Bradley Names Roster for Mexico Qualifier Match

U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a roster of 20 players that will train in advance of the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Mexico on Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio. Kickoff for the USA’s most anticipated match of the final round is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, ESPN2 HD and Univision.

The match on Wednesday will mark the third straight time that Columbus Crew Stadium has hosted the home leg of the final round World Cup qualifying series between the United States and Mexico. Tickets sold out within 90 minutes of going on public sale.

Eighteen of the 20 players on the roster participated in the first two rounds of World Cup qualifying last year. Bradley has called on a dozen players from foreign-based clubs, led by team captain Carlos Bocanegra and 2008 U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year Tim Howard, who is unbeaten in four matches against Mexico and has posted an impressive five shutouts in five all-time World Cup qualifying appearances. Clint Dempsey finished 2008 tied for the team lead in goal scored (4), with all of his strikes coming in World Cup qualifying action. DaMarcus Beasley is one of four players on the roster who started in the last World Cup qualifier against Mexico, scoring the insurance goal in the 2-0 win on Sept. 3, 2005, in Columbus. Oguchi Onyewu, who set up Steve Ralston for the game-winner that day, scored a career-high three goals for the U.S. in 2008, including a header against Mexico in the 2-2 draw in Houston. Michael Bradley, who scored the game-winning goal in the 3-0 semifinal round qualifying win against Trinidad & Tobago, tied with Heath Pearce for the most appearances for the team in 2008, each starting in 11 of 14 matches. José Francisco Torres – who plays in the Mexican Primera División - is the only player on the roster who is not based in Europe or the United States.

Landon Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 105 international appearances, the USA’s all-time leader in goals and assists now one goal shy of tying Brian McBride for the most career goals in World Cup qualifying (10). Donovan has been a particular nemesis to El Tri, having scored four times in his career against Mexico, highlighted by the second goal in a 2-0 win in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

On the domestic front, eight players from the recently completed training camp at The Home Depot Center traveled to Columbus. The current MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew contributes two locals in Frankie Hejduk and Robbie Rogers. Hejduk, now in his fourth qualifying cycle, has eight career appearances and two goals against Mexico. Brian Ching scored four goals through the first two rounds of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, the striker now just one shy of reaching double digits in goals for the United States. Sacha Kljestan – one of six 2008 Olympians on the roster – became only the second player in U.S. history to score his first three goals in the same game when the U.S. collected a 3-2 win against Sweden on Jan. 24 at The Home Depot Center.

The match on Feb. 11 will mark the 55th meeting between the USA and Mexico. The U.S. has dominated the series of late, collecting an 8-0-2 home record against Mexico since 2000. During that span, the USA has netted 17 goals, while the Mexicans have scored only three on American soil in this decade.

Under head coach Bob Bradley, the U.S. has a 2-0-1 record against their border rivals, including a 2-1 victory in the 2007 Gold Cup final in Chicago that delivered the U.S. its second-consecutive regional championship and a place in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, where they will play current World Champion Italy, Brazil and Egypt.

The U.S., along with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Trinidad & Tobago, is competing in the 10-game round-robin format through Oct. 14, 2009, with the top three teams automatically advancing to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The fourth-place team will compete in a two-game playoff to be held Nov. 14/18 against the fifth-place finisher in South American qualifying.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 16/2), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS (6): DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (Xerez C.D.), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF) Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Bayern Munich)

U.S. Suffers First Casualty

Defender Steve Cherundolo became the Americans' first roster casualty for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier game against Mexico. Cherundolo hasn't played since January 10 when he had to leave his side Hannover's match at the end of the first half with a strained right hip. The announcement was made Friday by U.S. head coach Bob Bradley.

Bradley will conduct a press conference Monday, February 9 to discuss the roster for the match against Mexico with the press. Ninetiethminute.com will bring the details of the press conference to our readers at 9AM PST.

Cherundolo's likely replacement at right back should be Frankie Hejduk, who has been training with the team in Carson, CA, and is certainly a veteran of this type of affairs.

Who Will Win on Wednesday

There has been quite a build-up prior to Wednesday's showdown between the U.S. and arch-rivals Mexico in Columbus, Ohio. I have been reading some blogs, one in particular where two writers, one from each side, face each other off in true fan-fashion. I find it quite amusing when people mention stats; past stats, at that, as if those were going to play any role in Wednesday's match. Regardless of history, whether we talk about all-time, or the past 10 years between these two countries, one thing is for sure: Mexico is hungry and wants revenge. The fact that they have been struggling in all facets of the game up to this point; the Mexican fans being extremely upset, because of their ultra-nationalistic pride about the number of naturalized players on their roster; the disapproval that Eriksson "enjoys" in Mexico; the number of suspended and injured players, quite frankly, I think it's going to matter very little, if any, when the whistle blows at 4PM EST on Wednesday signaling it's time to kick-off the show.

