Bob and LD on the Final

Here's what U.S. MNT head coach Bob Bradley and midfielder Landon Donovan had to say after the tough loss. Let us know your thoughts after the game.

U.S. head coach Bob Bradley

On the match:
“It was a tough one. Obviously, a good first half, but we give up the first goal so early in the second half that we put ourselves in a tough spot.”

On giving up a goal so early in the second half:
“That really hurt. But again, Fabiano just makes a good turn and I think it goes through DeMerit’s legs. It’s just a tough one to take so early in the half.”

On how proud he is of his team:
“Extremely proud. We continue to try to move ourselves forward. Playing these kinds of games only helps, but it still feels pretty lousy to let this one get away.”

On if the result earns a new respect for U.S. Soccer:
“I hope so. I think people around the world see that we have a good team, we have good players and hopefully we can continue to step forward.”

U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan

On giving up the 2-0 lead:
“Yeah, we’re disappointed. To give up the goal so fast in the second half hurts. Give them credit. They kept coming wave after wave and they probably deserved it in the end.”

On facing a relentless Brazilian attack:
“It’s difficult. You look around at their players and your realize why they are worth so much and why they play at the teams they play, but it’s disappointing when we gave such a good effort today.

On his goal:
“Ricardo played me a good pass it in the middle. I gave it to Charlie and he did a good job getting it back to me and then I just did the rest from there.”

On if the USA’s run in the tournament gained respect for U.S. Soccer:
“Hopefully, but we’re at the point where we don’t want respect, we want to win. There’s no guarantee that we ever get back to a final game like this so it’s disappointing.”

Saturday Results

• Eddie Johnson scored his first goal for Cardiff City in a 3-0 win against Doncaster Rovers. After entering the game midway through the first half, Johnson curled home a left-footed effort in the 60th minute to open his account for Cardiff.

• Borussia Mönchengladbach lifted themselves off the foot of the Bundesliga table with an impressive 4-1 win against Hamburg. Michael Bradley played the full 90 minutes for 'Gladbach, who are up to 19th place with the victory.
• Bayern Munich easily beat Hannover 96, the 5-1 victory keeping them four points behind Hertha Berlin at the top of the table. Landon Donovan entered the game as a late second half sub. Steve Cherundolo started and played the full 90 minutes for Hannover.
• Clint Dempsey and Fulham were knocked out of the FA Cup with a 4-0 loss to Manchester United.
• Standard Liege's 1-0 win sent Oguchi Onyewu's team to the top of the Belgian table.
  

What We're Watching

Saturday

7:40 a.m. - Everton vs. West Brom, Setanta - Tim Howard and Everton clash against bottom-of-the-table West Brom in the early match on Saturday morning. West Brom will be going for their first win at Goodison Park in 30 years.

10 a.m. - Arsenal vs. Fulham, FSC - Clint Dempsey and Fulham travel to the Emirates Stadium where Arsenal will be putting their unbeaten home record on the line in a London derby. Check out a video preview of the game here.

Sunday

7:25 a.m. - West Ham vs. Manchester City, Setanta - Jonathan Spector will look to make his second consecutive Premier League start in a game where former Hammer Craig Bellamy's return to Upton Park with new team Manchester City is the main storyline.

11 a.m. - Werder Bremen vs. Bayern Munich, Gol TV - Bayern Munich and Landon Donovan travel to the Weserstadion to face Werder Bremen on Sunday. Bayern thrashed Sporting Lisbon mdiweek, and will look to carry that form into the Bundesliga where they've suffered a recent dip in form.


2:55 p.m. - Lyon vs. Rennes, Setanta - In a match that could have major title implications, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes face league leaders Lyon at the Stade Gerland. Rennes, who beat Lyon earlier in the year, are 10 points away from Lyon, but a win for Rennes could pull themselves (and the rest of the chasing pack) closer to the seven-time league champions.

Bayern Munich Highlights

Highlights from Bayern Munich's loss to FC Cologne earlier today:

What We're Watching

A Center Circle reference for all you readers out there. Here's what we're checking out on TV this weekend:

SATURDAY

7:40 a.m. ET - Aston Villa v Chelsea, Setanta - After a midweek game that saw him play 90 minutes against CSKA Moscow, Brad Guzan will likely return to a reserve role for Villa's Premier League game against Chelsea on Saturday. The match pits England's third and fourth -place teams, with Villa holding a slim two-point lead over Chelsea. For added intrigue, this is Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink's first Premier League game in charge.

