Another interesting weekend of soccer, highlighted by Liverpool's 2-0 win over Chelsea, which not only jump-started the Reds' title challenge but also proved yet again that Mike Riley remains the most incompetent referee in the Premiership. At this rate, I'm not even sure Riley would be acceptable by the low standards of MLS officiating. I don't quibble so much about the Frank Lampard red card (which was undoubtedly harsh, but we viewers have the benefit of slow-motion replay), since on first glance Lampard went in at full speed with studs up and Riley was spinning around as it happened.
However, the fact that Riley allowed Chelsea's
Jose Bosingwa to go unpunished after
blatantly karate kicking Yossi Benayoun in the back was unbelievable. In a match full of strange decisions, the only thing Riley got correct was a long overdue yellow card to
Steven Gerrard for "simulation." Anyway, here's what else I'm thinking about on Monday morning:
1. Landon Donovan's Bundesliga debut with Bayern. A top-of-the-table clash with Hamburg, entering the game in the 77th minute with Bayern down a goal, and asked to play on the right wing -- it wasn't exactly the best situation for Donovan to make his first league appearance. As for his performance, I'd say it was solid but not spectacular. He had a couple of nice moments, but he also looked nervous at times which, given the conditions outlined earlier, was understandable. There were a couple of times he was wide open on the flank and his teammates ignored him, even though he was the best option. In those situations, he needs to demand the ball more.
2. Fulham linked with Brian McBride. Reports suggest that Fulham are dead serious about trying to take back McBride on loan and it's easy to understand why, since they lack a target-type striker and their current forwards offer minimal threat in the air on set pieces. At the same time, it's hard to see what possible benefit the Fire could have in letting this happen. It's also hard to see why McBride would be interested. After all, he left Fulham after last season on his own terms, largely due to his desire to be playing back home in the States.
3. Johnson scores wonder goal in England. Nope, sadly for EJ fans, I'm not talking about the misfiring Eddie Johnson, who continues to see little playing time at Cardiff. I am instead talking about the MK Dons' Jemal Johnson (in League One), who is currently on fire with 6 goals in 15 appearances (in all competitions), including this rocket over the weekend against Cheltenham. Given the likes of Josh Wolff, Nate Jaqua and the other fringe non-scoring strikers who have been called up by the U.S. as of late, you'd have to think that he should get a look soon, hopefully.
4. Gallardo has left the building. Count me among those who are saddened to see Marcello Gallardo returning to Argentina. Granted, he didn't have quite the impact that D.C. expected him to have after signing him as a designated player. However, between injury and misuse (D.C. coach Tom Soehn inexplicably used him at times in a holding midfielder or deep-lying playmaker role), he still showed flashes of brilliance. I'm sure the lure of playing once again for his former club, River Plate, was appealing, but I wouldn't be surprised if part of his disenchantment with MLS was also due to the continuing lack of protection that MLS referees provide its flair players. As long as MLS continues to allow lesser-skilled players to compensate with an overly physical approach reliant on hacking, I fail to see how the overall quality of play can continue to improve. It's also disappointing to see the big-name talent drain out of MLS this offseason. People pay to see the likes of Donovan, David Beckham and Gallardo, not Dema Kovalenko or Chris Wingert.
5. U.S. vs. Mexico. With Mexico announcing
its roster to face the U.S. (Mexico fans will be relieved that
Rafa Marquez is back in the fray to solidify El Tri's back line), speculation time begins as to what lineup U.S coach Bob Bradley will opt for against Mexico. I don't think there will be any surprises, and I expect Bradley to opt for a 4-2-3-1 alignment, going with the following:
GK
Tim Howard; defenders
Steve Cherundolo if healthy (
Frankie Hejduk if he isn't),
Carlos Bocanegra,
Oguchi Onyewu and
Heath Pearce;
Michael Bradley and
Sacha Kljestan as the two deep-lying midfielders;
DaMarcus Beasley on the left, Landon Donovan in the hole,
Clint Dempsey on the right; and
Brian Ching up top.
Jen Chang
