Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire have named Julian Posada as team president. He will also be in charge of the administration and planning of the club.

Julian Posada was born in Indiana to Colombian parents, and received his Masters of Business Administration from Northwestern University. He is also a graduate of Michigan State University.

Before his appointment, he worked as director general of "Hoy," which is a Latin magazine based in Chicago. He is also the president and founder of the Magazine "Cafe" in the same city.

Posada thanked the Chicago Fire for naming him as president, and considered it to be an honor as a supporter of soccer, especially the Chicago Fire, and as a businessman.

He also talked about the opportunities for Chicago and the Fire in an environment which has become receptive to soccer.

The Chicago Fire are currently in fifth place in the MLS Eastern Conference, with players such as Carlos Cobos and Nery Castillo.

While I am a supporter of CD Chivas USA, it is a pleasure to announce this news as a writer who was born in Ohio to Cuban parents. The news has left me speechless, and full of emotion since soccer and our community is growing.

My best wishes for the new president of the Chicago Fire, and the team itself.

The Chicago Fire eliminated the Pumas from the Superliga 2010. Wilmar Conde took advantage of a right corner kick by deflecting the ball with his head into the center of the goal post.

Sergio Bernal, who was the goalie for Pumas, was indecisive about what to do in response to the fiery onslaught of Chicago.

Bernal's indecision was evident when Collins attempted to score, yet a last minute change of mind helped the Pumas' goalie deflect the attempted goal.

While the Fire dominated the game with its hometown advantage and its tenacity, the Pumas attempted to score an equalizer with Oscar Rojas attempting a long-distance kick.

Sean Johnson, the goalie for the Chicago Fire, deflected the high flying ball by swinging his body to his right side.

Jose Pineda, the referee, gave yellow cards to Wilmar Conde and C.J. Brown of the Fire for misconduct. Pineda also awarded the same punishment to Leandro Augusto of the Pumas.

The game itself was very exciting with both teams in the bottom ladder of Group B, attempting to leave with dignity, since both teams were going to be eliminated from the Superliga.

When the whistle blew, ending the game, the Group B classifications remained as follows: New England in first place with six points, Morelia with four points, Chicago with three, and Pumas with one.

New England and Morelia will now advance to the next round of the Superliga 2010.

Chicago Fire 1-0 Pumas

Chicago, Illinois

MVP: Wilmar Conde and Sean Johnson

It was announced on Saturday evening that Mexican international forward Nery Castillo has signed with MLS side, Chicago Fire.

The forward has joined a team that has yet to post a win outside of the MLS this season and who are in desperate need of a creative talisman to spring this side into life.

For the last few seasons that creative spark has been Castillo's Mexican international Cuauhtemoc Blanco, but he has recently signed for Second Division side Irapuato is his homeland.

The casual soccer fan may think that the signing of Nery Castillo is a major coup for both MLS and Chicago Fire.

Sadly this is not the case.

Over the last two seasons nobody's stock has dropped like that of the Mexican striker.

After superb performances for Olympiakos in the Champions League and for the National Team at the Gold Cup and Copa America in 2007, he was one of the hottest properties on the European football scene.

But he followed the money, joined Ukranian superpower Shaktar Donetsk, never settled in the industrial city of Donetsk, and soon had a falling-out with strike partner Christian Lucarelli and coach Mircea Lucescu.

A loan move to Manchester City did not work out any better. His stay was hampered and effectively cut short due to a broken shoulder.

After returning to Eastern Europe he was loaned out again, this time staying in Ukraine with FC Dnipro.  Again, the move never worked out.

So at the age of 26, it seemed that the one-time hot property was running out of potential new homes.

He has either decided that taking a step back to North America is the only way to progress as a player. or maybe he just had no realistic options in Europe, and was forced to take a gig on the other side of the Atlantic.

Whatever the reason, this could mean one of two things for both the player and the franchise.

If he can get his eye on the game and really knuckle down, then there is no doubt he will be one of the top three players in MLS.

If he displays the regular bursts of petulance and childishness that we have become accustomed to, then this may be yet another short spell and possibly the end of the road for Nery Castillo.

With the Fire needing some ingenuity in the final third, the signing of Nery Castillo could prove to be the major coup it's supposed to be.

I admit, I am extremely excited about watching Nery Castillo playing in MLS, and as excited as I am, I am also very afraid that this kid will disappoint greatly. I do not doubt his talent and skill, but at the same time, he also has shown in the past that he can ruin a good thing.

