Oh the outrage! Or not...

So people seem pretty fired up about the USA not getting the bid to host the World Cup in 2022. Just a sampling...

Gulati's legacy

FIFA's integrity

Defying logic

On the last note, defying logic? Uh... this is FIFA people, the organization does not act with logic.

They are the rulers of global football and like kings and emperors down through the ages, they are corrupt, they act on a whim, they are self serving, and finally they often defy logic.

An old boss of mine often said "the definition of stupid is doing the same thing again and expecting a different result." Over and over again the press, soccer leadership, and fans express outrage at the decisions FIFA makes.

My question to everyone is "Why on earth did you expect anything different?"

I might not be the worst soccer fan in America anymore

Sunday night after the kids were in bed I fired up the TV for my weekly ritual of ironing shirts and watching sports. In the fall this means NBC’s “Football Night in America” more often than not.

However this past Sunday, despite the fact that my favorite NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, was playing, I went for the MLS and the “real” Western Conference championship game (as opposed to the “Eastern” game featuring two teams from the West).

Well the Los Angeles David Beckham’s lost 3-0 to FC Dallas in an enjoyable match-up and I get some points towards earning my MLS soccer cred back after watching a record low number of games this season.

As far as the final, I don’t have a horse in the race, but I will likely pull for Colorado as it would be nice to see Pablo Mastroeni to win a title. The guy has been a great competitor for the US team for a decade, ill-timed tackles on Italians non-withstanding.

USA - Poland

Watched the game last night on the DVR. Does the defense ever need work. Not sure what we are doing starting a guy who hasn't played a club game in a year next to a central midfielder who hasn't played defense since when? Neither am I.

The plus side was that Jermaine Jones looks like he will fit in extremely well. Good motor, great vision, nice touch. I can see how he occasionally gets into trouble with the cards at Schalke (see the aforementioned motor). All in all thought, very excited to see him in the mix going forward.

Looking very much forward to tonight's game and seeing some new blood (Shea and Lichaj). It will be interesting to see if Bradley goes with a different central defensive pair.

I may be getting too old for this

A couple of times every year (OK, maybe more than a couple) I get an idea in my head that I may need to hang up the "open league" boots and make the permanent move to the "old man" leagues and co-ed. Think of the Matthew McConaughey quote in Dazed and Confused except referring to something completely different, "I get older, they stay the same age".

I've even decided a couple of times that it was my last season. Never told anyone besides my wife all of this of course (no Farve-itis here).

It never sticks. I still try and contribute to the team as much as I can, even if I've got less than two years to the big 4-0. I get out there as a back-up forward/midfielder for about half the games and give the Celtics second division team as many minutes as they need that day.

Today though, it was a rough one. The game was fine actually and I played reasonably well. The aftermath though, was brutal. One o'clock kick-off, 83 degrees, humid. I sweat a ton and afterwards was fairly overheated.

The following steps were taken: half a banana, water, a few pretzel sticks, some juice, a popsicle, and a few minutes with an ice pack on my neck. After that I was finally feeling a little bit normal. A luke warm shower and a shave later and I was ready to get back to the whole parenting thing.

So again, those thoughts are running through my head. This might actually be it, however you may need to ask me again in the spring. And if I do back out...well then the Farve reference may start to fit a bit.

The DVR is your friend.....unless....

As I've previously noted in this blog, I am a big fan of the DVR and feel it really makes the life of a soccer fan in the States a lot better.

Of course all of that assumes that you actually remember to confirm you set the DVR to record the game before you leave the house. I didn't and only found out later that Fulham-Manchester United would not be on tap for my viewing pleasure this evening.

Oh well, Premier League Review Show is now set up to record all new episodes so I can at least see all of the goals I missed.

EPL Week 1

We are now in the middle of August which brings us to the start of that nine month marathon of soccer viewing ecstasy known as the EPL. A great start that saw me catch three full games and parts of two others, a rarity now that we have two little ones roaming the house.

I saw some excellent performances, Drogba and Chelsea dismantling West Bromwich Albion, Spurs dominating City (but somehow not scoring) and a gritty Liverpool almost stealing the win after playing a man down for a half.

All of that said, the highlight was in a dull, dull game from a neutrals point of view, the nil-nil affair between Bolton and Fulham (if you are paying attention, they are my team in the EPL). The action (or lack thereof) non-withstanding, my favorite moment was realizing John Pantsil had continued his WC trend of wearing one long sleeve and one short sleeve on his jersey. Couldn't find one from this weekend, so this shot is from the WC.

Pantsil is a crowd favorite at Craven Cottage, and this just confirms how weirdly awesome he is.

On reading....

To the best of my recollection this is an accurate statement: For the first time in my life I am reading two non-fiction books back to back. Which is really bizarre I guess. Or a statement on my penchant for science fiction and graphic novels over the years.

I'm about half way through The Last of the Tribe: The Epic Quest to Save a Lone Man in the Amazon by Monte Reel. Good stuff so far, definitely recommended. Full disclosure, my wife used to work with the author years ago, however that doesn't impact my review.

Prior to that was Soccer Against the Enemy: How the World's Most Popular Sport Starts and Fuels Revolutions and Keeps Dictators in Power by soccer writer Simon Kuper. I read it after thoroughly enjoying his more recent work over the winter, Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey--and Even Iraq--Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport, written with Stefan Szymanski.

The challenge for me came in that Soccer Against the Enemy was written in the early 90's. My Goodreads.com review is below, but the bottom line is Kuper can write and he's worth a read.

Reading this one was a weird experience for me. First off Kuper is an excellent writer and the stories he tells are very compelling. I enjoyed his writing here every bit as much as I enjoyed it in Soccernomics.

What kept throwing me was that I read this book about 15 years too late. Many of the people, places, and events that Kuper details are very much "of the time". That being the early 90's, the fall of the eastern bloc, the break-up of the Soviet Union, the recent end of apartheid in South Africa, and the infancy of the recent explosion of soccer in America. I can only imagine the stories would have resonated more if I had read them in the early to mid 90's.

As it is (as Kuper himself details in new parts of the book), many of the countries have gone through several cycles of change since his original journey through the soccer world.

Still, I have to recommend it if you are interested in the intersection of sports, culture, politics, and crime in the modern world.

Back on the juice

It took around three weeks for me to recover from the World Cup, but I am officially back at it, watching an entire 90 minutes for the first time since July 11th.

The Chicago Fire, my "MLS team", knocked off the LA Galaxy 3-2 for their third road win of the season. An enjoyable game with some excellent finishes from the Fire and a desperate holding effort to hang on for the win. I have two main thoughts on the game:

1) When will MLS settle on a time slot for their games? From week to week I have no idea what the "Game of the Week" will be on. There is (usually) a Thursday ESPN game and a Saturday Fox Soccer Channel game. Beyond that though, please check your local listings. Case in point, this past weekend's FSC game was on Sunday night at 6:30 - random enough for you?

Now I know that it is a bit silly to compare MLS to other soccer leagues or other American sports leagues, but I will anyway. The EPL games are on at the same time every week. All season long. The NFL? I've been watching for more than 30 years and kick-off has always been at noon central.

