USA Soccer Spot

Fixture Congestion be Damned: Impact Shock Olimpia, USL on a Roll

2008-10-01T23:20:00.001-05:00

photo from CDSOCCER.com

Roberto Brown was not good enough for Fernando Clavijo. But he’s been good enough for Montreal of the second flight, USL leading the Impact to the league semifinals and now more importantly scoring two goals to give the Impact a huge road three points in Honduras against Olimpia in the CONCACAF Champions League. This was the third game in a stretch which will see Montreal play six games in eleven days, all the matches being either Champions League or USL playoff games. This point is precisely why when MLS fans complain about fixture congestion I cannot help but laugh at them.

Throwing out the result of a dispirited and quite frankly completely overmatched DC United team who right now is the laughing stock of the Champions League, Matchday three was very good for MLS and USL sides. (DC did play much better tonight than they have in the previous two Champions League matches but I recall a time not so long ago where DC would automatically get a result at home in an international competition. Besides Cruz Azul was playing its second eleven) Houston became the first MLS team ever to get a result in a competitive match in Mexico City with a 4-4 draw at Pumas. Puerto Rico continued an unbeaten streak of 17 games with a hard fought 2-2 draw in Guatemala against Municipal, and as discussed above Montreal beat Olimpia on the road.

Back to Brown. For my money he was the Rapids most dangerous player early last season. I saw him in person at DSG Park and was amazed by his skill off the ball. But for whatever reason, after making a big deal about signing him, Clavijo let him go after about 10 matches. Rather than go back to Panama, he latched on in USL with Montreal (as by the way many quality foreign players who get waived in MLS have in the past) and he has made a remarkable impact, no pun intended on the Quebec based club.

As things stand now, three MLS/USL teams have a very good chance of advancing to the knock out stages of the event. That’s something we all can be proud of.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

USL Quarterfinal Wrap

2008-09-29T20:45:00.000-05:00

DeRoux’s heroics were not enough for the Minnesota Thunder/photo by Paul Phillips

Darren Tilley was among the heroes of the 1999 US Open Cup final, the last major trophy won by a current USL side. Pat Onstad and Yuri Alnatt were also key figures that night at Crew Stadium for the Rochester Rhinos. Now nine years later after a near financial collapse Tilley has his team in the semifinal round of the USL playoffs after dispatching 2008 Open Cup finalist Charleston 2-1 on aggregate. The Rhinos now advance to face Regular Season champ, Puerto Rico in the semifinals. Will the fixture congestion of the CONCACAF Champions League finally catch up with the Islanders next weekend? Don’t count on it. Right now for my money Colin Clarke’s side would be the third best team in MLS (After Houston and Columbus) if they were in that league instead of USL. The Islanders are deep and talented besides being extremely well coached. The semifinals will feature two teams with British coaches playing a very British style of football, so those Anglosnobs who refuse to watch MLS because it seems unfamiliar to them ought to check out the Islanders versus the Rhinos.

Elsewhere Minnesota shelled Jay Nolly all evening long but fell a goal short of advancing past the Whitecaps who came into the second leg up two goals. The final tally was Vancouver 5 Minnesota 4 after two legs. Stephen deRoux had a great game in midfield for the Thunder. Vancouver now will face Montreal in a Canadian derby semifinal. The Impact came from a goal down in the first leg to beat Seattle in the second leg 3-1. The final goal scored in stoppage time was set up Joey Gjerstan and tallied by Antonio Ribeiro. The Impact now focus on the Champions League midweek before facing Vancouver in a two leg series this weekend.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Will MLS 2.0 Work?

2008-09-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

The indispensable American Soccer News had a good story on Don Garber’s plans for MLS 2.0, which will be discussed later this year with the league’s board. While Commissioner Garber deserves lots of credit for steering MLS away from the troubled waters that threatened its existence a few years back, the arrogance and hubris of the league which we’ve recently editorialized on this site threatens its long term credibility in the football world.

Some points from this story:

Garber says ” In regards to the CONCACAF Champions League, our credibility is being attacked but we want our clubs to focus on MLS…In reality, we are a business developing and to reconfigure our business model is not in our best interest.”

I’m not sure how he can spin this in MLS’ favor. The reality is it was Commissioner Garber whose comments were out of line when MLS teams failed in the forerunner tournament of this, including DC United against Pachuca this past Spring. It was the commissioner and league seemingly anxious to buy international credibility that emphasized these results. Now the Champions League performances are all the more embarrasing not because Mexican or Costa Rican teams are showing up MLS sides: those are clearly better and deeper leagues than MLS, but because the United States’ own second divsion, with which MLS broke off a relationship thus scuttling the American Club football pyramid has been so successful in this event. Sides from the United Soccer Leagues have actually defeated Mexican and Costa Rican sides in this tournament while MLS is winless in the event. I have for many years maintained that the soccer press in this country was ignorant of USL and discounted the quality in that league partly because of the obsession with representing MLS as something it is not. For years I have maintained that while MLS is on the whole stronger than USL the typical gap between a first and second division doesn’t exist in this country, thanks to the limited budgets and poor scouting of MLS teams. The league may not like it but it’s credibility is in the gutter based on its embarrasing performances in the Champions League. The bottom line is this: we live in a Global world where Football from all over is on TV: the best leagues in whatever region rise to the top in their regional club tournament, be it the Argentine teams in Copa Libertadoras or the English teams in the UEFA Champions League. The fact that USL teams are showing more than MLS teams in the champions league for CONCACAF speaks volumes about the overall quality of MLS.

There will be no promotion or relegation unveiled at that time and the league would prefer another Midwest team such as St. Louis to provide more balance geographically. Interest in a Miami franchise has resurfaced and Garber reiterated the demand in the Pacific Northwest is strong as well.

MLS expansion continues to dilute talent and the quality of the product on the pitch. No doubt exists in the my mind that MLS sides would have been more competitive in the CONCACAF Champions League had for example Chivas USA not lost Preston Burpo and Jason Hernandez in the expansion draft, and been forced to replace injured players with guys who are essentially being paid a semi-pro wage.

I can say this from the Miami perspective. MLS can work in South Florida but only if the quality of the product improves rapidly. The same for a second team in New York. If MLS is going to continue to to put out a product where defending is shambolic in almost every match and the pace is like watching paint dry, bigger more sophisticated football markets are going to tune out the product. I’d put Miami, New York and even Boston at the very top of this list.

Garber also expressed that the Superliga is a priority for the league based off of attendance and television ratings.

This line speaks for itself and to the priorities of the league. SUM makes money that sustains the league and thus MLS puts a priority on all SUM related events even if it means promoting a Mexican National Team game will for example cut MLS attendance for the games in the same market around the El Tri matchup on the calendar.

Currently, there are no short term solutions however, in 2009, there may be a possibility that teams will be more carefully selected to avoid fixture congestion so there may be more balance and variety in the Superliga, CONCACAF, and US Open Cup competitions

So no Apertura/Clausura at least for 2009. Even more disturbing I see no mention amending the squad limits or the salary cap in this piece.

What are our readers thoughts about MLS 2.0?

Comment here

MLS Needs to Look Beyond Europe

2008-09-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

Jorge Rojas: MLS Super Signing

I’ll be honest. Late in this season with European Football having kicked off, the US National Team’s qualifying in full swing, USL about to decide its playoff participants, and College Soccer having started up I’m having my difficult being motivated to watch MLS games. My disinterest cannot be blamed on the quality of play: I’m used to watching plenty of third rate football: USL and College Soccer would qualify in those categories, but both right now are more compelling for me to watch and track than MLS whose recent public relations among other things have turned me off, as we’ve discussed on this site.

One very obvious thing emerges when comparing MLS and USL. Major League Soccer is becoming more latin flavored in its style of play, while USL is almost undoubtedly a reflection of how lower leagues in England appear in style of play. The two leagues though sharing the same geographical home now play a totally different brand of football: perhaps the direct, route one style of Northern Irish World Cup Veteran Colin Clarke is so atypical to CONCACAF that Puerto Rico Islanders are having success due to style of play more than quality on the pitch in the Champions League. The same can be surmised by Montreal’s solid play in CONCACAF and could have been assumed had Charleston not gotten a few unlucky bounces and beaten DC United in the US Open Cup final. This isn’t meant to minimize the accomplishments of USL sides in CONCACAF play which include defeating a Costa Rican side in a two leg tie, something never accomplished by an MLS side. Readers of this site and listeners to the show know I’m partisan in some regards towards USL but do realize much of the success of its teams when stepping out of what is essentially a second division and playing more talented sides be they in MLS or in Central America has been the style of play and the difficulty it causes for Latin oriented teams.

At the same time Major League Soccer is becoming more and more latin flavored. The New York Red Bulls lost last night to Columbus but I took note of how they played even without Dave Van Den Bergh, who is one of the best players in the league. Juan Carlos Osorio’s side valued possession and knocked the ball around with a purpose in the first half featuring incredibly technical touches on the ball. Jorge Rojas, the captain of the Venezeluan National Team leads this new look team and when you have other quality players like Gabriel Cichero and Juan Pietravello who are technically gifted no question exists in my mind that the New York Red Bulls represents where MLS is headed. On the other side last night, Columbus without the incomparable Guille Barros Schelotto featured the lively, Olympic medalist Emmaunel Ekpo in midfield. Early in MLS’ history Sunil Gulati spent alot of effort in attracting African players to MLS. These included such notable names in World Football as Shaun Bartlett, Junior Agogo, Uche Okafor, Ben Iroha and Abdul Thompson Conteh among others. But as time went on and the original management team of the league was ushered out fewer and fewer African players with the league signing more players from European second divisions like Pascal Bedrosian and Terry Cooke to fill out squads. This trend thankfully seems to have been blunted.

No point exists for MLS to continue to import large numbers of players from Europe. The league is more than welcome to cherry pick certain players like Darren Huckerby who want to be here, but the time of David Beckham, Lothar Matthaeus and Roberto Donadoni has come and gone. The future of MLS lies looking south towards Latin America and the Caribbean as well as across the the Atlantic with a southward tilt at Sub Saharan Africa. Changing the flavor of MLS will make the product more compelling and yes of a higher quality for the American football fan.

Renkin to Arsenal? Some Thoughts

2008-09-17T14:49:00.000-05:00

The recent press reports linking Arsenal and other Premier League clubs to 14 year old attacking midfielder Charles Renken whose sterling play for the US U-17 team in the Bradenton Invitational last year caught many eyes is terrifying from my perspective. Despite the success Arsenal has had in developing young footballers, Americans have had nothing but trouble when they go to England at a young age.

I get annoyed when I hear fans of the US Soccer program state that we need to put more young players in the English Premier League. Yes, we need to put more players in Europe, but no we do not have to put more young, developiong players in the Premier League. Take the list of players who have gone to Premier League clubs from the US at a young age: Jovan Kirovski, John Thorrington, Frank Simek, Zac Whitebread ,Kenny Cooper, Kyle Davies, Eric Licaj and Jonathan Spector and contrast that with the list of players who have gone to Holland or Germany at a young age: John O’Brien, Gregg Berhalter, DaMarcus Beasley, Cory Gibbs, Steve Cherundolo, Chad Deering, Robbie Rogers and Michael Bradley. It has been accurately pointed out to me in defense of English Football that some teen players who showed raw potential in Africa or Eastern Europe have dramatically improved once getting to England: That very well may be the case but for American players whose early training in the United States lacks the type of technical skill emphasis of other points on the globe, going to the continent seems to be a more reasonable long term bet for a player’s development than going to England. In England many pundits, including Martin Samuel of the Times indicate that English academies teaching of technique and ball skills is not up to the same standard as it is on the continent. (Samuel wrote a column after England’s 2-0 loss to Croatia in Zagreb during Euro 2008 Qualifying about this topic and was pillaged as you would expect by the Times online readers, but his point hit home with me based on the experiences of American players on both the continent and England.)

Frank Simek signed with Arsenal at 14, the same age and he now remains an outsider in the US player pool struggling for recognition on a second division side in his twenties. This pattern has played out with many of the other Americans I listed above who went to England as teens to develop their footballing skills. On the other hand the list of youngsters who went to continental clubs or academies is more impressive and dare I say has been much more impactful on the fortunes of the US National Team program.

Charles Renken is a special player. He has the potential to be a similar, even complimentary player to Freddy Adu a few years down the road in the US setup. Along with Stefan Jerome and Carlos Martinez he represents part of an attacking trio that could lead to US to glory in upcoming youth world cups. However, all of this is predicated on Renkin making the right move following his time at the US Soccer’s Academy in Bradenton and continuing his impressive growth as a young player.

Who Should the US Start Versus T&T

2008-09-09T23:21:00.001-05:00

Six points in the bag and little doubt the US will advance to the hexagonal. However the truth be told I think the United States finishes third in the hexagonal on current form and must improve its linkup play and general possession play in the final four matches of this qualifying stage. With this in mind this is the lineup I would like to see tomorrow assuming the bucket is being used by Bradley again.

—————————–Howard———————————-

—-Hedjuk————-Onyweu————Bocanegra———–Pearce—-

———————-Clark————–Bradley———————–

Kljestan—————————————————Lewis——-

——————————Donovan——————————–

——————————Johnson——————————–

Sacha Kljestan is the right sided player that is most dangerous for the US. He needs to play out on that side.
Eddie Johnson gets a chance partly so he can be safely written off after this match.
Despite scoring a goal against Cuba, Clint Dempsey’s lack of creativity and bad giveaways should earn him a place on the bench.
DaMarcus Beasley right now could not start for most of the teams left in CONCACAF qualifying. We are allegedly better than these sides so why do we keep throwing him out there ahead of a steady, veteran Eddie Lewis who is better than any other left sided midfielder in the region?
Rico Clark starts in place of Mo Edu who was woeful on Saturday.
Frankie Hedjuk is now my right back until he cannot walk or is suspended. Steve Cherundolo’s lack of maturity demonstrated in the Guatemala game can be solved by watching Frankie perform since Hedjuk was equally immature at one time not so long ago.

Comment here

US Looks Shaky in Havana

2008-09-09T23:20:00.000-05:00

Reuters Photo

Three points is three points I suppose. But tonight’s game unlike last months qualifier in Guatemala City has me very concerned about the state of play regarding the US Team. Against a side that in its own stadium last month gave up three relatively quick goals to Trinidad and Tobago, the US had to grind out a result again dependent on some clutch goalkeeping and quite frankly some mistakes by the Cuban team.

Right now the United States lacks the technical skill nor the clean finishing or awareness in counter attacking situations to ever put away the opposition. The bad giveaways by defensive midfielders continues to be a trademark of this team with its current lineup and the inability for the strikers to finish the chances created for them against respectable opposition is painful to watch. In the last twelve matches, the current set of US strikers, Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson have scored in only one match: the 8-0 rout of Barbados, while every US goal in the other matches has come from midfielders or defenders and typically off set pieces.

Today’s performance was substantially worse than the game many have criticized the US for in Guatemala City last month. Again thye most solid players were the keeper Tim Howard and the two center backs, Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu. The performances of DaMarcus Beasley and Mo Edu in particular were forgetable. Given Scotland’s loss today to FYR Macedonia in Skopke perhaps both players feature on one of the two big sides in the SPL because of the lack of Scottish talent, not because of their individual qualities. Beasley in particular is becoming less and less useful as a player as time goes on.

A word on the atmonsphere tonight: Give the Cuban players and supporters a lot of credit. Despite the political tensions which I am in particular familiar with because of where I live (South Florida) the event tonight was perfect except for the lighting, with a polite crowd, and some good sportsmanship among both sides. Football really can overcome the problems politicians and dictators cause.

Comment here

Petke Power

2008-09-05T23:18:00.000-05:00

AP PHOTO

Throughout Mike Petke’s Metrostars career a sign draped the wall at Giants Stadium which read Petke Power. For my money no lasting image of MLS early years was more vivid and more poignant than that sign. Mike Petke in fact has been one of the better defenders in MLS during his entire career. But the thing that has made Petke stand out for me is his leadership and his ability to score critical goals in critical matches. Petke’s goals during his time at DC United all seemed to come at critical times, including one in stoppage time against Columbus in 2003 that has to be considered one of the most exciting goals given the circumstances in the history of the league.

Petke now 32 is Colorado’s captain when he’s healthy. But the Rapids have been skidding down the western conference table for week and are now led by a manager, Gary Smith who is actually an Arsenal employee on loan to the Rapids. After last week’s loss to RSL Petke was quoted as saying ” “There were a lot of fans that traveled to come here, and I’m embarrassed. It’s over now, and we have to look forward to Thursday, a big game in Dallas. But, it’s going to be a tough night tonight.”

Petke led by example today scoring a classic goal to sink FC Dallas and to bring the Rapids right back into the heat of the playoff race. This goal was typical of Petke: key situation where his team needs to score and needs to win. Once again Petke power has prevailed, and with the longevity and leadership shown by Petke, don’t count the Rapids out just yet.

Comment here

Islanders Conquer

2008-09-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

The Islanders used two late goals to advance Wednesday Night

Tropical Storm Hanna has reaked havoc on Haiti and it also delayed the start of tonight’s CONCACAF Champions League match between Puerto Rico and Alajuelense. For the first time ever a Costa Rican club has been eliminated from a CONCACAF tournament by an American club with the USL-1 side doing the honors. The Islanders won despite playing four matches in the last eight days all over North and Central America thanks to the fixture congestion MLS and USL both seem to tolerate. The US Open Cup final between DC United and Charleston at RFK Stadium was a showcase of the best American club football has to offer. This game was absent of the bad giveaways and poor possession play that characterize MLS and are less prevalent but still numerous in USL-1.

I have to say I am somehwat offended that many of my collegues and friends in the soccer blogger community have seemingly chosen to ignore the success of USL sides in this competition while continuing to discuss MLS’ failures in a vacuum. Football writers in England and Germany do not ignore their second divisions entirely and do not simply make assumptions about a product’s quality without watching it or trying to understand it. The dismissiveness of many towards USL this year has been shocking: the assumption during the early rounds of the US Open Cup was that USL sides were essentially semi pro teams and that any loss by MLS teams was on them, not due to the quality of play from USL. As one who follows both leagues cloesly I can tell you while the most individually talented players are in MLS, USL-1 has a quality to it unknown to MLS, something which both Puerto Rico and Montreal demonstrated in their CONCACAF triumphs: valuable midfield and attacking possession play. USL sides I have noticed also in my trips to Tropical Park Stadium and on the FSC Friday night telecast don’t commit all of the cheap giveaways MLS teams do. Yet USL sides lack the flair and quality in the final third to be as dangerous as MLS sides.

So basically I would say at home in an international competition I’d take a random MLS side, while when I travel to Central America or the Caribbean I’d take a top USL-1 side. While this sounds like I am simply interpreting the results of the last eight days this is based much more in the style and substance of play than on the results which of course do bear out my thinking.

USL sides are much more tecnhical and composed on the ball: Charleston showed this again last night as well but they were facing in DC, a side much more refined and cultured than your average MLS side. First touches in USL tend to be less exaggerated than in MLS and while the best players in the nation play in MLS, their are also a number of development roster player who later in the season play significgant roles in MLS: The majority of these players would not make a USL-1 roster.

I’d urge my collegues in the soccer blogger community and media to pay more attention to USL-1. Sure the games aren’t played in the sexy venues and you don’t have a commissioner that likes to shoot off his mouth in selling the quality of his league, but the football itself is very revealing. It is no coincidence as we enter the group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League, the top club tournament in this region that USL has as many teams left in the event as MLS.

Impact Advances, MLS Falters

2008-09-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

Longtime FC Dallas GK Matt Jordan kept a clean sheet as USL-1 side Montreal Impact advanced in the Champions League

Even after DC United beats the Charleston Battery in tonight’s US Open Cup Final, USL will have achieved something tangible that MLS failed at attempting, and failed badly at: to advance a team out of the qualifying round of the CONCACAF Champions League. Montreal got a draw on the road to Real Esteli and advance intyo the group stage of the competition while MLS sides New England and Chivas USA were eliminated on their home turf.

Chivas USA gave a game effort which is much much more than can be said for New England. But the bottom line is this. MLS is nowhere near as competitive or attractive a league as its proponents claim. This tournament was supposed to be different because unlike the CONCACAF Champions Cup, this event was being started right in the heart of the MLS season. But what we’ve discovered is that MLS lacks the depth not only on its squads, but among its squads to seriously compete in these sorts of events. For all those who state that MLS is the most competitive league in the world, the reality is that the same teams usually win the title and the same teams usually compete well when representing the league in CONCACAF competitions. So how good is MLS in reality? Not very good by any objective international standard. I firmly believe that MLS which constantly compares itself to the FMF isn’t even the second or maybe third best league within CONCACAF. But it is our league as is USL and we must embrace both to grow the game in the United States.

Bradley vs Arena: Different Styles

2008-09-02T11:02:00.000-05:00

Eddie Johnson and Brian Ching celebrate a goal against Barbados, the only game which a current US striker has scored a goal in the last 14 months for the national team.

Bob Bradley’s tenure as United States National Team manager has gone about as well as can be expected: A CONCACAF Gold triumph, several victories in the “old world” and thus far a smooth run in qualifying including an elusive win over Guatemala. So with this in mind, clearly their will be no coaching change for the US in the next several years. But Coach Bradley unlike his predecessor Bruce Arena seems to be reluctant to use current club form as a guide to player selection. Arena, almost to a fault felt it necessary even during World Cup qualifying to call in any in-form American player to give him a look.

Bradley seemed to take the Arena philosophy early in his tenure. Bradley’s first year and change on the job saw the call ups of about 70 players. However since the March friendly with Poland, Bradley’s selections have become less and less creative and more and more predictable. Thankfully some of this predictability has been the now routine call ups of Frankie Hejduk and Eddie Lewis both of whom spent a year without being called in after World Cup 2006 when younger players tried and ultimately failed to fill their positions. Unfortunetely this also means the continued routine call ups of Eddie Johnson, now playing his trade in England’s second division, Clint Dempsey who has scored one club goal in the last nine months, DaMarcus Beasley whose role should be filled by Lewis until the later retires, and Ricardo Clark who has looked completely out of his depth in his last four matches for the United States.

The return of Clark to the national team for critical qualifiers is totally unjusitifed. Despite playing on MLS’ dominant team, Clark’s confidence is in the tank. He has been most unimpressive to me while playing for the Dynamo this year other than in a few glimmers. Eddie Johnson and Brian Ching the current US strikers have scored goals in only one match for the US in the last fourteen months: that match was an 8-0 thrashing of Barbados. Had Arena still been managing the national team, in form Kenny Cooper or Charlie Davies would have surely been called into this squad if for no other reason to judge them in camp.

Clint Dempsey not only has played poorly for the US, but seeing him in person now in several US matches over the last 12 months I fear he has gone from having a monster killer instinct to disinterest in the national team. This probably comes from being overworked at Fulham and now confused about his role there, thanks to Manager Roy Hodgson’s tactics. DaMarcus Beasley is a player whose hustle wins him accolades from American coaches and whose Champions League experience gets him love in the press, but whose utility on the international level appears to be waning. Beasley’s first touch and creativity are completely devoid when he needs it the most and I personally am much more comfortable with a wily veteran like Eddie Lewis on the pitch than Beasley whose mistakes and poor positioning are more likely to cost you points than win you anything.

Bradley’s call in of Marvell Wynne is long overdue. For some reason with Wynne available for matches against Mexico and Barbados earlier this year, Drew Moor was called in ahead of him as the first choice right back. Also the call up of Mexican-American fullback Michael Orozco who hopefully can earn his first full US Cap is a welcome sign.

The omission of Kenny Cooper, and Freddy Adu the most creative player the US has are glaring. Arena most certainly would have called both players in to camp in a similar situation. Only time will tell if Bradley’s decisions are justified.

Comment here

Hubris II

2008-08-29T07:57:00.000-05:00

A day after amazing achievements for USL-1 sides in CONCACAF Champions League action Major League Soccer continued its pattern of showing that they don’t get it by rejecting New York’s $200,000 bid for Macoumba Kandji according to Ives Galarcep of Soccer by Ives. The apparent stumbling block: MLS does not believe any player in USL could possibly be worth $200,000. Even after seeing the Puerto Rico Islanders, a USL side accomplish a feat that no MLS team has been able to in eight tries (getting a result against one of the big two Costa Rican clubs in Central America) Major League Soccer will not allow one of its franchises to spend transfer money on a player from the second division in its own country. Can you imagine if the Premier League forbade its clubs from buying players from Championship clubs? Or how about Serie A not buying from Serie B? The policy would rightly be ripped and quite frankly the gap between USL-1 and MLS is much smaller than between the Premier League and Championship. It’s no small wonder why so many fans domestic and abroad view the MLS not only a poor footballing league but more importantly as a somewhat strange and shady business.

The Hubris in MLS HQ is a subject I’ve been exploring the Superliga debacle. This incident however even surprises someone like me who tends to think the worst possible of the league. However, I must state I support MLS and hope they shape up rather than permanently lose a generation of football fans in this nation.

The fact is back in the day USL-1 (then the A-League) and MLS used to have a working partnership. Now they compete. USL is obviously an inferior league but its not as wide a gap as typically you have between first and second divisions. MLS seems determined to kill USL, while at the same time not allowing its franchises to grow. I’ve actually spoken off the record to a few players who have been in both leagues and while they acknowledge MLS is the top league some prefer playing in USL and actually signing with a team and not being subject to the constant rearranging of the deck chairs that occurs in MLS since player contracts are owned by the league and not by certain clubs.

What MLS needs to do is learn from USL’s success in certain markets and also understand why USL sides tend to perform well relative to their talent level in knock out competitions like the Open Cup and now the CONCACAF CL. USL-1 sides typically get players that are MLS rejects not because they weren’t good enough to play but because they fell in the salary range of 30k-50k where cap space becomes tight. Many USL-1 players are actually better than the low end MLS players. In other cases it is easier for foriegn players, particularly from the Caribbean and Africa to sign with USL-1 and USL-2 sides. Often times the foreign players that end up in USL have a better long term outlook than the overpayed and over the hill type foreign players MLS likes to sign. Mac Kandji is an example of this type of foreign player.

For a league in the last year who has signed foreign players such a Franco Neil, Mathias Cordoba, Franco Carracio, Celestine Babyaro, Abel Xavier, Laurent Robert and others based on reputation not on their ability to excel in the unique footballing climate of the United States, the decision of MLS to reject a transfer fee for Kandji shows that once again MLS operates in a vacuum with regards to the world of football and deserves all of the scorn it has rightfully earned.

Comment here

USL Trumps MLS

2008-08-28T07:48:00.000-05:00

Today’s goalscorer for USL-1 side Puerto Rico Islanders Osei Telesford against England in May/Reuters Photo

Can you believe that headline? After seeing MLS sides lose in all eight attempts to even get so much as a draw in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match on Costa Rican soil, tonight in the new CONCACAF Champions League USL-1 side Puerto Rico Islanders got a shock 1-1 draw at Alajuelense. Well USL-1 is a second division, no doubt but what does it say when your second division gets a result in its first time out to Costa Rica where MLS is 0-8 through the years in the champions cup? Fluke, or dumb luck I think the Islanders result tells us a heck of a lot about the character of USL-1 sides and why it has been unwise of many to write of the league as being inconsequential. Recall just this past week, I tipped Alajuelense as one of the my five favorites to win the competition. (Along with Saprissa and three Mexican sides) No MLS side had this tough an opening matchup, and yet neither MLS side that played Tuesday night got a result against much weaker opposition. The reality of the situation is this: MLS’ squad limits and single entity structure limit the ability of its teams to compete in major international settings. In addition the MLS salary cap allows many of the middle tier of American players to star in USL while the lower tier ends up filling out MLS squads. It’s simple salary cap math. So if you are an MLS Sporting Director, in order to sign a high profile player you usually have to jettison a middle salary player who instead of staying MLS ends up in USL. Puerto Rico has several such players who would still be good squad footballers if in MLS.

Colin Clark whose tenure in Dallas ended badly with a first round exit from the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs showed his tactical shrewdness in the match. The Islanders who have been playing very well in USL-1 used the clutch goalkeeping of former Columbus Crew stopper Bill Gaudette as well as some very gutsy midfield play to salvage the draw. The Islanders feature an eclectic mix of players: full internationals like Fabrice Noel and Osei Telesford who featured in last week’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, as well as American journeymen players like Gaudette and Josh Hansen and Edson Elcock. The Islanders relishing the occasion and understanding tactical football on the road pulled a shock result, that MLS clubs in numerous opportunities have failed to deliver.

No one in their right mind is going to claim USL-1 has the quality of MLS. But at the same time, I have long maintained that the gap between the two leagues could be the narrowest between first and second divisions in the world. The last two nights of Champions League action where two MLS sides have discredited their league while two USL-1 sides have achieved results speak volumes to that point. For some of us this is not unexpected. Just this evening my CSRN colleague Johnathan Starling told me that he believed Puerto Rico would make match of it tonight. I told him that as much as I believe USL sides will perform decently in this event, and show more heart than MLS teams, I just couldn’t see any team with American players going to Costa Rica and getting a result. I was wrong and essentially fell into the same trap I have editorialized against as recently as this morning: Overrating MLS and assuming American players like Bill Gaudette could not perform in hostile Ticos settings because so many MLS players have failed in the very same setting in the past.

Comment here

Hubris

2008-08-27T07:46:00.000-05:00

Marco Etcheverry is the type of creative player MLS lacks today/MLSNET.com

The CONCACAF Champions league was built up as Major League Soccer’s opportunity to show how well it sides perform while in season. The complaint about the now retired Champions Cup was that it was played during the MLS preseason. However, despite a flattering scoreline the first match of the Champions League showed how outclassed outside the United States MLS sides often times are, even though New England is arguably the best MLS team around. While Chivas USA certainly played a better match down in Panama than New England did in Port of Spain the result was the same: MLS lost. Now based on these results, it is very likely both MLS teams will advance to the group stage due to having home legs upcoming. Yet the point cannot be lost: unlike Mexican or Costa Rican sides, MLS teams cannot get results or even dictate play away from home.

The laundry list of excuses are already being touted: That MLS squads don’t have depth because of the roster limits, that teams are suffering from fixture congestion and that the focus right now remains on the MLS season. These excuses are to me worthless since the league itself has made such a production of touting its improvement when compared with football in other parts of the region. I have said this before and will say this again: I believe MLS circa 1998 had more quality than MLS circa 2008. Sure the talent is more evenly distributed now throughout the league, but the top teams and in fact the top players in league were more impressive ten years ago than they are today. The results MLS teams achieved versus sides from abroad in those days even in friendlies were quite frankly more impressive than today.

All of this really doesn’t matter if it weren’t for MLS’ own arrogance in promoting its product. As the defeat of Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship at the hands of the then last place USL-1 side demonstrated, that despite an increase in exposure due to a surge in popularity for football in North America, MLS’ product continues to be inferior to just about any other league available on American television. David Beckham’s arrival stateside gave MLS the impetus to over promote its own virtues.

MLS does not need to be the most competitive or attractive league in the world. As I have said before the old MLS that focused on player development and increasing access to the game was a preferable model to today’s league. But as the league has advanced an agenda of becoming a super league in North America, its impact on the US National Team as discussed a few weeks back has been problematic as is the seeming desire of the league to promote its own tournament which it runs, Superliga as some sort of major international event. This is because MLS receives the profits from the event via its marketing arm, SUM and all the matches are played on American soil. What’s even worse is in order to tout its own importance and value in footballing circles the league continues to boast about its competitiveness and quality when almost all visible evidence refutes these claims.

Comment here

Should the Deuce Be Cut Loose?

2008-08-26T07:44:00.000-05:00

The lone American goal scorer from World Cup 2006 now has consistently played so poorly for the national team if the opponent is not Barbados, that his presence seems to actually help stagnate the side. Dempsey’s last good performance for the National Team against a decent opponent was last October in Switzerland. At the time “the Deuce” was on a nice run for Fulham, his club side and was playing with lots of confidence.

A combination of a managerial change at Fulham (A switch from Lawrie Sanchez who had a lot of faith in Dempsey to the old school Roy Hodgson) the relegation fight the Cottagers found themselves in and the need to help carry the US woeful run of play attack seemed to be too much for Dempsey to handle. He has now looked tired and disinterested on consistent basis in the last several months.

Bruce Arena seemed to have a philosophy as national team manager that if you were playing well with your club you would at the very least be called into national team camp. Bob Bradley on the other hand has proven to value the continuity of his squad selection above all, essentially narrowing his player pool down to 25-28 players and picking about 20 for each match from that group. Is this a good philosophy and is it smart to continue to pick out of players like Dempsey and Eddie Johnson over players in form? Or is it wise to keep as many familiar faces on the team, given the limited training time the national team has together? One thing is for sure: Dempsey’s play would have earned him a benching by now under Arena. But Bradley seems to manage his players differently even if his tactics are somewhat similar.

