D.C. United General Manager Dave Kasper had this to say about the club’s newest acquisition:
“We are excited to acquire a young player like Cristian, who we feel is one of the most talented players in El Salvador. He has performed well at the club level and certainly established himself as one of the most important players on the national team in the recent World Cup qualifying campaign. Cristian has excellent speed and technical ability, and will be an exciting addition to our midfield.”

What do you think about the transfer?

The pressure never seems to stop for coach Bob Bradley. Facing El Salvador in what many considered a must-win for the U.S., Bradley was given the task of handling suspension, injury, and questionable form on his team.

But under the clear skies of Sandy, Utah, Bradley found the right combination of players to secure a 2-1 win in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying.

First-half goals from Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore offset an El Salvador goal en route to victory. The Americans now sit a little more comfortably as they look to secure a trip to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The American defense, missing Oguchi Onyewu (suspension) and Jay DeMerit (injury), held together well in the first half; until a poor clearance from Jonathan Bornstein was secured by El Salvador. Cristian Castillo headed a short cross over the out-stretched arms of Tim Howard in the 32nd minute to give the visitors the lead. Howard appeared to be shading towards the right side of the goal in preparation for an oncoming player; which caused him to be slightly out of position for the Castillo header.

The U.S. responded well to the early deficit it faced. Landon Donovan found Dempsey on a long set piece play for the 41st minute equalizer. The El Salvador defense attempted to pull forward for the off-sides trap, but they unsuccessfully left Dempsey alone in front of the goal as his header found the lower corner of the goal.

In a sequence of great possessions, something the U.S. desperately lacked versus Mexico, the Americans strung together several chances that ended with Donovan crossing into the box and finding Altidore for the go-ahead goal. Standing between two defenders, Altidore rose above his opposition and beat El Salvador goalkeeper Miguel Montes to his right for the 45th minute goal.

There was speculation leading up to the match whether Altidore was match fit for a full 90 minutes. In the high altitude of Utah, Altidore put all the talk to rest playing 84 minutes and delievering the game-winning goal.

The teams went to halftime with the U.S. up 2-1. The crowd, appearing to be pro-El Salvador was quickly quieted by the two U.S. goals and the American fans in attendance. A pro-opposition crowd has become a bit customary in the CONCACAF qualifiers for the U.S. this campaign.

Altidore almost put his team up two early into the second-half, but a phantom call from the head referee waived off the goal.  Recieving a pass from Dempsey, Altidore a clear foot and a half behind the defender made a run onto the ball and slid it past Montes.  There was a question to whether the call was offsides or a foul, either way the goal was disallowed.

The match finished 2-1 as neither team was able to find the net in the second half. The U.S., looking much better after its most recent qualifying loss in Mexico, was able to withstand a late charge by El Salvador to hold onto the win.

Forward Charlie Davies had to be subbed out in the 71st minute as a result of what was described as a minor calf injury on his left leg. His status for Wednesday’s match in Trinidad and Tobago is still unclear.

With 13 points, the U.S. now sits atop the qualifying table with Honduras, behind only by goal differential. Costa Rica and Mexico are close behind, both with 12 points, as a result of Mexico’s win over Costa Rica. Now all four teams are within a point of each other as qualifying continues.

The U.S. will now travel to Trinidad and Tobago for its match on Wednesday in Halsey Crawford Stadium at 8 p.m. (EST).

The Americans currently sit in third place, tied with Honduras at ten points (behind only by goal differential) and two points behind first-place Costa Rica. While after a win versus the U.S., Mexico is now looming in fourth-place and only a point behind.  With the Mexico match in the past, the U.S. has to move on as it looks to continue its home winning streak versus CONCACAF opponents.

In the first meeting between the U.S. and El Salvador, the Americans needed two late goals from Jozy Altidore and Frankie Hejduk to earn a tie at Estadio Cuscatlán.

