Random Thoughts...

No meaning to this picture, it's just that I like making fun of Bradley!

First and foremost, Richmond's home opener this Saturday against Orlando has been moved from 5 pm to 4 pm to accomodate the tipoff of the VCU-Butler game. VERY smart move for the Kickers! Although they have a pretty solid fan base, I bet they would have drawn less than 1,000. Good job by Orlando as well as USL for making the necessary changes.

The U.S.' Interesting Week:

I'm not sure how I feel about the U.S.' two games this past week against Argentina and Paraguay. Some obviously promising new players in Ream, Chandler, and Agudelo, and for their limited time on the field, Lichaj and Jonathan Spector showed they can contribute. Spector has been having a pretty solid year for West Ham and is worthy of a chance to get more playing time with the Nats this summer at Gold Cup. That's important because the schedule has the U.S. playing several games in a short span while flying all over the country to play them. Being able to play these guys against Panama and Guadeloupe and have your starters rested for the elmination rounds will be a key. I seriously don't remember the team having this much depth before, as I personally could be comfortable with 17-18 guys starting for this team right now.

That doesn't necessarily lead to results, as we saw this past week. Jozy Altidore simply needs more playing time SOMEWHERE to shake off the rust. He and Agudelo, through their size and athleticism alone, would cause some sleepless nights for defenders, making them less likely to push up in the attack. The result would be more space for our midfield. If Altidore continues to have issues, is it beyond the realm of possibility for Bradley to move Donovan inside as more of a withdrawn forward behind Agudelo (if he continues his current form)? Give Landon free reign to work his way into spots, and I think he's become a smarter player in the past few years at hiding himself and easier to avoid direct marking. Just a thought.

As for other players, although he played fairly well, I'm getting real tired of the macho bulls*it from Clint Dempsey every time he gets fouled. Dude, you're an attacking player. You're going to get fouled, especially against teams like Paraguay who break up a team's rhythm BY fouling (and 1 yellow card for the number of fouls Tuesday night by the visitors? Nice job ref!). Anyway, don't take every collision or knock personally where you have to get up in the guy's grill. You're not from the streets, dude. Get up, regroup, and get ready for the free kick.

Speaking of free kicks, do we have anybody other than Donovan who takes them? He did well on the kick that resulted in the goal against Argentina Saturday, but by and large, he has problems clearing the 1st defender on set pieces, particularly corners. I remember hearing Bruce Arena talk one time to Claudio Reyna about the importance of clearing that 1st defender, and he said "When that happens, it's a crapshoot in the box."

We saw that on Tuesday, when what was essentially a rugby scrum (how many players were on the ground at one time?) turned into the only goal of the game after a Paraguay corner. And although Jay DeMerit got blamed for the goal, he only left his defender to cover for Dempsey after Clint lost his man (thanks to Walsh for pointing that out as I initially missed it).

Tim Ream was REALLY good Tuesday. Great composure on the ball and some solid passing got him out of some tight situations where Paraguay's high pressure resulted in several turnovers for the hometown team. Onyewu hasn't looked the same since his injury more than a year ago, and though DeMerit's good at getting himself in good positions, his lack of pace kills the team against faster players. Unfortunately, the U.S. frequently finds itself playing against at least 1 or 2 speed demons in games.

Overall, the past week had some promising performances, but there are still some questions. Edu, Bradley, and Jones are all worthy of starting, but not all 3 can be on the field at the same time. Jones was terrible in the 1st half against Argentina but decent in the 2nd against Paraguay; Edu was good in the 2nd against Argentina but poor in the 1st on Tuesday. As for Bradley, well, we know he'll never come off the field unless he's suspended, ejected, or injured, so it's just a matter of which of the former 2 pair up with the letter.

One last thing and I'll shut up about this. No reason for Marcus Hahnemann to be playing in a U.S. jersey. He's done some good stuff and had a nice career, but is he really going to be Howard's backup in 2014? Really need Brad Guzman to step it up over the next few years and be a serviceable replacement, if not someone who can outright push Howard (who was ridiculously good agaisnt the Argies) for playing time.

I'd planned on doing a USL Pro preview this week, but unfortunately I've run out of time. The season really kicks off in full next weekend, so I'll try to get something up before then.

As always, thanks for reading!

