Updated my list of MLS Supporters Club....true I left some off, so if you know any that I'm not reppin' please let me know.
Thankful list:
1. The FIRE will have one more fan next year (my newborn son or daughter).
2. The league finally got it's Beckham Cup. After all, they had to deal with quite a bit of hubris to get to that point.
3. Jesse Marsh calling Houston's bluff. You know the guy spent time in Chicago.
4. John Harkes being out of a job. Cold hearted, yes, but man that guy could make a winning lottery ticket seem lame.
Showing posts with label Beckham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beckham. Show all posts
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Friday, October 5, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 10/05/07
Thanks for the patience – The Snob is still preparing the new grounds to play to the teams strength. In the meantime, please enjoy this training session.
TOP STORY
US Open Cup
Congrats to the Revs for finally getting a result out of PHP when it counted. Unfortunately, no one knows about the tournament they won thanks to the continues poor promotional efforts of the folks behind the Open Cup. Attendances do seem to be climbing, but this tournament of underdogs versus the big dogs is just the thing that casual American sports fans can get behind.
Quick Notes:
- Glad to see the Crew pick-up Glidden as a sponsor. Glidden has been stepping to the plate for a while here and now has taken the next step. If you find yourself in Home Depot, check out the Glidden paint display. They have a “Team Colors” brochure that features rooms done up in Rapids and FIRE colors.
- Garber the Don threw the gauntlet down on Rico Clark for his absurd attack on Carlos Ruiz. Garber fined Rico more than half a developmental players salary and suspended him for nine games. In effect saying, you don’t mess with stars or national broadcasts.
- Did Bruce Arena bribe Steve Morrow to pick-up Denilson? You know Il Bruce will go to great lengths to put Claudio Reyna in the best light. The Brazilian couldn't even make the Open Cup roster because Dallas could only carry five foreign players. Denilson has sunk sub-Oduro!
- Oh, look whose training with the Galaxy again (for the first time?, for the last time?) Can’t wait for the Beckham v. Blano showdown October 21. There might be a playoff spot in the balance.
MLS Prediction Central
Last Post (3-2)
SEASON (45-75)
Kansas City v United - Look for the Wizards to pull out a tie over a spent United. (although they didn’t really seem to be exerting much energy south of the border)
RSL v LA Goats – RSL is doing it’s too little too late routine once again. Should be enough for a draw.
FIRE v REVS – Another sellout for Blanco and another blown lead, but this time FIRE find a way to win and stay ahead of the crew.
Columbus v Dallas – Crew drops a fading Dallas side.
Rapids v UFC – Another playoff contender tries keep the interest of the masses as the Rapids roll over Mo’s bhoys. (Let’s face it, its not a friendly pitch to Scots.)
Dynamo v Gals
Gals playoff hopes take a hit as the Dynamo chase the West crown and the Supporters Shield in front of one of the best crowds MLS has seen (south of the US-Canada border)
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
US Soccer Snob Filler Update 8/29/07
Apologies to loyal readers, but the column will be delayed a day and shorted due to FC Soccersnob’s Pitch Relocation Efforts which will be more Chicago-style than San Jose if you know what I mean.
SuperLiga
It all comes down to this. The worst team in MLS getting pounded into Bolivia by a Mexican club. Really, would anyone feel that less confident in the American entry if RSL donned Galaxy jerseys tonight? At least the Gals are staying in the news, so they got that going for them.
Tonights predictions:
Wednesday
KC vs. RSL – Again, I’m a fool, but I gotta think that KC’s rough and tumble backline is going to have trouble with the speed of Robbie Findlay. This should allow RSL to pull out a draw.
Pachuca vs. Gals – The is no way the Galaxy win this game. Pachuca is the only team in this hemisphere that could currently be considered one of the top five in the world. The Galaxy are one of the few teams in this hemisphere that would actually be know in europe…..as punchline.
SuperLiga
It all comes down to this. The worst team in MLS getting pounded into Bolivia by a Mexican club. Really, would anyone feel that less confident in the American entry if RSL donned Galaxy jerseys tonight? At least the Gals are staying in the news, so they got that going for them.
Tonights predictions:
Wednesday
KC vs. RSL – Again, I’m a fool, but I gotta think that KC’s rough and tumble backline is going to have trouble with the speed of Robbie Findlay. This should allow RSL to pull out a draw.
Pachuca vs. Gals – The is no way the Galaxy win this game. Pachuca is the only team in this hemisphere that could currently be considered one of the top five in the world. The Galaxy are one of the few teams in this hemisphere that would actually be know in europe…..as punchline.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 08/15/07
TOP STORIES
Beckham Enters
I’m not sure what you expected on those Beckham long passes and his one free kick. On the free kick, Carlos Pavon met it at the near post was completely covered and did fairly well getting the ball anywhere near the goal. Long pass number one, was easily dealt with by Troy Perkins, while his long pass to Donovan should have resulted in a PK. It’s not like every time Beckham passed in EPL or La Liga it lead to a goal. I sometimes wonder whether the MLS critics watch anything other than highlights from other leagues.
LA is a better team than they’ve showed this year, but they need time in training with Beckham. I thought their biggest error is playing Donovan as a forward. He is always more effective when he get more touches as an attacking mid. The problem for LA is that they have Beckham, Donovan and Kyle Martino with Attacking Mid as their best position. I say leave hothead Martino on the bench and play Becks right in the center, with Donovan just in front of him and Buddle/Pavon up top.
To the dismay of a great Revs crowd, Becks sat out against the Revolution a couple of days after his United debut due to his arch nemesis Field Turf coating the field. Just as Becks and the Gals get people on board the flying and ankles and swelling and swamp gas excuse, word comes out that by apparently flying the plane backwards to LA, Beckham is suddenly “78%” ready to play in Thursday’s Superliga fixture. Here’s the bottom line: Becks isn’t going to play on Field Turf unless he’s 100%. Sorry New York, but you still might get a token appearance, after all the game is on national TV.
Here’s a quick Becks PT equation:
National TV:
ABC (+6), ESPN (+4), Fox Soccer (+2), All Other Channels (0)
Field:
Grass (+2), Field Turf (-2)
Flight:
Eastbound (-2), Westbound (+2), No flight (+1)
Advance Ticket Sales:
36,000+ (+4), 22,000 – 36,000 (0), 0 – 22,000 (-2)
Scoring
Negative – Hugo Boss Suited Becks
0-4 – Warm-up bench Becks
4-8 – Limited Minutes Becks
8+ - Full 90 Becks
Enough ankle gate for now……..
SuperLiga
The Dynamo/Pachuca rematch lived up to the hype and became an instant Superliga classic. This game had everything ugly in it, but made for a thrilling evening for 21,000+ at Robertson Stadium. Playing a role in the match; a face volley, three ejections, a shootout, last minute heroics. The Dynamo took a lead thanks to some great right side work by Brian Mullan who smoked his defender on the way to the endline. At the endline, he sends in a low cross to the feet of an open DeRo who takes a crack at it. The ball ricochets off of his face and into the back of the net from 10 yards out! Not a goal of the year candidate, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. The Dynamo topped this feat by poorly heading a ball back to the keeper from near midfield ten minutes later. It fell to the feet of a Pachuca forward who was brought down by Patrick Ianni who was given a straight red card. While the ensuing free kick from just outside the box amounted to nothing, Pachuca did manage to tie the game before the half. The second half saw more excellent ball possession by Pachuca and eventually a great goal from Andres Chitiva. The outmanned Dynamo seemed headed toward the inevitable until the 83rd minute when Eddie Robinson powered home the tying goal, setting off wild celebration throughout the majority of fans in Robertson. The game was headed toward overtime, but not before Chitiva was awarded his second yellow for diving of all things. Back on level terms, the Dynamo found some decent offense in the first extra frame until substitute Cory Ashe was sent into the midfield camera stand by a Pachuca defender. While still on the ground, a dazed Ashe then attempted to cleat a nearby Pachuca player earning him a dismissal as well. Both team’s defenses held and off to the shoot out we go. Neither keeper could stop the first three chances. The first miss came courtesy of US national team striker Brian Ching, who had keeper Miguel Calero leaning the wrong way and still managed to hit the post. Houston keeper Pat Onstad rescued the moment by saving the next Pachuca attempt. Joseph Ngwenya tried to really put the pressure on the Mexican side by rolling the limpest penalty kick taken by an MLS side since Ante Razov’s MLS Cup 2003 attempt. Calero stood his ground and used his groin to stop the shot since he didn’t even need his hands, while wagging a finger at Ngwenya. Rafael Marquez Lugo finished over a diving Onstad to seal Pachuca’s place in the Superliga final. This game was a tribute to the potential of this new tournament and the equality of the top teams in CONCACAF.
