Down and to the Left

The big news of the day is the US NATIONAL TEAM. Steve Goff gives you a quick rundown of the US National Team depth at the Post, and Ives Galarcep at the North Jersey Herald looks at the last four to make the flight, and the last four bumped off.

Now, for my take on this, I think that everyone who noted Olsen's surge in play is correct, but the locker room presence issue can not be underestimated. Olsen is that rare kind of leader who can inspire without always having to be a task master. Read this article at MLSNet by Chris Boehm. Specifically, note the linguistic difficulty of the following quote: "'Yeah, you know, he was busting my (chops),' he said of Arena." Now go listen to the Screaming Eagles Podcast Episode 9, where you can hear the quote in full. Chops ain't even in the right anatomical area for what Olsen said (I've bought "I'm Just Here for the Food...") But it's that kinda honest, down-to-earth, friendly leadership that will help the US lockerroom. And that matters.