Is Oguchi Onyewu No Longer a First-Team Choice for the United States?

AP Photo/Elise Amdendola

When the United States took on Canada in their opening match in the Gold Cup on Tuesday, the U.S. put their A-team on the field.

That is, their A-team minus one usual starter: Oguchi Onyewu. The mainstay in the Yanks starting lineup since 2005 was benched for Tuesday’s match.

Onyewu has had Gold Cup success before, scoring an extra time winner in the semifinal match in 2005 and being named to that tournament’s Best XI. However the past two years have not gone smoothly for the mammoth defender, and now his time with the National Team may have come to an end.

Once the cornerstone of the defensive back line, Onyewu’s career has taken a turn for the worse since 2009. He signed with AC Milan, one of the top teams in Italy, in July and has made zero Serie A appearances with the club and only one (brief) Champions League appearance. Much of that lack of playing time stems from an injury suffered with the USMNT.

In an October World Cup Qualifying match against Costa Rica, Onyewu leapt up for a header only to fall in a heap, suffering a patellar tendon rupture in his left knee. He recovered, rehabbed and came back in time for the 2010 World Cup, but with so much time off it was obvious to the media, fans and coach Bob Bradley that “Gooch” was extremely rusty. He started the first game of the group stage, was subbed out of the second one and was benched for the remainder of the tournament.

After the World Cup there were some bright spots that some thought meant he was returning to form. In an October friendly against Poland, wearing the captain’s armband, he scored a goal to put the team ahead 2-1 (they would eventually settle for a draw, 2-2).

In November he got into a skirmish during practice with teammate and world-superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which if nothing else, suggested that the big man still had some fight left in him.

Then in January he was loaned to Dutch club FC Twente, where he was a regular in the starting lineup, albeit at left fullback rather than his normal central defense position. Still, the playing time was what everyone thought he needed.

However after he started the recent team’s friendly against Spain (when they were thrashed, 4-0) Onyewu was benched for the first game of a very important Gold Cup.

People have been highly critical of Onyewu in the past two years. He has looked slow, out of sync with the rest of his team and unfit. He has had opportunities with the National Team to prove to the coaching staff that he has recovered but he has not looked comfortable on the field in the majority of games.

Finally Bradley has benched him, and his status with the National Team does not look good. In a game featuring the USMNT’s top lineup, Onyewu was benched in favor of Clarence Goodson and Tim Ream.

Goodson is a tall defender who is very good in the air, gets forward on set pieces and scores as well as Onyewu did in his prime and is a key player for his club team.

Ream is considered to be the next big thing for the U.S. defense. He is very calm and poised on the ball. His best skill is his passing ability out of the backfield. This allows for the team to actually obtain possession and gets the transition going the other way going much faster and smoother. Thos two things are instrumental in the USMNT’s scheme and helping the team improve against some of the better teams in the world.

Also on the depth chart is Jay DeMerit, a tenacious defender with a very good work ethic (currently recovering from an injury) and prospects Omar Gonzalez and Ike Opara. Maurice Edu played the position in the 2008 Olympics, Jonathan Spector can play any position along the back line and other players with National Team experience (Ricardo Clark, Heath Pearce and Marvelle Wynne) have moved positions and are playing centerback for their clubs. There is also the possibility that other young fullbacks that we haven’t heard of yet get hot, much like how Edson Buddle and Herzulez Gomez did before the previous World Cup.

Bob Bradley was patient with Onyewu’s recovery, but now it seems, with other options becoming available, that his patience has worn thin.

There was a time where an average or hurt Onyewu was still head and shoulders the best defender in the U.S. player pool.

If the game against Canada is any indication, those days, as well as his days playing with the first-choice team, are over.

Athletes Tweeting About Shaq

AP Photo/John Raoux

Shaquille O'Neal is the reason why I fell in love with basketball. He was incredibly talented, charismatic, humble, personable and entertaining. I saw "Kazaam" and "Steel" and I cried when he left my favorite team--the Orlando Magic (simply because he played for them)-- for the Los Angeles Lakers. I always remained in awe when he would throw down an amazing slam dunk. I laughed during almost all of his press conferences and was impressed when he danced at the All-Star game with the Jabbawockeez.

