1-2-1 With... Jeremiah Johnson (US Football Writer)

America, the motherland of baseball, basketball and that the annoying sport that shares its name with our beautiful game. But today we've put those sports aside for the fastest growing sport in the US, Football. To find out more about Major League Soccer (MLS) I went to Jeremiah Johnson. Jeremiah writes for his site goalkeepergrades and is an expert on goalkeepers but today he took some time out from his day job to reflect on US football as a whole.

Full Name: Jeremiah Johnson

Website: www.goalkeepergrades.com

Football Team Supported (MLS and Foreign):

Unfortunately my hometown doesn't align me with any top flight club geographically. There is a USL (2nd division) team in Minneapolis called the NSC Stars (formerly the Minnesota Thunder)... but I don't feel like the club has historically done a great job of marketing their product which makes them hard to follow through the local media.

In the MLS, I tend to vacillate between several teams I pull for.  In the early days, it was DC United because I enjoyed their consistency and the style of play. Recently I've found myself aligning with the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake (for the same reasons I liked DC United).  I've also become a fan of the Seattle Sounders and I wear my Seattle Sounders warm-up all the time. The club's fan following is infectious.

Globally I follow all the big clubs... Man U, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Inter, Real Madrid, Barcelona.   Otherwise I tend to gravitate towards clubs spotted with guys from the US. Wolverhampton, Aston Villa, and Everton showcase some US goalkeeping talent and Fulham just seems like a really cool small club in a big city (Clint Dempsey).

What is the top football club in the US and how do they compare to their counterparts in Europe? And also when compared to other North and South American teams?

Landon Donovan playing in the CONCACAF Champions League defeat to Puerta Rican outfit PR Islanders

The MLS features a playoff system to determine the league champion which makes the end of the season very dramatic, but doesn't always end up featuring the best squad. The 3 clubs that standout as today's best are the LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, and the New York Red Bulls.

None of these clubs would hold up in the European Champions League, but could potentially avoid relegation from some of the top leagues around the globe. In friendly matches, MLS teams have been gaining ground. The Red Bulls completely outplayed Juventus and Sporting Kansas City (Wizards) defeated Manchester United in their summer friendly matches of 2010.

Historically, the CONCACAF Champions League hasn't been a priority for MLS clubs but the new format, which started in 2009, mimics that of the UEFA Champions League and seems to be gaining popularity. Real Salt Lake has made it an organizational priority to succeed in this competition, which has been dominated by Mexican clubs, and intends to do well in order to advance to the FIFA Club World Cup.

Who would you say are the top 3 top young players playing in the MLS? And why? (please state their positions also)

Fredy Montero, 23, F, Seattle Sounders, Columbia

Andy Najar, 17, M, DC United, Honduras

Tim Ream, 23, D, New York Red Bulls, USA

Could these three players play in Europe and do you see them moving in the future?

Yes. I think that they are best served getting a few more seasons under their belt in the MLS before testing European soil.

Who do you consider to be the greatest US footballer ever? And why?

Aston Villa man Friedel greatest US player of all time?

Brad Friedel, GK

No US player can claim to have more of a long-term impact in top-flight club football than Friedel. He currently  holds the Premier League record for consecutive appearances (250 as of 1.17.2011) and still has a tight grip on the starting position with Aston Villa at nearly 40 years old.

Since winning a collegiate championship with UCLA, he has gone on to play professionally in Turkey, the US (Columbus Crew), and England (Liverpool, Blackburn, Aston Villa).  

Internationally he has played in the Olympics, started for the US in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups before retiring from international play in 2005. It is my opinion that Friedel would have been the starting GK for the 2006 World Cup had he not retired and currently ranks as the #2 US goalkeeper only behind Tim Howard (Everton).

Which foreign players would you say have had the biggest influence on the MLS?

From a marketing perspective, David Beckham. Unfortunately he has been more focused on impressing England National Team Managers than winning MLS titles.  His impact on the field has been marginal.

Other players have brought excitement to the MLS with their notoriety. Carlos Valderrama (Columbia), Preki (Yugoslavia), Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria), Thierry Henry (France), Lothar Matthäus (Germany), Walter Zenga (Italy), Piotr Nowak (Poland), Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Mexico), Rafael Márquez (Mexico) and Hugo Sánchez (Mexico).

