Day One Done

Remember how you feel when you get back to work the first day after the holidays? A little sluggish, perhaps? Now imagine going full speed for just under two hours with an international soccer game just 19 days away with the entire national team coaching staff, two MLS coaches and a group of 'A' license candidates scrutinizing your every move. Welcome to Day One in Carson.

Twenty-two players took the field this morning, including seasoned veterans of January camps like Danny Califf and four players - Geoff Cameron, Jack Jewsbury, Robbie Rogers and Chris Wingert - making their debut with the full team. It was mostly technical work and fitness, ending with a game to goal from 18 to 18. After lunch, the players head to Santa Monica for physicals, and then it's back to work tomorrow morning.

Check back on ussoccer.com later this evening for a look back at today's session.

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

Interliga is On!

Oh Yes! The wait is over: Interliga is back! Jose Torres played the full game during Pachuca's 4-0 win over Tecos! Higlights below! Exclamation Points!

Goodson and Gibbs Out

The national team will be without the services of Clarence Goodson and Cory Gibbs for the January camp. Goodson, who started in the USA's 2-0 win against Guatemala last November, has not sufficiently recovered from offseason ankle surgery, while Colorado Rapids defender Cory Gibbs has withdrawn from camp. The coaching staff is considering options on whether or not replacements will be added to the roster.

Houston Dynamo striker Brian Ching will be the last arrival, the USA's top scorer in 2008 expected to check in this afternoon.

Flying West For The Winter

Super-sized roster ... The Pacific Ocean within sniffing distance ... Prognostications on who the emerging talent will be ... it must be the January training camp!

Indeed, the annual rites of the national team are underway here in sunny SoCal, and it's back to business at the start of one of the busiest schedules this century for the full team. The opening session of the nearly three-week camp kicks off tomorrow morning - well, today actually - with work on the field in the morning and physicals scheduled for the afternoon. Talk at the dinner table tonight centered on memories made during the holidays, comparing off-season workouts, and getting reacquainted with the rhythms of what essentially serves as an international preseason.

They say you never get a second chance at a first impression, so tomorrow is a big day for many of the men called in by the coaching staff to get ready for the match against Sweden on Jan. 24 at The Home Depot Center.

It's going to be a long journey, and we're ready to dive into it. If you have any thoughts, suggestions or questions, feel free to pass them along. Welcome back...

FA Cup Results

• Clint Dempsey and Fulham advanced to the fourth round with a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. The Cottagers face a trip to Rockingham Road to meet Conference National side Kettering Town.
• Somehow these highlights have managed to stay on YouTube. Shhhh....
  
• Watford and Jay DeMerit saw off Scunthorpe United to earn a fourth round date with either Crystal Palace or Leicester City. Glamorous!
• Everton avoided the proverbial banana peel when edged past Macclesfield Town with a 1-0 victory. Tim Howard and the Toffees will now meet their bitter rivals Liverpool in the next round. That game will be held at Anfield on the weekend of Jan. 24.
  

Rennes Rolls On

Stade Rennes and Carlos Bocanegra started 2009 where they left off, beating Souchaux 1-0 in the 7th Round of the Coupe de France. Carlos Bocanegra played the full ninety, and a Moussa Sow goal in the 70th minute was enough to send Rennes into the next round of the cup. See the goal here.

FA Cup Weekend

In England, the hectic League schedule gives way to the FA Cup for this weekend. The third round of football's oldest competition sees the insertion of Premier League clubs into the fray. Here's what's going on this weekend:

• Everton face a trip to League Two side Macclesfield, as Tim Howard and company will look to advance past the stage where they were knocked out last year by Oldham. Everton are beset with injuries and the latest news is that Louis Saha is out for an additional month (um...big surprise, cough). Apparently the pitch at Moss Rose, Macclesfield's ground, is having a shocker but the latest is that the game is set to go ahead.
• Fulham and Clint Dempsey travel to Hillsborough to take on Frank Simek and Sheffield Wednesday. Like Everton, Fulham have been knocked out in this stage in the past two years, but this time around things are set up a bit different. The Cottagers are riding a nine game unbeaten run which has taken them into the top half of the table. Here's a video preview of the game over at Fulham's website. Simek has recently returned to full fitness for Wednesday, who are in 13th place in the Championship, and a recall to the side could be in order.
• Aston Villa take on Gillingham, with Brad Guzan's team looking to build on recent league success. Six of the past seven years they've been knocked out at this stage, so a win against the League Two outfit would do nicely. Guzan has played in other cup matches this year for Martin O'Neil's side, so he could be in line to make the start on Sunday.
• Other matches of interest include: Jonathan Spector and West Ham United taking on Barnsley, Jay DeMerit and Watford meeting Scunthorpe United, and Eddie Johnson and Cardiff City going up against Reading.
  

Villarreal Travel to the Capital

Villarreal travel to Madrid to face Real Madrid on Sunday, as the Yellow Submarine looks to start 2009 out with a big win. Jozy Altidore's team hasn't beat Real Madrid in 10 years, but with the reigning champions struggling this could be the weekend where that changes.

Both sides are level on 29 points in the table and a win here would strengthen either sides claim to second spot in a congested top half of the table (excluding Barcelona who are currently 10 points clear of Atl. Madrid in second spot). Off the field, Villarreal's captain, Marcos Senna, is denying (or flirting with, depending on who you believe) a move to Manchester City. Will transfer window drama effect the side?

The game takes place on Sunday, with kickoff coming at 1:00 p.m. ET. You can see the game live (we think) on Gol TV...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all you readers out there. It's going to be a busy 2009, but before we jump in completely, here's a look back at the goals from 2008: