The Great White/Abby Wambach: The great white shark is the ultimate predator and the most prolific hunter in the sea. They are fast, and powerful with a bite force second to none.If a great white grabs a hold of you, the chances of you getting away in one piece are slim. Great White’s have an hora about them, with a reputation of being one of the most dangerous animals on Earth. Abby Wambach has some of the same traits, she is a prolific striker who instills fear in the hearts of defenders. Abby has great vision and sense, along with being physically dominate. The Great White and Abby also share one more quality that is very unique, they both are deadly in the air. Great Whites have been known to jump out of water to feed on seals, Abby is known for getting airborne and netting spectacular headed goals.
The Bull Shark/Chris Wondolowski: The Bull Shark is a ruthless killing machine just how Wondo is a ruthless goal scoring machine. Alot like Wondo, Bull Sharks are coastal animals that are very versatile. Bull Sharks can both be in oceans and rivers. Bull Sharks are medium sized sharks but have a very imposing force, just like Wondo. Bull Sharks get their name from their tenacity along with their tendency to head but prey. A lot like Bull Sharks Wondo is known to stay shallow in the defense and strike with precision. Also a very unique characteristic they both share is they are both overlooked. Wondo has been hands down the best striker in MLS for the last few years but does not get the attention that Henry gets. Bull Shark’s could be the most dangerous shark but do not get the attention or stigma the Great White has.
The Tiger Shark/Thierry Henry: Another two voracious predators are Tiger Shark’s and Mr. Theirry Henry. Both are lethal hunters who attack with precision. Tiger Sharks are found allover the world just as Mr. Henry’s reputation. Tiger Sharks have a very long life span and Henry’s career feels like it has been going on forever. Tiger Sharks have been known to swim in deep waters along with swim outside their habitats. Henry has been known to play out wide or drop down into the midfield. The similarities continue, a Tiger Shark is a massive shark very large could grow up to 13 feet. Henry stands at a towering 6’2.
Mako/ Dominic Oduro: The Mako shark is a medium sized shark that is not very bulky, they are slim and slender. Mako’s and Oduro are both known for their blazing speed. The Mako is the fastest shark and Oduro maybe the fastest player in MLS. Alot like Oduro, Makos are not that dangerous, their high speed offers up a form of shock but they are not prolific. It may take a Mako a few strikers before they kill their target. Oduro will score goals but by no chance is he an elite finisher in the league.
Azteca stadium in Mexico City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Jurgen hasn’t announced his rosters, and neither has de la Torre. It’s expected that much of the Mexican roster will come from the Olympic squad which is currently making a run at the Gold Medal. Unfortunately Jurgen doesn’t have that luxury and will not be able to call in new names who have shown well in a high level international competition. Instead it seems he will have to call in as many regulars as possible for a match at Azteca stadium, one of the most notoriously difficult stadiums for any team to play in. It’s well noted that the USMNT has never won a game at Azteca and it seems odd that the FMF would give them any more opportunities to do so, and shake a bit of the lore off of it, in something as unimportant as an August friendly. Then again these decisions always seem to come down to many anyway.
Any expected roster for a match of this level will surely involve every piece of the central core of the team who is available. As it is a FIFA date, that should be everyone, but I wouldn’t count on recent transfers coming in. Jurgen has shown a preference to let players settle in with clubs. That would likely mean Michael Bradley will be staying in Italy and Terrence Boyd will be staying in Vienna, along with any of the other USMNT regulars who may be looking for transfers (Dempsey, Bocanegra and Edu.) So that throws a bit of a wrench into the plan of calling in all the regulars.
GK: Howard, Guzan, (I expect Guzan to actually get substantial minutes as he’s the back-up for the rest of WCQ and could use a little just-in-case time with the team) Hamid (Many are calling for NYRB Meara, but if he’s losing his starting spot for club I don’t see why you call him in for this. Johnson and Rimando both make more sense with more sustained succcess)
D: Goodson(surprising he’s the first name in but I had CBs on the mind and he’s the only one we can really count on at all) Cherundolo, Lichaj(shocked he wasn’t called for WCQ), Johnson, Bocanegra (Because he’s about the only player who hasn’t commited to leaving Rangers yet), Parkhurst, (cause I don’t want Onyewu in camp again, he showed poorly since he came back from injury) Chandler (Yes I think he’s one of the best player’s in the pool so I will give him a call until he says no firmly. Many suggest waiting till qualifying, and I’m sure Jurgen knows the situation and will handle it in an appropriate way)
M:Jones, Beckerman, Edu, (I see these three starting with Bradley left in Rome.) Kljestan(although if he couldn’t get a call for WCQ why would he get one now that he’s not starting. He is scoring in UCL), Torres, Dempsey (unless of course he gets his transfer), D.Williams, Corona,(almost entirely because the space left by Bradley is gaping. I’m not sure Corona gets a call for a full strength game. He didn’t get any minutes in WCQ, but that’s not exactly unexpected. I think he sticks around like Jurgen has shown he likes to do with newly integrated players.)
