*Beas notched an assist and got a yellow card in Puebla's 2-2 draw with Pachuca.
*Highlights after the jump...
Beasley goes the distance in Puebla's 2-2 draw with Torres and Pachuca
*Beas notched an assist and got a yellow card in Puebla's 2-2 draw with Pachuca.
*Highlights after the jump...
Gomez scores in Tecos' 2-1 loss to Orozco and San Luis
*Hercules scored in a 2-1 loss to San Luis.
*Highlights after the jump...
Yelldell in goal in Bayer Leverkusen's 4-3 loss to Dynamo Dresden
*He made 1 save in a 4-3 loss to Dynamo Dresden.
*Highlights after the jump...
Chandler gets an assist in Nurnberg's 5-1 win in the DFB Pokal
*He got an assist in a 5-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld.
*Highlights after the jump...
Taylor gets 3 goals and 3 assists in Paderborn's 10-0 win over Ahlen
*He got a hat trick of goals and assists in a 10-0 win over Ahlen.
*Highlights after the jump...
*His goals are at 3:16, 5:20 and 6:56
The Measuring Stick for Jurgen Klinsmann
Bob Bradley was ragged on for five years. He was the "interim" coach because Gulati wanted Klinsmann. They didn't rehire Bob right away after the 2010 cycle because they really wanted Klinsmann. Bob was dropped at a moments notice because Gulati was going to get Klinsmann. He's been disliked even more than his son. "Bunker Bob was a inept tactiction." We hate when people say Americans don't know squat about soccer, but then turn to express how ignorant our top American coach was. How a foreigner would make Bob look like a child doing arithmetic.
Let me just say that I wanted a new coach, something fresh. However, I am extremely suspect of Klinsmann's abilities to make magic happen. He twice led two of the World's elite teams to zero championships. He seems afraid to take challenges that aren't extremely in his favor. Again, he is coaching big fish United States in mediocre pond CONCACAF. I am also suspect of Gulati's decision making. I think the expectations for a Klinsmann reign should be established ahead of time. Bob Bradley was either "terrible" according to his harshest critics, or "limited" according to those who respected him. If Bradley is a limited coach, and Klinsmann is a special kind of coach, there is no reason not to place the expectations of Klinsmann beyond what Bob Bradley did. You can bet your arse he is getting paid more than Bradley. Here are the expectations for Klinsmann for the rest of the cycle.
2014 World Cup Qualifying
Bob Bradley qualified the United States #1 in CONCACAF in the 2010 cycle. Bruce Arena did it in the 2006 cycle. Klinsmann will be expected to do the same.
2013 Gold Cup
Bob Bradley had a great 2007 tournament, capturing the championship. His B-squad in 2009 and maligned squad of 2011 ended in ugly finals. However, Mexico will be focused on the Confederations Cup in 2013. Klinsmann must win the 2013 Gold Cup, and he needs to do it in convincing fashion.
World Cup Quarter Finals
Bruce Arena led our team to the Quarter Finals in 2002. Bob Bradley won the World Cup group and lost in extra-time to Ghana in the round of 16. The World Cup is the focal point of all national team programs. Although a Quarter Final exit would only equal Bruce Arena's achievements, World Cups are difficult moments and I'll give Klinsmann some slack. Anything less then a Quarter Final run will be a major disappointment.
Big Time Friendlies
After much critique of USA's weak friendly schedules in the 2006 cycle, Bob Bradley pitted his men against big competition. Friendlies included two against Brazil, two against Spain (one away), two against Argentina, one against Netherlands (away), one against England (away), and one against Paraguay. Away matches to Poland and Sweden, and home matches against Mexico, Turkey, and Czech Republic were no cupcakes either. Klinsmann can't just lose to Spain 1-0 in Spain, he can't just tie Argentina, or lose a close one in Holland. Now he has to win these games. That is what his hiring is supposed to result in. Bob Bradley had us compete with the World's best. We even beat the World's best once. Bradley had the US team leading Brazil, Italy, and Argentina at half time. Now, Jurgen is supposed to make us winners.
An Offensive Show
Many fans critiqued the "defensive" tactics of Bob Bradley. They cried for "attacking football", with playmakers and excitement. Well, that is supposedly Klinsmann's thing. This is probably the least important thing in terms of results, but very important to the emotions and mindset of many American fans who are bedazzled weekly by the EPL and Barcelona on Fox Soccer. The United States will need to play exciting offensive soccer if he is going to deliver us from the supposedly "Bunker Bob" national team displays as so many say he will.
