I have to admit to be taken aback by some of the reactions to Claudio Reyna’s retirement announcement. Many of the comments have focused on him being “past it” and others to him being overrated.

Certainly the injuries problems he has suffered since signing for the New York Red Bulls have generated more headlines over the last two seasons than his on-field performances but retirement should be a time for a more balanced assessment of a career.

In terms of injuries Reyna is not unlike many other athletes before him. As the body begins to break down and a playing career begins to slip away the desire to eke out just one more season or even one more game can become all encompassing. To criticize a player for such human frailties is mean spirited and shows a particular lack of compassion – particularly given Reyna’s achievements.

We hear constantly that U.S. college soccer cannot produce top calibre players but Reyna proved that supposition to be faulty. An outstanding college player he opted to take his chances in Europe after missing the 1994 World Cup through injury. It might have only been a decade and a half ago but back then North American soccer players were about as highly rated in Europe as Welsh baseball players were in the USA.

American players were regarded as having big hearts and little technique and players like that were, and still are, a dime a dozen in Europe. Nevertheless Reyna was the player who broke that stereotype and he managed to establish himself as a sought after commodity in the cut throat world of European professional football.

First it was in Germany (Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg) before heading for Scotland to play for Rangers. From Rangers it was to the Premiership with Sunderland and then onto Manchester City. Throughout his career Reyna improved as he constantly added to his repertoire. As he matured the creative midfielder became a player who improved the defensive side his game to the point where he at times turned in excellent performances at right back.

His pinnacle came at the 2002 World Cup when all facets of his game came together and he helped take USA to the last eight of the competition. Reyna never enjoying blistering speed but his anticipation and reading of the game meant he was rarely caught out of position and he had an unerring ability to anticipate an opportunity or problem before it became obvious to others. He had the courage to make himself available for others in trouble and at his best he could dictate the rhythm and pace of a match.

Overrated? Only by those with hamster-like attention spans or with no understanding of what it takes to be a top class player for so many years. Three appearances at World Cups, two Olympic Games and successful stints in three different European leagues makes Reyna’s accomplishments unparalleled in US soccer history. Any other assessment at this time is simply  churlish.  

Mark - Now that LA Galaxy have a big-name Manager, if you owned the NY Red Bulls, whom would you try to get as their Manager? And, is that different from whom you think they can realistically get?

Bobby – Perhaps the biggest problem that the Red Bulls ownership has is convincing someone that they will be given time to turn this team and move it in the right direction. After a while if managers keep on getting moved then the type of manager that you are going to attract is not likely to be the one you need.

No name jumps out at me at the moment but whoever it is has to have some media savvy. The Red Bulls ownership needs to see the manager as someone who fits into an overall plan. The plan will then dictate the type of manger that the club needs to go after.

ManUtd2006 - I agree with one of the above bloggers about having a preliminary round of qualifying in Europe because seeing Germany thrashing San Marino 13-0 is a nuisance. Say the bottom 16 ranked teams to compete for 4 to 5 spots in a small tournament in order to give them something to fight for if not the Finals. What do you think on that?

Doing so, bigger teams do not have to play up to 14 matches to qualify because it is grueling to the players, managers, and clubs concerned.

One more question, I did not watch the MLS Cup Final because there are better things to watch on TV. Did Houston play well enough or Revs had a bad day?

Bobby – It makes sense but it is not likely to happen. The extra games (even against minnows) brings in extra television and gate revenue for UEFA and the national associations and they are not about to give that.

There is another even simpler way of reducing the number of games and still allowing the small nations to compete – logistically playing a 16-team tournament to get down to four teams or so is not necessarily as easy as it might sound.

The alternative is to go back to the World Cup qualifying system from the 70s and before. Fourteen groups instead of seven and only the top team qualifies. It would drop the number of game needed to six or eight. The chances of it ever happening – nil.

I enjoyed the MLS Cup Final - a much, much better game than last season. The Revs owned the first half but the Dynamo turned it around in the second.

Henry14 - Alan Hansen -1989 I was part of a Liverpool side that would have won the championship had they limited Arsenal to a 1-0 win at Anfield. It proved a very awkward match to prepare for - Arsenal knew exactly what they had to do - and in the event we conceded a second goal and lost the title.

