Uncomfortably Numb

I was away for the weekend, and grimaced when I saw the NY-RSL scoreline pop up on ESPNews on Saturday night. I erased the game from my TiVo without watching it upon my return home. Then I grimaced some more when I read the news yesterday morning that Alexi Lalas was indeed heading to LA to helm the Galaxy. Lalas left NY after telling fans and the media repeatedly that he wasn’t leaving. Did he lie? Well, he was looking out for his own “business interests,” but the whole thing leaves me feeling like I’ve been taken for a ride. It’s been a long ten years already with the Metros/Red Bulls, but it seems like the last two months have tested club fandom to the limit. Lalas did a lot of things right while he was in NY. He was a presence in the local & national sports media and drew attention to the club. He listened to adult fans’ concerns & responded in kind. He got rid of those awful horns.

Now he’s gone, and while the RB nation waits for who’s next, an unsettled air hangs over the club. Who’ll be running the team? Will Mo coach past Saturday’s game vs. DC? Will there be a mass dumping of players? There probably should be, because off-season adds Canero, O’Rourke, and Henderson apparently sucked it up big time at Salt Lake.

After generating some serious buzz for the home opener on April 8th, there’s no marketing whatsoever ahead of this week’s DC match (forecast is for rain, of course). Will attendance break 20K? 15K? 10K?

The more important question is, why should anyone continue to care? Underachieving malaise on the field vs. constant turmoil off the field has left this 11-yr Metro/Red Bull fan uncomfortably numb.

Must-Have Points

After two straight draws against MLS Cup contenders, the Red Bulls have no excuses heading into tomorrow’s visit to the Wasatch mountains against Real Salt Lake (9pm, DK, MSG). Last season, the MetroStars underachieved big-time against the two MLS expansion clubs, drawing RSL twice and going 1-0-1 vs. Chivas USA. While the HDC co-tenants had a big upgrade in the off-season, RSL continues to be a work in progress. The stormin’ mormons dropped malcontent Clint Mathis and picked up part-time national-teamer Chris Klein, but the team hasn’t won since a 2-1 home victory vs. Chivas on August 6th (0-13-1 since). Tomorrow night’s the home opener at Rice-Eccles, though, and the artificial turf there may play havoc (Hat tip: Ty Keough) on Youri’s knees. Here’s a side-by-side breakdown, based on last week’s starting lineups…

The RSL frontline vs. the Red Bulls’ defense:
Jeff Cunningham and Andy Willams vs. Marvell Wynne, Carlos Mendes, Jeff Parke, and Taylor Graham (and Tony Meola). Cunningham and Williams are proven but aging strikers, and the fast turf will benefit Cunningham’s game. The NY defense had a terrific outing last week against a tougher side (New England). If the Red Bulls can avoid slipping and sliding on the Rice-Eccles carpet, another shutout is a strong possibility. Meola was let down by the US backline in Cary, NC on Tuesday. The same won’t happen tomorrow. Advantage: New York

The Red Bulls’ strikers vs. the RSL backline:
Youri Djorkaeff and Edson Buddle vs. Chris Brown, Eddie Pope, Carey Talley, and Daniel Torres (and Scott Garlick). The RSL vets have let in five goals in two games vs. Chivas and Dallas, and Pope’s 90 minutes for the US Tuesday vs. Jamaica may have taken a little out his tank. The speedy Buddle could feast on RSL’s older legs, especially if he’s given the opportunity to run into the box rather than getting the ball up top. Garlick’s porn-star ‘stache won’t save him. Slight Advantage: New York

The Midfielders:
Amado Guevara, Danny O’Rourke, Chris Henderson, and Seth Stammler (NY) vs. Chris Klein, Kenny Cutler, Douglas Sequeira, Mehdi Ballouchy (RSL). It’s clear that El Lobo hasn’t shown well in NY’s first two matches, but Cutler and Ballouchy are still green with only twenty-five MLS appearances between them. Klein is a natural goal-scorer who gets points for his free-kick goal of the week vs. Dallas last time out. Henderson’s strong play out wide will help the NY cause. Slight Advantage: New York

The Coaches:
Mo Johnston should get credit for the Red Bulls’ two decent results to date. He’s got to convince his club to go for the kill this week. John Ellinger has to show improvement now if he wants to keep his job. Advantage: New York

The Intangibles:
RSL should get a boost from a big, loud crowd in its home opener on a clear and chilly night. New York has traditionally underachieved against poorer competition, but the pressure is all on Ellinger and RSL. Advantage: New York

Prediction:
The Red Bulls don't stampede, but have a strong outing and get the result against a team they should beat. The undefeated season continues. Score: 2-0 New York

Give Him a Break
Ok, Alexi says he’s not leaving. If the Red Bulls don’t deliver, he’ll be shown the door, just like any GM in any league. Can we stop talking about this now? Thanks.

The Tube of Boob
Happy Passover, Easter, or happy weekend to all. Here’s a sampling of the matches on TV this weekend (All times EDT):

SATURDAY, April 15
7:30am: EPL: Bolton-Chelsea, FSC
10:00am: GER: Hertha Berlin-Borussia Dortmund, FSC
11:00am: ITA: Palermo-Roma, GOL
12 noon: EPL: Newcastle-Wigan, FSC
1:00pm: ECU-Dep. Quito-Aucas, GOL
3:00pm: EPL: Everton-Tottenham, FSC
4:00pm: MLS: Columbus-Chicago, ESPN2
4:00pm: ESP: Dep. Coruna-Sevilla, GOL
5:00pm: ITA: Cagliari-Juventus, FSC
6:00pm: MEX: Atlante-Unam, GALA
6:00pm: MEX: Tigres-Chiapas, TELEF
6:00pm: BRA: Vasco Da Gama-Internacional-RS, GOL
7:30pm: MLS: DC United-Houston, HDNet
8:00pm: COL: Once Caldas-Ind. Medellin, GOL
8:30pm: MLS: Kansas City-New England, DK
9:00pm: MLS: Colorado-FC Dallas, DK
9:00pm: MLS: Real Salt Lake-New York, DK, MSG
10:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Morelia, GALA
11:00pm: MLS: Chivas USA-Los Angeles, ESPN2

SUNDAY, April 16
11:00am: ESP: Valencia-Espanyol, GOL
1:00pm: EPL: Blackburn-Liverpool, FSC
1:00pm: ECU: Olmedo-Dep. Cuenca, GOL
1:00pm; MEX: San Luis-Pachuca, UNI
3:00pm: FRA: Paris SG-Lyon, FSC
3:00pm; ESP: Atl. Madrid, Atl. Bilbao, GOL
5:00pm: BRA: Gremio-Corinthians, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Chivas-Atlas, GALA
7:00pm: COL: Atl. Junior-America Cali, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: San Lorenzo-River Plate, FSC

The Curtain Went Up

The stadium looked great. The sky was finally clear. The crowd was excited. The luminaries of the Cosmos and MetroStars were on the field. The eagle, and the skydivers, landed. And then… the match started. A defensive, bone-crushing, knock down match in which yellow cards were plenty and opportunities went unfulfilled. The Red Bulls' scoreless draw with New England was yet another unsatisfying on-field performance by the home side in front of a large crowd. On Saturday night, the sizzle was more appealing than the steak. Once the match started, the thirty-five thousand fans had little to cheer about, other than Shakira’s midriff. Which is lovely, by the way.

Still, there were bright spots. Jeff Parke did a great job in the center of the defense handling the Revs’ three National-team forwards. Chris Henderson got up and down the field like a man half his age, and created a couple of chances with dangerous, diagonal runs into the box. Tony Meola made a few key saves, and wound up with his first clean sheet of the season ahead of his 100th USMNT appearance tonight vs. Jamaica (7pm et, espn2).

The question is: without the opening day circus, will NY fans return to the swamp all season long? DC and Mr. Adu will be in town next Saturday, but will fans pay to see the Bulls take on Columbus? RSL? Colorado? The club did little on the field Saturday to endear itself to its fan base.

What NY Watched

The Newark Star-Ledger print edition has a nifty little feature on Tuesdays called “What We Watched,” a breakdown of the New York metro area sports TV ratings for the previous weekend. Here’s where MLS fit in on Saturday 4/8 (One ratings point = 74,000 households).

-Yanks-Angels on YES: 4.1
-Masters Golf on CBS: 3.9
-Rangers-Bruins on NBC: 1.3
-Nets-Cavs on YES: 1.3
-CHIVAS USA-DC UNITED on ESPN2: 0.4 (or 29,600 HHs)
-Devils-Canadiens on MSG: 0.2
-RED BULLS-REVOLUTION on MSG (TD at 10pm): 0.2 (or 14,800 HHs)
-Islanders-Capitals on FSNY: 0.1
(The Mets were rained out)

Thoughts:
-As many folks tuned in the match on tape delay as did the Devils game live.
-The Red Bulls pulled in twice the Islanders’ rating
-Chivas-DCU pulled in twice the Red Bulls’ rating
-There are lots of viewing choices for the NY-area sports fan (and I didn’t include ratings for NASCAR, the WTA, Horse Racing, the Men’s NCAA Hockey final or NCAA Softball)
-I wonder what percentage of the Red Bulls’ rating were folks who rushed home from the game to watch the replay

Go West Red-Haired Man?

The rumors surrounding NYRB Pres./GM Alexi Lalas’ departure to take the same spot at the LA Galaxy are growing louder, as Michael Lewis picks up the trail. If Giorgio Chinaglia is about to take over the reins, get ready for lots of sound and fury, signifying nothing from the front office. Bleh.

Making Their Case

Though the final result isn’t important, tonight is huge for those taking the field for the Nats this evening in Cary, NC vs. Jamaica. Those on tonight’s roster fall into three groups:

Those securely on Il Bruce’s 23: Donovan, Mastroeni, Pope, Twellman, Wolff
Those with a serious chance of getting a spot: Dempsey, Hejduk, Johnson, Noonan, O’Brien, Ralston
Roster-fillers who (barring an injury to the first team) will be watching from home in June: Albright, Ching, Garcia, Meola, Olsen, Reis, Zavagnin

Big ups to NY local legend Tony the Tiger for hitting the century mark. Shame this testimonial opportunity couldn’t be played at The Swamp in front of the home-town fans, but SAS Soccer Park should be loud and proud tonight.

Finally Here

A month after the Red Bulls were born, the team finally gets a chance to strut their stuff in front of the hometown fans. Pres/GM Alexi Lalas has promised to “blow our minds,” and tomorrow’s home opener at Giants Stadium should do just that. With music, motocross, appearances by Pele and other former Cosmo and Metro greats, parachuters, bald eagles, a dry weather forecast (thank goodness) and at least 30,000 fans, it should be a great night. After the circus, though, there’ll still be a game to be played.

