Soccer Soap Box

Blog Thumbnail
Website
http://soccersoapbox.com/
Syndication Feed
http://soccersoapbox.com/feed/
Last Updated
February 20, 2010 00:12 EST
Added
October 5, 2009

Freddy and Eddie’s Big Fat Greek Adventure

Soccer Soap Box @ 11:16 PM EDT

Freddy Adu scored his first goal this weekend for Aris Salonika in the club's match vs. Ergotelis in Greece. Not long ago, as we waited for confirmation of Freddy's next career move, I wrote "Much Adu About Something? My default position: don't give up on Freddy so easily.

Now that we have our first goal, following a beautiful assist recently to fellow American Eddie Johnson, shall we declare victory?

Click to continue reading...

The New England Revolution’s Steve and Shalrie Show

Soccer Soap Box @ 11:52 PM EDT

For fans of the New England Revolution this has been a pretty tough offseason. Reading a very interesting interview with Steve Nicol at FoxSoccer.com made it very clear that there are some very interesting hurdles to make it over this year.

  • Paul Mariner: Hugely respected Assistant coach with vast experience and knowledge – gone.
Click to continue reading...

Wynalda for US Under 20s: Handle With Care

Soccer Soap Box @ 12:57 AM EDT

It went widely unnoticed or cared about, but when Soccer America reported that Eric Wynalda is being given a trial run as an Under-20 National Team assistant coach . . . my head started spinning.

Would Eric use his brash style, deep history and strong playing experience as a force of good to help groom our promising "next generation" of players?

Click to continue reading...

Much Adu About Something?

Soccer Soap Box @ 7:14 PM EDT

It is easy to suggest that "child prodigy" Freddy Adu is simply an over-rated marketing project more than someone who has the potential to be a significant player on the world-scene. I think that view is actually a convenient cop-out.

Clearly, I'm in the camp of Freddy supporters that hopes his career heads the right direction.

Click to continue reading...

“MLS Team America” Could It Work?

Soccer Soap Box @ 11:14 PM EDT

Yanks-Abroad is a great site. I read it near religiously. You should too.

The name alone, however, suggests its latent bias – one toward a preference for US players that are playing abroad, and a (general) disinterest in MLS. That made Brent Latham's new Yanks Abroad piece "PHILLY.

Click to continue reading...

Unfiltered Thinking: Beckham, Donovan, MLS Cup 2009

Soccer Soap Box @ 5:13 PM EDT

When writing about a game that involves a team I support I like to take the cup is "half full vs. half empty" approach, but as an (mostly) non-partisan observer for MLS Cup I didn't want to pollute this blog with such thinking. (I do, however, remain surprised that I haven't yet seen an overtime/penalty related headlines somewhere about how "The Cup Runneth Over" .

Click to continue reading...

US Men v. Slovakia: The glass is half . . .

Soccer Soap Box @ 7:33 PM EDT

A Slovakian team that was (apparently) good in European qualifying, but not well ranked by FIFA, played a defensive, counter-attacking game against the USA in a partially filled stadium, on a pretty ugly field and won 1-0 on a weak penalty call. Not what you call must-see-TV, so it is probably good that not many people saw it.

Click to continue reading...

Under-17s, Luis Gil and the Maturity Quagmire

Soccer Soap Box @ 9:27 AM EDT

The US Under-17s are out of the Fifa U-17 World Cup after a tough loss to Italy. I saw less of their World Cup play than I wanted, but a few thoughts remain hard to shake.

Maturity is over-rated at least in soccer. The game against the UAE reminded me most why watching the occasional youth game is so refreshing: even in a pressure situation the 'kids' tend to play with an offense-first mindset and a penchant for flair that will very likely (and sadly) be taught out of them in the pro ranks.

Click to continue reading...

Dempsey: Exceptional American, American Exception.

Soccer Soap Box @ 10:41 AM EDT

Kudos are clearly warranted for Clint Dempsey as he hits his second goal in as many weeks for Fulham FC. While his first professional coach and likely mentor, ex-Liverpool great Steve Nicol, might not immediately love that Clint helped Fulham take down Liverpool, it was clearly a significant achievement following a goal the prior week against wanna-be powerhouse Manchester City.

Click to continue reading...

The Soccer Talent Drain Matters. (Sort of . . .)

Soccer Soap Box @ 11:14 PM EDT

The bad thing about having a "real job" is that I don't blog about the beautiful game as much as I'd like. There is a silver lining though, I get to ignore lots of topics that are only marginally interesting to me and rather focus on some more interesting theories.

I decided to sit down for a few minutes and think about an article that for blogger standards is ancient (August 26) but that struck a chord for me.

Click to continue reading...

US Men v. Trinidad and Tobago: The glass is half . . .

Soccer Soap Box @ 12:52 AM EDT

It's hard to feel bad about winning three points on the road in CONCACAF, since that seems to be a rarity nowadays. Yet, it's hard to feel totally good about this result either.

It is another perfect example of the half-full, half-empty conundrum.

I said after the El Salvador game that this match would tell us a lot about the team .

Click to continue reading...

US Men v. El Salvador: The glass is half . . .

Soccer Soap Box @ 11:26 PM EDT

Since thinking through results of soccer matches require a fair bit of perspective, and I'm often in need of some emotional detachment . . . I'm going to try offering a view double-sided view of the US v. El Salvador game (and maybe others) via a glass half-empty vs. glass half-full analogy.

Click to continue reading...

Dear USMNT: Listen to Larry

Soccer Soap Box @ 11:59 PM EDT

World Cup qualifying is getting real and some serious games are at the ready for this weekend.

Grant Wahl has writtenabout how Argentina and Portugal are both on the precipice of World Cup qualifying failure, which could deny fans of two of the best players in the world, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Click to continue reading...

Looking at the USL Through US Soccer Glasses

Soccer Soap Box @ 7:40 PM EDT

I've read through a number of articles, blogs and responses to them (both the inane and quite good) about the looming sale of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) and what impact that would have on MLS. Most sources claimed that MLS has also put a bid in for USL, though one generally agreed to be much lower than what is required.

Click to continue reading...

Summertime and The Blogging Ain’t Easy

Soccer Soap Box @ 7:59 AM EDT

Vacation is upon me and the urge to write (and think) any more than is required has fallen by the wayside. However, I have stumbled upon a few must-read articles that are worth sharing. Whether you are a die-hard soccer fan or are perplexed how anyone could be, the first two are worth a look.

Click to continue reading...