Sporting Event of the Year

Catching the WPS game; Western NY Flash vs. magicJack on Fox Soccer. First club game for the USWNT after the World Cup. Biggest crowd ever for the Women's Professional Soccer League (15k). Rochester, NY. Amazing. Marta and Alex Morgan teaming up for WNY. My favorite women's player on the other (Ella Masar netting one!).

Abby Wambach at the game for magicJack. A hero's welcome back to her hometown. What a great moment.

Crew v. Galaxy Master Component

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-NASL Google Timeline, lots of good documents to be found under this lesser known google feature

-Excellent, excellent NASL resource for old photos, documents, game guides, etc...

-Mountains of fan journals on old NASL teams. Here is a very good one, Tampa Bay Rowdies. "Soccer is a kick in the Grass."

-Pretty comprehensive book list on the NASL here.

-Note for Smitty: Unlucky: A Season of Struggle in Minor League Professional Soccer. An insightful account of the struggles of players of the 3rd division Northern Virginia Royals of the USL (1998)

Hans Backe, Respected. MLS All-Star Team

Major League Soccer should feel pretty lucky to have Hans Backe. I respect him a great deal. A big thanks to Notts County for being disorganized whilst he was there a couple years ago. Had it not been for you bouncing checks we'd never have Mr. Backe here in the USofA.

Mr. Backe has a great deal of freedom in choosing his squad that will take on Manchester United here in about a week. I think he did a pretty good job considering that teams are entering into a busy part of the year. Championship League games and EPL friendlies on top of league games. Tricky stuff. Since the MLS is a centrally controlled animal I'm going to say his list is good (even if Swedes have a hard time differentiating a defensive mid from a straight defender. ahhh ziiiinnnng).

The first group of players here are Mr. Backe's. On the left is my rank at that particular position.

Goalkeeper:
04: Faryd Mondragón (Philadelphia Union)
06: Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo)

Defenders:
08: Sean Franklin (LA Galaxy)
14: Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo)
18: Heath Pearce (Chivas USA)
21: Jámison Olave (Real Salt Lake)
29: Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)
39: Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls)
35: Corey Ashe (Houston Dynamo)
45: Bobby Convey (San Jose Earthquakes)

Midfielders:
05: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
08: Nick LaBrocca (Chivas USA)
12: Jack Jewsbury (Portland Timbers)
14: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
15: David Beckham (LA Galaxy)
31: Shalrie Joseph (New England Revolution)

Forwards:
01: Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls)
07: Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
09: Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
53: Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls)
43: Omar Bravo (Sporting Kansas City)
87: Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids)

Inactive All-Stars (Note that another six inactive All-Stars will be chosen via player voting): Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Rafa Márquez (New York Red Bulls), Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
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Okay. Now here is my list. Note the ++. That means they are not available. I went with a traditional 4-4-2.

Helltown Beer All-Star Starting XI
++Note++ Eliminating Sounders, FC Dallas, Rapids, Galaxy players can't play due to Champions League games.

Goalkeeper:
++: Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders)
++: Kevin Hartman (FC Dallas)
03: Nick Rimando

Defenders:
++: Todd Dunivant (LA Galaxy)
02: Sheanon Williams (Union)
++: George John (FC Dallas)
++: Ugo Ihemelu (FC Dallas)
05: Roy Miller (New York)
06: Carlos Valdes (Union)
07: Danny Califf (Union)

Midfielders:
++: Brek Shea (FC Dallas)
02: Joel Lindpere (New York)
03: Kyle Beckerman (RSL)
++: Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle)
++: Marvin Chavez (FC Dallas)
++: Juninho (LA Galaxy)
++: Daniel Hernandez (FC Dallas)
08: Nick LaBrocca (Goats)
09: Ned Grabavoy (RSL)

Forwards:
01: Sebastien Le Toux (Union)
02: Thierry Henry (New York)

One added note is that Eddie Gaven, Chad Marshall and William Hesmer missed the cut by one spot. ONE. Hoping at least one of them gets the call to replace the players who can't make it to the game. I know they have the Newcastle game the day before (MLS. Not on TV and not even listed in the homepage top page crawl) but they have earned it.

XIII. Only Interesting To Moi

1. Since I spent the evening with Daryl Stuermer (Genesis/Phil Collins fame, anybody?) at Picnic with the Pops and not at or watching the game I was thinking of mixing up some Crew highlights to one of those early progrock Genesis songs.

1a. I'm not going to do that. But I will link to the really creepy 'Spitting Image' Land of Confusion video.

2. Caught the 2nd half of the (real) Real Madrid / Galaxy friendly.
Ronaldo rolls in and generates the best goal on US soil this year. He beat 4 Galaxy defenders and sent LA 'keeper Perk face planting into his own near post.

