Moyes Gets the Axe. What's Next For Him and United?

Presented without comment, Lord David Moyes

 

The long nightmare for the Red half of Manchester is over.  One year to the day after United won their last title, David Moyes, the former "chosen one" has been sacked by Manchester United.  The last straw for Sir Alex's hand-picked successor was a disappointing 2-0 loss to his former club Everton on Easter Weekend.  This morning United released a very short statement on their website that simply read: "Manchester United has announced that David Moyes has left the club.  The club would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role.”

 

In the space of a year, United has gone from Premier League champions under Sir Alex to 7th place in the league, and eliminated from Champions League Qualification  for next season.  This in itself is going to cost the club big time for it's war chest.  With Moyes' transfer policy showing itself as an abject failure, United will be happy to place it's cash in someone else's perhaps more capable hands over the summer.  As far as Moyes' mark on the club, Fellaini has been a huge bust, and Juan Mata, who couldn't even play for United in the Champions League due to being cup tied to Chelsea, faliled to really lift the team.   To be fair to Moyes, many of United's vets are long past their prime, think Rio and Giggs, and both Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie have missed significant time with injuries.  However, in the end, Moyes was never able to really push United into great form no matter who was on the pitch.

According to the club Ryan Giggs, who had been occupying a player/coach role, will take over as manager for the remainder of the season.  I actually like this move for United.  Giggs has perhaps the deepest ties of anyone to the club and can probably connect to the fans more than Moyes ever could.  He should also benefit from the pressure being totally off, as it appears that United aren't at all interested in giving him the role permanently.

Most of the early speculation is focusing on managers who have experience in big matches, which Moyes certainly lacked.  A lot of the current talk centers on Dutch national team manager Louis van Gaal, who is leaving the Netherlands after the World Cup this summer.  Van Gaal had been previously tapped to join Spurs , but ESPNFC is reporting the his talks with United are pretty serious in nature.  Another name that seems to be popping up is Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp, but the German side have said that he will not be leaving.  Whichever way they go, it has to get better than it was Moyes, especially in the transfer market.

It will be interesting to see where Moyes himself ends up.  He has proven that he can be a successful manager, but perhaps the big club, pressure-packed role was too much for him.  It's more than likely that Spurs will be in for a new boss, but I can't imagine any of my Spurs friends being really excited if that move were to happen.  Norwich could be an interesting situation for him, whether or not they manage to stay in the Premier League.  Aston Villa might undergo a change in ownership, which could spell the end of Paul Lambert there.  A manager who has proven himself at a medium sized club in the Premier League might be right up their alley.

At any rate, most United fans that I've heard from are more than happy to see Moyes go on his way.  It'll be interesting to see what changes await the club in the offseason.  It should be one of the story lines of the summer.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Obafemi Martins Chips Chivas USA

Obafemi Martins chipped in the winner against Chivas USA on Saturday (MLS)

Much to the dismay of Portland Timbers fans, and some others in the Western Conference, Seattle Sounders are off to a good start in this young season, sailing into 2nd place in the division after 7 matches.  Saturday night they took on Chivas USA at the Stub Hub Center and looked to possible be heading for a draw.  However. Chivas USA took a red card late in the match and the Sounders pounced with this great build up that finished by this gorgeous chip from Obafemi Martins.  It proved to be the match winner as Seattle took all three points from the Goats.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Dempsey Freezes FC Dallas

Clint Dempsey scored twice to help send Dallas to their first defeat.

After the US friendly vs Mexico a couple of weeks back I commented to one of my Seattle friends that Clint Dempsey seems to have become the new whipping boy for US Soccer fans.  Fortunately for the USMNT and Sounders fans, since that match Deuce has been absolutely on fire, scoring 5 goals in two ROAD matches at Portland and Dallas.  Particularly in the Portland match, Dempsey took the Sounders on his back and punched in two goals in the last few minutes to earn Seattle a vital road point against their rivals.  Last Saturday he sparked the Sounders to a win over Dallas with this spectacular free kick goal in the first half.

RSL Avoids the Sword, Escapes Sporting KC With a Point.

Rich Balchan helped RSL to a scoreless draw against Sporting KC. (KSL.com)

So I was sitting in a restaurant after work last Saturday night when I saw the RSL lineup hit my notifications bar.  I knew Wingert would be out, but I saw that Nick Rimando and and Tony Beltran would be out as well.  In stepped Jeff Attinella, Rich Balchan, and Abdoulie Mansally to try to hold down the fort.  Now I'm pretty comfortable with Attinella in goal, as he filled in well for Rimando last year after Josh Saunders went down during the Gold Cup run.  However, forgive me, but at that moment I thought that RSL was going to end up like the Starks at the Red Wedding in this MLS Cup remtach.