We Won't Be Seeing Holden (at right) This Summer Against Mexico For Sure

When I saw the tackle, I leaped out off my couch and said "Oh, no!" I knew Jonny Davis' studs up tackle on Bolton (and, more importantly, U.S.) midfielder Stuart Holden was bad. Holden immediately grabbed his leg and you could see blood coming out of it. I feared it was a compound fracture, as players from both sides motioned to the bench for the trainers to come out. Several players went to check on him, and others walked away. As it turns out, it wasn't a break, but the gash was so deep that it required 26 stitches and some ligament or tendon damage. News this morning from a variety of sources said he will be out six months. So much for the Gold Cup in June.

It's another disappointment for Holden, who has arguably been the most improved U.S. player in the past two years. After missing most of last year's World Cup due to a broken leg suffered in an exhibition against Netherlands just two months before that tournament, Holden will now miss the 2nd most important tournament for the U.S. Most observers also had him figured as an important player in the country's international exhibitions next week against Argentina and Paraguay, as most of us were curious to see just how Bob Bradley planned to use him in the starting 11.

Obviously, the health of the player is most important. He has an unbelievable drive and determination, but hopefully the training staff at Bolton will convince him to take it slow, as this is the 2nd significant injury he's suffered in a year. I spoke with Walsh briefly on Saturday, and we both agree that Holden needs to take some serious thought into toning his intensity on the field down just a peg. While he can still be a hard-nosed, gritty player, and now has added a bit of flair and style to his play, his smaller frame won't be able to take the pounding against the bigger players so prominent in the EPL.

At this rate, he could go the route of John O'Brian, who at one point was on track to be the best midfielder the U.S. has ever produced. But a series of knee, leg, and ankle injuries shortened his career by several years. That would be a real disappointment for a player who is one of the better success stories U.S. soccer has seen in quite some time.

In other news:

Hold onto your hats, DC United fans, you might have a good team. Yes, it's only one game, and it was against what is probably going to be a REALLY bad Columbus squad, but United looked better than they have the past two years in front of a raucous crowd at RFK Saturday night. They dominated the midfield (something they haven't done in about 50 games) thanks to newcomer Dax McCarthy and a rejuvenated Clyde Simms. Perry Kitchen looked a little hesitant at times but has all the makings of a stud defender. Josh Wolff looked as good as he has in years (love the "RFK Leap" Josh. You instantly became a fan favorite with that move), and Charlies Davies? Well, what can you say? Still has a bit of a way to go as far as physical fitness, but you could tell he was mentally ready to go by taking the spot kick and putting United up by two. His emotional post-game interview with Russ Thaler on Comcast was genuine. And as I've heard from multiple sources who cover this team on a regular basis, these guys WANT to play for Ben Olsen. He might not be an X's and O's kind of coach (neither is Bruce Arena), but player management is probably the biggest trait a coach must have to keep the team focused and energized. Looks like he has it.

Oh, and in case you forgot, Walsh and I both campaigned for Olsen to get the job last year even after Kevin Payne said it was only temporary. So how you like us now?

1st MLS Weekend - Some good stuff overall. Plenty of goals, and some larger than expected crowds pushed the average attendance over 20,000 for the week. And remember, that includes an L.A. Galaxy home game where the rain was so bad it probably kept at least 1/3 of the fans away. I expect the overall attendance crowds to stay high once Portland and Vancouver start their home schedules. I even bought the MLS Direct Kick package for the 1st time in 3 years as well, as I expect this to be a big year for the league, and with the debut of the new USL Pro league, a big year for soccer in general in the U.S. and Canada.

EPL - Mixed feelings about United's win. Glad for the 3 points but bummed about Evan's tackle on Holden. I don't think it was a dirty tackle, but one that got a deserved red. Again, though, United fights through the adversity to get the win. This team is as good with 10 as almost every other team that fields 11.

Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan should be thoroughly disgusted with his team's performance yesterday against Chelsea, and deservedly so. How a team trying to earn a spot in the Champions League can turn in such a terrible showing yesterday is baffling. Yes, Tevez was out of the lineup, but is he the only offensive weapon City has? I'm not taking anything away from a Chelsea team that dominated pretty much from start to finish, but at times City couldn't even get the ball past midfield. A 2-0 loss was kind.

And on a final note for the week, so much for VCU not belonging in the NCAA tournament...