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Thursday, May 26, 2011
Jack Jewsbury
I just wanted to say what a breath of fresh air it has been to see Jack Jewsbury reborn in MLS courtesy of the Portland Timbers. Jewsbury was player that looked like he would be finishing his career as a bit part player, but the Timbers scouted him brilliantly and have gotten the best we've seen from Jewsbury in some time.
Sporting KC's Slump Continues
I know the week's half over, but I've finally had the time to write a little about the Seattle v. Sporting KC match from last weekend. First off, Peter Vermes said this was the best 90 minutes of the season from the team; which isn't saying much, and too bad they switched off at the 90 minute mark instead of playing out stoppage time. Sporting did look a great deal better on the defensive side of the ball. Which is where they were most of the game. Other than a good chance by Ryan Smith early on Sporting had few and far between chances and attacks. It was nice to see nine and ten players behind the ball defending for most of the match and not the usual attacking player not tracking back. Jeff Parke's winner doesn't come down to Seattle out playing Sporting as many would think. This Sporting loss was completely mental and the losing mentality that has been created within the team is continuing to thrive by not seeing out a match. Sure we can question why there wasn't someone on the back post to clear the ball. If you watch the highlights Matt Besler is standing just inside the six-yard box and he runs out to head the ball away only to be beaten to it by Parke. If Besler stays he maybe in position to clear the ball, but it still may have gotten by him.
I was quite impressed with the Aurelien Collin-Matt Besler combination at centerback. A lot has been said about Julio Cesar not being quick enough or tough enough. Which is correct. Despite coming off of a long term injury Cesar has spent his career playing in leagues that base more on tactics and wit than on strength and speed. A terrible signing.
Despite liking the centerback pairing I am dumbfounded that Vermes played Omar Bravo as a midfielder. What a waste of DP money. Bravo spent 76 minutes doing practically nothing. If you're going to pay Bravo as much money as we believe he is getting (as the Union's paylist seemed off) than you shouldn't be playing him out of position. This goes back to my dislike for Vermes and his inability to put a team together in his time at Sporting as both technical director and manager over the past five season. He has over loaded this team with attacking players such as Bravo, Teal Bunbury, C.J. Sapong, Ryan Smith and he has neglected midfield players who can pass the ball and keep possession.
Again, I believe this 4-3-3 formation is the biggest problem the team is having. I understand Vermes wants a system and that's great. But his scouting and his basic idea of coaching this system seems to be way off base. He doesn't have the players to play in this system. Bunbury isn't able to be left on his own up top, and the midfield three are being isolated and losing the ball. Much of the time the back four are bypassing the midfield and knocking long balls up top for Bunbury and co. to lose; all because the midfield isn't up to the task.
MLS is a league that is difficult to build a set system that carries over year to year. Toronto is trying to do this, and unfortunately I believe it will fail. With the financial structure and player allocation and draft MLS has it is difficult to get the correct parts for these 4-3-3 attacking systems. Sporting cannot draft and sign players each year to fit into this system. Vermes needs to scrap the formation and put at least one more man in the midfield in an attempt to break up play and hold possession .
I was quite impressed with the Aurelien Collin-Matt Besler combination at centerback. A lot has been said about Julio Cesar not being quick enough or tough enough. Which is correct. Despite coming off of a long term injury Cesar has spent his career playing in leagues that base more on tactics and wit than on strength and speed. A terrible signing.
Despite liking the centerback pairing I am dumbfounded that Vermes played Omar Bravo as a midfielder. What a waste of DP money. Bravo spent 76 minutes doing practically nothing. If you're going to pay Bravo as much money as we believe he is getting (as the Union's paylist seemed off) than you shouldn't be playing him out of position. This goes back to my dislike for Vermes and his inability to put a team together in his time at Sporting as both technical director and manager over the past five season. He has over loaded this team with attacking players such as Bravo, Teal Bunbury, C.J. Sapong, Ryan Smith and he has neglected midfield players who can pass the ball and keep possession.
Again, I believe this 4-3-3 formation is the biggest problem the team is having. I understand Vermes wants a system and that's great. But his scouting and his basic idea of coaching this system seems to be way off base. He doesn't have the players to play in this system. Bunbury isn't able to be left on his own up top, and the midfield three are being isolated and losing the ball. Much of the time the back four are bypassing the midfield and knocking long balls up top for Bunbury and co. to lose; all because the midfield isn't up to the task.
