That's On Point: The Web Site

Welcome back to the blog.

Sorry, but for a change I decided it was more prudent to spend my summer at the beach with a good book -- damn you George R.R. Martin -- working on tan, rather than slaving over the latest transfer gossip and touring European club whupping up on MLS opposition. Call it wanting to have some semblance of a life away from the glamorous unpaid world of soccer blogging.

Or call it what it more likely is, laziness.

Either way you want to look at it, I'm back. It's far past due for a new post, especially since my last writing in the wake of the U.S.'s loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final was probably my highest spike in traffic since the days when I actually wrote for a site called Deadspin, in earnest.

A couple readers, an Andrew Smock in particular, even took the time to email me that I had to write something about the Women's World Cup. Little they those readers realize, like Depeche Mode I was "enjoying the silence."

Then again, like most American sports fans I found myself in rapt attention for the U.S. vs. Brazil in the quarterfinals. A little less so in the semifinals vs. France. Sadly, for the Sunday final vs. Japan I had to miss all of the second half and overtime to play softball -- duty calls. To my surprise as we waited to take the field most of my teammates were talking about the game and how the U.S. went ahead in the first period of extra time.

Suffice to say, when I yanked my phone from my bag afterward, scrolling through Twitter was like a horror show in reverse. Lo and behold Japan had fought back and won in penalty kicks. This set some kind of Twitter record, which makes sense since probably a million people tweeted live commentary of every penalty kick.

Anyway, the fallout of the U.S. losing has spurred me to write, mainly from the reaction it's triggered in the media and in the American sporting consciousness. Part of me wanted to ignore this, but Bill Simmons soccer podcast with ESPN's Rob Stone was emblematic of a larger pet peeve of mine.

Enough preamble rambling. Enjoy this summer soccer version of, "Clearing out the sports desk." (I've embedded some of my favorite tunes from 2011 in a YouTube playlist at the bottom, feel free to get that going while you read.)

To choke, or to choke ... that is the question:

Here is the indisputable fact, the U.S. women allowed Japan to tie them not once, but twice during the course of 120 minutes of the World Cup Final, before losing in penalties. In wake of this, fans and media have debated a) was it a choke by the U.S. and b) is it right to scrutinize women's sports the same as men? (Deadspin compiled a lot of the media reaction here.)

My answer: a) no b) sure.

The problem soccer is always going to have in America is the major of media -- talking heads, national writers, talk show yakers -- don't follow the sport. They parachute in on the big events, like World Cup Finals or the Champions League Final, etc. It's always funny, to me, since soccer tends to exposure their general ignorance and how little they know about other sports, but more on that later.

Columnists or media types out to get an opinion want to see things in black or white issues, hence labeling it a choke, or writing why the U.S. women shouldn't be showered in platitudes for coughing up a goal with four minutes left in extra time. Or go the other way and write about how, gosh darn it, our girls gave it their all and we're all better people for it. Fine. Write the same narrow-minded, paint-by-numbers columns, rise, lather, repeat ... and forget about soccer for a couple years.

Here's where the ignorance to the game rears its head. In simplest terms, how did the U.S. "choke"? This is the same team that beat Brazil after a goal in the 123rd minute. It's doubtful the U.S. didn't have the mental fortitude to see out the game.

Is a defensive blunder that allowed the first Japan goal a choke? It was a mistake. If it happens in the first half, it's hardly a "choke" play. Nor is allowing a very nice goal by Homare Sawa on a header from a corner a "choke," no more than it's poor marking.

If anything these are bad soccer plays. These things happen.

Put it in men's soccer terms. Bayern Munich coughing up two goals in stoppage time to Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League final -- that's a choke. It's not LeBron James in the fourth quarter of the 2011 NBA Finals, as some wanted to compare, either. Lightning bolt strike me down, this wasn't even comparable to the U.S. men gagging a 2-0 early lead in the Gold Cup final vs. Mexico.