Three years ago, this kid was killing it on the world stage, with remarkable performances during the Gold Cup and Copa America, including one of the best goals ever scored versus Brazil by a player wearing the TriColor, or any other colors for that matter.

His performance during these tournaments drew so much attention that Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk, came knocking on the door and paid what was then a record transfer fee for a Ukrainian Club of 20 million Euros!

20 million Euros! For a kid that was an unknown to even some of the most die-hard fans, writers, and sports analyst in Mexico!

You see, Nery was born in Mexico but his father, a former futboler for San Luis in the Mexican First Division, was from Uruguay. And at an early age, he relocated the family back to his homeland. It was there where at the age of 16 he was discovered by scouts from Manchester United and given a trial with the team, but unfortunately, the move stalled when work permits were denied by the UK.

So when that plan went out the window, his father, who is not only his manager but his agent, negotiated a deal with Greek club Olympiacos, where he spent the next seven years. Where he flourished into one of the brightest young talents in the world.

Yeah. Well, not so fast, actually. If anything, this kid is lucky to still be playing ball after his antics.

Granted, he did score 30 goals in 101 matches. It took him a little over two years before he got a crack at the first team, but when he finally did, he remained in that spot for nearly three years before new management, along with aging Brazilian superstar Rivaldo, relegated him to the bench.

During the last match of the 2005-2006 season, Nery sent himself to reserve purgatory by doing something incredibly stupid. As one of his teammates was preparing to take a free kick, Nery ran in front of him and proceeded to take the kick himself, lucky for him he scored the goal. But he topped it all off by running across the field, and launching his jersey into the stands.

This is after his teammates made complains that he was immature and unfit to be a professional futbol player.

But that’s not all! Two years later, he pulled a similar stunt for his new club, Shakhtar Donetsk. After only his eigth match with the club, he earned a penalty kick, but refused to hand over the ball to the assigned PK taker. Castillo proceeded to take it himself. The keeper went on to stop his shot and seconds later he was subbed out of the match. He never went back on the pitch that season.

During that winter transfer period, the club made efforts to loan him out to the highest bidder. Only, there wasn’t anyone really interested in paying the requested transfer fee.  When Manchester City came knocking, his club turned the offer down, because it wasn’t enough money. Nery wanted a chance to prove himself in the Premier League so badly that he paid more than half of his own transfer fee.

After making the move to Manchester City, things went terribly south for the kid. After only 32 minutes of making his first home appearance for the Club, he was carried off the pitch with a broken shoulder. At the end of it all, he only played in seven matches in the Premier League.

But it doesn’t end there, some argue that it is his attitude and maturity (or lack thereof) was what kept him from being selected to represent the Mexican team in the World Cup. 

During a press conference on one of his last call ups, he got into what will be remembered as a legendary verbal exchange with the Mexican press. He said many things that were true, many things that were exaggerated, and many things that were wrong.

After being challenged and questioned over his commitment to the team, he replied to a member of the press with, “Yo estoy en Europa y tú en México” (I am in Europe and you are here in Mexico), a statement that not only the Mexican press took offense to but the devoted Mexican following as well.

In the last two years, Nery has scored but one goal in eight matches. While on loan to FC Dnipro during the 2009-2010 season, he played a combined total of 69 minutes.

With the history and track record for Nery Castillo, why should anyone be excited to see this kid play in MLS when many in his own National team and National following think of him as a bust?

Well, I don’t know.

Here is what I know about Nery Alberto Castillo. At the age of 16, Manchester United thought he was good enough to train with the club to the point where they made him an offer.

In 2007 he had the choice of “taking his talent” to one of four different countries: Uruguay because of his father, Italy because of his mother, Greece because of his dual citizenship, or Mexico, his country of birth. As we all know he chose he chose to remain loyal to his country of birth.

Unlike Carlos Vela or Giovanni Dos Santos, Nery did not come up through the national youth development system. Yet, when he came on scene for the National team he made the best of the opportunity.

When he agreed to pay half of his transfer fee in order to join Manchester City, he did it not only hoping that he could get back at Manchester United for not making enough of an effort to bring him along 7 years before that, but more importantly, with the intent to make a name for himself internationally.

During the showdown with the Mexican press last year, whether right or wrong, he said a lot of things that many before him always thought but were always afraid to say.

Add to that the fact that he has a great first touch, excellent one-on-one ability, and the striker instinct necessary to be one of the best in the league.

So is this a good deal for MLS and the Chicago Fire?

