Tuesday, August 31, 2004

MLS News

Fire obtain services of promising Costa Rican

Arena has faith in young MLS stars. MLS is a league that Arena watches very intently, and he obviously puts a lot of stock in how players are performing at home. The league is producing quality young talent and giving Arena the pleasure of being forced to make difficult decisions. Interesting statement. I guess I still do not consider MLS to be among the top leagues of the world, although the number 8 spot that the US men occupied during Korea/Japan '02 is a pretty good indication that MLS does produce some quality players.

First XI: Deal with it. On a totally random note, when Utah and Chivas USA fully join the league, will Bradley change the name of his column to First XIII or something? Yeah, I know that was random. :)

View from the Booth: Beautiful vs. ugly

Goalkeeper's Log: Ask Pat anything. This article is pretty shallow, but, Earthquake fans, read away! (Note: I am not saying that Earthquake fans are shallow; I am simply saying that this article is shallow!)

Wizards boss busy mixing right potion

Klein undergoes successful knee surgery

Adu Cuts Back Public Appearances. This article is for you Adu fans - and for those of you who think that Adu has been way over-hyped.

Armas keeps getting hurt at worst possible times

Standings

1. KC and LA
2. Colorado and the Metrostars
3. Dallas
4. Columbus and San Jose
5. DC
6. New England
7. Chicago

Monday, August 30, 2004

Observation

I just found out that if you click on the # before the words posted by Crew Fan at the bottom of each post, you will be taken to a page with just that posting on it, and, furthermore, on that page, you have the option of posting your comments! (Even though I personally enabled the comments function, but I was not sure, until now, how it worked!) So, comment away!
I have checked and updated the links on my sidebar (on the left). Happy surfing!
Clarification: in the third article I linked to in my last posting, when I said I find it interesting that Pavon refers to defender Perez as a fullback, I meant that I find it interesting that the term "fullback" was used, as opposed to the far more commonly used term "defender." After posting it, I realized that my wording may cause some confusion.

MLS News

Sigi speaks out. Sigi Schmid's view on his firing. As always, I like to see both sides of the story, so this article is a must-read!

Ten MLS stars called in for qualifiers OK, so this is more about the men's national team, but oh well.

Pavon: O'Brien building his name on U.S. stage. On a very minor note, I find it interesting that Pavon refers to defender Perez as a fullback (the sentence following PEREZ LEFT HANGING?.

The Emergence of a Prodigy Yeah, yeah, I know. This is yet another article about Adu. This one is somewhat worth reading, though I do not highly recommend it. Still, it is MLS news, and therefore I am linking to it.

Dallas' O'Brien named MLS Player of the Week

Crew Can't Close Gap On MetroStars

Sunday, August 29, 2004

MLS News

Rapids, Quakes each get a point

Quakes can't solve ex-keeper

Saturday's MLS Capsules

Heat, woodwork leave United, Revs tied

Land of the braveheart. This article is certainly worth the effort to read. It is about John Spencer. Here are some interesting quotes:
1. Though critical of some of the packaging of US football, he is quick to defend the content. "The ability levels here are actually very good. It’s true that the pace of the game is a lot slower, but because of the heat, humidity and altitude you simply couldn’t play at the same tempo as in Britain. You’d be breathing out of your backside."
2. About Freddy Adu: "I’ve played against Adu a couple of times now, and had a chance to look at him up close on a few other occasions. He’s a good young player, yes. But I’ve been around a long time and seen a lot of very talented 14-year-olds who have disappeared by 16....to turn round and say he’s the new Pele is ridiculous. You’ve got to remember that the USA has the best promoters in the world, and they are hyping him to high heaven....Personally, I think he’d be much better in a youth system at a European club, away from the limelight."

Friday, August 27, 2004

MLS News

Q&A with Columbus' Tony Sanneh

United, Revs fighting to the finish

View of the Crew: It all comes down to perspective

Nowak has a good problem: Too many strong midfielders leave him with options

Summer of 72. This article is not strictly about MLS; it isn't even strictly about soccer. However, there are a few comments worth quoting:
1) After watching a lot of European soccer and just as many MLS games, it becomes apparent that we still have a long way to go.
2) Had we not gone to war in Iraq, would we still have embraced their Olympic soccer team? Interesting thought...