3. Man Utd sold Ronald for a sum (81 million pounds) greater then all MLS salaries combined. It's interesting to ponder the fact that United could have covered the yearly salaries of all 528 MLS players this year with that one transfer.

2a. Liked following the comments on the MLS site while the Seattle / Colorado game was going on. I'm noticing more and more folks from Germany and England dropping by. They are enjoying MLS. It's refreshing.

2b. Don Garber believes that future riches are south of the border but they are probably in getting players from lower English and European leagues (Luke Rodgers type, not Beckham type). English and German fans will follow them.

2c. Schedule more games during the 1pm - 6pm EST time slot on the weekends. It'll allow Europe to tune in. Garber came over from the NFL, he should know this.

2e. I Reckon I need to organize my thoughts and post out 5 things to improve he MLS.

4. CREW stuff:Has Hesmer been making saves like this his whole career? No, at least not this consistently. He has always been an above average 'keeper. The saves he's made over the past few weeks are world class. I'm in the camp that thinks this is more then form. It is player improvement. He's at the stage in his career were he should be coming into his own. He is doing just that. Columbus will have to fight to hold on to him I think. What I saw in highlights last night was quality.

4a. I read that Iro and Griffit were hangin' in the Nordecke last night. What a great thing. Columbus loses a tad more players then some other clubs because the weather is rough, smaller city, no beach nearby or whatever. It's a hard fact for the team to come to grips with. Lots of young players on the team this year from the mid-west though. I think that goes a long way. Iro showing love to Crew fans was just awesome.

4b. When I heard Iro was leaving the first thing I thought was "don't trade away players that like to live in your city" because the skill difference betwixt most players at this level is minimal. Iro often spoke about liking it here. You can't teach that to a player. It can be infectious, that attitude. I think Barros Schelotto brought that to the team. It creates a powerful symboyotic relationship with fans. It's one of the important ingredients it takes to win championships.

If you're ever in Columbus around the end of the season stop by a Crew game on a chilly fall Ohio evening. Magic to be found there because of players like Iro.

Best of luck to him. From where I stand he has a lifetime pass to return to Columbus for the class he showed last night.

5. Next level Genesis. Live at Shepperton, 1973. Life again destroys liiiifffe. Didn't realize Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins got that deep into progressive rock. Watcher of the Skies is epic.

Newcastle United Supporters in Midseason Form!

"this is what 50 days without a football match does to you toon army."

They invaded the pitch last night during a friendly with Darlington. Nice work fellas. If I've heard about this, then no doubt the good folks down on Hudson Street have as well.

Wish I could have caught that game. Thankfully for fans here in the US there are EPL v. MLS match ups this summer are on national TV. However, (sadly yet predictably) the Crew v. Newcastle is not one the games televised. Actually. It's the one not being televised nationally.

Why? Perhaps it was the last time the Crew played a PL team in 2008. You know, when the Hudson Street Hooligans got to meet their real life Green Street heroes from West Ham? Don't remember that one? Let's jog memories:

Fans of West Ham, Columbus Crew Behave Just Like You Think They Would

Official condemns violence after West Ham, Crew fans trade blows in stands

Of course word got out about what happened a couple years ago (ICF still wants blood) and Newcastle supporters, I'm sure, have taken note. I guess the next logical question is; 'are there any Magpies in toon going to the game?'

All of this scrappin' feels like little brother / big brother stuff to me. It's no coincidence that most of the modern Crew supporters' groups were formed shortly after Green Street Hooligans film came out. That shoe comfortably fit and it now is what it is.

**Helltown wholly recommends staying away from English supporter groups that go by "Firm".**

Secondary Assists and No PKs. Crew v. Quakes Preview

Only two teams left that haven't had a goal off PK this year in MLS and San Jose is one of them! Very exciting, I know. I don't like it when I find a stat like this. Normal distribution of data starts coming into play along with Lady Luck and Charlie Chance(?). The likelihood of a team going through the entire season without a PK is, well, very low. Let's just hope it doesn't happen this weekend against the Crew.

On to that other thing.

I'm not a fan of awarding 'secondary assists' in soccer, but (surprisingly) the MLS is still doing it. Though, not as much as they did pre-2003. With this revelation I see that half the teams in the league have equal to or more assists then goals. Conversely, half with less. Obviously the Crew are in the latter category.

I'm going to look at the glass half full here and say that one thing that secondary assists can tell us is quality of play before the goal. Why do I say that? Lets look at assists per Game (LINK to all). Top 4.

1.8:New York
1.4:FC Dallas
1.2:Chivas USA
1.2:San Jose

That gives you a good idea of real offensive quality. No need to drill way down with soccer stats like assists. A team is either Good, Average, or Bad. Note - Crew opponent San Jose in top 4 (Good). Columbus is 4th from last (BAD. 0.72 assists p/Game). Combine that with the Crew scoring less then a Goal per game (BAD) during the run of play and you get some frustrated fans.

