what to say?

when I should be working on my finals and the massive amount of writing that has to happen before I leave the hilltop for the winter I find myself wanting to write for the blog.

Well plenty has happened. England has lost a coach, has gone after the Special One only to lose him and now seem interested in Capello. Good for them, although not so good for the 3 billion pounds the british economy will miss out on during Euro 2008. Who should we root for? Not sure really, maybe the french I guess? Maybe it will save me the 180 dollars of buying the payperview package of the games.

But the WC2010 draw has happened. The big news for us is that we could end up in a group round with Cuba. How many will defect when they play the home game on US soil? Even more interesting is the Europe draw for the WC. If you look at Israel's group could this be their chance? Not much of a challenge.

just a little on my mind, let me know whats on yours

MLS CUP AND RANDOM RAMBLINGS

1. Watched the MLS championship game today and was impressed by the quality of play. If this game proves anything, it shows that while it certainly has a long way to go the league is on the upswing at least in terms of eye appeal. It was a reasonably attractive game to watch and the skill level exhibited was pretty darn good. The whole playoff system is a big joke however and the fact that almost every team makes the post season (almost including the Galaxy which is shocking after seeing them play in Denver- they looked like a bad rec league team) makes the whole season painful to watch. How hard would it be to have the US Cup culminate the season (like the FA Cup) and make the league's regular season leader be the champ?

2. Nate Jaqua looked pretty good for Houston and while i know that he stunk for LA early in the year, he played well after his trade and it's easy to imagine that he could have been a good target for Becks. More proof that Lalas is over his head?

3. Kudos to Israel for their spirited play against Russia. The lifeline they gave to England is amazing, but I wouldn't be overly shocked if Mclaren's boys blow it. The fact that he is national team coach is amazing- he has never really done anything (I don't count losing in the UEFA Cup final as anything) except be Sir Alex's assistant.

4. Some guys from MLS Cup to look for in Europe someday- Wells Thompson, Michael Parkhurst, Sharie Joseph (I know he just signed a deal but he has talent) and Twellman. He has a nose for goal and appears to be really tough- I know that he is not supposed to be great with ball at his feet and he is not that big, but it seems that he could play at the bottom of the Prem or in Germany. He has got to get more minutes with the MNT- who else do we have? He and Johnson seem like they would work well together.

5. One final thing- a question for the Ref and AR: why wasn't TT's bicycle kick called a dangerous play? Great piece of skill, but he almost kicked the defenders in the face.

The Right Decision

US Soccer fired Greg Ryan today. It was the right decision.

Notwithstanding his gaudy 45-1-9 record, the performance of the USWNT in the 2007 World Cup was lackluster during the opening rounds and his decision to bench Hope Solo in favor of a rusty and underplayed Brianna Scurry will go down in soccer history as one of the biggest blunders ever. I don't know that much soccer history, but I can't imagine mistakes of this magnitude occurring that often. (I've already opined on this issue here (go to point 4); so no need to beat a dead horse.)

The article at the US Soccer site says that U.S. Soccer president Suni Gulati, U.S. Soccer Secretary General Dan Flynn and Hall of Fame Women’s National Team forward Mia Hamm will head the search for a new coach.

who knows what?

So as I have said before, the pressure is too much. When a team wins 3 - nil, one would think that there wouldnt be criticism or hating on such a performance. But then again whenever England wins there is some hating. They beat Jamaica on the run up to the WC 2006 and people were still talking about a 6 goal difference not being good enough.

Sure, there is reason to have concerns. McClaren is ok, and they havent had a great full 90 but we will see how it turns out come this week against Russia. 3 nil over Estonia means that with a win in Russia they will clinch a spot in Euro.

ok i realized I am all over the place... writing with ADD in many ways

1 - The goals Estonia gave up are the goals you have to capitalize on. SWP's first goal was soft and thru Poom's leg but then again you take it. Rooney coming back and getting the deflection for his first goal in a long time serves him well before the Russia game. Then the OG was pretty impressive for an 18 yard header.

2 - Everyone talks about playing mistake free. This is something Estonia obviously didnt do. When you make mistakes you hope they dont capitalize. England did that. They should be happy with that too. Something none of the commentators mentioned. It seems like every commentator has something to say and some reason that the game was another piece of evidence that English football is going down the tubes.

