to group C with a 3-2 aggregate win over Panama.
Haiti advances to group C with a 1-0 aggregate win over Netherlands Antilles.

2008-09 Concacaf Champions League preliminary round schedule

Sixteen teams now know their opponents for the preliminary two-leg round of the first ever CONCACAF Champions League. Come August, these teams will fight it out to win a spot in the group phase, which starts play in September.

As far as the preliminary round, first leg matches will take place sometime between 26-28 August with the second leg to follow the following week (2-4 Sept). Exact fixture dates will be announced soon.

As far as the MLS sides are concerned, New England will take on Joe Public, the best team name in the tournament. Public is a difficult Trinidad and Tobago side that I believe has caused problems for MLS teams before.

Chivas USA drew Panama's Tauro FC. Although they are the best Panama has to offer, they have not been a big international team.

There is also a very good chance Toronto FC will enter the tournament as the “Canadian Champion". If so, MLS will have the most teams in the competition.

Anyway, here is the full draw:

Home team first leg	Home team second leg
Deportivo Jalapa (GUA)	San Francisco FC (PAN)
Joe Public FC (TNT)	New England Revolution (USA)
LD Alajuelense (CRC)	Puerto Rico Islanders (PRC)
Cruz Azul (MEX)	Hankook Verdes (BLZ)
Harbour View FC (JAM)	Pumas UNAM (MEX)
Tauro FC (PAN)	Chivas USA (USA)
Montreal Impact (CAN)	Real Esteli (NIC)
CD Isidro Metapan (SLV)	CD Marathon (HON)

What will Eriksson do to Mexico?

As strange as it sounds, Sven-Goran Eriksson is Mexico's new coach. After failing to convince Javier Aguirre or Luiz Felipe Scolari to take the job, the Mexican federation went for the Swede to replace Hugo Sanchez.

Eriksson has about three months to learn his team and get them ready for World Cup Qualifying.

"Obviously, I don't have a deep knowledge of Mexican football but that is something I'm going to change quickly....Like any coach who changes country, I will have to work and that doesn't bother me."

As if that was not enough, he also needs to deal with a number of players who are not happy with this move such as striker Jared Borgetti who called it 'a big mistake.'

But all this could be a huge positive for the team. Eriksson comes in as a complete outsider, meaning he doesn't have loyalties or feuds with any of the players or various elements in the federation. Sure some of the players are upset at this moment, but that might have more to do with their loyalty to interim coach Jesus Ramirez. If Ramirez can convince them to give Sven a chance, the final piece of the Mexican puzzle might come together and Mexico could finally move up to the top tier of international football.

Then again, the Mexican Football Association has an interesting habit of shooting themselves in the foot, so who knows.

Ramirez is in charge of the team through their initial World Cup Qualifiers against Belize, but Eriksson will probably loom over the team.

One last thing, with Eriksson at the helm, it means Europe (especially England) will pay a little more attention to Mexico's, and in extension CONCACAF's, results.

Concacaf President Warner wants England to host 2018 World Cup and USA to get 2022

Concacaf President and Fifa Vice-President Jack Warner hopes to convince the USA to abandon their bid for the 2018 finals in order to clear the way for England.

"My message to the USA - and they don't have to listen - is to try to make a deal for 2022 and I'm quite sure that would have universal support."

Although it is painful to say, Warner does make a strong point. The 2018 World Cup is all but assured to be held in Europe and England is by far the front-runner. That said, the US has a major advantage that could trump the somewhat emotional desire to give England only their second final and that is money.

With over 20 stadiums currently able to hold 70,000+ fans and a large diverse population already built in the US, a repeat of the 1994 event (in terms of tickets sold) is very likely. These tickets along with corporate sponsorship deals would likely make FIFA a huge sum of money, even by FIFA standards.

Then again, all that will still be there for 2022.

If there is any message to take from this, it is a warning to the US Soccer Federation that you can bid on 2018, but don't expect your region's president to strong-arm people to vote for you. Warner will stay with the US during the bidding process but he will not do the heavy lifting needed to win the event.

