Soccer Therapy 7/11/14: MLS is Here

MLS is not “here”.

But, “MLS is Here” is the name of a new 30 second spot promoting the league. A little over the top, but mostly just well done in my opinion. Worth 30 seconds if you are excited about soccer following the World Cup.

It’s marketing pieces like this that got me excited about watching the 2010 World Cup, which sparked my general fascination with The Beautiful Game year round. Here are the links, have a look

MLS 30 second vid:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2014/07/10/mls-here

Here is a link to the ad that got me excited about the 2010 World Cup (and is somewhat responsible for my interest in the game today!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXlBSlyU8xY

Transfer update –

Alexis Sanchez: Barca > Arsenal

The Biter: Liverpool > Barca

Robinho: AC Milan > Orlando City SC*

LeBron James: Miami > Cleveland

*Far from official, but so was the Kaka to OCSC deal for a few weeks. The key is that Orlando is owned by one of the wealthiest Brazilians, he is filthy rich and apparently he is friends with a lot of big time Brazilian soccer players.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see OCSC make their 2nd designated player signing very soon. Xavi to NYCFC is also looking possible now.

Cheers,

CT

 

Soccer Therapy 7/8/14: USOC edition!

 

Okay boys,

This soccer therapy, from a content standpoint, is my most selfish yet – so I am only sending it to my closest amigos and I’ll try to keep it brief. But, if even 1% of you is an FC Dallas fan, or at least would like to see the classy franchise win some silverware anytime soon, I suggest reading on and checking out the US Open bracket image I’ve attached.

It’s been a long road. A lot of qualifiers, a lot of games, and a few upsets have set the stage for the 2014 US Open Cup (USOC) quarterfinals. The field of 8 is set after five rounds of action including teams from all 4 tiers of pro soccer in the USA and a few amateur sides as well. You might be asking yourself, what is the US Open Cup? Fair question, and the tournament doesn’t exactly garner big time attention: ESPN.com doesn’t recognize its existence, its website is run by volunteers, and many MLS clubs use it as an opportunity to develop young players rather than win a trophy. If you are still reading, here are some of the reasons I am excited about FC Dallas’ current USOC run.

1 – The tournament has been around since 1914. It is the oldest existing competition in American soccer by a few years.

2 – It is named the “Lamar Hunt US Open Cup” – When a tournament is named after the founder of your franchise (the Hunts have owned and operated FCD from day 1), it means a little bit more.

3 – The winner of the cup gets $250k (transfer fee type money in MLS) and a coveted spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. Of course, this in turn presents the opportunity to represent MLS in the Club World Cup (if some extraordinary set of circumstances were to play out).

I mentioned upsets. The elite 8 of professional soccer in America has a strong MLS flavor to it. But 2 quarterfinalists, Atlanta and Carolina, will represent the North American Soccer League (NASL).

After receiving a bye for the first 2 rounds of the tourney, the Atlanta Silverbacks thrashed Chattanooga 5-0. Then, playing host to Real Salt Lake, the Silverbacks pulled a massive 4^th round upset, earning their first W versus an MLS side. The Silverbacks went on to the 5^th round to face the Rapids in Colorado. After taking a 2-1 lead, a 2^nd half altercation resulted in 3 straight reds to Atlanta players. The Silverbacks were then outmanned 10-8 with only a 1 goal cushion and 26 minutes remaining. Obviously, somehow, they held on.

Now for the juicy stuff: FC Dallas’ quarterfinal opposition is the other NASL side, the Carolina RailHawks. Like Atlanta, Carolina was off until the 3^rd round, where they blanked the Charlotte Eagles 2-0 (Charlotte, who plays in the 3^rd division USL PRO, knocked FC Dallas out of the USOC in the 3rd round in 2012). In the 4^th round, Carolina beat MLS side Chivas USA on PKs 3-2 then. In the 5^th round, Carolina hosted and defeated the LA Galaxy in a USOC match for the 3^rd consecutive year.