I will have so many fond memories of The Diesel and will thank him for them and for getting me excited about basketball.

However, I am not the only one to appreciate The Big Shaqtus/Shamrock. So many others respected him, especially fellow professional athletes. Here's how some of them paid tribute to The Big Aristotle (@SHAQ) on their Twitter pages.

Scottie Pippin, Hall-of-Fame NBA player, most notably with the Chicago Bulls: @ScottiePippin "Congrats to @SHAQ on a Hall of Fame career. He is truly one of the game's most dominant big men to ever play."

LeBron James, NBA, Miami Heat: @KingJames "What a career for Shaq Diesel!! The most dominating force to ever play the game. Great person to be around as well. Comedy all the time!!"

Dwyane Wade, NBA, Miami Heat: @dwadeofficial "I'm honored and truly humbled to have been a teammate of the GREAT @SHAQ..this game will not be the same without him..respect"

Steve Nash, NBA, Phoenix Suns: @SteveNash "Congratulations @SHAQ on your quadruple platinum hall of fame career. I know you're not riding off into the sunset...what's next?"

Grant Hill, NBA, Phoenix Suns: @realgranthill33 (2 tweets) "Congrats to my former teammate, friend and neighbor @SHAQ on a Hall Of Fame career. 1 of the best ever. Also, 1 of the only rappers to" "to have a song with both JayZ and Biggie Smalls. #respecttweet"

Tracy McGrady, NBA, Detroit Pistons: @TheReal_TMAC "#salute to the big fella from LSU... dominant, charming, funny, and a true NBA legend.. i will miss shaquille o'neal... #retiring"

Andy Roddick, tennis player: @andyroddick "i will miss shaq.... he is the best quote in sports"

Paul Rabil, professional lacrosse player, Boston Cannons and Washington Stealth: @PaulRabil "This Shaq retirement conference is the most entertainment I've seen associated with the NBA since MJ was playing. #MadRespect #BigAARP"

Chad Ochocinco, NFL, Cincinnati Bengals: @ochocinco "#OCNN - All the best to my good friend @SHAQ. Truly one of the greatest of all time!!!"

Michael Strahan, former NFL player, New York Giants: @michaelstrahan "Congratulations to @SHAQ on retiring after 19 years in the game. Dominant force....."

Jozy Altidore, professional soccer player, Bursaspor (Turkey) & USA @JozyAltidore17 "@SHAQ u the man"

Giuseppe Rossi, profesonal soccer player, Villarreal (Spain) & Italy: @GiuseppeRossi22 "Who agrees with me that @SHAQ is one of the best all time? #dominance #power #champion"

John Cena, professionoal wrestler, WWE: @JohnCena "CeNation. Watching Shaq's retirement address. Class act. He has great personality and relationship with media. Truly one of the greatest."

Shaquille O'Neal Retires, Leaves Behind Larger Than Life Legacy

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

While the stats are impressive, it’s almost a shame they commanded so much attention during Shaquille O’Neal’s retirement press conference. Because Shaq was so much more than just the 28,596 points he scored, the 13,099 rebounds he grabbed, or the 2,732 shots he blocked.

Even the various MVP awards and, yes, the four NBA Championships he won are only a small part of the giant man’s career.

There were many other things that set Shaq apart from the rest of the players in the NBA.

The first thing that fans noticed about Shaq, the first thing that drew me to the sport of basketball, was of course his unique skill set. He was, in the first half of his career, a beautiful blend of power and finesse. Power dominates the equation, for sure, but Shaq Fu could run the court and was fairly athletic, especially for his immense size.

