Sometimes when I cover stories, I take a bit of a chance and talk to a lesser-known player before a match because I think he might break out in the game and then I'll have some exclusive quotes on hand to use in an article. Freelance writers have to angle for any advantage they can get.
Anyway, I interviewed Chris Rolfe with that in mind the day before the Sweden game. Since I was on vacation during almost the entire camp, I couldn't really tell who had been training well, but I like Rolfe's playing style and thought he finished the MLS season pretty well. So I picked him out to ask a few questions.
Chris didn't have a good game against Sweden, though, so I didn't really use the interview for anything. I've posted the audio here thinking some Fire fans might enjoy it. My apologies for being so low-energy in my interviewing style. I was really tired and jetlagged.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Difference of opinion
Looking over the new SV poll, I thought about how many readers would wonder why Ricardo Clark is on the list.
Blame Grahame Jones of the LA Times. After the game, in the post-game presser, Grahame had a question about Clark for Bob Bradley and he phrased it thusly:
"Bob, I thought Rico Clark played very well today. He impressed me. Your thoughts on how he played?"
Mind you, I thought Clark played fine, but I also thought a little rustiness was evident. He didn't stand out to me in particular as having a great game, but Grahame obviously thought differently.
The first part of Bradley's response to the question provided a bit of comedy.
"It was good to get him back on the field after his (long pause as Bob searched for the right word) hiatus, I guess." The reporters cracked up a little there at Bob's painfully PC choice of words for Clark's suspension from MLS for kicking Carlos Ruiz.
Anyway, I added Rico to the MOTM list in honor of Grahame, whom I respect a lot, even though I don't always agree with him.
Blame Grahame Jones of the LA Times. After the game, in the post-game presser, Grahame had a question about Clark for Bob Bradley and he phrased it thusly:
"Bob, I thought Rico Clark played very well today. He impressed me. Your thoughts on how he played?"
Mind you, I thought Clark played fine, but I also thought a little rustiness was evident. He didn't stand out to me in particular as having a great game, but Grahame obviously thought differently.
The first part of Bradley's response to the question provided a bit of comedy.
"It was good to get him back on the field after his (long pause as Bob searched for the right word) hiatus, I guess." The reporters cracked up a little there at Bob's painfully PC choice of words for Clark's suspension from MLS for kicking Carlos Ruiz.
Anyway, I added Rico to the MOTM list in honor of Grahame, whom I respect a lot, even though I don't always agree with him.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Nice graph
Actually, it's not really a graph, or even a chart, but mediotiempo does have this cool webpage that tracks all the Mexican players in foreign leagues. Yes, the MLS guys, Blanco, Mendoza and Suarez are on that list too.
They even have a spot for Maribel Dominguez, from the women's team.
It would be nice if U.S. Soccer or someplace had such a chart, so at a glance fans could track the progress of their favorite players abroad.
There is this "Global" blog on the U.S. Soccer site, which is pretty good for news and updates, but nothing as nice or easy to look at as mediotiempo's page.
Don't look at me to do a page like this - I'm not very tech-savvy. I'd just like to see someone who is do it. If anyone knows of a page like this, feel free to provide the info in the comments section.
They even have a spot for Maribel Dominguez, from the women's team.
It would be nice if U.S. Soccer or someplace had such a chart, so at a glance fans could track the progress of their favorite players abroad.
There is this "Global" blog on the U.S. Soccer site, which is pretty good for news and updates, but nothing as nice or easy to look at as mediotiempo's page.
Don't look at me to do a page like this - I'm not very tech-savvy. I'd just like to see someone who is do it. If anyone knows of a page like this, feel free to provide the info in the comments section.
Carson capers
Carson, is, of course, the home of the Home Depot Center, which is home to the both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, though only the Galaxy is mentioned in this LA Weekly article about the troubles plauging Carson politics.
The YouTube video of the council meeting is pretty hilarious, though, especially when Carson mayor Jim Dear calls for a doctor to come to the rescue.
Also amusing to WNT fans will be Dear's assertion that Brandi Chastain's famous jersey-removing moment took place in Carson. He doesn't even remember her name, calling her "the woman".
That happened in Pasadena, actually, at the Rose Bowl, (former home of the Galaxy) where the U.S. women won the World Cup. In Carson in 2003, they didn't even play in the final. They finished third after losing the semi-final to Germany, the eventual champion.
Perhaps Dear should be recalled just for getting that so horribly wrong.
On the other hand, it is disturbing to read that a place where so many elite athletes work out is infamous for industrial pollution.
The YouTube video of the council meeting is pretty hilarious, though, especially when Carson mayor Jim Dear calls for a doctor to come to the rescue.
Also amusing to WNT fans will be Dear's assertion that Brandi Chastain's famous jersey-removing moment took place in Carson. He doesn't even remember her name, calling her "the woman".
That happened in Pasadena, actually, at the Rose Bowl, (former home of the Galaxy) where the U.S. women won the World Cup. In Carson in 2003, they didn't even play in the final. They finished third after losing the semi-final to Germany, the eventual champion.
Perhaps Dear should be recalled just for getting that so horribly wrong.
On the other hand, it is disturbing to read that a place where so many elite athletes work out is infamous for industrial pollution.
I'm really, really back
Yes, this article is about the aftermath of the Sweden game, but there's other news on the USSP site. We're back to covering MLS! So I get my LA beat back, which is good news.
The Swedes react
I think they're not happy with the loss, but much more than that, I couldn't tell you. Can anyone offer an assist?
I do guess that they're calling Canadian ref Mauricio Navarro an idiot, though. There's no other reason he's so prominent in the picture with the idiot caption.
I do guess that they're calling Canadian ref Mauricio Navarro an idiot, though. There's no other reason he's so prominent in the picture with the idiot caption.
When you're smiling. . .
Actually, Jozy isn't really smiling here, but somehow, he always manages to look pretty happy. That's even when reporters are shoving each other in front of him and talking over everybody in an attempt to get questions asked of the rising star.
Happy, so happy together
Yep, this was taken after they won the match and one set a historic record. Can't you tell by how thrilled they look?
Back in the groove
The problem with taking a break is that you lose all your regular fitness for something. That applies not only to soccer players, but to writers. You might laugh, but it's true. Last night, not only did I forget my binoculars, but also my extra batteries for my recorder and my headphones. I was definitely off my game.
Wrote a piece on how Landon's historic goal fits into the larger task he's set for himself to become a more consistent performer for the team. Jeff Carlisle was in town (congrats on new baby Ben) and handled the game article. He asked me to look over his player ratings and let him know what I thought. I'm not the conformist type, but Jeff and I have a similar perspective in a lot of ways, and I didn't find any area of disagreement.
Any readers want to make a case or provide their own ratings and rationales?
Wrote a piece on how Landon's historic goal fits into the larger task he's set for himself to become a more consistent performer for the team. Jeff Carlisle was in town (congrats on new baby Ben) and handled the game article. He asked me to look over his player ratings and let him know what I thought. I'm not the conformist type, but Jeff and I have a similar perspective in a lot of ways, and I didn't find any area of disagreement.
Any readers want to make a case or provide their own ratings and rationales?
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Running blog - US vs Sweden
I just realized I forgot my binoculars. The pressbox has a good view, so it doesn't really affect things much, but I like to zoom in on players' expressions on occasion. Anyway, the press chat with Sunil Gulati is over.
Landon Donovan has been named captain for this game. All those who voted for Jozy Altidore to score are going to have to wait until the second half, probably. He's not starting.
Guzan is in goal, hopefully setting up for a good show to all those European teams interested.
U.S. Lineup - Brad Guzan, Ramiro Corrales, Eddie Robinson, Jimmy Conrad, Drew Moor, Brad Davis, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Landon Donovan, Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan
Sweden- Rami Shaaban, Mikael Lustig, Mattias Bjarsmyr, Peter Larsson, Oscar Ronningberg, Daniel Andersson (capt) Niclas Alexandersson, Anders Svensson, Andreas Johansson, Rade Prica, Pontus Wernbloom
The announcer is calling out names, but no one is on the field yet. It's weird. Usually they're introduced when they're actually on the grass.
Now they're announding the U.S. team names, but the guys still aren't on the field. The bench guys just walked out. It's very odd. People are cheering the name announcements, while looking around like "What's going on?"
I guess they're waiting for the FIFA anthem. Oh, ok, here come the teams now. It was actually hard to tell the difference at a glance during warmups, because both teams were earing blue, but now Sweden is in yellow jackerts, while the U.S. wears white ones.
National anthems. Sweden's sounds both mellow and majestic.
Sam's Army is in the Riot Squad corner of the stands, belting out the U.S. anthem.
Kickoff.
1- Landon fouls a Swede.
3 - Brad Davis is offsides.