I don’t know much about these guys, but I’d like to think an MLS side has a massive advantage. In my three years of following this tournament, these Cinderella runs usually run out of steam at some point. However, as evidenced by LA’s losses in Carolina and FC Dallas’ loss to Charlotte 2 years ago, these lower division sides should not be taken for granted.

This quarterfinal matchup is huge for FC Dallas. We have been blessed with a very winnable game, but more importantly, if we advance, we will host the semifinal matchup in Frisco. Even more important is that Seattle, easily the best team in the tourney, was drawn onto the other side of the bracket, meaning FC Dallas would only have to play them in a final. A road win against a 2^nd tier side and a home win against a struggling Philly puts FC Dallas through to the final. At that point, anything can happen!

Silly Season Bonus! An extremely not thorough list of some recent, confirmed movement in the transfer market – feel free to comment

Bacary Sagna: Arsenal > ManCity

Cesc Fabregas: FCB > Chelsea

Luke Shaw: Southampton > ManU

Diego Costa: Athleti > Chelsea

Vidic: ManU > Inter

Rickie Lambert: Southampton > Liverpool

Adam Lallana: Southampton > Liverpool

Snodgrass: Norwich > Hull City

David Luiz: Chelsea > PSG

David Villa: Athleti > NYCFC

Kaka: ? > Orlando City SC

Ashley Cole: Chelsea > AS Roma

Siem de Jong: Ajax > Newcastle

 

Soccer Therapy 6/19/2014: Qatar the Disaster

While the World Cup is in progress, the FIFA congress is also taking place in Brazil. A hot topic of discussion is the controversy surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. I was curious so I did a little research. I discovered the voting that determines which nation hosts the Cup involves 24 high ranking FIFA officials spanning the globe. I took a quick look at the voting committee for the 2022 World Cup and an alarming number of sketchy names popped up. If you feel like it, read the info graphic I have attached. It details only some of the allegations of corruption and vote-buying that went on prior to the 2010 decision to award WC2022 to Qatar.

Qatar being awarded a World Cup is comparable to Sochi being awarded the Winter Olympics when they didn’t even have snow and it was 60 degrees. The average temperature in Qatar during the World Cup months is over 105 degrees and is not playable. Chucho Benitez was a star Ecuadorian striker and 3-time golden boot winner of the Mexican league. In July 2013, at the age of 27, he signed with a Qatari club and played his first game in the hot summer dessert a few days later. One day after his dessert debut, with no history of health or heart problems, Chucho died of cardiac arrest.

Of course, when making the bid, Qatar promised they would build indoor, air-conditioned stadiums. They have since reneged on that promise. FIFA and Qatar have talked about hosting the WC2022 during December when conditions would be playable and some domestic leagues around the world are on break. They talked about playing games from 9pm to 5am, after the sun goes down and it would be significantly cooler. Whether it is the corruption that led to Qatar being awarded the Cup or the unrealistic hurdles of hosting a summer tournament in the dessert, FIFA has an excuse to award WC2022 to different host nation.

The bumbling governing body of world football has been stubborn about this, but I sense a new momentum building for those in favor of a re-vote. I think we are also seeing the dangers of hosting the Cup in a nation like Brazil. Corruption and incompetence within their government severely delayed stadium preparations and has its people in uproar all over the streets in the middle of FIFA’s showcase event. We saw countless national teams begin their WC2014 preparations in the USA, where we have a great infrastructure, reliable airports, and all the massive stadiums you could ever want. There have been problems surrounding this Cup in Brazil, there may be even bigger problems in Russia in 2018, and if FIFA doesn’t seriously consider a revote, 2022 will be a disaster. I personally think FIFA, much like the NCAA, is on life support, and it is possible their survival depends on doing the right thing just this one time.

