This week, I’m going to talk to you all about hate.  Yes, I’ve decided it’s time to tackle another serious blog post.  There is too much hate in soccer, but not enough hate for Cristiano Ronaldo.  Now, I can hear you all grumbling about how everybody hates a winner or the best.  Frankly, I don’t hate Cristiano Ronaldo for what he does on the soccer pitch (although he does do some things on the pitch I disagree with).  I think he is a very talented young player who might have a good career, I hate him because he’s spoiled little whiny greased up bitch.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  First, I would like to say, that just hating somebody isn’t cool.  It has to be a thought out conscious decision to hate on somebody.  Don’t do it because it’s cool, or because your favorite Ninja Assassin told you to do it.  Each and every one of you has to search your soul and find your very own reasons to hate Cristiano Ronaldo.

But……  this is my blog post and these are my reasons!

1.        The Hair

So, I know it is very important for professional athletes to maintain their image.  However, does it really have to look like this?

I mean, this wasn’t even cool when the Grieco did it on Jump Street.

And hopefully there is karma and Ronaldo will end up with a modern day Grieco-esque hair line that he’ll have to hide under ridiculous hats and do rags.

2.       The Ferrari

So, this one hits close to home, as I am an automotive enthusiast.  Mr. Ronaldo crashed a Ferrari 599 into a cement wall on his way to training one day.  Now for those of you who are uniformed, Ferrari’s are works of art.  They are to be cherished, nurtured and loved.  You wouldn’t smack up the Venus de Milo, would you?  I think not.

3.        His Mouth

So, these words actually came out of his mouth…..

“I am the first, second and third best player in the world.”

I was going to leave this one alone and chalk it up to youthful arrogance, but I think he really believes himself when he says it.  So, here’s my plan to make this happen.  We’re going to rip off his legs so each of them can play on the field by itself at anytime.  Then what’s left of him, we’ll enter into the Special Olympics and see how he does.

4.        The Dives

When Cristiano is on the soccer field, he dives like a little bitch.  He doesn’t even wait for there to be contact before he takes a digger and buries his face in the turf and pretends to cry like a little school girl who just got her lunch tray dumped by the lunchroom bully.  And he’s so flamboyant about it too.  He seems so eager to go down…. Errrr… I’m not going to finish that thought.  You get the idea though.

5.        A picture is worth a 1,000 words…..

Ronaldo is so greasy they should hang him upside down and to collect the oil that falls and end our petroleum dependence in the middle east.

Rapids have a big game this weekend against Seattle Sounders.  A win will put the Rapids even with Seattle with 15 points and in a possible three way tie for second place.  Seattle needs to get back to winning ways in order to keep pace with Chivas.  Seattle’s offense has been a little stagnant as of late, so look for them to come into this game hungry.

This weekend the Sounders are hoping to get Ljunberg back after missing last weekend’s game to a migraine. Similarly, Riley should be back from suspension and ready to start at right back.  Cory Gibbs is healthy again for the Rapids which mean someone on the backline is probably going to be benched.  Palguta’s solid performances as of late have probably assured his spot as a center back.  Which means the Kimura is likely the odd man out.

Seattle might struggle if neither Zach Scott nor Nathan Sturgis are healthy to play this game.  That leaves Ianni, Wahl, or Graham to fill the left back spot.  Sigi might move Marshall out left and put Graham in the center.  Brad Evans is also day to day, but luckily Le Toux is back in good form and Nyassi is healthy.

If last weekend’s games are any indication of how this game will be played, we should see tons of attacking soccer.  Colorado took it to New England and was unlucky to walk away with only a point.  Seattle displayed their smooth attacking soccer against Dallas but failed to put the game away.  If anything, this game should be entertaining.

Here are some interesting matchups to watch:

Ljunberg and Mastroeni:  Mastro will have the massive task of keeping Ljunberg in check.  Considering Ljunberg is made of glass and Mastro is a massive hacker, I’m going to predict Ljunberg (injury) and Mastro (red card) only make it to the 35^th minute.

