It All Fits But Could It Work? Neville likes Starbuck's

Yes, it seems like a good fit but how do you get there? Colorado Rapids' skipper, Pablo Mastroeni, smiled at my idea of him playing for Everton next season. They have no players, they need to sign up to six new faces, he is looking to move to Europe and play and he wouldn't cost them as much as European players when there is controversy within Goodison Park about the transfer budget. All seems like a slam dunk, right? Well, life is more complicated. Clearly, it is too much pressure on one player to expect him to perform so brilliantly in one game that Everton coach, David Moyes, would sign Pablo on the spot. "I just don't think about the end of the season," Pablo said after training yesterday. "I'm thinking about the next game." And he has things to think about because it looks as if he may be back to a more accustomed defensive midfielder role with some changes in the defense which could see Mike Petke get a much welcome outing. More accustomed role, maybe, but Mastroeni has probably just got used to playing at the heart of the defense. Pablo revealed that he did have the chance of playing for Italian team, Brescia, two years ago, but that the MLS didn't exactly give him a free pass. This time, he won't have to worry about the league because he is out of contract at the end of the season. Moyes did say he is very well aware of American players. After all, he has national team goalkeeper, Tim Howard, to keep him aware of trends in the US player market and he did sign one Brian McBride to play for the Blues. Another point in Pablo's favor is that he wouldn't have to worry so much about the dreaded work permit in the UK because he has an Italian passport which should allow him to work freely anywhere in the European Union. See, it does all add up.
Moyes and team captain, Phil Neville, were very complimentary about the set-up at Dick's Sporting Goods Park and the overall health of the MLS. Moyes was lavish in his praise of the pitch at DSG Park, saying it was one of the best ones he had ever encountered and he had impressive words about the overall state of youth soccer in the US. "The youth teams here are much better than the ones in England and Scotland," he said. England international Neville, who said he was enjoying Cherry Creek and the fact there is a Starbuck's on every corner (there is one in all of Liverpool, apparently), said he was very much looking forward to the game tomorrow. "The quality of the football here is very high," he said."Chicago were very athletic and skillful and we are expecting a tough game on Sunday." Everton lost 2-0 to the Chicago Fire earlier this week.
A couple of other things to note. Moyes said that influential midfielder, Tim Cahill, will not be fit to play tomorrow. The upside is that the Australian walked up and down our co-ed game this morning and might just have noted my left foot rocket into the top corner. Well played, Class VI, great effort all around. Finally, don't be surprised if Preston Burpo gets a start in nets tomorrow.

Toffeemen in Town; Mastroeni to Impress?

Everton have arrived in Colorado for this weekend's game against the Rapids. It will be an intriguing game, not least because of the many subplots emerging. Just as manager, David Moyes, appears on the verge of agreeing a GBP 60,000 a week contract -yes, that's right, he will be earning about four times as much in one week as Bouna Coundoul does in a whole year -Everton's CEO has resigned. Officially, it has nothing to do with the club's protracted negotations in moving to a new stadium, a move very unpopular with many fans because it will mean the team will play outside the boundaries of the city of Liverpool.
The bigger concern for the Everton players is that they don't have enough teammates. Everton's arrival in the Rocky Mountains comes after a 2-0 defeat to the Chicago Fire where they were forced to play three teenagers and only had five substitutes available at a time when nobody is anywhere near match fit. "We can’t hide the fact that we need new players at Everton," Moyes told evertonTV. "Everybody knows it, I know it, the players know it – we have to get five or six players in before the season starts." Such comments can only lead to speculation about Rapids' skipper, Pablo Mastroeni, who has openly stated a desire to play in Europe. Mastroeni, who is out of contract at the end of this MLS season, would fit in well with the Everton squad. He has the toughness and ethical standards that a tough Scot like Moyes will demand. He has the pedigree and the experience and could be a real mentor for some of the Everton youngsters emerging. I will try and pin him down for a comment tommorrow.
One other piece of interesting news is that Australian, Tim Cahill, has surprisingly joined the Everton team at their training in the US. It had previously been made clear that Cahill, recovering from surgery, would not make the US trip but his appearance could maybe lead to a surprise outing for the tough tackling midfielder in Colorado on Sunday. That would be a major treat for all soccer fans.

Good News, Bad News

Merseysiders, Everton FC, will visit DSG Park next month in an eagerly anticipated friendly against the Colorado Rapids. I say eagerly anticipated but I wonder how many people in Denver and surroundings are actually eagerly anticipating? I say this because I can't seem to get an answer from the Rapids' ticket guys as to how many tickets have been sold for the game on August 3. I can't help thinking that this lack of information is a little fishy. Anyway, some good news and some bad news for the Nil Satis Nisi Optimum visitors. First, as always, the bad news. Tim Cahill, the Australian midfielder, looks certain to miss the trip Stateside. He has a broken metatarsal and is currently in his homeland seeking treatment. Cahill is, for me, one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premiership. He is strong, physically aggressive and quick and he scores a ton of goals, some of them spectacular as witness the bicycle kick against Chelsea last season (see link below). I am very disappointed he will not be on show at DSG Park because this is one hell of a player. The good news is that central defender, Joseph Yobo, is likely to be in a much better frame of mind if he makes the trip. His brother was eventually released from kidnappers in their native Nigeria this week after 12 days in captivity. Somehow, kidnapping does not seem to be something that you would worry about in Commerce City. We look forward to welcoming Yobo and the rest of the Blues, Cahill excepted, to the game next month. Kick-off is 6pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L-vMRFKoHQ