So what should the US do? The 2018 and 2022 cups will be awarded at the same time, so the bidding process is the same time frame. Should they try to reach a deal to obtain England and other European votes or take the risk?

My thought is go for 2022.

On another note of interest, at no point does Warner point to any other CONCACAF countries as possible hosts, which suggests both Mexico and Canada are out in the cold on this one.

Concacaf Champions League field reveald

Little, old Concacaf is soon to have a Champions League of our own and now we know just who is going to take part within it. In all, 24 teams will take part in this year's Champions League, with four of them coming from the US.

Eight teams will advance directly to the group stage (two clubs each from the United States and Mexico and one club each from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras), with the others taking part in a two leg playoff.

Here is the full list of teams:

USA (4 teams): Houston Dynamo (2007 Major League Soccer champion); D.C. United (2007 Major League Soccer regular-season winner); New England Revolution (2007 MLS Cup runner-up); Chivas USA (2007 MLS regular season runner-up)

MEXICO (4 teams): Atlante FC (2007 Torneo Apertura champion); Pumas UNAM (2007 Torneo Apertura Runner-up); 2 teams to be determined (2008 Torneo Clausura champion and runner-up)

COSTA RICA (2 teams): Deportivo Saprissa (Torneo Invierno winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Verano winner, or second place team in Torneo Verano if same champion for both Invierno and Verano)

EL SALVADOR (2 teams): CD Luis Angel Firpo (Liga Mayor Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)

GUATEMALA (2 teams): Deportivo Jalapa (Torneo Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)

HONDURAS (2 teams): CD Marathon (Torneo Apertura 2007 winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)

PANAMA (2 teams): San Francisco FC (ANAPROF Apertura winner); 1 team to be determined (Torneo Clausura winner, or second place team in Torneo Clausura if same champion for both Apertura and Clausura)

BELIZE (1 team): Hankook Verdes (2007-08 BPFL/RFG Insurance Cup Champions)

NICARAGUA (1 team): to be determined; Winner of playoff between Apertura winner (Real Estelí FC) and winner of Clausura.

CANADA (1 team): to be determined; Winner of three-way qualifying series between Toronto FC, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps.

CARIBBEAN (3 teams): Harbour View FC (Jamaica); Joe Public FC (Trinidad & Tobago); winner of playoff between Puerto Rico Islanders and San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad & Tobago)

The schedule has the group qualifying or preliminary round going from 26 August to 4 September. The six match group stage starts 16 September and ends by 30 October. The knockout phase does not take place till late February of next year with the final take place the last two weeks of April.

The winner will advance to the Fifa Club World Cup in December 2009.

MLS Expansion - Seattle going for their first sellout tonight

Seattle might not get their first MLS match till next March, but the Sounder organization is looking for their first sold out match tonight as Mexico plays China at Qwest Field.

The new Sounders are putting the match on along with Soccer United Marketing, the marketing arm of Major League Soccer, and have already sold 48,000 tickets, 19,000 tickets short of a sellout.

As one would expect at a Mexican match, there will be a large Hispanic contingent at the game, which presents the Sounders a great chance to expose themselves to a knowledgeable fan base.

As far as the match, it should be a good one as Mexico looks to show something in their first outing since Hugo Sanchez was shown the door. Meanwhile China, well, they do have F Qu Bo. What I'm trying to say is Mexico should, even without some of their best, put on a clinic tonight. If they don't, there will be some anger.

Olympic Qualifying - Mexico fails to reach the Olympics

Mexico 5-1 Haiti

Even with a win, Mexico fails to make it out of their group. In a match where they played up a man for an hour, had a penalty kick (which was stopped) and had at least three open shots on goal, there is no reason for Mexico to have failed to get the needed six goals, but they did.

Haiti just collapsed in the final 15-minutes giving Mexico numerous three or four on none breaks, but Mexico could not make the most of them.

Overall, this was one of the strangest soccer matches I've ever seen as even when Haiti was getting stomped in the back, they still seemed to place the majority of their team up top. Add to it a red card for a Haitian player on the bench and another for some odd flight call and you've got a heck of a way to finish up group play.

