Hump Day Round Up

A couple of big pieces of news, a few little things to report:

• Villarreal will welcome Jonathan back next year. Interestingly, the announcement comes just before we go back up against his Racing side (note: he can't play under his contract - see below). The striker has scored 3 goals so far this year in La Liga (one in the Copa) - but I have to say, every time I have seen him, he has been tenacious, and although he did not score this past weekend against Madrid, he gave them one heck of a difficult time. He is expected to be a replacement for Guille Franco - but, you have to think, the 5'5" forward is not necessarily the best fit for Guille's spot. The more realistic thought is that it is very likely that the team is expecting to sell Rossi. And if that happens, who knows - Jozy, Ruben, ??? The sizeable striker we end up with will probably depend on whether Nihat is fresh and ready to go. Of course, I would love for Rossi to stay, just tossing some thoughts around.
• Good news: Nihat is back in training. He has returned to practice with the regular squad, but he is not expected to be back for this weekend's match.
• Spain took out England 2-0 today, with Senna playing the entire match, and Capdevila getting pulled at halftime. Santi Cazorla did not make an appearance, as was expected based on his recent form.
• Jozy is in the squad for tonight's United States match against Mexico - but it is only 16 minutes in - he might get in sometime in the second half if Bob Bradley needs a goal, but I would be surprised if there was any significant playing time for him tonight.
• Lastly, in good news for Villarreal (not cheering injury here, just pointing it out), Nikola Zigic is doubtful for the match. That will put the team in a bit of a bind, as they will also be without Jonathan. Their offense will be a bit weakened.