Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are

That's the pivotal point, really, when United play mid-table-or-lower opposition at home: are the opposition willing to play?

You expect the 4-5-1 formation and the majority of possession, but would this be “one of those days” where scoring becomes difficult, the game becomes nervy?

At kickoff, West Ham did employ the predictable formation, but sought every opportunity to push Kieron Dyer up the left flank with Carleton Cole. Credit to West Ham for attacking when the opportunity presented itself.

Also at kickoff, much too much had been made of Wayne Rooney's goalless streak in the British media, which was going on something like 12 or 13 games.

Last Spring, astute United supporters worried the physical and mental strain of carrying United would come back to haunt Rooney at some point, as the cumulative knocks and minutes proved Wazza's human after all.

Fast-forward to the present; it's with joy and delight that we watched a trademark Scholes pass switch the point of attack, travel just inches over Spector's shoulder and land comfortably at Giggs' feet. Quickly and decisively Giggs tears apart Spector. Penalty.

Up steps Wazza. It's one-nil to the good. Streak broken.

But, much more than Rooney's own personal duck were broken during this comfortable match:
- United proved yet again their focus only sharpens after disappointment.
- The back-line were solid, with another vintage performance from Captain Vidic.
- Nani and Berbatov were constant threats, as their confidence continues to grow.
- Scholes and Giggs were immaculate in attack.
- Rooney showed signs of getting his legs, touch, and feel for the game.
- Owen, Carrick, and Smalling got a run out as substitutes, while Park and Valencia rested.

As the commentator said after Nani's exquisitely-taken goal, “Just another picture-book goal at Old Trafford.”

And that's the point: expectation.

Sir Alex and the senior players instill an aura of belief in this club that cannot be underestimated, as we've seen it repeatedly at Old Trafford: almost-ho-hum brilliant football.

Each year, I always enjoy the over-reaction of the media in England to the early part of the campaign, as you know Tottenham will be obliterated for losing at home today to a suddenly-plucky Wigan.

But this result shouldn't surprise us entirely, as Wigan are a bit schizophrenic and Spurs fell prey to the inevitable hangover match after a massive result earlier in the week. It's a straight, one-off bad result for Harry's Spurs, plain and simple.

Each year, people love to question United.

Yet United's propensity to play compelling football so routinely after dropped points demonstrates that belief, that confidence that prove Fergie's men haven't lost anything at all. These games also provide a wonderful opportunity for player development without pressure for those like Chris Smalling that need first-team football.

Thus, the cycle continues: points earned, confidence gained, and expectations continue from one generation to the next. That's the United way.

So, after all's said and done, West Ham did come out to play and the result was a comprehensive 3-0 United victory. You just gotta wonder what type of tabloid-headline-play-on-Hammers awaits Grant's men as they return to London at the bottom of the league. Have fun looking it up, United brethren.

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Next report will be after the Everton match. Cheers.

Evergreen, Sublime, and Cliché

After United's comprehensive 3-0 victory over Newcastle, you can only sit back in deep admiration of the skill, craft and guile so elegantly displayed by the ginger-haired assasin.

And, no Scholes’ master-class performance would be remotely complete without a poorly placed tackle or two, ultimately leading a yellow card to open the EPL season: the cherry on top of the sundae.

I know, I know.

As a United supporter, you must ask yourself “Am I living in a dream world, some form of Groundhog Day or Life on Mars episode that takes you back in time to relive yet again another elegant display by the man who scores goals?"

If so, I don't ever want to leave this place.

No way, no how could anyone have expected this fine form from the two long-standing servants to the club. Yet, Messrs Scholes and Giggs continue to amaze, delight, and re-define our expectations of thirty-something footballers.

But really, how much longer must we put up with the same, repetitive descriptions of our beloved midfielders?!

How many times have we witnessed “evergreen” Giggs and “sublime” Scholes to describe their vintage performances?!

The fact that one game into the 2010/11 campaign, I'm having flashbacks to three years’ worth of superlative match reports praising on one, the other, or both players is astonishing.

