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Mark your calendars: it’s time to disagree with reigning clown Jamie Trecker once again.

Look, I won’t quibble with his opinion that Italy vs. Spain was a flop when it could have sizzled, but I think it’s highly unfair to claim that Spain was equally guilty for playing dour, gloomy football. Quotes like “both would have been better off if they had eased up on the reins in midfield, and just gone out to try to win rather than deciding not to lose” make me scratch my head. I just can’t figure Trecker out, since he’s smarter than this—isn’t he?

It seems patently obvious that the reason Spain did not go forward more than they did is because they did not want Italy to get a goal on the counter-attack and then sandbag for the remaining time (whether that might be 5 or 85 minutes) and the reason Italy did not go forward is because they thought they would lose an out-and-out slugfest with the Spanish midfield. Both were probably correct but it was the case (as repeatedly stated by Andy Gray during the match) that Italy was not going to play. I don’t think it’s fair or realistic to say that Spain, who out-shot Italy 27 to 12 and had at least two penalty appeals denied, wanted the game to go to penalties—especially considering Spain’s woeful track record from the spot.

Please explain to me how Trecker remains a “featured” analyst. He roundly criticizes Major League Soccer yet his solutions to fixing the league’s problems involve staggering amounts of money that no one has, and his criticism of Spain vs. Italy is “gee, these teams should have played all out offense because that would have been fun to watch.” Comments from Football365′s mailbox include “Spain had nearly 3 times as many shots on goal, and that is counting the weak excuses for attempts from Toni. When the Italians play in this typical way, I can’t help but wonder if they even like the game at all” and from a different contributor “taking nothing away from Spain, their offensive mind set and persistence should be commended.”

(sigh) If only my uncle had been Director of Communications for US Soccer…

Current Mood: Bored With Bad Commentary |