Mexico is hurt in its pride, and they want to turn things around. Who better to do it against than the U.S. Although head coach Bradley and company have been training in Carson since the beginning of the year -mind you, with MLS players who probably will not even make game-day roster- I have not seen the type of training or competition required for a game of this magnitude. The biggest problem we face right now is two-fold. On one hand, we have several European-based players struggling severely for playing minutes. On another, the MLS has been out of season for some time now. In other words, our players have not been playing at a high level at all, and when we have the opportunity to schedule an international friendly to measure what we have done thus far, we bring a C level Swedish team filled with national team debutants.

We were probably counting on home field advantage and the bitter cold of Columbus to improve our chances for Wednesday. But one thing we did not take into consideration is the fact that Mexico's Salcido (Holland), Nery Castillo (Ukraine), Rafael Marquez (Spain), Ricardo Osorio (Germany), and until recently Pavel Pardo (Germany), must all be very well used to playing in bitter cold conditions. So, at the end of the day, what is our true advantage for Wednesday's game? Our players? Our home field advantage? Or could it be, finally, Sam's Army's turn to play a huge role on the outcome of a home-played U.S. World Cup qualifier match? What do you think? Let us know by posting your comments.

Mexico Names Squad for Columbus

Mexico head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has named 24 players for the squad that will face the United States in Columbus next week. As expected, the roster includes many high profile names, including team captain and Barcelona-based defender Rafael Marquez -listed as questionable for the match-, long-serving midfielder Pável Pardo, also nursing an injury, and young forwards Giovanni Dos Santos and Nery Castillo. Fans will also recognize long-time U.S. nemesis, goalkeepers Oswaldo Sánchez, and Guillermo Ochoa. Mexico has begun training with their domestic based players in Mexico City, and will be joined by their foreign contingency in Columbus this coming weekend.

Mexico Roster:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Oswaldo Sánchez (Santos Laguna), Guillermo Ochoa (Club América), José de Jesús Corona (Tecos)
DEFENDERS (7): Juan Carlos Valenzuela (Club América), Julio César Dominguez (Cruz Azul), Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven), Ricardo Osorio (VFB Stuttgart), Rafael Marquez (FC Barcelona), Aaron Galindo (Guadalajara), Leobardo López (Pachuca)
MIDFIELDERS (6): Fausto Pinto (Cruz Azul), Pável Pardo (Club América), Leandro Augusto (Pumas), Luis Perez (Monterrey), Israel Martinez (San Luis), Antonio Naelson (Toluca)
FORWARDS (8): Alberto Medina (Guadalajara), César Villaluz (Cruz Azul), Giovanni Dos Santos (Tottenham Hotspur), Matías Vuoso (Santos Laguna), Carlos Ochoa (Guadalajara), Nery Castillo (Shakhtar Donetsk), Guillermo Franco (Villarreal), Omar Bravo (Deportivo La Coruña).

On the other hand, there have not been any announcements by head coach Bob Bradley, nor U.S. Soccer, about the American foreign-based players who may be called for next Wednesday. This leads us to believe that Bradley may be thinking of facing Mexico with the training camp roster he is currently working with in Carson, CA. If that ends up being the case, it would be a sure suicide decision by Bradley. But, if he was thinking of bringing back any European-based players, such as Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Freddy Adu, or Tim Howard, that announcement should have been made already. FIFA mandates that clubs release their players called for national team duty 5 days prior to match-day, and that day would be Saturday. We can only hope Bradley brings some of these players back for such a crucial and important match. Meanwhile, the roster which has been training in Carson is:

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Will Hesmer (Columbus Crew), Matt Pickens (Colorado Rapids)
DEFENDERS (5): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Ugo Ihemelu (Colorado Rapids), Chris Wingert (Real Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Brian Carroll (Columbus Crew), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Jack Jewsbury (Kansas City Wizards), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), John Thorrington (Chicago Fire)
FORWARDS (4): Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire).

Truthfully, we do not stand a chance of beating Mexico with these players, even if Mexico has been struggling to find their form lately, but the experience of the Mexicans would prove to be the decisive factor at the end. Let us know what your thoughts are.

