It Takes Zizou to Tango

Can Zinedine Zidane succeed as Real Madrid manager?

When Zinedine Zidane returned to the club at which he ended his playing career, it was almost inevitable that he was the heir apparent to the club’s seemingly constant managerial vacancy.

With then-manager José Mourinho in charge of first-team affairs, Zizou concentrated on the academy. Under Carlo Ancelotti, the Frenchman coached his way into the first-team, assisting as Madrid won their historic tenth Champions League title. For the last 18 months, Zidane was in charge of the club’s B team – known as Real Madrid Castilla – and guided them to just a slightly above-average campaign in the Spanish third division. While these three years of experience could hardly be referred to as a period of incredible personal success for him, he was officially named the first-team manager of Real Madrid on January 4, a day that saw the club cut ties with Rafa Benítez in favour of the legendary French international.

Zidane has been given a near-impossible responsibility; with his first senior managerial job, he has to make Real Madrid play beautifully again while also meeting the sky-high expectations put forth by the front office, the players, and the fans. Certainly he has a vast knowledge of the game and a passion for the club, but can we really expect Zidane to find managerial success at Madrid?

Part of me thinks he is doomed to fail. It is one thing to have experience coaching and winning at the lower levels, but managing a team full of stars is a completely different task altogether. Real Madrid is a collection of players with some of the biggest egos in world football – not an insult, but a fact – and getting on their bad side will inevitably lead to failure (see: Rafa Benítez). Unfortunately for Zidane, the quickest way to get on a player’s bad side is to force them to do something to which they are not accustomed. He wants his teams to play beautiful football, but the Madrid team up to this point have not had such an identity; sure, they play to win, but their performances are usually dependent on moments of individual brilliance rather than a particular style of play. Trying to implement a particular philosophy has not gone well for the club’s past few managers, and the Frenchman will decide whether or not the risk is worth the potential rewards.

Additionally, and probably most importantly, is the sad reality that a Real Madrid manager has no real power. Regardless of name recognition or prior success, the fact of the matter is that this is Florentino Pérez’s club. As presidents go, Pérez is one of the most stubborn and dictatorial ones out there, and no manager has ever been able to change that. Just look at Carlo Ancelotti – he guided Madrid to La Décima, but failed to win the league title or keep Gareth Bale happy and was promptly shown the exit door. Benítez did a great job keeping players like Bale content, but allowed unrest to occur among some of the fringe players (Isco, James, etc.) and was heavily scrutinized for it by the media, which led to his sacking. It seems that the management job at Real Madrid is a recipe for disaster, no matter the level of on-field success. With the enormous pressure put on him right from the start, how can we really expect Zidane to succeed as Madrid manager?

Well, if there is anyone equipped to handle being pulled in every direction by the owner, the fans, and the media, it is him. The French legend has shown more than enough willingness to be his own man, with the prime example of that relating to young superstar Martin Odegaard. Madrid fought off a slew of Europe’s elite clubs to sign the now-17-year-old Norwegian, yet Zidane left him out of the Castilla lineup entirely on a number of occasions. According to his contract, Odegaard was allowed to train with the first team for a certain number of days per week, but Zidane refused to give him playing time for the B team while he was training with a different set of teammates. Given the hype surrounding the youngster and his ridiculous wage figure, this whole saga showed the world that Zidane was not afraid to take a Ferguson-esque “my way or the highway” approach to management.
Furthermore, his knowledge of the game and leadership abilities are already abundantly clear from his time as a player. During the most important tournaments, playing for the most important teams, Zidane was essentially a coach on the field that proved he could lead his men to the highest of heights. He’s been the World Player of the Year, the best player of the UEFA Champions League, and the best player of the World Cup, and all of those awards were completely deserved. If the Madrid players don’t respect him and follow his instructions, then maybe the manager is not the root of the club’s problem.

Furthermore, he knows what he is getting himself into. Zidane understands (and even embraces) the pressure. Most importantly for him though, I think it is unlikely for him to be heavily scrutinized for anything that happens this season; Madrid is already out of the Copa Del Rey, behind two magnificent teams in the La Liga standings, and not really a favorite to win the Champions League. He should get half a season to experiment with the team and its tactics, which hopefully set him up for more long-term success.