Stars and Stripes Swap Sides
Due to irreconcilable contractual differences ($), the Red, White and Blue (nicknames for our national team are welcome in feedback), will not get the pleasure of visiting Azteca Stadium on September 9th. Our boys have to settle for Brazil at Solider Field. Drat! I mean, now I get to see the Yanks give the Samba boys a shot within walking distance of my house. Oh, cruel fate! I have seen a quality for quality swap like this since Deep Purple replaced legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore mid-tour with legendary guitarist Joe Satriani. I guess that makes it three victories we’ve scored over Mexico this year.
MLS Week 19 –
Thursday
LA vs. United – With Becks clearly ready to take his MLS bow serial idiot, Kyle Martino foolishly dives in on Fred’s ankle and gets sent off, sending his team to certain doom. In the UK they would call it a “horror tackle” here we just call it dumb! Few in the crowd likely saw the tackle given that it coincided with Becks removing his warm-up shirt. I’m surprised that any of the ESPN cameras even were trained on the action. I’m mean, there was a man running back and forth on the sideline for 20 minutes! Landon Donovan did a good disappearing job for 60 minutes. Shocking that this would happen when he was playing up top. The good news is that the home team won and everybody when home happy. Except for LA. Hey went to New England frustrated.
Saturday
Crew vs. Dallas – This might be Fox’s match of the year. A rather anemic first half gave way to a wild finish at PHP. Dallas had to shelve Juan “The Revelation” Toja due to a Superliga injury. Oft injured Adrian Serioux started the match but was shockingly injured in the first half and was replaced. Only Columbus could score in the first half that saw each team taking control of the action. The second half began with a great deal of Columbus pressure, but it was Dallas that scored off a nice bit of opportunism from a Arturo Alvarez who finished in a classy manner when the ball deflected to his feet in the box. The score wasn’t tied for long as Columbus converted a penalty kick after Chris Gbandi dragged down Wild Man Hedjuk just near the end line. Andy Herron handled the PK with ease. The goal of the game began at the foot of goat in waiting Marcelo Saragosa. Who finished Oddly, the crowd seemed to steadily grow from minute 0 to 70.
MOTM: Dax McCarty
Dynamo vs. Rapids – It was Bouna time and is still Clavejo time at DSG Park, however, all this result got him was a stay of execution. I only managed to see highlights of this game due to the HDNet Blackout, but it didn’t appear that I missed much.
MOTM: No Position to Judge
Sunday
UFC vs. The Flagship – What do we do when you are being marked closely and Mo Johnston I your coach? You punch the defender in the gut and get away with it! I wouldn’t expect to see Andrea Lombardo for a bit UFC fans. He can visit the rest of the team in the ER this week. This match also gave us the great National Post headline “Toronto FC Crushed by New York Teenager.”
MOTM: Jozy Altidore – His second goal may have sealed his transfer to Euroland.
LA vs. Revs – Yallop pulled his head out of his butt for one game to start a line-up that has a modest chance at success. Two forwards up top backed by Landon Donovan at attacking mid. Crazy, I know! However, it was the same old result for the Galaxy who were without Abel Xavier who would have prevented the Revolution goal. What was also made clear in this match is that Ty Harden is not improving. Only the play of Joe Cannon and some Revolution misfires kept this match from getting ugly. The Galaxy had some moments, but it would be nice if they could ever field the same team twice. If LA manages the playoffs this year, it will make Real Madrid’s 2007 feats seem small by comparison. Frank Yallop knows Alexi Lalas has fired managers for less, but Yallop is not a miracle worker. A combination of rash front office moves, key injuries and media whirlwind have combined to turn the Galaxy into the most publicized soap opera on grass and Yallop it’s all too weak adhesive.
MOTM: Shalrie Joseph for being everywhere all evening.
MLS Commentators
Much has been made about ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel. While four commentators jammed into a booth can get annoying, particularly if one is Michael Wilbon, it is still far more preferable to the single announcer format. That form of commentating is dreadfully boring, despite being filed under “traditional” by footie-philes. The optimal format would be the classic American play-by-play guy with a knowledgeable and opinionated color guy, a role that Eric Wynalda perfectly fills. His ideal compatriot would be the terrific Glenn Davis or the highly knowledgeable Max Brentos, however, you’ll have plenty that “can’t stand” Brentos either. I could take or leave the sideline report, but the interviewing coaches in the middle of matches has to go!
A Friend in the MediaYesterday morning, I was watching C-Span2's Book Symposium (I dig deep for you people!) featuring Dave Zirin. Zirin is a non-conformist American sports writer who was discussing his latest book, "Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics and Promise of Sports" The title alone made me think about soccer of course. Although the audience didn't touch on our favorite sport, I did manage to find quite a bit about Zirin online. As part of an interview, he had this interesting observation that many of us can relate to:
“You know, when you talk about liking soccer in the U.S., people act like you're taking French lessons at the local Muslim school. You might as well burn the flag in your backyard. The fact is, it's the most popular youth sport in the United States. Whether people want to admit it or not, soccer is a major sport in this country.”
At his website, he did have this must read article about a life changing event at a soccer match.
Quote of the Week (source ESPN Soccernet)
Sigi Schmidt on David Beckham: "When you look at his face, he's not here for retirement. He's not here for a paycheck. He's here to step on the field to win games. That's not something you can hide or disguise."
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (3-2)
SEASON (40-68)
Thursday
Revs vs Rapids – poetic that the Revolution will be the team to send Clavijo out to the unemployment line again.
Saturday
Chivas vs. UFC - the woes continue for Mo’s Street Fighting team as rested Chivas blasts a broken team.
United vs. Crew – A classic match-up that finally means something again. Look for the Crew to rebound from last weeks let down and score a big win over the Eastern Conference foes.
Galaxy vs. The Flagship – 15 minutes of Becks isn’t enough to save the Gals from their third consecutive league defeat.
FIRE vs. RSL – These two struggling, but rising sides battle to a well played draw. The point earned does little to inspire playoff dreams amongst their fans.
Sunday
Dallas vs. Dynamo – Fear the Fish! Dallas is a very dangerous team now and should dump the Dynamo on their home turf.
Revs vs. Wizards – This is one to Tivo! I believe in the Wizards at home.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Beckham Enters
I’m not sure what you expected on those Beckham long passes and his one free kick. On the free kick, Carlos Pavon met it at the near post was completely covered and did fairly well getting the ball anywhere near the goal. Long pass number one, was easily dealt with by Troy Perkins, while his long pass to Donovan should have resulted in a PK. It’s not like every time Beckham passed in EPL or La Liga it lead to a goal. I sometimes wonder whether the MLS critics watch anything other than highlights from other leagues.
LA is a better team than they’ve showed this year, but they need time in training with Beckham. I thought their biggest error is playing Donovan as a forward. He is always more effective when he get more touches as an attacking mid. The problem for LA is that they have Beckham, Donovan and Kyle Martino with Attacking Mid as their best position. I say leave hothead Martino on the bench and play Becks right in the center, with Donovan just in front of him and Buddle/Pavon up top.
To the dismay of a great Revs crowd, Becks sat out against the Revolution a couple of days after his United debut due to his arch nemesis Field Turf coating the field. Just as Becks and the Gals get people on board the flying and ankles and swelling and swamp gas excuse, word comes out that by apparently flying the plane backwards to LA, Beckham is suddenly “78%” ready to play in Thursday’s Superliga fixture. Here’s the bottom line: Becks isn’t going to play on Field Turf unless he’s 100%. Sorry New York, but you still might get a token appearance, after all the game is on national TV.
Here’s a quick Becks PT equation:
National TV:
ABC (+6), ESPN (+4), Fox Soccer (+2), All Other Channels (0)
Field:
Grass (+2), Field Turf (-2)
Flight:
Eastbound (-2), Westbound (+2), No flight (+1)
Advance Ticket Sales:
36,000+ (+4), 22,000 – 36,000 (0), 0 – 22,000 (-2)
Scoring
Negative – Hugo Boss Suited Becks
0-4 – Warm-up bench Becks
4-8 – Limited Minutes Becks
8+ - Full 90 Becks
Enough ankle gate for now……..