Here’s a preview of the key matchups, assuming the same formations as last weekend:

The Revs’ forwards vs. the Red Bulls defense:
It’ll be the USMNT’s Dempsey, Noonan, and Twellman vs. a young back line of Wynne, Graham, Parke, and Mendes. Last week, Wynne and Parke made crucial mistakes that let DC back in the match. Even with a superlative effort by the D and Tony Meola, it’d be hard to give New York the nod here. The only hope is that the Revs’ talented forwards are looking ahead to Tuesday’s US match vs. Jamaica & tone down the intensity a notch. Advantage: NE

The Red Bulls’ forwards vs. the Revs’ defense:
Djorkaeff and Buddle vs. Jay Heaps, Daniel Hernandez, and James Riley. Yes, NE will still be without 2005 Rookie of the Year Michael Parkhurst, and keeper Matt Reis is nursing a tender hamstring. However, the Revs kept a high-powered Galaxy off the board on Saturday in LA. Word on BAS this morning is that Youri’s a little teed off that the league has put the kibosh on his “interference” style goals moving forward. Buddle looked dangerous in DC, but he won’t get another gift like the one Perkins dropped at his feet this week. The NY attack is still a work in progress. Slight Advantage: NE

The Midfielders:
For New England, Steve Ralston, Andy Dorman, Shalrie Joseph, and Joe Franchino. For New York: Seth Stammler, Amado Guevara, Danny O’Rourke, and Chris Henderson. If there’s a weak link in on the Revs’ side, it’s young Dorman, though the Boston University product did serve up the ball that led to NE’s winning goal last week. Franchino will do his usual heel-nipping job all over the field. Joseph was a serious MVP candidate last season, and Ralston is still hoping to snag a spot on Bruce’s squad for Germany. On the Red Bulls' side is Stammler, who did such a masterful job controlling Ralston during the Metro’s 2-0 home playoff win last season. Guevara should have had an easier time this week after his challenges in Honduras before the DC match. Still, NY is facing a good group that has more experience playing as a unit: Advantage: NE

Coaching:
Steve Nicol did a masterful job last week in LA, exacting revenge for the MLS Cup loss last season. Mo is still finding his way. Advantage: NE

Intangibles:
Much was said about the lift that Red Bulls felt from their away fan contingent last week in DC. There’ll be 500 Rev fans in attendance tomorrow, and they'll be sure to lift the NE squad. Though the crowd at Giants Stadium may top 35,000, many will be folks who will be attracted by the sideshow and aren’t really fans of the Red Bulls, at least not yet. An organized, loud NE group could quiet the NY fans, especially if the Revs get an early lead. That said, a pre-game pep-talk by Pele and Franz Beckenbauer (or Shakira) may but an extra zip in the step of the Red Bulls. Advantage: Push

Final Prediction: The NY fans will want a show, but would have been better served playing Columbus, Colorado or RSL as the home opener opponent. NE has more talent, and that’ll be obvious on the field. Score: 3-1 Revolution

TV Time

Here’s what you can find on the tube this weekend (all times ET):

SATURDAY, April 8

7:30am: EPL: Tottenham-Man City, FSC
10:00am: GER: Borussia Dortmund-Bayer Leverkusen, FSC
12noon: EPL: Wigan-Birmingham, FSC
12noon: ESP: Cadiz-Real Betis, GOL
2:30pm: ITA: Ascoli-Inter Milan, GOL
3:00pm: EPL: Charlton-Everton, FSC
4:00pm: MLS: DC United-Chivas USA, ESPN2
4:00pm: MEX: Toluca-Tigres, GALA
4:30pm: ESP: Celta Vigo-Valencia, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Monterrey-San Luis, GALA
6:30pm: URU: Central Espanol-Penarol, GOL
7:30pm: MLS: New York-New England, DK (10pm on MSG TD)
8:30pm: MLS: Houston-Kansas City, DK
8:30pm: MLS: FC Dallas-Real Salt Lake, DK
8:30pm: COL: Millonarios-Tolima, GOL
9:30pm: MLS: Colorado-Columbus, DK
10:00pm: MEX: Atlas-Santos, TELEF
11:00pm: MLS: Los Angeles-Chicago, DK, HDNet

SUNDAY, April 9

9:00am: ITA: Cagliari-Palermo, FSC
9:00am: ITA: AC Milan-Chievo, GOL
11:00am: ESP: Ath. Bilbao-Mallorca, GOL
1:00pm: ENG: Chelsea-West Ham, FSC
1:00pm: ESP: Racing Santander-Barcelona, GOL
3:00pm: FRA: Rennes-Sochaux, FSC
3:00pm: BRA: Santos-Portuguesa, GOL
5:00pm: EXH: UVA Women-Washington Freedom, FSC
5:00pm: MEX: America-UNAM, GALA
6:30pm: COL: Quindio-Once Caldas, GOL
7:00pm: EXH: UVA Men-DC United Reserves, FSC
9:30pm: ITA: Juventus-Fiorentina, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: River Plate-Instituto, FSC

2-2 the Hard Way

If you had told me before Saturday’s RBNY season opener at DC that the results would be a 2-2 draw, I’d be pretty satisfied. After all, the club was starting only a handful of players that started the ’05 monsoon game vs. RSL. However, after watching the Bulls blow a 2-0 halftime lead to settle for one point, I’m a little disappointed, but hopeful. The NY goals in the first half were a mix of incredible skill and incredible luck, but even with a two goal lead after 20 minutes, I wasn’t filled with a feeling of confidence. 70 minutes is a long time to hold a lead, and traditionally the NY club does everything possible to keep matches interesting. Alecko Eskandarian is going to be a major factor up front for DC this season, and he absolutely punished the ball for the year the NJ-native spent on the shelf. United’s second goal came at the expense of my Goat of the Week: Jeff Parke. Not only did Parke stick out his leg to knock Facundo Erpen’s shot past Tony Meola, but the defender from Drexel whiffed on a potential game-winner in front of an open net with ten minutes to spare. Steve Jolley, anyone?

Next up: the Revs, who looked real good in laying some MLS Cup revenge on the Gals in Carson. Hopefully, Twellman, Dempsey, Noonan, and Ralston will be taking it easy on RB ahead of their Tuesday USA date in N. Carolina vs. Jamaica, where Tony the Tiger will hit the century mark in appearances before calling it (finally) a USMNT career.

Quick Kicks:

No MLS on FSC this season? I understand that the league doesn’t want to give away rights to Murdoch if Disney & Univision will be paying cash, but more matches on TV=good. Fewer matches=bad.

The renamed New York Soccer Report debuts tomorrow night late on MSG. No other regional carrier devotes so much time to soccer, and MSG does a great job mixing team news, local soccer history, and great personalities. Even if you’re not in the NY area, it’s worth a look.

Rumor on BigSoccer is that the new Canadian Club will be named Inter Toronto FC. Some folks are up in arms, but I see no problem with this paean to the legendary team in Milan. If folks are really going to stay away because of the club name, we’re better off without them.

My bets on 2006 Hall-of-Fame invitees: Rocket Roy Lassiter, who’s MLS single-season goal record set in 1996 still stands today, and the formerly goateed President of RBNY, Alexi Lalas. The announcement is set for the April 22nd Red Bull-DC rematch at Giants Stadium.

On the fracas between some DC morons and Red Bull fans at and around RFK on Sunday, I hope the larger media doesn’t get wind of the incident, because events like this can very quickly deflate the momentum that the league has built in the season’s first week. I appreciate the steps that RBNY and the league seem to be taking to attract more adult soccer fans, but unruly fans have got to be squashed immediately.

Chivas USA is introducing USMNT Midfielder John O'Brien as the latest member of their roster today. And NY gets all the allocations?

I’m taking part in the new, blog-ified All-American XI this season, along with a who’s who of the BS and blog cognoscenti. Week 1’s report should be up soon. Take a quick click on over there, won’t you?

70 Days to Go: EJ, LD, and DmB in NYC

Something to think about as we head into the weekend. this billboard's at 34th & 7th in NYC, right next to Penn Station and The Garden. Good job, Nike.

Trendy, Trendy Red Bulls

It seems that all of the New York media is weighing in on the Red Bulls. Trendy New York Magazine, home of cutting edge photo layouts of wealthy city dwellers’ bathrooms and “of the moment” cover stories like “Forever Youngish: Why Nobody Wants to be an Adult Anymore” (probably ‘cause of those pesky mortgage payments) comes the image above. It’s from April 3rd issue’s “Approval Matrix” feature, which plots the week’s culture/celebrity/news items on a “brilliant-despicable” x-axis vs. a “highbrow-lowbrow” y-axis. How did the Red Bull sale fare? More brilliant and highbrow than The Donald’s new son’s name Barron, and more despicable and lowbrow than The Ringling Bros. Elephant Walk. Sounds about right to me.

Tee Vee
Here's a sampling of this weekend's matches on the tube - all times Eastern. Don't forget to spring your clocks forward on Saturday night...

SATURDAY, April 1
6:30am: EPL: Birmingham-Chelsea, FSC
11:00am: EPL: West Brom-Liverpool, FSC
1:00pm: ESP: Real Zaragoza-Villareal, GOL
2:00pm: EPL: Newcastle-Spurs, FSC
3:00pm: ESP: Barcelona-Real Madrid, GOL
4:00pm: MLS: Dallas-Chicago, ABC
4:00pm: ITA: Lecce-AC Milan, FSC
5:00pm: ITA: Inter Milan-Messina, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Atlante-Toluca, GALA
7:00pm: COL: Nacional-Deportivo Cali, GOL
8:00pm: MEX: Chivas-Pachuca, TELEF
8:30pm: MLS: Kansas City-Columbus, DK
10:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Monterrey, TELEF
11:00pm: MLS: Los Angeles-New England, ESPN2
11:00pm: BRA: Palmeiras-Rio Branco, GOL
12mid: MEX: Tigres-UAG, GALA

SUNDAY, April 2
9:00am: ITA: Lazio-Empoli, FSC
9:00am: ITA: Fiorentina-Roma, GOL
11:30am: GER: Schalke-Hamburg, FSC
1:00pm: ECU: Olmedo-Emelec, GOL
1:00pm: MEX: UNAM-Chiapas, UNI
3:00pm: FRA: Paris SG-Bordeaux, FSC
3:00pm: ESP: Betis-Sevilla, GOL
5:00pm: MLS: DC United – New York (looks funny, doesn’t it?), FSNY, DK
5:30pm: GUA: Municipal-Antigua, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: San Luis-Cruz Azul, GALA
7:00pm: MLS: Chivas USA-Real Salt Lake, DK
7:30pm: MLS: Houston-Colorado, DK
7:30pm: COL: Ind. Santa Fe-Millonarios, GOL
9:30pm: BRA: Sao Paulo-Santos, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: Boca Juniors-Banfield, FSC

Music. Nonstop.