The other fact - that reporters have become altogether repetitive with their own language after such fine performances - demonstrates their own awe and virtual speechlessness, with the descriptions becoming almost cliché.

Thirty-five is the new twenty-five, with the evergreen and sublime, the men avoiding father time.

Cheers to another year of relentless, redundant adjectives and hyperbole from the men you must see.

I don't ever want to leave this place indeed.

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

So much anticipation, so little time.

The beginning of the English Premier League campaign can be a strange one, timing-wise, for an American sports lover, as the pennant races are in full swing, NFL preseason games have begun, and the PGA continues, with basketball and hockey waiting in the wings.

As the years have progressed, my love for true football – soccer – has grown, as evidenced by this blog, but I've never lost my allegiances and passion for my hometown Gophers, Twins, Vikings, Wild, and even Timber-Chihuahuas (Timberwolves).

Yet, while I watched brief stretches of the Twins and Vikings games this weekend, I watched the entire Spurs v City and Pool v Arsenal matches, along with the first half of Villa v West Ham.

There's something strange about watching 3-4 hours of football during our all-too-brief Minnesota summer, especially when it doesn't involve United. And, next weekend, we'll order a month's worth of the football package on the in-laws DirecTV just to watch Fulham v United during a potentially-glorious Sunday morning at the lake cabin.

Please do not read into this commentary that I'm complaining or whining. Far from it. I'm ecstatic with the start of the EPL Season. But, on such occasions, both my outdoor nature and other sports allegiances feel somewhat conflicted, somewhat restrained by football passions.

Which brings me to United v Newcastle.

I freakin' hate waiting until Monday for this match, as my work schedule won't allow me to watch it live, regrettably, but thankfully the game's timing does allow United's players an extra-and-needed day or two of rest.

Tomorrow, I'll head home from work hoping my own personal media blackout will hold and not ruin the result for me and another United supporter or two that will manage to avoid all things football related until the DVR-provided 5:30pm CDT kickoff.

One benefit of being in America is the ability to successfully maintain a media blackout for EPL matches. True enough.

Another benefit of being Stateside is watching entire football matches on weekend mornings, thereby giving you the afternoon and evening for important, non-footballing pursuits, such as attending a good friend's wedding without any conflict, for example. Another bonus.

The HUGE drawback of being in the US is the time difference for any midweek games that kickoff midday, such the need to take vacation to watch important Champions League matches. That bites.

So, as Hank Williams Jr. warms up his NFL intro, yes indeed, I'm more than ready for some real football.

Cheers. Back at you on Tuesday with thoughts about the opening match.

Season Preview

Oh, the sweet anticipation.

Tomorrow's Community Shield officially starts United's campaign against the primary title-challenger, Chelsea. The World Cup, as marvelous as it is, will never substitute for United. No way, no how.

It's been almost 3 months since the season ended, with several intriguing story lines that lead us into the 2010-2011 campaign, including:
- Rooney and Rio's forgettable World Cups
- A successful North American Tour
- Javier Hernandez' and Tom Cleverly's emergence
- Chris Smalling needing more seasoning
- Diouf and Wellbeck headed out on loan
- A substantial injury list (Rio, Anderson, Hargreaves, Carrick, Obertan & Da Silvas)
- Growing Green and Gold discontent

The lack of high-priced talent acquisitions adds to an already volatile mix of angst among the Red Devil supporters. There's been growing discontent with United's lack of spending on transfer targets. I wonder if Javier Hernandez cost £30M, would people trust that Fergie does have a transfer kitty? Ah, but I digress.

United return every key player from last year's campaign, with the addition of Chicharito and Smalling as well as Cleverly pushing himself into consideration to stay with the first team this term. You can easily argue that this squad is stronger than last year's edition. True, the club needs to pick and choose Neville's, Giggs' and Scholes' moments, but there appears to be plenty of cover across the team.

Only Sir Alex knows if the youth and veterans within the club merit only two off-season pick-ups. United barely missed the title on the last day of the season, largely without Rio and Vidic playing together, which is an accomplishment. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, as my old shop teacher used to say.

