Tim Howard would love to return home to MLS some day. (Getty Images)

On a recent Twitter Q&A, US National Team keeper Tim Howard gave a rather candid response about playing in Major League Soccer again some day.

 “Oh, one hundred percent. If all things were to work themselves out I would really, really like to come back and play a few years in MLS. A lot of things have to come together, and I want to be playing at a very high level when I come back. I don’t want to be dragging through seasons. I want to feel fit and ready. I want to have that desire, intensity and passion that you see with Everton and the U.S. National Team when I come play in MLS. Those things are important.”

Naturall these are things that are always said by Yanks abroad but with Howard slowly getting up there in age (32-years old at the moment), it doesn’t seem too far fetched to believe we’ll see him back on this side of the pond before long.

Jurgen Klinsmann's debut tonight overshadows the Mexican rivalry. (Photo from MLSSoccer.com)

It is a dawn of a new day for the US Men’s National Team. Jurgen Klinsmann’s first game as the US coach is a big one, against arch-rival Mexico. There is no way of getting around it, this one will be anything but friendly.

Throw away the result a few weeks ago in the Gold Cup to this Mexican side because both will be fairly different in this contest. With Klinsmann involved now with the US, things will change and we saw that already with the roster announcement last week. There is a new spark or intrigue to this match that wasn’t there when it was announced after the Gold Cup.

We know what Mexico brings to the table, minus Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, who is out still with a head injury. Pablo Barrera will be called to carry the offensive load as he found the back of the net twice against this US squad at the Gold Cup final. I also look for Giovani dos Santos to carry a load of the offensive weight in this one as well for El Tri.

The US will likely see a different lineup, formation, the works tonight. I’d look for some of the usual faces to start for Klinsmann tonight like Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, and Steve Cherundolo. With no Clint Dempsey or Jozy Alitdore up top, expect some guys like Freddy Adu, Brek Shea and Juan Agudelo to get a shot.

We know defensively things will go a little differently with Klinsmann than it did with Bob Bradley. We should see Bocanegra and Cherundolo in the back but I think someone like Health Pearce will get a start. Or possibly Michael Orozco.

Klinsmann is noted as saying he wants to bring a nice attacking style of play to the US team. You should expect just that tonight too though I’d imagine it will take a few games for his style of play to really kick in with this bunch.

Expectations are going to be high for Klinsmann but let’s just remember one thing about tonight’s game, the result really does not matter. Yes it is Mexico, I get that, but really we shouldn’t worry so much of the result of this game. Good or bad we just need to know where this team is headed under Klinsmann. Tonight, we should definitely see that.

Will Oguchi Onyewu be apart of the Gold Cup roster? (Photo by ISIphotos.com)

We’ll know on Monday who Bob Bradley picks for the US National team for this summer’s Gold Cup and for the upcoming friendly against Spain. I figured today would be as good of a day as ever to throw out my 23-man roster that I think Bradley could select come Monday.

As we know this is a big Gold Cup for the US as they’ll want to get the crown back from Mexico in hopes to qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Keepers (3)

Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, and Nick Rimando

The first two are locks in my mind while Rimando would easily be beaten out by a younger keeper that Bradley wants to give some experience to for the training camps and what not. We know Howard is the starter no matter what here so this area is really the easiest to pick I would think. David Yelldell could see his name called as he saw time with the US against Paraguay earlier this year.

Defenders (9)

Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Timothy Chandler, Heath Pearce, Jonathan Spector, Tim Ream , Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Bornstein

Another group that seems fairly easy to figure out. I know Bornstein hasn’t played a lot in Mexico but you know there is a familiarity factor between him and Bradley. Believe me I hate even the thought of him in the mix here but it will likely happen since he is still one of Bradley’s guys. Lichaj was a toss up for me as I think Zak Whitebread could be a good idea for a call-up too. Chandler can also slide into the midfield if needed here too which makes me a lock for me.

I would like to see someone like FC Dallas defender George John get a look for this roster but I’m sure Ream will have beaten him out even though Ream has looked shaky at times this season for New York.

