Dempsey is United's Boogeyman

Photo credit: AP

 

It's been half a season for Clint Dempsey in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur and it is deja vu all over again. Early in the campaign, the recently-signed American scored a game-wining goal for the Spurs versus Manchester United to give the White Hart Lane team its first victory over United in 23 years. Today, on a snowy evening, he did it again. "Deuce" scored in the 93rd minute to give his team a 1-1 scoreline and prevent the Manchester club from obtaining another impressive win.

It is now twice in one season that Manchester United has seen points erased by Mr. Dempsey and you can be sure this will not be forgiven or forgotten. That's a total of 5 points deducted from United this season courtesy of the American and he's showing no signs of stopping at 5 goals and 7 in all competitions. Little things like always scoring against the biggest teams tend to snowball into greater effects. Perhaps this is to be a trend for Dempsey? For now let's just say that the top English teams have categorized him as a major threat and Manchester United will look to double up on him from here on.

Much has been said recently about the former New England Revolution and Fulham FC player: he's better than Landon Donovan, he's the best United States player, he chose his team well. While the Donovan argument is just that, an argument, he is undoubtedly the best American player in the world at the moment, and yes, Tottenham was the right destination for him.

Aside from his exploits at the club level, Dempsey must now step into different shoes with the national team: he must be the one to carry the team into World Cup 2014, just as Donovan did for 2010. His partnership with Altidore must blossom in order to get the most out of  what is potentially a high-scoring American attack. While Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones have significant knowledge of the game, their position is more withdrawn and their attacking communication with Dempsey is thus limited. Due to this, and in the absence of Donovan, players like Mixx Diskerud, Joe Corona, Graham Zusi, Brek Shea and Danny Williams will need to step up their game if they are to deliver the passes to Dempsey.

For now let's enjoy what the Texas native and Furman University product has to offer. Clint Dempsey is pure class and pure fantasy:

American Stoke City

Photo credit: Getty Images

 

Once there was a club named Fulham FC of the Barclay's Premier League in England where many Americans got their first taste of European soccer, some to reach new heights (Clint Dempsey) and others to rethink their path (Eddie Johnson). It was clear to the team that American soccer players were a valuable asset and it helped them stay afloat in the always-competitive Premiership.

Where Carlos Bocanegra and Brian McBride broke ground, Kasey Keller guarded the doors and suddenly other teams went looking for gold across the Atlantic. In came Tim Ream, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and even Landon Donovan. All except for Ream left too soon, but their legacy remained.

So when Stoke City agreed to terms with up-and-coming Geoff Cameron of MLS' Houston Dynamo, a new pathway open for American players. Cameron settled quickly, closed gaps and made Stoke a better team. Maurice Edu joined before the close of the transfer window but the defensive midfielder did not impress enough, possibly due to his diminished form after Glasgow Rangers folded (he is now on loan to Turkey's Bursaspor). And yet, the Stoke City management decided to roll the dice on American talent one more time: Brek Shea.

I was as surprised as many other fans, no doubt, that the FC Dallas winger could be on his way to the Premier League. He had a lackluster 2012, but so did Tim Ream in 2011 when he signed with Bolton during the January transfer window of 2012. He's a young lad at only 22 and if injuries are overcome and he is patient and disciplined, his skill and speed can become quite an asset. Two goals against Mexico during the USA's term with Klinsmann have been generated through his play and he was a go-to winger in the absence of Landon Donovan.

Are we likely to see any more Americans make the jump to Stoke? Probably not, but the team's commitment to the developing game in the United States cannot be understated. This is why Dempsey joined (and thrives in) Tottenham, and it is why Michael Bradley now plays for Roma. Expect bigger things from our compatriots abroad. Stoke isn't the beginning, that goes to Fulham. Instead, the Trotters are an assertion that American soccer players have joined the elite and are here to stay.

For Landon and David: LA Galaxy wins MLS Cup 2012

Photo credit: USA Today

It is only fitting, perhaps, that David Beckham's last game for the LA Galaxy would be at the tournament final and with an emphatic win. It's the stuff that dreams are made of. Beckham came to light the way for MLS, struggled in the first 2 years, was distant in the following 2, and brought it home in the final 2 with two titles for the Galaxians. But that's what it took to bring it home for him.

