By Jason Kuenle

When Jozy Altidore first began to work his way into the USMNT, I along with most other observers thought he had the size, skills, and potential to play the role reserved for Brians McBride and Ching in the US player pool: target striker. His early scoring for the national team accentuated that persception. Header goals against Mexico and El Salvador combined with his finishes against Trinidad and Tobago to show a well-rounded striker, physical striker. The directness and physicality of his goal against Spain, was the height of this perception. A disappointing goal total during his stint at Hull was somewhat offset by the development of his hold-up play and his demonstrated ability to draw fouls and penalties. All of the pieces continue to be there, but in the past few weeks, I’ve seen and read a number of things that make me wonder if the lack of strikers in the US player pool has blinded us to who Jozy Altidore really is.

The primary impetus for reevaluting Altidore was this article. Particularly this quote: “Jozy, however, is still not an instinctual No. 9. He looked far more comfortable against Argentina and Paraguay drifting out to the flank than he did getting into the mix in the final third.” And then I started to put the pieces together. Altidore has seen time with five different senior teams: New York, USMNT, Hull City, Villareal, and Bursaspor. Running in chronological order and taking off the “Altidore = target striker” glasses, a sustained pattern appears.

When Jozy first began receiving playing time with New York, Bruce Arena used him basically as an inverted winger, letting him cut in from the left and take long distance shots on goal. When he did solidify his place in the top line for New York, he was partnered with a traditional number 9 in Juan Pablo Angel and allowed to play off Angel’s center forward position. From there, he moved to Villareal, where he received a couple of starts opposite Giuseppe Rossi and a few sub appearances before being loaned to Xerez, but more on Villareal in a bit.

At that time, Jozy began to make his push into the national team picture; first, in two “B” team starts in the semifinal round of qualifying after the US was assured of moving through. Then, as a sub against El Salvador and starter against T&T in the Hex, Altidore was very effective in combination with Brian Ching. As the summer of 2009 went on, he partnered with Charlie Davies. Again, he played in a role where he was free to drift out wide, with Donovan, Dempsey, and Bradley tending to fill that space by making runs from their midfield positions.

After a solid run in qualifying and the Confederations Cup, Jozy was loaned to Hull City where he featured opposite either Vennegoor or Fagan again playing in an off-center forward position. While he was working on his hold up play, this was because of the size of the space between Hull's strikers and their midfield even though he was generally receiving balls wider than a traditional target forward.

After the injuries to Davies, Altidore was partnered with Casey, Cunningham, and Findley, all of whom naturally act as more of a center forward than Jozy does. All of these players were basically pawns used to move defenders and create structure for Altidore, Donovan, Dempsey, and Bradley to take their most natural roles. With Jozy pulling one center back out wide, the other center back being disposed by the other forward, Donovan and Dempsey making diagonal runs from the wings, and Bradley entering the box just in time for a cut back pass or rebound from a shot.

This brings us to the current season. Altidore again started the year at Villareal seeing time in the Copa del Rey, Europa League, and La Liga. Villareal gave Jozy a slightly different look from the systems that he has been in, that can be described in the below quote from a recent Zonal Marking post: “The problem with facing Giuseppe Rossi and and Nilmar is that they make unusual runs, from inside to outside – if they’re tracked too far, it leaves the centre of the pitch completely open.” Now, if that is starting to familiar, it should. Even in arguably the first system that Altidore has played in where he has not been paired with a traditional center forward, Villareal’s system is still based on the types of runs that Jozy has been making throughout his career. Finally, over the winter transfer window, Jozy was loaned to Bursaspor, where he has been asked to truly play away from center as a right winger making the same runs from the opposite side as when he began his career in New York.

A retrospective focused on what position he has been asked to fill by his coaches, versus the position that USMNT fans want him to fill because of the current void in center forward, leads to different conclusions about his play. To make a parallel to MLS, and RSL specifically, Jozy has been repeatedly asked to field the role of Espindola, but is being judged on his performance filling the role of Saborio.



