Revamp and Return

It’s been a while. A long while. However, in the next few weeks my blog will be getting a facelift and I’ll be making a return to weekly blogging.

Rather than a directionless stream of consciousness, which I would suggest is my current method for topic selection, the new blog will focus more exclusively on health and fitness, sports fashion and equipment and diet. Pivotally, the articles will look at the intersections between these areas and my life in Bethesda MD.

Look out for the new.. well, everything.

Best wishes,

Alex

Luis Suarez: Is a Bite not an Assault?

It was a moment of sheer insanity that will further taint the career of Luis Suarez. Today, he bit the shoulder of Georgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s final group match of the World Cup. This is the latest in a series of disgraceful antics and it is time the footballing world showed Suarez his behavior is unacceptable.

His hand ball to prevent Ghana’s goal at the last World Cup was a cynical example of cheating. In 2010, while playing for Ajax, he received a seven game ban for biting. In 2011 he was banned for racially abusing Patrice Evra. In 2013 he was banned for ten games for biting Branislav Ivanovic. This is a player who has been forgiven for his actions over and over again. He does not learn. The reason he does not learn is because of the ineptitude of soccer’s governing bodies at handing down adequate sanctions. A ten game ban is not enough for a second offense of biting an opponent.

Now, at soccer’s greatest spectacle, he has bitten another player. I don’t care where it happens, but in my mind a bite is an assault and Suarez should be answering to the police, in addition to FIFA. To pour salt into the wound, he rolled around on the floor feigning injury to try and get away with what he had done. Talent is irrelevant. He deserves to never grace a major soccer league ever again. I can’t imagine any other career where people would be so willing to forgive someone who has racially abused rivals, bitten competitors and cheated so flagrantly.

It is time that FIFA handle this matter properly. If Suarez is unwell and needs psychological support to prevent himself from these violent outbursts, then he needs to prove he will seek the help he needs. Perhaps any punishment could be offset if he agrees to seek therapy. One thing is clear, banning him for ten games is not going to stop a fourth incident of this nature.

England Development System: Living in Glass Houses & Throwing Stones

So it’s over after just two games. England are out. It is not quite the dramatic decline that Spain has suffered, but it really shows that the national team are failing, sensationally.

I can’t help but feel my criticism of the USMNT was slightly misplaced, or rather, that people in glass houses should not throw stones. England has the finest develop opportunities of any league in the world, yet our system recruits players from across the globe and neglects the exceptionally talented players in the UK. Of course this reflects in the national side. Gareth Bale, Paul Pogba and Cesc Fabregas are all players who were brought through the youth ranks at English teams. That is the kind of quality being built in the UK, yet our national team is relying on players like Glenn Johnson and Rickie Lambert.

Harry Redknapp, a man who came within a whisker of managing England, has come out and said players actively sought to avoid playing for England. That is disgraceful. The USMNT might not sport the talent of other nations but at least they are genuinely emphatic and honored about representing their country. The UK mock the standard of soccer in other countries, yet how is that possible if our top players don’t want to play. Until we address the lack of opportunities for English players in the domestic league and address this bizarre belief that representing your country at soccer is a ‘chore’, England will not win a World Cup.

While I think the USA was lucky against Ghana and owe a shock first minute goal and poor defending for their win, the unavoidable fact is that they beat a decent side. I still believe the USMNT will either draw or lose today, however, a knee injury to Ronaldo could make a win a lot more likely. They are also in the unenviable position that they will play a wounded Germany side needing a result from their last game. This is very bad news.

Portugal will play to win today and I suspect that they will walk off the field with the result they need. My prediction is 1-0.

GUEST POST: Matt John Mondays

The referee needs glasses and other forgotten cliches by Matt John

The ball is quite literally rolling and it looks as if Brazil will do away with the image of samba football and instead dive and cheat their way to World Cup glory, so long as the referees continue to show home team bias.

It must be tough for them in that cauldron of pressure, particularly after an impromptu acapella national anthem. This could be Brazil’s answer to the Hakka. Those harmonies were pretty frightening.

To give credit, when considered alongside decisions in the following games the referees appear less reluctant in shying away from the big decisions, something the boys in black are all too guilty of in our domestic leagues. In view of the bigger picture, if the consequences are a few dodgy decisions, ultimately this can only result in a cleaner and more engaging world cup.  The litmus test will be how often we hear: “if the same incident happens outside the box, it would be a free kick.”

Onto the football. Spain, the con artists of the century, they have duped us all into thinking they were a team that could deliver on the big stage. We all profile and segregate teams into categories. England: Burnt out from a busy domestic calendar and can’t take penalties.  Germany: Never count them out at major tournaments, well organised. Netherlands: Could go far but will they be torn apart by in-fighting.