But really, who was able to stop Shaq? He would bowl over anybody in the post that tried to stop him. His size and strength made him a sheer force. It became so hard to stop him that teams began employing the “Hack-a-Shaq” tactic, fouling him deliberately in the hope (and often times the likely outcome) that he would miss his free throws.

It wasn’t just his opponents O’Neal would go after with tenacity either; he attacked the basket with an unseen amount of power.

After Darryl Dawkins ripped the rim off the backboard a few too many times, the way the basket was built was changed. So Shaq he couldn’t take the rim down the court with him? No problem, he just took the entire basket down to the court.

Another O’Neal staple was his smile, one that stretched across his entire face and sparkled like something out of a toothpaste commercial. Shaq appreciated the opportunities he had thanks to basketball and he enjoyed every single one of them. While he came up with an incredible amount of nicknames for himself, another that would seem fitting for him is “The Big Kid”. He celebrated big plays with a memorable candor. He joked around with teammates and played pranks on them.

He also was cooperative and playful with the media. He was always good for a sound bite and really enjoyed the attention. Shaq even mentioned that one reason he wanted to have his press conference at his house was so he could host the media and feed them, thanking them for a 19-year relationship.

Most importantly though, Shaq was one of the most accessible players to the fans—the ones who helped make him as big a superstar as he was—and was one of the most charitable players in the league.

Shaq was one of the first athletes to really use Twitter to connect with his fans, offering contests to meet him and win tickets to games.

His charity efforts often get overlooked. He helped supply and distribute necessities to victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. He gets involved in countless charity events and his “Shaq-A-Claus” routine, delivering toys to less fortunate children on Christmas, is a huge hit.

O’Neal doesn’t isn’t charitable because it’s good for his image, he does it—often times without any fanfare—because, it seems, that he honestly thinks it’s the right thing to do. Fitting that such a large man would also have such a large heart.

Sure Shaq had his moody moments or questionable comments, but he was a true role model. He was never in trouble with the league or the law. He valued education and went back to school, finishing his undergrad degree, obtaining his Master’s and beginning the process of earning a PhD. He is a family man and, backed by his examples of charity and forays into law enforcement, always looks out for the good of others.

After 19 seasons in the NBA there are many fond memories of The Diesel. It’s hard to imagine someone that will capture the attention and entertain the fans as well as O’Neal did, and he will be terribly missed.

That being said, it’s also hard to believe that this will be the last we hear of him. Because once an entertainer, always an entertainer.

Clips from Shaq's retirement press conference. Video from ESPN.

Virginia Men's Lacrosse Team Shows Resiliency, Wins NCAA Championship

AP Photo/Gail Burton

Call it perseverance. Or possibly stubbornness. But even through so much roster turmoil the Virginia men’s lacrosse team would not go away. They stuck together and despite the doubts and constant changing won the NCAA Division 1 championship.

Last season the Cavaliers made it to the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Duke. But the craziness began before then when defender George Huguely was charged with the murder of Virginia women’s lacrosse player and ex-girlfriend Yeardley Love. This weekend as his teammates celebrated, Huguely sat in a jail cell waiting for his trial, set for February 6.

The turnover continued this season. Star defender Matt Lovejoy underwent season ending shoulder surgery after playing in 10 games this season.

A pair of All-American midfielders—twins Shamel and Rhmael Bratton, considered the best players on the team—were suspended multiple times this season. Rhamel was suspended before the regular season finale and was ruled inactive for every game following.

Shamel was suspended three times total this season, his third the same team as Rhamel’s and leading to his dismissal from the team. Shamel finished the season fourth on the team in points (despite playing in only 11 games) and Rhamel finished sixth.

Before Virginia beat the University of Pennsylvania in a NCAA tournament tune-up, the team had lost four of its final five games, including getting bounced out of the ACC Tournament in the first round.

Even in the playoffs, things did not get any better. They needed overtime to come-from-behind and beat first round opponent Bucknell. The offense took another hit when third-leading scorer Colin Briggs was also suspended for the team’s NCAA semifinal game.

Somehow, though, the team made it work.