For the U.S., it will be a far cry from the line-up that had to fight back for the tie in March. Tim Howard will start in goal this time;  he was suspended for the first match due to multiple yellow cards.

Of the starting back four, Carlos Bocanegra looks to be the only one getting a second start. With Oguchi Onyewu suspended due to yellow card accumulation, Jay DeMerit will likely keep his starting spot. The question for coach Bob Bradley is where to put Bocanegra? Will he stay out on the left, where he has been lately or move back to the central defender role that he played for many matches prior to this summer?

Should Bradley choose to keep Bocanegra on the left that would then open the door for a younger player to get their chance in the middle. Someone like a Chad Marshall or Clarence Goodson could be given a chance. Both played well this summer for Bradley at the Gold Cup. Goodson’s invitation to camp likely had everything to do with Onyewu being unavailable.

If Bocanegra goes back to the middle, Bradley has several options for whom to play out wide. Experience and leadership says Steve Cherundolo gets his spot on the right back, even after a sub-par performance versus Mexico. A lot of U.S. supporters have calling for Jonathan Spector to get back on the field; it is likely they will get their wish come Saturday, but as the left back. A wild-card in all this is Jonathan Bornstein, who played fairly well in limited action this summer; his ability to move forward and contribute to the attack could be useful to the Americans.

The midfield will feature less turnover but some new faces still seem certain to appear. DeMarcus Beasley and Sacha Kljestan are not making the trip. Until Maurice Edu can fully recover from his injury he won’t be suiting up either.

The midfield was a big concern in the loss to Mexico. There have been a lot of ideas and suggestions thrown around as to how to solve the lack of possession as seen at Azteca. Would Bradley bench his son Michael Bradley? Although his last performance was poor, the elder Bradley has shown he is not quick to pull his regular starters. So expect Bradley back in the line-up, but who will play next to him?

Will Benny Feilhaber move from super-sub to starter? Will Jose Torres get out of Bradley’s dog house and prove what he can do? Will Bradley be a showman and start the hometown favorite Kyle Beckerman?

The idea of inserting the attacking Feilhaber into the starting line-up is the likely choice, should Bradley decide Ricardo Clark is no longer suitable. Assuming that the match turns out in the Americans’ favor, maybe Bradley gives the locals what they want, an appearance by Beckerman.

Up top Bradley has a few different scenarios. El Salvador saw the tandem of Brian Ching and Clint Dempsey in their last meeting. Ching has been a mainstay for Bradley when healthy, but the emergence of younger American forwards seems to have Ching’s days as a starter numbered. Charlie Davies has played beyond expectation in France this season and Jozy Altidore is playing regularly with Hull City. It’s only a matter of time before Davies and Altidore become the unquestioned starters for this team.

Expect Davies to start here. Dempsey likely returns to his role on the wing, opposite Landon Donovan. The toss-up goes between Ching and Altidore. There has been questions of whether Altidore is match fit for a full 90 minutes. But considering that Altidore has been playing well with Hull, he looks primed to show he deserves this spot.

Clearly Bradley has several options all over the field. This will be a very different line-up compared to the last meeting. The one thing that is clear is that this is a must win. Understandably, El Salvador does not pose the threat of a Mexico or Costa Rica; but the U.S. has to secure the three points at home.

Qualifying has reached its “second half.”  With the bad start that Mexico was for the U.S., it’s imperative that the Americans take care of business at home on Saturday. Then they have a few days to prepare for Trinidad and Tobago on the road.

Group Stage:

NOTES: All knock out round games involving the US will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel.

What games are you looking forward to most? Predictions for the tournament?

Only five minutes into the match and the U.S. trailed by an early goal. Not again? Could it be?

After a lackluster and embarrassing performance versus Costa Rica on Wednesday, the U.S. team found itself in what appeared to be a must-win game.

But after Carlos Costly put Honduras up in the 5^th minute, the U.S. responded with the passion and energy that they so lacked only three days prior.

