TOP STORIES
Quakes to Return
According to press reports out of the Bay Area, Don Garber will announce during the State of the League Address that the Quakes will return to the Bay Area despite not having a place to play next season. “Understandings” have been met between the Lew Wolff ownership group and the City of San Jose, just don’t ask Wolff for an address. Congratulations to the loyal Quakes fans and to Soccer Silicon Valley. Let this be a lesson to the groups across the country that are acting to save or bring soccer to their city (Philadelphia!).
Blanco Reports to FIRE
Most FIRE fans were worried about Blanco’s impact on the locker room when he signed for the FIRE, now those same fans can’t wait for him to arriving and start slamming slackers like Calen Carr and Chad Barrett against lockers! After watching this team mope its way through the last three months, it is clear that someone is needed to fight FIRE with fire! The no-BS injection of Coach Osorio and Temo will have underperforming players fearing for their lives after games. Can you imagine what will happen when Brian Hall makes the next terrible call against the FIRE while Temo is on the pitch? While, I don’t relish the though of the FIRE’s most high priced talent sitting out games due to suspension, it would be nice to see someone in a FIRE jersey look like they care about the team’s form. However, Luis reports that he did see the Houston game. Watch out!!
FIREsale part Three
All reports say the Fire are as good as sold to the family that brought you the Son of the better half of 7 and 7’s (potential Jimmy Buffett song?) will be the new owner of the FIRE. Andell Holdings will be taking over the fledgling FIRE in 30 to 45 day (crafted by a former Metrostar front office guy?). The only drawback is that this does not include the implicit ouster of GM John Guppy. Of course, it may be the wrong time to boot the surging Gupster after his hiring of Osorio, easily his most savvy move to date, despite the events of the past week.
Records go down in MLS
Three important records fell this week:
1. Houston Dynamo broke the league shutout record. The previous holders, walked away with the MLS cup the year they broke the record.
2. Steve Ralston broke the league assist record. The previous holder, walked away from the league with the biggest blond afro in history.
3. LA Galaxy shattered the MLS record for press passes given out for a player announcement. The previous record was 8.
MLS Week 15 – Can’t Stop Addicted to the Shindig
Thursday
Dynamo vs. FIRE – This game was sadder than sad and unfortunately for us FIRE fans, a 4-0 spanking on the alleged night of hope (sell out, new coach, Mapp’s return) wasn’t the low point of the week (see: Cup, Open). At least Juan Carlos Osorio learned a great deal about his team during this debacle and now may have a clear view of just how far he has to bring this team to get to the promised land.
MOTM: Joseph Ngwenya – for his hard work and sublime skills on the third goal against the FIRE.
Saturday
Hoops vs. United – United buries Dallas and the Hoops rise back to life thanks to the reappearance of Carlos Ruiz and the continued timeliness of Juan Toja. Tommy Soehn was rightly livid after this one that United had in the bag.
MOTM: Juan Toja – for sweeping the dust of the Dallas grave and pulling the rest of the team out of the ground.
Revs. vs. The Flagship – The Flagship has done rather well at home and you can’t expect to keep Angel off the score sheet forever.
RSL vs. Wizards – This one went almost according to plan by the 19th minute with EJ doing what he does (in league play), but RSL shut down the KC offensive juggernaut the rest of the match. Defense has not been a problem under the Kreis regime. The comical mistakes in the back that cost the team early on have, for the most part, gone away.
MOTM: No position to judge
Crew vs. LA Goats – Chivas USA is making Beckham’s home their own! This was a big win for Chivas and stay well situated in the playoff race ladder, just above Columbus thanks to the three points. This is the type of win that teams can point to as a reason they made the playoffs.
MOTM: No position to judge.
Sunday
UFC vs. Dynamo – Here’s the deal. No team in the league is better prepared than UFC to handle red card situations. I’ve got to believe that this squad practices 10 on 11 more often than even strength. It is almost becoming inevitable and now number one draft pick Maurice Edu has been indoctrinated into the culture of violence! However, Houston did have every opportunity in the world to put this thing away, but couldn’t managed to put their shots on frame. A shocking development given the events of Thursday night.
MOTM: Carl Robinson – Directing traffic and shutting down attacks, Robinson was everywhere for UFC and helped salvage a point for his side.
Quotes of the Week
FC Dallas coach Steve Morrow on the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup:
"It's a big cup competition. I want to win and get my bonus."
Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas on English press potshots on MLS quality:
"It irritates me so much I want to put my fist through a wall--or through a television set playing Benny Hill,"
Beckham Update
OK, there is much to unearth here that hasn’t been reported 1,000 times over in every paper, but was nice to see that the LA Galaxy have sold in excess of 250,000 jerseys prior to their unveiling and that upon meeting some of his teammates, one of them introduced themselves, then asked Becks, “Nice to meet you. What’s your name?” Victoria’s show was quite entertaining and could be worth picking up for NBC (ratings dependent). We’ll know the Beckham’s are having if everyone starts saying “major”.
“Major” Inroad of the Week
This one is a bit dated, but HBO’s “Entourage” featured entourage leader Vince falling ass backwards into a betting syndicate led by Dennis Hopper. Vince was on the edge of losing big money on Manchester United until Hopper’s pal noted that he hadn’t called in the bets. Hopper then convinced Vince to bet on the next game featuring Brazil. No word on FIFA on if these back-to-back matches were on a official FIFA international match day.
MLS Trade of the Week
Jason Kreis and RSL fleeced the Rapids and obtained rising US National Team force Kyle Beckerman for inconsistent Mhedi Ballouchy. Each side had a clear motivation for the trade, with Colorado already having a Beckerman in Pablo Mastroeni and RSL already having a Ballouchy in Adu. Perhaps Freddy’s play in center at the U-20’s was the final straw in proving to RSL that he needs to play in the middle, this making Ballouchy expendable.
U-20 World Cup
They gave us some thrills and hope against Poland and Brazil, but ultimately reverted to their form against South Korea. They managed to salvage an extra time win against the poorest sports in the tournament Uruguay, but couldn’t manage to come from behind against a very good Austria side. At least we learned that Adu and Altidore are not flukes. The Crew has to be encouraged by the play of Danny Szetela.
US Open Cup
While this remains my favorite competition, it is disappointing to see the early ouster of some MLS sides who trotted out B teams and paid the price as the USL teams have proven more than up to the task! D.C. United was dispatched in farm country by the Harrisburg City Islanders. Richmond Kickers ousted the LA Galaxy, while the Charleston Battery ended Houston’s double hopes. Perhaps, Houston and LA were looking at their schedule and decided that it was crowded enough, but FC Dallas was also on the brink of elimination at the feet of the Atlanta Silverbacks before finally topping the USL side in a penalty kick shootout. Houston’s ouster prevented another meeting between the Texas in-state rivals. These results alone warrant expanded Fox Soccer Channel coverage of these matches.
On the other hand, New England and Colorado topped Rochester and California Victory by two goal margins. Both the Revs and Rapids fielded close to full strength sides, but the Revs needed two goals in extra time to dispatch the underlings.
Then there was the Chicago FIRE marking their franchise low point by dropping a 1-0 match to the Carolina Railhawks. The FIRE fielded a full strength team and was blanked by an A-league club that started a keeper that had yet to play a league match. That is as low as you can go folks!
Quote of the Week II:
Fox Soccer Channel’s David Steinberg to Multichannel news on if he was surprised about the Gold Cup final ratings topping the Stanley Cup finals average rating by 40%:
“Not at all. Soccer is definitely poised to supplant hockey as the No. 4 major team sport in this country. You can already see some indications of that happening. One is TV ratings and another is live attendance. MLS attendance is either on a par or slightly above average NHL attendance. If you look at the country as a whole as opposed to specific regions where hockey may be strong, you just don’t see the same level of awareness of that sport as you do with soccer. Those are all signs of soccer growing more popular.”
Soccer Hater of the Week
A perfect follow-up to our quote of the week II. Every time Joe American sports fan feels threatened by soccer (which should be all the time this week), the ignorant haters come out of the woodwork don’t they? I know that the entities vying to bring MLS to St. Louis can’t be happy after reading this joke of a column in the St. Louis Post-Distpatch by Bryan Burwell. I mean, there is poor research and then there is just straight-up denial. How do you define denial? I’d start by writing this sentence: “Even in a soccer hotbed like St. Louis, is there anyone who believes it will ever rise above the NHL or even the WNBA, and become a core American sporting pastime?” Hasn’t soccer (not just MLS, but all levels of soccer in this country) supplanted these sports already? The NHL is a close call, but if you think about national team games of all countries, friendlies and minor league soccer, even the NHL may trail attendance-wise. I guess this is the mindset developed by only watching Sportscenter (until recently).
Soccer Lover of the Week
Here is an all too rare knowledgeable soccer ink from a major sports mainstream sports columnist. Mike Downey joined the Chicago Tribune a number of years ago and wrote a column about how excited he was to be part of the Chicago sports scene. He mentioned the FIRE and his love of soccer. Unfortunately, as many of us know, the Chicago Tribune, historically has been reticent to provide space in their sports pages to the FIRE of any kind. I would rate their coverage, as far as space devoted to soccer, the worst in the United State among cities with MLS teams. Yes this includes Kansas City and the New York papers. Being immersed in this culture, Mike certainly was never encouraged to write about soccer, more than once every World Cup, where his great column would be offset by a typical “Who Care?” article from one of the other columnists. Although this trend is clearly changing on the heels of the construction of Toyota Park and the successful Gold Cup at Solider Field, it is all to rare that we see columns like this in either of the Chicago papers.
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (2-4)
SEASON (32-56)
MLS All-Stars vs. Celtic FC – The off season Celtic are no match for a group of in-form players playing for potential European vacations. Oops, I broke soccer writer code. Players only come over to the US for vacations and semi-retirements. I forgot… Either way lifelong Rangers fan Stevie Nichol has a stacked squad to pick from and will be starting a three man back line. Should be a crac’…um’ exciting game. Sorry, I’ll get used to that.
Soccer Sunday?
Dynamo v. Revs – The Dynamo come into the Big Razor a manage a draw.
United v. The Flagship – The Flagship starts taking on water due to the big Angel hole up top. United over their rivals here.
UFC v. Crew – UFC bookends their road odyssey with losses as the Crew rebound from California disappointment.
Rapids v. Wizards – Shock! Ballouchy is not the answer. Wizards reclaim pole position in the east with a pretty win against the Rapids.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour – Glenn couldn’t keep up with me this week, so you’ll have to settle for archives.
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 07/10/07
MLS Week 14 – Fireworks
Wednesday
D.C. United at Kansas City Wizards – There are few sure things in life, but the Wizards will be at the airport to greet the return of Eddie Johnson. Much like the USA’s Copa America effort, the Wizards have had a great deal of difficulty finding the back of the net. You can blame it on some spectacular keeping in the last two matches, but too often they are holding onto the ball far too long and getting dispossessed. The chief culprit of this is Yura Movsisyian who is quite adept that putting himself in great attacking positions, but rarely has a clue about what to do from there except shoot in the direction of the net. Some crisper passing and better awareness of his teammates might have nailed down a starting spot for him once EJ returns. The Wizards attack is so potent that regardless of the caliber of defense in front of them, they will get looks at the goal. It is no surprise that the mid-week addition of Greg Vanney for Facundo Erpen had a lot to do with United’s poise in back. If Erpen had been back there he would have made at least one typically foolish error against the swarming Wizard offense.
MOTM: Troy Perkins - showed the form that won him the MLS goalkeeper of the year award last season and commanded the area giving him a rare clean sheet.
Chivas USA at FC Dallas – Chivas USA looked a bit slow all match and didn’t get the type of performance out of Maykel Galindo that Goats fans wanted. Laurent Merlin had a great game, but failed to convert his chances. Also, Chivas USA fans were conspicuously absent from the PHP, at least they weren’t show on TV at all. Dallas put forth an effort strong enough to top the visitors, and applied some icing late in the game.
MOTM: Ramon Nunez – for what surely should have been the goal of the week. His twenty yard blast left Preston Burpo a spectator.
Columbus Crew at Colorado Rapids – Due to the overlap in matches on DirectKick, I wasn’t able to bear witness to much of this match, however I think both sides privately will be happy with this result. The exponentially improving Crew are still not solid enough to expect a point on the road, while the depleted Rapids, just need to prevent losses until Beckerman and Gomez return from Venezuela.
MOTM: No Position to Judge
UFC at Real Salt Lake – When Robbie Findlay’s sixth minute shot dinged off the post, RSL fans though it might be a night to remember. Jeff Cunningham made them remember ten minutes later, when he converted an opportunity nearly identical to Findlays. Esky added a PK for the home side before the half, but RSL conceded yet another late goal and fell again at home. Sadly, UFC’s wonder goalie Sam Reynold’s who was in the midst of another solid match
MOTM: Jeff Cunningham – under pressure to perform infront of his former fans, Cunningham’s gorgeous first half strike reminded the RSL faithful of a month ago.
FIRE at Los Angeles Galaxy – OK, the Fire did not deserve to win this match. Their forward movements could hardly be called attacks and their only two shots of the evening were generated by CJ Brown. However, the Galaxy didn’t deserve to win it either, but they still managed to walk out with three points. Due to the typically poor refereeing of Brian Hall who awarded TWO penalty kicks to the Galaxy on “fouls” that did not even warrant yellow cards. Both poor calls were spurred by the considerable thespian skills of Kyle Martino. The first came as he approached the box and felt Chris Armas’ had near his, immediately he spun around and went to ground. The second came as he drove in the box toward Ivan Guerrero. Before, Guerrero could even get a foot in, Martino was two flying through the air grabbing his ankle. Again Hall pointed to the spot, then awarded yellow cards to Thiago and Brown, when they questioned the appropriateness of the relationship between Hall and Martino, or something to that effect. Hall showed why no MLS ref deserved to be in World Cup last year. The only other items to take out of this match were Abel Xavier having his best MLS match, Jon Busch looking like the smartest pick-up of the John Guppy era and the FIRE defense solidifying.
MOTM: Kyle Martino – sure I think his play was disgusting, cynical and immature. He likely should have been sent off before the half, but when it comes down to it, his two flops that Hall bought led to an LA victory.
Thursday
The Flagship at Houston Dynamo – Is this about the time the Red Bulls are supposed to look old? NewYork didn’t even show up for this match and got blow off the pitch by a short handed Dynamo. Without, Rico Clark or the injured Brad Davis and Eddie Robinson the Dynamo made it an easy day for Pat Onstad and held NY without a shot on goal. On a positive note, Claudio Reyna has played in ten games this year, shattering my predicted over/under by 6 games and counting.
MOTM: Stuart Holden – he’s stepped it up when the Dynamo have needed him and may have cemented his place in the starting eleven with a goal and two assists in this one.
Saturday
Chivas USA at New England Revolution – El Emporador strikes early while Andy Dorman continues to answer his critics, and cementing his title as the most underpaid player in the league.
MOTM: Preston Burpo – His eight saves allowed the Northern Goats to leave with a point.
Real Salt Lake at Columbus Crew – OK, RSL fans. This is rock bottom. After a few encouraging games at home RSL goes to Columbus and completely implodes. While Freddy and Nathan Sturgis were covering themselves in glory, directly north, their club was showing in shame capped by an ugly tackle on Schelotto, by a clearly frustrated Esky. The fact is, beyond Eddie Pope, Andy Williams (when completely healthy) and Nick Rimando, RSL just doesn’t have many players that are ready to be full time starters in this league. Jean-Martial Kipre and Atiba Harris are complete roving disasters waiting to happen. Daniel Torres managed to make it through this game without a major error, but you have to believe that Sturgis will start immediately. Hopefully, Kaptain Kreis will take a coaching lesson from Thomas Rongren and play Freddy in the middle. For the Crew, Jakob Thomas continues his return from injury and put together a Hedjuk-like effort. Also, the Columbus fans in the north end zone should write a letter to FIFA thanking them for mandating nets be put on goals. If that wasn’t the case, Schelotto’s blast from the spot might have destroyed the entire north stand with it’s sheer power. Sigi has once again, figured things out, and is beginning to reward the fans and front office for their patience.
MOTM: Alejandro Moreno – His hold up work and great possession and layoff paced the Crew to another victory.
UFC at FIRE – I went to this game with my buddy Kurt and appropriately lowered his expectations during the drive out there. Kurt, don’t look for much from the FIRE. This team is offensively challenged. Fifteen minutes into the match, he though I hadn’t watched a FIRE match all year. The FIRE, perhaps trying to win one for Denis Hamlett during his last interim game, came out firing on all cylinders. I’m not sure what the difference could have been, but the FIRE’s performance left fans with optimism for the first time in months. Some slick passing between Bakary Soumare (who was everywhere) and Chad Barrett led to the FIRE’s first goal since Peter Wilt was axed. Toronto rewarded their sizable road support with a great hustle goal by number one draft pick Maurice Edu. There is hope FIRE fans!
MOTM – Bakary Soumare – After being suspended for a match Soumare played the most solid game of his career in a sweeper role for the Fire. His height and athleticism blunted any Toronto attack for the vast majority of the match. He still needs some polish, but he is beginning to justify his lofty draft slot.
Kansas City Wizards at Los Angeles Galaxy – The Keystone LA defense did make a shambles of two plays and paid for them, on a couple of goals that will likely be cynically replayed around the world as an example of the “quality” of the team that Becks is heading. Chris Klein had a rough touch that Yura Movsisyan took and deposited in the back of the net. Four minutes later, Ante Jazic poorly and ill-advisedly headed the ball back to his keeper, Joe Cannon, but cannon bobbled the pass. KC’s Davey Arnaud pounced on it and headed into the virtually open net. For most of the match the Jimmy Conrad bolstered KC defense was doing a great job blunting the talents of Landon Donovan and Carlos Pavon. However, the insertion of veteran Cobi Jones was all LA needed to get back in the game. Six minutes after Cobi entered the match, Pavon blasted a shot past Kevin Hartman. Pavon’s slammed off the far post and fell into Cobi’s path. He made no mistake and drilled shot into the back of the net. Then in the 75th minute Donovan curled a low cross around a defender and found Jones on a near post run. Cobi’s clinical one-touch finishing left Hartman without a prayer.
