In the past few weeks, we've seen the league flush with a variety of kick-outs, thrown elbows and various dirty tactics by some very high profile players (Rooney, Ronaldo, Ballack to name a few) and while hard-line tactics have been a part of the game forever, if the NFL can retroactively ban a player or fine a player for hits that he didn't even get flagged for in the match, I don't see why the FA should act any differently. Just because a referee caught in the match couldn't see a dirty trick 40m away doesn't mean it should go unpunished. Here are the Rooney transgressions:
At 5.50 in the video
And then the Ronaldo kicks
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1902679/ (Yeah HTML FAIL)
This is within the last couple weeks, and those are 5 card, and most red-card, worthy challenges. Players do get caught up in the moment, but at the end of the day, cheap shots like this should not be tolerated. The fact that two young star players on Manchester United have done most of it isn't too surprising. They feel invincible and invulnerable. Both of them had these transgressions when they lost possession or were beat in some way. Basically, when things don't roll their way, they'll lash out like petulant children and expect the world to look the other way. Unfortunately, they are looking the other way, and these two, as well as other superstars, are going to keep getting the superstar treatment and lashing out. Suspend Rooney for a couple games, and sure Ferguson will raise hell, but what power does he really have. He can't secede into another league, he can't sue them for suspending a player for cheap shots and really all he do is make a lot of noise. And that should be nothing new for the FA. I personally would have given Rooney a five match ban for his near elbow. He was clearly trying to take the poor defender's head off there, and had he connected, we'd be looking at a broken nose. So, save the next defender's face, and ban players who are clearly caught throwing dirty moves and fouls after the fact. Sure the clubs will complain, but if you want to keep the beautiful game beautiful, there's no other way.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Messi: Diver or Victim?
Much has been made of the recent brutality in El Clasico this past weekend. On the receiving end of this was, unsurprisingly, Leo Messi. You could easily make a case that Messi is the best player in the world, but even easier, you could make a case that he is by no means the strongest. At 5'6" and wire-thin, it's somewhat odd that thug tactics aren't used more often against him. Here are the fouls:
Now, I'd say many of those were hard fouls, and maybe a couple were a tad dirty, but to be fair, I just don't think any of this is deliberately malicious. This was just hard football. Messi did act up quite a bit, but to be fair, you try running at full speed and getting a cleat to the calf. And his resiliency was shown by his late goal and his refusal to be taken out of the game. Overall, you'd have to say that was a painful but effective performance for Messi. He got a goal, had the defense completely focused on him and had his archrivals rack up 6 yellow cards in the process. And did I mention Barca won?
While I think Messi gave a decent performance, what is perplexing is the public outrage that followed the match. These weren't Wayne Rooney Tackles:
What happened was a team sent its big guys to bully a diminutive finesse player (have these journalists watched an Arsenal game this season?) and used up all their yellow cards, and the official's goodwill, in the process. This is like saying an intentional foul in basketball is poor sportsmanship. You have a foul to give up, it could be advantageous to take that foul now, and so you commit a foul. Obviously, no one wants to see a repeat of the Eduardo injury (or the countless others like it) but those can happen on any number of tackles, clean and dirty, not to mention with no one around at all. I couldn't find a video of it, but McBride's injury with Fulham two years ago springs to mind, where after a goal he lands awkwardly and tore his ACL. My only point is, soccer is a contact sport with fouls. In a situation where players have a certain amount of leeway before they're red carded, players will, and should, use all of that leeway if they so choose. I think it's more damning that Barca didn't have their own hard men stand up for Messi, but to the same degree, I'm not sure who they would be. I found Cruyff's analysis interesting, with him stating:
"They [Madrid] kicked him about all throughout the game but he was partly asking for it. You are always going to be fouled when you play in the centre of the field. Madrid knew this and they were ready and they kept kicking him knowing they won’t be punished. If he [Messi] had played closer to the penalty area, then he would have drawn a direct freekick when he was fouled, or even a penalty if he was inside the box. If you know that you are going to get beaten up, then at least make sure the team benefit from it."
I would say there is some merit to Cruyff's thoughts, but I find them to be exceedingly harsh. Messi is an engine for the Barcelona offense, and it's quite difficult to really power the offense from the penalty box. To a certain degree, he couldn't do much if he wanted to stay an active part of the game, and to resign himself to penalty-hunting in the box would have been the biggest victory for Los Blancos. That strategy would only encourage all other teams who aren't in Barcelona's class (which at the moment could be almost any other team on the planet) to just rack up foul after foul on Messi knowing that they can completely neutralize him. The only thing I would have changed from Barcelona's response is I would have had Puyol absolutely upend Raul, say a nice few words, and let Madrid know that Barcelona may be more talented, but they are no pansies.
