Soccer Orb

"The top four next year will be the same top four as this year."

That was Kevin Keegan's prediction after Newcastle United's loss to Chelsea in the penultimate game of the season.  He grumbled that the league's evolution into an elite, uncrackable quartet plus sixteen also-rans meant that "boring" football was the inevitable result. 

Keegan's words unleashed a torrent of commentary.  Just google "Keegan Football Boring" and take your pick of the opinions that were offered up by everyone from Reading's Steve Coppell to every sports journalist in Britain to bloggers around the globe--except Soccer Orb.  That is because I'm not inclined to conduct an examination of the state of English football that is sufficiently thorough and comparative to analyze Keegan's assertions.  It is true that since I've followed the English game (1998 or so), the title has been held by only three teams--Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea.  And the top four are nearly always those three teams, plus Liverpool.  However, Everton finished fourth as recently as 2005 and both Newcastle United and Leeds United--currently residing in the "where-are-they-now" file--made several appearances during the past decade. 

[By the way, Soccer Orb has moved to http://soccerorb.wordpress.com]

OK, I am straying off-point already.  I know that the rich tend to get richer in the world of sport, especially in European soccer.  Teams that regularly appear in the Champions League have access to cash flows that open doors that will forever remain closed to lesser teams.  Everybody knows that.  But does that make the EPL boring?  Speaking from an American viewpoint--not at all. 

I'm not talking about this year's nail-biting race for the title, nor the relegation drama at the other end of the table.  What fascinates me are the multitude of competitions that define the English (and European) football seasons year after year.  I was reminded of this by today's UEFA Cup Final match between Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St. Petersburg.   Though not as prestigious nor lucrative as the Champions League, the UEFA Cup tournament is a long, grueling tournament that's a real prize.  It's a competition that's been held for nearly forty years.  Eighty clubs participate in the first round; over the years the most successful have been Juventus, Inter Milan, and Liverpool. 

I need hardly mention the magnitude of the Champions League.  Most American sports fans couldn't imagine an extra-league competition that runs simultaneously with the domestic league schedule (for fun, try suggesting this to an NFL or Major League Baseball fan).  And even though the CL format is a daunting one, where truly the best of the best slog through months of competition, it's not as if Champions League glory has always been reserved for a domestic league winner.  Liverpool finished in 5th place in 2005, yet won a great victory over AC Milan in the Champions League final. 

Then there's the FA Cup.  True, it lacks the prestige of Europe and the top English teams often field youthful, inexperienced players in the early rounds.  But Manchester United and Chelsea fought tooth and nail in the Cup final last May, if you'll remember.  Winning a "Double" is so difficult that it's been done only ten times since 1889 and just one team has ever won the Premiership, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.

I don't see a shortage of meaningful competition in English club soccer.  The relegation/promotion system that governs the many layers of competition in England guarantees that things get shaken up often enough in the lower half of the table to keep things interesting.  It's obvious that the top of the Premiership strongly resembles a very stable oligarchy, yet this doesn't trouble me.  Why?  Because real achievement seems to be measured by multiple trophies these days.  Those top clubs are held to higher standards that are more difficult to meet.  Doubles and trebles are rare and likely to remain so.  Moreover, competition among those top clubs is keen.  Were any supporters of Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal bored this season?  I doubt it.

I understand that the examples I'm providing here don't really speak to Keegan's point, which is the unlikelihood of second or third-tier clubs breaking the top four's stranglehold on Premiership glory.  This is probably true.   And it won't change unless the FA bans its clubs from participating in lucrative European competitions.  Until that happens, those Brits who find the Premiership boring are welcome to take a trip across the pond.  Maybe they would like to see a baseball game...perhaps between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.  Both teams were hopelessly out of contention--for anything at all--weeks before the 2007 season was over. With no threat of relegation, why did the fans even bother to show up?  To drink beer, eat hot dogs and peanuts?

Here's the new address:  http://soccerorb.wordpress.com/

I'm in the process of moving old posts, but I hope to start blogging for real again soon.

I'm going to add a couple of links to my list of fellow supporters. 

The first is Albion Road.  I'm not sure how long it's been around, but it's a terrific reference site.  There are extensive profiles of football clubs and leagues from around the world, as well as articles and book reviews.  And I am smitten with this site's name.  According to Wikipedia, "Albion" is the most ancient known name of Great Britain, so it's perfect for a website that's all about that sceptered isle's greatest gift to the world.  (And yes I am including Adam Smith, the Magna Carta, and Shakespeare among those gifts)!

I've recently discovered billsportsmaps.com, and it is just amazing.  You can pull up a map of pretty much every country with a pro league, click on one of its highlighted cities and see a display of basic info about the team's history--date of inception, number of titles, etc.--and a little graphic showing the team's colors.  This is not just limited to football/soccer.  There's American football, baseball, and even Negro league baseball.  I have just learned that the Chicago American Giants played from 1910-1952 and won two Negro world series titles.  And the Kansas City Monarchs played until 1965???  I had no idea that segregation in baseball lasted so long. 

