European Beatings

I'm not sure if the early stages of Euro 2008 qualifying count as cruel and unusual punishment but I think Andorra and San Marino would tell you it is. Those two states took on England and Germany, respectively, and the results were as predictable as a David Ortiz walkoff home run. England beat Andorra 5-0 while the Germans put up an American football score on San Marino, winning 13-0. Yes, you read that correctly.

It's hard to get much out of these games other than the realization that they are brutally unfair. I don't think a state like Andorra, which has a smaller population than my suburban home town, has much of a chance against the Brits.

On the other side of the coin though, England essentially played a town team and won 5-0. Should England's fans be happy?

It seems to me that the only way for the powerhouses to "win" these games is to score in double-digits. Otherwise, these matches are likely fodder for members of the European press who believe the favorites must thoroughly embarass their opponents in order to prove their might.

That said, just because England played the equivalent of a New York YMCA squad does not mean scoring more than five goals was all that feasible. After all, the Andorrans were more than happy to put eleven players behind the ball. I didn't see Andorra control the ball in England's half after the opening kickoff.

I suppose one good thing about these games is that playing them gets them out of the way, bringing us closer to the competitive qualifiers between Europe's big fish.

Oh, and watching them makes me think about moving to Andorra - if only so I could get schooled by Steven Gerrard on national television. But I'm not sure that would be a good thing.

Preseason Duties

I apologize for no posting anything yesterday or today. As I am in the midst of finishing up my final college preseason, two-a-days are monopolizing my time. We're currently ranked 26th in the nation by D3kicks.com, a website that recently trashed our squad as being anemic on offense. I guess we have something to prove in our opener at Williams, a perennial powerhouse that we beat in last year's conference tournament on the way to a league title and run in the NCAA tournament.

Anyway, just thought I would let you guys know why there have been fewer posts but I should get back to my usual output later this week as the start of classes means fewer practices.

Fine Young Talent

One of the most endearing and entertaining aspects of today's MLS is the abundance of talented, promising young players. With many of the top American players toiling overseas, the MLS has become a showcase for lesser known youngsters. Back in July, we saw what Jonathan Bornstein could do when he notched two scores against Colorado. This weekend, Alan Gordon netted two goals of his own in the Galaxy's 2-1 win over Kansas City. Gordon, who scored his first MLS goal last week, got it done with his feet and his head, sliding to knock in a Cobi Jones cross for the first tally before heading home a Landon Donovan spot kick for the game-winner.

The first goal was particularly representative of the current state of MLS soccer. Cobi Jones, who was a popular member of the first wave of young MLS stars assisting the Gordon, one of the league's new young guns. Jones has grown with the league - from a spry, dreadlocked symbol of American soccer to a slower, dreadlocked symbol of longevity. When he fed Gordon on the latter's first goal, it was essentially the older MLS generation helping along the league's new pool of players. A changing of the guard of sorts. Sure, Gordon is no superstar and, until this weekend, he has spent much of his professional career in the A-League. But Gordon is a vivid image of what MLS can offer to fans: an energetic, hungry yet unknown player who can light up the scoreboard.

He, like Bornstein or fellow young Galaxy stud Josh Gardner, can grow to be a star in this league and exite a fan base. After all, we all like to cheer for guys that feel as if they are our own and many of these young bucks have never played for other clubs. It's like a pitcher who has come up through a team's minor league system. Fans are always more protective and supportive of those players because they feel like those guys are worthy investments and capable of doing great things for the organization in the future.

Players like Gordon, Bornstein, Edson Buddle in New York and Andy Dorman in New England, to name a few, have to potential to be major assets to this league. And MLS is doing the right thing by attracting these type of players that will attract a loyal, devoted, involved fan base.