Vein of Form's MLS Preview Extravaganza!

Inspired by the Seattle crowd in attendance tonight for the MLS season opener I just had to write an MLS preview and share some thoughts on the league.  My thoughts are this league still has a long way to go.  

Would you dare disagree?  They are opening the season on the same night the NCAA college basketball tournament starts.

I'm sure just as many people are hanging on every Juan Pablo Angel touch of the ball as New York Red Bulls take on expansion side Seattle Sounders as there are monitoring their office pool tourney brackets.

The Seattle crowd tonight is fantastic.  But that doesn't change the fact several of the MLS teams are playing in NFL stadiums that suck all atmosphere from the match and during the NFL season have to play with the grid iron lines on the pitch.  The schedule does not fall in line with the rest of the footballing world and refusing to go to a single table seems a bit ridiculous at this point.

I think the hardcore soccer fan in America could overlook the lack of quality on the pitch if the MLS would try a bit harder to resemble a top league.  By that I mean raise the salary cap, stop expanding the league and let some real depth and talent start to infiltrate the rosters and revamp the playoffs.

I get that in America you have to have playoffs.  But why not go to the single table and let the top 4 teams at the end of the season have a home and away semi-final round and then a championship match?

The crowds in Toronto, Chicago, DC and maybe now Seattle show that there is a hunger for soccer and a possible strong culture developing.  But until the league gets over the idea that a David Beckham type celebrity is more important than an entertaining and talented league they will never draw more viewers than Gonzaga vs. Akron.

Spittin' Mad?

Check out this picture of an angry Cesc Fabregas:

One of the top midfielders in the world stalking around in his designer jacket looking to get into some shit with anyone on the Hull squad and coaching staff.  And all of this on a bum knee!  Cesc is itching so bad to get the feel of the pitch under his feet he is willing to risk an FA fine and suspension because he didn't want the Hull assistant manager to get the last word.

LOL @ that.

This is the dude that Barca or Real Madrid are reportedly willing to spend their summer transfer kitty!  Can you imagine how pissed he must get when he sees Nicky B. pulling on the pink boots and pissing and moaning about how much playing time he should be getting?

I have no tolerance for spitting.  I think it is a vile and disgusting reaction.  If Fabregas did act out like this I hope the FA suspends him not just through the end of this season but through the first few weeks of the next.  He's injured as it is so what good will suspending him now do?

But damn, the Vein of Form staff cannot get over the angry little midfielder in the leather coat.

Do You Have A Flag?

If you are from Spain it is flying at half-mast.

If you are from Italy the answer is no.

Tonight the English Premier League confirmed once again that it is the dominant league in the world.  Serie A and La Liga have a huge distance to make up.  

Do not let the Barcelona result at Camp Nou over French champion Lyon fool you.  The Catalan club is the best of an average bunch.  Real Madrid were thrashed by the "Red Hurricane" at Anfield while Atletico Madrid could not get past Porto.  Only Villareal will go forward along with Barca to the quarterfinal draw.  

And every team will be hoping they draw the Yellow Submarines.

Inter Milan were outclassed over two legs against Manchester United.  The gulf in talent was so obvious that Jose Mourinho must have been toasting Sir Alex after the match for not drubbing them by 5 or 6 goals.  The supposed "best player in the world" Zlatan Ibrahimovic was invisible.  The Inter defense were in shambles for most of the match as Ryan Giggs ran through them.  Not Ronaldo or Rooney - both were excellent as well - but the 36 year old Giggs!

Chelsea are reborn under Guus Hiddink and Juventus looked a side that knew it was a matter of time before the wheels came off.  Even when Del Piero netted the penalty you never believed Juve were going to pull it off.  Chelsea looked like the squad of a few years ago when they could just turn on the championship form whenever it was needed.  They did so again on Tuesday and earned their spot.

Finally, Arsenal knocked off Roma in Rome on penalties.  Vein of Form felt the most likely of the English sides to go would be Arsenal.   This was an even match-up.  Both sides in a fight to qualify for next season's Champions League right now and not a great deal between them after the first leg.  But the English came through again when needed.  

And there is the difference.  When the English clubs saw the moment called for a bit of greatness they were capable of rising to the occasion.  The Italian clubs could not.  They wilted under the pressure and it was evident they don't have the talent or the coaching to overcome the Big 4 from England.

Detractors will say the Champions League is boring.  I think the best football teams on the planet are still in the competition so it is anything but boring.

Throw in Bayern Munich, Porto and Barcelona and you have a very interesting mix.  Even Villareal could surprise someone in the quarters.  We just don't know who will be healthy when the next matches kick off.

We do know that after tonight no one can doubt where the best football in Europe is being played.

Sporting in for Another Bruising?

I will argue that the Bayern Munich thumping of Sporting Lisbon in Lisbon is the most unbelievable result from the first leg of the Round of 16.  Five away goals from a Bayern Munich club that hasn't exactly overwhelmed in the Bundesliga this season.  In fact, they've been an overwhelming disappointment.

In the Champions League group stage, if a team goes to a minnow country like Denmark, Belgium or Ukraine and puts 5 goals away it is a big story for the day.  But to do that in the final 16 is insane!  

