BRAVEHEART

Beckerman on Braveheart from Real Salt Lake on Vimeo.

You can never go wrong with a Braveheart tie in, even if it is RSL.

THE GREAT DC UNITED COACHING DEBATE

This season I have been very quiet in regards to "my team", DC United, but it is now time to weigh in on the coaching issue. I always hate to muddy the waters of BigSoccer with facts but sometimes it is just unavoidable. The current debate seems to revolve around the demise of Tom Soehn and who should replace him.

Currently there are only two people on the face of the planet with the experience to manage DC United. These two people are Steve Nichol and Tom Soehn. Nobody in the world of soccer has experience dealing with the issues that these two coaches do. The only others in the world that come close are Dominic Kinear and Preki. Kinear and Preki are close seconds but don't have quite the travel arrangements to juggle as Nichol and Soehn.

So you can vote to sack Soehn, replace him him with the only other qualified coach, one that loves Route 1 football and seems to enjoy losing the big games. You can forget about Ben Olsen, Jaime, El Diablo or Sir Alex. Get these guys and your throwing a two year investment of On-the-Job-Training away. There isn't a single one that has the experience dealing with the issues that Tommy has. The bottom line is that MLS must address the problems prohibiting the League from being competitive in International competitions while maintaining quality of play in the league.

I guess first and foremost is the congested schedule. This season DC United has 49
fixtures(not counting the playoffs) in less than 8 months (229 days). Compare that with Manchester United's(since we used Sir Alex above) schedule of 47 fixtures in 295 days.That amounts to an average, day and a half more between games for Manchester. Sir Alex Ferguson deals with his 6.28 days between games juggling a roster of 38 players, trying to keep players healthy and working around the inevitable injuries. I would also like to note that the average salary in the Premiership is $1.24M. Tom Soehn deals with his 4.77 days between games with a roster of 18 men and 10 developmental players, with a salary cap of $2.3M. While it is exciting to note that the average wage in MLS is up to $129,395 (the Designated Player Rule has alot to do to with that) the minimum for developmental players is $12,900 and for general roster players it is $30,000.


The other issue surrounding the MLS schedule is the amount of travel involved. DC United will travel over 48,000 miles(that's twice around the Earth) if we don't make the play offs.This is an issue that really can't be addressed but needs to be mentioned. Manchester United will travel close to 10,000 miles this season. They will play in one game where they will have to cross 3 time zones and one game where they cross 1 time zone. DC United on the other hand will travel to 5 games across 1 time zone, 6 games across 2 time zones, and 4 games across 3 time zones. Last year when Beckham was asked if he was surprised by anything in MLS, particularly if he was getting hacked alot, his response was something to the effect that defenders are rough everywhere. His surprise was the size of America, "the most we traveled was one to two hours". This air travel brings into play disruption in circadian rythms(jet lag) and performance issues. The general rule is that you will need a day of recuperation for each time zone crossed before you are back to "normal". Other issues such as increased swelling at altitude have to be managed.

So between jet lag and recovery times following games the bottom line is DC United is almost never training with players at optimum, combine that with a roster of 18 players and ten players that aren't making enough to live in Washington and you've got the 2008 season. Even with a strong Front Office doing a good job finding players as stop gaps the quality suffers. I've heard alot of folks say we were really unlucky with the injuries this season but the truth of the matter is that we would have been lucky to stay healthy. The bottom line is all this talk about development and fitness there really is no time in the schedule for such nonsense.

LABOR DAY TRIBUTE

A Lesson in hardwork, humility and respect.

It's only appropriate on a holiday designed to give "the working citizen a day off", to recognize two of the hardest workers in MLS. So here's a tip of the hat to Brian McBride and Ben Olsen.

According to Fulham's manager,"Brian McBride has been a fine ambassador for Fulham Football Club. As my captain last season Brian was truly respected in the dressing room and led by example on the pitch. His attitude is second to none - Brian is a true pro in every sense of the word."

