Breaking News: Liberia to Host 2026 FIFA World Cup

In a shocking turn of events, Monday morning from their headquarters in Switzerland, FIFA announced that Liberia will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The announcement was not expected to take place for a couple of years but with the recent media backlash, FIFA decided that it was time to do something big.  But big does not begin to describe the move Sepp Blatter and the rest of the FIFA committee made Monday morning.

When asked for a comment, a spokesman for FIFA said, “FIFA has a long tradition of bringing the sport’s biggest event to small and developing countries.” He continued, “This World Cup is still 12 years away, we are 52% positive that the Ebola virus will be eradicated by the time the first match is played in the capital city of Monrovia.”

When asked to comment about how this decision was made, FIFA remarked that they are already compiling a group of their own lawyers and judges to perform a review of the process and a summarized version of the findings will be distributed in the upcoming months or years.

At this point all we know is that FIFA has once again made a bold move in awarding the World Cup to the struggling African nation.

A copy of the ballot used to elect Liberia was leaked by the Swiss media. Included in the ballot are the other countries which appear to have been considered for the 2026 World Cup:

A couple of things jump out as you review this ballot.  First is that the ballot appears to have been written with a marker which leads us to believe this voting process was last minute and completely informal. Second is that the leaders at FIFA refer to the United States as “Toilet Bowl”. It has long been suggested that FIFA President Sepp Blatter has had negative feelings towards the USA but never before have those feelings been so clear.

It pains me to say it, but the next three World Cups will be held in Russia (2018), Qatar (2022) and Liberia (2026). We have witnessed another historical level of stupidity and corruption by FIFA. Well done FIFA, well done.

Note by the author: If you haven't already noticed, this article is a parody, or in other words, it's completely fake and I made it all up.

The Tiers of the Champions League

It's time for the UEFA Champions league (UCL).  This means two things.  Time to watch some of the best soccer in the world and time to watch teams that you may have never heard of before.  For us Americans unless you are a crazy insane diehard or an imegrant from one of these smaller Euorpean countries, each year there is a team or two that you will be watching play for the first time ever.  Many of these teams have already had to win a few matches just to qualify for group play.  But now we have 32 teams.  And instead of ranking each of team, I've put them in tiers to help you know a little bit more about each of the teams.  Let the tour of Eurpean Soccer begin:

The "Only hope is for one single point" group

Maribor – The Purples from Slovenia won their league last season but clearly look like the cellar dwellers from group G.  They have won the Slovenian league a total of 12 times, but like many others, they are just excited to be here.

BATE – The winners of the Belorussian Premier League.  Interesting note, BATE is an acronym for Borisov Works of Automobile and Tractor Equipment.   They are not a stranger to the UCL and are not in a very difficult group.  They won’t be an easy win for the other teams in their group.

APOEL – Not much love for this team from Cyprus.  They are matched with Barca, PSG and AJAX and will likely not be favored in any match.

Basel – There group has two clear front-runners (Real Madrid and Liverpool).  They will be in a fight with Lodogorets for the Europa spot.

Malmo – They are the most popular team in Sweeden and where Zlatan Ibrahimovic began his career.   But they are clearly the 4^th place team in their group.

Ludogorets – By far the feel good story of the tournament.  If you haven’t seen the story of how this Bulgarian team qualified for group play, then watch this video right now.  In my mind, they’re already champions.

The "Might make some noise" group

Shaktar Donetsk – Winners of the Ukrainian Premier League.   Also find themselves in a group where any two teams could advance.  Might surprise some people.

Olympiacos – They drew a tough group with Juventus and Atletico Madrid.  They are known for having a serious home field advantage and may surprise a team or two at home in Greece.

Sporting Lisbon – The runners up in Portugal will hope to be runners up in their group and hope to upset either Chelsea or Shalke.

Galatasaray – I don’t know much about Turkish Football, but one thing I do know is that no one likes to play in Turkey.  They shocked everyone last season advancing out of the group stage over Juventus and have a decent chance of getting to the knockout stage again.

Anderletcht – The Champions of the Belgium league are in a group with one clear favorite and 3 others contending for second.  It’s between them, Galatasaray and Arsenal.  I’d put my money on Arsenal, but wouldn't be shocked if either of the other two make it out of the group instead,

CSKA Moscow – If I have to pick one group to call the group of death, then I would pick group E.  Going up against Bayern Munich, Man City, and Roma, CSKA look to be the clear choice for 4^th place.  But don’t count them out so easily.  They have won the Russian Premier League 2 years running and may be able to steal points away from Roma and City at home.

The "Happy to get out of the group stage" group

Monaco – I would have felt much better about Monaco before they sold James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao.  But they are in a group where they not only are fighting for second, buy may actually have a shot to win.

Porto – The Portuguese team find themselves in a very, may I say “easy” group.  For a team that finished third in Portugal, they are in a group up against no world powerhouse.   

Bayer Leverkusen – They are also in a group where I could put all 4 teams in a hat, pick 2 and those teams could be the ones to advance.  All four of the teams in their group make it into this tier, they’ll be happy to get out of the group, but I don’t see them making much noise once their out.

Athletic Bilbao – I have a soft spot in my heart for Athletic Bilbao.  In a world where money has taken over the football, Athletic Bilbao has a policy to only recruit local players.  I hear stories about the days when all players for a certain club were actually from that city and many worked blue collar jobs in the city to help them survive.  Not only does this make Bilbao unique, but the fact that they are competitive makes them even more fun to cheer for. 

Benfica – Exactly what I already said about Bayer Leverkusen.  It’s anyone’s ball game.

Ajax – This very talented Dutch team got very unlucky with their draw.  They have to go against Barca and PSG.  Clearly they appear to be the third place team in the group, but I wouldn't count them out quite that easily.

Zenit St Petersberg – Similar to how Manchester City and PSG have got lots of money recently, Zenit is following the same path.  They finished second in the Russian league last season, but thanks to the influx of money, they have a handful of players many fans will recognize, but they are still several players away from truly contending.

The "Not quite title contenders" group

Schalke 04 – In the Bundesliga there are two top teams right now and then a big gap and then Schakle 04 who comes in third.  But in their group, they appear to be the second best team and if you are a believer that German Football is the best in the world, then you may argue that they are the best team in their group.

Paris St Germain – Money money money… MONEY!  They've won the French League title two years running but have yet to duplicate that success in Europe.  But they keep spending (David Luis? $64 million?) and well this may be the year it pays off.  They will get out of their group, but once they do, it all depends on their draws to see how far they go.

