Granted no one, not even Sepp himself knows how the FIFA seeding formula for the World Cup works, or will work from tournament to tournament. But it’s still fun to debate how it could or should work in order to either give our team (that’s the US) a seed, thus a hypothetically easier path to the knock-out stages of the World Cup, or to make it fairer for anyone to earn a seed. In that vein we’ll dissect some of the rumored criteria for earning a seed who the possible seeds for next summer might be, and what some fairer alternatives may be.

Possibly seeded teams:

Brazil

Argentina

South Africa

Spain

Italy

England

Netherlands

France (if they qualify)

Portugal (if they qualify)

US (quite a long shot)

Rumored criteria for earning a seed:

Current FIFA Ranking – If an absolute joke is used as a criteria for determining who deserves a seed, does that not make the whole seeding formula a joke as well? If the FIFA rankings were used to determine who earns a seed, then why wasn’t the US seeded for the 2006 World Cup? Enough of the rhetorical questions; if the FIFA rankings were actually based on something that was close to being objective, then I could get on board with supporting this as a criteria. However, any formula that ranks the 2005-2006 USMNT as #5 in the world, even though we lost to Morocco in our “Send-Off Series” cannot be based on anything remotely near objective fact.

Performance in Past 3 World Cups – Again, with the 1994 and 2002 performances yielding advancement from the group stages how did the USMNT not get a seed in 2006? Did the last place finish in 98 really hurt us that much? Letting a nation’s reputation precede it into the tournament is not only unjust but it’s never applied consistently. France won the 98 edition, and the 2000 Euros for good measure, they then laid an absolute egg in 2002, yet they were still highly regarded for the 2006 tournament. Mind you I’m not intimating that the USMNT is on the same level as France, just that they’re shitty tournament showing doesn’t seem to hurt them as much. Back to the matter at hand, sure the bigger nations may have an off World Cup Qualification run, but know how to turn it up a notch when the big dance rolls around (see Brazil’s horrendous qualification run to the 02 WC and their subsequent victory when they got there). But can you honestly say in your heart of hearts that England, France, Italy, Spain (who’ve really underwhelmed on the big stage until just recently) would’ve had enough steam to make it out of their groups consistently if they weren’t so heavily favored during the “impartial” draw. Aside from the shenanigannery behind this as a criteria for earning a seed, the tourney is held every four years meaning that this is taking into account how the team performed 12 years ago. 12 years! That’s roughly 2.5 generations of players coming through the pipes. Wouldn’t you rather the teams performing well currently be given a seed for their hard work and stellar form, especially given the huge turnover we see in the representatives from Africa? I would.

Aside from those two, I don’t know of (and I’m refusing to JFGI the answer right now) any other specific criteria used when determining who should be seeded, but it probably has something to do with number of blue corn moons in the preceding decade multiplied by the number of goals you scored against the Faroe Islands and Luxembourg since they were gained admission into FIFA.

How could it be made fairer?

Well the first thing that needs to be done is to find an objective formula and stick with it, this way everyone knows what needs to be done in order to get the seed. This formula should weigh current run of form (measured by the rankings of the teams played in the last 12 months) much more than the performance by a completely different squad of players over a decade ago. If this was the case you could bet the farm that Argentina wouldn’t be seeded next summer, France or Portugal would be iffy.

Or, what about giving a seed to each of the federations’ best teams through qualifying, plus one seed for the host nation, if one federation is not represented, then the second best team in either CONMEBOL or UEFA will get it? The remaining seed(s) will be dished out to the best teams rakings wise who have not already been seeded. This way the best team in each federation, during that cycle, would be rewarded with a little something extra, which will hopefully entice some of the teams caught in the doldrums of their regions to step it up a notch or two (yes I am speaking directly to Mexico, the US, and Argentina with that statement in case there was any doubt). This would result in the following teams being seeded (again no research went into this): the US, Brazil, Spain*, New Zealand, Algeria**, and Australia. If New Zealand doesn’t make it into the tourney, then it would have to be between Chile or England****.

*= Taking away all the 1^st place finishers’ points against the weakest teams in their groups leaves Spain 3 points clear of England but this doesn’t take into account overall group strength.

**= Only because their group appears to be tougher.

***= Just guessing based on how they dominated the last round of AFC qualifying.

****= Again, not basing the UEFA seed off of group strength, merely points achieved minus the points garnered against the weakest team in the group.

While there aren’t many who would argue that the US has a better, more deserving side than Argentina, France, or Portugal, but we took care of the business in front of us and qualified proper for the tournament.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter?

UPDATE - Today the Premiership chairpeople only voted to keep their neighbors to the north, Celtic and Rangers, out of any English league reorganization or radical changes. The true showdown talks will occur in February according to Soccernet.

Today is the day when those in charge of the Premier League, club chairmen, chief execs, and owners will sit down, break some bread, and discuss the future of the beautiful game in England (stories here and here). While there’s tons of things that we’d love to see eradicated from the game (such as diving, teams “parking the bus” against more skilled opposition, Phil Brown’s spray tan and Bobby Brown-esque headset, etc.) are there really any rule changes that could be implemented that will truly make a difference, or will teams still find a way to “interpret” the new rules in a way that justifies their crappy play. Here’s a list of the some of the issues that will be discussed:

Redistribution of the considerable wealth generated by the Prem including possibly a reverse pyramid where the last place finishing team nets the most money

While I’m all for a little bit more parity in the Premiership because let’s face it none of us want our teams to HAVE to be taken over by a wealthy Saudi oil baron in order to be mildly competitive. However, completely turning the prize structure on its ear could have seriously detrimental effects to how the game is played. Most Chief Execs are after one thing, more money to pad their bottom line to ensure survival of their company and their job, footie execs are no different, so what’s to stop a club like Manchester United or Liverpool for that matter who are saddled with quite a debt to completely lay an egg in hopes of finishing just outside the relegation zone to earn a bigger payday? That may be a bad example because we all know that those two storied clubs would never stoop to pandering for the almighty pound/dollar just to pay off a few measly debts. For better example, look at the NFL and NBA where teams that have been bad all year find a new low quality-wise closer to the end of the season in order to get a higher draft pick, and to further the proof that this strategy is not working consider how many top draft picks the Lions, new Browns, Bengals, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, etc. have had over the last 20 years, yet their franchise names invoke images of a futility.

