Vancouver and Montreal to bid for pair of 2011 MLS slots

The Vancouver Whitecaps have confirmed they will join the Montreal Impact in the bidding for the chance to join MLS in 2011, according to The Globe and Mail.

Yesterday, MLS commissioner Don Garber announced the league would add two additional teams in 2011, bringing the total number of clubs to 18 following the introduction of Seattle in 2009 and Philadelphia in 2010.

The Whitecaps and owner Greg Kerfoot will join with NBA star and Victoria native Steve Nash to make the bid. Nash's brother, Martin, is a midfielder for the Whitecaps.

As for the Impact, the Globe further confirmed the Saputo family, who own the Montreal USL team, will join forces with Liverpool FC and Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett to bring an MLS team to Quebec.

It has been previously reported in the Ottawa Citizen that the owner of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, Eugene Melnyk, is interested in bidding for an MLS team. Garber confirmed a group from Ottawa has expressed interest in an expansion team during his state of the league address in Toronto on Wednesday. In fact, Garber mentioned Ottawa alongside Montreal and Vancouver, making it seem that Melnyk is more than just curious in acquiring a football team. A video of the address is available on mlsnet.com.

A bid by Melnyk would not likely target the two spots opening in 2011, however. A later bid, closer to 2014-2015 is more likely.

Portsmouth look at Wright-Phillips bid

According to The Guardian, Portsmouth are looking at making a move for seldom-used Chelsea midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The south-coast team would make the diminutive winger the replacement for Sulley Muntari, who looks set to move to Inter Milan for around £12.5 million. Portsmouth would use the proceeds of that deal to acquire Wright-Phillips.

This would be a great move for both club and player. Wright-Phillips is a fantastic player who has stagnated on the bench at Chelsea.

For Wright-Phillips, it would be a great opportunity to vault himself back into England contention, as Fabio Capello will be watching UEFA Cup-bound Portsmouth intently this year with Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe, David James and Sol Campbell all likely to feature for Pompey this term.

What if ... Euro 2008 had 24 teams?

Spain had barely been crowned champions of Europe when the UEFA brain trust decided to crassly announce they had every intention of capitalizing on the success of Austria-Switzerland by bumping up the number of entrants to the final tournament in 2016 to 24 from the current 16.

I'd like to think that most everyone feels this is simply a boneheaded idea spawned from the mind of someone who routinely says boneheaded things, Michel Platini. Yes, it appears this will indeed become reality, thereby ruining the unique format of the Euro tournament: the top 16 teams from the deepest confederation in the world.

But let me play devil's advocate for a moment and paint a picture of what Euro 2008 might have looked like had 24 teams been part of the competition. We know who the top teams are, since they were in the actual field. The remaining teams would consist of the third place finishers in the seven qualifying groups, plus the top fourth place finisher:

Serbia, Scotland, Norway, Republic of Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Finland (24 pts.), who edge out Israel (23 pts.).

Initially, this looks like a fairly forlorn group, right? But Serbia and Finland (tied on 24 points) played well in Group A, only trailing Poland and Portugal by four and three points respectively. Remember the Portuguese were favourites at one point, right? Well, they only managed four points out of four games against these two sides.

Scotland of course caused France and Italy no end of trouble in qualifying, while Northern Ireland beat both Spain and Sweden at home and only lost 1-0 to the European champions in Las Palmas. Bulgaria meanwhile suffered its only loss away to the Dutch, 2-0.

Norway and Finland are both plucky teams in the Scandinavian mold. The Republic of Ireland were the only side to finish third in their group with fewer than 20 points (they had 17) but even they would have been a match for the hapless hosts Austria.

And finally England. While they did seem to miss out in the most spectacular fashion, essentially sealing their own fate with a rare home loss to a very impressive Croatia, England rarely fail to compete at tournaments. They may make things hard on themselves, but aside from Euro 2000, they have made the knockout stage of each tournament since 1996. They would have been at least as good as the Czechs, who I think were the best team not to advance in this year's tournament.

The biggest fault I see with the 24 team format is that the number of games would make the proceedings drag on. Sixteen teams makes for a short, intense spectacle, which is what I think we all enjoy about the Euro.

