Looking Back & Looking Ahead

I’m going to reserve the right to not talk about this past weekend’s game against Kansas City.  I just don’t feel like writing about it and I have full autonomy here so I’m not going to.  Everyone knows that we haven’t won in a while so it’s not worth beating a dead horse…

But I will look ahead to this weekend.  We host DC United in a must-win match for us.  Even through our slump, our fans have been fantastic and we owe them a win, especially on our home turf.  Last time against DC, it was a bad game and we hope to do a 180 from the last time.  They are a good team, who move the ball well and are dangerous in the attack, but we’re confident that we can take this one if we play to our full potential.

This Week

This week has been an intense one on the pitch.  With another loss, it’s now do or die for our season.  Training has reflected this truth.  We’ve been going at it, busting our butts, getting stuck in, running, lifting, watching film, and doing everything that we can on the practice pitch to make sure that we get a result on Saturday.  Training has been very tough and result oriented in everything that we do.  I’m confident that we’ll put on a good performance for our fans with Saturday.

People always ask me “what do you do on your days off?”  So, today I thought I would share with you what I did on my Monday off.  We usually have one day a week off but we’re in every other day so I make sure to get everything done on that one day so I have no obligations other days of the week.

1.  I slept in really late and woke up at 9:45.  Before eating anything I went for a 5.5 mile run – I traveled and dressed for the Kansas City game but did not play, so I went for a run to make sure that I was staying fit and sharp.  I ran right next to the San Gabriel River, which runs to the Ocean.  I also ran by the water in Seal Beach, where I live.

2.  Then I came home, ate a giant bowl of cereal while I was cooling off, showered, brushed my teeth and sat on the couch to check my emails, read the world news, and go through my daily blog roll of soccer websites (which, of course, includes American Soccer Reader).

3.  Then I transformed into Billy English and played a little bit of Football Manager.  He resigned from Tottenham and now he’s with Villareal – he needed a new challenge.  He already turned us into a Champions League squad.

4.  Then I had some errands to run.  First I went to the bank.  Then I went to drop some stuff off at the dry cleaners.  Then I went to the post office.  Then I went to Goodwill to drop off some old clothes.   Then I went to Costco!  Many of you may remember my debut article about my trip to Costco.  Well, all of the meat that I bought that day lasted until now – so I bought about the same amount of chicken, salmon, ground beef, steaks, vegetables, and snacks so I’ll be set for the rest of the year.  Then I came home, put all my meat in plastic bags, put in a bunch of different marinades and threw it in the freezer.  It’s full.  Packed to the gills.

5.  Then we actually had an appearance.  We had a bowling outing with our corporate partners.  The team was split up into groups of four and corporate partners were also split up.  We bowled about 10 minutes at each station and then rotated to bowl with the next set of partners.  It was a really cool, fun appearance – a good team bonding activity and also good to get to meet some of the companies that are a big part of our organization.  I was on absolute fire.  We weren’t keeping score but I was amazing – two separate times I had 4 strikes in a row.  I usually suck but I was in the zone.

6.  After the appearance I came home and just sort of relaxed.  Watched the rest of the Eagles game and some other choice shows.  I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE Eagles fan and actually made some of the Galaxy people put up the game on one of the big screens while we were bowling.  I would usually be devastated with the loss (especially to my most hated Cowboys) but the game was very encouraging and I know that we’re real contenders this year – and it was a great, entertaining game.  GO BIRDS!

7.  Then I brushed my teeth, washed my face and went to bed at around 11:00.

Around the World

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE TIME.  Probably my favorite time of the year, except for Christmas.  My Tuesdays and Wednesdays are just amazing now.  This year, the tables are particularly interesting and the quality of teams is as good as any year I can remember.

Group A seems pretty open and closed.  A deep Chelsea squad will rummage through the competition and a good Roma side will take second.  Bordeaux will fight hard but not advance and even though CFR Cluj-Napoca shocked Roma on Matchday 1, don’t expect much more from the Romanian team.

Group B is another one that is already done in my mind.  Trophy contenders Inter are the class of the group and I’ve always been a fan of Werder Bremen.  I think Bremen has what it takes to go through and Panathinaikos of Greece and minnows Anorthosis Famagusta from Cyprus will fall by the wayside.

Group C is intriguing to me.  Barca are the clear frontrunners but the race for 2^nd is open in my mind.  Shaktar is a good Ukrainian side who, year in and year out, produce good Champions League performances – like their Matchday 2 victory.  Basle is a good, organized side that I’ve watched a couple times on SopCast and they can surprise some people and get results.  On paper, the other knockout round qualifier will be Sporting with Joao Mountinho, Yannick Djalo, Fabio Rochembeck, and others but they’re not good enough to coast through to the next round.  We’ll see…

Liverpool has to be mad about their group – what I’d consider the Group of Death.  No team is safe in Group D.  Athletico is a good, good team that has reloaded in the past couple years with Kun Aguero, Tomas Ujfaulsi, John Heitinga, Maniche, Forlan, Coupet and the list goes on.  This is a solid side that can contend for multiple trophies this year.  Even though they’re minus Samir Nasri, Marseille is still a good side with lots of firepower.  Their opening day result is not a reflection of what to expect from this team.  Perennial Dutch powers PSV will be a dangerous team in this group and Liverpool is Liverpool.  Can’t wait to watch these games over the next few months.

Group E’s another tough one with 3 strong sides.  Man U look to defend their title but an up-an-coming Villareal side hope to sneak into the knockout rounds over Celtic.  The Yellow Submarine and The Bhoys will battle it out.  And Aalborg is out of the question…

Group F is another tough one.  Bayern Munich is back where it belongs, in the Champions League, and they look to go through.  They’ll face still competition, however, in a strong Lyon side and a strengthened Fioentina side.  Even Juan Carlos Toja’s Steaua Bucharesti are a team not to be taken lightly.

Group G has Arsenal as the class team and Porto as the immediate second choice but don’t sleep on Dynamo Kiev or Fenerbache.  The Turks made it to last year’s knockout round and Dani Guiza will give them more firepower up top.  Dynamo are a good team as well and this group could have some surprising results.

