West Ham United, after hog-tying the embattled manager and allowing player trades to go through against his better judgment, is out a manager. The odds-on-favorite to be the first managerial casualty of the Premier season, Alan Curbishley resigned his position as West Ham United's manager, calling the position "untenable." A statement from the Hams was released, wishing Curbishley the best of luck, which, of course, means "the best of luck, so long as you never coach a team against West Ham." (ESPN)
At 7:30pm tonight, the USL Charleston Battery will take on MSL juggernauts DC United in the 2008 Open Cup. The underdog Batteries aren't phased by the fact that, in twelve years, a USL team has only won the Open Cup once. It might have to do with the hundred-grand prize for the winning (not that the 50k runner-up prize is much worse) or the automatic spot on the CONCACAF Champions League for the winner. Either way, if there's a scrappy USL-1 team going against an MLS powerhouse like DC, it's bound to be good sport for all ninety minutes. (ESPN)
For only the third time in 61 years, the US soccer team will alight on Cuban soil to take on Castro's footballers for a semifinal round World Cup qualifier. Here in the States, visiting teams get little or no hostility because the relatively few soccer fans are glad to have international visitors for the possible press bumps and added attention. It also does something invaluable for US fans: legitimizing the sport a little more in their own eyes, stemming an otherwise continual atrophy. But after the US team's reception in Guatemala, the boys can probably expect much of the same in Cuba. Everywhere else in the world, visiting teams are treated like, well, visiting teams are treated in Philadelphia, not to put too fine a point on it.
There's a patriotic stake in the game that goes beyond government and ideologies as well: the US has taken at least twelve Cuban players in the last six years alone. And while the Cuban national football team has had it bad under Castro--not entering 4 Cups, not qualifying for 8, and being rejected by FIFA twice--it by no means leaves them without a playable team. (ESPN)
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Posted on 9/3/2008
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DaMarcus Beasley nearly caught his first goal of the season as the Scottish Premier League Rangers faced off against Aberdeen. Beasley was called offsides during the goal attempt, although he seemed to be stuck well within bounds. It's probably because he's American.
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Posted on 8/29/2008
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Bruce Arena guided a mighty DC United a decade ago to supremacy, even if no one in American (or perhaps the world) was watching. And certainly, after the US men's soccer team failed to advance, well, at all in the 1998 World Cup, finishing dead last in their group and overall, Arena's handling of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup teams--a quarter final finish followed by a respectable group loss that was more about the players' sloppy game than their coach's ability--no one would have expected Arena to lead the New York Red Bulls to a 16-16-10 record in the short time he was with the team. He did, though, and New York cut him loose.
Now, as the head coach and general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy--arguably the prettiest football club in the States, if nothing else--he seems to have carved a comfortable, middling niche for himself. In his debut game, the Galaxy lost 1-0 to the Chicago Fire. An interesting thought:
"If you look at his record, everywhere he's gone he's made a team
better," said Fire forward Brian McBride. ( ESPN) Exactly, once he's gone, it makes the team better. At least we in New York know just where to send the next under-performing, fading superstar when it comes time to bid farewell: Los Angeles, soccer's own retirement community.
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Just knowing that Manchester United--the Lakers of soccer--were trounced by the Russian Zenit St. Petersburg team is enough reason to celebrate. Zint, as you may know, is the half-brother of General Zod, who was banished to the Phantom Zone for war crimes by Jor-el only to be freed and reign terror upon Earth and Jor-el's son, Kal-el. With Ronaldo injured, Wayne Rooney and company couldn't hack it against the Ruskies, eventually leading to an overly ambitious Paul Scholes getting double-booked and ejected from the game. They'll be crying themselves to sleep tonight on huge piles of cash, sure, but when United's spirit breaks, everyone else's is uplifted!
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We have, as
New Yorkers, the ultimate place to banish the things we hate: New Jersey. We've
tossed so many things away in the Garden State that we've even converted Staten
Island into the world's largest waiting room. Garbage, our old fashions, our grandparents,
the Giants... and, of course, soccer. Why tell someone to go to Hell when
Jersey’s so much closer? Relegating the New York Red Bulls to Giants Stadium in
East Rutherford is a fitting tribute to how America feels about soccer: not
much, if at all.
It could be worse, I suppose. What if those primordial New York/New
Jersey Metrostars hadn’t been acquired by Red Bull? The only thing worse than
being exiled to New Jersey by your home city would be, I think, being forever
stuck between New Jersey and New York, never able to convince either state to
care enough to take full ownership of the team. And really, it’s not all bad.
With new franchises coming up—most notably the still-unnamed Philadelphia
expansion team—the East Coast is looking like a proper division all by itself.
Pretty good for a sport no one in American cares about, right?
