Should the New York Red Bulls Make Mike Petke the New Head Coach?

It’s unlikely that Mike Petke is the leading candidate for the New York Red Bulls head coaching position.

It’s not impossible; he was just named interim head coach with the team not renewing Hans Backe’s contract. But history tells us the organization, whether it be with a player or the coaching staff, will go with the bigger, flashier, more expensive name.

While Backe was still the head coach names like GaryMcAllister and Harry Redknapp have been rumored by various sources to be considered the team’s head coach in 2013.

But maybe Petke, a legend to the Red Bull/MetroStars faithful, might not be a bad choice after all.

The trend in Major League Soccer is to hire former, recently retired players as new head coaches. Jason Kreis, Ben Olsen, Jay Heaps and Robin Fraser have all been hired as head coaches in the league since Kreis’ appointment at Real Salt Lake in 2007.

Olsen has brought D.C. United to the semi-finals in his second full season as coach and Kreis has won an MLS Cup championship.

The New England Revolution ownership was heavily criticized for the Heaps hire, mainly because of his lack of coaching experience.

Petke just finished his second season as one of the team’s assistant coaches, both seasons where the team made the playoffs.

Petke is also an MLS veteran. He knows the league, understands the subtleties that are necessary to be successful in this league. Once again, history shows that foreign coaches have difficulty adjusting from European leagues to MLS. It could be time for the Red Bulls to go back to an MLS savvy coach who understands how the team must work around the salary cap and how important the draft is to build a team with plenty of depth, two things Backe did not do very well with.

Finally, it’s hard to imagine that there is any person out there who is more passionate about the club and cares more about its success than Petke. He is a New York native. He played for the team in seven of his 14 seasons in the league. He was drafted by the club. He retired as a member of the franchise. He is active in the community and in connecting with the fans.

In fact, his fan friendly approach would be a welcome change of pace for the organization whose season-ticket holders can be heard griping about the lack of interest ownership shows in them outside of their payment for seats.

The fact that the team has kept him on staff while letting go of both Backe and head assistant Jan Halvor Halvorsen implies that the team has some faith in Petke’s abilities as a coach.

It might be worth a shot to let him see what he can do on a permanent basis.

Photo Credit.

AP Photo/Mel Evans

United States Gets Historic Victory Against Mexico and Closes the Perceived Gap

Mexico blanked the United States in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup final 5-0.

Mexico came from behind in the 2011 Gold Cup final 4-2, which led to U.S. Soccer Federation relieving head coach Bob Bradley.

Then Mexico won the gold medal in the Olympics August 11 by beating Brazil while the United States team failed to even qualify.

With the likes of young, rising stars Javier Hernandez, Oribe Peralta and Giovani dos Santos the talk of the town has been large the gap is between Mexico and the U.S.

With the United States’ historic 1-0 victory over Mexico in a friendly at Azteca Stadium Wednesday, the first time in 75 years the U.S. has beaten Mexico in Mexico, the gap may not be as big as people have made it out to be.

Sure, Mexico’s roster didn’t feature any of the players from the gold medal-winning team, but Hernandez was playing as was goalie Guillermo Ochoa. Mexico was still supposed to have an advantage in quality over the U.S., especially an American roster without Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.

Mexico was 23-0-1 against the U.S. in Mexico for the past 75 years and was 19-0-1 at Azteca. Mexico had outscored the U.S. 81-14 in that time frame.

Even in the game the odds were stacked against the U.S. Mexico spent most of the game, especially in the first half, attacking. Mexico outshot the Americans 15-6. They had 10 corner kicks compared to zero for the U.S.

But the U.S. defense, led by goalkeeper Tim Howard and the unusual pairing of Maurice Edu and Geoff Cameron at center back, was strong all night and never broke.

The team was also opportunistic, taking advantage of its shots on goal, and doing so before Mexico did, and got a goal from the unlikeliest source—Michael Orozco Fiscal, scoring his first international goal off a nifty back-heel from Terrance Boyd.

The difference in this U.S. team may be the man who took over for Bradley, Jurgen Klinsmann.

Klinsmann has his team doing things it’s never done before. Not only did the team get this monumental victory in Mexico, but it also defeated Italy for the first-time ever—in Italy nonetheless—in a friendly in February.

“I think it’s huge. It’s huge for all American fans and it’s huge for the team. It’s historic. We were well aware that we’ve never won here at Azteca and this is an amazing experience for all the players. We told them before the game, ‘This moment is for you, go and grab it.’ We are aware that is was a lot of work,” Klinsmann told the press after the game. “Tim Howard kept us in the game I don’t know how many times. It was an absolutely fantastic performance by Tim. Also, the back line were holding their strength for the whole 90 minutes. It was a fantastic team performance. We know we still have to improve in many elements. We have to keep the ball longer, we have to create more chances and we have to do a lot of work still, but I think this gives us a lot of confidence.”

With Klinsmann providing encouragement, a new attitude and a new vision for the federation and the team getting these big results the future is bright for American soccer.

Mexico may be getting all the press right now, but the long-term goals are winning World Cup Qualifying and the World Cup.

Moments like these will steer the American team in the right direction and make people believe that the gap between Mexico and the U.S. is not as large as they once perceived.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Tom Mihalek

USMNT: Celebrating the 10-Year Anniversary of the Upset over Portugal

Ten years ago today the United State’s men’s national team scored a huge upset, one that would propel the team to where it is today.

June 5, 2002 marked the Americans opening game of the 2002 FIFA World Cup against Euro 2000 semi-finalsts Portugal.

Not much was expected of the United States after they floundered in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, losing all three group stage matches, scoring one goal and finishing last in the field of 32 teams.

But 2002 ushered in a new era.

The United States raced out to a 3-0 lead within the first 36 minutes of the match, putting the Portuguese players on their heels. The U.S. scores came from John O’Brien, an own goal and a diving header from Brian McBride.

Portugal would claw back within one goal, thanks in part to a Jeff Agoos own goal, but the U.S. team held strong and finished the game with the victory.

It not only was the start of the best World Cup run for the U.S. since 1950 but the win sparked a whole new  attitude and set of expectations for the nation.

