Val Away

Cheers to Val Teixeira as news from Chesterfield is that he has signed on with the team for a four month deal pending international clearances. Going from the third division in the U.S. to the fourth division in the UK is nothing to be ashamed of. Val was a big part of the reason why we hauled our infant daughter up to UMBC, Annapolis, and Baltimore to watch CP USA play.

Congratulations Val, best of luck.

For any curious Spireites out there, Val played principally on the wing for his U.S. club and occasionally filled in adequately at fullback when he needed a breather. Teixeira can deliver good crosses and can create space with his creative control of the ball.

Hopefully, Val will have the opportunity to develop his goal celebrations a bit more out in the UK:

Pura Vida

On Tuesday night, the group stage of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League started at RFK. Not a shining night in the history of D.C. United: ridiculously few supporters showed up and United was simply outclassed on the pitch by a superior Saprissa side. On the latter point, the situation has become so dire that even United's players (Stouffer has a remarkable quote from Santino on his blog) freely acknowledge that the Costa Rican team was the superior side. On the former point, it would be difficult to blame United's supporters for the low turnout. After all, this is what RFK looked like during the U.S. Open Cup final against USL1's Charleston:



But since that title -- which ensures that United will have an opportunity to play in next year's CONCACAF Champions League -- United's play has been exceedingly poor, largely the consequence of injuries that have devastated the side throughout the season. There could not have been many people who follow the team who expected much out of United facing Saprissa. But neither this expectation, nor the fact that it was guaranteed that Dyachenko would see serious time on the field, would justify the pathetic attendance. However, the front office's absurd decision to hold out for more money for the Champions League games, when the team has played horrible football for sometime, doomed the enterprise from the start. Blind and stupid loyalty led me to drop $240 for the three CONCACAF games for my two season tickets and I completely regret doing so. There were, in total, 8 (I repeat, eight) United supporters in our section and the two sections immediately adjacent. None of the other season ticket holders bothered to show up, likely because they balked at the $40 per seat ticket price for each game. Throughout the match, I could not shake the dread derived from the thought of having to attend the Cruz Azul match under similar circumstances, completely surrounded by hostile fans while forced to root for a team that conceded the match from the opening kickoff. I believe that United is a well run franchise and very much appreciate their efforts to reach out to fans, but the Champions League will prove a disaster for both the club and its management.

Nevertheless, despite all of the foregoing, I do not regret going to the match. First, the Saprissa fans were tremendous and their full throat support for their side was justifiably rewarded by the Saprissa players at the end of the game, when many made time to personally thank their supporters. And although United was outmatched and Thompson, Quaranta and Cordeiro failed to impress in a makeshift midfield and frontline (Ryan was put up front), the game vastly improved when Fred relieved Emilio at the start of the second 45. Despite being down to ten men after McTavish's straight red, Fred's possession skills changed the entire dynamic of United's attack as, finally, the team had a player on the pitch who could turn and move forward rather than slot balls backwards every time a touch was possible. Namoff, again, was quality at the backline and Martinez played well. But the most impressive United player, for the second game in a row, was this man:



Khumalo has stepped right into DC's starting XI and provided the team with a dangerous second option at striker (something that neither Doe nor Rod have yet been able to provide). And if there is one reason to be optimistic about the league fixtures and Champions League matches yet to be played, watching to see if Boyzzz is as good as he has shown in his first games with United. I have another, ulterior motive for cheering for Boyzzz's success as I was convinced throughout CP Baltimore's season that the players in USL2 merited a chance at the MLS. Khumalo, the former Riverhound, has such a chance and I doubt he will waste it.


The days of these guys



has passed. And United will certainly not be able to realize (this year at least) the lofty expectations created by the club's own history. But, I think, it also means that United supporters should be able to some extent write this year off as the product of a remarkable string of injuries that have robbed the team of its depth and skill.

CP Baltimore's Players Out and About

Crystal Palace Baltimore's Mathew Mbuta is now, officially, part of the NY Red Bulls, a fair reward for a heck of a performance against the team on a high school pitch in Annapolis.

Not similar outcomes, I think, for CP Baltimore's Pat Healey and Shintaro Harada, who were not able to convert their loan spells with the Chicago Fire into a longer term run with the MLS team. Healey, the runner up for USL2's rookie of the year (and a player who can also lay claim to a great family cheering section at CP Baltimore's home matches) was not able to win himself a roster spot after playing on DC United's reserve team at the end of August. Not great news for either, but at least they got a look based off of what they managed to do with the third division team.

