A goal by Young Rok Shin saved a point for Korea against the U.S. U-20s, as the young Yanks open their U-20 World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw. A diving header by Danny Szetela in the 16th minute made it 1-0 U.S., but Korea responded in the 38th minute. The U.S. will face Poland on July 3 in the second match of the group phase. Poland shocked tournament favorites Brazil today with a 1-0 result despite being short-handed in the other Group D match.
Scoring Summary USA – Daniel Szetela (Freddy Adu) 16 KOR – Young Rok Shin (Young Sung Shim) 17
The U.S. Under-20 team begins its quest for the U-20 World Cup championship on Saturday, June 30, against the Republic of Korea in Montreal. The U.S. roster is led by MLS stars Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu, along with Euro-based midfielder Michael Bradley, fresh from his tour in the Gold Cup. Looking over the U.S. roster, it got me wondering who would win between our U-20s and the senior side currently playing in the Copa America. I'm not sure, but one thing is for certain: Eddie Gaven sucks. Anyway, keep updated on the players' meals, pasttimes and moods, oh and occasionally get some soccer information. Here's a somewhat typical entry:
Sal is watching the Usual Suspects while Tony is watching Robin Hood... the Disney version. The one where Robin Hood is a fox. Their most creative activity, however, is Hide-and-Seek.
Hide-and-seek, Disney movies? Are you sure this isn't the U-6 World Cup? Good luck to our boys who open against Korea before taking on Poland and finally tournament favorites Brazil to round out Group D.
Here's what Freddy did to Korea during the U-17 World Cup
And here's a video recap of their recent match versus Chile's U-20s. Click here for video
BigSoccer moderator prk166, whose real name is Allen according to his profile, recently registered the web address fireclavijo.com, calling for the head of Colorado head coach Fernando Clavijo. After being called out on Dino Costa and Marcelo Balboa’s radio show, he called in and defended his position (as much as he could with ’Celo talking over him). The gist of the conversation was that he believed it was time to make a change.
Look, I like Clavijo. He’s funny and reminds me of Italian director Roberto Benigni, but Allen might have a point. Clavijo has never coached a team that has finished above .500 in either New England or Colorado, and he is near the bottom in winning percentage among MLS coaches both current and former.
If statistics aren’t your thing, consider Colorado’s 4-1 most recent loss, to DC United last night. The Rapids were without Kyle Beckerman and Herculez Gomez, while DC was missing Ben Olsen due to national team duty in Copa America. ’Celo and other Clavijo sympathizers have pointed to injuries and call-ups as reasons for Colorado’s 4-7-3 start, citing a lack of team depth to deal with the losses. But last night, Colorado had Pablo Mastroeni back from Gold Cup duty to solidify a defense that has become notoriously porous late in games.
With Colorado up 1-0, veteran defender Mike Petke was injured and substituted in the 29th minute and then Greg Vanney handled the ball in the box, giving DC the equalizer from the penalty spot. It was still 1-1, though, until Clavijo decided to sub Mastroeni, in the 71st minute, bringing on Stephen Keel for his MLS debut. And like removing the lynchpin from the axletree, that’s when the wheels fell off the truck, and DC scored three goals in 16 minutes.
Today, the Rapids made a move to perk up the shrinking violets of their defense by trading defender Greg Vanney to DC for Argentine defender Facundo Erpen. Vanney handles the ball in the box and gives away a penalty; the next day he’s traded…wow that’s cold.
But the young Argentine defender, while a decent addition that makes the backline younger immediately (average age now 29, instead of 30), has been inconsistent with DC, so he’s certainly not the answer to Clavijo’s backline problems. And rumors swirl around another Argentine acquisition, forward José Luis Calderon, who currently plays for Estudiantes de La Plata. But, again, not going to help with the defense.
Allen (prk166) quotes Clavijo on his pink-slip site as saying, “I’ve been saying all along it would take 3 years to put a group of players together and this is 3 years, so no excuses. Everything is falling into place and you have to believe that this is our time.”
Well, at least one fan doesn’t believe, Fernando, and he’s calling for your head.
Bob Bradley's side of C-listers fought the good fight until halftime, actually scoring first from the penalty spot after Ed Johnson was mowed over in the box. Two minutes later there was a quick response from Argentina from a well-designed set piece. So, it was 1-1 at halftime and I even allowed myself to dream of the USA taking a point from the tournament favorites. But then came the Lionel Messi avalanche in the second half, not so coincidentally it came following the insertion of Eddie Gaven into the line-up.
