PFA Team of the Year

As another season comes to an end, another team of the year has been announced. To no one's surprise, Leicester and Tottenham both had a big representation in the 11 man team that was named. This is mainly credited to Leicester's amazing run and Tottenham's second place position currently. Leicester and Tottenham both had 4 players selected to the team. But, with that, there was a big snub this year that was a bit surprising. I figured I'd talk about that prior to talking about the team itself. Mesut Ozil. A big name in the soccer world, but no where near the size of Messi or Ronaldo. That said, he is a star in the English League and his performance this year showed that. This year in the English Premier League, Ozil had 6 goals and 18 assists. EIGHTEEN ASSISTS. He is currently two assists away from tying the record for assists in a season. He has a created 137 goal scoring chances this season. Christian Eriksen, who is second in this category, has created only 108 in comparison. Point made. But let me mention that I have no bias in this argument, mainly because I would describe my feeling towards Ozil and Arsenal on the upper hatred spectrum of fandom.

Let's get into the PFA Team of the Year. Here are the 11 players that were selected:



David De Gea, GK

De Gea has played in 30 games this season and has 14 clean sheets. He has set himself apart from his competition as the best goalkeeper in the league with amazing performances and unreal saves. His performance has, without a doubt, saved Manchester United at least 10 points throughout the season.

Danny Rose, LB
Rose has cemented his identity as an attacking-minded left back. His second season as Tottenham's starting left back has seen him really grow into the role. So much so, that he was named a captain for a game earlier in the season. Rose has provided Tottenham a solid defender who has the ability to create danger going forward. This video is an old goal that he scored, but I figured that it was nice enough to put here anyways:

Toby Alderweireld, CB
Alderweireld has a lot more going for him than just his extremely long name which is tough to type and say. As a newcomer to the league, he had brought a lot of controversey prior to the season when he had reportedly completed a move to Southhampton but ended up agreeing to a deal with Tottenham afterwards, the club he plays for now. Alderweirdeld has played in every game so far in the season and has 4 goals to add to that. He has been a force to reckon with and has played a huge role in Tottenham's success this season.

Wes Morgan, CB
Much like most of the Leicester team, Morgan, the team captain, is another amazing story. The 32-year old Jamaican did not play in the top league until he was 30, when Leicester was promoted 2 years ago. Morgan has played every game in the league this season and has attributed one goal as well.

Hector Bellerin, RB
Bellerin, a young Spaniard like De Gea, had a breakout season. He has played in 33 games and scored a goal while also having 4 assists. Bellerin is only 21, but has already made a statement in the league. He is known for his spectacular speed and tremendous work effort. With that, the future looks bright for him going forward.

Dimitri Payet, LM
Payet has shown his worth this season for West Ham. They payed $17 million for the frenchmen and it sure has paid off. Payet has scored 9 goals and has 9 assists as well in 27 games played this season. The man has been vital to West Ham's performance this season which has them 6th in the league table. Oh, and also, he has done some pretty unreal things on the field, which has lead to him being nicknamed "the freekick king". Like this goal:

N'Golo Kante, CM
As I mentioned ealrlier, Kante is one of the four Leicester players to make the team. Kante, like Payet is a french midfielder that excelled this year. Kante's second season in the English league was spectacular. He became known as the anchor of this Leicester seem that has been on this magical run. Kante's ability to be so dominant in the midfield didn't go unnoticed, as he was also nominated for the Player of the Year award.

Dele Alli, CM
The youngest player on this list, as he just turned 20, Alli leads Tottenham's creativity game after game. Although this is Alli's first year playing at the highest division in English soccer, Alli had no problems settling in with the big boys. Alli has 10 goals and 9 assists through 33 games this season, and has recently been called up to the English National team, where he scored this goal:

Riyad Mahrez, RM
Last but not least in the midfield, we have Riyad Mahrez. Mahrez just won the player of the year award and deservedly so. Mahrez, an Algerian player who 2 years ago was playing for a second division french team, started the season on fire with four goals in four games. Yet, the flame never died out for Mahrez. He continued to be the attacking brains behind the potent offense that Leicester put together this year. Mahrez has 17 goals and 11 assists in the 34 games that he has played in this season. These number speak for themselves and make it clear why Mahrez won the Player of the Year award this season.

