Premiership: The Best of Week 2

While this week definitely had games of great importance (such as the champions, Manchester City, laying the stain on last year's runner up, Liverpool), it unfortunately had a bit of a drought in terms of spectacular goals.  Plenty of text-book finishes, which are always important, but don't grab you like a ball curling perfectly into the upper 90.  Never-the-less, we did see a few sparkling runs topped off by a brilliant finish, not to mention some super-human work by the keepers, so here they are.

The Goals:
Coming in at number 5 is Marouane Chamakh's right footed shot from just outside the box that finds it's way to the bottom left corner.  While the game was almost completely dominated by the men from West Ham, this goal came from a particularly clean bit of play down the left side of the pitch by Crystal Palace.  After receiving the short cross, Chamakh takes only one touch to settle the ball before burying it.

At number 4 we have the Irishman, Séamus Coleman, beating his defender and placing the ball in the top corner.  All stemming from a set piece around the half field line, Gareth Barry finds himself unmarked at the top of the 18 leading to the inch perfect chip that finds the head of Coleman.

The number 3 goal beats out Coleman's header purely because of the run of play that leads up to it.  While the finish was great, it was Lamela's run that made the goal possible.  His change of direction and allowing the ball roll past before taking a touch, while a subtle move, was what allowed him to get the step on the defender and send the cross perfectly across the box and find the head of Nacer Chadli.

At number 2, we have Manchester City's Stevan Jovetić with his cool, calm  and collected finish against Liverpool to give City their first goal of the game.  Jovetic shows great tenacity following up on a botched clearance, then running through the attempted clean up clearance by Liverpool's Moreno, to finally place the ball right through Mignolet's legs into the back of the net.

And finally, our Goal of the Week comes again from the WHU vs. Crystal Palace game.  In the 33' with the teams still level, Mauro Zárate strikes a volley from a high bouncing ball, through traffic and into the side netting.  Showing amazing composure not to completely sky and/or shank the ball coming down quickly, Zárate has very clearly earned the Goal of the Week.

Save: 
For this week, the award for best save doesn't go to a single save, or even a single keeper.  This week we wanted to recognize the clinic that was but on by the keepers in the Chelsea vs. Leicester City game.  The two keepers in question, last week's Save of the Week recipient, Thibaut Courtois, and Kasper Schmeichel, stood on their heads for the majority of the game, and it was unfortunate to see a break down towards the end of the game for Schmeichel's defense.  However, Courtois proving that Mourinho's faith in him was not misplaced, and Schmeichel displaying one of the big reasons that newly promoted LC are here to stay, are both worthy of commendation and for this reason, we award them Co-Keepers of the Week.

Terrell Owens to Join Liverpool

When talking with his staff about who should replace Luis Suarez this coming season, LFC boss Brendan Rodgers is reported to have said,

"You know what?  Let's go with someone with just as much of a chance as Suarez to miss a considerable amount of games due to disciplinary action."

 It was then it hit him... Terrell Owens! What other professional athlete combines sheer talent, and complete lack of respect for authority and/or his peers as well as the famous T.O.? No one, that's who! After contacting the former NFL wide out and securing his move to Anfield, Rodgers addressed the media saying,

"We were just going to miss that element of surprise when Luis played, like 'Oooh I wonder if today's the day he snaps and really takes chunk out of some one', you know?  With Owens we can return to that state of constantly wondering if we're about to loose our star due to something stupid that he did."

Owens opened up his career with the Reds with the following statement,

"The teams really not that good, honestly I don't know how were going to win with...whoever our coach is, and if we want to have a successful year we should totally bring in... I don't know, someone from your biggest rival maybe, cause they're better."

Cut to reality...

As you probably know already since it's been plastered over every sports outlet, Balotelli is returning to England.  The Reds have been looking all summer for a suitable replacement for Luis Suarez, but have they found it in "Super Mario"?  There's an interesting piece on Bleacher Report by Nick Miller, where he claims that Balotelli is less of a risk than Suarez was (with Suarez's biting and racial abuse scandals in mind) but I'm not completely sold on that.
Since the beginning of his senior carer, Balotelli has been plagued by scandal, both on the field (like his contentious relationship with former coach Jose Mourhino) and off (all of his antics).  Some, like Miller, claim that most of the scrutiny is un-just or over hyped, but look at the "antics" link above and you judge for yourself if any of the 21 (we'll exclude him meeting the pope) incidents aren't warning signs for someone who has an issue controlling himself.
Now, the argument could be made that while Suarez was not almost constantly in trouble of some fashion (like Balotelli tends to be), whenever he was disciplined, it was a multiple match ban, which for a team as centered around a single player, like Liverpool was, can be devastating (Not to mention I personally feel that biting three separate individuals is a disturbing trend and have no doubt in my mind that he will land himself another multiple match ban for something ridiculous).  However, the disruptions caused by a constant flow of negative media attention can be just as detrimental, not only on the teams ability to preform effectively, but also on the collective mentality of a team.  It's the Terrell Owens effect.  Just like T.O., Balotelli is a seriously talented individual player with a ton of potential, but his ability to preform is constantly interrupted by his own poor decision making or ego.  He not only has shown that he consistently flouts the rules set forth by managers and their staff, but engages in dangerous behaviors that could get him hurt (like crashing his car or setting his house on fire).

Honestly, in the end, this transfer will judged purely on how well Balotelli can fill the goal scoring gap left by Suarez, but if this whole move goes south I can't say that I'll be surprised.  Balotelli has already proved himself an unstable factor on many teams, and as potentially disruptive in the locker room as Terrell Owens was during his heyday.  The tweet

below seems common sense, but we have to trust that Rodgers has a plan that he's not sharing with the general population.

There is a reason Balotelli is still available for that price, if didn't have his issues he would have been bought already. #YNWALOL
— Justin Lapointe ⚽️ (@Jlapointe9) August 22, 2014

My final prediction: Balotelli ends up starting about half the games for LFC, and finishes the season with 12 goals.