Manchester City – I feel like I just got done talking about money.  Well here I go again.  Full disclosure, in case you didn't already know, City is my favorite team in the world.  Yet I can be completely unbiased about this pick.  They have to play Bayern Munich.  They are still not quite as good as Munich.  So at best they can hope for second in their group.  But wait, then there is Roma.  They ain’t no walk in the park.  Oh, and they have to travel to Russian to play the Russian champs.  I do think they will finish second in their extremely difficult group, but second only means they then will be paired against a group winner, which could mean a repeat of last season.  Maybe one year they will catch a break in their group.

Arsenal – Clearly a very talented team, but they too will be hoping for a second place finish in their group.  But after 17 straight seasons in the UCL, will this finally be the year they win it all?  Nope. It won’t be.  Sorry, better hope lucky number 18 treats you better.

Roma – Remember what I said about Man City? Well, that’s pretty much exactly what I have to say about Roma.  I think they will finish in third, but I it may come down to goal difference.  So the question is, can they lose by fewer goals against Bayern Munich than City?

Liverpool – The only reason Liverpool makes this tier is because they should clearly make it out of their group.  They do have to face Real Madrid, but they should win all other matches.  After a long absence from the UCL, they are back but I don’t think they are ready to make a long run quite yet.  But the sale of Luis Suarez may in the end help them as they were able to purchase a lot of depth for a season in Europe.

Atletico Madrid – Last season’s runners-up and Spanish champs.  They came within just a few minutes of winning the title.  Can they repeat the feat this season as well?  I don’t think they can, but with Diego Simione as their manager, I don’t ever count them out.
Juventus – I am a sucker for Carlos Tevez.  He has been one of my favorite players since the time I first saw him play.  Then there is Arturo Vidal, who I would never wanna run into in a dark alley.  I love the way Vidal plays as well.  And you can’t forget about old man Gigi Bufon. Juventus is going to be a fun team to watch and may even make a semi-final if the draws are kind to them.

The "May just win it all" group

Bayern Munich – They have made it to the final is 2 of the past 3 seasons and won it all 2 years ago.  They have to be my favorites to win it all this year.  Many of their stars know what its like to win big tournaments after winning the World Cup this summer and should have extreme confidence for their club team as well.  Munich was great last season and only got better this year.  All they are missing to be perfect is Julian Green, I mean the kid scores in every big match he has ever played in, too bad they sent him out on loan… their lose.

Real Madrid – So if Bayern Munich is my title favorite, I have to put them as 1a and Real Madrid as 1b.  There is not a big gap between these two teams.  Yes I know Madrid embarrassed them in the semi-finals last season, and yes I know that Real added some great players in the off season, but I honestly think losing a play maker like Angel di Maria will hurt them.  And will Cristiano Ronaldo be sold in the January transfer window?  I doubt it, but I simply think Real Madrid will come up a little short of repeating the title this season.

Barcelona – It was only 2 years ago we were talking about Barcelona being the greatest team of all time.  Last season, even though they came within one match of winning the La Liga title, they simply didn't look as dominate as before.  But can you imagine playing defense against Messi, Neymar and now Luis Suarez?  I would stand still and pee my pants if I saw that coming at me.  It will be interesting to see how they all play together once Suarez’s suspension is over.

Chelsea – So far, Chelsea is clearly the best team in England.  Diego Costa is scoring at an unbelievable rate and Cesc Fabregas is distributing the ball like a chef at IHOP distributes pancakes.  They have made it look easy so far.  Both Costa and Fabregas know what it takes to have success in Europe and could take Chelsea back to the top where they were just 3 years ago.

Borussia Dortmund – For casual or new soccer fans, you may not be aware of Borussia Dortmund.  They are the number two team in Germany and they are a lot of fun to watch.   Year after year they keep selling their best players to Bayern Munich and year after year they are still competitive.  Their bright yellow and black kits pop out on the screen and they look like a pack of bees speeding past defenses.  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one of the most fun players to watch and Macros Reus is quite entertaining himself.  I don’t think Dortmund will win the title this year, but if they are playing, I’m watching.

NFL Season Preview

I am far from an NFL expert but I thought it would be fun to make some predictions before the start of this upcoming season.  After a handful of seasons where a team got hot at the right time and carried that success all the way to a Super Bowl, it would be hard to find someone to argue that the best team didn't win the Super Bowl last season (and I'm sure all those people who will argue for that live in the Bay Area).  Seattle looked to be a step ahead of all other teams last season, or in the case of the Niners, not so much a step a head as a  finger tip ahead.  Many people, for the first time in several years, think the Seahawks have what it takes to win it all again and start the makings of a dynasty.  I would not be shocked if the Hawks are champs once again, but they lost some key players in the off season in order to pay their young stars.  They will be good, but the question is, did other teams get better while the Hawks remained the same?
Here's how I see it playing out this year:

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: 3-13 – Worst team in the league and their #1 overall pick will be heading to Cleveland.  The best part about their defense, Mike Pettine left for Cleveland, the same place their pick is heading.

Miami Dolphins: 8-8 –This is the season Ryan Tannehill takes a big step forward and achieves the coveted “league average quarterback” status.

New England Patriots: 12-4 – Similar to the San Antonio Spurs, I believe the Pats, led by a much improved defense, has one final title run left in them.

New York Jets: 6-10 – Average defense, awful offense.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: 9-7 – The Ravens offense will not be as bad this season as they were last season, but the defense is getting old and doesn’t intimidate opposing offenses like they used to.

Cincinnati Bengals: 10-6 – The Bengals overcome the shock of the Andy Dalton contract and win the division.

Cleveland Browns: 4-12 – Similar to last year, the Browns will keep a lot of games close but without a competent QB and big play threat on offense, they will consistently fall short.  But no worries, they should have two top 5 picks in next year’s draft – thanks Buffalo.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-8 – It all comes down to the offensive line and if they can protect Big Ben from injury.  The Steelers better be careful or Tomlin may be shown the door before the season is up.

AFC South

Houston Texans: 8-8 – Much better than last season, but they still lack a winning QB and history doesn’t convince me that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the right guy to lead a team to the playoffs, but I still expect a resurgent season.

Indianapolis Colts: 9-7 – The default winners in the worst conference in the NFL.  The Colts have Andrew Luck and that’s about all.  If anything happens to Luck, this team is looking at another 2 win season.

Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-10 – The Jags should be more competitive this year and likely won’t be getting 10 points from Vegas each week.  Bortles looks like the real deal and the additions of a couple of Super Bowl winners from Seattle should make this team better, but the Jags are very thin and any major injury could ruin their entire season.

Tennessee Titans: 7-9 – I like the combination of Ken Whisenhunt and a healthy Jake Locker.  But they are trying out a new defense which could take a handful of games to figure out.  They may win some close games and upset a few teams, but they fall short again of the playoffs.

AFC West

Denver Broncos: 13-3 – Assuming Manning can stay healthy; there is no reason to believe the Broncos can’t repeat the offensive outputs from last season.  The defense is healthy and deeper.  I see a very similar team to last season, but better built to contend if injuries occur.

