In the words of Aldo Raine, "Bon-jour-no."
Sorry for the delay in posts. I know you guys are craving it like a heroin junkie and the spike. Err. Bad example.
Apologies anyway. I was trying to sneak into Mexico to win the Mexican lottery.
Yes, the Landon Donovan Mexican ad is clearly the best soccer-related Internety thing of 2010. Bar none.
For one, he is no longer Lando, or Landycakes or what-have-you. He is officially "El Landito." (Which, if you peep my Twitter icon will make more sense.)
Secondly, lost in the absolute hilarity of the ad -- including production values which would make Telemundo Telenovellas blush -- how on earth is the best American soccer player on the planet (apologies to Clint Dempsey's recent purple patch, more on him later) able to film television ads in Mexico but no the States? Shouldn't this be at least a tad concerning that the U.S.'s all-time leading scorer is more iconic in Mexico -- a place where he once peed on the sidelines of a field during a amtch -- than in America? (At least Donovan is a cartoonish villain, instead of the All-American poster boy the USSF props him up as.)
Well, of course, this should be an issue, but we know better. So what's the point getting worked up about it? It is what it is.
For all the leaps and bounds of soccer in the States, we're still forced to see our best player film ads -- whilst wearing a buffo mustache no less -- in the country of our most hated rival. Maybe it'll change one day, but even as the game grows, media saturation remains a long way off.
That's why when I'm stumbling through the malaise of late-night basic cable in my bedroom, it's that Beckham fellow being interviewed on "Lopez Tonight" and not El Landito.
What's actually a little more outrageous is the fact that Clint Dempsey's absolute Gol-azo-azo-azo for Fulham vs. Stoke City on Tuesday was left out of the "Sportscenter" top 10 plays. Imagine if that goal came on Telemundo. Andres Cantor might have pulled a play out the Mick Shrimpton playbook.
You'd think, mind you think, the goal in-and-of itself would be worthy of inclusion -- the next day a play from Sevilla/Barca made the list. But since it was an American, it seemed a slam dunk -- no pun intended for the other clips on the list, especially since it's on the short-list of Premier League "Goals of the Year." (Maybe John Harkes, who won the award back in 1990 with Sheffield Wednesday blocked it.)
Alas, Dempsey's strike will live on in the Inter-tubes, which isn't all that bad.
Yet it holds to a bigger point, which I've made a million times in this space, so if you want to skip ahead no hard feelings.
In the year 2010, ESPN is sports in America. When it comes to soccer it continues to talk out of both sides of its mouth.
On the one hand it's acquired some Premier League rights, the World Cup, USMNT games (mostly), etc. At the same time the Worldwide doesn't have anchors that can get through a highlight with the correct names, or simply ignores the best goal by an American in Europe, perhaps, ever. (Obviously it wasn't better than a pedestrian NCAA basketball dunk.)
You'd think that John Skipper would realize that, hey, we own the rights to these events. Shouldn't we try to drum up interest through osmosis? Wouldn't Dempsey's great goal -- by an AMERICAN -- plant some seeds in the back of the casual fans minds for the World Cup in less than six months? Wouldn't it help familiarize people with perhaps America's most important or at least enigmatic player for the campaign in South Africa?
Look, the most ESPN I watch is on the machines at the gym. So do a lot of people, I'd assume. Wouldn't a glimpse of Dempsey's rainbowing volley subliminally help draw eyeballs to the set in June? Wouldn't it help dispel the notion that Americans can't play at a high level?
I won't even mention MLS's presence on ESPN. Sure it gets microscopic ratings, but wouldn't some casual talk about the league or, gasp, HIGHLIGHTS, help increase interest. Treating MLS like the Pro Bowling and Pro Billiards leagues is an embarrassment. (Of course, the league's rating are that, too.)
Maybe this is an overreaction. Maybe since the game was on Setanta in the midweek (more on that later) somebody missed it. It's possible. The game was 3-1 at the time in the 85th minute, after all.
