Season Review 2011/12: England

May 28, 2012

PREMIER LEAGUE
It was, simply, Manchester United’s year and neither a slight bobble at the end of their efforts nor a late charge from Chelsea could prevent the Red Devils from hoisting the trophy at the end of the season, finishing with thirty wins and ninety-three points. Everton and Manchester City will join those two teams in next year’s Champions League, while Wigan, Ipswich, and Hull will all spend the 2012/13 season in the Coca Cola Championship.
United’s Carlo Ancelotti was the Manager of the Year, finishing well ahead of Chelsea’s Danyil Oranje and Everton’s David Moyes.

Robin van Persie

Top Goalscorer: 21, Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
Top Rated Player: 7.52, Rafael (Manchester United)

Injuries, age, and increased competition for playing time left last year’s leader in both categories, Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, playing a solid, if unspectacular, role in his Premier League swan song before heading to Toulouse over the summer. Van Persie’s total does raise the question if the age of the thirty goal campaign has passed: you have to reach back to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 31 in 2007-8 to find a tally that high.

Drogba passed the English Footballer of the Year to his teammate, Fernando Torres, trailed by Steven Gerrard and Antonio Valencia while the Players’ Player of the Year was awarded to Anderson, with his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney coming in third behind Chelsea’s Frank Lampard. The same clubs dominated the Young Player of the Year, with Chelsea’s young French striker, Ishak Belfodil, edging out the twin Red Devils, Rafael and Fábio.

Unsurprisingly, the Select XI was a blue and red affair, with Chelsea’s Petr Cech, United’s Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic, Everton’s Cristián Zapata, and Liverpool’s Luis Suárez joining Rafael, Anderson, Gerrard, Torres, and van Persie, with Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon being the only player clad in white to gain the honor.

COCA-COLA CHAMPIONSHIP

Moments after Sunderland’s Fraizer Campbell had tied the game, QPR’s Alejandro Faurlin gave his side the lead and, thirty minutes later, the coveted final promotion spot into England’s top flight. QPR joins regular season champion West Brom and surprise Nottingham Forest in the move up while Watford, Norwich, and Barnsley will all be moving down.

Fraizer Campbell

Top Goalscorer: 25, Fraizer Campbell (Sunderland)
Top Rated Player: 7.86, Jonas Olsson (West Brom)

Simon Church, last year’s top goalscorer, put in another good season with Reading, as did veteran Scottish defender Stephen Crainey with Blackpool, both of which held their ground in the CCC. Roberto de Matteo of West Brom was the Manager of the Year. With last year’s winner, Paul Ince, currently at Liverpool, could a jump to a more prestigious side be in order for de Matteo as well?

COCA-COLA LEAGUE ONE

Notts County, Peterborough, and playoff surprise Coventry achieved promotion, with Rotherham, Stockport, Luton, and Wycombe finishing at the foot of the table.

Top Goalscorer: 33, Lee Novak (Brighton)
Top Rated Player: 7.84, Danny Fox (Notts Co)

Last year’s leading scorer, Paul Hayes of Norwich City, had a fine year, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Canaries flying, so Hayes will return to CCL1 next season. Coventry defender Stephen Carr retired after last year’s top notch performance.

COCA-COLA LEAGUE TWO

The joys of promotion will be felt by Northampton, Walsall, Bristol Rovers, and Chesterfield, while Yeovil and Mansfield will ply their trade in the Blue Square Premier next season.

Top Goalscorer: 25, Joël Thomas (Crewe)
Top Rated Player: 7.95, Gareth Roberts (Northampton)

Port Vale’s James Lawrie turned in another great year with the twenty-one year old finishing a single goal behind Thomas. Last year’s best player, nineteen year old Mark O’Brien, was purchased by Tottenham and then spent a good season one league up for Plymouth.

A Blanket (Chelsea v Cardiff City)

May 29, 2012

Leigh was glad to see Coach Oranje after their phone call, although she couldn’t shake a sense of anxiety around him. The feeling was familiar: it was the same feeling when she first met Bob Bradley, the same feeling when she first played with the under sixteen boys national team, the same feeling when she was the first girl at her club in Houston to play three years above of her age group.

