So this is why Bobbo picked Adu for the Gold Cup...
Canadians remember this...
The motivation...
- Will Parchman
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
On Tap: USA v Canada
Monday, June 6, 2011
Hello Muddahs, Hello Faddah - The Send Off Edition
Both seniors teams are set for big tourneys after the weekend action. World Cup-bound ladies first...
Next, we'll check in with a Motor City Studio 90, listen to a few of our boys talk Gold Cup, catch the latest USMNT In England episode with Stu and enjoy a sublimely titled indivudal highlight reel of Michael Bradley against Spain.
And if you missed Will's MLS Grinder, don't forget to scroll down.
- Greg Seltzer
Next, we'll check in with a Motor City Studio 90, listen to a few of our boys talk Gold Cup, catch the latest USMNT In England episode with Stu and enjoy a sublimely titled indivudal highlight reel of Michael Bradley against Spain.
And if you missed Will's MLS Grinder, don't forget to scroll down.
- Greg Seltzer
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The MLS Grinder: It's Balchan Time
The Gold Cup is underway, much to the chagrin of Bruce Arena's Donovan-less Galaxy and the Wondo-less Quakes, who inexplicably aren't feeling the sting, as we'll get into later. And as soon as I start extolling the virtues of the league's ability to create goals, we have a weekend when only five teams score more than once. Blech. Anyway, for now...
Game of the Week
Columbus 1, New York 1
Admittedly not the prettiest of games, but it was a relatively important one for the Crew, who dredged a point out of the muck with a moment of madness from MLS rook Rich Balchan.
When Mehdi Ballouchy opened the scoring in the ninth minute off a tremendous feed from Luke Rodgers, spectators had every right to think the Red Bulls would run away with the game or, at the very least, boss the remainder of the night. Credit Columbus for bouncing off the ropes just before the final bell, and give Justin Meram props for scooting down the left side and abusing Matt Kassel to get the cross in.
Behind the surprising result is the mental toll, which swung in Columbus' favor with Balchan's one-timer. Both of these teams are struggling for wins right now, the Crew winless in four games entering Saturday and New York winless in five, oddly enough. With 19 points, a solid foothold on second in the East and this game being played in the comforting early-season heat of early June, New York has no reason for panic just yet, though getting back on the right foot with a couple important players called away would've been a good thing.
The Crew, on the other hand, needed at least a point to continue ascending the ladder in the East. With a flagging attack and a makeshift back line, the Crew have some issues to figure out, but they'll take this. Columbus is unbeaten at home this year but was (and still is) winless on the road. With 20,000 at full throat in Red Bull Arena, getting a result of any kind, let alone rescuing a point in the game's twilight, has to be viewed as a positive.
Best of the Best
- San Jose was a fat target for the Grinder earlier this season, when it seemed like all San Jose could do was get its supporter section into trouble and fumble away games to bad teams.
So what's the deal? The Quakes are unbeaten in their last five, have won three straight at Buck Shaw (which is a bad venue to begin with) and they most recently dropped the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on Saturday without Chris Wondolowski, who received a Gold Cup call-up. Listless current run aside, the Dynamo can put together some pretty passages of play when they're on, so this win shouldn't be brushed aside as an aberration. There are more than a few things going very right in San Jose right now.
Don't get it twisted, though. Nobody will confuse San Jose for Barcelona USA. The Quakes don't do it pretty. They seemed to rope-a-dope Houston in an ugly, uneven first half that produced more opportunities in San Jose's half. The second half, while decidedly more positive, couldn't be confused for dominant either. Khari Stephenson, the midfielder with a penchant for those howitzer goals, was pushed up top and looked lost at times. That was my main gripe for Yallop, the embattled coach who needs this run to save his job.
If this run continues in any length, San Jose might just eventually scrape, claw and bareknuckle its way into a playoff spot. They won't be the scariest low seed in the tourney, but I can see the Quakes upsetting the cart of a top team.
- RSL has been searching in vain for a spark up top since Marcos Mondaini ended Javier Morales' season. RSL had just 10 goals in nine games entering Saturday's game against the recently coachless Whitecaps.
In stepped Jean Alexandre, who scored a goal and assisted on another.
RSL still has problems up top, and the idea that Alexandre, a converted defensive midfielder, will be a consistent threat for goals isn't something I'm behind just yet. And it was the Whitecaps. But RSL's fading star in the West needed a kick in the pants, and Alexandre's boot was only too happy to oblige.
- Marvin Chavez either didn't take geometry in high school or is the smartest man alive.
Worst of the Worst
- We've talked before about the mystery of Portland's Jeld-Wen Field, which continues to frustrate visiting opposition, who are 1-5-0 there. Just as curious is Portland's utter inability to put together many consistent games away from the friendly confines. The Timbers are 0-4-2 away this year, including a 1-0 loss to the Fake Goats last weekend, who drew even with Portland in the West with 17 points and holds the edge in goal differential. But hey, Troy Perkins played well. So there's that. But more on this in a bit.