Bobby – That might be the case but Arsenal knew they had to win 2-0. Croatia knows that they have to turn up – no matter the score they have already qualified. The issue is really down to the finals next summer.

Here is a piece from the Daily Telegraph that maps out possible seeds.

“But victory over Croatia does have a huge significance in terms of the Uefa co-efficients used for the Euro 2008 finals draw in Lucerne on Dec 2. An England triumph would improve their co-efficient to 2.318, taking them ahead of Croatia's 2.273 and, most significantly, replacing Slaven Bilic's team among the four second seeds for next summer.

As No 2 seeds, England could be drawn in a group with first seeds Austria, Switzerland, holders Greece and either Holland or Germany (depending on results tonight). England would then avoid the talents of Italy, the Czech Republic and either Holland or Germany.
A draw tonight would leave England with a worse co-efficient than Croatia and would condemn McClaren's side to a place among the No 3 seeds, seriously complicating their hopes of a safe passage to the knock-out stage”.

Getz76 - How did Alex Prus let Smith off with only a caution after an intentional head-butt? I think someone needs to send the man a copy of the laws. I understand not wanting to "ruin" a cup final, but there is no place for that.

Bobby – I thought he was very lucky to stay on the park after doing what he did. I think there is also another angle to the incident. If I was Craig Weibel then I knew from that point on that I had the beating of Khano Smith. Smith reaction was one of frustration coming right after the Houston equalizer and was a sure sign that he had lost the upper hand. From being a potential match-winner in the first half he became a frustrated figure on the left wing in the second as Brian Mullen played a bit deeper to help Weibel out.

Verbal97 - Speaking of Scotland's future, has anyone heard anything recently about this McCarthy kid that supposedly some teams were after this past summer?

Bobby – Well if it is James McCarthy of Hamilton Accies (I think I wrote a bit about them a few weeks ago) then it is a case of The Republic of Ireland’s future rather than Scotland. He qualifies for the Republic and has already played for the Republic at age group levels. From what I am told he continues to impress (a 17-year-old I believe) and Hamilton are currently sitting at the top of the Scottish First Division. Under manager Billy Reid Hamilton have a number of good young players who are making an impression.

RINGO – 1. Is this the worst "transfer" of recent times? Steve Bruce to Wigan for 3m pounds! 2. Will McLeish still be in charge when WC qualifying comes round? Will he be able to resist when a premier league club comes calling? Birmingham perhaps?

Bobby – 1. If they stay up – no. But will they stay up? I find it difficult to fathom – mediocre manager who has received outstanding support from his board and has never produced anything except mediocre results.
2. I hope so but there is the temptation of big money in the Premiership. I would hope however, that Scotland would win out over Birmingham particularly given their current “take-over” situation.

oldcoach - Interesting interview with Don Garber. I have never been much for the hipster marketing that he subscribes to but it is hard to deny the business success that MLS has seen during his tenure. If you project out 10 to 15 years, where do you think MLS will be?

Bobby – Ten to fifteen years from now – a league of24 teams that is so solid that nobody questions it. Involvement is multiple club competitions both domestic and regionally. No articles that start “Soccer is really growing in America. In Europe and South America it has a following like baseball or NFL” or similar rubbish.

A steady stream of players coming through with the best players still heading to big teams in Europe (and hopefully to South America and Mexico). From a Canadian point of view four of the twenty four teams north of the border.

Craigy_f – 1. Would you want Usmanov as an owner of a club you supported?
2. What next for Scotland? A new manager or stick with the current set up for 2010 qualification.
3. How much would Dixie Dean be worth in today's money - say in the summer of 28 after he bagged the 60 goals.
4. Do you think Bruce is right to leave to try and resurrect a 'dead horse’?
5. Who do you think will try to finish second (in euro 08 qualifying) and how will they do it? Or have they already done it?

Bobby – 1. I think it would disappointing for any team to have someone like that own a club but it seems that as far as many fans are concerned as long as the new owner spends money and the team wins then an owner’s background does not come into it.

2. Stick with it, although the expectations need to be controlled. A good Euro campaign does not entitle a team to place in South Africa in three years. \

3. I think all that can be said is that his price would be a record one no matter the era.

4. I think Bruce’s move shows his lack of faith in his own ability. He’s leaving Birmingham a bit early because his contract is not being renewed and instead he has opted for a long term deal with a side that has a big relegation fight on its hands. A more confident manager would have ridden out the Birmingham situation confident that if his team performed well there would be no shortage of clubs lining up to sign him if Birmingham didn’t.

