Beckham vs. His Duty

So here is my latest problem with David Beckham. Shaq has recently called out Beckham to shoot free kicks on him for Shaq's new show "Shaq vs." David has declined, saying that "Kobe could score against him." I don't have a problem with his words, but I have a major problem with his action of declining. Here is a man who was brought into America and was quoted as wanting to be the Ambassador of Soccer for America. Following that logic, why is Beckham declining to go on a show with one of the most popular basketball players? If he were to go on the show, he has one more opportunity to expose the country to soccer, and the basketball market is a large one. What the gaLAxy and MLS are paying Beckham for is exposure, and he cerainly has not been helping them as of late with fighting with fans and wanting to go back to Milan. The least he could do is go one Shaq's show, which will take a day of his life, get paid for it, and help expose America to soccer, especially Beckham's notable free kicks. What does he have to lose? It is clear to me that he does not want to be in this country anymore and is finished trying to expose America to soccer.

US Loses to Italy 3-1

The USA took the field today to play Italy in the FIFA Confederation Cup and came up short 3-1. While this is certainly a disappointment, there were a few bright spots throughout the game: The US lead at half-time and generally playing toe-to-toe with the Azzurri while at even strength. The red card changed the composure of the game, as fatigue finally overwhelmed the Americans. Overall, here is my reaction to the game:

1. Giusseppe Rossi has turned out to be a tremendous talent and a tremendous loss for the United States. His goals were stunning, especially the last one, as it was struck on the up-bounce. That is a very difficult ball to strike, and Rossi expertly finished.
2. Why is Ricardo Clark still getting a National Team call up? I have never been a fan of Clark, and I do not foresee ever being a fan. Even as a player on the Houston Dynamo, Clark is reckless and always seems to be out of place, usually fouling to regain the advantage after being outclassed by a player. This played out today with his (arguably soft) red card.
3. Landon Donovan continued to be clinical in his finishes from the penalty spot. When Donovan takes a PK, it is a guaranteed goal.
4. I imagine that practice over the next two days is going to require the midfielders to mark players when they are about 30 yards from goal. Two goals were given up from that distance and there was nothing Tim Howard could do to stop them, as he was screened from the shooter. Pressure needs to be applied to the ball carrier in the final two-thirds of the field.

So what do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Think the US will get ANY points in this tournament, with Brazil and Egypt left on the schedule?

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 14

I might be going out later.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 13

"I have nothing against gangster rap."

The Westend Workout is hilarious..

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 12

Pretty funny overall..."Shut up Pirate!"

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 11

I hope you didn't think about pimpin' yourself into Toronto.

I think Ronnie is my new favorite character.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 9

Why am I not behind the blur?...1 potato, 2 potato, 3 potato, 4.

Hilarious episode.

Tommy Smyth vs. John Madden

So with the retirement of John Madden today and with several websites posting their opinion about Tommy Smyth no longer commentating Champions League matches, I began to wonder who fans of both American Football and Soccer [Football] were more happy to see removed from the booth. Please vote below and feel free to comment.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 8

Another Newcastle?

No, not that bad.

DC United Stadium Situation

So the thing I don't understand with the DC United stadium situation is that Prince Georges County approached the team when the funding was falling through at Poplar Point. So why is Prince Georges County now voting 8-0 against studying the impacts of a stadium? It is not good form to approach a team and lure them to your municipality and then deny them the ability to build a stadium. I really feel bad for DC United as they are the most storied MLS franchise and the most sucessful team in the DC area over the past 10 years and they cannot get a stadium of their own. St. Louis or bust!

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 7

I love Sven trying to get a job with Newcastle after getting canned by Mexico and Ronaldo crying is hilarious.  Enjoy!

Match Report- gaLAxy vs. United 3/22/09

Thoughts after watching the match between DC United and the gaLAxy at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA:

• LA's defense looks very much improved. Omar Gonzalez appears to have a bright MLS future. Bruce Arena's impact is noticable after one off-season. While LA did allow two goals, the PK is forgivable. Chris Pontius' goal was a beautiful sight, but was created by a lethargic defensive let down. I don't expect that to happen often.
  
• Landon stands out on the field. He is clearly LA's field marshall and he controls the play. You can tell he has played top flight in off season, as he sets up teammates and dribbles around the opposition with ease. He appears to be one step ahead of the game at all times.
  
• It was very noticable that the game was not sold out. The MLS website indicates that there were over 18,000 fans there in a stadium that seats 27,000. Clearly, this is a combination of the frustration over last season's results and the Beckham saga in the off-season. Beckham could have turned away more LA fans than he created league wide.
• It was sad that the traveling Barra Brava were louder than any of the LA support groups. They could be clearly heard the entire game, and I could not pick up on any LA chants.
• LA got lucky with the phantom handball call that gave them their first goal. However, Landon's second goal was a thing of beauty.

