Starting Eleven: European, world soccer blog

MLS Should Say Good Riddance to Thierry Henry

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:35:00 +0000

Thanks for coming Thierry

So Thierry Henry is on his way back to Arsenal. Great (yawn). Maybe Henry and David Beckham can share a row in first class on their way back to jolly ol' England. Personally, makes me no never mind whether Henry returns to the Gunners. It's just the symptom of bigger issues on both sides of the pond.

MLS continues to spiral down this NASL-like path of being a destination for older, fading European and South American stars who want the fan worship and exposure here and maybe cash in on some valuable marketing dollars. The ulterior motive from a football perspective is a little more subtle--MLS essentially becomes an offseason training camp for these older players who either are pining for one last fling with their national team (ahem, Becks) or last-gasp return to glory--and paycheck--with the club with whom they made their name. Go on MLS, keep bringing in the likes of Henry, Beckham, Roy Keane et al. These soon-to-be 40-somethings are just using you and taking up a roster spot for someone young you could develop.

Henry had a good year with Red Bull scoring 14 goals in 26 games. The 34-year-old is Arsenal's all-time leading scorer and the club recently unveiled a statue of the French star at the Emirates Stadium. His move to Arsenal is a two-month loan that will end Feb. 16 after Arsenal's next Champions League match. Arsene Wenger is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle bringing in Henry as Arsenal is in a desperate fight for fourth in the Premier League, which guarantees the Gunners a spot in next season's Champions League.

Will he help? Probably since Henry is in shape and will certainly have momentum, adrenaline and fan support on his side. Will he stay? Depends, but if he has any kind of success, then change that "depends" to a yes. As Beckham did with AC Milan, Henry is likely to tell Red Bull "see ya in May" if he pots a few goals and Arsenal gets into contention for the title or at a minimum, Champions League qualification. The latter is likely and if Henry is making any kind of impact, he's gonna "Beckham" Red Bull the same way Becks did to the Galaxy.

I've said it before; MLS needs to discipline itself and not whore itself out to these guys just to sell jerseys and tickets. There has to be some long-range vision here; ask Jurgen Klinsmann whom he's rather see on the Red Bull roster: Some young potential USMNT player, or Henry, Beckham or Zidane? Bringing in the Thierry Henrys of the world doesn't grow the game in America, it just pads the players' wallets, MLS' pockets and does nothing to advance the game in this country.

Tim Howard Goal v. Bolton: Real Reason to Root for Howard

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:52:00 +0000

Tim Howard is a class dude. Not only is he a world-class keeper, but seems to be a quality guy.

Yesterday the Everton and US national team keeper scored a goal for the ages. He bombed a 90-yard clearance from his own goal area in a Premier League match against Bolton. A fierce wind turned what should have been a three-quarter pitch reset ball into an historic goal. The ball bounced shy of the Bolton box and took a vicious hop over a flummoxed Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan into the goal. Everton led 1-0 and Howard, win or lose (yes Everton lost 2-1) was the story. He was mobbed by teammates, glorified in headlines, and got the spotlight.

Yet Howard wasn't enjoying the celebration. Maybe inside he chuckled. Maybe inside his heart took a dozen or so extra beats. But he wasn't showing it at Goodison Park yesterday. Nope. He stayed stoic; kinda deflected hugs and headslaps and went on with his evening.

Why?

Adam Bogdan, his counterpart. The guy flailing on his back desperate to stretch to reach Howard's "shot". The guy who would be the goat of the day. Howard felt compassion for him because he knew his wonder goal was a fluke. He knew his was an accident the ball went in. He knew it was an honest mistake that Bogdan misjudged the ball and was out of position.

Howard told SkySports after the match:

"I was delighted that we were in the lead and would hopefully go on to get three points, but it's not a nice feeling for a keeper. It's really awful actually. For the back four and the goalkeepers at both ends, there was an awful wind swirling. You could see everybody was mistiming balls. Defenders were missing clearances that normally they would put up the field. I think the wind is the hardest condition to play in. Snow, rain, sun doesn't matter, but the wind really does play tricks on you. I let him know that I was feeling for him. It's not a nice place to be. I've been there before, a long, long time ago, and that was why I didn't celebrate."

That's all you need to know about Tim Howard. Class.

Americanized Exceptions to Football I Can Live With

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:47:00 +0000

Angelina-Jen: A Derby for the Ages

I'm staunchly opposed to the Americanization of football. I don't want overtime, shootouts, substitutions on the fly, bigger goals or shorter fields. I don't want instant replay, playoffs or field turf.

There's a lot of don'ts and won'ts in there. There are also exceptions to every rule. Two things American sports do well are create events and honor their best.

I want a Winter Classic-style football event. And I want a world football hall of fame.

The Hall of Fame is easy. Unlike the shit show that is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there are clear guidelines a football hall could follow. Such as: Be out of the game five years before you're eligible; you're eligible for only 10 years (if you're not a Hall of Famer in year 1, chances are, you're not one 10 years later); Weighted voting on by journalists and players; and (gulp) FIFA runs it--boy am I asking for a corruption disaster there, aren't I? But if there's one thing they can get right, it's this.

Today's generations, unless they're brow-beaten by overbearing dads, uncles and grandpas, don't know who DiStefano or Eusebio was. Pele? Yeah, he played for the Cosmos! Eusebio? He was in the hospital last week. Second best player to Pele during his time? Really? Hmm?

A Hall of Fame, a museum where careers, players and the game is honored is long overdue for the world's most popular game. It's a destination stop for families on vacation. It's a place players can shoot for once they're done with the game. "I may not win a Champions League or World Cup, but I can still be immortal in the Hall of Fame."

To be done right, it has to be hard to get in. Only the elite get in. I don't want to see Joe Cole's name on the ballot, nor do I want to see John Harkes' even though he's somehow in the US Hall--another story for another day.

The Hall of Fame is easy. The Winter Classic is difficult. The NHL puts two teams on an outdoor rink built inside a football or baseball stadium. It's played on New Year's Day--or thereabouts--and it's a great event. The players love it, the fans love it, the NHL loves it.

For football--I don't want a gimmick. The game still has to count. It has to be played on a regulation field and count in the table. I don't want it indoors, on fake grass, or on ice skates for that matter. But there has to be something big, something that counts, something that would be a legitimate event.

My best effort is a derby day in the same stadium. London is easy: Arsenal-Tottenham; Chelsea-Fulham; West Ham-Millwall. All three games at Wembley; all of them count. In Lisbon, it's Belenenses-Setubal, Sporting-Benfica. In Madrid, it's Real Madrid-Atletico, Getafe-Rayo Vallecano--and so forth.

Imagine the hype of putting all these games in the same park on the same day! Rotate the stadia year after year, charge a lot of money, put it all on TV, whatever it takes. Make it a worldwide derby day where every country's greatest derbies are contested simultaneously.

It's a win all around if you ask me. But this isn't a dictatorship. If you have better ideas, send them along and I'll post them all.

Don't Get Apocalyptic About Football in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:07:00 +0000

If this is the apocalypse, gimme some

It's been almost five months since I've posted something fresh to my blog. That's downright apocalyptic, which is apropos given it's after all 2012. Kinda sad for footie fans if the Mayans are right. After all, we're stuck with 2010 as the last World Cup--aside from Spain establishing itself as the best national team in a generation, the Mundial didn't give us much more. The U.S. bombed out, and even that wasn't enough to cost Bullet Bob Bradley his job until 2011! A loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final apparently means a lot more to the ever-provincial US Soccer Federation.