Again it's goals like the one scored by Dempsey that capture the imagination and make people fall in love with the game. Nothing sends the imagination soaring more than a crack from distance. Half of YouTube and every other tube site is devoted to goal highlight compilations.
For the major sports force in the country to swing-and-miss on a the very definition of a highlight is part of the reason why the best American soccer player is filming ads for the Mexican lottery.
A Few Other things:
* Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson sign with the same Greek club, Aris.
Doesn't this seem like the dreadful Season Three episodes of "Lost" with Kate and Sawyer locked away in the polar bear cages? In other words, irrelevant?
Johnson? That ship has sailed in terms of the USMNT.
Adu? For all his disappointments, nobody else in the U.S. pool brings his skill set to the table. Obviously Bob Bradley and he don't see eye-to-eye, but Adu could possibly, stress possibly, bring something to the table at the World Cup. Couldn't he be a useful 75+ minute sub to at least run at people and cause some chaos?
Put it this way, wouldn't you rather have Adu in the mix over guys like Sascha Kljestan or Kyle Beckerman?
* Big week for Fox Soccer Channel. It adds it's HD channel, which is nice. It loses Max Bretos to ESPN. Bretos was a buffoon, but he was our buffoon. So in his honor, one last time. My favorite call of the 2000s.
Here's to praying that Max doesn't succumb to the WWL like Allen Hopkins did.
* Oh right, Fox is about to buy Setanta according to EPL Talk.
Until it actually happens, it's hard to gauge what will happen. Right now there's speculation that Fox starts another soccer channel. Or it leases more rights to either ESPN or GolTV. Beats me.
One thing is for sure, in the interim we're two-less live EPL matches per weekend, which isn't good.
However, if Fox revives "Special 1 TV" then its all worth it.
I'll wait to see how this develops before passing judgment.
* Oh man, we have a new slate of Premier League matches. And the African Cup of Nations on the horizon. My bad. Let's get to it.
Saturday:
UPDATE -- As of Friday morning, three games: Fulham/Portsmouth; Burnley/Stoke and Sunderland/Bolton were canceled for weather. Liverpool/Spurs might be postponed too. Double Update, Liverpool/Spurs is off. So read what I wrote for these matches and file them away to when they're played. What it does to the television schedule? Good question. Another update, Hull/Chelsea off too, could help Chelsea depending when it is replayed.
ONE MORE UPDATE -- According to EPL Talk, Setanta is back for this week, so Arsenal/Everton will be on.
* Hull City v. Chelsea -- PPD. (Live, ESPN2, 7:45 a.m.) The good news for Jozy Altidore, Caleb Folan is out the door. The bad news, Hull is linked to Felipe Caciedo. Curious to see how Chelsea reacts without Didier Drogba's talismanic qualities. Maybe Joe Cole steps up a little. Goals, however, against Hull shouldn't be a problem but the Blues can't afford to sleepwalk through this one. Hull might have a little early afternoon spark. ... Hull City 1, Chelsea 2
* Arsenal v. Everton -- This first casualty of the Setanta/Fox impending takeover. This was supposed to be on Setanta. Now, lost to the ether. Or those (cough, cough) "streams." Or if you live in Canada. I'd doubt this the the first Premier League appearance for Landon Donovan, aside from a 70+ minute sub. Of course, Arsenal's borderline infamous 'game-in-hand' Wednesday vs. Bolton got snowed out. Maybe that's a break for the Gunners, who aren't exactly suited for the snow, even with Andrey Arshavin in the mix. Weather or not, the Gunners have too much speed in the midifeld for Everton to handle. The Toffees need to make weight on set pieces or get run over. ... Arsenal 3, Everton 1
