Soccer Buzz

I never could get to the computer yesterday so I apologize. I thought I’d share some interesting items with you

Grant Wahl Interviews Freddy Adu About Making the Move to Benfica

The $2 million transfer may not sound like much, but there is a sell-on clause that would give the league a portion of a potential Adu transfer from Benfica.

Freddy never did dominate the league, but I’m not going to call his MLS career a personal failure. He was very impressive at times with DC United, especially in 2006, and I can’t find fault with him struggling in Salt Lake since that club has way too many issues for one player to overcome.

As he says in the article, he was often forced to play out of position in MLS. At DC, Christian Gomez was one of the best playmakers in the league, but coach Peter Nowak wanted to get Adu on the field anyway so Adu needed to learn how to play out wide in a 3-5-2, a position with immense defensive responsibility as well. Still, Freddy was able to produce some eye-popping moments of brilliance for DC. At Salt Lake, they played him on the wing with Mehdi Ballouchy playing as the number 10, which is the type of mind-boggling move that forced John Ellinger out of the coaching ranks early in the season.

Benfica often plays with a diamond midfield or a 4-2-2-2; both formations would allow Adu to play the type of central attacking role where he is most comfortable. Even if he does not become a starter immediately, he will get the chance to learn from veterans like Rui Costa as well play in a real reserve system. (MLS did not have a reserve system when Adu entered the league in 2004)

The Yankee Hooligan on the Beckham Backlash in Dallas

Okay, I understand that people really want to see Beckham, and that they put down good money to do so. Still, do people lack the common sense to know that there is a chance that any player can get injured and be unavailable to play? Beckham is going to be around for a while so it isn’t as if you’ve missed a once in a lifetime event, and besides, the fans in Dallas got to see a frickin’ 6-5 match. Now that’s a once in a lifetime type of event!

Anyway, Beckham is flying with the team to Toronto this weekend, and he might play. By the way, Tennis Coach provided a pretty good article explaining Beckham’s left ankle.

I mentioned Freddy Adu playing tonight for Salt Lake.  Well, scratch that.

Steven Goff of the Washington Post is reporting that Adu will not be at the game tonight as he will be flying to meet with his family this evening and then heading to Lisbon to finalize a deal with Benfica.

Salt Lake has been linked with several players that ostensibly would be Adu’s replacement, most notably Jay Jay Okocha.

• After being linked with several MLS teams during the past year, the Fire have signed Paulo Wanchope to a one year deal. Don’t look now, but with Chris Rolfe and Wanchope playing up top, Cuauhtemoc Blanco playing behind them, and Justin Mapp on the wing, Chicago might just have discovered a dangerous attack.

• Eddie Johnson wasn’t the only American to reject a move abroad the past couple of weeks. Freddy Adu turned down a move to Benfica in Portugal earlier this week. I know it is somewhat old news, but I wanted to point out once again that the league is willing to sell young, high-profile players for the right price.

• Tonight, New York hosts Chivas USA. Chivas hasn’t played well on the road all season, and with the Red Bulls attack now at truly full strength, it is hard for me to imagine Chivas getting anything from this game. NY 3, Chivas 0

Last week, I reported that Eddie Johnson personally rejected a move to Derby County, and I wondered why we had heard nothing about this. Some people thought that it wasn’t in the best interest for the Wizards to say anything, and others simply thought that I got the story all wrong in the first place.

Well, now Johnson and Wizards Technical Director Peter Vermes have both confirmed that the player, not the team/league, killed the move. Props to Bob Luder, the Wizards beat writer for the Kansas City Star for investigating this even further, especially after Sky Sports ran an article late last week that noted Derby’s interest in buying Johnson.

I suppose there is always a chance another team could come in with a huge deal for Johnson, but I think it is even safer to assume that Johnson is happy in KC and wants to finish this season with the Wizards.

Okay, an overly busy weekend combined with little to no Internet access kind of threw me off.  Well, let’s look at what’s been happening.

• A nice 2-0 win for the MLS All-Stars over Celtic in the All-Star Game Thursday night.  Yes, I know it was a friendly, but I enjoyed it anyway.

• Beckham made his “debut” for the LA Galaxy in a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute.  There were questions as to if he would play at all, but I suppose the ankle was good enough to play for twelve minutes.  However, I think we all got our fix of Becks with the Beckham cam following his every move on the bench as well as warming up for his cameo appearance.  If this type of coverage annoys you, I suppose we will just need to get used to it because I doubt it will change for the rest of this season regardless of his fitness.