Marco Etcheverry (left) beats Landon Donovan (right) during an MLS All Star Match

The foreign player who made the biggest impact on the field is, by far, Marco Etcheverry (Bolivia). Etcheverry played eight seasons with DC United and led them to 3 MLS Cups, a CONCACAF Champions Cup, and a Copa Interamericana title.  He was also named an MLS MVP,  MLS Cup MVP, MLS All-Star Game MVP, and to the MLS All-Time Best XI. 

Which foreign coach has had the biggest impact on domestic football in US?

Milutinovic has now been mentioned twice in 1-2-1 With... During an interview about Chinese football and now America ironically

Bora Milutinovic (Serbia) - led the US National team into the second round of the 1994 World Cup

Which foreign team has had the biggest impact on domestic football in America?

Manchester United. It's probably due most to the fact that the Premier League is a highly visible league on television in the US... and they are perennial contenders in the EPL and Champions League.  Manchester United is one of the wealthiest and most widely supported football teams in the world... and just happens to be owned by an American (not that he's well liked).  People in the US who don't know soccer (football) know Manchester United. It's kind of like going to other parts of the world and talking to people who don't know baseball but they know the New York Yankees.

Has the popularity of football increased in recent years in America or do you still see American Football, Basketball and Baseball dominating American sport in the foreseeable future?

The game is growing but still sits behind (American) football, basketball, and baseball when it comes to exposure to the masses. A large part of the problem is inconsistent media coverage. Until the MLS can get a high-visibility television deal, people can't pay attention. We live in a ESPN SportCenter world where most of the time we can only keep up with the highlights rather than full matches.

Attendance at MLS games is growing, especially with these clubs moving out of major NFL stadiums and building soccer-specific stadiums. The atmosphere is much better at a full 30,000 seat stadium than at a less than half-full 75,000 seat NFL stadium.  

For the 2010 season , the average MLS attendance was 16,675. These numbers fall behind the NFL (67,508) and MLB (30,129) but are on par with the NBA (17,110) and NHL (17,004). The club with the highest average attendance numbers for 2010 was Seattle Sounders FC with 36,173.  

If the Sounders were in the MLB they would rank 10th in average attendance. If the Sounders were in the NHL or NBA they would rank 1st in average attendance. If the Sounders were in the Premier League they would rank 9th behind Aston Villa and ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in average attendance. The MLS needs more clubs like the Sounders. 

Which European player is the most popular in America, other than David Beckham of course? 

Thierry Henry (France) 

That do you think of the decision to allow Russia to host World Cup 2018 instead of England?

Russia was an acceptable choice. I would have rather seen it go to England, but FIFA has no ability to grow the game further in England. FIFA will benefit from giving more visibility to the game throughout Russia.

However, I am interested to see how they work out teams potentially playing across 9 time zones. 

And how to you feel about the decision made to give the World Cup to Qatar instead of the US?

Horrible decision. 120 degree heat! Are they really going to build air-conditioned outdoor stadiums with technology that doesn't exist? Are they really going to build 9 stadiums to be used for 1 month? Qatar has never made it to the World Cup finals. Congrats on your automatic bid.

There is so much opportunity to grow the game in the U.S... it just needs that additional boost of visibility that another World Cup could provide.

Finally where do you think the MLS and the international team will be in ten years time?

MLS

The MLS needs to continue to build tradition and history. Remember, this league as only been in existence for 14 years. The league needs to continue to build relationships with their surrounding communities, just as the NFL has done since the 1920's and English football since the 1880's.

In my opinion, the best thing the MLS can do is move to a true pyramid structure with promotion and relegation as soon as feasibly possible. It's the one thing that would make professional (soccer) unique in comparison to any other American professional sport. 

US National Team

Our player development approach has been moving towards the utilization of regional  academy structures aligned with MLS clubs rather than the fragmented US Olympic Development Program that has traditionally served as the feeding mechanism for the national squads.  This will be a significant factor in the improvement of our senior national teams.

I would expect that the US would secure a berth in the World Cup quarterfinals either in Brazil 2014 or Russia 2018. Anything less than that is a failure. Anything more than that will be a bonus.