Barcelona, meanwhile, continues to dominate club football. Real Madrid has its most potent club in a long time and cannot make a dent in Pep Guardiola's armor. Jose Mourinho's Year-2 legacy of winning big as a sophomore is in serious jeopardy if the last Classico was any indication. Cristiano "ARod" Ronaldo just can't get over the Messi hump. It's a messy situation.

The Champions League? Still sucks. Which is too bad. I still want the 64-team NCAA Tournament-style knockout tournament to come back. I think that still satisfies the Platinis of the world who want the minnows to cash in. It also satisfies the giants who if they're dedicated enough, can stomp through the early rounds and make for a juicy Sweet 16 and beyond. Maybe someone should buy Platini and company tickets to this year's NCAA Final Four. Maybe it will spur him on. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

So what do we have to look forward to this year? A Porto-Sporting Sweet 16 in the Europa League? How cool would that be? Only thing cooler would be a Sporting-Braga final. But that's just silly me being silly selfish.

Euro is this summer. Hopefully the solar flares won't be kicking up too bad in Poland and Ukraine and ESPN won't lose its' feed a la the 2008 Euro. The GOD group, i.e., Portugal-Holland-Germany-Denmark (Seriously, what sick fuck thought this shit up?) is unquestionably cementing Euro's status as the best football tournament in the world. What a bloodbath those group games are going to be. Portugal and Holland hate each other (see 2006 World Cup). Germany and Holland have history. Portugal cannot beat Germany--and apparently cannot beat Denmark either. And Denmark, yeah, it beat Germany to win the '92 Euro for whatever that's worth.

All I know is that if Portugal somehow escapes the group stage, somewhere along the way it will play England -- and beat England -- in penalty kicks. Make book on it. Otherwise, it's difficult to bet against a Spain-Germany final, which is a tasty treat for sure given the young Germany powerhouse that country is building, and Spain, of course, being Spain.

And then it's downtime until Dec. 21, which could be the be-all, end-all of ... The Club World Cup?

U.S. National Team Players Just Don't Get Enough Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:41:00 +0000

There's an eye-opening article on SI.com about Americans abroad having a chance to impress new United States men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann--a clean slate if you will. The author makes the point that Klinsmann's philosophy is going to be so radically different from Bob Bradley's that anyone has a chance to make an impact with the #USMNT.

She scores more in Italy
than #USMNT players

Fair enough, and maybe so. Writer Avi Creditor makes his case well noting that Chris Rolfe, for example, has two goals in two games for his team in Denmark, and how Joe Corona is making his case in Mexico with Tijuana. Cool. Good enterprise angle. So is the reporting on how Americans have fared over the first two weeks of domestic play worldwide. Creditor went country by country, player by player providing details on how many minutes each played and whether they scored, etc.

If you ask me, that's the meat of the issue. It's not the opportunity these players have in front of them, but just how few minutes Americans with a chance to make the national squad actually play! In England, where the biggest pool of Americans swim overseas--where the likes of Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Eric Lichaj, Stuart Holden and others play--four of the 15 in England started their games. One, John Paul Pittman of Oxford United in League 2, came on as a sub. The rest were either not on the 18-man roster or were, but didn't see playing time. Says volumes if you ask me.

Let's keep going. Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones - in the 18 for their respective squads and 0 minutes of live action. Same for Steve Cherundulo and Ricardo Clark. Carlos Bocanegra, the U.S. captain, not in the 18 for St. Etienne in France. Same story for Oguchi Onyewu with Sporting.

See where I'm going here? Our "best players" can't get on the field. It's great they're in Europe, being exposed to soccer cultures and supposedly better training and attitude about football. But what's the point if they're playing in reserve games and never getting a sniff of Sunday football?

What world football power operates this way with its players? Xavi and Rooney and Schweinsteiger, they'd be just as good for their respective nations if they sat every Sunday, correct?

To me, this raises tons of questions about the U.S.: Does our player selection just suck? Is the MLS single-entity system strangling national team development? Are we over-rating our best talent; worse yet, are our coaches and federation officials doing the same? They are supposed to be the experts here.

Kudos to Klinsmann for saying he needs more Latino influence in the #USMNT and for promising to play different faces and adopt a new philosophy. Maybe the answer is to open up MLS and make it more appealing and enticing for our best to play here in front of their national team coach. And yes, the U.S. needs more Latinos and more Euros, but only those who are playing ball every Sunday. Which is more than we can say for the Adus, Onyewus and Bornsteins of the world.

FIFA U-20 World Cup: Gloriously Rooting for Laundry

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:05:00 +0000

Whoever said kids should be seen and not heard has not been watching the U-20 World Cup. Stand up and shout boys, this has been one hell of a tournament. Watching the semifinals this weekend was euphoric and anxiety-inducing, just like good football should be.

Where to begin? With Portugal's one-for-the-ages penalties win over Argentina? Or how about with France gagging away a 1-0 lead with 7 seconds left in added time, and almost doing it again in extra time? And what about Brazil and Spain in extra time?

I wish I knew more about the players; I felt like I was rooting for laundry at times. I was. I was also rooting for good and dramatic football, which was hard not to do.The skill level is pretty high, in fact about the only distinguishing factor here from "senior" football is the size of the players. Most of them are tall and skinny and haven't really hit the weight room much yet as their older counterparts -- just a guess on my part.

Tactically however, the games are fun and fascinating to watch. They're playing for so much and for a lot of them, this may be their only shot at international glory. Imagine, all four quarterfinal matches went to extra time and two of them to penalty kicks. The games were tight, but you couldn't help get caught up in the drama. I can't advocate more than for you to watch tomorrow's semifinals. Brazil-Mexico and France-Portugal should be epic. A Brazil-Portugal World Cup final is epic at any level; Mexico, should it make the final, continues to make its case as a huge threat for the 2014 and 2018 World Cup (remember, Mexico won the U17 World Cup a few weeks back). France? Well, yeah, OK. Anyway.

Klinsmann, Not U.S., Needs to Win Tonight Against Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:33:00 +0000

Jurgen Klinsmann--Not Bob Bradley

Does Jurgen Klinsmann need to win tonight? You bet your ass he does. Now that doesn't mean the U.S. has to defeat Mexico tonight in Philadelphia, but it had better be a good show. He'd better play some young guys, show some hints of a new philosophy and the defense better not be a sieve. These were all the things that did in Bob Bradley, and to see more of the same would definitely set the Klinsmann Era off on the wrong foot. After all, we don't want smart-ass bloggers to start calling it the Klinsmann Error, do we?

Now seriously, it's humungously unfair for Klinsmann's first game at the helm of the United States men's national soccer team to come against the region's best team and the U.S.' biggest rival in Mexico.Nothing good can come of it unless the U.S. beats Mexico 2-nil. And even then, Klinsmann will be hailed as the savior and all future shortcomings will be judged against this--at least for the time being.

Maybe it's a good time to set expectations; consider this kinda like a tryout. Klinsmann is working with a slew of potential assistant coaches, starting with Tab Ramos, Thomas Dooley and Martin Vasquez. OK. The final 20 players Klinsmann brought to Philly includes some surprises. Clint Dempsey isn't on the roster, while DeMarcus Beasley is. So is Freddy Adu, Robbie Rogers, Kyle Beckerman, Zach Lloyd and Edgar Castillo. Who? Yeah. It's the young guys you've been clamoring for; the players Bradley never developed and never nurtured for 2014 and beyond. Bradley rode the veterans like Donovan, Dempsey, et al. And there's some justification there, mostly self-preservation--and in the end that didn't work.

