Midfield Discipline Key To U.S. Road Streak

• ESPN Soccernet, Tuesday, May 27, 2008 3 PM

The U.S. national team begins Wednesday "perhaps the most daunting stretch of friendly games" it has ever undertaken, writes Jeff Carlisle. Playing England at Wembley is followed by a trip to Spain June 4, then the home game against Argentina at Giants Stadium four days later. The three encounters "should reveal much about the team's long-term prospects."
 
An exhibition game between two countries both at least two years away from their next major tournament might not be so significant. But Carlisle talks up Landon Donovan's expected 100th cap, the opportunity to play at Wembley, and the possibility of the U.S. team extending its record winning road streak to four as just some of the reasons to be interested in the U.S.-England face-off.
 
The streak so far has seen victories in Switzerland, South Africa and Poland, all achieved with clean sheets. For midfielder Ricardo Clark, this success can be traced to "the discipline instilled by Bradley," writes Carlisle.  Clark himself says: "[Bradley] instills that mentality that you never give up in the midfield and you fight after every loose ball, and make it hard for teams to play against us. I think that's been a big part of our success so far."

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