Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Our game against the New York Red Bulls this past weekend was another wild and entertaining match.  The beginning of the match was sort of back and forth, sort of disjointed, and it took about 15 minutes for the match to settle down.  We got on the board first, silencing the crowd at Giants Stadium, when Edson made a good run on the left side of the field from a perfect Beckham ball.  Eddie was able to get endline, turned the corner, and served a ball across the box, where Carlos was on the other end to bury it with a solid header.  It was great to see Fish get on the scoresheet for the first time this season and hopefully he’ll continue to gain momentum.

New York scored the next two goals with Van Den Burgh striking a second line shot and a pretty goal from Juan Pablo Angel.  On the next one, Angel found himself in the box and hit a cheeky little chip shot to put the Red Bulls up 2-1.  New York continued to pile on the pressure but we were able to keep the same scoreline.  Late in the match, we switched to a 3-5-2, bringing on Alan Gordon.  With the late change, we were able to create a good rhythm in midfield and pushed for the equalizer.  In stoppage time, Landon whipped a ball in from the left side that put the Jon Conway on his back foot and it found its way into the back of the net.  2-2.  With a newfound sense of confidence and energy, we continued to push for the win in stoppage time and nearly stole 3 points on the road when Landon hit the post about a minute after his goal.  It was a crazy ending to the match.  It ended 2-2 – we’ll definitely take a point on the road in the hot conditions, on turf, and it was a good game for the fans to watch.

After a couple days off for the All-Star Break, everyone is back in town and training hard again.  It’s clear that everyone kept their fitness because the sessions have been sharp and everyone looks refreshed and ready to go.  We’re back to conference play this week as we head to Texas to take on FC Dallas.  Dallas is another team who has tied a number of games recently so both teams will be pushing hard, looking for 3 points.  While we’ve been picking up points through draws, we could really use a 3 point victory to put us back on the right track.

This Week

As I said we’re all back at work now, getting ready for Dallas this weekend.  The hard work continues…

This past week was quite nice.  Because I did not make the travel roster for the New York game, I flew home to Pennsylvania when the team left for NYC.  I haven’t been home for about 6 ½ months so it was nice to go home and spend time with my family.  I hadn’t seen a cornfield in so long and forgot what cow manure smells like – and hopefully I’ll forget that odor again soon. 

I was actually at the game in the stands with my family so I got an interesting perspective on the match.  Both of my brothers, my little sister, my mom and I made a day trip, getting to the game early for a little tailgate action.  My little brother, Zarek (a member of the US U-20 National Team pool), has his driver’s permit right now and he got in some good highway driving practice on the trip from Lancaster, PA to East Rutherford, NJ.  Because concessions are ridiculous and we didn’t feel like paying $15 for a hotdog and a Gatorade, we decided to put together a little tailgate so that we could eat a good meal before the game.  My older brother was the meat man and made shish-kebobs and burgers while my mom packed all the sides.  It was a great idea and it was a great day for my family.

My family was decked out in Galaxy gear to support the team.  I, on the other hand, wore camo shorts and a plain T-shirt because, well, I felt that was more appropriate for me to wear that.  At one point a loud, drunk lady in front of us turned around and looked at us.  The drunk lady was supporting the Galaxy that day although I don’t think she qualifies as a fan.  Slurring her words she said “You’re cheering loud and have nice clothes on.  You guys are great Galaxy fans…except for you.”  She pointed at me. “You’re not wearing Galaxy clothes and you’re not a real fan.”  If she only knew…

It was great to get some home-cooking.  Although I cook myself some pretty good meals every night (I just bought a Crock-Pot), there’s nothing like having Mommy or Nana cook for you.  My grandma makes the most amazing Puerto Rican food and I spent hours at the dinner table stuffing my face with bistec con cebolla y papas, arroz y frijoles, y platanos fritos!

I also made sure to bring my Sega Genesis back with me!  I’ve already spent many great hours playing NBA Jam, Streets of Rage 2, RBI Baseball (only the Home Run Derby), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I also love to play the old FIFA ’94 and FIFA International games – they’re so great.  Man, this machine takes me back…

Finally, I want to wish Zarek, Coach Thomas Rongen, and the U-20 MNT luck as they take off for the Northern Ireland Milk Cup this week.  It’s a big tournament and wish them the best!

Around the World

For today’s “Around the World” segment, I wanted to take a look into the upcoming Olympic Games.  I love the Olympics and can’t wait for the games to start on 08/08/08.  Cool date.

By now, most of the teams have entered into the final preparations with their full compliment of players.  With no real drama in player release, the US team is currently assembled at Stanford University getting ready for the first match.  The process of having players released is quite different for other nations as some of their eligible players are important members of big European clubs.  There is a strong tug-of-war between club obligations and international opportunities forcing some U-23 players such as Kaka, Messi, Diego, and Rafinha to fight against their club who refuses to release them to participate in the games.  There are countless examples of this and it forced FIFA Chief Sepp Blatter to issue a statement reiterating that clubs must release players under 23 years old to play in the games.  Believe it or not, many people in the soccer world do not weigh the Olympic Games strongly in terms of importance.  Now with those important details out of the way, let’s look at the groups:

Group A’s immediate favorite is a stacked Argentina side and the race for second place in the group should be interesting.  Australia, Serbia, and Ivory Coast will battle it out for the other spot in the knockout rounds.  During the Toulon Tournament a couple months back, we played Ivory Coast and they are an athletic, explosive, and dangerous team that is capable of making it out of the group – and I think I read that Solomon Kalou is on the roster.  To be honest, I don’t know much about Australia and Serbia but if they play like their senior sides, they will be organized, tough, and result-oriented.  It will be interesting to see how this group ends up but count on Argentina to put on a show.