3 - England should be happy that the didnt take Big Phil as their coach as we have now seen how much crap he is in terms of sportsmanship but then again McClaren might not be the best choice. He has taken some chances and he has won but then again when has he done something people have said is right.

4 - v Russia, it should be interesting to see how Paul Robinson answers to the different turf. Its the stuff we here in the states are used to with the black rubber pellets. I am not happy that this is being used for an international match but oh well it is. He has said he does not want any excuses yet if he gets pulled from the number 1 spot he might start saying some excuses. His play hasnt been up to par and I think he would agree.

Now on to the States.

1 - Its an interesting roster that will face the Swiss come wednesday and I am looking for the states to get out of this slump with international games. Bradley will of course say that this is a learning experience, which Im sure it is. But its time we go out there, especially in Europe (like we should have done in South America), and get some wins and prove people need to be afraid of us.

2 - Hope is back with the team and of course is sitting on the bench. At this point I think Ryan is just taking her and sitting her because she is a contract player and is getting paid anyways and doesnt want to seem like he is wasting money. Abby added to her goal total which is now 85. A machine. Thats all I can say she is. Here are the match facts.

thats all for now folks

That.FIX

As you all know I have a radio show for georgetown radio. the link to the URL to listen to it can be found here. It is on Tuesdays now from 8 to 10 eastern time..

What you might not know is that I am the official HIP HOP director for WGTB (Georgetown Radio) and as such my first review was for Talib Kweli's Ear Drum which can be found here!

enjoy

catchin up with the ref

First off I have to say there are some huge kudos to go to the AR for his previous post and its unlimited amount of links.

I havent gone on a rant about refereeing and the state of the youth game in a while so I decided now was the best time out of any. Over the past few weeks I have had some ups and downs. Downs include boring games and some not so great partners. This brings me to my "Hope Solo" moment. I know you never criticize a teammate and that is what some might say I am about to do with fellow referees, but some of this stuff is ridiculous.

Example. I am proud that I am a Grade 7 referee. I means I have taken an interest in improving. Going through the extra hours and maintaining a just above satisfactory level in my fitness. All you need is one assessment every year. The AR has seen the assessments I have gotten and everything has come back with very positive remarks. Just two weeks ago I wanted an Upgrade to 6 assessment - means I would be a State Referee, a lot more rides with that on the badge. My game was canceled but the one after it held true to form and that center referee asked for his upgrade to 7 assessment. Lets just say he did a less than stellar job but still passed the assessment. While he didnt do anything to affect the outcome of the game, he didnt exactly handle the game all that well. I felt like it kind of demeaned the meaning of the badge and the steps I took to get there. Maybe thats how Hope felt, all that she did to get there demeaned because Bri had two previous games against Brasil?

I also had a game with 7 yellow cards and one red card. 4 were for dissent. both Gks got yellows because they rushed out at my ARs. Jens Lehmann has had a wonderful affect on our youth. My 5th red of the 2007 year was for Serious Foul Play, the kid kicked another kid in the face trying to go for the ball, which was about 5 feet up in the air. I asked him if he was seriously trying to argue with me over a red card for kicking a kid in the face. But hey, at least that game was interesting.
On to some good news. I have been "nominated to serve in the State Cup Finals delegation." Yes I used quotes because it was just that formal. It will be a three day weekend extravaganza.

October 27th - Dinner, Training, "Social Event"
October 28th - Training Session, Games, Dinner, Review of Assessments
October 29th - Games

As the AR will point out, a lot was riding with being nominated to State Cup, because I was at a point of being fed up with the politics, but we will see how this pans out.

Believe it or not I am the most excited for the assessments. I know I just wrote stuff against the assessment above, but when I can get good quality feedback I am all for it. That is why I am upset with how the USA Cup panned out for me, cause i didnt get the feedback that I really wanted when I was up there.