* Burnley v. Stoke City (Ppd.) -- At first the Owen Coyle move from Burnley to Bolton seems odd. Why would he leave a club that he built up and got promoted? Especially when he had a chance for Celtic in the summer. Let me put it this way. Consider you live in Akron, Ohio and have the chance to move to Cleveland. It might be Cleveland, but it's still an upgrade. Celtic in this equation is, say, Hamilton, Ontario. Anyway, Burnley's early-season spark had started to skitter anyway. Will it become a full-on tailspin? Signs point to yes. ... Burnley 0, Stoke City 1
* Fulham v. Portsmouth (Ppd.) -- It's not exactly on the 'Twilight Zone' level of irony, but it's it perfect that the same week Eddie Johnson leaves Fulham, the club loses it's basically only healthy forward -- Bobby Zamora? Looks like Clint Dempsey, Danny Murphy and Damien Duff better be at their best. Do you see Erik Nevland and Diomansy Kamara getting the job done at Craven Cottage? As for Portsmouth? Are we so sure that the Arabs that bought the club aren't like the cousins of the fake sheik that duped Sven-Goran Eriksson a couple years ago? ... Fulham 1, Portsmouth 0
* Sunderland v. Bolton (Ppd.) -- I wouldn't be surprised if Sunderland went through a mini-shakeup during the transfer window. Steve Bruce is usually active. Bolton? It will be interesting to see if Coyle -- who might not be around to coach this weekend -- clicks with the players there, or brings in his own guys. There are some pieces at the Reebok Stadium, but the team lacks any sort of identity. First priority might be trying to find or develop a midfield general type. Whatever happens, a lot of the deadweight a Bolton should be out the door and headed to the scrapheap. ... Sunderland 2, Bolton 0
* Wigan Athletic v. Aston Villa -- (Live, 10 a.m.) Quick and simple. Aston Villa needs to get its mojo back, post haste. ... Wigan 0, Aston Villa 2
* Birmingham City v. Manchester United -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 p.m.) Would you actually favor Birmingham City in this match? Really? Shouldn't it be all things considered? Well, it doesn't work like that. Manchester United, even with its indifferent form, is still Manchester United. As long as Brum can continue to coax a couple goals here-and-there, it should be okay. Of course banking on Lee Bowyer to keep it up, and Camerone Jerome to do anything consistently isn't the soundest strategy in the world. Here's a free tip for Sir Alex. Why not try to pick up David Bentley off Spurs on the cheap? He's obviously surplus parts at White Hart Lane and as we've seen, Tottenham's M.O. is selling players for less than it bought them for. You're telling me Bentley, a proven Prem performer, couldn't help? He'd save Ryan Giggs legs on the outside of midfield, at the bare minimum. Maybe the only thing against this is it could block Gabriel Obertan long-term. If not United, somebody ought to try to pry Bentley off the Spurs' bench. Okay, back to this game. A lot of times I say these are guesses. Never more than this one. ... Birmingham City 1, Manchester United 1
Sunday:
* West Ham United v. Wolves -- Since I have nothing of interest for this one, I was pleasantly pleased to find out the band Slade was from Wolverhampton. Back around the summer of 1998, when mp3s were just getting into the consciousness I'd crack up the song "Run Runaway" on full blast on my parents shitty old computer to try to wake up my younger brother. Oh, that and Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'". You might be asking, what's the point of this story? Well, I like stories. ... West Ham 2, Wolves 1
* Liverpool v. Tottenham -- (Ppd.) Well lookie here, an important match become the two teams with the most schizophrenic teams in the league. Can we trust Liverpool, even after its season-saver at Villa Park two weeks ago? As usual, it comes down to the health of No. 8 and No. 9. Maybe a chance to recharge the batteries does help Liverpool, or it got players looking out the door. Spurs? They could win this 3-0 or lose it 3-0. With all their attacking players, and a returning to form Luka Modric you'd think they could pick apart the Liverpool defense. As we know, it's never easy with either of these clubs. ... Liverpool 1, Tottenham 1