Transfer News & Rumors

The Guardian reports Zenit St. Petersburg have rejected a £11.8 million bid from Barcelona for Andrei Arshavin. With Chelsea also in the hunt, Arshavin has been given two weeks off by the Russian club, in the midst of their season, to decide his future.

Chelsea are ready to break the world transfer fee record to secure the services of AC Milan's Kaka, according to The Times. This would mean an amount in excess of the £46 million paid by Real Madrid for Zinedine Zidane. Milan would prefer to not sell their Brazilian star, but the club is suffering financially after failing to qualify for the Champions League.

A report in The Mirror has Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon claiming the Spanish champions will back off on a bid for Cristiano Ronaldo until the Manchester United winger proves his fitness, but said his club is still interested:

"If they say sometime that they would like to sell we will be there and will ask."

And so the saga continues...

The Daily Mail is reporting that Liverpool has given striker Peter Crouch permission to speak with Portsmouth. The Merseyside club has accepted an offer for the England player, bringing one of Liverpool's transfer sideshows to an end.

Alan Shearer is getting ready to take over as manager of Championship side Southampton, according to The Daily Star. The former Newcastle striker turned down an offer from Toon boss Kevin Keegan to be the No. 2 at St. James Park earlier this year. Now, can he bring the fragile Saints back to the Premier League?

Finally, Joan Laporta was given somewhat of a reprieve yesterday when only 60.6 per cent of Barcelona club members gave him the thumbs down. The vote was six per cent short of the two-thirds required to oust the top man at the Nou Camp. Some 37,294 members turned up to vote, easily surpassing the 10 per cent of all members (15,184) needed to legitimize the vote. Laporta, according to a story on the ESPN Soccernet website, vowed to continue despite the apparent lack of support:

"It may seem contradictory, but in a few months time we will see that Barca is the real winner," he said. "It's a democratic exercise which could not possibly cause any social division. The Board should read into the results and analyse them profoundly as this is a really good result for us."

Good luck, Joan.

Back to square one for Arsenal and Wenger

At the beginning of the season, I predicted Arsenal would finish fourth, behind the other members of the Premier League elite, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

I believed at that time, Arsenal had done little to improve on a squad that failed to impress in the last campaign, really adding only Eduardo and Bacary Sagna. Their team was relatively inexperienced and they would struggle to keep up with the other big sides.

By about December, I had finally come to admit I was wrong, with Arsenal the class of the league, seemingly poised to make their mark, winning Arsenal's first title in four years. Their skill was unsurpassed in England and they were breezing along in Europe and the League cup competitions.

Well, I think I was wrong then too. At this point, Arsenal are about where I pegged them in August, in somewhat of a fight for fourth with Liverpool, sitting only five points ahead of the Merseysiders and still mired in a stretch of wretched form.

I think what I missed in December, and what most commentators missed since August, is Arsenal's distinct lack of depth. Beyond the first 11, Arsenal simply lack the talent to fill in when a starting player must be rested or is injured.

Looking at the number of games started from players of the top four teams, Chelsea have one player Joe Cole (I had to look at that twice to believe it) who has started 25 or more Premier League games. Liverpool have three players in this category and Manchester United, who likely have the deepest well of talent from which to draw, have started six players 25 times or more this season.

Arsenal have started a whopping eight players 25 or more times in the Premier League. Its no wonder Arsenal have suffered through absences of their top players and have began to fade down towards the end of the season.

When it came time to play Liverpool three times in ten days in the Champions League and the Premier League, followed by Manchester United (also in the league), the tank was empty for Arsenal's talented squad.

Arsene Wenger, who had the opportunity to strengthen his side in January but took a pass, will need to look much harder at his team in the summer if he still holds ambitions of winning silverware in this the most demanding of football leagues.

On Capello: only half the job is done

Firstly, I think the FA have done a good day's work in hiring Fabio Capello to be the next England manager.

Capello's CV is impeccable, winning eight* league championships at four different clubs along with the 1994 European Championship while at AC Milan. These ten trophies, it should be noted, are ten more than England's previous boss, Steve McClaren.

