...and one last thing before I hop a plane to Tallinn

Michael Davies is brilliant. I had a bad taste in my mouth from listening to soccer-dumb Colin Cowherd on the way to the airport yesterday afternoon. But wiser (and non-American) Davies fixed that in his Requiem for the US. He thinks Arena will get fired, but agrees with Arena about the bright, bright future of American soccer. Hard evidence is included. Read it and look forward to South Africa 2010.

Or if you can't wait that long, keep your eyes on fellas by the names of Specter, Gaven, and of course Adu. Specter will be seeing minutes in the Premier League next season. Adu continues to improve. And Gaven turns 20 in October. Plus plenty of our guys from this team will continue to progress for their clubs in MLS and beyond.

But first, read Davies.

MLB: Checking in on Delgado v. Jacobs

April and May? Not a great time for me to compare Jacobs, who I have gone on the record saying should not have been traded, to Delgado.

Mid-June from the Stockholm airport? Better time to compare the two!

Just to be unfair, let's compare their stats over the last 30 days:
Mike Jacobs
.359 5HR 13RBI 10R 11K 0E

Carlos Delgado
.240 5HR 19RBI 13R 19K 3E

See? See? And let's not forget the 8-year age difference.

All right, to put it in better perspective, we'll include the brief (month and a half) period when Mike was getting less hits than that group that recorded Macarena.

Full season...
Jacobs
.269 10HR 39RBI 25R 48K 2E 216AB

Delgado
.261 20HR 52RBI 43R 62K 6E 268AB

So even including Mike's .198 average through may 14, he has already come back and passed Delgado in average. The HRs are obviously a large disparity, but the longer Jacobs plays the more it looks like he's going to be a pretty good power hitting first baseman. For someone other than the Mets.

Still, I'll admit defeat if Delgado gets the Mets into the World Series this season. Even though it'll really be because of Davey.

World Cup: US Out

I thought I'd check in from this Internet station in Stockholm airport to post a thought or two about the US bombing out of a group that turned out to be well within their grasp.

Casual fans will see the results, shrug and say, "US still sucks at soccer." Yes, our #5 FIFA ranking was overblown, (and my prediction of us matching that ranking would have required massive overachieving). But the overall state of soccer in the US is strong, with so many of our players playing in Europe AND with the MLS still chugging along and producing those world class players. The future is bright.

But that's not what I wanted to talk about. My thought as America's hopes faded into oblivion was a new one, at least for me. It came from my disgust with Donovan's disappearing act, Beasley's lack of apparent progress from 4 years ago, and Reyna's inability to exert himself on the game like he's supposed to. To sum up, the thought sprung from observing the crappy way our supposed stars played in this tournament. The thought was...this might be Bruce Arena's fault.

Really, it boils down to the disappearance of Landon Donovan. We think he's capable of great things on the world stage. We know he's capable of at least being the biggest threat of the American offense. How did he get so lost?

Maybe it's time we blame Arena. Sure, his boys played great with their backs against the wall versus Italy. And most of the goals the US gave up can be explained away not from an overall defensive incompetence, but one or two suspect clears, the Reyna debacle, and Rosicky having the game of his life. Our offense, though, was atrocious. And while other managers across the board were having great success with their substitutions, Arena never did push the right buttons.

Overall, our attack was miserable. And since we can use the word "overall," I think we might want to point a finger at the one who is manager over all.

I'm not saying fire the man. He's brought the US a long way, and he could still become a legend. I'm just saying something I've never said before; Bruce Arena deserves blame.

Arras +10

You've all seen the adidas Jose +10 commercials where Jose and his plump, jolly friend play a game by picking teams from every soccer player in the world. If you find the TV room on that site and go to "TV Commercials" you'll find 6 links where 12 stars from around the world go out into their respective cities and recruit random people to play with them against a rival. (Mastroeni is matched up against Lozano of Mexico, for instance.) It's pretty sweet.


But back to the original Jose+10. Does it strike anyone odd, besides Fyall and me, that with the first pick the jolly kid takes Cisse? You're a poor little Latino. You could choose anyone in the history of the world. And you take Cisse? I can understand Jose picking Defoe just to play him at goalie; its just a pick-up game and he can always switch things around later.