Jamie Vardy, ST
If you have been following this blog, you may remember that we talked about Vardy and his rise to success back in February. Vardy's season has been one that not even he could imagine. Much like Dele Alli, his success has provided him with a call-up to the English National Team. The only difference? Vardy is 28 years old. He has proven that his pace and ability to score are top class and earned him a nomination for Player of the Year as well as a spot on this team. Vardy has missed only one game this season so far due to suspension. With that, he has scored 22 goals and has 6 assists in the 34 games that he has played in.

Harry Kane, ST
Last but not least, Harry Kane. Kane had a fantastic year last year which saw him win the golden boot (highest goal scored). Many doubted that Kane could maintain that form and were proven to be correct early on. But, Kane began to catch fire again this season and is so far the leading scorer for this season as well. Kane, who is only 22 years old, has 24 goals and 1 assist this season. If this stays the same, Kane will win two golden boots before he turns 23, something that has never before been done. Although Tottenham may not win the league this year, they have a world-class forward who will score many goals in the years to come. Here is a video of Kane's best goal this year, and I promise this is the last one:

End of Season Theatrics

Ahhhh, it is that time again. The end of another Premier League season. It is 1000% a terrible thing. I will no longer have the excuse to lay in my bed for 6 hours on Saturday and Sunday. More importantly, the only news that will come is news about what players will go to the top teams in Europe. All of which, will lead to about 90% of those rumors being completely wrong. But besides the depressing thoughts that are looming in my head about the season ending, this time of the season is as wild as it gets. Over the years, the last several weeks have been massive for a variety of teams. Let me explain what I mean. So in the Premier League there are several races going on to end the year. There is the obvious race to win the league itself. Then there is the relegation battle, in which 3 teams at the bottom of the table get demoted. Lastly, there is another race which is the race for finishing in the top 4. Why? Well the top 4 teams qualify for the Champions League. Champions League brings in millions of dollars in revenue. Furthermore, it is a vital in terms of recruiting top-class players.

So let's recap what is going on right now in the league. To the right here you can see the table. Leicester, who were 2500/1 favorites to win the league, are one win away from winning the league. To put that in perspective, the Cleveland Browns are 200/1 favorites to win the Super Bowl this upcoming year. But this race is pretty much over. There is only the slightest chance that Tottenham Hotspurs can catch Leicester.

They call this day Survival Sunday for a reason. Let's take a look at the bottom of the table. As you see, there are three teams (from 17th place to 19th) that are 1 point apart from each other for the 17th place haven of avoiding relegation. Now this race, in past years has been as intriguing as that at the top. Teams are clawing to do anything possible to not get relegated and lose the advertising money of the Premier League. Sunderland (17) and Norwich (18) have one game in hand over Newcastle (19). With that, though, Sunderland plays Stoke, Chelsea, Everton and Watford. Norwich plays Arsenal, Manchester United, Watford and Everton. Lastly, Newcastle plays Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Tottenham. From that, my favorite to stay up is Newcastle. Although they are a game ahead and a point behind. They have by far the easiest games remaining. Both Norwich and Sunderland face 4 teams that have quality squads and a point to prove. Meanwhile, Newcastle is almost guaranteed three points against Aston Villa who has been terrible and is in dead last and Crystal Palace, which will be a toss up. One thing to keep in mind, is goal differential. Which is on this table as "GD". It is the difference between goals scored and goals allowed. As you can see Sunderland is far superior to the other two teams, but if it were to come down to Norwich and Newcastle it could get very interesting because, as you can see, the goal differential is only one between the two.

