Will there be any stopping Lyon’s romp to an eighth title in a row?
-Curtis, Kansas City

From 1992 to 2004, Rosenborg dominated Norwegian football to the tune of 13 consecutive championships. From 1989 to 1997, Rangers lifted nine successive Scottish Premier League titles. Having won Ligue 1 for the eighth time on the bounce in May, Olympique Lyonnais are in some very rare company. And there is no reason to assume that their supremacy in French football is about to come to an end anytime soon.

For one thing, chairman Jean-Michel Aulas is obsessed with winning the Champions’ League. Until that happens, don’t expect him to relax the club’s policy of acquiring the top, young talent from throughout France and northern Africa.

Ahead of the 2008-09 season, Lyon spent $86.7million on incoming players. Most of their rivals spend a tenth of that amount. To a squad which already included established stars such as Cris, Juninho, and Karim Benzema, Aulas added Brazilian midfielder Ederson, Bosnia-Herzegovina international Miralem Pjanic, Cameroon enforcer Jean Makoun, Ghana defender John Mensah, and former Monaco striker Frederic Piquionne. This is a side which will be primarily concerned with European success. An eighth title would merely be a consolidation of expectations.

The slightest stumble, however, will surely make things interesting. Under rookie manager Laurent Blanc, Bordeaux finished just four points adrift of the champions last season. And, like a shot over the bow, they defeated Lyon in the preseason Trophée des Champions. Their starting-XI is capable of beating Les Gones on any given day. But beyond that, depth is an issue.

Perhaps with that in mind, Blanc will often deploy a lone striker. He has three to choose from. Marouane Chamakh, who started Sunday’s game against Caen, is tall, strong on the ball, and one of the top, young forwards in French football. Former Manchester United striker David Bellion will play a part as well. He scored 12-goals in the league last term after disappointing spells at West Ham and Nice. Finally, 24-year-old Argentina international Fernando Cavenaghi will be hoping to build on last season’s impressive haul of 22-goals in all competitions.

In the midfield, Brazilian winger Wendel will provide pace down the left and a deft touch on set-pieces. He scored 12 league goals in 2007-08; and a similar campaign would surely catch the attention of national team manager Dunga. Former Rennes and AC Milan midfielder Yoann Gourcuff will provide an attacking edge from the centre of the park as well. He scored six goals at Route de Lorient in 2005-06 but struggled to assert himself in Carlo Ancelotti’s Rossoneri squad. He will be allowed to get forward because of the steady presence of Alou Diarra. Maybe the best defensive midfielder in France, the 27-year-old is Bordeaux’s field-marshall. At 6-foot-3, he uses a strong physique to his advantage while accurately spraying the ball throughout the park.

Defensively, Marc Planus and Soulaymane Diawara will set up shop in front of goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé. They will be flanked by the adventurous Mathieu Chalmé on the right and Franck Jurietti on the left. As a unit, they are among the most balanced in Ligue 1. Only five clubs conceded fewer than Bordeaux’s 38 goals last season.

Beyond that, Blanc’s squad is small, young, and untested. And as they will be competing in the group phase of the Champions’ League, fatigue could become an issue by January or February. Still, they proved last spring that, when healthy and clicking, they can push Lyon to the limit. Of course, the stars will have to align for them to do so.

In trading the rights to Darren Huckerby and Brian McBride and moving Jeff Cunningham to FC Dallas, have Toronto FC actually strengthened their club? Or have they only weakened a struggling offense? It seems to me that these are three, giant names that really could have helped TFC.
-Brad, Winnipeg

In 32 appearances for Toronto FC, Jeff Cunningham scored just six goals. At 31-years of age, his pace had slowed considerably since his heyday with the Columbus Crew. To make matters worse, he was a negative influence in the dressing room and his lack of effort and frequent lapses in concentration earned him a consistent place in head coach John Carver’s doghouse.

On the pitch, Cunningham was a shadow of his former self while at BMO Field. A striker who was never blessed with a soft touch, he had made a name for himself by running around or through the opposing defense. Bus as age caught up with him, he was no longer able to create offense with his speed. And instead of refining his game to fit his abilities (think Brian McBride, Dwight Yorke, and Teddy Sherringham), he outlived his usefullness and became a cancer in the squad.

McBride, meanwhile, was never going to play in Toronto. Having often spoken of a desire to finish his career in his native Illinois, he was traded by the Reds to the Chicago Fire after his contract had expired at Fulham. Toronto merely owned is North American playing rights. And when the 36-year-old announced his intention to return to Major League Soccer, Mo Johnson converted those rights into Chad Barrett and a first round draft pick in 2009.

Barrett, a 23-year-old United States international, scored seven goals for Chicago in 2007. He is also a set-piece specialist and opened his account for Toronto by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. His arrival will look good on Johnson; and the draft pick will enhance the club’s shallow depth.

The Huckerby situation is somewhat more complicated. By all accounts, the 32-year-old forward was poised to join the squad in mid-July. Johnson, who welcomed the Norwich City icon to Toronto for a few days, had acquired the players rights by filing a “discovery claim” on him earlier in the month. But the deal fell through at the eleventh hour; and the Reds were left with an international roster spot and allocation money after moving him to the San Jose Earthquakes on July 14.

Money and terms aside, Huckerby turned down the chance to play in Toronto because of the artificial field turf at BMO Field. It’s a problem which is only going to compound itself for the club and its ownership group, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Defender Olivier Tebily criticized the pitch after departing the club last month. And Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham famously introduced himself to Toronto fans by making similar, disparaging comments about the field last season. Furthermore, Canada’s national team is loathe to use the venue for its home matches. One has to wonder why MLSE are so gung-ho about the turf. It’s driving away players and likely causing no shortage of aches and pains among the squad.

At first glance, when Toronto fans see that Cunningham, McBride, and Huckerby are plying their trade elsewhere, they are right to be disheartened. Don’t forget, however, that Cunningham was the only player of the three to actually start a match for the club. And his boots have been more than filled by Barrett.

Of course, the Reds remain in desperate need of attacking players. Paul Dickov was rumored to be pondering a move to Canada last month. But he signed a two-year contract with Leicester on August 7th. Hakan Sukur’s name is still being bandied about. And former Lazio, Valencia, and Italy midfielder Stefano Fiore has been linked with a move to Toronto as well. In the short term, Johnson may make an offer for Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz. The 28-year-old Guatemala international has played parts of only seven matches in 2008 and has been used sparingly by manager Ruud Gullit. Still, he is a proven goalscorer and has tallied 81 goals in 140 matches in Major League Soccer.

Have a question about football? Email your query to jerradpeters@gmail.com.

READER FEEDBACK

A fine article Jerrad!

However, I must differ with you regarding MLSE being gung ho about FieldTurf. 

The use of FieldTurf was very much mandated by various levels of government due to the required year-round usage of the facility, including nightly in the summer, by community groups.

MLSE / TFC has now seen the highly touted Darren Huckerby reject Toronto’s contract offer in favour of the natural grass of San Jose.  Also, Ronnie O’Brien, a huge contributor to the TFC cause in 2007 found it necessary to request a trade due to the wear and tear his body was experiencing due to the Field Turf.

MLSE is in a trap.  To get the government funding for the stadium, they had to accept the artificial surface.

Lately, MLSE executives have admitted that they are looking into the possibility of grassing BMO in the summer removing it in the winter so that the FieldTurf can be utilized under the air-support bubble.

Hopefully it will happen, if we can keep the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts out.

David B
Toronto