Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIPhotos.com
By IVES GALARCEP
Good morning everybody. I haven’t been able to get together an SBI Live Q&A lately, and since I’m probably not going to be able to get one together for this week, I wanted to give readers a chance to send some questions in for me to answer.
So I’m bringing back the old school Q&A format for this week.
Submit your soccer-related questions in the comments section below and I will post answers to some of the questions on Thursday and Friday. Want to ask about the recent U.S. Men’s National Team qualifying loss? The upcoming MLS season? International soccer? The new season of The Walking Dead? Whatever it is, send your questions my way and I’ll try to get to as many of them as possible. I will be having an SBI Live Q&A soon, but for now you can ask your questions here.
Submit your questions in the comments section below.
Ives, as a Red Bull fan here, my heart is overjoyed by Petke’s hiring, while my brain is convinced he’s been put into an impossible situation for a new coach (crazy expectations, big egos, etcetera). Which vital organ of mine do you most agree with?
Ives, I want to know your opinion on Terrance Boyd. There has a large group on here lately clamoring for him to get a start in the Hex. I personally think he’s too young and inexperienced, and I don’t believe his performances with the Nats have been that great. Although I do think he will be a huge factor on the USMNT in the future. I wouldn’t mind seeing him called up for the WCQ, but I think a start is a little extreme. Can we put the Boyd love on hold for a little bit? Thoughts?
Boyd’s got a game-winning assist against Mexico and game-tying assist against Russia in his last 3 (double check that #) appearances. No matter how Jozy’s form has been in Holland, he hasn’t assisted or scored since last February.
Why leave Boyd home again?
What Altidore has or hasn’t done has nothing to do with Boyd. Both can be called in and you’re not calling in Boyd ahead of Altidore. Boyd did have a nice back-heel against Mexico, but did not touch the ball that led to Diskerud’s winner (feel free to watch the replay). Boyd’s time will come, but trying to make it an either/or thing between him and Altidore is misguided.
Ives, do you expect to see Gatt, Shea, or Gyau out there on the pitch for the March qualifiers? If not, what hope does the USA have for getting behind Concacaf defenses on counter attacks? I think that our play of late has been predictable and non-threatening.
is all this talk about axing JK premature, or is it a matter of expedeiency to consider it now rather than later?
You don’t need to be Ives to answer this one.
The only way JK gets axed before the 2014 WC is by failure to qualify or a major scandal. Period.
Question about transfer fees. Does the player receive any of the transfer fee or does the selling club keep it all?
I believe the player gets 10%.
So this question has been circled around already, but I have my own version of it… How married to Klinnsman is USSF? Clearly they have made a huge investment in him, both financially and philosophically, but at what point would they pull the plug? I don’t mean to sound like chicken little, and I wouldn’t call our current state a crisis, but we are now in games that count, and we seem weaker than at any point in the last 10 years. Not necessarily from a results standpoint, because we clearly have a record of some impressive friendly wins, but Scotland aside, does anybody that has watched us play feel like we are better or even as good as we were a few years ago?
So, do we ride the JK ship all the way to not qualifying for WC2014 if it comes to that, or do we pull out at a certain point of danger?
Many comments are critical of Klinsmann which I think is very premature and misdirected. For example, against Honduras he was not responsible that the forward players only scored once. Also, he was not responsible that the US defense allowed 1 easy goal (over-head score) and 1 goal when the goalie & defenders screwed-up royally. Yes, he could have played a more offensive Hercules or a possible more defensive Boca (but also very slow). So let’s face it, the Central America competition is a lot better, especially in the second round, and we don’t have world class players YET. CONSEQUENTLY, there is no magic coach, style, players and/or formation to ensure instant results. It will take more US development and dedicated commitment to reach the highest levels of the greatest and most difficult world of soccer!!
What happened with Fox Soccer? I felt you were one of the more well read columnists there.
Let me handle this one Ives. Fox Soccer is a sinking ship. Combine that with the popularity and growth of this site, the decision made itself.
Will you be holding another fantasy league this year?
Why doesn’t the USMNT schedule any friendlies against African national teams, especially considering that the last two World Cups, the USMNT has been eliminated by an African nation (Ghana)? I understand that logistics are a problem, but surely, the USMNT could find a venue in Europe to host a game.