SuperLiga
The Dynamo/Pachuca rematch lived up to the hype and became an instant Superliga classic. This game had everything ugly in it, but made for a thrilling evening for 21,000+ at Robertson Stadium. Playing a role in the match; a face volley, three ejections, a shootout, last minute heroics. The Dynamo took a lead thanks to some great right side work by Brian Mullan who smoked his defender on the way to the endline. At the endline, he sends in a low cross to the feet of an open DeRo who takes a crack at it. The ball ricochets off of his face and into the back of the net from 10 yards out! Not a goal of the year candidate, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. The Dynamo topped this feat by poorly heading a ball back to the keeper from near midfield ten minutes later. It fell to the feet of a Pachuca forward who was brought down by Patrick Ianni who was given a straight red card. While the ensuing free kick from just outside the box amounted to nothing, Pachuca did manage to tie the game before the half. The second half saw more excellent ball possession by Pachuca and eventually a great goal from Andres Chitiva. The outmanned Dynamo seemed headed toward the inevitable until the 83rd minute when Eddie Robinson powered home the tying goal, setting off wild celebration throughout the majority of fans in Robertson. The game was headed toward overtime, but not before Chitiva was awarded his second yellow for diving of all things. Back on level terms, the Dynamo found some decent offense in the first extra frame until substitute Cory Ashe was sent into the midfield camera stand by a Pachuca defender. While still on the ground, a dazed Ashe then attempted to cleat a nearby Pachuca player earning him a dismissal as well. Both team’s defenses held and off to the shoot out we go. Neither keeper could stop the first three chances. The first miss came courtesy of US national team striker Brian Ching, who had keeper Miguel Calero leaning the wrong way and still managed to hit the post. Houston keeper Pat Onstad rescued the moment by saving the next Pachuca attempt. Joseph Ngwenya tried to really put the pressure on the Mexican side by rolling the limpest penalty kick taken by an MLS side since Ante Razov’s MLS Cup 2003 attempt. Calero stood his ground and used his groin to stop the shot since he didn’t even need his hands, while wagging a finger at Ngwenya. Rafael Marquez Lugo finished over a diving Onstad to seal Pachuca’s place in the Superliga final. This game was a tribute to the potential of this new tournament and the equality of the top teams in CONCACAF.
Stars and Stripes Swap Sides
Due to irreconcilable contractual differences ($), the Red, White and Blue (nicknames for our national team are welcome in feedback), will not get the pleasure of visiting Azteca Stadium on September 9th. Our boys have to settle for Brazil at Solider Field. Drat! I mean, now I get to see the Yanks give the Samba boys a shot within walking distance of my house. Oh, cruel fate! I have seen a quality for quality swap like this since Deep Purple replaced legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore mid-tour with legendary guitarist Joe Satriani. I guess that makes it three victories we’ve scored over Mexico this year.
MLS Week 19 –
Thursday
LA vs. United – With Becks clearly ready to take his MLS bow serial idiot, Kyle Martino foolishly dives in on Fred’s ankle and gets sent off, sending his team to certain doom. In the UK they would call it a “horror tackle” here we just call it dumb! Few in the crowd likely saw the tackle given that it coincided with Becks removing his warm-up shirt. I’m surprised that any of the ESPN cameras even were trained on the action. I’m mean, there was a man running back and forth on the sideline for 20 minutes! Landon Donovan did a good disappearing job for 60 minutes. Shocking that this would happen when he was playing up top. The good news is that the home team won and everybody when home happy. Except for LA. Hey went to New England frustrated.
Saturday
Crew vs. Dallas – This might be Fox’s match of the year. A rather anemic first half gave way to a wild finish at PHP. Dallas had to shelve Juan “The Revelation” Toja due to a Superliga injury. Oft injured Adrian Serioux started the match but was shockingly injured in the first half and was replaced. Only Columbus could score in the first half that saw each team taking control of the action. The second half began with a great deal of Columbus pressure, but it was Dallas that scored off a nice bit of opportunism from a Arturo Alvarez who finished in a classy manner when the ball deflected to his feet in the box. The score wasn’t tied for long as Columbus converted a penalty kick after Chris Gbandi dragged down Wild Man Hedjuk just near the end line. Andy Herron handled the PK with ease. The goal of the game began at the foot of goat in waiting Marcelo Saragosa. Who finished Oddly, the crowd seemed to steadily grow from minute 0 to 70.
MOTM: Dax McCarty
Dynamo vs. Rapids – It was Bouna time and is still Clavejo time at DSG Park, however, all this result got him was a stay of execution. I only managed to see highlights of this game due to the HDNet Blackout, but it didn’t appear that I missed much.
MOTM: No Position to Judge
Sunday
UFC vs. The Flagship – What do we do when you are being marked closely and Mo Johnston I your coach? You punch the defender in the gut and get away with it! I wouldn’t expect to see Andrea Lombardo for a bit UFC fans. He can visit the rest of the team in the ER this week. This match also gave us the great National Post headline “Toronto FC Crushed by New York Teenager.”
MOTM: Jozy Altidore – His second goal may have sealed his transfer to Euroland.
LA vs. Revs – Yallop pulled his head out of his butt for one game to start a line-up that has a modest chance at success. Two forwards up top backed by Landon Donovan at attacking mid. Crazy, I know! However, it was the same old result for the Galaxy who were without Abel Xavier who would have prevented the Revolution goal. What was also made clear in this match is that Ty Harden is not improving. Only the play of Joe Cannon and some Revolution misfires kept this match from getting ugly. The Galaxy had some moments, but it would be nice if they could ever field the same team twice. If LA manages the playoffs this year, it will make Real Madrid’s 2007 feats seem small by comparison. Frank Yallop knows Alexi Lalas has fired managers for less, but Yallop is not a miracle worker. A combination of rash front office moves, key injuries and media whirlwind have combined to turn the Galaxy into the most publicized soap opera on grass and Yallop it’s all too weak adhesive.
MOTM: Shalrie Joseph for being everywhere all evening.
MLS Commentators
Much has been made about ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel. While four commentators jammed into a booth can get annoying, particularly if one is Michael Wilbon, it is still far more preferable to the single announcer format. That form of commentating is dreadfully boring, despite being filed under “traditional” by footie-philes. The optimal format would be the classic American play-by-play guy with a knowledgeable and opinionated color guy, a role that Eric Wynalda perfectly fills. His ideal compatriot would be the terrific Glenn Davis or the highly knowledgeable Max Brentos, however, you’ll have plenty that “can’t stand” Brentos either. I could take or leave the sideline report, but the interviewing coaches in the middle of matches has to go!
A Friend in the MediaYesterday morning, I was watching C-Span2's Book Symposium (I dig deep for you people!) featuring Dave Zirin. Zirin is a non-conformist American sports writer who was discussing his latest book, "Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics and Promise of Sports" The title alone made me think about soccer of course. Although the audience didn't touch on our favorite sport, I did manage to find quite a bit about Zirin online. As part of an interview, he had this interesting observation that many of us can relate to:
“You know, when you talk about liking soccer in the U.S., people act like you're taking French lessons at the local Muslim school. You might as well burn the flag in your backyard. The fact is, it's the most popular youth sport in the United States. Whether people want to admit it or not, soccer is a major sport in this country.”
At his website, he did have this must read article about a life changing event at a soccer match.
Quote of the Week (source ESPN Soccernet)
Sigi Schmidt on David Beckham: "When you look at his face, he's not here for retirement. He's not here for a paycheck. He's here to step on the field to win games. That's not something you can hide or disguise."
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (3-2)
SEASON (40-68)
Thursday
Revs vs Rapids – poetic that the Revolution will be the team to send Clavijo out to the unemployment line again.
Saturday
Chivas vs. UFC - the woes continue for Mo’s Street Fighting team as rested Chivas blasts a broken team.
United vs. Crew – A classic match-up that finally means something again. Look for the Crew to rebound from last weeks let down and score a big win over the Eastern Conference foes.
Galaxy vs. The Flagship – 15 minutes of Becks isn’t enough to save the Gals from their third consecutive league defeat.
FIRE vs. RSL – These two struggling, but rising sides battle to a well played draw. The point earned does little to inspire playoff dreams amongst their fans.
Sunday
Dallas vs. Dynamo – Fear the Fish! Dallas is a very dangerous team now and should dump the Dynamo on their home turf.