More to come - this upcoming Sunday I am working some adult men's league games. There will be plenty to talk about I promise

WWC - Thoughts

Some thoughts about the just-completed WWC:

1. The best team won. Germany certainly wasn't the flashiest team or the most interesting to watch. But they sure were the best team, and Birgit Prinz knows what to do the the ball near the net. The goal keeping was more than up to the task: yes, they didn't concede a goal, but I thought this less because of Nadine Angerer's goal keeping than a defense that didn't give up too many scoring opportunities. Angerer's luck held on Marta's PK: one of the weakest attempts seen this side of the men's game, though she earned her money a couple of minutes later, when she knocked aside a strong effort that would have tied the game at 1.

2. Brazil was fun to watch. But I couldn't support them after the display of poor sportsmanship in the US game. Specifically, after Cristiane tripped over Shannon Boxx and fell, and the Swiss referee, Nicole Petignat, ran over to the two players, Cristiane immediately looked over the ref and held up two fingers in the air, telling the referree both to card Boxx and to show the red card, and then applauded when Petignat pulled out the card. There's no way Cristiane couldn't have known that she tripped Boxx. That is, she ran over the back heal of Boxx's foot. Was this the worst call ever in a WC, male or female? I have no idea. Is it up there? Absolutely. Where was the AR or fourth official? Brazil was entertaining, but this game left a bad taste. (By the way, Petignat was the ref in the notorious US-Nigeria WWC game from 1999, when the Nigerians spent the first 60+ minutes hacking away at Mia Hamm without anyone getting tossed. US Soccer used the video from that game in its training program, highlighting what not to do and how not to referee, and when it's important to card players for egregious misconduct.)

3. Even at full strength, the US wouldn't have won this game. I think they lost it before it started with the mind-blowing decision of Coach Ryan to substitute Brianna Scurry for Hope Solo. All Solo had done was shut every one out in all of the games when the US played at full strength. For 10 minutes in the N Korea game, the US played down as Abby Wambach was off getting stitches. NK scored twice in those 10 minutes and no one scored after. Solo seemed a bit nervous to start, then played up to her potential. Why the switch to a keeper with, what, 6 games played all year. Nothing about the decision made sense.

4. Coach Ryan should be fired. As for Solo, she has some apologizing to do -- not to Ryan, but the team. And while maybe truth is a defense to a libel claim and maybe she would have stopped some of the balls that got by Scurry (watching the replay, I think she's right), calling out a teammate is not a particularly gracious way of demonstrating team loyalty. Apparently it was a team decision that kept Solo off the bench for the 3rd place game and Kristine Lilly may have been sending a message when she put the captain's arm band on Scurry when she was subbed out late in that Norway game. So Solo has some work ahead of her.

5. Coach Ryan should be fired. Not just because of the Scurry-Solo debacle, but also because of the US team's poor play during most of the tournament. Aside from one half of the England game and the Norway game (from what I've read: no way was I getting up for a 3d place game at 5 am on a Sunday), the US didn't show very well. The team was badly outplayed in the NK game and was fortunate to escape with a tie. I don't think one can derive much from the Nigeria game, which was played during a typhoon. As for the game against Sweden - I think that the Swedes were a bit over-rated coming in, and they showed less for a high FIFA ranking than the Yanks. We need better mid-field play, so it's time to begin urging the UNWNT to take a better and longer look at available midfielders, beginning with Lori Lindsey.

6. Will anyone be able to stop Marta? She was the best player in the tournament, bar none, and is likely to get better. She's 21 and Cristiane is 22. If Brazil supports this team, they should be the favorites at the Olympics next year and in the 2011 WWC.

Is anyone out there?

This blog has been dead so let's throw some quick thoughts into the mix:

Watched the end of the US women's game today and was shocked at how poor we looked. The Koreans dominated the last 35 minutes, pushing us around and controlling possession. Yes it was raining hard, but what a howler for Solo- we were lucky to get a tie.

Man U is in big trouble. Ronaldo has been sorely missed and I don't think his return is going to be enough. and as i said last year with Ballack and Lamps, how could they think Carrick and Hargreaves belong on the field together? they play the same damn position.

Welcome back SWP! it seems that maybe Jose didn't suck all the life out of your career after all.

Fox Soccer Channel showing Russia v Macedonia and games of that ilk is an insult. I have to believe that if they put the big games on instead of saving them for PPV, their ratings would spike and the ad rates would follow. Who is going to pay 24.95 for Israel v England?