What will it take, if ever, to make Klinsmann open his eyes to the fact that we are playing 3 defensive midfielders and have absolutely not attacking creativity.
having more creative options and less baller D-mids maybe?
lots of creative options available yet uncalled or explored
Can you shed some light on the “awaiting moderation” mechanism? It seems completely random. Is it aglich, or is there something we are doing that unwittingly triggers it? It is very frustrting and there have been lots of comments.
FOr example, my rpeivous question about Klinsmann is awaiting moderation, but this went right on the board….?
I get “awaiting moderation” from my work computer but not from mobile phone or home, so I thought it was some IP address spam filter.
Both my posts were from the same computer within moments of each other. One is awaiting moderation. so can’t be that
How do you see the LA Galaxy’s season starting off (Donovan nowhere to be found/Zardes injury/Villarreal away with YNT duty/Lampard will he-won’t he)?
How do you see it panning out in general?
Great questions. I’d like also like Ives’ perspective on LA.
More on the Lampard angle, are we beating a dead horse? Has his recent run of form seal the deal for a Chelsea return? If so, any other potential DP targets out there?
Ives,
To me Jones and Williams have similar skill sets, albeit in different stages of development. When they are played together Williams is pushed to an outside mid, which clearly looks uncomfortable to him and her appears lacking. I know Klinsi loves Jone’s work rate, experience and bite but I would imagine he is a little leery about his propensity for cards, inconsistent play and losing possession in bad positions.
Also I think Klinsi playing the future back four in Honduras didn’t hurt our chances of qualifying as much as many other have lamented.
So my question for you what do you think about Klinsi dropping Jones…allowing Williams and Bradley to work their magic, in the middle. I know this will move away from the 4-3-3 but it just doesn’t seem to fit our players. The 3 man midfield model option doesn’t work if those three don’t have some offensive skills as well. Please don’t get me wrong when Jones is on, he is great but that seems to be 1 game in 4. Stu Holden…if able to regain fitness and stay healthy could be the third player. Stu isn’t ready yet so let’s just keep the conversation to the players in the immediate pool.
I do realize that Klinsi will not drop Jones but what are your thoughts. Is the US midfield stronger by subtraction.
Beasley has been mentioned as help for the USMNT, also Shea. What do you think of Christ Pontius’s chances of being called in if he replicates/improves upon what he did last season?
Chris
Along those lines, who do you see being called in for the Gold Cup? Euro-based players? Mexican-Americans? MLSers? If the latter, then who?
Do you see Omar Gonzalez moving abroad before the 2014 World Cup?
Can you see JK finally bringing in Beasley to add some wing help?
What’s your best guess at a Gold Cup roster? When is CONCACAF going to set the groups and schedule?
As a follow-up, will the Gold Cup squad be our full A-team or not?
No. I believe there are WC qualifiers during that time.
If Klinsy were to retire this week, who would the US Soccer Federation pick to replace him, who would you pick if you were in charge and Klinsy left?
Any idea why Reyna turned down the RBNY assistant position? Any idea why PSousa couldn’t get a work permit?
John Anthony Brooks: (i) do you know where he stands on his national team preference? (ii) assuming he is still willing to represent the United States, could/should he called up for this qualifying cycle? Thank you very much
+1…didn’t he accept a German U-20 call up?
What do you think about the Montreal Impact getting rid of all their American coaches and stating they want to distance themselves from American soccer influence? What does that mean for their current American players, especially Andrew Wenger?
Maybe they want opportunities for Canadians to develop in the coaching ranks. I can see wanting to move away from the American soccer influence. I believe they want a coach from a different foundation. Maybe they are tired of only crossing into the box?
Not Canadians. Europeans. Specifically Italians.