Revs vs. Wizards – This is one to Tivo! I believe in the Wizards at home.
Podcast:
The Soccer/Dynamo Power Hour
(NOTE: If you know a Podcast that needs to be added please let me know and post a link.)
Thursday, May 24, 2007
US Soccer Snob’s US Soccer Update – 5/24/07
MLS Week 7 – A step backwards
This weekend we were treated to some terrible soccer (and weather) almost across the board. Luckily there were a few moments of brilliance sprinkled between the hacking and incomplete passes.
Wednesday
Toronto v. Dynamo - Nothing can keep these fans away from the madhouse on the lake. Can 2,000 DeRo supporters be wrong? They were last Wednesday and Houston got outplayed and new acquisition Joseph Ngenyna made like his predecessor, Alejandro Moreno and squandered a couple of prime scoring opportunities. Andy Welsh slammed home a Ronnie O’Brien free kick to send the Torontonians into a frenzy. Most amazing stat of the day: Complaints by Mo: 0. More on this later.
Thursday
FIRE v. Dallas – Another Brimstone Cup match, another Dallas win. Dallas outclasses the FIRE for 65 minutes and then managed to hang on for a 2-1 victory over the home team. Juan Toja was the man of the match in my book. His dominance across the field kept the 32 FIRE defenders fielded by mini-Coach “Defensive” Dave scrambling all evening. After Kenny Cooper almost broke the stage side Toyota Park crossbar in the 54th minute with a screamer from well outside the box, Toja doubled the Dallas advantage in the 60th with a rocket that would have scored without the slight deflection by Logan Pause. The FIRE with the fresh injection of Brian Plotkin, Thiago, and Chad Barrett besieged the Dallas goal for the remainder of the match and converted in the 73rd minute after Thiago won a ball from two Dallas defenders, split two more with a pass to Barrett, which was crossed to an on rushing Calen Carr. Carr poked the ball past Sala to halve the lead. The FIRE almost leveled in the match when Thiago slammed a Justin Mapp corner into the near post. This match revealed that the FIRE can no longer afford to play converted defenders such as Gonzalo Segares, Ivan Guererro and Robinson as midfielders and expect them to cover for an aging central defensive tandem of CJ Brown and Chris Armas. Armas in particular looks like he aged ten years in the off season.
Saturday
Toronto v. DC United – Now here’s a game brought to you by Mo Johnston! UGLY! The first half lacked any cohesion whatsoever, but did bring the interesting footnote of Aleko Eskandarian scoring his first non-DC United goal vs. DC United. Aside from that, there was little to take away from the first half aside from the foul festival that is becoming commonplace at BMO field. I mean, we are talking about a team that is coached by a man who thought a red card was too harsh when one of his players tried to bite an opponent. DC was flat until the insertion of Guy-Roland Kpene in the 56th minute for walking yellow card Facundo Erpen who was on the verge of earning his second of the match. Shortly thereafter, DC tied the match off a Bobcat Goldthwaite own goal and continued pressing. In the 79th minute a great over the top ball found Luciano Emilio who was subsequently dragged down in the box by TFC’s Marvell Wynne. You guessed it, Mo didn’t agree with the call. That made no difference to Jamie Moreno, who tied Jason Kreis’ MLS all time goal record with a well struck penalty kick. Moreno who has only been able to score via the spot this season may well be running on fumes, despite his recent call-up to the Bolivian national side.
RBNY vs. Crew – I didn’t get to see too much of this game, but I did witness Dane Richards ROY campaign take another step forward with a great cross to ageless journeyman John Wolyniec for the opener. After that, Columbus pretty much got hammered into the ground by a merciless Red Bull side. The Red Bulls did very well considering they had to deal with the shock of Claudio Reyna not on the roster due to injury. Ronny Waterrus and Young Jozy were not on the pitch either with Waterrus nursing an injury and Jozy going to a Prom. Props to Bruce for letting Altidore attend an important event. There will be plenty of more games for him to take part in. I think Arena knows what he has on his hands in NYC and it should scare the hell out of anyone who loves MLS. I mean anyone, because it is clear to tell from attendance that no one in NY/NJ loves MLS.
Dynamo v. Revs – Shalrie Joseph fires a low liner past Pat Onstad early on to give the Revs all they needed against a tepid Dynamo attack. The Dynamo look very lost at the moment and might start to think about some serious changes. Rarely this year have Brian Ching, DeRo, Brad Davis and Joelajandro Dagrenya look close to being on the same page.
Colorado v. Wizards – Thank God for HDNet! That is so exclusive no one except Mark Cuban can watch the games! The draw here saw Carlos Marinelli back on the pitch, which is good news for KC’s fans. The fan base that has the distinction of putting up a “no rating” on their local TV game broadcasts according to the KC Star. That is sub 0.1 territory which means that less than 900 or so TV’s were tuned to the match. That’s got to hurt more than Jimmy Conrad’s jaw!
Sunday
Chivas v. Galaxy – Superclassico and another “sell out”! Ever watch a match with no connection between either teams midfielders and their strikers? Watch this on MLS replay and you’ll be able to claim that distinction. Tough match for spectators and that includes those lying down on blanket on Lalas hill.
Dallas v. RSL – A great Sunday afternoon crowd witnessed yet another droll first half , which gave way to a RSL showcase (and Jeff Cunningham swan song) in the second half. But the RSL Williams/Adu show was stolen by Dallas’ finishing, including the no-look Goal of the Week stunner launched by Chris Gbandi in the 82nd minute. I was shocked to see that eight cautions were issued in this match. What is this? Toronto?
Friendly Notes:
This week LA fell to Rangers 1-0 at the Home Depot Center while Toronto held Benefica to a scoreless draw. Not to bad all things considered. What other conclusions are there to draw from this?
Sheva open to America
According to the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle, Chelsea striker came away from last summers MLS All Star game impressed enough to move him to the following statements about the league. Shevchenko said: "I would like to play there, actually. Soccer is growing in the US and I'd like to be a part of that. I played there last summer against the MLS All-Stars and I saw myself that it's definitely improving.” Upon reading this, Alexi Lalas picked up the phone.
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (2-6)
SEASON (12-23)
Thursday
FIRE vs. RBNY – As much as it hurts, I’ve got to go with the Red Bulls on this one. Bruce has got the whole team playing up to (Richards) and beyond (Mathis) their potential. With Angel getting familiar with his surrounding, the FIRE’s terrible (there I said it) central defense will look stupid all night.
Saturday
Wizards vs. Revs – The Revs keep winning, but something tells me that Marinelli and the Wizards will be able to get a draw out of this one.
TFC vs. Crew – The TFC UFC takes on the Crew (who’s logo is probably more appropriate for the visitors given their style of brawl ball). Toronto gets their first road win here in a shoot out.
Dynamo vs. DCU – Tommy’s boys are back on track as Dominic continues to look for answers and Saturday night at RFK is no place to search for those answers. I’ll take DCU comfortably.
Galaxy vs. Rapids – All Rapids all the way here. Jacob Peterson and Connor Casey got some much needed time in the Rapids mid-week Open Cup victory over RSL. Look for these players to have a role in this match.
FCD vs. Chivas – Steve Morrow figured something out over the last month and it is going to be trouble for any team in FCD’s path. Chivas’ midfield is having some difficulty in connecting to its attacking players and Pablo Ricchetti will ensure that remains the case.
Sunday
RSL vs. FIRE – Woe is RSL. This team is too good to continue to struggle the way they are, but alas, their struggles will not end on the road. The FIRE win their first in four and Carr begins to make a name for himself.
New Soccer Basher Enemy: Norman Chad – It’s great when a nationally syndicated writer uses every opportunity to bash MLS. Find his articles your own! I mean this stuff is hold over anti-soccer junk from days begone.
Euro-Snobs of the Week
The AP ran an article about two twenty year old American college students, Dan Dahlin and Ian Smith, who won tickets to the Champions League final via a UEFA lottery. Good for them, until the last quote of the page came up. When asked about David Beckham’s move to the Galaxy Smith quipped, "He's obviously shifting away from soccer to the movies." Obviously!!! Bite me Ian!
Writer of the Week:
Brian Dohn for this nice piece.
Podcast:
The Dynamo Power Hour with Glenn Davis special guest Marcus Hahnemann.
(P.S. – Is Thomas Rongren the spokes person for Danish Inspirations?)