His hat-trick against T&T is a perfect example of what Altidore’s natural role is. On the first goal, Ching knocks a long-ball down for Donovan, who plays across to the back post run of Altidore. On the second, Ching makes a near post run to open space for Jozy who is coming in behind him. On his final goal, Altidore, despite being the only forward on at the time, is the fourth US player to enter the box and puts away the shot. In rewatching these highlights, I was reminded of the runs of Clint Dempsey. In dissecting their styles of play, the parallels only grew stronger.

Seeing the physicality of Dempsey as evidenced by leading Fulham in fouls suffered by 30 and the hacking that he took in the recent Paraguay match, reminded me of the foul drawing capacity that Altidore showed in his time at Hull. Both prefer to take people on through dribbling and neither are the playmaker off the pass that Donovan is. Though Altidore's heading ability is often questioned, he has put away his fair share of aerial chances on very similar runs to Dempsey. Their career goal and assist rates are not dissimilar, especially considering that Dempsey was in his first year of MLS at Jozy’s current age.



There is some divergence between the two, based largely on their routes to becoming the players that they are. Dempsey’s fitness and defending are better having been primarily a midfielder in his early career. Altidore’s hold-up play is better at his age for the opposite reason.

If Altidore and Dempsey are from similar molds, then it makes some sense why Bradley would be hesitant to start them up top together, opting instead for a center forward place holder. The question remains going forward; what is the best use of offensive talent up top for the US? With Jozy never being asked to take a center forward role at the club level, his development into that role with the national team will be unnatural and therefore slow, as evidenced by the games with Jozy as the lone striker. In a 4-2-3-1, playing Jozy on a wing with Donovan and Dempsey being the other two in that line makes some sense, but that continues to leave the question about the center forward position and further compresses a crowded and talented midfield. Charlie Davies return to fitness could be an answer to that first issue, as could the emergence of Teal Bunbury.

Jozy Altidore is probably not the short or long-term solution to the center forward problems of the US. This does not mean that he will not develop into a great player, nor does it mean that he should not have a place in the USMNT. It does mean that comparing him to center forward may be misguided. For better or for worse, a player’s development will be dictated much more by his club managers than his national team. With Jozy’s club managers not playing Jozy in a center forward position, it’s probably better to embrace the road that Altidore appears headed down. If Jozy does become the heir to Clint Dempsey, he will probably turn out a pretty nice career for himself.


Monterrey Ends RSL's Quest

Thursday, April 28, 2011 | View Comments
- Ethan Gomberg

Real Salt Lake may have been the first MLS team to advance to the Champions League final but could not advance any further tonight at their home of Rio Tinto stadium.

RSL and Monterrey both came into this final leg with some disadvantages. Both RSL coach Jason Kreis and Monterrey coach Victor Vucetich had to make some changes to their best starting 11. Monterrey, mising key players such as star forward Aldo de Nigris and midfielders Luis Perez and Jesus Zavala, also had to play a match in Mexico this past weekend, while RSL was without their captain and stalwart holding midfielder, Kyle Beckerman. Vucetich decided to put in midfielder Osvaldo Martínez and defender Héctor Morales in to replace his missing players. Kreis picked veteran midfielder Ned Grabavoy in place of Beckerman. After the game, Kreis said “I do think Kyle’s presence could have been a difference. Kyle is an extremely important player, not only with how many defensive plays he makes for us, but how active he is in our possession.”


- Jason Davis

Let’s just re-establish just who needs convincing when Real Salt Lake hits the field against Monterrey in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final (FSC & Telefutura, 10 PM ET) tonight at Rio Tinto Stadium:


1. American soccer fans who look down on MLS
2. European soccer fans who look down on MLS
3. American sports fans who look down on soccer, and by extension, MLS
4. Everyone else


Matt Acconciamessa | US Soccer Daily


The Good


Javier Morales:

A 2-1 loss in Monterrey would have been a decent result for Jason Kreis and company after spending much of the match on the defensive, but Real Salt Lake left Estadio Tecnologico with an even better 2-2 draw thanks to a late moment of brilliance from Javi Morales. The Argentine’s poised finish, set up by some good hustle by Arturo Alvarez, has RSL in the driver’s seat headed into tomorrow night’s second leg and could very well prove to be the difference when all is said and done in whether or not MLS is represented at the FIFA Club World Cup this December.