The feeling was oddly comforting: it ate at her in small nibbles, sharp teeth that pricked at her guts from time to time. But it also was a constant reminder of who she was, of what she had done and what she knew she could do. It was a blanket. A roughspun, scratchy blanket that had more than a few nails embedded in its fabric, but still a blanket.

She felt it as the bus rode rough and loud into Cardiff; she felt it as she wrapped and re-wrapped her left ankle, the one that sometimes gave her trouble; and she felt it as she carefully taped her socks above her calves, redoing them until they were perfectly even. She wrapped it around herself for warmth and for protection, and moved slowly, her eyes already focusing deep into the anticipated rhythm of the game.

She and Marc Muniesa worked together effortlessly during the ninety minutes, combining to allow Jay Bothroyd and Ross McCormack a single shot on goal each which Guillermo Ochoa was able to handle with ease. Afterwards, sweaty but happy, gathered in a small circle of blue at midfield, Leigh watched the reporters scramble to talk with Patrick van Aanholt, who had provided fantastic offensive support from the wings, and with the attacking trio of Jaakko Rantala, Simon Marshall, and Ishak Belfodil, each of whom had scored, as they ambled off the field. She and Muniesa held back: she knew as soon as she approached, the cameras and microphones would move almost magnetically in her direction.

Leigh. Muniesa had turned towards her, his accent thick with the southern Spanish coast. Good game. He nodded in agreement with himself. Is true. Good game.

She grinned, reached up and tightened her pony tail, and began the walk towards the media already swinging their cameras in her direction.

King George Cup, Group C
Cardiff City v Chelsea, Cardiff City Stadium
Cardiff 0 – Chelsea 3 (Ishak Belfodil 2, Jaakko Rantala 30, Simon Marshall 64)
MoM: Patrick van Aanholt (8.3)
Attendance: 26,109. Referee: Michael Langford.

Athletic Club of Saint Louis, Season Preview 2012/13

May 29, 2012

This club is likely to change quite a bit in the coming weeks, but here is what it looks like before the season starts.

The numbers in parentheses are the player’s appearances for Red River, goals, and national team appearances (if no parens exist, the player is uncapped and has not appeared for AC St. Louis).

GOALKEEPERS

Tom O’Brien (80, 27 shutouts) is the current number one choice in goal, but he’s still recovering from a broken leg, and is unexpected to see the field until September. That leaves nineteen year old Daniel Hayden as the likely starter for the Red River. He’ll be backed up by two other youngsters: eighteen year old Ignacio Rincón and fifteen year old Paul Oshoniyi.

This is clearly a position that Langford will be looking to improve.

SWEEPER

The key defensive position in Langford’s tactic is quite a concern. American veteran and Red River’s all time appearance leader Derek Valdez (87; 6) is learning the position quickly, but his lack of experience playing behind the line will probably show through from time to time. Look for Langford to bring in some talent, perhaps even from Italy, to help here; for the time being, Valdez will be deputized by Davini (see below).

CENTER BACKS

Marco Davini (43; 1) and Brian Cutler are the likely starters, although Cutler, on loan from the Penn Yan Mustangs, has had some horrific moments in the preseason. Look for Albright and Gargan to help out here, as well as a few new faces over time.

WINGBACKS

American veterans Michael Harrington (35; 1; 9 USA youth caps) and Chris Albright (17; 0; 22 USA caps) will start on the wings for Saint Louis with Evan Harding (53) and Suad Filekovic (19; 20 Slovenia caps) seeing time in rotation as well.

HOLDING MIDFIELD

American veteran Dan Gargan (29; 1) will start at the base of midfield with support from two loanees, Mike Clark from McAllen and Manuel Rodríguez from Oklahoma City.

