Might as well
jump right in to the off-season dealings and signings taking place…the Galaxy
have really added star-power to their front line in selecting Juan Pablo Angel
in this week’s Re-Entry Draft. Now – will the Galaxy be plagued by the
same problem that the Red Bulls had last season…big money in offense without
sterling results? Other notable re-entry picks are Fred going to New
England, Frankie Hejduk (glad we didn’t sign him) now on the roster with LA (by
way of Kansas City) and the Fire bringing veteran defender Cory
Gibbs to help shore up the back line - a big need with the loss of CJ
Brown and Wilman (The Beast – per my two kids) Conde.
Looking
forward to the Superdraft in January – my three guesses for the Fire’s
first round pick are; Matt Kassel - an extremely talented midfielder from
MARYLAND, Michael Farfan – another standout midfielder who played for UNC, or,
Colin Rolfe – a junior forward who led LOUISVILLE into a title game this season
in NCAA soccer. My money is on Rolfe, an attacker who creates scoring
opportunities…we need a strong presence up front to help Pappa and
Nyarko.
It looks as
though the Galaxy may have a spot for Angel if Edson Buddle’s training stint
with English Premier League team Birmingham works out. He’s currently getting a
loog to see if he can add life to their offense. I hate see
talented American players moving overseas to play…I truly believe that MLS is
becoming a premier league equal to those across the Atlantic!
So, 2022 World
Cup in Qatar, <sigh>…..
Now FIFA is
talking about that Cup being held in the winter due to the extreme heat…this
all could have been avoided had FIFA chosen better…like say, the USA!
Should be interesting, this decision could affect the World Cup locations in
the future.
The US and
some of our coalition partners have suffered loss of life here in Afghanistan
since my last posting…I am always thankful for the days when we do not receive
word of losses. I am also very mindful of the losses our Afghan partners
suffer, at a very high frequency.
Overall, we
are making big strides in helping to develop a military and national Police
Force here. We are moving very rapidly, building infra-structure along
with capabilities and a sustainable force. I spent two days this past
week in a joint conference between the Afghan National Police and our
coalition. We split into joint working groups to help restructure
recruiting and training of the police force. Working through the
different mindsets is one of the harder tasks. At the end of the two
days, all of us had a much better appreciation for our partners…and I am
continually encouraged that we are making a real difference!
We have a ways
to go…but each week that passes, we accomplish more, build better relationships
with our Afghan partners and knock out pieces of work that needs to be
done. I have to remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. We will
endure and achieve!
I want to
close with thoughts of Christmas. I hope that everyone back home is
enjoying this time of year…be thankful for all that we have as Americans.
So, from
Kabul, Proud to serve…and, GO FIRE!!!