5- Twellman with a weak shot from the top of the box. He's not the best turn-n-shoot guy.
7- Guzan smothers a shot on a Swedish breakaway. Not too difficult, but he did well.
8- Build up between Noonan ans Twellman leads to a Rico Clark outside shot. Not a bad try.
11- Twelman takes a foul in a good spot for the U.S. freekick. Davis places it nicely - love that left foot - but no U.S. player can shake free from the defense.
13- Guzan smothers another counter, then the Swedes get called for offsides on their next possession.
14- Playing out of the back, Robinson passes forward for Landon, who collects the ball, turns and slips a pass foward to Pat Noonan, whose cross gets blocked out for a corner. Brad Davis takes the corner, The ball bounces off Noonan's back, is blocked back off the line by Shaaban, then Robinson pounces on it to kick it off the crossbar and into a goal. First cap, first goal, just like Bornstein last year.
20- Edu with an outside shot way over. Sweden had a good run of possession after the goal, but no shots.
22- Now they work the ball in for a corner. Svensson is taking it. He pounds it into the box and the US clears. Landon nearly gets the ball going the other way on a counter.
25- Robinson isn't done after scoring the goal - he just went up for a header that he won and sent about 30 feet. That drew ahs in the pressbox.
27- Drew Moor gets fouled - Rade Prica is frustrated - and the ref pulls a yellow card - persistent infringement, apparently.
30 - A FK nearly bests Guzan, but he dives to knock it out for a corner.
31- Pontus Wernbloom is looking for the next yellow. He's throwing his weight around there.
33- Robinson returns the favor, fouling and giving up a FK. Sweden makes the most of it, leading to play that leads to a shot by Wernbloom that Guzan covers well.
34- Another Wernbloom shot denied by Guzan.
39- There's been occasional sloppy play by the U.S., but in general, they've knocked it around well.
41- Landon set Drew Moor up nicely, but the right back muffed his entry cross.
43- Svensson has played well for Sweden tonight. He keeps calm and makes smart decisions and passes to open up chances for his team.
44- CK for Sweden, Alexandersson takes it, it leads to an apparent handball that doesn't get called.
45- Sweden with a late flurry here in front of goal, but they can't get a good shot off and the ball is eventually cleared.
First half over.
Second half
47- The U.S. starts out fast. Landon sets up a play with a pass to Noonan - who gets it to Jozy's feet in front of goal- he should totally score from there, but he gets his feet tangled up. He's still stong enough to fend off his defender, eventually drawing a foul.
48- The local reporters in the pressbox are nervous for Landon as he goes through his little ritual. We watched him miss twice for The Galaxy in 2007, which is unusual for him, but it robs us of confidence. He nails the shot, though, low and hard to his right. That's it for Landon - he passes Eric Wynalda on the alltime list.
58- Can't blog much in the second half. Writing stories.
61- Couldn't resist this note- the Riot Squad influence in Sam's Army is evident. "F*** IKEA," they are chanting.
14878 listed attendance. It looks legit. They were a pretty lively crowd, too.
Landon Donovan has been named captain for this game. All those who voted for Jozy Altidore to score are going to have to wait until the second half, probably. He's not starting.
Guzan is in goal, hopefully setting up for a good show to all those European teams interested.
U.S. Lineup - Brad Guzan, Ramiro Corrales, Eddie Robinson, Jimmy Conrad, Drew Moor, Brad Davis, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Landon Donovan, Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan
Sweden- Rami Shaaban, Mikael Lustig, Mattias Bjarsmyr, Peter Larsson, Oscar Ronningberg, Daniel Andersson (capt) Niclas Alexandersson, Anders Svensson, Andreas Johansson, Rade Prica, Pontus Wernbloom
The announcer is calling out names, but no one is on the field yet. It's weird. Usually they're introduced when they're actually on the grass.
Now they're announding the U.S. team names, but the guys still aren't on the field. The bench guys just walked out. It's very odd. People are cheering the name announcements, while looking around like "What's going on?"
I guess they're waiting for the FIFA anthem. Oh, ok, here come the teams now. It was actually hard to tell the difference at a glance during warmups, because both teams were earing blue, but now Sweden is in yellow jackerts, while the U.S. wears white ones.
National anthems. Sweden's sounds both mellow and majestic.
Sam's Army is in the Riot Squad corner of the stands, belting out the U.S. anthem.
Kickoff.
1- Landon fouls a Swede.
3 - Brad Davis is offsides.
