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MLS 2016 Predictions

It’s soccer season in North America once again, ladies and gentlemen! With MLS kickoff just hours away, it’s time to make predictions based on absolutely nothing and then check back in eight to nine months time and see how wrong I was. Shall we?

MLS Cup Champion: New York Red Bulls

Supporters’ Shield Champion: Vancouver Whitecaps

US Open Cup Champion: Chicago Fire

Eastern Conference Standings:

New York Red Bulls

Columbus Crew

Orlando City SC

Montréal Impact

Toronto FC

Chicago Fire

New England Revolution

Philadelphia Union

DC United

New York City FC

Western Conference Standings:

Vancouver Whitecaps

FC Dallas

Portland Timbers

Seattle Sounders

Sporting Kansas City

LA Galaxy

Houston Dynamo

Real Salt Lake

San Jose Earthquakes

Colorado Rapids

Golden Boot: Sebastian Giovinco, Toronto FC

Goalkeeper of the Year: David Ousted, Vancouver Whitecaps

MVP: Gonzalo Veron, New York Red Bulls

Defender of the Year: Nat Borchers, Portland Timbers

Coach of the Year: Oscar Pareja, FC Dallas

Rookie of the Year: Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders

Newcomer of the Year: Nigel de Jong, LA Galaxy

First Coach Fired: Jim Curtin, Philadelphia Union

Three Bold Predictions

LA Galaxy will get MLS to change the salary cap rules (again).

The MLS Cup final MVP will be a right back.

The Western Conference regular season champion will be decided on goal difference.

#mls #major league soccer #soccer #football

LA Galaxy: Country For Old Men

Bruce Arena’s absence from the 2016 MLS SuperDraft was a sign of his team’s offseason strategy: young players not necessary.

Maybe you could chalk it up to this year’s class of SuperDraft eligible players not being as strong as in years past. Maybe the players were good, but none would have been much help in the places LA Galaxy needed to strengthen in. Whatever the case, the skipping of the SuperDraft fits the idea that Arena and company are not particularly interested in younger players.

The major players that left Los Angeles this offseason also show this clear preference for the older player. First went Designated Player Omar Gonzalez, who went to Liga MX side Pachuca. Soon after that announcement, midfielder Juninho also took his talents south of the border, in his case to Club Tijuana.

The Galaxy have exchanged Gonzalez and Juninho, both 27 and in their primes, for players past the age of 30 and on retirement watch.

In the case of Juninho, the Galaxy traded him out for 35-year-old Steven Gerrard. As for Gonzalez’s potential replacement, the team have already signed MLS veteran Jeff Larentowicz, who is 32 years old, 5 years older than Gonzalez. LA also recently signed Belgian Jelle Van Damme, who is the same age as Larentowicz. In the center back position, the team have been linked with former England defender and current Aston Villa player Joleon Lescott, who is a year older than Larentowicz and Van Damme.

The Galaxy today confirmed their acquisition of 31-year-old Nigel de Jong, and have also recently announced the signing of 35-year-old left back Ashley Cole. They also recently inked 31-year-old forward Mike Magee and added 33-year-old goalkeeper Dan Kennedy before the new year.

But not all of the Galaxy’s offseason acquisitions are older than 30. 22-year-old goalkeeper Clément Diop, 25-year-old defender/midfielder Daniel Steres, and 21-year-old striker Emmanuel Boateng are all new members of the five-time MLS Cup champions.

Clearly, Arena is valuing experience, whether that be in the league or internationally. However, this method is bucking a common strategy of many MLS teams who are using academy products to large amounts of success. It raises the question: Is this actually the best direction the Galaxy, who underperformed by getting eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year, can go?

You can make the argument that an older LA Galaxy may find initial success. After all, having experienced players is no small thing, and plenty of these players have reputations for success. However, you can also make the argument that most of these 30-somethings are past their prime. Steven Gerrard has come out and said that his body isn’t feeling so great after his first few months in the league, and who knows if he can last a whole season? Not even Steven Gerrard himself does; in that same interview, he said he may consider this year to be his last as a professional athlete. Ashley Cole hasn’t played a competitive match since March 2015. Mike Magee has played only 420 minutes since returning from injury in May.