The team would escape the group stage and face Mexico in the round of 32, where they would defeat their archrivals 2-0. It was the second consecutive match the teams played that ended with that score line in the USMNT’s favor and continued in a string of “dos a cero” matches in a decade of dominance in the region.
It saw the Americans reach the quarterfinals of the tournament, the first time since 1950, where they would lose a 1-0 heartbreaker to eventual runners-up Germany.

It was only the third time an American player—Claudio Reyna—was named to the All-Tournament team and the first since 1950. It established the idea that American players could compete with and against the world’s best.

It was the beginning of a fantastic (and still ongoing) career for Landon Donovan. In that game against Portugal a then 20-year-old Donovan started and made his World Cup debut against Portugal. It was his cross in the 29th minute that was deflected into the goal to give the U.S. a 2-0 lead.

Since then he has developed into one of the team’s best players, the country’s all-time leader in goals and assists and has played hero multiple times for the national team, including the final game of the group stage in the 2010 World Cup. He is now making a run to play in his fourth World Cup as the team readies itself for qualifying for the 2014 tournament.

Much credit has been given to then-head coach Bruce Arena for instilling in his players the confidence they needed to believe they could beat such a good team. It’s a confidence seen in the team in other big games over the years that helped them beat elite teams.

It’s also the current attitude that new coach Jurgen Klinsmann is trying to instill in his team. He wants the team to play aggressively and with confidence that they can, in fact beat anybody. It’s an attitude that helped the team defeat the Italian national team in Italy this past February.

The United States has emerged as a good soccer nation. The team is no longer taken lightly around the world. And while they may not always come out victorious, they challenge themselves and compete with the world’s best. Expectations are continuously raised for the team.

And it all started ten years ago today with a landmark victory over Portugal in the World Cup.

When Will Kenny Cooper Get A Call-Up to the United States Men's National Team?

In the Red Bulls 1-1 draw with Chivas USA it was Kenny Cooper who scored the equalizer. In the team’s first US Open Cup game against the Charleston Battery he scored the first goal of the game, one that would eventually be the game-winner.

The tally against the Goats was his 11th of the season and ties him with San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski for the league lead. He’s also tied for the league lead with Wondolowski with four game-winning goals.

The two share the same amount of goals, but what is different is that only one is currently in camp for the United States Men’s National Team in preparation for its upcoming friendlies ahead of World Cup Qualifying.

Chris Wondolowski and former MLS forward Herculez Gomez were both called into camp and deservedly so; they’ve been on incredible scoring streaks.

It is well-known that players getting consistent minutes for their clubs and playing in good form are favored for spots with the national team. So with Cooper playing his best soccer in years, the time has come to once again ask: When will Kenny Cooper get called up?

Cooper has been a scoring machine in his time with MLS and is playing his best soccer since 2008 when he scored 18 goals in 30 games (19 goals in all competitions) for FC Dallas.

The Red Bulls acquired him in the offseason for a 2013 first round draft pick and allocation money and it seemed like a lot to give up for a guy who plays a position the team was pretty deep at. But Cooper quickly rose to the cream of the crop and has been much needed since Luke Rodgers was denied a visa, Juan Agudelo was traded, Corey Hertzog was loaned out and Thierry Henry missed several matches due to injury.

Cooper has consistently delivered for the Red Bulls this season. He is on his second four game scoring streak of the season and he has been able to make an impact on the game from both off the bench—where he was the first two games of the season—and starting.

As the United States struggled to finish against Brazil Wednesday despite plenty of chances the team is still looking for answers on the offensive side of the ball.

The 27-year-old Cooper, once a Manchester United prospect and reserve squad member, has had fans clamoring for the team to give him a shot since the beginning of his career. And in the chances he’s risen to the challenge.

He’s made 10 appearances for the USMNT and scored four goals. In his first World Cup Qualifying start for the Yanks in 2008 scored. He also scored twice in the 2009 Gold Cup.

The consistent snubs are puzzling, but Cooper just keeps playing and scoring.

“I’ve had the honor to represent my country and it has been some of the highlights of my career, there have been some amazing moments and I’m hungry for more of those opportunities,” he said in an interview with the press after practice in late May.

Cooper is a big forward who can play with his back to the goal but is actually a better technical player than his size suggests. As he’s shown in his partnership with Henry this year, he does a good job of playing alongside another forward and sharing the ball, not only scoring for himself but feeding and creating space for his partner to score as well.

He also just has a nose for goal, putting in some rebounds and so-called “garbage goals” as well.

He’s in his prime and getting lots of playing time for his club. He says he has never been contacted by Jurgen Kilinsmann but the question is why not?

What else does Cooper have to do to earn just an opportunity?

Photo Credit.

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

New York Red Bulls Trading Juan Agudelo For Heath Pearce is a Good Move

Juan Agudelo is currently one of the United States’ most popular and exciting young players.

New York Red Bulls fans were excited to call him their own. Their opinions were heard when Hans Backe wouldn’t play him. Many were surprised and disappointed to hear that the club favorite was traded to Chivas USA.

But after the shock subsides, Red Bull fans should know one thing: the trade actually works in the team’s favor.

The deal that has been reported is that the Red Bulls will send Agudelo to Chivas USA in exchange for defender Heath Pearce. New York will also receive allocation money, a cut of any sale of Agudelo to a foreign league and Chivas will pay for part of Pearce’s salary.

It’s quite a haul for a player that has only appeared in four games this season and isn’t considered a starter when the entire first team is healthy.

Fairly or unfairly, whatever the case, Agudelo has been stuck on the bench and in head coach Hans Backe’s doghouse the past two seasons.

Last year Agudelo did manage to score six goals and have two assists in 27 games played (12 starts) but even when forward Luke Rodgers was injured (which was often) Backe preferred to play Dane Richards up front before letting the young American into the lineup.

This year he spent time with the US team that attempted to qualify for the Olympics and there he picked up an injury. Agudelo was available to play in the team’s past two games but came off the bench, even with Thierry Henry injured.

The Red Bulls will get Pearce, another member of the USMNT player pool as well as a versatile defender to shore up the patchwork and inconsistent defensive line.

Although the Red Bulls had three straight shutout victories prior to Sunday’s 3-2 win over Philadelphia only two teams have yielded more than the 16 goals the Red Bulls have surrendered over the course of the season.

They have started an inexperienced back four of Markus Holgersson, Tyler Ruthven and Conor Lade recently along with Jan Gunnar Solli or Roy Miller.

