Merry Christmas to the U.S. fans!

We would like to wish you a happy holiday season and would like to check in with some of the work done by our successful Americans in the English Premier League.

First, DeAndre Yedlin was dropped for last weekend's game at Chelsea. That happened after he was taken off the pitch after 19 minutes the week before in a loss to Watford.

Said blogger Colin Randall: DeAndre Yedlin, 3 -- After promising shows in previous games, Yedlin lasted less than 19 minutes, managing at least twice to give the ball away in dangerous positions.

Moving to Merseyside, Everton fans are trying to figure out who they want to replace Tim Howard. Howard was booked for bringing down Jamie Vardy in the box for a penalty and the Toffees were beaten 3-2 by the best team in England last week. His lame effort came after this ill-advised attempt to use Twitter.

Everton fans in Australia want him off the team.   Howard may best be advised to re-join MLS in order to avoid coverage like this media speculation. 

Over in the basement, at least Brad Guzan is playing better than he did back in October.  He has allowed 31 goals in 17 games, though mostly because he plays on such a terrible team. Aston Villa are winless in their last 16 games and look utterly hopeless.

And don't expect to see Geoff Cameron play over the holidays either. 

In the Championship, Jonathan Spector is playing well in defence for Birmingham City and Tim Ream recently returned to face his old club, wretched Bolton Wanderers, in a 2-2 draw.  Ream was last seen by your faithful blogger playing for Bolton in January in happier times for the club.

We will have a year-end review for our loyal blog readers before the new year. Thank you for your support since we wouldn't exist without you!

Looking for a team in Germany to root for?

Berlin's secret weapon to draw top footballers

Football fans in the States are always looking to support a team in the Premier League.  Many Americans choose to support Chelsea. How is that working out?

It may be more rewarding to pick a team in Germany to root for. Once good choice is Hertha BSC, the official club of this blog. Hertha are in third place in the Bundesliga and are widely considered one of the world's best teams.

One reason to root for Hertha is that Berlin is the cake capital of the world, according to this Twitter account. For 2.70 euros, you can get a slice of the above cake.

With Hertha, you can have your cake and eat it too!

Why do Bayer never score?

We would like to highlight an excellent piece written by the fine folks over at sports information powerhouse STATS. It's about why Bayer Leverkusen - who were recently beaten 2-1 by Hertha BSC - have struggled to score most of the season until the last two matches. It's the kind of intelligent, analytical writing that this blog favours and we wanted to pass it along to our loyal followers!

He's back folks!

With all the talk of whether Jurgen Klinsmann should be fired, a major U.S. soccer story may have slipped right past you. And no, if you want this blogger's honest opinion, Klinsmann shouldn't be fired because it's clear that his master plan has yet to take effect and the real issue is that our players aren't sophisticated enough in their football to grasp his methods.

But we digress, the real important story in U.S. soccer was Freddy Adu pledging allegiance for another season in Tampa Bay. So sorry Atlanta or LA FC fans, you can't have him - at least not yet.

And don't think Tampa Bay is done there. As competitor to this blog Soccer by Ives noted in the above link:

The Adu announcement, which was originally reported by Sports Illustrated, comes on the heels of another big offseason move for the Rowdies, who announced on Monday that the club had signed forward Tom Heinemann, formerly of Ottawa Fury FC.

So there you have it. Adu and St. Louis native Heinemann are off to the Bay.

Any questions? What are your thoughts on how you think Freddy and Tom will combine for the Rowdies? Who should Tampa Bay get next? Another guy from St. Louis? Jermaine Jones?  Leave your thoughts below!

Champions League analysis

The draw has been conducted and IMOTGP is here to answer all your questions about the Round of 16.

Chelsea v. Paris St-Germain

ANALYSIS: These teams have met in each of the last two years, with PSG playing a man down and prevailing in a tense second leg last season. Chelsea look like relegation fodder in England while PSG has a 17-point lead in France so this looks like a mismatch.

PREDICTION: PSG 5, Chelsea 1.

Arsenal v. Barcelona

ANALYSIS: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

PREDICTION: Barcelona 4, Arsenal 2

Roma v. Real Madrid

ANALYSIS: Rudi Garcia thinks this is a 'nice draw' for Roma. The question is whether he will be around to coach in this tie. Remember the UCL is where Rafa Benitez shines and Roma usually suffers embarrassment.

PREDICTION: Real Madrid 8, Roma 1

Juventus v. Bayern Munich

ANALYSIS: Who knew Juve's failure to get a draw in Seville would result in this? Bayern aren't happy about it.  Arturo Vidal and Kingsley Coman will return to Turin and face a club that is slowly but surely displaying the form they showed in last season's UCL.

PREDICTION: UPSET SPECIAL - Juventus 4, Bayern Munich 3.

Benfica v. Zenit St. Petersburg

ANALYSIS: The major storyline is that Axel Witsel will return to Portugal along with boss Andres Villas-Boas and company. Zenit is the real deal as they showed with five wins in the group stage and Benfica will crumble.

PREDICTION: Zenit 3, Benfica 1

Dynamo Kiev v. Manchester City

ANALYSIS: City's ability to top the 'Group of Death' resulted in a favourable matchup with the first leg in an empty stadium. There is only one result possible in this tie.