Lastly, there is the race for 4th which much like the race for 17th. There is a three team race for the 3rd and 4th place. Manchester City (3), Arsenal (4) and Manchester United (5). Again, you can see that United has a one game advantage but are currently 5 points out of that 4th place spot. Yet there is a huge twist in this whole race. Manchester City and Arsenal play each other. As such, it would only make sense that one of those teams drops points. As such, if Manchester United wins out the remaining four games, they will finish top 4. Manchester City have the toughest route just because of the games they have to play and the fact that they are in the Semi-finals of the Champions League. With that, though, I think that United will win out and Arsenal will miss out on top 4 (yes I am 100% biased and I don't care)


So I know I talked up the last days of the season. Here are some crazy videos that show the last day of the season and how much the last day can end up meaning. First, this video kills me to watch. But, here's is the background. Manchester United had won their last game of the season in 2012. Manchester City were losing 2-1 to QPR in the last minute and had to win in order to be crowned Champions. At this point, it is clear that United is going to win the league. But, against all odds, this happened:

Here is a video of the relegation zone battle in 2004-2005:

I think it is safe to say that this year's endings will come down to similar situations. Let's all hope that United is on the celebratory end this time.

Play Highlight of the Month: Roy Keane

Where do I start? Actually, before I say anything. Here:

Keane and Vieira

Okay so I know usually you are supposed to give context for the story before showing the video, but I just couldn't do it. This guy is one of my favorite players of all time. This scuffle in the tunnel before the game all begins with Patrick Vieira and Gary Neville. As the story goes, Vieira, the Captain for Arsenal, was trying to intimidate Neville as he passed him to the front of the tunnel. Now someone who isn't a fan might ask, why didn't he just stand in the back of the line? Why did he have to pass Neville? Well, in soccer it is customary that the teams are lead out by the captains in the front followed by the goalie. So anyways, back to the story. Vieira is massive (6"4) and was known to be a bully on the field. Neville, on the other hand, was only about 5"10 with his cleats on. As told by Vieira himself, he told Neville that if he touched one of his players he would come after him. Now this didn't stick well with Roy Keane. The man supposedly came up like a madman claiming that he was picking on Gary Neville because he was a weak link. Which, then, led to the scrum in the video above. The two were both amazing players and to this day it is tough to find two players more passionate. But, as Keane stated a few years ago about who got the better of each other, "I'm convinced I dominated eight out of 10 games".


I love this guy. Watching this video makes me miss the old Manchester United so much. I know in the past I've talked about the frustrating season and how the team is underperforming. But more than anything, this guy was the difference at United's prime. The intensity. The pure love for the team he played for. He was awesome. Reckless? Sure, you could say that at times he was. I mean, several times he had tackles that ended a player's career. Like the one on Alf-Inge Haland, which saw his career ended.

The video shows why Keane retaliated a few years later with that tackle. Was it the right thing to do? Obviously not. But, in Keane's defense, the man was asking for it. And, as United fans used to say, don't fuck with Keano. He was quoted as saying "I'd waited long enough. I fucking hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c*nt. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries. Of course, Keane later on said that this is not what he meant. Which, in reality is tough to believe because it was written in his book. 

Keane and Sir Alex

As such, I think that a lot of this extra stuff really hurt Keane's legacy. The man doesn't get enough credit for what he did for the club. When I say that, I mean both in a leadership role, and as a player. He converted himself from a more attacking midfielder to a field general. He was player of the year once. And a member of the team of the year 5 times. He won the league 7 times. And was a member of the ever-famous 1999 United team that won the treble. If there is one quote that stood out to me about Keane, it is Sir Alex Ferguson's about his performance during a vital game in 1999 that helped secure the team's historical season. Sir Alex said about Keane's performance that "it was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Pounding over every blade of grass, competing as if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose. he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honor to be associated with such a player."

As I do almost every time, I leave you with a great video of highlights from Keane's career. Watching this really got me amped up and excited. I hope this video allows you to at least see the intensity that he brought. 

Clint Dempsey: An American Football Hero

This week's blog is a guest blog written by one of my teammates and classmates Kyle Bitterman. Kyle and I both are huge fans of Clint Dempsey for many reasons, some of which Kyle discusses. I hope you enjoy the blog as much as I did.