Group H rounds out he competition with another interesting trio of teams.  Juve is back in Champions League play after serving match-fixing jail time.  They hope to make a push in the tournament against clear favorites Real Madrid.  Keep Zenit St. Petersburg in mind, though.  They were a joy to watch during last year’s UEFA Cup and hope to continue that success.  I’ve never heard of BATE Borisov…

It’s all there and it’s shaping up to be a great Christmas…I mean…Champions League season.

Q & A

1.  When you know you will be on the bench for a match, what is your typical day of game routine?

- Zack, Diamond Bar, CA

Zack – Good question.  Usually we don’t know if we’re on the dress list until we arrive at the stadium on gameday.  Saying that, I always prepare the same way, as if I’m going to dress and as if I’m going to play.  Even if we did find out the day before I would still prepare the same, in serious manner…

For a 7:30 pm match, I’ll usually sleep in late, to 9:00 or 9:30 am.  Then I’ll have a breakfast of cereal, a bagel, granola, eggs, and stuff along those lines.  I don’t like to sit around all day or lay in bed like some people so I’ll do little errands like go to the grocery store or the dry cleaners or get a carwash or stuff like that – only low key things, but I like to get out and about a bit.  Often times, I’ll go in the hot tub for a few minutes to loosen up in the hours after breakfast.  Then I’ll eat a light lunch, usually pasta and fruit.  After lunch, I usually lie around and watch TV a bit.  Then right before I change and get ready to take off for the game, I cook myself a pregame meal of, usually, chicken, rice, vegetables and stuff like that.  I cook all my own meals all the time and only eat good, healthy things – not just on gameday but all the time.  I hydrate with water and Gatorade all day long.  I leave my house at about 4:55 to make sure that I’m at the stadium nice and early to prepare for the match.

Game days are filled with lots of anticipation!

2.  How do you feel about Gabe Ferrari (I believe he was on the US MNT with you), playing pro in Italy??  He just got loaned out from a Serie A team (Sampadoria) to a Serie C team (Perugia).  Do you think he is better off just coming back and playing in the US or sticking it out with Italy???  Do you think he has the potential to be a big star in Europe, like Guiseppe Rossi?

-Jaclin in NY

Jaclin – I know Gabe well and I think that the loan is a good thing.  Being loaned out to a lower league is very common in Europe for young players and something that can be beneficial.  It’s a really good option to get competitive matches and play on a regular basis.  If a player isn’t going to get regular minutes with the first team, they have to play for the reserve team and in many cases it’s better to go on loan and play in important games for another club rather than reserve matches.  On top of all that, Perugia is a club with a really good tradition – players like Nakata and Gattuso have played there and I think there’s more big time players who have also played there.

One thing that would benefit MLS youngsters would be a more open loan system.  Bryan Jordan from our team is a good example of this.  BJ went on loan to Portland for a few months, played regular, competitive games, and when we needed him, he came back and did well for the Galaxy.  He scored and assisted against Real Salt Lake and started against Kansas City.

I think that Gabe is in good shape and will be a good player in Europe.  He’s explosive, hard-working, and has all the physical and technical tools to be successful in Italy.

3.  In training, I would imagine that there are some defense v. offense related drills that take place.  If my assumption is correct, who would you say is the hardest/toughest to mark or matchup against as far as forwards are concerned?  How do you think this improves your overall play and skill set?

- B.P., Los Angeles

B.P. – You are correct.  We usually end training with some sort of small sided game or 18-18 scrimmage so there’s a lot of offense vs. defense.

I’d have to say that playing against Landon is difficult and a good challenge every day.  Not only is his pace a huge threat but he’s also creative, tricky, makes really good runs, and lethal in front of goal.  When playing against him, any mistake gets punished so you have to be on top of your game the whole time.

Playing against him has really helped me to read the game better – making good decision on when to step, drop, stand him up, etc.  Because he’ll burn me if there’s balls played over top, I have to anticipate things in order to sniff out that danger before it comes.  He also often drifts to deeper in the midfield and so that I have to step into the midfield space so he can’t turn and run at the backs.  I also try to play to my strengths when playing against him, being physical, stepping to him, blocking shots, and standing him up in 1 v. 1 situations.

4.  First, congratulations on getting named to the game-day roster in the last several matches. All the training must be paying off. Hopefully we’ll get to see your league debut soon. Second, the run of tough results is obviously discouraging and I’m sure you’re sick of talking about it, so my question is, do you see yourself as a writer 20 years from now when your career is over? Have you considered being some sort of a sports-writer, or even a different kind of writer? How about coaching? What do you see for your future after your playing career?

- Jay in Los Angeles

Jay in LA – Writing is something that I’ve always like and have always thought about doing after soccer.  I’ve always been interested in sports journalism and that is something that I would definitely consider doing after soccer.

I would also really like to do some sort of TV commentary, whether it’s in-game commentary or Fox Football Phone-In or something like that.  I’ve always considered myself a good public speaker and I would enjoy that.

Coaching is also something that I would be interested in.  I’m not sure at what level (our country is lame about requiring licenses and stuff like that) but I feel that I would be a good coach.  I’ve been fortunate to have learned from a lot of great coaches and grown up with good “soccer people” and feel that I would make a good coach.

Other than that, I’m not sure.  But I do know that I want to be a good father and a good husband.  Please excuse the mushy moment…

I hope that you enjoyed my article for the day!  Make sure to keep your questions coming to Julian@americansoccerreader.com and I will see you next Thursday.  Thanks!

-jules

Welcome back everyone.  I hope you enjoy today’s column…

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Last weekend we drew 2-2 with Real Salt Lake.  With international absences and a number of injuries, this was a good result for us at home and we’re proud of the way that we played.  The first half was a bit rough and we spent a lot of it defending by the skin of our teeth but the coaches made some adjustments at halftime and we played quite well in the second half.  I hope that our fans noticed the effort and determination that we showed to get a point against a good RSL team.  It was a hotly contested, high-flying match that saw goals from Bryan Jordan and Eddie Buddle, as well as Will Johnson and Yura Movsisyan.

Now we hit the road again this weekend to take on the Kansas City Wizards.  Our winless streak has reached unprecedented numbers and it’s a must-win for us with only 7 games remaining.  We’ve tied a number of games recently but we need to start picking up points in 3s.  I said it last week and I’ll reiterate again this week: these ties will be important in November.

