The United States Men’s National Soccer Team officially kicks off its domestic training tonight with a friendly match against the Czech Republic. The roster for the USMNT currently stands at 30 members, with the final roster being cut down to 23 before the team embarks to South Africa for the World Cup in a few weeks. ↵↵Herculez Gomez is one of the offensive stars who hopes to find a spot on the World Cup roster. If this video, courtesy of USSoccer.com, is any indication of his skills, he can always join the team as pre-game entertainment if the whole soccer thing doesn’t work out.↵
Herculez Gomez Is A Magic Man
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↵↵The trick, filmed on the team’s train ride from Princeton, N.J. to Hartford, Connecticut this weekend, is pretty darn impressive. I’ve watched the video at least five times and cannot figure out where he hides Jozy Altidore’s card or how Gomez gets it back on the pile he hands to Altidore. Let’s hope he’s that magical with a soccer ball.↵
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↵Speaking of that, even though tonight is a friendly, it's imperative for those in camp with Bob Bradley's squad to shine if some – including Gomez – want to make it to South Africa. It will be interesting to see what lineup Bradley employs in both tonight's match and Saturday's match in Philadelphia. How long will the established stars play in an effort give as much opportunity for the first 11 to gel? With injuries being an issue for some players, will Bradley limit playing time to healthy players to avoid potential injuries to key starters? Will he focus on trying to figure out the final few reserve slots before cutting down to the final squad before this weekend's match? ↵
↵↵Tonight’s game won’t mean much on the score sheet, but it’s incredibly important for immediate future success of the national squad.↵USSoccer.com has a list of places they suggest you watch the matches:↵
↵↵⇥[W]hat else are you going to do on a Tuesday night? Watch Dancing with the Stars? We suggest you Fox Trot over to one of the official U.S. Soccer Bars and enjoy the USA vs. Czech Republic match tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and Galavision, or the USA vs. Turkey clash on May 29 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and Galavision from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.↵↵If for nothing else, if you live locally it’d be a good primer to scope out the joint in advance of next month’s World Cup.↵
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↵(H/T Soccer by Ives)↵
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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