Soccer In America

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November 4, 2008

A few things...

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Go vote! That is all. #1 - All together now... "Charlie Davies can't stop scoring." Yup, CD made it a dirty dozen for the season, good enough for fifth best in the Swedish top flight, with a hustle header on Monday night. See it here (media player link). #2 - I still have a Top 5 List ready to go, and you have my solemn word it will be up later today. Click to continue reading...

October 23, 2008

Seven cities, including Atlanta, bid for 2 MLS expansion teams

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I know this is officially old news now, but it's worth repeating. Arthur Blank and co, did submit their bid for an MLS franchise in Atlanta along with six other cities. Here is the breakdown of cities and who is backing the bids:

Three Canadian cities -

Montreal: bid submitted by the family of Liverpool co-owner George Gillett, who also owns the NHL's Montreal Canadiens and the Saputo family, who control the dairy processor Saputo Inc. Click to continue reading...

October 16, 2008

Top 5 MLS Expansion Candidates on the Early Handicapper's Sheet

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Ahhh, nothing like a day at the track. We had the idea to do up a "race sheet" for the MLS expansion derby, but felt it would be best to turn that over to someone a little more in the know. Hence, Chrös McDougall is back with another guest spot... Seven cities stepped up to the line yesterday, submitting applications to be the 17th or 18th team in Major League Soccer. Click to continue reading...

A few things...

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Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, a great man once said... #1 - The MLS expansion bid deadline has passed, with seven cities filing in time. Being a St. Louis boy, obviously I will be rooting for their inclusion in the league, which many observers will agree is overdue. MLS Talk scribe Kartik Krishnaiyer makes his plea (dig that sweet stadium rendering! Click to continue reading...

September 29, 2008

A few things...

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I'm sleepy, so let's not dillydally... #1 - The weekend Americans Abroad goal roundup won't take long this time around, but at least somebody broke the drought. For the second straight Danish Cup match, Randers FC attacker Lee Nguyen lit the lamp. Check out his opportunistic marker here. A pair of homies in Norway's second fight picked up assists: Nybergsund's Joe Lapira and Haugesund's Cameron Click to continue reading...

September 7, 2008

For the love of soccer...!

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Last night's clash in Havana must be the most surreal game the US has played in a while. It was not just the faulty stadium electrics, which bathed the field in a ghostly half-light before giving out altogether a few minutes before the final whistle. Nor was it the lack of perimeter advertising, the first time I have seen that televised soccer since the 1966 World Cup Final. Click to continue reading...

September 3, 2008

Seriously... what the hell are they thinking?

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I am now going to take the sonic laser out on MLS, but bear with me, it's not what you might think. I'm not going to criticize level of play, ownership structure, championship structure, Designated Players or even the insipid scheduling of games on FIFA dates without a postpone clause for teams that lose half their roster to international duties (John Carver already handled that last one just Click to continue reading...

July 21, 2008

Why Do So Many American Football Fans and Sports Writers Hate Soccer? A Follow Up

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Is American football "hate" of soccer overblown?

One of the comments on my piece helped shed some light on the issue for me. In fact, the comment suggested that it is not in fact American football haters, but bitter soccer fans, that are at the center of the problem.

I admit it, as I re-read my article, I did come across sounding pretty damned sanctimonious. Click to continue reading...

July 20, 2008

A Walk Down Memory Lane with Letters From Vagabondia

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My new friend, Chris Courtney from Letters From Vagabondia, has written a great piece tracking the evolution of the American player in Europe. Chris had the enviable job of actually getting paid to cover US Players in Europe as a writer and reporter for Soccer Times! He has done a great job of capturing the trends and key names in his Part 1 post (1980s to the mid 1990s). Click to continue reading...

July 19, 2008

Beckham Says MLS is Better Than People Think

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According to an AP report, Beckham says, "Soccer is definitely changing in this country, and it is getting bigger and growing...but it is going to take time, and I said that at the start. It's not just going to happen in a year or two. It's a long-term plan to raise the profile for this game in this country. Click to continue reading...

July 18, 2008

Why Do So Many American Football Fans and Sports Writers Hate Soccer?

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On the heels of a hugely successful and entertaining Euro 2008 tournament, I'm thinking again about Soccer in America.

It is almost a pastime for some sports writers and hard core gridiron fans to square off against football fans. As it would appear to me that the two sports are entirely different, this zero sum mentality from gridiron fans escapes me. Click to continue reading...

July 14, 2008

Atlanta Media, Where Are You?