| edit post
- Jason Davis

Among the various things the new New York Cosmos have going for them, their ability to bring in world famous soccer names to boost their image is tops on the list. The Cosmos might not yet have a team to field, but they do have a slew of legends out spreading the word that the Cosmos are, for lack of a better term, "back." There's Giorgio Chinaglia and Carlos Alberto plus names not previously connected to the team like USMNT and MSL great Cobi Jones. Then there are the show stoppers, a tag team of Olympian heroes, more forces of nature than mere mortals, two ex-players fronting the Cosmos with all the panache, eccentricity, and intoxicating temerity that, despite being exactly what we expect, never fails to awe us with its aching lack of irony: Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the man we know as Pelé, and Eric Cantona, a man who earned the nickname "King Eric" during his own storied career.


Where is America's La Masia?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 | View Comments
- Keith Hickey

So an American kid has joined FC Barcelona's famed youth academy, La Masia. Honestly, that he has done so isn't a story for me. Granted, along with France's Clairefontaine, and the youth system at Ajax (which for me, is the best production line of any club ever), Barcelona is probably the best producer and developer of talent in the world, but there are plenty of talented kids who join youth programs every year, and only a tiny fraction of them become top-level pros. While we would be thrilled if Ben Lederman becomes an American Messi (or even just an American Gai Assulin or Giovanni Dos Santos), it's not really a story until he becomes so.

No, what interests and bothers me is why young Lederman had to go to Spain to find a world-class youth program.


An American at Barcelona

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 | View Comments
- Jason Davis

There's an American at Barcelona. Included in the ranks of the club's famed academy based on the grounds of La Masia, is a player born and raised in the United States of America. Let us celebrate, because this is a landmark happening for American soccer.


Real Salt Lake Infographic

Monday, April 25, 2011 | View Comments
REAL Salt Lake Club World Champions? Infographic
Brought to you by USDish.com

- Jason Davis

Just saw this through a link on Twitter, had to share. Click for full size.


, , | edit post
- Keith Hickey

This past weekend should have been about soccer. It should have been about star players like Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry finding their feet and finding the net. It should have been about Chivas USA grabbing their first win of the season. It should have been about wondering what has happened to San Jose. It should have been about a fabulous goal by this year's Next Big Thing.

But it wasn't.

Thanks to Brian Mullan, the big story this week was not soccer games, but the near-removal of Steve Zakuani's leg below the knee.


Donovan Back on Track

Monday, April 25, 2011 | View Comments
- Jason Davis

It was worrying, both for the LA Galaxy and the USMNT, that Landon Donovan was sidelined at all. The Galaxy said it was a knee ailment that was keeping him out of three league matches, the result of a knock he picked up on the club’s trip to Philadelphia. Considering Donovan’s hectic and near non-stop schedule over the past few years, it was understandable that there was speculation something else was bothering him. It would actually make some sense if he was finally breaking down after playing so much soccer. Between matches, training, and travel, Donovan might have been the hardest working player in the world in 2010.


- Jason Davis

America's two promising striker prospects are taking their friendly rivalry to Twitter. In the lead up to Saturday's match between Sporting Kansas City and the Red Bulls, Teal Bunbury and Juan Agudelo have a bet: the player that gets the most followers by game time will be forced to wear the jersey of the other and document it for all of Twitterdom to see.


Tonight starting at 6 PM ET, Jared Montz's Online Soccer Academy will kick off their Juggle-a-thon in support of Nothing But Nets for World Malaria Day. Malaria remains a serious problem in the developing world. On average, a child dies every 45 seconds due to the disease.


Twenty-eight professional players, including Jay DeMerit and Carly Lloyd, are participating. For every $10 raised, a life-saving mosquito net is provided to someone in Africa.


- Jason Davis

With Jared off in Vegas doing what people do in Vegas, I called up a friend of the show and knowledgeable soccer guy Miriti Murungi of Nutmeg Radio to sit in as guest host.


It was a great idea in concept. If Skype had cooperated, I suspect it would have been a near-perfect show. But since Skype didn't cooperate, we had to fight through a bit of a technical mess to bring you this week's episode.



