U.S. Heads To South Africa

The fans at Lincoln Financial Field waited long after the final whistle to see their their country's best soccer players depart from the field. Adorned in red, white and blue, this day had been a long time in the making. It has been four long years for the U.S. national team after a disappointing showing in the 2006 World Cup, and now the time is almost here to face-off again against the best in the world.

Interview With Peter Mellor

Here at that United Soccer Leagues, I have had a chance to try my hand at video production for their own blog, Free Kicks. Here's an interview I did with Peter Mellor, National Technical Director for the USL, about the 23-man United States national team roster for the 2010 World Cup.

YouTube Clip Of The Week

It's about time for another YouTube video. Check this one out:

Transfer Machine: Fabregas To Barcelona

No one at the Emirates Stadium wants to see Cesc Fabregas leave Arsenal. His manager Arsene Wenger has repeatedly insisted that the club are not looking to offload the Spaniard to Barcelona even though Fabregas has made it no secret that he covets a future move back to the Camp Nou.

Beckham Visits British Troops In Afghanistan

The title says it all.

Nike Soccer Commercial

Nike have set a high standard when it comes to marketing their products. Just look at all of their famous advertisements over the years: Bo Knows, Spike Lee and Michael Jordan were some of the first to become well-known while recent commercials featuring Troy Polamalu and LaDainian Tomlinson as well as Kobe Bryant jumping over an Aston Martin prove that "The Swoosh" know viral marketing.

Now the sportswear giants have released an epic commercial for Nike Soccer ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Featured in the commercial are Nike-sponsored footballers Didier Drogba, Fabio Cannavaro, Franck Ribery, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo (among some others). This time, it's all about the players writing their future. Check it out below:

YouTube Clip Of The Week

This week we go to Paraguay for the new segment entitled, "YouTube Clip of The Week."

In all of soccer, there are few names that compare to this week's goalscorer. Ladies and gentleman, feast your eyes on the amazing freekick from the right foot of the player known as "Inca." His real name is Glaucineis Martins da Silva, but who wants to say all of that anyways?

Before this video hit the internet, the player from the club Sol de America was most likely only known to a handful of people outside of South America. Now he gets a chance to shine on YouTube (the video already has more than two million views!).

And is it just me, or is the fact that the announcer yelled "GOL!!!!!!" for almost 15 seconds just as amazing?

Thierry Henry To New York?

David Beckham is a great player, don't get me wrong. He excels at passing the way others only dream of doing. But he just doesn't put that "fear" into opposing defenses that another footballer, one with pace and great foot skills, might do instead.

Thierry Henry, even at 32-years-old, embodies these talents that a true phenomenon possesses. The lanky Frenchman first became a superstar at Arsenal, rewriting the record books on his way to becoming a Gunners legend. He waved goodbye to Emirates Stadium to move to Barcelona in 2007. Since then, his form hasn't been as memorable as it was in London but the striker did feature in the Barcelona squad which won six trophies in 2009 including the Champions League. Since the emergence of Lionel Messi playing time has been harder to come by.

This is exactly why it makes sense for Henry to move to Major League Soccer, specifically the New York Red Bulls as reported by various media outlets today. The proposed move would make sense in terms of more exposure and playing time for Thierry while giving MLS a player with the caliber of play to change a game at anytime. This is unlike the kind of player David Beckham was when he was hailed as the savior of soccer in America in 2007. With the designated player rule, players like Henry are the types American clubs should be looking to sign; players with world-class technical ability that MLS has rarely seen.

And yes I know, 32 is still considered "old" in the soccer world. But with with at least three more good years left in him, Henry has time to show the United States a type of player that hasn't been seen on American soil since Pele and Johan Cruyff in the 1970s.

Since the Red Bulls have moved into a new stadium the buzz surrounding soccer in the New York City area has grown. If the move for Henry is finalized in the coming weeks, expect it to turn into a full-blown roar. The arrival of this world-class footballer could be argued as a bigger signing coup then Beckham's. It remains to be seen whether the Frenchman can fill stadiums the way Becks could upon his arrival, but one thing is for sure: the action on the field will be noticeably more entertaining if No. 14 is in the mix.

Beckham Leads England's 2018 Bid

(Beckham, left, with Gordon Brown and Wayne Rooney at a promotional event for England's bid last spring)

Today in Zurich, Switzerland, David Beckham led England's bid to play the 2018 World Cup on English soil.

Beckham presented FIFA president Sepp Blatter with a bid book containing specific details of hosting the tournament while giving a short impromptu speech. A video of the speech can be found on the BBC Website by clicking here.

