That's On Point: The Web Site

"Let us never speak of it again" -- Homer, "Itchy and Scratchy Land"

Paraguay 1, U.S. 0.

Alternately, live by the set piece, die by the set piece.

No, this wasn't that bad, or at least as bad as the final result looks ... unless you want to remember that Mexico thrashed this same Paraguay team 3-1 three days earlier. (Remember the good old days, when Sven-Goran Eriksson was in charge of El Tri? Or when Javier Aguirre was kicking Panama players during live game action? Yeah, that was fun.)

In short this one -- from a results standpoint -- could be summed up by a couple of moments: Tim Ream slipping on the wet grass at LP Field allowing Oscar Cardoza to score off a corner kick followed by Paraguay keeper Justo Villar making three great saves -- preventing an own-goal on a looping deflection, punching away Michael Bradley's screamer and finally smothering Jermaine Jones worm-burner at the death.

A couple bounces here or there and the U.S. would've saved face with at least a 1-1 draw. Do you want to use up all your karma from the soccer Gods in a meaningless friendly in March with nothing on the line? Probably not.

It's probably not worth doing cartwheels, either, that the U.S. can out and played an attack-minded game and dominant possession. If Bob Bradley isn't going to be aggressive in a game with N-O-T-H-I-N-G tangible at stake, then when is he? It's not 1993 anymore, where three consecutive passes strung together from the U.S. midfield was cause for an "Ole!"

The U.S. still don't seem entirely comfortable in the role of offensive aggressor, at least when you get away from the minnows of CONCACAF. Under Bradley the team seems much more suited to sit back and spring on the counter. The U.S. had the bulk of the ball but didn't really create any quality chances until the final 20 minutes -- those from individual strikes from outside the box, at that.

It should be noted Paraguay are obviously a side with some guts, which made the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals allowing only two goals in the process. The team's pride was clearly dented by the Mexico result and showed more defensive resolve tonight. It clearly helped getting a goal inside of 25 minutes, too, as they could then sit deep and absorb pressure as is their wont to do.

Still ... once again the U.S. found itself playing from behind, which is okay if you're into making Michael Scott, "that's what she said jokes," a little less so when you're a team trying to move its way up the international pecking order.

Was this game an end of the world, sky is falling, hand the Gold Cup over to Mexico now scenario? No.

Was it entirely encouraging in a rousing the troops kind of way? Maybe.

One thing we can agree on, however, when you go to a sporting event -- played in the rain no less -- in an elaborate costume more suited for Comic Con than a stadium, you tend to feel a whole lot better about yourself after the team you're cheering on lodges a result.

Quick Hitters:

* Four games into the Juan Agudelo era ... let's call it promising and chill on the massive speculation. He was tricky on the ball, active up top and looked to have drawn a penalty early in the second half. With the U.S.-striker field so shallow, he's going to keep getting looks ready or not for primetime.

* Yes, he fell over on the Paraguay goal. It happens. Still like what we're seeing from Tim Ream, if only a U.S. defender that looks to find a teammate with a pass instead of hoofing up field and hoping for the best. Even at his best in 2005, this was never a strong point for Oguchi Onyewu. Same for Jay DeMerit. (Appreciate his heart and hardscrabble tale, but is he still and international caliber defender?)

Let's hope Ream did enough to move his way up the pecking order in Bradley the Elder's head (and doesn't pick up any hatchet-man tenancies from Red Bulls teammate Rafa Marquez). Is Ream untested on the international level? Yes, but unless he gets games we'll never know if he's suited for it or not. Shame Ream never got a chance to deliver at least one free kick, either.

* Speaking of free kicks, not the best night of service for Landon Donovan. Paraguay didn't seem to have any problems hacking down American players in front of the goal. This might have been a little different if Stuart Holden were healthy and playing. Call it a bad night for Donovan.

* Didn't do a lot, but by simply attempting an audacious 40-yard shot it shows why you have to love Clint Dempsey.

* Jozy Altidore ... pass.

* Not getting into a 4-5-1 vs. 4-4-2 debate. The U.S., right now, is sort of like a "donut" basketball team, which describes those without a center. The U.S. roster, or positions of depth and strength are lopsided. It's all about finding combinations on the field that click together. This isn't a game of FIFA on XBox, with rigid pre-loaded formations. It's hard to come up with a traditional formation with a suspect group of strikers and a dearth of wide players.

* One thing that would help the U.S. field a balanced lineup is a left-sided compliment to Timmy Chandler, who looked well at ease in his second international playing on the right side. He had one very nice cross and burned a Paraguayan defender with a nice ball played to himself into space. Although he might look like a combination of the classic Universal movie monsters of Wolfman and Frankenstein, Chandler's game is anything but scary.

With the play of Eric Lichaj, could Chandler move up the field into the midfield, as he's done at Nurnburg in Germany? The trio of Chandler, Lichaj and Ream seem to be players to build around. The question is when Bradley the Elder decides its finally time to move away from the core of the 2006 and 2010 World Cup squads.

* Maurice Edu was invisible in the first half. Jones did a little more in the second. Bradley the Younger seemed to dominate the ball in the center, again making me wonder why the U.S. seems so hellbent on needing to play two defensive midfielders to start every match, especially in games where the opponent is dug in deep and only going to attack on the counter.

* Admittedly, I was working and making a few calls during the second half so totally tuned out the commentary of JP Dellacamera and Kyle Martino.

* Not the best night for our old pal Jonathan Bornstein. I'll say something nice about the Tigres-man. When he finally retires it'll be a lot like when Richard Nixon famously said, "You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore ..."

Closing thought:

Did we collectively learn a lot we didn't already know about the U.S. ahead of the Argentina and Paraguay matches? Beyond the possible emergence of Agudelo, probably not.

The U.S. has enough talent to overcome any tactical deficiencies or imbalances at least until the late stages of the Gold Cup. If there's a worry, it's that the team could run into a hot keeper like Villar somewhere in the knockout stages and it won't be able to dig itself out of an early hole.

By then, who knows, maybe Bradley the Elder can find a way to integrate Chad Ochocinco.

Labels: bob bradley, Friendlies, jonathan bornstein, juan agudelo, Soccer, tim ream, USMNT

"Ich wünsche nicht eine Bluttransfusion." -- Lonely Planet: Germany

If you sit in front of a computer with Internet access for your job, or have been bored in your leisure time, chances are you've been sucked into a "Wikipedia-hole," or a "YouTube-hole." One minute you're looking up who the starting five was on the 1997 North Carolina basketball team and two hours later you're humming the theme song of the Richmond Tigers of Aussie Football League. It happens.

Monday morning a quick Google search of Edson Buddle's German club team -- Igolstadt 04 -- led to a solid 25 minutes of 2.Bundesliga research.

Fun. Nay, vitally useful stuff for my day-to-day life. What better way to make small talk with a person you've just met than over 2.Bundeliga's leading scorer, Nils Petersen of Energie Cottbus. (It's beats talking about the weather.)

Long story short, uncapped American goalkeeper David Yelldell plays in that division for MSV Duisburg.

Oh, also, he's 29 years old.

And we might see him make his international debut tonight when the U.S. plays Paraguay in Nashville, Tenn. (8 p.m., Fox Soccer.) It appears that the fairly widespread criticism -- at least by mainstream U.S. soccer media standards -- leveled at Sunil Gulati and Bob Bradley for letting players like Nevan Subotic, Giuseppe Rossi and Vedad Ibisevic slip through the figures of the USSF and to Serbia, Italy and Bosnia respectively, took some root. Considering the U.S. retained its braintrust from the 2010 World Cup major change in the upcoming Cup cycle is unlikely, but at least they'll use the extremely loose guidelines for International representation allowed by FIFA to the program's benefit.

Is it on par with places like Qatar, Croatia, Armenia or even powerhouses like Germany, Italy or Spain naturalizing Brazilians? Probably not.

Why else, though, would the U.S. deem a 29-year-old journeyman keeper toiling away in the second division in Germany worth inviting into camp all of a sudden? (Yes, Brad Guzan getting married in June, missing the Gold Cup is probably a factor.)

Consider, though, Juan Agundelo was born in Columbia but the U.S. was proactive in handing him his first cap last November before it could become an issue from a competing FA. Young guys playing in MLS like Andy Najar (Honduras) and Daniel Mwaga (DR-Congo) are already getting overtures from the USSF. Take this grouping of players, which includes post-NCAA soccer internationals and the apparently abundant, fertile group of German-born(*) children of American serviceman like Jermaine Jones, Timmy Chandler and the uncapped Daniel Williams of SC Freiburg and the already large U.S. player pool continues to expand exponentially.

(*) Though some of these guys have probably never set foot in America or speak even basic English, this shouldn't be an issue, since nobody seemed to have a problem when Thomas Dooley played for the U.S. in the mid-90s. Again, FIFA law seems about as loose as the Articles of Confederation. U.S. should take advantage of it as best possible.

Certain segments of the U.S. soccer fanbase seem to fetishize the U.S. playing important games in Europe.

Suppose this is the next best thing, right?

Quick points:

* Surprised that multiple writers with large platforms have actually challenged the presumed automatic place in the starting XI of Oguchi Onyewu, who seems to be firmly one of "Bob's Guys." Guess it would be up to a guy like Tim Ream to really shine for Onyewu's spot in the starting XI to be threatened, unless a slow-footed pairing of Jay DeMerit and Carlos Bocanegra suits you.

Onyewu had a great run in the U.S. shirt, but there's no room for sentimentality in international soccer. Playing good in 2005 doesn't give you a lifetime pass, or at least until the 2014 World Cup. Hopefully more competition fosters out the ennui that sometimes overtakes the U.S. starting roster.

