Year: 2015

Defoe for Jozy: A rare trade in the world of soccer

Chris McGlynn EPL, MLS, Soccer, USMNT , , , ,

It is rare in soccer that a trade is executed, even more so when it involves two international strikers switching continents. The MLS has plenty of intra-league trades but it is uncommon for one to happen with an EPL team. Yet, Tuesday Toronto FC and Sunderland announced they were swapping forwards as Jermain Defoe would be heading back to England and Jozy Altidore would be sent to Canada. The two are at very different junctures in their careers as they make the move back to the leagues where they each started their professional careers. Time to take a second look at how Altidore and Defoe wound up being part of this deal.

Defoe has been playing in the professional soccer system since he was just fourteen years old. He began with Charlton Athletics’ youth squad in 1997 before latching on to West Ham in 1999. By 2000, at only seventeen years old, Defoe made his first appearance with West Ham’s senior team. He was loaned to Bournemouth though for the remainder of the season. When he returned, Defoe became a mainstay for West Ham and he wound up registering 29 goals in 93 appearances. Defoe had become a hot commodity by 2004 and was transferred to hometown Tottenham Hotspur mid-season. It was around this same time that Defoe earned his first call up to the English senior squad. Once at Tottenham, Defoe really began to shine. He scored in his debut against, ironically, Portsmouth, whom he would later join for a season in 2008. He scored 43 goals in his first 4-year stint with Tottenham. He played 2008 in Portsmouth, scoring 14 goals in just 30 appearances. 2008 also marked a big year for Defoe on the international stage. He scored his first ever goal in competitive match and eventually became a regular on the 2010 England World Cup team. After the year with Portsmouth, he returned to Tottenham for another 4-year stint, scoring 47 more goals for the London side. By 2013 though, Defoe was getting a bit older and the MLS had come calling. More specifically, Toronto FC made a big push to land the English international. After signing Defoe, Toronto immediately loaned him back so he could remain with Tottenham until the start of the MLS season. Once playing in North America though, Defoe came out firing. He scored two goals in his first appearance for the team and ultimately scored 11 for Toronto over the course of the season. Now the 32-year old is heading back to the EPL where he had all sorts of success. Defoe sits 14th all-time with 124 goals in his career with a great chance to move a little further up that list.

On the other hand, England has been where Jozy Altidore has struggled the most. The New Jersey native started out playing for the IMG Academy as a teenager spending time with the U-17 national team. In 2006, the Metrostars, who are now the New York Red Bulls, took Altidore in the MLS SuperDraft. He spent most of that season earning his high school diploma and thus did not make his debut until August. Jozy quickly became a fan favorite in the greater New York area and would become the youngest player to ever score in the MLS playoffs by a staggering margin. In 2008, Altidore left MLS when Villareal, in Spain, bought him for an MLS record-shattering $10 million. Villareal loaned out Altidore over the next few seasons to Xerez, Hull City and Busaspor. Jozy never developed into the prized striker Villareal hoped for as he never scored more than 1 goal in a season. Villareal then shipped him to the Dutch team AZ Alkmaar, which ended up being a resurrection for Altidore’s club career. He was having plenty of success on the international level, having been an important part of the US’ Confederations Cup Finals run in 2009. Playing for AZ, Altidore scored 39 goals in just 67 appearances, sparking some major interest in England. Concurrently though, Jozy hit a dry spell at the international level, not scoring for nearly two years in a USA uniform. Shortly after getting on track for the National team in 2013, Altidore made a move to the English side Sunderland. Jozy once again struggled to find his way; Altidore only managed 1 goal for Sunderland in the 42 appearances he made. It was well known that Altidore was looking for a fresh start once again, and now he has one back in the league where he first garnered fame.