Landon Donovan did better. He won his 5th MLS Cup, added to his record as high-scoring player in the playoffs, and temporarily made us forget that he may be on his way out. It could have been different had he missed the go-ahead penalty in the second half, as he had missed a one-on-one with Tally Hall in the first half that would have given the Galaxy the lead. But Donovan was calm and collected and slotted home the penalty kick and gave LA its 4th title, tying it with DC United for most wins. He will go on an extended break now, perhaps not to return to the game.

This year's Houston was not like last year's. Brad Davis would start, Boniek Garcia was on the pitch alongside Ricardo Clark, and Will Bruin was a natural goalscorer. But Calen Carr made the difference in this game for the Dynamo both in offense and defense. He scored Houston's goal at the end of the first half and held Omar Gonzalez in check for the entirety of his time on the pitch. Sadly, he got injured, and the floodgates promptly opened for the Galaxy.

The real hero for the LA Galaxy, and game MVP, was undoubtedly Omar Gonzalez. He nearly single-handedly repelled every ball that came close to the Galaxy goal box, made up for some of Meyer's errors, and scored a wonderful tying goal that made the Galaxy's win possible. Gonzalez's tactical awareness and nose for goal is reminiscent of a young Carlos Bocanegra. Klinsmann may need to consider him as a candidate to man defense alongside Geoff Cameron. Indeed, Gonzalez could well have been playing in Europe by now had it not been for a terrible knee injury back in January.

As Robbie Keane scored the penalty in injury time, we saw curtains close on an American spectacle. This game had all it needed to have and more than we could have wanted. High-scoring, high tension, star power, drama on and off the pitch, love of the game, and saying goodbye. For Landon and David, that's what this truly means. And the two LA Galaxy aces leave with what they wanted: a Hollywood ending.

An Idol Rekindled: Barcelona SC Campeon de Ecuador

Photo credit: EFE

It has been 14 years since Barcelona Sporting Club, the marquee team from Guayaquil, Ecuador, last won the league. Fourteen years of struggle, bad coaching, political in-fighting, and fan disappointment. But it all ended yesterday when they were crowned champions of Ecuador, unleashing celebrations all over the country.

Barcelona had come to be dominated in recent years by the other big clubs in the country, such as LDU Quito and arch-rivals Emelec. Since 2011, however, the ownership by businessman Antonio Noboa and management by Zubielda, who built the team, and Gustavo Costas, who brought out the best in players like new-comer Narciso Mina, forged a unique understanding with the players that transcended to results on the pitch. 

Let's not forget that Barcelona SC is quite a popular club even though it has seen an extensive trophy-less stretch. They average 25,000 fans for home games and 15,000 for away games. No easy feat in any country. The "Toreros," as they are called, have seen their share of scrutiny and, at times, downright dislike by the national soccer media and the upper echelons of Ecuador soccer officials. There is a certain "Quito tilt" to soccer coverage in the country and the club has been able to break that barrier with this win.

As a child, I grew up watching this team week in and week out since most of my family were big fans of the squad. I, however, preferred certain other teams, for which I was often scolded. The derby matches I attended, the great "Clasico del Astillero," always fulfilled in its display of passion on and off the field. As fate would have it, my team almost always won, but I was happy to attend the Estadio Monumental in all its glory and watch the waves of yellow run up and down the general attendance stands. I admit that, deep down, I still hurt from Barcelona's win over Emelec in the 1989 Libertadores. So every time my team wins it is simply another attempt to make up for that loss--until they meet again in continental play.

In the end, I am happy for friends and family that have seen their dream come true, have cried with goals of glory, taken to the streets to celebrate, painted 9 de Octubre yellow and shown the country once and for all who really is the idol: Barcelona.

I dedicate this post to the great Mauro Velasquez Villacis and Javier Velasquez Villacis. I would like to thank the latter for his guidance in writing this piece and the former for inspiration in being a soccer fan.

The Beckham Experiment Worked

Photo credit: AP

During the winter of 2007, the soccer world was shocked when it was announced that David Beckham would be joining Major League Soccer later that year. Although there had been hints of this eventually occurring near the twilight of Beckham's career, the sudden shift towards one of the up-and-coming markets in the world was nonetheless astounding. At just 31, Beckham remained in his prime to help the league get to new levels.

