|
EVENTS
Sportsman of the Year
Heisman Trophy
Swimsuit 2001
CENTERS
Fantasy Central
Inside Game
Video Plus
Statitudes
Your Turn
Message Boards
Email Newsletters
Golf Guide
Cities
CNNSI.com GROUP
Sports Illustrated
Life of Reilly
SI Women
SI for Kids
Press Room
TBS/TNT Sports
CNN Languages
COMMERCE
SI Customer Service
SI Media Kits
Get into College
Sports Memorabilia
TeamStore
|  |
Is 'Big Mama' a big baby?
Posted: Thursday March 22, 2001 1:49 PM
Updated: Thursday March 22, 2001 2:14 PM
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Listen, I'm not even supposed to be writing a column
this week in favor of pulling together Major League Soccer previews (so
please don't tell CNNSI.com).
But there were enough news items, events and rumors going around that I didn't want
anyone to miss out on any of them.
The biggest question I have: Is "Big Mama" is a big baby?
After he was replaced late in the Tampa Bay Mutiny's 2-2 tie with the Los
Angeles Galaxy on Tuesday night, an angered Mamadou Diallo gave
coach Alfonso Mondelo a piece of his mind. When Mondelo called over the team
on the field to talk about strategy for extra time, Diallo sat alone on the
bench pouting.
I can't blame a player being mad when he is replaced, but this was an
exhibition game. There is no reasonable explanation for his outburst.
Big Mamadou hasn't scored during spring training and is in the midst of a
slump. Perhaps he was taking it out on the coaching staff, or maybe he
was seeing how far he can go.
| Mailbag |
| Michael Lewis
will periodically answer questions from CNNSI.com users in his mailbag. If you'd like to submit a question, please enter it below. |
|
|
You can get away with an attitude if you produce. If you don't, you just go
away.
Mondelo downplayed the incident.
"It was frustrating for him," he said. "He's not scoring goals. He's putting pressure on himself. He apologized to me. I don't want to make it an issue."
Heard and seen around MLS Spring Training
Save it for the season. Some nice performances at camp. Colombian Pedro Alvarez, the MetroStars' newly acquired defensive midfielder, impressed many
coaches and observers with his play, particular his vision and the timing of his
passes. I didn't even ask for an assessment. They were telling me. If Alvarez
pans out, he will become the first natural midfield organizer the team has
had in its five-year history. The MetroStars looked awful good in their
demolition of the Dallas Burn. It was only an exhibition game, but Petter
Villegas probably had his finest game of his career with a pair of goals and
one assist. Moreover, his passing, which has been a problem in the past, was
outstanding. If his progress continues into the regular season, the
MetroStars will have another weapon in their already burgeoning arsenal.
San
Jose Earthquakes forward Ronald Cerritos connected on a stunning header
during a 2-1 loss to the Miami Fusion on Tuesday. And Minnesota Thunder
forward Paul Schneider, on a tryout with the Mutiny, connected on a bullet of
a goal vs. L.A. He almost put away a close-range shot in overtime, which
could very well have clinched a spot for him as backup.
Five players and the ball. After the Miami Fusion was awarded a free kick
against the San Jose Earthquakes, five players hovered over or around the
ball, seemingly wanting to take the kick. The quintet included Ivan McKinley,
Alex Chacon, Jim Rooney, Ian Bishop and Preki. McKinley, probably the least
likely of the bunch, eventually took the kick. Five into one certainly
doesn't go. The Fusion should sort this out. My gut feeling is that Preki
will
be taking the important free kicks.
Guess who's in camp. Veteran English striker Tony Cottee was in the New
England Revolution camp earlier this week before returning home. Cottee, who
played for Everton and Leicester City during his long career, is supposed to
have a free transfer. A number of MLS
teams are interested, including the Mutiny, but he was reported to have agreed to terms with Millwall at the close of England's transfer period on Thursday.
Tony's peeved. According to my moles, Kansas City Wizards goalkeeper Tony
Meola, MLS MVP and backup U.S. goalkeeper for the World Cup victory
over Mexico, was none too happy when he learned he wasn't one of the two
keepers for Honduras next week. Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller were tapped... Landon Donovan, whose goals and assists helped the U.S. under-20 national
team to qualify for the world championship, left that
team in Trinidad and joined the senior side here... Everton forward Joe-Max
Moore is in Florida with the national team rehabilitating his calf injury.