McBride is known for his work ethic and his willingness to do anything for the shirt, making him a fan favorite wherever he has played. In a sport being ruined by diving and play acting McBride has been called a true hard b***ard centre-forward. When viciously elbowed by De Rossi in the USA v Italy game during the World Cup, he didn’t flinch, even as they stitched him up so he could continue to play. We need more men in the game who can take a shot without whining about it. McBride looks like the sort of tough-assed Irishman that gave the NYPD such a fearsome reputation in the 30s. Thick-necked and made of granite, McBride is as hard they come prompting Chicago's supporter section to chant:

He’s big!
He’s red!
He’s got plates in his head!
Brian McBride!
Brian McBride!

Here's what Mick Delaney, a Fulham fan had to say about him:

"I have supported Fulham for 39 years now and Brian is close to if not is my all time favourite player. Why? He not the most skillful player we have had over those years. He not the longest serving player, and although he has a good goal scoring it's not great. What does it for me is that everytime he pulled on the shirt he gave the full 100% which is all a fan can ask for of a player. In addition, despite easily being able to, he never had an ego. An example of this was the post match interview for the Birmingham game when the interviewer, stating how important the first goal was and that "you" (Brian McBride) scored it his response was that "yes, WE (the team) scored it". Perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay him is that I use him as a role model for my two teenage boys. Work hard, give what ever you are doing 100% effort, work for the team and let others praise you rather than doing it yourself and accept any praise gracefully but don't forget the people who help you achieve. We will miss Brian and replacing him is without doubt Hodgsons biggest job, both in terms of his captaincy and the role of a target man / goal scorer. When he first joined there were some who doubted his capacity to influence our club and team. Now he has left there isn't a single voice which isn't praising his worth and contribution. Brian, God bless you and your family."



Cut from the same mold is DC United's Ben Olsen. Not the most talented on the team but the most missed when he's out. The heart of DC United. So Barra Brava decided to do a little tribute to Benny (video below). Olsen's response in the video ("I just love to play soccer") wasn't surprising to those that know him. Ed Morgans response to that(Weekend Update) is so similar to that of the Fulham fan it's scary.

It all comes down to loving the ego-less player, the one that will play for the name on the front of the shirt rather than the back. It shouldn't be so rare to find players that realize it's a privelege to play the game they love for a living, and are willing to bust their ass to continue to do it. Hopefully they are not a dying breed.

So here's to McBride and Olsen! Happy Labor Day!

The Hospital Ward

Here's what MLSNET is showing as our current injuries:

MF Ben Olsen
OUT - ankle surgery

DF Domenic Mediate
OUT - concussion

FW Francis Doe
OUT - foot infection

DF Gonzalo Peralta
QUESTIONABLE - hamstring

MF Marcelo Gallardo
PROBABLE - hernia surgery

Of course we need to add:

GK Zach Wells
OUT - sesamoiditis

MF Fred
OUT - hamstring

Let's go down the list;
Ben Olsen. I believe even the biggest optimist will be surprised to see him contributing on the field this season.

Domenic Mediate. He had a concussion, not the rest of this, we're all too familiar with how this may play out.

Frances Doe.Doe has been out with a serious toe infection, at the end of July this was described as 2-4 weeks out, so we should be getting close.

Gonzalo Peralta. After being pushed into service following his hernia surgery, Peralta "tweaked" his hamstring. According to a report in the DC Examiner United general manager Dave Kasper says he is 2-3 weeks away from returning. This would mean he will not be available for the Open Cup final.

Marcello Gallardo. Having trouble recovering from hernia surgery done the same time as Peralta's. Kasper says 2-3 more weeks before he returns. So he also won't be available for the USOC final.

Fred. Pulled hamstring. Out 3 -4 weeks. No USOC.

Zach Wells.Sesamoiditis Return unknown.

So let's play the blame game. Bad luck? International and League schedule? Training staff? Turf fields? Salary caps? The cost of a DP?
I'll take the easy way out and say a combination of all of the above.

I will emphatically say that you can't be looking at a schedule of a game every four days for two months, with the current salary cap, and expect to see quality soccer.