There are plenty of reasons to be nervous about Zidane’s appointment as manager. A managerial search for a club of Madrid’s calibre should be conducted reasonably and methodically, yet here we see a beloved player with minimal experience get the nod, and with a points deficit already staring him in the face. Sure, he could be an absolute revelation, but the fact that the players can be friendlier with him than with Benítez will not mean much if he can’t turn things around. The fans, media, and President will be quick to turn on him, regardless of his star power.

I wish Zinedine Zidane the best of luck, as I’m sure many of us do. He definitely has the footballing knowledge and leadership abilities to go far, and will undoubtedly be a successful manager for some club, even if he doesn’t remain at Madrid. I sincerely hope that he validates his legacy as a winner by leading Los Galácticos to as many trophies as possible, and proves all the doubters wrong. Unfortunately, under a boss like Florentino Pérez, all of that might not even be enough. 
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A True Test: Pep Guardiola at Manchester City

Football’s worst-kept secret has gotten out: Starting this summer, Pep Guardiola will be manager of Manchester City Football Club.

The current Bayern and former Barcelona coach is the most successful manager in the modern era, having won almost every trophy imaginable in his few years on the scene. He is renowned for his tactical brilliance, both offensively and defensively, and for having a strong personal relationship with his players. Many of the greatest players of the past generation, including Lionel Messi, have touted him as somewhat of a managerial magician.

But the Premier League is a different animal altogether. Who’s to say that he can just waltz in and succeed right away?

Some will say that Guardiola hasn’t yet created success as much as inherited it. His record as a winner can’t be denied, but it must have been a little easier walking into a locker room already occupied by Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi at Barcelona and Robben, Ribery, and Muller at Bayern. Sure, there is something to be said for being a strong personality and man-managing these superstar egos, but just putting these teams out on the field already guaranteed victory about 90% of the time. In the Premier League, there is significantly more parity. Not only is no club in England on the level of Barcelona or Bayern, but the league itself is already looked down upon as a frequent under-achiever in international competition. Even Guardiola himself doesn’t know how good he really is at reversing declines or rebuilding a faltering team, and his job will be even more difficult in a league notorious for giving managers a very short leash.

Another important point to discuss is the difference between cultures. While Guardiola has usually had good friendships with his players, it is publicly known that he’s not the biggest people person behind closed doors. Throughout his time at Bayern, he has often sent assistants to deliver messages instead of doing it himself, and he has even been known to fall out with a team doctor or two (something that didn’t work out too well for another Premier League manager). At times, he has revealed himself as relatively inexperienced on the PR side of things, and the brutal English media will eat that up.

On the other hand, the media will have boatloads of praise for Guardiola once he inevitably attracts some of the world’s superstars to play in the Premier League. We all know about the high-profile footballers who have rejected moves to England in recent years, but that could very well be a thing of the past should he find success on the field. Under the Manchester City ownership team, Guardiola will have the freedom to spend big, and the blessing to select the players he wants with little interference from the club’s hierarchy.


Which players will survive and thrive under Pep's leadership?


On the topic of changing up the squad, which current City players could succeed next season, and which will probably be seeing the exit door this summer?

I am by no means an expert, but a quick look at City’s current team should make Guardiola feel relatively confident heading into his first year in charge. Highly technical and intelligent players thrive under his system, and he will already have a few of those at his disposal.
It’s hard to think of a system in which Sergio Agüero wouldn’t excel, and tiki-taka should be no different. The Argentinian is a technical striker that could successfully be employed as the center forward in a False 9 system, one of Guardiola’s favorites.

Kevin De Bruyne is one that jumps out to me, and he could easily end up being Guardiola’s Müller 2.0. With his intelligence and positional flexibility, he could be very well-utilized all over the field and could really hone his game and become a complete footballer before too long. Similarly, Raheem Sterling is a pacy winger who fits the manager’s mold completely, and could hugely benefit from learning how to be more positionally sound and composed on the ball.