The English midfielder joined the LA Galaxy later in the summer, after a buzz was created around the league and the country. Even CNN had him on their front page when he announced his move. And Victoria Beckham (the Spice Girl) made a reality show about moving to America. The glam was here to stay.

On the pitch, things were different. Becks was plagued with injuries early on in his first games for the Galaxy, and would not show up at some of the games. This was besides the fact that every single MLS stadium was full for every Galaxy game, and most Galaxy games had been moved to the end of the season to maximize on the hype.

But did Beckham really change the league and the sport in the US? Yes, definitely. First, a new type of player was added to the choices for MLS teams. The Beckham rule, it was called, and it meant that teams were allowed to have one player beyond the MLS salary cap. Enter Cuautemoc Blanco for Chicago, Denilson for Dallas, Juan Pablo Angel for New York. Just like that, stars in their prime were coming to MLS.

But besides the influx in world talent, the MLS brand became international and, more importantly, Americans turned to the sport once more. And this happened at the right time because new cities started to sign up to be MLS hosts. Enter Toronto FC, the first Canadian team in MLS and a first in the world, then followed the return of the San Jose Earthquakes. Next came additions to Seattle and Philadelphia, which had pursued a franchise for a long time. Finally, the Pacific Northwest entered the picture with Portland and Vancouver, and eventually Montreal. 

With the new teams came a new type of audience. They were there to see the players but they were also there to enjoy the sport. Seattle and Portland have yet to have a non-sellout in their brief history. Player academies started popping up, encouraging young talent that eventually led to a successful Gold Cup 2007, Confederations Cup 2009, and World Cup 2010. It also led to players such as Altidore, Stuart Holden, Sacha Kljestan, Eddie Johnson to jump to European teams.

But are these developments really due to Beckham. Partially, yes. The influx of media coverage, attention, sponsors, expansion money, allowed for the erection of new stadiums in major markets such as New York, as well as classic MLS teams like Houston, Kansas City, Colorado and mid-decade expansion team Salt Lake. Suddenly, new stadiums were full and money could be diverted to further player development, expansion of the DP field, and increased marketing.

Finally, let's remember that new web pages were added to the soccer internet traffic, including this very blog, and others like the now-defunct mls-rumors.net, and increased attention to professional blogs like Ives Galarcep's soccerbyives.net, Steve Goff's Washington Post page, among others.

So, did the Beckham experiment work? Yes, but it depends on how you define it. Bigger league, bigger names, better players such as Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez, new venues, international attention, increases in player pool for the national team. And goals from Becks' signature free kick. Who doesn't like that?

So now, with word that Beckham will play his last LA Galaxy game in next month's MLS Cup final versus Houston, the league is ready to jump onto better things. Beckham is no longer necessary to fill stadiums, nor is his name a per-requisite for television coverage. The league is here to stay and with new rivalries that will keep the sport going for decades to come. So, thank you, David, for helping to grow our league and the sport in the United States.

Bradley, a general, and USA ties in Russia

Photo credit: ESPN

There were several subplots in yesterday's international friendly between the USA and Russia in Krasnodar: Josh Gatt and Joe Gyau were new call-ups, Altidore was returning, an army of youngsters headlined the team, and Timmy Chandler had another chance. In the end, the most important part of Team USA was Michael Bradley and he was instrumental in earning the US a 2-2 tie versus the Russians.

Starting from the back, Tim Howard was superb and once more showed why he's one of the top 10 goalkeepers in the world. The score could easily have ended up 5 or 6 to 2 in favor of the Russians. Pure instinct in positioning and impeccable reflexes mixed with great communication saved Team USA time and time again, especially early in the second half in a scene reminiscent of the Americans' win at the Azteca. Without Timmy, this team would struggle.

The defense was supposed to be closer to the ultimate starting group: Chandler was back and ready to take up the right back spot, Johnson was healthy and the left back position is his, Cameron has continued his rise at center back and paired up well with Bocanegra. The aging Boca, however, saw his game end early with an injury. Clarence Goodson, the next best player, came in. Goodson didn't have a good night, however, including the penalty he was forced to concede. Johnson was exposed several times tonight and Chandler didn't show the flair displayed in earlier matches with the USA.