What I feel, personally, that people miss is that Nani's, Park's, and Valencia's performances improved markedly during the course of the season, enough to merit the gaffer's confidence this year. If this threesome were individual stocks, they're solid “hold” recommendations for your portfolio. None, with the exception of Park's industry perhaps, have demonstrated a consistent, world-class form, but you can see the development, the progress. Add the Da Silvas’ development into the mix, along with Evra's stellar play, and width shouldn't be a problem this term. Hardly.

Where United have the largest question marks are in the center of the park, with the health of the backline, van der Sar's age, and creative, linking play from someone not named Giggs and Scholes, as possible issues. Otherwise, I like the goal-scoring options in Berba, Chicharito, Owen, and Kiko to accompany Rooney. If Wazza goes down for any length of time, all bets are off, obviously, as he remains the one irreplaceable member of this squad.

Last year at this time, everyone doubted United in the post-Ronaldo era: “Where would the goals come from?!” And United proceeded to score more goals that the previous two years with Ronnie, as Rooney flourished in the spotlight.

This year, why should anyone doubt Sir Alex Ferguson's squad?! Personally, I don't get it. I see the potential pitfalls – center of the park, the debt – yet place 110%-trust in SAF's judgement.

As Daniel Taylor put it, Fergie's “job is to make 2010-11 more memorable for what happens in red and white rather than green and gold.” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/aug/07/alex-ferguson-manchester-united)

Here's to the red and white's nineteenth title.
Here's to Sir Alex's ultimate “mission accomplished.”

Oh, the sweet anticipation.

Living in America

Today's dual 1-0 victories for the US and England that advance both squads to the knock-out phase of the World Cup should bring extreme joy to my dual-footballing allegiances, being someone that passionately supports USA! USA! USA! and Inger-land.

So, why just the twinge of melancholoy?

Because I suspect supporting both squads will never again be as easy and uncomplicated as 1990-2010.

On one hand, supporting the US afforded the privilege of living in an underdog's world, one where you simply enjoy the football (soccer) unattached to expectations and greeting each new, positive development with joy.

Case in point: the 2002 loss to Germany in the quarter-finals. Yes, there was huge disappointment, sure, but also satisfaction in a great tournament and no lingering heartache over what could have been. The experience was whole and complete unto itself, especially since the American sporting media's attention quickly turns elsewhere and there were relatively few fans still discussing “what if” scenarios. No repeated discussions about THAT phantom foul. It's done. It's gone. Amen.

On the other hand, following England took effort. Effort to find matches on cable, and later, satellite TV. Effort to follow England on the internet. Effort to find a pub that showed big or impossible-to-find England qualifying matches.

It's also effort that allowed the luxury of detachment, as you could avoid the media maelstrom following big England losses to the likes of Germany, Argentina, Brazil, or Portugual by simply not surfing to your typical football websites.

Now, all that has changed.

We've gone from a world where Brit's pub in Minneapolis took major cajoling to put the 1996 European Championships on a TV in the back room for 25 football fans to world where an estimated 2,000 people packed the place for USA v England 2 hours before kickoff. Yes, at capacity 2 hours before kickoff. Stunning.

We've gone from a world where football (soccer) gets exceptionally poor TV ratings to one where ESPN/ABC shows every freakin' World Cup game and the reported ratings are very good. When you combine youth soccer participation rates with exposure on this scale, and the drama that is this edition of Team USA, you've just got to believe there's a whole generation of children and possibly some adults that stand the chance to fall for the beautiful game. By contrast, I was born in 1966 and we couldn't watch any World Cup group play until Mexico '86. And that was on Univision. My football fanaticism took root only after some serious exposure while living in Denmark in 1988, where I simply went bonkers for the high-quality action of the English First Division, Bundesliga, Serie A, and La Liga. And oh, the Dutch team of the Euros were a joy to watch too.

We've gone from a world where non-football fans never mention boo about the World Cup to me to one where I've been asked constantly about the rules, Rooney, Ronaldo, vuvuzelas, Team USA's chances, and even the French squad's antics by non-footballing folks. It's incredible. I can't tell you how many non-soccer-types have told me they're going to watch “some” soccer this go round.

