American head coach Bob Bradley found out right away that his Beasley at left back experiment is not working out well as the Rangers' man made a mistake which lead to Costa Rica's opening goal just after the first minute in San Jose at Estadio Saprissa. Beasley gave up the ball cheaply and it eventually found it's way to Saborio who with the help of some keystone kops-esque defending placed the ball wonderfully into the top corner of Tim Howard's goal.

Beasley, again playing out of position as a left back, was also responsable for El Salvador's second goal last time the US played a match on the road.

Costa Rica continued to give the Americans a lesson by stringing several passes together and stomping out any US passes near the box save for a few that went on to become wasted corner.

Soon the Ticos would make it two, a well worked move up the left wing lead to a short cross in the box which midfielder Borges had no trouble finishing.

At halftime Bradley brought on Sacha Kljestan for Jose Torres in hopes of creating more (read: any) chances against a solid, yet little worked Costa Rica defense. The switch didn't go as planned and Costa Rica opened with a flurry and didn't relent until they found a third goal to kill the match.

That goal came in the 69th minute up the right hand side as Herrera sliced open the majority of the US defense to slide the ball slowly into Howard's goal. It was a classic.

The third goal put the game beyond doubt for the Ticos who were content to defend for the remaining 20 minutes. In stoppage time Costa Rica committed an infraction in the box which lead to a Landon Donovan penalty, little more than consolation on a bad night for the US, and an excellent one for Costa Rica.

Bob Bradley should expect to have his team selection heavily questioned over the next few days, particularly as he left Jonathan Bornstein on the bench in favor of makeshift defender Beasley, and utility defender Jonathan Spector out of the squad all together.

According to Soccer By Ives, fifty-eight of the seventy venues contacted by the United States Soccer Federation have expressed interest in hosting World Cup matches. The twelve venues that expressed no interest are all NCAA (American) football venues.

Of the remaining stadiums there are many that I have questions about, specifically their ability to fit an international sized pitch. I know that the field can be raised at the expense of some sections of seating but I don't really think FIFA or the USSF wants to do that this time.

Well, it is good to see interest from so many cities anyway.

The USSF recently released a list of potential venues it is studying to host World Cup matches if the United States is awarded either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup by FIFA. Some of the venues listed are obvious, some are mind-boggling.

With that said, here's my fantasy World Cup bid: [Non corporate name required for WC]

Pod A (East) -

• Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey): As it serves the largest city in the country this is an obvious choice.
• Lincoln Financial Field [Philadelphia WC Stadium] (Philadelphia, PA): It was between Philadelphia and Foxborough, I picked Philadelphia though I have nothing against New England.
• New Stadium (Washington, District of Columbia)*: You'd expect the national capital to host matches but DC's treatment of DC United is nothing short of shameful. After bending over backwards to steal the baseball Nationals from Montreal and then build them a stadium the District has treated United, a championship team, like a second-class citizen and if they continue to do so...
• Bank of America Stadium [Carolina Stadium] (Charlotte, North Carolina)*: Charlotte should step in and host in DC's place if the mistreatment of United continues. Charlotte is a capable host (indeed, it plays host to 300,000 visitors twice for events a year and has hosted numerous basketball finals) and a very willing host. Charlotte has gone above and beyond to make people attending special events feel at home. Quietly, with four solid USL teams, North Carolina is one of the homes of American soccer.

Pod B (South) -

• Dolphin Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida): Again, an obvious choice given Miami's appeal to tourists and Americans alike. The very cosmopolitan city would be a great fit.
• Reliant Stadium [Houston WC Stadium] (Houston, Texas): Houston was actually questionable for me because it's seemingly adverse to mass transit (a MUST during a major event like this). But it is a very, very large city and it would be insane to leave it out.
• LP Field [The Nashville Coliseum] (Nashville, Tennessee): I picked this over Atlanta and Birmingham. Birmingham was my second choice. Nashville and Birmingham seem to embrace soccer events and have stadiums that can actually host internationals. Birmingham is in a dodgy financial situation and wouldn't be able to upgrade Legion Field so Nashville got the nod.

Pod C (Heartland) -

• Soldier Field (Chicago, Illinois): A very obvious choice. Chicago has always been supportive of international events and the second city would welcome the World Cup with open arms.
• New Cowboys Stadium [Arlington WC Stadium] (Arlington, Texas): I have to admit, I think it's a tacky monument to excess. But it has to be included. I still love the Cotton Bowl though.
• Lucas Oil Stadium [Indianapolis WC Stadium] (Indianapolis, Indiana): A great venue, and like Charlotte, a very willing host.

