Soccer FanHouse

Thierry Henry Believes France vs. Ireland Match Should Be Replayed

FanHouse Newswire — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:04:00 EST

LONDON (AP) -- Thierry Henry denied Friday that he was a cheat but said the "fairest solution" would be to replay the France-Ireland World Cup playoff that was decided by his handball.

Henry set up the deciding goal for William Gallas by controlling the ball with his hand in Wednesday's 1-1 draw at the Stade de France. The goal in extra time gave France a spot in next year's World Cup with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Ireland after two legs of the playoffs.

"Of course the fairest solution would be to replay the game but it is not in my control," Henry said in a a statement.

Earlier Friday, world governing body FIFA rejected a request by the Football Association of Ireland for the game to be replayed.

Henry admitted he handled the ball and said he felt embarrassed at how France qualified for the World Cup at the expense of Ireland.

"I have said at the time and I will say again that yes I handled the ball," he said in the statement issued to British media. "I am not a cheat and never have been. It was an instinctive reaction to a ball that was coming extremely fast in a crowded penalty area."

"I have never denied that the ball was controlled with my hand," Henry said. "I told the Irish players, the referee and the media this after the game."

The Barcelona striker expressed sympathy for the Irish.

"Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa," he said. "There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our equalizing goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish," he said.

Thierry Henry Believes France vs. Ireland Match Should Be Replayed originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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France Advances to 2010 World Cup Thanks to Controversial Goal

FanHouse Newswire — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:53:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) - France qualified for its fourth consecutive World Cup when officials missed an obvious hand ball by Thierry Henry that led to William Gallas' overtime goal in a 1-1 tie against Ireland on Wednesday night.

Les Bleus avoided a penalty-kicks shootout and won the home-and-home, total-goals playoff 2-1, boosted by its 1-0 victory at Dublin last Saturday.

The game appeared headed to penalty kicks when Florent Malouda sent a free kick to Henry at the post to the right of goalkeeper Shay Given. Henry got between defender Paul McShane and Given, stopped the ball with his left hand, then used his hand again and poked the ball with his outstretched right foot in front of the net.

"He almost caught it and walked into the net with it," said Ireland's Robbie Keane, who scored his team's goal.

Gallas headed it into the net from about 1 yard as Irish players raised their hands in protest at Swedish referee Martin Hansson.

"I will be honest, it was a hand ball. But I'm not the ref," Henry said. "I played it. The ref allowed it. That's a question you should ask him."

Gallas hardly knew what happened.

"It went so fast. I saw Thierry's pass. The Irish were surprised, and I put my head, my chest," he said as his voice trailed off.

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni was livid and had to be calmed by officials. Irish fans - about 8,000 in one section behind the goal - chanted "Cheat! Cheat!" at Henry.

"I'm not only disappointed tonight, I'm also very sad," Trapattoni said. "The referee should have asked Henry, I'm sure he would have admitted there was a hand ball."

At the final whistle, Given collapsed and lay on the ground in dejection for several minutes as France celebrated. Gallas jumped into coach Raymond Domenech's arms.

"It was difficult, arduous and sometimes miraculous," Domenech said. "It was a victory by the skin of our teeth."

Domenech felt it was a shame that Ireland didn't qualify, as well.

"I want to congratulate the Irish players for this battle," he said. "They gave us a very hard time."

Keane put Ireland ahead in the 33rd minute, taking a pass from Damien Duff and beating goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

France had an appeal for a penalty kick turned down by Hansson after Nicolas Anelka tried to go around Given and went down in the eighth minute of overtime.

Lloris made two great saves, on Keane in the first half and against Duff midway through the second.

Domenech had to reshuffle his team because of injuries, replacing Eric Abidal with Julien Escude to partner Gallas in the center of the defense.

Escude was injured in a clash of heads with teammate Patrice Evra, then was carried off on a stretcher and replaced by Sebastien Squillaci in the ninth minute.

"We suffered for two years. We have been having some problems with our press, our fans, with other people," Henry said. "It would have been better to do it in another way, but as I said, I'm not the ref."

France Advances to 2010 World Cup Thanks to Controversial Goal originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slovenia Shocks Russia to Qualify for World Cup

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:08:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International

Guus Hiddink has been hailed over the last decade as a Dutch Master, working wonders at the last two World Cups with South Korea and Australia, respectively.

Wednesday in Maribor, Slovenia, Hiddink's luck finally ran out as his Russian team was stunned by Slovenia 1-0, to advance after the two-leg UEFA playoff ended 2-2. Slovenia gets through on the basis of its away goal scored in the closing minutes Saturday in Moscow.

For Slovenia, it's the nation's first trip to the World Cup since 2002.

Slovenian striker Zlatko Dedič became an instant hero as he scored the game's only goal in the 44th minute, leaping in the air to poke his right foot onto the ball just inside the penalty area and firing it just inside the right post past Russian keeper Igor Akinfeev.

It proved to be a great day for players from the German club Bocum, as Dedic and Algerian goal-scoring hero Antar Yahia each punched their countries tickets to the World Cup with goals on Wednesday.

Russia ended the match down to nine players. Striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov was sent off in the 65th minute when he kicked prone Slovenia keeper Samir Handanovič. Later in the closing minutes Yuri Zhirov was shown the door for picking up his second yellow card of the match.

With Russia missing out on qualification, the question arises what will happen to Hiddink, who did step in as the interim coach of Chelsea earlier this season. His contract only runs through 2010, but it's hard to imagine he'll be bound to it with Russia failing to qualify. The deep pockets of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who's helped to personally pay for Hiddink to coach Russia, could be a factor.

Perhaps host South Africa, which has gone through a couple head coaches, might spring for the Dutch genius to coach its team in hopes it could replicate what Hiddink did with South Korea, when he lead the Red Devils to the semifinals on home soil in 2002.

In the other UEFA playoff qualifiers, Portugual, which played without injured Cristiano Ronaldo, managed to squeeze into its third-straight World Cup, beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 Wednesday to win the two-leg affair 2-0. Rual Meireles scored the lone goal for Portugal, which controlled most of the match.

Earlier Wednesday Greece qualified for its first World Cup since 1994, beating Ukraine 1-0 on a goal by Dimitrios Salpigidis in rainy Donetsk.

Slovenia Shocks Russia to Qualify for World Cup originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Algeria Holds Off Egypt, Qualifies for 2010 World Cup

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:24:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International

Wednesday's World Cup playoff between Algeria and Egypt immediately brought to mind the famous quote from legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankley, "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that."

For the 34,000 inside Al Merreikh Stadium in Omdurman, Sudan, and millions in the countries themselves, the 90-minute match was a crucible of pressure. The tension was only heightened by rioting, stone throwing and a group of Algerians setting fire to the offices of Egypt Air in Algiers due to long-standing animosity between the two North African nations.

Though the match itself wasn't an all-time classic, the external factors made Algeria's eventual 1-0 victory one of the more memorable images of soccer in 2009, typified by keeper Faouzi Chaouchi celebrating atop his net after the full-time whistle.

The fact that Wednesday's match was played in the first place was improbable, to say the least. After Egypt won 2-0 against Algeria, with the second goal coming in the fifth minute of injury time on Saturday, the two teams were level on just about every possible tie-breaking scenario, thus the one-game playoff on "neutral" soil was needed.

As expected, tensions were high on-and-off the field. It took less than 10 minutes for the sides to set a mini-skirmish after numerous fouls and collisions. A total of seven yellow cards were issued, but surprisingly no players were sent off for either team.

