. . . . . . The Daily Soccer . . . . . .

It's been a while since I've updated the blog and I have a much to say. And I'm saying it all via my new MacBook so expect many more entries to follow as I break in this beautiful laptop!

The biggest current topic has to be the passing of the coaching torch for the U.S. Men's National Team from Bruce Arena to ??? and Bruce's subsequent move to the RedBulls.

The early money for the USMNT job is all on Juergen Klinsmann. While I was surprised that Juergen stepped down as the German National Team coach, I wasn't shocked. The whole of Germany from Angela Merkel on down were begging him to stay, but "Klinsi" has always marched to his own drummer. And that drummer firmly resides in Southern California with a family that has no intention of relocating to Germany. So even if the U.S. job wasn't in the offing (and it wasn't officially open the day Juergen said goodbye), Juergen likely wouldn't want to continue to commute to Germany for any coaching stints. That leaves him a free agent and Sunil Gulati and the rest of the U.S. Soccer Federation should be ready to offer the whole of the Chicago to lure Juergen in the fold. At this point, I would be surprised if he doesn't sign after the new year when The Bruce's reign officially ends. But I wouldn't necessarily count on it as well. Everyone thought Juergen would play a few years for the Galaxy of MLS when he was residing in Southern California and still on the good side of forty, but he never relented. So we can only hope he comes. Here's why I'm hoping:

1) I can't wait to see how the veterans respond to new leadership. Landon and the rest will have reprove themselves which can only be a good thing in the long run. This would be true of any new coach, but Juergen will have the credentials to bench whomever he wants without hearing much, if any, criticism.

2) I can't wait to see the attacking style Juergen will implement. I'll be shocked if he trots out the 4-5-1. He won't. Klinsmann played the whole world cup with two forwards and encouraged most everyone to get forward.

3) I can't wait to see the schedule of friendlies that we'll play. JK will likely get a slew of European teams to come here or host us for a much stronger slate of opponents.

4) I can't wait to have a coach that may be short on words, but is also short on sarcasm. I loved Bruce's sarcasm but it was wearing after a while. Not just for me, but for the whole of U.S. soccer. The players still seemed to love him BUT I firmly believe we had too much of an us vs. them mentality. How does that relate to sarcasm? I think it's not a stretch to realize that Bruce didn't make many friends outside of U.S. soccer due in large part to his ornery/sarcastic demeanor. So we bunkered down. JK won't alienate nearly as many in the soccer world. He's alienated a more than a few along the way, but he's also the hottest commodity going and shows an openness to other ideas and people.

5) Ironically one of the friends that Bruce did make was Juergen. He wanted knowledge and Bruce let him in. And to this day, I believe both men have a healthy respect for each other. So that will make the transition that much smoother. Juergen will likely build on what Bruce built...IF JK signs. So please, JK, don't make us beg.

Bruce's reign begins in New York with nowhere to go but up. Bruce will likely succeed because he is a good coach but also because the Red Bulls will give him several years to build a system. That's a luxury none of his predecessors has had.

Other things in my brain...
Defensive Soccer
In the NBA if an offensive player is on his game, the defense is pretty hopeless to stop him. But in soccer, if an offensive player is playing out of his mind, there are many tricks the soccer defender can use to stop him. He can push, trip, hold and the like and usually just yield a harmless free kick, if that. In the NBA, those moves usually put the offensive player on the line for free throws. Thus, I think even more must be done to open up the game. FIFA was on the right track by cracking down on cynical fouls, but they went too far. And the they started on the world's stage which was a very bad testing ground in front of millions. But they need to find the middle ground. Shirt holding and the like must be kept to a minimum. Don't give up FIFA, even though you looked foolish with refs handing out 15 cards a game.

One Ref = One Bad Idea
Put two refs on the field. Nothing else needs to be said. The game is too fast for one man and the players are too smart.

Bad Actors
Institute video replay AFTER the games. We don't need it during the run of play. But we do need it after all is said and done to punish the worst offenders who demean the game. I'm talking about the pathetic diving and incessant play acting that pushes people away from the game far more than low scores. But it can be punished. After every game, all FIFA needs to do is review the video tape much like the NBA does. If player dives and the ref doesn't catch it, no problem. It's no shame on the ref for FIFA to punish the player the next day. FIFA needs to rid itself of the idea the ref is a god. He needs help. Give it to him. Even if it takes 24 hours.

MLS Update
I fear for the long-term health of this league, I really do. Attendance is very spotty and not very accurate to say the least. Without getting into the details of game by game attendance figures, it's safe to say I'm happy when over 10,000 show up for a game without some major promotion. There are bright spots. DC United consistently draw 15 - 20,000 for average Saturday night games. The L.A. Galaxy also regularly get somewhere north of 20,000 and the Houston Dynamo have done well in their first year. But K.C., Colorado and New York are lucky to get 10,000 even in the best of conditions. And the slew of Soccer Specific Stadiums seem to be drying up. After Chicago this year and Colorado and Toronto next year, there are no other stadiums that have broken ground. I'll believe it when I see it for New York and Salt Lake City has run into a political logjam with their plans. And even when a stadium is built, there's no guarantee the people will come. The Chicago Fire have averaged just over 10,000 for their first five home dates and that includes an opening day sellout. So while it's nice to have the added revenues of concessions, parking and the like, not to mention better control over scheduling, I don't know that 10,000 a game will cut it in the long run. Do I have the answers? No. I have many ideas that I'll share in coming posts, but suffice to say I worry all the good MLS press this year will be followed by a lot of bad press next year.

On the field, there are many storylines to follow. 1) DC United is playing as well as any MLS side had ever played. Check them out if you can. Freddy Adu is in the best MLS place he can be and the fact that he's earned a starting role in this team full of talent bodes very well for him. I don't care if his goal scoring is down this year. He's playing out of position but playing very well. 2) The LA Galaxy and Chivas USA have built a real rivalry. Catch one of these inter-city classics if you can. The fans are great on both sides, and if Landon Donovan is playing for the Galaxy, the soccer isn't all that bad now that Bob Bradley is at the Chivas helm. 3) The Houston Dynamo are for real. But you knew that when they played last year as the San Jose Earthquakes. Dwayne DeRosario is as fun a player has MLS has. And with Brian Ching as his target forward, this team in orange is easy on the eye.

That's all for now. (Bostrom)