A Top 15 World Ranking
Bob Bradley consistently made the United States a top 30 team in the World. In their form in 2009 leading up to Charlie Davies and Onyewu's injuries, they were a top 20 team. If he is to better what Bob Bradley did, he must have the US National team knocking on the door of the Top 10 in the FIFA Rankings.
Continuation of Freddy Adu
In US Soccer, their is a name even more hyped, more gold than Klinsmann's own: Freddy Adu. The chosen one, the one with the metachlorine count higher than Master Yoda. Bob Bradley had helped this misguided knuckle head kid back on a path of promise. Bob put him on a roster for a tournament many coaches wouldn't have. In Bob Bradley's last three halves of soccer, Freddy Adu was pulling strings for the USA Men's National team in games of major importance. Who would have thought. If Klinsmann screws that up- if he doesn't keep Adu progressing and a part of the National Team line-up, he could have a great number of fans turn on him. Freddy Adu has so many believers- hardcore believers. After seeing a hopeful future in the Gold Cup semi-finals and finals, Adu better keep that trajectory.
No excuses
Bob Bradley got really lucky sometimes. More often he got stuck the s--- end of the stick. He took over a team where the dangerous striker pool was led by Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson. He really never had a good left back in the pool in his entire tenure. He had injury troubles like no other. Maurice Edu would have been useful in the Confederations Final after Michael missed the final due to a red card. Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu sustained injuries at terrible timing. He missed Stuart Holden to a broken leg (again) for the Gold Cup 2011, along with missing Benny Feilhaber to injury. Timothy Chandler decided to sit the tournament out. Jozy Altidore pulled up lame before the semi-finals, and Cherundelo during the final of the Gold Cup. He had to deal with three red cards in the Confederations Cup (Clark, Kljestan, Bradley). His World Cup team had two goals called back. His top player, Donovan, got swine flu just in time for the Azteca match. The list isn't too short, I've probably missed some things as well. None the less, you can see he had some crappy luck from time to time. However, no one cares. Bradley's measure of success was never lessened because of these things. Critics of Bob Bradley and foreign-coach star wishers better not swoop in to defend poor results of Klinsmann because of a broken leg here, or a missing left back there. Klinsmann better not complain like Wilmer Cabrera about how Americans players aren't mature enough, or like Aaron Winter's gripe about how the MLS players aren't good enough for his coaching.
Jurgen Klinsmann needs make the USA National team one of the best teams in the World. I would love it if he does. But right now I am watching Toronto FC, the team he advised, flopping on the ground like a near dead fish. I hear Klinsmann is calling up Martin Vasquez to be an assistant, and I am thinking of that 26% winning percentage he had with Chivas USA. I hear Ferguson calling Bradley's sacking a mistake, and I wonder. Jurgen Klinsmann is about to take over a program in which he will either be proved great, or proved a fake. We are about to see, and thanks to Bradley's tenure we have benchmarks laid out that will start giving us some answers.
Starikov plays just the first half in a 1-0 loss to Terek Grozny
*He went just 45 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Terek Grozny.
*Highlights after the jump...
Edu went 83 minutes in a 2-0 win over St. Johnstone
*He went 83 minutes in a 2-0 win over St. Johnstone.
*Highlights after the jump...
St Johnstone - Rangers 0:2 by FootballKing1892
On Jurgen Klinsmann, the near future of U.S. soccer and 'knowing'
By Jared LauniusU.S. Soccer fired Bob Bradley today, and one thing we can all agree on – perhaps the only thing we can all agree on, based on what I've been reading – is that we were all caught off guard by it. The Gold Cup Final loss to Mexico is over a month stale and most of us, I think, kind of thought if U.S. Soccer was going to sack Bradley, it would have been done in the couple weeks following the match.
But, things that shock us at first tend to make more sense as more thought is put into them and, sure enough, if you tilt the firing into a bit of a different light, you can certainly talk yourself into the idea the U.S.S.F. decided after the GC Final it was going to fire Bradley, but wanted to wait until a replacement was secured before doing as much.* That's the popular theory, at least, as is the idea said presumed replacement is Jurgen Klinsmann, a long-time Sunil Gulati temptress.
*And can you really blame them? The last two courtships of Klinsmann – following the 2006 and 2010 World Cups – were annoyingly long, drawn out and rather difficult to watch. Keeping everyone in the dark for attempt number three is a pretty commendable move, all things considered.
