News and Views

Donovan undecided on possible MLS return Unhappy because of his lack of playing time in Germany, Landon Donovan could be headed back to Major League Soccer or perhaps to another European club. Simply put, that stinks. I had high hopes that Donovan would succeed in Germany, but apparently I was wrong. I just hope that he will be able to find another European club where he will be able to excel and improve his game.
Galaxy mum on trade rumor
No comment by Galaxy on Donovan

Soccer & Utah: Boom or Bust? If you have any interest in whether or not Real Salt Lake will thrive in Salt Lake, this article is very thought-provoking.

Teams take advantage of tourney

Countdown '05

Days until kickoff: 7

Edit: the official countdown (to the second) is now available at MLSnet.com, but I think I will continue posting my own countdown here for my own enjoyment.

Countdown '05

Days until kickoff: 21

News and Views

The Clean Sheet: Yanks march on In one of the few non-televised U.S. national team games these days, the Yanks put a 3-0 spanking on Colombia on Wednesday night. Yea! OK, so the US is ranked 11th in the world, while Colombia is ranked 26th, but I still think it's great news.

Chivas USA finding a formation that fits

The Cheap Seats: The other Clint

United take win, but not satisfied

Scouting opponents creates wins

Countdown '05

Days until kickoff: 25

News and Views

Bradley happy with Ecuador trip MetroStars head coach Bob Bradley is pleased with his team's progress through their two-week training camp in Ecuador, he said in a live teleconference call Monday afternoon. I think it is a smart move for a coach to take his or her team to another country for training, if for no other reason than the team has the opportunity to encounter a different style and level of play. In my opinion, that can do a lot to strengthen any team.

MLS Arrange Fulham Clash Remember what I said about healthy competition? Fulham will play the Major League Soccer’s All-Stars team on July 30 at Columbus Crew Stadium, it was revealed today. Personally, I think that this year's All-Star match sounds promising. Yea for MLS!

D.C., K.C. have tough road ahead

Countdown '05

Days until kickoff: 27

On soccer: Garber has MLS thriving This article basically is an upbeat look at what Garber has done for MLS. My favorite quote of the article:

"The old regime tried to win over the basic American sports fan, which led to things like the old end-game shootout to break ties. Now, the focus is on winning over the ethnic soccer fan who follows teams abroad but hasn't connected to ones here. There really is a strong market for soccer in this country," says Garber, "if you go out and work hard and connect with those who already love the game.

I especially like the last phrase: work hard and connect with those who already love the game. Get those who are already soccer fans behind MLS, and everything else will fall in place. Turn the soccer fans against MLS in a fruitless effort to appease the non-soccer fans, and you have a mess on your hands. (Don't even get me started on the tie-breaking shootouts!) If the soccer fans get behind MLS, two basic things will happen. One, MLS will have a loyal fan base, which is any league's or team's dream. Two, the excitement will be contagious. People like games where there is a lot of excitement. The only way to have excitement is to have loyal fans. I think you get the idea: MLS needs to find ways to be appealing to soccer fans. They have already made siginifant progress (for example, the abolishment of the shootouts and the establishment of a timing system that counts up, instead of down), but more needs to be done.

No Fusion, but MLS still bears watching

Countdown '05

Days until kickoff: 29

News and Views

Roundup: Quakes topple Galaxy San Jose may have won by only one point (2-1), but the Galaxy (with Sampson) is not off to a good start. (Then again, my memories of France '98 probably make me judge Sampson's actions more harshly than I would other coaches. Maybe I shouldn't judge his every action so harshly.)

"Rocky Mountain Cup" Name Chosen for Rapids/Real Rivalry When I hear or see Real in reference to soccer, I still think of Madrid. When reading specifically about MLS, I still have to stop to remind myself that the writer is probably talking about Salt Lake. (Then again, I still sometimes think of San Jose as the Clash, instead of as the Earthquakes. Change may be good, and variety may be the spice of life, but I sometimes have to remind myself that change has taken place.)

Rapids move on the offensive

L.A.'s Saragosa returning to Brazil

Crew feature in high definition, MLS announces HDNet television schedule

2004 HDnet MLS schedule

Countdown '05

Days until kickoff: 30

Sampson likes the early returns Galaxy coach Steve Sampson said he is fairly pleased with the team's progress, despite last Sunday's 1-0 loss to defending MLS champion D.C. United in the inaugural Aloha Soccer Cup in Honolulu. I still don't understand why LA got rid of their coach last season when they were doing so well, only to replace him with Sampson and to see the team fall. Sampson is running out of chances in the eyes of US soccer fans, especially those who very distinctly remember the France '98 debacle. (OK, so I should probably just be happy that he wasn't chosen to lead the Crew, and leave it at that.) Hopefully the Galaxy, under his leadership, will perform well this season. Let me qualify that statement: I want them to do well; I just don't want them to beat Columbus, and I certainly do not want to see the Galaxy in the Cup.

Chivas USA stumbles vs. US nationals The U.S. national team routed Chivas USA 7-0 at The Home Depot Center on Wednesday morning. I have only one word to say: ouch. I know what it feels like to lose that badly (for that matter, I know what it feels like to lose even worse than that). Hopefully Chivas will take this loss positively, and work even harder at their game. But still, ouch.

Henderson: Best is yet to come with MLS

Countdown '05

Days until kickoff: 32

News and Views

View from the Cheap Seats: Fantasy Island Ah, Greg Lalas's advice on playing MLS Fantasy Football (soccer, whatever). I would love to play MLS Fantasy, but I don't really have the time, and, as you can probably see, I can barely find the time to blog about MLS, let alone play Fantasy. That aside, Lalas made some interesting points:

Ah, formation. Always a tough one. Whatever you do, don't play four in the back. That's the fantasy equivalent of Steve Sampson's 3-6-1 debacle at the World Cup in 1998, and we all know how well that worked.

Interesting quote, but definitely true. Who wants to relive that debacle?

Fantasy MLS is won in the midfield.

If, at any point of time during the coming year, I criticize anything Lalas says, please remind me of this quote. Finally, some recognition for us midfielders!

Lineup not set yet for Chivas USA

First XI: Amazin' Metros

Rojas officially joins Real Salt Lake