Party to the people

The group stage of any major tournament - let alone the Under-20 World Cup - is not too different from a high school prom. It's the culmination of an arduous journey that is a cause for celebration. Everybody gets to hang around, dance a little, try to impress the ladies and generally have a good time. The knockout round is the after party and everybody knows that's where the real action is. To get in, however, you have to schmooze smoothly with the cool kids and show you that you might be worth keeping around for later. Invitation only.

All World Cups have at least one team that fails to live up to its billing and worse still, its collective talent. These teams are strikingly disappointing in the way they flame out. Either by arrogantly underestimating the opposition (Portugal and France '02), collapsing with the aging legs of bygone stars (Czech Republic '06 and Italy '10) or declaring public mutiny on their coach (France '10), every tourney has its underachiever(s). Think good hair, but bad BO.

Naturally, youths are not immune as Croatia has been more than willing to play the part this time around. Considering this team made it to the semis of last year's European Under-19 Championships one would think they could manage better than fourth in their World Cup group, score more than two goals, or at least beat Guatemala. Having accomplished none of these feats, they will go home without a win, without a point, and in the unenviable position of being this competition's most disappointing team.

In the very same group as Croatia was Saudi Arabia - this tourney's most pleasant surprise. Despite having succumbed to Nigeria in the de facto Group D Final, the Saudis impressed with a degree of skill and dynamism that put Croatia and Guatemala on the end of three and five-goal defeats, respectively. The Nigerians possess the requisite degree of explosiveness that did the Saudis in, but this is not your older brother's Saudi Arabia.

Because this team is quick on and off the ball and has the option of pressuring high or sitting deep to absorb pressure and set up the counter, they are more than capable of a deep run of continued upsets. Unfortunately, their unexpected success has earned them a date with the steadily improving samba princes of Brazil in the Round of 16 and nobody parties harder than the Brazilians.

For a tournament that has averaged two and a half goals per game thus far, there has been a reasonable amount of parity. True blowouts have been few and far between. This begs the question: Where have all the minnows gone?

Answer: The Round of 16.

Guatemala has progressed thanks to this goal kick assist at 1:25 (I apologize for the choppiness in advance):



Surely New Zealand is wondering if the eleven goals Guatemala shipped in could somehow result in the deduction of a point. While life is not so fair for the Kiwis, Guatemala's fifteen minutes of worse-than-reality TV fame should be long forgotten after their encounter with Portugal on Tuesday. Fish Bowl, here we come!

On the bright side, Nigeria have been playing some downright sexy soccer to the point where if I keep watching them my girlfriend will get jealous. The Super Eagles have pushed the throttle wide open and taken all nine points from their Group D opposition and boast two of the leading contenders for goal of the tournament have come out of the Nigerian camp. Ahmed Musa and company have earned their spot on the short list. When it's all said and done, nobody should be surprised to see them lifting the cup.

Standing in the way however, is England, who has channeled New Zealand's men's team of last year in drawing all of their group stage games – without scoring a goal. Aside from their wilted display against Mexico in Cartagena, this makeshift England team has shown why the Premiership is the most popular league on Earth. Brian Eastick's team is always on the prowl, has yet to meet a tackle it does not embrace and promises to equal the entertainment value of Nigeria Wednesday. If you can only watch one game this round, this is it.

My quarterfinalists? Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, France, Nigeria, Portugal and Argentina.


- Jacob Klinger

So Jozy... tell me about that debut goal.

- Greg Seltzer

Told ya. (updated)

Debuting off the bench, Jozy Altidore has just put the 3-1 icing on AZ's opening day cake with a late counterattack header to kill off PSV.

UPDATE: Guess who figured out how to make sure your feeds get automatic updates with both the news and the clip? Sadly, this one has no sound. Until I can switch it out, you can catch the "as it was broadcast" version here.




- Greg Seltzer

Professor Collin

As the world slowly comes to MLS, it's nice to see the league reciprocating to go global. Aurelien Collin, Bryan Jordan and Sebastien Le Toux are among the players who have given "Celebrity English Lessons" via video for a Portland outfit called English, Baby! that helps teach our language to well over a million people in places like Brazil, China and Turkey.






- Greg Seltzer

The rise of cashism

If it gets any stupider and greedier and more petty and more ridiculous than the English FA, I'd love to hear about it. I mean, this is so thoroughly whack that it makes one sympathetic to the UK press.

I'm sorry that nobody told you before, Lord Farnsington Thickleberry, but you can't take it with you.


- Greg Seltzer

Can you hear me now? (updated)

[Photo: Belga]

A pair of guys overlooked in Klinsi's first squad have sounded the bell in Europe tonight. First, Mikkel Diskerud got Stabæk's winning road rally started with the second half equalizer, and then not long after, Sacha Kljestan put Anderlecht up 1-0 near the half hour there. The first game is final, the second is not.

Check back for the clips...

UPDATE #1: The Mix tape has arrived, the play you want starts at 3:30.






UPDATE #2: Here is the reel with Klestan's flawless PK.