What does this mean? For the diehard, maybe not a lot, they'll find the game anyway. For the casual fan or lapsed due to kids diehard? It means I don't think about the game until the day of, and then can't watch half the time because it is on at a bizarre time. Contrast that with the Packers, if I want to watch, I turn on the TV at noon on Sunday.

2) How is the walking red card known as Dema Kovalenko still in the MLS? This guy has been breaking legs (literally, no really ask Ronnie O'Brien) for five different teams in this league for more than a decade. He dishes out some of the nastiest fouls you will see in a soccer game, including last night's studs up lunging challenge on Krzysztof Król.

He's a competitive player, works hard, plays for the team, all good things. But he's also a guy that appears to play without any regard for the safety of his opponent. And that type of behavior is a bad advertisement for any team in any league in any sport.

Dutch slam referee Howard Webb for ruining World Cup final

So the headlines and quotes tell us. After an eventful game I've managed to get a hold of this transcript of an "off the record" interview with an unnamed Dutch player (oddly enough his English is excellent). Interesting stuff, here are a few of the highlights...

"Certainly Spain were the better team of course, however the referee was against us from the start. He has ruined the game."

"Well, you see we wanted to make history, no no, not that ordinary type of history, winning the title for the first time and all that. No, we wanted to be really, really unique."

"We were going for the forfeit you see. What do I mean? Well it should be obvious from watching right? A team can't play with less than seven players, it's in the rules. Once we had our fifth player sent off we would have been the first team to ever forfeit a World Cup final. No country has ever, ever managed that in the history of the tournament."

"It all started so brilliantly too, we were hacking them left and right. Webb seemed a little slow with the cards, but he started to pull them out after about 15 minutes so we felt things were right on track. Van Bommel could have been sent off early but we weren't worried, he's always good for some dirty cheap fouls we figured it would happen before the half."

"Then, the coup de grace, Nigel plants his studs in Alonso's chest Karate Kid style. It was a work of art, guaranteed red card and the first step into history. But, no, the Englishman grabs a yellow card. I mean for crying out loud he really clocked him, how could Webb have not sent him off?!?!?"

"From there it was just downhill, he seemed bound and determined to keep things at 11 a side no matter how cheap and dirty we managed to play. At that point the game plan was really messed up, we even got psyched out and had a few chances to score in the second half almost out of habit."

"Alas, Webb finally managed to locate the red card in his pocket for Johnny in the second period of extra time, but it was too little too late. No forfeit, no history, just another loss in final for Holland. We've managed it twice before, so really we've accomplished nothing. What a waste. Stupid Howard Webb."

Looking to buy a bridge? FIFA has one for sale...

Well after countless refereeing errors so far at the World Cup, public and media outrage is at an all-time high. The people are demanding some sort of video replay to correct these game-changing debacles.

Fear not intrepid soccer fan, into the gap steps our hero, Sepp Blatter. A full review is promised! Apologies made to England and Mexico! In a single breath we are on the fast track into the 21st century and the introduction of technology into the beautiful game.

And after that I have this wonderful elixir that will triple your enjoyment of watching the World Cup. How? Why good sir, do you doubt me? At only $200 for a 12 ounce bottle, this is a bargain. How many cases shall it be?

Forgive me for my cynicism, but this comes across to me as nothing more than political pandering. Announce a full review, people will get off your back for the rest of the tournament. Then in a few months hold the review, decide to change nothing. People will complain but with the next World Cup more than three and a half years away it will pretty much go under the radar. Perfect plan!

Especially since we, the sporting public, will fall for it. He is very earnest our magnificent leader, isn't he. Bear with me though, and let's rewind a bit.

"The Hand of Gaul"

Thierry Henry "unintentionally" double handballs France past Ireland and into the World Cup. Mr. Blatter declares "blatant unfair play", a full review will be done. The Irish are still angry, but somewhat mollified and hopeful that something will be done. The furor dies down...

January 18, 2010 - Henry escapes punishment. Enough time has passed that it pretty much flies under the radar.

And that is the exact reason I don't believe Blatter for a second. FIFA makes money hand over foot. They have exactly ZERO reasons to change anything about the game, how they operate.

It doesn't matter if the perception is that they are corrupt, that they are stuck in the past, that they don't know what the heck they are doing. The sponsors are still paying, the TV contracts are selling at record prices. Countries (including the good old US of A) are preparing to spend billions of dollars to host future tournaments.

They have ZERO, ZERO, ZERO reason to change a damn thing. They have billions of reasons to keep things exactly the way they are.

I sincerely hope I am wrong, but this review will be lip service, nothing more.

Where were you eight years ago?

I was in my near east side apartment in Madison, WI. The alarm sounded sometime after midnight, I dragged myself into the living room and turned on the TV.

I was joined within a few minutes by my wife (then girlfriend), then shortly by two of my Celtics teammates, Brandon and Dan. Both lived in the neighborhood and didn't have cable.

We sipped OJ and ate doughnuts while watching the USA defeat Mexico 2-0 in the quarterfinal of the 2002 World Cup. Goals from Brian McBride and Landon Donovan had us cheering and dancing through the night.

Today the USA is back in the quarterfinals. The opponent is different - Ghana. The menu will be different - brats, potato salad, and brownies with the OJ replaced by beer. The group will be a different mix - four sleepy adults replaced with parents, kids in tow.

The vibe will be the same, a good group of people drawn together by the beautiful game, ready to cheer on the red, white, and blue. Win or lose we will have a good time and be proud of the men wearing the crest of the USA.

This is just one of the reasons I love, love, love this game.

I was kissed by a sweaty Greek man and I liked it...

I watched the final group game today down at Plaka Taverna (a great little Greek place in downtown Madison that doubles as a greasy spoon) with my buddy Nick. We'd been down there just five days earlier with my wife and another friend to watch the USA storm back to tie Slovenia.

The place is small with two modest flat screens, but the atmosphere for watching is great. The fans watching mingle with casual diners who catch bits of the game when they stop in for their eggs and american fries.

Today's match was as intense of a game as I've experienced as a sports fan. Another disallowed goal, chance after chance gone begging, the news that England was leading Slovenia, Jonathan "defensive blunder waiting to happen" Bornstein starting. The tension was mounting. Texts from my wife (catching bits and pieces from her desk at work) included this gem, "I honestly think I may have a heart attack."

Then, finally the goal in the 91st minute, USA 1-0, the place goes crazy, high fives, hugs all around, and one big fat kiss on the cheek from proprietor Nico, who I've been chatting soccer with for more than a decade.

Never been so happy to be kissed by a man in my life, Katie Perry, eat your heart out.

Four years ago...

...the USA played for their World Cup lives against Ghana in the final group game. They fell 2-1 and exited the tournament with a single point.

Bruce Arena was out as coach and Bob Bradley, by all accounts the federation's second choice, was in.

Four years, eighteen qualifiers, two Gold Cups, a Confederations Cup, a Copa America, countless friendlies, and two World Cup group games later the team again plays for their World Cup lives in the final group game.

A few differences of course. Two points this time. A win guarantees advancement, no help needed. No players suspended due to red cards (though Findlay is out with two yellows). If results go the right way a tie can get them through. Even winning the group outright is in the cards.

