president obama received his official galaxy shirt from landon donovan and a spanish conquistador david beckham.
Now that league champions have been crowned, and European places are (almost) finalized, everyone’s attention has briefly transitioned from on-field matters to off. Transfer speculation is in full swing, managers have been hired and fired, and agents are busy trying to count their chickens before they’ve hatched, Even the American President has gotten in on the action.
And like every other seasons’ end, I’m struggling to finalize post drafts that I’ve been working on for weeks/months. Some will be trashed, while others might yet see the light of day. So as I busy myself with making such important decisions, here are ten of my favorite links from the last week to satisfy your quench for footie-related goodness.
this is part IX in the “wrong side XI” series, where i’ll be selecting my very own starting eleven, assuming of course that i could choose any player from any team in the world. you can read the rules i’ll be following to make my team selection, and what formation i’ll be squeezing them into, on the first post in the series.
this collection of mighty mites will do battle for the honor of my starting offensive midfield spot.
Off all the positional choices for the wrong side XI series that I compiled since the beginning of the summer, my offensive mid selection has probably fluctuated more than any of the others. Of the five “lucky” men that managed to make this shortlist, all of them have occupied the top spot at least once or twice since I began work on this project. So as you might have guessed, making my final selection has been very, very difficult.
Complicating the issue is that all five of these players has been in phenomenal form over the last 18 months. They’re often one of the first names on their respective club’s teamsheets each match day, and are by far some of the most visible players on the field during those matches. Each is the central creative force for their club, and their play often dictates the fate of the outcome of the matches in which they take part.
Part of me wishes I could just pick them all. Hell, if I were to abandon the game plan I lined out in the first post in this series, and instead replaced it with a system akin to Barcelona’s interchangeable top four, I almost could have.
Unfortunately for no one but me, that’s not how I want to run my imaginary team. so we’ll have to narrow this down to just one midfield wizard… follow my thought process after the jump.
Sometimes you have to wonder if humanity would ever get anything done if it weren’t for disasters.
you knew i had to complain about this at some point, right?
It took a massive hurricane for New Orleans –a city stupidly built below sea level on a river delta– to actually spend any money to build adequate levies to prevent rising river/lake/sea water from ravaging the city. Japan needed to have a nuclear meltdown at one of their power plants before they thought, “Hey, maybe it would be a good idea to build impenetrable sea walls around our nuclear power plants!” Apparently, reacting after a disaster is the only way to save face.
And just as in the real world, the powers that be in soccer need to have their lack of action blow up in their faces before they decide to go about making needed changes in the game.
Refereeing has been the bane of FIFA’s existence the last year and a half. Bad decision after horrible decision, missed call after botched call, affected game after ruined game, the overall quality of supposed “top-level” referees in the game seems to have taken a massive dip. Some high-profile recent examples include:
Barcelona escaping any punishment for all of their diving during the Champions League clásicos.
Tottenham falling to Chelsea on an offsides goal and a goal that never crossed the line (see above).
Now to be fair, and I have been pretty harsh to the lot on this blog, all of the blame can’t be shouldered by the referees. Yes, some of the poor performances are definitely their fault: not being in the right place on the pitch to see the action, being inconsistent in the calls being made, or just plain making the wrong call. But a lot of this can also be blamed on the dramatic increase in the speed of the modern game. It can be awfully difficult to make a judgement call on a possible infraction that took place in a matter of milliseconds.
Regardless of the reason for the poor quality of refereeing, it’s clear these blind mice need some sort of help. And luckily for us, these events over the last year have finally forced FIFA’s dirty little hand.
Last week, FIFA announced a 2012 deadline for finding a suitable solution to the much maligned goal line technology debate. A long over due pledge, goal line technology is likely the easiest to solve of the issues plaguing the organization (At least they’re finally caving on one issue). And just in time, as it’s an issue that has recently severely impacted the results of some very major games.
So in light of such an important announcement, I thought it might be worthwhile to take some time to look at some of the contenders proposed to solve FIFA’s big problem.
a brilliant concept, but can CTRUS actually meet the standards for an actual ball?
CTRUS by agent
Purely conceptual (I think), we’re still a long way from seeing CTRUS as a viable solution for FIFA… and for multiple reasons.
