Tickle
Michael Bradley is turning into a midfield goal machine and is almost certainly headed for bigger and better things in the summer with Premier League clubs joining the hunt for his signature. Will this finally halt the cries of nepotism in the Soccer Nation? . . . Big thanks to the friendly web-elves who allowed me to witness Wednesday's glorious victory over the Blades recently. I don't get to see many Sheffield Wednesday games these days owing to a budget that doesn't allow for Setanta's and/or Wednesday World's exorbitant fees, but I'll be warming my hands over the positive glow of this result for a while--assuming, of course, that we manage to avoid going down . . . Oh how sweet was that Havant & Waterlooville match against Liverpool? Fantastic stuff the FA Cup can provide. Bring on the bin-man for the lorry driver! . . .Tackle
Um, far be it from me to question the Goffmeister, who claims our top draft pick Andrew Jacobson will be reporting for duty in Bradenton. But--what the hell is he doing in France holding up a Lorient jersey? [Update: confirmation from the horse's mouth--Jacobson will be strutting his stuff in Ligue 1 rather than MLS] Uh-oh, here we go again--guess he got a look at the cash MLS is willing to pony up for young Americans and decided to test better-paying waters. I'm not sure which is more worrying--MLS's inability to capitalize on marketing opportunities or their failure to spread the wealth and keep the best and the brightest of the young crop in the US . . . Speaking 0f one that got away, seems Jay Needham would like to give MLS a shot after garnering Rookie of the Year honors in the USL, but United isn't interested. Hello, defensive depth? Are you out there somewhere? . . . While I'm excited about all the changes that United is rolling out, giving the #10 to Gallardo means that we can finally start to mourn the loss of Gomez. Ugh. It remains to be seen what Gallardo will do for us--I have high hopes based on the times I've watched him play--but I'm going to miss Christian terribly, not just for his play, but for the fire and passion he showed for the club. And if he's really heading for the cRapids, I'll mourn him even more as Clavijo is sure to weave his magic and render him half the player he once was.
I mourn Gomez with you, man. I think Gallardo will be great, but I can't accept a new #10 just yet.
ReplyDeleteBut Gomez in Rapids would be the Tragedy of the Year. But what number would he wear? 'Cuz they already have a #10 Gomez. Seriously, the only thing I like about Rapids is Bouna Coundoul.
Shame about Jacobson. Honestly, though, it won't matter to DCU at all.
Actually, I was looking forward to seeing what Jacobson brought to the table. Obviously, if he's good enough to land a deal with a Ligue 1 side that's currently above the likes of PSG and Marseille in the table after a one-week trial, he's good enough for MLS.
ReplyDeleteAs it is, I don't see any straight swap for Simms if he goes down or needs a rest. Sure we can put in Olsen, McTavish, or Namoff at that spot, but none of them are ideally suited for it. Besides, Simms is really starting to mature as a player, and it couldn't hurt to have someone really pushing him for playing time.
See, but if your argument was "Obviously, if [Bryan Arguez] is good enough to land a deal with [Hertha Berlin] after a one-week trial, he's good enough for MLS"... then I would totally disagree with you. Because Arguez really wasn't good enough for MLS, since he couldn't crack the first team lineup once in his rookie year. And who knows, the same thing might turn out to be true about Jacobson.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe we can just agree to disagree for two or three years until either of them accomplish anything :)
Two distinctions:
ReplyDelete(1) 17 vs. 22 - Maturity a factor?
(2) Arguez had Carroll-the-elder and Simms eating up any potential minutes ahead of him. Carroll-the-middle is not Carroll-the-elder = more chances for playing time for any d-mid project.
Also, Kpene might be a more apt example of what sort of minutes Jacobson might have been looking at, but it might all just boil down to what a coach sees in a player and how he chooses to use (or not to use, as the case may be) the younger players.
Meh--it's all academic now isn't it?