* One thing I didn't much read into from the post-Argentina discussion was the 4-5-1 vs. 4-4-2 debate. Few seemed to point out that trying that particular three-man central midfield unit of Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones came, in fact, against Argentina, which we can agree is kind of decent at this game we call soccer, especially at possessing the ball. Think the outcome of that starting trio would be a little difference against, say, Guadeloupe in the upcoming Gold Cup?

The one concrete kneejerk reaction is that if the U.S. is going to embrace a non-4-4-2 formation, Jozy Altidore doesn't seem suited as the lone front man.

At this point, let's be less concerned with what a Jonathon Wilson or Zonal Marking-type would deduce by breaking down the U.S. formation. More important is finding a group of 11 guys with some kind of spacial cohesiveness who function well together, regardless of what the starting graphic says on the television before kickoff.

* When Benny Feilhaber plays well, it usually translate into a good result for the U.S. Problem is, he seems a bit of a tweener and is doubtful for the Paraguay match. Not quite good enough to start in the middle of the field, but not a pure wide-man either. Seems like the U.S. has a lot of these type guys, or at least that's the way it's developed under Bradley.

There doesn't seem to be a happy medium, yet, between a balanced spacial formation and getting the best U.S. talent onto the field at once. This is a quandary, but not a make-or-break type issue, since on raw ability alone the U.S. should be able to muscle its way into the Gold Cup final, the most important goal on the immediate horizon.

* The lack of wide players tends to get overlooked, but if the U.S. had a couple wing types, then you could move Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan into more advanced, forward roles ... which would help solve the current black hole that is the U.S. striker position. As it stands, perhaps the best "MacGyver" solution is moving Dempsey to the withdrawn secondary role and moving someone like a Timmy Chandler or Feilhaber or Mixx on the right.

* That is, unless you buy into the Juan Agudelo hype.

My biggest question vis-a-vis Agudelo is this: He clearly has some baseline of talent and massive potential. We can agree on that. At 18 how is that talented extracted and taken to the next level?

Is training alongside former great Thierry Henry in New York and getting major MLS playing time enough? Or does he risk following the path of Jozy Altidore and move to Europe, only to never see the field and bounce around the continent on loan?

Or is it possible Agudelo is just another teen star who burns brightly in flashes only to fade away as quickly as he arrived? Or will he break the mold and continue to get better and evolve into a decade-long, multi-World Cup cycle stalwart?

Nobody knows ... and if someone says they do, go steal the plutonium from the Delorean their piloting around through time.

Lineup guess:

GK -- Yelldell

DEF -- Lichaj -- Ream -- DeMerit -- Bornstein

MID -- Chandler -- Bradley -- Edu -- Donovan

FOR -- Dempsey -- Agudelo

Final thought:

Even if it was a bunch of propaganda by Nike to sell red jerseys ($75 a pop in stadium) and to a lesser extent adidas to sell the Lionel Messi mystique to Americans, last Saturday's U.S/Argentina game was an atypical friendly since it had an edge to it. Neither side used all six subs to try out players. The 90 minutes felt important.

Hard to see this game, with about 40,000 less people in the stands at LP Field in Nashville than the New Meadowlands Stadium against a far less illustrious opponent having the same bite, especially with only two recovery days and guys like Dempsey looking at a long flight back abroad. Paraguay didn't seem too motivated on Saturday, getting thrashed 3-1 by Mexico.

Long and short, it's a game. It's a chance to try some new things and not worry about the result.

Oh, and that opening quote is how to decline a blood transfusion in Germany, something the rest of the team can chat with Yelldell and Chandler about considering their lack of English vocabulary.

Labels: bob bradley, Friendlies, Jozy Altidore, juan agudelo, oguchi onyewu, Soccer, USMNT

The name Tobey Bailey probably doesn't mean anything to you.

To me, back in 1995, I probably spent a week's worth of free periods in middle school writing how much I hated the UCLA shooting guard on my Trapper Keeper binder. Thinking about him now pisses me off -- only a little -- since he did his best to singlehandedly ruin my life that March.

Sixteen years on and two national titles later, the UCLA beating my beloved UConn Huskies 102-96 in the West Regional Final (Elite Eight) in Oakland, Calif. At the time it was so hard, since it felt like UConn would never win a basketball championship, let alone make a Final Four. Here was arguably my favorite team in any sport, featuring a spry Ray Allen and running one of the best fast breaks ever, only to be undone by a jerk-face like Bailey and the O'Bannon Bros.

I don't tend to write about UConn on this here slice of the Internets very often, if ever, but the Huskies were my first sporting true love. The team I lived and died ... and cried with for all of my formative years. It's why on Saturday night instead of watching the U.S. National Team take on Argentina in a high-profile friendly, I was locked in with a group of UConn fans again watching the Huskies play in the West Regional Final, this time against Arizona in Anaheim, Calif.

This couldn't have turned out better, not because UConn won to make its second Final Four in three seasons. No, it helped remind my cold, Grinch-like heart that sometimes it's okay to simply be a fan, root for you team and not worry about all the off-field, off-court machinations which make sports sometimes distasteful if you think about them too much.

Did any of the dozen UConn fans gathered in my friend's living room care that coach Jim Calhoun will miss three Big East games next season for NCAA violations stemming from the recruitment of a player -- Nate Miles -- who never played a minute for UConn? Absolutely not.

So with that in mind, again maybe my heart grew a size or two, but I'll forgive the U.S. Soccer Federation for the overt, blatant Nike showcase that was the eventual 1-1 draw with a very game Argentina squad. (Seriously, the second highlighted item in the official press release was the fact the U.S. played in new red shirts.) If people think it's more important to go to a game in a costume and or 45 pieces of U.S. soccer-approved flair, so be it.

As a rule, personally it's hard to watch a game on the DVR or when you know the result. A combination of flipping over to the second half of the U.S. game during the non-stop timeouts of a NCAA tournament game helped, so did the feed on Twitter, which seemed to range the gambit from, "USA A-Okay (#redallover)" to pure cynicism. Always fun.

Since I know somewhere in the range of four or five folks (non-family members anyway) like to read what I think of the U.S. I figured I could cobble together a couple thoughts. If I missed a point or a chance to make a joke, feel free to tell me.

Out with the Old, in with the Nucleus:

Juan Agudelo, all 18 years of him, probably -- no definitely -- got all the headlines in the wake of this game, scoring his second international goal in only his third cap.

It bookends well with the actual standout performance from the match for an American, keeper Tim Howard.

All the credit to Agudelo for being in the right place at the right time to slot in the ball after Argentina keeper Mariano Andujar fumbled Carlos Bocanegra's initial header from Landon Donovan's long free kick. In a way it was a very similar to the goal that Charlie Davies scored against Egypt in 2009 Confederations Cup. Credit, too, Bob Bradley for taking the plunge with a teenager and letting him play.

In a very small sample size, Agudelo is flashing a nose for goal with that poacher's instinct which some players are simply born with in their DNA. Remember, though, this isn't the first time we've seen a young U.S. forward impress in his first few matches. The label of "Next Big Thing" for U.S. soccer is almost as much of a blessing as it is a curse.

This is worth contrasting with steady play of Tim Howard in goal. His stop of Lionel Messi in the first minute of the second half was a game-changer on what seemed a sure goal to make it 2-0.

Goalkeeper and striker at the international level are all about what a player does in small moments or makes of half chances, or at least that's how we judge them.

At Everton Howard gives up plenty of goals. In the week-in, week-out nature of club soccer you can live with that. As we've seen more often than not, Howard rises to the occasion in the U.S. No. 1 shirt.

When you make a blunder like Andujar in international play, it costs your team. In a competitive match, you're out of tournaments for fumbling a ball like that. Compare to last week when Manuel Almunia lost his mind for Arsenal against West Brom, it cost the Gunners, but there's still a chance to recover in the Premier League title pursuit.

Howard, as we've seen, has kept the U.S. in games and seems to rouse the troops from the backline. Over the course of a club season, I'd tend to think goal-keeping (non-Arsenal clubs) tends to level out. On the international stage you tend to see what a difference an elite player between the posts can makes since even the slightest gaffe tends to cost you.

With a striker, it's similar. You can afford to waste chances on the club level, not so much on the international level. You're simply getting more reps, more minutes at the club level and enough games against inferior competition to make an impact.

Judging Agudelo after three international games is a fool's errand, no matter how good he's looked so far. (Nice postgame interview, too.)

He's obviously not going to keep up his 66-percent international strike rate. We'll need to see more of what else he brings to the table over the course of a qualifying cycle or the upcoming Gold Cup tournament to get a better baseline assessment of where he stands. It's still hard to gauge what exactly Agudelo is beyond a poacher in the box at this point. If that's what he is, then there's certainly a value to it, but he has to keep producing on the scoreboard, which isn't easy internationally.

Still, there's something to be said for a player for a clear knack for goal and savvy inside the penalty area. It's early but Agudelo profiles a lot like a slightly taller Javier Hernandez.

If Agudelo develops a consistency at the international level even a little bit like Howard, his potential is limitless ... even if we've said this about other young U.S. strikers before.

Random Thoughts:

* Lionel Messi is sort of good on the ball, right?

He's almost on that level where he's critically bulletproof, or an accepted work of genius like "Sgt. Pepper's." Messi is poised, stress poised, to join that pantheon level of players like Maradona or Pele. This being soccer, you wonder if he'll be placed on the pedestal or eventually be torn down by the press like a Ronaldo?