(END)

I hope you enjoyed that informative chat about the current condition of football in the US. After that I'm hoping that we get to see the next generation of Brad Friedels, Landon Donovans and Clint Dempseys playing in Europe in the future...

1-2-1 With... Kolkata Football (Indian Football Writer)

The last Asian football nation I investigated was Japan probably the most commercialised and successful nation in Asian football. Today I'm going down a few steps down in the footballing ladder to India. India is more known for its domination in cricket rather than any footballing achievements but today I had a chat with the guys at www.kolkatafootball.com about the condition of Indian domestic football.

Q. What is the top football club in India and how do they compare to their counterparts in Europe? And also when compared to other Asian teams?

A.The Indian football scenario is like any other major leagues of the world. There are 3-4 teams which are competitively equal and none of them can be singled out as a run-away winner. The teams which command respect and are fairly consistent in terms of winning are –  Dempo Sports Club (4 times winner I-League from Goa) as also Kingfisher East Bengal Club and McDowell Mohun Bagan Club (Three times winner of I-League and both are from Kolkata).

It will be foolish to draw any comparison with any of their foreign counterparts of Europe or for that matter advanced Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore or the Middle East countries. The setup in India is diametrically opposite to that of Europe and the above named Asian countries. In India, there is a woeful lack of infrastructure with none of the Clubs having exclusive lease ownership of any football ground or practice facilities. None of the football clubs are privy to the share of the gate receipts on match days and have to depend on prize monies and grants from the Football Association to supplement their sponsorship income.

Q.Who would you say are the top 3 Indian players playing in the Indian Domestic league? And why? (please state their positions also)

A.Despite the mediocrity in the standard of Indian football, the following three players have performed creditably in the last few years –

i) Subrata Pal – (Goalkeeper) – Extremely agile and good goal-keeping skills he has caught the eyes of the football critics both in India and in the Asian circuit. Has been with a middle ranked side Pune FC for the last two years and has had a major influence in helping the side finish 3rd in the 14 team National League in 2009-10.


Goalkeeper Subrata Pal save three penalties against Syria in the Nehru Cup Final

ii) Mohammad Rafi – (Midfielder) – Rafi had been a consistent attacking midfielder for his Club, Mahindra United which is now defunct. His excellent football skills prompted his call-up for national duties. Slightly frail looking like Chelsea’s Yossi Benayoun, Rafi has been bogged with injuries time and again. Very often than not, Rafi does love to surge ahead from his midfield zone and score goals for his side.

Mohammad Rafi celebrates scoring another goal from midfield

iii) Sunil Chettri – (Forward) – Sunil who plays for Dempo Sports Club of Goa has been a consistent performer for both club and country for the last few seasons. He tried his luck in U.S.A.’s MLS for one of the Clubs but had to come back home as he could not cope up with the pressures of being away from home for long durations.

Sunil Chetri in action during his spell in the MLS for the Kansas City Wizards

Q.Who do you consider to be the greatest Indian footballer ever? And why?

A.There have been quite a few footballers who played with pride and passion during their playing careers. Sailen Manna, Jarnail Singh, Yusuf Khan, Tulsidas Balaram, P. K.Banerjee, Subimal (Chuni) Goswami are the names which off-hand come to mind. Of them perhaps the last named Chuni Goswami ranks slightly ahead because of his all-round skills and ability to score goals from impossible angles and situations. Under his captaincy India won the 1962 Asian Games in Djakarta.     

Chuni Goswani India's greatest footballer in action

Q.  Which foreign player would you say has had the biggest influence on Indian domestic football?      
A.  Undoubtedly it has been Odafa Onieyeka Okolie, the Nigerian. This man has been the highest goal-scorer in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10. This is no mean achievement and he is still a major influence and could also end up with the laurel in this year’s competition as well. In this year's edition of the I-League Churchill Brothers have thus far scored 10 goals in 5 matches. Out of which Odafa alone has pumped in 9 goals.

Odafa Onieyeka celebrates after scoring for his club Churchill Brothers

Q.Which foreign coach has had the biggest impact on domestic football in India?