Abolition of Relegation

Really, you’re seriously considering this?!?! Have you no soul? Sure the relegated teams stand to lose tons of money, but that’s the price you pay when you play garbage players who play garbage footie; I’m looking at you Newcastle and Joey Barton. First the money issue. If you’re a newly promoted team, I can’t fault you for spending a little extra to bring in some talent to help you stay up, and it’s tough to get people on board a ship that’s bound to sink at some point. But, let’s be honest, spending truckloads of money you will never have (example Hull City is not going to playing in the Camp Nou during a Champions League match day any time soon) is so irresponsible that you should be stoned in a public place and your club deserves whatever administrative troubles it will find itself in. Don’t spend above your means and being relegated won’t be so bad, plain and simple. And, if you stop buying players who were crappy enough to get relegated with another team on multiple occasions you might have a better chance at staying afloat.

From a competition stand point abolishing relegation is about the worst thing in the world. Part of the beauty of the European leagues is that Cinderella stories like Burnley this season, Stoke city over the past two, Hull last season, and countless others can rise from the depths of the lower leagues and make it to the big stage, which takes at the very least a few seasons of playing well instead of one fluke season like the Florida Marlins have had. Think about it this way, Fulham Football Club was in the lowest tier (and in fact the lowest of the low) something like 20 years ago. Now they’re playing in the Europa League against the likes of Totti’s AS Roma side. Not possible without Promotion/Relegation. And, where would the US National team be without Fulham, who is seemingly the only club (in the big four leagues) across the pond willing to continuously bring over Yanks and give them a shot at playing time. Look at the American sports leagues, without Promotion and Relegation we have franchises (see above point) that are just drifting along collecting checks. They have no explicit reason to try harder to get better, thus they’re continually associated with futility. Do you really want a piss poor Newcastle United side still playing against the big boys? I don’t want to see it, and I’m sure many others agree. Promotion oftentimes brings up teams who just can’t hack it at the highest level, Watford, any team coached by Mick McCarthy, West Brom, Derby, and I could go on, but at least those teams got a shot to prove themselves.

Player’s Salaries and Inflated Transfer Fees

As stated in the Soccernet piece on this, the open market will never allow for capping salaries and transfer fees. But there is a proposal on the table (I can’t find where I read it) to cap what teams can spend, which is effing brilliant. Think about it, if you’re applying for a mortgage they want to make sure that you’ll be able to make the payments, ergo you’re not allowed to spend more than 33% of your pre-tax earnings on your house payment (or something along those lines, I’m not researching today). Football clubs should be the exact same way, if you’re Burnley you’re not allowed to spend $100 million on player transfers and salaries when you’re only bringing in $10 million. The math doesn’t add up. Granted the US mortgage example was not true two years ago, leading us into this wonderful recession, but we figured it out, now you stuffy English Chairmen and the like need to do the same. Figure your shit out before you ruin the entire footballing world (sound a bit like the typical English yellow-journalism doesn’t it?)

Extra Points for scoring more than 3 goals

Is this a youth tournament in the US? No this is the Premier League play the game the way it’s supposed to be played and this wouldn’t be an issue. Anyone that thinks this asshattery is going to encourage more attacking displays is nuts. In fact, I guarantee it will have the opposite effect in most of the matches involving the bigger clubs. Arsenal has proven that they want to put 6 or 7 past every team they play, and if they win they get 3 points. But now you’re going to give them an extra point every time they hit 3 or more. Teams, especially their closest competitors, will start packing it in even more; losing to a rival and falling 3 points behind them is much better than losing to a rival and falling 4 points behind. I’m sitting here in my pjs, haven’t showered, and only one cup of coffee and I see the inherent stupidity in that type of change.

Forcing teams to sell an allotment of tickets to children (who are accompanied by an adult)

I like the premise in building future fans and not pricing them out of live sports. However, this would have to be the most tightly regulated initiative out of the whole lot. Think people are exploiting their kids for their own benefit now (**cough** **cough** Jessica Simpson’s dad **cough**), just wait till some die hard football fans start cooking up schemes to get tickets that involve helpless children.

I think most would consider the European Championships a “Major Tournament” but the CONCACAF Gold Cup is not, why?
One could argue the following points:
- One quarter of the UEFA nations qualify for the WC every four years, whereas one tenth of the CONCACAF nations qualify, essentially the nations in Europe are better footballing nations
- Nations have to qualify for the Euros in the exact same manner as they would qualify for the World Cup, which seemingly gives the nations competing much better experience to develop players in tougher environments, continuing the cycle of developing better players an national teams
- The weakest argument is that the Gold Cup occurs every two years which is less prestigious than every four years like the Euros or every three years like the Copa America

The main question on my mind is: ‘Is there something that can be done to make the Gold Cup more prestigious, or even better than the current incarnation?’ The next question is whether the suggested steps should be taken to “improve” the tournament?