Barcelona Opens Up Permanent US Academy

As more Americans are taking notice of the beautiful game than ever before, European clubs are capitalizing on the (albeit smaller than other countries) bank of talent to be had across the pond.  The spanish giants, Barcelona, will be opening the doors on their first U.S. academy, FCB Escola Florida, later this month.  While Barca is certainly not the first club to set up camp in the U.S., with Everton and Boca Juniors already operating out of the CT-NY area, the move adds credence to the idea that international clubs opening up U.S. academies is becoming a trend.
While we can hope that this means European clubs are perking up and realizing that there is future talent to be had in America, we have to take these new openings with a grain of salt.  Academies have not only been used to scout and grow talent, but also to promote the club's brand image.  Now while I'm not saying that the Barca opening is purely to capitalize on the sudden surge in soccer interest in America, we have to assume that this is one of the motivators.  It's now up to the U.S. to start shifting the reason for clubs like Barcelona to open up these academies, towards the talent.  As Ollie covers extensively here, the United States has an enormous wealth of athletic talent in our youth, and we are waiting for the stimulus or catalyst that can drive the change.  The prospect of playing for a European club academy could certainly be one piece to the puzzle.  Coupled with the World Cup high the country had been experiencing as well huge movements in the world of youth soccer, such as this complex to be built in Kansas City, we may soon see the acceptance of soccer into the mainstream of sports as more kids turn to the sport, and in turn more talent flowing from the U.S.

The link to the FCB Escola Florida site is http://fcbescola.fcbarcelona.com/florida/.

FIFA to Host Ethics in Sport Conference

The governing body of soccer around the world, FIFA, is going to be hosting a conference on the importance of ethics in sports later this year.  The conference, which will take place on September 19th in Zurich and in the words of FIFA, the conference will "help define the role of sports in solving society’s problems and highlight examples of best practice".
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA ohhh that's a good one, haha oh I  probably had you going there for a... hold on... oh they're serious.  Yes you read that, FIFA, the organization that is currently undergoing increased scrutiny over the alleged (they totally did it) corruption charges surrounding both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process.  FIFA, the organization that forced Brazil to pass a law allowing the sale of beer in soccer stadiums, which had previously been banned due to it's link to high mortality rates.  The same organization that is having the stadiums built for the 2022 World Cup by modern day slave labor.  The list goes on and on and on, and now this... The announcement of this conference is audacious bordering on disgusting.  FIFA needs to stop pretending they're some clean organization, and that we all don't know how corrupt they are.  Stop making symbolic gestures about ethics and actually do something about the fact that your own president protects his own crooked executives all while hiding his shady dealings.  

Premiership: The Best of Week 1

Well the first week of the Premiere League has come to a close and it was a cracking start to the season.  As part of a new series we'll be running weekly, we're going to be running down the top 5 goals of the week, and awarding the best save/keeping performance.

Goals:
Coming in at number 5 we have Andreas Weimann sneaking in a low angle shot off the fingers of Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic.  While the shot does find the top corner, the reason it sits at the bottom of our list is the element of luck.  Asmir knew where the goal was and definitely meant to put the ball on target, but the deflection off the keeper is what makes the goal special, not necessarily the shot on it's own.


At number 4, we have the return of the Rooney bicycle kick.  While this is not as impressive as the bike we saw top the ESPN Sports Center Best of the Best, a bicycle kick still is one of the biggest tests of foot-eye coordination in soccer.  Now while it was beautiful tracking and well struck, the reason it only sits at number 4 is because of his proximity to the goal, he was only about 4 feet from the goal line, so as long as he made contact there was solid shot that the ball would find it's way in.


Number 3 and 2 were nearly impossible to pick between, but in the end we have Nathaniel Clyne on Southampton, hammering one home from the middle of the box.  What's fantastic about this goal, was not only the finish (which was absolutely text book) but the set up.  A brilliantly played back heel set Clyne up perfectly for the top corner finish, and the team play makes the goal just the more impressive.


Number 2 is Scott Arfield's half-volley to give Burnley an early lead over Chelsea.  The blazing shot from just inside the box curved around the oncoming Chelsea defense and left a stunned looking Courtois standing flat footed on his line.  Theres something to be said about a shot that can stump one of the world's top keepers.


And finally, topping our list, Aiden McGeady wonder-curve strike for Everton.  Following a save by Kasper Schmeichel (that was very reminiscent of his father's patented handball style spread eagle saves) McGeady settles the ball and hits a strike that curves harder than most would have thought possible over the space of 20 feet, eventually finding the top corner (and by that we literally mean, it could not have been more in the corner).  This goal is an absolutely brilliant display of technical skill and aim, and very clearly has earned our top spot.


Save:
Now we move on to save of the week.  This week's save comes from Chelsea's new starting keeper, Thibaut Courtois.  The save comes in the 48th minute off a left footed strike from Burnley's Scott Arfield.  The save foils Arfield's attempt for a second goal after his 13th minute shot found the back of the net.  While the shot is not the fastest that Courtois saw all game, what is most impressive about the save was the concentration and tracking while he went to full extension that allowed him to get a palm to the ball and bat it away.


Be sure to come back each week as we count down the best of the past 10 games.  Also, disagree with us or think were just full of it? Let us know, and who you think should have made our list.  Just rant in the comments below.

The Hype

Arsenal produced one of the most dominant 45 minute displays in recent memory this past weekend. Their first half performance allowed them to coast after the interval where constant substitutions and lying in much deeper positions let them see out a comfortable win. There were a variety of encouraging signs including Arsenal bossing the midfield, some scrappy yet hard nosed defending (epitomized by Santi Cazorla sprinting back across the field to block almost a sure goal from Jovetic) and some good hold up play and direct runs from the forwards. Every Arsenal fan had more to be exited about that simply the 3-0 scoreline because of the way they achieved the result. For good periods of the match Arsenal truly looked like a world class team capable of going toe to toe with the Premier League's best. However they aren't there quite yet.