- John Carlton

This week's Gordon Jago Super Group featured some exciting matches, a lot of goals, and the seperation of the wheat from the chaff. On Wednesday, two Super Group matches took place simultaneously on Field 6, where FC Barcelona took on Costa Rican side Club Sport Cartagines, while German outfit Eintract Frankfurt took on the Brazilians from Coritiba FC on Field 7. Because I missed Barcelona's first match I decided to live tweet their match against Cartagines.


-Ben McCormick

The United States U-20 national team is starting its latest World Cup cycle a little early this year. Attention is shifting from Colombia across the Atlantic to Turkey, the site of the 2013 U-20 World Cup. After the shocking results in Guatemala, fans are asking a lot of questions about the next U-20 cycle. Will the 2013 squad succeed where the 2011 team failed? Can they make a run into the knockout rounds in Turkey?


-Jason Davis

In a move certain to reverberate across the American soccer Interwebs as tens of people to spew forth angry missives on the intransigence of the league, MLS President Mark Abbott once again reiterated that the top level of the sport in the United States and Canada will not adopt any of the following at any point that anyone with the leadership of MLS can foresee:


1. Promotion/Relegation

2. Single Table format

3. Change of seasons to "traditional" (read: European) calendar


Live blog time, in conjunction with our friends from north of the border at Canadian Soccer News.



The Champions League Imperative

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 | View Comments
- Jason Davis

Tonight. Fox Soccer Channel. 10 PM ET. Real Salt Lake hoists the hopes and dreams of American soccer—including Major League Soccer, its players, coaches, fans, assorted auxiliary staff and myriad hangers-on, not to mention every kid playing in every town on every field across this great land—onto their collective shoulders as they face off against Mexican stalwart Monterrey at the Estadio Tecnologico in a game that is not just a game, but is also a referendum on the growth, improvement, and worth of the American game, how it is played, run, taught and supported, and whether steps taken by the league in recent years to push quality to a higher level has worked or was just an exercise in slapping a more gregarious shade of lipstick on a healthy, but uncoordinated, beast of the swinish genus.


, , | edit post
Matt Acconciamessa | US Soccer Daily

A little late, but here's another installment:


The Good

All things Portland: 

The atmosphere, the tifo, the anthem, the wins; everything has been coming up Milhouse for Portland over the last week. Thanks to their first two wins at Jeld-Wen Field, the Timbers suddenly find themselves in fourth in the Western Conference. Sure, John Spencer’s men have a thing or two to learn about closing out games, but for now we’ll just focus on the positives. There’s certainly a lot to be happy about for fans in the Rose City.


| edit post
- Jason Davis

Keith just posted his weekly power rankings, and you might have noticed the absence of a top ranked team. It doesn't take an Oxford don to reason out that there's no number one listed because the league's top team is just that obvious; as Jared DuBois said on the American soccer show by way of Luis Bueno, the rankings might as well be 1. Real 2. Salt and 3. Lake. That's how big the perceived gap between the Royals and the rest of the MLS appears to be.


MLS Power Rankings

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 | View Comments
- Keith Hickey

A miserably wet and gray weekend, and Seattle wasn't even at home. Good showing from Portland and New York, a not so great time to be from Dallas or Toronto. But then, is there really ever a good time to be from Toronto?


- Keith Hickey

So I didn't get to see as much MLS action as I would have liked this week. I was out of the house for nine hours on Saturday to cover a Union game and enjoy an adventure that included 3 buses, a train, a bummed car ride, and a considerable amount of precipitation. The next day, I had to talk myself down from the roof after Arsenal shit the bed, then my family wanted to take me out for dinner because Saturday was my birthday, so there was not a lot of time to see everything I wanted to.


| edit post

2011 Dallas Cup - Two Days In

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 | View Comments

- John Carlton

For the uninitiated, Dallas Cup is the premier showcase for the best youth soccer talent on the planet. The Dallas Cup tournament is now in its 32nd year. A brief checklist of players who have participated in Dallas Cup: Raul, Robinho, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Landon Donovan, Giuseppe Rossi, Rafael Garcia, Giovanni Dos Santos, Rafa Marquez, Michael Carrick, Chicharito, Claudio Reyna, Jonathan Woodgate, Peter Crouch, and the list goes on. And, of course, Dallas itself is a hotbed of youth soccer. Dallas Texans, Andromeda SC., and FC Dallas Juniors are now well known. Meanwhile, new youth clubs are continually popping up in the area to meet the demand for top level youth soccer.



