The Crew and it's staff should just be chillin' and not thinking about anything more pressing than "What cut of steak shall I have at dinner tonight?" right now; this is their Purple Rain tour. They won the league and by all rights should be spending the week poppin' bottles, picking up chicks because they are now champion athletes (the single guys) or (the married guys) sending their kids to grandma's for a few days so Daddy can remind Mommy that he's still the man in very expensive hotel room somewhere. Click to continue reading...

I don't even know what to say. I'd like to blame the head injury but I dunno. Click to continue reading...

How sweet would it be if you were Sigi,Sigi,Sigi and you got to win MLS Cup in the home of the team that last fired you --when you were top of the league no less-- while they didn't even make the post-season? He may not be that kind of vengeful guy but you just know it would be sweet like chocolate to have all his hard work over the last three years pay off in the house that AEG built. Click to continue reading...

From Glenn Davis' piece in the Houston Chronicle on MLS Cup:

"The Red Bulls have been organized, workmanlike, resilient and lucky, all at once. Opponents have hit the post six times over the past two games. Their coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, is obsessive about tactics and preparation and has gone through challenges ranging from losing Jozy Altidore (Villareal) to having Claudio Reyna retire (a blessing, with all due respect) and on to the suspensions of keeper Jon Conway and defender Jeff Parke. Click to continue reading...

So what's it going to be tonight Ohio? Will you give a big, Didier Drogba-sized middle finger to the cold temperatures and fill Crew stadium tonight? Or will the same dedicated 11K that were at the K.C. match be without the aid of 9k more frozen arses in seats? If you don't show up for the team at least show up for Sigi. Click to continue reading...

ESPN the Magazine has a brief bit on the trials and tribulations of Juan Carlos Osorio. When you suck, everyone hates you but when you are rolling everyone wants to fellate you. It's like that everywhere but in New York that sh*t is magnified x50. And even though the New York club is going to the Conference finals for only the second time in history I'll bet you one Miami Fusion throw blanket --the most useless item ever produced for a South Florida sports team-- that there are still folks who will call for his head if he doesn't win MLS Cup (if they make it there). Click to continue reading...

The Denver Post reports that the Rapids signed Smith to a 3-year deal and Pablo to a 4-year deal. Guppy's contract is still being finalized. They also say that Jeff Plush told them that he didn't interview any other candidates for the coaching position.

Same old Rapids, taking the quick and easy way out. Click to continue reading...

You win Coach of the Year, you get your own special. That's how it works. Click to continue reading...

OK, first the news, then the commentary.

As expected the Colorado Rapids named Gary Smith the new head coach today. Terms were not released but the rumor is that it was a 3 year deal. I didn't see the press release until later, but there's some talk that the Steve Guppy hiring was also announced in the press release, then pulled. Click to continue reading...

Still no official word from the Rapids about the press conference or the next coach but Soccer America is running with the story. They confirm the Smith-Guppy coaching pair and mention that Plush has talked to at least two current MLS assistant coaches about the Technical Director/General Manager position. Click to continue reading...

News is circulating that the Colorado Rapids have called a press conference to announce the new head coach at 1pm tomorrow at DSG Park. I'll update with a link to the announcement if/when I find one.

Of course at 1pm tomorrow I'll be heading to the bus to go to the dentist, so reaction here will be delayed until I get the dentist's fingers out of my mouth. Click to continue reading...

The Denver Post is reporting that Gary Smith has been signed to a 3 year deal with Steve Guppy as his assistant. This is based on comments that Guppy made on a NY radio show this weekend and an interview with the current Rochester Rhinos coach. The Rapids only comment is from Jeff Plush, who states that the rapids have 0 coaches under contract at the current time. Click to continue reading...

On Wednesday the Rhinos released a statement saying that Steve Guppy was leaving the team to join the Rapids as assistant coach and help Gary Smith. As this was obviously significant Rapids news I wrote a post about it, as did Bonji at Class VI. We both believed that the press release and the information contained in it meant that it was likely the Rapids had chosen Smith as the next head coach. Click to continue reading...

The Rochester Rhinos have announced that player/assistant coach Steve Guppy is leaving the team and joining the Rapids as an assistant coach in January.

Guppy has a long history of 17 years playing in England and Scotland, spending time with Southampton, Wycombe, Newcastle, Port Vale, Leicester City, Celtic, Leeds, and Stoke City. Click to continue reading...

Ruud Gullit is on some X-Files sh*t right now. He thinks 'the truth is out there' and that the powers that be at Major League Soccer don't really want David, or the sport to succeed in America. I won't even try to understand this but will instead point you to one of my favorite bloggers, Bill Archer. Click to continue reading...

Toronto FC's head man wants a designated player for the 2009 or he wants out. Dude says "the club is aware of it, the management is aware of it, the fans are certainly aware of it, and we have to do it, because if we don't, I will definitely, definitely go home. No buts about it." Kinda crazy or is it just me? Click to continue reading...

The Rapids are midway between the end of the Clavijo-era and the end of the season. Its time to take another look at the long-term coaching possibilities. There haven't been any rumors of new names likely to land the job, so we're dealing with the same gang of four as we had last time.

1. Click to continue reading...

Hopkins seems to think so. I'll back him up and say Sigi's the front-runner but only if the Notorious P.I.E. grabs the mic strong during his acceptance speech and belts out "The Warning" to the astonished and appalled crowd. Do that and I'm down for life. You can watch the clip below and cast your own vote. Click to continue reading...