PREDICTION: City 5, Kiev 0

PSV v. Atletico Madrid

ANALYSIS: How many people know that the 2014 finalists are currently joint top of La Liga on points? And that's despite all the players the Atleti have lost over the years. PSV are a game challenge but Cholo Simeone's side will be ready.

PREDICTION: Atletico 3, PSV 1

Gent v. Wolfsburg

ANALYSIS: Neither team has been this far before and Wolfsburg are favoured. After the first leg, the Wolves have a tricky trip to face European powerhouse Hertha BSC so that's a challenge. We like the Germans to prevail.

PREDICTION: Wolfsburg 4, Gent 2

Trivia Answers

There were no winners in the comments section on our trivia quiz from last week so no one won the prize to see Barcelona play in the Club World Cup.  Here are the answers:

1. The father of this Fabian played for Bayern Munich - in basketball. Which Fabian?


ANSWER: Fabian Johnson

2. This Fabian shined in a preseason win over Inter Milan.  Which Fabian?


ANSWER: Fabian Benko

3. This Fabian began his career for Bayern Munich's arch rival - 1860 Munich.  Which Fabian?


ANSWER: Fabian Johnson


4. This Fabian was born in Bavaria.  Which Fabian?


ANSWER: Trick question. Both Fabians are Bavarian-born.

5. Fabian Johnson just completed the UEFA Champions League group stage while Fabian Benko competed for Bayern Munich's team in the group stage of the UEFA Youth League. This Fabian's team totaled more points in its group stage. Which Fabian?


ANSWER: Fabian Johnson (Gladbach amassed five points, Benko's team only managed one draw at press time of this quiz).

6. This Fabian has scored more goals in UEFA competition this season. Which Fabian?


ANSWER: Fabian Johnson (he scored two and Benko scored one)

7. This Fabian's contract ends in June of 2016.  Which Fabian?

ANSWER: Fabian Benko

Still too Green for the top level!

The United States football fan was no doubt excited to see Julian Green play for Bayern Munich on Wednesday night in their 2-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, an utterly meaningless match which is why Green started and lasted 62 minutes.

Well it turns out Green was mostly a flop. According to sports information powerhouse STATS, he had the fewest touches of a Bayern player in the first half with five "bad passes" out of 15 for a horrific ratio. Pep Guardiola brought on Arturo Vidal to replace him.

Further analysis shows how useless and skilless Green was, as detailed in this Bayern think piece about the trip to Croatia. 

A year on loan has changed Julian Green’s drive for the game. His will and work rate cannot overcome the clear gaps in his skills though. He struggled to create a good chance from the right wing, and did not have the movement to establish a presence in the penalty area.

Fear not U.S. fans, at least the national team is in the right hands with Jurgen Klinsmann doing a masterful job as well as Sunil Gulati continuing to prove his competence at running the organization.

Do you know your Bundesliga Fabians?

On Saturday, Borussia Monchengladbach defeated Bayern Munich in a Bundesliga stunner. Most Bundesliga fans know Fabian Johnson, who stars for Jurgen Klinsmann's high-flying United States team which has enjoyed unprecedented success resulting in him gaining lifetime status as coach.

But did you know Bayern Munich have their own Fabian?  That's right, the German champions have Fabian Benko - who will see some action in Wednesday's hugely important completely useless Champions League matchup with Dynamo Zagreb.

Let's test your knowledge on these studs with our fun IMOTGP game - Which Fabian?

1. The father of this Fabian played for Bayern Munich - in basketball. Which Fabian?

2. This Fabian shined in a preseason win over Inter Milan.  Which Fabian?

3. This Fabian began his career for Bayern Munich's arch rival - 1860 Munich.  Which Fabian?

4. This Fabian was born in Bavaria.  Which Fabian?

5. Fabian Johnson just completed the UEFA Champions League group stage while Fabian Benko competed for Bayern Munich's team in the group stage of the UEFA Youth League. This Fabian's team totaled more points in its group stage. Which Fabian?

6. This Fabian has scored more goals in UEFA competition this season. Which Fabian?

7. This Fabian's contract ends in June of 2016.  Which Fabian?

We will provide the answers in a future post. For now, watch FOX Soccer to go to see Fabian Benko make his fabulous Champions League debut Wednesday!

CONCACAF getting it done on the big stage!

It was an amazing Saturday of mouth-watering football for the CONCACAF football fan with numerous stars of the region on display in Europe. Let's see how some of our key stalwarts fared.

The day began in the Premier League, where Stoke City shocked Manchester City 2-0, with United States defender Geoff Cameron feeding to Xherdan Shaqiri who found Marko Arnautovic for the second tally ...

Staying in the Premier League, Costa Rican sensation Joel Campbell victimized United States defender for the opener in London as champions-to-be Arsenal took down Sunderland 3-1. U.S fans may want to hide their eyes for this one.

In Germany, Bayern Munich were stunned by Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1. Fabian 'FabJo' Johnson helped in the build-up to Oscar Wendt's opener before he put the outcome to rest with the third when he did this ...

In the IMOTGP featured match of the day sponsored by the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, we had a matchup worthy of the US.-Mexico rivalry when Bayer Leverkusen and Mexican ace Chicharito took on Hertha Berlin and star U.S. defender John Anthony Brooks.