- Keith Hickey

Slumps are strange animals. When you're in one, you throw everything you have at it, and it seems like nothing works. It gets to you. It eats at you. It consumes you. It keeps you up at night. Then all of a sudden, something clicks, and it goes away.

For the Red Bulls, that something was a journeyman Limey striker who spent most of his career bouncing around the lower leagues of English soccer. Luke Rodgers orchestrated New York's first win since the season opener with two goals and an assist to help star teammate Thierry Henry get his first of the season.


- Jason Kuenle

Like blossoming red and yellow tulips, one of the surest signs of spring is the annual MLS referee discussion. Here was the 2009 version, here was the 2010 version. And again we find ourselves in the same place once again as we enter an MLS season. As part of the discussion from last year’s discussion, I did research on the discipline records in other leagues. However, things came up and I never got to do the analysis. With the same issues arising again, I thought it time to blow the dust of those spreadsheets, update them with some new data, and give the analysis a go.


The Case for Thomas Rongen

Monday, April 18, 2011 | View Comments
- Ben McCormick

Following the debacle two weeks ago in Guatemala, Sunil Gulati has not committed to the future of U-20 Head Coach Thomas Rongen. While the knee jerk reaction is to fire the Dutchman for failure to qualify for the U-20 World Cup, I’m here to tell you the right decision is to keep him right where he is.



- Jason Davis

Jared and I reconvened yesterday to survey the American soccer landscape. What we saw both frightened and enthralled us. We therefore decided to record ourselves talking about it for just under an hour, with bits on everything from the Timbers home debut to Henry's defiant celebration interspersed with snazzy music. Lucky you.


MLS Week 5 Preview

Friday, April 15, 2011 | View Comments
- Keith Hickey

Diving right in today, there's a nice big slate of matches coming up this weekend. The table is starting to take form and separate the wheat from the chaff. Or the goats from the sheep. Anyway, here's this weekend's preview.




Borrowed from NASLjerseys.com
-Jason Davis

American soccer history exists, it's just sometimes in the eye of the beholder. Or, more accurately, it requires a bit of looking. Thanks to the hands-off-history approach of MLS for the first decade-plus of its existence when it came to soccer history, connections to anything pre-1996 were under-informed or absent all together.


-Jason Davis

The artificial surface stretched across the floor of Qwest Field in Seattle, the one that offends soccer fans on a consistent basis with its bounce-amplifying, pass-wrecking, speed-increasing properties, is A-OK in the book of the stadium's other tenants. Eighty-eight percent Seahawks players rated the Qwest Field surface as "Excellent/Good" according to an NFL Players Association survey.


MLS Power Rankings

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 | View Comments
- Keith Hickey

So another week has passed, another round of MLS matches have been played, and another arbitrary list based on my subjective opinions ranks the various clubs of Major League Soccer because it drives hits and is easier than thinking of something new after I get home from work. Power Rankings are in, people.


Matt Acconciamessa | US Soccer Daily

Another week of MLS in the books, another review of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Enjoy:


The Good

PPL Park atmosphere: The record crowd of 19,027 at PPL Park on Saturday delivered an electric atmosphere appropriate for the rivalry match between Philly and New York. The game might not have been the most aesthetically pleasing, but the Union fans (and the couple hundred NY fans that made the trip) kept up the energy all night.

Staying with that same game, we’ll go to…


The Nowak-Backe Press Conference Banter:

Piotr Nowak didn’t miss a beat after Hans Backe said that there was “only one team on the pitch”, referring to NY’s sizeable possession advantage and control of the match. The Union boss replied: “You can complete a thousand passes, but if you don’t score it doesn’t matter.” He then added, “What’s the difference between winning 1-0 and 5-0? You getting 6 points for that?” It’s always fun when MLS coaches dig into each other; it’s even better when it’s between coaches on opposite sides of a rivalry.



| edit post

To San Jose Fans

Monday, April 11, 2011 | View Comments
To the San Jose fans who took umbrage with what I said in today's Monday Breakdown. I'd like to clarify the meaning of my comments.