FIRST DOUBLE-TRIPLE IN MLS

Jaime Moreno may become the first player in MLS to achieve a "double-triple", breaking a hundred in both goals and assists. Moreno is currently the League's all-time scoring leader with 117 goals and is approaching the century mark in assists with 95. If Moreno reaches this historical mark it seems he would be alone in the feat for some time to come.

New England's Steve Ralston currently is MLS's all-time leader in assists with 124. Ralston however has averaged less than five goals a year in his thirteen year career, with 62 goals. It is unlikely that he would threaten breaking through this level.
Ante Razov is second in goals behind Moreno, with 110, but only has 60 assists. If anyone has ever seen Razov play in the last thirteen years, knows his assists will never hit triple digits. Razov has taken 893 shots in his career compared to Ralston's 374.

Toronto FC's Jeff Cunningham has 99 goals but only 58 assists. The Jamaican will turn 32 years old in August, enough said.
Taylor Twellman has 92 goals but only 26 assists (see Ante Razov). Actually Twellman has been playing seven years and has already taken 514 shots. He is on a pace to overtake Razov's career shots but a double-triple seems unlikely.
Carlos Ruiz has 81 goals and 17 assists, it's hard to pass laying on the ground holding your ankle.

That leaves LA's Landon Donovan, who currently sits at 73 goals and 66 assists. For Donovan it only seems a matter of time (of which he has plenty) before he gets a double-triple, but it seems Moreno will be alone at the pinnacle of the League for several years and will always be remembered as the first. Vamos United!

I will keepm the VW tachometer up as a countdown to the historic mark.

The Myth of the Tahuichi Gold Mine

Paul Gardner, the NY Sun soccer writer, always seems to do a good job staying on message regarding MLS. His message, "you need a more attractive product on the field". That's hardly a controversial stance but I do take some exception to his article, "How MLS lost the Tahuichi gold mine", in October's Soccer America magazine.

Back in 1998 deputy commisioner of MLS, Sunil Gulati, recognized the quality of Jaime Moreno and Marco Etcheverry. Knowing they each came out of the Tahuichi youth club in Bolivia Gulati made a bold move. According to Gardner "He brokered a deal with Tahuichi, under which MLS paid Tahuichi $100,000 a year, in return for first refusal on any promising youngsters." After Gulati lost his job the following year "the deal continued for a couple of years and then was quietly abandoned."

This according to Paul Gardner is "a decision that now stands out as the most stupidly short-sighted gaffe the league has ever made." I'm sorry but we are talking MLS, I'm thinking taken in context this isn't even in the top ten of stupidly short-sighted gaffes the League has made.

At the time $100,000 annually to a struggling League bleeding losses was huge. The fact that MLS was seeing no return on that money was even worse. Only one player began a MLS career out of Tahuichi, Joselito Vaca was drafted by Dallas in 2001.

The decision was also tempered by the fact that the League had no infrastructure in place to handle youth players adequately, as Gardner points out "[Tahuichi has] consistently...produced technically skilled players - young players of considerable promise. No more than promise, of course - this is a youth setup, and the next step is the responsibility of pro clubs." The League wasn't in a position to develop players at the time.

The reality of the situation is that MLS has not lost sight of the need for flair or the talent South of the border. This year a dozen players were signed from Central and South America and only three used Designated Player slots, while all had immediate impact for their team (although Denilson's was negative).

So while Gardner takes jabs at MLS for its short sightedness, Steve Goff reports that DC United is doing what it does best, finding and signing talent.

"United Coach Tom Soehn and General Manager Dave Kasper are in South America this week on a scouting mission. One source tells me they are attempting to finalize a deal with Argentina's Juan Sebastian Veron. Another source tells me they are looking at Veron as well as others."

Back in June when it was announced that Etcheverry would be working for DC United again I had posted a link to an article about El Diablo's visit to San Lorenzo. Who knows maybe another youth academy agreement is afoot. But I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty happy with the job United does identifying and signing talent.

Bruce Arena Unemployed

"Citing the need for stronger progress, Red Bulls Managing Director Marc de Grandpre announced on Monday that Sporting Director and head coach Bruce Arena has resigned."

