The secret to watching the United States play some good attacking soccer? Have them face a tiny Caribbean nation playing with one man down. The US whipped up on Cuba to the tune of 6-1 last night and featured some pretty decent attack play. I was really happy to see DaMarcus Beasley bang in two well-taken goals and Heath Pearce, who I have been moaning about for the last several months, had a really good game, serving in great balls from the wing.

Still, I can’t be all positive. The US started with essentially the same lineup that’s been boring us to tears since qualification began. I was excited to see Altidore, Adu, and Torres in the squad, disappointed that none of them got the start. I thought Altidore and Adu played quite well in the minutes they did get, scoring and getting an assist respectively, and Torres looks like he could be handy too. But I don’t want to draw too many conclusions as Cuba was well-beaten and exhausted at that point. My sincere hope is that these fellas don’t step off the field for the next two irrelevant games and force their way into the starting lineup for the final round of qualifiers.

I watched portions of England’s win over Kazakhstan and was fairly unimpressed. The first couple goals game off set pieces and the team looked awfully plodding until the goals finally started dropping in late in the second half. So a big scoreline, yes, but watching England reminds me a lot of the current US squad and I find myself asking this question: what happens when these teams play somebody good?

Like Spain. 3-0 against Estonia might not have been a devastating performance by the Spaniards, but they sure do look tasty all the same. Iniesta and Xavi are ridiculous in the midfield. During the Euros I said you couldn’t get the ball off them if you had a pool cue to help trip them up; I’m raising that to a shotgun. If you want to criticize (and I don’t) you could accuse them of trying to walk the ball in the net, but it’s still fun to watch, and they still won handily—away, on a rain-slicked pitch. I wish the World Cup was this summer…

The less said the better. My prediction was that it would be ugly so I watched the US national team instead. It turned out to be uglier than I ever would have dreamed. Pure awful. After the Michigan loss I said that this team tends to lose in streaks, and boy, have I been proven right.

Mad City FC won again yesterday, 5-1, and I had nothing to do with it since I wasn’t in town. I should make the next two games though and hopefully close out the season with a pair of wins.

Current Mood: Fine |
Currently Listening To - Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - “Global A Go-Go”

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That’s pretty much how I feel right about now. Just beat. This semester is going to be very rough if the first three weeks are any indication of what’s to come. Teaching comp 101 is taxing work with 24 students, although that number has now dropped and will drop some more as students find out that I’m really not kidding—at all—when I say if I don’t get an assignment within a week of its due date that I won’t accept it, and hence they can’t pass the class.

It may sound draconian but the premise is pretty simple—I’m hired to teach them composition, not scramble to figure out who has turned in what and the assignments build, so without turning in assignment 2.1 you really can’t get at what 2.2 wants you to do. A week is plenty of time to get a single assignment in, and I’ve even taken the extra step of emailing them the day before to say “if it’s not in today, you’re not able to pass.” Comp 101 strongly encourages students to work out multiple interpretations of a text; sadly for these students, these emails are one case where there’s not a lot of room for creative interpretation. Strange too how these “warning” emails are met with silence, yet the “sorry, you now have to drop” emails are responded to within hours.

Overall the teaching goes really well. The majority of the students are motivated and hard-working, and those folks make it a whole lot easier to get to the interesting stuff rather than bookkeeping.

But the pedagogy course is going to be a lot of work and the project assistantship is like a bottomless pit made of time-sucking antimatter. In theory, I’m supposed to put in 10 hours of teaching and 10 hours of program support. Perhaps not surprisingly, the first couple weeks have been skewed by about the power of ten. Considering I’m being paid around $8/hr for this work, let’s just say I’ll be finding new ways to prioritize tasks and cap the hours spent working so I have some free time to do things—and things that arent’s driving back and forth between Milwaukee.

Things like eating. And sleeping.

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I took a break to watch the last 20 minutes of Man Ure vs. Villarreal and about 10 minutes of it was top-notch stuff.

I did think it strange that Derek Rae was going all Castilian on us with his pronunciation of Santi Cazorla as ca-THOR-la. Doubly strange that Argentinian Ariel Ibagaza got the plain ol’ anglicized iba-GAZ-a. It could be that Derek Rae knows something I don’t, but I also doubt that he would pronounce Zaragoza as thera-GO-tha, which would be, you know, consistent.

