Timbers Tid Bits: Argentina Edition

by Geoff Gibson on Jul 25, 2011 11:07 AM PDT

The last international friendly for the season kicks off tomorrow against Argentina's own Independiente! Not a huge team, mind you, but I do recall a few people in a poll I created earlier this year that specifically asked for a South American club to come visit. I hope you're pleased with the choice. Personally, I'd have liked a Bundesliga team. I think the two leagues I fairly similar to each other and MLS fans would really take a liking to the German league as a whole were the exposed to it a bit more. But that's just me...

Enjoy the morning news!

Timbers specific news

Ryan Pore Joins Montreal Impact on Loan From Portland Timbers
In case you hadn't heard.

Comparing the Whitecaps and the Timbers
Fairly neutral article that points out how well the Timbers have done, but then, for seemingly no reason, decides that the Vancouver Whitecaps will be the better team in the future.

Danso’s own goal sinks Portland Timbers in Columbus
Really the blame has to go to Marcelin for centering the ball when he should have cleared it.

Colombian players making an impact in MLS
MLS teams finding talent for reasonable prices. Diego Chara and Jorge Perlaza are just such an example.

League news (after the jump)

MLS demeans itself with summer 'football' follies
An argument against having friendlies in America.

MLS teams are out of their league in exhibitions
No surprise there. Anybody who thinks that an MLS team could beat the likes of Manchester United or Real Madrid on a regular basis should think again.

Calf strain knocks Los Angeles Galaxy's Landon Donovan out of ASG
Landon Donovan missed the Galaxy's friendly Sunday afternoon against Manchester City with a strained right calf.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber talks about growth of league with All-Star Game headed to Red Bull Arena
An interesting interview/article ahead of the MLS All Star game.

Can Union and Crew keep it together?
Ives Galarcep examines the merits of Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew coaches Peter Nowak and Robert Warzycha.

Kamara nominated for MLS Goal of the Week
Sporting Kansas City's Kei Kamara is nominated for the Major League Soccer AT&T Goal of the Week for his beautiful bicycle kick in Saturday's 4-2 win over Toronto.

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Comments

I have absolutely zero desire to care about Argentinian soccer in any way shape or form

but that said, it’ll be fun to see a team from a league I know nothing about and don’t really care about.

I haven’t even read the Soccer America article, and I completely agree – MLS is big enough now that they don’t really need to interrupt their season with these games. Tarting it up by calling it the World Football Challenge and branding it a “tournament” is a complete joke – the European clubs are only using these games as pre-season tuneups (which they should), and whebn stuff like Balotelli’s backheel happens (yes, I know Balotelli’s a nutjob, but still) you know the players don’t really give a damn either. Nor should they. And MLS players run the risk of injury in these games, and for what? Nothing.

MLS teams would never be allowed to come play friendlies in a European league, and the reverse should also be true. I know they generate a fair bit of cash for teams, but it’s a bit silly to do this in the middle of a season.

by pdb on Jul 25, 2011 11:28 AM PDT reply actions

Had not seen that bit of wonder from Balotelli

The goal from Kamara is fantastic.
Capital WTF for the Columbus goal being in the mix for GOtW

volatilelyle.com

by almost awesome on Jul 25, 2011 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions

Dear Vancouver Sun,

Thank you for reminding me why I don’t bother subscribing to newspapers anymore.

by yepyou'reright on Jul 25, 2011 12:52 PM PDT reply actions

be nice, the author of that piece posts here

by pdb on Jul 25, 2011 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah

He writes some good stuff on the Caps blog too. Not sure I agree with the piece, but I don’t begrudge anyone their optimism. The main think about Vancouver I don’t get is how they fit together. I would much rather have our core of young players than theirs going forward. Not because they are that much better, but because I would have no idea what to do with Chiumento(sp?) Camillo, Hassli, etc. They somehow have two goalies who can both start at the this level for an awful MLS team. Demerit is quality, but his injuries are mounting fast. They just don’t seem to add up to anything. Which I guess was his point. But I don’t see how he gets from A to B.

That said, I would do almost anything to have gotten Hassli instead of Cooper. Rough choice. Especially since a guy like Feilhaber would have been a nice add with that allocation order spot, if only to trade.

Say what you want about America, thirteen bucks still gets you a hell of a lot of mice!

by No Pity on Jul 25, 2011 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

Nothing against the author

His employer on the other hand… it’s just that newspaper writing is so boring. It’s the medium that feels so staid… then trying to fit that general style of the old medium into the new is what I don’t care for. I bet the writer of that column could write some good stuff here when off from newspaper duty.

by yepyou'reright on Jul 25, 2011 7:09 PM PDT up reply actions

I feel both chastised and vindicated at the same time

the point that I was (obviously very badly) trying to make in that Sun piece was that the Timbers were getting close to the maximum out of their squad whereas the Whitecaps weren’t.

Maybe that’s a kind of backhanded compliment but remember that it is written for a Vancouver readership and I was arguing that the Whitecaps definitely have the potential to be better than they are (and will be better next season).