David Silva has often struggled to nail down one position on the field as his own, but his talent has never been in question. He is instrumental to the function of the City team, and he certainly has the intelligence and skill required by Guardiola’s system. I could see him playing as a central midfielder slightly pulled the left, much like Iniesta at Barcelona.

On the other hand, players like Wilfried Bony, Fernando, Martín Demichelis, and Eliaquim Mangala stand out as players that will almost certainly struggle under the tiki-taka system. They are the worst on the ball technically, and are fairly weak in terms of passing and positional discipline. Under proper tutelage they could very well prove me wrong, but they all seem the most likely to be on their way out.

Other players are trickier. Yaya Touré seems to be on his way out, but more because he is tired of City and less because of any deficiency in footballing skills. Jesús Navas doesn’t exactly fit the Guardiola style, but could be an effective source of energy off the bench. Samir Nasri is a quality player but seems to be have been out of form for a good few years now.

Alright Cameran, enough rambling. Will Guardiola succeed or not?

What makes Guardiola truly special is how he views and thinks the game of football. He has never faltered with his tactical tendencies, and this consistency is a large contributor to his success. We will all have to wait and see, though, how the tiki-taka style translates to Manchester. A methodology that depends heavily on technical ability and quick decision-making shouldn’t theoretically be a huge problem for a talented City squad, but the infamous English weather conditions might be roadblocks on some matchdays. Imagine trying to string together a dozen one-touch passes on a cold, rainy night in Stoke. Now imagine that the cold and the rain could be very prevalent in more than just a couple of the team’s 38 league matches. Tactical consistency is crucial to any team’s success, but it’s safe to say that Guardiola will have to be more willing to adapt than he has been in the past.

There is an exorbitant amount of money in the Premier League these days, which has allowed teams like Leicester, West Ham, and Southampton to go all out for the top spots in the table; the traditional ‘top four’ clubs are no longer solidified. With no disrespect to the Bundesliga or Liga BBVA, Guardiola will have to be at the top of his managerial game every single day in England, because the difference between qualifying for the Champions League and finishing in the bottom half of the table is smaller than it has ever been before. In terms of money, though, Guardiola will be given whatever he needs. He is arguably the world’s best, and will soon begin working for a club desperately aiming to join the elite of world football. If it’s going to take hundreds of millions of Pounds to bring in the players he needs, that is what he’ll be given.

While other Premier League managers like Jürgen Klopp have found it tough to adapt to English life, I don’t think Guardiola will have quite so many growing pains. In fact, I think he already has a head start on his tactics from his time in Germany. He prepared for the Bayern job by learning how to stop counter-attacks, because that’s how most German teams play; specifically, his Bayern team was incredibly successful at pressing high up the field for the ball as soon as possession was lost, so the opponent couldn’t built up the momentum necessary to start a counter-attack. Luckily for Guardiola and for City, counter-attacking is the most prevalent style of play in England, so it seems inevitable that the team will know approach most matches.

Managing in England is no easy task. Many have tried and most have failed, often not even lasting a full season. But Pep Guardiola has a consistent tactical identity, he knows how to deal with the counter-attack, and he has the freedom to assemble a team of his ideal players. It will be absolutely shocking to me if he doesn’t win multiple trophies during his first couple seasons in Manchester, while also helping the league regain some respect in the eyes of the world.


Who knows? With his help, the Premier League may rise to prominence once again.
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And Then There Were Eight

The UEFA Champions League quarterfinal stage kicks off next week, and it’s hard to deny that we get to witness the battles of some of the strongest teams in Europe. World powerhouses FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain were handed stiff tests against Atlético de Madrid and Manchester City, respectively, while FC Bayern and Real Madrid were slightly more fortunate, and will face SL Benfica and VfL Wolfsburg.

The last three editions of the tournament have produced somewhat surprise finalists; will this year’s quarterfinal stage allow that trend to continue? Let’s take a look.