The big question for me comes down to Onyewu. He hasn’t played well since his injury in 2009 in a US kit and really he hasn’t played a lot of minutes since joining AC Milan. But like Bornstein, Bradley sees him as one of his guys and that’s why he falls into this camp.

Midfielders (8)

Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Jermaine Jones , Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Mixx Diskerud, Alejandro Bedoya

A tough group to predict outside the obvious (Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley, Edu and Jones). I think Feilhaber is an easy pick, but Diskerud and Bedoya are toss-ups for me. I could easily see Bradley take a chance on Sacha Kljestan here over Diskerud and someone like Brek Shea over Bedoya.

I’d love to see Shea here but his lack of big international experience hurts him here I think for such an important tournament. I know his explosiveness off the bench would be great to have but given how well Diskerud does with the forwards that will be taken, its hard to pass up on chemistry for a risky move like Shea.

Forwards (3)

Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury

I don’t think this one needs any explanation. Altidore is a lock while Agudelo and Bunbury have formed quite a bond together with the US. Charlie Davies saw his chances go away last weekend when Bradley was in D.C. to watch him and United play Colorado. His chance fluttered away quickly when he went out of the game early with an injury.

I see no reason to even consider Eddie Johnson, Edson Buddle or even Herculez Gomez here. I’d say Gomez is really the only other player that could have a chance here to make the roster but it would be an outside one at best.

There's a lot to build off of this World Cup for the USMNT. (US Presswire)

The 2010 FIFA World Cup may still be going on but as far as I am concerned its now time to already begin looking towards the 2014 Cup in Brazil. Getting out of the tournament early is never fun but at least it does give you a couple weeks up on the competition to get your stuff in order for the next cycle.

Yeah, I’m still trying to remain at least a little bit positive here.

The somewhat decent thing about this next go around for the U.S. Men’s National team is that for the most part there shouldn’t be a whole lot of change in some key areas. The keeper situation will likely remain with Tim Howard or Brad Guzan. You can probably throw a young guy like Bill Hamid of D.C. United in the mix for the third keeper spot in the depth charts if you want. Howard will just be entering the true prime years for a keeper by the next World Cup so there is no reason to think he won’t be good to go then.

In the midfield we’ll still have the likes of Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Neither of them are going anywhere anytime soon as far as I can see. We’ll also still see Stuart Holden, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Jose Torres and Benny Falihaber in the mix as well. Most of them are in the mid-20s right now and won’t be 30 by the next World Cup. Only Donovan will be in his 30s by the next Cup and I honestly don’t see him dipping in performance all that much by then.

The changes will take place more so in the back and up top. But if you followed this side for the last couple years you shouldn’t be shocked to read that as those have always been some troubled areas for the U.S. team.

Out of the defensive bunch from this World Cup I wouldn’t be shocked to only see Clarence Goodson or Jonathan Spector at the next World Cup. I know Jonathan Bornstein will be just 29 by then but none of us expect Bob Bradley to still be the coach in four years either. With no Bradley I highly doubt we’ll see any Bornstein unless his play dramatically improves on the international stage by then.

Up top we should still have Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies. Let’s just hope by then there will be another star in the mix to push these two for playing time.

So who’s out there right now that could be in the mix? Loads of players come to mind and some that are probably completely off the radar (that’s probably a separate post for another day). One thing we know is that the next four years should be interesting for US Soccer. Its a continual growth that we need here and will continue to get.

Between the youth systems getting better for MLS and the college game actually producing some decent talent in recent years the growth is there for the next head coach to seriously tap into. This should be a boom time for US Soccer to get some serious talent in the game and with the national team. I think the big thing for whoever the next coach is to get as much talent in early before the next round of qualifying begins. Also having some quality friendlies will go a long way too.

Four years is a long time but maybe it’s time to start a Project 2014 of some sort now before its too late.

Clint Dempsey got the US level thanks to a gift from the England keeper. (Getty Images)

So I’ll take it.

