Is there a FIFA jinx?

EA Sports announced that RBNY and under-20 U.S. star Josmer Altidore will join Club America's 'keeper Guillermo Ochoa and Ronaldihno on the cover of EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 08 in North America. The article announcing Altidore's presence on the popular video game had me wondering -- is there a FIFA Soccer jinx?

In the American form of rugby, many media pundits claim that gracing EA Sports' Madden series is the kiss of death. There's even a web site that tracks the results of each cover boy called Maddenjinx.com. From 2000 to 2008, the indentified author of the site details the athletic failures and injuries that plague the cover boys each year.

Rather than go through all the players who graced the cover since the 1994 debut of the game, which would be long and tedious, I decided to examine just the USA cover boys to determine if there is a FIFA cover jinx for American players.

The first American player to make it onto the cover (at least regionally) was "Rocket" Roy Lassiter for the North American edition of FIFA '98: Road To World Cup. In 1998, Lassiter led DC United to their third consecutive MLS Cup final, this time losing to newboys Chicago. Lassiter, however, had a very productive year with 18 goals in 25 matches. Jinx? Nope.

The next American cover boy was Eddie Pope for FIFA 2000. Pope, whose career has been marred by injuries, managed to play in 21 matches in 2000, more than any year previous. But his fouls were up considerably and United's young dynasty crumbled to a 8-18-6 record. United gave up 63 goals that season and went from champions to cellar dwellars. Jinx? Possibly.

DC United continued to dominate the covers, despite their dethroning, as FIFA 2001 featured midfielder Ben Olsen. Here's were superstitious people might begin to wonder. Olsen's career imploded in 2001 with severe ankle injuries that kept him sidelined the entire season. Having been loaned to Nottingham Forrest for their 2000-01 campaign, Olsen had impressed and was expected to be bought on permanently by the English club. The injury nixed that move and continued to affect him in 2002 as well. Jinx? Strong Evidence.

FIFA 2003 featured Landon Donovan on the cover in the U.S. and Canada releases. Donovan's 2003 was spent with the San Jose Earthquakes and, again, his performance explodes the notion of a jinx. The dyed-one led the 'Quakes to their first-ever MLS Cup championship, scoring two goals in the final, and was named Honda MLS Cup Most Valuable Player. He scored 12 goals and added six assists during the regular season. Donovan was also named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2003. Jinx? I think not.

It would be three years before another American cover boy would be selected and it would be yet another DC United player, as Freddy Adu was featured on FIFA 06. Adu's up-and-down career has been discussed at length on this site and others, but 2006 appears to have been an up year, despite his eventual trade to Real Salt Lake in December of that year. He finished third on the team with assists (8), although he only had two goals in 32 matches. He was named to the MLS All-Star team (although that isn't really a measure of success, just check out this year's roster). DC crashed out of the playoffs despite a record-setting 55-point regular season, but Adu avoided injuries and played in every match. Jinx? Nope.

In 2006, EA Sports went back to MLS golden boy Landon Donovan. Following his second cover appearance, Donovan had a crappy 2006. Los Angeles went 11-15-6 and missed the playoffs. Donovan had 12 goals and 8 assists in 24 matches, not a bad showing, but not enough to help his side get into the postseason. And we won't even mention the debacle in Germany. Jinx? Perhaps.

So, there you have it. Or don't have it. It's inconclusive, really. But there doesn't appear to be enough evidence to convince even the most paranoid of fans that there may be some kind of cosmic comeupance for the FIFA coverboy. Three out of the six players made it to the MLS playoffs, two had stellar years. And with the exception of Ben Olsen, none of the players had devestating injuries, like is so common with the Madden series. So, rest easy RBNY and U.S. fans, FIFA 2008 coverboy Josy should be fine.