Listen up as Clint, Freddy, Bradley, ‘Los and Howard drop some serious knowledge.

Have you ever dreamed of playing in front of thousands of screaming, rabid fans? Do you want to play in soccer’s most competitive leagues?

Well, then take some notes from these audacious Americans who are stepping their game up and making an impact on soccer’s biggest stage.

Yanks in Europe is Next Level!

It's right there sitting in front of us, so close we can smell it. But against England on Wednesday night we did not find it.

The English are a perennial powerhouse with world-class players in every position, and the chance to lock horns with them at the famed Wembley Stadium was a massive opportunity for the U.S.

On the face of it, it may look like an opportunity spurned, but the simple fact that we put ourselves in the position to shock the world is a testament to just how far we've come.

Of course, we'd rather be here congratulating ourselves on a stunning victory, but in reality the most important thing to take away from today's game is the experience. It might be a bitter pill to swallow, but it's one we need.

The time to find the Next Level is now.

We face Spain, the number four team in the world, in a week and then we lineup against the world's number one team, Argentina. So there is no time to feel sorry for ourselves.

Whether we come away with Ws from these high-profile matches or not--stepping up to the challenge is a bold and unprecedented move for this team.

And, one that can only make us stronger.

Hard to say how meaningful the U.S. MNT U-23 loss to Turkey on Wednesday really was. Our lineup was relatively inexperienced on the international level and many of the guys had never played together before the five days of training in Toulon.

Turkey, on the other hand, was younger, more familiar with one another and impressively talented. They attacked hard and responded immediately whenever the Americans got on the board. It wasn't the ideal start for us, but probably a fair one (recap and running commentary here).

Until he came off in the 67th with what looked to be a slight knee injury, the brightest spot on the U.S. side of the field was Benny Feilhaber. Benny was slotted into an attacking center midfield role and he effectively possessed and distributed the ball. Scoring chances didn't develop easily, but Benny was in the thick of it whenever they did.

Hopefully, Benny's knee is alright, ‘cause he flew back after the game for double duty with the senior team. The much-anticipated friendly against Rooney and Co. is this Wednesday.

Now the U-23s are preparing for the Ivory Coast on Friday, followed by Italy on Sunday (both games will be televised by FSC).

Winning is always a plus, but in this case it is not the be-all and end-all. The equation is pretty simple: More games = more experience = a better national team pool.

A player can have the best box of tricks on the field, but he needs to be in the right position to spring them. See what England midfielder Joe Cole had to say about creating space for a piece of game-turning brilliance, committed training and beating defenders.

It's gonna be a busy summer for the U.S. MNT program: Top-notch friendlies set against England, Spain, and Argentina; going for gold at Beijing 2008 and the first stages of qualification for South Africa 2010.

Starting everything off, though, is the Toulon Tournament in southern France, which serves as a chance for members of the U-23 player pool, like Benny Feilhaber, to raise their stock before training for Beijing begins.

With group play against Turkey (Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. ET), Ivory Coast (Friday, 12:30 p.m. ET) and Italy (12 p.m. ET), the competition won't be light. Should the US advance, the other side of the bracket - including France, Chile, Japan and the Netherlands - isn't any easier.

Stay up on all the action on television at FSC and online at The YNT Blog. At the blog, be sure to check out the pics of the fresh Nike training gear and new Nike T90 Omni balls.

Here's to starting the summer off right!

Soccer is all about taking the opportunities that get put in front of you. We caught up with French sensation Florent Malouda in Paris and shot five questions at him to find out what makes him tick.

Q: You’ve got some serious power in your shooting boots. Talk us through the 30-yard scorcher you scored for the Europe All-Stars against Man. Utd last year.

A: The crucial thing here is really tight control that allowed me to get my shot in quickly, and this doesn’t give the keeper time to react. I gave the ball a bit of outswing so it goes away from the keeper and pretty close to the post. It’s the spontaneity that surprises people, and the speed of the shot that makes it all happen. Training is really important – on the training ground I practice this type of shot a lot. The more you practice, the more precise you get over time – and the more instinctive it all becomes.