I look at it this way:  Had Liverpool put away a quarter of their chances over the previous 7 or 8 matches they would be on level points with Manchester United.  So, for Bayern Munich to have been so lethal and taken advantage of all their chances is truly amazing.  

But how great would it be in Sporting Lisbon came back?  What an amazing story this could be.  I won't watch this match.  However, I'd be lying if I said I would not be thinking throughout the day how much I would love to see a comeback of that magnitude.  It could happen.  It probably won't happen.  But I am not going to write it off entirely.

Vein of Form predictions to go through:  Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea, Villareal, Porto, Arsenal, Barcelona, Inter Milan

Designated Player on a Whlole New Level

The problem with Major League Soccer could well be their lack of vision. They don't see a brilliant marketing opportunity when it is right in front of them. The Designated Player gimmick has been a failure. I mean, no one outside of the hardcore fan realizes that Guillermo Schelotto or Juan Pablo Angel qualify as DPs. And even fewer people understand that the chubby and grouchy looking Cuauhtemoc Blanco that stomps around the pitch is a total fucking legend in Mexico.

And David Beckham! I mean, Beckham...

No, my dear readers, MLS has not gone gimmicky enough in this case. To fix this I suggest allowing anyone in the entire world to qualify as a DP.

Think about Daniel Radcliffe pulling on a Kansas City Wizards uniform! The movie wizard becomes a KC Wizard. Now that is a true Designated Player. Couldn't the Houston Rockets center Yao Ming split his time between the NBA and playing for the Houston Dynamo? What an opportunity to grow the MLS brand in Asia!

The dude from the movie Goal! The Dream Begins could play for Chivas USA. Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarrett could get a run out with the league champs Columbus Crew. Once his prison sentence is over of course.

Endless possiblities.

MLS doesn't need to bring their season schedule in line with the European season or go to a single table with relegation. The need to embrace the complete marketing whore and gimmick overdrive that all the major American sports leagues have come to love.

Take that Euro Snobs!

Only when the league stops trying to take itself serious will the casual fan begin to take it serious.

I know how these things work. I'm a world renowned blogger.

Wandering Welshman

Of all the injury concerns today Manchester City have the two biggest: Robinho and Craig Bellamy. I find Bellamy to be a fascinating player. Every transfer window his name comes up as being able to fill some club's "need". Which in most cases tends to mean a proven goal scorer.

And while Bellamy has scored in the Premier League for every club he's played for I would hardly consider him a prolific scorer. You would have to go back to his time with Norwich City in the old First Division to find a strike rate that is considered close to prolific.

At Newcastle he was consistent. Here are those numbers:

01-02: 27 appearances / 9 goals
02-03: 29 appearances / 7 goals
03-04: 16 appearances / 5 goals
04-05: 21 appearances / 7 goals

He leaves to go play for Celtic (04-05: 12 appearances / 7 goals) and returns to Blackburn where he has an outstanding season under Mark Hughes. By outstanding I mean 27 appearances and 13 goals. Along comes a transfer window and Liverpool felt he could fill their lack of goals need and they sign him.

A "dream move" for Bellamy at the time he was given plenty of chances (27 appearances) but did not continue the form he was in with Blackburn (7 goals). He featured in 12 matches in Europe and netted twice.

He will forever be remembered at Liverpool for taking a golf club to John Arne Riise while the squad was off on holiday/training. This incident made it impossible for Bellamy to stay with the team as he was eventually for the off to West Ham. I maintain to this day that Riise was responsible for Liverpool losing the Champions League semi-final clash to Chelsea because of his own goal. So, in that regard Bellamy was quite right to tee off on the Norwegian.

FYI: I'm getting all this from Wikipedia (except the taking of golf club to Riise). I don't have some bizarre storage of knowledge regarding Craig Bellamy.

Moving right along, over 21 appearances with West Ham he scored 7 times. Another transfer window and another club in need of scoring. Add to that the fact that West Ham are in dire need of cash. This time the richest club in the world - Man City - comes calling and through 5 appearances he has 3 goals. An impressive early return.

I'm only writing about this because I want to avoid writing about Manchester United's inevitable pummeling of Newcastle and moving 7 points clear.

Hughes was able to get the best out of Bellamy during their time together at Blackburn and the hope will be a healthy Bellamy will produce the same at City. Some people will argue his goals per season is impressive and that he is more than just an average striker. I would certainly be open to hearing those arguments.

I totally expect Hughes to be fired after the season. And the owners of the club plan on spending on big names. Which means Bellamy will move on once again.

Hiddink and Dunk

I hate to push down my terrific post on Beckham / AC Milan vs. MLS but I feel the need to point out when a Vein of Form prediction comes good: Chelsea won 1-0 against Portsmouth. A few days ago I wrote that Chelsea would win out in the league with 1-0 or 2-1 scorelines.

I call this Dink & Dunk Football. That is the type of squad they are. They can't play the exciting, epic football that Roman was demanding. Guus Hiddink realizes this and will keep putting the team in a position to sneak a goal and defend solidly.