Kansas City Chiefs: 7-9 – Clearly the candidate to be one of this season regression teams.  Last season’s schedule was much easier.  I think a weak offensive line will lead to a banged up Jamal Charles and the defense lost a lot more this off season than they gained.  They may still be feeling the hangover from one of the worst playoff beats I’ve seen in my lifetime.

Oakland Raiders: 4-12 – Over/Under number of games before Dennis Allen gets fired? I’m setting that line 6 games.  The Raiders could very easily go 0-6 to start the season and possible 1-9 in their first 10.  Their schedule looks rough and a rookie QB doesn’t help convince me they will improve on last season’s 4-12 record.

San Diego Chargers: 10-6 – Can the Chargers offense duplicate their success from last season?  I think they can and I also think their defense will be better.  If it wasn’t for Peyton Manning, I may be tempted to bet on Phillip Rivers to win the MVP.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: 6-10 – Possibly the worst defense in the NFL.  The offense may be able to do enough to help them defeat lesser opponents, but the defense is so bad, I can’t see them finishing above .500.

New York Giants: 7-9 – I honestly don’t know what to think about the Giants.  I think Eli could throw more picks than TDs.  Not likely, but I wouldn’t put it past him.  Everything about the Giants looks very middle-of-the-road. 

Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5 – Similar to the Colts, the Eagles will win the division by default.  I am excited to see what the Eagles look like in the second season of the Chip Kelly mega offense.  I am all-in on Nick Foles.  Many say that he was simply the beneficiary of the Kelly offense.  Well, duh, any QB in this offense would have inflated stats.  But still, I think Foles is not only an above average QB, I think he is in MVP talks 2 to 3 years from now.  I bought a lot of Nick Foles stock while he was in college and I can’t wait to cash it in and become a rich man.

Washington Redskins / Pigskins / Warriors / Whatever they will be called next season: 5-11 – Similar to how I am all in on Nick Foles, I am pretty close to being all out on RG3.  I know the preseason doesn’t mean anything, but all you have to do is look at him and it’s clear to see that Griffin still looks uncomfortable.  He has some impressive weapons, but the offense will rely on him too much and the team will be too stubborn to bench him for Cousins.

NFC North

Chicago Bears: 9-7 – Should be a very exciting offense with a below average defense.  If you don’t have at least one Bears player on your fantasy team, you will be missing out on some good fantasy points.

Detriot Lions: 7-9 – For a team that has Ndamukong Suh this defense is quite awful.  Stafford and Megatron should be fun as always to watch and Stafford will come close again to passing for 5,000 yards.  But in doing so, he will likely pass the ball to a player on the other team around 20 times.

Green Bay Packers: 12-4 – A healthy Aaron Rodgers should lead the Packers to another great season.  I don’t have a lot of faith in the defense, but the offense should be good enough to overcome that defense.  If for some reason it’s not the Broncos, I’d expect the Packers to finish with the top offense in the league.

Minnesota Vikings: 9-7 – I think Bridgewater will become a very good NFL QB.  He isn’t gonna get their quite yet in his first season, but if he is given the chance to play, he will make the Browns look stupid for picking Johnny Football over him when both QBs were still available.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: 9-7 – The Falcons were not as bad last season as their record would indicate.  A slew of injuries kept them from reaching their potential.  They will recover some this season, but may still fall short of the playoffs, but I think they sneak in thanks to some tie-breakers.

Carolina Panthers: 5-10 - Compared to last season’s Panthers team, the version they send out this season will look much more like your average house cat than a Panther.

New Orleans Saints: 11-5 – Drew Brees on offense and a Rob Ryan led defense.  I’m in.  If the Saints can figure out a way to get the top seed in the NFC, they would have a similar walk to the Super Bowl as the Seahawks did last season thanks to their incredible home field advantage.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-8 – I think Lovie Smith was the best head coaching hire of the off season.  The Bucs were not as awful as their record indicated last year.  They are one year away from being a legitimate contender in this division.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: 10-6 – Their defense will take a step back this season due to injury but I am much more bullish on their offense than your average person.  No Carson Palmer is not an MVP candidate, but I think he is smart enough to make the right reads and distribute the ball accordingly.  My biggest concern is if he can stay on his feet facing the rest of the NFC West defenses.

St. Louis Rams: 6-10 – Potentially the best defensive front 7 in the NFL.  The secondary will be average and the offense will be below average.  I don’t think they would have been much better with Sam Bradford and his season-ending injury maybe only sways my prediction by one game.  Take a look at your Fantasy league; does anyone have a single St. Louis Ram offensive player on their team? (Unless you were on auto-draft and picked Bradford).

San Francisco 49ers: 8-8 – Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong for the Niners has this off season.  Suspensions and injuries have turned this champion contender into a middle of the pack team.  Not to mention a coach that never denied trying to leave for Cleveland.   I see the Niners starting off the season slow before figuring it out around week 8 and fighting for a wild card spot, but coming up just short.

Seattle Seahawks: 12-4 – Not much to say about the Hawks.  They will be good again.  The biggest difference I see from last season to this season is a much improved offense.  I know it’s only preseason, but at one point, over a two game stretch, Russell Wilson led his offense down the field to score on 9 consecutive possessions.  Not only did they score, he made it look so simple and absolutely picked apart the opposing defenses.  I think Wilson takes another big step forward this season, but the Madden curse may hit the Seahawks defense who I believe will make a slight decline this season.

AFC Playoffs:

Wildcard Round

#3 Cincinnati vs. #6 Baltimore – Winner: Bengals

#4 Indianapolis vs. #5 San Diego – Winner: Chargers

Divisional Round

#1 Denver vs. #5 San Diego – Winner: Broncos

#2 New England vs. #3 Cincinnati – Winner: Patriots

AFC Championship

#1 Denver vs. #2 New England – Winner: Patriots

NFC Playoffs

Wildcard Round

#3 New Orleans vs. #6 Atlanta – Winner: Saints

#4 Philadelphia vs. #5 Arizona – Winner: Eagles

Divisional Round

#1 Seattle vs. #4 Philadelphia – Winner: Eagles

#2 Green Bay vs. #3 New Orleans – Winner: Saints

NFC Championship

#3 New Orleans vs. #4 Philadelphia – Winner: Saints

Super Bowl

New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots – Winner: Saints

2014-2015 English Premier League Season Preview

Breathe in and out… we are only two days away from the start of the EPL season.  Sigh.  Wow, it feels like the league never went away.  That was the quickest 97 days I can ever remember.  I feel like we’ve spent most of our summer hanging out with our favorite players.  From the World Cup to the International Champions Cup, we were never far apart from the ones we love the most.  Now it’s time to begin another long roller coaster of a season and it’s time to start making what will inevitably be, wrong predictions about the EPL.  Who will win the league? Who else will finish in the top 4? Who’s gonna be relegated? Who will score the most goals?  These and a few other questions I attempt to answer below.  Full disclosure, I will probably get every one of these questions wrong, but that’s exactly why I love this league.  So here I go.