Klinsmann has been around enough world-class football to understand the importance of playing younger players in meaningless friendlies and urge them to succeed and play at their highest level. This is the best way to evaluate young players; and at least most of these guys play regularly in MLS, for whatever that's worth. At least those are meaningful minutes, unlike Bradley who had no qualms about putting guys like Adu, Oguchi Onyewu and others who barely were on club rosters somewhere in the world, much less playing at all. And for some unfathomable reason were playing and starting on a national team roster! Says plenty about the state of U.S. football.

This might be the first mountain Klinsmann decides to climb. He needs players who are game fit mentally and physically. He needs players who understand the subtleties of game flow and rhythm. He needs players period, and not just players for today, but players for the next two to four years.

If you're a fan, tonight is must-see TV. Don't sweat the small stuff like winning or losing, because tonight it doesn't really matter. Let's see who Klinsmann plays, how the team plays and try to figure out what he likes and doesn't care for in this team. And tomorrow, let's talk about whether Klinsmann, and not the U.S., wins or loses.

Klinsmann's Raw Deal: Coaching in Shadow of a Legend Like Bradley

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:40:00 +0000

Jurgen Klinsmann faces this!

Jurgen Klinsmann ain't no Bob Bradley. He's younger, has slightly more hair and has won more World Cups albeit by the narrowest of margins, 1-nil.

Now Klinsmann is further burdened by having to coach Bradley's boys. Y'know, the team he molded into Gold Cup and Confederations Cup finalists. The boys he shaped that "won" their group at the 2010 World Cup and gave Ghana all it had before extra time was just too much for the boys in red white and blue. So much for Klinsmann to bear.

How will he top Bullet Bob's tenacity on the sidelines? How can he beat the way Bradley deftly moved players around the pitch like a Russian chess master? How, by all that's holy, will Klinsmann figure out how to shape the U.S. fullbacks or in heaven's name put the right forwards up top in big games. No one put players in the lineup who hadn't played serious game minutes in months like ol' Bob Bradley did. We're gonna miss that.

No what Klinsmann has to do is follow that legacy left by Bradley. He'll need to look confused, uninspired and dumbfounded at the worst possible moments. He'll need to shoehorn in Ricardo Clark whenever possible into the U.S. lineup. He'll need to put Gooch Onyewu front and center on defense even though big ol' Gooch hasn't played first-division soccer since high school. He'll need to play veterans for today, and screw tomorrow's team. He'll need to make every game a mentally anguishing adventure; y'know, fall behind 1-0, 2-0 in the first 30 minutes and then come roaring back to tie Guatemala, Honduras or, y'know, Algeria.

Following a legend is always the kiss of death for a coach or a pro athlete. Imagine being the focal point of the Chicago Bulls the year after Michael Jordan retired. Or following Bill Parcells or Bill Walsh after winning all those Super Bowls. Jurgen Klinsmann has been dealt a raw hand and I feel badly for him. Not only is he going to coach in Bob Bradley's shadow until at least the 2014 World Cup, but he has fewer than two weeks to get ready for his first live action, Aug. 10 against Mexico in Philadelphia. Poor bastard, his first game is a Gold Cup finals rematch against the dominant team in the region. Well, looking on the bright side, at least it's not in LA.

New FIFA World Rankings: No Christmas in July

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:35:00 +0000

Ho? Ho-Ho

The new FIFA world rankings are out. It's like Christmas morning when is I see FUBAR's, er, FIFA's list of the top national men's teams in the world. I mean, FIFA is such a credible, honest organization that when it speaks, I listen.

Much like the NCAA here in the United States, bringing order to the world's top national sides provides great value for hardcore and casual football fans alike. For example, who knew Spain would be No. 1? I mean, really, what have they done for us lately, aside from winning Euro, the World Cup and curbstomping the United States 4-0? Sure there was that messy 4-0 friendly loss to Portugal, but friendlies don't count -- or do they?

Apparently, the logic and mathematics behind these rankings are more convoluted than the Bowl Championship Series rankings in college football. Details, details -- back to the rankings.

No. 2 is the Netherlands, so we're holding fast to the most recent World Cup finish. Fair enough since the Orange have backed that up with six straight wins in Euro qualifying. Let's say it now: Spain-Holland in the Euro 2012 final? OK.

Three through five is where it starts to get interesting. Here we have Germany, Brazil and Uruguay. Hmm. Seems Brazil actually climbed one spot, despite nose-diving out of Copa America, its continental championship, that was won by, yes, Uruguay. Granted, Uruguay hopped up 13 spots from last month's rankings. I guess 14 is out of the question according to FIFA's brand of "new math."

Let's let the frivolity continue with six through 10: England, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Argentina. I dare anyone outside of Buenos Aries to argue with a straight face that Argentina is a top 10 team right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. They can't pick a decent manager, much less a solid starting 11 that defends and scores. Wow. And England? At No. 6? This is the same England that has 11 points from five Euro qualifiers in a monster group with Montenegro and Wales still hanging around? Hmm. Croatia too? These guys with the C' thing at the end of their names cannot shake Israel in their group, never mind catch Greece at the top. Italy and Portugal probably should be higher on this list on reputation alone. That seems to be the criteria for Brazil at the moment.

Hop-skip-and-jumping around: Mexico is at 20, behind Montenegro, Japan and Ivory Coast. I need an explainer there. Chile (11), Peru (25) and Paraguay (26) had big leaps off Copa America, yet still languish behind Norway and Australia among others.

The point is that there is no point for these rankings. They're non-starters as far as discussion starters go. They subjective in some spots, objective in many others. The math behind it is incomprehensible, and worse yet, these things are actually used to seed nations in major tournaments.

Put a face behind these things. Make it a plain-English discussion and rank these teams according to what your eyes tell you, not what is subjectively entered into a computer application's form field. And if you're not willing to do that FIFA, then for God's sake stop using them for anything that matters. Like the rest of your corrupt organization, they're a bad running joke.

Starting Eleven European, World Soccer Blog Random Thoughts:

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Mr. Tevez married up

Here's another edition of Random Thoughts; no I don't have anything else to write about. Deal with it.