Pearce is a versatile defender that is one of the league’s best at either the left back or center back position. He also does a very good job of getting forward and crossing the ball while not compromising his defensive responsibilities.

For Chivas to pay part of his salary helps free up cap space to use on additional help, as does the nice sum of allocation money the team receives.

The Red Bulls front office is notorious for preferring to sign international talent, so having extra allocation money will help bring in the additional midfield playmaker and depth at forward (possibly Rodgers if he can get his visa issues straightened out) that the team needs.

Another question is how long Agudelo will stay in MLS. European clubs came calling this winter and they probably will continue their pursuit of the American prospect this summer. If Agudelo does in fact get sold, the Red Bulls will still get a cut of that transaction.

It’s not to say Agudelo isn’t or won’t be a good player. He could have great success with increased playing time and support. But New York received plenty of value in exchange for him. They received assets that can immediately help the team in pursuit of its first trophy.

For a player that was having difficulty coming off the bench and making an impact receiving this much compensation—essentially selling high—is a best-case scenario for the Red Bulls.

Photo Credit:  AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Rafa Marquez Has Gone Too Far With Latest Incident, MLS Must Take Action

Rafa Marquez has been nothing but a problem for the New York Red Bulls since coming to the team in the summer of 2010.

He was suspended for one game last year after ripping his teammates in the media and accusing them of not being on the same level as him, and then the league suspended him for three games after he threw a ball at Landon Donovan and then feigned getting hit in a scuffle he started.

His latest incident could and should earn him even more games lost.

In Saturday’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes Marquez was matched up against Shea Salinas on a corner kick. As Salinas moved off the goal-line to get open for the ball, Marquez wrapped his arms around Salinas and tackled him from behind. As he toppled over Salinas, Marquez then delivered a kick to Salinas that broke the Earthquake midfielder’s clavicle.

The maneuver was not seen by the referees during the game, but it was caught clearly on video and it’s time for the MLS Disciplinary Committee to step up and deal a proper punishment for him.

This is obviously not Marquez’s first offense and he had a prior track record to violent and dirty plays before ever signing with MLS. A hard tackle here or there, even the occasional red card, happens and can be tolerated. However fouls intentionally meant to hurt another player should never be accepted as part of the game.

A message has to be sent to Marquez, if anything will get through to him.

Not only should the league make a stand, but the Red Bulls should as well.

No player is above good sportsmanship and respecting the game, not even a Designated Player that was the third-highest paid player in the league last year. Marquez has missed so many games for New York and if last year is any indication, he has not done a tremendous amount to help the team win games.

This should be Marquez’s third strike with the organization. As per the baseball rule or with the NFL substance abuse policy, three strikes means you’re out.

He has done nothing but cause headaches and negative publicity for the team and the league. Someone needs to step in and show not only Marquez but also every other dirty player that is even thinking about coming into the league that if this is the way you choose to play, you will pay.

It’s uncalled for and enough is enough.

Photo Credit.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Is Thierry Henry the Best Designated Player Signing in MLS History?

With two goals—including an MLS Goal of the Week nominee—and an assist in the New York Red Bulls 4-1 victory over the Columbus Crew on Sunday Thierry Henry was named MLS Player of the Week.

It’s the third week in a row he’s earned those honors and is the first player in MLS history to ever win three consecutive Player of the Week awards.

His historic run and impressive start to the season—seven goals and four assists—has New York Red Bulls fans excited. Since coming to the team in the middle of the 2010 season he has delivered the goods and has been a great Designated Player signing, worth his hefty contract (second-largest in the league).

Signing a player as a Designated Player contract has not historically meant success on the field. Many players, such as Luis Angel Landin, Blaise Nkufo and Geovanni have been failed signings.

Henry has been a success. In 42 MLS regular season games he has 23 goals and 11 assists. Has the Frenchman been the best DP signing in league history, though?

To properly gauge his impact we first have to exclude guys that graduated to DP salaries. Players like Landon Donovan, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alvaro Saborio, Fredy Montero and Shalrie Joseph came into the league on normal contracts. They played so well that they earned a raise, one that put them over the DP threshold. While they’ve had great careers in MLS they weren’t typical DP signings. They were given the contract because of past success in the league, not as high-profile transfers from teams around the world that have an uncertainty if they can adapt to MLS.



Robbie Keane had a nice run at the end of the season for the Galaxy, scoring four total goals in nine appearances across all competitions but he needs to play more games in MLS for us to be able to really determine his impact.

The real competition for best DP signing is between Henry, Juan Pablo Angel, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the man the rule was created for, David Beckham.

Blanco was a huge success for the Chicago Fire. In all three seasons his team made the playoffs and in 2007 and 2008 Blanco was selected as a finalist for the MVP award. He was an exceptional talent with a fiery attitude to match.

There could be two slight downsides to his time in MLS—and it could just be nitpicking—but one was that the Fire never made it past the conference finals. In 2009, his last year with the team the Fire were upset by wild card (and eventual champion) Real Salt Lake.

He also played forward but only scored 16 goals in three seasons for the team. A player’s value is not measure in goals alone, but as a forward it is your main job and Blanco did not light up the stats sheet.

Angel was a lethal scorer for the Red Bulls. He owns the record for most goals scored for the franchise in all competitions with 62 and was a fan favorite.

Angel was eventually moved out in favor of Henry however, and the Frenchman hasn’t disappointed especially with Angel slowing down in past years. Angel spent a lot of time in New York with injuries, struggled mightily with the Galaxy only scoring three goals all year and now finishing with Chivas.

As for Beckham, the English-midfielder was the reason the DP rule was made. Off the field he has lived up to all the hype. Beckham-mania has hit the country with all the commercials, magazine covers and jersey sales.

He’s sold out MLS stadiums on the road and his presence has gotten the league more attention, more respectability and influenced others, like Henry, to come over and play in the league. It’s hard to imagine any player ever making the kind of commercial-impact Beckham has had on the league.

His play on the field however has been more tumultuous. Yes, he was on the league’s Best XI last year and was a major component in the Galaxy winning the MLS Cup. That being said there has been so much negativity associated with Beckham’s on-field performance.



For the first four years of Beckham’s MLS contract he spent time either on the bench injured or on loan in Italy. He openly talked about his desire to go back to Europe in order to continue to play for the English national team. He fought with teammates, most notably Landon Donovan. All in all, he didn’t look like he really wanted to be in or play in America or with the Galaxy.