Maroon 5 is out and Shakira and Wylcef Jean are in as halftime entertainment for the Red Bulls' home opener on April 8th at Giants Stadium. The two artists are sure to attract Hispanic and Caribbean football and non-football fans to the Swamp.

Say what you will about Red Bull management, but they're pulling out all the stops to draw fannies to the seats for the re-branded club's first-ever home date.

With so much going on off-the-field at the home opener, (motocross, Cosmos/Metros ceremony, halftime) one has to wonder what will be in store for the club's second home date vs. DC on April 22nd. Marketing messages have talked up the sideshow surrounding the soccer to be played. For fans to come on back to the stadium, the on-field product will have to deliver a good amount of that Red Bull buzz.

Here are the Metros' attendance for the first and second home games of each season, save '99, which weren't readily available. We'll all be watching carefully to see what happens in the new, fizzy era of RBNY.

4/20/96 vs. NE: 46,826
4/27/96 vs. CMB: 26,416

4/12/97 vs. NE: 20,328
4/19/97 vs. DC: 26,322

4/11/98 vs. LA: 29,380
4/25/98 vs. SJ: 17,380

3/28/99 vs. CMB: -
4/3/99 vs. DC: -

4/1/00 vs. DC: 27,322
4/15/00 vs. CMB: 12,399

4/7/01 vs. NE: 30,753
4/21/01 vs. TB: 17,253

3/23/02 vs. NE: 13,234
3/27/02 vs. CMB: 45,411 (Ecuador/Bulgaria Doubleheader)

4/12/03 vs. CMB: 23,786
4/19/03 vs. LA: 19,801

4/17/04 vs. DC: 31,419 (Adu's first game in NY)
4/25/04 vs. NE: 8,129

4/2/05 vs. RSL: 12,657 (Monsoon)
4/16/05 vs. KC: 12,548

Special Guests

The big names of NY's soccer past will be honored before next Saturday’s RBNY home opener. How big? Think of the biggest name there is. Think of the guy running the biggest soccer tournament there is. Think of the loudmouth that fans feared would be taking over the Bulls. Think of the Metros’ first-ever superstar. That big. All the more reason to be at the Swamp on 4/8.

Facing the Media

Red Bulls Media Day was yesterday, and MetroFanatic has a great series of interviews up as usual. Look here to see some video yesterday's event at B.B. King’s in Times Square. Nice to see MSG paying attention, though they’re really just promoting one of the few sports properties they have left on their programming roster. No official news yet of the Jean-Philippe Peguero for Thiba + a draft pick trade, or for the opening day halftime show yet… but patience is a virtue. RBNY is running a daily giveaway as the countdown to opening day continues and fans can enter every day until April 8th. Nice. Lots of “season preview” stories are popping up national newspapers – give ‘em a look. Big ups to MF.com poster "The Pebble" for a story on the inching forward on the Harrison stadium... but shouldn't these steps have happened sometime in the past 5 years?

Being Green

Michael Lewis reports today that the Red Bulls' home opener will be played on grass, a huge step towards a more asthetically pleasing experience for RBNY fans and a safer one for the team itself. If you listen closely you can hear Youri Djorkaeff's knees thanking the team's Austrian overlords. Will the entire season be played on the natural stuff? We'll see.

Amado (the pout) Guevara has apparently recieved his green card, opening up another SI slot for the team. Will Alexi & Mo be able to find an affordable foriegner to put the bulge in the old onion bag? Any time now would be great.

Also, in a major improvement over the 2005 season, RBNY has secured television coverage for all of the team's league matches this year on MSG (24 times) and FSN (6 times). A 30-minute pre-game show, "Running With the Bulls," will appear before most matches. The team will also appear two times on ESPN2. Nice job, front office.

Harder to Breathe

Pop recording group Maroon 5 will be part of the attraction when Red Bull New York opens its home season next Saturday, April 8th, at Giants Stadium. The J Records recording artists will play at halftime of the RBNY-New England match, just part of the “special goings-on” that Red Bull hopes will bring folks to the Swamp for the match.

UPDATE: On Thursday, 3/30, RBNY announced that Shakira and Wyclef Jean would be playing the team's home opener instead.

Before the match, RBNY will host a motocross event and a “Hispanic concert” in the Giants Stadium parking lot for the tailgating masses. Will all the hoopla pay off in the form of ticket buyers? It’s too soon to say, but with the many free ticket promotions in place for the match, it’s obvious that the Front Office is trying to earn repeat business from customers by putting on a great show, in addition to the soccer that’ll be played.

That’s good, because last week’s RBNY results in Charleston did little to prove that the Bulls will have much to show on the field. RBNY went scoreless in losing three matches at the Carolina Challenge Cup, including the first-ever defeat by the host Battery over an MLS club in the three-year history of the tournament. With only six days remaining before the season opener in DC, Alexi & Mo are rumored to be placing a sacrifice at the feet of the Columbus Crew in order to get a natural striker. At this point, giving up Eddie Gaven and newly acquired defensive midfielder Danny O’Rourke for Westchester native Edson Buddle may not be the worst deal, if Mo is convinced that RBNY stalwart Mark Lisi can shoulder the load at D-Mid. Tick Tock. Time's a wasting.

Depressed in Dortmund

While it’s safe to say that Kerry Zavagnin, Brian Ching, and Chris Klein hurt their chances of landing on Il Bruce’s World Cup Roster, the most depressing Yank performance last Wednesday in Dortmund was from Tenalfy, NJ native Greg Berhalter, who gifted a German goal with a horrible miscue as the last line of defense in front of Kasey Keller. Berhalter has had a snakebitten tenure with the Nats, as his goal effort vs. the same Germans in the 2002 WC Quarterfinals was stopped by Torsten Frings’ hand. Berhalter was also whistled for a phantom handball in the final moments of a WCQ at Costa Rica in 2000. The resulting PK gave the Ticos a 2-1 win and made things tough for the US in that qualifying round. Does Arena leave Berhalter off the squad? Here are my eight defenders for the World Cup: Bocanegra, Cherundolo, Conrad, Gibbs, Lewis, Oneywu, Pope… and yes… Berhalter. What other choices does Bruce have? Albright? Olsen? Shudder the thought.

Busy Day

Lots going on today. The Yank’s B+ team takes on a hungry, desperate German side in Dortmund. Without Donovan, Reyna, Beasley, O’Brien, and Dempsey, Marc Connolly has the midfield in the hands of Mastro, Klein, and Zavagnin. Yikes. If the US loses by less than two goals, it’ll be a moral victory for The Bruce, who suffers considerably less pressure than his pal Jurgen Klinsmann.

I’ve sent a note to the tech department at USSoccer.com, asking them if they’ve made any server upgrades since the Poland friendly, when limited bandwidth of the website’s Matchtracker kept many from following the game live at work. If I get a response, I’ll post here. UPDATE: Here's the web team's promising response:

Thank you for writing. We have made some changes to the hosting of MatchTracker(to be separate from the rest of the site) in effort to improve performance. Please let us know if you experience any issues with today's match so that we may look into them, however we expect performance to be dramatically better than it was for the Poland match.

Good show, guys.

Tonight’s the second round of the Carolina Challenge Cup at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, where RBNY will take on the host Battery, and DC United will play Dinamo Houston. Red cards to Red Bulls Djorkaeff and Graham won’t carry over from the team’s loss to DC on Saturday.

About those Bulls, Alexi Lalas made a good number of friends last week when he offered free tickets to anyone that wanted to make the trip to DC next Sunday for the home opener. A staggering 750 fans wanted in, which should make the group the largest traveling fan contingent outside of an MLS Cup. A wedding will keep me from making the trip, which should be a great time.

Alexi then made many RB/Metro fans scratch their heads when an offer popped up on the Revs’ site for season ticket holders: a free ticket & bus ride to the Swamp for the 4/8 RBNY home opener. Helping your own fans to travel is one thing, but busing away fans into your house? I’m not so sure. From a business standpoint, the move is solid – giving Rev fans a reason to sign up for season tickets to get the free trip will endear RBNY to the Krafts. From a home-field advantage standpoint, however, bringing in significant Revs fan presence won’t exactly help RBNY on the field.

Tonight, the MLS-less Concacaf Champions’ Cup semis get going, with LDA hosting Club America, and Saprissa visiting Toluca. One of these clubs will be heading to Tokyo this December to represent the region in the World Club Championship. Hopefully the winner will do us as proud at Saprissa did last time, picking up 3rd place.

And as for MLS Glassboro? Let’s talk again in 120 days.

Steaks of Cheese

I, like so many others, raised an eyebrow after reading the Daily Record report of an impending MLS franchise in the South Jersey suburb of Glassboro. The league has been salivating over the Philly market for years now, but the lack of an owner or a location for a soccer-specific stadium on the PA side of the Delaware River has prevented MLS Philly from becoming a reality in the past. Glassboro isn’t as convenient to the well-heeled and soccer-mad West Philly suburbs as is “Center City.” For instance, famed youth club FC Delco in Downingtown, PA, is forty-five miles from the proposed site, an 80-minute trip one-way, as per Google maps. Then, of course, is the whole franchise name thing. I guess we’ll all learn more on Monday. To say it’s been quite an off-season is a massive understatement.

Between March Madness and the US-less World Baseball Classic final four, here’s what’s on the tube this weekend (all times ET):

Saturday, March 18th
7:30am: ENG: Everton – Aston Villa, FSC
10:00am: GER: Wolfsburg-Hamburg, FSC
Noon: ENG: Birmingham-Tottenham, FSC
2:00pm: ESP: Real Sociedad-Barcelona, GOL
3:00pm: ENG: Arsenal-Charlton, FSC
4:00pm: ESP: Villareal-Atletico Madria, GOL
6:00pm: ITA: Livorno-Juventus, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Atlante-Atlas, GALA
8:00pm: COL: Independiente-America de Cali, GOL
8:00pm: MEX: Chivas-Cruz Azul, TELEF
10:00pm: GUA: Municipal-Marquense, GOL
10:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Veracruz, TELEF
Midnight: MEX: Tigres-Monarcas, GALA

Sunday, March 19th:
9:00am: ITA: Inter-Lazio, GOL
11:00pm: ESP: Santander-Valencia, GOL
11:00am: ITA: Treviso-Cagliari, FSC
1:00pm: ITA: Real Madrid-Real Betis, GOL
1:00pm: ENG: Newcastle-Liverpool, FSC
1:00pm: MEX: Pumas-Tecos, UNI
3:00pm: ECU: Deportivo Quito-Emelec, GOL
3:00pm: FRA: Paris SG-Auxerre, FSC
5:30pm: COL: Millonarios-Once Caldas, GOL
6:00pm; MEX: San Luis-America, GALA
7:30pm: ELS: Aguila-Isidro Metapan, GOL
9:30pm: ITA: Roma-Messina, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: Tiro Federal-Boca Juniors, FSC

The Mo & Alexi Show

Over 50 current, former, and new members of the ESC gathered last night at Stout Pub in New York City for the Annual “Meet the GM/Coach” event, and those in attendance were treated to a friendly exchange with Mo Johnston and Alexi Lalas in a great setting. The downstairs room of the pub should prove to be a great new location for viewing away RBNY matches and will offer a lot more room than the former Nathan Hale’s space for US matches this summer. Thanks to Corey & team for pulling together another great event.

