“I’m looking forward to the level of the games and just hoping that I can fight myself into the roster,” Boyd said on the phone with 10Kit. “It’s going to be a tough fight with all the strikers up top, so I’m just hoping that I can get some minutes and then I prove myself.”

As for Klinsmann’s instructions for the young striker, there wasn’t much interaction on the phone call from the coach:

“We didn’t talk about what he specifically wants me to, he told me that I’m in again, and we’ll see you in the camp.”

Boyd attributes his call-up to a stellar performance in the 2012 Olympic qualifiers, though he really only got to show what he could do in the fateful final group match, scoring twice against El Salvador despite the U.S. elimination.

“Unfortunately we went out,” he said. “The El Salvador match was a good match for me to show what I can do, now I need to be successful at the full team level as well.”

Boyd added that his agent is in the process of seeking a situation for him next season where he can count on first team action. He’s unsure whether that will come at German champs Borussia Dortmund, or if a loan or even transfer will be necessary.

Check out the full interview on Monday morning at ESPN Insider.

BRENT LATHAM – I’ll admit it’s taken me a little while to wrap my head around the U.S. Gold Cup roster. Rosters for huge tournaments, like the World Cup and the regional Cup, are supposed to be pretty cut and dried by the time they’re announced. Not so in this case.

So the Gold Cup roster has some shockers, but I think I can explain. Let me say first that overall I think things are OK. There are a number of strange items and a bunch of guys I’d rather see than say, Robbie Rogers or Freddy Adu, but the main pieces of the puzzle that will lead the U.S. to the Gold Cup next month are probably there. Except one. And it’s a big one.Let me add that young guns like Francisco Torres, Mix Diskerud, Teal Bunbury and even Alejandro Bedoya will get their chance. Though you could make a case for any of them on the roster, and it would be nice to see some youth movement instead of some of the same old retreads (read: Sasha Kljestan), Coach Bradley is what he is.

For the record, I would have definitely liked to see soon to be Premier League centerback Zach Whitbread in camp, as long as we’re bringing in guys (Adu) to see where they’re at. We don’t have too many centerbacks playing at the level and I can’t see how he wouldn’t have been able to help now.

Be that as it may, the biggest issue on the day and only real worry is the Timothy Chandler situation. Bradley (and Chandler’s team, apparently) says that Chandler needed some rest. But the indications point elsewhere, perhaps Nuremberg not wanting him to come. It doens’t add up.

In fact, when you add in the bizarre delay in releasing the roster, it looks suspiciously like something else.

Now let me interrupt here to say that what follows is pure conjecture based in absolutely no fact or inside information whatsoever, so if you don’t like that kind of stuff then skip the rest of this entry.

From what I do know about how these things sometimes can work, here’s what might have happened, more or less, on Sunday night and Monday morning.

Cue phone ringing….

Timmy Chandler: Hello.

Chandler’s Agent: Timmy, this is your agent calling. Hey great season this year, you played what, 14 games? Good stuff. Hey listen, so about this “Gold Crown”, maybe we should rethink that. I’m getting calls from the Germans and they say  you might be on the radar screen if you keep it up.

Timmy: Aw geez man, I’m pretty committed here. The U.S. came after me and I’m proud to wear that shirt…

Agent: Listen, Timmy, this cap-ties you permanently. Do you know how much a German international makes compared to an American international? Why do you think the Serbia choice was so easy for Subotic? Americans just don’t get paid. We need to think about this. I’ve been chatting with the fellas at Nurnburg and they’re interested in you resting, let’s try that angle, ya dig?

Timmy: I’m not so sure, it’s pretty late and…hello?

Sound of agent dialing Nuremberg.

So when Bob Bradley finds out at the last minute, he’s short a player. First he calls Orebro, where Alejandro Bedoya’s team is in season.

Bradley: Can I have one of your best players, in the middle of your season, for the Gold Cup, pretty please? I know we never filed the FIFA request but now it turns out that we need him.

Orebro: (laughing), You should have filed the FIFA paperwork on time Mr. Bradley. Next time.

U.S. Soccer operator: Should we call Stabaek for Mix Diskerud?

Bradley: F’ it, just call Robbie Rogers, we know he’s not busy.

Again, this is all baseless guesswork, and I’m half kidding, but it’s all just as plausible as thinking that a 21-year old winger needs rest after a half season, or that Robbie Rogers is the best man for the job.

