Tag Archives: seattle sounders

in review: MLS jersey week

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Ahhhhh. Take a second and breathe in that cool refreshing spring air. Mmmm… it smells like First Kick, doesn’t it?

MLS Jersey Week 2013

hopefully this is the start of a new yearly tradition in major league soccer.

Well if it doesn’t, it certainly should. In fact, I’d be a little surprised if you weren’t subliminally thinking about MLS right now, as the league’s marketing has been awfully hard to ignore this winter/spring. With an advertising campaign that’s been plastered all over the place — TV, print and all the various electronic outlets — the league is doing its best to not let you forget that the 2013 season is about to kick off.

My favorite promotional gimmick though has to be Jersey Week. Though the name sounds worryingly like ill-advised partnership with some Guidos from the shore, it’s actually a week-long unveiling of all the 12 new kits that will be adorned by MLS clubs this season. Though as regular readers know, I’m a sucker for gear, so it probably shouldn’t be that surprising that this would pique my interests.

Adidas and the clubs worked closely on what they wanted out of their kits this year, meaning that many fan’s calls for something different to spice up the MLS jersey scene might just be met. Said Maribeth Towers, MLS senior VP of consumer products in a league statement, “Jersey Week will celebrate the soccer jersey. Every stitch, every minor detail, every shade is designed in collaboration between the club and our partner at adidas.”

But as you might expect, some were smart-looking, “take my money already” designs, while others were… umm, questionable. Let’s take a look at each, and let me pass judgement over them like I could do better.

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they’re doing something right

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To be considered a truly great, a club must prove itself successful both on and off the pitch.

Seattle Sounders 3 Time US Open Cup Champions

it's not just seattle's three straight open cup titles that make their club so great.

Any club can buy a trophy given the right investment, but trophies are worthless if the financing of those investments proves to be a horribly done. Just ask Portsmouth. And even if you can buy a club and subsequent trophies with what you think is intelligent financing, if you can’t capitalize on the opportunity by improving your popularity, then it can all still come crashing down. Just ask Blackburn Rovers. So when a club actually does everything right on and off the field — especially when it’s in the wilds of American soccer — it’s right to stand up and take notice.

Seattle Sounders FC, please stand and be recognized.

Last week, the Sounders defeated the Chicago Fire 2-0 to win their third straight US Open Cup title. This three-peat alone is impressive enough. It’s only the third time in the tournament’s 97-year history that a club has won the title three years on the trot, the last being New York Greek American, who hoisted the trophy each year from 1967 to 1969. And considering the men in various shades of green have only been in the top-tier of the North American Soccer pyramid for the three years… and well, I’m officially weirded out by the number of incidences of the number three in this paragraph.

But the world’s second oldest cup competition isn’t the only place the Sounders are experiencing on-field success. They’ve made the playoffs each year they’ve been in MLS and will do so again this year, and became the second ever MLS team to win their CONCACAF Champions League group. There aren’t many sides in the league that can claim near as many accolades despite having been around for four to five times longer.

So while three trophies in three years is a truly amazing feat — one I’m sure the fans of more prestigious clubs such as Arsenal could definitely appreciate — what makes the Sounders stand out from the hoards of normal clubs around the globe is what they’ve been able to do off the pitch.

A good deal of what makes them such an amazing club, first and foremost, is their incredible fan support. Though having a rabid fan base seems to come with the territory in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle’s following is leaps and bounds ahead of even their closest neighbors. Perhaps the reason they’re the only side in MLS that uses an NFL stadium that the league isn’t pushing to build their own soccer specific stadium is because they can damn near fill it every match.

