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Doesn't that sound fun?!?!? Apparently, an esteemed panel of world soccer scribes (including a
couple of NSC pals from England) thought so. They have combined to issue a ranking of the 100 best
players on the rock.Before you go nose-dive into the link to check if some American or another made
the list: nope, they didn't, zero.
Really, I should have known the KNVB would use any opportunity to take every possible chunk out of
Ajax. Here is the match ruling from last week's AZ cup match debacle, to go with the Esteban
Alvarado red card removal already announced:- Entire game replayed on Jan. 19th- Played at empty
ArenA (oh, and sorry, but no KNVB ticket refunds)- Expected security fine for Ajax- No sanction of
any kind
While also announcing that the referee had acted properly, the KNVB rescinded Estaban Alvarado's
red card. No word yet about the status of the suspended game.- Greg Seltzer
As if it couldn't get crazier, Ajax has filed a police report with the finding that last night's
jerkface pitch invader should have never been allowed into the stadium. The 19-year old was already
handed a stadium ban for prior trouble with stewards. As it turns out, this fantastically stupid
person has set himself for criminal charges well beyond what I originally anticipated thanks to his
It's been a strange December for Ajax, to say the least. I could do a whole other post on a
wackiness rundown, but let's gather focus and get back into the rubble from last night's suspended
Ajax v AZ cup match.I had a few words to say and you've added in some of yours. Now, let's hear
some morning after comments from the folks involved.
What else is there to say? If you don't know what I'm talking about, here it is from tonight's KNVB
Cup match at Amsterdam ArenA: the hooligan field invasion that spawned the red card to AZ keeper
Estaban Alvarado that made Gertjan pull his team off that saw this contest suspended with Ajax up
1-0 a few minutes before intermission.
Here is your somewhat frustrating USMNT line-up:Howard; Cherundolo, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Chandler;
Beckerman; Williams, Edu, Shea; Dempsey, AltidoreHere is my Top 5 Debunked 4-3-3 Misconceptions
list (even if ol' boy has momentarily sailed off in a slightly different direction).And here is the
preview reel.
Like Lionel Ritchie once sang, we've come to the end of our rainbow. Once, twice, three times
thanks to you all for riding along these last two weeks, stirring up some debate/discussion of the
new system and indulging my keen ability to speak mind without caring the slightest that some will
find me whacko.
As with a soccer team, a successful breakdancing crew is usually made of people all playing their
specific roles. Everybody is expected to add their unique flavor to the mix. Some people wow as
lockers, some doing hand tutting, some add in classical training.Indulge me a moment, please, and
enjoy this performance by Boston crew Phunk Phenomenon.
No, we won't be discussing fire trucks, school buses or South African aliens today. It's literally
the pinnacle of our 4-3-3, the striker. It's also the easiest top choice this side of Tim Howard in
our little exercise.This is the most straightforward job description on the field, really.
Naturally, our #9 wants to stay in the middle of the field, make the center backs work, drop back
to be
Aided by a merciful Cardinals start time, there will be no dozing off too early tonight. It about
to get really Dutch up in here, up in here - so let's just dive in.The #8 is a very important
player in this formation. He's the time-keeper, controlling match tempo when necessary. He's
usually also the traffic director, deciding which direction we go up the field.
We've reached the left center back portion of our program... which means I don't need to cover job
description. Yay.What I will do is add in a couple extra hypothetical details to think about with
the construction of a 4-3-3 back line. When it comes to casting this production, it can be the
details that give the field balance needed for it to work right.
It's right back day on my USMNT clipboard, and this is where I start provoking. Exactly what it is
I provoke, we shall see. As promised, today's ranking takes us deeper into discussions of things
like tactical checkpoints, changes from the old ways and player expectations.Now into a wingback
chart, we come to one of the (two) most complex positions in the 4-3-3.
It will be a couple of weeks before some of my more detailed 4-3-3 explanations begin with the
purpose of knocking down misconceptions and basically getting all Dutch abstract on ya.For now, I
am going to start out as standard as possible. I'll go through each position on the formation to
offer up my current top five.
Before we veg in front of the tube, let me direct your attention to today's Postcard from Europe
with Jonathan Spector... The Press Pass crew get a bit testy discussing the variables involved in
Robbie Keane's move to Los Angeles. We got Sean's great take on the new Prem season yesterday, and
today we hear from Nemanja Vidic.
Let's run one of those handy catch-ups, my work tends to buzz by so quickly if I don't. We'll start
with the obvious main course...- Postcard From Europe: The Klinsi Effect- Benny curious to see
exactly what that is- My American Exports Bundesliga season primer- The official first Top 5
Continental Shifts of 11/12- Gregory Garza on trial with the Pride of OsloAnd while I have your
attention, why
With Will away on vacation, weekend guest Jacob is gonna stick around a bit to keep our MLS balance
up. Jake it away, dude...If any team in MLS needed a pick-me-up, it was the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Wading through a sea of injuries that any team, much less a youthful expansion team, could do
without. With a league worst 14 points from 20 games Tommy Soehn could have been easily forgiven
for sending
With Will away on vacation, weekend guest Jacob is gonna stick around a bit to keep our MLS balance
up. Jake it away, dude...If any team in MLS needed a pick-me-up, it was the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Wading through a sea of injuries that any team, much less a youthful expansion team, could do
without. With a league worst 14 points from 20 games Tommy Soehn could have been easily forgiven
for sending
I'll do my best not to take credit for the idea. I will, however, reserve the "I told you all so"
right for when it works wonders. Aaaaaand there will likely be a little dance - something Chris
Turk-esque, I'm thinking. Don't believe me? Go ask Barcelona how it's worked out for them while I
start rehearsing this dance.
It's a smooth move from Will's Woody Allen flick Top 5'er (What? No NSC reader love for Bananas?!?