Group B is the Group of Death.  There are 4 strong sides, all of whom are capable of making a serious run at a medal.  Many people feel that Holland is the favorite in this group but I feel that it’s not as open and closed as many people think.  The Dutch certainly have a strong side, headlined by Ryan Babel, Affelay, and over-aged legend Roy Makaay, the Oranje have what it takes.  Japanese teams are always fast, fit, and technical and this team will be no different.  Many of the players will be similar to those who represented Japan in the Toulon Tournament and they showed well there.  Nigerian sides are always dangerous and have a strong history of winning international youth tournaments.  They have the talent with players like John Obi Mikel and Victor Anichebe of Everton and many of their other players play at a high level in Europe.  The US team is, arguably, the best that we’ve ever fielded for the Olympics.  With a mix of European-based players and MLS players, we have a team of seasoned players who have been on this type of stage before in youth World Cups and Full National Team Caps.  Going to these types of international competitions, it’s important to test yourself against the best in the world.  The US team will have the opportunity to do this and I feel good about our chances.

Group C is will go to a ridiculous Brazilian team and the race for second will be like Group A.  Tradition and the paper roster says that Belgium might be the next strongest team with Vincent Kompany and company, but don’t count out the host nation.  Asian teams are always a handful and don’t be surprised to see China in the knockout rounds.  Sorry to New Zealand but I don’t know if they can compete after a near guaranteed entry due to Oceana qualifying.  I say Brazil and China from this group.

Group D immediately stands out because of the mix of playing styles.  I think it’s safe to say that Italy will go through led by highly rated Sebastian Giovinco who put on a show at the Toulon Tournament and New Jersey-born Giuseppe Rossi who had a great year at Villareal.  Count on the Italians to be organized defensively, composed all over the pitch, and dangerous as they link up in the attacking third.  I think that CONCACAF’s Honduras will be the odd man out of this group as Cameroon and South Korea battle it out for a quarterfinal spot.  This group will be interesting to watch as there will be four different styles on display.

After the group stages…blah blah blah…I can’t wait to see the Argentina-Brazil matchup.  Not only is it a great rivalry but it will be an amazing match to watch with the players these teams have brought – that’s what they Olympic Games are all about.  With all of this in mind, I honestly feel that the US team has what it takes to take home a medal and surprise a lot of people.  We have the players, the experience, and the coaching.  But only time will tell…

Q & A

1.  What are your thoughts on Abel’s release? And his comments about coach Gullit? There is also a big rumor going around about Donovan potentially moving to the premiership, any thoughts? Dig the blog! I saw The Dark Knight by the way, it was AWESOME!

-Melissa H

Melissa H – A lot of hard-hitting questions here!  Personally, I really like Abel I’m sad to see him go.  I respect him so much for what he’s done in the game and he was a great locker room guy.  At the same time, I understand that a decision had to be made and I definitely respect the decision that was made.  Clearly things went bad between Coach and him and created a poor working relationship between the two.  I wish Abel the best of luck in the future and thank him for helping me adjust.

I’ve also read all of his recent comments and I have to say I was surprised to see him express his feelings so explicitly.

Next, when someone is playing as well as Landon has played this year, there will always be speculation about a move.  It happens on all levels, in all nations.  I’ve read the reports and right now it’s all just talk but all of the discussion is warranted.  Of course, if this talk is true and Landon was to leave it would be a big blow to the team.  But it would also be important that he considers all options, the pros and cons, and makes the best decision for him and his family. 

I’m aware of the cop-out answer these questions – haha.

Told you The Dark Knight was great!2. Julian, I was curious to know your predictions for the upcoming Premier League season. Repeat for Man United? Will any of the promoted sides stay up? Thanks!

-Steve D, San Diego

Steve – I can’t wait for the upcoming EPL season.  I think it’s going to be an exciting one with lots of drama and I don’t think that Manchester United will win it.  3 in a row would be unbelievable and I just don’t see it happening.  The only time there’s ever been a 3-peat is when Man U did it from 1998-2001 (thanks Wikipedia) but I think that this will be Chelsea’s year.  If Scolari is able to hang on to Drogba, I think that they’ll be set for the title.  I look at their depth and they could field two strong sides.  They’ll be hungry after the way the end of last season panned out and they will be itching to go.  So I say it now: Chelsea.

For those of you interested, this is my EPL Fantasy Team: Peter Cech, Chris Kirkland, Glen Johnson, Jonathan Woodgate, Paul Scharner, David Wheater, Paul McShane, Cesc Fabregas, Deco, Stewart Downing, Niko Kranjcar, Simon Davies, Fernando Torres, Peter Crouch, Dave Kitson.  I’m feeling confident with that squad!3. I was curious, while playing in a game, do you ever hear any specific people in the crowd? Do you chuckle a little bit on the inside if someone yells out something amusing? Or are you so focused on the game that you don’t hear any of that?

-Shorey K

Shorey K – Usually when I’m on the field I’m focused and naturally block things out.  There are times, however, when a single person or group can be heard.  If you go to the corner flag, it’s impossible not to hear some heckling.  And I’m sure the streamers are impossible to ignore.  It’s really easy to hear people while warming up on the sidelines.  These types of comments usually go something like “you’re just a bench player” or “stop running…you’re not going in!”

Well that’s all that I have for this week’s installment.  I hope that you enjoyed it and I’ll be back next week!  Take care.

-jules

Popularity: 12%

Hi everybody,

I’m back to tell you a little bit more about what’s it like playing in France and to give you a little insight into how my pre-season workdays are organized.

Last time I wrote, I had just gotten back from our first camp in the French Alps.

This second installment comes to you from Arzon in Brittany – some five hours west of Paris on the Atlantic coast - where ESTAC’s second pre-season camp is taking place. The first division club Paris Saint-Germain just left, and we arrived soon after.

Don’t get me wrong. The French preseason is made up of much more than plane and train and bus trips to camps. But there are days when it seems like that even to us.

We actually stayed in Troyes for two weeks after the Alps and before heading west to Brittany. The routine of rediscovering individual soccer sensations and a collective game personality is in place. No more bike trips and discovering the challenging pleasures of via ferrata. Now it’s soccer, soccer, soccer. We train once or twice a day, and the schedule starts to resemble what it’ll be like during the season, which begins August 1. We still work a lot physically. In other words, there’s still a whole lot of running. It’s hard to believe there are so many different ways to run. The work is also concentrated around technical and tactical skills – both individually and collectively.