The Galaxy may have been incredibly savvy economically acquiring these players, and they deserve a lot of credit for that. However, there is no guarantee of success for this older LA Galaxy. This club, which has maintained its dominance over the last several years in MLS and boasts one of the most celebrated coaches in US Soccer history, may find itself slipping as younger players begin to dominate the landscape.

#la galaxy #mls

Women’s World Cup 2015: The Compassion Shown Towards Laura Bassett is Not About Her Gender

The heartbreaking own goal England’s Laura Bassett scored in the dying minutes of their Women’s World Cup semifinal against Japan has created a fascinating debate. After the own goal was scored, many took to Twitter to praise Bassett as a player and show compassion towards her, which to some, was surprising. Those surprised by the reaction are clearly used to the more punishing fans -- you know, the ones that tweet things like tweet abuse at Wayne Rooney every chance they get, even if their replies are completely unrelated to Rooney’s latest tweet.

So why was everyone being so nice to Laura Bassett? Some were suggesting that the generosity was a result of this being a game of women’s soccer. The theory was that if she were a man, people wouldn’t be treating her nicely at all, but rather with anger that the player messed up a huge opportunity. The implication is clear: Bassett received these nice tweets because she, as a woman, would not be able to handle the harshness of men’s soccer, and those tweeting at her realized that. Basically speaking, the message is that women are remarkably soft and that the women’s side of the sport is not serious enough to start handing out rewards for more than just effort. Yet, anyone arguing along the lines of gender has completely missed the point.

If you read the tweets sent at Laura Bassett, you will see a lot of acknowledgement for Bassett’s skills as a player. Tweets about her being a “rock” for the English and noting that she had a great tournament. They also shared that everyone makes mistakes and that they will not define her by this one unfortunate moment. No one expected Bassett to score an own goal or make an error like this -- after all, she isn’t Richard Dunne, own goal scorer extraordinaire. Many recognize that Bassett worked her tail off during this tournament and that she deserves all the compliments she could possibly get for helping England reach their first ever Women’s World Cup semifinal.

More importantly, Laura Bassett, and the whole England team, has earned our compassion. These women come from a country where their men’s team remarkably underperforms. For a very long time, the English have had very little to be proud of when it comes to the men’s side of the sport while they’ve paid little attention to their women’s team. The English men’s national team has a very limited amount of accomplishments since making the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup. In fact, they could not even get out of the group stage of last year’s World Cup. To put it simply, watching the English men over the last 25 years has been a miserable experience. Enter their female counterparts, who started the tournament rather quietly, losing their first match to France, but started gaining momentum that carried them all the way to the semifinals. Mark Sampson’s England not only outperformed their men’s team last year, but every women’s team that came before them. Finally, their whole country was watching, and they were performing phenomenally. English soccer fans finally had a team to be proud of. Why shouldn’t they let Bassett know, in probably the hardest moment of her career, that they have been impressed by all she’s done and that she’s better than one mistake?

Just because many before Bassett have received harsh treatment does not mean Bassett should receive similar treatment. Maybe it just means that those who suffered from this treatment should have also been supported a little more in their tough times. More likely, it is that generosity works on a case by case basis, where we should only support those who are worthy of it. If this is an accurate view of society’s thinking, then Bassett has clearly earned our support.

Laura Bassett is more than her own goal. The whole world knows it. Now Bassett has one more opportunity to show just that in the third place match against Germany later today. The English may lose today, but I’ll bet that Bassett and her teammates will make their country very proud one final time this summer. They’ve certainly been good at that so far.

#Laura Bassett #England WNT #Women's World Cup #WWC 2015

Jack Warner is the Funniest Person on the Internet Right Now

We’ve all known Jack Warner for a while. At the very least, we knew him as a high-ranking soccer official. A few weeks ago, we got proof that Warner was a high-ranking soccer official who took bribes. Recently, though, the former FIFA vice president has become my biggest source of laughs.

