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Soccer getting a foothold in American Market

A little while ago ESPN announced that they had secured a contract to broadcast a number of live English Premier League matches. Recently, ESPN has now acquired the right to air 30 live Scottish Premier League matches for the next 3 seasons with the possibility of a 2 year extension. Soccer may have found a place in the competitive US sports market.

Depth Charge: Can the US Succeed with a Depleted Roster?

If the competition for the Gold Cup was not hard enough for the American squad, a rapidly thinning roster is becoming the next challenge facing the US team. The US will face Panama in their next match this weekend without many of their offensive weapons. Charlie Davies, Benny Feilhaber, Steve Cherundolo, and Michael Parkhurst are just some of the players that have left the US roster to prepare for preseason play for their respective European clubs. ESPN also had an article about Freddy Adu also leaving for his European club; however, he was listed in the line up against Haiti on the same day as the article was released. This is disastrous for the US.

The Confederation Cup seemed to be a golden opportunity for the United States, and many thought that the Gold Cup was in the bag before the first kick off. However, the roster from cup to cup changed dramatically. This current roster is composed mostly of new and young talent with a few internationally experienced veterans. With much of the US’s offensive arsenal depleted, the match against Panama could be closer than initially expected. The US will have to find a way to win and will be relying on players like Ching, Holden, and Rogers to apply pressure on the opposite side of the field. Ching will probably be paired with either Davy Arnaud or Kenny Cooper for the attack, but neither of these forwards seems to be effective. I think Beckerman is out for the Panama game because of yellow cards, but I could be mistaken.

Defensively, the US still looks strong, but the big question will be if and when the US can score.

No One Likes You

Well I thought it was funny when I came upon an article from ESPN today. Apparently, newly acquired Man U striker, Michael Owen, is not too popular among the Red Devils' supporters...so much so that NO...I say again NO request has been made by anyone for a Michael Owen jersey. That is right, no one has purchased his jersey since his signing last week. And since a request has still not been made to the club's official shop, there is no rush to flood the market with his merchandise as of yet. Man U may not be able to capitalize on his marketability.

Check out the link to ESPN's article: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=659544&sec=england&cc=5901

Too funny

Magpies to Devils: A New Lease on Life

Michael Owen has a new home at Old Trafford after he left relegated club Newcastle United. Owen will make a fine addition to the Red Devil's offense after the club has lost both Tevez and Ronaldo. Owen is also hoping that this upcoming season with Man U will help him crack into the national team. Owen has been overlooked by Capello on several occasions mostly due to his fitness. Owen was plagued by injuries at Newcastle and was only able to score 10 goals all season. This move could breathe new life into this 29 year old forward.

Only Gold can Stay

The Gold Cup starts tomorrow and the US is still making revisions to their roster. Recently, Bob Bradley added 7 more names to his roster from the Confederation Cup: Jozy Altidore, Ricardo Clark, Conor Casey, Jonathan Bornstein, Benny Feilhaber, Sacha Kljestan, and Brad Guzan. The US roster also includes both Steve Cherundolo and Brian Ching who are returning from injuries. The US now has an expanded roster of 30 men while only 18 can dress for a match.

It will be very exciting to see how Altidore and Ching can combine on the offensive end. Jozy is coming off a fairly successful stint from the Confederation Cup, while a scoring veteran Ching is coming back from a hamstring strain. Holding down the midfield will be a combination of MLS stars and Ricardo Clark and Benny Feilhaber from the Confederation Cup roster. It is important to note that the US will be without the skills of Landon Donovan. Defense and goaltending may be lacking in this roster. Bornstein is the only returning defender from the last tournament. Sacha Kljestan is also returning to the line up, but as a defender and not as a midfielder. The US will even be without Tim Howard between the posts.

I am not sure if I like all of these changes to the roster. I understand that the US is looking for some more talent to add to their final roster for the World Cup, but I have a feeling that many fair-weather fans may be disappointed. Many people that have just jumped on the US bandwagon during the Confederation Cup may not recognize the roster or the type of play that they demonstrated against the likes of Spain. 19 of the 30 men in the line up play in the MLS…nearly 2/3rds! This could be a great opportunity to showcase how strong our league is…or it can signal how weak it is. The CONCACAF teams will not be as strong as the Confederation Cup teams, but we have seen the US struggle against them.