Going to the Mat

Cool: In So Many Ways

2009-07-15T08:58:00.000-04:00

Teen becomes youngest African American female to complete flight across U.S.

Kimberly Anyadike took off from Compton 13 days ago with an adult safety pilot and Levi Thornhill, an 87-year-old who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. They flew to Newport News, Va., making about a dozen stops along the way.

Anyadike learned to fly a plane and helicopter when she was 12 with the Compton-based Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, an after-school program that offers aviation lessons to at-risk youth and economically disadvantaged students. The organization owns the small plane.

The Case Against College Entitlements

2009-07-14T16:16:00.000-04:00

Those libertarians are at it again, make a strong case based in logic. reason.tv - The Case Against College Entitlements. go Check it out.

This is a mind boggling stat: Four year colleges graduate just 53% of their students in six (6) years. No that is not a typo. When I was in college just 12, 13 years ago, we joked about a "five year plan." Six is getting ludicrous.

Of course, colleges don't want you to know that it takes six years to get that done.

Fabius Maximus: Government Intervention has softened blow of economic downturn

2009-07-14T14:31:00.000-04:00

But it still doesn't make the scope of the federal reaction right or proper.Why has the worst recession since the 1930’s had such a mild effect on America? « Fabius Maximus

How Not to Generate an Economic Recovery

2009-07-14T14:25:00.000-04:00

The Rangel Tax Plan. Apparently, our leaders in Congress have not learned their history:

Every detail isn't known, but late last week Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel disclosed that his draft bill would impose a "surtax" on individuals with adjusted gross income of more than $280,000 a year. This would hit job creators especially hard because more than six of every 10 who earn that much are small business owners, operators or investors, according to a 2007 Treasury study. That study also found that almost half of the income taxed at this highest rate is small business income from the more than 500,000 sole proprietorships and subchapter S corporations whose owners pay the individual rate.

In addition, many more smaller business owners with lower profits would be hit by the Rangel plan's payroll tax surcharge. That surcharge would apply to all firms with 25 or more workers that don't offer health insurance to their employees, and it would amount to an astonishing eight percentage point fee above the current 15% payroll levy.

Here's the ugly income-tax math. First, Mr. Obama has promised to let the lower Bush tax rates expire after 2010. This would raise the top personal income tax rate to 39.6% from 35%, and the next rate to 36% from 33%. The Bush expiration would also phase out various tax deductions and exemptions, bringing the top marginal rate to as high as 41%.

Then add the Rangel Surtax of one percentage point, starting at $280,000 ($350,000 for couples), plus another percentage point at $400,000 ($500,000 for couples), rising to three points on more than $800,000 ($1 million) in 2011. But wait, there's more. The surcharge could rise by two more percentage points in 2013 if health-care costs are larger than advertised -- which is a near-certainty. Add all of this up and the top marginal tax rate would climb to 46%, which hasn't been seen in the U.S. since the Reagan tax reform of 1986 cut the top rate to 28% from 50%.

States have also been raising their income tax rates, so in California and New York City the top rate would be around 58%. The Tax Foundation reports that at least half of all states would have combined state-federal tax rates of more than 50%.

You don't generate an economic recovery by taxing the very people who generate jobs an income. If they are not a small business owner, the people with the most money invest in other companies that generate jobs and income.

Class warfare has never stimulated an economic recovery. There is a reason why small businesses are referred to as the engine that drives the American economy.

Democrats claim these tax increases on the rich won't do any economic harm. They should read the work of Christina Romer before she became chief White House economist. Ms. Romer and her husband, David Romer, a Berkeley economist, have published multiple studies on the impact of tax policy changes over the past 100 years. One of their findings is that "tax increases appear to have a very large, sustained and highly significant negative impact on output." In other words, tax hikes are an antistimulus.

Another implication of the Rangel plan is that America's successful small businesses would pay higher tax rates than the Fortune 500, and for that matter than most companies around the world. The corporate federal-state tax rate applied to General Electric and Google is about 39% in the U.S., and the business tax rate is about 25% in the OECD countries. So the U.S. would have close to the most punitive taxes on small business income anywhere on the globe.

snip

A new study by the Kaufman Foundation finds that small business entrepreneurs have led America out of its last seven post-World War II recessions. They also generate about two of every three new jobs during a recovery. The more the Obama Democrats reveal of their policies, the more it's clear that they prize income redistribution above all else, including job creation and economic growth.

Elsewhere, the WSJ notes that when you raise taxes on the rich, their reported income tends to decline. For proof, look what happened in Maryland (see also here. The same thing is happening on other places as well.

See, this article from Portland, OR, this one from the DC Metro area, or Ohio's plight, Tennessee.

I'm sorry, but the only rationale for increasing taxes in this economic climate is to redistribute a dwindling wealth.

ObamA Administration: Hope to Change Perceptions

2009-07-14T14:04:00.000-04:00

And not doing a very good job at it.

President Obama’s approval rating has fallen six points in the past month, a new CBS News poll finds, amid growing skepticism about his handling of the economy and questions about the impact of the stimulus package.

The president’s current approval rating, which is 57 percent, is still relatively high. But it has fallen 11 points from its peak of 68 percent in April, and has also dropped since last month’s mark of 63 percent. His disapproval rating, meanwhile, has risen from 23 percent in April to 32 percent today.

That is CBS trying to put a decent spin on poll numbers that are in free fall. Yes 57 percent approval is far better than President Bush enjoyed in his second term, but Obama has fallen 11 points in just three months.

The fact is that as we move further and further from January 20, 2009, the hard it becomes for the Obama Administration to claim that the problems were started by Bush. President Obama's highly touted plans and stimulus package do not appear to be garnering any fans and the constant intrusion and government creep in to private enterprise must have a fair number of people getting nervous.

