With Jozy Altidore rumored to go to Hull and Eric Lichaj positioning himself for some first team action with Everton the number of young Americans poised to move to the Premier League continues with Everton rumored to sign 21-year old forward Cody Arnoux, formerly of Wake Forest. This is on the heals of the Everton signing of Ventura County Fusion midfielder Anton Peterlin. With the eye for talent of David Moyes these two signing speak well of the continued emerging talent of United States soccer. Moyes is known for recognizing talent and maximizing it so Arnoux will be in a good place. It's clear that the Premier League scouting umbrella has now reached the US College ranks. The case of Arnoux is similar to Eric Lichaj, who left North Carolina after one season.
It's hardly a trend at this point but it's nice to see more talent heading overseas early. It will bode well for the future of the Men's National Team. The question is whether it's good for MLS?
Showing posts with label Everton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Everton. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Jozy's on a vacation far away...Hull City?
According to the always unreliable Goal.com a handful of Premier League clubs, most notable Hull but also Fulham and Everton are rumored to be courting American striker Jozy Altidore. I'm a big believer in his ability and do feel the Premier League is perfect for Altidore during the run up to next years World Cup. Personally I'd like to see Altidore go to a club that he'll get a good amount of playing time but not one that will be perpetually on the edge of relegation like Hull. As far as the three contenders mentioned I really like the possiblity of Fulham. Clearly they have a strong record of courting American players, such as Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, Kasey Keller, etc. With the struggles of Bobby Zamora, Altidore could get a real opportunity for playing time along with Andy Johnson. More importantly it would also tandem Altidore with Clint Dempsey giving two potential key cogs in the American attack the ability to play together for a solid season. Fulham will also be part of the Europa cup, which along with the Premier League, Carling Cup and FA Cup will give them fixture congestion and would likely give Altidore some solid playing time.
As far as the other two clubs I have mixed feelings. Hull would clearly afford Altidore the ability to play immediately and often, but the club will be fighting for their life and is one of the major bets for relegation this year. Everton will also deal with fixture congestion and could afford some quality playing time as a third striker, but is much more set at forward than Fulham and Hull. With the presence and Louis Saha and Jo and the fact that they like to feature a 4-5-1, Altidore may find it a struggle, like in Spain, to get into the squad.
Beyond all of this is the question of whether these clubs would spend 11 million on Altidore. It's a big sum for three clubs who get by on youth development and wise decisions in the transfer market. Spending such an amount on Altidore would definitely increase his profile and probably put a decent amount of pressure on him to perform. It would be nice to see him land on the right team--- with Fulham being a fantastic option. As an Aston Villa fan he's a player I'd like to see them consider, with Carew rumored to be leaving and Agbonlahor often inconsistent. He'd be a good fit.
All of this begs the question on why Villareal is seemingly giving up on him so quick? They bought him for 10 million and are selling him to turn a quick million dollar profit based on the conjectured number. You have to wonder if he failed to impress in training to the point that they were willing to quickly turn such a physically talented and youthful player. As a US fan I'm not complaining. He has the ability to be the best US talent ever and the Premier League is the ultimate stage. He'd look awful nice at Craven Cottage or Villa Park.
August5th Update: According to The Hull Daily Mail the Tigers are are talking to Villareal and Altidore on a one year loan deal. This makes sense for both clubs. With Hull devoid of any striking talent they could use the services of Altidore, who in turn could really benefit from some playing time in the Premier League in the run up to the World Cup.
As far as the other two clubs I have mixed feelings. Hull would clearly afford Altidore the ability to play immediately and often, but the club will be fighting for their life and is one of the major bets for relegation this year. Everton will also deal with fixture congestion and could afford some quality playing time as a third striker, but is much more set at forward than Fulham and Hull. With the presence and Louis Saha and Jo and the fact that they like to feature a 4-5-1, Altidore may find it a struggle, like in Spain, to get into the squad.
Beyond all of this is the question of whether these clubs would spend 11 million on Altidore. It's a big sum for three clubs who get by on youth development and wise decisions in the transfer market. Spending such an amount on Altidore would definitely increase his profile and probably put a decent amount of pressure on him to perform. It would be nice to see him land on the right team--- with Fulham being a fantastic option. As an Aston Villa fan he's a player I'd like to see them consider, with Carew rumored to be leaving and Agbonlahor often inconsistent. He'd be a good fit.