MOTM: Cobi Jones – Off the bench Cobi was in the right place twice to pull the Galaxy level against the stingy KC defense.
Sunday
The Flagship at Colorado Rapids – Despite a near superhuman effort from Jacob Peterson, who surely cemented his spot in the starting line-up, the Rapids fell again to a rare period of lax defending. Without any Rapids pressure, a rebounded shot was calmly put away by the grey haired and well traveled John Wolyniec. The Flagship held on for the rest of the match against a Rapids attach that was gaining steam by the second. Another five minutes in this one and the Rapids would have likely pulled out a draw, however, the Commerce City squad will have to look back at post shot and a crossbar rattler for signs that their offense is improving.
MOTM – John Wolyniec – Another veteran puts on a good show! Woly’s strike is all the Flagship needed to top the flaccid Rapids.
D.C. United at Houston Dynamo – The predicted shoot our never occurred, but tempers were flaring at this match-up of the two hottest teams in MLS (apologies to Columbus). As per usual, a poorly refereed match by Brian Hall led to the game nearly getting out of control, with pushing and shoving becoming a major feature of the match. Both teams had decent opportunities, but Houston’s poise and possession saved the day for the home side. The Dynamo got all they would need when Brian Ching’s foot when all hockey-style and redirected a Richard Mulrooney shot past a hockey keeper posed Troy Perkins. This game was a showcase for the league and featured some wide-open attacking play at times. These are clearly the top two teams to fear in the league.
MOTM – Brian Ching – He was a handful for DC’s defense all night and made the most of his positioning on the goal.
Discipline Committees Time to Shine
This week the MLS Discipline Committee was handed two golden opportunities to make examples to players who committed nasty frustration fouls on “star” players. I believe the league should seize this chance and hand long suspensions to Aleko Eskandarian and Nick Garcia for their very dangerous challenges on Schelotto and Donovan respectively. On the eve, of Lord Beckham’s arrival a clear message needs to be sent to all the players that these challenges will not be tolerated. Sure it is unfair to hand down stiffer penalties, because the fouls occurred on high priced players, but the league has to protect their big investments and there were no excuses for these terrible fouls.
FIRE Hire Juan Carlos Osorio
I’ll confess that I don’t know much about Osorio. He has experience in MLS with the then Metrostars and has also been the Bridesmaid in DC, Chivas USA and other open posts throughout the league. The fact that he was a fitness coach at Man City should help a team like the FIRE which has been crippled by injuries over the past two seasons. His short, but successful stint at Bogata’s Millionarios, points to good things to come. This could be the defining positive stamp of the John Guppy era. I’d expect Osorio to keep Denis Hamlett on board for the remainder of the season, but certainly Hamlett will be looking to spread his wings after whetting his beak.
FIREsale part Three
If you are looking for great info on the fire Luis Arroyave’s blog has been priceless these last few weeks digging up some great tidbits on the FIREsale. A number of items have been widely misreported. First, Frankie Klopas’ group is not a group. He’s frontin for the Greco family which owns a food production company. And the competing is not a European Soccer club, but rather the Seagram’s’ company that peddles wares familiar to most my readers.
Beckham Update
As expected ESPN is throwing down the big-time coverage for what is widely expected to be Becks debut in a Galaxy uniform against Chelsea at the HDC on July 21. 19 cameras will be in place for the match. ESPN will carry three hours (or half hour depending on how you read the press release) of pre-game coverage, which only the Super Bowl can top! There will also be an extended SportsCenter (because they still can’t find time for soccer in the regular SportsCenter) and a hour-long documentary on Becks. Anyone still think he isn’t worth the money?
Copa America
Let’s throw some dirt on this American campaign right away! Despite completing the mission of blooding players, BB the King and the rest of us, didn’t really learn much about our young players. A couple took a step down, but will still remain firmly in the mix. Jonathan Bornstein and Justin Mapp come to mind. A number, such as Sasha Klejestan and Eddie Gaven showed that they don’t belong on international pitches at this moment. Aside from the teams first ten minutes of the tournament EJ was a massive disappointment. Rico Clark looked solid until the Columbia game, where he was determined to set up as many dangerous free kicks for the opposition as possible. Kasey Keller looked like he was collecting social security already, while El Guzano inched closer to that #2 keeper slot. Benny Feilhaber came of followed up his epic Gold Cup final with a couple off and on performances. Only Ben Olsen emerged from this tournament looking like he could challenge for a starting spot, unfortunately is awash in better than average defensive midfielders. What BB and the fans were looking for was someone to that the attacking midfield reigns. That savior never materialized in Venezuela. Maybe that player was in Montréal?
U-20 World Cup
Man, did we all need this after Copa America! Even ESPN seized the moment, as the US was ready to take on Brazil, the US sports taste maker announced it was pre-empting the Hot Dog Eating Challenge to broadcast the USA vs. Brazil match-up. This unheard of move is yet another positive sign that ESPN has surely changed its mind about soccer in the last few years and is finally waking up to the true popularity of the sport with in our borders. The USA didn’t disappoint as two of MLS’ brightest young names, Adu and Jozy Altidore put on a show and helped team USA top Brazil 2-1. Altidore broke the tie and the Brazilians spirit with a goal minutes after the Brazilians equalized. The Americans effectively shut down the Samba Kings for the rest of the match after Jozy’s third goal of the tournament. From all MLS fans to Danny, Freddy, and Jozy: Have fun in Europe, we hardly knew you. That is unless MLS is ready to pony up for their brightest.
Soccer Basher of the Week
As expected, Beckham’s LA arrival this week once again brought out the knives from the “traditional” sports columnists like this widely syndicated columnist Tim Dahlberg. Dahlberg who you can contact at tdahlberg@ap.org take wrote this pile of trash. So I responded with this pile of trash:
Tim,
So you start writing about soccer the second you hear something about Mr. Beckham coming here, and suddenly you judge yourself worthy of a soccer taste monger? Someone qualified to call the Los Angeles Galaxy “something of a minor league team.” That statement clear that your objective was not objectivity, but rather ignorant bashing. Why should we soccer fans expect anything less? God forbid a serious discourse about the boost that Mr. Beckham will provide to an already thriving league. Sure it may play to your traditional big-four audience, but soccer aficionados do not look across the LA line-up and see a minor league soccer team, with or without Beckham. I know you it is probably in your blood as an American sports columnist to downplay soccer at every turn (at least that is what all your articles suggest), but your tired argument are more suited for the 1970’s than the modern age. How did the Gold Cup final this year out draw the Stanley Cup final by 40% on TV? Did you know that the 2006 World Cup final had more viewers than the average World Series game? Soccer needs a savior? The only thing that is in jeopardy of expiration is your credibility as a sports writer in a changing American sports landscape.
Regards,
Mark
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (5-7)
SEASON (30-52)
Thursday
Dynamo vs. FIRE – It looks like Coach Osorio will get a rude awakening on Thursday. The FIRE in current form are no match for sizzling Houston.
Saturday
Hoops vs. United – United sends the Barra and the Eagles into a tizzy with a performance showcasing the South American flair up top unlocking a shaky Dallas backline.
Revs. vs. The Flagship – The Flagship has done rather well at home and you can’t expect to keep Angel off the score sheet forever.
RSL vs. Wizards – KC will look to take last weeks disappointment on someone, something, anything! Oh, look it’s RSL! RSL just doesn’t have a prayer in this one, but does manage to put up a good fight.
Crew vs. LA Goats – The hot Crew should be able to salvage a draw from the Goats who always seem to shine at home.
Sunday
UFC vs. Dynamo – Mo and the new bhoys take on the Dynamo, but to no avail. Even with a hectic schedule, the depth that the Dynamo built during the last month will overwhelm the road weary UFC.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour – Glenn Interviews Shep Messing and Oliver Luck
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday
D.C. United at Kansas City Wizards – There are few sure things in life, but the Wizards will be at the airport to greet the return of Eddie Johnson. Much like the USA’s Copa America effort, the Wizards have had a great deal of difficulty finding the back of the net. You can blame it on some spectacular keeping in the last two matches, but too often they are holding onto the ball far too long and getting dispossessed. The chief culprit of this is Yura Movsisyian who is quite adept that putting himself in great attacking positions, but rarely has a clue about what to do from there except shoot in the direction of the net. Some crisper passing and better awareness of his teammates might have nailed down a starting spot for him once EJ returns. The Wizards attack is so potent that regardless of the caliber of defense in front of them, they will get looks at the goal. It is no surprise that the mid-week addition of Greg Vanney for Facundo Erpen had a lot to do with United’s poise in back. If Erpen had been back there he would have made at least one typically foolish error against the swarming Wizard offense.
MOTM: Troy Perkins - showed the form that won him the MLS goalkeeper of the year award last season and commanded the area giving him a rare clean sheet.
Chivas USA at FC Dallas – Chivas USA looked a bit slow all match and didn’t get the type of performance out of Maykel Galindo that Goats fans wanted. Laurent Merlin had a great game, but failed to convert his chances. Also, Chivas USA fans were conspicuously absent from the PHP, at least they weren’t show on TV at all. Dallas put forth an effort strong enough to top the visitors, and applied some icing late in the game.
MOTM: Ramon Nunez – for what surely should have been the goal of the week. His twenty yard blast left Preston Burpo a spectator.
Columbus Crew at Colorado Rapids – Due to the overlap in matches on DirectKick, I wasn’t able to bear witness to much of this match, however I think both sides privately will be happy with this result. The exponentially improving Crew are still not solid enough to expect a point on the road, while the depleted Rapids, just need to prevent losses until Beckerman and Gomez return from Venezuela.
MOTM: No Position to Judge
UFC at Real Salt Lake – When Robbie Findlay’s sixth minute shot dinged off the post, RSL fans though it might be a night to remember. Jeff Cunningham made them remember ten minutes later, when he converted an opportunity nearly identical to Findlays. Esky added a PK for the home side before the half, but RSL conceded yet another late goal and fell again at home. Sadly, UFC’s wonder goalie Sam Reynold’s who was in the midst of another solid match
MOTM: Jeff Cunningham – under pressure to perform infront of his former fans, Cunningham’s gorgeous first half strike reminded the RSL faithful of a month ago.
FIRE at Los Angeles Galaxy – OK, the Fire did not deserve to win this match. Their forward movements could hardly be called attacks and their only two shots of the evening were generated by CJ Brown. However, the Galaxy didn’t deserve to win it either, but they still managed to walk out with three points. Due to the typically poor refereeing of Brian Hall who awarded TWO penalty kicks to the Galaxy on “fouls” that did not even warrant yellow cards. Both poor calls were spurred by the considerable thespian skills of Kyle Martino. The first came as he approached the box and felt Chris Armas’ had near his, immediately he spun around and went to ground. The second came as he drove in the box toward Ivan Guerrero. Before, Guerrero could even get a foot in, Martino was two flying through the air grabbing his ankle. Again Hall pointed to the spot, then awarded yellow cards to Thiago and Brown, when they questioned the appropriateness of the relationship between Hall and Martino, or something to that effect. Hall showed why no MLS ref deserved to be in World Cup last year. The only other items to take out of this match were Abel Xavier having his best MLS match, Jon Busch looking like the smartest pick-up of the John Guppy era and the FIRE defense solidifying.
MOTM: Kyle Martino – sure I think his play was disgusting, cynical and immature. He likely should have been sent off before the half, but when it comes down to it, his two flops that Hall bought led to an LA victory.
Thursday
The Flagship at Houston Dynamo – Is this about the time the Red Bulls are supposed to look old? NewYork didn’t even show up for this match and got blow off the pitch by a short handed Dynamo. Without, Rico Clark or the injured Brad Davis and Eddie Robinson the Dynamo made it an easy day for Pat Onstad and held NY without a shot on goal. On a positive note, Claudio Reyna has played in ten games this year, shattering my predicted over/under by 6 games and counting.
MOTM: Stuart Holden – he’s stepped it up when the Dynamo have needed him and may have cemented his place in the starting eleven with a goal and two assists in this one.
Saturday
Chivas USA at New England Revolution – El Emporador strikes early while Andy Dorman continues to answer his critics, and cementing his title as the most underpaid player in the league.
MOTM: Preston Burpo – His eight saves allowed the Northern Goats to leave with a point.
Real Salt Lake at Columbus Crew – OK, RSL fans. This is rock bottom. After a few encouraging games at home RSL goes to Columbus and completely implodes. While Freddy and Nathan Sturgis were covering themselves in glory, directly north, their club was showing in shame capped by an ugly tackle on Schelotto, by a clearly frustrated Esky. The fact is, beyond Eddie Pope, Andy Williams (when completely healthy) and Nick Rimando, RSL just doesn’t have many players that are ready to be full time starters in this league. Jean-Martial Kipre and Atiba Harris are complete roving disasters waiting to happen. Daniel Torres managed to make it through this game without a major error, but you have to believe that Sturgis will start immediately. Hopefully, Kaptain Kreis will take a coaching lesson from Thomas Rongren and play Freddy in the middle. For the Crew, Jakob Thomas continues his return from injury and put together a Hedjuk-like effort. Also, the Columbus fans in the north end zone should write a letter to FIFA thanking them for mandating nets be put on goals. If that wasn’t the case, Schelotto’s blast from the spot might have destroyed the entire north stand with it’s sheer power. Sigi has once again, figured things out, and is beginning to reward the fans and front office for their patience.
MOTM: Alejandro Moreno – His hold up work and great possession and layoff paced the Crew to another victory.
UFC at FIRE – I went to this game with my buddy Kurt and appropriately lowered his expectations during the drive out there. Kurt, don’t look for much from the FIRE. This team is offensively challenged. Fifteen minutes into the match, he though I hadn’t watched a FIRE match all year. The FIRE, perhaps trying to win one for Denis Hamlett during his last interim game, came out firing on all cylinders. I’m not sure what the difference could have been, but the FIRE’s performance left fans with optimism for the first time in months. Some slick passing between Bakary Soumare (who was everywhere) and Chad Barrett led to the FIRE’s first goal since Peter Wilt was axed. Toronto rewarded their sizable road support with a great hustle goal by number one draft pick Maurice Edu. There is hope FIRE fans!
MOTM – Bakary Soumare – After being suspended for a match Soumare played the most solid game of his career in a sweeper role for the Fire. His height and athleticism blunted any Toronto attack for the vast majority of the match. He still needs some polish, but he is beginning to justify his lofty draft slot.
Kansas City Wizards at Los Angeles Galaxy – The Keystone LA defense did make a shambles of two plays and paid for them, on a couple of goals that will likely be cynically replayed around the world as an example of the “quality” of the team that Becks is heading. Chris Klein had a rough touch that Yura Movsisyan took and deposited in the back of the net. Four minutes later, Ante Jazic poorly and ill-advisedly headed the ball back to his keeper, Joe Cannon, but cannon bobbled the pass. KC’s Davey Arnaud pounced on it and headed into the virtually open net. For most of the match the Jimmy Conrad bolstered KC defense was doing a great job blunting the talents of Landon Donovan and Carlos Pavon. However, the insertion of veteran Cobi Jones was all LA needed to get back in the game. Six minutes after Cobi entered the match, Pavon blasted a shot past Kevin Hartman. Pavon’s slammed off the far post and fell into Cobi’s path. He made no mistake and drilled shot into the back of the net. Then in the 75th minute Donovan curled a low cross around a defender and found Jones on a near post run. Cobi’s clinical one-touch finishing left Hartman without a prayer.
MOTM: Cobi Jones – Off the bench Cobi was in the right place twice to pull the Galaxy level against the stingy KC defense.
Sunday
The Flagship at Colorado Rapids – Despite a near superhuman effort from Jacob Peterson, who surely cemented his spot in the starting line-up, the Rapids fell again to a rare period of lax defending. Without any Rapids pressure, a rebounded shot was calmly put away by the grey haired and well traveled John Wolyniec. The Flagship held on for the rest of the match against a Rapids attach that was gaining steam by the second. Another five minutes in this one and the Rapids would have likely pulled out a draw, however, the Commerce City squad will have to look back at post shot and a crossbar rattler for signs that their offense is improving.
MOTM – John Wolyniec – Another veteran puts on a good show! Woly’s strike is all the Flagship needed to top the flaccid Rapids.
D.C. United at Houston Dynamo – The predicted shoot our never occurred, but tempers were flaring at this match-up of the two hottest teams in MLS (apologies to Columbus). As per usual, a poorly refereed match by Brian Hall led to the game nearly getting out of control, with pushing and shoving becoming a major feature of the match. Both teams had decent opportunities, but Houston’s poise and possession saved the day for the home side. The Dynamo got all they would need when Brian Ching’s foot when all hockey-style and redirected a Richard Mulrooney shot past a hockey keeper posed Troy Perkins. This game was a showcase for the league and featured some wide-open attacking play at times. These are clearly the top two teams to fear in the league.
MOTM – Brian Ching – He was a handful for DC’s defense all night and made the most of his positioning on the goal.
Discipline Committees Time to Shine
This week the MLS Discipline Committee was handed two golden opportunities to make examples to players who committed nasty frustration fouls on “star” players. I believe the league should seize this chance and hand long suspensions to Aleko Eskandarian and Nick Garcia for their very dangerous challenges on Schelotto and Donovan respectively. On the eve, of Lord Beckham’s arrival a clear message needs to be sent to all the players that these challenges will not be tolerated. Sure it is unfair to hand down stiffer penalties, because the fouls occurred on high priced players, but the league has to protect their big investments and there were no excuses for these terrible fouls.
FIRE Hire Juan Carlos Osorio
I’ll confess that I don’t know much about Osorio. He has experience in MLS with the then Metrostars and has also been the Bridesmaid in DC, Chivas USA and other open posts throughout the league. The fact that he was a fitness coach at Man City should help a team like the FIRE which has been crippled by injuries over the past two seasons. His short, but successful stint at Bogata’s Millionarios, points to good things to come. This could be the defining positive stamp of the John Guppy era. I’d expect Osorio to keep Denis Hamlett on board for the remainder of the season, but certainly Hamlett will be looking to spread his wings after whetting his beak.