This Week

This week has been good.  We’ve been working really hard as usual, with a great deal of focus and intensity.  We’ve worked on possession (using our second goal against RSL as a model), intense small-sided matches, 18 to 18 scrimmaging, and the coaches also split up forwards, midfielders, and defenders to work on position-specific functional work.  The backs worked on movement, shape, clearances, and 1 v. 1 defending.  I had a good week of training and hope to find myself on the reserve bench again this weekend.

Off the pitch, it was a good week.  I had an appearance up in West Covina this week.  One of the major ways that younger players make some extra money is by doing local clinics and appearances.  It usually works like this: ticket sales people from the front office sell ticket packages to local clubs, rec centers, and other organizations.  As a part of the deal, they agree to have players visit, meet the kids, mingle, and sign autographs at an event.  It’s never more than an hour and a half worth of work and we make a pretty nice chunk of change for doing it.  And by work, I mean standing around, signing autographs.  The club also reimburses for gas and meals so I rarely complain.  The appearances give me something to do in the evening and put some ducats in my pocket.

Other than that, I’ve been playing some more Football Manager.  Billy “Tinkerman” English has won the Champions League for Tottenham and he is a legend at White Hart Lane.  The media calls me “Tinkerman” because my tactics are so spot on and every tactical tinker pays off.  For my title defense, I’ve bolstered my squad with Brazilian Wonderkid Renato Augusto from Flamengo, John Obi Mikel from Chelsea, Taye Taiwo from Real Betis, Alessandro Tuia from Lazio, and Fabrice Maumaba from Arsenal – a very comprehensive set of recruits that will help my squad as we attempt to repeat.  For the record, Giuseppe Rossi’s transfer value (my former teammate from Region 1 ODP) went from $14 million to $18.25 million in just one year – what a good buy by Billy English.  I’m currently lining up a bid for Julio Bapista.

To be honest, though, Billy is looking for a new challenge.  If there’s a job opening in Spain or Italy, Billy English will leave Spurs and take it.  I’ll make sure to let you know…

Around the World

I just finished watching the US/Trinidad match.  Unfortunately it was the only WC Qualifier that I’ve caught from today’s full slate but it was definitely a good one for the Red, White, and Blue.

Except for the beginning of the second half, we looked pretty sharp.  Of course the game wasn’t perfect but our movement off the ball was good, our defending was solid and organized, and it could have been a lot more than 2-0 at half.  T&T were a bit disorganized and sluggish defensively but we exposed their errors all over the pitch.  While they caused some problems on set-pieces and counter-attacks, it’s clear that our team is superior technically and tactically.

As I watched the match, I noticed the dramatic difference when it comes to play home and playing away in CONCACAF.  This match was noticeably different than the other two qualifiers so far.  The same can be said anywhere in the world, but I think that things are magnified in CONCACAF due to variations of culture and living conditions.  For example, the average soccer fan might look at our first two results (1-0 against Guatemala and 1-0 against Cuba) and say they are unimpressed by the results but I wholeheartedly disagree.  They were great results.  Sketchy refereeing, brutal hooligans, bad field conditions, hurricane rains and unpredictable weather, and excessive chippy/dirty play are all things that make road games challenging in our region.  Opposing teams try to use those things in their advantage to get a World Cup berth and try to kill the game, so to speak.  Home games much smoother sailing – pristine pitches (excuse the alliteration), home-field calls, Sam’s Army, and, overall, it’s much easier to be the aggressor and set the tone in the match.  Any win on the road is great result and our first two have put us in good shape.

Q & A

1.  What do you enjoy most about playing in the MLS and why?

-Valerie, Akron, OH

Valerie – I think my favorite thing about playing in MLS is being able to play games and train every day…and get paid for it.  I could be out there in the workforce with my English degree, doing some sort of real job but I get to do what I love most.  This isn’t really specific to playing in MLS, more just playing soccer professionally.

2.  There has been a lot of discussion about MLS’s schedule this week, as a player would you prefer a single table? Maybe a Clausura/Apertura setup? 

-Greg, LA

Greg – Good question.  Important question. 

First of all, I think that it’s imperative that MLS adopt the FIFA calendar.  Not only does it make our league look inferior because we’re one of the ONLY league that does not adhere, but it hurts the quality of the league when players are gone.  Fans have the right to see the top players and when Toronto FC, for example, is missing 9 starters, having to bring in front office staff to fill out the roster, it’s not fair to the fans or the team.

I think that I would like to see a single table – with home and away format.  Again, it would give our league more credibility on the world stage but I also think it would be the fairest way to find the top teams.  It may be nice for those bubble teams but I think it has to change eventually.  With our country, geography makes East and West make sense but I would support a single table.

I’m not familiar enough with the Clausura/Apertura system to comment – I just know the split the season up into two parts…

3.  Jules, I’ve heard tons of rumors about MLS trying to get in on the Copa Libertadores, what is your opinion on this? Good or Bad?

-Shinske, Tokyo, JP

Shinske from Tokyo – Konichiwa!  Thanks for reading my blog!

I think it would be really interesting to see an MLS side in the Copa Libertadores.  I think it could be a good thing.  The differences in style of player are so drastic; it would make for entertaining football.  South American soccer is generally slower and more technical, while the MLS game is a lot quicker and more physical.  That’s why a lot of South American players struggle to adapt to the American game.

The thing about Copa Libertadores, though, is that it’s supposed to be a South American tournament and it might be weird for a team from another continent to impede.  Saying that, I never understood why Mexican teams compete in the tournament because geographically and in the eyes of FIFA, Mexico is in North America. 

But overall, I think it could be a good thing for the league to get exposure on that stage.

4.  Is there any other player in the game whos traits you think are very similar to yours? Anyone you’ve modeled your game after?

-Keith S.

Keith S. – I play a lot like John Terry and Carles Puyol.  They are both hard-nosed defenders, tough and brave, who read the game well.  One of the biggest knocks against me is that my speed/agility isn’t the best (something I work on daily), but it’s the same case with Terry and Puyol – people say the same about them.  I try to study their movements of reading the game and making sure that players don’t get in behind them.  They are also strong leaders.