The deciding goal came in the 39th minute thanks to newly minted Algerian national hero Anthar Yahia, who latched onto the end of a cross from Karim Ziani from the left side. Yahia, who plays for Bochum in the Bundesliga, powered a shot from a sheer angle on the right side of the penalty box, ramming it under the cross bar and past Egyptian keeper Essam El-Hadary.

Down a goal Eygpt pressed the rest of the match, but the Algerian defense held firm. Chaouchi cleaned up any of the other chances, making at least two fine saves in the second half, including a stop from close-range on Emad Metaeb.

Algeria now qualifies for its third World Cup and first since 1986. The Desert Foxes join African stalwarts Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana and Cote D'Ivoire at the first World Cup held on African soil next June along with, of course, the hosts -- South Africa.

Egypt's World Cup drought now extends another four years. The Pharaohs last qualified for the 1990 tournament, ironically at the expense of Algeria, which helped increase the animosity between the two countries. Oddly enough, Egypt has won the biannual African Cup of Nations three times in that period, including the last edition in 2008.

There's a chance the two rivals won't have to wait too long to see each other, as the upcoming 2010 African Cup of Nations kicks off in Janaury in Angola, with the draw taking place in on Friday.

Right now, though, that doesn't matter much as they're sure to be jubilee in Algiers and misery in Cairo.

Algeria Holds Off Egypt, Qualifies for 2010 World Cup originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:24:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slovenia Stays Alive vs. Russia in UEFA World Cup Playoffs

Michael Cardillo — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International

Guus Hiddink's Russia looked about ready to start calling a travel agent to book its arrangements for South Africa in June. The Russians held a comfortable 2-0 lead against Slovenia in Saturday's UEFA playoff in Moscow thanks to a pair of goals from Everton's Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.

To Slovenia's credit, the World Cup hopefuls didn't stop charging and its effort paid off when substitute Nejc Pecnik headed home a rebound from a shot by Robert Koren to make it finish 2-1. For Slovenia it was a crucial away goal as the two-leg playoff heads to Maribor on Wednesday.

After its goal, Slovenia nearly drew that match at two, with Russia needing keeper Igor Akinfeev to pull off a full-stretch diving save to keep it 2-1 before the final whistle.

Should Russia stumble next week, it'll clearly rue a slew of missing oppurtunities to extend its lead in the second half. English Premier Leaguers Roman Pavlychenko and Andrey Arshavin each had clear chances in the second half to give Russia a nearly insurmountable lead, yet Slovenia keeper Samir Handanovic rose to the occasion each time and kept his side in the match.

After Bilyaletdinov broke the deadlock with a nice turn-and-shoot at the top of the box in the 41st minute, Russia looked like the side who'd be on its way to South Africa.

Prior to the goal, the best Russian chance had come on a long and tricky run from his own half by Chelsea back Yuri Zhirov, but his shot was turned away by Handanovic.

The Russians even caught a break just before halftime when Arshavin got in a tangle with Miso Brecko near midfield, with the Slovenia defender falling to the ground as if he'd been shot. After both sides surrounded referee Klaus Larsen, the Arsenal star was only given a yellow card.

Russia doubled its lead on Bilyaletdinov's second goal of the match, which came after he kicked it off a Slovenian defender and it came right back to him allowing him to slot it by Handanovic on the second effort.

Clearly, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin -- who was in attendance inside the Luzhniki Stadium -- will not be happy. Nor will the 80,000-strong loud and boisterous Russian crowd, who were issued medical masks to help protect from swine flu.

Either way, they probably left the stadium with a sour, sick taste in their stomachs, as a trip to the World Cup is now anything but a certainty for a team that's been on the rise ever since Euro 2008.

Slovenia Stays Alive vs. Russia in UEFA World Cup Playoffs originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Portugal Plans to Calls In Injured Ronaldo for UEFA Playoffs

Michael Cardillo — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:25:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International

Carlos Queiroz has always been an interesting character. Heck, anyone that coached the New York/New Jersey Metrostars and lived to tell about it deserves a special place in the history of world soccer.

Saturday, the now coach of the Portugal national team, made a move that will certainly make headlines one way or the other as he plans to call in injured superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for the upcoming two-leg UEFA World Cup playoffs against Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Portugal will announce its full lineup on Sunday.)

Normally calling in a talent like Ronaldo is a no-brainer. At worst he's a top three talent in the world.

Yet, Ronaldo isn't fit. He's missed seven-straight league matches for Real Madrid due to an injured ankle, which he aggravated on national team duty on Oct. 10 against Hungary.

Real Madrid, which paid a king's ransom for the Ronaldo over the summer to pry him away from Manchester United certainly can't be too pleased with Queiroz's decision, especially with Los Merengues clinging tenuously to second-place in the Champions League Group C standings with two matches left to play in the group stage. (You wonder, if Queiroz didn't mind tweaking the Spanish giants since he was fired as the club's head coach after 10-months at the helm in 2004.)

Obviously this once again raises the issue of club vs. country and which entity has the authority to decide whether or not a player can in fact play on international duty.

Another question it raises is Queiroz right to gamble with Ronaldo, for both the short and long term?

Is it worth using a roster space on a player who might not be able to play? Suppose Portugal falls behind to Bosnia on the first leg in Lisbon on Nov. 14? What if they need to bring on Ronaldo, for say, 15 minutes. Is it worth risking him re-injuring the ankle and forcing him completely out for the second-leg on Nov. 18?

Queiroz clearly thinks the gamble of even a half-strength Ronaldo is more useful than a fully fit player. He still has some time to finalize his roster and determine if Ronaldo will be able to play.

Either way, Queiroz is setting himself up for a classic second-guess, especially if Portugal falls short of qualifying for South Africa.

Portugal Plans to Calls In Injured Ronaldo for UEFA Playoffs originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Edgar Castillo Gets First U.S. Call-Up

Michael Cardillo — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:10:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

The official U.S. roster hasn't been released yet for the U.S. National Team's upcoming European friendlies against World Cup qualifiers Slovakia and Denmark, but Goal.com is reporting that Edgar Castillo will be selected for the squad by coach Bob Bradley.

Castillo, who has played his entire career in Mexico, originally declared his intentions to play for El Tri despite the fact he was born in New Mexico. A new tweak in the FIFA rules allowed Castillo to switch allegiances since he never appeared for Mexico in an "official match."

The addition of Castillo, 23, is a bit of a boon for the U.S., or at the very least a dose of good news. In the last month the team has lost starters Charlie Davies, Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit to varying injuries.

Castillo, a defender, also gives Bradley another option at the left back position other than the oft-criticized Jonathan Bornstein. In fact, bringing into Castillo for the friendly matches is borderline critical because the only other viable U.S. options at the positions aren't in play. Captain Carlos Bocanegra will be forced into the center of the defense by necessity after a brief flirtation by playing him outside left. Another option -- Heath Pearce -- might not be on the roster since he's seen sporadic playing time since being let go by German club Hansa Rostock before eventually landing at FC Dallas, which didn't make the MLS playoffs.

Many U.S. fans would love to jump to the conclusion that Castillo is the panacea the U.S. has been searching for at the position for years. Of course, in the soccer world, the prospect of the unknown tends to trump the reality of the situation quite often. Until seeing how he fits in the U.S. set-up it's impossible to gauge Castillo's actual potential and worth to the team heading into the World Cup.

The bigger question from Castillo's switch from Mexico to the U.S. is if other American-born players with Mexican or other national roots opt to play for the Stars and Stripes, following the leads of Castillo and Jose Francisco Torres.

As of now, the status of the U.S.'s other international, for lack of a better term, switcher -- Jermaine Jones -- remains unclear as the Schalke 04 midfielder remains on the sidelines until at least December due to a second surgery on his injured ankle. Despite his best intentions, there won't be too many opportunities for Jones to integrate himself into the U.S. team before next June.

For now, Castillo's inclusion for the Nov. 14 match in Slovakia and Dec. 18 match in Denmark add a nice wrinkle into a pair of games -- that unlike the marathon slate played by the U.S. in 2009 -- don't have a whole lot riding on them.

Edgar Castillo Gets First U.S. Call-Up originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Argentina Survives, Advances to 2010 World Cup

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:20:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer, International

For one day, at least, Diego Maradona can silence his critics and get the last laugh.

Lampooned, mocked and second-guessed throughout Argentina's nearly disastrous 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, Maradona can let out a massive sigh of relief after Wednesday's 1-0 win against Uruguay in Montevideo, Uruguay. Argentina gains the fourth and final automatic CONMEBOL qualifying spot, while Uruguay moves into the playoff against either Costa Rica or Honduras.

Wednesday, there wasn't the dramatic slide across the field like there was after Saturday night's last-second win against Peru.

Instead it was a pretty standard celebration following Mario Bolatti's 84th minute goal that was set up on a foul that resulted in the sending off of Uruguay's Martin Cacares for his second yellow card. The goal was nothing special as Bolatti tapped in after Uruguay couldn't get the ball out of its penalty area.

When the whistle sounded, Maradona was -- as expected -- mobbed by players and photographers.

Argentina joins Brazil, Paraguay and Chile as the other automatic South American qualifiers. For Argentina it's the country's 10th consecutive place in the finals, and 15th overall.

The question, now, immediately turns to if Maradona will be the man to lead Argentina next June in South Africa. Throughout the qualifying campaign his squad selections and tactics left almost everyone scratching their collective heads.

Whatever happens, the inclusion of Maradona in South Africa likely means a lot more fun for neutral fans and journalists due to his unpredictable behavior. If Maradona is fired or steps down, it likely means Argentina will be taken a lot more seriously. Expect this "will he/won't he?" game to play out for the next couple months.

At the very least, Argentina's win ensures that Lionel Messi will have the possibility to dazzle on the World stage.

Meanwhile, Uruguay finds itself in the same position it was four years ago, awaiting a playoff. In 2005, Uruguay was paired against Australia -- then a member of Oceania -- losing out to the Socceroos in penalty kicks in Sydney after the two-leg affair ended 1-1.

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Argentineï¿½s forward Lionel Messi (C) runs to elude Uruguayï¿½s midfielders Jorge Rodriguez (L) and Diego Perez (R) during their FIFA World Cup South Africa-2010 qualifier football match at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo on October 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / PABLO PORCIUNCULA (Photo credit should read PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Argentina's Martin Demichelis, left, fights for the ball with Uruguay's Luis Suares during a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Montevideo, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Andres Cuenca)

France's national soccer coach Raymond Domenech, right, yells out during their World Cup 2010 group 7 qualifying soccer match against Austria at Stade de France, in Saint Denis, north outskirts of Paris, France, Wednesday Oct. 14, 2009. France won the match 3-1. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Chile's Humberto Suazo celebrates with his teammate Manuel Iturra after scoring during a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Ecuador in Santiago, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Santiago Llanquin)

Argentina's Diego Maradona gives instructions to his players during a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match against Uruguay in Montevideo, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A fan of Honduras' soccer team holds up his nation's flag prior to the start of a 2010 World Cup qualifying match with El Salvador in San Salvador, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Luis Romero)

Argentineï¿½s defender Gabriel Heinze (R) duels for the ball with Uruguayï¿½s midfielder Diego Perez during their FIFA World Cup South Africa-2010 qualifier football match at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo on October 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / PABLO PORCIUNCULA (Photo credit should read PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Argentina's head coach Diego Maradona is seen on a screen while people watch the FIFA World Cup South Africa-2010 qualifier football match between Uruguay and Argentina in Buenos Aires on October 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / Juan Mabromata (Photo credit should read JUAN MABROMATA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Chile's national football team coach Marcelo Bielsa gestures during their FIFA World Cup South Africa-2010 qualifier football match at the Monumental stadium in Santiago on October 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO/ Claudio Santana (Photo credit should read CLAUDIO SANTANA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Argentina's players leave the pitch at the end of the first half during their FIFA World Cup South Africa-2010 qualifier football match against Uruguay at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo on October 14, 2009. AFP PHOTO / ALEJANDRO PAGNI (Photo credit should read ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP/Getty Images)

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Argentina Survives, Advances to 2010 World Cup originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slovakia, Switzerland Punch Tickets to 2010 World Cup

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:50:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International

It's hard to imagine a scenario where the date Oct. 14, 2009 doesn't become the stuff of lore in the European country of Slovakia as it turned out to be the day the nation booked its place in its first FIFA World Cup finals.

And the Slovaks achieved history in perhaps the most adverse conditions possible in a soccer match, downing Poland 1-0 at the Silesian Stadium during a driving snowstorm that would seem more at home for an NFL playoff match than a World Cup qualifier.

Slovakia made an own-goal by in the fourth minute from Seweryn Gancarczyk stand up for the rest of the match. When the final blew, the Slovakian players rushed toward the crowd to celebrate with the handful of fellow countrymen who braved the weather to witness history.

The run by Slovakia under coach Vladimir Weiss is rather remarkable, as they edged out both the Czech Republic (which the nation split apart with in the 1993) and Poland, which had qualified for both the 2006 World Cup and 2008 Euro. In fact neither of those countries will be in South Africa, as Slovenia finished second to enter the UEFA Playoffs.

But back to Slovakia. For English-speaking fans, perhaps the only known entity on the Repre roster is Liverpool central defender Martin Skrtel.

No matter, the Slovaks went through qualifying with a 7-2-1 mark and join Serbia as European countries that will make their Finals debut as independent nations next June.

Elsewhere across the continent, Switzerland qualified by winning Group 2 thanks to a 0-0 draw with Israel, knocking Greece into the second-place playoffs.

Rounding out the second-place playoffs will be: Russia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzogovina, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland and France, along with the aforementioned Slovenia and Greece.

The draw for the playoffs will take place on Ict. 19 in Zurich and will be played on Nov. 14 and 18. The draw will use the FIFA rankings released on Friday to seed the teams, so it's likely that Russia, France, Greece and Portugal will be seperated, as they have the current highest rankings by a fair amount.

Notable countries that will now start looking toward qualification for Euro 2010, include: Croatia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Norway, which was the lowest rated second-place finisher and eliminated from playoff contention.

In other noteworthy matches from the final day of qualification included, England defeating Belarus thanks to a brace from Peter Crouch, Italy ralling from down two goals to beat Cyprus 3-2 on a hat trick by Alberto Gilardino in the final 14 minutes and Spain finishing qualification with a perfect 10 wins after a winning at Bosnia 5-2.

Overall, aside from the mild surprise of Slovakia getting through automatically, UEFA qualification went pretty much by the book, though the exclusion of Croatia is a bit surprising. The playoffs could yield the bigger shocks, especially if France or Portugal stumble.

Slovakia, Switzerland Punch Tickets to 2010 World Cup originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Clinches World Cup Berth

FanHouse Newswire — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:41:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, U.S. Men's National Team

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (AP) -- The U.S. soccer team is headed to South Africa for a chance to redeem itself in the World Cup.

Conor Casey scored his first two international goals in the second half, Landon Donovan added another and the United States clinched its sixth straight World Cup berth with a game to spare by rallying past Honduras 3-2 Saturday night."We did a good job tonight," Donovan said. "We're going to South Africa."