The most apparent reason for this was Manchester City's makeshift back-line. Kompany, Demichelis, Zabaletta and Sagna could do little from the stands as they watched their team get torn apart at Wembley. Boyata, although a tremendous athlete, likely won't see nearly as much time as his more experienced counterparts this season, and while Natasic has tremendous potential, he produced one of his worst performances against the Gunners. Clichy, a true left back, was moved to the right and Kolarov has always be know for his attacking prowess rather than defending. This was evident as he was caught in between on a variety of situations as Alexis Sanchez drifted inside. With Kompany back, the addition of Mangala, and Fernandinho likely starting over Fernando, expect a much different look from City once the season rolls around.

Last pre-season saw the emergence of Aaron Ramsey and some solid performances by the whole team during the Asia tour and early friendlies. The midfield was firing on all cylinders, the defense had started to look solid, and Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott were both in top form. All this culminated in a 2-0 win against Manchester City in Finland shortly before the season started. Sound familiar? This pre-season has had more ups and downs as Arsenal looked lethargic against New York Red Bulls and AS Monaco while running Benfica and Manchester City out of the stadium. The performances have been encouraging but the Gunners still haven't shown the required consistency needed to win major trophies. Arsene Wenger was always the first to point out that Arsenal had gained more points that any other team during the 2013 year. Unfortunately for him, good form from January to December doesn't mean you're going to win a title as Arsenal fizzled out towards the end of the season.

In the case of Arsenal in recent seasons, history was bound to repeat itself. As more and more stars (and captians) were sold, Arsenal had difficulty putting together a complete campaign and cycled back and fourth between third and fourth place in the final standings. Some will consider their continuous stay in the top four a success due to their limited spending power since the stadium move. Last season and this one have had quite a different feel though. Fewer big names have left and they've been boosted by big name signings to give fans some early optimism. A seven point gap isn't nearly as big as it seems because if Arsenal didn't shy away against the top half of the table (only winning a single game away from home against the top eight teams last year) it becomes a six point swing against a close rival if they're able to get a win. Arsenal are unquestionably a better squad than they were last season. But getting the big signatures and having numerous attacking options doesn't translate directly into success. That being said, I'm exited for Arsenal to prove the critics wrong this season.

Is Liverpool Doomed to the Same Fate as Tottenham?

The past two seasons have seen both of the most recent winners of the Premiere League Player of the Season leave for La Liga.  Gareth Bale left Tottenham Hotspur on an £86M transfer fee to Real Madrid and the (in)famous Luis Suarez has been stealing headlines recently with his transfer to Barcelona.  While major talent is starting to centralize around the these two clubs (with James leaving for Real this summer as well) the issue for the english clubs that are loosing these players is becoming, how do they fill the roles of these major playmakers.

Be sure to check out our previous post here.




The argument could be made, and I'm about to make it, that Tottenham is the textbook case of failing to refill the role.  When Bale left, Tottenham spent close to £110M during last summers transfer window, and almost all of  the major signings fell on their faces.  Roberto Soldado (£26M) has been a huge disappointment thus far and has actually admitted that his form has been off since the transfer.  Erik Lamela (£30M) appeared in only 9 games last season and tallied only one assist in the stat charts, followed by injury.  Etinne Capoue has lost first team favor as well as accuse the manager of ignorance of foreigners (read racism) and Vlad Chiriches has been injured since January.  Needless to say the hunt to replace Bale has been almost entirely fruitless, and while not all of it is the fault of Tottenham, they made poor decisions in who to bring on.  The players didn't fit the system, Tottenham was just trying to fix the problem by throwing money at the situation, buying players who wouldn't flourish under the circumstances.
And now we have Liverpool.  I think the lesson we can take from Tottenham above is that there is no quick fix replacement.  Their style is going to have to different than when they had the leading goal scorer in the EPL in their line-up.  So the important move is going to be picking up not only a solid striker, but one who fits into Brendan Rodgers play style.  Arguably the best option for the Reds would be Radamel Falcao.  The striker is one of the most prolific scorers in the game right now, which is an important factor to consider when trying to find a suitable fit.  Suarez was the end all be all of Liverpool scoring last season, and while it is unreasonable to assume that they will find some one to put up a comparable performance, they still need some one with experience putting it in the back of the net.  Unfortunately for LFC, it's pretty much understood that Falcao would be a long shot for the Reds to pick up as he's got many offers from teams all around Europe.  The latest rumors around the league seem to suggest however that Liverpool's top target currently is Chelsea's Samuel Eto'o.  The striker posted 9 goals in 21 appearances last season, nothing compared to Suarez's 31, but again, the Reds have to know that there will be no replacing the talent that Suarez was.  From the prospects that have been linked to the club, it does appear that Brendan Rodgers is going to attempt to put a star name into the hole left by Suarez, however I believe the best chance they have for the coming season is to find a solid striker who is willing to cooperate with Rodgers and adapt to his style of play.  We can fully expect that Liverpool will not be as offensively successful this coming year, but if they play their cards right, they can still walk away from the year with somewhat successful domestic and european campaigns.