This means Mexico will fail to make the Olympics for the first time since 1984 and that the US will face Canada on Thursday night in Nashville.

One last thing, I'm guessing Leonel Saint Preux is every Canadian's best friend tonight (he got Haiti's lone goal).

Update: One more last think, Haiti's goalkeeper Johnny Placide was fantastic on the night. I know that seems strange with 5 goals getting past him but he basically played the entire Mexican team by himself for the second half. He stopped shots that he had no right to stop and is the biggest reason Mexico is not going to Beijing. Okay, the biggest reason was Mexico's failure to make anything of their huge number of chances, but you get the point. So when will Hugo Sánchez get the boat for this one?

Olympic Qualifying - Mexico needs huge win to advance out of group

Canada just washed the pitch with Guatemala's B-team 5-0, meaning the Maple Leafs sit in second with four points and a +4 goal difference. Mexico and Haiti will kick off in 30-minutes with Mexico needing a victory by at least 5 goals to advance out of their group. For Haiti, all they need is a tie to move forward.

Things are looking bad for Hugo Sánchez.

SuperLiga 2008 Schedule released

The second edition of the cross-border showdown is booked and if 2007's tournament is any example, we can expect some of the best games of the season.

The four teams representing MLS have been known for some time as they were based on last season's performance, so the main part of today's announcement was the Mexican teams. Houston, DC, New England and Chivas USA will take on Chivas Guadalajara, Atlante, Pachuca and Santos.

Group A
Houston Dynamo
D.C. United
Guadalajara
Atlante

Group B
Chivas USA
New England
Pachuca
Santos

Date	Match	Venue	Kickoff (ET)
July 12	DC - Guadalajara	RFK Stadium, DC	8pm
July 12	Houston - Atlante	Robertson Stadium, Houston	10pm
July 13	NE - Santos	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough	8pm
July 13	Chivas USA - Pachuca	Home Depot Center, Carson	10pm
July 15	DC - Atlante	RFK Stadium, DC	8pm
July 15	Houston - Guadalajara	Robertson Stadium, Houston	10pm
July 16	NE - Pachuca	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough	8pm
July 16	Chivas USA - Santos	Home Depot Center, Carson	10pm
July 19	DC - Houston	RFK Stadium, DC	8pm
July 19	Atlante - Guadalajara	TBD	10pm
July 20	Chivas USA - NE	TBD, LA	8pm
July 20	Santos - Pachuca	TBD	10pm
July 29	Seminfinal 1	TBD	TBD
July 30	Seminfinal 2	TBD	TBD
Aug 5	Final	TBD	TBD

2008 Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Schedule

Concacaf has two tickets to Beijing for the Olympics this August and eight nations want them. To get there, teams will need to take one of the top two spots in their group and then make it past the semifinals. Both teams in the final on March 20th will represent the region in China.

The Concacaf tournament is taking place in America this time around with games in Tampa, LA and Nashville (Tickets Tampa, LA, Nashville).

Here is the full schedule:

Group A

Team	W	L	T	Pts	GD
USA	2	0	1	7	+2
Honduras	2	1	0	6	+2
Panama	1	2	0	3	+1
Cuba	0	2	1	1	-5

Group B

Team	W	L	T	Pts	GD
Guatemala	2	1	0	6	-3
Canada	1	1	1	4	+4
Mexico	1	1	1	4	+3
Haiti	1	2	0	3	-4

Date	Matches	Venues	Kickoff Times
March 11	Panama 0-1 Honduras	Tampa, Fl	5:30 ET
March 11	USA 1-1 Cuba	Tampa, Fl	8:00 ET
March 12	Haiti 0-1 Guatemala	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 12	Canada 1-1 Mexico	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 13	Honduras 2-0 Cuba	Tampa, Fl	5:30pm ET
March 13	USA 1-0 Panama	Tampa, Fl	8:00pm ET
March 14	Canada 1-2 Haiti	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 14	Mexico 1-2 Guatemala	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 15	Cuba 1-4 Panama	Tampa, Fl	5:30pm ET
March 15	USA 1-0 Honduras	Tampa, Fl	8:00pm ET
March 16	Guatemala 0-5 Canada	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 16	Mexico 5-1 Haiti	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 20	Guatemala 0(5)-(6)0 Honduras	Nashville, Tn	5pm CT
March 20	USA 3-0 Canada	Nashville, Tn	8pm CT
March 23	Guatemala 0(3)-(5)0 Canada	Nashville, Tn	1pm CT
March 23	USA 0-1 Honduras	Nashville, Tn	4pm CT

Fox Soccer Channel (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) will air matches live in the US while ESPN360.com will steam them on the internet.