Comment here

Bob Bradley's Tactics

2008-08-22T19:11:00.000-05:00

Under Bob Bradley the USMNT has become reliant on set pieces for scoring and quite possibly more dependent on its center backs than any top 50 national team/photo from US Soccer

For all the criticisms of Bob Bradley’s tactics by commentators including myself, the continued success rate the United States enjoys on set pieces is remarkable. This is all the more remarkable when you consider the trouble the United States had scoring on set pieces in the 1999 to 2003 period after Eric Wynalda, Marcello Balboa and Alexi Lalas all outstanding in dead ball situations were off the national team. The resurgence of quality in these situations could not have come at a better time: It seems obvious that the United States does not have players with the on the ball skills or finishing ability to consistently score in the run of play. Or perhaps American managers do not know how to tactically put talented players like Landon Donovan in a position to succeed without relying on his dead ball skills.

If you eliminate the two matches against a completely outclassed Barbados team, six of the eight goals scored by the United States this year have been scored from set pieces. Of these six goals, four have been scored by the Center Backs, Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra. In other words in matches against
competitive opposition, chances are the US will rely on set pieces to score and additionally the chances that a non striker or midfielder will be the difference maker is also high. This is because in Bob Bradley’s “bucket” system the idea is to absorb pressure and to selectively counter attack. The intent of counter attacking by the US since 2007 has been largely to create corner kicks or free kick opportunity rather than to actually place a shot on goal.

Tactically it is extremely risky to rely on this sort of play. The inability of American strikers to finish and American midfielder to hold the ball or create chances may be why Bradley feels such a scheme is necessary. Very few national teams with the sort of perceived talent the United States has plays such a strange tactical scheme. At the very same time, very few international managers have two center backs like Bocanegra and Onyewu at their disposal. While it can be argued that one or maybe both are actually liabilities on the defensive end, both are deadly accurate when receiving service in dead ball situations. Watching as much international football as I do, I must state that I don’t know of two other center backs in the world who score as many goals with as few opportunities. John Terry, Rafa Marquez and Juan have all scored goals for their nations, but they do not I would venture to guess score as often in limited opportunities as do the two US backs.

The reality of the situation is this: the United States may have superior or inferior talent to most of its opposition in CONCACAF. But in fact right now it does not matter because Bob Bradley feels he has found a formula that works: sit back for much of the match and then hit the opposition not with a classic counter attacking goal but on a corner kick or free kick which is often times inevitable in a match. Bringing up the two center backs who are both physical and athletic causes problems for CONCACAF sides with smaller and less athletic players. Until someone in CONCACAF can shut down Bocanegra or Onyewu in the area or prevent the US from getting a Landon Donovan, Eddie Lewis or DaMarcus Beasley set piece, Bradley is going to keep his tactics consistent.

Comment here

US Secure Massive Three Points; Mexico Escapes

2008-08-21T09:20:00.001-05:00

Photo from Reuters

Mexico was fortunate to escape with a 2-1 win at Azteca tonight over a Honduran side filled with quality. Honduras played some quality football and was unfortunate not to secure at minimum a point as Mexico despite being out thought and flustered much of the night used two Pavel Pardo goals in a three minute span late in the match to escape. Controversy surrounded the winning goal as it appeared Cuauhtemoc Blanco appeared to be offsides and obstruct the goalkeeper. However the goal stood and Mexico triumphed. Despite the win Sven Gorn Eriksson’s side has lots of work to do to improve on what was a poor performance.

Mexico’s two Premier League based attacking players, Gio Dos Santos and Carlos Vela were outclassed and over their head in such a big setting. Eriksson would be wise to recall Jared Borgetti for the next set of qualifiers. With Jamaica’s draw in Toronto against Canada, The reggae boys must be considered in the drivers seat to claim second spot and a ticket to the hexagonal from the CONCACAF Group of Death. Long time MLS midfielder Andy Williams, one of the true gentlemen of the league scored Jamaica’s lone goal to secure the 1-1 draw.

Bob Bradley’s US side on the other hand played the perfect tactical match in a hostile road environment and escaped with three points. The Americans never really lost their shape and the two center backs, Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra were outstanding. Brian Ching validated his selection with a fine performance which also makes my questions about his recall from yesterday’s American Soccer Show look silly. Clint Dempsey as has become on the norm for the National Team was poor and appeared to be weary from the long travel after playing Saturday for Fulham. While I question some of the officiating which prior to Steve Cherundolo’s sending off seemed to favor the US at critical moments, nobody can doubt that Bradley and his team had a massive victory tonight.

This win is perhaps the biggest by the United States since World Cup 2002. It is the first US victory in Central America since a 2001 win over Honduras. On the return trip to the US, Honduras defeated the US at RFK Stadium and came within an eyelash of qualifying for Korea/Japan 2002. Guatemala however lacks the quality and composure of that Honduras side. Led by master provocateur Carlos Ruiz, the Guatemalans were quick to the ground and quite unsporting for large portions of the match. As I stated last year, I believe Rico Clark was probably justified in lashing out Ruiz and that his suspension by MLS was unjust. In Ruiz and Blanco, MLS has attracted two of the most unsporting players in this region. Sadly as fans of the beautiful game in the United States we continue to be subjected to the childish and immature behavior of both superstars. Thankfully class footballers like Andy Williams and Eddie Lewis who also featured tonight in qualifying give MLS a good name. Lewis who was seriously injured by a rash Guatemalan challenge is a warrior whose spirit exemplifies the best hybrid of American and British football around.

Trindiad and Tobago defeated Cuba behind the efforts of several current and former US based players. T&T now has a leg up on Guatemala to join the US in the hexagonal out of the group. Cornell Glen who played several years in MLS scored one of the Soca Warriors goals.

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

MLS Deserving of Ridicule

2008-08-20T09:23:00.001-05:00

Stuart Holden will not be able to watch team mates Brian Ching and Dwayne DeRosario in qualifying tonight because he’s playing at the same time/photo from MLSNET

Major League Soccer is one of the strangest football leagues in the world. While some European oriented fans ridicule MLS for the time of year it is played those of us who understand world football and weather patterns do not really understand how MLS can be played when these people’s beloved English Premier League is played. Nor do I subscribe to the single table argument, in a league where distances of 2,500 miles is common between stadiums. To me it makes more sense to play the clubs in your geographic area more often than clubs on the other side of the continent.

Now that we’ve dismissed the most common Eurosnob arguments about MLS let me introduce why I believe the league on this day of deadly critical World Cup qualifiers in CONCACAF need not be taken seriously. MLS not only plays through international breaks but plays with its top teams at the very same time the United States national team plays. We’ve seen this happen time and time again throughout MLS history. I still recall my conflict in 1999 about whether to watch a US-Germany game on PPV (Confederations Cup) or a Miami Fusion-Metrostars game on ABC. In other words the less important match, the MLS one was more accessible than the more important and entertaining match.

This is a situation that would be avoided at all costs in most footballing nations. The federation would insist on its domestic league not competiting with its national team for TV time. Even if tonight’s MLS matches end prior to the end of the US National Team qualifier, the two events are essentially in competition for viewers and for attention.

We’ve seen this situation played out time and time again. We’ve seen websites like this focus on MLS news instead of national team news during qualifying and friendly matches. We’ve even seen Sportscenter air MLS highlights before US highlights as it did during last year’s Copa America when ESPN showed matches at the very same time as two US games on Univision and GOLTV. That’s why with qualifying starting I announced earlier this week that this blogsite will focus on the US Team, as the American Soccer Show has done whenever the US is in action be it for a qualifier, or a friendly.

Maybe I am old fashioned but the national team should be the priority. Trust me, I really understand some of MLS’ scheduling issues which is why I am not beating the drum of changing the calender or going to a single table. However, if MLS must play through international breaks can they not at least attempt to schedule matches 24 hours before or after a US or Canadian game? (This courtesy should be extended to all CONCACAF nations quite frankly) I’m sorry to say this to those of you who support New England, Chivas USA, Houston or DC United but your matches tonight are totally meaningless in the big picture when the National Team faces its toughest qualifier of this group. The idea that the Soccer/Football community in our nation will have its attention split instead of cheering on our boys has made me sick to my stomach.

At the same time as this is happening, MLS has attempted to oversell its product. Why the league does not focus on simply being a good domestic league that brings live football to the masses here in North America and develops American talent, as it once did is lost upon me. All of a sudden the league wants to be a player abroad and is starved for international attention. In the meantime MLS itself has probably the worst record of any first division against its nation(s)’ second division (USL-1) of any top flight league on the planet. I’ve heard the argument that MLS clubs do not take the US Open Cup seriously, but when USL teams consistently get results against MLS sides, even those like FC Dallas who field their first teams at home, the league isn’t at the level it claims it is. For me that is fine: I like both MLS and USL and wish Major League Soccer would return to its circa 2000 priorities.

MLS’ solution to these perceived problems thus far has been to try and expand into USL markets and increase the number of foreign players allowed per team. But the side USL-1’s Montreal Impact won the Canadian Championship with is largely home grown: Only four active players hail from outside the CONCACAF region and the club has been known for sometime as more or less a feeder team for the Canadian National Team. At the same time Toronto FC fielded only two Canadian players in the decisive match.

As we saw with the debacle about naming the team in Seattle MLS feels its product and its brand reign supreme and any association be it symbolic or real with prior soccer clubs in a region is to be frowned upon. MLS instead of embracing the legacy and hard work of those who have built the game in this region seem to want to pretend as if they are responsible solely for the growth of the North American game. Rejecting any hint of association with the defunct North American Soccer League (whose very existence as one time success is the most significant reason Soccer became a major participatory sport in North America) MLS has begun to imitate the NASL in its behavior even though admittedly MLS is on much more solid business grounding and is also in an era where Soccer is better understood and more ingrained in the American psyche. Wouldn’t MLS and Soccer in this region be better off, if the league simply acknowledged its predecessors including clubs that existed for a long period of time outside of a first division and honor their legacy by embracing the club’s names and its practices?

The NASL for all its success was seen as a rogue league by FIFA and the USSF. MLS has spent twelve years cultivating the game in this country and promoting its growth. But now its priorities seem completely divergent with what has gotten the league to this point: a reliance on home grown talent and the success and interest generated by the US National Team.

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

RWO-TuS Koblenz

2008-08-19T17:13:00.001-05:00

Matt Taylor's Great Goal.

Kenny Cooper: What is Bob Bradley Thinking

2008-08-19T15:09:00.001-05:00

Drawing Fouls and Creating Set Pieces: Eddie Johnson’s usefulness?

For weeks, maybe months now all the buzz seems to be about Kenny Cooper’s non selection to the National Team by Bob Bradley. I understand most in the blogosphere share my view that Cooper’s selection for the national team should have been automatic by this point. But here are I believe some issues that have swirled through Bob Bradley’s head to explain why Cooper has not been selected since the March 2007 friendly against Guatemala.

Again I do not share these views but here is Bob Bradley possible, rational thinking on the situation:

Kenny Cooper has been repeatedly injured when Bradley could have called him in for pre qualifying friendlies or last year’s Copa America.
Eddie Johnson who continues to get called into the side despite an awful goal scoring record over the past two and a half years is lightning quick and often draws fouls in dangerous areas. Given Bradley’s dependence on set pieces to generate scoring for the US, isn’t it better to have someone proven to draw fouls on the international level?
Cooper’s tendency to push wide in a rigid tactical formation that depends on the team keeping its shape is a no no at such a high level.
Cooper’s clinical finish against Denmark last year was aberration: perhaps in that training camp as well as the Ecuador/Guatemala camp last March he just did not stand out.
Cooper has not been part of the setup for the US at any major youth competition. As has been the case before both Bradley and Arena have been reluctant to call into camp a player who they have not seen in the system at a lower level.
Bradley simply wants to use a friendly or the January camp to re-evaluate players like Cooper, Marvell Wynne and Edson Buddle who have gone long periods without being called up to the full national side.

It is possible however that Bradley is simply biased towards and against certain players and Cooper has done something previously to upset the manager. Whatever the case, this issue is not going away until Cooper either gets called in or the US starts scoring boatloads of goals against respectable competition.

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Mo Edu on the Move

2008-08-19T08:43:00.001-05:00

Edu with the USMNT/SI.com

Mo Edu’s sale to Glasgow Rangers is more good news for US Soccer as we begin the 2010 World Cup qualifying cycle. While Edu was fortunate that in playing for Toronto FC he was led by one of the few outstanding MLS managers in John Carver, playing on the fieldturf of BMO Field as well as the general disjointed-ness of MLS would have stagnated his growth as a player.

Edu is a remarkable story: completely off the radar of US Soccer as teenager, he is one of the few players in recent US History to actually be capped for the full National Team before he ever got a youth national team run out. That first national team match against Switzerland was the thing of legends, as Edu helped anchor a midfield which gave the home standing Swiss very little space to operate. It was one of the best debuts in recent US National Team history.

Now Edu goes to play for Walter Smith and a club desperate for an SPL title. How do our readers feel about Edu’s move to Rangers and what are his prospects long term for the National Team?

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Americans in Germany: The weekend that was

2008-08-18T20:49:00.002-05:00

Preston Zimmerman still can’t get a game at Hamburg

Every week during the Bundesliga season we’ll be keeping track of how our Yanks are doing in the German leagues. Here is the recap of weekend one.

Grover Gibson

Scored a goal in RW Ahlen’s 2-1 win over FSV Frankfurt

Steve Cherdundolo

Played 90 minutes in Hanover’s 3-0 defeat to Schalke 04.

Matt Taylor

Scored a goal from outside the area in TuS Koblenz’s 3-0 victory over RW Oberhausen

David Yelldell

Kept a clean sheet in TuS Koblenz’s 3-0 victory over RW Oberhausen

Bryan Arguez, Sal Zizzo, Gregg Berhalter, Luis Robles and Preston Zimmerman did not play for their clubs.

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Who Should Bob Bradley Start Against Guatemala?

2008-08-18T20:48:00.001-05:00

We’re days away from the most important match of the Bob Bradley era and perhaps the most difficult. The trip to Guatemala is never easy, but making it even more difficult is that several American regulars are not in form by any stretch of the imagination. With the exception of Landon Donovan it’s difficult to see how the US will generate any offense in this match.

Assuming Bradley sticks with the bucket here’s the team I would field.

——————————-Howard—————————————-

—-Cherdundolo———–Onyweu————Bocanegra—————Pearce——

————————-Mastroeni———Edu———————————

—-Bradley——————————————————–Lewis——–

————————-Donovan———-Ching——————————-

Player selection is really hamstrung by Bradley’s decision not to call in players like Kenny Cooper among others. With this in mind I’m giving a conservative lineup with the exception of benching Clint Dempsey whose recent play for the US has been worse than below average. If Michael Bradley cannot play out wide move him back to defensive midfield and play Sacha Kljestan out wide on the right side. I’d prefer to see Mo Edu play at center back and Carlos Bocanegra on the bench (actually off the team) but I know that Bocanegra has a permanent place as long as Bradley manages the side so I won’t even suggest it in my lineup.

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Sven's Decision to Recall Blanco: Pros and Cons

2008-08-17T12:44:00.001-05:00

Sven Goran Eriksson proved once again on Friday that he isn’t going to manage in a traditional fashion when he recalled Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire to the National Team ahead of Wednesday’s massive qualifier at Estadio Azteca versus a very good Honduran side. This matchup between arguably the two most talented teams in CONCACAF will go a long way towards determining a place in the final round of CONCACAF qualifing, the Hexagonal.

Here are how I see the pros and cons of Blanco’s recall:

PROS

Blanco’s work rate and technical skill remain very sharp even at 35.
Blanco can hold the ball even with his back to goal against a strong Honduran midfield
Blanco remains a fan favorite in Mexico and his inclusion builds some credibility for Sven’s young regime.

CONS

Blanco’s volitile personality could clash with the young starlets of the side like Gio Dos Santos and Carlos Vela
Blanco has typically had a hard time working with Omar Bravo in the midfield
With all the young talent around, how much longer will Blanco and Jared Borgetti continue to start for Mexico? Do you really want to transition away from these two right around the 2010 World Cup?

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Arena the Right Choice for the Galaxy

2008-08-17T12:42:00.001-05:00

I’ve read with some amusement the last few days the opinions of people I respect questioning the apparent decision by the LA Galaxy to hire Bruce Arena. From my vantage point after drifting along as simply a marketing entity and not a serious footballing side since the death of Doug Hamilton, no move can equal the potential hiring of Arena in signaling that the Galaxy are serious about competiting again in MLS. The Galaxy have become irrelevant from a footballing standpoint in MLS. No amount of David Beckham hype, ticket sales, or hubris from AEG can change that reality.

Bruce Arena understands MLS and the American player as well as anybody around. His tenures with Virginia, DC United and the US National Team speak for themselves. The weakness Arena had in his time leading US was his lack of interest in player development and the youth academy setup, but seeing that MLS has become a league less committed to developing its own talent and more interested in getting second tier players from abroad and recycling older American players, Arena’s unique understanding of the American game will make him the ideal choice. Whether it’s acquiring players within MLS, a weakness of former GM Alexi Lalas or motivating the current group of Galaxy players, Arena knows what he’s doing: He’s done it better than anyone in the history of football in the US. Arena has a better sense for American talent: who will pan out and who won’t than any manager in the history of the game here in the US. This is directly the opposite of Alexi Lalas who had some strange ideas as to the quality of certain players and seemed to be more of a marketing man despite his remarkable success as a player for the US National Team.

Arena’s time at Red Bull New York has many questioning his pedigree: They ought not to. In Los Angeles, unlike in New York Arena will find a back office staff and a management team who understand MLS and football not simply the marketing of energy drinks, and he will have the resources of AEG to back his vision for the club. Arena’s hiring will also signal that after allowing the Beckham/Lalas circus to run roughshod over footballing considerations for almost two years AEG and the Galaxy are getting back to basics.

The choice of Bruce Arena should be a no brainer for AEG. The hiring of a manager of Bruce Arena’s quality can also prevent a mass exodus of players from the Galaxy in the near future. Arena’s tactics are simple but will suit both David Beckham and Landon Donovan’s quality as well as being stronger at the back then what we have seen from the Galaxy recently. The quicker AEG closes the deal the sooner the Galaxy can return to the heights they enjoyed in the first decade of MLS’ existence.

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

MLS and the Mexican Federation: A Beautiful Friendship

2008-08-15T10:11:00.002-05:00

Rafa Marquez and his mates play as many games in the US as on Mexican Soil these days/ Photo from esmas.com

Many I speak to wonder sometime quietly why the Mexican National Team seem to play all its friendlies on US soil and not in its home country. These same people wonder what affect this has on the US National Team, as their big rival often plays to bigger and more vocal crowds. The truth is that the Mexican National Federation (FMF) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the marketing arm of Major League Soccer have a complex marketing agreement.

Many times in the last few years on the very same day the United States National Team plays in front of half empty stadiums somewhere else in the USA, the Mexican National Team is playing in front of a ruckus full stadium. That alone should not be alarming: After all the Mexican National Team rightfully enjoys more support in the United States than does the US National Team. This is due in large part to the massive Mexican-American population in the states. What should be alarming is who markets and makes a big profit off the gate at these matches: Soccer United Marketing, aka MLS. What’s even more interesting is that the Mexican League, arguably the best in the world outside of Europe determined two Copa Libertadoras spots not on its league table or playoffs but on a two week tournament held at MLS venues marketed by MLS, known as Interliga. Most Mexican coaches and players rightfully dislike the event. It takes place in between the Clausura and Apertura tournaments, when the players of the Mexican clubs should be resting and recharging their batteries. But the tournament is a great boon financially both to the FMF and MLS. Interliga takes on a significance it should not since the tournament is not even played on Mexican soil. For whatever reason FIFA and COMNEBOL have allowed Mexico to use this sham of an event which simply is designed to help fill MLS and FMF coffers to determine participants in the world’s second most prestigious club competition.

Major League Soccer’s marketing relationship with the Mexican Federation is from what I can tell unique to the world of Football. Can you imagine the French Ligue Un entering into a similar relationship with the Mali or Algerian Football federation both of whom have large immigrant communities in France. Or how about the German Bundesliga entering into a similar relationship with the Turkish Federation due to the massive Turkish population in Germany? How about the Premier League entering into a relationship with the Australian or Indian Federations to promote those national teams on UK soil?

The obvious answer to this is that MLS is not as financially healthy as they claim. From my vantage point Major League Soccer was struggling with bad attendance and an even worse perception between the contraction year of 2001 and the signing of David Beckham in 2007. The result was the need for MLS to branch out and stay afloat in some manner. The shrewdness of Don Garber cannot be underestimated. His business and marketing smarts have kept MLS in business. But as time goes on and MLS is more established as a business entity, the relationship becomes more extensive and worrying. As mentioned above Mexico has not played a friendly at home in some time: in fact the last home Mexican friendly not held on American soil was prior to the 2006 World Cup. In addition, the concocated Superliga Tournament between FMF and MLS sides has netted decent TV ratings and entertaining football but has found itself to be little more than a cash grab. At the same time MLS due to this tournament is forced to play right through qualifiers involving the US National Team, in some cases playing matches at the exact same time. Now this for certain would not be tolerated in any other country on the planet. For example, last year as the United States began Copa America play, MLS was kicking off a match on ESPN 2. Last September as the US played Brazil at Soldier Field, DC United and New England were playing live on Telefutura. Most recently, The United States played a qualifier against Barbados while DC United and San Jose did battle on Telefutura. MLS’ schedule is not flexible for international dates because its top teams take more than a month off from MLS competition because of Superliga, an entertaining tournament no doubt, but one that is proving to be merely a cash cow.

A strain between MLS and US Soccer has been reported in some place. Others tell me the relationship is fine. One thing is for sure: MLS, the US/Canadian domestic league has a stronger more developed relationship at least outwardly with the Mexican Federation than with its own federations. While the need to keep MLS afloat dictated the forming of this relationship at this point its more counter productive from my vantage point to US Soccer and the success of the US National Team long term. Moreover, as the relationship becomes closer and closer at what point do FIFA and CONCACAF become alarmed. It’s not unusual for clubs to partner with other clubs across national boundaries. But from what I can tell this is by far the most established relationship between a national federation and a domestic league in another country. The simple motivation is money for both parties. What a beautiful friendship.

comment here

US Squad vs Guatemala

2008-08-14T23:02:00.002-05:00

Interestingly no Freddy Adu called into this squad even though four other returning Olympians from the US side are called into the squad. The numbers are caps and goal in World Cup qualifying.

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 2/2 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 3/2 SO)
DEFENDERS (6): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 13/1), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96: 15/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC: 1/0), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew: 11/1), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege: 8/0), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock: 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen: 2/1), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC: 1/0), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA: 1/0), Eddie Lewis (Derby County: 19/3), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids: 10/0)
FORWARDS (4): Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 7/4), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 21/8), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC: 8/2), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC: 8/8)

What are everyone’s thoughts about this squad? Guatemala is tough place to play and Coach Bob Bradley seems to have ignored the form of certain players in MLS and Scandinavia in choosing this team. Was that a good idea?

Comment here

Blogged with the Flock Browser

David Beckham's MLS is a Galactic Mess

2008-08-12T18:38:00.001-05:00

He was supposed to change MLS and soccer in America forever. David Beckham’s signing in January 2007 with the LA Galaxy was supposed to elevate his new club and by extension its league to heights never experienced before. Eighteen months later all parties (except AEG, the Galaxy’s owners who have made a killing off the Beckham name) must ponder whether it was really worthwhile.

David Beckham is a true footballer and a class act. Like most English footballers his work rate is exceptional and his understanding of true football is commendable. The truth is a footballer of Beckham’s stature deserves better than the LA Galaxy or what MLS has become thanks to his presence. It is ironic that on this day when we ponder the massive overhaul of Beckham’s team, that the two dominant forces in MLS remain the two sides that have lived within their means and have promoted continuity over flamboyance and mass marketing: Those two sides, Houston and New England should be held up as examples of what MLS was at one time and should return to once the league returns to its senses. The continued of presence of Designated Players and signings of overage foreigners has done little to sustain new support for the league. While it has stimulated some new interest, much of the interest has turned the television off when exposed to a bad product, which many MLS games not including Houston or New England remain. The one designated player who has helped transform his team for the better on the pitch, Cuauhtémoc Blanco I believe could have still been signed by MLS without the DP rule. How you ask? How did the MLS sign Luis Hernandez, then in the prime of his career in 2000? How about Carlos Hermosillo signing in 1998? Carlos Vaderrama and Roberto Donadoni in 1996? You do not really believe that MLS never had Designated Players before 2007 do you?

Blanco has been an important addition for MLS and for a Chicago Fire club that was previously under performing at the gate. But I believe Blanco could have and would have been signed by MLS without the DP rule. How sure am I of this? The second Blanco was thrown off the national team by former manager Ricardo LaVolpe, rumors in Mexico began circulating that he was coming to MLS. Unlike, Europe the examples of Hernandez and Hermosillo demonstrated that for top Mexican attacking players, MLS is always an option late in your career.

I have no comment on the firing of Alexi Lalas. While I have been very critical of Los Angeles personnel moves since the untimely death of Doug Hamilton over two years ago, I am less certain than ever Lalas was actually charged with building the squad. It seems Lalas, a man of near legendary status as a player for the US was used by the Galaxy’s owners to sell their product to the world. The responsibility for finding players was not important to the Galaxy, because after all they had David Beckham.

Regarding the resignation of Ruud Gullit, this is a black eye for MLS: for the first time since Carlos Quieroz in 1997 a big name international coach was attracted to the league, and despite having an obvious tactical edge on his competitors his employment to a team that is essentially a marketing outfit, not a proper football club made it impossible for him to do his job. No doubt the critics of MLS in Europe will come out of the woodwork with Gullit departure to heap scorn on the league. However, unlike many times in the past, this go round the scorn is roundly deserved.

Major League Soccer despite the continued success of Houston and New England has become more glitz than substance since David Beckham’s arrival. The league feeling a constant need to answer critics and over sell its product have made boastful claims about its competitiveness and the value of its franchises with no real substance to back up these claims. These are the unwanted corollaries of the “Beckham effect.”

David Beckham is a class act, a great footballer. He should once and for all talk to the Galaxy brass and ask if they are going to continue to use him as a way to sell shirts and make money or if they want him to settle down and help them win football matches. Beckham should also have a role in identifying players for the Galaxy. If the club does not want to do this, it is best both parties move on. Beckham can still find a club in Europe during this transfer window and MLS and the Galaxy can pick up the pieces of its broken reputation abroad and focus on the things that made the league successful for the eleven seasons before David Beckham came to America: fiscal discipline, player development and cultivating the American soccer media.

Comment here

US Collapses: is MLS to Blame?

2008-08-11T10:05:00.001-05:00

Freddy Adu did not develop well in MLS

We’re constantly hammered with one side of the coin including Sunday at the conclusion of the US-Netherlands match on NBC by Marcelo Balboa: we hear constantly that Major League Soccer is responsible for the US being more competitive in major international tournaments. This theory is so often repeated it has become gospel for many fans of the beautiful game in this country. But is this theory in fact accurate or does their exist another perhaps less pleasant reality? Today I am going to present the other side of this debate, the one which never gets aired in the United States.

Watching Stuart Holden’s repeated mistakes at the end of the US-Netherlands match reminded me how poorly MLS prepares players for major international matches. The giveaways by an otherwise brilliant Sacha Kljestan and the lack of clock management by the US side in general both against Japan and Holland to me showed that unlike the young players in the J-League and the Erevidese, players in MLS never face the kind of intensity and urgency that you face in big international matches. Even the best MLS’ coaches like Dom Kinnear and Steve Nicol cannot simulate situations for their players like the end of both games because they do not exist in Major League Soccer.

Major League Soccer is on one hand very under rated and on another hand highly over rated. From a standpoint of individual players who make up the squads, MLS is under appreciated on the world stage. MLS has several sides that could, based on their players compete in top league in Europe: not compete to win the league but certainly compete to avoid relegation. Contrary to what is bandied about on some other websites, MLS has a few teams that I certainly believe would avoid relegation in the English Premier League. But on another hand MLS is over rated. I watch a lot of football, including during the summer matches from various leagues in Latin America. In every single league I watch, the game is played with more passion and urgency than MLS. This includes so called inferior leagues from the CONCACAF region. In addition, in MLS I see far more bad giveaways late in matches than in any other league I watch. MLS’ managers do not emphasize possession and ball control as much as they should and when those players form the core of your national team you end up with disasters like Sunday’s match. MLS teams and matches do feature more individual flair and skill than just about every Latin American league save Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, however.

Now we also must historically look at the US program to properly debate this subject. A revisionism has developed that the United States was not successful before the advent of MLS. This is patently false. The best result arguably ever for a US squad in a major competition was the semifinal run at Copa America 1995, when none of the US players were in MLS (which began play the following year) and all of them were fighting for playing time in Europe or Mexico. The United States continued to compete well on the international stage but as the players who made the core of that 1995 Copa team drifted back home to MLS, their competitiveness was robbed and we were rewarded with the infamous 1998 World Cup in France.

Fast forward to 2002. Half the core of the US National Team has left MLS and headed to destinations such as Germany and Holland to pursue their club careers. US Soccer has founded a national academy in Bradenton, FL whose first graduating class helped take the United States to the semifinals of the 1999 U-17 World Cup. The best player from that inaugural class, Landon Donovan helped lead the US to the semifinals of the 2000 Olympic Football tournament in Sydney and then became the best young player at World Cup 2002. In that World Cup, the United States made the quarterfinals. MLS got much of the credit as it always does when the US plays well, but what followed the next few years demonstrates why MLS perhaps cannot be trusted with America’s best young talents.

One by one top talents emerged from the Bradenton Academy and signed with MLS: Santino Quaranta, Eddie Johnson, Justin Mapp, Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela, Eddie Gaven, Mike Magee, Chad Marshall, Tim Ward and Quavas Kirk among others. Of the above list none, and I repeat none have reached their full potential sitting in MLS. The cases of Gaven, Quaranta, Marshall and Mapp are particularly frustrating as each of these players seemed to posses so much talent playing for US U-17 teams only to develop bad tendencies and have their game essentially neutered once arriving in MLS. Gaven for instance went from being a dangerous attacking midfielder whose on the ball skill was outstanding for a 17 year old to being hardly serviceable by the time he was 20. He’s bounced back this season but the damage has been done it appears to his game. Chances are Gaven will never be the player we expected him to be. Quaratana as as been well documented has had other off the pitch problems, but no question exists that his potential was largely unrealized in MLS, except for a brief stint when Peter Nowak coached DC United. Chad Marshall entered MLS in 2004 as a lock for the US National Team and helped lead Columbus to a great year. He displayed the same tendencies in MLS that he did with the US U-17 and U-20 teams for which he excelled. Yet much like Gaven and Quaranta as time went on his skills seemed untapped and his game grew unfocused and stale. Now he is simply an average and injury prone MLS player. Justin Mapp is too a serviceable MLS left sided player. But at the U-17 level and coming out of Bradenton he appeared to be on a level higher than DaMarcus Beasley or Bobby Convey was at the same age. Mapp has developed, but not as quickly as many hoped or into the player most hoped. He is now on the fringes of the US player pool. The cases of players Danny Szetela who had played only 18 minutes in MLS during the 2007 seasons before impressing foreign scouts at the 2007 U-20 World Cup and Freddy Adu whose game never really improved in his three plus MLS seasons have also been well documented. The fact that Adu rapidly improved as a player while playing sparingly for less than a season in Portugal after failing to develop at all in MLS while playing regularly speaks volumes as to MLS’ ineffectiveness in developing certain star players. The 2006 World Cup debacle for the US with arguably the most talented side the US had ever taken to a major competition spoke volumes as to how the lack of intensity and player development in MLS had undermined the competitiveness of the US program.

While we keep patting ourselves on the back for the perceived good work of Major League Soccer, nobody seems to want to explain why the United States gets progressively less competitive at every age level of FIFA Competitions. Why is the US usually among the best teams in the world at the U-17 and U-20 levels going back to the mid 1990s, yet less competitive at the U-23 level and hardly competitive on the world stage at the full international level?

