FanHouse Bob Bradley

To call 2009 a busy year for the U.S. national team would be an understatement. Even labeling it a marathon wouldn't be quite right. An ultra-marathon might make more sense.

Bob Bradley's team has participated in two tournaments -- the Confederations Cup and Gold Cup -- along with the final round of CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualification. All told the U.S. has already played 22 matches -- going 13-6-3 -- on two different continents.

The grueling year winds down with a trip to a third continent -- Europe -- when the U.S. places fellow 2010 World Cup qualifier Slovakia in Bratislava. (10 a.m., Fox Soccer)

Already rendered anticlimactic by last Saturday's clinching victory in Honduras, Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier between the United States against Costa Rica in Washington now will be played in the shadow of the car accident that claimed the life of a Maryland woman and likely cost forward Charlie Davies the opportunity to play in next summer's tournament.

The game means everything, however, to both the visitors and Honduras, which trails Costa Rica by two points for the region's final automatic berth. For that reason, and because of the "great deal of pride in the ongoing competition to be the best team in CONCACAF," according to U.S. coach Bob Bradley, the Americans claimed they will play to win on Wednesday night (8 PM ET, ESPN2).

This much is simple for the U.S. national team's Saturday night 2010 World Cup qualifier at Honduras. If the U.S. leaves San Pedro Sula with three points, then it automatically qualifies for next June's World Cup in South Africa. Anything else? Well it's so confusing that the U.S. Soccer site has established a scenario generator to run through all the possible outcomes.

It's also known that a) the U.S. is stepping into a tricky road environment in a country in the midst of a political crisis, b) the U.S. won't have midfielder Clint Dempsey and c) the game will not be seen in America except for select closed circuit establishments.

Ever since he burst onto the worldwide scene at the 1994 World Cup thanks in part to his unmistakable fiery red goatee and flowing locks, Alexi Lalas has been one of the Apostles of spreading the world on U.S. soccer.

In the 15 years since the U.S. announced its ambition on the world stage, Lalas has witnessed the gradual steps as soccer awareness in America has slowly crept from the fringes, edging closer to the mainstream.

So when his brother Greg decided to host a soccer-themed film festival -- Kicking & Screening -- earlier this year in New York, he jumped at the chance to help. And when Greg Lalas decided to host another event next week in Washington, well, Alexi Lalas was going to be there to both help his brother and help spread the gospel of soccer.

Whichever side of the fence you fall on in the matter of Bob Bradley coaching the U.S. men's national team, there's one thing both his supporters and detractors can agree upon -- the man is consistent.

Thursday Bradley selected his 22-man roster for the upcoming CONCACAF 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Costa Rica. There is little, if any, surprise in the players Bradley recalled for the crucial games, which will determine if the U.S. qualifies for South Africa automatically.

With Saturday's soccer spotlight shining on Rosario, Copenhagen, Budapest, Basel, Bratislava and even San Jose, Costa Rica, the U.S. national team is faced with a flattering yet potentially problematic scenario -- playing a World Cup qualifier that will be big news only if it loses.

Without a home qualifying loss to anyone since 2001 and boasting a 10-0-2 all-time record (with five straight shutouts) against El Salvador on U.S. soil, the Americans (3-2-1) would appear to have little to fear from the Cuscatlecos (1-3-2) at Rio Tinto Stadium outside Salt Lake City (ESPN Classic, 8 p.m. ET). But injuries and suspensions are a factor, and the tightening CONCACAF standings give the hosts no room for error.

If there's one edict that U.S. National Team coach Bob Bradley has established since taking over the reigns from Bruce Arena at the end of the 2006, it's that if a player wants to be included in the U.S. squad he'd better be playing for his club team.

U.S. semi-regular left back Heath Pearce found this out the hard way when he was left off the 23-man roster for the upcoming crucial qualifiers against El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago since he was out of contract and without a club to call home.

Before reading any further, it's probably best to watch the video embedded above. Let's call that the good the Michael Bradley.

Fans of the U.S. National Team have seen plenty of the good Bradley, the player that's a box-to-box midfield force who's chipped in with six goals in 34 international appearances, while simultaneously establishing himself at SC Hereenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie and currently at Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German Bundesliga.

Better than that never for the U.S. national team. Friday, a scant four days before next week's crucial 2010 World Cup qualifier in Mexico City, U.S. coach Bob Bradley released his 20-man squad.

There aren't too many surprises among the 20 men selected for the Aug. 12 match where the U.S. is looking to break its all-time winless streak at the Azteca Stadium. (The U.S. is 0-22-1 in Mexico overall) Mainly it's the core team that finished as runner's up to Brazil at June's Confederations Cup.

The U.S. national team's surprising run through the CONCACAF Gold Cup, its streak of two straight regional titles and its decade of dominance of arch-rival Mexico on American soil all were obliterated Sunday afternoon in just over 10 stunning minutes of soccer engineered by Carlos Vela and Giovani Dos Santos.

The London-based pair destroyed the slow, overwhelmed American defense early in the second half at a packed Giants Stadium, playing key roles in three goals that catapulted the Mexicans to a 5-0 win and a record fifth Gold Cup title.