It wasn’t until his final year in his first MLS contract that Beckham seemed engaged and committed to Los Angeles and MLS.

Since coming to MLS, Henry has fully committed to the Red Bulls. He has retired internationally and is giving his full attention to his club team. He’s sometimes cantankerous as a player, has high expectations for himself and his teammates and he has no problem unleashing his emotions.

What he has done however is score lots of goals and he is always the hardest working player on the pitch for the Red Bulls. He knows when to take charge himself or when to set up his teammates. He was also part of the MLS Best XI last season.

He still needs to score more goals in big games (like Angel), dominate the league and receive individual attention for his play (like Blanco) and win a championship to go along with his ability to bring in more fans to games (like Beckham) but Henry has only played in 42 games, just a bit more than one full season.

What he has done in a short amount of time has been incredible. He is absolutely one of the best DP signing in league history and still has a lot of time to do even more.



Video from YouTube.
Photo Credits.
Thierry Henry: AP Photo/Mel Evans
Cuauhtemoc Blanco: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
David Beckham: AP Photo/Jonathan Moore

New York Red Bulls: Ryan Meara Solidifies the Goalie Position

It’s only been five games into the 2012 season but Ryan Meara has made an impact in goal that the New York Red Bulls were missing badly last season.

In the first five games last season the team had only allowed three goals, but they had to use three different goalies (and they only had two wins). As the season went on mistakes by the man in net were abundant and the team used five different players at the position.

Mistakes, inconsistencies and not having chemistry on defense doomed the Red Bulls, as they barely made the playoffs and made a second round exit.

It was a position that team desperately needed to upgrade in the off season. So it was a bit puzzling when a franchise that has had no issues spending money on players and recruiting mostly foreigners to join the squad put the team literally in the hands of an American rookie.

The 21-year-old out of Fordham University was selected by the Red Bulls with the 31st pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. He was the first goalie taken in the draft and the only player the Red Bulls selected in the draft.

“We think he’s the best goalkeeper in the college system. He’s big, he’s strong, we need a goalie, and he’s from New York,” Red Bulls General Manager Erik Soler told the media after the draft. “Every factor that we looked at was there, and he was the player we wanted most from the draft simply because we needed a goalkeeper.”

Meara beat out another young American, Jeremy Vuolo, for the starting spot out of preseason and he has been quite the find. He has started the first five games and played every minute of them. He leads all of MLS in saves (21) and the Red Bulls have three victories.

The Red Bulls defense was bad last year and is still rather shaky. The loss of Tim Ream and his calmness on the ball is a big one. Markus Holgersson has failed to adjust to MLS thus far, Wilman Conde has not been healthy and the defensive bite in midfield has been absent due to the injuries of Teemu Tainio and the early suspension of Rafa Marquez.

Still, Meara has held strong in the back and has made a number of great saves to protect Red Bull leads or keep the team in the game.

“He’s looked very composed. He’s a low-key guy, but a hard worker,” head coach Hans Backe said in an interview with the New York Post. “Fingers crossed now, I think definitely he has a future.”

The 6-foot-4-inch goalie commands a strong presence and poise in net. He shows good athleticism and in the team’s poor opening to the season in Dallas, Meara was one of only a couple of bright spots.

He was born in Yonkers, New York and admits he grew up a MetroStars fan. The club, despite all its recent struggles finding a keeper, has had the luxury of playing some of the best goalies in league history such as Tim Howard, Tony Meola and Johnnie Walker.

“Going into this whole process, in the back of my mind I was thinking the Red Bulls. I was thinking how staying local would be great,” Meara said in an interview for the team’s website.

Meara is young and there still is room for improvement, as there should be. But he has looked like a good prospect early on and as the defense in front of him solidifies itself and he develops better chemistry with them he could develop into one of the best in the league.

For right now though, the responsibilities he has taken on have been huge and he has performed admirably. The consistency he has brought to the Red Bulls defense is just as important as the goals that Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper have scored.

It looks like the name Ryan Meara will be one that actually sticks around for a while.



Photo Credits.
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

New York Red Bulls Lose Opener, Are a Work in Progress

The New York Red Bulls have spent a lot of money on their current roster, pushing as close to the salary cap as possible. The team has two designated players and 12 players who have made appearances for their respective senior national teams.

With the amount of talent on the team and the money invested on it, it seems surprising that they are a work in progress. But after New York’s 2-1 loss to FC Dallas Sunday improvement is a necessity.

There were so many things that the Red Bulls did in the first game of the season that showed the team was not ready for the match or prepared for its opponent.
The first and most obvious issue the team had was defending.

Things were always going to be interesting without Tim Ream (transfer to England), without Rafa Marquez (suspended) and with a new rookie goalkeeper starting. While Ryan Meara showed some moments of fearlessness and made a couple of nice saves, the defending in front of him was subpar.

Communication was lacking, allowing guys to roam free. They were pulled too far up and into the attack, both on the wings and in the middle of the field, and were beaten often in transition. The clearing was also bad, exhibited on FC Dallas’ first goal.

The Red Bulls whiffed twice on clearing a cross out of the box before Zach Loyd was able to pounce on the ball and put it in the back of the net to take the early lead.

Newcomer Markus Holgersson was one of the two defenders to muff the clearance and he struggled throughout the game with the ball on his feet.

It wasn’t just the clearances that accounted for bad ball movement though. The passing wasn’t sharp at all. The Red Bulls are fond of moving the ball on the ground, but in the opening game of the season it looked like the team was rusty. Many of the passes were short of their target and turnovers were abundant.

The second Dallas goal came from an intercepted back pass—a rather poor decision—from fullback Roy Miller, which lead to a two-on-one breakaway and a chip over a diving Meara.

Coupled with bad passing was a bad touch on the ball, either on a first touch or when making a push forward. They may have held onto the ball longer but their possession was sloppy.

Mehdi Ballouchy came on as a sub with four minutes remaining and managed to turn the ball over at least three times.

All these things were made worse by poor spacing. New York players looked to bunch together often, both on and off the ball. Many times players would dribble into spaces occupied by other players, with the teammate failing to clear out. Other times players would make off-ball runs right into each other.