Luckily I was wrong. Attinella had a beast of a match in goal, and Balchan and Mansally more than held their own as RSL rode out the storm to claim a point in a nil-nil draw.  Sporting got their chances though, and the first of which fell to Dom Dwyer, who made headlines before the match with his "we hate RSL very much" talk.  In the 11th minute he got through the RSL defense and had a chance to put his money where his mouth is in a 1v1 with Attinella.  However the RSL backup man was more than a match for Dwyer, stopping him cold to end the danger and leaving the Englishman like Joffrey after getting slapped by his uncle Tyrion.

Dwyer would get a chance to redeem himself in the second half though.  In the 63rd minute he managed to evade Attinella and sent a shot in on the open net.  Unfortunately for him, the shot hit the post and bounced away.  Sal Zizzo recovered the rebound and seemed to have the match's opening goal in the bag, but his shot was desperately cleared by the bearded Nat Borchers, looking like a member of the Night's Watch fresh off the Wall.

Can you tell what show I watched this weekend?  I apologize.

RSL seemed to be holding on for dear life when they caught a break in the 83rd minute.  KC midfielder Oriol Rosell went in hard on Devon Sandoval and received a straight red for his trouble.  However, RSL couldn't really mount much of an attack from their defensive posture, though Chris Schuler did manage to send a header just past the post from a Morales cross late in stoppage time.  Attinella was called on more time though, as he stopped a goal bound effort from Graham Zusi in stoppage time as well.  In the end, neither team could manage as many goals as Jon Snow has had girls....Sorry.

All in all it as a great defensive performance by RSL and a masterpiece by Attinella in goal.  In my mind, it was always going to be an uphill battle to win in KC, even if we would have had all of our first choice guys available.  I didn't really buy in to the "revenge" talk, as even a win wouldn't have brought the MLS Cup back our way.  Thankfully it looks like Jeff Cassar and the team didn't buy into it either, and I'm really impressed with the way he set up the team, especially given the injury situation.  

As I said earlier, I'm more than comfortable with Jeff Attinella in goal, but he was really standing on his head Saturday night.  Thankfully his one error didn't cost us, but even Rimando has his moments.  Balchan and Mansally both proved their worth as well, especially Balchan, who largely contained Zusi.  RSL didn't have many chances, and with only having a paltry 43% of the possession their defense was pushed to the max.  I think all of them passed with flying colors and helped the team pick up what could be a crucial road point.  For Sporting Kansas City, they have to look at this match as an opportunity missed, and despite their large possession stat, I wasn't all that impressed outside of a couple of moments of good buildup.

Here are my three stars from the match:

FIRST STAR--Jeff Attinella, RSL.

I can't really say it better than the official MLS recap says it: "No Rimando? No problem."  Jeff continues to impress me every time he gets in goal for us, and the more experience he gains, the less scary the inevitable future departure of Nick Rimando becomes.

SECOND STAR--Rich Balchan, RSL.

This guy has waited so long for his crack at the RSL first team, and so far he's really showing me why the club stuck by him during his last big injury.  He strikes me as a better than average 1v1 defender and looks really comfortable in the system on the offensive or playing defense.  He didn't have a perfect night against Zusi, but he certainly limited the danger posed by the US international.

THIRD STAR--Nat Borchers, RSL.

Chris Schuler has deservedly gotten a lot of the ink this season, even from me, but Nat really showed what he brings to the table in this match.  He was a steady veteran presence that helped lead the depleted defense all night and his clearance of Zizzo's shot truly preserved the point for RSL.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Jose Mari Sinks Vancouver

Colorado's Jose Mari scored two goals late on to give the Rapids 3 points.

It was another eventful weekend in Major League Soccer, with goals raining down everywhere, except at Sporting Park.  The league gave us many great goals to spotlight this week, including EIGHT between Portland and Seattle, but I'm going to head north of the border for this week's best.

The Vancouver Whitecaps seemed to have things well in hand heading into the late stages of their match with the Colorado Rapids.  They were leading 1-0 in the 77th minute when Matias Laba was handed a second yellow card for a rather silly handball offense.  The Rapids jumped at the chance, and their defensive midfielder, Jose Mari, scored this beauty just two minutes later.  Of course, then just two minutes after the goal in the video, Mari scored another to secure the 1-2 win for the visiting side.

RSL Punishes TFC For First Home Win

Luis Gil added a goal as RSL beat TFC 3-0 Saturday night at the RioT. (Yahoo Sports).

There has quite understandably been a lot of excitement around Toronto FC so far this season.  The club, which up until now has been a doormat in the Eastern Conference, made vast improvements to their side during the offseason with the additions of USMNT midfielder Micheal Bradley, former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe, and Brazilian National team keeper Julio Cesar.  All three of these guys took to the pitch at Rio Tinto Stadium Saturday night, but in the end, it was a different look, but the same old TFC  for Real Salt Lake as they took apart the visitors in a masterful performance.

