Loyalty finally taking a back seat in U.S. soccer?

U.S. fans have long debated credentials of Martin Vasquez

Martin Vasquez was let go as manager of Chivas USA following a disastrous campaign in 2010 for allegedly refusing to demote an assistant. Obviously, the Goats' record was enough to justify his firing and should have been enough to warrant that change but local reports that claimed his loyalty cost him his job raised a few eyebrows.

That sense of allegiance has gripped U.S. soccer for years. As supporters of the game here have grown more sophisticated, so too have their demanding voices, particularly in the Jurgen Klinsmann era.

When Vasquez was plucked from a healthy number of candidates to be Klinsy's assistant manager, debates ensued, most notably at his experience. But by all accounts, it appears that Klinsmann was moved by Vasquez's reading of the game, of his connections to Mexican soccer and his overall demeanor. But was that enough to warrant a position with the German as he made the move to Bayern Munich for 2008-2009?

Vasquez himself admitted he was surprised by the move, according to an interview he provided to ESPN last year, initially believing Klinsmann would take on an MLS role, given the German's residency in southern California. He even said he asked Klinsmann if he was sure about hiring him.

The charismatic German would have none of it. He wanted Vasquez as part of his staff because he didn't want anyone there that's "done it already" and mostly was attracted to Vasquez's hunger and ambitious need for learning the game at a new level.

That's what has bothered some U.S. fans for years. Vasquez, for all his quiet but hard-working personality has shown, wasn't the tactical wingman that was needed in this new era of American soccer. Klinsmann was courted for years by U.S. soccer but some noted that it was his name and experience that was more in line with their desire than his actual resume on the field. Sure, he previously managed the German side on home soil to what any other country would deem a success--a semifinal appearance at the 2006 World Cup--as well as his stint with Bayern Munich.

But Klinsy has been seen more as a charmer, a go-getter and motivator. Philipp Lahm ripped him and Vasquez in his biography, astonishingly claiming players were left scrambling to address tactical moves prior to some matches while Klinsmann's staff only focused on fitness and nutrition.

The same accusations were regurgitated in a Sporting News article a year ago that quoted some U.S. national team players anonymously, and all of whom worried about Klinsmann's training methods. But the articulate and smiling Klinsmann brushed those claims off, indicating that it was part of the changes the program was undergoing. The U.S. went on to qualify for Brazil at the top of the table.

Supporters now have to digest a major move with only a few months to go before the tournament in Brazil. Whether or not these moves were made in advance of Brazil or for the longer-term (Klinsmann inked an extension with U.S. soccer) is up for debate at the moment. Loyalty has taken a back seat and the fans are watching and waiting to pounce, if need be.

-Tio Pelotas
@TioPelotas74

Slick U.S. soccer announces coaching changes on Sunday afternoon

Martin Vasquez reassigned, Tab Ramos tapped to staff

Legend Berti Vogts named as special advisor

Tab Ramos, who was serving as under-20 manager for the U.S. national team, was promoted to Jurgen Klinsmann's staff with the senior national team, while longtime Klinsy protogee was reassigned within the federation pyramid, the U.S. Soccer federation announced late Sunday afternoon.

Also appointed as special advisor to Klinsmann's staff was the legendary Berti Vogts, who will be tasked with developing training plans and scouting. Vogts managed Klinsmann when the Germans lifted the European championship in 1996.

It's a massive move with only a few months ahead of the World Cup--and also a puzzling one--as the news made minor tremors within the U.S. soccer scene since the announcement took place on a Sunday with a full slate of matches stretching from South America to Mexico and MLS.

Any other country would have exploded with speculations, harsh commentaries and confusion but the U.S. soccer journalism bubble should and will have more in-depth analysis as the news is assimilated.

-Tio Pelotas

@TioPelotas74

Are West Ham fans right to boo their own team?

Sam Allardyce was confused that West Ham fans booed despite a 2-1 win over Hull City that should mean the Hammers stay in the Premier League another year, but should he be that surprised that the fans vented their anger?

No. (That's the simple answer).

And here's why...

Yes, fans pay a lot of money to see the game and want to be entertained. No one really wants to be entertained if their team still loses, but we're willing to accept this every now and then. But ultimately they want to see passion, effort and progress.

West Ham fans have seen none of that this year. Allardyce blamed injuries and suspensions at the start of the season, and to some extent he was proved right when he won Manager of the Month for February after 4 straight wins. But even in those 4 wins, West Ham have played some terrible football all season and really look like they have no idea how to break a team down.

