On the eve of the much-anticipated American Civil War between Everton and Fulham, American soccer fans are relishing the chance to see three of their best players take the pitch at the same time at the highest level of competition.  Other American sports’ fans do not understand the importance of this match: Kobe plays LeBron often (usually on Christmas) and Manning and Brady seem to play every year.  However, U.S. soccer fans for years have settled on seeing their best players either square off in MLS or not face each other competitively, due to playing in different leagues.

When the players take the pitch tomorrow another interesting sidebar will be discussed, and that is why the three best American soccer players are playing in, well, this game.  To put it another way, is this the best American soccer players can do, two clubs that are mid-table at best or, in Fulham’s case, seemingly always in danger of slipping into the relegation zone?  Why isn’t this historic match-up taking place in a Manchester derby or West London derby?  For the Everton U.S. players, the answer is that the chance has already slipped by.  Tim Howard had his time at Manchester United but has really found his place with Everton, a smaller club.  Landon Donovan has gone through a similar situation, except he simply failed to catch on at Bayern Munich and is just now being seen as potentially EPL worthy.

Clint Dempsey is different.  Although not a young prospect, the Texan is hitting his peak and his peak is pretty damn good.  His goal total for 2011-2012 is up there with players who could be considered with the Ballon d’Or, trailing only Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, and Sergio Aguero.  He became the first American to notch a hat trick during an EPL match and it was his second in all competitions this year.  The man scores goals but at age 28 his peak productivity window is closing.  So, should he strike out now while his Q rating is at its highest and make a move to a larger club?  Or is Fulham the best place for him right now?

One man with a large voice in the U.S. Soccer Federation made his opinion known last week.  In the press conference after the Venezuela friendly, Jurgen Klinsmann addressed the Dempsey hat trick and made clear that he wants his players to play at the highest level (audio can be found on the Total Soccer Show podcast).  In essence, he said that he wants to see players like Dempsey play at the highest level of soccer, which is not just the EPL; it is playing for a Champions League contender or, at the very least, a Europa League contender.

Practically speaking this may be a hard task, even if Dempsey desires a move.  While I will leave the analysis of team needs in the Prem to our sister site EPL Talk, I will say that there are few opportunities for consistent playing time in the Top 6 of the EPL, due to congestion at Dempsey’s position and budgetary restrictions.  The best fits may be Tottenham or Arsenal (which the Gunners being the better fit of the two) but even those two London clubs would not potentially give Dempsey consistent playing time.  And that is the biggest negative for Dempsey if he moved to a larger club: playing time.  Right now he has established himself as a fixture in the starting XI for Fulham.  Except for injury or forced rest, he’ll play for The Cottagers.  He will play against the best clubs in England and have a chance to refine his skills at the highest league level, something that will definitely benefit him in international play.  A move would likely impede this playing time as he would not be assured a starting spot in any of the top six clubs.

However, there are two major reasons he should seek a transfer to a larger side (we’ll stick with the EPL for ease of comparison).  The first is the competition would be extremely beneficial to push himself to the next level; it’s one thing to fight off a player below you for time and it’s another to push someone like Andrei Arshavin for a starting spot or first sub off the bench position.  The ability to play with the best players in the world in the best competitions in the world will not only improve Dempsey as a player but really test him for World Cup qualifying.  This is worth the trade-off of a few starting minutes.

There is another, off-the-pitch reason to make this move and Brian Straus nails it completely in his recent article on Dempsey.  Straus quotes an exchange from a recent The Guardian ”Football Weekly” podcast when discussing Dempsey’s hat trick:

“Pundits always say, ‘Oh, Clint Dempsey, I always like Clint Dempsey.’ What is it about Clint Dempsey? I think it’s that infectious spirit of, basically, he’s an American, which is quite exciting and glamorous. He’s a rapper, yep. What else we got?” one writer asked.

“He’s got a cool name, Clint Dempsey. He’s just cool. He scores great goals as well,” said another.

“Is he redneck? I asked this before and got accused of all manner — it’s a genuine question!”

While anyone who listens to the podcast knows that it has a sense of humor about itself, the undertone to the exchange is the lack of respect that American soccer players have in larger leagues.  They are at times a sideshow, primarily because in the past when they’ve played for the best clubs, they’ve failed to perform.  An American player should step up and show pundits and soccer fans how far this country has come.  Dempsey is our best shot, and he certainly could fail with a Champions League contender.  But I suspect he won’t, and we’ll never know unless he steps up and grabs the opportunity.

We are nearing the end of our Three Questions series, and I hope you have found it insightful and useful during the offseason.  We’ll end the series tomorrow and Tuesday with the MLS Cup participants, prior to the 2012 Superdraft.

