Photo by Brad Smith/ISIphotos.com

For Charlie Davies, perhaps not securing a full transfer or loan extension was the best tactic to take this winter after all.

Davies has been included on Sochaux's first-team roster for the club's league game at Stade Rennes on Saturday, marking a major milestone for him and his quest to break back into the club's lineup.

Davies had been playing with the Sochaux reserves since returning to the club after D.C. United passed on the chance to purchase his contract outright when his loan expired in December. Following his recovery from life-threatening injuries suffered in a fatal car crash in the D.C. area in October, 2009, Davies made one appearance on a matchday roster for Sochaux but did not see the field. The last game that he played for Sochaux's first team was an Oct. 3, 2009, league game againt Le Mans.

Here are a few more stories to get your Friday going:

The U.S. women's national team will face 2011 FIFA World Cup foes Brazil and Japan in the three-team Kirin Challenge Cup in Japan in April.

The U.S. women knocked off Brazil in a classic quarterfinal match, with Abby Wambach forcing a penalty shootout after heading home Megan Rapinoe's cross in the final moments of extra time to level the score. They eventually advanced to the final to meet Japan, which battled back on two occasions to stun the favored U.S. side and win the World Cup in penalty kicks, delivering a massive emotional lift to a country that had been ravaged by tsunamis.

The rematch with Japan will be the second meeting in as many months between the two nations, as they'll square off in the Algarve Cup in March as well. The Algarve Cup and Kirin Challenge Cup provide strong pre-Olympic tune-ups for the reigning gold medalists.

"Playing two of the world’s best teams almost back-to-back will be a tremendous challenge for our entire roster," U.S. women's coach Pia Sundhage said in a release. "Obviously, we are very familiar with both Japan and Brazil, and we have the ultimate respect for their coaches, their players and the technical and tactical abilities of both teams. There are no better games to prepare you for Olympic competition than facing this caliber of teams away from home."

GIGGS SIGNS EXTENSION

The seemingly ageless Ryan Giggs will be playing for at least one more season after signing a one-year extension to remain at Manchester United through the 2012-2013 season.

Giggs, 38, continues to play at a high level for the Red Devils in his 21st year with the club. In that time he has amassed a team-record 898 appearances and won 12 Premier League championships and two UEFA Champions League titles, among other silverware.

BABBEL TAKES OVER AT HOFFENHEIM

Markus Babbel has been handed the coaching duties at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim after the club fired Holger Stanislowski this week. Stanislowski had been on the hot seat, and the club's DFB Pokal quarterfinal loss to 2. Bundesliga side Greuther Furth was the final straw for his tenure as manager.

Babbel, 39, previously coached Hertha Berlin to promotion and signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Hoffenheim. What his arrival means for American internationals Danny Williams, Fabian Johnson and Joe Gyau remains to be seen. Both Williams and Johnson have been lineup staples for Hoffenheim, while Gyau just recently made his way into the first team and made his debut in Wednesday's loss.

------------------------

What do you make of Davies making Sochaux's lineup? Excited for the high-profile women's matches in the coming months? How much do you think Giggs has left in the tank? What do you think the coaching hire means for the Americans at Hoffenheim?

Share your thoughts below

By FRANCO PANIZO

Landon Donovan's time with Everton is nearing its end and while he may want to make an impact in all of his remaning games with the club, this weekend's match might be at the top of his list.

Everton are set to face Chelsea in a match that will pit Donovan against the likes of John Terry, Mata and Florent Malouda. Donovan is still looking for his first goal during this loan stint, and one against Chelsea could go a big way in helping Everton pull out a result at home.

Tim Ream is not certain to start, but he could make his debut for Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. Bolton Manager Owen Coyle has stated Ream will be on the gameday roster, and a start could be in the cards as the relegation-threatened club looks to get three points from cellar dwellers Wigan Athletic.

Wondering what other match to keep an eye on? Look no further than Hertha Berlin's game versus VfB Stuttgart, as it could provide an opportunity to watch Alfredo Morales. The U.S. youth national team prospect has started and gone the distance in back-to-back games (including in an extra-time match on Wednesday), and his solid performances in both may have earned him more playing time.

Here is who the Americans Abroad face this weekend:

photo by ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Real Salt Lake are looking to the future just as much as they are hoping to win an MLS Cup title in 2012.

