What I want the draw to be

Ahh the Champions League Draw is set for tomorrow and if only I had my ways, although I am sure UEFA will have theres...

Liverpool v Barca - get one of the bastards to knock off the other bastards
Manchester United v Real Madrid - Make Beckham's return be for other than a Charity Game
Arsenal v  Celtic - have to have an English team take on a Scottish team
O. Lyon v Roma - So Scott wouldnt be able to watch his team on ESPN 2 once again
AC Milan v PSV - What can I say? I like this match up
Chelsea v Lille - So Drogba could speak French on the field
Valencia v Porto - Battle of the Iberian Peninsula
Bayern v Inter - The only other remaining big clubs eliminate one of the others from the Competition


my guess - uefa will get 'pool to play celtic and arse to play barca, manu will get lille, chelsea v porto cause of the jose connection

we shall see

Adieu Adu!

The Freddy Adu era is over at DC United. Bout time. While he may turn out to be among the best players ever is soccer, the betting here is that it's not going to happen and I'd be surprised if he makes that large an impact on soccer's larger stages. He's a good player, has shown flashes of excellence, but they've been too few to warrant the salary he's commanded from DCU and MLS (over $500,000). Part of the problem has been his attitude: he arrived at DCU expecting to start and play 90 minutes every game. But he was only 14! And there's a world of difference playing among other teenagers and playing against folks who started their professional careers before he was born!

Not all of this was his fault. He was signed in part to put MLS on the world map and this was too large a burden to place on the shoulders of someone so young. And I think he bought too much into the Adu hype going on around him, thinking that he was better than he is, and not working hard enough to get better.

Maybe he'll flourish at Real Salt Lake in a central midfield role or as a striker. But at DCU he clearly was not better than either Moreno or Gomez, so there was no way he was going to start in place of either of them. So in the long run, perhaps this is one of those deals that helps both teams as well as the players involved: DCU deals away an attitude problem and gets the right to replace him with a foreign player as well as a draft pick; RSL gets a "star," who may help them draw fans to their home games.

Of course, this depends on how long he stays state-side. Adu worked out with ManU recently and turns 18 next summer. He wants to play with a European club, but wonder whether he'd accept a second level club or agree to sign with a club like ManU with an understanding that he'll be on loan to a bottom table club for a season or two. As hungry as ManU may be for better off-the-bench options late in games, that role probably would not sit well with Adu and I don't think he's ready for the speed and strength of the English game. I can't imagine him replacing any of the starters for ManU or any of the better clubs in the top leagues at this point in his development.

Also leaving DCU is Nick Rimando, who lost his starting keeper's job to Troy Perkins this past season. Not to take anything away from Perkins (who was named top MLS goalkeeper in 2006), I always thought Rimando did a solid job for United. Here's hoping he has better luck -- and stays healthy -- with RSL.

chelsea looks unimpressive (again)

yes they should have won- the two hit posts in the dying moments were heartbreaking- but this team is going backward until they unclog the midfield. playing with 4 central midfield players (any of which i would be happy to see at Man U, except maybe for Ballack- he is stealing Roman's money) is nuts and the congestion it produces is startling. they looked so much more a threat once Robben and swp were introduced (no thanks to swp who continues to waste away into something resembling an MLS player- it shows there is a cost when you sell your soul to the devil for a few pounds). i am not sure what his greatness is thinking about, but this is not working.

Klinsmann withdraws from consideration!

ESPN is reporting that Jurgen Klinsmann has withdrawn his name from consideration for the USMNT head coach position. The article notes:

"Klinsmann, in a statement sent to ESPN, said: 'Sunil [Gulati] and I have concluded our discussions about the U.S. men's national team program, and I have withdrawn my name from consideration as coach. I'm not going to go into details about our conversations. But, I certainly want to wish the next coach of the U.S. men's national team much success, and I want to, also, thank Sunil for the opportunity to exchange ideas.'"

Apparently, the problem was neither money nor the potential Nike/Addidas conflict. Rather, the issue was control of the program. According to Fox Soccer Channel, "there had always been the question of whether or not Klinsmann would accept the culture of U.S. Soccer. Power, and the sharing of it, was said to be a consistent theme in the talks and it could be that despite agreeing in principle, the two parties could not settle on an agreement that would give Klinsmann the autonomy he desired."