Shocking!!). We go straight into the card for the third New York Kicking & Screening Festival,
which will take place in Manhattan from July 20-23.I had a blast at the inaugural Amsterdam version
- even if my foosball offense was short of form.
Let's enjoy a little variety show before Will cooks up the MLS Grinder...Let's begin with a quick
look at my hunch pick to win Copa América, Uruguay.Let's check back with the USWNT to get some
thoughts from a few of the ladies responsible for yesterday's big win over Colombia.Hey, ya know
how all those Mexico players kept testing positive for banned substances?
Another of the great things about Ajax is the way the club and the team cycle everything back
through the kids of Amsterdam - the enthusiasm, the instruction, the style. It's much of how the
city keeps producing players like Sjaak Swart, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Urby Emanuelson
and Gregory van der Wiel.
Dear leagues all around the world,Stop flipping sending off players for "excessive
celebration"!!!THIS is not EVER worth ejecting a player:And do not even blame the refs, they are
doing what they are told. By who? BY YOU!!Fix this, please. Now. Love,Utterly baffled by the
insanity!PS - I will start slapping folks.
I see there are no Modern Family episodes in April. Therefore, I've decided, April is a lesser
month...#1 - Molde FK winger Josh Gatt hopped off the bench to help his side rally for a road draw
today, and here is an interview he did with the club website before the game.#2 - This was also
from the weekend, but apparently, Hannover 96 skipper Steve Cherundolo believes young MLS players
should be
Okay, this has been bugging the hell out of me. I had to say something. It is one of those times as
humans when we feel we must certainly be alien, because no one else is catching what seems to be
glaringly obvious. It's weird.As we all know, the USMNT played two friendlies last week. In the 1-1
draw against Argentina, Oguchi Onyewu played left center back.
It's time for riffing.#5 - The 'Nats are beginning to become a real nuisance to the big boys.Since
the last Argentina meetings in 2008, the USMNT has played a total of nine matches against a group
or world powers listing the Albiceleste, Brazil, England, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain - the
two CONMEBOL monsters and four Euro-beasts.
With not much of stateside interest going on with matches today, it seemed like a good time to ruin
your productivity with some tube...Let's kick off with a quick Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah howdy-do.
By the way, do say that previous sentence out loud a few times - it almost tickles.Wanna get inside
Vancouver's franchise-opening day derby win?
Maybe I'm extra pissy today because Ajax management murdered our season again, but some of the
aftermath of Stuart Holden's injury by horror tackle is really steaming my beans.It's bad enough
that repeat-offender-idiot* Rio Ferdinand raced to absolve the challenge, claiming ridiculously
that the crippler, Jonny Evans, should not have even drawn red.
Old habits die hard. Just ask John McClane...#1 - The Kansas City Star explains why Sporting KC
decided to pay for their stadium naming rights. Awesome.And for those KC folks who pay attention to
such silly things: The Distracter super-duper approves of this. Despite the Wizards name change,
which was upsetting, they remain "her team".
Last seen working out with the Chicago Fire, Nate Weiss s now in quite the unusual place: unable to
sign with Swedish second flight side Jönköpings Södra IF for a few months due to regulations, he
is forced temporarily to be a bit of a soccer nomad.And just when things weren't quite exciting
enough, the former FK Jelgava Latvian Cup winner and Europa League participant decided he'd sorta
star in
As so often happens with NSC pal Grant Wahl, I'm a little ticked I didn't think of it first. Sheer
brilliance, my man. Need any cabinet members?- Greg Seltzer
Please enjoy one of the selections from this weekend's Kicking & Screening Film Festival in
Amsterdam. Maybe some of you have seen it, maybe none of you have. Either way, it's a good
28-minute view. I will try to locate another or two of the weekend selection for you all, but
here's presentation #1. The Referee | Rättskiparen [2010] from Freedom From Choice AB on Vimeo.
We've got US camp stuff, as usual, but also quite a bit more. Tomorrow night, you can look for my
U.S. Player Ratings after the Chile friendly, which I will be watching at the local 4 a.m. start
time with Greg Lalas, in town for the Amsterdam Kicking & Screening Film Festival. And Sunday, I'll
have another sitcom video Top 5'er.
From the Guardian:
The former Chelsea and Newcastle manager Ruud Gullit has joined Russia's Terek Grozny as coach on
an 18-month contract, the Chechnya-based club said on its website yesterday. Gullit, 48, joins the
club three years after being fired by the Los Angeles Galaxy. He has also managed Feyenoord.
After bashing Chelsea for poaching one of Feyenoord's best youth players, it seems that
Technical Director Leo Beenhakker has left the Rotterdam club. There is no money for buying
players, and the club is fielding mostly U19 players for the first team...
Don Leo will show up somewhere soon.
(Summary is not available.)
(Summary is not available.)
From the Toronto Sun:
According to reports out of the Netherlands, former Dutch international midfielder Aron Winter has
agreed to a three-year deal with the club to become its new technical director and head coach.
Winter had spent years as an assistant with Ajax, a club he scored 50 goals for as a defensive
midfielder in his playing days.
From the Guardian:
The prospects of David Beckham making a return to the Premier League have increased as Harry
Redknapp said the player has declared his desire to join Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are now in talks
with Beckham's club, Los Angeles Galaxy, about signing the 35-year-old on loan until the Major
League Soccer season resumes in March.
From the Guardian:
Blackburn Rovers have made an audacious bid to sign Ronaldinho from Milan. The plan is the
brainchild of Balaji Rao, a member of the family who run Venky's, the Indian chicken company which
recently bought the Lancashire club.
Ronaldinho has been given permission by Milan to find a new club and was widely believed to be
heading back to Brazil to play for Gremio.