Um Carlos Tevez, please go away. Go play in Brazil. Go play in Italy. Go play in Argentina. Go play with yourself. You've become tiresome and a punchline. Your wife and kids don't like England, then make a call for chrissakes. Tell them to stay put in Argentina and cash the direct-deposits, or suck it up and move to Europe. Otherwise, I'm pretty much done with your whining. Play ball, score goals, make money and shut up. KTHXBYE.
And as for you Neymar. Call me when you've done something. Is there a bigger bust in the making than this Brazilian wonder boy? the kid might have all the skills necessary to be Brazil's next No. 10, but his runaway ego and immaturity will retard all progress until he gets his requisite reality check. Get in line next to Mr. Tevez and shut up.
How hilarious is Mario Balotelli's attempted backheel goal this weekend against the LA Galaxy. Talk about arrogance. Talk about stupidity. Talk about blatant disregard for your opponent and the people in the stands who paid good money to see your team play. And don't tell me he's just 20 and can be forgiven. No way. Roberto Mancini is my new hero for pulling this Rhodes Scholar seconds after this example of the worst kind of grandstanding. Sit down next to Tevez and Neymar and shut up; don't give Mancini lip either. You were wrong. Next.
Hope Solo is apparently going to win my informal poll--top right--about the Women's World Cup's biggest star. I like Hope. I think Hope is America's best female keeper. But Abby Wambach, who is currently second in the poll, is the best player on that team and delivered when it mattered most. That's what stars do. Abby made her PKs. Abby scored every time the U.S. needed a goal. That's a leader. That's a legend. Hope has some catching up to do.
Selfish time: Sporting Clube de Portugal has thrown in the towel and abandoned its philosophy of going with home-grown, young talent and has gone out and signed a truckload of foreign players to play for new coach Domingos Pacienca. They've scored a bunch of goals against a bunch of bad teams. They had their way with Juventus Saturday in Toronto. They're a threat for second in Portugal. What? Wait? I said this last year too after they blasted their way through the preseason and won that cockamamie tournament here in the U.S. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Check in with me around Christmas time on just exactly who is the fool.
I love the summer friendly season here in the U.S.; look at who's on tour right now in the continental 48 and Canada: Real Madrid; Manchester United; Manchester City; Juventus; Sporting; Clube America; CD Guadalajara; and Barcelona. Best part is that these teams are banging out stadiums across the country; big stadiums too. More than 50,000 for Revs-United; Philly-Real Madrid drew huge numbers as did Galaxy-Madrid. Don't tell me there isn't a hardcore soccer audience in America. We'll come for a good product. Listening MLS? Get off the franchise model; build your clubs stadiums; get on the world calendar; get rid of playoffs; integrate all your smaller leagues and create relegation and promotion. Do it.
In breaking news: FIFA is still corrupt. ...I personally cannot wait for next summer's Euro. It's better than the World Cup, just sayin ... How much is ESPN going to hype Saturday's ManU-Barca friendly as a Champions League rematch, and how much are real football fans going to snicker ... That said, if I had a ticket, I wouldn't toss it out of bed ... The U17 World Cup was pretty awesome; I just may have to watch some of the U20 World Cup coming up ... Kinda pissed Copa America wasn't available on my cable network ... Let's take a run at this: Champions of European leagues for 2011-2012: England - ManU; Spain - Barcelona; Portugal - Porto; Germany - Leverkusen; Italy - Milan. Damn that looks familiar.

Five Questions (and Answers) About the Upcoming Football Season in Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:55:00 +0000

Domestic football will again be here before we all know it. Thrust in the middle of the Silly Season, it behooves me to add to the silliness and put out some fun queries to ponder and pontificate upon.

Question: Can Barcelona's empire be toppled?

Answer: Depends. Do Messi, Xavi and Iniesta stay healthy? If yes, then probably no. Simplistic answer I understand, but it's pretty clear that the only team that can stop Barcelona is Barcelona. My man-crush on Jose Mourinho is no secret if you read my stuff at all, but I'm ready to admit that not even the Special One has the antidote for Guardiola's guard. Who will ever forget the four matches in four weeks epic finish to the 2010-2011 season between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Madrid managed the Copa del Rey, but that felt gift-wrapped. I concede that if Barca had wanted the Copa, it would have been there for the taking. Instead, it went for La Liga and the Champions League and cleaned up on both. I expect more of the same, Fabio Coentrao notwithstanding.

Question: Will King Kenny Dalglish elevate Liverpool back to the top four in England?

Answer: Liverpool finished sixth, 10 points shy of the Champions League and four points in arrears of the Europa League. Given their start and abysmal record away from Anfield, it's sensational the Reds got as close to the top as they did. Dalglish deserves a big nod. He deserved the full-time job and now that he has it, I want to see him mold newcomers Charlie Adams and Stewart Downing and whether he can find the same magic as he did with Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. I expect Liverpool is good for third in England, maybe second given Chelsea's shaky standing.

Question: Is Andre Villas-Boas over his head at Chelsea?

Answer: He better not be. Like it or not, fairly or not, he's bringing a lot of baggage with him from FC Porto. All that silverware gets pretty heavy; I mean how do you top an unbeaten league season, domestic cup win and Europa League title? Roman Abromovich says win me the Champions League; the Premier League too if you can squeeze it in. Well Portugal's top division ain't England. He won't have the best team in the land, and he certainly won't be playing MLS-caliber teams 11 out of every 15 games as he was in Portugal. I'm not saying he'll be out by Christmas, but I am saying the expectations will weigh on him and it may be a relatively short, and fruitless stay at Stamford Bridge.

Question: Can the Champions League be saved?

Answer: Is it in trouble? I know, you're not supposed to answer questions with questions, but I just did. Sue me. BTW, the answer in my opinion is yes. No one cares until the knockout round; the group stage is a boring money grab; and honest football fans like the competitiveness of the Europa League much better. The question, however, was "Can it be saved?" And the answer is yes, if UEFA is willing to be less greedy, revert it back to a knockout-only format like it was back in the day and watch the fun. But then again, we all know the answer to that question. Man, that's a lot of questions.

Question: Will there be a River Plate-style relegation in Europe this year?

Answer: No. But how much fun would it be? I cannot fathom Inter, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Paris St. Germain, Olympiakos or Benfica fighting for its first-division life with two weeks to play. And I'm sure the folks in Buenos Aires were saying the same thing about their beloved River Plate. How much fun would it be?

How Special is Andre Villas-Boas? Chelsea FC Soon to Find Out

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:43:00 +0000

Chelsea Supporters: Which doesn't belong and why?

It's time to address new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas.

A lot has been written about this 33-year-old and none of it is fair to the man--most of all his hiring at Chelsea. You can't blame him for jumping at the opportunity, but this just smacks of a guy being a little impatient and suffering from a little bit of an over-inflated ego. It also smacks of a desperate owner desperate to once again catch lightning in a bottle as he did with Jose Mourinho.

Boy it didn't take long for another instance of the seemingly never-ending comparison between Villas-Boas and the Special One. You can't help put the two in the same sentence, PB&J style. They just go together. Not only was AVB JM's assistant at Porto, Chelsea and Inter, but he even freaking lived near Bobby Robson, Mourinho's mentor when Robson was Sporting manager in the early '90s. It's like Mourinho ordered a Clone from that freaky planet in Attack of the Clones.

Villas-Boas has been hot on Mourinho's trail for almost 20 years, mirroring nearly ever accomplishment only in record time. His resume is littered with "Youngest to win this" and "Youngest to win that" superseding Mourinho's records on many of those accounts. It seems wherever Mourinho drops a cracker, Villas-Boas is there to sniff it out, pick it up and do something better with it.

So the comparisons are there, even if they're unfair to ol' AVB. Rough thing for him is that along with those comparisons come expectations. Mourinho won six trophies in four seasons at Chelsea, including running titles in 05 and 06, this coming on the heels of six with Porto in two seasons, including a Champions League and UEFA Cup title. That's hard to do even on the XBox playing FIFA 11 in Amateur Mode.

The expectations for Villas-Boas are going to be excrutiatingly demanding. Chelsea hasn't won the Premier League in ages it seems, and since the '08 Champions League final loss, it hasn't been back to that promised land since. In the meantime, have we mentioned Mourinho won the Champions League in 2010? Yikes, this is worse than Pete Carroll following Bill Parcells with the Patriots back in '98. Poor Pete had no chance, and he wasn't even close to a Tuna Clone.