Anyway, here's who I'd pick, assuming Impossible is Nothing, and going with the classic, Mr. Aridgides 4-4-2 with a stopper playing in front of a sweeper:

Goal: Tim Howard- An American in the Everton nets? Sweet.
Left Back: Ashley Cole- Hasn't shown much in this world cup, but when he's on, he's the whole package, in terms of defense and attack.
Sweeper: Olaf Mellberg- I love his beard.
Stopper: Steve Riccio- Out of all the supremely talented current and former FM varsity players who plays on Tuesdays and Thursdays down at Eagle Hill in the summer, Steve is the most enjoyable teammate.
Right Back: Tony Hibbert- Old reliable gets the most out of his limited speed and skill on the right side for Everton. Fyall and I bought him for our Chicago Fire franchise in FIFA 2005, our first European signing.
Left Mid: Damarcus Beasley- One bad game in this world cup doesn't erase his fantastic performance 4 years ago. Still my favorite.
Central Mid: James Ahern- He'll be playing a defensive central mid, probably switching with Riccio a bit. James has been honing his game on the streets of NYC, and should hold his own in this lineup.
Central Mid: Paul Aridgides- Assuming 100% health, he's a great partner to play with James in the middle. Always a threat to score from anywhere on the field.
Right Mid: Me
Forward: Wayne Rooney- Go score goals, Wayne.
Striker: Oguchi Onyewu- I had to fit the big fella in, and there's no more room in the back. So go Gooch! Run free!

That's Arras+10. Who's on your team?

World Knuggahts on the US Game

Guardian...

"[Rosicky's] first goal was all the more significant for coming eight minutes after Claudio Reyna, the one US player to emerge with any credit, struck a post in pursuit of an equaliser. Bruce Arena's players were comfortably dominating possession at that point but Reyna's effort was a lone threat from a team who lacked a cutting edge."

"Eddie Johnson had given the US some goal threat but their delivery from wide areas was among many poor aspects of their display."


Telegraph...

"Rosicky...controlled this game against the United States, who had their chances - Manchester City's Claudio Reyna struck the left post in the first half - but were ultimately second best."


Sporting News...

"The United States tried manfully to get back into the game after the break and lively second-half sub Eddie Johnson went close to pulling one back."


BBC...

"USA captain Claudio Reyna saw a 25-yard shot cannon back off a post in the first half, but they were well beaten."

"USA enjoyed plenty of possession, but the Czechs - and the brilliant Nedved in particular - always had another gear to move into."


Goa, India's Navhind Times...

"The United States have a chance to stand with the elite teams at the World Cup. But the Americans could not stand with the Czech Republic on Monday."


Arab News...

"The environs of the stadium, the sweltering heat, the bare-chested, drinking chanting masses. It was like a frat party in Florida. The only thing was the Americans were facing the Czechs. And no-one consumes like they do. It was no contest. It was the same on the pitch. What looked an even enough encounter in Group E was made a mismatch by the quality of the Czechs’ dazzling attacking play and two stunning goals from Arsenal’s new recruit, Tomas Rosicky, who linked throughout with Pavel Nedved. They cut through the outclassed Americans and passed the first test of whether they can replicate the verve that took them to the last four of Euro 2004."

World Cup: USA v. Czech Republic

I'm going to talk about what happened today without falling back on my characteristic optimism. It's all in how I start.

What happened to the US soccer team today was a giagantic setback.

There. Now I'll skillfully smother some optimistic comments with commentary on what went wrong.

Going into the World Cup, we hoped that we were at least nearly on the same level as teams like the Czech Republic. Today we discovered we are not. We are a definite tier below, probably in the 10-20 range on the "Reality Rankings" compared to our 5th rating on the FIFA rankings.

Of course, the Czechs looked better than just about every team that has played so far. The only other team that finished as well as they did was Germany. The only other team that defended as well as they did was England, and that's only because Sven Goran Eriksson always bunkers in when he has a lead, no matter the time on the clock. Faithful readers may recall my previous statement that if you could combine the defense of England with the offense of Germany, you'd have your World Cup champions...ipso facto...ergo...thusly...valid...keep your eye on the Czech Republic.

