The Life of a Man Changed By a Game

My earliest memories are not of my first bicycle ride or of my family opening presents on Christmas Eve. I don’t remember my first day of school, and I do not remember the first time I lost a tooth. I do not remember which Saturday morning cartoons. Instead, I remember watching College Gameday and SportsCenter on Saturdays. When I find myself reflecting on my childhood, I realize that most of my memories are of one thing… Florida Football. 

My dad is an alumnus of the University of Florida and first bought his own set of season tickets in 1990. I hadn’t even turned two yet but that moment would shape my entire life from that point forward. From that point on my weekends for every fall were set in stone. I was either going to make the trek down to Gainesville, Florida or I would be watching the game on TV. In the still blistering hot September days of northern Florida, I would be there in row 73 of section 19. I would get there about an hour before the game and watch the Pride of the Sunshine take the field at The Swamp. I know that for the rest of my life I will hear the jaws theme come over the crowd and turn my head towards the South End zone, bracing myself for the roar of one of the loudest crowds in all of sports. 

My biggest heroes as a child were not the red power ranger or Leonardo the ninja turtle (although they certainly would be honorable mentions). Instead they were guys like Danny Wuerffel, Ike Hilliard, Jaquez Green, and Rex Grossman. I remember as a five year old watching from my grandmother’s living room in Jacksonville when #1 Florida lost to Auburn in 1994. I remember sitting in my grandparents’ house in Virginia just a little over a month later and watching the “Choke at Doak”. I remember going to Athens, Ga in 1995 to watch the Gators play the Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium; the only time those two teams have done so in my father’s lifetime. I remember my dad telling me that one of the last things his father said to him before passing away from Cancer the summer before the 1995 football season were, “I will see you in Athens.” That day in Athens was a beautiful day, and I remember understanding as I gazed up into the clouds that there was no doubt my Grandfather was up there somewhere, watching his Gators play. Those moments are much more a part of me than my first spelling bee, my first bus ride, or the first time I scored a goal. 

Florida Football was simply a major part of my life. However, once my older brother Jonathan started high school and had marching band competitions pretty much every weekend in October, it began to consume my life. Since that year, the 1999 football season, I have missed only two Florida-Georgia games. That same brother would be accepted to attend the University of Florida. I will never forget the smile on my dad’s face that day. And then the look of disgruntled frustration on my brother’s face when he realized that he could not turn the down the scholarship he had received from the University of South Carolina. It simply made too much sense for him to become a Gamecock instead… the thought of becoming a Bulldog was never truly entertained.  

I remember Jonathan’s freshman year when the Gators went to Columbia, South Carolina and not understanding how he so easily could cheer against the Gators. He experienced the same childhood I had, so how could he just abandon that so easily? I asked that question frequently and said I would never cheer against the Gators even if I did attend another school. He told me I just didn’t understand, and the truth is I didn’t…

And frankly even after I enrolled at Georgia State University I still didn’t understand. Georgia State didn’t have a football team and I was a commuter student. My time was filled with being a full time college student and being a high school drum instructor… and of course, going to Florida football games. My first two years at Georgia State I attended 20 out of Florida’s 27 football games, including road trips to Tennessee, Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and both Florida-Georgia games. During that same time period I attended just one Georgia State sporting event: a 15 point loss to VCU in basketball. 

I believe that what I had told my brother had been exactly right. I did not care about Georgia State nearly as much as I did about Florida. I owned maybe one or two Georgia State t-shirts and hoodies while I could have gone two weeks without wearing the same Florida shirt every day. Even when Georgia State announced they would be starting a football program during the Spring of my Freshman year, little had changed. Certainly I was excited about my school starting a football program, but they were going to be FCS, and while I would support them, they would never threaten my allegiance to Florida, even if they did one day ascend to the FBS level. 

I could not have prepared myself for what was going to happen to me. I simply could not have thought it possible. My perception of college football was about to drastically change, and I have already talked about how much college football impacted my life. However, like most people who refuse to accept change, I fought it until the very end...