Colin Clark and James Riley: Riley might need the right mid to sit in a little deeper to help mark Colin Clark.  Riley is athletic enough to keep up with Clark, but its Clark’s deceptive runs and cuts that make him so dangerous.

Fredy Montero and the Rapids Defense: It takes a whole team to shut this kid down.  The second they don’t respect him he will score.  Montero has been kept quiet as of late and is easily frustrated by physical play. Montero now has a few games under his belt and should be getting accustomed to speed and physical nature of MLS. Montero is ready to explode at any moment and let’s just hope, for the Rapid’s sake, that Saturday isn’t that day.

Conor Casey and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado:  Both of these guys are extremely physical players and it should be a great battle. Hurtado has yet to face a forward with the size and power of Casey.  We’ll see if Hurtado can do what most other defenders in the league can’t, which is out muscle Casey.

Steve Zakuani and Cory Gibbs:  If there was any reason to start Gibbs over Kimura it is Zakuani.  Zakuani has become one of the Sounders most dangerous and influential players.  Gibbs doesn’t have the athleticism to keep up with him but he might be able to use his experience to neutralize him.

Sigi Schmid and Gary Smith:  Smith’s squad doesn’t have the talent that Seattle boasts so look for him to implement a game plan to neutralize Seattle’s possession game.  Schmid will need to deal with the absence of an experienced left back and the altitude.  If Seattle’s injuries don’t heal up, Schmid might not have the depth to keep up the pace in the last 30 minutes. Both of these guys are committed to their systems but they have some issues to resolve.  At the end we’ll have to see who the better tactician is. 

Possible Lineups:

Rapids: Pickens; Gibbs, Ihemelu, Palguta, Harvey; LaBrocca, Mastroeni, Belluchi, Clark; Cummings , Casey

Seattle: Keller; Ianni, Marshall, Hurtado, Riley; LeToux, Ljunberg, Alonso, Zakuani; Jaqua, Montero

Green Army’s Prediction: Rapids win 2-1, Seattle goes up early and loses it late to goals by Casey and Cummings.

The Green Army’s own Seattle fanatic chimes in:

Despite the difference in their records so far this season, I think this might be a closer match than most fans on both sides are expecting this to be.  Colorado’s home form this season has been fantastic and Sigi and his squad seem content to play for ties on the road.  While position for position I think Seattle has the superior squad (and yes, I’m very biased), I think they will probably play a very conservative game on Saturday night.  And I don’t foresee the Rapids mustering an offensive performance capable of breaking down Seattle’s back line and beating the league leading (statistically) goal keeper in Kasey Keller.  I think this one might go down a 0-0 draw.

However…….

The Ninja Assassin doesn’t believe in draws.  And he is a fan of the fearsome 11 that are coming to lay waste to a mediocre Rapids squad.  Yes, I predict that Kimura will be crying in his rice bowl after trying to defend against the likes of Le Toux and Zakuani all night.  And Omar Cummings will be forced to return to his native Jamaica and sell drinks with umbrellas in them on the beach after slamming into the stone wall of the Sounders defense.  Yes, the Ninja Assassin is going to expect an ass whooping of epic proportion to rain down upon Dicks Sporting Goods Park this Saturday evening and has faith that his fellow ninjas from the Pacific Northwest will deliver.

Sorry for the heitus from the rankings its been a busy month.  Here are a few things of note before we get to the rankings:

How many  people ever thought they would see Josh Wolff and Brian McBride leading the goal scorers in MLS in 2009?

The ugly side of parity reared its head this past weekend as 5 of 7 games ended in ties.

Osorio made a comment that some took to be implying that MLS referees are racist.  He quickly clarified his statement by saying it was just his poor English that it sound like something it was not.  So I’m going to say it in my proper English “MLS referees are racist and so are the commentators.”

Without further ado your Green Army MLS Power Rankings:

1. Chivas USA: Preki is really showing that he is one of the elite coaches in the league. I don’t think anyone expected Chivas to come charging out of the gates with 7 wins and a comfortable 8 point lead at the top.  Injuries to 7 starters and the poor play of Sacha Kljestan isn’t even noticeable.  In my book that can be attributed to great coaching, great leadership, and faith in the system.