In one of the most thrilling end-to-end matches the U.S. has played in many years, the Americans took a 3-1 lead before Honduras closed on Julio Cesar De Leon's second goal of the game.

Carlos Pavon had a chance to tie following a hand ball in the penalty area by Jonathan Spector. But Pavon put his penalty kick over the crossbar in the 87th minute, then fired high on an open header from in front in the 89th.

Coming off a first-round elimination at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the United States (6-2-1) is first in North and Central America and the Caribbean with 19 points and assured of one of three automatic berths that to go to the top finishers in the region.

"We're very proud," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "We understand the responsibility we have every time we step on the field for our fans, for our country."

Mexico (6-3) also clinched Saturday and has 18 points following a 4-1 victory over visiting El Salvador. Costa Rica (5-4) moved into third with 15 points after winning at home against Trinidad and Tobago.

Honduras (4-4-1), seeking its second World Cup appearance and first since 1982, has 13 points and dropped into fourth. If the Catrachos are still in that spot after the final match at El Salvador on Wednesday, they would meet the No. 5 nation from South America in a playoff.

The nation has been in turmoil since a June military coup, but the crowd was united behind its team.

"This isn't an easy place to play," Donovan said. "No one else has won here in qualifying and we just did."

De Leon put Honduras ahead in the 47th minute when he curved a free kick over a five-man defensive wall and to the right of leaping U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard from one yard outside the penalty area after a foul by Oguchi Onyewu.

That set off sustained boisterous cheering and jumping that made Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano shake, but the sellout crowd of about 40,000 was silenced when Casey tied it in the 55th.

Onyewu sent a long pass downfield, and Charlie Davies nodded it across the area to Casey, who outjumped a defender and outmuscled goalkeeper Noel Valladares for his first goal in 15 international appearances.

David Suazo nearly put Honduras ahead in the 65th, one minute after entering, but Howard made a leaping fingertip save. Casey then gave the U.S. the lead a minute later when he split two defenders, took a pass from Donovan and scored from 16 yards.

Donovan, who set an American record with his 10th assist of the year, extended his U.S. scoring record on a 21-yard free kick in the 71st minute. It was if the air had been sucked out of the stadium.

Maurcio Sabillion nearly tied it in the 82nd, putting a bicycle kick over the crossbar and causing Howard to scream at his defenders.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

US Clinches World Cup Berth originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Italy, Denmark, Germany, Serbia Qualify For 2010 World Cup

Michael Cardillo — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:36:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International

The puzzle pieces for the 2010 FIFA World Cup became a lot clearer on Saturday on the penultimate day of UEFA qualification. Longtime stalwarts Germany and Italy both punched their tickets, while Denmark and Serbia also booked passage to South Africa next June.

Germany was the first European country to qualify on Saturday, defeating Russia 1-0 in what was essentially a first-place Group 4 playoff game in Moscow. The Germans held on with 10-men after a first-half goal from Miroslav Klose. Meanwhile, Guus Hiddink's Russia must now await its fate in the second-place playoffs. For the Germans, it's the country's 15th-straight World Cup finals berth and 17th overall placing it second to Brazil. (These streaks include time as West Germany.)

A little later in Copenhagen, Denmark kept up its unbeaten run in Group 1, defeating rival Sweden 1-0 on a late goal from Jakob Poulsen. It was a sweet victory for the jubilant Danes, which were ousted from qualifying from Euro 2008 by the Swedes.

Sweden now must await its fate on the final matchday, as it drops behind Portugal by one point for second place, which defeated Hungary Saturday. Sweden will host Albania, while Portugal welcomes Malta. As a result, it means either Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Cristiano Ronaldo will miss out on the world stage next June in South Africa.

Later from Croke Park in Dublin, Marcello Lippi's Italy will travel to South Africa, looking to defend its 2006 crown. The Azzurri got through at the expense of the Republic of Ireland, who's fate is now left to the second-place playoffs. Tied 1-1 late in the match, Ireland looked like it would keep its chances of automatic qualification alive when Sean St. Ledger got on the receiving end of Stephen Hunt's 87th minute free kick. The Irish, however, couldn't hang on as Vincenzo Iaquinta found Alberto Gilardino at the top of the box, as he beat Shay Given to make it 2-2.

Serbia took care of business, romping 5-0 over Romania to qualify for its first World Cup independent from Montenegro. The Serbs victory means France, a 5-0 winner over the Faroe Islands, throws its fate into the UEFA second-place playoffs.

Elsewhere, England suffered its first qualifying loss under Fabio Capello, falling 1-0 at Ukraine on a goal from Serhiy Nazarenko. Ukraine now gets the inside edge on Croatia for the second-place spot by one point. Ukraine is at Andorra on Wednesday, while Croatia travels to Kazakhstan.

The only two UEFA Groups that haven't been claimed are 2 and 3. Switzerland leads Group 2 and gets through with a win or draw vs. Israel, which itself is still alive for the second place spot with Greece and Latvia. In Group 3, Slovakia has already clinched at least a playoff spot and will fend off a challenge from Slovenia, which places point-less San Marino on Wednesday. Slovakia owns a two-point lead, with an equal goal differential with Slovenia and plays Poland Wednesday. The Czech Repblic and Northern Ireland are still alive, but are likely long shots for second-place.

Around the globe, Cote D'Ivoire booked its place in its second-consecutive World Cup, winning CAF Group E.

The playoff between Oceanicia winners New Zealand and fifth-place Asian team Bahrain played out to a 0-0 draw. The return leg will be played in New Zealand on Nov. 14.

CONMEBOL and CONCACAF qualifiers take place later on Saturday night.

Italy, Denmark, Germany, Serbia Qualify For 2010 World Cup originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U.S. on Brink of World Cup Berth

Michael Cardillo — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:27:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer, International, Soccer Posts, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

This much is simple for the U.S. national team's Saturday night 2010 World Cup qualifier at Honduras. If the U.S. leaves San Pedro Sula with three points, then it automatically qualifies for next June's World Cup in South Africa. Anything else? Well it's so confusing that the U.S. Soccer site has established a scenario generator to run through all the possible outcomes.

It's also known that a) the U.S. is stepping into a tricky road environment in a country in the midst of a political crisis, b) the U.S. won't have midfielder Clint Dempsey and c) the game will not be seen in America except for select closed circuit establishments.

So what should U.S. fans fortunate to find a way to watch the match expect?

For one, the U.S. is facing a very strong Honduras team, which is looking to book its place in the World Cup for the first time since 1982. Los Catrachos can qualify Saturday night with a win and a Costa Rica loss to Trinidad and Tobago and feature Premier League players Wilson Palacios, Hendry Thomas and Maynor Figueroa, along with Inter Milan's David Sauzo.

This will be the fourth meeting in 2009 between the two nations, with the U.S. winning all three including a 2-1 qualifier at Solider Field in Chicago in early June.

The crowd, too, bears watching. Due to the ongoing civil hostilities, will the home crowd look to the game as a 90 minute respite? Or will they expect the team to dazzle them from the opening whistle and run the Americans off the field? If this doesn't happen, could the home crowd get antsy?

"The main thing that we have talked a little bit about and are very aware of is the fact that this game means everything to Honduras and to its people and that the atmosphere in the stadium will be loud, passionate and exciting," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said during Thursday's media conference call. "We have seen that in other places, so we draw the parallels and draw up on those experiences. I think that will work well for us."

As for Bradley's U.S. team? Aside from the loss to Dempsey to injury, it figures to be business as usual (at least on the field) with Landon Donovan the key man once again. Bradley hinted on Thursday that either Stuart Holden or Benny Feilhaber will be the candidate to replace Dempsey in the starting XI.

