First things first, the US MNT has added another friendly to the November schedule by announcing their stop in Slovakia four days before playing Denmark, which will make for a good pair of measuring stick matches against a couple of fellow World Cup qualifiers on European soil. Both Slavakia and Denmark finished atop their UEFA qualifying groups, so these matches should provide a good show of where we stand against quality competition several months removed from the Confederations Cup.

Meanwhile, Sunil Gulati is patting himself on the back for his blind, unwavering, and perhaps somewhat ignorant faith in Bob Bradley. Speaking to the New York Times‘ Jack Bell, Gulati boasted:

“Bob is taking us back to South Africa, no ifs, ands or buts. “Bob is signed through the World Cup, and we’ve never been tempted to make a change. The record of the team over the last three years is Bob’s record. It’s the highest winning percentage of any coach we’ve ever had against our toughest schedule outside the U.S. We’ve qualified again, qualified early, went to our first final of a FIFA competition. We won the Gold Cup that got us to the Confederations Cup.

“I understand that if you’re a fan, you have a right to be demanding and emotional. That’s part of the territory. Our expectations have risen, and that’s a good thing. It’s acceptable and normal that fans get emotional. We want them to. We’re glad that people care.”

“We won’t even pretend to consider any of their concerns, but yeah, sure, we’re glad they care.” Lovely. When can get this guy out of office again?

That was bizarre. But it ended up being bizarre with a good ending, so whatevs.

With a shocking last second goal from Jonathan Bornstein off a corner, the US came back to draw 2-2 with a time wastey Costa Rica and finish atop the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying group. Atrocious defensive play marred the first half for the US and put them in that 2-0 hole, but their tenacity down the stretch was admirable and perhaps a credit to their desire to put a smile on Charlie Davies’ face.

Here’s Marlon’s take on the game:

Well, I think it’s important to not get too swept up in the excitement of the last second goal. The spirit and will of the team that we want to see was there, but some of the discipline and skill were missing for much of the game. Centerback is a big worry for this team. It was once a lock who would be starting, but with Onyewu out of form and now injured and Bocanegra uninspiring I can’t say I’m pleased with the center halves.

And while Robbie Rogers put in some good crosses at the end of the day I won’t want him going to the World Cup ahead of Freddy Adu. I don’t know what the kid has to do to prove he should be on the bench in South Africa, but hopefully he gets it done. I don’t think he’s a starter for us right now, but I see him as a much more valuable sub then Rogers at the end of the day given his left footed free kick hitting ability and his trickery on the ball.

Stuart Holden put in another good shift, and hopefully this will see Dempsey move up top with Altidore. If anyone needed proof that Conor Casey’s two goal performance on the weekend was a bit flukey then this was it. His mishit at the beginning of this match was absolutely woeful. He had all the time in the world, and I can understand wanting to surprise the keeper and hitting the ball first time, but his attempted curler wasn’t even close.

So, once again the US team showed it can claw back from the holes it puts itself in. We have problems with our holding mid roles and the center of our defense, and hopefully this will all be sorted out at some point. Though with Bob Bradley as manager I’m not sure what to expect.

Speaking of which, does anything think Ives and Martin Rogers were having second thoughts during the first half about publishing their eerily similar “hooray for Bob Bradley” pieces last week?

Anyway, there you have it. Qualifying is finally (finally!) done. Now we just have to hope for good health, more playing time for The Adu, and perhaps for a worm hole to suck Bob Bradley up and deposit him somewhere on Neptune between now and next June.

[Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images]

Wow, what a game. For all the stick we’ve given him here, Conor Casey came up shockingly huge and deserves a lot of credit for his performance. Landy again left his mark. And holy crap did we get lucky after Stu Holden’s handball.

More to come on this match later, but we’re in the World Cup! What a travesty this match wasn’t on television. The USSF should be ashamed.

Hey, remember when the US MNT finished second at the Confederations Cup? Me too. And so does Charlie Davies, who is still holding onto that moment as reason to believe in this team once the big dance (screw the NCAA tournament, this is bigger) rolls around in the summer:

“I think we showed we have the potential to really make an impact at the World Cup. If we are all playing well, with the players we have and if we are all on the same page there is no reason why we couldn’t win a World Cup that’s for sure.

