Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Fire/Galaxy: I went to the Herbalife Rally and a Soccer Match Broke Out



The LA Galaxy came to town on Labor Day weekend to sell some supplements and play a match and I took a party down to Toyota Park to check it all out. Sadly the Euro stars Beckham and Ljundberg were both excluded from game day rosters due to injury and yellow card accumulation, but the chance to see league leaders lock horns with a Fire team desperate for 3 points along with another chance for new Fire signing Nery Castillo to finally make any sort of impact provided more than enough excitement on the day. The match itself was a bit static; Gonzalo Segares was sent off in the 21st minute for an elbow that may have been either unintentional or one of the craftiest cheap shots I've ever seen and the Fire spent much of the match playing patient defense and counter attacking. Young stud goalie Sean Johnson stoned Lando's penalty kick following the foul and proceeded to have a lights out match, coming up with a number of key saves and generally dominating his box. Nery Castillo was again anonymous, his only notable contribution being a nice but tame shot on goal from a free kick in the second half that was easily saved. The Fire took the lead at the end of regulation on a stunning free kick goal from Collins John, who has now tallied 3 goals against the Galaxy in 2 games, and gave the lead back deep into extra time on a sloppily-defended corner kick goal very similar to the goal that sunk us in Seattle last week. Simply put this team has no idea how to hang on to the ball and kill the clock, and if they don't make the playoffs this year they'll know why.

Post author Bobbie BS in the middle in the blue shirt, along with fellow attendees Ivar, Tomppert and Matt

The real item of note at the game was the "Galaxy" fan contingent. In my 10+ years of having season tickets for the Fire I've seen various incarnations of the traveling fan, from enthusiastic drunks from Columbus wearing foam banana costumes to seasoned DC United traveling fans with fully appointed busses bitter over Freddy Adu's failure to launch. However I've never seen anything like this year's Galaxy turnout. Since the Beckham signing the Galaxy have sold their shirt sponsorship to Herbalife, a dietary supplement producer who have been favorably compared to AmWay and unfavorably to a cult. It seems that there must have been a corporate push to turn out big Herbalife fans for this game as my section was full to the brink with them. Perhaps 1/5 of the fans were wearing Galaxy gear; the rest were wearing what looked like bright green Herbalife branded cycling jerseys. All of them were holding personal banners that said "Galaxy" on one side and "Herbalife" on the other. They did a few organized chants- some of "gal ax y! gal ax y!", a few of "me hi co! me hi co!" (they were largely a latino group), but mostly the chants were endless enthusiastic repetitions of "HER BA LIFE! HER BA LIFE!". Many of the men had neon green paint in their hair, matching their Herbalife shirts. Obviously I think this is pretty weird and I don't really know what to make of it. It certainly puts the typical "we want hard core fans, not AYSO outings" discussion into stark relief; these fans really didn't give a crap about the team or the sport, they were there because their brand had ordered them to make a showing in support of said brand. I suppose this is good for the Galaxy in some way, but none of those fans really seemed to identify with the team and none of the cheering had anything to do with what was happening on the field. Are Galaxy home games similarly lobotomized? I have no idea but I think it's unsettling.

Wayne Rooney affair: prostitute 'had sex with 13 premiership stars'





One source quoted in the Daily Star said: “She deliberately targeted footballers because they’re so rich, flash and fundamentally not the sharpest pencils in the box.

Tim Vickery in South America





Testing times for Argentina caretaker coach Batista.

Sid Lowe in Spain

Real Madrid's transfer policy has so often been to buy that season's Balón d'Or winner, as if France Football was doing its scouting; Real's strategy has been to buy the season's outstanding player, the World Cup's greatest star. This summer it couldn't -- and it couldn't because it'd just sold them. Because Europe's outstanding players over the last 12 months have probably been Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben.

The same Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben whom Madrid ditched last summer. The same Sneijder and Robben who won domestic doubles with their new clubs. Correction: led their new clubs to domestic doubles. The same Sneijder and Robben who reached the World Cup final with Holland. The same Sneijder and Robben who faced each other in the Champions League final. While Real Madrid won nothing.

US defender DeMerit close to Wolfsburg move?




DeMerit was released by Watford at the end of last season, but played in all of USA's games at the World Cup and the defender is believed to be keen on a move to the Bundesliga where he would join new signings Simon Kjaer and Arne Friedrich in the backline.

Jonathan Wilson: Gerrard's best position for club and country remains open to debate

The problems are twofold: practical and theoretical. Very simply, box-to-box players are slipping out of fashion for the same reason wingbacks are; because they cover a huge amount of ground, they have to be fitter than everybody else, and with improvements in general fitness and sports nutrition and the increase in the pace of the game, the number of players who can cope with the physical demands of the role is decreasing. Gerrard is one who still can, but there must be a tactical framework to accommodate him.