Now, this is the part in the post at which I tell you the following thousand or so words all operate, more or less, under an assumption. It's a pretty safe assumption, I think, but the powers that be have yet to confirm Jurgen Klinsmann will be the next coach of the United States Men's National Team. So yeah, that's probably worth noting. You know, the facts.
Anyway, yes, it certainly looks like the sidelines at USMNT games will look a bit swankier and certainly a lot less sweat pantsier. Bradley is out, Klinsmann is probably in, and the next few days you'll all be reading a lot about exactly what will happen with the national team during this cycle. Some people know Klinsmann will fail. Some people are certain he will succeed. Other people will be to charmed by his accent to form much of an opinion.
Now, one thing I should probably mention about myself is that I don't really know anything about anything. Not about soccer, at least. I don't know what will happen throughout the coming cycle under Klinsmann. I don't know if he will improve the youth development system. I think he'll probably try, but I'm not sure how he'll fare. I don't know if he'll make player and personnel decisions that won't make me wad up the nearest piece of paper to me and throw it across the room the way Bradley's did or not. I don't know much of anything, really, except the gin in my mom's basement is delicious tonight and that I'm excited to see what happens under Klinsmann.
I also don't think, though, that much of anybody else really knows either, though some will tell you they do. That's not to criticize them – there's a lot of people out there that are paid money to make ascertations about what will happen going forward, and I salute them! Maybe they know more than I do. I just have a hard time believing they really can be so sure. And here's why:
What I Do Know About Jurgen Klinsmann, A List:
-He was a spectacular striker in his playing days, a near 20-year career that took him to some of Europe's biggest leagues and most prestigous clubs. He was capped over a hundred times by the German national team and was on the 1990 West Germany team that won the World Cup.
-His first coaching gig was as German national team coach. He took over the side after it failed to get out of group play in the 2004 European Championships. As Germany was to be host of the 2006 World Cup, Klinsmann didn't have to go through qualifying matches. His lone competitive matches before the World Cup, then, came in the 2005 Confederations Cup, where he coached the host nation to a rather meh third-place finish. In the World Cup the following year, Klinsmann's Germany won its group, beat Sweeden and Argentina – the latter, it should be mentioned, on penalties – in the knockout stages and lost in extra time to eventual champion Italy in the semifinals. His side then won the third place match versus Portugal.
Klinsmann's success in guiding the host nation to a third place finish was well-received, so much so that Klinsmann was given the Bundesverdiestkreuz by the German government, which I can only hope is an honor matched only by its remarkable name. He then resigned on good terms, citing his family as the main reason he didn't want to continue on with the everyday grind of national team duty.
Klinsmann's legacy – an overall success, as I understand it – was predicated on his willingness to push forward with a youthful side and for improving the youth development program in Germany. Pundits will point out then-assistant and current German coach Joachim Low was responsible for the team's tactical success, and that is supported by Germany's continued success following Klinsmann's departure. It's also worth remembering his nation hosted the 2006 World Cup. I'm not saying Germany was necessarily expected to take third place, but I think anything short of the quarterfinals would have been a pretty huge disappointment.
-After two years off and attempts by multiple clubs to lure Klinsmann back into coaching, he took the manager's job for the 2008-2009 Bundesliga season at Bayern Munich, a team he spent some time with during his playing career. Things in Bavaria, overall, didn't seem to go that well, as Jurgen was let go before the end of his team's campaign. They lost in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League (to, it bears mentioning, eventual champions Barcelona), the quarterfinals of the German Cup and were in third place in the Bundesliga table when he was let go with five matches remaining.
Any season that sees you fired before it ends can't be quantified a success, and indeed, those types of results at Bayern Munich don't generally win you very many fans. I'd argue that 29 league games isn't enough to fire a coach that isn't tanking, but I'm sure the decision-makers at Bayern acted in a way they thought was best, and they definitely were more familiar with the situation that I was.
-Since he left Bayern, Klinsmann hasn't taken on another coaching gig. He's done some consultant work for Toronto FC, but that seems to be it. He lives in California with his lovely family and his nice dog Skip, I'm sure.
So yeah, that's what I know about Jurgen Klismann. His managerial experience, all told, is combined to equal less than three years. He's had two gigs. One was an overall positive, though looking a little closer at in makes you wonder exactly how positive it was, and the other one was an overall negative, though looking at it a little closer makes you wonder exactly how negative it was.