Current Mood: Pretty Goo…zzzzzzzzzzzz |

I have to say, DVR makes watching a full football game a joy. Critics can say what they want about soccer, but for me a major knock on American football is that the time between plays is about four times longer than the plays themselves.

Anyway, what can be learned from Wisconsin’s demolition of Akron? Not much. They moved the ball at will on the ground (PJ Hill had 100 yards with five minutes to go in the first quarter) and only a couple of botched plays on the 1 yard line from the Badgers kept the Zips (yes, Zips) in the game. I don’t know what this says about the season to come, but it’s better than struggling, that’s for sure.

Well, unless Spurs absolutely tonk Chelski tomorrow (which is highly unlikely), the Ars* will win the week three award for most improved team. They ran poor Newcastle ragged today but (surprise surprise) I am not among those who think they’re right back in the title chase. At best, this squad will do what they did last year and leap out to a quick lead but fade in the end. Still, they looked pretty damn smooth.

Elsewhere, the league is entirely unpredictable. West Ham’s 4-1 win over Blackburn do the visitors a disservice since it could have easily ended 1-1, and Everton’s season is already in shambles after getting bombed 3-0 by Pompey, their second home loss. And Hull’s confidence must be cracked—nay, shattered—after suffering a 5-0 pounding at home to Wigan of all teams. This is not that unusual for this time of year where teams are still settling in and finding their feet, and there’s also the small matter of the transfer window closing tomorrow night at midnight. Still, I wouldn’t want to be betting large sums of money on any of these games right now.

Speaking of transfers, I’ll tell you what Tottenham need sharpish—two strikers and a holding midfielder. I’m not all that excited about Pavlyuchenko (nor am I that excited about Arshavin) because I thought these guys ran far too hot and cold. If the Berbatov transfer doesn’t go through—although I’m betting it will—then I hope he can man-up and give it his all.

I haven’t heard anyone saying this (although I haven’t been listening too hard) but I think Tottenham’s next biggest void is in the center of the park. For my money, the defensive midfielder role is probably the hardest to fill since so few players really excel at this position. Didier Zokora was supposed to be this box-to-box enforcer but it really hasn’t worked out that way. He’s useful but not dominant, and Spurs need a big-time heavy to put some steel in their speedy but lightweight midfield.

And of course a striker who could hit an elephant’s ass with a banjo would help too.

There’s still a good chance that we’re switching to DirecTV in order to get GolTV so I can watch the Spanish league, but I’m still going to follow it the best I can in the meantime.

I’ve decided that I’m really pulling for Valencia this year. Although Tottenham is my team in England, I also root for Liverpool and Newcastle whenever they’re not playing Spurs. In La Liga, I have always been a Real Madrid fan mostly because I love Madrid (and Spurs currently occupy the room in my heart for a perennially underachieving team in my heart, Atlético) but after that it’s always been Valencia and whoever is playing Barcelona. (Interesting fact: I have noticed that fans of Ars*nal in England also tend to be fans of Barca in Spain.)

Anyway, my feeling for Valencia became clear last year when they were within touching distance of relegation, yet rebounded to win the Copa del Rey. I was fearful and ecstatic for them, and I find myself relieved that striker extraordinaire David Villa has re-upped his contract. They’ve got Morientes, Joaquín, Silva, Albiol, Marchena, Albelda, Helguera, del Horno…the list of players I admire goes on and on. Not all of these guys are firing on all cylinders anymore, but still. This is a good club that’s given me many happy footie-watching memories, so I’m pulling for them big time this term—even though I’ve never been to Valencia.

Current Mood: Bushed |

Nothing is worse than waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep, except for waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep and then finding out your satellite service has dropped all the stations carrying Spanish soccer for the upcoming season.

In typical Spanish fashion, La Liga starts a little later than most others with their first round of matches still a few weeks off so I haven’t been paying attention. Googling around, I stumbled on this article stating that as of two weeks ago, Dish network yanked GolTV from their lineup over a contract dispute. I hadn’t noticed because GolTV offers little else that interests me outside their good coverage of the Spanish League, the Copa del Rey (the Spanish Cup), and their La Liga recap show—I don’t follow German or South American football so there’s been no reason to tune in.

So while this is distressing, I thought “No big deal. WorldSport HD still shows ‘big’ games, usually involving Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, and Valencia.” Except then I read that Dish also axed the VOOM HD channels back in May, which of course includes WorldSport HD. This was the week of the last regular season game in La Liga, and we were in Spain when this decision went down. Since La Liga was the only reason to tune into WorldSport HD, it’s no wonder I haven’t noticed.

