Crew Preview No. I: Black and Gold Stand Pat but with Two Choice Exceptions

By El Chupa

The staff at Nordecke Luchador are hard at work preparing our pre-season rankings in spite of the impending, righteous and highly justified strike by MLS players.  We back the players 150% and blame the unimaginative, unenlightened, unethical and dishonest hacks in the league office at the International House of Soccer for the impasse.

But let's pretend the season IS really about to begin.  Here's a cursory overview of what we've noticed thus far.

A quick look here (free registration may be required and scroll down to the latest post) and you'll notice that no team made fewer off-season moves than did the Crew.  The two pickups they did make are impressive.

Sergio Herrera is a journeyman International Columbian who has bounced around but--and no propaganda, wishful thinking, or bullshit here--should bring experience and solid striking skills up front. We think he is more than capable of replacing Moreno. Moreno produced only 12 SOG in 22 games with four goals in 2009.  These numbers are respectable but Herrera is more-than-capable of the same contribution if not more.

Super Draft pick Dilly Duka (coolest name ever? Or goofiest name ever? Discuss...) is a young talent who is a US U-20 international and just the type of young player teams should be scouting and acquiring to build for the future.  The Crew showed last year that should Big Willy (um, "Guillermo" is Latinate for "William") go down or be limited in appearances due to age, the team needs a midfield creator.  Replacing Willy is too much to expect from Duka, who has yet to play a minute in a regular season MLS game. But it's nice to know the team is looking to the future in acquiring Duka, who could have gone much higher than 8th in the first round of the Super Draft.

We also have to admit that El Chupa, for one, was rather pessimistic about the Crew's chances against Tolouca, a tough Mexican club in mid-season form.  Their strong showing (admittedly at home against a team hailing from a country whose natives apparently are incapable of playing well in "arctic" central Ohio in freaking March) suggests strongly that the suits upstairs may have made the right decision to essentially stand pat this off season, giving the team's established players, starters and reserves alike, a chance to gel further.  If Lenhart and Rogers continue to mature and develop as we think they should, the Crew should again be extremely competitive.  Last year's late-season meltdown will hopefully not repeat itself this year.  And Crew loyalists can and should expect nothing less than a shot at both the Supporters Shield and the MLS Cup.  We'll break down the team's numbers in a separate post.

In the meantime, remember the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln: "Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." 

Word!

El Douche-o

By El Chupa

We at El Luchador have decided to weigh in on the Beckham problem. Is he a douche? In our view, yes. Is he good enough for the league to bring him in under special conditions and pay him more than other players in the league who are far more productive? Hardly. Is he worth all the free publicity? Probably. But once a douche, always a douche we says. And we can prove it.

There are a number of issues obviously, from how El Doucho acted on the field and in the locker room with the Galaxy last season, to the MLS' decision to bring him in to help the league in the first place, to the basic question of just how much talent he actually brings to the Galaxy.

Let's take the last question first.

The chart below represents the top 30 offensive players in the MLS in 2008. It includes only those players who scored and who either played a minimum of 1300 minutes or scored a minimum of 5 goals. The Luchametric institute has developed a measure of player production that takes into account goals, assists, shots, shots on goal, the percentage of shots the player puts on goal, and the percentage of SOG the player converts to actual goals. As you can see from the data below, the top scorers not only take more SHT and SOG, they also convert a much higher percentage of their scoring opportunities into actual goals than do average scorers. The Player Production metric thus gives players credit for how many scoring opportunities they create (assists), how many they create and/or are given by their teammates (SHT and SOG), the percentage of SHT they convert to actual SOG or actual quality scoring chances, and the percentage of SOG they convert to actual goals.



Notice that Beckham is ranked 25th, above many scorers and typically above the league averages, but also far below the actual best players in the league such as Donovan, Cooper, Schelotto and others. His number of assists is up at the top, but taken with the other measures it becomes clear that, yes, he's good--but he's not good enough for all of the attention lavished on him by the media. Notice that his Pro/GM is right at the league average, and that his SOG% is below the league average, meaning that when he either creates a shot, or is the recipient of a shot opportunity by one of his teammates, he muffs it more often than does an average scorer in the league. The word for that my friends is Eurotrash.

Robbie Rogers to Get First Cap

Tune in tonight as Robbie Rogers makes his national team debut before his hometown fans in the stadium he watched be built as a youngster and where his Crew won the MLS Cup just two months ago.