I first started getting excited about Georgia State football when I began reading Ben Moore’s blog, Covering Panther Sports From Every Angle. He was the only one that I had seen thus far that wrote so frequently on Georgia State athletics. So I became a regular reader, but as anticipation grew for September 2, 2010 I still refused to accept what was about to happen to me. 

We had already announced at that point that we would be travelling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to play the Crimson Tide. Alabama was the defending National Champions, a title which came after they embarrassed my own Florida Gators in the SEC Championship game. They were the odds on favorite to run the table once again and become the first team to repeat as unanimous national title winners since Nebraska in the mid-nineties, who also accomplished such a feat by defeating the Gators. 

One morning my brother and I were eating breakfast and he asked me about Georgia State football. As suckers for cheesy ending sports movies, we entertained the thought of the first year Georgia State football team defeating an undefeated, defending champion Alabama team. We agreed that it would be the greatest upset in the history of sports and something that would never be duplicated. I had also already decided I wanted to be at that game, so he asked me what it would mean to me to witness such a thing. My answer was obvious to me, but I watched as that answer made my brother’s jaw hit the table.

“That would be incredible,” I said. “But it wouldn’t mean as much to me as seeing Florida win a National Championship in person.” 

I could tell right away he was upset with me. I don’t remember the first words that came out of his mouth, but I am sure they expressed incredible disbelief while most likely including a few expletives. How could I possibly think that?! THE GREATEST UPSET IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS?! How would that not mean as much as seeing Florida, a team that had already won three national championships, win another one?  

My answer came to me quickly and made absolute perfect sense to me at the time. Upsets are the novelty of sports. They are what keep the casual fans interested in 18-22 year olds playing a game. Real fans don’t care about their teams pulling off upsets; they care about their teams winning championships. There is no greater feeling than saying my team is the best team in the world. Furthermore, I had never been there in person to see my team accomplish that goal. I certainly savored every moment of the 1996 Sugar Bowl, the 2006 BCS Championship in Glendale, Arizona, and the 2008 BCS Championship in Miami, Florida. But I savored all of those victories from my own living room. Being there in person to witness that would be the single greatest moment I could experience as a sports fan. Jonathan was flabbergasted and once again told me that I just didn’t understand… 

I don’t think there was a single precise moment when I realized he was right. There wasn’t an “Ah HA!” moment when I knew my life had changed. But I can tell you the day it all started... That day was September 2, 2010. The place was the Georgia Dome, where I had run around carrying my “Welcome to the Wuerfell House” sign with “Wuerfell House” imitating the Waffle House lettering. I had been there in that same building to see the Gators win five SEC Championships and lovingly referred to it as “Ben Hill Griffin- North”. 

But this day was different. This day I wasn’t watching the Gators… I was watching MY team. I will never forget the first time MY team ran out onto the field… I will never forget seeing over 30,000 people watch MY team play their first game… I will never forget MY team scoring their first touchdown… And I will never forget how I felt when I walked out of the Georgia Dome that night after I had watched MY team win a game. 

I knew immediately that I certainly did care about Georgia State football much more than I had thought I would. But it didn’t just change my perception of Georgia State football; it changed my entire perception of MY school. Suddenly I cared about Georgia State sports. That winter I went to Georgia State basketball games, and the ones I didn’t go to I listened to on the radio. I started going to Georgia State baseball games. I bought more Georgia State Football shirts than I had Georgia State shirts of any kind whatsoever before that year. I learned the names of people like Dave Cohen, Carl Patton, Greg Frady, Bob Heck, Cheryl Levick, Shernard Long, Kevin Morris and Thomas Terrell and what those people meant to Georgia State University Athletics. I will be able to tell my kids about the time Georgia State beat South Alabama in overtime and I sprinted through the halls of the Georgia Dome in order to celebrate with my friend Logan. I didn’t care in that moment how stupid I looked… because MY team had won!

