Beyond The Pitch

With the United States and Jurgen Klinsmann now in the drivers seat for CONCACAF qualification and their arrival for Brazil 2014 virtually assured, we turn to the matter of what next for the Americans and Mexicans with ESPN broadcaster Ian Darke with some questions on Chepo De La Torre and whether El Tri might have to reset the script. Going back over the last 18-24 months the expectations and perceptions have done a complete switch between the US and Mexico and at the core of this appears a combination of factors between increased competition inside CONCACAF and a systemic problem in the spine of the Mexicans which Jurgen Klinsmann recently confirmed in the lead up to the Honduras match. We also examine the new bomb at Newcastle United where Joe Kinnear has been appointed sporting director by Mike Ashley, the arrival of Manuel Pelligrini at Manchester City and wether Edinson Cavani should be the prime target for City and if the club should be so quick to give up on Edin Dzeko. We also look at the repeated failures of the England U21 team in Israel of late and whether Stuart Pearce got all the support he needed not just from the FA and national football priorities, but also whether young English players are being given the proper opportunities to develop like other European nations have done of late such as Spain, Italy, Holland and Norway who all reached the semi-final round and appeared streets ahead of the England team. We close on the matter of Neymar and his quick explosion at the Confederations Cup in Brazil and whether his reputation is more hype than ability, because he certainly appears to be proving his doubters wrong since agreeing to join Barcelona this summer.

Football broadcaster and international event organizer Charlie Stillitano joins the show to talk a bit about the International Champions Cup scheduled to kick off in Valencia, Spain on July 27 where it will feature some of the biggest clubs again this summer in the US, including the likes of AC Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Internazionale, Everton, Juventus, Valencia and Los Angeles Galaxy. We also discuss the evolution in the US soccer fan since the early 1990s, why these high end tournaments still have relevance and importance, as well as take a look back at the World Football Challenge including the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, as well as the new format and how the American sporting event culture still reigns supreme when it comes to international foootball. Also discussed here is the US National Team and its progress over the years, whether the United States is getting better at the sport or simply better at packaging it and this is where we begin to grade the job performance of Jurgen Klinsmann on a number of fronts as not only the face of the program but also against some of the heady expectations once suggested by his arrival. We also look at the original New York Yarnkees-Manchester United partnership and how much of a groundbreaking deal that was, what the challenges will be for New York City FC in Major League Soccer and how the lessons of the MetroStars reinforced the shadow left behind by the New York Cosmos and how MLS failed to acquire a legend in New York in Italian superstar Roberto Baggio in its earliest days. A massive episode with the daily radio voice for The Football Show on Sirius XM, Charlie Stillitano began his career in international soccer in 1992, when he served as the New York/New Jersey Venue Executive Director for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and also served as Vice President and General Manager of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of Major League Soccer and has been at the forefront of many key international football initiatives.

From the start of the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil to the U21 European Championships in Israel, it is becoming rather clear that the Spanish and Italian national team programs continue to enforce their dominance at or near the top of most predictions a year removed from the real thing in 2014, both possessing a blend of veteran technique with serious silverware and a young emerging class of attacking players rivaled only by Germany and Argentina at their best. Joining this edition of the show for his debut to discuss these topics and several others is BeIN Sport commentator and pundit Ian Joy who weighs in these important matters and even opens up on some of his career highlights including his arrival in Major League Soccer from abroad when Real Salt Lake made its first emergence on the national scene and helps us dissect the matter of the England U21 failures given his perspective from his days in the Manchester United youth system. If you like your football and football topics fast and furious we weave in and out of youth team football, what is working and not working on the US National Team under Jurgen Klinsmann and what we might be able to expect not only at this Confederations Cup but also for the Americans who have two very distinct paths ahead of them - three and out which means complete failure or making enough progress to get out of the group stage and take their shot in the knockout rounds. Ian Joy was raised in Scotland, and was a member of the youth academies of both Manchester United and Tranmere Rovers. He began his professional career in Europe, playing for clubs such as Montrose in Scotland, Kidderminster Harriers in England, and Hamburger SV and St Pauli in Germany before playing in 20 MLS games in 2008 with Real Salt Lake as the club reached the MLS playoffs for the first time in the franchise history.