The Next Premiere Soccer Federation

The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, or CONCACAF,  is the governing body for soccer in North and Central America as the name would suggest.  Up until recently, CONCACAF didn't have a whole lot to talk about as far as talent, really only Mexico and the States were ever consistently relevant on the international stage.  As such, CONCACAF has only ever had three automatic bids to the World Cup, with a 4 bid having to play through an international play-off, something that has happened only twice in CONCACAF's history, 2006 and this most recent World Cup.  However, the performance that we witnessed in Brazil from the CONCACAF nations definitely warrants some discussion.  As I said, for only the second time in it's history, CONCACAF nations filled the maximum 4 spots that they can hold in the World Cup.  This however, was not the impressive feat that these nations accomplished.  In this past World Cup, CONCACAF nations were the second most successful teams in the tournament behind South America, in terms of advancement to the round of 16, with 3 of the 4 teams advancing.  On top of this, Costa Rica became the 5th COCACAF nation to reach the quarterfinals, with only the USA reaching the semi-finals in the 1930 tournament.
In comparison to this performance, Europe only managed 6 for 13 of their representatives, Africa 2 for 5, South America went 5 for 6, finally, Asia 0 for 4.  Let's focus in on Asia specifically.  Asia currently gets 4 automatic bids to the World Cup, with one team going to the international playoff, giving therm a possibility to put 5 teams into the tournament.  This past tournament in Brazil, not only saw no Asian team make the elimination rounds, but fail to tally a single win, with a final combined record of 0-9-3.  FIFA has said it will not address the issue of reallocating automatic bids until next year at the earliest, but when the issue comes up, CONCACAF has the case already made for them as to why they deserve one of Asia's automatic bids, with one of the biggest factors being experience.
When the next World Cup comes around in 2018, the three CONCACAF teams that made their way to the round of 16 will have several reasons that even now point to continued success in the tournament.
Mexico's biggest loss is most likely going to be that of their captain, Rafael Márquez, who at the age of 35 has most likely seen the last of his playing days at the World Cup.  However, both Javier Hernandez and break out GK Guillermo Ochoa will only 32 and 31 respectively, meaning that they will both be perfect candidates to lead the team as the veteran class.  Besides these two, only one other player likely to represent Mexico the next time around has more caps, Andres Guardado.  With Guardado working with Ochoa to lead the defense, and Chicharito providing the attacking experience and leadership, Mexico has, albeit preliminarily, a chance for a very strong showing in the future.
Costa Rica, aka "The Ticos", were the Cinderella story of the tournament.  Marked by many experts to finish last in their group, with little chance of gaining even a single point, went undefeated in the group stage with a 2-0-1 record to top their group.  And as you know, the run didn't stop there.  But Costa Rica's success does not guarantee them success in the future, what could do that is their youth.  Costa Rica went to Brazil with only two players over the age of 30, with the oldest player being 32.  That means that Costa Rica has a chance to return every single one of their starters to the next tournament.  Obviously this could mean nothing at all, but with such a strong showing this time around, I think we can at least expect another relevant team in 4 years.
And finally, we have our very own USMNT.  I won't go into to much detail here, since Ollie has covered the topic extensively here, but the US team has such potential for growth.  Enough youth to return an entire starting line up is enough cause for excitement, but when you add in the fact that the USA's youth program continues to develop and grow larger each year means that our youth prospects coming in are continuing to become more and more talented and athletic. And on top of this, there is always one other factor to consider... Gedion Zelalem.

Be sure to check out our previous post here.

Ronaldinho MLS Bound?

For the past 16 years, the soccer world has been lit up by Ronaldinho. The man has been a highlight reel throughout his career and has dazzled everyone with his skill and flair. He has won just about every trophy a professional soccer player can only dream of. At the age of 34, the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, is well past his prime. Yet, he has proved that he can still make his mark in the game by leading Atletico Mineiro to a Copa Libertadores Title in 2013. Despite this, he is currently a free agent and doesn't seem to have too many potential suitors. Recently, he’s been linked with an MLS move. I understand that the MLS has been trying to shed its image of being a league where players come to, as Ashley Cole put it, “relax on the beach,” but this move makes sense on every front.

Ronaldinho is one of the most recognizable players for fans and nonfans alike. This may be the best opportunity for the MLS to obtain a marquee name to help expand its market. For Ronaldinho? This may be his last chance to cash in big on all of his previous career accolades as his playing days are definitely limited. A well-documented case of partying too much may have lowered his potential ceiling. Perhaps he could’ve gone down as one of the all-time greats had he prioritized his soccer career. That being said, while he’s certainly not in the best shape of his life, he is still capable of producing magical moments on the field. As an entertainer, you can’t do much better than Ronaldinho, even at the age of 34.

Just take a look at his highlights from the year 2013:

Riding off of the World Cup high in the country, this seems like the perfect time to capitalize on his services. A record attendance at the match between Manchester United and Real Madrid last weekend showed that we still care about soccer even if the USMNT isn’t involved. With Kaka already committed to joining the new club Orlando City, David Villa and Lampard joining NYC FC, throwing Ronaldinho into the mix as another designated player brings in another superstar to sell tickets. With the average MLS ticket price (I know it’s for the supporters section, but ticket values aren’t all that different individually) around $17, I will happily go to a game to watch these players.

Jose Mourinho: "I hope we don't get relegated this season"

Jose Mourinho is at it again. The self proclaimed "special one" has always been a proponent of mind games and they've started to get worse. Recently Mourinho called an emergency press conference. The reason for this was later found to be the perception that he wasn't getting enough attention from the press and felt the need to take matters into his own hands. As confused reporters trickled into the room, a distressed Mourinho kept sighing at an unusually high volume in an attempt to let everyone know how distressed he was. The few reporters that had shown up looked around at each other, not entirely sure whether or not they should be asking questions, when suddenly Mourinho threw his head back and started to speak.

"I bet you're wondering why I've gathered you all here today."

There's a long pause as Mourinho stares into the distance for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"It's come to my attention that some of you "experts" have deemed Chelsea one of the title contenders for the upcoming season"

More confused looks from the reporters.

"I was furious when I heard these rumors mainly because this team is nowhere close to being a title contender, to be honest I'm praying that we're able to avoid relegation this season."

A few reporters get up and leave.

"Personally I think it's absurd to have such high expectations for this team after a terrible transfer market and the current state of the team. I understand that you've all seen them play a few times, but unfortunately I have to deal with them every day in training and they look terrible. I haven't done any coaching in weeks, I just sit there with my head in my hands contemplating how much worse these players could possibly get."