Clint Dempsey is the greatest player to ever put on a United States uniform (sorry Landon Donovan). The blend of pace, skill, and power makes him a nightmare for opposing defenders. He is the only US player to ever score a goal in 3 different World Cups. He is currently the second leading scorer in United States national team history and he is not done yet. Who knew a kid form a small town in Texas would become the greatest American soccer player ever. He tested his abilities at the highest level, something that a lot of American players are afraid to do. Most American players feel comfortable in Major League Soccer where they can collect their paycheck and can be one of the best players in the league (Again Landon Donovan I’m talking to you). Clint Dempsey is not like most American soccer players. He tested himself in the English Premier league, where the pace of the game is higher than anywhere else in the whole world. Not only did he fit in but he exceeded all expectations.

In the summer of 2006 Clint Dempsey was acquired by Fulham from the New England Revolution. Dempsey scored 24 times in 71 games for New England and was regarded as one of USA’s top young prospects. The transfer cost $4 million which at the time was the highest transfer fee ever for someone out of the MLS. Clint started out slow in the Premier League and needed time to adjust to a new league and faster style of play. In his first year he only scored one goal and people were questioning if he was talented enough to play in the premier league. He answered critic’s questions by improving his goal count every year at Fulham. The next 5 seasons his goal count was 6,8,9,13,23. He exploded in the 2011-2012 season and was voted Fulham’s most valuable player.

Arguably Clint Dempsey’s biggest moment in a Fulham uniform was his magical chip against Juventus in the Europa League in 2010. Juventus is a football giant in Europe and were huge favorites to beat Fulham in the Round of 16. Clint Dempsey ended Juventus’ Europa League hopes in the 81^st minute with this goal.

After a breakout year in 2012 other teams were raving about Dempsey and bigger clubs around Europe were asking about his availability. Dempsey also stated that his goal was to play in the Champions League which was most likely never possible in a Fulham uniform. This prompted a move to Tottenham Hotspur. The transfer fee was around 9 million and the deal made Dempsey the highest paid US soccer player ever.  He played for Tottenham for one season where he made 29 appearances and netting 12 goals.

In 2013 decided to return back to the US and play for the Seattle Sounders, which is where is at today, at another transfer fee of 9 million. Even though he decided to leave the premier league, he will not be forgotten. He will go down as a Fulham legend and as their all-time leading scorer with 60 goals. Not too shabby for a kid from Texas.

Right or Wrong: The Inequality of Soccer

So this week it seems like a good time to look at a domestic soccer story rather than the league across the pond. If you haven't heard, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn from the U.S. women's national soccer team filed a wage-discrimination action against the United States Soccer Federation. This was filed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, highlighting the drastic difference between the men's national team vs. the women's.

This is the highlight snippet that everyone seems to be talking about. Well, on first instinct, that sucks and it shouldn't take place. Equal pay is something that has been a huge issue that has been addressed but still has a lot of room to grow. With that, though, I struggle to understand the problem here. Now I'm not going to argue and at the end say I'm right. I by no means am trying to drive this as the right answer, but rather just my opinion on the topic. I am a fan of the women's team. I watched all their games during the World Cup and I definitely appreciate what they have done for the popularity of the sport as a whole in this country. With that though, there are facts that are tough to argue with, so let's get into those facts and why I feel the way I do about this topic.

