Liverfools

In case you were trapped in a box this past weekend, I should let you know that the 2009-2010 English Premier League season officially kicked off. Those of us who were not trapped in a box were treated to a Premier-League first. The opening round marked the first time in Premier League history that the season has began without even a single draw in the first round of play. Here is a quick run down of the results:

Chelsea 2-1 Hull City

Aston Villa 0-2 Wigan Athletic

Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Manchester City

Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Sunderland

Portsmouth 0-1 Fulham

Stoke City 2-0 Burnley

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 West Ham United

Everton 1-6 Arsenal

Manchester United 1-0 Birmingham City

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Liverpool

Chelsea were fortunate. Very fortunate. Hull do a very good job against the Big Four and they would have pulled out a draw were it not for Didier Drogba's cross-turned-shot nestling into the corner. I though Wigan were fantastic against Villa. A lot of people have marked Wigan for relegation, as in recent months they have lost a number of their top players, but new manager Roberto Martinez seems to really know what he's doing and I think Wigan could make a real push for the top half of the table. City got off to a good start in what could have been a tricky tie away to Blackburn. Interestingly, Carlos Tevez started in a familiar spot — on the bench. Sorry Carlos, but would you rather warm the bench for United or City?

Anyways, Sunderland are potentially another team to look out for this season. The addition of Darrent Bent paid immediate dividends, and he is supported by a fairly decent cast of attacking players. Fulham were one of last season's surprise performers, and you had to favor them to beat a cash-strapped Pompey side. Stoke were up their old tricks, scoring twice off set pieces to beat newcomers Burnley. Burnley hadn't seen a Rory Delap throw-in for at least a year, but don't expect other Premier League sides to look quite so useless against the Delap missile. Gianfranco Zola did some wonderful things for West Ham towards the end of last season, and he picked up right where he left off with a solid 2-0 win over new boys Wolves. The fact that Zola still wants to add to an already impressive squad could really impact the race for a Europa League spot this season.

Arsenal were nothing short of fantastic. Many people seem to think Arsenal's place in the top four will be threatened by Man City, but if early indications are anything to go by, I would say it is Liverpool that should be looking over its shoulder. As for Everton, I would say the game was more of an exception than a rule, and I expect them to recover quite quickly. Manchester United did enough to win on the opening day, something they haven't done in ages. Birmingham, despite being marked for relegation, seem like they can play a little and I look forward to seeing more of their new record signing Christian Benitez.

Finally, we get to Spurs vs. Liverpool. Spurs were a force under Harry Redknapp during the second half of last season. They now posses a very formidable group of strikers and have the potential to do some damage again this year. Keeping in mind that Liverpool only lost two Premier League games last season, the fact that Spurs could have put 4 or 5 past them is very impressive. There was a Xabi Alonso shaped hole right in the heart of that Liverpool midfield yesterday, and we will have to wait a few months to see if his currently-injured replacement Alberto Aquilani will fit the mold. In the meantime, we can all sit and laugh at the Liverfools as they literally put their heads together trying to figure out what to do without Alonso (See here for full highlights including Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel's epic mid-air collision that resulted in the headgear seen in the picture above).

All in all a great first weekend of Premier League action, and it picks up again with a couple of games tomorrow.

Doom but no Gloom...

After a reading a rather depressing article written about the downsides of being a top level football player, I was rather shaken. With the exception of being a cereal taster, does being a footballer not sound like the best job in the world? You get to play a game you love hours on end and get paid for it. Well as if it had an agenda to ruin everyones dream of playing the game they love for money, the article suggested that there is a much darker side of football hidden away from the public which effects certain players profoundly; in this case Sebastian Deisler. It explained that players like Deisler, who was a fantastic prospect who carried the weight of expectations of the entire nation of Germany across his young shoulders, are very susceptible to cracking under the immense pressure if they are not mentally capable of blocking out the comments/critiques and views of others. Understandably Deisler cracked under the gargantuan weight of such immense scrutiny, and his story serves as a reminder that the life of a professional footballer is not always one giant party...

Or is it?

It's too bad he didn't play for Chelsea, because these videos will likely convince you that although there are a few sad cases of break downs such as Geislers, but for the most part being a footballer is exactly what the job title would have you think: you play a game you love for a few hours during training, and then crack jokes for the rest of the day. Enjoy.

Football Viewing for the New Season

As competitive club football resumes around Europe, I am relishing the prospect of once again watching the best leagues in the world. There is little more enjoyable than spending my weekends watching football, and so as to share my pleasure with everyone, I have decided to provide you all with a little guide on how best to watch the beautiful game this season.

As always, there will be several changes in networks this season, the most notable of which is that the UEFA Champions League will air on Fox Soccer Channel this season. Fortunately for all of us, this means the end of listening to ESPN's Tommy Smyth, the little Irish leprechaun who partnered Derek Rae for Champions League games and frequently managed to make a mockery of himself simply by speaking. For those of you who will desperately miss him, or for those of you who wish to question once again how a man of Tommy Smyth's intelligence could possibly ever end up commentating games in front of millions of people, please find the full Tommy Smyth catalogue on the Youtube.

Anyways, back to Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) and its new coverage. When I first heard the news, my only worry was that FSC does not have high definition. No worry, by the time the Round of 16 begins in February 2010, FSC will be available in High-Def. Equally great is the news that FSC has promised us "European-based commentators" for Champions League games, plus pregame and highlight shows hosted by our beloved Max Bretos, Warren Barton and Bobby McMahon. All in all, I am excited for the FSC coverage because unlike ESPN's coverage it will be angled more towards real soccer fans and less towards ignorant American masses.

The other major news is that ESPN has acquired the rights to a handful of Premier League games this year. In truth this just means more games for us here in the States, because the ESPN games do not cut into the FSC games. A quick wrap up of the major domestic leagues:

Serie A: FSC
La Liga: Gol TV
Premier League: FSC and ESPN
Bundesliga: Gol TV

If you ever get tired of watching actual games this season, there is still plenty more to look out for. Former US MNT player Eric Wynalda has replaced Steven Cohen on FSC's monday night event Fox Football Fone-in. I watched his debut performance last night and can tell you that he definitely knows what he is talking about in US Soccer, but his actual knowledge of football outside of the US remains to be seen. Of course, FSC will continue its trademark show, Fox Soccer Report, in its usual nightly slot.

Finally, I have stumbled across a fantastic new tool on the internet for every football fan. Finding highlights of games that perhaps you missed, or maybe games that did not air in the states has always been a challenge. Footytube.com has solved this problem with its new Footytube 2.0. The site is a customizable catalogue with highlights from pretty much every top level game around the world. It basically crawls the net for highlights and often has them up in hours and sometimes even minutes after a game has been played. The quality is usually very watchable it also has nice little featurs like Goals of the Week and Games of the Week.

I hope everyone enjoys the new season as much as I will, whatever team you support (Jon). Happy Watching.

You heard it here first...

In the past I have been reluctant to write down my prediction for what the premiership table will look like at the end of the season. The reasons for this were:

a) I realized I am dreadful at predicting these sorts of things.

b) I can claim to have had better foresight than I did in reality.