Including their Open Cup and Champions League home matches for a total of 27, the Sounders have drawn over 830,000 fans this season, breaking their own the MLS attendance record for the (here we ago again) third year on the trot. The linked article above also provided a measuring stick to which we could benchmark the Sounders’ pull, including these eye-opening stats:

  • Compared to their European counterparts, they do remarkably well:
    • In the Premier League, their average attendance figures would see them as the 7th highest drawer in the league.
    • In the Bundesliga, they’d finish 12th.
    • And the Sounders would draw the 4th highest average in Serie A.
  • Their numbers are better than 56 of 60 NBA and NHL teams, even though each of those teams hosts 41 matches a season.
  • Taking into account just their MLS home matches (17), they still out draw 30 of 32 NFL teams.
http://draagynphoto.wordpress.com

without their fans, would the sounders be "just another" MLS club? maybe.

But how do you garner that kind of support in the first place, at least without bribing the fans?

Unlike Portland and Vancouver, Seattle don’t have the advantage of being one of the only pro-sports team in town. Because the MLS season overlaps directly with the schedules of MLB’s Mariners and the NFL’s Seahawks, the Sounders have to compete with them for the attention of the city’s residents and sports fans all year-long. Being able to engage the city’s fan base therefore became paramount to the team’s overarching goals.

From the very beginning, the MLS franchise in Seattle did just that. In 2007, the expansion team’s ownership group allowed the fans to select the club name through an online vote. But when “Sounders” wasn’t included as an option to “look to the future” and help “position the club globally”, there was so much public outcry that the owners had to make way for a write-in option in the online poll. The poll results saw write-in votes for “Sounders” account for a staggering 49% of the total.

Inspired by the city’s passion for a team not yet playing (Though technically, its predecessor A-League club and several of its current players were playing), minority owner Drew Carey persuaded his fellow owners to allow the fans a continued say in the club’s affairs. And thus, the nation’s first professional sport supporters trust was born: The Alliance. Through this system — and much like in Spain — should season ticket holders and paying members feel that the Sounders’ general manager is doing a crap job, they can vote to have him sacked.

But the club doesn’t stop there.

Emulating the tradition of many English clubs, prior to each match the Sounders largest supporters group — the 2200 paying-member strong Emerald City Supporters — conduct a march from Occidental Park to the stadium. The club saw it fit that this kind of march deserved a band, and created the 53-piece band called the “Sound Wave” to lead them in and play throughout the match.

Early on last season when the Sounders were spanked at home by the Galaxy, management made the bold choice to refund season ticket holders due to the poor showing. Sure, it was just a one game credit towards the purchase of this year’s season tickets, but shit… the Cincinnati Bengals would need to be giving away free season ticket packages for the next three years to make up for all of their poor play they’ve shown over the last decade.

At home matches, the club allows for massive banners to be unfurled by the supporters, something that at times has been banned by other teams. They’ve partnered with craft brewer Redhook to bring better beer to the stadium. An annual charity auction is held where fans can bid for dates with Sounders players.

seattle sounders' freddy montero

the income generated by the club's massive support allows seattle to hang on to star players, like the mercurial freddy montero.

Simply put, you just don’t see any other pro sports franchises in this country doing things like this. And the crazy part of all of this is that the off-field efforts Seattle makes are actually paying dividends for them on the field.

For each new fan they recruit to their first game, each person that buys a jersey, and each sellout they achieve, that equals more money they can invest in on-field talent. Couple that with the increased corporate sponsorship that is drawn to their rapidly growing fan base, and Seattle is able to improve their squad that much more. Assuming all goes to plan, that on-field talent will produce results and win trophies, which in turn helps to recruit even more fans. As the great Mufasa once said, “It’s the circle of life, man”… or something like that.

It shows that investing in your fan base — making them feel like more than just spectators — can be the same thing as investing in your team.

So as I stand here and take notice of a great club running itself in an honorable fashion, I would be foolish to suggest that other MLS teams aren’t at least trying out some of the Sounders methods. It would be equally stupid to assume that each club is working under the same set of circumstances. After all, Kansas City is by no means a Seattle.

If nothing else, Seattle Sounders FC is a template for other clubs to use as they strive towards. A blueprint for MLS success of sorts. The Sounders are there the for the also-ran’s and the almost-there’s to say, “They’re doing something right, and we need to do that too.”

round up #35

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jurgen klinsmann dances

let's just say i wasn't as jazzed up for the start of the season as klinsmann was.