FIREsale part Three
If you are looking for great info on the fire Luis Arroyave’s blog has been priceless these last few weeks digging up some great tidbits on the FIREsale. A number of items have been widely misreported. First, Frankie Klopas’ group is not a group. He’s frontin for the Greco family which owns a food production company. And the competing is not a European Soccer club, but rather the Seagram’s’ company that peddles wares familiar to most my readers.
Beckham Update
As expected ESPN is throwing down the big-time coverage for what is widely expected to be Becks debut in a Galaxy uniform against Chelsea at the HDC on July 21. 19 cameras will be in place for the match. ESPN will carry three hours (or half hour depending on how you read the press release) of pre-game coverage, which only the Super Bowl can top! There will also be an extended SportsCenter (because they still can’t find time for soccer in the regular SportsCenter) and a hour-long documentary on Becks. Anyone still think he isn’t worth the money?
Copa America
Let’s throw some dirt on this American campaign right away! Despite completing the mission of blooding players, BB the King and the rest of us, didn’t really learn much about our young players. A couple took a step down, but will still remain firmly in the mix. Jonathan Bornstein and Justin Mapp come to mind. A number, such as Sasha Klejestan and Eddie Gaven showed that they don’t belong on international pitches at this moment. Aside from the teams first ten minutes of the tournament EJ was a massive disappointment. Rico Clark looked solid until the Columbia game, where he was determined to set up as many dangerous free kicks for the opposition as possible. Kasey Keller looked like he was collecting social security already, while El Guzano inched closer to that #2 keeper slot. Benny Feilhaber came of followed up his epic Gold Cup final with a couple off and on performances. Only Ben Olsen emerged from this tournament looking like he could challenge for a starting spot, unfortunately is awash in better than average defensive midfielders. What BB and the fans were looking for was someone to that the attacking midfield reigns. That savior never materialized in Venezuela. Maybe that player was in Montréal?
U-20 World Cup
Man, did we all need this after Copa America! Even ESPN seized the moment, as the US was ready to take on Brazil, the US sports taste maker announced it was pre-empting the Hot Dog Eating Challenge to broadcast the USA vs. Brazil match-up. This unheard of move is yet another positive sign that ESPN has surely changed its mind about soccer in the last few years and is finally waking up to the true popularity of the sport with in our borders. The USA didn’t disappoint as two of MLS’ brightest young names, Adu and Jozy Altidore put on a show and helped team USA top Brazil 2-1. Altidore broke the tie and the Brazilians spirit with a goal minutes after the Brazilians equalized. The Americans effectively shut down the Samba Kings for the rest of the match after Jozy’s third goal of the tournament. From all MLS fans to Danny, Freddy, and Jozy: Have fun in Europe, we hardly knew you. That is unless MLS is ready to pony up for their brightest.
Soccer Basher of the Week
As expected, Beckham’s LA arrival this week once again brought out the knives from the “traditional” sports columnists like this widely syndicated columnist Tim Dahlberg. Dahlberg who you can contact at tdahlberg@ap.org take wrote this pile of trash. So I responded with this pile of trash:
Tim,
So you start writing about soccer the second you hear something about Mr. Beckham coming here, and suddenly you judge yourself worthy of a soccer taste monger? Someone qualified to call the Los Angeles Galaxy “something of a minor league team.” That statement clear that your objective was not objectivity, but rather ignorant bashing. Why should we soccer fans expect anything less? God forbid a serious discourse about the boost that Mr. Beckham will provide to an already thriving league. Sure it may play to your traditional big-four audience, but soccer aficionados do not look across the LA line-up and see a minor league soccer team, with or without Beckham. I know you it is probably in your blood as an American sports columnist to downplay soccer at every turn (at least that is what all your articles suggest), but your tired argument are more suited for the 1970’s than the modern age. How did the Gold Cup final this year out draw the Stanley Cup final by 40% on TV? Did you know that the 2006 World Cup final had more viewers than the average World Series game? Soccer needs a savior? The only thing that is in jeopardy of expiration is your credibility as a sports writer in a changing American sports landscape.
Regards,
Mark
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (5-7)
SEASON (30-52)
Thursday
Dynamo vs. FIRE – It looks like Coach Osorio will get a rude awakening on Thursday. The FIRE in current form are no match for sizzling Houston.
Saturday
Hoops vs. United – United sends the Barra and the Eagles into a tizzy with a performance showcasing the South American flair up top unlocking a shaky Dallas backline.
Revs. vs. The Flagship – The Flagship has done rather well at home and you can’t expect to keep Angel off the score sheet forever.
RSL vs. Wizards – KC will look to take last weeks disappointment on someone, something, anything! Oh, look it’s RSL! RSL just doesn’t have a prayer in this one, but does manage to put up a good fight.
Crew vs. LA Goats – The hot Crew should be able to salvage a draw from the Goats who always seem to shine at home.
Sunday
UFC vs. Dynamo – Mo and the new bhoys take on the Dynamo, but to no avail. Even with a hectic schedule, the depth that the Dynamo built during the last month will overwhelm the road weary UFC.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour – Glenn Interviews Shep Messing and Oliver Luck
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 07/03/07
MLS Week 13 – Tables Turning
WEDNESDAY
Colorado vs. United – Perhaps scoring early and then giving up a bevy of unanswered goals was the theme for the week. Fred had close to a break out game and Nicholas Addlery, with identical stats to Fred, did have a breakout game while claiming the MLS Player of the Week honors.
MOTM: Fred –he has slowly been rounding into better form and this was his peak MLS performance.
THURSDAY
Dynamo vs. Dallas – Because of the poor timing of this fixture, I had no opportunity to witness the scoreless draw. From all accounts, I didn’t miss much as the word “defense” featured prominently in all reports.
MOTM: No position to judge.
SATURDAY
The Flagship vs. Crew – OK, the Crew are officially hot. As impressive as their win over the Flagship was, they managed to keep Juan Pablo Angel off the scoring column. The Schelottoless Crew had the run of play throughout the match and limited the visitors to ONE shot on goal. Andy Herron made an instant impact in the match by setting up Kei Kamara’s game wining strike less than two minutes after he stepped on the pitch.
MOTM: Kei Kamara – His cool finish netted three points for the home team.
Revs vs. Chivas – Just when one’s about to proclaim the greatness of the latest Revs youth movement in the stellar play of Adam Christman and Wells Thompson, the two and the rest of the East leaders get classed out of the Joint out west in a game that had more players missing from the roster than paid fans in attendance! Aside from the massive egg laid by the east leaders, the biggest disappointment of the match had to be the crowd. A beautiful California night and only a shade over 9k show up? What does this team have to do to draw the so called educated Mexican fan base we heard so much about? Chivas USA plays the second most exciting football in the league and they draw flies! How can they prove themselves? The next Honda (or is it still Honda, Mr. John Guppy?) Superclassico is Thursday August 23 and it is on ESPN2. No pressure!
MOTM: Maykel Galindo – his seventh of the year was typical of the class he has exuded all year and was a punctuation mark on the Revs’ Chivas USA football lesson.
SUNDAY
Rapids vs. FIRE – Was anyone at Toyota Park paying attention to this game? It wouldn’t have mattered anyway because it was amongst the dourest matches played all season in the league with two slumping teams showing why they are slumping. With the Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng, MLS Commish Don Garber, and prospective new FIRE owner and Ring of Fire inductee Frankie Klopas (see below) in the house why pay attention? Actually, why show up may have been the question asked as the FIRE’s form is having a noticeable impact on attendance. At least until Mexico’s Mr. Manners 2001-2006 shows up in a week or two.
MOTM: Matt Pickens – Matt, don’t get too excited about this. It’s more or less an award for king of the mediocre in this tussle.
UFC vs. Wizards- Now here is a match that the league should broadcast around the world! Of course, they might want to CGI some crowd into vast Arrowhead. I suggest dubbing the growing and rockin’ Cauldron. The Argies are out to help in Columbus and more notably KC! KC put Toronto to the test by the New Boys stood up well, thanks to some brick wall goalkeeping by …… Sam Reynolds? Having a keeper crisis’ Mo dipped into the MLS pool and struck gold! Reynolds had nothing short of a blinder in the second half and took everything the Carlos Marinelli inspired Wizards could throw at him, which was the kitchen sink, three hula hoops, a Fixx tape and balded radial tire. Greg Sutton’s headache just got bigger and Toronto pulls a draw from what should have been a very ugly game for the Canucks.
MOTM: Sam Reynolds – for throwing down a steel curtain in front of goal.
FIREsale part Two
In town for the blinder that was FIRE vs. Rapids, Don Garber’s mere presence acknowledged what his mouth confirmed, that the FIRE are in the process of being sold to one of two groups. Group A is Shep Messing’s Clandestine Euro Syndicate (SMECS). In two separate occurrences, one of MLS’ best broadcasters has dropped cryptic hints that the FIRE are going to be purchased by an European based group that will be a big shot in the arm to MLS (which is pretty much the definition of any new ownership group.) No one has been able to decode who the SMECS is at this time. Group B is the FIRE Fan dream team! Ring of Fire inductee Frank Klopas seems to be the lynchpin of the group with former FIRE marketing wiz Steve Pasterino and other unnamed local investors in tow. If Klopas’ group takes over, he will become the GM of the FIRE, with John Guppy getting the heave-ho! Now there is a promo event that will pack Toyota Park! The transaction could not come at a better time as FIRE fan frustration with the team’s play and the attitude of management is causing discontent from The Stage, to Section 8, to the Club seats.
Former FIREmen Swapped
Nate Jaqua and Kelly Gray traded locations this week in another puzzling move by the Galaxy. Nate the Tall was though to be the main beneficiary of Beckham’s sizzling crosses, but Frank Yallop’s fond memories of Kelly Grey must has scuttled those well laid plans. Jaqua’s scoring output of single goal this season greased the rails out of town. Jaqua will join a glut of forwards in Houston, but may find himself in the midfield more often than not. I mean when he isn’t riding the pine.
UFC Transaction of the Week
Mo sent embattled and shaky back Kevin Goldthwaite to The Flagship for Todd Dunivant. Seems to be an even trade to me, but wouldn’t you rather have Richard Mulrooney over these two? Then again, the Canadian food didn’t really agree with Mulroon. Of course, the moment Mo said, "Just send me Reynolds" might be the UFC Transaction of the Week.
Beckham Update
LA has chosen the ominous Friday the 13th (of July) to introduce its newest signing: Kelly Grey David Beckham. The new Gals jerseys go on display July 11th and July 12th is when Beckham lands in town. Too bad no one will be paying attention because the FIRE are playing the Dynamo. Sorry Becks!!
Copa America
The USA (aka The Bleeding)
I mean, we knew this could happen. But we were tricked by Eddie Johnson’s penalty conversion against Argentina in the 10th minute of the Tournament. The Argies answered immediately, but the US hung in and made a game of it! Then BB the King subbed out Ben Olsen for Eddie Gaven. Gaven’s lack of defensive skills were exploited by Lionel Messi almost immediately, as he backed Gaven up at will and slid a gem of a pass into Hernan Crespo to take a 2-1 lead and flatten the American’s confidence. This is what world class teams do and we learned a valuable lesson. The next match was the real problem.
Paraguay gave the US every chance possible to put away the match in the first half. The US spliced together was a near gag reel of missed opportunities. TWO unmarked headers from less than five feet out by Sasha Klejestan and Drew Moor and went unconverted as they were put wide and into the arms of the keeper respectively. Justin Mapp had a one on one with the keeper with Eddie Johnson sitting at the far post, but blasted it over the crossbar. Two or three other chances went begging as well. I do appreciate the fact that these young players are getting a much needed rough international baptism, but finishing has to be better and it has become the Americans top problem regardless of who we put on the pitch.
Lastly, Kasey Keller has looked about 105 years old during this tournament, while he has been stranded on a few occasions; his lack of decisiveness and slowed reflexes has cost the Americans a minimum of two goals and counting. Keller is cementing Howard as the States top keeper and playing his way out of numerous contracts. Maybe he can beg for a DP allocation in the A-league?
El Tri (aka The Succeeding)
Beautiful, attacking, wide-open and defensively sound football is being played by this Mexico team as they have romped through their first two matches. Nery Castillo has been a revelation and is probably making his agent very busy these days. His strike against Brazil was an uber-Golazo! His world class pace causes headaches for even the spryest defenders. Look for Castillo to be on the move from Greece to a major player soon.
Notes:
1. It sure seems like Columbia has better options than Angel. Right!
2. Moreno shows Bolivia what they've been missing for the past five years. He also proves a point about MLS quality.
U-20 World Cup
Despite the finishing struggles of the Senior side, the US U-20 squad threw down a scary beating on an amped Polish side on Tuesday. The Poles entered the match on a high after downing Brazil in their opening match while the Americans were held to a disappointing draw by South Korea. The Poled jumped out in front in the tenth minute via some nice combination play in the middle of the field and some US ball watching. You often hear about a surrendered goal waking up a team, but rarely do you see it waking up a team to this extent. Over the next 80 minutes the USA, led by Freddy Adu, absolutely exploded for six unanswered goals. Adu and Danny Szetela made like Messi and Kaka and mercilessly carved up the stunned Polish side. First Szetela answered the opening strike with a perfectly placed header from the top of the 18. Then, Adu when to work on the right center back. After driving along the right side of the box, Adu spun and curved a shot around the diving keeper that found the far post and went into the goal, sending the commentator in near giddiness. Adu added two more well taken goals and Szetela made it a hat trick for the tournament as well. Adu’s performance was nothing short of masterful. MLS fans must be asking if that is the same Freddy Adu that had been playing in the League the last four year. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Coach Thomas Rongren plays Adu in his natural position? Note to Jason Kreis: SIT OR MOVE Mehdi Ballouchy! He is killing your team! Then again Jason, maybe you can keep him there, because if Freddy puts together another performance like that on Friday against Brazil, he’ll be off to Europe.
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (2-4)
SEASON (25-46)
NOTE: Plenty of opportunity for me to make incorrect predictions this week.
Wednesday
D.C. United at Kansas City Wizards – United rolled over Colorado, but this is a different story. KC will delight the biggest home crowd of the year and make amends for their Sunday draw.
Chivas USA at FC Dallas – I just don’t see an answer for Galindo in Dallas’ back. Chivas continues to climb the table and gets within three points of West leader Dallas.
Columbus Crew at Colorado Rapids – The sellout crowd will have to look to the skies for fireworks because their limp side doesn’t have a prayer against the rampaging Crew.
UFC at Real Salt Lake – This should be an exciting one, but one that will end in another draw. Place your bet on the next UFC player to get booted from a match. Dichio is even money.
FIRE at Los Angeles Galaxy – The Gals faithful have something to cheer about as the lost FIRE wander in and out of the HDC without even realizing they are supposed to be playing a match. Galaxy take three points.
Thursday
The Flagship at Houston Dynamo – The Crew showed the league how to mute The Flagship attack and the Dynamo have all the tools too execute that plan as well. Dynamo take three for a share of the Western lead.
Saturday
Chivas USA at New England Revolution – On short rest, Chivas runs into a revenge motivated Revolution side that likely will be bolstered by a returning Taylor Twellman.
Real Salt Lake at Columbus Crew – RSL is heading into a buzz saw.
UFC at Chicago Fire – Will the FIRE also give UFC their first road victory? I hope not. This ones a draw as the FIRE finds a little bit of gelling on the pitch. The real fun maybe in the stands as Section 8 and the Red Patch Boys try to out shout each other.
Kansas City Wizards at Los Angeles Galaxy – KC carves up the Keystone LA defense and Yallop continues to sweat.
Sunday
New York Red Bulls at Colorado Rapids – The Flagship continues their slump and draws the lowly Rapids.
D.C. United at Houston Dynamo – This could be fun. Goals a plenty in this one, but the Dynamo D does just enough to pull out three points.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 06/27/07
MLS Week 12 – Parity and Clarity
Wednesday
KC vs. Crew –KC was missing EJ, but still had a team more than capable of producing results. What KC didn’t have was an answer for Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The midfield maestro, sprayed passed throughout the pitch and assisted on the game winner. The happy fans were stuffed with dollar brats and the Crew responded in kind by stuffing KC’s still potent attack until late in the game yielding a late goal to KC runner-up funnyman Jack Jewsbury. Wil Hesmer replaced Andy Gruenebaum in the Crew nets and made Sigi look smart for the first time in months.
MOTM: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
Thursday
Chivas USA vs. Dynamo – Every week for the last month on Glenn Davis’ tremendous Dynamo Power Hour, the topic of “who will step into the Gold Cup void” was brought up. Houston was arguably the hardest hit squad by the call-ups and needed a knight! That man was Brad Davis as he torched the Dynamo’s rivals for a hat trick. A good crowd was on hand despite the terrible scheduling of the match opposite the Gold Cup semi-finals.
MOTM: Brad Davis
Saturday
UFC vs. Revs – With Toronto fresh off a tremendous thumping of Dallas and the gutted Revs looking shaky versus the lowly Crew, you’d think UFC would finally put the smack down on the road. Wrong! Kevin Goldthwaite gifted a goal to Andy Dorman early on and the Revs never looked back. The next two Rev’s goals were things of beauty as Noonan’s flick to the far post beat UFC keeper Srdjan Djekanovic. The third and final Revs goal was a marvel of team passing (and UFC) ball watching. Ronnie O’Brien fired some blistering shots on goal, but failed to put any past the formidable Matt Reis.
MOTM: Andy Dorman
Hoops vs. Rapids – Didn’t catch too much of this one, because I had to watch one of the most over hyped fights since DeLaHoya vs. Mayweather. That Juan Toja always seems to be in the right place doesn’t he? Dallas gets Richetti back and pitches another shutout. Now if only Morrow could find some consistency in this squad.