United's new look. You had to do a double take at the lineup that D.C.
United used in its exhibition match vs. Columbus on Monday. Only three
players were on last year's roster -- goalkeeper Mark Simpson and midfielders
Eric Denton and Chris Albright. United unloaded several veteran players
during the offseason, mostly around SuperDraft day.
Rabid fans
Like it or not, Honduran soccer fans -- home and abroad -- have a reputation
to live down as the U.S. prepares for its World Cup qualifying match in San
Pedro Sula on Wednesday. Researching Honduran soccer, I found three major fan
incidents, including two in World Cup qualifiers.
Of course, the most notorious situation occurred during qualifying for the
1970 World Cup -- the soccer war between Honduras and El Salvador. The
groundwork for the violence started in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, as the hosts
recorded a 1-0 victory on June 7, 1969. Amelia Bolanios, 18, shot herself to
death after watching the game on TV.
Before the June 15 return leg in San Salvador, several home fans burned the
Honduran flag. A soiled rag was hoisted on the flagpole instead. El Salvador
prevailed in the match 3-0. Two people were killed and countless others
injured while Honduran fans left the country. Honduras, meanwhile, expelled
all Salvadorans.
A tiebreaker was played in Mexico City on July 27 with El Salvador recording
a 3-2 win and eventually returning to Mexico for the World Cup a year later.
War eventually broke out between the two countries as more than 3,000 people
died. Another 12,000 were wounded or injured and yet another 150,000 lost
their homes during four days of fighting.
After Mexico defeated Honduras 4-1 in a qualifier in Tegucigalpa in May 1993, several thousand angry fans rioted, destroying vehicles, including two
broadcast vans used by Honduran radio stations to transmit the match. They
also set fire to banners, threw stones at the players as they left the field
and refused to allow either team to leave the stadium until riot police
intervened.
And then there was the near-riot in Peru's 5-3 victory over Honduras in the
quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the Orange Bowl last year. That's
when Honduran fans turned an entertaining 5-3 win by Peru in the
quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup into a major fan disturbance in the
waning minutes.
By the time referee Mario Sanchez had called the quarterfinal match with 37
seconds remaining, hundreds of Honduran fans raced onto the field in protest.
Some fought with police, while many who remained in the stands threw anything
they could get their hands on -- rocks and stones, liquor bottles, water
bottles, water balloons and even seats they had ripped out from the stadium.
Fortunately, there were no deaths or serious injuries, although 34 fans were
arrested.
Some more Ray(s) of sunshine
I have to admit, I am quite envious of South Florida soccer writers these
days, not necessarily because of being able to watch the Fusion, but
listening to coach Ray Hudson.
On forward Diego Serna not scoring: "He's driving me up the wall. He's got
to finish his chances, pure and simple. He's got to be ruthless. The more
time Diego Serna has, the less effective he is. He probably is as good by
himself as he is with anybody because nobody can read him. Nobody can
understand what he's going to do. His teammates can't, so I know the
defenders can't. He's wonderful. He drives you do derision sometimes. He has
to come back to the flock a little bit. If he can finish his chances, I'll
kiss his backside all day."
On the fine play of newcomer and forward Greg Simmonds: "I want to keep
Greg Simmonds here. He's a good player who is learning all the time. It will
be a real crime if that kid gets forced out because of roster numbers.
Somebody is not going to be happy. It's the law of the jungle."
On the talent on his roster: "I think there are going to be at least three players
sitting on the bench who will he highly pissed off because they think they
should be in the starting lineup, as I would be. That's the competition.
That's the peak that we have to keep these players at."
Sack of the week
My oh my. This was one busy week. This week's firings come from three of the
largest leagues in the world -- England, Italy and Spain. In chronological
order:
Tottenham Hotspur coach George Graham was given his walking
papers after an argument with the English Premiership club's new owners about
how much cash would be available to buy players. David Buchler, the club's
executive vice chairman, accused Graham of breaching his contract after he
spoke to the media about available funds. Graham said the decision was
"bizarre and inexplicable" and threatened legal action. David Pleat, the
team's director of football, was named interim coach of Tottenham, which
reached the FA Cup semifinals.
