Spain Calls But Heart Is in Italy

Pablo Mastroeni, club captain of the Colorado Rapids, is getting closer to his dream of playing in Europe. This week, he has received calls, via his representative in Spain and Italy, from two clubs in Spain - Malaga and Seville's Real Betis. The offers are good, says Pablo, but much remains on the table. "We are just keeping the doors open and seeing what comes at the end of November," Mastroeni told me after training today. "I think it's going to be a question of five possibilites and picking what we think is right." Pablo may still remain a Rapids player next season. He says his relationship with Gary Smith is very good and Smith is very keen to hold on to him if the interim coach keeps his job. This would be a great thing for the Rapids fans but you can't stand in the way of a person's dream and Pablo's eyes are clearly on a bigger stage. It may be Spain but he admits that his heart is still set on Italy. But, for now, he is very much a Rapids player and, if today's training is anything to go by, there is increased intensity in the camp as the players head into the last five games. Pablo, himself, and good friend, Mike Petke, had a furious row during scrimmage today but Mastroeni almost welcomed it. "That's what it is all about," he said. "Everyone is increasing the intensity for these last five games and that is what we want. You see a lot of teams giving up in this league at this stage of the season but not here."
There will be some changes in the line-up for this weekend's game against New York and I'll post something on that later.

Pablo Ponders as Rapids Go West

Pablo Mastroeni, the veteran defensive midfielder and longtime face of the Colorado Rapids, may want to leave Denver and seek to further his career in Europe before his contract expires in December. He is reported to be considering that option, according to today's Denver Post (link below). Interestingly, while he was previously connected only with Spain and Italy (he holds an Italian passport and speaks Spanish), the report says England is also a possibility. As Rapids' coach, Fernando Clavijo, told me today at training, Pablo could play anywhere. He clearly has the pedigree and is held in particularly high regard in Italy where his performances in World Cup 2006 were widely praised despite the team's relatively poor showing. "There is nobody at this club I would be happier to see perform in Europe," Clavijo said. "I think next year is more likely, however. For now, he has to focus on the Rapids because it will be his peformances here that will catch people's eye." Clavijo stated that Mastroeni has not had any contact with any club in Europe so far. He has been linked to Cagliari of Italy's Serie A. Livorno, now in Serie B and at the centre of match-fixing allegations, and Atalanta have also been speculated as Italian possibilities. With England now in the mix, it should be noted that Aston Villa coach, Martin O'Neill, is reported this week in the Birmingham Mail newspaper as hinting he is close to signing several deals and is also on the lookout for a new club captain with the imminent departure of Gareth Barry. With one of the smallest Premier League squads, O'Neill is definitely looking towards the US and appears particularly keen on boosting his defense. The problem with all of the European leagues is that they are off kilter with the MLS and begin competitive games in August, making it difficult for the likes of Mastroeni to secure a contract at the end of his one in Denver. Watch this space.
http://www.denverpost.com/rapids/ci_9844807
Meanwhile, Mastroeni will be at the heart of the defense in the Rapids' game tomorrow against San Jose Earthquakes. Expect an unchanged eleven from the team that dismantled New York Red Bulls on Independence Day. We all know the Rapids' struggles on the road this season and how they fail to win if they don't score first. With the confidence levels high after last week, maybe this will be the game that turns things around. With another away game next week against Dallas followed by three home games in a row, this is a crucial time for the Rapids. As midfielder Terry Cooke has pointed out, this could be the time to put together four or five wins on the trot. Now that would be sweet.

Parli Italiano Pablo?

Here's a couple of reports linking Colorado Rapids' Pablo Mastroeni with Cagliari of Italy's Serie A. Can't find anything more substantial just yet but my thanks to Jeannine in Littleton who alerted me to the soccertimes article.
http://www.soccertimes.com/americans/2008/jul06
http://lettersfromvagabondia.blogspot.com/
Stay tuned. There will be developments on this one, I am sure.

Fab Fab and Superb Senna to Take Spain To Glory?

Predicting results at Euro 2008 is about as useful as a chocolate teapot (I had the Dutch to beat Portugal in the final and look where that got me) but the Spanish midfield duo of Cesc Fabregas and Marcos Senna may be enough for people to take a punt on Spain finally winning a major trophy. Fabregas, who does this week in week out for Arsenal, came on as a sub in yesterday's game against Italy and proceeded to orchestrate just about every attacking move the Spanish made against the resilient Italians. He, of course, also scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out. There must surely be a place for him in the starting line-up against Russia. Senna, a Brazilian by birth, was like an attack dog. He never let anybody through, ran tirelessly all match and also set up many attacking moves. He was a beast and very, very impressive. He may be the man to shadow Russia's playmaker, Andrei Arshavin, another sensational player who some say has been the player of the tournament. Is it any coincidence that Russia looked pretty average without him in the opening two games, including a 4-1 spanking by Spain, and then proceeded to play beautiful soccer in a masterclass of defense and attack against Sweden and, especially, against the Dutch? Arshavin is right now on Chelsea's radar if gossip is to be believed.
It's really almost impossible to pick a winner of this unpredictable tournament and we haven't even discussed the other semi-final between Germany and Turkey. As an Englishman, I cannot pick the Germans for all the soccer suffering they have bestowed upon us. And Turkey have played with enormous heart in this tournament. They seem to be running out of players through injury and suspension and will struggle against the German machine but my heart goes with them. Spain will just pip Russia to the final and go on to win it. But, wait, I said it was useless to predict.

Mastroeni Plays Against Spain as US Downed 1-0

Colorado Rapids' captain, Pablo Mastroeni, got onto the field for about five minutes yesterday in the US game against Spain in Santander. I'm glad he did because it could have felt like an even longer flight over to Europe if he had stayed completely on the bench. Mastroeni, who has been strong for the Rapids in recent games, played a full 90 against Dallas last week before flying to Spain on Monday. I hope he gets some playing time against his native country Argentina in the big game in New York on Sunday. I am presuming he will be involved in that rather than turning out for the Rapids on Saturday. The Rapids' website has him down as likely to start against LA but my understanding is that he is in the national team squad against the Argentines. This is very positive for him because there were times last year when his national career looked all but over. He is now back to fitness, as strong as an ox, and playing very well. Spain warmed up for Euro 2008 with a 1-0 victory on a fine individual goal from Barcelona's Xavi in the 78th minute.
Coaches often keep things close to their chest but, if Fernando Clavijo's recent words are anything to go by, he now seems settled on his strike partnership. Barring fitness and loss of form, as always, Conor Casey and Tom McManus are now the favored duo up top. It's hard to argue with that. McManus is becoming a fan favorite because of his hustle and his entertainment value. Conor Casey is back and playing strongly. Omar Cummings will still have an important role to play, as will Herculez Gomez, though Gomez is a more versatile player than Cummings and could get chances elsewhere.
The Rapids move on to play LA Galaxy in California Saturday having just come off a defeat on penalties against Kansas City in the US Open Cup. I plan to be at training tomorrow so do please let me know if there are any burning issues you would like discussed.