The flip side of the notion of "too big to fail" is that no company is so big that the government can't step in to correct matters as it sees fit. If the government can take over General Motors and their legion of lobbyists, lawyers and contributors, what is to stop the government from stepping in to take over some small business or worse, put that small business out of business.

Similarly, the pace of Obama's legislative agenda and push to pass legislation without some much as allowing Representatives to read it has made people nervous. While people may grumble about the inability of Congress to get anything done, I think a happy medium of deliberative action, with time for reflection and investigation, is much more palatable than the break neck speed of legislation that Obama has pursued.

Grant Wahl, "The Beckham Experiment"

2009-07-14T09:05:00.000-04:00

Today is the release date of "The Beckham Experiment" the new book by Sport's Illustrated's Grant Wahl and the book could very well be the most important book about the current state of soccer in America. I personally can't wait to read the book, I am hoping that Amazon comes through and gets me the book today or tomorrow. This Is American Soccer's Adam Spangler has an interview with Wahl.

There has been a fair amount of press about Landon Donovan's comments and how Beckham considers them a personal affront (and they are), but this question from Spangler and answer from Wahl is actually the most interesting bit of back story on the book:

That speaks to my #1 question for you. Access. It appears you had tremendous access to players and some management. The candidness of your sources is unbelievable. Take me through how you negotiated those usually tepid waters for sports journalism as you went along.
With Beckham I had done two major stories about him for SI. One in 2003, kind of introducing him to the American audience, and then a cover story in 2007 for his arrival to Los Angeles. We had a good relationship based on the time we spent together. Both stories involved significant one-on-one interviews with me and him, about an hour each time; photo shoots in both cases. I didn’t know going in how much one-on-one access I was going to get with Beckham, but I knew he would do media availabilities before and after every game, which is more than he had ever done in Europe. But when I brought the idea of the book to Beckham’s people, even though we had always had a very good relationship, their stance was that David had done books before that were “by David Beckham, ghost written by somebody else” and that he got significant advances for those books—over a million dollars. The implication being, if I wanted to have special one-on-one access to David Beckham for this book itself, that was the sort of money that had to be paid. That wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t angry about that, and I would not have accepted the book deal if I thought that was a possibility. I knew that Beckham’s voice would be throughout the book, and I would be able to ask him all sorts of questions because of the access before and after most games. So I wasn’t all that concerned to be honest because Beckham is not the most colorful source ever, and I don’t know how much I would have gained one-on-one.

But I did know that everyone else within the Galaxy, just because of my relationships that I developed over the last 12 years at SI, would be interested in sitting down with me throughout the reporting process, and that is what happened. It worked out really well in the end. Hypothetically, I guess if Beckham’s handlers wanted money they also wanted approval over what went into the book, and I don’t work that way. I’m a journalist. No past stories I’ve written about Beckham were subject to the approval of Beckham and his people, so the best way for me to put it is that this is neither an authorized chronicle or an unauthorized chronicle. It’s just a straight-up chronicle of what happened, good and bad, from the inside.

I think that the viewpoint of money for access to Beckham says a lot about brand Beckham. I don't know how much Beckham has a role in that "money for access" set up that seems to surround Beckham, but that Wahl refused to be a party to that situation speaks well of Wahl and the book itself.

I think that most interesting part of Wahl's book will be the actual collision of history and stature that permaeates the MLS. In 2007, the MLS still had a reserve division, where players were making just $12,500 a year, which is less than what Beckham made for a daily training session, and how they dealt with the press, the media, the entourage of a player who has made millions of dollar a year, on par with American basketball players.

Those stories open up that larger story of American soccer, and the realities of life in MLS for a player, team, franchise, and even the league. How different would this story be if those situations didn’t exist?
I think it would have taken out a big, interesting part of the story—this world’s colliding narrative. I found it fascinating. Going in I knew that would be one of Beckham’s biggest challenges to try and relate to teammates who were making such a microscopic fraction of his salary and his income and whose fame was minuscule, nonexistent really, compared to him. And yet a guy like Alan Gordon was going to play a lot and be relied upon to finish a lot of the passes that Beckham was giving him. That to me was a crucial part of the story. Alan Gordon to me is very symbolic of the MLS player. So many players in MLS, most of them American, make almost no money—Gordon made $30,000 for four years and only later got a bigger contract, which was still not guaranteed. But he kept performing and was asked to do a lot of things in front of crowds of 66,000 people in New York when he is getting paid $30,000 a year. He represents this huge section of MLS players who don’t get a lot of recognition and probably deserve a lot more.

I cannot wait to see and read the whole book.

Gooch to AC Milan

2009-07-07T16:35:00.002-04:00

Chris Courtney of Letters from Vagabondia is reporting that U.S. center back Oguchi Onyewu has signed a three year deal with Italian powerhouse AC Milan. The U.S. international will be the first American to play in Serie A since Alexi Lalas played for Padova in 1994-1996. The biggest difference is that Onyewu will be playing for a Italian powerhouse at the San Siro, will be playing on a Champions's League team.

Given the age of the AC Milan starting 11 last year, just putting Gooch in the starting 11 will reduce the average age of the team. Gooch will also be playing against some of the top talent in the world and that will only make him better.

Congrats to Gooch.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16

2009-07-01T10:52:00.000-04:00

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is not a tournament that garners a great deal of attention in the U.S. and rarely has. But yesterday was not a banner day for the top flight of American soccer and a growing indication that the USL, the second, third and fourth divisions of American soccer are showing that they can get it done sometimes in this tournament.

Since the arrival of MLS into the tournament in 1996, the Rochester Rhinos won the competition in 1999, the only USL team to do so.

But the tournament this year could see a USL team raise the Dewar Trophy. Yesterday was not a banner day for MLS clubs as Columbus lost in penalty kicks to Rocherster (USL-1), Wilmington (USL-2) bested Chicago, Harrisburg (USL-2) upset New England in extra time, Charleston (USL-1) put the smack down on Chivas USA. Only DC United and Kansas City of the MLS advanced last night but only barely.