Today in addition to Sporting Kansas City we’ll turn our attention to Real Salt Lake, who going into last season looked to challenge Los Angeles (and Seattle potentially) for the Supporters Shield.  But, as we all know, they never fully recovered from the Champions League final loss and while they made the Western Conference finals, it was after an up-and-down season where they never dominated for stretches like many thought they would.  Injuries played a role, but how will their 2011 season influence 2012?  Let’s take a look at some offseason questions that will dictate whether or not Real Salt Lake has reached its peak or the best is yet to come:

1. Can they adequately replace their depth?

The incredible Real Salt Lake fan site RSL Soapbox has a great breakdown of what exactly the team has lost so far this offseason: in the last two months the team has lost 6,700 first team minutes, 4 goals, and 12 assists.  These come from players like Robbie Russell (DC) and Jean Alexandre (SJ) who were traded, Colleen Warner (Montreal) and Arturo Alvarez (Chivas) who were drafted, and Andy WIlliams who retired.  All of these are replaceable players, but with so many players being shifted off the rolls the team is losing some serious depth, depth that was key to them succeeding in multiple competitions despite injuries and schedule congestion.  In addition to another appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League later this season, the team will lose some key players for Olympic duty, likely including captain Kyle Beckerman.

The positive to these trades is that RSL has received some draft picks so they can use those picks for depth.  The team can also look internationally, something that it has done successfully to find good young talent.  How quickly these younger/new MLS players can adjust to the league and contribute will be critical to this team.

2. How will RSL beef up their midfield?

A number of the players mentioned above were contributors to the midfield; for example, Andy Williams was a winger the team could depend on to play well during his starts.  The team has made some moves to secure this part of the team: it extended Ned Grabavoy’s contract and is working to extend Yordany Alvarez’s contract.  In addition, they have some young players like Luis Gil who could contribute more with more playing time.  But the team does need to do a little shopping, and how much money they have free to spend will be important to beefing up that midfield.

3. Are Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio healthy enough to play at their peaks (or close to it)?

Javier Morales’ gruesome injury was part of an early season MLS trend of key stars going down with serious injuries, and his team certainly missed his goal scoring.  However, when he returned, the team was in a slump and his play could not bring them out of it.  A healthy, back-to-100% Morales is the kind of player who can help carry a slumping team so how healthy he is and back to his previous form is critical to this team.

Another player who failed to inspire last season was Alvaro Saborio, who took 3/4ths of the season to round into form coming off his own injury.  Although his final numbers looked good, his overall body of work was not up to his previous standards.  Again, a fully effective and healthy Saborio makes this team that much harder to beat.  The health of these two players could make the different between wild card contenders and MLS Cup contenders.

Once again, MLS executives prove they are not in tune with their product.  The Gold Cup provided the perfect opportunity for MLS to expand their fan base.  Collaboration with CONCACAF representatives could have brought doubleheaders featuring one MLS game and one Gold Cup game from the first game through to the final (This year’s format does provide doubleheaders, two Gold Cup games/one stadium, except for the final).  

A collaboration among organizations would have allowed for more stadiums to get an opportunity to host the Gold Cup, which in turn, allows more people overall to see live soccer action.  By spreading the wealth, Soccer gets more promotion and more exposure.

What this would have accomplished is good for both CONCACAF and for MLS.  By having an MLS game take place for fans who might not be familiar with the MLS product, there is a possibility of enhancing the significance of the CONCACAF Champions League.  Fans of different heritage would get the chance to see teams which may play in the Champions League.   

MLS would  have benefited by getting their product to their easiest fans to win over, soccer fans.  A game between Guadeloupe and Nicaragua in Reliant Stadium on the 9th of July with an MLS game as part of the attraction is a marketing wet dream for the Houston Dynamo.  

The biggest dilemma for the organizers of these events would have been which game becomes the headliner.  This is a problem you want to have.  Some may argue the MLS game may have more broad appeal than the Gold Cup game or visa versa.  Regardless, there are still two games to be played and to be enjoyed for fans. 

There’s also the possibility of marketing to the sports fan and getting them more heavily involved.  With 2 games to see, there’s a stronger likelihood they’ll see a great game and be pulled in more to soccer as an entertainment option.  (International doubleheaders tend to attract a specific audience already familiar with Soccer). 

Scheduling MLS games could have been made easier by getting all the teams involved during this 3 week period of 25 matches.  They could have scheduled just 25 MLS matches during this time. 

Among the 25 matches to be slotted to accompany Gold Cup matches, another brand could also fill the void.  With sufficient planning and anticipation from U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF, some U.S. Open Cup matches could have been included. 

It’s dissappointing this is not transpiring because it would have made for great theater and discussion for soccer fans.  It also seems that this idea would have garnered more national attention from ESPN.

The inaugural CONCACAF Champions League is now over after a short delay, due to swine flu. Atlante are the first evcer CCL Champions, and will be the region’s representative at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup. This was the club’s second continental title(first in Cancun), after winning the Champions Cup in 1983.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the event. Sure, it doesn’t come close to UEFA or CONMEBOL in the level of play or grandeur. However, it’s OUR region’s championship. It’s only gonna mean something if people care about it. I’ve heard that certain teams, especially Mexican and MLS teams didn’t take it seriously.