Can San Jose finally attract Latino fans?

On Sunday, 50,000 fans watched two U-23 sides compete in a friendly in Oakland. The fact that Mexico was one of those two sides, explains the numbers. So obviously there are a lot of soccer fans of Latino heritage in the area (there is a non-news flash). Now the question is can the new San Jose Earthquakes develop a relationship with this community that will result in them turning out to 'Quake matches?

The good news is the new ownership did not waste this chance to start reaching out.

Fans streamed through the gates under a San Jose Earthquakes banner. Earthquakes tickets were on sale. And the Earthquakes had a suite filled with key members of the Hispanic community, in an effort to make connections and create marketing opportunities.

The past version of the Earthquakes, like most of the league, failed miserably in their attempts to bring in more Latino fans, however a lot has changed. The league is more competitive then it was in the late 90's, the SuperLiga has brought meaningful matches with Mexican rivals to the schedule, MLS games air on Spanish language TV, Chivas has invested in MLS and Cuauhtemoc Blanco is now strolling the leagues' pitches. So can San Jose exploit this to fill their seats?

Perhaps this answers that question:

The new Earthquakes have much more marketing savvy than their predecessors. They know they have to sell tickets at the grass-roots level, making them available in local markets. They're coming out with a T-shirt and a team jersey that reads Terremotos, the Spanish word for Earthquakes. They know they can't pander to fans or assume a loyalty that hasn't been earned.

Of course all this marketing helps, but the true way to build up a legion of fans in with the play on the field. If the team puts on a good show, even in defeat, soccer fans of all backgrounds will take notice.

US men name final Olympic Qualifying training roster

After missing out on the 2004 Olympics, the US U-23 men are looking to redeem themselves by earning one of the two Concacaf spots for the 2008 Beijing games. With this in mind, Peter Nowak has called in a group of 24 players for his final training camp ahead of the March 11-23 tournament.

Here is the list:

GK (3): Dominic Cervi (Chicago Fire), Tally Hall (Esbjerg fB), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)

D (8): Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Hunter Freeman (New York Red Bulls), Kamani Hil (Vfl Wolfsburg), Patrick Ianni (Houston Dynamo), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Mike Randolph (LA Galaxy), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

M (8): Arturo Alvarez (FC Dallas), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96)

F (5): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Chad Barrett (Chicago Fire), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

Not a lot of shocks on this list, however the inclusion of Michael Orozco of Mexico's San Luis is interesting. I think this is his first US camp as he has flirted with playing for Mexico (he was born in California).

Overall, the US has some great striker options and a solid midfield, however the defense, with the exception of Edu, doesn't show as much known talent. It is not that they are bad, they just seem a bit unproven.

The unproven tag continues to the goal as none of the keepers have much pitch time to brag about. Again, they are not bad, they are just not tested at the highest level.

Overall, this lineup should allow the team to get out of their group and to the final.

Nowak will announce his final 20-man tournament roster no latter then March 9. Although he can add people not called into camp to that roster, odds are he will not.