Ironically, I became a Dish subscriber way back in 1997 because it was the only provider that offered Fox Sports Español. Way back then, ESPN showed one English Premier League game a week and usually one or two MLS games, so getting Fox Sports Español was like giving a junkie a crack rock the size of a small moon. They showed the Premier League, the FA Cup, the Scottish League, the German League, the Italian league…it was insane. I had never seen so much footie on the television before. (Note: The Dish was a birthday present from Amy, which is one of the leading reasons I married her; she not exactly what she was getting into, she helped feed it.)

While I don’t want to overstate the case, Dish Network definitely got some decent business from being the provider for soccer fans. It took DirecTV and cable awhile to add Fox Sports World (a channel inferior to Fox Sports Español I might add), now named Fox Soccer Channel. It wasn’t until we once again signed up for Dish back in Madison (satellites were not allowed in our Seattle apartment and cable had FSW anyway) that I knew GolTV even existed—probably because it didn’t until February 2003.

While this move won’t (necessarily) lose my business, it is highly annoying and none too endearing to the company. The timing of the VOOM deal was likely coincidental (I can’t imagine the Dish folks had their eyes on La Liga when they axed ten channels) but to drop GolTV a few weeks before the European leagues start doesn’t seem like an accident. Unfortunately, it’s also sticking up a giant middle finger at soccer fans too.

Over the past few years I’ve heard that entertainment programming is supposed to be going in the direction of a la carte rather than packages, meaning instead of paying for 500 channels you don’t watch, you’d pay for the 10 or 12 you actually do. I hope to God this happens soon because the only reason we have the bloated package we do is because it includes FSC. Cable subscribers in Madison have also been burned by the Big Ten Network which, for some reason, the local cable company can’t come to an agreement with. The same goes for the NFL Network, which many Wisconsin cable outlets don’t carry. People around here get very surly when it comes to their football and I could see literally thousands of people dumping cable in favor of satellite to watch all their Badgers and Packers games.

I have no idea what wrangling goes on between channels and providers, but let’s just say that the ones who end up losing out the most are the consumers. Bolting for DirecTV at this point (which still carries GolTV) is tempting, but there’s nothing to say that this wouldn’t happen again. But with all the promotions and deals you can get for switching services, don’t think I’m not seriously considering it.

Current Mood: Outraged! |

Tottenham looks set to lose Dimitar Berbatov to Man Ure after having already lost striker Robbie Keane to Liverpool. There’s plenty being said about the Big Clubs in Europe “tapping up” players, basically showing interest in them in the media and therefore getting the player all excited about a transfer. It’s an ugly business because the rich clubs are playing in the big tournaments that any player in his right mind would want to compete in, but this tactic is more of the rich getting richer while everyone else stays where they’re at. Spurs cannot seriously mount a charge on the top four when Man Ure keeps buying their stand-out players—Michael Carrick a couple years ago and Berbatov now.

My second-favorite team in England is probably Liverpool, partially because of their history but mostly because of their Spanish contingent. I have to say that this transfer season has revealed the true colors of both Rafa and Sir Rednose: Rafa is paying too much for players who may well not pan out, and Man Ure is buying pure quality. I can’t believe that Gareth Barry (if the deal ever goes through) is really the midfield answer for Liverpool, and with Robbie Keane they’ve certainly bought industry and talent, but I’m not sure he’s going to be the boost up top the team requires. And did you notice that they paid £19 million for him? Erm, Fernando Torres, one of the classiest strikers on the planet, cost around £20 million. Look, Robbie Keane is a good striker but I’m not sure he’s worth paying through the nose for.

The overhauled Chelski should be interesting, regardless of whether Lampard goes or stays. Deco is a handy little player to have around and it will be fascinating to see who comes and goes in the couple weeks since you can’t believe things are done yet.

Spurs, of course, have made some signings that could either be great or awful. I’ve seen Giovanni Dos Santos play a couple times and the kid is incredible, but Mexicans and the Premier League tend not to mesh well. And Luka Modrić? Who knows, really. But as they have shown the door to Berbatov, Keane, Robinson, Chimbonda, and Tainio, you’ve got to think they’ve got a lot of buying still to do. David Bentley would be more than welcome (even if he’s an ex-Ars*) but the bigger questions are at the front and back. But Juande Ramos surely knows what he’s doing…right?