The opponent is Algeria. My keys to the game:

1) Focus, focus, focus. The "stolen" goal is gone. Done. Can't get it back. The American media seemingly can't let it go. Bradley better have it wiped from his players' brains come tomorrow. As a former boss said "Worry about what you can control". Of particular worry to me is Jozy Altidore, whose penchant for interviews, Twitter, etc... has him (seemingly) focused on things off the pitch a bit too much, both at Hull and with the USA. If the team comes out still steaming about last Friday, Algeria will give them a figurative punch in the mouth, score a few early goals and stroll home.

2) Start Maurice Edu in the middle. More important than what to do with the forward position is making sure Edu is in from the start. It's not that Jose Francisco Torres or Ricardo Clark aren't capable players. It's the effect Edu has on Michael Bradley's game. Edu can play "box to box" allowing Bradley to do the same. Playing either of the other two forces Bradley to concentrate too much on either offense (paired with Clark) or defense (paired with Torres). With Edu in the game Bradley is free to play "his" game, transitioning up and down the field as the game flows.

3) Benny Feilhaber should come off the bench, even if Clint Dempsey starts at forward with Jozy Altidore. For whatever reason Feilhaber seems to shine in the substitute role more than as a starter. Maybe his ball control game comes good against tired legs, who I am to say?

4) NO EARLY GOALS. Enough has been said about this one in other places.

There you have it. Two thoughts on the "stolen" goal.

The silver lining

If the USA pulls out a win tomorrow then the "stolen" goal against Slovenia may just be the best thing that ever happened to the team from an exposure standpoint. Confused?

Well, nothing brings the sports fan in quite like a comeback. And certainly nothing brings in a patriotic American sports fan quite like the "world is out to get us" / "we was robbed!" mentality. If the third goal had counted there is no way the game makes the front page of the Times or gets played over and over and over again by ESPN and company.

The water cooler talk will only help some of the casual "every four years" soccer fans start tuning in more often for qualifiers and "lesser" tournaments leading into Brazil in 2014.

A win is crucial though, bow out again and you likely lose the momentum.

How quickly they forget...

The "stolen" goal certainly highlights one thing. Players, coaches, media, and fans all have very short memories. It was a year ago in the same country that the shoe was on the other foot. The USA led Brazil 2-0 at half time of the Confederations Cup final. Brazil scored within minutes of the restart and stormed back to tie the game at 2-2 (starting to sound familiar). Then Kaka struck the go-ahead goal to put Brazil in front. Only...

...the ref didn't call it a goal. Video replay showed the ball was at least a foot or two over the line. Even the most biased fan couldn't argue that it wasn't a terrible, terrible call. The Brazilians protested to little avail.

Of course, Brazil being Brazil, it didn't really matter as Lucio headed home the winner in the final minutes of the game and the comeback was complete.

So, for all the self-righteous indignation that has been floating around - yes, we got hosed, it was a horrible call, the goal should have counted.

That's life. Move on. Remember, sometimes the crappy calls go your way. Comfort yourself thinking about how the Irish got screwed worse than we did (who isn't loving the French debacle at this tournament?). Try and sleep tonight if you can (I know I won't be able to). Head out to the nearest gathering and scream yourselves hoarse tomorrow at 9:00 AM (CST, adjust accordingly).

Oh the Hypocrisy...

One week ago I posted how easy it was to root against the French without Zidane in the line-up.

Well that lasted about one week until kick-off of their game against Mexico. Theoretically I should root for the USA's CONCACAF brethren, but I just can't do it. I really, really, really dislike Mexico. Apparently more than the French.

Oh well, back to the game.

Edit/Update...

Well that stunk. Mexico needs just a tie to advance to the knockout stages. France is in deep, deep trouble.

USA v England - an opportunity missed?

Day 3 has come to a close with the Germans clobbering the Aussies 4-0. Not surprised really, they always seem to clobber someone the first game of the tourney.

I am still reflecting on yesterday's USA - England match. Maybe I'm just looking back through "homer" glasses, but the more I think about it, the more this seems like we missed a golden opportunity to punch England in the mouth and steal all 3 points.

England came out flying and took advantage of poor marking to go up 1-0 after only four minutes. The "superior" team then promptly took their foot off the pedal and set the cruise control. The problem was there were 86 minutes left in the match. The Americans slowly worked their way back into the match and even began to put a bit of pressure on the English defense. England never stepped it back up, didn't get Rooney involved until it was too late and generally failed to take back control of the game.

The goal was a gift of course, but really did we expect any different? Green joins a long line of English keepers who have made major gaffes in big situations, fumbling Clint Dempsey's shot over the line. Clint isn't complaining and his post match comments said it all: "They all count the same once they go in."Jozy Altidore had a glorious chance saved by Green and the post late on, though it can easily argued that England spurned more chances to win the game than the "Yanks" did.

The fact is overall England played poorly relative to there talent. If a team like the USA is going to beat them, it is on a day when they are not at there best. Not to take anything away from the USA performance, certainly not from the way they kept Rooney under wraps for better than 70 minutes. However, this was that opportunity and it wasn't seized. If Dempsey and his teammates had played their best game this would have been three points in the bag and a foot in the second round.

All is not lost of course. A point against the group favorites is never a bad thing and the team still controls its own destiny. Win the next two games and they advance.

Two takeaways from opening day...

Very tired and a bit under the weather, however in brief:

(1) With Zidane no longer playing it is so very, very easy to root against the French. I could never muster too much disdain for them when he was involved, however it was a joy to watch their frustrations today. I especially enjoyed the occasions where five French attackers would stand around and watch a sixth (usually Anelka) try and dribble/bull his way through multiple defenders, inevitably turning the ball over.

(2) Mexico does not discriminate when it comes to post match subs. I've always assumed it was a special hatred for the USA that caused the national team to leave the pitch without shaking hands with their opponents, especially following a disappointing result. Well, tonight they proved me wrong, snubbing the South Africans. In pointed contrast were the Uruguay and French teams embracing and exchanging shirts after their match.

Entering the "De-information Zone"

Years ago my brother-in-law had a special nickname for our mutual in-laws house, which he would visit for more than a week over the holidays. The home, lacking cable TV and only featuring dial-up internet access was jokingly dubbed the "De-information Zone". Thankfully following a basement remodel, a "bundle" was chosen bringing satellite TV and DSL to the party.

While my brother-in-law didn't have a choice, I am about to voluntarily enter that state (at least the internet part). Having recently started a new job I'm not in a position to take a ton of time off to watch World Cup games and will be instead taping them and trying to watch them later (at least the "must see" ones).

This of course necessitates not logging onto the internet at all for fear of finding out the scores. Also, not turning on the radio, not even the local guys who "never" talk about soccer.

Now, the really important ones (e.g. anything with the good old US of A) I'll find a way to watch but many of them I won't have that choice.

Bottom line, if you see or talk to me during the World Cup, assume (no really, ASSUME) that I do not know what happened in the game that day.

Rick, my friend, the next 30 days are for you.

Need to bone up on the Cup?

Take a gander at this little piece I penned for Delta Sky Magazine's June issue - pages 76 and 77.

Another one bites the dust...