- Greg Seltzer

UEFA honor roll - UPDATED

With today's draw done, we're back again to get our UEFA cup tracker properly calibrated. First, let's go ahead and spill all of today's relevant drawn match-ups for the Europa League playoff round:

Aalesunds FK v AZ
Atlético Madrid v Vitória SC
Bursaspor v Anderlecht
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk v Fulham
FC Nordsjælland v Sporting CP
FC Sion v Celtic
HJK Helsinki v Schalke
Hannover 96 v Sevilla
Metalist Kharkiv v Sochaux
NK Maribor v Rangers
Nacional v Birmingham City


And now, the updated scroll (asterisks for those not set to suit up at this time, for various reasons)...


Champions League

Playoff round
*Freddy Adu - Benfica
*Villyan Bijev - Genk

Group phase
David Yelldell - Bayer Leverkusen


Europa League

Playoff round
Jozy Altidore - AZ
Dominic Cervi - Celtic
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover 96
*Charlie Davies - Sochaux
Clint Dempsey - Fulham
Maurice Edu, (Alejandro Bedoya joins in January) - Rangers
Brad Friedel - Tottenham
*Jared Jeffrey - Mainz 05
Jermaine Jones - Schalke
Sacha Kljestan - Anderlecht
Oguchi Onyewu - Sporting CP
Michael Parkhurst - FC Nordsjælland
Jonathan Spector - Birmingham City

A small number of items (updated)

Just so it's clear this is not an edition of A few things... - but we do have some timely tidbits to drop.

• This morning, I was told by FCN that Timothy Chandler took part in '80%' of training on Thursday. The answer to whether he appears in their opener tomorrow (and, to an extent, with the USMNT next week) remains straddling the line. Hard to tell on this one.

• Évian keeper Quentin Westberg told me he is expected to start the promoted side's Ligue 1 opener at Brest tomorrow. As with David Yelldell at Bayer Leverkusen, the starter is on the injury shelf for a spell. I'd love to see him shut it down this weekend to kick off a goalie controversy over there.
  
  And yes, despite the cup collapse, I believe Yelldell will still start Neve- , erm, Leverkusen's Bundesliga icebreaker at Mainz. While the US international could have done much better on the extra time 4-3 decider, he was more of a victim than a culprit in that defeat. If I am correctly understanding what the manager said about it yesterday, he won't be throwing Yelldell under the bus.
  
  UPDATE: Well... I was wrong there. The boss just announced that 21-year-old Fabian Giefer will get the start. I find this utterly pathetic, and in no way because it's Yelldell that sits. This is a hat trick of going out weak: 1) by his own prior admission, he's blaming the wrong guy for their cup debacle, 2) he's taken the guy he JUST bought and benched him after one game - which, as we all know, does wonders for player confidence and morale - & 3) he's letting the fans tell him who to play in his first league game in charge!
  
  Pathetic. So where do I go to legally wager that new manager Robin Dutt does not last three months on this job? Daddy needs an easy windfall.
  

• I talked to Vitesse's technical director this morning and it turns out that Alejandro Guido's visit is not actually a trial. It's more a annual summer favor they do to U-17 players from around the globe, meant to offer the players a chance to sample the soccer environment in Europe, which gives them more to go on when it eventually comes time to decide a pro career path. Philly Union's Jack McInerney made the same type of visit to Vitesse two summers ago.
  
  Of course, those who do well on these trips could end up a transfer target down the road a bit. From what I understand, Guido has given a favorable impression in Arnheim. I'll have a proper report up at MLSS later on, as other Friday priorities beckon first.

• Here's one I actually forgot to mention on a previous goodies post from at least a week ago: Viborg defender Babajide Ogunbiyi has had knee surgery after suffering an injury this offseason. I'm still trying to track down exactly when and how, as it seems he was not with the club at the time. He is tentatively expected to be out of action until the new year, but returns to VFF for rehab assignments on Monday.
  
  I will also get together a full report on this story, which obviously has Godzilla stomped the one where he moves to Karlsruhe this summer. That is one tough break indeed.
  

• There are no official talks with the league to report as of yet, but Kamani Hill told me that he has decided he wants to play in MLS. I will likely produce an MLSS report on this at some point, but it won't be today.

I'm waiting to see if Josh Gatt has made the Tippeliagan Team of the Week for a second straight round and it feels like I'm forgetting one other thing, so check back later because I may have added on.



- Greg Seltzer

U20WC - The Musical

Alleged Everton fan Sir Paul McCartney once sang about 'the ever-changing world in which we live in' and how it might make one 'give in and cry'. Now it is a rare occasion when I disagree with the true King of Pop, but soccer fans the world over can take comfort in the fact that there are some things that simply never change. Don’t believe me? Obviously you haven’t been watching enough of the Under-20 World Cup.

Rivalries are supposed to be eternal, but are they ageless? About a month ago while taking in the U-17 quarterfinal between England and Germany, I asked an English expat with whom I was watching the game if the rivalry that exists between the two men’s national teams trickled down to the youth ranks. He said no, and judging by the competitive but thoroughly non-vitriolic game played out that day, he was right.