The Berliners dominated and were up a goal and a man until Chicharito had his say ...

A 1-1 draw was on the cards and Hertha had not scored off a corner kick all season until Brooks stepped up to the plate, sending U.S. fans into joyous raptures. ...

Meanwhile, Keylor Navas picked up another victory for Real Madrid in La Liga while Brad Guzan helped Aston Villa seize a rare EPL point. It was all welcome news for CONCACAF after the acting president was arrested at a Swiss hotel.We hope this cheered him up!

And we are down to eight, that's great!

Are you eligible for some December football?

As we near the end of the calendar year, it's time once more to celebrate the world's most exciting football tournament - the NCAA College Cup!

We are down to the quarterfinals and we have some great matchups - Wake Forest against Stanford, Clemson-Maryland, BC-Syracuse And Akron-Creighton. Let's break down the matchups.

No. 1 Wake v. No. 8 Stanford

We will pick the Cardinal in an upset in this one. Jordan Morris scored a brace last weekend for Stanford and Jurgen Klinsmann's favourite son will help Stanford take this one.

No. 2 Clemson v. No. 10 Maryland.

These former ACC rivals are meeting at Clemson, where low ticket sales have the school deciding to allow people in for free with a football or basketball ticket. We like the Terps in an upset since we never bet against Sasho Cirovski.

No. 4 Akron v. No. 12 Creighton

The Big East champion Bluejays have been a fraud all season and knocked off UNC despite a 21-9 disadvantage in shots. Jared Embick is the coach of the Zips and a better coach than Jurgen Klinsmann so we like him in this Midwestern matchup.

Boston College v. No. 6 Syracuse

This is the surprise matchup of this round, with the Orange never reaching the Elite Eight before while the Eagles are here for only the third time and have never gone further. We like a 2-2 draw and Syracuse to win on penalty kicks!

Debt free and headed for the Champions League!!!

One of the biggest stories in European football has been the surprising rise of Hertha BSC, the official club of this blog. The Old Lady of German football is sitting in fifth place in the table with three matches left before the winter break.

Even bigger news came this week when it was announced that Hertha are moving closer to being debt-free.  As followers of this blog may remember, American private equity firm KKR was brought in to manage the debt.  Aren't these companies great?

Well KKR has done its job and rest be assured, Hertha are on the upswing. In fact, the team can climb as high as third by beating underachieving Bayer Leverkusen this weekend. The Champions League is surely within sight and once the final debts are taken care of, Hertha can spend, spend, spend their way to glory and join Europe's footballing elite!

U.S. is on a learning curve!

Good news for followers of the United States national team! Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has again provided his wide-ranging views on the state of the team in an insightful interview! 

The German genius masterminded a win over St. Vincent and the Grenadines (or is that two wins?) and a draw with Trinidad & Tobago (or is that two draws) in World Cup qualifying. He is excited about the direction of the program.

“For a coach it becomes very challenging to analyze every piece of it, what went right and what went wrong. From that point of view, 2015 was a good learning curve for us,” Klinsmann said.

Once again, he pointed out that refereeing decisions in the Gold Cup cost the United States a chance to defeat Jamaica.

“The fact that we lost the semifinal to Jamaica in the Gold Cup – no matter how you can argue with the referee’s decisions – was an experience that the players need to go through," he said. "They need to be – and we coaches as well – critical about what we did, what mistakes did we make individually and as a whole team, and what led to the disappointment in not winning it.”

The coach also pointed to wins over Germany and the Netherlands as benchmark wins, though the United States did not receive any major hardware for winning that tournament. Germany have lost five times since the World Cup and also drew Ireland and Australia at home. Netherlands failed to qualify for the Euros for the first time since 1984.

In other U.S. news, star forward Gyasi Zardes is hearing offers from big-time clubs.

GOAT? WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

It is with great sadness that one of the greatest football supporters in the world today has announced his retirement. A man who spent his childhood in Italy dreaming about the Azzurri, Kobe Bryant will no longer play basketball. The former superstar is shooting 30.5 percent for the NBA's worst mark this season.

What is not as publicized is that basketball is not his favourite sport. Bryant famously told the world that football is his favourite sport. It's just that as the son of a former NBA star, it was easier for him to excel in a lesser-known sport rather than compete with the world's best. Knowing he couldn't play football at the highest level, he had no choice but to play some easier game.

The American chose to avoid watching Jurgen Klinsmann's team at last year's World Cup, instead watching Germany play Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. It was a wise decision to watch the champions since he is a great champion. Kobe also supports local squad LA Galaxy in MLS.

The world has reacted to the news favourably, and LeBron James' most recent Tweet after the news broke congratulated the legend.

As for this blog, we wish Bryant had become a football star in the United States but we know better than to ever expect a world superstar in the beautiful game.

Drogba: MLS is tougher than the Premier League!!

Didier Drogba, the former Chelsea great who also played for this team and is currently playing overseas with the Montreal Impact of MLS has caused a sensation.  The superstar has claimed that playing in the league consisting of teams in the United States and Canada - two footballing minnows - is tougher than the famed English Premier League.

Said Drogba: "Believe me, it's more difficult than playing in the Premier League because of the travel. You can stay at an airport for three or four hours if you miss your flight, so that is what is really leveling the game."