5- Twellman with a weak shot from the top of the box. He's not the best turn-n-shoot guy.
7- Guzan smothers a shot on a Swedish breakaway. Not too difficult, but he did well.
8- Build up between Noonan ans Twellman leads to a Rico Clark outside shot. Not a bad try.
11- Twelman takes a foul in a good spot for the U.S. freekick. Davis places it nicely - love that left foot - but no U.S. player can shake free from the defense.
13- Guzan smothers another counter, then the Swedes get called for offsides on their next possession.
14- Playing out of the back, Robinson passes forward for Landon, who collects the ball, turns and slips a pass foward to Pat Noonan, whose cross gets blocked out for a corner. Brad Davis takes the corner, The ball bounces off Noonan's back, is blocked back off the line by Shaaban, then Robinson pounces on it to kick it off the crossbar and into a goal. First cap, first goal, just like Bornstein last year.
20- Edu with an outside shot way over. Sweden had a good run of possession after the goal, but no shots.
22- Now they work the ball in for a corner. Svensson is taking it. He pounds it into the box and the US clears. Landon nearly gets the ball going the other way on a counter.
25- Robinson isn't done after scoring the goal - he just went up for a header that he won and sent about 30 feet. That drew ahs in the pressbox.
27- Drew Moor gets fouled - Rade Prica is frustrated - and the ref pulls a yellow card - persistent infringement, apparently.
30 - A FK nearly bests Guzan, but he dives to knock it out for a corner.
31- Pontus Wernbloom is looking for the next yellow. He's throwing his weight around there.
33- Robinson returns the favor, fouling and giving up a FK. Sweden makes the most of it, leading to play that leads to a shot by Wernbloom that Guzan covers well.
34- Another Wernbloom shot denied by Guzan.
39- There's been occasional sloppy play by the U.S., but in general, they've knocked it around well.
41- Landon set Drew Moor up nicely, but the right back muffed his entry cross.
43- Svensson has played well for Sweden tonight. He keeps calm and makes smart decisions and passes to open up chances for his team.
44- CK for Sweden, Alexandersson takes it, it leads to an apparent handball that doesn't get called.
45- Sweden with a late flurry here in front of goal, but they can't get a good shot off and the ball is eventually cleared.
First half over.
Second half
47- The U.S. starts out fast. Landon sets up a play with a pass to Noonan - who gets it to Jozy's feet in front of goal- he should totally score from there, but he gets his feet tangled up. He's still stong enough to fend off his defender, eventually drawing a foul.
48- The local reporters in the pressbox are nervous for Landon as he goes through his little ritual. We watched him miss twice for The Galaxy in 2007, which is unusual for him, but it robs us of confidence. He nails the shot, though, low and hard to his right. That's it for Landon - he passes Eric Wynalda on the alltime list.
58- Can't blog much in the second half. Writing stories.
61- Couldn't resist this note- the Riot Squad influence in Sam's Army is evident. "F*** IKEA," they are chanting.
14878 listed attendance. It looks legit. They were a pretty lively crowd, too.
Video killed the blog star
I was a little lazy about posting the audio of the rest of my interview with Bob Bradley, and now part of it is on U.S. Soccer's website instead. Yes, that's me in the corner, (that's me in the spotlight) of the picture while Bob talks.
Brush up on your Swedish
Can anyone help here?
As far as I can tell, it's an article speculating on the plans of coach Lars Lagerback. Nothing about the U.S. team, other than that they're the opponent.
The paper even has a reporter covering the team via blog, but I searched that in vain as well for any mention of Americans. Well, American soccer players. Ron Jeremy was mentioned. So was Kobe Bryant, Eli Manning and Brett Favre.
As far as I can tell, it's an article speculating on the plans of coach Lars Lagerback. Nothing about the U.S. team, other than that they're the opponent.
The paper even has a reporter covering the team via blog, but I searched that in vain as well for any mention of Americans. Well, American soccer players. Ron Jeremy was mentioned. So was Kobe Bryant, Eli Manning and Brett Favre.
Congrats to Danny!
Luis won't be in the pressbox for the Sweden game today, and this guy is the reason why. Danny Bueno, Luis' younger brother, is getting married today. He's a part-time soccer writer too, covering games for MLSnet during the season. This is a shot of Danny in the pressbox, focusing intently on a game.
Luis will be back for future games, but right now, best man duties take top priority.
No byline
I don't know who wrote the AP story for the USWNT, but the short article doesn't mince words about the goal scored by Finland. Ouch.