A functioning model has yet to appear.
It requires no inflation, meaning by definition, it’s not a ball FIFA would approve. Massive rule changes would need to be instituted just for this mechanical ball to earn the coveted official “FIFA Approved” logo.
It’s way too cool for an archaic, old-fashioned organization to adopt.
What’s awesome about the CTRUS concept is that it’s not just the referee who will receive notice of a potential goal: everyone will. Thanks to the ball’s on-board GPS, RFID and multiple POV cameras, the ball will be able to determine its location and signal a goal or ball out-of-touch by changing its colors with LED lighting.
All bad ass ideas, but all assuming that Agen can actually get the thing to work.
"wait, i can't see around this post."
The Five-Man System
Everyone should be fairly familiar with FIFA’s only somewhat-sanctioned form of goal line technology, where an extra official is placed just behind and to the left of each goal mouth. Let’s first diligently declare that this is not a “technology” per se… unless the extra officials are some form cyborgs. And to be honest, this solution is really just four extra eyes to watch a ball from a closer angle.
Problem is, I don’t think that these guys provide that much additional value.
Since these guys are already qualified as professional referees, they’re allowed not only rule on goals, but also on other infringements in the penalty area. Sadly, I can’t think of one occasion where I’ve seen them call anything. Secondly, there’s still plenty of room for human error. In fact, there’s twice as much room for human error. So there’s really no possible way that this “technology” could even meet FIFA’s own 100% accuracy standards.
Goalminder
A relative unknown, at least as far as the media are concerned, Goalminder is a solution that involves placing fiber-optic, high-speed cameras in the posts and crossbar of each goal. Very reminiscent of the NHL’s downward facing camera used to verify goals, check out the video below for a horribly drawn out (and ADD distracted) demonstration:
One major problem with this solution is the time it would take to make a decision with cameras. Someone would need to watch the video, possibly frame by frame, and every angle could potentially be obscured by an errant arm, leg, foot or body. Are the referees supposed to pause the game as they wait for or make a decision? Who watches the video replays? In reality, there are more questions that actual answers with regards to Goalminder.
the infamous sputnik ball makes a return to WSOTP.
Cairos
remember the Sputnik ball that I had stupidly propped up on my site a few weeks back that purported to be the official 2014 World Cup ball? Well, as I said in the story, it’s not the next ball but rather an old prototype utilizing the “Cairos GLT” technology in adidas’ Teamgeist II.
A joint venture between adidas and Cairos Technologies, this system utilizes a series of in-ball sensors that, when the ball completely crosses the goal line, would immediately notify the referee that a goal should be awarded. It requires the posts and bars to transmit electromagnetic fields that would be measured by the ball’s microchips to determine its location on the pitch.
An earlier version of this system was demoed at the 2005 U-17 World Cup, but apparently wasn’t able to make the grade. With a bad taste already in FIFA’s mouth, adidas and co hopefully did their homework a bit better this time around in order to convince anyone that it’s a viable option.
Vegum/Tag-Heuer’s Goal Line Technology (GLT)
Cleverly named product, isn’t it? The famous watchmaker’s system was first developed ahead of 2010 Olympic Hockey tournament, and is currently solely marketed for use in hockey. It utilizes a centrally located microchip within the ball to gauge its position with regards to an electromagnetic field emanating from the posts, crossbar, and goal line.
hawk-eye's software uses multiple views to verify a goal. extra sets of intelligent eyes are never a bad thing.
Hawk-Eye
Already the master of millimeter-precise solutions for tennis, cricket, and even snooker, Hawk-Eye is the solution FIFA should already be using.
Hawk-Eye is a computer program that utilizes a set of 6 high-speed cameras at both ends of the stadium, each providing a different angle on the goal line action. The computerized brain then analyzes all of the video feeds to determine the trajectory, speed, and exact location at any given time. Even in situations when the ball is obstructed from every view, the system’s historical database can make accurate assumptions about the ball’s location, based on where it isn’t and historical data. So for those not able to follow, the system can “see” the ball even when it can’t.
The company and Premier League claimed in 1997 that they had the technology ready for in-game implementation, but FIFA was too busy turning a blind eye to the situation at that point. It’s proven to be invaluable in the sports that currently use the technology, which should lend plenty of credence to using it in goal-line decisions.