Anyone who thinks Man Ure is an average squad that was carried by Ronaldo last year needs to get their heads checked. If they get Berbatov—and I think they will—then that adds a new dimension to their attack, and if Nani and Anderson settle, then you have to think that they’re not going to drop that much should Ronaldo leave.

For Real Madrid, I’m not sure Ronaldo’s the player they need either. Yes, they’ve won back-to-back championships, but they haven’t done it with the wide-open attacking style that Calderón wants so badly. Real has seemed like a very fragile team these last couple years, and I don’t think a flashy winger is what the squad needs to settle. But only time will tell…

Current Mood: Fine |
Currently Listening To - Beck - “Modern Guilt”

I said it before but it deserves to be said again: Euro 2008 was the best international tournament I’ve ever seen. Lots of goals, lots of late goals, general fair play all around, fairly decent refereeing, and a worthy champion. Not often do you get that. This unparalleled success means, of course, that UEFA wants to muck with it by expanding to 20 or 24 teams. That means more money, but more crappy games and more tired legs. Let’s hope that for once common sense trumps greed and they keep it at 16—but I’m not holding my breath.

Phil Ball and I agree again on many points as his article “The Best Team Won (for a change)” echoes a lot my sentiments from yesterday: that the cheats and whiners went home early, that Spain deserved everything they got, that the German team wasn’t as good as they let on, and that indeed, politics always plays some kind of role in regards to forming a national team. Amusingly, idiot Jamie Trecker’s report on the final shows that the man never came to grips with the idea that the Spanish team were actually quite handy all through the tournament and that Germany was neither the favorite nor really all that good. But it’s morons like him that lead to MSN headlines like “Spain Stuns Italy in Quarterfinals” and “Spain Stuns Germany in final.” Um. No. These weren’t upsets—unless of course you believe that Spain really never was that good.

Which of course begs the question, if you thought the Spanish really weren’t that good then how did they rack up a 22-game unbeaten streak that has included victories over France, Italy (twice), England, and now Germany? And where did this unfounded faith in Germany come from? They had a flapper for a goalkeeper to thank for their narrow 3-2 win over Portugal and needed a last-gasp goal from a defender to beat the Turkish B team. Can someone please send a telegram to Mr. Trecker to say he’s a bit behind the times when writes that Spain “might finally be in position to make a stern challenge soccer’s old guard for a place among the international elite” (emphasis mine). It’s probably best just to ignore everything this man has to say. I only read him for the masochistic pleasure of hating everything he writes.

And while I like Fox Soccer Channel’s Nick Webster, his Euro 2008 Best XI has some strange omissions. Erm, Xavi anyone? Not only did he make the Spanish midfield tick, he also picked up the small honor of Player of the Tournament. Looking up top, Pavlyuchenko and van Nistelrooy are Nick’s strikers? Pavlyuchenko had an awful goals-to-chances ratio and the horse-faced Dutchman only scored twice—one being the infamous offside goal against Italy and the other in the losing effort to Russia. Seems a tad odd to leave out David Villa, the tournament’s top scorer who bagged a classy hat-trick against Russia and snatched the last-second winner against Sweden, a goal I would argue did plenty to raise Spain’s confidence level.

Back to Englishman Phil Ball: I love how he ends his article with this pot-shot: “Spain’s win has been about good technique and imagination - something that the English, for all their boasting about their over-hyped and inflated Premier League, would do well to note.” I have long believed that the Premier League, while being wildly entertaining, is not miles better than Spain’s La Liga, which I feel is a better league top to bottom. Note to self: find time to watch more Spanish football this year.

Current Mood: Correcting the Opinions of Others is Hard Work |

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Well, there you have it. The perfect ending to an almost impossibly perfect tournament. How is it that a major tournament rewards open, attacking play and the cheats, whiners, and negative teams get early tickets home? That just doesn’t happen. Except it did.

Spain utterly deserved every one of their victories. They finished with a +9 goal difference and scored in every game but one—where they almost outshot their negative opponent 3-to-1. Unlike the counterattack teams that frustrate the opposition by bunkering in, Spain frustrated the opposition by passing the ball at will through the midfield. True, it often stalled at the penalty box, but there’s something demoralizing about a team that passes through you. If you won’t believe that, ask a German.

