Separate Ways

Ever have those mornings where you wake up and it takes you a few seconds to realize where the heck you are? That's what happened to the MNT bloggers when they found themselves back in Federation territory in Chicago this morning.

'Twas another whirlwind after the game, with Carlos Bocanegra literally leaving 45 minutes after the final whistle for the airport and the rest of the team heading back to the hotel, and for the first time in more than a month having nothing to do the next day... except wake up at 5 a.m. for yet another early morning flight, this time back to Miami. The players and staff exchanges handshakes and hugs in baggage claim in Miami, as the fellowship began to go their separate ways after 32 days, five matches, six different hotels, nearly 100 team meals and several thousands of miles traveled.

And of course, we came home with a ticket to the semifinal round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cu, which at the end of the day is what this journey was all about. Along the way, we fell by one goal to a team that is a game away from playing in the Euro 2008 Championships, produced the same scoreline against No. 1-ranked Argentina that Brazil did a week later in World Cup qualifying, got Landon Donovan his 100th cap, gave 11 players their first taste in a World Cup qualifier, and set the U.S. record for the fastest goal ever in a qualifier. Productive? You tell us ...

It's time for a bit of a summer break for the MNT blog, but we'll be back in full force come August when the U.S. travels to Guatemala to kickoff the semifinal round. Also on tap is an extraordinarily rare visit to the island of Cuba, the first World Cup qualifiers for the soccer specific stadiums in Chicago and Commerce City, Colorado, and a trip to Trinidad & Tobago for the first time since meeting a closet U.S. Soccer fanatic in Drew Carey in the hotel lobby in Port-of-Spain.

We hope you've enjoyed the experience, and look forward to having you back on board in August.

They Said It

From the press room following today's match:

U.S. head coach BOB BRADLEY

“For the series we feel good about the work we've done. This was an opportunity to use different players, and it is important to get some young players experience. We had the confidence that we were strong enough defensively that we would hold together to get the win."

“Barbados deserves a great deal of credit for the mentality that they brought to the pitch today. From the start they played aggressively and tried to push the game more [than last week]. In that regard, credit goes to their coaches for preparing the team well. “

On Sierra Mist Man of the Match Eddie Lewis:
“Eddie is a veteran player that has done a very good job coming into camps and setting a good example for young players. He's helped with the leadership that all teams need and today we rewarded him with the captain’s armband because this entire month he has been excellent in all ways.”

On the playing the friendlies against England, Spain and Argentina:
“I think that it is always worth it to play against the top sides. The experience of playing these matches is important for the development of our players. In some way the timing isn't perfect, but we've made a commitment in the past year and a half to play top matches and these opportunities came our way. We feel that we gained a lot from playing them.”

On making so many changes to the roster:
“We make many decisions and we take a lot of things into consideration. We had players from their MLS teams and our league is very important to us. We thought it was of value to give experience to others.”

U.S. midfielder and Sierra Mist Man of the Match EDDIE LEWIS

On the performance:
"It was a much different game than last week. We knew it wasn't going to be a game of a lot of goal. Barbados came out with a good mentality, and we knew if we were just patient and controlled the game that the goal would come. We had a lot of new players on the field, so it took a while for things to get comfortable. It was important to get some of these guys that experience, and in the end we did what we needed to do."

On his goal:

"We started figuring out early that the third runner was going to be the key. Their defenders were following our forwards, but they weren't doing such a good job of tracking midfield runs. I saw an opportunity to run through, and Freddy played a nice ball. I saw the 'keeper coming, and just tried to slip it through."

On being named captain:

"It was certainly an honor. I appreciate the gesture on Bob's part. I just wanted to set a good example and try to be a good leader out on the field."

U.S. defender DANNY CALIFF

“I think that as a group we've experienced a lot. From the three games we had leading up to qualifying, we learned a bit about playing against world class teams in places that are difficult to play at. We've taken a lot from this qualifying experience as well. Even after the first leg, a team like Barbados put up a challenge and refused to lie down. We have some guys with experience now in World Cup Qualifying and that will be of value down the road.”

“In qualifying everything is magnified and there is not so much room for error. We were fortunate to get a big lead in the first game and that facilitated the changes we made today. It took some pressure off but there's always a question in the back of your head because anything can happen on any day in soccer.”

Live Blog: Barbados vs. USA Pre-Game

2:50 pm - Yikes! We've got to get out of here! Coverage is starting in about 5 minutes over on ESPN Classic. Thanks for joining us on the Blog and we'll see you after the game!

2:47 pm - We're not the only liveblog going on today. The YNT Blog is doing a similarly awesome live session for the U20 WNT game against Mexico...

