Five things I think I think – soccer style

Here’s a little Monday morning Holiday season catch-up session regarding domestic soccer affairs. These are a few little soccer-related nibbles to drop into family conversation this week as the kin gather for the holidays.

Subject: DaMarcus Beasley

What wonderful symmetry it would be if the jitterbug midfielder would round back into form just in time for the 2010 World Cup. How’s that you ask? Well, it was right before the 2006 World Cup when things were unraveling at race pace for Beasley. He just wasn't in good form with PSV Eindhoven, having peaked for the Dutch side in spring of 2005. Rumors reached epic proportion that Beasley was enjoying the Dutch scene just a little too much – suggestions that seemed validated with he was fined heavily for driving under the influence in January of 2006.

During pre-World Cup friendlies, Beasley was about as useless as a cold cup of coffee. I always thought (and I wrote at the time) that Bruce Arena was making a major mistake by relying on a player so clearly out of form. And yet, there he was that day in Gelsenkirchen as the U.S. World Cup launch went over about as well as a turd in the punch bowl. Beasley was far more part of the problem than part of the solution. Whatever made Arena believe that Beasley would magically round into form, only the manager can know.

Any-who, now Beasley has a chance to come full circle as he is beginning to get it figured out at Rangers.  He just scored his second goal of the year for Rangers, netting in the second half of the Scottish giants’ 6-1 win over Motherwell.  Now, whether Rangers will continue to put him on the field after the threats of a Winter departure have abated, well, just have to wait and see.

Subject: Caleb Porter

I don’t know Caleb Porter. Never talked to the guy, as far as I know, although it’s possible I may have walked past him in an MLS locker room back in 1999, during his reservists days with San Jose. But I sure like the guy, and I’m sure proud of the decision he has made to remain at Akron instead of pursuing the D.C. United position. Given that he’s the flavor of the moment in domestic soccer – Akron came within a whisper of winning an NCAA Championship this year, falling in penalty kicks to Virginia in the final – Porter probably could have plucked the manager’s position in the nation’s capital. Rather, he’ll remain at a school with a threadbare athletic history and keep driving toward the goal of a historic NCAA championship. You’ve got to respect a decision like that.

Besides, at age 34, Porter is likely to get other chances to manage in the bigs.

Subject: FIFA global trades

Too bad we can't make trades between national team the way clubs can swap talent. Imagine what the valuable stockpile of American goalkeeping talent could reap on the world market. How many national teams would love to have Brad Friedel this summer, if only for the chance to talk him into one final World Cup fling. And have you seen that Marcus Hahnemann is doing at Wolves? He recently took charge in goal at Wolverhampton, which has now won three of four to move out of the relegation zone. Hahnemann is currently the U.S. No. 3 after Brad Guzan, although the pecking order may be rearranged if Hahnemann continues to stand tall while Guzan continues to keep his seat on Aston Villa’s bench.

I don’t want anybody to take this too seriously. Obviously, all of these good fellows are proud as Toby Keith to be Americans. Nobody is asking anyone to renounce their citizenship. Just having some fun here.

Subject: Ongoing stadium development in MLS

I've said for 15 years now – and will say for years to come, I believe – that little ever happens around Major League Soccer that’s more important that stadium development. The financial implications are massive, and the psychological impact and sense of permanence derived from these physical manifestations of progress are immeasurable. To that end, everyone should recognize what is happening at this very moment.

Red Bull Arena is not only ready to begin hosting matches, it is already establishing itself as the “county seat” of soccer in Gotham. It will be the new home of the Big East Soccer Championships next fall, after a full season of having hosted Red Bull matches. I’m sure more competitions are on the way.

Just down the interstate progress is moving briskly – epic snowstorms not withstanding –on the Philadelphia Union’s spiffy ground in Chester. I’m not going out on much of a limb here to say this: the scene at this waterfront stadium is going to rock.

And a little north and west of it, grass has been planted at BMO Stadium in Toronto. That’s a swell little development, one that will leave just two MLS grounds, Gillette Stadium and Qwest Field, with artificial turf. That represents a nice little bounce of progress, too.

Finally, the Kansas City Wizards seem near the important ground breaking on an 18,000-seat stadium near the Kansas Speedway. It’s till hung up in a bond sale but seems likely to move forward.

Subject: Open season on Klinsy speculation

If you haven’t followed the soccer newswire closely, you may have missed than former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Jürgen Klinsmann is pulling a Jed Clampett. That is, he is packing up the family and moving to sunny So Cal. In announcing the relocation last week, Klinsmann has ruled out taking another Bundesliga managerial post. Rather, he will return to California, where his kids have spent most of their young lives.

Of course, this will be the tip of the spear of speculation whenever the U.S. job comes open again. And Klinsmann will certainly be a target for the higher profile MLS positions that come open -- although he might be reluctant to start dragging the family around the United States. Logistics wouldn’t be an issue with the U.S. position, of course, as the national team is based out of the Home Depot Center, just down the road from Klinsmann’s former Huntington Beach address.