But seeing as I am a benevolent blogger and would like nothing more than to see you profit from my knowledge, whether it be with a professional bookie or in an office pool, here is my prediction for the 2009/2010 Barclay's Premier League table.

1 -- Manchester United
2 -- Arsenal
3 -- Liverpool
4 -- Chelsea
5 -- Aston Villa
6 -- Everton
7 -- Tottenham
8 -- Fulham
9 -- Manchester City
10 -- West Ham
11 -- Bolton Wanderers
12 -- Sunderland
13 -- Stoke
14 -- Blackburn
15 -- Wolves
16 -- Birmingham
17 -- Burnley
18 -- Hull
19 -- Wigan
20 -- Portsmouth

Post your predictions and critiques below.

Oh how we missed you...

After months of watching Manchester United beat up on Asian teams, Liverpool produce shockingly poor results against Singaporean opponents, and admiring the stars of Chelsea as they passed through the United States , I can say "the Prem is almost back!" Two weeks away to be precise. And with the start of the premiership just around the corner, everyone should be flocking to sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Football (and no Yahoo did not pay me to put this on my blog, I just legitimately love the game). "Why do you enjoy Fantasy Football so much?", you may ask. Well for starters it gives me a chance to quantify how much more I know about football than other people. I am only jesting, but if you would like to challenge me then feel free to join the group whose information is displayed in the picture. Also just to get you started I think knowing what is involved in scoring is useful. So sign up, and get started on your team.

Holden on to the class

By defeating Honduras on Thursday night, the United States men’s national team set up another meeting with arch rivals Mexico, and ensured that they will play in a second international tournament final in as many months. The two CONCACAF powerhouses will face off on Sunday in the 2009 Gold Cup final, a regional tournament that includes teams from North and Central America as well as Caribbean islands. The upcoming match is a rematch of the 2007 Gold Cup final, but the United States team could not be more different from the one that defeated Mexico two years ago. In 2007 coach Bob Bradley chose to prioritize the Gold Cup over the more prestigious Copa America (the regional tournament for South American teams) and used his best players throughout the tournament to win the CONCACAF competition. The consequence of calling up the A squad so early in the summer was that Bradley was forced to call up an entirely new squad for the Copa America, and having already exhausted his A squad he had no choice but to bring his B/C squad to South America. Predictably the US took a beating at the South American tournament, but retrospectively Bradley made an astute decision to focus on the Gold Cup because it led to the USMNT’s qualification for the Confederations Cup, and consequential extraordinary victories over Egypt and Spain.

This summer Bradley took the opposite approach and decided to take his A squad to the more prestigious tournament, the Confederations Cup, and brought his B/C squad to the Gold Cup. The USMNT has put on a display of it’s depth during the 2009 Gold Cup by not only returning to the final despite missing its star players, but also by having their twelve goals scored by eleven different players. Independent of the result of Sunday’s game, the clear winners of this tournament are Bob Bradley, who continues to impress US fans with his ability to get results with the players at his disposal, and the players on the fringe of the US national team that have impressed Bradley and fans a like with their play at the tournament. Such players include Heath Pearce, Michael Parkhurst, Clarence Goodson, and Robbie Rogers. Though undoubtedly the player who has made a name for himself on the international stage at this tournament has been US youngster Stuart Holden (pictured) of the Houston Dynamo. Holden could be attributed with the MVP award in practically every game he has played in during this tournament and continues to excite me with his comfort on the ball, attacking mentality, and creativity. He is also a player that would fit quite nicely into the senior set up because of his willingness to do whatever is necessary to ensure his team wins, including working feverishly for the full 90 minutes or dropping into a more central role from his favored right wing to get his team going. I think over the next few years he might make claim to that right wing spot.

It is nice that the US finally has depth and it will certainly help the team during the 2010 World Cup when the players are thrown under the African sun and will need to be substituted.

Et tu, Eto'o?

The recent news that Eto'o is set for an extravagant move from Barcelona to Inter Milan in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimovic left me baffled as to why such a player would want to switch teams. Eto'o, like Cristiano Ronaldo two seasons ago, responded to winning the Champions League by wanting a change of scenery. And like Ronaldo, Eto'o will now transfer to a team that has a notoriously horrible track record in the Champions League in recent seasons. It is as if Eto'o and Ronaldo climbed to the top of Mount Everest only to go back down and try to hop their way back up on one leg. I supposed you have to admire their yearning for new challenges, but on the other hand it is confounding that a player wouldn't simply enjoy being a part of the top team in the world and continue to win trophies with them.

Zlatan's highlight reel:

Eto'o's highlight reel:



Hleb's highlight reel:

In my opinion Inter would benefit much more from the trade then Barça simply because I think Eto'o is a fabulous striker and £35 million can buy yet another world class player. Additionally Hleb would add depth to the right side of Inter's midfield which has been one of their weaknesses in seasons past. I'm still a little confused why Barça are so willing to give up Eto'o seeing as he seems to be the perfect fit in their team, but maybe they want to play a different style next season. To Zlatan's credit, he has an incredible ability to create his own chances whereas maybe Eto'o does not create quite as much space on his own as the Swede is able to.

Owen will the madness end?!...

As Sir Alex Ferguson (SAF) climbs in years, eventually we must scrutinize his moves with the prospect of senility in the back of our minds. With recent news that SAF has signed Michael "rejected by Blackburn" Owen it seems like an appropriate time to apply the question: "does SAF still have all of his marbles?"

When the move was still just a rumor I read a few articles on the subject, the best of which was written by football analyst Jim White. The general consensus, and the first cognizant thought that came to mind after my initial shock, is that this move is another master stroke by SAF because it is practically a no-risk venture. Owen comes to Manchester United on a free transfer because his contract with Newcastle ended this season, and thus Manchester United must only pay his wage to reap the benefits of having the striker on the team. One subsequent benefit of not having a transfer fee attached, which analysts failed to point out, is that Owen comes to Manchester without the pressure of having to justify his cost; something that I'm sure Cristiano Ronaldo envies as he sits in Madrid anxious to prove his worth.* Jim White had a unique and interesting point that Owen might be motivated to play well next season in order to work his way into Fabio Capello's World Cup squad, with the implication that he is a player that will step up his game if given a reason to. The only problem with the point is that he did not show that incredible desire when his motivation was to keep Newcastle in the premiership. One could argue that he didn't care about Newcastle, which would suggest that there is a much deeper lying problem with Owen in that he was ungrateful to the team that paid him £100,000 a week while he was out with each of his injuries. And I'm pretty sure I didn't see "ungrateful" on page seventeen of the thirty-two page brochure Owen's agent distributed about his client (pictured above). And for your pleasure, here is a link to a site that has all of the thirty-two pages of the infamous brochure.

Another point that one of the analysts made is that Manchester United are in need of a goal poacher, and Owen fits the bill. Well that person clearly did not watch Owen last season, because poacher is one of the last words I would use to describe him. He was usually found playing more of an attacking mid, and scored a few goals from outside the box. Maybe SAF hopes to restore him to the poaching role that made him so famous in the first place, but if not I am a little baffled how United will play with Rooney and Owen who at the moment both seem to like to drop into the midfield. Or is the intention to make Berbatov stand in front of the goal and play Rooney on the wing and Owen behind Berba. Either way I give SAF the benefit of the doubt in the matter, and hope that my faith in him is not rewarded with news that he has indeed gone insane.