What is the solution to this malaise? MLS isn’t going to become more competitive overnight since the passion of the fans and the intensity of rivalries doesn’t exists in this league on the level it does in leagues with admittedly inferior talent. MLS unlike those leagues can never simulate the passion nor the intensity of international football at the highest level. It’s frustrating because the current group of American players competiting in the Olympics could be the third most talented squad in the competition behind Brazil and Argentina. But they have the negative tendencies that they learn at the club level drilled into them which is why they are notoriously slow starters and haven’t played a complete match yet in the tournament. The performances are getting better because the more time they spend with Peter Nowak and Lubos Kubik two accomplished internationals who know what these sorts of competitions are about, their individual brilliance and confidence begins to emerge. But weening international talents completely off of bad habits and negative tendencies learned in MLS is almost impossible. Until MLS becomes more committed to the American player and puts more faith in the American player rather than importing washed up foreign players to replace young American ones, the United States will never reach its full potential as a football playing nation. At a time when the talent level in the United States is reaching its highest level ever, Major League Soccer has a role to play in this growth. But MLS seems committed to a different course entirely, so do not be surprised if the frustrating results for the United States continue.

Comment here

A New Day for American Coaches?

2008-08-08T09:52:00.001-05:00

Peter Nowak’s decision to adjust his tactics (ironically enough in line with what most American Soccer Spot readers suggested the other day) shows a tactical savvy and willingness to take chances that many American coaches have quite frankly lacked in big competitions. Since the debacle of Steve Sampson 3-6-1 in the 1998 World Cup, American managers have implemented a very basic tactical structure one which is based on counter attacking and generally does not consider the strengths or weaknesses of the upcoming opposition.

In changing his tactics and starting XI immediately before a major tournament Peter Nowak has turned conventional American coaching wisdom on its head. A three point victory later critics across the blogosphere and among some of our best soccer writers are asking why and how did he do it? Many say benching Jozy Altidore whose performances for Nowak’s side have been average at best was risky. Others have stated that moving Mo Edu to center back was silly instead of picking a natural center back, perhaps at an over age level like Danny Califf or Jay DeMerit. I will state on both counts I believe Nowak made the right decision.

Several days ago, I called for Altidore’s benching. This was one of the toughest things I have written since beginning this website. Altidore hails from the town next to me and I have done everything I could to openly support him. But given Jozy’s form which was below average both at the Olympic qualifying tournament and at the ING Cup, he had to be dropped. Most disagreed but that is because of the culture in American Soccer that certain players are untouchable.

The benching will help Altidore long term as he will work hard, as he always does to regain his first team place. It’s not all his fault: the weight of Addidas ads, and the over hyping of an 18 year old by US Soccer including playing for his club, his senior national team, and his youth national team all at once has worn down the youngster as it would to any other human being.

The other big change in Nowak’s setup was to add a fifth midfielder, again a suggestion frequently advocated by your’s truly and our readers. Since the Bruce Arena era I have editorializing the need to make tactical changes before big matches and have time and time again seen the US come out with the same flat approach. That’s why Nowak’s changes were so notable yesterday. By adding a fifth midfielder, the US controlled possession and the flow of the game against a quicker, more attacking oriented and arguably more talented side. Nowak has done something most US National Team coaches have been scared to since Sampson changes blew up in his face: Could this be the dawning of a new more tactical era in US Soccer? One must surely, hope but until then job well done, Peter Nowak!

Comment here

The Start of Something Big?

2008-08-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

Darren Huckerby from MLSNET.com

Today’s last minute victory over the hated Galaxy in Oakland could be just the push the Earthquakes needed to make a playoff run late in the MLS season. The Quakes who have played solidly much of the season but lacked a scoring punch have now made the type of moves in the international and domestic transfer market that solidify the club as potentially very dangerous in MLS. But why is an expansion team so eager to win now?

Let’s review how we got here:

San Jose has a weak Expansion Draft, passing on Dominic Oduro and Francis Doe in favor of Clarence Goodson and Joe Vide among others.
The Quakes then trade the first overall pick in this years draft to obtain Nick Garcia, a good short term move but clearly a move with one or two seasons in mind. The same for the acquisitions of Joe Cannon and Ronnie O’Brien.
Ramiro Corrales returns from Europe and signs to play with the Earthquakes. The presence of Corrales and O’Brien in the same midfield gives the Quakes despite being typically expansion team like at other spot on the pitch two very technical midfield players.
Peugero Jean Phillipe comes back to MLS on loan from Bronby and is assigned to San Jose. What would have been a solid pickup blows up in the Quakes face when after a few games he gets injured for the season.
The Quakes sign two of the best foreign players this season to come from Europe to the MLS: Darren Huckerby and Francisco Lima. Both have lots of top flight European experience. San Jose then trades two internationals, Kei Kamara, and Ivan Guerrero, both solid players but also players still part of their national team setup and who will suffer from MLS’ policy of playing through international breaks.
San Jose trades for the volatile Arturo Alvarez who played for the former incarnation of the Quakes for three years. Alvarez today scored a goal on his return to the Bay Area.

So with Darren Huckerby, Arturo Alvarez, Francisco Lima, Ramiro Corrales and Ronnie O’Brien it would be difficult to find a more technical and talented midfield which is also loaded with experience in MLS than the Quakes. Considering how solid Joe Cannon and Nick Garcia have been all year and the re-emergence of Eric Denton as a solid left sided defender, the Quakes are a deadly finisher away from having as strong of a starting eleven as anyone in the league outside of Houston, New England and possibly Real Salt Lake.

Has my season long optimism about the Quakes been misplaced? All year long as I’ve articulated on the American Soccer Show and on this blog, I’ve seen what Frank Yallop and John Doyle were building and have given them the benefit of the doubt about the long term goals. Now it appears all the wheeling and dealing has left the Quakes with one of the better teams on paper in the league. I’m anxious to hear from our readers what they think of the Quakes going forward.

Comment here

US 0-1 Cameroon: Post Match Thoughts

2008-08-02T07:59:00.000-05:00

Across the internet I see the panic button being pushed after this match. Sure both the performance and result were not encouraging, but the back line thought to be the weakness of this side when the squad was named over two weeks ago now looks like a rock at the back entering the Olympic Games.

In the opening forty five minutes, Sacha Kljestan and Stuart Holden were both poor out wide as was Michael Bradley in the middle and Jozy Altidore up top. For all the accolades Altidore has gotten his play with the U-23 team has now failed to live up to the level he established with the U-20, four of the last five times he’s dawned the US jersey. As for Bradley his summer of misery continued with poor passing, bad spacing and clumsy challenges. One such challenge conceded a spot kick which accounted for the only goal in the match. Bradley is becoming more and more dangerous to the US squad everytime he sees the field. This is a far cry from the confident player we saw on the national team level a year ago and the player who tore up the Dutch League this past season. With Bradley, Holden and Kljestan on the pitch the US’ spacing was poor and offensive flow did not exist.

The second half was better thanks to Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber. Charlie Davies also looked like he could add some spark either up top or on the right side. As always Brian McBride gave a workmanlike performance and actually may have drawn a penalty that the official ignored. Marvell Wynne, Mo Edu, Michael Parkhurst and Michael Orozco were all outstanding at the back as was both Brad Guzan and Chris Seitz.

Work is left to be done but based on the two friendlies this should be the US lineup.

——————–Guzan—————————-

Wynne———Edu———–Parkhurst————Orozco

——————-Feilhaber————————–

Szetela—————————————–Rogers

———————Adu—————————

————–Altidore——–McBride—————–

Thoughts?

Comment here

Help Coming for the Galaxy?

2008-08-02T06:54:00.000-05:00

Cory Gibbs/BBC Sport

Despite the presence of the two of the most gifted players ever in Major League Soccer, the Los Angeles Galaxy appear to be sinking without a trace. A leaky defense and poor linkup play have made the Galaxy at this point a side that is struggling to remain competitive in the Western Conference of MLS. With the sides in competition with the Galaxy making moves to improve no doubt Alexi Lalas, Paul Bravo, Ruud Gullit will be hard pressed to match what other sides have accomplished already in this transfer window.

Yesterday, Steve Goff of the Washington Post wrote that he has learned that Cory Gibbs is interested in returning to MLS and that Los Angeles possibly now sits first in the allocation line. Recall Gibbs made the 2006 World Cup squad for the US before a devastating injury in a pre World Cup friendly took him out of first team football for two years. Gibbs, a defender who has been on squads in Germany and England as well as one year stint with Dallas in MLS is an experienced back worth taking a chance on. Gibbs is left footed and could provide cover on the outside for the weak Ante Jazic or even for the inconsistent Mike Randolph. Or Gibbs could be paired inside with Sean Franklin giving the Galaxy more athleticism on the back line. As far as I am concerned the Galaxy have to take the risk on Gibbs, a player whose injury history and probable high salary demands could scare other clubs away. Right now Los Angeles is more than likely to miss the MLS playoffs for the third consecutive season after making the playoffs in each of the league’s first ten years. For a club that continues to boast about mattering more than anyone in MLS, and aspiring to be a worldwide brand, a record like that is beyond laughable: it borders on criminal.

In other words, if the Galaxy are to be taken seriously for all their boasts this is the type of risk the organization must make.

Comment here

SORE LOSERS

2008-07-31T07:55:00.000-05:00

From Superliga 2008.com

Nobody that I speak with will claim that Superliga has in anyway proven that MLS is somehow on par with the FMF. The gap that exists between the two leagues is still obvious though it appears the gap may be closing quite rapidly. But what this year’s Superliga has demonstrated is the sense of entitlement Mexican clubs, players and commentators have towards dominating their American counterparts.

This Superliga has been an unfortunate event that most of the controversial calls have gone against FMF sides. But I would argue in the last two CONCACAF Champions Cups the matches between FMF and MLS sides have been highlighted by officials calls that have gone against the MLS sides. The controversy that sunk Pachuca Tuesday night was a case of turnabout being fair play after what happened last year at Estadio Hidalgo in the Champions Cup.

In that match the Houston players after their defeat did not try and start numerous fights after the match or to injure opposing players at the end of the match. What we see is a pattern in Mexican Football: a pattern based on the sense of entitlement instilled by the Mexican media and commentators on Spanish language television here in the United States. The sense of entitlement states that FMF sides must always beat MLS sides and that every US victory over Mexico at the international level is somehow illegitimate and unworthy.

The behavior of the Atlante players at the end of Wednesday night’s game is clear example of the bitterness and anger Mexican players feel when shown up by American counterparts. The continued attempts to injure Shalrie Joseph, one of the best players perhaps ever produced by the US college system and our domestic league were pathetic but reminiscent of the attempt by Osvaldo Sanchez to injure Eddie Johnson late in the 2-0 US win over Mexico in Phoenix. They were also reminiscent of the classlessness shown by the Mexican National Team players towards the end of the 2002 World Cup 2nd round match where Cobi Jones and Eddie Lewis were both consistently abused by rough, unsporting play after the second US goal. When the tables turn on Mexican footballers and their faults are shown, they react like little spoiled children whose egos have been bruised and whose self concept has been so damaged almost out of fear of what the delusional media back home will say about them. In a word it is pathetic.

CHICAGO BEATS EVERTON 2-0

Pre-season friendlies don’t mean a whole lot but nonetheless this is a nice scoreline for MLS. Chris Rolfe and Tomasz Frankowski scored goals for Chicago as Everton played many of its first team players for most of the match.

Comment here

US 0-0 Ivory Coast: Post Match Thoughts

2008-07-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

Let me first apologize for the delinquency of this post. I slept through this morning’s match and then caught the match later on the internet. The match today showed some weakness for the US at the back early in the match playing a 4-4-2, but the team believe it or not caught lightning in a bottle of sorts when Benny Feilhaber entered the match at halftime and helped control the next 15 or 20 minutes of the match. Dax McCarty was also quite good during this period. Danny Szetela played a nice second half as well. At the back Michael Orozco seemed overwhelmed by his responsibilities at left back but Marvell Wynne who represented one of my biggest concerns coming into the tournament looked comfortable at the back and very dangerous when he joined the attack as he did pushing forward late in the first half in a sequence that led to Sacha Kljestan having a shot to score but being denied by the Ivory Coast defense. Freddy Adu was solid creating chances and a penalty shout in the first half around minute 30. The last twenty minutes, Brad Guzan made some nice stops and helped keep the backline organized. All in all not a terrible sign: Solomon Kalou in particular gave the US fits going forward, but the solid play from Guzan denied the Ivory Coast a victory despite a superior performance. The US forwards, Brian McBride and Jozy Altidore, eighteen years apart in age showed some chemistry but also misread and misunderstood each other in a few critical moments. The important thing for Coach Peter Nowak this next week is to continue to build the team unit together.

Comment here

Does Superliga Have a Future?

2008-07-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

Let me get out of the way that I am thrilled by Houston’s slaying of the monster that is Pachuca, and look forward to almost a near certain all MLS tournament final. This is the first victory by an MLS team over a Mexican team in a knock stage of a competition since 1998. However, this year’s tournament and the bitterness felt by Mexican sides likely means the competition will have to be substantially revamped or abolished altogether.

Tonight, Pachuca it appeared scored first on a beautiful goal after playing a flawless match to that point tactically. Enrique Meza had his team absorb the pressure from high flying Houston in the first half. But the goal was disallowed. This is simply the most recent controversial call in this Superliga competition. Strangely every single disputable call has gone against an FMF side and favored an MLS side. For a Mexican press corp already dubious about this competition and looking for any opportunity to rip American Soccer, this is the reddest of meats. It’s actually like serving a live animal to a caged Tiger.

When you consider additionally the frustration CD Guadalajara has faced the past two years being eliminated due to head to head results rather than goal difference, it becomes plainly obvious that either the FMF will demand some changes to the event, or even more dramatic, you’ll see top Mexican sides begin to decline invitations to the event as Cruz Azul did last year.

Most Mexican coaches do not like Interliga, the SUM sponsored event held on American soil every year that awards a spot in the Copa Libertadoras. I believe these same coaches are beginning to detest Superliga as well. FMF sides believe they are vastly superior to MLS teams. I will not dispute that because the evidence is that they are on the whole vastly superior. But in the odd event that they lose like tonight, the event will always be viewed with a qualification or an asterisk in Mexico. Additionally it gives the impetus for the event to be killed.

In regards to the match, I believe the decision by Dominic Kinnear to insert Cory Ashe’s fresh legs and tireless runs down the wing in place of a tired Brad Davis whose sole late game function would have been to serve as a dead ball specialist won the match. Those are the types of tactical moves most American coaches do not make: the type of moves which make you wonder why Kinnear wasn’t given a long look to replace Bruce Arena. Perhaps it’s Bob Bradley’s familiarity with the US system as a coach, as opposed to Kinnear’s as a player that made Bradley the slam dunk choice when Jurgen Klinsmann said no. Perhaps it’s simply comfort with Bradley, or maybe Kinnear wasn’t yet established enough at that point. But when you have a coach whose dominating your domestic game and hands your league its most significant international victory of the past eight years while your national team is ranked twenty five spots below where it was twenty five months ago, isn’t considered it raises some serious questions.

Comment here

Benny Feilhaber: American Theo Walcott

2008-07-28T19:53:00.001-05:00

Feilhaber’s Goal sunk Mexico in the Gold Cup Final/SI.com

In the recent history of American Soccer no selection of a player to a major tournament squad has elicited as much controversy and quite frankly anger as last week’s selection by Peter Nowak of Benny Feilhaber to the US Men’s Olympic Team. Feilhaber performance this past year with Derby County was beyond the use of any negative adjective at my disposal and after being cut from the US team prior to the qualify tournament it was believed Feilhaber was out of the mix entirely.

But Nowak’s choice perhaps was not as much of a shock as some people may feel. Feilhaber did make Coach Bob Bradley’s initial squad for the full national team friendlies versus England, Spain and Argentina before pulling out with an injury. Additionally, Feilhaber’s technical skill and game changing ability was on display for all eyes to see last year in the Gold Cup final versus Mexico. The Derby County debacle not withstanding, how many Americans can claim to have played in a champions league match at the Emirates Stadium? Just one, and his name is Benny Feilhaber.

But many (myself included) feel Feilhaber’s selection, especially in light of the last minute addition of a similar but more versatile player, Dax McCarty to the squad is a wasted spot much like Sven Goran Eriksson’s selection of Theo Walcott prior to England’s 2006 World Cup Campaign. What are the views of our readers and listeners? This topic is sure to bring our passions from all corners. (For the record let me state I believe the selection of Feilhaber was a mistake and could be costly for Nowak and the US team.)

Comment here

McCarty Replaces Sturgis: Thoughts

2008-07-25T07:55:00.000-05:00

Dax McCarty from USSoccer.com

Peter Nowak swapped one Floridian for another as Dax McCarty replaces the injured Nathan Sturgis on the US squad. This leaves Nowak with only four natural defenders on the squad which leaves for Hong Kong and pre Olympic training tomorrow. The swap also gives Nowak more options in the midfield. McCarty and Strugis have both been solid performers for the US youth national teams recently unlike some other choices to the Olympic team, namely Benny Feilhaber. By picking one and not the other for his initial squad, Nowak made room for Feilhaber but essentially cut the number of defenders.

With this in mind should Nowak play a 3-5-2 or 3-2-2-1-2 in the Olympics? Is the 4-4-2 or the 4-5-1 not a feasible option for this side as reconstructed after Sturgis injury?

Here are some ideas:

—————-Guzan——————————-

Edu—————Parkhurst——————Orozco—–
————McCarty————Bradley—————-

Kljestan—————————— Rogers———-

——————-Adu—————————–

———Altidore——————McBride————

Or how about this?

————-Guzan—————————–

—-Edu————-Parkhurst———–Orozco——

————– —Bradley—————————

Szetela———————————–Holden—-

—————Kljestan—-Adu———————

———-Altidore————-McBride————–

If you go with the more defensive look outlined on top Dax McCarty replaces Danny Szetela who has a propensity to give the ball away when pressured and Robbie Rogers replaces Stuart Holden to help stimulate the attack. The lineup on the bottom trusts Michael Bradley to clean up in front of the back line and for Danny Szetela and Stuart Holden to know when they must drop back allowing Bradley to step up and join the attack. Marvell Wynne is the one viable option of the bench on the backline and he is right footed and sometimes gets caught pushing too far forward. Another possibility is to play Stuart Holden at left back and stick play a 4-4-2. If this is done I’d expect Danny Szetela to head to the bench, Marvell Wynne to replace Mo Edu at right back, and Edu to replace Michael Orozco in the lineup and Robbie Rogers to play wide on the left side. That would also effectively make Charlie Davies the only pure attacking option off the bench. Here is how that lineup would look:

———————————Guzan—————————————-

Wynne—————–Edu——————Parkhurst——————-Holden—

———————————Bradley—————————————

Kljestan—————————————————————Rogers—

———————————-Adu—————————————-

——————-Altidore—————–McBride—————————–

Thoughts? What was the point of Benny Felihaber’s selection with any of these tactical alignments?

Comment here

Columbus, You Have a Problem

2008-07-22T18:59:00.001-05:00

Referring to West Ham as “Brits” potentially kicked off the violence before matchday

I have deliberetly allowed two days to pass since the initial reports about the fracas at Crew Stadium have passed to comment on this site. I wanted to see what action was taken by the club and what the fallout was before rushing to judgement. After two days of evaluating the situation and talking to people across the country, I have come to the conclusion that the situation in Columbus must be dealt with sooner rather than later.

The simple one word association most Americans have with the sport of soccer is “hooligans.” The second word is “foreign.” So many bloggers and fans simply do not understand the negativity towards the sport we love that emanates from media blowing up incidents like the one the other night in Columbus. So many MLS/USL fans list incidents from NFL, NBA and NHL games and claim that makes these problems acceptable, but reality is that doesn’t matter. The bottom line is the media will treat and the public will perceive any incidents at an MLS match differently than anything at a mainstream American sporting event.

College Football has in the past proved to be a violent sport. Deaths have surrounded the Florida-Georgia game, the Texas A&M-Texas game and Michigan-Wisconsin game in recent years. But that sport is such a fabric of American life especially in the rural south and midwest it’s always chalked up to being drunk college fraternity kids who are living the American way. Nothing about College Football threatens the American fabric according to the demagogues who trash anything related to the beautiful game.

Significant elements of the American media wants this sport to fail and go away. Everytime something has happened at an MLS match this year no matter how minor it’s ended up on the “shout shows” like PTI, ATH and Rome is Burning as proof that Soccer is foreign and dangerous. Every time something happens at a College Football game it is simply “those poor kids” and “how terrible.”

Having spent several years working closely with a major international polling firm I can tell you most Americans don’t have the critical thinking skills that they used to on matters like this. It sounds condescending or elitist to make this blanket statement but I have seen empirical evidence that backs up such claims. The reason: Too many Americans depend on TV new, particularly cable news s to shape their perceptions. This trend started in the late 1980s but really intensified in the late 1990s. It’s a bi-partisan thing as the two most prominent prime political shows, the O’Reilly Factor and Countdown, both feature hosts who bash Soccer as foreign and un-American. One host is a right wing conservative and the other a left wing liberal. The liberal actually has a sports background where he used to bash Soccer.

This is what we are facing. I’ve heard time and time again that MLS and USL fans are actually better behaved than NFL, NBA or NHL fans. That may be true but is not the point. We don’t shape the perception, the media which is suspicious of this game does and we cannot give them fodder to bury this sport just as it is surging into the American conscience.

Where does the Columbus Crew fit in this? We’ve had a budding Hooligan problem in this league and in USL for a few years now. When I spoke with Dougie Brimson about the Toronto FC situation two months ago he told me that he had predicted this to the MLS brass a year ago and that they were serious about combating the threat. It seems whatever memo went out from the league office was read in thirteen cities and in some cases over done (like in New Jersey this past weekend) but in Columbus a team that once led the MLS in attendance but now struggles to get respectable crowds has seemingly turned a blind eye to incident after incident.

Here is what has happened around the US & Canada this year:

1) Portland has rowdy fans that sing throughout the matches but hardly ever pick fights with the other teams supporters. They sing, they chant and the Timbers supporters demonstrate to us how passionate football support should be. I do not know of one incident that has made the news recently about the Timbers supporters stepping over the line so to speak.

2) In Houston, after the El Battalion started a fight with Chivas USA supporters, club itself and the other large supporters group the Texian Army took strong action against EB and little trouble has occurred since. The Superliga matches involving Mexican sides at Robertson will basically trouble free.

3) Chivas USA banned several members of a supporters group that picked a fight with the LA Riot squad outside the SuperClassico match in April from several matches and the entire Supporters groups choose to sit out the matches in solidarity with their members.

4) TFC dealt with the problems of violence on the GO trains after matches as well as frequent pitch invaders and no trouble has occurred since. The Metropolitan police in Toronto have increased their presence around the ground on matchdays.

Now let’s look at Columbus and contrast it with the above situations:

1- Columbus did not adequately police the tailgate area before the season opener with Toronto and thus many TFC fans were attacked and with a lack of port o lets for such a large tailgate area, inevitably tensions flared and not only did fans urinate on the ground but they began fighting with one another.

2- At the same match the police presence was so minimal several TFC fans were able to storm the pitch and head towards the goal Columbus was defending.

3- When I discussed the Toronto situation openly and honestly and tried to engage TFC fans on my CSRN show the complaints about me being “too soft on TFC” all seemed to come from Crew fans. Days later several Crew fans were shouting racial obscenities at New England players as caught on You Tube. The Columbus fans also were caught throwing glass bottles and coins on the pitch during the 2nd half of the match.

4- The organization and supporters group in complete contrast to the strong a decisive actions of Chivas USA and Houston in fighting hooliganism tried to cover up the situation and wouldn’t give up the individuals involved. The team would not take action so the league had to after several embarrassing columns were written in newspapers, some of which hardly cover the sport normally. Even more alarming was the attempt by some Columbus supporters to go after sponsors of the MLS Rumors site who had exposed the behavior at Crew Stadium. This is the way off a hooligan, to threaten and bully.

5- In defiance of a league wide ban Columbus fans began sprayed confetti and streamers on opposing players while attempting a corner. Now I cannot recall the specific match but it was done. Why the security did not confiscate the items at the gate is beyond anyone’s comprehension. The league wide ban was more or less enforced throughout the rest of the league. When pressed on the situation at Crew Stadium, Columbus GM, Mark McCullers blamed Toronto FC for the trouble league wide and avoided totally the issue of racist fans.

6- Sunday’s incident: West Ham has a reputation for having rowdy fans, but we’ve hosted English clubs before and never had trouble. The poster promoting the match was an implicit call for some sort of nationalistic pride from the fans, which often times in the past has evolved into violence when West Ham is involved. I’m as nationalistic as it comes when this game is involved whether it be the US National Team, Superliga, or even the Carribean club cup which USL side Puerto Rico participates in. But saying “we take on the Brits, you push us over the top,” is in fact way over the top to steal a line from Crew promotion department. How would Tigres supporters have taken a posted in Dnever prior to the Tecate Cup match two weeks ago that read ” Colorado fans put us over the top against the Mexicans?” The poster and its message strongly indicate to me the Crew management has no interest in stopping the continued incidents at Crew Stadium.

In addition, at some point soon either the local law enforcement needs to be better trained to handle situations like this or the Columbus fans have to be mature enough to walk away. I have to state that I firmly believe that if West Ham had played, let’s say Real Salt Lake instead of Columbus these problems would have been avoided.

Here is my thesis on the situation: Columbus attendance once the highest in MLS has now become among the worst in the league. I believe the organization, desperate to create an atmosphere and attract new fans is purposely turning a blind eye to the things other organizations are stamping out immediately. As I have said to this point we’ve had no repeat incidents in Houston, Toronto or LA because those matters were dealt with by the club before the next home match. Columbus on the other hand has allowed things to fester. They are going to have to take action this time for the good of MLS and Soccer in this country.

It’s really a shame. At one time the Crew were the model for MLS. They built their own ground while the rest of the league was still using NFL/College Football stadiums and had such a good record of finding players and developing talent. But this year’s version of the Crew while talented on the pitch has left a sour taste in many people’s mouths because this stuff just keep happening and happening. The Crew organization also deserves better in terms of results. As I’ve said they’ve been long one of MLS’ model teams but have consistently fallen just short of winning anything significant.

Please, Columbus clean up your own mess and stop blaming others for your problems. You have a problem and it needs to be stamped out not just for the good of your organization, but for the good of the league and the good of the game. In addition, Soccer fans throughout this country need to support whatever moves MLS and Crew make to clean up this mess.

Comment here

Superliga 2008: Some Thoughts

2008-07-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

Photo by Thomas Shea from Superliga 2008 website

As we enter the knock out stages of Superliga 2008 let me state that while the intensity level was as high for these matches last year the football has been much better this year. No offense to anybody but an LA Galaxy side featuring Alan Gordon and Edson Buddle as starting forwards and an injured David Beckham would not have advanced to the knock out stages of this year’s tournament. That having been said MLS has a lot to live up to in the performance of the Galaxy in last year’s knock out stages. David Beckham’s free kick to sink DC United was a thing of beauty, and Chris Klein’s stoppage time bicycle kick was the type of magic that MLS sides have rarely if ever produced in a critical moment of a match of international significance. Had the Galaxy won the pk shootout that moment would have been etched in stone as one of the greatest in the history of Major League Soccer. I still a year later feel a tinge of sadness that the Galaxy did not win that match. That night they were a credit to MLS and to the game of football even if too often last year they were simply a traveling circus without an effective ring leader.

Alas, the Galaxy did not win the tournament the year FMF sides used the competition as a pre-season warmup. Now the event is being taken seriously, and every participating side came to play, and came to win. Atlante was humbled 4-0 by the Houston Dynamo in the first match but manager Guadalupe Cruz told Telefutura after the match that his side psychologically had been beaten down and he wouldn’t let that happen again. The match which was the first decided by more than one goal in Superliga history actually provided the impetus for the Cancun based side to play some of the best football of the tournament in their next two matches sweeping away DC United and Guadalajara.

For the second consecutive year , CD Guadalajara (Chivas) needed only a draw against a fellow FMF side in the final group match to advance to the knock out stage of the Superliga, and for the second consecutive year Chivas got beat and saw their opponent celebrate advancement. But this year Chivas looked more willing to take chances against Atlante than they did last year against Pachuca and tried to make a game of it. But the reality was Atlante was just too good, and Chivas’ backline suspect. When you consider that Guadalajara got some great breaks like facing Houston with Franco Carracio as the main scoring threat two days before he was waived while Dwayne DeRosario severed a suspension and having three DC United shots hit the post in their victory at RFK Stadium, any whining about not going through to the semifinals despite having a superior goal difference than Atlante should be spared here. Atlante showed the character that allowed them to win the fall Mexican Apertura in their first competition since picking up and leaving Mexico City for Cancun by crushing Chivas in the winner take all match.

In addition, Johnny Magallon who is Mexico’s starting central defender surely did not impress Sven Goran Eriksson who has taken in many Superliga matches with his poor display of positioning and defending. Eriksson who took in many of the matches in person during this competition had to be impressed however with Edgar Castillio and Fernando Arce of Santos Laguna, who could feel hard done by only achieving a draw in a tournament where they seemed to lack the type of luck that Guadalajara received.

However when it comes down to it Pachuca is still the team to beat in these competitions. An indifferent Clausura season in Mexico has not prevented the defending champions of this event from coming to the USA and playing some outstanding football. Despite my pre tournament concerns about the age of Pachuca’s midfield, they have not only held up thus far but essentially controlled the bulk of the two of the teams three Superliga matches. They next face a familiar foe: Houston

We’ve seen Pachuca take care of Houston on two previous occasions at this stage of a tournament including last year’s Superliga. While Houston will have revenge on their mind and will no doubt play lights out to win the semifinals would it be smart to actually pick against Pachuca at this stage against an opponent who completely lacks confidence when facing the likes of Christian Gimenez, Gabriel Cabbalero and others? Not having Stuart Holden, the leading goal scorer in Superliga 2008 who is currently with US Olympic Team preparing to face the world in Beijing is not going to help the Dynamo’s cause.

New England has been outstanding in this tournament. Mexican teams are getting a dose of what it’s like to face a disciplined, tactical European side when facing Steve Nicol’s team which features Shalrie Joseph and Steve Ralston in the midfield. In addition, the speed of Nyassi, Mansallay and Dube gave both Santos Laguna and Pachuca fits. The Revs use patient buildup instead of the frantic going forward without rhyme or reason style many Mexican sides play to break down their opponent and achieve results. Atlante has been outstanding in their last two matches but again having watched New England in this tournament who’d bet against them?

Chivas USA’s performance was a credit to their manager Preki and to the determination of Ante Razov who even at 34 is probably the best striking option for the US National Team. Razov scored in all three Superliga matches and has in fact scored a goal in six consecutive competitive matches for the Goats. However, no other Chivas player has scored during that stretch and in this tournament Sacha Kljestan, another US Olympian was frustrating. He mixed moments of absolute brilliance with moments of stupidity while his team mate Pablo Nagumura, normally steady seemed reckless in this tournament. Chivas was good, but not good enough in a tough group.

That leads us to the one team that hasn’t been discussed in this post to this point. The one team that doesn’t deserve to be discussed, DC United. The performance of United who entered the tournament never having once lost a match to an FMF side at RFK Stadium and three days later had two losses to FMF sides defies all explanation and logic. Sure Marcello Gallardo and Gonzalo Peralta were hurt and Tom Soehn seemed to aggravate Santino Quaranta’s injury by playing him when the team was desperate for a result against Atlante. But the red and black have historically always had a standard in these competitions you could count on regardless of who dawned the jersey. But this week was certainly forgettable in the proud history of DC United, and was culminated by a smashing defeat at the hands of Houston in front of one of the smallest weekend RFK Stadium crowds I can recall going back to 1996. DC was in a word embarrassed and whether or not you take Superliga seriously, their effort didn’t bring any credit to themselves or to MLS.

The TV coverage for these matches on Telefutura has been outstanding. Like last year, the network is utilizing a two man booth and sideline reporter at the matches as well as a studio host. This pales in comparison to the typical Telefutura MLS broadcast that is done at the low end with commentators calling the matches of a TV monitor, and not providing much in the way of pre game or post game analysis.

Superliga is a big event when you base it on how Telefutura covers it compared to its weekly MLS or FMF matches. Only in the Mexican playoffs do their production quality or overall game packaging approach that of Superliga. Then to add the HD component which Telefutura has offered for these matches in selected metropolitan areas (including Miami where I reside) and Superliga 2008 has been slam dunk event for the viewer. Let’s hope this continues in the knock out stages.