The spaces were congested with players and made it easy for one defender to cover two Red Bulls, and for two defenders to absolutely smother the offense.
Another failure from the team was a lack of midfield presence, specifically in the middle. While passing was poor, there was no conduit from the defense to the offense. Thierry Henry and Juan Agudelo failed to get many touches early on.

For Henry to get involved in the game he had to come back deep into the midfield, almost out of the same spot where defensive midfielder Teemu Tainio was at, in order to get the ball. He had to navigate himself out of a crowded midfield, was never truly in a dangerous position on the field to make a positive play and when he sprung the ball forward the team never was able to get on a fast-break because there was only one person forward. Often, it was only one or two Red Bulls against about four defenders.

Give credit to FC Dallas, which defended as a unit and capitalized on turnovers and opportunities.

New York, however, looked like they thought they were still playing in a preseason game.

Maybe it was first-game jitters, especially for the new players. Maybe the team needs more time to gel.

Whatever the case the team was not prepared for this game and things need to be improved otherwise it could be another disappointing season.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Who Will Lead the New York Red Bulls in Goals in 2012?

After another early exit in the playoffs, the New York Red Bulls underwent sweeping changes to its roster.

The defense is a mystery. Will the endless revolving door at goalie ever be settled? With Rafa Marquez moving to the midfield and Tim Ream moving to England who will step up in the center of the defense?

But something the Red Bulls did in abundance last year—although not always opportunistically—was score goals. The team was tied for second in the league in goals scored (50) with Sporting Kansas City and behind only the Seattle Sounders (56).

The team’s biggest acquisition in the offseason was another forward. It now has four forwards that would start on any club. The depth is necessary though due to the constant questionable status of the players’ availabilities.

The logjam on offense combined with the uncertainty of who will actually be around to play makes for one good question the Red Bulls should be excited to answer: who will score the most goals on the team in 2012?

Right away, with so much depth up top, it’s fair to say that forwards Corey Hertzog, Jose Angulo and Jhonny Artega won’t get much playing time and won’t be in the running.

Last year six players—Thierry Henry, Luke Rodgers, Dane Richards, Joel Lindpere and Juan Agudelo—accounted for 43 of the team’s goals, or 86-percent. Add in Kenny Cooper to that group and there should be a large outpouring of offense.

Henry was the team’s leading goal scorer last year with 14 goals. He is the favorite to lead the attack again this year. With so much big game experience and talent at his feet, the French Designated Player is in the elite class of MLS players.

He’s fresh off a loan with Arsenal in the offseason, where he proved some critics wrong and showed that he still is a top-level player. In seven appearances with the club he scored three goals, including two game-winners. He returns to the Red Bulls in shape, in form and healthy.

That health question is the big one for Henry though. He played in only 26 games last season and his injuries seemed to flare up when the team went on the road and was going to play on artificial turf. Players coming over from Europe don’t like playing on that surface, but Henry is obviously an important player to the team and will have to play more games to really help the Red Bulls get over the hump.

Cooper, with Portland last season, scored eight goals. With greater individual talent surrounding him he should be able to continue his success. His ability to use his size and play as a target forward should not only help the possession-obsessed Red Bulls, but allow Henry to make runs off of him and create great combination play.



Cooper has a lot working in his favor as far as playing time goes: He stays healthy and the other top options at forward could miss a lot of action this year.

Luke Rodgers was a revelation last year for New York. He scored nine goals (second on the team) and gave the team a toughness and attitude that has been missing for quite some time. He works well with Henry and brings a lot of energy to the pitch.

The problem is that his attitude in the past has gotten him into trouble in his past. Those issues have come to head now as they have held up Rodgers’ work visa approval and return to the country.

A verdict was supposed to be reached Thursday but no concrete outcome came of it. He will miss at least the season opener. No one is sure how long this process will take, reducing the number of games he could play in. This issue comes on top of Rodgers inability to stay healthy; he played only 23 games last year due to various injuries.

Rodgers can’t score if he can’t get on the field, and right now his outcome is not looking too good.

Juan Agudelo scored six goals last season but he fell out of favor with the coaching staff fast. The emergence of Rodgers kept Agudelo on the bench. But even when Rodgers was injured the coaching staff preferred to go with Richards as a forward and use Mehdi Ballouchy in the midfield then start Agudelo.

There is some speculation that coach Hans Backe is not a fan of young American players, which certainly does not bode well for Agudelo. The forward will also miss time this season to be with the US U-23 team in Olympic qualifying and possibly the Olympics.

It will be tough for the coaching staff to feel comfortable playing Agudelo knowing he will be leaving them for a lengthy period of time and have to fill his spot. The more time Agudelo spends on the bench the more frustrated he gets and there have been some whispers that he will soon make a move to Europe.

The situation with Agudelo and the club could get ugly.

On the wings Lindpere (seven goals) and Richards (7) provide a lot of offense. Lindpere is the team’s most valuable player; he started every game, played all but 12 minutes the entire season, provides great service to the forwards (he was also tied for the team lead with seven assists) and knows when to go forward himself. His effort and durability keep him in the game and always makes him a threat.

Richards uses his great speed to get behind the defense or blowing past them with the ball. He’s very attack minded but often makes poor decisions on the ball. He also is not as talented individually as some of the other players and relies on other teams focusing on them as well as their vision and passing skills to create more opportunities for himself.

So who stands out for the Red Bulls on offense? Henry seems to be the favorite with Cooper and Lindpere giving him a run for his money.

But with a defense as questionable and untested as the Red Bulls have, the New York offense will have to once again be a strong unit and score often to keep the team on the right track as they fight for their first ever MLS Cup.

Photo Credits.
Thierry Henry: AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
Kenny Cooper: AP Photo/Don Ryan

United States Win Over Italy Marks Progress On Many Different Levels

For the past ten years American soccer has gotten better due to many players getting the chance to play with good teams in respected European leagues.

In the United States Men’s National Team’s 1-0 victory against Italy –its first win against the Azzuris ever—it looked like all the time developing has finally shown true progress as a soccer nation.

The win was a team effort but in a lineup that featured 10 of the 11 starters playing in Europe some names stood out: Michael Bradley (Chievo Verona), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Carlos Bocanegra (Rangers) and Tim Howard (Everton).

Some may say that they are the team’s best players and they should stand out, but they all put in notable performances against one of the world’s elite teams. How they played and how they handled the pressure of the game said a lot about how they have improved over the years.