*As I proofread that line I realized the ridiculousness of the thought that Cristiano would fret over the worth of his own abilities. Clearly he thinks he merited his absurd transfer fee, but there are plenty of fans who are expecting magical things from the winger given his cost, and he will have to provide those feats or face jeers.

 

Alti-who?...

Suffices to say the last couple of days I have been bathing in
the US Mens National Team's (USMNT) recent excellence. For those who were not at my house with me during the game versus Egypt and/or Spain, you can rest assured I screamed for an unhealthy amount of time during and after both victories. Since then I have been ebullient, but also a little shocked and confused about what to think of the USMNT.

First, I think credit is due to Scott for highlighting Charlie Davies as the future of the team. I have been following him for quite a while via Yanks-Abroad.com but have been skeptical to put too much faith in his abilities. I would hear and see his name often on the website, and see that he was doing excellently for his club team Hammarby, but if Afonso Alves taught us anything it is that a striker can excel in a bad league and not have another gear to go to in international games. Luckily Davies did not flop like Alves and Davies looked lively, intelligent, and hungry for goals and assists in both games. I couldn't be more thrilled that Bob Bradley gave him a chance to prove himself.

Second, as I was thinking about what to say in this post I scoured the internet for articles on the US team. To be honest I don't/ didn't know what to make of our victories. Yes, I am extremely pleased the the United States team beat two excellent international teams. Yes, I think the United States team has an entirely different look and feel to it than it has in previous years. But the central question still remains: "did the US victory spark interest in the minds of Americans that could care less about soccer before the game?" I would say no, it didn't. The USMNT's win made the headlines on ESPN.com and remained there for about three hours, but one can only infer that it was put there because ESPN broadcasted the game and would like people to take interest in soccer because they own the rights to the World Cup. Below the headline there was a poll that tried to address the crux of the headline above -- essentially "do you care?" When I last checked about 65% of people said "yes." However, I think the poll missed the mark because changing one's perception of the national team and actually sparking interest in the minds of those who were apathetic before the game are two entirely different beasts. I doubt many people went on Wikipedia after reading the headlines to see who "Jozy Altidore" is.

In response to the poll, I would say that I have renewed faith in the USMNT's ability to beat the best teams in the world (a feeling that was lost after the 2002 World Cup), so yes the game changed my perception of the team. Yet I really doubt that fans of American sports (Baseball, Basketball, and Football) will go and watch the final of the Confederations Cup now that they know the USMNT is in it. And on a more personal note, the central question remains "do I care if they care?" More and more I find myself accepting American's disinterest in the sport seeing no reason to impose my love of the sport on their lives. So why does the media obsess over the fact that most American's don't care about the sport? I suppose it is just one of the many characteristics of America that alienates it from the rest of world and therefore gets more attention than it should.

Do you have any "fair weather" friends that now claim to support the USMNT after their excellent win against Spain? Do any of your friends want to get into soccer now that the USMNT has gained a grain of respectability?

Babel...

No, this post isn't about Ryan Babel specifically, though he fits the description of what I am talking about.

It has always baffled me that players move from country to country with little to no regard of whether they speak the language of the country they are moving to. I imagine it is difficult to understand the coach and what he has to say if you aren't fluent in his tongue. Thus the language barrier might be the reason certain players don't get much game time. If you can't understand the coach, you can't understand the game plan. When Carlos Tevez was at West Ham they made special accommodations for him to sit in a room and have the team meetings recounted to him in spanish to make sure he was on the same page. But for some of the less special and central figures, the club does not go to the same lengths to ensure they understand. At the bottom of this article, Zoran Tosic admits he doesn't fully understand Sir Alex. Is it a coincidence that he saw about 10 minutes of game time last season?

Then there are cases of players that allegedly speak the language, but can hardly make themselves understood. Although they might comprehend everything the manager has to say, I can't imagine their teammates understand them on the field.

Here is Jamie Carragher speaking "english":

No discredit to Arbeloa, but do you honestly think he can understand a word of what Carragher has to say?

I was also a little shocked to see that Australian striker Josh Kennedy recently joined Japanese side Nagoya Crampus. What are the chances that he speaks Japanese? And if so, I would love it if someone could provide me with a YouTube clip of him speaking Japanese with an Australian accent.

There aren't many ways to remedy this problem in football except for the players hitting the books, but battling the language barrier must be one of the unforeseen problems which arise at clubs as they become increasingly globalized.

State of the Union: Part II

Blog follower Scott Wolitzer felt it necessary to add a monstrous comment to Jon Kim's recent post on the United States National Team because he has been frustrated by their lack of results against top teams. His thoughts on how they should improve themselves are enumerated below.

Putting the US’s success in CONCACAF aside, let's focus on their results against teams of real quality. Let’s take the games played in the 2006 World Cup, the 2007 Copa America, high profile friendlies (Argentina, Spain, and England in the recent past), and the present Confederations Cup. In these games the US are a whopping 0-10-1. Even if you exclude the Copa America results because the US fielded their C team, that is seven losses, one tie, and no wins! I know these teams are some of the best in the world, but in a eight game span of high caliber matches you have to show some sign of improvement. To add insult to injury, in these eleven games the US has scored an absolutely pathetic three goals and one was a penalty. If this isn’t a call for change what is? Here are some of the thoughts that I had that I would like to add on to Jon’s:

1. Give Bradley to the end of the WC. If they don’t get out of the group stage, can ‘em. I would think about it now if it weren’t for Mexico leaving us a great reminder that a new coach doesn’t always fix everything.

2. As for left back I would put Pearce back in. Bornstein’s speed and offensive prowess is suppose to make up for his lack of defensive skill, but I only see him getting continually beat forcing him to foul and continually botching crossing opportunities.

3. When Edu comes back from injury I think he can pair up nicely with Bradley seeing how well he’s played for Rangers. Also Edu is a holding midfielder that would allow Bradley to be a little more offensive like he used to be with Herenveen.

4. Although older players who are not playing overseas should be given the boot, I say give the younger guys more slack. Keep playing the young guys and for g-d sakes give Adu a shot. He is the kind of impact player the US needs even if it is off the bench.

5. As for Dempsey, for some reason he just isn’t that effective for the US team. He doesn’t make many runs and seems slow to me. Don’t get me wrong, he is fantastic for Fulham, but I just don’t see the same heart in a US jersey. He seems to be focused more on dancing with the ball than an actual positive influence. Put him at right mid and hope he either gets his act together or a younger replacement comes along.