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Others companies (such as Swiss watch-maker Longines) are reportedly submitting proposals, but they’ve kept their brainchildren hidden away in the depths of the internet where I can’t find them.
It is also important to remember that this isn’t the first time FIFA have attempted to tackle the goal line technology debate. Back in February, FIFA put ten solutions through the wringer only to have them all fail to meet the stringent accuracy standards demanded by the ruling regime governing body. And that begs to question whether or not any of the possible solutions listed above will even be able to make the grade.
For everyone’s sake, let’s hope it does. FIFA and UEFA have spent too much time with their heads in the sand, and their precious game is suffering tremendously for it.
this is part II in the “wrong side XI” series, where i’ll be selecting my very own starting eleven, assuming of course that i could choose any player from any team in the world. you can read the rules i’ll be following to make my team selection, and what formation i’ll be squeezing them into, on the first post in the series.
reina, casillas, hart, lloris and howard all make my shortlist.
There was a position that I didn’t address in my first post, but let’s be honest… it’s the only position on the pitch that is never really affected by formation changes. I’m talking about the man at the back guarding the sticks: the goalkeeper.
When I first started the project of picking my first XI, I thought that picking a goalkeeper would be one of the hardest spots in my line up to fill. It’s not like picking for your marking backs, where if you like two players about the same, you can pretty much start them both. After all, only one keeper plays at a time.
On top of the difficult task of selecting a single man to fill this spot, you also have to be cognizant of the reliability and mental strength of the player you end up selecting. Keepers face monumental amounts of pressure, often facing complete blame for conceded goals that should rightly be blamed on the poor defending in front of them. And while everyone makes mistakes from time to time (england will forgive you, Robert Green), your goalie should be able to bounce back from his mistakes and learn from them.
So who makes the cut? Listed below are the candidates that i considered to fill my number one.
in the future, it might not be the best idea for this dad to bring his son to craven cottage.
it’s time for another international break and i’m already bored of it. not even marquee match ups like england-wales, usa-argentina, nor cyprus-iceland have tickled my fancy. so in an effort to help you find something interesting to read while redknapp and speed argue over who hurt bale first, here read these:
No one likes referees, certain ones in particular. They always try to ruin your fun on the field, they favor the other team, and call you for fouls you definitely didn’t commit. Even referees don’t like themselves, or so I’ve been told. Thinking about why anyone choses it as their line of work melts my brain, as I can’t see any logic in doing so.
van persie had reason to scream, along with many others, over the past few weeks.
Unfortunately, no matter how much we hate them, referees are a necessary evil. Let’s be honest, we players can’t be trusted to police ourselves. If for some reason we were left to do so, we would have infinitely more bruisers like Nigel de Jong, and virtually zero finesse players like Messi. Without them, Rino Gattuso likely would have killed someone by now.
And while I’m on this honesty kick, I’ll even admit that I think that officials actually have a pretty hard job. You’re not only expected to be the final judge on all 22 players on the field, how they’re behaving, and where the ball is in relation to the pitch, but do all of that at the same time. The modern game has become so lightening quick that decisions on offsides or late tackles occur in a span of milliseconds. That’s just a sliver of time to make a snap judgment on whether to blow, or not to blow (get your mind of the gutter) one’s whistle for a possible offence. It’s miraculous just how often they do get the calls right.
But lately, the percentage of correct calls (or no calls) seems to have taken a sharp dip. A small sampling from just the last two weeks includes:
In the world’s top competition, one could expect to see the best officiating, right? Wrong.
The most heated and controversial call recently was van Persie’s second yellow in Arsenal’s second-leg Champions League round of 16, awarded by Massimo Busacca for “time wasting.” This despite the fact that he had the ball for less than one second before shooting it wide by just a few feet, unable hear the whistle because there are 98,000 screaming fans. Also, be sure to keep in mind that this would all be moot if Rickety Robin had been properly sent off for his earlier missed stamp on Messi. Somehow, this went unpunished as well.