Liverpool looks like the team to beat this year- Torres looks great. They really should let Crouch go at the transfer window this winter- can't see him getting a game. Arsenal will fold up as the year goes on- too young, not enough leadership. Man U will fall short and Chelsea will hang around despite continuing to play the most boring soccer for the money I can imagine. Top 4? Lpool, Man U, Chelsea, and not Arsenal. I look for either Everton or maybe even Tottenham in a big comeback (if Jol keeps his job).

USA CUP 1

After settling into the dorms we made our way over for a rules clinic for the Tournaments. Dad got a polo even though he technically wasn’t supposed to get one. Ah whos keeping track anyways?

Friday was the first day of games and ended up being plenty fun. I worked with a few Brits and they are always trying to have a laugh. I was an AR on 15 boys, 16 girls, and 19 Boys. I was also the center on a 15 girls. All my games on that day ended up with one team being shut out. The 19 boys game had an incredible pace and was fun to be on the line. The center was a Brit and he told them in the captains meeting he would let them be physical. A different approach but I think they appreciated his honesty. He got away with showing only one yellow as well. However in my girls game I gave 3 yellows. I should have held back but they were three easy yellows. The first for a bad tackle, the second for a little kick at an opponent while on the ground and the third for running into the keeper. The game ended up 1-nil and I was happy with my performance. I was just upset that I wasn’t assessed because I think it would have helped me get higher level games.

Since the first day I have been going down in level of play. Friday brought 4 more games but I was actually scheduled for only 2 while on standby for another time slot. I picked up a game during that slot and then filled in on another slot. My centers ended up being 13 boys, 12 girls, and another 13 boys. The one AR slot was a 12 boys game. I ended up seeing the Australia team twice. Once as the line on the 12 boys game and then as the center on the 13 boys game. I ended up with 4 yellows. 3 for tackles and one for dissent. One of the Aussies just mouthed off a little too much for his age and for the game. My 13 boys center at the end of the day went all the way to penalties which was the first for me. It was fun getting everything organized and keeping things on track. The Aussies ended up winning 4 to 1 on the penalties as the Minn. Team could not convert their first and third attempts.

Saturday night saw the coaches and referee game and that was fun. I ended up running around for another 2 hours. Probably not the smartest but it was fun.

Sunday saw me on the line for a semi-final on a 12 girls game. The Canadian team went up 1 – nil into the break but then ended up losing 2 to 1. I was then in charge of a final for the 11 boys flight B championship. Everything went well in the game while the team who seemed better ended up losing basically on two defensive errors. The first goal coming on a ball through the keepers legs. Yet the excitement mounted in the end of the game when I had to show a red card for denying an obvious goal by handling the ball. I wonder if that 11 year old will be scared for life due to that red card. Yet no one was really upset and everyone understood including his coaches. The game ended 2 to 1 with the team down a man winning (They were from ND).

I then got my medal for being in a final match. Along with my assistants Art (From MD) and Hamilton (from Jamaica).
Sunday evening brought another viewing of Harry Potter IV with my dad before he departed along with some mellow time. Monday meant a trip to the Mall of America which I can confirm is still huge and still has about 3 footlockers, 3 footactions, and 3 finishlines. Half the sign of the beast if you tell me. But on the ride back I got to talking to the Jamaican referees which includes a FIFA AR and they told me about life down in the Caribbean. I was then invited down to referee and prove myself down there because they said if I can referee there, then I can referee anywhere. We then had a clinic from Steve Mortimer and George Cain on Offsides along with just overall game control. Some interesting tips to use out on the pitch next time. Then the opening ceremonies in the stadium. There is one team from Damascus MD and a few from Colorado but otherwise no teams directly representing any place I might call a somewhat home. When the referees were announced I did waive my DC flag (I got at the Mall for the occasion) and promptly had to correct someone saying that was the state flag of DC by saying that we are not a state.

Tomorrow I have two lines on 12 girls and then a center on 11 boys. If my Wednesday games stay the same I might get a little frustrated.

So Far – 5 Centers = 7 yellows and 1 red.

Pictures to come

My Take on Life

Aight, So I took a break to let the old guys finally have a say, even if they are lost in their old fashion ways... I kid them and I hope they know that although I am sure meanbaldguy will be just that, a very mean bald guy to what ever I say.

