Most intriguing figures? Two who won’t make the list
by Steve Davis on Dec 29, 2010 11:52 AM EST
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Let’s be clear on this point: just because someone makes news, that does not make them an intriguing figure in my book.
Cases in point: Freddy Adu and David Beckham.
I wrote a piece yesterday at SI.com on the 10 most intriguing figures in U.S. soccer for the 2011 year. You can probably guess a few on the list, but you’ll probably swing and miss on a few, too. It’s a subjective list, after all, and you may find disagree with the choices. One man’s intrigue is another man’s yawn.
You may believe Beckham and Adu deserve to be on the list because … well, honestly I don’t know why. Yes, I suppose I’m a little interested in what happens with these two personalities. But I’d file their continued action or inaction under “newsy but tiresome.” Honestly, I wish them well, but I’m a little weary of their story.
Beckham? I’m tired of the Beckham hype machine cooking up stories just to keep the man in the news. Will he go out on loan? I don’t know, but he shouldn’t. He should concentrate on the Galaxy, the team paying him all that money – but the one for whom he’s played just 18 regular season games over the past two regular seasons. (Look for more on this coming soon.)
So, honestly, I don’t want to hear any more about loans and other action that serves only to inflate the Brand Beckham enterprises. I just want to write about what Beckham is doing to assist the Galaxy cause, how he fits in the team construction, etc. Therefore, he’s no longer an intriguing figure in my book past his duty at the Home Depot Center.
As for Adu … sigh.
His story has become not just tiresome, but fairly predictable. He moves to the next obscure address. He fails to fit in and can’t contribute to the cause. He moves on. Rinse, repeat.
Predictability, by its very definition, means he’s not intriguing.
You might also have expected to find Bob Bradley’s name on the list. He’s certainly a figure who will continue to make news, mostly through his selections as the next World Cup cycle gets off the starting line. But he’s not on the list because his place is set. He would fairly be classified as “intriguing” last fall before we knew of his job status around U.S. Soccer. Now, he’s a solid news figure, but we more or less know where the man stands.
Check out the list. Alert me of any omissions.
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Rather than singling out Ream and Agudelo, I might have cheated and made “All the youts in the January MNT camp” one of the selections. After all, who knows which of those kids is is going to step up to be a factor in Brazil? But, as you pointed out around the time of their selection, a couple of them will.
For the other vacated spot I’d go with Brad Guzan. Don’t know where he’ll be playing next season, but he deserves PT. AND, the US really needs to come up with someone to push Howard, or at least make us feel a little less uneasy were Timmy, God forbid, to get injured in 2014.
I'd agree that Guzan
is the figure who deserves to be on that list. Probably more than Kevin Payne, because quite frankly, he’s not doing anything to help United’s cause and the time is well past for him to be put out to pasture.
Also, it’s a bit short-shifted to say that Arena is 12 years removed from MLS glory when he spent most of 8 of them in a more prestigious position. Whatever we think of Arena as a USMNT coach, it’s hard to dispute what he’s done with MLS, even last year—as much as I hate the Galaxy and want to.