Both teams will be happy to bring in these new players. Defoe is a proven goal scorer who can spark a Sunderland team that has struggled to beat the keeper this season, as the club ranks second to last in the league in scoring. Toronto will be able to add a younger player in Altidore and drum up more popularity in bringing back another US international player to MLS. Altidore will join Jermaine Jones, Omar Gonzales, Mix Diskerud, Kyle Beckerman and Clint Dempsey and will play alongside Michael Bradley in Toronto. At this point, not many US international players are playing outside of MLS. We will have to see what this movement does for the team. Defoe has his chance to likely finish his career in England now. Altidore is getting another chance to start over. In the short run, I have to think that Sunderland are happy with the deal they landed. Toronto might get more out of it down the line but for the present, the English side definitely got the better hand in this one.

Mixing it up with NYCFC

Chris McGlynn MLS, Soccer, USMNT

New York City FC announced the signing of Mikkel Morgenstar Pålssønn Diskerud better known as Mix. The Norwegian-American midfielder will join with David Villa, Ned Grabavoy and eventually Frank Lampard in what is shaping up to be a pretty strong attack on paper. Diskerud has grabbed national attention recently with his run of appearances in the US National team lineup under Jürgen Klinsmann. The 24-year old is showing great potential and should be a fun player to watch in the upcoming MLS season.

First, I want to take a look at how Mix got here then breakdown what his signing means for NYCFC.
Diskerud started out playing in his home country of Norway for a couple junior and second division squads. He was a member of the Norwegian U-18 and U-19 squad while playing Stabæk’s B team in the Norwegian Second Division. In 2008, at the ripe age of 17 in a 14-0 romp of Vestfossen IF. He then was named a starter for the 2009 La Manga Cup and scored in the opening minutes. Around the same time, Diskerud made his first appearance in a red, white and blue uniform as well, playing for the U-19 United States squad in a few matches. Mix ended up making 81 appearances for Stabæk scoring 10 goals in his time there. He joined Gent in Belgium on loan for the end of the 2011 season before making the jump to Rosenborg BK for the start of the 2012 campaign. It did not seem like Mix would stay long though as he almost depart the team for the MLS at the end of 2012 but there was an issue with transfer policies and Diskerud stayed in Norway. The move to MLS made some since as he was ending his three-year hiatus from playing with US National team at this time, finding some significant playing time in the starting 11. Diskerud has now totaled 25 appearances in a US kit and already has five goals to his name. However, the move to the MLS has happened now and after making 59 appearances and scoring 5 goals for Rosenborg, Mix is now headed stateside.

Diskerud’s time in Norway was valuable experience but now he will begin playing alongside some excellent, albeit aging, players at the club level. Villa and Lampard are way above the level of just about any player in Norway, even if they are slowing down a bit. Signing Diskerud adds a talented, young player more than capable of generating offense and it greatly appeals to the fans, who will be thrilled to come and watch one of the American international players. This also gives NYCFC another young player to build around. They have already snagged the 22-year old forward Tony Mullins from New England. New York also has one last Designated Player spot left open for them to make a big signing. I would not be surprised for City to bring in a proven defender to really bolster this squad. This team might not be the best in the MLS this year, but once Lampard gets to New York, this team should be ready to compete.

This signing is a big one for both NYCFC and MLS. New York brings in a widely sought after player that will give them a spark in the midfield and MLS now has yet another US international playing on home soil at the club level. With the news that Jozy Altidore is on his way to the states as well (be on the lookout for more about this), MLS is bringing in some popular players which will hopefully give the leagues overall popularity a boost. NYCFC also get to feel good about keeping Mix away from their in-state rival, showing that very quickly City is becoming the club of choice in New York. There are still a couple of months until the 2015 MLS season kicks off so I would not be surprised if NYCFC made a another move or two to really make a splash heading into their inaugural season.

Is it time for Peyton to hang ’em up?

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL ,

He looked battered. He looked beaten. He looked broken. That is the best way to describe Peyton Manning as he departed from the field on Sunday night. The 38-year old veteran had lost for the thirteenth time in the playoffs, an NFL record. Every loss, especially a playoff loss, has to hurt, but this one stings just a little bit more. The defeat came at the hands of Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, the man who replaced Peyton as quarterback in Indy after Manning’s 13-year tenure with the team. Now, Peyton must enter the offseason with that sour taste in his mouth and wonder if it is worth coming back for the 2015 season.