Comment here

Reining in MLS Foreign Player Addiction

2008-07-19T09:29:00.000-05:00

Two of these DC signings have already been waived/photo from MLSNET.com

At the conclusion of a successful 2007 season which saw MLS’ attendance at it highest level since the inaugural season of 1996 and media coverage beyond once imaginable levels, the league opted to increase the number of international squad spots to eight from the previous four senior and three youth internationals. This new rule has created a situation where clubs no longer have to consider waiving a foreign player to sign another (since few clubs are at their limit considering green card holders are exempted from the eight player limit) as was the case for much of MLS’ existence. Eight internationals is four more than were allowed throughout most of MLS’ existence a period of time when the league helped the growth of the US National Team as well as the CONCACAF region in general.

MLS Teams rushed to fill their new found foreign player slots. Some sides like DC United unveiled four foreign signings in a single press event and other clubs talked up the signing of foreign players most of whom had limited or no national team experience as the types of players who could transform MLS and grow the club game in North America.

For every Luciano Emilio and Christian Gomez their seems to be as many if not more Mathias Cordoba’s or Franco Neil’s. This situation mirrors that of 1998 when using the addition of the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion as a justification the league added a fifth foreign player spot for each MLS side. This led to signings of the likes of Marquinho, Roger Thomas, Gilmar, and the unforgettable Jerry Tamishiro. The next year the foreign player limit was dropped back down to four.

Much like ten years earlier, this season MLS clubs seem to rely on reputation or nationality to sign foreign players rather than their actual value in enhancing the product on the field. In other words if players have not been regulars on their national teams in most cases they will not contribute positively to MLS. Franco Neil, Franco Carracio, Celestine Babyaro, Jose Carvallo, Mathias Cordoba and others are evidence of the problems MLS faces in simply signing random foreign players with no international pedigree. Even those players who have thus escape being waived by their clubs in the league like Ivan Trujillo seem to be deleivering less on the pitch than was advertised while Americans who come back home from Europe this season like Nat Borchers, Ramiro Corrales and Josh Wolff have paid instant dividends for their MLS clubs.

The situation as it currently stands is not conducive with the goal to build soccer in this region and produce a respectable product while helping to the development of home grown players. For example just last week, Toronto FC waived Andrea Lombardo a Candadian forward with some promise to sign yet another foreign player. This leaves TFC with only four Canadian field players on its squad, and as Canada’s lone FIFA sanctioned first division professional side this is appalling and totally unacceptable.

I propose significant changes to MLS squad structure assuming the salary cap and current roster limits remain in place:

All players from the CONCACAF region are exempted from foreign player limits.
Players under 21 may be signed with no restrictions.
Each MLS Team is allowed three non-CONCACAF nationality players over the age of 23 and only two of these players may not have been called into their respective national team squad (not played, a key distinction between my proposal and the work permit rules in England) at least 50% of the time in the last three years. In other words, at least one of the three players must be a current national team player In addition all three players will be up to review at the end of each season. If they do not feature in at least 50% of the matches they were healthy enough to play in while under contract in MLS, they will be released from their contract at year’s end. These spots are not transferable between clubs.
Designated Players are exempted from all above criteria. Each squad may have one non CONCACAF nation designated player and one DP from the CONCACAF region for a total of two DPs. These spots are no longer transferable between clubs.
Toronto FC must maintain a squad with at least ten Canadian players.

With these simple changes to MLS squads will be more competitive and also deliver more quality in the terms of football. In addition, the continued development of players from the CONCACAF region will be stressed over the continued signing of mediocre talent from outside the region. MLS will long term be a better product and the national teams of the CONCACAF region and ultimately the regions competitiveness on the world stage will be beneficiaries of the new MLS.

Comment here

The Irony Mexican Hypocrisy

2008-07-12T14:03:00.001-05:00

For years Mexican football fans have attacked the United States success in the most negative way possible: accusing the Yanks of playing a cynical game that relied on rough play and counter attacking. Every loss to the United States was judged as a triumph of negative football over beautiful football. Well last night deep in the heart of Texas, Mexico’s U-20 team was once again shredded on set pieces by the US U-20s but they did something very American or at least from the Mexican perspective: they played rough and tumble and sat back waiting to hit the Americans on the break, and packing the back resembling a team with little confidence.

It did not work as Mexico was thrashed 3-0 by Coach Thomas Rongen’s US side. But is this the new Mexico that the reign of Sven Goran Eriksson will bring to CONCACAF qualifying? For years Mexico has had probably two or three times as much skill as the United States but lacks composure, ideas in the final third and the general football sense required to beat the U.S.

I find it ironic that any Mexican National side would resort to the same “negative” tactics that the Mexican press, players and coaches have bemoaned for years. The fact that they resorted to these tactics last night having a side with superior technical ability tells us where the Mexican program is currently. The crisis of confidence that Mexico’s senior national team has displayed lately has worked its way down to the normally solid youth national teams for El Tri.

The U.S. has used the so-called “negative” tactics in the past partly because it had to: Mexico had superior technique but also had a bad habit of sending defenders too far up the pitch and playing a high line. The U.S. tactics originally devised by Steve Sampson and essentially continued by Bruce Arena for facing Mexico were not cynical as the Mexican press claimed: they were how an aspiring football nation beats an established one.

Now that the United States is more attacking oriented and not waiting to hit Mexico on the break, El Tri seems to have resorted to the old American fall back tactic without having the understanding of how to execute it. Ah, the irony.

Comment here

American Soccer Show Midseason Awards

2008-07-09T10:18:00.001-05:00

Best team: New England Revolution

Best DP signing: Macello Gallardo, DC United

Best non DP signing: Amado Guevara, Toronto FC

Best value international signing: Kheli Dube, New England

Best young player (under 20): Sueńo MLS winner Jorge Flores

Worst DP signing: Claudio Lopez, Kansas City

Worst international signing: Franco Carracio, Houston

Worst big name half season: Juan Toja, FC Dallas

Best overall player (best individual talent and ability): Landon Donovan, Los Angeles

Most Valuable Player (most valuable to team): Steve Ralson, NE Revolution

(runner up) Frankie Hedjuk, Columbus

Ranking the teams 1-14 (based on performance in the 1^st half of the season and potential for 2^nd half of the season with the current squad)

1- New England

2- Columbus

3- Toronto FC

4- LA Galaxy

5- DC United

6- Houston

7- Real Salt Lake

8- Chicago

9- Colorado

10- Chivas USA

11- NY Red Bulls

12- San Jose

13- Kansas City

14- FC Dallas

This list is based on the current squad not potential signings (ie Brian McBride, Francisco Lima, etc). Thursday we’ll break down each individual team and what they need to improve.

Comment here

MLS Sunday Review

2008-07-06T11:15:00.001-05:00

Major League Soccer has provided us with little relief to the usual summer doldrums. As happens most MLS seasons the combination of high temperatures, half full stadiums and international call ups hurt the quality of football and make MLS in many ways a laughingstock of world football.

MLS’ midweek performances against USL sides have sent off alarm bells in the halls of football support in this nation. But to me the surprise is that USL teams only won three of eight matches versus MLS sides. The reality is thanks to the salary cap and squad restrictions in MLS, the league is not up the standard of an average first division relative to the football talent on American soil. Thanks to those very same rules, USL is not as bad as an average second division relative to the football talent on American soil.

The gap between the average MLS club and USL-1 or even the top USL-2 clubs isn’t very large. A misconception has developed that MLS is like the English Premier League while USL is like the Conference, among some fans. In fact, the opposite is the case even though MLS is improving while USL is not.

I will state that last week’s results for MLS were in my book impressive. Three years ago had eight MLS sides played eight USL sides with their reserves, six or seven MLS sides would have lost. As it stands six MLS sides played less than their typical Starting XI and four of them won.

I stated in 2003 on Big Soccer that if MLS and the then A-League had relegation/promotion with the bottom two MLS teams going down (when the league had ten teams) and the top two A-league teams going up and not having to apply MLS squad and cap rules, the two USL sides would never go back down and eventually only the LA Galaxy, NE Revs, Chicago Fire and DC United would be joined by six USL teams in the top flight.

MLS has obviously improved dramatically since 2003 while USL-1 is at the same level if not slightly lower in fact. However, the appauling lack of respect paid towards second division sides by MLS fans and commentators smacks of either complete ignorance or arrogance. Rumors are abound that USL-1 will have more money than ever in the upcoming years and if the display of team billboards at the Barbados home qualifier against the US is any indication, those rumors may be at least partially true. It would be wise for MLS fans instead of whining after perceived poor results versus USL clubs to understand the professional soccer structure in this country a little better and understand why USL/A League clubs have had so much success over the past ten years against MLS clubs. But this sustained run of success for USL clubs against MLS is coming to an end unless substantial changes take place within USL as has been speculated. But those who support MLS clubs need to spend more time understanding that this league cannot exist in a vacuum in the American soccer or world football structure. This isn’t a typical professional sports league in the United States and factors exist that make it important to understand the game from a complete perspective, not simply an MLS centric perspective going forward.

MLS has been by just about any objective standard difficult to watch the last month. Not only the summer heat but the international call ups have stripped the league of much of its quality. The one side consistently worth watching is the Los Angeles Galaxy. First off David Beckham has shown in the past several matches that he has a skill, and a quality level that is possibly higher than any in the recent history of MLS. Also, wherever the Galaxy play, home or away an active vibrant crowd follows.
Columbus is also a spunky side after going scoreless for almost 400 minutes in late May and early June. The Crew can feel hard done that they did not get the bounces to come away with three points last night versus Chicago.
Was Tomasz Frankowski the worst MLS signing of the last transfer window? Sure some signings have theoretically been less effective, but what other MLS signing has actually signed a goal at Old Traftord. Perhaps Frankowski is being kept past the July 1st deadline simply to wangle in the eyes of the euro-centric Toronto FC management (A management team that has recently brought Paul Dickov and Darren Huckerby to BMO Field to discuss a move to MLS for both former Manchester City attacking players)
Kenny Deuchar the much touted refugee from Gretna hasn’t been half the player for Real Salt Lake than Colorado’s Tam MacManus, a much less heralded SPL defector to MLS has been. The two are completely different types of players, and MacManus has fit his new club better.
Real Salt Lake has left more points “on the table” than any other team in MLS and perhaps more than every other team combined. Every RSL match seems to fit the same script. Real’s talented, technical midfield dominates the match, Nat Borchers anchors a solid backline which controls the match until late when Nick Rimando either has to play Superman or Salt Lake either misses an easy chance or a questionable officiating call goes against them. Salt Lake should be based on their quality on the pitch and their squad one of the top teams in MLS. When I watch RSL they almost always appear to be better than their opposition, yet they sit in a position where they may miss the MLS Cup playoffs yet again.
Chivas USA is currently tied with the LA Galaxy atop the Western Conference. But does anyone believe that without Maykel Galindo, the goats are in the same class as the Galaxy or even RSL? I have enjoyed watching Chivas the last two weeks and take some pride in the network as CSRN is now the exclusive worldwide English language carrier for Chivas home matches. Peter Brown and Graham Bell my CSRN collegues have been nothing short of outstanding on the call of the matches. The improvement in their quality from week one tow week two calling matches was striking as is the style which both bring. Peter’s intense knowledge of San Jose helped last night’s call, and as we’ve said before if it happens in American Soccer, we cover it from all perspectives at CSRN.
Juan Carlos Osorio is in the process of making over the New York squad. It cannot come soon enough and Red Bull must be patient. When you’ve been a losing side for the better part of the league’s history, despite having some high profile managers like Carlos Queiroz and Carlos Alberto Parriera it’s time to start from square one. My hope is that new York fans and Red Bull management have the patience to see Osorio through on this mission without pulling a quick trigger.

Comment here

Superliga 2008 Coverage Plans

2008-07-03T17:10:00.001-05:00

Pachuca Celebrate the 2007 Superliga Title/AP

CSRN is planning unprecedented coverage of the 2008 Superliga. We aim to be your one stop English language stop for all things Superliga. Tomorrow, a special two hour Superliga preview will air on the network and will be downloadable via Itunes tomorrow afternoon. Every match of the tournament will be covered by our daily headline show the 2 G’s, the American Soccer Show and Around the League.

In addition, this website will aim to provide the most extensive analysis and commentary of the competition available in English. The Superliga page, linked above will be developed in the next week to provide instant updates and commentary as the matches in the tournament unfold. Also check out CSRN’s the Third Half on match days for live match chats and analysis.

CSRN has unrivaled resources and contacts to cover this event as completely as possible. As the exclusive English language radio voice of Chivas USA’s home matches, as well our extensive network of correspondents and sources around North America we will provide you with the most thorough coverage of North America’s richest club competition.

comment here

DC United Crushes Galaxy; Why ESPN Should Have Stayed InHouse for Euro Coverage

2008-06-29T23:37:00.002-05:00

In front of over 35,000 fans at RFK Stadium an ABC national broadcast audience, Luciano Emilio and DC United crushed the LA Galaxy 4-1. The scoreline was if anything flattering to the Galaxy who benefited from the individual brilliance of the sometimes maligned Steve Cronin to keep United from pilling in goals. Emilio who scored twice actually had eight attempts at goal in the match. The match also marked the surprising return of Ben Olsen whose injury plagued career appeared to be over just a month or two ago.

Despite the scorching summer heat, United controlled the tempo and played at a rapid pace and quite frankly gave us more entertainment if not technical skill and drama than the Euro 2008 final afterwards.

Some other thoughts:

I am thrilled that Andy Gray won’t be seen on these shores until World Cup 2010 at the earliest. For all the accolades given him by a generally Premier League affected oriented soccer blogger community, I feel he was exceedingly biased, poorly prepared for matches that did not involve many players in the Premier League and condescending to boot. ESPN has plenty of good soccer commentators in its midst to not have to pull Gray from Sky Sports. Perhaps Shaka Hislop or Robbie Mustoe would have been better suited to cover the event if it was British accents the powers that be at ESPN were looking for as the New York Times Jack Bell feels in this piece. In fact Mustoe and Hislop both meet my litmus test for foreign commentators: they understand the American game and the American soccer audience. Hislop went to college in the US, and Mustoe now coaches college and runs coaching clinics in the U.S. Moreover, neither player has the obvious biases that Gray demonstrates.

Rece Davis was outstanding in the studio today on ABC as he always is on ESPN for Soccer and College Sports. I’d love to see him on more MLS telecasts, but that seems to be the exclusive domain of Rob Stone.

David Beckham looked totally gassed after 60 minutes today. I’m sure despite the heat, Ruud Gullit is going to have a few things to say to Becks about his conditioning.
Landon Donovan should have been sent off for shouting expletives at the official.

Marcello Gallardo showed his class today. He’s matched up with Beckham a few times in internationals, and twice in the Champions League. To my knowledge the only time Gallardo had previously beaten Beckham was in the 1998 World Cup. In that match Beckham was sent off, and Gallardo converted a pk in the shootout.

MLS Rumors is reporting that Jorge “Zurdo” Rojas has signed with the Red Bulls. This is the kind of signing MLS needs, and if RBNY has indeed signed Rojas without using a DP spot, that’s even better. For those that don’t know Rojas he is arguably the best Venezuelan footballer of the last fifteen years. At 31, he still has a few years left and can essentially do for the Red Bulls what Claudio Reyna seems incapable or unwilling to do for the club.

Comment here

Break Shea: Man U Bound?

2008-06-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

In the last week speculation has increased that FC Dallas Attacking Midfielder Brek Shea, a standout of recent US Youth National teams and the 2008 MLS Combine has drawn the interest from Alex Ferguson of Manchester United. While this sounds glamorous, Shea would be just the latest youngster plucked from American shores by United in the last several years. The previous four, Jovan Kirovski, John Thorrington, Jonathan Spector and Kenny Cooper failed to develop the skill level and technical ability while in England that they needed to be as successful on the international level as they possibly could be given their perceived talent level. Shea’s performance at the Toulon Festival last month where he and Sammy Ochoa were the American standouts has United interested in him.

Should Shea move abroad, I would personally prefer he move to Holland or Germany during his development stage. Both leagues have better history with young American players than England whose notable flops include not only the players listed above, but Zac Whitebred who signed with Liverpool after the 2005 U-20 World Cup, Jemel Johnson who now plays League Two football after signing with Blackburn as a youngster, Johann Smith of Bolton whose two plus years in England have rendered him useless for the US setuPublish Postp, and Frank Simek now a Championship player after signing with Arsenal as a teen and not developing to Arsene Wenger’s satisfaction.

The English Premier League could be the best league in the world, but it is simply not the best league for developing young American talent. For whatever reason the Dutch and German leagues provide a more adaptable experience for young American starlets. If Shea does move to United let’s hope he can buck this trend.

Guzan Keep Clean Sheet: US Advances

2008-06-23T05:05:00.002-05:00

Eddie Lewis’ goal was the lone strike in the US victory/AP Photo

Flattering headline you ask-What else would you expect? The reality of today’s match versus Barbados is complicated but before complaints about the performance get out of hand I want to state something very openly on the record: I have said for sometime that I felt the US program was slipping fairly quickly and that simply advancing to World Cup 2010 in an improved CONCACAF is the maximum expectation I have for this current group of American internationals. Would I like to see more? Of course, I would. Am I unhappy with the current state of the National Team? You bet, and next week I will be writing a post looking back at the vision Carlos Querioz outlined for US Soccer in the Q-Report ten years ago and evaluating why our national program produced better internationals early this decade than we are now. But lets focus on the reality of the current situation rather than lamenting the recent slippage in quality of the overall US program.

Today’s disappointing performance did not surprise me. When today’s team sheet was released I saw only three names of seasoned internationals and only two that I would consider professionals who will always give a top class performance: those two, Eddie Lewis today’s captain, and goal scorer and Heath Pearce were solid. (The third DaMarcus Beasley was as is so often the case with him completely useless) Freddy Adu was outstanding. The rest of the team needs work, but we knew that already. I see message board threads across the internet and have fielded phone calls tonight professing shock at today’s fortunate 1-0 US win, in a match where Barbados can feel hard done not to have gotten at a minimum a draw. With an eight goal cushion was it really necessary for the US to overwhelm again in what was a largely meaningless exercise?

CONCACAF isn’t the cupcake confederation many commentators simply assume it is. Playing on the road is difficult and if you come out determined to simply experiment and knock the ball around as the US did, you are going to get burned. Emmerson Boyce, a player of some stature in the recent history of Crystal Palace Football Club (the favorite club of one of my cousins and another my uncles who lived in the UK for many years) was the best player on the pitch. When you face professionals you must give a full effort which the US did not give. Content to knock the ball around for much of the early minutes of the match as the US was allowed Barbados to look dangerous and comfortable in the match from the get go. Meanwhile the young core of the US team looked very uncomfortable. Particularly poor were Sacha Kljestan a player I love typically and Danny Szetela, a player whose club performances with Columbus, Racing and Brescia have done little to justify his continued presence in the full national team. Kljestan improved later in the match but Szetela did not and needs to return to the U-23 setup before being called back to a full national team again.
John Thorrington looked to add some class to the US attack when he entered the match for Beasley and perhaps he should get another, longer look. Chris Rolfe also had some nice attacking play once he entered the match Barbados on the other hand must be lamenting having beat Brad Guzan twice in the second half and yet not scoring an official goal. The early second half shot that bounced off the crossbar showed Guzan’s limitations, and his other decisions on whether to catch or punch several balls were suspect. A reason exists that while Guzan is a great developing prospect, many US fans want to see Matt Reis or Kasey Keller back up Tim Howard.

Playing young kids in friendlies on US soil, or in a Copa America where the results do not matter is one thing, but playing them in qualifiers we learned tonight is downright cruel. Does Bob Bradley deserve the blame for tonight’s squad selection? No, that blame must be placed squarely on Major League Soccer and its clubs whose decision to play right through CONCACAF qualifiers and in the case of teams participating in Superliga accelerate their schedule. Work left to be done for the US, but thankfully another few months to prepare for the next round of qualifiers. Some highly rated CONCACAF nations such as Panama who the US has struggled to beat in the last two Gold Cups have been eliminated from qualifying so while the performance Sunday wasn’t at a high level, advancing with the US in a malaise is all that can be expected and quite frankly all that is required at this point in time.

Player Ratings:

Brad Guzan 4

Not his best day. Seemed half asleep at times.

Heath Pearce 7

Good match going forward and creating chances for the attacking players. A bad miss in front of goal but in fairness it was struck with his weaker foot.

Jay DeMerit 6

Solid, and as usual unspectacular.

Danny Califf 6

Didn’t make many mistakes and anchored a solid backline.

Drew Moor 7

Made some nice runs going forward and delivered some great balls forward

Michael Bradley 6

Solid bounce back game for Bradley who hasn’t been great lately, but still gave the ball away a few too many times.

Danny Szetela 3

Bad giveaways and poor positioning characterized a player who was simply put outclassed at this level.

Sacha Kljestan 4

So so match. Looked uncomfortable on the wing but settled down as the game wore on. Still a great prospect going forward to add depth to the pool.

Eddie Lewis 8

Steady Eddie gave yet another fine performance in a man of the match performance

DaMarcus Beasley 3

Is either still injured or has simply lost it. Five poor to below average performances in a row should get a player dropped from the starting XI, shouldn’t it?

Freddy Adu 7

A creative force in the midfield.

Chris Rolfe 6

Had some nice moments

John Thorrington 7

Good performance off the bench looking lively down the wing.

Chad Barrett NR

A cameo.

Comment here

US 8-0 Barbados and Other CONCACAF Thoughts

2008-06-16T07:08:00.000-05:00

I trust we all watched the US match yesterday and if you did not see it, you didn’t need to. Barbados missing four of their five best players got rolled by a fired up US squad 8-0. While the scoreline was impressive, many concerns still persist for the U.S. like keeping proper spacing between attackers on the pitch and players knowing their respective roles while on the pitch. I’ll save these discussions and criticisms for another day because the US did what they had to do to avoid the pitfalls others faced in qualifying yesterday. The issues with the US remain today the same as they were last week. However, other nations that we compete with such as Mexico are showing themselves to be much weaker than anticipated. Player ratings are given at the bottom of this post.

Argentina and Brazil both struggled in their South American qualifiers. Argentina needed a stoppage time goal from Rodrigo Palacio to draw with Ecuador at home in Buenos Aires. Argentina looked unimpressive last weekend in a friendly against the United States after crushing Mexico 4-1 earlier in the week. This result is shocking as Ecuador has already changed coaches during qualifying and has been in the bottom three of the qualifying table throughout the tournament.

Argentina faces Brazil later this week in a qualifier. Roque Santa Cruz and Salvador Cabanas scored goals as Paraguay despite being a man down for much of the match crushed Brazil 2-0. Brazilian coach Dunga must be feeling the pressure despite winning Copa America last year. Brazil struggled to beat Canada in a friendly in Seattle last week and then got dumped by Venezuela 2-0 in Foxboro, MA.

Mexico’s performance yesterday against a team ranked 51 spots below Barbados in the FIFA world rankings made the rest of CONCACAF look like world beaters. Mexico used two controversial calls to notch late goals against the 172nd ranked team in the world, Belize 2-0. In what can only be described as a shocking display of football, Mexico was so bad that from minute thirty onward Belize was tempted go forward and attack. Particularly bad for Mexico from my eyes was Andres Guardado who was repeatedly dispossessed and repeatedly lost his composure.

Mexico’s two goals were controversial. A late foul call just outside the box in minute 67 led to a free kick which Carlos Vela cleaned up for a goal, and then deep into stoppage time after a Mexican shot went far wide, The referee stopped play and called a penalty because a Belize defender had clipped the Mexican shot taker on his follow through after the show was taken. Jared Borgetti, calmly booked the PK, and Mexico ran out a 2-0 victor. This performance paled in comparison to the impressive displays provided by Mexico’s likely second round group opponents: Honduras is already through to group stage with an aggregate 6-2 win over Puerto Rico, Canada crushed St Vincent 3-0 in the first leg even without injured Rob Friend, and Jamaica beat the Bahamas 7-0 in the first leg of their series. So in other words, Sven Goran Eriksson has a momentous task ahead of him, as Mexican football is suffering from a crisis of confidence and run of about two years of indifferent, if not simply poor results.

Trinidad and Tobago has been in a steady decline since thrilling the world in Germany 2006. Now T&T is in serious jeopardy of being dismissed from World Cup 2008 qualifying just two years after participating in the last tournament. Bermuda went to Port of Spain and won 2-1 yesterday. If Bermuda advances they will be grouped with the US, Guatemala and the Cuba/Antigua winner.

Player Ratings

Brad Guzan 6

Nothing to do most of the day

Steve Cherdundolo 6

Some nice crosses

Oguchi Onyewu 7

Was active on set pieces

Carlos Bocanegra 7

Great set up for Dempsey’s first goal

Heath Pearce 6

Had more difficulty marking than he should have but served a great ball to Eddie Johnson for a goal

Pablo Mastroeni 6

Injured, after a nice shot on goal which an apparently offside Brian Ching redirected into the net.

Landon Donovan 10

Pure quality and and off the ball

Michael Bradley 7

Nice bounce back match

DaMarcus Beasley 4

Beasley is perennially coming inside or pushing out of position causing the US to lose its shape in the attack. Should be dropped in favor of Eddie Lewis as long as Lewis can go. Beasley isn’t healthy and quite frankly is useless against better opposition when he is healthy.

Clint Dempsey 7

Two goals and some nice work on the ball in midfield.

Eddie Lewis 8

Has a quality and composure totally lacking in the other American wide players

Freddy Adu 8

Tried to get too cute at times, but his presence is always felt on a match.

Brian Ching 8

Two goals but some questions about positioning and work off the ball. I’d still prefer a healthy Taylor Twellman to Ching.

Eddie Johnson 7

As my CSRN colleague, Peter Brown texted me, why couldn’t EJ hit that header against Spain?

MLS Review: Focus on Internationals

2008-06-15T08:04:00.000-05:00

Former Metro star and current Islander Peter Villegas scored a goal for Puerto Rico in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Honduras

Every region with the exception of the Euro engaged UEFA confederation has begun qualifying for World Cup 2010. A number of players from Major League Soccer and USL-1 were in action Saturday, representing their countries, and flying the banner of both leagues. This is why it is all the more illogical for both leagues to play right through the international breaks, especially for World Cup qualifying. Sunday over twenty five players from MLS and USL will be engaged in World Cup qualifying.

Here is a rundown of Saturday’s best:

Carlos Ruiz (LA Galaxy)

Scored four goals in Guatemala’s 6-0 thrashing of St Lucia

Christopher Megaloudis (NY Red Bulls)

Scored a goal in Puerto Rico’s 2-2 draw with Honduras

Peter Villegas (Puerto Rico Islanders)

Scored a goal in Puerto Rico’s 2-2 draw with Honduras

Noah Delgado (Puerto Rico Islanders)

Played a full 90 minutes in Puerto Rico’s 2-2 draw with Honduras

Amado Guevara (Toronto FC)

Played 90 minutes in Honduras 2-2 draw with Puerto Rico. Honduras advances 6-2 on aggregate

Gonzalo Segaras (Chicago Fire)

Played 66 minutes in Costa Rica’s 2-2 draw with Grenada.

Shalrie Joseph (New England Revs)

Played 90 minutes in Grenada’s 2-2 draw with Costa Rica

Kenny Mansally (New England Revs)

Played the final 15 minutes of Gambia’s 1-0 victory over Algeria

Kei Kamara (San Jose Earthquakes)

Played 90 plus minutes in Sierra Leone’s 1-0 victory over South Africa. Kamara was subbed out in stoppage time.

Other Thoughts:

Given the massive crowd assembled the performance of the Earthquakes was disgraceful. But without Kei Kamara, and Ivan Guerrero (who didn’t play for Honduras despite being on the bench) The Quakes looked completely incapable of linking up from midfield to the attack. Edson Buddle is playing so well and seems finally to have his head screwed on straight that perhaps he should be looked at closely by Bob Bradley for a future US National Team call up.

How humiliated must David Beckham feel to be playing on a sodded up baseball diamond while his mates are competiting on the world’s biggest stage in the European Championships? Give him credit for not sulking and still giving his all in every match despite the poor quality of the pitches, the football and the seeming need of opposing MLS clubs to use Beckham to sell tickets.

DC United rolls at RFK Stadium. No surprise there. Now United needs to maintain its level away from home. Last week’s win at Chicago was a good start but just one game marred by red cards and poor officiating. Luciano Emilio thankfully has regained his scoring touch.

The extended road trip for Kansas City really dented the teams’ confidence and right now DP Claudio Lopez and Ivan Trujillo are simply not producing up front. I hate to say this but unless a player is from Argentina or Brazil signing someone who has never been capped by their nation is a risky proposition. MLS is not as poor a footballing league as it once was an signing players like Trujillo is no longer a sure fire way to success.

Don’t sleep on Toronto FC as a title contender. Without several players missing due to international duty, the Reds crushed a Colorado squad that was hardly missing anybody beyond Bouna Counduil. A very impressive performance for John Carver’s side, yet Jeff Cunningham is stuck on goal #99.

Houston was poor the other night, and with so many internationals missing you are reminded how influential Steve Ralston is on a match when healthy and the standard is dummied down. Ralston, an MLS original is still on his day among the league’s best.

Comment here

Sven: Mexico's Final Downfall?

2008-06-13T12:57:00.000-05:00

Sven Goran Eriksson’s hiring by the FMF has been hailed as a dawn of a new era of Mexican dominance over CONCACAF. While this certainly may be the case, much evidence provides us with the possibility that this could be another step on the slippery slope of Mexico’s fall back to the pack in CONCACAF. The confederation seems to have caught up with Mexico lately, and its member nations no longer stand in fear of “El Tri.”

No question exists that Mexico has the best player pool in CONCACAF. Mexico, as has been the case since the mid 1980s, has the deepest player pool, most skilled players and most accomplished internationals of any CONCACAF member nation. Mexico has dominated the confederation winning four Gold Cups since 1993 and qualifying for every world cup the nation has been eligible for since missing hosting the World Cup in 1986. But Mexico has also had recent failures. Costa Rica ran away with the Hexagonal title in World Cup qualifying for Korea/Japan 2002, and that was followed up by an American triumph in the qualifying tournament for Germany 2006. More recently, Mexico has begun to lose as frequently to Central American nations as any time in its history. Panama defeated Mexico in the 2005 Gold Cup, Honduras in 2007 Gold Cup and Guatemala in a recent friendly as well as in the Olympic qualifying tournament.

Then their is the subject of the US National Team. Despite having far superior players, with better skill and technical ability, Mexico had repeatedly lost to the United States over the past ten years, most notably in the knock out stages of the 2002 World Cup. The US has contrary to belief of many American fans never had a more skilled team than Mexico (Well maybe the exception was in 1934 when the US beat Mexico in a qualifier held in Italy, and the ASL was at its height as one of the world’s best domestic leagues did the US have more skilled players but at no point since.) But what the Americans have had is a decided psychological edge over the Mexicans , an edge based on physical play and the ability of the best American player, Landon Donovan to almost individually dominate matches against the Mexicans.

Simply put, the Mexicans are soft and have been for many years now. Some of the very best Mexican coaches have tried and failed to stem the culture of falling short in Mexican Football. Manuel LaPuente, Enrique Meza, Javier Aguirre, and Ricardo LaVolpe have all failed despite being outstanding managers at just about every other stop in their careers. The flamboyant but unqualified Hugo Sanchez also failed but that was to be expected.

While Sven Goran Eriksson is an accomplished club manager, his stewardship of England’s National Team still creates serious questions. During Eriksson’s tenure, England’s player failed to tactically adjust to Eriksson’s preferred style of play, and also despite overwhelming talent England failed to get past the Quarterfinals of a major tournament. Much like Mexico, the Three Lions had a tendency to play down to opponents and psychologically allow some rival nations, as Mexico has with the USA, to psychologically affect them. Sven’s side with England was quite frankly, soft by the lofty standards of English footballing history.

Eriksson is no doubt a tactically flexible and sophisticated manager at the club level. But with England his tactics seemed to get simpler and easier to discern as his tenure wore on. With Mexico this is a grave danger as El Tri was handed easily the toughest group in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying and then must navigate through the Hexagonal. Honduras, Canada and Jamacia loom at the group stage and each of these sides has the quality to create danger for a Mexican side in transition.

Mexico has some outstanding young players: perhaps among the best in the world following a U-17 World Cup title in 2005. Gio Dos Santos, Carlos Vela, Andreas Guardado and Guillermo Ochoa are all among the elite youngsters in CONCACAF. But player management was with England a major weakness of Eriksson’s tenure. No recent Mexican manager has had such a gifted group of youngsters to integrate in the national side, but at the same time no recent Mexican manager has ever faced a CONCACAF confederation filled with teams of high quality.