Having a young defense without Lovejoy, Virginia changed schemes. Notorious for having a pressure-packed man-to-man defense, the Cavaliers converted, mid-season, to playing mostly zone defense. In the NCAA Tournament Virginia surrendered double-digits in goals only once (the Bucknell game).

With the Brattons, the majority of the team’s offense relied on its midfield production. When both were gone from the team, the offense morphed and changed to get more production from its attack and work the ball from behind the net. Much like how the defense was successful, the offense scored double-digits in all its tournament games except for the championship round, when they scored nine goals.

And who was the hero of the championship game? None other than the previously suspended Briggs. The senior midfielder scored a career-high five goals.

“I definitely disappointed myself and let down the team on Saturday. I wanted to come back today and give everything I had,’’ Briggs told the media after the big win. “I got some open looks and was able to finish some shots.’’

It was very unlikely, all things considered, that Virginia would be hoisting the championship trophy at the end of the season. They were the lowest-seeded team (No. 7) to win the title and the first to do so with five losses (Virginia finished the season 13-5).

None of that matters though, because they are, in fact, champions. And they did so by overcoming adversity through teamwork. Instead of whining, the team banded together, adapted to every new situation, bought in to what head coach Dom Starsia taught them and executed.

What Virginia did was a true lesson in taking responsibility for one’s own mistakes and fixing them.

Stop Calling for a Soccer Savior in the United States

Editorial

I recently read an article that asked if Juan Agudelo was the savior of U.S. soccer. The thought behind the piece began, as it always does, listing the names of players who have not lived up to expectations but that maybe this time we had found the one.

Agudelo is an impressive player, and hopefully he continues to play well. But this style of writing needs to end. It’s lazy writing and accomplishes nothing. It is in fact the type of writing that makes the audience resent the media: building a character up in order to tear him down even harder.

The article linked to above isn’t the only one that deploys this technique, it is just the most recent I’ve seen. The names of “failures” are the typical ones mentioned: Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore, Eddie Johnson and, of course, Freddy Adu. This isn’t to say they haven’t been disappointing, or that we shouldn’t expect more from them. But why must every young, talented American soccer player be a savior? The writers make knee-jerk reactions to good and are just as quick to criticize and devalue through times that are not as fortunate.

The first problem with the “soccer savior” story is how it originates. Far too often a potential savior is pulled from an extremely small sample size.

The majority of Juan Agudelo’s mainstream hype has come from an entire three games with the U.S National Team; his third appearance against Argentina in March was, at the time, one more game than he had played in with the New York Red Bulls total. Jozy Altidore made 43 total appearances with the Red Bulls, his first professional club team. That’s just over one full MLS season. Eddie Johnson’s most impressive run with the National Team was for his seven goals in six World Cup qualifiers. And Freddy Adu, he never played in a professional match in his life when the media firestorm anointed him the chosen one.

How can greatness be judged in a handful of games? You can learn some things about a player, but his eventual career path has so many active variables that you just can never tell that soon. The media justifies these responses by saying things like, “The American public is hungry for its own soccer superstar.” Really, it is sports writers hungry for a quick easy story. One that is framed around little information and could very well turn out wrong, but even then it would create another story.

There is a good reason the sample size is so small—the age of the players. Adu and Altidore are 21-years-old, Davies is 24 and Agudelo is only 18. Johnson is the oldest of the aforementioned players, at 27, but even so the tipping point of his success came roughly seven years ago (making Johnson a mere 20-years-old).

The point is all these players burst onto the scene at a very young age—they couldn’t even legally buy a beer. Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney became superstars at equally young ages and have become the biggest name in the sport. But that doesn’t mean that if these American players haven’t reached their peak at the same age then they are failures.

For starters the youth development programs in the country are notoriously not as strong as those overseas. Places like the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and MLS academies are helping to close the gap, but it’s not there yet. Therefore it takes more time for players to properly develop.