It may just be a moment where the mythology of Brazilian football runs aground or becomes reaffirmed as O Selecão opens its only sure-fire national team test as the Confederations Cup opens this weekend against a landscape of questions about readiness to host the world and whether world football has left 2002 World Cup winning manager Luiz Felipe Scolari behind as well. For now Big Phil has reshuffled the deck and has gone with a squad with very little experience on the world stage and seems to be searching for more answers as a center forward to match the skill and creativity of Barcelona-bound prodigy Neymar has yet to surface and even deeper concerns in the defensive gears have yet to have found synergy between the defensive midfield, superstar defender Thiago Silva and the always perplexing David Luiz. We begin with some rather untimely and pressing points raised by Brazil and Botafogo legend Jairzinho who believes Brazil is not ready to win the Confederations Cup title, as the team are still being rebuilt, and that Neymar does not have the required talent around him to deliver top level silverware. We also examine the start of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, potential transfers on the horizon beyond the giant splash created between Santos and Barcelona for Neymar, and also the magnificent bit of football history that Ronaldinho might be able to complete should his Atlético Mineiro reach for the stars to secure its first Copa Libertadores, placing the Brazilian legend in the company of the greatest players to ever compete in world football in terms of club and international trophies. We close on the matter of Kaka and whether he will make the key move with a year to go before the World Cup opens in Brazil and put himself in the limelight for the national team or whether he will remain at Real Madrid now that Carlo Ancelotti appears set to rekindle the magic they created at AC Milan. Loads in this episode and Bira Brasil gives a very detailed look at what to expect once football fans descend upon Brazil for this first and last dress rehearsal before opening its doors to the world next summer.

A native of Green Bay where the Packers are more known than the sport at which he excelled, Jay DeMerit is a United States international that played in every match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and became the first signing for Vancouver Whitecaps once the franchise joined Major League Soccer after six seasons with Watford FC, where he served as club captain. But that just begins to tell his incredible story of perseverance, mentality and belief as a central defender who appeared in a Chicago Fire PDL team and then made an almost improbable and near impossible jump to English football starting in the lowest organized tiers with Southall FC and landing on trial with Watford FC, where he and the club earned promotion to the English Premier League as winners of the League Championship playoffs after a third-place finish in the standings. His three goals that season included the match-winner in the promotion playoff final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on May 21, 2006, defeating Leeds United FC 3-0, with DeMerit given the Man of the Match award. Now, with a couple years removed from the release of a movie that told his rags-to-riches tale of perseverance and dedication, Jay joins us on the show to talk about the players who continue to fall through the cracks, the hopes and dreams that drove him, what that first call from the US National Team meant when it came and whether American soccer can take something from his story, as Jay DeMerit is as much a story about mentality as it is competition and success.

In the aftermath of a truly historic season for Bayern Munich where a treble was captured and the Bundesliga was truly never in doubt, new concerns are emerging about whether all the positive attention aimed at German football might just be aimed a trailing indicator once digging deeper into the emerging fissures between the Bavarian giants, the rest of the league and a deteriorating relationship with Dortmund. Joining us to discuss these matters and many others is German football correspondent and historian Uli Hesse who helps us examine the fallout from the Mario Goetze sale and the ongoing transfer saga involving Robert Lewandowski who finds himself in serious crosshairs between two clubs where money may not be the object as much as competitive balance and a dearth of replacement options for the Champions League challengers who have built a team that is now under assault from the bigger spending sides. We also examine trailing indicators about what has made German football so successful in recent years and whether those indicators might already be showing cracks and how Borussia Dortmund will have to evolve in terms of the type of players they recruit in the future. We also look into the manager change at Werder Bremen now that Thomas Schaaf has stepped down and Robin Dutt takes the reigns after 14 years in the chair and we close on the matter of the Jogi Low and German national team both in terms of the poor showing in the United States, but also the poor planning by the federation and whether Jupp Heynckes might soften his stance on retirement and take the national team job after Brazil 2014.

