/
So, Spurs ditched the magic Juande in favor of ‘Arry Redknapp. I think axing Ramos was the right move because he clearly did not command the respect of the players, winning a grand total of four league games while in charge. In one game, ‘Arry accumulated more points than Ramos did in eight. And as most sensible people realized, Spurs are now three points (one more win) from pulling out of the drop zone—provided other teams keep losing. I think three out of Bolton, Fulham, Stoke, and West Brom will get relegated. It’s early days, but I can see Newcastle and Spurs muscling out enough points over the long haul to get to the comfort zone before spring. (Speaking of which, can you believe Hull? You’d have to think 40 points would keep you safe, and they’re already half-way there in just 9 games with 29 more to play.)

I’m pretty excited about Liverpool beating Chelski today, and hope to high heaven that they’ll still be contenders come January. A certain Ars* lead the table for long periods last fall before falling apart in the New Year, so early results do not guarantee late returns. Still, it’s better to win than lose…

Back to ‘Arry Redknapp for a second, it’s an appointment that seems solid but doesn’t get the heart racing. He generally has had a galvanizing effect for the teams he’s managed, but he’s also been dodgy in the transfer market. Spurs savior? Not hardly. At least he should keep them up. Emphasis on should.

In good news, last weekend Man City United spanked the opposition 8-2 on a lovely, sunny afternoon. Yesterday however, we lost 1-0 on a cold, windy day on an abomination of a field that had a serious slant to it and a huge patch of mud in the center of the park. The conditions were almost unplayable and I figured it would either be 0-0 or someone would score on a fluke or mistake, and unfortunately that’s what happened. Our keeper slipped throwing the ball into play and it landed at the feet of one of their strikers, who popped it into the empty net and then celebrated like he’d actually done something incredible. We went on to miss about three chances that were nearly as easy, only to see our strikers get in each others way (twice) and blaze over the bar from a ridiculous position.

Worst of all, I rolled my ankle getting shoved over in a mud patch and will be hobbled for a week or so. (sigh) Titanium breakaway ankles…

You can say what you want about MLS’ two-conference system and the playoffs (I often say they’re dumb) but it does set the stage for some pretty good late-season drama. Colorado vs. Real Salt Lake was a perfect example. Because Amy trumped me on the remote, we ended up watching some real estate shows and, during the commercials, I’d seen that the Rapids went up 1-0. I figured that while we were watching Trading Spaces, two things would happen: either Colorado would score another goal and ice the game, or they wouldn’t. Turns out they wouldn’t, which led to frenetic last ten minutes that I did get to watch, including RSL’s dramatic and late, late equalizer that saw them go through to the playoffs for their very first time. Good stuff.

On the writing front, I was boosted by the news that a friend of mine who has a boatload of sales to highly respected literary mags says he sends out his stories to about twenty markets at the same time. In the same conversation, he said he was amazed that I had the publications I did from sending out my stories one at a time, due to the restriction most f/sf markets have on not accepting simultaneous subs.

This is certainly good news and helps me get my head around how to succeed in the lit mag world. I typically get very cordial, personal rejections from the f/sf mags I submit to and rarely, if ever, get so much as a hand-written “thanks” on the form rejections I get from lit mags. Rather than taking this personally, I’m guessing I just need to cast nets a little farther and a little wider.

Who has time for reading books in grad school? My reading list is way down this semester for a variety of reasons, mostly because my time is devoured by teaching and my admin position, and my reading time is dedicated to articles, not books. In a word, this sucks. I have a long list of stuff I want to read but it will have to wait.

Current Mood: Bleh |
Currently Listening To - The Hold Steady - “Almost Killed Me”

We finished another major project we’d had on the docket for awhile, and that was having a new driveway poured and redoing the front walk and stoop. All in all, it turned out to be a frustrating experience because the concrete contractor wanted to do the job quickly which meant some details got left in the concrete dust, but overall it turned out pretty nicely. Here’s what it looks like:

Right, so Tottenham lost again today, giving them their worst start to a season ever. That’s ever, as in “since 1882″ ever. I’ve been following Spurs since about 1990 and they’ve toyed with relegation a couple times but, unless things change quickly, this team could go down.

I’ve only watched them twice this season, against Sunderland and against Stoke, and it seems pretty clear that Ramos has got to go. He might be a fine manager and a wonderful fella, but the players looked sloppy and generally uninterested in playing. The idea was to get rid of the players who only wanted to collect their paychecks and make an earnest push for fourth, but that ain’t happening with this lot. Ramos clearly hasn’t inspired them, and they need to get inspired sharpish.