Ives, I have a question/comment that has been on my mind for quite some time that maybe you can help me with. During this offseason, I have noticed that amount of young talent, as well as star talent (Beckham, possibly LD) leaving MLS. Although I I cannot fault players for wanting better competition and/or a higher salary, what has been problematic to me is the fact that MLS has no player to market to the general public. What is going on with the MLS marketing machine, or US Soccer for that matter? Is it due to a lack of money, laziness, incompetence, etc… Is it the fact that there are just not good enough talented Americans to market to the general public? I have a feeling that TV ratings for MLS will decline this season simply because there is no star power in the league. Do you think people will turn on their TV’s to watch Chris Wonodlowski play, or Graham Zusi? The fact of the matter is, no one knows who they are (mainstream American sport fans), nor do they care, and I solely place the blame on the US Soccer marketing machine. Are you able to shed some light on how US Soccer and MLS are investigating ways to improve their marketing techinques? I just see a regression of sorts TV-wise, and maybe development wise. I think this has a trickle down effect to the USMNT (which I think will not qualify for Brazil). Where should the blame be pointed? Thank you for taking the time to respond to my comments/questions.
I think there is still plenty of talent in MLS. Graham Zusi, Darlington Nagbe and Juan Augadelo are three names that come to mind immediately.
Plus, American talent abroad should be seen as a positive for the league and US Soccer. The MLS is getting better across the board and leagues around the world are taking notice.
Any whispers from the player-agent or MLS front office exec crowd about how the introduction of Financial Fair Play in Europe and the EPL’s possible introduction of either FFP-like rules or even a salary growth cap rule could affect player movement? On the in-bound side, it seems like it would make the relative bargains of American players more attractive, but it could also force them to push ever harder on expanding youth development to reduce the need to pay high transfer fees. On the out-bound side, it might make the MLS Designated Player exception even more attractive for the older mid-level EPL player.
I shared the desire for Klinsmann to replace BB, for all those reason rehashed so many times.
While I don’t think that letting BB go was a mistake, I have no idea what Klinsmann is doing. There is no perceived movement in any direction.
If you were a God, who would you get as an ideal coach for USMNT (after 2014, now, whenever)? Not the most famous, but the best match.
DAVID MOYES. That is all.
Seconded.
3rd
4thed
Goooooood call. The man is obviously a motivator, tactician and most of all gets the very most from what hasn’t always been the most talented group of players. Everton plays hard, never says die.
When Klinsmann first took over, he was all about players not having names on their jerseys and the numbers being 1-11. All of a sudden this changed and they were back to having names even for friendlies. When did this change and is there any insight to why this came to be? I’ve been wondering this for the longest time. Thank you very much.
+1. Seems like he was going for team first and then just dropped all that all the sudden.
Because Klinsmann says a lot of s*** and people treat it like it’s a big deal because he’s famous and European, but it doesn’t mean jack. He was also going to play attractive attacking soccer and instead we get three DMs and sometimes 4 with a DM played at RM.
He is a politician. Stop falling for it and learn to ignore the s*** coming out of his mouth.
old school q&a time? sweet!
hey old school, how old are really? thanks again!
Doing pretty well. How are you?
what are the odds Donovan will return to LAGalaxy in time for their Champions League match March 7? If so, do you think that would mean he’d be in for the March 22 USA quali vs. Costa Rica?
Is Robbie Rogers returning to MLS?
Northwest guy here. Which home venue is more difficult to play in for visiting teams, Jeld Wen Field (Portland) or Century Link Field (Seattle)?
I think Century Link because the place is so big and even though fans are not right on top of you like at Jeld Wen, it still must be a crazy environment.
Why do you think that the USWNT has been able to capture their target market better than the USMNT?
Wins Bro
plus 3 points
Wins don’t explain it all or the World Champion Indiana Fever of the WNBA would outdraw the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.
There is almost no comparison between the two teams.
The USWNT is unquestionably one of the most dominant teams in it’s sport of all time and remains dominant,
Americans are front runners.
Any idea why the coaching staff left off the Mex-based players for the Honduras game?
They were match fit and some of their matches in Mexico have a similar climate to San Pedro Sula. Certainly Gomez was a head scratcher, but Torres could have been useful in the midfield or as a 2nd half sub.
clubs could have said no…
I thought if it’s a FIFA date, clubs can say no, but can’t enforce it?
Do you think Klinnsman changes his formation to better adapt to his players or does he stick to what he has.
Do you think Juan Aguadelo would make a good CAM since he is a pretty good passer and has solid technical ability.