One-one against England to open the tournament is not a bad way to start at all. Sure a win would have been nice and we certainly could have gotten that but seriously a good result.

Now the start wasn’t great. Allowing England to go up so early with Steve Gerrard’s sneaky little goal in the forth minute. It set the tone for the start of the match that England wasn’t messing around. The U.S. looked a bit lost in the back and it allowed the goal to happen.

But once the U.S. settled into things they handled the pressure and really took it to England. Having Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey on the wings switching things up really threw the English defense off their game. Also the runs out of the back from Steve Cherundolo really added to it for the U.S. attack.

Then there was Dempsey. The nifty little play on Gerrard to get the goal was something special. Sure the shot wasn’t the greatest and the keeper Robert Green should have had it but it was a goal that the U.S. would take any day of the week. Getting a goal so late in the first half (40th minute) really helped the U.S. going into the locker room at the half.

Second half was better from the U.S. with Jozy Alitdore finally getting into the attack and nearly coming away with a goal. But the defense impressed me more with Oguchi Onyewu putting all the concerns about him to rest. It seemed that with each passing minute he was getting stronger and better out there for us. No doubt that is something good to have going forward.

The man of the match in the end had to be Tim Howard. Stop after big stop Howard continued to show why he is one of the world’s best.

England keeper Robert Green will be drinking alone after this bobble that drew the US level at 1-1. (Getty Images)

A few notes that I took during the game:

- England has the talent to win it all no doubt but collectively I just don’t see it happening. Something about the way they play together tells me it won’t be an easy road for them though I do think they can go fairly far on talent alone.

- I would have liked to have seen some subs earlier in the match from Bob Bradley. Robbie Findley didn’t appear to give all that much in this match and towards the middle of the second half he was fairly empty in terms of gas in the tank. Having Edson Buddle or even Herculez Gomez come on about ten minutes sooner would have been nicer to see.

- Midfield wise for the U.S. they played a lot better than I expected. I’m still not a huge fan of the Ricardo Clark-Michael Bradley pairing but it worked fine today.

- This group won’t be as easy for England as they thought it would be. Next game for each side will tell us more for sure but no doubt the English will feel they lost two points today.

Bob Bradley has a lot of thinkin' to do right now. (Getty Images)

I realized I’ve slacked on my World Cup hype duties these last couple months and now that the big event is a month and a half away I need to pick it up here. Today just seems like a good day to talk about the USMNT and who Bob Bradley will call into camp next month.

We know Bradley will be calling in more than what will ultimately become the final 23-man roster for the World Cup. He’s gotta do this to evaluate the final few roster spots that aren’t finalized just yet. Most would agree that a good chunk of the roster is probably already set in Bradley’s mind. He knows his keepers and likely most of his defense and midfield. But up top things get dicy with the slew of injuries and lack of quality form out of some guys in the pool.

Bradley has a lot to consider in the form of guys coming off of injuries too at this point, which in a way is a good thing. Sure their form could be off but having a few main guys back will go a long way in getting out of the group stages in June.

You’ve probably seen plenty of these rosters guesses but this is my take at it. Feel free to agree or disagree below in the comments section. I’ll give you my 26-28 guys I think that could be called in next month (obviously not all will be called here).

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

There’s really no dancing around this one unless one of these guys goes down in the final weeks of the English season. Howard is the easy pick for starter and really if we had to go with the other two in any game I’d feel okay with that as well.

Defense: Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay Demerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Heath Pearce

This area is fairly set in my mind. Having Onyewu back in training at AC Milan is huge for him and the US. I’ve gone back and forth in my mind over Bornstein’s inclusion with the team but he’s a Bradley guy so he’s in no matter what really. I won’t go into who should start on the right or left back but with this group we should be ok. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Spector at left back at this point but Bocanegra could end up there as well based on his play in France this year.

Midfield: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber, Ricardo Clark, Alejandro Bedoya, Jose Francisco Torres, DaMarcus Beasley

Things get a little tougher here. In a way I consider both Deuce and Donovan more as strikers than as midfielders but I know they’ll be listed here when the roster comes out so I won’t even try arguing it. There is a thought too that Edu could slide into a centerback role as well which could free up another spot for another midfielder or take away from one defender.