- The Tommy Soehn era in Vancouver is off to a rocky start.
- Of tangential MLS interest was this really, really awful thing.
The "I don't know which category this falls into".... category
- Marcos Mondaini, infamous for hacksawing Javier Morales' leg, scored a goal for 1-0 winners Chivas USA. Er... so yeah. Here's that.
Game of the Week
Columbus 1, New York 1
Admittedly not the prettiest of games, but it was a relatively important one for the Crew, who dredged a point out of the muck with a moment of madness from MLS rook Rich Balchan.
When Mehdi Ballouchy opened the scoring in the ninth minute off a tremendous feed from Luke Rodgers, spectators had every right to think the Red Bulls would run away with the game or, at the very least, boss the remainder of the night. Credit Columbus for bouncing off the ropes just before the final bell, and give Justin Meram props for scooting down the left side and abusing Matt Kassel to get the cross in.
Behind the surprising result is the mental toll, which swung in Columbus' favor with Balchan's one-timer. Both of these teams are struggling for wins right now, the Crew winless in four games entering Saturday and New York winless in five, oddly enough. With 19 points, a solid foothold on second in the East and this game being played in the comforting early-season heat of early June, New York has no reason for panic just yet, though getting back on the right foot with a couple important players called away would've been a good thing.
The Crew, on the other hand, needed at least a point to continue ascending the ladder in the East. With a flagging attack and a makeshift back line, the Crew have some issues to figure out, but they'll take this. Columbus is unbeaten at home this year but was (and still is) winless on the road. With 20,000 at full throat in Red Bull Arena, getting a result of any kind, let alone rescuing a point in the game's twilight, has to be viewed as a positive.
Best of the Best
- San Jose was a fat target for the Grinder earlier this season, when it seemed like all San Jose could do was get its supporter section into trouble and fumble away games to bad teams.
So what's the deal? The Quakes are unbeaten in their last five, have won three straight at Buck Shaw (which is a bad venue to begin with) and they most recently dropped the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on Saturday without Chris Wondolowski, who received a Gold Cup call-up. Listless current run aside, the Dynamo can put together some pretty passages of play when they're on, so this win shouldn't be brushed aside as an aberration. There are more than a few things going very right in San Jose right now.
Don't get it twisted, though. Nobody will confuse San Jose for Barcelona USA. The Quakes don't do it pretty. They seemed to rope-a-dope Houston in an ugly, uneven first half that produced more opportunities in San Jose's half. The second half, while decidedly more positive, couldn't be confused for dominant either. Khari Stephenson, the midfielder with a penchant for those howitzer goals, was pushed up top and looked lost at times. That was my main gripe for Yallop, the embattled coach who needs this run to save his job.
If this run continues in any length, San Jose might just eventually scrape, claw and bareknuckle its way into a playoff spot. They won't be the scariest low seed in the tourney, but I can see the Quakes upsetting the cart of a top team.
- RSL has been searching in vain for a spark up top since Marcos Mondaini ended Javier Morales' season. RSL had just 10 goals in nine games entering Saturday's game against the recently coachless Whitecaps.
In stepped Jean Alexandre, who scored a goal and assisted on another.
RSL still has problems up top, and the idea that Alexandre, a converted defensive midfielder, will be a consistent threat for goals isn't something I'm behind just yet. And it was the Whitecaps. But RSL's fading star in the West needed a kick in the pants, and Alexandre's boot was only too happy to oblige.
- Marvin Chavez either didn't take geometry in high school or is the smartest man alive.
Worst of the Worst
- We've talked before about the mystery of Portland's Jeld-Wen Field, which continues to frustrate visiting opposition, who are 1-5-0 there. Just as curious is Portland's utter inability to put together many consistent games away from the friendly confines. The Timbers are 0-4-2 away this year, including a 1-0 loss to the Fake Goats last weekend, who drew even with Portland in the West with 17 points and holds the edge in goal differential. But hey, Troy Perkins played well. So there's that. But more on this in a bit.
- The Tommy Soehn era in Vancouver is off to a rocky start.
- Of tangential MLS interest was this really, really awful thing.
The "I don't know which category this falls into".... category
- Marcos Mondaini, infamous for hacksawing Javier Morales' leg, scored a goal for 1-0 winners Chivas USA. Er... so yeah. Here's that.
- Will Parchman
Saturday, June 4, 2011
USMNT v Spain - Before & After
We have a rather surprising line-up for the USMNT rematch with World Cup kings Spain outside Bah-ston.
Before you ask: Landon Donovan is ill and thus ruled out for tonight. I cannot tell if this is the bucket or a 4-5-1/4-3-3... but it looks like somebody liked my Onyewu/Ream venting column a while back.