Ultimately I can tell you that my older brother Jonathan had been right all along. I didn’t understand how I could possibly care about a school’s athletics more than I did Florida’s… until September 2, 2010. That day changed my perception of college athletics and therefore my life. Now, to be fair, does this changed perception mean I am telling my father to sell his tickets in row 73 of section 19 at Ben Hill Griffen Stadium? Absolutely not. Does this change where I will be the last Saturday in October from now until probably the end of my life? Not likely. 

However, the fact that I am writing this story is something. Georgia State faces many struggles ahead in trying to build a successful football program. One of which is convincing the alumni base and student body, who did not grow up with memories of Georgia State like the ones I had of Florida, to change their perception of their school. I am an example of a student who wanted nothing to do with his own school. I wasn’t ashamed of it and it wasn’t that I disliked my school… I was simply indifferent. I had my team and there was nothing that was going to happen to change that. Oh man was I wrong. 

But when something has impacted your life so much, it is impossible to let it go so easily. I will never stop making that trip down I-75 to Gainesville, Florida. But there will be a day when I won’t be able to claim both any longer… I know that one day, when the two things that I care so much about will meet on the playing field. And I am proud to say that I will have learned yet another lesson from my brother and there will be no orange in my attire that day. I will be dressed in my blue and white and will cheer as loud as I can in hopes of a glorious Panther victory. 

It’s funny that something as silly as watching 18-22 year olds play a game can have such an impact on a man’s entire life. I can’t explain it the passion that I feel for both the Florida Gators and the Georgia State Panthers. I would like to think of it though as something romantic that I could care so much about something regardless of what I get in return. There have been many days that I spent the entire night sulking after a Florida loss. I have now endured my first losing season as college football fan in the form of Georgia State’s 3-8 season. But I have also experienced the joy that loving something so much can bring. I love the Florida Gators… but I know that nothing will ever top the experience of what happened to me on September 2, 2010. I challenge all Panther alumni and students, regardless of where your allegiance lies, to embrace that day and what it has meant to your school. Lives were changed that day… and even if yours wasn’t, that is something that anyone who calls themselves a Panther can take pride in.

The Culture of a College Football Program

Random thoughts that I wanted to share with some of you. After pondering South Carolina and the season I believe they are about to have, I began to think about the difficulty of changing the culture of a football program. South Carolina has never experienced any kind of glory on the football field. Their one ACC championship came in 1969 in a year when they lost 4 games including routs against Georgia and Florida State(who wasnt in the ACC yet), and closer but not so close losses to Tennessee and West Virginia. Their 6-0 record against the ACC was superficial, because they did not beat a single ranked team all year.

While there have been glimpses of success ( occasional victories over rivals clemson or georgia, george rogers winning the heisman in 1980, and bowl victories over ohio state twice...) ultimately the gamecock fans have constantly been left with only heartbreak. They simply always lost. Even when things looked the brightest, the gamecocks just always seemed to let it slip away. The magic Lou Holtz brought to the program lasted but a short while, and ended in a shameful way in Death Valley.

That is one of the reasons Steve Spurrier chose to go to South Carolina. While I personally respect and like the man a lot, I must admit there are few with bigger egos. And it would have been a major stroke to his ego to win at South Carolina.

The introduction of Spurrier was met with thunderous applause. After having beaten the Cocks mercilessly in his 11 year tenure at Florida, the gamecocks once again had a glimmer of hope. But even the evil genius Spurrier struggled to change the culture of the South Carolina program. His first year brought wins over Tennessee and Florida. The next Clemson. And finally he got over the hump and beat Georgia. These were all benchmarks Steve had to achieve in order to begin his transformation. It didn't matter if he won 8 or 9 games every year... if he continued to let South Carolina be the whipping boy for the big 3 of the east and their in-state rival, then he never would have gotten any momentum going.