Champions: Chelsea

Of all the EPL teams, I have to be the most impressed with what Chelsea did during the Summer transfer period.  With the additions of a couple of Spaniards, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa (well, kinda a Spaniard, but mostly a Brazilian), as well as Filipe Luis, Thibaut Courtois (who was on loan with Atletico Madrid) and the return of Didier Drogba, Chelsea look ready to take down the Premier League in Jose Mourinho’s second season of his second stint with the club.  Hmm, a title in Mourinho’s second year, if that sounds familiar, that’s because he’s done that before, a few times.  Back in 2006 Mourinho led Chelsea to the EPL title in his second season with the club (well, he also did it in his first season too).   Then in 2010 in his second season with Inter, he led them to the Serie A title in Italy.   Finally, in 2012, now in his second season with Real Madrid, his team finished atop the La Liga table.  The special one has figured out how to win championships during his second year with the club.  Chelsea appears to have got the right group of players (they finally have a striker better than Fernando Torres!) to allow Mourinho to put out a starting 11 that on paper, looks better than the rest of the league.

Runners-up:  Arsenal

Possibly the biggest news of the summer was that Arsene Wenger spent some money.  I mean, there’s a first time for everything.  The most notable signing of the off season was Alexis Sanchez who never seemed to be used to his full potential while with Barcelona.   Along with the transfer of Sanchez, Arsenal added a couple of defenders – French international Mathieu Debuchy and the young Calum Chambers who came over as part of the Southampton fire sale.  The biggest question as to whether or not Arsenal can contend for a position at the top of the league will be their health.  They have been injury plagued during the past several seasons, but if Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Jack Wilshire can all stay healthy and contribute, Arsenal looks to be very talented and for the first time in a while, quite deep on the bench as well.  This goes without mentioning their returning players like Oliver Giroud, Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski, Mesut Ozil and others who led Arsenal last season to another top 4 finish.   Arsenal was great last season against the bottom teams in the league but really super extremely awful against  the other top 4 teams.  I think they will be much more competitive against the top teams this year and will prove that they belong near the top of the table.

Third place: Manchester City

This 2014-2015 City team will look almost identical to the team which won the title last season.  Thanks to the slap on the wrist they got from the Financial Fair Play rules, they have not been amongst the big spenders this off-season.  So the question is, is this a good or a bad thing the Cityzens?  Here’s how I look at it.  City won the title last season by only 2 points and was not sitting on top of the league table until the penultimate weekend of the season.  By no means did City run away with the title last season.  So while the other teams around them got better, City remained the same.  One of the biggest questions for me will be the fitness and quality of play from Kun Aguero.  He was injured off and on last season as well as during the World Cup.  And when he did play for Argentina, particularly in the final, he did not look like himself and it was clear he was struggling to run down the passes played for him on the wings.  Yes City have other Strikers including Dzeko and a healthy Jovetic as well as one of the league’s most powerful midfielders in Yaya Toure, but I think they will struggle to defend their title if Aguero is not able to run past and get in behind opposing defenses with the constant threat of putting the ball in the back of the net.

Fourth Place: Liverpool

I think the final Champions League spot will be a toss-up between the two Merseyside teams, Spurs and Manchester United.  But even without Luis Suarez, I am giving the edge to Liverpool.  Last season we were all introduced to the talents of Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert from Southampton.  Unless you were paying close attention to the middle-of-the-pack Saints the previous season, you probably failed to notice these two emerging talents until Southampton suddenly made a run for the top of the EPL table during the first few months of last year’s campaign.  Now Lambert and Lallana as well as Dejan Lovren (along with pretty much everyone else at Southampton) has left Saint Mary’s and these three have found a new home at Anfield.   Liverpool played without Suarez to start last season as he was… wait for it… serving a suspension for biting someone (one year later, not much has changed) and only lost one match (ironically to Southamption) during Suarez’s absence.  The biggest surprise of last season was not that Suarez led the league in goals, but it was the emergence of some bright young stars like Jon Flanagan, Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho and Raheem Sterling.  Liverpool still has the second piece of their strike force, Daniel Sturridge, who will now be paired with Lambert, who scored 28 league goals in the past two seasons.  No Lambert cannot replace Suarez, which is why I think Liverpool take a step back from last season, but I still think Brendan Rodgers will put a very competitive team on the pitch each week, ready to compete with the rest of the title contenders.

Fifth Place: Manchester United

Sixth Place: Tottenham Hotspurs

Seventh Place: Everton

Eighth – Seventeenth place: Who knows

Relegation (18^th, 19^th and 20^th place): QPR, West Bromich Albion and Burnley

Biggest Surprise Team of the season: Leicester City
Top Goal Scorer: Diego Costa

Player of the year: Jack Wilshere

Young player of the year: Raheem Sterling

Who’s this guy? I’ve never heard of him before: Bruno Zucculini
Best new kit: Queens Park Rangers
Worst new kit: Arsenal (only because they're made by Puma - TIGHT)
(I know its not an EPL team, but I have to mention how awful Real Madrid's away and third kits are this season, almost Liverpool bad from 2013)

Most likely to become my wife’s new crush: Aaron Ramsey

There you have it.  I hope you all enjoy the first weekend of the EPL season. My only advice, don’t jump to any conclusions after one weekend.  Don’t forget, this is a marathon and not a sprint and in this season where there are 4 or 5 or 6 legitimate title contenders, we may not know until May 2015 which team will be lifting the trophy above their heads when it’s all said and done.

Time to Choose Your EPL Club

So you enjoyed the 2014 World Cup.  So did I.  And now you find yourself asking yourself or others, “How do I get more of this thing called soccer?  I don’t want to wait 4 more years until the next World Cup.”  Well I have great news for you, you don’t have to wait.  Soccer is available on your TV right now.  You can start enjoying some great MLS action immediately.  But what if you want to follow some of the big names that you watched in this summer’s World Cup, how can you follow those players?  Well lucky you, the world’s most popular and exciting leagues are all about to start in just a few weeks, with the English Premier League kicking off in just 2 weeks (August 16).

Now the EPL does not contain some of the big names that you fell in love with during the World Cup, players like Messi, James (Ha-mez, don’t call him James) Rodriguez, Neymar, and just about the entire German squad (they pretty much all play for the same team, Bayern Munich).  But the EPL does have one thing that the other European leagues don’t have… a major TV deal in the US.  If you wanna watch La Liga, you can only watch one or two games a week on Bein Sport.  If you’re interested in following many of the World Cup champs, you have to try and watch Bayern and the other Budesliga teams on GOL TV.  But if you want to watch the EPL, you can watch every single match, either on TV or streaming online with NBC Sports Network.

