This weekend, Kristian Dyer reported that the New York Red Bulls are hot on the trail of their third Designated Player. This news comes in addition to the fact that New York will ink Thierry Henry (the world’s worst kept secret), sometime next week, and he will be revealed at a press conference scheduled for Thursday. The news of a potential third Designated Player signing is perhaps the most interesting of all.
Continue reading “MLS Super Clubs, and Is MLS losing its Parity?”
There were brand new shirts. The white and blue of Argentina with Messi on the back, the iconic sash of the American jersey was almost ubiquitous. They raced back and forth, some flailing hopelessly, others with cool calculated movements, showing mastery and precision. They passed, shot, tackled, and it all felt right. They even needed two fields, two games, that had never happened before.
Continue reading “The World Cup Bump, and What Is Next?”
The Youth System in the ‘States has always been a bit of a sore subject. We have 300 million people, 3 million of who play youth soccer, yet we struggle to create the talent necessary to compete for the ultimate prize in International soccer, the World Cup. Those who follow U.S. Soccer closely tend to look to the youth squads to see how the national team will look in the future. While most players who play for the U-17s, U-20s or U-23s will never be serious contributors to the full national team, the stars of those teams tend to make the jump fairly quickly, Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, and Stuart Holden are good examples of that. Continue reading “Looking South, The Shifting Focus of the U.S. U-20s”
Fresh off a round of 16 exit in the World Cup at the helm of Chilé, a source with ties to Bielsa’s native Argentina has informed me that the USSF is pursuing Marcelo Bielsa to take over as manager of the U.S. National Team. Bielsa has also received interest from other countries, including Japan, Mexico, and an extension offer from Chilé. Continue reading “Will Marcelo Bielsa be the Next U.S. Manager?”
Europe is a seemingly wonderful place. Each country has their own interesting culture, they speak different languages, and they worship soccer like no other sport. Yes, there is Rugby, Cricket, Cycling (a favorite of mine), but soccer is on another level, another echelon of fandom. Our young American soccer players grow up dreaming of one day putting on the colors of a European club, playing in the Emirates, or the Camp Nou. Youth players show up en masse at summer friendlies to see their favorite players in person, Rooney, Ronaldo, Messi and co. They work towards it, juggling, passing, learning tricks, all in a hope that they will one day be a professional in the sport they love, and ultimately, a professional in the most competitive leagues of Europe, experiencing a new culture, a new language perhaps, and a soccer obsessed society. Continue reading “Bob Bradley, and Breaking the European Managerial Barrier”
Of all the things that contributed to the United States Round of 16 exit at the 2010 World Cup, perhaps the most glaring deficiency of the team was the defensive cohesion. The Americans conceded first in all of their matches barring the Algeria game (although truly, they almost did in that one too, with a Algerian shot going off the cross bar) and found themselves climbing out of the grave time and time again. To be successful at a World Cup, a team doesn’t have to sparkle offensively, as long as their defense stays stout, and they can find timely goals. The Yanks had the latter, but not the former.
Continue reading “Pondering the Future of the American Back-Line”
Opportunities in life are far and few between. They come fleetingly, on the whims and wants of others, so when they do come, they must be taken, taken and pursued to the fullest. Continue reading “For Legacy and Pedigree, Clint Dempsey Should Take a Risk On a Big Club”
I profess to know little about this sale. I don’t follow the USL much, but I do recognize it’s massive importance to the viability of the game in America. Without it, we would be in a far worse place. Read more after the jump… Continue reading “USL Sold to NuRock”
“IIts what you all been waiting for ain’t it?” says Kanye West. Finally, it’s here, and it’s impressive. A free kick blast to the left corner. Check it out after the jump… Continue reading “Jozy Altidore’s Goal… Finally”
There are a number of interesting things going on in the Yanks Soccer world today, so it’s time for us to catch up on all the things going on. More after the jump… Continue reading “Recommended Reading”
