World Cup 2014. USA vs Portugal. It's the 64th minute and Jermaine Jones picks up a loose ball following a corner. We all know what happened next.
Few players on the USMNT represented the American spirit better than Jermaine Jones. Sure, Tim Howard may have had the memes, but it was Jones whose indomitable presence and ferocious drive truly captured the feeling of that summer.
In 2006, Charlie Davies was the hottest prospect in all of American soccer. He’d returned from a knee injury suffered during his sophomore season with Boston College to score fifteen goals in sixteen games during his junior year. His performances made him a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top college soccer player, and had seen him included on the roster for the 2005 Elite Milk Cup competition.
One of the most talented young forwards in the history of the American game has officially joined Schalke 04, bringing a close to a deal that had been in the works since January.
Haji Wright, an 18-year-old from Los Angeles, California, has been on Schalke’s radar for years. However, he was unable to sign with the club, or any club abroad, until his 18th birthday, a milestone he reached on March 27. Wright and Schalke had agreed to terms earlier this year but he's finally been allowed to put pen to paper.
Bob Bradley has taken charge of some massive games over the course of his 35-year coaching career. The 58-year-old has captured an MLS Cup, two U.S. Open Cups and a CONCACAF Gold Cup. He led the United States to victories over Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup and to the top of group C at the 2010 World Cup.
He’s also been on the losing side of some of those momentous matches.
On March 9, Clint Dempsey turned 33. George Best, Eric Cantona and Michel Platini all retired before reaching that milestone. Zinedine Zidane, Pele and Jurgen Klinsmann all retired at 34. With that in mind, you could forgive Dempsey for slowing down as he reaches the later stages of his playing career.
But Clint Dempsey would never forgive himself.
Dear Guatemala Football Federation,
I would like to personally offer a sincere danke schoen thank you for embarrassing my team Friday night in Guatemala City, beating us 2-0, and thus forcing me to make several changes to our squad. I learned so much from that butt-kicking on your home soil and that is precisely why we were able to beat you 4-0 in Columbus, Ohio Tuesday night. So, again, thank you!
USA vs. Guatemala didn't go very well on Friday for the USMNT, but they figured it out in COlumbus, cruising to an easy 4-0 win thanks to goals from Clint Dempsey, Geoff Cameron, Graham Zusi and Jozy Altidore. We'll let Twitter take it from here.
How are people feeling about the lineup? I'm sticking to a 3-0 USA win, assuming they bring their finishing boots: pic.twitter.com/UqwXohmxOj
The United States heads into its Olympic qualifying playoff against Colombia bearing both the brunt of national pressure and the knowledge that they’re coming up against, in many ways, superior opposition.
The stage is set for the biggest international tournament in the United States since the 1994 World Cup finals. The 2016 Copa America Centenario promises Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, James Rodriguez and another chance for both Mexico and the United States to disrupt the accepted international footballing hierarchy. This is your ultimate guide to the ultimate tournament of the Americas, the 2016 Copa America Centenario.
*All times indicated are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Alejandro Bedoya deserves a call up for the USMNT when they take on Guatemala in World Cup Qualifying. Bedoya has become something of a hero of late for French Ligue 1 side Nantes. After not scoring for Nantes for nine months, the United States international has now scored four in six games. Some of those goals have been extremely important.