Today is the opening day of the Premiership… for Tottenham Hotspur at least. After a riot-induced (How often do we see that as a reason for a postponement these days?) nine day delay to the start of the season meant that I was a little less emotionally invested in the other matches than I normally would have been. Sure, it did me a favor by extending my deadline for my annual Tottenham-sucks-at-transfer-windows post. But I didn’t quite get sucked into games as I was unsure of how it would affect Spurs league standing.

But, even with that delay, I still couldn’t manage to get this post out while the stories are fresh and relevant. Oh wells, I have the lazy.

Q.P.R. Fans Statement - blogandwhitehoops.wordpress.com
This is what Premier League football is turning into and it’s disgusting. No club and their fans, especially not for a club as rich in history as Queens Park Rangers, should have to endure the type of disrespectful treatment by their owners as is happening at Loftus Road.

What we are currently seeing out of the QPR ownership is the same type of vision of professional soccer that was shared by the former American owners Gillette and Hicks: a profit machine.

The club has raised ticket prices for both home and visiting fans. No new kits or sponsorships have come in this summer. They’ve fefused to spend money on transfers any longer, despite the influx of Premier League riches into the club’s coffers. Their stadium is a train wreck. Maybe the new owners will change all of that, but I wouldn’t go holding my breath if I were a Hoops fan.

Remember when Rafa was complained about not being able to spend? This is that attitude taken to the extreme. The owners are probably thinking, “Even if we go down, we still pocketed all of that money. Hell, we’ve even got parachute payments coming in the next three years to further line our pockets!”

So we go now from clubs screwing over their fans, to clubs screwing over the system…

Man City Etihad Deal: Evading financial fair play? – backpagefootball.com
Remember when everyone freaked out when City were bought by the sheikhs, as they would come in and ruin the game with their money? Well, if you are at all like me, you probably felt somewhat safer from the Citizens’ new found bottomless pit of money when UEFA president Michel Platini announced that the Financial Fair Play initiative. It’s sole purpose was to prevent clubs from being able to game the transfer market, buying anyone and everyone their hearts desire because they’ve got more money than the US government owes in debt.

UEFA are at least showing some fortitude by declaring they’re looking into the matter, but whether the governing body intends to enforce any of it’s financial restrictions is another matter entirely.

And from those who are screwing to those who we want to… well, er… those who we find attractive.

alex morgan's boyfriend called out

one of these lucky seattle sounders is not so worried about being called out for dating the hot lady in the picture.

Off The Market: Servando Carrasco & Alex Morgan Are Dating – kickette.com
Undoubtedly dissapointing news for male soccer fans across the US and A, our newest footie eye candy has been officially confirmed as “unavailable” according to the sexperts on Kickette. Not that it really mattered to me, as I’m happily married to my lovely wife who I wouldn’t leave for Alex if she wanted me to.

But really, how awesome is the assistant coach for the Sounders that made the entire team get off the bus to bust Carrasco’s balls about his girlfriend being more famous than him. I would want to play for that guy.

Anyway, if I was one of those obsessed with Alex Morgan  – because I’m not, right dear? — I wouldn’t give up hope just yet. I don’t see anything about this relationship on Morgan’s Facebook page. And we all know, if it isn’t on Facebook, it isn’t official.

As you might have heard, and can certainly understand, Miss Alex has been receiving a number of engagement proposals lately. Some even from Fabio (the model, not the player) and the Old Spice Guy. How you could turn those down, I don’t know. But I do know that that this method of advertising works…

Chivas Spice – youtube.com
If you are the least bit like me (which I’m guessing you are, because you’re reading my soccer blog), then your probably loved the amazing Old Spice commercials that have been pumping the company’s line of self cleansing products to the masses over the last year. Apparently, the suits at Chivas USA’s felt the same way and decided that they could sell a boatload of tickets if they replicated Old Spice’s efforts.