It's an amazing claim that professional footballers in the U.S. and Canada are missing flights and spending three or four hours in airports in order to make the game level and a real shame for the MLS. Drogba also praised the players - at least some of them.

"There are not a lot of away wins because when the teams arrive they are tired," he said. "There are also some very good players in the league."

So there you have it, the validation football fans in Canada and the States have waited for - Drogba says the MLS is tougher than the Premier League.

In other Drogba news, he plans to take over as Chelsea manager once Jose Mourinho is gone.

Tell us your thoughts below!

Happy Europa League action!!!

The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us and IMOTGP wants to wish all of the loyal followers of the blog a great day of food, feasting and football.

That's right, it's a Thanksgiving tradition to watch Europa League football on this holiday with some eggnog stuffing and turkey and bread. Whether it's Lazio's home game with a tricky Dnipro side or a closed door-fixture between Napoli and Brugge, you are sure to find the match to tickle your taste buds.

Daniel Sturridge may return for Jurgen Klopp's side in one tasty affair while Celtic have faint hopes of going through.

You can watch Tottenham in Azerbaijan  or watch the Bundesliga and La Liga match up as Bilbao visit Augsburg.  Skenderbeu Korce is in action in Turkey and Lech Poznan visit Belenenses, one of Freddy Adu's former teams.   

Schalke have promised the fans a display to remember against APOEL and Molde host Fenerbahce and RVP. There's also  PAOK-Gabala, Marseille-Groningen and FC Basel hosting Fiorentina. The men from Basel host the final so they have added incentive. 

So don't eat too much but feel free to take in more than your fair share of Europa League, with Fox Soccer providing free match highlights, courtesy of this blog!
 

East Coast Pizza tops the list!

We here at IMOTGP like to inject some pop culture into our site, much like other successful sites on the internet.

So it comes to us as news that the venerable web site the Daily Meal has come out with its list of the top 35 pizzerias. Thirty of the top 35 pizzerias are from the East coast, with 19 from New York alone. Since this blog is based in the Midwest, this news pains us but we can't argue with the Daily Meal and begrudgingly accept that the East coast is successful.

What do you think?

We endorse Pareja for the United States!

Now that the international break is over, we can focus on some of the biggest matches in world football - the MLS playoffs. There are other important matches but we figure the MLS matches will be closer.

There are many candidates for the hopefully soon-to-be vacant United States coaching job and one of the hot names is FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja.  He knows the United States soccer system inside and out and has led FCD to the brink of playing for MLS Cup. You can watch their match with Portland tomorrow on FS1.

Pareja has drawn raves from local reporters for how he has built a championship contender. Well it turns out there is no mystery. It turns out that hard work, dedication and a commitment to a youth program, as reported by the Guardian are the secrets. Pareja is a huge believer in U.S. Soccer.

“Americans need to believe in Americans,” Dallas coach Oscar Pareja says as he stands in a hallway outside the team’s locker room one day this week. “And it has to be real. We have talent here, we have players who can do it and there are many on the staff who say we are better than many other countries. Is it the future? For sure, but we have to believe that.”

Pareja is right, though he is wrong since we should believe in a certain Colombian. We need to believe in people that understand how the sport is played in this country. We here at IMOTGP endorse him as the next U.S. national team coach. Get rid of the pariah and bring in Pareja. Oh, and somebody alert this loser.

Problem solved!!

So that'll shut up the misinformed United States football public, which knows nothing about the game. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been criticized by people who know very little about the sport. Well the "greatest coach in U.S. history" has proved his doubters wrong with a beating of two opponents - St. Vincent and the Grenadines to start America's quest for the World Cup on Friday.

In front of a sellout crowd in venerable St. Louis, star striker Jozy Altidore scored twice and Darlington Nagbe and some Science major at a Silicon Valley college got into the game. The 6-1 scoreline was complete domination and the biggest margin in the CONCACAF region.

Klinsmann says that the U.S. can expect to reach the 2018 World Cup semifinals. Well who can doubt him now after this tactical masterclass? This result lightened his mood so much that he offered up a two-part interview to U.S. soccer about how he achieves so much. Part I is here. Part II of his insightful wizardry is here. Had we scored eight maybe we would have been treated to a three-part series so consider it a missed opportunity!

It can be said that the seeds for our World Cup glory began Friday night. Did you attend the match? What impressed you the most about our football? Leave your comments below!

Ronaldo: I won't play in loser leagues in the U.S., Qatar or Dubai

None other that Cristiano Ronaldo did a recent interview and was asked about his playing future. He made it clear that MLS is not an option.

It seems Ronaldo wants to end his career “with dignity” and not by playing in “the United States, Qatar or Dubai." 

So that about sums it up. The cocky Ronaldo does not want any part of MLS in a country that just thrashed two teams in one match in World Cup qualifying. 

As one astute commenter put it, "MLS is still pretty poor. Still the butt end of jokes and a laughing stock. The games are so low on quality and it's like watching ping pong or volleyball. The ball is constantly being played north to south, very little build up play, poor in possession, the ball given away cheaply and it just repeats. The team that does it less wins generally. They try to not play hoof ball but they'd better off because they have no quality or ability to play a proper game of football so they just go front to back and give the ball up. Long long way to go for MLS. And I'm in Toronto so I'm not a total outsider."

