Two Teams. Two national team stars. One City.

The only Super Clasico in the U.S. never quite deserved the honor of that title.

That changes Sunday when USMNT stars Landon Donovan and Jonathan Bornstein go head to head in the most meaningful derby in the nation's history.

It's offense versus defense, the player of the year versus the Honduran Hero battling for the same ball.

Two games. Two chances to make the difference.

Who owns this city, and who moves on in the playoffs?

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about the national team stars on the USMNT page.

When a teammate, a brother, a countryman goes down, you rally behind him. And that is exactly what the American soccer family has done for Charlie Davies after a car accident left him hospitalized earlier this month. More than 10,000 supportive emails poured into the inbox set up by US Soccer.

Now that the young striker is on the road to recovery, we at Nike Soccer want to send him something to show we're behind him on this journey back to the field. We decided a custom "get well soon" card would be best.

But before we send it off to DC, we want all of our family to sign the card, which means you. Here's what to do:

Log onto Twitter and send a reply to @nikesoccer using the hashtag filter #CD9 as part of your message for Charlie.

Something like: @nikesoccer Get Well Charlie! You're gonna be back on the field in no time. #CD9

To see all of the responses, simply search Twitter for #CD9.

Messages sent in before Monday, November 9, at 12pm EST will be incorporated into the design of the custom card, and we'll let everyone know what the final card looks like after we deliver it.

Thanks, we really appreciate your participation.

Three months since the last game.

A solid month of training camp.

You can't wait to get out there and be the first to every ball.

Game Time. Finally. A stage that makes all the training worth while.

After a lengthy hiatus due to the inaugural season of the American domestic league, Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd, Shannon Boxx, and Hope Solo lead the #1 world ranked USWNT into Germany Thursday to take on the two-time defending world champions in Augsburg. Dependable veterans and youthful potential make up a reworked U.S. side looking to top off a so far undefeated 2009 (6-0-1).

Can they prove to the world that #1 is not just a number?

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about the USWNT at their team page.

Last season it was a brace on the road to lead Fulham over City.

A year later and again Clint Dempsey makes the difference. There must be something the Texan likes about playing the Blues from Manchester.

Heading home Fulham's second goal in a five-minute span, Dempsey provided the equalizer to secure an important road point against a team perfect at home.

Even more impressive, this crucial point came in the club's third match in six days. The Whites now have as much time to prepare for their next battle when they welcome a rejuvenated Liverpool to London.

Can Dempsey continue to be a threat in the box and ruin Liverpool's recent high?

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about Clint Dempsey at his player page.

One game to complete what looked impossible a year ago.

One game to go from last place to conference champion.

One game to make the difference.

Closing out the regular season on Saturday night, Landon Donovan led Los Angeles to the top of the western conference table by providing both goals--a composed slotted finish past the keeper and a deflected own goal--in a 2-0 shutout of San Jose.

After the game Landon was named LA's 2009 MVP. The year is closing up nicely for the American standout, but there is one trophy still to be claimed.

Bring on the playoffs.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about Landon Donovan at his player page.

If you want to be a great team, you'll need a great striker.

For Juventus, Amauri is the player called to make the difference.

In the last two games, the Brazilian has two goals with the new CTR360s on his feet.

The difference is clear on the field; the fear is clear in defenders' eyes.

The new weapon makes Amauri even more lethal.

CTR360 and Amauri: Juventus believes it.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Their last match was their third consecutive victory in the local tournament thanks to a midfield based on the control of Battaglia and Rosada.

A few weeks ago, atop the table appeared impossible. Now Boca finds itself only 5 points down. Lurking.

Again, their rivals feel the fear when they play against Boca.

Next Sunday they battle their historical enemy in the original Superclasico.

The perfect match to make the difference and continue the rise up the table.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

1 year. 15 games for his country.

5 goals, 10 assists.

Of the USMNT's 19 qualifying goals, he scored or assisted on 12.

Now, who do you think took home player of the year?

