I missed Friday's Here's What I Think About That due to traveling. So here goes today (while watching QPR v Stoke on NBC SportsNetwork)
1. Greg Dyke of the FA wants to reduce--drastically--the number of foreign players (non English) who can play in the Barclays Premier League. HWITAT: Mr Dyke.........give this some thought. You have the best League in the World, BY FAR, and it appears to be very profitable, and you want to wreck everything by adding in more English players. Mr Dyke, perhaps you missed it, but England's performance at FIFA World Cup 2014 was terrible (worse than US!) with all English guys......so, as they say in school...."do the math". Don't ruin a good--no, a GREAT thing--Mr Dyke. Just for reference, the mandatory insertion of 'nationals' into a League didn't go so well with the NASL. History has a way of repeating itself....just sayin'.
2. US Soccer. Hey! Who's in charge here? HWITAT: Hope Solo, our Women's National Team GK is up on domestic violence charges. She allegedly punched her sister and 17 year old nephew at a party. Sound somewhat familiar? If you haven't been paying attention, the NFL (most powerful sporting League on the planet) is dealing with several similar situations. i.e., Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Ray MacDonald, Jerome Dwyer. Really good players that star for their respective teams who hit people (women, children, maybe other men) and they have been suspended and/or fired. The past 2 weeks have brought to the forefront of national attention the disgrace of domestic violence--and worse, the attempts to cover-up the disgrace because these men were 'stars'. Now, US Soccer is faced with a very similar situation with our Women's National Team star, and US Soccer has very quickly buried their head in the sand and have not acted. Hope Solo should NOT be playing, and if found guilty of these charges should be released. She is an outstanding GK--a true 'star-- and I can tell you EVERY young female GK holds her up as a soccer role-model. Mr Gulati (US Soccer President), Ms Ellis (US Women's National Team Coach).........REALLY? REALLY?!? REALLY?!? Shame on you. Shame on our sport. Shame on Hope Solo. No hitting. Mr Gulati, Ms Ellis, Take action and do the Right Thing.
3. San Jose v Montreal. Tonight, 2 of 'my young GKS' square off against each other in an MLS match. Jon Busch (San Jose) and Troy Perkins (Montreal) were both GKs that I spent a lot of time training. Troy, from the age of 13. Both men have enjoyed wonderful professional careers and both have become--most importantly--fine young men. I am proud of their accomplishments in soccer (both have served US Men's National Team duty), of course; but I am prouder still of the men they have become. HWITAT: Truly CLASS. Good luck tonight, fellas. Hope you play to a 0-0 draw, making 12 saves each!
May the ground be soft beneath your dive, may the other team shoot right at you, may your goalposts be 3 feet wide!
Go TSC! Go NWC! Big tournaments this weekend.
All the Best--EV
1. Greg Dyke of the FA wants to reduce--drastically--the number of foreign players (non English) who can play in the Barclays Premier League. HWITAT: Mr Dyke.........give this some thought. You have the best League in the World, BY FAR, and it appears to be very profitable, and you want to wreck everything by adding in more English players. Mr Dyke, perhaps you missed it, but England's performance at FIFA World Cup 2014 was terrible (worse than US!) with all English guys......so, as they say in school...."do the math". Don't ruin a good--no, a GREAT thing--Mr Dyke. Just for reference, the mandatory insertion of 'nationals' into a League didn't go so well with the NASL. History has a way of repeating itself....just sayin'.
2. US Soccer. Hey! Who's in charge here? HWITAT: Hope Solo, our Women's National Team GK is up on domestic violence charges. She allegedly punched her sister and 17 year old nephew at a party. Sound somewhat familiar? If you haven't been paying attention, the NFL (most powerful sporting League on the planet) is dealing with several similar situations. i.e., Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy, Ray MacDonald, Jerome Dwyer. Really good players that star for their respective teams who hit people (women, children, maybe other men) and they have been suspended and/or fired. The past 2 weeks have brought to the forefront of national attention the disgrace of domestic violence--and worse, the attempts to cover-up the disgrace because these men were 'stars'. Now, US Soccer is faced with a very similar situation with our Women's National Team star, and US Soccer has very quickly buried their head in the sand and have not acted. Hope Solo should NOT be playing, and if found guilty of these charges should be released. She is an outstanding GK--a true 'star-- and I can tell you EVERY young female GK holds her up as a soccer role-model. Mr Gulati (US Soccer President), Ms Ellis (US Women's National Team Coach).........REALLY? REALLY?!? REALLY?!? Shame on you. Shame on our sport. Shame on Hope Solo. No hitting. Mr Gulati, Ms Ellis, Take action and do the Right Thing.
3. San Jose v Montreal. Tonight, 2 of 'my young GKS' square off against each other in an MLS match. Jon Busch (San Jose) and Troy Perkins (Montreal) were both GKs that I spent a lot of time training. Troy, from the age of 13. Both men have enjoyed wonderful professional careers and both have become--most importantly--fine young men. I am proud of their accomplishments in soccer (both have served US Men's National Team duty), of course; but I am prouder still of the men they have become. HWITAT: Truly CLASS. Good luck tonight, fellas. Hope you play to a 0-0 draw, making 12 saves each!
May the ground be soft beneath your dive, may the other team shoot right at you, may your goalposts be 3 feet wide!
Go TSC! Go NWC! Big tournaments this weekend.
All the Best--EV