Despite the score at halftime, it was obvious to anyone watching that it was only a matter of time before our defense was carved up like Christmas ham. Our midfield couldn't hold the ball and we could barely string more than four passes together, and the defense was relying mostly on some tightly called officiating to get out of difficult situations. It was like the beginning of 300 when you think, hey, the Spartans doing all right, after wave upon wave of Persian attack is thwarted. But then you see the wide shot and the Persians sheer numbers. Or in this case, then you see the wide shot of Columbus Crew benchwarmer Eddie Gaven entering the match.
I'm not pinning it only on Gaven (although I still think he is a ridiculous selection) because the second half saw the U.S. just run out of gas. A group of young, inexperienced players with few-to-no caps going up against one of the best sides in the world. As a point of comparison, our first two subs were Gaven and Herculez Gomez; Argentina's first two subs were Juan Pablo Aimar and Carlos Tevez. (sigh)
Bradley had this to say after the match (ussocer.com): "We put a lot of effort into the first 60 minutes, and I think when Argentina raised the level over the last 30 minutes we were unable to match that ... When you play in tournaments like this, you have to understand the level of competition. We certainly started this tournament playing against one of the favorites. This is the first game. We understand that the first round is three games, so it is critical that we pull ourselves together for the match against Paraguay. Argentina is a good team. We all know they have great players."
Funny, that Bradley should mention understanding "the level of competition" because judging by his roster selection he did not. And it will not get any easier in game two judging by Paraguay's complete dismantling of Colombia (5-0). Jimmy Conrad meet Roque Santa Cruz. (sigh)
Goals USA – Eddie Johnson (penalty kick) 9. ARG – Hernan Crespo (Gabriel Heinze) 11. ARG – Hernan Crespo (Lionel Messi) 64. ARG – Pablo Aimar (Gabriel Heinze) 78. ARG – Carlos Tevez (Juan Ramon Riquelme) 85.
The better team wins the match Mexico beat Brazil 2-0 last night Therefore, Mexico is better than Brazil
The U.S. beats Mexico 2-1 in the Gold Cup The U.S. is better than Mexico Therefore, the U.S. is better than Brazil
See, it's all simple once you break it down. Good luck to our boys facing Argentina tonight! Hopefully, our young, inexperienced squad won't know enough to be intimidated by the likes of Riquelme, Crespo, Cambiasso, etc.
Just watched this little behind-the-scenes video of the U.S. national team as they prepare to face Mexico, go down a goal at the half, and then comeback to win 2-1. Hejduk's lockerroom speech and Bob Marley quote is reason enough to watch. "We're Lions. We're warriors." Then Heydude gets to spend the second half with Miss USA. Awesome!
And is it me or does Donovan come off sounding like a dick when he compliments Benny's goal. "When he was about to shoot it I was thinking what the hell are you-oh, ok.." Gotta shoot to score LanDo. Let it rip. You think to much.
Finally, Peter Nowak drinking champagne out of the giant Gold Cup trophy -- priceless.
English-language, Venezuelan newspaper The Daily Journal is reporting that the semi-final of Copa America on July 10 has been moved from Caracas to Maracaibo, “amid fears of protests and clashes between government opposition supporters and police.”
Apparently, people are upset that President Hugo Chavez didn’t renew the license of opposition TV channel RCTV. As part of their efforts to make the tournament more secure, the article goes on to say that the sale of alcohol “in and around the stadiums” will be banned.
The U.S. opens its Copa America campaign against Argentina June 28 in Maracaibo. Then, the Yanks will play Paraguay on July 2 and finish group play on July 5 versus Colombia.
Hopefully, we will see the emergence of some new U.S. stars and not the train wreck many are expecting.
A rumor floating around cyberspace has actor and certifiable lunatic Tom Cruise buying the Los Angeles Galaxy to help pay the salary of his buddy David Beckham. Quick, check your copies of Dianetics. This must be the sign of the end of days. Yep, here it is: And, lo, the finisher of impossible missions will buy the galaxy and he and the boy of spice will feast upon the masses. Cruise's first plans as owner of the Galaxy are to change the mascot to Xenu Princess Warrior, reaquire former Galaxy player Andrew Shue, who will be given a producer's credit, oh and Chris Albright will be cast into a volcano. Sorry, Chris. TYH
I saw the following headline, Scotsman gets the call to guide MLS stars against Celtic, and for a moment I got excited about this year's All-Star game. I thought, oh my God! It's Mo Johnston! He's going to coach against Celtic! And all the stories of Johnston's defection from Celtic to Rangers came flooding back into my consciousness. Then, I remembered that Mo Johnston coaches Toronto FC and the TFC currently sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and have the third-to-worst record in MLS. Crap. Then, clicking on the link and seeing that it was Steve Nicol, my enthusiasm waned like a slow leak in a birthday balloon, complete with the farting noise. Oh well … it was nearly a titillating match-up.