The point is to prepare for our first friendly games. No one expects 100% from the first match. The result hardly matters. An increasingly strong playing base develops to incorporate the physical, technical and tactical elements that will eventually define our shape as a team.

We’ve played two friendly games against teams we’ll eventually face in Ligue 2 competition: Dijon and newly relegated FC Metz. The point of the first 1-1 contest against Dijon was to give all the available players 45 minutes of playing time. We consequently played the two halves with a different eleven-man squad.

The starting eleven played 60 minutes or so in the second match against Metz – with guys then coming on as replacements in droves in a 0-0 tie. It’s always pretty tense in these contests, as nobody wants to commit too much offensively and give away defensive solidarity in the back. Moreover, the pre-season friendly provides the coach his first impressions of the team he’ll eventually play, manipulate and forge for the season. There’s a fair amount of pressure. Nobody wants to get caught making a mistake. Some guys just want to show off by dribbling through anybody and everybody in sight. The youngest and least experienced sometimes get rid of the ball as soon as humanly possible. So developing and maintaining solid ball possession and circulation forward is a high priority. Overall it’s always a great feeling to get a little competition in, but we know that league and Cup competition is and will be very different.

One difference is the atmosphere in the crowd. The matches are played near two pre-season training camps or halfway between the two clubs – usually in small towns or villages for whom the match is as important as Christmas or July 14^th (Bastille Day, the equivalent of the 4^th of July in the States). Usually about 2000 people stand around the edge of the field. Why? Because the grandstands usually accommodate only 100. 200 tops. The amateur clubs that host these pro pre-season matches use them to bolster their image and generate local interest in their activities. It’s like a country cookout, the stands manned by volunteers working to bring a little money into the local club’s coffers. There’s beer, soda, water, grilled sausage sandwiches in a long baguette with mustard and ketchup, hotdogs and of course fries (for the record, the French never got too worked up about that “freedom fries” nonsense). It’s festive and fun – except the food stands are obviously off limits to us before and after the matches.

Brittany is a lot different from the Alps – not only the landscape but the accommodations. This one is a spa for salt-water well-being treatments called thalassothérapie.

We have everything we need to properly workout and practice – and to fulfil what’s called the “invisible training.”

Invisible training is everything you do when you are not on a soccer field – starting with the amount of sleep you get, the food you eat, the way you rest and the way you recuperate from tough preseason training sessions. The food is good in the hotel despite the strict menu imposed by our training staff. Don’t even bother asking for mayonnaise, ketchup or even any sauce à la française. Thirsty? Have some water. Want a drink in the hotel bar? Excellent water there as well.

The spa is huge with a roof top salt water pool, saunas, bubble baths and all kinds of petit soins that help recuperate. Overall, the environment is very nice, luxurious even. The hotel is great but all we really do is focus on getting ready individually and collectively – the only real purpose of these type of camps. We spend a lot of time together at meals, in the training room or in the pool, which we wouldn’t do as much if we were in Troyes and just heading home after practices.

This camp will end on Saturday with a friendly against Ligue 1 team Lorient . Then we’ll have a long bus drive back to Troyes, rest on Sunday and then two friendly contests next week before the season begins Friday evening August 1 at home against the Corsican club Bastia.

Until then,Take care everybody.

On to your questions :

1.

Hello Quentin, really enjoying your blog so far! I just have one question, if you could play for any club in the world other than ES Troyes AC) who would it be and why?

-Steve J

Hi Steve,

I think I’m one of those few players who’d like to play for the same club for an entire career – like Raul or Paolo Maldini, whose identities are intimately linked with their club and are great examples to follow. On the other hand, playing for a club like Real Madrid would be awesome because I think Spanish soccer is probably the best in the world and Real is, after all, mythic. And then there’s PSG, the club of my region of France, where I was raised and the club I’ve always followed.

2.

Quentin, are you a fan of penalty kicks deciding games? I know some folks love them, some believe they’re aren’t the best way to end a game. I was interested to know what your stance was, being a goalkeeper.

-Dominic K

Good question…I actually love them, especially being a goalkeeper. I love the duel situation, the fact that your performance is going to decide the outcome of the game. And it’s the only situation in a game where all the pressure is on the player that’s taking the pk. When you think about it, the player facing you is expected to score, a pk is a gift for him. As a keeper, you have to defend against this big goal. Anytime the forward scores a pk, he’s going to feel relieved. Anytime the keeper saves one, he feels decisive. The ultimate outcome I dream of is saving the last pk and scoring the game winning one myself…

3.

Hey Quentin, I was wondering, did you ever consider/receive interest from any MLS clubs? I was curious if you ever considered it, or were more focused on playing in France. Good luck with your fight for promotion this season!

-Michelle in Lyon

Hi, a France colleague I see. I did/would consider interest from MLS clubs. I would love to play in America at some point in my career. I seriously thought about it a couple years ago, but I had a long term contract here with no real possibility of being released and the fact that seasons are so separate in MLS and France made it really complicated to negotiate a loan. Anyway, I still think Europe is the cradle of soccer and a great place to play but I think soccer is really developing in America and it would be great to be part of it.

4.

Bonjour Mr. Westberg. is there any player in Ligue 1/2 that you’d like to play specifically? Or any team for that matter.

-Steve F

Bonjour Steve,

There is no particular player I can think of I’d specifically like to play against in either in L1 or L2. I do love to play against friends – especially the ones I’ve known for a very long time and came up through the ranks with – facing them in big stadiums in front of big crowds really rocks and makes you realize what you have accomplished. Plus, the competition is even greater, especially with my forward friends. Otherwise playing PSG in Paris is always the greatest just because I love the stadium and the club really means something to me.

5.

Love the blog Quentin! Do you or any of the guys play any footy video games? Fifa/Pro Evo or Football Manager. I know they’re very popular among many players, and I was curious if either you or your teammates played. Keep up the great work!

