The symbolic beginning of the English Premier League season has kicked off this morning with the Community Shield between Chelsea and Manchester United.
The top two teams in England are squaring off in the match before the actual Premier League season kicks off next week.
Chelsea-ManU is just one of a handful of promising matches on today's schedule. Three MLS tilts are on tap, including a highly-anticipated match between the New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire, a match that could feature an MLS-record five Designated Players.
If you will be watching today's action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (Today's TV schedule is after the jump):
TODAY'S SOCCER ON TV
7:35am– Cardiff City vs. Sheffield Wednesday
10am– Fox Soccer Channel- Chelsea vs. Manchester United (Community Shield)
1pm– Telemundo- UNAM Pumas vs. Cruz Azul
1pm– Azteca America/Fox Soccer Espanol- Morelia vs. Queretaro
3pm– Fox Soccer Plus- Montpelier vs. Bordeaux
6pm– Galavision- Tecos vs. Puebla
7pm– Fox Soccer Channel/FSE- FC Dallas vs. Philadelphia Union
8pm– Fox Soccer Channel- Philadelphia Independence vs. Boston Breakers
9pm– ESPN2/ESPN3.com- Chicago Fire vs. New York Red Bulls
11pm– Direct Kick- Seattle Sounders vs. Houston Dynamo.
You’re right, goals aren’t always the deciding factor…
But when one player is consistently putting them up and the other can’t ever get on the scoresheet – THEN it is the deciding factor. They’re STRIKERS! That’s their main job, to try and make your argument is just trying to sound more intelligent than anyone should give you credit for
(SBI-I would suggest that we all save this Chicharito-Altidore debate for another time and place. It’s run its course here and it has gone further than it needed to, thanks in large part to the trolling of a handful of people on each side of the debate. This post is supposed to be about today’s games, not some random argument being perpetuated mainly by three or four people.)
Chicharito is technically miles ahead of Altidore. I am a huge US fan, til my death, but Jozy is in real need of a first touch, quickness (not to be confused with speed) and a more complex football brain (Have you seen chichariots runs?)
+1
That’s so fetch.
so you actually wanted a fully detailed list from the guy?
Jozy is fcking 20 YEARS OLD!! That’s the problem with American soccer fans, if a kid who is hyped to be a great player isn’t known as one of the best to ever put on boots they’re automatically terrible players or they’re never going to do anything. This kid has TIME to DEVELOP. When you were 20 were you the best you were ever going to be? I didn’t think so. 2 years is a big difference in terms of soccer development, give the kid time, he might surprise you.
how dare you bring reality and perspective to an argument that has been based on hyperbole and speculation thus far!
Jozy is running out of excuses. I saw him at the KC Stadium in Hull last year–he was exhausted by ’70 minute! He was playing in the EPL and he wasn’t even match fit. (It was well after his arrival.)
I love Jozy and the USMNT–you won’t find a bigger fan–but he has a lot of work to do and a long way to go.
The moment you omitted Forlan your list lost credibility. I’ll bet you anything “Chicharito” will be one of the top ten strikers in the world when the seasons over.
dude, quit working in extremes. just bc we don’t think he’s better than chicharito doesnt mean we think he’s “nothing”
Is the World Cup a glorified friendly as well? Are France and Argentina the equivalent of Stoke and Leeds?
Is scoring against Spain in the Confederations Cup, a meaningless tournament, supposed to mean something?
Hernandez has scored at every level he’s played including Mexican Primera, Copa Libertadores and World Cup. He also has a better goal record for Mexico in less games played against better opponents (Holland-header, France-right foot shot, Argentina-left foot shot) compared to Altidore.
Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated the kid is worth three times what they paid for him so yes, he is better than Altidore and is obviously worth more based on what they’ve done on the field.
By the way, Hernandez isn’t two years older than Altidore, they’re only 14 months apart and were both eligible for the U17 WC in 2005 and the U20 WC in 2007 in which they both played in.
*sir
Haha, well played ir.
For the love of god, can we for ONCE talk about something other than goals.
Goals are completely relative — Chicharito scored one today and did very little to deserve it. You could get a perfect rating in a game without so little as hitting a shot on net. It’s like a pitcher going nine innings, giving up 1 earned run and getting the loss. Goals do not define the quality of a player and people who continually rely on the fact that “one guy scored goals and the other didn’t so obviously he must be WAY better” as the deciding factor between two very good players is foolish. Some of the commenters here just REALLY don’t get it.
Jozy is class. Full stop.
Soon
I’m not saying jozy is better as he isn’t. I’m just saying give him a little slack. He scored pretty fast while at villareal where he received service. He just hasn’t received good service since being on loan.
World’s best strikers are Villa, Drogba, Dzeko, Torres, Higuain, Gomez, Milito, Rooney, Van Persie, Ibrahimovic, Tevez,
Aguero, Gomez, Defoe, Llorente, Huntelaar are the guys probably included in top 30
Hernandez is probably top 40. Jozy is top 80.
So the guy is better than Jozy but he’s not some LEGEND at the moment. Jozy will get better. He may not win the Golden Boot in England or score a hat trick in the WC but Jozy will win us Gold Cups and lead us well in the Confederation Cup and should have a sorta McBride like stats wherever he will play.
chicarito is better than jozy, true. hell, why doesnt jozy just quit soccer then? lets dissolve the USSF, there is no hope for the future at all!
The comentator was refering to what sir alex ferguson said. But hey the better altidore was worth less and manu had a whole season to look at him in the epl…… go figure
Settle down. Chicarito is definitely gonna be a great player but this was still just the community shield. Lets see what he does when league play really gets going…
Plus guys he scored with his freakin face….That was about as long as it gets. His shot on a wide open goal was heading (pun not intended) over the bar….