Forgive me, but that doesn't really seem like a whole lot to go off of. I certainly don't think it's enough to tell us Klinsmann will be great, and I certainly don't think it's enough to tell us he'll be a disaster. You can argue he hasn't earned anything, and I'd agree, though that's more just because I don't think there's enough of a track record there to decisively say he's done anything good or bad, not because I think KLINSMANN SUXXXX.
I guess what I'm saying – and I apologize if you feel like you've just been talked in a circle, as I'm feeling a bit dizzy, too – is that I don't think there's anything out there that can tell us how successful Klinsmann will be. The sample is tiny, the results inconclusive.
And I'm not sure what this is all to say about my feelings on Klinsmann's hire. I thought it looked like Bradley's message had gone stale on the players, so letting him go wasn't particularly upsetting for me.* I'm not certain there's a manager available out there that could provide great improvement, and I'm even less certain a manager could do a whole lot anyway, as the player pool, at the time at least, seems to have stagnated. Klinsmann seems like he could do well. He also seems like he could do poorly.
*I should say it's not upsetting from a soccer standpoint. Interesting side story: I'm a Kansas City Royals fan. Laugh. No, really, go ahead, laugh. I'll give you a second. Alright, ready to go on? Yeah, I'm a Royals fan. I'm 22 years old and I've seen a full lifetime's worth of managers fired – four in the last nine years alone. From a baseball standpoint, I've been perfectly happy to watch them all walk away. Part of me though, always pities those guys, and not just because they were fired by the worst team in baseball over the last 20 years. It's sad and a bit scary to watch people get cast into unemployment like that. I always know they'll find jobs, just like I know Bradley will, but I always finding myself pitying the guys who get fired from being paid to coach a professional sport. Is that weird?
All that I really know is that I don't know. And I don't mean that in the way it's literally impossible to know what will happen in the future, as it hasn't happened yet. I mean it in the way that I don't think there's enough of a track record out there for us to truly know what Klinsmann is. I'm not defending Klinsmann or bashing him, supporting the hire or blasting it. I really hope he can improve the youth development program in the U.S. and use his charming accent to coach the Yanks up. That, I'm assuming, is what he's being brought in to do. I just don't think think the jury should be settled on him before he's even coached a match – or, for that matter, before he's even been named coach. Far too often – particularly with Twitter and blogs and everything else – we feel like we have to have a stark opinion from the outset on something, when really, we don't have to. It's OK to let things happen and comment on them as they go along, really.
I don't know what's going to happen with Jurgen Klinsmann, but I know we're all getting our chance to find out really soon. Let's let that happen before we decide how good he was.
Thursday Night Yanks Abroad/USMNT Link Drop
*Blatter: Qatar will keep the 2022 World Cup and it will be played in June and July
*David Yelldell will be the starting keeper for Bayer Leverkusen
*Rangers told to up Bedoya offer
*Grella scored for Leeds in a friendly
*Frank Simek article
*Bradley fired as USA coach
*New coach won't lack for tasks
*Bradley era ends as U.S. stagnates
*Goodson and Brondby fall 2-0 to SV Josko Reid
Bob Bradley fired!
U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati announced today that Bob Bradley has been relieved of his duties as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team. “We want to thank Bob Bradley for his service and dedication to U.S. Soccer during the past five years,” said Gulati. “During his time as the head coach of our Men’s National Team he led the team to a number of accomplishments, but we felt now was the right time for us to make a change. It is always hard to make these decisions, especially when it involves someone we respect as much as Bob. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
*Bradley's Tenure as Head Coach of U.S. Men's National Team Ends
MLB Betting: Blue Jays See First Hand What It Takes To Become Contender This Weekend
With all of the mixed emotions that will come with another season plagued by inconsistencies, the Toronto Blue Jays can take solace in the fact that there is hope for the future with such a talented young roster. The Blue Jays will get to take an up-close look at what can happen with an organization when they build internally and complete the puzzle with a few solid free agents, as they battle the defending AL champion Texas Rangers at home this MLB betting weekend.Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays
Friday, 7:07 PM ET
The Blue Jays liked what they saw from Brett Cecil at Texas last week, and hope that they can get a similar effort this weekend as they open up the three-game set on Friday in front of their home fans at the Rogers Centre. The 25-year old Cecil went the distance and allowed just four hits while striking out seven to earn the complete-game shutout against one of the best offenses in baseball. Cecil will get the call against Alex Ogando for the Rangers, and although he wasn’t bad against Toronto last week there is definitely room for a stronger performance. The last time he lost a game Ogando lost three in a row, and Texas has been very streaky at times this MLB season.