As for England-Argentina, they definitely don’t like each other. At all. The 0-0 draw in Medellin saw little love lost in the Anglo-Argie duel that was as entertaining as it was scoreless. The numbers didn’t lie as 21 fouls were committed and three yellow cards were given in a game where referee Walter Lopez let plenty of physical play go without reprimand. Though the contrast in styles between the relentless English and the more patient approach of previous opponents Mexico seemed to throw Argentina off their game, they were more than willing to contribute to the match’s highly unfriendly demeanor.

In the modern game where classic rivalries seem to become stale and fan made, it was refreshing to watch 90 minutes of good old fashioned piss and vinegar between two squads composed of players who were at most a twinkle in their mother’s eye when The Hand of God smote the English at Azteca. Surely most of this England team wept when a young David Beckham was petulantly sent off in St. Etienne. Regardless, the fact that this sort of genuine historic rivalry is well-recognized by today’s youth does help me sleep at night.

While Argentina entered the tournament as favorites, Nigeria have certainly thrown their collective hat in the ring on the back of their 5-2 shellacking of Croatia Wednesday night. It should not have surprised anyone to see the young Super Eagles run the Croats ragged with their superior pace and strength for the first 25 minutes of the match. Then, this happened...


Nigeria vs Croatia U20 2011 World Cup door 2drama


Croatia did make a game of it, getting as close as 3-2, but Nigeria never left the result in doubt. The trademark athleticism of the Nigerians has given them success at youth tournaments in years past, but the on-the-ball technical skill and combination play of this group made for an aesthetically pleasing display of power and precision. Consequently last year’s Euro U19 semifinalists were made to look dull and unimaginative. Without a doubt the verve and rhythm with which the Nigerians attacked invoked comparisons to Brazil. That said, there is a reason successful attacking teams are always compared to Brazil.

Just as Nigeria made a statement in their match so too did the young Brazilians that danced around Austria in Barranquilla. In addition to baring witness to the Brazil’s young stars dance around das Team on Wednesday, Barranquilla was first the birthplace of another world-renowned dancer.




If there was any doubt as to whether or not Brazil came to lift the cup, it has since been erased. This is a soccer tournament after all and if somebody tells you that Brazil danced around Austria, they’re not lying either. While the Seleção’s role as contenders is a constant, the lesson learned by the Austrians is also a classic: bunkering against Brazil is a recipe for defeat (unless you have Kasey Keller circa 1999). And while a bunker may be one thing, the butchery show that Austria showed the world is entirely another. Equally pathetic was Mark Geiger’s unwillingness to punish the young Austrians for their violent approach. Perhaps this is why FIFA never lets American refs work the big show. In the end though karma, was served to the beautiful game as Brazil sexily strutted to a well-deserved 3-0 victory.

Heading into the last set of group fixtures only 4 of the 16 second round spots have been secured. With all but a few teams having all to play for, the final clashes in round robin action are set to be as dramatic as ever.

"Nothing’s gonna change my world." - John Lennon



- Jacob Klinger

Don't mess with Teixeira

"The islanders (the English) are the pirates of the world, a bunch of pirates...I will make their lives hell... In 2014, I'll be able to get away with anything. The most slippery, unthinkable, Machiavellian things - denying press credentials, barring access, changing game schedules. While I'm at the CBF, at FIFA, they won't get past the door! And you know what? Nothing will happen. You know why? Because in 2015 I'm out of here!"

Thus spake Ricardo Teixeira, FIFA Ex.Co. member and chief of the Brazilian Football Association (CBF) in an interview with Revista Paui.
Now just stop a moment and ponder what this rant says about the state of our game's administrators, especially after the annus horribilis they have had. Imagine Teixeira was a government minister coming out with that in a newspaper or TV interview.

I defer to my esteemed colleague Brian Glanville, a soccer scribe since the 1950s:

"The vast reptile house that men call FIFA had its sunny outing in Rio last week," he wrote in World Soccer, "with several of its most repugnant denizens on view. There was the ever shameless and enduring Sepp Blatter of course, hot on the heels of his affectionate meeting with the murderous Robert Mugabe in Harare. Discussing what? And there were those two equally and malevolently enduring South American vipers, anti-Semitic Julio Grondona of Argentina and equally toxic Brazilian, Ricardo Teixeira."

I would add the name of Paraguay's Nicolas Leoz to that list for accepting bribes and asking England's F.A. to give him a knighthood and name a trophy after him in exchange for a World Cup vote. How wrong it is that the continent with the most beautiful styles of football has the ugliest representatives at its high table.

Teixeira appears to be staking a claim for 'FIFA's most wanted' man on the Ex.Co. now Jack Warner (a true pirate of the Caribbean) has been at long last been given the heave-ho.

'Tyrannosaurus Tex' turned from a failed farmer and bankrupt lawyer into a multi-millionaire when he married the daughter of Joao Havelange, FIFA President from 1974 to '98 and the man generally blamed for bringing a clientelist culture to the sport's governing body.

Tex feels at home in Zurich. He pocketed $10m in bribes from FIFA's notorious former marketing company ISL, used his company to launder some of the loot, and awarded himself contracts for World Cup 2014, which he is helping to organise.