Donovan: Dempsey should be on U.S. roster

The great Landon Donovan, the catalyst to our last success in football - the much-coveted 2013 Gold Cup title that we all cherish - has come out firing again against the greatest United States person ever, Jurgen Klinsmann.

Donovan told Goal.com that Clint Dempsey should be on the national team for this critical World Cup matchup with two opponents - St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

"Only Jurgen really knows that or maybe Clint but if I’m the manager, I want Clint to be part of what we’re doing – period, end of story. Maybe if it’s a friendly game that’s different and you can start to look at other players but in a World Cup qualifier, there’s no room for error. This round of qualifying on paper isn’t as difficult as the final round of qualifying but there are only six games. If you throw away a game or two games you might not even advance to the next round.

"I didn’t agree with it. I think most of the U.S. soccer community didn’t agree with it. But it is what it is. Clint accepted it and did a good job at least publicly of dealing with it, but I would still want him on my team. If I’m a guy in that camp, I’m saying ‘I want Clint on this team.’"

Donovan also hinted that he has started playing some pickup games.  Should he unretire? Should he try to become U.S. coach? Leave your comments below.

Is Arsenal the Team Everyone Should Root For?

It's not often at this blog that we praise the English Premier League but there is good reason to do so now. Because Arsene Wenger, the man who has been hailed for his coaching acumen by many in the game, chose to discuss something equally as important as football recently.

Wenger wished all the Gunners faithful in India a Happy Diwali, noting his admiration for India and Mahatma Gandhi. Left unsaid but implied was praise from Wenger for the greatness of the Indian cricket team - known as the "world's most popular sports team."

In addition, the entire Arsenal Football Club chose to wish all its supporters a Happy Diwali with the following entertaining YouTube video:

This development begs this question about Arsenal. Is this the team everyone should root for? You can leave your comments below this Indian fan.

She roots for Arsenal!

Welcome back St. Louis to top-class soccer!

We here at the IMOTGP blog know that the entire United States is focused on the events going on in Missouri. OK maybe not not those events but rather this - the start of the World Cup for our beloved United States team!

That's right, the Cup that we will soon be a contender for thanks to the coaching wizardry of Jurgen Klinsmann will be up for grabs starting this Friday when the U.S. hosts two opponents at once - St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The unknown opponents feature a superstar who couldn't hack it at cricket so he decided to take up football instead since trying to beat India in cricket would be too difficult for him anyway.

It's up to Klinsmann to try to slow down Tevin Slater and the rest of the Grenades, as they are affectionately known to supporters who call them that.

A rabid pro-U.S. crowd is expected for this spectacle at Busch Stadium, home of the world's second-best professional baseball team.  St. Louis hasn't hosted a U.S. match since 1997.

It's a city with plenty of great soccer history, where players such as Hertha BSC's Vedad Ibisevic, English professional superstar Calum Angus (Google him) and the United States' own Tim Ream all played college soccer/football.

Credit Klinsmann for invoking the great history of United States soccer in deciding to play in St. Louis.  He said: “I think the entire team is excited to go to St. Louis and play a World Cup qualifier in this very, very historic city. Go back to the 1950 World Cup and beating England, I think there were five players that came out of St. Louis at that time and representing the United States." 

Klinsmann proved that he gets it, he understands our history and actually, he should switch to becoming U.S. Soccer historian in the opinion of this blog.

Anyway we salute and congratulate the city of St. Louis as you look forward to watching the United States win the World Cup on Friday.  IMOTGP is guaranteeing a victory behind a Klinsmann coaching masterclass!

Jerome and the jiggaman!

We here at IMOTGP like to bring you some off-the-wall football stories and this is certainly one of them. None other than Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng himself is best pals with the greatest entertainer in the history of the world - rap and fashion mogul Jay-Z. The BBC did this splendid story of the friendship between two men who are at the top of their respective games.

It turns out that Jay's Roc Nation is trying to market Boateng to the American audience. Roc Nation has other top sports clients like baseball's Robinson Cano and American football's Geno Smith.

That means Boateng can dial up Jay-Z, Beyonce, Cano or Smith anytime he wants for career advice. Boateng grew up in Berlin's rough-and-tumble Wedding district  - where your author once played some street football. This alliance paves the way for him to eventually join MLS and become an overpaid bum here in the States.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

As football fans worldwide now know, when the calendar turns to November it means it is time for playoffs - MLS style. The question the world wants to know is will the LA Galaxy's reign of terror be stopped? Here at IMOTGP we have the predictions!

WILD-CARD ROUND

EAST - NEW ENGLAND 3, DC UNITED 0

United was hammered over the weekend to drop into the knockout round and its only hope is if the Revs are intimidated by RFK Stadium. The coaching matchup is one to watch - Ben Olsen v. Jay Heaps - both are infinitely smarter than the USMNT coach.

MONTREAL 3, TFC 1

Didier Drogba is looking to become the first player to win the English Premier League and the MLS Cup in the same year. We think he'll take the first step and give Golden Boot winner Sebastian Giovinco the boot.