World Cup Qualifying Match Goes to Nashville

FIFA World Cup qualifying will go to Nashville, Tenn., for the first time as the U.S. Men’s National Team will face Trinidad & Tobago at LP Field on April 1 at 6:45 p.m. CT in the second of five home qualifiers on the road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision.

"We are very excited to be playing such an important World Cup qualifying match in Nashville," said U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley. "We have had very good experiences there, both in 2006 before the World Cup and during qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games. LP Field is an excellent facility, and we look forward to tremendous support from the fans.”

The U.S. has never lost to Trinidad & Tobago on home soil, the unblemished record including a 3-0 win in Bridgeview, Ill., on Sept. 10, 2008, during the semifinal round. After clinching a final round berth, the U.S. sent a less experienced team to Port of Spain the following month, where Trinidad & Tobago turned the tables, snatching a 2-1 victory. The U.S. controls the overall series, 14-2-3, and has a 9-1-2 record against the Soca Warriors in FIFA World Cup qualifying.

The match will be the third for a full U.S. National Team in Nashville. In 2004, the U.S. Women’s National Team beat Canada 1-0 in a preparation match before the 2004 Olympic Games. Two years later, the U.S. Men’s National Team faced Morocco on May 23, 2006, prior to the FIFA World Cup in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 26,141 fans.

In April of 2008, the venue hosted the knockout round of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament, where the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team defeated Canada in the semifinals to become one of two teams from the region to qualify for Beijing.

The U.S. is looking ahead to their opening match of the final round of FIFA World Cup qualifying against archrival Mexico on Feb. 11 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, which sold out in 90 minutes. The match, the first of 10 games in the final round commonly referred to as the ‘hexagonal,’ will kickoff at 7 p.m. ET, and fans can watch the match live on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.

U.S. Soccer Makes World Cup Bids Official

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati announced on Monday afternoon that the U.S. Soccer Federation has officially submitted a declaration of interest to host either the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups, and that David Downs will be the Executive Director of the USA Bid Committee. Downs, who will start immediately, previously served as President of Univision Sports from 2001-2009.

The entire bid process will span 16-months, with FIFA setting May 2010 as the deadline for countries to submit their final paperwork. FIFA’s 24-man Executive Committee will then review each bid and name the two hosts for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups in December 2010.

Gulati will serve as the Chair of the Bid Committee, with U.S. Soccer CEO Dan Flynn, MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Phil Murphy, the former National Finance Chair of the Democratic National Committee, as the other initial members of the Committee. Other members of the USA Bid Committee will be announced in the near future.

“I’m pleased to announce we have submitted our interest to FIFA to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups,” said Gulati. “The World Cup is the greatest sporting event in the world, and to have the opportunity to host it once again is an honor, but also an incredible challenge. We are confident we can put together a successful bid to host another impressive event, and invite fans from around the world to enjoy the world’s game in our country.”

Downs enters into his new position after serving more than 30 years in the broadcast industry as an executive with both ABC and Univision Communications, Inc. During his time at both networks, Downs participated in successful negotiations with international governing body FIFA to acquire the U.S. television rights to every World Cup beginning with USA ‘94, including the 2010 and 2014 tournaments.

Since 2001, Downs was President of Univision Sports at Univision Communications Inc., the fifth largest television network in the United States and by far the country's leading Spanish-language television broadcast company.

"It is a privilege to be named Executive Director and have the opportunity to be part of the country's bid to bring the World Cup back to the United States,” said Downs. “I believe the sport will continue its incredible growth in this country and I know that the U.S. can host yet another first class World Cup tournament. It's a formidable challenge, but I'm looking forward to dedicating the next two years to the pursuit of that goal."

As the President of Univision Sports, Downs was instrumental in acquiring and developing sports programming for three networks – Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision. Overall, Univision televises between 300-400 live soccer matches each year across the three networks, including U.S. National Team, CONCACAF Gold Cup, Major League Soccer, SuperLiga, Mexican Primera Division and CONCACAF Champions League.

“Through his involvement in the sport, David has demonstrated he is the right person for the position of Executive Director,” said Gulati. “With his extensive understanding and knowledge of the game, he will be a key member of our team to help the U.S. present a strong bid for the World Cup.”