He also has a great deal of experience dealing with some of the top talent and biggest egos in the game. Managing twice at Real Madrid for solitary seasons, he won a championship each year. Particularly during his last season (2006-2007), he proved able to step into a job and mould underachieving stars into a unit capable of winning.

This should be just the tonic for England. No more freedom to roam for the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, no more selections based on reputation alone, no more tolerance of Paul Robinson's gaffes. Capello is the type of manager who plays to win, not to make his players feel wanted or important.

There appears to be some apprehension on the part of the FA, as Capello has indicated he wants to bring his all-Italian backroom staff along. The report on Guardian Unlimited indicated that the FA board had some issues with the staff, particularly Franco Baldini, whose role they believed may clash with that of FA director of football development, Trevor Brooking. We shall see, but I doubt even the FA would turn this into a make-or-break issue.

The only caveat I have about the hiring of Capello is that I don't think he will necessarily be the answer to the youth crisis in England. Capello is a fine man to deal with proven talent to be sure, but is he the man to guide the stars of tomorrow?

He's never spent a great deal of time at a club, with his spells at Milan (1991-96) and Roma (1999-04) being the longest at five seasons. That's not the kind of time a developer spends at a club. I think the longest he'd be at England would be through Euro 2012, considering he is 61.

I feel the FA would do well to pursue someone the calibre of Gerard Houllier, who had tremendous success developing youth in France, to be a youth director in England. Only by developing younger talent will England sustain any momentum that Capello may begin.

If the FA content themselves with paying Capello a reported 6.5 million pounds a year and don't seek a solution to the dry well that is the English talent pool, they may as well have kept McClaren.

* A ninth title, won at Juventus, was stripped after the match fixing scandal. Not his fault, but only eight medals to show for it.

How to bandage England's youth crisis

For the past couple of weeks, usually when there hasn't been a disastrous result or sacking to sift through, a lot of wind and words have been exhausted about the state of the English game and how foreign players are ruining it.

A couple of articles today raised some good points. Martin Samuel of the Times points out that of the 12 players used in the most recent U-21 match, only five played a part in the next Premier League games and only one, Theo Walcott, played for a team participating in European competition.

Richard Williams in the Guardian wrote that while 10 of 22 players in the West Ham - Tottenham game on Sunday were English (an unusually high number), the trend is for foreign players to adapt to the kick-and-chase style of play.

I think that both articles point out flaws in the English league. Not enough young English players are able to play at the highest level, and those that are continue to play a style rejected by many of the most successful nations in the world of football.

I don't suppose to have the answer to this problem, but I believe a cap on foreign players is wrong. Attracting the top talent from around the world is what makes the Premier League great. This needs to be continued.

But something that Sven-Goran Eriksson said a few weeks ago got me thinking. He proposed enlarging the available options on the substitutes bench from five to seven. Several of the leagues on the continent use this system and UEFA club competitions use this rule.

Why not increase the bench, but make teams select English players under the age of 21 for the spots? Of course these players won't play a big part in the manager's scheme, but no manager will pick less than the best to be a part of the match day squad. It would encourage teams to invest in domestic youth, so whether the sixth and seventh players get in or not, England would benefit.

Who knows? You could see the youth subs being used during a lopsided game, getting valuable Premier League playing time. At the very least, it would force the league to take a different look at English talent, at no cost to the league as it stands now.

Five things from the weekend

Here are a few things I picked up watching games over the weekend:

1) Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor is something else. He was able to get behind the Middlesbrough defense at will and scored a pretty nice goal. He missed a couple of gilt-edged chances, but he's still young.

I've heard several pundits mention his name as a possible right-sided midfield choice for England, but with the skill he showed Saturday and the fragility of the national team's strikers, I think he'll be capped up front.

2) Sam Allardyce is going to have to move quickly to win over the Newcastle fans. At one point during the second half of a 3-0 loss at home to Liverpool, the touchline cam showed Big Sam furiously chomping on a fresh stick of gum while two of the Toon faithful gave him an earful from the stands.

