Raging Bull All Grown Up And Leading The English
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - June 3)
The life and times of Wayne Rooney, England’s star and star-crossed forward, can be floridly traced in the body art of his tattoos. more details | go to article

Final Cuts For U.S. World Cup Roster
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 26)
The emerging forwards Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez, once considered long shots, were named to the United States’ World Cup team Wednesday, while the veteran striker Brian Ching did not make the final 23-man roster. more details | go to article

Self-Assured Beasley Glad To Have Another Chance
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 25)
It seemed the most innocuous of plays, a short corner played from Landon Donovan to DaMarcus Beasley at the Confederations Cup last June. Except the ball rolled under Beasley’s foot and was whooshed downfield by Brazil for a searing counterattack goal. more details | go to article

Decision Time For Bradley And U.S.
by Jeré Longman (Blog Entry | New York Times - May 24)
The United States will face a Czech Republic team in transition in a friendly here on Tuesday night. more details | go to article

Bocanegra Says He Is Ready To Play
by Jeré Longman (Blog Entry | New York Times - May 23)
Defender Carlos Bocanegra, the captain of the United States soccer team, said Sunday that he felt healthy enough to play in exhibition matches Tuesday and Saturday after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia earlier this month. more details | go to article

Altidore Hopes To Assert Himself After Year Of Worrying About Others
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 23)
It was night in England on Jan. 12, just before his bedtime, when Jozy Altidore began to get the troubling news that an earthquake had struck Haiti, birthplace of his parents, home to more than two dozen relatives. more details | go to article

Hernia Surgery For Bocanegra
by Jeré Longman (Blog Entry | New York Times - May 22)
Carlos Bocanegra, the United States captain, recently underwent hernia surgery after being injured with his French club team, Coach Bob Bradley said Saturday. more details | go to article

Creative Feet Of Texas Key For U.S. In S. Africa
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 20)
He prefers bass fishing in the United States to carp fishing in England. Otherwise, Clint Dempsey, a young man from East Texas, is quite comfortable in southwest London. more details | go to article

Sad News Highlights Service To Country For Bradley
by Jeré Longman (Blog Entry | New York Times - May 19)
The United States World Cup training camp turned somber for Coach Bob Bradley on Wednesday, when he learned that a family friend had been killed a day earlier by a roadside bomb while serving in the military in Afghanistan. more details | go to article

Donovan Pushes Ahead, Looking Inside
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 19)
Round and round the soccer field Landon Donovan ran with his teammates during a fitness test Tuesday morning, silent, drenched in the cold rain, chasing something ineffable about himself and his career. more details | go to article

Short On Defense And Time, U.S. Opens Training Camp
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 18)
The United States opened its World Cup training camp Monday with its goalkeeper and three of four potential defensive starters unavailable for full workouts. As of now, Coach Bob Bradley is treating the absences with mild concern rather than evident alarm. more details | go to article

Preparing For Altitude From The Ground Up
by Jeré Longman (Analysis | New York Times - May 16)
The 32 teams participating in the World Cup from June 11 to July 11 will be faced with tactical decisions about altitude as well as soccer. Matches at 7 of the 10 stadiums in South Africa will be played at elevations ranging from 2,165 feet in the agricultural hub of Nelspruit to higher than a mile in Johannesburg. more details | go to article

Filling A Roster Is Easier Than Filling The Net
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - May 12)
And the United States thought things were gloomy, given that forward Charlie Davies has not recovered sufficiently from a serious car accident to play in the World Cup. more details | go to article

How A ‘Band Of No-Hopers’ Forged U.S. Soccer’s Finest Day
by Jeré Longman (Profile/Interview | New York Times - December 10)
Walter Bahr taught junior high in Philadelphia when he made the United States soccer team for the 1950 World Cup, playing a vital role in one of the sport’s greatest upsets. Team duty paid $100 a week. more details | go to article

U.S. A Winner, Brazil A Loser In World Cup Draw
by Jeré Longman (Analysis | New York Times - December 4)
The United States received a favorable draw for the 2010 World Cup on Friday and will be expected to advance to the second round of the soccer world championship, which will begin June 11 in South Africa. Anything short will be considered a major disappointment. more details | go to article