The Austin Aztex FC have announced a new partnership with Mexican Primera División (first division) team Club de Fútbol Monterrey. Monterrey is commonly known as Rayados, "the striped ones", due to their blue and white striped kit.

A summary of the alliance between the two clubs:

• Players: Aztex FC will scout Central & Southern Texas for talent for Monterrey, and be a feeder club for them.

Click to continue reading...

I've been seeing a good deal of "USL vs. MLS" talk lately. Stuff like:

• "How does MLS get away with stealing USL's markets?"
• "If MLS is the top level league, why are they getting their butts kicked in the CONCACAF Champions League while USL teams are cruising through?"
• "How did a lowly USL-1 side like Charleston Battery almost knock off powerhouse DC United in the US Open Cup?

Click to continue reading...

The Silverbacks website says "Silverbacks Men Sit Out 2009 Season." But given what a struggle it is to build and keep momentum in the world of pro sports, I bet that this is the end of this USL-1 team in Atlanta. Imagine if they were to try to start back up again in 2010, how many fans they'd have lost, due to this "sitting out" season. Click to continue reading...

The inaugural year of the CONCACAF Champions League continues on, with group-stage play wrapping up today through Thursday.

Focusing on teams from U.S. leagues (MLS and USL-1), we have two games today (Tues. Oct. 28).

First, El Salvador's L.A. Firpo play their first game against the Houston Dynamo (their September match was postponed by Hurricane Ike, and will be played on Nov. Click to continue reading...

The inaugural year of the CONCACAF Champions League continues on, with group-stage play wrapping up today through Thursday.

Focusing on teams from U.S. leagues (MLS and USL-1), we have two games today (Tues. Oct. 28).

First, El Salvador's L.A. Firpo play their first game against the Houston Dynamo (their September match was postponed by Hurricane Ike, and will be played on Nov. Click to continue reading...

The USL-1 championship game between Vancouver Whitecaps and the Puerto Rico Islanders I mentioned in the last post is taking place tonight.

But shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone, we don't want the secret to get out.

At least that's how it seems, since I don't have Fox Soccer Channel, where it's being televised. Click to continue reading...

The USL-1 championship game between Vancouver Whitecaps and the Puerto Rico Islanders I mentioned in the last post is taking place tonight.

But shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone, we don't want the secret to get out.

At least that's how it seems, since I don't have Fox Soccer Channel, where it's being televised. Click to continue reading...

This is a big week for the USL First Division.

First, there are two CONCACAF Champions League games tonight, featuring the two U.S. club teams who are doing best in the tournament so far. Not the MLS teams D.C. United or Houston Dyanamo, but USL-1 sides Montreal Impact and Puerto Rico Islanders. Click to continue reading...

This is a big week for the USL First Division.

First, there are two CONCACAF Champions League games tonight, featuring the two U.S. club teams who are doing best in the tournament so far. Not the MLS teams D.C. United or Houston Dyanamo, but USL-1 sides Montreal Impact and Puerto Rico Islanders. Click to continue reading...

Congratulations to Dallas Burn Alum Matt Jordan for being named to the USL-1 Second Team. Click to continue reading...

Here's an interesting article by Greg Lalas about soccer salaries in the U.S.: "MLS getting what it pays for". Rather than wanting more millions to import marquee players from around the world, he's advocating that MLS teams pay more for "mid-tier players". And according to Lalas, that means MLS would become a better career choice for some of the players currently in the USL. Click to continue reading...

Here's an interesting article by Greg Lalas about soccer salaries in the U.S.: "MLS getting what it pays for". Rather than wanting more millions to import marquee players from around the world, he's advocating that MLS teams pay more for "mid-tier players". And according to Lalas, that means MLS would become a better career choice for some of the players currently in the USL. Click to continue reading...

Watching the Carolina Railhawks playing the Minnesota Thunder Friday night (beating them 2-1), I was struck by a kind of déjà vu when I saw Minnesota's home jerseys. Notice any similarities?

That grainy picture on the left is a screenshot of the USLlive video feed, because oddly enough, I couldn't find photos anywhere on the web of that Thunder jersey. Click to continue reading...

Watching the Carolina Railhawks playing the Minnesota Thunder Friday night (beating them 2-1), I was struck by a kind of déjà vu when I saw Minnesota's home jerseys. Notice any similarities?

That grainy picture on the left is a screenshot of the USLlive video feed, because oddly enough, I couldn't find photos anywhere on the web of that Thunder jersey. Click to continue reading...

Here's a follow-up to my recent post about where one could get one's soccer fix after the Aztex season finished. While I still miss the games out at Dragon Stadium, it's hard to argue there's not enough soccer to keep a fan busy.