Howard; Lichaj, Onyewu, Ream, Spector, Edu, Jones, Kljestan, Agudelo, Rogers, Altidore
UPDATE: The 'Nats fall embrrassingly 4-0.
First half = ...
- Greg Seltzer
Before you ask: Landon Donovan is ill and thus ruled out for tonight. I cannot tell if this is the bucket or a 4-5-1/4-3-3... but it looks like somebody liked my Onyewu/Ream venting column a while back.
Howard; Lichaj, Onyewu, Ream, Spector, Edu, Jones, Kljestan, Agudelo, Rogers, Altidore
UPDATE: The 'Nats fall embrrassingly 4-0.
First half = ...
- Greg Seltzer
On Tap: USA v Spain
So we've got a game on our hands this afternoon, a rematch of this glory. No Confed Cup hardware on the line here, but it'll give us an early look at the Gold Cup roster and how they're meshing. Let's take a look.
- It's a difficult start to the summer
- Wanna bet?
- Sky's got some facts for ya
- U.S. defensive worries brought to the fore
- Clint Dempsey is living a dream of some kind
To the AV room!
And I'm all hyperbole, so you know I've gotta do this...
- Will Parchman
- It's a difficult start to the summer
- Wanna bet?
- Sky's got some facts for ya
- U.S. defensive worries brought to the fore
- Clint Dempsey is living a dream of some kind
To the AV room!
And I'm all hyperbole, so you know I've gotta do this...
- Will Parchman
Friday, June 3, 2011
Fifty Seven Flavors - Parts Deux
Get it?It's another catch-up.
(jazz hands)
Yes, it's time for a little goodie tray/other output linkery.
Let's start with the freshness:
- Who is up for an AS Roma wishlist update? Gosh where to start?
First, despite the oddly grumpy reaction out of L.A. at the news of their interest, the Giallorossi do not seem to have lost their Landon Donovan crush any.
Thoroughly unrelated interlude side note: Messenger... don't kill him.
Back to the Guillermo Wonka list recap, Roma remain equally as smitten with Michael Bradley (for those not able to keep track of all the madness, there has been some contact there). Timothy Chandler and then Eric Lichaj remain behind those two in the "maybe" column, largely because they would fill a positional need for fresh blood with an EU Passport. Brad Guzan and Jermaine Jones are still in frame, as well, but I've kinda lost the read on those two for now.
And as Obi-Wan once said... there is another. I'll let you in on that name soon over at MLSS. I can hardly wait to spill.
- I give the UK rags a ton of stick around here, but I've got to hand it to them on Brad Friedel's journey to Spurs. In the end, they nearly had it blow by blow.
Galatasaray interest was fleeting, Schalke took a peek in mere passing, he was close to signing with Liverpool as a back-up when they said so, but did go for Spurs and a starting shot when they upped their offer to two years. I can now confirm all of that. I cannot confirm the supposed interest from the Middle East, but clearly they were never major players.
Truly, the broken clock is looking over its shoulder this time.
- Taking a quick stroll on Clint Dempsey suitor patrol, I have learned that PSG remain in the picture, but missing out on the Champions League seems to have made them iffy for now.
I can also now finally confirm that German champs Borussia Dortmund have at the very least called to say hello.
Whew! I'd been holding onto that nugget for a time now. Feels good to let it out. There have been a few other big clubs ring up lately, but I'm still tracking those for certainty.
It bears repeating that it's still unclear whether 1) Deuce would wants to move & 2) Fulham would part with him for anything but an obscene mark-up. With the Cottagers occupied with trying to find Mark Hughes' boss replacement, both of those issues are up in the air.
This could still end up as either another story of spurned Dempsey interest or big fun. Stay tuned...
- A few readers have emailed to ask if Jonathan Bornstein might leave Tigres after having trouble cracking the line-up. I'll let his agent field this one:
"Johnny really loves being at Tigres, but we're just evaluating his situation," Lyle Yorks told NSC. "Obviously, he'd like to play more, but he wants to fight for the opportunity."
And there ya go.
- A birdie has told me that we can add a Belgian topper to the race for winter freebie Alejandro Bedoya.
I have not confirmed which one it is yet, but I have a fair hunch we're talking about Anderlecht and/or maybe a little more likely fellow Europa league entrant Club Brugge. It can be hard to tell because these two do that Mersey-style derby dance - when one gets interested, the other often follows.
Birmingham City and Rangers remain interested, but each seem to be having a confidence issue with the inevitable UK work permit appeal.
Now to the "in case you missed it" file...
- A check on Jozy Altidore's Villarreal situation
- Triple update on a recovering Lee Nguyen
- Djurgårdens to audition Louisville ace Colin Rolfe
- Postcard From Europe: Seven headline transfer cases
And please note, I've hit one of those predictions to date (the easiest one). I'm shooting for five. I could live with four. The Freddy and Jozy hunch picks are admittedly shots in the pitch dark at this point.
