Free Republic

MEXICO CITY — Officially the game ended in a tie. But try telling that to the U.S. and Mexico, which fought to a scoreless draw in a World Cup qualifying match that left both teams heading in different directions. For the U.S., Tuesday's result felt like a win — especially since it came at a sold-out Estadio Azteca, a place where the Americans have never won a World Cup qualifier. Plus it leaves the U.S. in third place three games into the six-nation, 10-game qualifying tournament for Brazil 2014. For Mexico, meanwhile, the tie was as humiliating as a loss....

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Apparently, the desire still burns in Landon Donovan. Days after wondering publicly how much longer he will have the hunger to play at an elite level, Donovan scored his first international hat trick in five years, leading the Americans over Scotland 5-1 in an exhibition game Saturday night. ''Now, we have Landon back and he gave us the goals,'' U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. ''We can't complain tonight.'' The U.S. has won five straight following an 1-4-1 start under Klinsmann, who replaced Bob Bradley after the 4-2 loss to Mexico in last year's Gold Cup final. Clint...

For U.S. soccer fans, the scene was tough to watch: Archrival Mexico celebrating a Gold Cup victory on American soil, cheered on by a largely pro-Mexico crowd at the Rose Bowl. A little more than a month later, Bob Bradley has been fired as coach of the U.S. men's soccer team.

Bradley's Tenure as Head Coach of U.S. Men's National Team Ends CHICAGO (July 28, 2011) — U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati announced today that Bob Bradley has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. “We want to thank Bob Bradley for his service and dedication to U.S. Soccer during the past five years,” said Gulati. “During his time as the head coach of our Men’s National Team he led the team to a number of accomplishments, but we felt now was the right time for us to make a change. It is...