Leave it to FSC's Bobby McMahon to be the voice of reason, saying if anything the U.S. lost the game by failing to put it away in the first 25 minutes. I'd take it one step further. Left unsaid in the U.S.'s rally against Brazil in the quarterfinals was that the Samba Queens flat-out choked. Up a player and a goal with 15 minutes to play, you simply shouldn't lose that game.

But on ESPN in the aftermath of Abby Wambach's now-famous header, it was all about heart, hustle and never-say-die attitudes. Analysts Brandi Chastain of Tony DiCicco never mentioned how Brazil had no clue how to see out the match through possession, instead reverting to fake injuries to kill the clock. DiCicco -- the former U.S. women's coach -- flatly denied tactics even mattered.

If anything, the U.S.'s failure to play a possession-based game -- something the women did in most of the final -- and kill off the game in a style like Spain when it has the lead allowed Japan to creep back into the game. And credit to Japan for out American-ing the Americans, not only in the final, but the quarterfinals against host Germany.

Remember, though, writing about black-and-white issues like "choking" is the low-hanging fruit -- the dietary staple of most writers in the American media.

Penalty Paratroopers:

Hate to even acknowledge this next little nugget, but another thing that rankles me about soccer and the way its presented in the U.S. crept up away Sunday's bellwether game.

With the game decided by penalties -- and the U.S. losing -- everyone decided to decry how it's an unfair way to decide a title, with John Feinstein going as far as to say soccer isn't a sport because of it.

Hey, debate the merits of PKs all you like. I'll move on, politely, thanks.

Do Chelsea fans bemoan the format for losing to Manchester United in rainy Moscow three years ago? No, they likely curse John Terry for slipping, falling, missing his spot kick and crying like a baby girl afterward.

As soccer fans know, it's a necessary evil, penalty kicks are.

It's galling when media types or non-soccer fans parachute into soccer and decree they know what's best for the game. I don't much care for tennis, suppose I watch Wimbledon, should I come up with a new way to decide the championship? Or any Olympic sport? If I watch pole-vaulting for one day after eight years, all of a sudden I'm an expert?

Penalties are an imperfect solution to a game that is imperfectly beautiful.

Oh, Sports Guy:

Loyal reader and part-time contributor here Erik Kriebel started tweeting Monday night about how out-and-out awful Bill Simmons' soccer state of the union podcast with Rob Stone was. Little did I know until the next day it was worse than anticipated.

Some of Simbo's transgressions:

* Calling USWNT coach Pia Sundhage, "he."
* Suggesting the best case scenario for women's soccer would be to go Co-Ed with MLS.
* Feigning not to know what the name of MLS actually was.
* Calling for a World Cup every three years, forgetting nearly everything else on the FIFA calendar.

It was awful.

The problem here, isn't that Simmons is trying to dip his toes into soccer. Go for it. I'm not an exclusionary "soccer snob" contrary to what you may think by my usual prickly tone. No, Simmons' out-and-out ignorance is galling, especially with the reach he has at his disposal from ESPN/Grantland.

Take five minutes and learn how things work instead of trying to force feed your agenda. It's not that hard.

Simbo talks, people listen.

Fortunately my buddy Mike started a fun, Twitter hashtag game Tuesday afternoon, #BillSimmonsSoccerSolutions.

Good stuff, from Mike, not Simbo.

WWC Miscellania:

* Megan Rapinoe certainly had the USWNT market cornered for "alt" appeal. Pretty sure Carles at Hipster Runoff was paying attention.

* If there was one thing to take away from the WWC, the goalies -- non Hope Solo variety -- and defenders lag far behind the offensive players. It made for a fun tournament, much like the recent U-17 World Cup in Mexico.

* Brandi Chastain can rest easy, as my friend Adam pointed out on Twitter, "Happiest person in the country: Brandi Chastain. Her legacy lives on."

* ESPN did a nice job with its WWC presentation -- throw Sir Ian Darke behind the mic and you're halfway home -- but the network made me irate, in the wake of the U.S./Brazil game to keep talking about the 1999 Women's World Cup final won by the U.S. in penalty kicks. We alllllllll get it, at this point. It was a big deal, yet not all that relevant to what transpired in Germany.