I held my breath for the last half-hour as it seemed like a German equalizer must be on the cards, not because they deserved it but because Spain had squandered chances to seal the game at 2, 3, or 4 to nil. The Germans looked most threatening when they abandoned their passing and just lumped high balls into the box; Spain looked most threatening whenever they had the ball. And how brilliant was El Niño’s goal? Torres had a bit of a stinker for a tournament but I think he’ll take his champion’s medal for scoring the winner in the final, thank you very much.

In truth, this was a very average German team, much like the one that willed its way into the final at the 2002 World Cup. Germans know how to win games but today the gap in class showed. And also a note to Michael Ballack: cheaters never prosper. Look, tons of folks love this guy but I think he’s a dirty player (note the half-dozen deliberately late challenges today and his shove-off on Ferrera in the Portugal game for the winner) who is not above taking a dive, play-acting, or trying to get another player sent off for an innocuous foul. I don’t like him and could give two turds that he’s never won any of the Big Trophies.

So hats off to Spain, a team that comes only second in my heart to the US. Spain has a cake World Cup qualifying schedule, so 2010 should be interesting considering most of these players will still be in good health. With Aragonés stepping down, the next big question is whether Vicente del Bosque can step up? Considering the fantastic job he did with Real Madrid not too long ago, I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Rant

Before I conclude, I need to take yet another swipe at one of America’s most ignorant pundits, @!#$ing idiot Jamie Trecker who explains why Spain has never really been any good and Germany’s long history of success makes this game a mismatch. Per usual, Trecker’s facile analysis (in which he takes a swipe at “lazy media” no less) does not take into account the historical fact that Spain, as a country, has had its share of inner turmoil. The Catalans and Galicians don’t like the Madrileños and the Basques don’t get on with anybody. It makes it hard to put a team together when half the squad is at each other’s throats for political reasons, and the fact that a dictator (who was partial to certain regions) ran the country until 1976 might explain while the populous hasn’t gotten behind the national team. See, but the Spaniards are absolutely wild about their club teams—teams who largely try to sign local players, hence that whole “provincial” thing that seems pretty important to Spaniards. Which would be an entirely logical explanation of why Spain’s club teams have mopped up the competition over the last forty years with outrageous talent while the national side, with those same players, has underachieved. But I would hate to point at any particular journalist and suggest that he was lazy. I’d rather call him a @!#$ing idiot.

Current Mood: ¡Viva España! |

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Well, another match between Spain and Russia and another three-goal margin of victory. Back in the group stages you might remember Spain going through a naïve Russian side like a buzz saw to the tune of 4-1. Tonight’s 3-0 was perhaps a little less spectacular but no less definitive.

The rain dampened the affair (no pun intended) as the Spanish were clearly struggling to kick the game into gear with the slick surface. No one could quite get their footing or weigh the passes correctly, and the first half was nothing to write home about. Russia had far fewer, but better, chances whereas the Spanish passed the ball as nicely as ever but increasingly ran out of ideas around the penalty area. Their long-range shooting has been off all tournament and that didn’t change tonight.

The Russians looked a bit timid tonight, and you’d have thought that they would have had a real go a la the Turks last night, but I think the hiding they got earlier must have been a deep psychological blow because they never looked threatening. Xavi’s brilliant opener paved the way for a second half of Spanish dominance. 4-0 or 5-0 always looked more likely than 2-1 or 3-2 as the Russians just didn’t seem to have any umph, and you need that you know. Güiza’s delicate goal was delightful as well Silva’s control in the final goal, and for people who haven’t played soccer it’s hard to describe just how hard it is to do what these fellas make look so easy.

Where next? The final against Germany of course, which should be cracker. This one didn’t live up to the hype and expect the final to be more of a chess match than a track meet, but the Spanish haven’t done well against crosses (which the Germans have excelled at) and the Germans haven’t coped well with fast passing through the midfield (which the Spanish have been doing for two weeks now). My prediction: there will be goals. That’s it. I’ll be deliriously happy if Spain wins of course, but Germany would be a worthy champion too. Like I said to a friend after the game, the final is going to come down to who plays better on the day. Neither defense has to be comfortable looking at the opposition’s scoring threats and I just can’t see this being a conservative 0-0 draw with extra time and penalties (knocking on wood).

Either way, this has been a fantastic tournament and I will be quite sad for it to end.