Thursday, August 26, 2004

MLS News

Cheap Seats: Call him mellow 'Celo

College players have just what it takes. Interesting article. I have nothing against college soccer, even though it isn't the way things are done overseas. Actually, I have nothing against watching or participating in soccer games, regardless of which level!

Metros host Crew in first place battle

Revs Finalize Howey Acquisition

The Clean Sheet: A cover story

Flamboyant Lalas goes corporate

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

First XI: Nobody asked me, but ...
8) I certainly have no problem with "traditional" soccer names. After all, they help set soccer apart from other American sports. Do you know of any NFL or NBA teams with names like "Real LA" or "BC New York" (Basketball Club)? However, although I am a purist when it comes to other aspects of the game, I don't see the big deal about team names.
4) Yeah, I occasionally pop by the message boards to see what the cult thinks of my work, I admit it. Is he calling people like me who talk about soccer on the Net a cult? *Glares.* Bradley does the same exact thing, except he gets to post his rantings, thoughts, and opinions on an official board. OK, so maybe he is right about us, but I still resent the term. But enough of the nitpicking...
1) In the East, the Crew haven't lost in more than a month and are about to add a guy who's got a couple rings already in Tony Sanneh. D.C. United's capable of anything. Columbus rocks! :)

Fire last in MLS, but still conducting one title search

Stadium construction roadblock for Burn
Olympic News

Men

Final match: Argentina v. Paraguay
3rd place match: Iraq v. Italy

My picks:
Final match: Argentina
3rd place match: Iraq

Just because I was totally wrong with my last picks, doesn't mean that I will be wrong this time around!

Iraq's success in this year's Olympic games is strongly reminiscient of Croatia's success in France 98 (World Cup - Croatia got 3rd place).

Women

Final match: Brazil v. USA
3rd place match: Germany v. Sweden

My picks:
Final match: This will be one close game. I'll be rooting for the US, but I will not be terribly disappointed if Brazil wins. In fact, it will be good to see a different country up on the medal stand.
3rd place match: Again, this is a tough choice, but I'll go with Germany.

I did much better with my picks for the women!
Goalkeeper's log: Cross your fingers

Adu eyeing spot in English club. That certainly isn't a shocker.

Behind the Badge: A Husky reunion

MLS Average Attendance Ahead of Argentina and Holland. Interesting, if it is true.

Donovan lays out conditions

U.S. market has shown considerable growth since 1994

Monday, August 23, 2004

MLS Rankings

1. KC
1. LA
2. Colorado
2. Metrostars
3. Columbus
3. San Jose
4. Dallas
5. DC
6. Chicago
6. New England
MLS News

Sanneh set to join Crew defense

Martino earns player of the week

Sampson gets a closer look at L.A.

Saturday, August 21, 2004

MLS News and Views

Sampson era opens in L.A. vs. Fire

Red-hot Crew welcome United, Adu Adu is a part of United! The fact that DC is playing implies that Adu will be there! He is no more important than anyone else on the team! Duh! Soccer is a team sport!

Wynalda: The buzz in Los Angeles

Gaven getting wired: Busy week

First XI: Taking a stand. One more comment on this article:
11) Closeness of teams in the rankings means that the teams are evenly matched. Evenly matched teams make for way more exciting soccer. Hey, I'm just thankful that the horrible tie-breaking shootouts have been finally done away with!

San Antonio's soccer dreams: The city's mayor wants his legacy to be the addition of a MLS team

D.C. United falls apart on the road

Q&A with Wizards midfielder Preki

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Olympic News

Men's Leader: Argentina
Women's Leader: USA
MLS News and Views

When Costa Rican eyes are smiling. Apparently, I am not the only MLS writer talking about the Olympics on a MLS forum. :)

The Clean Sheet: As the Planet turns. Good article. I like what he says about Sampson, and although he did succeed in getting the US to France 98, I was horribly unimpressed with the US's ability to finish well the the Cup that year. Let's just say that I am glad he is not coaching for the Crew! I believe that all coaches, players, and people in general deserve second chances; this is his second chance. Everyone makes mistakes, both small and big. Some of them cause embarrassment to the US men's national soccer program, until the US was able to save face in Korea 02. What Sampson does with his second chance is up to him. He has a whole lot of pressure on him to do well; die-hard soccer fans can be very unforgiving. Sampson, good luck. You have a tough job ahead of you, but it is possible to redeem yourself. (Just don't coach the Crew!)

