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Morning Ticker: My latest Jozy column, Man U interested in Lyon pair and stories on Toronto and San Jose

Jozy_altidore_isi_photos

                                                          Photo by ISI Photos

Good morning folks. If you are on the East Coast then you are probably still thawing out from the commute to work. Here are some stories to help warm you up and get your day going.

First, here is my column in today’s Herald News on Jozy Altidore. Yes, I know, plenty has already been written about Altidore but I wanted to put into perspective what lies ahead for the kid and what he’s already gone through in the past year.

Here are some other soccer stories to get you through the morning:

ManU eyeing Lyon tandem– Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has stated that Manchester United is hot on the trail of Lyon tandem Karim Benzema and Hatim Ben Arfa. Is it true or is it a ploy by Lyon to try and unsettle Manchester United’s players before the teams meeting in the Champions League in two weeks? The best line in the story is Aulas claiming ManU would have to include cash with Cristiano Ronaldo to get Ben Arfa. Wow. I heard French wine was good but Aulas might want to drink less of it.

Toronto FC coach profiled. Toronto Globe & Mail soccer writer Larry Milson has been cranking out Toronto FC stories at a feverish clip and one of the latest was this piece on new TFC head coach John Carver.

San Jose makes debut. The San Jose Earthquakes play their first match, albeit an exhibition match, against none other than the Houston Dynamo, otherwise known as the club formerly known as the Earthquakes. SJ Mercury News writer Ann Killion writes about the meeting, which I would imagine will leave some Houston players a bit confused as they look across at opponents in Earthquake gear.

That’s all for now. Check back in soon for more news, notes and opinions as the day goes on.

And as always, feel free to share your thoughts on the above stories below.

Comments

  1. Ives, with all this American money going into Premier League investments, why doesn’t MLS approach these moneyhungry creeps to invest in the domestic product?
    A good example are the owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Glazers were desperate to acquire Man U, yet they let the Mutiny die.

    Reply
  2. benzema and ben arfa have been linked to just about every big club in the world. they’ll both go somewhere eventually. real madrid, barca, arsenal, and ac milan are all just as likely as man u to land either one or the other (or both).

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  3. Ives, please stop using sarcasm. Though it can be funny at times, some readers just don’t get it, and take it seriously. For example, insinuating someone is drinking too much wine. How am I supposed to know that is a joke? Come on now, be fair to all of us. Otherwise we have no choice but to seriously correct any joke you can possibly make in all future posts.

    (SARCASM IS HEAVILY USED IN THE ABOVE STATEMENT)

    Posted by: kpugs | February 12, 2008 at 11:36 AM

    ________________________________________

    BUT WHERE IS IT!?

    I had a hard time with this when I moved to Austin; unqualified sarcasm and dry wit were not appreciated by native Texans. As a Yank (in the traditional American sense of the word — although in Texas, I heard the term “Yank” used to describe my friend from Southern Missouri), you’ve got to be prepared for a significant percentage of the nation not to pick up on any subtleties in context — spoken or written — that might indicate sarcasm. In the South, the typical response to sarcasm is, “You’re rude,” or, “What are you, some kind of a smartass?” It was in Texas that I started to wear the “Yank” designation like a badge of honor.

    It’s never been an issue here in Portland.

    Reply
  4. Christian and Tim, offer was a poor choice of words in the column. Real Madrid expressed strong interest in Altidore but before an actual transfer offer was made, Altidore decided it wasn’t a move he wanted to make. That’s what I have been told. So from that standpoint, he turned down the opportunity. I have heard from a source within the league that a transfer offer was made, but sources close to Altidore and with the Red Bulls insist that no actual transfer bid was made.

    My ultimate point was that Altidore turned down the chance to go to Real Madrid, which is what he did when he decided it wasn’t a move he wanted to make. Now, if Altidore had let it be known that he wanted to go to Real Madrid you can bet an offer would have been made (if one wasn’t made).

    I realize Red Bull stated it wouldn’t sell Altidore but, if he had his heart set on going, Red Bull would have let him go. How do I know this? I know this because I know the club would have let him go to Reading if the deal hadn’t fallen apart. Altidore was very interested in a Reading move and the Red Bulls were ready to let him leave (for a big fee of course). Fortunately for all involved (except Reading), the deal fell apart.

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  5. Ives,
    Could you expound on your statement that Jozy passed over an offer from Real Madrid? I thought that Real Madrid never ended up making an offer, and even if they did, how could Jozy turn it down? He’s under contract, so isn’t the decision on a transfer in the Red Bulls hands?

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  6. Just a small correction that the Globe & Mail isn’t a Toronto paper but rather a national paper, much like USA Today. It’s generally referred to just as the Globe & Mail.

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  7. Aulas comments are perfect. The so called “top four” in England act as if every club in the world is subject to their whims.

    Hopefully one of these days someone stands up and files a tampering charge with UEFA and FIFA.

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  8. A great article about Jozy. The kid is a star and I hope he has a great season ahead for him in RBNY and then signs for a good Euro club…preferably after RBNY’s season. 🙂

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  9. Ives,

    I thought you had said earlier that Real Madrid never made a bid for Jozy although they did show some interest. If that’s the case, why did you write in your column that he “passed over” an offer from RM?

    just curious.

    Reply
  10. Ives, please stop using sarcasm. Though it can be funny at times, some readers just don’t get it, and take it seriously. For example, insinuating someone is drinking too much wine. How am I supposed to know that is a joke? Come on now, be fair to all of us. Otherwise we have no choice but to seriously correct any joke you can possibly make in all future posts.

    (SARCASM IS HEAVILY USED IN THE ABOVE STATEMENT)

    Reply
  11. Hmm… Maybe San Jose could inquire for Ben Arfa?
    A straight up trade might be good. Ben Arfa for Nick Garcia. His value also seems to be overly high these days. =]

    Reply
  12. It sounds like “old” Brad Friedel was awesome again yesterday in Blackburn’s 2-0 loss to Arsenal. I haven’t had a chance to see him this year, but to someone who has been able to watch him regularly, is my impressioin that he is having as good a year as he ever has (which says a lot) accurate?

    Reply
  13. Chris, I know that was the intent. It seems to be the new exaggeration. Sevilla said the same thing about Dani Alves, that it would take Messi and cash to get Alves. I get the point of making the statements but they’re beyond ridiculous.

    Reply
  14. If the wine makes you that delusional I might want to stay away from it. But I get his point it will take a lot to get those two guys especially Benzema who has been on fire for the National team. Lyon can make some serious money off of these two guys.

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  15. I don’t know about Aulas drinking too much wine when he made his C Ronaldo plus cash for Ben Arfa. Don’t know the full context, but it might just be his way of saying “he’s not for sale”.

    Reply

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