Well, maybe not. Red Bull Arena will be a nice thing to have—although
having Ronaldinho would’ve been better—but the team will still be playing in
New Jersey and headquartered in Secacus, a stop that most NJ Transit conductors
can’t even pronounce right. And adding insult to injury is that Brooklyn is
currently going out of its way to create massive traffic jams in order to
develop the Flatbush Avenue area of Downtown Brooklyn, including the nearly
aborted construction of the new Atlantic Yards stadium. Which will host the
Brooklyn Nets. So no matter how much the overall attitude about soccer—it’s
really football, after all; at least, it’s more to do with players’ feet than
American football—the general public is more interested in relocating a
25th-rate basketball team than give a local home to their soccer club. I mean,
think about it: if it was the Red Bulls moving into Atlantic Yards, they
wouldn’t have to build so much damn parking. All thirteen season ticket-holders
could find parking on Bergen Street.
About that untitled Philadelphia team: when I say “Philadelphia” I, of
course, mean “West Chester, PA,” where the stadium and team will actually be
kept—once again far enough away from Philadelphia proper to keep the rabid
(albeit commendably so) Eagles fans from feeling like creeping influence of
“dose Europeens,” to quote the hometown vernacular. While I’m excited about my
birthplace finally getting an MLS team, I fear the moment that they cease to be
unnamed and become something as inevitably tacky as the Philadelphia Zolos. It’s been a tough road, name-wise.
Kansas City Wizards, Columbus Crew (no one from Columbus could form what
city-folk would call a ‘crew’), Houston Dynamo, Real Salt Lake (Salt Lake
Saltines would’ve been better, but not by much), San Jose Earthquakes, Los
Angeles Galaxy… and, of course, the New York Red Bulls. There are some goofy
names in the Premiership League, of course—just the word “Tottenham” gives me
the giggles—but something about them still feels blue-collar and honest, even
if they are the Bolton Wanderers.
It’s not all bad news for New Yorkers, though. I mean, except for losing
2006 World Cup coach Bruce Arena to the Galaxy.And except for the Red Bulls’ highest-attended game being because it
brought David Beckham in a brand-new Galaxy jersey. Actually, it’s not all bad
news for Los Angeles, if we’re down to brass tacks. Here in New York, we’re
just waiting for any kind of news.
I wouldn’t deign to whine about Los Angeles successfully courting David
Beckham, of course. Especially not this seemingly over-the-hill, late edition
version of Beckham. But it does cast a harsh light on the realities of American
soccer; that is to say, American teams need to shell out a five-year, $250
million dollar deal to secure an aging soccer superstar. While that does raise
the profile of American soccer—especially in the court of world opinion (who am
I kidding? No one would take mini-golf more seriously if Tiger Woods started
playing it)—and has already meant huge increases in sales for Galaxy
merchandise, it removes a quarter of a billion dollars from the pool, which
could be used to do more important things.
But then, what in the world would be more important than relocating Posh
and Becks stateside and getting maybe three months of “Soccer’s Going To Get Huge” headlines? Well, for one thing, it’d be nice to
acknowledge that the reason Beckham came to the US to play is the same reason
athletes in other sports stay in the US: the cult of sports, which creates
millionaires rather than masterful athletes, doesn’t attract the die-hard
players. If you need any more proof of that, consider the fact that the best
soccer player—it’s probably safe to say ever--wined and
dined with Red Bulls management almost two years ago, amid swirling,
devastatingly sexy rumors of an MLS deal that would make Beckham’s fee look
like pocket money. And it didn’t happen. The speculation alone was worth the
salary, and yet Ronaldinho—who loves the game so much his grin doesn’t fade for
90 minutes at a time—isn’t wearing that New York jersey. Since we don’t reward
sportsmanship—since we, in fact, reward the biggest, loudest, most
poorly-behaved of our athletes as long as they perform how we want—real
sportsmen don’t want to play here. American sport is a collection of
misbehaving advertisements, and our best soccer players clearly would rather
not be bothered.
Ah, but divide that $250 million up, even 25 ways, and that’s almost
three teams’ worth of expatriate soccer players that could do what Beckham
can’t do for a quarter billion dollars: elevate the game. As long as we’re
throwing money around—and gobs of it—let’s throw it in the right place. Throw
so much money at DaMarcus Beasley that he can’t even refuse playing for the
Philadelphia Cheesesteaks. People who love the game play differently than
people who love their paycheck more. Sportsmen put on better shows than spoiled
sports. It’s very possible—if any of the dozen explanations can eke out the
others—that people don’t watch Major League Soccer because it’s boring to
watch. If Arsenal and Liverpool are painting Metamorphosis Of Narcissus, why
would I—or anyone else in their right mind, as long as they know better—watch
the Galaxy and the Red Bulls paint Garfield comics? It’s hyperbole of the
highest order, I know, and there’s no way to discount the talents of American
players or the internationals who play in the MLS, but there is that divide,
that inability to elevate the game on this side of the pond that may just be
the shim wedging the door closed.
And besides, who really cares about the Nets?
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