In order to make the Gold Cup more like the Euros we’d have to make the following changes:

Changing the format from every two years to every four years – This argument is one that I’ve made on occasion and is pretty much the only one made by those out in the interwebs. When I make this argument it is based on the fact that switching to every four years makes the tournament a little more prestigious but prestige doesn’t automatically equal better quality. So making the change to every four years would also have to entail forcing all of the nations to qualify for the tournament. Forcing all nations to qualify for the tourney UEFA style, with 4 groups of 7 and 2 groups of 6 with the group winners and the second place teams advancing to the big dance, would put more pressure on the games to get to the tournament, thus placing more pressure on the tournament itself. One would argue that a more pressurized qualifying environment and tournament would lead to a better product on the field and also make the national sides better.

Force all nations to qualify for the tournament - Timing of the tourney aside, currently the 3 North American Nations qualify automatically, 5 of 7 Central American nations qualify from the Central American Nations Cup, and the top 4 of the 30 Caribbean nations qualify. Forcing everyone to qualify for the tournament as alluded to above would more than likely make the national sides better, thus leading to better quality on the pitch and eventually the Gold Cup would be a Major Tournament. Right?

The tournament host nation should be different every time – As a soccer fan in the US I never tired of seeing the Gold Cup being played on our turf, giving me a chance if in or near a host city to catch a game or two. Let’s be honest though, hosting the tournament is all about generating revenue for the host nation and federation. More money being pumped into the smaller federations within CONCACAF would hopefully allow them to develop better talent which (I sound like a broken record here) would make the tournament “better” and closer to being considered a “Major Event”.
Expand the field to 16 teams – Well if we’re going to make this thing the Western Atlantic version of the Euros we might as well have exactly the same format, this way we don’t have any silly third place teams qualifying for the knock out stages.

There they are, the things we need to do to Euro-ize the Gold Cup to make it “better”. But should we change the Gold Cup, and would it make any differences at all?

Changing from a two year cycle to a four year cycle could add more prestige to the event, which may boost attendance and those outside of the soccer community caring about the event, but it would not elevate the level of play to something worth of calling it a “Major Tournament”. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, but fondness does not a Major Tournament make. Simply changing the tournament’s time cycle will provide less high intensity matches for the national squads that do participate in this event regularly which may actually lead to a decline in quality.

Should it be done? From a neutral standpoint, no way in hell! Getting to play on a bigger stage and against the big boys every two years instead of every four is much better for development. From a USMNT fan standpoint, I’m torn making it every four years would give our boys a bit of a rest instead of having to play in two tournaments inside one World Cup qualifying cycle, but it would provide fewer meaningful matches against arch-rival Mexico and it would put so much pressure on the one tournament that our younger players may not be given the chances they currently are; in the end after weighing all of the facts I would have to say changing the timing of the tournament would not make the USMNT squad stronger or deeper, in fact playing it every two years gives us a chance to run out the full squad in an attempt to earn passage to the Confederations Cup and then the other year a chance to give our ‘B’ or ‘C’ squad a run out.

Forcing all nations to qualify for the event – Should it be done? From the perspective of all the member nations, outside of the North American group, it would have to be better than only 4 Caribbean nations and only 5 Central American nations having a relistic shot at qualifying while the US, Mexico, and Canada are given a free pass for no apparent reason. If qualifying were to be implemented for this tournament, sedding would have to be done because tournament organizers would want to ensure that the likes of Mexico, Costa Rica, the US, etc. were guaranteed the simplest path possible as they will intern draw the most attendance and TV viewers. Given the groups, and sometimes lack of excitement, that seeding creates is this really beneficial for the “minnows” as they’re oft referred to? Initially you’d think no, being a tiny island nation grouped with the US or Mexico really only guarantees one thing; you’ll learn what an 8-0 scoreline feels like. However, after watching France take on the Faroes a couple of weeks back I couldn’t help but notice that there were plenty of part-timers who were holding their own against the likes of Thierry Henry and Patrice Evra, sure they ended up losing 5-0 but they’re no doubt improving due to having to face the big boys and getting that exposure. So from a neutral perspective I would have to think that qualification by everyone would have to be better than the current setup, plus it would give them something to do after they’ve been knocked out of WC Qualifying.

From the USMNT perspective, the answer depends on the timing of the tournament. Every four years, qualifying for the tourney doesn’t really tax the squad all that much plus it gives the skipper a chance to bleed some younger players against the lesser teams in the group. If the tournament is held every two years we’d run into a situation where we’re forced to play qualifying games immediately after the World Cup which leads fixture congestion the likes of which we haven’t seen. Again it would give more players a chance against the lesser teams but does our ‘C’ team beating up on Puerto Rico really teach anyone anything, I think not. USMNT verdict, this could only work if the tournament was held every four years and even then, the level of competition faced to advance to the tournament is about the same as sitting at home waiting for the island nations to play their little tournament.

Moving the tourney around to different host nations would make it more Euro-like. Having the tournament in a different country each time would put more money into the pockets of that nation and federation, which would indeed improve talent development all around. Granted, I don’t know the specifics of the financials, but I’m guessing everyone gets a fairly decent slice of the pie. And while the tournament is held in the United States that Pie will be rather large; we have the best and biggest stadiums, we often-times have more people of a given nationality or descent than the actual nation itself does, plus we have all the cheesy tourist traps for them to spend their money at. From the neutrals perspective it would be nice to challenge for the Gold Cup on your home turf, but do you really want to be playing in the final after 34 games have torn up the only suitable field in your country? Better to have it in the US that way half the Cuban team can defect each tournament.

