Finally Back in the Saddle
So it's been a month or 5 since I last posted, my apologies to the few who still check this space for opinions and comments. It's been busy to say the least, 3 weddings, 1 honeymoon, and some crazy work projects have made it hard to do anything when I am at home, let alone commenting on any and all soccer news in the world. Alas, something has come along that has finally gotten the creative (or snide asshole) juices flowing.
Beckham is going to the San Siro, I know this is nothing new. There have been others out there who have opined as to whether this will be good or bad for MLS. My opinion, if Beckham plays well and continues to hang onto that spot on Fabio Capello's bench, this will be a fantastic move for MLS. Think about the cast of players he'll get to discuss the merits of MLS with, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Sheva, Pato, etc. Also, performing well on this stage will lend some credibility to the rumors that MLS isn't quite as lowly as originally perceived. All of this while receiving some form of compensation (I hope) from the Milan club for Beckham's services. However, this move is absolutely horrible from the Galaxy's perspective. The captain of the club going AWOL during the pre-season when his club is likely to be shaken up quite a bit, does not bode well for all of the new talent coming in. In fact the new coach would be wise to select a new captain for the club.
Speaking of the Galaxy's new coach....Bruce Arena apparently did not learn a damn thing from coaching the US National team. I was at the Galaxy-Fire game a couple of weeks ago and Arena started Donovan as the offensive center midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation, a position which saw Landon become a ghost during games with the National team. After the Gals were down by two, with 15 minutes to go, Arena made a switch and moved Lanny up front as a second striker. Guess what happened: the Galaxy, and Donovan in particular, started causing havoc for the Fire D, and looked like they might get one or both of those goals back. Not knowing Bruce's true intentions (maybe he's been trying to help Donovan learn the position thus increasing his value in the transfer market) it's hard to judge him and his decisions, but I think most would agree that Donovan's best position is the tucked-in striker making runs off of a target forward, or as the central attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation, though that's only be proven against weak CONCACAF opposition.
On to LannyCakes. Apparently Jurgen Klinsman's man-crush on the Galaxy player has lead to rumors that Donovan may once again test himself in Europe. While I applaud Donovan finally getting around to testing himself in the tougher environments across the pond, I sincerely hope he is not considering moving to the gigantic Bavarian club. Not only has he been uncomfortable and misunderstood in the "Fatherland" not once, but twice, but Bayern Munich have one of the most offensively gifted squads, on paper, on the continent. So it would be extremely frustrating for a player who's used to 90 minutes every game to be coming on as a sub only if Klose, Ribery, Toni, or Podolski have an off day. Also, the German top-flight is known throughout the world as second only to the Serie A when it comes to being tactically oriented. Not that Lanny can't figure out the tactics, but he's at his best when simply pinning the ears back and playing a more free-flowing game. I hope, for Donovan's and the US National team's sake, that he is a success wherever he may end up, but I hope for his sake it's in a league where a player of his ilk can shine. Somewhere like Spain, Holland, or England.
Donovan's move brings to light another player who the US National team's success in the near future depends on; Clint Dempsey. Apparently his cameo appearance, in which he scored the face saving, game-tying goal against Pompey, was only enough to merit a spot on the bench the next game. While part of me was hoping he'd pull out the watch tapping celebration ala Clint Mathis, I'm glad he took the higher road and was respectful. A few reasons why it's time for Deuce to move on: 1) The man who brought him in is not there anymore, it's obvious that Roy Hodge couldn't give two shakes of stick about whether Dempsey sees the pitch ever again; 2) Roy Hodge's long ball first tactical approach doesn't leave much room for free flowing attacking players such as Dempsey, Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson are better suited to this style of play; 3) Dempsey is apparently suffering from the dreaded Eddie Johnson disease, a nasty mix of complacency and lethargy. I know that the Deuce lovers out there, if they even read this blog, will be sharpening the knives and knocking down my door, but the guy has looked lazy in his recent appearances for the National team. Maybe he just plays at his own speed, but he looks as bored as a petulant preteen with ADHD. Sure he's still producing, somewhat, for the Nats, but it's against weaker opposition and I guarantee that no one outside of the CONCACAF region would be concerned about coming up against him in his current form. He needs to move to team where he can compete for a spot and be rewarded with more than just a spot on the bench, he needs to go to a team where he'll have a coach that believes in and supports him while challenging him to be at his best every single game.