So what’s the problem with Chandler not coming, if indeed he still wants to play for the U.S.?  Well, except for the World Cup, which comes around in 2014, this is as big as it gets for the Americans.

If Bradley wanted him for the Gold Cup and he didn’t answer the call, at what point will he be a useful asset for the U.S.?  Nuremburg’s not gonna release him for Olympic qualifying in the spring of next year, and they’re sure not gonna want him to go for the Olympics, which will fall during the preseason/season of 2012, if they won’t release him for a three week tournament in the off-season of a year when he barely played and could actually, really use the reps.

So basically, as promising as Chandler was, it seems he won’t be too useful for now, at least until WC qualifying comes around late next year, that is if he’s still American at the time.

Things that seem too good to be true usually are, at least where U.S. soccer is concerned. Maybe Chandler will work out in the end. Hopefully, but for now it’s back to Plan A. Where are Sasha and Freddy?

Six games today. Here’s the best from May 12:

Best Goal: Lee Nguyen, New England Revolution, 4-1 72′

I mean, are you kidding me? The Vietnamese-American midfielder was waved by the Whitecaps in preseason and apparently didn’t take the chance to exact some revenge on his (kind of) former team lightly. He followed up his first MLS goal with this stunner, an audacious attempt off a throw-in that seems to have eyes for the net.

Perhaps even more entertaining than the goal is Caps keeper Joe Cannon’s look of disgust after this, the fourth and final goal, crosses the line.

Best Save: Donovan Ricketts, Monteal Impact, 64′

It was actually a pretty attack heavy day. Lots of contenders for best goal, but the effort displayed by Donovan Ricketts on these saves will do nicely as the best save. While you’re there, click around on some of his other plays. It was a big day for the Impact keeper who helped preserve the result and save 60,000 plus from going home in a funk.

Best Player: Nguyen

OK, so his opposition wasn’t at full strength, but Nguyen hasn’t been too noisy this season, with an assist the only point he had to his name going into tonight. Coming out, he doubled that assist total and added two goals. He wasn’t half bad when he wasn’t setting his sights on the goal, either.

Second place goes to Jamison Olave for his performance in tonight’s….

Best Match: Real Salt Lake 1, Seattle Sounders 0

The match between two of the top teams in the Western Conference didn’t disappoint. Real Salt Lake was able to do what they do best and eke out a win over the Sounder who were previously on a five-match win streak. That’s not to say it was for lack of effort on the part of the Sounders. They were probably the better team truth be told, but some fantastic defensive play by Olave and center back partner Nat Borchers, along with a few crucial saves from one Nick Rimando kept the Sounders off the board and out of the win column.

Both teams played with fire and at times it had the intensity of a late-season tussle with skirmishes breaking out nearly every time there was a stoppage. The spat between these two conference rivals could be a fun one to watch going forward.

Best Moment: Brad Davis nets BBVA Compass Stadium’s first goal

You probably could’ve seen this coming weeks ago, but while it may be predictable, it’s still plenty superlative-worthy. Not only did the stadium open, delighting both Dynamo fans and fans of the league proper across the nation, but the first goal was appropriately put away by veteran Dyanmo midfielder Brad Davis. Davis has been with the team in Houston since it moved there in 2006 and certainly was a worthy man to christen the stadium. You can tell from his jubilant celebration just how much the goal meant to him.

The rocket isn’t a half bad goal, either.

Must See

You’re going to want to watch the Houston Dynamo vs. D.C. United, 4:30E, NBCSN.

When a MLS team gets a new stadium it’s a lot like when a buddy gets married. Some fans are perfectly content with what they already have, others might not have quite as pretty a partner but they’re still settled, and then there will be the outright envious who are single and would love to take the lucky guy’s place. But no matter what role you’re in, you want to see it because at the end of the day you’re happy for the guy. And you don’t even have to suit up for this one.

Good Bets

The nightcap between the streaking Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake, 10E, MLSLive is the best matchup on the pitch this weekend. If one of the teams takes all three points they’ll go top of the table for at least a day. Seattle has been on a roll, while RSL has struggled, but still managed to amass enough points to be the current league leaders.

Set the DVR for Montreal and Los Angeles in the early kick at 4E on MLSLive or TSN if you’re from up north (and RDS if you parle a little francais). Both teams have something to prove, which always bodes well for the neutral. The Impact will want to show everyone their recent spike in form isn’t a fluke, while L.A. wants to get back on track and deliver on the season they were supposed to have – a season that wasn’t supposed to include any losses to an expansion team.

