Boldly claiming “I am allowed now to have a big mouth, because the ESPN guys have paid me a lot of money for four years now. I can™t be censored anymore,”  former U.S. international Eric Wynalda had a handful of meaningful observations to share with FulhamUSA.com (“Why is EPL better? It™s not even the best soccer. Why is it the best soccer? It is the most entertaining. It is the worst defenders. They are all fired up. They are going to dive in. Why do you think I tried my hardest to get in there. Why is it so ***** exciting? Because it is 50 degrees and you can run all day.”), his remarks concerning noted soccerphobe Jim Rome are the most likely portions to receive national attention.

CF: If you could pick one name, besides yourself, who is going to be a big influence on soccer in the U.S., who would that be?

Eric Wynalda: I hope, I hope, it is ESPN. ESPN has the power, they are pulling the strings, they have the influence now to say, œYou want to market this thing, let™s market this thing.

You will never get a guy, in me, who is more of a believer in the American player. Jim Rome can suck my dick! And he should be very afraid, because I™m the kind of guy, if I get too many drinks in me, I will club his ass. I™ve been on with Jim Rome, and I said, œLet me get this straight, you™re more impressed with water polo???

Predictably, Wynalda has apologized for his remarks. And I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed. I’ve dismissed Wynalda as a budding Craig Stillborn in the past, and while stepping to Rome does little to change that, I couldn’t help but fantasize over the following  :  Wynalda and Rome club each other with blow dryers. Rome loses, badly. Wynalda is fired from his ESPN analyst gig.

For American footie fans, it would be a win-win scenario.