Chivas USA sign Swiss international Raphaël Wicky

Chivas USA scored something big today with the formal announcement of Raphaël Wicky. The Swiss international has been sidelined of late due to injury (he had surgery in early December), but he is still a very solid defensive midfielder. He played an important role in Switzerland's 2006 World Cup run and at 30 years of age, should have a number of quality years ahead of him.

Wicky fits in well with the technical style of Chivas and should be right at home with Jonathan Bornstein and Claudio Suarez in the back. The only downside I see to the deal (provided that he continues to fully recover from his surgery) is the duration. It is just one year with a one-year option. If Wicky plays as solid as he should, look for Chivas to exercise their option but still trade him away for some transfer money. Also, he might be called in to Euro 2008, so he could be gone for a month mid-season.

Overall, this is one of the best non-South American signings for the MLS this season.

US 1-0 Switzerland - Player grades

US MNT 1-0 Switzerland
Was this match a sign of things to come for the US? The way the young guard rolled into their positions has got to make even the most skeptically fan at least a little happy. Yes, it was just a friendly, but it was obvious Switzerland did not want to lose it.

But as much fun as it was to watch the youth make their debut, the thing I liked best is the way the team adjusted to the Swiss backline. In the past, Team America has been easy to frustrate because they would just keep attacking in the same way even when the results were nothing. Last night, their style of attack shifted as the young players took the field. There was a sense of the unexpected and that allowed them to knock the Swiss off their stride just enough to get a goal.

The US still has some weaknesses such as their free kicks. None of the four people that took meaningful kicks (in the final third) really did much with them. The playing surface could have something to do with that, but Switzerland was able to send in some good balls, so I'm not sure.

Overall, a very balanced match that showed the US can play and win in Europe. So here are my player grades:
Starting XI
Marcus Hahnemann (GK) - He was not really tested much in his half, but when he was needed he was there. A-
Steve Cherundolo (D) - Steve did what was needed but did not spend a lot of time around the ball. He did miss his mark on a couple corners. B
Oguchi Onyewu (D) - It is good to try and get in the head of your mark but not when it distracts you from the rest of the match. The yellow wasn't justified, but it is no surprise. He did hold his own and disrupted the push forward. B+
Carlos Bocanegra (D) - Providing cover in the back and pushing forward when needed. He was everywhere and showing strong leadership as captain. A
Eddie Lewis (D/M) - He didn't have much time in the back but he did break up a couple balls. It took him some time to click into the midfield role when Beasley went out, but he did get a flow going. B
Benny Feilhaber (M) - Not an outstanding performance but was doing some of the little things to win balls. His touch was a bit off on the passes. B
Maurice Edu (M) - Excellent first game for Edu. He adjusted well and found holes. Also, he seemed to keep his feet better then anyone else on the slick pitch. A-
Michael Bradley (M) - Bradley has a way of causing something to happen in the 80+ minute range, but normally it is a hard foul that results in a red card. This game's big moment was much better then that. Not a great game but still really good. A-
DaMarcus Beasley (M) - Early injury means no grade for Beasley.
Taylor Twellman (F) - Sadly, a big weak point on the pitch for the US. He was not finding space and was absent. He did pull back into the midfield a few times to get the ball, but with the Swiss defense what it was, there was little chance of taking it all the way. C
Clint Dempsey (F) - He was out of step for much of the first half, but started pulling it together in the second (it actually started after Beasley went off, so one has to wonder if more fault lies with his teammates). His willingness to muscle the opposition is something the US needs and his passing is spot on. Also, loved the 'hard charging' run when he was subbed out. A-

Subs
Heath Pearce (D, on for Beasley in 31') - Handled the side wonderfully. Got beat a few times but recovered. Overall, a great outing. A
Brad Guzan (GK, on for Hahnemann in 46') - Was a bit shaky at times but with all the work taking place in front of him, he held together well. A-
Dan Califf (D, on for Onyewu in 46') - Held up in the middle and didn't make a fuss. A-
Freddy Adu (F, on for Twellman in 77') - It might just have been 15-minutes, but it was still a great showing. His passing and ability to force his way into space (while staying on his feet) was wonderful. However, when golden chances come for goals, you need to finish. A
Danny Szetela (D, on for Lewis in 84') - Not on for long, but did excite in the attack. Will be fun to watch him develop. Gentleman’s B
Robbie Findley (F, on for Dempsey in 90') - Not on long enough to get a grade.

It is always nice to see so much goodness coming off the bench.

US men vs. Catalonia officially cancelled

For the past two weeks US soccer has tried to convince the Royal Spanish Football Federation to overturn their ruling and allow the team from Catalonia to play a friendly on Oct. 14, however they were not successful.

Even though the US had agreed to terms that would prohibit any of players called into the Spanish camp ahead of their Euro qualifier to take part in the match, the Spanish officials still believe that it is a bad move for their national team.

Due to the late nature, the US does not have time to find a replacement game, so their next match will take place on Oct. 17, against Switzerland. The men then have one last match for the year a month later in South Africa.

USMNT schedule
17 Oct - Switzerland - 2:30pm ET - TV: Fox Soccer Channel, Galavision
17 Nov - South Africa - 10:00am ET - TV: TBD

US Men add two more European tour dates

You've got to hand it to US Soccer, they heard the criticism about a lack of difficult road dates and they have responding. They had already signed up for Copa America and a game in Sweden in August, but now they have added two more.

On October 14 the team will play Spain regional team Catalonia at Nou Camp in Barcelona and three days later they will take on Euro 2008 co-hosts Switzerland. Both of these games will offer up hard challenges in difficult environments. They will also probably involve mainly European based players, as MLS will be in their playoffs.