The U.S. won anyway. Lindsey Tarpley is emerging as a force.
The U.S. won anyway. Lindsey Tarpley is emerging as a force.
A slight chance
So this snowball rolls into hell. . .
Years ago, I wrote a story about Guiseppe Rossi, an American kid who was raised by a soccer coach father who taught him to love the country of his heritage, Italy. Rossi was so talented, he was able to move back to Italy at 14 and start a professional career there. He went on to sign with Manchester United. Now he plays in Spain.
Because of his parents, Rossi is eligible to play for Italy and has in fact featured for their youth national teams numerous times.
FIFA rules say that a player can switch to the country of their birth if they've only played for youth teams of another country, but that the move can only be made once. It also has to take place before the player turns 21. Rossi is nearly there - his birthday is in early February.
Last year, Luis had the scoop about U.S. coach Bob Bradley, who is from the area of the country where Rossi grew up, keeping in touch with Rossi. That left the slim possibility that perhaps Rossi was still considering the U.S. as an option.
But the deadline is almost here, and it doesn't seem like an eleventh-hour change of heart is going to happen. Perhaps that's why Bob seemed a little testy when I asked him about Rossi.
I'm not one to worry about the decisions of players. As individuals, they should choose what they want to do. I'm mystified at those who rail at Rossi for playing for Italy, just as I'm puzzled by those who decry Landon Donovan's choice to play in MLS. One's life belongs to no one else.
I still stand by my call in 2005, though. Rossi is a very good player, but not so superlative that he's an automatic choice for Italy, especially when political elements seem to come into play in selection. If Rossi hopes to play in a World Cup, choosing the U.S. team is a safer bet.
I don't think he'll do it, though. I find a kind of poetic irony in the fact that it's likely that both U.S. fans and Rossi may one day rue what might have been had his choice been a different one.
Years ago, I wrote a story about Guiseppe Rossi, an American kid who was raised by a soccer coach father who taught him to love the country of his heritage, Italy. Rossi was so talented, he was able to move back to Italy at 14 and start a professional career there. He went on to sign with Manchester United. Now he plays in Spain.
Because of his parents, Rossi is eligible to play for Italy and has in fact featured for their youth national teams numerous times.
FIFA rules say that a player can switch to the country of their birth if they've only played for youth teams of another country, but that the move can only be made once. It also has to take place before the player turns 21. Rossi is nearly there - his birthday is in early February.
Last year, Luis had the scoop about U.S. coach Bob Bradley, who is from the area of the country where Rossi grew up, keeping in touch with Rossi. That left the slim possibility that perhaps Rossi was still considering the U.S. as an option.
But the deadline is almost here, and it doesn't seem like an eleventh-hour change of heart is going to happen. Perhaps that's why Bob seemed a little testy when I asked him about Rossi.
I'm not one to worry about the decisions of players. As individuals, they should choose what they want to do. I'm mystified at those who rail at Rossi for playing for Italy, just as I'm puzzled by those who decry Landon Donovan's choice to play in MLS. One's life belongs to no one else.
I still stand by my call in 2005, though. Rossi is a very good player, but not so superlative that he's an automatic choice for Italy, especially when political elements seem to come into play in selection. If Rossi hopes to play in a World Cup, choosing the U.S. team is a safer bet.
I don't think he'll do it, though. I find a kind of poetic irony in the fact that it's likely that both U.S. fans and Rossi may one day rue what might have been had his choice been a different one.
And the winner is
565, folks.
Welcome to 2008.
Last night, at practice, I was wishing "Happy New Year" to the U.S. Soccer staff, since it was the first time this year I'd seen them. Neil Beuthe admitted that it seemed weird to him to hear good wishes about 2008. He pointed out that we were in the middle of January.
That was a valid point.
So I merely nodded hello to Landon Donovan when he walked over for his interview.
"Happy New Year, Andrea," said Landon.
As far as our blog goes, Luis has been crazy-busy with family stuff, and I've been away, so things are just getting started here at Sideline Views. We hope you'll come along for the ride of whatever this year holds.
Welcome to 2008.
Last night, at practice, I was wishing "Happy New Year" to the U.S. Soccer staff, since it was the first time this year I'd seen them. Neil Beuthe admitted that it seemed weird to him to hear good wishes about 2008. He pointed out that we were in the middle of January.
That was a valid point.
So I merely nodded hello to Landon Donovan when he walked over for his interview.