What is the chance that US SOccer forces a face saving change on Klinsmann and makes him hire a tactical assistant coach like Renya or Ramos? (Having a tactical assistant was CLEARLY behind his success in Germany.)
+1, love Jurgen but he seems to be missing something during the game management. also one huge plus to him hast to be his ability to motivate and develop coaching prospects as well as players. If his buddy Martin Vasquez is the only assistant coach that gets to work with him, id say thats a loss for USSF. Bring in Ramos, Renya, Porter, Kreis, Zigi or someone else as an assistant for a bit..
Low is looking better and better all the time isn’t he?
“(Having a tactical assistant was CLEARLY behind his success in Germany.)”
No it wasn’t.
He had a group of players who were a lot more talented.
Better players almost always makes you a better manager.
Ramos?!
Is there any way to “fix” the national team right now? The Klinsmann experiment isn’t producing results, and Klinsmann’s tactical acumen (or lack thereof) seems to be exposed pretty regularly. Seriously, who plays central midfielders out wide? We don’t have many wing options, but surely Gatt would be a better wide option than Jones, Sacha, or Torres. Our defense is a mess, our lineup has no stability, and our central midfield pairing has no cohesiveness nor creativity. The one player who looked like a creative force against Canada, Benny Feilhaber, doesn’t get a callup to the Honduras game because “he needs to establish himself more on the club level.” When will pragmatism take over and force Klinsmann to drop the “always start, always score, always be awesome 100% of the time for your club” stance, when there are players who might be able to contribute to the Nats despite Klinsmann’s judgments about their club play? Lahm publicly lambasted Jurgen for his lack of tactical know how, and I’m starting to wonder myself if Klinsmann wouldn’t be better off as a technical director rather than a head coach.
Now that Becks has taken the circus to Paris, what are his prospects for MLS ownership or further involvement? Is he just chasing short-term gain with PSG, or is he looking to latch leech-like to the lucre-bloated body of a Gulf sheik?
I was wondering the same thing. Is his goal to get Qatari financial backing for his future MLS team
i believe this information is readily available. it was my understanding that once he retires, which will likely be after this season (maybe next), he will start working out MLS ownership. there have been reports he has been involved in efforts for teams in NY and Miami. but apparently there is a stipulation he can’t own a NY club. i’ve also seen reports that he’ll take a stake in LA.
either way, he has publicly stated he intends to return to the US after he retires to take advantage of the ownership option. it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.
I’ve also heard the reports you mentioned concerning Miami and NY. However, public statements are one thing. Action is another.
He, or his handlers, said his deal with the Galaxy was worth $250 million. More like $32.5.
Recently, Beckham said that he was looking for (paraphrase) “one last challenge on the football pitch.”
Then going to Paris he said this:
“I don’t know if this will be my last contract,” (quoted in the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21281665).
Hence the questions about what he’s doing.
i certainly see what you are saying, but i guess i commented because i doubt SBI has any further insight than what is already out there (at the moment). i still think it’s guaranteed he becomes an owner, in some capacity, of an MLS team.
He’s said he’s interested in Galaxy ownership has he not?
In a New York Times article on Stu Holden’s recovery, it was stated that he had microfracture surgery on his knee. Past pro athletes who have had this type of surgery are often never the same, even if they can manage to play professionally again. Do you know if Stu had microfracture surgery, that NYT article is the only place where I have ever read that he did.
A lot of the problems with microfracture surgery is that because there is so little pain associated with it, a lot of athletes shirk on their rehab because they think everything is A-ok just because their knee isn’t sore. I don’t think this is a problem with Holden. That dude seems more motivated with his rehab than anyone in this history of sports.
I understand your point and often wonder why Ives and USMNT fans talk about him so much. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy, but he is just one minor knock away from more problems and that makes it very unlikely that he will be worth a roster spot if the US did qualify for Brasil.
I would like to see him come back but some of his supports overlook the fact that he has injury history dating back to his stint with Sunderland. Yes, he was in England before he was a Dynamo, had a facial and leg injury (separately), didn’t emerge from their reserves, came back here, re-booted. Now he’s rebooting at Bolton after a couple leg injuries plus some setbacks (and maybe microfracture). One hopes this is just a hurdle to clear but with his history the John O’Brien path is also possible.