On the Mexican perspective, perhaps there was disinterest because of the level of competition. I don’t know if this is the case. Certainly the FMF as a whole is the best league in CONCACAF. While the Costa Rican league as a whole doesn’t match up with FMF, their top teams have the ability to compete with any Mexican club; as they have proven in past Champions Cups. Even if some FMF teams weren’t starting all their first squad, they still had 3 of 4 teams make the semifinals. Only Pumas didn’t make this round, and they were eliminated by fellow FMF club Cruz Azul, in the quarterfinals. Also, 3 of 4 were atop the tables in group play. Only Cruz Azul was bested there, by Honduran power Marathon. While, this isn’t a true barometer of the club’s ambition in this competition, it doesn’t exactly shout disinterest.

As for the MLS perspective, it was very disappointing. Sure, the same old script played out between Mexican and US based clubs. But even more disturbing was the way NE Revolution and Chivas USA were eliminated in the preliminary round. Joe Public of Trinidad absolutely hammered New England, winning 6 – 1 on aggregate, including a disgraceful 4 – 0 drubbing in New England. And Chivas USA didn’t put up much of a fight against FC Tauro of Panama (1-3 agg). Injuries did play a significant role, especially for DC United. Though consistently fielding what amounted to reserve teams and being in the so called group of death; only gaining 1 point in group play is an extreme letdown.

If anything, the onus is on MLS to field better squads and achieve more satisfying results. Certainly having an MLS team win the regional championship for the first time since 1998, would make it more interesting here in the States. And might make the title more meaningful to FMF clubs.

The new born tournament wasn’t without excitement and some great cindarella stories. Marathon went through the preliminary round, won their group and played in the quarterfinals. Both qualified USL – 1 teams made it to the last eight. It would have been two if not for yet another tragic last minute defeat to a Mexican club, as Impact imploded against Santos Laguna. Though the match displayed some sloppy defense, it was genuinely exciting.

And of course, Puerto Rico Islanders were the story of the tournament. They qualified by defeating San Juan Jabloteh of T & T,finishing 3rd in the CFU Club Championship. They went on to defeat Costa Rican legend CD Alajuelense. Then advanced out of their group, including a 3 – 1 victory over Santos Laguna at home. Colin Clark’s squad took care of Marathon in the quarterfinals and came oh so close to advancing to the finals. They lost in the semis to Cruz Azul. The match went to extra time. Both teams struck home in the added periods. Though Puerto Rico had scored more away goals; in the CCL, they don’t matter after regulation. With this rule, it was decided on Penalties, which Cruz Azul won 4 – 2.

Considering it was a first effort in the expanded preliminary and group stage format, it seemed a good start. While there were matches that were so lopsided as to be unwatchable, there were also several entertaining gems. At times, many stadiums seemed virtually empty, but these were on weekdays. Qualification is already underway for the second CCL.

2009/2010 CCL Qualified Teams

US: Columbus Crew, Houston Dynamo, DC United NY Red Bulls

Mexico: Toluca, Cruz Azul (2 spots open)

Canada: (1 spot open)

Hounduras: Marthon, Real Espana, Olimpia

Costa Rica: Deportivo Saprissa, (1 spot open)

El Salvador: Isidro Metapan, (1 spot open)

Guatemala: Comunicaiones, (1 spot open)

Panama: Arabe Unido, (1 spot open)

Nicaragua: (1 spot open)

CFU: W Connection (T&T), Puerto Rico Islanders (PR – USL1), San Juan Jabloteh (T&T)

So we already know 16 out of the 24 participating clubs. With the Central American seasons coming to a close, the rest of the field should fill out shortly. Many of the teams will be entering for the second year in a row, but there are several new faces.  Belize has been taken off the docket for this competition, because of poor stadium conditions.  For now, this spot has been awarded to Honduras, giving them 3 teams.

The Nutrilite Canadian Championship is already underway, with Toronto FC posting a pair of 1 – 0 victories over their USL1 counterparts. The CFU Championship just finished, with W Connection defeating Puerto Rico in the finals, both advancing. San Juan Jabloteh dispatched Haitian side Tempete FC, to claim the 3rd and final Caribbean spot.

There has been some talk about reallocating an MLS spot.  I personally don’t see this as necessary.  If you look at the quarterfinals, there was 4 Mexican teams, 1 MLS team, 2 USL1 teams and a Honduran club.   Honduras has already been taken care of.  Mexico has 4 spots and the US based leagues had 3.  The only scenario that seems to make sense, would be either granting the FMF one MLS slot, or having a playoff between these leagues for the final position. Personally, I think 4 is enough for FMF, after all this is a CONCACAF competition.  With 3 semifinalits, any more would make it seem like a Mexican tournament.

The preliminary round is set to begin in late July, with the group stage kicking off towards the end of August. Hopefully the CCL will only continue to grow and be sought after passionately by all CONCACAF teams. Let’s hope for a little more diversity in the final four teams. UEFA constantly has an influx of English teams at the end, it’s appearing like CONCACAF may be no different with Mexican squads.