"Happy New Year, Andrea," said Landon.
As far as our blog goes, Luis has been crazy-busy with family stuff, and I've been away, so things are just getting started here at Sideline Views. We hope you'll come along for the ride of whatever this year holds.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Changes - Good?
Hey folks, I'm finally back in town. Despite my occasional posts here, I kept up on very little soccer during my vacation.
I did make it out to the Home Depot Center today for the final US training before the Sweden game. It was there that Landon Donovan told me that Chris Albright was traded from the Galaxy. (The New England Revolution gave up allocation funds in exchange for Chris.) That turns the tables a bit, when a reporter is clueless.
"Andrea, where have you been?" asked a flabbergasted Landon. "Iraq?"
No, no. I think soccer is more popular in Iraq than where I went for my break. In fact, though soccer is a very international sport, there isn't a single player from there in MLS right now.
"It's kind of a bummer, but that's the way it goes," said Landon about the Albright trade when we switched back to that topic. Landon and Chris are close friends. Bianca, Landon's wife, is also buddies with Leah, Chris' wife. Now they'll be separated by the entire country.
Chris was the first Galaxy player I ever interviewed, and one of the best go-to guys for a good quote. He kept things real with all the beat reporters - he was never one to act differently just for the press. I'd sometimes edit his colorful language out for print consumption, but try as hard as I could to keep the character and clarity of his statements.
The move wasn't entirely a surprise, though. I told Landon last year that the Galaxy didn't have any attractive trade options besides Joe Cannon and Chris. I reminded Landon today of that statement and he nodded. Landon and David Beckham, of course, have no-trade clauses in their contracts.
I was tired from jet-lag - trying to interview Chris Rolfe after talking to Landon, I had trouble focusing. At one point, in response to my question about new coach Denis Hamlett, Chris said, "Change is good." Luckily, he went on to say other stuff, because I was still processing that simple statement.
I did make it out to the Home Depot Center today for the final US training before the Sweden game. It was there that Landon Donovan told me that Chris Albright was traded from the Galaxy. (The New England Revolution gave up allocation funds in exchange for Chris.) That turns the tables a bit, when a reporter is clueless.
"Andrea, where have you been?" asked a flabbergasted Landon. "Iraq?"
No, no. I think soccer is more popular in Iraq than where I went for my break. In fact, though soccer is a very international sport, there isn't a single player from there in MLS right now.
"It's kind of a bummer, but that's the way it goes," said Landon about the Albright trade when we switched back to that topic. Landon and Chris are close friends. Bianca, Landon's wife, is also buddies with Leah, Chris' wife. Now they'll be separated by the entire country.
Chris was the first Galaxy player I ever interviewed, and one of the best go-to guys for a good quote. He kept things real with all the beat reporters - he was never one to act differently just for the press. I'd sometimes edit his colorful language out for print consumption, but try as hard as I could to keep the character and clarity of his statements.
The move wasn't entirely a surprise, though. I told Landon last year that the Galaxy didn't have any attractive trade options besides Joe Cannon and Chris. I reminded Landon today of that statement and he nodded. Landon and David Beckham, of course, have no-trade clauses in their contracts.
I was tired from jet-lag - trying to interview Chris Rolfe after talking to Landon, I had trouble focusing. At one point, in response to my question about new coach Denis Hamlett, Chris said, "Change is good." Luckily, he went on to say other stuff, because I was still processing that simple statement.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Alain's travails
Six months ago, Alain Nkong was a man looking for a team. He latched on with Atlante of Mexico and despite an impressive performance did not secure his spot on the club until days before the start of the season. Nkong, a Colorado Rapids castaway, proved valuable to Atlante. He scored four goals and was a valuable asset to the club. Atlante went on to win their first championship in 14 years and although Giancarlo Maldonado was the scoring star Nkong played a role in the title-winning club.
Nkong's performances did not go unnoticed. He was named to Cameroon's squad for the African Cup of Nations. But his decision to participate in the tournament cost him his spot on Atlante. The Mexican champions loaned Nkong to Leon of the second division for the season.
To the victors, then, go the spoils but I'm not sure Nkong had these spoils in mind.
Nkong's performances did not go unnoticed. He was named to Cameroon's squad for the African Cup of Nations. But his decision to participate in the tournament cost him his spot on Atlante. The Mexican champions loaned Nkong to Leon of the second division for the season.
To the victors, then, go the spoils but I'm not sure Nkong had these spoils in mind.
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