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What to Watch This Opening Weekend (Aug 13-15)

August 13, 2011 — by Suman

The opening matches of the 2011-12 English (sorry, Barclays) Premier League kick off in less than an hour--not to mention the fact that Ligue 1 and Bundesliga have been already been going to a minute. So, just in the nick of time, we're back with our weekend preview--here's our picks for what you could/should be tuning in for this weekend. (As usual, we're US ET-centric with our listings info included below; take a look at livesoccer.tv for your local listings.) Saturday, Aug 13 Germany, Wolfsburg-Bayern Munich 9:30am GolTV A Bundesliga match to kick things off. It'll be interesting to see if Bayern can rebound from their disappointing finish last spring. Says goal.com: "The Bavarian giants travel to Lower Saxony to meet their former coach Felix Magath and will be looking to bounce back following their opening day defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach" England, Liverpool-Sunderland 10am FSC: Coach (& Liverpool supporter)

Freddie Adu can go to hell

August 13, 2011 — by Sean — 1

Sell me some soup, you poor bastard.

I'm really excited about the EPL starting. I'm out of town, and I won't be able to see any of the games live, but I've set my DVR and I'm sure no one will text or tweet or email about results. When I get back home on Sunday night I'll just sit on my couch and watch kickoff as if it was only just happening at that moment. And since I don't even want to even think about the EPL I'll turn my brain energy upon the return of Freddie Adu to the United States and MLS. The little Ghanaian is back from a harsh go in Europe. I blame the system. Here we had a promising young player, who maybe isn't really as young as we say he is (that one's for you, Conspiracy wonks). We send him

Klinsmann & USMNT: Concerns, But Cautiously Optimistic

August 10, 2011 — by Simon

Klinsmann & Vasquez: Back together again

My concern with Klinsmann is exactly the one lots of commentators have already cited--he's not really a tactician, and it was Jogi Löw who did all that heavy lifting with the German National Team. And Martin Vasquez, who went from being an assistant at MLS's Chivas club to being Klinsmann's assistant at Bayern (and came back for a short tenure as Chivas's head coach), isn't really a tactician either--but he seems to impress folks since he got the Youth Development Director position with Real Salt Lake post-Chivas. I like Dooley as a possible assistant. He would seem to bridge some of the American/German dynamics. And Tab Ramos is still in my eyes the best player ever to wear the shield (sorry to the Claudio Reyna and Landon Donovan fans), and I think he has high potential as a coach. This might be an

Anarchy in the UK

August 9, 2011 — by John Lally

I have to say, I have empathy for the looters. When you see no other option for survival, I totally understand the mindset of trying to obtain what you need to live. Of course, I'm talking about those who tried to loot food and water in Somalia - not the idiots in London right now who are stealing televisions, clothing and anything else they can get their hands on. This is not something I wanted to be writing about - my intention this week was to give a Premiership preview with some analysis of where each team stood. Instead, I'm spending my time reading reports about London, a city I lived in for nearly 8 years, being in flames and destroyed by rioters. I just wanted to offer a few thoughts about these events and will then provide a very brief prediction for the new season, whenever it may start. [caption

Less Is More For Arsenal (A.K.A. Grasping at Straws)

August 7, 2011 — by Rob Kirby

Gervinho, one name and a five-head.

I am an Arsenal fan. (It sounds like one's first words at the first address of a self-help meeting.) I check the Web every day to see if finally the drip-drip waterboard torture is finally over and we've either signed someone (I quadruple finger-crossed on the Juan Mata deal; I’m still doing so) or resolved anything with regard to Fabregas and/or Nasri. But sometimes, you just have to let go. And on that note, time for something different. By the standards of soccer allegiances and soccer fandom, I'm a newbie. And American, to boot. In 2006, an NYC friend who supported Arsenal wove a magical tale of a manager who could conjure success on a shoestring budget. He spotted the diamonds in the rough time and time again. He built a team that fought the good fight, sidestepped the slide tackles

Deadwood: The Painful Boredom of MLS Football

July 28, 2011 — by Ryan

For once they are excited about something other than sleeve tattoos and sticking it to the man!

Ahhh, the magic of MLS. The alchemy of the United States' professional soccer league remains an elusive beast. While most observers would agree that the league’s play has improved dramatically during its existence (one could argue that it’s the equivalent of the Mexican league though admittedly it remains a tenuous argument and really few defenders in the MLS meg opposing forwards in their own defensive third so maybe the MLS still has a way to go), its skill level remains, well frequently uninspiring. At least in its current incarnation the league provides a medium for developing American talent, even if one gets the sneaking suspicion that Landon Donovan and others like him would benefit from more European or English competition (to Dononvan’s credit his brief time in Everton was

Kirby’s Latest Rant: Jingoism and American Soccer

July 19, 2011 — by Suman

Sam's Army growing..and going co-ed

At sports bars and gyms and generally anywhere Americans congregated Sunday, people celebrated soccer like it was the national sport. Until last week, I doubt if hardly anyone knew a Women's World Cup even existed, let alone any player's name, from any country. But as with the Olympics, if any American is in the running for the gold for any sport, be it badminton, fast walking or synchronized swimming, people who may have badmouthed the sport just the day previous keep their eyes glued to the TV. As a nation, we are ardent fans of [fill in the blank], provided there's a medal involved. The thrill of the soccer pitch thrilled like never before, literally. Every shot on goal elicited gasps, clapping, hoping against hope, you name it, by yes, the very same people who say soccer isn't a real sport like American football. Politics may split America into

Modric – Breaking Bad

July 17, 2011 — by John Lally

Walter White would understand it at least. He knows all about the the curse of wanting more, that however much you have, it's just never enough. Yes, Spurs' player of the year for 2010-11 Luka Modric, now reminds me of the meth cooking protagonist of AMC's Breaking Bad (returning on Sunday for season 4). In the first episode of the second season of Breaking Bad, Walter White works out exactly how much money ($737,000) he would need to make, in order to provide for his family if he is unable to beat lung cancer. However, by midway through season

Luka Modric's alter ego - Heisenberg

3, he has abandoned all plans to limit his expedition into the world of narcotics production and is working full time for a drug-king-pin-slash-chicken-frier in Albuquerque. Why? Because, whether or not Walt had convinced himself that he was only in it

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Commentary Schedule

What to Watch This Opening Weekend (Aug 13-15)

Commentary

Freddie Adu can go to hell

Commentary United States

Klinsmann & USMNT: Concerns, But Cautiously Optimistic

Commentary

Anarchy in the UK

Commentary England

Less Is More For Arsenal (A.K.A. Grasping at Straws)

Commentary

Deadwood: The Painful Boredom of MLS Football

Commentary United States

Kirby’s Latest Rant: Jingoism and American Soccer

Commentary

Modric – Breaking Bad