• Cuauhtemoc Blanco made his debut for the Chicago Fire in a 1-1 draw against Celtic, scoring a goal and helping Chicago actually look like a talented team for the first time this season.  Blanco will probably look even better when/if Chris Rolfe returns from injury.  The question still remains as to which Blanco will show up every game (the brilliant one, or the lazy one).

• An interesting Sunday of MLS fixtures.  Houston and New England put on an entertaining 3-3 draw with a couple of fantastic goals from Pat Noonan and Dwayne De Rosario.  Guillermo Barros Schelotto continued his fine play with the Crew with both goals in a 2-0 win over Toronto.  New York managed to scrape by DC United with a 1-0 win at home despite the absence of a suspended Juan Pablo Angel.  Finally, KC could only get a draw from Colorado in a 2-2 game marred by Colorado’s incessant, hacking tactics, the Wizards overreacting to these tactics, and putrid officiating by Tim Weyland, who allowed Colorado to get away with these tactics despite 8 yellow cards and 1 red card.  Eddie Johnson continued his tremendous season with his 11th and 12th goals of the year (in only 11 games played).  And Mehdi Ballouchy should be expecting a fine and a suspension for elbowing Sasha Victorine before the half (Weyland only booked Ballouchy for the incident).

• Can the Carlos Tevez transfer saga get any stranger?  FIFA was called in to settle the dispute between West Ham and Manchester United, but FIFA has now decided to send the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.  For those of you that have lost track of what exactly is going on, West Ham won’t allow Tevez to move to West Ham because of confusion over who owns the player’s economic rights.  Tevez’s agent Kia Joorabchian claims that he would be entitled to any transfer fee, but West Ham and the Premier League claim that any fee must go to the club.  I’m sure Tevez will end up at Manchester United, but this can’t be good news for the Red Devils as they will have to wait even longer to incorporate him into the team.

• Superliga, the new competition between American and Mexican clubs, begins this evening with FC Dallas hosting Chivas de Guadalajara and the Galaxy hosting Pachuca.  The big story (not surprisingly) is that Beckham is listed as doubtful for this evening’s game as the left ankle is still acting up.  Personally, I hope they give him the night off and try to get him ready for Saturday’s game against Chivas de Guadalajara.

Last week, there were several stories about newly promoted Premiership side Derby County looking to buy American striker Eddie Johnson from the Kansas City Wizards. However, Derby announced that the deal fell through, and that they would be looking elsewhere for a forward. Some thought these stories were unfounded rumors, and many believed that the league’s transfer fee demands were too high.

I’ve learned from reliable sources that the deal was actually set as the league and the Wizards’ owners agreed to sell him for around £2.5-£3 million. However, Johnson himself nixed the deal.

It bears repeating to critics of the league that feel that the players are constantly held hostage by clubs and the league office; Eddie Johnson put the kibosh on this one, not the league.

Why would Johnson not approve a move abroad? First, he was not going to receive the standard cut from the transfer fee that players normally receive. The player normally gets 10% of the transfer fee, but Johnson would have received something substantially less.

Also, Johnson wants to finish the season with Kansas City and then re-evaluate his status. He feels that he is on the uptick as he is having a fantastic season with the Wizards thus far, and he feels that he could have even better opportunities abroad should he continue to keep banging goals.

If I can speculate further, Johnson also appears to be enjoying himself in Kansas City at this season. He has a good relationship with his teammates, and above all, he seems to love playing for new manager Curt Onalfo as his tactics and personality are perfectly suited for a player like Johnson.

My only question is why the league and the club have been reluctant to publicize this. It seems to me that the league would want let people know that the league’s top scorer (and an American international) wanted to stay with the league rather than make a move to the Premiership. I think this would be great propaganda against the detractors of the league, especially with millions of people who have just started paying attention to the league because of Beckham. Perhaps playing in MLS is not as horrid as some people would like to believe.

From the Wizards’ perspective, I can’t believe they aren’t making a big deal of this. After a poor season on and off the field last season, Johnson has won over the fans at Arrowhead this year, and there’s no better way to cement one’s status as a fan favorite than rejecting a big move like this. With owners OnGoal LLC trying to rebuild the team’s fanbase after the previous owners, Hunt Sports Group, seemed content to let the club wither on the vine, this story seems to be great (and cheap) advertising and marketing for the club.

There has been some big transfer news in the English Premiership this week involving the league’s top teams.