Finally one of the reporters felt the need to interject, "You said that you thought this transfer market was 'terrible' for Chelsea, but you signed two world class players in Fabregas and Diego Costa. Not only that but you just got Courtois back-"

"No. No, Athletico keeper."

"He's back from his loan spell though-"

"Athletico keeper"

Before wrapping up the press conference, Mourinho felt that he needed to get a word or two in about Arsenal to the few reporters that had stuck around.

"Anyone remember that game when we played Arsenal at Stamford Bridge? What a sorry excuse for a team. I mean, I thought Chelsea was bad but...wow. How about Jack Wilshere though. Am I right? We're probably going to see him in one of those depressing 'you-should-probably-stop-smoking' commercials at some point this year. Hey anyone want to hear a joke? Arsene Wenger. HAHAHAHA. Get it??? Wenger?? Because...you know...he's the worst manager to every be a part of this league? Man I am so funny."

Edit: Although none of every happened there's no way of knowing what Mourinho will lure us in with next. Only Zlatan can tell.

The World's Most Iconic Soccer Stadiums (Part 3)

England

The New Wembley Stadium (London, England)

Capacity: 90,000

Inauguration: 2007

Cost: $1.25 billion

The New Wembley Stadium now stands at the site of the original Wembley Stadium which was opened in 1923. The original Wembley, while not quite one of the oldest stadiums in England, certainly does not lack in its history. This was the venue that hosted the annual FA Cup, five European Cup Finals, and the Three Lions’ World Cup triumph on home soil in 1966. This stadium is so iconic, that the legend that is Pele admits that the biggest regret of his career was never having played there; the “cathedral of football” as he described it. In 2003, Wembley was demolished for redevelopment.

Four years later, The New Wembley Stadium was opened. Wembley is now the world’s most expensive soccer stadium, and has established itself as one of the premier sporting venues in the world. The English National Team moved back to the site of their original home shortly after its reopening. Since it reopened in 2007, Wembley is once again the site of the annual FA Cup Final as well as the FA Community Shield. While its modernization makes it lose a bit of its charm, after all, part of the mystique of a cathedral is its antiquity, the New Wembley Stadium will likely be home to some of this generation’s most memorable soccer moments.

Be sure to check out part 2 in this series.

Manchester United vs. Inter Milan Match Review

So last night I was able to find a stream of the Manchester United v. Inter game that was played in DC.  First off I had to laugh at ESPN’s coverage of the game, it was an English squad and an Italian squad, playing in America, and yet the only commentary that I could get was Spanish… nevertheless, the game showed good promise for the Red Devils.  Not exactly an exciting game from an attacking standpoint, with only 2 shots on goal for Manchester and 1 for Inter, but as the score line would lead you to believe, a great defensive battle.  LVG was very pleased speaking with the media after the game, praising his defense for a stellar showing, however, not much was said of the offense.  This, unfortunately, can be a side effect of the 3-5-2 (5-3-2 depending on how you look at it) that van Gaal is running this year, and set the Dutch team up with at the World Cup.  A strong centralized defense keeps the ball to the wings where it gets knocked around for a while trying to find a way to break through the wall that you’ve created in the middle.  If neither team is willing to push to hard on the attack, the game can grind to a halt.

Luckily we did see some flashes of attack, primarily after the 80^th minute from Manchester United, a period which saw a beautiful bit of skill by Ashley Young down the wing to create an opportunity off the head of one of his strikers.  But the game went to a draw at full time and this being the ICC, we went to penalties.  Manchester was perfect from the penalty spot.  All 5 shots were struck in a textbook position, Inter GK Carrizio truly had no chance to save any, despite trying to play some mind games on the 4^th shot with Shinji Kagawa, daring the midfielder to score to the right side of the goal (which he did).  De Gea (who came in as a substitution for Lindgaard at half) got a hand to Inter Milan’s third shot before it went bar down for the goal, and then guessed correctly on the 4^th shot, which saw the ball blasted off the crossbar for the only miss of the shootout.

After the game, van Gaal hailed this as the best game of the three that have been played under his new reign, and as far as fundamentals go I’d have to agree.  United seem well put together, communicating and crisp with their passes.  If they are able to keep this up, and hopefully pick up a few weapons during this trade window, we could absolutely see a year in which Manchester makes a run at the league title.




Be sure to check out our previous post here.
(Photos from BleacherReport and Twitter)

Why the USMNT Needs Gedion Zelalem

This weekend gave most American soccer fans their first look at the next potential star of the US National Team, Gedion Zelalem.  Zelalem got the start for the Arsenal senior team against the NY Red Bull on Saturday, and while he remained mainly quiet on the field, the promise for the young star couldn't help but shine through.

If you haven't heard of Gedion Zelalem before, he is a 17-year-old midfielder who is currently playing for Arsenal.  Zelalem was born in Germany, but has the potential to hold citizenship in two other countries, Ethiopia and the United States.  Zelalem moved to the States in 2006 with his father and had been playing in the Maryland youth circuit before being recruited to play for Arsenal.  He made his debut in 2013 for the Arsenal U-16 before quickly being promoted to the U-21 side.  He debuted for the senior team in January this year, coming in as a substitute for the Ox.
So what makes this young midfielder so desirable(other than the fact that Arsene Wenger saw fit to put him into an Arsenal game at the age of 16)?  Zelalem is a playmaker, a skill becoming more rare in today's stars.  Everyone is trying to become the next #10, someone who's going to dance around the defense and score by them selves, whereas what we've seen from Gedion so far is a player comfortable enough in their own skill to hold centrally and make the connecting passes downfield, "he makes the pass before the assist" writes Travis Clark of Top Drawer Soccer.  Even though he played in a right midfielder role this past Saturday, you could still see what Clark is talking about.  It doesn't seem much to write about but Zelalem showed some very crisp and intelligent passes, clean turns and great field awareness during the game.  The kid definitely showed great soccer IQ, and composure, something very rare for a player his age.
As far as what he can add immediately to the US Mens National Team, this is where it can get interesting.  At the 2014 World Cup, Jurgen Klinsmann brought 4 players capable of playing the holding mid spot that Zelalem has become accustomed to playing, Bradley, Jones, Beckerman and Cameron, with Bradley starting the center mid position.  But with Cameron playing center-back and the two others filling various midfielder roles in Klinsmann's 4-2-3-1, there was no one left on the bench to relieve the exhausted Bradley late in games, such as the Portugal game which saw Bradley make a crucial late error resulting in a goal.  Zelalem can provide that support now.  He has already proven that he can compete at the senior level, with the only consistent complaint about his playing being his size.