As usual Steve Goff at Soccer Insider had the news first.

DC United wins Supporter's Shield

Following Colorado's defeat of Chivas USA, DC United becomes MLS's first repeat winner of the Supporter's Shield. Colorado went a man down in the 46' but still managed two second half goals to beat Chivas and keep their hopes alive. The Supporter Shield also comes with an automatic spot in the CONCACAF Champion's Cup.

DCU will now turn their focus to bringing home the MLS Cup for their fans, in front of their fans.

Emilio versus Blanco Tonight

According to chicagosports.com.

"Guppy sent an e-mail to DC United GM Kevin Payne saying Luciano Emilio should expect a "cease and desist" letter from Blanco's lawyers after Emilio imitated Blanco's goal celebration. Payne initially didn't realize Guppy was joking."

Here's Access United on tonight's game:

DCU use of Roster

DCenters highlighted (The Sour Smell of Success) the problems MLS teams have had translating regular season success into post-season success. The question "D" poses is:

"If we look at MLS Regular Season points per game (modified as above to account for the shoot-out), there's something shocking. Your top 5 historically have a grand total of 0 MLS Cups. Those teams are the 1998 LA Galaxy (2.19 ppg), the 2001 Miami Fusion (2.04 ppg), the 2005 Quakes (2.0 ppg), the 2001 Fire (1.96 ppg) and the 1996 Mutiny (1.91 ppg). Is there something about the regular season, and really tearing it up that makes playoff success difficult?"

With DCU looking at a 2.0 ppg if they win out should we be worried?

My gut reaction is that this post season problem is due more to team management than anything else. DCenters feels that it is random chance.
My thought is that less depth in your roster and a willingness to use it will cost you in the end (Look no further than United last season or the Revs every season.)

I looked at the top five teams and this season's DC United. I just looked at season minutes available versus minutes played by each player. This was a very cursory look, not adjusting for late-comers to teams or injuries, just Team's total minutes played versus total Team's minutes available. Here is the table:

If you look at this distribution a couple of things jump out at me. First and foremost that the Black and Red have only three players that have played eighty percent or more of the available minutes (Perkins 96%, Emilio 90%, Gomez 83%). The others that failed to bring home a Cup have 6-8 players playing 80% plus minutes. The other item is that United has 15 players that have played 30% or more of the available minutes, more than any other team on the list (Fire-14, Quakes-14, Mutiny-13,LAG-13, and the poor Fusion-12). I feel this distribution of playing to is going to ensure us a fifth star and Tom Soehn COY.

EDIT:The current Revs roster has 10 players playing 80% of the minutes and last season's United had 8.


The great thing about this game is that it is not baseball; statistics really say little about the game. I love the fact that three knowledgeable fans can go to a game, sit together and all see a different game! So enough with the stats, my gut tells me our management of the roster this year will pay big!

TOJA NIGHT

This is especially for Adam.

You gotta love a FO with a sense of humor.

Alot has been made about Juan Toja's impact on the field this season, almost as much as has been made about his hair. ESPN said he looked like Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel. My daughter think he looks like Jim Morrison. FC Dallas thinks he looks like money.

The first 5000 fans into tommorrow nights game vs Chivas get a Toja Wig.

DCU 1, Kansas City 1, 12 Game unbeaten streak

Congratulations to Kansas City's FO. Like any organization at this time of the year they are doing what it takes to ensure their team makes the playoff. After diligent scouting of DC United's game, just 3 days and a six hour flight earlier, they decided that they would use CD Guadalajara's game plan to defeat the Black and Red. FREE TICKETS! According to KansasCity.com:

"The Kansas City Wizards prepared for tonight’s regular-season home finale by canvassing the city Thursday with thousands of free tickets for schoolchildren."

Unfortunately the doubling of the Cauldron's size, with the fifty tickets that they were able to give away to kids[the announced attendance was 14,353and I have no idea how many were given away] , was not enough to put the Wizards over the top.

Gomez was able to bring home a point for us knotting the score in the 56' with a great individual effort after a great ball splitting the defenders from Marc Burch.