Current Mood: Contemplating the End |

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My word, the always-excellent Phil Ball and I have certainly have a lot in common when it comes to our taste in football, especially the Spanish kind. Phil wrote his article Curse Busters about Spain’s victory over Italy on June 23, and I posted my commentary “Justice for All” a day before, and followed it with “Begging to Differ,” in which I point out why Jamie Trecker got it (and always gets it) wrong.

Really, check out Ball’s article. The man knows Spain and Spanish football in and out, and I wish I could have watched the game with him. Some choice quotes that mirror things I said in my posts:

* The great thing about Sunday night’s game is that the Spanish played it faithful to their own instincts about football, as did Italy to theirs. In the end, for a change, the gods of fortune got it right.

* The referee was also doing his best to don a white shirt and officially proclaim himself Italy’s 12th man. And as expected, Spain took possession of the game and tried to win it, whereas Italy made a few vague patterns in the centre of the field and tried to hoof the ball to the awful Luca Toni…

* At least [Spain] tried to play football.

* The Spanish are romantics, and prefer to indulge in beauty (or something approaching it) on the football pitch…

* Spain were trying to win. It was Italy who were cheating - constantly interrupting the Spanish flow…

And much much more good stuff. The only thing we disagree on was substituting Torres for Güiza, a move Phil liked and I did not. But that means I’m in total agreement with the other 96% of what he said. Further proof that certain journalists talk sense while other so-called journalists just talk…

In other exciting news (for me at least) I donned my boots and played my first round of pickup in about six months, since injuring my knee playing indoor. The PA and PT people I’ve been seeing since March diagnosed me with having patellofemoral pain syndrome, which basically meant my kneecap was grinding when under strain and causing the sharp pain. I’ve been doing specific exercises to retrain the muscles in my leg to get the kneecap back on track and things have been going very well. I still get jolts of pain now and then, but for the most part I’ve been feeling good while working out.

I have an appointment tomorrow and, since I’ve been ramping things up, I figured I should give it a little test. I played for about an hour with complete success—in regards to knee pain anyway. I’m quite rusty, my touch is poor, and I was winded within minutes. (Doing 30-45 minutes on the treadmill 3-4 times per week doesn’t get you in shape for the frequent sprinting soccer requires.) But I did have a nice touch once in awhile and scored one nice goal, and so I didn’t completely embarrass myself. We played 4 vs. 4 which is pretty intense and there’s nowhere to hide, and there were two guys who were considerably worse than I was so I didn’t feel too bad. The problem is that when the legs go, everything goes…and the legs go awfully quick at 34.

Anyway, I’m quite happy that things went so well and I’ll be interested to hear what they say at PT tomorrow…

Current Mood: Bushed but Happy |

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Mark your calendars: it’s time to disagree with reigning clown Jamie Trecker once again.

Look, I won’t quibble with his opinion that Italy vs. Spain was a flop when it could have sizzled, but I think it’s highly unfair to claim that Spain was equally guilty for playing dour, gloomy football. Quotes like “both would have been better off if they had eased up on the reins in midfield, and just gone out to try to win rather than deciding not to lose” make me scratch my head. I just can’t figure Trecker out, since he’s smarter than this—isn’t he?

It seems patently obvious that the reason Spain did not go forward more than they did is because they did not want Italy to get a goal on the counter-attack and then sandbag for the remaining time (whether that might be 5 or 85 minutes) and the reason Italy did not go forward is because they thought they would lose an out-and-out slugfest with the Spanish midfield. Both were probably correct but it was the case (as repeatedly stated by Andy Gray during the match) that Italy was not going to play. I don’t think it’s fair or realistic to say that Spain, who out-shot Italy 27 to 12 and had at least two penalty appeals denied, wanted the game to go to penalties—especially considering Spain’s woeful track record from the spot.

Please explain to me how Trecker remains a “featured” analyst. He roundly criticizes Major League Soccer yet his solutions to fixing the league’s problems involve staggering amounts of money that no one has, and his criticism of Spain vs. Italy is “gee, these teams should have played all out offense because that would have been fun to watch.” Comments from Football365’s mailbox include “Spain had nearly 3 times as many shots on goal, and that is counting the weak excuses for attempts from Toni. When the Italians play in this typical way, I can’t help but wonder if they even like the game at all” and from a different contributor “taking nothing away from Spain, their offensive mind set and persistence should be commended.”

(sigh) If only my uncle had been Director of Communications for US Soccer…

Current Mood: Bored With Bad Commentary |