Just because I already had a full bottle of soap in my shower when the original soap commercials first aired, that doesn’t mean I didn’t immediately rush out to buy some Old Spice product after viewing it. That’s why now, even though I live across the country from the Home Depot Center, I feel it absolutely necessary to purchase tickets to a Chivas USA match. Brilliant marketing (even when borrowed) works.

MLS team’s are way more fiscally reliant on marketing than most professional sports franchises here in the states, as the league’s has an uphill battle when it comes to attracting new viewers from the traditional stalwarts like the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL. So that why I get jazzed when I see clubs pull out all of the stops on their websites…

Montreal Impact Virtual Venue – montrealimpact.com
First off, the classy redesign of Montreal’s logo continues the trend of MLS’s Canadian franchises getting an A+ in the branding department. The club’s newly re-designed site is very well laid out and comes with all of the bells and whistles that we’ve all come to expect from proper major league franchises.

As Montreal prepares for it’s maiden season as MLS’ 19th club, they’ve put up an awesome virtual tour of the soon-to-be renovated Stade Saputo on their site. The tour gives visitors the ability to explore the stadium’s views from every single section in the stadium. Is there a better way to convince potential season-ticket holders to buy than to provide them with the ability to see the field from their potential seats? Curiously though, the views from the corporate boxes are not available, though… perhaps they’re shit seats?

ten words or less #31

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It may just be me, but the summer tours by European clubs are nothing more than a gigantic tease.

cesc, luka and sam... trying to break the chains of "slavery."

All summer long, we’ve had to make do with watching international football (or not watching it, in the case of watching the Copa America in the U.S.) and patiently wait for the club season to resume. For many of us it’s been a torturous off season, watching our clubs walk a treatorous tightrope through the hectic transfer season. So the second we get a sniff of our teams playing again, we’re on it child predators to a newly opened playground.

It’s not until we see those sides give minutes to 23 players during the match, or only play their superstars for 25 contractual appearance minutes, that I begin to realize they’re just here to add to the clubs’ bottom lines.

If you don’t want to stay, don’t sign long contracts. – skysports.com

Why Mourinho-football is good for the game, perfectly explained. – soccerissue.com

To avoid frustration, Everton fans should not click this link. – evertontime.com

Promoted Club Tijuana has organized crime connections? No way!!! – inbedwithmaradona.com

It’s taking everyone forever to realize the brilliance of Sandro. – ojogobonito.com

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is girlier than a little girl. – kckrs.com

Can’t stop hyping this rivalry… and it’s MLS! – theoriginalwinger.com

A “+1″ for the Brighton & Hove stadium contractors. – dirty tackle @ yahoo.com

ten words or less #28

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ronaldo trains with the brazilian national team ahead of his last game for brazil

fat ronaldo looks on as he "trains" with the seleção for the last time.

Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Southwest Ohio. Sweltering temperatures normally reserved for August have plagued those of us living in the humid Ohio/Miami Valley region, causing us to suffocate on the air so thick and heavy that Cristiano would trip over it.

Researching for the blog has been a welcome excuse for me to sit on my couch and enjoy the air conditioning over the last week or so, and today’s post is the beneficiary of said sloth. So if you’re trying to escape the summer heat, why not sit back and check out some of the interesting bits of soccer blabber from around the tubes.

The Gold Cup TV schedule. You should watch it. – totalsoccershow.com

How to build a stalker: step one… – kickette.com

Donor hair: Chicharito, Neville, Fabio, Park, Kuszczak, Berbatov, Obertan? – redcafe.net

Pienaar has to be thinking, “Great… always the same kit.” – footballshirtculture.com

The highlights of the tactical evolution from 2010-2011. – guardian.co.uk

FIFA adds racism to their stable of “awesomeness.” – msn.com

Before Ronaldo. After Ronaldo. - youtube.com

I want to hang these up in my house… tonight. – kckrs.com

ten words or less #26

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kevin prince boateng and his son jermaine

is it safe to leave children with prince based on what we know about him now?

There are definitely weeks where I could spit out like three ten words or less, and this is one of them. I have to admit that I love all of these little odds and ends type stories that permeate out of the game. And with titles being won and fates being sealed this week, there are tons of little bits to highlight churning out the media mill at the moment.