F:Gomez, Altidore(even though Alkmaar may not be willing to give him up), Donovan, Young MLS Player To Be Named Later (Probably one of the younger players in the pool, I expect this to go to an MLS standout,not an Eddie Johnson or Kenny Cooper. Wondo is the only older MLS player whos really earned a look and I’m reluctant to even give him that.), Wondolowski (I hate giving it to him, I already feel like he’s to old to be playing for the USMNT, but his pace in MLS is so high that you have to call him in and see if you can make it work. Gomez did and has almost cemented the starting spot, so give him a bit more time. I don’t want him to take time from a younger player, but there’s not a clear player he’s taking time from.)
and for those who don’t want to read my ramblings
GK: Howard, Guzan Hamid
D: Goodson, Cherundolo, Lichaj, Johnson, Bocanegra, Parkhurst, Chandler
M: Jones, Beckerman, Edu, Kljestan, Torres, Dempsey, D. Williams, Corona,
F: Gomez, Altidore, Donovan, Young MLS PTBNL, Wondolowski
While many have been hoping that Mo Edu and Carlos Bocanegra, not to mention Alejandro Bedoya, would stop playing in the SPL as soon as possible, it has taken quite a long time and a few interesting turns to have them released (Bedoya’s still stuck there though). Edu, Bocanegra and Dorin Goian have been given the “blessing” of the Rangers Newco owners to leave the fourth division Scottish club. Each of the players are at very different points in their career and will likely have very different options available to them.
Carlos Bocanegra is largely expected to come home to MLS this summer, most likely joining former USMNT CB Jay Demerit in Vancouver.(Edit: As Pat mentioned in the comments I somehow forgot that Vancouver lost their allocation spot in the Union’s Soumare deal. Therefore it would be New England at the top of the allocation order instead of Vancouver with first dibs on him. I’d say its more likely New England trades the spot, than takes him, but of course that’s assuming Bocanegra wants to come back to MLS already anyway.) The odds of this happening seem fairly high, but maybe I’ve just heard too much of it recently. Other teams have also expressed interest in Bocanegra’s services in the defensive third. Greek club Olympiakos, which has a decent shot at Champions League has expressed interest and it has been assumed that clubs in France and England would have a look at him too. Bocanegra confirmed his interest in retunring to MLS at some vague time in the future, about a week and a half ago while playing softball in Kansas City.
Maurice Edu also has an expected club, although these rumors are a bit more recent and a bit more haughty. The latest rumors have Edu moving to Valencia C.F. where he would likely have to replace David Albelda who is a local boy and has been the captain of Valencia for nearly a decade to earn a starting spot. While it’d be great to see Edu move to one of the top mid-table teams in La Liga, if he’s rotting on the bench he may as well be better of playing in Scottish lower divisions. This transfer makes sense both for Edu, to move to a club which will likely be playing Champions League soccer, and for Valencia, who are a bit cash-strapped themselves and will likely get Edu on a free transfer. It would also mean another step forward for U.S. players in general. With Michael Bradley joining A.S. Roma, Americans are being welcomed into the more prestigious clubs. Again if neither of them starts this year neither deal even merits a mention, but if they do these could be two of the most substantial transfer in USMNT history.
To bring things back into perspective Edu also has sparked interest from Turkey, Bursaspor and Trazbonspor have both expressed interest. Even if not Valencia, and not Champions League quality, the Turkish league is substantially ahead of the SPL. While Bocanegra could potentially bring fans out in MLS and Edu could have a great Champions League run with Valencia, pretty much wherever they end up is better than them playing another season in Scotland.
Last week our writer Pat posted a list of 15 reasons why you should have been at the US Open Cup semi final. We decided that we will try to post a similar list once a week on a variety of MLS or soccer related subjects. Today we will look at why the Philadelphia Union, and MLS as a whole, deserve more media coverage then they are receiving.