5. It looks so tight that a number of teams still have a chance to get what many expect to be the one remaining top seeded position. I’m not sure that the situation can be as easily managed as it sounds and even then you still run the risk of being seeded two and drawing a difficult group. I’m looking at the likely 16 qualifiers and even the teams likely to be seeded fourth are going to be very tough. 

Wyofc - Do you think after next year the league will comment that the Designated Player is working so well that they will grant all teams yet another DP slot? Allowing David Beckham and Landon Donavan to play on the same team and be the most marketable team worldwide for MLS and becoming the face for MLS.

Bobby – If that decision is made then is going to have to be for the better of the league as a whole not one team – otherwise it will just backfire. The last time I checked they were playing on the same team this season.

With due respect to Landon Donovan, whether or not he plays for the Galaxy or not isn’t really a concern for football fans worldwide. The vast majority don’t care. I think you are vastly overestimating the world’s view of him. And there interest in MLS for that matter. MLS needs to continue to grow in North America – thinking worldwide is getting way ahead of themselves.

Getz76 - Nice broadcast last night as usual. Any truth to getting you on-air for Wednesday night? It will give me something to watch while the turkey is in the brine. What does everyone think of McClaren's decision to go with Robinson in goal? I still think there are at least three healthy England keepers in better form (James, Green, Carson). Why did he bother starting Carson in the friendly, then? I know it was not exactly a stiff test versus Austria, but it seems like the man can deal with a cross!

Bobby – Thank you but I will not be on the FSR tomorrow night. As for the goalkeeping situation it sounds as if Scott Carson will be starting.

 

The Glazers are said to be looking at another refinancing of the Manchester United’s debt.

UEFA has created a shortlist of stadiums that are bidding to host the 2010 and 2011 Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Tony Cascarino on players who have played for Sir Alex Ferguson and gone on to management. 

Wednesday marked the 150th anniversary of the founding in Sheffield of the world’s first football team. Three years later another team was formed and likely 30 seconds later there was the first disagreement over a referee’s decision.

The new Canadian Soccer Association President hopes to turn the situation around in few months. He may hope that but his first public statement makes it sound like the CSA has another leader who believes that rearranging the deck chairs will save the ship. A few years is a more realistic estimate and that is only with a charismatic leader who can speak to a grander vision. The new President apparently has a medical background; next step a priest?

 

Two contrasting performances in Europe in midweek provide the backdrop to Arsenal’s visit to Anfield. No matter how poor the opposition may or may not have been on Tuesday, the bottom line was that Arsenal put on a classic display of speed and precision passing that is rarely seen.

Theo Walcott has attracted a lot of attention on account of his display against Slavia Prague (and as substitute last week versus Bolton) and Cesc Fabregas has been rightfully singled out for the start he has made to the season. But Alexandre Hleb also deserves mention. Wenger initially played him on the right side of midfield but from time to time he has been used in what might be considered the “Bergkamp” role – playing just behind the striker.  On song he is a marvelous player to watch.

Arsenal’s record at Anfield in the Premiership has been poor with Liverpool picking up 9 wins and 3 draws in 15 matches. Both teams are unbeaten in the Premiership this season but Liverpool’s four draws against Arsenal’s one has them trailing the league leaders by six points after nine games.

A home loss would not be the end of Liverpool’s title hopes but it would certainly heap more pressure on the shoulders of Rafa Benitez - the bookies cut the odds on him being fired from 33-1 to 14-1 on the back of the loss to Besiktas this week. The fact that Liverpool needs the win and Arsenal are bound to hit a back game sooner or later makes me think that the gap between the two will be down to three points after this one is finished.

Manchester City leaves the friendly confines of the City of Manchester Stadium and travels south to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. City currently sits third in the Premiership with 18 of 22 points coming at home. A 100% home record contrasts starkly with four points from four away games. On top of that recent history is heavily in Chelsea’s favour.

City has only scored once in the last ten Premiership meetings (an Anelka penalty winner was only defeat suffered by Chelsea in the 2004/05 season) while on the last five league visits to Stamford Bridge City have lost four games and conceded 11 goals.