Also, not a single one of these links is a transfer rumor. Odd for this time of year, don’t you think?

Kevin-Prince Boateng has some smooth moves. – dirty tackle @ yahoo.com

When I open a bar, this will be in it. – youtube.com

Derp. – zenfs.com

Can we charge this author with footy treason? – soccerlens.com

This is the best MLS rivalry by miles. – soccerbyives.com

Manchester City might be calling you an idiot. – mcfc.co.uk

Cheeky shit: I love it. – theoffside.com

Shaking head… he is a typical Scouser at heart. – unprofessionalfoul.com

ten words or less #18

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now that ireland is at another new club, it was about time for him to bash his previous employers.

With the visual overhaul of the blog still ongoing, not to mention the need to continue to write for it too, I realized this morning that I reallly need to post this TWOL before the majority of these stories become outdated. If you happened to have read any of the following links already, just be sure to remember that you are not required to read them again.

A short history about baaallllllllllllsssss. – soccernet.com

Life lesson: don’t release owls during a match. – thespoiler.co.uk

I’ve never been, and never will be, this good. – youtube.com

Does anyone feel the excitement?!?!?! – soccerbyives.com

Great… a sound argument defending Allardyce-style tactics. – si.com

This is believable. – bbc.co.uk

The crazy free kick bar has been raised. – caughtoffside.com

Stephen Ireland wants to piss off everyone. – football365.com

raising the dead

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Not that I’m telling you anything new, but your average American sports fan’s knowledge of association football is extremely limited. Many, if not most, have literally zero knowledge about soccer.

oooh ahhhh... i'm hoping cantona gives me something else to talk about.

But if they do have just a bit of room in their brain for it after squeezing in as much knowledge about American idol, the gridiron-flavor or whatever Fox News tells them to believe, you would generally be safe in betting your annual income on their knowledge base being limited to one the following six topics:

  • My little sister/brother/cousin/child plays (…and I don’t like it).
  • David Beckham (isn’t that the guy that is married to a spice girl?).
  • Pelé (if they’re over the age of 30).
  • Ronaldo or Ronaldinho. (Wait, there’s a difference between the two? Three!?)
  • Manchester United (“The best team in the world!!!!”)
  • The World Cup is the Super Bowl of soccer (sigh).

As soon as someone who doesn’t follow footie finds out that I’m into the sport, it is without a doubt that one of those topics will be the next thing that comes out of their mouth. This of course immediately gives away their naivety and plunges me into “speak stupidly about soccer” mode, a mode of conversation that I despise using despite the frequency with which I must use it.

But it didn’t used to be that way.there used to be one more item on that list, and it was uniquely American: the New York Cosmos.

Sure, the only reason why Americans even know that there is some dude named Pelé is because of the Cosmos, and vice versa. But it was an American team they knew about none the less, and it’s safe to say that their brand was more pervasive in the American consciousness than that of the L.A. Galaxy or Red Bull New York has ever been.

It always baffled me that when MLS was first started, the league ignored this amazing brand name when placing a franchise in the Big Apple (even more so when they chose to co-brand it as the New York/New Jersey Metro Stars… barf). “Why,” I wondered aloud to a crowd of people existing only in my head, “would MLS turn it’s back on the only globally recognizable soccer brand we’ve ever developed?”

Yes, I get that the league was rightly trying to distance itself from the NASL and the poor stigma still attached to it and its franchises’ names. This aversion to using legacy-franchise names has continued to hang around nearly 15 years after the league’s inception, as evident with the uproar that resulted when the Seattle ownership group tried to use a name other than the Sounders with their franchise.

Luckily, the league and it’s management haven’t remained that stupid.

MLS commisioner Don Garber has long fancied placing a second team in New York, even though the first one has trouble filling it’s magnificent soccer-specific stadium. Despite attendance problems (which are by no means a problem unique to New York in this league), it’s hard to ignore the fact that the city is also one of the most immigrant rich regions in the country. And last time I checked, immigrants tend to have a higher propensity to be football fans than the average American citizen, which ultimately means there is a huge untapped market of potential ticket and kit buyers.