You gotta love Queen man, you gotta love them.

Nigeria's Jon Obi Mikel joined a growing list of star players ruled out of the World Cup or on the ropes. Recovery from knee surgery did not proceed quickly enough and he has been dropped from the roster.

Teams are busy making last minute adjustments to tactics and plans as key cogs in the machine have been dropping like flies over the last few weeks. On top of that players' dreams are being shattered. Many players only get one chance to play in a World Cup, certainly only one chance during the "peak years" of their career. Some of the big names include

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast - not officially ruled out but needs elbow surgery)

Rio Ferdinand (England's captain)

Michael Essien (Ghana, ruled out a month ago)

Andrea Pirlo (Italy, not ruled out but currently back in Italy resting a fresh calf injury)

Jozy Altidore (USA, day to day with an ankle sprain)

Bradley tips his hand?

A lot of speculators have either Maurice Edu or Jose Torres ahead of Ricardo Clark on the depth chart for central midfield. However it was Clark who started and went (almost) the distance in today's tune-up against Australia.

The team on the field was presumably the starters against England with the exception of resting Altidore (see above). In addition, Bradley is nothing if not predictable and he knows what he is going to get from Clark (even if the fans don't agree). The only thing that may keep him from starting June 12th is the knock he limped off with around the 90th minute today.

I, I, I, I've got it...

Every four years I get reminded of this little gem of a song by Air Miami. The band performed "World Cup Fever" at O'Cayz Corral in Madison, WI about fifteen-ish years ago when they opened for (if the alcohol fogged memory serves) Throwing Muses. Great night, good times.

Clocking in at 2:11, the song was allegedly inspired by the 1994 World Cup and was followed by a remix album in 1998 which included an entry from Stephen Merritt of The Magnetic Fields.

The song is still around, my lovely wife heard it on NPR the other day played during a segment on the upcoming tournament.

I can't help it, the song just makes me smile.

Giuseppe Rossi? Not a traitor.

Italy announced its' World Cup squad today and to the surprise of many Italian-American striker Giuseppe Rossi was not included. This has delighted American soccer fans all over the message boards (I know, I really shouldn't waste my time). The comments are in the hundreds but let me summarize, edited for language, but essentially:

"Traitor! You got what you deserved."

People are pretty passionate about a decision made by someone else when he was 13 years old (ESPN did a recent feature on him - here). But even if you agree with them (and for the record, I don't), they need to work on their choice of words.

I fully realize I'm quibbling and being a bit of a, well, you know about this one. Anyway to think this one through we turn, where else but to the internet (specifically, dictionary.com)...

From Random House:

trai·tor   [trey-ter] –noun

1. a person who betrays another, a cause, or any trust.

2. a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country.

By both definitions a traitor is someone who "betrays".

be·tray   [bih-trey] –verb (used with object)

3. to disappoint the hopes or expectations of; be disloyal to: to betray one's friends.

Seven definitions not remotely appropriate have been omitted for length. The one that is in the ballpark is number three. Rossi definitely disappointed the hopes and expectations of American fans when he chose Italy over the USA. However....

The man didn't verbally commit to the USA, then back out for a better offer (follow college hoops recruiting anyone?). Rossi never, ever, ever did or said anything to engender those hopes among Americans. In fact, many of the "fans" screaming for his head didn't even know who he was when he made his decision almost a decade ago.

Is it really betrayal when the people you are "betraying" essentially manufactured their own hopes and expectations from incomplete and incorrect information? I think not, even if I can't offer a more appropriate word for them, partially because I can't be bothered to look for one.

A leisurely Memorial Day weekend

A few highlights from Memorial Day weekend...

Friday night I went out to help celebrate my friend Brandon's birthday. Unfortunately I had been under the weather and was reduced to raising a celebratory glass of ice water. Better in the long run though since I had a 30-minute drive home afterwards. Soccer did rear it's head of course as I was talking with another friend that evening about his 11-year old's team and soccer exploits.

The 11-year old was still playing with his local club this season, having turned down the chance to play with one of the bigger club's in Madison after making the cut at try-outs. He decided he wanted to play with his friends another year and think about trying out again the next time. Certainly the merits of small vs larger can be argued both ways but kudos to Mom and Dad for not pushing their son into something he didn't want just because it is "supposed" to be better/higher level/etc...

Saturday of course saw the USA come back to knock off Turkey 2-1. A much better performance by the Yanks and a game show by the Turkish, who were playing their third game in eight days. Bradley's charges were much sharper, the offensive flow in the second half was excellent, and the USA fans' collective mood has improved dramatically from Tuesday night.

Sunday saw a picnic lunch on the patio of a local brewery even with temps pushing the 90 degree mark. I also have a new favorite board game as we played a few rounds of Puerto Rico later that night. I had played one time before over the Christmas holiday when my brother and his wife were in town and am now officially hooked.

And then Monday came and (along with yard work) the Special One landed in Madrid. Jose Mourinho basically declared that he was going to take the job (even though it was not open), and Real Madrid, being who they are, obliged by bringing the biggest name in coaching to direct the biggest names in the game. I don't know a whole lot about much, but I do know one thing - this is going to be very, very fun to watch.

Final note - the contradictory headline of the day goes to Sky Sports with these two statements leading off an article:

Howard issues England warning

USA keeper not underestimating England ahead of World Cup

USA v Czech Republic

So I watched the game last night. Definitely a disappointing result overall tempered by a few positives. The most irritating thing to me though is all of the “oh well, the result doesn’t matter attitude” that was prevalent before the game even started and has continued into the post game analysis.

I actually felt like Lalas, Harkes, and company were justifying the performance before the game had even been played. Fringe players, individual performances more important than result, etc… Now, I get that this is a friendly and the result doesn’t count towards the World Cup. However any game, and I mean any game, that the United States plays is about the team. Sure, individual players have goals and things they need to show, but it just burns me that no one seemed to care that aside from the first 20-30 minutes of the game, the Czechs hammered us in a home game.

And leave off with the “fringe players”, B-squad nonsense. The Czechs were also missing almost all of their regular starters. And these guys are in the top 30 players in all of American soccer. The top tenth of a percent (random number as I have no idea how many adult soccer players are in the country). The crème de la crème. Do we really feel like it is ok if at numbers 12-30 on the depth chart we are outclassed? I guarantee they wouldn’t be in England.

Now, I’m not saying hit the panic button or anything. The talking heads are correct in that this is not the team that will be on the field when it counts. But for crying out loud have some pride. Don’t act like “it doesn’t matter” or “it was just the second string”.

We were trumpeting left and right last summer about our performance in the Confederations Cup and it was extremely irritating to read comments from other countries about how Spain didn’t take it seriously and it was “only” the Confederations Cup, not a major tournament. Now we want to take that stance?

I’m not advocating unrealistic expectations. We are a “high mid-major” country in the landscape of world soccer. For us to win the World Cup it will take a perfect storm similar to George Mason’s run to the Final Four a few years ago. And I’m not saying we have no business losing to the Czech’s last night.

But…it sucks that we lost, and it sucks how we lost. Don’t act like it doesn’t matter. It does matter and it’s insulting to the players out on the field to dismiss them out of hand like that. We should expect better from them, whether they are the second string or even the third string.