Bob Bradley, the head coach of the USMNT, has brought players like Altidore, Adu and Agudelo in for developmental purposes. In order to make the team more successful (and in doing so helping the sport become more popular in the country) Bradley’s philosophy was to make the available player pool deeper. That has meant expanding the pool to bring in younger players and bring them along at the senior level. Some, like Agudelo, flourish in the early stages. It is a process, however.



By no means is Agudelo a complete player because of his good showings in three international matches. And Adu not making a World Cup team thus far does not mean he never will. There is still a lot of time for both of these players to hit their primes and until then they will be learning the game, improving their skills and becoming good soccer players, regardless of the superstardom they achieve.

One thing that halts these players is the moves they make in the transfer seasons. With a little help from the media hype that surrounds them, the players’ profiles grow attracting them to big name teams. They move but are not ready to see the field and get buried on the bench.

Bought by Fulham in 2008, Johnson has only made 20 total appearances for the English Premier League club. He’s been loaned out three separate times. Altidore, after signing with Spanish giant Villareal, is on his third loan and Adu is on his fourth loan from parent club Benfica in Portugal.

The problem is that the players aren’t allowed to develop at the proper rates. Even the teams they are loaned to are in top flight leagues around the world and are looking to win games, not develop other team’s talents.

While these young players are training at high levels and learning what it means to be a professional, at the end of the day they have to crack the lineup and see the field. Otherwise they are no longer fit for games, their confidence gets shaken and they get rusty, dulling their once dazzling talents.

Then the media swoon over them like vultures, declaring their careers all but over.

The media is not at fault for player’s choosing the wrong team to transfer to. But for some reason the lack of proper time to develop gets lost in the coverage.

There is nothing wrong with being excited for a young player’s success. And if that player will help lead soccer to a higher status on and off the pitch then that’s great. But expectations need to be kept in
check.

The soccer savior theme needs to be put to an end. It’s beyond hyperbole now, it’s a cliché. Anytime a young player has a good run of form, even for only a handful of games, he becomes the new flavor of the week. And then when the hot streak cools and the player must work through adversity—an essential part of a player’s development—the media turns their back on him, labeling him a failure.

It’s a tired form of writing and accomplishes nothing other than squeezing as many headlines out of a buzz worthy player as possible. It makes it look like writers are not out to cover the beautiful game but rather essentially create and manipulate their own stories.

Besides, with the USMNT improving its quality of play on the pitch, MLS becoming a financially stable establishment and pure interest in the global game on the rise (i.e. sales for the FIFA video game, TV ratings for the World Cup and English Premier League matches) is a savior really needed?

Photo Credits.
Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Freddy Adu: AP Photo/Nick Wass

Teemu Tainio Will Be Missed When New York Red Bulls Face the Los Angeles Galaxy

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

When the New York Red Bulls square off against the Los Angeles Galaxy offense will be at a premium.

Landon Donovan, Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Juan Agudelo, Juan Pablo Angel and Luke Rodgers are all names that should see action and they all bring it in the attacking third.

Good offenses are fueled by teams that are capable of playing good defense, transitioning to offense, and possessing the ball. So New York not having Teemu Tainio is a huge loss and could have a great effect on the outcome of the match. He did not travel with the club to Los Angeles because of a groin injury.

The Finnish International was signed by the Red Bulls before the season started in March and has a long history of playing soccer at the highest level. He’s played in the UEFA Champions League with Auxerre, a club he spent eight years with making 150 appearances with the team. Then he moved onto the English Premier League with Tottenham for three years. He rounded out his European career with Sunderland and Birmingham City in England and Ajax, the famous club from Amsterdam.

The signing with New York was a quiet one, and he had to go on trial with them before the club would commit to him. But he may be the best signing in the entire league.

Tainio has started and played every league match at defensive midfield for the Red Bulls so far this season. He played every minute of every match until he was subbed out at halftime of last week’s game against Sporting Kansas City with a groin injury.

