Filed under: US Soccer , La Liga (Spain) , U.S. Men’s National Team , New York Red Bulls EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — U.S. national team forward Jozy Altidore ‘s release by his club, Villarreal, to play in Tuesday’s friendly against Brazil could be viewed as a sign that the Spanish power doesn’t require him for their preseason preparations and is ready to offload the 20-year-old striker. Altidore doesn’t view it that way. “I expect to be there,” he said after training here at the New Meadowlands Stadium.” When’s the first game? Ha. I’m just kidding. It’s a Europa League game on the 16th. So yeah, I expect to be there.” Actually, the game is Aug. 19 , but if Altidore is ready to go three days earlier, all the better. His prospects have been the source of some speculation since his one-season loan to England’s Hull City expired before the World Cup. Hull had no interesting in purchasing Altidore’s rights, and who could blame it? He scored just one Premier League goal and was sent off for headbutting an opponent in the season finale. ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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Filed under: European Soccer , US Soccer , La Liga (Spain) Criticized for not having as much success in Europe as he was able to find in MLS play, celebrated American striker Jozy Altidore could be on the brink of turning things around overseas. The 20-year-old Altidore scored the game-tying goal Sunday in a friendly between his Spanish squad Villareal, and Turkish club Besiktas. Watch video of the goal below. ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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Filed under: MLS , Los Angeles Galaxy Clint Mathis retired from professional soccer Saturday night, at the stadium where his pro career began. The 33-year-old Mathis was honored before his final match, a friendly at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. between the L.A. Galaxy and European super-club Real Madrid. Mathis’ wife and children joined him at center pitch before the match, and he was presented with a trophy of a soccer boot and a framed Galaxy jersey. The trophy had the inscription “Clint, vielen dank fuer die memories. -adidas”, which means “Clint, thanks very much for the memories” in German. Mathis, who started his pro career with the Galaxy in 1998, came off in the 27th minute after getting a few limited touches on the ball. ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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Filed under: MLS , La Liga (Spain) , Bundesliga (Germany) , U.S. Men’s National Team , Columbus Crew , Los Angeles Galaxy German-born midfielder Jermaine Jones’ debut with the U.S. national team has been postponed again, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced late Thursday, and Jozy Altidore (right) will fill the roster spot for Tuesday’s high-profile friendly against Brazil. Jones, 28, who has an American father, decided more than a year ago to represent the United States in international competition. But a shin injury delayed his first appearance and forced him to miss the 2009-10 season with Bundesliga club Schalke 04. He’s been a regular participant in the team’s preseason matches, however, and was named by U.S. coach Bob Bradley to the 18-man side that will take on Brazil at the New Meadowlands Stadium next week. “Jones initially accepted the invite, but after further discussions will remain with FC Schalke to prepare for his first competitive matches in more than a year,” stated a press release from U.S. Soccer. ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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Filed under: MLS , D.C. United Once Major League Soccer’s flagship franchise, D.C. United hit rock bottom on Wednesday with the announcement that head coach Curt Onalfo (right), hired just seven months ago, has been fired. The club is dead last in MLS at 3-12-3 and said that former midfielder Ben Olsen, who retired just one month before Onalfo was hired, will guide the team for the remainder of this lost season. “This was a difficult and painful decision,” United President and CEO Kevin Payne said. “Curt is an outstanding person and a fine coach. This has certainly been a trying season, made more so by a number of factors outside of anyone’s control. This decision is not about placing blame, but about looking forward. Recent performances have convinced us that we need to make a change at the top for the team to improve the remainder of this season, for 2011 and beyond.” It marks the first time in club history that D.C. has dismissed a coach mid-season, and the first time any United coach has lasted fewer than two full years. It’s winless in its past six league matches. Payne, along with general manager Dave Kasper, have presided over D.C. United’s decay. The club captured its league-record fourth MLS Cup title in 2004 and followed that up with the Supporters Shield trophy (best regular-season record) in 2006 and 2007. But playoff failures began to weigh heavily on the decision-makers, and the franchise’s fruitless attempts to secure a new stadium (and former co-owner Victor MacFarlane’s withdrawal) have taxed it in more ways than one. Meanwhile, poor personnel decisions and a litany of lousy foreign signings have resulted in a squad on which a 17-year-old, Andy Najar, is the best player. We’re not sure why Payne’s declaration that “We need to make a change at the top” doesn’t include Kasper or himself. Certainly, injuries have taken a heavy toll this season. But the injured players aren’t exactly national team caliber. ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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Filed under: European Soccer , English Premier League , U.S. Men’s National Team Perhaps no player on the 2010 U.S. World Cup roster had as much to gain or to lose in his professional career than 20-year-old forward Jozy Altidore . Although we’ve seen Landon Donovan emerge as a breakout, cross-over media star in the wake of the U.S.’s run to the Round of 16, as far as soccer terms go Donovan is who he is at this point. Any doubts that he couldn’t — assuming he wants to — go to a big European club and succeed are but a distant whimper now. Yet it’s Altidore — a player U.S. fans have pinned so many hopes and expectations on — who could have made himself a hot commodity in the summer transfer season after his year-long loan to Premier League club Hull City from Villareal ended in May. As it stands today, however, with the club season rapidly approaching, Altidore’s club status remains in flux.   Permalink  |  Email this  |  Linking Blogs  |  Comments