Landon Donovan converted a late first-half penalty kick and Carlos Bocanegra headed in a cross in the 68^th minute to give the U.S. a much-needed 2-1 victory over a challenging Honduras team.

“Crap, here we go again,” Bocanegra thought to himself after the early goal. (ussoccer.com)

After a Clint Dempsey turnover near midfield, the Hondurans countered quickly and Costly struck his shot into the side netting past a diving Tim Howard.

The American offense, which featured recent call-up Conor Casey, in for the injured Brian Ching, could only produce a few sub-par chances. It was that early goal that seemed to ignite the Americans, demonstrating a pace and skill unseen in Costa Rica.

“We have a lot of fight in our team and we showed that tonight,” Dempsey said of his team’s ability to come back from the early deficit. (ussoccer.com)

In the 43^rd minute, a pass from Oguchi Onyewu into the box was handled by Honduran defender Mario Beata, resulting in a penalty kick.

Just like he had done against Costa Rica, Landon Donovan stepped up and converted the penalty kick; tying the game as his shot beat Noel Valladares to the upper right corner of the goal.

Coach Bob Bradley started the second half by replacing Pablo Mastroeni with Benny Feilhaber, who filled in nicely setting up his teammates with plenty of good passes.

He created a great scoring opportunity for Dempsey, dropping a pass from outside the box to the far post, although the pass could not be finished. Feilhaber, who has been trying to regain his form after an injury this season, showed that he is deserving of more time in future matches.

Dempsey would make up for his earlier mistake. Off a Donovan corner kick, Dempsey rose above his defender to head a ball, keeping the play alive. Bocanegra followed the Dempsey settling with a diving header amidst the traffic in front of the goal to give the U.S. the 2-1 lead.

Bocanegra would later leave the game with tightness in his hamstring and was replaced by Jay DeMerit. Bradley also removed Casey for DeMarcus Beasley in an effort to strengthen his defense in the later stages of the game.

The defense which played poorly versus Costa Rica was noticeably improved with starts from Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Bornstein in the left and right back spots respectively. Both held up defensively while still offering some attacking help on the flanks.

With World Cup CONCACAF qualifying matches half way finished, the U.S. currently sits in second place, two points behind Costa Rica. They have a five-point lead over third place El Salvador. The top three teams in the CONCACAF qualifying table will advance to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The U.S. now begins preparation for the FIFA Confederations Cups; they will begin play June 15 versus Italy.

The atmosphere in preparation to this match was the same as it was down on the field, pressure-filled. Coming into their match with Costa Rica, the U.S. men’s national team had never won a World Cup qualifying match in Saprissa Stadium.

On a humid night in Costa Rica, in front of a lively and boisterous, the U.S. looked tired and sloppy at times. From the start, Costa Rica appeared ready with an attacking force that overpowered an undermanned U.S. defense. And with an oppressive attack, Costa Rica handed the U.S. a 3-1 loss in front 18,000 fans.

The scoring started almost immediately; in the 2^nd minute Alvaro Sobario split two defenders on his way to placing a shot in the upper left-hand corner past the outstretched arms of Tim Howard.

Again it wasn’t much longer before a Costa Rican attack down the left side by Esteban Sirias found Celso Borges wide open in front of the net to place the second goal of the night in the 13^th minute.

The victory gives Costa Rica a two point lead in the CONCACAF qualifying table, with three games still remaining on the schedule.

Down early just like the recent match against El Salvador, the U.S. looked to play catch-up once again. But quality attacking chances were rare, as Costa Rican goalkeeper K Navas was rarely tested throughout the match.

Every time it seemed the U.S. was able to string a few quality passes together, it seemed the ball was misplayed or stolen by a defender.

Forward Brian Ching sat out the match with a hamstring injury. As a result, coach Bob Bradley decided to start three forwards in an effort to create an offensive spark. Objective failed. Neither Jozy Altidore, Landon Donvan nor Clint Dempsey were able to create much of anything.