If anyone is reading this, let me know your thoughts.
Beckham is going to the San Siro, I know this is nothing new. There have been others out there who have opined as to whether this will be good or bad for MLS. My opinion, if Beckham plays well and continues to hang onto that spot on Fabio Capello's bench, this will be a fantastic move for MLS. Think about the cast of players he'll get to discuss the merits of MLS with, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Sheva, Pato, etc. Also, performing well on this stage will lend some credibility to the rumors that MLS isn't quite as lowly as originally perceived. All of this while receiving some form of compensation (I hope) from the Milan club for Beckham's services. However, this move is absolutely horrible from the Galaxy's perspective. The captain of the club going AWOL during the pre-season when his club is likely to be shaken up quite a bit, does not bode well for all of the new talent coming in. In fact the new coach would be wise to select a new captain for the club.
Speaking of the Galaxy's new coach....Bruce Arena apparently did not learn a damn thing from coaching the US National team. I was at the Galaxy-Fire game a couple of weeks ago and Arena started Donovan as the offensive center midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation, a position which saw Landon become a ghost during games with the National team. After the Gals were down by two, with 15 minutes to go, Arena made a switch and moved Lanny up front as a second striker. Guess what happened: the Galaxy, and Donovan in particular, started causing havoc for the Fire D, and looked like they might get one or both of those goals back. Not knowing Bruce's true intentions (maybe he's been trying to help Donovan learn the position thus increasing his value in the transfer market) it's hard to judge him and his decisions, but I think most would agree that Donovan's best position is the tucked-in striker making runs off of a target forward, or as the central attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation, though that's only be proven against weak CONCACAF opposition.
On to LannyCakes. Apparently Jurgen Klinsman's man-crush on the Galaxy player has lead to rumors that Donovan may once again test himself in Europe. While I applaud Donovan finally getting around to testing himself in the tougher environments across the pond, I sincerely hope he is not considering moving to the gigantic Bavarian club. Not only has he been uncomfortable and misunderstood in the "Fatherland" not once, but twice, but Bayern Munich have one of the most offensively gifted squads, on paper, on the continent. So it would be extremely frustrating for a player who's used to 90 minutes every game to be coming on as a sub only if Klose, Ribery, Toni, or Podolski have an off day. Also, the German top-flight is known throughout the world as second only to the Serie A when it comes to being tactically oriented. Not that Lanny can't figure out the tactics, but he's at his best when simply pinning the ears back and playing a more free-flowing game. I hope, for Donovan's and the US National team's sake, that he is a success wherever he may end up, but I hope for his sake it's in a league where a player of his ilk can shine. Somewhere like Spain, Holland, or England.
Donovan's move brings to light another player who the US National team's success in the near future depends on; Clint Dempsey. Apparently his cameo appearance, in which he scored the face saving, game-tying goal against Pompey, was only enough to merit a spot on the bench the next game. While part of me was hoping he'd pull out the watch tapping celebration ala Clint Mathis, I'm glad he took the higher road and was respectful. A few reasons why it's time for Deuce to move on: 1) The man who brought him in is not there anymore, it's obvious that Roy Hodge couldn't give two shakes of stick about whether Dempsey sees the pitch ever again; 2) Roy Hodge's long ball first tactical approach doesn't leave much room for free flowing attacking players such as Dempsey, Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson are better suited to this style of play; 3) Dempsey is apparently suffering from the dreaded Eddie Johnson disease, a nasty mix of complacency and lethargy. I know that the Deuce lovers out there, if they even read this blog, will be sharpening the knives and knocking down my door, but the guy has looked lazy in his recent appearances for the National team. Maybe he just plays at his own speed, but he looks as bored as a petulant preteen with ADHD. Sure he's still producing, somewhat, for the Nats, but it's against weaker opposition and I guarantee that no one outside of the CONCACAF region would be concerned about coming up against him in his current form. He needs to move to team where he can compete for a spot and be rewarded with more than just a spot on the bench, he needs to go to a team where he'll have a coach that believes in and supports him while challenging him to be at his best every single game.
If anyone is reading this, let me know your thoughts.
posted by Nick at
6:30 PM
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