USMNT Venues in Brazil 2014

This map shows the 3 group stage venues and the two possible venues in the round of 16 for the US Men's National Team at the Brazil World Cup in 2014. The orange dot in Sao Paulo represents where the team will train and the purple lines represent the travel to reach the other venues. Click on the symbols for more info;

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Tim's Beard Says Timmmyyyyyy!

Remember when the cry was loudest for Brad Guzan to supplant Tim Howard as the U.S.A number one in goal? It was shortly after this;

Howard deserved some criticism for the goals that occurred in that game but there was always a bigger break down before the final shot was made. The momentum for Brad Guzan has swayed with U.S. fans recently, as Tim Howard has made a number of strong performances to help catapult Everton up near the top four in the Premier League. On a day where Aston Villa and Guzan fell to relegation candidate Fulham, Howard shined brightly for Everton as they declared their intentions at the Emirates with a well earned draw against Arsenal. If you missed it, please see the extended highlights below;

USMNT To Embark on a Magical, Amazon, Soccer Journey

Here is a map that gives an overview of the travel required for the US men's national team next summer in Brazil. The US nat's will be using the training facilities of Sao Paulo Futebol Clube as their home base, making trips to Natal, Manaus, and Recife for the group stage games. Map below the fold;

USMNT Player Tweets About World Cup Draw

Figured I'd collect some player reactions to the draw (more to come later);

Sexy group #LetsDoThis
— Aron Jóhannsson (@aronjo20) December 6, 2013

Altidore Strikes Back??

According to soccerway.com, Jozy Altidore is being given the start today by Sunderland with Fabio Borini as his strike partner. Further changes are present in the midfield where Seb Larsson finds a spot on the bench to make way for Sung-Yong Ki. If Sunderland can manage to avoid a red card (never a given for this team) I think Altidore will take advantage of his opportunity, play well, and (yelp!) score his first goal of the Premier League campaign.

MLS Cup Playoffs, Quick Picks 11/3/2013

Houston vs New York

• Both teams are entering this one on a high so hopefully we see some positive soccer today
• I'm expecting Houston to come out swinging, look for them to push numbers early to try and score quickly
• Red Bulls will match the intensity and earn a result on the road, Houston 2 - New York 2
• The Red Bulls will protect their lead at home and win on aggregate, Houston 3 - New York 4

RSL vs LA Galaxy

• These familiar foes should provide the best soccer in this round of the playoffs
• RSL is still searching for their most consistent front line and has been shuffling their outside back in recent weeks
• The dangerous Galaxy attack, spearheaded by Robbie Keane, will find a way to break the disciplined RSL and win the game 3 - 1
• RSL will rebound at home to take a two goal lead but the Galaxy will find a way to take on back, winning on aggregate LA Galaxy 4 - RSL 3

MLS Cup Playoff Predictions, 11/2/2013

Sporting Kansas City vs New England Revolution

• Two teams with strong defenses open the Eastern Conference semifinals this afternoon
• Both teams finished the season strong, look for continued solid play from each team
• New England's youth goes head to head with a more seasoned KC team
• Look for the attacking talent of the Revolution to earn the result for the home side before Kansas City wins the series at Sporting Park. Today's result: Revolution 2 - KC 1, Aggregate Result: Kansas City 3 - Revolution 2

Portland Timbers vs Seattle Sounders

• This one should be wild as the teams from the northwest look to reach the western conference finals and the fans of each team brag about how they are the coolest, most authentic supporters in the history of soccer
• Good attacking players, turf, football lines, and a huge crowd should turn this one into a prime-time spectacle
• Bad blood between the two sides could produce some audacious challenges and plenty of cards finding their way out of the referee's pockets
• Caleb Porter and the Portland Timbers should find a way to grind out a result tonight in Seattle, Timbers 2 - Sounders 2. Look for Portland to frustrate Seattle in their home leg and win the game 1 - 0 to take the series.