6. We all know the US can’t score so why not change the system. None of this bs of Dempsey or Donavan being the second striker behind Jozy. They end up leaving Jozy isolated up top and that’s not fair to him. He is a young striker who is being expected to be a one-man attack force (although he managed extraordinary well to draw a PK v Italy doing that) and that is just stupid. You need to have a striker to pair up with him so he doesn’t have to be responsible for single-handedly chasing bad long balls, holding it up, and waiting for midfielders to support and just waste the ball away. I say have Ching be Altidore’s strike partner and slowly usher in Davies as the future striker. I like Davies a lot; he’s got speed and a tenacity that many US players lack. I would be content if it was an Altidore-Davies strike partnership in the future.

7. As for Donavan, I am not a huge fan. I think all the goals he scores on PK’s makes it seem like he’s a goal scorer. He’s not. Put him at left mid, let him run around and do his thing. I don’t think he is the answer to the US’s problems, never has been, but he is still one of their more reliable players.

8. I like what I’m seeing from Feilhaber. He has the potential to be a great playmaker and Bob Bradley should continue to give him time.

9. Finally dead balls. I don’t know why nobody has noticed that Donavan can’t get the ball past the first defender. Let Dempsey take some.

This is how I’m hoping the US roster will look for the WC in 2010

GK: Howard
LB: Pearce
CB: Onyewu
CB: Demerit
RB: Bocanegra
RM: Dempsey
LM: Donavan
CM: Edu
CM: Bradley
ST: Altidore
ST: Ching (eventually Davies will take over)

Important subs:
-Davies
-Adu
-Feilhaber
-Spector

State of the Union

In light of today’s embarrassing loss to Brazil, and the fact that I feel the need to do something academic, else my brain may rot, I feel obligated to write something about the US men’s national team (USMNT).

Granted, I had only watched the first 25 or so minutes before going back to sleep, but I also had the misfortune to witness the US team fall to New Jersey native Giuseppe Rossi’s two strikes a few days earlier.

Around the 20^th minute, when ESPN’s feed failed, the network turned back to the studio, where we had the pleasure of listening to American “legend” Alexi Lalas’ opinion on the game thus far. Keep in mind, by this time the American team was down by two goals. Whatever your opinion is on Lalas—I kind of like him, personally—I think he said something rather astute, though arguably a bit obvious. Comparing the current USMNT team to that of 1998, when Lalas himself played and the only time the US has beaten Brazil, Lalas claimed the current team lacked the same heart and motivation. I don’t think it would be unreasonable to say that the current team is more skillful than that of 1998’s team, but I agree with Lalas—to a degree. This team lacks experience and leadership (and sometimes motivation), two disabilities I believe my two other favorite teams, Arsenal and South Korea’s national team, also posses. But, like Arsenal, they still have time.

Aside from the recent Gold Cup victory, which I don’t really count, the US’ only real international success came during the 2002 World Cup. In it, we saw a young Landon Donovan shine in their charge to the quarterfinals, where they were robbed of a semi-final berth by eventual finalists Germany. The 2002 squad had leadership, a tenant of football that is often overlooked. The team had Brad Friedel, Cobi Jones, Eddie Lewis, Eddie Pope, Claudio Reyna (before he his career took a nose dive) and Brian McBride—all experienced leaders on the team, most of whom were just peaking. On top of that, the team was injected with the youth of twenty-year olds DaMarcus Beasley and, of course, Landon Donovan—the latter, who played with purpose, something he lacks at the moment.

Fast-forward four years to the 2006 World Cup finals. Both teams were actually very similar, down to the coach, Bruce Arena. Pope, Reyna, McBride, Donovan, and Beasley all featured regularly, while former 2002 veterans in Mastroeni, Lewis, and Wolff made the squad. In fact, with the maturation of Donovan and Beasley, and the additions of Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu, many (Americans) expected the US team to perform well. Of course, the team capitulated, leaving the tournament with a solitary point and two goals (one an own-goal). To be fair, the US was in a very difficult group, but I think Arena was the cause of their flaccid performance. He had, what I’d like to call, Sven syndrome—that is, he almost exclusively depended on the “biggest” names, regardless of form, and remained inflexible. This is most apparent in the selection of: Claudio Reyna, who was embarrassingly poor, and was injury plagued the season before; and Kasey Keller ahead of Tim Howard. While a lot of those players still offered the experience, most (Brian McBride excepted) were over the hump, especially Reyna, whom, with an underperforming Donovan, Arena revolved his team around. And Arena didn’t realize what a difference four years can make, when a player goes from 28 to 32—sometimes players will get jaded. Sometimes they’ll just lose that drive (especially when most play in the MLS…).

Fast-forward another three years. I suppose the key word would be “Change,” something that was overlooked during Arena’s reign. Looking at this Confederations Cup roster (ignoring exclusions from injuries), there are two survivors from the 2002 squad, and six survivors from 2006. I think new coach Bob Bradley made a lot of very positive steps and to be honest, I prefer national coaches to be of that nation. Bradley, though, has shown hints of Arena-syndrome (only slightly different from Sven-syndrome). He, for example, continues to play DaMarcus Beasley, and despite telling Adu to get more game time, he plays Altidore and Feilhaber (though, to be fair, they deserve it). What I do like, is that he, in true Arsenal style, is giving younger players a chance, and seems to be raising a promising, young squad. Of course, the drawbacks, as Lalas mentioned, is a lack of experience on the international stage, and an inability to solidly grasp the situation and keep composure—evidenced by the plethora of red cards the US tend to get during big games (credit to Grant Wahl of si.com). Lalas, though, mentions a lack of heart and motivation, which is odd, because only days before, most American fans (Lalas too, I bet) were consoling themselves with the fact that the 10-men USMNT played against Italy with passion. I do think, something I’ve noticed with the Korean national team too, that this team often needs a catalyst to actually get going, whether it be a red card, or an early goal scored against (during qualifying the USMNT always seems to concede an early goal). But I do think the future is bright, especially with Bradley, who knows the ins and outs of the MLS, and is willing to take a chance with younger players.

Things that might help though:

1. Landon Donovan should swallow his pride and leave for a mediocre-to-bad Premiership or La Liga team. Teams like Hull or Stoke City, where he can play competitive matches weekly. He’s stagnated in the MLS, and he seems satisfied with himself. A move would not only help his development, but give him some perspective and perhaps drive him to excel (his recent stint at Bayern Munich seemed to have given him a brief breath of life).
2. The US MUST partake in better friendly matches, in Europe. They’ve gotten better about this, but still—when you play every game in Columbus, Ohio, against sub-par CONCACAF teams, your team might get a bit complacent. This is really important.
3. Altidore, Adu, Spector and Feilhaber have to get game time somehow.
4. The US actually produces great players who decide to run off to their home country (I can't blame them). We've already seen Subotic, Hangeland, Ibisevic, and of course, Rossi leave us. This is arguably down to the US soccer's infrastructure. I realize the MLS has been trying to increase the prestige of soccer in the US by bringing in old superstars, but I really think they should start working from the bottom up. Soccer is, I believe, the most popular organized sport for youth in America, yet there is almost no incentive in America to play. 

If all of these mission statements are achieved, maybe the US will have a chance of repeating their glorious 2002 World Cup run during a World Cup in the near future.