10 a.m. ET - Bolton v West Ham, FSC - Jonathan Spector will look for some time off the bench as the Hammers travel north to face Bolton.

11:30 a.m. ET - Bayern Munich vs. Cologne, Gol TV (replay) - Landon Donovan could make his first competitive start for Bayern Munich as Luca Toni has failed to shrug off an injury from last week. After slipping against Hertha Berlin last Saturday, Bayern will try to keep up their challenge for the Bundesliga title. Of course, Lukas Podolski could also feature, so tune in late Saturday morning to see if Donovan's in the starting eleven.

2:55 p.m. ET - Nice v Rennes, Setanta - Faltering Rennes look to right the ship as Carlos Bocanegra's team travels to face Nice on Saturday. Rennes have fallen off the pace in Ligue 1, but a victory here could reignite their claims to a UEFA Champions League spot for next season.

8 p.m. ET - Pachuca v Indios, Telefutura - José Francisco Torres and Pachuca will try to keep their unbeaten start going when they host Group 1 rivals Indios on Saturday night.

SUNDAY

8:25 a.m. ET - Fulham v West Brom, Setanta - After a midweek loss away from home, Fulham host West Brom at Craven Cottage, a ground where they have enjoyed great success so far this year. Clint Dempsey and Fulham are out in front of the pack in the bottom half of the Premier League table, but they'll need some points to put further distance between themselves and the strugglers in the relegation fight.

3 p.m. ET - Newcastle vs. Everton (replay), FSC - Try to stay away from the internet on Sunday before tuning in at the end of the weekend to catch Tim Howard traveling to Tyneside to visit Newcastle United.

Bayern Munich Highlights

Yesterday's highlights from Bayern Munich's 2-1 loss to Hertha Berlin:

Results from Germany

Michael Bradley grabbed a late equalizer for Borussia Mönchengladbach as his club earned a point in a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen. You may have heard about Bradley's other two goals this week...

Landon Donovan came on as a first half sub for the injured Luca Toni, but he couldn't help Bayern get the win against high-flying Hertha Berlin. Bayern fought back from a goal down, but a late goal from Adreiy Voronin sent Hertha to the top of the table.

Highlights to follow...

Longer Highlights: Bayern Beats Dortmund

Landon Donovan arrived in camp last night, landing in Columbus on Monday following Bayern's 3-1 victory over Dortmund the day before. Donovan came on as a second half sub, helping Bayern to score two late goals to grab the points at the Allianz Arena.

Bundesliga is Back

The winter break is over in Germany, and Bundesliga action has started back up again.

Michael Bradley and Borussia Mönchengladbach need a big second half of the season, but unfortunately that didn't start this weekend. Gladbach went down 2-0 to Stuttgart, with Bradley playing the full 90 minutes.


0809-18: VfB Stuttgart - Borussia Mönchengladbach - MyVideo


Landon Donovan made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich, coming on as a second half sub against Hamburg. Unfortunately Bayern went down 1-0 at the HSH Arena.

1-0 Hamburger SV vs. Bayern Munich Highlights - MyVideo

Bayern Through to Next Round

Bayen Munich demolished VFB Stuttgart 5-1 in the DFB Pokal Cup on Tuesday. Landon Donovan entered the game as a second half sub, replacing Luca Toni in the 67th minute to make his competitive debut for Bayern. Up next for Bayern is a match against Hamburg on Saturday, as the Bundesliga commences its second half of the season.

Donovan Could Debut

Bayern Munich begin the second half of the season tonight, as they face VFB Stuttgart in a Cup match from the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Landon Donovan could be in line for his competitive debut tonight, as Bayern look to advance to the final 16 of Germany's cup competition. We'll try to put up some highlights here later today/tonight, so check back to see if Donovan makes his first official appearance for Bayern Munich.

Donovan Scores Twice for Bayern

Landon Donovan continued spurt of good form for Bayern, as the on-loan LA Galaxy forward scored twice in a 5-0 victory over lower division side Mainz. Donovan came on as a second half sub and played the last half hour. The two goals take his pre-season tally to four for Bayern. Check out the full highlights of the game below:

Extended Highlights of Bayern Friendly

Here are extended highlights of Bayern Munich's friendly against Kaiserslautern from earlier today:

Donovan Scores in Bayern Friendly

Landon Donovan scored in Bayern Munich's friendly against Kaiserslautern on Monday. Bayern has returned from their stint in Dubai, and Donovan scored a late header to seal a 2-0 victory. Donovan entered the game as a substitute in the second half.