On Monday, Luigi De Canio was bounced by Udinese after a 3-1 loss to Parma
that left the team 12 out of 18 teams in Italy's Serie A. After a solid start
to the season, Udinese has slipped in the standings, losing four consecutive
matches. Udinese, which is six points above the relegation zone, named
assistant coach Alessandro Zampa as caretaker coach.
On Tuesday, Gregorio Manzano became former coach of Racing Santander in the
Spanish first division. Racing, which dropped a 4-2 decision at Villarreal,
is in last place. Manzano became the second Racing coach to face the axe as
Andoni Goikoetxea was fired in December.
Wait, there's more from other leagues in the world. Also on Tuesday, Leon,
which is struggling to avoid relegation from the Mexican first division, gave
Argentine coach Pablo Centrone the heave-ho by the club. Leon was 3-4-5 under
Centrone. Assistant coach Enrique Lopez Zarza was named his successor.
Oh yeah, I covered Centrone during his very brief tenure with the
Rochester Lancers in the North American Soccer League 21 years ago. Small
world.
And in the resignation category, former Ireland striker John Aldridge quit
as manager of Tranmere Rovers in the English First Division on St. Patrick's
Day, of all days. His decision came after the last-place team lost to
Barnsley at home 3-2 last Saturday.
Lothar's corner
Hey, I thought I had retired this item. But Mr. Matthäus was back in the news
once again as he criticized the quality of the German national team only days
before a World Cup qualifier with Albania. "We lack real leaders. With the
exception of Stefan Effenberg, there are no real stars in the Bundesliga," he
told Sport Bild. "Perhaps maybe also Mehmet Scholl, who has become more
mature. Only Oliver Kahn is also a star." Hey, get this guy a coaching job,
so he can wind up on the other side of criticism.
Chip shots
Valencia's deal. Did you know that Adolfo Valencia played on loan last year
and that MLS finally purchased his contract from Sante Fe of Colombia? That's
what he said the other day. "It's all my hard work and confidence I have in
myself," he said of his fine 2000 season. "This is really good for me. That's
why the league bought my contract this season. That brought me happiness
because I know the league took me seriously."
"I'm going to follow
in the steps of Carlos Valderrama [his countryman and Tampa Bay midfielder].
I want to finish my career here."
Unfortunately, no one from the league
returned phone calls to confirm this.
The lawsuit continues. Even though the federal court in Boston ruled in the
favor of MLS, the lawsuit by the MLS Players Association continues with an
arbitration meeting in Boston on May 9.
"A mediator will listen to arguments
for both sides," said MLSPA head John Kerr. "It's done by the First Circuit
[Court] to not waste both sides' time and money on issues that can be
resolved. So they force the parties into a mediation situation...
Obviously, the court wants to know if these issues can be settled without
going to court. We are pushing to settle. We would like to see this resolved."
Sign of the times. The talk isn't always about soccer in training camp.
Sometimes the subject is business, the economy and the stock market. Before I
interviewed MetroStars coach Octavio Zambrano in the lobby of the team hotel
on Monday, he wanted to switch the lobby television to a business channel
to see how his stocks were doing. A day later, backup goalkeeper Paul Grafer
was seen reading The Wall Street Journal in the lobby. The talk in the
Lockhart Stadium pressbox also sometimes meandered to stocks and the economy.
An F for Serie A. How many times has this happened? There is no Italian
team in the quarterfinals of the European Champions League as the prestige of
Serie A takes a hit. Spain now is considered the best league in the world,
followed by the English Premiership. Perhaps we should call the Italian
League Serie A minus or Serie B plus.
Gut feeling. The U.S. will pull off a 1-0 qualifying victory and walk away
with three points against Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Wednesday, thanks to
a goal by Chris Armas during a scramble in the penalty area.
The last word. If you're a big soccer fan in south Florida and you haven't
visited Lockhart Stadium during spring training, then shame on you. You don't
know what you're missing, seeing stars of today or of the future, or who will
be milling around on the locker-room side of the stadium. That
included Alexi Lalas, Cobi Jones, Mathis and Diallo, among others. Without
trying to be an advertisement, there are doubleheaders scheduled for
Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And yes, all games are free.
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News. He also has written
three books about soccer.
|
Copyright © 2001
CNN/Sports Illustrated
An AOL Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.
|
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.
|
|