MLB Betting Pick: Toronto Blue Jays
Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays
Saturday, 1:07 PM ET
Brandon Morrow hasn’t been nearly as good as Cecil was in his last start since he got back from injury, and although he has shown flashes of what has made Toronto management believe that he is an integral part of the future, he needs to be much more consistent. Morrow didn’t start against Texas a week ago, but he did give up six earned runs on nine hits in just 3.1 innings of work against the Baltimore Orioles in his last start. The Rangers’ offense has looked good all year behind the 9-4 Derek Holland, and they should again as they look to even the sports betting bonus weekend series.
MLB Betting Pick: Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays
Sunday, 1:07 PM ET
The series finale will feature the aces for both sports betting teams, as Ricky Romero gets the call for the home side against CJ Wilson for Texas. Romero has been just okay this season as he has dealt with a ton of inconsistency, and the Blue Jays are looking for more from the man that they have pegged to lead them into the future from the rotation. Meanwhile, the Rangers have gotten exactly what they had expected out of Wilson who is 10-4, although he did get roughed up a little bit in his last start, allowing six earned runs in just 4.0 innings of work against the Minnesota Twins. Wilson has been the more consistent of the two all year, and he should get enough support from a powerful Texas offense to bounce back in the win column and earn the Rangers the series-clinching win.
MLB Betting Pick: Texas Rangers
Wednesday Evening Yanks Abroad/USMNT Link Drop
*English clubs recently checking out Stabæk's Mikkel Diskerud
*Matkovich: U-18s’ Goal to Win Milk Cup
*As the European season is fast approaching for the top leagues, many Americans saw notable action in final preseason games.
*Jose Torres' road back to the U.S. team
*Jones trained again at Schalke
*Oliver to trial with Liverpool
*US tie Mexico at Milk Cup, not good enough to make final
*Rolfe looking to make his mark
Anton Peterlin signs with Walsall on a one year contract
*Peterlin signs on
"How can India expect to beat us?"
 |
| Ian Botham |
Ian Botham considers England as "cricket kings of the world" and can predict them displacing India from the number-one position.
"What we saw at Lord's was the sort of performance you would need from the best team on the planet and there will be more to come before this series is over," said the former all-rounder.
"At some point, England will take the No.1 title from India officially and then an era of dominance should go behind, because we are well in front of the pack. Every department is covered and without a weak link," he added.
England beat India by 196 runs in the opening Test of the four-match series, putting up a proven performance against their depleted opponents, who were a bowler short after Zaheer Khan's hamstring injury.
And Botham feels that India's hopes of beating a strong English side - on home soil - with a depleted unit are in vain.
"How can India hope to beat us, especially with their injury worries?," asked the 55-year-old.
"And as good as some of India's players have been over many years, I don't see how they can get back into this series against a side as confident as England. And they will get better, because there is a hunger in the dressing room to search for that bit extra."
The second Test of the series is to be played at Trent Bridge from Friday and the legendary all-rounder warns India to beware of some fierce bowling from the hosts.
"England will have two bowlers on home turf, while a third - Jimmy Anderson - never leaves without a five-fer in his back pocket. And judging by the way he is bowling at the moment, India should be happy if all he takes is five wickets," Botham said.
"The great thing about this England team is that they are all peaking together and dovetail like the best teams do."
Botham also appreciated Kevin Pietersen for his unbeaten 202 innings at Lord's.
"In terms of the way it started when things weren't easy and then ensuring he was still there and cashing in after he had made his first hundred. That is what Test match batting should be about," the former cricketer said.
"What we saw at Lord's was the sort of performance you would need from the best team on the planet and there will be more to come before this series is over," said the former all-rounder.
"At some point, England will take the No.1 title from India officially and then an era of dominance should go behind, because we are well in front of the pack. Every department is covered and without a weak link," he added.
England beat India by 196 runs in the opening Test of the four-match series, putting up a proven performance against their depleted opponents, who were a bowler short after Zaheer Khan's hamstring injury.
And Botham feels that India's hopes of beating a strong English side - on home soil - with a depleted unit are in vain.
"How can India hope to beat us, especially with their injury worries?," asked the 55-year-old.
"And as good as some of India's players have been over many years, I don't see how they can get back into this series against a side as confident as England. And they will get better, because there is a hunger in the dressing room to search for that bit extra."
The second Test of the series is to be played at Trent Bridge from Friday and the legendary all-rounder warns India to beware of some fierce bowling from the hosts.