WEST - SEATTLE 2, LA GALAXY 1 - extra time

This is being billed as the greatest knockout game ever in the history of MLS. On one side, you have Steven Gerrard, Gio Dos Santos and Robbie Keane. On the other you have US star Deuce Dempsey, Oba Martins and Andres Ivanschitz. We'll take the Sounders and their 12th man in a squeaker.

SPORTING KC 2, PORTLAND 0

We say experience counts in a matchup like this and Benny Feilhaber will return from the doghouse and drag his side to a victory over a Timbers squad that IMOTGP believes is overrated.

QUARTERFINALS

MONTREAL OVER COLUMBUS 

Drogba will likely be too tough for a high-scoring Crew team that has choke written all over them.

NEW ENGLAND OVER NEW YORK

The Revs are a Red Bulls nemesis. Expect New York to get someone sent off in the first leg and fall short at home in the second as the evil Revs get through.

SPORTING KC OVER DALLAS

Kansas City routed Dallas twice this year and has the better side, no matter what the table says. Expect FCD to wear the dunce cap, as usual, with ridiculous blunders.

SEATTLE OVER VANCOUVER

The 'Caps were throttled by the Sounders in the CONCACAF Champions League decider and will end up on the wrong side of this matchup again in an anti-climactic rout.

CONFERENCE FINALS

MONTREAL OVER NEW ENGLAND

Expect the Impact to use a raucous crowd in the second leg to slip by a Revs team that will be on fumes at that point. Jermaine Jones will be sent off and announce he will move next to China.


SPORTING KC OVER SEATTLE

Peter Vermes' side will stroll into MLS Cup by beating a Seattle team that won't have Dempsey after the aging vet gets injured playing for the U.S. in a World Cup qualifier in Trinidad.

MLS Cup - SPORTING KC wins it all!

Canada will host the league's showpiece event for the second time after Colorado beat FCD in Toronto in 2010. This time, Sporting KC will complete the double by adding to their U.S. Open Cup with their second MLS Cup in three years. Are they the real MLS dynasty?

Any comments or predictions, let us know below and thanks for following!

JacKass or Just Kidding?

Well folks, the United States' latest calamitous loss has brought major questions to the state of the program as well as the fact that our nation's Olympic dreams are in real jeopardy on one of the worst days in U.S. soccer history Saturday.  Here at IMOTGP, let's look at the aftermath.

1. Is it the fault of the JacKass or are we Just Kidding?

The person in the crosshairs, and rightfully so, is head honcho the bossman himself Jurgen Klinsmann, aka JK. So does that stand for JacKass or Just Kidding? MLS analyst Matthew Doyle provided a solid takedown of the Klinsmann era, and SB Nation's Kevin McCauley confirms, that yes, JK is a JacKass in his piece.

Well anyone who knows football didn't need to watch Saturday night to already know that. But does Klinsmann deserve to lose his job? The surprising answer is no. Yes, he's a mediocre and clueless coach. But we have a mediocre team with a complete mediocrity in charge of the program. There really is no reason to change anything, we'll keep losing to the teams in our region when it counts.

Who cares anyway if the people in charge of the program don't? These dummies will keep showing up regardless.  The JoKe is on us!!!

2.  Outside of Bradley, this team mostly sucks.

Michael Bradley is a fabulous player and showed it once again. Geoff Cameron is a true professional and we have good goalkeepers. But that's about it.

Clint Dempsey performed like a corpse. That was probably as good a performance as you can expect out of Jozy Altidore but what does that say? Fabian Johnson wasn't great and Gyasi Zardes was forced to defend most of the time. These are your attacking players?

When a lineup features Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman, you are saying you really don't want to attack. Our previous coach was derisively called 'Bunker Bob.' yet he would cringe if his team looked that insipid Saturday. 

3.  Stop saying "We beat Germany and the Netherlands."

Any idiot should know that friendly results are meaningless but U.S. fans seem clueless to this. At any rate, beating these countries isn't even impressive, and not just because they didn't care.

Since winning the World Cup, Germany have lost four times - including Euro 2016 qualifiers to Ireland and Poland. They needed a late goal from this loser to tie Australia at home. They barely beat Georgia at home to qualify for the Euros. Germany are the world champions but they are hardly a powerhouse.

The Dutch probably won't didn't qualify for the Euros. They are not very good. Things are so bad they are regularly using a player also eligible to play for India, a country known more for their cricket superiority. The Netherlands aren't 'total voetbal,' they are a total disgrace.

3. Mexico really wasn't great either

Mexico will represent CONCACAF in the Confederations Cup but they weren't great Saturday. They managed seven shots on target over 120 minutes for a pathetic total given they had the lion's share of possession. Chicharito finally scored against the U.S. but also missed chances. Mexico were timid in creating chances and were ripe for the picking. The game was screaming for Tecatito Corona, but he only came in in extra time.

Which brings us to number 4 ...

4. The real winner is ..

What Saturday proved is that Costa Rica is the real top team in the region. They had the best World Cup last year and won the real 'Group of Death.' They would have beaten Mexico in the Gold Cup if not for a joke of a call. If you love friendlies, they played Spain tough. That's meaningless but so many people focus on friendlies. Does anyone think Costa Rica would not beat the United States in a match that matters since they basically beat El Tri?  Costa Rica beat the U.S. 1-0 on Tuesday.