It is not going to be pretty. In fact, watching Chelsea is going to be pretty fucking boring. But it was that way under Mourinho and they won 2 titles.

On a final note: More like David Ngoal!!! Am I right?!?!?

Beckham is Burning

Major League Soccer cannot win this fight with David Beckham. They have every right to demand fair compensation but at a certain point they need to accept an offer and let Beckham remain in Milan.

Beckham is not going to be pleased with having to return to LA Galaxy. Any move back to the United Stated effectively ends his chances of getting in the England squad. You want to see a media savvy, fan friendly and all around terrific professional morph into Terrell Owens? Just wait until Becks has to board a flight to LA.

MLS are going to lose Beckham when his contract expires. Even if he cannot get a contract with a top European club he is going to blow out of LA even if it means taking an offer to play in the Championship. I am kidding of course. On principle alone he has to leave MLS if they force his return.

The Beckham Experiment has failed. He didn't play well. He hasn't ensured long-term viability for the league (MLS had that already before he signed). He hasn't brought traditionally non-soccer fans to the game. But MLS is still expanding into Seattle with plans to add 2-3 more cities in the coming years.

Given the economic climate and the cost of attending a sporting event in America, it could be argued that taking in an MLS game is the best value for your entertainment dollar. I would gladly pay to see Chicago Fire play Kansas City Wizards over watching the Chicago Cubs play anyone.

Were Beckham to leave now it would fly under the radar in America. Baseball spring training is beginning, the NFL draft is around the corner, the NBA season is reaching its climax and NCAA basketball's March Madness is set to begin. No one will pay any attention to this story.

I say let Beckham stay in Milan. Take whatever money AC Milan will offer. Rebuild the Galaxy and come up with an alternative means to promote the league.

Another underwear model is going to be playing for Seattle Sounders - Freddie Ljungberg.

The MLS at least has that. Now just improve the quality on the pitch and do away with this ridiculous playoff system and we can get serious.

Barca Bottling, Benitez Conceding, Benzema Brilliant

I have to tell you by Sunday afternoon I was exhausted from all the football I watched beginning Saturday morning. As planned, I took in the second half of the Everton vs. West Brom match and was pleasantly surprised to see an entertaining half of football by an Everton side that by all accounts looks to have a stranglehold on a UEFA Cup spot.

After that I watched the Middlesbrough thumping of title pretenders Liverpool. How does a squad travel to Madrid and thoroughly dominate for 90 minutes of Champions League football and then look so inept against a relegation fighting Middlesbrough? This blog came out strong in defense of Rafa Benitez last week. That post was written out of love and sincerity for Rafa. But the dude does not know how to compete in the EPL. Liverpool will finish 3rd or 4th and I believe they will watch Chelsea come within 5 points of winning the title.

Guus Hiddink has that team humming right now. Had Wigan equalized under Scolari that team would have folded and accepted another draw or worse given up all 3 points. Instead, they battled to the end and moved up to 2nd in the table. I can picture Chelsea winning the rest of their matches with 1-0 or 2-1 scorelines. Hiddink makes them the most likely English side to win the CL.

Think about it: He was able to take a less talented PSV Eindhoven side to the semi-finals. Now all he has to do is motivate a bunch of over-paid aging players that think they will revitalize their careers in Italy next season. What better way to prove to AC Milan that 32 is the new 24 than to win the CL?

Look at what is going on in Spain right now: Barcelona are bottling it. Just over a month ago I thought they were the surest thing in Europe to win a league and CL double. Scoring at will, controlling the midfield, keeping attackers as far away from Victor Valdez as possible (the weakest link on the team). And now they're only 4 points clear of Real Madrid!

What a match on Sunday. At 2-0 I was certain this was going to be a 4-1 or 5-1 Barca thrashing. And then the match really heated up and by the final whistle I was standing in front of the TV with nervousness watching two clubs I could care less about. That is what is great about football.

And I still had the Inter Milan vs. Roma match to soak up. Hernan Crespo and Luis Figo look like two players that could go forever. Crespo has never been a Mourinho favorite but I thought he was wonderful at Chelsea during his brief stint there. We all know how devastating he was for AC Milan and now at Inter when he gets a chance he seizes it. Not that long ago you could have made the argument that he was one of the top 4-5 strikers in the world. Kind of a shame this guy's career will come to a close and not many people will appreciate how terrific he was.

Manchester United won the Carling Cup on a penalty shoot-out and I couldn't care less.

The player that impressed me most this weekend was Karim Benzema. Slumped on my coach, spent from all the weekend's action I still managed to take in Lyon vs. Rennes. Benzema was great fun to watch. He is so clearly a class above everyone in that league. His pass that led to the Lyon goal was brilliant. He was all over the pitch. I think he'll end up at Real Madrid.

If Real Madrid do not sign Ronaldo - and I don't think he's leaving Man United - they will bring in Benzema to partner with Huntelaar. This will be the start of officially phasing out Raul - still and effective player but the club needs to start thinking beyond this legendary player.

I'm not totally sold on Huntelaar yet but he's scored some goals and looking more comfortable. If Benzema can make a smooth transition to Spain that partnership could be the future of football.