Since the initial indictments by the US Department of Justice were revealed to the public, Warner has been on a quest to disassociate his name from the other corrupt officials and has maintained his innocence. He posted a video a few days after he spent a night in a Trinidadian prison in which he goes on his mission to prove his innocence -- and also criticizes the US government for pursuing the case in the first place if all they wanted was to host a World Cup organized by the same people they just arrested, information he got from...The Onion.

The latest edition of Warner on video was a response to John Oliver’s commercial on Trinidadian television asking Warner to release documents. Though nothing can upstage the fact that someone believed an article from the Onion to be true, this one is still pretty funny.

Warner’s response, which lasts less than 3 minutes, starts with him saying it’s “incomprehensible” that a “national tv station” could allow an “American foreigner” to do this, which is hilarious because Oliver has a thick English accent. Warner said he could not take the advice of a “comedian fool” as it is “none of his business.” In fact, Warner said he would not instructions from an American (he’s probably still angry at the information from the Onion). At this point, the music begins to overpower him as he encourages Trinidadians to not criticize their country to outsiders (though to each other, it’s all right). Warner goes out of his way to say “heaven help us” twice and closes off by telling the people of Trinidad where he will be the following day to discuss certain topics (or as my sister thinks, to fight people). This all happens while this overly dramatic piano music plays in the background, making the video ridiculously comical.

Warner’s brand of humor is not simple. He does not use jokes with simple punchlines. Warner is seemingly like the Onion, who act that they’re totally serious, but everything they write makes you chuckle. He’s even funnier than John Oliver!

Needless to say, I am so excited for the next video he posts. I imagine it’ll feature more of his angst towards America.

#Jack Warner #FIFA #soccer #football

Women’s World Cup 2015: Players to Watch - Group F

The moment we’ve been waiting four years for is just one day away. But first, let’s talk Group F, who don’t begin action for a few days. Group F features a candidate to win the trophy in July in France, an England side that looks very different from the team that we saw four years ago, a Colombian team looking to capitalize on the experiences from their first World Cup, and the Mexicans, who are looking to progress to the knockout stage for the first time in their history.

Colombia: Nataly Arias (Defender)

The Colombians are known for their defensive qualities, as they only conceded 2 goals in 7 matches in the Copa América Femenina. The stable defense is led by Arias, who was a standout in her college career in the United States at Maryland. Arias was also part of Colombia’s maiden voyage at the World Cup in Germany last time around, and although the Colombians were eliminated in the group stage, Arias and her teammates earned a great deal of experience, which could help them the second time around.

England: Eniola Aluko (Forward)

This English team wreaked havoc on the defenses they came across in World Cup qualifying, scoring a massive 52 goals while only conceding 1 as they easily qualified for Canada. Aluko is just one of the many talented attacking players England has that helped to that first place finish in Group 6. The Nigerian-born forward scored the most goals in UEFA qualifying Group 6, scoring a massive 13 goals, one-third of England’s total goal tally in qualifying. Aluko’s also a practicing lawyer in England (though she’s just focused on soccer at the moment), in case you weren’t already impressed by her remarkable goal tally.

France: Louisa Nécib (Midfielder)

France, after semifinal runs at the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics, is now considered a world powerhouse and are perhaps even capable of lifting the World Cup trophy this summer. If they do go all the way, it will absolutely be with the help of Nécib, perhaps France’s best player. The attacking midfielder has frequently excelled for club, Olympique Lyonnais, and country, including a massive 13 assists in World Cup Qualifying. With the experiences of Germany 2011 and London 2012, it could finally be Nécib’s time to shine.

Mexico: Teresa Noyola (Midfielder)

If Mexico are to advance out a pretty tricky group, they will have to rely on Noyola. The former US youth international, she was a standout at Stanford in her college years, earning her the Hermann Trophy in 2011, the third Stanford player in a row. Noyola is not known for her scoring prowess, but is the one to go to for the Mexicans for her playmaking abilities. Speedy on the right wing, Noyola is excellent at crossing the ball to her teammates further ahead, along with creating other opportunities.