1. The Union recently look good
Over the past few weeks Union fans have been enjoying some of the most exciting soccer we have seen from the team since their creation. We are scoring goals, playing incredible defense, and using an entertaining style of soccer. If non-soccer fans are going to watch a match, this is the type of team they should take a look at. Unfortunately, Union games are only broadcast on the Comcast Network with a minimum amount of advertising. The games that do make it onto channels like ESPN 2 or NBC may hit more viewers but still are not marketed well. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a soccer game on a major network that was not shown during another soccer game? Exactly.
2. Other Philadelphia teams either look bad or are out of season.
The Eagles are in pre-season, the Sixers and Flyers are also in their off season, and the Phillies are in last place of the NL East with a 40-51 record. Being a Philadelphia sports fan is a bit of a drag right now. Many people in the city are looking for a team that has been performing well and strives under pressure; the perfect fit for the Union. Sport’s news has also been slow and will probably continue to be until the Olympics start, so why not fill some of that gap with a local team?
3. There is an audience for soccer in Philadelphia
PPL Park holds a little over eighteen thousand fans and the Union have consistently sold out the stadium for league games. When the Union played Spanish giants Real Madrid at Lincoln Financial Field last season the total attendance was over 57 thousand. Over 30 thousand fans came out to see the US Men’s National Team play Mexico last year also. These numbers all prove that soccer does have an audience in the Philadelphia area. Of course teams like the Phillies and Eagles have a stronger hold on the sports fans of the city but these numbers are not low enough to 100% cut soccer out of the media spot light.
4. Philly is already a sports town
As mentioned multiple times above, Philadelphia is a huge sports town. The city tends to soak in any major sporting event that comes to it. If more marketing and advertising were done in the area, there is no doubt in my mind that the number of Union and soccer fans will grow. Thankfully the city is seeing its fair share of large teams coming in, with the next being the return of Real Madrid as they play Scottish Premier league champions Celtic. These games with well known foreign teams are probably the best advertisement the Union can get until they are shown more through television ads.
5. The Union and fans can basically market themselves
Anytime I bring a soccer virgin to a Philadelphia Union game they always leave telling me the same thing: “the atmosphere was amazing.” Yes, the River End is full of passionate and loud fans but so is most of the stadium. Being part of this “third team” in the stands whose only purpose is to yell at players and question the referee’s decisions is quite the experience for most non-soccer fans. It makes you want to go to as many games as you can and to support this club. The team also wants you to pay attention to them. They are a third year team full of young but talented players. This underdog of a team basically is a movie script. All you would need to do for commercials is show the passion of the SoBs and the youth of the team and BAM, commercial. Then you would need to air it once in awhile. I know the Union have some commercials like this already but how often do you see them used?
How do you look at this and not want to be in the middle of it?
Credit to Paul of Jersey Shooter
6. No one knows who we are
You ask any Philadelphian to name some players on the Philadelphia Union and you will get one of two responses: either “The Philadelphia who?” or “Freddy Adu”. There is no connection between the Union and Philadelphians mostly because no one knows who is on the team. Even if you are not a football fan you knew who Donavon McNabb was. The signing of Freddy Adu was great if just to give the team a face that people recognize. Now that the team has a player that most people have at least heard of we can start getting him out there more. Get him interviews on TV, then start bringing in a few other players with him. Eventually, and slowly, the city will start recognizing the faces of the team.
7. Watch the future of American soccer grow up
Last summer we learned that the only time America cares about soccer is during the World Cup. What many people in Philadelphia don’t know is that there are many players on the Union that have a legitimate chance of playing for the US Men’s National Team either this World Cup cycle or early next cycle. Talented players like Amobi Okugo, Sheanon Williams, Freddy Adu, Michael Farfan, Jack McInerney, and Zac MacMath all have shot to be called into the men’s camp. Of course not all of them will be chosen but wouldn’t it be cool to say you were a fan of them before they became national sensations?
8. You still have time to be a fan and not a bandwagoner
Since this team is only three years old the fan base is still growing. If you start following the Union now you will not be thought of as jumping on the bandwagon because you will be one of the originals. Add the fact that the Union started off shaky at the beginning of the season and there is no way you can be called a front runner. Being able to market the team to the population by saying they can be part of the beginning is not something many franchises get the opportunity to do.