After being down 2-0 at half, coach Bradley surprisingly decided to pull Jose Torres, who seemed to be one of the only Americans with some composure this night, for Sacha Kljestan.

“We were under pressure from the start and we didn’t control the game. They took advantage; I just don’t think we were good enough,” coach Bradley said in his press conference after the match.

Hoping for one of the veteran leaders to ignite the U.S. for a second half comeback, Bradley’s team again took the field flat.

With Frankie Hejduk out due to a groin injury, Marvell Wynne started at the right back position and was active all night but still failed to create much of anything offensively with his speed and looked like a player making his qualifying debut, which he was.

Across from him was DeMarcus Beasley, making his second start at the left back position. After a somewhat successful first start versus Trinidad and Tobago, Beasley especially looked timid against the Costa Rican attack. Many of his passes were squared to Carlos Bocanegra or Oguchi Onyewu, or dropped back to Howard.

With question marks on the outside of the American defense, Costa Rica continued to attack there all night. In the 69^th minute, Pablo Herrera Barrantes beat a noticeably tired Michael Bradley off the dribble and beat Howard low to the near post. Bocanegra was slow to step up to the attacking Barrantes.

Bradley, who also picked up a yellow on the night, will miss the next match against Honduras.

In an effort to create a little more attacking flare, coach Bradley subbed in Freddy Adu for Pablo Mastroeni. Charlie Davies later came on for Dempsey with about 10 minutes remaining.

Davies took advantage of his opportunity, playing with a pace that the rest of his teammates lacked for the most part.

The U.S. would not be denied a goal though, as Davies drew a late foul in the box during stoppage time. Donovan calmly stepped up and beat Navas for the loan U.S. goal on the night.

“We need to learn from tonight, but the most important thing is getting over it as quickly as possible, and taking what you can from it,” Donovan told espn.com. “We have three days physically and mentally [to prepare] for Honduras, who is a very good team that has been rested and preparing for this game.”

The U.S. will now travel to Soldier Field in Chicago for a match against Honduras on Saturday.

With World Cup qualification play set to resume in about a week, the U.S. men’s national team will enter into a month-long stretch that will prove to be a litmus test for how well coach Bob Bradley has prepared his team for South Africa 2010.

Bradley recently sat down with fifa.com to discuss the play of his team of late, along with the upcoming schedule of games.

Asked how he would assess his team so far, Bradley discusses the ongoing improvement.  In his typically reserved manner, Bradley said that the team is staying focused on the goals at hand while praising the caliber of talent the team has faced thus far.

Bradley discussed the eye-opening 2-2 draw versus El Salvador, “…we couldn’t ignore the fact that we showed the kind of mental toughness we needed to have on a tough day,” Bradley said.  It was a statement game for the U.S., where late goals from Frankie Hejduk and Jozy Altidore were used to salvage a difficult road point.

Most U.S. supporters would agree that the Americans do not typically boast the kind of offensive fire power to consistently come back from being down by more than one goal.  Can this new crop of U.S. players be  the kind of team capable of making up multiple goal differentials?  Is the game no longer out of hand when the team goes down 2-0?

Bradley did speak of the cohesion between the younger players and the veterans of his squad. “This is one of the areas where we’re pretty satisfied as a team. We have a strong and complementary blend of young and experienced players. We, as coaches, have challenged some of the guys that have been around for a while to take more responsibility and take up bigger roles in leading the team. We’ve also brought some younger guys in and we’ve seen them grow. It’s nice to see some of the new guys move up a step and join the group that takes on more responsibility,” he said.

This kind of blending can be seen in the maturation of 21 year-old Michael Bradley while being paired with the likes of Pablo Mastroeni in the defensive midfield, along with Altidore and his work with the veteran Brian Ching up front.