One last point on this, leading into 2006 the USA had a string of sub-par performances in the lead-up to the tournament including a 1-0 loss at home to Morocco(!). At the time we heard the same sort of comments from the talking heads and we all know how that tournament played out for the team.

Stepping off the soapbox and getting back to the game, here are a few of my high level observations.

Beasley – He looked sharp, was involved on both ends, and was drawing fouls like he did a few years back when he was in his best form. It appears his lack of consistent playing time with Rangers over the last few years hasn’t killed his chances of making an impact at the WC. Probably not a starter anymore but showed he deserves to go to South Africa.

Holden – Looked as good as he ever has in a USA uniform. He is fully recovered from the break he suffered against the Dutch. Stuart is positioning himself to get significant minutes in South Africa either off the bench or as a starter.

Gooch – Played 65 minutes and looked decent. Unfortunately decent isn’t going to cut it at the WC. He still has a few weeks to improve and two friendlies to show his stuff, but based on last night I don’t see how he gets the start on June 12th. Hopefully he can make the push because he is an integral part of the team and when healthy allows Bradley options with Bocanegra (read on).

Left Back – Oh man are we in trouble. Bornstein and Pearce have been “competing” for the left back spot for the last four years. And consistent with the results of that time, neither man made a strong case for himself last night. Our best bet at this point is either Bocanegra or Spector who would both could be used to better effect elsewhere.

The forwards – Ching seems recovered from his injury, contributing his usual game last night, so he will go. Gomez scored a goal and hustled. Buddle contributed to the first goal, earning the foul and helping to disrupt the keeper on the ensuing free kick. He also showed a lot of hustle and “want to”. Gomez offers the “super-sub” aspect which would be useful as neither of them will be starting barring injuries to others. Buddle offers the partnership with Donovan that has developed playing together in LA. Probably only one of these guys goes, your guess is as good as mine (which is Gomez incidentally).

Cheers, by the time you read this roster decisions will have been made and we’ll be down to the final 23.

World Cup Rosters Announced

Along with 31 other countries the United States announced their preliminary 30-man roster for the upcoming World Cup (it will be whittled down to the final 23 by early June). Perhaps most interesting about the US list is the complete lack of drama as compared to some other higher profile countries. Sure, there is the whole Charlie Davie's question...

On the process that ultimately led to the decision not to include Charlie Davies:

“Charlie has shown incredible heart and determination to reach this point in his recovery. We have followed his progress extensively during the past several months through physical examinations and personal observation by our staff, and he remained in consideration for this training camp until yesterday. FC Sochaux notified us that at this point Charlie has not been given medical clearance, and that they would not grant his full release to join the camp. Given that status and our own evaluation of his progress, we feel it is Charlie’s best interest to continue his rehabilitation and focus on getting fully prepared to resume his professional and international career.”

..but the sticking point on that seems to be more about how FC Sochaux didn't keep Davies in the loop, notifying the USA of his status without telling him.

Compare that to the host of names that didn't make the cut for other nations: Patrick Viera, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldinho (!!!!), Adriano, the list goes on. I guess the lesson here for me is that the USA has some great talent at the top of the chain, the depth still can not compete with the major soccer (football) nations around the world.

In other news, Clint Dempsey played the final 60+ minutes for Fulham in the Europa League final on Wednesday. He played well, however the hero on the night was Athletico's Diego Forlan who notched two goals including the winner in the 116th minute.

New job, less soccer watching this past week or so

So I started a new job this past week (yeah!) and that basically means I have spent about five minutes paying attention to soccer. Hopefully things settle down a bit and I can get in rather quickly.

All eyes in Sevilla today as Barcelona attempts to secure the La Liga title. A slip-up though and Madrid is waiting, just a point behind heading into the last two games (edit).

Come on you whites!

Well, Fulham are still leaving the dream, having advanced to the Europa League final May 12th courtesy of a 2-1 aggregate win over Hamburg. This means for the first time ever an American player (Clint Dempsey) may feature in a European final. I say may to be safe as he has not been starting the European games since coming back from injury, but has featured in all of them as a substitute including last nights victory in London.

DeMarcus Beasely almost made it a few years back with PSV losing out to AC Milan in the Champions League semi-finals and no one has come close until now. Dempsey has been a key figure for Fulham over the last two seasons and is arguably the biggest success of any American to play abroad. He certainly has competition in the likes of Claudio Reyna, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, and many others. However none of them have made it to as grand a stage as Clint and Fulham will see in two weeks time.

Back to the game for a moment. The first Fulham goal is about as good of a goal as you will see anywhere. A great run, a great pass, and Simon Davies takes two sick touches of the ball before volleying into the net. It's hard to pick between this goal and Dempsey's against Juventus two rounds ago, both were massive in scope and skill. Luckily Fulham fans don't have to choose, they have them both!

You can find full game highlights here including two other excellent goals from Petric and Gera.

Ribery, Ribery!

The official word came down today that Franck Ribery will not be participating in the UEFA Champions League Final for Bayern Munich due to a three-game ban for his red card in the first leg of the semi-final. Appeal forthcoming of course but I doubt they will win.

The amusing part to me is the message board/comment traffic. You could argue that's always the amusing part as people rant back and forth, stray off topic, insult each other, and generally accomplish little more than proving several things. One, they are completely biased. Two, they don't know nearly as much about the topic as they think they do. Finally, schooling systems around the world have severe, severe issues when it comes to teaching grammar, sentence structure, and spelling to the budding sports fans in their care.

Now don't get me wrong. Coherent points and arguments are in there somewhere. You just need to search long and hard to find them.

The Ribery "situation" especially has made me laugh. There are many people that think his ban should be reduced to one game, enabling him to play in the final against the winner of the Inter Milan and Barcelona tie later today. Reading through the various comment sections there are a few themes that develop. I'll address them each, but ultimately I think they are all pretty poor cases.

"The fans want to see the best players play".

This one in particular makes me chuckle. People have seriously posted comments that he should not be banned because they want to see him play in the game. So, because he entertains fans that means he should not receive a punishment for breaking the rules? Does that mean Messi gets to punch guys on the pitch and get away with it because he is the current darling of international soccer?

Heck, even the NBA enforces the rules on star players leaving the bench (Suns vs. Spurs a few years back) in the middle of crucial play-off series. And they are the standard bearer for having one set of rules for stars and one for everyone else.

"The punishment does not fit the crime".

This case at least has a logical approach to it even if I don't think it holds water. Many are arguing that the foul resulting in the red card was not "serious foul play" and thus does not merit a three-game ban. The reasons given for this vary from "it was not intentional" to "Lisandro made a meal of it" to "it wasn't that bad of a foul". In order:

There is no rule that says "serious foul play" requires intent. A broken leg is a broken leg, regardless of intent. And Lisandro could easily have had his leg broken on the play.

There is no rule that if the fouled player rolls around like he's been shot to exaggerate the seriousness of a foul that the foul should be treated differently. So what if Lisandro "made a meal of it"? This does not change the fact that the foul was extremely dangerous.