2:45 pm - Spain vs. Italy has just kicked off and over here the guys have headed back to the locker room.

2:41 pm - Barbados has left the field and the US team is about to do the same. The guys are all trying to get last shots in, courtesy of Carlos Bocanegra. 'Los has assumed the role of passer for a shooting drill and is laying balls off to guys who are drilling them at Chris Seitz. Random: Not sure why Beas has on different colored shorts from everyone. We'll look into that...

2:38 pm - Yes, conman24, it is, as you correctly guessed, quite nice...

2:35 pm - Its hard to imagine watching, let alone playing, 8+ hours of cricket in this weather...The good news is that all the terraces in the oval are covered...According to unrecognized academic source Wikipedia, Cricket has been played on this ground as early as 1882, with the first international match coming in 1895 - 113 years ago!

2:30 pm - Just under 90 degrees here in Bridgetown - or so says the internet. It is hot out to be sure, but when the breeze comes in from the ocean it cools down significantly. Hopefully there's a bit of a wind out there during the game...We're inside an air conditioned room, so no matter there in case you were worried about the Blog getting sunstroke. Speaking of which, we've been joined by one other person in the press box...

2:27 pm - It is enjoyable to hear the different songs that different stadiums around the world play during pre-game. The Blog's favorite from today so far is Tarrus Riley's "She's Royal." It is clearly a hit down here too - all the Barbados players were singing along

2:23 pm - Everybody is out now...

2:21 pm - Bitterling - everyone is available on the bench except GK Dominic Cervi...

2:20 pm - Goalkeepers are out (and so is Barbados). Brad Guzan is making his first back to back starts of his national team career. In other news he is also still leading our Euro 2008 pool. There's a big one today though - Brad has Spain going through and his closest opponent, Sacha Kljestan, has Italy advancing. Drama!
2:15 pm - You may have noticed in our previous post that Guatemala has advanced to the semifinal round for CONCACAF Qualifying. Guatemala could be the U.S.' group along with either Cuba/Antigua & Burbuda and Bermuda/Trinidad & Tobago...

2:12 pm - This is Danny Szetela's first start for the national team - in his only previous appearance, he came on as a sub in the 1-0 victory over Switzerland last October...

2:10 pm - Here is the view from the Press Box here in the Oval. In fact, the MNT Blog is the ONLY reporter in here right now...pretty lonely...

2:05 pm - Lots of changes from the first leg, seven in total. Guzan, Pearce, Bradley and Beasley are the only holdovers. Moor, DeMerit, Califf, Klejstan and Szetela all make their WCQ debuts...What do you guys think of the lineup?

2:03 pm - Let's start things off quickly - Here's the lineup for today's game.
----------------Guzan------------
Moor--DeMerit--Califf---Pearce
Kljestan-Bradley-Szetela-Lewis (c)
---------Adu---------Beasley-----

2:00 pm - One hour until kickoff, we're coming live to you from the Press Box at the Kensington Oval...

Training Day

The U.S. got its first and only glimpse of the famous Kensington Oval in advance of tomorrow's match, hitting the pitch precisely 24 hours before kickoff. The field itself is spacious to say the least, and in pretty good condition after being used for international cricket (it hosted the Cricket World Cup Final in 2007) . The team spent about 45 minutes in training under the sun, with temps around 80 degrees. Not much work done in the pre-game session as usual, with some possession and crossing and finishing the business of the day. Much like Grenada, the locker rooms are actually on the second level and in the corner of the stadium. While the team trained, the final trio of players were arriving into Barbados as the Fire's Chad Barrett and John Thorrington and FC Dallas and U-20 forward Brek Shea landed in Bridgetown. The sun is setting over the Caribbean Sea as the team heads to dinner and a meeting to put the finishing touches on preparation for the conclusion of the second round series.

The View from Our Hotel...

The Last Leg...

After weeks on the road, the MNT has reached is on its last stop: Barbados. We landed on the Caribbean island about an hour and a half ago, and we're just settling into the hotel.

Our wait in Miami was a bit long, but luckily we had Euro 2008 to keep us company. We sat down to watch the Croatia/Turkey early in the second half and stuck it all the way through to what must surely be one of the most sensational finishes ever to a European Championship match (seems like we're saying that for a lot of Turkey's matches these days). Croatia scored in the 119th minute and looked to be all but through to the semifinals. Never one to give up, Turkey equalized with the last kick of the game to send it to a shootout. Seriously, just watch it...It definitely helped us kill a few hours in the airport.

On our plane we were accompanied by a fair number of jersey-wearing U.S. fans. A big shout out to everyone on our flight! Hope we weren't too loud...Just kidding. As usual, most of the guys just slept the whole time...


