Fighting for Promotion

By now, I think we've all heard the news about FIFA, soccer's main governing body.

Corruption that has been ongoing for decades has finally been brought to light by the United States Department of Justice and the FBI. High-ranking executives in the organization have taken millions of dollars in bribes for multiple reasons, which is absolutely ludicrous.

For me, the beauty of soccer is the fact that it's such a democratic game - there is no required body type, size, strength, gender, or anything; all you have to do is train both your skills and your mind for the game and you can become a top player. But where is the democracy when countries are being awarded World Cups and sponsors are being awarded contracts all through bribery? That does not provide for a level playing field. The democracy of the game is slowly being destroyed by FIFA, especially by its president, Sepp Blatter, who was re-elected to a fifth term on Friday.

Now, some of you may be wondering exactly how Blatter was re-elected even after the wire fraud, money laundering, and racketeering charges were brought up against some of his staffmates. Basically, the reasoning is this: Blatter requires that the proceeds of each World Cup tournament are distributed equally to all member nations of FIFA. In other words, the United States will receive the same amount of money as, for example, Mali or Uzbekistan. These smaller African and Asian nations are incredibly happy with this process and don't want it to change, and it just so happens that they make up 100 of the 209 votes in the FIFA presidential election. Therefore, Blatter really only had to 'win over' a minimum of five other nations to go along with the 100 votes he was already guaranteed.

So that's why he won again. But how will FIFA progress?

The beautiful game is walking down a dark alley that needs to be lit up immediately. It is clear that the organization needs to be reformed, but that really can't be done with a leader as corrupt as Blatter in charge. All high-ranking executives of FIFA need to be removed and replaced with men and women that would look to solve things democratically, with no interference of bribery. Not only that, but countries are going to have to be willing to withdraw from FIFA, boycott its events, and stop voting in its elections. With some of the most powerful footballing nations out of the picture, sponsors will be discouraged from participating in the World Cup or European Championship; this disappearance of money is what would certainly let FIFA know that things have to be changed, even if the disappearance of member nations doesn't.

It may take some scare tactics, or some United States meddling, but something must be done immediately about FIFA. The little integrity our game has remaining depends on it.

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and follow both @camtotheyams and @FightingBlog on Twitter!

Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA

Results for the United States Men's National Team have not been fantastic in recent months, as Jurgen Klinsmann has been trying experimental lineups with young players and inexperienced international performers. However, through all ups and downs, some of the best American footballers have continued to thrive in their respective domestic leagues outside of the US. About one year after the World Cup, let's take a look at the progress of some of my favorite American exports.

DeAndre Yedlin:

After impressing in Brazil with his unmatched speed and physical prowess, he was rewarded with a move to the BPL with Tottenham. While some experts argue it has been a wasted move, I disagree. Sure, he hasn't gotten much time with the first team, but I'm sure he could have expected that - he's only been in London for a few months, after all. Playing time at this stage is less important than the tutelage he's receiving, which is why I think Yedlin has done very well for himself. He has things that can't be taught in terms of speed and strength, and he has reportedly already made great strides with his technical ability and decision-making. He hasn't played much, but he continues to develop the weak parts of his game.

Rating: B-

Alejandro Bedoya:

There's a reason Bedoya is the name I got on the back of my new USMNT away jersey. This player continues to start regularly for Nantes in Ligue 1, a feat even more impressive when considering that he wasn't even making the 18 about a year ago. While he still finds himself getting replaced around the 70th minute of games from time to time, he is a vital contributor for the mid-table French side, and has even contributed with two goals in the past month. As Clint Dempsey ages, Klinsmann will be looking to Bedoya to fill that attacking midfielder role, and he will certainly be prepared for that duty by 2018 if not much sooner.

Rating: B

Timothy Chandler:

Chandler is both an underrated player and a conundrum for me. He has developed into easily one of the top ten right backs in the Bundesliga and even scored a goal for Eintracht Frankfurt this past weekend, yet I don't think I've even seen him play well in a US jersey. I don't want to judge him too much by his international performance, though; he is improving every week and has played the full 90 minutes for Frankfurt each of the past 15 league games. What Chandler lacks going forward compared to Yedlin, he more than makes up for in playing time and defensive ability. The right back battle for the USMNT will certainly be one to look at before 2018, but I have Chandler in the lead right now, based on current form alone.

Rating: B+

Fabian Johnson:

I saved the best for last. The Borussia Monchengladbach left midfielder has been absolutely critical in helping his side qualify for next season's Champions League, picking up a handful of goals and assists over the last two months. Even when he's not causing ripples on the stat sheet, he is still making crucial contributions both offensively and defensively; he made multiple key tackles as Monchengladbach grinded out a beautiful 2-0 victory at Bayern Munich. Like Bedoya, Johnson went from barely coming off the bench a year ago to barely ever getting substituted off in 2015. It has been my belief for years that he is the best non-Dempsey player on the USMNT, and it has been amazing watching him turn into a leader for a Champions League-quality club.