They had good reason to be upset: the Reds controlled most of the game and really should have won by a bigger margin. Newcastle are short on ideas in the midfield, leaving two excellent strikers in Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins to put in all the work themselves. I also think Allardyce needs to settle on a back four, since tinkering and swapping isn't shoring up a leaky defense.

3) The shine on Blackburn is beginning to wear off. After a good run winning four Premier League matches in a row, they've drawn two and lost one. Mind you the loss was away to Manchester United and one draw was against Liverpool, but on Sunday against Fulham they were unspectacular to say the least. Fulham could have easily taken the points, but they are quite adept at coughing up leads.

The Rovers did suffer the loss of Benni McCarthy to injury early on and Jason Roberts put in a good performance for the home side, but considering some of the other second tier results (Portsmouth and Aston Villa winning away and Everton demolishing Sunderland at home) they should expect better at Ewood Park.

4) David James should have been the keeper at Wembley on Wednesday. Portsmouth played a poor game against lowly Birmingham at St. Andrews and still managed to win 2-0. James, however, played like the veteran keeper he is: he made no mistakes and made key plays when they were needed. He may not steal the show for England, but nor would he let a 35-yard Nico Krancjar shot slip by him.

Speaking of England's bane, Krancjar showed his class once again in this game, scoring a spectacular free kick to seal the game for Pompey. Another player of note in this game was Sully Muntari, who terrorized the Birmingham defense most of the match.

5) Referees tolerate an awful lot in England. When Mike Riley waved off penalty pleas just before half during the West Ham - Tottenham match on Sunday, he was berated incessantly by the victim, Spurs captain Robbie Keane and a horde of his teammates. This continued up until the break and after the halftime whistle, Keane marched up to Riley to continue his rant.

As captain, it is Keane's prerogative to speak with the officials to seek clarification or speak his mind. I think the officials tolerate the rants far too much and should be looking to flash a card or two more often when things get out of hand. Perhaps there was a case for a penalty, but it was clear Riley had made up his mind. Move on, play the game.

MONDAY:

As a Liverpool supporter, I really hope the two sides in the Benitez/Hicks/Gillett row stop the bickering and sit down to iron out their differences like men rather than whining like children. It does nothing positive for the club and will only have a detrimental effect on the field. Grow up guys.

Several sad facts about England and the Isles

After a quick look through England's recent qualifying past (since the 1984 Euro campaign) in both the European Championship and World Cup, the following facts popped out:

• Euro 2008 was the only instance where England lost 3 qualifiers. It's the only time they've played 12 games, but still a telling fact.
• 16 goals scored at home was the highest tally since the 1994 WC qualifiers when England also scored 16...and didn't qualify.
• In the WC 2002 campaign, England qualified on the last day after a draw with Greece. They conceded 6 goals during qualification. For Euro 2008 and WC 1994, they conceded 7 and 9 respectively.

These few tidbits add up to some of the damning evidence against Steve McClaren, who unsurprisingly lost his job with the FA this morning.

The final qualifying game yesterday was dreadful, with many of McClaren's personnel changes failing to pay off. Carson was an embarrassment, Wright-Phillips was ineffective and the five-man midfield simply looked clogged.

I sincerely hope Brian Barwick, chief executive of the FA and the man responsible for appointing McClaren, is being honest when he says he plans to rebuild the England team. It is a process that is long overdue.

The other sad result from yesterday was Northern Ireland's loss to Spain in Las Palmas. This means that the British Isles will be absent from a major tournament for the first time since the 1984 Euro in France.

McClaren's big decisions

England manager Steve McClaren made three bold moves ahead of today's decisive clash against Croatia, dropping Paul Robinson, David Beckham and choosing Gareth Barry over the now-healthy Owen Hargreaves.

In place of Robinson and Beckham, Scott Carson and Shaun Wright-Phillips have been included in the line-up.

I have read some suggestions that a 4-5-1 formation will be employed this afternoon, resulting in the following line-up possibility:

Carson

Richards-----Campbell-----Lescott-----Bridge

Wright-Phillips-----Gerrard-----Barry-----Cole

Lampard

Crouch

Not quite the formation one would expect from a side playing at home for maximum points, but McClaren obviously feels this will secure the point necessary to progress.