It was the biggest blowout of the tournament thus far. But did the US play worse than any team so far? Let me rephrase that: did the US look like the worst team in the tournament so far? No. The numbers suggest that they very much in the game. The American's out-possessed the Czechs. They put up the same number of shots as the Czechs (10) with only one fewer hitting the target (3 on goal).

Speaking more subjectively, a number of players had excellent performances. Reyna was unlucky to hit the post in the 27th minute. Donovan worried the Czechs virtually every single time he dribbled the ball forward (which was, characteristically, not frequently enough). Oguchi Onyewu's poor clearance led to the second goal, but he was virtually unbeatable marking one-on-one. Eddie Johnson played excellent off the bench; he was the only American regularly looking to shoot.

OK, OK...too much optimism. I just wanted to say that the US has more talent than about half the teams that have played. I'll stop with the positive spin for now. There are plenty of other individuals that looked awful. I'm so disappointed in Beasley. Last year, he was scoring goals every fourth time he got on the field for PSV, and starting for the team during some champions league games. This year, his minutes have really fallen off. Now I see why. He looks terribly uncomfortable out there. Miserable, even. Part of the problem I think is he's playing on the right, instead of the left because Arena has Convey on the left. But still, he shouldn't be this bad. Where did the constant speed threat go from 4 years ago? The poor man's Arjen Robben? I might have to remove "DaMarcus Beasley Home PSV Eindhoven Jersey" from the top of my personal wish list if he doesn't shape up. I was calling for him to be subbed out most of the game.

Eric Wynalda (one of the few bright spots in ESPN's coverage of the Cup) blasted Beasley and Convey for playing the ball backwards too much, instead of taking on defenders. I agree to an extent. I think Convey played way better than Beasley, getting some crosses into the middle.

But the American crosses were no match for the Czechs. Brian McBride was thus completely useless. Overall, the Americans looked tiny next to the Czechs. I think they're a particularly giantic team.

The final point I'd like to make is that all three of the Czech goals were spectacular. The US didn't make a ton of mistakes on defense, but the Czechs made them pay for almost all of them. How many other teams have been as opportunistic? Rosicky's goals were two of the best shots in the tournament, and the Koller goal was a textbook finish off a textbook cross. Given those same chances, would England have finished as well? Not the England we saw Saturday. Not Sweden. Not even the Dutch, so far. In his excellent game log, Michael Davies points out that the US does not see finishing like that in CONCACAF. I'd go so far as to say that finishing like that will win you the World Cup.

But we'll see how things go in the next round of games...

Rooney injures Walcott...may return sooner???

Browsing the British papers for more Knuggahts...

On England

Guardian reporting today that Rooney could come on as a sub against T&T because he ran into Theo Walcott from behind in training and injured his young, co-striker's calf.

Also in the Guardian, murmurs of second-guessing of Sven's subbing strategy coming out of the England locker room. It's 50/50 at this point that the World Cup is a disaster for the English.

If it's not the subbing, it's the heat. Beckham, Terry, and Lampard were among those complaining about the high temperatures against Paraguay. So the England Football Association is making a formal request to FIFA to allow the players plenty of access to fluids during game play.


On USA

Jan Koller and Karel Poborsky of the Czech Republic expect a battle tomorrow.

World Cup: US Edge in Freshness??

Knuggahts...

Here's a little knuggaht for anyone disatisfied with Dave O'Brien's commentary at the World Cup. Turns out 6 months ago he had never called a soccer game in his life. Generally, I don't think I could do a better job than most pro announcers. This time though, I think I should send ESPN a tape of myself doing soccer games.

One last thought before the American's take the field tomorrow at noon EST. I think we might have a slight edge in the fact that a large chunk of our players aren't coming off 9-month club seasons that most other players have just been through. The MLS season more or less coincides with MLB. So those players have only just started their season. Meanwhile, Reyna and O'Brian have been dealing with injuries, and haven't played full seasons. And Beasley played a little less this year for PSV than he did last year. Beaz needs to improve his form, but lots of players get a surge in their form when they play for their country. Who knows, maybe we'll be just a bit less tired than our European foes.

