Mes amis, j'ai l'honneur de présenter Thierry Henry. Il est un jouer avec un grand
réputation. C'est bon pour Les Red Bulls. Ici est Thierry. [Merci a Mark Fishkin Aussi pour
le photo.]
This weekend, Kristian Dyer reported that the New York Red Bulls are hot on the trail of their
third Designated Player. This news comes in addition to the fact that New York will ink Thierry
Henry (the world's worst kept secret), sometime next week, and he will be revealed at a press
conference scheduled for Thursday.
There were brand new shirts. The white and blue of Argentina with Messi on the back, the
iconic sash of the American jersey was almost ubiquitous. They raced back and forth, some
flailing hopelessly, others with cool calculated movements, showing mastery and precision. They
passed, shot, tackled, and it all felt right.
The Youth System in the 'States has always been a bit of a sore subject. We have 300 million
people, 3 million of who play youth soccer, yet we struggle to create the talent necessary to
compete for the ultimate prize in International soccer, the World Cup. Those who follow U.S.
Soccer closely tend to look to the youth squads to see how the national team will look in the
future.
Fresh off a round of 16 exit in the World Cup at the helm of Chilé, a source with ties to
Bielsa's native Argentina has informed me that the USSF is pursuing Marcelo Bielsa to take over as
manager of the U.S. National Team. Bielsa has also received interest from other countries,
including Japan, Mexico, and an extension offer from Chilé.
Europe is a seemingly wonderful place. Each country has their own interesting culture, they
speak different languages, and they worship soccer like no other sport. Yes, there is Rugby,
Cricket, Cycling (a favorite of mine), but soccer is on another level, another echelon of fandom.
Our young American soccer players grow up dreaming of one day putting on the colors of a European
club, playing in the Emirates, or the Camp Nou.
Of all the things that contributed to the United States Round of 16 exit at the 2010 World Cup,
perhaps the most glaring deficiency of the team was the defensive cohesion. The Americans
conceded first in all of their matches barring the Algeria game (although truly, they almost did in
that one too, with a Algerian shot going off the cross bar) and found themselves climbing out of
the grave time and time again.
Opportunities in life are far and few between. They come fleetingly, on the whims and wants of
others, so when they do come, they must be taken, taken and pursued to the fullest.
Greg Seltzer (of MLSSoccer and No Short Corners fame) talked to Dempsey's agent, Lyle Yorks
about a potential move away from Craven Cottage.
I profess to know little about this sale. I don't follow the USL much, but I do recognize it's
massive importance to the viability of the game in America. Without it, we would be in a far
worse place. Read more after the jump...
I'm going to defer to Kartik Krishnaiyer who has been on the case from day one and has good
knowledge of the sale, and it's implications.
"It's what you all been waiting for damn it!" says Kanye West. Finally, it's here, and it's
impressive. A free kick blast to the left corner. Check it out after the jump...
Very Nice!
-Max Zeger
There are a number of interesting things going on in the Yanks Soccer world today, so it's time
for us to catch up on all the things going on. More after the jump...
-To start off, I need to pimp three articles I have written for goal.com recently. The first
is the new outlook of the US World Cup Roster based on the post Azteca fallout.
Two of the most well regarded US U-17 prospects are set to pack their bags and head of to join
Hoffenheim's youth academy. Joseph Gyau and Charles Renken who have spent the last two years at
Residency will both head to Germany next month. Read on...I really like this move a lot.
Hoffenheim are a team on the rise backed by SAP creator Dietmar Hopp, and the two will be in a
competitive environment that will nurture their development.
I like to read the blogs to get the pulse of the fan. The pulse after Jozy Altidore's debut
for Hull was pretty unanimous... he's destined for stardom. Woah... let's back it up. Let's
stop and think for a second. Read on...
Jozy has fantastic skill. We all know that. He's big, strong, quick, and he uses all of
those tools well, but I think a tempering of expectations is in order.
Have you ever just read something satirical and been struck by how perfectly it fits or
describes something. The person who organizes some local pickup matches sent me a Facebook
message patronizing the joke that is the New York Red Bulls. I thought it was perfect, and know
you'll enjoy it...
Summer's ending soon, the high schools have started fall practices, and a lot of us will go back
to college, so I thought I'd organize a big end to the summer while everyone was still around.
Luis Gil, the fifteen year old striker from California is close to joining Arsenal's youth
academy. Luis is a fixture in the U-17 squad, and has been training with Arsenal since last May.
After the jump there is a profile of Luis...
This would certainly be a great move for the youngster.