Wright-Phillips was mentioned on the Football Weekly podcast as an effective tonic down the right, pointing out how effectively Macedonia exploited Croatia's left back Josip Simunic. Since Beckham seems unlikely to exploit anyone from open play, this may prove to be an astute bit of managing.

Speaking of astute management, it is both comforting and alarming that McClaren has taken the eleventh hour opportunity to partake in his craft. By choosing a side to do the job, he has effectively done what the best managers do: pick the best team for the match, not the best team on form.

Granted injuries to Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney have enforced his choices up front, but McClaren could have easily stuck with the side which defeated Austria on Saturday.

We can only hope that should England go on to Euro 2008, the manager will take these new found tendencies along with him.

Qualification Scenarios

Including co-hosts Austria and Switzerland, 12 teams have qualified for next summer's European Championship. Poland, Italy, France, Greece, the Czech Republic, Germany, Croatia, Spain, Romania and the Netherlands have all booked their tickets for the 2008 tournament.

That leaves four tightly contested spots up for grabs:

Group A:

Second-place Portugal can wrap up a spot with a win or draw in their final match vs. Finland. The Finns, who have never qualified for a major tournament, will go through if they beat Portugal and Serbia drop points in either of their remaining matches vs. Poland and Kazakhstan.

Portugal (home v. Finland, Nov. 21) - Win = Qualification
Finland (away v. Portugal, Nov. 21) - Win + Serbia Loss or Draw in either game = Qualification
Serbia (home v. Poland, Nov. 21; home v. Kazakhstan, Nov. 24) - 2 Wins + Portugal Loss = Qualification

Group C

Turkey need a win at home against Bosnia-Herzegovina in order to qualify or a draw combined with Norway dropping points. Norway will go through with a win away to Malta combined with a Turkey draw or loss.

Turkey (home v. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nov. 21) - Win or Draw + Norway Loss or Draw or Loss + Norway Loss = Qualification
Norway (away v. Malta, Nov. 21) - Win + Turkey Loss or Draw = Qualification

Group E

England require only a win or draw to ensure qualification. Russia, after their loss to Israel on the weekend, need to win against Andorra and hope Croatia beat England to go through.

England (home v. Croatia, Nov. 21) - Win or Draw = Qualification
Russia (away v. Andorra, Nov. 21) - Win + England Loss = Qualification

Group F

Sweden simply need to draw with Latvia at home to see themselves through, whereas Northern Ireland will hope the for a Sweden loss to go along with a victory against first-placed Spain in Las Palmas to make it to Austria-Switzerland.

Sweden (home v. Latvia, Nov. 21) - Win or Draw = Qualification
Northern Ireland (away v. Spain, Nov. 21) - Win + Sweden Loss = Qualification

These scenarios should make for some fantastic contests to watch tomorrow.

It's all up to England now

I just watched Israel steal a win against Russia. Russia are clearly not a good team, as they squandered multiple chances to put the game away. However, they did beat England...

Israel played well when it mattered and had some good fortune. England owe them a big favour.

Which brings us to the fact that it's all up to England. No Owen against Croatia after an injury versus Austria. Barry didn't start, left out in favour of Lampard or Cole, depending on which way you look at it. Beckham is sure to start. England's Euro 2008 hopes ride on the fortunes of the Heroes of Germany 2006...

I want nothing more than to see England sweep aside Croatia on Wednesday, but see my last article for why victory will be bittersweet.

Who's to blame

With all of the England stars trotted out in front of the microphones and cameras to bleat on about who is to blame for the team's precarious Euro 2008 situation, where should we point the finger?

The players say don't look to Steve McClaren. Stand-in captain Steven Gerrard and a host of others, including the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and Gary Neville, are pleading for the boss to be kept on, no matter the result of a needlessly rocky qualifying campaign.

Martin Samuel, uber-columnist for the Times, has thrown his lot with Martin O'Neill to succeed McClaren for the job.

But with a seat alongside the spectators looming for the England squad, the best thing that could happen is for McClaren to be removed after his team fail to qualify. I would love nothing more for England to be competing in Austria/Switzerland next year, but for the good of the game, a proper housecleaning is in order.