Fox is also reporting that for now, Bob Bradley, the Chivas USA coach, will lead the team on an interim basis as it prepares for friendlies against Denmark and Mexico.

This is a stunning disappointment and it lends support to the Ref's comment earlier this week that what the US MNT needs is not only a strong coach, but new civilian leadership at the top. If team control is the make or break issue, one has to wonder whether the team would be more successful if the coach has the authority to make player personnel decisions as opposed to other team management officials. Given the results from Germany, I'd have had no doubts about trying it Klinsmann's way until such time as it proved unsuccessful.

I think

US Soccer needs a new president

The Ref Gets His "7"

Just got word from the Ref: a very high score on his recert exam coupled with fast times on the 12 minute run and the two sprints: Ref is now a Grade 7 referee! Way to go! Shows what hard work and studying can do for you (the same type of dedication he's bring to his college course work, to be sure ;-) ).

England

Will never have success with all the attention that the press gives them.... Saying McClaren is NUTS on the cover of the sports page the day of a hyped friendly doesnt exactly give confidence to the players or the country. Unity supports the players... The olympics can be an example of a country coming together behind a team and winning like "the miracle on ice" or more recently the Ivory Coast and getting into the world cup. But it should be the opposite. I believe that the trudo wrote in one of his college essays that France united together after they won the WC in 98. It was a diverse team and they were winning and it was uniting a country that has many differences.
So through all this it leaves me to believe that England just have to win for any unity to happen. The problem is how many games do they have to win. Red Sox fans are still in a daze after winning the World Series over 2 years ago, yet put that in major competition form for England (such as Euro and WC) and England would never be satisfied.

So in the end I am going to sit back and watch England self destruct

Chelsea whining must stop

Today sees another article (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=390277&cc=5901) with a Chelsea player complaining about the ref. This all comes from the top, with Jose seemingly whining after every game. I watched the game vs tottenham, and felt that Graham Poll (The Ref's favorite) did a fine job- Drogba did push off on the disallowed goal, albeit ever so slightly but it doesn't take much of a shove to get someone off balance, Terry did seem overly agressive after the incident in front of the goal and shame on him for doing so when he had a card already. Chelsea pushes everything to the edge- hard fouls, not moving back from the ball for free kicks, diving, complaining about everything during the game- and they have since Jose got there. All of which is fine, but then take your yellow cards with some grace when they come.

Half way there!

Belated congratulations to the Ref, who passed his on-field assessment for an upgrade to Grade 7! Not only passed but received high praise from his assessor, one of the top guys in US soccer's ref community. All that's left are the upgrade class (and recert exam) and the physical fitness test, both of which the Ref should pass with ease.

I had the privilege of working one of the lines in the Ref's upgrade game, and it was clear that he was in control throughout. He demonstrated good use of the advantage call, letting play continue, while acknowledging that he saw the foul but letting the players play through. He called two penalty kicks, one a clear easy foul (hard charge from behind) and one a tougher call on handling in the penalty area. It was the right call, but not as obvious as the first. The assessor made several important suggestions for improvement, but on the whole, it was a great afternoon.

Blowing up Europe's Top Teams

According to news reports, FIFA and an international players' union on Thursday "signed a 'memorandum of understanding,' [proposing] the implementation of a six plus five system, whereby six members of a side must be eligible to play for the club's national association."

The ink was barely dry on the memorandum when Arsene Wenger, Arsenal's manager, complained: "'It is not to protect the national identity, it is to protect the national teams, their competitions, and their incomes,' said the Arsenal manager.

'Football bodies have to care about the level of the game - the level of the game does not mean protect mediocrity.'

When Arsenal reached the Champions League final last season, they only had two Englishmen in their starting XI - Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole. Both have now left the club.

Defender Justin Hoyte is likely to be the solitary Englishman in the side when the Gunners line up to face West Ham on Sunday."

Not to single out Arsenal -- other teams in the EPL, notably Chelsea and ManU, as well as top teams in the other European leagues, such as Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain, may be forced to alter substantially their rosters to comply with this rule if it it is adopted as official policy.

What to think about it? On the one hand, it would open up opportunities to a country's nationals to get an opportunity to play in their country's top leagues. It also might level the playing field among clubs in first divisions by limiting the number of internationals and spreading the talent around. It also could lead to a reduction in salary among some of the top internationals as fewer slots would be available on the super rich teams, while raising it for the locals. And it could have a positive effect on a country's National team: more players would have the chance to develop their skills in the top league. The Italian league may offer an example: the winning side in the 2006 all played for the Serie A.