As did Val Teixeira, who managed to win a trial with the parent club in London but did not manage to impress Warnock enough to merit a deal. As the linked article notes, Teixeira has not left the UK and participated in a reserve match for fourth division Chesterfield FC, where he managed a hat-trick as a first impression against Wolverhampton's reserves. His performance was not, however, sufficiently impressive to lead the club's official web-site to actually learn his name (designated as "unnamed trialist"). (Wolverhampton, on the other hand, gave credit where it was due). Nevertheless, it was a heck of a first impression:

Palace's loss is Chesterfield's gain as Teixeira has made an immediate impression after netting a hat-trick in their 4-0 reserve win over Wolves on Tuesday.

Spireites boss Lee Richardson is likely to have been impressed with the striker's display, although he has refused to state whether a contract will be in the offing.

"I was impressed with the lad and it was our best performance of the season. We could have had seven goals," Richardson told the Derbyshire Times.

So all that is left is for Teixeira (and it is spelled "Teixeira" not "Tiexeira"), is for Val to prove that he is capable of "coping with the physical demands of League 2 football" as the Spireites seem terribly concerned about hiring out a fragile player regardless of his skill.

Val was a highly entertaining footballer to watch stateside and should Chesterfield decide to extend him a contract, their supporters will find much to enjoy from the flair with which he plays the game.

The Measure of a Man

The plans are set for our annual trek to Soldier Field for the Bears-Titans game a couple of months from now. And yet, I have no real rooting interest in the Bears this season. Even the amazing performance against the Colts on Sunday night in Indianapolis was not enough to change the feeling of dread I have about this year. So, the victory that slipped through the Bears fingers in Charlotte on Sunday afternoon was not a surprise, it was simply confirmation of something that Bears fans are going to have to live with: Ron Turner is the offensive coordinator and Ron Turner's ego is the biggest thing on the team.

As David Haugh noted in his story for the Chicago Tribune yesterday, Turner's quip about Orton's poor decision to change a pivotal third and one call from a run to a short pass to Marty Booker was "I could have given him a better call and not given him that option." Now, certainly, taken at face value, Turner's comment takes responsibility for something that otherwise would reflect poorly on his young quarterback. But after multiple years of following Turner's teams (both with the Illini and the Bears), Turner's comment is part of his ignoble, unbroken tradition of decimating the confidence of his players with asinine, priggish comments to the press. The ridiculous fall out from Griese's post-game comments after the win over Philadelphia last season (when Brian was taken to task for claiming credit for the play-calling on the game winning drive) should have marked the end of Turner's tenure, but, instead, the insistence that coaches, and not players, win games continues to pervade on the lakeshore. And that insistence has hamstrung Chicago even where the talent that Angelo has managed to bring to the field is top shelf.

Two things tell you what anyone needs to know about Ron Turner. First, for the second week in a row, after Matt Forte exceeded expectations with his performance and work ethic, Turner called McKie's number on the goal line for a gimmie touchdown. Second, with the game on the line, and the need to get one yard to put themselves in a position to win, Turner again called McKie's number and used Forte as a decoy. The message from both: the game is about executing Turner's game plan and not about any player, regardless of how tremendous his achievements.

So now the team is one and one. Greg Olsen is the goat for the first loss and there is very little chance that anything will happen in the locker room that will boost the first-round draft pick back up to where he can be a vital contributor to the team. And Chicago's fans will continue to be split on whether the first round picks of Grossman, Benson, Olsen, and, in the seasons to follow, Chris Williams were mistakes by the front office or whether Turner has failed to develop the talent entrusted to him. I know where I stand on the argument and I think banging away on Turner's play-calling misses the point. How is a fullback dive any more important than the fact that Ron has stewardship over Devin Hester, Matt Forte, and Greg Olsen? Ron Turner is the Bears offense, not any of those guys.

The sensitivity to the ego of the coaching staff trumping the players on the pitch has grown with the start of the NFL's season. And, so, when at RFK on Saturday night and Soehn insists on putting Rod Dyachenko (who has, admittedly, played much better of late) in for an injured Ivan Guerrero over Ryan Cordeiro -- even after impressing as a substitute in San Jose (and making the trip to College Park the night before to promote DC United along with Terp alum Dominic Mediate) -- it is difficult to take as a fan. It is even more difficult to take after the tinkering that doomed Charlton in the second half of last season began again from Pardew with Cranie supplanting a dynamic Moo2Kill at right back in their collapse against Wolverhampton. Whatever.

