Catching Up on the USMNT/U-23s

Costa Rica 1 USMNT 0

Another disappointing result for the U.S. Men as they have now won just once in their last six matches (1-4-1) following their 6-0 thrashing of Cuba during the Gold Cup. This on the heels of a stretch where the U.S. went 7-0-1 with wins over Mexico, the Netherlands and Germany this summer. While there were some bright spots - the return of Tim Howard, another strong showing from Bobby Wood, some solid play from Lee Nguyen, and Andrew Wooten's USMNT debut - the effort was largely uninspired leaving the U.S. with no momentum heading into World Cup Qualifying next month. While Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is hardly Mexico, neither was Antigua and Barbuda in 2012 and the U.S. needed a 90th minute goal to beat them. It's certainly not time for U.S. fans to panic, but this match in a few weeks cannot be one that's taken lightly. Vancouver's Kendall Waston and Montreal's Johan Venegas both started for Costa Rica in the win.

2012 Olympic Qualifying - Where Are They Now?

As the U.S. U-23s get set to take on Honduras tomorrow with a spot in the 2016 Olympics on the line, I thought it would be fun to look back at the ill-fated U.S. squad from 2012 and see where they are now:

Bill Hamid - Now in his sixth MLS season, Hamid continues to man the pipes in DC with 138 regular season starts under his belt to go along with 37 shutouts. After a dismal 2013 that saw him post a record of 2-17-6 in 25 starts, Hamid bounced back to win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2014. Now 24, Hamid has 2 CAPs for the USMNT.

U.S. U-23s Complete Sweep of Group A

The U.S. scored four times in the second half as they completed group play of Olympic Qualifying with a perfect 3-0 record following a 4-0 defeat of Panama. Second half substitutes Jerome Kiesewetter and Jordan Morris both scored goals while captain Luis Gil (Real Salt Lake) converted a penalty kick for the U.S. who outscored their opponents 13-2 during their three opening matches. The U.S. will be joined in the semifinals by Canada after their 2-2 draw with Cuba. Canada's Michael Petrasso (Queens Park Rangers) has scored in all three of Canada's matches thus far and is tied with Kiesewetter and Morris for the tournament-lead in goal scoring with three. Mexico and Honduras will face off tonight in Colorado to determine who plays who in the semifinals on Saturday.

US U-23s Rout Cuba in Olympic Qualifying, Clinch Semifinal Berth

Ths U.S. U-23s have clinched a spot in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Semifinals after a convincing 6-1 win over Cuba. The U.S. scored three goals on each side of halftime conceding only deep into stoppage time in a match whose result was never really in doubt. Jerome Kiesewetter (VfB Stuttgart) scored a pair of goals while the U.S.'s MLS contingent contributed a goal and four assists. Jordan Morris, who scored twice in the U.S.'s opener, also added an assist in the rout. The U.S. will wrap up group play tomorrow against Panama. Panama fell 3-1 to Canada on Saturday leaving them on the outside looking in as they trail Canada by two points in the standings. Canada will take on winless Cuba in their final match of group play with a chance to clinch a semifinal berth of their own. Over in Group B, Mexico and Honduras have both already clinched semifinal berths after Mexico defeated Haiti 1-0 and Honduras upended Costa Rica 2-0. Mexico will play Honduras on Wednesday to determine the Group winner.

Here's a rundown of the MLSers who featured for Andi Herzog's U-23s on Saturday:

Starters:

Matt Polster - Chicago Fire - 1 assist
Matt Miazga - New York Red Bulls - 1 goal
Boyd Okwuonu - Real Salt Lake
Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake - 2 assists
Wil Trapp - Columbus Crew (Captain)
Marc Pelosi - San Jose Earthquakes - 1 assist

Subs:

Dillon Serna - Colorado Rapids - Did Not Play
Fatai Alashe - San Jose Earthquakes - Did Not Play

Jordan Morris Paces U-23s to Win in Olympic Qualifying Opener

Jordan Morris is back and has the United States off to a solid start as they try to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Opening the tournament against Canada, who beat the U.S. during Olympic Qualifying in 2012, Morris and the U.S. wasted little time scoring in the opening minute en route to a 3-1 win. Morris would add a second goal before Real Salt Lake's Luis Gil added a stoppage time penalty to secure the victory. The U.S. will wrap up group play with matches against Cuba on Saturday and then Panama on Sunday. Panama and Cuba drew 1-1 in their Opener. Group B will be in action today with Mexico taking on Costa Rica and Honduras facing off against Haiti.

Here's a rundown of the MLSers who featured for Andi Herzog's U-23s.

Starters:

Matt Polster - Chicago Fire
Matt Miazga - New York Red Bulls
Dillon Serna - Colorado Rapids
Fatai Alashe - San Jose Earthquakes
Wil Trapp - Columbus Crew (Captain)

Subs:

Boyd Okwuonu - Real Salt Lake
Marc Pelosi - San Jose Earthquakes
Luis Gil - Real Salt Lake

Trapp assisted on Morris's second goal.

U.S. Camps

Lots of action in U.S. camps around the globe this week as the U.S. U-20s, U-23s and Senior National Team are all prepping for matches. Here's a quick summary of the rosters and upcoming schedules:

U-20s

With the U-20 World Cup just months away, the U.S. has put together a squad with only ten returning players from the recent CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Five MLS players will be in this camp led by returnees Bradford Jamieson IV (LA Galaxy), Conor Donovan (Orlando City), and Tommy Thompson. Among the newcomers are Sporting Kansas City's Erik Palmer-Brown, Toronto FC's Marco Delgado and Atlético Madrid's Dembakwi Yomba. Palmer-Brown, who's 17, has played only five minutes this season, but he's the only one of the MLS group who's seen the field in 2015. The U-20s will take on Tottenham's U-21s on Friday and England's U-21s on Sunday. The US U-20s will have one more camp in mid-April in Austria with friendlies scheudled against Qatar and Croatia.