Handling a particularly rough World Cup final to generally positive reviews (except for maybe this), the normally decent Howard Webb didn’t like the way that Shakhtar’s Darijo Srna reacted to having Daniele de Rossi’s elbow parked in his face, so he carded him.
clattenburg thinking really hard if he saw wazza misbehaving.
Poor officiating has been rampant in the Premier League recently, too:
Martin Atkinson sent off Vidić for a second yellow, despite allowing Chelsea’s David Luiz to get away with an equally violent second yellow card offence minutes earlier. At least Fergie didn’t mind.
Anthony Taylor and his linesmen twice baffled the Arsenal faithful against Sunderland. First they ignored a blatant penalty when Arshavin was two-arm shoved by Titus Bramble. Then they disallowed Arshavin’s 87th minute winner because he was not offsides.
Superdouche Mark Clattenburg has continued on his moron march through the 2010/2011 Premier League campaign, with two major gaffes in the last two weeks. He somehow missed Wayne Rooney pile driving James McCarthy’s face, despite standing just a few yards away. Then he awarded a dubious penalty to Fulham. Why none of us expect this from Clattenburg yet is beyond me.
Peter Walton was charged with overseeing the midweek clash between Birmingham City and Everton, and forgot his cards in the dressing room. This one would have flown under the radar had it not been for Jordan Mutch’s 40th minute yellow.
Look, I know these guys aren’t perfect. They’re going to miss things from time to time; it’s human nature. Poor decisions will be made and they are rarely reversed, no matter how horrid the mistake. With that in mind, you can understand when I say that my complaint isn’t really with the referees, despite their obvious involvement.
As it turns out, my complaint (once again) is with FIFA.
First and foremost, FIFA need to end the pointless policy of not allowing anyone complain about the officiating. I get why they don’t want to be advertising bitching and moaning about the refs, a part of their larger “respect” initiative, as we can’t have kids calling their referee a chav every time they don’t agree with a call. But this rule needs to be done away with for the pure reason of fairness.
After each game, leagues require that their manager and players meet with the press to answer questions about the match. “Why did you choose to do this?”, “What are your thoughts about this decision?”, and “Why did your team lose?” These types of questions not only force the players/managers to explain their actions, but also are meant to bait the players into complaining about the referee’s decisions. Bite your tongues boys, as you can expect a charge from your FA if you voice to strong of an opinion.
So what they’re doing is placing them to come and give their thoughts to the press, but still strictly forbid them from speaking their minds when they answer the controversial questions with which they are being forced to field? That’s not fair.
If the players and managers are being forced to explain themselves, why aren’t the referee’s forced to do the same thing? Make Busacca stand in front of all the mics and cameras and explain how he expected van Persie to hear a whistle over the roar of one tenth of a million people. Even more satisfying, we could drag Clattenburg into an interrogation room and make him answer for all of his bad crimes calls over the last decade.
Secondly, FIFA need to quit dicking around and start providing the refs with some help, in particular with goal line decisions. While the addition of head sets to help the referee communicate with their linesmen is a step in the right direction, utilizing end line officials in a very small percentage of the competitions is not appropriately addressing the issue. Another set of eyes can’t eliminate the human error, it just lowers it.
my tv and a dvr remote are all the technology fifa would need to give refs a hand in making the right call.
The technology already exists to give quick and accurate review of close goal line calls. It’s called HD TV and a DVR, and I use it every day in my living room. This space age technology allows me to rewind the video, slow it down, look at it frame by frame. You wouldn’t even have to stop play to verify calls, as a one of your 4th official could review and relay to the man in the middle, who can then blow his whistle if he’s been told that a goal should have been awarded. Of course FIFA thinks this technology only exists as an idea in the future, and unfortunately Sepp burned his bridge with Marty McFly years ago.
With such important issues to consider and refereeing dominating the headlines, it’s a good thing FIFA’s rules committee convened a few weeks ago. Or so you would think.
While the committee did agree that more options need to be considered with regards to technology, the only rule that they actually made during their meeting was to end the legality of snoods. Yes, FIFA would rather make sure players necks aren’t too warm than tackle more important issues like consistency or goal decisions. “Technology will ruin the game!”
Like I wrote earlier, we need referees. The game we all know and love would be difficult to call a “beautiful” without them. We know too that they are humans, and they’re bound to make some mistakes here and there. But FIFA are slacking on both holding them accountable for their decisions and in helping them to make them consistently and accurately.