Monday
* Manchester City v. Blackburn Rovers -- (Live?, ESPN2, 2:45 p.m.) Here's the short list on City thoughts: 1) Patrick Vieira? Really? I thought he was already in the Premier League wearing No. 2 at Arsenal. (If Dommenech takes Vieira over Diaby for the France team, I give up.) 2) Don't forget that under Roberto Mancini, Inter had a huge, borderline bloated squad of "name" players. 3) Where does Gareth Barry fit into this equation? 4) If Mancini is smart he could build the prototype 4-3-3/4-5-1 team with a couple crunching midfielder in the middle like Nigel de Jong doing the dirty work, allowing the attackers like Robinho, Carlito and Bellamy to run wild. It shouldn't be difficult. City have the pieces, that's why bringing in the lumbering corpse of Vieira doesn't make sense. It's like spending money for money's sake. Not to slang off Vieira and his great career, but at 33 years old and nearly 600 matches under his belt, how much tread is left on the tire? This is like a knee jerk move the Redskins would make under Daniel Synder. Oh wait, Vieira is available? Let's get him. Ironically, the last team to essentially "buy" a title, Blackburn in 1995 plays City this weekend. Oh how the times have changed. ... Manchester City 4, Blackburn 0
Last time: 7-3
Season: 103-93
Sorry for the delay in posts. I know you guys are craving it like a heroin junkie and the spike. Err. Bad example.
Apologies anyway. I was trying to sneak into Mexico to win the Mexican lottery.
Yes, the Landon Donovan Mexican ad is clearly the best soccer-related Internety thing of 2010. Bar none.
For one, he is no longer Lando, or Landycakes or what-have-you. He is officially "El Landito." (Which, if you peep my Twitter icon will make more sense.)
Secondly, lost in the absolute hilarity of the ad -- including production values which would make Telemundo Telenovellas blush -- how on earth is the best American soccer player on the planet (apologies to Clint Dempsey's recent purple patch, more on him later) able to film television ads in Mexico but no the States? Shouldn't this be at least a tad concerning that the U.S.'s all-time leading scorer is more iconic in Mexico -- a place where he once peed on the sidelines of a field during a amtch -- than in America? (At least Donovan is a cartoonish villain, instead of the All-American poster boy the USSF props him up as.)
Well, of course, this should be an issue, but we know better. So what's the point getting worked up about it? It is what it is.
For all the leaps and bounds of soccer in the States, we're still forced to see our best player film ads -- whilst wearing a buffo mustache no less -- in the country of our most hated rival. Maybe it'll change one day, but even as the game grows, media saturation remains a long way off.
That's why when I'm stumbling through the malaise of late-night basic cable in my bedroom, it's that Beckham fellow being interviewed on "Lopez Tonight" and not El Landito.
What's actually a little more outrageous is the fact that Clint Dempsey's absolute Gol-azo-azo-azo for Fulham vs. Stoke City on Tuesday was left out of the "Sportscenter" top 10 plays. Imagine if that goal came on Telemundo. Andres Cantor might have pulled a play out the Mick Shrimpton playbook.
You'd think, mind you think, the goal in-and-of itself would be worthy of inclusion -- the next day a play from Sevilla/Barca made the list. But since it was an American, it seemed a slam dunk -- no pun intended for the other clips on the list, especially since it's on the short-list of Premier League "Goals of the Year." (Maybe John Harkes, who won the award back in 1990 with Sheffield Wednesday blocked it.)
Alas, Dempsey's strike will live on in the Inter-tubes, which isn't all that bad.
Yet it holds to a bigger point, which I've made a million times in this space, so if you want to skip ahead no hard feelings.
In the year 2010, ESPN is sports in America. When it comes to soccer it continues to talk out of both sides of its mouth.