Getting back to football...Bill also has attendance figures, pictures of grounds, and all sorts of other tidbits about various leagues (attendance in Ukraine, for example).  Oddly enough, there's a great map of the North American Soccer League, but none that I can find for Major League Soccer.  Not sure if that's an oversight or a Freudian slip of some sort...

One of these days I will make good on my promise to create a new, non-MSN blog...I really, truly will. 

Nothing, actually.  But then what would I write about?

So let's just say that this post will include a few complaints, so that I can get it out of my system and move on.  First of all, I'm annoyed that I forgot to set up the DVR to tape the ESPN2 telecast of the game.  All four goals occurred at the south end of Toyota Park and we have terrific seats toward the north end.  I had the brilliant idea of changing our seats last year, moving them up from the 4th to the 20th row.  This gives a better view of the south end of the field.  The bad news is that the perpetual stream of humanity flowing up and down the steps tends to block that view.  (Curmudgeon-ette alert:  I'm convinced that at least half of the people at Fire games are there only to buy beer and food.  The game itself is of little interest to them.  The reasons for this are one of the mysteries of the universe.  If you really, really crave a Bud Light, couldn't you go to Jewel and buy a six-pack for something less than $6.25 a bottle)?  The good news about these seats is that we weren't touched by the steady rain because they're protected by the awning.

I would have loved to watch the replays of those four goals.  The Fire scored early and often throughout the first half, beginning in the 4th minute and ending in the 40th.  The first goal was set up by Justin Mapp, who, I'm delighted to report, seems to be right back where he was before last year's long injury layoff.  He moved smartly down the left and deftly crossed over to Chad Barrett.  1-0 Fire...and it went downhill from there for the Revolution.  In the 7th minute the Revs' Jeff Larentowicz was sent off for bringing down Brandon Prideaux.  Even though I was sitting in a pretty good spot, these things happen so quickly that it's hard to get a good look.  For the ref to send someone off on a straight red in the 7th minute of the second game of the season seemed pretty harsh, so I had to assume that it was a nasty tackle.  I wondered if officials worldwide were cracking down on borderline tackles in the wake of Eduardo da Silva's nightmarish injury.  But this morning I read on Soccernet that Prideaux may have tripped on the wet turf.  Sigh.  If only I could look at the replay...

What else?  Oh yes, the Fire's acquisition of 33-year-old striker Tomascz Frankowski has paid off already.  He scored two goals, one on either side of the penalty kick that Cuauhtemoc Blanco blasted in in the 36th.  Frankowski was a Polish international as recently as last season.  The circuitous route that has brought him to Chicago includes stints with Wisla Krakow, Tenerife, and Wolverhampton Wolves.  He scored for Wisla in both UEFA Cup and Champions League play, and notched twelve goals as well for the Wolves in 2005/2006.  His stint with Tenerife in the Spanish Segunda Division was brief, but he picked up two goals there.  Though Frankowski doesn't have Blanco's glittering credentials, I'm optimistic that he will continue to find the net for the Fire.  The icing on the cake would be if he could help the team tap into our huge population of Polish immigrants and juice up the attendance figures, much as Blanco has done with the Mexican community.  The official attendance for last night's match was 15,000-something.  Not terrible for a cold, rainy weeknight, I guess, but we should be doing better.

What else can I complain about?  The generally sloppy level of play, that's what.  Blame it on the rain, the chill, the pitch, or early-season rustiness, but the only two consistently intelligent and skilled offensive guys in red were Blanco and Mapp.  I didn't get such a good look at Frankowski from my vantage point, and he was subbed out in the 46th minute.  Two goals should show plenty of skill and smarts, but this is a whiny post, remember?  Between Mapp's injury and Blanco's mid-season arrival, they had almost no chance to play together last season.  I can hardly wait to see what those two might cook up together as this season matures.

My final complaint has to do with our fans' treatment of Matt Reis.  During the second half, I saw at least half a dozen projectiles hurled his way.  Even after they cleared it away and a warning came over the PA, more junk was tossed at him.  No doubt the Revs' keeper has done something truly egregious to deserve this treatment (Susan rolls her eyes).  But don't you guys remember how Tim Howard was injured by a nail that was thrown in front of his goal during a warm-up before a recent friendly with Mexico?  Isn't it possible, even likely, that Jon Busch may receive similar treatment in Foxboro?  I'm not exactly a pacifist (The Guy snickers), but trite sayings like "An eye for an eye and soon the world will be blind," should find some resonance in the world of sport.  Besides, Fire fans should be above such behavior.  God knows I love and admire Section 8's passionate support.  But why give clueless soccer-bashers any more ammunition against our sport?

Rant over.