So let’s talk about the EPL.  For many Americans, thanks to the success of the World Cup, this may be the first season they watch England’s top league.  Being a first time viewer, you have two options, you can either enjoy the games and watch them without any rooting interest or you can pick a team and follow them during the 9 month roller coaster that is the world’s most exciting sports league.  I personally think that all sports are much more exciting when you have a horse in the race.  I love March Madness and will watch every single game, but those games lose a lot of their allure once my team has been defeated.  The same applies for all other sports I follow. 

So now that I’ve convinced you to pick a favorite EPL team, the questions comes, how do you decide?  The great thing about becoming a fan of any of the European soccer leagues is that you can pick which team you want to support.  It’s like reading a choose-your-own-adventure novel.  You are not held down by any restrictions like home-town loyalty or family traditions.  So now that you can control your own destiny, let me help you pick which team you should cheer for by asking you a few simple questions.  Answer them honestly and by the end, you should be ready to select your newly beloved English Premier League team.

1)      Have any of your favorite American sports teams won a title in the past 5 years?

If you answer yes to this question, you are banned from selecting any of the big 4 clubs, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal.  If you know what it feels like to win a championship, you need to know what it feels like to cheer for a team that is not winning or at least contending each year. 

The opposite of this applies to those of you who have not experienced a championship recently.  If you don’t remember what it feels like to win a title, maybe you should go for one of these teams.

2)      Do you like an underdog story, but you also like winning more than you like losing?

Many people say they like to cheer for an underdog, but when it comes down to it, they at least want to be competitive in every game they play and don’t want to be cheering for a losing team.  If you are one of these people, then you should consider Tottenham Hotspurs or Everton. 

3)      Do you like the way the NFL is set up where your team only plays once a week, or do you prefer the other leagues (NBA, MLB and NHL) where teams play more than once?

If you like watching your team more than once a week, then you probably want to pick a team that is either playing in the Champions League (City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal) or the Europa League (Spurs and Everton).  Most of these teams also have a good chance of making it far in the domestic cups (Capital One Cup and FA Cup).  I’ll also add United into this group of teams because even though they will not be in any of the European tournaments this season, they’ll be back soon.   But if you like the NFL model and only wanna watch one match a week, then pick one of the other teams.

4)      Do you hate the Red Sox and/or the Yankees?

If you do, then you don’t wanna cheer for Liverpool (owned by the Red Sox ownership group) or Manchester City (business partners with the Yankees).

5)      Did you fall in love with Argentina’s stripe jerseys at the World Cup or did you like the classic solid color jersey?

Argentina was the only team sporting a striped shirt and it truly made them stand out.  If you found yourself cheering for the one team with a striped kit, then you should think about supporting one of the striped EPL teams.  You have a few more choices in the EPL including Stoke City, Southampton, Sunderland, Hull City (aka Hull Tigers), Crystal Palace, West Bromich Albion, Newcastle United, and Queens Park Rangers (horizontal stripes).  So if you like the stripes, now you just need to pick which color combination you like best, if you don’t like strips, then pick one of the many solid color kits.

6)      Are you a true American at heart and want to cheer for an American player in England?

Sadly, at the current moment, you don’t have a lot of US players to choose from in the EPL, but you do have a few.  Center-back Geoff Cameron (yeah the one who gave up the opening goal against Portugal) plays for Stoke City.  Goal keeper extraordinaire Tim Howard (who you fell in love with in the Belguim match) plays for Everton.  Current second string US goal keeper (and likely the starter in the 2018 World Cup), Brad Guzan plays for AstonVilla.  Striker Jozy Altidore (the one who played 20 minutes against Ghana before pulling his hamstring) plays for Sunderland.  And I can’t fail to mention Brad Friedel, the grandpa of the group, is one of the backup keepers for Tottenham.  Additionally, Captain America, Clint Dempsey, played for Fullham (no longer in the top division) and Tottenham before making his move to Seattle.  And finally, Landon Donovan had two loan spells with Everton during his time with the LA Galaxy.

7)      Do you legitimately want to cheer for an underdog, even at the risk of watching your team get relegated to the lower division?

If you are brave enough to sit through a season that may end with your team dropping out of the Premier League and playing in the Championship next season, then you should pick one of the cellar dwellers of the league.  Now I must say that some years the relegation battle at the bottom of the table is much more interesting than the title race at the top.  Some seasons one team will run away with the title with several weeks remaining, but there may still be a fight to keep your head above water and not be drowned out of the bottom of the league.  So if you’re man enough to endure a season of mostly losses and draws, maybe one of these teams is right for you: West Bromich Albion, Hull City, Aston Villa, Sunderland, West Ham United, Swansea City, Queens Park Rangers, Leicester City, Burnley and Crystal Palace.

8)      Do you like bubbles?

Well, then this one’s easy, pick West Ham United.

9)      Do you drive a Chevy?

If you do, or if you are a supporter of American automobiles, then you might consider picking Manchester United, who now sports an oversized Chevy logo on their kits.

10)   Are you an accountant and/or do your personal finances using Quick Books?

What goes better together than Accounting and Soccer? West Brom is the team for you.

11)   Do you like to hang motivational phrases on the walls of your home?

If your walls are covered with phrases like “Home is where the heart is” or “Families are Forever” then maybe it’s time you add one more inspirational phrase to your walls, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – the team slogan of Liverpool. 

12)   Do you have some sort of connection to Wales instead of England?

The EPL does include teams from the country of Wales as well as England, but this season, there is only one team from Wales in the league, Swansea City.

13)   My final question… Do you know how to use the internet and can you read?

If you are reading this article online, which I can only assume you are, then you both know how to use the internet and how to read.  My final suggestion to you, go and research some of the clubs you’re considering.  Learn a little bit about their history and see if you can find a team that connects to you.  Hopefully your experience of choosing an EPL club is similar to the sorting hat of Harry Potter, you will not pick the team, but the team will pick you.

So choose wisely, because like one of greatest supporters of Soccer in America, Roger Bennett has said, “You can change your partner, you can change your underwear, but you can never, ever change your football team.”  

So enjoy the 2014 - 2015 EPL and best of luck to you and your new favorite club.

United States: How to win the 2034 World Cup

July 1, 2014 will go down in my personal history as quite a bitter-sweet day.  When it comes to international soccer, I cheer for two teams.  First and foremost, the United States, because it is my home country.  But only slightly behind the USMNT I cheer for Argentina, the country where I spent some of the best years of my life and where I truly feel in love with soccer (futbol).   Yesterday, both teams played in the round of 16 of the World Cup.  Both matches went into extra time.  Argentina, thanks once again to Lionel Messi, scored the game winner in the 118^th minute to advance to the quarterfinals for the third straight World Cup.  Three hours later, the USMNT gave up 2 goals in extra time and in the end came up short losing to Belgium 2-1.  They had their chances to win, but the writing was on the wall from the first minute of the match; Belgium was the better team. 