The dream day

We’ll start the day with a half hour or so of Impact-Galaxy before switching over to the BBVA Compass opening festivities. The match itself takes a backseat, so keep your remote hand active if things go down to the wire in Quebec. There’s about a 30 minute break to have dinner/acknowledge your friends and family exist, then it’s back to the good stuff.

Our pick in the 7:30E slot is New England-Vancouver as the Whitecaps take to the road to try and extend their winning streak. Hopefully that match will be wrapped up by the time Sporting Kansas City’s visit to Chicago gets under way. It’ll be intriguing to see how the defending Eastern Conference champs come off their second loss in a row. But you’ll want to duck away from that one as well because the night’s real winner will be in the Pacific Northwest, as previously mentioned.

We have a new leader this week, though it shouldn’t come as too much of a shock if you’ve been watching closely.

1- Seattle Sounders – Five straight wins mean the Sounders are our new leaders. Fredy Montero seems to be fully back, they’ve only allowed three goals all season and even an injury to regular goalkeeper Michael Gspurning can’t seem to slow the club.

2- San Jose Earthquakes – The Quakes suffered their first loss in weeks on Saturday, but Wondolowski and crew stay in the number two slot. Why? They’ve earned it with their consistent play and really should’ve pulled out a draw before some stoppage time heroics did them in on the road.

3- Sporting Kansas City – It’s not panic time yet for Sporting Kansas City, but a loss to the expansion Montreal Impact is certainly enough to knock them from their perch.

4- Vancouver Whitecaps – The Whitecaps picked up a big win over the weekend and have a golden opportunity to vault themselves to the top of the heap with a victory against New England this weekend and a defeat of current leaders Seattle next weekend.

5- Real Salt Lake – What to make of Real Salt Lake? Who knows? They’ve been trudging along lately, barely beating two bottom feeders and drawing a Chicago Fire side who they probably should’ve beat. Still, they’ve managed to stay near the top of the conference.

6-New York Red Bulls – No Henry, no problem for the Red Bulls who were able to put together a strong enough attack to vex the LA Galaxy defense. It’s their third win in a row, and, with Kansas City’s struggles, they’re in striking distance of the Eastern Conference lead.

7- DC United – Nothing cures a loss like a league match with Toronto FC. Coach Ben Olsen was forced to play a strange lineup in the Great White North because of injuries to key players, but the patchwork back line had no problems and the midfield, which is looking increasingly deep, had a strong showing as usual. Beat some better teams and they’ll be on the way up again.

8- Colorado Rapids– The Rapids had a little help from both their opposition and the official as they drubbed a FC Dallas squad that was reduced to nine men for the majority of the 2-0 result. Their offense was firing on all cylinders and playing in a way that’s sure to put a smile on Oscar Pareja’s face if it continues. The defense? It wasn’t exactly tested.

9-LA Galaxy – One step forward, two steps back. Maybe it’s just stubbornness on my part, but I keep expecting the Galaxy to go on a huge winning streak and be the team they were projected to be. But they just don’t seem to be able to stop other teams from scoring more goals than them, and that’s kind of a major problem.

10- Chicago Fire– A win and a draw is good enough to qualify as a hot streak for the Fire who could make some moves in the Eastern Conference.

You know those blogs, the ones that give you three observations or five things we learned or the best XI thoughts. But sometimes that number isn’t enough. Other times it’s too many. So, here’s an arbitrary number of MLS thoughts:

EVERYBODY PANIC!: Sporting Kansas City, up until three weeks ago, looked to be far and away the best team in MLS. Now, they’ve lost two in a row – both to opponents nowhere near the top of the table. I mean, not only are the Impact an expansion team, they weren’t even playing their strongest lineup. So after these losses it’s time to panic in KCK, right? Of course not. Teams might think they have a blueprint on how to beat Sporting, crank up the pressure, clog those wings and make your shots count.

It’s almost like some teams’ strategy against Barcelona. You know they’re going to pass you to death and you suspect they’re more talented than you are, but put some effort into it, play a high pressure game and come away with at least a point.

But it won’t always work. KC looked lethargic coming off a bye, despite the sell out crowd at LiveSTRONG Sporting Park, but outshot Montreal by 16. You can expect Peter Vermes to make sure his team doesn’t come out flat again any time soon, and it’s going to be the rare occasion when a team with Kei Kamara and C.J. Sapong up top doesn’t convert on that many chances.