-Jay O

Thanks Jay.

Guys do play a lot of soccer video games here – too much…Whether in training academies or with pro teams you’ll always find a ton of players who talk crap, claiming they’re the best at Pro Evo called “PES” here. There’s always a guy or two who brings his playstation to the hotel and you can easily identify the room he’s – the loudest. For sure.

I don’t play video games that much, but being in academies since I’m 13, I had to know how to play. I like the trash talking around it more than the game. I always take the American national team and end up playing against better teams (in the game) like Brazil, Argentina or France. I pack my defence, tackle and foul like crazy, try to get the 0-0. And if by chance I win, you can be sure the person I beat is not going to play me again. First of all because I’m not the most experienced player. Then because he lost to the US with one of the best teams in the game and finally because I’ve driven him crazy throughout the game. If you like PES, then come to France…later.

Popularity: 17%

Welcome all!

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

The second match of the 2008 Honda Superclassico is now in the books and it was another good one at the Home Depot Center.  At the end of the last article I said that “something’s got to give” and, well, nothing really gave – besides Salt Lake leapfrogging into first place after their win.  Our match ended up in a 1-1 tie and it was a wild, back and forth affair.

Chivas had the better of the play in the first half as we struggled to find a consistent rhythm.  Our coaching staff tweaked the midfield a bit and David and Pete Vagenas paired up in the center of midfield.  Chivas pressed us well in midfield and caused lots of problems for us as we struggled to find time to play.  They got a goal early in the first half on a counter attack.  With our defense retreating to delay the play, Ante Razov hit a one time shot from about 20 yards out to beat our keeper from the second line.  Good goal.

In the second half we played quite well.  We found the game and created a number of dangerous opportunities.  We defended well and pressed more aggressively.  Our breakthrough came in the 72^nd minute when Pete slipped a fantastic ball through to Edson who buried it for his 11^th goal of the year.  Eddie’s been on blistering pace this year, earning him an All-Star write-in vote. Congratulations Edson and also to David and Landon who were named starters to the All-Star team.

The game ended 1-1 in the end and it was a pretty fair result – Chivas had the better of the first half and we had the better of the second half.  It was an open game, end to end at times, and certainly was an entertaining one for the fans to watch.  It had everything that makes a good derby match.

Now we get ready to take off to the East Coast to play New York.  It’s a big match for us and important that we pick up 3 points.  We’ve slipped to second in the West, with RSL jumping ahead after our draw, and it’s important that we get back to our winning ways.  Last year when the Galaxy played New York there was something like 68,000 at the game in a 5-4 match.  Hopefully this year will be another good match with a Galaxy victory.

This Week

Another typical week here in LA.  We’ve been training hard, getting ready for this weekend’s match.

The US Soccer Development Academy Finals are at the Home Depot Center right now and I got the chance to check out some of the games and catch up with some of my old coaches.  I was really impressed by the organization of the program and started to realize the importance of this program.  I was also impressed with the level of the games.  I know there are people out there who grumble about the new system but I think that it is, and will continue to become, an extremely important tool for the development of soccer in our country.

These players are playing good games against the top competition in the country, in a pressurized environment, in front of some of the top coaches in the country who can track the players’ progress and help to tailor their development.  There are also a ton of important resources for players including educational meetings, video review, the use of ProZone (a player analysis tool), and other things that can help players reach their full potential.  There are certainly some kinks that need to be figured out with the system but I was extremely impressed with how the event was run and the potential for the program.  This is something that we’ve never had in our country and it’s an important step in mimicking youth systems and scouting networks used around the world.  Visit www.ussoccer.com to learn more about the program.

Tangent 1: I came across this video a while ago and wanted to pass it on to you.  Diving in soccer is something that Americans really hate.  At times, embellishing a call can be a good tactical play but it’s totally against the hard-nosed, blue collar mentality of the American athlete and the American sports fan.  Anyways, enjoy this video of some of the worst soccer dives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioyt2zzm530&feature=related.

Tangent 2: I was thinking about the ’94 World Cup the other day and I remembered those horrendous denim-looking cotton jerseys that we wore in that tournament.  You know, the sky blue jersey with the white stars: http://www.soccerhall.org/VirtualTour/Virtual%20Museum/US94Jersey_Blue.jpg.  Geeze, those things were terrible.  They were so terrible, in fact, that they are cool now and I want to buy one.  So, I used my internet research skills to track one of these antique shirts down and I stumbled across a great website out of the UK to buy retro soccer jerseys: http://www.classicfootballshirts.co.uk/.  It’s definitely worth your time and if you have a few extra British pounds lying around, why not splurge on one of your favorite old school jerseys.

Around the World

I’m struggling for material in this section so you’ll have the week off here because of my difficulties.  Hopefully something will come up soon worth writing about – there’s a lot of stuff brewing right now…

Q & A

1. Just curious if the Ohio State guy who planted his cleats on your face in the College Cup ever apologized to you.  I know he is in MLS now and wondered if you’ve come across him since.

Also, are you wearing that head gear because of that incident?

-Far

PS - Take some samba lessons from Alvaro in your spare time.  I actually believe it will help your footwork, balance and dribbling. 

Far – Interesting story to answer your question.  The day after the national championship game when I got kicked in the face, a Denver-area phone number popped up on my cell phone.  My girlfriend is from Denver so I thought it was someone who she knew.  On the other end of the line was the kid who kicked me in the face calling to apologize.  He said he was sorry and didn’t mean to kick me in the face.  I wondered how he got my number and found out later that he got it from my girlfriend’s old club coach, who knows the kid who kicked me. The coach called the kid and told him to call me and apologize.  It was a nice gesture.