Simply put: it’s time for the governing body to wake up, catch up with the times, and do it in a hurrry.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but World Cup 2014 preparations in Brazil are going horribly. Construction delays are the face of the problems undermining the planning of the event, though the roots of those problems lie much deeper in the Brazilian culture.
brazil's ambitious plans are lagging far behind schedule; will they be able to get everything done by 2014?
Bribery and corruption are near-omnipresent in Brazil, and are likely at the heart of the problems surrounding the lead up to the next Big Show. So ingrained in Brazilian culture are these elements, that not even the country’s most famous son — and borderline demigod –, Pelé, is exempt of it’s sway and influence. That’s not to mention the country’s enormous crime problem, which undoubtedly also has its roots in these ethical issues in the country’s cultural personality.
Not that we haven’t seen construction delays and budget shortfalls in the run up to major sporting events before, but the sheer volume of work needed to be completed in just over three years makes it a daunting task. According to a report from the Bazilian Audit Court, critical problems are wide ranging:
Several host city airports are in danger of not being able to complete renovations in time to handle the massive crowds and increased flights expected in 2014. Work at the Salvador airport has yet to begin due to problems with the bidding process… more or less meaning they haven’t yet figured out who is willing to put in the biggest bribe(s) to land the contract(s).
Construction is way behind pace at the stadiums too. The opening match stadium in São Paulo, which would be built and owned by domestic power Corinthians, has yet to even have its design approved by FIFA. The renovations at the renowned Maracana in Rio de Janiero, set to host the final, have only just gotten underway and are already over budget. Officials fear that all 12 locations are currently in a race against time to meet their deadlines.
Allegations of misappropriations of public funds for both infrastructure and stadiums are piling up on top of a withdrawal of promised private funds, further compounding issues mentioned above.
The stadium in the capital city of Brasília — a planned “city of the future” that was literally cut from the jungle — seats 71,000. However, after the Cup it is likely to sit vacant as the local clubs don’t have large enough followings to fill them. Echoes of post-Cup South Korea in 2002 are ringing in my ears.
After construction delays and rumors that the South Africa finals relied upon the government to fund much more than originally promised, the lack of finalized plans and financial backing at this stage in Brazil is extremely worrisome. With many of the stadia and airport renovations/constructions yet to even start or absent of proper funding, you wouldn’t be off base in wondering whether there is enough time to get it all done.
So the question that begs to be answered is: what happens if they can’t get it all done?
FIFA have luckily already set precedent for that scenario. If need be, they will move major tournaments. The moving of 1986 finals from Columbia to Mexico, where the Columbian drug lords government couldn’t afford to meet FIFA’s ridiculous financial requirements to host, is the most glaring example of a massive change on short notice. More recently, they shifted the 2003 Women’s World Cup host from China to the United States (despite hosting the previous edition) just months before the tournament was to start due to some silly bird flu.
But, do FIFA have the stones to pull the 2014 edition from Brazil if necessary? Let’s first examine why they would not want to pull the trigger on such a move.
The Brazilian federation — and more importantly, their national teams — are the pride and joy of the FIFA’s overall Fair Play initiatives. Lately, the world’s governing body has been masking their evilness by trying to promote the game in third world and underdeveloped nations, many of which have weak international credentials. Despite a majority of Brazil’s population living at or below the poverty level, their national team is the most successful in the world.
The country has become such a proficient player factory, that its citizens literally feed the world’s demand for joga bonito in their own domestic leagues. Perhaps taking a page out of America’s Manifest Destiny mantra, the Brazilians have pulled themselves up by their boots straps to get where they are today. But taking away the marquee event from a country that pride’s itself on the sport would be like a gigantic stomach punch to the entire country.
As for the money that’s already been invested by the government and private parties, pulling the World Cup out would mean that those parties were epically swindled to donate to public works projects with no payout at the end. This could easily create a lack of investing confidence in the country, running the risk of destabalizing one of the fastest growing economies on the planet.
think the rioting in libya is bad? watch what happens if you take a world cup away from a country so passionate about their national sport.
