MNT Clipboard

+ It was leaked today by Grant Wahl* at SI.com that there's a good chance the US will face Austria in addition to Scotland in November. Another solid addition. It is conditional upon whether or not Austria beats Sweden in October, which if they do they will still be in contention to qualify for the World Cup. If they lose, their schedule just became open. Austria are a young, talented team and a nation who, if they don't make it in 2014, will likely make a strong push for 2018. It's a good move by Klinsmann to set this one up if possible.

*Correction: Steven Goff had it weeks ago. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Surprised I missed it in the first place...

+ Jermaine Jones has become a curious case. If indeed there is something wrong with his body, wouldn't it be wiser to get it fixed rather than put it off and make it worse? That leaves an interesting decision to be made by JK. He will have all the necessary information to make the correct decision. Jones is on thin ice with his club it seems as well. Schalke have said he won't play in their Champions League match this week due to his poor performance over the weekend against Hoffenheim. Is this the beginning of a rift between player and club? Hopefully not.

+ Fabian Johnson took an ankle injury this weekend. It's not serious, and the hope is he'll recover in time for October. If not then Greg Garza gets my vote (yes, over Beasley and Castillo). In all honesty, that's probably very unlikely, but there's minimal risk in doing it now.

+ USSF scouts were in attendance at several games over the weekend, including the Stoke, Nottingham Forest, and Birmingham City matches. This is good news for Lichaj believers. If he's not there in October I will be quite surprised. Spector has seen consistent minutes for BCFC and could make a surprise appearance as well, but I think Lichaj is more likely. If I had to guess, I'd say Chandler and Lichaj both get invites for October.

+ Speaking of, the roster should be announced at the end of this week. It would be great to get another surprise early release, but that doesn't seem to be how JK operates. Sunday afternoon would be my best guess.

+ Lastly, I want to briefly discuss Michael Bradley. The timing of his injury really couldn't have been worse. He will now face a fight to get into a blazing hot Roma side right now. In a World Cup year, playing time is everything. Will MB be content with sub appearances? Will JK? I find it hard to believe either would be. Bradley works very hard, and my hope is he can prove us wrong and get starts, but I'm not betting on it. For the record, can I just say that Roma are slowly pulling me into fandom. Their coach is a man who's work I've enjoyed at Lille, and he's doing extraordinary things now at Roma. I've always wanted to root for Gervinho, but couldn't do it while he was at Arsenal, and everyone knows MB is a personal favorite. I think I may start following them more closely. Anyway, with their hot start they sit atop the league, but honestly not really having played anyone (Lazio was a fluke, they didn't have their normal back four). The true test starts soon, with games against Inter and Napoli on the horizon. It's a tough pull for a fan like me - on one hand I want Bradley to play, a lot, and therefore would encourage a move if he isn't, but on the other I want him to play in Champions League and Roma look good to make it (again, it's early but still...). What's a guy like me to do??

Let me know your thoughts below or on Twitter.

Diskerud's Birthday - A Special Project

You can tell that Mix is a fan favorite, and one of his fans is doing something a little extra this year for the lovely locked mans birthday. Go here for more: http://twitlonger.com/show/n_1rnsq5b

I've already sent in mine. Have you?

FIFA 14 - Clint Dempsey Gamestop TV Commercial

If you haven't seen this yet, it's pretty solid.

Five Americans Who Should Play in October

The USA may have qualified for Brazil, but the Hex itself is not yet over. There is work yet to do. Not only do we want to finish top of the Hex (yes, we do), but the squad needs to continue to gel while at the same time ironing out some kinks that still exist - mainly the back line and out wide.

Klinsmann has recently stated that he will be bringing in the strongest squad possible (good news for those who got tickets) for the last two matches at home to Jamaica in Kansas City and away to Panama. There are pros and cons to this. One of the biggest pros has to be the extra time the squad will receive to gel prior to Brazil next summer. However, one of the biggest cons is that with the added depth the USA now has, several faces may miss out on a big opportunity - especially when qualification is already secured and the United States has nothing to lose.