(Teams listed first are at home for the first leg)

VfL Wolfsburg vs. Real Madrid CF

One of last season’s most pleasant surprises in Germany, Wolfsburg have not exactly replicated their performances this season. However, they’re still a talented, attack-minded side capable of pulling off a shock result and hanging around with the best teams in the world. Dieter Hecking’s men have relied on the leadership of long-serving players like Ricardo Rodríguez and Naldo, and have benefitted from the pure talent of attackers like Julian Draxler and André Schürrle.

Real Madrid is a different animal from the average Bundesliga club, though, and will wholeheartedly challenge Wolfsburg’s backline. With the likes of Ronaldo up front, Modric in the middle, and Ramos in the back, the Galacticos seem to hardly have a weakness. On the field, they tend to make easy work of most opponents, but other top-quality teams can give them headaches. While Madrid will almost always be favored on paper, it would be silly to write off Wolfsburg already. Zinedine Zidane hasn’t exactly been spectacular as the first team manager (a position that was always going to be tough for him), and has notably struggled to get the best out of his team in the big games, especially away from the Bernabeu.

Should the Germans get off to a quick start in the home leg, we could have an upset on the cards. That being said, the smart money would certainly still go on Zidane & co. to progress to the semifinal.

Prediction: Real Madrid defeats Wolfsburg 3-2 on aggregate.

FC Bayern München vs. SL Benfica

After a near-miraculous comeback against a tough Juventus side, the Bavarians will be riding high heading into their matchup with the reigning Portuguese champions. Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman have consistently terrorized defenses all season, even with world-class players such as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry frequently injured and unable to back them up. To add to that, the midfield and backline have been rock-solid, and really helped to lift the club into a comfortable 1st-place position in the Bundesliga table.

Luckily for anyone other than Bayern fans, Benfica’s motto will be “Anything you can do, I can do better.” Whether they can actually live up to that motto is a different story, but the fact of the matter is that they have really been just as dominant as Bayern over the past 18/24, albeit against weaker opposition. Like the Germans, the Portuguese club have attackers like Jonas and Nico Gaitán who can absolutely toy with opposing defenses, along with a veteran backline led by Luisão.

They are relatively unproven against the world’s best, though, and this Bayern squad is definitely one of the world’s best. Benfica would hold their own against many strong teams, but the Bavarians don’t seem likely to mess this one up.

Prediction: Bayern Munich defeats Benfica 5-2 on aggregate.

FC Barcelona vs. Atlético de Madrid

This is where it gets good.

Barcelona are hoping to be the first club in the Champions League era to repeat as winners, and most analysts would agree that they are again the favorites this time around. In fact, it’s truly difficult to envision a scenario in which any team in the world could beat them over two legs. In a one-off game in the middle of a La Liga season, maybe, but in a monumental matchup like this, you can bet that Luis Enrique’s men will be absolutely ready to play. The deadly Messi, Suárez, Neymar trio aren’t showing any signs of slowing down.

If any team could slow them down, though, it’s Atleti. Diego Simeone has somewhat been Barça’s kryptonite during his time as manager of the Colchoneros, using his philosophy of stout defensive organization to neutralize MSN to a certain extent. If healthy, Godín and Giménez can lead their team to a clean sheet against almost anyone, but will obviously be tested to the extreme against the world’s best.

Unfortunately, goals have been hard to come by for their attack; French attacker Antoine Griezmann is the only player in double figures for Atleti thus far this season. If Barça can manage even three goals over the two legs, they should be in good shape to advance, especially if they can use the first leg at Camp Nou to create some separation in the aggregate scoreline.

Prediction: FC Barcelona defeats Atlético de Madrid 3-1 on aggregate.

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City FC

El Cashico. Oil Classico. El Plastico. The Abu Derby.

However you spin it, this matchup will tell us a lot about the front office of both of these clubs. In the past few years, both have become known for their free-spending ‘projects’ as they attempt to move into the world’s elite, but the jury is still out on which has truly developed into the stronger team.

PSG wrapped up the Ligue 1 title with about three months to go, but haven’t yet taken their foot off the gas because of it. They handled a resurgent Chelsea side fairly easily in the Round of 16, and the prolific strike partnership of Ibrahimovic and Cavani will be licking their lips at the thought of a Man City side without their captain, Vincent Kompany; by all accounts, the Belgian will be forced to miss both legs of the quarterfinal with a recurring calf injury.

