OK! It's Friday! You got through another week! So, Here's What I Think About That.......
A. Tim Howard says he will take a 1 year break from the US Men's National Team. HWITAT: Well deserved, Cap'n America! Well deserved. Enjoy your break from strenuous travel and commitment, and concentrate on your Everton duties. We wish you nothing but success, and thank you again for your exemplary play this Summer.
B. Balotelli to Liverpool. HWITAT: In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Liverpool fan--always have been. I think Balotelli will help close the 31 'goal gap' that Suarez leaves. I think Balotelli's arrival will be great, and as I said, he will help take a bite out of the goal gap. (See what I did there?) I don't think Balotelli will score 31 goals, but every bit helps.
C. Petr Cech out at Chelsea. HWITAT: Can't be happy times at Chelsea. Cech must be looking to get away. I understand Morinho wanting to use Courtois, whom Chelsea owns and who played very well at WC2014; but pulling the trigger on a great GK who has served the club well for so many years is a ballsy move. The kind of move that can serve to rejuvenate your "Special One" status, or get you fired. 'GK gambles'...exactly what the name says....ask Greg Ryan.
D. Hope Solo. HWITAT: Train wreck. Look, good GK for our US Women's National Team. Good GK. But Ray Rice is a 'good' running back for the Baltimore Ravens. Ray, you can't go around beating up your fiance in an elevator, and Hope, you can't go around beating up your relatives. Just can't do it. At some point in sport, off-the-field issues (particularly assault and battery) need to carry more weight in the decision by coaches and administrations on IF a player can/should be on-the-field. The NFL screwed up on the Ray Rice 'verdict'.
US Soccer needs to act--and get it 'right'--on a decision of allowing Solo to play as if nothing untoward happened. Get it right.
E. Barcelona (and other top European clubs) starting US Player Academies. HWITAT: Barcelona will launch, later this month, the FCB Escola Florida in Ft. Lauderdale. An 'academy' for youth player development. I gotta' say, I 'called' this years ago. The big clubs--globally--need to find and/or develop the best players on the planet. National "papers" and work-permits aren't going to matter much anymore when it comes to 'feeding the monster' of the big clubs and their big business models. European and South American "heavies" are going to begin coming to the US and harvesting players. That is SO COOL.....unless you're the MLS. Watch out fellas.......I'm sure you have a contingency plan for this, commissioner. NO?
Uh oh.
Wouldn't it be great if John Feinstein would do a book on Soccer in the US? How cool would that be? Just sayin'.
OK, my Blog-lodytes! Enjoy the weekend, and may the ground beneath your dive always be soft; may your opponents always shoot right at you; and may your goalposts be 3 feet wide!
All the Best--EV
A. Tim Howard says he will take a 1 year break from the US Men's National Team. HWITAT: Well deserved, Cap'n America! Well deserved. Enjoy your break from strenuous travel and commitment, and concentrate on your Everton duties. We wish you nothing but success, and thank you again for your exemplary play this Summer.
B. Balotelli to Liverpool. HWITAT: In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Liverpool fan--always have been. I think Balotelli will help close the 31 'goal gap' that Suarez leaves. I think Balotelli's arrival will be great, and as I said, he will help take a bite out of the goal gap. (See what I did there?) I don't think Balotelli will score 31 goals, but every bit helps.
C. Petr Cech out at Chelsea. HWITAT: Can't be happy times at Chelsea. Cech must be looking to get away. I understand Morinho wanting to use Courtois, whom Chelsea owns and who played very well at WC2014; but pulling the trigger on a great GK who has served the club well for so many years is a ballsy move. The kind of move that can serve to rejuvenate your "Special One" status, or get you fired. 'GK gambles'...exactly what the name says....ask Greg Ryan.
D. Hope Solo. HWITAT: Train wreck. Look, good GK for our US Women's National Team. Good GK. But Ray Rice is a 'good' running back for the Baltimore Ravens. Ray, you can't go around beating up your fiance in an elevator, and Hope, you can't go around beating up your relatives. Just can't do it. At some point in sport, off-the-field issues (particularly assault and battery) need to carry more weight in the decision by coaches and administrations on IF a player can/should be on-the-field. The NFL screwed up on the Ray Rice 'verdict'.
US Soccer needs to act--and get it 'right'--on a decision of allowing Solo to play as if nothing untoward happened. Get it right.
E. Barcelona (and other top European clubs) starting US Player Academies. HWITAT: Barcelona will launch, later this month, the FCB Escola Florida in Ft. Lauderdale. An 'academy' for youth player development. I gotta' say, I 'called' this years ago. The big clubs--globally--need to find and/or develop the best players on the planet. National "papers" and work-permits aren't going to matter much anymore when it comes to 'feeding the monster' of the big clubs and their big business models. European and South American "heavies" are going to begin coming to the US and harvesting players. That is SO COOL.....unless you're the MLS. Watch out fellas.......I'm sure you have a contingency plan for this, commissioner. NO?
Uh oh.
Wouldn't it be great if John Feinstein would do a book on Soccer in the US? How cool would that be? Just sayin'.
OK, my Blog-lodytes! Enjoy the weekend, and may the ground beneath your dive always be soft; may your opponents always shoot right at you; and may your goalposts be 3 feet wide!
All the Best--EV