DC has to struggle until the 74th minute before going ahead against the only amatuer team left in the competition, the Ocean City (NJ) Barons. The Barons had more than a few chances and were the recipient of some controversial calls against them. Kansas City had to advance on penalty kicks against Minnesota (USL-1).

The marquee game of the round will be Portland v. Seattle, two teams that last year played in USL-1 and in two years will face each other in the MLS. The rivalry between these clubs extends for over 30 years going back to the NASL. In another match tonight, Houston will face the USL-1 expansion team Austin Azteks.

DC United will not face another MLS team until the final assuming they advance that far.

A Domestic Violence Czar?

2009-07-01T10:26:00.000-04:00

U.S. News' Bonnie Erbe reports that the Obama administration has enough "czars" to field a full baseball game and have two substitutes, over 20 of those Russian flavored Czars.

So what issue (in addition to all the czars that we have) requires a newly crowned czar: Domestic Violence.

This is a waste of federal tax payer dollars and should be eradicated quickly. The announcement by Vice President Joe Biden states:

Vice President Biden announced today that Lynn Rosenthal will be the White House adviser on Violence Against Women, a new position created to work with the president and vice president on domestic violence and sexual assault issues...Rosenthal most recently served as the executive director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence and has focused on domestic violence issues like housing, state and local coordinated community response, federal policy, and survivor-centered advocacy.

Now don't get me wrong, domestic violence against anyone, women, children, men, or the elderly is not only legally wrong but morally so and such perpetrators should be caught, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, punished and then publicly humilitated in a manner we have thus far reserved for sexual predators.

But this is not a federal issue and should not be a federal issue.

Domestic violence is a state and local issue, should be handled by state and local police. The federal government through the FBI and Justice Department can rightfully serve as a data collection agency, but should not be involved in any other way. Of course, the FBI already performs this function and there is no reason why the White House needs another advisor on the issue.

Breaking Down the Public Health Care Arguments

2009-07-01T10:19:00.000-04:00

George Newman does a good job in the Wall Street Journal of breaking down a number of the arguments made in favor of the public option health care plan being put forwardby the Obama Administration. A couple that I really like

:"The American people overwhelmingly favor reform."

If you ask whether people would be happier if somebody else paid their medical bills, they generally say yes. But surveys on consumers' satisfaction with their quality of care show overwhelming support for the continuation of the present arrangement. The best proof of this is the belated recognition by the proponents of health-care reform that they need to promise people that they can keep what they have now.

[snip]

- "We need a public plan to keep the private plans honest."

The 1,500 or so private plans don't produce enough competition? Making it 1,501 will do the trick? But then why stop there? Eating is even more important than health care, so shouldn't we have government-run supermarkets "to keep the private ones honest"? After all, supermarkets clearly put profits ahead of feeding people. And we can't run around naked, so we should have government-run clothing stores to keep the private ones honest. And shelter is just as important, so we should start public housing to keep private builders honest. Oops, we already have that. And that is exactly the point. Think of everything you know about public housing, the image the term conjures up in your mind. If you like public housing you will love public health care.

Government is designed to do those things that cannot or should not be done by private providers or individuals, things like law enforcement or protecting our nation. Government does just about everything else quite poorly and when it comes to services to people, the government has never proven that they are better at providing a service like health care, housing or anything else better than the private sector or private charity organizations. Do we really accept the idea that the government can somehow do so much better at providing health care?

Gold Cup Preview--WWBBD

2009-06-30T18:08:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Men's National Team will look to defend as two time champions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup starting on Saturday. So the question is WWBBD, What will Bob Bradley do?

Looking at the Gold Cup roster, I don't see a lot of players with a great deal of hope, absent a massive showing, of making the World Cup roster. But here are a few things that I think that can be discerned from the roster:

1. I think Troy Perkins is likely to get most of the Gold Cup starts in net. This signals to me that he is likely to be the #3 for the U.S. at the World Cup. Perkins has had a good season so far in Norway and a few national team games will be his reward. I don't see him supplanting Tim Howard, but I could see him stepping into Brad Guzan's number two slot.

2. Bob Bradley has a chance to test a few offensive combinations. In particular, I think a Brian Ching/Charlie Davies pairing is likely in two of the three group stages games, most likely against Grenada and Honduras. Ching operates as a classic target striker and Davies is a much more of a speed forward. Davies is looking to cement himself a good move in the July transfer window and a good showing in the Gold Cup will help. Ching and Davies will be different that Altidore and Davies and I am interested in seeing whether Bradley, Ching and Davies can find a way to exploit their given strengths.

3. Can Heath Pearce make a case for himself? Bob Bradley will likely start Pearce and Steve Cherundolo at left and right back respectively. Cherundolo has suffered from injury and Bradley will likely give the long time Hanover 96 man the benefit of the doubt at this point regarding inclusion in the World Cup squad. Pearce on the other hand has suffered a drastic drop in form, getting shunned by his club (he was demoted to the reserves for Hansa Rostock) and a host of poor performances for the National team.

4. Will Bob Bradley drop the responsibility on Freddy Adu or look elsewhere? There will be a host of "this is Adu's chance to shine and get a World Cup spot" stories in the next few days, and while I agree with this sentiment, I am not sure that Adu will be handed the reins in midfield. Bob Bradley is looking at a midfield set up that will rely heavily on box to box midfielders, with a line of midfielders taking up defensive slots in support of teh back line. (see the defensive formation against Spain). Freddy Adu has never been a box to box midfielder. It is not that he couldn't be, as there is no reason why the 20 year old can't match the energy of Michael Bradley, Mo Edu or Landon Donovan, it is just that he has never done so. To really make a case for himself, Freddy Adu has to either bring that kind of energy or show something very different in order for Bradley to consider including him in the national team set up for next year. Right now, I am leaning to Bradley looking elsewhere for his midfield strength, namely Stuart Holden and possibly Robbie Rogers.