2. Chicago Fire: Chicago is out playing teams and giving up points at the last minute.  They are the king of ties, but no one can deny their quality.  On any day they are the best team in the league on the field and on paper, but they just can’t finish teams off.

3. Seattle Sounders: Starting to look like a one trick pony.  They looked phenomenal at the start of the season but the rest of the league has figured them out.   I think Sigi needs to tweak some things to get results.  Nyassi being healthy should help boost the attack.  I guess its a positive sign for an expansion team when everyone expects them to win.

4. DC United: No one expected this much from United, at least not this early in the season.  Most predicted that they would dwell in the bottom of the league with the likes of LA and Dallas but now they are rubbing elbows at the top of the table with Chicago. Granted, Chicago’s six ties keeps the entire Eastern Conference alive but DC deserves some credit.  Stellar play by rookies Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace should be recognized as well as the resurgence of Santino Quaranta.

5. Toronto FC: Unbeaten in the last 6 games (4 in MLS) Toronto finally looked like the team that everyone expected this season.  A tough loss to Chicago at home is going to halt their momentum but they should rebound at home against New England.  Toronto needs to be more consistent.

6. Colorado Rapids: The Rapids are doing everything I was hoping they would do this season.  Mainly playing consistently.  They are winning games at home, tieing games away, and only losing by the smallest of margins. They are undefeated this year at Dick’s and Conor Casey is only a goal off the goal scoring leaders.  Not to mention that Colorado has 2 games in hand.

7. Kansas City: Still too inconsistent to call them real contenders.  Josh Wolff is back to his best which means the Wizards have a reliable goal scorer.  Defensively they are in good shape, shutting out teams in their 4 victories and only allowing 12 goals.  They rank 5th in both goals for and against.   Biggest disappointment for me has been Santiago Hirsig. Great player that has yet to really make an impact.

8. Real Salt Lake: After completely dismantling New England 6-0, Real Salt Lake has plummeted in form.  Losing 3 of the last 4 and tieing LA (just as good as a loss).  Real has only scored 2 goals this month despite the stellar play of Clint Mathis, Javier Morales, and Will Johnson. Their next two games are on the road at DC and San Jose.  Two winnable games but we’ll have to see how team morale looks.

9. Houston: Houston went from being winless to undefeated in the last 4 games. They won 3 games over Colorado, Dallas, and New England before giving up at last minute equalizer to NY this past weekend.  I think we all jumped the gun a little expecting Stuart Holden to pick up where DeRosario left off.  Holden has played fantastic in his own right but is not yet near the calibur of DeRo. Houston finishes this month with Toronto and San Jose, before they have to play Chicago and Chivas back to back.

10. New England: Its been a rough season for New England so far. They had a promising start considering their numerous injuries but have failed to win in their last 5 outings.  Partially due to injured players and partially due to a tough schedule. Things don’t look to be getting any easier as the club faces Toronto, Kansas, and DC before beginning the Super Liga at the end of June. Nicol is praying that his injured players heal up fast.

11. Columbus: Talk about a first to worst turn around. They are scoring goals and Schelotto hasn’t missed a beat with his 5 goals and 1 assist.  The most obvious problem that the Crew is that they’ve led in 6 of their 9 games and given up the lead for a tie. Another problem is that guys like Moreno and Gaven only have 1 goal this season and Robbie Rogers has yet to score.  Finally, Hejduk is one of their key players and he hasn’t been healthy. I think they’ll turn it around, starting with San Jose this weekend.

12. New York: It would be very easy to say that NY sucks, but the truth is that they don’t. They just can’t win.  They have great players in Angel, Kandji, Rojas, Celades, Pacheco, Petke, Richards, and Smith. Osorio is a great coach but he’s struggled to get his team up to speed with the rest of the league.  I guess the big question is “Will Osorio turn the team around late in the season like he did last year?” and, if he does “is that going to be good enough for the guys in the front office?”  A turn around looks likely because the team is clearly under performing, but I doubt the people at Red Bull will be forgiving about a .500 team.

