Showing posts with label EPL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EPL. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Fulham Goes for Europa League Glory Today
Friday, February 19, 2010
MLS Nabs US U17 Star from Arsenal, But Will They Know What to do With Him?
photo credit: www.ISIphotos.comAccording to the Steven Goff over at the Washington Post, the MLS has signed US U17 international Luis Gil (pictured above) in the face of competition from European clubs of no lesser stature than North London's Arsenal FC.
Gil will be assigned to a team through a lottery on Monday. The lottery will be weighted in favor of teams at the bottom last season's table.
So not only did the MLS steal a promising future US international from a team internationally renowned for its outstanding youth system, they are more than likely going to give him to one of the league's worst teams.
I smell another botched career in the making.
To be frank, the MLS has a terrible track record when it comes to developing young players. And now that the MLS reserve system is gone, it seems the track record will only get worse.
If anything, it provides an unnecessarily steep learning curve for the star players who make the unavoidable move to European clubs. Although initially hailed as the savior of American soccer, Freddy Adu is still struggling to prove his international prowess.
"But what about Jozy Altidore," I hear you yell at me. Yes, he spent two successful years with New York, but he has struggled since to find the proper footing in European club football. While Altidore is liking life with Hull City FC, scoring only one goal in 19 appearances may not be enough to keep both he and his club in the Premier League.
On the other side of the argument, you have West Ham United's Johnathan Spector. Signed at the age of 17 by Manchester United after less than a year with the Chicago Fire's youth team, Spector has had a quiet but successful career as a defensive workhorse in the Premier League and at the international level.
Don't get me wrong. I want US youth players to do well. I want them to become the stars I know they can be. I just don't think the MLS is equipped to give them the challenge and discipline they need. The bottom line is that the MLS should stick to the development model it does best, signing college stars, and leave the art of youth development to the clubs that have the money, coaching staff and experience to do so.
When it comes to the future international success of MLS youth players, it's a fine line between a Jozy Altidore and a Freddy Adu, and even longer odds. So while I'm excited to see Gil's MLS debut, I'm slighted worried about yet another brilliant young player whom the league may never fully develop.
Gil will be assigned to a team through a lottery on Monday. The lottery will be weighted in favor of teams at the bottom last season's table.
So not only did the MLS steal a promising future US international from a team internationally renowned for its outstanding youth system, they are more than likely going to give him to one of the league's worst teams.
I smell another botched career in the making.
To be frank, the MLS has a terrible track record when it comes to developing young players. And now that the MLS reserve system is gone, it seems the track record will only get worse.
If anything, it provides an unnecessarily steep learning curve for the star players who make the unavoidable move to European clubs. Although initially hailed as the savior of American soccer, Freddy Adu is still struggling to prove his international prowess.
"But what about Jozy Altidore," I hear you yell at me. Yes, he spent two successful years with New York, but he has struggled since to find the proper footing in European club football. While Altidore is liking life with Hull City FC, scoring only one goal in 19 appearances may not be enough to keep both he and his club in the Premier League.
On the other side of the argument, you have West Ham United's Johnathan Spector. Signed at the age of 17 by Manchester United after less than a year with the Chicago Fire's youth team, Spector has had a quiet but successful career as a defensive workhorse in the Premier League and at the international level.
Don't get me wrong. I want US youth players to do well. I want them to become the stars I know they can be. I just don't think the MLS is equipped to give them the challenge and discipline they need. The bottom line is that the MLS should stick to the development model it does best, signing college stars, and leave the art of youth development to the clubs that have the money, coaching staff and experience to do so.
When it comes to the future international success of MLS youth players, it's a fine line between a Jozy Altidore and a Freddy Adu, and even longer odds. So while I'm excited to see Gil's MLS debut, I'm slighted worried about yet another brilliant young player whom the league may never fully develop.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sitcky Summer Ahead for Manchester United
Manchester United secured their third consecutive and 18th overall topflight title with a gritty draw against London rivals Arsenal today at Old Trafford.
Comments made by manager Sir Alex Ferguson as well as players Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were filled with sentiments of inexpressible joy.
But while the team basks in a well-earned threepeat of Premier League titles, a storm brews in the wings.
As the Premier league season winds down and all eyes turn to the stage of all club stages - the UEFA Champions League final in Rome on May 27th - transfer rumors abound.
Currently, Carlos Tevez, the 24 year old Argentinian striker is the center of a maelstrom of speculation over his future. His 2 year loan deal at an end, Tevez and his represntation are seeking a higher profile for the striker at Old Trafford with stoic signals coming from management.
On the other side, the wunderkind and FIFA World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked (via hearsay mostly) to a number of Iberian sides. However, if Manchester United win in Rome and Ferguson works his magic, it seems likely that he will stay at Old Trafford.
In the end, Tevez's fate is more than likely up to Ronaldo. If Ronaldo leaves, Feurguson will surely look to keep Tevez in a 4-3-3 setup of sorts. But if Ronaldo stays, then Fergie can certainly afford to let the selfish striker go.
Only time will tell.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
... And the Game Goes On
When it came to my footy teams, it was quite the weekend for controversial officiating.