At the moment, Messi is the undisputed genius of world soccer.

* You don't need to be Jonathan Wilson to realize the U.S. was actually able to get out of its own end, or at least break out of its own bunker when it went away from a 4-5-1 to the 4-4-2, when Agudelo came on. Argentina is obviously great on the ball and was flowing with Barcelona-style rhythm in the first half, so it's tough to say if the formations made all the difference.

* One thing that is clear, Jozy Altidore isolated alone up top isn't a path the U.S. should continue exploring. It's not his game. If Bob Bradley is committed to trying to play a five-man midfield, he needs to look for a target guy that isn't afraid to muscle around alone up top alone. That said, many teams in the past have failed trying to shoehorn all its best players onto the field at once at the international level. This isn't 1970 any more where you can be Brazil, put on your best players and roll through competition.

* Liked what Timmy Chandler brought to the table in the second half, since wide players in the U.S. set up are as rare as Republicans in San Francisco. You have to wonder how much of the U.S. reaching out to a player like Chandler and capping him is a response to the outcry of losing players like Giuseppe Rossi, Nevan Subotic and Vedad Ibisevic to other nations when they had U.S. ties that could have gotten them into the national team? More on this ahead of the Paraguay match.

* Strange choice for Bradley to play Jonathan Spector at right back, considering he hadn't played that position at West Ham in months, last playing there for the U.S. in their November friendly in South Africa. You could see what Bradley was trying to do, playing a familiar back line of Spector, Jay DeMerit, Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra.

* Did I actually hear John Harkes lay a criticism at Onyewu during the match? Didn't think USSF-approved media was allowed to do so publicly.

* Could you make a big deal about Bob Bradley playing his son Michael, despite the fact Michael has barely gotten off the bench since being loaned to Aston Villa? Sure, you could. The Younger was clearly rusty, but he's also a clear part of the U.S. core set-up, so it's not like nepotism alone got the Elder to break his unwritten selection rules, was it? Pinning the Younger into a purely holding/defensive role limits him somewhat. With Stuart Holden out for the immediate future, maybe a more advanced offensive role for Bradley isn't the worst idea, since he's not exactly Andres Iniesta or Xavi with the distribution in the midfield. Bradley is much more the disruptor-type, and how many of those does the U.S. need in CONCACAF play?

* Easy to tell that Maurice Edu is in great form at Rangers. He looked sharp. If not Bradley in a more offensive spot, maybe Edu?

* Fast forwarded the tape of most of the first half. Did I miss anything noteworthy from Jermaine Jones?

* Not the most memorable night for either Donovan and Clint Dempsey, but Dempsey was once again Dempsey one of the first Americans who never plays scared, regardless of the opposition.

* God save Ian Darke.

Last thought:

For a friendly, this was a pretty entertaining display. It was a good day for the USSF suits to trumpet everything and anything U.S. soccer related. Too bad there weren't more days and nights like this.

Such is life as the big fish in the tiny backwater pond of CONCACAF.

It was also a fairly typical U.S. performance from the Bradley era: play to the level of the competition, look for a counter attack, use defensive muscle to weather the storm ... and fall behind on the scoreboard. Fortunately this was only a friendly since there are only so many times the U.S. is going to be able to come from behind against a quality opponent.

One of these days, in a big game, Bradley is going to get it right from the start.

Hey, maybe that can be the slogan for the U.S. jerseys for the Paraguay game on Tuesday.

Labels: Argentina, bob bradley, Friendlies, juan agudelo, Lionel Messi, Michael Bradley, Soccer, USMNT

U.S. National Team fan No. 1 -- This game is a joke. It's just a chance of the U.S. Soccer Federation to cash in and trumpet a meaningless result.

U.S. National Team fan No. 2 -- Yaaaaaaaaaay. Argentina. Messi! Tevez! I better go start working on my costume for the game. America! Fuck Yeah!

Again, friends, the truth probably ends somewhere in category No. 3. As Robert Evans said there are always three sides to every story -- yours, mine and the truth.

As we know when it comes to how to accurately perceive the dealings of the U.S. Soccer Federation, specifically the senior men's national team, it tends to be murky, full of shades of gray, half measures, small victories and slow, steady progress. Lots of glass half full, glass half empty scenarios.

On the one hand, it's hard to sign off on the Federation charging $38 for the cheapest ticket in the house -- the upper deck at the New Meadowlands Stadium. For some perspective, in 2008 me and my pal Suppe sat in the last row of the upper concourse of the (real) Meadowlands. Yeah, technically you are in the stadium, but since it's humanly impossible to look cool in front of the ladies using binoculars -- or in fact even carrying them on your person -- the high perch isn't all that great other than being able to tell people you were inside the building.

Granted, from that nose-bleed triggering altitude Carlos Tevez looks like an actual human, not a character from "Street Fighter II," so there's that. That's a moot point since the Manchester City striker won't be involved in the game this time.

Factor in the cost of parking, somewhere in the $20 range, tolls in the New York area, (hot button issue warning) the price of gas and a trip for this match isn't happening for yours truly. With what's been said about the overall lousiness of the new stadium and it's not a big loss. (And with any luck, UConn basketball will be playing for a trip to the Final Four at roughly the same time, part of my personal equation.)

High definition on ESPN with the sweet sounds of Ian Darke should more than suffice.

Advance ticket sales are already over 60,000 so the guys in Chicago should be doing the Charleston atop a flag pole, Al Capone style.

Is it morally wrong for the USSF to charge over $100 for any seats in the lowest bowl of the stadium? Probably not. Every other federation on the planet seems to be out for profit -- above all else -- anyway, so why not play let the USSF FIFA's dirty little game? Jack Warner is certainly sitting in his office in Port-au-Spain waiting for a bagman to arrive with his envelope, right?

Admittedly, this is a very black-hearted, cynical approach.

It's so dark it probably made little Lionel Messi cry.

Maybe not the best example since Messi figures to profit from this game, if ever tangentially. This week a new set of adidas ads began running on ESPN, featuring a brief glimpse of Messi. Just because he looks sweet and innocent doesn't mean his legion of handlers and agents aren't treating him like his own Spanish speaking pitchman like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods? It's the way of things. Messi is good enough to hawk whatever he deems fit. So long as he doesn't start selling his own line of Messi-Brand female razors we'll be okay.

Less overt in their use of this game as a pure marketing tool was Nike, the ultra-benefactor to the USSF across all levels and divisions. (Hey, everyone needs money to operate.)

In a way it's a nice gesture to the diehard U.S. fans to offer a Twitter contest to create a slogan/motto to adorn the newly-designed (red) USMNT shirts for the evening. Fans get a kick of out this thing, either with earnest slogans about "hard work" or "dying bravely" while jerks (myself included) can take potshots at Nike's greed and the USSF's Pollyanna approach to the slightest criticisms.

Whichever side of the divide you fall upon, ask yourself this: does the USMNT need a new jersey design(*) every year? Do you need to own one?

(*) The only U.S. shirt worth owning? The denim 1994 shirt, of course. Problem is, when you wear it in public, only nerds likes myself appreciate it, so in that sense you're both a winner and a loser. Either way, we'll always have 'Celo's mullet.

The easily malign-able USSF boys in Chicago should get a round of applause for lining up a high-profile friendly and bringing one of the Top Five, upper echelon national teams to U.S. shores for a match. Argentina's National Team is something worth feting, even if nothing tangible beyond launching a new jersey for the boys in Beaverton, Ore. is on the line.

There are clearly worse things than the U.S. testing its mettle against Argentina.

What rubs me, and a certain segment of the U.S. fandom, the wrong way, is do we really want our national's soccer governing body patting itself on the back for a meaningless friendly in March in a non-World Cup year? People want to see appreciable progress where it matters, not the cash register.

So yeah, ESPN and "Coach" John Harkes will certainly make the talking points of the match about the U.S. getting ready for the Gold Cup or Bob Bradley "auditioning" players. Sure, that's in play, it's up to you to decide what this match is really about.

Or just watch it for two hours and try not to think too hard. That's usually the best policy, anyway.

Other thoughts:

* Suppose Bob Bradley decides he wants to play Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones together in one midfield. The U.S. would physically trample CONCACAF opposition. It's a midfield with the grace of the "Bad Boy" era Detroit Pistons, but teams would walk away limping. (Does Bradley the Younger get an automatic start despite playing the sum total of 88 minutes since Jan. 22?)

Problem here, is that the U.S. doesn't have a capable pure center forward, to let the 4-3-3-ish formation to work. An athletic, smart, consistent player up top would mesh with the other U.S. parts well. Maybe the USSF can use the profits from ticket sales here to grow a Brian McBride clone.

Then again it's not like Landon Donovan (assume he's handwaving the Galaxy MLS game the same day, right?) and Clint Dempsey are suited to be running up-and-down a wing, harassing their defensive marks either.

* One tactical positive of this game tied to the Paraguay game next match is it gives the Elder a chance to look at some defensive combinations. Trying to get locked-in with either central pairing or "back fours" seems very premature at this point. The U.S. defensive situation ought to remain fluid long term, though Bradley will need a reliable unit for the Gold Cup at some point. Yes, Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra have the track record and incumbency working for them, but let's not lock them in and write their names in pen for the next three years. Of course, the underlying thread tying successful national teams from the Magical Magyars of the 1950s to the current incarnation of Spain is spacial familiarity among the XI on the field.

