#DigDeep

So what’s up with this #DigDeep hashtag that I see following #dcu around the Twitterverse? Possible meanings that I can come up with off the top of my head?

• A none-too-subtle message to the ownership to loosen the purse strings and #DigDeep in the moneybags for some filthy lucre to be splashed on reliable finishing.
• A hint to the fan-base that if they want a stadium, they’ll need to #DigDeep foundations themselves.
• To get a big enough hole to bury the frustrated ambitions, hopes, and dreams of the supporters, we all need to #DigDeep.
• To plumb new depths in the MLS records for futility you’ve got to #DigDeep.
• It’s all part of some elaborate PR stunt encouraging us to #Dig somebody named #Deep. Wait…Deep could be a nickname for Sandeep, and a casual Google search reveals plenty of Sandeeps in Indonesia. Hmmm. Now who do we know in Indonesia?

Any other suggestions?

Toe the Line, Don't Ask Questions!

In case you missed it, MLSsoccer.com senior editor Simon Borg decided that the kerfuffle over Klinsmann-gate (see yesterday's post) is all on the players. Apparently, we should all put our trust in Klinsmann because of his vast experience and not bother to challenge his reign or methods at all. If you were smart, you stopped reading at paragraph #4...

Because in the end, what serious soccer professional would try to publicly undermine their coach and their team in that fashion?

Honestly? Does Borg even pay attention to the sport he supposedly covers? You'd think a passing familiarity with the game and its history on the larger scale would be a requirement for a "senior editor," wouldn't you?

Oh wait: here's a nugget from the last paragraph (yes, I survived the slog through it so you won't have to)...

As someone commented to me yesterday: That story about Klinsmann could be any soccer coach out there. 

Uh-huh. So which is it?

Herculez Gomez has a much better take, also on MLSsoccer.com...

Gomez [...] even hailed Straus' work, which called into question several key aspects of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann's stewardship of the squad.

“I love it – I love it,” he said. “It's about time. It's about damn time you guys took some interest and you guys started asking some tough questions. I think that shows us growing as a footballing nation, I really do.

Right on, Herc.

What's That Caked on Your Fan?

Oh dear...

In conversation after conversation, the same themes emerged:

— Klinsmann and chief assistant Martin Vasquez either lack the tactical acumen and game-day chops to successfully lead the team or fail to communicate their wishes effectively.

— Too much time and too many resources are spent on initiatives that don’t translate to the field.

— Constant lineup changes and building resentment over the perceived importance and attitude of the German-born players are harming team chemistry.

Read the whole, damning thing, I'll wait.

I'm beginning to think that my Klinsmann : USMNT :: Sven : El Tri analogy is going to bear some nasty fruit and my suspicions upon Klinsmann's appointment in 2011 are about to be proved valid...

It’s all about rolling the dice. Sticking with Bradley would have resulted in qualification and early dismissal in Brazil. Results with Klinsmann depend on delegation. The whole thing might click wonderfully or explode in our faces.

Given solid, experienced heads around him, he can focus on what he does best: being the motivational figurehead. That leads to Germany in 2006. If instead he thinks he’s the next Rinus Michels, we get the Bayern abomination.