Most recently, he was caught red-handed by a British newspaper offering to sell his vote for the 2018 finals. Given the fact FIFA's reputation has never been deeper in the gutter, his outburst to the magazine, even by the standards of the dirty two-dozen on the Ex.Co., was extraordinary.

Then last week Texeira took a family feud to the world stage again.

He tried to ban Pele, yes PELE, from BRAZIL's World Cup draw, a continuation of a feud which began in 1994 when the soccer legend reported him for demanding a $1m bribe over a TV deal for the Brazilian league. You might recall Pele was also scandalously banned from the formalities around the US World Cup that year by Tex's father-in-law, despite the fact Pele was the most-recognised soccer man in the States.

The Brazilian parliament has labelled Teixeira "corrupt" and it was left to the nation's president Dilma Roussef to overrule him and hand Pele a last-minute ticket to the draw in Rio.

So why on earth can't their government, with a World Cup hosting approaching, get rid of this cowboy at the head of their soccer?

Teixeira might not have Warner's king-making skills but he is aping him for shameless malfeasance. Will British journalists really be denied accreditation in 2014? We'll see. He certainly won't have his Olympic accreditation denied at next summer's London games, where the FIFA Ex.Co. will be holed up in one of London's swankiest hotels and ferried around in BMWs.

Sepp Blatter's reaction to Tex's diatribe proved FIFA's leadership, rather like the Catholic Church's in the face of their child-abuse scandal, looks after its own and is not fit for purpose:

"I am not so sure that all of that is in my spirit of fair play," Blatter said lamely, adding, "It is his responsibility...I'm not the man who is responsible for the moral or ethical approach of the members of FIFA."

Teixeira is one of those Ex.Co. dinosaurs who has wallowed in unchallenged and unaccountable power for so long that media probes make him hiss like a startled cobra. In Brazil, the hegemonic control he and the TV Globo network have over the game is regularly called a 'mafia'.

Also last week, following on from the revelations earlier this year in France Football, another report surfaced of a clandestine plan for big European clubs to break away from UEFA and FIFA.

And with the likes of this man still in charge of football, can you blame them?

-Sean O'Conor

Josh Gatt is not messing around. (updated)

He has scored another snazzy 2-1 winner to lift first place Molde past IK Start. Clip to come...

UPDATE: I'll switch this out for higher quality later, but do enjoy this first look at that Gatt decider.




- Greg Seltzer

The first Klinsi crew (updated)

We see several welcome returns and some obvious missing names (for various proper reasons) in next week's USMNT revenge squad. I am especially pleased to find the names Pearce and Shea here, but also somewhat dismayed that the names Bedoya, Diskerud and Rolfe are not listed below.

G - Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton)

D - Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Étienne), Edgar Castillo (Club América), Timmy Chandler (FC Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls)

M - Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)

F - Freddy Adu (Benfica), Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Edson Buddle (Ingolstadt), Landon Donovan (L.A. Galaxy)


I also find it rather interesting that Beasley and Donovan are listed as forwards in the release. Does this, plus the inclusion of Pearce/Castillo/Torres mean we could see a 4-3-3 on re-opening night?

Hmmm...

UPDATE: Chandler was injured in training yesterday and is questionable for FCN's season opener on Saturday. And thus, let's presume he is also at least questionable for the Mexico friendly. Report coming at MLSS shortly.


- Greg Seltzer

While I'm at it... (updated)

After dishing out a tray of morsels last night, it has become clear that I have too many morsels. I'm hogging morsels. Nobody likes a morsel hoggererer...

• What USMNT call-ups can I confirm for later today? Well, there's Chandler, Cherundolo and Goodson. It's also been strongly hinted to me that Adu, Bedoya, Edu and Jones are in, while I have seen indications that Agudelo is also on the roster for Mexico. Meanwhile, Klinsi is apparently already trying to set up a Germany friendly for next May.
  
  UPDATE: Chandler injured his knee/calf in training yesterday and is questionable for Saturday's Bundesliga opener. Therefore, I'd guess he won't be called now.
  

• A quick note on the Jonathan Spector move: I did not break that story because, well, everyone reporting it was jumping the gun to be first. The truth is, the battle for his services went down the very wire between Birmingham and Leeds. I could have reported this duel a couple weeks back, but was trying to keep it quiet until there was a winner. Of course, Sky Sports got wind of it all a few days ago, ran their scoop too early and were fortunate it worked out in the end. My gambit was essentially foiled, which will happen, even on occasion by the Brits (gasp!). The reason I sometimes get scooped at the wire is I don't jump too soon because I'm (for the lack of a better word) obsessed with making sure I never get a story wrong. They seem fine with the regular specter (heh) of rabid embarrassment. I won't even risk it. I'd rather get it exactly right than post it first.
  

• I keep getting emailed about the Freddy Adu situation. As I commented on some post the other day, what I can confirm is about the same as it was a couple weeks ago. There is contact with clubs in France and Turkey, but I have not been able to find a trace of the rumored Mainz interest. I also know he is not opposed to an MLS return and that a few teams are interested, but I do not believe there are any ongoing talks. If there is, it's been sneaked around me so far. I can say that all talk and hope of another Benfica shot was in vain (as I sadly expected all along) and that he will definitely have a new employer before long.
  