* Would love to know if Mikkel Diskerud and Juan Agudelo mesh with elder statesman Donovan and Dempsey, the only elite/world class offensive players in the U.S. set-up. Would the older guys rub off on the new guys? Would it not mix on the field? Very curious about this. Could be a big key for the upcoming Gold Cup.

* Not to be a harbinger of doom, but the U.S. might want to consider future games without Steve Cherundolo at least during the club season, or start a solid Plan B at right back. He's not getting any younger at 32. This isn't a knock on his abilities, but consider that he's club captain at Hannover 96. (Kind of a milestone for an American, huh?) The club -- currently in contention for a Champions League spot -- is important to him, you'd figure. Is flying across the Atlantic and training for a game that means nothing fair to the club that pays his salary, for the small percentage chance he gets hurt? This might not be true at all, but it's worth contemplating. Either way, a game in March with nothing on the line isn't a make-or-break game on Cherundolo's future international career.

* Regardless, I'm happy Eric Lichaj got recalled with Cherundolo withdrawing. Lichaj is a guy you can do a lot with.

* Yes, it would have been noteworthy to see Zak Whitbread debut for the U.S. Remember, he's 27 years old and playing in the English League Championship, with a strong Norwich City team. Oddly enough the "Canaries" wear yellow, the same color Jay DeMerit wore with Watford. Pretty confident I'd rather see Tim Ream get those minutes than Whitbread.

* Something worth watching. How much of Brian Ching's rise to importance with the USMNT was tied to his play in MLS alongside Donovan in San Jose? Could the same be said of Edson Buddle? Buddle did leave the Galaxy and Donovan for a shot with German second division club Ingolstadt 04, which should be noted rivals Finland's MyPa for strangest looking club name in Europe. Donovan is good enough to make above average players internationals.

From my personal opinion, Buddle is probably underrated as a player. It's not his fault the U.S. didn't have other options in South Africa. Shouldn't hold it against him forever.

* Jonathan Spector? Your guess is as good as mine, frankly.

* Does anyone have any insight into why Benny Feilhaber has stuck with AGF in the Danish second-division so long? Is this a case of the club is actually making a smart soccer decision, opting to keep one of its better players as it tries to regain First Division status?

* Maybe this is playing Devil's Advocate, but the loss of Stuart Holden hurts the U.S. midfield for certain. It's worth considering that Holden's best attribute at Bolton this season has been consistency. He's almost more valuable on a week-in, week-out basis for this club than one-off internationals. Losing him, however, does make it much more difficult for the U.S. to play a 4-2-3-1 type formation with the group of players in this camp.

* Both Tim Chandler and reserve keeper David Yelldell were born in Germany with American fathers and German mothers. Is this going to be a hidden talent reserve for the U.S. like it was during the 1990s with players like Earnie Stewart (Dutch mother) and Thomas Dooley playing for the National Team? Bears watching.

* Kind of remarkable that Sunderland reserve Marcos Angeleri is the only EPL-based player on the Argentina roster.

* Also quirky, Angel di Maria is the only pure winger on either roster. This could be the narrowest international game in a long time, a match suited perfectly for Javier Mascherano.

* Very excited to see what Javier Pastore brings to the table for Argentina. Since the decline/falling out of Juan Roman Riquelme, Argentina hasn't had the traditional No. 10 playmaker type in the midfield. Pastore is getting plenty of good pub and shouldn't be plying his trade at Palermo very much longer. Let's see if the hype if justified.

* Apples to Oranges type of misleading stat, but Landon Donovan (45) has more international goals combined than the entire Argentina roster for this match. In fact defenders Carlos Bocanegra (12) and Oguchi Onyewu (6) have more goals individual international goals than everyone on Argentina aside from Messi. Does this mean anything?

* If gambling were, you know, legal wagering for a penalty kick to be awarded during this match would be a great bet.

* Oh, worth pointing out that Nike debuted light blue U.S. jersey's with white stripes back in 2007, think it was a friendly with Ecuador in Tampa. Donovan had a hat trick. Coincidentally that jersey was also worn during the ill-fated trip to the Copa America, which included a 4-1 loss to Argentina. So there's that.



Lineup Guess:

Same questions as per usual, though a 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 seems in the cards ... but the personnel don't exactly fit that mold. Bradley the Elder doees have a lot of different options should he opt for the less conventional XI. There isn't exactly a sure-fire pick for the right side of midfield, barring shoe-horning Dempsey there. Maybe the only way we don't see a 4-4-2 (not the end of the world) is if Bradley rolls the dice on either Diskerud or Kljestan.

GK -- Howard

DEF -- Lichaj-- Onyewu -- Bocanegra -- Bornstein

MID -- Dempsey -- Edu -- Jones -- Donovan

FOR -- Altidore -- Buddle

If the U.S. is trying to get its best on the field a midfield of Edu, Jones and Bradley, with Donovan and Dempsey behind a forward in a 4-3-2-1 would work, if only on a one-time basis. As stated above, Argentina isn't a team you need to worry about width against.

Final Thought:

For whatever the reason, this is a match the U.S. could win. A lot of that probably has to do with how motivated Argentina is for playing a game with minimal stakes. It'd be very easy to see a scenario where Argentina steps on the field and expects to win.

The U.S. thrives as an underdog and can use its muscle to go toe-to-toe with Argentina. Can the U.S. defense the brilliance of Messi? Depends if the Little Guy's hoodoo while wearing the sky blue-and-white continues.

One thing that scares me is that Argentina coach Sergio Batista recalled the Inter duo Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso. These two are consummate professionals. They're not going to lie down or let their teammates be lazy. Diego Maradona let the inmates run the asylum, during the World Cup. Doubt discipline was a major cocern for the notorious rabble rouser turned coach. Then again, what would Maradona even consider discipline?

Since losing to Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals, Argentina is 5-1-0 with wins over Spain and Brazil. Oddly enough the only loss for the team is to Japan, 1-0, in a friendly played in Japan back in November. Doesn't seem like their dicking around anymore.

For better or sometimes worse, the U.S. under Bradley have a habit of playing to the level of their competition.

Labels: bob bradley, jermaine jones, juan agudelo, maurice edu, Michael Bradley, USMNT

The addition of talismanic, match-winning defender David Luiz has certainly helped re-shape Chelsea's image with his revelatory play. His goal from a corner got Chelsea going Sunday to beat Manchester City 2-0.

How good will Luiz be long term? We'll see. One thing is for certain, if Chelsea wants to become more of an impact club worldwide it'll sell more jerseys or convert more nuetral fans with the flop-haired Brazilian back there as opposed to John Terry, aka the World's Most Unlikeable Man. Even me, an admitted loather of all things Stamford Bridge can't help but be impressed by the dynamic displays Luiz has put forth since coming over from Benfica at the end of January.

It's still hard to get a full gauge on Chelsea since you don't know if Carlo Ancelotti is sticking around long term. The Italian's future probably hinges on the Champions League quarterfinal with Manchester United in April.

Labels: Arsenal, EPL, manchester United, Monday recaps, Soccer

Bear with me for a second.

Usually I try to find some time during the week to write these weekly EPL previews. This week it just didn't happen, leaving me with a totally blank screen Friday morning and a sense of panic.

As you know, if you're a frequent reader, I try to maintain some standard of quality -- or at least throw in a weird pop culture reference -- to make clicking on this little slice of the Inter-webs worth your minute and 49 seconds. This week, there's little of that. Blame the NCAA tournament and UConn for stealing my sporting attention, if you must.

So, there isn't an intro essay or a list or a bad comparison or any of the usual nonsense I serve up on a Friday. Instead two tiny thoughts, one on the Champions League, one on Michael Jackson and then picks. Apologies.

Champions League Quarterfinal Draw:

Michel Platini and UEFA gave us good, but not great quarterfinals pairings. My dreams of a 10-goal, two-leg thriller between Tottenham and Bayern Munich were dashed earlier in the week leaving me to hope we'd get a renewal of the Sir Alex Ferguson/Jose Mourinho love affair or Chelsea and Barcelona laying each other to waste again.

Alas.

Real Madrid v. Tottenham -- My match of the round, obviously. Let's start the rumors now that Real will buy Gareth Bale for $100 million dollars, plus two light speed rail cars and six Faberge Eggs during the summer. Should be loads of fun. Hopefully Spurs can score at the Bernabeau, otherwise the second leg at White Hart Lane could see Jose digging into his bag of "dark arts" and rendering what could be an offense-packed thriller, into a bunch of leg-breaking tackles and dirty moves. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos in the mix let's put the odds at about 2:1 someone is sent off with a straight red for an elbow, actual or simulated.

Chelsea v Manchester United -- Have the tears of John Terry dried yet? This should be the Battle of Britain. The fallout could open up the door for Arsenal to sneak in for the Premier League title, since the two legs of this quarterfinal should take a ton out of both teams. Can Chelsea win in the Champions League while still making an unlikely push for the Premier League, too? A big help for United is that David Luiz is cup-tied with Benfica and can't play for the Blues. Also make note, this is the stage of the competition and time of the year Wayne Rooney got hurt last season. It would, symmetrically, make sense for his full return to form to coincide with this round.

Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk -- Shakhtar has been slowly pushing for a chance like this. Remember the bulk of this team won the UEFA Cup not too long ago. Guys like Darijo Srna and Razvan Rat are quality. Throw in the clutch of young, unknown Brazilians like Jadson and Douglas Costa as well as the trip to Ukraine and this could be the biggest chance of heavy favorite Barcelona being upset in the tournament. Shakhtar might be able to score with Barcelona, but can they play enough defense to keep pace? If Barcelona's defense isn't healthy by early April a shock could be in the cards.