From the USMNT perspective, it doesn’t really matter most of the “home” games have more away fans than US fans, the only benefit to playing it in the US or Mexico every time is the quality of the pitches that they play on. I’d rather they get used to a truly hostile environment instead of a somewhat controlled hostility that they face when playing Mexico in Chicago.

Personally I think a compromise would do right by everyone; rotate between Mexico, the US, and a Central American duo that bids or rotates.

To all the haters who think soccer is a fairy sport, check this out: BYU - New Mexico Women's Soccer


While these are certainly not the techniques you are supposed to be using to mark someone out of the game, it is an example of some of the little battles that occur off the ball and out of the watchful eyes of the ref.

Thanks to commenter AJR on SBI for pointing this out. 3rd comment down

Seeing as the January transfer window is only 50-some days away, I thought I’d prognosticate a little about whether some current USMNTers should stay at their respective clubs or move on to different, hopefully better, pastures. Alas, this time around there aren’t as many big names to toss about as most of the men factoring into Bobbo’s plans are benefitting from playing abroad; therefore, I’m focusing on the MLS contingent for our national team, and throw in one guy who is in Europe but hasn’t really seen the pitch since he left MLS. All of my insight is completely fabricated and not researched, therefore I’ll suggest leagues that would fit a player’s skill set instead of actual teams that could use them.

Jonathan Bornstein – The Little Engine that Could keeps getting better and better with each National Team performance. And, barring Edgar Castillo either maiming him in practice or having a monster November camp and two friendlies, JB appears to be the left-back for the foreseeable future. Each time I watch him play, I’m constantly flip-flopping between loathing his inclusion in the squad due to sophomoric mistakes and celebrating his unique blend of skills. Personally I think he needs an NFL-style position coach that focuses his practices on every minute detail there is to being a left-back. For his current club, Chivas USA he’s actually slotting into the center of defense which doesn’t help the whole grooming him to be the left-back of the National Team. While MLS has been good to JB I think it is time they parted ways. He’s clearly getting to a point where his growth will plateau at Chivas USA and there are some out there who think he could be quite the special player. The only reservation I have with him leaving in January is the lack of time to acclimate to a new club which affects his match-fitness and sharpness prior to South Africa. Therefore, I would like to see him suit up for a lower tier La Liga or French Ligue 1 side; both leagues rely more on technique and tactics which is where I think JB will show the most improvement over the short term. Granted, England’s speed and strength games would help him grow as a player, but we don’t need as much muscle out on the wings.

Ricardo Clark – Supposedly rumored to be heading to Italy after the Confed Cup, I wonder if that rumor is still around. Either way, I pray that Rico makes the move abroad, sorry Dynamo fans. Bobbo isn’t going to leave him home unless Jermaine Jones can supplant him for the D-mid role, so I hope that Clark makes the jump to Italy, ASAP. While he may be one of the best at tracking his mark and breaking up the opposition’s attack, he constantly leaves US fans wanting more in terms of holding possession and distributing after breaking up plays. Though, he may not crack the first team of a mid-table Serie A side before May, I believe that just practicing in an environment that is almost 180 degrees different from that of the run and gun, high pressure MLS will be of tremendous benefit for Clark the National Team player. Yes MLS’s high-pressure defenses will force a player to think quicker, making the wrong pass/clearance quicker is still the wrong pass. Go learn how to make the right passes, Rico!

Landon Donovan – Three failed stints in Germany, the last one was more Bayern Munich’s fault than Lanny’s, a roomful of MLS and USMNT awards and championships, and one stellar Confederations Cup performance, and Landon Donovan has officially started blossoming into the player most thought he could be so many years ago. Lately he has gone from being one of the most dominant players in the league to simply owning the league; his goal against New England was pure class from someone who could do no wrong. However, I think there’s another gear there for him and he could become even better. To do so, he needs to go; he’s stated he wants another shot across the pond, he’s dropped his lovely baggage for the bachelor lifestyle, it’s time for him to move on. Mind you as a fan of American soccer in general it will suck for our league to lose its best player. All that being said, ‘Cakes needs to go to a team that will utilize him correctly (instead of thinking he’s a 6’3” target striker, I’m looking at you Bayern) and a league where his pin-the-ears-back style of attacking soccer can flourish. I’m thinking a mid-tier La Liga side or as was suggested earlier this year, France. I do not think England in any fashion is the right move for him. The only team that plays a style Donovan can compliment are Arsenal and we all know that he’s not breaking into that starting XI anytime soon.

Stuart Holden – Holden as shown flashes of brilliance and continued improvement over the last 6 months, for the ‘Nats anyway, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the MLS is no longer a good developmental fit for the young Scots-American. The Iceman is someone I think could actually flourish in the English league, bad previous experiences aside, his wide play and lethal crosses are just the tonic most Prem and Colaship teams need. However, unless he can work a Beckham-esque loan move that ends in March (though we all know The Bearded One finagled an extension or two), I would hope that Holden doesn’t move on this winter, shocking, I know. In order for some players to be at their peaks, they need minutes and confidence, and I just don’t see Stewie garnering huge minutes for any club that is in the first or second flight of any of the big four countries league systems. And, outside of a lower tier leagues, most play awkward seasons that would not mesh nicely with a January to April loan move. Stay here Iceman and turn MLS matches into a mini-game for yourself, figure out how to really boss this league, have a great World Cup, then move on in the summer.