Now, I'd say many of those were hard fouls, and maybe a couple were a tad dirty, but to be fair, I just don't think any of this is deliberately malicious. This was just hard football. Messi did act up quite a bit, but to be fair, you try running at full speed and getting a cleat to the calf. And his resiliency was shown by his late goal and his refusal to be taken out of the game. Overall, you'd have to say that was a painful but effective performance for Messi. He got a goal, had the defense completely focused on him and had his archrivals rack up 6 yellow cards in the process. And did I mention Barca won?
While I think Messi gave a decent performance, what is perplexing is the public outrage that followed the match. These weren't Wayne Rooney Tackles:
What happened was a team sent its big guys to bully a diminutive finesse player (have these journalists watched an Arsenal game this season?) and used up all their yellow cards, and the official's goodwill, in the process. This is like saying an intentional foul in basketball is poor sportsmanship. You have a foul to give up, it could be advantageous to take that foul now, and so you commit a foul. Obviously, no one wants to see a repeat of the Eduardo injury (or the countless others like it) but those can happen on any number of tackles, clean and dirty, not to mention with no one around at all. I couldn't find a video of it, but McBride's injury with Fulham two years ago springs to mind, where after a goal he lands awkwardly and tore his ACL. My only point is, soccer is a contact sport with fouls. In a situation where players have a certain amount of leeway before they're red carded, players will, and should, use all of that leeway if they so choose. I think it's more damning that Barca didn't have their own hard men stand up for Messi, but to the same degree, I'm not sure who they would be. I found Cruyff's analysis interesting, with him stating:
"They [Madrid] kicked him about all throughout the game but he was partly asking for it. You are always going to be fouled when you play in the centre of the field. Madrid knew this and they were ready and they kept kicking him knowing they won’t be punished. If he [Messi] had played closer to the penalty area, then he would have drawn a direct freekick when he was fouled, or even a penalty if he was inside the box. If you know that you are going to get beaten up, then at least make sure the team benefit from it."
I would say there is some merit to Cruyff's thoughts, but I find them to be exceedingly harsh. Messi is an engine for the Barcelona offense, and it's quite difficult to really power the offense from the penalty box. To a certain degree, he couldn't do much if he wanted to stay an active part of the game, and to resign himself to penalty-hunting in the box would have been the biggest victory for Los Blancos. That strategy would only encourage all other teams who aren't in Barcelona's class (which at the moment could be almost any other team on the planet) to just rack up foul after foul on Messi knowing that they can completely neutralize him. The only thing I would have changed from Barcelona's response is I would have had Puyol absolutely upend Raul, say a nice few words, and let Madrid know that Barcelona may be more talented, but they are no pansies.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Columbus Crew Stadium and The Future of American Soccer
Much has been made of the choice of Columbus as the venue of the World Cup qualifier between the United States and Mexico on February 11, and I will have to join the chorus of praise. In all honesty, we should never play another game against Mexico in any state that borders Mexico, and should really look for these cold-weather venues they are unaccustomed to playing in. With the exception of Giovanni Dos Santos, who happens to train for Spurs and once in a blue moon gets an appearance, all of them play in sunny Mexico or Spain. The United States' biggest problem with soccer in comparison with other countries is the relative lack of home support, but this is largely overcome with Columbus. You get a very pro-US crowd, pro-US conditions and a stadium with a growing history. After all, it was here where the Gooch announced himself to the world by beating the crap out of Borghetti.
Surf Dad has spoken at length about his plans for the MLS, but in reality, it'll take a long, long, long time for real change to happen in US Soccer. In a recent poll, 36% of US soccer fans follow the MLS. For every three soccer fanatics, only one actually could tell you the teams in the league, or possibly the reigning MVP. I won't lie; I'm in the 64%. I could tell you (probably) all the teams and maybe a handful of notably players, but I really don't know much more about the MLS than I would the Austrian Bundesliga (Janko has 30 goals in 18 appearances!!!! Absurd!). To be honest, this isn't for a lack of trying. I've watched plenty of MLS games and tried to follow, but I never can keep up. It's a combination of plenty of borderline unwatchable games as well as the nagging fact that you always feel like you're watching AAA. And after watching the obsessive soccer following in my apartment, of Mancester United, Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma and my beloved Liverpool, it's rather difficult to a game where I don't have the same passion for the outcome and the quality is so much lower. To be honest, when I watched the Championship promotion playoffs last year, I had a better time. With good reason, the passion of the fans is just too infectious
I love my USA Soccer, and given my tie to the outcome, I always cheer passionately and enjoy myself, but for whatever reason I can't do this with the Revs. The real questions are: Why, and what can be done?