I got stitches on the spot the night I got kicked and waited a month for it to heal.  Then when I started playing again, my facial scars kept breaking open again (requiring more stitches) so I was forced to go back down to Wake Forest to get plastic surgery to fix and strengthen my scars.  My doctor told me that I had to wear the Full90 protective headgear for at least 6 months after surgery so that the scars can fully heal.  So I started wearing the Full90 headgear because I had to and ended up actually liking it.  It’s a good product and, to be honest, I can’t really notice that it’s on when I’m playing.  I also decided to continue wearing it because, the way I play, I should probably further damage to my dome because I’ve been busted open and concussed so many times already.

Good suggestion on the Samba lessons, although I’m not sure Alvaro’s dancing is too organized and sophisticated (if you saw his goal celebration against Colorado)…

2.  My question relates to locker room morale. How much does moral fluctuate week by week? Do individual losses discourage the team, and do individual wins help the team? It’s a long season, and teams go on streaks, so I am curious the effect a single game can have. Does that change with a more veteran team? Bonus question: do you feel that the Galaxy may be a year away from their best form, with all the rookies on the team, or do you feel that the team is coming together this year already? 

- Jay in Los Angeles

Good questions, Jay in LA.  I’d say that morale doesn’t typically fluctuate from week to week.  Soccer’s a funny game and it’s weird how sometimes wins are treated like losses and even sometimes draws are thought of as wins based on how the match goes.  As a rookie I’m still learning the real answer to your question but I’d say that no single game is devastating enough to cause more losses.  I’m learning that part of being a good professional is being able to pick apart losses and change things to try to avoid another bad result.  Luckily I have some good veteran role models to learn this from.

I think that while we will be continue to be a good club in the future, we definitely have what it takes to be real contenders this year.  The team is really coming together and we have a really good mix of veterans and young players.  If we can stay healthy, I think that we have what it takes to win it all.

3.  I was wondering, is there any one particular veteran player that has helped you the most? Anyone thats gone out of their way to show you something or help out? Just curious, thanks!

- Cindy G

Cindy G – There has been a few older guys who have really helped me out but coming to mind first is Chris Klein.  He’s a great guy, hard worker, a true professional, and a model of consistency.  He’s a positive personality on the field and is really good at working with the younger players.

Greg Vanney is another guy who’s helped me along.  He knows the game so well, having played in the French first division, and he does a good job of “coaching” while on the field.  He’s helped me to read the game better and work on my defensive shape.  He also strikes a great ball and sometimes we’ll hit balls after training.

Landon Donovan has also helped me a lot, in a different way.  Playing against him every day he has really forced me to push my game to the next level in order to defend him.  His pace, vision, intelligence, and finishing touch requires that I bring my best game every day or else it will be a long one.  I also have a good relationship with Landon off the field and we often talk about games.

It’s also really cool hearing some of David’s stories from Manchester United, Real Madrid, and the English National Team.

4.  Is there any particular club/national team(s) you’d like to play? Any particular player past/present you’d like to match up against?

- Stab in Budapest, Hungary!

Wow – Stab in Budapest!  I’ve gone global!!!  Welcome to my blog!  It’s always been my dream to play for the Full United States National Team.  I’ve been fortunate enough to play for US National Teams at the U-17, U-18, U-20, and U-23 levels but to earn a cap for the full team would be unbelievable.  I would never want to play for another nation.

I spoke about it a couple issues ago, but it would be amazing to play for Manchester United.  It’s such a great club with such a strong tradition.  It would also be awesome to play for Portsmouth.  Playing for any Premiership team, actually, would be a dream come true.

I don’t know if I can pick just one player that I’d like to play against some day but I’d just like to go up against some of the players that I watched in the latest Euro Championship such as Ibrahimivic, Torres, Toni, and Klose.  It would be amazing to be at their level some day and test myself against players of their caliber.

5.  I was wondering, have either Cobi or Mr Gullit played any reserve games/taken part in any training exercises or anything along those lines for fun? If they have, do either of them still have some talent left? Also, any inside news or rumors about the galaxy that you could share?

- Pam E

Pam E – Cobi and Ruud don’t play in any reserve games but sometimes if we need numbers, Cobi will step in and play in training.  He definitely still has it and you can tell how well he knows the game.  Now that Ruud has recovered from his knee surgery, he’s become pretty “hands-on” when working with us – the forwards in particular.  His touch is still clean and his understanding of the game is so clear.

To be honest, I have no inside news or rumors – I usually find stuff out the same time that you do!

That’s all that I have for this Thursday.  I hope that you enjoyed today’s article and I’ll be back next week.  Take care!

-jules

Popularity: 32%

Good evening everybody! Hope ya’ll are well! I am sorry that I am just getting my blog up. Things have been a little hectic and crazier than normal this week, so I couldn’t get it up on my normal Wednesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! Lets see, last time things were not so great with me. I had a separated shoulder and I was missing the trip out to LA to play the Galaxy on the 4th, and I was missing a couple US Open cup games. I must say now that things are much better in my life! My shoulder still nags me a bit, especially after a grueling training session, but it is nothing I cant handle or play through. I was quite fortunate with my injury, thank God! A separated shoulder is very rarely something that needs surgery, or keeps one out for a long time. It is not that bad of an injury in terms of recovery. I was back practicing after about a week and a half, but it is pretty painful. I am just thankful that it was not my collarbone or something more serious. I can’t tell ya’ll how frustrating it is having to sit on the sidelines and watch practice or miss a game or trip. It was great getting back out on the pitch and back in the swing of things.

Now, lets get down to the on-field and performance side of things. Things are going well for us, we still remain on top of the league and have had a good past couple weeks! Last Tuesday we, in US Open Cup play, managed to beat the Richmond Kickers 3-0. I was not able to be at the game because I was home in bed sleeping the pain and frustration off from being injured. I was proud of the guys for their effort and result. It was a quick turn around, as the team left on Wednesday to head out to LA to prepare for the July 4th match against the Galaxy! Usually we leave for an away match the day before, but when we head to the West Coast  we try and get out there a couple days before in order to get rid of the jetlag and in hopes of being more refreshed and adjusted come game time. I was eagerly anticipating the match against LA before my injury. It would have been a great atmosphere with it being July 4th and in a sold out stadium. I think everyone would agree that playing in a sold out stadium is every players wish. The boys once again handled business in LA and came out on top 2-1. Adam Christman, one of my best friends on the team and a great guy, notched both goals and lead the charge for us in the win. My hat goes off to Adam for his performance and also for his selection and honor as the MLS Player of the week-congrats buddy!