Over the years I’ve grown less and less fond of the club as business aspirations have trumped footballing decisions. One of the major blows was when Tottenham sold Michael Carrick after narrowly missing out on fourth; to me, that sent a signal that the club’s real goal was to be a broker for high-profile players, buying young and selling at great profit. The purchases made by the board in Jol’s last days were testaments to that, and I think they bought poorly heading into this season. They bought poorly but sold well, don’t you think? Shipping out their two highest goal scorers for wonga profits will look nice on the shareholders’ statements, but their failure to buy proven players in key positions may cost them dearly.

As much as I love the footie, the big boys have been working hard for the last decade or so to get a stranglehold on their domestic leagues, and it’s working. Sure, the season starts out a bit rocky but who rises to the top once again? Chelski, Liverpool, Man Ure and Ars*nal. Sure, Aston Villa looks like Spurs from a few seasons ago, but when they can’t break into the top five (and hence the Champions League) where will they be when Agbonlahor, Young, Barry, et al get lured away by clubs that can offer them that reward?

I would also say that the US’ display in Trinidad was not all that surprising and even though I’ve been barking for Bradley to give some of the younger players a chance, I didn’t necessarily mean he should give them a chance all at the same time. And for what it’s worth, I have yet to see Maurice Edu play a really good game, and the young man has a penchant for passing to the other team.

Current Mood: Feh |

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”

/ /
You know you’re getting old when you have to force yourself to stay up to watch a 9:30 kickoff. I watched the Badgers play at Fresno State in a bar and it was all I could do to keep from falling asleep in the second half. There were a lot of similarities between that game and the one today between the Packers and the Lions.

One, both Wisconsin teams had near-catastrophic collapses in the second half. The Packers’ was much more alarming, and in fairness, much of Wisconsin’s problem stemmed from a badly blown call. But their porous D didn’t help, nor did the questionable WAC officiating. Instant replay had a big hand in both games. In the Badger game, the referees somehow overruled a catch/fumble decision in favor of an incomplete pass, even though the replay seemed to be crystal clear. In the Packers game, Aaron Rodgers surely stepped out of bounds when scrambling for a first down. It’s these kind of situations that make me rethink the use of replay in soccer.

Both offenses were incredible when on song, and abysmal when out of sorts. The highs and lows are somewhat alarming, as is the fact that both defenses completely fell apart for a quarter of each game. Still, wins are good. We’ll take wins.

I’ve gotten around to watching most of US vs. Trinidad & Tobago and I still refuse to be impressed. T&T looked so god awful that I think most pub teams could have turned them over. While the US never looked rattled, they never looked silky smooth either. They should be better than this.

Brian Ching showed once again that he’s up to par unless the team is playing hoof and hope, and Heath Pearce has got to be one of the most frighteningly average defenders in recent memory. He offers virtually nothing going forward and has not looked all that comfortable against these tiny CONCACAF opponents. God help us whenever we play strong, fast teams. If I was a manager facing the US, I would tell my team to attack that flank every time down the field. Worse, DaMarcus Beasley put in another pretty rotten performance, although he did get a (lucky) assist. Still, why is he straying offsides so much?

Thus far, Bradley has been more Sampson than Arena. By that I mean he’s sticking with tried (and tired) US stalwarts rather than turning the roster over. Lest we forget, Sampson qualified the US very early for the 1998 World Cup and went on to a shockingly bad tournament performance. In contrast, Arena’s squad struggled mightily before 2002 and then went on to one of the most successful World Cups in American history. It’s still early days, but I wouldn’t be reserving my tickets for South Africa just yet. The US will be there—that’s practically guaranteed—but that’s a long way to travel for disappointment.

Current Mood: To Continue a Theme, Tired |

From the Times Online, a writer describes what it’s like to follow Man City:

And quoted in today’s Mediawatch over at F365, a piece of Oliver Holt’s “inspirational” call to arms for the England National Team:

‘Watching the England football team makes Groundhog Day look like a feast of variety. The study of a side that veers only between mediocrity and bare competence is tedium itself.’

‘There was nothing scintillating about the win over Andorra. Nothing to shout about. Nothing to rejoice over. No joy.’

That pretty much sums up the US vs Guatemala and the US vs Cuba. They take on the mighty global power of Trinidad & Tobago tonight in Chicago. PACK THE D, BRADLEY! Remember, T&T is a dangerous team—they almost scored a goal in the World Cup.