5.  With there being a lack of consistency regarding reserve matches and the well-documented low salary for developmental players, how do you feel about sticking it out in the MLS and Galaxy for that matter?  Obviously, playing on a team with players like Donovan, Beckham, and Eddie Lewis is a very worthwhile experience, but does the USL or a smaller European league peak your interest?

- B.P., Los Angeles

B.P. – Great questions.  As I said a few weeks ago, the reserve league is definitely frustrating due to the lack of players, inconsistent games, and difficult conditions.  It’s also no secret that developmental salaries are embarrassing.  Saying that, I’m still very happy and doing surprisingly well financially.  I’m able to train every day with a great group of guys, learn a lot from great coaches and teammates, and I’m confident that I will look back on these things in 10 years and realize how important they were for my development – right now I’m 21 years old (I graduated from college early) and just sort of living the dream right now.  If I’m still in my current position a couple years from now, however, I think that I’d have to reevaluate things.

It’s cool to play with Landon, David, Eddie, and all, but I’m not here just “experience” that.  I’m here to bust my ass, get on the field, and make sure that I can play this game for a long time.

Anyone with serious ambition in the game wants to play in the highest European leagues.  I’m no different and share those dreams but I know that if I’m a reserve player here, I won’t be there any time soon.  Could I go to Europe and play in the Finnish second division?  Probably.  But that would not be the best option – and money has never really motivated me that much because I’m a pretty simple guy.  It’s all about finding the right opportunity at the right time.  Right now, I have an amazing opportunity and I’m making the most of it here in LA.

Good question and I was happy to answer it honestly.

I hope that everyone enjoyed my column for the afternoon.  Make sure to keep your questions coming to Julian@americansoccerreader.com and I’ll see you next week!

-jules

Welcome!  Let’s go…

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

We took a trip up to New England last weekend to play the Revs.  We’ve been on a slide lately and it was a big game for us, not only to get a good result but to raise the quality of our game going into the last part of the season.  We need points.  There was a huge crowd and a great atmosphere for the match.

We had a very good first half.  We were moving the ball well, making the Revs run, getting in behind them, and creating chances.  We were also defending quite well – getting numbers around the ball, making honest recovery runs, and making things hard for New England.  Even with our good play, we gave up the first goal of the match when Khano Smith served a ball into the box that found Taylor Twellman’s head.  Sort of against the run of play but it was a good, brave play by Twellman to put his team up – brought back memories for myself as Cronin gave him a gash on his cheek.  Both actually suffered injuries on the play as Cronin hurt his hand as well.  We responded shortly after with a brilliant strike from Landon.  Pete served a ball over the top, right into Landon’s stride.  Landon caught Matt Reis on his back foot and drilled the ball into the back of the net with his left foot.  Great goal.  We carried our momentum into the locker room with the score knotted at 1-1.

We continued to roll out of the locker room, playing the same way and getting on the board again with another excellent goal from Landon.  New face Eddie Lewis served a perfect through-ball which put LD into the box for a classic finish.  Eddie was been a great addition to the team so far.  Not only is he a great player with lots of experience at the highest level but he is also a great guy off the field – a real team guy.  Anyways, we started to fade a bit after this.  We started to lose the midfield battle a bit and absorbed more pressure from New England.  We did a good job of defending, fighting to win our battles and make plays, but they were able to find the scoreboard once again when Shalrie Joseph tucked a ball away in the 71^st minute.

The match ended in a 2-2 tie.  If we weren’t on a long winless streak we would be very happy with the result.  We tied a very good team on the road, in a tough environment, and played well for the majority of the match.  Saying that, we know that we need points and we’re disappointed that we weren’t able to take all 3. 

I know that every team is saying this, but in this league, it’s all about stringing together some wins and getting hot at the right time.  One win puts us right back into the race and a string of a few wins will put us right into playoff contention.  I can only imagine how frustrating it is for our fans but these ties will be very valuable at the end of the year.

Salt Lake comes to town this weekend and it will be another huge game.  They’re a good team who is ahead of us in the Western Conference table.  They have struggled on the road this year, though, and we’re hoping to take all the points, even with our international call-ups.

This Week

This week has been another good week of training.  I think it’s clear how much the team has improved and the team mentality has changed in the short time that our new coaches have been here.  We’ve taken a back to the basics approach, focus on the details approach, and change our mentality approach.  With all that, training has been tough – working on tactics, possession play, attacking patterns, weight lifting, video review and preparation, and everything else.  We’re doing everything possible to put ourselves in a good position to win on Saturday.

Off the pitch, this week has been uneventful. 

I’ve gotten back into one of my favorite pastimes – a computer game called Football Manager.  I used to play this game in college all the time and it’s extremely addicting, fun, and a great way to pass time.

The game is pretty self-explanatory: you are the manager of a soccer team.  You control all of the player transfers, set and change all of the team tactics, give players individual tactical instructions, give pregame and postgame talks, loan players, interact with the media, set up all training sessions, and absolutely everything else that a real manager does.  The game is extremely deep and detailed.  When it comes to game time, you don’t play, just like a real manager – you only watch the match and change all of the tactics and substitutions.  This game is great and I’m sure you can see how it’s so addicting.

Because of the high expectations for this season and subsequent disappointment in real life, I decided to start with Tottenham.  In my first year, kept most of the existing squad in tact but added winger Thomas Hitzlesperger from Stuttgart, centerback Tomas Ujfaulsi from Fiorentina, and (signing of the year for my squad) Sanli Tuncay from Fenerbache.  (I’m playing the 2007 version, not the newest one).  At the beginning of the year, the Tottenham board expected me to finish mid-table but Billy English (my manager alias in the game) managed a 2^nd place finish in the Premiership behind Chelsea.  Along with that, I won the Carling Cup, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Cup.  Three trophies!  Needless to say, the board and all the fans are thrilled with Billy English and I’m making Tottenham one of the best clubs in the world.