* Will women's soccer see a boost after this tournament, beyond "bros" snickering to themselves Beavis & Butthead style that Hope Solo and Alex Morgan are, huh huh, pretty hot? Who knows. It doesn't help that WPS is relegated to a one-game per week Sunday telecast on FSC. Nor will the public tend to embrace a team named magicJackFC.

By Thursday, most of the media will move on to the NFL lockout being over and the 2011 WWC will be but an afterthought. That shouldn't be an issue, though -- against type -- I found myself enjoying it for what it was and that's not a bad thing, either.

All-the-globe Miscellania:

* On the surface, Jozy Altidore making AZ in the Dutch Eredivise his ... fifth European port-of-call since 2008, seems like the right move. If anyone needs the proverbial, Jose Cancesco "slumpbuster" it's Altidore, who has all of three goals since moving to Villareal from the New York Red Bulls.

And if a league was ever the "slump buster" its the Eredivise. During the 2010-11 Dutch top division campaign 25 players tallied double-digit goals. The value of the goals might not mean a lot, but Alitdore is a starving man. He'll take what he can get.

More immediately, AZ lost its top scorer -- Hungarian Balázs Dzsudzsák -- to the Manchester City of Russia, Anzhi Makhachkala. (Other recruits include: Roberto Carlos, yeah this Roberto Carlos, Jucilei and Mbark Boussoufa.)

With Altidore, nothing is ever certain. At AZ he's going to play and he should score on a regular basis. How that applies to the USMNT is anyone's guess.

* Another European team on a summer spending spree? Spain's Malaga. Bought by a Qatari royal family or something to that effect, the middling La Liga outfit has added: Joris Mathijsen, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Joaquín Sánchez and Jérémy Toulalan. Could be a sneaky play in "FIFA 12."

* Enjoying the Copa America as it's progressed. Uruguary/Argentina had everything you'd want in a match.

* In brief, as far as EPL movement goes this summer? Like the depth Liverpool is building, but it still needs another defender or two to be safe. ... It seemed weird to see Ashley Young in Manchester United shirt vs. the New England Revolution. Not sure where he plays, but Sir Alex seems to find a way, always. ... Sunderland, as is Steve Bruce's wont, is making a million moves. John O'Shea as new club captain sums it about up. ... Wolves made two smart moves -- adding Roger Johnson and locking up Jamie O'Hara long-term. ... Curious to see if Roberto Mancini puts faith in new recruit Stefan Savić to pair alongside Vincent Kompany in the defense, moving Kolo Toure further to the fringes. ... Arsenal adding Gervinho seems to be putting a new coat of paint on a boat with a hole in the hull. It must be a point of personal pride for Arsene Wenger to hold firm against a trusted, quality defender. The Gael Clincy loss is huge, if only since he was essentially an automatic starter at left back for the last five seasons.

* The Luka Modric transfer drama from Tottenham to Chelsea is why I loathe the "silly season," or more specifically how business gets done in Europe.

Let's say this, Modric is, what, a Top 40-ish player in the world? Is playing for Tottenham such an affront to a player of his talents? Is he going to lose his place in the Croatia team because he's in the Europa League rather than the Champions League? Is it his god-given right to play in the Champions League every season?

Why even bother signing a six-year deal with the team, when he signed from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008? Contracts in soccer seem to be worthless since players -- or more likely agents whispering in their ears -- have all the power. You know Modric's agent wants another juicy transfer for his player and the percentage that comes with it, right?

At least, for all his warts, Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has held firm. And no fault to Chelsea, either, to trying to exploit the system and bring a very good player to Stamford Bridge.

The way soccer business is done is the diametric opposite of the old Major League Baseball reserve clause.

One other thing:

Thoroughly enjoying "Wilfred" on FX. Highly recommend.

Oh, and here's that playlist. You might like one or two of the songs. Maybe.

Labels: Bill Simmons, Jozy Altidore, MLS, tottenham hotspur, uswnt