MFR Monday Breakdown:

Monday, April 11, 2011 | View Comments
-Keith Hickey

Because of a system which for the most part, encourages parity, it's never a good idea to come down too strongly when you're predicting a result between good teams, even if one hasn't played well too recently. So boy am I glad I made a cautious, reasoned argument about how I thought Colorado were in better form, but a team with the talent Dallas has should never be counted out.

Awww, crap.

Mea culpa, mea culpa.


| edit post
- Keith Hickey
Just when everyone (myself included) was ready to write off Dallas's season, David Ferreira reminded us in spectacular fashion why he's the reigning MVP. With two goals, and the corner kick that led to the other, he drove his team forward in their 3-1 victory over the table-topping Colorado Rapids.

If only he had done that the last time the two teams played.


| edit post
- Jason Davis

Hooray Monday, and hooray beer. This episode of The American Soccer Show is chock full of MLS, USMNT and American abroad talk all situated around a chat with the man behind The Free Beer Movement. We bumbled our way into dual themes of a good news/bad news dichotomy and growing the American game through evangelism.


- Ben McCormick

The United States U-20 National Team lost to Guatemala in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship and will not participate in this summer’s U-20 World Cup for the first time in eight tournaments.


Now take a deep breath. In…and out…


It’s not that big of a deal.


MLS Week 4 Preview

Friday, April 08, 2011 | View Comments
- Keith Hickey

Another week has passed. Real Salt Lake have returned from their glorious not-losing-to-Saprissa-as-badly-as-Saprissa-lost-to-them. A number of Open Cup games were poorly attended. Eric Hassli became the leading cause of hair loss in British Columbia. And most importantly, another MLS matchday beckons. Here's our look at the matchups this week.


Cover of 'How to Play Soccer', 1920

The return of the link post! How long has it been? We're too lazy to look. Long enough, anyway.


The following is a small collection of items from the last seven days we deemed worthy of passing along to you, the discerning soccer fan. Read and enjoy.


- Keith Hickey

In addition to my love of soccer, I'm something of a music geek, so it's always special for me when the two combine. There have been a surprising number of songs, either for or about football by an existing group or performer or pop songs recorded by footballers. Some are pretty good. Some are excruciatingly bad. All are memorable. Here's the 10 best and worst soccer pop songs.


- Keith Hickey

A few days ago, this year's TFC head coach/techinical director/suicide watch subject Aron Winter decided that the media would no longer be given access to his team's locker room after matches, saying:
"I believe that (the dressing room) is a sacred place and a safe place for the players and that is why I have chosen not to open the locker room. I understand there may be an adjustment period with some journalists but it is an important change in keeping with my program of changing the culture of Toronto FC both on and off the field."
Because we all know that Toronto's problems are caused by an intrusive press and not constant rapid personnel turnover, poor senior management, and hyper-inflated expectation.


Thomas Rongen's US U-20 side takes on hosts Guatemala at the CONCACAF Championships tonight with a U-20 World Cup birth on the line. Join MFUSA USYNT writer Ben McCormick for a live blog of the match (10 PM kickoff, CONCACAF.com and ESPN3) starting at 9:30 ET.



- Jason Davis

There's a shortage of good American soccer movies in this world. Sylvester Stallone's goalmouth heroics in a German war camp aside, most of the soccer films made with a tinge of Yank flavor are of the youth-soccer variety. When they do involve professionals, the premise tends to be ridiculous, the cameos unsubtle, the soccer action clumsy.


- Ben McCormick

At the start of the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, much of the oft-hyped talent on the US squad was relatively unknown to the US Soccer fan base. Through the group stage, some players have dazzled, some have fizzled and the jury remains out on others. Here is a look at what we know and what we are yet to find out about this cycle's edition of the USA U-20 national team:


MLS Power Rankings

Tuesday, April 05, 2011 | View Comments
- Keith Hickey

Week three is over. Here's our power rankings.