Random tidbit of the night: On the flight Bob Bradley sat next to Zane Lamprey, host of Mojo's Three Sheets. Most of the team (and staff...) were pretty thrilled about that one...Good luck filming down here, Zane. If you need some tickets to the game, you know, the Blog would be THRILLED to provide them for ya...

It's stop number six on the tour since the team began gathering one month ago to the day in St. Albans outside of London, and the team is looking forward to finishing the journey in style. With the Caribbean Sea providing soothing sounds and the team's only training session in country scheduled for later this afternoon, we're shutting down.

Roster to Travel to Barbados

Bob Bradley has named 18 players to travel to Barbados, and with barely any time to spare! We're off to the airport in a few minutes...

For now you can pour over the full roster release here.

Pictures from Today's Nicely Lit Training

Still halftime during the game, so we're still posting at a rapid rate! So, here are some pictures from today's training. Good light on the field today:

Target Practice!

Halftime of a scintillating game of fútbol...2-0 Chivas at the moment...In the meantime, check out this video from practice today. A tough one for the keepers!

Tonight's Big Game...

Earlier today we had our first Euro 2008 quaterfinal and now The MNT Blog and friends have moved down to the hotel bar ahead of tonight's big game...that's right- Chivas USA vs. Chicago Fire! Lots of subplots in this one, but of most importance is how our players fare.

There's been a huge buzz in the team everyone is looking forward to watching the game. We couldn't help getting some predictions - so far there are three people picking Chicago, two picking Chivas, and one picking a draw. That draw? General Manager Pam Perkins, who is required by her job description to remain neutral in situations like these. Other than that, the picks will remain nameless...So we've separated into Chivas and Fire supporter sections and the game is about to kickoff! Who are you guys picking for this one?

Five For Flying

Five players from tonight's Chivas USA-Chicago Fire match will keep their bags packed and make their way east to join up with the U.S. team in advance of the second round, second-leg qualifier against Barbados this Sunday.

U.S. coach Bob Bradley has recalled Brad Guzan and Sacha Kljestan from Chivas, who have both been in the U.S. scheme for the last month. Guzan presided over the USA's 8-0 shutout against Barbados in their first World Cup qualifier last week, and played 45 minutes each against England and Spain. Kljestan appeared in the 0-0 draw against No. 1-ranked Argentina on June 8 in New Jersey.

The Chicago Fire will send a trio to the Caribbean in the form of Chad Barrett, Chris Rolfe and John Thorrington. Barrett joins a host of players on the current roster who are age-eligible for the 2008 Olympic Games this summer, while John Thorrington gets a shot at his first cap for the full team in more than seven years, having earned his sole appearance for the U.S. in the 0-0 draw against Ecuador on June 7, 2001, in Columbus.

Bradley will announce the travel roster for Barbados tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET on ussoccer.com. The match at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown is set for Sunday, June 22, at 3 p.m. ET, and will broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. Fans can also following on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.

Training and Afternoon Off

For the second straight day, Bob Bradley put the group through an intense session consisting of some technical work followed by shooting exercises and small-sided games. The shooting exercises were particularly brutal on the goalkeepers, with balls flying into the net from every angle - we'll have highlights later today.

After training we returned to the hotel to learn that the team would be getting the afternoon off - good times! Guys have left to go hang out at the mall, while some have stayed in the hotel to watch the Germany - Portugal quarterfinal.

Speaking of which, our Euro 2008 pool is picking up speed, with separation being created between top and bottom (which is where the MNT Blog resides - nice job France!). Brad Guzan currently leads everybody with Sacha Kljestan and Jay DeMerit within striking distance. It'll be close down the stretch...

Pictures from Today's Pre-Rain Training

It is raining this afternoon, which means the MNT Blog hasn't spent its customary 2 hours poolside with Mai Tai in hand. What a downer. But at least the team got to train today! We hit the field this morning and at that point the sky was still quite clear...here are some pics:

Cuba Gets A Leg Up

In the final second round series to begin play, a goal by second-half substitute Leonel Pla in the 85th minute delivered Cuba a 4-3 victory away to Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday night in St. John's. Two goals from Kerry Skepple had twice given the hosts a lead in the first half, but Cuba continued to keep pace before snatching the go-head goal five minutes from the end of regulation. The teams will meet again Sunday in Havana. In terms of the USA's other potential opponents in the semifinal phase, Guatemala put six past St. Lucia in the first leg in Guatemala City while Bermuda stunned Trinidad and Tobago with a 2-1 away victory. The full list of CONCACAF results at the halfway point:

Grenada 2-2 Costa Rica
Antigua and Barbuda 3-4 Cuba
Suriname 1-0 Guyana
Guatemala 6-0 St. Lucia
USA 8-0 Barbados
St. Vincent 0-3 Canada
Haiti 0-0 Netherlands Antilles
Belize 0-2 Mexico
Panama 1-0 El Salvador
Trinidad and Tobago 1- 2 Bermuda
Jamaica 7-0 Bahamas

Honduras are through to the group stages after beating Puerto Rico 6-2 on aggregate.