"England will have two bowlers on home turf, while a third - Jimmy Anderson - never leaves without a five-fer in his back pocket. And judging by the way he is bowling at the moment, India should be happy if all he takes is five wickets," Botham said.
"The great thing about this England team is that they are all peaking together and dovetail like the best teams do."
Botham also appreciated Kevin Pietersen for his unbeaten 202 innings at Lord's.
"In terms of the way it started when things weren't easy and then ensuring he was still there and cashing in after he had made his first hundred. That is what Test match batting should be about," the former cricketer said.
 |
| Strauss and Dhoni |
"Matt Prior performed magnificently again. We know his batting ability is as good as any Test middle order batsman, but his glovework was in the top bracket too."
Botham also confessed that Stuart Broad had silenced his critics with seven wickets from two innings in the first Test, but stands by his previous comments about the 25-year-old.
"On an unhelpful wicket the bowlers hunted as a pack and I have to doff my cap to Stuart Broad, who took all the criticism that came his way then hit back in the best possible way with wickets.
"I was one of those calling for him to be dropped before the game and I stand by those words because the Broad we saw at Lord's was not the one we had been watching earlier.
"I hope he pushes on from here and doesn't let it be his only performance of the series. He also showed maturity in the way he handled his lbw knock-backs, although it is ridiculous that the DRS is not being used," he said.
Criticising Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) for not using the full Decision Review System in the series, Botham said, "It is time India accepted it and understand that the game is not here just for them. Everybody wants the full DRS."
Highlights of U-18's 2-0 win over Israel from the Milk Cup
Fast forward to 14:00 to see the US goals.
Tuesday Night Yanks Abroad/USMNT Link Drop
*Rangers keen on early Alejandro Bedoya arrival
*U-18 MNT Opens Milk Cup with 2-0 Win against Israel
*Salgado, Gil lead US over Israel 2-0 in Milk Cup opener
*No Short Corners provides evidence that the Villyan Bijev deal with Liverpool is in fact done
*Brondby proposals for Bunbury rejected by Sporting KC
*Edu, Rangers drop CL qual first leg
Edu goes 90 minutes in 1-0 loss to Malmo FF
Maurice Edu with Rangers
*He started and played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Malmo FF in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
To Tell The Truth.
One of the longest running game shows in American history is To Tell The Truth. I suppose it is not on anymore, but it ran for 25 years. The premise of the game was that three people would each claim to be a particular person with some notable quality or interesting background. For example, all three people would claim to be Junko Tabei, the first woman to have climbed Mount Everest. A panel of celebrities would then ask questions of the three persons and attempt to guess which of the three was actually Junko Tabei and which two were the imposters. After the celebrities made their guesses, the real person would be revealed when the host would ask the question, “Will the real Junko Tabei please stand up?” As a USMNT fan, I am feeling a bit like one of the celebrity panelists when it comes to Jermaine Jones. I am still trying to figure out who the real Jermaine Jones is.
CONTINUE READING AFTER THE JUMP.
I am not going to lie to you and tell you I have known about Jermaine Jones for years. Yes, I write about soccer, but there is only so much time in a day. I was not an Eintracht Frankfurt or Schalke supporter and had no reason to follow Jones’ career prior to his involvement with the USMNT. I am assuming that I am like most USMNT fans in this regard. However, I did do some research on Jones when he came onto the USMNT radar. By all accounts, Jermaine Jones was a tough guy. Anything I have read or heard about Jones’ time in Germany mentions his toughness. Even the Eintracht Frankfurt fans who absolutely hate him for the way in which he left their team concede he was tough. His name was synonymous with aggression. He was very physical. He was a hot head who would pick up red cards. He was a ball winner. In 2010, Jones was described in a German press report as “a man for football war, for destroying the pitch and the opponent." While he was tough, he was not the equivalent of a hockey goon. He captained Eintracht Frankfurt and, in the 2008-2009 season, respected German soccer magazine, Kicker, named him the best defensive midfielder in the Bundesliga. With this resume, I was thinking Jones would be a more talented and savvy version of Pablo Maestroeni.