It is hard to admit it, but it is time for Peyton Manning to call it quits on his playing career. I love watching Manning compete but saying he should stay would be selfish. We saw as the season progressed on that the Broncos quarterback began to struggle. Part of the reason was due to the torn quad Manning played with for the last month of the season. That aside, Manning threw for over 700 fewer yards, 16 fewer touchdowns and saw his completion percentage drop 2 percent. Sure, it might not be fair to compare him to the best statistical year ever produced by an NFL quarterback but the offense around him did not change. Nope, Manning actually had more support from the running game and even a better defense, yet his play declined. Manning was still playing at high level, just not the level he could have been.

The bigger issue though was the continual drop in zip Peyton had on his passes. His arm strength is clearly deteriorating and the offseason will only further that trend. Manning, unfortunately, is declining and the odds that he is going to turn around next season and play well enough to get this Denver team to a Super Bowl is highly unlikely. Peyton is not going to get any better before next season and I would really hate to see him come back for another year and put up a mediocre performance because his body was beginning to fail him. It is hard to say what you want the guy to do because he was so great this past season, putting up top-5 quarterback numbers. However, if Sunday’s game was a sign of what is to come, then maybe it is best that Peyton just rests on his laurels. Manning completed only 56.5% of his passes, averaged only a measly 4.6 yards per attempt, posted a meager 75.5 passer rating and finished with a lowly 27.7 total quarterback rating. Not to say that’s always how Manning would play, but if it’s any indicator, then Peyton should stay on his couch.

Another contributing factor would be the departure of Head Coach John Fox. This likely means that the team will undergo some pretty serious overhaul in the offseason as it attempts to find a new direction. There are also rumors that offensive and defensive coordinators Adam Gase and Jack Del Rio could be on the outs, which would mean an almost completely fresh start in Denver. All of the change likely wouldn’t suit Manning and if it turns out that General Manager John Elway is looking towards the future then it is likely that Manning would not even really be part of his plans. Manning after all does count for $21.5 million if he is on the roster at the beginning of the new league year. With Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Orlando Franklin, Will Montgomery and Jacob Tamme’s contracts set to expire, that money could be crucial. It is still likely at least one of them will not be back meaning the offense will take a hit. Three defensive starters could also be missing next year. That is a decent amount of turnover for a professional team and I think the uncertainty could cause Manning to reconsider returning to Mile High for another year.

In all honesty, Manning does not have much left to play for. He holds the single season record for passing touchdown and passing yards. He set the career mark this season for passing touchdowns and ranks second for career passing yards. He is tied for the most passing touchdowns in a game. He surpassed Dan Marino this year for the most game-winning drives in NFL history and has the most fourth quarter comebacks of all time as well. Manning also ranks only behind Brett Favre for most career wins. There is no doubt that Peyton will be a Hall of Famer. At this point, I do not know what else he has to prove. I do not think that he can suffer through a whole season to lead Denver to another Super Bowl win. He could probably catch Favre in both career wins and career passing yards next season but outside of that, there is little left for Manning to accomplish.

As sad as it is to see a great player retire, I think now is the right time. It is certainly not how Peyton would have wanted it to go but if he tries to hang on too much longer, it is only going to hurt his legacy. I would think that Manning would want people to remember how dominant he was during his illustrious career and never leave a doubt in anyone’s mind that he was one of the best ever. If he comes back and struggles, it tarnishes that legacy with the last season fans have to look back on being one where number 18 showed his age and was clearly past his prime. I just do not think it will get any better for Peyton and with the way things are going this seems like the perfect time to get out. But I guess that is for him to decide. Manning is a competitor and this loss might have just lit a fire under him. We will have to see what his future holds.

National Championship preview

Chris McGlynn Football, NCAAF , , ,

It may be the first of many to come but this College Football Playoff has been exciting from the very beginning and is definitely an improvement to the old system. Now, we will see who wins the ultimate prize of a National Championship when Oregon clashes with Ohio States. The battle of the Ducks and the Bucks will be a heated one and I am here to break down what you need to know for the game.