• Same deal with Michael Bradley, basically. Nothing major to report at this time. Still some interest from Bologna, Napoli and Roma (whose Project USA is now creeping up the priority list), but I've not detected anything serious yet. His agent's Italian cohort was yapping quite a bit for a couple weeks, but has now zipped up. It's hard to determine exactly what that dynamic may mean and I'm not one to assume. I do know there is one Prem club that always seems interested in Mikey, but thus far all those suddenly super-thrifty German suitors he once had aren't biting. As I've said several times, this will probably end up a late window move if anything.

• To those of you who have emailed about a couple of other big USMNT names I've previously mentioned as having some interesting interest: I'm not ignoring you. I'm just keeping some cards very close to vest for now. Rest assured that I have good visibility on these scenes for you all.

• A quick clarification compelled by chatter I've seen: Bolton ace Stuart Holden made a return to light side training this week - not full team training as suggested elsewhere.

• Clarence Goodson has been named Brøndby captain.

• Recently done with a Djurgården loan, Gale Agbossoumonde is on trial at FC Cologne. I'm trying to work a report, but have yet to receive the full details as the club open their Bundesliga season this weekend and folks are busy. There is a chance this trial is with the second team, but I will find all that out soon enough.

• Finally, some super fun news that dropped yesterday evening: Jozy Altidore was added to AZ's Europa League roster, he is with the team at Czech side Jablonec and manager Gertjan Verbeek says the US striker could play '10 to 15 minutes' tonight. If he gets on for his Cheese Farmer debut, I will break into your afternoon with an impromptu LIVE. Just to temper your excitement rationally, I'm not thoroughly convinced he will appear. We'll cross our fingers.

- Greg Seltzer

Well, of course, I had to say something.

Let's run one of those handy catch-ups, my work tends to buzz by so quickly if I don't. We'll start with the obvious main course...

- Postcard From Europe: The Klinsi Effect
- Benny curious to see exactly what that is
- My American Exports Bundesliga season primer
- The official first Top 5 Continental Shifts of 11/12
- Gregory Garza on trial with the Pride of Oslo

And while I have your attention, why not drop a token goodie? FC Nordsjælland defender Michael Parkhurst, who is set to run out of contract in winter, has caught the eye of one of the better clubs in the Austrian Bundesliga. The Wild Tigers do want to keep him, so I'll say no more for now.

Now, to complete the hat trick of information, we will pass on the awesomely handy 10 Tips for Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse.


- Greg Seltzer

You lucky bastards

I've been so busy, I didn't even notice right away... the USWNT is coming to Kansas City and Portland in September.

No fair, you guys.

(throws toys from pram)



- Greg Seltzer

Spec singing the Blues

Jonathan Spector penned a two-year deal with Championship side Birmingham City yesterday, his fourth English team.

With only three days to go before the Blues' season begins, the Illinois-born defender/midfielder put pen to paper on his free transfer.

The 25 year-old US international will be now be hastily leaving his London Docklands pad after seven years playing for Charlton and then West Ham, for pastures new in England's second city, 100 miles to the north.

Coaching Spec at St. Andrews is East Londoner Chris Hughton, a defender for Eire as a player, an assistant manager for the Republic and Tottenham and most recently coach at Newcastle.

Whether Spector will be able to maintain his midfield ambitions, which came to the fore for West Ham last season, or will play as a centre-back or full-back under Hughton, remains to be seen.

His new teammates include striker Cameron Jerome, 6'7" Serbian ace Nikola Zigic, badboy Marlon King, skipper and ex-Ireland stalwart Stephen Carr and Californian-born Wales international Boaz Myhill. Relegated along with West Ham and now with a new man in charge, Birmingham's second team are very much in a rebuilding period and the former Man United defender is their sixth free capture of the summer.

Although dropping a division, Spector will have the chance of European soccer with the Blues, who won last season's League Cup against Arsenal at Wembley. Spector had a brief taste of European football playing for West Ham against Palermo in 2006's UEFA Cup.

The Europa League Play-Off Round draw is on Friday, with the first leg on August 18th.

The Blues kick-off their domestic campaign away to Derby on Saturday.

- Sean O'Conor

The Grinder's MLS Awards Show: August Edition

The Grinder is off its lazy duff for a rare mid-week edition, where we present some early frontrunners for MLS' venerable postseason awards. It's prediction time, ladies and gents. Have at it.

Rookie of the Year
Will Bruin, Houston
In the running: Rich Balchan, A.J. Soares, Perry Kitchen
Notes: Bruin's rookie of the year candidacy has cooled off late this summer, but it may have been completely doused this week with the announcement that he underwent knee surgery that will keep him out 4-6 weeks. As is he's still atop the list, but barring a change or a real late season surge (like, real late), this will probably flip flop somehow. He's still already the club's rookie leader in starts with 20 and has a hat trick to his name (and it's a pretty sweet name), but we'll see how it shakes out.

Newcomer of the Year
Eric Hassli, Vancouver
In the running: Luke Rodgers, Carlos Valdes, Faryd Mondragon
Notes: I'm a Hassli convert. Vancouver is so aimless that he gets snowed under at times in the national media, but THE GOAL woke us all up to the Frenchman's immense ability to wow. That anybody can escape Vancouver's imbecilic run of late with a positive image is impressive, so the necessary accolades go to Hassli, who has half his eight goals on the road.