Tim Howard is the team’s most consistent player and didn’t have to make any miraculous saves tonight. But as the United States started to lose its interest in attacking once it had the lead Italy dominated possession and was a constant threat.

Howard and Bocanegra remained calm under pressure and time and time again turned away the Italian offense. Howard made some key saves and Bocanegra covered for mistakes from other defenders and kept another clean sheet—the 23rd of Howard’s international career.

Dempsey has been one of the hottest players in the English Premier League this season. Player of the Year for the club last year, Dempsey has scored 16 goals in 34 games in all competitions for the Cottagers this season. His confidence is soaring—a must for any goal scorer—and he isn’t afraid to let a shot fly.

His creativity and talent have always been there but his confidence and maturity were honed in England. He still celebrates in style and trash talks his opponents but in the game against Italy commentator Taylor Twellman commented on Dempsey’s newfound business-like approach to the game that he's noticed in recent interviews and how it shows that he is maturing as a player.

The central midfield tandem of Bradley and Edu was extremely efficient tonight. It’s been a challenging year for Bradley: his father was sacked as national team coach, he stopped receiving playing time with his club team—Borussia Monchengladbach—and even lost his starting spot in the midfield for the USMNT for the beginning of Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure.

A move to Chievo Verona though put him back on the pitch and right at the center of the action. He is the team’s main central midfielder and has played very well. Against Italy he was all over the field breaking up plays. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time and his ball movement was clean and crisp.

Edu, who hasn’t fared well with the USMNT since the 2010 FIFA World Cup, has continued to plug away at Rangers. A valuable member of that club, the team is scrambling to keep him before his contract expires. Against Italy he stepped in and played his best game for the team in the past year. He made good decisions both defensively and offensively and played a clean game. The fans watching the game didn’t hear his name much, but as a holding midfielder that’s a good thing, meaning he wasn’t out of position or making costly errors.

Klinsmann wants to make the team more possession-oriented. A key to holding onto the ball for longer and more efficient periods is play from the midfielders, specifically the central midfielders. Bradley and Edu are defensive-first-minded players but they can play both ways and against Italy they showed they hold the keys to the team’s progress. Both displayed fine footwork and an ability to move the ball out of trouble as well as link the defense to the offense.



Altidore is also another player that will play an important role in the team’s new mentality. He didn’t score and he will likely be criticized for that. But the things he was able to do speak volumes of his improvement.

The 22-year-old is having an incredible season with his club team, scoring 13 goals in 34 games across all competitions. He is gaining confidence week-to-week, developing good work habits and he is also finally learning how to use his size to his advantage.

At 6-feet-1-inch Altidore is a big, strong forward. The best plays he makes are when he shields the ball from his opponents and turns his defender. He has an advantage over guys and should use it. When he was younger, however, he would try to dribble and take guys on, usually trying to do too much and turning the ball over. Against Italy though he looked like a target forward. He got into space, played with his back to the goal, collected the ball and because he was properly shielding it he was able to pass it off—like he did on the assist of Dempsey’s goal—or turn and free himself from the defense.

Being able to hold the ball, as noted before, will be critical and if the team continues to play with only one forward Altidore will, at times, need to be able to collect the pass, shield and wait for help. He has been doing it more and more and the Italy game showed how much he has improved.

There is still so much for the team and these individuals to do to improve. In the second half, when protecting the lead, the team reverted to a more defensive-shell, something that they will need to un-learn.

But the first-ever victory over Italy, in Italy, against a top-tier country, in a pressure-packed environment and scoring against the run of play showed progress.

Progress was displayed not only by the team as whole but also by individuals. As more individuals like Altidore, Bradley and Edu take their games to top-level teams the whole team will continue to make successful leaps in terms of ability.

Photo Credits.
All phots: AP Photo/Luca Bruno

The New York Red Bulls Roster Continues to Be a Revolving Door

In 16 seasons the New York Red Bulls/MetroStars have had 12 different head coaches and seven different general managers or sporting directors. Close to 300 players have suited up for the team since its inception.

Year after year there is constant turnover: coaching changes, management changes, roster overhauls. Yet the team has never found the right mix therefore has never won a trophy of any kind, whether that be the MLS Cup, Supporter’s Shield or U.S. Open Cup.

After the 2011 season, which can only be described as a failure due to high expectations coming into the year, the house cleaning begins again.

We know that Sporting Director Erik Soler will return in 2012 along with head coach Hans Backe. The team has decimated its roster however. Alex Horwath, Mike Jones, Tyler Lassiter, Marcos Paullo, John Rooney and Teddy Schneider were all waived. Carlos Mendes (the longest tenured player on the roster and lone MetroStar remaining), Bouna Coundoul and Chris Albright did not have their options picked up and Stephane Auvray was released. Greg Sutton, in a complicated loan move with expansion squad Montreal Impact, will also not be back this year.

None of those players were starters. A number of them hardly ever even made the bench. And that’s still with the situations of Frank Rost and Brian Nielsen still up in the air.

Some may say there’s nothing wrong with getting rid of dead weight especially when the team failed to meet expectations but there is a bigger issue at hand with the roster.

If you look at the list of guys let go five players that were rookies last season were let go and another two players were in their first year with the team. Auvray didn’t even have a full season; he was acquired in a trade in August.

The organization is not developing young players or team chemistry.

In professional sports unless you are the New York Yankees or Manchester United you can’t just pay for new players every year. You need to develop young talent. It’s a cost-effective way to become help become successful.

In team sports chemistry is important. Guys need time to gel and learn each other’s tendencies. You also have to want to play and sacrifice not only for yourself but for the guy next to you as well. The more you’re willing to do and sacrifice, the better the outcome can be. And many times it takes some sort of relationship to develop over time for players to put that kind of trust into each other.

Also, players need to feel confident and think they have some sort of security on the team. It’s difficult to play your best when you’re constantly looking over your shoulder after every play wondering if you’re going to get yanked. It’s tough to feel settled and at ease when game-by-game you don’t know if you’ll be returning to the team the next day (Remember how Dwayne De Rosario was acquired and sent packing in a matter of months during the season?)

Alas, the New York Red Bulls management ignores all these things. Players are pieces of Monopoly property that get traded and sold at will.

