By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (Feb 14, 2012) US Soccer Players -- In Tuesday's edition of the Questions, Tony asks about Everton's tactics against Chelsea, where the real problems might lie for Portugal's Sporting, and how Major League Soccer is viewed in financial terms.
How did Everton win the tactical battle against Chelsea this past weekend?
A few weeks ago, I wasn't very impressed with Everton manager David Moyes' tactical lineup. But this past weekend, Everton pressed high up the field, forcing Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech to play his goal kicks long, and not allowing Ashley Cole, Juan Mata, etc much time on the ball. It seemed like Frank Lampard was so well marked out of the game that his main contribution was trying to calm his teammates down during their frequent whining at the referee. That's five unbeaten for Everton in the league, even if three of them are ties. They are up to 10th place now with 33 points.
Tactical high pressing can be dangerous against a team that has the ability to play the ball on the ground, but when it works (as it also did for Norwich City in Saturday's game against Swansea City), you're forcing the other team out of their comfort zone.
Maybe the problem for Oguchi Onweyu's Sporting wasn't the coach?
Sporting took the obvious solution on Monday, firing Domingos Paciencia with the team in fourth, on goal difference, and seemingly out of the running for a Champions League spot. Paciencia was replaced by former Sporting Youth manager Ricardo Sa Pinto. Yet, a quick look at Sporting's stats show Onweyu is their second leading scorer. Maybe their international cast of midfield and striking talent should focus more on goals and less on yellow cards?
For all that goes into putting together an MLS squad, how important is knowing and knowing how to use the salary cap rules?
Crucial. As the article points out, the Galaxy and Bruce Arena are masters at building a squad, not just on the field, but at getting the right players into the locker room. It also highlights that, for the most part, the better the cap management, the more chance an MLS team will thrive.
MLS' additional allocation money to teams in the Champions League is an under-reported but important benefit for teams competing in international competition. The first leg in the Champions League is in less than a month, and LA goes in as huge favorites over Toronto.
What's one area the new Indian Premier League differs significantly from MLS?
While the league complements MLS's franchise model, the owners of the new league aren't in it to develop players. As the article makes clear, the owners are in it to make money.
“With [the new Indian league], you can make profits as well as develop football.”
MLS has come late to the player development issue, but with teams such as Dallas, Philadelphia, and the Red Bulls already seeing benefit from their development process, clubs have to realize the investment in development is money well spent in the long term.
What do the people who put together the Deloitte Money League think of MLS?
They are cautiously impressed, according to this overview of five leagues that didn't have teams qualify for the latest round of the Deloitte Money League. The report cites MLS' growth in attendance, without getting into too much detail about specifics (oddly), but does caution that market size is only one variable and to grow, quality of play and the ability to attract and pay players is crucial.
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