Are you for Real?: It’s hard to figure out what to make of Real Salt Lake. They’ve been hampered by injuries and suspensions and have still managed to scrape together enough points to be joint leaders. It hasn’t been pretty though. Their two recent wins came against New England and Toronto, neither team one to inspire fear in the hearts of the MLS giants. Yet, they struggled at times during both wins. Add into the mix their propensity to leave it until the last possible moment to push for points, and you have a team that could fade as the season progresses.

But you also have a team that is very talented and seems to be designed with depth in mind. That depth will be tested as they deal with CONCACAF Champions League play as the MLS stretch run begins in the summer. The injuries and suspensions they’ve overcome early also won’t hurt anything for the Royals.

Just Danso: One of my favorite MLS defenders to watch is Mamadou “Futty” Danso, so it was enjoyable to see him make his return from injury in Portland’s scoreless draw with Columbus.

1- Sporting Kansas City – On a bye week, the leaders didn’t do anything to lose their top spot. In fact, the break might’ve come at a great time. Seth Sinovic, part of SKC’s consistent back line, will miss this weekend’s game with a hand injury and the time off let his replacement work in.

2- San Jose Earthquakes – Their big victory over the league’s other surprise team, DC United, further cemented the Quakes’ spot as on of the best squads in MLS at this, albeit early, point of the season.

3- Real Salt Lake – Narrow wins over lesser competition have raised some red flags and indicated RSL might be at the top of the second group rather than in the bottom of the first.

4- Seattle Sounders– The Sounders will employ a backup goalkeeper in their attempt to continue their rise up the standings and power rankings in what could be a thoroughly enjoyable national TV match with Philadelphia.

5- Vancouver Whitecaps – The Caps continue to quietly play solid matches – they’re looking to extend a two-game winning streak when the highly ranked Earthquakes visit. Vancouver doesn’t have many attacking options, but when their defense plays with the fervor they’ve displayed, it often only takes one.

6-DC United– With their eight-game unbeaten streak snapped, United will seek to start a new streak against league-worst Toronto. Don’t be surprised if they climb a few spots next week.

7- New York Red Bulls – The big question will be whether the Red Bulls can stay in the top 10 without the services of Thierry Henry. In the Eastern Conference pictures, they’ll have time to recover once he gets back, but some wins without him would certainly be welcome in the Big Apple.

8- FC Dallas– Dallas was so close to getting some away points last weekend, but it seems like one step forward and two steps back. Already dealing with yet another injury in the midfield by losing Bobby Warshaw because of a foot fracture, Brek Shea is also an injury worry.

9-LA Galaxy – When their team is at full strength, they’re starting to gel and looking like the team that were the odds-on favorites to win the league when everyone made their preseason picks. When they’re missing three of their most important parts? They looks like a struggling team who will be lucky to make the postseason. We’re supposed to see the former this weekend.

10- Colorado Rapids– Will anyone ever want to stay in the 10 spot?

Many think of that underdog spirit as something uniquely American, but it certainly seems to have permeated the country’s Southern border in recent years.

One of the most intriguing storylines entering the start of the Mexican Liguila, an eight-team playoff to decide the champion of the tournament, is Santos Laguna looking the shake the curse of the superlider. The superlider, or the points leader after the regular season and one would assume the squad that is typically the favorite to win it all, has failed to make it out of the quaterfinal round the past five consecutive tries. The last team that finished first in the regular season that has gone on to win the silverware is Pachuca in the 2007 Clausura.

In addition to having the most points (four points clear of runner-up Monterrey) at season’s close, Santos also had the most goals of the campaign, helped by five league goals from American striker Herculez Gomez. Gomez and Los Guerreros will do their best to ward off the curse that has befallen previous leaders as they take on Jaguares.

One would expect eighth-place Jaguares would be the kind of team Santos would be hoping to draw for their two-legged tie which begins at 8 Eastern Thursday in Chiapas before Santos gets their home leg in Torreon on Sunday night. But luck hasn’t fallen on the side of the favorites, as Jaguares are the hottest team in the league entering the postseason – undefeated in their last eight and capping a push that kept perennial power Cruz Azul out of the Liguilla.