Eddie Johnson – There was an Eddie sighting two weeks or so ago, unfortunately he was getting some love from Deuce after Dempsey bagged his first goal of the season and ran to celebrate with the Grown Ass Man who hadn’t made the bench for the game. Apparently EJ is getting minutes and scoring goals for the Fulham reserves which is no doubt making him sharper, but will is the English Reserve League really higher quality than MLS? I would think not. Therefore, it’s time for Eddie to have a heart to heart with Hodgy and find out if there’s a snowball’s chance he can break into the first team during the second half of the campaign. I suspect there isn’t given Zamora, Nevland, Andy Johnson, and Kamara are all preferred to EJ. If Grown Ass Man wants a shot at doing the Stanky Leg with JZA next June then he needs to find some first team playing time and start scoring some goals. Cardiff City management and fans appreciated him and the effort he gave last season, so I would suggest a return to the Welsh side in lieu of continuing to play for Fulham’s reserves.

Sacha Kljestan – Against the Flying Beckhams in last weekend’s playoff match, Sacha looked like he had marginal control over the proceedings. Which is promising as it may provide some competition for places on the USMNT. However, I didn’t see a player that was capable of securing first team footie for a team like Celtic (rumored to be interested last January), but maybe a Colaship squad or a mid-table Dutch side. The only issue I would have with him moving abroad would be his confidence level, sure he’ll probably become a little better simply based on the tougher environment, but he seems to only play well when brimming with confidence and riding the pine in Europe not only saps match-sharpness but also confidence. Stay on for another rousing MLS campaign. Oh yeah and shave or grow a real beard already, we're sick of looking at your 12 year 'stache.

Chad Marshall – You’re the best defender in MLS. Time to move on, though pick somewhere other than Scandanavia; there’s Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Holland, Germany, etc. Go somewhere where you’ll have a little more competition.

Images Courtesy of:
Bornstein - Zimbio.com
Donovan - Whomever Ives got it from
Holden - HotFlick.net
EJ - Whomever Ives got it from
Sacha - notsonova.files.wordpress.com.

Things have been kind of crazy lately, thus the lack of posts. For those who do read this space, the following will be coming shortly...

- Soccer in the US: A Discussion on Quality
- Why isn't the CONCACAF Gold Cup considered a "Major" Tournament and What can be done about this?
- Should they stay or should they go? (US players transfer window destinations)

The following three links are the inspiration for the below topic of discussion:

Is it time for youth transfer fees in the US

Philadelphia Union partners with local youth academy

Fernando Clavijo trafficking young American players from South Florida

Youth Development in the United States is what I would rank as the top problem facing the beautiful game in this country today. Let's list off some names shall we?

- Freddy Adu - proclaimed the savior of American Soccer, he'll be the first legitimate USA Soccer Star

- Eddie Johnson - he of 19 minute hat-trick in his first or second National Team appearance at the tender age of early 20 something (I'm not that big into fact checking here)

- Jozy Altidore - I think we all know what he's done lately

- David Arvizu - the US creative influence during the 2005 U-17 World Cup, another "Next big thing" in the Landon Donovan mold

- Preston Zimmerman - the tall blond striker with potential at the 2005 U-17 World Cup

- Landon Donovan - again, I think we all know what he's done

So what's the common thread here? They're all players who've been annoited (we can discuss the fairness of these annointments on another day) as someone who will help US Soccer shed its big fish in a small pond tag and explode on the World Stage. What is the end result of this annointing for all of them? Lack of success and playing time outside of the MLS, and except in Lanny's and Jozy's case, all have been extremely underwhelming ('Cakes was fairly underwhelming in the eyes of most US fans up until the summer of 2009). We dominate the Olympics every year in most sports, we have arguably the best football, baseball, basketball, golf, and tennis players, let alone overall athletes. So why hasn't the US developed a true global soccer superstar yet?

My belief is that there is a lack of development for youth players in this country. We continue to operate Recreational Leagues that service players from 6-13 years of age, where coaches are often parents who know little or nothing about the game but are forced to volunteer in order to keep the league going. Not to put down these volunteers for their efforts, but Rec League is essentially kids running around outside chasing a round ball and they're not allowed to use their hands. As far as developing the necessary skills for advancement in the sport goes, it's about as useful as riding a moped from LA to New York when you have a Lear Jet available.

The next step on the soccer path brings a player into the US Club scene, where players can play from the U-8 age level to the U-20 age level. Clubs within this country provide better coaching (for the most part), better access to good competition, but still adheres to the pay to play idea. While these clubs are much better at developing the skills and mental side of the game, too often you hear of clubs or caoch against teams that are only about winning games and tournaments to up their prestige and get more players into their ranks to generate more revenue by attracting wealthier players.

So why does every other nation seem to produce top tier talent left and right while we continue to just produce athletes who can play the game? In Europe there appear (again, not about fact checking here) to be two types of teams for youth players, rec teams (street soccer in the poorer nations) and professional club academies. The professional academies, like our club systems are out for themselves, but they're purpose and mission is to serve the club, to produce the next great player. Because, the transfer fee or revenue (tickets, shirt sales, etc.) garnered from this player being associated with the club makes the 50 players who didn't make it worth all of the money invested in the academy, and some of this money is put back into the academy. To develop more players that can step into the first team or be sold to other clubs.

So what can we do in the interim to re-focus the eneriges of the youth clubs in this country to develop talent instead of merely winning games and tournaments.

If I owned an MLS club, and cash flow was not an issue, I would set up partnerships with as many youth clubs within the area, especially those in the inner cities. By area I mean a 5 hour driving radius. These partnerships would be akin to an employer-employee relationship; my club gives the youth clubs coaching courses, free camps for those partner clubs, as well as a certain amount of money each year to be spent on coaching fees and education, player scholarships, or other development oriented costs, not uniforms or tournament entry fees. In return for those modest sums of money, the clubs would in turn abide by player development guidelines that are set forth by all of the clubs involved in order to provide my club with technically and tactically astute players, not just a bunch of athletic assholes only focused on winning at all costs. As the years go on this relationship would be reviewed and the amount of money would be increased or decreased accordingly.