But, there again, City have not had too many players of the quality of Elano available to them over that time. Much has been made of Chelsea’s mini-revival under Avram Grant and if it is to continue then Elano will have to be controlled. The Brazilian has been involved in 9 of City’s 15 goals this season.

Short Corners – Middlesbrough are unbeaten in their last four league visits to Old Trafford – 3 draws and a win. Last week’s win for Portsmouth over Wigan meant four straight Premiership wins – a first for Pompey. Martin Jol was in charge at WHL for a week short of 3 years. His Premiership record in that time was 113 games, 47 wins, 30 draws and 36 losses with estimated net spending of around $70M. Newcastle visits Reading hoping that the home team’s defense is still in a giving mood.  Newcastle are currently sitting 8th but in nine games the only team they have played that is currently above them is Manchester City. Can someone please explain to me why Bolton has hired Gary Megson? If you’re drowning surely the last thing you need is a concrete block.

MLS play-offs started on Thursday night and continue this weekend. The New England Revolution faces the New York Red Bulls with neither team having finished the season in  grand style. Between the two teams they  combined for only three wins in their last 12 matches. Both teams have struggled away from home this season with the Revolution without a win since August 19 while the Red Bulls only won three away games and they all came before mid-July.

Conversely both teams have relied on solid home records with the Red Bulls averaging 2 points a game with New England just a shade below that mark. In terms of goals NYRBs look to Angel and Altidore.  They finished the regular season as the leagues top scoring duo with 28 goals between them (19 and 9). However, Taylor Twellman (15 goals) and Pat Noonan (7 goals) of New England are no slouches. If New England has a concern then it might be down to a scoring drought from the supporting cast. Andy Dorman’s last goal was in mid-July (the only goal of the game against Red Bulls) while Sharlie Joseph and Adam Cristman are not far behind having gone 13 and 11 games without a goal.

In Italy the game of the weekend is Milan at home against Roma. Both teams won in midweek in the Champions League and will be looking to build on that success. Roma have three draws and a loss in their last five Serie A matches and trail league leaders Inter by five points.

It’s doubtful that the schedulers could have come up with a more difficult fixture list for Roma if they had tried. Roma started with Juventus on the second last weekend of September and since then have played Fiorentina, Inter, Parma and Napoli. After Milan the Rome derby against Lazio beckons on October 31.

But for any neutral fan it has been a treat. Over the five games there have been 24 goals with scoring split evenly 12 for Roma and 12 for the opposition. Roma started the season with three clean sheets but are now in the position that only three teams in Serie A have conceded more goals.

Milan have had their own struggles with only two wins in eight games and a general malaise in their league performances. Last season they could look to an eight points deduction that left them adrift but there is no such excuse this season.The results between these two sides have gone back and forward over the last few seasons. But, with the exception of one match, the encounters have been close with eight of the last nine Serie A games being decided by no more than a goal. 

 

 

 

Brazil vs. USA

I sat down and watched the complate game this morning rather than just the second half as originally planned.

You would have to be incredibly mean spirited not to acknowledge a string of positives in the US’s win over Brazil. There were precious few weak spots and in cases where isolated mistakes were made they were more than made up for in renewed diligence and concentration. 

Seitz made some critical saves and at the group stage looks to be one of the best keepers on show. Centre-back Ofori Sarkdorie started the first two games on the bench and didn’t get his chance until Julian Valentin had to leave thirty minutes into the game against Poland. Sarkdorie has been very impressive as he goes about his job in an unspectacular but effective way.

The two wide players – Sal Zizzo and Robbie Rogers – were excellent particularly in the first half when they managed to get the ball and make deep runs into the Brazilian half of the field. The US had already settled into the game when Jozy Altidore scored his first goal after Freddy Adu made a fine tackle 35 yards from the Brazil goal.

The Brazilian defense was caught napping as the ball was turned over and the Red Bulls striker drilled the ball home from 20 yards. Adu was again the architect of the second goal giving sports shows around the globe a highlight moment with his juggle and turn to take two Brazilian defenders out of the play.

Altidore was Jozy-on-the-spot when Adu’s shot deflected to him seven yards out and left unmarked. It took Altidore’s tally to three for the tournament and he joins team mates Szetela and Adu and Argentina’s Sergio Aguero at the top of the goal scorer’s chart.

With his build and strength I’m betting that Altidore has some European scout’s drooling at his potential.

