Was Sunderland the right move for Altidore?

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Earlier this summer we saw Jozy Altidore leave Dutch Eridivisie side AZ Alkmaar for Sunderland of the Premier League in what was supposed to be a big move for the US National Team striker. These days, the calculations that went into this change in venue are showing some cracks.

Why? Sunderland is at the very bottom of the most competitive league in the world with just one point, including an opening-day loss to Fulham at home. They just fired their manager, Di Canio, and are in very real danger of being demoted to the Championship at season's end.

Sunderland, on paper, should be a fairly competitive side. Names such as Wes Brown and John O'Shea are familiar to most since they were Manchester United players until recently. Former Juventus midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini is also an experienced player, as are Adam Johnson and Steven Fletcher. Clearly, management was key in their dismal start of the season.

On the pitch you can see Jozy very involved in every play he gets a chance to be a part of. He also constantly searches for the ball, a welcome evolution for the player. His touch has not faltered, as can be seen from a wrongly-disallowed goal versus Arsenal that would have tied the game. He does, however, require better service in the air and on the ground. That is where his chances at remaining a top scorer have stalled.

Perhaps continuing to be a part of AZ Alkmaar was a better choice for the New Jersey native. He was getting great service, scoring goals-a-plenty and continuing to make his mark in Europe. A mid-table team in a bigger league was the correct next step. However, Sunderland was not the best option and many out there felt that way too. A team like Aston Villa or Everton or Liverpool may have suited him better.

Altidore would have done well in a league like Italy or France also. His athleticism and nose for goal were key requirements for a move to those leagues. However, the Premier League was the best option, especially as he grows into a player that might eventually join a top squad.

So what's next for Jozy? Relegation is a clear possibility, even this early in the season, given Sunderland's struggles. Would he stay with the team in the Championship? Is his form likely to stall playing with Sunderland prior to the World Cup? All key questions that will need answers as Sunderland begins, hopefully, a recovery. Altidore can be a part of that but crucial, basic evolution will need to take place at the Stadium of Light.

Dissolving the American Rangers

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At one point the Glasgow Rangers was the ultimate American soccer destination for a sizable fraction of Yanks playing abroad. From Claudio Reyna and DaMarcus Beasley as the more classic representatives to Alejandro Bedoya, a promising young US star. Scarcely a few months ago, however, debt and tax problems forced the team to go into administration and was demoted by league members to the Sottish third division.

So what are the Americans to do? Along with Bedoya are two automatic starters for the national team: Carlos Bocanegra and Maurice Edu. None of these players are keen to return to MLS and there is a future in Europe still. For Bedoya, even a return to the Swedish first division would work. Edu could have a chance in bigger markets in England, Germany, Italy and Spain. For Bocanegra, a move to the Mexican Primera wouldn't be so bad.

It's sad to see such a storied club like Rangers go down in such a drastic manner. This is, after all, the Manchester United, New York Yankees of Scotland. For the Americans, however, it means perhaps less lucrative deals wherever they end up. Still, for a player like Maurice Edu, a move to a bigger club with more chances at being in the Champions League is a plus. Bedoya's lack of playing time meant less chances with the national team, so a move to better on-field opportunities is a welcome one. In the end, this unfortunate event might end up benefiting each of the players and the national team itself.

Calling them stars: The 2012 Premier League Finale

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There was a dream in the city of Manchester that one day championships would cease being colored red and would instead shine a bright sky blue. Not since 1968 had something like this occurred, when the football club Manchester City last won the league title. It had been an interminable reign by Manchester United, a monopoly of sorts. But today, Edin Dzeko and Sergio "El Kun" Aguero delivered two sublime goals to lift the trophy for City and change the landscape of the English Premier League.

Today's finale was much more than just Manchester City's match versus Queen's Park Rangers. Indeed, there were another nine games occurring simultaneously. And unlike virtually every sport in America, the bottom dwellers always have something to play for: survival from relegation. So, as we watched Manchester City score a last minute, stoppage time goal, our thoughts--as Americans--were on Bolton Wanderers, Tim Ream and Stuart Holden. Their failure to win the game versus Stoke City saw them miss out on the necessary points to capitalize on Manchester City's win. The Trotters will now play in the Championship during the 2012-2013 season whilst QPR will remain in the top flight.