MOTM: No position to judge
United vs. RSL – OK, how many of you though that the MLS website was wrong when you saw this score? Kreis is looking like a genius for the moment, and really hasn’t done all that poorly since he took over the reigns at RSL. Robbie Findlay goes for the brace and shows some finishing variety from distance. On nearly identically set-ups, Findlay put one in the far post and one in the near post past ex-RSL keeper Jay Nolly. Whodathunk it that RSL’s first win of the season would come without Adu, Klein, Kreis or Cunningham. Despite the shutout, Kreis will need Nathan Sturgis to play a huge role in this team to get them back in the playoff race.
MOTM: Robbie Findlay
Crew vs. Galaxy – Speaking of Lazarus-like skeelz! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you your resurgent Columbus Crew! Vying for team of the month right now, the Crew looks reborn! It is almost as if Guillermo took the team in to the locker room and explained to them exactly where and how he expects everybody to play. He is the unquestioned driving force of this team. This match had some interesting footnotes in it as it featured a first half red card, two unsuccessful penalty kicks, and two goals by a undermanned team. Frank Yallop’s seat might be getting a little hot as we all know Alexi has fired coaches for far less.
MOTM: Wil Hesmer
Sunday
Dynamo vs. KC – A steamy afternoon leads to a blistering finish! Patrick Ianni’s first in MLS is one to remember as his header beats Hartman & Co. to the near post to take three in KC.
MOTM: Patrick Ianni
Sarachanned
Last week, the Chicago FIRE unceremoniously dumped embattled coach Dave Sarachan following the FIRE recording only one win in the last eight matches. This streak came on the heels of the best start in franchise history. Saddled with injuries and national team call-ups an inexperienced FIRE squad’s 3-1 loss turned into Sarachan’s last game at the helm. The firing immediately drew criticism from FIRE captain Chris Armas, who felt the firing was poorly timed and not warranted based on the available player obstacles that Sarachan faced over the last month. Like most player and organization moves under the dark tenure of John Guppy, you can file this one into the PR cabinet as well. FIRE fans have been looking for the head of Sarachan for the past three years. Guppy saw his opportunity to raise his stock amongst the FIRE faithful and made a rash decision. Sarachan, not even a year removed from a US Open Cup championship deserved better. There were plenty of times over his tenure that would have warranted an ax, but this was not one of them. Look for Guppy to further pander to Chicago’s Mexican community by naming a bi-lingual and likely Latino coach based on comments he made to the Tribune’s Luis Arroyave.
FIREsale?
Rumor around the bigsoccer board (via Shep Messing comments), is that the FIRE are to be sold. No word on who the suitor is just yet, but any team name/color change would be a disaster for already dwindling FIRE fan base. In the span of five years, AEG and MLS could betray almost all the fans upon who’s backs and dollars this formerly proud franchise was built.
Kreis Continues to Clean RSL’s Camp
RSL dealt starter Chris Klein to the Gals for Findlay and Nathan Sturgis. Ironically it was Buddle’s arrival in LA that made Findlay expendable. Buddle only arrived in LA after UFC secured Jeff Cunningham from RSL. Dizzy yet? This is a really great pick-up for the Wasatch Brigade. Both Findlay and Sturgis have shown an ability to compete at the MLS level, so from that perspective they are not much of a gamble. Sturgis can solidify the massive backline crater that is the Jack Stewart-Daniel Torres mess and learn from the retiring Eddie Pope. (Please believe me that I wrote these comments prior to Findlay’s brace against United) Amazing that July is not even here and Jeff Cunningham, Chris Klein and Jason Kreis are no longer RSL players. Eddie Pope will be gone at the end of the year. Let’s hope that the RSL scouting staff has been working overtime because RSL has a ton of cap space. The Klein trade is interesting from LA’s perspective. Aren’t they supposed to be getting a fairly decent right sided midfielder soon? Hmm… which leads us right into the weekly….
Quaranta heads back East
With Santino Quaranta clearly not in Frank Yallop’s plans, the Galaxy dealt the one-time player of the future for the US for a second Superdraft Pick. Quaranta should find more success in KC with its dynamic attack and will provide some much needed depth on the Wizards thin bench. Almost as importantly, Quaranta will easily have the best hair on the team, a position he lost recently in LA even before the addition of David Beckham, thanks to defender Abel Xavier.
UFC Transaction of the Week
As rumored for the past three years, Mo finally inked former Dundee United striker Collin Samuel. The T&T striker is only 25 and could be the long awaited heir to Stern John’s MLS throne.
Beckham Update
The man himself kept a very low profile this week, but there was some news surrounding him this week. Addias is kicking off their “Futbol vs. Football” ad campaign in the US this week featuring Becks and Reggie Bush swapping gear. DC United announced that they expect the LA Galaxy match to be a sellout at RFK. (Garber smiles) And most importantly, rumors are circulating that Beckham will see his first MLS action at the All-Star game, which is just as fitting as a glorified friendly against Chelsea.
Copa Oro – Round-up
Didn’t everything just stay the same until Sunday? Thursdays Gold Cup semi-finals witnessed underwhelming performances from the regional giants, USA and Mexico. The refereeing continued to be controversial with a line judge whistling a late Canadian equalizer off sides, when replays showed, it clearly was not. The call incensed the (for the moment) pro-Canadian crowd, and drew the expected Mexican fan beer tossing. At $7 a pop, those are some expensive missiles! At the end of the action Thursday, the matchup everyone (and seemingly both teams) was waiting for materialized: USA vs. Mexico for the Gold Cup. Come Sunday, Soldier Field became Azteca Norte. Despite the overwhelming majority of Mexican Fans, the American has a decent turn out of fans. All of which had to know what they would be walking into. Let’s face it, USA vs. Mexico in Chicago is not a family event. The drama of the match and the high temperatures produced as much sweating in the stands as there was on the pitch. The Americans and Mexicans shed their poor form and broke out their A-game for this Final which was a Classic(o). Both teams left everything on the pitch and played a classy game of football. The game was a coming out party for young players on both sides of the ball. The Mexican youth struck first with Nery Castillo torching the clumsy Gooch to cross to a wide open Andres Guardado at the back post. Buoyed by the insertion of Ricardo Clark for the volatile and already yellow carded Pablo Mastroeni, the Americans took the game to El Tri in the second half. An underrated pass from Jonathan Spector to Brian Ching and Ching’s subsequent sublime turn led to him being taken down in the box by the Mexican defender. Surrounded by 60,000 of his biggest detractor (supporting both teams), Landon Donovan calmly slotted home the PK to equalize. The Copa was settled on a world class strike from a rising force on the American team. Rafa Marquez cleared a corner to the top of the box, but before it reached the ground Benny Feilhaber volleyed the ball into the far netting, setting of wild celebration amongst the vast minority of USA fans. So confident that their work was done, the US muffed two easy scoring chances hitting the post and crossbar respectively. The US had to rely on a point blank save from Tim Howard on Bofo Bautista to preserve the win and retain the massive Copa Oro.
Major Annoyance
As classless as some of the Mexican fan chants and behavior could be (flying beers and nachos anyone?), it was matched by the cluelessness of some of the American fans I bumped into this extended weekend. Most seemed to have built their entire pedigree on top of being in Germany last summer or owning a Man U scarf. Many of those occasionally rooting for the Americans showed up in every jersey in the world except a US jersey or even MLS jerseys. That would be heresy for the true euro-snob contingent. Regardless of their performance on the field, every Euro-based player was “spectacular”, while Donovan and Hedjuk “totally sucked”. Gooch was a “beast” despite getting toasted over and over, while repeatedly forgetting his field position. After getting beaten by DeRo on a free kick (only to have his ass saved by the post) then covering a ball that could have been blown his way by the wind, rather than shot, Shakey Kasey Keller, was showered with name chants from these buffoons. I guess when you are only used to watching pro soccer on TV, you have no idea what to root for when you are at the games in person. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for every US fan that walked into the steamy cauldron of Solider Field this past week. I just wish some of them would wake up to what it takes to truly support your national side and start following all the national team players regardless of what side of the pond they ply their club trade.. The majority of Mexican fans in attendance issued a pretty good lesson in fan support.
A quick comment on Sam’s Army:
These patriots are really up against it because of:
Infrequency of US games (particularly in Chicago)
The breeding of US Sports Fans (sit on hands until prompted by scoreboards or organ.) Great shots of the stands on Sunday with all the US fans sitting in the first few rows and the legion of Mexicans standing behind them.
Aversion to singing by US Sports fans.
Lack of organization.
Geographic inconsistency of games.
Lack of understanding by stadium personnel about cheering/supporting soccer teams. (Flags good, etc.)
These things being said, it is NO excuse for Sam’s Army not singing and chanting all game long. There are normally very long breaks between chants/songs from this group. Can’t Sam’s Army collude with the local team fan bases (at least in Chicago, Houston and DC) and get some folks in there that know how to lead cheers for 90+ minutes straight?
My All Oro Squad:
Goalkeeper:
Franck Grandel (Guadeloupe)
Defense:
Richard Hastings (Canada)
Carlos Salcido (Mexico)
Samuel Cabellero (Honduras)
Carlos Bocanegra (USA)
Midfield:
Benny Feilhaber (USA)
Juan DeGuzman (Canada)
Pavel Pardo (Mexico)
Landon Donovan (USA)
Forwards:
Nery Castillo (Mexico)
Carlos Pavon (Honduras)
Copa America
Sadly, if you are reading this you know that Team USA that landed in Venezuela is not exactly the A-team. I’m not sure if it is even the C team! BB the King is sticking to his plan of using Copa as a blooding (or blood letting) for the yutes in the pool. I think some hope is there given the experience available up the middle from Kasey Keller, to Jimmy Conrad to Ben Olsen. Up top, a Johnson/Twellman front can be dangerous, but the likes of Justin Mapp, Feilhaber, Rico Clark and Eddie Gaven are going to have to figure out ways to get the ball to these strikers. The though of which makes me shudder. Just read it again. We are depending on two of the biggest question marks in MLS history, in Mapp and Gaven, to unlock the likes of Argentina, Paraguay and Columbia. Jay Demerit will also get every opportunity to prove his worth after spending most of his time on the Gold Cup bench.
During the opening round, Jamie Moreno acquitted himself well, by setting up an own-goal. Moreno drove into the Venezuelan box, juked a defender and fired a shot toward the back post, which was redirected into the net by another defender. In fairness, a goal likely would have been regardless, because another Bolivian player was charging the backpost and would have tapped in the Moreno ball.
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (0-6)
(NOTE: If you ever want to make a tremendous ass of yourself, just try predicting MLS matches. What happens when we fall of the horse?)
SEASON (23-42)
Colorado vs. United – United will be looking to rebound from their disappointment in Salt Lake and should be able to manage versus a limp Colorado attack.
Dynamo vs. Dallas – El Capitan is at stake again and the Dynamo are primed to disappoint the home crowd.
Flagship vs. Crew – Ok, I’m going to make a mistake again, but I’ll take a draw in this Eastern Conference showdown.
Revs vs. Chivas – The Revs manage a draw in a Copa America depleted match up.
Rapids vs. FIRE – FIRE finally get another win as a road weary Rapids can’t keep pace with the FIRE youngsters.
UFC vs. Wizards- Off the top corner, its UFC with a draw in Cowtown. The slumping Wizards start praying for an early end to the Americans Copa America adventure.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday
KC vs. Crew –KC was missing EJ, but still had a team more than capable of producing results. What KC didn’t have was an answer for Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The midfield maestro, sprayed passed throughout the pitch and assisted on the game winner. The happy fans were stuffed with dollar brats and the Crew responded in kind by stuffing KC’s still potent attack until late in the game yielding a late goal to KC runner-up funnyman Jack Jewsbury. Wil Hesmer replaced Andy Gruenebaum in the Crew nets and made Sigi look smart for the first time in months.
MOTM: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
Thursday
Chivas USA vs. Dynamo – Every week for the last month on Glenn Davis’ tremendous Dynamo Power Hour, the topic of “who will step into the Gold Cup void” was brought up. Houston was arguably the hardest hit squad by the call-ups and needed a knight! That man was Brad Davis as he torched the Dynamo’s rivals for a hat trick. A good crowd was on hand despite the terrible scheduling of the match opposite the Gold Cup semi-finals.
MOTM: Brad Davis
Saturday
UFC vs. Revs – With Toronto fresh off a tremendous thumping of Dallas and the gutted Revs looking shaky versus the lowly Crew, you’d think UFC would finally put the smack down on the road. Wrong! Kevin Goldthwaite gifted a goal to Andy Dorman early on and the Revs never looked back. The next two Rev’s goals were things of beauty as Noonan’s flick to the far post beat UFC keeper Srdjan Djekanovic. The third and final Revs goal was a marvel of team passing (and UFC) ball watching. Ronnie O’Brien fired some blistering shots on goal, but failed to put any past the formidable Matt Reis.
MOTM: Andy Dorman
Hoops vs. Rapids – Didn’t catch too much of this one, because I had to watch one of the most over hyped fights since DeLaHoya vs. Mayweather. That Juan Toja always seems to be in the right place doesn’t he? Dallas gets Richetti back and pitches another shutout. Now if only Morrow could find some consistency in this squad.
MOTM: No position to judge
United vs. RSL – OK, how many of you though that the MLS website was wrong when you saw this score? Kreis is looking like a genius for the moment, and really hasn’t done all that poorly since he took over the reigns at RSL. Robbie Findlay goes for the brace and shows some finishing variety from distance. On nearly identically set-ups, Findlay put one in the far post and one in the near post past ex-RSL keeper Jay Nolly. Whodathunk it that RSL’s first win of the season would come without Adu, Klein, Kreis or Cunningham. Despite the shutout, Kreis will need Nathan Sturgis to play a huge role in this team to get them back in the playoff race.
MOTM: Robbie Findlay
Crew vs. Galaxy – Speaking of Lazarus-like skeelz! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you your resurgent Columbus Crew! Vying for team of the month right now, the Crew looks reborn! It is almost as if Guillermo took the team in to the locker room and explained to them exactly where and how he expects everybody to play. He is the unquestioned driving force of this team. This match had some interesting footnotes in it as it featured a first half red card, two unsuccessful penalty kicks, and two goals by a undermanned team. Frank Yallop’s seat might be getting a little hot as we all know Alexi has fired coaches for far less.
MOTM: Wil Hesmer
Sunday
Dynamo vs. KC – A steamy afternoon leads to a blistering finish! Patrick Ianni’s first in MLS is one to remember as his header beats Hartman & Co. to the near post to take three in KC.
MOTM: Patrick Ianni
Sarachanned
Last week, the Chicago FIRE unceremoniously dumped embattled coach Dave Sarachan following the FIRE recording only one win in the last eight matches. This streak came on the heels of the best start in franchise history. Saddled with injuries and national team call-ups an inexperienced FIRE squad’s 3-1 loss turned into Sarachan’s last game at the helm. The firing immediately drew criticism from FIRE captain Chris Armas, who felt the firing was poorly timed and not warranted based on the available player obstacles that Sarachan faced over the last month. Like most player and organization moves under the dark tenure of John Guppy, you can file this one into the PR cabinet as well. FIRE fans have been looking for the head of Sarachan for the past three years. Guppy saw his opportunity to raise his stock amongst the FIRE faithful and made a rash decision. Sarachan, not even a year removed from a US Open Cup championship deserved better. There were plenty of times over his tenure that would have warranted an ax, but this was not one of them. Look for Guppy to further pander to Chicago’s Mexican community by naming a bi-lingual and likely Latino coach based on comments he made to the Tribune’s Luis Arroyave.
FIREsale?
Rumor around the bigsoccer board (via Shep Messing comments), is that the FIRE are to be sold. No word on who the suitor is just yet, but any team name/color change would be a disaster for already dwindling FIRE fan base. In the span of five years, AEG and MLS could betray almost all the fans upon who’s backs and dollars this formerly proud franchise was built.
Kreis Continues to Clean RSL’s Camp
RSL dealt starter Chris Klein to the Gals for Findlay and Nathan Sturgis. Ironically it was Buddle’s arrival in LA that made Findlay expendable. Buddle only arrived in LA after UFC secured Jeff Cunningham from RSL. Dizzy yet? This is a really great pick-up for the Wasatch Brigade. Both Findlay and Sturgis have shown an ability to compete at the MLS level, so from that perspective they are not much of a gamble. Sturgis can solidify the massive backline crater that is the Jack Stewart-Daniel Torres mess and learn from the retiring Eddie Pope. (Please believe me that I wrote these comments prior to Findlay’s brace against United) Amazing that July is not even here and Jeff Cunningham, Chris Klein and Jason Kreis are no longer RSL players. Eddie Pope will be gone at the end of the year. Let’s hope that the RSL scouting staff has been working overtime because RSL has a ton of cap space. The Klein trade is interesting from LA’s perspective. Aren’t they supposed to be getting a fairly decent right sided midfielder soon? Hmm… which leads us right into the weekly….
Quaranta heads back East
With Santino Quaranta clearly not in Frank Yallop’s plans, the Galaxy dealt the one-time player of the future for the US for a second Superdraft Pick. Quaranta should find more success in KC with its dynamic attack and will provide some much needed depth on the Wizards thin bench. Almost as importantly, Quaranta will easily have the best hair on the team, a position he lost recently in LA even before the addition of David Beckham, thanks to defender Abel Xavier.
UFC Transaction of the Week
As rumored for the past three years, Mo finally inked former Dundee United striker Collin Samuel. The T&T striker is only 25 and could be the long awaited heir to Stern John’s MLS throne.
Beckham Update
The man himself kept a very low profile this week, but there was some news surrounding him this week. Addias is kicking off their “Futbol vs. Football” ad campaign in the US this week featuring Becks and Reggie Bush swapping gear. DC United announced that they expect the LA Galaxy match to be a sellout at RFK. (Garber smiles) And most importantly, rumors are circulating that Beckham will see his first MLS action at the All-Star game, which is just as fitting as a glorified friendly against Chelsea.