And as if either side needed any extra motivation, Jaguares will no doubt be buoyed by the fact that it was Santos who knocked them out of the quarterfinals in the most recent tournament. Meanwhile, Santos have consistently been the bridesmaid, but never the bride with second-place finishes in three of the last four championships and CONCACAF Champions League runner-up prize adding to the taste of silver already lingering in their mouths.

Other matchups include Tijuana and their trio of American internationals – Edgar Castillo, Joe Corona and Greg Garza – taking on a tall task against Monterrey in the club’s inaugural postseason appearance Wednesday at 11:30 Eastern.

Jose Torres and Pachuca take on Club America in the competition’s opening match which kicks at 9:30 Eastern tonight. Defending champ Tigres stumbled into the postseason and will face a feisty Morelia team in the Thursday nightcap.

It was a great victory for a largely Hispanic community that saw a senior forward, Jesus Olivares, claim tournament MVP honors while freshman goalkeeper Jorge Medina had the poise and composure to emerge victorious from a nerve-wracking shootout.

Sharyland was a team that came together at the right time with players ranging from ages 15-18 who all grew up wanting to play for their high school team. But as the team boarded their bus to head from the tournament site in Georgetown back down to Mission, there was a sense that maybe an era was coming to an end.

With the US Soccer’s new mandate that young players must decide between playing for their club or high school team, the days of high school and college soccer feel threatened. Two of the four teams competing at the Texas state tournament were in fact victims of this mandate, having lost star players in the offseason. The question has now arisen whether or not the Sharylands or colleges like last year’s NCAA soccer champion, North Carolina, will still be relevant in the near future.

Claudio Reyna, the Youth Technical Director of US Soccer, who recently outlined his vision in an ESPN.com article, is himself a product of high school and college soccer, but is on a mission preaching that an alternative approach is better not only for young players but also for the US national team.

“Our decisions are not thought out to say, ‘Hey, how do we end high school soccer or how do we end college soccer, how do we steer kids away…’ It’s the bigger picture,” Reyna told 10 Kit. “Around the world, kids at these ages are training and playing 10 months out of the year. It’s a fact. That’s something that high school and college doesn’t provide.”

For college soccer coaches, it is an inconvenient truth that they really only receive four months in which to work with players. Add to the fact that most colleges play two games a week, it leaves little room for technical development each Fall. On top of everything else, there is of course the expectation within a school’s athletic department that its college soccer team actually has a winning program, development be darned.

“From a technical side, I do think college soccer needs to improve in how they play,” Reyna said. “A lot of times you hear that [the coach’s] job is on the line and they have to play this way and that’s disappointing to me. I think in college soccer if it was a better game and a better style, you might have more players. This [opinion] is coming from the players. They say that college soccer or high school soccer holds back my development.”

For years college soccer was essentially the only choice for young players but now with the advent of the US Development Academies, including those academies affiliated with MLS teams, there is a path to a professional career that for the first time mirrors what is done in soccer-rich countries all around the world.

“College soccer is always going to be there,” Reyna said. “I think it’s great in what it provides a kid and it still is a stepping stone for professionals. But I think you start to see that players have decisions to make and I think that’s good. There’s competition. But we don’t go around telling players not to go to college. We just feel because there is more training and more quality games spread out over a long period that it is better for the body physically. In speaking to experts around the world, it doesn’t take me a long time to have them tell me, ‘Yeah, that’s the way to do it.’”

Whether Reyna’s vision is fulfilled remains to be seen. However one thing is for certain is that soccer on high school and college campuses has forever been affected, for better or for worse.

Reports say that the forward-cum-winger will start a second straight match for coach Martin Rennie this weekend, after a successful run-out on the left flank last week versus KC.

This is a good sign for Salgado, whose travels have taken him far and wide in search of a place he’ll fit in, is that it looks it he may be doing just that under Rennie.

Salgado has been heralded as a top prospect since abandoning Chivas and Mexico to come to the U.S. U-20 team a couple years ago a lanky 17-year-old.

Since then, he’s probably underachieved and been a little overhyped given his production. In the meantime, he’s whined quite a bit about PT in Vancouver, and been called out by his teammates.

It’s also been a little hard to tell exactly what Salgado’s real spot would be on the field. He’s far too weak to play the target forward professionally at this point, and his stature and questionable on the ball skill makes him look more cut out to be a centerback ala Omar Gonzalez.

But Rennie seems to have him slotted a left winger in the mold of Brek Shea, and that could just work. Time will tell. Let’s hope this is the chance Salgado’s been hoping for.