Seriously, if the US doesn’t win 3-0, I think I’ll be spending my precious free time sending hate mail to US Soccer. They play tonight at 7:00 CT on ESPN2.

Current Mood: Bemused |
Currently Listening To - Bob Dylan - “John Wesley Harding”

My response sounds a little like this.

Granted, the US is playing on a lousy pitch, away from home. A win is a win and all that. But for me the much larger issue is the fact that the entire Cuban squad played in the Cuban league, a point that John Harkes made in order to stress that the US would push their fitness.

Let me get this straight. The United States of America’s national squad, who has made it to five consecutive World Cups, who have players based in England, Germany, France, and elsewhere, need conditioning to be a factor in order to beat a team hailing from one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean. Something is desperately wrong here folks.

Two players that usually don’t impress me, namely Brian Ching and Freddy Hejduk, were the only ones to really stand out. Dempsey has an alarming tendency to drift out of games for long periods of time, and I don’t know what the hell is wrong with DaMarcus Beasley. What I do know is that most national teams don’t give you a run of games to find your form and, even though Beas has been one of my favorites in recent years, on this performance he shouldn’t be invited back to national team duty. Shockingly bad.

Maurice Edu is young and is probably learning a lot from these games, so he can be forgiven his string of two-dozen passes to Cubans in the second half, and Heath Pearce played okay. But wouldn’t you play okay against semi-professionals too? Gooch and Bocengra and Howard all looked fine too, but again you can’t say the competition was tops. Landon Donovan was invisible for much of the game.

Plonking the ball up field at Brian Ching is not a sophisticated game plan and I’m wondering what else Bradley has up his sleeve. It seems like the philosophy is play boring and lose against good teams (England, Spain), or play boring and squeeze a draw (Argentina), or play boring and win narrowly against inferior competition. Will he ever give Sacha Klejstan a full run out? What about Freddy Adu? What about Kenny Cooper (although I am suspicious of men named Kenny)? What about Edson Buddle? What about Josie Altidore?

Simply put, these are attacking options that, for whatever reason, Bradley doesn’t want to try. I know that these guys don’t have much (if any, in some cases) experience at the national team level, and there’s something to be said for getting points in the bag before you start experimenting. Yet again, there’s something to be said about worrying that the US won’t finish at least second in a four-team group alongside Guatemala, Cuba, and Trinidad. If US Soccer is at such a state that this round gives the higher-ups true pause, then there’s something horribly wrong.

Here’s the point: the US should be expected to win these games at this point. Sure, in 1988 this win would have been a major accomplishment, and it is good to see the US win on the road in CONCACAF. But in winning in highly defensive, uninspiring ways, this squad is just meeting expectations. My contention is that the team learns nothing valuable from these games. Squeaking out 1-0 wins on the road in CONCACAF has nothing in common with winning 1-0 against, say, Poland or the Czech Republic in South Africa in 2010. They may be learning to win away in CONCACAF, but that’s not saying much in the big picture.

Current Mood: Not Impressed |
Currently Listening To - Elliott Smith - “Roman Candle”

Good Lord, there’s far too much to mention here and I have far too little time to blather about it. Robinho to Man City of all places? And everybody and their brother saying it was the wrong move? And Keegan fired from, I mean quit from, I mean maybe neither from Newcastle? And now Alan Curbishley leaving West Ham despite a good start? And Man City being taken over by the newest billionaire on the block? Fraizer Campbell to Spurs on loan?

I don’t have any idea how to begin to process all that, much less formulate coherent thoughts. Makes the league a bit more interesting, for awhile at least.

You probably didn’t notice, but the New England Revolution got pounded 4-0 by Joe Public of Jamaica in the qualifiers for the CONCACAF Champions League. That brought the aggregate score to a healthy 6-1 in favor of the islanders.

Look, the Revs have been playing in the league, played in (and won) the SuperLiga, and now played in the CONCACAF Champions League. That’s a lot of games and a lot of travel for an MLS squad with a strict salary cap and small roster size. MLS really needs to decide whether they want to grow up and compete in these regional and global competitions or whether teams still need to be conservative with their cash regarding salaries and roster size. Obviously, you can’t have it both ways.

Right, so I taught my first section of English 101 yesterday. It went well I think, and I also happened to notice that 8:00 am is early in the morning. Tuesday at 8:00 am marked the first class of the 2008-09 academic year at UWM, and I was pleased that for the vast majority of students, this class was their first exposure to college learnin’.