With the USMNT, however, I have seen a markedly different player than I expected. Jones has not shown a consistent aggression in winning balls, he is not flying all over the field, he has not unleashed the hard tackles to let the other side know he was there, and, most importantly, he has not made the U.S. midfield a difficult place for other teams to work. The one thing I have seen Jones do with the USMNT that matches what I expected of him is his superb touch and vision on long passes, but even that has only been seen in small doses for the U.S. Jones has not stepped up as an enforcer in any USMNT game yet and I think the U.S. desperately needs that element. I thought we would finally see the aggression I’d heard so much about in the Mexico game, but, except for a little push and shove with Chicharito late in the game, there was nothing in his performance to suggest he was “a man for football war, for destroying the pitch and the opponent.” I am not advocating tackling with an intent to injure or the Rafa Marquez flying karate kick special, but our defensive midfielder cannot go through a game with Mexico and not have three or four crunching tackles. Not only did Jones not have any “welcome to the game” type tackles, he had a chance to challenge the ball in the sequence leading to the Dos Santos goal, but he did not take it. That does not seem like the guy I heard about. I like Jermaine Jones. I think he has done some good things for the USMNT, but, frankly, at age 30, if Jones is not going to bring his destroyer mentality to the USMNT, then the U.S. should spend its time developing someone else.
Why is Jermaine so much different than I expected? While it could be that I was misinformed about what Jones would bring to the USMNT, I tend to doubt that because all of the descriptions of Jones’ time in Germany that I saw describe him the same way. It could be that Bob Bradley’s formation and system is not conducive to Jones’ skill set. Jones is on record as saying he does not like playing with two defensive midfielders and Bradley has played him in that formation a few times. Further, Michael Bradley is not a true #10, so when he is paired with Jones, it is a lot like having two defensive midfielders in the game even if Bradley is given a more offensive role. It could be that Jermaine is suffering from a lack of playing time these past two years. Jones suffered a shin injury which caused him to miss most of the 2009–2010 season, as well as, the World Cup. Last season, Jones had a falling out with Schalke manager, Felix Magath, and was demoted to the reserves. All this adds up to very little first team action for Jermaine in the past two years. With a lack of playing time could come a lack of confidence and a loss of the feeling that he owns the midfield. It could be that Jones has lost his motivation. Magath did say that Jones was demoted to the reserves because of his failure “to run and fight” in matches. This one also seems unsupported by the evidence because Magath appeared to be looking for a scapegoat to explain the poor Bundesliga record of Schalke last season. Also, Schalke has reportedly placed a price tag of $10-12 million on Jones causing Blackburn to stop trying to sign him to a permanent deal, so Schalke must think Jones has something to offer.
So, who is the real Jermaine Jones? Is he the aggressive, ball winning hothead we’ve heard about in the Bundesliga or is he the defensive midfielder who shows flashes of tough guy potential, but has yet to make a consistent impact for the USMNT? Perhaps, the answer will be seen when Jones returns to Schalke this season. While Magath is gone, there are reports that the new manager, Ralf Ragnick, doesn’t want Jones. Will Jones get back to playing regular first team soccer this season? If he does, will he return to his old form? Will he become more confident of his role with the USMNT? Will he become the physical force that the US needs in midfield? I think there are a lot of questions still to be asked about Jermaine Jones when it comes to his role on the USMNT. However, the question that I most want answered is, “Will the real Jermaine Jones, please stand up?”
MLB Game Preview for Tuesday July 26, 2011: Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees
Sports Betting PreviewIt is easy for baseball betting fans to tell which teams are in a slump and which ones are playing well. Aside from looking at the records, all you have to do is watch the teams play. The Seattle Mariners made MLB baseball news by losing a franchise record 15th game in a row when they were beaten by the Boston Red Sox 12-8 over the weekend. The MLB scores should go your way when you have a future pitching ace on the mound, you score eight runs and someone on your team hits a grand slam. But even with the show of offensive power, the Mariners played like a team that was waiting to get beaten again. The Mariners could very well break their losing streak in Yankee Stadium, but it will be difficult in this opening game of the series.
The New York Yankees would be leading most other divisions in the majors with their 59-40 record. But they just happen to be chasing the second-best team in all of baseball in the Boston Red Sox. That means that if the Yankees want to remain a factor in the AL East pennant race, they will have to keep winning games. The Yankees have won six of their last 10 games, but that was not enough to close the gap on Boston. In reality, Boston picked up two games on the Yankees in that stretch. The Yankees will be looking to take three important games from the struggling Mariners.
Seattle Mariners
The AL schedule makers must have been in extremely bad moods when they put together the Mariners’ late-season schedule. The Mariners had a stint in Boston before swinging over to New York to play the Yankees. That is not the way for a team to try and combat jet lag. For this game, the Mariners send Doug Fister to the mound. Fister is 3-11 on the season but sporting an impressive 3.30 ERA. He has been a perpetual victim of the Mariners’ power outage at the plate. As an example, on July 2nd against the San Diego Padres, Fister went nine innings, gave up one earned run and lost the game.