But what about Spain? Up until four years ago Spain had their double stamped signed sealed delivered cliche: “Great team, could do well with the potential to maybe even win it, but always choke come a major championship.” Whenever anyone hinted they fancied the Spanish you would inevitably hear in response: “You shouldn’t back Spain at the World Cup.”

How quickly this has been forgotten as Spain’s world cup history is abysmal for a ‘major footballing nation’. Before 2010 they could boast being 4 times quarter finalists, and a 4th place finish in 1950, when the final was contested by a round robin of 4 teams.

Watching Spain reminded me of when I was first learning the controls to FIFA. Or that time when you needed to pause mid game to get a bite to eat, only your return to find your younger sibling at the helm. Can Spain wrestle back the controls in time to steady the ship and repeat their performance of 2010, or is a capitulation akin to France’s abject title defence in 2002 on the cards? To their credit, at least Spain have already scored.

For years we have been told how many football ‘sized’ pitches worth of rainforest have been cleared to demonstrate how man is hurting mother nature. Well mother nature got her own back with a football sized pitch in the middle of the rainforest and she chose to take redemption on the English.

The night of the match, England were immediately dealt a massive blow as  Danny welbeck was declared fit to play, and the English manager, Roy Hodgson, then named the team he hoped could win the 2014 world cup. Brazil was not the answer we were expecting, but the man does know his stuff.  Pre match concerns about the state of the pitch were laid to rest as the Italians will soon flattened out any divots with their diving.

Despite the loss, I couldn’t be more optimistic about the performance, a few mistakes here and there but I think on the whole it was the kind of display fans want to see from their national side. Its just a shame they were outdone on the night.

Given the shock result in Group D’s earlier game, much talk is about how the group currently stands and which team will do what where and how if maybe this event goes as planned it’ll result in something else that may possibly inevitably happen at some point or another, perhaps. The media will over play it but the permutations are simple, the knockout stages have been brought forward. Two wins and England are through. If you cant beat Uruguay and Costa Rica back to back then you don’t deserve to win the World Cup. Despite the optimism, the statistics show an uphill struggle, since 1998 only 4 of 46 sides who have lost their opening group game have gone on to qualify for the knockout stages.

England will have to do it without the services of a significant team member. Physio Gary Lewin will miss the rest of the World Cup after dislocating his ankle while celebrating Daniel Sturridge’s equaliser against Italy. You can’t help but think he clearly isn’t that good of physio anyway!

Over to you America. Show us how its done.

Matt John is a British based blogger, former athlete and regular contributor to this blog on Mondays, visit him here.

England vs Italy

The fact England lost to Italy should not take away from the fact that this was a very promising performance. I, for the first time ever, feel England may actually be developing into a great team.

I could hardly watch England in the major tournaments of the last fifteen years. In 2002 to 2012 the team was built around individuals who ‘had to play’. This culminated in the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ of 2006 embarrassing themselves at the World Cup in Germany. Lampard and Gerrard were incapable of playing together yet it was a midfield partnership that no manager was brave enough to split up. Somehow the lackluster and over rated Michael Owen made it onto the plane and was promptly injured. Wayne Rooney was not fit enough to play in the tournament due to an injury. On the bench was Theo Walcott, a player at the time had never played top flight football and Sven Goran Eriksson took to the tournament based on Arsene Wenger’s poor advice. Walcott did not play a minute of football at the World Cup of 2006, he was not ready. The farce was topped off by the choice of captain in David Beckham. A player who was long past his best and was picked solely on reputation and his lucrative global brand. This was a team people honestly felt should win the World Cup. They couldn’t and they didn’t.

For some reason, people have written off the current team, despite the fact they play incredibly effectively together. The partnership of Henderson and Gerrard is exceptional and practiced week in week out in the Premier League. There are however two areas of concern.

Wayne Rooney is not a left-winger and while he played ok against Italy he is better suited behind the striker. He must play there, or not at all. More worryingly is the alarming belief that Jack Wilshere is in some way a star. His cameo against Italy showed his lack of ability on the biggest stage. He was England’s worst player and brought very little to the game, except a few stray passes. His dull metal was the perfect foil to the impactful and glimmering Ross Berkley. He lit up the pitch and nearly scored the equalizer England were desperately seeking. WIlshere has been on something of a media offensive lately, desperately trying to PR his way into the starting eleven. He spent the latter part of the season injured and, as with Walcott in 2006, only made the squad due to the promises of Arsene Wenger. It should be clear by now that Arsene Wenger’s priority will always be Arsenal. It suits his team for Wilshere to play this summer and be ready for pre-season. It’s very similar to how it suited Wenger for Walcott to have World Cup experience in 2006. Henderson was incredibly solid and looked industrious and reliable last night. Wilshere should be on the periphery of the side, not the go to substitute.