Now I’m in year 2 with big expectations.  With a lot more games and playing in Champions League, I knew that I had to strengthen my squad and add some more depth to rotate players and cover for injuries so I asked the board for more money and went on a shopping spree.  I got rid of a few players from the previous year and also bought outside backs Alexy Berezutskiy and Emanuel Pogatetez from CSKA Moscow and Middlesborough respectively, young Brazilian Eduardo Ratinho from Corinthinas, Anthony Vanden Borre from Anderlecht, and I broke the bank to buy Giuseppe Rossi for $14 million from Manchester United.  Things have worked out so far.  I’m already through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, advanced in FA and Carling Cups, but I’m struggling a bit in the Premiership.  I’m mid-table as I try to rest some of my players and I’ve drawn a bunch of matches.  It’s still only November so I’m good.  I’ll make sure to keep you up to date with Billy English and his Tottenham squad.

Around the World

Could Manchester City be the next Chelsea? 

The Citizens think so.  And under the vision of Sulaiman al-Fahim and the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, Man City fans hope to usurp cross town rivals United and compete on a continental level.  The recent takeover was imminent in lieu the personal problems of former owner Thaksin Shinawatra and I’m sure that he gladly accepted the $360 million buy out.  While that seems like a lot of money (and it is!) it’s only chump-change for the UAE company that’s worth $550 billion.  That’s billion, with a B.  The new ownership group has also expressed great commitment and enthusiasm to bring top players to the club in order to win trophies as demonstrated with the purchase of Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Zabaleta, and Vincent Kompany.  The grand total of those four players is somewhere around £72 million and you can almost double that for American dollars.  It’s also safe to assume that this type of spending will become a regular thing.

This ridiculous buyout and rampant spending is nothing new in the football world, though.  All you have to do is look south to London for the best example of how financial investment creates success in the game.  Chelsea was a good club that usually fought for a top 5 finish but hardly an international football superpower.  It wasn’t until Roman Abramovich decided to splash some of his billions in buying it that the Blues blew up, so to speak.  From there, he went on and bought an excellent manager, went on spending spree after spending spree and, well, the rest is history.  Now the club is one of the richest in the world and one of the most successful every year.  City hopes to follow this same model.  In fact, al-Fahim said “I’m the new Abramovic.”

City definitely still has a way’s to go in order to be included with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man U, AC Milan, Liverpool, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea but who’s to say they can’t do it.  It will be interesting to track this story over the next few years and see if City fans can finally win some permanent leverage and bragging rights over the hated Red Devils.

Who ever said money can’t buy happiness?

Q & A

Make sure to send them to Julian@americansoccerreader.com.

Take care and I’ll catch you later!

-jules

Welcome back everyone!  Sorry for the technical difficulties last week but my computer charger only arrived from IBM Thinkpad headquarters yesterday and I was able to piece this installment together quite quickly.

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Today’s “Looking Back” will be mainly about the changes over the past couple weeks.

As everyone in the US soccer world knows by now, we now have a new coach and GM in Bruce Arena.  Coach Arena is a familiar face in the soccer community with an amazing reputation for managing winning teams and developing players.  He’s perfect for the job because of his knowledge of what it takes to be successful in this league, his eye for talent, and management of teams.  I’m really excited to be learning from him and I can already tell that he has earned his reputation for a good reason.

Also added to the staff as the “Associate Head Coach” is former Chicago Fire head coach Dave Sarachan, who had recently been working with the US Soccer Development Academy.  Coach Sarachan is another quality, winning coach who is passionate about the game and good at working with players.  He brings great experience and knowledge in the game and what I like is that he really stresses the details of the game.  Both new coaches are great teachers and have stepped right into our team in a seamless fashion.  The rest of the staff has stayed the same with Cobi and Trevor James as assistant coaches and Ian Feuer as goalkeeper coach. 

As I said, the transition has been smooth and we’re definitely improving already.  We’ve gotten back to the basics, working on lots of technical work, possession play, defensive shape and movement, and we’ve been really competitive in training.  The mentality has been one of “serious fun” which is the best way to have it – we’re serious about working hard, competing, and WINNING games again but we’ve also remembered that we need to enjoy ourselves at the same time.  What’s most important, I think, is that it’s clear that the new coaches have come in with a definite game plan and know what it will take to make out team serious contenders this year.  They’ve addressed all of our major issues and we’re working hard to improve under new guidance.

Today we leave for New England, which is a huge game for us.  New England is still in the top tier of the league and it goes without saying that we need a win.  Saying that, the beauty of our league (or fault, depending on how you look at it) is that a win could put us in 2^nd place in the West.  Which is pretty unbelievable when you think about it.  We’re expecting a tough game against a good New England team who beat us 2-0 last match, but we’re confident that if we play well and work hard for 90 minutes we can come out on top.

This Week

As I said, this week we’ve been training hard, focused, knowing that we need to win.  We’ve had a number of meetings also which is an important part of our new training regime.  We’ve been watching video from our last match, talking about New England, and just overall preparing mentally, physically, tactically, and technically for the match.

Off the field it has been awesome.  My girlfriend, Kristen, came to visit in LA and just left today.  She is currently in doctorate school for physical therapy at Regis University in Denver and was able to make it down here for about 10 days.  Of course it’s great just spending time together and we like to walk around on the beach, eat frozen yogurt, and go to the movies, which we did this week. 

But we were also able to make it down to San Diego for a couple days this past weekend.  A good friend of mine, Jeff Skeen (who is also founder/owner of the Full90 headgear company, which I proudly wear), had a birthday party and we went down to wish him a happy birthday.  Kristen and I also went to La Jolla and saw some seals on the beach there, ate at the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego, and went to Sea World. 

After dinner at a Mexican restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter we stopped by a little piano bar called The Shout House.  If you’ve never been to a piano bar, I highly recommend it – it’s a great time.  It was my first time and we sort of just impulsively decided to go in.  Basically everyone sits down in the restaurant/bar and there are 2 pianos on stage.  The audience members write their song requests on a piece of paper, lay them on the piano, and the pianists (who know like EVERY song somehow) play the songs.  Everyone sings along.  It’s a really unique experience and tons of fun.  Kristen and I requested “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield which got played before long.  Sea World was also amazing, as I’m sure you can imagine.  There’s so much to do there and we made a day out of seeing the whole park!