-Matt Acconciamessa | US Soccer Daily

A day late, here’s a look back at the good, the bad, and the ugly from MLS Week 3:


The Good

The Champs: Colorado seems to be using the Real Salt Lake blueprint of 2009-10, following their surprise MLS Cup triumph up with a season of more consistent, strong play. Both offensively and defensively, their 3-0-0 start has been impressive, albeit against some of MLS’ weaker teams at this point.

Tally Hall: Once again, Houston needed a monster performance from Hall to earn a point on the road, with highlight reel stops limiting Henry and company to a single goal on their numerous opportunities.  Check out a couple of his nicest stops here and here.


| edit post
- Keith Hickey

A soccer player today announced that he would play soccer. He announced that the soccer would be played for the country he was born in. He could have potentially played soccer for another, larger country, and some fans and reporters in that larger country were disappointed that he chose to play for the smaller country, the one that he was born in. Some were dismissive and derisive of his choice, and a very small few secretly considered him ungrateful. The majority of fans were mildly disappointed, but expected the news, seeing as he was born in the smaller country.

On the other side of the World, a player who was born in and spent most of his life in the aforementioned country, but played for a third, more historically successful nation via his ancestry, is still a Jersey Shore-wannabe dick.


| edit post
- Jason Davis

A bit of introspection leads into me talking about Andy Najar and national team choices, then I risk jinxing Real Salt Lake.

The RSS feed if you need it, and direct download.





Player of the Week: Camilo

Monday, April 04, 2011 | View Comments
- Keith Hickey

Another home game, another new fan favorite for VW, Die Mannschaft. Wait, that's taken. The People's Club? Too Scouse. The Mighty Whites? NO. Forget that.

Let's start over.

Two goals. In stoppage time. In week 1, Frenchman Eric Hassli won the plaudits for his two-goal performance against Toronto, but they didn't have half the drama of Brazilian Camilo's stoppage-time brace to  take a point from visiting Sporting KC. Vancouver have led a much more charmed life so far than fellow expansionistas Portland. The Whitecaps now sit in fourth place in the West, with four points from three games.


- Keith Hickey

Three home wins. Five draws. Parity’s a bitch.

At least Vancouver fans will be happy.

After all the exciting buzz around the start of the season (“Soccer’s bigger than hockey if you squint like this and pretend games on FSC don’t get their asses handed to them in the ratings by the WNBA and reruns of Pawn Stars and if you act like Seattle is representative of the average attendance of rest of the league! I‘m totes serious, for realsies!” ), we had a painful reminder of how far MLS has to go.


| edit post
- Ben McCormick

Kelyn Rowe may have quietly sneaked onto the United States U-20 National Team last December, but he’s making a ton of noise at the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. After two matches, Rowe has three goals and has putt in two high quality shifts for Thomas Rongen’s U-20 squad.


- Jason Davis

It's Monday morning, and that means a new American Soccer Show is out. Jared and I got together to talk USMNT, Grant Wahl and a few other topics, while we also manage to squeeze in my interview with Real Salt Lake architect Garth Lagerwey.


Join MFUSA US Youth National Team writer Ben McCormick for a live blog of the Unites States' final group match against Panama. Apologies for the late start.



MLS Week 3 Preview

Friday, April 01, 2011 | View Comments
- Keith Hickey

We're just two games into the 2011 campaign, but already patterns are emerging. Real Salt Lake tops the board, while Chivas USA and expansion Portland are slumming it at the foot of the table. But there's still plenty of season left to go, and week three could throw up some interesting results.


- Robert Jonas | Center Line Soccer

Just a week ago, national teams across the globe congregated briefly for a set of matches. some of these games were meaningful qualifiers for this or that, while others were of the friendly variety. In CONCACAF, countries in action during that period took the opportunity to prepare their teams for the upcoming Gold Cup tournament starting in June with a series of high-profile matches featuring quality opponents from South America. While the less than impressive exploits of Team USA have been well chronicled, the other regional power Mexico also failed to shed doubts about their preparation for this summer. Given a chance to see El Tri play in person against Paraguay and on television against Venezuela, it is safe to see that there is no clear leader between the top two teams in CONCACAF at this stage.


    KKTC Bahis Siteleri, Online Bahis

    Archive

    Legal


    Privacy Policy