It’s also been ages since a World Cup has been held in Latin America. Since their selection was based on Sepp’s continental rotaion policy — which is meant to be fair to the fans — FIFA would tarnish their already crap image if they go back on their word. Although, maybe that would make more people start to think that FIFA can’t even pick an adequate host for its own main event. Moving the big show would be just another huge black eye for the organization… though they’ve probably grown quite accustomed to that lately.
So if FIFA have all of these reasons to not ship the tournament off to another country, why then would they consider doing it? Just like with everything else FIFA, the answer is likely as simple as money.
As much as they would receive black eye for yanking the Cup from one of it’s most successful member nations, having the Brazilians run a shoddy tournament in inadequate confines would be just as bad. Under Blatter’s guidance, FIFA have built an incredibly strong brand that companies want to utilize for their own advertising initiatives. A poorly run tournament in Brazil could easily tank that incredible value, which would ultimately scare off big money corporate investors for future tournaments.
Sure, Brazil’s economy has been one of the few bright spots in the gloomy global economy. It’s likely the only country in South America who is economy strong enough to host an event of such magnitude. But it sure ain’t the American or Chinese for that matter, either.
It’s a safe assumption to say that the capability for maximizing the value of corporate sponsorship deals for a Brazilian tournament would be drastically smaller than if it were being held in Europe, Asia or North America. Is Brazil’s middle class wealthy enough to compensate for any drop in foreign attendance due to the underdeveloped airports or fear of crime?
Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not an economist. But I can’t imagine that FIFA wouldn’t make more money by moving the tournament from Brazil to a more traditional, Western market. Of course, this likely means more money that could find it’s way into the highly ethical pockets of FIFA Executive Board members. so with the Brazilian tournament seemingly on the path to disaster, why not pull out and place it in a more lucrative location?
we know that brazil can put on a good party... whether they can do the same for a 21st century world cup remains to be seen.
Now, I’m certainly aware that from an American fan’s perspective, this kind of switch would likely be the equivalent of hitting the soccer lottery. There’s little doubt that the US would be the automatic front runner to become the replacement host, edging out the English due to our track record of sort of pulling this off for FIFA in the past. Regardless of which of the two would be chosen as the replacement, it could be seen by many as a move by FIFA to try to mend some bridges after screwing over both associations in the 2018/2022 bidding processes.
Let it be clear, too, that I am not in support of giving us the tournament that is rightly Brazil’s (Though i would certainly take advantage of the situation if it were to work out that way!) unless it’s absolutely necessary. By all means, I’d prefer we give the Samba Boys some time to get their shit together. Because if we’re being honest, a World Cup in Brazil done right could be an absolutely amazing affair. Think Carnival (flair, extravagance, and of course boobs) combined with the Fan Zones at the Germany 2006 (cheerful socializing, beer and boobs).
Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if FIFA pulled this move off. Whether their reasoning is for the benefit of the game or for their bank accounts, is another thing all together. And for that reason, let us hope that we don’t ever have to find out.
for your benefit and mine, i will be limiting myself to only ten words on this event.
it’s been ten days of mixed emotions here at wrong side of the pond. while i’m obviously elated at spurs incredible displays during this time, the roller coaster ride prior to both dramatic final whistles makes me wonder how i didn’t suffer a heart attack. (tangent alert: i feel like the lillywhites are a shiny new redracer wagon that some neighborhood kid is speeding down the hill far too fast, the wheels just about to fall off, with only a few more exhilirating moments that will ultimately end in a heaping pile of disaster at the bottom of the hill. end tangent).
then of course there’s what happened in monday’s game in spain… actually i’ve decided i’m not going to talk much about el clásico. you can thank me later for sparing you an extra 2,000 words or so.
instead, i’ll give you less than 80. you’re welcome.
i have to admit that i have been overly focused on the USMNT in the last few weeks. it’s not like i don’t have my reasons though. i mean i am american, and i do support my own national team first and foremost. and for a change, the national team is relevant in the national sports landscape, so i’m getting way more news about the team than i had in years past.
selling your soul to the devil isn't exactly worth it now... right gio?
but there is so much else going on with the upcoming world cup, let alone the rest of the world of football, that i’m beginning to feel a little one dimensional at the moment. so let’s change it up a little.