CONCACAF’s improvement overall as a confederation could not have come at a worse time for Mexico. Despite the hiring of Eriksson, confidence is at an all time low it appears at the FMF. Continued losses to the US and Argentina as well as failures in just about every major tournament entered has many Mexican supporters in near panic mode. Help may be on the way in the form of Eriksson or this may simply be a desperate hire of a foriegn manager who knows little about Mexican football or CONCACAF.

Eriksson may bring about a renaissance in Mexican Football. He may also be to Mexico as Berti Vogts was to Scotland: a foreign manager with an established reputation who has no clue about the domestic game in the nation he is about to lead and who is set in his ways. For Mexico’s sake let’s hope the former happens.

Comment here

15 Years Ago: USA 2-0 England

2008-06-09T15:09:00.000-05:00

Ian Wright Challenges John Doyle/English FA archives

Fifteen years ago today in Foxboro, MA the US National Team recorded one of its most important pre World Cup 1994 victories with a 2-0 win over England. For me personally as a US Soccer supporter, this was the match that proved to both myself and other die in wool US supporters that we could compete at a high level internationally. England was not the most formidable side as injuries to Stuart Pearce, and Paul Gascgoine cut England’s quality substantially. The match was also significant in that Paul Ince became the first black captain of the Three Lions on this day.

The US was very tentative the first thirty minutes in many ways contrary to the first third of the match last month at Wembley. However, after minute 30 as the US confidence grew, England began to crack at the back thanks largely to the absence of Pearce. Gary Pallister and Carlton Palmer had horrific matches for the Three Lions as the US counter attack in the 5-3-2 became more and more lethal as the match dragged on.

In Tab Ramos the US had in 1993 the critical linkup player the national team seems to lack in 2008. The Uruguayan born Ramos brought a Latin flair and creativity virtually unknown at the time to Northern European soccer and as the match wore on it was obvious England had no answer for him. Graham Taylor tried to counter by bringing on Ian Wright in minute 34 to counter the flow of play which was favoring the US.

Nonetheless in minute forty one Lee Dixon beat Mike Lapper down the left side and received a cross from David Batty. Dixon hit the shot cleanly but it bounced off the post, leading to a quick US counter attack culminating in a wonderful piece of Tab Ramos skill in which he prevented the ball from passing over the end line and then found Tom Dooley making a run into the England 18′, and finishing the cross with a header which Chris Woods didn’t have a chance to react to. From that point forward The Three Lions seemed lost. Even when they pushed forward and created chances, Tony Meola was able to deal with the danger.

In second half, substitute defender Alexi Lalas who was brought in the match essentially to mark Paul Ince out of the game late scored on a header off a corner kick. The corner had been set up by an Earnie Stewart breakaway which Chris Woods had a hard time dealing with, and just got broken up at the last moment by Tony Dorigo. The US counter attack spurred late by a then young Cobi Jones and Stewart killed the match for England as it became obvious they neither had the pace nor the skill to contend with the U.S. on that day.

At the back Fernando Clavijo and John Doyle clogged up any space Ian Wright, John Barnes or Les Ferdinand could find. England went on to collapse in World Cup qualifying and miss USA 94. Graham Taylor was sacked and continues to this day to be a dirty word with many England fans. But at the time of this match England was still in a qualifying position even though they were being absolutely savaged by the press back home. Losing to the U.S. as can be imagined furthered the press hostility against the England team to unhealthy levels which in my opinion helped contribute to the England’s non qualification for USA 94.

For the US this match gave the Americans the belief they could play with anyone. Subsequently the US gave Germany and Italy real matches in friendlies and then of course in the World Cup the US advanced to the knock out stages of the event for the first time since 1930.

Argentina-US Post Match Thoughts

2008-06-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

In front of what must be regarded as one of the largest and most ruckus pro US crowds in sometime, the national team drew 0-0 with Argentina, who is currently ranked #1 by the odd formula that constitutes the FIFA World Ranking. After two successive matches where the performance was subpar to be charitable last night’s effort must be considered a step in the right direction. However, still much work needs to be done.

This match from my vantage point was more exciting than any match in the European Championships if for no other reason the lack of technical skill that the Americans posses save Landon Donovan and Freddy Adu creates bad giveaways and countless good scoring opportunities for the opposition. While the US played well, all eight teams that have played thus far in Euro 2008 have shown better technical skill and organization that the U.S. However, last night the US showed some of the flair going forward that has been missing for sometime, and more in the attack than all but two sides that have played in the Euros thus far.

The Bad:

While Michael Bradley did more to support the attack last night than in the previous two matches he also gave the ball away 8 times in the first half. Yes, eight times. That’s simply not acceptable.
Bob Bradley’s decision first not to start Freddy Adu and second not to bring him on until the 60th minute. How you can continue to leave your second best attacking player on the bench when you cannot score goals is beyond me.
Steve Cherundolo isn’t physical enough or at times quick enough to be effective at this level. It’s a shame because he is one of the very few Americans that respectable club in a top European league counts on game in and game out. But with Frankie Hejduk even approaching 34, still in such good shape I see no reason why Cherdundolo should play ahead of him right now.
I still don’t get the second yellow card for Pablo Mastroeni. The official game notes attribute the second booking as being for dissent. But Pablo said very little to the official after Mo Edu picked up his yellow. Given how light the ref was being at time on Javier Mascerano (who himself was sent off fifteen minutes later) the yellow card for Edu was at the very least inconsistent by the official.
Clint Dempsey needs time off. I’ve said it before and will say it again. Oh and Clint those fancy moves you try and make may work against Barbados but they will never work against Argentina or Mexico.
I don’t think Eddie Lewis has ever been comfortable with the idea of playing left back. Necessity has dictated the best US wide player play on the back line now in various points since 2005, but it seems like Lewis makes mistakes at the back he doesn’t make in the midfield and the bite he adds to the US attack crossing from a wide position also disappears with his defensive responsibilities.
DaMarcus Beasley is simply put not a starting wide player at this level. He continues to have no technique despite having played for PSV (he was probably too old when he went there to learn the “PSV” way) and makes some of the most baffling decisions on the ball. As far as I am concerned for country Eddie Lewis at 34 is still a much better winger. He can still get forward down the flank and center a great ball into the box. Beasley cannot due either with regularity. (I don’t want to argue Rangers vs Derby County: Beasley may be a better club player but Lewis is a better international right now)
ESPN in general. I love JP Dellecamara and am thankful he is finally the lead announcer for ESPN’s National Team Coverage. But the rest of the production is somewhat substandard and John Harkes is far more of a company man than he leads on, far less willing to criticize tactics and coaching decisions about players than Eric Wynalda or even Marcello Balboa was. Relegating Allan Hopkins to the work they used to give Heather Mitts is flat out insulting. Hopkins is one of the most knowledgeable people about the American game I have encountered and he is being absolutely wasted by the network. Stick him in the studio for heavens sake!

The Good:

Landon Donovan’s return makes all the difference in the appearance of the US attack. Donovan also is one of only two American players with the technical skill and quality to play against the likes of Argentina: Freddy Adu is the other. 100 caps could not be more deserved for the signature player of US Soccer.
Heath Pearce is turning into perhaps the best left back we’ve had, a position that has been a chronic problem for the US. Pearce gets ripped in other places but I am turning into a massive fan of his. He’s positioned well, is tough and simply put is getting the job done without much fanfare.
Freddy Adu may not play at Benfica right now but that is no longer an excuse to not start him. Lukas Podolski doesn’t exactly play every match for Bayern, yet he can score two goals in the European Championship opening match. Freddy Adu is right now the only thing standing between the US and almost certain embarrassment either before 2010 or in South Africa. Without Claudio Reyna and John O’Brien, Landon Donovan has nobody with technique and certain flair to play off of, if Adu doesn’t start.
Tim Howard: what more can you say?
Eddie Johnson continues to be a poor finisher but a good hold up player who find space and makes the right runs at the right times. So frustrating is Johnson because after continuously panning Bob Bradley for selecting him, I now see why, even if the bottom line hasn’t changed. Johnson has the smarts as far as space and holding the ball up to be useful but still lacks the technique and finishing to be successful.
Giants Stadium’s grass. Seriously, awesome job groundskeepers. Now get rid of the turf below it!

Player Ratings:

Tim Howard 9

Steve Cherundolo 4

Danny Califf 6

Oguchi Onyewu 6

Heath Pearce 8

Jay DeMerit 6

Frankie Hejduk NR

Eddie Lewis 6

Michael Bradley 3

Mo Edu 6

Pablo Mastroeni 7 (”Red Card” notwithstanding)

DaMarcus Beasley5

Clint Dempsey 3

Landon Donovan 8

Freddy Adu 8

Sacha Kljestan 6

Eddie Johnson 5

Comment here

Altidore Still Has Lots to Prove

2008-06-07T07:18:00.001-05:00

Altidore celebrates a goal versus Mexico/Getty Images

As the excitement of Jozy Altidore’s sale to Villarreal FC begins to fade and we take a longer term view of Altidore’s prospects of developing for the US National Team, questions must be asked. Despite the lofty sale price, the most ever received by Major League Soccer, Altidore has seemingly tailed off in his development since last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup. While he gave a few credible performances for the senior US National Team earlier this year and scored a goal against Mexico in Houston, his focus seems to be missing. Altidore’s performance in the CONCACAF U-23 Olympic qualifying tournament was below par and quite honestly had Freddy Adu not been so dominant in those matches the US likely would not have qualified for this summer’s Beijing Olympics.

Altidore’s performances with his former MLS club side in New Jersey hasn’t been up to the lofty standards expected either. This season quite honestly he’s been in the bottom tier of starting strikers in the league. But at only 18, he was still by a number of years the youngest starting forward in MLS. Moreover, the tactical setup of Juan Carlos Osorio wasn’t conducive to his talents, and the constant rumors of transfers certainly took its tool on Altidore’s psyche.

Last week, Ives Galarcep wrote a piece for ESPN Soccernet about the loss of focus by Altidore. While I agree with many of the arguments in the piece, I have spoken to a number of people here in Altidore’s home area, south Florida who were involved with Altidore’s development at the youth level. Every single person I have spoken to is of the opinion that he remains a driven individual with a clear understanding what it takes to succeed at the highest levels of the game. I have even been told the thing that most set Altidore apart from the other talented youth players both in south Florida and at the Bradenton Academy was his attitude and his embrace of every bit of teaching and criticism that goes on at the youth level.

But what has become obvious is that Altidore has hit a wall in his development. His performances a year ago at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada while outstanding were simply another example of a young American excelling in a youth tournament. More impressive was Altidore’s performances in MLS beginning in October 2006 when he was still only 16. But now almost two years later MLS seems to have caught up with the young phenomena and Altidore is quite frankly one of just many touted youngsters that heads to Spain as a teenager. But to continue his development Altidore had to leave New Jersey. He didn’t have to necessarily leave MLS as history has taught us Americans who go to Europe at a young age don’t always effectively develop due to various factors, but he had to move somewhere.

Will Europe chew up and spit out Altidore as it has so many hyped American teenagers in the past such as Jovan Kirovski, John Thorrington, Kenny Cooper, Jonathan Spector, Zac Whitebread, Gabe Ferrari and many many other lower profile American players? Or will Altidore join John O’Brien and possibly Michael Bradley as the only true development successes among Americans who went to the continent or British Isles as a teenager? My bet is on the later as Altidore appears more driven and a far more finished product than any of the previous names I mentioned. That’s why Altidore was sold for a fee upwards of $11 million by MLS, almost twice the previous high transfer fee for an MLS player.

Whatever the case Altidore is now behind in his quest to stake a claim to the starting strikers spot for the US National team as qualifying begins. Altidore has also fallen behind fellow teenager Freddy Adu as the great hope for US Soccer. That may be a good thing as the amount of pressure put on Altidore to revive a failing national team was quite frankly unfair for someone so young. If Altidore develops adequately in Spain and the US qualifies for the 2010 World Cup, Jozy Altidore much like Landon Donovan before him in 2002, could at 20 years of age make a big impact on the world’s biggest stage.

Comment here

US-Spain Post Game Thoughts

2008-06-05T06:42:00.000-05:00

Last night’s US performance against Spain is difficult to classify but after all that’s what happens in friendlies when you are experimenting. On one hand I was more disappointed with the performance last night than against England because the team has now been together for almost ten days and seemed to fall into the age old American pattern of relying on counter attacking to stimulate any offense. However, the shape of the US at the back and the organization and spacing of the U.S. midfield was as good in the first half last night than anytime since the Gold Cup last year. Coach Bob Bradley mentioned that he was pleased with the passing in the first half but felt the movement of players to support the ball stopped in the 2nd half which led to gaps between the midfield and defense which was exploited by the Spanish.

One thing that must be considered is that Spain looked far from the top of their game. The technical ability of the Spanish side is among the best on the planet but let’s be honest: Spain has a history of under performing in major tournaments and based on yesterday’s performance and the amount of trouble they had breaking down an organized but not a very technical American back line you have to imagine those troubles will only magnify in the European Championships.

Spain’s Cesc Fabergas was the best player on the pitch last night, but Freddy Adu’s first half was outstanding. He provided the critical linkup play between the midfield and attackers that has now been lacking for the U.S. for almost a year. Maurice Edu showed far more technique in winning the ball and better distribution than Rico Clark did last week playing the same holding midfield position against England, and Carlos Bocanegra the captain bounced back with a nice match in tandem with his central defense partner Oguchi Onyewu. What was worrying though is for all the hype around young players in the US system, the two best Americans in the second half were as they were last week against Wembley, 33 year old Frankie Hejduk and 34 year old Eddie Lewis. “It is always important to look for the right time to move young players into the national team. But there is great value in some of the more experienced players. We consider that of big importance heading into World Cup qualifying. If a player continues to play well, then that helps everyone,” Coach Bradley stated in reference to Hejduk and Lewis.

My feeling is that Michael Bradley was again poor in this match. He made some nice passes and got forward to support the attack every now and then but by and large he was responsible for more bad giveaways than the other 10 field players combined and he was often clumsy and reckless in his challenges. Other poor performers last night were DaMarcus Beasley coming off and injury and Clint Dempsey who after a second straight grueling relegation fight with Fulham has little to give the national team for the time being. Dempsey needs to be given the rest of the summer off.

PLAYER RATINGS:

Tim Howard 6

Made one very nice save but otherwise had less than to do than it appeared

Steve Cherdundolo 5

Bounced back from the poor performance against England with some very nice challenges and good distribution from the back but still lost his mark too often.

Oguchi Onyewu 5

Why Onyewu gets wrongly blamed for most of the US’ defensive breakdowns is beyond me. He had another solid match, but was caught looking on the Spain goal.

Carlos Bocanegra 5

After a horror show against England he bounced back nicely and dealt with the danger well until the last 25 minutes when bad clearances led to increased Spanish pressure.

Heath Pearce 7

Pearce has solidified his spot as the US left back and his experience of a rough season in Germany has translated into the grit needed to play well for his national team

Frankie Hejduk 7

Hejduk, a golden oldie showed the understanding and initiative in the second half that Cherdundolo did not in the first. Much like the England match, Hejduk was much better than Cherundolo.

Michael Bradley 3

Bradley has talent no doubt, but he is too naive almost to play at this level. His distribution is mixed at best and his tackles are clumsy and reckless all too often.

Mo Edu 5

Showed a great deal of composure but also contributed a number of bad giveaways in the second half that allowed Spain to pile on the pressure.

Clint Dempsey 3

As referenced above Dempsey needs some time off. He always gives a 100% plus effort but his body right now is failing him.

DaMarcus Beasley 2

Beasley was brought back for these friendlies far too soon.

Eddie Lewis 7

Once again the grey beard of the American team was over the entire match one of the best US players. Lewis still has the wheels to get down the left flank and has the savvy and understanding of the match to create more scoring opportunities than any other American wide player.

Freddy Adu 8

He may be in the doghouse at Benfica but Adu is clearly much more skilled and attacking oriented than the other players currently in the player pool. Why he was subbed out after 45 minutes remains a mystery since Coach Bradley didn’t address the issue in his post match press conference.

Eddie Johnson 5

I’ve seen Johnson absolutely ripped on other sites all over the internet. As someone who felt EJ should never have been brought back to the National Team, his play yesterday was passable. Johnson showed an understanding of what Freddy Adu was trying to do and played better than any American striker recently with his back to the goal trying to hold up play. His finishing is still obviously poor and he needs another pure striker to play off of, but based on last night he needs more looks and more work.

Josh Wolff 2

A farewell for a job well done over a ten year period for the national team.

Pablo Mastroeni NR

A late cameo for a player who still has so much to give this national team if he Bradley doesn’t forget about him.

Comment here

Bradley's Bucket: Things Have to Change

2008-06-03T05:59:00.000-05:00

Bradley Leads the US/NY Times Photo

We’ve discussed several times recently on the American Soccer Show the “bucket” formation employed by US Coach Bob Bradley. Part of me sympathizes with why Bradley is using this formation: from my vantage point the US has less attacking talent currently than at any point since the 1994 World Cup. However, the lack of creativity that the US team develops during the course of a match forces the US to rely on counter attacking, something Bob Bradley seems less comfortable with in his words than did his predecessors.

This is not to say Bradley is conflicted: I simply think the US doesn’t have the type of personnel and skill level particularly down the flanks for the Bucket to work effectively as an attacking oriented formation. The bottom line is the formation isn’t working the way Coach Bradley would like against respectable opposition. The bucket has also served to put Michael Bradley, the coach’s son in a very difficult position and a remarkable amount of responsibility for a 20 year old. The younger Bradley is depended on to be a creative force offensively while playing in a withdrawn position and is also counted on to break up the oppositions attack. As we saw against England, when Landon Donovan whose skill level is so high he can be a creative force from any position on the pitch is absent the US is completely impotent offensively. The US created exactly one good scoring opportunity before minute 69 when the wily veteran Eddie Lewis entered the match. Lewis would be the perfect wide player on the left side for Bradley’s formation, and it is no wonder why even at thirty four, Lewis has repeatedly looked outstanding when playing for the national team under Bradley, after looking less than adequate at times (while being moved to several different positions) under Bruce Arena. Lewis himself created more legitimate scoring opportunities in his twenty one or so minutes of action playing down the flank then DaMarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey created combined in the previous sixty nine minutes. While this speaks highly of Lewis’ ability to play in the bucket it speaks also very loudly about the limitations the formation places on Beasley and Dempsey.

Given the limited capabilities of the current US National Team player pool, Coach Bradley must consider changing the formation, or at the very least tweaking it, so that a creative attacking midfielder can set up between the two wide flank players. I would strongly consider moving to a 4-5-1 formation with Landon Donovan playing in the center of midfield between Clint Dempsey on the right side and DaMarcus Beasley on the left side. This also gives Bradley the option of playing Freddy Adu in the middle while Donovan plays out wide on the right side and Clint Dempsey is the lone striker.

What are everyone’s thoughts on the US formation and what personel would you like to see against Spain and Argentina this week?

Comment here

MLS Wrap

2008-06-02T08:33:00.000-05:00

This weekend’s MLS action was tainted by the continued insistence of the league not to break or at the very least reduce its schedule for international matches. Landon Donovan, Brad Guzan, Mo Edu, Frankie Hejduk and Rico Clark should not have to take a long flight after one international match only to take a similar length flight after the MLS match back to Europe. But it wasn’t simply Americans who were inconvenienced by MLS’ scheduling this weekend: if it were simply Americans I suppose it would be alright. Six Canadian players were busy battling mighty Brazil while several other MLS players were scattered throughout the world playing for their countries. Amado Guevara, Ivan Guerrero and their Honduran team mates were in my neck of the woods in Fort Lauderdale facing Venezuela. Kei Kamara and Bouna Counduil were in Africa for World Cup qualifiers, and Carl Robinson was in Wales to face Holland in the final tune up for the Dutch before the Euros begin. Several other MLS players were also absent this past weekend and will be absent for several matches in the next month.

Comment here

MLS is watering down its product and cheating its fans, players and management by making no effort to resolve its scheduling issues during this period. The on the field product while acceptable isn’t what it should be during this period and that makes the whole situation laughable.

Why MLS cannot change its scheduling practices is beyond me. For the first time since the inaugural season of 1996, MLS has a great number of players who are active on their respective national teams and whose presence as full internationals enhances the reputation of the league. But all of this jeopardized if the league does not make it possible for footballers to perform for both their club and country without conflict.

Some other thoughts:

Jeff Cunningham had a great finish for TFC’s second goal but didn’t finish his other opportunities leaving me to believe Cunningham is most certainly in decline and may not after all catch Jaime Moreno and Ante Razov as the top two MLS scorers all time.
The Galaxy’s young guns didn’t get a result without Landon Donovan and David Beckham Saturday but certainly showed they could hold their own and create scoring chances. Now I am of the belief that Beckham is less valuable to the team than Donovan and thus getting Becks back next weekend will not solve all the problems the team has.
Chivas USA is on a roll and what more can you say about the Sueno MLS program? Jorge Flores is not only a good MLS player, he could be solution for the national team and this kid flew completely under the radar for years. That’s a failure of the USSF’s development programs.
Jesse Marsch is having a renaissance in 2008. Marsch is a winner: he’s never been on a bad team in his 13 year MLS career and he wasn’t about to allow this year’s Chivas team to go down the tubes.
Tam MacManus is quickly becoming one of my favorite MLS players and his game winning goal was a thing of beauty.
FC Dallas is in troubl: we already knew that, but solving the trouble may be as simple as incorporating Dominic Oduro and Abe Thompson in the attacking flow rather than dallying around in the midfield. In other words the Hoops unlike the other struggling teams in MLS may not need a talent upgrade: they need a change in philosophy.
Columbus looks listless and now is scoreless in close to 300 minutes.
Houston without Onstad and DeRo record a clean sheet against the Red Bulls. It helps that Juan Pablo Angel wasn’t playing.
DC Unite’s backline and goal keeping situation is not salvageable.
Kheli Dube is the latest amazing find of the Revolution’s scouting network, and once again Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner find the best hidden games available to an MLS club.
Panama looked impressive versus Guatemala on Sunday. Without Carlos Ruiz Guatemala was tentative and trying to bog match down in midfield until late when Guatemala needed an equalizer. 1-0 Panama victory sets up qualifying nicely for them.
Canada’s performance against Brazil Saturday night should strike fear into the hearts of Honduras and Mexico who will face Canada in the first qualifying group. I personally am the first person to write off Canada because of the mess that is their federation, but the Canadians controlled more of the match than the US has ever controlled against Brazil and seem to have the right mix of players to give a top team fits. Mexico has more to worry about right now: facing a coaching change and a transition between generations of players and a crisis of confidence. Honduras who struggled with Venezuela the other night has the type of attacking players in David Suazo, Amado Guevara, and Carlos Costly both the US and Mexico wish they had right now.

The Wembley Experience: Lesson About Hooliginism

2008-05-31T04:23:00.002-05:00

My experience at Wembley Stadium the other night for the US-England game was outstanding. Not only because of the atmosphere and enthusiasm around international football at England’s National Stadium and throughout London (Although I will point out that this visit reinforced a long held belief of mine having visited both cities on multiple occasions that Londoners are much ruder and more condescending than Parisians, but that people from England outside of London are simply more personable) but because of what I discovered about English football. As has been mentioned in a previous post many of the English fans I spoke to were from outside London and supported lower league sides. Many said that they find the Premier League dull and predictable while being curious about MLS, especially the play of the British players who used to play football in England. (I was asked specific questions about Rohan Ricketts, Terry Cooke and Ronnie O’Brien) This stands in direct contrast to the legions of American fans who flock to the Premier League and spend time ridiculing their own domestic league.

As has been discussed on both the American Soccer Show and on this blog the past few weeks MLS has a developing problem with controlling fan behavior. In my conversations with English fans I attempted to get a sense of how supporters of the clubs in the Coca Cola Championship, League One and League Two deal with the problems. The answers I got were fascinating. As Dougie Brimson pointed out in our interview with him a few weeks back, self policing is the key. If any fan attempts to create a violent atmosphere or a “showdown” with supporters of other clubs they are simply ostracized or thrown out of the supporters groups. In addition, supporters work with local police and with opposing clubs and their supporters groups to head off any problems before they become issues. Acknowledgment is a key to dealing with problems as I have been repeatedly told.

This was demonstrated to me as on a few separate occasions English fans did try and start unsolicited taunting of me or other US supporters only to be called off by another England supporter or to stop when they saw groups of four or five police officers nearby both before and after the match. The police presence was impressive but to me even more impressive was the maturity of some English fans to tell their fellow supporters to chill out when they saw me sporing a US jacket and scarf. That’s not to say I wasn’t taunted often or that some fans were trying to provoke a reaction out of me. For example, when I walked on the train at Queens Park Station to go to Paddington to switch to the Heathrow Express, four English fans greeted me with chants of “you are gay, you are gay” chanted like U-S-A, U-S-A. I did not react but did see others on the train sort of stare down the four young, drunk looking fans and I simply ignored them.

But as I said acknowledgment is part of solving the problem. This past week we had arguably the worst incident of fan behavior in the thirteen year history of MLS. As our friends at the MLS Rumors site have discussed in the conversation they have been leading for several weeks now, it is important to recognize and confront these incidents as they occur. When we discussed Toronto FC a few weeks back we saw somewhat militant but intelligent responses. It was obvious from some of the responses and my subsequent conversations that many TFC supporters take the situation seriously and are attempting to deal with it. However, anything that has gone on in Toronto pales in comparison with the events in Columbus this past weekend.

What’s even more disturbing about the situation in Columbus is that little accountability has been demonstrated by supporters of the Crew. When we discussed TFC a few weeks back, ironically enough a few comments were left by Columbus fans claiming that the behavior of TFC supporters who came to Ohio for the MLS opener had created the environment where many Crew fans were unwilling to go to the subsequent matches. Now we have learned if anything it is the behavior of the Crew’s own supporters and the lack of willingness of their supporters groups to police their own that have gotten us to this position.

So defensive about the situation are some Crew supporters that they have even threatened to go after the sponsors of the MLS Rumors site which broke the story. I ask those particular Crew supporters, Why stop there? Why not go after the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, WBNS TV, You Tube and the MLS itself, among others for acknowledging and confronting the situation in Columbus. If you are so convinced your fans are being thrown under the bus why not boycott any media outlet that doesn’t rubber stamp your agenda of sweeping these issues under the rug. From my vantage point the response of some in Columbus is simply nothing less than cowardly and insulting.

The incidents of racism were so ugly in Columbus on Saturday night that they do not bear repeating. They have cast MLS in a negative light in the mainstream media, the type of situation we had hoped to avoid and why specifically I wrote the piece I did several weeks back. The irony once again is that it was a few Crew supporters that claimed I was not tough enough on Toronto FC. But it is Columbus who now must do something about this situation before others are forced to take action against them.

One thing I have learned from speaking with Dougie Brimson and my experiences at Wembley is that while these sorts of incidents are common place still England, they are dealt with quickly and firmly be it by law enforcement or by supporters groups. If we don’t develop the same culture of self policing and honesty about these incidents here in the US we are doomed to a consistent repeat of the sort of ugly incidents that have engulfed so many football leagues throughout the globe in the not so distant past.

Comment here

Outclassed

2008-05-29T04:19:00.000-05:00

A flat uninspiring effort left the US supporters here in London frustrated and in some ways shocked not only at the lack of quality the US demonstrated but also at the indifference many on the team seemed to play with. I have previously made the case strongly that I believe without Landon Donovan the top of the US player pool is at a pre 1994 state and that no replacement players have yet been developed for Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride and John O’Brien two years into the World Cup cycle.

Tonight’s match which I was fortunate or unfortunate to attend depending on your perspective clearly demonstrated how much trouble a team with a decent skill level will create for the United States in their home stadium. In addition, Bob Bradley’s continued calling into the national team of some players whose lack of first team action with their club sides is really showing itself these days. Eddie Johnson, Carlos Bocanegra and Josh Wolff all looked shaky at best in the first half and downright awful in the second half. In fact the US was completely embarrassed regardless of the artificially low score line until 34 year old Eddie Lewis entered the match and brought an intensity and skill level seemingly absent in the other US attacking players. So if Eddie Lewis, of dubious record shattering Derby County is your best player at Wembley, you have a problem.

Thoughts:

Josh Wolff’s time as a National Team member should be over. Thank you for the spectacular goal against Mexico in 2001 and the setup for Brian McBride in the World Cup 2002 match against Mexico but his play in recent matches culminating last night has been well below par.
Michael Bradley has a great deal to learn about international football still. He doesn’t seem able to anticipate his team mates as well as he should and he commits silly fouls. In addition much like the Mexico match in Houston, Bradley has shown a lack of understand with Rico Clark which will limit the US midfield going forward
Heath Pearce despite being on a relegated side in the Bundelsiga has gained the confidence to become a reliable left back for the U.S.
Carlos Bocanegra’s history of bad giveaways and poor clearances reared its ugly head again last night.
I’m not sure what Freddy Adu has to do to prove he should start and that he is much better than the other, unskilled and inconsistent attacking players we have.
Eddie Lewis is still at 34, one of the better players in our player pool. Can you imagine that?
The US attack is terrible without Landon Donovan’s pace and skill on the ball. Both Clint Dempsey and DaMarcus Beasley are limited in their ability and when playing against skilled defenders like Ashley Cole and John Terry, they look pedestrian at best. Some of our readers and listeners wanted to see how the US would do without Donovan. I cautioned that it wouldn’t be pretty. Sadly, I wasn’t pretty.
Spain will be an even tougher test than England, and Argentina even tougher than Spain. The US squad better get their head around what is going on football wise or risk being completely humiliated in the next two matches. Against Argentina this sort of performance instead of being a 2-0 loss will be a 6-0 loss because Argentina’s skill and finishing is far superior to England.

Some Thoughts on the Wembley Experience:

· Wembley is massive but the concessions are too pricey and the sightlines are somewhat poor.

· Public transit to/from Wembley is poorer than I had thought and gets confused on game days with bus routes being withdrawn and underground/over ground trains skipping Wembley Central and Wembley Stadium stations. The reason is logical: the traffic going through the game will congest rush hour London traffic, but it doesn’t help football fans at all and put my plans to arrive at Wembley two hours early into total chaos.

· England’s fans seemed to want to avoid talking about Premier League with me. Those who I spoke to seemed to mostly support lower league teams and wanted to discuss those sides rather than the PL. To me that is a concern for the Premier League going forward, because these fans represent the heart of English Football.

· Jermain DeFoe is so bad he could play forward for the U.S. The gentleman that won the halftime PK contest could probably win the starting striker spot for the U.S.

· England has a lot of issues and Fabio Capello can be pleased with the result but not with some of the execution.

MLS Weekend Review

2008-05-27T04:10:00.000-05:00

MLS bounced back this past weekend after several weeks of the type of uninspiring action that would prompt critics of the league’s quality to claim the US first division is no better than League One or Two in England (The 3^rd and 4^th divisions in England.) While MLS has more quality in the attack than any second division in Europe (including the English Championship and Bundesliga 2 which I consider the two best second divisions on the planet) I would argue that the lack of quality defending which is an unintended bi-product of the salary cap makes sometimes even the most high scoring MLS matches totally unwatchable from a critical standpoint.

A great deal of this weekend’s MLS excitement and quality were created by the two biggest signings the league had made this decade, two signings that are unlikely to be replicated by the league in the near future. It’s not that MLS is not making good signings any longer: but to get two players, possibly the only two players on the planet that can be used to target the most skeptical potential fans of the league in one calendar year was beyond anything those of us who have followed this league since year one could have expected.

Since his arrival stateside ten months ago David Beckham has never played a ninety minute match like he did on Saturday night versus Kansas City. It was the Beckham many of us expected to see from day one, but the learning curve of a new league as well as injuries and England call ups prevented Beckham from truly blossoming with the Galaxy. Beckham’s game was familiar to many US based fans but inspite of playing for Manchester United and Real Madrid his true assets as a footballer were less known stateside than those of the other great MLS signing a year ago. But Beckham appealed to the casual fan and to the sports media who typically pays MLS little or no attention.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco had no learning curve necessary with regards to MLS. Blanco’s exploits familiar to the majority of soccer fans in the US thanks to his Club Americá and Mexican National Team days, continued the moment he touched down in Chicago. He was the single best player in Chicago’s 1-1 draw with Celtic in Blanco’s first match. His fantastic play has continued with consistency and it has had a profound impact ironically enough on the development of the US National Team: With the US MNT in my opinion at its weakest point from an attacking talent standpoint in fifteen years (just as Bob Bradley has transitioned the US from a pure counter attacking side to a more aggressive team), three attacking players have emerged as viable player pool options: Chad Barrett, Chris Rolfe and John Thorrington. Blanco’s signing has also registered MLS as being a more credible force among the largest base of soccer fans in the US: Mexican-Americans and more specifically among Club Americá supporters which along with Guadalajara fans provide the backbone of US based Mexican fans. One survey I have been made privy too noted that 32% of all Latino soccer fans in the US listed Club Americá as their favorite club. Chivas was favored by 31%, Real Madrid by only 7% and Manchester United did not even register.