5. Defensively, I don't see much of a chance of this crop of defenders to make their way into the 'A' squad. The only exceptions would probably be Michael Parkhurst or Chad Marshall. Marshall is big, strong in the air and a threat on attacking set pieces. Parkhurst on the other hand is a bit smaller but very very good at positioning himself in defenses.

6. There are three players that I would like to see get some good playing time: Logan Pause, Santino Quaranta and Sam Cronin. Does Pause, who has had a good season for the Chicago Fire have what it takes on the international level? If the U.S. win against Grenada and Haiti, look for Pause to step into the holding midfielder role with Marshall and Parkhurst behind him against Honduras. Sam Cronin is a rookie on fire in the MLS during year when the competition for rookie of the year is intense. Does Cronin have what it takes to step up to the next level? I don't know, but I hope Bradley gives him the test. My favorit come-back player of the year Santino Quaranta is back, four years after helping the MNT win the Gold Cup in 2005. He is in form, injury free and making a case as a utility player who can play on the right, in the middle or up top.

7. Formation wise, I could see Bob Bradley experimenting with a kind of 4-3-3 with something like this:

--------------Perkins------------------

Cherundolo---Parkhurst--Conrad------Pearce

---Quaranta----Holden------Rogers-----

--------------Adu---------------------
------Davies----Ching------------------

A 4-4-2 would probably look more like this:

--------------Perkins------------------

Cherundolo---Parkhurst--Marshall------Pearce

--Quaranta---Holden--Beckerman------Adu

---------Davies--Ching-------------------

Finaly a 4-5-1 would look more like this:

--------------Perkins------------------

Cherundolo---Parkhurst--Marshall----Pearce

---------Pause-----Beckerman------------
Clark---------Adu-------------Rogers

--------------Ching------------------

The beauty is that the back line could include players like Clarence Goodson or Jimmy Conrad as well. In the end, I don't see Conrad making the cut for the World Cup.

Confederations Cup Answers Questions

2009-06-30T09:34:00.002-04:00

Going into the Confederations Cup, there were a series of questions that I had regarding the U.S. Men's National Team that I had hoped to get answered. Those four questions were:

1. Was the U.S. going to solve its full back problems, particularly the left back slot?

2. Was the U.S. going to find an attacking set up that didn't rely just on a target forward holding the ball, i.e. an option for a Brian Ching centric attack?

3. Was the U.S. going to find that vital play maker for the center of midfield?

4. Was Bob Bradley going to finally find a tactical set up that worked for the players he has at his disposal?

For questions 1 and 2, I would say that we have found good answers to those questions. Question 3 is still an unknown and I am not sure we are going to find that playmaker yet, although there do seem to be hints at some one who could fill that role. The answer to question 4 is a yes and a no.

The Answers

1. Was the U.S. going to solve its full back problems, particularly the left back slot? the injury to Carlos Bocanegra in the Honduras match in Chicago during World Cup Qualifying meant that Bob Bradley was forced to do something different. Rather than the starting center back tandem of Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu, Bradley was forced to start Jay DeMerit in the middle of the defense and the good fortune that came out of that forced decision was a revelation. Sure, DeMerit was shaky at times, but I think throughout the entire tournament, DeMerit steadily improved, making fewer mistakes and he reached the apex during the Spain game and the first half of the final. I think he was just exhausted by the end of the final, having played every minute for five straight matches and finding that he was just not fit enough to go five games in 13 days and be as sharp.

But putting DeMerit in the middle of defense and seeing a solid pairing with Onyewu, Bradley, in order to get his team captain on the field and not gut the confidence that DeMerit was showing, meant that Bocanegra had to play left back, a position he plays for his club, Rennes. Bocanegra proved to be solid out there on the left, he has enough knowledge to know when to move forward, a strong enough left foot to make good crosses and the defensive knowledge to position himself properly. He is clearly not as pacey as Jonathan Bornstein, but his knowledge and experience help.

Over on the right side, Jonathan Spector proved that he is set to become the U.S. right back. Spector, who normally plays centrally as well, was able to get up and down the right flank, made some great crosses (two assists in this tournament) and played very well defensively. Like Bocanegra, he is not as fast as I would like, but he plays a smart defense, has the necessary energy and is strong enough in attack that he should be the guy.

I think the Confederations Cup, and an unfortunate injury, allowed Bob Bradley to really find a defensive combination that works, that keeps its shape, is disciplined, experienced and meshed well. Sure, the U.S. is lacking pace, but if you need pace, you can have players like Frankie Hejduk, Bornstein or Marvell Wynne on your bench and accomplish that goal.

Coming out of the Confederations Cup, the U.S. now have a solid back line corps. If I were Bob Bradley, and I had to chose my top defenders right now, I would choose the following seven players* (followed by their preferred position and back up position)

Carlos Bocanegra (Left back, center back)
Oguchi Onyewu (center back)
Jay DeMerit (Center back)
Jonathan Spector (right back, center back)
Jonathan Bornstein (left back, left wing/midfield)
Frankie Hejduk/Steve Cherundolo (right back for both--depending on whose healthy)
Marvell Wynne (right back)

* FIFA allows 23 playes to be chose for the World Cup with three being goalkeepers, leaving 20 field players. Of that 20, Bradley will likely choose seven defenders.

2. Was the U.S. going to find an attacking set up that didn't rely just on a target forward holding the ball, i.e. an option for a Brian Ching centric attack?

This question is answered with another resouding Yes. For the past about 15 months or so, Bob Bradley has used Brian Ching and/or someone else as a target forward to hold the ball up for either midfielders like Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey or a second striker to play off of. This is not a bad strategy when Bradley had no other options. But an injury to Brian Ching just before the tournament meant that Bob Bradley had to change tactics and so something else. That something else was Jozy Altidore and Charlie Davies.

Altidore is not a target striker, he does not operate well with his back to the goal. He is best when moving, using his pace, guile and strength to get around defenders. Charlie Davies is likewise not a target striker, but is also very quick and strong. What Bradley did to great effect, particularly against Spain and Egypt was not ask these to players to be a striking duo, but to be two strikers. Bradley put these boys out wide to start and give them the space to make slashing runs through the middle, allowing their pace and physical strength to get behind defenders. But setting the two strikers up to work somewhat independently also allowed midfielders like Donovan and Clint Dempsey to work a little inside them, cutting through the middle, which suited the squad quite well. Dempsey is not a winger and generally pinches inside a little, which then opens space up for the right back and Altidore and Davies to work the flank.

The tactical set up, I think, really surprised Spain in particular as they are probably used to seeing a U.S. team operate more with a target striker than two quick, independent strikers. But the tactical change in the absence of Ching showed that Bradley has options that he didn't have before the tournament and probably did not consider. The beauty of this discovery is that Bradley can make a change in mid game if he has to. For example, he could start an Altidore/Davies like combo and insert Ching later to exploit the gaps in central defense caused by opposing center backs who are run ragged by guys like Davies. Bradley could also do a combo, staring with Ching and a flank guy like Davies who should be given the freedom to go where he wants on attack and just flit around for Ching to find him. Or Bradley could just go with a target striker set up.

What ever set up Bradley chooses, the fact remains, now he has options and he should use those options to show opponents something different.

3. Was the U.S. going to find that vital play maker for the center of midfield?

Right now, the answer to this question is still a no. But it is not as much of a no as before the Confederations Cup. There were two players that really showed that they might have the chops for this role, but to do so would mean something of a change for both players. Those young men are Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley. I hope that after this tournament, the nepotism charges should be dead, done, dusted, and buried forever. Michael Bradley was the definition of industry, a true box to box midfielder, as comfortable in defense as he is in attack. What Michael Bradley needs to do is improve his distributional skills and his on-the-ball skills so that he can hold the ball, pass the ball and pick apart defenses to unleash his attackers. At times in this tournament he showed that, particularly against Egypt and to a slightly lesser extent Spain. But he is not consistent enough to do it regularly and he is not as quick on the ball yet. Michael Bradley needs to read the game better, and faster, so that he is seeing five, six, ten seconds ahead. I think it can come, but he is not there yet.

Benny Feilhaber has that vision, he can read the game and defenses well. He can hold the ball and kill a game off, or he can play the ball quickly to chase a game. Where Feilhaber fails is in fitness. Feilhaber is simply not in a position to play 90 minutes every three days that is necessary in a tournament. When he gets tired, he gets sloppy and his decision making slows down and gets erratic. If Feilhaber gets fit, he can play anywhere in the midfield and make an impact. Right now, Feilhaber is a perfect super sub, a guy who can come on for 30 minutes and make an immediate impact, change the game as necessary. But if he is to become the U.S. #10, the playmaker, he has to prove he can go box to box like Michael Bradley.

In truth, if I could make a player with Michael Bradley's fitness, energy and defensive skill, and mix it with Feilhaber's vision, passing and tactical skill, the U.S. would have that playmaker. To bad we can genetically create such a player.

4. Was Bob Bradley going to finally find a tactical set up that worked for the players he has at his disposal?

This is a yes and no answer. Unlike Steve Sampson and Bruce Arena (Bradley's predecessor as U.S. Coach), Bob Bradley has proved that he can look at film of an opponent, break down their strenghts and weaknesses and set up his starting eleven to exploit opponent weaknesses and fortify the U.S. against opponent strenths. For example, look how Micheal Bradley, Rico Clark, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan killed off the Spanish midfield. Look how disciplined the U.S. was against Spain, letting them have the flanks to cross the ball in and letting big men like Onyewu and DeMerit clear every cross against the Spanish strikers. Look how Bradley exploited the weaknesses of Brazil the left and on counterattacks. Bradley could set his teams up for the staring eleven. That is crucial and it is the yes part of the answer.

The no part of the answer comes from his pattern of substitutions. Through out the tournament, Bradley's subs simply didn't get the job done. Except for the addition of Jonathan Bornstein on the left wing in the final, or the insertion of Feilhaber in the Egypt and Spain games, not one of the Bradley subs actually improved the U.S. game to any discernible extent. Therein lies the tactical problem with Bob Bradley. He fails his own team by not being able to truly alter the game plan when things go awry or the U.S. gets down a goal or two. In the group stage against Brazil, when the U.S. went down early, Bob Bradley didn't know how to make changes to chase the game. The smart move at 2-0 down was to go to your playmakers, Jose Torres, Benny Feilhaber and even Freddy Adu, players who can create. Bob Bradley cannot shift tactics or alter his game plan on the fly to accomodate the changes in circumstance.

Can Bradley get better at the change on the fly? I think so. He has certainly shown that he knows how to set his team up to start, I believe he can learn how to change the game plan and alter teh game with smarter subs. It is not so much who he puts in (although that is important) but also a matter of when. For example, in the Brazile game, putting Jonathan Bornstein in on the left flank earlier, would have helped shut down Maicon bombing forward on the U.S. left side. Putting Jose Torres into the match for Feilhaber would have kept some creative flair on the field and made Brazil stop and think about the change, buying the U.S. some precious time on the clock.

Coming out of the Confederations Cup, I am happy with getting a couple of these questions answered. I would like to have gotten more of them fully answered, but with a little less than a year out, the U.S. is growing confidence. Two big milestones were passed, i.e. that the U.S. can respond to adverse situations in a tournament and play with pride and effectiveness. Second, the U.S. outplayed Spain and won. The U.S. outplayed Brazil for 45 minutes and nearly won. That means the U.S. should not fear any team in the world and should play with confidence.