NEXT WEEK: Early Season MLS Awards
This weekend we were treated to some terrible soccer (and weather) almost across the board. Luckily there were a few moments of brilliance sprinkled between the hacking and incomplete passes.
Wednesday
Toronto v. Dynamo - Nothing can keep these fans away from the madhouse on the lake. Can 2,000 DeRo supporters be wrong? They were last Wednesday and Houston got outplayed and new acquisition Joseph Ngenyna made like his predecessor, Alejandro Moreno and squandered a couple of prime scoring opportunities. Andy Welsh slammed home a Ronnie O’Brien free kick to send the Torontonians into a frenzy. Most amazing stat of the day: Complaints by Mo: 0. More on this later.
Thursday
FIRE v. Dallas – Another Brimstone Cup match, another Dallas win. Dallas outclasses the FIRE for 65 minutes and then managed to hang on for a 2-1 victory over the home team. Juan Toja was the man of the match in my book. His dominance across the field kept the 32 FIRE defenders fielded by mini-Coach “Defensive” Dave scrambling all evening. After Kenny Cooper almost broke the stage side Toyota Park crossbar in the 54th minute with a screamer from well outside the box, Toja doubled the Dallas advantage in the 60th with a rocket that would have scored without the slight deflection by Logan Pause. The FIRE with the fresh injection of Brian Plotkin, Thiago, and Chad Barrett besieged the Dallas goal for the remainder of the match and converted in the 73rd minute after Thiago won a ball from two Dallas defenders, split two more with a pass to Barrett, which was crossed to an on rushing Calen Carr. Carr poked the ball past Sala to halve the lead. The FIRE almost leveled in the match when Thiago slammed a Justin Mapp corner into the near post. This match revealed that the FIRE can no longer afford to play converted defenders such as Gonzalo Segares, Ivan Guererro and Robinson as midfielders and expect them to cover for an aging central defensive tandem of CJ Brown and Chris Armas. Armas in particular looks like he aged ten years in the off season.
Saturday
Toronto v. DC United – Now here’s a game brought to you by Mo Johnston! UGLY! The first half lacked any cohesion whatsoever, but did bring the interesting footnote of Aleko Eskandarian scoring his first non-DC United goal vs. DC United. Aside from that, there was little to take away from the first half aside from the foul festival that is becoming commonplace at BMO field. I mean, we are talking about a team that is coached by a man who thought a red card was too harsh when one of his players tried to bite an opponent. DC was flat until the insertion of Guy-Roland Kpene in the 56th minute for walking yellow card Facundo Erpen who was on the verge of earning his second of the match. Shortly thereafter, DC tied the match off a Bobcat Goldthwaite own goal and continued pressing. In the 79th minute a great over the top ball found Luciano Emilio who was subsequently dragged down in the box by TFC’s Marvell Wynne. You guessed it, Mo didn’t agree with the call. That made no difference to Jamie Moreno, who tied Jason Kreis’ MLS all time goal record with a well struck penalty kick. Moreno who has only been able to score via the spot this season may well be running on fumes, despite his recent call-up to the Bolivian national side.
RBNY vs. Crew – I didn’t get to see too much of this game, but I did witness Dane Richards ROY campaign take another step forward with a great cross to ageless journeyman John Wolyniec for the opener. After that, Columbus pretty much got hammered into the ground by a merciless Red Bull side. The Red Bulls did very well considering they had to deal with the shock of Claudio Reyna not on the roster due to injury. Ronny Waterrus and Young Jozy were not on the pitch either with Waterrus nursing an injury and Jozy going to a Prom. Props to Bruce for letting Altidore attend an important event. There will be plenty of more games for him to take part in. I think Arena knows what he has on his hands in NYC and it should scare the hell out of anyone who loves MLS. I mean anyone, because it is clear to tell from attendance that no one in NY/NJ loves MLS.
Dynamo v. Revs – Shalrie Joseph fires a low liner past Pat Onstad early on to give the Revs all they needed against a tepid Dynamo attack. The Dynamo look very lost at the moment and might start to think about some serious changes. Rarely this year have Brian Ching, DeRo, Brad Davis and Joelajandro Dagrenya look close to being on the same page.
Colorado v. Wizards – Thank God for HDNet! That is so exclusive no one except Mark Cuban can watch the games! The draw here saw Carlos Marinelli back on the pitch, which is good news for KC’s fans. The fan base that has the distinction of putting up a “no rating” on their local TV game broadcasts according to the KC Star. That is sub 0.1 territory which means that less than 900 or so TV’s were tuned to the match. That’s got to hurt more than Jimmy Conrad’s jaw!
Sunday
Chivas v. Galaxy – Superclassico and another “sell out”! Ever watch a match with no connection between either teams midfielders and their strikers? Watch this on MLS replay and you’ll be able to claim that distinction. Tough match for spectators and that includes those lying down on blanket on Lalas hill.
Dallas v. RSL – A great Sunday afternoon crowd witnessed yet another droll first half , which gave way to a RSL showcase (and Jeff Cunningham swan song) in the second half. But the RSL Williams/Adu show was stolen by Dallas’ finishing, including the no-look Goal of the Week stunner launched by Chris Gbandi in the 82nd minute. I was shocked to see that eight cautions were issued in this match. What is this? Toronto?
Friendly Notes:
This week LA fell to Rangers 1-0 at the Home Depot Center while Toronto held Benefica to a scoreless draw. Not to bad all things considered. What other conclusions are there to draw from this?
Sheva open to America
According to the Evening Chronicle in Newcastle, Chelsea striker came away from last summers MLS All Star game impressed enough to move him to the following statements about the league. Shevchenko said: "I would like to play there, actually. Soccer is growing in the US and I'd like to be a part of that. I played there last summer against the MLS All-Stars and I saw myself that it's definitely improving.” Upon reading this, Alexi Lalas picked up the phone.
MLS Prediction Central
Last Week (2-6)
SEASON (12-23)
Thursday
FIRE vs. RBNY – As much as it hurts, I’ve got to go with the Red Bulls on this one. Bruce has got the whole team playing up to (Richards) and beyond (Mathis) their potential. With Angel getting familiar with his surrounding, the FIRE’s terrible (there I said it) central defense will look stupid all night.
Saturday
Wizards vs. Revs – The Revs keep winning, but something tells me that Marinelli and the Wizards will be able to get a draw out of this one.
TFC vs. Crew – The TFC UFC takes on the Crew (who’s logo is probably more appropriate for the visitors given their style of brawl ball). Toronto gets their first road win here in a shoot out.
Dynamo vs. DCU – Tommy’s boys are back on track as Dominic continues to look for answers and Saturday night at RFK is no place to search for those answers. I’ll take DCU comfortably.
Galaxy vs. Rapids – All Rapids all the way here. Jacob Peterson and Connor Casey got some much needed time in the Rapids mid-week Open Cup victory over RSL. Look for these players to have a role in this match.
FCD vs. Chivas – Steve Morrow figured something out over the last month and it is going to be trouble for any team in FCD’s path. Chivas’ midfield is having some difficulty in connecting to its attacking players and Pablo Ricchetti will ensure that remains the case.
Sunday
RSL vs. FIRE – Woe is RSL. This team is too good to continue to struggle the way they are, but alas, their struggles will not end on the road. The FIRE win their first in four and Carr begins to make a name for himself.
New Soccer Basher Enemy: Norman Chad – It’s great when a nationally syndicated writer uses every opportunity to bash MLS. Find his articles your own! I mean this stuff is hold over anti-soccer junk from days begone.
Euro-Snobs of the Week
The AP ran an article about two twenty year old American college students, Dan Dahlin and Ian Smith, who won tickets to the Champions League final via a UEFA lottery. Good for them, until the last quote of the page came up. When asked about David Beckham’s move to the Galaxy Smith quipped, "He's obviously shifting away from soccer to the movies." Obviously!!! Bite me Ian!
Writer of the Week:
Brian Dohn for this nice piece.
Podcast:
The Dynamo Power Hour with Glenn Davis special guest Marcus Hahnemann.
(P.S. – Is Thomas Rongren the spokes person for Danish Inspirations?)