Beckham and Blanco have not only brought MLS to new levels among fans and the media, but they have also as I noted above greatly improved the play on the pitch. Landon Donovan seems ready to explode into the player US fans have long expected him to become (even though I would argue even a half interested Donovan was clearly the best US player: That is both an indictment of the overall footballing talent produced in the US and a statement as to how special Donovan can be when he is really focused.) and even previously marginal players such as Alan Gordon and Edson Buddle are beginning to really benefit from Beckham’s work and Rudd Gullit’s tactical savvy.

As MLS moves forward continuing to get solid play from Beckham and Blanco are as big a key to the league’s success and perception as any other factor.

Other Weekend Thoughts:

FC Dallas’ comeback against RSL at Pizza Hut Park owed itself as much to RSL’s ineptitude as it did to FCD. Dominic Oduro did have two well taken goals and for the second straight season he hit a stoppage time winner versus RSL.
Jason Kreis was one of my favorite MLS players but as a coach he is either still on a steep learning curve or simply doesn’t have it. RSL has far too much skill in its squad to be performing as poorly as they are week in and week out.
Toronto and DC United split the two head to head matchups this week, but TFC demonstrated that they are miles ahead of the Red and Black right now. Danny Dichio physical prowess was too much for DCU to handle and United’s midfield save the surprising Santino Quaranta looks totally dysfunctional.
Speaking of Quaranta, Bob Bradley needs to give him another look. Quaranta, who seemed to be a favorite of Bruce Arena’s peter principle late in his tenure has not been capped under Bradley.
Columbus is now beginning to remind us why Sigi Schmid was ultimately fired in LA. The Crew seem content to knock the ball around and not go forward. In fairness though Matt Reis won the game for New England with the save of the year in MLS with a one handed punch against the momentum of his body.
New England always finds a way to be a factor. That’s why they will once again be ranked #1 in this weeks power rankings.
I know Dave Denholm is going to rip me on the American Soccer Show for this, but it seems once again a Los Angeles game has been decided by poor officiating. First it was LA probably beating San Jose because of a frivolous offsides called against the Quakes early in a match where the Galaxy looked shell shocked. Then it was LA losing two points against Houston when the Galaxy scored a winning goal that was not credited since it was cleared by the Dynamo after crossing the line. Then LA picked up a point on a terrible call against RSL where Kenny Deuchar was ruled offsides. Now the Galaxy has won in my opinion firmly because of two blown calls. First the PK call where Landon Donovan hardly drew contact and secondly on the goal where I believe Edson Buddle was offsides. David Beckham’s bomb against an empty net was fun to watch but never should have happened but did because of poor officiating.
Which brings me to another point. Commissioner Don Garber was quick to jump on TFC Manager John Carver this week about his on field working of the officials. But Commissioner, the officiating in MLS is really bad by any objective standard. To someone like Carver who comes from a more passionate football background than many involved with MLS, this league must to him have some of “mickey mouse” elements critics allege simply because of the inability of officials to not only make correct calls but to control the emotions of players during the match.
It is a very damning indictment indeed that the best official that occasionally does MLS matches is Mauricio Navarro, a Canadian who also does an outstanding job in CONCACAF internationals. That means that the USSF officiating program and MLS are failing year and year out to produce the types of officials a top flight first division should have. It is not necessarily the fault of the referees. I believe they are not given the type of training and interaction they are abroad and thus don’t fill the role as well as they should.
San Jose’s victory over Houston was no doubt very sweet for the Buck Shaw Stadium crowd and very convincing in that the Quakes dominated the match and could have scored many more goals.
Chivas USA used two outstanding individual goals: the first from the wily Jesse Marsch the second from the emerging Jorge Flores to win. However the moment of the match had to be the goal scored by Tam McManus who as Martin Rennie predicted a few weeks back on the show is having a major impact in MLS.
The Chicago-Red Bull game was a whitewash of epic proportions and if anything the Fire should have scored far more than five goals. Dennis Hamlett has thrown out Juan Carlos Osorio’s conservatism with regards to tactics on the road and is using the superior pace of his attackers, the superior skill of Blanco and superior athleticism of his defenders to sink the opposition without a trace. Right now the Fire are scary good.

Comment here

MLS Schedule Limits Bradley's Ability to Gel Squad

2008-05-21T11:44:00.001-05:00

Chalk this up to MLS’ unconscionable decision to continue play right through FIFA international blackout dates. Bob Bradley today named the squad for next Wednesday’s match at Wembley Stadium in London (A match I will be attending) and the team is missing several standards of the US setup including Pablo Mastroeni, Maurice Edu, Frankie Hedjuk and Jozy Altidore. Each of the aforementioned players was named to Bradley’s provisional 33 man squad last week but was dropped this week presumably because of the MLS schedule. While I am pleased that Jozy Altidore, due to this scheduling conflict will miss the match and we will see some other forward options (including the often forgotten Josh Wolff) we will not see a the team that will feature in qualifying playing together, using these friendlies to gel as a unit.

Thus the US team, already vastly inferior in talent and skill when compared to their English counterparts is entering the match shorthanded. Part of the US’ strength through the past few season has been the familiarity each player has with one another due to the January training camp, even when facing superior sides. However, only five players who participated in the January 2008 Home Depot Center training camp is on this squad. Only three MLS based players have been included on the US squad: Landon Donovan, Rico Clark and Brad Guzan.

Here is the US Squad:

GOALKEEPERS - Dominic Cervi (Out of Contract), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)

DEFENDERS - Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Dan Califf (FC Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS - Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)

FORWARDS - Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nate Jaqua (Out of Contract), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC), Josh Wolff (1860 Munich)

So it appears in the United States club has won out over country. Complicating matters further for MLS is the league’s new found love for artificial turf as evidenced by the situations in Toronto and Seattle. With turf once again proving to be unsuitable for the game and the problems of laying a new natural grass surface in short order in Moscow, MLS has a potential image and credibility problem emerging. It’s best MLS solve both its scheduling issues and it’s continued promotion of artificial surfaces in the near future. I will have much more on the debate about fake grass in the near future.

Comment here

MLS Weekend Review: The Sack Race

2008-05-18T23:43:00.000-05:00

Steve Morrow/From MLSNET.com

Another sign of Major League Soccer’s evolution is the development of a tradition reporters and pundits have in the motherland, the UK. That is the sack race. American soccer reporting and writing is generally not as negative or cynical as our British counterparts. This is largely because we have neither the history, the football infrastructure nor sharp critical historical lens they have en mass. But as MLS gets more attention albeit from non-mainstream sources, coaches face more pressures than in MLS first decade of existence.

Right now the sack race has two coaches squarely competiting to be the first sent packing. One is Tom Soehn whose DC United club is not only under achieving, but look absolutely lifeless away from RFK Stadium. The other Steve Morrow whose stewardship of a perennial underachieving FC Dallas club hasn’t brought any change in fortunes for the Texas club. One coach who isn’t featuring in the sack race but in my opinion is doing less with more is Jason Kreis of Real Salt Lake. RSL’s current standing in a subpar Western Conference is completely unacceptable given the amount of talent and depth the club has developed. Now much of that depth has been developed thanks to the work of Kreis and GM Garth Lagerway, but the team simply isn’t performing the way need as punctuated by the lackluster showing in the Rocky Mountain Cup match Thursday night.

Soehn for his part seems to have taken a team that was aging, beset by injuries and which was meddled with too much by Kevin Payne this past offseason and not made any significant strides. Several factors have contributed to the collapse of DC United much as similar factors played a part in 2000, when after four years of ravaging the league DC suddenly collapsed into MLS’ worst side. DC United’s 2000 team featured AJ Wood at forward, Judah Cooks in the midfield, and Carey Talley in defense. The losses of Roy Lassiter, John Harkes and Raul Diaz Arce to the salary cap as well as Tony Sanneh to the Bundesliga killed the team. This time around, the fall has been self inflicted. Trading Facundo Erpen and Bobby Boswell for inferior players, dealing Christian Gomez, letting go of Brian Carrol, losing Troy Perkins to Europe and the bad luck of losing Josh Gros to a career ending injury but then not adequately replacing him this past closed season. The players DC United have brought in are simply not good enough. Zach Wells proved this past Saturday why despite a high level of talent, Houston wasn’t prepared to keep him around as an heir apparent to Pat Onstad. To add insult to injury Bobby Boswell scored the Dynamo’s winning goal at Toyota Park. DC United’s defense is in general fragile and the attempt by the club to essentially scapegoat three different players for the club’s defensive woes was not only irresponsible, but it was simply unfair. The addition of Gonzalo Perlata has if anything made United’s back line worse, and the failure to adequately line up a replacement for aging Jaime Moreno can only be blamed on sentiment.

DC United’s problems are unexpected, but the problems of FC Dallas are not. It seems like every year we go through this with the Hoops. You see the talent on the pitch and feel like this could be the season something special happens. Then reality comes, and FCD comes crashing down to earth. Following today’s pathetic performance, FC Dallas can boast that they have now conceded eight first half goals in their last two competitive matches against the LA Galaxy. As we have discussed on this blog and on the American Soccer show previously, FC Dallas has a losing mentality as a club and until that changes they can change coaches play with personnel, do anything but little will change. Thus I firmly believe sacking Steve Morrow will accomplish little, but he may prove a convenient scapegoat for the clubs on the field troubles.

Other thoughts:

Toronto FC’s defense did a number of Columbus’ attack, the first team to effectively shut down the Crew and limit their chances all season. John Carver is a savvy manager and TFC has an excellent shot with the talent upgrade and experience they have acquired to win MLS Cup.
The 0-0 draw was flaterring to Columbus who were totally outclassed at BMO Field and may have been exposed in this match for an over reliance on counter attacking.
The number of scoring chances created by the Red Bulls was not only impressive: it was further proof of how much more tactically savvy Juan Carlos Osorio is than your average MLS manager. Even more impressive was Danleigh Borman the revelation of the MLS season thus far scoring another great goal this time playing on the left side. Wide play is critical in MLS, and imagine how good New York is going to be when they get on their own regulation size grass pitch with Borman and Dane Richards on the flanks. That will be a scary sight for the rest of MLS.
Throw in Dave Van Den Bergh attacking down the left side from a defensive position and you have class and quality something sorely lacking in many MLS sides.
For all the pre-season love and hype Kansas City is simply not good enough to compete in the Eastern Conference.
Is anybody calling for Fernando Clavijo to be sacked now? The Rapids have gelled amazingly well and players from the clubs reserve side continue to make a weekly impact for the senior club. Omar Cummings is an impressive player and is a great poster child for the success of the MLS Reserve League.
The Dynamo are back. It doesn’t look pretty or efficient but the club is once again grinding through games and getting results. As always the San Jose/Houston franchise is likely to peak when it matters the most.
New England continues to be for me the most likely team to win MLS Cup. Other teams that as of this writing have a good shot are Toronto FC, Columbus, Chicago, Houston and the Red Bulls.
Edson Buddle where have you been? Seriously, what is it about FC Dallas that brings out the best is maligned Galaxy strikers? Oh yeah we discussed that above.
The Galaxy are creating so many chances that when Carlos Ruiz returns one of two things could happen: 1- The team will explode and win the Western Conference. 2- Chemistry issues will develop culminating with Ruiz blowing up and the team imploding. Things are going too well for the Galaxy right now, a team I thought quite frankly would be where DC is currently, for them to risk the integration of Ruiz into the team. I would honestly see if he can be loaned to a Guatemalan club for the duration of the season. Much like Amado Guevara he could come back to MLS next year with another club but it would serve the Galaxy to dump his salary thus freeing up cap space and to head off any potential problems before they kick off.

MLS Top Foriegn Players

2008-05-16T12:18:00.001-05:00

Guevara has accomplished more than just about any current MLS player in this league

Inspired by our buddy Martin Rogers list of the top players overall in MLS, we’ve come up with a list of the top eight non US or Canadian players in MLS.

1- Amado Guevara, Toronto FC

Guevara has been one of the best players in CONCACAF over the past eight years for Honduras and also when not fighting with his coaches and team mates the best player in MLS. As I said a year ago when Preki dumped him, not a single player in MLS would I take over him, and that applies again this season.

2- Shalrie Joseph, New England

This is a pick with an asterisk because Joseph is in many ways more American than many guys who have played for our national team. But Joseph plays for Greneda so he makes this least. Fierce in organizing the midfield, a tenacious ball winner and dangerous going forward, Joseph is one of the biggest reasons the Revs have been so good for so long.

3- Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus

The Boca Juniors legend is writing a new page in his footballing history in Columbus. Schelotto has a talent few others have to make those around him that much better.

4- Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago

Such a hate-able player for Mexico and Club America has become the sporting face of MLS. Besides his game isn’t that bad either. Blanco makes all his team mates better and for that he comes in near the top of this list.

5- Christian Gomez, Colorado

For a player without a national team call up, Gomez found his niche early in MLS. This league is unique to any other league in the world and it is tough to understand for some why national team stars flop here while uncapped players excel. Gomez fits this league like a glove.

6- Carlos Ruiz, LA Galaxy

He’s done nothing but score goals in MLS. Quick to the ground and quick to whine he like Blanco is tough to like. But his game speaks for itself and he’ll give the Galaxy a huge boost when he returns.

7- David Beckham, LA Galaxy

Despite the hullabaloo about the “Beckham effect,” it has been a mostly off the field phenomena. Beckham needs good players around him to excel and in MLS no team has enough good players for Beckham to have the impact he did with Man United or Real Madrid. (Especially the LA Galaxy who have less serviceable players than any team in either the Mexican top flight or MLS) He can turn in a moment of brilliance and if this league was of a better quality he’d be #1 on this list because nobody on the planet can do what he can, but in MLS his talent is largely wasted.

8- Juan Pablo Angel, NY Red Bulls

Angel’s international career with Columbia was a bust but his performances on the club level have been fairly respectable. Still Angel needs a striker to play off of as was the case at Aston Villa. Jozy Altidore despite the hype, isn’t that player just yet. He will be soon enough but one assumes by the time he’s there he’ll be plying his trade in Europe.

Honorable Mention: Laurent Robert, Toronto FC, Juan Toja, FC Dallas, Dave Van Den Bergh, Red Bulls, Gonzalo Martinez, DC United, Carl Robinson, Toronto FC, Gonzalo Segaras, Chicago, Kenny Deuchar, Real Salt Lake.

Comment here

The Great Escape: American Grit

2008-05-12T04:24:00.001-05:00

Pundits around Britain will no doubt be discussing Fulham’s great escape in the upcoming weeks. Seemingly dead, the London side strung together some improbable results, particularly away from Craven Cottage to escape relegation on goal difference. Was it Jimmy Bullard’s return from injury, the timely striking of Dionmansy Kamara or even the managing of Roy Hodgson, a man left on the dust bin of British football but one of the few English managers of the last 15 years to really make it outside of the U.K? Truth is it was all of the above and something more: American Grit.

Fulham is after all the closet thing we have ever had or will ever have to an “American team” in Europe. The Cottagers have now for years been buying players from MLS, and for years have done enough with what they had to avoid relegation. It all started in 1999 when Fulham bought Marcus Hahnemann and Eddie Lewis from MLS in a push to move to the Premier League. The side had just been promoted to the old first division at the time. Lewis stayed with the team until they were finally promoted in 2001 to the Premier League, and that was the start of Fulham’s now eight year run in the top flight. Since then the club unlike many in Europe has not hesitated to scout and ultimately purchase American players from MLS clubs.

That’s why despite downplaying the significance of Fulham’s survival effort several months ago, I have felt the last few weeks Fulham had to escape relegation to keep going any positive momentum the US has created perception wise in Europe. Fulham’s failure could easily be pinned on its American contingent. Today Fulham’s success can just as easily be credited to the character of its American legion, led by none other than arguably the greatest and most important footballer our nation has ever produced, Goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Keller hasn’t played for the most glamorous clubs or for the most titles. In fact Keller has never once played in a Champions League match. However, he is as I have stated repeatedly before, perhaps the best keeper I have ever seen and if I had to pick a stopper for any odd one off match it would be him, even 38. He’s a keeper that has played at smaller clubs and excelled at those clubs. Four of the clubs Keller played keeper at are now in lower divisions than when he minded their nets. That’s how important he has always been to the teams he has played for. Keller is one of the great goalkeepers internationally of the last fifteen years. No greater star than Romario was so dazzled by Keller’s performance against Brazil in 1998 that he actually said “it was truly an honor to be on the field with him.”

Brian McBride also a gritty veteran, now going on 36 is equally significant to Fulham’s great escape. McBride was always to me a bit of a mystery. Why was a guy who was so critical and outstanding for the US National Team, also so average and injury prone at times in MLS? It seemed McBride’s injury problems hurt him in MLS but also seem to have ironically lengthened his career once he went back abroad. (McBride played in Germany for another American loving club, Wolfsburg before MLS began play in 1996.) McBride’s game changing ability has faded but his leadership and grit are as sharp as ever. McBride retired from the US National Team two years ago, but it deserves mentioning that he is still the second best active American field player (behind Landon Donovan). That is a credit to McBride and a damning indictment of the state of the US National Team’s current talent pool.

The rest of the American contingent at Fulham demonstrate why I firmly believe that the United States is in a dip on the international scene until the generation led by Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, Michael Bradley and Robbie Rogers takes charge of the national team. Clint Dempsey is a player whose spirit and story I love and is uniquely American. But Dempsey is a limited player who often times disappears for long stretches in matches. That was the case in MLS and has been the case at Fulham.

Carlos Bocanegra’s club career is clearly in a tailspin. Bocanegra who has the distinction of being the only American player ever to score two career goals against Brazil, was largely responsible for Fulham’s defensive problems last season and his poor play continued this year. The mere fact that he is a scoring threat on set pieces has earned him more love than he’s truly deserved for both club and country. Roy Hodgson rightfully has kept him on the bench late in the season.

Eddie Johnson is at best an average player in Major League Soccer, and in the English Premier League, probably one of the worst transfers in recent memory. Anyone who watches Johnson as regularly as I have in both MLS and for the national team realized he wasn’t good enough to play at the Premiership level: or at the level of any major European first division. Yet Johnson remains quite possibly the best US striking option. How’s that for scary?

Fulham both honors the great strides the United States has come as Soccer playing nation since the late 1980s in Kasey Keller and Brian McBride, and the current malaise on the national team with the other three players. Fulham honors our proud recent past and our uncertain future. Regardless of what any American soccer fan told you today, Fulham’s result was the most important and most emotionally gut wrenching for those of us that love soccer in our country. The Cottagers remind us why the US got the quarterfinals of World Cup 2002 and why we beat Brazil, Germany (twice) and Argentina in a fifteen month period not long ago. But Fulham also reminds us why the US is a Landon Donovan or Tim Howard injury away from potentially missing our first World Cup since 1986. (With the fifth place COMNEBOL finisher facing the fourth place CONCACAF qualifer, the margain for error that both the U.S. and Mexico have had been reduced and right now I have sense that neither will actually win the Hexaganol, leaving if my gut is correct no margin for error for either. Mexico though could go to South America and win a playoff match. The US cannot. )

What has happened the last few weeks is remarkable. For many of us who have been fans of the sport we have chosen country over club as MLS wasn’t until recently far enough evolved to encourage a loyal fan culture and European football while important was distant. I’ve followed Manchester City Football Club for almost two decades now and consider them my favorite international club, but have always consider the plight of the US National Team far more important than any club’s fortunes. But now, I have joined so many Americans who also pull for Fulham because it seems the gritty group from London are in so many ways a microcosm of American Soccer and have made us all proud in so many ways to be an American and to enjoy the world’s most beautiful game.

Comment here

MLS Sunday Review

2008-05-12T04:23:00.000-05:00

DC United’s slide from continental superpower to also ran in what is certainly not the strongest CONCACAF league continues in full view of the nation. What’s most striking is that the consistency of players and philosophy that was a trade mark of the red and black has given way to something else. What DC United is today in inexplicable and I am beginning to wonder if they will in fact right the ship this season.

Blanco continues to be a force in this league and the supporting cast is finally finding their roles easier to understand. Chris Rolfe and John Thorrington ought to get another look from the US National Team.
ESPN’s Pedro Gomes had a great interview with Blanco about the team philosophy in Chicago. Gomes has been a welcome addition to ESPN’s telecasts. A mainstream sports reporter who actually understands soccer. What a novel concept! Gomes, like myself fell in love with the game while growing up in south Florida watching the old NASL Strikers.
Marcello Gallardo plays deeper than Christian Gomez did for DC and does not have his timing down with the United strikers.
Zach Wells had an outstanding game for DC and if anything prevented Chicago from completing an even more embarrassing score line for United.
United fans don’t handle failure well for the most part and recent uncharacteristic panicking by Kevin Payne and Co. regarding the defensive performances of Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell and Brian Carroll as well as the midfield generalship of Christian Gomez is now being ripped in the Red and Black fan community. Payne has been the best executive in the league’s history, thus DC fans should give this a little more time to work. However, if the team does not turn around soon, Kevin Payne can be added to the number of executives and coaches (including Bruce Arena) who saw an improved MLS pass them by.
I didn’t see any of the Colorado-Houston match so feel unqualified to comment on the proceedings. While I am away, some matches will be unavailable for my viewing, including all matches on FSC.
FC Dallas is a team that continues to under whelm. Not only do the Hoops get bogged down in the midfield, but the 3-5-2 Steve Morrow is playing presumably to get all of his skilled Latin midfielders on the pitch is forcing Dario Sala to stand on his head game in and game out. A keeper, even one of Sala’s quality can only be asked to do so much.
As I have said before RSL has arguably more quality than any side in MLS. The club also has a losing mentality, which winning matches like last night’s can only help to change.
One player whom MLS has not passed by is Andy Williams. Despite being often traded and discarded Williams has now lasted ten years in MLS which for a senior international under MLS old foreign player rules is remarkable. Williams influence on RSL is plain every time he enters a match and yesterday he helped set up Kyle Beckerman for the game winner. (Translation: while Williams would be discarded by one team another in MLS always wanted his services. It was under old MLS rules always easy to dump foreign players, but Williams despite not getting much love always seemed to find a suitor in the league)
Williams and Beckerman played together for my dearly departed club, the Miami Fusion. At the time Beckerman was a teenager, and Williams was coming off a World Cup for Jamaica.
San Jose looked oh so good for seventy minutes. Actually I had planned to discuss Frank Yallop’s counter attacking oriented tactics at length today during that game. But the philosophy blew up in the Quakes face as Robbie Rogers, who has been the best player in MLS this season burned the shell shocked Quakes twice and helped set up a third goal which gave Columbus three more points.
We all love David Beckham but it is amazing how the big name Latin imports of last season: Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Juan Pablo Angel and Guillermo Barros Schelotto, all seem to consistently have more influence on matches than Beckham does. Whether it is because Beckham plays for a below average team who has dropped more points at home than any other in MLS or simply because Beckham’s game is different is up for debate.
Further proof the league has evolved and passed some players, managers and front office personal by: Juan Carlos Osorio and his ability outfox opposing managers of all stripes.
Dave Van Den Bergh is very under appreciated and a key part of why the Red Bulls are surging towards the top of MLS.
The crowd numbers for the weekend have again been disappointing. It was pointed out on another site where my posting of last Sunday was being taken apart that MLS has more sponsors than ever. I am happy to hear that but unhappy to report the majority of initial MLS sponsors including Snickers Bars which I began partially addicted to, and Yahoo, to whom I became loyal to for internet services have both long left the league behind. I made it a personal policy the league’s early years to patron league sponsors, but today I am not sure who to patron because sponsors come and go quickly and its clear some left because MLS did not deliver the return on investment that was promised.

Comment here

MLS Facing Rough Times?

2008-05-04T10:59:00.001-05:00

Thirteen years into the life of Major League Soccer and for all the signs of progress on the field, the league continues to operate more or less in vacuum as far as the general American sports landscape is concerned. For those people who love European football and do not feel MLS is worth their time, no MLS or even a weaker MLS which is distinctly “minor” in its marketing and visibility threatens the amount of European football available on TV here without paying exorbitant pay per event fees. Soccer’s upsurge in popularity in this country owed itself more to MLS than any other factor but right now the league faces challenges and unacknowledged problems that threaten its continued upswing. Moreover, the amount of European football available to those who do not purchase premium channels is currently at its lowest point since the dark pre MLS days.

Last night’s MLS action felt like 1998 or 1999 all over again in some ways but not in others. My American Soccer Show co-host Dave Denholm has rightly pointed out that the worst teams in MLS in 1998 were worse than any team today in the league. But I have, I believe rightly pointed out the best teams in MLS in 1998, DC United and the LA Galaxy would fairly easily beat any top MLS side today on a regular basis. Sadly, many other fans seem to have come to the conclusion I have about the quality of the league. Don’t let MLS’ clever PR sugarcoat things: Attendance is nowhere near where it should be in some markets, and in the case of Columbus in particular the interest in the club is probably half of what it was locally in the 1998/99 time period. It is a pity because the Crew are playing as well as anyone else in the league right now.

San Jose’s return to the Silicon Valley/South Bay area had a distinct 1998/1999 feel. For some reason I thought the Quakes were going to break out the old Clash jerseys and Dario Brose, Jeff Baicher and the incomparable Richard Gough were going to dawn the pitch. While Buck Shaw Stadium is clearly a better venue than Spartan Stadium, the football was of the unwatchable variety the Clash and then the Quakes became known for pre Landon Donovan and DeRo.

Unlike 1998 or 1999, I didn’t see a dominant team like DC United anywhere last night. In those days I would think to myself, “take this DC team to Europe for six months and see them surprise people.” No current MLS team gives me that level of confidence. So in some ways the interest may have waned because despite all of the talk of better play, the top teams are less dominant than they were in the league’s early days and thus less capable of competiting outside of MLS at a high level.

Another factor is Television. While MLS achieved a breakthrough by getting the Disney networks (ESPN and ABC) to pay for long term rights to the league in 2006, ABC currently shows fewer MLS on over the air affiliates than it ever has. In the 1999 season, ABC Sports carried 15 MLS matches all on weekend afternoons. In 2008, ABC will carry only two MLS matches, and a similar pattern has occurred with less and less US National Team games being on ABC. With England out of the Euro Championships, I fear that the ratings for that event could poison the supportive top brass at ESPN against Soccer beyond the MLS Thursday Night matches. While it is true that cable and satellite are more mainstream than they were in 1998, less and less MLS games are available on the Disney Channels and beyond that less and less soccer is available as ESPN has dumped the Premier League and La Liga right as well allowing them to fall to premium soccer specific channels. While this is great for those of us who pay to get FSC, GOL TV and Setanta it ultimately leaves the sport less accessible to mainstream sports fans than ever.

So if the football in many cases hasn’t improved over ten seasons, fan interest is lower than ten years ago in many markets (including the nations largest market) what exactly is MLS accomplishing? Many things: First off the player pool for the US National Team is deeper than ever and the US’ 2002 run in the World Cup which is what made Soccer even remotely mainstream in this country (not the success of Liverpool or Manchester United in European Competitions, despite what many may profess) was created by a team entirely developed in MLS with the two notable exceptions of Claudio Reyna and John O’Brien. MLS has also developed a much stronger reputation abroad than it had in 1998. In fairness part of that reputation was fostered by the fine play of DC United against clubs from South America and England in the 1998 to 2002 period. MLS has also brought top class football to the US shores by bringing in some top foreign players like Roberto Donadoni, Carlos Vaderrama, Lothar Matthaues and now David Beckham, Macello Gallardo, Guillermo Baros Schelotto and Claudio Lopez: the type of footballers we never were able to see for sustained period of time on American shores. MLS has also developed decent foreign talent on our shores: Ryan Nelson, Stern John, Shaun Bartlett, Ben Iroha and others all used their time in MLS to secure lucrative European club contracts and to become fixtures on their respective national sides.

But where is MLS headed? While new markets like Houston and Salt Lake City appear to have been naturals, the league is over expanding while having failed to have made a dent in many of its original core markets. For every Washington DC, we have a New England. For every Los Angeles we have a Columbus. As someone who has seen a team taken away from my market even though the intensity of fan support was in my humble opinion far greater than it is even today in Boston, New York and Kansas City, I have hard time not feeling that MLS has failed in the most fundamental way. Fans in New England can make whatever excuse they want, but the Kraft family has failed even through remarkable on the field success to engage the local population. In Northern California, I feel Lew Wolff’s ideas will create a success with San Jose that the club quite frankly did not have in its previous stint. San Jose had intense fans but not enough fans quite frankly to sustain itself in the current environment. That was due to the absentee ownership of first the Kraft’s and then AEG.

Saturated sports markets aren’t an excuse. Quite frankly, last year I was shocked by the amount of interest the Colorado Rapids have garnered in the mainstream sports community since Stan Kroenke bought the team. In other words, AEG was the reason the Rapids never broke through locally. Denver is the market that has the smallest metropolitan population yet has teams in each of the four major professional sports leagues. (NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB) The Rapids, despite struggling for years except on the 4th of July which served to spike attendance every season, now have found their local niche in quite possibly the most over saturated team sports market in the country. Toronto FC clearly has made a major dent in a hockey driven town with a semi successful NBA team and an MLB team as well. Real Salt Lake has done alright in a market that is small and has a highly successful NBA franchise. But Salt Lake has an owner in Dave Cheketts that knows the American sports landscape from more angles than most and he has helped RSL find it local niche.

The lack of committed local ownership is why I will give New York a semi-pass without giving the same deference to Columbus and New England. However, the lack of general fan interest in New York and the lack of local media coverage in the largest and most cosmopolitan market in the country (and a market that was wildly successful in the NASL even some years averaging close to 50,000 fans per game) continues to be alarming.

Let me be quite frank: MLS has made great strides particularly in quality of play but its failure to become more than a minor player in some of its core markets after thirteen seasons and multiple marketing strategies has me extremely concerned. Unlike five years ago we are not talking about whether the league will survive or not, but I am asking what form will the league survive in? How long can attendance remain flat in certain markets while costs of operating a team and marketing a team continue to increase? Will multiple teams have to move to markets that like Houston and Salt Lake City that were neglected for years even though proving to be natural for the league?

These questions ultimately need to be answered. I’m anxious to hear feedback from you, the fans of this league and the game here in the United States as to where you see this train going.

Comment here

MLS Internationals

2008-05-01T12:04:00.002-05:00

Gallardo/ MLSNet

For years Major League Soccer didn’t attract internationals who had been part of their national team set up at any point. In the early days of MLS, not only did the league attract many active national team players, but the league also sent a number of players from outside CONCACAF to the 1998 World Cup and sent two players to the Euro 2000 tournament. Since then however not a single active MLS player has played for a non CONCACAF nation in either the World Cup or Euro Finals.

Here is the list of current MLS players who have featured internationally for their home countries. Canadian, American and Puerto Rican players are excluded.