There have been times when the dynamic partnership of Agüero, Silva, and Touré have been able to bail City out of otherwise hopeless situations, but all three are having sub-par seasons and don’t look to be vastly improving on current form. Kevin De Bruyne was leading the team in assists (and second in goals) before his big injury, but he should be back in time for this tie. His return to the side could potentially be a silver lining for the Citizens, who will need all the help they can get against the world-class Thiago Silva at the back for PSG.

At the end of the day, I see the loss of Vincent Kompany as the deciding factor. On their day, City is capable of holding Ibra & co. relatively quiet for 180 minutes, but without their big Belgian at the back, that seems unlikely.

Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain defeats Manchester City 4-1 on aggregate.

What do you all think? Let me know in the comments below, or find me on Twitter if you’d like to discuss further.
atlético Barcelona Bayern
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MLS Cup 2015: 10 Things You Need to Know

The historic 20th season of Major League Soccer comes to a close this Sunday, and it couldn’t have come down to two more evenly-matched teams than Portland Timbers FC and Columbus Crew SC. These playoffs have been the most dramatic and controversial in recent memory, but both of these teams have earned their right to be here. And they’re not done yet.

With a hotly-contested final in store, and available on national television in more than 140 countries around the world (yes, we’re still talking about MLS), I thought I would delve into a little background info regarding the Timbers, Crew SC, the preparation to the game, and even some tactics.

1)      First and foremost, the game will be in Columbus

It’s amazing how important goal difference is once the end of the season rolls around. The Timbers and Crew SC finished the season with the exact same record – Portland even beat Columbus when they played during the regular season – but the men in yellow and black will host MLS Cup at their own Mapfre Stadium because they boast a superior goal difference.

2)      The Timbers sold out their 900-ticket allotment for the final in six minutes

If you haven’t already heard, the Timbers Army is loud, proud, and dedicated – they filled their 21,000-seat stadium to capacity for every regular season and playoff game. Oh, and they make some of the best tifos in the entire world.

3)      Fanendo Adi is a handful…

The Portland striker has been arguably the most influential player in MLS over the last two months. Built like Didier Drogba but possessing better ball control and technique, it is going to be extremely difficult for Crew SC’s center back pairing of Michael Parkhurst and Gastón Sauro to keep him from scoring over the course of 90 (or 120) minutes.

4)      …but Kei Kamara might be even better
The one-time refugee from Sierra Leone has certainly seized the chance to make a name for himself in his new country. As the league’s co-leading scorer, he boasts a combination of power and pace that is made even scarier by the amazing connection he has with his attacking teammates; no team scored more goals than Columbus (58) during the 34-game regular season.

5)      We may be seeing the future of coaching in America
MLS Cup 2015 features a matchup of two up-and-coming American head coaches: Gregg Berhalter of Crew SC and Caleb Porter of the Timbers. If you look around the league, you likely won’t find two more consistent leaders, and you absolutely won’t find two guys quite as obsessed with the sport as Berhalter and Porter. Both have a multitude of weapons at their disposal, but who can put their players in a better position to succeed?

6)      It will be tough for the Timbers to keep up with the home team

Under Berhalter, Columbus has a reputation of getting tricky from time to time. Aside from Kamara, the versatile central midfielders and wingers all have no problem swapping positions and rotating all over the pitch. The Portland defense will have to communicate very well if they want to contain the very fluid Crew SC attack.

7)      Crew SC must contain the Portland counter-attack

Columbus will have the majority of the possession – they held the second most in MLS this year (53.84%). Columbus will also have the majority of the chances – they created the second most chances from open play during the regular season, and being at home only helped them in that regard. To top it all off, only two teams scored fewer goals than Portland this season. If the Timbers want to win, they are going to have to bide their time and counter-attack with purpose. It’s in Crew SC’s best interest to prevent that from happening.