Real Salt Lake announced four moves on Thursday, including the re-signings of Fabian Espindola and Ned Grabavoy. According to the team's press release, Espindola signed a new four-year deal while Grabavoy agreed to a three-year contract that will keep him with the club until 2014.

The club also announced it exercised its purchase option on midfielder Yordany Alvarez from USL Pro League club Orlando City S.C. RSL also purchased forward Paulo Jr., who joined Real Salt Lake in September 2010 on loan from Miami FC. The two players signed three-year deals with Real Salt Lake.

Here are more notes from around the league:

BILELLO ADDRESSES MORENO CONCERNS

Just what exactly is going on with Jose Moreno and the New England Revolution is unclear, but club president Brian Bilello took to the web on Thursday to shed some light on the situation. Bilello informed fans that the team has been unable to reach Moreno during the past day-and-a-half to verify if he made comments about staying with Colombian club Once Caldas despite having already agreed to a loan deal with the Revolution. Bilello also wrote that an update would come when the club is able to provide one.

MORSINK UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL SURGERY

D.C. United midfielder Kurt Morskink underwent successful surgery on Wednesday, the club announced via a press release. The surgery was to repair Morton's Neuroma, an injury to the nerve between the toes which causes pain and thickening. The 27-year-old Morsink, who signed a new deal with United in December, is anticipated to miss 4-6 weeks.

-------

Which of RSL's moves do you like the most? How do you see the Moreno situation ending? Expecting Morsink to have a strong season?

Share your thoughts below.

Egypt head coach Bob Bradley and his team are scheduled to open their qualifying campaign for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations on Feb. 29, but that could be pushed back after the Egyptian Federation requested a postponement.

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has asked the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that its road match against Central African Republic be postponed due to the events that transpired in Port Said last Wednesday. No word yet on when the match would be made up should EFA's request be granted.

CAF will hold a meeting on Saturday to discuss the matter.

What do you think of EFA's request to postpone its 2012 ACN qualifying opener? Do you see CAF postponing the match?

Share your thoughts below.

photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

Conmebol's Copa America is the oldest international continental tournament in soccer, and 2016 will mark its 100th birthday.

That could also be the year that many American soccer fans have a dream come true.

According to Mexican outlet mediotiempo.com, CONCACAF president Alfredo Hawit said during a recent stop in Mexico that an 18-team tournament consisting of teams from CONCACAF and Conmebol is being planned for 2016.

With no Gold Cup or Copa America scheduled for that year, officials are proposing the Copa America's centennial be celebrated with a tournament comprised of 10 Conmebol teams and eight from CONCACAF. There was no explanation on which eight teams would represent CONCACAF, but the United States and Mexico seem all but guaranteed to be included.

There also was no further comment made as to what the teams would play for. Both regions are scheduled to have their respective regular tournaments in 2015, and those are typically the ones with Confederations Cup berths on the line.

Hawit also said permanently inviting Brazil to future Gold Cups, starting with the one in 2013, is being contemplated.

-------

The LA Galaxy just completed one of the best seasons in MLS history, if not the best, and they may be even better in 2012 after enjoying an outstanding off-season that has many scratching their heads at just how they've been able to do it.

If you have been wondering just how the Galaxy have constructed what looks like an unstoppable MLS roster, read my Fox Soccer column detailing just how the Galaxy have done it. It will offer you plenty of details into the real breakdown, and no, it's not based on conspiracy theories or preferential MLS treatment.

Give the column a read and feel free to share your thoughts on the piece, and on the Galaxy squad, in the comments section below.

photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

Tim Ream returned to England earlier this week with all the necessary paperwork completed for him to suit up for Bolton Wanderers, and he might not have to wait long at all to make his debut.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle told reporters on Thursday morning that Ream, and two of the other club's recent acquisitions, will be on the gameday squad that will take on Wigan Athletic in a match with relegation implications on Saturday.

"They will all certainly be in the squad," Coyle told the Press Association. "Tim Ream returned (from the U.S.) on Monday with everything sorted with his work permit and passport, and Ryo (Miyaichi) and Marvin (Sordell) have now had a week training with the lads, which has been great.