At midfield things were a bit different, and perhaps confused. Three defensive midfielders were trotted out by Klinsmann: Danny Williams, Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley. At times, the three stumbled in figuring out who had which man and who was supposed to attack. Jones was very active in the attack, however, and led to important crosses. Williams had a less stellar night and a mistouch allowed Russia's opening goal.

The 4-3-3 formation had Herculez Gomez and Josh Gatt on the outside and Jozy Altidore as the center forward. Jozy did much better in this game than in recent qualifiers, a cause for him missing out on the final two games in the tournament. He still had some moments of absence and showed trepidation when controlling the ball, perhaps due to his recent form with the national team. 

The brightest new start today was surely newcomer Josh Gatt. A member of Norway's champions, Molde, Gatt has been showing excellent speed and talent in the Tippeligaen. This was enough for Klinsmann to call him up to qualifiers, although he was injured, and ultimately to this game. Gatt showed his speed, but more importantly, he showed that he has passion for the game and an understanding of his position on the pitch. 

As happens in many friendlies, substitutes tend to be difference-makers. Such was the case with Agudelo and Diskerud. Juan Agudelo's headed back pass to Michael Bradley allowed the Roma man to unleash a superb shot that defeated the Russian goalkeeper and tied the score at 1-1. Diskerud would go on to tie the game at 2-2 in stoppage time in similar fashion to Bradley's goal, with Terrence Boyd as the provider.

Michael Bradley controlled this match. When the score was down 0-1 he managed the midfield and stopped the Russian attack. When he needed to come forward, he did so, and it always turned into a dangerous situation. He scored the equalizer in a dramatic, world class manner, from outside the area. He also set up the second goal with a well-placed long ball to Terrence Boyd. As Alexi Lalas argued, it was his economy at positioning that set him apart. Dempsey may be the offensive key for the United States at the moment, but Bradley is undoubtedly the engine at midfield and a general on the field.

Player Ratings:

Howard.............9

Johnson.............6

Cameron...........6.5

Bocanegra..........N/A

Chandler..........5.5

J. Jones............6

D. Williams.......4.5

Bradley.............8

Gomez..............5

Altidore.............6

Gatt..................7

Subs: Diskerud (7), Agudelo (7), Edu (5.5), Kljestan (6), Boyd (6), Goodson (4)

Final 2012 Timbers game: the live experience

It was a historical day in the Rose City today. The crowd at Jeld-Wen Field saw the San Jose Earthquakes' striker Chris Wondolowski tie for the most goals scored during regular season (27), a record set by Roy Lassiter during the inaugural MLS season back in 1996. The goal came from a soft penalty kick on a bad call by the referee in response to Steven Lenhart's apparent foul by Donovan Rickets.

Regardless of the method, Wondolowski got his 27th goal and will go down in history as one of the most consistent goal-scorers the league has ever seen. He has now been the top scorer in MLS for two seasons: 2010 and 2012 and has amassed 64 goals for San Jose.

As for the Timbers, this was a different kind of game. Without a post-season to play for and Cascadia Cup already won, this was more of an exhibition game in which the players kept on performing for the sake of maintaining a high profile on the wake of Caleb Porter's arrival as the new head coach. There was little flow through the middle of the park, with Chara constantly being blocked and Nagbe largely ineffective for long periods of the game. Steve Smith provided a spark on the left side and Bright Dike always looked dangerous, if without as many chances, although his perseverance allowed for Portland's tying goal that left the final score 1-1.

The real winner today was the crowd. We sat at a completely different vantage point at the stadium today, closer to the Timbers Army. This provided great views of most of the field and kept us dry from the drenching Pacific rains. The best part, as always, was the atmosphere. Every seat was full even though this game didn't matter competitively, even though it rained heavily at times, even though there were a myriad college football games to watch on TV. 

Jeld-Wen field is a magical place. Outside, its creeping vines rise up the walls above the front gates and turn a pinkish orange tint with autumn. Inside, the crowds smile and you can see babies and children carried by their parents. You also see the more raucous groups belonging to the Timbers Army or the casual group of avid fans. It is a place of diversity where soccer is king. This city, after all, is Soccer City USA.

Thanks, Portland Timbers, for another season of memories.