While the line-ups won’t be released until game time, El Luchador has learned that it is a done deal: Coach Bob Bradley will start the 21-year old Crew stand-out in the friendly against Sweden at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Rogers will earn his first cap in front of family and friends.

Rogers is listed as a midfielder and will play in an attacking role in a 4-4-2 formation, El Luchador predicts. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. EST and is available on Fox Soccer Channel.


Rogers played for his country at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. And of course was outstanding as a starter for the men's 2008 US Olympic Team in Beijing. But this will be his first appearance with the big boys.

Unless the Chicago Fire’s Jon Busch (MLS goalkeeper of the year) gets injured and other things break his way, Wil Hesmer will warm the bench tonight.

Eddie Gaven and Brian Carroll could see action as substitutes in the midfield because injuries and overseas obligations have left Bradley with a somewhat shallow squad, and he will need to give some of the youngsters a chance.

Many of the U.S. regular starters are competing overseas, including Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu. So, Bradley is anxious to give playing time tonight to other players before the first World Cup qualifier Feb. 11 against Mexico in C-Bus.

Big Chad Marshall had to leave the training camp due to knee injury, but he is reported to be recovering well. He should be good to go as the Crew report for preseason this Sunday.

Watch the game at Claddagh Irish Pub (585 S. Front St.) where Frankie Hejduk will be on hand, according to brother Crewfighter.

Crew Fan Party @ Sugar Bar

It’s cold. You could use a drink. The only soccer to watch is thousands of miles away. What to do?

Warm up with free drinks in the company of the beautiful Crewzers, Crew players and fans.

Feb. 12 the Sugar Bar will host a celebration of the 2008 season that was and a midwinter kick-off to what will be.

All Crew Fans and supporters will receive free drinks from 10:30 to midnight. You heard me right Crew faithful: Free drinks.

The Crewzers are hosting the party and also doing a Charity Date Auction. Some of the players have been contacted, but Lindsey Merryman tells El Luchador there is still no word on who will show.

You better be there. More info to follow. Columbus till I die, brothers and sisters.

5 Crew Mates On Board With U.S.A.

By Gory Guerrero

Five Columbus Crew members have been tapped by Bob Bradley on the 25-man roster for the January U.S. National team training camp.

Top of the list: Chad Marshall. Just yesterday, there were those who were questioning El Luchador’s prediction that Marshall’s decision to stay with the Crew in 2009 enhances his prospects for a call-up. Voila. Next stop: South Africa.

Also on the very young list: goal keeper Will Hesmer, midfielders Brian Carroll and Eddie Gaven, and midfielder-forward Robbie Rogers.

"This is the beginning of a big year for the national team, and it is important that we get started off heading in the right direction," Bradley is quoted on MLSnet. "This is another great opportunity to reinforce the principles of how this team operates both on and off the field, as well as getting players ready for the match against Sweden and the first World Cup qualifier this year against Mexico in February."

The training camp begins Jan. 4 at the National Training Center at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The 25 will train for the United States’ first 2009 match-up, a friendly against Sweden 8 p.m. EST on Jan. 24 at The Home Depot Center. The game is scheduled to be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Of course this means that members of Crew Soccer Nation likely will have an opportunity to see five of their own in action on Feb. 11 in the World Cup qualifer against Mexico.

Hesmer will have to compete with Goalkeeper of the Year and former Crew man Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF) and Matt Pickens (out of contract).

There are only two veterans on the young team, Cory Gibbs (Colorado Rapids) and Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo).Clearly, Bradley is pursuing an Arsene Wenger-style young blood strategy.

That’s fine, but where is Frankie Hejduk?

Sigi Will Take Crew Players If He Can; Moreno at Top of His List

On the day the Crew announced Robert Warzycha as the new head coach, Sigi Schmid made his first national television appearance since his less-than-amicable departure from Columbus. Interviewed live in the second half of “Fox Football Fone In,” Sigi emphasized the positive and focused the discussion about his decision to leave Columbus on the opportunity in Seattle and not on anything negative in C-Bus.

But, one doesn’t have to read too much between the lines to see that he feels scorned, and he made it clear that he would have no qualms about stealing talent from the Black & Gold if given the chance.

On the contract negotiations, Sigi admitted for the first time publicly that the Crew made an offer before he met with Seattle and that the offer was on par with his expectations and with what others could do. But it was too little too late.