It's no secret Roman Abromovich covets the Champions League trophy more than a new missile for his yacht. He's latching on to Villas-Boas and hoping the kid can deliver. Not sure why, however. Villas-Boas is no slouch and there has to be something good there, but let's look at exactly what he's done:

He dominated the Portuguese league with a team that had won six of the previous eight championships;
He dominated largely with players who were already on the team; players such as Falcao and Hulk were signed before his reign; (To his credit he won handily after losing Raul Meireles and Bruno Alves, and brought in Joao Moutinho.)
Arguably, the Portuguese Liga is at its weakest with a massive gap not only between the first two (Porto won the title by 21 points) but between the top five where 41 points separated first from fifth.
He has coached two top-tier club teams--Academica Coimbra (who?) and Porto;
He has not lost a Portuguese club match since the 09-10 season.
Porto set five top division records under his watch last season

Impressive on many fronts; but very misleading on others. I don't know what to expect from Chelsea this season, but it's going to be agonizing to watch at times I fear. What if Chelsea doesn't have at least 15 points from its first seven matches? What if it draws, say Porto, in the Champions League and loses its opener at the Dragao? And what if Abromovich's impulsive nature got the best of him--again?

I think AVB jumped the gun too soon, though I can hardly blame him for taking the job and the money at Stamford Bridge. Though there's no direct connection between Mourinho and AVB at the moment, there's always going to be a lasting link between the two. And if Mourinho can somehow figure out how to beat Barcelona this year, and Chelsea can't get it done in England or Europe this season, the damage to AVB's career may be years in the fixing.

Hope Solo Reinforces U.S. Claim to World's Best Keepers

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:10:00 +0000

Hot, er, Hope Solo

What is it with American soccer goalkeepers? Is it because we can catch and the rest of the world cannot? Is it because our kids grow up watching quarterbacks and catchers lead and naturally, the goalie becomes the central figure on the football pitch because they're an equally solitary figure? Or is it because they're batshit crazy sometimes?

Hope Solo is the new darling of American soccer and the debate is on whether yesterday's Women's World Cup loss cost her millions. Don't care. Don't care if Hope Solo is hot, if Hope Solo has a boyfriend or if Hope Solo is dating. I don't care about the Hope Solo controversy from the 2007 World Cup. Don't care if Hope Solo has a tattoo or if Hope Solo is gay. I don't care if Hope Solo is the next USA soccer symbol.

The marketing of Hope Solo doesn't interest me. Know why? Because I know and enjoy football and I can appreciate a good keeper. For the most part, Solo is a good keeper. She's sensational on penalty kicks--which is super important in a Women's World Cup, apparently. And she's solid in the run of play.

I ranted about the abysmal quality of goalkeeping in the Women's World Cup, and Solo was head and shoulders above the rest. Now, does that make her the tallest midget? Maybe so, but Solo is a keeper through and through. She's tall, agile as hell for her size and has booming kick. I think she was guilty of some real stinkers in this tournament, but she was the best keeper in the tournament, and temporarily makes her the best keeper in the world.

She'll be back in four years no doubt and like Tim Howard, she can complain of poor play in front of her leaving her on a figurative island far too many times. American's have far too few stakes to put in the ground when it comes to soccer. Goalkeeping is definitely one place where collectively we're the best. Hope Solo is reinforcing that notion. Now if we can start building out from the back and beefing up that defense, we might be able to close out one of these big tournaments with a trophy!

Let's Be Blunt: U.S. Women Gagged on World Cup Final Stage

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:17:00 +0000

Abby Wambach

The United States women's national soccer team gagged away the World Cup final yesterday. They choked. They didn't have enough fitness or form to finish off Japan.

Japan was a worthy winner--and not because of an earthquake, tsunami or radiation disasters. They wanted it more at the end. They ran harder. They were more opportunistic. They finished better. Japan might be the sentimental winner here, but they won because they survived the onslaught that was the first 20 minutes of the game by the U.S. and yes cliche kids, it came back to haunt the women of Hope Solo.

I'll admit I don't know the tendencies of the U.S. players well enough to know whether Pia Sundhage made the right choices for penalty kicks, but plenty of folks are casting a critical eye at the Swede this morning. And I know Megan Rapinoe started because of Amy Rodriguez's general ineffectiveness throughout the tournament. Rapinoe has such a great motor and did make the now legendary pass to Abby Wambach in the quarterfinals. But let's be honest, Rapinoe was not a starter in the tournament until yesterday and it's clear why. The longer that game went, the less effective, more reckless she got. Not sure if it's a fitness or concentration issue, but her foibles in the U.S. area in extra time almost cost the U.S. a goal. And how many times did the cameras catch a teammate (Wambach) give her a WTF look? Trust me, I love Rapinoe's game, but some players are starters and others should come off the bench with 25 to go and that's how they best excel. I'll put that one on Pia as well.

Now for some positives: There's no way you can't like the U.S. team. Solo might be a little off-putting personality wise, but you have to love her cocky confidence. She's an ace on penalties and aside from the first Japan PK, she guessed right on all of them. Her defense, much like the U.S. men's defense ironically, let her down. They were savagely bad on the game-tying goal late in extra time; let's say it again -- Japan was super opportunistic. There was a segment late in that game when I looked at my son and asked him whether Japan had taken a shot on goal aside from its first goal. I think the answer was no.

And as for Wambach, talk about balls. That woman is a leader, something the men's team could desperately use. In fact, this team's on-field solidarity is something the men should strive for. As impressive as Wambach is in the air and positioning, I loved her post-game more. Not sure if you caught the post-game as Japan was celebrating, Wambach took charge and went player to player, coach to coach with encouraging words and hugs. Sure it's risky to conjecture what she was telling her mates post-game on the field, but a pretty safe guess is that it was a little more than "Keep your heads up." I think there was a lot of encouragement for younger players and a lot of "Remember This Moment" type of dialogue. "Stay classy and remember how much this hurts, and never let this happen again."

Wambach was hurting late in the game and she was gassed. She had no legs late in extra time and I hope she has enough to play in four years. Who knows? The U.S. team would be better for it; hopefully her body cooperates.

Hopefully yesterday's loss isn't this team's legacy. The Olympics will be here in a flash and a handful of friendlies, tournaments and the 2015 World Cup. Every team has its moment, and losing yesterday for the time being is going to be this team's legacy. Hopefully they will have a day to redeem themselves because they're good for U.S. Soccer.

U.S. Women's World Cup Soccer Team: You've Won Me Over

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Abby Wambach and Hope Solo

OK, you've won me over United States Women's National Team (#USWNT as we say in the Twitterverse). I got sucked into that game yesterday and I enjoyed it; why is this starting to sound like some kind of Alcoholics Anonymous initiation rite?

I admit I was late, forgive me, but I did catch up quickly after halftime. Heard about the own goal; and became enraged at the ref on the red card to Rachel Buehler. Hope Solo, you too, you got me. It was a damned shame that first Marta PK save was taken away from you. It was sheer confident, cocky brilliance on your part. Such moments don't deserve to be what-could-have-been footnotes.

Speaking of footnotes, that's what you're supposed to be Australian referee Jacqui Melksham. Instead, you were the epitome of everything that's wrong with officiating in top-level professional sports. You interjected your fat face into every crucial play; what was the deal with those on-field conferences during corner kicks and free throws--not enough TV time for ya? Not only did you screw up the penalty re-take, but on Marta's extra-time goal, you and your equally incompetent linesmen (lineswomen?) missed the offside two passes before Marta's chip over Solo. And oh-my-freaking-God Julie Foudy, let's clean up the slobber over Marta's goal. It just wasn't that good. She stuck her leg onto a pretty good pass and flicked high on a prayer toward the back post. Solo was a tad out of position, otherwise, yes another footnote.

Thankfully, however, this U.S. team doesn't quit. Tireless engine Megan Rapinoe made the pass of the tournament to Abby Wambach's forehead. Yes, with less than a minute to go before minute 120 ticks off the clock, chances are you're a little spent, but the Brazil keeper and fullback were abysmal covering Wambach and coming out for the Rapinoe cross. Regardless, Wambach finished it. She finished it because she was FINALLY where she should have been the whole match--standing inside the 6-yard box using her 6-foot frame to score goals. It was a brilliant and unexpected goal, and a precious sports moment. If you were watching, you were on your feet the nanosecond the ball went in. You had to yell, loudly. Your hands went up, your dog starts barking. It's a big-time moment.