I know players like Beasley still get undercut but I still think his get it give it limited touch style when deployed centrally makes him a tackling target. He’s not a stoutly built type. I’ve always felt he was more of a winger and think he might gain some longevity going out there.
At least he’s not had identical recurring injuries, he gets hurt because he throws himself into everything like a banshee… makes him a hero, it also gets him hurt alot.
MF surgery results have been mixed but lots of guys have made full recoveries: JKidd, Amare, Stockton, etc. many guys wind up needing another MF surgery after a few years though, even if it is 100% successful.
Thoughts on the Cosmos acquisitions so far? Seems like they’re building a fringe-MLS-quality side… does that translate into NASL powerhouse?
Why not, it worked for San Antonio.
With Bocanegra out, Tim Howard holds the Captain’s armband. Do you foresee him holding it through the qualifiers and potentially the World Cup or will Michael Bradley take up the call?
What do you see in your crystal ball for the Le Toux/Casey partnership?
Thanks Ives for all your hard work!!
I’ve noticed that MLSsoccer.com tends to copy your format/style what ever you call it. Do you take that as a huge complement or does it annoy you a bit?
Who is needed more to there respective group: Donovan to the USMNT or Daryl on the Walking Dead? I am devastated by both.
Great Question
DID DARYL DIE? I really need to catch up.
Worse. He quit the group to hang out with Merle.
Ever heard of a SPOILER tag, dude?
Seriously, not cool.
If you were calling the shots in Philly what would you do about the Freddy Adu situation?
Also, thoughts on Demerit being called back with the USMNT? Still think he was our best CB until Klinsmann took over.
Ives, what do you think Freddy Adu should do, ideally. And where do you think he will end up realistically.
as someone who has been rooting for him for a long time, it begins with playing regularly. He’s got to show it consistently on the field and he hasn’t really done that.
Seriously. What’s going on with DeMerit? Would he accept an invite?
And, how soon until we can replace Klinsmann?
fischy, that second question is the elephant in the room.
I don’t think that second question should even be a topic on the table. Klinsmann’s the best man for the job right now. I firmly believe that.
I was a Demerit fan too back in the day, and I never understood his pastur-ization (being sent to pasture). I know he had the eye thing but he recovered. He could have been helpful in these initial stages.
However, since age is the root of many of our backline problems already, it won’t be solved by another 33 y/o CB. Klinsi still has time to adjust but he’s been kind of oblivious to the ageing of the squad, Landon, Boca, Dolo. The first in particular I don’t blame him for running with initially, who knew Landon would break down this fast. But Boca was 30+ when the cycle began as was Dolo. It’s not quite as bad as showing up to Germany relying on Reyna and Lewis but it’s just as problematic. One finesses the age of their player pool at their peril.
Any recommendations for setting up a trip to Brazil next year?
+1 I’ve been planning a trip for a little while now so it’d be good to get Ives’ recommendations. Seems like hotel accommodations not accepting reservations until 6-12 months out.
interested in any insights to this question too. We’re planning on going, that is if the USA qualifies of course
Get your visa now if you are seriously considering going because it will still be good in 2014 and you won’t have to fight the last minute crowds at the embassy. Pick a base and stay there rather than following a team around. Most venues will host games from multiple groups, so sticking to one spot the first two weeks will give you a good cross-section of teams. Flying within Brasil will be difficult, particularly during the group stages, and driving or bussing between cities is not ideal. If you aren’t going to be in Sao Paulo or Rio, avoid their airports. If you can’t fly direct from the US to the other Brasilian city, fly direct to a different South American country and try to connect from there to the other Brasilian city. If you want to see Sao Paulo or Rio only for non-soccer reasons, wait until the group stage is over.
thanks Adam
How likely do you think are the chances JK calls Beasley in for the March qualys? Will both Shea and Beasley get calls, or do you think they’re in direct competition for one left winger spot?
Ives, I would like some insight on Beasley’s future with the USMNT also and even if there is a return to MLS in his future if you have some.
What changes are coming to the USA team following loss to Honduras (in preparation of games vs. CR and Mexico)?
Chances that Beasley gets called in for those games?