And it wasn't easy for the Ol' Ball Coach to get this train going. After leading the gamecocks to a top 10 ranking and a 6-1 start, the gamecocks would lose to Vanderbilt at home, and eventually end up at 7-5. There were many games that the gamecocks still should have won, and simply let it slip away.... (A 6'6" pot smoking defensive end comes to mind)

But now Spurrier has multiple wins against each of the big 3 and Clemson. He is consistently recruiting the best talent in the country, having in just the last two years signed two five star recruits. It did not happen right away. It took time. And I think Steve would probably even admit that it was harder than he thought it would be. Thats because it is so hard to change the culture of a program. When your team has done nothing consistently except lose, why would you expect different?

That is why I am proud of what GSU is building. To have a winning season in your first year is not meaningless. To have multiple guys on your FCS football team that could have played at the next level of college football but chose instead to be a part of what we are building is not meaningless. To have 6 commits in July is not meaningless. These few years are critical not because of dollars or what conference we might eventually go to. Its all about creating a culture of winning. Expect greatness from the start, and demand nothing less.

Does this mean we should be cocky and arrogant? Flaunting our winning season and recruiting accomplishments across the CAA and the state of Georgia? No. But there is a difference between expecting our team to earn greatness and expecting our team to simply have it given to us because we have a high profile coach, or play in an NFL stadium, or have a school in a big market...

Respect Everyone... Fear No One.

What has happened to LeBron James?

After watching another lackluster performance in The Finals from LeBron James, I find myself reflecting on his career and my perception of him. Thursday night LeBron James recorded a triple double in the NBA Finals. That is something that normally would be celebrated and heralded as a great performance. However, once again the story is "Where was LeBron in the fourth quarter?" LeBron had 2 points last night in the final 12 minutes of the game. That followed a 0 point performance in clutch time the night before. Overall in 5 Finals games, LeBron has 11 points. So for the second year in a row people are questioning his ability to close games out when it matters.

Immediately LeBron apologists started the excuse parade. "He had a triple double! His wife is cheating on him! The heat didn't need him to score more, they needed to play better defense!.... This sounds awfully familiar.... Didn't we go through this last year? Something about LeBron finding out Delonte West had slept with Lebron's mother? That was the rumor after the game 5 no show from James.

I will be the first person to admit I have no idea what that would feel like. I can't imagine being put in that situation. But what separates me and everyone else from being an elite athlete is the ability to set aside your personal life and perform at an extraordinary level when it matters most.

Disclaimer: It is not LeBron making all of these excuses for himself. But nonetheless, they are being made.

I am sure there were plenty of times when Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, or Magic Johnson had a lot on their mind when they arrived at the arena. But they always seemed to rise up in those occasions rather than shrink back. Jordan was hindered throughout his career by his gambling addiction. He was seen at 2 o'clock in the morning in Atlantic City the night before a conference finals game against the Knicks. How did he play? 36 points and 9 rebounds. Magic Johnson has well documented his experiences of "encounters" with women before, after, and even during games. He eventually left the game because he had contracted HIV. You don't think he ever played with distractions?

The ultimate story of a player playing with something going on in his personal life is the infamous 2003-2004 season of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant was facing ALLEGATIONS of rape and in 7 separate occasions had to attend a court hearing in the morning and play a basketball game that night. 4 times it happened during the regular season, and on those days, Kobe Bryant average 31 points a game, including a 14 point performance where he had to miss the first quarter. Twice in the first two rounds of the playoffs he performed under similar circumstances and Bryant put up 31 points against the rockets and 42 points against the Spurs.

However the exclamation point came during game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Up 2-1 in the series, the Lakers faced a critical game 4. If they lost then Minnesota would reclaim home court advantage in the series and would be looking at a game 5 in Minneapolis that could give the Timberwolves the advantage. Kobe Bryant had a court hearing that day in Colorado, and was facing an earlier start time than normal in LA. After arriving in LA less than 2 hours before first tip, Kobe responded with 31 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.