What's that? You want further visual clarification of THE GOAL of which I speak so highly on an hourly basis? My pleasure.

Golden Boot
In progress
In the running: Thierry Henry, Landon Donovan, Brek Shea, Charlie Davies, Chris Wondolowski, Eric Hassli
Notes: Total guess, but my dumb money is on Donovan. Been a banshee in front of goal lately, and LA is playing better around him than NY is around Henry.

Goalkeeper of the Year
Kevin Hartman, FC Dallas
In the running: Faryd Mondragon, Nick Rimando, Donovan Ricketts (barring return from injury)
Notes: Hartman has been the league's most consistent keeper over the last six weeks. While his defense has been anything but porous, Hartman still faces at least a few pesky challenges a game, and he's repelled every one of them over the last 12 contests. At this pace, nobody's catching him, not even Mondragon.

Defender of the Year
George John, FC Dallas
In the running: Nat Borchers, Jeff Parke, Jamison Olave, Chad Marshall
Notes: FCD knocking down both defensive plaudits is a credit to their recent run (eight shutouts in nine), but of course a late lapse could throw this into the blender. John is second on the MLS Castrol Index behind only Henry, and his size and considerable positioning ability will have the Greeks pushing hard for his services. With Klinsmann now at the helm and the CB position anything but solidified for the USMNT, I'd expect John to get some more in-person looks than he did under Bradley.

Comeback Player of the Year
Charlie Davies, DC United
Notes: Who else?

Coach of the Year
Piotr Nowak, Philadelphia
In the running: Robert Warzycha, Schellas Hyndman
Notes: Philly's eye-popping turnaround is the story of the league through July. The Union have some pieces, and they benefit from playing in the weaker East, but Nowak has squeezed every drop of talent and every possible result out of this overachieving group. The playoffs may define his year differently, but to this point nobody can match Philly's meteoric worst-to-first (sorta) rise. Both Nowak and Warzycha should be in the running at season's end, too. Poland in the house.

Best XI
Thierry Henry, Landon Donovan, Brek Shea, Dwayne De Rosario, David Beckham, Osvaldo Alonso, Todd Dunivant, George John, Omar Gonzalez, Jan Gunnar Solli, Kevin Hartman

As for my formation...

Notes: It's unfortunate for Brad Davis that Brek Shea plays his position, because his assist record is better than Beckham's. Tried shoehorning him in there, but Becks gets the 11th hour selection over the field so far due to his still-world class ability from free kicks and crosses. Through the trumpeting efforts of many (including my own) Osvaldo Alonso is no longer the best kept secret in the league. He can easily join the attack as well. Donovan plays in the hole on Shea's side in my XI because that's a terrifying vision for any RB/CB tandem. He's been better on the right than the left this year, but Arena apparently doesn't care. Todd Dunivant makes it on thanks to an extremely weak LB crop. USMNT fans are neither surprised nor amused.

MVP
Thierry Henry, New York
In the running: Brek Shea, Landon Donovan, Osvaldo Alonso
Notes: This revives the age old "team vs. player" debate. Alonso and Shea have both done it with less talented teams (arguably), but only a fool can ignore Henry's far-reaching impact. I can make a pretty convincing case that Henry is the best player in the history of the league, let alone the player of the year, but MVP thus far will do. Nobody commands more attention from defenses, and yet nobody shreds them with such ferocity. The only knock is New York's league position, which does need some work. But Henry can only do so much, and few can argue that he's done more than anybody else in the league to earn it through July. We'll see where we are two months from now.

- Will Parchman

Four out five bosses hate NSC with a passion.

Why work the last 40 minutes of the day when you can watch Klinsi's presentation presser in its entirety?!?! Right???





- Greg Seltzer

UEFA honor roll - UPDATED

We may need one more update in a month, but let's just go ahead and do one now. Again, those marked with asterisks seem (for various reasons) much less likely to actually suit up for the club listed at this time.

Champions League

Third qualifying round (in progress)
Maurice Edu, (Alejandro Bedoya joins in January) - Rangers
Villyan Bijev - Genk
*Freddy Adu - Benfica

Group phase
David Yelldell - Bayer Leverkusen


Europa League

Third qualifying round (in progress)
Jozy Altidore - AZ
Clint Dempsey - Fulham
Clarence Goodson - Brøndby
*Jared Jeffrey - Mainz 05

Playoff round
Dominic Cervi - Celtic
Steve Cherundolo - Hannover 96
*Charlie Davies - Sochaux
Jermaine Jones - Schalke
Sacha Kljestan - Anderlecht
Oguchi Onyewu - Sporting CP
Michael Parkhurst - FC Nordsjælland
Jonathan Spector - Birmingham City
Alex Zahavi - Vitória SC


Do note that there is a fairly legit USMNT 4-3-3 line-up plus a bit of bench support listed above. Yelldell; 'Dolo, Gooch, Goodson, Spector; Edu, Jones, Bedoya/Kljestan; Dempsey, Altidore, Adu.