The Premier League finale wasn't without other moments of drama. A solid Manchester United had begun to celebrate yet another title under Sir Alex Ferguson when they got word of City's incredible comeback. Tied in points, a superior goal differential meant their crosstown rivals would lift the trophy instead. But there's more to play for in the Premier League. In contention are also spots in the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League. Arsenal almost missed out on third place and Tottenham secured another try at the tournament while Newcastle United would settle for the Europa League.

Manchester City is a team built from the top down with serious cash from the Abu Dhabi group. This investment included names such as Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli, Samr Nasri, David Silva, Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez, Kompany, among others. And yet Manchester City, always a classic football club, saw some serious trouble as recently as the late 90s when they were relegated two divisions down. Since then they rekindled, restructured and revolutionized play with Roberto Mancini. And yes, money did buy the players but it took talent to manage talent and time to let things come to fruition.

For us, the impartial fans of the game, today's slew of matches--all available on FOX networks and ESPN--were nothing short of a spectacular sendoff for the most thrilling season in world football: record setting number of goals, record-setting points for Manchester City, the drama of Tevez and Balotelli, the rise of players like Cisse, Welbeck and Jelavic, the revindication of Clint Dempsey, and the rise of Eric Lichaj and Tim Ream as American defenders in the best league in the world.

We held our breath today as we heard news about Bolton scoring while Manchester City was winning the game. When QPR scored all of Manchester turned red with United. When QPR scored again the sky blue started fading to night black. When Dzeko scored the equalizer hope was regained by the faithful and when Aguero found the back of the net even those that had forsaken their beloved team reset their tears from mourning to joy. The players enjoyed the game and soccer lovers thanked the athletes on the pitch for their commitment, desire, fantasy, calling them stars.

Americans in Premier League Relegation

Photo credit: Bolton Wanderers

Just 6 days away from "Survival Sunday" and things look decidedly grim for at least one team in the English Premier League that houses Americans: Bolton Wanderers. This is specifically significant because it would mean that two of our younger soccer stars would begin the next season in the second division: Tim Ream and Stuart Holden.

For Tim Ream, it has been a whirlwind couple of years. From draft pick in 2010 to a rise as a new center back option for the national team in 2011, to struggles in the latter half of last year, and finally, a transfer to the Bolton Wanderers of the Premier League. Stuart Holden, the former Houston Dynamo creative midfielder has been playing for Bolton for the past two years and was a key to their success during the 2010-2011 season. Unfortunately, he has been plagued by injuries and hasn't been able to help his team.

Another team that was in threat of relegation was Aston Villa. The Villans were almost in the bottom three until this weekend's tie versus Tottenham Hotspur gave them the point to breathe a sigh of relief. Villa is home to another great American prospect: Eric Lichaj. The young right back has been seeing consistent playing time and even scored a goal a few weeks ago. His versatility as a defender means that he can play either wing and is a good--although not natural--option at left back for the national team. Along with Danny Williams, Fabian Johnson and Timmy Chandler, Lichaj forms the nucleus of the outer defense for Klinsmann as World Cup qualification gets underway.

The final weekend of the Premier League looks to be epic at this time. Bolton will be away at Stoke City. Only a win, coupled with a Queens Park Rangers loss to Manchester City, will allow them to remain at the top flight. For QPR, the stakes are high since Manchester City will look to take all three points at home to secure the trophy. And, after watching their recent matches versus top competition, it is likely that City will win. Since Manchester United will be away to Sunderland, it is plausible that they may not get all three points. Nevertheless, nearly all teams at the top and bottom of the table will be playing for meaningful positions, be it a place in the Champions League, the Premier League title, or safety from relegation.

Good luck to everyone. This should be fun.

Staying alive: relegation in the Premier League

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What a Sunday. In the course of two hours, five teams faced relegation from soccer's most prestigious tournament: England's Barclay's Premier League. With West Ham out as of the past couple of weeks, two places remained remained in danger of dropping to the second-tier Championship. It would be Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Blackpool. Three would survive.

The day started grim for Blackpool, going down on the scoreboard to Manchester United at Old Trafford (champions since last week). This put them in the drop zone along with Wigan, who was tying Stoke City at the time. Blackburn started off fast by scoring on Wolves early in the game. They would score two more goals in the first half. Wigan was tied at Stoke City. Birmingham was alive due to goal differential.

