Premier Revolution: Shaking up the EPL

Manchester United may be on top and Arsenal close behind, but there is no denying that this season is a sign of revolution in the world's top league. If Liverpool's fall from grace last season and their inability to rise from the mid-table isn't enough then this season we have Chelsea with one win in 9 games. Throw in Aston Villa in the drop zone and the inevitable rise of Manchester City and we have a brand new revolution.

Something similar happened in the German Bundesliga a couple of years ago when Wolfsburg won the league and Bayern Munich struggled to reach Champions League position. Italy, (except for Juventus' recent problems) France and Spain haven't changed much, although prior to Rijkaard and Ronaldinho's departure Villarreal was able to reach second place ahead of Barcelona. This is also commonplace elsewhere around the planet: Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, USA often see significant changes from season to season due to the more competitive nature of the leagues and where corruption can sometimes hinder a team's progress.

But back to the EPL... What's going on? Aside from the significant capital that Man City has to work with and their impressive coach (Mancini), it's hard to argue against the likes of Balotelli, Carlos Tevez, Adebayor as your attacking front. Tottenham Hotspur is another impressive squad that has shoved its way through by sheer grit and dedication from players and coaching staff. It is a more blue collar team, relatively speaking, than City, Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea, but still boasts players like Van Der Vaart, Peter Crouch, Ledley King, William Gallas. Their skipping over Manchester City and Liverpool allowed them a place in this season's Champions League.

And what's going on with Chelsea? They are the reigning champs with Carlo Ancelotti as their coach and a mostly unchanged starting lineup... and maybe that's where the fault lies. Where Manchester United has rotated its squad and have given way to players like Javier Hernandez , Nani and Antonio Valencia, Chelsea still remains with Anelka, Drogba, Lampard, Cole, Terry, Malouda as their spine with seemingly little in the way of rotation.

But the current state of the league does not stop with the scrambling of the top four--it reverberates all the way to the bottom of the table. Previously dominant mid-to-top table teams like Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa have found themselves digging out of relegation week in and week out. Dempsey and Tim Howard won't always be around to rescue their teams. Other squads like West Ham, Wolverhampton and Wigan continue to give way to the recently-promoted squads.

So what is the diagnosis? Stagnation and bad management for teams like Chelsea and Liverpool. The ascent of quality clubs by way of sheer capital (Manchester City) or superb organization (Spurs). For the rest it is more about how the smaller teams have been able to close the gap and how previously-dominant mid-table squads have become stale and less inventive. Or is it just a matter of increased competitiveness and player talent? Either way, the spectacle is the ultimate winner. No longer do we have to wait for club competition to see a good match between teams like Blackpool and Chelsea. Now, in this season, the competition carries all the way to the core of the league. It's less boring, more dramatic and just plain fun.

The Good Son: Wayne Rooney's dilema

Incredible turnaround for a star in peril. I divert my attention from US Soccer to talk about more immediate international happenings. This blog entry is about Wayne Rooney. This has been a rough season for the English soccer superstar. Once the king of fantasy Premier League, the man has been relegated to the bench and/or dropped from squads completely. In life, he had a mediocre, at best, World Cup, and his EPL season has shown little of his wealth of talent.

Manchester United, undisputed kings of world soccer a few years back, has also lost its grip on the European scene. Is this due to the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez? Is the injury to Antonio Valencia also influencing the team's performance? Sir Alex Ferguson looks nowhere near as concerned when his team ties a team like West Brom. Not the way he would have reacted in 2008, right?

So where does Rooney figure into all of this? He is/was the prodigal son of English football throughout the 2000s decade. His red card in 2006's quarterfinal versus Portugal possibly influenced the outcome of that match: Portugal win. In 2010 he failed to score and his chances were few and far between. In the 2009/2010 season, Rooney played scintillating soccer and defenses couldn't stop him. In 2010, there have been quite a few matches in which his role was reduced to a cameo appearance.

Then comes word that Rooney wants to leave Man. U., that Real Madrid and Manchester City are seeking to acquire him, that Sir Alex Ferguson concedes the player doesn't feel at home with the "Red Devils." The fans parked in front of his house and demanded answers. Is he really leaving. Is he really going to play for the "Citizens?" Wow.

But, as often happens in the world of football, a final decision was made with pen and paper. Yes, Rooney signed a new contract with Manchester United for a five-year deal. If he wants to leave it will be a high price. If he stays, he better rekindle his considerable talent. "Chicharito" Hernandez is waiting on the bench and Dimitar Berbatov isn't going anywhere. Without Ronaldo, United needs Rooney to step up to the plate and deliver as the franchise player. Nani can only do so much.

If all of this sounds familiar it's because we've seen it before, closer to home, with our own superstar: Landon Donovan. Yes, the most recognized face in US soccer history signed a multi-year contract with the Galaxy a year ago, thus foregoing opportunities overseas for MLS stardom. In retrospect it's really not a bad deal. Donovan doesn't need to strut his stuff abroad. He already showed what he can do with Everton, and certainly in international mode with the United States in South Africa during the World Cup. So, for Rooney and England, sticking with Manchester United is the best deal. England's #10 remains on home soil and United can continue to build around him. He's a good son after all.

Landon Donovan scores his first for Everton

What do we make of the most successful and dominant US Soccer player of all time? Should he stay in MLS for the rest of his career? Should he stay in England?

Today, Donovan may have answered this two-part question with one sweet shot. He scored his first competitive goal in the English Premier League for Everton in a match against Sunderland. Earlier this month, Donovan had remarked on how much he liked it in the EPL and how he would be looking at his future options in the coming weeks. Let's remind ourselves that he just re-signed with MLS and the Galaxy for a further three years. If Everton were to excercise the option to buy him, it would cost them as least as much as Jozy ($10 million).