the story of this world cup (so far) can be easily summed up with one word: snubs.
there are some ridiculously major names that have been snubbed off their world cup rosters. i wrote a piece a while back that outlined the best players that wouldn’t be going to the world cup, but that was mostly about players whose teams didn’t qualify.
well we could easily construct another list just as long with even more great players who were simply cut from their country’s world cup squad. these are players like theo walcott and adam johnson from england (i’m still raging that capello didn’t take johnson, and i think he’ll regret it when he finally puts shaun wright-phillips in), pato and ronaldinho from brazil (not surprising though), zanetti and cambiasso from argentina (this is further proof of maradona’s lack of brain), benni mccarthy for south africa, and totti and giuseppe rossi for italy.
maybe we could get an “alterna-cup” with a team of these guys playing against my original column’s roster? i would definitely watch that game.
but what really interests me about this new list is the very last name i mentioned. the exclusion of villareal striker giuseppe rossi wasn’t a huge shock, but at the same time he performed really well for italy in the confederations cup last summer. remember his goals against the USMNT? i certainly do, and also certainly remember him celebrating like a 12-year-old little girl and rubbing it in our faces.
if you were wondering if i sounded bitter in that last sentence, you’re right. but why?
well just in case you didn’t know, rossi was born in new jersey to italian parents. after being snubbed by the US olympic development program at the state level (take this time to un-swallow your tongue), gio used his dual citizenship with italy to represent italians at the u-16 through u-21 levels. he’s also one of the hottest properties in europe right now, and i would be shocked if the yellow submarines don’t cash in on him this summer.
his desire to play for the full azzuri team was so strong that he turned down a chance to play with the USMNT at the 2006 world cup. needless to say, we seriously dropped the ball at the beginning of his career.
but his decision to turn down his birth nation left me hating him just a little bit… at least as a person. on the pitch, i think he’s a fantastic footballer and the most talented player our country has ever produced (sorry landon and clint… perform like he does at the level he does, and i’ll reconsider).
and that’s what really chaps my ass about the entire situation. you see, rossi is currently a fringe player for the italians. he’s still young (only 23) and has a fantastic opportunity to advance his game and make it into the 2014 tournament and beyond. but that’s assuming that another young player doesn’t crop up between now and then and steal his place, which is a very real possibility.
had he played for the US, he would be a guaranteed starter and one of the biggest stars of the show. we wouldn’t have to be freaking out about charlie davies not making the squad if that were the case. he would have gotten to play in probably three world cups, maybe even four. and if playing in the world cup is the ultimate goal, then his ship could possibly have sailed.
i do get why he did it, though. and i doubt that playing in a world cup is his primary motivation. if i could, i would rather play for a world class national side that has a chance to win world cups. the US is still years away from being considered that class of a team.
but i can still feel bitter, because he turned us down like a jerk.
so that’s why when i saw that rossi didn’t make italy’s final 23-man squad, i couldn’t help but smile. i know i should probably feel a little bad for him, as i would certainly feel crushed if i were in his position. but turning your back on my national team is something that i can’t exactly forget.
karma is a bitch sometimes, and i’m sure rossi is feeling the burn right now.
enjoy your couch like the rest of us, gio. and when you watch the USMNT play, i hope that you have a tiny voice in the back of your head saying, “what if… what if…”
damn these winter olympics. they’re so freaking distracting.
despite the fact that there are more games in going on within a week either direction of today than in recent memory (premier league games were midweek last week, FA cup games and la liga games this weekend, champions league coming up this week), the festivities in vancouver this weekend has certainly caught my attention. for those who know me well, you won’t be surprised by this revelation. while soccer is my first love, skiing is my second, hence my ADD with respect to football at the moment.
the sounders look set to smash attendance records for the second year in a row.
however, i haven’t had my head completely turned by the world of winter sports. i’ve watched some games (notably the tottenham-bolton and portsmouth-southampton f.a. cup ties), and have kept my ear to the ground for an interesting happenings. maybe it would suit me best for another round-up. ok, let’s do an that to make up for my laziness lately.