In conjunction with these partnerships I would create a paid (meaning to compensate the players and families in a small way) residency academy for U-14 age groups and up, we would hold tryouts every other year to keep the talent fresh, as some players may "lose the plot" or simply not wish to continue down this path, and we may uncover a player that was a late bloomer. Players from the partner clubs would obviously tryout for free, while all others would pay a nominal fee. Clubs whose players are selected for the squad would receive a two-tiered transfer fee based on number of years with the club when we signed them. This fee would help offset the cost of developing the player for X number of years, as well as encourage them to continue the good work. Now if my club then sells the player on to another club a portion of that fee will go to the youth club, again to encourage better player development in the future.

All of this would be dependent on a few things:
- MLS's communist financial ways for all teams in the league (excellent idea for surviving and growing in your first 15 years, but not a good business model thereafter) would have to be abolished so that clubs have the final say in selling a player as well as given the appropriate compensation for selling the player.
- As a sub point to the one above, Promotion and Relegation would have to be instituted in order to get some of the ownership groups to pony up the dough and make their teams at least competitive.
- The MLS SuperDraft would be nothing more than other American sports drafts; a fair way for clubs to select talent coming out of college. Though, in MLS's case it would be college players only, any player that plays for my youth academy teams is considered my player and is not subject to being drafted by someone else.
- The reserve league would have to be reinstated so kids don't have to sign with companies like Traffic Sports to get some PT at a professional level. Given the current situation in American Soccer, I'm not against what Clavijo is doing, I just wonder why we only hear of such things and people on this side of the Atlantic (ahem, Carlos Tevez Kia Joorbiachin thing a few years back); most countries where soccer is played professionally let clubs develop talent, not agents.

Ideally every USL, WPS, and MLS club would have their own academy to develop players who can eventually step into a professional setting and succeed, instead of relying on youth clubs who are mostly concerned with their revenue streams. Some of these clubs are also run by people who are more concerned with wins and losses at all levels to stroke their egos and make up for their lack of past glories by living vicariously through the kids in their clubs. I digress. Based on all the different factors for the sport in this country; cash coming in via TV and sponsors is limited, exposure is limited, college being the chosen after-high-school path for most due to their Socio-economic class, the number of clubs versus the size of this country, etc. fully funded youth academies for all of the professional clubs is not feasible now, nor anytime in the near future.

Now that the quallies have wrapped up, Yanks-Abroad, ESPNSoccernet, et al. have put together posts about whom they feel should be on Bobbo's roster come next June. Since this is one of my favorite features on YA, I'll also partake in the prognosticating. Vegas odds of it happening is in parenthesis (payout to bet), and I've listed all of the players based on where I would play them if I were running the show. Also, for funsies I'm throwing in NFL-style position coaches too.

Forwards:
- Coach Brian McBride - prior to the each match between now and the end of our South African adventure he will regale the strikers with tales of toughness, how to get a club's pub named after you, and what it means to bleed red, white, and blue.
- Clint Dempsey (1 to 1) - He's the talisman of this team, and with Davies out it's time to put him up top from the beginning. Hopefully he brings whatever tea Hodgy serves in the Craven Cottage clubhouse to South Africa.
- Jozy Altidore (1 to 1) - Stepped up in a big way against Costa Rica, now only if we could get him some minutes to add that bit of polish to his touch and finishing. Simply put there aren't too many (in the world) with his skill set, can he now develop into an elite player, or will he be just another American flameout?
- Conor Casey (3 to 2) - He seems to possess all of the tools that Ching offers, but can also put the ball in the net at the MLS level, and has now broken his duck for the 'Nats. He's not a starter for all situations but he can definitely play a role depending on the opponent.
- Kenny Cooper (10 to 1) - Scoring goals in Germany is something that LannyCakes couldn't even do, so he's got that going for him, which is nice! He's not a target man, but there's some potential there if utilized properly.
- Eddie Johnson (1,000 to 1) - With Davies out injured, the Grown Ass Man makes a wildcard appearance in my squad. His speed and two seasons riding Fulham's bench have hopefully made him a better and hungrier player. If we're down a goal with 15 left and you have to throw the kitchen sink out there, he's the kitchen sink.

Midfielders:
- Coach Claudio Reyna
- Landon Donovan (1 to 1) - 'Cakes has stepped his game up a couple of notches in the last few months. MLS is now child's play for him as is CONCACAF, though he does need someone with speed and good positional sense to help stretch the defense for him.
- Michael Bradley (1 to 1) - When he's on his game he brings a little bit of the "snarling dog" mentality with a knack for scoring key goals. Hopefully there will be more of that Bradley than the petulant one we've seen of late.
- Jose Francisco Torres (3 to 1) - I would love to see what he can do for a full 90. He seemed to calm the game down against Costa Rica, and freed Bradley to roam around and do whatever he liked, which ended up being a good thing. His good showing against the Ticos may have had something to do with how tired they were, but my love is blind, for now.
- Robbie Rogers (3 to 1) - Played well against Costa Rica, now we just need to seem him establish himself and some consistency.
- Stuart Holden (3 to 1) - Played well against Mexico, Trinidad, and Honduras. Not as well against Costa Rica. In my team right midfield is his position to lose.
- Jermaine Jones (5 to 1) - Now that he's a USMNT-er, all he has to do is heal and get fit. It'll be interesting to see how much PT he gets in the run up to the Cup. If he's as good as some out there believe him to be, then Mikey better watch his back.
- Benny Feilhaber (5 to 1) - Bobbo likes known quantities, but his displays have not been great lately. Is he too similar to Paco Torres?
- Freddy Adu (5,000 to 1) - Kitchen Sink Part II. Another wildcard pick but when he's confident, sharp, and feels like bringing his 'A' game, there's no one else in the pool that can do what he does with the same technical ability and at the same speed. Plus, we don't really have a true #10 in the Diego Maradona role on this squad, someone who can undress people on the dribble or gash a defense with an incisive pass, and he's the closest we have right now ('Cakes is still more of a speed guy in my opinion and his passing isn't quite on par with 'A' game Adu). Of course he wouldn't see the field for more than 15 minutes at a time in South Africa.