So the World Cup dream for this set of American players has ended.  For some it may be their last chance to play on the world’s biggest stage, and for others, their international careers are just beginning.  I saw something here in the United States that I don’t believe I had ever seen before.  Over the past 2+ weeks I saw an entire country come together and cheer for the same team.  I saw pictures of entire stadiums filled with fans who took the day off from work to watch the USMNT play.  I saw people wearing the US jersey (which was rather hideous) on the streets accompanied with a red, white and blue scarf in the middle of summer.  I saw people who not only really cared about the United States, but people who really cared about soccer. 

I am someone that is called a GFOP.  If you follow the English Premier League here in the US you might know what I am referring to. If not, I will explain.  There is a weekly soccer podcast called Men in Blazers hosted by Michael Davies and Roger Bennett.   Those of us who listen to the podcast (some might even say religiously) are known as Great Friends of the Pod (GFOPs).  These two men have one main belief, that soccer is America’s sport of the future.

 I have always loved soccer.  I played it as a kid and I truly fell in love with the game while living in Argentina.  I remember watching the World Cup for the first time in 1998 when I was 10 years old and have watched every World Cup since.  But I was always kind of a loner when it came to my love of soccer.  This country's attitude for soccer certainly has changed since that World Cup in France 16 years ago, but we still have a long way to go.  Yes I along with the brilliant Rog and Davo believe that soccer is America’s sport of the future, but I still don’t believe that future is directly ahead of us. 

It was great to see the crowds of people watching these games, but what happens now?  Today the USMNT is no longer in the World Cup, so what will all these supporters do?  Will the excitement of soccer die off for 4 more years until we are reunited in Russia? The images of the USMNT supports paint a picture of a soccer crazed country, but the daily life inside the work place paints a completely different picture.

During the World Cup I had several co-workers say things like “Why would you like a sport that can end in a tie?” or “Why is the US still alive after losing to Germany?”  A couple of days ago one co-worker asked another “Would you rather see the United States win the World Cup or see the Mariners make the playoffs?”  Without hesitation the answers was “Mariners make the playoffs.”  I also heard lots of negative comments about soccer from people like, “When is the Boring Cup over?” or “If I wanted to watch people try and score for 90 minutes I'd rather take my friends to a bar!"  

Yes it is true, there were a lot of people supporting the USMNT during their run in Brazil, but if we want to become a soccer powerhouse, we need to become year round fans and not simply fans of the game for one month every 4 years.  This sport needs to be something that we really care about.  We need to be able to walk into a pub in England and carry on an intelligent conversation with a Football obsessed Englishman.  I am not saying that every single American needs to love soccer, but as a whole, we certainly need to care about it more than we do now. 

If we want to win the 2034 World Cup, we need to get Soccer on our televisions throughout the entire year, teach our kids to love the game, watch our kids grow and play and then enjoy as they raise that golden grapefruit-looking trophy in twenty years.  Why do all our kids wanna play football and basketball? Because that is what they see on TV.  What if they saw soccer on TV and went to MLS matches? They would have a love for the game and want to play it throughout their lives.  If we watched MLS matches on TV and went to the stadiums, the teams would increase their revenues which would allow for them to purchase higher profile and more expensive players from the best leagues in the world. 

I have 3 simple lessons I learned during my time in Argentina that we as Americans could apply to our lives if we want to take the next step to become soccer proud country:

1)  Support the MLS.  This is something that I too am guilty of.  Until recently I did not live in a city with an MLS team.  I have supported my favorite English team for years but never cared much about the MLS.  The biggest reason was that the level of play was not on par with what I was accustomed to watching in Europe.  But as I watched the World Cup, I was delighted to see the MLS players shine against some of the world’s biggest stars.  And like I mentioned above, if we begin to support MLS, money will come into the league and the quality of the soccer will soon follow the money.  I am not suggesting that we all become season ticket holders, but we can go to a few matches each year.  We can watch the games when they are on TV.  We can buy our local team’s jersey.  We can actually care.

2) Follow other leagues around the world.  When I first started really caring about soccer as a teenager it was almost impossible to follow the leagues over in Europe.  I had a favorite team but I knew little to nothing about that team because I could never find the games on TV and the internet was not quite what it is now.  Now, thanks to NBC Sports Network, every single English Premier League match is available to watch on TV or stream online.  Every single match.  That’s incredible.  If you want to fall in love with soccer all you need to do is pick a team and follow them throughout the season.  There is something special about waking up first thing in the morning on Saturday and watching two matches before my wife wakes up (that probably won't work if you live on the east coast).  You can pick a title contending team or a team that has an underdog story.  You can watch your team fight for the title or try to claw their way out of relegation.  It is important that we support our local MLS teams but the quickest way to fall in love with soccer is to watch the best soccer the world has to offer in the different European leagues.

3) Make soccer a part of your year round lives.  I am not saying that we need to go get the logo of our favorite team tattooed on our body, but soccer should become more a part of our lives than it currently is.  Here are some simple things that we could do. 

·         Put a bumper sticker of your favorite team on your car

·         Wear your favorite team’s jersey

·         Play FIFA, the video game

·         Have soccer related conversations at work and with friends

·         Have an emblem of your favorite team on your desk at work

·         Get sports updates from different teams and leagues sent to your phone

·         Read a book or two about soccer history or your favorite team’s history

·         Most importantly, become a GFOP and listen weekly to Men in Blazers (If you like MiB, and can't get enough soccer podcasts, also check out Caught Offsides)

I am not suggesting that soccer become the most important aspect of our lives.  I know that there are many things in our lives that are much more important than any sport.  But if we want to one day witness our country win the World Cup, it all starts with us, the supporters of the USMNT (side note, our team needs a REAL name).

Look Out NBA - Bring your Suns Screen, Next Season You're Gonna Get Burned

In the life of a sports fan one thing is always consistent: every season comes to an end.  And for most fans, one other thing is often consistent: the season ends without a championship.  All it takes is simple math to figure out that if only one team can win a championship each season that means 29 other teams go home empty handed.  Yes I understand that there are conference and division championships, but let’s be honest, no fan really cares about winning a conference or division championship.  No one rushes out to purchase shirts that declare “Pacific Division Champions”. 