Is Donovan worth it? Put simply... yes. To a team like Everton and a league like the EPL, he's definitely worth it. He's a proven goal-scorer, has great work ethic, accomplished internationally (42 goals for the US and 121 caps) and in MLS (64 goals). Bruce Arena was quoted a few minutes ago as saying that he would be back on March 15th. Could we see another Galaxy Superstar saga like last year's Beckham fiasco with AC Milan? Wasn't Donovan criticizing Becks for his actions?

How the world turns... right? Enjoy the goal below.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=ec66a8a2-b8d1-49e2-bd09-9942e002320f&amp;from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_articles" target="_new" title="PL Highlights: Everton/Sunderland">Video: PL Highlights: Everton/Sunderland</a>

Landon Donovan's Future

Landon Donovan is the prodigal son of a golden generation in US soccer. He came up the ranks, having grown up through the system in the U-17 and U-20 teams, winning the Golden Ball at the 1999 U-17 championship in which the US reached the semifinals. He also scored the second goal in the 2002 World Cup round of 16 versus Mexico that propelled the US to their best finish at a FIFA tournament since 1950.

Donovan is part of a "golden generation" that also includes Tim Howard, DaMarcus Beasley and Oguchi Onyewu. He had a rough start with Bayer Leverkusen of the Bundesliga in 2001 and after the 2002 World Cup and was loaned to the then-Earthquakes of San Jose for three years. He helped the Quakes win the 2001 and 2003 MLS cups. A subsequent transfer to LA Galaxy in 2005 translated into automatic success when the LA team won the MLS cup on that same year. Not to mention the fact that he has scored the most goals internationally than any other American (42 and counting). And he's only 27.

Recently, in 2008, he was loaned to Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich for a short 3 months whilst MLS was in temporary hiatus. He has seen his share of scorn with the media (Mexican, American, Beckham circus), and he has continued to be a scoring threat in MLS. Lately, during MLS's long winter break, he has been linked with Everton of the English Premier League. The Galaxy has said nothing is set yet. But where should he go?

1.) Europe. A common denominator for someone with his talent and potential. He's not terribly young, however, so it's unlikely that major teams such as Man U., Barcelona or AC Milan will try to snag the attacking midfielder/withdrawn forward US international. His stint with Bayern Munich failed to impress the established Bavarian side and his size isn't terribly suited for the Bundesliga.
Some argue that Italy or Spain may be better venues for the speedy American. Why not a team like Deportivo La Coruna, Almeria, or even Valencia or Atletico Madrid. And why not an Italian side like Atalanta or Bologna. Indeed, at one point Livorno came around asking for a transfer figure. This may be the Achilles heel of his career: he's just too good a player to go on a small transfer figure. And $10 million is enough to turn down even the more deep-pocketed teams in the old continent. Not when there are younger players from Brazil, Argentina or Cameroon waiting to be discovered.

2.) Mexico. Why is this not being discussed more often? I've heard enough rumors about Club America wanting to hire Donovan. Indeed, a team with the resources like this Distrito Federal side would be a great match for him. Why? He speaks fluent Spanish. He plays very fast, ground-based, passing-rich soccer. And the Mexican fans hate him. But if he turned that hate into love through a club jersey it would be the ultimate flip of a coin. Mexico gave us Blanco. We give them Donovan. Not to mention the fact that he would get to know Mexican players and style better (always a positive given the structure of Concacaf competition and the tug-of-war between the two nations).

3.) MLS. Yes. Why not? Why can't our best player just stay here? He's not wasting his time. He's not "getting worse." He's not not scoring games internationally anymore. He's not losing his spot in the national team. The truth is that MLS, outside of its various faults, is a growing league with increasing potential. The league is more competitive than many others due to the nature of its salary cap. The Galaxy is an excellent squad with a bona fide coach in Bruce Arena and another superstar like Beckham. Given a few years and this team could become a superclub (albeit just in Concacaf). This, of course, would happen more easily if teams had more cash to spend. But it's not out of the question.

In the end, Landon Donovan is a world class player. He took his national team to great heights both as a youth (U-17) and as a senior (2002 World Cup, 2009 Confederations Cup). He plays for a world-renowned team (LA Galaxy) and is the top scorer for the national team. Wherever he ends up, he will be great. That's just the kind of player he is. I will calmly sit down and enjoy watching him play, wherever he is.

Tim Howard: outstanding goalkeeper

Simply amazing. Howard was the FA Cup here for Everton over the weekend. Two penalties stopped against none other than Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand. Clearly, we have an awesome superstar here, not to mention the fact that he's a former Man U keeper as well. It's no fluke that the back line of the US national team just seems to gel better when he'd directing things from his goal.

Meola. Keller. Friedel. Hannehman. Perkins. Guzan. The list goes on. Outstanding US goalkeepers making their mark here and abroad. They have the most impressive resumes of any US player. Why is that? I venture a couple of educated guesses:

1. Americans love upper body-oriented sports: Baseball, Basketball, Football. All rely on arms mostly although speed and motion are important as well. This fact allows for a seamless transition into soccer. Much less knowledge of the sport is necessary. Saves, reflexes, elasticity are important. Think diving for a football/basketball. I venture this notion also because my wife was a goalie back in the day. She also played basketball and rugby. Seamless transition, right?

2. Development. Around the world, goalkeeping is often an afterthought. You need scorers and playmakers first, defense second, and if you have a chance maybe a goalkeeper too. That's the way it goes usually. Just facts. But here in the US all facets are taking seriously, including goalkeepers. It is part of the developmental process and starts with boys and girls at the youngest of levels.

That's my rant for today. Feel free to share your thoughts. Meantime, a few seconds with Howard, stopping mighty Manchester United, and reaching for glory in the FA Cup.