Tickle v. Tackle - You Say Hola, and I Say Adios

Let's play with the format as we haven't had a good TvT session in a while, shall we?

Adios, Jozy!

Red Bulls and USA striker Jozy Altidore is headed for Spain. Real Madrid? Barcelona? Nope--Villareal with an immediate loan move to relegation scrappers Recreativo Huelva.

So American players are starting to trickle south from their traditional English, German, and Scandanavian stomping grounds. Excellent. But is this the right move for Jozy? I think so. The Real and Barca rumors were always a worry, as a young player was bound to fall between the cracks at such clubs. But Villareal-Recre is a good move for the kid. He's bound to see the field at Recre--more so than would have been expected at a top side. And it gives him a chance to adapt and prove himself in Spain before returning to the Yellow Submarine Mothership. Also, playing in Spain will force him to be technical, rather than relying on size, speed, and power, as he might have done in the land of the Angles (and the Saxons! and don't forget those mighty Jutes!).

Verdict? Tickle!


Hola, Sven?

So Sven-Goran Eriksson is taking charge of our buddies south of the border? Wow!

That's a pretty hard indictment of former boss Hugo Sanchez, as you can't get much more anti-Hugo than Sven. But will the cool Swede be able to win over the fanaticos del Tri? Hell, what about some of those jingoistic players? One quick way might be to achieve a result north of the 2-0 border. As much as I enjoy watching the coaches and players of Mexico struggle to find excuses, I think I'd be even more pleased to what kind of attention Sven brings to our little CONCACAF sandbox. It'll be nice to have something other than the antics of Jack Warner to focus on. Can we bill the next USA-Mexico outing as the Battle of the Skeletal White Guys with Fading Hairlines?

Verdict? Tickle! No Sven, not the señoritas! Just because the shirts say Bimbo doesn't give you license . . .