Is there a better way to break into an untapped market than to take advantage of brand name that many immigrants are already likely to be familiar with? I don’t know, but it sure seems like a good place to start.

Though, raising a franchise from a death that occurred over a quarter century ago is no easy feat.

Finally pried away from the steely grip of former owner Peppe Pinton, a new ownership group have revived the Cosmos brand in a way that has at least turned some heads in the footballing world. They’ve brought in the requisite big names (legends Pelé and Eric Cantona to lend sporting legitimacy, former Tottenham Hotspur chairmen Paul Kemsley and former Liverpool chairmen Rick Parry to lend administrative legitimacy), as well as a brilliant marketing plan that is unlike any being used by current MLS clubs.

Described here in greater detail than I care to write about, the revived Cosmos are utilizing a viral marketing campaign that not only appeals to [self-prescribed] snooty soccer “experts” such as myself, but also one that appeals to another untapped market: the hipster crowd, which seems to be overrunning the area surrounding the club’s Soho offices. Since the Cosmos’ branding and name is a retro entity in itself, they’ve managed to tap into a rich vein of American culture that goes beyond sports… fashion. Queue their partnership with Umbro — the masters of bad-ass retro — and the end result is a club that is gaining in popularity despite the complete lack of players or a home ground. Placing your main offices in the city’s “coolest” neighborhood doesn’t hurt either.

The Cosmos are ardently striving to be different than the rest of the MLS clubs they hope to compete with in the near future. A current focus on producing an academy to feed the eventual senior team is a great way to drive interest in the club at a grassroots level. On top of that, utilizing Cantona’s swagger, Pelé’s celebrity, and the business acumen of proven footballing executives to lay a solid foundation for the club will make the Cosmos very difficult to ignore by prospective fans and MLS executives alike. They’ve certainly hooked me with this campaign, as is evidence by numerous posts drooling over their gorgeous Umbro shirt.

Will raising the Cosmos from the dead be enough to raise MLS’ profile on both the national and international sporting scenes? I don’t know the answer to that yet. But if we can just add a seventh topic to that list at the beginning of this post, at least I’ll have something else to talk about with people who know nothing about the sport I love so much.

round up #17

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damn these winter olympics. they’re so freaking distracting.

despite the fact that there are more games in going on within a week either direction of today than in recent memory (premier league games were midweek last week, FA cup games and la liga games this weekend, champions league coming up this week), the festivities in vancouver this weekend has certainly caught my attention. for those who know me well, you won’t be surprised by this revelation. while soccer is my first love, skiing is my second, hence my ADD with respect to football at the moment.

the sounders look set to smash attendance records for the second year in a row.

however, i haven’t had my head completely turned by the world of winter sports. i’ve watched some games (notably the tottenham-bolton and portsmouth-southampton f.a. cup ties), and have kept my ear to the ground for an interesting happenings. maybe it would suit me best for another round-up. ok, let’s do an that to make up for my laziness lately.

injury-hit barcelona beaten by atlético – soccernet.com
finally, yes finally: barcelona have finally dropped all three points for the first time all season, after losing to inconsistent atlético madrid 2-1. this is fantastic news for those of us who are fans of los merengues, as real’s 3-0 win away to xerez means they move within two points of league leading barça. since i count myself among the madrid faithful, i have no doubt that the favor that our cross town rivals atlético provided real is of far greater importance than they provided themselves. it’s especially important to hear good news concerning the whites at the moment, as i’m crushed to be hearing that the enemy are drawing nearer to pulling of a big splash in the summer… now will someone go get me a beer, please?