Rating: A

Quickies:

John Brooks: Starts every game at center back for Hertha Berlin, continuing to do well.
Geoff Cameron: Steadily improving and getting more playing time at right back for Stoke City, and I hope to see him replicate these quality outings for the national team.
Bobby Wood: The young striker has accumulated a few goals and assists recently in the German second division, and is one to look at as another possible Dempsey replacement.
Brad Guzan: Got a clean sheet this weekend, but made some horrible mistakes last weekend. His starting spot for the USMNT and for Aston Villa is in jeopardy.

Thank you all for reading. Please follow @camtotheyams and @FightingBlog for more footballing opinions, and let me know in the comments section what you think of player ratings!

What's going on with the U?

The Philadelphia Union continued their poor run of form and lost at PPL Park for the second time in a row. Jim Curtin’s men met defeat at the hands of Toronto playmaker Sebastian Giovinco, who in the 34^th minute scored a sensational dipping free kick from 35 yards out. Union goalkeeper John McCarthy was too slow to react to prevent the goal. Giovinco, 28, arrived from Juventus in January and is already proving why he deserves to be the highest paid player in Major League Soccer history. The Italian has been a revelation in Greg Vanney’s side, having notched four goals in his last four games.

Following the goal, chances were at a premium but the Union came closest to equalizing in first half stoppage time when midfielder Christian Maidana’s well-taken volley hit the crossbar. Toronto keeper and former Union man Chris Konopka was beaten but was rescued by the frame of goal.

Despite the loss, the Union did a great job of nullifying Toronto’s three-headed dragon in midfield, composed of Giovinco, Benoit Cheyrou, and American international Michael Bradley. However, Toronto never lost composure and was more than happy to sit back and relinquish possession.

Toronto came close to adding a second goal in the 51^st minute, when Giovinco, seeing McCarthy too far off his goal line, attempted an audacious chip from midfield that barely sailed over goal. The shot was taken at full sprint from just beyond the center circle and would’ve been a real collector’s item had it gone in.

Toronto steadily tested the Union’s defense, but center back Ethan White did a brilliant job of breaking up play, along with rookie Richie Marquez, who made his senior debut for the Union, replacing the injured Michael Lahoud in the 5^th minute. White especially nullified Toronto forward Jozy Altidore, who had a quiet game.

Late in the match, the Union nearly broke through Toronto’s defense and scored the tying goal. In the 79^th minute of play, Venezuelan forward Fernando Aristeguieta scored a beautiful header that was disallowed for being offside. Aristeguieta was inches offside and the call could’ve gone either way.

Toronto was unyielding defensively in the final minutes, with veteran Damien Perquis particularly impressive. It was another tough game for the Union. Philadelphia has won just one of their ten games this season, and sit ninth in the Eastern Conference. With the win, Toronto climbed to sixth in the table, drawing level on points with fifth place Chicago Fire.

For Philadelphia, it’s crunch time if they hope to get anything out of this season, as they travel to Vancouver next week to play one of the league’s surprise packages this term. The Vancouver Whitecaps sit second in the Western Conference and should be a difficult challenge for the Union.

(Credit to Aaron Gialanella for writing this report. Follow him on Twitter @aar9n.)

As if it wasn't settled before, Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates all but guarantees the Blues the Premier League title this year. While I hate to admit it, this is definitely the appropriate finish to the season; Chelsea took care of business against all of the smaller teams, and did just well enough against the bigger teams to prevent them from stealing any crucial points. Arsenal had their bad spells, City slipped up occasionally against the Burnleys of the league, and United was never really going to challenge for the top spot.

While Liverpool has an outside chance at cracking it, I think it's safe to say the top-4 is relatively wrapped up. We know who's going to the Champions League, so let's take a look at the Europa League situation.

As it stands, Liverpool and Tottenham would qualify for Europe's secondary club competition. However, if Arsenal were to win the FA Cup, that would allow the 7th-place team into the Europa League, as well. Similarly to the United/Liverpool situation, it can be safely assumed that Southampton have the 7th spot secured over the likes of Swansea and Stoke; their form has petered out over the past couple months, but they are still very deserving of a Europa League bid. As a Saints supporter, I'll be rooting for Arsenal in next month's final just in case, but I will also be confident that Southampton can overtake Spurs for 6th place before the season is over.