Here is the full schedule for the tournament (Tickets Florida, California):

Group A
USA
Panama
Honduras
Cuba

Group B
Mexico
Canada
Guatemala
Haiti

Date	Matches	Venues	Kickoff Times
March 11	Panama-Honduras	Tampa, Fl	5:30 ET
March 11	USA-Cuba	Tampa, Fl	8:00 ET
March 12	Haiti-Guatemala	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 12	Canada vs. Mexico	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 13	Honduras-Cuba	Tampa, Fl	5:30pm PT
March 13	USA-Panama	Tampa, Fl	8:00pm PT
March 14	Canada-Haiti	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 14	Mexico-Guatemala	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 15	Cuba-Panama	Tampa, Fl	5:30pm PT
March 15	USA-Honduras	Tampa, Fl	8:00pm PT
March 16	Guatemala-Canada	Carson, Ca	5:30pm PT
March 16	Mexico-Haiti	Carson, Ca	8:00pm PT
March 20	Seminfinals	Nashville, Tn	5 & 8pm CT
March 23	Finals & 3rd	Nashville, Tn	1 & 4pm CT

ESPN Deportes will air all the matches live and ESPN306.com will steam them.

US Women know their road to the Olympics - Schedule

The US women know now who they are training to beat as Concacaf has released their 2008 Women’s Olympic Qualification. Six nations will take part in the competition for the 2 Concacaf spots in Bejing.

The teams have been divided into 2 groups of 3. The top 2 teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. Here is the full 2008 Women’s Olympic Qualification schedule:

Group A
USA
Mexico
Jamacia

April 2 - Mexico vs. Jamacia (7:30p)
April 4 - USA vs. Jamacia (7:30p)
April 6 - Mexico vs. USA (1:30p)

Group B
Trinidad & Tobago
Canada
Costa Rica

April 2 - Trinidad & Tobago vs. Canada (5:00p)
April 4 - Costa Rica vs. Trinidad & Tobago (5:00p)
April 6 - Canada vs. Costa Rica (11:00a)

Seminfinals
April 9 - A1 vs. B2 (5:00p)
April 9 - B1 vs. A2 (7:30p)

Finals
April 12 - Third Place (5:00p)
April 12 - Championship (7:30p)

All matches will take place at Estadio Olímpico Benito Juarez in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Although the US should have no problems making it through this tournament, the home pitch advantage for Mexico, combined with the short time between game number 1 & 2 (compared to Mexico), might cause a stubble in the first round.

My guess is the US will take group A with Mexico coming in second. Canada will sneaking by group B with Costa Rica claiming second. The big match will be the semifinal between Mexico and Canada as the US should easily handle Costa Rica (or T&T).

The finals are pretty meaningless in this one as both spots go to the teams in the championship match, but I still expect the US to end it on top.

Onyewu loves US-Mexico derby, wants next match in DC

Oguchi Onyewu, who has been in much better form the last couple months, loves to play Mexico because it brings out so much.

“Obviously the rivalry is there and it’s a derby in terms of CONCACAF, so we get up for those games.”
...
"The emotions are gonna be high for those games just because of the rivalry which has been going on for quite some time.”

And as much as he enjoyed the 70,000 fans in Houston for this month's meeting, he hopes the next time the US takes the pitch, they do it 'in front of a true home crowd.'

“I hope we play (next) in D.C. We need to play in our nation’s capital. I don’t know the last time we played there; I think it was 2004.”

“We don’t have a national stadium but still, I think we should play in our nation’s capital every once in a while (as other national teams do)."

There is a lot of talk about DC hosting a US men's event with most of it colored by the ongoing DC United stadium situation, but Onyewu is right, the national team should play in the nation's capitol from time to time.

For the record, the last time the US team played a match in DC was 14 October 2004 when they smashed Panama 6-0 in a World Cup Qualifier. The crowd for the Thursday night match was 19,793.

So it seems the Gooch is pushing for RFK to host US Soccer's top-5 opponent tentatively scheduled for June 8th, but as he says, "It’s not me who decides where we play though; I’m just a soldier on the field."

US-Mexico - Starting lineups

Kickoff it just about an hour away and we have the starting lineups.

Here it is for the USA:

---------Altidore-----Dempsey-----------

Convey---------------------------Donovan

------------Bradley----Clark-----------------

Corrales------------------------------Moor

----------Bocanegra---Onyewu-------------

-----------------Howard--------------------

Bench: Guzan, Parkhurst, Edu, Feilhaber, Lewis, Adu, Noonan

And here is Mexico's starting XI:

-------------Bautista----De Nigris-----------

Vela--------Pardo-----Torrado---------Arce

Castro------Marquez--Magallon----Salcido

------------------Ochoa----------------------

Bench: Michel, Rojas, Pinto, Cacho, Dos Santos, Naelson, Villaluz

Should make for an interesting match.

