Smart guy. Tough calls.

The big soccer news in Columbus this week has many Crew supporters beside themselves in anger with team administration. The franchise has opted out of six player contracts: Frankie Hejduk, Gino Padula, Duncan Oughton, Jason Garey, Leandre Griffit and the inimitable Guillermo Barros Schelotto. These players may or may not continue in MLS, but the likelihood of a renegotiation with The Crew is slim. Coach Robert Warzycha has reasoned the aging team needs move on and focus on youth. After all, some of the most influential players on [successful] playoff teams are under 30. I, for one, think it’s a good move. Here’s why.

Frankie, Duncan and Gino
One fact Crew fans (perhaps in an emotional, irrational state) seem to overlook is that even great players are human beings. These three are old folks in soccer terms, regardless of mental drive or energy level. Multiple games were lost this year on goals resultant of a reckless Padula challenge or a far-out-of-position Hejduk, and Oughton rarely sees the light of day. Their salaries no longer return the results they once did. They struggle to play their positions as they should be played. I’ve met all three guys and they are fantastic people, but aging is a fact of life.

Jason Garey
I originally planned to point out why The Crew’s roster doesn’t need a forward who plays in Jason’s style, but I realized I couldn’t even define a “style” for him. He’s a non-entity in a team stacked with clear cut strikers. Lenhart=hard-working nuisance, Renteria=muscles and more muscles, Mendoza=creative finisher. I hope Jason is picked up by an expansion team and develops into something great.

Griffit
He’ll be famous for scoring his first Crew goal in his first three minutes as a Crew player, but that’s about it. He’s a shadow in a loaded midfield, though I suspect this choice may have to do with the player’s personality… but I’m only guessing.

Guille
This is a touchy one. Firstly, I consider GBS a true hero for Columbus soccer and sports in general. He is an awe-inspiring player, has a real love for the city, and has shown what a visionary leader can do in a short period of time. That said, the choice to opt out of GBS is all about money. Let’s admit, Crew fans were lucky to have Guille in 2010. He was expected to leave but graciously stayed, even at age 37. We should also admit that 2010 was his weakest season with Columbus, evidenced by a steady decline in form since mid-season. Pair that with the estimated $650,000 it would cost to keep him at an upgraded salary in 2011 and the choice becomes clear. Warzycha could buy six good, young midfielders with that kind of money—not to say he should—but the point is, the cost of one more season of GBS doesn’t come close to outweighing the potential for development and piles of spendable capital.

The phrase “rebuilding year” has been on the breath of Crew fans ever since the World Cup break. We knew it was coming. It might be painful, but the choices Robert Warzycha made are for the best. The man freed up over $600,000 in roster money and still has a team of Eddie Gaven, Robbie Rogers, Brian Carroll, Emilio Renteria, Andres Mendoza, Chad Marshall, Sean Francis, Emmanuel Ekpo, Steven Lenhart and others. You can’t be too upset about that.

image borrowed from The Kansas City Star, because we are super gangster.

Yesterday, Manchester United and Manchester City both fell to MLS teams on their pre-season tours. Given the circumstances, it’s time to stop making excuses for big-name competition and grant MLS the respect it deserves.

In the early game, New York Red Bulls (5th place in MLS) found victory over Manchester City, 2-1. This was a game that saw neo-star Thierry Henry for only 45 minutes and almost a complete lineup change for New York over the course of the match. Jamaican Red Bull Dane Richards’ winning goal was perfection and should capture the attention of clubs shopping for a goal-scorer.

The later game saw Kansas City Wizards (12th place in MLS) defeat Manchester United 2-1, even after playing the entire second half with ten men. In fact, United’s only goal came from the penalty that begot the red card. It was a patchwork game but a deserved win for the home team, in front of 50,000+ fans.

American teams defeating European teams isn’t exactly news. The MLS All-Star spectacle may be a joke to some, but no foreign team has defeated the All-Stars in regular time, ever. That includes current EPL champions Chelsea, as well as stand-outs Celtic, Everton, and Fulham.

Yes, these European teams are in their pre-season. Yes, they bring their B-teams. But ask yourself this long and winding question: “Two days ago, if I was asked to place a bet on a game between Kansas City Wizards, a team which ranks 12th among 16 teams in the American league, and a pre-season Manchester United squad consisting of Ryan Giggs, Nani, and Dimitar Berbatov, with the caveat that Kansas City would be forced to play down a man for 50 minutes, on which team would I place my money?”

If you answered “Kansas City Wizards,” you’re probably rich or a liar.

14 years ago Americans planted the seeds of an inferiority complex when we created a domestic league with big hopes in the shadows of giants, about 100 years late to the party. It grew into a tree of self-deprecation and bore the fruit of apologism. We have been told so often MLS is inferior to European leagues (and witnessed the inferiority first-hand in the league’s early days), that most not only believe it today, but never bother to consider otherwise. If MLS was really that bad, could its teams defeat any incarnation of mighty Manchester United?