Moor Coming

U.S. head coach Bob Bradley has continued to build the roster for the semifinal round second leg against Barbados, summoning FC Dallas defender Drew Moor to Miami. Moor has appeared four times for the United States, earning his first career point when he set up Jozy Altidore in the 2-2 draw against Mexico on Feb. 6 in Houston.

More changes are on the way, but here is a look at the current group gathered in Miami:

Goalkeepers (3): Dominic Cervi (out of contract), Tim Howard (Everton FC), Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
Defenders (6): Carlos Bocanegra (out of contract), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege) , Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
Midfielders (4): DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Eddie Lewis (Derby County), Danny Szetela (Brescia)
Forwards (2): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC)

100 Cap Club: Claudio Reyna

When Landon Donovan earned his membership into the ‘100 Cap Club’ in the 0-0 draw against No. 1-ranked Argentina – becoming the fourth youngest player in soccer history to achieve that mark! - he joined 10 American men in this highly exclusive fraternity. Each U.S. player before him reached the century mark in a unique and, in some cases, historic way. With Donovan’s story now told, ussoccer.com has set out to provide a chronicle of the memorable ways in which the previous 10 players joined the elite group who have proudly worn the jersey at least 100 times for the United States.

Claudio Reyna
Caps: 111
First Cap: Jan. 15, 1994
100th Cap: June 2, 2004 vs. Honduras
Era: 1994-2006

One of the most decorated players in U.S. history, long-time team captain Claudio Reyna became the seventh U.S. player to earn 100 caps in the friendly against Honduras, just 11 days before the 2006 World Cup qualifying games began. In the 4-0 victory against Honduras, Reyna shared the spotlight with teammate Brian McBride, who notched both first half goals. Reyna earned his 16th career assist on a Tony Sanneh header, the fourth and final goal of the match. Afterwards, Reyna’s No. 10 jersey was presented to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.



Reyna earned his first international cap on Jan. 15, 1994 in an exhibition against Norway. The U.S. coach at the time was Bora Milutinovic, who, curiously enough, was present for Reyna’s 100th - this time coaching Honduras. The midfield maestro’s 13-year career is replete with achievements that included three World Cup teams and two Olympic Squads. In 2002, he was the first U.S. player ever to be named to FIFA’s All World Cup First Team. His play in 31 World Cup qualifying games are a team-best, shared by Kasey Keller and Eddie Pope. Reyna’s 112 caps ranks fourth all-time in U.S. Men’s National Team history, and his 19 career assists ranks third.

Listen to podcast with Claudio Reyna here.

Reyna on the milestone:
“One cap would’ve been a dream growing up, so to be able to play in four World Cups and Olympics, all that was really icing on the cake. Besides the honor, I think it’s the level you have to maintain to get that many games for your country. I think it’s a special achievement for anyone to reach that milestone.”

First Reinforcements

As you can see from the photos below, U.S. Under-23 goalkeeper Chris Seitz has joined the group in Miami. Seitz backstopped the U-23's in their successful campaign to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games. Danny Szetela, who earned his first cap with the full team in the 1-0 victory against Switzerland on Oct. 17, 2007 in Basel, also arrived Tuesday. Other players may be added as the week progresses. The travel roster for the second leg against Barbados will be announced Friday.

Pictures from Today's Not-So Humid Training

It was a really nice day today (at least for the AM part) and the guys went through a light training session:

So Much For The Sunshine State

The players have a bit of downtime this afternoon and were looking forward to a little sunshine. If only wishing made it so ...

The skies have opened up here in South Florida, not only forcing people indoors but also knocking out the satellite in the hotel. Fingers crossed it's back up for France-Italy in about 45 minutes ...

Excused Absence

With the team moving back across country to Miami to begin gearing up for the second leg of the series against Barbados, several players have been released back to their clubs or to begin their summer vacations. Training will resume in earnest tomorrow as Bob Bradley fills out the roster for the trip to the Caribbean.

The departed players: Brian Ching, Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundolo, Landon Donovan, Brad Guzan, Frankie Hejduk, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Pablo Mastroeni, and Matt Reis.