- Greg Seltzer

Get ta know me!!

- Greg Seltzer

Through The Looking Glass

The Under-20 World Cup is always an enjoyable tournament as the world’s top prospects usually showcase a combination of raw hunger and youthful abandon that makes for some genuinely intriguing soccer. While the best and brightest strive to either justify their absence from their club’s pre-season or attract richer suitors, the tournament also offers a glimpse into the future. With that in mind I’ll attempt to read the tea leaves of three teams taking their respective programs in very different directions - or none at all - based on their opening round performances.

For those of you hoping the Spanish success of the past few years would fade away with its current crop of superstars should probably stop reading. Greg has asked me to keep an eye out for a tournament Best XI and at this point I’m considering nominating the entire Spain attack. Costa Rica are no slouches, but the likes of Romeu, Rodrigo, and Pacheco ran circles around the young Ticos for vast portions of the game and could have made the score even more unflattering than the 4-1 final.

Despite at times struggling to cope with the athletic Costa Rican attack, the Spaniards put in a performance that would have made their senior side proud. One can expect the struggles of the Spanish defense to become less frequent as the team matures into maintaining even more possession and beefing up as full-grown men defenders. Scarier still is the fact that Spanish academies are stocked with equally worthy players - some of them just won the U19 Euros - and are equipped with a proven system to continue churning out world-beaters.

Tiki-Taka is here to stay, and if this opening game is anything to go by, so too is this edition of La Furia Roja.




Anyone who has played youth soccer has lined up against a kid who was bigger, stronger, not that skilled, but because of his premature pubescence was better than everyone else on the field by a country mile. By the time puberty hit for his peers he was no longer anything special due to having relied on a physical advantage for far too long. While that fate could well be the future of the Ecuadorian national team, it seems Australia’s is similar but less athletic.

Tidy players such as Cahill, Kewell, and Viduka have entertained Aussies and neutral audiences alike in the past decade with heart-wrenching displays of gutsily composed soccer. Unfortunately the Australian U20s seem to be less skilled and less creative than recent editions of the full Aussie national team. Consequently Ecuador was made to look at times unflappable and solidly better the rest of the time. If not for some shameful finishing, Ecuador would have run away with this game.

Credit is due for hanging on and snagging an equalizer off of a very pretty free kick from Thomas Oar in the 89th, however Australia showed themselves to be a less athletic version of their technically uninspiring opponents. Both teams may very well advance to the knockout phase, but Australia especially more closely resemble the mostly hollow promise that American youth teams have been shelling out for years than the silky skill of the young Argentinian teams that have gone on to deliver well into their adulthood.

There is hope as the Soccerroos do boast some skill players - Mustafa Amini is eye-catching in more ways than one - but the general trend is less than encouraging.

Meanwhile, hosts Colombia razzled, dazzled, and otherwise undressed France in their opener in Bogota. Though the game was delayed an hour due to a wet pitch, the Colombians made it more than worth the wait.

France were far from undeserving when Arsenal starlet Gilles Sunu put them ahead in the 21st minute, but Colombia displayed an extra touch of polish from the outset. When James Rodriguez converted from the penalty spot 30 minutes in, a cascade of well-designed goals had begun.

The young Cafeteros - yes, coffee-growers - thrilled the home crowd with an attacking style that combines the relentless athleticism of Ghana with the daring skill and creativity of the Brazilian samba. Of course no attack is complete without a thoroughly confident and equally uncompromising striker. Lucky for Colombia, Luis Muriel seems to be just that. His stated target before the competition was to win the Golden Boot. Muriel left the game in 87th with two goals to his name and well-deserved ovation in his ears seemingly well on his way to accomplishing his goal.

Historically speaking, it was not all that long ago when Carlos Valderrama and co. were a dynamic force to be reckoned with. Having missed out on the last two World Cups however, Colombia has since been largely forgotten. Yet if this group of youngsters continues to display the kind of talent the French are still attempting to digest, the rest of the world will soon be vividly reminded of Colombia’s capabilities.





Check back in a few days for continued U20 WC coverage.


-- Jacob Klinger

Wilkommen.

It's a wunderbar buffet of "hello, Klinsi" clips from the last 24 hours.











- Greg Seltzer

The MLS Grinder: FCD Heat Wave '11

You wanna sit in that sun? Be my guest.

Game of the Week
FC Dallas 1, Chivas USA 0

There were certainly other options this week, a few other games equally worthy of this space. But I was at Pizza Hut Park on Sunday night to take this one in, so it gets the nod this week. That's my fine work over there. A good game played in ungodly conditions.

Texas is a hot place. A Texas July in 2011 is heat beyond all reckoning. There has been less than five inches of cumulative rainfall in certain parts of the state over the last six months. In the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where this game was played, there have been nearly five consecutive weeks of 100+ temperatures. That's 35 straight days. Even for heat-adjusted Texas folk, that's nothing to ignore. MLSS insists this game was played in 102-degree heat. Our car on the ride in boldly displayed 109 in the parking lot, and it felt every bit of it, even in the shade where we were parked.