Do you agree that the US midfield is lacking width and that that is the main problem with our current team? How do we address that? Beasley? Shea? Gatt? Donovan?
Chances Donovan returns to the USMNT fold?
Along those lines — is the problem going to be cured by bringing in different players, or is the first step to get the heck away from the 3-DM set Klinsmann favors?
or bringing in Jogi Lowe?
Ives…What does MLS think about the new Chivas USA player policy of Hispanic only and the jettisoning of American players? Does anyone else think this racist to some degree? And illegal?
+1
I don’t see it as racist at all. I see reactionary responses. Chivas is an all Mexican club in Guadalajara, yes? So, it doesn’t seem such a big stretch. Why would an all Mexican club in Mexico NOT want the same policy in the USA? An all Mexican team here only helps their mission in Mexico: to develop great Mexican players.
MLS.com had a brief interview with Chelis where he mentions this:
http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2013/01/23/chelis-pt2-mi-deber-es-agradar-al-publico
His humor, and edge, comes through for certain. I welcome Chelis and the club’s philosophy.
Members of Xenophobe FC unite in relaxation and enjoy the ride.
Because this is America and any hiring policy that is based on race or ethnicity is illegal. And is this is exactly the same situation as Zenit St. Petersburg that is against hiring players who are black or gay because of their history of only white and presumably non-gay players.
What Zenit is doing is racist to the nth degree. I guess the question is if me as a white person moves to Mexico and has children there with my white wife. My children are Mexican citizens, if one of my kids were good enough to play on the Mex national team (that pains me to write that) could they play for chivas, eventhough they are “white” mexican citizens? If the answer is no then it is a racist policy if the answer is yes as long as they are mexican nationals then it is not racism.
I agree that it isn’t racism, but that’s semantics. It’s still prejudice in no matter what the reason for it is. It’s still discrimination whether they’re discriminating against a race, gender, or in this case, ethnicity. You act like the club is fine and what they’re doing is ok because it isn’t racism, but other types of discrimination are acceptable…
True dat. But in all honesty I don’t think they willbhave a full 100% Mexican/Mexican-American team.
Illegal?
I’ve said this before, but it’s like going into a Mexican restaurant, and finding that much of the staff is of Mexican ancestry. Mexican food is as American as apple pie and has been for decades. There is no reason whatsoever that only Mexicans need to be hired. But there’s a heritage associaed with the food, and Mexican staff play to that heritage.
Chivas is a Mexican brand, so it’s a similar situation.
If that’s not good enough, make Spanish language a desired job skill. Justification? Community outreach to Spanish-speaking neighborhoods in southern California. As long as they really do that, I would see no legal problem. (And yes, lots of non-Mexican Spanish speakers would have that skill, but demographics suggest Mexicans and Mexican Americans would be the most represented.)
In any case, those shouting about illegal practices need to learn more about the law. There are any number of situations where organizations can extend preferencial hiring practices to people from, or with family from, a certain country.
The problem is that Chivas has announced the policy. It sounds like a flagrant violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. You cannot after the fact claim that such discrimination is based on another criteria, like fluency in Spanish because the prior statement clearly demonstrates the criteria was merely a pretext for discrimination. MLS legal should have been much more outspoken about this and prevented it from happening. Because MLS has a single entity structure, the whole front office could be liable.
To review, Chivas USA featuring an almost exclusively Mexican squad does not equal discrimination. Chivas USA announcing they want to limit their squad to Mexicans, then doing so, equals a violation of the ’64 Civil Rights Act.
I’ve wondered about the wisdom of that policy as well. MLS seems conscious of trying to avoid offending too many people. From a marketing perspective that seems smart. Why allow a team to have a policy that is going to divide the fan base over something other than the team itself?
I think MLS got it right when Houston changed its name from from 1836 to Dynamo. The name offended some hispanic fans. If I remember right it was around 10% of the survey responded that they were offended by the name. Even with the vast majority not being offended by the name, combined with the fact that a majority liked 1836, the name was still changed. While I liked the name 1836 I understand the marketing reasons why the name was changed. It is just a dumb idea to needlessly offend fans.
With that in mind it really surprises me that MLS is allowing a team to have a hiring practice that even if it was legal (I don’t know) would surely put any company in a really bad public light.