For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, in 1989 it was reported that Johnston, a Roman Catholic, would be re-joining Celtic from French side Nantes, but he shocked all of Scotland and angered both sets of supporters when he chose to sign with Rangers instead. Celtic fans were obviously angry that he would join their bitter rivals, and many Ranger fans were upset by the signing of a one-time Celtic player and a Roman Catholic to boot (although he was not the first Catholic to be signed by Rangers, he was the highest profile player).
Of course, it's been a long time since then and things have certainly changed. Haven't they? Well, as recently as 2005, MoJo had to pull out of a Celtic-Rangers charity match featuring former players because of a fan threat to boycott the match if he played. They were going to boycott a charity match! And Middlesbrough star Bernie Slaven, who grew up a Celtic supporter, recently compared Mark Viduka's defection to Newcastle to MoJo's Celtic to Rangers switch. He is quoted in Australian Four-Four-Two as saying, "I was brought up in Glasgow as a Celtic fan and the last time I felt like this was when Mo Johnston had posed with a Celtic shirt and then ended up going to Rangers." The whole sorted affair was later detailed on the 2002 BBC series "Footballers' Lives." MoJo has since discussed the numerous death threats that forced him and his family to live in England where he would often clandestinely commute in for matches.
The MLS All-Star match is typically a boring affair, even when MLS manages to lure a high-profile European club over as competition. More often than not, the invited clubs take it as a holiday. The other formats, East vs. West or World vs. American, end up being defense-less goalfests, like playing Brazil vs. Slovenia in FIFA 2007 for the PS3.
So another Scotsman, Steve Nicol, will coach, but he's hardly controversial since he only briefly played in Scotland for Ayr United and spent most of his career with Liverpool. I know that MLS really had no choice. The rules dictate that the best record (points/game) dictates who coaches the All-Stars, so Nicol was it. But imagine for a moment that the stars had aligned and TFC were on top.
I even have the headline, "MoJo rising: Sinners repent!" ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ranger Danger DaMarcus In a completely unrelated story, except for the fact that it is about Rangers, DaMarcus Beasley appears set for a switch to the Scottish side. Click here
The United States successfully defended their Gold CUp title with a 2-1 win over Mexico in the final on Sunday. Yet another penalty kick from Landon Donovan in the 62nd minute leveled the score, and a Benny Feilhaber screamer from 20-yards, hit first time, was the game winner.
After Mexico more or less dominated the first half, a sluggish USA had to rely on some suberb defending by its centerbacks Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra to keep the game in hand. The second-half switch of a fresh Ricardo Clark for Pablo Mastroeni gave the U.S. midfield the legs to take control from a hard-charging Mexico. More details/analysis on the match later.
Goals MEX – Guardado (Castillo) 44 USA – Donovan (PK) 62 USA – Feilhaber (unassisted) 73
The U.S. U-20s defeated Chile 's U-20s, 2-1, in their final tune-up match before the U-20 World Cup gets underway June 30th in Canada. Exciting combination play between Freddy Adu and Josy Altidore created the first goal, while Columbus Crew forward Robbie Rogers' cracker from the left side sealed it for the U.S. youngsters.
ESPNU and ESPN360 will televise all the matches of the U-20 World Cup in Canada. The US U-20s open against Korea on June 30. They will face their other Group D opponents Poland and Brazil on July 3 and 6, respectively.
Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein, Bobby Boswell, Danny Califf, Jimmy Conrad, Jay DeMerit, Drew Moor, Heath Pierce, Marvell Wynne
Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Eddie Gaven, Sacha Kljestan, Justin Mapp, Lee Nguyen, Ben Olsen
Forwards: Charlie Davies, Herculez Gomez, Eddie Johnson, Taylor Twellman
Ladies and gentleman, your Gold Cup ros…no wait…I mean, here’s your US Cup…no...um…really? Copa America? This is his line-up for Copa America? Does he know that we play Argentina, not Antigua? Is it April Fool’s Day?
A line-up like this would have made perfect sense for the Gold Cup. The Gold Cup is where you try out young unknowns like Drew Moor and Herculez Gomez against the inferior competition of CONCACAF. In the Gold Cup, we knew that our only real competition would be Mexico, yet our line-up featured some of our best available players: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, DaMarcus Beasley, Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra. And, to be honest, that superior line-up hasn’t been playing all that well under Bradley’s direction (despite his spotless record).
