Cheat Sheet for US World Cup Training Camp

Worried you won't recognize that one World Cup player?

Want to impress the once-every-four-years soccer fans in the office by name dropping right and left?

Got a pen and paper? Because I'm going to break down all 30 of the players heading to Princeton, New Jersey for 10 days of training, followed by two send-off games.


GOALKEEPERS

Tim Howard
Age: 31
Club: Everton FC
Senior Caps:49





Brad Guzan
Age: 25
Club: Aston Villa
Senior Caps: 15





Marcus Hahnemann
Age: 37
Club: Wolverhampton Wanders
Senior Caps: 6






DEFENDERS

Carlos Bocanegra (C)
Age: 30
Club: Rennes
Senior Caps: 77
Senior Goals: 12




Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)
Age: 25
Club: Chivas USA
Senior Caps: 29
Senior Goals: 2




Steve Cherundolo
Age: 31
Club: Hannover
Senior Caps: 57
Senior Goals: 2




Jay DeMerit
Age: 30
Club: Watford
Senior Caps: 17
Senior Goals: 0




Clarence Goodson
Age: 27
Club: Start
Senior Caps: 11
Senior Goals: 2




Chad Marshall
Age: 25
Club: Columbus Crew
Senior Caps: 11
Senior Goals: 1




Oguchi Onyewu
Age: 27
Club: AC Milan
Senior Caps: 51
Senior Goals: 5




Heath Pearce
Age: 25
Club: FC Dallas
Senior Caps: 31
Senior Goals: 0




Jonathan Spector
Age: 24
Club: West Ham United
Senior Caps: 24
Senior Goals: 0





MIDFIELDERS

DaMarcus Beasley
Age: 27
Club: Rangers
Senior Caps: 90
Senior Goals: 17




Alejandro Bedoya
Age: 23
Club: Örebro
Senior Caps: 2
Senior Goals: 0




Michael Bradley
Age: 22
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Senior Caps: 41
Senior Goals: 7




Ricardo Clark
Age: 27
Club: Houston Dynamo
Senior Caps: 27
Senior Goals: 2




Clint Dempsey
Age: 27
Club: Fulham
Senior Caps: 60
Senior Goals: 17




Landon Donovan
Age: 28
Club: LA Galaxy
Senior Caps: 121
Senior Goals: 42




Maurice Edu
Age: 24
Club: Rangers
Senior Caps: 12
Senior Goals: 0




Benny Feilhaber
Age: 25
Club: Aarhus
Senior Caps: 31
Senior Goals: 2




Stuart Holden
Age: 24
Club: Bolton
Senior Caps: 12
Senior Goals: 2




Sacha Kljestan
Age: 24
Club: Chivas USA
Senior Caps: 23
Senior Goals: 4




Robbie Rogers
Age: 24
Club: Columbus Crew
Senior Caps: 11
Senior Goals: 1




José Torres
Age: 22
Club: Pachuca
Senior Caps: 8
Senior Goals: 0





FORWARDS

Jozy Altidore
Age: 20
Club: Villarreal
Senior Caps: 24
Senior Goals: 8




Edson Buddle
Age: 28
Club: LA Galaxy
Senior Caps: 1
Senior Goals: 0




Brian Ching
Age: 31
Club: Houston Dynamo
Senior Caps: 44
Senior Goals: 11




Robbie Findley
Age: 24
Club: Real Salt Lake
Senior Caps: 4
Senior Goals: 0




Herculez Gomez
Age: 28
Club: Puebla
Senior Caps: 2
Senior Goals: 0




Eddie Johnson
Age: 26
Club: Aris Thessaloniki
Senior Caps: 40
Senior Goals: 12

USMNT 30 Man Initial World Cup Roster Announced

Bob Bradley announced the US Men's National Team 30 man initial World Cup roster Tuesday at 2:00pm. These players will take part in a training camp beginning May 15, but only 23 will make the trip to South Africa in June.

U.S. TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY POSITION (source):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton)

DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS (12): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

Let the speculation of who will make it and who will be sent home agonizingly shy of their dream begin.

Will ESPN's Gamble on the World Cup Pay Off?

original photo: news.haverford.edu

ESPN pronounced this week that its investment in the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the largest it has ever made on a single sporting event, with the sports broadcaster hoping to improve viewership by 25 to 50 percent over 2006's coverage.

Quoted in the Financial Times, ESPN Executive Vice President for Content, John Skipper said, "We’re pulling out all the stops to make sure people pay attention to the game, because we’re convinced that when they pay attention they’re going to fall in love with the game."

In other words, ESPN and ABC (both of which are owned by Disney) have taken it upon themselves to spread the good word about Soccer to an infamously hostile general public in America.

But will it work and what will it do for the long-term popularity of soccer?

During the 2006 World Cup in Germany - the first time all 64 world cup matches were available in the United States - ABC saw a 103 percent increase from 2002 coverage, while ESPN saw an increase of 150 percent and ESPN 2 saw an increase of nearly 67 percent (NY Times 2006 World Cup Blog).

So adding another 25 to 50 percent on these numbers, it seems like soccer (or at least the Wolrd Cup) has been making astronomical strides over the last 8 years. But if you'll allow me to crunch some more numbers, the growth seems a bit more measured:

• There are roughly 112 million TV households in the US
• A 25 percent increase in ESPN's coverage alone would amount to 1.7 million households, a mere 1.5 percent of all households.
  
• The Super Bowl, by comparison, draws half of all TV households

The bottom line? Even if ABC/ESPN meets its goals of increasing World Cup viewership by 50 percent, it will still be a poor showing for the world's biggest sporting event during a notoriously slow time for sports coverage in the United States.

Despite all the saber rattling, soccer still has a long way to go in the United States. The best thing that can happen for the sport is for the US Men's National Team to have a good run.

A Friend of Mine Doesn't Like the 2010 USMNT Jersey

The time is soon drawing nigh when all of us soccer fans descend upon the online stores and pick out our official gear for the World Cup. A scarf, a flag and - more than likely - the kit of our home country. With our trifecta of gear most of us will be ready to down a few beers and start yelling at the TV come the second weekend of June.

And therein with the third part of that ensemble lies a problem: A friend of mine doesn't like the new US Men's National Team jersey.



It's not that it's an ugly jersey, it's just not his cup of tea. To be completely honest, he doesn't wear "sashes" well. Unless he's the mayor of a thoroughly charming 19th century town, he doesn't really see why there should be a sash on ANYTHING.

So what does this friend of mine do? Is he a bad fan if he buys a US scarf and say ... the Australian National Team Jersey? You know, to show some multilateralism in his international soccer fandom?

10 Things to Watch this MLS Season

The 2010 Major League Soccer season kicks off this weekend and here are the top 10 things to watch for as the teams return to the field:

10. Robbie Rogers



With all eyes on the "bubble players" vying for seats on the plane to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in just a few months, it's now of never for Rogers. If there was a season for Rogers to start living up to his two-footed potential, it's now. If he does, it will be impossible for anyone to keep their eyes off this dynamic midfielder.


9. The Sons of Ben



For some reason, I'm fascinated with this year's new kids on the block, the Philadelphia Union. However, they did not make the best showing during the opening game of the season at Seattle's Qwest Field last Thursday. While the fan base and support is fantastic now, this season will be rocky and in the end, it will be a fascinating litmus test for future expansion franchises who may not see as much first season success as the Sounders.


8. Houston's recovery



With the loss of Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark, there are a lot of people wondering where the goals will come from. On the other hand, some feel it will be a "groundbreaking season" for the Dynamo. It'll just be hard to tell if that ground will be positive or negative.


7. New York's revival



The opening of the New York Red Bulls new arena has got the players, management and fans speculating on just how much the franchise will improve this year. Combined with the excitement surrounding the signing of Ibrahim Salou, New York may be the rising star to watch this season.


6. Roger Torres



If anyone stood out for the Philadelphia Union, it was 18 year old Colombian sensation, Roger Torres. While he is only on loan from the Colombian team America de Cali, if he can make a home for himself in MLS, he will certainly become one of the league's stars


5. Toronto FC



Toronto FC is overdue for a breakout season. And with the pending introduction of Vancouver's MLS franchise in 2011, now is as good of a time as any for Toronto to step up and bring some pride to Canadian soccer.

4. The Seattle Sounders' Playoff Run



After the Sounders met and exceeded expectations last year with a US Cup win in their inaugural MLS season, this season, the Green Army is demanding more of their team: an MLS cup. There is no doubt that if the Sounders can combine their tremendous fan support and talent, a spectacular cup run may just be in the works.


3. Fan Attendance



Ok, so it's kind of a "No Shit, Sherlock" bullet point, but it's easily overlooked and this list is long, so lay off. The long-term viability and legitimacy of the league depend on these numbers and also on the TV deals with FOX and ESPN.


2. The World Cup Break



There are two important things to watch while the MLS takes a break during the World Cup in June: 1.) The TV viewership for both the US games and the final itself and 2.) The performance of MLS players. Both are important to the success of MLS and the future of soccer in the United States.


1. Landon Donovan



Donovan's spectacular loan stint at Everton FC had fans of the blue half of Merseyside begging for him to stay. But now that Donovan is back with the Galaxy with only months to the World Cup kicks off, many people are wondering about his future and harboring a measured optimisim that he will produce a prolific performance in South Africa.