wolf stansson

Speaking of, here is part one of his Landon Donovan's Final Days series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ans11HC6_Is

Frankly, I don't see the connection. There isn't one, to anyone except Jurgen, in whose mind pro/rel is the key to developing young talent because he won a World Cup with Germany. This. Because when we win, he's blazing new territory for US Soccer (he's not) and when they lose, it's because the American player and system failed him by not being ambitious, competitive or up to Jurgen's standards. This is his line after pretty much every success and failure. It all gets back to how he manipulates the narrative of the past, present and future of soccer in America to flatter his own ego and legacy and how our press and fans are too uninterested, naive, dismissive or compromised to call him on it. Roger Bennett gets to do a behind the scenes documentary that we all loved leading up to the world cup because he flatters everyone at Soccer House and drapes any criticism or shortcomings of the program in disingenuous humor or ignoring it entirely. MLSSoccer.com services MLS. ESPN is a PR firm for their broadcast properties. The independent guys like Ives, Wahl, Strauss, the ASN crew do what they can but at the end of the day rely on the draconian USSF and MLS for access and can't bite the hand too hard. Deadspin has stepped up their coverage but their staff has taken the "MLS sucks no matter what" angle similar to how the Chicago Sun-Times have taken up the "Cubs suck and Theo and Tom have no idea what they're doing" angle so it's completely pointless to care about what they're saying.

MLS just fired the Rapids beat writer because the Rapids perceived him as being too critical. No one covers MLS so they do it themselves via their site and they fire people who are realistic. MLS has an issue with control. Media, players, coaches, SALARIES/PLAYER MOVEMENT it's all too draconian. This is why, while I'm glad someone with a voice is criticizing JK, Garber probably isn't the one who should be doing it. This gets back to my men in blazers/American soccer media rant the other day. Yet another growing pain in this transitional period of soccer's growing legitimacy in America. Most of the soccer media in this country have gotten a pay check signed by Don Garber.

aahhhhhhaaaaajajajaja

Is this the kind of yolo vibe surviving cancer gives someone? Middle finger in the air screaming [expletive] your coach. Jurgen illicits strong reaction everywhere he goes. The Bayern crew killed him on the way out, MLS, Landon, the fans...he makes people feel. This does not help MLS's credibility issue.

Garber: “I think (Klinsmann) needs to think very hard about how he manages himself publicly.” USS, you should've told us you got a job writing talking points for the Don. That's a sweet gig.

Pulling this card! "I believe that Landon should have been in Brazil...because his performance dictated it... His treatment was inexcusable." - Don Garber Ahahaha Show me your credibility, Jurgen! Landon and I built this sport!

Yo. I just realized... Michael Bradley's terrible professional environment that will/had caused his game to suffer? Remind me, who was their technical director right before he left for a better job a few years back? Jurgen is clowning himself.

“I not only ask, I insist anyone who works in this sport… align with the vision that has been established by the leaders in this sport" -Don "Jurgen, shut up while grown folks is 'talkin" Garber That quote is hilarious, but total bs. It's not Klinsmann's job to be a PR rep for MLS. He shouldn't talk such noise about MLS because the majority of his best talent plays there and it's alienating to the players and coaches he needs good relationships with, not because everyone who loves soccer is supposed to circle the wagons and pretend everything they do is great. We're past that.

He's lighting him up. I love this. The league and national team should be challenging and pushing each other like this. Way too cozy in the past. Garber is of course doing his job protecting the league's interests and the cooler heads lie somewhere between Klinsy and the commish. That said, this is an unfair fight in the brains and credibility department. Sunil's inevitable diffusion should be suitably boring and competent, but this is fun for now.

Super productive friendlies, thanks Klinsy.

Jurgen sneaks his pro-rel mascot on the field in the 89th. Ibarra might be good. Might be a future MLS contributor, but a mascot is exactly what he is to Jurgen this week.

Pairing Jones with Besler is some Maverick and Ice Man [expletive].

I think it's pretty amazing how flat they seem pretty much any time Yedlin isn't playing. That's how quickly he's become a vital part of what they do in my mind. There's a missing dimension on the right.

This Diskerud/Bradley upside-down pairing is classic Klinsy.