8)      Columbus is the more storied club…

When MLS first began in 1996, Columbus were one of the original 10 clubs; since that time, they have a total of five trophies in their history, including winning the MLS Cup in 2008. Portland, on the other hand, did not play their first game until 2011.

9)       …but Portland won’t mind that at all

If any team can win the trophy away from their home ground, it’s Portland. They won seven of their 17 road games in the regular season, including one in Columbus (who haven’t lost at home since then). Granted, the crowd this time around will be a completely different animal, but the Timbers will at least go into this matchup knowing that they’re capable of anything.

10)   Either team winning is good for MLS
Many consider MLS a ‘retirement league’ of sorts. Players like Kaká, Lampard, Pirlo, etc. come to live/play in America in exchange for huge paychecks, whether or not they produce on the field of play. However, the negative perception could change on Sunday. Neither Columbus nor Portland boast any real household names on their rosters, nor are either committed to any Steven Gerrard-like enormous contracts. No matter who wins MLS Cup 2015, it will send a message across the league that good coaching and a solid core of moderately-paid players could be the key to success.


My prediction: Columbus 2, Portland 0.
At the end of the day, I think Columbus will come out and execute their game-plan better than Portland. While they have been threatening in the playoffs, only two teams in the entire league scored fewer goals than the Timbers during the regular season, and a big cup final is often the time when a team gets tense and reverts back to their old ways. I think the support of the home crowd, the intelligent defending of Parkhurst and Sauro, and the calming presence of Gregg Berhalter will be more than enough to carry the yellow and black to their second MLS Cup title.


Please comment below with your own predictions and analysis, and may the best team win!
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It's In The Game

It’s In The Game

Let’s be honest. If you’re anything like me, you spend more time being frustrated while playing FIFA than you do being happy while playing FIFA. And yet, we still spend hours upon hours playing it. Why? Because it never gets old.

Going strong since 1993, the FIFA video game franchise is preparing for the release of the new FIFA 16 next week. Although its predecessor, FIFA 15, received relatively low reviews, EA Sports hopes to silence these critics with a plethora of new features this time around. Here are some notable ones:


Ultimate Team:

·         FUT Draft:
o   A brand new mode in which you draft a squad of Ultimate Team players from multiple rounds of randomly generated players, play a four-game tournament, and hopefully win some serious coins.
o   You start this mode by paying the entrance fee of 15,000 coins. If you lose before the championship, you will still get back most of what you initially invested – the only caveat is that you won’t directly receive coins, but you will receive consumables and other items that should match 15,000 coins in value.
o   Choose from one of five random formations to start off; this formation cannot change for the length of the tournament.
o   Through multiple rounds, you pick from a selection of five random players for one position. Eventually, you’ll have your full 23-man squad, hopefully with some good chemistry!
o   Substitutes and reserves can be manually selected (I recommend this), but can also be auto-completed.
·         Price ranges still exist, but they will be much wider than in FIFA 15.
·         There are some new FUT Legends for Xbox users, including George Best, Ryan Giggs, Deco, Gennaro Gattuso, Javier Zanetta, and Alessandro Nesta. Legends will now also have yellow (moderate) chemistry links with every squad players.


Career Mode:

·         Pre-season Tournaments:
o   A chance to get young players some action and work on perfecting your ideal starting XI.
o   You can make more substitutes in these games than in a normal league/cup match.
·         Mid-week Training:
o   There are over 30 drills to choose from.
o   Five players can be trained per week. Apparently this training does not negatively affect stamina or energy, and also will never injure one of your players.
o   You can perform the drills yourself or simulate them.
·         General:
o   There are now two-year loans, and short-term loans last six months.
o   Free agents can be signed outside of the transfer window (finally!).
o   Managers have improved job security, and likely won’t get fired for finishing one or two spaces below their league objectives.
o   The Global Transfer Network has been improved, and scouts are better at valuating players.
o   Improved fixture congestion – You won’t accidentally get scheduled to play two games in 24 hours (happened to me dozens of times in 15).