• Stoke City - their season is underway, so there are games every weekend.

Click to continue reading...

Here's a follow-up to my recent post about where one could get one's soccer fix after the Aztex season finished. While I still miss the games out at Dragon Stadium, it's hard to argue there's not enough soccer to keep a fan busy.

• Stoke City - their season is underway, so there are games every weekend.

Click to continue reading...

The first excitement, as you've probably seen, was when Jamie Watson signed with FC Dallas. That was just over a week ago, but already he's traveled to Toronto for Dallas' 2-0 win over TFC (though he didn't see minutes in that game). Then this week, he played for the FC Dallas reserve team in a match against Real Salt Lake's reserves. Click to continue reading...

The first excitement, as you've probably seen, was when Jamie Watson signed with FC Dallas. That was just over a week ago, but already he's traveled to Toronto for Dallas' 2-0 win over TFC (though he didn't see minutes in that game). Then this week, he played for the FC Dallas reserve team in a match against Real Salt Lake's reserves. Click to continue reading...

A very entertaining night of soccer in the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Entering the night was five MLS clubs, two USL1 clubs and a lone USL2 club. After it was all said and done two MLS sides prevailed and two USL1 sides upset their big brothers from MLS. Three of [...] Click to continue reading...

Maria Burns Ortiz opens her article on Brad Friedel's soccer academy in suburban Cleveland like this:

"Brad Friedel's Premier Soccer Academy is the kind of program that makes a soccer parent do a double take. The kind of program that is followed up quickly with a 'What's the catch?' The kind of program that Americans have a hard time comprehending, even though clubs like his are relatively commonplace in other parts of the world. Click to continue reading...

I believe that the most interesting thing that happened in the last round of sub-MLS Open Cup play was that the Seattle Sounders knocked out actor Anthony LaPaglia's USASA team, Hollywood United, 6-0. When last we checked in on the US's most-ignored tournament, the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, MLS teams were playing for the two [. Click to continue reading...

The second round of the 2008 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup kicks off tonight in cities around the country. The winners will move on to face the MLS clubs in round three. Second Round Games: Carolina Railhawks v Real Maryland Monarchs Richmond Kickers v Western Mass Pioneers Minnesota Thunder v Cleveland City Stars Pittsburgh Riverhounds v Rochester Rhinos Atlanta Silverbacks [. Click to continue reading...

In yesterday's post on creating a stronger second division as a haven for American talent, I proposed that the MLS reserve teams should play in USL-1 (reserve teams play in the second division in Spain), thus creating a 28-team league.

Here is what such a league would like:

Western Conference

Vancounver Whitecaps
Portland Timbers
USL-1 club replacing the Seattle Sounders
Austin Aztex
Minnesota Thunder
Kansas City Wizards II
L. Click to continue reading...

Our long-running series on player development in the USA continues with the unlikely story of Jorge Flores. He is the 18-year-old Mexican-American who won Univision's "American Idol"-like tryout "Sueño MLS."

As The New York Times writes, Flores "was the most valuable player for his team at Anaheim High and played for a club team in nearby Santa Ana. Click to continue reading...

Watching France labor to a goalless draw against Romania yesterday got me thinking about the debate on player development in the USA. Why?

Franck Ribery, that's why. As recently as the 2003/04 season, he was playing in the French third division and working as a construction worker, and he left Turkish club Galatasaray in 2005 after having gone four months without a paycheck. Click to continue reading...

Toronto FC blanked the Montreal Impact of USL-1 last night, taking an early advantage in the inaugural Canadian Champions League. A Marcelo Velez header was the difference between the two clubs.

For a recap of the match, visit the CBC here. Apparently, Toronto FC played poorly and were lucky to escape with all three points. Click to continue reading...

Yeah, I guess a month or so back when we talked about Seattle's expansion club already signing some of it's USL players to MLS contracts for next year was a little premature. Well sorta at least. Not that we didn't have the right information or anything on it but it appears that the club is finally coming [. Click to continue reading...

If I have one complaint about the USL's goal-of-the-week award, it's that they don't prominently display it on the front page of the USL website. So if you're like me, and couldn't find it right away, click on this link.

The latest GOTWA belongs to Portland's own Takayuki Suzuki - shocker, I know. Click to continue reading...

We saw Jonathan Spector's potential this summer and now he's bringing that well-reinforced confidence back to West Ham United. The fullback unleashed a long range shot that found net in a 2-1 friendly win over Norwich City.

Speaking of West Ham United - anyone catch this partnership between the Hammers and the whole of the United Soccer Leagues? Click to continue reading...