To those that say "it wasn't that bad". Really? Really? If you, a friend, your child, or your teammate were on the receiving end of that tackle you would be asking for Ribery's head. That is a fact.

"The rules about cards are stupid and should be changed so that players do not miss finals of tournaments".

This is a statement that I agree with to an extent. There definitely needs to be some revamping of how major tournaments handle these situations. Obviously there has to be a line somewhere (fighting, serious foul play), but too many players miss out on games due to what seem like technicalities of the rules. In this case Ribery joins Roy Keane, Michael Ballack, and many others on the list of players to miss out on games that should be the pinnacle of a player's career.

However, it is a completely irrelevant argument in this situation. The rule stinks? Fine, change it for next year's tournament. You don't change the rules in the middle of a tournament, a league, a season, of anything. You just don't.

FIFA and UEFA (arguably) did it in World Cup Qualifying with the seeding fiasco and we all know it was a joke and completely unfair to change the rules at the end of the competition.

"Referees making poor decisions impact these things too much".

Another statement that you can validly argue. Many, many examples. Chelsea v Barcelona last year. South Korea's wins against Spain and Italy in 2002. France v Ireland last fall. The list goes on. Again though, you can't change it for this one instance. It has to be done globally and in advance of the competition.

All of that said though, please, please keep posting. It not only makes me laugh, it makes me feel better about myself!

Discipline Schmisipline

The USA's recent discipline history in major tournaments is pretty poor.

Confederations Cup 09: Three red cards in five games.

World Cup 06: Two red cards in three games.

Now USA fans get to add another name to the list of random card risks they need to worry about in South Africa this summer. Hull City forward and US international Jozy Altidore lost his cool and got ejected for a head butt in the team's 0-1 loss to Sunderland this weekend.

Dumb

Dumb

Dumb

Hopefully this is a "one off" and doesn't become a recurring problem.

Karma returns to the CL semi-finals as Barcelona visits Milan

One year ago (well, 51 weeks ago) Chelsea players and fans were left fuming following their semi-final loss to Barcelona. The referee had missed two fairly obvious penalty calls against the Spanish squad, allowing Andres Iniesta's late strike to win the two-legged tie. Accusations flew, suspensions were handed out, and Barcelona advanced, defeating Manchester United to lift the trophy.

Fast forward to this evening in Milan. Barcelona loses 3-1 to Inter, with the Italians benefiting from a penalty that wasn't called as well as a missed offside call on the final goal. There are a few differences from last year, Barcelona still have the second leg at home to overcome the deficit and Inter could easily have won by more than two goals.

However, it seems fitting that former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was the one to deliver this little bit of payback. I guess Karma really is a, well you know.

Spring arrives in the upper Mid-West

Ahh, spring in Wisconsin. That fickle, teasing friend has finally made a permanent appearance (we hope) and kids and adults are hanging up their indoor shoes and hitting the local fields in numbers. Some of the highlights to track this spring as we head towards the World Cup.

High-school girls

Check out Eric Anderson's site, Wisconsin Soccer Central, for all the latest on the girls' prep game including scores, standings, and updates.

Madison Area Youth Soccer Association

Maysa is the umbrella organization for area youth soccer. Find league schedules, tournament info, and links to area clubs.

Madison Soccer Association

The adult mens league is making a significant change this year, shifting it's play-offs from late June to mid-October. The spring kicks off April 25th and their website has schedules, results, and standings.

Co-ed play

Check Keva Sports and Breakaway Sports for on-going indoor and outdoor co-ed leagues. Keva also runs O-30 and O-40 outdoor mens leagues.

For the love of the game - Get out and play!

One of the great places to get a pick-up game in the spring is U-Bay fields just north of the hospital. Grab your gear and head out late afternoon/early evening most weeknights and you'll find anywhere from 2 v 2 to 15 v 15.

"One Goal"

A series of shorts about the US Men's team, the fan support, and the "Road to South Africa". Check out their You Tube channel here for the perfect way to get pumped up June and the World Cup.

Champions League on Fox Soccer - the unexpected downside

This past fall Fox Soccer (FSC) took over the US broadcasting rights for the UEFA Champions League from ESPN. I was never particularly dissatisfied with ESPN, other than having to watch some of the games in non-high def on Classic, but was still upbeat about the change.

Justifiably so it turned out. A few reasons:

1. The announcers are more knowledgeable, call the game well, and are less completely and totally biased towards English teams.
2. The simultaneous broadcast of two games (one on Fox Sports North in my neighborhood) meant not having to avoid the internet to wait for the delayed broadcast of a game you wanted to watch.
3. FSC added the high-def this winter and it makes for excellent viewing.
4. The beautiful game can feel like the unwanted stepchild on the ESPN network. They claim to love it to, but often fail to show it. I have multiple times watched the first half of a US qualifying game on one station then flipped over to another station to watch the rest of it. Annoying. FSC is, well it's in the name right?

So overall I have been very pleased with the new lay of the land, until last week that is. Spring break and a trip to the beach with family and friends is always a great, relaxing time. In past years I've been able to sneak off to catch quarterfinal CL action at the local watering hole (or just turn it on and force anyone actually in the house to watch with me).

The games then? On ESPN2 and available anywhere that has basic cable including most bars in the country. At 2:00 on a Tuesday afternoon any bartender will stick on the game for a paying customer, as nothing else is competing with it for customers attention.

The games now? On FSC, which unfortunately is a premium channel just about everywhere and not always available in the bar you choose to pull up a stool at. And there you have one downside to the broadcast change.

In the end it was all good, and the world did not end because I missed the second leg of the quarter-finals (surprising, I know). I spent some quality time with the family in the pool and on the bike trails, only remembering later that night to try and catch the scores on the crawl across the bottom of ESPN.

English teams still in Europe

There are four English teams still remaining in Europe fighting for semi-final places in their competitions. Here is where they sit after the first leg of the quarter-final series.

Champions League

Manchester United lost 1-2 away to Bayern. Wayne Rooney notched a valuable away goal, however he limped off with that ankle injury in stoppage time.

Arsenal fought back to draw Barcelona 2-2 at home after trailing 0-2, losing Cesc Fabregas for the season in the process. They travel to Spain needing a win or a two goal draw.

Europa League

Liverpool fell 1-2 in Portugal to Benfica. Ryan Babel took what amounts to a silly red card but he isn't an automatic name on the team sheet for the Reds so it may not be the end of the world for them. They need a 1-0 or better win at home next week to progress.

Fulham won 2-1 at Craven Cottage against Wolfsburg. They were comfortably ahead before giving up the late away goal to the Germans. They hit the road next week needing a goal or a goalless draw.

Prospects

So, who will make it to the semi-final? The outlook for Arsenal seems grim after giving up two away goals and losing their midfield lynchpin. Manchester United and Liverpool both scored away goals and will fancy their chances to score and advance on their home turf. United's task will be a bit tougher though without Rooney, barring an amazing recovery, as they face a tough Bayern side. Fulham will also like their position and need a goal at Wolfsburg. However, the Germans have the away goal and are a huge threat.