The good news: Tom Soehn learned his lesson about Moreno and Olsen and kept one on the field all night.

The bad news: When the bloogers start getting tired,(read DCenter's First Impressions)where does that leave the players? Oh yea you can find this action shot over at BobbyBoswell.com:

No doubt about focus as DCU defeats TFC 4-1

As the starters were announced my only thought was something DCenters had mentioned about a month ago; this team needs Ben Olsen or Jaime Moreno on the field to win. Tom Soehn had both sitting on the bench hoping to rest them for Tuesday's game in Guadalarja. Yes we were playing injury riddled Toronto, riding a ten game unbeaten streak, and have an organization running a League clinic in how to manage your roster but it still worried me. So in the 14' when Carl Robinson put in the free kick to put Toronto in the lead, 1-0 I began to sweat a little. It was still early and this team has gutted out so many wins down the stretch, I kept telling myself "we'll be alright". As the game continued though it became more and more apparent that United's lackluster performance wasn't changing. The half ends with Toronto up 1-0 and me down with our performance.

The second half begins with Moreno and Olsen on the field and immediately the game changes and my drinking slows. In the 52' Marc Burch hits a laser that knots the game and eighteen minutes later the score is 4-1 with the Black and Red knocking the ball around.

Tom Soehn tells Soccer Insider:
"But like I said, I got after them really hard at halftime, and maybe if we kept the same guys, the response would have been the same. I just think we put more into it."

Yeah well maybe but I'm more inclined to go with Marc Burch's understatement of the year: "We had a bad first half, but we brought those guys [Moreno and Olsen] on and it makes it a little different."

There are so many story lines here let's just hit the highlights:

Moreno gets Career goal #112

Fred pulls groin

Emilio gets 20th goal, drawing him ever-closer to Raul Diaz Arce's club record of 23 tallies and making him Major League Soccer's first 20-goal scorer since 2002.

Picked up two points towards the Supporter's Shield as Chivas ties Chicago

DC United, CD Guadalarja video highlights

'Slim Pickens' but Moreno gets #111

For the second game in a row Chicago has let a win get away from them late in the game.

Chad Barrett took the lead for Chicago in the 18th minute on a great through ball by Blanco.With Wanchope out Blanco found Barrett on several ocassions It was very telling that three fourths of United's midfield was out as Chicago maintained most of the possession during the first half. Towards the end of the first half the Fire seemed to tire. DC put together a few opportunities, with an Emilio header being cleared from the line.Coach Tom Soehn had this to say about United's first half:
"We looked like a team that had time off. We came out flat. Obviously we had some new pieces in the lineup that haven't all played together so I think those signs showed, as well. We addressed some things at halftime. I think in some respects some of it got better, but on the day it wasn't our normal effort. Again, we were resilient. We get a point on the road on a day that we were missing guys is pretty important."

The play in the second half was a little more even but neither team could finish their chances. Then in the 84', Jaime Moreno was gifted a goal by Fire keeper Matt Pickens. Pickens went up for the curling ball but let it go. The ball ended up in the back of the net. I'm not sure if Pickens' thought the ball was over or lost it in the sun but the error tied the game.The Chicago keeper had this to say about it:
"(D.C.) crossed the ball in and I got to it. I thought it was going wide, but then I lost it. It's just one of those things that happen. I feel awful. We played good enough to win today."

Once again Troy Perkins came up with a huge save in the fifth minute of stoppage with a game saving save.

The point for the draw keeps DC United in the lead for the Supporter's Shield. Chivas is three points behind the Black and Red with a game in hand but DC holds the tie breaker with head to head points versus Chivas.

Moreno's goal also keeps him two goals ahead of Ante Razov in MLS's all time goal scorer race.

DC United-Chicago Fire pregame, 9/23

Sunday 3:00pm

TV
Telefutura, CSN (delayed)

Computer
TVU
WMET 1160 Radio





Fall Begins Today
"There's going to be no easy games from here on out," said midfielder Ben Olsen."

