The one where Frontier Fiesta will be the death of Fourth and Fifty

He's mine... NO he's MINE!

Could there have been some notice that last night was going to be cold as balls?  Goodness, gracious.  Windy, cold, drunken… if Frontier Fiesta at University of Houston was any other way I wouldn’t know what to do.  All of this is to say that FaF is kind of caught up in the weekend (and muddled by the hangover the day after)

So bear with us this weekend.  Not that there are any readers on the weekend anyway.  We don’t even read the site on the weekend.

The good news?  The sole girl in the Fourth and Fifty NCAA pool now has to share the lead.  The bad news?  She still has more possible points.  It will come to the point of me rooting against my picks just so she doesn’t win.  Ya’ll don’t know her.  I do.  I will never hear the end of it.

Today is the start of some fantastic match-ups in the Tourney.  Pittsburgh v. Villanova being the marquee game.  The Big East is living up to the hype this year, justifying the number of bids that they got to the Big Dance.  So, it begs the question… Are we ready to expand the field or cut it down?

Texans: Obviously the big news that we haven’t addressed yet has been the sickening story of Moats being detained by a police officer in Dallas when he was rushing to the hospital to see his dying mother-in-law.  We’re not anti-establishment or anything, but this is pretty messed up and makes you question the system.  Especially if it was even remotely race-motivated.  We have nothing else to say about the matter.  My mom told me if I didn’t have anything nice to say then do blog about it.

Rockets:  Game against the Clippers tonight.  I got nothing else.

Astros:  Houston was so impressed with one of their prospects that they demoted him.  Yes, I’m stretching to make sure I’m writing about the Astros.  Let’s jut pick up again on Opening Day.

Dynamo:  Here is your pre-game analysis of the Dynamo against the Earthquakes for today.  Enjoy.

- Septimus Rex

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As the US Men’s soccer team gets ready for a pair of World Cup qualifiers this week, I am once again left to wonder:

Is Landon Donovan really the best soccer player the USA can produce?

First, let's look at the awards and recognition he has received:

Impressive indeed, but can we really count anything accomplished in the MLS (Mostly Listless Soccer)? I think not.

Can we really count anything done in CONCACAF Cups against alleged professional teams like Cuba, Guatelmala, Honduras, etc? I think not.

Can we really count anything done in World Cup qualifiers against the same sorry group of nations, with Mexico being a possible exception? I think not.

Meaningless Friendlies? Once again, I think not.

Of his 37 career National team goals, 19 have come against Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Barbados, El Salvador, and Jamaica. Another 11 goals have come in friendly matches.

So 30 of his 37 career goals have come in matches when the result was not in question or the result didn't matter.

So how, then, can we judge how great of a soccer player Landon Donovan really is?  In my opinion, we must look at World Cup games, when he is playing against world-class players in high-pressure situations.

So let's look at his performance there.

Donovan has played in a total of 8 World Cup games in two separate World Cups. He has a total of 2 goals and 0 assists. The goals came against Poland and Mexico, not the strongest of World Cup teams.

Against the very best competition, like Germany, Italy and Portugal: 0 goals and 0 assists.

Now, for those of you screaming at your flat panel displays "Goals and assists are not everything", I contend, when you are touted as your country's best player and you're an attacking player, not a defender, it IS everything.

The "best" player has to produce when it counts the most!

Stats aside, what is my impression of Landon Donovan?

Although he may have the best foot skills on the US team, that's not really saying much. He is capable of taking on defenders at high speed while actually keeping control of the ball (how many other US players can claim that?.

However, such forays into high-level soccer always end the same way for Donovan. Ultimately he is run off the ball by a professional defender and ends up on the ground appealing to the referees for a foul.

His next best attribute is probably handling the ball from long crosses or down-field passes. Whether it's getting his head on the ball, using his chest, or softly receiving the ball at his feet, he does a good job gaining and retaining possession.

His passing skills I believe are just adequate. I'm rarely wowed by a perfect through ball into space for someone to run onto. He'll make a lot of square passes and conservative passes. He just seems a lot more interested in having the ball than giving it up.

So, am I here to disparage Landon Donovan? Despite what you've just read, not really. I am, however, saying that the US really doesn't have any World-Class players yet. As a youth coach and a follower of US soccer for the last 25 years, I thought it would have happened by now.