Q: You’ve made a career out of providing pinpoint delivery into the box. What’s the secret to the perfect cross, like this one against Club America?

A: It’s all about timing, and making sure that your ball arrives at just the right time for your teammate. Attackers love getting balls that buy them time, so the best attackers love playing with wide men who have an intuitive understanding with them, who can feed them the ball into space before the defender gets to them and give them the 1/100th of a second that they need to make their move – and hopefully score.

Q: You have a knack for scoring early in the match. What’s the secret to starting the game so strongly?

A: It’s about being pumped, and really wanting to make your mark on the match and your opposition. It’s about being really focused, so you can take advantage of the slightest loss of concentration from the other team – it could be at the beginning of the game, or just before or just after half-time, and if you’re really focused you can sometimes take advantage.

Q: What do you work on most on the training ground?

A: Speed of movement is crucial to my game – in order to lose your defender and get him off your back, and to get your shot in under pressure. This is crucial, so I work a lot at being able to change direction at speed.

Q: What advice would you give a young player who wants to make it to the top?

A: The important thing for a young player who really wants to make it is to have the ability to overcome the difficulties they are going to face, and making sure they are at their best when it matters most. It’s all about practicing your moves and your skills again and again, so that you can rely on them when it really counts – during the match.

COYW! That's Fulham talk for "Come on You Whites!" Somehow, someway, Fulhamerica kept itself in the English Premier League on a 75th minute goal in the final game of the season.

Now Clint, Eddie, ‘Los and the rest of the guys can get to sleep knowing where they'll be next fall. The real question is where they'll be this summer?

As Adam Spangler reports, Fulham's sprint to the finish didn't always involve the prettiest soccer, but the effort was there (check this commercial if you need proof). And, as it turned out that was enough for a miracle finish.

Deuce had another solid showing-especially in the defensive third-and officially completed his first full season in Europe. It's been time well spent; he definitely looks to be on his way to becoming a more complete player. With a few months to settle down and catch his breath, EJ might soon be there alongside him.

What's this about the UEFA Cup? Fulham's got a shot, and if it works out, there's a shot they might run into Tim Howard and Everton or Mike Bradley's current squad, Heerenveen.

Congrats West London. See you next year in the EPL!

20 teams. 760 Matches. Months of pulsating soccer action. But, in the end, there can only be one English Premier League champion.

With no further ado, we give you the 2007/2008 EPL trophy-winners: Manchester United.

In the last game of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo was once again the hero. When it mattered most, CR7 coolly stepped up to the spot and buried his game-winning PK in the back of the net--his 31st in the league and 41st overall.

ManU has successfully retained the title after a hard-fought campaign that saw them fend off intense pressure from their Premiership rivals, all the while maintaining a successful run into the Champions League Final.

Ten Premier League titles is NEXT LEVEL!

Wayne Rooney skipped across the pond recently for a visit to Nike Headquarters, where he put his two cents in on the design of his favorite weapon: The T90

Rooney has been part of the T90's evolution since day one, working with Nike's elite team of researchers to test prototypes and tell the development team just what makes his game tick.

Two back-to-back friendlies against Australia. Two stoppage time goals. Two U.S. WNT wins. If you ever wondered about this team's character, just thank the Matildas for forcing the Americans to provide an answer.

Saturday afternoon was something like a play in three acts. The Americans dominated the first 46 minutes, jumping out to a 4-1 lead with both Abby and Tarp scoring two goals each.

The Australians then muscled their way back into the game and evened the score by the 69th minute. Finally, four minutes past the 90-minute mark, Abby flicked another well-struck Cat Whitehill set-piece onto Angela Hucles, who volleyed the ball passed the keeper for the win.

Clearly there's much room for improvement before Beijing, especially on the defensive side, but it's good to see that this group is building up the all-important "refuse to lose" mentality.

Blowouts are always nice, but also sometimes misleading. As Tarp said herself after the game, "As a team, I think you grow the most during these tough times. Having these types of games and situations is definitely helping us prepare for the Olympics."

The road show continues in D.C.,, where the WNT is preparing for Saturday's friendly against Canada.