And how about some kudos for good fundamentals and coaching. U.S. coach Pia Sundhage makes these girls take PKs during practices. This ain't no Allen Iverson practice. This is dedication. This is a bunch of pros who understand that these situations and happen and repetition and precision are the keys to penalties and the U.S. were just better. BTW, watch the Brianna Scurry ESPN interview on the 1999 World Cup win over China. Listen to her talk about the save she made to set up Brandi Chastain's sports-bra moment. She knew she'd stop it by the Chinese player's body language.

Methinks my new favorite crazy goalie Hope Solo (I'll never forget how SCREWED she got during the last World Cup) spotted some of that same body language issue in Brazil's Daiane, the same Daiane who'd scored the own goal in the second minute to put the U.S. up 1-0. Daiane did not want to be at the spot. She took a short run-up to the ball and hit it poorly. Solo guessed right and the rest was history when Ali Krieger hit a worm-burner for the game-winning penalty.

Now I'm not gonna go all squirrely and say this is the game that brings soccer to the forefront of the American sports landscape. Nope, not gonna happen. But it's a great moment, one of the best of the sports year so far. And if the U.S. wins the whole thing as it should now, there are more memories to come.

For now, I'll concede that I'm hooked. I'll be watching the semifinals against France on Wednesday and hopefully I'll be leaping off my couch again.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL; THANK YOU BRUINS

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:06:00 +0000

U.S. Beats Canada in Gold Cup Opener; So What?

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Having watched bits and pieces of last night's Gold Cup opener for the United States men's national team against Canada, there were several striking observations about our beloved national side:

The pace and tactical imagination of last night's game was miles beneath Saturday's friendly against Spain.
Gobs and gobs of space were available in midfield for the taking for both teams.
The U.S. certainly plays down to the level of its competition; playing up remains an issue.
Tim Howard is class, and I posted this on Twitter immediately after his back-to-back point-blank second-half saves last night. I was immediately corrected, however. He's world class. Point very well taken.
Defensively, the USMNT remains an abomination, but gobs and gobs better without Oguchi Onyewu clogging up the middle.
The more I watched, the angrier I got that Bobo Bradley put this tournament ahead of a good showing against Spain. Confederations Cup be damned. Beating Canada in front of family and friends (I know 28,000 were there) and on a dismal pitch is pointless in the long run.
That said, Bradley is the world's best coach this morning. Yay Gold Cup, we beat Canada. Bring on Guadelupe.

Time Has Come to Fire Bob Bradley

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:30:00 +0000

I am loathe to call for people to lose their jobs. No matter how wealthy or comfortable people are, losing a job has to be traumatic; thankfully it's never happened to me. I've always left jobs on my own terms. That said, being a sports fan always gives you special license to cross that line. You're emotionally invested in certain teams and situations, and when things are clearly, obviously and shockingly wrong, your heart forces your mouth to utter the words: "Fire the bum!"

And most of us do it with a clear conscience. You don't know the person in question on a personal level. You're saying it for the greater good of the team winning whatever thing it is that you want them to win. This person's ineptitude is in your way of enjoying the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

So now that I've rationalized my thinking and qualified what's to follow, I must utter the words: "Fire the bum!" as in Bob Bradley, U.S. men's national soccer team coach. There is no recourse. There is no gentle way of saying it. Bob Bradley must go. He's a nice man, I'm sure. Maybe he's not. Don't make no never-mind difference to me. He's not right guy for the job.

Yes Saturday's humiliating 4-0 loss to Spain in Foxboro, Mass., was the last straw (praise the Lord I didn't pay the ransom USSF wanted in ticket and parking money for that mess). I have no illusions the U.S. should have won, or been in the game with Spain. But when you see the same mistakes being made the by same players being trotted out there game after game after game, then the problem stops being the players and becomes the bald man behind the curtain.

Bob Bradley is no wizard. He is a fugazi, though.He's got a battery of media apologists propping him up for some unknown reason. Soccer columnists in the U.S. are a small clique of clacks who were probably given the soccer beat as an ultimatum: Take it, or here's your pink slip. These guys have a cushy life; few loyal readers and very little scrutiny from the outside world. Hell, how many sports editors give a damn about soccer that they critically read what's filed from these columnists?

And from the columnist's point of view, well, why screw up a good thing. Following football isn't heavy lifting, especially if you happen to like the game. And if Boob, er Bob Bradley, gives you prime access to the U.S. staff and players, why mess that up? You're certainly not going to get that kind of existence on an NFL or Major League Baseball beat -- trust me, I know of where I speak. So keeping Bob propped up nice and straight and tall benefits a lot of people.

That has to change, and it has to change at once and at the top. Sunil Gulati has to find the sack to admit he made a mistake in extending Bradley's current contract after the 2010 World Cup. Remember that debacle? Only coach in the world who got a raise for barely winning his group and bombing out in the second round: Bob Bradley. And if Gulati can't locate his manhood, then he's shouldn't let the door hit HIM in the ass on the way out either. On second thought, Sunil has to go too. Bye. Want a ride to the airport? I can do it, but we have to pick up Bradley on the way.

I'm done watching the U.S. defense play Keystone Kops back there. It doesn't matter if the U.S. is playing Spain or Trinidad and Tobago, there are always a handful of heart-attack moments with players miserably out of position, panicking trying to cover for someone 20 yards too high or too low on the pitch. Bradley's player selection sucks too (Hello, Ricardo Clark), he's too slow to substitute and too loyal to players are aren't that good (Hello, Gooch and Jozy). Bradley's saving grace is that he's had the sense to put good keepers between the posts. Tim Howard is world-class. And before him, Keller and Friedel were more than serviceable; their European careers more than justify this. But Howard hates the four guys in front of him. You can see his agony and helplessness as he's left to try to dive 20 meters to his right to stop a 60 mph bullet from 10 meters away. Most people hate goalies; figures in the U.S. it's all ass-backwards. We love Timmy. Usually it's the quarterback who buys the offensive line Rolex watches after the season as a gesture of gratitude. The U.S. defense should be paying Tim Howard's mortgage as a way of apologizing for their play in front of him.

We've long been told the U.S. is approaching the elites of the football world. This is such a crock, such a lie perpetrated by the apologists. Time after time, it's been proven that the U.S. cannot hang with the world's best. Well, check that. They can hang, they just can't beat the world's best. They spend their time scheduling cupcake friendlies against Canada, Honduras and El Salvador and when they do put England, Spain, Brazil or Argentina on the schedule, the U.S. is exposed. The gap between these teams and the U.S. is Grand Canyon-eque. There's a class difference and a talent difference. Why? Tactically, the U.S. is miles behind the rest of the world, never mind the fact that we don't breed footballers here the way they do elsewhere. I don't think you're ever going to win that phase of the game. Therefore, you have to work harder elsewhere in instilling stronger tactics and strategies on the field. Build from the back; you have a great keeper, it's criminal to put that defense in front of him.

Goals can come from this team. They do have a lot of heart, and guys like Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are approaching or are in the prime of their careers.There needs to be a stronger presence in charge. It doesn't have to be a name coach, but it does have to be a football coach with a football mind. I think that's what's missing here. I think Bob Bradley learned the game from a book and from a recreational field. He's probably a perfect guy to rejoin an MLS team or help run the developmental program. But these unacceptable results prove again and again he's not the man for the USMNT. Let's not continue down this path where the Gold Cup is placed in priority over beating Spain et. al., and the apologists all nod their heads in agreement.

I hate to say it, but Bradley needs to go. It has to be done.

Europa League Final Preview: Why Braga Has a Puncher's Chance against F.C. Porto

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:01:00 +0000

At the moment, the country of Portugal is a Fat Bastard-style floater in the financial world's cesspool. An optimist would expect at any second, that some alleged French rapist from IMF would come in with $100B US to save the day, but that's doubtful. A few years ago, an all-Portuguese major European cup final would be equally as unlikely.

But today, that's what we have: Porto-Braga in the UEFA Cup (dammit) Europa League final. I still say there's time to move this game to Guimaraes or somewhere closer to Portugal than Dublin, but that's neither here nor there at this point. It's Portugal's day in Europe, and that's pretty cool from where I sit. And I think you could have the makings of an epic game as well, from where I sit.

In one corner, you have Porto, which aside from the Catalans, are probably the hottest team on the continent. They didn't lose a domestic game this season, but they currently are on a one-game losing streak having fallen to Villareal in the semifinal clincher a couple of weeks ago. (How's that for a silver lining Braga fans?)

And speaking of Braga, Cinderella has arrived at the ball. The gown looks good, the shoes fit and she's damn foxy. Ol' Cindy's getting some tonight; only the big finish is in doubt at this time. Braga belongs, have no doubt. They beat Benfica, Kyiv, Liverpool and Lech Poznan to get here after crashing out of the Champions League.

Braga has been focused on today for months; finishing almost 40 points behind the champions--well whatta ya know, that would be Porto!--will do that for ya. They have more than a puncher's chance because they're a pretty unified team with a mix of talent that on a given day--like today--can put it together to win Miracle style.

Porto might have the tournament's hottest scorer in Falcao and Europe's most sought-after player in Hulk (I always wondered where Bill Bixby ended up; he was such a vagabond wanderer). But Braga have the coolest stadium in Europe, Sporting's next coach and Kaka! How can they lose? (I know it's not that Kaka; don't bother with the wise-ass comments).

I'm going to watch. I'm going to take in an epic day. I'm going to love it when it's 2-2 with two minutes to go and No. 2 for Braga wins it. That's right, El Mudo wins it. You heard it here first.

Report: FIFA Officials Took Bribes in Qatar World Cup Bid

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Tue, 10 May 2011 18:34:00 +0000

Who is that masked man?

Shocker!

As in all good conspiracies and corruption stories, as soon as it gets too hot in the kitchen, one of the scumbags involved in the crime starts singing like a canary. Case in point: various news outlets report today that a whistleblower is accusing FIFA executive committee members from Cameroon and the Ivory Coast of taking $1.5 million bribes to vote for the middle eastern nation's bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

This is the same World Cup the U.S. was thought to be a shoe-in to host. The same World Cup being hosted by an ultra-conservative nation, that among other pleasantries, doesn't accept the existence of homosexuals. Good thing Sepp Blatter wants every region of the planet to host the biggest sporting event in the world; remember, he told gay folks to keep it zipped up during the tournament.

This stunk from the second rumors started flying that Qatar was the winner in the day or two leading up tot the announcement in December. Qatar was a bigger longshot than the Tampa Bay Lightning reaching the NHL semifinals this year. At least the Lightning have won the Stanley Cup before--or at least play in a professional league. Qatar barely has a top-flight professional league, much less a national team.

Thankfully we're more than 10 years from the World Cup and Qatar's sheikly finances can be adequately investigated and an audit trail can be established that will root out the evil-doers and clean up the World Cup. Yeah right.

How about we just start at the top by getting rid of Blatter now. He's the scum of scum, the lowest of the low; he capitulated even if he was ignorant of the goings-on. He's the shame of football and the poster child for sporting evil. He allowed this crooked charade to happen, molded it into a profitable enterprise and manipulated the result he wanted. He must go.

And then Qatar must go. There's no way soccer's showcase event can happen in that country, or any other that is so brazen about the means in which it gamed the system to host the World Cup. There needs to be an overhaul of FIFA and a process put in place where the debate and discussion over which nation will host the World Cup be public and transparent.

Here's hoping this scandal gets ugly--real ugly. To the point where it's lead story on CNN-ugly. Blatter must be exposed. The executive committee must be exposed. The holes in this process must be exposed. Call off or postpone the World Cup in Brazil and/or Russia if you have to, but do something.

And start with Sepp. Cut the head off, and the rest of the body will follow.

Of Dunkin' Donuts Regular Coffee and Customer Service

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:52:00 +0000

Charlie Sheen and Chuck Zito at Dunks; 'nuff said.

I don't think I've ever used this forum to rant on anything but football. I'm making an exception today.

Dunkin' Donuts drives me f$%king crazy. I start almost every day with an iced coffee, and usually it's made by some kid, 18-22, whose idea of a regular coffee is a cup of cream with a dash of coffee for color. Extra-extra I think it's called. Extra-extra, for the uninitiated, is the new regular.

Go ahead, I dare you. Order a regular anything at Dunkin' Donuts and you're going to get this swirly white mass polluting what should be a cup of coffee. It will get lighter the more you swish your cup around, you see, because these lazy bastards who are charging you more than $2.50 for a cup of ice with lots of cream and very little coffee, don't fucking stir the coffee for you. That's why your first chug of an iced coffee through the straw might as well be the same act as you getting on all fours at the beach, jamming a straw into the sand and fellating it until your mouth is full of granules of pulverized sand. Same thing.

There is no greater joy to me than sliding the cup of semen-ized looking goo back at the kid and telling them, "No, I ordered regular, this is light." The incredulous looks are just precious, I want to pat them on their little extra-extra heads and soothe them that all will be well again some day.

At the end of the day, though, I don't know whom to blame; Dunkin' Donuts or the kids? Where I live, the process is automated, the machine squirts out the cream (with a little coaxing :)) and sugar. But then again, how automated is it when today's regular is tomorrow's light is the next day's extra-extra? Kids who carry Dunkin' Donuts cups as a status symbol sure as hell don't care what's in the cup or pretend to like the coffee. They need the cup in hand because sexy Suzie would look at them funny if they didn't. So my theory is that they like it light, so they make it light--and light becomes regular, because that's how they drink it, so it has to be regular. That's some fucked-up algebra right there.

Sometimes I need to rant and vent and that's why I'm doing so right here, right now. I know it's futile and I know my only option is to keep sliding the cup back until I get what I want. $2.56 for iced coffee is criminal, but it's better than Starbucks where I pay the same $2.56 for iced coffee--but I have to make it myself. For that, I'll just stay home.

UEFA's Away Goal Rule Sucks; Just sayin...

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:02:00 +0000

I took this argument to Twitter last week in advance of the Europa League semifinals: Succinctly, it's my opinion the away goal rule sucks and, more importantly, is outdated. It was instituted in the mid-'60s, first in the Cup-Winners Cup and eventually to the European Cup (which became the Champions League) in order to force visiting teams to attack on the road in European ties. The premise is that away goals have more value than a home goal; those dingy two-star hotels these guys stay in just sap their strength, y'know.

And maybe, 45 years ago, there was validity to that theory. Teams did travel by train, or rickety plane. Maybe accommodations, training and salaries weren't to the standards and levels they are today. And perhaps visiting teams did just play to survive on the road.