So the USA qualifies as group winner with two wins and a draw – next opponent still unknown but it will be a third place side. I will be in Toronto to see the game next week.

Poland finishes second with four points and a rather bizarre – although it means nothing – of minus 4. Poland’s prize is a game against Argentina which I will also be attending.

Brazil settles for third place in the group and although they are not certain to qualify it looks extremely likely that will survive to fight another day. Chile is a possible opponent in the last sixteen. If Luiz Adriano had scored with a header from what was virtually point blank range with only seconds left he would have guaranteed that Brazil moved on…….it would, however, have meant a Argentina vs. Brazil showdown on Thursday.

Discipline

From FIFA.com – “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has suspended the Brazilian player David Marinho (#4) for 4 matches and fined him CHF 5,000 as a result of an incident during the FIFA U-20 World Cup match between Brazil and Korea Republic on 3 July 2007 in Montreal.

Video evidence of the match shows that in the 65th minute, David Marinho elbowed the Korea Republic player Shin Young Rok (#18), who was admitted to the hospital as a result of the incident.

According to art. 84 a) FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee is responsible for sanctioning serious infringements which have escaped the match officials’ attention.

Any suspensions the player cannot serve during the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 will be carried over to the team’s subsequent official matches in accordance with art. 38 par. 2 let. b FDC.”

What Canada  needs to do to defintetly move on.

Must win and…
Hope Scotland and Costa Rica draw or…..
Zambia and Jordan don’t win.

Otherwise it comes down to beaten other three point tems on goal difference,
 

Link to an earlier blog describing how the last sixteen is decided.

You can send any information (fsr@mts.net) that you think might be of interest about the twenty-four countries and I will post a regular selection. If you have a FIFA Under-20 blog go ahead and post your link under comments.

 You can also check out the National Post blog.

 

 

The clamber by English fans and media to have David Beckham dropped after last summer’s World Cup has now been matched by the outpouring of support for his recall. Steve McClaren has now succumbed to both and in the process showed himself to have the integrity, sincerity and expediency of a third-rate sleazy politician.

Beckham made a convenient scapegoat for England’s poor performances in Germany and even at age 32 he did not deserve to be dropped by McClaren when he took over. Beckham rarely hurt England during the tournament while having a hand in the majority of goals that they scored.

However, upon his appointment as England manager, McClaren needed to distance himself from England’s disappointing showing at the World Cup and from his former boss Sven-Goran Eriksson. Eriksson and Beckham had become so closely associated in the public’s mind that the sacrificing of Beckham at the altar of short-sightedness was too much of a temptation for a man who seems to select a squad with both eyes on the next-day’s headlines. 

In making the initial decision McClaren opted to satisfy the baying masses rather considering the long term implications of his decision. Now, he has not only made one wrong decision he has made two.

Is this England squad so devoid of quality that it needs David Beckham to beat the might of Estonia? Estonia, a country that has never come close to qualifying for a major tournament and so far in Euro qualification has played five, lost five, scored none and conceded ten. McClaren seems to think so as why else would he recall the Real Madrid star? What a message of encouragement and faith to the rest of the England squad.

But the implications of Beckham’s recall go far beyond the England team given that he will join the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS in a couple of months. Outwardly you can expect Galaxy and MLS brass to brag that this as an affirmation of their decision to bring Beckham to North America as it shows he is still a player of international class. But beyond the upcoming games against Brazil and Estonia, Beckham’s recall has the potential to cause havoc with the club's and the league’s plans.

When the decision was made to sign Beckham earlier this year it was surely predicated on the fact that his international career was ended and that his body and soul would be dedicated to MLS. 

But given McClaren’s about-face it is difficult to see how he could possibly dump Beckham again before Euro 2008 qualifying is complete at the end of this year. That means that Beckham will miss games against Colorado Rapids, Chivas, Toronto FC and New York Red Bulls – all while being paid by the Galaxy.

It would also mean that should the LA Galaxy reach the MLS Championship game scheduled for November 18 in Washington Beckham’s availability would in doubt given FIFA regulations for international call-ups. England is scheduled to play their final and possibly crucial qualifying game against Croatia at Wembley three days later.

And if that is not enough to make MLS and Galaxy officials hyper-ventilate then how about the prospect of Beckham missing a month in the summer of 2008 at the European Championship in Austria and Switzerland?