Compelling Soccer

Because you just might get it.

So yesterday rumors circulated that Hull City manager Phil Brown had been sacked. It turned out not to be the case, though Hull chairman Paul Duffen did resign. In the interim when it seemed like Brown was gone, there were a lot of US fans who were jumping for joy. Their rationale; Jozy Altidore was relegated to the bench by Brown. Therefore if Brown has been canned, Altidore would get a chance to play. It makes some degree of sense. When a new coach comes in, roles can change. So yeah, if Brown did lose his job, there's a chance Altidore would see more PT.

However, sobering reality is that the person who brought in Altidore on loan. If anyone is in his corner, it's Brown. So if he was canned, not only would fans be deprived of a coach that looks like he's talking to air traffic control, but Altidore might lose his biggest backer. A new coach will have little loyalty to Brown's acquisitions, especially a player whose time may not extend beyond this season. (Or perhaps the January transfer window?) Altidore has been on the bench for most of the campaign but getting PT. A new coach might send Jozy to the reserves. Just ask Freddy Adu what it's like to be on a squad that is changing coaches like one changes shirts.

Look, we all know Altidore is talented. But what we don't know is how they are interacting with their teammates, how they are performing in practice, how well they are getting along with the coaching staff; etc. We see the end result, but little to none of the process. It's fine when you are looking at a player you know isn't up to par on a team not going anywhere. But I'm not sure where on Hull City I see that. The assumption that Altidore deserves to start, let alone play, is one based on red, white and blue tinted glasses. Let's face it; if his name was John Anderson and he was a 19 year old Englishman, nobody would care. Or if Anderson were competing with an American, we'd see the same people questioning why an untested teenager was being inserted into the lineup during a relegation battle.

I like Jozy alot. He has the potential to be the most talented and successful American player, maybe ever. But to this point he hasn't shown enough to deserve star treatment. He just hasn't. It's like making excuses for Landon Donovan's failures in Germany. You can question the environment, the playing style and the coaching staff giving him a fair shake. But the bottom line is that Donovan could not make the adjustments to succeed at that level. Right now, Altidore's needs to make the adjustments. Last week he was late for a game and sat down, then stupidly tweeted about it. Mistake by a teenager? Sure. But one who is getting paid big bucks and has to grow up.

I do think that will happen. And I do think we've seen an improvement in his game. But is it enough yet? Phil Brown doesn't seem to think so. And just because he has that opinion doesn't mean he's a bad manager. (There are other reasons to think that, but I digress) He's in a better position to judge than you or me are.

Bottom line; Phil Brown represents Jozy Altidore's best chance for playing time. It's up to Jozy to make sure that he performs so well in practice that he leaves his manager with no choice but to put him in the starting XI.


Brief Red Thoughts:

Rafa pretty much told everyone what he thought of this game when Fernando Torres wasn't even on the bench for this one. The reserves gave it a good effort but came up short. No surprise there. There was an extremely questionable call at the end of it where a handball should absolutely have been called in the box for a penalty. But in the end, it's hard to get upset when the Reds didn't go all out for it.

With that in the past, it's time to back to league play.