Soccer Therapy 6/2/14 – USMNT pre-World Cup Roster thoughts

I only caught the first half of the USA v Turkey game in New York yesterday, but I did catch the entire Azerbaijan game. Here are my thoughts on the squad with the team kicking off against Ghana in exactly 2 weeks from today. Generally speaking, the USA’s defense is atrocious and their attack is showing promise. Kyle (new to soccer therapy – let me know if you want to be removed from the chain), any idea on what the Over/Under might be for Goals Allowed by the USA in the group stages? Might be worth a look. Below are my thoughts on the roster and a prediction of the starting XI for the Nigeria game – Sunday in Jacksonville I think. Plus a bonus update on FC Dallas as the MLS World Cup break approaches.

Defense:

I thought Fabian Johnson looked fantastic at right back – not only for the great run and the goal he scored – I thought his recovery speed and ability to get out of situations without doing anything stupid was impressive. He is easily the best fullback on the squad in my opinion.

Timmy Chandler took a lot of criticism for his outing at left back yesterday. I’ll get to more on that in a minute – but I thought the biggest mistake by Jurgen Klinsmann here was not appreciating the chemistry that Besler and Beasley developed on the left half of our defense over the last year. It appears that JK may have settled on his defensive line outside of that LB position – I think it should be DeMarcus Beasley.

Midfield:

I heard JK moved Michael Bradley back to the defensive mid role in the 2^nd half, but in the 1^st half, Bradley was playing in the #10 role he has occupied since March. I understand what JK is thinking: put arguably your best player in Bradley in that all important creative, attacking midfielder role. Most fans agree that Bradley and the entire team plays better when he can let the game come to him as a defensive mid. It’s a more natural role for Bradley – and if JK is looking for a #10, what’s wrong with Mix? He is another guy like Fabian Johnson who is probably more European than American – so get him on the pitch!

I have been one of Jermaine Jones’ biggest critics, but after watching him play against Turkey, I think we have to have him out there. He was a beast cleaning up mistakes in front of the backline yesterday and seems to have matured (odd for a dude in his 30s) over the last 12 months. I For me, the USA’s best chance is pairing Jermaine Jones with Bradley in the midfield, and hope Jones can swallow his pride, sit back, and let Bradley do whatever he wants.

Brad Davis is probably the least physically gifted player on the squad – but the group seems to play better when he is out there. I think he kind of inspires the team and he definitely adds to our attack with that nasty left foot. I think he provides better live or dead ball service than any player on the team. However, against the likes of Ghana etc. Davis would be a huge defensive liability – I think this is why JK gave Timmy Chandler a run out at Left Back. Chandler is fast and has the physical ability to cover a lot of ground on that left side. The logic might be that Chandler’s speed can cover while Davis adds to the attack. I don’t see JK starting Zusi and Davis at the World Cup, but I predict he starts one of them. And while Zusi was the favorite to start for the last 12 months, I think Davis may have taken his spot with his standout play in the last 2 games.

Attack:

Jozy is catching heat from supporters who want goals and receiving praise from media people for good hold up play, attitude and hustle. I’ll be honest, I want some god damn goals from him, but I thought he paired very well up top with Dempsey against Turkey – I think that pair holds promise, but I would love to see Johanson get more of a look. I don’t care if they are different style players, if Wondo gets more minutes at the World Cup than Johanson, Jurgen is stupid. Whoever JK starts in the attacking midfield and up top, the group has promise and can score goals, but they can’t afford to waste chances by any means.

Starting XI vs. Nigeria: 4-2-3-1

GK: Timmy!

DEF: Fabian Johnson, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, Demarcus Beasley

D-MIDs: Jermaine Jones, Michael Bradley

Attack-MIDs: Bedoya, Dempsey, Davis

F: Jozy Altidore

*FC Dallas Bonus Update by the numbers*

Recent form: Loss, Win, Loss, Loss, Loss, Loss, Draw, Loss, Draw, Loss

That is 1-7-2 over their last 10 matches.

FC Dallas is on pace for a record number of red cards, having collected 6 through only 15 games – this is like Happy Gilmore and his hockey records.

