All Entries in the "32 players to watch" Category
Player To Watch #14: Daniele De Rossi
Number 14: Daniele De Rossi Country: Italy Position: Midfielder Club Team: Roma American-Based Professional Sport “Soulmate”: Brian McCann, C, Atlanta Braves Daniele De Rossi is lucky to be alive. No one bloodies Brian McBride’s face with a flying elbow and lives to tell about, except this particular Italian. Yeah, De Rossi is that guy. But [...]
Player To Watch #15: Thierry Henry
Number 15: Thierry Henry Country: France Position: Forward Club Team: FC Barcelona, Spanish La Liga American-Based Professional Athlete “Soulmate”: Warrick Dunn (retired), RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Atlanta Falcons I wouldn’t be too upset if our informed, gregarious and quick-witted The Yanks Are Coming readers called “handball” on our number 15 player to watch, France’s Thierry Henry. [...]
Player To Watch #16: Miroslav Klose
Number 16: Miroslav Klose Country: Germany Position: Forward Club Team: Bayern Munich American-Based Professional Sport “Soulmate”: Tomas Holmström, Winger, Detroit Red Wings Miroslav Klose is a poacher. He’s the talented executor of the ugly goal. He uses phenomenal instincts and more skill than most box-exclusive strikers to get the job done better than any other [...]
Player To Watch #17: Samuel Eto’o
Number 17: Samuel Eto’o Country: Cameroon Club: Inter Milan, Italian Serie A Position: Forward American Professional Sport-Based “Soulmate”: Zach Parise, Forward, New Jersey Devils At 15, Samuel Eto’o was plucked from his home in Cameroon, labeled a phenom and brought to the capital of Spain to battle for playing time with one of the most [...]
Player To Watch #18: Diego Forlán
Number 18: Diego Forlán Country: Uruguay Position: Forward Club Team: Atlético Madrid American-Based Professional Sport “Soulmate”: “Sugar Shane” Mosley, Welterweight Boxer Contrary to what you might have heard from Manchester United supporters whenever his name is brought up, Diego Forlán is no bum. Not only is he a financially well-off homeowner who’s had success (almost) [...]
Player To Watch #19: Michael Essien
Number 19: Michael Essien Position: Central Midfielder Country: Ghana Club Team: Chelsea FC, English Premier League American-Based Professional Athlete “Soulmate”: Tony Parker, PG, San Antonio Spurs Murtaugh: See how easy that was? Boom, still alive. Now we question him. You know why we question him? Because I got him in the leg. I didn’t shoot [...]
Player To Watch #20: Nemanja Vidi?
Number 20: Nemanja Vidi? Country: Serbia Position: Center Back Club Team: Manchester United American-Based Professional Sport “Soulmate”: Zdeno Chára, D, Boston Bruins Nemanja Vidi? is on the short list of players who legitimately belong in the best defender in the world conversation. Spain’s Carles Puyol and England’s John Terry (insert jab about Terry being a [...]
Player To Watch #21: Fanis Gekas
Number 21: Theofanis Gekas Country: Greece Club Team: On loan to Hertha BSC, German Bundesliga Position: Forward American Based Professional Athlete “Soulmate”: Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears For many of my American sports brethren—particularly those of us fortunate enough to hail from the South (whatever image you just put into your mind is hardly offensive—we’ve [...]
Player To Watch #22: Arjen Robben
Number 22: Arjen Robben Country: Netherlands Position: Wing Forward Club Team: Bayern Munich American-Based Professional Sport “Soulmate”: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees and Robert Horry, retired NBA forward/guard First let’s get a little background on Mr. Robben before we get down, Dutch, and dirty. You may not know anyone named Arjen, or you may live [...]
Player To Watch #23: Yakubu Aiyegbeni
Number 23: Yakubu Aiyegbeni Position: Center Forward Country: Nigeria Club Team: Everton FC, English Premier League American Based Professional Athlete “Soulmate(s)”: Jerome Bettis Divided by Lendale White In 1977, Pele, the greatest player in the history of football, predicted that an African nation would hoist the World Cup by 2002 (he actually said 2000 but [...]