Donovan Scores in Bayern Friendly

Bayern Munich got by side Al-Wehda last night, beating the Saudi Arabian side 3-1. Donovan came on as a halftime sub and, after hitting the bar with a header, scored the final goal of the game. No word on whether Franck Ribery drove the team bus to the game.




Also, here's a Bild interview with Donovan after the game.

Donovan Starts in Bayern Friendly

Landon Donovan started up front for Bayern Munich in a friendly with Al Jazira on Saturday. Donovan partnered Luca Toni up front during the first half, and the American international got an assist on Bayern's first goal. In the second half Miroslave Klose came in for Toni, as Donovan played the full 90 minutes for Bayern, who won 3-2.

Landon Touches Down in Germany*

*And by Germany we mean Dubai since that's where the German Champions are conducting their winter training camp.

Landon Donovan has commenced his loan move to Bayern Munich, arriving in Munich camp just after the new year. He trained with Bayern on Friday and over the weekend, and here's an interview from Bayern's website. Here's a bit of what Landon had to say:

"I'm pleased and very excited to be here. My goal is to become part of the team as quickly as possible. I'm confident it'll work out...I've grown up, especially mentally. I'm more experienced and mentally stronger, and I know what to expect here."

There's still a ways to go in the Bundesliga's month long break, so Donovan will have a few more weeks in training before coming back to league action. Second place Bayern takes on fourth place Hamburg on Friday, Jan. 30 so stay tuned to see how things are progressing over in Munich...

Picture from Bayern Munich's Official Website

Back to the Grind

The international break is over, which means the Global Blog is back in operation! Here's what's going on this weekend:

• Bayern Munich are reportedly set to bring Landon Donovan to the Allianz Arena in a loan deal similar to David Beckham's at AC Milan. According to Soccernet, Donovan will join Bayern on Jan. 2 and stay at the club until mid march. Here's a photo gallery from this week's training at Munich and also a short article from Bayern's website about Landon. (picture courtesy of fcbayern.t-com)
• Clint Dempsey and Fulham head to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Saturday. Fulham will be fighting history when they take the field this weekend; they've never won in any competition at Anfield. However, Fulham's recent form has been good, and they'll look to get at least something from the tough game. If you remember, Clint Dempsey scored his first Fulham goal against Liverpool back in May of 2007.
• Borussia Mönchengladbach and Michael Bradley fought back for a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich last week, and they'll look to transition some of that momentum into this weekend's game with Schalke 04. Shalke have lost two games in a row, while 'Gladbach are attempting to claw their way up the Bundesliga table. They're now just two points behind Steve Cherundolo and Hannover 96, who take on Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
• Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes take on Bordeaux in a high profile matchup between two clubs separated by one point in the Ligue 1 table. Rennes are the in-form team in the French top flight, but manager Guy Lacombe has warned his side not to get carried away with their recent run of good results.
• The absence of Joseba Llorente means there could be a bit of time for Jozy Altidore when Villarreal take on Valladolid on Saturday.
  

Pass the Time on Thursday

The Global Blog knows that you're just trying to grind out the hours until Friday so here are a few things to pass the time:

- Landon Donovan is still in Germany training with Bayern Munich. Here are a really long video taken from training. Really long.

- Speaking of Bayern Munich, they're playing Borussia Monchengladbach this weekend as one of Germany's biggest rivalries gets renewed for the first time this year. Back in the 1970s, these two teams dueled for Bundesliga supremacy on more than one occasion so Saturday's match could make for an interesting throwback. Michael Bradley could be in line to play for 'Gladbach, who jumped out of the relegation zone with last weekend's win.'Gladbach meanwhile got a boost with players returning from injury.

- In cup reults, Carlos Bocanegra and Rennes were eliminated from the French Cup by Le Havre. Villarreall and Jozy Altidore met the same fate over in the Spanish Copa del Rey.

Donovan in Deutschland

Landon Donovan is keeping busy in the offseason by heading over to Germany for a 10-day training period with Bayern Munich. "I know Landon from my time with LA Galaxy," said Bayern head coach Jurgen Klinsmann to the club's website.

Klinsmann calls Southern California home and famously took the job coaching the German national team while still living abroad in the States. Donovan, who will use the visit to keep in shape during the MLS offseason, joins Bayern as they are in the midst of preparing for the traditionally busy buildup to the holiday period. The German giants next face Michael Bradley and Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday Nov. 15.

Picture courtesy of Bayern's official website. You can also read the full article about Donovan's arrival (in German) here.