Xavi (pre-cloning)
In the 90’s human cloning was extremely controversial. I think fans of the Colorado Rapids and/or the US Men’s National Team could agree an exception should be made.
Watching Xavi play this weekend versus Real Madrid, he was the spoke around which the Catalan wheel rotated. Even when they went a man down he directed the flow of play.
The Rapids have a powerful striking duo up top with Casey and Cummings. We have a less potent but still fairly dependable back line with the likes of Moor and Baudet.
What Colorado really lacks is a a creative presence like Xavi, a turret in the middle of the field firing balls forward.
With the US Men’s National Team the need for a Xavi-clone is one of possession. We lack a strong presence in the middle of the field that can absorb passes from the back, choose passes without cheaply giving up possession, do it repeatedly throughout all 90 minutes. Instead, at times, we sprint around like a track team defenders like Gooch fire optimistic balls downfield and hope one of our front men can get onto it.
These are not newly diagnosed issues. Surely the only option is to clone Xavi and get him ready for 2010.
Rapids News and Analysis, US National Team
Barcelona, Catalans, colorado rapids, Drew Moor, Julien Baudet, Oguchi Onyewu, US Men's National Team, Xavi
Disclaimer #1: I realize that this is a Colorado Rapids and MLS blog, not USMNT.
Disclaimer #2: I realize I have a man crush (based on all 3 criteria) on Timmy and am hopelessly biased.
That being said, going into a huge USMNT weekend, it is time to establish once and for all that goalkeeper Tim Howard is the best US Soccer player. Period. I give you the top 5 reasons this is the case
- He is the unquestioned #1 for club (Everton) and country
- He is among the 2 players on the USMNT whose loss would have the greatest effect on our performance (I’d say Donovan is the other clear choice on this list)
- He has performed in the best league in the world (EPL) and distinguished himself as one of the top keepers in Europe (reference: David Moyes)
- He has excelled in the Europa league in UEFA, the finest regional association in the world
- He is an absolute rock, a consistent leader whether we are playing T&T at home or Mexico at the Azteca
US National Team
Everton, Tim Howard, US Men's National Team
In evaluating the Rapids form at this point in the season, I think of the US Men’s National Team. There was a carousel of players in and out, different formations, different styles of play, and inconsistent results. Once Bob Bradley arrived at a final 11 and somewhat of an identity, the results at the Confederations Cup were staggering. I believe the Rapids have yet to find that identity.
One of the first areas this shows up is the lack of a default starting 11. Read more…
Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis, US National Team
Bob Bradley, Chivas USA, Colin Clark, Conor Casey, Cory Gibbs, DC United, Jacob Peterson, Jordan Harvey, Julien Baudet, Kosuke Kimura, Matt Pickens, Mehdi Ballouchy, Nick LaBrocca, Omar Cummings, Pablo Mastroeni, Preston Burpo, Scott Palguta, Ugo Ihemelu, US Men's National Team
Mark, thanks for taking a moment to chat with CRF!
First off, tell us about when and how your passion for the Rapids began.
I’ve been around since the beginning. In high school, my teammates and I were skipping classes to watch the 1990 World Cup, so our principal finally gave in and put a TV in the cafeteria Read more…
Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis, US National Team
Colin Clark, Conor Casey, Jordan Harvey, Mark Bodmer, Nick LaBrocca, Omar Cummings, US Men's National Team, World Cup
Rapids Media just released that we have signed Ugo Ihemelu and Omar Cummings to new multi-year deals. I’m very pleased to hear this news, as both players are making a solid contribution to the Rapids and are beginning to contribute on the international stage. Read more…
International Soccer, Rapids News and Analysis
Gary Smith, Jamaican National Team, Omar Cummings, sweden, Ugo Ihemelu, US Men's National Team
A cocktail of the US MNT training camp and a week with Scottish champions Celtic proved to be a potent combination for Sasha Kljestan. With a big ol’ goose egg in previous international appearances, Sasha sizzled with 3 goals Read more…
International Soccer, Major League Soccer (MLS), Rapids News and Analysis, US National Team
Bob Bradley, Brian Ching, Houston Dynamo, International Friendly, Jeff Carlisle, Sasha Kljestan, Soccernet.com, training, training camp, Ugo Ihemelu, US Men's National Team, USSoccer.com
In the US vs. Guatemala game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, young Jozy Altidore caught my eye. It wasn’t that one phase of his game was overly dominant, he just seemed to do everything well and be in the right place at the right time.
Apparently the Toffees have taken interest as well, though Villareal has rejected Everton’s loan offer. Read more…
International Soccer, Major League Soccer (MLS), US National Team
Dick, English Premier League, Everton, Jozy Altidore, red bulls, toffees, US Men's National Team
Following up on a previous article about Rapid’s defender Cory Gibbs, he has withdrawn from camp and is being replaced by Ugo Ihemelu. Hopefully this bodes well for our defense this season, to have two defenders on Team USA.
Ihemelu has one cap versus Norway, and clearly has better hair than Gibbs. Nonetheless Gibbs’ withdrawal is puzzling.
Read the full article at the Rapids site
Rapids News and Analysis, US National Team
Cory Gibbs, defender, norway, US Men's National Team, USA
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