Mexico

Claudio Suarez

178 caps/ 6 goals

Member of 1994, 1998 and 2006 Mexican World Cup teams

Member of 1993, 1998 and 2003 Gold Cup Champion teams

Member of 1999 and 2005 Confederations Cup teams

Cuauhtemoc Blanco

97 caps/34 goals

Member of 1998 and 2002 World Cup teams

Member of 1998 and 2003 Gold Cup Champion teams

Member of 2007 Gold Cup runner up team

Member of 1999 Confederations Cup Champion team

Duilio Davino

80 caps/1 goal

Member of 1998 World Cup team

Argentina

Guilermo Barros Schelloto

10 caps/ 0 goals

Member 1999 Copa America team

Marcello Gallardo

44 caps/ 14 goals

Member 1997 U-20 World Cup champion team

Member 1998 and 2002 World Cup team

Member 1999 and 2004 Argentine Copa America team

Claudio Lopez

58 caps/10 goals

Member 1998 and 2002 World Cup team

Member 1997 and 1999 Copa America team

Bermuda

Khano Smith

20 caps/7 goals

Bolivia

Jaime Moreno

72 caps/11 goals

Member 1994 World Cup team

Member 1997, 2001, 2007 Copa America team

Columbia

Juan Pablo Angel

33 caps/9 goals

Member 2003 Confederations Cup team

Gonzalo Martinez

36 caps/1 goal

Member 2001 Copa America Championship team

Member 2003 Confederations Cup team

Member 2004 Copa America team

Costa Rica

Andy Herron

17 caps/ 8 goals

Member 2005 Gold Cup team

Gonzalo Segaras

3 caps/0 goals

Ivory Coast

Olivier Tebily

18 caps/0 goals

Cuba

Maykel Galindo

35 caps/12 goals

England

David Beckham

100 caps/17 goals

Member 1998, 2002, 2006 World Cup teams

Member 2000, 2004 European Championship teams

France

Laurent Robert

9 caps/ 1 goal

Grenada

Shalrie Joseph

11 caps/0 goals

Guatemala

Carlos Ruiz

72 caps/35 goals

Member 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 Gold Cup teams

Haiti

Jean Phiippe Peguero

10 caps/6 goals

Honduras

Ivan Guerrero

69 caps/4 goals

Member 2000 Olympic team

Member 2001 Copa America team

Member 2002, 2007 Gold Cup teams

Mauricio Castro

4 caps/0 goals

Amado Guevara

106 caps/ 22 goals

Member 2001 Copa America team

Copa America 2001 Golden Ball (best player)

Member 2002, 2005, 2007 Gold Cup teams

Jamaica

Tyrone Marshall

59 caps/ 2 goals

Member 2000, 2003 Gold Cup teams

Ryan Johnson

1 cap/0 goals

Dane Richards

6 caps/ 0 goals

Shavar Thomas

12 caps/ 0 goals

Member 2001 FIFA U-20 World Cup team

Andy Williams

82 caps/12 goals

1998 World Cup squad member

2000, 2003 Gold Cup team member

Liberia

Francis Doe

7 caps/ 3 goals

Netherlands

Dave Van Den Bergh

2 caps/o goals

New Zealand

Andrew Boyens

5 caps/ 0 goals

Duncan Oughton

18 caps/ 2 goals

Jarrod Smith

11 caps/ o goals

Peru

Jose Carvallo

1 cap/o goals

Poland

Tomasz Frankowski

22 caps/ 10 goals

Portugal

Abel Xavier

20 caps/ 2 goals

Member 2002 World Cup team

Member 2000 European Champions team

St Kitts and Nevis

Atiba Harris

23 caps/ 7 goals

St Vincent

Ezra Hendrickson

123 caps/ 5 goals

Senegal

Bouna Coundoul

2 caps/ 0 goals

Member 2008 African Nations Cup team

Switzerland

Raphael Wicky

75 caps/ 1 goal

Member 2006 World Cup team

Member 1996 and 2004 World Cup team.

Trinidad and Tobago

Scott Sealy

22 caps/ 2 goals

Member 2007 Gold Cup squad

Turks and Caicos

Gavin Glinton

5 caps/ 4 goals

Venezuela

Alejandro Moreno

5 caps/ 0 goals

Wales

Carl Robinson

45 caps/ 1 goal

Comment here

CONCACAF Champions League Countdown

2008-04-23T14:09:00.001-05:00

Get this widget!

MLS Week Four Review

2008-04-22T10:34:00.003-05:00

Columbus performance Thursday night at RFK Stadium was outstanding all around, and showed a fighting spirit the Crew often times lacked on the road (accept strangely at Foxboro against the Revs) the past few seasons.
The most impressive performance of the night from the Crew was once again from Robbie Rogers. The winger showed his quality in the U-20 world cup last year and has built upon that performance to become at this early stage of the MLS season, arguably the most dangerous wide player in the league.
Marcello Gallardo had his most influential match since joining DC United but the Black and Red have a disastrous back line that needs to be sorted soon.
Guilermo Barros Schelotto seems to be one of the rare players that understands the game so well that aging and a diminishing skill level have less of an effect on his quality than even for a top class players.
Rohan Ricketts was yet another British signing of Toronto FC I panned, but he looked impressive making some important deep runs vs RSL.
Jeff Cunningham remains in the doghouse. He hardly got a run out in this match.
Ian Joy and Nat Borchers have stabilized the defense for RSL.
I always find it amazing how DC United can get more fans for midweek games than New Jersey for weekend matches. This has been a consistent trend since 1996 and I am hopeful but not overly confident that RBNY’s move to Harrison next year will change this.
The turf at the Meadowlands should convince everybody that while the new era of stadium carpets may not be as ugly as Astroturf, it isn’t anywhere near real grass either and fundamentally unsuitable for playing football on. (And precisely why England despite their ineptitude should be in the Euros this summer and Russia should not)
RBNY fans have been complaining about the free kick call, but I felt Adam Christman was clearly taken down just outside the box from behind. A slight clip, but a clear foul.
Steve Nicol’s New England team is so amazingly gritty considering all the injuries and then the sending off of Mauricio Castro. It is downright amazing how the Revs salvaged a point from Saturday night, and that has to be considered a negative three point swing for Red Bull.
John Wolyniec still playing in MLS and almost scoring winning goals in MLS tells me this league still has a long long way to go. Wolyniec was a player who was called in from the A-League (now USL-1) Long Island Rough Riders when Bora Milutinovic managed the Metrostars because the team was out of strikers. He was never seen as an MLS type player. But ten seasons later he’s still in league and has no disernable skill or quality other than simple smarts. I like players like Wolyniec but let’s face it, if you’re counting on him to win games, your league isn’t anywhere near where some of the proponents of this league think it is in terms of quality compared with other leagues in this hemisphere or even in the CONCACAF region.
I want to thank MSG for its “Red Bull in 60″ program for allowing me to see the match despite not having HDNet.
San Jose came out flying in Denver and looked very impressive.
I thought Gavin Glinton and Kei Kamara both did well in the attack and that Ned Grabavoy has a solid effort.
Ronnie O’Brien and Ramiro Corrales have already developed the kind of understanding of each other you’d expect only after half a season together.
Colorado’s kids from their reserve side finally ran out of answers today. Still Omar Cummings had a very good game.
Steve Cronin finally showed on Saturday why many fancy him as a potential US National Team player pool goalkeeper going forward. Cronin had an impeccable sense of positioning and showed great instincts.
Someone who has poor instincts and positioning sense is Patrick Ianni. While many were quick to criticize Tony Caig a few weeks back, I felt an uncertain Caig was not being done any favors by Ianni. Now the Englishman Caig is excelling inspite of Ianni. It is simply frightening that the US may go into the Olympics this summer with Ianni potentially starting. This is where Peter Nowak needs to reach for a Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit or a now healthy Cory Gibbs as an overage player selection.
David Beckham’s chemistry with Landon Donovan is uncanny for two footballers who have played together so few times. But the reality is that they are the two of the three most accomplished attacking players from an international standpoint currently in MLS (Blanco being the other) and national team players are often times required to develop team chemistry with virtually no training sessions together.
Houston’s quality and team understanding is on display every time they take the field. Unfortunately, the finishing touch has yet to find the two time defending champions this season.
Anybody who realistically believes ANY American national team pool player is more talented and skilled than Landon Donovan is simply foolish at this point. I’ve heard lots of spirited conversation about Donovan’s poor finishing this week, but if you can name me one other player in the contemporary history of US Soccer (post 1950 world cup) who is capable of creating so many chances in a legitimate first division professional match, you know more than I about the history of the sport in this country. By comparison, Eric Wynalda whose goals record for US MNT, Donovan recently broke depended on outstanding service or a dead ball situation to score. Brian McBride was a little more capable of creating opportunities for himself and his team mates but was still in MLS nowhere near Donovan’s level. The reality is that besides Donovan the best attacking players in MLS history have all been non-Americans. Ante Razov and Jeff Cunningham have both scored lots of goals but they are nowhere near the best attacking players in the history of this league. (While both have had great MLS careers both scored many goals while playing off other top strikers. For Cunningham it was McBride, Brian West, Stern John and Dante Washington in Columbus, and for Razov it was Roman Kosecki, Josh Wolff, Hristo Stoichkov and Damani Ralph in Chicago)
Chivas USA's backline is a mess and I have heard the word "regression" mentioned in association with Jonathan Bornstien's defensive skills.
Kansas City is using Claudio Lopez always a striker for Lazio and Club America in a hybrid offensive roaming role. Thus far it is paying dividends for the Wizards.
Chad Barrett's finishing is abhorrent. Again, Barrett's inclusion on the US Olympic qualifying squad was another mystery when players the quality of Robbie Rogers and Arturo Alvarez were cut.

MLS Review: Weekend Three

2008-04-14T13:56:00.002-05:00

Ah another Saturday of MLS action is in the books and interest already seems to be at midseason form: that is to say people are losing interest as evidenced by the attendance. Perhaps it was DC’s midweek loss that rendered the best in MLS for another year inferior to an upper mid table Mexican side? (although to be fair DC looked over two legs to be better than Pachuca. Houston however, looked vastly inferior to Saprissa the Costa Rican champions who have for years had a special talent to make MLS sides look bad) Or was it that simply put it is a long season and a buzz hasn’t developed yet this season?

I do not know what special circumstances existed this week in the Bay Area, but for all the hullabaloo about losing the Quakes, it didn’t seem like the East bay area is ready to embrace a San Jose team despite the presence of Blanco in the debut.
San Jose could be the best expansion team since MLS expanded in 1998 (when Chicago won the MLS Cup and Miami made the playoffs). I liked Kei Kamara’s runs and Ramiro Corrales’ quality on the ball. The backline was solid and held its shape giving Joe Cannon little to do. The little Cannon did have to do he botched up. But if the Quakes don’t have the fan base we thought they did, why are they back in existence without a stadium?
I don’t have much to say about Chicago other than they absorbed pressure well and got three points.
Peter Nowak made some bonehead moves as we discussed on the American Soccer Show prior to the US U-23 qualifying campaign. Two moves in particular we mentioned were the dropping of Robbie Rogers and Arturo Alvarez. The US’ poor qualifying campaign could have been a lot easier if the two explosive wingers had been around: evidence each ones play in the first three MLS matches.
New England showed its limitations with Steve Ralston leading them on versus the Rapids. But the Revs will be fine in the long run.
No excuses for the 8k and change in Foxboro, despite Brad Feldman’s (whom I like a great deal as a play by play guy) spin on this past Thursday’s 2Gs show and the rainy weather last night. For years the Revs used gimmicks like putting fans on one side of the stadium ( a technique perfected by former crowd builder extraordinaire Lynne Metreparel who so impressed the Kraft’s she was given the GM job in San Jose for a time) and by scheduling doubleheaders to raise the overall season average attendance. Then their was always the simple padding of numbers. I understand Foxboro is out there, the boondocks literally. But don’t make excuses: New England has a crowd problem. I recall several Sunday afternoon Spanish language TV games in the late 1990s where you could literally count the fans at the old Foxboro Stadium and then you’d see a reported attendance of 10,000.
Chivas USA has problems at the back and I am officially an old man as of last night because I distinctly recall watching Keith Savage’s father Bruce Savage one of the only Americans who played in 1982 and 1983 for my hometown Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the NASL. The elder Savage played along such luminaries as Nene Cubillias, Ray Hudson, Brian Kidd, Ellias Figeruoa and Thomas Rongen.
Columbus has some woeful finishers even though they did score four goals. The number of chances Columbus created should have netted them at least six or seven goals.
Funny how dumping Ned Grabavoy makes Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers look more efficient and comfortable in the attack.
I love Sacha Kljestan’s game but I have seen him several times get too emotional in matches and get dumb fouls or worse yet like last night be sent off. He could be one of the best Americans in MLS but must mature in adverse situations.
What exactly did Preki see in Chris Pozniak that made him give up the depth and young legs that John Cuncliffe could give his team?
At this rate Brad Guzan will face more shots before the transfer window opens and he presumably is sold to a European club than he did the previous two seasons. Brad, does your backline remind you of year one for Chivas at all?
Chivas is putting too much pressure on Galindo and Kljestan to provide goals galore. The funny thing is half the time they can probably outscore their opponents, ala FC Dallas last season.
Chivas has looked poor in all three games this season. I’ve kept them high in my power rankings based on names on a piece of paper. This week they take the drop for sure.
Memo to Bob Bradley: Kenny Cooper is healthy and looks more dangerous than ever with great touch and an improved pace. Drop Eddie Johnson for good and bring Cooper in for another look.
FC Dallas should have nine points right now but instead have just five. Honestly, I am not sure anyone has better players than the Hoops but as we discussed earlier this week on the site, some teams are simply cursed and can’t stand prosperity. Until something clearly changes that, Steve Morrow’s bunch cannot be taken seriously as a title contender.
Kansas City’s attendance across the river in Kansas at Community America Ballpark is certainly much better than it was at Arrowhead.
Gretna refugee Tony Caig had a nightmare against Saprissa in the Champions Cup, but he came back with a solid game against the Wizards.
Santino Quaranta, once the golden child of US Soccer appears to finally be growing into a good player.
I like Real Salt Lake’s team this season as our readers and listeners know. However, I took nothing from the 4-0 drubbing of DC. Not only did United field a reserve type side that was emotionally drained after the controversial defeat at the hands of Pachuca in the Champions Cup midweek, but RSL has actually become what Bolton has been to Arsenal the last few years. A bogey team. Thus, I encourage everyone to not read too much into the result.
Part of the reason I am so high on RSL is their depth. Robbie Findley, for example comes off the bench to add scoring punch. Were he still with the Galaxy he’d be forced to go 90 minutes each and every night.

The plight of the LA Galaxy after Sunday's "performance" is discussed below. Clearly Toronto FC despite making poor choices about players from Europe got a high class #10 type player in Amado Guevara and it showed Sunday.

It seems the debate about the standard of Major League Soccer is never ending and a huge gulf exists between those who believe MLS teams would be successful in Serie A or the Premier League and those who equate MLS teams to third or fourth division European teams. This debate may find itself shifted to new ground in the near future. It seems this season for the first time we have teams in MLS that play a clearly Latin style running circles around those stuck in MLS circa 2003 or are attempting to replicate European 4th division glory on North American soil. Only New England with their British style but superior domestic scouting network stand apart from this trend. Los Angeles with their hybrid of European flavor and American second and third division quality players (US-1 and USL-2 quality) has thrown off the early success latin footballers like Mauricio Cienfuegos brought the club and have embraced a style and quality of football that reflects poorly on MLS and US Soccer as a whole.

Toronto FC has achieved a breakthrough to supercede the arrogant Galaxy thanks to Mo Johnston’s renewed faith in Amado Guevara (this time Mo does not have to coach the great Honduran just had to make a deal to get him) and the lucky break of facing the Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS’ worst team early in the season away from home. While TFC is still a bottom feeder, Guevara is so good he’ll inevitably make the Championship, SPL and League One washouts around him much better.

I have a problem which is why perhaps I’m not as cutting edge or truly honest with all our readers and listeners as I ought to be. Those who have read my work before the American Soccer Show know that despite my respect for Landon Donovan I think the rest of the Los Angeles Galaxy franchise is an embarrassment to the game in this country. Yet, time after time I make excuses publically for the Galaxy whether it is on this blogsite or on the air. I claim international call ups, injuries, scheduling, etc have created trouble. It’s not like I claim the Galaxy are any great shake, but I do articulate a “me too” position since so many in the soccer media keep making excuses and claiming the Galaxy has improved. I feel like I’ll look biased (since I have been accused often of anti-Galaxy bias) if I don’t “go along.” Well that is my fault, and isn’t the fault of anyone else. Obviously I never felt strongly enough about my own convictions to completely reject conventional wisdom on this particular subject even though I have been very outspoken on many other current issues in the sport.

Well now, let’s be brutally honest, and let me reconnect with my gut instinct and take off the politically correct glasses. Not only have the Galaxy not improved, but they are the worst team in MLS, by a long distance. Yet they have a payroll twice that of any other team in the league, save Chicago. But this isn’t simply the case of an isolated team making bad personnel decisions. This is a case of a team who thinks they are bigger than the league and sum of its other parts making bad decisions and reflecting poorly on the league as whole abroad. This is the case of a team that was super successful in the early days of the league believing that success somehow entitled the Galaxy brand to flourish above all others on the American soccer landscape. It is an arrogance that despite several color and uniform redesigns that changed the identity of the club, believes that simply being called the “Galaxy” translates into some sort of magical team resembling the galacticos of Real Madrid fame.

The franchise that brought David Beckham to MLS also has a collection of players beyond Beckham, Donovan, Carlos Ruiz and Abel Xavier worse than the average USL-1 side. In other words, the Galaxy’s talent level is a whole division lower than that of their opposition in Major League Soccer. The Galaxy continue to mismanage the salary cap and then complain about the rules of the league: as if the rules should not apply to them. But the rules are applied more or less uniformly throughout MLS, and the Galaxy are failing the very same tests that less glamorous and publicized franchises consistently pass.

We as soccer fans in the United States are all indebted in some form to AEG. But we’ve since repaid that debt. Now AEG is on a mission to take our little league that has done so much to grow the game in this country and make it a worldwide brand. Now while that may seem like a good thing, if it is done the wrong way the results and image developed can be disastrous. That is without a doubt what has happened now with the Galaxy. The team has been worn down by both post season and pre season globe trotting tours and now comes back to the only competition they compete in (while some other league teams restricted by the very same rules as far as squad size and salary are entered in over five competitions) and look thoroughly outclassed. Even poor David Beckham, the world class player he is, had to resort to hacking Jeff Cunningham (for which he was not booked) to slow down the tempo of a game moving way too fast for the Galaxy’s already dead tired legs.

The Galaxy provide the equivalent of League One or Serie C/1 football in a league whose best teams are pushing Premier League and Serie A levels. Yet this is a franchise who claims they somehow are the “gold standard” in North America. How pathetically laughable, but also how sorry and sick this whole episode is for the public image of Major League Soccer.

Mr. Commissioner, You are Kidding, Right?

2008-04-10T16:28:00.003-05:00

Commissioner Don Garber should know better. As the man most personally responsible for growing MLS into a palatable product in the United States, he should understand something very basic. As we discussed on today’s Daily 2Gs show on CSRN, the league is only where it is from an international standpoint thanks to DC United. For Commissioner Garber to make the following comments smacks of an appalling lack of respect for the signature club of the league he is the head of:

"For this league to win over the core audience, we’ve got to be able to be among the best clubs in N. America. DC United talks about their goal is to win a spot in the World Club Championship. They want to be the best team in the region. They really struggled the other night at Pachuca.”

DC United Manager Tom Soehn responded with the following:

“I want to thank our commissioner for motivating us for some slighted comments he had against us in the papers. I appreciate his TV analysis.”

Perhaps Mr. Commissioner if you weren’t so busy over selling and over promoting your league and certain teams in the league you could focus a little bit on making MLS more successful in these sorts of events. It’s quite ironic that despite all the bluster from the league office and certain executives about the Los Angeles Galaxy and David Beckham, when the rubber meets the road and our little league has prove it has grown up in legitimate competitions, the Galaxy and their $9.1 million payroll are never to be found. (The SUM created Pan Pacific Cup and Superliga are events meant to showcase MLS and make money, not true international championships of any sort)

You mention, Mr. Commissioner that for the league to win over its core audience our teams must be among the best clubs in North America. If that is the case, which I believe it is, why has the league spent so much time trying to market to casual sports fans via David Beckham and other vehicles who don’t share this perspective or even understand it in the least? I applaud the leagues newly stated goals: they have been my goals as I have editorialized time and again on this site for years now. However, if that is in fact your goal, and the goal of the league, why when a team such as DC United or Houston have injuries to key players like Ben Olsen or Eddie Robinson are they not able to sign a replacement player that doesn’t count against the salary cap or the 18 man senior roster limit?

Hasn’t occurred to you Mr. Commissioner that DC United at one time was arguably the best club in North America and then quickly slipped behind about twelve Mexican league teams because of the MLS salary cap and the number of quality players DC United was forced to let go of? Didn’t it embarrass you when A.J. Wood, Micah Cooks and Carey Talley were starting for DC United in the Champions Cup instead of players like Roy Lassiter, Jeff Agoos and John Harkes who had qualified them for the event? Do you recall that? Was that the fault of DC United? (no disrespect intended towards Wood, Cooks and Talley but my point is DC qualifed for the event with superior players and were forced to dump them because of the salary cap)

How about last night when Houston was forced after the fourth minute to play with several non regulars and several players out of position? Dom Kinnear knows the rules of MLS and did a great job developing more depth for the Dynamo last season, but to ask him and his players to do the impossible and then imply the league won’t win its core audience is to say the least irresponsible.

Instead of creating loopholes for the LA Galaxy who finished 11th in a 13 team league to circumvent the salary cap, why don’t you, Mr. Commissioner focus on helping teams like DC United and Houston who have stated a desire to be among the best clubs in the region and are closer due to their actions than the LA Galaxy who simply has the bombastic rhetoric of its front office to fall back on? Why don’t you look at ways to help top MLS sides (a group which again does not include the Galaxy) gain exemptions so they can compete hard in top competitions. Last season, DC United lost to Chicago in the playoffs largely because of their participation in the Copa Sudamericana. This year, with a similarly tight schedule, United may be inclined to decline an invitation to COMNEBOL’s second most prestigious event or worse yet send a “B” team to compete because the squad rules and salary cap are too restrictive.

We all want MLS to succeed abroad in these competitions. I have stated time and time again on this site that these events are how MLS’ success is measured, not by some superficial standard the league employs. Yet the league office much as it did with expansion holds different teams to different standards.

Comment here

DC United: The Pride of MLS

2008-04-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

Marco Etcheverry was the symbol of United’s early dominance of MLS

No offense to our readers who support MLS’ other thirteen and soon to be fifteen teams. These franchises are developing the persona to be considered a “club” by international standards as we speak. In some cases like Houston the process is quicker than in other places like New York. However, DC United reached “club” status very early in MLS’ existence and have led the way for years in the league. Wearing the DC United badge and colors means something to most players: it’s not just another MLS team, when you suit up for the Black and Red you inherit all the pride and luster that has been developed in that uniform. You play for the shirt, not just for a paycheck and championship with an assorted group of players.

DC United is one of only two franchises that have been existence since MLS’ inception that have kept a reasonably similar looking crest and color scheme since the beginning. (DC had a very early flap with it’s original crest that was quickly replaced, although I still have a souvenir of the original that reminded some people of a Nazi WWII symbol) In addition, for years United was the only team that could count on a core audience for a midweek game, perhaps owning itself to RFK’s location on the Metro blue and orange lines. During this period DC United seemed to be the only club that had a really developed and sophisticated scouting operation. Kevin Payne unlike some others who run MLS clubs isn’t a publicity seeker. He simply knows how to put, year after year a winning product on the pitch. Agents in Latin America would often times laugh off any suggestion that their client go play in the backwater MLS, unless it was of course for the one recognizable club in the league: DC United.

CSRN’s Peter Brown and I recently had a conversation about RFK Stadium. Through the years I’ve been able to enjoy a number of matches at what is a hallowed ground, and believe as does Peter than any move by United to Poplar Point or worse even Maryland would strip the club and its supporters of much of their respective identities. Sure I understand revenue streams and needing to make money, but passion is football, and long term passion is found more at RFK than anywhere else in MLS. From the get go in MLS, RFK Stadium has provided the backdrop for United’s immense local fan base, a base that is able to use public transport at all times of the day to get to and from the stadium. RFK’s location has made DC United more accessible to the local populace and United’s success has long made the franchise the one truly mainstream MLS team in a local sporting culture. In Washington DC, United isn’t brandished to the back pages of the sports section or off the local broadcast news entirely as most MLS teams are in their respective markets. Playing in the city and winning have had its advantages but so has smart marketing and even smarter player personnel decisions by Kevin Payne and Dave Kasper. As an MLS fan in the early years, watching the league was sometime tough, but it was always easy to get up for a game, any game at RFK whether in person or on TV. The Washington Nationals Baseball franchise began play in 2005 and briefly ruined RFK for the beautiful game, but now the Nats are gone and RFK once again gleams a light that few soccer stadiums have in this country.

When internationals come to MLS to play for another club, they are simply coming to raise the profile of the league as a whole, or in many cases improve their respective clubs. When foreigners like Marcello Gallardo come to DC United they know why they are here: to continue a tradition of winning trophies, playing for the crest/shirt and to further the tradition created by “El Diablo” (picture above) and others who have made United unquestionably the league’s most recognizable club outside the borders of the United States in the rest of the Western Hemisphere.

DC United’s pride and recognition have taken MLS to its greatest heights outside the United States: The first league triumph in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the Inter-American cup title, three absolute demolitions of top British clubs in friendlies at RFK, the only MLS side to play in the Copa Sudamericana and the only triumph ever for an MLS club on the ground of an English Premier League club against the home standing side. All the while, DC’s fan base and fan support is deeper than just about any other club around. The LA Galaxy claim they want to be a North American superclub but they have way to go to ever match DC United’s level of local interest and respect (not just name identification) abroad.

Against this backdrop I made an audacious prediction last week. I felt DC United could beat Pachuca and advance to the finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup while Houston had no chance (or a 5% chance as I put it) against Saprissa. Both teams lost but obviously DC United’s fighting spirit was on full display Wednesday night, and the failure of the black and red to advance could be chalked up as much to bad luck as anything else. But I’ll admit, I have thirteen years of MLS watching to fall back on and that is tantamount to cheating in this instance. The other MLS teams as discussed above are simply professional sports franchises in a North American sense. They don’t really have an identity. As much as Houston fans love the Dynamo, that team was the Earthquakes and they have yet to develop the aura of a super club (although they are further along than most MLS teams including the aforementioned LA Galaxy who are on what seems like color scheme number thirteen to match the number of years they have been in existence) that DC has. You can put any respectable signing in a DC United shirt for an international competition and know what to expect. In all the years where MLS has failed to achieve international glory, the signature club of MLS has despite not winning silverware never disgraced the league in the same fashion as so many other sides, even more successful sides in an MLS sense have. You can never watch a DC United match against foreign opposition be it a competitive match or friendly and mock the standard of MLS. United is even in defeat still miles ahead of the rest of the league in ways that many fans and commentators don’t understand and some don’t care to understand. United is MLS’ leading light and continues to be consistent

Comment here

MLS Sunday Morning Review

2008-04-06T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Fire Exploded for Four First Half Goals Thursday Night/MLSNet.com

Chicago’s performance again New England while providing an impressive score line owed itself more to the circumstances both weather wise and red card related than anything else.
Jeff Larentowicz’s red card was totally unjustified. However the referee, Baldomero Toledo did a good job of controlling the match from that point forward.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco continues to impress as he’s made a transition from the Mexican League to MLS better than anyone else in MLS history.
I thought Chris Rolfe did not look like he was back to full speed. Chicago needs him playing at the peak of his ability to chase a championship.
New England showed some fight in the second half which bodes well for them going forward without Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston.
Landon Donovan and David Beckham looked like world class players, which they are. But watching the San Jose-LA Galaxy game made me wonder how anyone can really believe the standard of play in MLS is comparable to the Mexican League or as I have heard some commentators mention, the Dutch or French leagues. The number of bad giveaways and poor decisions in midfield were striking and spoke loudly about the lack of quality depth in MLS for those watching. Fans who are comfortable watching other leagues must have cringed at the quality of the touches in the showcase Thursday night match on ESPN2
The other matches this weekend were honestly better than LA-SJ in terms of quality but again the international press and MLS critics in the US tend to focus on games involving the Galaxy, and the lack of quality in that match was painfully obvious, and in the minds of those critics an indictment of the league.
Colorado came out very aggressively for a road match. The linkup play between Christian Gomez and the other Colorado attackers while not quite there yet appeared to have improved in just one week.
It’s a shame the Kansas City-Colorado game wasn’t a nationally televised game. Community America Ballpark looked better this week: maybe it was the camera work for Metro Sports, or perhaps it was just a case of a stadium growing on me.
Carlos Marinelli has found his niche in MLS. I’m tired of hearing from Boro fans about what a train wreck he was at the Riverside. Argentine players don’t always fit in well at second tier English clubs and Marinelli, supremely talented and skilled has found his form with the Wizards.
Colorado showed a great deal of grit and character to get themselves back into the match. Omar Cummings is quickly developing into a nice attacking player.
Kansas City dumped Jose Burciaga because inspite of his ability to get forward, as left back he’s pretty poor and prone to losing guys on set pieces.
Toronto FC’s English experiment continues to fail in MLS. Mo Johnston must be fired soon, or the honestly TFC will be so far behind the other teams all of whom have developed decent scouting networks, they may never catch up.
DC United didn’t show me much either to be perfectly honest. I hope they show more Wednesday night or MLS will be out of the Champions Cup.
Fred’s touches on the ball and general movement seem like they are a major dropoff from last season. Hopefully this is just early season rust rather than a decline in skills.
Good to see Jaime Moreno back and playing well. DC needs him against Pachuca Wednesday night.
Marcello Gallardo scored a goal but I would still rather take Christian Gomez and have my DP slot to replace Moreno or Emilio in a year.
Dave Van Den Bergh is a quality player, the likes of which are far and few between in MLS. He has a good left foot and understands his role in whatever system he is asked to play in. Very few players in this league could get a cap for Holland, and very few players in the current US National Team player pool could ever be called into a Dutch National Team cap. The fact that Van Den Bergh unlike most European refuges to MLS got a cap for his country only a year and half before coming to the league says a great deal to me.
Sinisa Ubipaipovic is a player I am really impressed by. He’s dangerous in the attack and can get back and do a good marking and clearing on set pieces.
Will Hesmer was a mess in the first ten minutes for Columbus but heroic afterwards.
Adam Moffat looks like he’s going to be good addition for the Crew.
Both Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers have grown up for Columbus.
Sacha Kljestan was outstanding. The best player on Saturday in any game, and Chivas USA is at this point the most complete team in the league.
Real Salt Lake’s midfield play is very good, and they dominated long stretches of the match against Chivas USA. However, finishing for RSL continues to be poor.
RSL’s backline continues to be of great concern going forward. The club is paying a ton of salary to Ian Joy and Nat Borchers because they came back to MLS from Europe when players of their (mediocre) quality are on other teams payroll at a much lower salary position. Both Joy and Borchers looked completely outclassed, and are further proof simply because an American played in Europe, they are not going to be world beaters in MLS.

Comment here

Has MLS Regressed Since the Early Days?

2008-04-04T09:09:00.002-05:00

It was a Mexican Superstar, Luis Hernandez that led an MLS side to its last Continental Triumph

As has been discussed recently on the American Soccer Show and on this website we’ve been fed what amounts to league driven propaganda (presumably to attract new investors to the game which is a good thing) that the standard of MLS is consistently improving. With the two top MLS sides facing down the barrel of a gun at elimination at the semi-final stage of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, let’s look at MLS’ history participating in competitions with teams from other leagues outside the United States in FIFA/Federation sanctioned events. (ie., non SUM created and marketed events)

1997

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP

DC United…………………Lost in semifinals to LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy………………..Lost in final to Cruz Azul

1998

CONCACAF Champions Cup

Colorado Rapids………………Lost in qualifying round to Leon

DC United………………..Defeated Toluca in final

Inter-American Cup

DC United……………….Defeated Vasco De Gama in final

1999

CONCACAF Champions Cup

Chicago Fire…………………..Lost to Alajuelenese in Semi-finals

DC United……………………..Lost to Nexaca in the Semi-finals

LA Galaxy…………………….Lost in qualifying round to Nexaca

2000

CONCACAF Champions Cup

DC United…………………….Lost in semi-finals to LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy……………..Defeated Olimpia in the final

Club World Cup

LA Galaxy…………………..Drawn to face Real Madrid in first round…………..event canceled.

2001

CONCACAF Giants Cup

Columbus Crew…………..Lost to Saprissa in Quarterfinals

DC United…………………..Lost in final to Club America

* The Giants Cup replaced the Champions Cup in 2001 and its qualification was based on average attendance per match, thus Columbus qualified ahead of potentially more competitive sides like the LA Galaxy or the Metrostars. I look back at 2001 as a year I believe an MLS team could have won the Champions Cup, and the last season before the mass exodus of top American players from MLS to Europe really began.