So my real point is: If Landon Donovan is truly our best, then despite all of the USSF's best efforts, we are no closer to being a true World Cup contender than we were 10 years ago.

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The Seattle Sounders started their history as the latest franchise in Major League Soccer with the acquisition of Freddy Montero in 2009. The MLS has never been the same.

The history of soccer in the United States of America was witness to the first game between the Seattle Sounders and the more experienced New York Red Bulls. It appeared that the Red Bulls underestimated the Seattle Sounders and Freddy Montero.

It was a mistake that was to cost the team dearly as Freddy Montero scored the first two goals of the inaugural MLS Game in Seattle. He then proceeded to hammer a nail in the coffin of New York as the Sounders defeated it 3-0.

The soccer world in the United States of America has been celebrating Freddy Montero as if he was the latest fad. It is time for another tribute to a soccer great that is starting his career.

Freddy Montero is a forward for the Seattle Sounders who is currently on loan from the Colombian Club Deportivo Cali. Freddy Montero was born on the 26th of July 1987 in Campos De La Cruz, Colombia.

His full name is Freddy Henkyer Montero Munoz and he started his career with Deportivo Cali at the age of 13. His expertise and discipline earned him a contract with Deportivo Cali after only one tryout.

During his career with Deportivo Cali, Freddy Montero participated in victories over the National Colombian youth team and an equalized game against Juventus FC of Italy. Actually, the victory was against the youth team of Juventus FC.

His career with Deportivo Cali was 20 goals within 38 appearances. He was also loaned out to Atletico Huila. During his time with Atletico Huila, he scored 22 goals in 27 appearances.

Freddy Montero was also a top scorer in the Copa Mustang for Atletico Huila before returning to Deportivo Cali.

Copa Mustang is a competition of the Colombian National Team with a rich history of its own in the world of Football Soccer.

It should be remembered that before signing with the Seattle Sounders, Freddy Montero received his first cap for Colombia during its game against Panama in the year 2007.

Before Freddy Montero became famous for giving the Seattle Sounders their first victory as an MLS Franchise in an inaugural game, he managed to score nine goals within nine games of the MLS Preseason.

Freddy Montero is the future of Football Soccer and is deserving of his success. My best wishes to him and the Seattle Sounders FC.

http://alvarezgalloso.wordpress.com/2009/03/28/freddy-montero-and-the-seattle-sounders-fc/

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No.

People who don’t know soccer often ask about the MLS. Is it any good? How does it compare to soccer in Europe?

No it’s not. And it doesn’t.

People who do know soccer would never ask. It would be like asking if the Lions are any good, and how they compare to teams from the NFL.

Will the MLS get better? Maybe.  

Then again, it’s all perspective. Is Justin Timberlake better than he was?  Just because he’s not in ‘N Sync anymore doesn’t mean he’s sweet now.

Did I just use ‘N Sync and sweet in the same sentence?

Anyways, it's true that quality players came into the league last year, like David Beckham.

And then he left.

More quality players are coming into the league this year, like Kasey Keller and Freddie Ljungberg.  

The fact that they are at the end of long and successful careers in Europe doesn’t diminish the significance of their arrival. Actually, that’s exactly what it does. No amount of money would have gotten Ljungberg to leave Arsenal in his prime.


Ok—maybe Ljungberg can be bought.


This is to make up for the previous picture.

Brian McBride left Fulham to come back to MLS last year, making room on their roster for another American—Clint Dempsey. Maybe when he turns 36, he’ll come back to MLS too.

When kids reach the age that pro clubs start to look at them in Europe and South America, kids in the states have a coach whose tactical advice is usually, "Kick the ball. Get it. Run. Go.”

Hmmmmm.

But we are getting better. A number of our players are true quality, have left MLS and earned spots on some of the world’s almost best teams.

But the fact is simple. Since Claudio Reyna played for Glasgow, not a single American has had a regular spot on a Champions League squad. Maurice Edu and DaMarcus Beasley play for Glasgow now, but they have only 11 starts between them all season. Jose Altidore made it to Villarreal, also one of the top teams in the world. But by midseason, they loaned him off to a second division club.

Giuseppe Rossi also got a spot on Villa. But he’s half Italian, and when an interviewer asked him if he ever thought of playing for the US instead of Italy he smacked the microphone out of the journalist’s hands.