The week started with Croatian Eduardo Da Silva (he was born in Brazil, but moved to Croatia at age 15) signing with Arsenal on a £7.5million transfer from Dinamo Zagreb. While nobody can truly call him Henry’s replacement, he could be the type of forward Arsenal need: a true goal poacher. Da Silva has showed that he can score in European club competitions as well as at the international level, but the question is how quickly can he adapt to the English game.

There have been questions surrounding Arsenal’s reaction to Henry’s transfer, namely what it could hold for the future of Arsene Wenger. Certainly, the move for Da Silva isn’t a huge splash, but it seems like the type of signing that Wenger has always made at his time at Arsenal, a relatively cheap player that is ready to make the move to a major club. The Wenger saga is not over for Arsenal, but this signing seems to be business as usual for the French manager.

Liverpool then made their big signing of Atletico Madrid’s Fernando Torres for a club record £20 million. This signing makes it even clearer that Craig Bellamy and Djibril Cisse are on their way out. Manager Rafa Benitez obviously wants to make his team a true Premiership contender after the club has more than proven its capabilities in the Champions League the past three seasons, however while Torres adds even greater firepower up top to Liverpool, they still need to fill holes elsewhere, especially on the wings.

Not to be outdone, Manchester United could be close to signing West Ham’s Carlos Tevez. West Ham could even allow him to move for free because of legal problems with Tevez’s agent as well as the seemingly never ending trial involving their punishment over his transfer (Sheffield United are now trying to take their case to the British High Court).

It goes without saying that regardless of all of his baggage, a Tevez/Wayne Rooney partnership is an absolutely scary proposition for Premiership clubs next season.

Arsenal, Eduardo Da Silva, Arsene Wenger, Liverpool FC, Fernando Torres, Rafa Benitez, Carlos Tevez, Manchester United

A couple bits of news:

Fabio Capello has been sacked by Real Madrid less than 2 weeks after winning the Spanish Primera title. And people wonder why Beckham didn’t want to stay.

DaMarcus Beasley has completed his long rumored move to Rangers. It may not be the glamorous move to a Premiership club, but he will be getting first team soccer, play in the Champions League, and he will learn to play in high pressure situations (i.e. any game against Celtic).

In MLS action, DC United hosts Colorado this evening at RFK Stadium. Both teams have serious injury/international duty concerns. I think DC bounces back after losing to Real Salt Lake last week. DC 2, Colorado 0

Copa America begins tonight for the United States as they face Argentina. The Argentines have brought in essentially their best squad possible, and they are dead serious about winning this tournament for the first time since 1993. Meanwhile, the Americans are bringing a team with many young and/or inexperienced players at the international level. Nobody is expecting much from the United States this evening, and in many ways rightfully so.

This leads to the question of why did Bob Bradley bring such an inexperienced squad. After all, Copa America is more prestigious than the Gold Cup so why didn’t he bring the “A” team with him to Venezuela and have the “B” team play in the Gold Cup?

Well, there are many reasons. First, because the United States is a guest team at Copa America, clubs are under no obligation to release players for the tournament. Even if clubs are willing to release players, do you think, for example, that Fulham would be pleased if Carlos Bocanegra or Clint Dempsey decided to play? For some players, it boiled down to a situation of needing rest and making sure their place in the lineup was secured. Mexico is missing several European-based players at Copa America for the exact same reasons. So basically, Bradley knew all of those players would be available for the Gold Cup, but their availability was in serious doubt for Copa America.

Why even accept an invitation to Copa America knowing all of this? First, the Chicken Littles in US Soccer were out in full force after the US was knocked out of the World Cup in the first round. These people were proposing all sorts of changes to improve the US team, one of which was accepting the invite to Copa America, because by their logic, the American players needed to play against quality opposition in big time environments. Initially the US Soccer Federation was going to decline, but perhaps under pressure from the Chicken Littles (and maybe thinking a foreign head coach would want to play in the tournament), they accepted the invitation.

Of course, none of the logistical problems I mentioned above were considered because people were in full panic mode after the World Cup. So now, these same people are complaining that we didn’t bring our full squad. Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the point of playing in Copa America to get our players experience at this level against the best teams (and Argentina definitely qualifies as such)? Most of our first team players have experience playing in pressure situations against high quality teams, but the players on the Copa America roster do not. Therefore, Bradley is accomplishing the goal of playing in Copa America by bringing this squad.

Some people fear that these players will wilt under the pressure and suffer a major confidence blow. Well, isn’t it better to find all of this out about these players now as opposed to finding out about it during a World Cup qualifier or the World Cup itself? Playing Argentina tonight will be shock therapy for some of the players, but this means that many of these young players will have some kind of experience to fall back on when they are called upon in major games down the road.

