Annother Minnow To Beat Up On

So, in about six hours the US team will take on Trinidad and Tobago in first round World Cup qualifying after tallying a wins in Cuba and Guatemala. A win tonight in Chicago would give the USA nine points and all but assure a trip to the CONCACAF final six.

Not to disrespect T&T, who put forth a fine effort in the 2006 World Cup (nearly nicking a point from England) but they aren't quite the same squad these days under Francisco Maturana. Now that the recalled Dwight Yorke is not available due to injury, the Trinidadians won't be able to threaten Tim Howard's goal much during the run of play, although with their team speed, they will make the USA work for 90 minutes.

The US team still needs to generate more offensive punch - something they should be able to do against the minnows of the region. That is why, given their lack of goal production, I'm scratching my head why coach Bob Bradley continues to call in Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson. Of course, Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu need time to get integrated with their new clubs so Bradley is left with few other options aside from the usual forwards in Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Still, it would be nice to see some younger players get a try.

I predict a workman-like 2-0 win for the USA with goals from Dempsey and DaMarcus Beasley.

The complete US lineup:

Goalkeepers (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Tim Howard (Everton FC, England).

Defenders (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland, Denmark), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, Germany), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew, Major League Soccer), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liège, Belgium), Michael Orozco (San Luis, Mexico), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock, Germany), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC, MLS).

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo, MLS), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA, MLS), Eddie Lewis (Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS).

Forwards (4): Brian Ching (Houston, MLS), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles, MLS), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC, England), Eddie Johnson (Cardiff City, England).

Altidore Scores Hat Trick in Exhibition Match

While their American brothers were picking up a 1-0 World Cup qualifying win in Cuba this weekend, a pair of young American players kept their shooting boots sharp in a pair of friendlies across the pond.

In Spain, Jozy Altidore tallied a hat trick for Villarreal in a 7-1 romp over semi-pro club San Rafael del Rio. Coach Manuel Pelligrini is still indicating that he may decide to loan out Altidore in January but first wants to get a good look at what he can do. Two clubs in the running for a future loan appear to be Real Sociedad and Valladolid. Of course much can change between now and December.

Over in Italy, Danny Szetela appears to have secured a starting position with consistent strong play, including in a recent Coppa Italia match which Brescia lost 2-1 against Serie A side Torino. This weekend, he scored a goal in Brescia's 7-0 first team exhibition over their own youth team.

Can I Get An Amen?

I was going to sit down and write something interesting, perhaps funny, and hopefully relevant last night with lots of ideas and a few imported Tecates swimming through my head. Then I saw what my buddy Greg Seltzer wrote about MLS management and heard myself saying "yeah, yeah" over and over.

So, instead of my cheeky offerings today, I offer you Greg's excellent description of how MLS continues to shoot itself in the foot. Check it out here.

Subotic Named To European Team Of The Week

Borussia Dortmund's Bosnian-American Neven Subotic was named to La Gazzetta Dello Sport's European Best 11 today after another strong performance this weekend. For the second time in three weeks, he combined stout defending with offensive contributions, scoring the game winnner for the second time this season, this week against Energie Cottbus.

Subotic is also one of three finalists for the Bundesliga Player of the Month, a contest which is decided by the fans by calling in with their mobile phones.

Questions still remain in what country Subotic will play for since he is eligible to play for the USA (of which he is a citizen), Bosnia, Serbia, and even possibly Germany. Dortmund teammate Sebastain Kehl has been advocating that Subotic be brought into the German team and when asked by Kicker yesterday, Subotic remarked that "I can play for several countries, maybe Germany as well."

For more transfer news (with a sense of humor) check out Adam's great article here.

Onyewu: No Need To Sell

It looks like Oguchi Onyewu will spend at least another half season at Standard Liege after the transfer period came and went without any deal being made. It seems the board at Standard would rather keep him onboard to help the team to another title and to see how far they can advance in the UEFA Cup now that they have been knocked out of the Champion's League.

It also seems that Standard will not be hard up for cash this year, having just sold Belgian midfielder Maroune Fellaini to Everton, for a record $30 million fee. The team can still garner a respectable transfer fee for Onyewu in January or next summer, especially if he signs a contract extension to 2010, which would put an upward pressure on his transfer value.

Its also hard to say whether some of the situations on offer were not to Gooch's liking. If it was not a deal to make him a starter and play at a higher level, why leave?

Update: Michael Bradley to Borussia Moenchengladbach

Borussia Moenchengladbach sports director Christian Ziege has just confirned that American Michael Bradley may spend the next few seasons plying his trade at Borussia Moenchengladbach. Ziege told the Rheinisher Post that Bradley is a "dangerous, versatile player but also a classic playmaker. He may be young be mentally, he is much farther along." Further details of the transfer deal are not yet available.

Bradley was in Moenchengladbach today for his unveiling and he is expected to arrive permanently on Thursday. With just two days on the ground prior to Saturday's match against fellow American Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96, he is not expected to suit up for Gladbach until their home match against Hertha Berlin in two weeks.

With the transfer, Bradley will become the second American ever to have played for the Bundesliga side after goalkeeper Kasey Keller spent a few productive years at the club.

Transfer Season: By Midnight We'll Know

OK folks, now that Michael Bradley has found a new home at Borussia Monchengladbach, we still have 12 hours before we know if Oguchi Onyewu is going to PSG, Espanyol, Lazio, Bologna, or someplace England. The Italian deadline is at 6PM (12 PM EDT) so if its a Serie A move, expect to know earlier in the day. After the rollercoaster ride that Gooch's last transfer turned out to be, we'll need to hear the fat lady signing on this one before we know for sure.

We'll also soon know whether Heath Pearce will leave Hansa Rostock for greener pastures. My spidey sense (which seems to be spreading like an epidemic these days) tells me that Pearce will stay at Hansa since the club has mentioned him as someone they are counting on to help them win promotion back to the Bundesliga.

Also in Germany, Die Welt is reporting that VFL Wolfsburg's American Kamani Hill is on the auction block but its not clear yet who the suitors may be.

Regarding Pablo Mastroeni, while there has been interest from Cagliari and some Serie B clubs, word on the street is that any move would not happen until the January 2009 transfer window. My spidey sense places Catania and Palermo on the list of interested clubs as well.

So, don't wait for the mailman, just stay tuned here...