Defenders:
- Coach Frankie Hejduk - before each match he'll inject the boys with some life, urgency, and Starbucks, plus he'll read anyone and everyone the riot act for not bringing 2,000% to each and every opportunity to wear that shirt. By the way, I left Heydude off the final player roster due to the competition we already possess at right back.
- Carlos Bocanegra (1 to 1) - Captain Carlos is about our only tried and true centerback right now...
- Jonathan Bornstein (1 to 1) - He's like Bob's second son; though, I must say he's stepped it up since the awful night against El Salvador and pretty much cemented the left back spot as his own. He likes to attack, can recover well, enough, on defense, and his sheer determination on the goal against Costa Rica makes him essentially Diet Frankie. If he gets some proper training on his defensive skill set and touch in the near future he could be an excellent defender for us.
- Steve Cherundolo (2 to 1) - Showed why he still gets Bobbo love against Costa Rica. He's got savvy, speed, and a decent crosser of the ball.
- Jonathan Spector (3 to 1) - Cherundolo and Specs will be battling up until the first match kicks off in South Africa. Specs's versatility (he can play left back and center as well) gives us cover for the other areas of the backline if needed.
- Jay DeMerit (3 to 1) - Currently recovering from an eye infection, hopefully he gets back to the pitch soon enough to regain his Confed Cup form.
- Oguchi Onyewu (4 to 1) - 6 months out with a knee injury, and little club playing time prior to then means Gooch faces an uphill battle to be fit in time. Though, given this look, I'm not willing to bet against him in the starting XI for the first match.
- Chad Marshall (4 to 1) - We need quality backups and he appears to be next on the depth chart based on form for club, and he hasn't been atrocious for country either.

Goalkeepers:
- Coach Brad Friedel
- Tim Howard (100%) - Not much needs to be said here, he would be all but two or three nations' #1 keeper based on current form.
-Brad Guzan (100%) - He's being groomed by club Aston Villa and American great Friedel, would you rather have anyone else backing up T-Ho?
- Troy Perkins (50%) - I haven't seen him play but it's the only other names that I know are Hahnemann (too old at this point to be a #3), or Cervi (too young and not enough PT at club level).

Please share your thoughts and opinions below.

On the Eve of the final World Cup Qualifier in the 2010 cycle for the US, it’s time for another, albeit somewhat different version of What Would Nick Sindt Do?
First we’ll start with the obligatory USMNT lineup for tomorrow night’s qualie:
----------------Guzan--------------------------
Dolo-—-Gooch-—-Conrad—-Spector
---------Bradley---Feilhaber----------------
Holden---------------------------Donovan(C)
---------------Casey—Altidore---------------

First off, Timmy deserves a break and we need to know that Brad Guzan can handle the reins in a pressure packed situation. His play against Egypt was top-notch, but there was absolutely nothing riding on that game. Everyone had written the team off and no one expected anything, tomorrow against the Ticos the fans and Bobbo expect a win. As for the backline, Spector and Gooch need minutes to gain confidence and form. Cherundolo may be a known commodity but his defensive savvy will be needed against a Costa Rica side that is sure to attack as a draw or win and they’re in. Same with Conrad, he’s a known commodity but his experience over the years will help to settle nerves in those dicey moments. Plus Goodson is not someone I think anyone feels confident enough in at the moment to handle this environment.

As for the midfield, I think we need to see what the Benny and Bradley combination can do again, they had some bright spots against El Salvador, and I think we’d all prefer Bradley’s box-to-box hustle, decent possession, and ability to disrupt plays than Clark’s ability to disrupt plays only. Holden apparently did enough to retain his position (again I didn’t see the game on Saturday), and may have even done enough to make Deuce sweat his place a little. Lannycakes will resume his role on the left and wear the armband for the night. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, given my history of Lanny bashing in previous years, but he is the leader by example for this team.

Conor Casey’s brace earned him the right to start another match and though lightning may not strike twice, he’ll get at least 45 minutes from me. Unfortunately Charlie Davies’s accident and subsequent injuries have ruled him out for at least the next 6-12 months otherwise it would’ve been the C&C show again up top for the US. Stepping into his place will be Jozy Altidore who, like Specs and Gooch needs some minutes to get the confidence up. The extra brawn that Altidore provides, combined with his pace and Casey’s soft-shoe touches and quick decision making (according to others) gives the US multiple dimensions to hit the Ticos with depending on how the game plays out.

Subs: Torres for Feilhaber at the half. Let’s see what the kid can do with Baby Bradley tracking back and doing the dirty work. Hopefully this talent and affinity for possession and good decision making under pressure will bear fruit. Cooper for Casey in the 60th minute; the beast deserves a heroes applause from the home crowd, and Cooper’s hot streak for 1860 Munich merits at least 30 minutes to show what he can do with a largely A- minus squad. My last sub would likely be Rogers for Donovan around the 80th minute; Lanny’s form this summer and fall has seen him become the player that we all thought he had in him. Whatever he’s eating for breakfast before games should be bottled and sold.