US vs. Mexico - Who needs to perform?

US vs. Mexico
9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT
TV: ESPN2, Univision (Spanish)
Internet text call: US Soccer

The final super event of this very super week is here at last as the US men get ready to face off against their friends to the south. Everything points to this being another great installment of the cross-border rivalry, but all things are not equal in the US camp as players are jockeying for position on coach Bob Bradley's roster.

With that in mind, I give you the pressure list of who needs to perform tonight against Mexico. This list is based on where I think players currently stand in the race for the spots as well on other attributes such as leadership, skill and play with their club team. I have listed all 21 players on the roster, however only 17 at most will see playing time.

And away we go:

High Pressure
Ramiro Corrales (D) - The outside back positions are still a toss up and he needs to show in order to climb the list.
Benny Feilhaber (M) - With no playing time at his club, he needs to prove that he still deserves a spot with the national team and maybe show his club that they are be better off with him on the pitch.
Stuart Holden (M) - A first call into camp is great but he needs to show that he deserves a second.
Drew Moor (D) - Much like Corrales, Moor is fighting for an open position and he needs a good night to move up the list.
Pat Noonan (F) - His best moments against Sweden where with Twellman. Since Taylor is off due to injury, he needs to prove he can play well with others.
Michael Parkhurst (D) - Last year was a wonderful year for Parkhurst, now he needs to wow at the national level. To make an argument for his inclusion in the big games, he must make a statement tonight.
Heath Pearce (D) - Pearce is in the top two for his spot but his lack of playing time for his club combined with desperate need for a quality left back put the pressure on him to prove that he should be there instead of moving another player from the center.
Eddie Robinson (D) - Trying to earn a center back spot is difficult and although he did great against Sweden, if he wants to convince Bradley to push Gooch or Bocanegra to outside back, he needs to repeat this against the storm that is Mexico.

Medium Pressure
Freddy Adu (M) - Talent is in him, now he just needs to explode. Bradley will give Adu time to develop, so the made pressure on Adu is earning future starts.
Jozy Altidore (F) - He looked amazing against Sweden, now he needs to prove he can do it at the highest level.
Ricardo Clark (M) - Depending on how other players shake out, there might be a good opening for a controlling center mid player and Clark could fill that well.
Bobby Convey (M) - The past couple years have been hard on Convey due to injury, which has caused him to drop in the overwhelmingly strong midfield. He needs to turn in some good minutes to show that he is back in full.
Brad Davis (M) - Another player trying to earn a spot in the middle, but Davis's not-so-secret weapon is his skill on free kicks. Since the team has a need for a dead ball specialist, this could be his in.
Landon Donovan (F) - The top scorer in US history needs to prove that he can be consistent both with his play and leadership. Good news for Landi, he loves to beat Mexico.
Maurice Edu (M) - Yet another midfielder trying to push up. He is great at finding his position but his ball skills need some sharpening.
Oguchi Onyewu (D) - Gooch is still tall in the center but his form has been less then great of late.

Low Pressure
Carlos Bocanegra (D) - The defense is built around Bocanegra and that's not going to change anytime soon. The question now is does he stay in center or move out wide?
Michael Bradley (M) - Everywhere this kid goes, he electrifies. He can read a game and turn it on one strike. A wonderful season in Europe means he is a major part of the team for some time to come.
Clint Dempsey (F) - His scoring and technical abilities are only getting better at Fulham, plus he can play up top or in the middle. Unless coach Bradley hates America, Dempsey is here to stay.
Brad Guzan (GK) - For now, he is the number two, so the only pressure may be convincing Bradley not to call in Howard for some of the lesser qualifiers later this year.
Tim Howard (GK) - Nothing hints at him losing the top spot, especially with Guzan playing at least one more season in MLS.

Overall, the position that I will be watching most is forward simply because the team doesn't really have a killer striker. It is amazing how few goals over the last couple years have come from forwards during the run of play. Simply put, the US cannot compete with the best in the world if they do not have a big threat up top.