I think the U.S. could close out 2009 with two major accomplishments and call this the most successful year in National Team history. Those accomplisments are:

1. Qualify for the World Cup with a couple games to spare.
2. Beat Mexico at Azteca Stadium.

Go U.S.A. !!!!!!!

Five Americans Who Improved Their Stock In South Africa

2009-06-28T19:25:00.003-04:00

The Confederations Cup was a chance for the U.S. Men's National Team to show how they stack up against some of the best teams in the world. To be sure, the U.S. showed that they still suffer from a great deal of inconsistency and uneven play. To be sure, the U.S. certainly showed that they can play against the best in the world. But I have to say that there were some lessons to be learned.

However, I think there are five American players who will greatly benefit from their performance on the international stage. Here are my five (well six really as I will explain).

Charlie Davies. In terms of making the most of his chances, Charlie Davies will not be employed in Sweden for much longer. He proved that he ready to make the next step up in his development. He showed not only speed, but also strength, smarts and drive. In the final against Brazil, Davies was leading a brilliant counter on the left side. He had the speed to blow by the Brazilian defense, but at that point the U.S. was up 2-1 and he did the smart thing, he stopped, pulled the ball back and played into the midfield in order to hold possession. Davies fought for the ball, and left everythign on the field against Egypt, Spain and Brazil. He has truly been a revelation for the U.S. MNT this tournament. I would expect a move to the Netherlands or even Germany. I think the Netherlands would be the best move.
Landon Donovan. Along with Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan proved that he is truly a box to box midfielder. His fitness is amazing, covering about 7 miles of ground a game, for five games in two weeks. That is absolutely necessary for a tournament player. What really cemeted Donovan's salability in this tournament was his defensive work. Donovan has long been known solid attacking midfielder, lots of pace, and nose for the goal. But in this tournament Donovan was clearing balls from the defensive box. He was harrying the opposing full backs and making a great nuisance of himself, clogging up the midfield and forechecking. If MLS gets any sort of decent offer (upwards of $5 million), MLS has to let the man go. He has earned the right to go abroad and the MLS, if they are truly interested in growing the game in this country have to let Donovan go.
Oguchi Onyewu.Gooch was an absolute beast this tournament. He is on a free transfer this summer and Gooch's performance will probably earn him another $10,000 a week in salary. Quick review, two time, back-to-back, Belgian league champions; solid, improving play international play against some of the best strikers in the world. My biggest knock against Onyewu in the past has been his reckless challenges resulting in yellow cards, but he has really improved in that category and that makes him vastly more marketable. Rumors are pointing to Fenerbache in Turkey, a couple of lower level English Premier League teams and now a couple of Italian clubs including Fiorentina. Given the reputation of the Italian league in terms of defensive play, I think Italy would be a brilliant move.
Benny Feilhaber. After his glory in the Gold Cup that got the U.S. to the Confederations Cup, Feilhaber dropped off the radar screen. While Feilhaber showed in the Brazil games is that he is not 90 minutes fit, I think he is the definition of an impact sub and more importantly, Feilhaber can be the guy to make a difference. If the game is tied and Bradley needs to make a quick tweak to the game to show something different, Feilhaber can do that. If the U.S. needs to manage a game while being up, Feilhaber can hold the ball up, control the match and control the ball. If the U.S. needs to chase a game, Feilhaber can bring the skills and vision to find that necessary goal. I would like to see Aarhus in Denmark give this young man some 90 minute games. Feilhaber should not move this summer, but maybe the January window.
-tie. Ricardo Clark. In know there are a lot of haters out there about Rico Clark, but leaving aside the red card against Italy, Clark demonstrated why he is a solid holding midfielder. Yes, Clark needs to work on his first touch, but his positioning, energy and discipline have greatly improved. I think he and Maurice Edu will battle for that holding midfield spot and that is good for the U.S. I think Clark is ready for a move to Europe and with the rumor that Rennes (where Carlos Bocanegra plays) would be a good choice. Jay DeMerit. Stepping in for the injured Carlos Bocanegra, the big DeMerit showed that he is a good choice. Yes, DeMerit made some misjudgments at times, but I think he showed that he is a quality center back. DeMerit and Gooch really worked well together and even on the first Fabiano goal yesterday, DeMerit did everything right. If his left foot was three inches to the right, that shot was blocked. DeMerit should get some good hard looks from lower level Premier League teams.

I really tried to pick either Clark or DeMerit, but really they came to be a toss up.

USA 2:3 Brazil

2009-06-28T19:21:00.002-04:00

the Americans gave it a great go, but ran out of gas and it was obvious. The quick start by the Americans gave me hope and I have to admit I was thinking about the upset win and was getting a little out of my mind. The high was high.

But the quick goal by Fabiano in the second half was the real turning point. The longer the U.S. held that 2-0 lead the more likely that they would win. But the Brazilian pressure was just to much in the end.

More thoughts on the game later as it stews a bit in my head.

15 Reasons to Oppose the Climate Bill

2009-06-26T18:15:00.000-04:00

From the Club for Growth. All good reasons but I have three that are completely unrelated:

1. It is sponsored by Henry Waxman--enough said.
2. It is about climate change and stopping it. Congress would be better off trying to legislation the sunrise--neither of which are in the enumerated powers or contemplated by teh "necessary and proper clause."
3. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Joe Biden thinks the bill is good policy. They are all wrong.

Healthy and Unhealth Obsessions

2009-06-26T11:55:00.001-04:00

This is your brain on mid-life crisis says Tom Smith,about Gov. Mark Sanford, it is a sharp criticism:

Once more the human animal baffles me. Gov. Sanford, who I thought was pretty cool for trying to refuse to take stimulus money, turns out to be a love-crazed loon. I have long accepted that women are mysterious, but increasingly I fear I do not understand men either. What is it with these middle aged guys who ruin themselves, not to mention their families, by chasing after ridiculous objects of affection or even obsession? The length of the flight alone would keep me from flying to Argentina to have sex, not to mention prior engagements. Do I just not get it? Do I not know what love is? Hasn't this guy ever heard of cold showers or push ups?