Copa Oro – Round-up
Didn’t everything just stay the same until Sunday? Thursdays Gold Cup semi-finals witnessed underwhelming performances from the regional giants, USA and Mexico. The refereeing continued to be controversial with a line judge whistling a late Canadian equalizer off sides, when replays showed, it clearly was not. The call incensed the (for the moment) pro-Canadian crowd, and drew the expected Mexican fan beer tossing. At $7 a pop, those are some expensive missiles! At the end of the action Thursday, the matchup everyone (and seemingly both teams) was waiting for materialized: USA vs. Mexico for the Gold Cup. Come Sunday, Soldier Field became Azteca Norte. Despite the overwhelming majority of Mexican Fans, the American has a decent turn out of fans. All of which had to know what they would be walking into. Let’s face it, USA vs. Mexico in Chicago is not a family event. The drama of the match and the high temperatures produced as much sweating in the stands as there was on the pitch. The Americans and Mexicans shed their poor form and broke out their A-game for this Final which was a Classic(o). Both teams left everything on the pitch and played a classy game of football. The game was a coming out party for young players on both sides of the ball. The Mexican youth struck first with Nery Castillo torching the clumsy Gooch to cross to a wide open Andres Guardado at the back post. Buoyed by the insertion of Ricardo Clark for the volatile and already yellow carded Pablo Mastroeni, the Americans took the game to El Tri in the second half. An underrated pass from Jonathan Spector to Brian Ching and Ching’s subsequent sublime turn led to him being taken down in the box by the Mexican defender. Surrounded by 60,000 of his biggest detractor (supporting both teams), Landon Donovan calmly slotted home the PK to equalize. The Copa was settled on a world class strike from a rising force on the American team. Rafa Marquez cleared a corner to the top of the box, but before it reached the ground Benny Feilhaber volleyed the ball into the far netting, setting of wild celebration amongst the vast minority of USA fans. So confident that their work was done, the US muffed two easy scoring chances hitting the post and crossbar respectively. The US had to rely on a point blank save from Tim Howard on Bofo Bautista to preserve the win and retain the massive Copa Oro.
Major Annoyance
As classless as some of the Mexican fan chants and behavior could be (flying beers and nachos anyone?), it was matched by the cluelessness of some of the American fans I bumped into this extended weekend. Most seemed to have built their entire pedigree on top of being in Germany last summer or owning a Man U scarf. Many of those occasionally rooting for the Americans showed up in every jersey in the world except a US jersey or even MLS jerseys. That would be heresy for the true euro-snob contingent. Regardless of their performance on the field, every Euro-based player was “spectacular”, while Donovan and Hedjuk “totally sucked”. Gooch was a “beast” despite getting toasted over and over, while repeatedly forgetting his field position. After getting beaten by DeRo on a free kick (only to have his ass saved by the post) then covering a ball that could have been blown his way by the wind, rather than shot, Shakey Kasey Keller, was showered with name chants from these buffoons. I guess when you are only used to watching pro soccer on TV, you have no idea what to root for when you are at the games in person. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for every US fan that walked into the steamy cauldron of Solider Field this past week. I just wish some of them would wake up to what it takes to truly support your national side and start following all the national team players regardless of what side of the pond they ply their club trade.. The majority of Mexican fans in attendance issued a pretty good lesson in fan support.
A quick comment on Sam’s Army:
These patriots are really up against it because of:
Infrequency of US games (particularly in Chicago)
The breeding of US Sports Fans (sit on hands until prompted by scoreboards or organ.) Great shots of the stands on Sunday with all the US fans sitting in the first few rows and the legion of Mexicans standing behind them.
Aversion to singing by US Sports fans.
Lack of organization.
Geographic inconsistency of games.
Lack of understanding by stadium personnel about cheering/supporting soccer teams. (Flags good, etc.)
These things being said, it is NO excuse for Sam’s Army not singing and chanting all game long. There are normally very long breaks between chants/songs from this group. Can’t Sam’s Army collude with the local team fan bases (at least in Chicago, Houston and DC) and get some folks in there that know how to lead cheers for 90+ minutes straight?
My All Oro Squad:
Goalkeeper:
Franck Grandel (Guadeloupe)
Defense:
Richard Hastings (Canada)
Carlos Salcido (Mexico)
Samuel Cabellero (Honduras)
Carlos Bocanegra (USA)
Midfield:
Benny Feilhaber (USA)
Juan DeGuzman (Canada)
Pavel Pardo (Mexico)
Landon Donovan (USA)
Forwards:
Nery Castillo (Mexico)
Carlos Pavon (Honduras)
Copa America
Sadly, if you are reading this you know that Team USA that landed in Venezuela is not exactly the A-team. I’m not sure if it is even the C team! BB the King is sticking to his plan of using Copa as a blooding (or blood letting) for the yutes in the pool. I think some hope is there given the experience available up the middle from Kasey Keller, to Jimmy Conrad to Ben Olsen. Up top, a Johnson/Twellman front can be dangerous, but the likes of Justin Mapp, Feilhaber, Rico Clark and Eddie Gaven are going to have to figure out ways to get the ball to these strikers. The though of which makes me shudder. Just read it again. We are depending on two of the biggest question marks in MLS history, in Mapp and Gaven, to unlock the likes of Argentina, Paraguay and Columbia. Jay Demerit will also get every opportunity to prove his worth after spending most of his time on the Gold Cup bench.
During the opening round, Jamie Moreno acquitted himself well, by setting up an own-goal. Moreno drove into the Venezuelan box, juked a defender and fired a shot toward the back post, which was redirected into the net by another defender. In fairness, a goal likely would have been regardless, because another Bolivian player was charging the backpost and would have tapped in the Moreno ball.
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (0-6)
(NOTE: If you ever want to make a tremendous ass of yourself, just try predicting MLS matches. What happens when we fall of the horse?)
SEASON (23-42)
Colorado vs. United – United will be looking to rebound from their disappointment in Salt Lake and should be able to manage versus a limp Colorado attack.
Dynamo vs. Dallas – El Capitan is at stake again and the Dynamo are primed to disappoint the home crowd.
Flagship vs. Crew – Ok, I’m going to make a mistake again, but I’ll take a draw in this Eastern Conference showdown.
Revs vs. Chivas – The Revs manage a draw in a Copa America depleted match up.
Rapids vs. FIRE – FIRE finally get another win as a road weary Rapids can’t keep pace with the FIRE youngsters.
UFC vs. Wizards- Off the top corner, its UFC with a draw in Cowtown. The slumping Wizards start praying for an early end to the Americans Copa America adventure.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 06/20/07
MLS Week 11 – All Hands on Deck
Thursday
kFCD vs. RSL – Classic RSL late game flop with Jack Stewart gifting a late goal to Dominic Oduro. Stewart and Daniel Torres are clearly not MLS quality defenders and cost their team at least two points this week with some horrible play. More on Torres later.
MOTM: Nick Rimando – again Rimando did everything he could to get a result for his team, but by the 90th minute, Stewart had had enough of the scoreless thing and decided to break the deadlock.
Saturday
Revs vs. Crew – Too much overlap this weekend for me to catch all the games and this one that I didn’t get to see. A massive result for the struggling Crew as the manage a tie against a threadbare Revolution side. The development of Adam Christman has to be a pleasant surprise for the Revs as he staked out a spot in the Rookie of the Year race with two goals.
MOTM: No position to judge.
FIRE vs. United – Thanks to the efforts of the junk heap erector set that is the CTA, by the time I walked into The Globe Pub the FIRE had already given up two goals and didn’t show any sign of life by the half. The sides traded goals in the second half and Jerson Monteiro netted his first MLS goal as a consolation for FIRE fans who went out of their way to catch the HDnet broadcast. The story of the night had to be DC crisp passing that kept the FIRE defense chasing the ball all match. Luciano Emilio was clinical and the FIRE didn’t find any answers in their new line-up.
MOTM: Luciano Emilio – Two goals and some Blanco taunting in front of the big crowd. The Brazilian is rounding back into his CONCACAF Gold Cup form.
KC vs. The Flagship –You have to wonder why Juan Pablo Angel was not called into the Copa America squad. The guy scores goal after goal after goal. He is now the Flagship’s record holder with goals in six straight games. His first came over the top of Jimmy Conrad, who is a world class defender. Now, I know there could be some backlash because of his reserve status at Aston Villa then his mega-star performance on this side of the pond, but it sure is fun watching him. This story here has to be KC’s ability to get a draw on the road in tough circumstances. Down two goals, without Eddie Johnson, not problem. The Flagship needed some a late PK to get the draw in their house. This games also spoke volumes about the depth of the league. Quite a bit has been made about teams being gutted with call-ups, but you still had Cletus, Captain America, Conrad, Zavagnin, Angel and Watterus out on the pitch for a nice (by NY soccer standards) crowd.
MOTM: Yura Movsisyan – Two goals in ten minutes to push KC into the lead as a substitute.
Rapids vs. Chivas USA – Maykel Galindo keeps his name in the MVP race with a goal, while the American Goats received a little help from Terry Cooke who crossed it into his own net. El Guzano posted another shutout and the fast rising Goats walk away with the three points.
MOTM: No position to judge.
Sunday
kFCD vs. UFC – A record MLS crowd turned out at the madhouse on the lake Sunday afternoon to see UFC off in grand style. (Might BMO Field be MLS’ first with South American style fences between the fans and the pitch?) The number one draft pick Maurice Edu finished off a wild scramble in the box 22nd while Danny Dichio scored his team leading fourth three minutes later. The Hoops looked out of gas from the beginning (after playing on Thursday) and missing defensive wiz Pablo Richetti due to suspension only worsened Dallas’ problems. UFC added two more in the second half to convincingly crush the Hoops before their six week road odyssey begins. On that trip the pretender or contender question will be answered. They might have to do without Dichio for most of that trip as he left the match injured, early in the second half.
MOTM: Maurice Edu – right place, right time all afternoon.
RSL vs. Galaxy –
MOTM:
Copa Oro:
Who had two?
Whoever picked two as the Cuban defection total wins a prize! Lester More and Osvaldo Alonso ditched the team prior to their 5-0 throttling at the feet of Honduras.
Five Topics Being Addressed at Soldier Field this Week
1. Redemption – El Tri comes to the Gold Cup semi-finals this week playing poor than have at any point in the last decade. The Mexico that took Argentina to the brink of elimination at World Cup is a distant memory. This is not to say that the caliber of the players is any lower than last summer, arguably, this team should be strong supplemented by a few names such as Nery Castillo and the unpredictable, but passionate Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Like the United States, anything other than a Gold Cup victory would be unacceptable. Mexico will have an overwhelming home field advantage not matter who they play in Chicago, but have more than their problems scoring against the US to contend with this week.
2. For Real? – Ladies and Gentlemen of the soccer world, may I introduce to you Guadeloupe. This tiny French dominion has shocked everyone paying attention to Gold Cup buy knocking off Canada and red-hot Honduras to book their tickets to Chicago. This is not a team that will be intimidated by the pro-Mexican crowd and will provide a stern test to the struggling El Tri.
3. Ready for Prime Time? – After years of headscratchingly poor performances, Canada is turning this Gold Cup into their coming out party. Lead by a midfield as strong as any in the tournament and strong goalkeeping from Pat Onstad, Canada shredded Guatemala 3-0 en route to the windy city. Canada’s second goal would have torched any defense in the world and offered a glimpse of what the true level of talent lies just to our north. Canada vs. US will be an epic battle that will provide the victor the confidence and experience necessary to take the Cup.
4. Domination – Can the US, who has looked solid, but not spectacular throughout the tournament, stamp itself the team to beat in CONCACAF. This trophy would be a definitive statement capping a ten year change of leadership in the region. Despite Mexican, claims to the contrary, US has done everything, but make it official that they are el mas macho. Everything is in place for this team to claim their second consecutive Gold Cup title. The Americans will be playing on US soil with the deepest roster in team history. A few things that can unravel the Americans would be Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan. Onyewu has looks pedestrian to just plain bad throughout the tournament. Since his breakout in the 2005 Gold Cup, Gooch had slowly eroded his position in the squad. This card attracting play burned the US in World Cup and would have hurt in this tournament had the US been playing a side that could take advantage of his missteps. Luckily, Panama was down a man and had three key players suspended when Gooch’s failure to take charge of a situation led to the only goal surrendered by the Americans. The coach’s son has not had a good tournament. Apparently, Jamie Trecker and I are the only people to see this since his performances have been nearly universally praised. For me, his poor passing and chasing do not trump Ricardo Clark’s experience and poise. He just doesn’t seem to have that bite that Rico does. It’s not to say that it won’t develop in time, but this is not the stage for him to hone his skills any further.
5. Competency – The refereeing in this tournament has been an absolute joke. From frequent phantom offside calls to the mass red carding of Mexican opponents, the CONCACAF referees have lent credence to FIFA’s decision last summer to limit their participation in World Cup to one. The red cards against Mexican opponents Panama and Costa Rica led to cries from their coaches of match fixing (in so many words). Panama was still rattled when they played the US on Saturday and contested every foul and card that went against them. The US team was nearly reduced to bystander as the battle between the Panamaniacs and the refereeing crew raged on. Although some American shins and ankles might disagree with that as they were caught in the crossfire a number of times.
Good to See
Arguably the most dangerous player in Gold Cup is headed to the LA Galaxy. Carlos Pavon has said that he is transferring to the Galaxy for the remainder of the season. Suddenly the doormats will look like world beaters upon the return of Gold Cup players, the addition of, Abel Xavier, Pavon and the impending arrival of the subdued Englishman nicknamed Becks.
The Unthinkable: UFC Trades a Striker
Always afraid to let the hinges on his door cool down for a second, Mo Johnston dispatched unproductive Edson Buddle to La-La land for veteran Tyrone Marshall. Marshall arrives after being handed a 3 game ban for this reckless, leg-breaking tackle on Kenny Cooper. The motivation for obtaining Marshall is clear on UFC’s side: Pick up a veteran MLS back to help the inexperienced defense. The Galaxy’s motivation for this trade is a little more difficult to understand. Marshall was the stalwart of the Galaxy back line, and if there was ever a time that his club needed him, it was now. His departure, was more or less a white flag for Yallop until the concurrent arrival of Abel Xavier and the return of his estranged Gold Cup players. I’m not sure of Yallop’s policy or reaction to Marshall’s last moment on the pitch for the Galaxy, but that might have been a final straw. The Buddle equation is clear as, but yet another travel into reclamation land for Buddle, is closing in on the Jeff Cunningham jersey collection statistics. The only difference is that Buddle rarely has to change his number like Jeff. On a serious note, a front trio of Nate Jaqua, Buddle and Landon Donovan looks great on paper, but it also looks like it can take five years off Riot Squad members lives!
Beckham Update
We can’t go a week without this can we? Depending on which paper you read, Becks either had a Hollywood ending at Madrid or he didn’t. He did because he is heading to the Gals with a Spanish league title medal around his neck. He didn’t because both of Real Madrid’s goals came with him off the pitch. The world’s comeback player of the year ironically hobbled off the pitch prior to the conclusion of the match due a nagging his ankle problem. Again he watched from the sideline in tears as his team played on without him, except contrary to last summer, the tears were of joy. TomKat and Posh were in attendance and seemed to be having a good time. Phil Schoen’s mention of them sent Ray Hudson into such a tizzy, that they might have had to call the remainder game in separate rooms. The post match celebration saw him carrying his three “Daddy” jersey wearing sons onto the pitch to some of the loudest applause every heard at the Santiago Bernabeau. The celebration itself was a sight to behold as it looked more like an Olympic opening ceremony, that the last gasp surprise it turned out to be. Now nothing separates Beckham from MLS. Will anything be the same? Certainly not for LA players, but it says here that the Beckham addition will be like anything else with the league since the hiring of Don Garber; another step in the right direction. Then again, this staircase has had rather uneven steps over the years hasn’t it? It could also be argued that Beckham has already changed the face of MLS since the league may not have Richetti, Carlos Marinelli, Able Xavier, Guillermo Schilloto, Carl Robinson, Blanco, Angel or Pavon without him.
With La Liga behind Becks, the foreign press corps have now taken the gloves off for a new round of jabs and speculation about MLS’ quality. Which sent Alexi Lalas in to a global headline making assault on the EPL. While most of his comments were ill advised to foolish, his latest tirade was welcome by those of us who know the sun does not revolve around the EPL. On that note lets look at a letter I shot off to Paul Hayward who was about 4 months late in accusing MLS of being a lower tiered standard than the almighty EPL.
Paul,
Your attempts to portray MLS as multiple levels down from the EPL are as laughable as they are misguided. You forget that MLS fans, like myself, have not only been exposed to MLS, but we have watched the Mexican league, La Liga, Bundesliga and the Argentinean league. Therefore, unlike the English we are adept to recognizing that there are multiple styles of play. Funny how every foreign player playing in the league, such as Carl Robinson and Juan Pablo Angel have had nothing, but good things to say about the quality of play. Now, I have no idea if Sunday’s 3-2 LA victory was your first MLS experience, certainly the play of the two bottom feeders are no greater representation of MLS than say a Wigan/Watford fixture from last season’s EPL campaign. Need I remind you how Chelsea fell 1-0 to an MLS all-star team last summer? Now, I know Chelsea was in pre-season, but they lost to a team that had never played together before! Fulham was demolished the previous summer under similar circumstances. Real Madid, Liverpool and a host of other clubs have arrived in the US expecting to steamroll the MLS competition, only to find that they had been misinformed about the quality of the league by press reports overseas. Of course, after avidly reading press reports from the UK since Beckham inked the Galaxy contract, it is apparent that global football knowledge is not a precursor for publication in the sport sections over in Jolly ol’.
Cheers is it?
Mark
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (3-3)
SEASON (23-37)
Wednesday
KC vs. Crew – Buck a Brat? How many for Sigi? He’ll need something to do while his team get sent back to earth by hot KC.
Thursday
Chivas USA vs. Dynamo – Chivas is tough on the road, but a rested Houston will manage a draw.
Saturday
UFC vs. Revs – Look for road win #1 for Toronto here.
Hoops vs. Rapids – Rapids have shown that they are a tough nut to crack at home. Herculez puts the Rapids over the top.