All of this begs the question on why Villareal is seemingly giving up on him so quick? They bought him for 10 million and are selling him to turn a quick million dollar profit based on the conjectured number. You have to wonder if he failed to impress in training to the point that they were willing to quickly turn such a physically talented and youthful player. As a US fan I'm not complaining. He has the ability to be the best US talent ever and the Premier League is the ultimate stage. He'd look awful nice at Craven Cottage or Villa Park.
August5th Update: According to The Hull Daily Mail the Tigers are are talking to Villareal and Altidore on a one year loan deal. This makes sense for both clubs. With Hull devoid of any striking talent they could use the services of Altidore, who in turn could really benefit from some playing time in the Premier League in the run up to the World Cup.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
MLS All-Star Game
It's been five years of the current MLS All-Star game format and I have to say it really works. Other than baseball the MLS All-Star game is the only other major sports (yes soccer is major) that fields a competitive matchup year in and year out. This year's game brought the third consecutive EPL team as Everton played a visit to Rio Tinto in Salt Lake City. Turned out to be an entertaining game for the whole family. Even though they lost on penalties MLS again showed that the league fields some great talent at the top. Take away a completely uncharacteristic boo boo by Stewart Holden for Everton's lone regulation goal and MLS totally dominated possession and action. They had myriad scoring opportunities, hit the posts on a couple of occasions (including a gimme by Landon Donovan) and if not for the superhuman exploits of Everton/American goal keeper Tim Howard MLS would have prevailed in regulation, if not the shoot out.
A few observations:
1) You can't help but be impressed with the facility in Salt Lake. A beautiful 20,000 seat soccer only facility that was a great location to showcase the MLS All-Star game. This stadium coupled with several that have already been built and a new facility being built in New York are a major step forward for MLS. As the summer turns to fall the the season heats up there are all too many occasions where a top game is contested with the football gridiron marks, making it impossible to concentrate and watch for the viewer.
2) MLS really boasts some skilled offensive talents with the likes of Blanco, Ljungberg, Donovan, Holden, Casey, Montero etc. Even though it's an All-Star game and you realize these players are only together for one night it gives you the chance to see some of the skilled (albeit aging) talent that MLS possesses. I'm in the middle of the argument on the quality of play in the MLS. I feel too many people dismiss it across the board and don't really appreciate the competitive teams and individual talents on showcase in the league.
3) I also feel the league is right where it needs to be at this point in it's life. With the down economy the league is still average about 16,000 fans per game which puts it right in line with the NBA and the NHL. Toronto and Seattle produce huge crowds every game with every single ticket sold out in Toronto since the club began and many crowds above 30K in Seattle. With Vancouver, Portland, Philadelphia and likely Montreal coming into the league this upward attendance will continue. Although criticized by many the league has really followed a pretty intelligent business model, not reaching out and over spending on talent, but allowing the league and the teams to grow in stature and attendance organically. As time goes by and the new cities enter the attendance and popularity will increase, as will wages. As wages increase the quality of players will as well.
All in all good entertainment for the whole family. Too bad Tim Howard is so damn good in shootouts.
A few observations:
1) You can't help but be impressed with the facility in Salt Lake. A beautiful 20,000 seat soccer only facility that was a great location to showcase the MLS All-Star game. This stadium coupled with several that have already been built and a new facility being built in New York are a major step forward for MLS. As the summer turns to fall the the season heats up there are all too many occasions where a top game is contested with the football gridiron marks, making it impossible to concentrate and watch for the viewer.
2) MLS really boasts some skilled offensive talents with the likes of Blanco, Ljungberg, Donovan, Holden, Casey, Montero etc. Even though it's an All-Star game and you realize these players are only together for one night it gives you the chance to see some of the skilled (albeit aging) talent that MLS possesses. I'm in the middle of the argument on the quality of play in the MLS. I feel too many people dismiss it across the board and don't really appreciate the competitive teams and individual talents on showcase in the league.
3) I also feel the league is right where it needs to be at this point in it's life. With the down economy the league is still average about 16,000 fans per game which puts it right in line with the NBA and the NHL. Toronto and Seattle produce huge crowds every game with every single ticket sold out in Toronto since the club began and many crowds above 30K in Seattle. With Vancouver, Portland, Philadelphia and likely Montreal coming into the league this upward attendance will continue. Although criticized by many the league has really followed a pretty intelligent business model, not reaching out and over spending on talent, but allowing the league and the teams to grow in stature and attendance organically. As time goes by and the new cities enter the attendance and popularity will increase, as will wages. As wages increase the quality of players will as well.
All in all good entertainment for the whole family. Too bad Tim Howard is so damn good in shootouts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)