Daily Soccer Fix: FanShots

Where the storyline are in U.S. soccer for 2012

2012-01-03T15:48:33Z

Where the storyline are in U.S. soccer for 2012

Wondering where the big talkers will come from in our soccer world in 2012? The answers are in my piece that posted yesterday at SI.com. Feel free to drop some of these little nuggets of knowledge at the water cooler today as you climb back into the work seat for the New Year.

Today's UEFA Euro 2012 Draw

2011-12-02T22:51:55Z

Today's UEFA Euro 2012 Draw

Poland To Play Greece, Russia, and Czech Republic.

Juan Agudelo to Liverpool

2011-12-01T12:49:40Z

Juan Agudelo to Liverpool

A bit of a teasing title, yes. However, he was invited to train at Melwood in Liverpool in his off-season. Hoepfully it will be good for him and the USMNT. A move to the EPL could only help his game and the USMNT.

Galaxy-Dynamo preview at SI.com

2011-11-18T23:22:33Z

Galaxy-Dynamo preview at SI.com

I haven't heard a thing over two days of post-training player interviews and press conferences here in L.A. to change the way I originally thought this thing would go. I see a close game -- and I'll write more about my prediction Sunday morning. For now, here's my preview at SI.com. (Click on the headline above.)

Where Jurgen Klinsmann spent his weekend

2011-11-08T15:19:38Z

Where Jurgen Klinsmann spent his weekend

U.S. men’s national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann took advantage of his trip to Europe to stop over and watch a trio of his players at their club addresses.

He was in Germany on Saturday to watch Fabian Johnson and Danny Williams at Hoffenheim, where the Bundesliga side drew 1-1 with Kaiserslautern. Johnson started as a central midfielder while Williams played the last half hour as a midfield substitute.

The next day, Klinsmann scooted West into London, where he watched as Clint Dempsey and Fulham played well in a 3-1 loss to Tottenham. (Fulham pushed for and nearly struck the late equalizer, but then saw the visitors to Craven Cottage grab No. 3 at the final kick.)

Williams, 22, is the latest German-born recruit to grab Klinsmann’s attention. Like Fabian Johnson and Tim Chandler (and Thomas Dooley, going even further back) is the son of an American serviceman and German mother.

This week in Talking Tactics: Peter Nowak's gambit

2011-11-02T16:24:23Z

This week in Talking Tactics: Peter Nowak's gambit

In the end, I think Peter Nowak may have picked the right tactic for his Philadelphia Union, but for the wrong game. Tomorrow night at Robertson Stadium, this thing might have found some legs. But at home, to open the home-and-away series against Houston ... not so much.

Reminder: memorable nights deserve deeper analysis

2011-10-28T16:02:09Z

Reminder: memorable nights deserve deeper analysis

A very quick one for now, because I’m marching double time today, heading into the KESN-FM studios to do some advance work before our live show tomorrow. (7 – 8 a.m. CT, recorded at Allen Wickers Pub just north of Dallas. Swing by … EPL on the tele and cold beer in the taps, if yer man enough.)

Here’s something on my mind this morning:

In Game 2 of a terrific, ongoing World Series, the home team led by one run going into the ninth inning. The home team, the Cardinals, lost.

Last night, the visiting Rangers were down to one strike – one pitch from claiming their first championship. Not once, in fact, but twice. But the Rangers lost.

Today, is anybody saying the Rangers "choked?" Or the other day, did anybody say the Cardinals "choked?"

No. And I’m fine with that. Rather, we have a bunch of good discussion on the errors, the managers’ choices, the possible miscalculations, etc., that ultimately decided these riveting events. It’s great stuff, really. No need to break down these memorable nights to least-common-denominator, one-size-fits-all theory; these high-profile encounters deserve better, right?

But now let me take you back a few months to an argument I made back then – that any discussion of a U.S. women’s national team "choke" in the Women’s World Cup final was just a bunch of hooey driven mostly by men and women with pretty hair (that is to say, TV types) who don’t know enough about soccer to engage in deeper conversations.

That they aren’t equipped to have these conversations is fine. That’s not part of their regular jobs.

But they shouldn’t try to appear to be authorities by trotting out cliché angles – plot lines they would never need to apply if they actually took the time to know more about the sport.

Point is, next time the chattering class does drags out a tired, simplistic explanation for nights that deserve deeper analysis, here’s hoping more readers, listeners, viewers and downloaders – really, anybody downwind of the stinky stuff – will call them out.

Talking Tactics: Where is De Ro best deployed?

2011-09-28T21:41:40Z

Talking Tactics: Where is De Ro best deployed?

Click on the headline for this week's Talking Tactics column, where I look at DDR and his various roles. (Dwayne De Rosario is so good, he gets TWO nicknames: De Ro and DDR. So top that!)