Simon Burton: France head for Bosnia convulsed by horror over defeat by Belarus




Things might not be as bad as Laurent Blanc's team think after their opening loss … but they may be about to get worse.

Kevin McCarra: Fabio Capello's only concern must be to guide England to a crucial win






The England manager has more important things to dwell on than his adopted nation's obsession with scandal.

Villa to appoint Houllier



Gerard Houllier is set to be confirmed as the new manager of Aston Villa this week. After spells managing Liverpool and Lyon, Houllier is currently the technical director for the French national team, but he has scheduled a meeting with French Football Federation president Fernando Duchaussoy to follow Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Monday MLS Breakdown: Scheduling Concerns Draw Garber's Attention





MLS commissioner, others plot ways to make MLS clubs more competitive.

Friday, September 03, 2010

Grant Wahl: Maintaining status quo won't be enough for Bradley in second act






Is a second World Cup cycle one too many for a national-team coach?


Gabriele Marcotti: Splashy moves restore Milan's buzz


Six weeks can be an eternity in soccer and in politics. On July 20, AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi showed up at the opening of the club's training camp and made one blunder after the other. For a man who is usually such a natural and effective communicator, it was an all-out debacle. Witness his pronouncements:

Javier Mascherano's move mocked the ideals behind freedom of contract





Charles N'Zogbia's failed transfer and Robinho's departure show that players have all the power.

The Joy of Six: Footballers who have overcome humble beginnings




Following the rise of Bébé from the streets of Portugal to Old Trafford, here are six other rags-to-riches stories.

Euro 2012




Ireland vs. Armenia: Preview

France vs. Belarus: Preview

England vs. Bulgaria: Preview
Same Old England

Belgium vs. Germany: Preview

The Best European Championship XI Of All Time




With another Euro campaign set to kick off in full, Carlo Garganese runs down the greatest European Championship XI of all time...

Friday MLS Forecast






The Forecast discusses a rugby star's stint in Colorado before evaluating the Week 23 fixtures.

Raphael Honigstein in Germany





Löw keeps the peace for now by naming Ballack captain of Germany.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Martin Tyler Column



Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back for the new season.

Every week he will be here to offer you statistical gems to make your day, impress your mates and, on occasion, to settle the odd bet.

Sky Sports' voice of football and his back-up team of experts are here to answer your questions and queries on all things statistical and historical from the beautiful game.

The hopes and fears of football's free agents

The Professional Footballers' Association's comprehensive list of free agents is as lengthy as it is depressing. There are the hundreds of players who are still in their teens - footballers I have never heard of but ones whose professional careers could be set to end in their infancy.

Then there are the likes of Liam Rosenior, Jeremie Aliadiere, Lee Hendrie, Francis Jeffers, Keith Gillespie, Russell Hoult, Gavin Mahon, Jay DeMerit, Barry Hayles - all experienced performers at a variety of levels, all united by the fact they are without a club.

Russia World Cup bid chief defends racism track record

Alexei Sorokin denies Russian football has a problem with racist fans, despite recent controversy in a league game.

Lokomotiv Moscow fans celebrated Peter Odemwingie's sale in the transfer window with a banner showing a banana and the message: "Thanks West Brom".

Lokomotiv escaped sanction, but Sorokin told BBC Sport: "The RFU doesn't accept any demonstrations of racism."

The eight most influential European transfers of the summer




The transfer window might have closed with something of an anticlimax in England after what, Manchester City aside, has been a pretty slow summer. Still, there has been plenty of action among the big clubs on the continent. Here’s a look at the eight deals I think could prove most influential in the coming season.

Seattle Sounders FC 3-1 Chivas USA: Sounders To Play Columbus In U.S. Open Cup Final





Nate Jaqua scored twice and Steve Zakuani notched two assists in leading the Sounders to an impressive win over Chivas USA.

Laurent Blanc starts the process of resurrecting respect for the France shirt


Yet while the latest England squad was announced with breath of stale air (Shaun. Wright. Phillips.) the French are doing a rather better job of starting over. They have their first home game since the World Cup in Paris tomorrow night, against Belarus, and it is being approached with a sense of optimism.

That is pretty much all down to Laurent Blanc. He has approached his first few weeks in the job with an uncompromising candour and made it his mission not just to make his side play better football but also to restore a bit of mutual respect.

Norman Hubbard: Beg, Borrow and Deal




It is the fastest growing group in football. The loan rangers, for want of a less cliched term, appear to increase in numbers with every transfer window. Much of the activity on Tuesday's deadline day concerned borrowings, rather than buying.