Internazionale v Schalke -- Everyone likes to take a big steaming dump on Italian soccer, with the residue falling on Germany. Suppose it's fun to pile on the foibles of Serie A clubs and then laugh at the hapless style of defense everyone in the Bundesliga seems to play. Who knows what to make of Schalke after firing the hated Felix Magath and replacing him with Ralf Rangnick, even after the Blues dispatched Valenica. This is a very very very strange club as currently instituted. The board of directors clearly put more stock in league position and getting back in Europe than the current Champions League campaign. See, Germans, always thinking ahead. As for Inter. They've got the pedigree here. Plus the best two players on the field: Sammy Eto'o and Wesley Sneijder. Just think, what if Barcelona didn't have that moment of insanity, trading Eto'o for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Inter should cruise, but this match seems like it will finish unpredictability.

The King of Craven Cottage

Maybe the oddest story this year in soccer was Fulham chairman Mohamed al Fayed deciding to erect a statue to Michael Jackson outside Craven Cottage.

The immediate reaction is laughter and befuddlement considering he has NOTHING to do with Fulham Football Club.

When you think about it, it could be a brilliant move for a midsized club that isn't building a new stadium or creating new revenue streams any time soon.

Even in death Jackson is still insanely -- if irrationally -- popular. People from around the globe still revere him as an icon. Tourists will now make it a stop to visit Craven Cottage to see this statue. If even a percentage stop in the club store and buy something that's a win. If an even smaller percentage become attached to the club and follow it, if only for the King of Pop tribute, so be it.

Yeah, it makes for easily mockable headlines, but when you're a smaller club in England you have to find creative ways to try to keep up with the big boys.

Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Maybe al Fayed is a huge "Dirty Diana" fan.

Round 30 Picks:

Time change still hasn't taken hold in England. Going to be a strange weekend since there weren't any matches last week and next week is an international break. Maybe the time away helps teams refresh and recharge for the final push.

Saturday:

* Tottenham v. West Ham United -- (Live, ESPN2, 8:45 a.m.) In ten games can Spurs offset a three-point deficit to Chelsea? Might come down to how hard they want it. Last year Tottenham seemed to be on a mission to finish fourth, culminating with David Bentley -- in his underwear -- dumping a bucket of water on Harry Redknapp. Is that boyish enthusiasm still around White Hart Lane, or is the long grind of a European campaign taking its toll? Spurs could certainly use Jermain Defoe to continue his recent, okay one-game, renaissance. Tottenham did dodge a bullet when William Gallas' hamstring injury was deemed minor. The Frenchman might be the club's MVP. West Ham better be up for a fight. If Avram Grant's team doesn't think it can get a result for White Hart Lane, it only gets tougher. The Irons have Manchester United, Chelse and Manchester City on the horizon. Fortunately they close the year with Blackburn, Wigan and Sunderland. If Demba Ba is out, could hamper the team's ability to score. ... Tottenham 2, West Ham 1

* West Brom v. Arsenal -- (Live, FSC+, 11 a.m.) What to make of Arsenal? The shock result of the season was West Brom's win at the Emirates, 3-2 back in September. Now that Roy Hodgson is in charge at the Hawthorns, will he sit back and take his beating from the Gunners? And are the Gunners even capable of that, after licking their wounds over the last month? Not much faith in Arsenal's backbone, even less with West Brom. No idea who plays defense for Arsenal next to the walking disaster known as Laurent Kosciellny. Paging Sebestian Squillacci. ... West Brom 0, Arsenal 1

* Stoke City v. Newcastle United -- Stoke are four games without a win in the Premier League. Newcastle aren't much better lately, despite playing hard since the Andy Carroll transfer. Winner here probably takes a major step away from the relegation fight, especially the Magpies. ... Stoke City 1, Newcastle United 1

* Wigan Athletic v. Birmingham City -- Since the shock upset over Arsenal in the Carling Cup final, Birmingham have lost twice, both times at home and drawn at Everton. Alex McLeish's team is only above the drop zone on goal difference with West Ham, but do have a game in hand. Last season Birmingham's nice run after promotion was based on defense. So far in 2011 the club has only kept two clean sheets across all competitions, certainly feeling the loss to Scott Dann for the season. The less said of Wigan, the better. Roberto Martinez' team hasn't scored since mid February. Hugo Rodellega might not even play, either. Could this signal the final death knell? ... Wigan 1, Birmingham City 2

* Blackburn Rovers v. Blackpool -- Big relegation "six-pointer" as both teams are just one point above the drop. Blackpool gets Charlie Adam back, raising this game from openly unwatchable, to barely tolerable. ... Blackburn 2, Blackpool 3

* Manchester United v. Bolton -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m.) Where would United be without the Little Pea, Chicharito? Ten league goals on 14 shots? That's patently absurd. Let's hope, as Americans, he leaves all of his scoring touch in England. United are cobbling together a squad, now without defenders Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Rafael, along with uber-utilitymen Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea. Throw in the touchline ban for Sir Alex Ferguson and the odds seem stacked against the Red Devils. (Doesn't this ban seem like it was handed down by the NCAA? It's a total slap on the wrist, denting Ferguson's pride more than anything else.) Then again, it's a home game at Old Trafford vs. Bolton. There are forces beyond the realm of Xs and Os in play here. United still have Rooney, who is finally starting to return to his old self on a week-in, week-out basis. United will need him since the muscular line of Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies should give Chris Smalling (not terrible) and Wes Brown (sorta terrible) all kinds of fits. ... Manchester United 2, Bolton 1

* Aston Villa v. Wolves -- Minor derby here, with Aston Villa suddenly the most dysfunctional team in the league. Maybe Randy Lerner should have hired Bob Bradley. Yeah, Villa would be pretty boring, but you probably wouldn't have Richard Dunne and James Collins drunkenly abusing Bradley either. Neither player is available this weekend due to yellow card accumulation. This looks like a good spot for Wolves, who would pull even on points with Villa with a win. It's sort of a grasshopper and the ant situation. Villa keeps saying its not in the relegation fight, while Wolves know they are and keep working. I'd be very worried if I'm a Villa fan. ... Aston Villa 1, Wolves 2

* Everton v. Fulham -- (Live, FSC, 1:30 p.m.) Good game to spotlight for American audiences, since these two clubs have cult Stateside followings. Throw in Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey and this is the All-American Bowl. Game doesn't mean too much in the grand scheme of the Premier League, however. Both teams have righted their ships enough to sail away from the drop. ... Everton 1, Fulham 1

Sunday:

* Sunderland v. Liverpool -- (Live, FSC+, 9:30 a.m.) Both teams have seen their European dreams come to a halt this month. Liverpool's injuries coupled with a lack of capable squad players to plug in their place make the rest of the season very unpredictable for the Reds. One thing that's a negative that might become a positive is Steven Gerrard sitting on the sidelines, injured for a couple weeks. No sense wasting his legs on a games, which at this point in the season, are a mere formality for Liverpool. The team isn't cracking the Top Four or getting into the Europa League, so why grind the captain into grist? As for Sunderland? Steve Bruce could get the team to finish in the No. 6-8 range, but considering about half of his first choice selections are on loan from elsewhere, who knows which way the Black Cats go next year? ... Sunderland 2, Liverpool 1

* Chelsea v. Manchester City -- (Live, FSC, noon) Did not watch a single second of Chelsea's midweek Champions League match with Copenhagen. You're damn right I'm proud of that fact. Didn't sound like City limping out to Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League was much better, aside from Mario Balotelli's fight with the warm-up bib.

Winner of this match takes a big step toward the automatic route to the Champions League and leave the door slightly -- slightly -- ajar for an unlikely title run. Loser gets to duke it out for fourth place with Tottenham. Considering the Arsenal-level lack of guts on City, we could see a repeat of 2010.

Even without Fernando Torres, Chelsea seem to have regained a touch of their swagger, or at least the Blues aren't doubting themselves at every turn any more. With Manchester United's injury crisis and Arsenal's inability to win when it counts, Chelsea could loom as an outside threat. The schedule isn't that hard, either.

First, Chelsea has to get through City, the one side that matches their physical power in the midfield. The Blues are home and seem to have more of an edge than City at the moment. That should be enough. ... Chelsea 1, City 0



Last round: 5-5
Season: 123-162

Labels: champions league, EPL picks, Soccer

Hey, how do you like that?

It's actual news revolving the U.S. (senior) National Team non-related to ticket sales, the Gold Cup draw or flubbed World Cup bids. Hurrah!

Okay, had to get the sarcasm out of my system early. Let me take a potshot or two and then we'll dig into the meat of the squad Bob Bradley called from on high for the March 26 friendly with Argentina in New Jersey and March 29 game against Paraguay in Nashville, deal?

In actuality the 24-players Bradley picked is pretty much what you'd have expected, especially after the proposed friendly with Egypt in February was canceled.

This what we've come to dub, the "A-Team," sans mohawks. Well, that might not exactly be true since budding hipster Sacha Kljestan is back in the fold and god only knows what kind of rat's nest he's been cultivating in Belgium the last few months.

Since there's not that much to discuss, here's my quick takes in bulleted list form.

* Only four MLSers on the roster: Landon Donovan (natch), Jay DeMerit, Juan Agudelo and Tim Ream, the last two both of the New York Red Bulls.

* Your possible U.S. senior cap debutantes are keeper David Yelldell and defenders Timothy Chandler and Zak Whitbread. About all I honestly know about Yelldell is that he plays for MSV Duisburg, which has a crest featuring a blue-and-white zebra.