"Everybody needs to make playoffs. I say it every year, once the
weather starts changing, the mood and the atmosphere in this league
changes, because you know it's coming up on playoff time. The summer is
gone and now you can run a little bit more and have a little bit more
energy to close the ball down, and more tackling. That's an exciting
time, and fall brings that on."

This will be a tough game; DC will be without Fred, Olsen and Gomez today due to yellow card accumulation. Chicago under new head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, has been playing five in the midfield and keeping his team very compact.Blanco has been very effective sending balls to Wanchope beating the trap. We will have to make Rolfe work tirelessly on defense to keep him out of the game as well. I will be ecstatic with three points today.

Lightning and MLS Primetime Thursday

What do they have in common beside not knowing when either will strike?

Dario Sala of FC Dallas and Wilman Conde of the Chicago Fire were part of a tragedy in Colombia five years ago. One afternoon lightning struck Deportivo Cali's practice field killing two their teammates and changing them forever.If Conde wasn't out due to a red card this would be the first time on the field together since that fateful day in the mountains of Colombia. They will share dinner following the game according to Burt Constable who wrote this fabulous story of the two and their connection.

'Lightning's nightmare can't stop American dreams'

Oh yea, the game is on the Deuce at 8:00pm.

DC UNITED CLINCH

Gomez excited he redeemed his missed PK
DC United became the first team to clinch a playoff spot by defeating Real Salt Lake 2-1. Emilio adds to his lead for Golden boot by opening the scoring for DC with his nineteenth goal of the season. Christian Gomez gets the game winner in the 73rd minute when he nodded in a far post serve by Fred.

The refereeing was inconsistent and baffling at times. Karma seemed to prevail however as each keeper saved a penalty. Christian Gomez and Alecko Eskandarian both saw PKs saved in the game. Four yellow cards were given to the Black and Red resulting in three players looking at suspension for the Chicago game. Ben Olsen, Christian Gomez and Fred will all see their lay off last until September 29th as they will be ineligible to play the 23rd in Chicago.

Real Salt Lake carried the play against a seemingly tired DC United. As so often is seen though better teams seem to do what it takes to win. The Coaches take wasn't quite as generous:

"You evaluate all the games we've had and ending on a period where now we can take a break you want to end it in a lot better way. I thought on the day it was bad all the way around. Having said that you know there's a lot of situations you are in where you don't play well and don't get the result. So I still give our guys credit that they did what it takes to win and get our three points and keep our streak alive -- whether it's Troy [Perkins] making a big save or Christian [Gomez] coming up after missing a penalty, Fred injecting some light. We found a way to win and it wasn't pretty today. Whether it's a combination of us and who we played or the reffing, or whatever it doesn't matter, there is no excuse for what we did and how we came out, but we found a way to win and that's still important."

DC gratefully takes the three points and continues to distance themselves from the pack for the Supporter's Shield. DC now has 49 points after 25 games, Houston has 42 points after 25 games, New England has 42 points after 24 games and Chivas has 40 points after 22 games. So turn on ESPN 2 tommorrow night and cheer for the Galaxy in the Super Classico.

Stay tuned, I'm trying to work out a "guess the roster" pool. Tom Soehn will ensure that will always be exciting!

DC United vs RSL, 9/12, pregame

Barra Brava pics
DC will come into RFK hoping to extend its eight game unbeaten streak and extend their lead in the race for the Supporter's Shield. Real Salt lake is desperate for points as they sit eleven points away from the last playoff spot with only eight games left to play. This is not the same team that beat us in Salt Lake City. Since June, Beckerman has come from Colorado replacing Ballouchy in midfield. They have also added three Argentinians who are starting. This team scored three goals against Houston in their last outing. I guess the good news is Real's defense is suspect and the Dynamo scored four goals against them.The great news is the game is at RFK where United has the second best home record in MLS this season (8-1-2). The team has not lost at RFK since the home opener on April 14 (2-4 to KC). D.C.’s goal-scoring average is an astounding 2.64 at RFK, far and away the best in the League (Chivas USA averages 2.10).