Bradley wasn't too concerned with defender Oguchi Onyewu's lack of playing time at AC Milan, so the U.S. lineup should look very familiar, with the biggest questions beside replacing Dempsey being who starts at right and left back between the quartet of Jonathon Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathon Bornstein and Frankie Hejduk.

It's likely the young tandem of Charlie Davies and Jozy Altidore will start at forward, though Brian Ching could be in the mix if the U.S. plays a more conservative lineup.

Factoring into all the lineup decisions is a worrisome issue that Altidore, Carlos Bocanegra, Conor Casey, Cherundolo, Donovan, Feilhaber and Hejduk would all miss the Costa Rica match should they receive a yellow card on Saturday.

"The yellow card situation is a challenging one. I think that we have to find balance in this, in some cases, that includes players that play the same position who maybe are both carrying yellow cards, making some decisions in those ways," Bradley said.

The U.S. has been adequate on the road during qualifying, posting a 4-3-1 mark. Yet only one of those wins has come during the final round of CONCACAF qualifying, last month at Trinidad & Tobago.

By contrast, Honduras is 8-0-0 at home in qualifying. However they are 0-3-0 vs. the U.S. in 2009 and 10-2-3 overall, including a 2-1-1 in Honduras, so something will have to give on Saturday.

"We know each other very well. There's a great deal of respect, and if you look at their group of players, there's talent. Guys have done well, particularly in England. As everybody knows, I know Amado [Guevara] very well, who won't be playing in this match, he's out with cards," Bradley said. "As far as knowing the personnel, knowing the style of play, we have respect for the way they play and their talent. We think they're well coached. And now, when we go into this game we understand how much they're playing for and how much it means to their fans."

Should the U.S. falter, it still has next Wednesday's match against Costa Rica to get a result and avoid the dreaded playoff with the fifth-place South American team.

"Ideally we can finish up things Saturday but, again, there are factors in all of this that are sometimes out of our control. It's been a very tight final round because of some of the other results. But the opportunity to go there and play to win and come away with three points is a great challenge, one that we are embracing," Bradley said. "I think the players are ready for it and we're going to go for it with everything we have knowing that obviously we still have the home game to follow."

U.S. on Brink of World Cup Berth originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clint Dempsey Ruled Out vs. Honduras

Michael Cardillo — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:43:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International, Soccer Posts, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

For fans of the U.S. national team clamoring for midfielder Clint Dempsey to move from the right side of midfield to the right side of the bench, well, they've gotten their wish, though the circumstances aren't exactly ideal.

Dempsey has been ruled out for Saturday's 2010 World Cup qualifier at Honduras due to a shoulder sprain. Dempsey picked up the injury in the closing minutes of Fulham's 2-2 draw Sunday vs. West Ham United. His status for next Wednesday's final qualifier vs. Costa Rica in Washington is still unknown.

Dempsey's injury most likely means that Stuart Holden will get the nod at starting right midfielder. Holden shined during July's CONCACAF Gold Cup, scoring goals and setting them up.

Though the injury forced coach Bob Bradley's hand, many U.S. fans had questioned the constant inclusion of Dempsey in the starting XI due to his sometimes listless and disinterested performances. Yet while Dempsey has a tendency to drift through matches, he does have the ability to rise to the occasion and score important goals including the first-half equalizer in the U.S's 2-1 win over El Salvador last month.

However it shakes out, the match vs. Honduras -- which the U.S. would punch its ticket to South Africa with a win -- will show the U.S. and U.S. fans what life without 90 minutes of Dempsey looks like. There's the chance the U.S. could soar, but the fans also might need to be careful what they wish for.

Clint Dempsey Ruled Out vs. Honduras originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bob Bradley Names US Squad for Final 2010 Qualifiers

Michael Cardillo — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:23:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

Whichever side of the fence you fall on in the matter of Bob Bradley coaching the U.S. men's national team, there's one thing both his supporters and detractors can agree upon -- the man is consistent.

Thursday Bradley selected his 22-man roster for the upcoming CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica. There is little, if any, surprise in the players Bradley recalled for the crucial games, which will determine if the U.S. qualifies for South Africa automatically.

The only real issue that Bradley faced when deciding on the roster was in the defense. Central defender Jay DeMerit picked up an injury to his eye while playing for his club, Watford, as was unavailable. Usual U.S. stalwart Oguchi Onyewu finally featured for AC Milan during its midweek shock defeat to FC Zurich in the Champions League, coming in as a 61st minute substitute, but he still could be rusty come Oct. 10 in Honduras.

With those issues in mind, Bradley brought in some cover in the forms of Jimmy Conrad and Clarence Goodson.

Somewhat surprisingly, New Mexico-born Edgar Castillo -- who's recent switch from Mexico to the U.S. was approved by FIFA -- wasn't included. It's hard to imagine Bradley would have given Castillo his first start in a such a difficult environment like Honduras, yet he could have included him in the squad to get him acclimated going forward. That means the much-maligned Jonathan Bornstein is probably the starting left back since recent FC Dallas signing Heath Pearce was also left out of the mix.

There's nothing remarkable about the U.S. midfield, other than the fact Robbie Rogers was included while Kyle Beckerman stays home.

At forward, Kenny Cooper gets recalled after a nice start since transferring to 1860 Munich from FC Dallas. Unless the U.S. clinches in Honduras, it's hard to see him getting any playing time, but at least he provides another option should the first-choice pairing of Charlie Davies and Jozy Altidore fizzle.

The U.S. wraps up an automatic berth in the World Cup with a win or if Costa Rica loses to Trinidad & Tobago. The U.S. can move to South Africa with a draw at Honduras, should Costa Rica also draw.

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton)

DEFENDERS (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew, José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (1860 Munich), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Bob Bradley Names US Squad for Final 2010 Qualifiers originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honduras Brings in Big Names for Important Qualifier vs. US

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:40:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International, US Soccer

As of right now, the Oct. 10 CONCACAF World Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Honduras still has the green light from FIFA to be played in San Pedro Sula, even though the Central American nation is a state of political turmoil.

Wherever the match is played, Honduras manager Reinaldo Rueda brought in a a first-choice squad, which could pose some problems for the U.S. who will qualify for South Africa with a win. Honduras, would guarantee a place if it beats the U.S. and Costa Rica loses to Trinidad & Tobago.

Big name players like Tottenham's midfield enforcer Wilson Palacios and Wigan's Hendry Thomas figure to put pressure on the U.S. center of the field. Inter Milan striker David Sauzo, who's missed most of the final round of qualifying due to a torn knee meniscus, could pose problems for the U.S. defense, especially if paired with Carlo Costly. Other well-known Honduran players include Toronto FC's Amado Guevera and ex-FC Dallas midfielder Ramon Nunez.

A Sauzo-less Honduras gave the U.S. all it could handle in a June 6 qualifier in Chicago, with the American falling down a goal, but rallying then hanging on for a 2-1 victory. (A more experimental U.S. lineup topped an equally experimental Honduran twice by 2-0 scorelines at July's Gold Cup.)

Honduras has only qualified for the World Cup once before back in 1982. The nation will at least qualify for the CONCACAF playoff with the fifth-place South American team so long as the unlikely scenario of El Salvador defeating Mexico at Azteca doesn't come to fruition. (Mexico will be without rising star Gio Dos Santos for that match and the Oct. 14 game at Trinidad.)

It does bear watching what would happen if the political situation in Honduras further deteriorates. Suffice to say, it's a messy situation, which should make the U.S.'s already tricky foray into Central America all the more frenzied. (U.S. coach Bob Bradley has yet to name his roster for the matches against Honduras and Costa Rica.)