NEXT WEEK: Early Season MLS Awards
Monday, March 12, 2007
US Soccer Update - 3/10/07
Beckham Injures Knee
The Beckham redemption story turned from drama to comedy in this week as Our Man Beck’s plowed into an advertising board and injured his knee, causing ligament damage that will sideline him for a month. If Real Madrid gets past Bayern Munich this week, look for DB to return in time for the send tie of the next series. Despite preventing Alexi Lalas from breathing for 24 hours, which also meant he couldn’t talk, the injury is perhaps the most humorous injury in years. Of all players to be injured by advertising! That is like Claudio Reyna being wacked by Il Bruce or a Costa Rican club team being run over by a busload of CONCACAF referees!
MLS Rosters Trimmed
The Chicago Fire trimmed their roster and left Leonard Griffin, a step too slow defender on the outside. The Fire also waived Craig Capano, a promising, but oft injured midfielder, Jared Montz, and John Thorrington. Amazing that Thorrington, who had been through the Man Utd. Youth system was not a god amongst MLS players. Perhaps, I’ve been reading too much British press. Also notable is that the Fire were unable to come to contract terms with Tony Sanneh who only solidified their defense and led them into the MLS playoffs and to the Open Cup title last season. Isn’t that worth $375,000? Based on Open Cup ticket sales, probably not. Among the names that were trimmed and are expected to or have been picked up are Capano (NYRB), former Crew players Jon Busch (TFC) and Chris Leitch.
Really a Step Up?
This week San Diego columnist Mark Ziegler awarded a “trophy” to local product Ryan Guy for snubbing FC Dallas to sign with St. Patrick’s Athletic Club of the Irish league. The Eurosnobs have really won if this is considered a step up from MLS. I don’t care what the criteria is, MLS is vastly superior to the Irish league by any account: Quality, Competitiveness, Attendance, Resources. Mr. Guy is also effectively removing himself from the national team radar much like Danny Califf and Nat Borchards did when they traveled to Europe with the belief that the process of osmosis would work and they would be absorbed into the fabled leagues thanks to their proximity.
I did send an e-mail to Mr. Ziegler and he was nice enough to send me a reply. Not only that, it was non-defensive! That $11,500 - $13,000 developmental salary was cited by Mark as a main reason for Guy's move.
PODCAST:The Soccer Hour with Glenn Davis
The Beckham redemption story turned from drama to comedy in this week as Our Man Beck’s plowed into an advertising board and injured his knee, causing ligament damage that will sideline him for a month. If Real Madrid gets past Bayern Munich this week, look for DB to return in time for the send tie of the next series. Despite preventing Alexi Lalas from breathing for 24 hours, which also meant he couldn’t talk, the injury is perhaps the most humorous injury in years. Of all players to be injured by advertising! That is like Claudio Reyna being wacked by Il Bruce or a Costa Rican club team being run over by a busload of CONCACAF referees!
MLS Rosters Trimmed
The Chicago Fire trimmed their roster and left Leonard Griffin, a step too slow defender on the outside. The Fire also waived Craig Capano, a promising, but oft injured midfielder, Jared Montz, and John Thorrington. Amazing that Thorrington, who had been through the Man Utd. Youth system was not a god amongst MLS players. Perhaps, I’ve been reading too much British press. Also notable is that the Fire were unable to come to contract terms with Tony Sanneh who only solidified their defense and led them into the MLS playoffs and to the Open Cup title last season. Isn’t that worth $375,000? Based on Open Cup ticket sales, probably not. Among the names that were trimmed and are expected to or have been picked up are Capano (NYRB), former Crew players Jon Busch (TFC) and Chris Leitch.
Really a Step Up?
This week San Diego columnist Mark Ziegler awarded a “trophy” to local product Ryan Guy for snubbing FC Dallas to sign with St. Patrick’s Athletic Club of the Irish league. The Eurosnobs have really won if this is considered a step up from MLS. I don’t care what the criteria is, MLS is vastly superior to the Irish league by any account: Quality, Competitiveness, Attendance, Resources. Mr. Guy is also effectively removing himself from the national team radar much like Danny Califf and Nat Borchards did when they traveled to Europe with the belief that the process of osmosis would work and they would be absorbed into the fabled leagues thanks to their proximity.
I did send an e-mail to Mr. Ziegler and he was nice enough to send me a reply. Not only that, it was non-defensive! That $11,500 - $13,000 developmental salary was cited by Mark as a main reason for Guy's move.
PODCAST:The Soccer Hour with Glenn Davis
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Copa America Draw
The US drew Argentina in its opening game in Copa America this summer. Following the tilt with Argentina our guys go on to play Columbia and Paraguay posing a challenge that is only slightly less daunting than the draw for the last World Cup. Hopefully coming off a successful Gold Cup, the US will have every opportunity to prove that World Cup 2006 was a fluke. The US likely will not have the benefit of all the American fan who trekked to WC 2006 to voice their support for Arena’s folly. Will these two tournaments ultimately decide Bob Bradley’s fate? Will BB the King even be at the helm for these matches?
MLS Continues to lock down Playaz
In the last week MLS has done what many have begged it to do for a long time, keep the star players in the league. Sporting goods salesman, come goalkeeper Troy Perkins, was the latest to resign with the league. This week also witnessed the MLS lockdown of Taylor Twellmann and Brian Ching. With only Clint Dempsey being the only player of significance to depart, the player retention of the league is to be commended. True, Dwayne DeRosario and Shalrie Joseph’s status are still up in the air, but with both in-training with their respective teams, expect a deal to be cut any day. As good of job as the league has done this off season, next winter will be much more difficult for the league as millions of new eyes will be introduced to the league. Many will be shocked by the quality and fitness of the players. Some might even find a reason to rank the league higher than #72 in the world.
CONCACAF Champions Cup
The Cup of Questionable Significance (COQS )got under way this week with a shock as Trinidad’s W Connection lost it’s keeper to an early red card and went down a goal before storming back late for a 2-1 victory. Unfortunately this match was held in Trinidad, so look for a far less shocking score line during the return leg in Guadalajara. Great to hear the outrage amongst Houston fans that their “home” game in the COQS is to be played 95 out of town. Many fans, and certainly Dynamo fan #1 Glenn Davis, are taking this very seriously. Let’s hope Dynamo can rise to the challenge and represent the league well.
Stars, Check. Now how about that other thing that makes sports thrive in the US
Mr. Garber, time to put on a fake mustache and some sunglasses, buy a ticket to Vegas and take time to meet with every single sports book line setter in town! You need ratings on a Thursday night when you are up against baseball? Betting! You need an extra ¼ inch of press in the “Tonight’s Game” box in the Tribune. Betting! Like it or not professional sports are fueled by gambling. If you want to Americanize Soccer, the betting line is the place to do it. Let’s adopt a .5 goal line for MLS. Not only does this this convert typical soccer betting into a NFL like, easy to understand line, but just the providing the line give every new fan an instant point of reference as to who the underdog is in the match. Fire .5 Crew.. I like it!
Toronto FC
13,500 is the number of season tickets sold by Toronto FC before the team has even kicked one competitive ball! Major kudos to MLS and MLSE for the great work they have done on the business end from start to present up there. You set the bar pretty damn high for future franchises when from day one you’ll have about 14,000 season ticket holders and your own stadium. The club is even considering expanding the stadium by six suites before one game has been played there! Interesting correlation between the attendance in cities whose media treat them like a Major League venture and those that treat them like a side show. Let’s look at my media treatment chart ranked in order of least to most media treatment:
| Team | Local Media Coverage | 2006 Average Attendance |
| Colorado Rapids | Sideshow | 12,056 |
| NY Red Bull | Sideshow | 14,570 |
| Chicago Fire | Sideshow | 14,111 |
| Kansas City Wizards | Sideshow | 11,083 |
| Columbus Crew | Sideshow | 13,294 |
| Chivas USA | Sideshow | 19,840 |
| New England Revolution | Sideshow | 11,787 |
| FC Dallas | Sideshow | 14,982 |
| DC United | Major League | 18,215 |
| LA Galaxy | Major League | 20,814 |
| Toronto FC | Major League | N/A |
| Houston | Major League | 18,935 |
| Real Salt Lake | Major League | 16,366 |
Of course there are many other factors to consider here, such as the boost Chivas got by the Barcelona game and the sister Chivas games. One could also consider that the historical success of the club is driving media attention, however RSL, Chicago Fire and certainly the Revs would likely not agree with that theory. Are soccer specific stadiums the answer? It doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t guarantee sellouts either. However, considering the boost RBNY received from their star studded 2006 opening day and the Fire’s new stadium boost, the positive correlation between local media coverage and attendance is very strong. Looking forward to 2007, assuming the Beckham effect is that all teams boost their average by 500, but LA sells out the second half of their season. Let’s also assume that Toronto averages a modest 18,500 (modest given their season ticket sales) league average attendance will rise to 16,396, a 5.75% increase over 2006 and the largest average attendance since the league’s inception.