Altidore is often mentioned as that threat, and it looks like there might be something to that, but until he has a few more games such as this under his belt, we will not know for sure.

It will also be interesting to see how the backline works out. Will they be able to shut Mexico down or will the keepers need to come up with a number of quality saves and will there be some shifting of center backs to the outside?

My prediction for the final: US 2-1 Mexico

All the US-Mexico madness you can stand

US-Mexico
9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT
TV: ESPN2

If a 30-minute pre-game and 2-hour match is not enough to quench your cross border soccer thirst, don't worry, US Soccer has you covered. In addition to the broadcast on ESPN2, you will be able to watch the final press conference pre-game stadium warm-ups and post-game show live on ussoccer.com.

Today at about 5pm ET/2pm PT, Bob Bradley and goalkeeper Tim Howard will meet the press for one last time. Tomorrow at about 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT, they will provide a live look-in on the stadium warm-ups and after the match (about 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT), they will air a post-game show (which will also stream on ESPN360.com).

And as if that was not enough, there will also be a Studio 90 Pre-Game show at 5pm ET/2pm PT, plus ESPN Classic will reply the last year's 'friendly' meeting at 12pm ET/9am PT.

If you need addition hype for this match, you might as well just get on over to Houston and grab one of the few remaining tickets.

Got to hand it to US Soccer, they know how to exploit this rivalry to the fullest.

Here the full list of events in easy to use order:

5 Feb - Live Pre-game Press Conference (ussoccer.com) 5:15 p.m. ET
6 Feb - USA vs. Mexico – Feb. 7, 2007 (ESPN Classic) 12 p.m. ET
6 Feb - Studio 90 Pre-Game (ussoccer.com) 5 p.m. ET
6 Feb - Live Stadium Warm-ups (ussoccer.com) 8:30 p.m. ET
6 Feb - ESPN2 Game Broadcast (ESPN2) 9 p.m. ET
6 Feb - Live Post-Game Show (ussoccer.com & ESPN360.com) 11:30 p.m. ET

US roster for showdown with Mexico

Bob Bradley has released his roster for Thursday night's match in Houston against Mexico. He has called 22 into town for the 'friendly' with 12 of them coming from European based clubs. All but one of the players has earned a cap for the national team. The one player who has not, Houston Dynamo Stuart Holden.

Here is the full list:
GK (2): Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)
D (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)
M(9): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)
F (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pat Noonan (Aalesund FK)

If there is any shock from this listing it's how strong it actually is. I wasn't sure how hard Bradley would push for European based players, but it looks like most of the best Americans from overseas are included. The midfield will be interesting to watch as four of the nine have 3 or less caps while all but one have less then 15 caps. However, Adu, Edu, Bradley Holden, Clark and Davis all are either in the middle of or coming off wonderful seasons, so there is plenty of talent available.

Of the 10 MLS players, four of them are from the Dynamo. This again is no surprise as the game is taking place in Houston and the club is league champion.

One last thing, I'm not sure what to make about Twellman not making the roster. I don't think he has ever really produced on the international level, so his exclusion makes sense, but I do wonder if this is a sign of Bradley moving on to other players or just a one time thing.

Mexico is also bringing a strong squad which means the game in Houston should be, like normal, very fun. Here is their roster:
GK (3): Luis Michel (Guadalajara), Moises Munoz (Morelia), Guillermo Ochoa (America).
D (6): Israel Castro (Pumas), Jonny Magallon (Guadalajara), Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Fausto Pinto (Pachuca), Oscar Rojas (America), Carlos Salcido (PSV).
M (5): Fernando Arce (Santos), Andres Guardado (Deportivo), Antonio Naelson (Toluca), Pavel Pardo (Stuttgart), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul).
F (5): Adolfo Bautista (Jaguares), Juan Carlos Cacho (Pachuca), Giovanni Dos Santos (Barcelona), Antonio de Nigris (Ankaraspor), Carlos Vela (Osasuna)

If you are in the Houston area and want to see something special on Wednesday night, tickets are still available.