Things were complicated by me not having the class roster in my mailbox as I was expecting, and then not being able to print it from my online UWM account, and then having the admin’s computer freeze as it was downloading an enormous PDF in order to find my class ID# so she could print a roster for me. I arrived to class about a minute late, sweaty and out of breath having run about two blocks to get there, and still without a roster. Probably not the ideal way to kick off the teaching semester, but it could have been worse.

We do it all over again tomorrow at 8:00. I’m looking forward to it.

Current Mood: Fine |
Currently Listening To - The Hold Steady - “Boys and Girls in America”

Look, before I start moaning about how Bob Bradley’s US squad plays a helluva lot like Bolton, I do have to say that three points on the road in CONCACAF is always a good result. I don’t mean to take that away from the team because the bad fields, dodgy refereeing, and intense atmosphere all add up to a very tough environment to play in.

But still. When I was working for US Soccer, there was this little thing called Project 2010 that the bigwigs called us employees down to the meeting room to tell us about. It was an audacious proposal that wanted the US to host and win the World Cup in 2010. Shoot for the stars and all that. Call me cynical, but I think picking up three points in Guatemala was probably part of that plan, so I’m not all that carried away about tonight’s “historic” achievement. Frankly, no matter how tough the conditions are, the US should be able to go to Central American countries and win regularly. Yes, there are no easy games in football blahblahblah, and I’m not saying that they can’t suffer the odd blip. But the money US Soccer pours into player development probably dwarfs Guatemala’s GNP, so they should be getting some return on that expenditure, shouldn’t they?

The lineup and style of play wasn’t a surprise given the roster, but it has to be said that the US put together few fluid attacks. Harkesy and Davis can praise Bradley for making the team a threat on set pieces, but a defensive-minded team that resorts to long punts up the field and set pieces? Sounds like Bolton, dunnit? And they’re not winning over any neutral supporters.

Bocanegra played great but there were few other standouts, except Howard. Onyewu was fine, Pearce was not, and Cherundolo was solid except for the silly second yellow (even though the first was totally unwarranted). Mastroeni could have easily been sent off too, but luckily the refereeing was inconsistent enough that he escaped. Did Eddie Lewis play? The only thing he did that I noticed was catching an elbow to the face to get the teams back on level terms. Donovan was invisible and Bradley was erratic. Dempsey tried very hard and needed someone to play with, and Ching did what he does best—posts up. He did a lot of grunt work, which is valuable but not inspiring.

This round of qualifying is actually rather dull and this one result makes it even duller, which is good from a US perspective. The US should tonk Cuba at home on September 6th and if they win in Trinidad on September 10th, call in the scrubs. Seriously, if US soccer takes itself seriously as being the powerhouse in the region, is there any real reason that six points shouldn’t be the expectation.

Glad they won but it wasn’t pretty. I like pretty.

Current Mood: Blah |

Is it comment spam season? I’ve been getting absolutely hammered by comment spam both here and over at the cream city review website and the usually spot-on filters have been letting quite a bit through. And this is on the heels of a bunch of user registration spam on this site. Death to spammers, huh?

UWM classes officially start September 2nd but school more or less starts for me on Thursday. I had university-wide orientation on Monday that was largely not time well spent, and that’s followed by eight solid hours of TA orientation this Thursday, Friday, next Monday and Tuesday. And I was notified today that there’s a bonus (though mandatory) two-hour session on Wednesday. And there’s homework, too. Boo.

Actually, I’m happy to get detailed instruction on how to teach Intro to College Composition since I know a lot of people say their programs just threw them in front of a class without any preparation, hardly even a syllabus. The assigned readings have been interesting and thought-provoking, so I’m hoping for the best.

I finished another story today, this one entitled “Rogerio’s Library.” It actually names Borges not once but twice, which might be akin to whacking someone over the head with a hammer to get their attention. I like the idea and voice very much but it’s a slippery story and one that will need some rearranging before it leaves the nest.

US vs. Guatemala in World Cup qualifying tomorrow, 9:00 CT on ESPN2. Don’t miss it.

Current Mood: Bushed |
Currently Listening To - Bob Dylan - “The Bootleg Series, Vols 1-3 (Disc Two)”

The English Premier League kicks off tomorrow and the off-season has been interesting in terms of player movement, and lack of player movement. For my money, I’m glad that Barry hasn’t transferred to Liverpool at the expense of Xabi Alonso…yet. And that Berbatov is still at Spurs…for now. The transfer window is open for another 16 days and a lot can still happen. Like Robinho to Chelski.