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SuperLiga has just kicked off – the prize is one million dollars to the winning team. Major League Soccer is in mid season. The Atlanta Silverbacks are making headway toward the top of the table and have just hosted two of the biggest teams in the hemisphere: Pachuca CF of Mexico and Club Atletico Independiente of Argentina and are scheduled to host Honduran champion's Olimpia. Click to continue reading...

July 12, 2008

MLS in Atlanta. Is a Double Too Stiff a Drink?

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FxB of So Many Balls and I have sparked up a well reasoned debate on the subject of MLS expansion and something I'll call, fan commitment. Because well reasoned debates are so rare on the internet, I'd like to keep it on the front pages rather than the comments for now...and of course encourage others to weigh in. Click to continue reading...

July 11, 2008

American Soccer Needs Promotion and Relegation

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In my earlier article "MLS in Atlanta? Why Not Make it a Double?" I brought up quite a few areas that warrant further exploration. Several of the discussion points centered around how to make soccer in America as popular a spectator sport as it is a participation sport. My ideas I'm sure are not new, but there seems to be a paucity of information out there for the interested, yet unknowing, average American sports fan. Click to continue reading...

July 9, 2008

Promotion and Relegation: A Primer for American Fans

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For American sports fans who have had their interest in international football piqued, promotion and relegation is a critical concept to understand. First, let me get it out of the way and I don't intend any offense by this, but the word is "relegation" not "regulation". (I see that mistake made quite often) Now, let me go to the definitions and then I'll talk about what those two words, promotion and relegation, mean to football lovers outside the United States. Click to continue reading...

July 4, 2008

American Televisions Tuning in to Soccer

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3.8 million Americans tuned in to ABC to watch the network's first ever U.S. broadcast of a European Championship final. And as we know, they were treated to a great match of attacking, honest football.

Of course 3.8 is a fraction of the number who tune in to watch the NFL's championship game, the Superbowl. Click to continue reading...

July 2, 2008

Great Night of Upsets in the US Open Cup!

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For those of you who were able to tune in or even better, show up, at the US Open Cup third round match ups, you were treated to some great football.

Two USL First Division sides, Seattle Sounders and Charleston Battery upset their MLS opponents and, in what is perhaps the upset of the tournament so far, USL Second Division side, Crystal Palace Baltimore knocked the NY Red Bulls out of cup contention. Click to continue reading...

Farewell to Football for Now

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Apologies to all my Major League Soccer fans out there, there is no disrespect intended in the headline. But for all intents and purposes, the final whistle of Euro 2008 ushered in the period of time that I like to call "the Great Silence."

Sure, we will be tracking transfer news, a handful of World Cup qualifying matches, MLS, and football odds and ends, but the next month and a half is intermission for world football. Click to continue reading...

June 30, 2008

US Lamar Hunt Open Cup – Third Round Preview

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Only three USL Second Division teams remain in the US Lamar Hunt Open Cup race as we head in to the third round. Joining the fray are the eight MLS teams who qualified through MLS' play in tournament.

Matches across the United States will take place Tuesday night, July 1st to determine who advances to the quarterfinals the following week. Click to continue reading...

June 27, 2008

Which Celebrities Love Soccer?

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Well, this wouldn't be a proper blog without some "celebrity" stuff now would it? So this is Gruffgoat's first installment of what might become a fun diversion from the normally serious world of football. If tons of celebs start showing up at matches - ahem - then we could turn this in to a weekly sightings post. Click to continue reading...

MLS Players Remind Saragosa that this is No Place for Divers

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If you were able to catch the second half of the Houston Dynamo v. FC Dallas Thursday night (27 June); besides tuning in to a very physical match with both teams playing for keeps, you also may have noticed something else quite interesting.
The Dynamo's favorite Canadian, Dwayne De Rosario, was running across field and was being hounded. Click to continue reading...

June 23, 2008

On Football vs. American Football (gridiron) - Part 1

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I've just come across a news story on Yahoo titled, "Grads in pads: First U.S. national football team prepares for trip to Japan". I've linked to the article for your reading pleasure – I for one, did not even begin to devote my time to it. Good on 'em for trying to export gridiron to different parts of the world, but for crying out loud, we've had a men's national football team since 1885 and played our first sanctioned match against Sweden in 1916. Click to continue reading...

On Soccer in America

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What the people who suggest "soccer will never be popular in the US" are trying to say is, "soccer as a professional spectator sport will never be popular in the US". Near term - probably, long term - maybe, never - unlikely. What most conscious people have known for about a decade or so now is that football is the most popular participation team sport (approx. Click to continue reading...