I assumed the game would take on some of the weather's gluggy characteristics, and I wasn't wrong. Only it took until FCD's opening goal to get there. I was pleasantly surprised by the verve the Hoops displayed rolling forward in the opening 30 minutes. This was the first chance I've been able to see them in person this year, and their reputation as an attractive attacking side is well deserved. Schellas Hyndman's coaching hijinks have been well-documented, and you saw on Sunday night why FCD has been so effective even without talismanic MVP David Ferreira.

Hyndman rolled out what comfortably settled into a 4-2-3-1 with Bobby Warshaw and Bruno Guarda settling deep in midfield, Marvin Chavez and Brek Shea on the wings, youngster Ruben Luna up top and Ricardo Villar vacillating between roles as Luna's strike partner and the central attacking midfielder. The combination produced some genuine moments, especially with Chavez and Shea ripping down the sidelines while Luna missed chance after chance up front. But it was on prolonged forays toward goal that Hyndeman's tactical know-how really came to the fore. Zach Loyd, George John and Ugo Ihemelu slid into a three-man back line while left back Jair Benitez slotted in as another attacker behind Shea on the left. This allowed Shea, consistently the most dangerous force on the field, to float in free crosses and roam inward while defenses respected the speed and crossing ability of Benitez. It was this space that allowed Shea to shuttle in the cross that led to Chavez's goal in the 26th minute.

Even when Chivas pressed forward, they were rarely allotted the space and time to make many dangerous inroads. Bobby Warshaw's third career start in place of resting holding mid Daniel Hernandez was a train wreck, but that aside, the back four was incredibly well organized and notched another nearly perfect day. FCD has eight shutouts in its last nine games and Kevin Hartman put up his 12th of the season, a league high. John is an imposing presence in the middle (he's taller than Shea and decidedly thicker) and Ihemelu is agile and has handles. If there's a defense playing more cohesively right now, I haven't found them.

The most remarkable thing here was the travel burden incurred by FCD and the complete lack of effect. FCD logged an incredible 4,000 miles in three countries over the last 11 days between MLS and CONCACAF duties, and they were 3-0-1, which includes a win in the largest stadium in Central America and a win on the hottest day ever recorded at Pizza Hut Park. If this didn't break them, I'm not sure what will.

Best of the Best

- Is anybody paying attention to those fellas in Columbus? The ones that just smacked RSL 2-0 in the now-totally-not-impenetrable-fortress Rio Tinto? The ones who now own sole possession of first place in the East? The Crew fans lamenting an uneven start are now cheering on the team with arguably the fewest questions in the East over the last month. Where you at, New York?

Eddie Gaven and Tommy Heinemann scored five minutes apart to put the Crew above the rest in an Eastern Conference that nobody seems able to lead for long (I'll eat this computer if a team from the West doesn't win the cup this year). I'd like to see Columbus consistently beat the league's top teams before I'm fully on the MLS Cup bandwagon - their two wins before RSL were Vancouver and Portland - but this is an encouraging sign for those Tressell-ites without a Tressell.

- I said last week that DeRo's presence (No. 5) and subsequent rise in my top five 2011 signings list was contingent upon his ability to expand upon his impressive start in DC. Welp. How's a brace in 2-0 road win over San Jose do ya?

- Teal Bunbury has been awful quiet since dynamiting his way into the national consciousness with the Nats last winter with running partner and light-hearted Twitter foe Juan Agudelo. He reacquaints us all (on his bobblehead night) by dramatically saving a point against 10-man New England in a 1-1 draw.

- Brian Ching is back.

Worst of the Worst

- I'm unsure of whether this really belongs here, but I suppose there are a few coaches who might agree while they look over their shoulders at Bob Bradley over there in the corner, eerily wringing his hands at the possibility of an easy MLS gig. MLS front offices being what they are, the spotlight now turns to Bradley's intentions. If he has his heart set on Europe, there is little to be done but wait until he either lands somewhere or fails and slinks back to MLS. It behooves the league (and the sport in this country) that Bradley succeeds abroad. While US players have done yeoman's work over the last decade in removing unhealthy stereotypes about its players, US coaches have not yet broached this topic. I remain skeptical about many of Bradley's theories, but perhaps his sudden, unexpected sacking forces him to rethink some of his staid policies and adapt. Who knows. But I do know that Tommy Soehn, Aron Winter and Frank Klopas - two of whom are caretakers - are hoping Bradley succeeds abroad too.

- This is just a gripe of mine, but I remain unimpressed and a little surprised at the lack of development from TV commentary from Americans, namely the many that invade our homes for MLS games. I get that ESPN reached out to Adrian Healy and Ian Darke (who is fantastic) for their lead commentary slots not merely because they were Brits but because they are incisive and intelligent. They also deserve those positions. But unless you're a JP Dellacamera fan (which ESPN apparently isn't), the landscape is surprisingly barren for substantive American alternatives. A lot of this is subjective, but I can do without John Harkes, Brian Dunseth and Taylor Twellman. It tends to thin out further in the market specific broadcasts as well (Quakes and Revs fans are particularly afflicted). Hopefully we'll see this arena continue to grow along with the league. We need it.

- Will Parchman