US Coach Bob Bradley Begins Building National Team Foundation Against Chile

Filed under: FIFA World Cup, US Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team

CARSON, Calif. -- For the casual fan of the U.S. national team, Saturday's match against Chile probably seemed a bit unusual. Where was Landon Donovan? Why wasn't the game on English-language TV? Who the heck is Mikkel Diskerud, and why is everyone calling him "Mixx?"

The simple answers to these questions are that Landon Donovan is in Los Angeles preparing for the upcoming MLS season.

The game wasn't on television because ESPN is contracted to show a certain number of matches annually and this one wasn't selected.

And Mikkel Diskerud is a promising 20-year-old midfielder from Oslo whose American mother (hence his U.S. passport) nicknamed him "Mixx" when he was a child.

The reason for all of this confusion? The game against Chile was basically a scrimmage -- the international soccer equivalent of a JV game. Which is why Landon Donovan was given the night off. And why ESPN chose not to air the game. And why Diskerud got the start instead of Michael Bradley or Clint Dempsey or Stuart Holden.

 

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