United vs. RSL – RSL isn’t going to right the ship against United. DC in a close one.
Crew vs. Galaxy – Galaxy looks like they might be on to something. Columbus’ match earlier in the week will take a toll on their defense and allow the Buddle/Jaqua connection a few.
Sunday
Dynamo vs. KC – Wizards make six points this week by topping the Dynamo at home.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Thursday
kFCD vs. RSL – Classic RSL late game flop with Jack Stewart gifting a late goal to Dominic Oduro. Stewart and Daniel Torres are clearly not MLS quality defenders and cost their team at least two points this week with some horrible play. More on Torres later.
MOTM: Nick Rimando – again Rimando did everything he could to get a result for his team, but by the 90th minute, Stewart had had enough of the scoreless thing and decided to break the deadlock.
Saturday
Revs vs. Crew – Too much overlap this weekend for me to catch all the games and this one that I didn’t get to see. A massive result for the struggling Crew as the manage a tie against a threadbare Revolution side. The development of Adam Christman has to be a pleasant surprise for the Revs as he staked out a spot in the Rookie of the Year race with two goals.
MOTM: No position to judge.
FIRE vs. United – Thanks to the efforts of the junk heap erector set that is the CTA, by the time I walked into The Globe Pub the FIRE had already given up two goals and didn’t show any sign of life by the half. The sides traded goals in the second half and Jerson Monteiro netted his first MLS goal as a consolation for FIRE fans who went out of their way to catch the HDnet broadcast. The story of the night had to be DC crisp passing that kept the FIRE defense chasing the ball all match. Luciano Emilio was clinical and the FIRE didn’t find any answers in their new line-up.
MOTM: Luciano Emilio – Two goals and some Blanco taunting in front of the big crowd. The Brazilian is rounding back into his CONCACAF Gold Cup form.
KC vs. The Flagship –You have to wonder why Juan Pablo Angel was not called into the Copa America squad. The guy scores goal after goal after goal. He is now the Flagship’s record holder with goals in six straight games. His first came over the top of Jimmy Conrad, who is a world class defender. Now, I know there could be some backlash because of his reserve status at Aston Villa then his mega-star performance on this side of the pond, but it sure is fun watching him. This story here has to be KC’s ability to get a draw on the road in tough circumstances. Down two goals, without Eddie Johnson, not problem. The Flagship needed some a late PK to get the draw in their house. This games also spoke volumes about the depth of the league. Quite a bit has been made about teams being gutted with call-ups, but you still had Cletus, Captain America, Conrad, Zavagnin, Angel and Watterus out on the pitch for a nice (by NY soccer standards) crowd.
MOTM: Yura Movsisyan – Two goals in ten minutes to push KC into the lead as a substitute.
Rapids vs. Chivas USA – Maykel Galindo keeps his name in the MVP race with a goal, while the American Goats received a little help from Terry Cooke who crossed it into his own net. El Guzano posted another shutout and the fast rising Goats walk away with the three points.
MOTM: No position to judge.
Sunday
kFCD vs. UFC – A record MLS crowd turned out at the madhouse on the lake Sunday afternoon to see UFC off in grand style. (Might BMO Field be MLS’ first with South American style fences between the fans and the pitch?) The number one draft pick Maurice Edu finished off a wild scramble in the box 22nd while Danny Dichio scored his team leading fourth three minutes later. The Hoops looked out of gas from the beginning (after playing on Thursday) and missing defensive wiz Pablo Richetti due to suspension only worsened Dallas’ problems. UFC added two more in the second half to convincingly crush the Hoops before their six week road odyssey begins. On that trip the pretender or contender question will be answered. They might have to do without Dichio for most of that trip as he left the match injured, early in the second half.
MOTM: Maurice Edu – right place, right time all afternoon.
RSL vs. Galaxy –
MOTM:
Copa Oro:
Who had two?
Whoever picked two as the Cuban defection total wins a prize! Lester More and Osvaldo Alonso ditched the team prior to their 5-0 throttling at the feet of Honduras.
Five Topics Being Addressed at Soldier Field this Week
1. Redemption – El Tri comes to the Gold Cup semi-finals this week playing poor than have at any point in the last decade. The Mexico that took Argentina to the brink of elimination at World Cup is a distant memory. This is not to say that the caliber of the players is any lower than last summer, arguably, this team should be strong supplemented by a few names such as Nery Castillo and the unpredictable, but passionate Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Like the United States, anything other than a Gold Cup victory would be unacceptable. Mexico will have an overwhelming home field advantage not matter who they play in Chicago, but have more than their problems scoring against the US to contend with this week.
2. For Real? – Ladies and Gentlemen of the soccer world, may I introduce to you Guadeloupe. This tiny French dominion has shocked everyone paying attention to Gold Cup buy knocking off Canada and red-hot Honduras to book their tickets to Chicago. This is not a team that will be intimidated by the pro-Mexican crowd and will provide a stern test to the struggling El Tri.
3. Ready for Prime Time? – After years of headscratchingly poor performances, Canada is turning this Gold Cup into their coming out party. Lead by a midfield as strong as any in the tournament and strong goalkeeping from Pat Onstad, Canada shredded Guatemala 3-0 en route to the windy city. Canada’s second goal would have torched any defense in the world and offered a glimpse of what the true level of talent lies just to our north. Canada vs. US will be an epic battle that will provide the victor the confidence and experience necessary to take the Cup.
4. Domination – Can the US, who has looked solid, but not spectacular throughout the tournament, stamp itself the team to beat in CONCACAF. This trophy would be a definitive statement capping a ten year change of leadership in the region. Despite Mexican, claims to the contrary, US has done everything, but make it official that they are el mas macho. Everything is in place for this team to claim their second consecutive Gold Cup title. The Americans will be playing on US soil with the deepest roster in team history. A few things that can unravel the Americans would be Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan. Onyewu has looks pedestrian to just plain bad throughout the tournament. Since his breakout in the 2005 Gold Cup, Gooch had slowly eroded his position in the squad. This card attracting play burned the US in World Cup and would have hurt in this tournament had the US been playing a side that could take advantage of his missteps. Luckily, Panama was down a man and had three key players suspended when Gooch’s failure to take charge of a situation led to the only goal surrendered by the Americans. The coach’s son has not had a good tournament. Apparently, Jamie Trecker and I are the only people to see this since his performances have been nearly universally praised. For me, his poor passing and chasing do not trump Ricardo Clark’s experience and poise. He just doesn’t seem to have that bite that Rico does. It’s not to say that it won’t develop in time, but this is not the stage for him to hone his skills any further.
5. Competency – The refereeing in this tournament has been an absolute joke. From frequent phantom offside calls to the mass red carding of Mexican opponents, the CONCACAF referees have lent credence to FIFA’s decision last summer to limit their participation in World Cup to one. The red cards against Mexican opponents Panama and Costa Rica led to cries from their coaches of match fixing (in so many words). Panama was still rattled when they played the US on Saturday and contested every foul and card that went against them. The US team was nearly reduced to bystander as the battle between the Panamaniacs and the refereeing crew raged on. Although some American shins and ankles might disagree with that as they were caught in the crossfire a number of times.
Good to See
Arguably the most dangerous player in Gold Cup is headed to the LA Galaxy. Carlos Pavon has said that he is transferring to the Galaxy for the remainder of the season. Suddenly the doormats will look like world beaters upon the return of Gold Cup players, the addition of, Abel Xavier, Pavon and the impending arrival of the subdued Englishman nicknamed Becks.
The Unthinkable: UFC Trades a Striker
Always afraid to let the hinges on his door cool down for a second, Mo Johnston dispatched unproductive Edson Buddle to La-La land for veteran Tyrone Marshall. Marshall arrives after being handed a 3 game ban for this reckless, leg-breaking tackle on Kenny Cooper. The motivation for obtaining Marshall is clear on UFC’s side: Pick up a veteran MLS back to help the inexperienced defense. The Galaxy’s motivation for this trade is a little more difficult to understand. Marshall was the stalwart of the Galaxy back line, and if there was ever a time that his club needed him, it was now. His departure, was more or less a white flag for Yallop until the concurrent arrival of Abel Xavier and the return of his estranged Gold Cup players. I’m not sure of Yallop’s policy or reaction to Marshall’s last moment on the pitch for the Galaxy, but that might have been a final straw. The Buddle equation is clear as, but yet another travel into reclamation land for Buddle, is closing in on the Jeff Cunningham jersey collection statistics. The only difference is that Buddle rarely has to change his number like Jeff. On a serious note, a front trio of Nate Jaqua, Buddle and Landon Donovan looks great on paper, but it also looks like it can take five years off Riot Squad members lives!
Beckham Update
We can’t go a week without this can we? Depending on which paper you read, Becks either had a Hollywood ending at Madrid or he didn’t. He did because he is heading to the Gals with a Spanish league title medal around his neck. He didn’t because both of Real Madrid’s goals came with him off the pitch. The world’s comeback player of the year ironically hobbled off the pitch prior to the conclusion of the match due a nagging his ankle problem. Again he watched from the sideline in tears as his team played on without him, except contrary to last summer, the tears were of joy. TomKat and Posh were in attendance and seemed to be having a good time. Phil Schoen’s mention of them sent Ray Hudson into such a tizzy, that they might have had to call the remainder game in separate rooms. The post match celebration saw him carrying his three “Daddy” jersey wearing sons onto the pitch to some of the loudest applause every heard at the Santiago Bernabeau. The celebration itself was a sight to behold as it looked more like an Olympic opening ceremony, that the last gasp surprise it turned out to be. Now nothing separates Beckham from MLS. Will anything be the same? Certainly not for LA players, but it says here that the Beckham addition will be like anything else with the league since the hiring of Don Garber; another step in the right direction. Then again, this staircase has had rather uneven steps over the years hasn’t it? It could also be argued that Beckham has already changed the face of MLS since the league may not have Richetti, Carlos Marinelli, Able Xavier, Guillermo Schilloto, Carl Robinson, Blanco, Angel or Pavon without him.
With La Liga behind Becks, the foreign press corps have now taken the gloves off for a new round of jabs and speculation about MLS’ quality. Which sent Alexi Lalas in to a global headline making assault on the EPL. While most of his comments were ill advised to foolish, his latest tirade was welcome by those of us who know the sun does not revolve around the EPL. On that note lets look at a letter I shot off to Paul Hayward who was about 4 months late in accusing MLS of being a lower tiered standard than the almighty EPL.
Paul,
Your attempts to portray MLS as multiple levels down from the EPL are as laughable as they are misguided. You forget that MLS fans, like myself, have not only been exposed to MLS, but we have watched the Mexican league, La Liga, Bundesliga and the Argentinean league. Therefore, unlike the English we are adept to recognizing that there are multiple styles of play. Funny how every foreign player playing in the league, such as Carl Robinson and Juan Pablo Angel have had nothing, but good things to say about the quality of play. Now, I have no idea if Sunday’s 3-2 LA victory was your first MLS experience, certainly the play of the two bottom feeders are no greater representation of MLS than say a Wigan/Watford fixture from last season’s EPL campaign. Need I remind you how Chelsea fell 1-0 to an MLS all-star team last summer? Now, I know Chelsea was in pre-season, but they lost to a team that had never played together before! Fulham was demolished the previous summer under similar circumstances. Real Madid, Liverpool and a host of other clubs have arrived in the US expecting to steamroll the MLS competition, only to find that they had been misinformed about the quality of the league by press reports overseas. Of course, after avidly reading press reports from the UK since Beckham inked the Galaxy contract, it is apparent that global football knowledge is not a precursor for publication in the sport sections over in Jolly ol’.
Cheers is it?
Mark
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (3-3)
SEASON (23-37)
Wednesday
KC vs. Crew – Buck a Brat? How many for Sigi? He’ll need something to do while his team get sent back to earth by hot KC.
Thursday
Chivas USA vs. Dynamo – Chivas is tough on the road, but a rested Houston will manage a draw.
Saturday
UFC vs. Revs – Look for road win #1 for Toronto here.
Hoops vs. Rapids – Rapids have shown that they are a tough nut to crack at home. Herculez puts the Rapids over the top.
United vs. RSL – RSL isn’t going to right the ship against United. DC in a close one.
Crew vs. Galaxy – Galaxy looks like they might be on to something. Columbus’ match earlier in the week will take a toll on their defense and allow the Buddle/Jaqua connection a few.
Sunday
Dynamo vs. KC – Wizards make six points this week by topping the Dynamo at home.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 06/13/07
Quick note: My viewing of MLS matches was rather limited this weekend due to Gold Cup overlaps and the lack of TIVO and the attendance of a killer Roger Waters show.
MLS Week 10 – MIA
Wednesday
The Flagship v. UFC – It was very considerate of these teams to play anemic soccer until the late-arriving UFC crowd, and a flock of seagulls, got to the ground. Upon receiving notice that 85% of the sold-out crowd arrived Jeff Cunningham volleyed a cross into the roof of the net opening his UFC account in the process. All seemed to be going well until Juan Pablo Angel was put in a position where he could not be marked, behind a free kick. JPA blasted it over the wall and into the near post, leaving keeper Srdjan Djekanovic gaping like someone trying to pronounce is name for the first time. A minute later, a poor UFC clearance in the box flew in the general direction of JPA and a 2-1 Flagship lead ensued. The irony of all ironies occurred as Claudio Reyna played his best match of the year on Field Turf. UFC didn’t live up to its moniker during the match, however the fans contributed with a beer shower for JPA after his second goal, which resulted in a Flagship player tossing a cup back into the stands. Off the pitch was a different story as some pushing and shoving occurred in the tunnel between the two teams, but nothing that wasn’t “boys being boys” according to Il Bruce.
MOTM: JPA – The definition of a deadly striker. Certainly his skill level is well above that of the average MLS character, but could he really not cut it a Aston Villa? Probably in the same way that David Beckham was not cutting it at Real Madrid and with England. More and more I see that politics can play as much of a role in European football as skill does. I’m sure Cletus and Captain Landon would agree.
Thursday
Rapids v. Dynamo – This poorly timed match occurred opposite of a US Gold Cup fixture, but you have to be impressed with the performance of the depleted champs.
MOTM: Stuart Holden for his spectacular late winner.
Saturday
Chivas USA v. FIRE – I missed my first FIRE home game of the year to attend a spectacular Roger Waters concert. I did tape the game and attempt to watch it beginning at 3AM Sunday morning. I passed out during the match…no problem. Except that I woke up at the 90th minute very disappointed. Another great MLS crowd was largely unrewarded as the FIRE failed to find the net again. Chivas’ consistently excellent passing led to the only goal of the match, late in the game by Pablo Nagamura.
MOTM: Nagamura gets it for scoring his first career MLS goal and for his strong defensive work in Chivas’ midfield.
Gals v. kFCD – I did not see a minute of this match. Kenny Cooper wishes he could say the same thing. Are Dallas players just magnets for leg breaking tackles?
MOTM: No position to judge.
Sunday
The Flagship v. United – As much as us fans of other teams love to hate United’s feisty midfielder, you have to love seeing the guy go for the had trick. DC now has a top form Olsen, the South American front four are really starting to understand each other and they managed to put two goal on the Flagship a man down. Look out MLS! The pre-season predictions are starting to look less and less foolish.
MOTM: Benny Olsen
Dynamo v. Crew – This game took a back seat to the Gold Cup for me, so I didn’t see much, but both Joseph Ngwenya and Alejandro Moreno. The Champs seem to be back on track after grabbing
MOTM: No position to judge.
Copa Oro Surprises Rundown!
Pleasant:
Guadeloupe – Minnows coming into the tournament, now have to be seen as a rising force in the region. With a number of current and former top flight players available to this side, their international experience and the composure that comes with it, helped them easily stand up to sides that supposedly outclassed them.
Panama – Their takedown of Honduras at Giants stadium shows that they will not be intimidated when they arrive at a pro-Mexican Reliant stadium on Wednesday.
Attendance – Gold Cup attendance has been reported up from the tournament two years ago and featured a massive crowd of 68,128 at Giants Stadium largely for the Honduras vs. Mexico match on Sunday.
Not So Much:
El Gigante ES Muerto? - Mexico has been very unimpressive at this tournament. After scraping by a shockingly strong Cuba, El Tri fell to Honduras thanks to an early second half red card that had FIRE written all over it. After trying with limited success in the first half, ex-FIRE defender Samuel Caballero finally got under the skin of Temo Blanco to the point where Blanco applied a significant elbow to Caballero’s chest. Sold well enough by the Honduran to get the attention of the side judge, Blanco was quickly shown the red card and escorted off the field in front of the massive Giants stadium crowd. Up until that point, Temo had been the hero of the Mexican side after converting a penalty kick in the first half.
US Form- While fielding a very experimental side against the T&T back-ups, the Americans’ also failed to impress with their droll victories against T&T and Guatemala. Taylor Twellman and Landon Donovan looked in top form, but uninspired play from DaMarcus Beasley, Gooch, and Kasey Keller are causes for concern. Justin Mapp continued to drift in and out of the game and Benny Feilhaber was unable to find the form he had displayed earlier against the likes of Ecuador and China. Gooch’s sloppy play in both of his matches has put him on the starting line-up chopping block, with DeMerit, Bocanegra, Conrad and even Spector able to step in for him. The US did rebound from their poor outing to wax El Salvador in Foxboro. This was a strong turnaround game for Beasley. Spector had a very strong outing as well. The rest of the side played up to snuff with the exception of Michael Bradley, who is inching closer and closer to being saddled with the weight of nepotism cries.
Haiti - It is back to the drawing board for the team expected to experience a break out Gold Cup this year. Despite its near home field advantage, Haiti looked sluggish and unorganized during their three matches.
Refereeing - As with our domestic league, the refereeing has been wildly inconsistent throughout the tournament, particularly on the flanks. With line judges frequently trailing plays and erring on the side of the defense, a number of promising attacks have been snuffed by offside flags. Get those judges on a diet so they can keep up with the plays!