That being said, he reads the game really well and far better than Jozy…But Jozy is 2 years younger so lets have some patience.
huh… i mean whether… man i am such an idiot
saying that a comparison is sophomoric and then mixing up weather and whether…
i am such a darsh
Not best striker in the world just one step ahead of jozy
I am glad i started this becuase it is very amusing. Right now jozy and chicharito are tied on EPL goals oh wait the Community Shield is a glorified friendly they are not tied. But fact remains is that Jozy is 2 years younger and has played well for club and country. At 18 and 19 he played in the EPL and La Liga (which means nothing since he is rubbish). So i still so do not see the huge gulf between them. My initial comment why is chicharito so much more valued as a transfer than Jozy. If you watched the match one commentator said after the WC hernandez was worth triple the $14MM. Really. Again we will see what happens. Hernandez might be the next best thing but Jozy has the tools to eventually be a great player. And is not worth 2 or 3 times less than Hernadez.
Agreed. My above comment was not to deride Jozy, I don’t think he’s lagging far behind if at all in his development, but the debate wasn’t about whether Altidore is a good player, it was whether Chicarito is better then him, which at this point there is a simple answer: yes.
Even I can get open net goals, but I am not good enough to pass myself the ball and hit it with my face and score the goal.
You guys are right. Chicharito will be the best striker in the world.
Way to support the U.S.A by trashing our young striker. Right now Hernandez is better, but who knows what the future holds.
Herc Gomez had 11 goals so did Hernandez and Herc won the golden boot becuase he played less minutes. What is your point about playing less games? So Jozy scoring in qualifying, vs Spain, vs Turkey, scoring in the prem and winning penalties and fouls means nothing? Wow!
Ok we get it jozy is faster,bigger,stronger.and taller. He is also faster,bigger stronger, and taller then raul, higuain, crespo just to name a few. The difference they score, same with chicharito. You guys saying altidore is better the chicharito sound like mexico fans when the lose to USA, example “mexico has all posession and a little of bad luck so that’s why they lose yet mexico is the better team” yet the results is all that matters. Your team scores more goals then your opponet you win. Hernandez score more goals then jozy, you guys can figure it out. Its also about opportunities and to this point hernandez has taken full advantage.
Herc Gomez won the golden boot in Mexico becuase he played the least minutes of the top goal scorers. Same goal tally as Chicharito. Don’t let facts get in the way.
At this point I don’t see how it’s a debate. Chicharito is better than Jozy.
uh…
I think Chicharito is better than Jozy but not that much. However Chicharito is good enough to have attracted a big team and that always helps. Jozy is a good player, but it seems that many here expect him to be the best striker in the world. I don’t think he will ever be the best in the world but I am sure will be the best the USMNT will offer in a long time. Jozy is young and has a lot of potential.
Pretty much. Both strikers… And one rarely scores. That seems pretty cut and dry to me who is better.
I wish 8 would roll around so I can watch the Fire in person.
the debate is not weather he can score or not, its weather his better than jozy.
sorry, i meant to say those who are for them
Let me get this straight,
While posters on SBI are debating weather “Chicharito” can score, the kid scores on every single game no matter how many minutes he plays…right?
Go figure!
The comparison with Jozy is sophomoric.
“Nice finish by Chicharito” —
I’d give you points, if I thought you were trying to be funny.
He almost completely missed an open goal with a total mishit, but he was saved because his face got in the way.
Hmmm…. And, you think it’s just bad luck for Altidore that Jozy isn’t wanted at Villareal, had trouble getting into the lineup at Hull, whereas Chicharito was coveted by Man Utd of all teams and is forcing his way into the lineup?
Strong argument.
That’s right.
He played against England, Slovenia, Algeria and Ghana and couldn’t score while Javier did in limited minutes.
the ones for or against him?
(Shrug) He’s got a decade to prove you wrong. Incidentally, no wonder American strikers lack confidence when every time one of them reaches prominence, people whip out their top ten list of strikers that the world has produced to compare. I don’t think Jozy will ever be the world’s best finisher, but that is something only David Villa, Rooney, Higuain, and a few others have become. Drogba was nothing at his age, there’s really no point. We’ve got other talented finishers in the works, are we planning on doing the same?
Calm down you guys. We get it. Hernandez is a better striker than Altidore, but I doubt he is as much better than most of you claim. Hernandez did very well in Mexico but now he’s in England, the best league in the world with 1 of the best teams in the world. If he does well and consistently he can become one of the best strikers in the world.
But at the moment he is still more potential than anything concrete besides his WC play and Mexican success. Jozy is still more potential as well since he hasn’t gelled so far. But don’t give up on Jozy. The key is not to put so much pressure on young stars especially ours. Look at EJ, loads of pressure at a young age and same with Adu. Bradley however seems to gel with pressure. Jozy will do well in time.
respect for concacaf. did you even read his comment?
if only they had special sensors at the world cup that could measure speed, that would settle the faster argument.
You are every bit as ridiculous as the US fans you are deriding. Jozy had 28 appearances at Hull. Try to stick to the facts instead of just making stuff up in your next diatribe.
Go back and read Barry’s second post.
He says that “Jozy was running by England, Spain and Mexico”, implying that he did it on consistent basis which is just not true. He was dispossesed by Salcido and Osorio when 1v1 and only beat Salcido to a long ball once.
Lol
How is it good for the USMNT that a Mexican player is succeeding at a great club? That doesn’t make any sense…
Jozy played for Hull because that is the level his ability is at. He is a Championship caliber player. He should have never been in the Prem and he should have never went to Spain. Jozy will never be that “giant.” He isn’t good enough, and if we are depending in Jozy in 2014 to be scoring loads of goals to win games than we are in big trouble.