9. Union fans are awesome
As passionate as the Union fans are, they are also genuinely good people. There is a sense of community among fans, particularly the Bens, that you do not get with many other teams. I have met numerous awesome people by just going to a few tailgates, walking around the parking lots before games, or talking on Twitter. The Sons of Ben give back to the community by holding charity events or doing public works. The SoBs will be joining the Philadelphia Union Foundation with building a playground in Chester that was partly designed by Chester kids.
After reading of the relationship between the Colin Clark issue and MLS relationship with the Boy Scouts on Dunord.blogspot.com, I began thinking more about it.
For those who don’t know Colin Clark was given a 3 game suspension and required to attend sensitivity training for calling a ball-boy at the Houston Seattle game this past week a faggot. A very serious punishment WAS laid down, and a fitting one. An adult who is representing the league should not be yelling epithets at children. A mature adult shouldn’t be using epithets such as these as an unabashed attack on anyone. A mature adult should not be encouraging this kind of behavior and as a league MLS made a big statement support of these points. They went much farther than when Kobe Bryant was merely fined, although fined a lot, for yelling the same kinds of things at a referee.
On the other hand, while making a e about these issue, MLS still has a standing, and recently announced, relationship with the Boy Scouts of America. While the Boy Scouts are almost ubiquitous in some areas, they’re statements sound fairly similar to Colin Clarks to a lot of people. It’s a noteworthy issue that people aren’t quite recognizing, in part because people aren’t aware of the extent of the issues with the Boy Scouts.
If MLS wants to be involved with the community, which is a great thing to do, they could look to other groups with less controversial issues behind their curtain. The Girl Scouts, The Boys and Girls Club, and Big Brother, Big Sister are a few examples, who as far as I know, serve very similar functions and don’t have any issues with discrimination.
Without Landon Donovan, Timmy Chandler, Jose Torres, Oguchi Onyewu, and Kyle Beckerman the US has looked very good against Italy. The attack has been solid, the defense a bit shaky butnothing terrible. Although if Italy we’re a half step more patient they could have about 4 goals by now. They’ve ben called offsides on just about every chacne.
The starting lineup today got me thinking abotu what an actual US starting lineup would look like.
——————Altidore———————–
Shea————Dempsey————-Williams
————–Edu———Bradley—————
Johnson—Bocanegra–Goodson–Cherundolo
———————Howard———————–
Ultimately there’s a few more pieces that can be added in and a few that can be taken out.I think (after seeing Fabian for a single half at LB I’m willing to throw him in to the starting lineup there. He’s impressed me the last time he played a different position and his crosses look better than Chandler’s did from that spot.)
——————Altidore———————–
Shea————Dempsey————-Donovan/Chandler
———Beckerman———Bradley—————
Johnson—Bocanegra–Onyewu–Cherundolo/Chandler
———————Howard———————–
I’m looking at Chandler slipping back to the right where he had more success and splitting time in any real tournaments to give both Donovan and Cherundolo a bit of rest that they’ve begun to seem to need.
Along with filling out the roster (to a somewhat arbitrary 22) a bit more down below.
Agudelo
Torres, Kljestan
Jones, Edu, Williams
Goodson, Cameron/Parkhurst, Chandler
Guzan, Hamid
A team with promise that hasn’t quite been realized yet for sure.
French Club Sochaux had already made an offere, and been refused by Rangers, for Maurice Edu but they apparently decided to try again. Rangers has said they’d rather resign him than send him somewhere else, but it seems we’ll find out how much he’s worth to Rangers.
“We think he is a quality player. We need him and we need him quickly.” said Sochaux assistant coach Stephane Gilli. Sometimes it feels real good to be wanted.
“I definitely miss playing in Europe,” Adu said via phone from Madrid. “I always said that when I went back to MLS, I wanted stability, and that I wouldn’t go back until I could play for a top-five league. But if I did get the chance, I’d have to pursue it.”-Arch Bell ESPN
A lot has been made of the training stint with Rayo Vallecano, but I really can’t see Freddy going anywhere yet. Then again I couldn’t understand why Sochaux would take back Charlie Davies when DC United didn’t even want him. MLS is a proving grounds for Europe. You can’t just be a name to get into a top league, you have to prove something. Adu had a great Gold Cup and if he has another good run for the national team in the Olympics, I could see him moving quickly to Europe. He hasn’t done that. As much as Rayo Vallecano has asked about bringing Freddy to MadrI can’t believe its serious enough to pay what MLS would be asking to let him go. MLS rates Adu as absolutely key, not only to the Union (which hopefully he can become next year) but to the league as a whole. He may not bring people in to the seats like Beckham, but there are a lot of people who would like to see Freddy Adu, the superstar. Europe won’t do that and therefore won’t offer them the kind of deal it would take.