#Women's World Cup #WWC 2015 #soccer #football #Nataly Arias #Eniola Aluko #Louisa Nécib #Teresa Noyola

thepcshootout-blog

FIFA Scandal - Up to Date News

Since Sepp Blatter announced his resignation from his post as FIFA president, effective when the Congress elects another president, a lot of news has come out. Here, I will keep a running log of everything that’s going on with sources attached for further reading. The news will be listed from newest to oldest, and will be updated as necessary.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4:

**UPDATE: 2:51 p.m. EST: FIFA claim they did not bribe FAI, and that money was for “stadium construction.” – via Bryan Swanson of Sky Sports

**UPDATE: 2:13 p.m. EST: South African authorities open investigation on bribery allegations regarding 2010 World Cup hosting rights. – Fox Sports

1:08 p.m. EST: AFC issue statement on Qatar 2022: “The AFC reiterates its support for the 2022 World Cup being held in Qatar…” – Sky Sports

11:57 a.m. EST: FAI Chief Executive John Delaney says FIFA made payments to Ireland about Thierry Henry handball. (audio link) – RTÉ Sport

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3:

3:40 p.m. EST: DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PUBLISH BLAZER TESTIMONY WITH REDACTIONS (download link)

Blazer admitted that he and others took bribes regarding the awarding of the host of 1998 World Cup. (p. 30)

Blazer admitted to taking bribes and kickbacks regarding broadcasting and other rights to 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003 Gold Cups. (p. 31)

Blazer admitted that he and other members of the FIFA ExCo accepted bribes regarding the awarding of the hosting rights of the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. (p. 31)

3:36 p.m. EST: FIFPro issue statement: “FIFPro today calls on FIFA to publicly disclose all relevant documents pertaining to the events and decisions regarding Sepp Blatter’s resignation as FIFA president…” – Sky Sports

1:19 p.m. EST: Paraguay president asks for CONMEBOL immunity to be overturned. – ESPN

12:49 p.m. EST: Valcke speaks: “I have no reason to say that I shouldn’t remain secretary general…” – Sky Sports (two links - first attached before quote, second attached to quote)

12:08 p.m. EST: FBI investigating selection of 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts. – ESPN

9:07 a.m. EST: Prince Ali investigating if FIFA election rules allow him to be interim president. – Sky Sports (two links - first attached to headline, second attached to source)

8:19 a.m. EST: South African government respond to bribery allegations regarding 2010 World Cup: “…We frown upon any insinuations made in the indictments by the US authorities that suggest that the government of South Africa or any of its citizens have been involved in any wrongdoing without substantiating the allegations, let alone naming the alleged co-conspirators…” – via Gary Al-Smith, African reporter for BBC and New York Times

3:49 a.m. EST: Interpol issue alerts for 6 people regarding investigation of FIFA – ESPN UK

TUESDAY, JUNE 2:

6:32 p.m. EST: CONCACAF statement: “We are at an important moment for the game, a moment that we must not squander…”

4:22 p.m. EST: FIFA sponsor Coca Cola speaks: “…We believe this decision will help FIFA transform itself rapidly into a much-needed 21st century structure and institution.” – Sky Sports

3:41 p.m. EST: US Soccer President Sunil Gulati issues statement: “…Today is an occasion for optimism and belief for everyone who shares a passion for our game.”

3:13 p.m. EST: FIFA sponsor Adidas makes statement: “…Today’s news marks a step in the right direction on FIFA’s path to establish and follow transparent compliance standards in everything the do.” – via Jorge Ramos of ESPN Deportes

2:59 p.m. EST: Prince Ali and David Ginola express intent to run in upcoming FIFA presidential election. – Sky Sports

2:58 p.m. EST: FBI Source: Blatter under investigation by FBI; “there’s probably a race to see who will flip on [Blatter] first.” – ESPN

FULL TRANSCRIPT OF FIFA PRESS CONFERENCE: BLATTER RESIGNS – ESPN UK

New election expect to be held anywhere between December 2015 and March 2016, as to give proper notice to potential candidates and to members of FIFA Congressional members.