Greatness is achieved when one overcomes adversity and maintains a high level of performance. LeBron has shown flashes of this throughout his career. Basketball fans will never forget his performance in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. After scoring a career playoff low of 10 points(until Game 4 of 2011's finals where he scored 8) in game one of that series, LeBron responded by practically single handedly winning games 3 and 4 in Cleveland, scoring 32 and 25 points and nearly recording triple doubles each time. However Game 5 was probably the highest point of James' career thus far. LeBron scored 48 points, including Cleveland's final 25 points and all 18 in overtime. This game in Detroit swung the series in Cleveland's favor and took them to the NBA Finals.

What has happened to that LeBron? What has happened to the LeBron that took over games in Cleveland? What has happened to the kid that faced scrutiny over him driving an escalade that "his mom bought him" when he was 17 years old and then mocked the media by driving a remote control escalade on the court before his next game? LeBron James has turned into something that basketball fans do not even recognize. He has become passive and indifferent. He has become defensive and bitter towards people that ask him questions. He appears to prefer stand in the corner, make a few nice drives here and there, pass the ball, and watch Dwayne Wade try to win games by himself. Where is that killer instinct? Where is the kid that scored all 25 of his teams' final points?

Is it fair for us to expect a 2007 Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 performance of LeBron every playoff game? Of course not. But we did not put him in this position. LeBron James is responsible for every criticism he is getting right now. He can not blame me, the media, his teammates, his family, or anyone else for all of the scrutiny and attention that comes his way, including from the city of Cleveland.

Because it was not the city of Cleveland that strapped him down and tattoo "Chosen 1" on his back. It was not me who embroidered "King James" on the head rests of that infamous escalade he drove as a 17 year old. It was not the media who said of LeBron, "I Have a goal and its a huge goal... Thats to bring a title to Cleveland and I am not going to stop until I do." It was not ESPN who arranged the one hour special to tell the world where he would be taking his talents (except in the fourth quarter). It was not his teammates who stood on a stage and said, "We are going to win a championship... not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six... seven championships."

Much like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James has brought all of this upon himself. The difference between the two? The ability to shut people up and put all of the crap going on aside and perform when it matters most.

I sincerely hope that LeBron can become the player he used to be again. Game 5 against Detroit was one of the single greatest performances I have ever seen. Until LeBron can find a little fire in his gut and learn to take over games like that again, he will never be the same man much less one of the greatest of all time.

2010 SEC East in Review

Not too shabby. USC lost a game they shouldn't (UK) and Arkansas was a bit better than I expected. Overall i overshot on them by a game, and they still won the East (which was one of the worst divisions in College Football this year).

Florida lost two more game than I expected but they could have easily won both. A last second loss to LSU and having to use our punter for a kicker against MSU cost us those two. But they were miserable all year on offense.

I overshot UGA by a game in my prediction. But they did win one against Tech which I thought they might lose. (Nesbitt plays and I think they do). But the fighting Dan Mullens jumped up and bit the Dogs as well as the Gators. And then the inexplicable loss to Colorado... WITH AJ Green i might add. Although UGA did get great play out of Murray. He might be the best QB in the SEC this year with Newton and Mallet both leaving. But Murray got little help from the line and running game. And the defense struggled mightily against the run. Will things turn around for the dogs?

I predicted Tennessee perfectly. They lost every game I guessed and finished 6-6. They competed in the first half against Oregon and thought they had beaten LSU, but ultimately they were as expected.

I didn't actually lay out the UK and Vandy schedules and predictions, but they performed to expectations and were placed correctly.


I may wait another week or so to see where a few commitments fall to make my predictions for next year. I will tell you right now that I fully expect USC to win the east again. They return too much. And they may be adding the best defensive line prospect in recent memory. So be on the lookout for the 2011 predictions.

Also coming soon- (Signing day coverage, NBA coverage, SEC basketball coverage, and of course... BASEBALL SEASON!!!!!!!!!!)

US world cup in review, look ahead.