The play by play voice of the New England Revolution Brad Feldman joins Anto and Nico for his first appearance on the show to help us examine where the team is in its second year of transformation under former player Jay Heaps who has performed a near overhaul of this team now poised to make some noise in the closing half of the MLS season. At the center of this discussion might just be the most undervalued roster in Major League Soccer as the club has assembled a tremendous blend of young players and international imports who have decreased the average age of the team sheet while finally turning the ship with several new faces who are now delivering key performances in recent matches with Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy. We examine how the pieces have come together, how the organization has continued to deliver strong players in the MLS SuperDraft but has no begun to deliver a number of overseas products like José Goncalves and Saër Sène who continue to make key contributions week after week. We also examine the stadium situation to dispel some of the misplaced criticism on that process to examine the serious difficulties all sports franchises in the Boston area have to endure to bring stadium projects to fruition. Also discussed is the arrival of several important young players, some of whom have arrived from a very under-publicized youth academy that is also delivering players, and how the perceptions surrounding the New England Patriots seem to color everything that the Revolution does in that marketplace. In closing, we revisit the heroic actions of goalkeeper Matt Reis who was on the front lines with the first responders during the Boston Marathon bombing horror that had a difficult and personal story that is only now beginning to reach a path toward conclusion.

While it remains to be determined if a second edition of the New York Cosmos could match a distinguished legacy built 30 years ago, Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover joins the show to give us his impressions of a new Emirates sponsorship and how the marketplace may never be better for the sport in this country as the newest NASL revival is set for its official reboot this summer. This episode is dedicated to the legacy of the NY Cosmos as a sports trailblazer, a modern trend-setter in terms of how teams are assembled and market themselves, but even more importantly a segment dedicated to a new battleground for the sports dollar in the largest sports marketplace in North America is underway with the last soccer club to conquer that city returns with a bold sponsorship and the potential of a new stadium that should help the ownership recapture its magic. We examine the power of this brand and its legacy, the evolving marketplace as soccer must now compete globally, whether the NASL offers the Cosmos more autonomy than MLS simply in principle and whether the arrival of a stadium has to be matched with a television contract to deliver size and scope to the project. Now the Cosmos await the conclusion of a process in which a bid to the state to build a 25,000-seat stadium, retail and hotel complex at the Belmont Racetrack in Elmont, Long Island, just a dozen miles from Flushing Meadows, where MLS is also trying hard to build a $300 million stadium of its own. Naturally, there was a long flirtation between Major League Soccer and the mythology surrounding the Cosmos, but as this episode does illustrate, the club clearly has its own ideas on how it wishes to maintain its own autonomy, identity and rate of growth even though several major questions remain left to be answered, yet Erik Stover clearly believes that time will prove that the Cosmos philosophy and belief will be proven correct with time.

Now that Everton and Bill Kenwright has determined that Roberto Martinez is the right manager to take the reigns and lead The Toffees forward, one of the true legends of this massive football club joins us on the show to give us his opinions of the move, his view of the David Moyes years and how new expectations must be established from the outset. This is where Everton and Wales goalkeeper legend Neville Southall helps us examine all of these decisions and challenges including what awaits Martinez in terms of bold decisions that will have to be made, what next for Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini and a perhaps some young talented players who could provide the depth that was missing a year ago and if low expectations may have been what kept David Moyes from delivering Champions League football toward the tail end of his reign at Goodison Park. We also evaluate the roster itself, what Roberto Martinez needs to do to further solidify the defence and how youth products such as Ross Barkley amd John Stones will have to become key contributors and whether it might just be time to look at Everton Football Club in a different light from the highest rungs of its senior leadership with the full knowledge that Bill Kenwright did a fantastic job in navigating some difficult periods, while also recognizing that new ideas and expectations should accompany this new manager. We also examine the evolution of the goalkeeper position, how the game has changed and has forever changed how the stoppers react due to over-coaching and Neville also helps us evaluate whether the central defender position and removal of the physical element is as critical in this evolution as some would dare suggest. Neville Southall is the owner of a club record 578 appearances in the Football League and Premier League (750 in all competitions), and his honours with Everton include a European Cup Winners Cup medal in 1985, a First Division championship medal in 1984–85 and 1986–87, an FA Cup winners medal in 1984 and 1995, and an FA Charity Shield winners medal in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1995. A true legend and one of the finest players of his generation including the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985.