MIDFIELD

Diminutive Justin Stephens (77; 4), who stands 5’4” but provides great on the ball skills, will be trusted as the pivot, providing the link between defense and offense for Langford’s side. He’ll be backed up by Conor Shanosky, on loan from Hampton Roads, and Cristian García, perhaps Red River’s brightest youth talent.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD / TREQUARTISTA

The key offensive roles will be filled by Jarrod Smith (60; 9; 28 New Zealand caps) and Alfonso Galván (26; 9), with Adolfo Gregorio (14; 1) and Mission FC’s Tom Cooks helping out from the bench. Galván will fill the trequartista role, given the freedom to orchestrate the attack while Smith will serve as a more traditional two-way player.

FORWARD

The hopes of Saint Louis rest on the broad shoulders of Faneva Andriatsima (32; 6; 9 Madagascar caps), who seems quite eager to take on the role of sole striker. Brazilian veteran Pablo Campos (32; 4) will divide time as his backup with Philadelphia’s Alejandro Cortés.

NOTABLE YOUTH

There really isn’t a lot here, with Antonio Pérez and Mike Campos probably being the best of the bunch.

Here are the starting eleven, front to back:

Tom O’Brien [GK]

Derek Valdez [SW]

Brian Cutler [CB]

Marco Davini [CB]

Michael Harrington [LWB]

Dan Gargan [DMC]

Chris Albright [RWB]

Justin Stephens [MC]

Alfonso Galván [TRE]

Jarrod Smith [AMC]

Faneva Andriatsima [F]

2011/12 Season Review: France

May 26, 2012

Ligue One

Toulouse FC finished the season tied with Olympique Lyonnais, but took home the Ligue One championship by virtue of a nine-goal edge in scoring differential. OM joins those two in the Champions League next year, while AS Saint-Etienne, AS Monaco, and Stade Malherbe Caen will compete in the EURO Cup. Notice who’s missing: last year’s champion, Paris Saint-Germain, finished in eighth place after a decidedly average season.

Perhaps the best performance came from LOSC Lille Métropole, who finished eleventh in their first year after promotion. The other two newly promoted teams, USBCO and Montpellier Hérault SC, were relegated back to Ligue 2 along with Le Mans UC 72.

Top Goalscorer: 31, Robert Vittek (LOSC Lille Métropole)
Top Rated Player: 7.78, Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse FC)

Last year’s top goalscorer, Guillaume Hoarau, had a solid year for Paris Saint-Germain, and this was Sissoko’s second consecutive year as the top rated player in Ligue One. There are rumors that he may be destined for England in the near future.

Ligue 2

ESTAC ran away with the Ligue Two title, followed by Tours FC and FC Nantes. For Nantes, that means their stay in Ligue Two was a single season. The news was at the bottom of the table where RC Strasbourg, Paris FC, and Grenoble Foot 38 were relegated, meaning Grenoble dropped two levels in two years. Of the three teams promoted last season, Paris FC heads back down, but both Chamois Niortais and Stade de Reims survive for another year in France’s second division.

Top Goalscorer: 35, Thiago Ribeiro (RC Strasbourg)
Top Rated Player: 7.75, Fatjon Rroshi (Stade Rennais FC)

Ribeiro parlayed his excellent season into a transfer to Ligue One OGC Nice while Albanian wunderkind Rroshi has been attracting the attention of Tottenham, Bursapor, and Paris Saint-Germain after a great year that saw him score twenty-five and setup fourteen. Both of last year’s stars, Amr Zaki and Silvan Aegerter moved up to Ligue One with LOSC Lille Métropole, having solid seasons in the top flight.

French National

Stade Brestois 29 and SC Bastia return to Ligue Two, along with Evian TG FC. Those three teams were clearly the class of the French National League, easily outdistancing US Créteil-Lusitanos. Racing CF Levallois 92, Rodez Aveyron Football, Sporting Toulon Var, and Pacy Football all find themselves moving down on the season.

Top Goalscorer: 22, Kassi Ouédraogo (AC Arles Avignon)
Top Rated Player: 7.57, Khaled Melliti (AC Arles Avignon)

With both recognized players, it may be a surprise that Arles finished only four points above the relegation zone. Last year’s top goalscorer retired from professional football while Oliver Fontenette had a solid year for Arles.