13. Los Angeles: They are looking better and better, which doesn’t say much because they really couldn’t look much worse.  On the positive side, they are playing better defensiviely only allowing 11 goals in 9 games, which is is less goals than any team in the Eastern Conference except Chicago (Chi has 11 goals against).  Without Landon this summer look for LA to struggle offensively. Edson Buddle hasn’t returned to form which means they are going to rely on Jovan Kirovski and Alan Gordan to score goals. . . . ok now that you’ve stopped laughing we may continue. . . . . Luckily for the Galaxy the league is probably going to do them some favors. I’m going to predict Beasley and some type of stimulus package when Beckham doesn’t come back.

14. San Jose: Everyone that predicted the Earthquakes to be a force this year is probably eating some crow right now.  Things don’t look good at the moment as they have to face 4 of their next 5 opponents on the road.  Huckerby, Cochrane, and Hernandez have been huge losses due to injuries.  With those three, especially Huckerby, back in the line up SJ will be a much better squad.  They had this past weekend off after getting their ass kicked by NY 4-1, so they should be rested, regrouped, and ready to go.

15. FC Dallas: They don’t suck quite as bad anymore, but they still really suck. I’m going to go ahead and blame Schellas for the woes in Dallas.  He clearly doesn’t have the players for the system he wants to play but he insists.  Not starting guys like Avila and McCarty, and trading away Pitchkolan is just retarded. The positive is that more than half the team is under 25 and, for the really young guys, they are all current youth national team players.  So Dallas has a good future, but Schellas not so much.

Voting is now open for the MLS All-Stars at : MLSnet.com

The MLS All-Stars will match up against Everton of the Premier League on July 29th.  Might not be the most exciting opponent but All Star games are usually fun because you get to see guys like Landon Donovan and Chuatemoc Blanco on the same team.

If I got the opportunity to pick the All-Star team, this is what it would look like:

Kasey Keller (Seattle)

Conde (Chicago)               Olave (RSL)             Hurtado (Seattle)

Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle)       Shalrie Joseph (NE)

Amado Guevara (Toronto)

Landon Donovan (LA)                                          Blanco (Chicago)

Brian McBride (Chicago)              Schelotto (Columbus)

There are definitely many deserving players and you can probably see my Latin American bias in these selections. Let me know who you think should be on the All-Star team.

by: Zach Utsler

I realize all of you are used to my extremely fascinating posts, (no need to comment on that lol) but as of late my head has been in the clouds. I’m off on vacation soon and have not been able to focus much on soccer news , work,  etc.  Been a little too long since I’ve been anywhere but hometown Missourah so I’m minutely excited to say the least.

Anyway, thought I would post up 10 of my favorite Ray Hudson quotes for you to either laugh or cringe about.  For my money, he is by far the most entertaining commentator, although I realize he can be one of those either “love him” or “hate him” personalities.  The best chance you have of hearing him is on GOLTV which is the network he commentates on.

So here they are… I cannot account for accuracy but I can for sure say they are damn funny!

10. “Braver than a bullfighter with no knickers on.”

9. “A goal is a dream with a deadline. And this one is a wet dream.”

8. “All the fire engines come, he takes them all and skins them like Jack the Ripper.”

7. “You’ve got to put him in chains, put him inside a bank vault, put him on a ship, take the ship out to the ocean, sink the ship, and you know what? He’ll still get out.”

6. “Better balance than a one-legged man standing in a hammock, Lionel Messi. Like Hannibal Lecter he skins them alive.”

5. “Defending this team, it’s like trying to nail Jello to the ceiling, mission impossible.”

4. “Looks like a Tyrannosaurus Rex with hemorrhoids. Angry!”

3.  “He needs to be on his tippy-toes, like a midget at a urinal.”

2.”It wouldn’t get any more exciting here now if Elvis himself showed up in a matador’s outfit.”

1. “Without penetration, it’s just masturbation, and right now, we’re just playing with ourselves.”