First - Gold Cup final was great. We should have put it away in the end and it made my nerves go a little more along with more gray hair on top of my head. With that I have to say there is no better feeling for the rest of the day than beating mexico. We could be playing them in the WC 3rd place game after barely missing the WC final and beat mexico then and I would still act like we actually won the WC. So going along with the AR - we need a striker. I liked how Bradley put Demps up top because he seems to be the only one cocky enough to run at people and be risky and creative. Bornstein's goal... one word... unbelievable.... He was not American when he struck that goal and that goal I believe crushes all hopes mexicans have of beating us on our soil. All we need is that in mexico city, sans pollution or 120,000 people chanting racist chants. (you have noticed that anything to do with the team of the country to our south will never be capitalized due to their dirty play highlighted by their coach hugo).

Second - Bradley - He got my respect with the way we played in the Gold Cup. But since then I am just not sure. I had voiced this concern to meanie and the AR but I really feel like we are disrespected the Copa along with not showing that we are a footie country. These countries do not know that we arent sending our A team and they invited us into their tournament. Its not a given that we will be asked to the tournament everytime they have it and Bradley just say hey ok well lets give some kids a run out... kids like Benny Olsen. Great player no question, but past National Team prime... Yes we should have beat Paraguay - but we had no striker or person willing to take the shot... Twellman will never count as long as he keeps hiking up his shorts and if he is trying show off to the ladies, which will never love him as long as he keeps missing that 24 by 8 box that is the point of the game. So in short, great job on the Gold Cup. Disrespect in the Copa and who can tell who will be the team come fall 2007.

Third - Keller - Howard's reflex save v mexico gives him the #1 jersey for the next 2 years no question. He is getting great experience for the toffies and I hope he continues to progress. Keller should be commended for his past with the US and the big games he has had. But what should be noted is that Keller has no team. He is playing for a contract even more so than Gooch was because he has his with the magpies. His team in deutchland dropped down a league and then dropped him. I think that uncertainty is playin in his mind even though he is getting some Caps. He will be picked up I am sure just not sure by who. Yes Keller has been less than par but in response to the ar, no way should Perkins be brought into the mix. He might be making some great saves but he has a long way to go to prove himself to me about National team merits.

Fourth - We can not rely on our youth forever. It worked in 2002 no question - we stormed the scene and crushed down on Portugal. But we only got to the round of 8. The project back in 2000 was called project 2010 because they said they wanted to be called a threat to any team by 2010 world cup. We need a mixture of youth and experience in order to get through some of the later rounds and have a cool head when the money is on the line. It worked in 2002 with Beaz along with Stewart, or McBride and Donovan. Look we are an athletic country and we should use it as our style and I still have not seen a style that defines the US...

Ill write some more before I head up to Minny for my tourney and Ill try to post while I am there. I have been playing on the weekends and been getting goals and assists 4 goals 6 assists in 3 weeks of playing.

we are currently down 1 - nil to columbia and Eddie Johnson needs to shoot the ball

US U-20 team- our great hope?... Kasey has seen better days, but let's cut him some slack

Watching the 2nd half of the U20 game against Poland, I couldn't help but be impressed by Adu (who looked much quicker than he did in the poor game against S. Korea), Altidore (ditto), Szetela, Wallace, Zizzo, Bradley and the rest. I will be shocked if the core group of this team,, does not push aside most of the guys on the senior MNT (Dempsey, Howard, Feilhaber, Demerit, Bornstein and a few others- not including Lando and Beaz- excepted) before South Africa. The future of soccer in this country will be better for it.

I have to agree with the AR's conclusions re Kasey- he has clearly lost a step, seems more hesitant than before and his distribution is worse than ever (who can ever forget when he kicked it into a Mexican player and it went into goal). However, he has been a warrior for the US MNT in the past and deserves some love. In his day, he was one of the top shot blockers in the world and he was our best player. His Copa America performances have not been top drawer, but we should give him a break.

