Photographer: Luke Robinson

Photographer’s description: Caught this kid about to make the save of his life in the main Placa of San Sebastian.

Mourinho sent text messages to John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba wishing each of them “good luck in the rest of your career” and saying that he was leaving the club this morning.

Story here.

See also:

• Jose Mourinho, please fall down
• At last: Mourinho (metaphorically) falls down

France 0-1 Scotland

This happened last week, but maybe you’ve not seen the goal:

Scotland’s strategy was the classic underdog approach: play tight defense and try to sneak a late winner if you can. The plan worked to perfection. The Scots continually thwarted the French attack and eventually went ahead on a James McFadden screamer.

This might as well be Scotland’s championship match.

I never could have guessed that I’d be out of clever titles for the weekly fantasy roundup post but here we are. The table is below.

Just one note: Wolfrum is still on the move!

But, Brazil is Brazil, I keep hearing.They’re so skilled. They’re magical on the ball. They’re special.

I know. That’s why we lost…

We need more players with the skill set and self-confidence to run at international class defenders, keep them off balance with quick thinking and vision and, in short, make them believe that we can do something other than cross into the area.

Read the whole thing here.

Via du Nord

Every now and then, someone leaves a comment that really grabs my attention. uhclem left such a comment on my post about the potential new Thunder ownership.

With his permission, I’m reprinting his comment here, in the limelight it deserves. I certainly don’t agree with all of his sentiments but, given the rash of insane comments around here lately, I appreciate his reasonableness.

I’d like to say a few words in the defense of the outgoing ownership regime.

For many years, Bill George was the financial base of the Minnesota Thunder. He provided money directly out of his pocket to cover the club’s financial shortfall, year after year. His business contacts were vital in getting sponsorship money from Major corporations like 3M, Honeywell, Target, HealthPartners, Northwest Airlines and many others. He was the “sugardaddy” that soccer fans always long for when their clubs need money for top players and facilities.

But neither Bill, Buzz, Tom (Engstrom) nor many of the other people involved with the team in the early days when it was an unaffiliated amateur club had any inkling that it would keep climbing up the soccer ladder until it was one step below the major leagues and had to compete with franchises that had multi-millionaire or corporate ownerships. They never had a fully professional front office from top to bottom, filling many positions with interns that put forth great effort and enthusiasm, but possessed little experience. There was never a complete business plan to cover the added expenses and responsibilities that were inevitable when advancing to such a level.

So, as Bill gradually phased out of corporate life and Minnesota residency to academic life and New England residency, he looked to leave the Thunder behind. But to whom?

This was not an NFL or EPL franchise he was trying to sell. This was a minor league soccer club with few valuable assets beyond the people involved with the team and the relationships and reputation they had forged within the world of US soccer culture. You could waylay every person who went to work on Wall Street and not find a Long-Shot Louie who would have recommended the Minnesota Thunder of 2005 as a money-making investment. In other words, the Bill Gates’ of the world were not wrangling with each other to make the purchase.

So, into the breach stepped Jim Froslid, former Thunder GM and current president, who was just getting settled into his new position at FieldTurf, Ron Carter, local real estate developer and owner of Soccer Blast, an indoor facility, and Saheed Kadkhodaian, a former 3M engineer turned consultant and owner of the five store SoccerUSA chain. You will not find any of these names in the Forbes 400. You probably wouldn’t even find them in a list of the top 100 wealthiest Minnesotans. But without them, the Minnesota Thunder would probably be as dead as the Kicks and Strikers that preceded them.

As far as their performance as an ownership group, to call them failures is a bit harsh, considering their comparable lack of capital. Let’s examine what their announced goals were:

“The new ownership group’s plan includes enhancing the fan experience, increasing marketing exposure, expanding the youth development program, boosting ethnic participation, improving appeal throughout the state, adding indoor soccer exhibitions in the winter and creating a partnership with a European club.”

The fan experience enhancement has been a mixed bag. While the very important on-the-pitch performance has declined (with the exception of an exciting USOC run in 2005), the rest of the package isn’t a complete loss. While the current venue doesn’t have a top notch pitch like the NSC did, its intimacy can’t be beat. And the entire organization’s connection with and response to its fans is still miles ahead of any other professional sports franchise in the state, and probably the country.

While the marketing strategy is still weak, efforts have been made, particularly with the Comcast sponsorship.

The expansion of the youth development program has been phenomenal. The Thunder now run the largest soccer camp program in the state and probably the region. They now have a reserve team and a youth squad. This should pay great dividends when filling the roster with local talent that will feel a loyalty to the organization, which was one of the keys to the success of the Thunder during its glory years.

Ethnic participation has been increased, with a much greater diversity seen in the stands. Also, Thunder Plus has raised the profile of the organization in many positive ways within various ethnic communities, promising further advances in that regard.

The Thunder still has appeal as a fundraiser for various soccer organizations in the region, as the number of exhibitions played during the season attest to. This strengthens our ties to the local soccer community, helping to secure an important part of its current and future fan base.

The indoor soccer exhibitions never materialized, which is probably a good thing, if you look at the financial state of MISL franchises.

And while club partnerships, in my opinion, are usually one of the most over hyped developments a club touts to its fans, Amos seems to think his trip to Portugal was worth the time and expense. And who knows, when Alfredo finally puts together an injury free season for us…

So, while there are quite a few areas where the Thunder owners have disappointed in the past three years, it has not been a total loss. Steps were taken to solidify the organization as a business savvy operation with important business and political ties that will be important in transforming the franchise from a civic diversion for a wealthy Minnesotan into a local sports institution that will be able to survive in good times and bad. A foundation has been laid upon which a stable franchise with a future can be built.

To sum up, while it is certainly valid to criticize the owners for a multitude of sins, it should be leavened with praise for the positives they have accomplished with a limited budget and a sincere appreciation for stepping in when the future of the club lay in the balance.