Now that the US' world cup hopes are done, and I have taken a few days to calm down and fully asses what happened, here is what I think about the US performance.

Assessment By Position

Defenders

The defense in general was simply not good enough. Too many easy goals were conceeded, and Tim Howard never really had one of those shining games where he just puts it all together and dazzles us. Although, some may argue that this defense has been doomed ever since that fateful night back in October, when Oguchi Onyewu went down with a knee injury. There was simply no way that he could have come back in top form in time for the world cup. The reason this had such an impact is not just the loss of his talent and experience, but it causes a ripple effect on the rest of the defense. Carlos Bocanegra shines in the left back position, but with Onyewu not being fit he is forced to slid into the middle. Jonathan Bornstein played well at the left back spot, but Bocanegra showed that he lacks the fortitude to command the defense from the center as well as the skill to take on top class strikers.

Jay Demerit was another guy who may have struggled from missing time due to injury. He wowed with his effort and grit but he made a couple of huge mental mistakes that led to a couple of goals. With the damage he has already done to his body, i would be surprised if he plays in another world cup.

The highlight of the defense was Steve Cherundolo, and experienced defender who showed some great crossing ability. He is 31, and looks to be in incredible shape, so he may have another shot at making the 2014 team, but more than likely as a sub.

Hopefully there are a few guys that just missed out on this world cup (Heath Pearce and Chad Marshall to name a few) who will develop into starting defenders because the cupboard is pretty bare as far as young promising defenders. If i were to guess right now, I would say Gooch is the only returning starter at the next world cup.

Midfield

The midfield was again the strength of the US team, scoring all of the goals and showing some great promise. The only lone dark spot was the play of Ricardo Clark. Clark had been a regular for the team this cycle and had been a goal scoring threat during qualifying. However, a few mental mistakes led to goals scored by the opposition. He was poor possessing the ball, and was constantly being beat to the ball.

Outside of Clark, the midfield shined. Landon Donovan had an incredible tournament and is currently tied for the lead in most goals scored in the tournament. He without a doubt set himself up for a permanent move to Europe with his performance. Dempsey, while only netting the one lucky goal, showed a tireless work ethic that was the fuel that kept this team going. He possessed the ball well and made some great runs. Michael Bradley was one of the best young stars of the tournament. At only 22, you have to think the future looks bright indeed for coach Bob Bradley's son. Substitutes Maurice Edu and Benny Fielhaber logged a number of quality minutes, and were great sparks off the bench. It was just bad luck that neither of them were able to get a goal. Both of those guys are also pretty young, and should challenge for a starting spot, with Edu potentially moving to center back. Another guy who showed some promise the last month was Jose Torres. He had a couple of good looks and show good ability to possess the ball. It truly was a story of an entire midfield playing well with the exception of Clark.

Forwards
This was the biggest question mark for the US going into the world cup. Would strikers that had less than 5 caps each be able to provide the spark necessary to fuel the offense. The answer was no. The US went yet another world cup without any goals being scored from the forwards. Jozy Altidore made some great plays and showed some tremendous ability, but was not able to finish on any of his chances. Robbie Findley simply showed a lack of finishing ability, and Edson Buddle and Hercules Gomez could not stay true to their great club forms. With Buddle is unlikely to be back in the world cup in four years, and Gomez and Findley have a long way to go before being able to be that second piece to Altidore consistently. Charlie Davies remains the best hope for finding a striker to partner with Altidore.

Coach
Bob Bradley certainly did a capable job at this World Cup. He showed that he is great at assessing the game as it happens and knowing what tactical changes he needs to make for the team to be successful. However, the fact that the US started so poorly in nearly all of their matches shows to me that the team is poorly prepared for each match. It is not a coincidence that the opposition keeps scoring so early in the match. In my opinion, that goes back to the coach and his preparation of the game. I don't think Bradley will be back. Perhaps US Soccer makes another run at Jurgen Klinsman, a move that I would love, but the fact is that US Soccer needs to continue to develop, and I just don't think that happens any further under Bob Bradley.