This post would not have been possible without the awesome archive of quotes by one blogger known as “hudsonland” you can check out hundreds of wacky quotes on his Hudsonia blog.  There are actually a few articles, blogs, and so on dedicated to Mr. Hudson floating around the web.  Of course, there wouldn’t be any of it if it weren’t for the man himself so “Thanks Ray and keep it coming!”

Comment and let us know your favorite announcer, soccer related sayings, or quotes.

Cheers!

By: Chris Lobkovich

Alright Green Army faithful…. I’m back!  And I’ve got an entire page of notes of worthy subjects for ridicule.  But, with all this banter on the blog about the depth of the Men’s National Team and all the buzz starting about the upcoming Gold Cup and World Cup going about, I thought I’d write about the sad state of professional and national team soccer here in the states.  Now, I can hear the bitching and the arguments already….  And that is exactly what I want to hear, however, my point is a simple one.

We will never field a truly top class competitive national team while our best athletes are playing other sports.

There.  I said it.  While there are many great soccer players that come from the United States and many who play in the some of the most competitive leagues around the world, the quality of the athletes who end up playing soccer is inferior to the quality of athletes that end up playing other sports here the United States.  Our strongest, fastest, tallest and most agile are being scooped up at young ages to play basketball, football and a plethora of other high paying professional sports.  And unfortunately in our society, until kids (and their parents) start seeing soccer players pulling in big time endorsement deals and arriving at stadiums in super exotic high dollar autos, our best athletes are going to get pushed to where they can make the most money.  Now I’m not saying that the big name athletes right now don’t love the sports they have chosen to dedicate their lives too, but I don’t see emulating Clint Dempsey at pickup games like I see them pretending to be Michael Jordan.

So now I know all of you are asking yourselves “Ninja Assassin, how do we fix this?”  Well, it’s quite simple really.  I’ve compiled a list of current athletes that we will kidnap and hold against their will while they are brain washed and reconditioned to be soccer players.  I figure, if we get started as soon as the NBA playoffs are over, we could have a super team assembled and ready to go by the time World Cup 2010 comes around.

So, without further delay, the top five American athletes that should play soccer instead of whatever lame professional sport they’ve chosen.

1.        Lebron James:

King James!!!! When he isn’t destroying people on the court he is hugging babies. What is there not to like about this guy?  He would be the US version of Kaka: tall, talented, well spoken, and a decent human being.  He would be our answer to that second forward position.  His ability to create as well as finish will truly make him the American embodiment of Kaka.

2.       Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps was my hero until I saw this picture.  What a shame. There is no way I can root for a guy that can’t even clear a bong load.  SUCK IT UP PUSSY!!!!  Anyways, drugs and greatness sometimes go hand in hand.  Phelps could have been another member of our long tradition of world class keepers. The guys stands 6′4 inches tall and has a 6′7 wingspan.  Yeah his arms are longer than he is tall. This knuckle dragging freak show would dominate between the posts.

3.       Kobe Bryant

When Kobe Bryant isn’t raping white girls, he is on the court raping other teams.  The man likes to grab the game by neck and ram it into submission.  I think his greatest accomplishment, though, was proving once and for all that money does buy forgiveness.  Kobe could have been the American Maradona.  One of the greatest to ever play the game and could get away with murder. His skill, creativity, and dominating athleticism would have propelled his name among the greats.

4.       Ladainian Tomlinson

Just imagine that is Raphael Marquez in that NY uniform.  LT would be the first real American winger.  He would be Cristiano Ronaldo with testicles.  You would never see LT take a dive or pass the ball for that matter.  His agility, power, and pace would make him a one man wrecking crew up the flanks.

5.       Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson has the skill, speed, and grace of Robinho with the criminal record of Joey Barton.  He would be our go to striker and tabloid sensation.  Iverson is known for being a one man show and a complete cancer to any team.  Sounds like a perfect fit for LA Galaxy.

So what do you guys think?  I’d like to get some feedback from you guys on this.  Not so much on the specific athletes that I’ve listed, but on the current state of and quality of the athletes that are currently playing US soccer.