Special 1 TV- Season 1 Episode 6

I love the nicknaming of Guus Hiddink. Wayne: "I've already forgotten his real name."

Beckham Move Hurts MLS

The agreement between AC Milan, the Los Angeles gaLAxy, and David Beckham allows Beckham to stay at Milan until the end of the season and return during the summer window in mid-July to the gaLAxy. The agreement includes buyout money from Mr. Posh himself, which speaks loudly as to how much he wanted out of LA. But this was not the most unnerving aspect of the deal. The gaLAxy scored a summer friendly with AC Milan on July 19 as part of the deal. The previously scheduled SATURDAY match with the Red Bulls was moved to THURSDAY. Therefore, the league moved a date for Becks in New York. While ESPN will be clamoring to adjust the schedule and pick up this Thursday night game, the fans who wanted to attend this game lose out by putting it on a week night...in the biggest market in the league. The league will forgo a sold out Giants Stadium for a cacophonous shell of a stadium. The league and the fans lose on this deal.

iPod Helps Win Carling Cup

According to this article, an iPod helped Manchester United win the Carling Cup. Goalkeeper coach showed goalkeeper Ben Foster highlights of Tottenham players taking penalty kicks. My first reaction to this is that this could be a form of cheating. But being an advocate for technology, I came around to believe that athletes should be able to use whatever technology is at their finger tips in order to win. Winning is the name of the game, and this situation is similar to watching game film. The only difference is that the game film was being watched on the field. But who cares? All that matters is Tottenham lost.

Pedro Gomez is a US American Without Maps

Pedro Gomez may have caught Miss Teen South Carolina fever. As part of his interview, he asked Sven Goran-Eriksson what the weather in Columbus compared to. Pedro's reporting was as follows:

"Albania.  So, Albania, Columbus, maybe they are sister cities."

That is priceless. The last time I checked, the land of John and Jim Belushi is not a city, but an entire country. Time to buy a map, Pedro.

Scolari Sacked

The Gene Hackman was officially sacked today by Chelsea. Chelsea is starting to go through managers like Spinal Tap goes through drummers. With a five-point hold on fourth place in the EPL, I think this move is going to hinder Chelsea in the long run. Arsenal signed Arshavin in an effort to inject some health into their roster and are going to start edging closer to the fourth spot. I don't see Aston Villa losing pace for the rest of the season. I feel the Champions League spot was Chelsea's to lose, and I think they drop to fifth place with a manager change mid-season.

Impact of Beckham

Beckham scored again today for AC Milan and I feel this all but solidified his move to Milan permanently. He has called the gaLAxy "frustrating", and I totally agree. In fact, I am sort of sick of the Beckham circus that surrounds the team. Yes, he is still a great player and nobody plays a better dead ball than him. But I feel that he cannot exist on a team in MLS that does not have Landon Donovan (which is all but likely).

This is a very good time for the gaLAxy for to start from scratch with their Designated Player slot. Michael Owen would be an excellent replacement for Donovan. While he doesn't have the star power that Beckham does, he will give the gaLAxy plenty of goals.

Now, does Beckham leaving hurt the MLS? I believe it does right now, as the network is already scrambling with poor ESPN ratings. Beckham is the only player that could consistently sell tickets. I don't believe the gaLAxy will have ticket trouble at home, but the hosting teams will see a significant drop off when LA comes to town. Less tickets means less revenue and no Beckham means less attention. However, I think with less media attention on the team, the gaLAxy themselves will play better. So for the league, it will hurt significantly. But the team has nowhere to go but up, and in the long run, LA playing well has done well for the league.

ESPN Dropping Primetime Thursdays

According to the SportsBusiness Journal, ESPN is dropping the regular MLS Primetime Thursday in favor of a flexible schedule. My first reaction to this was that it was not a good sign for the league. However, after reading the article, it seems ESPN is trying to broadcast more favorable matchups (who can blame them?) and adjust the schedule around other highly watched sports. While in this country the sport is not huge, trying to adjust the schedule so that the casual fan may watch the sport because nothing else is on is very favorable for the growth of the league.

So while the initial thoughts after reading this article spell doom and gloom, the league may actually be more watchable to some people. The ratings last year were pretty terrible, and this adjustment could help. Maybe I should have been watching from home rather than at the bar. 

Voting Begins

Voting begins today for MLS Philly's nickname. The link to vote can be found here.