Ultimately this team showed that it was better than the second round exit. They won their group despite their struggles, and in my opinion could have gone far in the tournament with a few minor improvements. Consider this... while every team has injuries to overcome at some point in the world cup cycle, could it have come at worse spots for the US team? Midfield has always been one of our strengths. While it would have been awful if Donovan or Dempsey had gone down, we have a lot of depth at midfield. The same can not be said for defense and forwards. Losing Onyewu and Davies might have had an immeasurable impact on this team, and cost them some greater success.

Potential new faces at the next world cup:

Charlie Davies- Davies needs to continue to develop and become the compliment to Jozy Altidore we all want.
Freddy Adu- Can the once heralded youngster turn his career around and become a factor on the national stage?
Justin Braun- Young forward- plays for Chivas USA
Kevin Alston- Young defender- plays for New England Revolution

Wave goodbye to...
Jay Demerit- at 31, and with the damage already done to his body, he is likely on the way out.
DeMarcus Beasley- The once star of the US seems to be fading quickly off into the sunset.
Carlos Bocanegra- He will be 35 at the next cup, and frankly he didn't play well in this one. Would be surprised if he gave it another run.
Edson Buddle- Couldn't capitalize on an opportunity to re-ignite his career. Will be 35 at the next cup. No chance.

Other possibilities include Steve Cherundolo, Stuart Holden, and Hercules Gomez.

Potential 2014 starting lineup

RS- Jozy Altidore
LS- Charlie Davies
LM- Landon Donovan
LCM- Freddy Adu
RCM- Michael Bradley
RM- Clint Dempsey
LB- Jonathan Bornstein (assuming he continues from his good performance saturday)
LCB- Maurice Edu (He is too good to not be in the lineup)
RCB- Gooch
RB- Spector or maybe still Cherundolo.

This is impossible to truly predict more than 4 years away. There is a lot of young talent that should be back, but you never know when a kid like a Jozy Altidore might come along. There were only 4 starters from this team that started at the last world cup. Will Brazil 2014 be a similar story?

US World Cup Preview

Tomorrow (or later today...) the US Men's National team opens up play in the 2010 world cup against England. Here is everything you need to know about the United States soccer team.

My Projected Starting Lineup

GK- Tim Howard
LB- Carlos Bocanegra
LCB- Jay Demerit
RCB- Oguchi Onyewu
RB- Steve Cherundolo
LM- Landon Donovan
LCM- Benny Feilhaber
RCM- Michael Bradley
RM- Clint Dempsey
LS- Robbie Findley
RS- Jozy Altidore

Potential Subs
LS- Edson Buddle
LCM- Jose Torres
RCB- Clarence Goodson
LM- DeMarcus Beasley
LS- Hercules Gomez
RB- Jonathan Spector

Strengths-

1) Goalkeeper- Tim Howard is unanimously considered to be one of the best goal keepers in the world. If he is at the top of his game, there isn't a team that the United States can't beat. Last summer the US beat Spain (largely considered the best team in the world) 2-0 and Tim Howard had the best game of his career.

2) Wings- Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are probably the two best players on this team. They score a lot of goals and have had a lot of recent success in the English Premier League. These two have to have a huge tournament for the US to be successful.


Weaknesses-

1) Experience at forward- Jozy Altidore, 20, is by far our most experienced forward. That is bad news. The good news is the group of forwards is a talented bunch that have all been scoring a lot of goals lately.

2) Lack of pace and possession- The biggest weakness of the United States team has always been their ability to hold on the ball and stretch out possessions. In order to be successful, they have to have better pace and be able to move the ball around and control the tempo of the game.

3) Injury questions- Oguchi Onyewu, the best defender on this team, has not played a full match since suffering a knee injury in October. He will need to prove that he is at the top of his game, because without him, the US backline looks significant worse. Forward Jozy Altidore has also been struggling with an ankle injury, but appears ready to play.