We have converted 4 of 6 PK opportunities this year – both PK misses came in 1-goal defeats.

Soccer Therapy 5/8/2014 – Predicting USMNT’s preliminary roster

A few things before I get into the predictions:

What I meant to say in that last email was that I could easily see Real Madrid winning by 4 or 5 goals, not Bayern. I also meant to say that no one can really anticipate what will happen next in this season’s BPL, but that you have to think ManCity’s talent would end out getting the job done. Just kidding, shows what my predictions are worth – not sure these things get better with practice.
MLS is heating up and FC Dallas is cooling down. Clint Dempsey is absolutely demolishing the league, so is his striking partner Obafemi Martins. If that duo stays healthy, Seattle will have the best MLS attack I’ve seen these last few years by the fall. The difference between the Sounders and Toronto is that their studs are surrounded by other All Star caliber players in MLS. Bradley, Defoe and Julio Cesar are left to carry the load while Dempsey is surrounded by one of the deepest, most talented rosters in the league.

Alright – here is my guess at the 30 – JK should be naming it any day now:

GK: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Nick Rimando

Defense:
fullbacks: Demarcus Beasley, Fabian Johnson, Michael Parkhurst, Timmy Chandler,DeAndre Yedlin, Brad Evans
center-backs
Geoff Cameron, Clarence Goodson, Matt Besler, Omar Gonzalez, John Brooks

Midfield: Landon Donovan, Graham Zusi, Mix Diskerud, Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu, Bedoya, Julian Green

Attack: Jozy, Deuce, Johanson, Wondo, Eddie Johnson, Terrence Boyd

Probably forgetting some guys (a lot of guys in LigaMX and BrekShea come to mind) and picking long shots on others – also, I counted once, but not 100% sure if that is 30 names

Soccer Therapy II – 4/8/2014

I spoke with an IT guy at UT earlier who is Iranian. He explained to me that he was spending thousands of dollars to fly to Brazil to watch his home country participate in this summer’s World Cup. My first thought was, “why would you spend all that money to see your team get crushed?” They are grouped with Bosnia, Nigeria and Argentina. The answer is obvious, qualifying for the World Cup is a really big deal in Iran and some folks from that country probably never have a chance to see their team play in the Cup. I can appreciate why he is going to Brazil to see his country participate in this great tournament.

The point of all that is this: as USMNT fans, we can’t possibly place the same value on simply qualifying for the WC because we are always in it. In fact, the USMNT has qualified for every single World Cup since I have been alive. We have come to know our place in international soccer – we will be in the World Cup and hope for a favorable draw and, at best, a quarterfinals appearance. But this year, we Americans should approach the World Cup like an Iranian. Against the likes of Ghana, Portugal and Germany, we have about as good of a shot at getting through the group stages as Iran does – So I am going into this thing with no expectations whatsoever.

Having said that, the USMNT looked really good on Wednesday (v Mexico) before Klinsmann started subbing guys out in the 60^th minute. Michael Bradley continues to get better and looked solid in the number 10 role. He will have to be the man this summer for the US to play well. The scary part for me is our back line. We simply don’t have the quality at center-back to beat good teams 1-0 or 2-1, and that means we will probably struggle in Brazil.

BPL – I told Ollie that Liverpool getting through the West Ham game with 3 points was like taking an exam the Friday before Spring Break: it sucks, you have to do it, but once you are done you can go have fun. I believe Liverpool will be SO ready to go against ManC this Sunday, Anfield will be crazy and I see a 3-1 Liverpool win to put them in the driver’s seat.

I still like ManC to win the title though. I figure Liverpool trips up somewhere else and ManC has too much depth – they’ll get the points they need.

Didn’t have a chance to watch Arsenal on Sunday but one can assume it was as disastrous as the score line – 3-0 Everton. At this point, it’s probably 50-50 between Everton and Arsenal for that last UCL spot. I’ll believe it when I see Everton in the Champ’s league and will stick with Arsenal getting a top 4 finish for now.

