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.