It was a different time. Players, for the most part, spent their careers wearing one jersey. There were no free agents, no mega-million signings. Players played for the love of the shirt. Players played for the love of the club and the fans adored them for it. Today, players are corporations. Sure, you root for United, Madrid and Bayern if that's your club. But you don't have that kind of affinity with players any more. There are no more lifers--or very few of them any way.

Being a football lifer and all that comes with it, however, was the norm 45 years ago, and made the away-goals rule a viable option. It probably was a really neat idea and fans loved it. Today? Not so much. I don't think it works any longer.

I have a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that playing at home puts a club at a disadvantage, or that a traveling team needs a handicap. Are you going to tell me Leo Messi on the road is any less dangerous than at Camp Nou? Or that Braga's 1-0 home win over Benfica last week was worth more than Benfica's 2-1 win at home the week before because they gave up a goal at home? C'mon. Read that last sentence aloud; it sounds dumber than it does reading it to yourself.

It's time to get with the times and take all of this into consideration: better travel, better conditioning, better salaries, better living conditions, better lifestyles. All of it makes--and more--makes the away-goals rule obsolete. Braga-Benfica should have gone to extra time. It was 2-2, not 2-2 with an asterisk. And trust me, I'm no Benfica fan. I'm speaking objectively.

If I were speaking subjectively, I'd point you to the 1971-72 Cup Winners Cup second round between Rangers and Sporting where the referee mistakenly send the game to penalties and did not take into account that Rangers, by some eerie mathematical formula, had scored more away goals than Sporting and should have won the tie. Sporting "won" the game in penalties, but lost it moments after the final whistle when the ref was reminded that goals scored away from home on Tuesdays with the Moon in Sagitarius were worth more than goals scored on Thursdays with the Sun in Virgo, or some shit like that.

If you ask me, that ref was ahead of his time.

FC Porto Looks in Mirror, Sees Benfica in Reflection

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:45:00 +0000

Hey F.C. Porto, look at your Classico rivals Benfica. That could be you a year from now.

Remember Benfica's wondrous championship season last year? Remember how they used to score goals by the bushel, 4, 5, 6 at a time? Remember how they'd run teams into the ground, literally and figuratively? Looks a little familiar no?

There are a couple of stone-cold facts Porto--a team some are calling perhaps the second-best squad in Europe right now--cannot escape: You play in Portugal. Portuguese teams are a horrid combination of poor and greedy. This year's Falcao and Hulk are last year's Di Maria and David Luiz. They and you will be tempted by shiny new uniforms, big money and a bright spotlight. And you won't turn down the money. It's in your DNA to sell off your best players and reload the hard way--just ask Sporting and Benfica.

Sad, really if you give a damn about the Portuguese league, or any smaller league in Europe. The pattern is the same and the cycles of winning are few and far between.

Benfica was dumped out of the Europa League by SC Braga yesterday. Benfica should have, and would have, cruised to the title game under different circumstances. Economics, greed and those bad genes all conspired to doom Benfica. And it's a safe bet Porto will be in a similar boat next year. Dominant domestically, Porto is going to hoist another continental cup in a couple of weeks and then the fire sale begins. Too bad, because this is a league that desperately needs some consistency. Imagine a three out of four Champions League semifinals, instead of the very NIT-like Europa League? Imagine the spotlight on Portuguese football in that case? All it would take is a little consistency, because apparently, Portuguese clubs are pretty good at developing and nurturing players. They just haven't figured out how to keep them!

And then you have Braga, a true anomaly. A collection of relative unknowns headed by a lame-duck coach who spoiled the party by hanging on by the thinnest of threads yesterday to beat Benfica. It's a great story; everyone loves a Cinderella. And if Braga wins in Dublin, that only further flames the impending Porto fire sale. It's going to be a bittersweet game either way for Porto. Win and the Falcaos and Hulks are gone; lose and guess what? They're gone too.

Yes Porto, take a hard look at Benfica. You too could win just the BWin Cup next year and come ohsoclose to winning more important silverware--if you only had the players.

Twitter is a Real Kick for Soccer Talk

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Sun, 01 May 2011 14:09:00 +0000

I've neglected my little space on the Intertubes here, largely because of Twitter. The instant gratification and dialogue is a lot more satisfying than having to seed this sucker on other blogs. I love writing here, but my Twitter feed http://twitter.com/#!/starting_eleven is a lot more fun. Sorry peeps.

But that doesn't mean I'm not following footie closely. I've got my U.S.-Spain tix in hand for June 4 in Foxboro and can't wait to do some live Tweeting from Gillette (oops, sorry again blogospores). Granted, my Twitter streams are a lot more about Portuguese soccer and my love-hate relationship with Sporting Clube de Portugal. I spar with some Benfica fans (of course); talkin to you Talkin' To Da Doll (what does that mean?) and Marco Pereira and have great banter with some expert types like Ben Shave, Jen Chang and Steven Cohen formerly of World Football Daily.

There's some great conversation going on Twitter about football. On a game night, there's nothing like it really. During the U.S.-Argentina match a few weeks back, it was great fun to debate within the match about Bradley's inane substitutions, how poorly the U.S. defends sometimes, and how frustrating their lack of finishing ability it. I could do a running commentary here, but it's just not the same immediacy.

So no, I'm not shutting down my blog, just writing less frequently here. I'm saving this for longer form analysis, rants and whatever I feel like doing. Don't hate. Follow me on Twitter. Follow these folks above and others on Twitter. It's fun and a great time-suck.

Europa League Still Tops Champions League Competitively

noreply@blogger.com (Starting11) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:59:00 +0000


Portugal could have 3 of the Final 4

One of my favorite topics is this esoteric argument of the Champions League vs. the Europa League. I've written before that while yes the talent and glamour of the Champions League outclasses the former UEFA Cup, I say the level of competition is better in the Europa League.

Now that we're one round in for the quarterfinals of each competition, I think it would be fun to analyze whether my theory is on point. Amazingly, the score lines of the two sets of four matches from each competition are almost equal; three blowouts in each and one tight match. In the Champions League, the semifinalists are essentially set and they're quite tasty: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Schalke. Lots of juicy storylines there.

The final four draw could pit the two Spaniards in a Classico for the ages. You could have Raul taking on the club where his heart, legacy and legend lives in Real Madrid. United against either of the Spanish teams pits two of Europe's top three against each other; Mourinho vs. SAF? Wow.

In the Europa League, the obvious story line is the Portuguese trio of Benfica, F.C. Porto and Braga still alive and in line to make up three-fourths of the final four. Ultimately, a Benfica-Porto final would be surreal. These two teams score goals by the bushel. They hate each other. Their fans hate each other. Porto is quickly displacing Benfica as Portugal's top team. Benfica's glory days are close to 50 years gone-by despite more than 30 domestic titles. Porto has won two European Cups and one UEFA Cup since Benfica last won anything continental. And then there's upstart Braga which is close to usurping Sporting as Portugal's third member of the country's Big 3. Braga got a positive result in Russia yesterday and is close to a semifinal date with Benfica. And then there's Villareal of Capdevilla and Jozy Altidore fame. They score in bunches too and will make for a great Portugal-Spain semifinal against Porto.

Clearly the winner here is: wait for it -- the fans of course. Granted the next leg of both competitions' quarterfinals are going to be dreadful lock-down affairs as the teams in front are going to put 11 behind the ball and play for survival's sake. Looking ahead, however, I'm going to stick with my premise that competitively, the Europa League is a better show right now.

The Champions League is absolutely the hot sexy chick in the room, but I bet we get more open, competitive games in the Europa League final four than we do from the Wednesday Wonderland of games!