Seriously, the link-rich spazzing you see below is what happens when I skip a day.
I like starting with games, so let’s do it: there are two MLS games this evening; the “Newbie Derby” between Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake, which the latter will host and a more interesting affair between the Houston Dynamo and the Colorado Rapids in Colorado (previews embedded). In hopes of maintaining my perfect run of poor predictions, and against Houston's more impressive, steady record, I’m calling this a win for home team Colorado. Eat a lack of oxygen, you Houston bastards!
For the other, my growing fascination with Real Salt Lake (RSL) has clouded my already foggy predictive lenses. Between their growing list of injuries (see preview) and articles wondering whether this season may best be described by the wrong kind of superlative, I can’t get enough of RSL. The part of me that appreciates perfection - even the awful variety - wants them to lose so, so badly, even if Carrey Talley will hate me for it. Against that, there’s the recent trade that sent Chicago’s Jack Stewart Salt-lake side; given their defensive woes, it can’t come soon enough and Stewart, based on what I’ve seen of him, seems better than adequate coverage.
Hell, with it: I’m calling this one for Real Salt Lake. Chivas’ defense ain’t all that hot either.
There’s one other bit of action involving an MLS team: the Columbus Crew plays England’s Everton FC tonight, a game that ESPN2 graciously opted to show.
I’m going to interrupt the rest of the MLS news to give the U.S. Open Cup’s Cinderella story better play. FC Roma’s dream run is attracting attention in some interesting places, the New York Times and the San Diego Tribune to name two mainstream outlets; if you’ve got time for only one of these, the Trib’s item tops the Times’. Given that Roma plays their next game against the LA Galaxy in LA on Tuesday, August 1, call these weird, if encouraging, editorial decisions. And, c’mon you Gypsies!
OK, with that done, some interesting stories about the league popped up across the Web. While pretty damn good overall, the most interesting aspect of the Boston Globe’s piece on New England’s budding efforts to build a soccer-specific stadium comes with who’s leading the charge - it doesn’t sound like it’s the Krafts. A less optimistic look at the general stadium “situation” appears in Jay Hutcherson’s The Soccer Daily; he makes a compelling case that building the things isn’t enough when the product fails to draw. His overview ‘graphs are worth noting:
"Two new stadiums that have done relatively little to increase market share in the greater metroplex that are Dallas and Chicago. New attendance problems in New England, the same issues in Columbus. Two clubs openly talking relocation. An open question in New Jersey."
"What's left are the usual suspects: the Home Depot Center clubs doing fine along with DC United, even if their stadium situation isn't exactly optimal and threatens their long-term viability. Throw in Houston and Colorado, and five of the twelve clubs have no overwhelming short-term issues."
Turning to coaching, I’ve got a pair to pass on. The first item looks at something that I’ve paid a good deal of attention to: Sigi Schmid’s “Five Year Plan” for the Columbus Crew. Let’s just say, for all attempts at neutrality, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want Schmid to succeed...and, no, he probably doesn't really have five years to get this right. In the better of the two, Ives Galarcep wonders what The Bruce Regime will look like when Bruce Arena finally takes over in New York. As much as it won't look like the old days, you get the feeling Galarcep thinks Arena will do just fine:
"One characteristic of MLS that Arena won't mind exploiting is the relative mediocrity of a large portion of the league's teams. Aside from D.C. United, and to a lesser extent FC Dallas and Houston, the rest of the league's teams are inconsistent, underwhelming and in some cases just terrible. If MLS is mediocre, then the Eastern Conference is downright awful."
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Metros curse is still the Metros curse. This will be a good one to watch.
Before wrapping up today, I’ve got two to pass on from national team news. First, as much as I like Kansas City’s Jimmy Conrad as a player, I really like the columns he chucks onto ESPN’s site from time-to-time. This one serves up memories of his time in Germany 2006 and his efforts to recover. Even if the scale doesn’t come close, if you’ve ever been called on to play in a game when you weren’t ready or didn’t feel comfortable, his memories of coming on against Italy should ring familiar:
"I hurry over to the designated area and launch into a full sprint. Holy crap, I might get to play ... in a World Cup. Holy crap. Should I stretch? Eddie Pope was marking who? Don't pass it to the other team. That other team is Italy by the way -- no big deal. It's not like they are supposed to win it all or anything. I probably shouldn't have eaten that Gatorade energy bar at halftime. How was I supposed to know Eddie would get ejected two minutes into the second half? Let's be honest: the chocolate chip ones are really good. Focus. Deep breath. Focus. Are my shoes tied?"
Even if you can't relate to that, his conversation with his grandmother is definitely worth the click.
Of all the stuff I read today, Yanks’ Abroad’s look ahead to who will make the 2010 World Cup roster offers by far the best chatter-fodder (so I buried it...go figure). They divide the groups between “Pack Your Bags, Boys,” “Nearly a Lock,” and take it all the way down to “Other Bubble Battlers.” The list speaks for itself well enough, but let’s just say the names you know aren’t nearly as interesting as the ones you don’t.
Of the more obscure names I’m seeing, here’s a short list of the ones I’m watching: Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas); Jay DeMerit (Watford FC - hope to see him more with Watford playing in the Premier League again); Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo - like another pundit, I have faith in this one); Brad Guzan (Chivas USA); Justin Mapp (Chicago Fire - interesting, but he really needs to pick it up); Eddie Gaven (ditto, but not as much 'cause he's a yout'); Edson Buddle (Red Bull New York); Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo); Alecko Eskanadarian (with bells on; I like this kid); Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew); Pat Noonan (New England Revolution); and Nate Jaqua (Chicago Fire).
If you’re seeing a shortage of defenders there, I’d only point out that we’re not so bad at the back. You’ll see why if you look at the list between “Pack Your Bags, Boys” and “In a Battle.”
No comments:
Post a Comment