Our next test was against USL-2 side Crystal Palace Baltimore and they did prove to be a tough test for us! They came prepared to play and play hard and were by no means intimidated by us. We had the better and more of the play, but after they equalized early to make it 1-1, we could not find a way to breakthrough and go on top. After a long and hard fought battle against a worthy opponent and two fifteen minute overtimes the game was headed to penalty kicks. Doug Warren came up huge for us in net, and we defeated Crystal Palace 5-3 on penalty kicks. Alot of people I’m sure were thinking and have thought about why we had such a hard time beating a USL-2 team. The thing about soccer is that it’s a game where any team on any given night can beat another team. So we were fortunate to escape a hungry Baltimore team and next we face D.C. United in the semifinals of the US Open Cup.

Off the field things have been great and the weather sure has been nice! Coming from good ole North Carolina, I love the sun, heat, and hot weather. I absolutely love it, for me the hotter the better! We do not get too much of that kind of weather up in Mass, so it is always nice when we do. I live on a lake with a wonderful family, the Marks’. They have graciously taken me in and let me live with them. They have two boats, a pontoon and a ski boat and graciously let me use them whenever I please. So I have been taking advantage of the hot weather and been out and about on the lake in the pontoon boat, fishing and swimming and just relaxing! Steve Ralston, Adam Christman, and Chase Hilgenbrinck all came over to go bass fishing with me. We caught quite a few bass combined, but really nothing to brag about. It was just nice being outside in the warm weather with company enjoying the great outdoors and some of God’s wonderful creations! I am more of a hunter than fisherman, but Steve Ralston has been teaching me some of his tricks, so I caught the fishing fever. I can’t seem to get enough of it!

 Anyway, before I leave I would like to give a shout-out and want to give props and respect to my teammates Shalrie Joseph, Matt Reis, and Mike Parkhurst on their selections for the MLS All-Star team and Best XI. I feel honored and grateful to know these guys and to be able to play, learn, and interact with them day in and day out-it is a true pleasure! Congrats fellas!

Ya’ll take care and God bless! Until next time, be easy!

Wells Thompson

Popularity: 35%

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Well, the 4^th of July match at the Home Depot Center was quite an event.  There were fireworks before and after the match.  They opened up the lawn on the North end of the stadium – there wasn’t a seat available in the house.  Everyone on hand was also treated to a good soccer match, although most went home unhappy because the home team did not win.

The first half was a rough one for us.  New England pressured well and we struggled to deal with it.  The Revs had more of the play in the first half and definitely took the better of the chances.  We gave up two set piece goals and went into the locker room behind two.

Landon came on for the second half (he’d been sick all week) and changed the game, creating problems for New England.  David scored the equalizer in the 66^th minute on a bit of a broken play and we had a number of other chances to knot the match up after that.  Credit to the Revs, they made a few changes (bringing in a holding midfielder and switching to 4 in the back) and they were able to withstand our late pressure.  So now we’ve taken two losses in a row and we’re looking to get things back on track and start picking up some more points.

I’d like to give a quick shout out to all of our fans.  You were fantastic throughout the match.  And that’s not just the Riot Squad, Angel City Brigade, and the Galaxians – everyone in the stadium was pulling hard for a Galaxy win and created a fantastic atmosphere.  Credit to you all and keep it up!

This Thursday night is the Honda Superclassico and it’s sure to be a good match.  These games are always pressure-packed and edgy.  We’re both tied atop the Western Conference table with 21 points so something’s got to give.  We really need the three points and would like to separate ourselves a bit from the rest of the West.  Make sure to tune into ESPN2 at 11:00 pm (Eastern time) and 8:00 pm for those out West to watch all the drama unfold.

This Week

This week was short in terms of training but definitely not short in terms of workload.  Since we play on Thursday night we’ve condensed things a bit, but worked on all areas: defending and defensive shape, possession, finishing, and tactics.  We are definitely ready for the Superclassico.

The highlight of my week was definitely our team trip to Fogo de Chao in Beverly Hills.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Fogo, it is a Brazilian steakhouse.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Brazilian steakhouses, they’re amazing because there are tons of different kinds of meat and they bring everything to your table on skewers!  The servers keep brining meat to your table until you tell them to stop.  It’s a guaranteed protein overdose. 

The people at Fogo brought around top sirloin, bottom sirloin, beef ribs, lamb chops and leg of lamb, chicken wings and chicken wrapped in bacon, pork sausage, filet minion, and picanha – the house specialty and a Brazilian staple.  My favorite was the lamb chops with a little mint jelly but I devoured everything like a garbage disposal and kept asking for them to bring more out.  Everything was succulent, cooked to perfection, and I was like some sort of carnivorous vulture.

After I finished eating all of the entree meats, I felt that I needed some other sort of nutritional value.  Since I had absolutely no balance in the meal, so I ordered fresh fruit for dessert.  Chris Klein, who had been silently monitoring my eating throughout the night from the other table, poked fun at me saying “you’re the guy who goes to McDonalds, eats two Big Macs and fries, and then orders a diet Coke.”  I guess he’s right.

My Brazilian roommate Alvaro was a bit sick and he was unable to go to the meal and eat his favorite picanha – he talks about it all the time and we’ve yet to find a place near where we live where we can buy picanha.  Of all people to miss the meal, it had to be him.  When I came home, though, I made sure to rub it in his face that I ate enough picanha for the both of us.  He was not amused.  Aside from Alvaro, everyone else on the team attended and it was great to spend some time together and share a good meal, good stories, and a good laugh.  I said it last week with the Batman outing, but it’s important that we continue to bond on and off the field and become a close group.  These types of events supplement our hard work on the training field will definitely pay off later on.