The FA is in a state of flux. While the FA await the appointment of an independent chairman, the current board need to wipe the slate clean. This starts with removing the senior manager and will end once the heir is allowed the freedom to create a new national footballing regime.

While the next manager may not be Martin O'Neill, it certainly needs to be someone who is willing to look beyond the current squad to find and nurture young players. The top English sides are no longer bringing along domestic talent as they once were, so the England manager needs to find the greenest pastures for youth to grow.

That being said, the youth system needs to be addressed. England are sorely lacking in players outside the midfield and the only way to fix this is to work with the talent coming up through the system. This needs to start at the base level, where 11 and 12-year-olds can be given every opportunity to grow in the England set-up.

While I think he's overreacting, minister of sport Gerry Sutcliffe may be on to something with his suspicions about the influx of international talent deserves a look. Top foreign talent is a must for the English game, but perhaps there is a way to balance things so English talent is given every opportunity to succeed at home.

If England are preoccupied with Euro 2008, this will not happen. If McClaren is still the boss come 2008, qualify or not, this will not happen. If England were good enough and McClaren were good enough, they would have qualified already.

Why England will host World Cup 2018. Probably.

Back once again after a long spell. A combination of busy times at school and one killer flu led to a lack of inspiration for a good blog, but I'm glad to be at it again.

Alongside the announcement that Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup, FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter declared an end to the rotation policy used for bidding on football's top tournament.

This immediately sent the English FA into dreamland, since they would otherwise have to wait for bids from both the North American federation as well as another tournament from Asia before attempting to land another World Cup.

So far, the 2018 favorites include England, China, Russia, the U.S., Mexico and Australia. The pros and cons of each potential bid are many, but it's fairly easy to point out the major talking points:

China: This bid seems to be a bit of a no brainer. China is currently shaping up to be an economic powerhouse. What better way to show the world you've arrived than by hosting the world's biggest sporting event? Never mind that they're well on their way to making a hash of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. We'll know shortly after that event whether FIFA will travel down the same sad road as the IOC and give the thumbs up to China. Verdict: No chance in hell. The problems that are cropping up now and will surely appear next summer will make this an easy decision for a sober FIFA committee.

Russia: Similar to China, Russia is coming into its own as a nation (ethical considerations aside, of course). The World Cup would be the best way imaginable for Vladimir Putin & Co. to show the world what billions in oil money can do. Guus Hiddink has done a fine job with the national team, but I think many people at FIFA will wonder whether Eastern Europe is ready for the big time. Verdict: Close to no chance, but check this space in a couple years.

Mexico: They have a great deal of World Cup pedigree, having hosted the final twice (1970 and 1986), but not much else in comparison to the other contenders. Like Brazil, who need to upgrade 18 stadiums in time for 2014, Mexico would need to do a similar reno job to be ready for the tournament. Verdict: Like Russia, there's always a chance, but likely not.

U.S.A.: The Americans could be considered as a host for every single World Cup tournament, simply because: A) They have dozens of state-of-the-art, 60,000-plus seat stadiums at their disposal, all over the country. B) Americans love to put on a show. C) There's 300 million Americans. The U.S. won't get the 2018 World Cup for one excellent reason: people in America don't give a toss about football. Verdict: Why take the big show where no one watches?

Australia: The Australian FA came out quickly after the announcement to end the rotation policy and stated they intend to bid. Aussies love their sport and are willing to put big money into things like World Cups and Olympic Games. Without a doubt FIFA will look at this bid with interest, especially since Oceania, which Australia were a member of before defecting to the Asian federation, has never hosted the finals. However, they face the same challenge as the Americans, that the country is huge, detracting from the atmosphere FIFA loves about geographically small nations. Verdict: Barring a major gaffe by England, Australia will have to wait.

