I'm in Boston right now for a few days for a work-related conference before heading down to South Carolina on Sunday, but here's what I'm thinking about Friday:
1. U.S. U-23s vs. Panama After the tie against Cuba, U.S. fans must have been relieved to see coach Peter Nowak totally revamp his starting lineup, and the results were readily apparent in an improved performance against Panama. The U.S. still has a disturbing tendency to give the ball away frequently and carelessly in possession, but at least there was better offensive flow from the wings, where Stuart Holden and Eddie Gaven were a huge upgrade (Holden moreso than Gaven) over Charlie Davies and Robbie Findley in that role (no real surprises there). Michael Orozco looked pretty good at center back, and with the hapless tandem of Kamani Hill and Hunter Freeman also on the bench, the U.S. full-back position looked a lot more stable with Nathan Sturgis shifting to left back and Marvell Wynne at right back. Unless the U.S. draws Mexico in the semis though, the path to Beijing looks pretty clear cut at this stage.
2. U.S. medal prospects Assuming the U.S. qualifies for the Olympics, the question will be, Whom will Nowak select as his three overage players? For the U.S. to have any kind of a shot at a medal, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey obviously have to be included. Even though most countries don't really take the Olympics seriously, one country that does is Argentina, which is the clear favorite right now. Coach Sergio Batista has previously announced that Javier Mascherano, Juan Riquelme and Martin Demichelis will be his three overage players, and those three will bolster a squad that already has Sergio Aguero, Fernando Gago, Gonzalo Higuain and Ever "YouTube scandal" Banega. Expect Brazil to take a reasonably strong squad too, it's the only soccer title the Brazilians have yet to win and something their federation is determined to rectify (Kaká has stated he wants to participate).
3. Champions League quarterfinal draw After a draw that sees Arsenal matched up against Liverpool, Fenerbahce vs. Chelsea and Roma vs. Man U, Barcelona is probably breathing a huge sigh of relief. Not only does it get the easiest opponent in Schalke, assuming Barca wins, it could also have Lionel Messi back from injury in time to face the winner of Man U/Roma in the semis. In the other half of the draw, neutrals will be hoping that either Liverpool or Chelsea loses to avoid a repetition of the Liverpool-Chelsea clashes that have often left people wondering how the combined array of talent can produce such dross to watch.
4. West Ham in the MLS All-Star game? Rumors are rife in the blogsphere that West Ham will be the opponents in this year's All-Star Game (July in Toronto). If it's true, that's certainly a huge dropoff (especially considering Liverpool was the much-bandied about team of choice for MLS execs) and a no-win situation for MLS. Considering that West Ham is only a mid-tier EPL team and won't be fully match fit when it plays, the MLS All-Stars will be expected to win convincingly. A loss, and question marks about the quality of MLS will abound again. I really think that if MLS is to keep with this format of bringing in foreign teams, it needs to stick with bringing over the top echelon, and if the EPL teams aren't available, it needs to look at other leagues. Porto, PSV, Ajax, Bayern Munich or any of the South American teams like River or Boca would have been far better choices than West Ham.
5. Charleston Battery update Everything is almost set for my training stint next week, starting on March 17. There's even a potential closed-door scrimmage against an as-yet-undetermined MLS team on Thursday, March 20, which is likely to be either San Jose, Toronto or the Red Bulls. I've actually been slated for 20 minutes in that game, possibly longer, provided I'm not a complete disaster (no promises on that account) on the field. I've already advised coach Mike Anhaeuser -- Indiana fans will remember him fondly from the 1988 NCAA Championship-winning team -- to have very low expectations for me. The Battery have made some interesting personnel moves lately, picking up Cuba's all-time leading scorer Lester Moré and former MLS defenders Jack Stewart and Marco Reda as well. Anyway, I'll be blogging each day after training ends, so expect something in the late afternoon/early evening daily.
Jen Chang