Copa Meraconorte

KC Wizards………………..Eliminated at Group Stage (4 pts, 1 W 1 D 4L)

Metrostars…………………Eliminated at Group Stage (9pts, 3 W 3L)

2002

CONCACAF Champions Cup

Chicago Fire……………….Eliminated in Quarterfinals by Moriela

DC United………………….Eliminated in Round of 16 by Alajuelenese

KC Wizards………………..Eliminated in Semifinals by Moriela

San Jose Earthquakes..Eliminated in Quarterfinals by Pachuca

2003

CONCACAF Champions Cup

Columbus Crew………..Lost to Morelia in the Quarterfinals

LA Galaxy………………..Lost to Nexaca in the Quarterfinals

New England Revs……Lost to Alajuelenese in the Round of 16

San Jose Earthquakes.. Lost to Municipal in the Round of 16

2004

CONCACAF Champions Cup

Chicago Fire……………….Lost to Saprissa in the Semi-finals

SJ Earthquakes………….Lost to Alajuelenese in the Quarterfinals

2005

CONCACAF Champions Cup

DC United………………….Lost to Pumas in Semifinals

KC Wizards………………..Lost to Saprissa in the Quarterfinals

Copa Sudamericana

DC United………………….Lost to Universidad Catolica in Round of 16

2006

CONCACAF Champions Cup

LA Galaxy………………..Lost to Saprissa in Quarterfinals

NE Revs…………………..Lost to Alajuelenese in Quarterfinals

2007

CONCACAF Champions Cup

DC United……………….Lost to Guadalajara in Semi-finals

Houston Dynamo……Lost to Pachuca in Semi-finals

Copa Sudamericana

DC United……………..Lost to Guadalajara in Round of 16

—————————————————————————————————————————

While MLS’ performances in the Champions Cup the past two years has certainly exceeded the performances of the previous half dozen years, a gap still without question exists between the Mexican League and MLS. Mexican League teams can go to the Copa Libertadores and hold their own and also have been very successful in the Copa Sudamericana with Pachuca winning the 2006 title. With all of the recent conversation about MLS entering the Copa Libertadores and the new CONCACAF Champions League beginning play this year, MLS has a better chance of having its top teams reinforce a notion abroad that MLS is not up to the same standard as the leagues many American fans like to compare it with. Based on these results the Costa Rican league is far superior to MLS: However, Costa Rica’s league generally only has two or three strong teams, while every MLS non-expansion team is roughly of the same caliber when it comes to comparing them to teams in other leagues.

The bottom line is regardless of the bluster we hear from some fans and the opinions of respected soccer journalists like my co-host Dave Denholm, the results for MLS in competitive matches against squads from other leagues outside the U.S. had in many ways gotten progressively worse throughout the leagues history until 2006, and is only now beginning to recover. However, if you have a different take on the above detailed results, please feel free to comment and take me to task for this posting!

Comment here

MLS Saturday Thoughts

2008-03-30T11:48:00.000-05:00

Claudio Lopez, in the Club America shirt above scored on his Kansas City debut, but the match itself was tough to watch given the surroundings.

MLS’ season opened earlier this year than it has since the league dropped the schedule from 32 games down to 28 and then back up to 30. In typical MLS style however, the opening weekend seemed to coincide with other prominent events on the American sporting calender so “First Kick” became the exclusive province of hard core football fans in the country, which is never enough to support and sustain a professional first division. ( A teaser for an upcoming post about MLS this week)

In addition, poor weather conditions and some horrible field conditions whether it was football lines or a narrow pitch in what appeared to be a small town minor league baseball stadium made a few of the games almost totally unwatchable.

Here are some thoughts from Saturday Night’s games:

MLS wants to be taken seriously? How, after thirteen years in existence is the best stadium situation for an MLS club a minor league baseball stadium with an independent affiliate team?(in other words not a double A or triple A affiliate of a Major League Club) So basically, Kansas City has little fan base, no stadium, and yet has been thanks to having managers like Ron Newman, Bob Gansler and Curt Onolfo one of MLS’ better clubs throughout parts of its history.
Chicago played what I would call a perfect tactical match against Salt Lake. Essentially, Dennis Hamlet’s boys cogged up the middle on the ugly Rice Eccles Stadium field and after Bakary Soumare’s mistake putting Demo Kovolenko’s harmless cross past Jon Busch, Cuauhtemoc Blanco showed once again why he gets paid the big bucks.
DC United’s returning players are on a totally different page than Marcello Gallardo. My guess is that Pachuca, far superior to any MLS club can name their score versus United this week in the Champions Cup. DC will get it going but no anytime soon.
I wouldn’t read too much into the New England-Houston game knowing the Dynamo are focussed on Saprissa coming up this week in the Champions Cup. Unlike DC, who has looked totally out of sorts in the competition to this point, Houston looks focused and while a definitive underdog, could get sneak out a result in the two legs.
The Gambian duo for the Revs looked outstanding and let’s hope Taylor Twellman gets over what ever is ailing him physically or mentally.
Get well Steve Ralston. You are a true titan of this league and we all want to see you back and healthy as soon as possible.
Toronto FC demonstrates to us exactly how a League One or lower tier Championship side would do in MLS. I have a hard time taking Toronto seriously, and while I try and remain objective as an impartial observer of all fourteen teams in MLS, it’s difficult for someone with my background and world view not to root against TFC because their management seems to have made a determination that players in this hemisphere aren’t good enough to play top flight football, and that is something I simply cannot condone. I hope if Montreal enters the league soon, they have a different outlook towards North America and Latin America, than the euro-centric Toronto FC management has demonstrated in its first two MLS seasons. In fact I am sure if Montreal does join the league they will have a different approach, because they have done it right in USL for years.
One English import worthwhile in MLS is Terry Cooke. Unlike most Brits who come to MLS, Cooke figured out how we play in this part of the world and has made himself a nice career in the states. Cooke, whose game always seemed odd for an English player when he was with my favorite club, Manchester City and also with the England U-21s, seems to have developed a good understanding already with Christian Gomez, one of the MLS’ best.

David Beckham, on the other hand is in a messy situation. Once again it is obvious the Galaxy aren’t very good, and with Beckham in the squad they often revert to route one football when falling behind. I’m not advocating one style or another, but MLS’ tends to be much more Latin in its orientation and it is difficult to break down a defense in tis league by hurling long balls forward as I saw Becks and his mates start doing against the Rapids. That led, predictably to a complete collapse of the Galaxy’s defense, and countless scoring opportunities for the Rapids. Beckham loves America and has added so much interest and credibility to this league in the foreign press (if not consistently in the domestic media). The league must try and hang on to him, but at some point it must be asked if it is fair to him. Last year before the season I correctly predicted LA would be one of the worst teams in the league when Becks arrived. However, what I incorrectly predicted is that one player could turn them around. The Galaxy call themselves the Gold Standard of MLS and my predictions of early season doom were met by a legion of angry posters calling me among other things unfit to comment on the sport, and biased towards DC United and Chivas USA. In hindsight, I was if anything, too deferential to the Galaxy’s own PR spin and the comments on my blog from Galaxy faithful. I did not know Alexi Lalas would continuously strip the club of its best assets outside Beckham and Landon Donovan, and then have Tim Leiweke shoot off his mouth with these comments last November to Martin Rogers:

“I want everyone in the league to be envious of us, on and off the pitch,”
“I like the fact that the Galaxy is the most important team in Major League Soccer,”

“I like the fact that we lead the way. We are the ones trying to reinvent this sport and reinvent this league.”

“I like everyone shooting at us. I like everyone being pissed off at us.”

These comments are comical in the context of the Galaxy’s performances since 2006. The bottom line is when you watch the Galaxy play they look significantly worse than their opposition more often than not. The Galaxy’s own PR machine will not continue to sustain it through yet another season where an arrogant club with a sense of entitlement continues to be run over by teams with one one third the payroll. While Home Depot Center tenant Chivas USA builds a cosmopolitan winning side mixing young American talent, with good foreign role players and hard core MLS veterans like Jesse Marsch and Ante Razov, the Galaxy continue to make a mockery of what this league is about. Something has to give really soon in my humble opinion.

Comment Here

America's Stopper

2008-03-22T13:48:00.001-05:00

Kasey Keller isn’t the most talented or athletic goalkeeper the United States has ever produced. Nor has he been the best at any particular moment in time. But consistency and commitment are important and few if any American bred keepers can claim Keller’s consistency over time and his battle scars. Unlike Brad Friedel and Tim Howard, Keller hasn’t been sought by top international clubs, and unlike those two, his commitment to his national team and his country always came before club.

For Fulham a club totally bereft of the sort of talent needed to avoid the relegation drop in the English Premier League (I have picked Fulham for the drop each of the past two seasons; last year I missed by a point, this year it appears I will be correct as of this writing) I can think of no better keeper on the planet than Kasey Keller. Why? Keller has the tag of a journeyman keeper but he has been on clubs before like the current Fulham one, which need his leadership and his shot stopping ability to stay afloat. Keller has fought relegation or mid table mediocrity with Milwall, Leicester City, Rayo Vallecano, Southampton, Borusia Gladbach and now with Fulham. Only when Keller was with Spurs was he on a club that was expected to compete for top honors (although ironically Leicester City and Rayo Vallecano both had better runs than Spurs when he was on those squads), but he’s become sort of a go to guy for any survival threatened club in Europe who wants a reliable keeper whose leadership is unquestioned and his influence in locker room is positive.

Despite having played in Europe now for sixteen years, far longer than Brad Friedel or Tim Howard, Keller remains the most “American” top keeper in our player pool. Keller easily mixes well with young American starlets whether they hail from MLS or European clubs and will never refuse a call up from his country. It is precisely this commitment to the US National Team that has gotten Keller in trouble at times at his clubs. But wih crucial qualifiers coming down the pike for the United States, do our fans really feel more comfortable with an untested Brad Guzan or an error prone Tim Howard over Kasey Keller, whose ability to organize his back line and wall during set pieces is unquestioned? This is a question Bob Bradley must be asked and ultimately answer. My thinking is Keller has to be called in this summer for the qualifiers. Kasey Keller has been part of every successful United States qualifying effort in its history. With Keller once again getting regular football at Fulham, and showing once again his shot stopping prowess, from my vantage point the choice is a no-brainer.

Comment here

CONCACAF Giants Being Exposed

2008-03-16T09:02:00.000-05:00

The United States road through Olympic Qualifying has been littered with peril to this point. The three match group stage in Tampa featured exactly no United States goals from the run of play and three opposing teams who in their own manner showed better shape, discipline and quality than the United States.

But the problems for the red, white and blue pale in comparison to the problems of EL Tri. Today in Los Angeles, the Mexicans face an elimination match against Haiti. Either the Mexicans emerge victorious or they are dumped out of qualifying and coach Hugo Sanchez’s job becomes very vulnerable.

Mexico has looked exceedingly poor in it first two matches. After a wonder goal by Edgar Castillio on Friday night, the Mexicans allowed Guatemala to dominate the flow of play. Not only did the Guatemalans score twice but they looked to have much more quality than El Tri. Mexico has the talent, the quality, the skill and the stature to run anyone in this region off the field at any age level save perhaps the United States. Yet under Hugo Sanchez, the Mexican program has not taken any great leap forward despite the large numbers of Mexican players featuring for the very best clubs in Americas and in Europe.

Back to the United States. I’ve been called overly negative for many months now about the national team situation which I blame at least partly on the failures of MLS, our domestic league. Often times in the face of such criticism you begin to re-think your position and wonder if perhaps I had simply over reacted to what I had seen and was taking recent events out of historical context. Sadly, I now feel I have dead on since last summer when I editorialized that I thought after almost twenty years of upward movement the United States program had hit a wall and was now hitting the skids literally.

CONCACAF has figured out the United States. The reality is from a tactical standpoint we aren’t that sophisticated. Much like England, the rest of our region has figured out we have only one way to play. Unlike England whose recent failures have exposed the structure and culture of football in arguably the proudest and greatest footballing nation of all, we don’t seem to be willing to go outside the circle and bring in the type of coaches or technical directors that can change this. England upset many by hiring an Italian manager whose tactical savvy far exceeds every manager of British lineage that is alive save perhaps Sir Bobby Robson. We need to do the same. We need a technical director from outside to set the tone for the US National program. Simply having more talent and skill than Central American rivals is no longer ensuring a clean victory over these rivals.

Mexico is in a similar position. But I will not make the same suggestion for them because they will never take it. Especially when they are currently led by a former player whose career far exceeded any our nation has ever produced. Hugo Sanchez is a legend but for the good of Mexican Football he needs to show some humility and take on some help.

US Debacle vs Cuba Worrying

2008-03-12T09:28:00.002-05:00

Work commitments precluded me making the short drive to Tampa last night for the first Olympic qualifier. My intent was to provide a press box report of a triumphant US win. However, in this case sitting in front of the TV set gave me all the perspective I needed to make a determination on the state of this team and its coaching staff. Let me first exempt Freddy Adu and Dax McCarty from any and all criticism. It also helped that both of these midfielders were actually playing in the position they are most comfortable with. That was not the case for the remainder of the players on the field last night who were playing out of position or depending heavily on players playing out of position.

The decision by Peter Nowak to cut Arturo Alvarez and Robbie Rogers from the squad has had a malign influence on the teams ability to play an active game using the flanks. Placing two natural strikers, Robbie Findley and Charlie Davies out wide was a foolish experiment gone bad. Kamani Hill looked totally out of sorts on the back line wandering forward too often for a right back but as often as you’d expect a natural attacking player to. Marvell Wynne would be logical right back choice on this roster, but for whatever reason he hasn’t impressed enough in training.

Getting your best XI on the field at a given time is always a dilemma for coaches in this sport. Peter Nowak has obviously opted to play his best XI many of whom are natural attacking players in positions that require defensive responsibility. Blaming players for executing in a situation which doesn’t best utilize their talent and skill level is foolish. Blaming coaches for putting players in a position to fail is at this point becoming counter productive because quite frankly the lack of tactical savvy among coaches in the US is shocking, and a product of a poor system more than the individual coaches like Peter Nowak themselves.. The US is in serious jeopardy of not qualifying for the Olympics yet again. In the last Olympic qualifying the US never performed half as badly as they did last night and yet still failed to qualify. That semifinal run at Sydney 2000 seems like a distant memory right now, as do the 1999 World Youth Championships and the 2002 World Cup. The US Soccer program seems to be treading water and that’s where the blame should lie: at the very top.

A word on Cuba. The entire Cuban national program is improving and last night they played very well after a rough start. In fact until the unfortunate red card, they badly outplayed the Americans, whose dominance of possession and shots on goal like Chelsea at the weekend amounted to little more than playing into the hands of a lesser talented team that had a clear counter attacking strategy. Cuba should have won last night: They deserved to win last night, but couldn’t finish the chance they had to win on the counter and had another chance controversially reversed and result in a sending off.

The US better beware because for all the tough scheduling for the full national team, playing Poland, whose team is vastly under appreciated, England, one of the most talented teams on the planet with a tactical genius now coaching them (maybe he’ll finally teach the English how to play in something other than a flat 4-4-2!), Spain, a classically over hyped team whose Euro qualification quite frankly surprised me, and the mighty Argentina, many CONCACAF nations have figured out how to bottle up the United States while absorbing lots of pressure but taking advantage of the U.S.’ consistent failure to keep its shape. We saw this in the Gold Cup, where despite a US title, the second half of the match against Mexico represented the only good half of football for the United States in the knockout stages. The US beat Panama because of a somewhat dubious PK, and a sending off. Panama still scored a goal down a man. Canada? They beat the US as far as many are concerned. I don’t want to rehash that match but it was a tremendous embarrassment for the national team. So while the US has figured out over the past ten years how to beat a more talented Mexico side, other CONCACAF nations have figured out how to frustrate and potentially beat a more talented US side.

Going forward in Olympic qualifying I’d like to Stuart Holden on the left side of midfield, Sal Zizzo (when he arrives in Tampa; my understanding is he is available on the weekend, but given the reluctance of Hanover to release him, Nowak should have kept at least one additional winger) on the right side of midfield. Dispense with Charlie Davies and Robbie Findley in the midfield and Chad Barrett altogether. Place Marvell Wynne on the right side of the back line and give Maurice Edu the freedom to go forward and allow Dax McCarty to drift back to temporarily cover for him. (McCarty’s size always worries me, but he is a pit bull when fighting for possession) Keep Freddy Adu at the top of the midfield and attack early in games so that possession play in the 2nd half can be oriented towards killing off an opponent rather than desperately seeking a winner like last night. The US can still advance to Nashville but no margin for error exists any longer.

MLS Failing in its Mission

2008-03-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

I must say I have listened with much amusement the last few weeks as people have tried to convince me that the influx of foreign talent to MLS and the outflow of younger Americans from MLS or in some cases skipping MLS entirely is a good thing for Soccer in this country. That view is in my estimation completely misguided and fool hearty. Keep in mind the initial aim of MLS was not create a mini Bundesliga or Premier League on our shores but to build a player pool or unparalleled historical depth and quality for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

When MLS began play in 1996, 22% of the players were allowed to be foreigners. This was at a time when the United States did not have the blooming soccer culture of the advanced player development system it has today. Now in 2008, over 45% of the Senior roster members are allowed to be foreigners. These foreigners are being paid the highest salaries under MLS’ embarrassingly low salary cap. So essentially, any American wanting to make a decent living plying his trade in the game he loves must either play for several years making less than his peer in his age group make doing any other professional job or he must move to Europe, where an investment in young American talent isn’t something club sides worry about. After their job is to provide entertaining football and develop good young players for their club. But that isn’t MLS’ mission: Unless I missed the memo.

To this point MLS’ has done a remarkable job of deepening the player pool for the US National Team and making the United States in say 2002 more competitive at all levels of competition than at any time previously in the nation’s history of playing the sport. However that has begun to change. At this point in time not a single American field player could make a 23 man Tournament squad for England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain or France. These leading European nations are in a position where their worst pool player is better than our best pool player. This wasn’t always the case however, as I could point to several players in the US pool who could have contributed to England’s Euro 2000 or World Cup 2002 campaigns. Today, with England in a state of decline the United States is possibly in a more rapid state of decline which has gone unnoticed by those not maintaining a historical perspective on current events or those buying the refrain that we are always improving soccer in this country. We are replicating England’s failures without any of England’s history or footballing culture to fall back on. It could be argued that just about every World Cup that England qualified for between 1966 and 1990 (66,70,82,86,90) that they had the best team in the world. Bad luck in many cases can explain the defeats as it did in 1970 and 1986. In the early 1990s after the disastrous 1980s from a club standpoint in England thanks to Hillsboro among other things, the Premier League was formed. The league combined exciting British style football with lucrative TV deals and revenue sources. I would point out 15 years later in my estimation the exciting British style football is now played in Scotland and in England’s lower divisions and that the league has essentially become a depository for foreign talent which has stifled the growth of the English national team. Of the top teams in the Premier League, only Liverpool with the incomparable Steven Gerrard and the rock solid Jamie Carragher at the back can be claimed to be “led” by English players. Sure I’ll hear the arguments as to John Terry, and Wayne Rooney but if you think those guys actually “lead” Chelsea and United to their success we’re not watching the same matches.

Currently in MLS, very few teams are being “led” by Americans. New England perhaps, but their best player Shalrie Joseph, is playing for another national team (although he is essentially American having grown up in New York). New England much like the Houston Dynamo remain at its core an American team, or let’s say a North American team including Canadian and Carribean players. But what about the rest of the league? Who leads DC United, easily the most successful team in the history of the league? It’s almost always been South American players and now in the form of Marcello Gallardo we have the latest. How about the LA Galaxy? David Beckham: Is he American even though his kid’s name is Brooklyn? How about Colorado in “middle america?” Try Christian Gomez! Kansas City? It looks this team is looking more Latin than ever with Claudio Lopez becoming a DP signing. I could rattle off every team and demonstrate that Americans are “leading” any of them outside of Houston and New England. Sure, such and such is the captain, but who really leads these teams into battle and wins them points when they achieve success?

This wasn’t always the case in MLS. But as the league has decided the club game trumps domestic player development much in the same fashion the English Premier League did, the whole landscape has changed. When players like Pat Noonan and Troy Perkins accomplished in their own right here at home have to go to Scandinavia to be compensated fairly for their quality services the warning signs are flashing at an ever faster rate. The bottom line is MLS has made a decision it must live with it: to promote the club game and the welfare of its teams over that of football in general in the United States. Now that may be fine and well: in fact that may be the way to go. I am not entirely sure as to whether or not football/soccer fans in this country would rather see a successful national team program or a top class international league. The two are somewhat mutually exclusive in the near term given the footballing culture and history in this country. This isn’t Italy where Serie A can import top Latin American players while maintaining a high standard for the Azzuri. Besides, when Americans go abroad they are sometime looked down upon and written off when they don’t develop to the standard of the club or country they have moved to. This has happened countless times with top American young talent that went to Europe at an early stage in the players professional development.

I hear English fans lament what could have been in Euro 2004. But let me be quite frank: other leading European Footballing nations such as Germany, Italy and France have had more than one major tournament in the past 18 years where they had a shot to win a trophy. I blame this heavily on the influx of foreign players in the Premier League that have relegated top English players to simply being what we in American Basketball term as “role players” on top clubs. The American clubs system is undergoing a similar influx without the history, culture or quite frankly the understand of football the English posses. So where does this leave us? Potentially, with a very good league in MLS and a National Team that struggles in CONCACAF going forward. Do we really want this? Obviously MLS, doesn’t bear the entire blame for a potential reversal in fortunes for the national team going forward. Youth Development, training techniques, and technical direction all need to be improved. But MLS needs to do its part to protect, nurture and promote young American starlets and on that count the league is beginning to fall way short.

Comment here

Three Historic Games: American Soccer Show this week

2008-03-04T09:35:00.001-05:00

On this week’s American Soccer Show Dave Denholm and was joined by Dave Brett Wasser, considered one of the foremost historians of the game in this nation.

The three historic games we focused on in the show were the 1989 World Cup qualifier in Port of Spain against Trinidad and Tobago, the 1993 US Cup match in Foxborough versus England and the 1995 Copa America match in Uruguay against Argentina.

Players in BOLD scored goals in the match.

Trinidad and Tobago 0-1 United States

November 19, 1989 Port of Spain T&T

This match put the United States in its first World Cup finals since 1950. Paul Caliguri scored the lone goal of the match on a 25 yard volley. The loss eliminated Trinidad and Tobago from the World Cup in 1990 and it would take several years for the small island nation’s football program to recover fully.

The US Squad that day: (4-4-2)

—————————- Tony Meola ————————————-

———————John Doyle——————-Steve Trittschuh———-

——Mike Windischmann——————————————-Brian Bliss

————————Paul Krumpe (John Stollmeyer)————————

—Tab Ramos—————John Harkes—————-Paul Caliguri——-

——————–Bruce Murray————–Peter Vermes——————-

United States 2-0 England

June 9, 1993 Foxborough, Mass

Graham Taylor’s England squad were struggling in an ill fated World Cup qualifying campaign when the Three Lions came over to play this match. The US was coming off a 2-0 loss to Brazil and would lose a seven goal thriller to Germany four days later in Chicago. Tom Dooley and Alexi Lalas scored the two US goals, both off set pieces and both while individual pieces of skill demonstrated the shambolic defending England has become known for in the past fifteen years internationally. The US squad was substastially better than the team fromthe 1990 World Cup. Why? The US had naturalized three outstanding European club players who were eligible for American passports, Tom Dooley (Kaiserslauten, Bayer Leverkusen), Earnie Stewart (Willem II) and Roy Wegerle (Chelsea, QPR, Blackburn, Coventry). Of the three only Wegerle had previously lived in the United States, and he had in fact grown up in the U.S. and even played NCAA Soccer and in the NASL before becoming a lethal goal scorer in the English top flight. But it was the naturalization of Dooley in particular that got the attention of the U.K. press after the match who tried to dismiss the US victory as based on the gates of Ellis Island. Ironically this was much the same allegation the British press had thrown at the US after the 1-0 American victory over the English in the 1950 World Cup.

The US squad that day: (5-3-2)

————————————–Tony Meola—————————————————–

–Des Armstrong——John Doyle—–Mike Lapper—-Fernando Clavijo——–Jeff Agoos————

Tom Dooley–(Alexi Lalas)———–John Harkes——————–Tab Ramos–(Cobi Jones)—

——————-Roy Wegerle—————————-Eric Wynalda (Earnie Stewart)————-

Argentina 0-3 United States

July 14, 1995, Paysando, Uruguay

Arguably the most impressive victory in the history of the US National Team. Simply put this is the best game I recall the US playing since I have been following the National Team (beginning in 1983). Interim Coach Steve Sampson came out with an attacking lineup of a 3-5-2, which at times looked like a 2-5-3, as the US confidently went forward and showed an attacking prowess we never saw before and have hardly ever seen since from the the national team. Eric Wynalda, Alexi Lalas and Frankie Klopas scored goals for the stars and stripes as we won our group in the Copa America and advanced to play Mexico in the Quarterfinals. The US run ended in the semifinals in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Brazil when Frank Klopas almost buried a late equalizer.

The US squad that day: (3-5-2)

——————————-Kasey Keller—————————————–

—-Marcelo Balboa (Mike Burns)—–Alexi Lalas———————Paul Caliguri

———————- Tom Dooley——————–John Harkes——————

———-Cobi Jones————-Earnie Stewart——–Frank Klopas (Tab Ramos)–

——————-Joe Max Moore——————–Eric Wynalda——————

Listen to this week’s American Soccer Show at 2pm ET/11 am PT Tuesday March 4th to hear Dave Brett Wasser’s detailed accounts of these games. For more information on Dave’s soccer video collection visit davebrett.com.

For his detailed post match reports during the Pan Pacific Championship for the New York Times visit http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/

Comment Here

Has MLS Really Learned the Lessons of the NASL?

2008-02-26T12:59:00.000-05:00

While I am pleased for Philadelphia and particularly for the Sons of Ben that the league has chosen to add a 16th team in 2010, I have serious concerns about the rapid expansion of the league and the seeming desire to make a different set of rules for each potential expansion city. Philadelphia probably deserved a team, but did Seattle really deserve one? How about a return to San Jose so quickly when the public threshold set by Commissioner Garber was never met for the Earthquakes to resume play in MLS?

For years MLS shied away from any resemblance to the old NASL: in many cases to its own detriment and causing failure in some markets that had embraced the NASL. Now the MLS seems to be racing to replicate the NASL in some odd ways while continuing to shun the legacy of that league in others. The NASL was a renegade league. For many years the league openly defied FIFA and the USSF. At the time the United States National Team was a weak sister and generally could not get out of the first round of World Cup Qualifying. The NASL also had a strange set of rules, some that the MLS originally adopted. Remember the 35 yard line for offsides, the one on one shootout, and the clock stopping and counting down to zero? But the NASL had its bright spots. An incredible fan base in certain cities and thus the ability of those cities to embrace second and third division teams of the same name into the future. The league also spurred the growth in youth soccer nationally from which MLS and the US National Team has now long benefited. In addition, the league was able to penetrate the mainstream sports media in a fashion that MLS is still attempting to: sure Pele, Cryuff, Best and Marsh all helped, but so did the aggressiveness of certain teams and the understand of marketing by many of the clubs.

Take Tampa, Florida for instance. The Rowdies generally had the second highest average attendance in the NASL from 1975 thru 1984. (Behind the New York Cosmos). The Rowdies reared an entire generation of young people on the game to the point that when I would often travel to Tampa in the early 1990s, and try and talk about soccer in a crowd of sports fans I would not be met with the hostility I faced almost everywhere else in the country. In fact at that point the Rowdies name was still alive and well in the form of the A-League Rowdies and the Tampa Bay area had developed the nation’s second biggest youth soccer network, and an immense number of soccer specific retail stores that unlike many shops today did not specialize in selling Real Madrid or Manchester United jerseys, but soccer equipment and soccer related videos.

When MLS began in 1996, I was initially shocked by the cities selected. Los Angeles (The Aztecs) had flopped in the NASL while San Diego (The Soccers) had been super successful. Boston (like Philadelphia) had two teams fold, and one move to Jacksonville, FL. of all places (I went to a Jacksonville Tea Men game against my beloved Strikers at the Gator Bowl in 1982, and my chief memory of the game was shock that so few people could attend a professional sporting event), while Chicago had always been a staple of the dearly departed league but was passed over for Columbus of all places. Kansas City instead of St Louis seemed beyond bizarre to me. Fort Lauderdale, Seattle, Chicago and Houston had all been left out despite a thriving long term soccer fan base in those cities. (obviously now all four have had their stab at MLS, but none were awarded franchises in 1996 while Columbus and Kansas City were.) Truthfully beyond the obvious selections of New York, Dallas and Washington, only San Jose and Tampa Bay made perfect sense based on the support the NASL made there. But in both markets the league made a critical mistake. Rather than embrace the legacy and ready made fan base from the NASL they ran from it. Instead of naming the respective teams the Earthquakes and Rowdies, two very amateurish sounding names, the Clash and Mutiny were given with even more amateurish looking logos and uniforms.

The mistake was corrected in San Jose after three terrible seasons as the Clash, but was never corrected in Tampa, and now one of the best soccer markets in US history has been relegated to seeking a USL-1 franchise owned by an English Premier League team. Fort Lauderdale was a market that began to embrace the MLS just as the league pulled the plug: the name “Fusion” didn’t tap into all the Striker sentiment locally that still existed. At times Fort Lauderdale could get upwards of 5,000 fans for A-League Striker matches that included some of the former NASL Strikers like Thomas Rongen, Nene Cubillias, and Ray Hudson. The NASL Strikers had consistently averaged between 12,000 and 15,000 a game. But when the MLS arrived with much fan fare crowds were flat for the first three seasons (after the opener) but then spiked to close to 12,000 a game the Fusion’s final season when finally a product worth watching was on the field. This average attendance was not spiked by a single doubleheader (which has for many years been cleverly used by New England and the Metrostars to pad their crowd numbers) and incorporated many midweek games were the attendance was under 10,000.

Seattle has now been awarded an expansion team without a stadium plan in place, and with an attendance average in USL-1 which is the lowest of the three clubs in the Pacific Northwest. Philadelphia on the other hand, despite the efforts of the Sons of Ben were forced to wait until funding for a state of the art stadium were approved before getting the go ahead for a team.

While many of the MLS initial franchise choices were outstanding like Los Angeles and Washington, others like Boston and New York have struggled to make any sort of impact in the local mainstream sports scene or with generating consistent crowds. In the case of New York this was certainly not the case in the NASL, and knowing the Cosmos name was off the table thanks to Pepe Pinton eccentric behavior some attempt to link the Metrostars with the Cosmos would have been wise rather than the futile attempt of New York’s original ownership to link the team with AC Milan via kit colors and the signing of Roberto Donadoni.

Major League Soccer was initially formed to help develop young, internationally savvy American footballers. The league has for many years succeeded in doing just that. However, as I pointed out in my post this past Sunday, fewer and fewer young MLS players are working their way into the full national team player pool as time goes on. As MLS gets on the foreign player gravy train and refuses to address squad limits and a measly pathetic salary cap where an inherent bias exists against home grown players getting opportunities, this trend will only intensify with rapid expansion. Much like the NASL, the new expansion teams will be tempted to pollute their squads with high priced foreigners and then fill in the remaining spots with young Americans making a measly salary thus leaving the young Americans with national team potential to be developed either overseas or even worse in the USL. Through the years the tiny MLS salary cap has in fact kept a steady flow of good players going to USL which is good for the second division, and maybe on the whole good for US Soccer, but not good for MLS.

Fear of going the way of the NASL forced MLS to start with a single entity structure, restrictive salary cap, and squad limits. Fear of DC United becoming the MLS version of the Cosmos, forced the league to rapidly strip the one club able to serve as a worthwhile ambassador of the growing American soccer culture abroad of almost all its marketable assets and render MLS in the eyes of some critics a “mickey mouse league,” whose teams cannot compete on a global stage. The critics of this league who make these arguments do not recall DC United’s mastery of Vasco De Gama in the Inter-American cup nor the great victory the achieved for MLS in conquering Spurs at White Hart Lane in the middle of the EPL season. Those critics do not recognize it was league policy, not the standard of football in this country that made MLS clubs so uncompetitive on the global stage. The bottom line on the NASL as it arrived at a time when much of the US was different demographically, and when the US National Teams were not competitive in any way shape or form on the international stage. Sustaining a domestic league regardless of quality when your own national team is in the pits and has no chance of qualifying for any significant event is beyond difficult. The NASL did however develop a base from which the US nearly qualified for the 1986 World Cup and then did qualify in 1990, despite not having a FIFA sanctioned first division to develop players.

MLS has consistently stated they do not want to repeat the mistakes of the NASL. But it seems throughout the league’s now twelve year history they have not learned the positive lessons from the NASL and have instead taken a road of guarded insular thinking masked as a recipe for competitiveness. At the same time MLS has shunned the legacy of the NASL both in local markets and in the general soccer community by re-creating the wheel in a far from perfect form and in many ways forcing American professional soccer and local markets to re-learn and re-embrace a game it already understood and loved.

Comment here.