Callups Affect more than MLS:
With a season and a cup on the line La Liga side Sevilla may be without two of its top players in Fredric Kanoute and Daniel Alves who have been called up by Mali and Brazil respectively.
“Washed up” Becks is England Savior
David Beckham’s man of the match performance against Estonia on Wednesday all but assures some major scheduling and ticketing headaches for MLS. After the Three Lions’ expected drubbing of an Estonia team that would have it’s hands full at the Gold Cup, our man Becks said "I will definitely be at the Euros, I believe I can carry on playing for a long time. The L.A. Galaxy will do everything possible to help me keep playing for my country." This statement was affirmed by former rock god, current Galaxy GM and rising UK sports tabloid star Alexi Lalas. "We consider it an incredible honor to have our players playing for their national team, and think it's a wonderful statement on David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy," Lalas said to the AP.
Beckham – Winners and Losers
When the Gals signed Becks they knew they were buying a three ring circus , however with his resurgence in form that circus has expanded to seven rings and features a daily parade down main street. Who are the grand marshals of that parade and who is cleaning up the elephant dung?
Winners:
Major League Soccer – It’s all over the papers these days. Everyone trying to measure the quality of our league. Is it Championship? Is it Conference? Is it Pub League? Well the only way to know is to watch. What is it? It’s not English style football. It’s not South American either. It is a still developing American style that is the blend of both. English dump and chase, but with back heels. South American bravado, but with structured defending. Carl Robinson who has experience in the EPL, Championship and MLS stated that the style of play in MLS is more like the international game. Since it does not resemble exactly what is seen in Europe or Mexico, it is deemed unworthy by those used to their own domestic game.
It is further though or assumed that the best American players are all in Europe. Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman might disagree with that. When Beckham arrives, he might not even be the hands down best player in the league thanks to great seasons by EJ and Juan Pablo Angel. Regardless, it says a lot about the league that the best English player on the earth will call MLS home. (Yes, he is currently better than Terry, Gerrard, Rooney and the lot of them.)
True MLS Believers (fans like us) – Vindication is right around the corner for us fans that have always believed in the league. We’ve know that the quality on the pitch is far greater than the jeering folks from overseas (who haven’t witnessed a match) or the American writers who question the word “major” (who wouldn’t know football quality if it smacked them in the face). Heck, even Jamie Trecker grudgingly admitted that this season the level of football in MLS is quite high. Let’s quote double down Trent: “Our little baby’s all growns up.”
Alexi Lalas – I’m not sure if media whore is the right word, but Lalas has become Paris Hilton level tabloid fodder for papers world wide. They can even use the name “Lalas” in a headline ov’r there without explaining who he is. Isn’t this why he wanted to be a rockstar?
MLS Players – As much as some of us felt that American players were being poached prior to this summer, we are really going to feel the pain during this winter transfer season. It will be fun hearing all the rumors of MLS players like Donovan, Maykel Galindo and Dane Richards headed over the EPL to save some relegation pegged side or another. It won’t be fun when some of those players do leave our league. The increased quality of MLS will help all players develop their game and their pocketbooks.
Losers:
New/Potential American Soccer Fans – You know these people at games. You have to explain the offside rule to them every time the whistle blows. They all bought tickets to the Beckham match in their home town. They probably were also roped into buy tickets to another game for that purpose. Then they read the future Sir Becks will not be showing up in their hometown! Outrage! Scandal! Call the Mayor! The ticketing situation is going to be a major league headache for MLS sides hit by Beckham’s international date conflict.
Steve McClerran – Wouldn’t it be great if he just came out and admitted that his original decision to exclude Becks from the squad had nothing to do with there being better players available. (see Aaron Lennon below). I certainly questioned some of Bruce Arena’s call-ups (or lack thereof), but how can any fan of Her Majesty’s team have any confidence in their manager selecting the best players? How can they be assured that the manager isn’t trying to send political messages with his selection. A vote of no confidence is in order for McClerran.
The English – I just love seeing their little football world being shattered. The whole of the isle is beginning to wake up to the realities of a global sport where the US is now a player. The EPL is largely comprised of non-domestic players, their icon is playing in the US and they’ve been reduced to sweating out games against Estonia. Let’s face it, England will always be vastly overrated and the depth of the current pool of English players is that of a kiddie pool.
Aaron Lennon – The future is when? The heir to his Beckness’ throne has just been defrauded. Lennons long term promise may still be there, but Beck’s resurgence has highlighted Lennons shortcomings on the right.
Posh – What she thought was going to be a Motley Crue level light show trained solely on her LA touchdown is turning into an isolation spotlight. Unfortunately, this may open the door for her to seek religion. Look! It’s Tom and Katie at the front door with a welcome basket complete with a copy of Dianetics!
Blueprint for Establishing A Soccer Bar
As avid readers know, I am working hard to establish Manhattan’s as Chicago’s Downtown Soccer Bar of choice for MLS fans. Here is a letter/e-mail that I composed that might help you get the ball rolling in your area:
I am writing to gauge your interest in hosting viewing parties for [LOCAL TEAM] road games. In addition to providing a needed service to [LOCAL TEAM] fans in our growing area, you will be able to attract new customers to your establishment. Certainly, soccer fans’ craving for drinks and appetizers is well known!
COSTS:
This opportunity will not cost your establishment a dime! While some [LOCAL TEAM] games are not televised locally at all, many are available exclusively on MLS DirectKick (the soccer equivalent of the NFL’s Sunday Ticket).While DirectKick does carry a cost, it is very small (establishment charge of $100) compared to that of the NFL package. This cost could be absorbed or defrayed by our group. The fact that your establishment carries this package can be advertised; free of charge, on many MLS fan sites on the internet, thus potentially drawing non-[LOCAL TEAM] fans to your business.
ACCOMODATIONS:
All our group would require is a single (1) television with sound for no more than two hours. One of the great things about soccer is that you can set your watch to games beginning and ending. We are open to being seated in a side room if one is available or in the main bar area.
ATTENDANCE:
Given that this is a new venture, I have no idea how many people will show up for a given game. The number of attendees will be highly dependent on the availability of the match. I would expect the games available on DirectKick to be more highly attended than those that are available on basic cable. Most likely, each game will attract between 5 to 20 people.
TEST PROPOSAL:
There are games available on basic cable on [GAME DATE AND TIME]. If you are interested in hosting these gatherings, please contact me at xxx.xxx.xxxx and we can discuss this proposal more in depth.
I look forward to hearing from you,
[YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO]
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (3-3)
SEASON (20-34)
Thursday
kFCD vs. RSL – Tying is what they do, so I’ll take a tie here.
Saturday
FIRE vs. United – Moreno or no Moreno, United rolls over the fledgling FIRE.
KC vs. The Flagship – Without EJ in the mix, even with Wizards will struggle. More goals for Angel and another home win for the Arenas.
Rapids vs. Chivas USA – Chivas’ passing will continue to dazzle and will lead to another three points for Preki’s men.
Sunday
kFCD vs. UFC – A rested Toronto FC will know the importance of a home win before hitting the road for a while. Take UFC!
RSL vs. Galaxy – I’ll take a tie here as well, which will not please the “sellout” crowd.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
MLS Week 10 – MIA
Wednesday
The Flagship v. UFC – It was very considerate of these teams to play anemic soccer until the late-arriving UFC crowd, and a flock of seagulls, got to the ground. Upon receiving notice that 85% of the sold-out crowd arrived Jeff Cunningham volleyed a cross into the roof of the net opening his UFC account in the process. All seemed to be going well until Juan Pablo Angel was put in a position where he could not be marked, behind a free kick. JPA blasted it over the wall and into the near post, leaving keeper Srdjan Djekanovic gaping like someone trying to pronounce is name for the first time. A minute later, a poor UFC clearance in the box flew in the general direction of JPA and a 2-1 Flagship lead ensued. The irony of all ironies occurred as Claudio Reyna played his best match of the year on Field Turf. UFC didn’t live up to its moniker during the match, however the fans contributed with a beer shower for JPA after his second goal, which resulted in a Flagship player tossing a cup back into the stands. Off the pitch was a different story as some pushing and shoving occurred in the tunnel between the two teams, but nothing that wasn’t “boys being boys” according to Il Bruce.
MOTM: JPA – The definition of a deadly striker. Certainly his skill level is well above that of the average MLS character, but could he really not cut it a Aston Villa? Probably in the same way that David Beckham was not cutting it at Real Madrid and with England. More and more I see that politics can play as much of a role in European football as skill does. I’m sure Cletus and Captain Landon would agree.
Thursday
Rapids v. Dynamo – This poorly timed match occurred opposite of a US Gold Cup fixture, but you have to be impressed with the performance of the depleted champs.
MOTM: Stuart Holden for his spectacular late winner.
Saturday
Chivas USA v. FIRE – I missed my first FIRE home game of the year to attend a spectacular Roger Waters concert. I did tape the game and attempt to watch it beginning at 3AM Sunday morning. I passed out during the match…no problem. Except that I woke up at the 90th minute very disappointed. Another great MLS crowd was largely unrewarded as the FIRE failed to find the net again. Chivas’ consistently excellent passing led to the only goal of the match, late in the game by Pablo Nagamura.
MOTM: Nagamura gets it for scoring his first career MLS goal and for his strong defensive work in Chivas’ midfield.
Gals v. kFCD – I did not see a minute of this match. Kenny Cooper wishes he could say the same thing. Are Dallas players just magnets for leg breaking tackles?
MOTM: No position to judge.
Sunday
The Flagship v. United – As much as us fans of other teams love to hate United’s feisty midfielder, you have to love seeing the guy go for the had trick. DC now has a top form Olsen, the South American front four are really starting to understand each other and they managed to put two goal on the Flagship a man down. Look out MLS! The pre-season predictions are starting to look less and less foolish.
MOTM: Benny Olsen
Dynamo v. Crew – This game took a back seat to the Gold Cup for me, so I didn’t see much, but both Joseph Ngwenya and Alejandro Moreno. The Champs seem to be back on track after grabbing
MOTM: No position to judge.
Copa Oro Surprises Rundown!
Pleasant:
Guadeloupe – Minnows coming into the tournament, now have to be seen as a rising force in the region. With a number of current and former top flight players available to this side, their international experience and the composure that comes with it, helped them easily stand up to sides that supposedly outclassed them.
Panama – Their takedown of Honduras at Giants stadium shows that they will not be intimidated when they arrive at a pro-Mexican Reliant stadium on Wednesday.
Attendance – Gold Cup attendance has been reported up from the tournament two years ago and featured a massive crowd of 68,128 at Giants Stadium largely for the Honduras vs. Mexico match on Sunday.
Not So Much:
El Gigante ES Muerto? - Mexico has been very unimpressive at this tournament. After scraping by a shockingly strong Cuba, El Tri fell to Honduras thanks to an early second half red card that had FIRE written all over it. After trying with limited success in the first half, ex-FIRE defender Samuel Caballero finally got under the skin of Temo Blanco to the point where Blanco applied a significant elbow to Caballero’s chest. Sold well enough by the Honduran to get the attention of the side judge, Blanco was quickly shown the red card and escorted off the field in front of the massive Giants stadium crowd. Up until that point, Temo had been the hero of the Mexican side after converting a penalty kick in the first half.
US Form- While fielding a very experimental side against the T&T back-ups, the Americans’ also failed to impress with their droll victories against T&T and Guatemala. Taylor Twellman and Landon Donovan looked in top form, but uninspired play from DaMarcus Beasley, Gooch, and Kasey Keller are causes for concern. Justin Mapp continued to drift in and out of the game and Benny Feilhaber was unable to find the form he had displayed earlier against the likes of Ecuador and China. Gooch’s sloppy play in both of his matches has put him on the starting line-up chopping block, with DeMerit, Bocanegra, Conrad and even Spector able to step in for him. The US did rebound from their poor outing to wax El Salvador in Foxboro. This was a strong turnaround game for Beasley. Spector had a very strong outing as well. The rest of the side played up to snuff with the exception of Michael Bradley, who is inching closer and closer to being saddled with the weight of nepotism cries.
Haiti - It is back to the drawing board for the team expected to experience a break out Gold Cup this year. Despite its near home field advantage, Haiti looked sluggish and unorganized during their three matches.
Refereeing - As with our domestic league, the refereeing has been wildly inconsistent throughout the tournament, particularly on the flanks. With line judges frequently trailing plays and erring on the side of the defense, a number of promising attacks have been snuffed by offside flags. Get those judges on a diet so they can keep up with the plays!
Callups Affect more than MLS:
With a season and a cup on the line La Liga side Sevilla may be without two of its top players in Fredric Kanoute and Daniel Alves who have been called up by Mali and Brazil respectively.
“Washed up” Becks is England Savior
David Beckham’s man of the match performance against Estonia on Wednesday all but assures some major scheduling and ticketing headaches for MLS. After the Three Lions’ expected drubbing of an Estonia team that would have it’s hands full at the Gold Cup, our man Becks said "I will definitely be at the Euros, I believe I can carry on playing for a long time. The L.A. Galaxy will do everything possible to help me keep playing for my country." This statement was affirmed by former rock god, current Galaxy GM and rising UK sports tabloid star Alexi Lalas. "We consider it an incredible honor to have our players playing for their national team, and think it's a wonderful statement on David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy," Lalas said to the AP.
Beckham – Winners and Losers
When the Gals signed Becks they knew they were buying a three ring circus , however with his resurgence in form that circus has expanded to seven rings and features a daily parade down main street. Who are the grand marshals of that parade and who is cleaning up the elephant dung?
Winners:
Major League Soccer – It’s all over the papers these days. Everyone trying to measure the quality of our league. Is it Championship? Is it Conference? Is it Pub League? Well the only way to know is to watch. What is it? It’s not English style football. It’s not South American either. It is a still developing American style that is the blend of both. English dump and chase, but with back heels. South American bravado, but with structured defending. Carl Robinson who has experience in the EPL, Championship and MLS stated that the style of play in MLS is more like the international game. Since it does not resemble exactly what is seen in Europe or Mexico, it is deemed unworthy by those used to their own domestic game.
It is further though or assumed that the best American players are all in Europe. Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman might disagree with that. When Beckham arrives, he might not even be the hands down best player in the league thanks to great seasons by EJ and Juan Pablo Angel. Regardless, it says a lot about the league that the best English player on the earth will call MLS home. (Yes, he is currently better than Terry, Gerrard, Rooney and the lot of them.)
True MLS Believers (fans like us) – Vindication is right around the corner for us fans that have always believed in the league. We’ve know that the quality on the pitch is far greater than the jeering folks from overseas (who haven’t witnessed a match) or the American writers who question the word “major” (who wouldn’t know football quality if it smacked them in the face). Heck, even Jamie Trecker grudgingly admitted that this season the level of football in MLS is quite high. Let’s quote double down Trent: “Our little baby’s all growns up.”
Alexi Lalas – I’m not sure if media whore is the right word, but Lalas has become Paris Hilton level tabloid fodder for papers world wide. They can even use the name “Lalas” in a headline ov’r there without explaining who he is. Isn’t this why he wanted to be a rockstar?
MLS Players – As much as some of us felt that American players were being poached prior to this summer, we are really going to feel the pain during this winter transfer season. It will be fun hearing all the rumors of MLS players like Donovan, Maykel Galindo and Dane Richards headed over the EPL to save some relegation pegged side or another. It won’t be fun when some of those players do leave our league. The increased quality of MLS will help all players develop their game and their pocketbooks.
Losers:
New/Potential American Soccer Fans – You know these people at games. You have to explain the offside rule to them every time the whistle blows. They all bought tickets to the Beckham match in their home town. They probably were also roped into buy tickets to another game for that purpose. Then they read the future Sir Becks will not be showing up in their hometown! Outrage! Scandal! Call the Mayor! The ticketing situation is going to be a major league headache for MLS sides hit by Beckham’s international date conflict.
Steve McClerran – Wouldn’t it be great if he just came out and admitted that his original decision to exclude Becks from the squad had nothing to do with there being better players available. (see Aaron Lennon below). I certainly questioned some of Bruce Arena’s call-ups (or lack thereof), but how can any fan of Her Majesty’s team have any confidence in their manager selecting the best players? How can they be assured that the manager isn’t trying to send political messages with his selection. A vote of no confidence is in order for McClerran.
The English – I just love seeing their little football world being shattered. The whole of the isle is beginning to wake up to the realities of a global sport where the US is now a player. The EPL is largely comprised of non-domestic players, their icon is playing in the US and they’ve been reduced to sweating out games against Estonia. Let’s face it, England will always be vastly overrated and the depth of the current pool of English players is that of a kiddie pool.
Aaron Lennon – The future is when? The heir to his Beckness’ throne has just been defrauded. Lennons long term promise may still be there, but Beck’s resurgence has highlighted Lennons shortcomings on the right.
Posh – What she thought was going to be a Motley Crue level light show trained solely on her LA touchdown is turning into an isolation spotlight. Unfortunately, this may open the door for her to seek religion. Look! It’s Tom and Katie at the front door with a welcome basket complete with a copy of Dianetics!
Blueprint for Establishing A Soccer Bar
As avid readers know, I am working hard to establish Manhattan’s as Chicago’s Downtown Soccer Bar of choice for MLS fans. Here is a letter/e-mail that I composed that might help you get the ball rolling in your area:
I am writing to gauge your interest in hosting viewing parties for [LOCAL TEAM] road games. In addition to providing a needed service to [LOCAL TEAM] fans in our growing area, you will be able to attract new customers to your establishment. Certainly, soccer fans’ craving for drinks and appetizers is well known!
COSTS:
This opportunity will not cost your establishment a dime! While some [LOCAL TEAM] games are not televised locally at all, many are available exclusively on MLS DirectKick (the soccer equivalent of the NFL’s Sunday Ticket).While DirectKick does carry a cost, it is very small (establishment charge of $100) compared to that of the NFL package. This cost could be absorbed or defrayed by our group. The fact that your establishment carries this package can be advertised; free of charge, on many MLS fan sites on the internet, thus potentially drawing non-[LOCAL TEAM] fans to your business.