Luckily for our American compatriot Jermaine Jones, his team would not relinquish its lead and remained in England's top flight. Blackpool had the lead for precious moments at Old Trafford but Man. United returned fire and ended its championship in style by the score of 4-2. Blackpool would return to the second division. At the same time, Birmingham went down 1-0 to Tottenham but tied the match 1-1 to put them back in the Premier League. This was until Wolves scored two goals to level them in goal differential with Birmingham. They had scored more goals, however, so this meant the Blues would have to score another goal. This never occurred. Instead, Roman Pavliuchenko would score again and would win the game for the Spurs. The day ended with more heroics when Martinez's Wigan scored a winner thanks to Rodallega to keep the team in England's top flight.

For anyone that knows soccer beyond the World Cup and MLS, this is what the sport is about. Surviving is not just for making the playoffs or continuing to the final. Surviving is the necessity and requirement for any and all teams to remain in the top league. We know that a losing season is more than just a "rebuilding year" or a "better luck next year." How would it be to have minor league baseball teams attain entry into the major leagues? And weaker teams to play for their lives so they don't lost their place in the league?

In the end it is also about money. Teams in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, receive financial incentives and also profit from the presence of the most profitable players in the world. Smaller teams benefit from having the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Robinho visit their stadiums.

No, we know the MLS won't have this capability. Not for the next 20 or so years. And other American sports? It's not in the cards. Not when even the BCS is still in place. So, for now, let's enjoy how the rest of the world plays. A fight to the finish. A fight to stay on top. Survival. To remain alive.

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.

Barcelona Sporting Club falls from grace

For those of you unfamiliar with South American soccer, there is another Barcelona soccer team. It's not Spain's FC Barcelona, it's Barcelona Sporting Club of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The "Idolo del Astillero" also happens to be the most popular team in the country and one with the most fame (until Liga won the Libertadores last year). It's the Manchester United, Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, etc of Ecuador. So if the team is relegated to a lower division it has to be a big deal.

Indeed, Barcelona are very close to being mathematically and officially relegated to Ecuador's Serie B. I must admit I haven't been following the game in my birth country as much due to other things in life getting in the way. I can only watch so much soccer and usually I reserve my Ecuador time to the national squad and my club Emelec.

A little background info: The team was founded in 1925. Contrary to what one may think, the team is not modeled or based on FC Barcelona, but instead it is an homage to Spanish support for the founding of a multidisciplinary club and the city of Guayaquil. The team is currently tied with Club Deportivo El Nacional as the most successful team in the country in terms of national championships (13 titles). They were the first Ecuadorian team to make it to the Copa Libertadores finals, having done so twice in 1990 & 1998. Notable players include Ruben Insua, Manuel Uquillas, Agustin Delgado, Pablo Palacios, Jimmy Izquierdo, Ivan Kaviedes, Eduardo Hurtado, Marcelo Trobbiani, Jimmy Montanero, Byron Tenorio, Edwin Tenorio, Mario Saralegui, Ivan Hurtado.

Today things look ever-grimmer for this iconic club team. They could, with a mix of results, sneak back into safety. This predicament is not unlike what happened nine years ago, when the team had to go to Ambato in search of a positive result to avoid relegation. The team delivered and the relegated squad was Liga de Quito. That's right, the reigning champions and the 2008 Libertadores and 2009 Recopa champions. It took seven years after falling to the Serie B for Liga to bounce back and storm into the international scene.

Could we see a major turnaround from Barcelona? Why not. It happened with Liga. True, it's the governing body that is to blame for their errant ways for the past decade or so, as alluded to by important members of the Ecuador press. The great Mauro Velasquez has mentioned to me the weaknesses and ambivalence that the club management has continuously shown. I would welcome a stronger Barcelona team to give Emelec better competition and elevate the status of the game in the country due to the team's considerable following.


Am I happy that Emelec is much higher in the table and competing internationally? Of course. Am I happy to see Barcelona falter like this? Not really. I like competition (especially if Emelec always wins) and right now there just aren't any more teams in the city of Guayaquil. This is the clasico. This is the city derby. There can be no yin without the yang. Some of my earliest soccer memories are those of "el Clasico del Astillero," including those in the 1990 Libertadores. I've been to five of the games already and I can't wait to go to the next. So, good luck, Barcelona. Emelec is waiting for you to break your heart again.