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Filed under: FIFA World Cup , US Soccer , U.S. Men’s National Team , United States IRENE, South Africa — The U.S. national team’s elimination from the World Cup gave coach Bob Bradley the opportunity to lower his guard and talk about the performances of a few key players, as well as some of the decisions he made during the course of the four games. Some of those decisions, like choosing Steve Cherundolo to play left back and bringing in Benny Feilhaber to help change the pace of the Slovenia and Algeria games, worked. Others, like starting Ricardo Clark and Robbie Findley against Ghana on Saturday, did not. Share ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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Filed under: FIFA World Cup , Soccer Posts , Portugal , Spain FanHouse has a Spain vs. Portugal live blog for a World Cup 2010 round of 16 match in Cape Town, South Africa on Tuesday. Surely, the Iberian Peninsula will stop for 90 minutes while this match is played. But Spain vs. Portugal should provide a treat for all who find time to watch these powerful soccer countries clash for a chance at the winner of Paraguay vs. Japan in the quarterfinal. Recap: David Villa Scores, Spain Tops Portugal More Live Blogs Sunday: Paraguay vs. Japan More FanHouse UK: Latest Injury News | Where Are They Now? | Full Coverage ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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Filed under: FIFA World Cup , U.S. Men’s National Team , Algeria , Ghana , United States IRENE, South Africa — The U.S. national team’s dramatic, Group C-clinching victory over Algeria on Wednesday produced the kind of glory you’d want to bask in, the kind of history you’d want to reflect on and some pretty significant knocks, cuts and bruises from which you’d appreciate some time to recover. All take time, and that’s not even considering the need to prepare for the round-of-16 match against Ghana. The U.S. has less than three days. And befitting a team that hasn’t been phased by anything during the World Cup, they’re just fine with that. ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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Filed under: FIFA World Cup , Cameroon , Netherlands CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The players were delighted, the coach was discomforted. So which is the real Netherlands team at the World Cup? The Dutch produced their first goals of flair and finesse to beat Cameroon 2-1 and set up a second-round match with Slovakia.Robin Van Persie finished off an end-to-end move in the 36th minute, and substitute Arjen Robben sent a shot against the post in the 83rd that Klaas Jan Huntelaar only had to slide in for the winner. In between, Samuel Eto’o scored on penalty kick for Cameroon. The Dutch won Group E with three victories. They play Slovakia on Monday in Durban. “Our play was good,” Van Persie said. “We can be really pleased with this.” Not necessarily, according to coach Bert van Marwijk. “We were far too nonchalant in the second half,” Van Marwijk complained. “Our final spell put us on the right track again, but consider this a serious warning.” Perhaps Van Marwijk was seeking to avoid his team getting overconfident as it heads into the knockout round. Playing with poise and confidence, the Dutch often thrilled the crowd of 63,093 with their creative moves. Yet Eto’o and Cameroon often were able to pierce the defense and threaten goalie Maarten Stekelenburg. In the 73rd minute, the tens of thousands of orange-clad fans in the Green Point Stadium cheered when Robben made his debut at the World Cup almost three weeks after sustaining a left hamstring injury in a warmup game. He immediately showed his value. After tiptoeing carefully during his first moves, he was served a pass on the right wing 10 minutes after coming on. With a move so often seen during his sterling season with Bayern Munich, he cut inside, beat defenders and curled a shot past goalkeeper Hamidou Souleymanou. It crashed against the post and Huntelaar was in the right place to give the Netherlands the win. “It is good to be back. I had to get back in the groove and it worked. Too bad the shot did not go in,” Robben said. Added Netherlands defender John Heitinga: “He showed he can really break open any game.” Cameroon lost all three of its matches. After the third loss, coach Paul Le Guen announced he was leaving the position with Cameroon. “I ended my mission. Now I will reflect carefully,” he said. After two victories, coach Bert van Marwijk sought to keep the momentum and played both midfielder Nigel de Jong and Van Persie, even though both would have been excluded from the Slovakia game if they drew another yellow card. Instead, Van Persie scored a typical Dutch goal in the 36th minute, one that flowed from defense to attack with crisp, pinpoint passing and ended with a precise shot. After Dirk Kuyt took the ball up the right side, Van Persie played a neat one-two with Rafael van der Vaart, and then shot through the legs of Souleymanou from a tight angle. Cameroon, which put Africa on the soccer map when it reached the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup, did not give up. Van der Vaart handled a free kick by Geremi in the area. Eto’o scored on the penalty kick. Late in the game, Cameroon defender Rigobert Song made a cameo appearance in his fourth World Cup. Copyright 2010 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. Follow Us on Twitter Friend Us on Facebook ? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Linking?Blogs ?|? Comments

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