Arsenal really need to win the FA Cup after crashing out of the UCL and BPL title race.

ManU is starting to look better – I know a lot of this isn’t on Moyes because he didn’t walk into a well put together squad – but the dude seems way in over his head – I think Jordan put it best – if you want to finish 6^th or 7^th in the table every year, you got your man! – I would fire him. Immediately.

Soccer Therapy 1.5 – 3/24/2014

Pretty cool article – basically just a few sentences and a bunch of pixel-filled golazos. In honor of Wayne Rooney’s strike last Saturday.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/sideline/news/article/2014/03/24/top-5-goals-scored-midfield-mls-david-beckham-michael-parkhurst

Cheers,

CT

Soccer Therapy I – 2/4/14

I don’t have anyone else to tell, so you boys can read these emails or not.

Great game yesterday, talked about it plenty with Ollie and Jordan – u watch it King?

First time this season I’ve seen a team in the BPL clearly establish itself as the front runner – not just cuz they won and are tied with ManC on points now, but they looked as fluid and comfortable as I’ve seen since Mourinho came back, I see them continuing to play like they did yesterday and Jose continuing to be a shit in the press.

Arsenal have the 2 point cushion but February should reveal whether they will be competing for the BPL title in April and May. Chelsea and ManC have mostly winnable games and should be getting max points while Arsenal have games at Liverpool and hosting ManU. If the Gunners are still on top come March, I will start considering them legit contenders.

Keep the World Cup in mind when making your summer plans:

Sao Paolo is 4 hours ahead of us on CST, and 6 hours ahead of you, King. Games are kicking off in Brazil between 1pm and 7pm, meaning we will be catching World Cup action on TV between 9am and 3pm here in Texas – i think i did this right.

Matches start on June 12th, with US starting off against Ghana on the 16th.

International Champions Cup is coming back to the US this July – Last year was a pretty good tourney with Real Madrid and Chelsea in the final – this year’s version will have reigning champ Real Madrid, ManC, ManU, Liverpool, AC Milan, Inter, Roma, and Olympiakos. One of the games is in Dallas, might it be Liverpool Ollie? Best part is they are doing group play this year instead of a bracket = more games!

MLS season starts one month from Saturday – sure, who cares right? Well, MLS will get more attention than it ever has in the months leading up to the World Cup because if one thing gets this country excited about soccer, it is the USMNT in the World Cup – with Bradley and Dempsey back playing club soccer in the US, the nation will be curious about key national players’ league form in MLS leading into the summer.

For the ones out there thinking these guys moving to MLS will cost us in the World Cup, I say that’s bullshit. If they are 90 minutes fit and crushing it in MLS, they will contribute as well as they have in the past, or better. I would argue if they get into a groove, MLS could actually be a better situation for Michael Bradley and Dempsey because they will get more minutes in a critical role than they did at Spurs and Roma. In MLS, they are guaranteed starters that have to carry their teams much like they will have to this summer with the nat’l team. It is also worth mentioning that Landon Donavon has been in MLS this whole time, and he has arguably been the greatest USMNT international of all time – the numbers certainly suggest it.

Michael Bradley and Dempsey are obvious starters for the USMNT this summer, but other possible members the 2014 World Cup roster that play in MLS include:

Besler, Zusi, Omar Gonzalez, Landon, Eddie Johnson, Parkhurst, Brad Evans, Brad Davis, Mike Magee, Wondo and Kyle Beckerman. So for USMNT fans, that’s a lot of reasons to at least monitor our domestic league.

After NYCFC and Orlando City SC, Miami has landed MLS’ 22nd, and 3rd to last, franchise with the whole David Beckham thing. Atlanta, Minneapolis and St. Louis look like solid candidates for the last 2 spots, but I actually think SA has a shot after the commish gave them a visit.

 

Share your thoughts, add somebody to the email chain, whatever. I may never send another soccer therapy email again, or I might start flooding your inboxes like the fucking unibomber!

Cheers,

CT