On the other hand, it makes watching the Cubs all the more enjoyable. The Cubs are not about Lou Pinella. The Northsiders are about the players on the field and Lou's comment after Zambrano's historic outing -- the first Cubs no-hitter in my lifetime -- was perfect. If people want to criticize him for leaving Z in, well, they are welcome to go and try and remove Carlos from that game. Lou clearly has a massive doghouse, but he does seem to reward performance as evidenced by the way he has managed to juggle the roster.

Tranquilo

Another 24 hours packed with soccer. Charlton's unraveling at Preston North End barely warrants mentioning... I was not able to catch the match on tv or radio, but, by all accounts, Charlton was not very good. One might legitimately ask how many times Pardew can rip the commitment of his squad (as he did throughout the second half of last season and after the Carling Cup disaster against Yeovil prior to the PNE match this season) before he is held accountable as the gaffer of the squad.

On the other hand, Maryland's trip to the Home Depot Center and huge comeback victory over UCLA does seem to justify further elaboration. The football itself was not great but coach Sasho Cirovski's unwavering dedication to winning the match bodes well and evinces massive confidence in his side. Down a goal since the 27th minute, Cirovski brought Omar Gonzalez forward, opting for a three-man backline, and bringing in sophomore Sean Flatley to cover as the lone center back. The Terps consistently threatened but looked awful when any opportunity on goal presented itself. I had resigned myself to a hard-fought, unfortunate loss when Flatley lashed home a Graham Zusi corner with his head forty seconds from time.

For much of the second half, I was disappointed with Rodney Wallace's play who I may have unfairly built up in my mind based on two very good performances last year late in the season. Wallace had an excellent chance on goal late in the second half that he seemed to play poorly and managed only a wayward shot from his left foot that had no chance on goal. I was, therefore, greatly heartened to see Wallace's perfect break seven minutes into extra time that saw him free in the box, juke the goalie with a decoy move to his left, calmly cross back to the right, and net the game winner. Wallace's pace creating the chance and the enthusiastic celebration of the goal made clear why I watch the sophomore play, even when Cirovski has seemingly chosen to use him at fullback, rather than an attack-minded winger.

Tonight I made it to RFK and had a great time. Despite the disappointing result (a scoreless tie), the game was a blast. A full-throated display by United supporters drowned out the meager offerings from the ESC until the very end of the match (the Emperor Supporters Club traveled with only slight more in number than were at the embarrassing thrashing in Annapolis at the hands of Crystal Palace Baltimore). Louis Crayton was phenomenal. Although he may make fans nervous with the flair he shows -- choosing on two separate occasions to dribble around Dane Party Richards rather than clear the ball -- he is rock solid in goal and fully deserved the man of the match designation based on some incredible saves (and his third clean sheet). Gallardo subbed in late and looked healthy. Joe Vide was amazing and continued a run of quality performances with United. Tonight was the first time that I wanted to get an autograph at a United match, if only to commemorate Vide's wonderful effort. (Vide's game follows a great piece last week from Goff on him (registration required)).

Not all was roses. The refereeing for the match was horrible and served as an unfortunate reminder as how generally good the refereeing has been for United's matches this year. The poor, inconsistent calls put the players on the pitch in jeopardy. And while I came into this season with mostly apathetic feelings towards the Red Bulls, I have now developed a healthy antipathy for the club. The classlessness of the ESC at an Annapolis high school during the US Open Cup and the dishonest play of several Red Bulls tonight -- principal amongst them the detestable Mike Magee, who flashed his cleats several times to the back of United players on challenges but whined incessantly when Vide gave him the same treatment (followed up by similar cynical complaints after his manhandling of Moreno lead to an apparently accidental smack to his face; Magee's complaints would be comical if not for the danger he posed to other players on the pitch and the pathos he was able to muster to support his false charges) -- has made them the only side I truly dislike in the MLS.