It says here that Costa Rica is the real king of CONCACAF - whatever that means. 

STATS spotlights Hertha's Darida!

Any football fan tell you about the exploits of superstars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Alexei Sanchez. There are, of course, many unheralded players that do not get the recognition they deserve.

We would like to credit STATS, a global powerhouse of sports information based in the United States for their amazingly, well-done insightful piece on Hertha star midfielder Vladimir Darida. You should check it out and enjoy learning about the Czech superstar.

It's an extremely enjoyable piece as part of the STATS insights blog. It's clear that the Bundesliga being on FOX in the United States is getting players like Darida more notoriety.  Also it's nice to see an Indian author like Santosh Venkataraman get involved with the world's most exciting football league. Herr Venkataraman is no doubt a huge cricket supporter who saw his defending champions lose in the World Cup to Australia.

Here's hoping a successful Hertha season will cheer up disconsolate Indian cricket fans worldwide!

When Lewandowski scored 10 times!

Robert Lewandowski has gotten worldwide acclaim for his five-goal haul Tuesday.

Long-time followers of the Pole know he scored double that on one occasion, as the video above shows!

Bundesliga tops Premier League once again!

It has been confirmed yet again that the Bundesliga is better than the Premier League in giving fans value for their euros (or pounds or dollars).

The GoEuro Football Price Index says that the average price of top-flight football in Germany is about 23 quid compared to over 53 for a boring Premier League match where you can eat the terrible local cuisine. 

The story also notes how 1,000 Britons each week go to Union Berlin games. This highlights the idiocy of the English fans, who could easily support Europa League candidate Hertha instead.

Also notable is Argentina ranking fifth and Brazil at 10th on the list with no sign of our MLS, which likely was not considered.

"It was crazy"

We would like to congratulate all football fans who were treated to a magical moment Tuesday night. Robert Lewandowski's magical five-goal haul in nine minutes has brought joy to the usually scandal-ridden footballing world.

As our loyal followers know, this blog usually spends time lamenting the lack of a superstar club in Berlin, as this brilliant expose highlights the situation in the German capital.  And our heroes from Hertha BSC were victorious on this night with an easy 2-0 win over 1. FC Koln.

But the Polish superstar Lewandowski simply was a joy to behold, performing a footballing feat that defies the laws of athletics. It was something usually produced by superstars like the NFL's Aaron Rodgers, tennis' Roger Federer and cricket's Sachin Tendulkar - all legends in their respective fields.

Lewandowski does not rate at that level but give him time. With Bayern trailing 1-0 at the half, he unleashed a master class that he could only say "was crazy." That doesn't even begin to describe it. It was out of this world, heavenly and quietly reaffirming that football can be a force for good rather than evil.

Folks, the football world and sports in general is very commercial in nature and even this blog has been forced to turn to Google ads - so watch for them. In a world where money reigns supreme, it was nice to see the joy of the game personified by one Mr. Lewandowski, who proved yet again why we all exist - because of football and the beautiful game that it is. Danke, Herr Lewandowski, danke.

'People in America don't understand'

Credit U.S. No. 1 goalkeeper Brad Guzan for explaining just what top-level European football is all about in his latest column for club side Aston Villa.   The shot-stopper is preparing for a double-dose of derbies with a Premier League matchup with West Bromwich Albion before a "Second City" clash with Birmingham City in the Carling Cup.

Guzan knows that Villa Park will be rocking. But do American fans know what that means?

Said Guzan: "People in America don't understand how passionate and how big rivalries are in this country when it comes to football matches."
"In the US you could go and watch a match between two big rivals in baseball or American football and you could sit in the same bar or pub and have a pint."
"There's no division in terms of home and away supporters in America. Everyone's scattered around the stadium and sits where they want. It's more passionate here."

Guzan is right. American MLS fans don't have that passion. Credit the Premier League for being the best in the world when it comes to that and we can't wait to watch more exciting Aston Villa football to see this. The larger point is what U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann says in declaring that the public here isn't educated enough about the game. 

Let's face it, Americans: we don't understand football.

WILLKOMMEN!

As most of our loyal readers know, one of the favorites of this blog is the beloved Bundesliga, home of the official club of the IMOTGP blog, annual relegation fodder - Hertha BSC.

Well now that the Bundesliga is on the FOX networks, American fans are finally getting a taste of what our league is all about - and it's not just FC Bayern (yawn). The fandom for other clubs is growing and we would like to welcome several new fans who have joined forces with league clubs.

First off, we welcome Jeff M - the newest fan of VfL Wolfsburg. His team kicked off their Champions League campaign with a "highly deserved win" over CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. We wish Jeff all the best except this weekend when they play Hertha, of course!

Next is Will R, who made the commendable and rather unusual choice of rooting on 1. FC Koln. Your faithful blogger saw his first Bundesliga game at the RheinEnergie stadium (a Hertha win over the Goats). Who is Koln's rival in mid-week next week? Why, Hertha of course.

We also extend a warm welcome to John H, who has cast his lot with Bayer Leverkusen. John is a bit distraught over the loss of Korean ace Heung-min Son to the rival Barclays Premier League, but his focus is on a Wednesday Champions League tilt with BATE Borisov.