In a separate interview with fifa.com, the younger Bradley weighed in on this topic as well, “It’s definitely improved. If you look at our team and see who’s playing for which teams in Europe, it’s got to be positive. Having this kind of experience in the national team is good for us… We’ve played well against strong opposition a few times over the years, but we know we’re not there yet, and we continue to push ourselves very hard.”

Following two games in early June versus Costa Rica and Honduras, the U.S. will then have a week to prepare for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.  Play will begin on June 15 against Italy.

“We’ve held our own against the best teams in the world, in games against Brazil, Argentina and Mexico for example. We have to keep working together towards our targets,” Bradley said in response to the challenging matchups that he and his teammates will encounter.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to play in South Africa before the World Cup and experience the conditions and see what the stadiums are like,” the elder Bradley told fifa.com.

When asked about the stiff competition his team will be facing, coach Bradley said, “We’ve played a lot of top teams in the last few years and they always help us improve. This time, though, they aren’t friendly games and you can’t underestimate how much competition like that can mean.”

Coach Bradley is well aware of how his team will be tested and how important it is to be ready.  Will the U.S. sweep through South Africa this time around?  Probably not, with Brazil and Italy on the horizon, but as long they stay on course, the players will continue to improve and the results will show for themselves.

To read the interview with coach Bob Bradley in entirety, click here

For the interview with Michael Bradley, click here

Things look good for coach Bob Bradley and company so far.  Other than a lackluster 70 minutes without goalkeeper Tim Howard versus El Salvador, in which the U.S. needed two late goals to come back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a point, the team looks poised as they prepare for a run at South Africa in 2010.

The time off should give some players a chance to regain their form and continue the offensive progression they have shown lately, as players head back to their club teams. While in the case of Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu represents a chance to just get out and play.

Altidore took advantage of his latest opportunity, becoming the youngest American player ever to record a hat trick in an international match against Trinidad and Tobago on April 1. “He’s a player that, you know, we have known for a while is going to be a big part of our team going forward, but things need to be earned,” Bradley told The Associated Press.

But Altidore has yet to even dress for Xerez since being loaned from Villarreal back in January, while still looking impressive in his last two matches for the U.S. scoring four goals in the process.  With ten games remaining on the Xerez schedule, maybe Altidore’s recent knack for scoring goals can earn him some playing time as Xerez’s next three matches are against teams all on the lower half of the Spanish Segunda Division table.

“In all honesty, it was a big adjustment for me to pick up and move off to Xerez,” Altidore told FIFA.com “…but I feel like I’m making my way forward now.”

Adu’s lack of playing time with AS Monaco has been just as much of an enigma to the U.S. supporters as well. Adu, who has made nine appearances off the bench for Monaco this season, has looked only average when given the chance. However, Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri praised Adu after a friendly match earlier this season between his Italian side and Monaco. Yet the playing time is still scarce for Adu, even more so as of late, not appearing in a match since late December.

The U.S. will have to wait until a June 3 meeting with Costa Rica to see how its young stars have continued to develop. The match will be important for the U.S. as Costa Rica currently sits a point behind the Americans in the group standings. The winner will take control of the group as the first half of the qualifying matches comes to a close this summer. The U.S. will also face Honduras three days later in Chicago to wrap up the first half of the current qualifying round.

Costa Rica has already beaten Honduras 2-0, so Bradley will need to have the team ready to play in this difficult away match.

If the recent qualification matches are any indication of what to expect the U.S. team should fare just fine in this matchup.

Along with the emergence of Altidore, forward Clint Dempsey (Fulham) and midfielder Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach) have been playing very well of late for their club teams. Coach Bradley’s decision to move winger DeMarcus Beasley to left back seems to have created a bit of an attacking spark from the U.S. backline that fans are unaccustomed to. Until that meeting with Costa Rica, U.S. supporters will watch as their players continue to develop overseas, in hopes for the strong U.S. attack that they have always longed for.