Troy Perkins - The Anti-Keller

I was able to watch a bit of the DC United - Kansas City Wizards game yesterday. And what I saw was pretty amazing: Troy Perkins made save after save, clearly earning man of the match honors. I can't begin to recount the number of turnovers in his defensive third, leading to great goal scoring opportunities for KC. Unlike what happened in the USA-Paraguay game when Keller was unable to cover-up for a huge blunder, Perkins made the saves on bad defensive miscues. (Greg Vanney, newly acquired from Colorado for Erpen, my least favorite member of the DCU defense, had an OK game, though he, too, turned the ball over a bit too easily on a couple of occasions.)

Read the WaPo article to get more info about the game and Perkins' performance.

ISO -- A Finisher

Two games down and two losses. This one didn't have to be. The US lost an early chance to take a lead when Sacha Kljestan missed an open header off a beautiful cross. Other misses followed. Many other misses followed. And then, disaster. Jonathan Bornstein was trying to clear the ball back to Keller, Jimmy Conrad let the ball go by, and a Paraguayan pounced. Unlike the US, this fellow knew what to do with the ball, a frozen keeper and and open net. A 2-1 deficit gave Paraguay the opportunity to play 10 back of the ball and counterattck. Nonetheless, we had more chances. None were converted. (And the Paraguay keeper made a couple of solid saves. Unlike . . . well, see the post below.)

So one more game to go with this collection of guys. Some positives, some negatives (can't anyone score!), some porous defense.

Keller's not the answer

Just a quick note at halftime of the USA-Paraguay game.

Kasey Keller is not the answer to the US goalkeeping question. He's been getting a lot of playing time here and got a lot in the Hold Cup. I think that's a mistake. We should be trying out some of the other keepers who are playing in MLS or overseas. I leave it to the Ref to know who they are. But my problem with Keller is that he doesn't make that kind of save that energizes his team. Was the goal in the Paraguay game his "fault?" Probably not. But it seems like the type of goal that the Mexican keeper would have saved (based on his performance against Ecuador). And in the Argentina game, Keller was let down by his defense, but he seemed slow off his line and slow to react to the play coming at him.

The Ref, before donning the yellow jersey, played keeper for the local public high school team (not the school he attended -- see this one), so he may have a different or more nuanced appreciation for the challenges playing that position. But I think we need a change between the nets.

My take on the MNT

The AR's post has done its job and inspired me to write something. For the most part, I agree with the positive take on Bradley's reign so far. I like what I see from players such as Feilhaber (his first half against Mexico was the worst he played in the Gold Cup), Bradley (although his red card was beyond stupid), Clark (who didn't impress me until the Mexico game in which he was outstanding), Bornstein (he looks very confident attacking from the left), Spector (seems like he takes a lot of criticism in the soccer press but I think has real talent) and Simek (ditto comments on Spector- I like his toughness), and I like that the players seem to have the freedom to attack and improvise on the fly. I think we are on the right track.

On the negative side, we still need to address some glaring weaknesses. I am not sure what is going on, but Gooch looks like he has slowed down considerably- his performance in this tournament can not have helped him get a better deal in Europe. Bocanegra also looked lost at times, but that may have been him having to cover for Gooch. I am not sure if Demerit is the answer, but central defense has got to be addressed immediately.

The other immediate concern is striker and no solution is apparent with this group of players. Ching gave a nice performance in the second half against Mexico but otherwise showed nothing- he can not be the answer. Similarly, Twellman shows heart whenever he is on the field, but he doesn't appear to have the technical proficiency to be more than a sub. Johnson is the most perplexing of all of our true strikers. His speed is mesmerizing and he looks good in MLS against poor competition, but since his injury his MNT performances have been tentative at best. While I hope that he will develop into what we thought he could be before his injury, I am dubious. Since I don't think Lando is big or tough enough to play in the middle of the field (either at forward or midfield- he clearly looks best out on the right wing running at people), the only answer seems to be Dempsey. He got criticized by the TV announcers (awful as usual) during the Mexico match, but he has a nose for goal and seems to be nasty enough to play up front, and putting him in the middle keeps Donovan out wide where he belongs. I haven't seen Altidore play, but maybe he will be the answer.

Two other points: 1) Can Lando lose that ridiculous pre-PK ritual?; 2) The next time this team misses an empty net I am going to scream (actually I have been screaming but I will do it louder).

10-0-1

Just a short post -- maybe generate some discussion.