Thanks for being intelligently critical as opposed to the alternatives.

by Russell Berrisford on Jul 26, 2011 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions

Don't have tickets for Saturday's game? Want some?

Dave Knows is giving a couple tickets away.

by pdb on Jul 25, 2011 12:56 PM PDT reply actions

I'm still a bit lost on the claims made in the Sun article that the 'Caps will come out on top...

It’s cool about the Colombians coming into MLS, and that it’s turning into a better option than staying home. I’d still like MLS to get some Brazilians eventually lol.

Yes, I agree that the friendlies in this “WFC” are ridiculous, as is the pandering to appease the foreign teams (and assuming that the capacity crowd for CenturyLink Field was all Flounders fans is absurd; anyone watching that match could see it was a red-clad stadium, even in the SG sections). However, bringing in top-flight teams shows the players they have a long way to go still, as well as shows fans the potential of what their league can eventually become. This applies to both articles. The friendlies are better vs. teams in other leagues than vs. teams from the same league. Although I’m sure we’d all agree that we’d love more chances to hate on S**ttle.

The article on Don Garber is kinda cool, actually. He makes some good points, and it’s cool that NYRB got invited to some tournament in London. That’s a good step. And I have to say I agree with him on the “We’re the NFL/NBA/MLB 50 years ago” line… They didn’t just emerge as a dominant sports league, and MLS is the same.

Blazers win!

by The X-man on Jul 25, 2011 1:45 PM PDT reply actions

NYRB in London is all down to Thierry Henry

Arsenal have a preseason tournament every year called the Emirates Cup. It’s always Arsenal, obviously, and it’s usually a Dutch team and other European teams, but this year they’re going global.

As for the claims made in the Sun article, the author is a Whitecaps fan. Would you expect him to believe otherwise?

by pdb on Jul 25, 2011 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions

It's still a good development, no matter if Henry is the reason or not.

And as far as the Sun article, I just failed to see where the argument was made… They’ve made a few more player moves than we have, but I think we’ll still end up being better off in the long run

Blazers win!

by The X-man on Jul 25, 2011 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm kind of against NYRB in the Emirates Cup for the same reason I'm kind of against in-season friendlies here

Nobody in England is ever going to care about MLS. Sorry to be blunt about that, but it’s a fact – they have no incentive to care, because they have one of the top leagues in the world. Given that, why should NYRB interrupt their whole season and fly all the way over to England to play a meaningless game? I get there’s probably lots of money involved, but still. I’m no NYRB fan but it seems like a waste or time to me.

by pdb on Jul 25, 2011 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions

Major League Soccer UK blog

And Xanderlakes Slide Rule Pass blog. Okay, he’s Scottish. But still, people “across the pond” are noticing.

If I’m a RBNY fan, I’m upset about USOC and not liking this at all. But from an MLS point-of-view this is probably the best friendly they can play. Hopefully RBNY plays decent soccer.

by yepyou'reright on Jul 25, 2011 7:17 PM PDT up reply actions

"Noticing" is a very far cry from "caring about", and a list of two blogs isn't exactly a massive show of MLS love

I have spent more than my fair share of time in England, and I can pretty much guarantee you that the prevailing attitude towards MLS in England is either “what the hell is that” or “isn’t it cute, they’re trying”. They really have no reason to care about MLS, any more than they do about Argentinian or Peruvian soccer – In London alone, there are five Premiership teams and nine lower-division teams. This is not a city that is going to be chomping at the bit to watch MLS games.

I don’t see this as a bad thing – I don’t need an English stamp of approval or English fan support to validate MLS. And I feel bad that NYRB have to fly over there for a weekend to play a pretty meaningless couple of games when they’ve got a season to worry about back home.

by pdb on Jul 25, 2011 8:01 PM PDT up reply actions

Conceivably it could help draw interest to the Red Bulls in NY, though

There is a better chance of that happening, and that would be better for the league, than whatever handful of Brits may hop on board.

The timing sure isn’t great.

volatilelyle.com

by almost awesome on Jul 25, 2011 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions

and I agree that it isn't worth it

volatilelyle.com

by almost awesome on Jul 25, 2011 11:22 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

Who are "they"?

Easy there King Henry, you don’t speak for all of Britain (just razzing you).

But you said “nobody cares” and I just gave you an example of some people who do and you shoot it down just because it didn’t fit with your preconceived notion that “nobody cares”. I think it’s good that some there care enough to blog about it.

That said, I’m with you on not needing a British stamp of approval to validate MLS. American soccer relies too much on the English influence anyway. If American soccer wants to be influenced by other countries, let’s be influenced by countries that actually win tournaments.

by yepyou'reright on Jul 25, 2011 11:37 PM PDT up reply actions

I meant "nobody" in the broader general sense

Sure, there are a few people that care about MLS in England, in the same way that there are a few people in the US that care about Uruguayan soccer. Those people, though, will never create enough of a critical mass to matter in the grand scheme of things – and as we both agree on, that’s not really a bad thing.

I want American soccer to be influenced by Americans; I don’t need any other country to respect MLS.

by pdb on Jul 26, 2011 6:57 AM PDT up reply actions