In 2009, Bill Simmons decided to cross another item off his bucket list by traveling south to Mexico City and Estadio Azteca to take in the sights, sounds and passion of a USA-Mexico World Cup qualifying match.
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In 2012, United States national team captain Carlos Bocanegra and relative newcomer Geoff Cameron started nine matches each at centerback. Clarence Goodson figured in Jurgen Klinsmann's first XI six times. A duo made from that trio started 10 of the team's 15 games, including all six World Cup qualifiers and the last five fixtures of the calendar year. But none of the combinations were without fault, and the pairing is an ongoing concern for the coaching staff (and, certainly, the rabid American fan base).
Two questions: (1) What is the problem, exactly? And (2) What is the solution?
It was all good just a year ago. 2012 was the first year in 13 that Olympique Lyonnais failed to qualify for the Champions League, missing out on the money and spotlight that European competition brings. In truth, the rot had already set in. Lyon hasn't won the league since 2008, its finances — including yearly turnover, income from player sales, ticketing, and merchandising revenues — have steadily decreased generally from year to year while its payroll and incoming transfer fees, spent trying to right le proverbial bateau, have soared.
But that's just the men's team. Olympique Lyonnais Feminin are world-beaters.
If 2008 was the onset of the men's decline and fall, it was also the year that the Lyon women began to win, to win everything; ecstatically, beatifically, and at a near-comedic rate. Though the club had seen success as top-flight champions since the early 1990s, 2008 saw the coming-together of the team that, today, might very well be the best side — club or national — in the world.
On Tuesday, Arsenal lost on penalties to Bradford in the League Cup. This is astonishing because Bradford is in the fourth division of English football and Premier League–side Arsenal is still good (or they might be ... they are in the last 16 of the Champions League, after all). And it's not every day that you get to follow a team to (what you think is) its nadir.
If you're Jonesing for some schadenfreude, you could OD on it by reading the post-match comments over at Arseblog, maybe the top Gooner-centric destination on the Web. The big takeaway is that the "Wenger out" groundswell now seems to be about the size of the Sudetenland. Some of the club's current struggles — just 10 wins in its last 25 matches, peppered with some other dreadful losses (Norwich, Swansea) in between — are indeed manager Arsene Wenger's fault. He did bring in Gervinho, who seems to be in some secret competition with the on-loan Nicklas Bendtner to see who can miss the most unmissable sitter (Gervy locked up the contest against Bradford). And the extent to which financial issues may have forced his hand in selling any or all of Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri, Gaël Clichy, Alex Song, and Robin Van Persie, while relevant, is an entirely different discussion. The fact is he has sold really good players and replaced them with less good players.
No, fault aside, Wenger isn't the problem. Or more accurately, sacking Wenger — and really, Arsenal fans, whom do you think you can bring in if you shitcan Wenger? — won't solve the problem. That's because the problem is bigger than the manager; and if anything Wenger is still the last best hope for staving off the looming disaster of the real problem: Stan Kroenke.
The FIFA Club World Cup. Sounds like it should be kind of a big deal, doesn't it? After all, just four letters distinguish it from the infinitely important FIFA World Cup, and those four letters would seem to suggest an improvement on the formula: It’s the World Cup, but with club teams! Considering those clubs are competing to be crowned soccer’s world champions, surely that’s got to be an enormously important and popular competition, highly prized by elite football teams across the globe?
When the United States men's national team fell 2-1 last month in Jamaica, it was the squad's first loss in 19 games against the Caribbean country. But American supporters no doubt noticed something familiar about the match: the faces of the Reggae Boyz. Four of Jamaica’s starters and two of the substitutes play in Major League Soccer. In total, coach Theo Whitmore had nine MLS players on his roster for the vital World Cup qualifier.
Whitmore was not the only one in the region to turn to the American top tier for talent. During the September international break, non-U.S. CONCACAF countries called up 32 MLS players. For the October World Cup qualifiers that start on Friday, 28 such men — including seven from Canada, six from Honduras, and five from Jamaica — received calls.
On Wednesday, MLS announced that the San Jose Earthquakes — who have the best record in the league (57 points) and the league’s leading goal scorer (Chris Wondolowski, 20 goals) — had won the rights to Marcus Tracy in a lottery. Tracy, a forward, won the 2008 Herman Award (soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman) in his senior year at Wake Forest. The season before, he scored the game-tying goal and assisted on the game-winner in Wake Forest’s 2-1 victory over Ohio State in the 2007 national championship game, the first NCAA championship in the school’s history.
But Tracy, 25, has struggled with injuries for the past three years, and since last October, he hadn’t had a professional contract. Until the Earthquakes came calling.
Well, this looks pretty fantastic. We the Pharaohs chronicles former USMNT manager Bob Bradley's time in Egypt as he attempts to lead its national side to its first World Cup in more than 20 years. Bradley's tenure as Pharaohs manager has happened to coincide with with one of the most tumultuous times in modern Egyptian history.
That might sound a bit hysterical, but listen, all y'all, it's a (self) sabotage. What are these guys doing? Coming out of Christmas, the title was City's to lose. But if Sir Alex Ferguson has taught us anything (aside from how to creatively use a hairdryer) it's that your team needs to hit its stride right after the new year, when the finish line finally comes into view.