Bob Bradley is 10-0-1 in his first six months at the helm of the USMNT. Thanks to Donovan's sure-footed placement of PKs and Benny Feilhaber's brilliant volley, the US defeated Mexico 2-1 in the Gold Cup final. Unlike what happened at the WC when the US fell behind late in the first half against Ghana, the team didn't quit and played hard and won, coming from behind. The mark of good coaching?

When Bradley was selected, there were some folks who were quite dismayed at the decision. Yet since his selection, we've seen the introduction of many new players into the pool of those from which the team is being created for different games and tournaments. It seems to me that he's taking a very methodological approach to putting together a team that will be better able to compete on a world stage, be it at the Confederations Cup in 09 or the WC a year later.

The team selected to play in the Copa America starting Thursday has several players with fewer than ten caps: Jonathan Bornstein, Jay DeMerit, Ricardo Clark, Justin Mapp, and Feilhaber (plus 11 other relatively inexperienced players). To a certain extent, Bradley's hands were tied by some players' club commitments. But as regards others, he seems to be saying: let's see who is available and able to compete at this level. So maybe the US doesn't get out of group play this time. To me, the goal is a better showing on an international stage in 09 and 10. And relying, as it seems we have for the past couple of WCs, on the same core group of players has not worked.

What's in Lalas' Pipe?

According to this, LA Galaxy president Alexi Lalas says that the EPL is a second-rate product:

"The fact that a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business,'' Lalas said in an interview with The Guardian published Tuesday.

He added, "I honestly believe if you took a helicopter and grabbed a bunch of MLS players and took them to the perceived best league in the world they wouldn't miss a beat and the fans wouldn't notice any drop in quality.''

Having watched quite a bit of both, I have to wonder what Lalas is thinking when he says something like this. When MLS begins winning a few more games against the better teams in this hemisphere, then we can start talking about how far they might get in competition against European teams. And when an MLS dominant WC team can get out of the group stage of the tournament, then maybe his contention might have some merit. But that's well in future based on what I've seen so far.

Uniform Madness

An article on Slate discusses the dismal state of the USMNT uniform. Actually, as the article (actually it's a slide show) indicates, using the term uniform seems inappropriate. While on the one hand, the all members of the team where the same garments top and bottom, which is one definition of uniform, the other definition, suggesting consistency from year-to-year clearly is missing. As the article notes, when someone mentions Brazil or Mexico or Italy, a soccer fan immediately can picture the team's uniform jersey. How about for the US? Nope, didn't think so.

Does that picture on the right trigger anything??

Here's a link to the article.

My State Championship Experience

So now with 4 days gone since my trip down to Newport News, I finally find myself with some time to discuss the AAA Virginia HS State Championships.

I am going to start with how the assignments came about. I was told the Sunday before that I was selected to go to Newport News for the AAA finals and that I would be on the boys bracket. The other options would have meant either the girls finals or going to Radford, VA for the AA or A state finals for boys or girls. I was also told who I would be going with from my association - CSOA (Commonwealth Soccer Officials Association) - and that I needed to get in touch with him. So I tried getting in touch with him. Nothing happened. As I was doing the radio show, that fix, I was sent my first assignments - AR for both Semi-Final games and then 4th official for the final. This was Thursday and I had previously decided that I was going to go down on Thursday, spend the night, instead of driving Friday morning and arriving tired. At dinner that night, before heading out I got a call from the CSOA assignor. He said the guy who I had been assigned with was actually going to be unable to go - thus I got his assignments and they found a replacement for him. His assignments included a 4th for a Semi and then a Center for the other, along with AR for the final. MAJOR UPGRADE... haha - it was great news, although I will say I was happy to go either way.

Ill be very frank. And it may sound weird. Before the previous game I posted on - the Gar-field HS vs Forest Park HS - I was nervous. There was some doubt there. Yet, for even when I got the new assignments my nerves were very calm. This season has given me a lot of confidence.

The first game was at 11 am on Friday and I was there around 9:15-9:30. The replacement referee, Mel, had gotten there only moments before. We did not know our other two referees yet but soon met them around 10. Keith and Jim soon arrived and we went to a locker room to change and go over a pregame from Keith. Keith handled the game with class and Osbourne Park won going away 3-nil.