First XI: Taking a stand. Very good article.
10) Interesting point.
8) Exactly!
7) Duh! The way I see it, American media has given MLS less credit as the seasons have passed.
2) Interesting.

Galaxy Appoints New Coach

US warms to the world game. Fascinating article on the status of US pro soccer.

Crew Unbeaten Streak Reaches 8. Go Crew! :D

Monday, August 16, 2004

Weekly Standings

1. LA
2. KC
2. Metrostars
3. Colorado
3. Dallas
4. San Jose
5. Columbus
6. DC
7. New England
8. Chicago
First-place Galaxy relieve Schmid. Just say he was fired, for crying out loud! By the way, why on earth would you fire a coach this late in the season - a coach who is doing pretty well! I wonder what the real reason for the firing is.

Earthquakes To Wear NASL "Retro" Uniforms On Aug. 21 As Club Hosts Thirty-Year Celebration Night

NASL Quakes to return Saturday

Schmid Axed By Galaxy. I am linking to this article, mainly because of its creative title. Yes, I am pathetic.

League-leading Galaxy fires coach. The title actually says it, and there is additional info in it.

Gap grows closer on conference leaders

Sunday, August 15, 2004

MLS News

Iraq continues its run, defeats Costa Rica 2-0. It refers to MLS in the ninth paragraph. :P

ACL injury ends Klein's year. Ouch. That stinks!

Late goal ties up United
As much as I keep up with world news (which is a lot), I was just thinking how shallow it is for me to be blogging about soccer when there are far more important things going on in the world. I thought of starting a news blog, but, yikes, I may as well just link to all the major and minor news sites I visit every day. I guess it is just better to keep with a more narrowly focused blog. End of philosophical meanderings for now. ;)
Olympic news (Hey, it comes only once every four years. Cut me some slack.)

Iraqis a new dream team. It would be great if they won. Maybe I have another favorite! :)

United States 2, Brazil 0

Men's leaders: Argentina and Iraq
Women's leader: USA

Well, at least one of my favorites is doing well (two, if you count my new favorite, Iraq.)

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Irrelevant post: Olympic soccer

I forgot that the US men's soccer team is not in the Olympics this year (neither is Brazil, for that matter!), although, of course, the American women are.

My picks for the men:
Gold medal: Mali
Team I will be rooting for: Japan

My picks for the women:
Gold medal: 1st pick: USA; 2nd pick: Germany or China
Teams I will be rooting for: USA, Japan, Nigeria, and Brazil

Let's see how I do with my picks. :)
I added a link to the sidebar. Happy surfing! :)
Donovan makes good on challenge

Alejandro Moreno Q&A

Adu finds place with United. Adu does seem to be playing well. That said, I still do not think that he is "the savior of American soccer."

Friday, August 13, 2004

Earthquakes, Wizards figuring it out

Texas makeover: FC Dallas unveiled. Cool.

The Clean Sheet: You're my boy, Tex. Sweet article. Go read. Good quote: But following in the footsteps of D.C. United, we have another "traditional" soccer name. Soccer bashers may have a field day with it, and mainstream sports fans and media may give a collective "huh?" -- and that's exactly why I like it. I've always said that MLS needs to focus first and foremost every day on converting and catering to American soccer fans, and this is another step in that direction. Yeah, I'm a soccer junkie, too. Maybe that is why I really dig the new name. Anyway, now the fun part begins for the Dallas fans: the "unofficial" name the team aspect. We gotta call them something, so what's it gonna be? *Big grin.* So what if I am not a Dallas fan; I am a blogger, which means that I have an opinion, whether merited or not. I will post one if (when) I think of one. Funny quote: So what do you think the "FC" stands for in FC Dallas?...If you want to go old school, it could be "Football Club." If you want to talk about the Burn's chances for winning a title this season, it's starting to look like "Fat Chance." *Another big grin.*

The Cheap Seats: European viewing. Good article, except for this one, shall we say, misstep: I don't miss watching the Columbus Crew play. *Glares.* Yeah, yeah, I know. If I can crack on Dallas, I should be able to take a crack on Columbus. Reading Lalas' comments on his lack of ability to follow MLS in Greece almost made me start on how I have it just as bad, here in the US this whole summer, but I will spare you that for now. Dig around my archives, and I am sure you will come across a spill of mine on that very subject.