In my opinion, absolutely.

It’s only one game, but it looked so much better than any game from 2009.

Red Bull New York’s 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire last night was a complete turnaround from what was only a five-win team from last year. Everything was noticeably different.

The most obvious difference was the new stadium and incredible fan support.

Instead of playing in front of a sparse crowd in barren Giants Stadium where the noise made, if any, would just dissipate into the wide open space, the Red Bulls were now the main event at a packed Red Bull Arena where the noise would bounce off the roof over the seats.

There were finally fans at the game and they were finally glad to be there.

Still, to win games things needed to be different on the pitch as well, and they were.

Passing was markedly better.

It all started from the back as rookie Tim Ream showed why he was so highly touted throughout the preseason. Not only was he solid defensively, but his sharp passing was on display as he looked comfortable on the ball and linked up with midfielder Joel Lindpere quite a bit in transition.

Lindpere has looked like a great signing for the team in his short Red Bull career thus far. Again, his passing was very good. He was able to make plays and, most importantly, keep possession for the team.

Last year the Red Bulls had problems holding possession and transitioning from defense to offense, often opting to just bomb the ball to their forwards and bypass the midfield.

Last night, the midfield was able to keep the ball and create scoring chances through their midfield. Lindpere scored the lone goal of the match off a fantastic strike from just outside the 18-yard box.

The organization of the outside midfielders and fullbacks was also much improved.

Fullbacks Roy Miller and Jeremy Hall worked nicely with the guys playing in front of them, Danleigh Borman and Dane Richards. All have good speed, and the fullbacks made plenty of overlapping runs. The difference between 2009 and 2010 was that as the fullbacks made their move into the offensive third, the midfielders dropped back to cover for them.

Not everything was good though.

The offense did not shoot enough. Especially facing a young goalkeeper making his first professional start, the team needed to test the goalie early and often and force him to make plays, but it didn’t happen.

If Macoumba Kandji is going to be partnered up top with Juan Pablo Angel, then his decision making needs to be better. Either shoot the ball or drop it in front of the goal for someone else to come onto it, but too many times did Kandji just hold onto the ball and lose it, blowing the possession.

Also, the defense, while better, still was not entirely perfect. There was Brian McBride’s bicycle kick that he was left wide open for that hit the post. Had that gone in the entire complexion of the game would’ve changed. Goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul was out of position numerous times in the first half as well.

Still, unlike other years, the Red Bulls overcame these deficiencies and closed out the game. Too many times have fans watched their team take an early lead only to watch them give it up in the final minutes and either tie or lose and miss out on three points.

Overall, it was a good victory and the right way for the team to start off its new era.

The Red Bulls are now riding a lot of momentum. An undefeated preseason followed by an exciting home win over an MLS Cup semi-finalist from last year have the team feeling good about themselves. If they can continue to improve and play with confidence, it could be an exciting season for the team and its fans.

For the third straight season, and the fourth out of five years, the Chicago Fire made the semifinals in the MLS playoffs.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough for management.

The Fire had a surprising roster turnover heading into the 2010 season. Chicago let go of head coach Dennis Hamlett and brought in Carlos de los Cobos, the former head coach of the El Salvador National Team.

Forward Chris Rolfe and left fullback Gonzalo Segares left for Europe, and designated player Cuauhtemoc Blanco went home to Mexico.

The most surprising move, however, was the release of goalkeeper Jon Busch just days before the start of the season.

Busch was the 2008 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and started all 30 regular season games for the Fire the past two seasons. He matched a team record with 10 shutouts both years.

Busch has stated he felt “blindsided by the whole scenario.”

Instead, the Fire will turn the spot over to 24-year-old Andrew Dykstra. An undrafted free agent signee last year, Dykstra has yet to start an MLS regular season game.

Dykstra now has pressure coming at him from a number of angles.

Not only does he need to get over the nerves of his first start in the league, he has the pressure of replacing Busch. He will now assuredly face scrutiny if the he and the Fire struggle to get wins.

The untested keeper can breathe a little easier knowing he has two veteran center backs guarding the goal in front of him.

C.J. Brown has been a starter on the team since its inaugural season in 1998 and has amassed 270 league appearances.

Next to him is Willman Conde. Considered to be an elite defender in the league, Conde was named the team’s Defender of the Year in 2009 and was also selected to the MLS Best XI.

The Fire still have a number of veteran players on offense too.