Predictions:

* The title is not a four-horse race, it’s a two-horse race between Chelski and Man Ure. Liverpool is Liverpool (or perhaps Benitez is Benitez would be more accurate), and the Ars*nal squad isn’t deep enough to stay in title contention by Christmas, much less May. It’s a coin toss between blue and red for the title.

* Spurs will not overhaul Liverpool or Ars*nal for fourth unless they have dramatically improved and the other two gotten much worse. There are tons of new faces at Spurs and you can’t realistically expect them to gel immediately, and you can’t expect the chemistry of the other teams to magically disappear.

* The relegation battle doesn’t look too interesting either. Hull City and Stoke might as well be down already, so the only real question is whether West Brom can outdo the likes of Bolton, Fulham, and Wigan for the last spot. My guess is that they can’t, but then again one promoted team always seems to exceed expectations.

* Even the race for fifth doesn’t seem that exciting. Blackburn appears to be imploding as does Man City, Newcastle is in shambles, and Everton seems to have its own turmoil, having brought in no one worth mentioning. My guess is that it’s going to come down to Portsmouth, Villa, and Spurs—and maybe one of the aforementioned teams that can get its act together.

Having said the above, I do think there’s an outside chance that Liverpool could make a title push, and that Tottenham may make break into fourth, and of course there will be other surprises. But frankly, outside of the title race, this has the makings of a dull season. I hope I’m wrong.

The Los Angeles derby was an entertaining watch last night, more as a spectacle rather than a showcase of football prowess. Both defenses were god-awful and the game was wide open. The scoring went 1-0, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2 with the Galaxy and then Chivas leading before the injury-time leveler by Alan Gordon, one of the league’s worst strikers (alongside Chad Barrett, who thankful was shipped from the Fire to Toronto FC).

John Harkes is a decent addition to the ESPN commentary team, but can somebody tie up and (more importantly) gag Rob Stone? Annoying doesn’t half describe this twit as he tries to wedge lame-o sports slang onto the Beautiful Game. Soccer does not have “special teams” Rob (just call them “set pieces/plays” like the rest of the world) and I really don’t care how much his wife was drooling over Beckham’s underwear spread in Men’s Health magazine, a story that seemed to drag on forever. Even Harkesy had to laugh and say, “I don’t know what to say about that Rob…” and then changed the subject. I long for the days of Andy Gray verbally sodomizing Stone during the Euros…

The US plays away to Guatemala next Wednesday in World Cup Qualifying, televised on ESPN2. Guatemala City ain’t an easy place to play and I wonder how this US team will play. That’s a big environment for guys like Maurice Edu and Michael Bradley, what with the incessant hard fouling and permissive refereeing that always goes against the US. I’ve moaned before about the defensive posture of Bradley’s teams, and this roster does little to get the heart racing:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton).

Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Eddie Johnson (Fulham FC).

That’s exactly one attacking midfielder in Kljestan, three holding midfielders in Bradley, Edu, and Mastroeni, and the over-the-hill Eddie Lewis on the wing. Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson have failed to impress at the international level for oh, the last three years, which leaves the streaky Dempsey and everybody’s least favorite player Landon Donovan to carry the load.

Look, I totally understand that grabbing a point on the road is huge in CONCACAF qualifying but I feel like the US should be able to go to most of these countries feeling comfortable going for the win and settling for a draw. The fact that Bradley didn’t keep Freddy Adu or Josie Altidore on the roster in favor of six defenders shows you where his mind is at, and it ain’t on attack. The inclusion of Johnson at the expense of Adu or Altidore is baffling to me, since the other guys could benefit from being in that charged atmosphere. And since he’ll probably start Donovan and Dempsey, if things go badly that means you’re left with Ching and Johnson coming off the bench? Yeesh.

The sad thing is that I’m about 80% sure it will work. My bet is that the US will play something resembling a 4-5-1 and try to spring Donovan and Dempsey on the break, although I could also see Ching playing up top as the big target man. I understand that it’s a results-based business, but that’s a pretty dire, uninspiring game plan. I am well aware there are no easy games in qualifying blahblahblah, but if the US seriously wants to be the swinging dick of CONCACAF, you’d think they might want to stuff Guatemala 3-0 away to say, “Here we are, come get us.”

US Soccer: we’re crap and everybody knows it.

Current Mood: Eh |
Currently Listening To - The Hold Steady - “boys and girls in america”