Those stats alone could warrant the award, but Landon Donovan's leadership and total control on the field certainly sealed it.

On Tuesday, the 27-year-old won his third straight and record-breaking sixth U.S. player of the year award. He was also named the player of the decade.

Finishing what may be the best year of his career, you have to wonder what he'll come up with in 2010.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. Discover more about Landon Donovan at his player page.

When a turning point is necessary, when you need to win to regain self confidence, when the opponent is tough and your fans are ready to boo you, that is the moment to make the difference.

It's passion, it's strength, it's the will to win. Over 90 minutes against Rome, Ronaldinho gave more than a great performance:

He demonstrates team spirit, devotion, sacrifice. With his team down 1-0, he took the penalty with the consciousness of being at a crossroads. But nothing can trouble him. The shot was perfect, beginning the move toward victory.

Then magic in the midfield, a very precise pass to Pato, and the game was turned.

San Siro rumbled, giving thanks to it's great protagonist, Ronaldinho.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Without a few starters, a drop in skillful team play could have been expected. But Inter's domination does not discriminate. Whoever dons the jersey must deliver.

And so Inter rolled through Genoa 5-0.

Balotelli coldly created distance, making it 2-0 after scoring from perfect break-back action.

Dejan Stankovic anticipated a lopsided goal kick in the final minutes of the first half and scored from the middle of the field, making it 3-0. The day was done before the half finished.

But the greatest concentration no matter who is on the field is a characteristic that can turn a winning team unbeatable. That's what Inter did in the second half. After the fourth goal, Maicon's intuition leveraged another defensive mistake, sealing it up 5-0.

Perfect Match. Impossible to stop them.

Don't miss a single Make The Difference moment. Follow Nike Soccer on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

After Brazil's draw this week, they can look ahead to 2010.

Once they touch down in South Africa, there will only be one thing on their minds: progressing through to the final and lifting the world's sport's greatest prize.

Think they can do it?

One side invented Total Football. The other invented Aussie Rules Football. One is consistently labeled as under-achievers. One is billed as a surprise package.

Can Australia take the next step and cause some damage in South Africa? Will Holland finally fulfill their potential?

It was goalless when the teams met in a friendly. But maybe they're saving their big guns for the big stage.

Sometimes the smallest touch makes the difference. Mesut Özil’s killer pass. Klose's measured run. Clinical finishing at its finest.

That's 48 international goals for Klose, his first in the new CTR360, and Germany's ticket to South Africa booked.

Nike Football+ is a killer combination of our premium boots, pro
training programs and access to the world’s top coaches and
footballers. It’s simple - buy the boot and you get a code. Follow the
instructions below to enter your code and unlock Elite football
training and a year of improvement.

Step 1: Go to the Nike Football+ landing page. You can also enter your code from any other part of the site which prompts you to 'GO ELITE'.

Step 2: From the Nike Football+ landing page, select 'ENTER YOUR CODE', located on the right hand-side of the page.



Step 3: You will then be presented with a LOGIN screen. Please login using your Nike Profile details. If you have not yet registered, you can register for a Nike Profile at the bottom of this screen.



Step 4: Once you have logged-in or registered, you will then be taken to your 'MY
TRAINING' page. From this page you can edit your profile and training settings. Enter your 12-digit Elite Training Code on the right-hand side under 'GOT AN ELITE CODE?' then select, 'UPDATE YOUR DETAILS'.



Step 5: You will then be presented with the below screen. Select 'CONTINUE TRAINING'.



Step 6: You will then be taken to the Master Control intro with Pep Guardiola, where you can begin your Master Control training and become the complete player.

Some say that on the pitch midfielders are the ones who win battles. The same is true to gaining a ticket to South Africa, and Mexico proved that on Saturday.

Mexico defeated El Salvador 4-1, and while their strikers were on fire, we shouldn't forget about the midfield.

A brave midfield with two titans: Gerardo Torrado and Israel Castro.