Against the landscape of another European club football season being drawn to a close in advance of a summer transfer window that opens yet a month away, no bigger stories can be found in the sport at the moment that what has begun to take shape at AS Monaco where French football authorities, a rising enterprise and a challenge to UEFA Financial Fair Play all seem to be gathering as a perfect storm. At the center of this controversy and clash of ideas and possible outcomes is Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev who takes this football club into unchartered territory having already spent upwards of 140 million since promotion from Ligue 2 and looks to challenge not only the boundaries of the break even elements of FFP, but also might just test the patience and willingness of French football authorities who are seeking more than just lip service when it comes to competitive balance. To help us dissect this matter of AS Monaco, the Rybolovlev relationship to the French FA and some very expensive Mendes clients in greater detail is football writer and biographer Philippe Auclair for his third appearance on the show. We examine whether the Monaco advantages are seriously new to French football, unpack the issue of jurisdiction and how the allegations of a lump sum normalization payment continues to evade certainty and how UEFA has a major problem on its hands if AS Monaco is to fit with the established break-even criteria set out by the organization. We also review the recent problems for Leonardo at PSG and how his nine month suspension will likely be upheld and what next for his manager, Carlo Ancelotti, who clearly wants the Real Madrid job as his relationship to the Brazilian sporting director continues its unusual trajectory and whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic might be just as trapped in Paris by economics as he is basic need for his services as the top player in the French league. We also examine the situation at Lyon where rumours surround Clement Grenier as the transfer window opens and if the club president Jean-Michel Aulas can hold on to the talented youngster while unloading more expensive veterans such as Lisandro Lopez and Yoann Gourcuff.

International commentator Ian Darke joins us for a discussion into the many big managerial moves that have either occurred or are about to occur in the Premier League as Jose Mourinho makes his triumphant return to Chelsea and perhaps an even bigger move of Manuel Pellegrini to Manchester City begin to set off a chain of moves for players this summer. We begin this episode by dissecting recent revelations by Luis Suarez and question what his motivations appear to be now that Real Madrid seems set to spend again now that The Special One is moving back to England. This includes the massive challenges ahead for Jose Mourinho for his second tour at Stamford Bridge as this is a very different football club and Premier League since he last managed in England. We also examine the job ahead for the David Moyes at Manchester United, the evolving nature of the top three with brand new managers and new ideas as well as the unresolved situation at Everton where the degree of difficulty may be the most difficult. Also discussed is move for Mark Hughes at Stoke City and whether Roberto Martinez can fill the shoes of the departed David Moyes. We also examine the issues that have emerged for Jurgen Klinsmann on the heels of a terribly naive performance against Belgium in advance of a very important weekend for US Soccer as Germany takes on the United States at RFK on Sunday.

The Premier League season has barely drawn to a close and the madness of the transfer and speculation season is upon us as several big name managers are on the move and the ripples can be felt all over Europe as Jose Mourinho looks to seal his return to Stamford Bridge and Real Madrid looks to acquire the PFA Player of The Year. We examine the new challenges for The Special One awaiting him the second time around at Chelsea Football Club, why he might have to re-invent himself to a degree as both the Premier League and Chelsea are very different than what he once left behind. Also in view is the transition already underway at Manchester United now that David Moyes has moved into the position amid early backroom changes, his previous club Everton Football Club which appears to be deepening its search with Roberto Martinez edging toward the surface as a favorite and whether Arsenal might just have the biggest transfer season of recent seasons just ahead as three Premier League superpowers will all deliver spending power and new managers in advance of the 2013-14 campaign. We also examine the changes and the addition by subtraction exercise that appears to be Roberto Mancini for Manuel Pelligrini and how that change might alone be the tide that rises all the boats for Manchester City in concert with only targeted spending once the new manager arrives. Also discussed is the matter of Gareth Bale and whether he will resist overtures from Real Madrid this summer as the Spanish giants look to counter the arrival of Neymar at Barcelona after securing 100 points and taking back a Spanish title.