“Copa America is going to be a great opportunity for our younger players to gain invaluable experience at the highest international level,” Bradley told ussoccer.com. “Playing two major tournaments back-to-back is both a privilege and a difficult challenge in terms of putting together rosters, and this is something we’ve known all along. This group has many of the faces that could play a role in 2008 and 2009 when our focus turns to our ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.”
So, you do it backwards? WTF? We are not going to have to worry about Guadeloupe in 2010. But we might have to face Argentina or Brazil. CONCACAF tournaments are the best place to test the young, uncapped players (or the USA C-team), and if they perform well enough, as is the case with DeMerit and Feilhaber, they get invites to the bigger dances.
That is not to say that there aren’t any names on this list that deserve a shot. Wynne, Beckerman, Davies, hell, I’ll even through Guzan on that list, although I think Bradley showed too much love to his former team, but when your most experienced player, after Kasey Keller, is Ben Olsen, you are throwing out the baby, the bath water and the tub. Of course, Brazil and Argentina will not be bringing their A-teams either, but we are not Brazil or Argentina, where kids play soccer in the womb. The development of our players has increased dramatically, but the reality is that soccer is not a tier 1 sport in this country (no matter how much I want to delude myself and others). So, my point is why not test our “best” against real competition, rather than run out a group of young, inexperienced and untested players like lambs to the slaughter.
I’m not saying that this group will get embarrassed because there is some talent here, but not enough to really make a run in a high-profile tournament like this. I mean, raise your hand if you think Eddie Gaven should be on this team. Ok, Mrs. Gaven, you can put your hand down. Many of these players have only an outside shot at making their way onto the US team for World Cup qualification. Plus, most of our real talented young players were already called up for the U-20 World Cup staring June 30.
The bottom line is, while I’m excited to see some these unknowns play – Moor, Nguyen, Davies, etc. – Bradley seems to be setting up our possible future for certain failure.
USA survived a late scare to hold on to a 2-1 win over Canada in Thursday's Gold Cup semifinal. Goals by Frankie Hejduk and Landon Donovan (PK) ended up being the difference, after an injury-time equalizer by Canada's Atiba Hutchinson was waived off by referee Luis Camargo (MEX) for offside. A dubious call at best that saved a US team that looked lackluster in the second half.
I had to give Donovan “Patriot of the Pitch” if only to lessen the humiliation of his colossal whiff in the second half (click here for video). Donovan orchestrated nicely, but he and Dempsey still don’t seem to be clicking.
The U.S. played fairly well in the first half, but disappeared for long stretches of the second half. Michael Bradley, in particular, had his worst game of the tournament, picking up a bone-headed red card late in the match. Conversely, Oguchi Onyewu had by far his best match, despite one communication breakdown with Kasey Keller that nearly put Canada on the board early.
Surprisingly, Hejduk, who scored his first Gold Cup goal and his first goal in seven years for the national team, had a rather difficult time. His strike in the 39th minute was hit well to the lower left, but with a few exceptions his quality declined precipitously in the match.
Donovan’s added the game-winner from the penalty spot, after the speedy DaMarcus Beasley was taken down by MLS and Canadian keeper Pat Onstad. It was Donovan’s 33rd international goal.
The second half was a comedy of errors for the U.S., symbolized by Donovan’s 52nd minute whiff that was reminiscent of Steven Anthony Lawrence in Kicking and Screaming (gotta love imdb), as Canada got one back.
Hejduk picked up another yellow, which means he will sit for the final, as will Bradley who was shown a straight red in the 89th minute for a studs-up challenge. If Coach Bradley laments the loss of either player, the blame is squarely on his shoulders, as he strangely waited until the 80th minute to make any substitutions.
U.S. will face Mexico in the final on June 24. With Copa America just a two days later, the Gold Cup has been akin to a set of scrimmages, a tune-up for the real season, which begins June 28 against one of the best teams in the world, Argentina.
Goals USA – Hejduk (Donovan) 40. USA – Donovan (PK) 45+. CAN - Hume (Hutchinson) 77
Ok, King George is back from the dead and he’s trying to quell yet another American revolution. His troubled spirit is taking the form of various British journalists … British journalists, there’s an oxymoron.
In preparation for Becks arrival in the New World, the Mirror and the Guardian published stories that quoted Los Angeles Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas, as he watched his new acquisition finish his tenure with Real Madrid as a champion.
"The fact that a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business…There’s this delusion that if it’s English then it’s great. But a whole world exists outside of England. That’s reflected in the difficulties they had when everyone ran to the Premiership. Maybe it’s OK for the fan but, for the average development of the players, their game is struggling."