Quality of Play To be honest, this is somewhat a moot point. Like I said, I had a great time watching the promotion playoffs, and while I might argue that the Coca-Cola Championship is more talented than the MLS, I would never say by a considerable margin (and a great counterpoint would be that the best player in the Championship isn't being sought by Bayern Munich anytime soon).
Star AppealAgain, I think an overrated point, but one worth mentioning. Obviously casual fans like superstars, and it's difficult to sell a league without one. Beckham is much more of a brand than a superstar at this point, and Landycakes isn't exactly Hollywood A-List material. Seeing as Club Football isn't very popular in the United States, but the World Cup is, we really have one option for Americans to learn about players. A best-case scenario is to have a Golden Generation explode onto the MLS, and have these stars have a huge World Cup splash, but the problem is that these players would surely not stay in the MLS. This leads to one of the biggest issues in the MLS
Money If you're not a star in the MLS, you are making peanuts. The salary cap is smaller than most mediocre premiership players salaries. And with a limited cash flow, and no golden parachute on the horizon, it's unlikely to see any of that change anytime soon unless business owners see this as a viable venture. How will this happen?
BUILD FAN SUPPORT It seems like a no-brainer, but really, the best way to build fan support is through kids. There's really no market for having adult fans suddenly declare allegiance, especially if they weren't large soccer fans to begin with. But if their sons and daughters become large fans of a certain team, to a certain degree I feel like parents will follow suit. MLS teams should be gun-ho about getting involved in the community, the USSF should be trying to make soccer fields and facilities for underprivileged kids in the city and all of our efforts should be a long-term plan with plans with the youth. This will obviously take a couple decades to really start paying dividends, but without this, we will never be more than a farm league, waiting for our best stars to be willingly poached by the best clubs (and often, just the mediocre ones) in Europe. With this built-in fan support, owners will be more willing to splash the cash and within my lifetime, you're looking at a vibrant soccer league in the United States, and combined with the ever-growing Hispanic contingent (which is largely soccer-rabid), it's a plan that could really build the MLS into a true contender.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Landycakes and Maradona
Footage from a training session of Bayern Munich, focused on Landon Donovan:
http://www.eyep.tv/1.-bundesliga/fc-bayern-munchen/fc-bayern-munchen-landon-donovan-im-fokus.html
You may as well skip the first 10 minutes, as it is all stretching drills. After that they have a good game of 5v5. Landon looks good! I think his move to Europe is becoming more and more of a possibility, whether he winds up with Munich or if he goes to the Premiership or La Liga. The only stumbling block I see is that the Galaxy seem pretty intent on keeping him ("Landon will be with us next season"), and it would be just such a typical MLS/Galaxy thing to do should they prevent Landon from moving (probably they would spout some crap about how he doesn't need to go overseas to improve... Yeah, ok.)
**************************************
Anyways, moving on to one of the greatest players of all time. In light of his recent appointment as Argentina's manager, here is an excellent video of the skills and goals of Diego Maradona: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBpu-M6kXCk
Some of those are breathtaking. You just don't really see stuff like that in modern football (outside of the brilliance of Messi and [maybe 2 years ago] Ronaldinho). Maradona made goals out of nothing, he took on entire teams all by himself with some pretty unbelievable runs, and he jump-kicked like 3 different guys in that one fight midway through the video.
I know there is a whole lot more to write about at the present, but I'm real busy and can't really do it yet. Maybe Thanksgiving break will allow me the time to catch up.
http://www.eyep.tv/1.-bundesliga/fc-bayern-munchen/fc-bayern-munchen-landon-donovan-im-fokus.html
You may as well skip the first 10 minutes, as it is all stretching drills. After that they have a good game of 5v5. Landon looks good! I think his move to Europe is becoming more and more of a possibility, whether he winds up with Munich or if he goes to the Premiership or La Liga. The only stumbling block I see is that the Galaxy seem pretty intent on keeping him ("Landon will be with us next season"), and it would be just such a typical MLS/Galaxy thing to do should they prevent Landon from moving (probably they would spout some crap about how he doesn't need to go overseas to improve... Yeah, ok.)