It’s possible and there’s apparently interest on both sides, but I don’t see any of it falling in to place just yet. I’d be surprised if Freddy doesn’t turn around and end up back in Europe at some point, but the key is he has to turn around first.
Oh and another quote that I’m sure wasn’t intended as a shot at the Sons of Ben, by any means, but I’d love to see taken as a challenge.
“Another thing that has Adu convinced is the level of passion among the fan base at Rayo. He is staying in quarters right next to the club’s training ground and seeing firsthand what it would be like to play for a true neighborhood club. “The fact that fans here at Rayo come to training and watch it every day is so special,” Adu said. “That is what I’m talking about when I say that I miss playing in Europe. That’s the kind of environment I want to play in.”"
Can’t we convince Freddy he doesn’t have to go anywhere but Chester to play in that kind of environment?
Preston Zimmerman is a 23 year old American playing with 3rd division German club SV Darmstadt 98. He also hates that Jurgen Klinsmann has used dual nationals. Based on a few tweets he put up it seems that he believes only “real americans”desere to play for the USA. It’s really not even worth mentioning, but it got me all hyped up so I figured I’d post it.
“I thought it would be cool getting Klinsmann as US National team coach, but I think it’s actually worse than when Bradley was coach….
“Requirements to get on US National team under Klinsmann: Be a fake American, be born outside the US, have one US distant relative
“I see the team is calling in guys who are really germans who know they’ve got no chance of playing for germany so they’ll settle with the US
“Thats embarrassing when a good friend of mine says he met one of the guys @ the airport & he couldnt reply back in English as US Natl player
“I try my hardest not to tweet US soccer stuff but there are some stuff out there that drive me crazy
“Don’t mistake any of my tweets for jealousy, I never expect to be called in or involved with anything and it doesn’t hurt my feelings
“I would just like to see true, real Americans who would live and die for this country representing our country
“But when the olympic team holds mini-camps in Germany with all ‘european players’ then something is wrong
“The kids in college are just as good, if not better, than some of the kids from the reserve teams getting invited to camp
“But the college kids don’t speak German and they don’t have ties outside the US so they don’t qualify for the US under Klinsmann
“Am I the only one here who thinks this or are there others? People have to speak up when they don’t like what’s going on
“If Klinsmann was winning and very successful with his approach then my words would carry no weight, but I don’t see any success
“squeaking out 1-0 wins against CONCACAF villages isn’t success…..
“People can bash me for whatever reason, but I hate seeing my country’s national team being misused and disrespected
“I know plenty of guys who are in the MLS and know what it’s like to play for their country who deserve a look for the US team
“I hope the US team wins and dominates just as much as anybody else because it’s my country and I want my country to be #1 and dominate
“Don’t want anybody to take my tweets negatively or as criticism to make somebody look bad, I just have passion and interest in the US team”
Just to note a few things, Tim Howard is Hungarian, Bocanegra’s Mexican, Onyewu’s Nigerian, Spector’s German, Klejstan is Bosnian, Edu’s Nigerian,Jozy’s Haitian, Stu Holden is Scottish,Landon’s Canadian and the list goes on and on. Global soccer is all about dual nationals, and if anyone should be able to understand that it should be the USA. They had these same arguments in Europe years ago and it was nothing but pure racism. We don’t need to go down that path.
Hating Giusseppi Rossi because he is arguably the best American player ever, and would fill is different from hating all dual-nationals.
Complaining about Neven Subotoc because he left the USa over a somewhat petty fight with Thomas Rongen is different.
Calling a military father a distant relative is a moronic stretch.And saying that only those willing to fight and die for the USA should be able to play really sounds pretty dumb when you recognize the military lineage.
Most importantly though, here’s a quote from Danny Williams on USsoccer.com. Think about it the next time anyone tries to say who is and isn’t an American. Their all citizens, they’re all eligible.
ussoccer.com: Have you watched U.S. National Team games in the past?
DW: “Not many because they don’t show that many games in Germany, but I always watch in the World Cup. I will never forget the game against Germany in the 2002 World Cup in the quarterfinal. This was the time that I started loving the USA. I watched the game, and normally I would support Germany. After the U.S. lost that match, I started crying. My dad asked what was going on. I didn’t know what to say, but I wanted the U.S. to win.”
bpmangan
mattsant16
Pat