Finally, people complain about the lack of prestige in the Gold Cup. Well, the only way this tournament gains prestige is if the top teams in CONCACAF take it seriously, because we can’t rely on the incompetent folks that run the confederation. This is what happened in the final: the top two teams each fielding their best possible squads. And nobody that watched that game can tell me that it really didn’t matter.

So in short, this Copa America controversy is nothing but another example of how American soccer fans always find the need to complain about something.

Fabio Capello, Real Madrid, DaMarcus Beasley, Rangers, DC United, Colorado Rapids, US Soccer, Gold Cup, Copa America

It just doesn’t seem real.

Thierry Henry has passed a physical yesterday, thus completing his move to Barcelona. He has appeared in front of fans and the media in a Barca shirt, pledging that he will give everything to the club.

But it still doesn’t seem real.

Henry had stated on many occasions how much he loved being at Arsenal, even going as far as to say that he would have signed a lifetime contract with them if offered. It’s not hard to see why. Arsenal offered him a new lease on life after struggling as a youngster at Juventus, he had a long standing relationship with manager Arsene Wenger, and he was adored by the fans. Henry even turned down a chance to join Barca last year after the Catalan club defeated Arsenal in the Champions League final, seemingly solidifying the belief that he would retire a Gunner.

Some things have changed since last year, however. The ouster of David Dein as vice chairman and Director of Football unsettled nearly everyone at the club, especially Wenger. Also, Henry may have simply realized that most of the players from the title winning sides of 2002 and 2004 have left the team, and many of these players were never truly replaced. Finally, from the club’s standpoint, Henry struggled with injuries last season, only appearing in seventeen games. Henry’s greatness cannot be questioned, but the club may fear that he is beginning to wear down. In the end, this is not a story of a player lying to his fans and stabbing them in the back. Henry truly did love Arsenal, but he could not foresee all of the changes that would occur in the future.

Now the question is if/who will Arsenal lineup as a replacement. Carlos Tevez could be available as he wouldn’t have to move far, and his form in the second half of the season for West Ham shows that he can succeed in the Premiership. Ajax striker Ryan Babel has said that he could see himself with Arsenal in the future, but he committed to staying in Amsterdam for at least one more season. Bobby McMahon with Fox Soccer Channel has noted that Fernando Torres of Atletico Madrid is a possible target, especially since Arsenal can offer Jose Antonio Reyes as a part exchange.

Finally, the juiciest rumor is that of Nicolas Anelka. Anelka left Arsenal on probably the worst possible terms. With his sulking and his brothers trying to tear up his Arsenal contract, Anelka drew the ire of essentially everyone associated with the club. He has resurrected his career somewhat, but I just can’t see him being brought back. The scenario seems so far fetched that if he were to return, Arsenal fans, after seeing their hero leave them, would have to believe that Armageddon is upon us. But as we’ve all learned, never say never…

Thierry Henry, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Arsene Wenger, David Bein, Carlos Tevez, Ryan Babel, Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka

In trade news, the LA Galaxy sent defender Tyrone Marshall to Toronto for forward Edson Buddle.

While Jim Brennan is doing a an admirable job playing in the middle of the Toronto backline, head coach Mo Johnston would obviously prefer to have a natural center back to pair with Andy Boyens. The problem, however, is that Marshall’s play this season has been sub-par. Plus, he will be suspended for three games after breaking Kenny Cooper’s leg. Finally, Abel Xavier’s arrival in made Marshall expendable in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is in desperate need for forwards. So desperate that they are willing to take a flier on Edson Buddle. Perhaps playing with Landon Donovan and David Beckham can help Buddle regain his form of 2004 when he had 11 goals for the Crew in 24 games. If his play doesn’t improve, he will join Kyle Martino, Santino Quaranta, and Nate Jaqua in the Galaxy’s group of players with unfulfilled potential.