Guest Post: A Beginner’s Guide To WAGs

Meiying, the local WAG expert, generously donated some of her time to give us a cheery yet relevant distraction from all of the transfers occurring. Every once in a while you hear about a move dying in the water because of a whiny WAG that doesn't want to move to a different city. So to help us understand the general population of WAGs, here is Meiying's crash course:

For those of you who don’t know, the term WAG (which became popular with the British press during the 2006 World Cup) refers to the wives and girlfriends of footballers, those lucky few who get to experience what we girls only dream about whilst staring longingly at our Beckham posters each night. WAGs are known for their exceptional beauty, dangerously high heels, and of course, their outlandish fashion choices. I’ll start you off with a few of my favorites…

1) Victoria Beckham: The original WAG, Victoria is the queen bee in the land of football. The earth would be a sad, sad place without Posh Spice’s eccentric clothing, tanned legs, and ever-changing hairstyles. She can be seen towing her three boys around LA in 5-inch shoes, or posing half naked in an Armani ad in which she shows off a bosom confusingly large for so attenuated a woman whilst demonstrating contortionist-like flexibility.


2) Cheryl Cole: Second only to Posh, is the beautiful and talented Cheryl Cole. She is a singer in the British pop group, Girls Aloud, and is pretty much the most perfect woman in the world. Which leads me to the conclusion that Ashley Cole, her husband, must have some sort of brain problem seeing as he cheated on her.


3) Coleen Rooney: Coleen met Wayne Rooney when she was 12 and they were childhood sweethearts. Coleen has become a celebrity in the UK and gets paid 40,000 pounds to write a column for British tabloid magazine entitled Hello! as well as working as a product endorser. The Rooneys are expecting their first child next year.

4) Alex Gerrard, the blonde, doll-faced wife of Steven Gerrard enjoys shopping… and well, that’s about it. The Cinderella of WAG-land, Alex went from rags to riches when she married the Liverpool captain and now lives in a mansion that is so over the top that it even has a room with a machine that blasts actual crystals at their faces to exfoliate them. Fun fact: Alex injects her £2,000 hand bags with Botox to make them soft.


5) Sylvie van der Vaart: Sylvie is the wife of Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart and she looks like a Barbie doll. Enough said.


Now for two slightly less-classy, yet no less entertaining WAGS…

6) Abbey Clancy: she is the ridiculously hot girlfriend of Peter Crouch, surprisingly, one of the most geeky looking footballers in world. Abbey is a model and is often seen smashed and/or without clothing. How this gorgeous girl is going out with a man who looks like a human asparagus is beyond me.



7) Nives Celsius: wife of Dino Dropic. Nives is a playboy model who is also often seen without clothing. She is known for a notorious romp with her husband on the pitch (fulfilling his life long fantasy, but also costing him his job), and writing an absurd column for a website in which she discusses enthralling topics such as what it is like to sleep with a footballer (“it was fantastic!”), which footballers she would love to sleep with besides her husband (Fernando Torres), and how to bed a footballer (be a whore in bed)… all necessary information, of course.

For more on WAGS…
Boys, I recommend checking out the WAG gallery over at http://www.thespoiler.co.uk
Girls, check out http://kickette.com for many beautifully snarky remarks on WAGs and their ever- entertaining fashion.
Food for thought:
- Which out of the aforementioned WAGs would you risk your career for to bone on the pitch? My vote either goes to Cheryl or Sylvie…

More on the Confederations Cup

My own views on the Confederations Cup differ slightly from Matt's. I, for one, would hardly say the tournament is off to a flyer, nor has it proved that it deserves to be taken very seriously. The key here, is that the tournament is not trying to be taken seriously. Rather it is a very useful dress rehearsal for next year, and a nice opportunity for FIFA to extend its ever more global reach with some entertaining matches (Sidenote: Does no one else think it is slightly ridiculous that ESPN has already started advertising for its coverage of the World Cup???).

No tournament that pits the world's best team against the world's 82nd best team is trying to provide quality football. That is exactly what the Champions League, Premier League, the Serie A and for that matter, the World Cup, are all for. The aforementioned Spain vs. New Zealand game was an absolute joke, as the best strike partnership on the planet tore the Kiwis to pieces before deciding that 5 goals would suffice. South Africa vs. Iraq was equally comical, not the least bit for Bernard Parker's unintentional block of his own teammate's would-be goal.

Yesterday, in an apparent effort to return some sense of dignity to the tournament, Brazil decided that instead of playing defense they would watch a surprisingly technical and well-organized Egyptian team pass around them for the better part of an hour. On a different day this game could have been a Brazilian massacre. The Italy vs. US game was more like a potential World Cup matchup, as the Americans put in a very respectable effort despite playing most of the game with 10 men.

Looking ahead, we see that on Wednesday the New Zealand national "team" will face off against the home Bafana Bafana squad in what promises to be another epic matchup (Just in case sarcasm doesn't pick up easily on the internet, that was sarcastic). Later on, Iraq will try their hardest to avoid the same embarassment that New Zealand tasted as they face European Champions Spain.

As we and FIFA both see, one who is searching for a quality football match should wait another year before turning his or her eyes to South Africa. Having been fortunate enough to experience South Africa firsthand however, I am very relieved to report that the Confederations Cup has so far been an orgnizational success (If not a miracle), and served its purpose well as a dry-run for next year's event.

Quickly on Guiseppe Rossi: As I have been saying for some time now, and we have discussed before here on the blog, Rossi is by far the best field player America has ever produced, and it is a shame that he has elected not to play for the US. Unfortunately, it is the nature of a country built on immigrants that the national team will lose some players in this way. Interestingly, Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones, who is a real force in the Bundesliga, has decided to return to his father's American roots and play for the US. By a relatively new FIFA rule, Jones can join the US after August because he has only played in friendlies for his native Germany. Jones is a very solid holding midfielder and his presence will be a big boost for the team's chances at the World Cup next year, as Michael Bradley will now be able to orchastrate from further up the pitch with Jones sitting in behind him.

The confederations what?...

Not many people have heard of the Confederations Cup, but most likely people will take heed after some of the scorelines hit the headlines. The Confederations Cup pits the World Cup winner against the host nation of the coming World cup with the 6 winners of the separate confederation tournaments. Below is everyone who is in it, and what they won to get there:

World Cup winner: Italy
Coming World Cup hosts: South Africa
CONCACAF Gold Cup winners: USA
Asian Championship winners: Iraq
Euro 2008 winners: Spain
Copa America winners: Brazil
Oceania Championship winners: New Zealand
African Cup of Nations winners: Egypt

I like to liken it to the Fifa Club World Cup, in that Fifa gathers teams that are allegedly the best in their region and has them play each other. Seeing as the Fifa Club World Cup is equally obscure as the Confederations Cup that might have been a poor analogy, but both tournaments do create some potentially mouth watering clashes.

Either way, this tournament is off to a flyer. In the first four games alone we have already witnessed an astounding sixteen goals. Spain continues to exude their dominance against any opponent in any context. Brazil look as shaky as ever at the back but quite exciting up front. Egypt looks wonderfully skilled and creative, while remaining strong and disciplined. Italy looks shaky but competitive. The US looks energetic and up for the fight. New Zealand despite getting thrashed will likely bounce back to the side that lost 4-3 against Italy a week ago, and might even make it out of the group. And South Africa and Iraq should get lost.