“It just got dragged on. And it’s just like if you’re negotiating a contract, you expect something to happen like within a week or two weeks, and it didn’t happen in that time frame. And by the time an offer came in that we felt was compatible and was close to what we were hoping for, it was at the end of the season and I said, 'That’s it I’m this close to the end, I want to see what’s out there.'”

He joked that one factor in his decision to leave was his memory of being summarily fired by LA in 2004 while holding a winning record: “I didn’t want to get kicked out of town like last time.”

Asked by host Steven Cohen whether the failed contract negotiations and the way he was treated by management in Columbus left him with a sour taste, Sigi had this to say:

“It is what it is. I’m not going to worry about that. I’m not going to have hurt feelings or anything else. I enjoyed my time in Columbus. I thought it was great that they were patient with me and allowed me to build the team and we were able to reward and have a great season. I’m going to miss the players because I always have attachments to them. I’m going to miss my staff because I thought we had one of the best staffs in the league and it was great cooperation, but it’s not important whether my feelings were hurt, it’s just important that I’m on to the next adventure.”

Does he have regrets that he will not be able to lead the Crew in the coming CONCACAF Champions League campaign?
“Definitely, I mean anyone that knows me knows that I am a very competitive person … but I have to weigh everything, and it didn’t carry enough weight at the end of the day.”

Does he plan to pillage players from the Crew and take them with him to Seattle?
“Unfortunately, the way the rules are you can’t really grab all your old players. But as players become available, just like I brought Alejandro Moreno to Columbus and he was very helpful to me, if people become available and I think there’s somebody who can help the team, I will do it.”

What about the Columbus coaching staff? Will he take some of them with him? The rules are more lax there.
“All my (assistant) coaches (in Columbus) are under contract … It’s not like in Europe a lot of times where the assistant coach goes with the head coach … That’s just not something that happens in the MLS. You’ve got to build all over again.”

Sigi also offered a strong vote of confidence for Warzycha as he takes the helm.

Watching this guy with his soccer knowledge, his class and his control, it’s clear that the Crew really let the best coach in America slip away, and it’s clear that while he has too much integrity to say so, he’s not entirel happy about how it all went down.

Aston Villa Worth a Look

With nearly four months to go until the Crew’s home opener, how does a true fan get through the long Ohio winter? Take heart, comrades. Across the pond there’s one club that is worthy of your massive support.

Here are El Luchador’s Top 5 reasons for Ohio soccer fans to support Aston Villa Football Club of the English Premier league:

5. Villa's starting keeper is former Crew star and Cleveland native Brad Friedel. Not only is Friedel one of the greatest keepers in U.S. history and one of the the firsts keeperd for the Crew, at 37, he is one of the oldest players in the EPL, but still one of the sharpest. He is the current holder of the English Premier League record for 167 consecutive appearances.

4. Their No. 2 keeper is also an American, former Chivas USA keeper Brad Guzan, making Villa the only top flight football club anywhere outside of North America with two top keepers from the U.S.

3. It is unclear why, but one of their supporter groups is called “C-Crew.” El Luchador met a couple of these fellows when the Crew played host to Aston Villa in a 3-1 loss at Crew stadium in July 2007. They were a good group for hooligans, especially when compared to the wankers from West Ham who polluted our fair city this summer.

2. Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner is also Villa’s majority owner and CEO. After attending college in England, the Brooklyn native acquired a lifelong passion for the beautiful game. He purchased the Browns in 2002 and took control of the Villans in 2006. The Browns season is over (they suck). Root for their sister club in Birmingham.

1. Villa actually have a chance at hardware yet this season. With the English football season reaching the midpoint, Villa are currently in 5th place, with 25 points in 15 games played. They are only one point behind 4th place Arsenal and three points behind third place Man U. They actually have a chance at their first UEFA Champions League appearance in more than 25 years. Any Crew fan should find it easy to get behind this underdog in their bid to break into the Big Four of English soccer against all odds. Also, they are alive and well in the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup competitions.

So, take El Luchador’s advice: Raise a pint to the Lions of Villa Park.

Long time ago in Birmingham

Eighteen Hundred and Seventy-four

By the light of a gas lamp

This famous club was born

Hark now hear the Villa sing

A club was born that day

Who's name will live for evermore
Aston V I L L A