.cross.wired.mind.

My starting XI are all drawn from the 1990s.  The reason for this is that I have seen them play (almost all of them in person) and I understand the impact they had on the game.  Sure, they are not the best XI to have ever played but they are a group that I can say - I know because I have seen for myself.

I am going with a 3-5-2 managed by Sir Alex of course.

G - Kasey Keller: Overlooked because he is a yank Casey is far and away the greatest stopper I have ever seen.  His dominance over Brazil in the US victory in 1998 led Romario to say, “That is the best performance by a goalkeeper I have ever seen in a match that I have played in.”

D - Franco Baresi: He was the heart of AC Milan’s defense throughout the 1990s.  He won six scudetti and three European Cups.

D - Paulo Maldini: Winner of seven scudetti and four European cups Paulo Maldini is perhaps the greatest defender of all time (IMHO).  He has 127 caps and has appeared for 582 times since 1984.

D - Denis Irwin:  Before there was Bend it Like Beckham there was Dennis Irwin.  His free kicks were thing of beauty.  Add to that the ability to man mark even the most elusive forwards AND transition seamlessly to offense and you can see why he is on my starting XI.

M - Edgar Davids:  Every team needs a tenacious midfielder.  I have two of them because I just couldn’t choose one.  Edgar Davids plays hard but not dirty.  He can strip the ball with a tough tackle then make a silky smooth pass to move the play ahead.  Truly an iron fist in a velevt glove.

M - Roy Keane:  The battles between Roy Keane and Edgar Davids are legendary.  Even though they are similar players Roy brings with him the ability to be the field general.  He can organize, motivate, chastise, and drive a team like no one else I have ever seen.

M - Eric Cantona:  Genius!  Vision! Legend! Le God!  What more can I say? Though he played much of the time as a forward I think he was at his best when he played just behind the forwards as the link from the mid-field.

M - Ryan Giggs:  The Welsh Wizard is a natural choice on the left.  His runs are amazing.  His speed is tremendous.  His ability to make even the best defender look like a a lump on the turf has caused him to be compared to George Best who would definitely be on this list if I made it my all time list.

M - David Beckham: I know. I know.  You think this is a bad choice.  Here’s the thing.  When Mr. Spice wore the number 10 shirt for United he was a rapidly rising star.  His ability to beat the defense and cross form the right was spectacular.  Later in his career he fancied himself a central mid, and then he just fancied himself.  I think the whole “star” thing took away from his ability to focus on football.  If he had been an ugly mug I think we would be talking about David Beckham in the same breath as Maradona, Pele, Best and Zidane (who I left off for my list for obvious reasons).

F - George Weah: This man had an eye for goal.  He played with brains and brawn.  If he had been able to spur Liberia on to success on the International stage his greatness would not be questioned. 

F - Marco Van Basten: He was not a flashy player, nor was he a real celebrity.  He just scored goals.  He scored 128 goals in 133 appearences for Ajax and 90 goals in 147 appearences for AC Milan.  He won the Dutch league three times and Serie A four.  He won the European Cup three times.  He is the model modern striker.

There is a wonderful piece about Eric Cantona over at si.com (yep, Sports Illustrated folks).  My favorite bit is about George Best and le God …

Fellow United legend and wearer of the famous No. 7 shirt, George Best, once remarked of Cantona, “I’d give all the champagne I’ve ever drunk to be playing alongside him in a big European match at Old Trafford.” Some years later, following Best’s death, Cantona returned the compliment in his own indomitable way.

“After his first training session in heaven, George Best, from his favorite right wing, turned the head of God who was filling in at left-back,” Cantona said. “I would love him to save me a place in his team — George Best that is, not God.”

You can see why this guy is on my all time starting XI (more on that later). Not only was he a footballing genius but he has a unique (and unpredictable) wit that never ceases to amaze.

Here is a bit from a column in USA Today:

“Soccer in America has had every chance. We reject soccer, that’s fair to say,” says sports pundit Frank Deford, who is happy to lay out the reasons soccer causes him to hold his nose. “There’s not enough scoring, and ties make no sense.”

This World Cup isn’t helping the pro-soccer cause. Two elimination games have been decided on penalty kicks after zero goals in 120 minutes of play; the tournament has posted a 2.36 goals-per-game average, the lowest since 1990.

Deford isn’t finished. “There’s really a lack of proficiency in the game. God didn’t intend for us to use our feet and our heads. Though what soccer players do with their feet and their heads is extraordinary, it is in the same way that spinning plates is extraordinary.”

And don’t get him started on soccer’s offside rule, which prevents attacking players from standing any closer to the opposing goal than the other team’s last defender.

“That’s simply un-American,” Deford says. “We’re all about forward, forward, forward, in sports and in our society. From the 19th century onward, we have not taken to soccer. It’s almost as if it’s not in our DNA to like it.”

Ok. Let’s take this point by pointless point

“Soccer in America has had every chance. We reject soccer, that’s fair to say,”

Uh, no.  In 1990 I knew 2 other people who knew anything about soccer.  My bud Mark whom I watched matches with and our friend Marco who is an Arsenal supporter.  In 2006 I am literally surrounded by people who discovered the game since 1990. 