On the other hand, it could affect the quality of play in some of the top leagues, because the teams top heavy with internationals would have to dump some of their players and replace them with locals who would not be as good.

So what do you think?

Rant 3 - That Moment

I can only imagine that final whistle. The feeling of winning the Champions League or say in America, The World series (the final out would be different I guess). The elation, joy, relief, the rush. I bring this up because I tuned into the world series for the last inning. I saw that last out when all of St. Louis jumped up and down for their beloved Cards. Yet to be honest I wasn't impressed. Maybe it was the TV coverage but I don't think so. The players themselves on the field didn't seem as joyous as previous winners. I didn't see anyone throw their gloves up. I didn't see anyone just fall over in pure joy (exhaustion wouldn't be an excuse for a baseball player until maybe a 12 inning game). They all just ran to the mound, hugged, fell over when someone finally pushed and then a few of the outside players jumped on top. The hugs were there, the TV cameras turned to the crying wives in the stands. Yet it just didn't feel right. Eh, it might be my ideas about baseball that sway my decision about the pure celebrations but it just wasn't there. I go back to my earlier idea about how majors sports are now seen as jobs. Those NBA players like Juan Howard who take the biggest contract they can get yet never seem to perform the same, eh they got it in the bank why should they.
I think back two years ago to Boston winning the world series, now that was a celebration. 96 years of celebration came rushing out by anyone who ever associated themselves with a tea party connection. I cant discuss Italy winning the world cup because of the poor coverage provided here in the states, overall is just seemed like a sigh of relief from the every present press coverage Italian soccer players get (Brits should learn by example and ease up, Italy had lower expectations due to the scandal at home and thus less pressure).
And I digress to those same people that live for the pressure, for those high profile moments, let it be Michael Jordan or a Zizou. They celebrated the most cause hell if they messed up, the really messed up, and Zizou knows he really messed up. My call to celebrations is somewhat muted by also the call for easier goal celebrations. Hell they better score a goal, hit a home run, or get in the end zone sometime soon again so why celebrate so much. Ill give Frank Lampard an excuse for his brilliant goal against Barca yesterday. It wasn't even him who celebrated the most but Robben who jumped on top of him.
Where is the passion. I know its still there. I know St. Louis could have also seemed a little more excited. Hell most of the photos I saw the next day were of things that actually occurred during the game, not the champagne baths or on field celebration, and for once that's a shame.

Good Article

Calling on the MLS to stop being stupid. HERE

Rant 2

Ah. It was perfect. The slow motion replay almost made me cry. The graceful-ness, the perfection, the utter sadness of a great dive. In his defence, he has been a good boy so far this season. He has gone through a lot of tough challenges, including one earlier in the game that seemed to have made him gone dizzy. I am of course talking about Drogba.

His sheer strength is known. Some of the goals he has scored in the Prem have been amazing and his goal in the game yesterday showed his touch. If one thing about his game changed it would be his diving. I mean he has cleaned it up along with C. Ronaldo but its not all the way there for either of them. But the topic of diving isnt just relegated to those two anyway but to the state of the game in its essance.

The best part of the game in its present state is its pace. It goes back and forth and keeps the heart racing for all 90 minutes. But there are different types of dives. There are the fall overs - when the player gets touched a little and falls, these are the most confused. There are the blatants - when they jump and fall over when not even touched, example would be drogba. Then there are those that get fouled but over shadow the foul to draw a card or waste time.

A place to start is with the players themselves. They need to realize how they are hurting the game. Blame needs to rest on their shoulders since they decide to dive and no one else. 2nd comes in the Coaches and Board of Directors. Cause in the end the buck stops there. Clubs can dish out fines for unsporting behavior and coaches can bench people or speak out about their players to the media. 3rd or 4th depending how one counts, in comes the league. Who says they shouldnt review those falls that seem as though the player is acting he is going to lose a leg.

In the end of course comes the referee. He or She is on the field as well. I dont think the first step is with them but it isnt the last either. Leagues need to be there to back up their referees. No chastizing them to the public like Sepp Blatter because they get enough in the media and from their fellow peers. Yes, referees are harsh on fellow referees. At first, a dive is a hard call to make and its hard to give the player a yellow card for such an offense especially if play continues and the referee doesnt want to slow down play. For example the referee gave Henry a yellow for using his arm before scoring against Moscow. Of course the replays show that the ball didnt touch the arm but then again the Referee made the judgement to go against the grain and call something very similar to a dive. In the end they are all simulations of legal play.

thoughts welcomed

Champions League win shows Man U weaknesses

I watched Man U play today and despite their 3-0 win over Copenhagen (please tell me why are some of these teams even in this thing? Real plays a team from the always powerful Romanian league and we are supposed to care?) I can't help but be concerned. Carrick looks like he is intent on proving that someone can be more overpriced than SWP for Chelski, O'Shea looks like a statue despite his goal (which was pure luck), Scholes does not scare anyone anymore except for with his shooting from distance, Giggs is 103 years old, and Darren Fletcher may play well for Scotland but for the Red Devils he seems to run around aimlessly. This team has no midfeild player (except for Ronaldo who really is a forward out on the wing) who can put his stamp on the game, has no ability to consistently move the ball through the midle of the pitch and the lack of service is killing Rooney. I have pointed this out before, but Sir Alex hasn't won anything except for an FA Cup in 2004 (and that was against Millwall for pete's sake) without Beckham. For all his faults, there is no better crosser of the ball and his style worked great in the EPL.

As much as I hate saying it, it doesn't seem that this team has any chance of keeping the Chelsea "team" from winning the title again, and certainly Arsenal- losing in Moscow was very impressive- has no chance.

Rant

I wont lie nor do I feel like I should lie. I havnt watched a baseball game in a while. A long while. And Ill be blunt: Its all because of steroids. But then again to be honest I have been less and less keen to watch most sports. Whether it’s the ‘roids or anything else there is too much scandal in sport nowadays.
Rafael Palmeiro ruined it for me. I am a D.C. boy, born and raised. So I rooted for the Os. Palmeiro was one of the good guys. Always there, always trust worthy, sure he took a break and went to the Rangers, but he came back. And when asked he flat out denied he used anything, only to be proved wrong.
That’s where it started. Baseball lost all interest to me. Basketball lost taste after Artest rushed the crowd. Plus with a postseason as long as the regular season why not just start paying attention in April instead of November. Oh yea, is the NHL even around even more? And if you really want to know, I am a soccer lover. The beautiful game cause it truly is, yet diving is uncontrollable. I will be pompous here as well by saying the MLS needs to change its format cause if 8 out of the 12 teams make the playoffs then you might have the 8th place team winning the cup (and its happened). Ridiculous (cause D.C. United should have the title).
Something needs to be done in the sports realm. How many players remember those days when they dreamed about playing in that big game? That they used to sleep in their pee-wee jerseys the day before the game. Did Big Mac and Sosa forget that their kids will one day ask them the same question that reporters do every day?
My suggestion: force every professional player in their respective sport to go to a youth game. Spend a day at those fields. Those very fields they grew up playing on. The field of my youth is in downtown D.C. with Stoddert Soccer. And calling it a field would be nice, it was a dust bowl, just compacted soil.
I come back to baseball because yet again another October is upon us. Which means that the Yankees are playing, it has been that way for most of my life (in the playoffs every year since 1995). Yet, the boys in pinstrips wont get my support, not sure if it’s the AL East hatred, or my father’s Red Sox blood in me, or that Steinbrenner who just throws money at the trophy. Maybe just maybe Jason Giambi’s mom will pick him up after a game and give him a little chat and remind him about what his dreams used to be.

Chelsea is?

ON TOP!!!

On top of the table after gameweek 6.