**************************************
Anyways, moving on to one of the greatest players of all time. In light of his recent appointment as Argentina's manager, here is an excellent video of the skills and goals of Diego Maradona: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBpu-M6kXCk
Some of those are breathtaking. You just don't really see stuff like that in modern football (outside of the brilliance of Messi and [maybe 2 years ago] Ronaldinho). Maradona made goals out of nothing, he took on entire teams all by himself with some pretty unbelievable runs, and he jump-kicked like 3 different guys in that one fight midway through the video.
I know there is a whole lot more to write about at the present, but I'm real busy and can't really do it yet. Maybe Thanksgiving break will allow me the time to catch up.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A comical quip
I attribute Spurs' recent turn around (5 wins and a draw out of the last 6, as opposed to the 1-2-7 start to the season) to two sources:
1. Sheer luck (the Arsenal draw and the Liverpool win at the death)
2. The exchange of Harry Redknapp for Juande Ramos, and from that point onward the players' increase in confidence and effort.
Now, how much of the turn-around is due to each source, I do not know. But in light of Harry's recent revival at Spurs, here is a throwback video from his days at Portsmouth:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zRZTna7tRHk
1. Sheer luck (the Arsenal draw and the Liverpool win at the death)
2. The exchange of Harry Redknapp for Juande Ramos, and from that point onward the players' increase in confidence and effort.
Now, how much of the turn-around is due to each source, I do not know. But in light of Harry's recent revival at Spurs, here is a throwback video from his days at Portsmouth:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=zRZTna7tRHk
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Team USA Part 1: Goalkeepers
Alright, alright, calm down you knuckleheads (unless you want a knuckle sandwich!!). The long awaited Team USA breakdown begins TODAY!!!
I will attempt to break it down for you all by position, and also I will separate the "up and coming youngsters" from the "old, over-the-hill veterans." So here's our current crop of GK's:
#. Player Name (Age)- Club Name
1. Tim Howard (29)- Everton F.C.
Howard is hands down the best active goalkeeper that Team USA has access to. This will be the sixth year he has played in the English Premiership (arguably the world's best league), though only his 4th season seeing regular playing time. Still, 4 years in the world's top flight is pretty impressive, and he has been holding his own as one of the most solid keepers in England. Make no mistake about it, Tim Howard is the here and now of American goalkeeping, getting almost all of the starts in competitive matches.
Individually, he won the 2001 MLS Goalkeeper of the year award. Woo hoo. Also he was named Humanitarian of the Year that same year.
2. Brad Friedel (37)- Aston Villa F.C.
You could argue that Friedel is the best American keeper of all time. You could argue that his current form is the best among American keepers. You could also argue that his career has been the most successful of any American player in history. All this to say that Friedel retired from international football, and has reiterated that he has no desire to return. So he's not really a part of Team USA
3. Brad Guzan (24)- Aston Villa F.C.
Just earlier in this year he was a part of a strong core of young Americans at Chivas USA, however his summer transfer saw an end to that era of his career.
Guzan is in my view the future of American keepers. He is clearly Friedel's heir at Villa. Guzan shows promise as a potential long-term "number 1" for the USMNT. Hopefully he does not slip back into the terrible form that he hit in his final season at Chivas USA, when he just had blunder after blunder. That said, just one year ago he was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
4. Chris Seitz (21)- Real Salt Lake
So far Seitz has not played for the senior USMNT, but he is clearly one to 'keep' an eye on (bad joke right there). I really don't know much about him to be honest, except that he is the next in the long line of sweet American keepers. Too bad for him that Brad Guzan is just 3 years his elder; this works to the USMNT's advantage, however, as they will hopefully be pushing each other for playing time (in the future).
5. Kasey Keller (38)- Seattle Sounders F.C.
What can I say about Kasey Keller? The man has been playing forever. I don't expect him to ever play for the USMNT again, but an amazing 102 caps for his country more than fills the minimum requirements of a great career. Keller is not currently playing footy, but will play for at least the inaugural season of Seattle Sounders F.C. in 2009.
6. Marcus Hahnemann (36)- Reading F.C.
Hahnemann has been at Reading since 2002, a solid wall in the goal all the while. He kind of got screwed in terms of USMNT experience, as he had to compete with Keller and Friedel his entire career. In my opinion he is not as talented as they are, but he has had a successful career nonetheless.