Dallas Burn To Be Called FC Dallas. More on the name change, this time from the international soccer press.

Monday, August 09, 2004

MLS weekly rankings:

1. LA
2. KC
2. Metrostars
3. Colorado
3. Dallas
4. Columbus
5. San Jose
6. DC
7. Chicago
7. New England

East leader: Metrostars (32)
West leader: LA (33)
MLS Week 19 in review

News in the MLS world is slow today.

Friday, August 06, 2004

U.S. league sending its stars to Europe. Good article.

View of the Crew: Danny in, Sanneh maybe, Players healing, Andrulis optimistic
Guess who has been forgetting to post weekly standings? :) It is time to change that, at least for this week!

1. LA
2. KC
3. Metrostars
4. Colorado
5. Columbus
6. Dallas
7. DC
7. San Jose
8. Chicago
9. New England

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Newsworthy tidbits from the world of MLS (and my views on them!)

Donovan suspended for dissent

MLS main course has arrived. Interesting article on what to expect for the duration of the season.

Rochester's Cup Run Ends. OK, so this isn't MLS news. However, if you have read much of my previous posts, you probably know how I feel about Rochester. As far as I am concerned, anything on Rochester is fair game for this blog! :)

MLS Fines 5, Suspends 1. More info on the first article mentioned in this post.

Soccer on Home Plates: D.C. United seeks representation on Va. cars. Interesting. Enough said.

What a great way to start your day. MLS players on cereal boxes. Sweet deal! (Sorry; that was lame. *ducks flying objects*) It is about time that MLS got this level of recognition! Now if they can only put MLS players on boxes of Wheaties...

The Clean Sheet: What do I know?
United visits Donovan-less Quakes

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

One more thing: I can only guarantee that links will be correctly linked at the time that I publish my blog. I make all efforts to ensure that all links are correct, but if webmasters make changes to their sites after I publish, that is out of my control.
Guess who finally got around to checking the links on the left of the page! I updated nearly all of them. I apologize for not checking them recently; most of them were outdated! At any rate, they should all work now.
Optimism, questions for new club
Vergara: You Can't Franchise A Heart. Good article about Chivas USA.
First XI: Commish for a day. This article is a must-read. It is highly opinionated and full of good thoughts for league improvements. Now for my commentary on the article (you knew it was coming!):
11) Excellent idea! After all, soccer is a team sport and MLS teams (and most "mainstream" pro sports) certainly need more motivation to play good soccer and win!
10) This one is a no-brainer. The championship match should be just that: a championship! The top teams should be the ones competing!
9) It might be a good idea, but I do not see it as necessary.
8) Same as my comment on #9.
7) Uh, what about the A-League?
6) Not bad.
5) Moving on...
4) Good idea, but I still think that Rochester should have an MLS team!
3) The only good thing about the All-Star game is that it is one of the few games actually broadcast on "regular" TV. MLS needs the publicity! If they get rid of the All-Star match, they had better get a contract with ABC or someone else to broadcast more matches, just like in the "good old days." Oh, and baseball does not have good All-Star games.
2) Sweet deal!
1) Good idea to broaden the home team support base.

I think that goes down as my longest and most detailed commentary yet! :)

Monday, August 02, 2004

Crew's Buddle earns Player of Week
The news is now official: the twelth MLS expansion team will be in LA. I am sure that they have done all of their market research, but I really hope that they are not shooting themselves in the foot. That is, is LA really capable of supporting two MLS teams? In addition, I would imagine that most people in LA who care about soccer are already Galaxy fans. Are they really willing to switch loyalties? I guess that time will tell!