Around the World

I’ve been thinking about some of the European transfers lately and the price tags put on players.  Immediately coming to mind is Christiano Ronaldo’s €100 million transfer speculation, Andrei Arshavin at £24 million, and Dimitar Berbatov who may be bought from Tottenham for around £31 million.  I’ve been reading and following these types of transfer stories for years but never really thought about how much money is actually being thrown around between these clubs.  These dollar amounts are used so casually by the media that they almost become unreal figures – Monopoly money if you will.

As I thought, I remember reading something from Forbes’ website about the world’s most valuable soccer clubs that’s definitely worth taking a look at: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/34/biz_soccer08_Soccer-Team-Valuations_Rank.html.  Some of the figures here are staggering and really interesting.

Think about paying €50 million (about $78 million) for the services of one player!  That’s far more than the operating budgets of most clubs around the world and only the richest clubs can make these types of transactions.  There is so much money out there in the soccer world that it’s almost unthinkable.  Of course these are only the high profile transfers, as most deals cost less than €10 million – which is still so much money. 

Also keep in mind that these are just transfer fees and don’t include the fact that the clubs then have to pay the player’s salary as well which, for the highest level players, can be €25 thousand per week or more!

For one reason or another, this makes me think about the parody in MLS and the lack thereof in most other leagues in the world.  Each league around the world has its little fish and big fish but MLS is different.

MLS is structured so that the league is more equal and competitive from top to bottom, equipped with a salary cap and no real transfer market.  Let’s look at the current MLS table for an example.  Take away the first and last place teams and you have all other teams within 9 points of each other – that’s only three wins.  There are three teams with 20 points, four teams with 21 points, and one team with 22 points.  Our league table is so tight and it’s always one or two points that separate a playoff team from a non-playoff team.

It’s also fair to say that on any given day, any MLS team can beat any other.  This is not the case when, say Numancia plays Barcelona or when Spezia plays AC Milan.  The MLS-type parody was important when the league first started because it created a competitive league where all games would be two sided and every city could build a market because there was opportunity for a winning team.  Of course some MLS teams like LA Galaxy, DC United, and San Jose Earthquakes/Houston Dynamo have been traditionally more successful and some clubs have better attendance figures but our league is far more even than all other leagues in the world.

In short, international leagues are set: tops teams compete for international competition spots, middle teams jockey for position, and the bottom teams struggle for relegation.  Top teams spend more money to buy players and separate themselves from the small clubs who cannot afford marquee players.  MLS is more of a free-for-all where GMs have to find their perfect combination to maximize results and try to become a big fish.

Sort of some random thoughts there but hopefully something interesting to read…

Q & A

1.  I was wondering, do you ever play soccer during your down time? Or by that time in the day are you sick of seeing a soccer ball? Keep up the great work!

- Cristian W

Cristian W – After training I’m typically pretty drained but sometimes on off days we’ll play soccer-volleyball at our apartment complex.  The rules are the same as soccer-tennis but we play in the sand on the volleyball court.  It’s a fun way to get some sun, get the legs moving a bit, and work on the touch on a day off. 

2.  Hey Julian, do you follow any specific soccer podcasts, TV shows or use any specific soccer news websites regularly? Do you or any of the guys read any of the soccer forums? aka bigsoccer.com, etc…? 

- Steve F

I’m a big student of the game and I try to watch as many games as I can.  I usually watch a game a day on my internet Sopcast connection because we don’t get FSC or GolTV where I live.

I also like to keep up to date with what’s going on in the world of soccer.  I don’t do podcasts but I have a cycle of soccer websites that I read daily including American Soccer Reader (of course), ESPNsoccernet, Goal.com, Soccer By Ives, Sideline Views by Andrea Canales, The Offside Rules, The Original Winger, and a number of others.  Each one adds something different to the US soccer media and all are important in spreading the world of soccer in our country.  I stick to credible “news blogs” and don’t read BigSoccer and sites like that.  Of course, American Soccer Reader is the best of all, so make sure to read it daily!

3.  Hiya! big LA Galaxy fan here, I was wondering, if you could pick one game to make your first start this season, what game would it be and why?

- John K, Santa Barbara

John K from Santa Barbara – Great question.  I’d have to say that it would be amazing for my first game to be against Chivas.  The last time I was on the bench when we won 5-2 and the atmosphere was electrifying.  Saying that, I know that would be a bit ambitious as Superclassico matches tend to be some of the fastest, roughest, and most pressure packed matches that we have.  It’s such a big game for both sides and I’d love to be a part of that on the field.

4.  Julian, what did you do on 4th of July? Anything special/exciting?

- Crystal N

I didn’t really do anything special for the 4^th.  My girlfriend was here so it was nice to be able to spend it with her!

5.  Since you come from such a different town, has anything in Los Angeles or Southern California freaked you out? Have you had any sort of weird experiences or encounters with people in California?

- Luscious

Luscious – I spend a lot of time on YouTube watching whatever miscellaneous videos I can find and whatever videos my buddies recommend to me.  It’s a good way to pass time after training.  One of my teammates at Wake Forest found this video at some point last year and it instantly became one of my favorites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0mpUKnh9yo.  Please watch this short clip before reading on.

When I got here in February I was shocked to learn that Fox 11 is my local news broadcast and that this kid is real!  Huntington is about 10 minutes south of where I live now.  So to answer your question: YES.  I’ve met a number of people like this out here so I guess that sort of freaked me out a bit…

Well that wraps it up for this installment.  I hope that you enjoyed it!  Make sure to keep your questions coming to Julian@americansoccerreader.com.  Take care until next week and you’ll hear from me then!

-jules

Popularity: 35%

Hello!