New York Yankees
The Yankees will extend the Mariners’ losing streak to 16 games, and the reason for that will be New York starter C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia is 14-5 this season with a 2.62 ERA. He is 8-2 in his last 10 games, and lost his most recent start when he allowed two runs in eight innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. Needless to say, C.C. Sabathia did not like having his seven-game winning streak broken. The Yankees’ ace is making a statement for off-season contract negotiations as there are still rumors that he could opt-out for next year. With the way Sabathia is pitching compared to the rest of the Yankees’ staff, New York will open the vaults to keep Sabathia around.
The Bottom Line
The Seattle Mariners are not beating C.C. Sabathia.
BSNblog Pick: New York Yankees
Monday Yanks Abroad/USMNT Link Drop
*Why Altidore is set to shine for AZ Alkmaar
*Left back anyone?
*U.S. players who deserve another look
*Tim Howard talks Everton, Prem luxury tax and Hope Solo to MLS
*Youth phenom Bijev inked by Liverpool
*Corona strike makes history for Tijuana
*Article about Michael Bradley
*Liverpool deals for Bijev and Pelosi not finalized
*Jones and Bradley in no-man's land?
*Oliver to train at Liverpool FC
*Recipes for success
Tiger Woods tumbling down world golf rankings
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| Tiger woods in press conference |
Tiger Woods is out of the world's top 20 for the first time since January 1997.
The man who is expected to declare later this week that he is returning to action at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Thursday, held the number one spot for more than 11 years in 10 different spells has not played since May 12 because of knee and Achilles tendon hurts.
He has dropped from eighth to 21st in the golf rankings in that time and last Wednesday announced on his website that he will not have New Zealand caddie Steve Williams by his side on his return.
"I think it's time for a change," he said without naming a replacement.
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| Sad Tiger woods |
In a television interview in his home country Williams, with Woods for 13 of his 14 major wins and surprised by the decision, said: "You could say I've wasted the last two years of my life. I've stuck with Tiger and been incredibly loyal.
"I'm not disappointed I've been fired - that's part of the job - but the timing is extraordinary."
Referring to the sex scandal that rocked sport at the end of 2009 Williams also stated: "I, along with a lot of people, lost a lot of respect for Tiger.
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| Disappointed Tiger woods |
"I pointed out before his return at The Masters at Augusta in 2010 that he had to earn back my respect."
Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia has earned a place in next week's world championship by keeping his place in the game's top 50.
Back to form with two consecutive top-10 finishes in majors and a play-off defeat in Germany in between, Garcia is 48th going into this week's Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.
Alex Noren's runaway win in Sweden moved him up from 92nd to 70th, but he already had a place in Akron thanks to his Wales Open victory last month.
Latest leading positions in the world golf rankings:
Position | Name | Points |
1. | Luke Donald | 9.72 |
2. | Lee Westwood | 8.33 |
3. | Martin Kaymer | 7.26 |
4. | Rory McIlroy | 7.06 |
5. | Steve Stricker | 6.94 |
6. | Phil Mickelson | 6.27 |
7. | Dustin Johnson | 5.75 |
8. | Jason Day | 5.44 |
9. | Matt Kuchar | 5.38 |
10. | Nick Watney | 5.24 |
11. | Charl Schwartzel | 5.21 |
12. | Graeme McDowell | 5.20 |
13. | Bubba Watson | 4.77 |
14. | KJ Choi | 4.71 |
15. | Paul Casey | 4.62 |
16. | Ian Poulter | 4.45 |
17. | Adam Scott | 4.05 |
18. | Hunter Mahan | 3.78 |
19. | Robert Karlsson | 3.75 |
20. | Retief Goosen | 3.67 |
Monday YA Highlights Round-up
Ricardo Clark with Eintracht Frankfurt
*He started and played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in a 1-1 draw against St. Pauli.
Ryan Miller with Halmstad
*He started and played 90 minutes in a 3-1 loss to IFK.
Yanks Down South: Beasley, Castillo and Orozco
*He went 88 minutes in a 1-0 win over Atlas.
Castillo with America
*He was a 2nd half sub in a 2-0 win over Queretaro.
Orozco with San Luis
*He got a yellow card in a 2-0 loss to Pumas.
Want to help at Yanks Abroad Highlights?
Findley "scores" in Nottingham Forest's 2-1 win over Stuttgart
*He scored off a deflection in a 2-1 win over Stuttgart.
*Highlights after the jump...
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