Whitbread is the most interesting name of the trio. He's not a pup, at 27 years old, but appears to be playing the best ball of his career at Norwich City, which sits in second place in the English Championship. Surprised its taken this long for the Texas-born, England/Singapore (yes I consulted Wikipedia) raised Whitbread to get a look in a National Team camp. Perhaps it means Bradley is possibly -- heaven help us -- thinking about using Oguchi Onyewu in a wide left role, where he's currently deployed at FC Twente.

Let's just move on before someone jumps out a window.

* Jonathan Spector, despite his recent play (well, in January anyway) play in the West Ham midfield, the USSF lists him as a defender. As it stands Spector, Steve Cherundolo and the man, the myth, the Bornstein are the only established outside players, though the 2o-year-old Chandler is playing exclusively on the right for Nürnberg in the Bundesliga. Also worth pointing out Nürnberg are up to sixth in the Bundesliga, with only one loss in 2011.

* Worth spot-lighting, too, that Cherundolo's Hannover 96 is clinging to third place in the Bundesliga, fighting over Bayern Munich for the final Champions League spot. Cherundolo's always been one of the best servants to U.S. Soccer, so it's be at 32 for him to make it to the premier club competition in the world.

* Cherundolo's teammate -- DaMarcus Beasley -- wasn't called in. Looks like his international career is probably over. Other European-based omissions of note by Bradley include Eric Lichaj, Robbie Findley, Eddie Johnson and Ricardo Clark. Health factors could be in play. Teal Bunbury is hurt, if healthy you'd figure he'd have been a slam dunk to play with the first XI squad.

* Agudelo, Ream and Mikkel Diskeruud are the only holdovers from the January friendly with Chile.

* Granted it's not a huge part of the team, but surprising that Bradley called in Marcus Hahnemann. Nothing against the Seattle native -- he might have the best personality on the team -- but he's 38 and hasn't started for Wolves since January. Strange.

* Still not a lot of natural wide players of the 24 picks, not that they really exist in the U.S. set up, anyway. With the amount of central midfielders, it's a shame that these are just friendlies next week. The personnel Bradley has at his disposal seem best suited to protect a one-goal lead in the second leg of a Champions League knockout match.

* Oh right, if Grant Wahl is correct, then say goodbye to Landon Donovan for at least the Argentina game, since MLS scheduled the Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake for the same day. Don Garber -- Great Job!

GOALKEEPERS (3): Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton), David Yelldell (MSV Duisburg)

DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne), Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres), Timothy Chandler (FC Nürnberg), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jay DeMerit (Vancouver Whitecaps), Oguchi Onyewu (FC Twente), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United), Zak Whitbread (Norwich City)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Michael Bradley (Aston Villa), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Mikkel Diskeruud (Stabaek), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), Jermaine Jones (Blackburn Rovers), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht)

FORWARDS (3): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (Bursaspor), Edson Buddle (FC Ingolstadt)


One Tiny MLS Thought:

This wasn't exactly an apple falling on the head of Sir Isaac Newton, but the thought dawned on me last week that the competition structure that most resembles MLS, where 10 of the 18 teams in the league make the playoffs is NCAA basketball.

What now?

Think about it. When you boil it down, the regular season in the NCAA is basically meaningless, or at least an exercise in the inevitable. The good teams are going to do enough to book a ticket to the 68-team tournament field, while the mediocre also rans are left out. Yes, for a couple days a team like Virginia Tech becomes a cause célèbre for the supposed "injustice" of being left out of the tournament. Nine times out of 10, those fringe teams are one-and-done and forgotten any way.

In NCAA hoops teams play upwards of 30 games, but their season is ultimately judged by an unpredictable, difficult six-game knockout tournament over the course of three weeks. Yes, there are conference regular season and postseason championships to be had, but in the end only one team comes out the winner. In fairness, too, success in the NCAA landscape is measure differently. A team like Belmont or Richmond deems a season a success by winning a game in the tournament or reaching the Sweet 16. On top of that, even the tradionational powers like Kansas or North Carolina can find a silver lining in a Final Four run.

Stripped way, the NCAA former is pretty much the same as MLS: a 30-odd game regular season where teams are ultimately judged by how they fare over a four-round postseason tournament.

Nobody gnashes their teeth about the NCAA tournament being an unfair way to determine a champion. Instead its lauded as one of the best sporting events of the year. There's a romanticism to it, not to mention the mass-gambling afforded by the convenience of brackets. You never -- ever -- hear fans or experts moan that a one-off tournament is an unfair way to determine a National Champion.

Here's where MLS is crucially different.

The underlying emotion tied to the MLS Cup Playoffs is apathy and indifference. It happens in the midst of the NFL season and is a major media after thought. No one sheds tears for the 11the team that just misses out on the playoffs. Even with 15 years of history to build upon, the MLS Cup Final is but a blip on the sports radar.

Throw in the fact most soccer championships worldwide are determined by the regular season table and the playoffs end up being a format nobody -- Don Garber aside -- seems to like all that much. This is the lightning rod issue that MLS can't get away from, an issue the NCAA never needs worry about. You have a chorus of fans and (international) media members who scoff at the idea of a knockout tournament to crown a league champion, while you have the Powers That Be at MLS HQ who are entrenched than an American sports league MUST be decided by a playoff.

Still, a knockout tournament is still a knockout tournament.

Guess, like everything, it's a matter of perception.

Labels: Friendlies, MLS, Soccer, USMNT

Let's start this quickee Monday post edition with a thought -- has every, single possible joke, gripe or complaint about Daylight Savings Time been beaten deader than a Kentucky Derby also-ran? There is literally not one thing that can be said about it that doesn't come off like an unironic comedian complaining about airplane food.(*)

(*) And what's the deal with that?

This weekend, for me, was dominated by college basketball rather than the "magic" of the English FA Cup, the Roman derby or -- single tear -- Barcelona's 1-1 draw with Sevilla. Fear not, all the hoops yielded a pretty good thought/pararllel which I'll try to cobble together this week, time allowing.

Instead you're getting a couple quick hits.

Meat Grinder:

Both FA Cup quarterfinals I tried to slog through this weekend won't exactly be headed for the mythical World Soccer Hall of Fame, let alone Pele's VCR. Manchester United's 2-0 win at Old Trafford vs. shell-shocked Arsenal could be chalked up to massive fixture fatigue on both sides. Manchester City's 1-0 win over Reading was probably dull for the same reason, though City has been consistently boring throughout Roberto Mancini's tenure making me feel less bad about leaving at halftime to go grocery shopping, so that's all I'll comment on that match.

As for the marquee matchup of the weekend, Manchester United threw out a starting XI featuring seven defenders, while Arsenal tinkered a little bit from the lineup that lost to Yaweh's Holy Soccer Warriors, aka FC Barcelona earlier in the week.

If you've ever tried to play a manager mode/career in any of the recent versions of the "FIFA" video game, you've no doubt encountered the computer A.I.'s lack of even the most basic form of scheduling logic. If you're playing in enough competitions eventually you'll get something like five games in like 10 days and all your starters fatigue bars start the match in yellow, almost ruining all the work you've previously put in. It's why lineup like Sir Alex Ferguson started with twins Fabio and Rafeal on the wings and John O'Shea lining up as a central midfielder. Healthy bodies are better than nothing, right?

Manchester United didn't play great but won for two big reasons: 1) It was played at Old Trafford and 2) Arsenal has zero "guts" at the moment and was ready to capitulate almost as soon as the match started -- and this was two days BEFORE reports surfaced that Jens Lehman wanted to come out of retirement to help the Gunners' goalkeeping crisis. Arsene Wenger is the professor, trying to win in the high stakes game of major European soccer through his own efforts, using new wave metrics to find a better way. Suffice to say, the intangibles of "winning" and "heart" aren't high on his checklist.

If the EPL 2010-11 title race is coming down to these two clubs, both running on fumes -- in United's case physically, in Arsenal's mentally -- it going to be two and half months of mistake-filled soccer. The proverbial case of "who wants to win it less." Based on form you almost have to put Manchester City (six points off the lead) and even Chelsea (nine) into the discussion again.

But hey, both Edwin van der Sar and Manuel Almunia actually each made some nice saves on Saturday. So there was that.

This was more like what we've seen from Manchester United in the league, grinding out results, using their mental reserve and the nearly 80,000 home fans to find a way to win. Was it pretty? No, but it got the job done like a greasy sandwich at lunchtime served out of a truck by a dude with more hair on his shoulders than you have on your head.

While the mental block Arsenal has toward winning when the money is on the line is a huge factor to the club's continual shortcomings, fixture fatigue certainly is playing a role. Even a team of bio-genetically engineered "Super Soccer Players" would have trouble with the massive slate of games thrown at Arsene Wenger's men.

Since Jan. 1 the Gunners have played 20 matches across the EPL, FA Cup, Carling Cup and Champions League. That itself might sound too grueling, but the longest spell Arsenal has gone without a match in 2010 was seven days, on Feb. 5 (4-4 draw at Newcastle) and a Feb. 12 home game against Wolves. This is like NBA teams playing two months with back-to-back games every other day, or baseball teams going a month without a single off day. As Lou Brown said in "Major League," ... "Over 162 games even tough guys get sprains, sore arms, muscle pulls." Granted, Arsenal and the phrase tough guy rarely go in the same sentence this decade.

Factor in the injuries to players like Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and now Johan Djourou and it's probably not the worst thing in the world Arsenal's unrealistic hopes of a "quadruple" are now down to a singular pursuit of the Premier League crown.

