Simply amazing.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson looks set to plunder the US market once again with reports suggesting that he is keen to lure FC Dallas starlet Brek Shea to Craven Cottage in the January transfer window.

And they may well be joined by 19-year-old Shea, with The Sun reporting that he has caught the eye of Hodgson with a number of impressive displays in he MLS since making his debut last year.

Hodgson is said to be keen on bolstering his attacking options in the New Year and is thought to be considering a £2million offer for the striker, who is also equally adept at playing on the wing.

I don’t think it is any secret here in Dallas that guys like Shea won’t be here in Dallas next year if Schellas Hyndman has anything to do about it. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him and FCD easily go for a transfer fee like the one Fulham is considering over Shea.

Is that price right for Shea? I think it is fair considering the lack of playing time he has gotten in Dallas. I know he isn’t one that is totally happy in Dallas so don’t be shocked to see a move like this in January.

There is still a lot of qualifying left to do. Let’s make that clear, four games may not seem like much but it can certainly change the landscape of how things will finish out here.

First of all the US has gotten it’s hard games out of the way on the road in Costa Rica and Mexico, not to mention getting their home game to Mexico out of the way. They still have Costa Rica at home left to finish out qualifying but as we all know in the Hexagonal, Costa Rica and Mexico (up until the Gold Cup for them at least) don’t win in the US and the US doesn’t win in Mexico and Costa Rica. If that holds to be true we will indeed be fine.

But saying we will be fine isn’t enough for some. The way the standings are right now we pretty much have a sense of who the top four teams will be and who the bottom two are. Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador aren’t out of the running but they sure have a longer way to go with four games remaining.

At this point the best case for the US would be a first place finish in the group with say 19 points (the two home wins and a win in either T&T or Honduras). Speaking of Honduras they are sort of the wild card team in this for CONCACAF. I still think they could qualify over Mexico here if things go right.

Again, a lot of soccer left to be played. I still feel good about the US here but I know some naysayers out there may disagree.

Time for some extra links though to get you through the rest of the day.

Tough Road for Houston, Columbus and DC

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Excellent discussion over at SBI about the rough stretch of weeks that are coming up for three MLS sides in league play and in the CONCACAF Champions League. The Columbus Crew, the Houston Dynamo and DC United all have full slates ahead of them and DC even has a little more with the USOC final early next month.

Houston has the most favorable schedule out of the group here having already played 22 games this season. I pointed that out a little while back when I looked at the schedules for everyone. DC definitely will feel the lack of depth after a couple weeks here, if not sooner. Columbus has an interesting draw that I am eager to see.

Dallas Heading Back To Cotton Bowl

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Well for one night at least FC Dallas will return to the Cotton Bowl. Reason being is because it will be a double-header as Mexico will play some un-named South American side (probably Columbia or Chile). Steve Davis noted that this is due to SUM’s marketing of Mexico here in the States and not FCD work. The MLS side just has to play host that’s all.

Dempsey Signs 4-Year Deal With Fulham

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Clint Dempsey’s so-so performance against Mexico yesterday didn’t affect getting a contract extension with Fulham. The London-based club announced the four-year deal for the US midfielder.

Good to see Deuce do well in England.