We had about a 30 minute break before my game. I let them get some water - it was hot, I felt I was getting burned just standing while being the 4th Official. I went and talked to the coaches, just some small talk. I had refereed TJ HS before and the coach remembered me and told me how much they had improved. I wasn't sure about that but I was about to find out. I then went back to the press box where our gear was and got ready. I gave my limited instructions to Mel and Jim (My ARs, Jim is actually a National Referee for USSF and had to leave early saturday from the Championship games in order to get back for a pro game). I gave Keith my limited instructions for 4th official. We did our international lineup (Everyone walks out together lead by the referees) and only then did I get a little nervous.

With the game underway I felt good. I wasnt hesitant in blowing my whistle, which is one of my harder problems. Making a decision is always the first step. But I was talking to players and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The game was much more scrappy than the previous game and the teams were well evened. I kept everyone under control but I showed one caution to a player I had already talked to, for kicking the ball away. It seemed to be timed well because it calmed some down and brought everyone into half time in good condition. My fellow referees were giving nothing but good feedback.

The 2nd half saw some more action. 2 more cautions, both well deserved and a decisive goal. The goal which I have already linked to was a blast from about 17 yards out that was just way too quick for the keep to catch up to. The cautions were both for reckless tackles. I should have given a caution to another player but lack of communication on my part let that one go. I wasnt sure of the number and I should have asked my 4th official who was right there. Oh well, everyone lived and I will make sure next time. Overall the game was a good one and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was a good last game in the center for HS and I think this season was a boost of confidence in many ways with my ability in the center of the pitch.

The next day would test me on the line. Jim was the center and everyone was at the field by 11, 2 hours early, to get things together with pregame instructions. We all got our uniforms together along with any last second questions. We made sure all the balls were pumped up to the same psi and that the field was in good condition - there had been a lightening storm the night before. We then warmed up together, with some jogging and then individual stretching. We did the international walk-out, no introduction of the referees though, which was just as good because I was on the line with fans and they were going to talk to me no matter what, better if they didnt know my name. As The AR already wrote, the game was handled very well by Jim and it was fun being on the line. I felt good about the calls I made, including one foul which was pulling on the jersey. At the end of the game I had to run at the buzzer to get out of the way of the fans running onto the field for the celebration. It was a good end to a great trip.

My overall favorite moment had to be during my game. The TJ fans traveled about 300 plus strong and were all wearing red. The stands were about 5 yards behind the touchline opposite the bench. And to call a foul against TJ in front of their stands was something else. To have 300+ people yelling at you was funny especially for how stupid the foul was and how easy it was to call. So I smiled and moved into position for the restart, knowing you cant please everyone.

So overall I drove 375.9 miles. Spent about 90 on the hotel and about 40 on food. We will see how much I get paid for the games and how much they actually reimburse me. But it was fun end to a great season.

Some Spring 2007 Statistics
35 yellows, 2 reds (one was 2 yellows -> red)
30 centers (4 2-man games), 26 lines
*to go against my 1.+ yellows/game there were 12 games that I was center where there were no cards but also two games which had me show 5.

I'm Back

It has been a while and I am feeling brash so I suppose I will hit you all with some knowledge. First off, congrats to JG for his refereeing exploits and I look forward to booking his Champions League appearances and mooching off of him when he becomes the world's premier ref a la Perluigi Collina.

On another note, I want to discuss the US. Now the last time I brought up our distinguished national team, The AR put me in my place verbally, so let's hope my current thoughts are perhaps more rational and less absurd. Having watched the first 2 US Gold Cup games (and I think FSC has succeeded in delivering worse national team coverage than Rob "SERVICE" Stone), I feel strongly about a few points. Initially, Benny Fielhaber, despite his frightening German surname, is the balls. That's just about the only way to put it. Even as a youngin', he has filled, for the time, being, the boots of Reyna in controlling the midfield and creatively initiating play in front of him through creative passes and seeing forward runs. The future looks bright for him.

That said, I think that the US team has disappointed thus far. Though it is hard to see how two clean sheets and two wins is disappointing, I feel we should be producing many more dominating preformances. Gooch getting sent off in the first match, and our failure to take advantage of clear-cut chances to close out the Guatemalans disappoint me. We should be killing these teams, and if we cannot, we stand the chance of large-scale embarassment at the Copa America.