Pod D (West) -

• Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California): A heavy refurbishment would be required but the most storied venue in the American game cannot be forgotten.
• Qwest Field [Seattle WC Stadium] (Seattle, Washington): Seattle is a soccer hotbed and a wonderful city. It's a natural fit for matches.
• University of Phoenix Stadium [Glendale WC Stadium] (Glendale, Arizona): A great venue.

Knockout round assignments -

• Eighthfinals: Glendale, Houston, DC/Charlotte, Indianapolis, Nashville, Chicago, Pasadena, East Rutherford
• Quarterfinals: Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Miami Gardens
• Semifinals: Arlington, East Rutherford
• Consolation: Miami Gardens
• Final: Pasadena

I understand that Pasadena would be an unpopular choice with many for the final, but it was either that or Chicago. While New York and Dallas would be glamor venues the soul of the American game isn't there, it is in LA.

As I said, while it may be an obvious host, the USSF and FIFA should punish DC if it's treatment of United continues as it is. Charlotte has proven it's mettle in the past and would not let them down as a reserve host. Other cities to be considered are obviously Foxborough, Orlando, Tampa, Stanford, and Minneapolis.

So, what would you change? Would you kill me for making these suggestions?

Veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller kept his third consecutive clean sheet on Saturday as he captained his Seattle Sounders to a 2-0 victory over Toronto at a windy BMO Field.

Since 2007, Keller has found himself in the National team wasteland despite having never officially retired from international football. Much of this has to do with his age, he'll be 40 in November, and sporadic appearances for Fulham last season. But even with these factors it's easy to see that Kasey Keller is still deserving of Bob Bradley's attention. Indeed the questionable performance of current number two Brad Guzan in El Salvador may have Bradley and his staff making passing glances at Qwest Field.

Keller brings a depth of experience to a young Seattle side in need of leaders, and together with Freddie Ljungberg has done a tremendous job of leading a team which surprisingly sits atop Major League Soccer with three wins from three matches, and has yet to concede a goal.

It's would be easy to say the success is based in large part on the opposition but New York made the MLS Cup final last season, Salt Lake just ripped apart MLS champions Columbus, and Toronto was unbeaten going into Saturday's match. Seattle's early success is no fluke, and it's due in large part to the play and leadership of their captain.

If Bob Bradley wants to put together his best squad it must include Keller. While he is older than his competitors for the position he has done a tremendous job of keeping himself in top shape both mentally and physically. If he continues to play into next season, and the indications are that he will, and manages to get selected to the World Cup squad Keller would have been involved in World Cup football as a player for 20 years, having played at Italia 90.

He is surely still worth a look.

There's a good turn out at LP Field in Nashville. Nashville seems to be a good place for national team matches.

The United States dominated play throughout the match with Landon Donovan the chief architect of most chances and Jozy Altidore the recipient of some great passes scoring a hat-trick.

After a respectable first half Trinidad were simply overpowered in the second as the US played a mix of slide rule passes and long balls to break apart the Soca Warriors rearguard.

Early in the first half the US got off the mark after a lovely lead up saw Donovan place a low cross perfectly for Altidore to guide passed Clayton Ince.

T&T did manage a few forays forward in the first half, mostly through Carlos Edwards running up the right wing but strikers John and Jones were unable to finish.

The Americans turned on the style soon after the break with Donovan involved finding Altidore who left Trinidad skipper Dennis Lawrence on his back to make it 2-0.

Trinidad would have a chance in the second half but watched Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones blaze over the bar.

Later would come the Americans third as Michael Bradley latched onto a long ball and found Landon Donovan who again teed up Altidore who did not waste his chance, unlike when he missed from a yard out before half time.

The win sees the USA reaffirm their position atop the table as Trinidad find themselves with work to do.

The OleOle adboards are pretty cool.

Man of the Match: Donovan (USA). I would have gone with Altidore but that miss was something else.

On a different note, I hope someone punched the (one) redneck that screamed during the moment of silence. Show some class, really.

El Salvador will count themselves unlucky.

Indeed, El Salvador had the game under control for roughly 80 minutes thanks in no small part to some shambolic American defending. Danny Califf and Carlos Bocanegra committing a comedy of errors to allow El Salvador's first goal early in the first half, and it would only get worse.

