Its Been A While

Hello everyone!
It has been a few days since I've really said anything about anything. Today is a special day. As I sit in my class, listening to the lulling, baratone voice of my santa-like Argentine teacher, I can't help but think back to this weekend as one of absolute excitement. To start off, an absolutely incredible goal, starting deep in the defending half and finished inches from the goalmouth:

Genius touch, dangerous cut, simple finish, lovely goal. Suarez's goal is a rather recent phenomena, in terms of this immediate season, in a flurry of outstanding goals. From scorpions to bicycles, direct corner goals to midfield cracks, solo glory to impecable team play, this season has been the best in recent memory in terms of the quality of goals. Competition has been fierce across Europe, as demonstrated not only in the Champions League or Europa League, but right down to the fights developing within the leagues themselves. Teams such as, West Bromwich Albion from England, Real Betis down in Spain, or Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, have been a breath of fresh air as new kids on the block. Now, I fully recognize that similar to the majority of previous seasons, the cream will almost always rise to the top and the teams which were seen as revolutions early on will most likely slide off their pedestal. However, the future positions of these teams matter not in this discussion, what does count is the type of football that these teams have produced. 

A team that embodies this surprising thrust into the spotlight, can be found in the West Midlands, West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies currently sit in 5th place in the English Premier League, right between English staples of Everton and Tottenham. West Brom have put in great games, from the start of their season with a 3-0 trashing of Liverpool to the high scoring affair with Queens Park, and the undeserved loss to an outplayed Manchester City. Even more interesting is that talent on this team is evenly dispersed, with no central player to lean against, the club relies on a strong team effort. This can be seen in the distribution of goals amongst Shane Long, Romelu Lukaku and Peter Odemwingie, each of whom have 3 goals. Goals do not even take into consideration players like, Youssuf Mulumbu or Zoltan Gera, who have been central in this team's success. 

I guess that the overall point is to demonstrate that talent in football is appearing in unlikely places and resulting in unlikely success. It would seem that the overall talent of football players is rising; the gap at the top is closing. Now, obviously there is a stark difference between MLS or US players versus Europe, but, that is mainly due to the distribution of talent within the country; where the majority of athletes go to American Football or Basketball instead of Soccer. However, the United States is not what I am dealing with. Instead I'm focusing purely on the rest of America and Europe, where the overall talent is getting better, why? I believe it is the direct result of the continued push for the professionalism of the sport. The mentality of approaching soccer as a lifestyle or a job, starts incredibly early from the advertising of the leagues to the integration of the sport as culture. The Barcelona youth system is a prime example of what all of Europe is faling in line with, advanced workout and practice regimes that are aimed solely at creating the best possible player that an individual can be. The array of talent that is in their youth ranks or have come from it, is simply incredible. The game has also earned a central role in the culture of the Spanish Coastal city, where one of the most imposing figures on the Barcelona sky line is the Nou Camp, FC Barcelona's stadium. The final element can also be attributed to the shear number of games individuals play now. "Practice makes perfect," a motto that is reality for soccer players who, if they become professionals, have played numerous seasons and games, allowing them plenty of time to hone their skills.