Around the World

Even though there’s a ton going on in the football world right now with the start of the new seasons and such, I’m going to opt out of this segment for the week.  I wanted to really focus on the other three sections.  I’m also trying to write this whole article in like an hour because my charger only came earlier today and we leave for New England early tomorrow.  “Around the World” will make its heroic return next week!

Q & A

These questions are from last week, but all still apply this week:

1.  Have you had a chance to speak with “The Bruce” yet? If so what are your first impressions, did he say anything in particular?

- Roberto, Orange County

I have to say that I was really excited to meet coach Arena.  I was a DC United fan growing up (being from PA) and obviously I had watched his teams for years with the national team.  I had also heard so many good things about him from players and other coaches.

My first impression is that he is really humble – just a regular, down to earth guy.  He seemed pretty blue collar, approachable, and up front.  All of these have held true.  In a lot of ways, he’s the opposite of our last manager.  There aren’t a whole lot of east coast/ACC guys on our team so we talked about that connection that we have.

2.  My questions are: 

a) Does he [Bruce Arena] seem to be up and current on the MLS this year,

b) Does he seem to know all the players already from watching games, and 

c) How do you feel you’d fit into the kind of backline formation that he likes to use? Arena has a system that he has used everywhere he’s coached—do you think that format will suit the players the Galaxy have in the backline and midfield?

- Jay in Los Angeles

Thanks again to one of my favorite readers, Jay in LA, for these great questions.  First, Bruce and Dave are definitely “up and current” on the MLS this year.  They are two fantastic coaches who have a tremendous track record in the league and clearly were deeply engrained in the league, even in their time away from coaching.  It is important that in preparations for matches that we know specifics about player tendencies, formations, and tactics of other teams.  That’s something that we had been lacking before due to the fact that our manager was not familiar with the league and its players.  Our preparation for the Chicago game was sharp and focused (as it was when Cobi prepared us for the Chivas game) and specific in what we could expect from the opposition.  So yes, very “up and current.”

Second, it was also clear very early that our new coaches had been watching our games all year and knew what our major issues were.  They knew all of the players names and a lot about each player on day one and I believe, also, that they have a pretty good idea of each player’s niche on the team.  Of course this will evolve throughout the rest of the year but they definitely “did their homework,” as you asked.  Keep in mind also that we have a number of players who have played for Bruce on past national teams and Dave has been a coach in our league for years.

Finally, I’ve said it before but I know that I still have a lot to learn.  Saying that, I know that I can help the team if called upon.  The backline formation that coach Arena likes to use isn’t really any different.  We’ve just really gotten back to the basics of team defending which is what we really needed.  We’ve been working on shifting, pressure/cover/balance, clearances, and everything else.  I feel that I fit in well and many of the things that he’s been stressing are things that I feel I do well – it’s just all about getting the details right and doing it for 90 minutes under pressure.

3. With Bruce Arena now at the helm of the Galaxy, how have the training sessions, player’s attitudes, and overall feel of the team changed?  What are the major differences?

Do you feel that your chances to crack the starting 11 have decreased or increased with the management change?

- B.P. in Los Angeles, CA

B.P. – What’s up?  The training sessions have been great.  One thing is that there’s a lot more variety.  We’ve done different exercises that are designed to train our areas of need.  The change has broken up some of the repetition of before and replaced it with a bit of freshness.

One thing that we’ve really been working on in training, is training our mentality.  This means defensive mentality, sustaining concentration, fine-tuning technique, and things like that.  This has been a good thing for the team and for me in particular – I hope to continue to improve in these ways.  Coach Arena stresses that we win Saturday games on Monday – Friday and it’s critical to train well.

Have my chances of cracking the first team improved?  Sure, I’d probably say they have.

4.  Hey Julian, were the players informed of the guys being interviewed to fill the managers spot? Or was it a decision made totally by the front office, just curious, thanks!

- Cindy, Santa Monica

Cindy – Good question.  We didn’t really know what was going on with the coaching change to be honest.  I preferred it this way and I think that the rest of the team did as well.  It could have been a distraction for the team if we were on the inside so we just went about business as usual and found out one day that there had been a hiring.  Of course the media always circulates rumors and people read those, but other than that, we didn’t know about anything specific going on up in the front office.

Great questions everyone – they always are.  Make sure to keep them coming to Julian@americansoccerreader.com.  My new computer charger and I will be back next week and I hope that you will be as well.  Take care and I’ll talk to you next Thursday.

-jules

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Welcome folks.

In a very untimely fashion my computer charger has broken and I cannot offer a new article this week.  The part of the power cord that plugs into the computer just ripped off and and I had to order a new one from the IBM website.  Hopefully it will be here in time for me to write a new article for next week.

There’s definitely been a lot of good stuff going on here over the past week and I’m sorry that I’ll have to put that off.  Your questions will be noted and feel free to keep them coming for next Thursday.

Again, SORRY and have a great week!

-jules

SBI is reporting that the LA Galaxy have dealt forward Carlos Ruiz to Toronto FC, the details should be coming to light soon. Toronto FC have had a busy day on the player movement front, releasing midfielder Laurent Robert earlier in the day. Ruiz has had a tough season after sustaining a knee injury early in the season which has seen him earn limited playing time with LA. Toronto FC will get the goal scorer they’ve been looking for the past few months, and LA can now afford to sign Eddie Lewis. What do you think of the move? 

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

With the bye-week, there is no match to look back at.  We had a number of hard training sessions and tough fitness and weight work after training.  We definitely took full advantage of the preparation week and pushed ourselves to the limit.

Make sure to tune into ESPN 2 at 10:00 pm Eastern time for the third match of the Honda Superclassico.  LA Galaxy vs. Chivas USA.  Be there.

This Week

I’m sure that everyone’s read the reports out of LA this week.  Ruud and Alexi are no longer with the team and, needless to say, it’s been a crazy week.  Even with the media whirlwind out here, we have handled the situation like professionals and have continued business as usual.  Cobi and Trevor James have stepped right in and have done a fantastic job of preparing us for Chivas on Thursday, keeping everyone focused on the things that we can control.  They’ve also put together a number of solid training sessions.  The transition has been quite smooth actually.