Jerome Valcke

So in our country it is justifiably unacceptable to pay a man more than a woman for the same work. With that, this was filed by some women athletes due to the huge difference in pay. The women in this country have been elite players in the global women's soccer game since it began in the 1990's. They are for all intents and purposes a global powerhouse in women's soccer. On the other hand, the men's team is a very average team globally. The men have never won a World Cup and have never been close. So, it makes sense. Pay the women more, they are better at their job. But there is a problem at the core of all this that makes that hard to do. Revenues. The men just played their 20th World Cup, while the women just played their 7th. Due to the nature of the World Cup being every 4 years, that is a 60+ year head start. The men's game is way more developed on all levels. There are 32 teams in the men's World Cup. In comparison, this past women's World Cup had 24 teams, and the ones before only had 16. With less teams, the game is viewed dramatically less. The women's final generated an overall viewer audience of about 60.7 million according to FIFA's reports. The men's final in 2014, on the other hand, was watched by 1.013 BILLION people world wide. The Women's national team was awarded $2m cash prize for winning the World Cup to be split among the team. In comparison to the German men's national team who won and was awarded $35m. But again, looking at the sheer viewership difference, and money generated between the two genders, it makes no sense to distribute the wealth as though the two tournaments are a single entity. Okay, so now I am going to use a quote from a FIFA official. This is something that no one wants to usually say in an argument, due to the fact that FIFA has been deemed one of the most corrupt corporation in the world. That said, I think that this quote does make sense. Jerome Valcke, the secretary general, stated that the men's prize money pool is so much largely because of what I mentioned earlier, revenues. The men's World Cup "brings in $4.5 billion directly to FIFA, and it funds World Cups for youth national teams of both genders."

So now I looked at some statistics between the men's and women's team here in the U.S. Like I mentioned earlier, the women's team has had a lot more success. But I wanted to see the sheer numbers of crowds that the two draw to their games. Since February, 2014, the men's team has had 39 games. The average attendance of those games is about 32,000 fans. With selling out a game in Texas with a crowd of 93,723 in attendance. Meanwhile, the women's team has played 59 games in the same time period. The average attendance at their games about 16,000 fans. With the largest game drawing 53,341 fans. Not even a sold out crowd. Does that mean I am trying to knock on the sport? No, not at all. But the numbers are the numbers. They need to have an influence on the amount of money that the teams get compensated. This is my opinion no the topic. Is it correct? I don't know. There are a lot of things that can be fixed in the soccer world to make the men's and women's game more equal in funding, but I don't think this is the way to go about fixing it. At the end of the day, though, I do hope to see the women's game develop to the popularity of the men's one day. Let's just end it with the coolest moment in USA men's soccer with this goal back in 2010 with Landon Donovan scoring a goal to get us to the next round.

The Special One

Josè Mourinho. The Special One. Great Coach. Tactical Genius. Antagonizer.

Mourinho is known by many as a world-class coach. Whether they like him or not, it is clear that the man is a good coach. Currently, Mourinho is without a team after being fired in the middle of an awful season with Chelsea FC. When he was fired in December, the team was sitting in 16th place. This was extremely shocking on so many levels. Chelsea, the prior year, were the champions of the league. Many expected the team to repeat. Yet, under Mourinho the team looked unmotivated and frankly tired of his style. Mourinho is a very polarizing character. Many love him, but at the same time more hate him whether it is players, coaches, or fans. It was reported that Mourinho would be owed anywhere from $28-58 million if he were to remain unemployed over the next four years. While although unlikely, it does show how much money the man can be worth in the right environment. 

Mourinho and Bobby Robson at press conference

I think it is vital to stress the right environment. Mourinho is not a man that a team looks for on a long term plan. The man has coached 6 different clubs (Chelsea twice) in his 15 years of coaching. But that shouldn't take away from his success with all of these clubs. Mourinho's path to success, though, is quite different than any that you may have heard of before. Mourinho had a brief professional playing career. Soon after, he was looking to get into coaching. He coached a team which was equivalent to a high school level here in the U.S. Yet, soon after, an English coach was coaching a Portuguese team. With that, the coach (Bobby Robson, who is an English legend, but let's not get into that), needed a translator. Now this is where Mourinho came in. Mourinho really started his career as a translator for Bobby Robson. He followed him around to a variety of clubs in Portugal and eventually Spain at FC Barcelona. Prior to this move, Mourinho served as the man in charge of press conferences and practices for the non-english speaking players. At Barcelona, though, Mourinho began to have a bigger role and began really becoming a coach. As Robson's time at the club came to an end, though, Mourinho stayed with Barcelona. Now van Gaal (yes the guy who I ranted about in a prior blog) allowed Mourinho to coach Barcelona B, the reserve team filled with all the promising youngsters at the club. After a ton of success with the club, Mourinho eventually became a head coach in his home country. Mourinho took over mid-season at Porto and vowed to make them great again. With that, within 2 years, Mourinho took Porto and they won the Champions League in 2004. Now this is where Mourinho became known globally. After that season, Mourinho moved to Chelsea for his first stint with the club. At this time, Mourinho's personality really came out.