FC Dallas coach --and published author-- Schellas Hyndman is not afraid to take a kick to the groin. He is also unafraid to take your questions. He'll be chatting live on ESPN.com at 3p.m. EST today, so feel free to ask him how grateful he is for Bob Bradley's reluctance to further cap Kenny Cooper and exactly what type of steel his balls are made of. Click to continue reading...

If you have never coached or managed a football team you will believe, like I did, that the fans feel the highs of victory and lows of defeat more than anyone else. You will believe that the players and staff just don't care as much as you do. I have always felt this way about my [...] Click to continue reading...

Now that it is The Day After, I have a few thoughts on what just happened.

Alexi Lalas' firing was at least a year too late and was a laughably inept hire in the first place. Lalas was good at many things, like being a salesman extraordinaire, doing color commentary, creating funny ESPN Sportscenter promotional spots, even defending for the US MNT.

Click to continue reading...

Let's say you've consumed a party ball full of the finest light American beer available at your local Piggly Wiggly in the parking lot before an FC Dallas match that the team has lost badly. You're so mad that you've threatened bodily harm to everyone in the organization from the owner down to the kid running the nacho stand (he's stingy with the jalapeño's). Click to continue reading...

Having coached twelve seasons of youth soccer and often more than one team each season, I've received my share of coach's gifts. All are absolutely appreciated, but it might surprise parents how much a coach may treasure certain gifts. A gift doesn't have to cost a lot or be fancy, as it usually is the [. Click to continue reading...

Dominic Kinear is a George Michael fan. If he likes anything other than the Faith album and the bassline from Wham's "Everything She Wants" he deserves every bit of stick he may catch for this revelation. Click to continue reading...

DC United skipper Tom Soehn is probably not having a good morning...or season for that matter. After giving up 3 points to Toronto last night I'm sure he's got a lot on his mind, what with many of the American soccerati observing a death watch for his career today.

That's got to be stressful and when I'm stressed out I like to get stuck into a good book. Click to continue reading...

I hope to have more info out of Frisco soon, but my man on the ground there says that FC Dallas skipper has been shown the door following his side's 5-1 pasteing on Sunday by the Rudd Boyz. My man Jinxproofs has the following to say:

"I was sitting next to Dan Hunt (of FC Dallas' owners The Hunt Group) Sunday and he looked like someone shot his dog and his grandmother at the same time. Click to continue reading...

Hey y'all. It's a slow day so far so perhaps it's a good time to check out the coach's quotes from week 8. John Carver is 'disappointed' in Columbus, Osorio is 'disappointed' in NY's set pieces, Frank Yallop is still Mr. Personality and Tom Soehn is still employed...for now. Click to continue reading...

Oh how I love cartoons. GI Joe, G-Force, and Hong Kong Phooey are my holy trinity but I think I may soon make room for Skiptoons' Steve Nicol show if it ever got syndicated. I would love nothing more than to begin my Saturday morning in front of the TV in my PJ's with an out-sized bowl of Corn Pops or Honey Comb taking in the post-game wisdom of our Stevie. Click to continue reading...

Someone sent me this photo of the Jumbotron at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium from last night's Galaxy-Whitecaps match. If anyone has a photo of Ruud Gullit's mug up there I would be very appreciative....with the "Old Dutch" advert on the top of the screen it wouldn't even need a caption. Click to continue reading...

Interesting. Mr Burns may end up coaching The Biggest Midget in the Game™. My man Binks says "that's right, the man that likes to load the dishwasher after having sex, is interviewing for the Benfica spot. My how the mighty have kept moving South. Figuratively and now literally".

I actually don't have to much to say about this potential move as I'm really not educated enough on Eriksson's managerial style to comment. Click to continue reading...

Everyone knows that career Jesus Juice enthusiast and OCG Nice supporter Micheal Jackson is dead broke. What everyone doesn't know is that he has resorted to selling his clothes to US U-20's coach and Chivas USA sporting director Thomas Rongen for nose-job money. You heard it here first. Click to continue reading...

D.C. United 1 : 2 Columbus Crew
Six Word Novel Recap

Never understood why Goldilocks preferred lukewarm.

Media, Traditional and OtherwiseThe Washington Times, John Haydon: "Even with the strongest lineup coach Tom Soehn could use, D.C. United fell short last night at RFK Stadium. United lost 2-1 to the Columbus Crew before a crowd of 13,329. Click to continue reading...

It's been kind of slow for the Aztex lately, news-wise. To tide you over until we hear something about the U23 roster, here are a few miscellaneous tidbits (apologies to readers who keep up on BigSoccer's Aztex forum, as neither of these will be news to you).

First, Playing Through, a nice write-up in the Austin Chronicle about local soccer hopefuls Marcelino Uriarte & Wes Allen:

It's a tale of two center midfielders.

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Tryouts at St. Edward's
I stopped by day 2 of this weekend's U-23 tryouts today. The weather was beautiful. I'm no scout, but even I could see there was quite a range of skill on display. There were three separate scrimmages going on at the same time, so I guess that means there were about 66 hopefuls in attendance. Click to continue reading...

Here's a bit of late season transfer talk that I hadn't heard about so maybe it will be new to you as well. It's comes from the Daily Mirror so you can take it for what it's worth, but as my man Binks says "even a broken watch gets the time right twice a day".

"New Coventry boss Chris Coleman wants old club Fulham to help him out by loaning out-of-favour defenders Carlos Bocanegra and Dejan Stefanovic. Click to continue reading...