Moving forward there will be numerous components that will go into FIFA’s decision process for the two selections, but the only initial requirements for making a formal bid were for a country to have 12 stadiums with minimum capacities of between 40,000 for group matches, and 80,000 for the opening match and final. In addition, the very highest standards of TV broadcasting, information and telecommunications technology, transport and accommodation are an absolute must.

In 1994, the U.S. hosted the FIFA World Cup for the first time and silenced a world of doubters on how the sport would be received in the United States. World Cup USA 1994 was the most successful event in FIFA history, demonstrating the United States’ ability to stage major international events, and Americans’ ability to embrace the world’s most popular sport.

The cumulative attendance of 3,587,538 broke the previous record by more than one million, and the average attendance for the 52-game tournament of 68,911 also established a new mark. On July 17, 1994, Brazil and Italy disputed the FIFA World Cup title in front of 94,194 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Overall, U.S. stadiums were filled to 96 percent capacity during the World Cup.

World Cup USA 1994 also left behind a legacy for soccer in the U.S. A surplus of approximately $50 million — more than double original projections — was contributed to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the U.S. Soccer organization created to administer the World Cup surplus. The charitable arm of U.S. Soccer, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has taken a leading role in supporting the continuous development of the sport at all levels, helping develop coaches, players and referees, especially those in economically disadvantaged urban areas.

David Downs
USA Bid Committee Executive Director

David Downs oversaw Univision’s coverage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan and 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany, which earned an estimated 50 million viewers – including 29 million Hispanics and 21 million non-Hispanics – their highest ratings ever for a World Cup. Univision’s average audience during the 2006 World Cup was higher than English language telecasts across key demographics (adults 18-49, 25-49 and 25-54). The final between Italy and France in 2006 far out-delivered the finals in 2002 and 1998.

In addition to the FIFA World Cup, Downs secured the exclusive Spanish-language broadcast rights on behalf of Univision to other FIFA soccer events, including the 2003, 2007 and 2011 FIFA Women's World Cups, the FIFA Confederations Cup, and the FIFA Under-20 and Under-17 World Cups. He also played an instrumental role in obtaining the exclusive North American broadcast rights to Copa America, one of the world's most prestigious soccer events, for the 2001, 2004 and 2007 tournaments.

Born in Leiden, Netherlands, to a Dutch mother and an American father, Downs’ family moved to the United States when he was a young child. He attended Amherst College, playing soccer for the Lord Jeffs, before graduating in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in history.

An avid soccer fan since he was a kid, he looked up to his grandfather who played for first division Dutch club HVV (Haagse Voetbal Vereniging) in the late 1910s-early 1920s. Downs attended his first professional match in the early 1970s when his uncle took him to an Arsenal match at Highbury, making him a fan of the Gunners for life.

Along with playing and watching the game, Downs has been involved in almost every level of U.S. youth soccer as a coach, referee and parent. He and his wife, Alexis, live in Westchester County, New York, and have two children, Ashley and Taylor.

The Countdown Begins

The countdown for the crucial, bitter rivalry between the U.S. National Team and Mexico has begun. We are merely ten days away from the showdown in Columbus, Ohio which will kick off the final World Cup qualifying hexagonal round. Ninetiethminute.com will bring you all the news leading up to the game, as well as live coverage on February 11, 2009.

The USMNT started the second stage of training in Carson, CA with a 20-Men roster called up by head coach Bob Bradley. As the initial training camp, the current roster is filled up by MLS players, in anticipation of the foreign-based players who will be part of the final roster for the match.

Mexico is presenting a few problems to complete a roster filled with injuries and card-suspensions. Carlos Vela, Gerardo Torrado and Fernando Arce are all serving game suspensions. Mexico's most dynamic player, Andres Guardado, has a ruptured tendon in his left leg and will not play against the U.S. Rafael Marquez, Mexico and F.C. Barcelona's central defender has been nursing a strained muscle, and is listed as questionable. The latest potential blow to Mexican's interests came last night from their captain and field-leader Pavel Pardo, who came off the game limping at the 59th minute during his Club America's loss 0-1 to Morelia in the Mexican first division match and had to be substituted.

Whether Mexico has a full roster or not will ultimately not affect the anticipation and adrenaline-filled match. U.S. - Mexico matches are special, and the one coming up will not lack its share of drama and excitement. On the line are the first 3 points of final round of qualifiers, but most importantly, the pride of not having lost to Mexico in the last 10 games played at home. Starting the final round with 3 points at home against our arch-rivals will be huge, and that should be all U.S. players must be thinking about.

We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this upcoming crucial match.