With all that’s gone on this week, it’s been reinforced in my mind how much of a business professional sports really are.  This is ALL professional sports – soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, football, everything.  We are in the business of winning games and putting fans in the stands.  Those two forces are reliant on each other.  When teams are dropping results and not performing up to expectations, people lose their jobs and they are sent on their way – there’s rarely patience with these kinds of things.  People read these types of changes all the time on ESPN bottom line ticker but it’s interesting being on the inside.

As a group of players we’ve really realized how much we need to come together, now more than ever.  So, this week, we went to the beach after training for a team barbecue.  Someone’s friend of a friend has a house literally right on the beach in Hermosa Beach and they allowed us to come over for a few hours and spend some time bonding on their back porch.  The veterans suggested that all the rookies put our heads together and plan the event for the whole group so we went to the store and bought the necessary meat, condiments, drinks, and side dishes.  Most of the team showed up and Grillmaster Josh Wicks kept the charcoal-kissed goods coming.  Besides the amazing location of the house, the barbecue was nothing special, actually quite low-key.  We just sort of sat around in the sun, watched the beach-goers come and go, told stories, and enjoyed some good banter within the group.

I also met Gordon Ramsey this week.  That was pretty cool.  He’s probably most famous for his TV show “Hell’s Kitchen” on Fox where he completely flips out and kills the spirits of aspiring chefs.  Ramsey is regarded as one of the top chefs in the world - #2 actually behind some French lady.

Around the World

I love the Olympics.  It’s definitely the only time that I ever watch MSNBC or CNBC…or even NBC for that fact.  Saying that, I have to admit that I haven’t done the best job of watching the Olympic soccer so far – it’s just been difficult with the time difference and my basic cable package.  It’s also impractical for me to stay up to 2:00 am to watch the games live with training the next day so I’ve been scrambling to watch as many games as I can after the fact.  Luckily the NBC Olympic website has comprehensive coverage of the Games and I’ve been able to catch up on a lot of games there.

In all the games that I’ve watched, I’ve been struck by how even the matches have been.  Almost all of the games that I’ve seen (expect for Brazil/China) have been extremely close matches that could have gone either way.  There have been a lot of draws, a lot of one goal wins, but even more telling is the way that these games are actually played.  Often times from what I’ve seen, it’s only a matter of one play on either end of the pitch that decides the entire match.  This was never more evident that the US-Japan game – a great result for the US but a result that easily could have gone either way.  Even though it was an up-hill battle (that we handled awesomely by the way) the US-Nigeria game is another example of that.  We could have ended with a point for us with some late chances.  These Olympic games seem result-oriented and a bit tense to me and critical plays have been amplified.

That’s all I have to today in “Around the World” because the next section will be a bit long…

Q & A

I got an email from Brian P. this week and he suggested that I talk a little bit about the Galaxy reserve games and the MLS reserve league in general.  

1/2.  Since you’re a regular starter on the reserve team, did you ever think about writing a quick synopsis about the weekly reserve match (when applicable)?  For instance, I had read that Ed Dominguez played goalkeeper the last 11 minutes to fill in for the injured Charles Alamo.  I think a player’s perspective on the match and little tid-bits like the aforementioned would be a cool addition to your blog.

1/2.  My question is, how are the reserve team games going? Can you give us an update on those, the level of competitiveness, how you feel like you’re performing in them, and whether or not any player stands out as being ready for the first team?

-Jay in Los Angeles

The reserve division is, well, a learning experience in a lot of ways.  I take these games very seriously.  Right now these are my only matches, my opportunity to improve outside of training, get 90 minutes of fitness and sharpness, and show the coaching staff what I can offer to the team.  Saying that, the games are frustrating many ways and there are a lot of difficult things to deal with.

First, the “reserve team” is basically whatever healthy players do not play substantial minutes in the first team game and the roster changes from week to week.  With a roster of 26 guys and the fact that there are often injured players, we typically have 8-10 field players available for these games from the Galaxy roster.  So, we have to bring in guest players to fill the gaps and field a team.  Unfortunately for me, we usually have to bring in backs as guest players so I’m usually playing next to guys who are not on our team, who I don’t know, and who only fly in the night before the match.  It’s hard to forge a good partnership this way.

The games are also usually at 10:00 am the day after the first team game, so it’s creates some challenges in getting a proper breakfast and pregame preparation.  It’s also very hot playing in LA or Dallas in July at 10:00.

The fixtures are also extremely sporadic.  We had a period earlier this year where we went about two and a half months without a game, so it’s just a difficult situation.  Sometimes the matches get cancelled because of lack of numbers or other reasons.  We’ll play two or three games in a row, have two months without a reserve match, and then have another couple matches.

The level of the games varies and it really depends on the depth of the teams involved.  Teams with more depth and experience on their roster naturally have better reserve teams but most teams use the reserve division as an opportunity to give their young players a run and look at guest players.  Overall, though, the level of the reserve games is significantly lower than the first team matches.  They’re not as fast, not as clean, and just lack the same quality.

Here are couple anecdotes to illustrate all of the aforementioned frustrations.  When we played the Salt Lake reserves earlier this year we drove an hour up the mountains from Salt Lake City to the Park City for a 10:00 am match.  We had flown in 4 guest players for the match because we were short-handed and there were no subs.  We had an injury at halftime so we had no other option but to put our third string goalkeeper up top for the second half.  Then we had another injury so we played a man down for the last 15 minutes, with our goalkeeper at forward, and four guest players – two of whom were defenders.  Needless to say, we lost 5-2.

Against San Jose our first team game was at noon in Oakland so we drove over an hour straight from Oakland to Santa Clara for the 4:30 reserve match kickoff.  We flew in three guest players who arrived the morning of the match who met us at the field.  Two of them started but at least we had a sub (which came in handy).  We had three injuries in the match, which included two goalkeepers going down.  So, we had to put our Argentinean centerback (who barely speaks English) in goal for the last 15 minutes of the match.  In this match, we lost 1-0 on a brilliant long-range goal from Kelly Gray but we actually played quite well, showing that everyone is learning to adjust to the reserve league conditions.

It’s easy to see why the games are frustrating – especially for someone like myself who cares so much about performing well these games and WINNING!