The most exciting aspect of Zelalem however, has to be what he can offer to the US long term.  As Zelalem himself said when discussing the international decision he will have to make (most likely before the 2016 Olympics), "The US is on the rise, Germany is already a great team".  If Zelalem goes with the US he could join the ranks of great young players, such as another German-born American player Julian Green, to whom he has been both compared and said to have even greater potential given his age when he broke out.  He could become the new face of the steadily rising team, as opposed to just yet another player on an already strong German team.  As Ollie has already written, the USA has the formula to finally break through and stop just being relevant on the international stage, and become a powerhouse.  Zelalem could be another (major) piece to that puzzle, should he opt to invoke his right to gain US citizenship.
My final bit is a sincere plea to Gedion (yeah I know...it's a pipe dream that he ever gets this in front of him).  You've spent time in America, and you've played in the youth programs here.  You know that theres still a long way to go before we can be consistently defined as premiere nation on the international stage.  And one of the things that American soccer needs to accomplish that goal, is increased awareness and participation in this fantastic sport.  And one of the elements that is needed to drive this change in social perception, is popularity (success) at the international level.  You, Gedion, have the potential to help lead our team to a level of success it has yet to realize, both immediately and then continuing our growth in the future.  Don't become just another player in a soccer centric nation.  Become the face of a nation who's fans are the most enthusiastic and dedicated in the world, and spread the good word to the rest of the nation.  And hopefully, finally, push soccer to it's rightful place among main stream sports in this amazing country of ours.

Be sure to check out our previous post here.

Pitch Invaders

At the end of Manchester City’s 5-1 thrashing of AC Milan in the International Champions Cup match in Pittsburgh, two fans ran onto the field to take a selfie with Mario Balotelli. This became the most recent occurrence of what seems to be a growing trend in soccer now. At Real Madrid’s unveiling of their new £60 million signing James Rodriguez (which may have been a bit much), a fan wearing a Colombian jersey found his way past security to hug the World Cup star. This past World Cup had no shortage of pitch invaders running onto the field for various reasons. Perhaps most memorably however, was a couple months ago, when one fan #DaredToZlatan by running onto the field to give Ibrahimovic a hug and was rewarded with his jersey.

In most of these events, the fans were bold enough to break through the boundaries and were compensated with a special moment with their soccer idols. I think it’s great that some of the biggest names in soccer had enough sense to not overreact in these situations, though I wouldn't blame them for losing their cool. It’s become worryingly easy to run onto the field past security, and interact with the players directly. I’d like to believe that in all cases, these fans have good intentions, but it’s really impossible to make that distinction. I’m glad that we’re not overreacting to most of these situations, some of which can even be adorable, but at some point security has to be stepped up. I mean, it shouldn't be up to other fans to deal with these guys.

Russia: The War Torn World Cup Hosts...

As the announcement came out this weekend that FIFA is standing by Russia for the 2018 World Cup nomination, the soccer community watched in...well let's call it mild disgust.  Because honestly, this can't come as a shock to most fans out there.  Since when has FIFA ever cared about, their image in the international community, or player safety, or even just doing the morally right thing?  This is an organization so entrenched in scandal and corruption, that the movie they funded about their own history should be listed as a satirical comedy for the amount of romanticization about FIFA that it includes.

But this weekend's announcement just continues to highlight the horrifying damage that FIFA can do.  This organization, in the last year alone, has left a country billions of dollars in debt, not only through stadium construction fees, but also through taxes not paid.  Brazil was in civil unrest for months before the games, and what did FIFA do to help? They pushed a bill through the Brazilian government allowing Budweiser to sell beer at the games.  Oh you thought I meant what did FIFA do to help the Brazilians? No, they didn't do anything to help them, they're not a corporate sponsor, and why would a non-profit organization care about anyone other than their corporate sponsors?  But in fairness, all they wanted from Brazil was for them to host, pay for and police the entire tournament so that FIFA could make all of the money, that's not to much to ask right?
Allowing Russia to continue to hold the World Cup in 2018 if the Ukrainian crisis continues takes the issue to a new level.  This past week, a passenger jet was shot down over the pro-Russian area of Ukraine.  A passenger jet... I get there is still debate over who actually is responsible so I won't go into that here, but can we all agree that regardless of who shot the plane down, IT'S A DAMN WAR ZONE!! How can we even be considering holding an international sporting event in a country with a war going on?  This is now 100% a matter of player safety and how if this fighting continues, there is absolutely no way to guarantee player safety.  FIFA responded to the decision releasing the statement,

"FIFA deplores any form of violence and will continue to use its tournaments to promote dialogue, understanding and peace among peoples." (So we're going to allow a country actively funding and arming a war to continue to host) "The hosting of the FIFA World Cup with the global attention it attracts can be a powerful catalyst for constructive dialogue between people and governments,(and demonstrating the merits of bribery) helping to bring positive social developments (because that's our job?)"

I may have read between the lines a little there...

But we all know this already, hell I've written about this already, and life for FIFA continues on, nothing changes, nobody can do anything.  This is because this is an organization with zero accountability and zero supervision.  They have a monopoly on the sport we love, so the only way to boycott FIFA is to boycott soccer.  No competing organization has the funds to match FIFA, their resources are endless (especially if they keep giving the World Cup to the highest bidder).  So truly the only thing we can do, is to continue to bring to light the scandals that seem to perpetually follow this corrupt organization where ever it goes.  And with any luck, this organization may someday been run by someone who's doing it purely for the love of soccer, and not for whatever Dr. Evil-esque reasons our favorite Captain Slime has.