Rafael van der Vaart leaves no place for Jonathan Woodgate at Tottenham


The 29-year-old Woodgate has played once in two years for the senior team. His exclusion will fuel speculation that his career may be under serious threat due to a chronic groin problem. Redknapp said last month of the injury: "It's so sad for Jonathan. He's such a good player and a great lad as well. He's been all round the world really, trying to find a cure for this groin problem. He's seen two specialists and he's going to get one more opinion but they seem to be of the opinion that the only chance is an operation."

Mid-Season Signings





Transfer deadline day left Soccernet hankering for the halcyon days when clubs could do deals right through until March. Here, we present a list of some of the most interesting mid-season transfers in English football - successful or otherwise - prior to the introduction of the current system in 2001-02.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Question Of The Week




When's the last time both Barcelona and Real Madrid have been without Dutch players?







Submitted by SSN loyalist Brandy from Carrboro...

Summer 2010 Transfer Window Closes Across The World

The summer's transfer window has closed and, despite the ongoing economic turmoil around the globe, some high-profile players have been on the move. The English Premier League's stringent new legislation on squad size has seen some of the league's top performers switch clubs while Italian teams were the busiest of any nation's during the summer. The top two in Spain continued to flex their financial muscles while the German Bundesliga welcomed, and waved goodbye to, a fair few star names.

Premier League Transfers: Summer 2010






Read all the Premier League football transfers as they happen, club by club, updated throughout the summer 2010 transfer window.

Tottenham complete signing of Real Madrid's Rafael van der Vaart





Tottenham have completed the £8 million signing of Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid after the Premier League gave them the green light to add the Holland midfielder to their squad.

Martin Rogers Column



Los Angeles Galaxy fans can breathe easy after the European transfer window closed without a big-money move for Landon Donovan.

Donovan was the subject of repeated interest from several European teams. English Premier League club Everton was determined to bring him back following a successful loan spell earlier in the year.

According to a source close to the EPL team, Everton came back with a final bid on deadline day despite earlier rejections. The Toffees were rebuffed once more by Major League Soccer.

Georgina Turner: Moyes, Everton look to boost stock after sluggish start to season





Three games into the Premier League season, Everton has scored a single goal and notched a single point. That return amounts to the club's worst start since 1999, but the biggest worry for Everton is that it has been unable to convert possession, often in dangerous areas, into goals.

Spurs hit Van der Vaart hitch

Sky Sports News understands Tottenham Hotspur missed the deadline to finalise the paperwork for the signing of Rafael van der Vaart.

Spurs made a late bid to bring in Holland international Van der Vaart and tried to complete the deal before Tuesday's 6pm cut-off.

However, it is understood that technical issues prevented the necessary paperwork from being completed and Spurs have now requested special dispensation from the Premier League to add the midfielder to their squad.

He's No Harry Potter

Sometimes the blizzard of sound bites and tidal wave of trophies obscure the fact that it was Jose Mourinho who decided to christen himself "The Special One" when he is, in fact, flesh and blood like you and me.

Occasionally foolhardy, often fallible -- Mourinho is certainly not invincible.

Sure, the Portuguese possess immense talent. He also works so exhaustively hard that if it is a competition between him and the next guy to win a match, an argument or even the Champions League, the odds tilt in his favor. But, as Michael Laudrup -- the man whose Mallorca side spoiled Mourinho's La Liga debut on Sunday -- has observed, coaching Real Madrid represents Mourinho's biggest challenge yet.

Even Mourinho has admitted as much, telling his team's fans not to expect any amazing results because he's "a coach" and "not Harry Potter."

Kevin McCarra: Theo Walcott is showing the maturity off the field and potency on it that can make him a vital asset for England

It was curious to see the swift Theo Walcott left standing. England set off without him for the World Cup finals earlier this summer and that must have been particularly galling since it had probably been the impetus of his hat-trick against Croatia in September 2008 that swept the side to South Africa.

If there is any feeling that he deserved better, the Arsenal attacker conceals it well.

Manchester City pay for their expensive taste and excessive waste





Those Eastlands spendthrifts break the trend of a new realism as the Premier League transfer window closes.

Carlisle: And now for the really tough part

Who says history doesn't repeat itself? It did on Monday with the announcement that Bob Bradley has signed on for another four years as head coach of the U.S. men's national team.

The sense of déjà vu is almost overpowering. In 2006, U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati went after Jurgen Klinsmann to be the U.S. manager, only to be rebuffed at the last minute. Instead, Gulati was forced to settle for Bradley.

Four years later, the situation is eerily similar.

UEFA ban vuvuzelas from European competitions





UEFA have banned the controversial vuvuzela trumpets from all European competitions, including the Champions League, Europa League and the Euro 2012 qualifiers.