Adu, Klinsmann, Sven

Freddy Adu, America's great soccer hope, spent two weeks in November playing with Manchester United's reserve team. This single-source article from Soccernet suggests that the trial didn't go terribly well, and predicts that Adu will not be signed by ManU in January. OK. Bummer, I guess. Maybe some other European league? Who knows. I'm not convinced that the MLS wouldn't be best for another few years, anyway.

Klinsmann took his name out of the running for the United States' coaching job. I'm a little disappointed. I don't give him all the credit for Germany's solid run in the World Cup this summer — home field advantage means as much in international soccer as it does in any sport anywhere — but I was still hopeful he'd be able to offer valuable insight to guys who need it, like Landon, DeMarcus, Clint Dempsey and Adu.

I'm content with Ben Bradley, as very few other names excite me. Bradley is wearing the interim title, but I'm not sure who else I'd like. Maybe Gerrard Houiller. That would be pretty sweet. Lyon are fun to watch, and their wide-open style of play could suit our relatively small offensive players.

Interesting statement today from Sven-Goran Eriksson, who suggests that the strength of the Premiership hurts England's chances. Odd. American commentators blame the weakness of the MLS for our struggles. Diversity of playing styles, Eriksson suggests, helps international teams succeed.