MLS is a league that is difficult to build a set system that carries over year to year. Toronto is trying to do this, and unfortunately I believe it will fail. With the financial structure and player allocation and draft MLS has it is difficult to get the correct parts for these 4-3-3 attacking systems. Sporting cannot draft and sign players each year to fit into this system. Vermes needs to scrap the formation and put at least one more man in the midfield in an attempt to break up play and hold possession .
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
RUMORS! RUMORS! RUMORS!
It is the summer rumor time and the boards are lit with tidbits and morsels of transfer news. One I'm surprised no one has triggered yet is the Robbie Keane to MLS move. This would be a perfect time for the Irishmen to move to MLS after his loan club West Ham were relegated from the Premier League. Not to mention that his parent club Tottenham Hotspur would love to get rid of him. I'm not sure he would fit in with too many teams currently, especially coming off the last season in which he couldn't score a goal to save his life.
Monday, May 23, 2011
(Possibly) The Next Eddie Johnson
This past offseason many Sporting KC and USMNT fans were half hoping and half expecting a break out season from Teal Bunbury. In his rookie year Bunbury netted five goals in 25 appearances for the club as Peter Vermes broke him in slowly; this led many to believe Bunbury would lead Sporting to lofty heights this season. What truly added fuel to the fire was Bunbury's offseason in which he shunned Canada, who his father had played for, and scored a goal against Chile for the USMNT. Bunbury also joined Stoke City for an extended period of training which included scoring a goal against Wigan in a reserve match.
Despite breaking his wrist early in the season Bunbury looked to be fully recovered after netting twice in Vancouver with two fantastic finishes and once in Chicago, thanks to a diabolical back pass on the part of the Fire. But lets pump the breaks a little. It has now been a month since we last saw Bunbury score for Sporting. Though not many others are scoring for Sporting either. We can debate all day long what the true problem is for this team, and why Bunbury hasn't scored as of late; but there's no denying he has been over hyped. Lets look back to January 2011 at the Home Depot Center when Bunbury recorded his first international goal. Oh, how people made a fuss. No one seemed to realize it was from the penalty spot and not from open play. Though the USMNT played well with Bunbury up front they were still as anemic as they were at last summer's World Cup where Jozy Altidore and company couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. As a matter of fact part of Bunbury's offseason hype could also be attributed to commentator Pablo Ramirez who coined the ridiculous Boon-Boo-Ree following Bunbury's penalty kick goal.
Word this week was Bunbury has several clubs looking at him, and sure why not. He's young, has a lot of athletic ability and like many US players if he is in the right situation he could do well. But he is already reminding me of a former Kansas City Wizards player who had his sights set on Europe only to be kicked around on loan for the best part of four years.
Eddie Johnson was once a bright upcoming soccer player in the USA. Signed at the age of 17 to the Dallas Burn (FC Dallas), Johnson was thought to be the future of MLS and possibly the USMNT. During his time with Dallas, Johnson would give the club a good return scoring 24 in 84 matches over four seasons. During this time Johnson shined at the youth levels of the national team which included him winning the Golden Boot at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships. Johnson even had a chance for a big money move to Europe only to reject a reported $5 million move to Benfica. Of course we know they would later shell out $2 million for Freddy Adu.
With Dallas in need of salary cap space they traded Johnson to KC during the 2006 offseason giving many KC fans hope that Johnson could lead the Wizards back to the top of MLS; during a time the team was unsure it would still be in KC. Johnson would give mixed results looking top class one moment only to look like your average MLS player the next. After training abroad and turning down deals, all the while not leading KC to the promise land, Johnson moved to the English Premier League hoping to emulate fellow Americans Clint Dempsey and Brian McBride who were already on Fulham's books.
Since leaving for Fulham, Johnson has made 18 appearances and has scored zero times. Most recently he played with the club at the beginning of 2010 before going out on-loan to Preston North End. PNE was relegated this season to League 1 with Johnson scoring no goals and drawing the ire of Preston's supporters. Since leaving for Europe it has been a bag of mixed results for Johnson. Two other loan deals to Cardiff City and Aris Thessaloniki have yielded better results, but the fact remains Johnson has failed to live up to expectations. Since 2006 he has also stood on the periphpery of the USMNT, and was a shock inclusion to Bob Bradley's pre-World Cup roster only to be cut before the tournament. With his Fulham contract set to end this summer don't be surprised to see Eddie Johnson return to MLS to revamp his faltering career.
Bunbury, like Johnson was, is a bright prospect still raw and unpolished. So many expectations have been laid at the feet of young US attacking players: Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Eddie Johnson, only for these players to fall far below expectations for one reason or another. Teal Bunbury could be the next and mostly remembered for Boon-Boo-Ree.
