USA-Switzerland Live Blog

I'm feeling a little down about this one. I have a bad feeling this will be a 3-0 or 4-0 match. Earlier today England lost to Russia 2-1 and Portugal beat Kazakhstan 2-1 in matches of interest to our readers. England now needs help to qualify for Euro 2008 and Portugal looks to have survived a stern test today and thus should qualify for the finals.

I interviewed Max Bretos last week for the Major League Soccer Talk podcast. He didn't say it to me in so many words, but I sensed he too was a bit frustrated by the play of this team lately. Hopefully they turn it around today but I wouldn't bet on it. BTW, the podcast with Max is now online at www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com .

Boy, this day isn't going well for me as Scotland continues to trail Georgia 1-0. C'mon Scotland!

Nice to see Speaker Pelosi and President Bush honor the Dali Lama over on MSNBC. But that's enough of the politics for today.

Scotland trails 2-0. Now they have to beat Italy to qualify for the Euros.....AGGGH!

The National Anthem is playing and this has the feel of a execution style killing. The Americans are walking into a buzz saw. I feel sick about this match already.

No Alexandre Frei for the Swiss. Great!

Maurice Edu gets the start. Whoa! Eddie Lewis playing at the back. Marcus Hahnemann gets the start between the pipes.

We're off! The US wearing the fashionable navy blue jerseys.

Edu puts a shot just wide in the 2nd minute.

4th Minute: Switzerland slowly building the attack.

5th Minute: DaMarcus Beasley down with a bad ankle. Not looking good, and I bet Walter Smith is wishing he hadn't released Beasley for this friendly.

6th Minute: Beasley limping off. I wonder if he'll be back. Okay he's back but favoring his right leg according to Max Bretos.

9th Minute: This game is a stalemate and being played at a low quality. Switzerland controls the possession for the most part.

13th Minute: Twellman with an opportunity but he makes a mess out of. Dempsey draws a free kick. Beasley to take it. Poor free kick but the ball works its way back to DaMarcus on the flank.

14th Minute: Beasley tries to chip the keeper and it just fades . Wow, on the replay he didn't miss by much.

15th Minute: The US now controlling play but looking its typical inept self in the final 3rd.

17th Minute: Switzerland making a substitution for an injury.

18th Minute: I am shocked how comfortable Maurice Edu looks thus far in the match. It's his first cap keep in mind, and he plays for lowly Toronto FC.

20th Minute: I don't want to jinx things but Gooch looks solid today. KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!

Scotland has lost 2-0 to Georgia.

22nd Minute: The rain is coming down and Edu makes a critical clearance in the box.

23rd Minute: Hanehmann makes his first stop

24th Minute: The US sustaining possession

25th Minute: Switzerland with a break, but Gooch reads it well and forces a poor shot.

27th Minute: The US again showing no quality in the final 3rd.

29th Minute: Swiss Corner. C'mon clear it! Whoa we dodged one there!

30th Minute: Again the kid Maurice Edu doesn't yet feel the pressure. He was perfectly positioned for the clearance.

31st Minute: Eddie Lewis is looking old and slow. He's getting beat all over the place.

32nd Minute: Beasley tried to gut it out but he's coming off. Obviously this is big concern for Rangers. Heath Pearce comes on for him. I assume this means Lewis will push up into the attack.

33rd Minute: I don't like the idea of playing in a match in this venue without Beasley, our most seasoned played on European soil in pressure situations, but we have no choice now.

Per a very good suggestion from Travis (is that Travis from the inferno in Dallas?), beginning with the Second Half we'll move the latest updates to the top of the page.

35th Minute: I feel very bad for Twellman. Once again he looks totally out of his depth at this level.

36th Minute: The rain is really coming down now. Corner for Switzerland. Cleared by Cherundolo.

39th Minute: Another wasted attack for the US.

40th Minute: Feilhaber seems to have fallen asleep out there. Maybe that's a halftime sub for Bradley.

42nd Minute: Lewis with an outstanding shot on goal, and great save by the Swiss keeper!

43rd Minute: We had several chances there off the corner. Edu, Bocanegra and someone else all put shots on the frame and they were cleared either by a defender or the keeper.

45th Minute: Yellow Card for Gooch after he was blatantly shoved by a Swiss player. I don't understand it. The Swiss guy got a yellow also.

Boy is the rain coming down here in stoppage time. Halftime. We'll start a new second half blog taking into account Travis suggestion soon. A good 45 for the US, but we should have taken advantage and gotten a goal.