Now since Chelsea has claimed the prem they can focus on Champions league

round up

Aight. So I take some time away from work to write about this past week and this upcoming weekend.
First off, Alonso scored once again from his half but all I can say is that it was all luck. The goal would not have happened if the GK hadnt slipped. So still nothing as impressive as Beckham's strike while at Man Yoo.
2nd, all the talk of "bungs" shows my lack of knowledge about british terminology (yet I found French terms here). Big Sam at Bolton was named heavily from what I have read and nothing looks good. Although every club is asking for evidence to be shown. Chelsea and Liverpool are fighting back after the TV Show approached them and not the other way around. but most of all it seems like BBC is reaching although I am sure some illegal stuff happens in the game but then again how can USA talk about it when we allow steriods in baseball.
3rd, why are we concerned about the premiership anyways when they all crash out of the carling cup? 8 of the best teams in england were in action during this round and half of them crashed out. Reading maintained to further my opinion that they will avoid the drop due to their togetherness even though they dont have "premiership qaulity" players. But Man City, Wigan, Fulham, and Boro dropped. Beaz still hasnt come thru at Man City yet although he has already stated he wants to stay in England, I think he needs to prove that he should be kept first.
4th, and most crushing I think is that Klinsmann is going somewhere else. A huge blow, the US job should be his. He did a great job this summer and I think he was the fresh blood US soccer needs. However he is now consulting for Austria thru 2008 for Euro. Since they qualify as the hosts he doesnt even need to worry about the run up but just about the draw and who they will end up facing. He doesnt even need to worry about selections since he is only an Advisor! Sunil disappoints me.
Two coaching notices: Some important matches in their time. Wenger will celebrate his 10th aniversary at Arsenal this week. So ten years ago this week the french infusion started. Yet he still cant speak without the french in it. Eh, Mais, But, Eh, Such is life.... please he and Jens should be sent back. (jens might be deported anyways due to kicking a water bottle at Man U fans so police are taking care of the situation anyways) The 2nd is Sheffield United's Warnock will be at the helm for his 1,000th game as a manager. He even says he hasnt been unemployed more than 3 weeks since 1980s which is something to be celebrated. Yet, he needs some help to keep his team up in the prem and he should admit it.
Finally, a different Harry is magical in england. That would be the one at Pompey. He has his team on top, yes i know only a few games in. However they dont seem to be doing too bad. Sol in the back has changed the team into a rock, only one goal allowed in the prem. Yet he isnt in the England squad. McClaren is still in his transition phase so ill give him a break but maybe just maybe he should give Sol a second call and give him a chance.

I realize that is all in the past for now, a look towards the future shall come but help me along

Say it's not so!

Yesterday i commented on a posting by the ref on the US coaching vacancy and said "i vote for klinsman, but really say 'anyone but Sven.'"

Along comes today's New York Times which has the headline "U.S. Seeks Eriksson as Team Manager".

God help us.

see story at www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/sports/soccer/15soccer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

And the new coach?

Ok so Bruce stepped down a while ago, either that or his contract wasn't renewed at this point I am not sure. July 9th was the end of the tournament and it is now two months later and there is no USA national team coach. While I believe Mooch is still in charge as interim there needs to be a head coach and soon. England knew who the next coach would be before the tournament. South Africa got a new coach right after along with Germany and Italy, both countries didn't wait longer than two weeks.
Klinsmann seemed to be the perfect match - speaks English, lives in the states, got Germany to the semi finals(when no one thought they had a chance). However the current US Soccer president seems to be in no rush. He is even making a list, which has been said to include DC United coach Novak. But for more competition to Klinsmann comes Jose Pekerman.
As the article states Pekerman is a possible for the US coaching slot although he doesn't speak English but has a lot of past history with youth development. The main problem right now is money. The head of US Soccer is known for being stingy. He was once with the NE Revolution and kept their payroll the lowest in the league, but this is one position that money shouldn't be the biggest problem but the vacancy there is right now.

Nice Job, Ref!

Watched the Ref work yesterday at a U19 boys game. It was his third game of the day, after centering a U16 boys game (5 yellow cards!) and working 15 minutes in the center and then on the line of a U19 boys game. So by the time of his final game, he was a bit more than run out.

But all things considered, he kept up pretty well with the boys. For the most part, the players played a clean game and there were very few fouls. The Ref also plays advantage quite well, letting fouls go when the attacking team retained possession. One thing I think he needs to work on here is calling the play back when the advantage doesn't pan out, but for the most part, he uses this tool quite well given his years on the job and level of experience. (Way better at this than yours truly.)


One other thing stood out: the Ref gave only yellow card during the game and it was not clear from the stands what it was for. After the game, he told me that it was for dissent. The technique he used was what I'd call the English method -- you see this a lot in the EPL. When the ball went out of touch, the Ref called to the player to be carded to come over to him, he took out his pad, talked to the player as he wrote the number in his book and then took out the card and held it up. Very calm and very, very professional. Who says watching hours and hours of soccer on FSN is not educational?!?