November 20, 2007

The Seattle Muffin Tops

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David Schmader over at the Stranger's blog, SLOG, gets the "Name our new MLS franchise" ball rolling. For the record, Schmader likes Rat Town Rushers, Emerald City Kick Squad, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Goal-Makers. These are the best from the comments section: Muffin TopsSeattle Portable Meth LabsSeattle Passive AgressivesThe Green River KillersPaul Allen AgonistesPhallic Geoduck Click to continue reading...

November 16, 2007

Adoption Never Sounded So Good

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Aside from Mrs. AC's grocery list for Thanksgiving, this one on how to avoid being a soccer mom is the second best list I've seen this week. My favorite: Rule 4: Use younger siblings as an excuse for avoiding extracurricular events: "No, I can't do Environmental Awareness Day because I'm taking my youngest to the dentist." Stuck with only one child? Click to continue reading...

November 14, 2007

Quote Of The Day

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"My town is a veritable soccer mecca. Each weekend every single man, woman and child can be found at the sports complex where hordes of children seemingly as young as six-months-old try to kick the crap out of the soccer ball as they move up and down the field in one big dust cloud. I don't know this for sure, but I suspect the town council keeps a list of the soccer faithful and duly notes those Click to continue reading...

November 13, 2007

Note To Youth Soccer: Keep An Eye On Your Treasurer

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Mrs. AC would say "only in Florida" at a story like this. But I don't think a treasurer using a company/group as an ATM is particular to the Sunshine State, even though a lot of 'effed up stuff happens there. If this is her mug shot, I'm not really sure what she's smiling about. Soccer Mom Accused Of Stealing League's Cash [WESH.com] -ac Click to continue reading...

October 25, 2007

Umbro Gets Gobbled Up

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As Reebok is to Adidas, Umbro will be to Nike. Eventually squeezed out and marginalized... But all you traditionalists out there need not worry, Brian Bartwick will calm your fears: "We are delighted that the proposed acquisition will allow us to continue our strong historical relationship with Umbro while benefiting from the marketing expertise and financial strength of Nike. Click to continue reading...

Selling A Quality Product

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How Lotto and Eurosport get away with selling this shirt I don't know. For the record, it's Colombia, not Columbia. Look it up. Lotto Colombia T-Shirt [Eurosport] -ac Click to continue reading...

October 18, 2007

Nike Making A Move?

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We could very well be seeing the end of Umbro as we know it. The soccer-only apparel company has seen it's stock hit new heights after it claimed that that it had been approached in a takeover bid. Reuters is backing up Umbro, reporting that Nike is the potential buyer making waves. With Nike and Adidas already controlling huge shares of the soccer market, do we really want to see them Click to continue reading...

Becks Feeling The Love

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Not content with being on a terrorist hit list (allegedly), David Beckham is now one of the most Googled item in Britain, Venezuela, and Mexico. I get the UK, but Venezuela and Mexico? For these three countries in particular, he joins these top searches: NaziHangoverBritney SpearsHomosexual BotoxViagra Kate MossQuite the company you keep Becks. And that's with hardly sniffing the pitch in the Click to continue reading...

October 15, 2007

Promotion And Relegation, But Not In The MLS

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Nate DiMeo fires a shot across the National Hockey League's bow: adopt a soccer style promotion and relegation system. According to DiMeo, copying the EPL is the way to go: You're not just rooting for your own favorite club and watching what happens at the top of the league. You're also watching teams duke it out at the bottom as they fight for survival. Click to continue reading...

October 10, 2007

Rangers Cast-off Gets His Stars

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Congrats to one of BL's favorite characters, chef Gordon Ramsay. His "Gordon Ramsay at the London" restaurant was the only debut entry to be awarded two stars in the 2008 New York Michelin Guide. I guess not making it with Rangers back in the mid-eighties was a blessing in disguise. Gordon Ramsay's NY Restaurant Gets Two Michelin Stars [Bloomberg] My Team: Gordon Ramsay on Rangers [Observer Click to continue reading...

August 29, 2007

Poor, Obscure Tennis Player Hitches His Wagon To Henry (and Tiger)

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Men's tennis world number one, Roger Federer, is hoping that signing up with Nike and Gillette (joining Tierry Henry and Tiger Woods) will broaden his profile here in the U.S. Sure, you might not know much about the guy, but it takes a diagnosis of blindness to have ignored Federer's success the last couple of years. I'm sure that Henry is much too humble to compare his popularity in this Click to continue reading...

Winning Hearts And Minds

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U.S. forces in Afghanistan intended to give the children of Khost province a gift they could enjoy. Instead, they ended up giving them a gift, soccer balls, that some residents in the region found blasphemous. The soccer balls roughly resembled the photo at left, but had flags of the world printed on them, including Saudi Arabia's flag. The Saudi flag bears the shahada, the Muslim declaration of Click to continue reading...
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