Blatter will not run in this special election.

Blatter will be president until his successor is elected.

Women’s World Cup 2015: Players to Watch - Group E

Though Group E is lopsided when considering the experience of the teams competing, it boasts a great deal of talent from all of its teams. The experienced Brazil team will face World Cup debutants Costa Rica and Spain and second time attendees South Korea. Brazil’s a heavy favorite to win this group, and Spain is favorite to finish second. However the matches play out in Group E, one thing's sure: these games will be incredibly entertaining.

Brazil: Marta (Forward)

Let me just start by saying Brazil is not a one woman team. In fact, they performed very well in qualifying without Marta, who was not with Brazil because of club commitments in Sweden. Brazil still managed to score 22 goals in the Copa América Feminina, 6 through Golden Boot winner Cristiane. However, Brazil will only be boosted by the presence of the record 5 time FIFA Player of the Year winner, who has shown no signs of slowing down. She almost single-handedly downed the US in December, scoring all 3 goals in Brazil’s 3-2 win. Marta has all of the personal accolades a player could have, but she is missing that World Cup title on her résumé, something she will certainly be looking to add in what may be her final shot at the title of Champion of the World.

Costa Rica: Dinnia Diaz (Goalkeeper)

Costa Rican soccer had a glorious year in 2014. The men’s national team made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Brazil for the first time in their history and won over many hearts in the process. A few months later, the women’s national team booked their first ever ticket to a World Cup, thanks to Diaz’s heroics in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship semifinals. Las Ticas headed to a penalty shootout after 120 minutes couldn’t separate them from Trinidad & Tobago, and Diaz managed to keep a clean sheet during the shootout to send her team to Canada. Diaz will have plenty to do when action gets underway in Canada, but she’s had the pressure on her before, and she delivered on that occasion.

South Korea: Ji So-Yun (Midfielder/Forward)

Ji has established herself as extremely talented on several occasions. She’s shone on the youth level, winning Silver Ball and Silver Boot with 8 goals at the 2010 U20 World Cup. She was named Asian Women Footballer of the Year in 2013. She most recently was named PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year after her excellent season with Chelsea of the FAWSL. She is one of the star player for a Korean team with very capable attacking players, including Asian Cup top scorer Park Eun-sun, and perhaps the one to count on for the Koreans.

Spain: Verónica Boquete (Midfielder)

The attacking midfielder is the heart and soul of her team. Excelling in the possession-based play that is also implemented by the men’s national team. Boquete is a world class playmaker, speedy behind the forward line. However, Boquete can also score herself, having 30 total goals in 45 appearances with La Roja, including 2 at EURO 2013 and 3 as Spain qualified for their first ever World Cup. The Spain team that won Group 2 of European qualifying was one of the highest scoring teams in qualifying, scoring a remarkable 42 goals, all while just conceding 2 and going on a 10 match unbeaten run. With captain Boquete in the center, Spain will surely be a great team to watch this summer, and one that could go a good distance in their first trip to a World Cup.

#Women's World Cup #WWC 2015 #soccer #football #Marta #Dinnia Diaz #Ji So-Yun #Veronica Boquete

thepcshootout-blog

FIFA Scandal - Up to Date News

Since Sepp Blatter announced his resignation from his post as FIFA president, effective when the Congress elects another president, a lot of news has come out. Here, I will keep a running log of everything that’s going on with sources attached for further reading. The news will be listed from newest to oldest, and will be updated as necessary.

THURSDAY, JUNE 4:

**UPDATE: 1:08 p.m. EST: AFC issue statement on Qatar 2022: “The AFC reiterates its support for the 2022 World Cup being held in Qatar…” – Sky Sports