By DAN KARELL
The top-scoring American in Major League Soccer won’t be playing in Europe with the U.S. Men’s National Team this week.
When U.S. Soccer announced the 23-man roster for friendly matches against Scotland (November 15) and Austria (November 19), Chicago Fire forward Mike Magee’s name was absent from the list, a decision that perhaps was unexpected to him after a career year with the Fire and Galaxy.
“I was a little surprised not to be called in,” Magee told the Fire’s website, though their report stated that he declined to comment further.
In all competitions for the Galaxy and Fire this season, Magee scored 24 goals and added six assists. The 29-year-old has only been called up to the USMNT on three other occasions and was forced to withdraw due to injury in two of them. Magee’s teammate, Sean Johnson, was called into the USMNT squad.
Here are some more stories from around the league:
SOUNDERS GM WILL EVALUATE SCHMID’S PERFORMANCE IN NEXT FEW WEEKS
Seattle Sounders GM and part-owner Adrian Hanauer and majority owner Joe Roth will be meeting soon with head coach Sigi Schmid to evaluate the season’s performance, according to reports.
In an end-of-season conference call with reporters, Hanauer admitted that there was a lot of tension in the final weeks as the Sounders failed to win any of their final seven regular season games, and won just one in their final ten games including the postseason. Hanauer also said it was the most frustrating season for him in his 12 years with the organization.
“Clearly there are going to be a bunch of questions about Sigi and the coaching status … but just like every year in the past, we’ve taken some time after the season ends to decompress a little bit, to catch our breath, to meet and talk through what went well and what didn’t go well, and what the solutions are to what didn’t go well,” Hanauer said, via the Seattle Times.
“This year will be no different: We’re going to go through that process….over the next couple-, three weeks. We’re not in any massive hurry to make quick decisions. We just want to make the right decisions and get things back on track and get our noses to the grindstone to build for next season.”
Hanauer also revealed that the club is likely to negotiate a new contract with Eddie Johnson instead of picking up his club option, which is at a lower salary than the U.S. Men’s National Team forward would like.
GALAXY RESIGN DUNIVANT, COME TO TERMS WITH HUSIDIC FOR NEXT SEASON
It’s only been a few days since the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 2013 season came to an end and the team has already been hard at work for next year.
At their end of the year media availability, the Galaxy confirmed that they had signed veteran left back Todd Dunivant to a new contract as well as signing former Chicago Fire midfielder Baggio Husidic for next season. Husidic’s rights were traded to the Galaxy in the deal that sent Mike Magee to the Fire in exchange for Robbie Rogers.
Husidic spent the last two seasons in Sweden with Hammarby, working under the direction of recently hired Columbus Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter.
The Galaxy however do have a number of contractual decisions to make this offseason, starting with right back Sean Franklin, who has an option for next season and is currently making nearly $250,000.
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What do you think of these reports? Did you expect Klinsmann to leave Magee off the squad? Do you see the Sounders firing Schmid this offseason? Do you see the Galaxy bringing back Sean Franklin?
Share your thoughts below.