"It is not always easy with young players coming in and integrating into a squad, but they have settled down and the lads have really taken to them."

Coyle did not say whether Ream was expected to start for 18th-placed Bolton, but if the U.S. international plays, he will go up against an attack the includes the likes of Hugo Rodallega, Franco Di Santo and Jean Beausejour.

What do you think of Ream being named to Bolton's gameday squad vs. Wigan? Think he will start? How would you see him faring against Rodallega and Di Santo?

Share your thoughts below. 

photo by John Dorton/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Gale Agbossoumonde has accomplished quite a bit in his young career. At 20 years of age, Agbossoumonde has already received his first senior national team cap, played in Europe and won a U.S. Soccer Young Athlete of the Year award.

Even with all that on his growing resume, there's still something he desperately yearns for: Consistent playing time.

The search for minutes at the club level has been a constant theme in Agbossoumonde's career, with the centerback having spent time at five clubs prior to 2012. The time with those teams has not produced much in the way of minutes for Agbossoumonde, and it is for that reason that he finds himself back in the United States, where he will play for the Carolina RailHawks of NASL this season.

"I talked to my agents and they talked with Traffic. I wanted to play in the States, play close to home for a little bit," Agbossoumonde told SBI in an exclusive interview. "It will help me so I get playing time and be close to the family; just to get a good vibe back and help me build my confidence."

One could not blame Agbossoumonde for his loss of confidence. Since beginning his professional career in 2009, the U.S. Under-23 national team defender has lived a nomadic life, moving from club to club while never spending more than seven months with any one team.

Agbossoumonde's most recent loan saw him at Eintracht Frankfurt of the 2. Bundesliga from August 2011 until early this year. During his stay there, Agbossoumonde split time training with the first and second teams, though he never managed to get into a league match for the former.

"I did not get playing time because there were five centerbacks on the first team and all the games they always sent two down and I wasn't one of the ones that played," said Agbossoumonde. "It really was an unfortunate situation and I saw what was happening, so later on when it was getting towards January, I was like 'I need to get out of here to get playing time.' That's when they released me."

The loan with Frankfurt ended this past January, a move that left Agbossoumonde in an all too familiar situation. Facing an uncertain future again, Agbossoumonde decided he had had enough of Europe and wanted to go back to the United States.

Upon his return, he held talks with MLS over a potential deal that would see him join the league he rejected at the start of his career. Ultimately, though, he bypassed that route and elected to sign with the RailHawks on a season-long loan.

When the move was formally announced last week, fans and pundits alike questioned it. How could a talented centerback hoping to make the Olympics ply his trade in the United States' second division? Why would he choose that over MLS?

"I would go in a lottery and I wouldn't be sure where I would end up," said Agbossoumonde of the process he would have gone through in MLS. "I could end up on a team where I wouldn't play again, and I didn't want to put myself in that situation again. I just wanted to get somewhere where I would play. Carolina was the best option."

For Agbossoumonde, the RailHawks offered him an ideal place to develop. He is projected to be a starter for the club and will play under new head coach Colin Clark, who is no stranger to the centerback's combination of skill and size (the two played against one another while Agbossoumonde was with Miami FC in 2009).

"We are very happy to have Gale be a part of our 2012 campaign," Clark told the RailHawks' website. "We are looking forward to see him perform on the field and earn his spot for the Olympic team. He is a talented young player and he will play a big role for us in defense."

Agbossoumonde's contract with the club also requires him to be released should U.S. U-23 head coach Caleb Porter call him up for future camps, including the one in March for Olympic qualifying.

That's a big part of the reason Agbossoumonde was so adamant and active in searching for playing time. With 2012 being an Olympic year and with the United States being favored to advance to the Summer Games in London, Agbossoumonde wants to give himself every chance at making the team whose weakness is largely considered to be in defense.

In order to do that, coach Porter has stressed to Agbossoumonde that he needs to be playing in order to stay fit and sharp, even if the centerback has already noticed. 

"I want to get gamefit because you can train hard every day and run fitness, but it is not the same as being matchfit," said Agbossoumonde. "The camp I went to with the U-23s back in December, I was fit going into it. The training was good, I felt fine.