Also, Laurent Koscielny is terrible. Hope Wenger finally realizes this. Well, wait, maybe actually maybe I hope he keeps the faith in the hapless Frenchman.

England for the English:

Even in the face of mass globalization in the world of soccer, it's nice to see two traditional -- orginal "League" member -- English clubs in Stoke City and Bolton reach the FA Cup semifinals. It's the first time Stoke's been to this stage since 1972, while Bolton was last here in 2000.

While soccer grows in the U.S., you're not exactly going to see someone walking down the street -- even in places like Williamsburg or Manhattan -- rocking a Rory Delap or Kevin Davies replica shirt.

It's probably a good day for your average English pundit, too, since both teams play a fairly standard 4-4-2 formations. Stoke probably have all the guys in their 60s and 70s quietly needing a little "alone time" for their direct, rugged, decidedly old school approach.

Hey, not everyone has to try to emulate Barcelona to be effective. Stoke won't be lauded for their play by the Internet soccer community, but Tony Pulis figured out an effective system with the personnel he has and is one win away from an FA Cup final.

As for Bolton? What can't Owen Coyle do? Okay, other than wearing something other than shorts that would make even John Stockton blush on the touchline?

Bolton are emblematic of the new-ish middle class of the Premier League. Teams that won't win the title, but are good enough to give the big clubs a fight and play a good style of soccer at the same time.

A win over Stoke in the semifinals would cap quite the year for Stuart Holden and his seamless transition to England. Don't hold me to this, but though my very very very quick research this morning, Holden would be on track to be the first American field player(*) to play in an FA Cup final. Not 100 percent sure. Tim Howard has played in two FA Cup finals in goal for both Manchester United and Everton.

(*) As my Twitter amigo, aimorris points out, John Harkes played in the 1991 FA Cup final with Sheffield Wednesday, as well as the 1993 League Cup final. Considering Harkes' work behind the mic for ESPN its egregious my memory didn't instantly remember this nugget of trivia.

Know Your Cuts of Meat: QPR Edition

Nine matches left in the Championship season and Queens Park Rangers are up ten points on second place Swansea City and third place Norwich City. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, QPR is playing in the Premier League next season.

QPR aren't exactly "household" names like Newcastle United was last year, but they do have some faces and names you'll recognize like manager Neil Warnock -- consider it a good thing to have another hot-blooded, red-faced manger from the Redknapp mold. Also on the books are Heidur Helguson, Rob Hulse, Paddy Kenny, Danny Shittu (moratorium on jokes, please.) and the one-and-only Pascal Chimbonda.

The most intriguing player, as you should know by now, is ex-Tottenham youngster Adel Taarabt who's scored 15 goals and created countless others. The Morrocan is barely 22 but seems to be cut from the Samir Nasri, Nani, tricky winger-ish mold. Tooling on the Championship on a weekly basis is one thing, but being a dominant force in the Prem? A tall order. Then again, it's not like the recently promoted clubs have boasted a potentiall world-class talisman with the skills Taarbabt is flashing.

Enjoy the video and judge for yourself.


This can't be good:

Promising U.S. midfielder Maurice Edu now shares a dressing room with El Hadj Diouf. Please help us if Edu shows up for USMNT coach Bob Bradley's Gold Cup training camp with a bizarre, barely there, bleached mohawk.

A Serious Note:

What can a pithy, snark-driven blog like this say about what's going on in Japan at the moment?

Awful, just awful ... and frighteningly bone-chilling at the same time.

Suffice to say, all references to Mr. Sparkle will be put on indefinite hiatus.

One soccer-related note to come from the Tsunami/Earthquake tragedy is that Japan officially pulled out of the 2011 Copa America on Monday. As a U.S. fan, I'm not getting my hopes up.

The dates of the Gold Cup (June 5-24) would allow entry to the Copa America (July 1-24), but considering the USSF decided to send a "C" level team back in 2007 it's not like CONMEBOL is going to be beating down Sunil Gulati's door any time soon.

At least we'll always have Eddie Johnson's penalty against Argentina.

Still, be sure to at least send a text message to the Red Cross or some other aid organization for Japan. It is literally the least thing you can do.

Labels: Arsenal, arsene wenger, bolton, FA Cup, manchester United, Soccer

"If he throws an elbow, you hit him in the mouth." -- Brian Dennehy as Bobby Knight in the 2002 ESPN Original Entertainment, "A Season on the Brink."



Champions League Round of 16: Barcelona 4, Arsenal 3

Mercifully after 180 minutes of glorious soccer between the two most glamorous, transcendent clubs in world football, we didn't need the dreaded away goals rule to determine a winner. Soccer, as a game, is about as simple as it gets. Put the ball in the net, don't use your hands. Some of the regulations, though, are more Byzantine than the Articles of Confederation.

It's probably easier to explain to my 89-year-old grandmother the Infield Fly Rule, than to explain to a non-soccer head how two-legged Champions League ties are decided via the uber-European concept of "away goals."

Arsenal fans worldwide, of course, wish away goals were the topic of the day.

Instead, Tuesday's proceeding at the Camp Nou were fairly straightforward. Arsenal held a narrow 2-1 edge going into the second leg. Ahead of the match Arsene Wenger said the Gunners -- with a healthy Robin van Persie -- would attack, trying to keep Barcelona on the back heel. It seemed like a sound plan, with both Barca center backs, Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique missing the match.

Didn't exactly happen that way as Arsenal were pinned in deep and tried to accomplish the near impossible -- keep Barcelona, angels in soccer cheats as it were, off the scoreboard. There are few ways to accomplish that Herculean feat, barring an angry, vengeful God opening up the heavens and collecting Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets back to their rightful place in the clouds.

One way, is to embrace the dark arts of soccer like Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan did last season. Bend the rules as far as you can without breaking them to fluster and frustrate Barcelona. It certainly helps when you have players like Lucio, Walter Samuel, Javier Zanetti and Maicon. Even with all those pros, Inter "lost" the leg at the Camp Nou 1-0. Arsenal had to rely on Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Abou Diaby as well as the clearly hobbled Cesc Fabregas.

In the dressing room before the match Wenger should've considered playing "Guns of Brixton" by the Clash, with it's line, "You can crush us, you can bruise, you but you have to answer to ..." Arsenal had to be willing to use every once of graft and mettle it had -- embracing a Bobby Knight/Mourinho street fight mentality.

Tuesday wasn't about stringing together 16 pass movements or playing beautiful soccer. It was about getting dirty and doing things by any means necessary. Get mad, get angry, defend in numbers, throw bodies in front of balls. ... And keep your head in the process.

Instead, it was a more predictable anthem from "London Calling" that carried the day at the Camp Nou -- "Spanish Bombs." (Of course the actual song at halftime was Black Eyed Peas filth. Vomit.)

You pretty much knew it wasn't going to be Arsenal's day when Wojciech Szczesny had to come off barely 20 minutes into the match with a finger injury. Manuel Almunia -- looking more strung out than ever -- did play well, but when Arsenal's 20-year-old keepers now have bones made out of glass, it's not a good omen.

Barcelona doesn't usually need any help, but it got boosts from Fabregas' ill-timed, baffling missed backheel at the edge of his own penalty area, which set up Messi's first goal in first half stoppage time. The lack of focus by Fabregas is inexcusable for a player of his caliber, saying nothing of his long-term flirtation with Barcelona. Credit Messi for the sublime two touches to set up the goal. He makes it look too easy. The more you watch it, the more you realize how surreal that first little bunny-hop flick to himself was. He is, after all, "a Playstation" lest we forget.

Then, Swiss official Massimo Busacca (naturally) made an impact, sending off Robin van Persie for kicking a ball away -- aka dissent -- for the Dutchman's second yellow of the match early in the second half. The day we meet a ref with a sense of perspective, it's the first. Dreadful call, but van Persie should have been cautious playing with that first yellow.

Stuff like this leaves a bad taste in your mouth, regardless of who you're rooting for. Making you feel all the more despondant is that FIFA despot Sepp Blatter probably got up from his poolside lounge chair in Dubai to applaud his countryman for making the right call. As Ryan Babel would say, "SMH."

Arsenal did get a sliver of hope when Samir Nasri won a corner, which was subsequently headed into his own goal by Sergio Busquets. This shock almost gave me a crisis of faith, worthy of the silver screen. Busquets is the best player in the world ... assuming you're an elite-minded soccer snob. A guy of his overall class and pedigree should never even make an errant pass, let alone score an own goal. If Barcelona lost because of that, I might have walked out of my house and headed west, stopping after a few hundred miles of soul-searching.

Didn't matter much.

Xavi (sans halo) scored a pretty sweet goal on a delightful pass from Iniesta and Messi later calmly converted a penalty.

Arsenal had one more chance, but Javier Mascherano made an out-of-nowhere tackle to trip up Nic Bendtner late in the second half -- amazingly avoiding a penalty in the process. Would it have been different if it was van Persie in that spot instead of the big Dane? Cold comfort for Gunners fans.

In the end, Barcelona was Barcelona. Eventually they'll move the heavens and score some goals. Arsenal needed a perfectly executed gameplan and probably a little bit of luck to find a way into the Champions League quarterfinals. The Gunners got neither.

To quote another line from the laughably bad "A Season on the Brink" movie, "Playing my game is what got you here."

Arsenal's slick passing game wins a lot of the time. It was good enough to put them in position to advance in the Champions League and most of the time is fun watch. Problem is, Barcelona plays the same way -- only better.

And to rub salt in the wounds, Barcelona play that way and win trophies.