Wayne Rooney was back from Siberia (AKA: the doghouse), Rio Ferdinand was back from the couch (AKA: watching darts), David De Gea was banished to the bench and Newcastle was primed for a winter-long slump. What could possibly go wrong for Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United on Wednesday? Oh, pretty much everything.
Or, to quote a tweet from Newcastle striker Sammy Ameobi, here's what went wrong: "BA...HUH! What did he sign for? Absolutely Nothing!"
Here's your guide to all of this weekend's best soccer action from around the globe.
Where: Santiago Bernabéu
When: Saturday, 4:00 p.m EST (GOLTV, ESPND)
What's At Stake: According to Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff, not a whole hell of a lot: "It's only a game and nothing more than that." Maybe, but as games go, it's the premier matchup in the entire sport. The best two club sides on the planet, the best two players in the world (Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo). Look, these things rarely work out the way we want them to. Last season Real and Barca played twice in La Liga and competed against one another in the Copa Del Rey and Champions League. By the end of it the players, coaches, fans and neutral spectators were staggering around, like revelers making a daybreak exit from a party that got a little too real. The matches were cantankerous, scrappy and cagey. We all needed a break.
Here's your guide to all of this weekend's best soccer action from around the globe.
Where: Sports Direct Arena (even though St. James' Park sounds better)
When: 7:45 a.m. EST Saturday
What's At Stake: Andre Villas-Boas' employment. The former Porto boss was considered the wunderkind of European football management when he showed up at Stamford Bridge. Now he's being called "Jose Mourinho's DVD guy." In a week in which Chelsea was knocked out of the League Cup by Liverpool and it was announced its captain was being investigated for allegedly racist comments, Chelsea needs to turn its season around. It won't be easy; Newcastle have shown it can play with any team in the Premier League.
Who You Should Watch: Keep an eye on Newcastle's midfield destroyer, Cheick Tiote. Chelsea's scouts certainly will be; rumor has it he's a transfer target for the Blues.
Here's your guide to all of this weekend's best soccer action from around the globe.
Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund
Where: Allianz Arena
When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. EST
What's At Stake: The Bundesliga? Sort of! First-place Bayern welcome defending champions (and current second-place club) Dortmund. Last time Borussia went to Bayern, they won, 3-1, and pretty much wrapped up the league. Bayern will be looking for revenge and a little breathing room.
Who To Watch For: Bayern will likely welcome back the oft-injured and plenty-brilliant Arjen Robben. For Dortmund, watch Mario Goetze. Most of the top clubs in Europe sure have been.
Lazio vs. Napoli
When: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. EST
Where: San Paolo
What's At Stake: Serie A's burgeoning rep as an offensively explosive league. Long a theatre for defensive football and hypochondria, Italy has a little bit of swagger this year, due in no small part to the electric football played by these two sides.
Who To Watch: Edinson Cavani. Seriously. You would be well within your rights to watch nothing else but Edinson Cavani.
Liverpool vs. Chelsea
When: Sunday, 11 a.m., EST
Where: Stamford Bridge
What's At Stake: Not to be hysterical (though that's fun) but, basically, for both the Blues and the Reds, this is pretty much the season. Despite Chelsea sitting fourth and Liverpool sitting sixth, both of these clubs need an adrenaline shot. Liverpool desperately wants to return to the Champions League and needs a top four finish to do so. While Chelsea need to keep pace with the two Manchester sides if it has even the faintest hope of competing for the title.
Who To Watch: It's hard to know who will be under more pressure: Chelsea striker Fernando Torres playing against his old club? Or Liverpool standout Luis Suarez who will play, despite being charged by the FA for making racist comments toward Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
Houston Dynamo vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
When: Sunday, 9 p.m. EST
Where: Home Depot Center
What's At Stake: The MLS Cup. The L.A. Galaxy have already won the Supporters Shield for the best regular season record, but without this final bit of silverware this season will feel like a disappointment.
Who To Watch: David Beckham. The 36-year-old midfielder has had an up-and-down career stateside, but is looking to tie a ribbon on what might have been his finest MLS season, in what could be his final game in a Galaxy uniform. It's a shame that star Houston midfielder Brad Davis will miss the season-closer, but there will be plenty of talent on display, with Galaxy forwards Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan testing the Houston defense led by Geoff Cameron.
Previously By Chris Ryan:
Tim Tebow and the Miracles
Must Watch: The German National Soccer Team In Reverse
Rankonia: The Triangle Power Rankings
Read more of The Triangle, Grantland's sports blog.
Contact us at triangle@grantland.com
Basketball fans who are at a loss, we feel your pain. The first two weeks of your schedule have been canceled. The entire season is in doubt. Even worse: The WNBA doesn’t tip off until next spring.
Fan nature abhors a vacuum. May we be so bold as to suggest a partial solution? As a public service, we offer this guide matching the parallel universes of the NBA and the English Premier League, team by team. May your new soccer love be as close to the real thing as Methadone or Splenda.
Tuesday saw a ton of international football action, as European nations wrapped up the initial qualifying stages for the Euro 2012 Finals and non-Euro national teams played some high-profile friendlies. So fire up "Sweet Georgia Brown" and let's do some globe-trotting, shall we?