Be sure to check out our previous blog here.

The Diving Dilemma

The World Cup extended it's reach to everyone regardless of their opinions towards soccer. From the casual fan to the fanatic, everywhere you turned you were surrounded by an developing story about Tim Howard or the Ghana players having their bonuses flown to Brazil, to name a few. As a result I found myself watching quite a few games with people who had some strong opinions about the beautiful game and let themselves be heard. Everything from, "this team is so soft" to "this isn't a real sport" was all attributed to the same thing: diving.

Embellishment, flopping, exaggerating, whatever you want to call it, it played a role in nearly every game, some more than others. I would always have to brace myself when Neymar or Arjen Robben went down screaming while their teammates bolted towards the referee. The rants that followed weren't annoying or unbearable until they got to one point: "I don't get how you like this sport".

I don't mind anyone complaining about diving because I despise it just as much as the next person. But when it starts seeping into overarching opinions about soccer it becomes difficult to deal with in more ways than one. There will always be players who spend more time rolling around on the field than others. Some teams are even notorious for diving to the point where it may even be stressed in training. If you don't believe look up "Italians practice flopping", it will be worth your time.

My point is that this has become a part of soccer culture and there's no foreseeable end to it. Gradually referees became more strict with their calls in an effort to protect players. It's not uncommon that you'll hear a commentator say "when we were playing that would've been a fair tackle" after a questionable slide challenge. Players are aware of this and will go to extreme measures in an attempt to force the refs hand.

So the next logical argument is that FIFA has to start instituting fines for these players to erase it from the game. The problem is that we have to remember this is FIFA we're talking about who are so corrupt themselves, what reason would they have to eliminate corruption in this area of the game? If you need further evidence you don't even have to leave this blog, just scroll down to the FIFA article. It's still possible to get a yellow card by taking a noticeable dive but this is uncommon. Mainly because it has to be exaggerated to the point where it's comical because the referee can't produce a card every time someone goes down a little too easy.

What I'm trying to say is that we can all hate diving together. If you're okay with it that's fine as well but it will always be the worst part of any game for me. All I'm asking is for casual fans to not associate loving soccer with the love of diving.

Be sure to check out our previous post here.

Zla∙ta∙ner∙a

verb

to dominate (this is a real word in Swedish)

Following his twitter Q&A in which he answered fans’ questions on the act of Zlataning, many had a greater understanding of what it takes to #DaretoZlatan. If ever there was a word to make a part of your daily vocabulary, this is it. Forget your daily word of the day or your SAT vocab, Zlatan is the only word you’ll ever need to impress. Above I gave you the Swedish definition of the word, but, in reality, Zlatan means all things awesome. It is not limited to being a verb (that would be very un-Zlatanlike), it is every part of speech you can think of. In fact, the more you say Zlatan, the more you become one with the way of Zlatan. This is the key to successfully Zlatan. If you are not one with the way of Zlatan, attempting to Zlatan can become dangerous. When you embrace your inner Zlatan and successfully Zlatan, nothing in the world is __________. Sorry about that blank space, the word that was supposed to go there was impossible. Having Zlatan and this word in the same sentence is so unbelievably not Zlatan that I am afraid of finding out what Zlatan-level punishment the universe would send the unfortunate soul who dared to utter such a sentence. Only Zlatan could save you then.

Here’s to you Zlatan, Zlataning the world since 1977.

Be sure to check out our previous post here.

The World's Most Iconic Soccer Stadiums (Part 2)

Mexico

Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, Mexico)

Capacity: 105,000

Inauguration: 1966

Cost: MXN$260 million

Notable Fixtures: Italy vs. West Germany 1970 World Cup Semifinal, Argentina vs. West Germany 1986 World Cup Final

Unlike my previous post in this series, where you can argue for several stadiums across the USA being the most “iconic,” Mexico has a clear winner. Even though it isn’t a relatively old or expensive stadium, it certainly is among the richest in its history. This is the third largest soccer stadium in the world in terms of capacity, and is one of the most hostile environments to play in. Home to El Tri and Club América, this place is constantly packed with fans that bleed their team’s colors. The Estadio Azteca has been host to some of the best soccer moments in the 20^th century and stands among the most iconic sporting venues in the world.

The Azteca was the final triumph for soccer legends Pele and Diego Maradona. Their World Cup victories in 1970 and 1986 respectively, marked the pinnacle of their international careers. In Maradona’s 1986 World Cup campaign, he produced two of the most memorable moments of his career, and in the history of soccer as well, at the Azteca. In the quarterfinal matchup between Argentina and England, Maradona scored both goals to send Argentina through in that game. One of them would go down as the goal of the century, the other, one of the most controversial World Cup goals ever scored. This was also the venue that hosted the epic battle between Italy and West Germany in the semifinal of the 1970 World Cup. This game was the only time in FIFA World Cup history where five extra time goals were scored, and would go down as the match of the century.

Keep checking in to see what we choose to be the next stadium we feature in this series.

Manchester City Youth Team Amid Racism Scandal

This Tuesday, Manchester City’s U-21 side stormed off the pitch during an international friendly against Croatian team HNK Rijeka.  A Man City player, Seko Fofana claimed that he had been racially abused by an opponent, prompting Man City skipper Patrick Vieira to pull his side from the match.  The Croatian club immediately denied the racial abuse however the Croatian Football Federation has launched an investigation into the claims.  The allegations occurred immediately after Fofana was sent off for a late challenge, which Rijeka claim is the real reason that the team withdrew.