Labels: Arsenal, barcelona, champions league, Soccer

King Kenny is Good Enough, Good Enough for me:

Let's just get this out of the way right away. Dirk Kuyt and Sloth from "The Goonies" is my favorite soccer lookalike of all time. Probably my favorite sports lookalike, ever.

There is a simple beauty in the comparison if only for the pale-skinned homeliness of it all.

Sadly, after the goofy, grinning Dutchman's first career Premier League hat trick in Sunday's 3-1 win over first place Manchester United at Anfield, it just might be time to retire all references to, "Hey you guys," "Baby Ruth," "Sloth loving Chuck," etc. There is, friends, probably too much of a good thing, saying nothing of how "real" writers are look down their noses at lazy, dated 1980s film references to convey a point or cheap nostalgia-tinged laugh.

Alas, though I suppose if we need to come up with a nickname for Luis Suarez, "Pinchers of Power" is certainly available. Go ask Otman Bakkal.

Liverpool's new Uruguayan import is probably the story of the game, as his silky, slinky dribbling through a gauntlet of United defenders set up the first goal, a mere tap-in for Kuyt(*). Maybe a better nickname for Suarez would be "The Lurker" since he sits in that space behind the forward line, darting around with incisive runs and using his quick first step to blast past defenders. Together Kuyt and Suarez form the "Super Lurkers" -- creeping optional.

(*) Curious what Kuyt's "Madden Awareness" rating would be, 100? For those that don't get the reference, it was a seemingly metaphysical statistical category assigned a 1-100 numerical value to measure "awareness" in the eponymous video game. Knock him for scoring on three tap-ins, but it's a skill, especially out-racing the sluggish United defense to convert after Edwin van der Sar spilled Suarez's freekick, icing the game in the process at 3-0.

Outside of securing a Europa League bid, there's not a lot at stake for Liverpool now. Before Kenny Dalglish arrived at Anfield to rescue the Goodship Liverpool, the Reds dug themselves too much of a hole under the face-rubbing mediocrity churned out by Roy Hodgson. A top four position is out of the realm of possibility for 2011 barring an epic collapse by Chelsea or Spurs. Next year, however, it's going to be an absolute dogfight for those lucrative Champions League positions with Liverpool poised to claw tooth-and-nail alongside United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and (probably) Tottenham.

Once Liverpool finds a way to fully integrate Andy Carroll into the mix, this is going to be a dangerous attacking squad. Carroll, Suarez, Raul Meireles, Steven Gerrard and Kuyt as the multi-purpose Dutch garbage man. It's not a rigid team either that needs to be pinned to a certain formation. Imagine a lineup with Carroll as the tip of the spear, winning balls with Suarez, Meireles and Gerrard lurking behind, making runs into space when they open up. If Liverpool finds a suitable partner for Lucas in the middle and Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly can provide width, whoa, that's a tough team to contain.

Most impressive from Liverpool on Sunday was that it scored three goals and whooped Manchester United and didn't need a superhuman, inspirational performance from Gerrard, who was nothing more than a glorified role player for a change.

As for United? Three losses in the last five league games. The lead on Arsenal is down to three points, with the Gunners owning a game-in-hand. Don't write off Chicharito's stoppage time goal, since goal difference could decide the title. (United are three goals better than Arsenal at the moment.)

That was an abject performance from United, especially a limper than undercooked pasta offensive display in the first half. Throw in Jamie Carragher's tackle on Nani, which left the little Portugeezer in tears ... and a nasty, deep gash and it was an out-and-out disaster for the Red Devils. About the only fight United showed was Rafael getting in Martin Skrtel's face after he was tackled hard by Maxi Rodriguez.

United's makeshift backline of Chris Smalling and Wes Brown wasn't good, but it didn't cost United the game. More so, the continued ineffective play of Michael Carrick and running-on-empty Paul Scholes failed to let United control any sort of tempo for the second straight away game. Then again, Liverpool was buzzing from the get-go, so maybe nothing Sir Alex Ferguson could have done would have made a difference.

Well, Mr. Ferguson, what say you?

Oh right. Media blackout.

On the bright side, not having to deal with the press will give Dimitar Berbatov a few more minutes to read, "The Invisible Man" for the 100th time.

Spurs are still Spurs:

With apologies to old-time New York tabloid gossip maven, Liz Smith, only in Tottenham boys and girls.

Is there another club anywhere which runs the weekly high-wire act like Spurs? Once again Tottenham played a quintessentially Tottenham match, falling behind 1-0, going ahead 2-1 and eventually drawing at Wolves 3-3.

This match had a little bit of everything, notably a couple dubious referee decisions and a brace from Jermain Defoe -- his first goals from open play in the Premier League in over a year. Both were out-of-nowhere crackers, too. Lesson here, if you're going to break out, you got to go big.

Let's get the bad from this match out of the way, referee Mark Halsey was utterly lost. First, for failing to send off Alan Hutton for a clear dragging down of a Wolves player alone in the box, then for bailing out a laughable Gomes flap for a very suspect foul to wave off the would-be equalizer from Richard Stearman.

They ought to consider changing that old cliche to, "Those who can't, referee English soccer."

The general level of base incompetence on a game-by-game basis is hard to stomach. It's not all the referees fault with the players and managers like Sir Alex wielding so much power, but the variance from one ref to the next over what's a red card or a bookable offense and what isn't hurts the game. It's a blessing when the outcome of a major match in England between two marquee games isn't determined by the whistles.

If (and probably when) Tottenham miss out on a return trip to the Champions League, it could because of this match. Spurs have made a habit of claiming points from losing positions, but coughing up a late header to Stephen Fletcher just before stoppage time is a pretty lousy way to piss two points down the drain, especially on a day you get three goals combined from Defoe -- who also hit the post late -- and Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Fully expect Spurs to roll through AC Milan by some crazy 5-2 scoreline at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.

There is no other way.

Credit, of course, to Mick McCarthy and Wolves. Sitting 19th in the table, this team isn't bad.

The (London) Times Oliver Kay said it best the other day after the Manchester United/Chelsea game in a tweet, that this season the Premier League will crown (points wise) its weakest team ever, but probably relegation its strongest team ever.

Inconvenient truths:

Missed Arsenal's 0-0 draw at the Emirates vs. Sunderland on Saturday. Saw the highlights and read a few match reports. Not to repeat myself, but Arsenal simply seem pathologically incapable of winning. So be it.

One, somewhat different, thought about the plight of the Gunners is this. Almost as rote, in light of the Carling Cup loss or any hiccup by Arsenal is a kneejerk reaction to blame Arsene Wenger for not buying a clear No. 1 keeper or a quality central defender. (Myself included.)

The more you think about it, though, how often are names cited as to whom the Gunners should go out and get? Who is that elusive defender that would turn Arsenal around? Gary Cahill? Wouldn't that be a move simply to allay the idiots in the English media?

This isn't 1989 Serie A. Not too many teams in England, or elsewhere, are winning games consistently by 1-0 scorelines. Teams in the modern game allow goals. It happens.

Wenger's insistence of playing Wojciech Szczesny is strange, but not why you might think. The young Pole looks like he might be a top class keeper one day. When you're Arsenal -- a club that is one of the Top 10 in the world -- you shouldn't need to be in the position to be auditioning keepers on the fly. It's the one spot on the field where it pays to have a tested, proven player. Let a young keeper work out the kinks at a smaller, feeder club regardless of his upside. You can't afford hiccups in goal, since those cost you titles and trophies.

Saying all this, Wenger and Arsenal's biggest flaw is he's built his club around players who can't stay on the field. Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas are all world class talents, but they're all about as durable as a movie-prop glass. Throw in oft-injured players like Tomas Rosicky, Thomas Vermaelan, Abou Diaby, etc. and all those missing bodies are just as costly as the defensive lapses at the Emirates.

If you're going to be a team that plays in upwards of four concurrent competitions, you have to employ players who can stand up to that punishment.

Technologic.

Saturday was a rarity, as I had to give the proverbial Mike Francesa handwave to the Prem.

Tried to follow the action the best I could on my phone with the Fox Soccer Channel application, as well as the various scoretrackers. The FSC app is usually money, but it faded in-and-out and lost the live feed for all the games aside from Newcastle United/Everton -- did see Leighton Baines dastardly free kick which Phil Jagielka turned into the gamewinner, at least.

Yeah, first world problems, I get it.

Still, from following the scores it was interesting to watch as Aston Villa gagged away a late 2-1 advantage at Bolton, losing 3-2, while Fulham and Blackburn traded punches into another 3-2 win by the home side.

Around the League:

Birmingham lossing 3-1 at home to West Brom is a debacle. Still El Brum has two games in hand, it must win one of them. ... Everton are now exactly where it probably should be, 10th place, zero goal difference. ... Manchester City winning 1-0 at home to Wigan, can honestly say not too sad I missed this. ... Aston Villa all of a sudden have a pretty deep squad at most positions, but Gerard Houiller has no idea how to best utilize it.

Fantasy Team O' the Week:

Bad week for all the big fantasy guns. Fittingly Hank Cole's "Who Are Ya?" take the top honors for the week with a mere 46 points. Captaining Mikel Arteta for 14 points along with Suarez's 10 were the difference.

One Other Thing:

One recommendation this week, the new [adult swim] live-action comedy, "Eagleheart." Call me a Chris Eliot mark going back to his "Get A Life" days, but it's a nice little, silly, comedy. It's both out-and-out ridiculous and understated at the same time.

Plus, it's got Paul Kinsey from "Mad Men" in it. So thaaaaat's where he ended up.

Labels: Arsenal, dirk kuyt, Liverpool, manchester United, Soccer, tottenham hotspur