“We have what it takes, we have beaten Spain, we have played against Brazil and we went toe to toe with them – it all depends what sort of team we are going to play like. If we play like we did against Spain there is no reason why we couldn’t make a big impact in the World Cup.”

Given the team’s splotchy performances since the Confederations Cup (and even during it), I’d say that’s quite a bold statement. But I do like the attitude. Unfortunately, I always remember that Bob Bradley is still the manager of this team, so I have a hard time sharing it.

Anyway, guess who’s replacing Clint in the roster for the upcoming matches? No, not another attacking or midfield player like logic would suggest — it’s old man Hejduk and all his lovable hair! This is actually a pretty solid choice. Frankie has played well for the US MNT in most of his more recent appearances and he’s always a positive influence on morale. Plus, who knows — maybe he’ll shotgun a beer at some point.

[Sources: FourFourTwo and AFP]

Here’s a cool inside look at Jonathan Spector’s preparation for the USA vs. El Salvador match from US Soccer. Part one was just released today, with a second part to follow.

A few items from the opener:

-The US MNT keeps pregame meals very basic (chicken and pasta), markedly different from the Hot Pockets and Capri Sun I used to have before a game.
-Tim Howard likes to talk about his iPod.
-The US MNT uses clips taken from ESPN HD for scouting purposes.
-Tim Howard doesn’t scream expletives in the dressing room like I previously thought/kind of hoped.
-Bob Bradley has absolutely nothing of value to say.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for part two. I wonder if it will include a climactic scene where Brian Ching gets a worse than usual nose bleed.

This is important. The US is still looking for it’s first win away from home in the Hexagonal stage — a somewhat frightening fact when you consider that none of the World Cup matches will be played in the US this summer. With just three qualifiers remaining and the difference between automatic qualification and a dreaded playoff insanely slim, it’s absolutely certain that this match is vital on many levels. So. Let’s hope Bob doesn’t screw it up.

I’ll be updating this post sporadically throughout the match, so refresh at will and share your own thoughts in the comments section. The match begins at 7:11 pm ET and will be shown in the States on ESPN Classic.

Now let’s begin…

6:11 pm: Here’s the US lineup courtesy of the US Soccer Twitter page…

Howard
Spector, Onyewu, Bocanegra (c), Bornstein
Dempsey, Clark, Bradley, Donovan
Davies, Altidore

Subs: Guzan, Marshall, Torres, Ching, Cherundolo, Feilhaber, Holden

7:00 pm: Marlon sez: “MOTHERF***ING BOB BRADLEY IS STARTING BORNSTEIN! The man is retarded. He’s mentally insufficient. He’s just pretending to be a quiet and thinking man. There’s nothing going on inside that bald head.”

So, yeah, I don’t think Marlon is a fan of that decision.

7:12 pm: Alright, the steel drum Star Spangled Banner was pretty awesome. Let’s make that official.

5′ — Seems oddly quiet at the stadium. Might have something to do with all those empty seats in the front rows.

8′ – I think we’ve been through this before, but doesn’t the pitch seem narrow here? Everyone seems cramped together so far.

10′ – T&T showing their speed early on. US seems half asleep.

17′ – US corners have been weak. Going short on that last one might prove they know it.

23′ – Jozy gets so major air as he goes up for a header, but misses and I’m pretty sure he broke his butt. That smarts.

27′ – Just as this game starts to lull me to sleep, T&T put in a lower header right at Howard’s feet. He snatched it up, but that was probably the best chance so far tonight. Which is why this game is lulling me to sleep.

29′ – HOLY CRAP! T&T chip shot looked perfect going up, but comes back off the crossbar, US attack comes right back, but Jozy’s bullet is blocked by the keeper. T&T is really threatening to get on the scoreboard first.

32′ – Harkes is all over Dempsey and he’s got a point. Something’s missing with Deuce tonight.

35′ – Does Michael Bradley still exist? I still see his name in the starting lineups, but the man has disappeared.

42′ – Another threatening free kick from T&T. The shot count may only be 5-4 in their favor, but theirs have seemed much more dangerous.