I've always wanted the US to understand and show some interest in the beautiful game, as I find the overall ignorance bothersome and even embarrassing on some level.

Now that this new day may be dawning, what I didn't count on were the costs.

Gone are the days of carefree US and England collisions. Gone are the days of supporting the US without expectations. Gone is the luxury of on-call detachment from the football world.

We now live in an era where fans were found still celebrating an hour after the match, dancing to James Brown's “Living in America” at a soccer-themed bar in Milwaukee. As in Wisconsin. On a Wednesday. At noon.

Such is life in the new era. Embrace it. I'm sure there's more drama and fans yet to come.

Oh, the Inevitable...

So it was supposed to go down to the wire, but who knew there were only fractions of an inch left of it.

Watching the match at The Local Pub, with one TV on United and another on Chelsea, we knew United's fate was signed, sealed, and delivered early on. Chelsea's second goal and a red card was a killer, as we heard fans erupt time and again from the far side of the bar, rubbing salt into our newly formed wound along with the Stoke supporters heard on TV.

Let it not be over THIS early, we all thought, much to our dismay.

We had all wished for the tightest of finishes today, with drama until the final minutes. Not gonna happen, unfortunately. Not today. Not this term. As much as it pains me to say this: Chelsea are Champions and deservedly so, based on their prolific scoring and head-to-head record against the historic powers of United, Arsenal, and Liverpool. One hundred and three goals is the mark of a champion.

Thus, we took solace in United's play and the knowledge that these were the last scraps of an entertaining season. Number nineteen wouldn't come today, indeed, yet given the injuries, luck, and transitional nature of this year, there's much to acknowledge about the Red Devils this term.

First, United demonstrated great resilience once again this year, with several key injuries culminating in the defensive crisis that saw Fletcher and Carrick start in defense away at Fulham. Without a Rio and Vidic partnership much of the year, United did exceedingly well in defense, as the Red Devils remarkably gave up only four more goals this term than last. We've watched Evra, Evans, and Neville turn in inspired performances, and Rafael will learn his craft in due time, as his naivete in the Champions League match with Bayern Munich is all part of learning curve to become a world-class footballer.

Second, we've witnessed the development of two solid wingers in Valencia and Nani that provide more balance to United's attack. Combine their improvement along with Three-Lung Park's industry and United remain a potent threat on the wings, which was a huge question mark coming into the season.

Third, all the cliché media questions focused on a United without Ronaldo. How many times did we hear “Where would the goals come from this term?” Well, that question was answered by scoring 86 goals this year, more than any of the previous two Ronnie-Era tallies. In fact, this year had 18 more goals this year than last, as we've witnessed Rooney's prolific season, one that you can easily argue wouldn't happen in someone else's shadow. Plus, everyone else chipped in right on queue. (You still gotta laugh about a United WAG's comment about “Own Goals” pulling his weight this term. Priceless, but I digress.)

All in all, it was a successful season.

Yet, part of me can't just let it go there. Why?

I'm soooo tired of every time Scholes, Giggs, or van der Sar for instance turn in Man of the Match performances, the British media says “Where's the next Scholesy?” or “Where's the next Giggsy?”

Plu-eeze.

Yes, I concur that I too see a gulf in the match-winner class outside of Rooney. But, you may never again see a group of youth come up through the ranks almost simultaneously and come to dominate the EPL that fast ever again. The game's changed too much these days and the media falls prey to looking for something they've seen before. You need to change glasses, my Brit-media friends.

Take Nani's development since his revelatory performance away at Arsenal. Electric that boy, and yes, I'd say he's still young at his craft, especially his decision making. Not everyone can dominate as Giggs did almost immediately upon arrival. Players take their own time. But you do see the skill; you see that he's learning and improving. Undoubtedly, he's right there on the cusp in terms of match-winner class now. I'm incredibly excited to see how he continues to grow while playing for Portugal this summer.

Outside of Rooney, and Nani perhaps, there is a drop-off, but you never know who will come good and blossom next term, as we've already witnessed an overall improvement in team goal scoring, something evidently too subtle for our English counterparts to discern.