Here are some frantically scribbled highlights:

Mo Johnston:
-Has been to Poland, Czech Republic, Scotland and England looking for players
-There still “some cash left” for another player, and with Guevara’s green card a formality at this point, it’s fair to expect a foreign signing
-The biggest hole in the current lineup is up front
-Plans on playing 3 or 4 in the back – RBNY will be versatile enough to play a 3-4-3, a 3-5-2, or 4-4-2
-The starting lineup is not yet set… don’t put too much into pre-season results
-On Josie Altidore: “a tremendous goal scorer"
-On David Arvizu: “at first, he wanted to return to LA, but we’re not doing [Chivas or LAG] any favors in terms of giving him up… he was the most important player on the U-17s, and he’s liking it more here every day"
-On Blake Camp: “Gives us a lot of depth”
-On Mike Magee: He “grew up a lot during the offseason”
-On Eddie Gaven: “I told him we wanted to trade him”
-On Ante Razov: “We had to trade him to save some $$”
-On Abbie Ibrahim: “He’s still in Togo. We’ve been on the phone in the middle of the night with the embassy in order to get him back. Hope to have him in Charleston.”
-On Amado Guevara: “He wants to play in NY… he’ll play hard every game this year… but if guys aren’t pulling their weight, they’ll be changes made… if [anyone] wants to sulk, they can do it by themselves"
-On Chris Henderson: “He’ll play all over the field… on the wings, behind the forwards… etc."
-On Mark Lisi: “He’s a little in between… he’s been on the bench for some games"
Jeff Parke and Seth Stammler have "stood out in preseason”

Alexi Lalas:
-Led off with a classy toast to Doug Hamilton
-The club sale “will make a tremendous long-term impact” to the league
-“We [management] have a responsibility to prove to fans that the sale will be a positive”
-Red Bull Park “will be different and better than the stadiums currently in place in MLS”
-On the club name flap: “The hypocrisy of the NJ politicians is astounding”
-Apparently, a lone fan (not in attendance) has taken up Alexi’s offer to tell the RBNY players that he won’t be supporting the team in light of the name change. Said fan will be visiting the practice bubble today to share his reasoning with the team.
-Offered no specifics on marketing, but noted that efforts “will be different” than in the past.
-Bus trip for DC is a go & signups will be available on the official site today
-Trying to get all games on TV
-Trying for English-language radio for the first time ever
-Has “no plans to leave” and “it’s up to RB to decide how long” he’ll stay

Hornless in Jersey

Big, BIG ups to RBNY (Ribknee?) honcho Alexi Lalas for banning those godforsaken plastic horns at Giants Stadium for the upcoming season. You have to love Lalas’ tongue-in-cheek attitude in his announcement. For too long, Metro games have sounded more like a cow pasture than a soccer match. I’m sure parents of six year-olds may take issue, but for anyone that’s suffered sitting in front of a pack of youth soccer players blowing into those horns for ninety minutes, the change is most welcome.

Combined with the addition of the Pride & Passion Pub, which will live on despite the ownership change, RBNY has taken steps to make the game experience more attractive to adult soccer fans, a target that the club has ignored in the past. Well done.

High Five

Brazil, the Czech Republic, Holland, and Argentina are the only nations in the world ranked higher than the US this morning in the latest FIFA rankings. The Mexicans, so sadly, have dropped to seventh. Not only is the five-spot the highest ranking for the Yanks ever, but the US is ranked above Mexico for only the second time since the rankings began in 1993 (In June of 2003, the US was 9th, Mexico 11th). Barring a slip vs. the Krauts next week, the US should finish its pre-World Cup slate without a loss, as non-qualifier opponents Jamaica, Morocco, Venezuela, and Latvia shouldn’t give the Yanks too much trouble. Much has been said about the lack of attention to give the FIFA rankings, but maintaining a strong ranking will be important for the US to receive a top seed for South Africa 2010.

Meetup

The venerable (if not expanding) Empire Soccer Club will hold their annual “Meet the GM/Coach” event tonight in NYC at the Stout Pub on 33rd Street (b. 6th/7th) at 8pm. Given Alexi’s offer to take dissatisfied fans into the team locker room to tell the players why they’re giving up on the club, it should be an enjoyable evening. Events like this should make MLS fans appreciate the lengths that the clubs go to in order to reach out to fans. It’d be hard to imagine Joe Torre or Omar Minaya taking the time to meet their teams’ fans in a public setting to discuss team issues. Even if you're not planning on joining the ESC, If you’re an MLS in the Metro area, please try to attend.

Western Soccer League?

Perhaps those with a grasp of German can help me. This ad has been running opposite the sports page in the NYC edition of Metro, the free daily newspaper with editions in most major cities around the world. As you can see, it’s an ad for LTU airlines, promoting non-stop flights from the US to “the biggest soccer event.” The spokesperson for LTU is Kasey Keller, who is noted here as the “Western Soccer League Player of the Year.” Huh? I’m not sure what the Keller’s Q rating is these days, but I’d imagine it’s higher in Germany than here, especially among the general subway-riding public. Hmm. Reminds me a bid of those bizzarely catchy Mentos’ ads. “It doesn’t matter what comes/fresh goes better in life…”

George Zoffinger is an Angry, Angry Man

After raping MLS and the Metros for years, and doing everything he can to prevent the Harrison project from moving forward, The G-Zizza is making a fuss about RBNY’s N and Y, insisting on the silly slash or an NJ in the team’s moniker. In my mind, adding New York to the club’s name properly represents the media market that the club plays in. The “NY” will turn off far fewer NJ fans than an “NJ”-named club will for New Yorkers. All this civic posturing is a bit silly, though there is a rub. The Red Bull lease agreement at Giants Stadium expires after this season. Harrison, once said to be ready for the ’07 season, won’t be in place until 2008. In fact, groundbreaking has yet to occur – as there’s a bit to be done before that can happen. Zoffinger has said that RBNY won’t be able to play in the Swamp with its current name in place. Won’t this be fun to watch? Probably not.

Metro Fan Club

Pissed-off Metro fans are in the process of applying for a PDL club under the name of AFC Metro. The club would be the first owned exclusively by fans of MLS. Best of luck to them.

RIP Doug Hamilton.

Your Weekend TV Listings (all times et):

SATURDAY, March 11
7:30am: ENG: Chelsea-Spurs, FSC
10:00am: GER: Wolfsburg-Bayern Munich, FSC
Noon: ENG: Blackburn-Aston Villa, FSC
2:00pm: URU: Penarol-Cerro, GOL
3:00pm: ENG: Everton-Fulham, FSC
4:00pm: ESP: Valencia-Real Madrid, GOL
4:00pm: MEX: Toluca, UAG, GALA
6:00pm: ITA: Inter Milan-Sampdoria, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Atlante-Pachuca, GALA
8:00pm: BRA: Poruguesa-Palmeiras, GOL
8:00pm: MEX: Chivas-San Luis, TELEF
10:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Club America, TELEF

SUNDAY, March 12
9:00am: ITA: Cagliari-Fiorentina, FSC
9:00am: ITA: Ascoli-Roma, GOL
11:00am: ESP: Mallorca-Villareal, GOL
11:00am: ITA: Lazio-Reggina, FSC
1:00pm: ENG: Man. Utd.-Newcastle, FSC
1:00pm: MEX: UNAM-Morelia, UNI
2:30pm: ITA: Juventus-AC Milan, GOL
3:00pm: FRA: Marseille-St. Etienne, FSC
4:30pm: ESP : Osasuna-Barcelona, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Tigres-Monterrey, GALA
6:30pm: GUA: Municipal-Heredia, GOL
9:30pm: BRA: Corinthians-Sao Paulo, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: Independiente-River Plate, FSC

More RBNY Thoughts

Wow! We made the Yahoo! home page! You may call it drinking the Kool-aid, but a chat with my sales rep earlier today help put things in focus for me.

He said that the Metros were AEG's fifth priority, after LA, Chicago, DC, and Houston. Now, under Red Bull, the team will be the top priority of its owners, who are experts in sports marketing AND are willing to spend to promote their products. I can't tell you the last time that I saw a MetroStars advertisement in a major newspaper in the NY area, on any billboard, or on TV (other than on MSG). With RB's marketing prowess, we may see an attempt at a real-live campaign designed to make folks aware of the team and get them to the Meadowlands. I see ticket offers on cans of Red Bull, posters in bodegas & supermarkets that sell the stuff. Maybe a Red Bull Bus to get NYC-based fans to the swamp. Am I dismayed over the loss of the MetroStars name? Yes. However as the minutes pass I have no choice but to be optimistic about the future of RBNY.

With the sale, Uncle Phil and Lamar Hunt's combined share of MLS clubs is down to 58%, and will be 50% next year if you read Not Doug Logan's note about Cleveland today. Is a loosening of the purse strings an inevitability? We'll see.

UPDATE: Kristian Dyer at NYNJSoccer.com has a great interview with Alexi Lalas. The highlight:

KD:What role will Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer play in the franchise?
AL: Franz has been an advisor to Red Bull Salzburg for some time and I hope he is involved with Red Bull New York. From what I've read, Giorgio seems to think that we should fire the front office staff, the players and the coaches, so he can kiss my ass.

Running from... The Continental

Ah, won't you come in and sit down? I've been expecting you. Can I interest you in a little champange? No... wait... wait... where are you going??

For the fourth straight year, MLS clubs will not reach the finals (thanks, David) of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, our continental championship. Sometimes, the failures have been outright blowouts, like DC's whupping at the hands of Pumas last year, or Morelia and Necaxa's tattoos of Columbus and LA, respectively, in 2003. Sometimes, like KC's extra time loss at Saprissa last year and matches played last night, the losses are more painful. In Costa Rica, the Galaxy let a two-nil halftime lead evaporate in the first 12 minutes of the second half before falling at Saprissa in extra time. Up the road, the Revs allowed a 90th minute goal, the only goal scored in the two-leg series, to lose at LDA. Say what you want about the timing being bad and the harsh road environments that MLS teams must face in the tourney, but let's face it; MLS clubs aren't helping the stature of the league by continuing to stumble in the CCC.

Just as our teams rejoice at drawing the lone carribean entrant in the tourney's first round (DC over Harbour View in '05, Chicago over San Juan Jabloteh in '04, KC over W Connection in '02), the Costa Rica clubs look forward to playing MLS clubs just the same (This year's results, Saprissa over Kansas City in '05 and Chicago in '04, LDA over New England in '03). Hopefully the proposed mid-season tussle with Mexican clubs will give MLS teams a change to prove themselves on the international stage.

TTFKATM (The team formerly known as the MetroStars)

News today on the Red Bull sale from the NY Times , North Jersey Herald, and Big Apple Soccer.

Other tidbits:

• Andy Mead has posted the official press release here. MLSNet has been updated as well.
• Du Nord has some exclusive insight from the NY Times' Jack Bell.
• My ticket rep has informed me that Don Garber played a huge role in RB keeping Alexi & Mo in place with the club, an keeping the Metro history intact.

I have to say, seeing the words "New York" on the MLSNet header and standings page brings some relief to an otherwise challenging situation. Bucking tradition with a team name without a location was cool in the early days of MLS. I'm glad, though, that sports fans will know, without a doubt, which market the team represents. There are those on the West side of the Hudson which have huge issues with naming the club New York, but I really don't think it's a big deal. New York IS the name of the media market, and is a lot more inclusive than naming the club after Jersey. Hopefully we'll start to see some marketing muscle promoting the team's home opener and beyond. Maybe, by tomorrow, I'll be able to call the club by name.

Bull Run

Metrofanatic is reporting that a noon ET news conference has been scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) to deliver the bull. In an email exchange earlier today, Metro GM Alexi Lalas told me that he "[hasn't] been fired...yet."

Assuming the Position

Big Apple Soccer is reporting that the sale of the MetroStars is complete. The MLS Board of Governors will meet today in New York to end the 10-year run of the team and hand the franchise's keys over to Red Bull and former NY Cosmo, ChampionsWorld hanger-on, and on-screen mumbler Giorgio Chinaglia. As reported in today's New York Times, Chinaglia clearly is taking on his new assignment without a shred of humility. Chinaglia told Jack Bell:

"...I'm the only person who can change things in New York and I mean change everything — the front office, the coach and the team. And I can do it fast."

My heart goes out to Alexi Lalas, Mo Johnston, VP Ticket Sales Steve Powell, Ticket Rep Ben Parry, and the Metros players that may soon be out of a job. Perhaps in time this move will be good for the league. Today, however, I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach. I've convinced my company to purchase a private party for 100 clients at the Stadium Club for the Metros' home opener on April 8th. I have no idea what to expect when we get there. All hail the almighty dollar.

UPDATE: Logan's Revenge says that the deal hinges on some key sticking points, and still may not come to fruition.

Questions Waiting to be Answered

So the Metro nation sits and waits…waits to hear about the fate of its team. Michael Lewis seems to be only journalist with the contacts that will comment on the supposedly impending sale of the Metro to the marketing powerhouse Red Bull. Today comes word that a few high-profile former NY Cosmos are pushing the deal and may soon be in charge of the club. But where would Alexi Lalas and his staff find themselves in that scenario? Out of work? Like him or hate him, Alexi has put a visible face on the organization, and Mo Johnston has been a breath of fresh air in terms of his willingness to speak to the press and fans about how the team is coming together. And about the team… where would the sale leave the mixture of youth and experience on the roster that seems so promising this preseason? What of the emerging success of the Metro youth system, which won a Super Y-League championship last season, and the club’s entry into the new Super 20 League? What of Johnny Exantus?

More importantly, why is this all happening 26 days before the Metros’ season-opener? Couldn’t this deal have come together at the end of last season, or wait until the end of this season? There’s enough confusion in the marketplace about the team to begin with, and unless the Toro Rossos are going to spend big $$ in the next two weeks to tell the public about the name change, what kind of caffeinated buzz does Red Bull think it can generate?

For the small number of rabid Metro faithful, it’s a strange time. They’re no denying that the club’s record has not been pretty since the 2-1 loss in LA in April 13, 1996 and Caricola’s own goal with 12 seconds remaining the week later, but that doesn’t mean the erasure of the club name will be welcomed. Over the club’s ten seasons I’ve collected plenty of Metro memorabilia, from the Clint Mathis bobblehead that sits on my desk to the Season 10 scarf on the back of my chair. Renaming the team after a soft drink just seems odd. If the Mets were suddenly renamed the New York Ford F-150 Trucks, with no avowal that the Mets ever existed, I’d feel just as cold and bewildered. Here's how fans of SV Austria Salzburg felt after Red Bull descended on them. The always excellent Ives Galarcep outlines the Metro Nation's challenge in today's Bergen Record.

Clueless in Jersey

BigAppleSoccer’s coverage of the sale is making the Newark Star-Ledger’s Frank Giase look hopelessly out of touch (and not like George Clooney). Today’s weekly “On Soccer” report surmises that New Jersey politics are forcing the hand of Phil Anschutz, who Giase believes has tired of trying to get the Harrison stadium built. Giase adds that Anschutz is “not well-liked in New Jersey.” What a bunch of hooey. Lewis’ report today notes a sweetheart deal for rent and naming rights for the Harrison stadium as a part of the Red Bull sale, which may top $30 million, a record sale for an MLS club. Giase’s column is usually no more than a collection of wire reports, and for the supposed “home paper” of the Metros, Giase’s readers deserve more.

Bueno Suerte

Best of luck to New England and LA ahead of their tough tasks Wednesday night in the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. It’s a shame that the away goals rule isn’t in place for the competition, as both teams played home scoreless draws in the first legs of their quarterfinal ties. The Galaxy will be on the artificial surface of the Saprissa (9pm, FSC), while the Revs will be up the road at Alajuelense (11pm, FSC). Let’s hope for at least one victory on the tough, rough Costa Rican road.

A Load of What?

This morning Michael Lewis reported that AEG/MLS HQ has received a call from the Austrian owners of Red Bull Energy drink who seem to want to buy the MetroStars. Last year, Red Bull acquired the former Austrian club team SV Wüstenrot Salzburg and rebranded them as Red Bull Salzburg, to the dismay of the team's hard core fandom. Lewis' report noted that the Bullies wanted to purchase and possibly rebrand the team before the 2006 season opener, in 30 days.

My first reaction to this bit of news was a Lil' Jon-style "Whattt?" Would of a lot of folks in the tri-state area cry in their milk if the team was re-branded? Perhaps a thousand or two at most. After all, it's not that the Superclub on the Passaic has done a superb job of brand-building since its inception. There are even some snapperheads calling for the team to buy out Pepe Pinton and resurrect the Cosmos name. However, a club named after an energy drink (Red Bull Jersey?) doesn't exactly roll of the tongue, either. Metro has had only two shirt sponsors in the club's decade on the pitch: Fujifilm and New York Life, and I'd much rather see Red Bull market their bevvies in that manner before re-naming the team. I have no idea how much cash the Austrians are dangling in front of AEG to take the Metro off their hands, but I can't imagine Uncle Phil would let go of the New York market so easily. Perhaps we should tell the Osterreichers that MLS is no cash cow. Sorry.

Your Weekend TV Listings:

SATURDAY, March 4
7:30am: ENG: West Brom – Chelsea, FSC
10:00am: GER: Bayern Leverkusen-Werder Bremen, FSC
Noon: ENG: Liverpool-Charlton, FSC
Noon: ITA: AC Milan-Empoli, GOL
2:00pm: ESP: Villareal-Alaves, GOL
2:00pm: INT’L: Italy-Germany, TELEM
3:00pm: ENG: Newcastle-Bolton, FSC
4:00pm: ESP: Barcelona-Dep. Coruna, GOL
4:00pm: INT’L: Netherlands-Ecuador, TELEM
6:00pm: ITA: Sampdoria-Juventus, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Monterrey-Atlante, GALA
8:00pm: COL: America-Millonarious, GOL
8:00pm: MEX: Necaxa-Chivas, TELEF
10:00pm: INT’L: Italy-Germany, GOL
Midnight: BRA: Portuguesa Santista-Portugesa, GOL

SUNDAY, March 5
9:00am: ITA: Fiorentina-Siena, GOL
9:00am: ITA: Lecce-Palermo, FSC
11:00am: ESP: Celta de Vigo-Osasuna, GOL
1:00pm: ECU: Dep. Quito-El Nacional, GOL
1:00pm: ENG: Man. City-Sunderland, FSC
1:00pm: INT’L: Croatia-Argentina, TELEM
1:00pm: MEX: San Luis-Santos, UNI
3:00pm: ESP: Malaga-Valencia, GOL
3:00pm: FRA: Paris SG-Marseille, FSC
4:00pm: INT’L: Wales-Paraguay, TELEM
5:00pm: MEX: Club America-UAG, GALA
5:30pm: COL: Tolima-Atl. Nacional, GOL
7:30pm: ITA: Roma-Inter Milan, GOL
9:30pm: BRA: Santos-Palmeiras, GOL
10:00pm: MEX: Atlas-Toluca, GALA
11:00pm: ARG: Racing-Boca Juniors, FSC

Demand = Supply?

Big ups to USSoccer.com for adding video & audio content to bring fans closer to the national team as they prepare for Germany. Users have been able to check out training sessions, interviews with players, pre- and post-game reactions, even video of a pre-Poland pep rally at the US Air Base near Kaiserslautern. However, the Fed and their web folks have clearly not prepared for the rush of users stampeding towards their site for the Matchtracker of today’s US-Poland match. Today’s match, taking place during the workday in the continental US, has clearly generated too much demand for USSoccer.com’s web servers. Just with the flood of faxed World Cup ticket requests that couldn’t get through, it appears that the Fed has once again become a victim of its own success. It can’t match the demand of its customers. Bad business, indeed.

PubThumping
A big thumbs-up to the Metro FO for tapping into its fans’ demand to connect to the team. On Saturday, Feb. 25th, the Superclub on the Passaic launched the “Pride and Passion Pub” next to the Stadium Club at Giants Stadium. The pub is a lounge decorated with MLS and international jerseys and scarves, as well as multiple video monitors which on Saturday showed a loop of old MLS promos. Many Metro players, including Amado Guevara, Chris Henderson, Mark Lisi, and Jeff Parke were mingling with the fans, as was Metro GM Alexi Lalas. The pub opening was a great draw, with more than 200 fans passing through over the course of the afternoon. Metro VP Ticket Sales Steve Powell told me that the pub was an effort to connect more with adult fans of the team. Powell said that the FO has a good grasp on how to reach the youth player, but in the past hasn’t reached out to adult fans so well. Hopefully the pub will become a destination for Metro fans before and after each game.

Vote for Woly
John Wolyniec's sudden-death game winning volley blast vs. Columbus in 2003 is among the final five nominees for MLS Goal of the Decade. Place your vote on this one, folks, because the goal, coming off a 45-yard Amado Guevara serve, is a one-in-a-lifetime tally.

Oh, Jack, Jack, Jack
Imagine you're Jack Bell, soccer columnist of the NY Times. The US is playing a key friendly today in preparation for the World Cup. In your column today, do you A) lead by noting the US-Poland match is the first of the year with our Euro-based players on the squad, or B) bury your mention of the match 12 paragraphs into the column, after noting the political intrigue behind Costa Rica's friendly with Iran. Well, B was the choice.

Jack, you don't have to be a cheerleader for the team, but building awareness of the US match is key to the growth of the sport in this country. Props for leading with a story on the Metro's Mike Magee, but the US makes a good story, as well. Shame for burying them.

The Good, The Bad, The Games on TV

There was quite a bit of MLS news this week, with former players joining clubs as assistant coaches, player drafts and trades, and rumors of the next expansion team (the Rocks?), but there was one positive development that wasn’t given enough attention in the media: the news that 16-year old MetroStars Youth Academy player Johnny Exantus was getting a shot to join the reserve team. “Johnny X” scored the goal that gave the Metros U-16 club the 2005 Super Y-league national championship, and his early returns from training have been promising. Should Johnny make the reserve side, his story will hopefully be the first chapter in the next phase of MLS player development. Currently, only a handful of clubs have developed youth soccer academies, but nothing will connect the teams to their communities more than developing local talent up into the organization. Much has been written about the inability of college soccer to properly prepare players for the professional ranks. By developing players from high-school age through academies and Super-Y League teams, to the reserve and first teams, MLS will not only produce better, younger players for parent clubs, but should be able to earn back their investment through player sales to European sides. Fans of all MLS clubs should be rooting for the X-man to make an impact.

On the down side, there’s AEG’s horrible decision to alienate a vital component of its fan base by naming the Houston club after a “year of infamy” in the eyes of the Mexican and Mexican-American fans of that market. Today’s Times Business section has the story of the marketing blunder. I realize there’s something of a paradox here. Much has been written about Mexican fans thumbing their collective noses at MLS, preferring to follow their home Mexican club instead. With the US-based Spanish-language networks televising at least 6 MFL matches every weekend, it’s been easy for them to ignore the American league. It would logically follow that those Hispanic fans wouldn’t take the time to vote for the club name on the Houston MLS web site. However, by alienating a large portion of the fan base with the name 1836, AEG will reinforce the notion that MLS is a “gringo” league that the city’s large Hispanic population won’t need to support. There are those that think the club’s name is no big deal, but frankly, did AEG not see the inherent controversy in selecting 1836? Why not just go all the way and name the team the Wetbacks? It was a bad, bad business decision.

Here’s the soccer to be seen in the Super Bowl’s donut week (all times et)

Saturday, Jan. 28
7:30am: ENG: Cheltenham-Newcastle, FA Cup, FSC
10:00am: ENG: Everton-Chelsea, FA Cup, FSC
12 noon: GER: Borussia Dortmund-Wolfsburg, FSC
12 noon: ITA: Palermo, Siena, GOL
2:30pm: ITA: AC Milan-Sampdoria, GOL
4:30pm: BRA: Palmeiras-Portuguesa Santista, GOL
6:00pm: MEX: Monterrey-Morelia, GALA
8:00pm: MEX: Chivas-UNAM, TELEF
8:30pm: HON: Platense-Victoria, GOL
10:00am: MEX: Necaxa-Chiapas, GALA

Sunday, Jan. 29
9:00am: ITA: Treviso-Lazio, FSC
9:00pm: ITA: Ascoli-Juvenuts, GOL
11:00am: ESP: Sevilla-Villareal, GOL
1:00pm: ENG: Portsmouth-Liverpool, FA Cup, FSC
1:00pm: ESP: Mallorca-Barcelona, GOL
1:00pm: MEX: San Luis-Toluca, UNI
3:00pm: FRA: Monaco-Lyon, FSC
3:00pm: ESP: Celta Vigo-Real Madrid, GOL
5:00pm: USA: USMNT-Norway, ESPN2, TELEM
5:00pm: ITA: Lecce-Milan, FSC
5:00pm: GUA: Comunicaciones-Jalapa, GOL
5:00pm: MEX: Club America-Pachuca, TELEF
7:00pm: ELS: Firpo-Once Municipal, GOL
9:00pm: BRA: Rio Branco-Corinthians, GOL

Another Marvell-ous Marv in the Big Apple

With Amado for EJ talk falling through, as it appears that the GAM is headed to the Wizards for Josh Wolff, The Lalas & Mo show sent El Lobo to the HDC for a reunion with former Metro & current Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley on draft day today. In return, the SuperClub on the Passaic got the first pick, which it used to snag U-20 and UCLA D Marvell Wynne. A good move? Time will tell, but before today, the Metro seemed pretty strong the back, with Graham, Hernandez, Regan, Parke, Mendes, and Stammler on the roster. With Amado and Gaven seemingly out the door, will Canero and Henderson be enough to pick up the midfield slack?

CORRECTION: Big Apple Soccer reports that it's Jason Hernandez on the way to Chivas, not Amado. Where will El Lobo wind up? Stay tuned...

At the pre-draft fashion show, Rob Stone noted that the Houston team name and uni will be introduced Wednesday in H-town. Hopefully adidas will add a unique color (orange, green, purple) to the MLS palette.

On the draft webcast, Commissioner Garber noted that an announcement for the league's 14th active club (a midwestern club) may be made in the 60 days. Does this mean that Peter Wilt's Milwaukee club will be a reality? St. Louis? Cleveland? Hmm.

Hendu Do Metro

In a trade announced today, long in the tooth midfielder Chris Henderson was acquired by the Metro from Columbus, in exchange for teenage D Tim Ward. Both Lalas & Mo have experience playing with Henderson, who currently sits in second place in all-time MLS stars, and seventh place in all-time MLS assists.

How does this change the Metro? Well, Ward, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2005, played in 13 league matches last year, starting 11, and tallying three assists. Ward was sixth among defenders in on-field minutes last season, behind Leitch, Agoos (both gone), Mendes, Regan, and Parke. With the addition of Taylor Graham to the squad, and MoJo’s late season crush on Jason Hernandez, Ward was probably headed to the reserve team for the majority of his 2006 minutes.

What does Henderson bring to the SuperClub on the Passaic? The Good: Experience, along with history of creating quality scoring opportunities. The Less Good: Not a whole lot of speed at a wing position that demands it. As Johnston & Lalas said, though, the team is looking for players that want to play for Metro, and they could certainly have done worse than Henderson. Stay tuned.

Strong Enough Opposition?

Yesterday’s announcement that the US will take on Guatemala at the Deep Dish was welcome. It’ll be nice for the FCD faithful to see El Pescadito run around a bit, but I’m a little concerned about the lack of pre-WC friendlies on the docket. I mean, shouldn’t the Fed have started working on this immediately following our win over El Tri on September 3rd? Here’s the current ’06 schedule, with current FIFA ranks for each opponent.

Jan 22 vs. Canada, FIFA Rank: 84
Jan 29 vs. Norway, 38
Feb 10 vs. Japan, 15
Feb 19 vs. Guatemala, 56
Mar 1 vs. Poland at Germany, 22
Mar 22 at Germany, 16

In 2002, Bruce had the Gold Cup, plus a trio of matches in Europe to help prepare the troops. There were 14 pre-World Cup matches in total (*Gold Cup):

*Jan 19 vs. S. Korea, W 2-1
*Jan 21 vs. Cuba, W 1-0
*Jan 27 vs. El Salvador, W 4-0
*Jan 30 vs. Canada, D 0-0 (4-2 pks)
*Feb 2 vs. Costa Rica (Final), W 2-0
Feb 13 at Italy, L 0-1
Mar 2 vs. Honduras, W 4-0
Mar 10 vs. Ecuador, W 1-0
Mar 27 at Germany, L 2-4
Apr 3 vs. Mexico, W 1-0
Apr 17 at Ireland, L 1-2
May 12 vs. Uruguay, W 2-1
May 16 vs. Jamaica, W 5-0
May 19 vs. Holland, L 0-2

Rumor has it that there are four more matches in April and May yet to be announced. While Il Bruce won’t be able to meld his MLS and Euro-based players together until then, it’d be best to get the starting XI together to face top flight competition. Hopefully the opponents will be closer to the Japans and Germanys of the world than the Canadas and Guatemalas My ideal lineup: El Tri, Brazil or Argentina (top competition), Nigeria (Strong African team), and Sweden (top 15 & WC bound).

Heal fast, Mastro.

Metro Hot Stove Report

For a refreshing change, Jack Bell uses a majority of his weekly N.Y. Times soccer column to discuss the home town team, and today’s entry has lots of hot stove Metro morsels.

Apparently actions on the bus ride home from New England following the Metros’ playoff exit last October pointed a number of players toward Mo Johnston’s waiver list, which is sad. Players glad that the season was over? While it was a roller coaster during the last third of the season, you’d think everyone would want to make the best impression on Mo, though he’d yet to be named the team’s ’06 manager.

Out the door from the 2005 squad is Chris Leitch, Sergio Galvan Rey, Ryan Suarez, and Jeff Agoos (retired), and a host of reserve league players.

Bell notes that MoJo is searching for quality players that have no transfer fee attached to them, like USL1 MVP D Taylor Graham, and Dundee United’s MF Peter Canero. Johnston may be looking at Canada’s former Milwall D/M Adrian Serioux.

Anticipating a shovel hitting the dirt sometime this year, Bell notes that the Metros are moving their headquarters from Secaucus to Newark, just across the Passaic River from the Harrison stadium site, by April 1st. We can also expect to see the ’06 Metro jersey modeled on Jan. 20th at the MLS Superdraft in Philly. As for when fans will be able to buy them? 60-90 days, perhaps?

Michael Lewis’ excellent Big Apple Soccer notes that El Lobo is pissing off Metro management by playing for his Honduran old club, Motagua, and that Harrison will “probably” have natural grass, and that a late ’07 opening (perhaps too late for the MLS season) is the current target.

Seven Wishes for the Perfect Soccer Year

Strrecchhhhh. Yawn. Ok. After six weeks in hibernation, it’s time to kick The Kin back into action. The year’s first week is always a time for optimism. The year ahead is a clean slate, filled with possibilities. How can 2006 turn out to be a perfect soccer year? Read on for things I’d like to see…

1. The Metros break ground in Harrison, NJ.
Yes, it’s been six months since the presentation in front of the Harrison public library, since the soccer balls neatly arranged to spell 2-0-0-7, since mayors and congressmen and Nicky S. & friends told us that finally, FINALLY the Metros would have a home of their own. Since then, not a whole lot has happened, so those soccer balls would seem to be at least a year off from reality. Yes, the quasi-governmental agencies involved have passed motions to get the residences and parking deck to be built adjacent to the stadium, and yes, a sign has been erected near the site, but to date, nary a shovel has hit the ground. Hopefully that will change, and soon.

2. Houston embraces their team
Word out of H-town is that there are already 1,000 requests for season tickets for the former Quakes at Robertson stadium. Hopefully, with Luck, (pun intended) the squad will land a decent local TV deal, have smart outreach to the Hispanic population, and benefit from positive coverage my the local media to generate buzz, attention, and attendance to watch a terrific team take the field come April.

3. Chicago sells out the Bank early and often
Watching the Bridgeview Bank Stadium spring up before our very eyes has been an absolute joy. With luck, the BBS’ interior will be completed as quickly as the outside to meet the club’s June target opening date, and hopefully the Fire House will be filled all season long.

4. Oh yeah, and players too.
I have to believe that the MLS cartel is taking the US community’s call for a loosening of the purse strings seriously. In my perfect 2006, MLS will announce at the Superdraft in Philly on the 20th that the league’s salary cap will come with one “superstar” exemption. That’ll still leave time to use the open transfer window to snag some Euro and/or South American talent for this season. Without Freddy mania, or “Season 10” to hang the marketing hook on this year, MLS needs to create some buzz. A few mid-level names a la Youri D. for each club would go a long way toward generating some excitement.

5. A Surprise from the Youth
No, there aren’t a whole lot of spots for Germany on Il Bruce’s roster. But with the Nats camp underway at the HDC, here’s to hoping an unsung young name (Brian Carroll, Heath Pearce, etc.) gets a chance in the early friendlies and shows that he belongs. It’ll bring hope for the future, even if this unamef player doesn’t get in a game in Deutschland. By the way, if you haven’t seen Heydude outlast his team in “The Beep Test” at Nats camp, you must. The guy just doesn’t age. Must be the spirit of Jah or something.

6. Open Cup Upset for the Ages
What a better way to thumb their noses at MLS than the reincarnated PDL San Francisco Seals, with much of Earthquake fandom behind them, qualify for the Open Cup in their first year and advance to the fourth round, when they defeat the LA Galaxy in penalties. The match is played at a sold-out Spartan Stadium in July. After the game, the city announces that the Quakes will return in ’07, with an SSS to open by ’09.

7. The Big Stage
Here we go.
US 2-1 CZH
US 0-0 ITA
US 3-2 GHA
US 1-0 CRO
US 2-1 FRA
US 0-0 GER, Krauts win on pks.

Respect. Attention. Ratings. Admiration. Positive press. MLS Attendance gains. New Bruce Contract. Love. Love. Love.

Can’t wait to get started.

Winter Doldrums

What does the US soccer fan do for the next few months until important matches start up again? Well, there’s the EPL and other European leagues to follow. The FIFA World Club Championship gets going soon. The NCAA tournament’s second round will be played today, though honestly with its bizzaro substitution rules, the college game leaves me a bit clammy. The World Cup draw is on December 9th, which will offer a shot in the arm. While I’m not down on all the rules regarding pots, seeds, etc., a dream draw for the US could be: Czech Rep., Ukraine, Togo, U.S. Like-wise, a horror draw might look like: Argentina, Italy, Switzerland, U.S. Let’s hope for the former.

Congrats
While the final wasn’t a thing of beauty, congrats to the LA Galaxy and their fans for winning the MLS Cup & the double. Check out the MLS Pictures production on FSC to see how the Gals battered Twellman, Noonan & Co. into submission. I hope that Adidas steps up & produces more of MLS Pictures in ’06. Here’s to the Soca Warriors as well for qualifying for their first-ever World Cup finals. It’s a little strange, though, that CONCACAF will be sending the same amount of teams as South America and Asia. Trinidad will benefit not only significantly from the influx of cash for reaching Germany, but the global exposure for the island nation will certainly increase tourism revenues there over the next few years.

2005: A Look Back
What a fantastic year for soccer in the US. Here’s a calendar-style look at some big matches in 2005. There are many more than didn’t make the list, but I hope these bring back great memories.

Jan 12-16: The US U-20s sweep through qualifying for the World Youth Championship with a 10-1 aggregate in three matches.

Feb 9: Eddies Johnson & Lewis kick-off the Hex with a 2-1 road win vs. Trinidad.

Mar 9: Clint Mathis scores his probable last goal for the US in a 3-0 spanking of Colombia in Fullerton. Across the continent, DC beats Harbour View in the CCC, 2-1 in Germantown, MD. KC ties Saprissa 0-0 at Arrowhead.

Mar 16: DC wins their road CCC tie with Harbour View, 2-1.

Mar 17: KC gives up a goal in injury time, then falls in OT at Saprissa to lose their CCC tie.

Mar 27: The US is flat in a 2-1 loss to Mexico at the Azteca. Lewis gets the US goal.

Mar 30: The Yanks rebound by beating Guatemala, 2-0 in Birmingham, AL on goals by Eddie Johnson & Ralston.

Apr 2: The MLS season kicks off: the Metros and RSL chase a ball around Giants stadium in a monsoon. The match ends 0-0.

Apr 6: DC draws Mexico’s UNAM Pumas 1-1 at RFK in the CCC Semis.

Apr 12 -16: The US U-17s go 2-0-1 in CONCACAF qualifying to reach the final tournament.

Apr 13: Pumas decimate DC, 5-0 in Mexico City to end the defending MLS Champs’ CCC dreams.

May 28: Clint Dempsey gets only US goal in a 2-1 loss to England at Soldier Field.

May 31: Michael Owen scores a hat trick, upstaging David Beckham in England’s 3-2 win over Colombia at Giants Stadium. In the nightcap, Amado Guevara curls in the game winner in extra time to give the Metros a 2-1 win over Chicago.

Jun 4: Salt Lake celebrates its first USMNT match as the Nats beat down Costa Rica 3-0. Donovan (2) and McBride are the goal scorers.

Jun 8: What a difference a year makes in Panama City. The Yanks win at Panama 3-0 behind goals from Bocanegra, Donovan, and McBride.

Jun 11-21: the US U-20s make some noise at the World Youth Championship in Holland by beating eventual champion Argentina 1-0, drawing Germany 0-0, and beating Egypt 1-0 to win its group. In the round of 16 vs. Italy, the Gnats take a 1-0 halftime lead, then get drubbed in the second half and crash out, 3-1.

Jul 7-24: The Gold Cup. The US barnstorms the country with a second-string squad, beating Cuba 4-1 and Canada 2-0 in Seattle, drawing Costa Rica 0-0 and beating Jamaica 3-1 in Foxboro. In the semis at Giants Stadium, the US goes down a goal to Honduras, then gets goals from John O’Brien and Oguchi Oneywu in the last five minutes to win 2-1. After 120 of scoreless soccer vs. Panama in the final, Brad Davis scores the decisive penalty kick to give the US its 3rd Gold Cup Championship.

Jul 18: Real Madrid beats LA 2-0 at Carson.

Jul 27: AC Milan beats Chicago 3-1 at Soldier Field.

Jul 28: DC United’s Bobby Boswell scores early against Chelsea at FedEx Field, but the EPL champs come back to win, 2-1.

Jul 30: The MLS All-stars beat Fulham 4-1 in Columbus.

Aug 3: The Metros crash out of the US Open Cup, 3-1 at Rochester.

Aug 6: Pizza Hut Park opens in Frisco, TX. Youri Djorkaeff and Carlos Ruiz each score twice in a 2-2 draw.

Aug 17: The US gets a first-minute goal by Brian McBride, but can’t score again in a dominating but frustrating 1-0 win vs. Trinidad in E. Hartford, CT.

Aug 23: The MLS “Select XI” is defeated by Real Madrid 5-0 at the Bernabeu.

Aug 29: Tab Ramos, Marcela Balboa, and John Harkes are inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY.

Sep 3: Steve Ralston and DaMarcus Beasley score to give the US a 2-0 win over Mexico in Columbus. The win qualifies the US for their fifth straight World Cup.

Sep 7: In a meaningless game for the US, the Yanks draw at Guatemala City, 0-0

Sep 13: Jamil Walker scores in the 81st minute to give DC a 1-1 draw in their Copa Sudamericana opener vs. Chile’s U. Catolica at RFK.

Sep 17-26: At the U-17 World Championships in Peru, the US beats N. Korea 3-2, Italy 3-1, and draws Cote d’Iviore to win its group. The Mini-nats fall in the quarterfinals 2-0 to Holland.

Sep 22: DC United takes a 2-0 lead at U. Catolica, then give up three successive goals, the last in the 86th minute, to lose 4-3 on aggregate to the Chileans. U. Catolica is currently preparing to face Boca Juniors in the Copa Sudamericana’s semifinals.

Sep 28: Herculez Gomez scores the only goal of the game, giving LA the US Open Cup over FC Dallas.

Oct 3: The US B-team is beat 3-0 at Costa Rica.

Oct 12: The US finishes World Cup qualifying atop the Hexagonal for the first time after beating Panama 2-0 at Foxboro.

Oct 16: The MetroStars win at Chivas USA in the final match of the MLS regular season to qualify for the playoffs.

Oct 21: DC ties Chicago 0-0 at Soldier Field to open the MLS playoffs.

Oct 22: MetroStars beat New England 1-0 at Giants Stadium, Colorado and FC Dallas play to a scoreless draw.

Oct 23: LA beats San Jose 3-1 to take a commanding lead in their playoff series.

Oct 29: Host New England goes down 2-0 aggregate to the Metros, then scores three unanswered goals to advance to the Eastern Conf. Finals. Colorado beats FC Dallas in penalty kicks, and LA’s 1-1 draw at San Jose lifts the Galaxy to the next round.

Oct 30: Chicago obliterates DC 4-0 at RFK to end United’s repeat hopes.

Nov 5: Donovan’s two goals send LA to the MLS Cup.

Nov 6: Dempsey punches New England’s ticket to Frisco with an early goal.

Nov 12: Josh Wolff scored in the US’ 1-1 draw vs. Scotland at Glasgow.

Nov 13: Pando Ramirez delivers LA its second MLS Cup.

Quite a year, huh? Well, 2006 should be even better with LA and NE in the CCC, Hopefully more Copa Sudamericana, a possible MLS-MFL showdown, Bridgeview’s opening, and a quaint little tourney in Germany. Lots to look forward to.

The Kin of Fish will slow down a bit during the off-season, but please come back to visit every once in a while for updates. I’ve got an RSS feed as well, so you’ll know when new updates are posted. Check it out.

Big Weekend

There’s a lot going on in the soccer world the weekend besides the two matches most American fans care about. Ten national squads, including CONCACAF’s Trindad & Tobago, will be facing off in the first legs of their World Cup Qualifying playoffs. The Soca Warriors will be facing Bahrain at home on Saturday, in an attempt to reach their first-ever World Cup Finals. A Trinidad berth would also mark the first time that the US’ home region would have four representatives in the final tournament. Best of luck to them. There are some compelling friendly match-ups outside of the Quallies, though. European powers France and Germany face off in Paris, and England and Argentina continue their storied rivalry in Geneva. Holland takes on Italy in Amsterdam, S. Korea plays Sweden in Seoul, and Mexico takes on Chile in Monterrey.

It’s Crap!
For US fans, however, Saturday offers a chance to see some up-and-coming stars when the Nats visit Glasgow for a match against Scotland (11am ET, FSC). Despite the Yanks’ lofty FIFA ranking, don’t look for the Americans, who have a gaping hole in midfield, to dominate the Scots, who finished third in their WC qualifying group behind Italy and Norway. With injuries to first-team players McBride, Reyna, Donovan, and O’Brien, look for the US to lineup like this:

Keller – Spector, Oneywu, Bocanegra, Berhalter – Beasley, Zavagnin, Olsen, Gaven – Ching, Wolff

I don’t know enough about the Tartans to guess what they’ll bring, but without the regular starters mentioned above, and with Bruce’s record on European soil, it’s hard to be optimistic about a US victory.

The Grand Final
MLS says it’s sold all the seats at Pizza Hut Park for Sunday’s MLS Cup match (3:30pm ET, ABC), but I can’t imagine all attendees will be in their seats at game time, which should mean an ugly picture for the folks watching at home at ABC. The product on the field, however, should be far from ugly. Both the Revs and Galaxy put on good shows, and Sunday should be no different. In my mind, the Gals will have no answer for the Revs’ Shalrie Joseph, who some think was as deserving of the league MVP award than recipient and teammate Taylor Twellman. Joseph and the always-reliable Steve Ralston will run the attack-mided show for the Revs, constantly feeding Twellman, Pat Noonan, and Clint Dempsey good chances. The unsung Revs defense will handle Landon Donovan and Herculez Gomez, and the Revs win their first MLS title, 3-1. Hopefully we won’t see Revs owner Robert Kraft trying to moonwalk with the Silver Rothie after the match.

Don’t forget Don Garberleone’s 2:30 ET chat today on MLSNet. Not sure when to expect the Toronto announcement, but it should come Sunday's match. Enjoy, and here’s the total weekend TV picture (times ET).

Saturday, Nov. 12
11:00am: INTL: Scotland – USA, FSC
3:00pm: WCQ: Uruguay – Australia, GOL
2:00pm: INTL: UAE – Brazil, TELE
4:00pm: INTL: France – Germany, TELE
5:00pm: WCQ: Spain – Slovakia, GOL
5:30pm: WCQ: Trinidad – Bahrain, FSC
7:00pm: GUA: Comunicaciones – Municipal, GOL
9:00pm: COL: America – Junior, GOL

Sunday, Nov. 13
12noon: NCAA: MAAC Final, ESPNU
12noon: NCAA: Big Ten Final, CSTV
1:00pm: BRA, Ponte Preta – Flamengo, GOL
1:00pm: EXH: Mexico XI – Mexico U-17 XI, TELE
2:00pm: ARG: Boca Juniors – Colon, FSC
2:00pm: NCAA: Conference USA Final, CSTV
3:30pm: MLS CUP 2005: New England – Los Angeles, ABC
3:30pm: EXH: Mexico ’94 – Mexico ’98, TELE
3:30pm: PER: Cienciano – Universitario, GOL
5:30pm: COL: Once Caldas – Deportivo Cali, GOL
7:30pm: ELS: LA Firpo – San Salvador, GOL

2002 Redux

The MLS Conference Finals went almost as The Kin of Fish predicted them (see previous post), as New England will face Los Angeles at the Deep Dish this Sunday for the Silver Rothie. For all the talk about the MLS dynasty that is DC United, the Gals have shown amazing consistency in the league’s first decade, reaching the final match in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002 (winner), and now in 2005. This LA team looks a lot different from the one that beat New England at Foxboro in ’02, however. That team was led by MLS MVP and Golden Boot winner Carlos Ruiz, who scored 24 of LA’s 44 goals that season, and of course, the golden goal that delivered the Galaxy their only MLS Cup title. This year’s LA team also scored 44 goals, but the role of Ruiz (now in Dallas, or somewhere else) was played by the two-headed monster of Landon Donovan (12g) and Herculez Gomez (11g). LA benefited from a 5-2-1 late-season spurt (including the US Open Cup title), which generated the momentum to beat Supporters’ Shield winner San Jose and Colorado and reach the MLS final.

The Revs’ 2002 squad won the Eastern Conference in the regular season, albeit with a losing (12-14-2) record. The Revs that year (as this year) were led top point-getter Taylor Twellman, but the addition of national-teamers-in training Clint Dempsey (10g), Pat Noonan (8g), and Grenidadian Shalrie Joseph (6g) since 2002 gives the Revs more offensive weapons than LA. I’ll hold my prediction until later in the week, but I am in the Northeast…

Solo Toronto?
Jack Bell reports that the Canadian Club may be the only new entry to MLS in 2007, giving the league an unlucky (or lucky, if you think that way) 13 clubs for the season after next. Apparently none of the other expansion candidates (Milwaukee, Philly, Houston, Cleveland, St. Louis) will be ready to go in the next 18 months. Says Ivan Gazidis in the piece, “We want to get the right stadium, owner and market and will continue to be conservative.” Considering the lack of chatter over the future of Kansas City and San Jose, it appears that MLS’ little growth spurt may be slowing down. Personally, I don’t think it’s a big deal going with an odd number of teams. Other nuggets from Bell’s weekly article:

• MLS will once again play a light schedule during next summer’s World Cup
• MLS re-examines the much-derided playoff format each and every year
• Bora Milutinovic’s name is in consideration for the Metros’ coaching spot (blech!)

Power Players
The excellent Steve Davis of the Dallas Morning News names the ten most powerful people in US Soccer:
10: John Skipper, SVP/GM, ESPN
9: Ivan Gazidis
8: Richard Motzkin, Agent
7: Lamar Hunt
6: Landon Donovan
5: Dan Flynn, US Soccer Secretary General
4: Sunil Gulati
3: Phil Anschutz
2: Don Garber
1: Bruce Arena

Final Four

Look for New England, buoyed by their terrific second half vs. the MetroStars, to pounce on Chicago early in their Eastern Conference Final match on Sunday. Though the Revs will be without Marshall Leonard and Khano Smith, Chicago will miss Chris Armas’ veteran leadership more. I see a 2-1 New England win, with Twellman and Noonan finding the net for the homestanding Revs, while Chris Rolfe will score for the Fire, earning him a serious look at Bruce Arena's first 2006 training camp.

Out West, look for Landon Donovan to lead LA back to the MLS Cup with a 1-0 OT win at Invesco over the Rapids. Colorado has big holes to fill with Alan Nkong’s suspension and Nat Borchers’ ankle sprain, and Jovan Kirovski is hardly the cure for the Rapids. Despite LA’s inability to win on the road this season, the Gals will have tons of confidence after their takedown of the Quakes in the first round. Joe Cannon will deny Herculez Gomez early and often, but Donovan will score in extra time to send LA to their first league championship match since 2002.

50/50
Love to fans of the Quakes who have really showed something this season despite uncertainty of the club’s future. Now AEG is saying there’s only a 50/50 shot of the club staying in the Bay Area next year. If the team does pick up sticks, it’ll be a crying shame that the fans weren’t able to give a proper goodbye to the two-time league champs and this season’s Supporters’ Shield Winner. It’s not a charity, here, folks, put perhaps it’s time for some of the big money floating around in Silicon Valley to step up and keep on of the league’s most successful franchises put. Big discussion going on at BigSoccer about it.

Soccer on the Tube
Here’s what’s on this weekend. All times ET. Enjoy.

Saturday, Nov. 5
7:30am: EPL: Aston Villa-Liverpool, FSC
10:00am: GER: Schalke-Duisberg, FSC
12noon: EPL: Portsmouth-Wigan, FSC
12noon: ESP: Real Sociedad, Osasuna, GOL
2:00pm: URU: Penarol-Danubio, GOL
2:30pm: ITA: Lazio-Inter, FSC
4:00pm: ESP: Villareal-Valencia, GOL
4:00pm: MEX: Toluca-Dorados, GALA
5:00pm: EPL: Newcastle-Birmingham, FSC
6:00pm: MEX: Monterrey-Veracruz, GALA
7:30pm: PER: Sporting Cristal-Universitario, GOL
9:00pm: MLS: Western final, Colorado-LA Galaxy, FSC, HDNet
9:30pm: ITA: Empoli-Reggina, GOL
10:00pm: MEX: Atlas-Chivas, TELE

Sunday, Nov. 6
9:00am: ITA: Cagliari-Treviso, FSC
9:00am: ITA: AC Milan-Udinese, GOL
11:00am: ESP: Sevilla-Atletico Madrid, GOL
1:00pm: EPL: Everton-Middlesbrough, FSC
1:00pm: ESP: Real Madrid-Real Zaragoza, GOL
1:00pm: MEX: Pumas-Atlante, UNI
3:00pm: MLS: Eastern final, New England-Chicago, ESPN2
3:00pm: ECU: Olmedo-Aucas, GOL
3:00pm: FRA: Paris St. Germain-Monaco, FSC
3:00pm: MEX: San Luis-Monterrey, GALA
5:00pm: COL: Nacional-Junior, GOL
5:00pm: ENG: FA Cup: Chasetown-Oldham, FSC
6:00pm: MEX: Club America-Cruz Azul, TELE
7:00pm: ELS: LA Firpo-FAS, GOL
9 :30pm: BRA:Corinthians-Santos, GOL
11:00pm: ARG: Newell’s Old Boys-Rosario Central, FSC

Das Rights, Baby!

By now I’m sure you’ve seen the news that the Mouse House networks have won the English-language US television rights for the eight-year World Cup cycle between the 2007 Women’s championship and the 2014 Men’s World Cup. Glad to see that the “mini World Cup” Confederation Cups are included. Hope that means that the Disney nets will actually televise those matches instead of driving soccer fans to hunt them down to watch in spanish on Telefutura. As for MLS rights past '06, the announcement gave quite a clue:

"Garber said MLS anticipates securing rights fees."

Now that’s news. Keep in mind that ESPN recently offered to go halfsies with the NHL on their latest deal, after men playing poker attracted more viewers than hockey during the NHL lockout. Since MLS rights remain visible only under a microscope, I wonder what Garber thinks he can get, half-off entrée coupons at the ESPN Zone in Anaheim? Perhaps the new expansion club will have impact coercing a rights fee from TV networks. A team in a major market like Houston will go a long way in terms of expanding MLS’ national footprint, and potential ratings, especially since the Toronto club won’t add any US-based television homes. We'll know more about that next weekend at MLS Cup, when the league is supposed to formally announce Toronto & (active) club #14. Stay tuned, indeed.