ACCOMODATIONS:
All our group would require is a single (1) television with sound for no more than two hours. One of the great things about soccer is that you can set your watch to games beginning and ending. We are open to being seated in a side room if one is available or in the main bar area.
ATTENDANCE:
Given that this is a new venture, I have no idea how many people will show up for a given game. The number of attendees will be highly dependent on the availability of the match. I would expect the games available on DirectKick to be more highly attended than those that are available on basic cable. Most likely, each game will attract between 5 to 20 people.
TEST PROPOSAL:
There are games available on basic cable on [GAME DATE AND TIME]. If you are interested in hosting these gatherings, please contact me at xxx.xxx.xxxx and we can discuss this proposal more in depth.
I look forward to hearing from you,
[YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO]
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (3-3)
SEASON (20-34)
Thursday
kFCD vs. RSL – Tying is what they do, so I’ll take a tie here.
Saturday
FIRE vs. United – Moreno or no Moreno, United rolls over the fledgling FIRE.
KC vs. The Flagship – Without EJ in the mix, even with Wizards will struggle. More goals for Angel and another home win for the Arenas.
Rapids vs. Chivas USA – Chivas’ passing will continue to dazzle and will lead to another three points for Preki’s men.
Sunday
kFCD vs. UFC – A rested Toronto FC will know the importance of a home win before hitting the road for a while. Take UFC!
RSL vs. Galaxy – I’ll take a tie here as well, which will not please the “sellout” crowd.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 06/06/07
MLS Week 9 – This is a Journey
Saturday:
Toronto vs. Colorado – Great Crowd! European-like Atmosphere! (Just felt like torturing fans of the other twelve teams in the league.)
Man of the Match (MOTM): Bouna Condoul – Without Bouna-time between the posts, the Rapids would have been buried in goals. Great game in a losing effort for greater Denver’s number one dashiki wearer.
KC vs. The Flagship – Another lovely game at the old football stadium, lines and all! Seems like the crowd is on the rise in KC particularly the exponentially growing Cauldron. The RedBulls for their part gave the Kansas City fans a game that was a good summary of their season: early Juan Pablo Angel goal and an early Cletus ejection. The only thing out of sorts was the appearance of a RedBull player running around with Claudio Reyna’s jersey. EJ treated the RedBulls and the crowd to a summary of his performance last week: precision finishing.
MOTM: EJ of course. Man, I love playing through international match dates. Damn you economic and climate realities!
NE vs. RSL – Another MLS classic scenario! Season high crowd leads to anemic performance by MLS clubs. A crowd reminiscent of the Alexi Lalas, Foxboro glory days was on had expecting a trouncing of the reigning league doormat. Ninety minutes later, the score was the same and RSL gets out of town with a point.
MOTM: Nick Rimando – 13 saves. (That’s a period after the word saves.)
Gals vs. United – An injury and call-up riddled LA Galaxy somehow defused a flat DC United. The biggest disappointment was the performance of Landon Donovan prior to his departure to the Gold Cup team. Donovan’s terrible performance was capped by a sitter miss in the second half that just has to be buried. Nate Jaqua seemed to actually be playing soccer this week, but coach Frank Yallop failed to give Nate the Tall the coordinates of the opposing teams goal. This turned out to be bad news for fans as a $6.95 beer and $3.50 pack of Twizzlers were victim to Jaqua’s errant attempts at goal.
MOTM: Peter Vanegas – Shutting out a dangerous DC front four is no small feat, but Pete was all over the pitch and helped Cannon organize the patchwork back line all evening. He even had a chance to join in LA’s limited attack and started the most dangerous sequence of the evening.
Sunday
Dynamo vs. kFCD – Ricardo Clark played a key role in all three of the goals scored, during this match, but bummer for him that one was Dallas’ opener in the 32nd minute converted by Abe Thompson following a bad giveaway by Clark. Rico more than made amends for his mistake with a goal and an assist early in the second half to put Houston ahead of their intra-state rivals for good.
MOTM: In no position to judge since I was tailgating at Toyota Park and didn’t see the match.
FIRE vs. Crew – For a match with seven yellow card and two red cards, the game never really seemed nasty or out of control. I guess that is a sign of good refereeing. Although Calen Carr’s two foot dive at the feet of a defender an the end of the match went unpunished by Mark Gieger.
MOTM: Frankie Hedjuk – Yes, I’m naming a defender on the wrong side of a 3-2 match the man of the match. Hedjuk was a demon all evening on the right flank and created many problems for the Chicago defense. It was good to see his tireless work rate back in full display after a number in injury riddled seasons.
USA! USA!
Is there anything more satisfying than a win that leads to calls for the ouster of the opposing teams coach? Granted, following a 1-0 loss to Thailand, China’s coach, Zhu Guanghu, was already on the hot seat, but the temperature of that seat was turned up another 100 degrees following the 4-1 trashing at the hands of the Red, White and Blue. Enough about China, the real story here was the overall performance of our boys. The US looked great after China’s goal, which resulted in large part from some very confused defending by the US and a competent finish from the Chinese. After that moment it was all US. The depth and overall quality of the players in the pool has to be viewed as amongst the deepest and strongest in the history of our country. Another positive is that no longer interim BB the King is not saddled with any unexpected and problem occurrences like headlines that read “Breakout Performance from Jesse Marsh!” On to Gold Cup we go and Guatemala awaits. The measuring stick is a finals appearance. Any draw in the first three matches of Gold Cup would be considered a setback for our national team.
Quick Media Note:
Beginning tonight, a wild six weeks of international tournaments with US involvement begin and the US sports media is not turning a blind eye to it! It was very heartwarming to see extensive articles on Gold Cup from every media outlet where the action is taking place (including the quarters and finals). The soccer wires were abuzz with great articles reminding even us most ardent football maniacs that this tournament has a building history and that the teams playing have stories behind them. Surely, the availability of all the matches on English language TV (for the first time?) doesn’t hurt.
Debate of the Week: Is MLS Beckham Worthy?
With the unexpected (unless you read my blog frequently) resurgence of English and Real Madrid dead weight that was David Beckham, pundits around the world (and even two in the US) are weighing in the ability of MLS be able to support a high level of match fitness for Beckham. With the Gals current terrible form, Beckham will be entering a team where wins are just as important as they are in any league in the world. As US Soccer fans, we know fitness will not be a question. MLS is a very difficult league to play in from a fitness perspective given the weather and travel demands on the MLS player. After all another one time English demi-god Gazza (who Becks was compared to when he signed with Galaxy) couldn’t even hack it with the United reserves and many former top-flight players like Steve Guppy or Peter Canero and even Lothar Assheus and Luisia Hernandez could not adjust to league for just that reason. Let’s see what the “experts” are saying Becks and the League:
Cheerers:
Rangers Boss Walter Smith to www.leaguemanagers.com: "I don't think there's any doubt about that. I think the one thing that there'll be at LA Galaxy is that they have a great level of fitness and the American lads who play will never be short of that. They all had decent pace and were all very fit. It's like every other league. Regardless of the level of play that you come in at, you won't get an easy ride when you come into it.”
RedBulls Juan Pablo Angel to The New York Times: “''Honestly, I did not expect the league to be so good. This is a very tough league to play in. It's physical. It's fast. And it looks like the teams are pretty even, which makes it more competitive because in Europe most leagues only have a few top teams.''
Former England Boss Glenn Hoddle to Daily Express: “"In my day when you hit the 30 mark people started saying your international career may be over, but the way they train now their fitness levels are so much better. David is a fit young man and one thing he has never relied upon is blistering pace, so he will be able to play until he is 38 or 39 if he wants to. I see no reason why he can't keep playing for a long time."
Jeerers:
Former England Captain Alan Shearer from Western Daily Press: "I don't know if David is regretting going to Los Angeles Galaxy. But he's better than that standard, without a shadow of a doubt.”
Former England Captain Ray Wilkins to the Evening Standard: “It will be difficult for him to stay in the England side once he moves to the States as the standard of the MLS is far below La Liga and the Premiership. If his fitness levels stay the same he would have a chance but he will find it difficult to maintain those. Football in America is on the up but it will always be difficult because it is not the number one sport there. In fact it is not even in the top four.”
(Note: Something in common between Alan and Ray: never played vs. MLS competition.)
The Final Word:
Former England Captain David Beckham to the AP: "The move to LA will not have any adverse effect on me. Physically I will be fine and as good as I was against Brazil. Traveling is not going to be a problem because I would travel from anywhere to play for my country."
Blogwriter Soccer Biz Mark to this Blog: “I’ve always felt that a players call-up should depend on their current form. Steve McClerran finally recognized this two weeks ago. Fabio Capello realized this three months ago. MLS will provide to Becks all the challenges he sought and then some.”
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (2-4)
SEASON (17-31)
Wednesday
The Flagship v. UFC – The Flagship zooms in and takes three points, despite a full fledged wrestling match between Dichio and Dema.
Thursday
Rapids v. Dynamo – Dynamo are going to have a tough time without their stars, while the Rapids have a number of hungry forwards. Rapids take the three.
Saturday
Chivas USA v. FIRE – Chivas’ passing and speed and road fan support will confound the FIRE at times, but the home side should be able to manage a draw. Fans in attendance will be reminded about Blanco’s pending arrival every 5 minutes.
Gals v. kFCD – Dallas grabs the three and the home fans go home happy. kFCD is dominant in the midfield and Kenny Cooper begins a mid year resurgence.
Sunday
The Flagship v. United – United at RFK is just a buzzsaw and bruised Flagship can’t hold together in a showcase shootout.
Dynamo v. Crew – Another team that was disappointed last week, the Crew, tear into the depleted and tired Dynamo and finally notch another win.
Podcast:
The Dynamo Power Hour with Glenn Davis
Does anyone know where Glenn Davis gets his attendance figures? Every week he is off of the MLS reported statistics by 2-3k. Up and down!
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Saturday:
Toronto vs. Colorado – Great Crowd! European-like Atmosphere! (Just felt like torturing fans of the other twelve teams in the league.)
Man of the Match (MOTM): Bouna Condoul – Without Bouna-time between the posts, the Rapids would have been buried in goals. Great game in a losing effort for greater Denver’s number one dashiki wearer.
KC vs. The Flagship – Another lovely game at the old football stadium, lines and all! Seems like the crowd is on the rise in KC particularly the exponentially growing Cauldron. The RedBulls for their part gave the Kansas City fans a game that was a good summary of their season: early Juan Pablo Angel goal and an early Cletus ejection. The only thing out of sorts was the appearance of a RedBull player running around with Claudio Reyna’s jersey. EJ treated the RedBulls and the crowd to a summary of his performance last week: precision finishing.
MOTM: EJ of course. Man, I love playing through international match dates. Damn you economic and climate realities!
NE vs. RSL – Another MLS classic scenario! Season high crowd leads to anemic performance by MLS clubs. A crowd reminiscent of the Alexi Lalas, Foxboro glory days was on had expecting a trouncing of the reigning league doormat. Ninety minutes later, the score was the same and RSL gets out of town with a point.
MOTM: Nick Rimando – 13 saves. (That’s a period after the word saves.)
Gals vs. United – An injury and call-up riddled LA Galaxy somehow defused a flat DC United. The biggest disappointment was the performance of Landon Donovan prior to his departure to the Gold Cup team. Donovan’s terrible performance was capped by a sitter miss in the second half that just has to be buried. Nate Jaqua seemed to actually be playing soccer this week, but coach Frank Yallop failed to give Nate the Tall the coordinates of the opposing teams goal. This turned out to be bad news for fans as a $6.95 beer and $3.50 pack of Twizzlers were victim to Jaqua’s errant attempts at goal.
MOTM: Peter Vanegas – Shutting out a dangerous DC front four is no small feat, but Pete was all over the pitch and helped Cannon organize the patchwork back line all evening. He even had a chance to join in LA’s limited attack and started the most dangerous sequence of the evening.
Sunday
Dynamo vs. kFCD – Ricardo Clark played a key role in all three of the goals scored, during this match, but bummer for him that one was Dallas’ opener in the 32nd minute converted by Abe Thompson following a bad giveaway by Clark. Rico more than made amends for his mistake with a goal and an assist early in the second half to put Houston ahead of their intra-state rivals for good.
MOTM: In no position to judge since I was tailgating at Toyota Park and didn’t see the match.
FIRE vs. Crew – For a match with seven yellow card and two red cards, the game never really seemed nasty or out of control. I guess that is a sign of good refereeing. Although Calen Carr’s two foot dive at the feet of a defender an the end of the match went unpunished by Mark Gieger.
MOTM: Frankie Hedjuk – Yes, I’m naming a defender on the wrong side of a 3-2 match the man of the match. Hedjuk was a demon all evening on the right flank and created many problems for the Chicago defense. It was good to see his tireless work rate back in full display after a number in injury riddled seasons.
USA! USA!
Is there anything more satisfying than a win that leads to calls for the ouster of the opposing teams coach? Granted, following a 1-0 loss to Thailand, China’s coach, Zhu Guanghu, was already on the hot seat, but the temperature of that seat was turned up another 100 degrees following the 4-1 trashing at the hands of the Red, White and Blue. Enough about China, the real story here was the overall performance of our boys. The US looked great after China’s goal, which resulted in large part from some very confused defending by the US and a competent finish from the Chinese. After that moment it was all US. The depth and overall quality of the players in the pool has to be viewed as amongst the deepest and strongest in the history of our country. Another positive is that no longer interim BB the King is not saddled with any unexpected and problem occurrences like headlines that read “Breakout Performance from Jesse Marsh!” On to Gold Cup we go and Guatemala awaits. The measuring stick is a finals appearance. Any draw in the first three matches of Gold Cup would be considered a setback for our national team.
Quick Media Note:
Beginning tonight, a wild six weeks of international tournaments with US involvement begin and the US sports media is not turning a blind eye to it! It was very heartwarming to see extensive articles on Gold Cup from every media outlet where the action is taking place (including the quarters and finals). The soccer wires were abuzz with great articles reminding even us most ardent football maniacs that this tournament has a building history and that the teams playing have stories behind them. Surely, the availability of all the matches on English language TV (for the first time?) doesn’t hurt.
Debate of the Week: Is MLS Beckham Worthy?
With the unexpected (unless you read my blog frequently) resurgence of English and Real Madrid dead weight that was David Beckham, pundits around the world (and even two in the US) are weighing in the ability of MLS be able to support a high level of match fitness for Beckham. With the Gals current terrible form, Beckham will be entering a team where wins are just as important as they are in any league in the world. As US Soccer fans, we know fitness will not be a question. MLS is a very difficult league to play in from a fitness perspective given the weather and travel demands on the MLS player. After all another one time English demi-god Gazza (who Becks was compared to when he signed with Galaxy) couldn’t even hack it with the United reserves and many former top-flight players like Steve Guppy or Peter Canero and even Lothar Assheus and Luisia Hernandez could not adjust to league for just that reason. Let’s see what the “experts” are saying Becks and the League:
Cheerers:
Rangers Boss Walter Smith to www.leaguemanagers.com: "I don't think there's any doubt about that. I think the one thing that there'll be at LA Galaxy is that they have a great level of fitness and the American lads who play will never be short of that. They all had decent pace and were all very fit. It's like every other league. Regardless of the level of play that you come in at, you won't get an easy ride when you come into it.”
RedBulls Juan Pablo Angel to The New York Times: “''Honestly, I did not expect the league to be so good. This is a very tough league to play in. It's physical. It's fast. And it looks like the teams are pretty even, which makes it more competitive because in Europe most leagues only have a few top teams.''
Former England Boss Glenn Hoddle to Daily Express: “"In my day when you hit the 30 mark people started saying your international career may be over, but the way they train now their fitness levels are so much better. David is a fit young man and one thing he has never relied upon is blistering pace, so he will be able to play until he is 38 or 39 if he wants to. I see no reason why he can't keep playing for a long time."
Jeerers:
Former England Captain Alan Shearer from Western Daily Press: "I don't know if David is regretting going to Los Angeles Galaxy. But he's better than that standard, without a shadow of a doubt.”
Former England Captain Ray Wilkins to the Evening Standard: “It will be difficult for him to stay in the England side once he moves to the States as the standard of the MLS is far below La Liga and the Premiership. If his fitness levels stay the same he would have a chance but he will find it difficult to maintain those. Football in America is on the up but it will always be difficult because it is not the number one sport there. In fact it is not even in the top four.”
(Note: Something in common between Alan and Ray: never played vs. MLS competition.)
The Final Word:
Former England Captain David Beckham to the AP: "The move to LA will not have any adverse effect on me. Physically I will be fine and as good as I was against Brazil. Traveling is not going to be a problem because I would travel from anywhere to play for my country."
Blogwriter Soccer Biz Mark to this Blog: “I’ve always felt that a players call-up should depend on their current form. Steve McClerran finally recognized this two weeks ago. Fabio Capello realized this three months ago. MLS will provide to Becks all the challenges he sought and then some.”
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (2-4)
SEASON (17-31)
Wednesday
The Flagship v. UFC – The Flagship zooms in and takes three points, despite a full fledged wrestling match between Dichio and Dema.
Thursday
Rapids v. Dynamo – Dynamo are going to have a tough time without their stars, while the Rapids have a number of hungry forwards. Rapids take the three.
Saturday
Chivas USA v. FIRE – Chivas’ passing and speed and road fan support will confound the FIRE at times, but the home side should be able to manage a draw. Fans in attendance will be reminded about Blanco’s pending arrival every 5 minutes.
Gals v. kFCD – Dallas grabs the three and the home fans go home happy. kFCD is dominant in the midfield and Kenny Cooper begins a mid year resurgence.
Sunday
The Flagship v. United – United at RFK is just a buzzsaw and bruised Flagship can’t hold together in a showcase shootout.
Dynamo v. Crew – Another team that was disappointed last week, the Crew, tear into the depleted and tired Dynamo and finally notch another win.
Podcast:
The Dynamo Power Hour with Glenn Davis
Does anyone know where Glenn Davis gets his attendance figures? Every week he is off of the MLS reported statistics by 2-3k. Up and down!
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
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