He’s a hard worker who plays strong, tenacious defense. He’s also been the link from the defense from the offense. His passing has been crisp and he had been the key to the Red Bulls being one of the cleanest passing teams in the league. They’ve been a very good possession team, something head coach Hans Backe has been very proud of.

Tainio only has one assist this season and more times than not if the announcer is not saying his name, he’s having a good night. But the impact he has on the field was felt when he was removed from the Kansas City game.

“He’s a very important piece of the team,” Rafael Márquez said to the press. “He is the one that balances the entire squad on the field so when he is not around, we always miss him.”

Carl Robinson, Tainio’s replacement, did not hold his own. The team’s time of possession was way down in the second half and as a result, Kansas City’s attack was more potent and dangerous.

It’s unfair to say it was all Robinson’s fault, or that he won’t be able to get the job done adequately, it’s just that you can tell the kind of difference Tainio makes on the field.

His replacement as well as the entire team have their work cut out for them against the Galaxy.

Red Bulls Insider: Meet Teemu Tainio. Video from YouTube.

NFL Draft 2011: New England Patriots' Plan All About Flexibility

AP Photo/Winslow Townson

When the New England Patriots entered the 2011 NFL Draft the team held six picks in the first three rounds. The fans and the media expected the team to really cash in.

The most publicized need for New England was a pass rush. Lucky for them, with so many top picks, this year was a deep class of defensive ends and outside linebackers. Names like Ryan Kerrigan, Muhammad Wilkerson, Cameron Heyward and Cameron Jordan filled the Big Board.

When all was said and done the Patriots didn’t draft any of those names. In fact, they didn’t select someone that plays in the front seven until they selected OLB Markell Carter out of Central Arkansas in the sixth round.

It’s not to say the players they drafted won’t be any good or that they don’t fill needs or depth. But why ignore a supposed glaring hole? It’s become the theme of the draft, possibly the theme of the Patriots, was not, in fact, address need but rather flexibility.

Flexibility and the mantra of the New England Patriots explain what happened during the draft. The Patriots are notorious for “putting the team first” and not overpaying for talent are ways the ownership manages the team, and has also helped make them as successful as they have been in this century. Randy Moss, Richard Seymour, Ty Law and Willie McGinest all experienced it. It’s the business.

So the first round selection of OT Nate Solder puts Matt Light on notice. Light has started at the left tackle position when he was drafted in 2001 and is looking for a new contract. But history and the draft tell us that if Light wants to be a Patriot he should temper his demands.

Solder may not be ready in Year 1, but he’s a promising prospect. Give Light one more year, develop Solder, and if Light’s contract demands are too steep to merit giving to the 32-year-old, let him walk and you have a capable player ready to step in.

Depth along the offensive line was something that needed to be addressed and Solder gives them flexibility at this position currently and moving forward.

Skip down to when the Patriots select running backs with their second pick in the second round and their first in the third round. Again, current starter BenJarvus Green-Ellis is coming upon free agency. Maybe his productive 2010 priced him out of the Patriots range.

People speculated the Pats would take one running back at some point because they like having a lot of depth at that position. But two back to back? Green-Ellis may be on his way out of Foxborough.

So if they were planning on going running back, why trade down in the first round and let the Saints select former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram?

While it’s no certainty he’ll be a successful player, he does have a higher profile. As a first-round pick his salary would be much higher than backs drafted in later rounds. So why pay him more for backs that, while they may not have the hardware Ingram does, could be successful in the system?

With the trade, the Patriots also picked up an extra first-rounder next year. Will they trade down like in most of the drafts in recent years? Possibly. But having two picks gives New England flexibility in making decisions. They can package the two to move up, or trade down again, gaining more picks and more future flexibility in potential trades.

As for the pass rush? The front office must be confident that last year’s draft picks Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes will continue to develop and free agent signings Eric Moore and Gerard Warren will step up. As we’ve seen before, the Patriots aren’t afraid to take a chance on an older free agent.

So while many fans were left scratching their heads, there is a plan in place. And flexibility is a vital part to it.