Finally, through 6 games, I think the Dutch have looked better than any team, and Robben looked better than any individual. That's bad news for Nigel...

"There are only two things I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the Dutch." -Nigel Powers

World Cup: England v. Paraguay

Is it possible that England's 1-0 victory was more impressive than Germany's 4-2 victory? Yes, if you think that defense wins championships, because England's defense was virtually inpenetrable. Also, England dominated the first 55 minutes of the game like Germany never dominated. If you could cobble together Germany's offense with England's midfield and defense play, you'd have the best team in the cup.

I blame the gradual erosion of England's quality on Sven Goran Eriksson. It seems so typical of his style to settle down after scoring first early. There was no urgency on attack whatsoever. Like the Euro Cup of 2002, in the absence of Rooney, Lampard was the only continuous threat for the opposing goalie.

I'm interested in the Ivory Coast-Argentina game. Possible upset. Even a tie would put Ivory Coast in decent shape.

World Cup: Germany v. Costa Rica

About what I expected from Germany. Their home field advantage plus their weak group is going to carry them into the second round. But this game should not have been that close. Very suspect defending from Zee Germans, allowing two breakaway goals with their offsides trap.

Speaking of the offsides trap, so far Marcelo Balboa is the only redeeming factor for the ESPN coverage. He criticized the Germans for going for the offsides trap against such a speedy threat in Wanchope. Sure, Wanchope was slightly offsides for the 2nd goal, but he also had another breakaway called back when he was onsides so it all evens out. (Actually it doesn't. Offsides officiating is a serious problem for the game, and some rule change or technological implementation is sorely needed. But anyway...) Balboa always has smart, detailed commentary. Meanwhile, Dave O'Brien talked way too much over the game, and he, along with the studio crew, mis-read the day as a success for Germany. I guarantee you the German media and population are currently blasting the team for the many mistakes that kept Costa Rica in the game.

Join My Fantasy World Cup Group

http://en.fifaworldcup.fantasysports.yahoo.com/

My group is Go Orange. Number: 36357. Password: gerry. Don't worry about signing up late. You can still fill your roster with guys who haven't played yet. You don't want any Germans on your team anyway.

As an added incentive, I'm offerring a free 1-year subscription to The Sports Sauna to anyone who beats me.

World Cup: Already Regretting My England Pick

Saw this little nugget today. On reading the headline, I was intrigued at the possibility that Sven Goran-Eriksson had actually devised something clever and unorthodox. It turns out that the idea is unorthodox and inane.

England have had some trouble making penalty kicks when it counts in recent past. Actually, with the exception of Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney, they've had trouble doing everything when it counts in recent past. Penalty kicks are just one of many problems. So Sven decides to have them practice PKs by telling their keeper where they are going to hit it, theoretically making the shot more difficult than it will be in a game situation.

I think its counter-productive. It's too late now to do anything but routine penalty kick practice. Insituting this crazy scheme now would have been like Jim Boeheim telling the '03 Orangemen to work on their free throws on the eve of the National Championship. It's just going to get in their heads. (I wouldn't at all be surprised if you told me Roy Williams did just that to Kansas ahead of that game. It'd be just like him.)

But if there was one thing worse than the PK practice drill, its the insinuation towards the bottom of the article that Peter Crouch is England's third-string PK taker. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, or everyone else is or something. Why isn't there more made of the fact that Peter Crouch sucks at everything except heading the ball?

My new England prediction: England loses in their first game of the knockout stage. Crouch scores 12 goals in 4 games and wins the golden boot.

World Cup Predictions: Ranking the 32...

Here's my ranking of the World Cup field, from worst to first. The first 10 or 15 on the board are a total crap shoot, I'm not going to lie. I am going to factor in how well I think they're going to finish, except I'm not going to try to plot who plays who in the knockout stage. Conveniently, that allows me to ignore the fact that the US will probably play Brazil if they finish second in their group. (Well, maybe the US will finish first. Or Brazil will finish second. Either could realistically happen if you look at the groups.)


Also, for the many novice soccer fans out there, I've included a "player to watch" for every team I could; in most cases, he played in England and/or is the only player on the team that I know.