It’s one thing if a team clears its roster to put forth a new foundation that will build the team for the next few years. But that becomes a moot point when the team is brand new year-in and year-out. If you don’t bring in quality players to replace the released ones, then what was the point of the roster overhaul to begin with? And if guys can’t last a year with the same team (not counting for loans) why did you go out and get them in the first place?

Maybe the team should do something new. Instead of having a quick trigger finger and getting rid of players after a few months on the roster management should re-evaluate its scouts. Somebody is not doing their job in the ranks. The team is obviously collecting sub-par talent that is not good enough to meet the expectations set. Who is advising ownership to get these players?

Why is it, for every Joel Lindpere unearthered there’s a list of at least ten guys like Juan Pietravallo, Jorge Rojas, Leo Krupnick, Walter Garcia, Matthew Mbuta, Ryan Suarez, Markus Schopp, Gilmar, Daniel Garipe and Gabriel Cichero?

There is a saying muttered by the New York Red Bulls supporters after most games or seasons or transactions and it’s, “Same old Metro.”

No matter how much the team changes, at its core nothing really changes at all.

Photo Credits.
Stephane Auvray: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Gregg Berhalter is First American to Coach Professional Soccer in Europe

After decades of American soccer players failing to catch on to clubs in Europe, America’s brightest young players are finally getting the chance.

In the 1990’s many of the U.S. national team players were college players or guys that were signed full-time to be with the national team. Very few exceptions played in Europe.

But now, guys like Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundolo, Michael Bradley and Carlos Bocanegra are fixtures on some teams in the most elite leagues on the continent. Youngsters like Brek Shea, Tim Ream and Juan Agudelo are knocking on the door, all training with teams in the English Premier League.

Playing in Europe is no longer an improbable dream but a realistic possibility. So naturally, it’s time to start venturing to the next frontier: coaching in Europe.

Gregg Berhalter, a former USMNT defender, has been hired by Hammarby IF of Sweden’s Superettan (second division) to be its new head coach. Berhalter signed a two-year deal with an option for a third. He is the first American-born former national team player to coach a team in Europe.

Hammarby, the former club of Charlie Davies, is not top-flight European soccer but it’s a start, and a necessary one at that. They do, however, have the third highest attendance in all of Sweden.

Former USMNT player and National Soccer Hall of fame inductee Marcelo Balboa commented on how Americans coaching in Europe could help develop the game in the U.S. in an interview with Potomac Soccer Wire in October of 2010.

“We challenged our players many years ago to play at the highest level, to go overseas and make their craft,” Balboa said. “I think now we’re at a point where that same challenge needs to be put out to our coaches. Our coaches now need to expand their horizons out of MLS and look for that European job or that South American job, to get that kind of experience and bring that back to the United States.

“Our players have a little more experience than our coaches do. It’s time that our coaches start getting that experience overseas.”

Berhalter is a surprising candidate to be one of the first guys to make the jump.
He spent the first 15 years of his professional career in Europe, playing in the lower leagues in the Netherlands, Germany and England. Those experiences certainly helped shape his game and earn two trips to the World Cup, which must give him some clout in Europe.

The surprise is that Berhalter just retired from playing at the end of the 2011 MLS season, where he held the duel responsibility of player and assistant coach.

A European club is giving a young (Berhalter is 38-years-old) American with very little coaching experience a chance to lead their team in an attempt to get back to first-division soccer for the first time since 2009.

“[Hammarby] looked at where I’ve been the last couple years with the Galaxy and with Bruce Arena and my role there and then they looked at my background as a player,” Berhalter told ExtraTime Radio. “I obviously spent 15 years in Europe and they felt like that diversity in terms of being in three different countries and experiencing these different soccer cultures will be a real plus in the long run.”

Even more surprising is that initially the team was looking for an experienced manager who had previous ties to Hammarby, according to Berhalter on ExtraTime Radio.

Former USMNT player and current AZ Alkmaar (Jozy Altidore’s team) technical director Earnie Stewart thought this moment was still a long-time coming, commenting on the situation in an interview with MLSsoccer.com in 2010.

“First of all, there's a problem in the way football in the United States is looked upon, and that reflects upon the coaches,” he explained. “We're still making progress, still getting better, still getting to where we want to be.”

Stewart added that any coach that does get an opportunity would have to have some kind of connection in Europe to help get that job.

Berhalter’s connection was former L.A. Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein, who sits on the board of Hammarby as an AEG representative and assisted with the coaching search. AEG owns the Los Angeles Galaxy and holds a 49-percent share of Hammarby.

For those that are surprised that Berhalter would be the first American to coach in Europe, ahead of famous national team coaches Bruce Arena or Bob Bradley or player-turned-coach Jason Kreis, Tab Ramos or Claudio Reyna keep in mind that John Harkes was the first American to play in the English Premier League. He did not have any professional experience before moving to Sheffield Wednesday, but his career turned out just fine.

It’s an historic moment for U.S. soccer and Berhalter has a rather large challenge ahead of him. But it’s a challenge that Berhalter, and American soccer, need to be ready to face.

Video feautre about the career path of Gregg Berhalter. Video from YouTube.


Photo Credits.
Gregg Berhalter: AP Photo/Gus Ruelas

Third Kit's Mega MLS Cup Preview

Possibly the finest and most publicized season of Major League Soccer concludes today with MLS Cup. The league-best Los Angeles Galaxy take on the Houston Dynamo, underdogs but two-time Cup winners.

The Galaxy have all the names (and money): David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane. The Dynamo’s best player—Brad Davis—will miss the game due to a hamstring injury. That doesn’t mean the Dynamo should be counted out though.

Check out the mega preview on Third Kit, breaking down the players to watch, how each team can win, how each team can lose and other important observations as all eyes in Hollywood are set on soccer.

United States Men's National Team Holds Open Practice at Red Bull Arena

It’s been said in the media that new United States Men’s National Team head coach Jürgen Klinsmann is still in the honeymoon stage with the team and its loyal supporters. Klinsmann still seems like quite the charmer and is endearing himself to the fans.

Emotions are positive for the German coach. He finally won his first game with the USMNT on Saturday and on Monday, one day before the team takes on Ecuador Klinsmann opened the team’s practice at Red Bull Arena to the public.

Only a day before a game, the practice was light and featured a lot of stretching as opposed to an intense one, but it was a unique opportunity for fans to see how the team went about their daily business with a new coach as well as what Klinsmann’s personal interactions with individual players and the team as a whole are like.