Though FIFA made assurances of the match going on as scheduled on Tuesday, there's still time to make the necessary logistical changes (i.e. neutral venue/playing game behind closed doors) should the safety of both teams not be guaranteed.

On a larger scale, throughout its history soccer has worked as both a unifying and polarizing force. It might be a simplistic thought, but perhaps should Honduras qualify for next June's World Cup it could help start the process of reuniting the country. At the very least for a coupe days at least around the qualifier, maybe it could half the political infighting between Manuel Zelaya and Roberto Micheletti.

From an American perspective, hopefully, it doesn't come at the expense of the U.S.

Full Honduran roster:

Goalkeepers: Noel Valladares (Olimpia), Donis Escober (Olimpia), Ricardo Canales (Motagua).

Defenders: Victor Bernardez (Anderlecht), Osman Chávez (Platense), Maynor Figueroa (Wigan), Oscar Garcia (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Motagua), Erick Norales (Marathon), Carlos Palacios (Real España), Mauricio Sabillon (Marathon).

Midfielders: Edgard Alvarez (Bari), Julio Cesar de Leon (Parma), Ramon Núñez (Cruz Azul), Amado Guevara (Toronto FC), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham), Hendry Thomas (Wigan), Danilo Turcios (Olimpia), Melvin Valladares (Real España).

Forwards: Carlos Pavon (Real España), Carlo Costly (Belchatow), Walter Martinez (Marathon), Jerry Palacios (Marathon), David Suazo (Inter Milan).

Honduras Brings in Big Names for Important Qualifier vs. US originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Americans on Pine a Cause for Concern

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer, International, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

Aside from the fact that they're both a) human beings, b) American international soccer players of African descent and c) from the greater Washington, D.C. area, there aren't too many similarities between Freddy Adu and Oguchi Onyewu, saying nothing of the pair's nearly one-foot height and seven-year age discrepancy.

Adu, as we all recall, entered MLS in 2004 with fanfare worthy of a Michael Bay special effects blockbuster and was supposed to set the league afire with his amazing skill and footwork -- all at 14 years of age. Since his arrival the pint-sized midfielder has played for two MLS clubs, made a much ballyhooed transfer to Portuguese giants Benfica and now at 20 years old finds himself loaned out for the second time in three years.

Meanwhile the same year Adu attempted to burst onto the MLS scene, Onyewu quietly moved from French club Metz to Belgian power Standard Liege, where he blossomed into a hulking central defender with a pair of Jupiler League crowns under his belt. Most American fans probably didn't even know of the alliterative defender's existence until his famous stare-down of Mexican forward Jared Borgetti in the U.S.'s 2-0 win over El Tri in Columbus, Ohio, which booked a place in the 2006 World Cup.

While Onyewu -- who transferred to AC Milan in July -- has been a regular in the U.S. back four since his 2005 breakout, Adu has struggled to make an impact on either the club or country level, but his potential still teases many U.S. fans.

However, a little less than two weeks before the final pair of CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Onyewu and Adu find themselves in similar situations -- stuck on the bench for their club teams. For Adu this is nothing new, as he spent long spell of inactivity at Benfica before being loaned to AS Monaco where he again struggled to crack the starting XI. Currently loaned out to Belenenses in Portugal, Adu has yet to feature since moving there at the end of the summer transfer window in August.

Adu, though, doesn't seemed worried Tweeting on Sept. 19, "Not in the 18 against academica BUT dont worry spoke with the coach and all is good.Wants to take it slow for first couple games.StepBYstep."

Granted, Adu was an extreme long shot to be called into the U.S. fold by coach Bob Bradley, who has made it a point that American internationals need to be playing at their club team in order to feature for the Yanks. This issue reached a boiling point for sections of U.S. supporters who called for the inclusion of Jozy Altidore even though the New Jersey teenager languished on the bench at Villareal before being loaned to Xerez where he also didn't play.

The lack of club playing time didn't seem bother Altidore all that much during the U.S.'s run at June's Confederations Cup, including a famous goal against Spain in the American's 2-0 semifinal win. (The playing time certainly helped Altidore, as he was loaned to Hull City before the start of the Premier League season, where he's now getting steady playing time.)

Yet Bradley's "play-to-play" policy (for lack of a better term) should be put to the test next month when it comes to Onyewu, who has yet to play in a competitive match for Italian giants. In fact, Onyewu now sits fourth on the Milan central defensive depth chart and rarely even makes the final matchday roster. On a personal level for Onyewu, this isn't all that hard to believe, since it takes time to adjust to a new league and language. Long term, too, it could prove a beneficial move for Onyewu, but it will take time to work his way into the starting lineup past Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva and Kakha Kaladze.

Unless suspended or injured, though, Onyewu has been one of Bradley's first names written down on the U.S. team sheet.Will the 6-foot-4 Washington native's lack of playing time be taken into a account when the U.S. heads to Tegucigalpa to play Honduras in a critical match on Oct. 10? Can Bradley risk starting a center back, who may train everyday against the likes of Alexandre Pato and Andrea Pirlo, but isn't being tested in game situations.

And by the same token what to make of the coach's son Michael, who's recently found himself in the doghouse at Borussia Mönchengladbach? (Michael Bradley did play on Tuesday in Gladbach's 1-0 loss to Duisberg in the German Cup, though it was his first appearance since being subbed out at halftime in a 3-0 loss to Werder Bremen on Aug. 23.)

The Onyewu situation would seem the easier to address, since the U.S. could either play Marshall next to Jay DeMerit or slide captain Carlos Bocanegra to the center of the defense. As for the Michael Bradley? If we don't factor in the father-son dynamic, there isn't exactly a ready-made replacement in the center of the field, which could force the elder to shift his tactical lineup with perhaps a pass-first player like Jose Francisco Torres getting the nod.

Onyewu's lack of playing time at Milan also underlines another lingering doubt inside the minds of some U.S. fans, namely the lack of Americans competing in either the UEFA Champions League or to a lesser extent the Europa League. A long held belief by some, is that is the U.S. is truly going to take the next step in international progress, it needs players competing at Europe's top clubs and by extension the Champions League. (In the first Group Stage matchday of the 2009-10 competition, the only American was DaMarcus Beasley, who sat the bench for Rangers.)

For the immediate future, Bob Bradley faces a tough decision, which opens himself up for second guessing. Does he stick with the U.S. regulars (Onyewu, Bradley) even though they're spending time on the bench and could be rusty? Or does he gamble on players who are more in form (Chad Marshall, Benny Feilhaber) though less experienced in the U.S. team fold?

Should the U.S. get the necessary points next month to qualify for South Africa this issue of "play-to-play" could take on added significance as the calendar ticks closer to June 2010, especially if the U.S.'s best player -- Landon Donovan -- decides to act on the rumors and take one final dip in European waters.

Americans on Pine a Cause for Concern originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For US, First Is Deceiving

Brian Straus — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:23:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

A very good friend, a big sports fan who appreciates soccer but doesn't really follow it closely, sent me an e-mail on Thursday morning, hours after the U.S. national team had escaped Trinidad and Tobago with a 1-0 win, saying, "Looked like it was an ugly one but we'll take 3, right? Am I right that the U.S. will coast through and qualify now?"

"Coast?" What would have given him that idea? And then I looked at some of the press reports that circulated following the game. "U.S. moves to verge of 6th straight World Cup berth," said the AP, while CNN's headline was, "United States and Mexico march on to 2010." ESPN mentioned the "vital steps" taken toward qualification, while most other outlets referenced the mere two standings points needed from the final two games to secure a summer in South Africa.