Presentation & Misc.:

·         For the first time ever, women’s national teams will be included in the game. There will be 12 women’s teams: Germany, USA, France, Sweden, England, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Spain, China, Italy, and Mexico.
o   In case you didn’t know, Alex Morgan will be sharing the front cover of FIFA 16 with Lionel Messi in the United States.
·         Smarter defending, especially by teammates that you are not controlling.
·         No-touch dribbling – The ability to get by a defender by just letting the ball roll through. This type of dribbling will also allow you to accelerate quickly and blow by the opposition if used correctly.
·         900+ new club chants are anticipated to be in this new installment.
·         450 total headscans, including updated ones for the most famous players around the world. (Apparently this.isn'tgood enough for Gregory van der Wiel, though)
·         Players can run over and celebrate with the cameraman or bench after a goal.
·         More specific commentary with updates regarding stat tracking, transfers, and player debuts.
·         Rain intensity can change as a match progresses.
·         Some notable new stadiums: Borussia-Park (Monchengladbach), CenturyLink Field (Seattle Sounders), and the Stade Velodrome (Marseille).
·         Also included this year is Fratton Park (Portsmouth). One of the creators of Ultimate Team passed away this year, and Portsmouth was his favorite club.

Having played the demo myself a few times, FIFA 16 is shaping up to be a legitimate improvement over last year’s installment. The defending is indeed more useful, and the game plays a little slower, both of which should mean that chip through balls aren’t going to be the bane of my existence for the next 12 months. EA Sports will never please everyone, but the ridiculous amount of tweaks they made for this year’s version of their most popular game definitely shows their commitment to listening to (most) fan feedback.

Now go out there and enjoy it. But remember: EA is not responsible for any smashed TVs or ruined friendships resulting from FIFA-related frustration.
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Princes of Persia

For those of you don't know, I am a first-generation American with Iranian parents. So naturally, I keep very much up-to-date with my Iran's national football team (more affectionately known as "Team Melli"). With the next round of World Cup qualifying coming up in Asia, head coach Carlos Queiroz released the latest 23-man squad that will face the intimidating world footballing powers of Guam and India next month.

This news made me think: How are some of the Team Melli players doing in their domestic leagues? Let me give you an update on a few of the more notable ones.

Ashkan Dejagah:



After last year's World Cup, the talented winger signed a big-money contract with Al-Arabi of the Qatar Stars League, becoming one of many Asian footballers to make the transition to the relatively new league. Dejagah played in 24 of his team's 26 games last season, scoring five goals as his club finished in 8th place. He remains one of the national team's best players, and should almost definitely feature in the 2018 World Cup, should Iran qualify.

Saeid Ezatolahi:



Team Melli has a surprising number of young, technically-skilled players for a team mostly known for its veteran leadership and brute strength. This is one of those players. A true central midfielder like Iran hasn't seen since Ali Karimi (his favorite player), Ezatolahi signed a contract with Spanish giants Atletico de Madrid at just 16 years of age. Now approaching his 19th birthday, he has just signed a four-year deal at FK Rostov in Russia, where he will join his compatriot Sardar Azmoun (discussed below) and should get plenty of playing time.

Morteza Pouraliganji:



A country renowned for its wrestlers and weightlifters has to have some strong and intimidating defenders, no? At just 23 years of age, Pouraliganji is ahead of his time. Just recently called up to the national team after the 2014 World Cup, he has already made an impact both in World Cup qualifying and the AFC Asian Cup. Even better yet, he's currently the star defender for Chinese Super League team Tianjin Teda, having started every game since he's been at the club. A young defender getting regular first-team minutes in a rapidly-growing league is just what Team Melli needs.

Sardar Azmoun:



In my opinion, this is the country's most prolific goalscorer. Azmoun is barely 20 years of age, and has already shown glimpses of brilliance that have justified his nickname of "Iranian Messi." Last season he was loaned to Russian Premier League side FK Rostov halfway through the campaign and became an integral part of their survival in the league; he had his best game for the club against CSKA Moscow, a game in which his goal earned his team a crucial point required to stay up. This year, he will be on loan at Rostov once again, where he can hopefully nail down his place as one of the Russian League's key players.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh:



I saved the best for last - Jahanbakhsh is maybe the player with the most potential the country has ever seen. Having just turned 22, he was awarded the Player of the Season in the Dutch Second Division, scoring 12 goals and notching 18 assists as he led his club NEC to promotion. He was further rewarded with a transfer to Dutch powerhouse AZ Alkmaar, where he should continue his development into one of the best players the continent of Asia has seen for many years. I'm incredibly excited about this one.