Some different candidates, for different reasons, that could develop a propensity for game-changing goal scoring include: Fletcher, Kiko, Park, Valencia, and Gibson. Possibly even Rafael, at some point, as that lad is marvelously cool going forward for a full back. Add in a new signing or two upfront to partner Rooney, and the alchemy should make for a very interesting 2010 – 2011 campaign.

Yes, the season didn't turn out as we, United supporters, would like.

Yes, there inevitably are questions lingering around the runners-up.

And yes, you suspect the English media would rejoice if United entered turbulent times.

But, as long as Sir Alex remains at the helm, do you honestly feel any reason to worry?

The most successful manager in English history hasn't missed a beat and clearly has a plan with this club, which became evident during the course of this season.

As the One United USA website says in its adverts, “Every single one of us loves Sir Alex Ferguson.” Let the love affair continue for the foreseeable future, at least one more year, as we can't wait to see United in the States later this summer.

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During the World Cup, I plan to continue blogging on at least a weekly basis, from my unique view as a strong USA and England supporter, which should make for interesting times during group play, that's for sure.

Understanding something about the multiple footballing mentalities and styles, as many who've played in the US know, should allow for some decent commentary here outside of ESPN's over-reliance on English talent, as noted by Paul Gardner earlier this year.

As for all things United, back at you sometime in July, quite possibly from the road while watching United on the USA tour.

Que Sera, Sera

Steve Gerrr-rard, Gerrr-rard
Whatever will be, will be
He kisses the badge upon his chest
And puts in a transfer request

Like the Doris Day serenade that greets the Liverpool Captain when he visits Old Trafford, whatever will be, will be.

It's no secret that many Liverpool supporters hoped they'd lose to Chelsea today, and after Gerrard's gift-wrapped back-pass, you wondered if the Liverpool Captain still held a soft spot for the club he once courted, albeit briefly.

Ah, but players are too competitive, too ego-driven to ever throw a match, we reasoned, after Chelsea's victory at Anfield.

But, if you wanted to do it, Gerrard's dreadful effort would be EXACTLY how you'd do it.

Before Drogba's goal, the match had a similar feel to several we've seen both in the EPL and Champion's League in recent history between these sides. It's not a far-fetched assumption that the game would become yet another nil-nil draw.

But afterwards, Pool fell like a house of cards and demonstrated exactly why they sit seventh in the EPL, a distinct level below this season's top four.

You suspect big changes are afoot at Anfield, with the potential for a new owner, new manager, and several key departures over the Summer. The deflated Anfield air bordered on the surreal, with the feeling they are indeed walking alone toward the exits.

Contrast this scenario with the prospects surrounding Manchester United, who seek a historic fourth-consecutive and history-breaking nineteenth top-flight English title.

So, what will be?

As a United supporter, you couldn't help but wonder, though, if Chelsea's victory would have any impact on the match today at Sunderland, who had only lost to Aston Villa and Chelsea at home thus far this campaign.

But, an astute observer would also know that United have never lost to a Steve Bruce managed side.

News of Rooney's inclusion in the starting lineup lifted team spirits, as the Red Devils went right at the Black Cats straight away. United played with a sense of urgency and were by far the better side today. If it weren't for some poor finishing, as Berbatov missed 3 golden chances himself, United could have easily walked away today two or three goals to the good.

Ah, but what will be, will be.

Today's title-related matches would continue in the domain of the surreal, as United’s missed chances were typically followed by a Black Cat set-piece aimed at the United goal.

No fewer than five corners and many fouls awarded just outside of the area in the last quarter hour provided that strange feeling like it would definitely cost United.

Yet, Sunderland looked less and less likely to score with each additional opportunity that presented itself, with all three Black Cat strikers in incredibly poor form.

Today's match at the Stadium of Light seemed destined to finish 1-0 to United, thereby keeping United's slim hopes of the history-maker alive into the final week of the season.

Indeed, the future's not ours to see.
But, unfortunately, it may have been sealed by one, Stevie G.
Que Sera, Sera.

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Back at you after the season finale. Cheers.