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.

The Invincibles

In the 2003-04 season something happened that no one could have expected. The last time it even happened was at the end of the 19th century, in 1888 when Preston North End did it. In the 03-04 season, Arsenal went undefeated in the league. 38 games, 0 losses. This impressive season is historical for many reasons. Let me also mention that this is the last time that Arsenal had won a championship. But, with that, let's talk about the season itself and how impressive this feat really is.

The year before, in the 02-03 season Arsenal had gone 30 games unbeaten before Wayne Rooney ended their streak with a spectacular strike. Rooney, at the time was 16-years old and the talk around the world. The goal, which was truly amazing, ultimately let Everton ruin Arsenal's run of games without a loss. This occurred after Arsenal's coach famously argued that a team could go undefeated throughout a whole season. But this goal was a vital goal because as many Manchester United fans, this was the start of Arsenal's fall in 02-03 which led to Manchester United winning the league that year, preventing Arsenal from winning back to back titles.

Going into the 03-04 season there was a lot of hype around the EPL. Chelsea, who now are known to be a global team, had just been bought by a Russian billionaire who made it clear that they were going to spend money to become a great club. With that, Arsenal and United's rivalry was at its peak. Arsenal's goalie, David Seamen (who can be seen in the above video with the long hair), had left for Manchester City. As such, they brought in German keeper Jens Lehmen. Along with Lehmen they brought in both Jose Antonio Reyes and Robin van Persie, who both played vital roles in Arsenal's success in 03-04. 

One can imagine the hype that was there for Arsenal fans going into this season. Expectations were high within the club, but many in the media thought this was the end of a great team. Thierry Henry had something else to say about that. Henry, who can be seen in the first video of the blog hyping the league, was the leading scorer for Arsenal that season, with 30 goals in the league. Henry, time and time again, scored vital goals during Arsenal's run to remain undefeated. As a result, he won both the players' vote and the media's vote as the player of the year.

Although Arsenal had put forward a season to remember, many of their critics cite that they had failed to win any other competition during that season. Although that is true, this accomplishment is considered by many to be equally as tough due to the fact that they played 38 games to do so. As a result, Arsenal's team in 03-04 was voted the best team in the 20 years of the "Premier League" since the name change in 1992. Lastly, as I tend to do, I have put below a video of Thierry Henry's goals. He was an amazing player, who I hated because he scored so many goals against United. That said, he was a class act and considered to be a legend of the league.

Player Highlight of the Month: Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs in 1994 (left) and 2013 (right)

So I figure this is a good time to start introducing some "legends" of the English league to blog. With my obvious bias as a Manchester United fan, surprise surprise, I chose a United player. Ryan Giggs was my favorite player growing up. He embodied what United stood for. More importantly, especially as a 6 year old soccer fan, he wore my favorite number. Yet as I began to understand the game, and really started following the game on a daily basis, Giggs stood out on so many levels. So here goes nothing. This is Ryan Giggs.

Giggs made his debut for United in 1990, at the age of 17. He became the most decorated player in history. During his time with the club, he won 13 league titles, 4 FA Cups, 3 League cups, and 2 Champion's League cups. He has the record for most assists in the English League. Yet what is more impressive is that he had scored a goal in 23 consecutive seasons, a record that will never be broken. He played 23 full seasons, and spent his entire career at United. A rare feat in such a dynamic soccer world where players move every couple of years. With that, Giggs set the record for most appearances at the club, cementing himself as a club legend. More importantly, the man who became the symbol for the club, had become an interim player-manager at the end of the '14 season, when the team's manager was fired in the middle of the season. Now Giggs serves as the second man in command at the club behind current manager Louis van Gaal (Yes the crazy guy mentioned in a prior blog). But with all this, there is one goal that stands out from all that Giggs scored during his illustrious career.  1999, FA Cup semi-finals replay. United is playing Arsenal (yes the team they beat last week) and they are playing a man down. When this happened:

The Goal sent United into the FA Cup Final, where they beat Newcastle United at Wembley (where all FA Cup Finals are played), and was the beginning of a crazy few weeks for the club, who ended up winning the treble that year. The treble, is when a European team wins the league, its domestic cup, and the Champions league. This has only happened 9 times in history, and this goal was the key to the start of that run.

Giggs was and is one of the biggest names at Manchester United and it is 100% deserved. The man was loyal from day 1 and produced at the highest level for so many years. When numbers are put on paper it makes it easy to overlook them. Playing for 23 seasons at the highest level, for the biggest club in England is something that should not be overlooked. It is something that will never happened again, especially at that level. So now that I have ranted about my all time favorite player, let me leave you with a cliche highlight video of his career. I wanted to put the video of all his goals, but that video is 35 minutes long, so I figured to just do a highlight video. Enjoy!

Soccer Pub Outing

So this past weekend I went to a Manchester United pub in the city to watch the game against Arsenal. As you can probably tell, I am a big United fan and have been since I was a little kid. This game in the past has had so much buzz, as both teams were always title contenders. Earlier in the season United got smacked 3-0, giving up 3 goals in the first 20 minutes of the match. So, with that and all the drama I talked about last week, I figured going to the pub may help soften the pain I was expecting. Now let me tell you, boy was I wrong. The game was awesome (mainly because United won). But United won 3-2. The game was so exciting. Chances for both teams, and it even got chippy at the end. Oh, and the beer didn't hurt either. Smithfield NYC was awesome. Sitting with die hard fans watching the game was so different than what I was used to. The fans, mostly British guys who have made it across the pond, are so passionate. They chant, they swear, and more importantly they drink. Here's a video reaction after a goal was scored.
















Now let's talk about something that's couldn't be dreamt of by even the biggest United fans. Marcus Rashford. Now listen, I get it. Everyone will be talking about the kid. He's 18. He's from Manchester. AND he is the most popular guy at the club right now. During this game against Arsenal, his second game ever for United. Rashford scored 2 goals and had an assist. With that, you may ask, so what? who cares? Well the kid has been a lifelong United fan. In his first game ever for the club, a few days before, he scored two goals which helped United win the game. He became the youngest ever kid to score a goal for United in European competition. In his debut, at Old Trafford (United's home stadium), Rashford scored two goals and both times ran to his friends in the crowd. After the game, many said that this was going to be the highlight of his career, his peak. Yet, he proved them wrong against Arsenal. Below, I attached the videos to all four of his goals, which quite honestly all had huge implications for United's season.

This is his highlights from his first game, in which he scored to HUGE goals.

Now, more importantly, the two goals and assist from the game over the weekend. I included a full highlight video of the game, because it truly was a great game. Rashford scored the first two goals for United (in red) and had the assist on the third goal. Arsenal, their opponent is the team in gold.

Now, as I write this, United is currently playing and let me tell you, it is very tough to multi-task between writing about United and rooting for them. I don't reccomend it at all. Anyways, glory glory Man United.