From the Bleachers by Neal Thurman - August 14, 2007 |
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It seems we had something of an English flavor to this past week and weekend in the soccer world. Whether it be via the import or actually across the pond, everything centered around England. |
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| ▪ Brazil in for El Tri on US Slate | |||
| ▪ England Weekend Review | |||
| ▪ England Season Guide | |||
| As the camera (frequently) panned past him on the bench, there was a mixture of applause from appreciative fans, squeals from women young and old, and a healthy smattering of boos from people either supporting the home team or disgruntled at not seeing Becks from the kickoff. Never has some stretching on the sidelines of a soccer match generated so much excitement on this side of the Atlantic. About 90% of the audience sat through a driving rainstorm with some of the biggest raindrops I've ever encountered for the chance that MIGHT see Beckham kick the ball in anger. Finally, with about 25 minutes left, the stretching recommenced in earnest, and to the delight of the female fans in the house, the man they'd all come to see stripped down to his bare chest (I thought my ears were going to burst), put on his Galaxy jersey and entered the match gimpy ankle and all. The appearance didn't yield much in terms of actual results, but the anticipation was there like electricity in the crowd every time he touched the ball. His one set piece was from too far away for mere mortals (read: pretty much everyone in MLS) to do much with it. But I know I was nervous and I also know I wasn't alone. People can have their opinions on how good Becks is as a player or be cynical about his motives for coming to America, but there can be no doubt that he has brought a level of energy and media focus to MLS. Now it's on the league to capitalize. EPL Beginnings There are others who write more extensively on the EPL for American Soccer Daily, so I won't belabor things too much, but I will give you some quick thoughts on opening week. First, some things I noticed while watching WAY too much soccer over the weekend (Spurs/Sunderland, Man City/West Ham, Liverpool/Villa; Fulham/Arsenal, Man United/Reading, and a little of Derby/Portsmouth). Never underestimate the power of a strong manager to get a lot out of mediocre talent. If you look at the talent on the field for Mark Hughes, Steve Coppell and Roy Keane you wouldn't be blown away - but each man's team outstripped expectations on opening day. None of the three has an unlimited budget to work with or overwhelming talent on the roster, but all three know how to organize and get the most out of what they have. Don't bet against these teams doing better than you think they should. You can fill in your own joke here about his social life, but that Sven Eriksson sure does know talent. Between Elano, Martin Petrov and Rolando Bianchi, he signed at least three excellent attacking players in a short period of time over the summer. They aren't enough to challenge the "Big Four", but they'll put Sven's boys in the mix in the top half of the table and maybe for a UEFA Cup spot next year. Guys like Fernando Torres (Liverpoo), Malouda (Chelsea) and Nani (Man United) played to form - or at least cost - but some other guys who weren't as highly touted who played well included John Utaka, David Nugent (both Pompey) and Roque Santa Cruz (Rovers). Okay, it's still early, but Martin Jol looks ready to pay the price for buying sexy strikers for big money over the summer rather than putting his money where his talent gaps were - in the midfield. Jenas, Zokora, Tainio and Malbranque are not the midfield to challenge for a Champions League spot. The fact that all four of the headline teams - Chelsea (defense), ManYoo (finishing), Arsenal (finishing) and Liverpool (wings) - showed weakness during the first week and some other teams have the resources to bring in more talent should mean we have one of the most competitive chases for the title in years. Benny Finally, at the other end of the table - or at least we expect that's where Derby will reside most of the year - we now find American central midfielder Benny Feilhaber. It's never a great situation when a player doesn't get to play during the preseason, especially when that player is young with the dearth of talent all over the pitch for Derby, but this should be a great opportunity for Feilhaber to raise his game. His main veteran competition, Andy Todd, does have a few things going for him. First, he scored a critical goal at the death to draw Derby even in their opener against a more talented Portsmouth team. Second, Todd's father was something of a legend at Derby in the '70's so there's every reason to give the son the benefit of the doubt. That said, Todd isn't brimming with what you'd call upside nor does he possess the variety of skills that Feilhaber does. Look for Benny to be getting meaningful time in the line-up within a month and to be starting by the middle of the season. It's a great move for him personally that should benefit the National Team. Back Home As we look forward to this week with the distractions of the EPL season openers falling away, we can put eye to a full program of MLS action, along with the semifinals of the SuperLiga. Dallas, Houston, and New England are the leaders heading into the homestretch, but all three are showing vulnerability. FC Dallas lost Juan Toja to injury, Houston lost a bad one on the road to RSL and New England got pasted 3-0 at home to DC United last weekend. None of the three situations are tragic, but with Houston slowing down a little bit there isn't a clear favorite based on current form - good news for those of us hoping for an exciting MLS playoff season. My bet is that someone outside of the current top three ends up getting hot and winning the Cup. As for SuperLiga: look for DC to beat LA and Pachuca to shock Houston this week - just a gut feeling. |
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