Now let's go to the bottom. I don't know how it happened, but Leicester City has had a meteoric rise off the foot of the table. One month ago, the Foxes found themselves in last place with a meager 19 points, but four consecutive wins have taken them out of the relegation zone and into 17th. It is nearly impossible for any Premier League team to win four in a row, let alone the last place team. I think this momentum will carry them to survival, so let's turn to the other teams in serious danger. I believe that the current bottom three will remain there until season's end, but let us analyze the other two teams in true danger: Aston Villa and Hull City. History tells us that the Villains should stay up, but history is not helping them now. With the FA Cup final on the horizon, one would hope that they don't get too distracted and forget about their battle for survival. On the other hand, Hull have only one thing to focus on, but their run-in is looking very tough. They have five games remaining, against Liverpool, Arsenal, Burnley, Tottenham, and Man United. Barring some epic performances, they'll probably gain a maximum of two points from the four games against the big boys; this makes Burnley's visit to the KC Stadium crucial, but I think Hull can get those three points. My gut tells me that Sunderland, QPR, and Burnley will be relegated, but don't be surprised if Hull find themselves below Sunderland come the end of May. The Black Cats have a tough run-in of their own, too, which is why I tend to favor the Tigers.

Recap of predictions:

Champions League spots:
1) Chelsea
2, 3, 4) Arsenal, City, United (no particular order)

Europa League spots:
5) Liverpool
6) Southampton
7) Tottenham (only a Europa League place if Arsenal beat Villa in FA Cup final)

Relegation spots:
18) Sunderland
19) QPR
20) Burnley

Thank you all for reading. Let me know if you agree/disagree, and please follow the blog's new Twitter account @FightingBlog!

So we’ve reached the halfway point of the Barclays Premier League season. Let’s review a bit of
what we’ve learned:

- José Mourinho is a top-three manager in the world. His ability to play his players in their best possible positions is uncanny (It helps when you have a holding midfielder like Matić to provide some responsibility to the side, too), and Chelsea are my odds-on favorite to win the title this year. Yes, that does make me sick to my stomach to admit.

- David De Gea is a top-three goalkeeper in the world. Sure, the relative resurgence of Manchester United has been a team effort, but nobody has stood out like the lanky Spaniard. His heroics and overall solid play have propelled United into the Champions League spots of the league table, and as outfield players like Di María begin to regain full fitness, the sky is the limit for van Gaal’s men.

- Every game matters. Southampton is coming off a summer in which essentially half their team was sold, yet here they sit in the top four. Meanwhile, West Ham lurk just underneath them in fifth, coming out of seemingly nowhere. Why are these two succeeding? Because they take care of business against the smaller teams. The Saints may drop points against the Uniteds and the Chelsea of the BPL, but beating the Sunderlands (while Manchester City drop points against the Burnleys) are what is keeping the underdogs of the league in the European spots of the table.

- The parity is magnificent. Speaking of City and Burnley’s thrilling 2-2 draw, we have ourselves a Premier League table just as open as ever, if not more so. Just a handful of points separate everyone from Manchester United all the way down to Leicester, and this in itself is the appeal of English soccer to the casual fan.

- My fantasy team is absolutely dominating the Temple University league. Rooney, Charlie Austin, Sigurdsson, Ryan Bertrand, David Silva, Eden Hazard, and Christian Eriksen, just to name a few. Tremble in fear, adversaries.

About a month and a half ago, Southampton's roster was in the process of being absolutely ransacked. Following an incredible season that saw them finish in the top half of the Premier League table, half of their regular Starting XI was sold off to the highest bidders - Luke Shaw to Manchester United, Calum Chambers to Arsenal, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert all to Liverpool, and even Mauricio Pochettino, the manager, to Tottenham. Those departures left the club with quite a lot of vacancies, not to mention about 50% less offensive firepower. Basically, the footballing world was in agreement that they were going to be relegated this year. But Ronald Koeman had different ideas.

The new manager brought in by the Italian ownership was tasked with the difficult job of trying to save the sinking Southampton ship, and he has been attempting to do just that. He brought in some Eredivisie players that he knew about from his time coaching in that league - Dusan Tadic (reigning Eredivisie player of the year) and Graziano Pelle, to be exact. Other notable arrivals under the Koeman administration include Toby Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid, Ryan Bertrand from Chelsea, Sadio Mane from Red Bull Salzburg, Fraser Forster from Celtic, and Shane Long from Hull City.

After this summer full of business and change, the club came out 40 million GBP richer, so the owners must be thrilled. But more importantly than the new additions and the budget surplus is Koeman's emphasis on fostering relationships with the old guard. Vital players from last year, like Jose Fonte, Morgan Schneiderlin, Nathaniel Clyne, and Jay Rodriguez, already have great relationships with the new manager. This is obviously important because of the match experience and the footballing skill that these players bring onto the pitch every weekend.

And the experience has paid off so far. Four games into the season, Southampton sits in fourth place in the BPL, with 7 out of a possible 12 points

To make a long story short: Southampton FC is not going anywhere.

You notice things when you watch as much soccer as I do. Just as a History major notices similarities between different types of governments around the world, or a musician notices how two songs are built off of the exact same chord structure, I tend to notice when a player looks like another person I've seen. Here are some examples of my strange mind's ability to see doppelgangers:

*Disclaimer: I thought of all of these myself. Unfortunately, some of them were thought of by someone else first (also #1, #3, and #7 were my original associations that other people reposted).

1. Jack Rodwell (Manchester City) and Taylor Lautner (Actor)