Right! Here goes...



32. Trinidad and Tobago: These guys scraped their way in with a controversial win over Bahrain. They're just happy to be in their first World Cup.
Player to Watch: Dwight Yorke - Former Man Uer

31. Saudi Arabia: No respect to the Arabs who don't have a single player based outside their country, and haven't won a World Cup game since their debut in the tourney in 1994.
Player to Watch: Sami Al-Jaber - Former Wolverhampton Wanderer and suposed "Greatest Saudi Footballer Ever"

30. Togo: You know you're in trouble when your biggest story heading into the tournament is a pay dispute between players and management.
Player to Watch: Emmanuel Adebayor - Arsenal

29. Ecuador: Every one of their qualifying victories was played way up in the high Andes. I'm not sure that's the best way to prepare for Central Europe in June.

28. Angola: Just look at their team picture. These guys have no idea what's going on.
Player to Watch: Rui Manuel Marques - Leeds United

27. Tunisia: Bit of injury trouble coming in with one striker out and their leading striker, Brazilian born Santos, to miss their opening game.

26. Serbia and Montenegro: No one wants to play them, but their group is just too tough.
Player to Watch: Mateja Kezman - Former Chelsea

25. Iran: Back for the third World Cup and first since their greatest victory in history - over the US in France '98. Nothing bigger this year.

24. Costa Rica: They've actually got a very good record in the World Cup (3W, 3L, 1D). And if this tournament were being held anywhere else I might fancy them to knock off this iffy German team. But it isn't so I don't.

23. Ghana: Somebody has to lose Group E. It's Ghana, despite a strong roster in their first cup.
Player to Watch: Michael Essien - Dirty Chelsea Midfielder

22. Australia: Somebody has to lose Group F. It's Australia who's strong side is hurt by the seeding system with a tough draw.
Player to Watch: Timmy Cahill - Everton Baby!!

21. Paraguay: These guys have won a game in 5 out of their 6 World Cups, but only one game. They've got a few German-based players on their roster and should give a nice run to England and Sweden, but not much of a scare.

20. Japan: I have to keep reminding myself that Japan's nice run last World Cup came at home. I really believe that Japan and South Korea are on a similar trajectory as the US, with more players playing in Europe. But Japan didn't win a game in France '98 and will only do a little better here.
Player to Watch: Nakata - Bolton/The Japanese Beckham

19. Switzerland: The Swiss are undergoing a bit of a Renaissance these days. They're win a game.
Player to Watch: Hakan Yakin - Fantastic name

18. Italy: There's been a lot of buzz in the States about the Czech Republic's rash of injuries, but the Azzuri are having it even worse. This is the first of two tall trees to fall in the first round.
Player to Watch: All of them. They're all divers. That's why the ref called that infamous dive last World Cup that turned out to not be a dive at all. Reputation. Ah, sorry. Actually, watch Del Piero. He's due in the Cup.

17. Argentina: Clearly, the football Gods are going to strike me down tonight. I was all set to put Netherlands in this spot, but Arjen Robben's face flashed before my eyes. Argentina? Out in the round robin two straight World Cups? Am I out of my mind? Probably...
Player to Watch: Leo Messi - Tommy Smyth loves this 19-year-old Barca stud.


FIRST ROUND SURVIVORS

16. Ivory Coast: There's a changing of the guard in African football with Cameroon, Nigeria and other regulars missing out. Ivory Coast will back into the round of 16 when Netherlands beat Argentina on June 21. You read it here first.
Player to Watch: Didier Drogba - Chelsea's manchild of a striker

15. Ukraine: Progress for the Ukraine. They'll follow their world class striker to success.
Player to Watch: Andriy Shevchenko - New Chelsea signing

14. Poland: These guys sneak into the 2nd round thanks to a rather weak group.
Player to Watch: Grzegorz Rasiak - Southampton

13. Germany: They peaked 4 years too early and now they have an un-liked coach, an injured star, an aging squad, and way too much pressure.
Player to Watch: Jens Lehmann - Arsenal Goalie didn't allow a goal in the Champions League this year

12. South Korea: Far from home they'll rely on the leadership of Man U's Ji-Sung Park.
Player to Watch: Park - Finally started to hold his own with the big boys in the Premiership this season.

11. Spain: Great roster but they're haunted by history. This roster is going to be entertaining to watch, to be sure. I just think they lack the superstar midfielder.
Player to Watch: Xabi Alonso - Liverpool player is the most likely midfielder to prove me wrong.

10. Sweden: Ah, I love the Swedes. They had a great run in the European Championship two years ago. They've got a stud striker (Ibrahimovic). They've got a delightful beard (Olaf Mellberg, if he grows it full). And they've got multiple Svenssons. But like Spain, they just can't compete with the top tier teams at midfield.
Player to Watch: Freddy Ljungberg - Arsenal star plays an entertaining attacking midfield.

9. Croatia: In some ways, I think these guys are probably overrated because of their cinderella run in France 98. But in other ways, maybe they've just gotten better. And their checkered unis are disorienting.
Player to Watch: Niko Kranjcar - The Coach's son, but one of those coach's son who's also the best player on the field.



THE ELITE EIGHT

8. Czech Republic: The 2nd ranked team in the world is suffering some injury trouble. But let me take you back to the European Championship in 2004. The Czechs had clinched top of the group and were playing Germany, who needed a win to survive. The Czechs rested their stars, sending out their weakest team possible...and still beat the Germans 2-1. Yoiks.
Player to Watch: Milan Baros - Aston Villa player stepped up his game for country in 2004 and could do it again this year.

7. Mexico: These guys have never had success in Europe. Somehow I think their lucky draw continues and they slip into the final eight.
Player to Watch: Jared Borgetti - First Mexican to play in England signed with Bolton a year ago.

6. Portugal: Figo decided to come out of retirement for one last shot at glory, but I think he's a jinx. His was supposed to be the Golden Generation in Portugal, but they only qualified for one World Cup and couldn't advance to the knockout stage. My recommendation? Bench Figo. This team is good enough without him. It's time for Cristiano Ronaldo to shine.
Player to Watch: Ronaldo - Man U. The best player in the world of that name.

5. United States: Hmmm...US is ranked 5th in the FIFA world Rankings...Paul is American...Paul thinks that the US can make a another statement this year...it'd be just like Paul to pick the US to live up to their FIFA ranking, wouldn't it? Hmmm...
Player to Watch: Eddie Johnson/Clint Dempsey - One or both need to provide some offense and burst onto the world scene like Donovan and Beasley did last Cup.


FINAL FOUR

4. Netherlands: Optimistic. Very optimistic. But they've got some nice young players on their roster and loads of talent everywhere. All their names are fun to try to pronounce too.
Player to Watch: Arjen Robben - Possibly, somehow the greatest player on Chelsea.

3. France: They crapped out last cup but I don't see it happening again. Actually, they almost missed out on the Cup but Zidane returned from International retirement and righted the ship. And he is the reason why I think they will succeed. Zidane is the anti-Figo. He is the John Elway of football (wait...well, you know what I mean). And having the greatest finisher in the world isn't too bad either.
Player to Watch: Thierry Henry - He and Rooney are the two best strikers at playing in a lone striker system when, for instance, their teams are bunkered in late to protect a lead.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP...

2. Brazil: There is no reason to think this World Cup won't belong to Ronaldinho the way the last cup belonged to Ronaldo. He's at the peak of his career, fresh off winning the Champions League. Plus, his aw-shucks demeanor makes him more likable than Ronaldo ever was. And he is surrounded by the usual vast array of talent. And yet...I think he will leave without the Cup. Because...


1. ENGLAND and Rooney are going to steal the show. The word is Rooney is going to play, if not in the round robin than certainly in the knockout stage. Europe may not know who Terrell Owens is, but you and I sure do. Rooney is going to pull a Terrell Owens, come back super quick from his broken foot, and lead England to their 2nd World Cup 40 years after their first. Despite suspect managing. Despite Peter Crouch. I'm in love with England's lineup. I can't imagine a better 11. But it is Big Game Wayne who is going to bring home the cup.

Getting ready.

I'm watching this every day until the US is eliminated.