Okay, that all for now. Scram.
- Greg Seltzer
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Hola Maahdre Hola Paahdre +
Something travieso this way comes... plus the latest episode on "USMNT In England" talks loan spells.
- Greg Seltzer
- Greg Seltzer
Eine Kleine Goodie
I'll name the club later today, but for now let's just say I've learned that Mainz II attacker Preston Zimmerman is moving to one of the promoted 3.Bundesliga sides tomorrow. First one to guess gets some schnitzel and spätzle and strudel... if you have the ingredients at hand and are willing to cook it.
Though this would appear to be a big step down if you think of his soon-to-be-former employers as a Bundesliga outfit, but in reality, Zimmerman will be playing up one level from the Mainz Regionalliga reserve side.
I'll be back here at some point later on to name drop it in an update.
UPDATE: Holy hell, I almost forgot to come back. It's Darmstadt.
- Greg Seltzer
Though this would appear to be a big step down if you think of his soon-to-be-former employers as a Bundesliga outfit, but in reality, Zimmerman will be playing up one level from the Mainz Regionalliga reserve side.
I'll be back here at some point later on to name drop it in an update.
UPDATE: Holy hell, I almost forgot to come back. It's Darmstadt.
- Greg Seltzer
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Teflon Sepp the last clown standing
It's business as usual as Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA President with 186 votes and 17 abstentions.As the stressed-looking General Secretary Jérôme Valcke called each nation's representative to the polling booth, I was reminded how FIFA works for the likes of Blatter - Aruba has as much say as Brazil, Vanuatu as much clout as England, Bangladesh the same amount of votes as Germany.
Harvesting the developing world for support is the reason the Swiss septuagenarian has survived again, just as it was for his equally controversial predecessor João Havelange, whose 95 year-old frame hovered around the Congress Hall in Zurich this afternoon, the phantom menace from football's past.
Blatter was never going to lose today even with Mohamed Bin-Hammam in the race, but in case we had forgotten his political savvy, he played a shrewd ace this morning by promising the World Cup hosting vote will henceforth be decided by all 208 member nations instead of just the 24-man Executive Committee - a small mercy.
Yet the whole ceremony was still a royal farce with only one name on the ballot paper, a pompous show of power from the leaves of a dictatorship. The many references to keeping things within the "family" had mafia overtones, while the sycophantic tributes from the delegates of Benin, Haiti and the D.R. Congo, as well as Julio Grondona's anglophobic rant, were sore reminders of the cultural gulf between the West and the rest in football. At least 17 nations had the guts to say no to Sepp, but that still leaves 186 sheep.
Back in the driving seat, Blatter will probably use the glow of victory to usher Bin-Hammam and Jack Warner out of the back door, while reassessing whether Michel Platini can wait at least four more years or will get itchy feet.
*Who's in charge at CONCACAF?
First Lisle Austin fires Chuck Blazer, then the CONCACAF Media Dept. issues a statement that Blazer is still employed and Austin had acted unlawfully, and then Austin releases a counter-statement that Blazer is out of a job after all, before Blazer insists "I still have my job, very much so".
At present there are two competing CONCACAF media offices - one in New York backing Blazer and the other manned by Austin from Jack Warner's lair in Trinidad. There seems to be a geographical fissure in their Ex.Co. with the Caribbeans outnumbered by the North & Central Americans...See you at the Gold Cup.
*And finally, FIFA's 208 national association delegates were asked to test the automatic voting system in Zurich by answering a simple question - "Who won the 2010 FIFA World Cup?"... and seven of them got it wrong.
-Sean O'Conor
Hello Muddahs, Hello Faddahs
Get out your s'mores, boys and girls, it's camp time. Ladies first...
- Greg Seltzer
- Greg Seltzer
Double Barnburner met kaas!!
I also meant to get this up sooner, but then it slipped my mind when I went for another nap. This is, of course, no reason for anyone to miss it.
On Thursday and Sunday, ADO Den Haag battled FC Groningen in a two-leg tie playoff final tie seeking their first proper European berth (a ka no Intertoto Cup) since 1988.
Grab your popcorn, here is what all happened...
Here's what happened at a jam-packed Helden Plein ("appropriately "Heroes' Square" when the Tim Matavz try struck the bar. And here's what happened after that...
- Greg Seltzer
On Thursday and Sunday, ADO Den Haag battled FC Groningen in a two-leg tie playoff final tie seeking their first proper European berth (a ka no Intertoto Cup) since 1988.
Grab your popcorn, here is what all happened...
Here's what happened at a jam-packed Helden Plein ("appropriately "Heroes' Square" when the Tim Matavz try struck the bar. And here's what happened after that...
- Greg Seltzer
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