England: Without a doubt, England should be the favourites to host 2018. Right now, this minute, they have the finest football specific stadiums in the world. By 2018, the new Anfield will be complete, surely Old Trafford will be improved again and as long as Abramovich is around, Stamford Bridge is due for a face lift. This is before the FA and the British government bring out the cash to spruce up the other grounds across the country (St. James Park, Villa Park and White Heart Lane come to mind). Along with the new Wembley, City of Manchester Stadium and the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, there are enough other stadiums that are above or could easily be made to match the FIFA requirement of 40,000 plus. To go with the English infrastructure and short travel distances, you only need to add one of the most football mad nations in the world. Verdict: They would really need to screw this one up...

All that being said, Australia and England will be quite a choice for FIFA to make. They can't go wrong with England, but if they pass up an Australian bid, how long will it take to get to a country who deserve a shot to host the World Cup?

I think England have a lock, because there is a lot that can go wrong for FIFA at the next two tournaments. South Africa already looks like a mess, with venue construction behind schedule and an alarming national crime rate.

Brazil, in being awarded the 2014 World Cup have stated they need to spend $550-million (USD) on improvements to 18 stadiums. Since the new Wembley cost almost twice as much to build, this initial investment may prove to be a little short. Cost overruns are not the best way to get the ball rolling, but we'll wait and see.

Finally, listening to World Soccer Daily, Steven Cohen has suggested the rotation policy was scrapped with North America on deck because South Africa isn't going to be ready for 2010. This would mean the U.S. would be at the top of the list to step in and host the tournament, like Mexico did in 1986 when Colombia backed out. I tend to agree with Mr. Cohen here, since I've not heard any good news about the African bid in some while. Stay tuned.

Hiatus Over

I tied the knot on August 25, my excuse for not posting in a few weeks. Sorry, the honeymoon didn't involve much online time.

I'm going to take a bit of time to consider the England situation, since it is the international break and not much else is going on (except for Toronto FC extending their MLS record goalless streak, but I'm choosing not to comment).

England impressively defeated Israel 3-0 at Wembley on Saturday. What makes this an intriguing result is the number of regulars that were absent and the fine play of those coming into the squad. Emile Heskey, Gareth Barry, Micah Richards and an uninjured Michael Owen were the men doing the job in place of John Terry, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard (whose current Chelsea form makes him missed) and Wayne Rooney.

Listening to podcasts and reading articles in the run up to this game, I was given the impression that England might be lucky to draw with Israel, who were undefeated in a streak of over a dozen games. However, I think the depleted squad was a good thing for England, especially at this point in their campaign.

England, currently fourth in their pool, need to play with urgency. Players of top calibre, not on top calibre teams are not used to playing with the same desperation of those teams who struggle for survival. I'm not suggesting that the Heskeys and Barrys are the type of players to necessarily be the key to the cup, but they are the type to get you in the door.

John Terry and Frank Lampard are champions. The silverware they have accumulated during the past three seasons speaks volumes about their character. But I'm not sure that players from the top Premier League teams are the right ones to pull England out of its hole. Players who are used to formidable opposition, used to playing against the odds are the ones whom England needs now.

This doesn't mean that Derby County's starting eleven should be drafted into the England squad. On form players, like Barry and like Heskey are the men for the job. They have both shown up early on in the season and McClaren has rewarded them for their efforts. But the League Championship, workhorse mentality that players from bottom-feeding teams bring with them is a breath of fresh air to an England team adrift in the qualification sea.

I think particularly at home on Wednesday, the England manager would be well served to keep his squad intact from the weekend. Russia will be a bigger test, but one that this squad should be able to handle at home. If he moves healthy players like Crouch (back from suspension) and Lampard (if he's fit) to the bench and uses them wisely as the situation calls for, England should see all six points from the current slate of matches.

Beckham for England and on loan; Toronto FC thoughts

BECKHAM ENGLAND'S MAN?

As the guy in my circle who follows football on a regular basis, friends and acquaintances asked me what all the hoopla was when David Beckham joined the L.A. Galaxy. Was he still any good? Isn't he a washed-up has-been who is simply trying to cash in one more time before a full-time acting career calls?

I calmly answered no to such questions and explained to the uninitiated that I thought the Galaxy had signed the man who would become the best player to show up for an MLS fixture.