So, we're all set then. It's a mere formality, right?

It's telling that most of the commentary that followed Wednesday's very ugly (and lucky) win are reluctant to discuss how deceiving the Americans' position atop the CONCACAF standings really is. Yes, they're in first place at 5-2-1 and yes, they need just two points from their games at Honduras (Oct. 10) and home to Costa Rica (Oct. 14) to qualify. The U.S. could qualify even after losing both games.

But the truth is that advancement is far from a foregone conclusion. A look at the schedule suggests that the fate of Bob Bradley and Co. very likely will come down to that Oct. 14 game at RFK Stadium -- a winner-take-all match against the Ticos. Combine the tension of a 90-minute battle for a World Cup berth, a quality opponent, CONCACAF refereeing and the very nature of a sport in which one card or crossbar can determine the winner and loser, and you have a pretty uncomfortable scenario.

Just ask the Scots or the Saudis, who saw their South African dreams end this week with one late mistake on home soil.

There are two things to consider -- the schedule and the national team's form. The latter has not been convincing. Falling behind to El Salvador at home demonstrated the side's continuing knack for making critical early errors. The U.S. showed resiliency in coming back to win, but followed that with a disjointed, uninspiring performance in Trinidad that was salvaged only by an unlikely long-range blast from Ricardo Clark. The U.S. won't go far if it's depending on low-scoring defensive midfielders for its offense.

"I know people like to look at teams on paper and say, 'This should be an easy win.' These games are not easy anywhere in the world," Landon Donovan said in Trinidad. "There are a lot of teams that struggle to get through these games. We played well. We didn't play perfect, but we got the result we needed."

He's right, to an extent. Most countries find that qualifying resembles a minefield rather than a cruise. But it was hard not to notice the dropoff in performance compared to the end of the Confederations Cup, and the next two opponents will not be nearly as forgiving as El Salvador and Trinidad.

Which is where the schedule comes in. On Oct. 10, the U.S. heads to Honduras (4-3-1), Mexico (5-3-0) hosts El Salvador (2-4-2) and Costa Rica (4-4-0) entertains Trinidad (1-5-2). With the Salvadorans needing a miracle to stay alive and the Soca Warriors already eliminated, it's nearly impossible to imagine Mexico and Costa Rica failing to take all three points from those matches. In the hexagonal, home teams have compiled a scary 18-3-3 record. Trinidad accounts for two of those defeats, and the third was Mexico's stunning destruction of Costa Rica on Sept. 5.

Honduras is 8-0-0 at home and has outscored its guests 22-3. Based on the Americans' current form, would you bet on them in San Pedro Sula?

Victories by the home sides on Oct. 10 would leave the standings looking like this:

Mexico 18 pts.
Honduras 16 pts. (ahead on goal differential)
USA 16 pts.
Costa Rica 15 pts.

On Oct. 14, Mexico heads to Trinidad and Honduras visits El Salvador. That latter game may be a bit tricky for the Hondurans, even though El Salvador will have been eliminated at that point. But because Honduras will be ahead of the US on goal difference, (it already is up by one and will increase that with a victory on Oct. 10), the Americans will need at least a point against Costa Rica to ensure passage. So we're back to that tense scenario - hoping to avoid a disaster at RFK Stadium in the final game against an equally-desperate opponent.

The odds are still with the U.S. But it is far from a "coast."

For US, First Is Deceiving originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Survives vs. Trinidad and Tobago

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, International Soccer, Soccer Posts, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

It's a good thing that style points don't count for very much in international soccer. Wednesday night, in a must-win 2010 World Cup CONCACAF qualifier, the U.S. squeezed by Trinidad and Tobago in Port-of-Spain by the narrowest of 1-0 margins.

Ricardo Clark's bending blast from just outside the penalty area was the only moment of inspiration or brilliance for the U.S. on the night -- but it proved to be enough to secure the precious three points. The win temporarily pushes the U.S. to the top of the CONCACAF Hexagonal with 16 points, pending the result of Mexico/Honduras later Wednesday night.

After a listless first half, where Trinidad ended up with more shots on target -- including one off the crossbar, U.S. coach Bob Bradley appeared ready to make some changes, namely taking off Clark and bringing on Stuart Holden. On what could have been his final touch of the night, Clark struck gold after collecting a nice pass from the left side from Landon Donovan and ripping a wicked bending shot past Clayton Ince. Donovan, yet again, was the one shining light on the field for the U.S.

The U.S. made Clark's goal hold up for the final half hour as Trinidad never really pressed keeper Tim Howard. In fact, the closest the U.S. came to surrendering the equalizer came in the third minute of stoppage time when Jonathan Bornstein deflected a ball back at Howard, which he went down low to smother.

All-and-all, it wasn't exactly an awe-inspiring performance by the U.S., especially when coupled with a underwhelming 2-1 struggle over El Salvador at home last week.

The only thing Bradley might want to do with the game tape is burn it, as the U.S. struggled for large stretches to simply string more than one pass together. The only bright spot, aside from the three points, was the slew of U.S. players that brought yellow cards into the match avoided the referee's book and won't be suspended for accumulation.

That said, the U.S. did do what they had to do and won their first road match in this stage of qualification -- again, style points don't qualify you for the World Cup. Barring a total collapse in the final two matches -- Oct. 10 at Honduras; Oct. 14 vs. Costa Rica -- the U.S. should reserve its plane tickets to South Africa next June. The U.S. will likely avoid the prospect of a two-match playoff with the fifth-place South American team.

And speaking of the fifth place South American team, as forgettable as the U.S. performance was Wednesday night, at least it wasn't Argentina losing 1-0 at Paraguay (which qualified with the win) to fall into that dreaded fifth-place spot. (Diego Maradona, the Turk wants to see you.)

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Argentina's Javier Zanetti, center, fights for the ball with Paraguay's Jonathan Santana, left, and Paraguay's Cristian Riveros during a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Asuncion, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Cesar Olmedo)

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Argentina's Gabriel Heinze, top, fights for the ball with Paraguay's Enrique Vera during a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match in Asuncion, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Cesar Olmedo)

A young Brazilian supporter waits for the start of their FIFA World Cup South Africa-2010 qualifier football match against Chile at Pituacu stadium, in Salvador, northern Brazil, on September 9, 2009. AFP PHOTO/Mauricio LIMA (Photo credit should read MAURICIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Argentina's Juan Veron walks off the field after being sent off by referee Fagundes Salvio, of Brazil, during their World Cup qualifying soccer match in Asuncion, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Cesar Olmedo)

A small boy supporter of Brazil waits for the beginning of the South American qualifying football match against Chile for the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010, at Pituacu stadium in Salvador, northern Brazil on September 9, 2009. AFP PHOTO/Mauricio LIMA (Photo credit should read MAURICIO LIMA/AFP/Getty Images)

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Uruguay's Luis Suarez, front, celebrates with teammate Edinson Cavani after scoring during a 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer game against Colombia in Montevideo, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

D.C. United goalkeeper Josh Wicks pulls down the ball over Kansas City Wizards midfielder Jack Jewsbury during first half action at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, September 9, 2009. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

MCT

Argentina's substitutes sit at the bench during a World Cup qualifying soccer match against Paraguay in Asuncion, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Cesar Olmedo)

Kansas City Wizards Matt Besler and Jimmy Conrad, right, attempt to head the ball on goal during a corner kick against D.C. United in the first half at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, September 9, 2009. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

MCT

Kansas City Wizards midfielder Herculez Gomez (21) and D.C. United midfielder Rodney Wallace (22) battle for the ball deep in the United zone during first half action at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, September 9, 2009. (Chuck Myers/MCT)

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US Survives vs. Trinidad and Tobago originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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England, Spain Punch Ticket to South Africa

Michael Cardillo — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: European Soccer, FIFA World Cup, International, Soccer Posts

Wednesday England became the ninth team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup thanks to its comprehensive 5-1 victory over recent nemesis Croatia at Wembley Stadium. Manager Fabio Capello completed the turnaround for the Three Lions in the first cycle after missing out on Euro 2008 as they improved to 8-0-0 in qualifiers.

