Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones has been suspended for four games for a recent red card against Stuttgart.

The red card happened in the second half of Schalke's 3-1 loss to Stuttgart on Saturday. For Jones it was his first ever straight red card but the severity of the penalty is due to his reputation as a repeat offender.

In the hope of glimpsing a sign of a brighter future, U.S. soccer fans have long devoted extensive time and attention to youth national teams.

Of these squads laden with the unknown and the unproven, none are higher-profile than the under-23 Olympic team. It's no surprise. The U-23 team is playing to compete in an extremely well-known international competition and its roster is usually populated with a handful of players who have already broken into the full national team, with several more serious prospects besides.

Nearly 20 months ago, the 2011 US U-20 team disappointed in a failed attempt to qualify for the World Cup but the players are continuing to progress well.

The COCNCACAF U-20 World Cup qualifying tournament is designed to leave little room for error as once a team advances past group play, they face a must win situation in a winner take all quarterfinal. Essentially one game will determine a team's qualifying fate.

Former USMNT defender Cory Gibbs announced his retirement on Monday after an 12-year injury-plagued playing career.

The former Brown University Brown Bear is remembered for his playing time in Europe which started with FC St. Pauli in the German Bundesliga in 2001. In his first season with the team, Gibbs made history when he became the youngest American to score a goal in Germany's top league against FC Cologne. After successive relegations, the Florida native returned to the US where he played with the FC Dallas for a season.

US national team midfielder Jose Torres has played his last game for Pachuca and will now suit up for Tigres.

Pachuca announced the transfer on Friday on their official website.

While playing time has been scarce this season, Tony Taylor took advantage of a midweek scrimmage to try to force his way with a hat trick against Benfica "B".

Newly promoted Estoril sit in sixth place after nine league games largely thanks to an impressive offense that has produced 15 goals. In fact, only the league's top three teams, Porto, Benfica and Braga, have eclipsed Estoril's scoring mark.

Brendan ranks the US troops after the Americans eked out a draw on the match's final kick.

Jurgen Klinsmann took an experimental roster to face Fabio Capello's high flying Russians, and fittingly, the hosts were the real aggressors throughout the match.

After almost single-handedly keeping Hønefoss alive for much of the season, Steve Clark might have a hand in relegating his team.

The Norges Fotballforbund (NFF) ruled last Friday to deduct one point from Hønefoss in the 2012 standings and levied an $8,670 fine against the team for fielding Clark in 12 matches illegally.

The USMNT roster for the friendly against Russia is full of surprises that offer a glimpse of Jurgen Klinsmann's vision for the team in 2013.

The bottom line is that there are several new players who now have the opportunity to prove themselves on the big stage. There are also a few veterans of the team who could be on thin ice and a strong performance against Russia is needed to be in the picture moving forward.

So with the USMNT game against Russia fast approaching, let's look at a potential roster.

Now this roster is now what I think Jurgen Klinsmann will do, it is what I would do if I were him. Now it's hard to make predictions yet since we do not know the results of the MLS playoffs and that does affect player availability.