In 1992 I wore my Manchester United jerseys to school and to the mall and the only people that said anything had foreign accents, and I NEVER saw ANYONE ELSE wearing any soccer paraphernalia of any kind.  In 2006 you cannot go to the mall without seeing at least 3 or 4 people with Arsenal, Man Utd, MLS, US Nats, Brasil, or some other soccer colors.

In 1992 there was one channel showing any form of soccer at all and even then it was just some highlight shows.  In 2006 I cannot physically watch all of the soccer available to me.  Between ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Soccer Channel, Gol TV, Setanta Sports, Univision, Galavision, Telemundo, and Pay-Per-View there are easily dozens of live matches every week from nearly a dozen countries.  I can even watch the Guatamalan league IN ENGLISH if I wanted to.

In 1993 the only professional league here in the US was a local semi-pro team that got 600 to 1500 fans per match.  Today we have a true pro league that is over 10 years old that averages 15,000 fans per match.  In 1990 we had ZERO American players (well near zero anyway) playing in top flight professional leagues around the world.  Today we have dozens of players in the top tiers in England, Germany, Holland, Norway, and more.  There is an entire site dedicated to tracking our players overseas.

Verdict - Frank Deford earns 1 idiot point.

“There’s not enough scoring, and ties make no sense.”

What?  This is the man who praises the no-hitter as a marvel of baseball.  Frank - a no hitter means that NOTHING HAPPENED!  Egads.  Ok let’s do a comparision what is the average number of touch downs per NFL game? Last season it was 4.4.  Last season in the English Premier League the average was 3.75 goals per match.  Apparently .65 is a big difference to Frank.  Unless he is a fan of the field goal.

Ties make no sense?  Here is what makes no sense.  Football games are typically won in overtime by the coin toss.  The team that wins the toss typically drives close enough to score a field goal and the game ends.  How does that make sense?  Oh, Frank is a baseball fan.  He likes games that go until 3 freaking AM because ties make no sense.  No Frank - watching a baseball game for 8 hours makes no sense.

2 more idiot points in the bag - Frank now has 3 idiot points.  He’s earned his hat trick.

“There’s really a lack of proficiency in the game. God didn’t intend for us to use our feet and our heads. Though what soccer players do with their feet and their heads is extraordinary, it is in the same way that spinning plates is extraordinary.”

WTF?  Has he watched Zidane when he has the ball at his feet?  Has he seen Joe Cole’s goal from the first round?  Did he see Henry’s goal vs Brasil?  Heck - did he see Demarcus Beasly set up Clint Dempsy with a perfect pass to score our only real goal of the tournament?  Back in 1994 a friend of mine was in the hotel where the Brazilian Nats were staying.  They were playing the soccer equivalent of hackey sack with a Dixie Cup.  Yes a little plastic cup.  Lack of proficiency?  Now that statement is just blind ignorance.

Frank Deford scores another brace - 2 more idiot points for Frank for a total of 5 idiot points.

And don’t get him started on soccer’s offside rule, which prevents attacking players from standing any closer to the opposing goal than the other team’s last defender.

“That’s simply un-American,” Deford says. “We’re all about forward, forward, forward, in sports and in our society. From the 19th century onward, we have not taken to soccer. It’s almost as if it’s not in our DNA to like it.”

What a block head.  American sports are laden with rule that slow down the offense.  There is offsides in hockey.  Three strikes in baseball, offsides in football, offensive fouls in basketball and the list goes on and on.  No Frank - American sports are about forward, stop play, forward, stop play for a commercial, forward unless a foul is called, forward, another commercial.  Soccer is always moving with true stoppages for subs, fouls, and injuries only.  There is more actual play time in soccer than in ANY “American” sport.

Frank gets 2 more idiot points to bring his total to 7 and he gets 10 bonus idiot points for the xenophobic/nearly racist DNA comment.

Frank Deford - you are an idiot, that’s fair to say.

I know I have been hard on my Yanks (that’s the US Men’s National Soccer Team) but in truth the effort at this World Cup was better than I gave them credit for while in the throes of agony after we left the tournament.  Columnist Andrew Rogers puts it all into perspective.

I am not the only one who thinks that Landon Donovan has become a crappy player because he did not stay in Europe.

Donovan — and any soccer player worth his golden spikes — needs pressure to evolve. Pressure makes diamonds, busts pipes and turns soccer players into big-game stars. The World’s best players, be they European or South American, live a life of continuous pressure to perform.

bingo.

The US lost to Ghana 2-1.  It was 1-0 in Ghana’s favor when Damarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey combine for a beautiful goal.  Then moments later the #*^$(@& ref calls Gooch for a foul in our box.  No matter how many times I watch that replay I cannot see what he was calling.  Ghana converts and all of the momentum the US had built dissipates.

But, I will not blame the ref.

No.  There is enough blame to go around.  First and foremost the players.  We have no true team leader.  There is no American version of Roy Keane calling his team to task when they slip.  We have no heart.  Then there is Landon Donovan.  He gave up a chance to compete for a place in a European club side to get a guaranteed starting spot on an MLS team here in the States.  It shows.  His form has done nothing but drop over the last few years.  On the pitch today he looked like crap.  No club outside of the MLS will touch him now, and that’s too bad because he needs to fight for a roster spot if he wants to play at the highest level

Then there is Bruce Almighty.  I love his ability to put a team together.  He is and always will be a great coach but he really blew it this time.  His team lacked an edge.  He was overly cautious.  He is too loyal to players who have worked hard for him over the years.  We needed a hungry team and it wasn’t there.  The coach needs to step up when the team lacks the hunger to compete.  Should Bruce Areana return as the US coach?  I think so but I would not be surprised if he doesn’t.  He is a proven winner except for the place it counts most - at the World Cup.  His record there is 1-3-2 in group play and a tight win in the 2002 round of 16.  That is not a good record.  Sure we do not have the skill of the top tier sides but we are often a better team than most.  Not this time.

The ref.  Refereeing decisions are critical in most sports but in soccer they can change a game in a heartbeat.  Claudio Reyna is fouled as he is stripped of the ball.  Nothing called - goal scored.  Gooch fights for a ball in the box and a PK is called.  Sure, we should have come back from both but when the ref is calling everything against you then how can you play with any passion.  How can you make an aggressive challenge for the ball if such an action is routinely punished?

I’ll make a bold prediction - more than one team will lose a round of 16 match because of overzealous or lackadaisical officiating.

Well, time to go back to my heritage and cheer on the Azzuri. 

Italia!  Italia!  Italia!

The US faces Ghana in a make or break match at the World Cup in Germany 24 hours from now.

I am already nervous.

Heck, after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Italy I was already nervous about US v Ghana.  1990 was a thrill just because we were there.  1994 was exciting because we made it to the round of 16.  1998 was simply painful as we imploded on and off the field.  2002 was a thrill ride from the very first match.  2006 has been all about nerves.  Will we repeat our performance of 2002 or whimper out like 1998.  All indications point to something in between.  We took a point from the toughest opponent in our group and we stand a good chance of taking 3 points from Ghana.  If that happens and Italy beat the Czechs then we are through … to face BRASIL in the round of 16.  Its 1994 all over again.

Do you ever stop and listen to sports fans talk about the teams they follow? 

I do. 

My co-workers talk about all kinds of sports … by all kinds I mean baseball, football, and basketball.  When my co-workers talk about the teams they love - Phillies, Eagles, and 76ers - I often hear these teams referred to as “they”. 

Here is a typical conversation head at my office:

The Phillies stank last night.
They sure did.
Why do they stink so much.
Well they lack heart, skill, intelligence…
Yada yada yada.

Now compare that to the conversations heard at pubs and cafes the world over (even here in the USA) when futbol fans gather.

Man, the Czechs tore us apart.
We got pasted, but Eddie Johnson did us proud.
If we don’t start playing with some passion it’ll be 1998 all over again.
We’ll pull it out.
etc., etc., etc.

Notice the difference?  This is one of the many reasons American’s don’t get the passion that flows the the world of footy fans.  A footy fan includes him or herself in the team whereas fans of American sports put themselves on the outside looking in.  Why is that?  Why do Americans get these puzzled looks on their face when they hear that Poland is still pissed at Germany for making them play on a water0logged pitch in 1974 thus negating the speed that the Poles were known for.  Why?  Because Americans think they are passionate about their sports but they do not live them.  In every game played between the US and Mexico for the next 100 years the Mexican team will always look back to their defeat at out hands in 2002.  It’s true!  As I mentioned in an earlier post - find a Mexican fan (though nearly anyone of Mexican descent) and tell him or her how sweet the US performance was in 2002 and get ready to dodge whatever hurled object the Mexican fan can reach.

Passion.  We think we have it.  We don’t.  Not to the same extent as the Brazilians, Mexicans, English, Germans, Italians, Togans, etc., etc., etc.

We confuse volume for passion.  We think that the louder we shout the more passion we have.

Go to a soccer match in any other part of the world and make sure the match is between local rivals (called a derby for those who are not soccer literate) and you will not be able to hear yourself think.  I am not talking about the noise generated by a typical NFL game.  I am talking about tens of thousands of people singing and chanting in unison … for 90 minutes straight … in temperature at or near freezing … in the rain … and their team is losing … badly.

That is passion.  Its we … not they.

Sam’s Army is silent.  I walk back to work alone.  The US has lost 3-0 against the Czech Republic.  Yes, they are a better team than we are.  Yes, we played well below potential.  Yes, we lacked heart, leadership, and courage.  With the exception of Eddie Johnson we played a flat, passionless 90 minutes of painful football.

First game lost.  Italy looms on the horizon this Saturday.  If we are to have any hope we need three things - 4 points (1W and 1T), a better goal differential, and the Czech Republic to dominate the group.  And that assumes that a fire is lit and we play like I know we can.

Sam’s Army needs a spark.  Now is a time to put the pain aside and steel ourselves for the tests ahead of us.