Wearing his CTR360s, Castro was everywhere in the midfield--defending, attacking, and above all leading the charge up field--always in total control of the situation. Control that should seal his place in Mexico's starting eleven and surely guarantees him a ticket to South Africa.

Castro is ready.

The smallest imperfection can throw you off. To make the game yours, you have to relentlessly prepare to be the best every time you step on the field.

With the release of the CTR360 Maestri on Nike ID you can customize control by building the perfect CTR360s. Create the best fitting boot. Color it up to tell your own personal story and connect with your national team. With every step, with every look down at your boots, feel the power and inspiration to turn the game instantly.

Along with a killer pair of boots, the CTR360s are enabled with NikeSoccer+, the digital, online experience through which players can access videos featuring drills and advice from pro players and coaches.

Ever walk into a shoe store looking for a new pair of boots only to fire questions over the heads of employees:

How's the feel of the upper on the ball?
Will this texture affect my ball striking?
Why is the cleat pattern laid out like this?

You want the perfect boot for your game, but it turns out that the hired help doesn’t know the answers to your questions.

Everyone has been there.

Working to right that wrong is the new Nike Soccer Shop and Players Lounge at Soccer Pro Dublin, just east of the San Francisco Bay. Walk into the Dublin, CA, soccer shop confident the people working are players and aware of modern athletes' needs.

To celebrate its grand opening this weekend, on Saturday, October 10, from 2-4pm, the new central valley Nike Soccer Shop location will offer free trials of the new CTR360 Maestri boot and the Nike Soccer+ Elite Training Program, a digital, online experience through which players can access videos featuring drills and advice from pro players and coaches. Released just this week, this is one of the first opportunities for players to get their hands on the technology and feet in the boots.

While you're taking the test drive, Bay Area professional soccer stars Christine Sinclair and Tiffeny Milbrett will be on hand to take your questions and give tips on their favorite training methods.

By the time you leave, you’ll have the tools you need to go from moments of success to 90 minutes of domination.

Soccer Pro Dublin
6635 Dublin Blvd. Suite F.
Dublin, CA 94568
(925)803-4435

Next year will be a busy year for the #1 ranked international squad. But right now it's all about training for the 23 women called into camp heading into their first game in months, October 29 in Germany when they take on the world champions. Returning stars Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, and Shannon Boxx will be back together once again, polishing skills that have them at the top of the rankings.

Staying on top is often harder than getting there. Having the success the USWNT has had in the last decade doesn't come without hard work, but staying on top, getting the best game out of every opponent, means training needs to be that much more intense.

The time the women put in now becomes the dividends collected on match day. It's all about finding that personal motivation to continue the killer instinct when the next game is still weeks away. That's where the USWNT finds themselves. Training makes the difference.

Strikers are judged on goals.

But on Sunday, Drogba demonstrated the importance of every area of a centre forward’s game.

His electric pace and storming power laid on the two goals that gave his team all three points and left them standing at the top of the league.

Control is Everything. In the next two weeks Landon Donovan has two chances to tighten his grip on the game, the playoffs, the world, and he'll attack them all with a new weapon: the CTR360.

Before the USMNT gets its first chance to seal a return to South Africa in 2010 with a victory over Honduras next week, Landon steps onto the field tonight in a crucial late-season league game (ESPN2, 8pm PST), for the first time in the new CTR360 boot, designed specifically for his game--the midfield maestro.

As with Landon's game, the CTR360 does a lot of things well. The outsole is built to maximize a player's ability to trap and control the ball; the upper is refined at key contact points for receiving and distributing the ball. The new synthetic fabric, Kanga-Lite, feels like soft leather but maintains shape in any weather without soaking up water. Wherever Landon starts, stops, turns, and then breaks away, the CTR 360 helps him to bring the ball along with him.

Confident in the boot's control, freeing his eyes to look forward, Landon now has extra time to find passing lanes, darting teammates, or a chance at the goal. America's best just got better.