Banging long balls to Andy Carroll or Carlton Cole and hoping Kevin Nolan gets the scraps isn't what West Ham fans want to see - and no it's nothing to do with the Academy, Bobby Moore and winning the World Cup - it's not what any fan wants to see. A full back smashing the ball upfield to a target man is an option if you're trying to mix it up, but it shouldn't be the first option.

West Ham have wingers who can't beat a man and get to the byline, which means they just lump balls into the box when they get a chance hoping for a second chance opportunity. James Collins, James Tomkins and Winston Reid can defend, they just have no idea what to do with the ball when they get it, hence more long straight balls.

And this is why fans boo the team, and especially Allardyce. He recruits players that can only really play this way. He hasn't improved the team he set up to get back into the Premier League. When Ravel Morrison looked like he may provide some spark of creativity, he was shipped off to QPR. Youth team players have no chance under Allardyce as he seems to just bothered about staying up, not improving.

And I think that's why he gets booed. No one wants to just stay up playing the way Allardyce wants West Ham (and Bolton and Newcastle before that) to play.

They want to see exciting players, good football and passion. None of these were evident last night (or any night for the last few seasons) as they struggled to beat 10-man Hull, who frankly deserved all 3 points.

Yes, West Ham should be in the Premier League next year, but unless Big Sam can convince the owners he is making progress they may have a new manager.

NYC FC: How You Like Them Yaya Toures

A missed chance to be United?

My father likes to joke that he’s cousins with Manchester City Football Club owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan. 

Those who know anything about Arabic know that a) his first name is Mansour and our last name is Mansoor, which would preclude any real relation; and b) Mansour/Mansoor is like the Smith of the Arab world, it’s an incredibly common name that spans nearly every region in the Middle East and North Africa.

Despite a lack of filial or any other genealogical connection, my father still roots for the Citizens despite my howls of protest as a die-hard Arsenal supporter. 

“Did you see Yaya Toure’s penalty? So calm and professional. Why can’t Arsenal sign players like that?” he’ll ask, not with any malice. He just likes watching me rend my Invincibles-era scarf. 


So it’s with mixed emotions that I find myself looking forward to Sheikh Mansour’s newest venture, NYC FC, modeled in part on their Premier League cousins, MCFC. There are only two problems: I hate the name and I hate orange piping in the badge. 


It’s the former that contributor Tio Pelotas took issue with when I suggested the name should be NYC United. He protested that it’d be trolling MCFC supporters, who hate no one and nothing more than the damned United, the Red Devils, ManYoo, etc. But I contended that the name NYC United would fit better for a couple of reasons. 

First, they’re the team of the five boroughs of New York City, uniting the disparate fan bases and natural enemies among the citizens of different parts of the city. Yes, we’re one big, happy city, but we generally sneer at each other based on where we live and where we’re from. There’s like a cascade of snobbery, with Manhattanites looking down on those in the outer boroughs; the Brooklyn hipsters insisting on how much cooler they are than the sold-out, soulless “city” people and the passé denizens from Queens; the natural, baseball-born rivals between Queens and the Bronx; and generally no one really cares about Staten Island anyway.

But a city united behind one sports team, that’d be novel, not seen since the city as a whole loved the Knicks in the early 1990s, a fleeting time when we could all call one team ours. Now with the Brooklyn Nets, that’ll never happen again. 


But NYC FC name just lacks that sense of togetherness. It can’t really convey that they’re the only real soccer team (sorry New York/Jersey Red Bulls/Metrostars or whoever you are now) that represents us. 

And they’ll already say united on their shirts. If the main sponsor is Etihad Airlines, like the Citizens, NYC FC’s shirts will be emblazoned with the word Etihad, which means united in Arabic. Citizens fans will just have to accept that their cousins are from the same family but have a different last name. Even if it reminds them of their main rivals.


And who the hell likes their family anyway? As the old Arab proverb goes, unity means many people working together as if they are all one person.

As for the orange piping? It reminds me of the Mets and Knicks. Who wants to emulate those two franchises? Since the Yankees own a stake in the team, I’m surprised they didn’t push for pinstripes. Now that would have made a statement.


Oh, and my father won’t be supporting NYC FC. My parents live in Orlando and are looking forward to their adopted hometown Orlando City joining the MLS in 2015.

I can’t wait until NYC FC raids their ranks and I get to ask my father how he likes them Yaya Toures. 