why do brits wilt abroad? – bbc.co.uk
to answer the question asked by this link’s title, i always assumed it was because brits were candy asses that get too uncomfortable when they aren’t around people that serve tea every day. only kidding, but the author does pose a serious, if not often pondered, question. it’s always been astounding to me how few british players have even just attempted to ply their trade abroad, let alone how many have been successful when they’ve risked it. in recent memory, only owen hargreaves (at bayern munich), david beckham and steve mcmanaman (both at real madrid) have held their own for an extended time in a top continental league. it is postulated that brits tend to do a horrible job of assimilating into their foreign squads, which means they don’t form any solid bonds/understanding with their teammates, which means they end up being lonely and ineffective on the pitch. maybe that’s it, maybe it’s not. whatever the reason is, i would venture to say that the english national team’s failure to land a major trophy in the last 40 years has to do with the lack of varied experience the team has had in it’s ranks.

seattle sounders fc nears season tickets near cap – theolympian.com
it wasn’t a fluke folks. for the second year in a row, the enthusiastic fans of neon green and blue in the pacific northwest are on pace to sell out their season ahead of time. as of last week, the sounders had sold 31,000+ season tickets out of 32,000 (for a comparison, the columbus crew stadium seats 22,500). this is a giant middle finger to any of the doubters out there –ahem, jim rome– that say that soccer will never be a legitimate sport in the states. keep in mind that they intentionally limit seating in the stadium built for the NFL’s seattle seahawks, as is the case with all NFL stadiums used by MLS. i guarantee that if the bigwigs that own the team would open the entire stadium, they would sell even more season tickets than they do now.

how i was conned at notts county – guardian.co.uk
for the first time ever, i feel a little bad for sven-göran eriksson. the sweedish manager, formerly in charge of benfica, roma, fiorentina, sampdoria, lazio, england, man city, and mexico (what a mouthful, and i left off his home country clubs!), has finally spewed his anger in the direction of his last job with the world’s oldest football club, notts county. lured by the promise of limitless funds and the desire to raise the historic club from the depths to premier league, sven was left stranded trying to steer a ship abandoned by it’s phony owners. now that he’s finally abandoned ship himself (and i don’t blame him), after it was sold for literally £1, he’s launched a scathing attack at the ownership group that deceived him. trust me, it’s worth the read.

MLS academies look to set the standard – goal.com
i think they’re finally starting to get it. as i said back in september of last year, the USMNT is never going to be successful until we start nurturing out best young talents in a professional environment. MLS must have heard my cries, as a nearly league-wide effort to set up youth clubs has sprung up at just about every MLS franchise. what’s great about this is that by creating these youth academies, MLS clubs are helping themselves develop better talent at less cost and eventually making themselves more competitive. and if i were a kid, i can assure you that i would have wanted to play for an MLS club team. my sister works as a coach, and she can attest that the best players flock to play with a club associated with a professional team. needless to say, i’m excited to see how this will pan out.

premier league plans play-off for last champions league place – guardian.co.uk
in attempt to block the big four’s vice grip of the english champions league places, the EPL are contemplating a controversial play-off format to decide the fourth champions league spot. akin to the play-off format used in the english league pyramid’s promotion system, we could possibly see teams as low as seventh place competing to land the last lucrative spot in europe’s big dance. not shockingly, the big four are completely against the idea (you would probably be a little hesitant too when someone was threatening your millions of dollars annual funds), while some of the smaller clubs are obviously keen to give the idea a go. as a tottenham fan, i would like to see them finally get a crack at the champions league, and i’m sure that aston villa and everton fans are nodding in agreement with me right now. however, i also worry that this play-off system could be nothing but a money making scheme for the premier league.

round-up #9

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judging from my lack of posts as of late, i wouldn’t blame you if you thought i had been kidnapped by mexican drug lords or that i was eaten alive by a rogue bear. but as you can see from my recent postings that neither has been the case, though i am sorry that i’ve left you all anxiously awaiting my next epic piece. so to reward those of you diligent enough to continue visiting through my barren stretch, i’m giving you two whole posts in less than 24 hours. and what better way to cap off my marathon writing exhibition than to drop you another footballing news round-up! i know, my generosity is just too much sometimes.

harry rejects rio rumors – skysports.com
seeing how manchester united’s normally predictable defensive penchant has gone missing for most of the season so far, many have blamed rio ferdinand’s uncharacteristic mistakes in the back as a primary reason for his team’s defensive shortcomings. it certainly seems that rio has caught the poor-form bug from jamie carragher, the england center back’s displays have made him the perfect subject for tabloid transfer fodder.

and where else would the papers be picking him to land other than at my spurs. after all, ‘arry redknapp gave ferdinand his big break while the two were at west ham about a half century ago, so picking tottenham as a potential destination isn’t that far of a stretch. the tottenham gaffer was quick to dispell the rumors, and rightfully so. first off, a small dip in form from one of the most consistent center backs in the world is no reason to sell him yet, and united certainly won’t be ready to make that gamble. but more importantly (for me at least), why would tottenham want to throw money at another oft-injured center back? the only reason i can think would be to give ledley king and jonathan woodgate some more company in the training room…

where did the recent thierry henry to MLS rumors come from? – theoffside.com
i can’t deny it: i love the idea of former arsenal hitman thierry henry moving to MLS next year. i absolutely love it more than any other juicy transfer rumor

henry facing new york last summer. could the frenchman be gearing up for a move to MLS next summer?

in the world right now. i don’t even care what team he ends up with (save for LA), though 99% of the rumors have him landing with red bull new york. however, as the article above so clearly implies, this story is nothing but a rumor based upon more rumors. there doesn’t seem to be a shred of factual evidence or resources that say henry or his people or barça are even discussing the issue. but i’ll tell you one thing: if he does come, it will put my butt in an MLS stadium next season to watch him play. this is the kind of use of MLS’s designated player rule that i can truly appreciate, and the article says it perfectly:

He could be described as the David Beckham for people who actually like football instead of celebrity.

couldn’t have said it better myself. so let’s make it happen MLS. i guarantee new york’s fans are begging you. i bet juan pablo angel would beg you if you asked him in private. and i’m definitely begging you.

robinho’s £6 million loan – thesun.co.uk
so it looks like the cry baby will finally get his wish after all. man city’s brazilian winger spent the last few weeks publicly pining for a move to his former club’s hated rivals, and it looks like all of his whining has been worth it. feeling under appreciated in the spanish capital (or in reality, tired of facing the criticism for having not made as much of an impact as he should have while playing for madrid), robinho forced his way out of real and thought he was heading to his preferred destination of chelsea.

however, thanks to city swooping in at the last minute with a superior bid, madrid delightfully sold him to a team that they knew they would not have to face in the champions league for at least a few years. brilliant move by the spanish giants: more money and less risk. it’s pretty much common knowledge that robinho was disappointed with being sold to man city from the first minute he stepped off the plane in england.

my guess is that with the £6 million barca will pay man city for the 6 month loan in january, city will also get yaya toure and more cash in the summer in an eventual full sale of the winger. personally, i’m sad that his “personal hell” looks to be coming to a close… it’s what he deserved.

sounders fc gadget for windows – soundersfc.com
while surfing the interwebs for soccer news the other day, i came across this interesting tidbit. microsoft’s recently released windows 7 operating system is making a waves in the computing world, and suprisingly in the world of soccer too. microsoft built the sounders their very own gadget/widget for the windows 7 desktop that gives fans quick access to bounty of info about the team (news, schedule, stats, roster, etc.). with microsoft just down the road from seattle, the club being owned primarily by one of microsoft’s former big wigs paul allen, and the team’s jersey sponsor being microsoft’s xbox gaming platform, it’s not really that surprising that microsoft would do something this cool for a very well supported club. and while i’m an apple-fanboy through and through, i definitely would like to see more of this type of exposure available for all MLS teams.

smithy meets the england football team – youtube.com
a gem of a comedy video featuring some of the england squad’s biggest stars, featuring comedian james corden from the BBC’s gavin & stacey. i’m sold whenever, and i repeat whenever, someone rips on john terry to his face. trust me, it’s well worth the watch.

(props to nic for giving me the heads up on this video… thanks!)