People have already started talking about the rookie of the year race, so I decided to weigh in on the subject.  Here are my rankings so far:

1. Chris Pontius: The guys looks like a veteran out there for DC United.  Not only has he almost started every game for DC United, but he has 3 goals and 2 assists. Anyone who has watched him play can see the potential this kid has.

2. Stefan Frei: I have to admit, I was surprised to see his name in the starting line up for opening day.  He has been solid so far this season compiling a record of 3-1-3 for Toronto. Outside of Pontius, Frei has made the smoothest transition into the pro game.  He will have to stay consistent to keep his starting spot, but I think he has proved why everyone thought he would go in the top 3 at the draft.

3. Steve Zakuani: Has slowly worked his way into a starting spot. They guy is fast, technical, and dangerous.  He has 2 goals and 3 assists in about half the minutes that Pontius has played.  The best #1 draft pick in a long time and might actually get to add Rookie of the Year to his list of accolades if he keeps performing.

4. Darius Barnes: Steve Nicol is a genious when it comes to picking players.  Barnes has started every minute of every game for NE as the lone center back.  Taking over where Parkhurst left off, Barnes has been a rock in the back line.  Not immune to some rookie mistakes but is playing well beyond his years.

5. Rodney Wallace: Playing second fiddle to Pontius’s success, but is nonetheless worthy of mention.  Wallace has 2 goals and 3 assists to start the season and comes in with the most starts (9) of any rookie. He is a versatile and athletic left footed player.  He hasn’t always looked comfortable but so far has produced enough keep his starting job.

These players are the easy favorites right now, but, with the nature of the transition from college to the pros, early season form isn’t always a good indicator of who will become the rookie of the year.  One major downside to the college game is that it only prepares you for about 4 months of soccer, where the MLS season is about 8 months. Look for some of these players to burn out mid summer.  Some will recover come fall, but others won’t. Hopefully it isn’t due to an injury.

Here are a couple other guys that might be in the race come October:

1.  Sam Cronin:  Tidy player that still has some room for growth.  I think his chances really depend on how Toronto does this season.

2. Omar Gonzalez: the always improving Gonzalez is steadily improving.  The MLS season is typically more forgiving on defenders than attackers.  If LA makes the playoffs it will be largely because of his improvement.

3. Matt Besler: Another guy that is getting a ton of minutes. His performances have been up and down this season.

5. Kevin Alston: An early season injury hurt his form but he looks like he is back in the race.  He has dominating athleticism and tenacity.  Should be in the race come the fall.

6. Jeremy Hall: The guy is definitely good enough to be on this list and his performance speak for themselves. Unfortunately for the former Maryland standout, Coach Osorio has brought in Carlos Johnson to fill the spot at outside back. If he can make the most of his minutes and earn a starting spot he’ll be on the list for Rookie of the Year come the fall.

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This started as a comment on the US Depth Chart analysis post by TrueCrew but I decided to make it into a post instead.

Where to begin . . .

Outside Backs: listing Beasley as a starting outside backs leads me to believe he didn’t actually watch the only game that Beasley played at left back . . . or TrueCrew is on drugs.  Granted we aren’t deep at left back, but Gibbs, Bornstein, and Spector will get the start if healthy. Knowing that Hejduk is still in the discussion at right back makes me die a little inside. Yes he’s made some big plays as of late, but that was only after fucking up 90% of the balls he touched. Not to mention he gets torched by the man he was marking. Lucky for him he has tons of energy and recovers from his mistakes.  Bottom line, Hejduk isn’t good, never was, and it is too late to except anything more.  Wynne, Simek, Dolo, Spector are my picks for that spot.

Center Backs: Nevin Subotic sounds pretty good right about now.

Outside Mids: Landon Donovan and Dempsey sounds pretty good. Saying that there is a huge drop off after Donovan, Dempsey, and Beasley reminds me that TrueCrew was on the pipe when he wrote this.  Beasley licks balls. Torres is a much better player than Beasley and a better pure midfielder than Landon.  Kljestan is young and inconsistent, i can’t wait until he has another amazing game and everyone says how deep we are at the midfield position.  Bottom line, the kid is good, and at his best produces more than Dempsey.