(So far this season Bunbury has scored three goals for a bi-polar Sporting attack and hasn't scored in his last 420 minutes.)
Despite breaking his wrist early in the season Bunbury looked to be fully recovered after netting twice in Vancouver with two fantastic finishes and once in Chicago, thanks to a diabolical back pass on the part of the Fire. But lets pump the breaks a little. It has now been a month since we last saw Bunbury score for Sporting. Though not many others are scoring for Sporting either. We can debate all day long what the true problem is for this team, and why Bunbury hasn't scored as of late; but there's no denying he has been over hyped. Lets look back to January 2011 at the Home Depot Center when Bunbury recorded his first international goal. Oh, how people made a fuss. No one seemed to realize it was from the penalty spot and not from open play. Though the USMNT played well with Bunbury up front they were still as anemic as they were at last summer's World Cup where Jozy Altidore and company couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. As a matter of fact part of Bunbury's offseason hype could also be attributed to commentator Pablo Ramirez who coined the ridiculous Boon-Boo-Ree following Bunbury's penalty kick goal.
Word this week was Bunbury has several clubs looking at him, and sure why not. He's young, has a lot of athletic ability and like many US players if he is in the right situation he could do well. But he is already reminding me of a former Kansas City Wizards player who had his sights set on Europe only to be kicked around on loan for the best part of four years.
Eddie Johnson was once a bright upcoming soccer player in the USA. Signed at the age of 17 to the Dallas Burn (FC Dallas), Johnson was thought to be the future of MLS and possibly the USMNT. During his time with Dallas, Johnson would give the club a good return scoring 24 in 84 matches over four seasons. During this time Johnson shined at the youth levels of the national team which included him winning the Golden Boot at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships. Johnson even had a chance for a big money move to Europe only to reject a reported $5 million move to Benfica. Of course we know they would later shell out $2 million for Freddy Adu.
With Dallas in need of salary cap space they traded Johnson to KC during the 2006 offseason giving many KC fans hope that Johnson could lead the Wizards back to the top of MLS; during a time the team was unsure it would still be in KC. Johnson would give mixed results looking top class one moment only to look like your average MLS player the next. After training abroad and turning down deals, all the while not leading KC to the promise land, Johnson moved to the English Premier League hoping to emulate fellow Americans Clint Dempsey and Brian McBride who were already on Fulham's books.
Since leaving for Fulham, Johnson has made 18 appearances and has scored zero times. Most recently he played with the club at the beginning of 2010 before going out on-loan to Preston North End. PNE was relegated this season to League 1 with Johnson scoring no goals and drawing the ire of Preston's supporters. Since leaving for Europe it has been a bag of mixed results for Johnson. Two other loan deals to Cardiff City and Aris Thessaloniki have yielded better results, but the fact remains Johnson has failed to live up to expectations. Since 2006 he has also stood on the periphpery of the USMNT, and was a shock inclusion to Bob Bradley's pre-World Cup roster only to be cut before the tournament. With his Fulham contract set to end this summer don't be surprised to see Eddie Johnson return to MLS to revamp his faltering career.
Bunbury, like Johnson was, is a bright prospect still raw and unpolished. So many expectations have been laid at the feet of young US attacking players: Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Eddie Johnson, only for these players to fall far below expectations for one reason or another. Teal Bunbury could be the next and mostly remembered for Boon-Boo-Ree.
(So far this season Bunbury has scored three goals for a bi-polar Sporting attack and hasn't scored in his last 420 minutes.)
DC United v. Ajax
I have been a proponent of the Cups Not Friendlies movement over the past year or two. Perhaps before the name was given to it. Yesterday, DC United proved once again why it is ridiculous for MLS teams to host midseason friendlies. No offence to Ajax, but in this day and age they are middle level club and their drawing power is not very high. I can understand MLS teams playing the likes of United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and now possibly Manchester City as the league continues to look for exposure and clubs look to cash in. Only 10,728 fans came out yesterday to see DC lose 2-1. Many teams say it's a gift to the fans to hold such prestigious friendlies, but in truth like always it is a money grab. DC would have benefited more from some time off from matches in preparation for a play-off run come later this season rather than putting out a squad for a meaningless friendly. MLS will already be losing many players this summer for the Gold Cup and a few less could possibly be lost to the Copa America. Why pile on the fixtures. I'm sure many of the 10,000 plus in attendance will look back and think fondly of yesterday. But in the end what will matter in October? A late-May friendly against Ajax or making the play-offs after being one of the worst teams in MLS over the past two seasons. I know which I'd prefer. DC will play another friendly against Everton in July to conclude their frienly schedule.