Most seasons will end in disappointment.  Most will end with heartbreak.  Many will end in missed opportunities and falling short of expectation.  Second only to being a parent and raising children, the most helpless and excruciating job in life is that of a sports fan.  A sports fan has absolutely no control over the outcome of a game.   He is forced to sit there and watch while screaming at the TV and telling the coach or players what to do, but they never listen.  A true sports fan is forced to love his team unconditionally no matter what happens.  If your team falls short of a title, no one knows better than the fan what trades the team needs to make, what players they need to sign and what young stars they need to draft.  But no team’s General Manager has an open door policy to listen to the fan’s suggestions.  Yes, being a fan is completely helpless and most years hopeless.

Ask 99% of fans if they would consider a season in which their team lost 3 straight games at the end of the year and therefore missed the playoffs, if that season was a success?  Now imagine that in all 3 of those games that team had the lead in the 4^th quarter.  Imagine that this team had double digit leads in two of these games and in one of those games, the opposing team was resting two of their best players.  Even with all these factors in your team’s favor, they still lose all 3 of these “must-win” games and end up missing the playoffs.   Sounds to me like that season would go down in the books as a letdown and a major disappointment. 

Now what if I told you that this team and the overall season they had was in no way a disappointment but instead, exceeded all imaginable expectations.  I of course am talking about the Phoenix Suns.  If we can remember all the way back to October before the season started, all the top NBA minds (myself included), predicted that the Suns would finish in last place in the Western Conference and would likely win a grand total of 15 games.  This season was for sure going to be a massive tank job and the Suns would be contending for the top pick in the upcoming draft.

All we have to do is take a look at last year’s team and compare it to the team they put out on the court on day one this season.  Four of the five starters from last season (Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown, Luis Scola, and  Jared Dudley) were no longer on the team to start this year.  The head coach was let go halfway through last season and a new head coach, Jeff Hornacek, would be taking the reins of his first NBA team.  Last year the team won only 25 games, the fewest they had won since their inaugural season in 1969.  Those 25 wins were good for last place in the western conference and earned them the number 5 pick in the draft. 

In the off season the Suns began to overhaul their entire roster (not to mention a much needed redesign of their jerseys).  In addition to the 4 players listed above, Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Kendall Marshall, Jermaine O’Neal and others would not be returning for this season.  Replacing them would be a group of players who many other teams had thrown down to the end of their bench.   Both Gerald Green and Ish Smith have played for more teams than they have played years in the league.  Channing Frye was returning from a life threatening heart problem.  Mason Plumlee was averaging a solid 0.5 points per game for Indiana and was going to be stuck into the Sun’s starting lineup.  The one off-season signing that showed any hope was Eric Bledsoe.  But Bledsoe was a backup point guard for the Clippers and had not proven that he could lead a team.  Not to mention, the Suns already had a PG, Goran Dragic, why did they need another one?  The moment Bledsoe showed up in Phoenix, the rumors began that Dragic was on the trading block and would not make it through the entire season.

Looking at the turnover on the roster, the brand new coach, and the losing culture that has been in Phoenix ever since 2010, there was no reason to believe that the Suns could even match their win total from last season.   Not to mention that they play in the extremely difficult Western Conference.  For a fan, there was little hope when the season began.  All I could do was look forward to the 2014 draft and hope that Andrew Wiggins would make his future home in the valley of the sun.

The 2013-2014 season has now come to a close for the Suns and 13 other teams who will miss out on the playoffs.  Most of those teams and their fans (probably no one more than the Knicks) are upset and frustrated as another fruitless season comes to an end.  I on the other hand am just upset about one thing: that I won’t get to watch this team play for another 6 months.  This Phoenix Suns team has very likely been my all-time favorite Suns team.  Wait, what did I just say? My favorite Suns team ever? But they didn’t even make the playoffs.  When I take some time to consider the Suns teams of the past that included Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kevin Johnson, Charles Barkley and others, it is quite bold to say that this team was my favorite, but I don’t know how else to say it. 

The Suns won 30 more games than they were supposed to.  They were alive for a spot in the playoffs until the final week of the season.  They left us with some memorable wins including two over the Thunder, two blowout wins over the top seeded teamin the east, Indiana, a 41 point game by Gerald Green and a 40 point game by Goran Dragic.  They were the last team to beat San Antonio before they went on a 19 game win streak.  Oh and did I mention that they did all this while Eric Bledsoe missed a huge chunk of games during the season due to multiple injuries?   Did I also mention that they have the second lowest payroll in the NBA and their highest paid player, Emeka Okafor, didn’t play a single game all season?

(Here are a few more highlight from just a few of the many exciting games this year: Bledsoe hits a buzzer beater against the Jazz, Suns end Portland's 11 game win streak, Suns blowout the Clippers in LA, Green hits the game winner against the Wolves, the season end with Archie Goodwin scoring his career high 29 against the Kings.)

Any and all expectations I had for this season were shattered.  Not only did they win more than anyone expected, their style of play, their never give up attitude and the personalities on the team made them so much fun to watch (pay attention to play #5 in this video, this is exactly why I love this team).  I will forever remember this Suns team and I hope that in a few years I can look back and see how this team laid the foundation for a future Phoenix Suns championship, and not just a Pacific Division title.

So with a pivotal offseason ahead, Phoenix will hope to retain their core players, as well as strengthen their roster through the draft and free agency. With so many ways to improve, we really don’t know, what’s next.  All I can say is that I can’t wait to watch.  My buddy Ed will take a look at what we hope to see this off season in Phoenix.

Suns Offseason 

by Ed Rothlisberger

Many months ago before this season began, brand new GM Ryan McDonough began collecting draft picks and young players for what many thought was destined to be a rebuilding year. Flash forward to the trade deadline. What, the Suns are contenders?! How is this possible? Many people thought the Suns would deal draft picks and Emeka Okafor’s expiring contract for some veteran leadership in order to secure a playoff spot. Well, the deadline came and went without anything happening and as was mentioned before the playoff spot now belongs to the Memphis Grizzlies. Did not making a deal at the deadline cost the Suns a playoff spot? That is debatable, but I digress…

Before the start of the season it was clear that best option for the Suns was to rebuild with youth. Now there seem to be countless paths that the Suns can take. I propose a three step plan that will not only ensure the Suns making the playoffs but quite possibly could be the beginning of a dynasty.