Landon Donovan managed to turn in a decent first half, but him aside every other American starter displayed the touch of a bulldozer in a ceramics exhibition. Countless times balls were lost cheaply in the midfield leading to El Salvador counter attacks. Luckily for the US, the Salvadorians were unable to convert them.

Following a US change El Salvador was able to skin American left back DaMarcus Beasley (yes, Beasley was playing left back at this point) to go up 2-0. Brad Guzan should have done better, but he should've never been forced into action at all.

The game did change with the introduction of Jozy Altidore (who hasn't played since December) and Jose Francisco Torres. Both players injected life into the game, and Altidore eventually found the American's first after Frankie Hejduk redoubled his efforts and put in a leader's performance late in the match. Indeed, Hejduk's drive and energy played a large role in the equalizer, which he scored.

It was a match that left many with unanswered questions and again exploited the long-time American weakness of lacking a killer striker.

As a sidenote, it was nice to see the Miami FC ad-boards at the match. It appears Traffic Sports will make an effort to market the team this season after it was administered it's last rites barely a fortnight ago. For those that care, it seems the team will play at least some matches at Lockhart Stadium.

Bob Bradley has left himself with some big decisions to make before the team faces Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday.

My joints hurt. But you don't care.

Lots of people wrote MLS previews last week and this week, and with good reason as the recent wave of expansion has given the league a nice boost. MLS seems to be bucking a trend among the top divisions in American sports and is actually holding together well, and in some ways thriving, during the recession.

I think the USL will have a nice season too. The reason I think this is because of ticket prices. The USL offers minor league ticket prices because it is, in some ways, a minor league. In reality the correct term would be "lower divisions", but most associated with American sports aren't used to the terminology.

Some of the teams in the "major sports" have been forced to slice ticket prices, indeed so has NASCAR. Soccer in America traditionally offers lower ticket prices, and despite times being tight, people still want entertainment, this is why MLS is reaping the rewards.

Another boon for the USL this season might be the success of it's teams in the CONCACAF Champions League. The league's biggest name, the Montreal Impact, made it to the quarterfinals before spectacularly crashing out at the hands of Mexican side Santos Laguna in Torreon. The Puerto Rico Islanders have faired a bit better, they're currently holding a 2-0 lead in their semifinal against Cruz Azul with the second leg to be played April 7th in Mexico City.

Anyway, lets get on with it:

President Obama did not return my phone call. (No idea where the picture is from, credit if you speak up)

The USL First Division is, as the name says, the top tier of the USL. It's the American national second division. It used to be called the A-League, the Select League, among other things. Then the USL realized that "First Division" sounded, and looked, a lot better. Hopefully it's here to stay. Last year the Vancouver Whitecaps won the playoff title, and the Islanders won the season title. Both winners get a trophy but the playoff winners are the champions, so Vancouver is the defending champion.

Vancouver and Puerto Rico will again be among the favorites. Both are well coached. Montreal should present a real challenge as well. The Carolina Railhawks will look to improve on their 2008 performance, they missed the playoffs. Charleston, one of the league's seasoned clubs, could make some noise after they finished as runners up in the 2008 Open Cup (and really should have forced extra time as they had a legal goal disallowed in stoppage). Keep an eye out for new boys Cleveland and Austin. Watch for Miami FC to prop up the table after a turbulent (to say the least) off season. I pick Puerto Rico to claim the championship.

The USL Second Division is the lowest tier of professionalism in American soccer. Three of it's teams, Charlotte (who've somehow secured sponsorship from Coca-Cola), Richmond, and Wilmington are actually among the old guard of American soccer. The 2008 playoff title was claimed by Cleveland City who accepted a promotion (yes, it actually has promotion) to the First Division after Atlanta relinquished their spot in the league due to financial difficulties. Charlotte won the regular season title over Richmond on goal difference. Charlotte and Richmond have a nice rivalry and should fight it out for the title again. Crystal Palace Baltimore is another team to watch, along with Harrisburg. Western Mass operates on a very small budget and should finish in the middle of the pack. Bermuda (owned by Shaun Goater for any Man City fans reading) faces an interesting travel challenge, and fatigue may cost them again. Charlotte will win their third title.

If a USL team is in your area, it's definitely worth your time to check them out.

Well, there you are. Have a lovely day and please, watch my friend's video. Haha, sorry, it's just important to her (and therefore me).

This is intended to be extremely hypothetical.

I often hear/read arguments between fans "debating" (though it often quickly descends into insults that wouldn't be out of place in a second grade gym class) the merits of the American "franchise" system and the European "club" system.