         Hope everyone is doing well.  Enjoyed your 4^th of July weekend, I did!  Where to start, well we played on the Friday night coverage game on Fox Soccer Channel.  If any of you watched the game, you’ll know that we had an hour delay due to a storm that was hovering over the pitch.  It was a long wait because all of us were itching to get on the field and take care of business.  Puerto Rico started their month long road trip and we wanted to get 3 points out of the match so that we could jump further up the table.  Fortunately we were able to get 3 points in a muggy and wet night in Miami.  Alex Afonso scored on a penalty set up by Sean Fraser.    I started that game and was pleased the way our team came out.  My ultimate goal as a defender is to keep a shutout and we did that, with some very good saves from our keeper Josh Saunders.    As far as the game we played well just need to play a complete game for 90 minutes, because we did a little more defending in the 2^nd half than we wanted to.

As far as the U.S. Open Cup, we did a franchise best of reaching the 3^rd round.  In the 2^nd round we faced the Atlanta Silverbacks at home, which was fortunate, because it’s very tough to play on the road, so we had a good fan support behind us egging us on.  We won that match 1-0 and were elated to play again in the 3^rd round and even more motivated to play against a MLS team.  We took on FC Dallas at Dallas.  I’ve never been to Dallas so it was definitely something I was looking forward to.  I know quite a few players on that team.  I played with Ray Burse at Ohio State as he was my keeper, and I played with Brek Shea and Blake Camp with the U-23’s in Toulon.  I also played with Abe Thompson and Michael Dello-Russo in my freshman year at the University of Maryland.    We lost to FC Dallas 2-1 which was disappointing but as far as how we played, we did very well.  The only drawback is we gave up goals in injury time of both halves. We gained a lot of confidence and came out pumped up for Puerto Rico.  Outside of Open Cup play we’ve been unbeaten.  We hope to continue that streak because it makes it a lot more fun.

For our upcoming schedule, we travel Saturday to Rochester to take on the Rhinos and it should be a very good game.  Rochester has had its ups and downs but are playing good soccer since they’re getting back some of their injured players.  That’s what we’ve been told in meetings.  I feel very optimistic with our chances of going in there and getting 3 points.  We just need to enjoy the game and be consistent the entire game.  After that we travel to Montreal to play in their great atmosphere.  They recently lost to Puerto Rico, so I’m sure they’re going to battle just as hard as we are to get a result.  It should be very entertaining and fun to play at Saputo Stadium.

         As far as my down time, we’ve had a busy schedule with some workouts scattered in our week of prep, so we’ve been busy, but I do find time to “jump on the sticks” as my buddies and I call it from back home in Ohio.  We play a lot of FIFA 08 on Xbox 360.  Actually I’m writing this Tuesday night and I’m going to play my buddy Brent Rohrer, who I played with at Ohio State in a game after I get done with this.  .  His roommates are all very good friends and avid Fifa players, so there’s always a game waiting. So that’s about it as far as what I’ve been doing.  Oh! I just finally went to the beach on our weekend off for the 4^th and had a good time.  It’s been some time since I’ve seen the ocean so it was a nice change of scenery.  

I would like to thank those of you who submitted questions and we’ll get to that part now.

1.  Hey Eric, other than Soccer what are other sports you most enjoy watching/player? Do you support any specific teams? 

-Jimmy K, Jacksonville, FL

Besides soccer the sports I like to watch would consist of a few. I’ll throw in the teams I support with the sports that I watch. I like to watch hockey and I support the Philly Flyers.  My cousin supported them when I was growing up so I just followed them and became a big fan.  Was very excited to see them do somewhat well in the play-offs this year.  The Pen’s were just too good.  I like to watch all the Grand Slams for Tennis.  Recently Wimbledon was on and man what a final between the 2 best players in the world.  I’m a Federer fan personally.  Also like to watch Golf, especially when the Majors are on.  Tiger is unreal to watch, especially his last win at the Open.  What an athlete to win the cup with a bum knee.

2.  Eric, did you ever consider playing overseas after high school or college? Or were you focused on playing in the states.

-Steve G

As far as professionally, it was always a goal of mine, but to be blunt, I wasn’t good enough nor developed enough as a player to go straight from High School.  High School soccer is an enormous leap to the pro levels.  If the opportunity was there, I’d really have to sit back and think about it.  After college, since we went pretty far in the tournament I couldn’t talk with an agent until afterwards, so I didn’t know too much.  I was mainly focused on the MLS.  I was invited to the combine and performed very well there so I was expecting to play MLS.  I had known of a few options overseas, but I was drafted by New York so I was committed to them at the time.

3.  Heya, did you follow Euro 2008 closely? What were your thoughts on the tournament?

-Cindy W

Cindy let me tell you this; I was very impressed by ESPN to cover all the games in some shape or form.  When we traveled I knew we wouldn’t get the channel in our room, so I watched it online.   My two teams that I was rooting for were the Dutch and the Germans.  My family name is German, and I liked the Dutch since I was younger, when Davids played for them.  So to see both of them lose sucked, but the Germans put up a good fight.  They didn’t play well in the finals, but Spain was definitely the best team.  Their unsung hero was their Defensive mid, Senna.

4.  If you had a choice of a team(s) to play for around the world, who would you choose?

-Bob C

What a question.  You could go so many routes as to what league I like the best or where I’d go for money.  England has a very attractive style of football and they pay extremely well.  I’d probably say I’d want to go to a German club, probably Bayern Munich or Schalke, just because they both have a very rich history and compete very well in their league.

5.  First of, I love the blog! I was wondering, do you have a personal favorite formation? are you a more conventional 4-4-2 kinda guy, maybe 3-5-2?

-Jennifer C

As for formations, I’m more of a 4-4-2 kind of guy.  My style of game is reading the game and anticipating balls being played into the forwards.  As a center back you can do that, as long as you have cover with a 4-4-2 system.  With a 3-5-2 system the center back is forced to chase down balls launched overtop the outside back down the line, thus a lot more running.  With the 4-4-2 I have a little more freedom to play, meaning finding seams, passing the ball, splitting the midfield to find forwards and such. 

Thanks so much for reading, once again hope you had a good weekend and thanks so much for the questions!  Keep them coming! Email them to Eric@americansoccerreader.com

-Brunes

Popularity: 25%