The biggest soap opera of the summer is already underway in the calcio capital city of Milan as Mount Silvio Berlusconi has erupted on Max Allegri while Adriano Galliani tries to put out the fires or is is usher in yet another Rossoneri legend in Clarence Seedorf now that top three was finally captured by AC Milan on the final day of the season. Joining to discuss the car crash seasons inside Milanese football is commentator Owen Neilson who has a front row seat to the dreadful season for Internazionale who has just removed one young manager and now has delivered Walter Mazzarri to turn the page and maybe change course once again, and within the analysis we explore the key question about Inter and that is whether the club will demonstrate enough patience to consider the mode and operations behind a successful rebuild before actually going about the process of doing so with a decreasing set of resources. Also discussed here is all the drama, outrage and controversy surrounding Max Allegri at AC Milan and how Berlusconi appears to have entered a strange process of divorce with a manager he no longer wants while resisting second thoughts about a former player who he wants as his successor but must also consider the mode and resources to ensure his success in Clarence Seedorf. We also examine the statistics, have a debate on whether Silvio Berlusconi is holding this situation over the head of AC Milan and if this is just one more example where the controversial owner always finds a way to demand his imprint on the football club. We also examine the situation of the deciding Siena-Milan match where everything was decided, separate what was an inept match official and even perhaps what might have been an enemy of my enemy exercise between the Siena and Fiorentina football clubs. We also examine the situation at Fiorentina this season, the ongoing Serie B playoffs between Empoli and Livorno, whether Verona arriving in Serie A also delivers another problem in the fight against racism in Italian stadiums and what the arrival of Rafa Benitez means at Napoli where the first question must be whether Edinson Cavani will stay on and if the Spanish tactician is the man to deliver a bit of European success for a group of supporters and an owner in De Laurentiis desperate to reach a new level.

In the afterglow of a tremendous victory by Lazio in the Coppa Italia Final over city rivals, Gabriele Marcotti joins us to discuss the big questions now facing a number of Serie A clubs this summer starting with AS Roma who may not just be in search of a new manager but also a replacement for Franco Baldini in the event that owner James Pallotta accepts his resignation before moving on to Tottenham. This also opens the door to a move for Max Allegri from AC Milan to AS Roma to replace an interim manager who was on assignment since replacing Zdenek Zeman earlier this season. We also discuss the arrival of Rafa Benitez at Napoli after his interim stint at Chelsea FC where he found renewed success in Europe and the move of Walter Mazzarri to Internazionale who still have massive questions to address about the direction of this squad and whether Marco Branca will be there to deliver the pieces to a manager known for using veteran players, putting Inter at odds length with a NextGen Series team that has not been able to breakthrough to the senior team since Andrea Stramaccioni won that title. Also discussed here is the prospects of year two at Fiorentina under Vincenzo Montella in year two with Stefan Jovetic and Adem Ljajic concerns finally addressed, whether AC Milan and Silvio Berlusconi can push the paste back into the tube over their fractured relationship, a first look at the Neymar transfer to Barcelona in terms of expectations and evolving perceptions, and a very deep look into the situation at AS Monaco where a combination of taxation and competitive normalization factors are added one more massive concern about what Financial Fair Play is there to ultimately protect. Is UEFA in the business of keeping the superclubs are arms length yet one more time to prevent a Super League from emerging because it is very clear that it has become near impossible to find a standardization point upon which competitive balance could ever be assured without some form of revenue sharing that would ultimately spell doom for the very domestic football being held together by an oligarchy of football clubs in clear control.

ESPN commentator and US Soccer legend Alexi Lalas joins us for his second appearance on the show to review the important week that was for Major League Soccer as NYCFC enters the league as the 20th franchise for a record transfer fee of 100 million while bringing together two massive sports brands in the New York Yankees and Manchester City Football Club. We examine a number of different angles in this move, how some of the early lines are being drawn and whether the concept of extending an established European brand to the New York marketplace defies the sporting reputation of the biggest sports city in the United States. We discuss the appreciation of those franchise fees, what it means in relationship to the issues with Chivas USA and even perhaps where David Beckham fits into this puzzle with an idea that perhaps Major League Soccer may attempt to move into a total of 24 teams in the distant future. We also discuss the matter of Landon Donovan not being selected by Jurgen Klinsmann at this juncture of World Cup qualification and how the relationship between the player and the US National Team coach continues on an downward spiral the closer we get to Brazil 2014. We also examine the issue of players leaving their MLS clubs during the season for meaningless international friendlies abroad given the decision by LA Galaxy to release Robbie Keane, two early season surprise packages in FC Dallas and Montreal Impact who are collecting two points per match to date in 2013 and Alexi gives us his take on the Bayern Munich-Borussia Dortmund Champions League final.