Following a rousing final weekend of action in some of Europe's top leagues, here are my thoughts on this Memorial Day Monday:
1. The U.S. roster for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers. Bear in mind that the 24-man roster that coach Bob Bradley selected is a training camp roster and not the final roster that will face Costa Rica (June 3) and Honduras (June 6). Aston Villa defender Eric Lichaj and Kaiserslautern goalkeeper Luis Robles have also been extended invites. That said, aside from the inclusion of woefully-out-of-form Heath Pearce, what's not to like about this roster? Bringing in Marvell Wynne is a good move, as is taking a closer look to see where Benny Feilhaber is now that he's over his injuries and has finally started playing again. Given his early-season form in Sweden, it's also no surprise that Charlie Davies is back on the roster in place of Eddie Johnson. The only other quibble I have is Danny Califf -- but for whatever reason he's seemingly entrenched as Bradley's No. 3 choice at center back.
2. The retirement of a legend. Count me among those who are extremely sad to see AC Milan's Paolo Maldini heading for retirement at the end of the season. Granted, it's probably about time, but it's still a pity to see arguably the greatest defender of the past two decades hang up his boots. The Maldini tradition at Milan (his father, Cesare, was also a noted defender for the Rossoneri) is alive and well, though, as his 13-year-old son Christian is progressing through the Milan youth academy as a fullback and is well-regarded. Failing that, there's always youngest son Daniel, who in this now-legendary clip from two years ago, is seen dispossessing a stunned Clarence Seedorf (Daniel was just 5 years old at the time), proving that it's all in the genes when it comes to the Maldini clan.
That said, Maldini's final appearance at the San Siro ended on a sour note. Not only did Milan lose 3-2 by Roma, but a small section of the Milan fans jeered Maldini on his lap of honor by unfurling a banner of former captain and fellow legend Franco Baresi and chanting "there's only one Franco Baresi." Classless behavior and it visibly upset Maldini.
3. Champions League showdown. With Man United and Barcelona set to face off this Wednesday (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN360), there's no question in my mind that United are the favorites heading into the game. United are well-rested, healthy and facing a banged-up Barca squad that will be missing three key defenders through injury and suspension. If that wasn't bad enough, doubts still remain about the availability of Thierry Henry and Andres Iniesta. While it's likely both players will play, they're not likely to be close to 100 percent and any drop-off in Iniesta's usual level of play is likely to be a critical blow to Josep Guardiola's team. While United will miss the suspended Darren Fletcher, they'll still be more or less at full strength.
Despite this, I believe Sir Alex Ferguson will once again adopt the ultradefensive counterattacking strategy he utilitized last year when United overcame Barcelona in the Champions League semis. You might even see Cristiano Ronaldo deployed once again as a center forward with Wayne Rooney and Park Ji Sung supporting him on the wings. Although I predict a 1-0 victory for United (courtesy of a Nemanja Vidic header off a set piece or corner), admittedly I'd like to see Barcelona win it as a reward for playing the most consistently attractive football anywhere in Europe all season long.
4. All change for Wolfsburg? For neutrals it was a pleasure to see Wolfsburg clinch the Bundesliga title with yet another resounding display of attacking football (demolishing Bremen 5-1 in its final game). However, whoever in the Wolfsburg board is responsible for losing coach Felix Magath (Magath has agreed to coach Schalke next season) needs to get his head examined. Outside of Barcelona (and prompted by the explosive forward duo of Grafite and Edin Dzeko with an astounding 54 goals between them), Wolfsburg has played some of the most exhilarating football this season and it's a shame that the team is not likely to remain intact next season.
As for Dzeko, he's a phenomenal talent who's capable of scoring in every which way possible and is surely destined for a big-four club in either the Premiership or La Liga this summer. Neven Subotic-haters probably took great joy in seeing Dzeko shred the Dortmund defense back on May 12, and in particular on a couple of plays where Dzeko made Subotic look absolutely amateur.
Sporting Smiles
Before I sign off for today, I'd like to bring a couple of worthy causes to your attention. The first is from an e-mail I received from Ian Sarachan, who's the son of Galaxy coach Dave Sarachan. Ian founded an organization called Sporting Smiles a year or so ago to assist less fortunate kids around the country in their dreams and athletic aspirations. The site collects new and used sporting gear for donation and also sells soccer memorabilia and T-shirts with all proceeds going toward purchasing new gear.
Street Soccer USA
For those who aren't aware, the upcoming Street Soccer USA Cup is taking place in Washington, D.C., from July 31 to Aug. 2.
Street Soccer USA is a nonprofit organization that helps homeless and impoverished youth and adults. In preparation for the Street Soccer cup, Street Soccer and CALLE have announced a partnership to create special limited-edition pieces of street art for sale to the public (initially on T-shirts) to raise revenues for the event. For more information about Street Soccer USA and to attend the SSUSA Cup 2009 visit the Street Soccer Web site.
Jen Chang