Already the dissenting voices in the UK are claiming this team is a failure. I, however, feel that this could be the start of something. Due to Uruguay’s unexpected loss to Costa Rica, two wins or a win and a draw could be enough to see England through.

World Cup Predictions

It is hard to see beyond Argentina. If Messi turns up and they play as they can, it is theirs. Germany will be close. Despite injuries to Reus and a couple of others, they have a depth that no other team enjoys and are capable of beating anyone, anywhere at any time.

Brazil, as they are demonstrating against Croatia as I write this, are very poor at the back and will concede goals. Scolari is also a manager I have significant doubts about. His terrible period at Chelsea says a lot about him. The players will also capitulate under the weight of expectations.

England will likely falter at the group or second round stage, part of me feels they are capable of making it to the semi finals, but that will take a lot of luck.

USMNT: Early World Cup Exit Inevitable

There has been a sudden and abrupt change in feeling towards the United States Men’s National Team’s (USMNT) chances at this summer’s World Cup. Mark Lawrenson, a former Liverpool defender and now BBC pundit, is predicting they will surpass Ghana and Portugal to reach the last 16. I’m afraid I can’t share his, or Matt John’s enthusiasm. Sorry to be a spoil sport but soccer in the United States has failed to keep pace with an ever evolving sport and the cracks will show at this summers World Cup.

The problem is development. Budding US soccer stars ply their trade at D1 colleges, playing a standard of soccer akin to high-level amateur in Europe. Meanwhile, players such as Gareth Bale are receiving Premier League standard coaching from childhood. Bale, a typical example, was playing for Premier League Southampton FC from age six. Meanwhile, US players such as Chris Wondolowski were playing a dramatically lower standard at places like Chico State University until the age of 22. Wondolowski has never played outside the MLS and did not even reach the national team until 2011 at age 28. Thomas Muller, the German midfielder and relative late starter by European standards, was playing for Bayern Munich at age 11 and has been playing in the German national team since age 15. He has in excess of a decade more experience at the very top levels comparatively to Wondolowski and is six years younger. This slow development is not peculiar to Wondolowski, it is the trend.

The MLS, despite its improved public perception, is still a much lesser standard than the European equivalents. That is why players such as Henry, Defoe and Beckham only venture stateside in the twilight of their careers. Yet more proof comes in the form of Bradley Wright-Phillips, a player who couldn’t make the grade at Brentford FC in the third tier of English soccer, is a star striker at the New York Red Bulls.

Let me make it abundantly clear that this collegiate development method works well in sports only dominant in the USA, such as baseball and football. It is admirable that the US has a culture that seeks to buttress athletes with a degree in case professional sport fails as a career. However, regardless of ethos, an over reliance on college sport is hindering the soccer teams potential. Until there is a significant improvement in the coaching and scouting of fledgling players, the USMNT can forget ever winning a World Cup. There needs to be wholesale reevaluation of the structure of MLS academies and a far greater focus on high school age players and their potential, by the time players reach college they should be considered recreational players, not potential international starlets. In the UK if you are playing at college your chances of catching up with the players at professional academies are minimal, if not worse. The MLS Draft is, without meaning to be puerile, daft. I do not mean to malign the standard of D1, it is very respectable, but a very far cry from the standard that even under 17s play at Premier League clubs.

The CONCACAF World Cup qualification group that the US plays in has hidden the lack of quality. They play teams like Panama, New Zealand and Jamaica. New Zealand’s team, for example, is part-time and not even classed as professional. I feel that if the USMNT played teams like Belgium and Croatia, as Gareth Bale’s Wales had to, they would be unlikely to reach the World Cup.

The decision to leave the experienced and genuine quality of Landon Donovan behind is farcical. It is perhaps an acknowledgement that the USMNT are looking to the future, however, if this is the case why is Wondolowski making the squad at age 31?

My prediction is that the USMNT will accumulate two points and exit early. They may be able to beat Ghana, but will be unable to contain Ronaldo against Portugal. If Ronaldo is injured, they may salvage a draw. The German side may be nursing injuries but there will only be one outcome. If the USMNT only concede one or two goals they will have done exceptionally well. My fear is that it could be many more.