PODCAST:
Saturday, February 10, 2007
US Soccer Update - 2/10/07 - Best Week Ever?
2-0
You gotta feel good for Jimmy Conrad. It is amazing that a world renown media icon can step onto a soccer pitch and have a man of the match performance! Conrad’s header and tremendous defense helped ensure the latest American triumph over our amigos. The first ten minutes of the match were terrible, with the balls spending more time out of bounds than in play. After settling down, the Mexicans set out to test Johnathan Boronstein who had trouble with the pressure early on, but gained his feet enough to discourage this tactic in the second half. A cause for concern is that BB the King, like his predecessor il Bruce, feels that Landon Donovan is a forward, but played him in Rolfe in what seemed to be a revolving 1-1, with both of them switching sides and patrolling the attacking mid space. After the initial 15 minutes, the Americans seemed to calm down and the teams went into the half level. However, the Americans got on the board with the aforementioned header in the 57th minute. The celebration was short lived as the Americans weathered attack after attack from El Tri. The Mexicans continued to be frustrated Tim Howard and the all for one American defense, which was shaky but resilient. Fruitless in their attempts against Boronstein, the Mexicans set out to exploit, a step slow Chris Albright leading to him giving way to Josh Gros. Just into extra time, the Red, White and Blue sealed the deal after an Mexican pass bounced off referee Mauricio into the path of Ricardo Clark who one touched a pass to Donovan in the center circle. Juking two Mexican defenders, My Captain was past the defense and one-on-one with the keeper Oswaldo Sanchez. Donovan calmly pushed the ball past Sanchez and then buried it in the back of the net. Overall, a tremendous result for a team badly in need of such a win. BB the King took another step toward the full time throne. It didn’t hurt that the game was a ratings smash that send Univision into the top five networks for the evening in certain demographics. Over 8 million Americans watched this so called friendly. My only contention with Bradley’s decisions is that I would have liked to seen Justin Mapp get some time in for a struggling Bobby Convey. That being said it is difficult to argue with the results.
REal Salt Lake - There to Stay!
Great news for all of us fans of REal Salt Lake! The Utah Governor steps in and rams a bill through the house a week after Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon seemingly deep sixed the stadium and the team. Very similar circumstances to the saga of the Chicago White Sox in the late 80's. One thing that is ALWAYS overlooked throughout this saga is that while the taxpayers are chipping in $50 all told, the team is making a private investment upwards of $70 million. Great vision by Utah lawmakers to guarantee that some of the tourist dollars I have at my disposal will be spent in Utah in the next few years. And WOW, what a stadium design!Rapids still Rapids
Despite much speculation, the owners of the Colorado Rapids, Kronke Sports Entertainment, retain the clubs name and introduce some spiffy new uniforms. While forging a formal relationship with Arsenal, the club does not take their new partners names. While I am an outspoken proponent of the name Real Salt Lake, renaming a franchise and adopting a foreign team name is just sad and an attempted short cut to creating passion (NY Franchise I’m looking your way.) FC Dallas, was just a move to a more traditional soccer name. Not a problem, however Arsenal Colorado would have been a seven syllable embarrassment.
Rayna vs. Beckham – American Soccer
Add Ray Hudson to the list of those in the US Soccer establishment that are enamored with Captain Boredom. Ray was flailing around the American Soccer desk like John Belushi supporting Beckham over Reyna as “style over substance”. Hudson went on and on, claiming that Reyna will have a much larger impact on the RedBulls than Becks will have on the Gals. I almost fell over laughing. I’m not sure how great of a cheerleader Claudio is, but it will be difficult to have a great season from the IR. Between the artificial surfaces at Giants Stadium, Toronto and Gillette, I give Claudio four games. Further, I can recall exactly one game where Reyna had a significant positive impact on a match, USA v. Germany 2002. Beckham won the Ecuador game for England this summer, while Claudio ensured that Ghana got off to a 1-0 lead. Style and substance, that is Beckham. Another failed “soccer savior”, that is Reyna. What has benefited Reyna is that he hasn’t been the target of political power plays by his club and national team coaches. As I type, Becks fed Hudson and his coach Fabio Capello crow, tying the Real Sociadad match at one with a tremendous free kick.
Awards:
Redemption of the Week:
Landon Donovan – Despite a poor first half that involved him chasing air balls sent into him and Chris Rolfe while being marked by much taller defenders, my Captain came charging back to have a hand in both goal to again topple Mexico 2-0. Often Donovan could be seen defending his own endline and was involved in every part of the match during the second frame.
Idiots of the Week:
The Mexican National Team – After a classless display during the game with GK Oswaldo Sanchez taking a swipe at Eddie Johnson after Donovans goal the Mexicans topped that by AGAIN refusing to shake hands and sulking off the field with their jerseys intact. The post game interviews with the team were no different. Almost to a man, the Tri felt they were the better team and deserved to win the match, yielding no respect to an American side that has held them scoreless for a decade on US soil.
PODCAST:
The Soccer Hour with Glenn Davis
Saturday, January 27, 2007
US Soccer Update - Weekly Capsule
A Retirement League Response:
As media reports from around the world stream in on the blockbuster Beckham transfer, the worlds perception of the league in which Beckham is heading to is not in line with the reality of what awaits the current Real Madrid players. Much of this view is a hold over from the day of
Pele and the defunct NASL. The average age of an MLS player is roughly on par with the average age of players at this year's World Cup, 27.
True, MLS has had its share of former international stars looking for paychecks such as Lothar Matteus, Hristo Stoitchkov, Youri Djorkaeff, and Hong Mihn Bo in recent years. Of this group, only Stoitchkov met with any success (mostly because he rarely played 90 minutes). The rest
were simply signings of folly in a league that requires as much fitness as any league in the world.
For the uninitiated, the Major League Soccer Season starts on April 1 this season and heads continues through mid November. The heart of the season is played during the summer months and it is not uncommon for matches to be played in excess 90 degree Fahrenheit heat. A team like the LA Galaxy will be involved in additional competitions during the MLS season as well such as the Superliga (a USA vs. Mexico Champions League) and the US Open Cup (similar to FA Cup). Further straining MLS players are the travel requirements of a large country (a LA vs. New York match will require a 5,700 round trip for one team) and summer international
matches which drain MLS team of their best talent throughout the season.
Buried in the piles of Beckham news was that US international Clint Dempsey completed a US $4 million transfer to Fulham in the English Premier League. At Fulham, he will join Americans Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra who also honed their skills in MLS before crossing the
Atlantic. Also on the Fulham roster is Kiwi Simon Elliot, formerly of the LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew. The list doesn't stop there! Tim Howard (Everton), Bobby Convey (Reading), Marcus Hannehman (Reading), DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City), Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn), Cory Gibbs (Charlton) and Brad Friedel (Blackburn) all formerly manned MLS rosters
before graduating to the EPL. Freddy Adu is often linked with Manchester United and Landon Donovan is often rumored to head overseas too. MLS isn't filled with aging stars; rather it is a hotbed for budding stars!
MLS also limits the amount of "Senior International" players a team can sign to three, creating many opportunities for young Americans to get playing time. The US National team has qualified for the last five World Cups, with the last three rosters being comprised of players on
MLS rosters, which was good enough to snag a quarter-final appearance in 2002!
Once, LA Galaxy games are broadcast around the world this summer, the world will be shocked at the quality of the matches being played out in the team's soccer-only stadium. The days of Pele are long gone!