Along with England, the nations of Australia, Belgium & Netherlands, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Russia, Spain & Portugal and the United States presented their respective bids for 2018 and 2022. United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati was joined by national team defender Carlos Bocanegra in presenting their proposal to Blatter.

The U.S. is hoping to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, but a more realistic goal would be to host the competition in 2022, most likely competing with Australia and Qatar for the honor.

Xtra Time's Summer Plans

As some of you readers already know, I'm going to be in Tampa, Fla. all summer long working an internship with the United Soccer Leagues. I'll be doing work in their communications department.

While I cannot blog about what goes on at the USL office, I will still continue this blog seeing as how the World Cup is fast approaching. I just want to say that I'm incredibly excited about this opportunity and extremely eager to start work there. I hope that this experience will give me the lessons (and contacts) I need to further my goal of continuing a career working with soccer.

I arrived in Tampa about an hour ago after a 20+ hour drive from my hometown of Higgins Lake, Mich. I start with the USL on Monday, but for now I will be getting acquainted with the city before moving into my rented room on Saturday.

Here's to a great summer for everyone out there!

Alexi Lalas Visits Xtra Time

Current ESPN/ABC soccer analyst and former United States national team defender Alexi Lalas graciously took time out of his busy schedule to speak with Xtra Time today.

Lalas, a veteran of the 1994 and 1998 World Cup teams, answered a few questions via phone on the recently-announced preliminary 30-man roster for the United States in South Africa.

Thanks for taking the time speak to Xtra Time. First, let's talk Charlie Davies: who will pick up the scoring slack now that he is officially out?

Lalas: The striker position is wide open, we still have yet to see just who it's going to be. It's going to be a little harder to define since you have Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey in the mix as well. Dempsey will probably push up and play a little bit of forward.

There are some players coming off the bench that could step in and help. Eddie Johnson and Robbie Findlay are long shots to start at this point, but just how Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez mesh at camp will be interesting to watch.

How does this group stack up against the U.S. squad that went to Germany in 2006?

Lalas: From one to 11, it's just as good if not improved. But there is a significant lack of depth for manager Bob Bradley. If an injury occurs or a player doesn't perform he has to move some of these pieces and it could be a real problem. My hope is that some of these guys that are going to be called on can step up and do it on the biggest stage. We haven't seen a lot of players step up except for the starters.

What does the absence of Freddy Adu say about his future with the national team?

Lalas: Freddy has the potential; but we just keep continuing to talk about it. It is really no surprise to any of us following the national team that he wasn't included in this preliminary group. The general public might be surprised, but he hasn't been a significant part of the national team for a while.

He's still young though, so if he finds a club where he can consistently get playing time, this could change.

Which player could you see as a surprising selection into the final squad?

Lalas: There are 30 players, and there really won't be any big surprises in terms of goalkeepers and midfielders. Maybe midfielder Sacha Kljestan could be called a surprise just getting an invite to camp. But you have to look at it that seven players will not be here come June 1st. So it's a big pool, but a lot of fringe players won't make it.

The only caveat is at the forward position, where Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle have a great chance to make the final cut. They have to continue their recent form and confidence but could make it to South Africa even without a lot of international experience.

U.S. Announces 30-Man Roster

(Edson Buddle should be flying high after today's announcement)

This afternoon, the preliminary 30-man rosters for each World Cup team were released a month before the tournament is set to begin. Each nation will have until June 1st to narrow it down to a 23-man squad for South Africa.

After seeing the roster for the United States, three things stick out immediately.

First, Charlie Davies' bid to make it back to the national team after life-threatening injuries has fallen short. Davies was kept off the list after not being able to return to club soccer in France. This will be incredibly disappointing for the striker, but his recovery has not been in vain. He will surely be able to travel with the team and provide moral support this summer.

Another player dealing with injuries, defender Oguchi Onyewu, was kept on the 30-man roster even though Onyewu hasn't featured for club or country since October. "Gooch" is still trying to return to full fitness before the first game vs. England. When healthy, the rock-built defender is an imposing presence in the American backline.

But the best story coming from this announcement has to be the inclusion of Edson Buddle. Buddle, a striker for the Los Angeles Galaxy, is leading Major League Soccer with nine goals-scored and has been in scintillating form. His only experience with the U.S. national team was seven years ago in an exhibition. Could he supply the firepower needed to replace Davies? U.S. manager Bob Bradley apparently thinks he could.

Here's the entire 30-man preliminary roster:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England).

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Chad Marshall (Columbus), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Heath Pearce (Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England).

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro, Sweden), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), Jose Torres (Pachuca, Mexico).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles), Brian Ching (Houston), Robbie Findley (Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla, Mexico), Eddie Johnson (Aris, Greece).