Jeff Carlisle's preview of Saturday's U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) game against Denmark's B-Team contains some worthwhile nuggets, so I thought I'd flag those (quickly).
To begin with a funny side-story, there's Danny Califf, who plays for Denmark's Aalborg FC, serving as an informal scout. Nice to have a guy on the squad with an inside scoop - and, with the roster they're sending, we'll need it. Who are these dudes?
He's also got an interesting debate about Landon Donovan's future with the squad. For what it's worth, Carlisle makes a pretty good case for giving U.S. soccer's former Golden Boy an extended chance to regain the Midas Touch. To key off that argument, I say we give Landon through the summer's big tournaments to make his claim to lead the team into qualifying for 2010; if he fails, cast him aside without a second's thought.
Another point of interest: FC Dallas' Kenny Cooper and Chivas USA's Jonathan Bornstein "have done the most to catch the eye" in training camp. As much as I like both players, count me among those really hoping Cooper takes to USMNT duty. We need a new big man, if for nothing better than the option of having one.
Finally, his copy on Bradley is worth the look, whether the way he's getting something less than the short end of the stick (hell, it's not much more than a toothpick...yeah, still bitter), or it's our new coach's yen for discipline.
Can't wait to see how things look on Saturday - or, more to the point, who plays and how.
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