"But then we played in the scrimmages and towards the end of the games, I didn't feel matchfit," said Agbossoumonde, who is still battling the injury that forced him to miss the U-23 team's January camp. "I could feel myself not being as focused and making stupid mistakes that I normally wouldn't make in the beginning of the game. My passes weren't as sharp as I wanted to be and I know it's because I'm not matchfit."

With the Olympics on the horizon and on a club that rates him highly, 2012 could be a big year for Agbossoumonde. His contract with Traffic Sports runs out at the end of the year, and strong performances with both Carolina and the U.S. U-23 team could lead to new interest from clubs around the globe.

Set to become a free agent at the start of 2013, Agbossoumonde has not ruled out a return to Europe should teams come calling. In fact, he welcomes it.

"I definitely want to go back, because it was my dream growing up as a kid," said Agbossoumonde. "I know I could say I was there but I didn't fulfill my dreams. It's like I have unfinished business."

Before he can worry about that, Agbossoumonde needs to finally prove he can put it all together on the field. Carolina has given him the opportunity, and now he must produce in a league that many see as inferior to him.

Fail to do that and more questions will be asked of him. Accomplish it and Agbossoumonde should have no trouble next year finding clubs willing to give him what he has longed for since beginning his career.

 Photo by Neil Tingle/ISIphotos.com

By THOMAS FLOYD

Despite Aston Villa's best efforts, it appears Robbie Keane will head back to the Los Angeles Galaxy later this month -- just as scheduled.

The Villans had hoped to tack another week onto Keane's loan after the Ireland international bagged three goals in his first four EPL appearances for the mid-table club. But Villa's bid for a loan extension was denied, meaning Keane will be slated to join the Galaxy's preseason preparations after a Feb. 25 match against Wigan.

The Galaxy open their campaign March 7 with the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against Toronto FC at the Rogers Centre.

Here are some more stories to keep your Thursday going:

REDKNAPP HASN'T CONSIDERED ENGLAND JOB

Harry Redknapp may have landed the endorsements of Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, among others, to lead England at Euro 2012 after Fabio Capello abruptly resigned from his post, but the Tottenham manager said Thursday he "has not even thought" about the opening.

"I've got a job to do," Redknapp said. "I've got a big game on Saturday for Tottenham. Tottenham is my focus."

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, meanwhile, ruled himself out of the race, saying, "I am very, very happy here at Newcastle. We are on a little project here that's going really well and I want to see it through."

BAYERN MUNICH SIGNS SHAQIRI

Bayern Munich has made a move to bolster its midfield corps going forward, completing a deal to sign Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri from FC Basel. Shaqiri will join Bayern at the start of next season.

Shaqiri signed a four-year contract with Bayern after Basel accepted a reported $16 million transfer fee. The 20-year-old, who had been linked recently to Galatasaray and Manchester United, will face his future teammates when Basel takes on Bayern in the last 16 of the Champions League. The two legs are Feb. 26 and March 13.

JUVENTUS TOPS MILAN IN COPPA ITALIA

Martin Caceres notched a brace to lead Juventus to a 2-1 win at AC Milan on Wednesday in the first leg of the clubs' Coppa Italia semi-final, putting his side firmly in control heading into the return leg at home in March.

Caceres scored in the 53rd and 83rd minutes, sandwiching his tallies around a Stephan El Shaarawy strike in the 62nd minute. Siena and Napoli play the first leg of their semi-final later today.

photo by Howard C. Smith/ISIphotos.com

The U.S. men's national team's rumored friendly against Brazil has been confirmed, and FedExField will be the site for its location.

In preparation for World Cup qualifying, the United States will host Brazil on May 30 at the home of the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md. The game, which is scheduled for an 8pm kickoff time, will mark the first time the U.S. team will play at FedExField. It will be televised on ESPN2, ESPN3 and Univision.

The stadium may be new to the U.S. team but it is no stranger to international soccer, having hosted two highly-attended matches in the past. FedExField was home to a Manchester United-Barcelona friendly last year and also held a Real Madrid exhibition with D.C. United in 2009.

The match against Brazil is the second confirmed friendly in a week for the United States, with a game against Canada at BMO Field in Toronto on June 3 having been made official. Another friendly with Scotland is rumored.

What do you think of FedExField being chosen as the location for the USA-Brazil friendly? Expecting a large turnout? Plan on attending?

Share your thoughts below.