Obviously this lineup is geared more towards winning the group but also attempting to discover some more depth by giving some other faces some minutes to see if they can hack the tense environment. Oh yeah, I’d also rock some black slacks and a nice button down dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a tie loosened a little, it shows the seriousness of the occasion but also a little swagger.

That’s what I would do tomorrow if I’m Bob Bradley; now if I’m Sunil Gulati, that’s a different story. Scheduling Denmark for the November friendly was a solid move by the USSF, but again if it were up to me, I’d have scheduled a South American side such as Uruguay or Chile. It’s painfully obvious that our midfield and defenders need to get better at playing against quicker passing, flair oriented teams such as the ones found in South America. Currently I would say that it’s our biggest weakness, plus we have next spring to schedule friendlies against teams that play like the ones in our group.

I’d also dump Rongen out on his old ass. His U-20 squads have lacked a certain polish that a good coach would’ve brought to the team. This isn’t to say the results would’ve been starkly different, but at least there would’ve been some consistency. We need someone who will have some piss and vinegar about him, not admitting that he’s dealing with less than stellar talent, instead manning up and finding a way to make do with what you’ve got.

While the US Development Academy is a good step forward, we really need to begin pushing all of the youth clubs in this country to develop quality players instead of simply developing winners. One good method would be transfer fees paid to local clubs by professional clubs for cherry picking their best players that they’ve spent years nurturing. But more on this later in the week.

As you probably know the US clinched passage to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa on Saturday evening by beating Honduras 3-2 in the cauldron of Honduran emotion that is San Pedro Sula. I was not able to attend the showing of this match in one of my new favorite watering holes due to family commitments on Saturday and Sunday, so I had to ride out the roller coaster of emotions by my lonesome while receiving texts every few minutes from my friend Dan. My in-laws were starting to get annoyed with my phone going off all the time. Here's a recap of neurotic thoughts during the match with the actual text messages in quotes:

28th - "0-0 almost goal H" Oh dear god, we're playing bunker ball and Honduras's home-field advantage is too much for us. MY response: "are we attacking at all or bunkering"
Before half - "a little of both, sometimes breaking out, sometimes on the back foot" Thank god we're at least hanging with them. I wonder if my wife's family thinks I'm nuts for being so anxious about this.
Halftime - "0-0 @ half" Whew, thankfully we're not behind at halftime, that would be disaterous. Hopefully we can make some adjustments and come out with more pressure on the Hondurans.
47th - "1-0 H on freekick" God damnit, here we go. All of there pressure is paying off, and in that environment I don't know if we can respond.
58th - "1-1!!!!!!!!!!!!! Casey Conor header" Holy effing shit! We got one back, and Conor F*$king Casey scored it. I want to jump up and down, but that would really look foolish since no one else has any idea what's going on. My reply: "Did he start or come on at half?" "Yeah no altidore"
66th - "2-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Casey Conor again!" No effing way!!!! We're bossing the game now. Hopefully we can hold on for the next 30 minutes or so.
71st - "Donovan 3-1" Lanny's free kick finds the back of the net, though all that I know is that it's now 3-1. Here's how I felt on receiving that text message.
78 - "3-2" Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. There's no way we can cling onto this, what with their fans there erupting and this game being more important to them. I wonder if i have any fingernails left to chew on.
87 - "85 Casey off Benny on. Pen for H" Shit, shit, shit, shit, and more shit. Here's the draw, Wednesday's game is all or nothing for both Costa Rica and us.
88 - "Nothing He missed." Stunned silence, even in my head.
Well after the final whistle blew - "We won F*&k yeah!" was a response to me: "Tell me it's over and we won." I lay in bed snuggling with my wife thinking that all is well in the world, and I would love to be running around like a madman right now, or better yet be at the Sweetwater in St. Paul hugging and high-fiving random strangers after this result.

Other random nuggets:
- Despite my initial Conor F&*king Casey? reaction to his goals. I'm not surprised that Bob went with the Shrek Jr. instead of the Big Aloha, especially given the fact that Jozy was apparently under the weather or picked up a slight knock before the game. I know that he's a much maligned character in the interwebs and by old british dudes at the Sweetwater (check out the comments section). However, given his form in MLS he was always going to be the better option to Ching once he go used to playing with the USMNT 'A' squad. He can play the target/hold-up striker and he's been scoring goals (Casey = 16; Ching = 8), what more could Bobbo ask for. Alas, I have never committed these thoughts to the blog, which brings up a valid point: if you say/think something but don't commit it to the blogosphere/interwebs, did it really happen?

- Based on the look he trotted out on Saturday, it's obvious that someone at the T&T airport was having a laugh last month when they stole Bobbo's suitcase, forcing him to wear the hobbo's version of the tracksuit.

- Seeing highlights and reading recaps of the game (Shin Guardian, That's On Point I & II, Ives, Soccernet, Constantly Offside, MatchFit USA, Jen Chang,) it sounds as if this one should be an ESPN Instant Classic. Back and forth action, nervy moments for the US at the end of the game, almost surrendering a two goal cushion again. There are those of us that are ecstatic about the result, and then there are those of us with a more analytical/coach's mentality who will nitpick this one to death (Bobbo being one of them). I will not be one of those people, we may not have played a dominating game, ala France vs. the Faroe Islands, and we may have gotten some lucky bounces along the way, but Saturday night we won in Honduras (Mexico can't even claim that) and we qualified. The job is done, for now.