Soccer Insider

During a pre-Gold Cup teleconference with reporters today, USA Coach Bob Bradley addressed a variety of topics ahead of Saturday's opener vs. Grenada in Seattle (7 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel):

On Santino Quaranta's return to the national team.....

"Toward the second half of last year and so far this year, his play has been very good. It's only been a couple days for me here [in Seattle], but people who I have talked to along the way have all mentioned the way he has grown as a person, and the combination of that maturity with the soccer talent lends itself to another good opportunity here at this time. Santino is a talented player -- technically, physically. We certainly see every time we test ourselves against the top teams in the world what those games are all about, and the fact that he has both the technical side of it as well as the physical ability in terms of speed and strength, I think he is a talented player and we are hopeful and this is a good thing to have him back and hopefully he can take advantage of it."

On weighing the importance of player evaluation with results in Gold Cup.....

"Our goal clearly is to defend our championship. We know that at times there are many different factors that get considered when putting a roster together, but once we work together, our focus is the way we go about our business, the way we play."

On the possible use of the seven added players.....

"The players that have been added will be considered as we move through the tournament. So we have not finalized all the decisions yet, but there are factors for different guys in terms of how much they played and rest. We now have more options as we move forward."

Freddy Adu comments below.....

Clifton Broumand has attended every World Cup since 1982, a total of 82 matches over eight tournaments. As a fan who has navigated countless stadiums, taken late-night trains and rushed around unfamiliar cities, he has never had a major safety concern. But as the 2010 event in South Africa approaches, Broumand offers this cautionary tale from his experience at the recent Confederations Cup.

"On the evening of the final in Johannesburg, my friend and I were walking back to our car and three males attempted to rob us at knife point," said Broumand, 51, who has lived in the Washington area for 27 years and serves as a referee in local amateur leagues. "We got out of that by yelling. Later that morning while I was sleeping at my B&B, my bungalow was broken into and I was assaulted, tied up, gagged and all of my possessions were stolen."

Confronted by intruders with a gun and knife, he said he lost a laptop computer, camera, two cell phones, cash, passport, shoes and all of his clothes -- except for the item used to cover his mouth. The incident occurred in an area well north of Johannesburg, seemingly safe for tourists, he said.

You'll want to keep reading this thread.....

Besides the 2-1 loss at Chicago last night, the Washington Freedom has been busy on the personnel front.

Midfielder Joanna Lohman was waived, but if none of the other six clubs claims her, the Freedom plans to re-sign her to a developmental contract. Washington needed an opening on the 18-player senior roster to activate midfielder Sarah Huffman, who has made steady progress rehabbing from a preseason knee injury and might return in a few weeks. Coach Jim Gabarra said Huffman's possible availability was necessitated by French star Sonia Bompastor's departure in early August. What? Bompastor's leaving?

The European Championship begins Aug. 23 in Finland and, as a result, several WPS players will have to report to their national teams early that month and miss the league's postseason.

Meantime, Gabarra said midfielder Allie Long, who has been sidelined with a sprained toe, should be available in two weeks. Washington (4-5-4) hosts league-leading Los Angeles (10-1-4) this Sunday at 6 p.m. at Maryland SoccerPlex.

Given permission by CONCACAF to supplement its Gold Cup roster, the USA national team has added forwards Jozy Altidore and Conor Casey, midfielders Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber and Sacha Kljestan, defender Jonathan Bornstein and goalkeeper Brad Guzan. However, according to the USSF, not all seven will be present for each Gold Cup match. The schedule for each player will be announced in the days leading to the matches. Of the pool of 30 players, only 18 will be in uniform.

"At times during the tournament, we may integrate these seven players with our core roster," Coach Bob Bradley said.

CONCACAF allowed the USA to add seven players "with the objective of providing the best performance possible for the public, and in recognition that the back-to-back tournaments strain players and their clubs," General Secretary Chuck Blazer said.

The USA will play Grenada Saturday in Seattle, Honduras Wednesday at RFK Stadium and Haiti next weekend at Foxborough.

The Insider has learned that Columbus star Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the reigning MLS most valuable player and among the top midseason favorites for the award this year, is again attracting interest from his native Argentina. One club has stepped forward, though its identity was not immediately made available. Schelotto has told colleagues that he would prefer to return to the Crew next year, if Columbus wants him.

Schelotto is set to earn $775,000 this season after taking home $375,000 in 2008 and $150,000 in '07.

How good is this guy? In 64 league appearances, he has 22 goals and 33 assists. He leads the league in goals this year with 10. Not bad for a 36-year-old.....

*The Washington Freedom made history last night, but not anything to boast about. In the 45th game of WPS's inaugural season, the Freedom became the first team to relinquish a lead and lose -- a 2-1 defeat at last-place Chicago in front of 4,127 at Toyota Park. Teams have overcome a deficit to earn a tie, but never to win. Abby Wambach scored in the first half for the Freedom (4-5-4), which will host Marta and first-place Los Angeles Sunday evening at Maryland SoccerPlex. Chicago (3-6-5) ended a nine-game winless streak and a 451-minute scoreless run.

*You don't think the Seattle-Portland rivalry will be MLS's best in a couple years? Consider last night's U.S. Open Cup match at PGE Park, where 16,382 turned out for the Sounders' 2-1 victory. After four upsets on Tuesday, order was restored last night as Houston joined Seattle in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory at Austin.

Next Tuesday's Quarterfinal Matchups
Harrisburg (USL2) vs. D.C. United at Maryland SoccerPlex
Wilmington (USL2) at Rochester (USL1)
Houston at Charleston (USL1)
Kansas City vs. Seattle at Starfire Sports Complex (Tukwila, Wash.)