7. Joe Cannon (33)- San Jose Earthquakes
Cannon's first impression on me was one of misfortune- he was a solid keeper behind a terrible LA Galaxy defense when I first saw him play. He played quite well for San Jose this past season, starting all 30 matches. He won't be making any noise with the national team, however, as he is not nearly as talented nor as young as, say, Howard or Guzan.
Well, I guess that about does it for Goalkeepers. I really hope I didn't forget anybody. Anyways I will hopefully do defenders sometime soon. Good night, and good luck.
I will attempt to break it down for you all by position, and also I will separate the "up and coming youngsters" from the "old, over-the-hill veterans." So here's our current crop of GK's:
#. Player Name (Age)- Club Name
1. Tim Howard (29)- Everton F.C.
Howard is hands down the best active goalkeeper that Team USA has access to. This will be the sixth year he has played in the English Premiership (arguably the world's best league), though only his 4th season seeing regular playing time. Still, 4 years in the world's top flight is pretty impressive, and he has been holding his own as one of the most solid keepers in England. Make no mistake about it, Tim Howard is the here and now of American goalkeeping, getting almost all of the starts in competitive matches.
Individually, he won the 2001 MLS Goalkeeper of the year award. Woo hoo. Also he was named Humanitarian of the Year that same year.
2. Brad Friedel (37)- Aston Villa F.C.
You could argue that Friedel is the best American keeper of all time. You could argue that his current form is the best among American keepers. You could also argue that his career has been the most successful of any American player in history. All this to say that Friedel retired from international football, and has reiterated that he has no desire to return. So he's not really a part of Team USA
3. Brad Guzan (24)- Aston Villa F.C.
Just earlier in this year he was a part of a strong core of young Americans at Chivas USA, however his summer transfer saw an end to that era of his career.
Guzan is in my view the future of American keepers. He is clearly Friedel's heir at Villa. Guzan shows promise as a potential long-term "number 1" for the USMNT. Hopefully he does not slip back into the terrible form that he hit in his final season at Chivas USA, when he just had blunder after blunder. That said, just one year ago he was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
4. Chris Seitz (21)- Real Salt Lake
So far Seitz has not played for the senior USMNT, but he is clearly one to 'keep' an eye on (bad joke right there). I really don't know much about him to be honest, except that he is the next in the long line of sweet American keepers. Too bad for him that Brad Guzan is just 3 years his elder; this works to the USMNT's advantage, however, as they will hopefully be pushing each other for playing time (in the future).
5. Kasey Keller (38)- Seattle Sounders F.C.
What can I say about Kasey Keller? The man has been playing forever. I don't expect him to ever play for the USMNT again, but an amazing 102 caps for his country more than fills the minimum requirements of a great career. Keller is not currently playing footy, but will play for at least the inaugural season of Seattle Sounders F.C. in 2009.
6. Marcus Hahnemann (36)- Reading F.C.
Hahnemann has been at Reading since 2002, a solid wall in the goal all the while. He kind of got screwed in terms of USMNT experience, as he had to compete with Keller and Friedel his entire career. In my opinion he is not as talented as they are, but he has had a successful career nonetheless.
7. Joe Cannon (33)- San Jose Earthquakes
Cannon's first impression on me was one of misfortune- he was a solid keeper behind a terrible LA Galaxy defense when I first saw him play. He played quite well for San Jose this past season, starting all 30 matches. He won't be making any noise with the national team, however, as he is not nearly as talented nor as young as, say, Howard or Guzan.
Well, I guess that about does it for Goalkeepers. I really hope I didn't forget anybody. Anyways I will hopefully do defenders sometime soon. Good night, and good luck.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
MLS Breakdown and more!!
MLS 53 best goals of the season:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lJtIYJCS8s&eurl=http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1735030/
Make whatever you will of that video. If you ask me, this is proof that MLS does not in fact suck, I mean obviously it's not the top flight of world football, but there's not a keeper in the world who could save some of those shots. Make sure you watch all the way to the end... they've saved the best for last (GALLARDO!!!!).