What made England's victory a double-delight is that midfield stars Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard each scored twice. Former England coaches Steve McClaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson were continually criticized for their failure to find a system where both Premier League standouts could function successful for the country.

Wayne Rooney also scored, keeping him atop the UEFA qualifiers leaderboard with nine goals.

England, which qualifies with two games remaining, still could have a major say in who places second in UEFA Group 6 and moves on to the second-place playoffs. Croatia currently sits second with 17 points, two ahead of Ukraine, which has two more games remaining compared to Croatia's one. Ukraine hosts England on Oct. 10 and then plays at Andorra, while Croatia only plays at Kazakhstan on Oct. 14.

Spain also joined England as UEFA 2010 qualifiers on Wednesday, thanks to a 3-0 win over Estonia.

Meanwhile, Serbia and Denmark each failed to automatically clinch berths. Serbia drew 1-1 to 10-man France at home, but still leads Group 7 by four points. Denmark coughed up a 1-0 halftime lead at Albania, drawing 1-1 so it's lead is down to three points over rival Sweden in Group 1.

Overall in UEFA Group 1 remains the group to keep on eye on, because as it stands either Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal or Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden will miss out on South Africa. Sweden seems the more likely to survive, as it benefited from an 81st minute own-goal to win at Malta 1-0 Wednesday. This comes days after Ibrahimivic's 93rd minute winner at Hungary, which revived Swedish hopes.

Sweden plays at Denmark on Oct. 10 in the group's most important match. As you'll no doubt recall, the two met in Euro 2008 qualifying, when a Danish fan rushing onto the field forcing the match to be abandoned.

Portugal, even with it's 1-0 win away to Hungary Wednesday, still face an uphill climb needing to beat the Magyars at home on Oct. 10 to stay alive and other results to fall in its favor.

Elsewhere across European qualifying Slovakia maintained its lead in Group 3 and appears on track to qualify for its first World Cup since splitting with the Czech Republic. Five teams remain in line for second place with Slovenia, North Ireland, the Czech Republic and Poland all still mathematically alive.

Group 2 remains a four-horse race with Switzerland (17 points), trying to fend off Greece (14), Latvia (14) and Israel (12).

In Group 4 its down to powers Germany (22 points) and Russia (21), with everyone else in the group eliminated. As luck would have it, Russia hosts Germany on Oct. 10, so queue up your World War II references.

Italy is on the verge of qualifying atop Group 8 after beating Bulgaria 2-0 Wednesday. The Republic of Ireland remains on track to finish second and hosts the Azzurri on Oct. 10.

Finally in Group 9, the Netherlands finished a perfect 8-0-0 campaign with a late 1-0 win vs. Scotland, which eliminated the Tartan Army. Norway currently finishes second in the group but needs other results to break in its favor to gain the UEFA second-place playoffs.

The UEFA playoffs will be contested on Nov. 10 and 14.

England, Spain Punch Ticket to South Africa originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Needs Another Big Win in Trinidad

Brian Straus — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

Twenty years ago, the U.S. national team took its first legitimate step onto the global stage thanks to a perfect half-volley from Paul Caligiuri that vaulted the Americans to a 1-0 win at Trinidad & Tobago and their first World Cup since 1950.

Wednesday night, the U.S. returns to Port of Spain as a recognized global contender, but the stakes are just as high. Perhaps more than any other country, the growth, legitimacy and visibility of the sport in the United States depends on World Cup qualification. With just one point separating the top four teams in CONCACAF and the Americans' road difficulties making a playoff with a South American side an unappetizing prospect, a win in Trinidad is critical to ensuring a place in South Africa next summer.

More: England, Spain Punch Ticket to South Africa

Three games remain for each team in the Hexagonal, and while Trinidad (1-4-2) and El Salvador (1-4-2) have not been mathematically eliminated, their hopes have all but been extinguished. That leaves the U.S. (4-2-1), Honduras (4-2-1), Mexico (4-3-0) and Costa Rica (4-3-0) to slug it out for the three automatic berths.

Two months ago, people were pondering a World Cup without the Mexicans. Now, especially after their stunning 3-0 win at Estadio Saprissa over the weekend, they must be considered the favorites to finish atop the six-team group. El Tri has been re-invigorated since the arrival of Javier Aguirre and has the best young attacking talent in the region. They also are the only one of the top four teams that will play two of their final three games at home, and as everyone knows, the Azteca advantage is significant.

The U.S. will finish at Honduras on Oct. 10 and vs. Costa Rica four days later at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. Those games are far from sure things. The Hondurans have won all eight of their home qualifiers in the current cycle and have outscored their guests by a combined 22-3. The Costa Ricans could be playing for their World Cup lives and dismantled the U.S. in their previous meeting. There will be no room for error, and no excuses, if the Americans fail to secure all three points in Trinidad (ESPN Classic, 7PM ET).

"We understand how important every game is here at the end. The way results have gone thus far, there haven't been many ties and teams have won at home, so teams are bunched at the top," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said after Saturday's win over El Salvador. "We have to continue to fight for every point."

The U.S. has its share of success in Trinidad, including the famous 1989 win. Despite a loss there last fall when, with qualification to the Hexagonal secured, Bradley fielded a side composed largely of reserves, the U.S. has more than held its own at Hasely Crawford Stadium with a 4-4-2 record. Considering the Soca Warriors precarious position, several Americans wondered if the home-field advantage might be reduced even further.

"I don't think anybody gives up, but obviously it's deflating for them," goalie Tim Howard said. "It's still a home game and you wonder how their crowd will react to them. Will they get on their backs or will they give them a lift? It's tough to say. I think the best thing for us is to go down there with our focus and the right mindset."

"They're playing at home, so they'll have some pride," Landon Donovan said. "It's hard to know what to expect."

One sure thing is the return of defender Oguchi Onyewu from yellow-card suspension. The Milan man will take his place in the middle of Bradley's back four. Jay DeMerit will not play because of a groin injury, leaving Bradley to decide whether to keep the more inexperienced Chad Marshall in the middle and move captain Carlos Bocanegra out to the left, or whether to simply replace Marshall with Onyewu.

Jonathan Bornstein struggled against El Salvador, and made a critical mistake leading to the opening goal, which perhaps may be enough to earn Marshall a cap on Wednesday. Right back Jonathan Spector was beaten on the Salvadorans' goal as well, but he adds a passing dimension that Bornstein lacks.

Bradley would be wise to stick with the Jozy Altidore-Charlie Davies pairing up top and should trust that Donovan and Clint Dempsey will be able to engineer chances against a defense that has yielded 15 goals during the Hexagonal, the most by far.

The other concern is yellow card peril. Nine players (Altidore, Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Ricardo Clark, Dempsey, Donovan and Benny Feilhaber) would miss the Honduras match with a card on Wednesday.

With the standings so tight, something as simple as a late tackle in midfield could have an impact on the U.S.' qualifying prospects.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Mexico will entertain Honduras at Azteca and Costa Rica will visit El Salvador.

US Needs Another Big Win in Trinidad originally appeared on Soccer FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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