The Cottagers do have the advantage in that they are not fighting tooth and nail in the Premiership. The other three are fighting for the title or the Champions League, Fulham sit comfortably in 10th. They are not going down and they are not going to qualify for Europe next year. They can put all their resources into the Europa League at this point, as illustrated by Hodgson fielding a number of second stringers over the weekend in the domestic league, saving his full strength line-up for the game earlier tonight.

Predictions

1. Arsenal to go out at Barcelona.

2. Manchester United to scrape through at home with Michael Owen the hero.

3. A lovely Anfield evening as Liverpool ease past Benfica with ease.

4. Fulham to surprise again at Wolfsburg as Bobby Zamora continues to make his case for a trip to South Africa with England.

And the injury train rolls on...

For once though it is an opponent of the United States sweating it out over a star player. Wayne Rooney turned an ankle in added time of Manchester United's defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champion's League.

Rooney to miss a month

Leaves Munich on crutches

The injury occurred just prior to a superb individual effort by Bayern's Ivica Olic resulted in the go ahead goal as the German team will take a 2-1 lead into the second leg at Old Trafford.

I never want to see players get hurt, but the US chances will only improve if Rooney is less than 100% when they face off against England on June 11th. While Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch, and company would all instantly slot into a starting role for the Stars and Stripes, none of them are at Rooney's level. Which, quite frankly has been terrifying me for months as he has been in the form of his life.

The worst soccer fan in America…

Well for the moment anyway it’s me. The MLS launched its season this past weekend and I managed a whole 20 minutes live and a handful of highlights on Fox Soccer Report last night. I do have a replay of the LA-NE game running in the background today but when you already know the outcome it’s a little tougher to pay attention as a fan.

I am a big proponent of MLS. It is a huge part of the soccer landscape in our country, is a key to developing the game in the States (even with its challenges), and in my opinion American soccer fans owe it to the MLS to at least pay attention. So I felt like a bit of a hypocrite after realizing I had just missed “opening weekend” of the 2010 season.

That said, is it really, really smart to start your season during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament? The small amount of live action I did watch over the weekend was from the Seattle-Philly game on Thursday night. I flipped over to watch, but kept flipping back to watch Butler knock of Syracuse and an epic battle between Kansas State and Xavier.

As a sports fan this was really no contest, even as a die-hard soccer fan. The opening game of the MLS season where half the teams are going to make the play-offs and it really only matters how well you are playing in October (case in point – Real Salt Lake last year)? Or the romance of the underdog taking the big, bad power conference school to the buzzer in the NCAA tourney?

Soccer is and will always be my number one sport. I’ll watch the MLS play-offs over a mid-season Packers or Steelers game every time. But putting the opening weekend of your season up against the 2nd biggest sporting event in America after the Super Bowl is going to be a tough, tough sell for me.

Maybe I am not as die-hard as I like to think I am or maybe it's just that for this one moment in time I am the worst soccer fan in America.

So, sorry Don Garber. Sorry new look Chicago Fire (I still love you guys). Sorry MLS. You are not going to win when you take on “One Shining Moment”.

Dynamite Dempsey

Clint Dempsey struck an unbelievable goal last night to cap a Fulham victory over one of the true giants of international club football, Juventus.

After two months out of action with a knee injury it was a superb way to announce his return. He'll get plenty of games in the run-in with Fulham still alive in two cup competitions and should be in top shape by June. Here's hoping that Davies and Onyewu also recover in time to play a part for the US in South Africa.

If you haven't seen the goal or just want to see it again, Ives has a video on his site.

This goal is just really, really sick. After receiving the ball he never looks at the goal or the keeper once, yet still manages to pick it out perfectly. Donovan may be the "best" player the US has ever produced, but Dempsey is certainly has the best combination of skill, tenacity, and sheer audaciousness.

Come on Fulham!

Streaming this one live today and so far what a fight back by Fulham, down 4-1 on aggregate after 2 minutes, they have fought back to tie at 4-4 (helped by a fairly harsh red on Cannavaro, though his challenge was extremely clumsy and lazy).

Fulham v Juventus

I can't tell for the life of me what the announcers are saying as it is in Spanish. So I'm catching pelota, gol, player names, and varying levels of excitement and tone in the announcers voices.

Don't know much about Slovenia and Algeria?

Well, Franco Panzio over at "Soccer by Ives" is your man. He is tracking performances of the USA's World Cup opponents in leagues across Europe.

Algerians/Slovenians Abroad: Weekend Rewind

The Special One vs Chelsea - thank you Tim Howard

This week's Champions League action sees high drama with the return of one Jose Mourniho to Stamford Bridge as Chelsea attempt to overturn a first leg 2-1 defeat at the hand's of Inter Milan.

Drama of course because of Mourinho's self proclaimed status as "The Special One" and his two premier league titles at the helm of Chelsea. And in case you were wondering Chelsea have not lifted the trophy since he left (as I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you all about).

Mourinho is great entertainment at all times as he works the press and exudes ultimate confidence. This week's game will be the latest episode of the theatre that follows his every move. I love it!

Watching the 2-2 draw between Birmingham City and Everton over the weekend it occurred to me that we may just have Everton keeper Tim Howard to thank for this particular spectacle.

You may not be asking yourself why, however I'm going to pretend you did. Rewind a bit to March 9, 2004, the venue Old Trafford, the players Mourinho's FC Porto and Manchester United.

There were a host of reasons that United bowed out to Porto, including poor marking, poor finishing, and a red card for Roy Keane. However the lasting image will be Howard, in goal for United, palming Benni McCarthy's stoppage-time free kick directly to Costinha who slotted home the winner.

Cue Mourinho dancing down the Old Trafford touchline, FC Porto marching to the Champions League title, and finally "The Special One" moving to the Premier League as Chelsea manager.

Yes, Mourinho would have eventually forced his way into the international consciousness sooner or later, even if Porto had lost at Old Trafford. And whether Howard deserved full blame for the loss is certainly debatable. Either way, Tim's last minute error on that March evening in 2004 started a chain of events that culminate this week in London and have, at least for my money, provided one of the best soccer story lines in recent memory.

Wisconsin to play tourney debutante Wofford

The Badgers got seeded right about where they should be at the #4 slot in the East bracket. They will face off against first time tourney participant Wofford from the Southern Conference.

Wofford anxiously waits to see where it lands in bracket

They are a nice story but let's hope the coach's prediction of making the Final Four is wrong and they bow out against Bucky.

Wisconsin vs Wofford

On Wisconsin!

(and yes, I realize this has nothing to do with soccer, but it's that time of year...)

When you can't watch

What to do when the game isn't televised? Well the options are limited but they do exist.

For "important" games I have been able to track down on-line feeds of international broadcasts and sat huddled in front of the computer screen, headphones plugged in, following the action as best I can. The downsides of this avenue are games may get pulled partway if the rights holder polices things well, the feeds are often not of great quality, and you will likely get "buffering" lags even if you are running a high speed connection. One other watch-out is the headphones kind of tethers you to one spot, the leaping out of your chair when Conor Casey emerges from nowhere to lead the USA past Honduras and seal a World Cup spot for the sixth consecutive tournament? Not the best plan.