Mourinho and Van Gaal

Mourinho brings a lot of controversy with his success on the field. The man picks fights with not only coaches (most famously Arsne Wegner from Arsenal) but the media as well. Mourinho is well known to many soccer players as being able to explode on media members at a drop of a dime. Although comical to many, Mourinho experienced the full wrath and power of the media when he got fired recently. On the other hand, as I mentioned earlier about how polarizing this man really is, he is beloved by many fans at Chelsea, who were not happy when he was fired. As well as being loved by fans, Mourinho is known to be great friends with Sir Alex Ferguson (also talked about in a prior blog). Mourinho is a tough man to understand. He provides comedy, rivalry and most importantly, trophies for the teams he coaches. 

With all that, you might ask, why did you write this blog? Well I made it clear that I am a Manchester United fan. As I said in a prior blog I want van Gaal to be fired. Rumors have it that Mourinho is to be United's coach next season. So much so, that there is a report out there that the club and the coach have a pre-contract and that if "The Special One" is not the coach, he is owed $21 million by the club. As such, with his past success and my personal liking to the coach. I honestly can't wait for this appointment to happen.

Here is a video of Mourinho's antics with the media:

The European Difference

Hey guys, sorry that this post is late. I just got back from Europe and wrote this without wifi. I hope you enjoy this, it is definitely a piece that I feel is important for this country going forward. Also, don't forget to tune in tomorrow as the U.S. plays a huge qualifying game versus Guatemala!



So I've been in Denmark for the last couple of days visiting my family. Growing up, I spend several months throughout my teenage years playing soccer in Denmark. Over the years I've started to think about it more and more. Why are they better at soccer than us?

This question is a tough one to think about. I mean, here in the United States, our athletes are world class. You take a look at the other sports, and no country can even compete. So one says, "well, the top athletes don't play soccer." Well, yeah maybe that is true, but you watch Americans playing versus the international counterparts, and it is never that they are beaten because they were not fit enough, or even too small. In a sport where the greatest player of all time is 5'7 and 148 pounds, that argument is tough to use as to why the United States is not a world class country for soccer.

Denmark, 1992

So, as I spend my time here in Denmark it becomes clear. Now let's get this straight, Denmark is not considered a soccer powerhouse by any means. They have won one European Championship in 1992 and that is it. They didn't even qualify for this summer's European Championships. But, that said, the country loves soccer. Soccer is all that is talked about. Soccer is always on TV. Soccer is a lifestyle for them. Now I think that plays a huge role in the reason that the Europeans are so much better at the game as a whole. You consider the passion, the time, and the societal acceptance and then it starts to make sense. When I was in high school, the times I went to practice in Denmark it was obvious. The kids and the coaches focused less on winning and way more on development. Did they want to win? Yeah, obviously they did, after all it is a sport. But the long term development was significantly more important. I think that if you look at the soccer development here it is drastically different. I get it, this is boring for those who don't play soccer or even follow the slightest bit. Yet this is what sets us apart from the top countries. The development style, which is changing, fails to focus on the skill that goes into soccer. Americans focus on the physical aspect of athletes a lot more than anywhere else. Like I mentioned earlier, Lionel Messi, who is 5'7, would have been overlooked by coaches and scouts in the U.S. Why? Not because he wasn't skilled, but because he wouldn't have been thought as someone who could compete with the best athletes. Rather, you look at how Messi developed, and you can tell that although he is inferior to many in terms of stature, he is beyond superior as to what he can do with the ball.

All in all, I think it is fair to say that the development in the United States MUST change in order to get to where this country can and should be. Although this idea seems extreme, it is already starting to take place. If fans here remain patient and start to develop an environment in which players can strive I truly believe that we could win the World Cup one day.

Here is a video of Messi and his magic with the great announcer Ray Hudson.