I think in a deeper sense this is all the fault of liberals. Nobody used to think that just because you were 49 and the mother of your children no longer enthralled you as she once did that you were somehow entitled to fly across the hemisphere to satisfy your man lust. Real men sucked down a couple of stiff drinks, played a round of golf, fired up a good cigar and accepted the responsibilities of running the free world. But no more apparently. Now it's, oh my feelings, and I don't know who I am anymore, and nine other kinds of [b.s.]. It makes me embarassed for my sex. But, this is all the fault of the sexual revolution, and the associated rise of the therapeutic culture, which you may recall were not Republican ideas.

Despite the rhetoric about the fault of liberals, I don't think Smith is that far off the mark as a general point. Men used to be obsessed about inanimate things (cars or motorcycles), esoteric things (coins or stamps) or, heaven forbid, sports. Now they have become obsessed with feelings and validation and it seems stupid.

I came to an epiphany about this last night. Last night my wife noted to me that I seem obsessed with soccer. I don't know if "obsessed" is the right word (I am far more enamoured with the term "passionate," but that is semantics). I admit, I get excited about a good soccer game, I enjoy the game and I love to talk about it. I have been excited about all the soccer this summer as can be seen on this blog. So I suppose, for the sake of argument, my passion could be interpreted as an "obsession" by those close to me and it is helpful for this argument.

But here is the thing, my "obsession" with soccer keeps me and my mind focused on something, well if not constructive, at least not destructive like having an affair with a woman thousands of miles away. If Mark Sanford had been obsessed with soccer, American football, baseball, basketball, golf, boating, actual hiking, stamp collecting, ancient coins, Guitar Hero, Wii bowling or some other hobby, it probably would have meant that at least he wasn't jetting off to Argentina for some illicit snuggle time with a woman not his wife. If Mark Sanford had an obsessive hobby or extreme passion for sports, what used to be a thought of as a manly sort of thing, he would not have destroyed an otherwise stellar political career and more importantly would not have destroyed a family that he and his wife had worked hard to build.

Should Sanford have had a few stiff drinks, a cigar and a round of golf, or certainly a cold shower? I don't know, probably and 30 years ago he might have. But our society has become very adept at putting the self-desire before the self-duty. What Gov. Sanford lost sight of was that in fulfilling his selfish, personal desires, he abdicated his duties to his wife, his family, his friends and his constitutents. He is a symbol of a culture that has put so much emphasis on feelings, on therapy, on self-validation, and self-fulfillment, the concept of a manly sacrifice for the benefit of others has become lost along the way. Sanford's affair is indicative of the culture exalts one's own personal, physical desires first and men have lost the wherewithal to think clearly or to sacrifice an immediate physical want (sex) upon the alter of what is considered proper or dare I say moral? The societal impetus and the metrosexual male need to validate and fulfill our feelings become so important that some men are willing to toss aside decades of marriage, family and career for some woman who is thousands of miles away? If we are to learn a lesson in strength, fortitude and masculinity, or more accurately the lack thereof, I think we have seen that through Mark Sanford.

Gov. Sanford will live with his choices and the consequences thereof. As for me, I certainly don't think my passion for soccer has in any way dimished my passion for my wife and my love for my family. I try to keep my eyes on what is important. Yes, soccer clouds my field of vision from time to time. But, I don't think it leads me to bad choices. It is not as if I spent thousands of dollars of family funds jetting off to South Africa to watch the U.S. play in the Confederations Cup. Even if Sanford's hypothetical coin collecting hobby were expensive, I think Sanford's wife could handle that kind of unhealthy obsession, she would be far more forgiving than she is now, and at worse Mark Sanford would have to explain why he has a Fathead of a Buffalo Nickel on his garage wall. Such an explanation, while perhaps awkward, would be more manly, masculine and certainly more acceptable than the debacle he and his family is living now.

Can't wait to see the spin on this

2009-06-25T20:37:00.002-04:00

Via Instapundit

Obama not closing door on possible health care tax.

Senators working to give President Barack Obama a comprehensive health care overhaul said Thursday they had figured out how to pare back the complex legislation to keep costs from crashing through a $1 trillion, 10-year ceiling.

The announcement from Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and other lawmakers amounted to a small, parting gift to Obama on his top domestic priority as Congress prepares to leave town for its weeklong July 4 recess. It moved Congress a bit closer to a deal on legislation to lower costs and provide coverage to nearly 50 million Americans who lack it.

It also capped two weeks of tough going for health care negotiations on Capitol Hill as price tags as high as $1.6 trillion over 10 years sent senators back to the drawing board and forced deadlines to be repeatedly reset.

"We have options that would enable us to write a $1 trillion bill, fully paid for," Baucus said at a news conference.

Baucus declined to detail how the costs were being cut, but options included difficult sacrifices like potentially delaying an expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state program for the poor.

Hmmm, I thought Democrats were the party who were looking out for the little guy, the poor.

Failure of Prioritization

2009-06-25T20:34:00.002-04:00

Let us create a massive new health care program without fixing the programs we actually have. Yeah, that is a smart idea.

Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson

2009-06-25T20:27:00.002-04:00

Two icons for different reasons gone on the same day.

I have to say that I am not sure how I feel. One small part of me feels sad for Farrah Fawcett's family as she will not receive the attention she deserves because of all she did after Charlie's Angels.

Right now, all I can think of about Michael Jackson is that I remember Thriller and Off the Wall, but couldn't really stand much after that. I also remeber his eccentricities, including the hyperbaric oxygen chamber and all the self-image issues.

Still, he was a massive talent that cannot be denied.