Up top, the Fire boasts striker Brian McBride, a member of the MLS All-Time Best XI. Although he has only appeared in 33 games for Chicago the past two seasons, he’s scored 12 goals. He’s a threat in the air and is one of the league’s—and the nation’s—most respected players.

The Fire will pair him with 24-year-old Collins John.

Formally with Fulham, John had scored 20 goals in 95 appearances with the English Premier League team. However, most of those came in the 2005-2006 season and he has struggled to find the field and that same scoring touch since.

John has good speed and is talented on the ball. He is a former teammate of McBride’s when he was at Fulham, and the Fire hope the two can come together to create more scoring magic together.

The Fire are also looking for more offense from creative Guatemalan international midfielder Marco Pappa.

The 22-year-old was originally with the Fire on a year-and-a-half loan, where he scored five goals in 36 appearances, including 28 starts in 2009.

Over the offseason, Chicago exercised its right to make Pappa’s loan permanent, and will look to him to really control the tempo of the game.

The Fire is a team that expects to play for the MLS Cup year in and year out. The number of roster changes suggest that merely competing isn’t good enough.

The team’s success this year may hinge on the fast development of Dykstra.

If he can play well and make fans forget about Busch, the Fire could wind up back in at least the semifinals of the playoffs.

If Dykstra’s inexperience shows and he can’t handle the position, then all hell will break loose.

Sorry it came kind of late, but here it is:

The Chicago Fire 2010 SuperDraft recap.

On Thursday, January 14, the MLS SuperDraft took place and with a lot of good news for the Chicago Fire.

Chicago held the 13th overall pick and weren't expecting what happened.

1st Round (13th):  Corben Bone

Corben Bone was, by most pundits, a top 5-pick but five midfielders were taken before Bone. Still Corben Bone landed on the perfect situation, he ended up in a team that just fell short of playing for the championship and surely will be a contender this year.

While for Chicago, it was like a gift sent from the soccer gods. Coben was an outstanding college player (2009 Hermann Trophy finalist, two-time NSCAA All-America First Team, Two-time First Team All-ACC and 2009 ACC Offensive Player of the Year.) and will fill the hole that Cuauhtemoc Blanco left.

2nd Round (26th): Kwame Watson

Kwame (another player who was predicted to be gone before the second-round even started) was chosen to add more depth the defense of the team but some people say he may take awhile to develop.

We'll just have to sit back and see how things go from here.

2nd Round (29th): Drew Yates

Yates really blossomed his senior year with terrific play but there were still some questions if he could play the whole 90 minutes on the next level.                                He's labeled as an attacking midfielder but I think he could help the defense a bit more with the Fire.   

3rd Round (45th): Steven Kinney

Steven Kinney was the first-ever player out of Elon to get drafted and it was thanks to a strong performance in the Combine.

Kinney is a smart player and will be a nice backup.

4rd Round (51th): Sean Johnson  

Sean was one of only two goalkeepers that were chosen in this year's Draft.

There were some rumors he might jump the pond and play in England but nothing happened so he was drafted to learn under Jon Busch. He is a project pick so I don't expect him to have any kind of impact this season.

Final Notes:

With a new coach (Carlos de los Cobos) the team needed some young players that he could mold to his liking. And with the players taken on this year's SuperDraft I think he got what he needed.

Bridgeview, Ill.: Nov. 14, 2009

You can sum up the Chicago Fire's season in this one game. You can sum up the team's history, excluding year one, in this one game.

The summary is this: outstanding defense, underachieving offense, overall game domination, tantalizing fans by getting within reach of greatness only to find a way, sooner or later, to betray them...and themselves.

After win streaks and losing streaks, the usual Fire roller-coaster ride throughout the season, this season looked as if it might be different, as if whatever curse constrains Chicago might have been broken.

After all, they beat the Revolution for a change, and found themselves playing in a Conference final.

Their opponent, Real Salt Lake (whose presence in the Eastern Conference made them geographically out of synch in addition to being, statistically at least, the underdog in the match) was a club the Fire should have been able to scorch.

It seemed that an appearance in another MLS Cup match might be in the cards. Not necessarily a victory, but at least an appearance, and even an appearance would be progress relative to Chicago's recent history.

Home field advantage wouldn't hurt either. The Fire enjoyed yet another sellout crowd of 21,730, a crowd that was easily creating a noise level worthy of twice their number. The mostly red-clad partisans seldom lowered the volume and seldom stopped moving.