Major League Soccer (and to a lesser extent, the United Soccer Leagues) has elected to go with the American model, and for the most part it has served them well. There is, however, one alarming feature of the modified franchise model that MLS has selected, the lack of autonomy for teams. I do understand why MLS went down this road, it's main goal has been simply to survive in a brutal environment for the sport, and it has done that.

But there is another option, and it comes from a country in a position similar to the United States both in terms of economics and acceptance of soccer. That country being Japan.

Soccer is generally better accepted in Japan than it is in the United States, but it isn't without "traditionalists" expressing displeasure about it's growing popularity. Baseball is still Japan's number one sport, though depending on who you listen to soccer may be threatening that position with real fight. A large reason behind the growth of soccer in Japan is the amazing success of the J. League, Japan's national league.

The J. League was founded in 1992 to address the problems facing Japanese football. Among those problems was a floundering national team, the Blue Samurai had never qualified to a World Cup at that point, an amateur national league playing in sub-par stadiums, and a general lack of interest from the Japanese public. The J. League was formed by clubs that had played in the amateur Japan Soccer League (which upon the foundation of the J. League became the Japan Football League, or JFL) with the important requirement that the clubs remove all corporate references in the names in an effort to better identify with the local community, or "hometown" (for example, Yomiuri FC became Verdy Kawasaki -- and later Tokyo Verdy).

While MLS has adopted a team allocation in line with those of other American sports leagues, e.g. charging a franchise fee to enter (currently at $40,000,000), the J. League picked a different route. The J. League expands through the roots of Japanese soccer, allowing already existing amateur clubs a chance to become a professional team. This is done under the guise of J. League associate membership. In order to obtain J. League associate member status clubs must meet a number of requirements including but not limited to:

• Being devoted to football (as oppose to being a billboard for a company)
• Getting the approval of the "hometown" government in writing
• Having an acceptable stadium within said "hometown"
• Must be an existing club playing in either the JFL, Regional Divisions, or Prefectural Divisions.

This, at least in my eyes, presents a fine compromise to the American and European methods. A major problem with American soccer is a lack of stability for clubs, indeed we've seen many clubs fall by the wayside due to the lack of a solid foundation. While Japan, too, has lost a club, the storied Yokohama Flügels were merged with bitter rivals Yokohama Marinos, (Ever wondered what the "F." in "F. Marinos" means? Now you know) due to financial problems. (This fusion resulted in one of the best stories of world football, Yokohama FC, but that's for another time.) I think that the "associate member" model presents a better chance for teams to gain presences within their community, and to gain a foothold in a potentially hostile environment.

Will it ever happen? More than likely not. But it's fun to think about what could happen if we had this model in the US.

Eek, sorry for the wordiness. :)

Before writing this entry I owe it to you to admit my staunch egalitarian political beliefs. I feel that we should all be egalitarians, but I won't hold it against you if you aren't.

That said, I wanted to talk about the new Women's professional soccer league that launches this year, aptly called "Women's Professional Soccer".

Little to anyone's surprise you often see American sportswriters dismissing women's sports, often in derogatory manners. It's depressing, but by now we as soccer fans are used to this treatment, and furthermore, supporters of women's sports are used to it.

However, my real problem is when fans of American soccer dismiss the league before a ball has even been kicked in anger. This only serves to undermine the growth and development of our game. The beauty of football is that it truely is the people's game, anyone can play, and anyone is welcome.

I have issues with MLS, and the way it's run. But I would never intentionally undermine it's success, as it's existance is currently important to American soccer. Likewise, believe it or not, a strong women's game is essential to the security of American soccer. America is a female nation, 52% of it's inhabitants are female, females are outpacing their male counterparts in the academic arena as well. Now, moreso than ever, is it important for American soccer to embrace it's legions of female fans and players.

Now, I understand the early skepticism. The WUSA's demise did very little to change people's minds. This comes down to the league being badly run at the top. Basic economics tells us that you simply can't pay more money than you have, it's impossible, and that's where the league ran into trouble. Hopefully the WPS will start modestly and blossom from there. After all, it is said that those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

So far I like the look of the league, and I'll certainly watch some matches on TV. My one reservation is with the skorts! That said, they won't be used in matches and Leslie Osbourne doesn't look bad in them ;). Anyone interested in the league should visit rbond007's blog, she's doing a good job covering the league so far.

On a final note, the Ultras Montreal have posted some fantastic pictures from the Montreal Impact's 2-0 first-leg victory over Santos Laguna this week, check them out.