These problems are not exclusively Galaxy problems.  Ruud said publicly that he was shocked with the MLS reserve system, alluding specifically to a time when we had to get a ticket account manager from our front office to play so that we had enough numbers for a match.  Ruud came from a very different European reserve system where there is an organized league of “reserve” teams and “reserve” players.  Our reserve league seemed so amateur and bush-league to him.  No.  I don’t have the solutions but there needs to be some reform in the MLS reserve division in order to maximize its potential.

All that said, it’s something and I am thankful for the opportunity to play in the reserve matches.  I’m definitely glad that the reserve league exists.  There was no system at all in the past and I’m definitely grateful that there’s an opportunity for me to get some games.  16 games in a year, regardless of the conditions, are way better than zero games.

In conclusion, these games are not just a wash for me – I’m very competitive and hate losing.  I deal with all of the conditions and just get on with it.  I’m pretty happy with how I’ve played in the reserve matches so far this year.  I’ve gotten better every game and I think that the coaches are noticing my improvement, hard work, leadership, good play, and starting to see where I may fit in the team.  When it’s all said and done and I look back at my experience with the reserve league when I’m hopefully still playing at 30, I think that I’ll take away how it helped me to become a professional.  I’ve learned to focus on the things that I can control, forget about everything else, and just worry about going out and playing well.

3.  Hey Julian, were you at the Lieweke locker room meeting? If you were, what was it like? Was there a sense among the players that both Gullit and Lalas could be on the way out? Thanks!

-Steve K

Steve K – I was in the locker room that day, as was the rest of the team.  I think that everyone on the team knew that something was brewing in the club and that there was going to be a big decision coming soon.  Not that we were obsessing over it or anything but after the first meeting and the following loss to San Jose, we knew that something was inevitable.

I don’t really know how stuff like that ends up getting out to the media but everything that was said in those meetings has been reported by the media.  Mr. Lieweke basically came in and bluntly told the group that we were not performing up to expectations and that we needed to turn things around.  He said if we did not there would be serious consequences and after the second meeting, he told us that we are now responsible because there are no more distractions (as various outlets have reported).

The mood in the meetings was extremely serious and intense – almost scary.  It was definitely a new experience for me and hopefully we won’t have another one of these meetings ever again.

4.  Julian, now that Mr. Gullit has resigned, do you think your chances of playing in the first team have been helped or hindered? I was interested to know, I felt Ruud should have given you a run, especially with all of the Galaxy’s defensive woe’s so far this season. Either way good luck for the rest of the season!

-Melinda-Santa Barbara

Melinda – That’s a good question and something that I’ve asked myself lately.  It’s no secret that different coaches prefer different things in players and all it takes is a coaching change for a player to find himself inside or outside the team.  This is seen all over the world.  Do I think my chances for first team time have improved with Ruud’s departure?  Probably.

As I said earlier, with Cobi taking over the transition has been quite smooth.  There definitely won’t be any dramatic changes to the lineup but hopefully I’ll be able to crack the first team at some point this year.  It’s tough, though, because we don’t have another reserve game until September 7 so there’s no opportunity to prove myself in a match setting for a while.  Training is one thing but you need to prove yourself in match environments.

From the beginning of the year I’ve taken this approach: Work hard every single day and improve.  Learn as much as I can.  If I get playing time this year, it would be an added bonus, but I’m realistic in knowing that I have to learn a lot of things before being a regular starter in this league.  At the same rate, I know that I can do it and if I was given a chance for first team minutes this year, I know that I would take it and make the most of it.  I know that I could help out my team.

5.  Jules, if you could pick 5 coaches from anywhere in the world to take over the Galaxy (aside from Cobi Jones), who would it be and why? Can be any manager for any reason, thanks!

-Mike S, Florence

Mike S from Florence – I don’t necessarily think that the following guys would be the best for the job because there are lots of nuances to MLS which make it a difficult league to coach in.  But this is a sort of dream list.  These are in no particular order and I will stay away from all names being linked with the job for political purposes:

1.  Bob Bradley – The US National Team coach has an amazing soccer mind and he is an extremely committed coach.  Coach Bradley’s vision, intensity, and commitment would be an asset to the club and he would make the Galaxy a contender immediately and in the future.

2.  Juergen Klinsmann – Obviously he has a new employer in Munich, but it would be awesome to play under the German legend.  He did a good job with the 2006 German World Cup team and the former Huntington Beach resident could live back at home and commute to the HDC.

3.  Guus Hiddink – It’s been cool watching Guus coach in South Korea, Australia, Russia, Holland, and about half of the other counties in the world.  He doesn’t just manage teams all around the world but he’s successful everywhere he goes – national teams, clubs, it doesn’t matter.  He has to be doing something right and I’m sure he could do it right for the Galaxy.

4.  Luciano Spalletti – I watched Roma a lot this past year and really like their style of play.  I think Spalletti has put together a solid, well balanced, and entertaining team in Rome and would like to see how he would fair in our league.  I also vaguely remember a few years ago when Spalletti took Udinese to a miraculous top-5 finish in the Serie A.

5.  Harry Redknapp – I’ve said it before, I love Harry Redknapp as a manager.  I think he’s done a fantastic job building Portsmouth into one of the top teams in England – he’s taken them from the bottom and they continue to improve every year under his guidance.  Check out this video as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaGo7JYXNlw.  Excuse the language (Harry says the “F” word in the video) but I feel like his players play hard for him and he seems like a real player’s coach.

That’s all that I have for today, folks.  I hope that you enjoyed today’s article and remember to send your questions, comments, and suggestions to Julian@americansoccerreader.com.  Take care and I’ll see you next week!

-jules

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According to SBI, American midfielder Eddie Lewis is set to join the LA Galaxy. The Galaxy have apparently passed on Cory Gibbs and acquired the rights to Eddie Lewis. The 34 year old midfielder left Major League Soccer in 1999, joining Fulham. Lewis had a long career in England, seeing him play for Preston North End, Leeds United and most recently with Derby County. Lewis has earned 80 caps for the United States Men’s National Team to date, and should bring some needed experience and stability to the Galaxy midfield. Eddie will be joining former long-time National Team teammate Cobi Jones, who is currently interim manager following Ruud Gullit’s resignation on Monday. What are your thoughts? 

Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Well, we’re looking b