More in depth analysis to follow from Danny, and maybe a mention of the betrayal that occured today on the part of Rossi...

Things that need to be said...

1. Kaka's transfer to Madrid for about $92m was ridiculous. I used to really like Kaka, and I still kind of do, but my respect for him has gone down a bit, especially after he said he transfered FOR Milan's benefit. Maybe he should have gone to City last year then, when the price was doubled. I just don't like it when players tell the media that they moved for 'a new challenge' or whatever. It just seems dishonest.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo: two things. First, his transfer was truly RIDICULOUS. What was it, $130m? Honestly though, it benefits everyone. Manchester are going to buy two or three world class players with that cash and still have some left over. Ronaldo got excess of $30m from the transfer, and is apparently going to be earning over $900,000 per week during the last year of his contract (his wages increase per year at Madrid). I'm pretty sure the highest wage right now is around $220,000 per week (probably Robinho). And, despite the transfer cost and wages, Madrid will probably earn an astonishing amount of cash from image rights, products, etc that Ronaldo brings in.

Additionally, he celebrated his new contract with Paris Hilton, which I find hilarious.

3. Newcastle United was recently put up for sale for £100m, though it might go for £150m. It is unreal that Ronaldo is worth 80% of the club's original price. Actually, its pretty believable. Newcastle is shit.

What the Gunners need to do to shoot for glory...

One thing most Arsenal supporters will agree upon is that Wenger needs to strengthen the squad. This season has shown Arsenal don't yet have the quality or experience to really challenge for a title. And considering it has been four years since Arsenal's last trophy, this transfer season is arguably the most important yet.

Most Arsenal supporters I've heard believe the squad needs two things:

1. A tall, strong center back.

2. A tall, strong defensive midfielder.

Considering Arsenal's defensive record this season, this is understandable, and Wenger, apparently, is on the verge of signing 23-year old Ajax center back Thomas Vermaelen for approximately £10m ($16m). I don't know much about him--wikipedia says he's Belgian, 6'1 and a full international. But former Arsenal center back, Tony Adams, has claimed Vermaelen is not ready for the Premiership, while Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has fully endorsed Arsenal's interest. I'd tend to lean on Adams' side here, though I can't but suspect that Adams' comments are something of a ploy to divert attention.

Also recently, Mamadou Sakho has been linked to Arsenal, his agent claiming Arsenal are the most interested. I don't know much about Sakho, but he's 19 and has captained his current club, Paris Saint-Germain, at 17 years old. And leadership, despite his age and relative inexperience, is something Arsenal completely lack.

Cristian Zapata of Udinese has also apparently claimed Arsenal's interest. I have a feeling this claim is more to drive up his price (players usually get around 10% of the transfer fee... and Arsenal apparently placed a bid on him last year). But I personally think he'd be a better signing than Vermaelen, though he'd probably cost a good bit more than £10m.

For the defensive mid position, Wenger is apparently experimenting with Nasri, seeing if he can adapt to the position, and in the last couple games of the season, he's played there. I personally think that would be a waste of attacking talent.

Who I think Arsenal should buy/sell:

First, Arsenal should NOT sell ANYONE on the first squad if they cannot get a replacement, aside from perhaps Rosicky, who will never be 100% fit again.

That said, who I'd like to see REPLACED are...

Emmanuel Adebayor: His ego is too big, and while confidence is good, big-headedness is not. He's looked lackluster this season and his transfer saga last summer, quite frankly, made him look like a dick. The qualities he showed during his best season, '07-'08, and even the seasons before--primarily his work rate and persistence, has disappeared. He's always offside, and its incredibly frustrating... he just refuses to put in the energy to go onside. If Arsenal can get £20m ($33m) for him, I'd say take it.

Kolo Toure: I love Toure, but he's lost it ever since the African Cup of Nations last year. We saw during the winter transfer season that he will refuse to be just a squad player (I'd love to see him as a third string center back). To be honest, the only reason I think Arsenal should keep him is to lure is brother Yaya to the club. I hate to say it, because Toure has been absolutely fantastic for the club, but for £15m ($24.5m) he should be let go.

Mikael Silvestre: Ugh. He sucks.

Who I'd (realistically?) like to see at the club:

Mattieu Flamini: He's a jerk for leaving--I think that's the general consensus among Arsenal supporters. Regardless of what we feel about him though, Flamini still claims to love Arsenal and he's Fabregas' bff. He knows the team, he knows the Premiership, and he'd easily slot right back in, and most people agree that he was an integral part of Arsenal's early success in the '07-'08 season. I think he's been recently played more for Milan (after being unable to get a game) but he still faces competition with Gattuso and Ambrosini and Serie A has (or rather, will) definitely lose some of its sheen.

If not Flamini... David Albelda: I've always liked Albelda, who would come cheap and bring some leadership and steel to the midfield. He's aging (31 y/o) but I think he would be a great option for the club for two or so years. People call for Marcos Senna, but I think if Albelda hadn't been inexplicably dropped from Valencia a season or two ago, he'd have been in the Euros and would have been rated higher on the international stage.

Vermaelen/Sahko: The two center backs I mentioned earlier.

Who we won't EVER see at the club. I think...

David Villa: I'd gladly trade van Persie and Adebayor for Villa. I thought he was a somewhat realistic target considering Valencia's financial situation, but I am 100% sure we'll see him at Madrid.

Edin Dzeko: He's going to Milan.

Yaya Toure: He's at Barcelona and would only realistically come if Kolo can pull him in, which probably won't happen.

Giorgio Chiellini: The future of Italy's defense, he probably wouldn't leave Juventus for Arsenal. I'd love to see him at Arsenal though....

Give them a CHANCE!

Arsenal are, of course, known for their youth. As such, there are several players that I think should been given a chance.

Carlos Vela: He's quality. Only 20, a natural finisher whose made the chip shot his signature. He needs more big-game experience though--the few times I've seen him in a game against quality opposition, he's tended to disappear, but again, he's only 20 and just needs experience.

Aaron Ramsey: He's been great for Wales, or so I hear. Still only 18 (he's 2 months older than me...), I hear people call him Fabregas' natural successor, as we all know Fabregas will eventually leave Arsenal, probably for Barcelona.

Alexandre Song: He's REALLY impressed me during the latter half of the season. He goes upfield a little too much when he plays defensive mid, but I think he's a really solid passer, strong, and can win a header.

Kieran Gibbs: He gives Clichy, who had a mediocre season, some competition. I think he'll ultimately be better than Clichy.

Nicklas Bendtner: He kind of got his chance this season, but a lot of Arsenal supporters really got on his back about missing easy chances, etc. He's only 21, he works hard, he kind of reminds me of Adebayor before he became lazy. And he absolutely loves the club. I think the SUPPORTERS have to give him a chance because Wenger has obviously put his faith in the Danish striker. I think he'll be absolutely massive for the club, especially if Adebayor leaves.

We probably won't see a signing until August 31st though, judging by past experience.

Bob Bradley: Angel or Demon?

My opinion of Bob Bradley has generally been a good one throughout his tenure as the coach of the US Men's National Team (USMNT), though I have certainly had some qualms with him during this time. After the last few USMNT games, I remained on my couch for a couple minutes pondering some of the tactical choices and player selections I had just witnessed, and gathering my thoughts on some of his decisions. 

First and foremost the decision to convert Beasley to a left back imo has been a rather suspect one. Ever since Heath Pearce was called up for the first time I have thought Heath was a solid choice for that position, and if that doesn't do it for you put in Bornstein, Spector, or DeMerit at CB and Bocanegra on the left. So in my mind this Beasley business seems like a 4th string option. It certainly doesn't seem to be paying off, and hopefully Bradley will stop experimenting with it. 

I was thrilled to see one of my favorite USMNT back in action yesterday, Benny Feilhaber. I think he proved in his 45 minutes that not only is he returning to his best form, but he offers another dimension to the US team's center mid position. He has never been afraid to make a cutting pass or take a risk if it could lead to a goal, traits that I see missing from the other center mid options who play rather conservatively. Not to mention that I think his return all but ensured that Mastroeni will not be included in another team roster seeing as Feilhaber was mobile enough to play both effective offense and defense. Add to that Bradley and Maurice Edu's, both effective tacklers, will be coming back to the lineup soon, I think it is clear that Mastroeni's days are numbered. 

In terms of tactics, I have enjoyed seeing Dempsey in a freer role which is made possible by playing MLS bruisers Conor Casey or Brian Ching up top to do the dirty work. That compounded with the admirable work rate and strength of a budding Jozy Altidore give Dempsey and Donovan a lot more wriggle room on the wings to express themselves. 

For more thoughts on the USMNT, refer to this interesting article that Jon Kim found on SI.com.

Transfer do's and transfer don'ts

Sorry for the break. I've been sulking around since Manchester United's loss to Barcelona in the Champions League final. Though with that said, I have recently come to appreciate the tremendous achievements Man U has accomplished this season, and therefore am no longer sour about the loss. And let's be honest, Barcelona put on a clinic.

Now, like the rest of the footballing world, I'm looking ahead to next season. In the words of David Bowie "Ch-ch-changes" are happening everywhere. Managers are being thrown across continents, players being shipped out and ordered in. This transfer window has only just begun and there is already enough to talk about to fill up three posts. So below I'm going to inventory what transfers I deem significant and whether I like them or not.

Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich: Do they really need another world class center forward? I'm sure it will be nice to have him on board in the league cause their center forwards didn't perform all that well in the league last year, but with Klose and Toni already on the books I don't know about this one. I suppose he will offer them nice depth, but one of the trio will be disgruntled (see Tevez as Manchester United). Also if he doesn't see the field, the German national team will suffer from having one of their top strikers not getting experience.

Verdict: Bad for Gomez, good for Bayern, potentially bad for the German national team.

Ivica Olic to Bayern Munich: Same story, though Olic is a lot more versatile and in a way a straight swap for the departing Podolski (Moving back to Cologne. That's a move I don't understand at all. At least he should go to City where he will make a £100,000,000 an hour). He might be deployed at wider positions, in which case he will see a lot of game time. Though if doesn't, he could see bench time a la Landon Donovan.

Verdict: Questionable for Olic, good for Bayern.

Daniel Pranjic to Bayern Munich: I've been waiting years for someone to recognize Pranjic's talent, but I didn't think the club that would end up buying him would already have a world class left back. He has been great for Heerenveen over the years, scoring quite a few goals because he takes their penalties, and also was very impressive at the Euro's last year for Croatia. This either spells the end for Lahm, or some bench time for Prajnic.

Verdict: Could go both ways for both Pranjic and Bayern depending on whether they get a lot of money for Lahm, or if they wasted their money on a superfluous left back.

Gareth Barry to Manchester City: How Manchester City got scammed into paying £17 million for De Jong and then stole Barry from Villa for a comparitive bargain of £12 million is completely beyond me. I would think Villa would milk the situation for all it is worth, something they tried and failed at last season with Liverpool, who are a lot more frugal than Man City. Barry is an excellent player, but of all the positions on the field at Man City I thought that center mid was the only one where they had quality and depth. Elano, Ireland, De Jong, and Kompany were quite a team and offered many different complexions to the City midfield. Well, now you can throw Barry on top of that. It's possible Hughes will play him wide on the left. I'd imagine he would hook up with Wayne Bridge well.

Verdict: Good for Barry if they qualify for Europe next season and if he gets to play at center mid, great signing for City.

Steve Bruce to Sunderland: I think Wigan was a sinking ship and Bruce got out at the right time. Valencia is leaving, Heskey already departed, and Zaki will be on his way as well. Sunderland has a transfer kitty and a supportive owner who will allow Bruce to build a new team if he so desires. I also have a lot of respect for him as a manager (and it has nothing to do with his Manchester United roots) and think that he will do excellently at Sunderland and that Wigan lost a quality manager.

Verdict: Bad for Wigan, great for Sunderland, great for Bruce.

I'll post again as more important transfers role in.

Just for the hell of it...

Why doesn't everyone post their CL final predictions for tomorrow and we'll see who is the closest.

I say a defensive game from Manchester United that either results in a 1-0 win to United or United winning in penalties. If United score, it will come from Ronaldo.

I think the lineups will be as follows:

Barca: Valdes, Puyol, Toure, Pique, Sylvinho, Keita, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Henry, Eto'o
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O' Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Anderson, Scholes, Park, Ronaldo, Rooney


Let's follow this format:

Result:
Scorers:

(optional)
Barca starting XI:
Man Utd starting XI:

Tevez, or not Tevez, that is the question... (Part II)

Sorry for the delay. Here are the cons.

Cons:

First and foremost: $$$$. Tevez is likely to cost a record sum, and when we look at the pros and his strike rate I just don't see that it is justified. Yes he is young, something I forgot to mention in the pros, but not young enough to be considered a prospect.

We all know what Tevez is capable of through his demonstration two season ago when he single handedly saved West Ham from the drop. But similar to Robbie Keane there is the possibility that Tevez just isn't up to being a player in a scheme rather than the go-to man all of the time. I think last season he demonstrated that he can play with the players on Manchester United, but as soon as his game time diminished on account of Berbatov, either his confidence changed or the system changed enough to put him off his stride. It's sad to see such an integral part of last season's campaign.


The synthesis of my thoughts is this: I don't think he is worth what they are asking for.


Post any pros or cons I missed and whether you think Man U should shell out for him.

Tevez, or not Tevez, that is the question...

As the end of Carlos Tevez's two year loan deal at Manchester United comes to an end, Sir Alex Ferguson is now faced with the difficult decision of whether to purchase Tevez for what will likely be a record fee, or to look elsewhere for a new striker. This debate has only flared up recently because Tevez has hit good form despite most of his appearances coming from off the bench. Tevez has also fueled the fire by saying that he wants to stay, but also claiming he will likely be playing for a different club next season. I think the only way to settle this is to look at the pros and cons of the situation.




Pros:

No one can fault Tevez's work rate. In fact I would say that is what he is most famous for. Sir Alex claimed that he has endeared himself with the fans because "They love triers ... the fans always take to that." It is wonderful to have a striker that makes the opponent's defenders always stay on their toes. He is often juxtaposed with Dimitar Berbatov because they sub for one another, and it only boosts my appreciation for this facet of his game.

Tevez is an excellent professional. This is best demonstrated through his positive attitude and eagerness to change the complexion of a game coming off the bench. He also, until recently, did not complain that he was a peripheral figure in United's campaign this year and took his chances well. A prime example of that was vs. Blackburn in the Carling Cup when he was awarded his first start in a while and had a four goal performance.

I wouldn't say Tevez offers much of a new dimension to the United front line, but he certainly is the only one that can match Wayne Rooney's output up top should Rooney get injured or need rest. He also represents the depth that the United team is touted for.

Post any other pros you think Tevez has.

I will discuss the cons in a post tomorrow.

Anything but Messi...

After 182 minutes of precise defending and intense focus, Guus Hiddink's Chelsea side were denied passage to the CL final in Rome by an exquisite and frankly unexpected equalizer by the player of the match Andres Iniesta. Iniesta's equalizer was stunning and brilliant for more than just the perfect technique he used to execute the strike. Goals, and maybe more importantly shots, like the one he took in second half stoppage time have not been taken by Barcelona all year. This is because down the wings they have been able to penetrate with such ease that they seldom score from outside the box because why try shooting from outside the box when you can get closer with a few clever passes and runs? And when they do score from outside the box the goal practically always comes from a free kick. Why I think Iniesta got the tiny bit of room that he did is because Chelsea were likely lectured on the fact that Barcelona like to pass from the top of the box in order to get a give and go and march to a point blank position in front of the goal before shooting. But leave it to the versatile and ever improving Andres Iniesta to throw out the game plan that had been stifled for 180+ against Chelsea and blast in a magnificent equalizer.

I will be anxiously waiting for the final for the next three weeks and cannot wait for the epic showdown.

A few laughs amidst the sobbing...

It is right around now that teams become mathematically doomed to relegation, and when other teams miss out on titles and championships because there can only be one winner for everything. So with that said, I present you with my three all time favorite light-hearted soccer related videos. 

It gets no better than this... or does it?

In recent weeks the debate over which league, La Liga or the English Premiership, has been raged as the CL winds down with only teams from these two leagues squaring off. Also recently, the defenders on the top premiership teams (with the exception of Manchester United) have decided to allow other top teams to score a flurry of goals on them in order to fuel the speculation that the premiership is the most entertaining league in the world. Examples of this modern phenomena include the 4-4 draws between Chelsea and Liverpool, and Liverpool and Arsenal. What's more is Chelsea appear to be in the driving seat of their CL matchup with Barcelona. So La Liga, what do you have to say about all of this?

Today, as if in direct response to the English pundits who thought they had won the argument, Real Madrid and Barcelona produced what can only be described as the most entertaining, most important, and most thrilling rout of the season. The football that Barcelona played was absolutely breath taking. But the great part of the game was that both sides allowed the other to display its full arsenal, a route that Chelsea opted not to take during their CL semi-final first leg. 

It just seems that La Liga relies much less on physical attributes, and encourages thinking rather than brute strength. In an interview, Fernando Torres confirmed this assertion when he claimed that Ricardo Carlvalho was the only defender in the prem that used his wits rather than his muscles to win tackles. What's more is Torres went on to say it was easier to score in the prem because of the all-action mentality of the defenders. 

So with that said, decide which you prefer. 

Side note: Also if you didn't see this installment of el Clásico, I strongly suggest you do when FSC plays it this coming Friday (I think around 4:00 P.M.)

Finding the Perfect Balance

After watching the first legs of the Champions League semifinals, I have concluded that this year's semifinalists represent a very broad tactical spectrum. What I mean by this is that the teams range in style from very stiff upper-lip, no-nonsense, defensive minded football on the one hand, to a very free-flowing, more attacking game on the other.

On the ultra-conservative side, we have Chelsea, whose display yesterday was more Mourinho-esque than any game I ever saw them play during the Special One's reign at Stamford Bridge. As both a football purist and a promoter of the EPL as the best league in the world, I was almost embarrased to watch them at times. For those of you who were fortunate enough to miss the game, here is a quick recap: Chelsea sat back for 90 minutes often with 10 men behind the ball, watching Barca's magicians strike the ball around the pitch with such ease that they seemed at times to be going through a training drill. On the rare occasion when Chelsea did end up with possession, they immediately launched it up to Didier Drogba, who was much too isolated to pose any sort of threat. Chelsea's play was in stark contrast to their smooth, attacking football on display under Luis Filipe Scolari earlier in the season. The aesthetically tempting creativity of Deco and Joe Cole has been replaced by Gus Hiddink's utterly boring and defensive-minded philosophy. It is possible that Hiddink's tactics may actually work out in the end and we will all hail him as a tactical genius, but on the evidence of yesterday's display, Chelsea will never get out of their own half, much less defeat a far superior Barcelona team during the return leg at Stamford Bridge.

On the opposite end of my tactical spectrum is Arsenal. Guilty of even overplaying at times, the Gunners have produced some stunning football this year. The midterm arrival of Andrei Arshavin has more than compensated for the loss of the equally stylish Cesc Fabregas to injury earlier in the season. Even as a Man Utd supporter, I  lament the fact that Arshavin is cup-tied and therefore cannot play for Arsenal in the CL; he is truly a pleasure to watch. For all their attractive play, Arsenal have many problems of their own. They have a complete lack of discipline at the back, and they really lack a Michael Essien or Jon Obi Mikel type machine to safeguard their often shaky back four. On top of this, many people have commented on their lack of experience. Their average age is very, very young and they are captained by a 21-year-old whose big game experience is very limited. On the whole, Arsenal have been lovely to watch but are largely ineffective.

So what then is the perfect balance? I believe both Manchester United and Barcelona represent the perfect balance in football, and I expect both teams to advance to the finals in Rome because of it. Let's start with Barcelona. Their attacking flair is unquestionable, as they have netted an astounding 94 times in the Spanish Primera, and boast the world's best player in Lionel Messi. What differentiates Barca from say, Arsenal is that they maintain a solid, experienced back four to compliment their attacking style. This lethal combination of attacking style and defensive stability make Barcelona perhaps the best team in the world. Current World Champions Manchester United play with similar balance. More so this season than in past seasons, their balance has been rooted in an absolutely rock solid defense, epitomized by super-Serb Nemanja Vidic. United's attack has clearly fallen off from the poetic interplay of last season, but they still have a dizzying array of offensive weapons. Cristiano Ronaldo has been dissapointing after the heights he reached last year, but the supporting cast of Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov, and especially Michael Carrick have helped carry the load. If anything I would say United's attack is more evenly spread this season, and with an often impenetrable defense to match, I would say Man U, much like Barcelona, represent the perfect balance in footballing style.

For me, Arsenal and Chelsea are both far too incomplete to be crowned European Champions. I really do hope that both United and Barca progress to the final in May—for the good of the game.