Jaime Moreno has been called up to the Bolivian National Team. Fred, Christian Gomez and Ben Olsen are all looking at suspensions with their next yellow. Tom Soehn has done a great job rotating the starters, making our stretch run look completely different than last year's. My probable line up has Perkins in goal, Burch, Vanney, Boswell and Namoff in the back, Olsen, Simms, Gros, and Gomez in mid and Fred and MLS Player of the Week,Emilio up top. I wouldn't mind if Fred got a rest as he looked gassed against NE. I could stand to see a little of local boy Justin Moose in the mid but feel sure Gros will get the start (fitness is not an issue)

Visitor, Eddie Pope will be recognized after the National Anthem tonight.

And for the beancounters out there, DC's magic number for a playoff berth is 2, so a win against RSL will be a clincher.

Attractive Soccer - What is it? or England is an island

You see these words thrown around alot today, but what is it? Different things to different people, most would agree though that attractive soccer revolves around possession and creative play. To me personally it can be summed up simply by "playing to win", not, "playing not to lose." My personal version involves building from the back, possession, and a simple philosophy of everyone attacking when we have the ball, and everyone defending when we don't.

The question often asked is why can't the USMNT play this way. There is no short answer other than, slowly we are. Here is my attempt at the long answer:

You'll often see the argument that the American youth system stifles creativity, that the Americans rely on athleticism too much, they over coach and don't let kids play. Well the reality is that the crux of the problem, stems from a lack of coaching at the younger ages. You see to be creative requires great technical ability,you can't be one with the ball when all you are taught is to chase it and kick it with your toe by a well meaning parent/coach. This is slowly being addressed as clubs get bigger and better funded. It is after all a business and economics drive the youth system. Initially after the parent/coaches got the kids to the age where the clubs could charge for coaching, the coach had alot of players who were technically deficient hence the need to rely on size and speed. This was compounded by the influx of UK coaches. Parents unfamiliar with the game felt an English accent meant a high soccer IQ. This wouldn't have been particularly catastrophic until you look at the style of play in England. Last Spring, in an ESPN article, former World Cup winner Jorge Valdano blasted Jose Mourinho(Chelsea) and Rafael Benitez(Liverpool) for the style of soccer they perpetuate.

'Chelsea and Liverpool are the clearest, most exaggerated example of the way football is going: very intense, very collective, very tactical, very physical, and very direct.

'But, a short pass? No. A feint? No. A change of pace? No. A one-two? A nutmeg? A backheel? Don't be ridiculous. None of that. The extreme control and seriousness with which both teams played the semi-final neutralised any creative licence, any moments of exquisite skill.'

So let's recap. You've got parents unfamiliar with the game who could (at the time) really only watch the EPL on TV, hiring English coaches to coach technically deficient players. Garbage in garbage out.

Okay today that picture is changing drastically. From an economic standpoint Clubs became bigger and more lucrative and as the fight for the biggest and the fastest kids waged, someone came to the realization that if I can't win that battle I can produce the most technically gifted team. This is starting an entirely new look at the youth system level. (Just look at England's World Cup history to see who wins the physical, direct style versus the technical, possession style.) Combine this with the ability of satellite and internet to watch any league in the World and the influx of Latinos to America and literally, it's a whole new ball game.

Before too much longer The United Kingdom will be an island (pun intended) of 'direct football' This year I would much rather watch a Bundesliga game than an EPL game, much more 'attractive soccer'. If you saw any of the 2006 World Cup you know that this translated to the German National Team, so much so that the Argentinian press welcomed Germany to the 'game of soccer'. In the United States the MLS is playing 'attractive soccer', with the exception of New England, oh that's right an English coach. Jorge Valdano had his own theory on coaching styles. He said:

'...neither Mourinho nor Benitez made it as a player. That has made them channel all their vanity into coaching.

'Those who did not have the talent to make it as players do not believe in the talent of players, they do not believe in the ability to improvise in order to win football matches. In short, Benitez and Mourinho are exactly the kind of coaches that Benitez and Mourinho would have needed to have made it as players.'

That must be the difference in Steve Nichol and Steve Morrow.