Center Mid: Michael Bradley is a lock. I think the issue in the center mid is not picking the best player to partner Bradley, but picking what type of system you want to run.  Edu, Clark, and Mastro bring similar defensive minded qualities. Klejstan and Adu are more of an attacking option, while Feilhaber and Torres are more possession type midfielders.  Personally, I’d go with a more attacking or defensive option and take the possession type out of the equation.  Possession is great, but if you insist on having guys like Hejduk, Beasley, and, well, Michael Bradley, your possession game really isn’t going to go anywhere. Might as well have some defensive guys in there to recover the ball when Hejduk blasts meaningless balls out of the defensive third.

Forwards: I’m not as comfortable with our current forward situation as our resident crack fiend TrueCrew. Altidore hasn’t “proven himself.”  TrueCrew does qualify his statement, but I don’t think he goes far enough.  He showed he could finish and have moments of brilliance but he also showed that he can’t put together a full ninety minutes of good soccer.  Luckily for Altidore there really aren’t many challengers for his spot.  Davies, Donovan, and Cooper look like the best options to me. Ching is a great role player, but we need more.  I know Bradley likes the work that Ching does but I want higher expectations of our strikers.  Hustling and winning balls should not be enough.  So right now we have a young inconsistant prospect in Altidore and a limited role player in Ching starting up top. Yikes!!!!

Goalkeeper: This one is easy, Howard all the way.

Hello Everyone,

I came across this interesting op-ed on Big Soccer (bigsoccer.com) and I wanted to share it with everyone and get your thoughts on it.  The article was witten by TrueCrew on May 10th, 2009. See the full original article HERE or read below:

1. Outside back.
Starters: RB = Cherundolo, LB = Beasley.
BB’s Backups: Hejduk (both sides), Spector (both sides + CB), Bornstein (LB)
Next Level: Pearce (LB), Wynne (RB), Simek (RB).
Other options: Bocanegra or Orozco at LB, Convey at LB, DeMerit at RB, Eddie Lewis out of mothballs.
Anyone on the Horizon: No one else that I can see.

Though we don’t have a set in stone starter, I’m not too concerned here. Bradley is one of our best players and has a bright future. Pablo is experienced and probably still the best pure DM in the pool, and Edu and Torres both are promising and playing well for high level clubs. Kljestan and Feilhaber have been inconsistent, but have shown flashes of brilliance (hat tricks, Gold Cup vs. Mexico). Throw in Clark’s experience and ability to cover ground, and guys on the horizon like Szetela and Holden and  I feel comfortable with a lot of players.

6. Goalkeeper.
Starter = Tim Howard.
BB’s Backups: Guzan and Hahnemann.
Next Level: Perkins, Busch, Hesmer, Pickens.
Other options: Keller or Friedel out of mothballs.
Give a look: Cannon.
On the Horizon: Seitz, Robles, Yelldell.

Do we even need to discuss it? Howard is setting team records at Everton. Friedel and Keller could step in if we had an injury crisis. Hahnemann is an experienced Prem and WC keeper who could be playing in the EPL next year, and Guzan is Friedel’s successor at Villa. And with players like Seitz, Yelldell, and Robles progressing, and MLS producing a nice stream of quality options as well. I’m NOT worried about GK.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE USMNT?

HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS STARTING LINEUP FOR THE US?

WHO IS THE WRITER FORGETTING TO ADD TO THE POOL?

By: Eric Fulton

HELLO HELLO!

Another crappy 2009 spring weekend followed by what looks to be a gorgeous week! Hope all is well with you and yours… Here’s how we fared:

Premier: Game canceled due to dumbass Dicks
Premier Reserve: No Game
Green: Tied game in a wild rec-card affair.
White: Lost 0-4 in a tough and intense game against Tana
Silver: WON THEIR FIRST GAME EVER!!!! 4-3.
Masters: Tied 2-2 in a game they wish they had back.
Coed: on Tuesday’s @ Foothills
Women: Tuesdays at Bladium.

Cheers!