What to look for against England on Saturday:

1) Can the US attack early. They have to get on the board first. If England scores early in the match, it will be incredible difficult for the US to come back and get points. The key is get the ball to Landon Donovan early and often and allow him the opportunity to create chances.

2) How fit is Oguchi Onyewu. If he struggles against England, it will be a long day Saturday.

3) Can the US match the speed of the english. The forwards and wings for England are incredibly fast. Watch for them to try to stretch the US on the outside.

4) How well does the defense play as a unit. My projected starting defense has not played together for a full match since last summer. They need to gel quickly and play together as a unit for the United States to be successful.

Predictions-
2-2 draw vs. England
2-1 victory over Slovenia
3-1 victory over Algeria

Group prediction- USA finishes second in the group based on goal difference.

Advancement prediction- US loses to Argentina in the quarterfinals

Best case scenario- US win the group and face a weakened Germany team. They advance to play France, who shouldn't have even qualified (see Ireland vs France handball), who they can beat, but then they would likely meet Brazil, and would exit in the semifinals.

Why Georgia State Football Will Be Successful

As most are now aware, Georgia State University has launched a football program. Under the direction of prestigious coach Bill Curry (former coach of Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Kentucky) the Panthers inaugural season will start September 2 again Shorter College. Their home games will be played at the Georgia Dome.

Like any fledgling program, I am sure that they will have their hardships over the next couple of years. However, I believe Georgia State is in a prime position to do very well for themselves and become a successful college program, outlined below.

1) Demand

The state of Georgia has solidified itself as one of the best states for competitive high school football. While the Big Three for high school football are without question Florida, Texas, and California; Georgia has cemented themselves as a member of the next tier which includes states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. This is evident in the number of college level talent that the state produces. Last year more than 100 athletes from Georgia signed with D-1 programs. Therefore, there is no shortage of talent right here in GSU's own backyard. However, many of those students go to college rather far away from home because that is where they were offered a scholarship. Which leads me to my next point...

2) Location

Being in such a rich recruiting state, GSU really does have a prime location. Many of these athletes that don't want to go far away from home are now provided with another option. There are so many athletes in the state, but only so many spots on the Georgia Tech and UGA roster, who also recruit very well nationally. With no other major college athletics option in the state, I believe GSU will rake in all of that leftover talent. Also the fact that GSU is in Atlanta is a big draw. The opportunities that being in such an urban city provides is an attractive option for student athletes. It is a better option than statesboro or valdosta, at least.

3) Prestige

Already the GSU Athletics department have done an incredible job adding prestige to a newborn program. They hired an experienced and well thought of coach who has had some success at the major college level. They also secured the Georgia Dome for their use, which some may scoff at and say that there is no way that GSU could ever fill up the dome and therefore it hurts the program more than helps. But i disagree. No, panther supporters will not fill the Dome. But the opportunity to play in such a prestigious venue is attractive to athletes nonetheless. And i do believe that attendance surprise many. The first game especially, i believe, will draw 20,000 plus to the dome, and maybe even upwards of 30,000. There are so many GSU alum still living in the city, and the excitement of starting a new program is sure to draw a crowd. But I also believe that GSU will get a draw from another demographic. There are still 400,000 people that live in the city limits of Atlanta and another 5 million in the metro area. In an area that puts such a premium on competitive football, I think it is likely the city will be interested to see where GSU football goes and will pay the small fees to watch history take place.

Already we are beginning to see the effects of these advantages. Georgia State just signed a class of 28, and also added 4 big time college transfers. Two Georgia Tech offensive lineman, and Auburn Tight End, and an Alabama quarterback have all transferred to play ball this year at GSU. The quarterback transfer is by far the biggest acquisition by coach Curry's staff. He was a top 10 quarterback and a four star recruit according rivals.com. Therefore it is evident that there is a draw to playing for such a great coach, in such a great city, and having the excitement of starting a new program.