My point is not to poke fun or trivialize the USMNT’s potential, it is to demonstrate that they could be so much more than they are, but change is needed first. After all, they did manage to draw with England at World Cup 2010, imagine what they could achieve with proper developmental opportunities.

GUEST POST: Penalties, Ponytails & Part-timers: Soccer in the USA

By Matt John

“It’s great the USA is hosting the World Cup, we should hold it again next year.”

In 20 years it would be safe to say we have all come so far.

Despite a disappointing final, the tragedy of a murdered player and the disgrace of a legend’s failed drugs test, USA 94 succeeded for FIFA in conquering what was football’s final frontier – the United States.

A skeptical global fan base questioned the ability of America in putting on a ‘soccer’ (this will be the first and only time it is referred to as such) tournament but surely not their ability to stage n extravaganza. The opening ceremony was in the bank. However, Diana Ross in her moment of glory, did not reign supreme.

From a disco diva to the ‘Divine Ponytail’, USA ’94 ended in the same way it began with the horror of a missed penalty. While we still laugh at clips of Ross making a hash of her spot-kick, it is still hard to watch Baggio’s tears after his blasted penalty relegating him from Roberto to Dino.

We were, however, right to be suspicious. It was the first World Cup with 3 points for a win along with changes to the offside, and back-pass rules. Perhaps coincidence, but it became difficult to find humor in meddling with the beautiful game when we heard ‘jokes’ of American TV executives lobbying for bigger goals due to the fear of a 0-0 draws, and for games to be split into quarters to allow for more advertising during the intervals. Deep breaths.

I would love to continue to mock but the truth is that history has proved us doubters wrong. In a remarkably short amount of time USA has become a credible footballing nation with frequent displays they can compete with the tradition superpowers of the game. Despite being drawn in the group of death and safe money suggesting Team USA will struggle to progress, I don’t see any potential upset being viewed in the traditional sense. It will hardly create waves throughout world football and merely suggest the competent group of players, directed by their experienced manager, ‘got it right.’

It’s fair to say it all began far earlier for the USA, and it is a shame that Joe Gaetjens is not a household name as similar achievements elsewhere would have him crowned a national hero. The last time the World Cup was held in Brazil in 1950, a hastily assembled U.S. team composed of part-time players defeated tournament favorites England 1–0, Gaetjens scored the game’s only goal.

So America beat England at their own game not when the world was watching anticipating the inevitable cultural or sporting gaff, but 44 years earlier, long before the USA was even recognized as a joke on the international footballing stage. Regardless of previous upsets, it’s fair to say that in the last 20 years, football in the United States has come a long way.

Matt John is a former professional Badminton player and collegiate athlete at the sports focused and pre-eminent Loughborough University. He is currently an assistant to the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP.

Brief Hiatus

It’s been a busy week. A very busy week! However, fear not, posting will resume shortly.

Due to the imminent World Cup, a former colleague (and very amusing chap) will be posting a weekly view of soccers greatest spectacle as seen from the UK. Be excited. I am.

Peet’s Bethesda

So, my love affair with Peet’s had a rocky start. I’ve tried the coffee before and I knew I liked it, however I was a little surprised to see the Barista at the Bethesda branch sniffing my fresh cup of Java. It was not a grubby sniff. More the kind of sniff you give your thanksgiving dinner as you wait for your family to take their seats. It was a longing sniff.

I fired off a semi-tongue in cheek tweet @peets_tweets. I swiftly received a very polite response asking that I forward my concerns to a customer service email address. In hind sight I was a little too quick to judge. Peet’s is great coffee. Like, really great. The company have clearly spent decades developing the flavor. It is bitter and will probably be a little strong for new coffee drinkers, however, for me it’s perfect.

The decor in Bethesda Peet’s is fresh and light. A dark wooden counter is complimented by beech veneer tables and silver chairs, reflecting the natural daylight pouring through the stores many windows. It’s lovely. The staff are more lululemon than they are Starbucks. Helpful, cheery and genuinely look like they are enjoying what they do.

Peet’s replaced the fundamentally awful Caribou Coffee opposite Bethesda Metro Station. I hated Caribou coffee. I found it insipid and cold. The few times I went in there I found the staff devouring confectionary, desperately trying to ignore customers. Lazily crawling to the counter to take my order. Even though the place was empty I think I was in there fifteen minutes waiting for my drink.

So Peet’s is very welcome. Although I don’t anticipate seeing much more coffee sniffing, I can sympathize with why he did it. Peet’s is great.

Considering how dim my view of American coffee was when I arrived, Bethesda is surprisingly blessed with ample excellent coffee houses.