More negatives: Emilio looked like he hurt his groin fairly significantly and I cannot imagine that we will see him Wednesday at the U.S. Open Cup final. Moreno's horrific miss wide left on the penalty kick stunned the crowd. Perhaps not as much as the introduction of Dyachenko for the unimpressive Doe, but it is a close call regardless. At this point, there is no reason to have Dyachenko in any close game. The fact that Dyachenko is a senior player on the roster and Vide is now a developmental player is an embarrassment to the club and to all of its supporters. I can understand what Dyachenko is supposed to bring. He's a big target on set pieces and should be able to get his head on some crosses. He's a big target for Crayton to hoof it up to and, to be fair, he had one good flick on off of a Crayton boomer. But United fell apart when he got on the pitch. Rod cannot hold position, cannot distribute, and wanders around aimlessly (at one point, Rod, likely in frustration, showed annoyance with Crayton after a ball was sent up to the other side of the field -- what Dyachenko seems to have not realized is that Crayton had singled him out and was waiting for Dyachenko to set himself up as a target before giving up and launching the ball elsewhere). He was only able to avoid his obligatory yellow card after the clueless ref chose not to punish him for a pathetic late challenge to the back of a Red Bulls player at midfield. Nothing in Dyachenko's fifteen minutes on the pitch justified leaving Quavas Kirk off the bench for this match and I think it is now well past time for Soehn to be called out for his continued reliance on a player that has failed to bring anything to the proverbial table for the bulk of the year. After the game, Dyachenko came over to our section, along with Marc Burch and Francis Doe to sign autographs and thank the fans. While seeing him up close and passing up the opportunity to be an a^^hole, I confirmed that I do not dislike Dyachenko. He is a quality human being. He works hard and he is unfailingly nice to fans. But there are a lot of players who I have liked that were simply not good enough to play even at this level. Last year Kpene and Addlery, two of my favorite players to have ever worn the shirt, were told to look elsewhere. It is pointless to blame the player for his shortcomings, but the same does not apply for the manager that continues, inexplicably, to overlook those failings and put the player in a position where he cannot succeed on a routine basis.

Oh well. I only have to wait until Wednesday before United gets a chance to reverse the disappointment from tonight. Charlton's off until September 13th and the only thing really to look forward to from the Addicks is the departure of Zheng Zhi (really? the only midfielder on the roster that has the ability to get into the box and create goals and there is no serious thought that he might be retained?) and, perhaps, the addition of another Premier league reject who will poison the dressing room -- bitter for having had to slum it in the Championship (at least it won't be McShane, who will have an opportunity to shine in Hull's porous backline).

Junior League

Ives has a remarkable story up on his web-site about the Red Bulls' pursuit of talent from the USL to supplement their surging team. Of initial interest is that the Red Bulls are considering trying to add Mathew Mbuta to the team (why isn't DC United considering Mbuta?), although Mbuta has previously indicated that he is not interested in playing for any other club in the United States and has his eyes set on Europe.

Of more importance, however, is Ives' characterization of the MLS's reaction to the Red Bulls' attempt to acquire Macoumba Kandji from USL1's Atlanta Silverbacks. Per Ives (although the story has been denied by MLS and Red Bulls sources), MLS has vetoed New York's move to obtain Kandji because a $200,000 transfer fee paid to the Silverbacks would create a bad precedent for future transactions between MLS clubs and USL teams.

It is possible that this story is not empirically accurate. Regardless, most U.S. soccer fans who read it will believe it because few have faith that the MLS' leadership is capable of acting in the best interests of the league and its fans.

Any move to try and control the market for player acquisition from lower U.S. club teams -- beyond MLS' already existing complicated and absurd regulations -- would be both stupid and, ultimately, horrendously ineffective. What lesson are USL teams and players supposed to draw from this inanity? That USL teams must hold out for European and Asian clubs to come in and make pitches for their best talent in order to obtain fair market value for such players? That the MLS perceives the USL as such a threat that it must resort to draconian interventions to prevent USL squads from improving their balance sheets?

The possibility of futbol talent being developed at multiple levels in the United States is not just good for fans, it is good for Major League Soccer, as the more meaningful opportunities for players to hone their skills in this country means that the talent pool from which players are drawn is substantially expanded. Moreover, anyone paying any attention to international soccer knows that there is a remarkably fluid market in contractual rights to soccer players. Entities all over the world are focused on discovering any place where arbitrage is possible -- European teams see such opportunities in Africa; DC United in South America -- and club teams outside of the United States will quickly pick up on the possibilities presented by the USL, punishing the MLS for its petty despotism.

The reason any effort by the MLS to prevent USL teams from getting market value for people on their rosters is so incredibly offensive is not simply that such efforts are intellectually (and commercially) indefensible, it is that any such efforts are so obviously and inexplicably incompetent and inept. There is no way that the MLS can force -- on a regular, routine, and continued basis -- the USL to provide it with talent at less than going rates for a player's skill. Clubs outside of the U.S. will see the arbitrage opportunities and they will take advantage of it (perhaps not today, tomorrow, or next week, but soon, very soon), further fracturing the relationship between the USL and MLS. In the interim, the MLS will be denying itself a pool of US-oriented, skilled players (for whom MLS clubs have a competitive advantage in scouting vis-a-vis clubs outside the United States), thereby making the league weaker in terms of the caliber of play and the level of competition on the pitch.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