- Adam Manzor

Better hope his Mum's not washing the kit!

I've watched this a few times and still can't work out what he's doing!

Grass stains on that white kit won't be good, but at least you got the throw (and didn't make yourself look like an idiot!)

Just an average Clasico!

Where do you start when trying to summarize El Clasiso?

Goals, controversial penalties, the usual Sergio Ramos red card, another Messi hat-trick, more broken records? It had it all.

Ronaldo and Ramos are already complaining about the refereeing, and I hope that doesn't become the focus of the debate, but you feel it may actually aid Real, who will now feel like everyone is against them and spur them on to the title. The decisions weren't horrible, they just happen at such speed, and the referee only gets one look. He could have done with some help from his assistants, but you have to applaud the fact he was brace enough to make the big decisions. Yes, we'd love him to be right every time, but calling for technology to intervene is stupid - and an argument that's not even worth having. Even with 10 replays, it's hard to know if Cristiano was fouled outside, if the foul continued inside, if it a red card etc. The beauty of the game is the human element - so enough of that discussion.

Messi is a beast, he's so cool under pressure. Ronaldo too is on another level - he didn't have his best game, but every time he gets on the ball the excitement level builds. Bale and Neymar on the other hand aren't at that level yet. The Welshman looked a little out of his depth. Angel Di Maria took the game to Barca in a way that Bale should be doing. If Karim Benzema could have converted more than 2 of the changes Di Maria made for him then Real would have been out of sight.

Neymar prefers a broken game I think. He preys on 1 on 1 match-ups and the ability to utilize the open spaces in behind. Barca play so slow that those opportunities don't always arise in the big games. Teams now let Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas try and pass them to death, knowing that they just need to contain Messi and they'll be ok (ok, no one can contain him, but they at least know the game plan!).

And so with Barca not really able to break Madrid down, it was left for one man to do it. Sergio Ramos. 19 red cards in La Liga, 180 yellows - impressive. But time and again he finds himself in positions he shouldn't be in. He's a fantastic player on some levels, but he commits reckless fouls and often finds himself as the last man. Foul there and quite often the red will follow. And he can't help himself. He just about nicked Neymar, but ultimately, he had no idea where the Brazilian was, and that's why he had to foul.

If Ramos stays on, Real win in my opinion. They were the better team, but Messi was the difference. Nothing phases him (apart from an Argentina shirt). The La Liga title is wide open again - and as much as we complain about Barca and Real meeting too often these days, there probably aren't two other teams in Europe that could have created the excitement of yesterday's game.

Tight at the top, but Arsenal are done if they lose

If Arsenal lost at Chelsea, you have to think they are out of the title race. They would be 7 points behind with 8 games left - yes they have a game in hand, but they'd probably have to win all 8 to even have a chance of finishing above Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. They could finish 2nd, but overcoming all 3 rivals at this point will be tough anyway.

Arsene Wenger is desperate to end the trophy drought, but the FA Cup is looking like the more realistic option. And perhaps that is what Arsenal have lacked - options. Giroud has been out of form, and Walcott out injured - without them (or Ramsey's goals from midfield), Arsenal have struggled. I am just not sure they have enough options to mix it up should they go behind. But here's a game that they have to go for it if they go behind. There is really nothing to lose if they go down 2-0, 3-0 or 5-0 - some pride maybe, but Spurs, Everton and Manchester United aren't catching them for 4th.

As for Chelsea, a draw isn't terrible, but they are still in Europe and will be confident of progressing against PSG in the quarterfinals of the Champions League - although why anyone is confident of beating a team with Zlatan in is beyond me. Chelsea are getting old and slow at the back, but they have more than enough going forward to exploit some of Arsenal's weaknesses (and yes, I do mean Mikel Arteta in the defensive midfield role).

Manchester City have a tough week coming up, with United and then Arsenal to come - failing to beat Fulham should mean they don't win the league. Fulham have been awful all season, and City should be beating them 4-0 or more.

Liverpool have to win away at Cardiff and home to Sunderland in midweek if they are to realistically compete. Two of the league's bottom three have to be dispatched if Brendan Rodgers' team expect to win the title.

It's an interesting weekend at the top - no one can afford to lose, but if Arsenal do, we may be down to a 3 horse race. If any of the others lose (and Arsenal don't) they have to be right in the mix. The top is getting as interesting as the bottom - and I'm willing to hear all schoolboy jokes on that!