Holden is getting healthy and that’s a real positive thing to see for this group of players. I think Bedoya has made some major strides in getting close to winning a roster spot, he’s one of my darkhorse picks here. Beasley is another guy that is on the fringe for me but I just got a gut feeling that he’ll make it.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Edson Buddle, Herculez Gomez, Charlie Davies, Eddie Johnson, Brian Ching

This group is the hardest to figure out. Part of me thinks Brian Ching will make it if he returns from injury in time, the other part of me figures at this point its a long shot. With the way that Buddle and Gomez have played recently we know at least one of them should probably make it to South Africa.

I put Casey up there because I see him as another one of those Bradley guys. His form hasn’t been great this season but its been good enough. I don’t love the idea of Johnson here but he’s really finding his own way in Greece right now which should boost his confidence. He’s one of those guys that rides good confidence to the bank and if he is sailing high right now in Greece it will only make things tougher on Bradley, which isn’t a bad thing either.

Robbie Findley struggled yesterday in Holland. (Getty Images)

Do we chalk this loss yesterday to Holland as a bad thing. Uh, yes and no. Yes because its a loss and one that showed us exactly where we stand. No because it did help US manager Bob Bradley out in figuring out who exactly he needs to take with him to South Africa.

I felt like going into the classic good, bad and ugly theme for this recap. I gave it a day to mull things over and see where I think things stand. We did see some good, things we can take from the game and move forward with a positive attitude about. But on the flip side there were some negatives in this one and then some down right ugly items I hate even bringing up today.

The Good:

• DeMarcus Beasley: Boy I really was counting Run DMB out of the running for a South Africa ticket a month or two ago but lately I am starting to change my mind. Yesterday showed me he can still be dangerous for the US on the wings. Against top competition this summer we’ll need all the help out wide that we can get, especially if Stuart Holden isn’t fit to go.
• Carlos Bocanegra: He got the goal but there was more to it than that for me. He was strong in the back when the US needed him to be and wasn’t too fazed by a quality striker coming down his way. We’ll definitely need that against England with Wayne Rooney on the other side of the pitch.
• Jozy Altidore: Sure he didn’t look all that great yesterday but upon further review he had some chances (especially late) that could have been a game changer had it not been for a nice save. Altidore showed he isn’t afraid to take on the best the other side has to offer in the back. I also loved seeing him fire one off from distance too, more of our guys should do that.
• Alejandro Bedoya: I’ll admit I haven’t seen enough of this kid before yesterday. His chances of being apart of this roster come June are still pretty low but he wouldn’t be a bad option at all off the bench.
• Heath Pearce: Only got 20 minutes or so out of him yesterday but it was enough to make me think he’ll be on the roster come June. He’s showing he’s very dangerous on the wings…we’ll definitely need that.
• Tim Howard: I don’t think I have to explain this one, Howard is easily the best keeper this country has ever produced…there I said it.

The Bad:

• Bradley’s Subbing: Some subs were good (see Beasley, Edu, Goodson) but some were done too little too late. The subs themselves were good yesterday and did help the US, especially late but the timing was off with guys like Jonathan Bornstein not coming off soon enough. When a guy is struggling sometimes you do have to wait it out and hope he finds his way but in pressure situations you gotta be tougher and put in someone who works out better. Hopefully that improves this summer.
• Landon Donovan: So where was this guy yesterday? We need him to show up in big games not disappear.
• Robbie Findley: If he makes the roster in June it won’t be because of this game against Holland. Honestly he showed he doesn’t have the skills on the ball or the physical play to keep up on the international stage. He’s got speed to burn which I love but what I saw yesterday won’t cut it on the big stage in June.
• Jose Francisco Torres: For the most part when he was out there he was getting passed by left and right. He had one decent crack on goal and that was it. Plus he was a defensive liability far too often. I know there is a love-fest for him out there to be on this squad but I don’t buy it right now.

