1. Di Maria to Man U. HWITAT: It seems clear after a few matches that Man U is maybe going to struggle more than everyone thought--including me. van Gaal has now bought Di Maria in an effort to help score goals. But in the 2 games I have watched, Man U has defender problems....not scoring problems. There is noise about van Gaal going after Daley Blind to help the defense, but I have my doubts that one guy is the answer here. It will be interesting to watch Man U over the course of this season. If you're a Man U fan, it could be another long one.....
2. University of Louisville joins the ACC and opens a GLORIOUS new stadium. HWITAT: If you get a chance, go to U. of Louisville's Athletics website and check out the new soccer stadium that they are christening this week. Truly outstanding. Coach Ken Lolla calls it the best collegiate soccer stadium in the US, and he's probably right. Wow! Good luck to UoL in their inaugural ACC season!
3. Jermaine Jones to New England Revolution. HWITAT: Good.....I guess??? Jones had a solid World Cup for USMNT, and scored a superb goal against Portugal--all well and good--but is he really going to help New England substantially? I have my doubts, but time will tell. I hope I am wrong. By the way, I am stating right now that I was dead wrong when I predicted Man U as Premier League Champs. There. I said it.
4. Will Balotelli really help Liverpool? HWITAT: Yes. I believe he will. It's hard to mark everyone out of the match if you're playing Liverpool. Mark Balotelli? Mark Sturridge? Mark Sterling? Pick your poison. Balotelli will not score 30+ goals like Suarez, but he will help the potency of the Liverpool attack.
Have a great weekend! Get out and watch your kids play, watch a college game, watch a pro game near you.
May the ground beneath you dive be soft, may the other strikers shoot straight at you, and may the goalposts be 3 feet wide.
All the Best--EV