Captain America Comes Home:
As expected Claudio Reyna was signed by The Bruce Arena Red Bulls almost immediately after he was released by Manchester City. On paper this look like another quality signing, for the rest of the Eastern Conference. Although Captain Boredom was recently a starter for EPL
mid-tablers Manchester City, he's at the tail end of an injury plagued career. Opinions on Reyna differ vastly, but one cannot doubt that he is one of the highest quality players every produced by the US. What has been unfortunate for our national team over the years is that this
is his first opportunity to play in MLS. Over the past two World Cups, he has clearly been out of sync with the MLS raised players, yet continued to garner praise for his "poise" on the ball. Some call it poise, I'll call it slow down play. This slow-down, build up play is well suited for the EPL and Germany, where Claudio has been seen until recently, but is was a killer against the Czech's and Ghana. I apologize for getting off topic slightly, but I wanted to paint a picture of what Arena has traded Amado Guevara for! Surely, when on form, Guevara is more suited to the MLS pace than Reyna. Further, Guevara's durability cannot be question as we are talking about the player that took to the field for a sweltering 90 August minutes in DC
with two broken arms a couple of years ago. Surely, Arena is trading up in the locker room department as Guevara's talent was often overshadowed by his poor attitude under duress. Of course, Claudio may be seen in the Red Bull infirmary more than the locker room, where the heat and Astroturf involved in an MLS season are bound to result many days on the
IR for him. When you piece all these transactions together, NYRB is basically paying more money (and wasting a DP slot) for a player that will have a similar overall impact in the team as Guevara.
Denver oh Denver:
Our Boys take on their Bhoys! I like it! Another out of form team for the All-Stars to beat up on and on a Thursday to boot. If Chelsea couldn't handle the Enhanced DC United Crew, then the Scots should really have their hands full with the Uber Dynamo that likely will be
fielded. Should be a great showcase for the league, particularly of Mr. Becks can make it. Expect ticket demand to be resemble a crush as Beckhamania and legions of Celtic fans combine to pack the smallest stadium in the league.
USA 3 - Denmark 1
Oh, yes! The US played last week for the first time in 9 years. Good to see a MLS coach familiar with the current state of the league to get a run out! The result, surprise! Attacking Soccer! Expectedly the group looked tentative and out of sync early on as many newcomers
acclimated to the faster pace of the international game. During this period, the Danes took advantage of some wire crossing in the US defense to score a highlight reel goal that almost decapitated Matt Reis. Landon equalized from the spot shortly after. Fortunately for the home team, Justin Mapp entered at the half for flaccid former teammate Nate Jaqua
and ensured that, as Yoda might say, the visitors alone would not feature on the highlight reel. Following a steal in the center circle, Mapp headed against instinct to the right side while evading sliding would-be tacklers. As he approached the corner of the box he looked up
seeing no options and a pair of Danes. Undaunted, he split the defenders and headed to the endline. Upon reaching the line, Mapp crossed the ball to national team newbie Jonathan Boronstein who coolly finished the scoring sequence and put the Americans ahead for good.
Later Kenny Cooper entered and scored shortly after on a through ball from Heath Pearce and a 20-30 yard run. The finishing has been so poor for our side over the years, we've forgotten how much of a gimme Cooper's goal was after receiving the pass. Of course, credit is due to
Kenny for correctly reading the game and putting himself in excellent position to convert the opportunity.
As media reports from around the world stream in on the blockbuster Beckham transfer, the worlds perception of the league in which Beckham is heading to is not in line with the reality of what awaits the current Real Madrid players. Much of this view is a hold over from the day of
Pele and the defunct NASL. The average age of an MLS player is roughly on par with the average age of players at this year's World Cup, 27.
True, MLS has had its share of former international stars looking for paychecks such as Lothar Matteus, Hristo Stoitchkov, Youri Djorkaeff, and Hong Mihn Bo in recent years. Of this group, only Stoitchkov met with any success (mostly because he rarely played 90 minutes). The rest
were simply signings of folly in a league that requires as much fitness as any league in the world.
For the uninitiated, the Major League Soccer Season starts on April 1 this season and heads continues through mid November. The heart of the season is played during the summer months and it is not uncommon for matches to be played in excess 90 degree Fahrenheit heat. A team like the LA Galaxy will be involved in additional competitions during the MLS season as well such as the Superliga (a USA vs. Mexico Champions League) and the US Open Cup (similar to FA Cup). Further straining MLS players are the travel requirements of a large country (a LA vs. New York match will require a 5,700 round trip for one team) and summer international
matches which drain MLS team of their best talent throughout the season.
Buried in the piles of Beckham news was that US international Clint Dempsey completed a US $4 million transfer to Fulham in the English Premier League. At Fulham, he will join Americans Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra who also honed their skills in MLS before crossing the
Atlantic. Also on the Fulham roster is Kiwi Simon Elliot, formerly of the LA Galaxy and Columbus Crew. The list doesn't stop there! Tim Howard (Everton), Bobby Convey (Reading), Marcus Hannehman (Reading), DaMarcus Beasley (Manchester City), Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn), Cory Gibbs (Charlton) and Brad Friedel (Blackburn) all formerly manned MLS rosters
before graduating to the EPL. Freddy Adu is often linked with Manchester United and Landon Donovan is often rumored to head overseas too. MLS isn't filled with aging stars; rather it is a hotbed for budding stars!
MLS also limits the amount of "Senior International" players a team can sign to three, creating many opportunities for young Americans to get playing time. The US National team has qualified for the last five World Cups, with the last three rosters being comprised of players on
MLS rosters, which was good enough to snag a quarter-final appearance in 2002!
Once, LA Galaxy games are broadcast around the world this summer, the world will be shocked at the quality of the matches being played out in the team's soccer-only stadium. The days of Pele are long gone!
Captain America Comes Home:
As expected Claudio Reyna was signed by The Bruce Arena Red Bulls almost immediately after he was released by Manchester City. On paper this look like another quality signing, for the rest of the Eastern Conference. Although Captain Boredom was recently a starter for EPL
mid-tablers Manchester City, he's at the tail end of an injury plagued career. Opinions on Reyna differ vastly, but one cannot doubt that he is one of the highest quality players every produced by the US. What has been unfortunate for our national team over the years is that this
is his first opportunity to play in MLS. Over the past two World Cups, he has clearly been out of sync with the MLS raised players, yet continued to garner praise for his "poise" on the ball. Some call it poise, I'll call it slow down play. This slow-down, build up play is well suited for the EPL and Germany, where Claudio has been seen until recently, but is was a killer against the Czech's and Ghana. I apologize for getting off topic slightly, but I wanted to paint a picture of what Arena has traded Amado Guevara for! Surely, when on form, Guevara is more suited to the MLS pace than Reyna. Further, Guevara's durability cannot be question as we are talking about the player that took to the field for a sweltering 90 August minutes in DC
with two broken arms a couple of years ago. Surely, Arena is trading up in the locker room department as Guevara's talent was often overshadowed by his poor attitude under duress. Of course, Claudio may be seen in the Red Bull infirmary more than the locker room, where the heat and Astroturf involved in an MLS season are bound to result many days on the
IR for him. When you piece all these transactions together, NYRB is basically paying more money (and wasting a DP slot) for a player that will have a similar overall impact in the team as Guevara.
Denver oh Denver:
Our Boys take on their Bhoys! I like it! Another out of form team for the All-Stars to beat up on and on a Thursday to boot. If Chelsea couldn't handle the Enhanced DC United Crew, then the Scots should really have their hands full with the Uber Dynamo that likely will be
fielded. Should be a great showcase for the league, particularly of Mr. Becks can make it. Expect ticket demand to be resemble a crush as Beckhamania and legions of Celtic fans combine to pack the smallest stadium in the league.
USA 3 - Denmark 1
Oh, yes! The US played last week for the first time in 9 years. Good to see a MLS coach familiar with the current state of the league to get a run out! The result, surprise! Attacking Soccer! Expectedly the group looked tentative and out of sync early on as many newcomers
acclimated to the faster pace of the international game. During this period, the Danes took advantage of some wire crossing in the US defense to score a highlight reel goal that almost decapitated Matt Reis. Landon equalized from the spot shortly after. Fortunately for the home team, Justin Mapp entered at the half for flaccid former teammate Nate Jaqua
and ensured that, as Yoda might say, the visitors alone would not feature on the highlight reel. Following a steal in the center circle, Mapp headed against instinct to the right side while evading sliding would-be tacklers. As he approached the corner of the box he looked up
seeing no options and a pair of Danes. Undaunted, he split the defenders and headed to the endline. Upon reaching the line, Mapp crossed the ball to national team newbie Jonathan Boronstein who coolly finished the scoring sequence and put the Americans ahead for good.
Later Kenny Cooper entered and scored shortly after on a through ball from Heath Pearce and a 20-30 yard run. The finishing has been so poor for our side over the years, we've forgotten how much of a gimme Cooper's goal was after receiving the pass. Of course, credit is due to
Kenny for correctly reading the game and putting himself in excellent position to convert the opportunity.
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