As the players trotted onto the field Klinsmann explained the purpose of the practice and what the fans would see. Things started off with the players breaking up into small groups and doing some one-touch passes in a circle with defenders in the middle. The goalies, in the meantime, did some drills on their own at the end line.



The field players then went to the opposite end of the field and did a lot of stretching. All the players are in the middle of their seasons now. Add in intense training and playing with the national team and injury prevention becomes a big concern.

After stretching the team went into an 11-vs.-10 half-field scrimmage with Clint Dempsey donning a blue pinny and playing as the extra man for both teams. While the starting lineup for the Ecuador game isn’t out the white team featured mostly regular starters like Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo and Jozy Altidore while the orange team featured the likes of Nick Rimando, Jeff Larentowicz and Edson Buddle, three guys who did not play on Saturday.

The play was pretty back and forth for the most part but with little execution. Only two goals were scored during the 20 or 30 minutes the team scrimmaged for, one by Clint Dempsey (for the white team) and one by DaMarcus Beasley.

Beasley was an interesting player on the left-side for the white team. Beasley showed some speed on the flank and dribbled in circles around Michael Orozco Fiscal. At the same time though, Danny Williams seemed to have his way with Beasley, dribbling around him or pushing him off the ball.

Williams was impressive in his ability to push the ball past his defender and his crosses, as were scrimmage teammate Brek Shea’s, were dangerous.

The highlight of the scrimmage came in a series of nice plays. Kyle Beckerman, playing for the orange team, collected a loose ball and slammed a shot at Tim Howard. Howard saved it and –like his pass to Landon Donovan in the Algeria game at the World Cup—threw the ball almost the length of the field to Jozy Altidore. Rimando came out to cut Altidore’s angle off, but the big forward chipped it over his head for what appeared would be a nice goal. While the ball floated back down to the field however New York Red Bulls defender Tim Ream came in, got underneath the ball, and cleared it before it went in the back of the net.



When the scrimmage was completed some of the players that logged big minutes in Saturday’s game (Altidore, Onyewu and Bocanegra for example) stretched at midfield. The rest took part in a crossing drill.

On the left was, as suspected, Brek Shea, Timmy Chandler and DaMarcus Beasley. On the right was Williams, Steve Cherundolo and Jonathan Spector.

Each side would take turns crossing the ball to a man in the middle: Jeff Larentowicz, Teal Bunbury, Juan Agudelo or Orozco Fiscal.

The crossing and finishing both left a lot to be desired but Larentowicz had the goal of the practice when he took a cross and put a diving header into the net past Rimando.



Klinsmann himself got in on the drill as well, for a brief moment, collecting a rebound and shooting it into the back of the net, earning a nice ovation from the crowd.

At completion of the drill, Klinsmann talked to his team in a huddle and then he and the players thanked the fans for coming out.

The practice wasn’t too intense but it got the fans excited about the team and for the game against Ecuador.

Klinsmann, the players and the fans are optimistic about the team’s future. Now it’s up to the new coach and the players to see how long that optimism lasts.

Tim Howard Saves Shots and the United States Men's National Team

Under Bob Bradley, the United States Men’s National Team was a reactive team: play tough defense and withstand pressure from the opposition and go on the counter attack when the other team overextends itself and is vulnerable.

With Jurgen Klinsmann at the helm the USMNT is working on being a proactive team, attacking and imposing its will on its opposition.

The similarity of both regimes is that they both rely on Tim Howard being at his best.

In the team’s 1-0 victory over Honduras the goalie was once again asked to play hero in net in order to preserve a positive result, just like he has time and time again since being named the No. 1 keeper in 2007.

Howard made six saves, a number of which showcased his incredible athleticism, and was named Budweiser Man of the Match.

The win was his 37th for the red, white and blue tying him for second with Tony Meola on the all-time wins list, behind only Kasey Keller (53). And he has earned every single one of them, not to mention the ties the team has a direct result of his stellar play.

Against Honduras Howard made several big saves. In the 18th minute Honduras sent a ball over the top of the defense that Jerry Bengston collected and went in 1-vs-1 on Howard but the keeper made a point blank stop to deflect the shot away.

He made a diving save on Carlos Costly in the 26th and then in the second half he made a leaping grab on a long range shot from Boniek Garcia.

“Tim is getting to a time in his career where he realizes these are the golden years for him ahead,” Klinsmann told the media after the game. “We really enjoy what he brings to the table.”

Howard is one of only two players to start all four games under Klinsmann (Carlos Bocanegra is the other). His consistently strong play is very important to new German head coach right now.

As the team is adjusting to playing a more attacking style they sometimes get caught too far up field. The formation has changed, with only one defensive midfielder as opposed to the two the team used to put on the field. So on the counterattack there are only five players back to defend at most.

If (and at times when) a player is beat or when there is a lot of space many shots come through. It is up to Howard to save them and bail out the rest of the team while they (hopefully) hustle back.

Howard’s ability to make spectacular and clutch saves lets the rest of the team continue to learn how to attack and go up field, make and learn from mistakes and allows the team not to get frustrated giving up a number of goals and revert back to their old less productive ways.

Klinsmann knows he needs good goalkeeping during these experimental times so the players can learn on the fly but the team can still get results that aren’t too discouraging. One only has to look at his roster selections to see the faith that he has placed in Howard.

Brad Guzan has been the first-choice backup behind Howard the past few years and has started big games during World Cup qualifying and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. But he hasn’t been called up to the National Team by Klinsmann yet. Neither has Marcus Hahnemann, the third goalkeeper on the 2010 World Cup team and Howard’s new teammate at Everton.

The backup has been Bill Hamid, a 20-year old goalie for D.C. United that has not made an appearance for the United States at any level.

There were games in the past, like the Argentina friendly at Giants Stadium or the game against England to open the 2010 World Cup, that the USA would not have gotten a point in had it not been for Tim Howard.

Last night, even with a new coach and new philosophy, was no different. And as the U.S. team continues to work on its attacking style of play and new young players are brought into the fold nothing will be more important than the veteran and extremely talented presence of Howard.

A feature of Tim Howard, his rise to stardom and his intensity. Video from YouTube.


Photo Credits.
Tim Howard: AP Photo/Paul Sancya