Top 5, 07.09: Ride ESPN, Adu Man-Crushes, Clavijo Watch

Since everyone else hit 'em hard, I figured I may as well hit 'em late.

- Want to see the United States' U-20s Round of 16 tilt against Old South American power Uruguay? Then join the campaign to, um, enlighten ESPN as to their self-interest in airing this game. Seeing as they finally invested in soccer broadcast rights, why not show off the young bucks on their way into the system (maybe...I know some will bolt to Europe - the good ones, especially - but we don't need to mention that...wait...shit! I just did!). Hat-tip to the LA Galaxy Offside for introducing me to this opportunity to harass a major broadcast corporation.

And if you're interesting in seeing who joined the U.S. U-20s in the Round of 16, Ives Galarcep obliges by listing the pairings. There are some good ones in there.

- Speaking of the U-20s, the man-crushes on Freddy Adu, as well as an apology or two, are coming in. Nice work, young man. Now, show them Sky Blue bitches how we play this game!! (Wow....don't know where that came from...).

- Dwayne DeRosario finally got his MLS pay-day. Naturally, us fans don't need to know the financial details...it would just worry our pretty heads. Anywhoo, good luck to you, Dwayne. In other news, the prospect of a re-awakened DeRo adding momentum to the Dynamo revival has some fans and players from the opposition a little worried...or it ought to...

- There's a fun parlor game well underway around the soccer-sphere: which hill-cresting foreign star will join Real Salt Lake and save them from the coming, pee-stained humiliation that has been 2007 (well, and 2005...arguably 2006)? RSLFM reports in a damned fine spread that Nigeria's Jay Jay Okocha is on his way. Meanwhile, The Other Football cites a report on Portugal's Luis Figo joining up. Not that I get a vote, but I'm pulling for Okocha. That cat is a hoot on his day.

- Let's wrap this up with the latest in the weird, sad tale of Fernando Clavijo. This ran in Steve Goff's Soccer Insider:

"-- I am hearing that Colorado's front office has had enough of Coach Fernando Clavijo, who has not won since late May, but that upper management really wants to avoid paying two coaches the rest of the calendar year. The way things are going for the Rapids, though, they might have to bite the bullet soon and make a move."

Wow. Too cheap to pull the trigger. That's something of a new low in leadership. If I were a Rapids fan, flaming bags would be appearing on the front steps of Rapids' corporate.

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Adu

How many people will be kissing his ass tomorrow, after he turned in what reads like a commanding performance for the U.S. U-20s? I followed the game on MatchTracker and, to be honest, couldn't believe how many times his name came up.

Anyway, the chatter ought to be something.

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Top 5, 06.27: Teaching the Youth; Chicago Changes

In the order in which I wrote 'em....

- It turns out us Yanks aren't the only ones worrying about turning our youth into the soccer superstars of tomorrow; the Canadians have wrung hands of their own. But I couldn't help trip over one section in a Toronto Star article on the subject:

"The hope is that a handful will one day graduate to the senior side – "the [Ajax of Amsterdam] first team" – that has won four European championships. Until that day, the on-field scoreboards will not be lit up. No goal tally is kept during their games."

"European youth soccer focuses on skills development and little else. Winning is not important. Learning the skills needed to win is."

I don't know the state of this debate so well, but I seem to recall an argument that our kids need to be put in competitive games to sharpen their game. I'm wondering if that's the case - and I've certainly read compelling pieces (can't find them now) about the corrossive effect the win-at-all-costs mentality can have on how we teach the game. And who's going to argue with Ajax in any case? (Actually, it could be fair to ask why Dutch players tend to implode on the largest of occasions; maybe they need to light up that scoreboard a little before the first team?)

- I feel compelled to note Mexico's 2-0 win over Brazil. I can't say I pull for Mexico often, but if there's one thing I always pull for, it's a Brazil loss. Can't wait to see what we do tonight (and I'm not going to let the doom bring me down, either - or a loss by fewer than, oh, four goals for that matter).

- In happier tournament news, the U-20 FIFA Cup starts this weekend (wow!). And guess what? We go first! I don't know that anyone's carrying this (doesn't look like it), so you'll have to follow this where you can. Turning again to our northern neighbors, they seem pretty stoked to be hosting the U-20s; the more interesting question - especially when future World Cup qualifying is concerned - is are they loaded with talent?

- The Chicago Fire cleared some money/international space today by shit-canning Pascal Bedrossian; they got even more help with Ivan Guerrero picking up his green card. The real question, though, is whether they've got time to help themselves before July 1? (Isn't that when rosters have to be fixed?)

- Finally - and this really pisses me off - why is it that ESPN will carry (it's in there; trust me) a dog-n-pony show like goddamn World Series of Soccer, but they won't pony up for the U.S. games for the Copa America?

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Junk Drawer, 06.19: Limping Red Bull, U-20s, CONCACAF

A second, successful wrap of the interesting stuff I found around the Web today....

- While few seem willing to cut Red Bull New York much slack for their injury problems - I mean, they just kinda have to work it out, right? - it's fair to acknowledge they're real. And, speaking from personal experience, playing in an unfamiliar position ain't easy at any level. Fortunately for them, they've got a bye week ahead.

- Speaking of Red Bull, Ives Galarcep did a piece on their youth program...good stuff.

- Even though I have seen most the players named to the U.S. U-20 roster first-hand, I'm still having trouble believing, as Andrea Canales repeatedly states in her analysis, that we're fielding the best anything in that tournament (we've got South Korea, Poland, and Brazil in the first round and that still holds?) Still, she's watching closer than me, so I hope she's right.

- Speaking of Canales, I have to give her props for something she wrote about the competitiveness in the CONCACAF region:

"...So I disagree that Mexico and the U.S. qualifying for the World Cup is going to be a foregone conclusion. In fact, I predict that within the next couple of cycles, one of the two won't make it. On current form, it could be Mexico.
"

Let's hear it for bold, beautiful calls.

- It sounds like FC Dallas picked up a Brazilian (not the body wax...yucky!), at least that's what 3rd Degree tells me. The post throws in a couple more names as well...glad I found that site again.

- Finally, if you're in the mood for a depressing look at the Real Salt Lake defense, the Deseret News obliges.