DC United dominated the Colorado Rapids tonight at RFK and, yet, I cannot publish a first hand account of how (a) Emilio threatened to add to his scoring total throughout the evening (instead settling for a beautiful holdup and feed to Vide for the game winner outside of the box); (b) Patrick Crayton notched his second clean sheet in league play with good work between the posts; (c) Quavas Kirk poached a late goal that sealed the Rapids' humiliation; (d) Santino proved that there is more to his goal-scoring repertoire than cheeky lofts, nailing his own laser into the top corner for DC's second goal; nor can I file a report of how (e) the perennially injured (frankly tragic) former Addick Cory Gibbs played full time in the back line for the Rapids (even managing to collect himself after a knock following a failed block on a shot stopped from the back of the net by the face of Colorado's keeper off the foot of a marauding Emilio).

I cannot report on the above -- despite having tickets in hand and a full intention on making the short trip down to the Capital -- because the Charlton-Reading match was broadcast early this morning. Because, having been treated to a fantastic display of football, my day began at 7:30 am and ended at 10 am.

If there is only one Charlton match that I am privileged to watch this season, I would be hard-pressed to express any regret that it was the one this morning and not any that will come in a season that looks much brighter because of it. The craven attitudes of cavalier players looking for a better deal, a bigger club, more coverage in tabloids, that infested the atmosphere at the Valley last year appears to have been fully wiped away. Left behind, instead, is a team of strivers. Anyone can count up these players' flaws and anyone can claim that there are better footballers out there, but no one can reasonably claim that there would have been a better team to watch today. I woke up a few hours after watching Messi's masterpiece in the gold medal final fully expecting to see a Charlton side whipped by Steve Coppell's impressive group of players. I expected long punts, porous defending, lost possessions, and confusion amongst the players both going forward and back. Instead, what I witnessed was a team that menaced consistently, ran the channels, played dangerous balls into the box, and coalesced as a team. Remarkable. Goodbye Marcus. Goodbye Jerome. Goodbye Amdy. Fare thee well.

While much of the commentary will focus (appropriately) on the effective partnership of Andy Gray and Luke Varney up front, I was more heartened by the promising partnership between Lloyd Sam and Yassin Moutaouakil on the right side. Sam's shortcomings have frequently been lumped in with Jerome Thomas' and I have always believed the negative feelings surrounding him to be unfair. Although I have read some mild criticism of his performance today, I did not see any justification for it. He and Yassin appear to have a good understanding of each other that will likely improve and provide for more excitement in league fixtures to come. On the other side, while Basey looked overmatched and seemed to have had his confidence affected, Hameur Bouazza was tremendous and looked every bit the player I highly rated at Watford two seasons back in the Premiership with Watford. I would tune into Watford matches whenever broadcast simply to watch Ashley Young and Bouazza play on the wings and followed each last year with Aston Villa and Fulham respectively. While Young has flourished, I could not understand why Bouazza could not break into what was not a very good side at Craven Cottage. Bad for him, but, at the moment, great for Charlton.

I still lament the seemingly inevitable departure of Zheng Zhi, a player who I am extremely fond of. But the grief that I may feel has been substantially muted by the addition of Nicky Bailey. It is one thing to lose Zhi and see Darren Ambrose fill his spot (Ambrose is a fine player, but does not pose the same threat to goal that Zhi does). It is another to see Bailey step in, control the center of the field and free up the wings to hammer down on the other side's defense. Nicky Bailey's performance today was the stuff of legend and marks a pitch perfect introduction to home supporters.

I was truly afraid that after Stevey Hunt's ridiculous penalty miss (originating from a Jon Fortune foul that could just as easily have not been called) and the absurd decision forcing a retake, Charlton would wither. They did not and when Varney leapt into the gaffer's embrace, I was dancing around my living room.

Pardew has stressed that his side is young, inexperienced, and that play may be uneven. All of which is undoubtedly true, but the flip side is that the team now plays with genuine desire. The starting XI today were a perfect mixture of players 25 and under (Bouazza (23), Basey (19), Varney (25), Sam (23), Moutaouakil (22), and Bailey (24)) and veterans (Weaver (29), Hudson (26), Gray (30), Fortune (28), and Holland (34)) [note, however, that Pardew's starting XI for the corresponding fixture last year, against Sheffield Wednesday, featured as many U-25s: Reid, Ambrose, Thomas, Semedo, McCarthy, and Bougherra, and, obviously, that did not turn out so well going forward]. Today's performance is the hope that such a side provides and we need only wait a week to see if it will continue at Preston North End.