45′ – Landon gets off the US’ best shot yet in close, but it goes off the keeper’s leg. Nice way to end the half, but it could’ve been nicer.

46′ – AND WE’RE BACK!

48′ – US actually builds an attack, but (that word keeps coming up) there are still too many bad touches mixed in, sabotaging their flow.

54′ – Word of the night so far: Flat.

61′ — SWEET PAPPY JOHNSON WITH AN ERECTION RICARDO CLARK SCORES! Landon sets him up nicely and Clark puts some wicked bend on a shot from the top of the box. Wow.

Elsewhere, Benny comes on for Jozy, who is no longer necessary now that we actually have a lead. Imagine that?

67′ – Speaking of subs, why is Clint still out there? He’s got nothing to tonight. It’s horribly obvious to everyone. Yet, Bob keeps him on. Even when he does nothing, Bob Bradley fails to make sense.

76′ – Ching on for Davies. Yeah, that was totally the move to make, Bob. Now we have zero attack, Dempsey is still out there, and we better pray T&T don’t score.

81′ – Annnnnnnd Dempsey finally comes off for Holden. In the 81st minute. Yeah.

88′ – Holden sets up Donovan perfectly just in front of goal and Landy lofts it over the crossbar. Imagine if we had that earlier?

93′ – That’s it. The USA comes out with a 1-0 win from that surprising, flat, snoozefest for our first win away from home in a World Cup Qualifier since Cuba last year. Last year.

Unfortunately, we won’t be doing a live blog for tonight’s game, but! do leave your match thoughts in the comment section and we’ll round them up in the coming days.

Enjoy the game, and don’t think about anything Bob Bradley does too hard (unless you’re already drunk).

Bob Bradley has announced his 24-man roster for the two upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago. Here it is:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 12/7 SO)

DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 22/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 2/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 3/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew: 2/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 17/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 2/0)

MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake: 0/0), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 11/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 6/0), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 18/4), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 2/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 1/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 5/0)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 9/5), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 3/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 31/11), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake: 0/0)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

The new additions are Kyle Beckerman and Robbie Findley, but aside from that it’s business as usual. With Davies and Altidore finding their club form in Europe, I’m really curious to see how they pair up in these matches. [US Soccer]

A couple other items of note:

-Video of Jozy’s first goal for Hull City: [Unprofessional Foul]

-Charlie Renken is off to Hoffenheim. Not sure if Germany is the place for him. [Tribal Football]

Well, Mexico won 2-1 yesterday and the image above pretty much sums up entire match. Gerardo Torrado strangles Benny Feilhaber right in front of the referee and only gets a yellow card for what amounts to criminal assault.

Yahoo! Sports’ Martin Rogers wrote a brilliant column in the aftermath of that rage-inducing match that really hits every point. Says Rogers:

[Roberto] Moreno, an official from Panama, delivered the worst refereeing display I’ve seen in the last decade. Some of his decisions bordered on the farcical, with the Americans drawing four yellow cards to Mexico’s one.

[...]

Already with the advantage of playing at altitude, the Mexicans can schedule games in the afternoon heat of a summer day and their fans can behave like animals without fear of sanction. Throw in a terrible referee and it becomes almost impossible to beat Mexico on home soil.

But this loss can’t be completely attributed to Mexico and the awful refereeing. Bob Bradley once again did his part to hinder the US MNT, too — this time by starting Brian Ching over Jozy Altidore, sticking with an ineffectual midfield for far too long, and once again failing to prepare his side for the challenge at hand.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Bob Bradley needs to be fired. He is not fit to manage the US men’s national team. The Confederations Cup proved that he has talent at his disposal and that his continued mishandling of it is both a travesty and insulting. Of course, the bigger problem is that Sunil Gulati, a man who also needs to be ousted, doesn’t understand this.

[Photo: Donald Miralle/Getty Images]

You’ve waited all summer for this.

You’ve read Daryl’s top 10 reasons to watch.

You’ve spent the last two hours looking for mun2 on your TV.

Now watch the US MNT dodge bags of urine as they attempt to get their first ever win at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Are your nipples hard? Because they should be.