To be entirely fair, Beckham earned his bad rap on a Real Madrid team chock full of superstars who have become complacent in their Galactico roles. Until recently, Madrid looked nothing like a side who seemed even remotely interested in living up to their considerable pedigree.

Madrid now sit atop the La Liga table alongside the 2006 European champions (who are also looking to claim the underachiever's crown by crawling to the league title). Beckham has played an inspiring role in this reversal of fortunes, looking much more like a savvy veteran footballer in the process. So much so in fact, England manager Steve McLaren has given him a recall to the squad.

So what, right? McLaren needs to save his job so he goes back to the well? I think this may be the brightest thing McLaren has managed to do since he took over from Sven. As he was quoted in an article on ESPNsoccernet.com, McLaren will "stand or fall" over the decision to recall the former captain. It seems that a year after Germany, England need Beckham again.

Beckham won't single-handedly save England from missing Euro 2008. However, like Sheringham in the run up to WC 2002, a wise manager can use Beckham's considerable talents, particularly to win games against the sides like Israel and Andorra that seemed to present such a problem.

Beckham, on the right to start or coming on in the middle could provide an inspiration that has been sorely lacking from the English sides of late. Beckham still works hard, can cross the ball and is their best set-piece option. A match, either in a starting role or as a sub, against a side like Estonia (next week) will show that he still has a role, albeit diminished, in the side.

GALAXY MUM ON LOAN POSSIBILITY

This leaves the question: how will the Galaxy handle an England star, not just a former England star? Reports on various sites have discussed the possibility of Beckham going on loan to Europe (likely England) during the MLS close season.

Initially, club general manager Alexi Lalas shot down the idea. Now, some reports are saying Lalas is okay with the idea whilst coach Frank Yallop is the one opposed.

I can understand their apprehension. You've got a guy who you're paying $25-million (USD) a year and what happens if he gets broken while across the Atlantic? He will be the best player on the Galaxy when he arrives, if not the best player in the MLS (Juan Pablo Angel might have something to say about that though). Yallop didn't run from the dysfunctional CSA just to have is meal ticket ruined putting games in overseas to maintain a England squad place.

I don't, however, think that this should be seen as a bad thing. The MLS league season is 32 games long and is largely devoid of the additional games that wear down players in the European leagues. Teams like Chelsea or Manchester United played in excess of 60 games this season accounting for the League, FA and European cup competitions.

If MLS sides can loan a player out to participate in quality, competitive football for a short period during the off-season, they should take advantage of the opportunity. Players currently play in winter leagues anyways, so continued participation in a professional league would only serve to benefit the league.

As for the Galaxy's particular concern for an extremely valuable asset, these can be somewhat alleviated too. Loan deals are contractual. Contracts, particularly of this nature, carry clauses with them that would help to protect Beckham or any other player. A maximum number of games, no cup competitions, only brown M&M's in the training room, whatever. Clauses could also be inserted to cover salary in the event of a long term injury.

Not only would specific clauses limit the exposure of a player to injury and the club to financial loss, they would likely dissuade potential suitors as well. In other words, Beckham wouldn't be loaned to Derby County who couldn't take such a chance. A side like Newcastle or Aston Villa, with deep pockets and great aspirations, could afford these risks.

At any rate, the loan list status of Mr. Beckham will be worth watching once he joins up with his new club.

TORONTO FC

As a Torontonian by birth if not much else, I follow sports in that city: the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jays, the Raptors and now Toronto FC.

I caught the second half of the game between TFC and the Columbus Crew on Saturday night. I've followed the team through the papers and the 'net previously, but it was great to catch some live action.

Aside from some spotty camera work, the match was entertaining. TFC live up to their reputation as the roughest side in the league, throwing themselves into tackles with abandon at times. However, they play with passion and I think that they will quickly cement themselves in the hearts of many Torontonians, just as they have with the supporters who turn up to BMO field.

Jeff Cunningham, acquired earlier in the week from Real Salt Lake, will be a hit. This guy is fantastic, with a knack of slipping behind the last defender for runs on goal. He was unlucky to be kept off the score sheet on Saturday, but him and Danny Dichio will be formidable up front in the matches to come. Keep an eye out for these two this Saturday against Colorado.