Step One: Keep Dragic, Bledose and Green

Ok, maybe that is not the cleverest play on words but it shows the three players that the Suns need to sign to long term deals: Green, Bledsoe and Dragic. Dragic was an important piece that Phoenix found necessary to bring back and played like an All-Star this season. I won’t even mention the fact that he got robbed of a spot on the All-Star team…ok I will mention it and I am still bitter. Bledsoe showed the ability to be a great combo guard and the perfect complement to Dragic in the backcourt. So why make keeping a 28 year old journeyman wing player a priority? Bledsoe missed about half the regular season games this year. Dragic got dinged up here and there. When one of these players was out Green stepped into a starting role and made people forget about the “bust” label so many people had tried to place on him. Green shot 45% from the field, a ridiculous 40% from 3, 85% from the charity stripe and averaged almost 16 points per game for the season, which included 47 starts. He also remained healthy and showed that his freak athleticism has not left him. When he isn’t starting Green plays the Jamal Crawford role as a scoring sixth man. There aren’t many Jamal Crawford’s in the NBA which makes Green, who becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2015, a valuable commodity. A four year, $25 million deal, possibly with a player option for a fifth year seems like a fair deal for a player like Green. Critics may say that this is an anomaly season for Green but I believe he has found a system and a situation where he can continue to thrive.

Step Two: Sign a Free Agent or Two

Let’s take a look at some of the possible free agents this offseason. LeBron James most likely is keeping his talents in South Beach, as is Dwyane Wade (although the Bulls could make a push for his services). Carmelo Anthony most likely will not use his early termination option and neither will Chris Bosh. Greg Monroe is a restricted free agent that the Piston’s will either keep or shop around in order to begin their rebuild. Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan will likely retire with the only teams they have ever known. So who else could come help push the Suns over the edge and into the playoffs? For starters, a small forward would come in very handy. PJ Tucker played excellent defense and better than expected offense as a starter this year but he is a restricted free agent that I do not see the Suns holding on to. Luol Deng is an unrestricted free agent in Cleveland. Gordon Hayward and Evan Turner are restricted free agents for their respective teams. Hayward is most likely staying in Utah, although the prospect of playing for his college coach in Boston may sway him to the east coast. Turner does not have a clear role in Indiana and was playing great ball in Philadelphia but has be inconsistent during his career. Deng has expressed his displeasure with the situation in Cleveland and is a great scorer who can rebound well but comes with a hefty price tag. Both players would benefit from a change in scenery and I would not mind seeing either as a Sun, but having that veteran leadership that Deng would provide has me leaning towards signing him.

Another place where the Suns could use improvement is with the center position. Miles Plumlee started most every game this season and certainly exceeded all expectations. However, his minutes and overall production dropped as the season progressed. Alex Len, our lottery pick from last year, has shown some promise in limited minutes but is still a year or two off from making an impact. Oh yeah, we also had Emeka Okafor who did absolutely nothing for us and is pretty much gone. So the Suns have two young developing centers would could use some veteran leadership and mentoring. Enter Pau Gasol. The Lakers are looking to start a youth movement of their own and it seems that Gasol does not figure into their plans. He also dealt with vertigo towards the end of the season along with some other injuries. Even though this sounds unappealing, let us all remember the miracle workers that are the Suns’ training staff. Remember the magic they worked on Steve Nash all those years? Why can’t they do the same for Gasol? Gasol is veteran big man with playoff experience and a great work ethic. He is a smart player (was almost a doctor in his native Spain) and would play a huge role in providing valuable mentoring to Plumlee and Len as well as productive minutes on the court. Imagining a starting lineup of Dragic, Bledsoe, Deng (or Turner), Frye and Gasol brings a big smile to my face.

Step Three: The Draft

Barring any trades the Suns have six first round picks over the next two years. That is insane. It is also an opportunity to load up on young talent and work on developing them into productive NBA players. Although it is not set in stone yet, nbadraft.net has Suns having the 14^th, 17^th, and 26^th picks in the first round of this year’s draft along with the 44^th pick in the second round. If the Suns did make a splash in free agency by signing one or two big names the Suns’ roster would be bulging at the seams. In this scenario it would be in the best interest of the Suns to draft many players with high upside who can be stashed overseas or in the D-League while they develop. If the Suns do not sign any free agents they could very well use the “draft the best player available” strategy to bolster the overall talent on their roster. Here is what I would want to see happen, regardless of what happens during the period of free agent signings and based off the projected picks from nbadraft.net.

14^th pick – The best available point guard. Who came in during the season to play point guard when Dragic and Bledsoe were both taking a rest? Ish Smith. This left me scratching my head many times wondering “What the ish?” Certainly we can upgrade our backup point guard situation through the draft. Although Dante Exum and Marcus Smart will be long gone there will be many viable options for us at this pick. Zach LaVine, an athletic point guard from UCLA could be available. Tyler Ennis from Syracuse could also be available. Shabazz Napier from the champion Uconn Huskies and Andrew Harrison from the runner up Wildcats of Kentucky could also be options here. In the end, I think the Suns would pick up Tyler Ennis and immediately start reaping the benefits of having his services.

17^th pick – Power Forward. Channing Frye may help spread the floor but his rebounding is suspect and he isn’t getting any younger. Markieff Morris is a better rebounder than Frye but still lacks consistency. Plumlee is more of a center than a power forward. This would be the perfect place to draft the power forward of the future. One candidate who I am very high on is Adreian Payne of Michigan State. Payne can spread the floor with an impressive outside shot but also is not afraid to bang with the big guys in the low post. He is a bit older than most people in the draft but he is athletic and a man of great character. If you get the chance read the story about him and his relationship with 7 year old cancer patient Lacey Holsworth. I did and could not control the tears that freely flowed from my eyes. Even thinking about it now as I write this gets me choked up.

26^th pick – High upside foreign stash. This is where I would take a foreign player who is still raw but is showing signs of brilliance and secure their rights while they develop overseas. Players that fit this category are Clint Capela, an extremely raw 6’11 power forward from Switzerland, Mario Hezonja, a 6’7 Croatian swingman playing for FC Barcelona, or Walter Tavares, a 7’3 giant from Cape Verde who is currently playing from Gran Canaria in the Spanish league. The first two seem like great investments, especially Hezonja, but hey, who wouldn’t want to have the rights to a 7’3 giant? Funny story about Tavares, he has only been playing basketball a couple of years and was discovered in Cape Verde by a German tourist in 2009. Keep your eyes out while on vacation everyone, you could wind up finding a future NBA player.

44^th pick – D-League stash. At this point I’d pick up a college stud who could use some refining in the D-League before taking it to the next level. Iowa State’s small forward Melvin Ejim, North Carolina’s combo forward James McAdoo or Cincinnati wing player Sean Kilpatrick are all candidates here. I’d love to see the Suns pick up Kilpatrick since he already has a stellar offensive game.

After going over the three steps the Suns should take during the offseason, my ideal 2014-15 Suns would look something like this: Dragic, Bledsoe, Deng, Frye and Gasol starting with Ennis, Green, Goodwin, the Morris twins, Payne, Plumlee and Len coming off the bench. In my perfect world I see the Suns grabbing the 6^th seed in the playoffs and possibly making some waves in the first round of the playoffs. Or I could be completely off my rocker with everything that I have said. Either way it will be interesting to see what movies and picks are made during this offseason and how it will affect us in the years to come.