Okay, on to this week’s games:

FC Dallas at Real Salt Lake (Tonight 8 PM CT ESPN2)
Salt Lake has been playing better as of late (at least they are picking up a point here and there), and Kenny Cooper’s broken tibia will be problematic for Dallas in the coming months. Dallas has been inconsistent this season, but it is hard for me to predict Salt Lake getting a result from this one. FCD 2, RSL 1

Columbus Crew at New England Revolution
Guillermo Barros Schelotto has played well since arriving in Columbus. Unfortunately for the Crew, it has not translated into victories. The good news for Columbus is that the Revs are missing Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston, and Michael Parkhurst, all of whom are with the national team. I really question the Revolution’s 3 man back line without Parkhurst in the middle so I think the Crew can eek out a couple of goals. Crew 2, Revs 2

Chicago Fire at DC United
This one features two teams heading in opposite directions. The Fire have only won once since the beginning of May, and with Justin Mapp, Chris Rolfe, and Ivan Guerrero missing for various reasons, this Fire team really doesn’t have much offensive punch. DC United, on the other hand, is undefeated in their last six games, and while several of those games were against mediocre competition, it’s safe to say they have snapped out of their early season doldrums. DC 3, Chicago 0

Kansas City Wizards at New York Red Bulls
This has to be the game of the week with the league’s top two teams meeting at the Meadowlands. Two weeks ago, Eddie Johnson smoked a makeshift Red Bulls defense for a second half hat trick in Kansas City. Unfortunately for the Wizards, EJ is with the national team. KC will at least have underrated forward Scott Sealy back in the lineup for this one to pick up some of the slack. New York picked up some good news as defenders Todd Dunivant and Jeff Parke should be available to help shore up their back line. The Red Bulls should win this one and that’s what I’ll predict. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if KC grabs a result either (yes, I’m hedging). NY 2, KC 1.

Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA
The Amado Guevara saga was supposed to wreck this Chivas team, but they have started to pull it together since Guevara left the team. Without a true playmaker, Chivas has been manufacturing wins in the past two weeks. Grinding it out without a singular creative genius on the field may not sound like the hallmarks of a team managed by Preki, but it has been getting the job done. Meanwhile, the Rapids have lost two straight. Chivas 2, Colorado 1.

FC Dallas at Toronto FC (Sunday)
This should be a tough one for Dallas. Toronto is a tough team at BMO, and Dallas will be playing on short rest. I expect Toronto to come out flying in front of the home crowd, but can they avoid the emotional collapse in the second half that they have suffered in previous home games? I think Dallas has the kind of midfield that can keep this game under control and will allow them to get out of Canada with a point. FCD 1, TFC 1

Real Salt Lake at LA Galaxy (Sunday)
Yikes! Kansas City against New York pits the top two teams this week, and this match features perhaps the bottom two. Salt Lake is in better shape right now, but I don’t think they will be able to pull off a win on the road after playing tonight. RSL 1, LA 1.

Tyrone Marshall, Edson Buddle, MLS, LA Galaxy, Toronto FC

The US faces El Salvador tonight in the Gold Cup. The Americans have already qualified for the quarterfinals, and a draw guarantees that they will win their group. I’d expect Bob Bradley to let some first team guys sit this game out, especially Carlos Bocanegra and Frankie Hejduk who are sitting on yellow cards from the game against Guatemala.

Another player that may sit this one out is DaMarcus Beasley. The Scottish paper Daily Record is reporting that Glasgow Rangers have agreed to a transfer fee with PSV Eindhoven for the left winger, and Beasley would like time off to discuss personal terms. While Beasley wanted to catch on with Manchester City, this wouldn’t be a bad move for him. He would get to play in Europe, and if there’s a league that will force you to become accustomed to physical play, Scotland is it.

Despite Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon shooting his mouth off (again), David Beckham says he fully plans to head to Los Angeles to play for the Galaxy at the end of the month. No real shocker there, in my opinion. Beckham was seemingly never appreciated by the front office, multiple coaching staffs, and the fans at the Bernabeu until he has become one of the driving forces in Real’s resurgence this season. He knows that if he leaves now, he would be departing as a hero in Madrid. Why stick around long enough for public opinion to turn on him again?

In other transfer news, Thierry Henry and his agent have denied that the Arsenal captain has agreed to personal terms with Barcelona. I doubt this saga is over, but at least this is good news for Arsenal for the time being. Some might argue that Arsenal should sell Henry while he can still fetch a hefty transfer fee. I’m not so sure I agree with that logic. Henry may be getting older, but after watching Arsenal’s form drop significantly after his injury early in 2007, one can’t deny the impact he still has on the club. I’d hope that if Henry does leave, Arsenal will look to find an immediate replacement for him, unlike the inability to replace Patrick Viera’s presence in midfield when he was sold to Juventus.

Gold Cup, US Soccer, DaMarcus Beasley, Rangers, David Beckham, Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Madrid, Thierry Henry, Arsenal, FC Barcelona