Recap:

It's looking to be a bit of a golden age for Iranian football at the moment. With an experienced team of talented veterans, two legitimate attacking threats that combine to be only 42 years old, a teenage central midfielder who models himself after a national hero, and a strong central defender to provide some backbone to the team, it would not be surprising to see Team Melli become the undisputed best team in the Asian region.

But the question remains: Can they carry this momentum all the way to Russia in 2018?

Thank you for reading!
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Major League Signings

Trying to build on the soccer mania from the 1994 World Cup, Major League Soccer was founded, with its inaugural season in 1996. It was not a league that was highly-regarded or predicted to last, especially after so many failed attempts at professional soccer leagues in the US. Even older leagues that had the power to attract world-class players like Pelé still went under after just a few years.

Almost 20 years into this project, though, there is no sense of decline or failure. MLS is constantly growing in terms of revenues, attendance, star power, and (I would argue) quality of play. So how did a league with such humble beginnings manage to work its way into the American sporting landscape?

It is not outlandish for me to claim that we owe an immeasurable amount to David Beckham. After 11 years of relative stagnancy, MLS had finally acquired their ticket to glory when Becks announced his move to the LA Galaxy in early 2007. Like Pelé before him, he had the popularity to single-handedly fill up a stadium, and also had the ability to produce on the field. However, the old NASL was also thriving until Pelé retired, and MLS had to make sure that that sharp decline wouldn't be repeated upon Beckham's future departure.

Social media is the sole reason MLS was able to follow up on the Beckham signing with the acquisition of other top Designated Players. While players like Pelé were world-class, that time period did not allow for the rest of the world to see the daily goings-on of a soccer star in America. As soon as David Beckham came to the US, every moment was chronicled online, and that made the difference. Suddenly, big-name players everywhere could the amazing treatment he was receiving, all of the great adventures he was having, and how much fun living/playing in America was to him. MLS was receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from its most famous player, and the rest of the world was taking note.

Each passing year since Beckham's arrival, the league has grown through both new DP signings and the introduction of new expansion teams (it is a really great business idea to add expansion teams, as their attendance statistics are always spectacular). The 2014 season saw record-breaking attendance numbers across the league, and those numbers don't appear to be slowing down this season. But to many fans, the attendance figures don't matter when looking at MLS's global reputation. Many doubters argue that it is not helping the league to sign DPs that are older or past their prime. There is something to be said for this, as many consider MLS to be a retirement league, where famous players go to collect their last few paychecks and enjoy a more relaxed playing environment. However, I think the league is getting better and better at working past this reputation.

Upon this year's signing of Sebastian Giovinco, a 27-year-old attacker who regularly appears for the Italian national team, Toronto FC proved that players are truly interested in joining MLS regardless of their age or current career situations. His acquisition was a huge victory for the league, but we also should be aware of the benefit of having the slightly older DPs, too.

Brazilian legend Kaká, for example, is kind of turning out to be the new Beckham. In addition to his uncanny ability to bring out a crowd, he has been all over social media showing his love for Orlando City (his club) and the league in general. If you knew nothing at all about MLS, you could learn how great of a league it is becoming solely through the Facebook/Twitter accounts of players like Kaká, Frank Lampard, and Steven Gerrard.

Nineteen years after its inception, America's premier soccer league continues to thrive. Coming off a July in which household names Andrea Pirlo, Giovani dos Santos, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Didier Drogba (pictured below) all arrived at their new MLS clubs, the league continues to flex its muscles with a mix of older and younger DPs.

World-class players continue to be attracted to plying their trade in America. While they may be coming at different points in their careers, one thing is certain: The sky is the limit for MLS.


Didier Drogba, Chelsea FC legend, is the league's newest DP.
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