One couldn't help observe the spectacle and not feel good about the future of MLS. What was on vivid display in the Chicago suburb was an established tradition, a passionate obsession, an entrenched soccer community.

It was the kind of game that people who don't get soccer love to loathe. There was no score whatsoever. Not in the 90 minutes of regulation time, and not in the 30 minutes of extra time.

Despite the double zeroes on the scoreboard, however, it was not an uneventful match. It was also not an evenly played match. Chicago came at their opponents relentlessly.

The Fire set up play after play, moving the ball downfield with speed, with precision passing, with expert footwork.

Salt Lake put together an occasional good run, actually penetrated the defense with more efficiency than the Chicago side when they did get down to the offensive end, but each of the few open doors they enjoyed was slammed hard in their faces by Chicago keeper Jon Busch.

As good as Chicago's defense played overall, there were a couple of lapses that could have, no doubt should have cost the Fire a goal, but Busch nailed the hatch closed, and with each shot, he threw another chair in front of the door, just in case the salt-white army from Salt Lake managed to break through the rest of the barricades.  

With the heroics Busch had demonstrated throughout the match and the assumed advantage in firepower that Chicago possessed, there was a sense in Toyota Park that the eventual exchange of penalty kicks would settle the matter in Chicago's favor.

After Salt Lake's Javier Morales was the first from either club to miss, shooting high, a sense of imminent triumph gripped the house.

And just as quickly, this sense of destiny deflated when John Thorington was the first for Chicago to have his shot saved. Another Salt Lake miss and Chicago had the advantage again.

But then it was all Salt Lake. After succeeding by going high on Salt Lake keeper Nick Rimando, Fire shooters kept going low and to the keeper's right, while Salt Lake blew two successive shots past Busch, and the match was over.

Before the players or the crowd could adjust, MLS Commissioner Don Garber was out on the midfield line presenting the Conference trophy to the visiting team.

And so it goes. Once again in Chicago, the Fire over promised and under-delivered. Once again, they had a roster that appeared as talented as any in the league, but had difficulty with point production all season, with the exception of a couple of hot streaks.

Other than Chicago's inaugural season, when they shocked the city and the league, as an expansion team, by winning not only the MLS Cup in an upset over the club that had been until then the class of the league (DC United) but also won the US Open Cup, for a double.

Since then, the Fire has finished strong every season but one, but with the exception of their debut year, they have failed to capture the MLS Cup. With a very few exceptions, they have failed even to contest for it.

And so, just as the Eastern Conference Championship match became a metaphor for a season, and a decade of seasons of Chicago soccer, the PK contest became a micro metaphor in itself. Beginning strong, taking the lead, then collapsing when it counts. 

After a brief absence due to the start of the various European leagues, as well as college football, Total 90 is back with more news and commentary than you can stomach.

First, we travel to Washington, where the Seattle Sounders captured the US Open Cup with a 2-1 victory over DC United. Fredy Montero and Roger Levesque tallied goals for Seattle as the Sounders took home the first trophy in club history. The best fans in MLS have been rewarded for selling out Qwest Field all season with a big, shiny trophy and some medals.

Moving on, we've got to tackle the standard American transfer rumors. Pint-sized Chicago Fire forward Chris Rolfe looks to be on his way out of MLS in January. He'll be hanging out on the shores of the Limfjord, playing in Denmark's fourth-largest city for Aalborg BK.

Rolfe, who is just over 5'6", figures to resemble a hobbit in a land filled with tall Scandinavians.

Freddy Adu is on the move once again, this time to Portuguese club Belenenses on a season-long loan. A proposed move to Odense BK fell through earlier in the summer when the Danes were unwilling to pay Adu's salary, so now he'll have the chance to perform in Portugal and possibly exact a measure of revenge on Benfica for not being able to include him in their plans.

My money is on Benfica to unload Adu permanently sooner rather than later. He's only appeared in 11 games for the club since his original move in 2007 and the current coaching staff doesn't seem to be that interested in his services.

A pair of American teenagers are moving to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The Bundesliga club has secured the services of Joseph Gyau and Charles Renken. The pair of US U-17 standouts had offers from major European clubs, including Chelsea and Bayern Munich, but opted to move to Hoffenheim because the club offered an excellent plan for their development.

Gyau and Renken will begin their new careers first with a residency at the Vancouver Whitecaps academy, and then make the move to Germany starting in 2010. The teenagers are gifted attackers and could make a bigger impact abroad than any previous American.