Who are some of these Americans who may miss out? Here's a look at my top five (in no particular order).

5. Eric Lichaj: It had to be right? How could it not. For whatever reason, Klinsmann seems to not rate the Nottingham Forest man, snubbing him time after time. Last year, alright, I can see why. Playing odd minutes sparingly for a terrible club (at the time) is no way to make an impression. Things have changed. Lichaj has earned a starting role with Forest, and has played every minute of the season so far. It should be added that not only are Forest vying for promotion and already looking good for it, but he plays in a position that we NEED to lock down ahead of the World Cup. Cherundolo is going to be hard pressed to come back, no matter what fans may say. Chandler doesn't know what he's doing right now. Evans is only a temporary solution that likely won't work well at a bigger stage. Yedlin: the time is not right (think January). Cameron you say? Because he plays there for Stoke? Come on, why not play a talented player who's natural position it already is! Lichaj's time is now - surely Klinsmann won't miss out on this opportunity? There's no excuse anymore.

4. Brek Shea: Having just about returned from an injury picked up during the summer right after winning the Gold Cup, Shea brings an interesting conundrum to the table. Through no fault of his own the 'Brekken' seems likely to miss out on making the cut for Octobers matches. Likely to return to action next week in the Capital One Cup after finally recovering and attaining match fitness, Shea will need October to attempt to break into the starting eleven. Stoke were no slouches during the summer transfer window, and Shea no longer sits as a prime option (although in my opinion he still offers a lot to the side regardless) for Mark Hughes. For those reasons it seems unlikely that Klinsmann would call him in. It's hard to really pick a side in this one, but if a left back is finally found and it's not Fabian Johnson, Shea's task of making the World Cup just got much harder. Johnson has been a revelation on the left side in both places (LB & LM/LW) and therefore missing October could come back to bite Shea in the rear end. Yet at the same time, locking down a starting spot at your club has been the agenda of Klinsmann ever since he came in. It's no secret that Shea is a favorite of Klinsmann's, so perhaps it won't be such a huge miss after all...

3. Greg Garza: If you aren't familiar with Greg Garza by now, you're missing out. Did I mention he's a left back? A natural one, mind you. The young American has seen increased minutes this season with Tijuana, even getting starts over our very own Edgar Castillo, although the starting spot still belongs to the later mentioned. Garza brings some solid experience to the scene, having also plied his trade in Europe, mainly Portugal, and now Mexico. If Klinsmann, like me, enjoys playing Fabian Johnson in the midfield then in my eyes Garza deserves a shot. It's a higher level, but one in which I feel Garza is prepared for. The 22 year old LB is finally starting to take the stage as his own, and has played really well when given the chance. Like I said earlier, we're going to Brazil. Let's take a chance now. This is one that will likely pay off.

2. Terrence Boyd: Having scored for his club last week, Boyd is getting hot now that he's recovered from his injury. But the competition for a spot in the squad has heated up as well, leaving him with a fight to get in. If Klinsmann is indeed bringing the top squad in October then Boyd could miss out with the likes of Altidore, Eddie Johnson, Landon Donovan, and Aron Johannsson all likely getting the call before him at this point. To me, and this will be controversial, Boyd deserves a look over Eddie Johnson right now. Yes, Eddie's been hot. But it's time for Boyd to take the stage. Similar to what happened to Conor Casey on our way to South Africa, if Boyd can get in and do well then Johnson might face the chopping block (sorry Eddie, I still love you). What better time to test this than now??

1. John Anthony Brooks: Just cap him already. He needs to play. He needs to go to Brazil, and the time to figure out who he will partner with is NOW. Not November, in a less pressured situation. It's NOW. The talent is there. Let's tap it. I believe Brooks will be in the squad in October, but my argument here is he needs to play. You want to talk to me about gelling a squad ahead of Brazil? Yeah, it has to start forming ASAP. Again I say to, why not? We're already in, and playing Brooks in the long run can only help us.

Take a look at the squads that Holland and Italy will bring next month. They'll be a mixed bag, but youth and inexperience will feature. Mark my words. We would do well to take a page from their book and do the same.