This marks the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Ducks since 2009, when Ohio State defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl. In the previous eight meetings between these teams, Oregon has never managed to win a game. History is not going to matter too much in this matchup but it is definitely not in the Ducks’ favor. In that 2009 Rose Bowl loss, Oregon’s signal caller was Jeremiah Masoli, who ended up transferring to Ole Miss following the season. This year the Ducks have Heisman winner Marcus Mariota under center, which is certainly a major upgrade over Masoli. Mariota might not be the only reason the Ducks are in the title game but he is definitely a key component to this championship run. The Hawaiian-born quarterback has been nothing short of excellent this year amassing 4121 passing yards and 56 total touchdowns, 40 through the air, 15 on the ground and even 1 receiving. He has a quarterback rating of 184.3, ranking as one of the best single season marks in history. Mariota was also one of the best avoiding turnovers throwing only 3 interceptions on 408 attempts. That means that Mariota threw an interception on less than 1 percent of his throws. He accomplished all of this while completing a career high 68.6 percent of his passes as well. He will be the focal point of this Oregon squad.

Mariota struggled a bit more than we are used to seeing at the beginning of the Florida State game but settled down and had a stellar second half. It will be largely up to the Ohio State defense to keep the Buckeyes in this game. The offense can score, as we saw when it racked up 42 points against a top defense in Alabama on New Year’s Day, but the defense will need to keep Mariota and this high flying Duck’s attack in check. This group will be up to the task. The Buckeye’s secondary came up with three interceptions of Blake Sims last week and the defensive line limited the big plays from Bama’s tailback duo of Xavier Henry and T.J. Yeldon. This pass rush also registered 43 sacks on the season, which ranks ninth in FBS. This defense is explosive and can make Mariota uncomfortable. Ohio State is also the type of team that could really do a lot of damage to the Duck’s offense but not in the way you would think. The Buckeyes’ grounded out 281 yards rushing against the nation’s second best run defense in the Sugar Bowl. Oregon ranks all the way down at fiftieth in terms of run defense and that could spell trouble for the Ducks. If Ohio State can run the ball effectively with Ezekiel Elliot, they will not only wear out Oregon, they will also limit the number of chances Mariota gets to make plays on offense. Usually, Oregon’s fast paced offense has tired out defenses by the end of games, making it easy to score, but if the Ducks are getting fewer drives then Ohio State’s defense should be able to hold up for the entirety of the game. That should be Ohio States game plan going into this game: run the ball and keep the Heisman winning quarterback for the Ducks on the sideline. Elliot will be the center of the Buckeye’s attack, and if he gets rolling, it could spell the end for Oregon’s title hopes.

Oregon’s defense might have a slight edge though as they will get to face Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones in only his third career start. The Buckeye’s are rolling right now and changing quarterbacks for the second time this season has not seemed to affect them but Jones is still young and learning. The sophomore from Cleveland struggled against Alabama’s defense, particularly when the Buckeye’s were in passing downs. He completed only 51.4 percent of his passes and definitely seemed like he was not fully ready to handle throwing more than twice as many passes in the Sugar Bowl than he did in the Big Ten Championship game. Oregon’s pass rush is talented as well registering 36 sacks on the year. If Oregon can find a way to slow down the Ohio State running game and force the Buckeyes into third and long situations, we could see some the Buckeyes’ offense stalling quite a bit. I would not be surprised if the Ducks defense crowds the box and forces Jones to beat them using his arm. It is risky but the kid is still fairly young and is liable to make some costly mistakes.

The players might be on the field, but the coaches control the game. These two coaches come from very different backgrounds. Ohio State’s Urban Meyer has two national titles to his name from his time with the Florida Gators. Mark Helfrich spent a few years as the offensive coordinator in Oregon following his time at Colorado as the offensive coordinator. Meyer has eight years of head coaching experience; Helfrich is just completing his second season as the lead man in Pacific Northwest. Both have been extremely successful in their respective coaching careers. Meyer and Helfrich are a combined 49-6 over the past two years. Neither one of them is going to back down and both know what this would mean to their respective programs. For Meyer, it would be validating that Ohio State is back and that the Big 10 can be a premier conference. For Helfrich, it will be the school’s first national title and completely pull Helfrich out of Chip Kelly’s shadow. These two are both great coaches and should have many more years of running top programs but only one will be the first ever college football playoff champion.