American football fans may soon have a breakaway league to enjoy, a direct competitor to MLS. The United Soccer Leagues (USL), which were originally owned by Nike but sold to a new consortium last week, faces a dispute with some of their largest clubs. These clubs made a bid to purchase the league themselves but were turned down. The eight teams in this group released a statement that mentioned a "commitment to achieving a team-owner controlled league."

This is not necessarily a bad thing for the Beautiful Game in the U.S. If these breakaway clubs can mount a reasonable challenge to MLS, both leagues will be forced to step their game up and improve their product. In that situation, the fans will walk away as winners.

Be sure to tune into ESPN Classic this Wednesday night at 6 p.m. ET as the United States takes on Trinidad and Tobago in World Cup qualifying action.

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Sources: Goal.com, ESPNSoccernet, Soccer365, Majorleaguesoccertalk.com.

Friday night I was talking with some friends over a few beers and the talk came to United States soccer (yes we were a bit intoxicated). The argument eventually came to the point of how is the men's program doing, and what should they do next.

That's when I turned to our resident soccer expert Leroy Nunery and posed a few questions to him. This is Leroy's first trip into the Walker-Sports playground so be gentle with him.

Is the USMNT better than 10 years ago?

World Cup 1998 (France) recap

- Horrid performance

- Three straight losses to Germany, Iran, and the former Yugoslavia in the group stage

- Steve Sampson done managing the team, 0pts in group stage.

- Replacement: Bruce Arena - built dynasties at the University of Virginia, and with the emerging Major League Soccer side D.C. United.

World Cup 2002 (S.Korea, Japan) recap

- Amazing performance

- Upset win against a strong Portugal side, draw with South Korea, loss to Poland, four pts.

- Round of 16: Showdown against rival Mexico, hard-fought win

- Quarterfinals: loss to Germany (who eventually lost to Brazil in the Final)

World Cup 2006 (Germany) recap

- Terrible performance

- Loss to Czech Rep., lucky draw with Italy, unemotional loss to Ghana,

- Bruce Arena was done managing the team

- Replacement: Bob Bradley - former assistant to Arena at D.C. United, head coach Chicago Fire

Where do we go from here? We’re probably due for an amazing performance in 2010..right?!?

Since 1996, Major League Soccer and the US Soccer Federation were keen to showcase the next wave of young homegrown talent.

DaMarcus Beasley (pictured), Landon Donovan, Joe-Max Moore, and Frankie Hejduk became consistent producers for the National Team.

Thanks to MLS, veterans no longer had to become international journeymen, and young prospects that hadn’t been successful overseas (Donovan), or others needing more development had something to fall back on.

As of July 2009, the US has well over 80 players with some kind of international experience...The kind of experience is what matters. A number of truly hot prospects have been forced to smolder in their reserve squads in Europe.

Some questionable decisions frequently result in our best talent to cheer from the benches. Which is why the Confederation Cup performance may have a greater effect than people realize.

Was The Confed Cup True Breakthrough or Fluke?

Admit it, you probably watched a couple of minutes of the National Team’s performance this summer...You may have heard some people talking about it on your local sports radio station, or at the pub.

In FIFA tournaments, all you need is a win streak at the right time and a bit of luck. The cards fell the way they did, and the United States men's team was able to string together the necessary wins against Egypt and Spain to reach the finals.

With quite a bit of the soccer world (and foreign coaches) watching, the new guys proved that the U.S. can surprise any squad in the world.

Again though, we look back to the previous world cup trends and we have to wonder how things will play out. We hosted the 1994 World Cup with pride, but sucked in 1998. 2002 marked a new era...Until everyone disappeared in 2006.

The Confed Cup taught us a lot more about Bob Bradley as a coach, and he’s learned a significant amount about the talent at his disposal. Ultimately CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches mean more than any secondary FIFA tournaments. Regional dominance will lead to World success. It’s always going to be hard to play away matches in Central America and Mexico, but we have to know we will at least leave with one point.

Are We Getting Our Money’s Worth or Is This Still an Underachieving Program?

The US National Team is definitely not underachieving.

- Some countries with the best professional leagues haven’t won World Cups in decades...We’ve come futher in that time than they have, some could argue.

- We will have multiple players with UEFA Europa and Champions League experience by World Cup 2010

- Each player testing the waters abroad paves the way for future talent..Some may not be successful statistically, but a majority leave in good graces with fans and management

- MLS must continue to progress—It may be slow, but if it remains steady, the world will have to take notice (Beckham excluded)