Has MLS arrived as a world-class league? No. We have to assume a prime Manchester United would have far less trouble with Kansas City than yesterday’s game indicated. Unfortunately, we’ll probably never witness a definite “arrival,” but instead a continued gradual increase in recognition. We may never truly get to compare MLS with European leagues on even terms, save a future FIFA Club World Cup or seismic shift in season scheduling, so we have to draw conclusions from available data. My conclusion is that MLS deserves credit for its continued improvement, respect for its ability to compete, and attention for what it can accomplish. So, watch the All-Star game Wednesday and help cut down that tree.

Actually, I have been taking care of a newborn (human) baby (mine) and have truthfully barely had time to watch the games, much less comment on them. So in the interest of summary, I give you the TEN BY TEN: 10 point of discussion in 10 words each.

USA v ITALY – oh, come on guys. you can do better than that.
USA v BRAZIL – oh, come ON guys. can you do better than that?
USA v EGYPT – luckiest circumstance in the history of US soccer. nice game.
USA v SPAIN – greatest day of my life. GREATEST DAY of my LIFE.
USA v BRAZIL: THE SEQUEL – expected result unfolded painfully. Donovan’s goal: USA at its best
BOB BRADLEY – please stop giving the wrong players chances game after game.
GOLD CUP – would have preferred a real team. we tied Haiti? WTF.
DONOVAN v BECKHAM – Beckham do your job. Donovan please find a better club.
ONYEWU TO AC MILAN – another euro pinerider? hopefully he becomes a powerhouse in Italy.
AGUIRRE BANNED FOR KICKING A PLAYER – ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

AAAAAAANYWAY, Chicago won on a penalty in the 95th, and I continue to feel disgust for Blanco. He is increasingly lazy, sloppy, floppy and slow. He’ll fit right in with the rest of his Mexican squad next week. ZAP :O

MATCH HIGHLIGHT: Sacha Kljestan audibly telling Fire coach Denis Hamlett to “Shut the fuck up! Shut the fuck up! Fuck you, bitch!” Classy!

The team identity is taken from the 13 original American colonies that met in the 1770s in Philadelphia to break British rule and form a constitution, with the color scheme from the American Revolutionary Army.

Early speculation suggest that the Philadelphia Union will be rivals with nearby DC United and New York Red Bulls.

In other news, Barcelona reversed their position on helping place a Major Soccer League franchise in Miami. Then Barcelona president, Joan LaPorta, was seen visiting the site where the Philadelphia franchise is building a new soccer stadium.

Just saying…

David Beckham just wants one of two things.

(A) Play at the top level of world football. Nothing feels better than knowing you’ve still got it. But in soccer terms, David is a bit of a geezer, and he knows it. So, in 2007, he opted for…

(B) Create a legacy. Put his stardom to work and establish a lasting culture of Beckham soccer. Effectively, retire on a plan that makes David a hero.

As he promised of his run in MLS, David would spend five years cultivating soccer in America, teaching children and building respect from coast to coast. A noble challenge, but possible for a guy with a profile as high as Dave’s… oh, and, with a little, um, hard work? See, apparently, this part of the plan was left out of the explanation to our hero. It seems David expected to just show up and that would be good enough. He would without a doubt excel in play and propel his team to a cup (after all this is America), in his mind. The rest—the kids, the respect, the future—would fall into place. Violá, legacy.

Reality set in for Dave probably by his fifth loss with LA: his team sucks, and the league (while not top-tier in a global sense) is much better than he thought. How could he champion a century of American soccer growth if he can’t even win a few games? Suddenly Dave was between a rock and a hard place; he could have neither A nor B. The right thing to do at this point would have been to lead his team a la Columbus savior Barros Schelotto, but you could see in his face after every goal against that instead he became frustrated, increasingly lazy, resented his teammates, and ultimately withdrew from his promises. Essentially, it was too hard. And he is a douchebag.

THEN! By the grace of God a respectable top-tier club in Italy showed interest in David’s ability to perform at a substandard level (read: move jerseys) and Dave couldn’t wait to sell out for the forgotten glory that is option A. Good luck with those caps, Dave.

I actually believed he was a good guy with great intentions and actual determination. In reality, he’s a spoiled elitist with an ego so self-centered it could compete with an Earth-devouring black hole. Hopefully he’ll go, and fade out, and never come back. We’ll call this option C.

On the other hand, Landon Donovan is returning to LA this week. Scoring 4 goals in 5 friendly games for Bayern Munich was not enough to secure a more permanent move like LA teammate David Beckham.

Spanish La Liga leaders FC Barcelona have announced that they will not pursue an MLS expansion team in Miami insisting that current global market conditions make the deal hard.

The new MLS expansion team, the Seattle Sounders, have announced 20,000 season tickets have already been sold for their debut season.

There has been news that Spanish giant Barcelona FC is part of the Miami bid. It is interesting to see that two of the five cities are located in Canada.

The two new teams in 2011 will bring the league up to 18 teams.