The Ugly:

• Jonathan Bornstein: Poor guy had a bad day but this wasn’t the first time we saw that he was out of his element on the international stage. Nope, this just put everything into perspective in regards to Bornstein. He’s good in MLS and against CONCACAF teams but outside of that there isn’t much there. The PK was a terrible play on his part and the other goal was just unlucky.
• De Jong’s Tackle: Just a stupid challenge that didn’t even get a card. Now Holden is out for six weeks (or more).

Not a bad showing by the US against Holland. (Getty Images)

I won’t go too into the match just yet, I have a plan on re-watching some of it later on today but I did want to give my initial player ratings from this afternoon’s 2-1 loss to the Dutch in Amsterdam.

WVH USMNT Player Ratings:

Tim Howard – 7
Jonathan Spector – 5
Carlos Bocanegra – 7
Jay DeMerit – 5
Jonathan Bornstein – 2
Stuart Holden – 5
Michael Bradley – 5
Jose Francisco Torres – 5
Landon Donovan – 4
Jozy Altidore – 6
Robbie Findley – 4

Subs:
Maurice Edu – 4
DeMarcus Beasley – 7
Alejandro Bedoya – 6
Heath Pearce – 4
Eddie Johnson – 4
Clarence Goodson – 5

Top Three Players for US:

1. DeMarcus Beasley – Off the bench he was very good today, probably much better than he’s been in recent games that I’ve seen him in. I like the idea of him still coming off the bench though instead of starting for the US.
2. Tim Howard – He made his usual few big saves but got unlucky with the PK and the other goal. Still can’t blame this loss at all on Timmy, he worked his ass off as usual.
3. Carlos Bocanegra – Got the lone goal on a great free kick by Beasley. He was so freakin’ open on that play it was ridiculous. He also did well in the back today for the US.

Overall it wasn’t a terrible game by the US. I thought Donovan was a ghost most of the game but that could be due to poor service from out of the back for him. Early on the US was too predictable in the midfield and in the final third. Robbie Findley was okay but really showed he has no shot at a roster spot in South Africa after getting over powered in this game by the Dutch defense. He has the speed to beat them but never really took people on like we would have liked.

Bad day for Bornstein though. First the penalty late in the first half and then the deflection for the second Dutch goal in the second half. I thought Bob Bradley should have subbed him at half for someone like Pearce but he’s got too much of a love fest for Bornstein.

Again, I hope to have more later on this game.

Bob Bradley has some tough choices to make for tomorrow's friendly against Holland (Getty Images)

Honestly I need to amp up my USMNT cover on here. I’ll admit I don’t get to see every game like I would like and I honestly nearly forgot the El Salvador game last week. In fact I didn’t even get to watch all of it but what I did see what the final 20 minutes or so which were fun to view since it was a nice comeback for the US.

What we know is this Holland game tomorrow is a biggie. Its in Holland and the Dutch are easily one of the best squads in the World right now. But this is more than a high profile friendly for Bob Bradley it is a chance to really finish filling out his roster for June at the World Cup in South Africa.

A good chunk of the roster is probably set but for those bubble players this is a big test. The two friendlies so far this year were definitely for the MLS talent to show their stuff and while they did a decent job only a couple of that B or C bunch will make an sort of dent in this roster come June.

Bradley has a couple areas to hammer out before June. The nearly all his defense needs to be figured out, his defensive midfield spot, and a striker.

Left Back: It will either be Jonathan Bornstein or Heath Pearce come June in this spot. That I am certain of. Pearce had a nice game against El Salvador and really seems to be doing well in Dallas right now. Having quality playing time has certainly helped him out too. Depending how they look tomorrow will go a long way in determining who gets a roster spot in June. My money is on Pearce right now.

Center Back: I still have a guy feeling Oguchi Onyewu will be available come June but some how if he isn’t it will be between Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson and Carlos Bocanegra to pick up the slack. I think the bigger story will be if Goodson can continue to impress Bradley. I think should Onyewu return to full health and Goodson continue to impress it will make Bradley’s life tough but in a good way. I’m not saying that he’d take Goodson over Onyewu here but having an improving Goodson only helps our chances in the back.