A.Quite a few foreign coaches have tried their luck in this country’s football in various clubs and also for the national team. Ciric Milovan, Bob Houghton, Clifford Chukuwama, Karim Bencherifa,Trevor Morgan have all contributed to the development of football in this country at various stages. Because of their short tenure it is extremely difficult to pin-point any one individual as the best. 
 Q. Which foreign team has had the biggest impact on domestic football in India?

A.In 1977, Kolkata football fans were honoured to see the all-time best footballer, Pele play for Cosmos Football Club against local giants Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. The packed Eden Gardens stadium with 100,000 spectators was witness to this rare spectacle in this part of the continent. The match ended inconclusively 2-2.

Pele the greatest player ever played in India, don't tell me you knew that

Thereafter, a few top class club sides did turn up to play in Kolkata, the Mecca of Indian football, namely, Bochum FC and FC Bayern from Germany, but Pele’s Cosmos impacted the most. 

Q. Will we be seeing India playing at a World Cup soon and how good is the Indian National Team in comparison to the other footballing nations?

A. Answering the second question first, the standard of Indian football is at Tier 3 level clubbed together with countries such as Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Understandably, it is far below the Tier 1 and Tier 2 level countries of Asia such as Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, the Middle East countries.

India's national team celebrate winning the Nehru Cup an International tournament organised by the Indian Football Federation

As far as India’s chances of playing the World Cup in the near future, the National Football Association, AIFF has drawn up an ambitious project of seeing India give it a try either in the 2018 or 2022 edition. A bunch of footballers in the 18-19 years age bracket are currently undergoing training and match practice. At least the effort is there but what needs to be done is regular match play to hone up their skills. 

Q.Has the AIFF considered scouting for British born Indians in the UK to call up for the national team?

A.Unfortunately no. The response from UK based boys of Indian parentage can best be termed as poor because of the comparatively poor opportunities to earn money playing the game here. Assuming a British born Indian does play in UK’s third level league, i.e. the 2nd division, he stands to earn much more than what he would have earned playing in a premier club in India.

Michael Chopra a British footballer of Indian descent

Q. Has the popularity of football increased in recent years in India or do you still see cricket being the more dominant sport in the foreseeable future?

A. Football is an extremely popular sport in India and can match the popularity of cricket. Unfortunately, the present generation can rattle off the achievements of Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan but may falter if asked anything about clubs such as Churchill Brothers, Dempo, East Bengal or Mohun Bagan. Interest in football was mostly confined to Bengal, Goa, Mumbai and Kerala. But now parents are increasingly coaxing their wards to attend cricket camps in the hope that one day their sons could become another cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly.But it is simply impossible.

Q. Who is your favourite European team and why?

A. FC Barcelona of Spain. Once there player were Cruyff,Deco, Figo,Guardiola,Kluivert,Koeman, Laudrup,Gary Lineker, Maradona,Neeskens, Rivaldo,Romario,Ronaldinho,Ronaldo, Stoitchkov,

Zubizarreta and now Messi. Their track record and huge fans world wide is another cause of my love. 

Q. Which European player is the most popular in India?

A. In India, Ten Sports, ESPN etc., do telecast the matches live for the benefit of Indian viewers. Accordingly football enthusiasts keenly watch EPL, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A, Bundesliga along with the Champions league etc. Different fans have different favourite players. For MU it is perhaps Wayne Rooney, for the Chelsea followers it could be Drogba, for the Barcelona fans it is Messi, Xavi or Iniesta, for Real fans it could be Ronaldo. My favourite is Xavi Hernandez, the super midfielder of FC Barcelona.  

Q. What do you think of the decision to allow Russia to host World Cup 2018 instead of England?

A. FIFA’s intention has always been to expand the spread of the game as far as possible. Their effort in allotting the 2010 FIFA World Cup to South Africa was commended by all. The erstwhile communist countries never had the honour of hosting the tournament and now Russia has been allotted the 2018 competition. FIFA’s Sepp Blatter has expressed his desire to see the competition being hosted in China and India in the foreseeable future.

(END)

If I'm honest with you I pretty much knew nothing about Indian football before that chat. I didn't know it had such a rich history with greats like Pele even playing a part in it. Maybe we might see India in a World Cup in the future, who knows? Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading...