The Proper Pitch

2007-05-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Does this work?

It's done!

2007-03-20T08:38:00.001-07:00

It's done!

2007-03-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

MLS Goes to Washington

2007-03-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

The finish line is November 18th at RFK Memorial Stadium.

It may seem ages away, but for each team it is a mere 30 matches and two playoff rounds away.

As Major League Soccer begins it’s 12th league campaign, there are many stories that could be focused on. The addition of expansion side Toronto FC puts the MLS brand north of the border for the first time. New owners in Toronto, DC, and Kansas City bring a new outlook to the league as their teams move forward. New coaches are taking control at Toronto, DC, KC, and Chivas USA. Sponsorship deals including Citibank’s multimillion dollar shirt sponsorship deal with Los Angeles Galaxy are bringing fresh cash into the league, and new stadiums in Toronto and Colorado are enabling teams to keep it. And perhaps the biggest news of the most eventful MLS offseason in recent memory is the Los Angeles Galaxy’s acquisition of David Beckham.

But after all the off-the-field stories this past winter are concluded, there’s still a 30 game league schedule to play, and trophies to be won. The MLS Cup playoffs have been tweaked slightly this year, with teams playing unbalanced schedules, and a new rule that gives automatic playoff berths to the top 2 teams in each conference, then the next four best teams regardless of conference, perhaps allowing one conference to send 6 teams to the playoffs. So let’s take a look at the East.

2006 Finish: DC United, New England, Chicago, New York, Kansas City, Columbus

In the East, despite losing USA international Clint Dempsey to the English Premier League, New England have retained most of the core team that has been to the MLS Cup Final the past two years. Taylor Twellman has been locked up with a new contract, and the Revs certainly have the talent to get back to the title game, backed by arguably the best goalkeeper in the league in Matt Reis.

DC United looked awfully good in their dismantling of CD Olimpia in the CONCACAF Champions Cup in February, despite several losses in the offseason. They lost goalkeeper Nick Rimando to New York (although his understudy Troy Perkins is more than apt.) Freddy Adu was lost to Real Salt Lake and perhaps most importantly striker Alecko Eskandarian was lost to Toronto FC. United have signed Brazlian Luciano Emilio from CD Olimpia, and his performance in the Champions Cup against his former club indiciates that he may be a more than viable replacement for Eskandarian, and may be one of the more exciting players in the league. The key for DC is how well new coach Tommy Soehn will be able to command this group with the same authority that Peter Nowak did in leading them to an MLS Cup in 2004.

Toronto certainly looks like a playoff team on paper. Skippered by coach Mo Johnston, who got a really raw deal in New York, and backed by over 13,000 season ticket holders, Toronto could be poised to make a run like the 1998 Chicago Fire. Canadian international Jim Brennan has returned from England, and has been bolstered by some smart moves in the offseason, such as picking up DC United striker Alecko Eskandarian, Irish midfielder Ronnie O’Brien, and New England’s feisty Jose “Pepe” Cancela. Recent pickups of USA International Conor Casey from Germany and capable netminder Jon Busch from Columbus make this a team to be reckoned with. It will be a very interesting summer on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Chicago didn’t do much this past offseason, and that may cost them. Salary dumps to free up room for a Beckham Rule player have left the Fire young. They lost their leading goalscorers in Nate Jaqua (LA) and Costa Rican international Andy Herron (Columbus), but the team returns a talented, deep, young lineup that earned them their first trophy in 3 years last season. Chad Barrett will finally get to play forward in Jaqua and Herron’s absence. Sophomore Calen Carr also looks poised to pick up some solid minutes off the bench, and perhaps even start as an attacking midfielder. The Fire are also starting anew between the sticks as 25-year old Matt Pickens takes over for aging veteran Zach Thornton, who didn’t play another minute after giving up a 50-yard strike from Dwayne DeRosario in a 2-2 tie last August. Youth is served in Chicago.

RBNY frankly does not deserve to go to the playoffs. They lost Youri Djorkaeff and Amado Guevara. Their offseason was lackluster at best (How long before Claudio Reyna’s knees are totally shot on the Giants Stadium turf?). They also signed aging goalkeeper Ronald Waterus from Holland. Waterus will turn 37 in August, so I believe that they will be a bit slow on the line. So why have I picked them to make the playoffs? Frankly, because there are not a lot of good teams this year. Colorado might pass them for the last playoff spot. So might RSL, but I can’t believe Bruce Arena will allow that to happen.

Kansas City and Columbus are shit this year. I will be very surprised if either of them make the Cup playoffs.

Out West
2006 Finish: FC Dallas, Houston, Chivas USA, Colorado, Salt Lake, Los Angeles

The big news of the offseason was naturally David Beckham’s move to Los Angeles, but what the mainstream media forgets is that ONE PLAYER CANNOT CHANGE A TEAM, especially in a sport with 11 players on the field, fortunately for the Galaxy, they are in very good shape, even without Beckham. The Galaxy will suffer through the midsummer National team absences for Landon Donovan just like last year, but this year, they have added some key acquisitions not named David Beckham. They acquired Chicago Fire’s second-leading scorer in striker Nate Jaqua, left unprotected by the Fire in the expansion draft thinking he was en route to Europe. With Beckham coming Stateside, Jaqua seemed to think he could do just fine domestically, and had Toronto trade him to LA. Also suiting up for the Victoria Street outfit is Colroado Rapids goalkeeper Joe Cannon, who shut-out Chelsea in last season’s All-Star game. These two pick-ups I feel are a much better move for Galaxy on the field than Beckham, although Becks certainly opens new revenue doors and has already paid for himself through LA’s shirt sponsorship deal with Citibank. LA has the depth this year that they lacked last year, and a domestic double is not out of the question for Galaxy.

Defending Champion Houston Dynamo looks on track for a solid sophomore outing. They were able to re-sign US international Brian Ching, and keep hold on Canadian international Dwayne DeRosario, staving off interest from Europe and Toronto FC. The only real significant loss they have had is Adrian Serioux in the back line to Texas Derby rivals FC Dallas, and may suffer because of it, but they are largely the same team that lifted the Alan I Rothenberg Trophy in Dallas’s home ground last November.

FC Dallas won the west last season but their midfield has been gutted with the departure of Ronnie O’Brien in the expansion draft to Toronto FC. Dallas still has a fearsome attack that includes USA international Kenny Cooper and Guatemalan international and Goal of the Decade-winner Carlos Ruiz. Dallas is poised to be a strong team, but their reign atop the west looks finished.

If this were last season, RSL would make the playoffs, and who knows? They might even this year. But with the shift in playoff berths, all the power in MLS appears to be in the East, making one of those last at-large playoff berths so hard to snap up. Real has brought in Freddy Adu and Panamanian international Luis Tejada, but foolishly dealt away newly acquired goalkeeper Nick Rimando. Only a few weeks before the season, RSL netminder Scott Garlick has announced his retirement, leaving RSL without a keeper. You have to build from the back up, and RSL’s backup is untested rookie Chase Harrison. Ouch. This season could go either way on the Wasatch Front.

Another team without a netminder is RSL’s Rocky Mountain Cup rival Colorado Rapids. While still anchored by some solid players, and they should get an attendance boost from moving into a new stadium, they are still one of the lesser franchises in MLS. USA international Pablo Mastroeni brings some spark and flair to the Rapids, but despite a new stadium, new colors, new badge, and new parternship with London’s Arsenal FC, they’re still the “Crapids” and will likely miss the playoffs. Picking up Zach Thornton from the Fire was a good move, but Thornton is old and is definitely way past his prime and somewhat out of shape, but anything’s better than an untested rookie after losing Joe Cannon to the Galaxy.

Rounding out the bottom of the conference is Club Deportivo Chivas USA. While young stars Sacha Klijestan and Jonathan Bornstein are coming into their own, the Goats will lack the veteran presence and goalscoring that Paco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia brought to the club. The acquisition of Amado Guevara from RBNY should help allay this, but Guevara has a rocky relationship with coaches, and could be a locker room liability. The departure of head coach Bob Bradley, largely credited with turning around Chivas into a playoff team last year leaves Chivas with even further question marks.

MLS Cup Playoffs
Los Angeles over New York
Houston over Dallas
New England over Chicago
DC over Toronto

Los Angeles over Houston
DC over New England

MLS Cup Final
Los Angeles over DC United

Hmmmm.....Kind of awkward

2007-03-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

Major League Soccer and the FMF set up the SuperLiga tournament between the best American and Mexican clubs with the eye on it eventually passing the CONCACAF Champions Cup as the equivalent of the UEFA Champions League in Europe.

Problem is, the final four teams in the Champions Cup (Pachuca, CD Guadalajara, DC United, Houston Dynamo) are all in the SuperLiga. Pachuca and Guadalajara are in Group A. DC United and Dynamo are in Group B.

Oops.

God Dammit Woody Paige. THIS is the reason why sports blogs have to exist.

2007-02-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

Former Cold Pizza lunatic Woody Paige has penned a rather befuddling piece in the Denver Post on the arrival of David Beckham. We bring it to you now in classic FJM/YCS/TPP bold/not bold fashion.

Spend it for Beckham.
Soccer.
Don't turn the page - yet.
Way to start off the piece, Woody, by telling people that they're probably wanting to read something else.

Major League Soccer announced Thursday that its annual all-star game will be played on July 19 in Denver - well, Commerce City - at the brand-spanking-new Dick's Sporting Goods Park. (I haven't figured out a snappy, short name for the stadium, and you don't want to go where you're thinking.)
This attempt at rising above juvenile toilet-humor brought to you by a man who prefers to be called "Woody."

Denver apparently beat out New York for a major event, as usual.
Yea, I'm pretty sure that no one was talking about holding the event on the Fieldturf at Giants Stadium, and Red Bull Park is currently a construction site in Harrison, NJ and won't be open untill next season.

Don't turn on Paige - yet.
Again, you think we shouldn't be listening to you. Someone's got a guilty conscience. With the number of puns you're dropping ("Turn on Paige?") maybe you're right.

The MLS all-stars will play Celtic FC, the greatest team from Scotland.
Still not excited?
David Beckham could be making his MLS debut and playing his first game in Denver/Commerce City.
Now I've got your attention.

Actually, I was excited when you mentioned Celtic. C'Mon the Hoops!!!

David Beckham is to soccer fans what the Spice Girls once were to my daughter and many other daughters.

Yea, they both hit their peak around 1997-1999.

By the way, Beckham is married to the former Posh Spice, Victoria Adams Beckham

Thanks for the news flash, Woody.

When Beckham, once the face of soccer, and his wife, known for her body of work in rock 'n' roll, married in 1999, they were treated as British royalty, especially when they moved into a mansion dubbed "Beckingham Palace."

"Known for her body of work in Rock 'n' roll? Are we talking about the same Victoria Beckham?

You don't know the Colorado Rapids' co-leading goal scorer last season, Kyle "Bend It, He Hopes, Like Beckham" Beckerman, but you have heard of David Beckham, who had a movie and hundreds of babies named in his honor.

Easy there, Berman.

So you definitely want to spend it for Beckham if he plays in the all-star game. He is scheduled to be released from his Real Madrid contract on or before July 1, and he is expected to play at Dick's Sporting Goods Park (isn't that better than Pepsi Center or Invesco Field at Mile High?) because an MLS deputy commissioner said Thursday that his boss gets to make two picks for the all-star team. Do you seriously believe Don Garber would overlook Beckham for, say, Ugo Ihemelu?

Something actually resembling solid reporting. Also, Ugo Ihemelu is a beast, and will probably make the All-Star team in his own right. Maybe Woody's turned the corner here and we're going to have a thought-provoking article.

How about a halftime concert featuring Posh Spice and Vanilla Ice backed by the cast of "Miami Vice"?

Nope. I was wrong.

Many (thousands of) people scoffed when Los Angeles Galaxy owner (and Denver's own) Phil Anschutz and Galaxy president (and former Nuggets president) Tim Leiweke lured Beckham (who has no connection to Denver) to UnReal L.A. for $250 million over five years. Beckham basically was kicked away from English soccer and since has been benched in Madrid.

That's a bit of an oversimplification of his contract. Many others also said it was the best move MLS has ever made.

Beckham will sell out every home game and every road game and every game on the Galaxy's trip to the Far East, and his jersey and other merchandise will make a ton of cash, and he will be bigger in movies than "King Kong" and "Godzilla" combined - "The Midfielder, The Goalkeeper and Beckham's Wardrobe"?

God dammit, Woody, please stop talking.

And Beckham will give MLS the credibility it never has received, particularly for older American men (me) who haven't given a solid whit about soccer.

Not bloody likely. Most of Beckham's fans are younger and people like you only know about him from your kids and younger colleagues. You probably still think soccer's not a real sport because they don't use their hands or because it has foreigners in it.

He (Phil Anschutz) has owned four professional soccer teams in the U.S. (including the Rapids for several years) and three in Europe.

Actually, it was six, technically 7 in the US (LA Galaxy, Chicago Fire, MetroStars, DC United, Colorado Rapids, San Jose Earthquakes/Houston Dynamo)

As Anschutz said to me in at least six exclusive interviews: "No comment."

Hilarity.

Admit it. You already are considering the purchase of tickets for the All-Star Game. We could become soccer aficionados, but we must not become soccer hooligans.

Thank you for this stern warning from a wisened old man who has clearly seen what devastating effects soccer hooliganism had at Heysel in the 1989 European Cup Final, that sparked a war in the former Yugoslavia, that fires ethnic tensions in Scotland, and that ravaged the English game throughout the 1980s. It is especially meaningful coming from a man who a few paragraphs ago said that he didn't give a whit (?) about soccer before this.

You may turn the page and turn off the Paige now.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

4 Ways to Improve Football

2007-01-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

I've been known to defend the game against fellow sports fans, particularly in the United States where it has not caught on in the mainstream the way the NFL and Major League Baseball dominate. I've defended it almost to a fault, ridiculing any changes that which would "ruin the game." However, this past World Cup and this current season, it has become obvious that there are some changes needed to soccer, and perhaps the MLS, as a new soccer nation, could experiment with these rules to determine their practicality. No, these rules are not as drastic as the suggested "Make the goals bigger" or "reduce the number of players on the field to 10 to open up more lanes." These are minor changes that should have a more dramatic effect. So without further adieu, here are this soccer fan's 4 ways to improve soccer for the better, WITHOUT changing the game.

PROBELM AREA #1: FEIGNING INJURY
Many teams, especially on the international level (COUGH! THE ITALIANS! COUGH! THE DAMN PORTUGUESE!!!) seem to think that the best way to wear down an opponent is through an extended series of set-pieces, brought on by an extended series of free kicks brought about by fouls. Players will roll around on the ground, screaming in pain, the match is stopped, and a few seconds later, the player who couldn't even stand up is flanking around for a winning header.
Suggestion: Allow the match to continue while a player recieves medical attention. This is a common practice in rugby, a sport that descended from soccer and likewise has a running clock. One team simply continues play with the number of players being 11 vs. 10. Is this unfair? Perhaps, but because of this numerical disadvantage, 1.) There will be no incentive to fake an injury, as it will leave your team vulnerable to counterattack, 2.) Players who actually are hurt will be taken off the pitch quickly so as to avoid risking further disadvantage to the team, and further injury to the player.

The game already continues with this disadvantage when the player receives medical treatment off the sidelines, but only after a stoppage in play, disrupting whatever flow or momentum was present in the game. If the player is in the middle of the field instead of near the sidelines, perhaps have the trainer bring a flourescent orange flag or something to plant in the ground by the injured player, so as to avoid being involved in the play while the injured footballer is attended to.

If a player moved out of bounds if his injury was close to a touch line, he could re-enter at any point in the match, but could not be the first player to touch the ball following his return.

An added benefit here is that it would reduce or even eliminate the need for added time at the end of each half for injuries.

PROBLEM AREA #2: GOAL REVIEW
Sometimes goals are controversial, and in a sport where scoring means so much, officials should get it right. Liverpool's goal in their 1-0 Champions League victory against Chelsea in 2005 was...with all respect to Liverpool fans, questionable. Likewise, Michael Ballack's obvious handball on the USA's goal in the 2002 World Cup ended the Americans' run.

Solution: Instant Replay for goals
Ice hockey, Basketball and American football have employed instant replay to confirm the accuracy of their officials in scoring. Each coach would be given one challenge per match (we could even use the same red flag, or the coach could indicate his wish to the fourth official, or both).

If a call is overturned, then that coach will recieve another challenge for that match, but no more than 2 in a match. If the coach is wrong, then he will lose a substitution (coaches are only allowed three). If all three substitutions have been used, then a coach must take a player off the field.

Coaches may challenge only on the "reviewable" grounds that a goal was scored but was not ruled one, a goal was ruled to have occured but did not cross the line, offsides, or an illegal touch (Handball, first player to touch the ball having come from out of bounds). As in football, the call on the field will be upheld unless there is indisputable visual evidence that it should be overturned.

PROBLEM AREA #3: DIVING
One of the biggest complaints that is heard from fans and detractors alike is that there is too much diving in soccer. This was painfully on display at the last World Cup, especially with the Italians. Their Round of 16 tie with Australia where the Socceroos had them on the rack in the closing minutes, heading for extra time, only to have an Italian felled by an invisible hit, and deliver the winning penalty kick as time expired. As long as there is incentive to cheat, players will try to gain advantage. They are competitors.

Solution: Extra officials
In a sport with a field as wide as soccer's, and the direction of play changing constantly and often over long distances, it is impossible for the officials to keep pace with the game in a way that would enable them to be on top of every play. As a result, players often oversell or dramaticize contact in hope of drawing a foul and that the official will be too far away from the action to make a difference. Basketball uses three officials and only has 10 players on a small court. Soccer has 22 players on a large field and only has one official whose job it is to call fouls (the linesmen are responsible for out-of-bounds plays)

Ideally, I would call for at least one additional referee on the field to patrol one half, while the other official patrolled the other half of the pitch. I would even go so far as to add two extra officials who would remain stationed behind the goal line to ensure that diving in the penalty area did not affect the outcome of the game.

PROBLEM AREA #4: BUNKER MENTALITY

They say that a two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in soccer. A single goal by the trailing team gives them the momentum needed to score the tying goal. As a result, many teams enter a bunker mentality as soon as they score the goal to put them up by two. They look to protect their net at all costs, often resulting in ugly play. Many Premiership matches end by 2-0 scorelines as teams refuse to push forward and risk giving up momentum or their secured three points.

Solution: Offer bonus points for a win of 3 goals or more in league play
Rugby currently offers bonus points in league play for a team that scores more than 5 tries, and for a team that loses by less than two scores. This keeps games interesting and exciting even when the outcome has been decided. I would propose offering 1 bonus point for a win by 3 goals or more, so a 2-1 win would earn a team 3 points in the standings, but a 4-1 win would earn four. FIFA has already altered the point format in league play, from 2 points for a win to 3 in the 1990s, and this did serve to help alleviate many draws. With this new scoring system in place, English Premiership second-place side Chelsea could pass leaders Manchester United in 2 matches instead of 3. This would make for more exciting league title chases and more exciting group play in international tournaments.

The Joy of Becks

2007-01-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

David Beckham will not bring MLS to EPL-level popularity. David Beckham will not kill MLS. Settle down, people.

The dust has begun to settle on the biggest blockbuster move in Major League Soccer's history, with David Beckham leaving Spanish giants Real Madrid for the greener pastures and faker breasts of Southern California. They say that history repeats itself, and in the minds of many sportswriters who don't spend the majority (or even a slim minority) of their time writing about soccer, the move has drawn comparisons to Pele signing for the now-defunct New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League in the 1970s. Just this morning passing by a sports bar, I saw Becks and Pele on Sportscenter. Oh, brother.

Are there similarities? Sure. Both Pele and Beckham are both icons that transcend their sport. They both played a sport that was/is looking for a foothold in the crowded national sports landscape. For another example, not many Americans follow skiing with the passion of a Packers or Red Sox fan, but I bet a lot of people would be able to tell me who Bode Miller or Picabo Street is. Same with golf and Tiger Woods, or Tennis and Andre Agassi. Likewise, Beckham's move could mirror Pele's by bringing more star talent to America's top flight. Pele's name lent instant credibility to the upstart North American Soccer League, which helped lure players like Giorgio Chinaglia, Franz Beckenbauer, and George Best. Today, the MLS offseason rumor mill is flying with word of Ronaldo (Brazil), Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic), Claudio Reyna (USA), Luis Figo (Portugal) and Jared Borghetti(Mexico) making the jump to MLS by this time next year. Beckham's signing bought the league more free advertising in a day than it has probably had in its previous 11 seasons.

But the comparison between Beckham's arrival in 2007 with Pele's in 1975 is a faulty one. It looks similar on the surface, but the reality is anything but. The two players enter two completely different teams in different leagues in different eras with totally different standing in the sports mindset.

Major League Soccer is not the NASL, Becks is not Pele.

For starters, soccer, while still definitely the 4th or 5th sport in a 3-sport country (Depending on where you place hockey in the national consciousness,) is in a much better position now than it was in the 1970s. The 2006 World Cup Final drew more viewers than the World Series in 2006. That never would have happened in the 1970s, regardless of who was playing. Pele's arrival was a last gasp for a league on the verge of folding. Beckham's arrival at Victoria Street is the logical next step in a league that has survived its financial childhood and is maturing into a legitimate, stable, long-term league.

Stemming from this relatively increased popularity, Major League Soccer actually has the money to afford to pay Beckham without bankrupting the league like the Cosmos's All-Washup-All-Star team did in the 1970s. The NASL had no salary cap, and no league-wide structure to ensure that payroll expanded correspondingly with financial growth. The end result was a player-salary arms race between the New York Cosmos and Los Angeles Aztecs. Any game not involving those teams was more or less irrelevant. Teams regularly folded like socks.

MLS on the other hand is organized in a single-entity structure, and has alotted only one "Designated Player" slot per team (13 league wide). The slots are tradeable, but no team can have more than two. New York has two such slots since trading Honduran international and team captain Amado Guevara to CD Chivas USA in exchange for their DP slot. RBNY can now sign two players, for whatever salary they want, with it only counting as $450,000 against the salary cap. This structure allows even the small-market teams like Kansas City Wizards and Columbus Crew to avoid repeating the fate of their predecessors, teams like the Tulsa Roughnecks and Tampa Bay Rowdies, who simply could not afford to keep pace with the wild spending of the Aztecs and Cosmos.

So where's this money coming from? Well, for one, ESPN has just signed an 8-year deal with MLS, marking the first time that rights fees have ever been paid to the league. Next summer, if you turn on ESPN2 on Thursday nights expecting to see a baseball game. Sorry to disappoint you, but you will be watching the best soccer teams in America (and one in Canada) square off. By contrast, the first NASL game to be televised on ABC, went to commercial breaks. Yes. Commercial breaks in a soccer game. But the players kept playing, and during the break, the first goal of the game was scored. Soccer's come a long way since then.

The money that MLS has that the NASL never had also comes from teams having control over their revenue streams by playing in their own stadiums. The idea that the NASL was widely popular in the 1970s is a stretch at best, and a farce at worst. The NASL average attendance never hit 15,000, and even during Pele's reign, leaguewide attendance only averaged about 8,000. Even teams in big markets like the Chicago Sting and Toronto Blizzard struggled to draw 5-digit crowds. Many tickets were just given away. Sure, the Cosmos may have been the league's highest-drawing team, and were popular in the era of Studio 54. However, even the Cosmos couldn't fill half the seats in Giants Stadium even in their Pele heyday. Likewise, they still had to pay rent to play in a stadium that did not belong to them. A few seasons later, attendance dropped, fan interest fizzled, and the Cosmos were relegated to the sports nostalgia scrap heap.

Fast-forward to 2007. This season, Major League Soccer will have 13 clubs in 12 cities. Of those 13 clubs, 7 will play in stadiums designed for Major League Soccer. One more (New England) plays in a stadium its owner (Bob Kraft) owns (Woohoo! Free rent!). New stadiums in New York and Salt Lake have already broken ground. New stadiums in Kansas City and Washington, DC are not far off. In addition to not having to pay rent, MLS owners can fill dates by booking other events, such as lacrosse, high school and college sports, international matches, other sporting events, and concerts, which bring in the most money. Having control of this revenue is what will enable Anschutz Entertainment Group (Owners of the LA Galaxy) to pay Beckham. It also offers a more aesthetically pleasing game than watching a perfect cross headed into the back of the net with "BRONCOS" painted across the front of the goal mouth.

In addition to new money coming in through local investment (MLS has had 6 new ownership groups come into the league since 2005), MLS is also attracting more foreign investment to help fund its growth. It has a 10-year, $252 million deal with adidas. The New York club was bought by Red Bull last year along with their to-be-built stadium for more than $100 million. Salt Lake sold ad space on its jersey to European juicemaker Xango for $500,000 a season. That's about a quarter of their team salary paid for before they sell a single ticket. Another AEG-owned team (believed to be the Chicago Fire) will be selling ad space on its jersey much like many European giants in a deal rumored to be in the millions. The NASL never had that kind of coin lying around. MLS is slowly making money thanks to the slow-and-steady approach advocated by Commissioner Don Garber since 2002. The NASL had a "Let's be the NFL next week" approach that just was as realistic as it was financially feasible.

Today, MLS teams are actually reporting profits instead of hemorraging cash like the NASL did. Beckham's drawing power only opens new revenue streams for the league that the NASL didn't have. Just think about how much e-commerce has evolved since...well...since it was created, which was likely after the NASL's demise in 1984. I imagine gold and green David Beckham Galaxy shirts are flying off the e-shelves from Orange County to Okinawa (Becks is huge in Asia, possibly leading to foreign broadcast rights fees to be paid to the league), and in fact, Los Angeles Galaxy is planning a tour of Asia in 2008. MLS teams didn't tour untill now. NASL teams never toured. European giants tour America. Now it's on the other foot, and Los Angeles Galaxy and MLS can develop its brand around the footballing world.

The other difference between Beckham and Pele is the players themselves, perhaps something that even the media is underestimating. While much has been made of Becks making the turn stateside because wants to be a movie star, or because he hasn't been able to crack the starting lineup at Real Madrid, that doesn't mean he's a washed up pretty boy. He's still a hell of a footballer. Staying in the first team for a club of Real Madrid's calibre is hard to do for any player. Becks is 31. Pele was 35 when he signed with the Cosmos. Beckenbauer still played with the Cosmos when he was 38. While Beckham is definitely past his peak, he is still in his prime. Becks could be a marquee name for MLS for a good 4-5 years. And this is in a league where the talent pool is much deeper than anything the NASL ever produced, largely due to the fact that more kids played soccer in the 1980s and 1990s than did in the 1950s and 1960s.

I would be hard-pressed to find any area where the NASL was in better shape at the time of Pele's signing than MLS is today. If you can, let me know, but untill that time, any surface comparisons between Becks and Pele will be just that. Comparisons that are relevant on the surface.

Modern Man Reverts to the slime from which it came

2006-12-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Freddy Adu Scores Against Real Salt Lake

2006-12-12T08:24:00.000-08:00


Freddy Adu scores on a free kick against Real Salt Lake at RFK on 09/09/2006. Once again, Garth Lagerway (the color commentator) uses his signature "Sweet Creamery Butter" line.

YOU SUCK, HEAPS!

2006-11-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

Fire Flag Ideas for next season

2006-11-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: I've decided on a final design. The overwhelming support seemed to be in favor of the Tricolor. I've now got it narrowed down to a few potential designs.

The flag of the "Republic of FIRELAND"

Here I altered the Fire logo to the colors of green and orange. The words "Chicago Fire" on the badge will be black in the final design.

Just a straight up Tricolor with Fire badge, and shamrock MLS Cup star, or the same with the words "COME THE GLORY" under the badge in black.

TPP Op-Ed: MLS Should Sign Beckham before it's too late

2006-10-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

David Beckham is having a miserable year. He has started only four games for Real Madrid, and has been dropped from the English National Team roster following a subpar World Cup. While initially rumored to be in contract negotiations with Madrid, the word coming out of the Bernabeu now is that Real would prefer to let the Beckham Experiment draw to a close.

This is Major League Soccer's chance.

Up untill now, MLS has eschewed shelling out for high-priced talent for fear of dooming the league to the fate of sports nostalgia to lie with the NASL, which folded under financial difficulties extending from a salary arms-race for players like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, and George Best.

However, in 2007, this is due to change. MLS needs to buy Beckham NOW rather than wait a year or two because of the following reasons.

1) Stadiums: Next season, with new stadiums opening in Toronto and Colorado, for the first time ever, more than 1/2 of the teams in MLS will be playing in soccer-specific stadiums (7 out of 13). This keeps the revenue in MLS, and changes the business plan into one that MLS and the NASL never had before, enabling money to be spent.

2) Television: ESPN has just signed on for an 8-year deal that sees a network paying rights fees to broadcast MLS games for the first time ever, and matches will be played in primetime. ESPN wants big names and high drama to warrant their investment.

3) Becks himself: Beckham is only going to get older, and his skills are eventually going to diminish with time. The Becks three years from now may not even resemble the Becks we know now.

4) Affordable: Beckham is coming off his worst form of his career, so his asking price is low. Real Madrid is only asking for $9.4 million as a transfer fee (Less than 20% of his $46 million transfer fee from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2003). This money, while substantial for MLS can easily be made up in increased ticket sales, Beckham jersey sales, and advertising. For reference, Freddy Adu caused three MLS games to top 30,000 fans in three of the league's weakest markets (New York, New England, Colorado) in 2004, and attendance registered a bump in all cities the Adu Roadshow visited that season. That's Freddy frickin Adu. Think the World's most famous soccer player might have a similar effect? In a few years, Beckham can either recapture his form playing in a Los Angeles Galaxy shirt in front of packed houses in the United States, or in a European shirt playing in front of packed houses in Europe.

5) Selling Beckham Back: Should Beckham recapture his form while playing in a Red Bulls or Galaxy shirt, Europe may come calling again, putting MLS in the enviable position of demanding a transfer fee for Beckham.

6) Other greats coming: Rumor also has it from credible sources that next season we could see Luis Figo in a New England shirt, and Ronaldo in an RBNY shirt. Becks would be a celebrity, and should get in while the getting's good.

MLS Cup Playoffs: Down to This

2006-10-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, a 32-game regular season campaign closed. Four teams were eliminated, and the natural selection continues with this weekend's MLS Cup Playoffs. 8 teams are still alive in the competition to bring home the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy November 12th in Frisco, TX, home of FC Dallas. Here's a preview of this weekend's Conference Semi-final matches.

This round consists of a two game series, each team hosting one match. The series is decided by total aggregate goals. (ie: If Team X wins the first leg 2-0, but loses the second game 3-0, Team X is out of luck, since they lost 3-2 on aggregate.) Ties go to extra time at the higher seed's stadium.

The marquee matchup of the first round is #3 Chicago Fire vs. #2 New England Revolution.
In an 11-year old league, grudges and fan malice are rare, but Fire-Revs is quickly becoming the bad-blood rivalry of the league. 2006 will be the sixth time in seven seasons that the Fire or Revs have ended the other's season. (Revs lead 3-2 in those encounters.) The series is a rematch of the 2005 Eastern Conference Final. The Fire won the 2006 season series 3-1-1, outscoring New Eng-er-land 9-7.

New England may be losing a number of players to Europe in the offseason, so the pressure is on to win NOW. The Fire on the other hand are a relatively youthful team. Fire have switched goalkeepers, leaving franchise keeper Zach Thornton on the bench in favor of his understudy Matt Pickens. Pickens shone in the Fire's run to the US Open Cup Championship, but is still wet behind the ears. ESPN analyst Eric Wynalda picked the Revs, saying they're the better team, but all fan biases aside, Eric Wynalda is full of shit and doesn't know what he's talking about most of the time. The Fire have been on a tear since the All-Star break going 12-3-1 since August 16 (8-3-1 in league play). New England is also hot, having won 4 of their last 5. I predict the Fire win the first leg 2-1 at home, then hold on for dear life against a VERY GOOD New England team, and maybe escape Foxboro with a 1-1 tie. Whatever the outcome, I can't see this series being decided by more than one goal. The Fire also hold the distinction of having won their season series against every team in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
My Pick: CHICAGO FIRE, 3-2 on aggregate

The other Eastern Semifinal is notable if only because it is this rivalry that spawned one of the first incidents of fan violence among soccer supporters in the US earlier this season . #4 Red Bull New York vs. Supporters Shield Winner #1 DC United. Leg One kicks off at Giants Stadium on Saturday. United may have been the best team in the regular season, but they've been playing like absolute SHITE since the All-star break. United have only won 3 league matches since the All-Star Break (3-6-6), and have lost 4 of their last 5.
DC is a talented team, but history has shown postseason performance follows how you play down the stretch. New York has been playing with urgency the last few weeks to wrest away the final playoff berth. DC has been coasting since July, and I don't think United can turn it on like a lightswitch. I'm calling it right now. The upset special.
My pick: RED BULL NEW YORK, 4-3 on aggregate

The marquee series out west is #2 Houston Dynamo vs. #3 CD Chivas USA. Houston is led by All-Star game MVP Dwayne DeRosario and US International Brian Ching. Houston is as solid a team all around as can be, but have been decidedly average as of late. (4-5-5 since the All-Star Break). Chivas is chock full of veterans, Mexican internationals, and Rookie of the Year candidate Jonathan Bornstein. The two teams tied their season series, each claiming a win and two draws from each other. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one go to PKs, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see Houston move on.

My pick: HOUSTON DYNAMO 5-3 on aggregate. (and dumbass blogger wouldn't let me upload their badge.)

Lastly, we come to #1 FC Dallas vs. #4 Colorado Rapids. Frankly, Dallas is stacked. They'll move on to the Western Conference Final without so much as a peep from Colorado.
My Pick: FC DALLAS, 4-1 on aggregate.

I know for a fact that I am going to be a wreck Saturday night in anticipation of the Fire's playoff tilt on Sunday, so let the playoffs begin....as soon as possible...for my sake.

MLS Week 31 Picks

2006-10-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

OK, I know I dropped the ball on my week 30 picks, but I was only taking a test that could very well determine the course of the rest of my life, so sue me if my mind was on other things (at which time I'll promptly countersue).

Rather than making picks last night, I spent more time at the bar than I probably should have, so here are my picks in abbreviated form for this weekend

Chicago Fire: Columbus Crew
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL
My Pick: No way the Fire drop this one. 3-1 Fire.

DC United: New England Revolution
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
My Pick: Tie. United's the better team, but New Eng-er-land is playing better as of late.

Colorado Rapids: Red Bull New York
Invesco Field, Denver, CO
My Pick: Probably the most intensity we'll see out of all the matches as both teams have their playoff hopes on the line, I like Red Bull.

FC Dallas: Los Angeles Galaxy
Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX
My Pick: In a bizzarre scheduling quirk, the Hoops haven't seen LA at home all season, but will see them twice at home in the last 8 days of the league campaign. In this game, I'll take Los Angeles, if only to keep their scant playoff hopes alive heading into the final weekend of the league campaign.

Kansas City Wizards: Club Deportivo Chivas USA
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
My Pick: Chivas can clinch their first ever MLS Cup playoff berth with a win. Kansas City is decidedly average at home this season (6-4-5). I'll take Chivas.

Real Salt Lake: Houston Dynamo
Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
My Pick: Hopefully in the last game on the astro-carpet this season. Real needs to cling to this game like sweet precious life, as they're well within striking distance of the playoffs, but are on the outside looking in. Houston could conceivably leapfrog Dallas and take the top spot in the West. I like RSL in this game though.

My current record, 3-1-3 (2-1-3 for MLS games)

US Open Cup Final Preview

2006-09-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Open Cup is a unique tournament, pitting professional superstars against pub league amateurs in a one-off, single elimination tournament. In this year's edition (following preliminary qualifiers), 12 MLS sides, 14 minor league professional sides, 8 college summer league qualifiers, and 8 amateur champions partook, leaving Chicago Fire and Los Angeles Galaxy to do battle for the Dewar Trophy, the longest continuously-awarded trophy in the United States, stretching back to 1914. Along the way, MLS sides survived scares in hostile minor-league grounds, and CD Chivas USA earned the dubious honor of being the first MLS team to lose to an amateur team, when they drew Roma FC 0-0 and lost on penalty kicks.

How they got here
Chicago defeated: Kansas City (MLS) 2-0, New England (MLS) 2-1, DC United (MLS) 3-0
Los Angeles defeated: Roma FC (Amateur) 2-0, Colorado (MLS) 3-1 aet, Houston (MLS) 3-1

In league play, Fire are the hottest team in the league, only losing once twice since the All-Star break nearly two months ago. The Fire beat LA 2-1 on Saturday to win the season series (the two sides tied 1-1 in LA in April.) Los Angeles's fortunes are decidedly reversed. Last season's double winners sit in the Western Conference basement, with an 11th trip to the playoffs all but mathematically impossible with 3 matches to go. So with the history behind us, who will have the impact on the game?

Los Angeles: Landon Donovan. Donovan is the center of his team. The offense revolves around him, he scored on SAturday in a 2-1 loss, and without him, LA would likely be much worse than their record shows. However, Landon has a history of mailing it in in big games (World Cup, playoffs, etc.) For LA to win, Donovan has to have a great game, and I think he has to score, because Galaxy don't have a lot of weapons to work with.

Chicago: Matt Pickens. Pickens has started in net for all of Chicago's Open Cup games and has keyed the Fire's stretch run following regular starter Zach Thornton's injury. There is now a goalkeeper controversy in Chicago, where stability between the posts has reigned since 1998. His GAA has been 0.625 in that time, and he'll be tested again tonight.

Intangible stat: Only one team in the MLS era has won the Open Cup Final on the road (The 2003 Chicago Fire won at New York), and the Fire have never lost a home Open Cup game in club history.

My pick: Fire 2-0.

MLS Weekend Picks

2006-09-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

Alright, I don't really feel like doing these because I've got a lot to do today, but ever since I discovered that I have international readers (Gutentag, Deutschland!), I feel a strange obligation. So here we go. I have a more or less 50-50 record so far, but now that we know how teams are playing down the stretch, I'm starting over at 0-0. If I'm one off, ie) picking a Colorado win, and Colorado tie, then I'm giving myself a point, in the true nature of ties. Six league matches on tap this weekend, so let's go.

Columbus Crew: Houston Dynamo
Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH

Columbus is done. Stick a fork in them. They're 7 points back with 6 matches to go, so while this is technically being billed as a "must-win" game for the Crew, I think Houston needs this more than Columbus do, because Dynamo is cold as shit. Columbus has actually won more of their last 5 matches than Houston has. This has all the makings of a 1-1 snoozefest.

My pick: Tie

DC United: Red Bull New York
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, DC

Leave it to Red Bull to make a "rivalry" game completely meaningless. By losing 2-0 at home against New England midweek, New York has more or less put themselves out of the playoff picture. They're 1 point back of Kansas City, but I have little reason to think that RBNY can turn it around with a record of 1-3-1 in their last 5. DC already has the Atlantic Cup rivalry wrapped up with a record against Red Bull this season of 2-0-2. DC may be a shadow of their first half self, going 2-3-6 since the All-Star Break. DCU is also holding a reunion of the 1996 MLS Cup Championship United team that was MLS's first Cup Champion, so I would imagine the players and fans would get up for that. United can also clinch first place in the East, and home field advantage throughout the Cup Playoffs with a win.

My Pick: United

New England Revolution: Kansas City Wizards
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Another battle of two teams fighting for playoff position who really look like they don't want to go. Both have been only slightly above average in their last few outings. NE: 3-1-1, KC: 2-1-2. KC holds fourth position and is the largest argument for a reduced playoff field, as they are 4 games under .500 with 4 matches to go. I'm picking New England, but only because I think their midweek win buoyed them.

My Pick: New England (dumbass blogspot wouldn't let me upload my stupid picture....prehaps an omen for KC?)

FC Dallas: Real Salt Lake
Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX

FCD can clinch a playoff berth with a win. Real needs a win to keep pace with Colorado and Chivas USA. Real has had some luck against FCD, snatching a win last week at Rice-Eccles, but have lost in their previous trip to Frisco. Dallas has the talent, but Real needs it more.

My pick: Tie

Chicago Fire: Los Angeles Galaxy
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL

Landon Donovan sets competitive foot on the pitch at Harlem Bridge for the first time after faking an injury so his lack of talent wouldn't be exposed by a far superior Chelsea team at the All-Star game. The MLS All-Stars obliged him by showing that they could win without him. Chicago is the hottest team in the league, having gone 9-1-1 in their last 11 matches (including Open Cup). Expect reserve sides for the Fire since a playoff spot is more or less locked up (9 points clear of the drop with 4 matches to go), and the US Open Cup Final against the Gals is Wednesday. Now, LA would field a reserve side, but they need to win to make the playoffs (6 points back) I like the Gals to win Saturday, but the Fire to take the rematch in the Final on Wednesday.

My Pick: Galaxy (maybe a tie)

CD Chivas USA: Colorado Rapids
Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
As of late, Chivas is the hottest team in the league (3-1-1 over last 5). While Colorado only got past Chicago last week because of a Jimmy Curtin own goal in the 3rd minute. I like Chivas....to win. I hate those racist bastards.

My Pick: Chivas USA

Midweek Pick

2006-09-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

Red Bull New York: New England Revolution
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

I'm going to go one step further here. With New England in third place, only three points up on Red Bull in fifth, I'm going to say that if either team loses this game, they likely won't make the playoffs in a tight Eastern Conference race. New York will be too far behind, and New England will have been playing too poorly down the stretch. That being said, I think New England is already playing too cold, and is in too great freefall to turn it around. They're the coldest team in MLS right now. I like Red Bull, 1-0.

Alternates?

2006-09-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing that adidas botched in their MLS contract this season was to not allow third or change kits (Chivas being an exception). However, when the red/white Fire play the red/white FC Dallas, or next season, the red/white Toronto FC, it can lead to confusion, as such, I've designed a few concepts for next season's change shirt, combined with my wish that the Fire include more blue.

Weekend Picks

2006-09-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

My picks for Saturday
Columbus Crew @ Red Bull New York
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

My Pick: TIE

FC Dallas @ Real Salt Lake
Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT

My Pick: RSL

Colorado Rapids @ Los Angeles Galaxy
Home Depot Center, Carson, CA

My Pick: Galaxy 2-1

My picks for Sunday
DC United @ Chicago Fire
Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL

My Pick: Fire

CD Chivas USA @ Houston Dynamo
Robertson Stadium, Houston, TX

My Pick: Chivas

Midweek Predictions again, finally

2006-09-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's been a while since I made predictions (Week 7 I think), but as we sit here in week 25, I think it's time to start up again as the road to the playoffs heats up. Every club is still alive for a berth in the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs, which will start at the end of October.

Colorado Rapids: Chicago Fire
Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, CO

Chicago won the first meeting 1-0 in Bridgeview, but has not won in Colorado in 5 years. With the Fire riding an 8-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1, 4-0-1 in League Play), the Rapids need this game a lot more than the Fire do. Chicago has a 4-point cusion in 2nd place in the East, and can clinch a playoff berth this week with a Columbus win and a win against Colorado and DC on Sunday. I'm not sure I can see Fire dropping this one, but wouldn't be surprised. I'm calling a 1-0 win.

Prediction: Fire

FC Dallas:Chivas USA
Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX

The final meeting of the season between C-USA and FCD could go either way as both teams are playing well and have split their season series 1-1-1. Chivas has had a slightly better series of results in league play recently, and are coming off last week's draw in Carson. I'm leaning towards a tie, but I'm going to pick Dallas to lock up a playoff spot at home.

Prediction: FCD

New England Revolution: DC United
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

United looked like a juggernaut in the beginning of the season, steamrolling teams and with their sights set on a domestic treble. Now, United is looking very beatable. While United have already clinched a playoff spot, they are only 2-2-5 since the All-Star break. New England on the other hand, is in the playoff fight of their life with 6 games to play. New England almost always turns it on late in the season, so I'm calling a 2-1 win for the Revs.

MLS approves ads on front of jerseys.

2006-09-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

According to reports, MLS has authorized placement of advertisements for shirt sponsors on the front of jerseys. While this may mean no change to Red Bull New York, who already engages in this practice, what could it hold for the rest of the league? Surprisingly, I think that this move could be carried out in a pretty sharp and classy manner. So while taking some time out of my work day, here's what I've come up with.

FC Dallas looks somewhat snazzy in a simplified RadioShack shirt sponsor. After 4 titles and an unprecedented run of success, sticking with one look their entire franchise history, I can't see DC adding a shirt sponsor in the near future.
Los Angeles with Budweiser.

New England switches from Sierra Mist to Pepsi because frankly, I couldn't find the new Sierra Mist logo in a way that would look tasteful. For Real, I thought about adding Jack Daniels as a joke, but ended up going with Benq Siemens, Real Madrid's sponsor.

Honda has been the Fire's shirt sponsor for years. While Chivas USA has never had a shirt sponsor, Chivas de Guadalajara is sponsored by Mexican sweets manufacturer Bimbo.

Shell of America is based in Houston, so I chose them for Houston's shirt sponsor. Sprint is based in Overland Park, Kansas, home of the Wizards' new stadium.

Despite the move to Commerce City, Invesco would make a classy sponsor for the Rapids. As for Columbus, the only answer seems to be a hardware store for "America's Hardest Working Team." Not to mention their stadium could use some home improvements.

Mike's Reaction to the Champions League Draw

2006-08-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Manchester United (England #2) and Celtic’s (Scotland #1) stadiums are only a three-hour drive away from each other, both have an illustrious history in their domestic leagues and both have won the European Cup, but have never faced each other in a competitive fixture until now.
This is easily the most interesting match-up of what is, in my mind, the most interesting group. The Red Devils and the Hoops have also been paired with Lisbon's Benfica (Portugal 3rd place) and Champions League newcomer FC Copenhagen (Denmark #1) in Group F. Copenhagen has the poor run of luck to be drawn against three teams that have already won the European Cup. I see Celtic and Man United moving on, unless there’s another meltdown at Old Trafford or Celtic Park (both of which have happened in the last year) before Christmas, which will clear the way for Benfica to advance, much as they did last season.

2005 Champions Liverpool will face off against USA international DaMarcus Beasley’s Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven. ‘Pool finished third in the English Premier League and PSV were Dutch Champions last year. Their experience in European competition should put them head and shoulders above the rest of Group C, which includes Turkish champions Galatasray and French runners-up Bordeaux.

For me, the weakest and possibly least interesting group is group D. It includes Valencia CF (Spain 3rd place), Shakthar Donetsk (Ukraine #1) Olimpiacos (Greece 1st place), and AS Roma (Italy 5th place), who are in the competition only because of their lack of involvement in the Italian match-fixing scandal. This group is the equivalent of the champion of the CAA playing the 5th place team in the Big 10 in the NCAA tournament. Despite the lack of starpower and big-name clubs, I like Olimpiacos and Roma to move on and be the proverbial bug on the windshield in the Round of 16.

AC Milan was able to sneak into the tournament having been previously banned due to their role in the match-fixing scandal. They were rewarded with a relatively easy draw in group H against Lille (France 3rd place), AEK Athens (Greece 2nd Place), and Anderlecht (Belgium 1st place). Milan has lost their offensive centerpiece in Andriy Shevchenko, but are still a formidable foe and should progress to the knockout stages. The second spot is up for grabs, but I’m going to go with AEK Athens, who looked like a team on the rise in dispatching Scottish runners-up Hearts in the Third Qualifying round.

Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho complained about Chelsea’s seeding as a #2 seed before the draw, claiming that even though they were English champions the past two seasons, that there was a 1-in-5 chance they could end up meeting European Cup holders FC Barcelona in the group stages. In a cruel twist for the man who calls himself “The Special One,” the Blues were the first team drawn from Pot 2 and will face Barcelona twice in the month of October in a rematch of last year’s Round of 16 tie. Group A also holds German runners-up Werder Bremen and Bulgarian champions and European newcomers Levski Sofia in one of the more interesting groups in the competition. I expect Chelsea and Barca to go through to the knockout stages, but don’t discount Werder Bremen from picking Chelsea off.

If there was one winner of the Italian match-fixing scandal it was Internazionale Milano. Inter Milan was awarded the 2005-2006 Italian championship, despite finishing in third place, and reaped most of the rewards of the summer slaughter of disgraced Italian champions Juventus on the summer transfer market, picking up several high-profile stars including French international Patrick Viera and Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Inter is also stocked with World Cup head-butt recipient Marco Materazzi, Brazil’s Adriano, Portugal’s Luis Figo, and Hernan Crespo on loan from Chelsea. Inter should easily roll through Group B to the knockout stages, and at this point, I’d feel comfortable picking them to go to at least the semifinals. They will advance out of group along with weakened German champs Bayern Munich. Look for Sporting Club of Lisbon (Portugal #2) to make some waves, possibly claiming an upset scalp, but not a knockout stage berth. Russian runners-up Spartak Moscow should cancel their travel plans and hang the mistletoe. They will be home by Christmas.

Looking at Group E, it SCREAMS potential upsets. Real Madrid should make it to the Round of 16, but they are a team in flux. Dutch international Ruud van Nistelrooy rejoins former teammate David Beckham after a summer transfer from Manchester United. AC Milan is making a bid for Madrid's World Cup star Ronaldo, and the all-whites could find themselves without his services. Lyon reached the quarterfinals of the competition last year and were minutes away from advancing to the semifinals before AC Milan snatched it from them late. Romanian Champions Steaua Bucharest have won the competition before, and Ukranian runners-up Dynamo Kiev should be knocked out this round, but should not be taken lightly.

2006 Runners-up Arsenal round out the group stages, being paired with 2004 Champion FC Porto of Portugal. Russian champs CSKA Moscow should provide a stern test in the Russian winter, and Hamburg SV is making their first appearance in the Champions League in several years, but nearly finished second in the German top-flight last season, making a trip to AOL Arena a dangerous one for any club to take them lightly. I like Arsenal and Hamburg.

The Round of 16 Draw will be held after all group stages are completed, and the teams awaiting their fates then should be Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, Celtic, Liverpool, PSV, Olimpiacos, Roma, AC Milan, AEK Athens, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Lyon, Arsenal, and Hamburg.

YCS Greatest Bracket Ever (Wil Cordero Bracket)

2006-08-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

FIRST ROUND
#1 Miracle on Ice vs. #16 Yellow Chair Sports
#8 Bob Uecker vs. #9 Larry Bird (or any white NBA player for that matter)
#4 Joe Montana vs. #13 Leather Pants
#5 Mozart vs. #12 Lee Corso's baseless predictions
#3 Brett Favre vs. #14 Bryce Drew's shot in 1998 NCAA Tournament
#6 1996 Chicago Bulls vs. #11 The Magna Carta
#7 Payne Stewart's Getup vs. #10 Ed Hockulee's Massive Guns
#2 Pele vs. #15 Chief Knock-a-homa

RESULTS
-- Who are we kidding? We suck.
-- Larry Bird played 82 games a season. Uecker calls 162 games a season….drunk.
-- Digger Phelps is vindicated, as he argued that Leather Pants should have been left out of the tournament in favor of a 17-11 Notre Dame team. Montana.
-- Lee Corso claims he'll win because he's "tougher than Mozart", and he's right. Mozart was a foppish dandy.
-- Bryce Drew took it on himself to take a mid-major to the Sweet 16 one year. Brett Favre takes mid-major talent and turns them into Pro-Bowlers year after year.
-- The '96 Bulls may have been the best team ever, but the Magna Carta was the foundation of hundreds of modern governments.
-- Ed Hockulee's guns could be seen from the other side of the stadium. Payne Stewart's pants could be seen from space.
-- Pele was named athlete of the century by the IOC. Knock-a-homa was the most racist mascot in the history of sport.

SECOND ROUND
#1 Miracle on Ice vs. #8 Bob Uecker
#4 Joe Montana vs. #12 Lee Corso's baseless predictions
#3 Brett Favre vs. #11 Magna Carta
#2 Pele vs. # 7 Payne Stewart's Getup

RESULTS
-- The Miracle on Ice has only been depicted in one major film in the last 20 years. Bob Uecker was in Major League and Major League II.
-- Lee Corso claims he'll lose because because Kirk Herbstreit said he'd win and Lee wanted to be a contrarian little bastard. He's wrong. Montana in a rout.
-- Favrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre
-- Pele coined the phrase "the beautiful game" and his tenure with the New York Cosmos was the first step for American soccer in the mainstream. Payne Stewart's getup on the other hand was just fugly.

SWEET 16
#8 Bob Uecker vs. #4 Joe Montana
#2 Pele vs. #3 Brett Favre

RESULTS
-- Despite much less athletic talent, Uecker has had much more staying power.
-- A match that should have taken place in the final. Favre has won 1 Super Bowl and appeared in another. Pele has won an NASL Soccer Bowl (1977) with New York Cosmos, three World Cups with Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970), and two Intercontinental Cups with Santos FC. Pele...on penalty kicks.

QUARTERFINALS
#8 Bob Uecker vs. #2 Pele

RESULTS
-- Pele stopped playing competitively in the 1970s. Uecker just keeps on rolling. Uecker to the Final Four!

YCS Greatest Bracket Ever (Maurice Clarett Regional)

2006-08-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

FIRST ROUND
#1 John Wooden vs. #16 University of Michigan Football Helmets
#8 Barnum & Bailey Circus vs. #9 The Light Bulb
#4 1999 Manchester United vs. #13 Coach K
#5 Tiger Woods vs. #12 Harlem Globetrotters
#3 Jesus Christ vs. #14 Everything about Anna Kournikova besides her mind
#6 1924 Notre Dame Football vs. #11 Iona
#7 Woodstock vs. #10 The Forward Pass
#2 Discovery of Fire vs. #15 Jimmy Johnson's Hairpiece

RESULTS
-- Wooden could coach circles around the Michigan football helmets, and conversely, could coach a team of football helmets to at least a 4th-place showing in the Pac-10.
-- We couldn't see the circus without the light bulb now could we?
-- Coach K won 3 titles in a quarter-century at Duke. Manchester United won 3 titles in one season in 1999 taking the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League titles.
-- Tiger has won 11 major championships. While the 'Trotters rarely lose, they never really WIN anything either.
-- You have to have a pretty sick mind to fantasize about Jesus Christ.
-- It didn't seem like a real bracket without the Iona Gaels, but they go down in the first round as usual.
-- Indeed, the forward pass revolutionized football, but Woodstock was a pivotal moment in history as it arguably represented the highest point of "the 60s."
-- While initally resistant, Jimmy's hairpiece succombs to the inferno in a blaze of glory.

SECOND ROUND
#1 John Wooden vs. #9 The Light Bulb
#4 1999 Manchester United vs. #5 Tiger Woods
#14 Everything about Anna Kournikova except her mind vs. #6 1924 Notre Dame Football
#7 Woodstock vs. #2 Fire

RESULTS
-- Wooden was a master strategist, but you can't win if you can't see in the dark.
-- In 1999, Tiger Woods won 1 out of 4 majors. Man United won 2 of the 7 biggest competitions in world club football. Glory Glory Man United.
-- After seeing nothing more risque than a flapper tipsy on apple juice, and having been raised in good Irish Catholic homes, the Domers are stunned at the mere sight of the Russian vixen.
-- Be honest, if it weren't for fire and its practical uses, would people even be talking about Woodstock?

SWEET 16
#9 The Light Bulb vs. #4 1999 Manchester United
#14 Everything about Anna Kournikova besides her mind vs. #2 Fire

RESULTS
-- 1999 Man U didn't need light bulbs as the celebratory flares went off in the European Cup final victory.
-- Anna may be smokin' hot, but where there's smoke there's…you guessed it.

QUARTERFINALS
#4 1999 Manchester United vs. #2 Fire

RESULTS
-- Fire was discovered by man by simply rubbing two sticks or rocks together. Manchester United had to hold off stiff competition domestically, and had to come from behind and score twice in stoppage time to beat Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League Final. (Fast forward to 3:30 unless you like the drama.)

1999 Manchester United moves on to the Final Four. They have reached...the Promised Land!

YCS Greatest Bracket Ever (Fuzzy Zoeller Regional)

2006-08-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

FIRST ROUND
#1 Sliced Bread vs. #16 Humphrey Bogart
#8 Notre Dame Victory March vs. #9 "The Giants win the Pennant!" call
#4 Wayne Gretzky vs. #13 Todd Walker
#5 '85 Chicago Bears vs. #12 Elvis Presley
#3 Polio vs. #14 "The Thrilla in Manila"
#6 The Pyramids vs. #11 Dennis Eckersley
#7 Knute Rockne vs. #10 Internet Pornography
#2 The Wheel vs. #15 "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."

RESULTS
--Bogart made a couple good movies. Sliced bread made untold scores of sandwiches possible.
--The ND Victory March does get played a lot more often and is much more instantly recognizable than the 1951 radio call.
--You've got to be joking. Gretzky.
--While the Bears did record the Super Bowl Shuffle, Elvis notched hit after hit, starred in movies, and changed rock forever
-- I would say the "Thrilla" was "bigger than Polio" but by 1975, a polio vaccine had already been found, and would make any polio attack on Ali-Frazier III meaningless.
--Eckersley may have been the dominant closer of his time, but the Pyramids have stood the test OF time.
--Wow. This 7-10 matchup is tough. Knute is a hell of a coach, but he only has a finite body of work. Where as internet pornography is constantly changing, and has put countless fine bodies TO work.
--I don't give half a flying fuck if it's one of the most famous lines in movie history, without the wheel, how could Rhett ever get back to Charleston?

SECOND ROUND
#1 Sliced Bread vs #8 Notre Dame Victory March
#4 Wayne Gretzky vs. #12 Elvis Presley
#14 Thrilla in Manila vs. #6 The Pyramids
#10 Internet Porn vs. #2 The Wheel

RESULTS
--Notre Dame fans may think they're the biggest thing since sliced bread, but "Since" is the operative word in that sentence.
-- Rock may very well have gained mainsteam appeal in America without Elvis. Hockey would likely not have without Gretzky.
--The Pyramids just sit there, but Ali and Frazier whaled on each other and many say it was the greatest fight ever.
--In a matchup that happens too early in the tournament, the two greatest inventions of mankind are put to the test. In the end, the wheel rolls away with the victory after porn misses the late money shot. In related news, the pun police arrest Mike.

SWEET 16
#1 Sliced Bread vs. #4 Wayne Gretzky
#14 Thrilla in Manila vs. #2 The Wheel

RESULTS
--Gretzky as known as "The Great One." Not the greatest one since sliced bread, just The Great One.
-- The wheel has proven far more useful over time. The Thrilla's cinderella run comes to an end.

QUARTERFINALS
#4 Wayne Gretzky vs. #2 The Wheel

RESULTS
-- Gretzky has been a winner on the ice (4 Stanley Cups) and off the ice (Directing Team Canada to Olympic gold.) Wheels are effective off the ice, but not so much on the ice. Gretzky moves to the Final Four.

YCS Greatest Bracket Ever (Mark Chmura Regional)

2006-08-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Play-in game: 2010 FIFA World Cup vs. the Luftwaffe

RESULTS
2010 World Cup over Luftwaffe
- The 2010 World Cup may not have happened yet, but there's no way it can have a worse record than the Luftwaffe, the Washington Generals of the History Channel.

FIRST ROUND
#1 '72 Miami Dolphins vs. #16 2010 World Cup
#8 Greg Maddux vs. #9 "The Godfather: Part II"
#4 '27 New York Yankees vs. #13 The Assembly Line
#5 Nolan Ryan vs. #12 The Moon Landing
#3 Michael Jordan vs. #14 Harry Houdini
#6 William Shakespeare vs. #11 "The Hand of God" Goal
#7 "Citizen Kane" vs. #10 That one time Bobby Knight threw that chair
#2 Abraham Lincoln vs. #15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Creamsicle Jerseys

RESULTS
--'72 Dolphins never lost, so they slaughter an event that hasn't happened yet
--Maddux's entire career has been filled with offers he couldn't refuse, so the Godfather holds sway
--The assembly line produced the Model T, an outdated car. The '27 Yankees had Murderer's Row, which helped them sweep the World Series. Yankees win.
--Tough call. In 1969, the moon landing took place, and Nolan Ryan was on the Met team that won the World Series. Ryan's WHIP in 1969 however was 4.80. Moon Landing scores the upset.
--Harry Houdini performed magic escape acts, but these were all illusions. Jordan performed magic escape acts that were real.
--William Shakespeare wrote plays that were based on histories and events that took place in real life. However, to hit a ball with your hand in front of 100,000 people in the stadium and millions worldwide, then to claim that it was scored by "The Hand of God" tops any fiction Shakespeare could have written. Point. Maradona.
--While Citizen Kane is one of the greatest works of cinema, how many people today have seen it? Or would recognize it? How many have seen Knight throw his chair? Gotta go with Knight.
-- The Bucs orange jerseys combined with their general worthless play defined losing untill they were changed (at which point they promptly won the Super Bowl). Lincoln on the other hand freed the slaves and won the Civil War.

SECOND ROUND
#1 '72 Dolphins vs. #9 "Godfather: Part II"
#4 '27 New York Yankees vs. #12 The Moon Landing
#3 Michael Jordan vs. #11 "Hand of God Goal"
#2 Abraham Lincoln vs. #10 That one time Bobby Knight threw the chair

RESULTS
--Robert DeNiro won an Oscar for "Godfather II." Larry Czonka went on to do play-by--play for American Gladiators. End game: Czonka and Dolphins keep undefeated streak alive.
--Moon Landing. While everyone remembers Neil Armstrong's famous words, no one remembers a thing Babe Ruth said because it was slurred and smelled of cheap scotch and loose women.
--Jordan. The Hand of God was scored in a quarterfinal game, so while Argentina won the 86 World Cup, the goal did not win any championship.
--Bobby Knight has 869 career wins. Abraham Lincoln only has one win, but it kept the country together. Lincoln.

SWEET 16
#1 '72 Dolphins vs. #12 Moon Landing
#2 Abraham Lincoln vs. #3 Michael Jordan

RESULTS
--The Moon landing has been done several times since it was first done. The 1972 Dolphins undefeated run has never been duplicated, and probably never will be. '72 Dolphins.
--Lincoln is Illinois' favorite son. Jordan made Chicago famous for things other than mobsters and hippie-beatings. But Jordan is technically from North Carolina, and Illinois has more electoral votes than North Carolina.

QUARTERFINALS
#1 '72 Dolphins vs. #2 Abraham Lincoln

RESULTS
--Lincoln is on two pieces of Currency. Don Shula is on none. Lincoln advances to the Final Four.

Sample size growing...

2006-08-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

MLS still has some catching up to do compared to leagues that have been established for nearly a century, but it's getting harder and harder to make blanket claims.

MLS International Friendly record this summer: 5-2-3
Red Bull New York 4-2 Bayern Munich (Germany)

New England 1-1 Celtic FC (Scotland)

DC United 4-0 Celtic FC

FC Dallas 2-2 UANL Tigres (Mexico), Dallas wins on PKs

Real Madrid (Spain) 1-1 DC United

MLS All-Stars 1-0 Chelsea FC (England)

Columbus Crew 1-1 Everton (England)

Chicago Fire 1-2 Club America (Mexico)

CD Chivas USA 1-1 Club America, Chivas USA wins on PKs

Los Angeles Galaxy 0-1 Necaxa (Mexico), Galaxy start all scrubs. Necaxa starts all starters

My True MLS All-Star Team, based on performance, not notoriety

2006-07-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

All-Star voting for the MLS All-Star game is in the hands of the voters. This is nice, but at the same time, a terrible tragedy. That's why I am taking control away from the voters and naming my MLS All-Star team. The team will be chosen unilaterally by me, but I'm a dictator you can get along with. The team will be based on statistical performance through the first half of the season, with some intangibles that the players bring to the game.

Here is my 23-man roster that I would be pleased if DC United and MLS All-Stars Coach Peter Nowak took to Bridgeview on July 29th to take on EPL Champs Chelsea FC.

Goalkeepers
Goalkeepers are going to have to be in top form for MLS to have a chance against a glamour team like Chelsea. The stats I considered were GAA, shutouts, and wins (not as important).
1) Troy Perkins (DC United) Perkins has a GAA of 0.88. His presence in the nets is one major reason why DC United is the best team in the league. Taking over from starter Nick Rimando, Perkins has a record of 10-1-5 with 5 shutouts.
2) Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo) takes the second spot as a reward for his 1.21 GAA, and for only losing 3 of his 14 games. Onstad also has 2 shutouts, and has Dynamo in the race for home-field in their first season in Houston.
3) Star-power-wise, I take Matt Reis (New England Revolution) who was a World Cup alternate for the US, and will likely be in the nets in 2010. Reis has a 1.13 GAA and 5 shutouts. His team has let him down however, as he only has a record of 5-4-6. But if I really had my pick, I'd write in a name who doesn't appear on the online ballot. Preston Burpo (CD Chivas USA). Burpo is the best player that nobody knows about in MLS. Taking over from the woeful early season performances of Brad Guzan, Chivas USA has done a complete 180. Chivas is 5-1-3 under Burpo (GAA 0.78) with 3 shutouts.

Defenders
Defenders are hard to pick because there aren't really a lot of stats that quantify defense. I used fouls committed as a guide because that shows their aggressiveness and their involvement in the run of play.
4) Bobby Boswell (DC United) Perhaps the next great American defender. Is among the league leaders in fouls committed.
5) Jose Burciaga, Jr. (Kansas City Wizards) Burciaga is a defender, but also finds ways to work himself into the attacking mix. He is 2nd on Kansas City in shots taken, and of those shots, 5 have gone in the net. Burciaga has more goals as a defender than many forwards have! His 2 assists in 14 matches make him a dangerous player.
6) Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards) Conrad was one of the few AMericans who had a decent World Cup. In club play, he has 1 goal in 6 matches. Not a very large sample size, admittedly, but there aren't a lot of other promising candidates on this ballot.
7) Facundo Erpen (DC United) Erpen has 2 goals, and 1 assist as a defender, but don't let these stats fool you. If I recall correctly, both of those goals came in the same game, a 4-1 trouncing of Red Bull New York in April. Erpen leads DCU defenders in fouls committed with 22 and is part of arguably the best backline in the league.
8) Ugo Ihemelu (Los Angeles Galaxy) Ugo is on because he is the league leader in fouls committed among defenders.
9) Claudio Suarez (CD Chivas USA) Suarez shouldn't be on the all-star team because he only appeared in 4 matches, however, in those 4 matches, he scored 2 goals and recorded an assist. His absence from the team can be explained because of his national team duties with the Mexican National team, where he was the only MLS representative with El Tri.
10) Simo Valakari (FC Dallas) Technically a midfielder, Valakari plays with qualities more suitable for a defender or a defensive midfielder. He leads the league among all players for fouls committed with 42.

Midfielders
11) Freddy Adu (DC United) The MLS wunderkind hasn't put many balls in the back of the net, but he does have 5 assists (tied for 2nd in the league).
12) Dwayne DeRosario (Houston Dynamo) DeRo is a playmaker, and has been the central pin in Houston's offense, especially with the absence of Brian Ching. DeRosario has 5 goals and 4 assists in 13 matches. The Canadian international is the winner of the last two Sierra Mist Goal of the Year Awards has taken 12 shots, put 7 on goal, and 5 in the net, despite incredibly tight marking. Incredible.
13) Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution) The only American to score a goal in the World Cup has made winning MLS Cup his primary goal to make up for his "poor performance." As much as I hate Dempsey personally, the man is a gamer and will step up against Chelsea. Before leaving for Germany, Dempsey had scored 3 goals and recorded an assist in 7 matches. His 13 out of 26 shots on goal is the best on the team.
14) Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy) As much as I hate Donovan, and as much time as he missed because of US National Team duty (he's only played in 9 matches), he has 4 goals and 4 assists in those matches, and his popularity with casual fans makes him a shoo-in. I however, will start Donovan on the bench. He has a history of mailing it in against top-flight competition.
15) Andy Dorman (New England Revolution) Dorman has proved to be a prolific offensive threat, thriving in Clint Dempsey's absence. Through 16 matches, Dorman has 4 goals, 6 assists, and has put 17 of 31 shots on net.
16) Jason Kreis (Real Salt Lake) MLS's all-time leading goalscorer is getting up there in years, hence my playing him as an attacking mid rather than a forward. Kreis has 5 goals and 4 assists through 13 matches.

FORWARDS
It's a forward's job to score goals, create opportunities, be creative, and combine speed with strength and technical finesse to put the ball in the back of the net.
17) Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo) Before leaving for National Team duty in the World Cup, Ching was MLS's most prolific striker. He has scored 8 goals in 9 games, adding 2 assists.
18) Jeff Cunningham (Real Salt Lake) Likely to make the 2010 US World Cup team, Cunningham never forgives teams for failing to guard him. The striker has 7 goals and 2 assists in 14 games, while playing for a cellar-dweller where he is the primary offensive threat. I'll bring him in off the bench.
19) Alecko Eskandarian (DC United) If Alecko doesn't win the comeback player of the year, there is something wrong. Sitting out a good portion of last season with a severe concussion that forces him to wear protective headgear, Esky started out by scoring 2 goals on Opening Day against Red Bull New York. His production has since tailed off, but he still has 5 goals and 4 assists on the season. I would start him, but he's gonna sit on the bench because he's lost me $100,000 in my fantasy league.
20) Jaime Moreno (DC United) What can you say about Moreno. He has only failed to put 9 of his 29 shots on target, and has scored 9 goals in 16 games. He also added 3 assists. Start Moreno up top.
21) Ante Razov (Chivas USA) Simply the league's leading goalscorer. He's also the only player with double digit strikes, and is playing in form that hasn't been seen since his missed PK in MLS Cup 2003.
22) Carlos Ruiz (FC Dallas) The Guatamalan international, as villified as he is across the country, is simply one of the most electrifying players in the league, and forces teams to change their game plan to contain him.
23) Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution) Advocates argue he should have gone to the World CUp, where his offensive production would have been appreciated. Instead, he scored 7 goals and 1 assist in 16 games in Foxboro.

Formation (3-4-3)
Starters

Forwards: Ching, Moreno, Razov
Midfielders: DeRosario, Dempsey, Dorman, Donovan
Defenders: Burciaga, Boswell, Valakari
Goalkeeper: Perkins

Subs: Twellman for Ching, Kreis for Donovan, Adu for Dorman

Now, is this a team capable of beating the likes of Ballack, Drogba, Cech, Lampard, Terry, Schevchenko, Cole, and the likes? Maybe. The bottom line is that statistically, this is the best team the league can put forward. However, fame and reknown often trump statistics in All-Star contests, and I would not be surprised if about half this roster doesn't take the field in Bridgeview.

This is the worst excuse for an article

2006-06-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Congratulations. You named an all-star team. I did that when I was 8.

So yea....

2006-05-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

My new responsibilities at work don't allow me to post as prolifically as I did last summer, so I'm gonna lay low for a while, and meanwhile, you can read my soccer-related commentary on www.yellow-chair-sports.blogspot.com, where I am a contributor.

MLS Matchday 7 Recap

2006-05-14T01:41:00.000-07:00

After Matchday 7, several things surprised us about the new MLS campaign, and several things did not. Here's the recap of the weekend

FC Dallas 1:1 Houston Dynamo

When the field temperature hits 120 degrees by the end of the game, it probably isn't the best for attractive football. I'm going to claim my pick as a victory because I called the tie, and didnt't take into account the 120 degree temperatures. Let's not forget that the winning goal was an own goal.

My pick: FCD by one (But I'm claiming the tie as a win CORRECT!!!)

New England 3:1 Chivas USA

I picked the Revs, and they whooped the shit out of Chivas, as I expected. Twellman gets a goal. Whoop Whoop! He's on my fantasy team!

My pick: Revs (CORRECT!!!)

Red Bull New York 1:1 Chicago Fire

A blown opportunity by the Men in Red. Chicago's best chance for three points till they visit RSL in June is blown, but nonetheless is a good result for a club still 4 games away from a new stadium.

My pick: Fire (Wrong!)

Columbus 1:0 Colorado

The black-and-blue's first and only visit to Crew Stadium results in a 1-0 win for the home side.

My pick: Crew (CORRECT!!!)

DC United 2:1 Kansas City

KC did suffer from their loss of three USMNT stars, just as I said they would.

My pick: DCU (CORRECT!!!)

Los Angeles 0:3 Real Salt Lake

RSL snaps their 18-game winless streak with a win over the Landonless Gals. Can't win/lose them all.

My pick: Tie (WRONG!)

On the season: 7-5

Matchday 7 Preview

2006-05-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

I really don't feel like doing a full-on preview, because it's Senior Week and I have better things to do. With that being said, this weekend all 12 clubs are in action.

FC Dallas : Houston Dynamo

Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX

The second installment of the Texas Derby is a rematch of last week's thriller in Houston. Houston loses Brian Ching to World Cup duties, and Dallas is coming off a midweek win over LA. Both are good teams, and the atmosphere at PHP should be electric. I want to pick a tie because FCD might not have the gas left in the tank for playing three matches in a week. However, I think FCD just might be able to eek it out. Houston will miss Brian Ching up top.

My pick: FCD 2:1 Dynamo

Red Bull New York : Chicago Fire

Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Red Bull is a piece of shit club still in search of their first win, while the Fire are on a 4-match unbeaten streak (1-0-3). Red Bull has only scored 4 goals, has been shut out twice, and hasn't scored multiple goals since Matchday 1. The roadtrip hits the halfway mark, and I like the Fire to take all the points in the swamp.

My pick: RBNY 1: 3 Fire

New England Revolution: CD Chivas USA

Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA

What a shame. Clint Dempsey won't be playing in this game. That little shit. I hope he breaks his legs in training camp with the US National team. New England still has National Team pool players Taylor Twellman, Matt Reis, Pat Noonan, and Steve Ralston. Chivas has a bunch of former Fire players who are way past their prime and a group of overpaid underperforming Mexicans.

My pick: New England 3:0 Chivas

Columbus Crew: Colorado Rapids

Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH

Every week it seems theres a stinker game and this week, this is it. Two terrible teams playing in a terrible stadium in front of terrible fans. After the influx of talent including Ned Grabavoy earlier this week, the banana better take this one at the Fairgrounds, and I like them to.

My pick: Columbus 1:0 Colorado

DC United : Kansas City Wizards

RFK Stadium, Washington, DC

DCU is going to whoop the shit out of KC in this top-of-the-table clash. KC loses three players to the world cup, while DCU only loses Ben Olsen. RFK is one of the hardest places in MLS to play.

My pick: DCU 4:1 KC

Los Angeles Galaxy : Real Salt Lake

Home Depot Center, Carson, CA

Both these teams suck. Real sucks more and they need a win more, but they won't get it.

My pick: Galaxy 2:2 RSL

On the season: 3-3

Midweek Preview

2006-05-10T10:16:00.001-07:00

FC Dallas: Los Angeles Galaxy

I gotta run to a final, but I like the Hoops tonight as Donovan will be neutralized/not care since he has to leave for US National Team camp tomorrow.

My pick: FC Dallas 2:0 Los Angeles

Only in Soccer...

2006-05-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Only in soccer could a story like this happen. Refernce my earlier article on how Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal were cross-town North London rivals, battling for the last spot in next seasons Champions League. Heading into Saturday, Tottenham held it by holding fourth place in the EPL, one point ahead of Arsenal. If Arsenal could not pass Tottenham, but beat Barcelona in this year's Champions League Final, they would enter next year's Champions League, bumping Tottenham out.

Arsenal came from behind on the back of a Thierry Henry hat trick to down Wigan Athletic 4-2 at the last match at Highbury. Spurs finished away to West Ham United, currently sitting in midtable obscurity in the Premiership, but will be playing in the FA Cup Final next weekend, so the Hammers were expected to field a B-squad, resting their regulars and recouping from a slew of injuries. The stage seems set for controversy and legal battles, and West Ham emerges the winners 2-1.

Where the story gets interesting was at the Tottenham team hotel the night before the match, there was an outbreak of food poisoning among the Spurs players. The match was requested to be moved back to the evening, but London Police said no. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

The Spurs loss ensures that Champions League Football will be played at North London's collossal new Emirates Stadium, the new home of Arsenal next season. The stadium has been way behind schedule and has hit repeated snags, making it a very public failure to open on time. Conspiracy theorists, start your engines...

MLS Matchday 6 Recap

2006-05-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

MLS Matchday 6 Recap

New England Revolution 4:0 Los Angeles Galaxy

Taylor Twellman sent USA manager Bruce Arena's voicemail into overdrive with his 5th-minute strike that proved to be the game-winner. Sharlie Joseph added two goals, one from the penalty spot that made this blogger regret not picking either him or Twellman up during midweek, and instead sticking with Landon Donovan, who completely disappeared in this match. Donovan's mind is already in Germany and with Frankie Hejduk going down to injury, Donovan will be even more cautious in Wednesday's trip to Frisco, TX to take on the Hoops in a rematch of last year's US Open Cup Final. Los Angeles proved what was suspected already. They are an average team. They were an average team when they won MLS Cup as a 4-seed last year, last week they were an average team that beat up on woeful Real Salt Lake, and they're an average team now who just got drubbed by the Revs. LA is only an average team WITH Donovan, and will miss his services greatly when he is with the US National Team.

My Pick: Los Angeles (WRONG)

Kansas City Wizards 1:1 Chicago Fire

How Chicago managed to steal the points here I have no idea. Kansas City outshot the Men in Red 20-4. At one point in the second half it was 16-1, and were it not for a missed penalty kick by Ivan Guerrero, the Fire may well have walked out of Arrowhead 2-1 winners! That being said, the Fire have only one loss in five games as their season-opening roadtrip is now past the halfway point.

My Pick: Tie (CORRECT!)

Houston Dynamo 4:3 FC Dallas

The first match in the Texas Derby saw Dynamo take a 3-0 lead. FCD pulled within 3-2, and 4-3 before Dynamo could hold on to claim the three points and move the Orange 3 points closer to winning the Cannon. US World Cup striker Brian Ching also tallied for Dynamo.

My Pick: Dynamo (CORRECT!)

Real Salt Lake 0:1 Columbus Crew

Man, I called this match as being an ugly one to watch, and holy crap was I right. Were it not for Jason Gerey's 70th minute strike, this match might have ended as a double clean-sheet. Real Salt Lake is genuinely awful. They are 6 matches into the campaign and are 0-5-1, and have only scored 4 goals. This team may set the record for worst MLS team ever.

My pick: Real (WRONG)

Colorado Rapids 2:1 DC United

The Green jerseys must have brought out the magic as Colorado came from behind to knock off Eastern Conference 2nd-place DC United.

My Pick: United (WRONG)

On the season: 2-3

Intro to Football 101: Promotion/Relegation

2006-05-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

Just as the end of the season brings great glory for teams who win league titles, national cups, and international competitions, there are those clubs who are in way over their head, and need to cry uncle for a while.

That's why professional football has relegation. Whereas in the United States, we have minor leagues, and through parent club affiliations, players move up and down the system based on their performance. In Europe, teams- not players move up and down.

Imagine it like this, at the end of the season, the teams with the three worst records in Major League Baseball have to spend the next season in Triple-A, while the best three Triple-A teams come up to replace them.

In Europe, even teams that are miles away from winning cups or sniffing European glory still have something to play for: riches gained from another year in their country's top flight. Every country has its own number of slots up for promotion/relegation and each has their own system to resolve them. Here we will look at England.

In England, the relegation slots have already been secured. 18th-place Birmingham City (8-19-10, 34 points), 19th-place West Bromwich Albion (7-22-8, 29 points), and last-place Sunderland (3-28-6, 15 points) will spend next season in the League Championship, the level below the Premiership.

To replace them, Reading FC (winners of the Championship), Sheffield United (Championship runners-up) and the winner of a four-team playoff between the teams ranked 3rd through 6th (Watford, Preston, Leeds United, and Crystal Palace)

As you can see, the price for failure in football is very high, and teams are under constant pressure to succeed, or face life in the lower divisions.

Arsenal Update

2006-05-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

Arsenal defeated Manchester City 3-1 on the road tonight. The win pulls Arsenal within a point of fourth-place Spurs with one match to go. Arsenal will clinch a Champions League place next season regardless of the outcome of their Final match with Barcelona on May 17 in Paris with...

An Arsenal win against Wigan at home next week
AND
A Spurs tie or loss on the road against West Ham United.

Europe in Gunners' sights...for next year!

2006-05-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Even as Arsenal FC prepares for their Champions League Final against FC Barcelona in Paris in a fortnight, the thoughts of Arsenal supporters could very well be focused on the 2006-2007 edition of the lucrative Champions League. The English Football Association is granted 4 spots in the Champions League, which go to the top four finishers in the English Premier League.

Arsenal, despite being one game away from European glory is sitting in fifth place in the Premiership, 4 points behind hated North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal has a match in hand, though.

At this point, three potential scenarios can unfold.

If Arsenal does not beat FC Barcelona, and if they cannot catch Tottenham, the Gunners will be out of luck, and will have to try their fortunes in the second-tier UEFA Cup next year.

If Arsenal does not beat Barcelona, and they can catch Tottenham, then there not only will be any problems, but no controversy.

The sticky wicket is what happens if Arsenal beats Barcelona in the Final, and fails to catch Tottenham, finishing in a place that would not qualify them for the Champions League. This has only happened once before, in 2005, Liverpool won the Champions League, and finished fifth in the Premiership. The regulations laid down by UEFA state that if the holders do not qualify, and the affected organization has 4 clubs entered in the Champions League, then the holders will be entered at the expense of the fourth-place team.

Last year however, this situation was averted, as the English FA wished to avoid legal action by Liverpool's cross-town rival Everton, who had finished in fourth. While all the signs I am hearing point to the FA bumping Tottenham and giving them Arsenal's place, this would be a massive controversy, as why should the English FA bump Arsenal's derby rival and not Liverpool's? The two teams seem to be in identical situations.

Arsenal finishes the season away to Manchester City on Thursday, then at home for the last game ever at Highbury this weekend against Wigan Athletic.

Tottenham finishes the campaign away at the Boleyn Grounds against West Ham United, who are expected to field a weakened squad due to West Ham's FA Cup Final match against Liverpool a week from Saturday in Cardiff.

MY PICK: West Ham, with the injuries and the fact that they will be fielding a weakened squad against Spurs, I can't see them pulling out the victory. Perhaps a tie, but most likely a win for Tottenham. This would put Spurs up 5 or 7 points on Arsenal with two matches to play, clinching fourth for Spurs with a win, or anything less than Arsenal winning out.

Hearts on Fire

2006-05-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

In an update on my article posted yesterday on Rangers and Hearts battling for the right to go to Europe this coming weekend, yours truly got his first prediction in a league he doesn't really follow that much right.

I said the Rangers-Hearts match at Ibrox this weekend would have no significance because Hearts would beat Aberdeen at Tynecastle Wednesday night. What do you know? Hearts beat Aberdeen 1-0 in a tense match, and in doing so, moved four points ahead of Rangers FC with just one match to play.

Hearts will make their first appearance in the Champions League next fall (the first club other than Celtic or Rangers to do so), joining Celtic as Scotland's representatives in Europe's premier club competition. Rangers, who are 14 points ahead of fourth place Hibernian, will represent Scotland in the UEFA Cup along with Gretna of the Second Division, who have a UEFA Cup spot reserved for them regardless of whether or not they beat Hearts in the Scottish Cup Final.

Hearts will be placed in the second qualifying round. Celtic is provisionally in the third qualifying round, but if Barcelona beats Arsenal in the Final, then Barcelona will qualify for the group stage as holders, leaving their open La Liga slot in the group stage for the Scottish Premiership winner- Celtic.

Albright named to World Cup Squad

2006-05-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Chris Albright has been added to the United States World Cup roster. Albright was named as an alternate by Bruce Arena, but has been elevated to the 23-man roster going to Germany following an injury to Columbus Crew's Frankie Hejduk, who tore a ligament in his leg. Reports say it was his ACL.

Personally, this is a bad development only for me. Frankie Hejduk is an okay player, and Chris Albright is an okay player who lots of people think is a great player, but he's really just an overrated douche.

Italian Serie A race down to the wire

2006-05-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

So admittedly, I don't follow Serie A as much as I do the Champions League, Premiership, and MLS. But these last few games could be a doozie. League holders Juventus were running away with the competition back earlier in the season, and AC Milan was a distant third behind Juventus and Inter Milan.

Now, with only 2 matches left for both sides, Milan sits in second place, guaranteed a spot in the Champions League Group Stage next year, but is in a great position to capture the scudetto for themselves as Italian champions. Milan sits just 3 points behind Juventus with two matches to play. Milan finishes the campaign away to 10th-place Parma and then back home at the San Siro a week later against 5th-place AS Roma, who will be looking to capture a Champions League place by sneaking into fourth that weekend.

Juventus finishes up at home against 8th-place Palermo, who is all but shut out of Europe next season and away to 12th-place Reggina. Juventus undoubtedly has the inside track, and can clinch the title with a win and a Milan loss or tie. Also, Palermo probably has the best chance to knock of Juventus.

A Juventus win over Palermo all but closes it out. It forces Milan to win their last two matches, and for Juventus to lose against Reggina.

A Juventus tie against Palermo gets Milan's foot in the door, but Milan would still have to win both their matches, and hope Juve gets NO MORE than a tie against Reggina.

A Palermo win opens the door for Milan. With a win against Parma, Milan would only need to match Juve's result the next week to win the Scudetto, since Milan have more wins than Juve, and also by virtue of their head-to-head matches 0-0 in Turin, 3-1 to Milan at the San Siro.

MLS Matchday 6 Preview

2006-05-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

MLS Matchday 6 Preview

New England Revolution: Los Angeles Galaxy

Saturday, 3PM CT, Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA

Normally I would say that this Saturday afternoon ESPN2 showdown would be great. Bad blood still steaming over from Galaxy's 1-0 win in extra time at MLS Cup 2005, or New England's 1-0 win against Galaxy on Matchday 1. BUT IT WON'T BE. This game is going to be just genuinely awful and may well be a pain to watch. Both teams are wallowing in mid-table obscurity. The stars of both teams, Landon Donovan for Galaxy and Clint Dempsey for Revolution were just named to the US World Cup team, so Lord knows they're not gonna be taking too many risks for fear of pulling a Wayne Rooney. The pitch at Gillette Stadium is a fricken onion patch no matter how good it looks on TV. The only player who will probably give a damn is Taylor Twellman, trying to prove Coach Arena that his snub for the World Cup team was a mistake.

My pick: New England 1:2 Los Angeles

Kansas City Wizards: Chicago Fire

Saturday, 7:30 PM CT, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO

The first meeting this season for the Eastern Conference rivals will find a small pack of Section 8 Chicago traveling to the border state to watch the Fire play the blues. Kansas City needs to start getting some good crowds or else this team is going to be relocated. They cannot stay in Arrowhead for more than another year. Eddie Johnson, recently named to the World Cup team also has a history of being injury prone, so he may also play it safe in this game, which should provide ample opportunities for the Fire's Thiago and Chris Rolfe to attack the KC net.

My pick: Kansas City 1:1 Fire

Houston Dynamo: FC Dallas

Saturday, 7:30 PM CT, Robertson Stadium, Houston, TX

The first ever Texas Derby match in MLS history sees the Hoops traveling to the BAyou to take on Dynamo. FCD is a better team, but I like Dynamo's chances of knocking them off at home in front of a very partisan crowd eager to take home the first of four Tejano Classic matches this season.

My pick: Dynamo 3:1 FCD

Real Salt Lake: Columbus Crew

Saturday, 8:00 PM CT, Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT

Speaking of matches that are just gonna be terrible. I have absolutely no reason to care about the outcome of this game, nor to subject my eyes to watching Real's maroon and blue kits go against the Columbus fighting bananas. Both teams here are just genuinely awful. I would go with Columbus's yellow submarine to sink Real, but Real is riding the back of a 17-game losing streak, and I think if it's gonna get snapped at all, it's going to have to happen against Columbus. I like the Stormin' Mormons.

My pick: RSL 2:0 Columbus

Colorado Rapids: DC United

Saturday, 8:00 PM CT, Invesco Field @ Mile High, Denver, CO

The Rapids are unveilling a third jersey tonight, ditching their Inter Milan ripoff threads for green, leading many to think that a rebranding of the team is in the works in time for the move to their new stadium in Commerce City, CO next spring. Regardless of how snazzy the team looks, the Black and White ThreeStripes are going to walk all over this woeful Crapids team.

My pick: United 3:1 Colorado

Chivas USA and Red Bull New York have the week off. Thank God.

Hearts-Rangers battle for Europe

2006-05-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Celtic has already wrapped up their 40th Scottish Premier League title in convincing fashion, but the real excitement comes this weekend in the battle for second place. Who cares about second place? What matters? Only millions of dollars in club revenue and a spot in the lucrative UEFA Champions League next season for the winner, while the loser goes to the NIT-ish UEFA Cup.

Rangers and Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) will square off at Ibrox in Glasgow Sunday. Rangers have a history of winning on the last day of the season recently. Last season Celtic was in position to win the league on the last day, but surrendered a late goal so they only got a tie. Rangers then scored 2 goals late, and Rangers supporters tried to get back into Ibrox, having already conceded the title.

At this point, I'm handicapping this one for Rangers. Not just because they're playing at home, or because this team has much more experience in big-level competitions having advanced to the Round of 16 in the Champions League this year. I'm picking Rangers because I can't see a team like Hearts, with so much to play for losing Wednesday night against Aberdeen. A win Wednesday would put Hearts up 4 points on Rangers with one match to play, making Sunday's contest completely irrelevant, and leaving neither team with much motivation, enabling Rangers' superior talent to pull through.

Rooney: Too bad, mates. You're on your own.

2006-05-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

With their most talented World Cup squad in over 30 years coming to Germany this summer, England was considered by many to be a favorite in the race for the title. Even after Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (Sort of the English LeBron James) broke his foot in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Man U at Stamford Bridge this past weekend, many still felt that with Rooney out only 6 weeks, that he could return in time for the quarterfinals.

WRONG.

Reports coming out of Old Trafford now have Rooney breaking his foot in several places. If this is the case, Rooney will miss 3 months, perhaps costing England their best shot at a World Cup title since 1966. Fortunately, England has a relatively easy group (there are no easy groups), playing against Paraguay, Sweden, and Carribean patsy Trinidad & Tobago.

As unfortunate as this is, personally I think Wayne Rooney is a crybaby punk and I can't really feel that bad for him. He's really more of the English Carlos Zambrano.

My thoughts on Coach Arena's World Cup Roster

2006-05-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

USA manager Bruce Arena released his 23-man World Cup roster, but added 13 alternates, so he's more or less stocked. I don't know any other sport where the DL can potentially be more than half the active roster.

Goalkeepers
Kasey Keller (Borussia Mochengladbach, German Bundesliga)- Fresh off serving his suspension for leading supporters of his German club Borussia Mochengladbach in song after their victory against rival FC Koln over the stadium's loudspeakers. German lyrics included words like "The Cathedral of Cologne will burn for 7 days! And we'll dance on the ashes for 7 days! Cologne! Cologne! You're shit from Cologne!" Priceless.
Tim Howard (Manchester United, English Premiership)- Coach Arena says that Howard is the USA keeper of the future, and since he has Tourette's Syndrome, his language might be able to match that of Keller. Hopefully ESPN will mike him up during the World Cup.
Marcus Hannehman (Reading FC, English Championship/Premiership)- What do you get for leading a tiny club like Reading into millions of dollars of Premiership riches? A seat at the end of the bench in Germany. Sit back and enjoy the show, Marcus- cause that's as close to the action as you're going to get.

Defenders
Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC, English Premiership) Great choice! The fact that he used to play for the Fire has nothing to do with my opinion.....no seriously, the dude's legit.
Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, German Bundesliga) Will probably play left back, even though there really isn't a left back in any of these defenders. Hopefully they can keep the wolves at bay. Has played in Germany, so at least he won't have to get lost after people give him the wrong directions to the stadium.
Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards, Major League Soccer) This guy is kind of a question mark. By "kind of a" I mean "a huge" He's proven he can go the distance and play the entire 90 minutes in the Gold Cup last year, but he only has 13 caps and NO World Cup games.
Cory Gibbs (ADO Den Haag, Belgium) Again, not that much experience with Gibbs, only 18 caps, but he should help bolster the back line and get regular minutes in Germany since he's proven he can play against European opposition.
Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew, MLS) Brings some much-needed experience to the backline, but he plays for Columbus, so he can't be that great. I'm kidding, this guy could run circles around any of you, as long as you don't play professionally.
Eddie Lewis (Leeds United, English Championship) Eddie appeared in 11 and started 7 of the 18 qualifying matches. This is Lewis's second World Cup Finals (2002). I don't follow the Championship, so I really don't know that much about Lewis.
Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege, Belgium) The Gooch is easily the keystone of this defense. Exploding onto the US National team recently, Gooch is a physical presence in the 18-yard box, and will be charged with marking the Czech, Italian, and Ghanan strikers and making their lives a living Hell.
Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake, MLS) The farewell tour begins. Easily the most prolific defender in US history, my only concern about Pope is his age (He will turn 33 this year).

Midfielders
Damarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven, Dutch Eiredivisie) The former Chicago Fire standout made history last year when he became the first American to ever play in a Champions League semifinal as PSV fell to AC Milan. Beasley is in my opinion, the best player on this roster, and his production is going to need to be at its highest level. And by that, I mean, not getting arrested for drunk driving and getting his Dutch drivers' license revoked like he did last month.
Bobby Convey (Reading FC, English Championship/Premiership) Marcus Hannehman's teammate, Convey helped Reading achieve Premiership riches with promotion from the English Championship this season. Convey is my big question mark. He's shown he can produce at the club level, but going against the best players in the world in his first World Cup is another story. As good a player as he is, I can't see him getting that much playing time, as the forward class here is STOCKED.
Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution, MLS) I hate this little bitch and I hope he breaks his legs in training camp. I have my reasons.
Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS) I hate this guy too, but I'm willing to tolerate him here because he's a hell of a ballplayer when he's on. When he's off though, he has a tendency to wander and lhave absolutely no interest at all in playing top-flight football. Hopefully the right Landon shows up in Germany....lord knows he hasn't before. (Landon Donovan spent two short, unsuccessful stints on the bench at German club Bayern Leverkusen)
Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids, MLS) If the US gets out of the group stage, Mastroeni will collect his 50th cap. I'm not going to question the Italian-Argentinian's motivation because Mastroeni will do everything in his power to ensure the USA's continued survival in Germany. He'll expend the required 110% because as soon as the US is out, his European vacation gets cut short and he has to fly back to Denver to help the Rapids get back to midtable obscurity.
John O'Brien (CD Chivas USA, MLS) Could be the real deal if he stays healthy. Problem: JOB has a notorious history of falling short in that department. So if he doesn't fall apart like some cheap pinata before June 12, the Stars and Stripes should be alright.
Ben Olsen (DC United, MLS) I swear to God, I have no idea how the hell this guy ended up on the roster. The last World Cup qualifier this guy played in was two years before the 2002 World Cup! He must have really shown Arena something in camp, or in league play with DCU.
Claudio Reyna (Manchester City, English Premiership) I can understand why Arena wants Reyna on the team, because he's a proven leader and can help bring the kids along, but at the same time, we have to come to grips with the fact that this guy is older than time. This is his FOURTH World Cup Finals (1994, '98, 2002, '06). Just to put that in perspective, when this guy made his World Cup debut, I was in 5th grade.

Forwards
Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo, MLS) Nobody was talking about Brian Ching 6 months ago. Then he went on a goal-scoring binge, including four in Dynamo's opener against Colorado. Big debate was whether Ching or Taylor Twellman was going to be the last one in on the front line, and Arena decided to run with the Flyin' Hawaiian, who is really feeling the ball right now.
Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards, MLS) The 2005 version of Brian Ching. Why FCD traded him so they could re-sign that little pansy Carlos Ruiz I'll never understand. Johnson is coming off of surgery but should be at full strength in time for Germany.
Brian McBride (Fulham FC, English Premiership) Bocanegra's teammate, McBride scored the now-famous flying header against Portugal in 2002 where the United States shocked the world. Hopefully similar theatrics will follow in Germany, now that his contract with Fulham has been taken care of and Premiership survival assured for the Cottagers.
Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards, MLS) This guy is the dark horse in the roster. If he can produce, the US offense will be in great shape. If not, it could be a long....err.....short World Cup for the Americans.

Alternates
GK: Tony Meola (Red Bull New York), Matt Reis (New England Revolution)
- I like Reis, not Meola. Reis could be the backup at the 2010 World Cup, Meola's older than dirt and an obvious sentimental choice. Anyone who saw Erpen beat him from 40 yards out 2 weeks ago at Giants Stadium can tell you that.

Defenders: Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Gregg Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Todd Dunivant (Los Angeles Galaxy)
- Most people are talking about how Albright got snubbed. Albright is easily one of the most overrated defenders in MLS. He is completely worthless unless he's taking on lower-level MLS scrubs.

Mids: Chris Armas (Chicago Fire), Chris Klein (Real Salt Lake), Pat Noonan (New England Revolution), Steve Ralston (New England Revolution), Kerry Zavagnin (Kansas City Wizards)
- Everyone on this list is hurt, or coming off an injury. If any of the mids go down and these guys need to come up, the US is in BIG BIG TROUBLE.

Forwards: Conor Casey (FSV Mainz), Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire), Taylor Twellman (New England Revolution)
- Taylor Twellman is the victim of bad luck. It was between him and Brian Ching for the last forward's slot, and Ching has scored 5 or 6 goals in his first 5 league games, and Twellman got his first on Saturday. Props to Bruce Arena for giving Chris Rolfe the recognition of the young talent that he is, but for making him an alternate so that the Fire can enjoy his services all summer long. FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa is Rolfe's year.

MLS Matchday 5 Recap

2006-05-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Home Score:Score Away

Real Salt Lake 2:3 Los Angeles Galaxy

I gotta say, watching the second half of this game on Saturday that as much as I hate Landon Donovan with a fury because he's a crybaby who couldn't cut it in Europe, that he is capable of taking over games and making crazy plays look ridiculously easy. This one at Rice-Eccles saw RSL go up 1-0, then surrender 3 consecutive LA strikes, one from Donovan, and two assists of his boot. Clutch move for me picking him up on my fantasy team this week. Real looks genuinely awful this year. This team could very well lose 20 games if they don't kick it into gear soon. I don't care how early in the season it is, 1 point from 5 matches is a pretty terrible tally. Add to the fact that MLS all-time leading goalscorer Jason Kreis will be suspended following his double caution/red card booking in this match. RSL is playing Columbus, so they shouldn't be hurt that much. Then again....

DC United 1:1 FC Dallas

The top-of the table clash at East Capitol Street revealed exactly what we suspected. DC and FCD are the best teams in their respective conferences. As to which of the two teams is better head-to-head, we'll have to wait untill the rematch in Frisco, TX on July 4th. Hoops striker Carlos Ruiz is back from injury (regrettably).

Columbus Crew 0:1 Kansas City Wizards

Two teams that no one really gives a rat's ass about, so why should I do any differently. Amazed KC didn't win by more. Crew are improved, but the Hunt Park side needs to step it up if they're going to compete in an Eastern conference that already has runaway leaders in Kansas City and United, with strong teams like New England and Chicago in hot pursuit.

CD Chivas USA 0:0 Red Bull New York

Thank God this game wasn't on TV. It appears that Red Bull's promise to turn New York into a Superclub turned out to be what Gotham area fans have been hearing for years, a lot of empty promises, and a crap side to watch at Giants Stadium. In a way, Red Bull's purchase of the team formally known as the MetroStars is perfect. Red Bull gives a little kick at first, until you realize that you can put all the slick packaging and marketing on it you want on it, but it still tastes like crap unless you infuse some quality talent (vodka). RBNY has 3 points from 5 matches, and no wins. Yikes.

Colorado Rapids 0:1 Houston Dynamo

Brian Ching scores for the Orange, Colorado loses, history repeats itself from opening day in Houston. Man, looking at this crowd 7,225, Colorado probably can't wait till they move into their new 20,000 seat stadium next year so the place can at least look half-full in April. Dynamo still a question mark. Three wins in five matches, but two came against the woeful Crapids.

New England Revolution 1:2 Chicago Fire

Finally. That is all I can say. Chicago Fire scores a goal in Foxboro (3 games, First time since October 16, 2004). Fire win in Foxboro (First time since August 18, 2002) Fire come from behind to beat ANYBODY (First time since September 17, 2005 at Columbus--12 games)

Fire get some measure of revenge for New England knocking them out of the MLS Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference Final last year, but I would have liked to have seen this offensive production from Thiago and Chris Rolfe last October. Fire get their first win of the year and move from 6th to 3rd in the East (1-1-2, 5 points) Possible playoff preview? Might as well be. One team has ended the other's season in each of the last four campaigns.

Fine. Be that way.

2006-05-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

My friends have started a sports blog where they will comment on the general absurdities of the world of sportswriting.

I've been told "no soccer allowed."

Fine. Be that way. I don't care if nobody reads this (which is likely) but damn it, I gotta put my two cents in. At times, my analysis of the beautiful game will be incredibly irrational, and reasons I hate players will usually boil down to "Because he's a little bitch."

I'll update when I feel like it, but moreso during the World Cup, and as MLS matchdays approach.

Here's where I usually get my best info, in case any of you uppity chillens think you can do a better job than me (which is likely).

News
Fox Soccer Channel
MatchNight In America

Message Boards (ranked by quality of information)
BigSoccer.com
Section 8 Chicago

Leagues (ranked by quality of competition, in my opinion)
FIFA World Cup
UEFA Champions League
English Premier League
La Liga
Lega Nazionale Calcio
German Bundesliga
Major League Soccer
Scottish Premier League