injury-hit barcelona beaten by atlético – soccernet.com
finally, yes finally: barcelona have finally dropped all three points for the first time all season, after losing to inconsistent atlético madrid 2-1. this is fantastic news for those of us who are fans of los merengues, as real’s 3-0 win away to xerez means they move within two points of league leading barça. since i count myself among the madrid faithful, i have no doubt that the favor that our cross town rivals atlético provided real is of far greater importance than they provided themselves. it’s especially important to hear good news concerning the whites at the moment, as i’m crushed to be hearing that the enemy are drawing nearer to pulling of a big splash in the summer… now will someone go get me a beer, please?
why do brits wilt abroad? – bbc.co.uk
to answer the question asked by this link’s title, i always assumed it was because brits were candy asses that get too uncomfortable when they aren’t around people that serve tea every day. only kidding, but the author does pose a serious, if not often pondered, question. it’s always been astounding to me how few british players have even just attempted to ply their trade abroad, let alone how many have been successful when they’ve risked it. in recent memory, only owen hargreaves (at bayern munich), david beckham and steve mcmanaman (both at real madrid) have held their own for an extended time in a top continental league. it is postulated that brits tend to do a horrible job of assimilating into their foreign squads, which means they don’t form any solid bonds/understanding with their teammates, which means they end up being lonely and ineffective on the pitch. maybe that’s it, maybe it’s not. whatever the reason is, i would venture to say that the english national team’s failure to land a major trophy in the last 40 years has to do with the lack of varied experience the team has had in it’s ranks.
seattle sounders fc nears season tickets near cap – theolympian.com
it wasn’t a fluke folks. for the second year in a row, the enthusiastic fans of neon green and blue in the pacific northwest are on pace to sell out their season ahead of time. as of last week, the sounders had sold 31,000+ season tickets out of 32,000 (for a comparison, the columbus crew stadium seats 22,500). this is a giant middle finger to any of the doubters out there –ahem, jim rome– that say that soccer will never be a legitimate sport in the states. keep in mind that they intentionally limit seating in the stadium built for the NFL’s seattle seahawks, as is the case with all NFL stadiums used by MLS. i guarantee that if the bigwigs that own the team would open the entire stadium, they would sell even more season tickets than they do now.
how i was conned at notts county – guardian.co.uk
for the first time ever, i feel a little bad for sven-göran eriksson. the sweedish manager, formerly in charge of benfica, roma, fiorentina, sampdoria, lazio, england, man city, and mexico (what a mouthful, and i left off his home country clubs!), has finally spewed his anger in the direction of his last job with the world’s oldest football club, notts county. lured by the promise of limitless funds and the desire to raise the historic club from the depths to premier league, sven was left stranded trying to steer a ship abandoned by it’s phony owners. now that he’s finally abandoned ship himself (and i don’t blame him), after it was sold for literally £1, he’s launched a scathing attack at the ownership group that deceived him. trust me, it’s worth the read.
MLS academies look to set the standard – goal.com
i think they’re finally starting to get it. as i said back in september of last year, the USMNT is never going to be successful until we start nurturing out best young talents in a professional environment. MLS must have heard my cries, as a nearly league-wide effort to set up youth clubs has sprung up at just about every MLS franchise. what’s great about this is that by creating these youth academies, MLS clubs are helping themselves develop better talent at less cost and eventually making themselves more competitive. and if i were a kid, i can assure you that i would have wanted to play for an MLS club team. my sister works as a coach, and she can attest that the best players flock to play with a club associated with a professional team. needless to say, i’m excited to see how this will pan out.
premier league plans play-off for last champions league place – guardian.co.uk
in attempt to block the big four’s vice grip of the english champions league places, the EPL are contemplating a controversial play-off format to decide the fourth champions league spot. akin to the play-off format used in the english league pyramid’s promotion system, we could possibly see teams as low as seventh place competing to land the last lucrative spot in europe’s big dance. not shockingly, the big four are completely against the idea (you would probably be a little hesitant too when someone was threatening your millions of dollars annual funds), while some of the smaller clubs are obviously keen to give the idea a go. as a tottenham fan, i would like to see them finally get a crack at the champions league, and i’m sure that aston villa and everton fans are nodding in agreement with me right now. however, i also worry that this play-off system could be nothing but a money making scheme for the premier league.