MLS Tickets
I was having a look in my spam mailbox this morning and came across an email from a person in the Sporting KC ticket office. It was an informal email asking if I would be interested in receiving info on KC's ticket plans. I wasn't sure what to think of this. Yes, it was nice to have someone email me and ask if I'd like to hear the sales pitch, but I also felt it was a little minor league. I know it is practice in MLS to cold call people and try and sell them tickets to matches which is an innovative marketing strategy. Though it is controversial. I am massively turned off by someone sending me an email (or calling) in hopes I come out to see the club this season, or any club for that matter.
This is the first time I've been contacted by the ticketing department, and I wonder if they're having trouble moving single-game and small package ticket plans now that the season isn't going as well as predicted/hoped. I wasn't even contacted for season ticket sales. Sitting in last place doesn't attract the casual fan and even some hardcore fans every week despite a $180million new stadium.
This is the first time I've been contacted by the ticketing department, and I wonder if they're having trouble moving single-game and small package ticket plans now that the season isn't going as well as predicted/hoped. I wasn't even contacted for season ticket sales. Sitting in last place doesn't attract the casual fan and even some hardcore fans every week despite a $180million new stadium.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Seven down, Three to Go
Being a fan of Sporting KC I tend to vent my thoughts on the club here. My biggest argument over the past two months is the removal of manager Peter Vermes. This week I am happy to see some other bloggers warming up slightly to what I've been on about. Though, it is still lukewarm comparatively speaking. There was a half quote this week attributed to Vermes from 2009. He was (semi) quoted as saying he would need (at least) two years to build ''his'' team. I found this a little hard to believe. First, Vermes has been with the club since '06 as the technical director. His job was to help find players for then manager Curt Onalfo. Therefore, he has had say in the players who have come into the club. Secondly, during his time at the club many of the players that have come in have all failed to make the grade in MLS or were trade/released only to do better with another club/environment. Players like Santiago Hirsig, Ivan Trujillo and Carlos Marinelli were players that were brought in with high expectations and never fulfilled them. Meanwhile, the team traded quality players such as Luis Gil, Yura Movsisyan and Herculez Gomez. Yes, Movsisyan and Gomez under performed for the club, but perhaps we should be looking at the manager and technical director for these failings as both players have gone on to some success. Vermes has also had mixed results in the draft as well.
The unfortunate aspect is that Sporting will give Vermes at least until the end of the season or until the play-offs are out of reach. It's plain to see, however, that many of these players are just not playing for him right now. Compared to other sports, in soccer when players want a coach out they don't play as hard as they normally would. I think it's hard for American sports fans to get their heads around it, but it does happen.
Being a fan I was never a supporter of Vermes getting the job permanently and since then nothing has changed my mind. I have the same feeling of Vermes as I do Alexi Lalas: They were good players for the US and MLS at a time when US soccer was struggling on the world stage and barely had a professional league. Perhaps today they wouldn't even get a look from the national team and possibly might be over looked by MLS. They did well in a time when the game wasn't much in the US. In Lalas' case he tried his hand at being a GM for New York and the LA. Both with poor results, other than the David Beckham to LA move, and to be fair he had nothing to do with getting D-Beck to LA. Now it seems Vermes is out of his depth similar to Lalas. On a side note Lalas shows his lack of soccer understand with his piss poor commentary that dumbs down the soccer fans of America.
Like I've said prior I want this team to do well and hell they may turn it around.
The unfortunate aspect is that Sporting will give Vermes at least until the end of the season or until the play-offs are out of reach. It's plain to see, however, that many of these players are just not playing for him right now. Compared to other sports, in soccer when players want a coach out they don't play as hard as they normally would. I think it's hard for American sports fans to get their heads around it, but it does happen.
Being a fan I was never a supporter of Vermes getting the job permanently and since then nothing has changed my mind. I have the same feeling of Vermes as I do Alexi Lalas: They were good players for the US and MLS at a time when US soccer was struggling on the world stage and barely had a professional league. Perhaps today they wouldn't even get a look from the national team and possibly might be over looked by MLS. They did well in a time when the game wasn't much in the US. In Lalas' case he tried his hand at being a GM for New York and the LA. Both with poor results, other than the David Beckham to LA move, and to be fair he had nothing to do with getting D-Beck to LA. Now it seems Vermes is out of his depth similar to Lalas. On a side note Lalas shows his lack of soccer understand with his piss poor commentary that dumbs down the soccer fans of America.
Like I've said prior I want this team to do well and hell they may turn it around.
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