I disagree, 1836 was picked by a 20% plurality of fans in a divided vote. To most average fans it was Euro-trash groan inducing in the manner of Sporting KC. To a set of hispanics, some of whose support was going to be necessary to sell tickets and get a stadium done eventually, it was seen as offensive. In that context, I would agree that in a one team city it would have been foolish to write off part of the fanbase to defend a lousy name.
I would say that LA is different in the sense thatit is a two team city and to attract fans away from the Galaxy you have to offer something different. A different brand, different players, a challenge on the field, something. The problem I see with Chivas is not so much tilting hispanic, which they did even in the somewhat successful Bradley/Preki years where the failure talk wasn’t there, as that a completely homogenized team as the brand suggests is practically impossible under the cap/roster rules. They could be a little bit hispanic versus the Galaxy to differentiate, but if that results in a bad team then no one cares. Mexican players of note will often be too expensive or have no interest in taking this detour. Going puro hispanic might mean passing up on better available players. etc.
Just like TFC struggled when it tried to be a 433 Dutch island unto itself, trying to remake the MLS wheel, I think Chivas tends to run aground when it starts on one of these purity campaigns, Mexico, hispanic, So-Cal.
You realize that Dan Kennedy has been named captain of Chivas USA. Kennedy speaks spanish but he is not hispanic
Sorry to be a pedant, but ti wouldn’t be racism as “hispanic” is not a race. Bigoted? Myopic? If they can make it work, power to them I suppose, but they’ve been down that road before and it was a disaster.
Any idea what’s going on with Joe Gyau? I was hoping that his USMNT call-up last year was a precursor to a big 2013, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The U.S. could sure use a winger with speed.
Will TFC be able to score 30 goals this year?
i fkovermans stays healthy , yes, that dude is good
BTW are you a fan of Community aka the best comedy on tv?
Alison Brie.
That is all.
Annie’s Boobs.
that is all. twice.
Troy and Abed in the morning!
its good but new girl aint bad either
but yes…annie is the main reason to watch
what do you think is the fans/managers opinion of Dempsey? There seem to be tons of rumors that Spurs is ready to ship him off? Is it unfounded or just annoying fans?
Really? That kray.
Spurs fan here. He’s regularly slated on various boards. Completely unsure why.
From my understanding, while Dempsey is scoring goals, he’s doing very little else in the build up. If he was purchased as a pure striker, that might be acceptable- albeit he seems to miss a decent chance every game. However, Dempsey is being played in the hole so he needs a better developed game. It’s the same when he plays for the Nats – he scored against Honduras, however, many fans felt his overall game was weak.
Spurs want to play fast, passing, attacking soccer. I think Dempsey is more of a slower build up, physical kind of player. They are potentially a top three team so their expectations are higher than just scoring. Much like Berbatov at United – he scored goals, but he did little else. At that high of a level, you must do more for your team. Not to compare, but other number 10s would be Messi, Rooney, arguably Lampard, Muller, Del Peiro – all capable of scoring, but they bring much more.
While I think the criticism is excessive considering he’s scored so many in such a short amount of time, I do understand their frustration at his overall game. Unfortunately for Dempsey, most players make it at that level a lot earlier in their career so they have time to develop into that elite number 10. Credit to him, he’s doing it so late in his career.
With Holtby’s acquisition, Spurs don’t need Dempsey and Sigurðsson. The only way Dempsey gets dumped in the summer is if Spurs view Sigurðsson as the player with more potential. Between now and the end of May, it’s up to Dempsey to prove himself – yet again.
Dempsey’s never been a #10 really, to me, he’s more of a striker/wing attacker, who makes good late runs into the box, a player like that to me is better playing with a #10 than being one.
Not sure what Dempsey you are watching. He’s got a bunch of assists this year and he wins plenty of balls when that’s required of him, too.
Hey there, awfully close to posing as me!
They did the same kind of thing when Kasey Keller was there and he kept them up 2 seasons running. I don’t the Spurs supporters like American players at all. Plain and simple.
I swear, there’s more anti-Americanism from Americans than there is from the English at times, sorry but I think you’re wrong and paranoid.