*Estudiantes booked a place in the Copa Libertadores finals with a 2-1 victory (3-1 aggregate) at Nacional. Veron and Co. will face Gremio or Cruzeiro, who play one another tonight (8:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Espanol). Cruzeiro won the first leg, 3-1.

From Washingtonian magazine's "Best Of....." issue this month:

dc united guac0001.pdf

*D.C. United will definitely play a Salvadoran club in the preliminary stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. The home leg will definitely be July 28 at RFK Stadium. The return leg will definitely be Aug. 4 at Estadio Cuscatlan in San Salvador. The opponent, however, is definitely unresolved. United was paired with Chalatenango, but because of complicated administrative club issues that CONCACAF is still attempting to sort out through the Salvadoran federation, it now appears that Chalatenango is out and Firpo might be in. The mess prompted United to ask for direct passage into group play, which begins in mid-August, a request that was predictably turned down. Hopefully, we'll have a decision by the end of the week. Only in CONCACAF.....

*The USSF had planned to unveil the Gold Cup Seven -- the bonus rostered players for the CONCACAF tournament -- sometime today, but alas, complications moved the release to Thursday. Perhaps.

*Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has been named to Jamaica's Gold Cup squad, but because the Reggae Boyz's opener is Friday at Home Depot Center and the Galaxy host New England the next game, he is likely to play in both matches. Los Angeles is then off for a week, meaning he could conceivably suit up for Jamaica against Costa Rica in Columbus July 7 and El Salvador in Miami on July 10 and be back at HDC for the July 11 derby against Chivas USA. The Jamaican federation has apparently cleared him to shuttle between teams.

*Veteran forward Alecko Eskandarian, a former DCU fan favorite, is moving down the hallway at Home Depot Center after being traded to the Galaxy from Chivas USA for allocation money and a conditional draft pick. It's his fifth club in four years. He has one goal in seven matches this season. To clear roster space, the Galaxy released midfielder Josh Tudela, who made nine appearances this year.

*As expected, the Revolution signed 6-foot-4 Lithuanian forward Edgaras Jankauskas, 34, who has played in Russia, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, France, Scotland, Cyprus and Latvia. He has 54 caps and 10 goals for Lithuania.

*Should Ricketts represent MLS at the All-Star Game against Everton? His campaign is underway:

*CONCACAF announced yesterday that the USA would be allowed to add seven players to its Gold Cup roster because of the strain caused by the recently completed Confederations Cup. However, "We never asked for the additional spots on the roster," USSF spokesman Neil Buethe said. The USA didn't decline CONCACAF's offer. But it will not carry a 30-man squad throughout the tournament either; instead, it will have at its disposal those seven extra players when Coach Bob Bradley feels he needs reinforcement. The identity of the bonus players will be announced today.

*Watch a South Jersey TV station's report about the United-Barons match.

*Estudiantes attempts to protect its one-goal lead in the Copa Libertadores semifinal series with the second leg at Nacional tonight (8 p.m., Fox Sports Espanol).

*Former MLS coach Tim Hankinson is going to India.

*Stephen Colbert takes on soccer!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Is it Time to Care About Soccer?
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

On a night when four MLS clubs became U.S. Open Cup upset victims, D.C. United got a scare at "home" from the lowest-tier team still alive in the tournament.

Don't let the 2-0 final score against the Ocean City Barons fool you. DCU labored to break down an amateur side and required a lift in the second half from reserves Chris Pontius and Christian Gomez to clear its path to the quarterfinals next Tuesday night back at Maryland SoccerPlex against USL2 Harrisburg, a 2-1 overtime winner over New England, which, because of injuries and cards, finished the match with eight players.

Columbus, Chicago and Chivas USA also lost, and Kansas City needed penalty kicks to advance. On Wednesday, Houston visits USL1 Austin and Seattle travels to USL1 Portland.

Read my match report with quotes.

PLAYER RATINGS
Kocic 7; McTavish 5, Janicki 6, Burch 5; Barklage 5, DiRaimondo 5, Olsen 6, Jacobson 4, Wallace 5; Khumalo 3, N'Silu 4. Subs: Pontius 7, Gomez 7, Simms 5.

Skip to the continuation of this thread for bonus quotes from DCU Coach Tom Soehn and details of the Ocean City coach's ejection and the Barons' near equalizer in the closing minutes.....

Greetings from Maryland SoccerPlex.

While I wouldn't want to come all the way out here regularly, a periodic visit for a Freedom match or United nonleague game offers the opportunity to take the serene route across the Potomac via White's Ferry, past corn fields, stables, sod farms and old churches, through the one-stoplight town of Poolesville, past American Zen College and into the soccer-intensive Germantown/Boyds complex. Much more peaceful than I-270, to say the least.

D.C. United vs. Ocean City (N.J.) Barons
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Webcast: www.USLlive.com
Radio: WTOP (1050 AM, English), WACA (1540 AM, Spanish).
At Stake: If DCU wins, it will host New England or Harrisburg (USL2) here at the 'Plex next Tuesday night.

Back later with DCU's lineup.....

DCU: Kocic; McTavish, Janicki, Burch; Barklage, DiRaimondo, Olsen, Jacobson, Wallace; Khumalo, N'Silu. Subs: Wicks, Namoff, John, Simms, Gomez, Pontius. (Fred, Moreno, Emilio injured; Quaranta and Jakovic on international duty.)

If you're watching online or listening to the radio call, I encourage your usual pregame, in-game and postgame thoughts.