As for which of them it will be raising that trophy while soaked in Gatorade, it is a tough call. Oregon’s offense is second to none but the suspension of freshman wide receiver Darren Carrington is a big blow. He was a big play machine against Florida State accounting for 165 yards and two touchdowns. At the same time, Ohio State is still trying to find their way offensively with a quarterback in his third ever start on the biggest stage possible. The first half will be full of experimentation by both teams as we see what these coaches have cooked up over the past week and half for this game. I really like Ohio State’s chances in this game, but I cannot go against the Heisman winner in Mariota. He won the award for his continually incredible play and I think, in the end, he will be the difference maker. This game will absolutely be high scoring and Ohio State will be competitive but Oregon wins 47-38.

Why choosing the Bills will be a mistake for Ryan

Chris McGlynn Football, NFL , ,

Rumors are flying around right now that Rex Ryan could be on his way to coach in Buffalo next season to the tune of $27.5 million over the next five years. Ryan is an excellent coach and will make a stout Bills’ defense even better but going to Buffalo is a mistake for Ryan. He is being lured in by all of the money and apparently did not appreciate the Falcons lukewarm response to their first interview with the former Jets coach. Ryan should avoid coaching this northern New York team for a laundry list of reasons.

The Bills have a top shelf defense and some decent offensive weapons. The offensive line is a solid unit and this team can run the ball effectively. However, Buffalo is searching for an upgrade at quarterback due to the less than stellar play at the position holding back the team. Sound familiar? This is the exact same situation Rex Ryan walked away from in New York, just with a slightly improved defense. The gap is really not that much. The Bills finished with the fourth ranked defense allowing 312.2 yards per game. The Jets finished sixth with 327.2 yards per game allowed. That’s a difference of only 15 yards per game. New York even had a better run defense than Buffalo. Buffalo was no doubt better though allowing 7 points fewer per game and the Bills generated 17 more turnovers over the course of the season than its AFC East rival. Certainly, the Bills are a step up, but it is not a huge step.

The issue the two teams share is the mostly mediocre quarterback play. The Bills 2014 starter Kyle Orton just announced his retirement and I do not see him coming back. That leaves Buffalo with E.J. Manuel as the only quarterback on the roster going into the offseason. Manuel would be a reclamation project for Ryan and we saw in New York that he struggled to develop quarterbacks in both Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. There is a very limited free agent pool of quarterbacks with starting experience in the 2015 class, the best options being either former Titan Jake Locker or Sanchez himself. The Bills are also without a first round pick following the trade last spring with Cleveland in order to pick Sammie Watkins, which means that drafting a quarterback of the future in the first round is out of the question. Buffalo could explore trading for a player like Kirk Cousins in Washington or Johnny Manziel in Cleveland but both of those would be shots in the dark. Ryan once again does not have a proven quarterback and will have his team struggle until he finds one.

I am still very surprised to see Buffalo leaning in the direction of selecting a defensive-minded coach when the offense has struggled so mightily. Ryan is a great coach but he is walking into the same mess that led to a disaster with the Jets. I think he could be viewing this as another opportunity to take a shot at Bill Belichick in New England. Ryan would once again have a chance to meet the Patriots coach twice a year in divisional games. Ryan would love nothing more than to best Belichick and while I am not saying it could be the only reason for Ryan’s decision, it could be a motivating factor. I think Ryan is making a mistake by walking into Buffalo. He has shown his impeccable ability to create defensive schemes that can stymie Hall of Fame caliber quarterbacks but he has struggled to generate an offense. Over Ryan’s six-year stint in New York, the Jets finished 20th, 11th, 25th, 30th, 25th and 22nd in total offense. They also finished 17th, 13th, 13th, 28th, 29th and 28th in scoring offense in that same time span. The Bills need a shot in the arm offensively and Ryan cannot provide it. Looking at it, it just seems like a mistake on paper. I guess now we have to see if what is on paper translates to the playing field.