The Internationals: Ethiopia v Togo; Cameroon v Libya

May 24 – May 26, 2012

The matches between Ethiopia and Togo were a microcosm of the state of Ethiopian soccer: young, improving, and ultimately not there yet.

Tadesse Makonnen’s U19 side was impressive, defeating the young Togolese by a score of 3-0, with goals from Bahir Dar’s Teodoros Heshu and Harrar Beer’s Tafess Ayenew, as well as Saint George’s Meseret Desta. Desta, along with teammate Liban Elmi, were the stars of the game, and the result was certainly well-earned.

U19 International
Ethiopia U19s v Togo U19s, Addis Ababa Stadium
Ethiopia 3 (Tafess Ayenew 10, Meseret Desta 32, Teodoros Heshu 49) – Togo 0
MoM: Desta (8.5) Togo’s Best: Komi Zakari (6.6)
Attendance: 1167. Referee: Prince Clarence.

The U21 game between the two nations was an even bigger surprise: a goal with under ten minutes to go from Mohammed Abera (whose exclusion from the national side remains a mystery) broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Ethiopian side the victory. Tellingly, both of Ethiopia’s goals were from players homed outside the home nation: Abera is in the reserves at Hoffenheim and Adane Metesenot plays for Plaza Amador in Panama.

So, with victories at the youth levels, what would the main attraction bring?

Most of all, it would bring Emmanuel Adebayor. Adebayor has had a difficult year, signing with Newcastle, but unable to play in competitive matches due to changing clubs three times during the season. He was clearly itching to show he was ready to produce, dominating the Ethiopian defense and contributing a brace of goals. Add to that a controlling performance from Serge Gakpé—rumored to be on his way to Manchester United this summer—and Togo rolled to 4-1 victory.

The consolation, if there were any, was in Lencho Skibba’s late goal, which capped an impressive performance by the attacking midfielder from Saint George. Other than that, though, the game exposed the talent gap facing the East Africans, with Samson Mulugeta, generally accepted as the best Ethiopian defender currently playing, being dominated again and again by Adebayor and his fellow forwards, Arafat Djako and Jonathan Ayité, each of whom tallied a goal.

Elsewhere, Danyil Oranje’s Cameroon side had more trouble than anticipated in their game with Libya, needing a well-placed header from Samuel Eto’o in a game they really should have won by more. The game was indicative of Cameroon’s challenge: despite strong games from Achille Emana and Raoul Ngome, where the quality to replace Eto’o will come from remains a mystery.

World Cup Qualifying, Africa, Second Round Group 2
Cameroon v Libya, Stade Ominsports Ahmadou Ahidjo
Cameroon 1 (Samuel Eto’o 49) – Libya 0
MoM: Achille Emana (8.5) Libya’s Best: Meftah Ghazala (7.0)
Attendance: 45,587. Referee: Adisu Woldemarian.

They’re Children

May 15, 2012

Islands Cup Group C
Racing Club Haïtien v Notre Dame Sporting Club, Sylvio Cator
Racing Club 3 (Edens Chery 22, Karly Davydov 40, Ishamel Butler 88p) – Notre Dame 0
MoM: Chery (8.3)
Attendance: 6513. Referee: Evan Thompson.

May 23, 2012

Islands Cup, Group C
Racing Club Haïtien v San Juan Jabloteh Sports Club, Sylvio Cator
Racing Club 1 (Lacina Diomandé 15og) – San Juan Jabloteh 2 (Machel Millwood 17, Lacina Diomandé 90)
MoM: Saylee Swen (7.3) Best Old Lion: Edens Chery (7.2)
Attendance: 6161. Referee: Ian Cullen.

“You were so happy, what happened?”

“It shows?”

A slight smile crossed her face as she answered, “I do know you a little.”

David’s breath came out in a heavy sigh as he moved past her and into the hallway. “You didn’t listen?” Ayida shook her head. David dropped his bag and shuffled into her small living room, falling across the couch, one arm flung haphazardly over his eyes. Without opening them, he shifted his body, opening into an arch to clear space for Ayida’s small form. She crossed the room to him and sat, folding in to him to rest her head on his shoulder.