On the one hand it's acquired some Premier League rights, the World Cup, USMNT games (mostly), etc. At the same time the Worldwide doesn't have anchors that can get through a highlight with the correct names, or simply ignores the best goal by an American in Europe, perhaps, ever. (Obviously it wasn't better than a pedestrian NCAA basketball dunk.)
You'd think that John Skipper would realize that, hey, we own the rights to these events. Shouldn't we try to drum up interest through osmosis? Wouldn't Dempsey's great goal -- by an AMERICAN -- plant some seeds in the back of the casual fans minds for the World Cup in less than six months? Wouldn't it help familiarize people with perhaps America's most important or at least enigmatic player for the campaign in South Africa?
Look, the most ESPN I watch is on the machines at the gym. So do a lot of people, I'd assume. Wouldn't a glimpse of Dempsey's rainbowing volley subliminally help draw eyeballs to the set in June? Wouldn't it help dispel the notion that Americans can't play at a high level?
I won't even mention MLS's presence on ESPN. Sure it gets microscopic ratings, but wouldn't some casual talk about the league or, gasp, HIGHLIGHTS, help increase interest. Treating MLS like the Pro Bowling and Pro Billiards leagues is an embarrassment. (Of course, the league's rating are that, too.)
Maybe this is an overreaction. Maybe since the game was on Setanta in the midweek (more on that later) somebody missed it. It's possible. The game was 3-1 at the time in the 85th minute, after all.
Again it's goals like the one scored by Dempsey that capture the imagination and make people fall in love with the game. Nothing sends the imagination soaring more than a crack from distance. Half of YouTube and every other tube site is devoted to goal highlight compilations.
For the major sports force in the country to swing-and-miss on a the very definition of a highlight is part of the reason why the best American soccer player is filming ads for the Mexican lottery.
A Few Other things:
* Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson sign with the same Greek club, Aris.
Doesn't this seem like the dreadful Season Three episodes of "Lost" with Kate and Sawyer locked away in the polar bear cages? In other words, irrelevant?
Johnson? That ship has sailed in terms of the USMNT.
Adu? For all his disappointments, nobody else in the U.S. pool brings his skill set to the table. Obviously Bob Bradley and he don't see eye-to-eye, but Adu could possibly, stress possibly, bring something to the table at the World Cup. Couldn't he be a useful 75+ minute sub to at least run at people and cause some chaos?
Put it this way, wouldn't you rather have Adu in the mix over guys like Sascha Kljestan or Kyle Beckerman?
* Big week for Fox Soccer Channel. It adds it's HD channel, which is nice. It loses Max Bretos to ESPN. Bretos was a buffoon, but he was our buffoon. So in his honor, one last time. My favorite call of the 2000s.
Here's to praying that Max doesn't succumb to the WWL like Allen Hopkins did.
* Oh right, Fox is about to buy Setanta according to EPL Talk.
Until it actually happens, it's hard to gauge what will happen. Right now there's speculation that Fox starts another soccer channel. Or it leases more rights to either ESPN or GolTV. Beats me.
One thing is for sure, in the interim we're two-less live EPL matches per weekend, which isn't good.
However, if Fox revives "Special 1 TV" then its all worth it.
I'll wait to see how this develops before passing judgment.
* Oh man, we have a new slate of Premier League matches. And the African Cup of Nations on the horizon. My bad. Let's get to it.
Saturday:
UPDATE -- As of Friday morning, three games: Fulham/Portsmouth; Burnley/Stoke and Sunderland/Bolton were canceled for weather. Liverpool/Spurs might be postponed too. Double Update, Liverpool/Spurs is off. So read what I wrote for these matches and file them away to when they're played. What it does to the television schedule? Good question. Another update, Hull/Chelsea off too, could help Chelsea depending when it is replayed.
ONE MORE UPDATE -- According to EPL Talk, Setanta is back for this week, so Arsenal/Everton will be on.
* Hull City v. Chelsea -- PPD. (
* Arsenal v. Everton -- This first casualty of the Setanta/Fox impending takeover. This was supposed to be on Setanta. Now, lost to the ether. Or those (cough, cough) "streams." Or if you live in Canada. I'd doubt this the the first Premier League appearance for Landon Donovan, aside from a 70+ minute sub. Of course, Arsenal's borderline infamous 'game-in-hand' Wednesday vs. Bolton got snowed out. Maybe that's a break for the Gunners, who aren't exactly suited for the snow, even with Andrey Arshavin in the mix. Weather or not, the Gunners have too much speed in the midifeld for Everton to handle. The Toffees need to make weight on set pieces or get run over. ... Arsenal 3, Everton 1
* Burnley v. Stoke City (Ppd.) -- At first the Owen Coyle move from Burnley to Bolton seems odd. Why would he leave a club that he built up and got promoted? Especially when he had a chance for Celtic in the summer. Let me put it this way. Consider you live in Akron, Ohio and have the chance to move to Cleveland. It might be Cleveland, but it's still an upgrade. Celtic in this equation is, say, Hamilton, Ontario. Anyway, Burnley's early-season spark had started to skitter anyway. Will it become a full-on tailspin? Signs point to yes. ... Burnley 0, Stoke City 1
* Fulham v. Portsmouth (Ppd.) -- It's not exactly on the 'Twilight Zone' level of irony, but it's it perfect that the same week Eddie Johnson leaves Fulham, the club loses it's basically only healthy forward -- Bobby Zamora? Looks like Clint Dempsey, Danny Murphy and Damien Duff better be at their best. Do you see Erik Nevland and Diomansy Kamara getting the job done at Craven Cottage? As for Portsmouth? Are we so sure that the Arabs that bought the club aren't like the cousins of the fake sheik that duped Sven-Goran Eriksson a couple years ago? ... Fulham 1, Portsmouth 0
* Sunderland v. Bolton (Ppd.) -- I wouldn't be surprised if Sunderland went through a mini-shakeup during the transfer window. Steve Bruce is usually active. Bolton? It will be interesting to see if Coyle -- who might not be around to coach this weekend -- clicks with the players there, or brings in his own guys. There are some pieces at the Reebok Stadium, but the team lacks any sort of identity. First priority might be trying to find or develop a midfield general type. Whatever happens, a lot of the deadweight a Bolton should be out the door and headed to the scrapheap. ... Sunderland 2, Bolton 0
* Wigan Athletic v. Aston Villa -- (Live, 10 a.m.) Quick and simple. Aston Villa needs to get its mojo back, post haste. ... Wigan 0, Aston Villa 2
* Birmingham City v. Manchester United -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 p.m.) Would you actually favor Birmingham City in this match? Really? Shouldn't it be all things considered? Well, it doesn't work like that. Manchester United, even with its indifferent form, is still Manchester United. As long as Brum can continue to coax a couple goals here-and-there, it should be okay. Of course banking on Lee Bowyer to keep it up, and Camerone Jerome to do anything consistently isn't the soundest strategy in the world. Here's a free tip for Sir Alex. Why not try to pick up David Bentley off Spurs on the cheap? He's obviously surplus parts at White Hart Lane and as we've seen, Tottenham's M.O. is selling players for less than it bought them for. You're telling me Bentley, a proven Prem performer, couldn't help? He'd save Ryan Giggs legs on the outside of midfield, at the bare minimum. Maybe the only thing against this is it could block Gabriel Obertan long-term. If not United, somebody ought to try to pry Bentley off the Spurs' bench. Okay, back to this game. A lot of times I say these are guesses. Never more than this one. ... Birmingham City 1, Manchester United 1
Sunday:
* West Ham United v. Wolves -- Since I have nothing of interest for this one, I was pleasantly pleased to find out the band Slade was from Wolverhampton. Back around the summer of 1998, when mp3s were just getting into the consciousness I'd crack up the song "Run Runaway" on full blast on my parents shitty old computer to try to wake up my younger brother. Oh, that and Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'". You might be asking, what's the point of this story? Well, I like stories. ... West Ham 2, Wolves 1
* Liverpool v. Tottenham -- (Ppd.) Well lookie here, an important match become the two teams with the most schizophrenic teams in the league. Can we trust Liverpool, even after its season-saver at Villa Park two weeks ago? As usual, it comes down to the health of No. 8 and No. 9. Maybe a chance to recharge the batteries does help Liverpool, or it got players looking out the door. Spurs? They could win this 3-0 or lose it 3-0. With all their attacking players, and a returning to form Luka Modric you'd think they could pick apart the Liverpool defense. As we know, it's never easy with either of these clubs. ... Liverpool 1, Tottenham 1
Monday
* Manchester City v. Blackburn Rovers -- (Live?, ESPN2, 2:45 p.m.) Here's the short list on City thoughts: 1) Patrick Vieira? Really? I thought he was already in the Premier League wearing No. 2 at Arsenal. (If Dommenech takes Vieira over Diaby for the France team, I give up.) 2) Don't forget that under Roberto Mancini, Inter had a huge, borderline bloated squad of "name" players. 3) Where does Gareth Barry fit into this equation? 4) If Mancini is smart he could build the prototype 4-3-3/4-5-1 team with a couple crunching midfielder in the middle like Nigel de Jong doing the dirty work, allowing the attackers like Robinho, Carlito and Bellamy to run wild. It shouldn't be difficult. City have the pieces, that's why bringing in the lumbering corpse of Vieira doesn't make sense. It's like spending money for money's sake. Not to slang off Vieira and his great career, but at 33 years old and nearly 600 matches under his belt, how much tread is left on the tire? This is like a knee jerk move the Redskins would make under Daniel Synder. Oh wait, Vieira is available? Let's get him. Ironically, the last team to essentially "buy" a title, Blackburn in 1995 plays City this weekend. Oh how the times have changed. ... Manchester City 4, Blackburn 0
Last time: 7-3
Season: 103-93
Labels: clint dempsey, English Premier League, fox soccer channel, Landon Donovan, Prem Picks, Soccer
Chelsea @ Hull has been postponed also.
The real reason to worry about the African Cup of Nations in Angola:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=722453&sec=global&cc=5901
Maybe the reason the Dempsey goal wasn't shown is because it was on Setanta, a non-ESPN network. In fact, Setanta would be a competitor in terms of showing EPL games.
I'd like to think there was a reason other than they just never saw the goal, since all of us saw it earlier in the day.
Everton site seems pretty optimistic about El Landito getting some playing time:
http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/donovan-set-for-debut.html
They are pretty deluged with injuries (big motivating factor in bring him in). A start at Emirates? Probably not, but we might see more than just 70+ min sub.
Not sure what you see in Bentley to ManUtd. Everything I've been told and have confirmed with the rare sightings of his actual play time is that he is a David Beckham redux but without the professionalism. Seeing as DB v1 was determined surplus requirements about 6 years ago, I'd say currently V2 has little chance of making an impact. Bentley at ManUtd plays after other winger/mids Nani, Valencia, Anderson, Giggs and Obertan are unavailable. He's certainly not going to play over Scholes, Carrick or Fletcher in the d-mid role.
I think Pavlyuchenko would be an interesting addition at OT. He'd only have to get in ahead of Owen & Berbatov assuming Fergie's playing two forwards something he doesn't seem to start off anymore. Whatever happened to Macheda? I've heard rumours he's going back to Italy. Has the glean worn off the youngster's talent already?
CONFRIMED:
http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/donovan-to-start-at-emirates.html
Hopefully everyone has their feeds from the United Arab Emirates working.
According to the Telegraph, not only did El Landito start and play 75 minutes, but he assisted on Everton's opening goal. Also, the fans rated him as Everton's best player, for whatever that's worth.