One call was in my favor, the other was not. Just the ying and the yang of the universe, I suppose.
First up was the Manchester United Red Devils against Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Coming off a mid-week win and in the glowing haze of both draws for Chelsea and Liverpool, Manchester United was poised to take a firm 3 point lead with a game in hand, starting with a win against Spurs at home in Old Trafford.
Spurs had not won at Old Trafford since God knows when, so the stage was set for Manchester United to get firmly back in the drivers seat for a third-consecutive Premier League title.
But with a 2-0 score in favor of Spurs at half-time, a tangible sense of doubt and fear hung in the air around the ground.
Coming out of the dressing room for the second half, Man U looked inspired, but could still not produce any goals.
That was until Carrick drew a controversial penalty (the live text commentator at ESPN Soccernet through a royal shit fit over the call, chalking it up to a blind love of Man U) and Ronaldo capitalized on it in the 57th minute.
From there on out, Manchetser United was a team born anew. The next 20 minutes saw a brilliant attacking display from the Red Devils, with FOUR MORE GOALS. By the time Berbatov netted his goal in the 78th minute, I can only imagine the best way to describe everyone in Tottenham and the the rest of the league as "shell-shocked." The final score? Manchester United 5, Tottenham 2.
Where the season goes from here is anybody's guess, but along with Macheda's wonder goal against Aston Villa, the penalty that ignited Man U will be looked back as an important moment of the campaign.
On the other side of the pond, Saturday evening found me at Columbus's Crew Stadium, eagerly awaiting yet another clash of the Midwest rivalry cultivated between the Crew and the Chicago Fire.
The Crew came into the game as defending MLS champions but without a win in their first five games. But with a beautiful night at home and an pulsating crowd, this seemed to be the night.
The game was many things, but boring was not one of them.
The Crew hit the ground running and for the first time since last November, they looked like a championship-winning squad. By the end of the first half, the score was 2-0 to the Crew, with a trademark goal by Chad Marshall and a brilliant display of composure in front of goal by Alejandro Moreno.
But just as in the Manchester/Tottenham game, the officials would have something to say about the night's outcome. This time it was in the form of a less than convincing straight red card to the Crew's left-back Gino Padula just before the hour mark.
What made the card all the more controversial was the referee's apparent lack of interest in a majority of fouls committed in the rest of the game. As a Crew fan, it felt like the referee saw Padula's tackle and suddenly remembered he had a set of cards in his pocket.
From there on out, the Fire merely wore the Crew down and equalized with two goals in the last five mintues of regulation time.
The hunt for a Columbus win continues.
One call was in my favor, the other was not. Just the ying and the yang of the universe, I suppose.
First up was the Manchester United Red Devils against Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Coming off a mid-week win and in the glowing haze of both draws for Chelsea and Liverpool, Manchester United was poised to take a firm 3 point lead with a game in hand, starting with a win against Spurs at home in Old Trafford.
Spurs had not won at Old Trafford since God knows when, so the stage was set for Manchester United to get firmly back in the drivers seat for a third-consecutive Premier League title.
But with a 2-0 score in favor of Spurs at half-time, a tangible sense of doubt and fear hung in the air around the ground.
Coming out of the dressing room for the second half, Man U looked inspired, but could still not produce any goals.
That was until Carrick drew a controversial penalty (the live text commentator at ESPN Soccernet through a royal shit fit over the call, chalking it up to a blind love of Man U) and Ronaldo capitalized on it in the 57th minute.
From there on out, Manchetser United was a team born anew. The next 20 minutes saw a brilliant attacking display from the Red Devils, with FOUR MORE GOALS. By the time Berbatov netted his goal in the 78th minute, I can only imagine the best way to describe everyone in Tottenham and the the rest of the league as "shell-shocked." The final score? Manchester United 5, Tottenham 2.
Where the season goes from here is anybody's guess, but along with Macheda's wonder goal against Aston Villa, the penalty that ignited Man U will be looked back as an important moment of the campaign.
On the other side of the pond, Saturday evening found me at Columbus's Crew Stadium, eagerly awaiting yet another clash of the Midwest rivalry cultivated between the Crew and the Chicago Fire.The Crew came into the game as defending MLS champions but without a win in their first five games. But with a beautiful night at home and an pulsating crowd, this seemed to be the night.
The game was many things, but boring was not one of them.
The Crew hit the ground running and for the first time since last November, they looked like a championship-winning squad. By the end of the first half, the score was 2-0 to the Crew, with a trademark goal by Chad Marshall and a brilliant display of composure in front of goal by Alejandro Moreno.
But just as in the Manchester/Tottenham game, the officials would have something to say about the night's outcome. This time it was in the form of a less than convincing straight red card to the Crew's left-back Gino Padula just before the hour mark.
What made the card all the more controversial was the referee's apparent lack of interest in a majority of fouls committed in the rest of the game. As a Crew fan, it felt like the referee saw Padula's tackle and suddenly remembered he had a set of cards in his pocket.
From there on out, the Fire merely wore the Crew down and equalized with two goals in the last five mintues of regulation time.
The hunt for a Columbus win continues.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
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