So what is this leading us too? My advice for the Crew of course.

Bottle up the remarkably efficient Quake goal scoring bunch of Wondo, Lenhart, and Dawkins and leave the SJ mid-field to their own devices. No need to load the MF with 5 like last game. SJ feeds off crossing heading chances and placement in the box, i.e. headers by Lenhart and savvy box play by Wondo (the guy is always in the right place at the right time).

San Jose will probably get one. Just make sure you keep your MF pushed up front so you can get two. Which should be on order. The Earthquakes have let at least 2 go by in 8 (of 18) games this year.

Or Three... but not likely.

Event Bigger. Brian McBride

Every once in a while you have a game overshadowed by something bigger. This weekend, while I'm stuck at something called Pops in the Park for work, a one; Brian McBride will be honored at Crew Stadium. He will be the first person inducted into the Columbus Crew Circle of Honor.

McBride was the first pick in the first ever Major League Soccer draft in 1996. I hope future generations remember that. Love it or hate it; There couldn't be a more fitting player to represent United States Soccer.

When I heard that the Crew were going to be honoring McBride this year I searched around trying to quantify what it might mean, the significance of it. Its place in MLS and Crew history.

I hear and read about 19th century football history in England quite a bit and I can't help but think of the similarities to where the MLS is now. I think of my Grandmother first. She was born in Kettering, England the 1920's when English soccer was only a few decades old. We here in the United States are crossing that threshold now, only it is a century later. I'll be curious as to what kids born in the 21st century have to say about the league when they are my nana's age. Just as I wonder what my grandmother and her peers thought of English soccer in the 1930's.

I'll be following the game on my phone Saturday (arg). I know who the crew is playing, I know the players, I know the stats, the minutes, the matchups. The holes, the gaps and the likely outcome... and will even make up a game program.

But as it stands in history --- this game matters little.

It will be Brian McBride's night. His name and accomplishments will be etched into Columbus Crew history for generations to come.

My video marking the event. You'll need to carve out 7 minutes of your life to watch it, which is a bit long but why not. Turn it up and enjoy, if nothing else, the music (and not my editing hack job). Watch it on youtube here.

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About the video:
It's pulled from 4-5 (or 10-20) other vids out there. Lots of good McBride highlights on the internets. Not much on the Crew in 1996 though. I stuck with Hans Zimmer instead of going with music popular in 1996. For McBride it was Zimmer or friggin' Basil Poledouris "Riders of Doom" (Conan). Both composers fitting McBride, uh, fitfully.

Note to the HSH, Union, Yellow Nation Army and other Crew Supporters groups in the Nordecke: McBride punched his time card every morning for 8 years here in Columbus. Years before y'all got organized. I love the Nordecke. I was upset when he came back from England and played for Chicago too. But the way you all acted last year when he came back into town is unforgivable. It's one of the reasons the Crew doesn't have any nationally televised games this year (Crew only team snubbed). We can't change last year but we can make sure he gets respect this weekend. Show it to him.

If you don't then I'll come smack that pacifier out of your mouth.

BLEENO says...

first of all, great job to everybody. it's been really good and everything so far. just keep it up and that's all we can ask. so, really, just don't let anybody down, everybody.

second of all, hi, smitty. you're a nice person. not the nicest, of course. but certainly up there on the heels of the best of them, who edge you out in a few keys places. namely, face and body. and also, teeth not resembling a jail cell.

thirdly, some EPL news.

Stoke have gone in for Carlton Cole which, if the medical and personal terms are met (ie: will you agree to be on the receiving end of a continuous barrage of long balls and long throw-ins?) would likely be good for both the club and the player. Cole had a lackluster performance last season, but then so did most of your West Ham players. (but not you, Scotty P.) so, it'll be interesting to see how he does with the Potters. word has it that Pulis loves him. so, there's that. he should see a lot of playing time if he can stay fit.

on the Liverpool front i have some very exciting news. the boys are in China, Malaysia and other -sias for a couple weeks. and FSC will air their first pre-season friendly at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning EST. they play local outfit Guangdong Sunray Cave.

so, get up, wipe the sleep from your eyes, aim to head into work late and catch new boyz Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson in action with the tried and true Reds.

...and, i guess, if you want to, ...show some love to Guangdong.

I Love Womens

DCU had their best win this year (on the road vs. top of the table NYRB) with DeRo proving his worth.

But that pales in comparison to the USWNT at the WWC. That might have been one of the best live games I've seen, with the ups and downs, the quality of the Marta and Wambach goals, Hope Solo's saves and the PKs by the US. I've never seen a better set of penalty kicks taken, hands down. Every single one in the side netting, low, high. Astonishing.

Looking forward to the game against France on Wednesday. I'm a sucker for this patriotic stuff. So bad I'm willing to potentially tarnish my credibility with this animation: