USMNT News and Notes

Being his own Bradley

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The 24-year-old U.S. and Chievo Verona midfielder is ready to talk about
one of his least favorite subjects: Michael Bradley. "There's a certain
part of what we do that unfortunately can't always be just held for
yourself," he says, sitting hunched over. He talks slowly, considering
every word, starting his sentences over, grimacing, staring off into the
distance for a second or two and then staring over again. "So, there's
the part of that … which … you know, which parts of that are you gonna
… erm … are you gonna give people a look at … are you going to let
them in on? For me, I don't feel the … I've never been somebody who's
felt the need to … on the outside of the team … or publicly … be in
the limelight or advertise myself."

"The most important stuff isn't the publicity and the Twitter," says
Bradley. "That's not who I am. What I choose to focus my energy and
concentration on is what am I all about as a player and as a person and
what can I do to make myself the best possible player and what can I do
to help whatever team I'm on win."

But there's the rub. Whereas for years the hyper-focused, no-frills
Bradley quietly went about his work in the middle of the U.S. midfield
-- closing gaps, backing up teammates, distributing, defending, tracking
back, joining the attack -- he's gotten so good at his job lately that
the limelight has come to him.

Klinsmann battling to find the right formation for the United States

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Which formation is right for the United States?

It is a dilemma that Bob Bradley faced during his tenure as head coach and now follows his successor Jurgen Klinsmann.

Grant Wahl: U.S. set to embark on long, trying qualifying road to World Cup 2014

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The long qualifying road to World Cup 2014 starts on Friday in Tampa
for the U.S. men's national team, and while the first semifinal-round
opponent (tiny Antigua and Barbuda) shouldn't provide much resistance,
there's always a danger in taking World Cup qualifying for granted. The
U.S. is one of only seven nations to reach the last six World Cups --
along with Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain --
and at least 16 qualifying games over the next 17 months stand between
the Yanks and Brazil 2014. As always, there are no guarantees.

In
the 21st century, the World Cup is a big-time event in the U.S., a
mainstream attraction that draws TV audiences comparable to those for
the World Series and the NBA Finals. But the World Cup isn't just a
32-nation tournament that takes place over the span of a month every
four years. In fact, most countries call that event the World Cup finals
to distinguish it from the marathon global qualifying campaign that
lasts 29 months and involves more national teams than there are members
of the United Nations.

Mixed results for Klinsmann, United States

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Jurgen Klinsmann called it a mini-tournament, a stretch of five games in 18 days meant to simulate the challenge the US national
team will face at a World Cup. The scheduling was ambitious, but done
with a clear purpose, even if it might lead to some disappointing
performances.

The results were mixed. The team finished 2-1-2, outscoring opponents 10-6 (with the help of a 5-0 opening win against Scotland). Most importantly, the USA started World Cup qualifying with four points to lead its group.

Overall though, it’s tough to come away from the recent stretch of
games feeling better about the national team than before it. Prior to
the five-game run, there was a real sense of confidence about the team
after the historic win against Italy in February. What the recent games
have done is magnify the team’s clear weaknesses, and detail the fact
that the national team is still very much a work in progress.

USA falls to Mexico in U-17 Copa Saprissa final

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The USA fell to Mexico, 3-1, in the final of the Copa Saprissa under-17 tournament held in Costa Rica.

It was the Americans' second loss to Mexico in the tournament at which they finished with a 3-2-2 record.

Mexico scored twice within the first 25 minutes, and USA then lost midfielder Aaron Meyer to a red card in the 35th minute.

Timothy Chandler continues to string us along

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It has been almost a year since Timmy Chandler last played for the U.S. men's national team and although he has turned down a number of recent call-ups due to injuries or fatigue, the talented youngster insists he is still open to representing the United States in the near future.

Despite not suiting up for the U.S. team since last November's friendly win over Slovenia, and even with him rejecting cap-tying matches throughout the year, Chandler insists he is still interested in playing for the United States. The 22-year-old right back maintains that FC Nurnberg are currently his first priority, but he is not opposed to getting called into the next USMNT camp, which will take place next month ahead of two cap-tying World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala and Antigua & Barbuda.

"I'm still happy to play for the U.S. national team but right now I want to commit 100 percent to Nurnberg and stay here with the team during this time," Chandler told SBI through a translator. "But in October and until the rest of the year there are enough games for the national team and if [U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann] still wants to invite me, there's still an opportunity I'll play."