David’s voice was soft and distant, as if he were reciting from a script. “It was the same thing. Just the same thing. We had a point, a good point, a point against a decent enough team. And as we missed shot after shot, wasted chance after chance, it just got worse and worse. And they took one on a simple corner at the very end. The same thing.” He moved his arms and wrapped them around Ayida, shifting his hips to roll her on top of him, her legs sliding to either side.

He stared up at her face, warmed and excited by the comfort and ease with which their bodies fit together.

She thought for a moment before asking, “You’re not very patient, are you?”

“Patient?”

“David, you are still so new. And this team is still so young. Jemieko is thirty but other than him? Edens, Riley, sure. The rest? They’re children.”

“I thought you didn’t listen.”

She leaned in and kissed him before he could say more, and soon his frustrations were at least temporarily forgotten.

Later, as David faded in and out of sleep, he returned again to the long wooden table in the small room with the branches scraping against the window.

David looked around, but he remained alone. He sat for a moment, running his hands over the rough table, remembering. He looked behind him often, expectantly, but nothing appeared: no sudden smell of jasmine, no flash of light, no tinkling of bells. Just him and the noise from the window, the sound of bones dragged across the ground.

He walked around the room, stopping beneath the window. Staring at the wall, he noticed something for the first time, a faint outline that he would swear had not been there before, an archway. The wall was cool to the touch, but the small seam that rose from the floor, curving well over his head and then back down again, was warm, warm like the wind in Port-au-Prince in the middle of summer, warm like a body after a bath.

David took a step back. “It’s a door. OK, I get that. What am I supposed to do with it?” he asked himself.

A voice answered from his memory, many voices wrapped around each other in slightly offset echoes, asking him, “How much are you willing to do?”

David spun around quickly, but he was still alone in the room. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he felt like dozens of people were watching him. He moved forward and pushed on the wall.

Nothing happened. He pushed harder, but it was just a wall, unyielding to his efforts.

“That was supposed to work,” he thought to himself.

He kneeled, staring intently at the line of the arch where it met the floor and as he leaned towards the wall, he thought he could hear voices on the other side.

They were indistinct at first, but soon a child’s voice, a boy’s voice could be made out. “Becca!” it called, “Becca! Bex! Can you hear me?” There was a pause, and then a low, pained moan in response. He heard the boy take a sharp intake of breath, and when he spoke again, his voice caught in his throat. “Bex, listen to me. You’re OK. Whatever they did, you’re OK. I’m here. You’re OK.”

His voice trailed off and David could hear muffled cries from further away.

He began scrabbling at the wall, clawing at the seams of the door, trying to find a space where his fingers could fit. His movements became more frantic, more wild, and soon he let out a small cry, one hand flying to his mouth. “Fuck!” he said aloud, staring at a rapidly welling line of red along the side of a nail that had caught on a jagged edge of plaster. He sucked at his finger for a moment, the iron taste of blood washing down his throat. It was just a tear, a little painful but no more than that, but the sudden hurt made him take a step back and reassess.

He looked again at the base of the wall, where a small line of red now ran along the seam and then arced away in a trail of elongated drops of blood. Where it crossed the seam of the door, the line was glowing, a dark blue that seemed to pulsate as if it were filled with smoke.

Please, No Breaking

May 12, 2012

Friendly
Portland Timber v Saint Louis Athletic Club, PGE Park
Portland 4 (Michael Lahoud (4 32, Tony Tsabedze 24, Ryan Pore 73) – AC St. Louis 0
MoM: Lahoud (9.2) Red River Best: Steven Rigby (6.8)
Attendance: 3267. Referee: Jason King.

May 16, 2012

Friendly
Charm City Soccer Club v Athletic Club Saint Louis, UMBC Stadium
Baltimore SC 1 (John Gilkerson 90+2) – AC Saint Louis 0
MoM: Alberto Castro (7.5) Red River’s Best: Mike Clark (7.1)
Attendance: 4268. Referee: Richard Burns.

