Observations Part 1
by Paul O'Donnell
As the transfer window is about to close in a few hours as I write this the flurry of deals "hots up" as they would say in England.
Berba still isn't "officially" a Man United player at this point but that may only be because he's waiting to be the last to make the switch everyone's been expecting for what seems like months now. Ooops! Check that, he is now a Red Devil as both ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel say it is now a done deal.
Tottenham gets a point over the weekend but Chelsea really showed their quality and why their run of not being defeated at the Bridge in almost 4 years remains intact. Spurs were simply very fortunate in this one and in the end didn't deserve a point on the day. The woodwork saved them and their goal was a gift proving beyond doubt that Spurs without Keane and Berbatov could be a candidate for 15th or even farther down the table this year if they don't get some help in a hurry from new signings.
Chelsea has missed out on Robinho as the new owners at Man City are throwing that oil money all over the place which I'm sure will please Mark Hughes. City, a team that had the look of an undermanned side have shed that label with the return of Sean Wright-Phillips and now snatching Blues target Robinho as the gloom that was hanging over them with the troubles of their former Thai owner lifts.
Rafa proves he's nuts! You want to know why Liverpool can't score goals? Well check this out for brilliance; he's sold off Crouch to Pompey (the Reds #3 scorer from last season); he's now let Voronin go on loan (his #4 goal scorer from last season) plus he's got both Gerrard (operation on his groin) and now Torres out (his #2 and #1 goal producers). Who will score the goals for Liverpool with these guys not available now?
Part of the answer to that came over the weekend at Villa Park; nobody.
So, they got a draw with Aston Villa after losing Torres in the 26th minute to his injury which looked to be a muscle pull. Villa, in the bizarre position of being the league leader in goals scored AND goals conceded coming into the weekend was too tough for Liverpool's now toothless attack. Villa should have added to their lead in goal production but they too failed on their better chances on the day. It was one of those truly desultory scoreless draws to be frank with only a few, very few, moments of inspiration, and the majority of those came from Villa.
Hull's promising start to their maiden run in the EPL came to a screeching halt by getting beat 5-0 at home by Wigan which was a real hard way to see that good start come to an end.
Pompey blasts a woeful Everton at Goodison Park for their first points on the season so all is turning right with the world. The Toffees were flat and Tim Howard had a horrid game in goal, perhaps his poorest performance for Everton. Moyes has managed his team through the funk before but this team simply didn't show up on the weekend. No Andy Johnson, no Tim Cahill and with Howard unable to make the big save to keep his team in the game this is not a top ten side. Moyes will be on top of the list for the next manager to get the axe if the Toffees don't make a much improved display and very soon.
How about Jose failing to win his first in the Serie A for Inter?
And in a match that put the biggest smile on my face over the weekend it was AC Milan losing their opener with three former world's best players on the pitch at the same time wearing their shirt. Sheva proved he's still nowhere near the player he once was by missing an absolute sitter, blasting the ball high and wide from inside the six yard box squandering one of those chances that looked nearly impossible to miss. He couldn't even manage to make that universal pro soccer pose of raising his arms to plead for a penalty because nobody was within ten yards of him.
AC Milan is trying to buy their way back to the top of Serie A and I'd like nothing better than to see Inter, Roma and Juve stop them. Milan played like a mob in this one with Ronaldhino actually getting in the way of his striker while trying to do too much in his first game out. Understandable, and very human, but also very unlike Milan's disciplined approach. Maybe he knows already that Sheva can't be depended on to finish his chances no matter how wonderful the setup ball; who knows? That aside, it was good to see them get beat.
Arsenal shook off the doldrums and produced a stellar effort I'm sorry to say. I know, their a great team and young too, but I just have never favored Arsenal. One thing for certain is that I'm never neutral when it comes to the Gunners and the only time I cheer for them is when they face United. Van Persie sure had the look of being a newer version of Bergkamp. Actually, he shows he could be an even more dependable and prolific goal scorer too. Geez!
Yo soccer fans don't forget Wednesday night's US Open Cup Final with the USL-1's Charleston Battery facing DC United. The Battery are the 2nd USL top division side to make the final since MLS was conceived. The other, Rochester's Rhinos, did it twice and won the Cup in 1999.
Oh, coming up this weekend is an historic World Cup qualifier with the USA facing Cuba, in Havana. Keep your fingers crossed that the current sequence of hurricanes doesn't get in the way of this one as it is sure to be an important match in more ways than one. With Team USA, not in the best of form, playing guys out of position and trying to find a reliable and quality striker this match will be a good test.
For players that have been made into the next coming such as Dempsey and Eddie Johnson yet to prove themselves dependable at international level Bradley is on a mission to find that source of goals. Donovan often fails to make an impact and frankly these other guys that were supposed to be there to take the load off of him haven't lived up to their advanced billing. That makes this team far too dependent on Donovan and when he is effectively neutralized Team USA often finds itself in a great deal of difficulty.
The struggle to find that reliable striker has been the story of Team USA for far too long. Remember it was only four years ago in the qualifying for the last World Cup that Conor Casey made a dramatic impact in his first few appearances, then was injured, and still hasn't really recovered the form he showed back then. Along came Eddie Johnson, at the time the latest child prodigy, scoring five goals in his first three national team appearances before he fell by the wayside and has been insignificant for the most part ever since. EJ couldn't earn playing time at Fulham after his move there and now can't make the first 11 at Cardiff either where he has been sent on loan from the Cottagers.
Frankly, it is time for Bradley to put some of these failures at international level on the bench or dismiss them completely from the 23 man squad and hand the task of qualifying to new faces that are deserving of a shot like Charlie Davis and former Baron Jeremiah Wright for example. For one, I'm tired of seeing Dempsey hold the ball too long only to lose any opportunity to generate a chance and I'm tired of people making excuses for him when he squanders a golden opportunity without even putting the ball on frame which he does far too often.
If Team USA gets in a tough spot in qualifying, and they very well could with the continued failure of some of these so-called prodigies to produce don't be a bit surprised if McBride is asked to consider a return to the national team. That would be a terrible omen and an expression of the failure of the 'system' here to develop a true quality striker despite the decades of effort.
However, so far anyway, none of them have been able to step up and fill those boots and now we're hoping against hope that Altidore will be that man even if he is still a boy. When I say that I get that sinking feeling that we've been there, done that. The failure of those others that have recently come before him have not been able to measure up despite the media promotions we've all seen and it is a very real fear that we'll see more of the same in his case.
Far too many of these so-called saviors of American soccer and next generation players from the USA have proved to be far less accomplished than the media would have us believe. It is past time for them to either "put up, or shut up" to either prove their worth or get out of the way.
And it is on Bradley to make that move and make it stick.