“It looks like a move which is trying to hide a very ugly foul by the Manchester City player that resulted in exclusion, followed by a hasty and illogical decision of the coaching staff…” said Rijeka manager Ranko Buketa.  However, if these allegations prove to be true, Rijeka could be facing some serious sanctions from soccer’s governing body.  And not in an unprecedented manner…

Unfortunately, racism in soccer has been a growing problem in recent years especially for Manchester City.  In October of last year, forward Yaya Toure claimed that he was racially abused during a CSKA Moscow game, an allegation later found to be true.  The Toure and Fofana claim are 2 of 4 claims of racism that have turned out to be true in the past 4 years.  Former City striker Mario Balotelli is another player that has been the target of racial abuse in his career; sometimes at the hands of fans of his own fans.

The incidents continue to highlight a worrying trend in soccer.  Despite UEFA and other governing bodies doing their best with anti-racism campaigns and advertisements, people with deep seated biases continue to grow more vocal. The graphs below show two worrying statistics for racism in soccer fans. 

In the study, published by MyGov.com, 91% of English soccer fans believe that racism exists in soccer in their country, but of those same fans polled, only 43% said that they felt racism was a serious problem. Not to pick on the English fans specifically, make sure to look at the above polls and see the shocking numbers of major European nations. This just starts to demonstrate the uphill battle that soccer’s governing body is facing with fans, this ingrained racism that unfortunately has trickled down even to the youth teams, illustrated by this latest incident if it proves to be true.  The question now becomes what more can be done to fight this problem, because obviously, what we’ve been doing so far isn’t enough.

Find the entire YouGov article here.

Be sure to check out our previous post here.

Is Dunga the Answer?

After ending the World Cup it was hosting by conceding 10 goals in their last two games, Brazil was left scrambling for answers. Luiz “Felipão” Scolari had promised another title for Brazil, this time in their own country. After the Maracanazo in 1950, it seemed like this would be a chance for redemption. Putting another star on the already very decorated crest Brazilians display with pride would have been all the more satisfying if it came at home. It took just 30 minutes against Germany to turn Brazil’s World Cup into a tragedy much worse than the one they had suffered in 1950.

It’s not like there weren't any warning signs either. Brazil relied on two set-piece goals to advance against Colombia following a narrow escape on penalties out of the round of 16 against Chile. Even on the play Brazil conceded a penalty to Colombia there were glaring issues with their organization. As the play developed, you could see there was no shape, no connectivity between the midfield and defense, midfielders walking back on defense, and Marcelo dove into a challenge and got beat. This effectively created a 3 vs. 2 in favor of Colombia and put Carlos Bacca in on goal against Julio Cesar who had no choice but to foul (watch the play develop in the highlights here). This scene looks eerily similar to that of Germany’s 5^th goal in their onslaught.

Brazil vs. Colombia

Brazil vs. Germany

For comparison look at Costa Rica’s shape against the Dutch. Costa Rica was one of the best defensive teams in the tournament and only conceded two goals in their five games. The back forms a very structured line, and the midfield occupies the space in front of that line. They have numbers around the ball and there was nowhere to go but backwards for the Dutch. This is what good organization on defense looks like. That is how a team like Costa Rica could win a group featuring Italy, England, and Uruguay.

Costa Rica vs. Netherlands

Any good coach would have made adjustments for the next game after watching the penalty in the Brazil vs. Colombia game develop; especially considering that Thiago Silva wouldn’t be available after getting one of the stupidest yellow cards ever. Felipão did nothing. What followed was utter humiliation and left the CBF with a predicament, who would be his successor to bring Brazil back from the depths?

Just over a week later, we have learned that Dunga is the next head coach of the selecão. Is the former captain of the 1994 World Cup Champions the man to breathe life back into a side that exited this year’s tournament in a state of complete decay? The answer to this question obviously isn’t simple. I believe that he is a decent starting point. Let’s not forget, this is the guy who had 42 wins and 12 draws in his 59 games during his previous tenure as manager of Brazil. At the current state of the national team, I believe that he is a safe choice. Using his regimented approach, he will bring Brazil back to the modern age where you do need a level of structure to win. However, if he proved anything in his first stint, it’s that the Jogo Bonito is not his thing. Choosing not to name Neymar or Ronaldinho to the squad in South Africa he made his intentions very clear. Let’s face it though, after how they departed the World Cup this time around, I will gladly take winning without flair… For the short-term that is. Brazilians have too much pride in the joy and creativity they bring to the game. In order to bring back the Jogo Bonito that embodies the Brazilian spirit, Dunga must be removed after laying a basic foundation.


Be sure to check out our previous post here.

The World's Most Iconic Soccer Stadiums (Part 1)

USA

CenturyLink Field (Seattle, WA)

Capacity: 67,000

Inauguration: July 28, 2002

Cost: $430 million

Figured I’d begin this series here at home. It’s hard to call any stadium in the USA iconic as we are definitely a country in the process of writing our soccer history. You could make an argument for the Rose Bowl since it was the home of the 1994 World Cup Final and is one of the most recognizable stadiums in the country. It was the venue where Roberto Baggio skied his penalty over the bar to give Brazil the title (one of the most memorable moments in recent World Cup history). However, it is only occasionally used for soccer and its primary affiliation is obviously with college football. For that reason, I opted against it.

Seattle’s CenturyLink Field is my choice for the USA’s best soccer venue. Home to the Sounders as well as the Seahawks, CenturyLink Field is constantly reaching maximum capacity for events. There doesn’t seem to be a better atmosphere in the USA to experience a soccer game. The Emerald City Supporters certainly know how to be loud (much like the Seahawks’ 12^th Man) and Sounders fans are one of the few MLS fanbases that can rival some European counterparts. Seattle fans certainly know how to have a good time at sporting events and they definitely give their teams a significant home-field advantage. With USMNT stars Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin representing them, the Sounders offer a glimpse into the transition between the old and the new for American Soccer. If there is one place to showcase to the world what American Soccer can be, this is it.

Check in again tomorrow as we travel south to the Azteca.

And be sure to check out our previous post here.