From all of us at the IMOTGP blog, a hearty Willkommen to the world's most exciting football league. And we extend an offer that the next time we are all together in Germany, the beer is on this blog as we celebrate Bundesliga football! Viel Spaß!

Messi's career almost in jeopardy!

Why do you make me play here?

In a pulsating, amazing contest, Argentina rallied for a 2-2 draw with Mexico at Arlington, Texas on Tuesday. Lionel Messi scored an amazing equaliser for the Albiceleste.

The game - in Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones' monstrosity of a stadium - didn't go forward without some major issues. The collective hearts of billions of football lovers were aghast when this insane moment happened on Jerry's turf.

While it was almost good news for Real Madrid supporters, the organizers of the game should be ashamed of themselves. The biggest culprit is owner Jerry Jones, whose ramblings on his Twitter account are an embarrassment to the sports world. 

They say nobody can stop Lionel Messi but Jerry Jones nearly did.

Wanna Get Away and Watch Football?

Your football flight is waiting!

It is being reported that an astounding 800,000 fans from overseas are flocking to watch Premier League matches. The most popular destination unsurprisingly is Manchester United, where this correspondent experienced the thrill of the English game a year ago.  One fan in South Africa paid 1,300 pounds to watch United.


Visiting Manchester for football has its drawbacks. First off, if you choose to watch United, you may be watching a collection of high-priced flops. This was determined this week there at some self-important convention attended by a bunch of suits.

One positive to visiting Manchester is that you can use this urinal to relieve yourself.  Also you can relive England's past football failures.

Of course, fans in the United States find that the cheapest option to watch football in a foreign country is this club. That's where you can watch one of America's brightest stars do things like this. 

So football fans, where is your next trip to watch a match going to be? Do you think England is the best destination to watch a match? Give us your thoughts before and The Phantom will respond!
 

Another English legend wants in on MLS, which wants to play England

The Manchester Evening News is reporting that the great Wayne Rooney will come to MLS once his contract with the world's most popular sports franchise is over. MLS commissioner Don Garber is in England to promote the MLS at some convention for guys who wear suits.

Garber predictably made a lot of noise at this convention, most of it hot air, of course since he was trying to hype up MLS and compare it to actual soccer leagues that function without notable fiascos like the Frank Lampard one under his watch. 

Now Garber believes that a competition between English clubs and MLS clubs would be entertaining. Never mind that such a contest would serve no purpose or that there have been no discussions with the Premier League about it or that this would serve no purpose for the Premier League. Don Garber said it, so maybe it will happen!

That about sums up the sad state of affairs with U.S. soccer, which was humbled 4-1 by Brazil on Tuesday in a game presented by Liberty Mutual, who are welcome to sponsor the IMOTGP blog anytime.

Another blow for the United States!

As the United States gets ready to face five-time champion Brazil, presented by Liberty Mutual, there is cause for concern for fans of the Stars and Stripes. And that's not just in football, as anyone who attended a humiliating rugby loss to Australia over the weekend can attest.

But we digress and since this blog's focus is football, it's long been a dream of the U.S. fan to see a player compete for a top-notch club like Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester United - the favourite club of the fictional character this blog is named after.

Well those dreams were dashed by the departure from Barca of U.S. stud Ben Lederman. Credit to eagle-eyed IMOTGP reader Adam Belgeri for pointing out this story. Lederman has been profiled numerous times and U.S. fans were excited about his relationship with Barcelona and by extension, the great Lionel Messi.

Instead, thanks to Barca's cheating ways, Lederman will no longer be part of La Masia. His father is crushed, his fans are crushed and this blogger is devastated. The sad truth is that if Lederman returns permanently to the United States, he may only be able to look forward to a MLS career steeped in mediocrity in which 37-year-old has-beens dominate the league and other past-their-prime stars lounge and watch tennis. It's a sad set of events.

A solution to American football's Goodell problem

The blog has been on vacation in sunny Florida so we haven't been able to give you your dose of real football news. We apologize.

In the States, American football takes center stage and the news that Super Bowl champion and notorious cheater Tom Brady has been absolved of illegally deflating footballs is the major talking point as opposed to the woes of the domestic MLS.

Much of the blame for the Brady saga has been placed on embattled commissioner Roger Goodell. Now Goodell plans to sic more of the league's high-powered lawyers on sacking Brady for playing with his balls.

There are numerous calls for Goodell to resign, though that won't happen. It's clear he has lost the respect of the American football public but there's a way for him to get it back that doesn't involve lawyers and people in suits.

Opening night on September 10th the Patriots and Brady will take the field to play the Steelers.  Tradition dictates Goodell will be there and the fans will boo him mercilessly. Goodell isn't planning to show up but we propose that Goodell should be there and fight back.

The commish failed to sack Brady with a four-game ban. It's time to sack him in a language the Brazilian-marrying pretty boy will understand - on the field! Roger Goodell should put on some pads and a helmet, get on the field and sack Brady during pregame warmups. Goodell was a high school star on the gridiron and it's well known that Brady isn't very tough.

So do you want to get some respect Roger? Get on the field and sack Brady like a real man would. That'll show the world who is boss and who is going to suspend you anyway? Yourself? If you do, some judge will overturn it anyway!