Right back: I worry about the wings in the back but if Pearce can get up to speed on the left I think so can Jonathan Spector on the right. But let’s not sleep on Frank Simek here, this game could be his big chance to make it in June.

Defensive Mid: It will likely be a WVHooligan favorite Maurice Edu to go in the midfield along side Michael Bradley. I think at this point this is Edu’s spot to lose. With Ricardo Clark on the outside looking in for a roster spot at this point I think Edu is a good bet, which I am happy with here too.

Striker: Ok we know Jozy Altidore is set and if Charlie Davies doesn’t return in time it will come down to three guys: Jeff Cunningham, Robbie Findley or Eddie Johnson. If that is the case my money is on Findley here. I’m curious to see which gets the start tomorrow with Altidore though because both need a strong start to do well.

Again tomorrow is a big deal. We must find a way to stop the Dutch on the wings. I’m very worried that Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart will eat our boys alive on the wings. If we find a way to stay in front of them and keep them honest we’ll be fine. If not it could be a very long night in Amsterdam.

The Dutch also like to shoot from range, so guys in the midfield and in the center part of the pitch must be on guard. One slip up will put Tim Howard in some jeopardy. Protecting the ball in the midfield will be key for the US.

I expect a high tempo to this game from both sides but the US will be wise to slow it down at some points to keep the pressure off the defense. Our forwards will need to work together to get quality looks on goal. The Dutch defense is a savvy one, but isolating one of them at a time can help work wonders. A big game from Landon Donovan also wouldn’t hurt!

This won’t be an easy game by any stretch for the US. Holland is damn good and they are very tough to beat in Holland. Forcing mistakes early will boost our confidence if we can get them but giving up silly passes in the midfield and on the wings will doom us. I hate going against the US but until we show up on the road, particularly in Europe I have to go against us. It should be fun to watch…key word is should.

WVH Prediction: Holland 2, US 0

Tim Howard did his best but it wasn't enough. (Getty Images)

To say I am not disappointed would be lying. I am a bit disappointed in not pulling out the draw today but one thing I do know is soccer is never a kind sport when you want it to be. Excuses aside though we should be very thankful that the US showed up and play well today down in Mexico, it may have not been solid for 90 minutes but still better than in the past.

This one does hurt though just as all losses to your big rival are. Getting the lead for the first time in Azteca and then to only quickly blow it away really stunk. Not to mention playing for the draw for a good portion of the game always comes back to bite you in the ass. It just comes down to lack of chances and lack of chances taken by the US.

Possession was an issue today as well. I’m sure the altitude had something to do with that over 90 minutes because believe me, that far above sea level and you are gasping for air no matter how good of shape you are in. Along with the posssession was the lack of quality touches on the ball in the midfield.

It turns out yet again that we just aren’t here all the way. We are getting close but results like today and failing to hold on to leads shows this club is still a step away from really becoming what we all want them to be as a team. I know Landon Donovan and others spoke a lot about holding leads after the loss to Brazil in the Confederation’s Cup. We just aren’t there yet.

Lastly we cannot make excuses on the refs. Sure they were terrible today but would you really expect anything better being on the road in CONCACAF qualifying? I sure wouldn’t, in fact if we got too many calls going our way on the road I would be worried that there would be a fix going on somewhere.

In the end we did learn a few things like seeing how Stuart Holden is ready to make the jump to the main A-squad of the USMNT. Charlie Davies is the real deal as a striker for us going forward too. Defensively we aren’t too shabby but we still give up too much space. Bob Bradley was better with his subs today and going forward that’s positive to see.

Let’s just remember we just really need two more wins here and we should be good to qualify for South Africa. With two games at home and a road game against Trinidad and Tobago I think six points should be simple enough to get.

Again it is disappointing but not the end of the world. We know where we want to go and we are getting there.