U.S. Gold Cup Roster

2009-06-25T12:57:00.000-04:00

With the success of the U.S. at the Confederations Cup, the U.S. has selected a team of relatively young players to compete in the Gold Cup.

GOALKEEPERS: Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Troy Perkins (IK Start), Luis Robles (FC Kaiserslautern)
DEFENDERS: Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Jay Heaps (New England Revolution), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaellands), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
MIDFIELDERS: Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado Rapids), Sam Cronin (Toronto FC), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Logan Pause (Chicago Fire), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS: Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Santino Quaranta (D.C. United).

Well, it is not just young players, but a number of players who previously had seen a few looks for the U.S. MNT, but for one reason or another, weren't getting called into camp.

Veteran players Heath Pearce (23 caps), Jimmy Conrad(24), Steve Cherundolo (51) and Brian Ching (36) lead this team in number of caps. Only Freddy Adu (13) and Santino Quaranta (11) have double digit caps. It is good to see Quaranta on the roster given his fall from grace and recent well documented personal and professional renaissance.

The back line will probably include Cherundolo and Pearce at the full back positions with a mix of Conrad, Chad Marshall and Michael Parkhurst in the middle. I would lean to Conrad and Parkhurst. That back line will have to rely on knowledge and positioning to play since speed will not be in abundance there.

The midfield is interesting. I think at holding midfielder, Bob Bradley has to look to Kyle Beckerman for experience, work rate and distribution skills. But if Bradley needs an absolute monster defensive midfielder, he will probably go with Logan Pause, whose performance on the star studded Chicago Fire is ofen over looked. Sandwiched between the back line stars of Wilman Conde and Boukary Somare and the midfield that included Blanco and Marco Pappa, Logan Pause does not garner a lot of kudos for his work, but he is fantastic as a holding midfielder. Out on teh wings, I think Robbie Rogers is a pretty solid choice for the left wing, but I think that the right would be a toss up between Stuart Holden and Santino Quaranta (who played on the 2005 Gold Cup team). Both young men have had stellar seasons for their club and Bradley might have an embarrassment of riches on the right. In the hole is probably going to be Freddy Adu, but Stuart Holden has stepped up in that position for Houston and could prove effective. The problem is that Bob Bradley likes his midfielders to be true box to box players and Freddy Adu has never proven to be that guy. Unless Adu starts showing that work rate, he is going to fall off the radar pretty quick. This is Adu's chance to show that he deserves to be in the national team mix.

Up top, Brian Ching is practically a lock and will probably wear the capatain's arm band. He drives defenses crazy with his ability to hold the ball. The question becomes who to play off of him. Adu could work, but doesn't have a great deal of pace. Kenny Cooper would be a fan favorite and he is much better going at players than Ching. However, I will place lots of money on a Ching/Charlies Davies match up (although not for the first game). Just looking at Davies performances against Egypt and Spain, he has proven to be a nuisance for defenses and his work rate against both teams appeals to Bradley. Combine that with Davies speed, strength and willingness to mix it up, I think the Ching-Davies pairing is going to be pretty likely.

In goal, it will be Busch and Perkins and pick 'em. Both players are in mid-season form for their clubs. I lean to Perkins for his height and command of the box, but if you need a shot stopper, Busch is solid as well.

So if I were picking the line up for the first match against Grenada on July 4, it would probably look like this (going with the younger players in this game against what is essentially a semi-pro/amateur team outside of Shalrie Joseph).

--------------Perkins-----------------

Cherundolo--Parkhurst---Conrad----Pearce

-------------Pause-----------------
Holdne--------------------Rogers
-------------Adu-------------------

------Quaranta------Cooper-----------

Against Honduras on July 8

-----------------Perkins--------------------

Cherundolo---Parkhurst---Marshall--------Pearce

---------------Beckerman--------------------
Quaranta------------------------Rogers
----------------Holden---------------------

-------Ching----------Davies----------------

Looking for competition in all the wrong places

2009-06-25T11:55:00.000-04:00

American Thinker's James Eaves:

"Competition could work to improve quality and lower costs in health care, if the right mix of policies were part of health care reform. That increased competition would lower health care costs and increase accessibility seems widely accepted (at least publically) -- even among those on the left. But the leading reform proposals do not address the barriers to competition in health care, and would accelerate cost growth, even if a 'public option' isn't adopted.

America's health care market has a distinctive quality: over time, technology advances are associated with higher costs. This is unlike most markets. (Consider computers, high definition TVs, and digital cameras.) And the difference is not caused by something special about health care technology.

In fact, in the right market circumstances, health care technologies can advance while costs decline. The quality of some types of cosmetic surgery, such as breast augmentation, has increased while its cost actually has decreased."

Interesting thoughts.

George F. Will on Green Jobs

2009-06-25T10:03:00.000-04:00

Will calls it a quixotic pursuit.

Althouse: "The second most important upset ever by an American team, behind only the 1980 Miracle on Ice."

2009-06-25T09:50:00.000-04:00

Ann Althouse gives props to the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team.

Really, How To Explain This

2009-06-25T09:40:00.000-04:00

Detroit Public Schools, $430 million in deficit, finds it has 257 ghosts on the payroll. Seriously?

The headline at the Detroit Free Press actually uses "ghost" in the headline and the article. That in reference to employees that don't actually do anything, aren't on the payroll, but still get paid. If you're like me, you're asking the same thing - huh? Apparently, as a way to weed out the ghosts in the system, the last DPS pay period was one where every employee had to pick up either a paycheck or a direct deposit slip in person. No exceptions. The result? 257 ghosts haunting DPS, and costing taxpayers almost a quarter of a million dollars every pay period! (this for a district already $430 million in the hole) This shouldn't surprise anyone in Detroit, as there are more registered voters here than residents.

Instapundit Props to the U.S. Men's National Team

2009-06-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

The Instapundit--expanding the U.S. Soccer audience. That's great.