That’s not true, but it was a stupid question.


Sure Rossi is talented and jumps like a deer—but he’s not really American.

And then there’s Donovan. Landon. I had high hopes for him going to Bayern. Truth is, it was complicated and I don’t think he had enough time. But what does it say when arguably the best player in the US can’t get a starting job in Munich?

Simple. It says that MLS sucks. The level of play just isn’t there.

The touch isn’t there. The vision, the flow, the creativity—all not there. It takes ten guys out on the pitch to do it, and in MLS you’re lucky if you have three.

The reigning MLS MVP is Argentine, in his mid-30s. In over 15 professional years, he was chosen nine times for the Argentine national team. Nine times is not a lot. Beckham, for example, has been selected by England over 100 times.  In other words, a second rate Argentine playing past his retirement years is the best in MLS.



Guillermo Schelotto: the youthful look of the best in the MLS.

Still don’t get it? Of the 22 players named by coach Bradley to play for the US in World Cup qualifiers this coming week, 16 play in Europe.

Without them, we’d probably lose to El Salvador.  

Yeah, El Salvador.

For more Walter Gibson, check out http://www.dailyballbreakers.com/ (real guys holding sports accountable), or if you hate the MLS, try www.dbbsports.com <http://www.dbbsports.com> .

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Ten years ago, I was merely nine years old and recording NHL games off Channel Five had become somewhat of hobby.

I had become fascinated by American sports.

It was an alternative. I felt like I was different to my friends, and more in touch with the wider world, because of my love for athletic competition across the pond.

My fixation towards American sports continued to grow, particularly when I watched my first MLS game.

Like the NHL, I stumbled upon MLS by accident.

My natural inclination was to tape the NHL for about six hours on a videocassette simply labeled “NHL.” To this day, I can’t quite fathom why I used to over-record by so much.

One day, around this time of year in 1999, I had just obtained my weekly fix of ice hockey. Usually I would’ve stopped the tape right away but for some reason I didn’t follow normal protocol.

Thankfully, the next program featured my first true sporting love—soccer!

I didn’t really care that I didn’t know the participants; I mean Miami Fusion and MetroStars sounded cool enough to demand my attention for the next 90 minutes.

Okay, the quality of soccer on display was by no means mind-blowing, but I couldn’t have cared less.

Why would I? It was soccer after all.

The following week, I knew exactly why I was recording Channel Five for six hours. In fact, the NHL was becoming less important to me. It wasn’t long before I was frantically reaching for the fast forward button on my remote.

I just wanted to watch a game of soccer. I wanted to watch an alternative to the English Premier League. I wanted to be different from my friends.

While my friends were clambering to view games between Manchester United and Arsenal, I couldn’t wait to see the Tampa Bay Mutiny and New England Revolution do battle.

The season rolled on and I began to have a deep affection for the Miami Fusion. The South Florida outfit were not going to be world-beaters any time soon and they drew the smallest crowds in the league.

To me, they seemed like the underdog. I wanted to be a fan of the franchise when they finally made it to “The Promised Land.”

Regrettably, three seasons after I first began to follow the league and Miami, the Fusion ceased all operations after the 2001 season.

The following seasons seemed to offer less of an appeal to me. Consequently, I watched less and less of the league that I had once treated like some sort of religion.

MLS had consumed me, but not anymore.

Whenever I played soccer with my friends, I would inevitably end up playing in goal. No doubt my friends would imagine that they were Dennis Bergkamp or Alan Shearer. I, on the other hand, dreamt of being like Nick Rimando or Tony Meola.

After the burden of MLS had been, sadly, removed from my shoulders, I began to dream of one day following in the footsteps of Iker Casillas.

MLS would later enter the spotlight in mainstream British media when David Beckham signed with the LA Galaxy, thus more coverage of the league was available to the interested British fan.

Many Brits were getting to grips with MLS for the first time, but not me. I would like to be able to say I welcomed the league wholeheartedly back into my life, alas there was something wrong.

MLS wasn’t the way I remembered it.

Miami still didn’t have a team to replace my beloved Fusion, but that was the least of my worries.

I couldn’t, and still can’t, quite put my finger on what had changed. I think it was loads of little things that revealed themselves in due course.

Since then, I have gradually allowed MLS back into my life.

After a more than rocky relationship, I am prepared to embrace the league, for better or for worse.

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