Was Lalas serious when he referred to the EPL as an "inferior product"? I guess it’s possible he was, but I think he was just being a good GM and selling his league. He is right about one thing. The sun has set on the British Empire. The top players in the world are not English, no matter what the British press expounds. That’s what Lalas is talking about when he says there is a "delusion" in England.
And this "delusion" is propagated by a British press that cannot present a story without building in layer upon layer of subjectivity -- a bias lasagna, if you will.
Check out this dish served up by an unnamed London AP writer:
Brian McBride and Clint Dempsey are among the American players in the Premier League, although they play for modest Fulham. None of the American players in England are stars of the caliber of those at teams such as Manchester United and Chelsea.
It is blatantly self-contradictory. How can the EPL be the best league in the world if the only two teams getting high caliber players are Man U and Chelsea? Fulham, who also features another American, Carlos Bocanegra, as a regular starter may not be the cream of the crop, but to belittle the American impact in the EPL by mentioning only two players on a "modest" team is misrepresentative. And need I remind the British of their former colonies’ cry, "No taxation without representation."
First of all, the writer chose to ignore the contributions of Tim Howard at Everton (and before that ManU, where he was named EPL goalkeeper of the year in 2004). Tony Burns, ESPNsoccernet’s voice of Everton, called Howard, "An excellent signing and up there with Nigel Martyn as one of the best keepers we’ve had post Neville Southall." The AP hack also ignored contributions of fellow keepers Marcus Hahnemann (a mainstay at Reading) and Brad Friedel (a veteran at Blackburn), not to mention the field players: defender John Spector (West Ham) and midfielders Bobby Convey (Reading) and DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City).
The American player has always gotten a bad rap from the European press, and deservedly so 10 years ago, but Europe (and England is the biggest culprit of this) does not recognize the strides that the U.S. has made both in terms of its player exports and its domestic league. The media continues to misrepresent the U.S as a bunch of amateurs who can’t hold a candle to the superior play of the EPL.
But the character assassination doesn’t end with our players; look how the London AP writer misrepresents Lalas in his initial paraphrase:
Despite criticizing the Premier League for sloganeering and over-marketing, Lalas claimed that, when he arrives, Beckham will have a higher profile in the United States than Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan.
"The U.S. will never have dealt with an athlete who has had this kind of international impact,” Lalas told The Mirror. “Tiger Woods has that international appeal but, with due respect to Woods and Michael Jordan, David Beckham is at an entirely different level."
Lalas is discussing Beckham’s unprecedented international appeal, not his "profile in the United States." He is talking about the interest in MLS that will be generated in all corners of the globe due to the Beckham signing, not only among the U.S. fans.
The AP hack closes with "several" papers’ laughable criticism of LA’s win over Real Salt Lake. How does someone who refers to Fulham as "modest" compare Manchester United and Chelsea to MLS’s two worst teams at the moment?
The Guardian also tries clumsily to make this point by discussing Lalas’ belief that there would be "a lot of stars who would struggle [in MLS]." You can’t even call the response journalism:
However, given that many players, including the likes of Paul Dalglish, Ronnie O'Brien and Terry Cooke have left England and found a modicum of success in MLS, is Lalas really being fair with his criticism? Or is it he that is misguided regarding a league that did provide three of this season's Champions League finalists?
Paul Dalglish, Ronnie O'Brien and Terry Cooke? Really? That’s the best you can do. O’Brien and Cooke are solid, serviceable players, but Dalglish isn’t setting the world on fire. He had two goals in 11 games last season and no goals so far this season. And I thought Lalas was criticizing the EPL, not the Champions League. Last time I checked, no North or South American teams were invited to that party.
But with all that said, the comparison between the EPL and MLS is really unnecessary, and those doing so hide agendas of denigration of either or both. Our leagues, like our nations, can co-exist peacefully, but MLS should not allow itself to be tyrannized by a British press that sees itself as the sole proprietors of quality soccer. With the Fourth of July right around the corner, I’ll let our second president John Adams speak for me:
"The Revolution was effected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution."
The U.S. defeated Panama 2-1 in a contest that showed just how well and just how awful the Nats can play. The U.S. got another PK goal from Landon Donovan and a header by Carlos Bocanegra. DaMarcus Beasley, who found Bocanegra with a beautifully struck free kick from the right flank, had another superb game on the heels of his brace against El Salvador on Tuesday. Beasley, along with Clint Dempsey and Donovan showed some flair on the ball, demonstrating excellent ball movement at times in the match, but the backline, well, they demonstrated excellent bowel movement, as Oneywu and Bornstein were often caught shitting themselves against a surprisingly quick Panama attack.