May 20, 2012

Friendly
Miami FC v Athletic Club Saint Louis, Tropical Park Stadium
Miami FC 1 (Dominic Cole 69) – AC St. Louis 0
MoM: Henry Medina (7.2) Red River Best: Derek Valdez (6.9)
Attendance: 282. Referee: Chris Thompson.

May 23, 2012

Friendly
Cleveland City Stars v Athletic Club Saint Louis, Middlefield Cheese Stadium
City Stars 4 (Julian Baudet 16p, Ibrahim Kanté 26, Mark Schulte 58, Kevin Evans 68) – AC St. Louis 0
MoM: Schulte (8.7) Red River Best: Conor Shanosky (6.6)
Attendance: 468. Referee: Jason King.

Portland was no surprise. The Timbers were an established team and Michael Lahoud and Tony Tsabedze were better players than our home fans would cheer on for many years. So, that was fine. Even Alex, who is proving to be as competitive a person as I’ve ever been around, seemed to shrug it off.

Baltimore was a little harder, but it was a moment of idiocy that cost us the game. It happened after ninety minutes of what was quite simply boring soccer brightened only by the flame red hair of Baltimore’s teenage striker, Dana Scully. She could play for us: fast, a deft touch on the ball, and a calm in the penalty box that let her always seem a half-step quicker than the defender.

Two minutes into stoppage time, Scully took a corner with the ball falling to Baltimore’s John Gilkerson. Both Valdez and Marco Davini stayed with Korey Veeder, which was fine: Veeder is much more dangerous from set pieces than Gilkerson, despite being two inches shorter. But Gilkerson had what was easily his best touch of the day, settling the ball instantly and sending a hard shot along the ground towards the near post. We’re fine, though: Mike Campos held his position at the far post and all he needs do is block the ball back into play.

Now, Campos is probably one of the players happiest at my arrival: he’s just a kid, seventeen, something like that. But his position is as a wingback, and he’s finally able to show something to the coaches after years of being told he had to stop moving so far up the field. So he’s had a good few weeks.

But not here. Instead of the simple clearance, he goes and tries to be a hero. He gets it all wrong, missing the ball entirely, and letting it roll over the line with the final action of the game.

Alright. Whatever. That happens with seventeen year olds.

And Campos held his shit together: he apologized to the team after the game, and it was a moment that held some positives, a chance for the group to come together as a unit.

But the warning bells began to sound with the next game in Miami: as it ended, we had gone three hundred and fifty minutes without scoring. Again, the defense was sound, with their goal coming against Ignacio Rincón, a nineteen year old who will only see time in goal for us in moments of true desperation.

But we had to find a way to score.

Luckily, we were facing Cleveland City next, a non-league team that should have provided exactly the remedy we needed.

Should have.

Instead we gave up four.

Four! To a rag-tag bunch of amateurs whose dreams of playing the game should have been crushed years ago. We gave up goals in every way imaginable: an incredibly obvious shove in the box from Brian Cutler for a penalty, a player left totally unmarked on a set piece to head the ball home, another player left alone to size up a shot for an eternity before striking it true from thirty-two yards.

Alex was apoplectic, the vein on the side of his throat throbbing with anger as he ripped into the team after the game. He got to them, too: I saw flushed necks and hands clenching in response and for a moment wondered if at some point I would have to diffuse the situation.

He must have sensed that things were heading a little out of control because he suddenly stopped, turned, and kicked a chair into the corner where it clattered loudly before coming to rest. He turned to face the team, his voice softer. “Look,” he said, “I hate having to do this. It’s up to you. Play better so I don’t have to break things. No breaking.”

He’s smart enough to know an exit line when he hears one, so with that he caught my eye and we both headed towards the door. I paused before exiting. “Twenty minutes to the bus. You’re late, you get a fine. And, please, no breaking.”

Alex was in the hallway, leaning against the wall, his head tilted back, his eyes staring through the ceiling. “You’re right,” I said as I approached. “Everything you said was right. We have Maryland next, we should be able to turn it around against them.”

He nodded and, as we made our way down the hall, said, “I hope so. We better.”