****************************************************************
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
===================================================
###################################################
Hokay, so on to the MLS playoffs... Not really much to talk about. Really close games so far, I expect all the top seeds to progress. So that would have the second round at:
Columbus vs Chicago
Houston vs Chivas USA
Personally I would like to see Chivas USA in the finals, though I think they are the least likely team to make it. In my opinion they have some of the best American talent in the league (a key reason in my desire to see them win the cup). This is not to say that the other clubs do not have good American talent, I just have a soft spot for some of the players on Chivas:
-Sacha Kljestian is one of the most exciting players to watch in MLS, and at 23 he is a great prospect for the USMNT. He's very explosive from the midfield, I have seen him create and score some amazing goals all on his own out of nothing (he's got at least one on that video). I am really excited to see where his career takes him- I think he make a serious impact on a ton of teams in Europe.
-Jonathan Bornstein is also a 23-year-old American on Chivas USA, a solid defender who can play in the midfield as well. He won Rookie of the Year a few years back, so that speaks to his talent and production. Bornstein also could have a serious impact in Europe.
-Ante Razov is an older fellow (34 years young), but he's still producing some great goals at the striker position. He has had a career of servitude to MLS, with the exception of a short stint at Racing de Ferrol, even though at his peak he was far beyond MLS quality.
-Jorge Flores was almost not even an American-he spent a lot of his childhood living in Mexico, and would have been eligible to play for the Mexican national team. Lucky for the USA, he has committed his future to our country. He actually joined Chivas USA through a reality show called Sueño MLS, in which he "won" the show and earned a tryout with Chivas USA. At just 19, he is one of the best young American forwards out there- obviously not quite up to par with the likes of Jozy Altidore, but I can definitely see Flores competing for a spot in the USMNT a few years down the line, and certainly he is the heir apparent to Ante Razov in the Chivas line-up.
So there you have it, my man crushes on Chivas USA players.
It's probably going to end up Columbus vs Houston, and honestly once it gets to that point, who's gonna bet against De Rosario in the final? Not I, said the fly. My legitimate prediction:
Houston 3-2 Columbus (aet)
But anyways, even though it is the least likely scenario, right here is at least one MLS fan pulling for Chivas USA to become MLS Cup champs!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lJtIYJCS8s&eurl=http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1735030/
Make whatever you will of that video. If you ask me, this is proof that MLS does not in fact suck, I mean obviously it's not the top flight of world football, but there's not a keeper in the world who could save some of those shots. Make sure you watch all the way to the end... they've saved the best for last (GALLARDO!!!!).
****************************************************************
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
===================================================
###################################################
Hokay, so on to the MLS playoffs... Not really much to talk about. Really close games so far, I expect all the top seeds to progress. So that would have the second round at:
Columbus vs Chicago
Houston vs Chivas USA
Personally I would like to see Chivas USA in the finals, though I think they are the least likely team to make it. In my opinion they have some of the best American talent in the league (a key reason in my desire to see them win the cup). This is not to say that the other clubs do not have good American talent, I just have a soft spot for some of the players on Chivas:
-Sacha Kljestian is one of the most exciting players to watch in MLS, and at 23 he is a great prospect for the USMNT. He's very explosive from the midfield, I have seen him create and score some amazing goals all on his own out of nothing (he's got at least one on that video). I am really excited to see where his career takes him- I think he make a serious impact on a ton of teams in Europe.
-Jonathan Bornstein is also a 23-year-old American on Chivas USA, a solid defender who can play in the midfield as well. He won Rookie of the Year a few years back, so that speaks to his talent and production. Bornstein also could have a serious impact in Europe.
-Ante Razov is an older fellow (34 years young), but he's still producing some great goals at the striker position. He has had a career of servitude to MLS, with the exception of a short stint at Racing de Ferrol, even though at his peak he was far beyond MLS quality.
-Jorge Flores was almost not even an American-he spent a lot of his childhood living in Mexico, and would have been eligible to play for the Mexican national team. Lucky for the USA, he has committed his future to our country. He actually joined Chivas USA through a reality show called Sueño MLS, in which he "won" the show and earned a tryout with Chivas USA. At just 19, he is one of the best young American forwards out there- obviously not quite up to par with the likes of Jozy Altidore, but I can definitely see Flores competing for a spot in the USMNT a few years down the line, and certainly he is the heir apparent to Ante Razov in the Chivas line-up.
So there you have it, my man crushes on Chivas USA players.
It's probably going to end up Columbus vs Houston, and honestly once it gets to that point, who's gonna bet against De Rosario in the final? Not I, said the fly. My legitimate prediction:
Houston 3-2 Columbus (aet)
But anyways, even though it is the least likely scenario, right here is at least one MLS fan pulling for Chivas USA to become MLS Cup champs!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