This option isn't always the realistic one either, with the family tearing around and my attention required elsewhere I often will pull up BBC Sport's "Live Football" feature and track games that way. The site is definitely UK-centric so you will often get only cursory mentions of teams outside of the "Home Nations". However, for those teams and all games in the EPL, the host essentially runs a live blog/twitter style commentary covering the action in various games.

Maybe it's a British thing or maybe because it is on the web, but the fun part for me is that the commentators are able to "tell it like it is" and will often take a humorous slant or call out extremely poor play. The other highlight is reader texts often moaning about the performance of a particular player or team. These are great as the average Brit fan has this great self-depreciating defeatist vibe when things aren't going there way balanced with unbridled insane hope that they will prevail and their texts deliver on the promise of that combo.

The only Americans that come close to this (in my experience) are Minnesota Vikings fans, they just, absolutely know that they are going to blow it and are just waiting for the hammer to fall, but there is this one little glimmer of hope that maybe this time they won't miss the field goal (Gary Anderson) or throw that pick (Farve! hee, hee!) or give up two touchdowns in the last minute of the last game of the season to those (at the time) perennial cellar dwellers, the Arizona Cardinals.

Why the Champions League has me worried about June 12, 2010

What a week in the UEFA Champions League with sixteen goals scored in four games, two of which were blow-outs, but two of which were back and forth with the final goal sending first Bayern and then Lyon through to the quarterfinal. This was fun, fun viewing and a great advertisement for the beautiful game.

With apologies to Arsenal's hat-trick hero Nicklas Bendtner, the performance of the week came from United's Wayne Rooney who knocked in two sublime goals to continue his destruction of all comers. His tally now stands at 30 goals in all competitions this season and his manager is pushing him to hit 43 and break Ronaldo's total from a few year's back. A lofty goal, not completely unrealistic though.

The scariest part of course is that, barring injury, Rooney will be leading the attack against the USA on June 12th in the red, white, and blue's opening World Cup match against England. Conventional wisdom says the opening group game is the most important and for the USA to get any points against England they will have to figure out how to shut down the in-form forward who seems to be scoring at will with both foot and head.

Everton 5-1 Hull City

If this is truly the end for Landon Donovan and he returns to the Galaxy for the 2010 season then it was an inauspicious beginning to the day. Donovan was on the bench at the start of the Toffees’ home match against Hull City. For the visitors Jozy Altidore also had to settle for a place on the bench. It was with slight disappointment that I started to watch the match.

Speaking of which, props to both Fox and ESPN for showing so many of Everton’s games the last two months. I wasn’t counting but I estimate having seen 4-6 of them this winter.

Back to the game, a total domination by Everton even with the score knotted at 1-1 early on. Both Donovan and Altidore did make appearances, the former’s being more impressive as he notched a goal and an assist. My thoughts…

Arteta was incredible.

The penalty was about as weak a call as you’ll see. Justice was served with the miss.

Donovan was lively even if you take out the goal, moving well, passing well, involved - basically the opposite of the Holland game.

Altidore had some decent hold up play - by this point I wasn't paying 100% attention as the boys were rambunctious and we were busy getting lunch on the table (leftover pulled pork sandwiches, mmm-mmm).

Netherlands 2-1 United States

Managed to get through the first half live and watched the rest about an hour later.

Disappointed but not unduly surprised. I’ll leave it to other sources to break down the game and just give you a few thoughts on a few players who likely improved or solidified their chances of making the final World Cup roster.

Jay DeMerit and Maurice Edu – both players for me showed why they were consistently a part of the national team prior to injuries last year.

Sconnie native DeMerit was solid throughout in central defense picking up right where he left off during his fine run last summer in the Confederations Cup and qualifying. Jay is one of the top three center backs right now in Bradley’s eyes.

Edu solidified the defense in the second half slipping in to the defensive midfield role. He consistently popped up in exactly the right spot to cut off Dutch passes and showed excellent poise on the ball and in distribution. I think as long as he stays healthy he has to be on the plane to South Africa as well.

DeMarcus Beasley – of course we know that he fell off the map last year following the Brazil debacle and the injury bug. Tonight he wasn’t brilliant or even consistent but he showed flashes of the talent he hasn’t brought to the team in a few years. I have a feeling that he may make the roster after all. Bradley knows exactly what he gets from Beasley and as long as he is healthy it may be a case of going with the devil you know.

A few quick hits...

Another example that the team goes as Donovan goes, if the best player on the squad is not involved they have a steep hill to climb to win games against top teams.

I wish Jonathan Bornstein didn’t have a tendency to make boneheaded plays in key situations.

Jozy Altidore had a few nice plays, the back heel was sweet, splitting the defenders for the final shot was slick – needs to be more consistent (I know Harkes, he’s young, blah, blah, blah).

The DVR is your friend

The digital video recorder is arguably an American soccer fan’s best friend that is not an actual living, breathing human being (sorry Keely, you are cute and all, but I don’t have to carry poop bags around after the DVR).

Games are on at crazy times, while you are at work, middle of the night, when you are at swim lessons for the four-year old. Catching games live just isn’t always realistic once family and life start intruding on your post-bachelor world. Today’s game between USA and Netherlands? I will be home, but so will our oldest who will invariably get his turn in front of the TV (it is only a friendly after all) and a chance to ride around the neighborhood on his new bike. With the magic of the DVR I will get to watch the game, albeit in multiple sittings and finishing long after the game itself.

These days, if a game is televised, you can watch it.

Gone are the days of sitting in the dark at 2 A.M. with two guys from my soccer team who did not have cable, watching the US National Team put in a punchers’ performance at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. No more watching four or five EPL games a weekend or picking and choosing which weekday afternoons to take off to catch key Champion's League or World Cup matches.

These days I browse the channel guide and decide which game to record on Saturday or Sunday, usually watching one, maybe two games if I am lucky. I am lucky enough and my wife is understanding enough of my obsession that I still manage to see almost all of the US men’s games. For the big events? Tape 'em all and sort it out later. I obviously won't watch every minute of every World Cup game this summer, but they will all get taped.

The downside of all that is of course avoiding the results until after you’ve seen the game. Case in point I climbed in my car to drive home from work last summer after having taped the USA-Spain Confederation’s Cup game having managed to stay off the Web all afternoon and with no knowledge of the result. On comes the radio and the local sports talk guys, who to my knowledge have never once before or since spoken about soccer. The first thing I hear is “Go USA! 2-0 over Spain!”. I have never been so happy and pissed off at the same time in my life.

What have we learned?

1. Own a DVR.

2. Avoid the Internet.

3. Even if your local sports talk guys have spent the last three months talking about nothing but Brett Farve and will he or won’t he, don’t turn on the radio on the drive home from work.

Why a blog?

Do we really need another blog about soccer? Maybe not. The better question might be do we really need another blog of any kind? Likely not.

That said, I am starting this one to grace the internet with my somewhat random thoughts on the beautiful game, life, what it means to be a soccer fan in the States, and pretty much anything else that comes to mind.

I used to sneak these thoughts onto my wife’s blog, inserted between pictures of the kids, updates on the family, and the occasional pop culture musings. This provided amusement to a handful of my fellow soccer geeks participating in our EPL Fantasy Soccer league, but more confusion to family and friends looking for pictures of cute baby and toddler pictures.

So that is why. And leading off….