Man. Jurgen Klinsmann is on the muscle re: MLS. Can't stop talking about how real men wouldn't play there. Guy needs to wake up and be realistic about the talent and socioeconomic goals of his players. Real Madrid ain't calling. Chelsea ain't calling.

Really fun how Joe Gyau starts to break in at Dortmund and blows out a knee. Out until January.

Thank you, Dallas. I still think LA is not only the better team but specifically a terrible matchup for Seattle, but it's MLS and crazy, fun stuff happens in MLS. Seattle might hold on. Can't wait for the 25th. The only way Seattle takes them in the playoffs is if they can hold possession through the center midfield and keep LA off the break, which is pretty impossible. Great matchups all over the field. Omar and De La Garza on Deuce and Martens. Landon and RR vs Yedlin and Evans. Alonso and Pappa or Pineda vs Juninho and Husidic or Sarvas. The tipping point is Keane and Zardes against Mashall and whichever traffic cone they run out to pair him. That's going to be a nightmare.

He's been looking good for the Revs. Not '09 good, but good.

All of Billy Haisley and most of deadspin's soccer coverage of MLS and USMNT is designed to troll sensitive us soccer fans who have an inferiority complex (most of us). This isn't a case of me having an inferiority complex either. It's egregious. Haisley literally wrote an article titled MLS Sucks about how no one should watch it because it's garbage.

I wrote all of that screed on my phone. Shout out to auto correct for the grammatical errors That's easier than fixing them.

I like Men In Blazers. They are great. I am a fan. However, they are, in my opinion, the embodiment of the rising tide of American soccer fans. I'm not saying that as a criticism. It just represents a different type of fan than what I am. They like the sport, they like the EPL but MLS and US Soccer are kind of second rate pastimes. The sort of glib patronization with which they discuss MLS and the MNT is very different to how I and other non-Euro snob American soccer fans follow them. To us, they are the biggest deal in the sport, not some cute upstarts. Even though that's pretty much what they are, until we take them seriously, that's what they'll always be. I'm not saying they're wrong to do so. There's no right way or wrong way to be a sports fan. I'm just saying it's different than maybe how I and others do it. I mention all this because I kind of thought everyone knew Jurgen is more mascot than coach. Knew the 2002 team had more top end talent than they 2014 team. Knew Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley were better coaches and leaders of the unique breed that is the American soccer player. I've been reading MiB's Twitter mentions as they've been tweeting about Landon vs Jurgen and it's apparent that the average American soccer fan that has started following in the last handful of years doesn't know those things. They believe the narrative that the arrow on American player development it's always pointing up and that Jurgen is doing new, better things with US Soccer. There are some good things he's done. He brings a big league mentality to players that have preferred a more understanding guide in the past and that is good. We need our players to be challenged. Just because Jurgen is the guy doing it doesn't he's doing it the way it should be done or is the best man for that job. He's getting way too much credit from the average fan and our soccer media isn't challenging any of it. Most of the media that covers MLS gets paid by MLS and most of the media covering the national team doesn't question Jurgen enough because the results on the field have been adequate. One journalist has taken a stand questioning his leadership and that was three years ago and the sporting news fired him right after (Brian Strauss). Our soccer media is a joke sometimes and as long as the biggest voices are two funny English guys who are riding the coattails of the premiership and a video game straight to a tv deal, well, we have a long way to go. It's not their job to help make us a better, smarter soccer country, but it'd be great if we had something better. They're popularity in the place of real journalists like Grant Wahl or the people at American Soccer Now is an indictment of the fan, not the sport in this country.

I thought everybody realized it when he was at Bayern. It's funny because, of course, he's not wrong about Landon. It also shows an alarming pettiness and compulsive arrogance that aren't what you want in a coach. With guys like Phil Jackson or Jose Mourinho, there is always an end game that justifies it. With Jurgen it's mind games for the sake of servicing his own ego.

Looks like Agudelo rejected Werder Bremen's offer for a trial with Wolves. Super cool/smart move by him.

Columbus Crew re-branding with the cool bundesligaesque logo and calling themselves columbus crew sc is so great. The sc thing is almost enough to get me to buy something from them.