The crap hit the fan early on for TFC as Doneil Henry threw Alvaro Saborio to the ground in the box with the a wrestling move in the 10th minute.  Referee Baldomero Toledo immediately pointed to the spot and Sabo stepped up to take the penalty kick.  With the extra motivation of TFC coach Ryan Nelsen calling for his suspension earlier in the week, Sabo iced the PK to give RSL the 1-0 lead after 11 minutes.

It didn't get any easier for TFC after that as they looked semi helpless against an organized RSL squad that was hell bent on keeping the ball, and defended very stoutly when they lost it.  TFC tried to find some joy over the top a few times as Micheal Bradley attempted to connect with Jermaine Defoe, but for the most part, RSL dealt with both of these guys confidently.

RSL was nowhere near done after the Sabo PK either, and the next goal came in the 28th minute after some classic RSL build up.  Javier Morales, who was SPECTACULAR all night, fired a ball along the ground that looked to find Sabo at the top of the area, but at the last minute, the big Costa Rican dummied it, and let it through to an onrushing Chris Wingert, who smashed a shot on target.  Cesar made the save, but the rebound fell to a perfectly placed Luis Gil, who calmly slotted past the befuddled 'keeper to make it 2-0.

TFC came out of the halftime break in an attacking mood though, and nearly got one back.  Early on in the second stanza Michael Bradley launched a shot at the RSL goal that from the other end, I was sure was going in.  He had Nick Rimando absolutely frozen.  Fortunately for RSL, the ball slammed off the post and out of danger, and the lead was intact.

Then in the 55th minute, the Claret and Cobalt put the points in the bucket for good.  Kyle Beckerman connected with Morales, who flicked the ball over the defense to Sabo, who put a tidy chip inside Cesar's left post to make the score 3-0, and cap the night off right for RSL.

It really was just clinical from RSL on the night, and you have to wonder if Ryan Nelsen took notes.  RSL came out and played like a team with great chemistry and TFC came out and played like a team with three high priced players and some other guys.  Think about it folks.  Outside of Keane and Beckham, none of these big dollar DPs have won the Cup yet, and those two guys had a much better supporting cast than TFC has.  They also have that guy named Landon Donovan, and Bruce Arena is a much better coach than Nelsen will ever be.  Henry and Cahill have yet to sniff MLS Cup, and their cast is better too. It remains to be seen how well TFC will gel for the rest of the season, and it is quite possible that the drubbing handed to them by RSL might facilitate that process.

However both sides came away from the match with injury concerns.  For RSL, Chris Wingert left the match in the 58th minute with a tweak to his groin.  Rich Balchan came on filled in very well, however.  Cassar has now commented that it looks like Wingert might not be able to go when RSL faces Sporting Kansas City this weekend at Sporting Park.

The news is arguably worse for TFC.  In the 62nd minute Jermain Defoe came off and headed straight to the locker room for what TFC have confirmed is a hamstring injury.  He is currently listed as questionable for this weekend's match at undefeated Columbus.   Julio Cesar took a knock in a collision with Olmes Garcia, but stayed in the match and should be ok to go for TFC.

So now here are my three stars for the match:

FIRST STAR--Alvaro Saborio, RSL.
It would be easy to give Sabo the first star just for the goals, and the fact that he earned the PK that resulted in his first.  However, there was much more to his performance than that.  He was all over the place for RSL, both on offense and defense.  Some RSL fans like to knock Sabo for a percieved lack of work ethic, but he was definitely above reproach on Saturday night.

SECOND STAR--Javier Morales, RSL.
RSL's midfield maestro was on fire against TFC, with pinpoint passes, flicks, creativity...he had it all and TFC had no way to deal with him.  He showed why he is still one of the best play makers in MLS.

THIRD STAR--Chris Schuler, RSL.
It wasn't a flashy night from the RSL defender, but he was very solid.   If he was at all intimidated by the flashy big names of Defoe and Gilberto, he didn't show it.  He was equally good passing at the back even when the TFC forwards were closing in on him trying to make something happen and force an error.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Saborio Punishes TFC

Sabo scored a brace to help lift RSL over TFC on the weekend (SL Tribune)

Saturday night was so much fun, I just have to put on my homer hat for this weekend's featured goal.  Of course, there is some background tho this too.  Early last week Toronto FC coach Ryan Nelsen called on MLS to suspend RSL's Alavaro Saborio after a tackle that was correctly given a yellow card in the previous match against the Galaxy.  Well, apparently MLS hasn't learned that you don't want to give RSL's main man extra motivation.  Sabo scored two goals, one of them a PK, to help bury TFC on a cool, windy night in Sandy, Utah.

I've chosen to highlight the second goal.  Check it out as Sabo takes a flick from Javier Morales in the 55th minute and chips it past Brazilian national team GK Julio Cesar for the final goal of the night.