The piss-poor refereeing that has been the staple of all CONCACAF competitions continued, but poor officiating could not account for the number of times Gooch was caught out of position. In fact, the ref thankfully missed two infractions by the big man in the box, a handball and an arm bar takedown. TYH is a Gooch fan but his stock continues to plummit due to his poor showing in this tournament. Maybe it's Euro jetlag. But today it wasn't just Gooch, it was the entire backline that looked poor. On Panama's goal, Gooch, Frankie Hejduk and sub Steve Ralston looked like a pee-wee team chasing the ball.
To end with a positive, even with the late scare the U.S. was obviously the superior team on the day and deserved to win. Dempsey played well, often making the Panamanian defense look stupid with crossovers, spins and step-overs. If not for several poor finishing touches (including a gimmie that Dempsey could have scored in his sleep if he hadn't decided, inexplicably to cut back), the U.S. could have won easily. Dammit, I wanted to end positive. Oh well, we won, that's positive.
The U.S. will face our neighbor to the north Canada in the semifinals on June 21.
Goals USA – Donovan (penalty kick) 59. USA – Bocanegra (Beasley) 63.
Having struggled a few years in the ego ether of sports journalism, I learned not to expect much from the athletes I interviewed.
Professional athletes, in general, have a pretty high opinion of themselves, as I suppose is to be expected from anyone who has summitted the pinnacle of their respective sports. So most of the international and national soccer stars I interviewed had only a vague idea that there may be people out there who didn’t know they existed. We’ll call these ignorant fans the infidels, those who have yet to accept (fill in the blank) as god’s gift to the pitch, court, field, etc., or as their sport’s lord and savior. Superstars look at these ignorant masses with disdain. How can you NOT see that I am wonderful?
A relative of mine once warned me to prepare for great disappointment if I were ever in a position to meet my heroes. You would meet a superstar, wide-eyed and hopeful, only to see him spit venom at some young waitress until she cried/quit, or maybe you’d meet a man you admired for his apparent humanitarian efforts only to discover that he was a coke addict and a colossal douchebag. But you get my point. People let you down. And stars, well, let’s say that stars tend to play out like the opening of CSI-Miami. At first, it’s flashy and beautiful, palm trees and string bikinis, then some asshole takes his sunglasses off and says something like, “You know what they say, Frank, speed kills” and then you know, this is going to suck.
It is a rarity in these morally tepid times, when fans sometimes can’t tell the difference between rap sheets and roster sheets, to meet a superstar that doesn’t let you down in some way or another. But twice in my career as a soccer journalist, I met personal heroes who not only didn’t let me down, but earned my adulation of them 10-fold. The first star was Pele, who was every bit the gentlemen and ambassador that the media portray him as, and the second just announced his retirement from MLS – Eddie Pope.
I met Eddie Pope some years ago in North Carolina, when he was a member of DC United. His club was participating in a friendly with the now-defunct Miami Fusion to drum up support for a MLS expansion team in the state. Being a native of High Point, NC, Pope was a logical poster boy for the event and was therefore hounded by the local press for opinions on the possibility of expansion: Would the NASCAR-crazy North Carolinians embrace soccer? Would they have to play on a college field? Would their crest feature tobacco leaves? And the questions continued. Pope seldom smiled during the barrage but didn’t look uncomfortable or upset. He handled the reporters like he handled opposing forwards, calmly, confidently, expertly shifting his weight to change their direction. He spoke clearly and answered every question, no matter how asinine.
When I was finally able to get some one-on-one time, I introduced myself and shook his hand. I was more interested in asking him about United, who were nearing the nose-dive following their dynastic run in the first four years of Major League Soccer. As he answered the typical questions about team chemistry and whether United had lost that thing that made them special, he spoke quietly, about his teammates and how much he valued them, not in the way that most pros do, with an emphasis on how wonderful they are because they pass ME the ball. And although I pressed him on certain issues of coaching and strange line-ups and personality conflicts, he didn’t evade the questions but he kind of rose above them, answering each politely and carefully. He was neither condescending nor arrogant. He was classy. Absolutely classy, in a way that I hadn’t seen before and haven’t seen since. Eddie Pope is what every father should want his son to grow up to be.
Younger fans may forget that Eddie Pope is the best defender the U.S. has ever produced, a fact that got him 82 caps and 12 seasons in MLS. And the accolades for this first-ballot Hall of Famer piled up in those years: 3 MLS Cups with United, 10-time MLS All-Star, MLS Defender of the Year in 1997, a four-time member of the Best XI squad, and twice the recipient of his team's Humanitarian of the Year award. His international play was also distinguished, having been a major part of the U.S.’s most successful showing in the World Cup history in 2002. And if not for a dubious red card in the ’06 WC that kept him sidelined in game three, things might have gone differently against Ghana as well.
In this sporting landscape littered with the mug shots of sports celebrities gone bad, it would be a disgrace if the soccer community, for which he did so much, did not honor the achievements of “Steady Eddie” properly. A tribute match is certainly in order at season’s end or during the All-Star break, but I feel like he deserves more. He needs to be singled out by the media and fans, as an example of what a pro athlete can and should be. His accomplishments should be celebrated and retirement lamented by former and current teammates, coaches, friends and family. And the whole thing should be televised on ESPN. Then, they can go back to covering the next pro athlete drug bust, doping allegation or assault charge. But for a moment we should honor one of the truly great ones, a quiet man who did his job better than anyone and expected no laurels or celebrity. Eddie Pope was truly world class.
Am I saying he's infallible? Well, he is the Pope.
It was the DaMarcus Beasley show on Tuesday night, as the U.S. cruised by El Salvador 4-0 in the final match of group play in the Gold Cup. The fleet-feet of Beasley scored two goals and started the attack that led to Taylor Twellman's goal in the 73rd minute.
The Nats (3-0-0) finished atop Group B, easily, and will now face Panama in the quarterfinal.
Each month TYH will announce the top 25 U.S. players. The rankings will be cumulative and will take into consideration current level of play, injuries and past proficiency with the national team. The first 11 will be divided into positional leaders (4-4-2), followed by 11 reserves* and three players that deserve a shot at cap #1.
Goalkeeper: Tim Howard
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra Frank Simek Todd Dunivant Jonathan Spector
Reserves: Pablo Mastroeni, Brian Ching, Bobby Convey, Jay DeMerit, Marcus Hahnemann, Ricardo Clark, Oguchi Onyewu, Kenny Cooper, Steve Ralston, Jonathan Bornstein, Kasey Keller
Let’s have a look at: Jozy Altidore (F), NY Dax McCarty (M), FC Dallas Gabriel Ferrari (F), Sampdoria (Italy)
ANALYSIS: TYH’s June Top 25 was heavily influenced by the Yanks recent play in the Gold Cup. Some players turned heads and moved up (Simek, Feilhaber), and others didn't use their heads and lost ground (Onyewu). Bowing a bit to the pressure of the youth-first movement, I dropped Keller out of No.1 status. It really is Howard's to lose at this point. A few MLS standouts made their way into TYH's U.S. camp, such as Cooper, Clark and Bornstein (the last two have had decent showings in the Gold Cup so far -- especially Clark, who looks like the real deal). Finally, I left two of the three players in the "Let's have a look section" because we're still waiting on Bradley to give Altidore and Ferrari a shot. It was good to see Charlie Davies (the only player dropped from this list) get a run out against China, although it really wasn't enough time to judge his play.
*The reserves include the best available players and may or may not reflect positional depth.
The U.S. picked up another win in Gold Cup group play, defeating Trinidad & Tobago 2-0 on goals by Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson. And as the annoying FSC announcers told us 4.5 million times, Landon Donovan's assist on the Johnson's goal made him the all-time blabbady bla with the blabady blabab bla (or something like that). Really, FSC needs to fire ALL of their announcers and start over. The best part of the broadcast was when the video feed cut to some fans beer bonging (if 'bonging' is the correct gerund) during the match.
In summary, a better second game than the first for the US. Nice work by Frank Simek at right back and Justin Mapp & Ricardo Clark in the midfield. On the flip side, the US is still seeing too many chances go wanting (or in some cases go flying into row ZZZ).
The U.S. escaped with a win in the opening match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Thursday night. Clint Dempsey scored on a low cross from Taylor Twellman in the 26th minute for the game's only goal. Our Yanks played well in the first half and then appeared to switch jerseys with Carson Community College for the second. But even with poor officiating, Gooch's red card in the 73rd and some rather strange substitutions (Eddie Johnson for Clint Dempsey?), the US holds on. Not pretty, but a win is a win.
Subs not used: 4-Jonathan Spector, 11-Brian Ching, 18-Kasey Keller, 19-Ricardo Clark Head Coach: Bob Bradley
U.S. bookings: USA – Frankie Hejduk (caution) 42 USA – Oguchi Onyewu (caution) 56 USA – Oguchi Onyewu (caution) 73 USA – Oguchi Onyewu (ejection) 73 USA – Carlos Bocanegra (caution) 77
The obsessive-compulsive shut-ins over at bigsoccer (I say that with love) discovered this gem that seems to indicate that the LA Galaxy will soon be a Euro 2000 all-star team: Los Angeles Galaxy hoopt ook op Luis Figo. Now I don’t speak Dutch. In fact, there are only two things that I hate in this world: People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures and the Dutch. However, I assume that to “hoopt ook op” means that they are trying to sign the one-time Footballer of the Year or perhaps they just spit a loogie in his face. I know the phrase “epp op ork ah ah” means I love you (according to the Jetsons, anyway). For the sake of argument, let's assume it means the former.
No doubt Lalas and the other boosters attempting to turn MLS into European footballers version of Cocoon will begin to write stories with rote headlines like, “Another star to be added to the Galaxy.” But MLS should think seriously before adding yet another marquee player to the Galaxy roster. Becks, Xavier and now Figo? Has single-entity gone out the door and with it all the fears of MLS turning into the NASL? I’m certainly not against bringing an incredible talent like Figo to MLS, but shouldn’t another franchise get a nip from the world all-star whiskey jug? Juan Pablo Angel is already proving what a single marquee allocation can provide. Why not share the wealth? That was the original intention of single-entity, that and to pool resources, something that MLS still needs to do. Despite the financial windfall of Spice Boy (which may not fully materialize this year if England continues to call him up), MLS isn't out of the woods. Many teams operate in the red, lack stadiums and/or boast pitiful attendance. Does Commissioner Garber and all the owner-operators around the league really feel that MLS is strong enough now to withstand a blackhole. Galaxy ... Cosmos ... What's in a name? A lot apparently.
The Official Competition Committee for the Drew Carey vs. U.S. Soccer EA SPORTSTM FIFA Soccer 07 on Xbox 360™ Challenge has released the rules that will govern the matches between Mr. Carey and the stars of U.S. Soccer at the $100K invitation-only event that will take place on June 5 from 7-10 p.m. PT in the Stadium Club at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
ESPN will televise the National Spelling Bee, as a sport, but not this?
Drew Carey vs. Landon Donovan in video game soccer? C'mon. I bet if they televised it and threw a number on the screen, people would call in and donate. It doesn't even look like ussoccer.com will be airing the match.
Here's an video of Drew Carey talking U.S. soccer on Jimmy Kimmel Click Here
Both “Gooch” and “The Truth” are looking for new clubs and hopefully, MLS coaches, GMs, scouts, trainers, and even water boys are working their fingers raw dialing up and begging the Americans to come home.
There’s really no question that Keller should finish his career stateside, like his pal Claudio Reyna, so it shouldn’t be a tough sell for MLS. Both RSL and Toronto could use a veteran like Keller between the posts, as they have allowed a combined 30 goals in 18 games.
“Gooch” will be the tougher sell because he has only begun to prove himself in Europe, but MLS should beg, borrow and steal to get him, maybe under some type of loan or temporary arrangement. While I think playing in Europe is often beneficial for the development of our young Americans, MLS needs young, American stars to shine here at home, too.
Before there was Clint Dempsey's "Don't Tread on This," there was this: Kasey Keller
The Beatles were overrated. There, I said it. I don’t care. The White album sucked. Sgt. Pepper should have been dishonorably discharged. I hate them…yeah, yeah, yeah. But that is beside the point of the ever-smiling Allen Hopkins (Did this dude just win the lottery? Sheesh tone down the happiness fireworks.) in the column that is linked above.
He writes:
David Beckham's arrival this summer still could provide the spark for a full-fledged 21st century "British Invasion." Reports continue to surface linking two former England internationals to MLS, Liverpool's Robbie Fowler linked to the New England Revs and Teddy Sheringham to New York Red Bull. Now there could be a third. Taking in the second Superclasico of the season May 21 in Carson, Calif. between the Galaxy and Chivas USA was former Liverpool and current Wigan striker Emile Heskey.
Apart from the fact that there were four guys, not three, that started the first “British Invasion,” can we really compare 41-year-old Teddy Sherringham, 32-year-old Robbie Fowler and 29-year-old Emile Heskey to English’s mop-topped foursome? And more importantly, is Teddy bringing his racist girlfriend?
Fowler and Heskey might be fun to watch for a season. Of course, Fowler could start dating Lindsay Lohan. It would be a line-snorting media bonanza. Teddy, however, should hang up the cleats and start his coaching career in MLS. Oh, and he should bring his racist girlfriend. (see picture).
A goal by Young Rok Shin saved a point for Korea against the U.S. U-20s, as the young Yanks open their U-20 World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw. A diving header by Danny Szetela in the 16th minute made it 1-0 U.S., but Korea responded in the 38th minute. The U.S. will face Poland on July 3 in the second match of the group phase. Poland shocked tournament favorites Brazil today with a 1-0 result despite being short-handed in the other Group D match.
