OverLapping Run

A New URL for OverLapping Run

2011-02-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

The New URL for OverLapping Run

http://www.overlappingrun.com/

Please update your links. The new OLR site has a section for MLS attendance geeks. Try it out and let me know if you like it.

Meanwhile, I'll see if I like running a more hands-on blog. If not, I'll be back here.

Enjoy!

An Assortment from the Soccer Buffet

2011-02-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Starter Fun

Special 1 TV: Act of God

MLS

Dave Clark: Terrific Look at Sounders' Roster Battle
Buzz Carrick: Looks at FCD's Roster
Shin Guardian: All Is Not Peachy in the Southeast…
Expansion: Detroit and the Silverdome - I posted about this months ago when I first saw the plan to rip the roof off of the Silverdome. It was such an 'out of the box' idea that I was fascinated, even though I have no clue if it could be done.
J.R. Eskilson: MLS Academies Distance Themselves From The Pack

Video

The Straight Red Card: Play Like FC Barcelona? with Tony Sanneh
The Straight Red Card: Why US Soccer Shouldn't Bother Trying to Become FC Barcelona
Peter Wilt Interview - Part 1

The Business of Soccer

Guardian: Football League Clubs Heading for Precipice, says Chairman Greg Clarke
ESPNSoccernet: Euro Woe Affects Celtic's Finances
Rob Hughes: Money Buys a Lot, but Not Everything, in Soccer
Unprofessional Foul: The FIFA/UEFA Money Train Hits A Crack In The Track
J Hutcherson: Big Games Cost

Interesting Reads

David Hills: Said and Done
Fake Sigi: NASL's Sort of Sanctioning
Bill Archer: NASL's Provisional Sanctioning
Run of Play: Television and the Form of the Soccer Match
Jason Davis: Portland Challenges The Sounders' Way
Soccer By The Numbers: The Goal Value of Corners: Zero

Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League
Copa Libertadores: Cerro smash five past Colo Colo
UEFA: Champions League
UEFA: Europa League
US Open Cup Structure and Schedule

Pics from Crew v Dynamo Preseason Scrimmage

2011-02-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Pics from Crew v Dynamo Preseason Scrimmage

Pics from Rapids Reserves v US U-18's

2011-02-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

Pics from Rapids Reserves v US U-18's

Pics from Sporting KC v Dynamo Preseason Scrimmage

2011-02-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Pics from Sporting KC v Dynamo Preseason Scrimmage

Developing Players

2011-02-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

USA and the Young Ones

L.E. Eisenmenger: The future of U.S. soccer development in 2011: 20 interviews with top U.S. coaches and executives
Randy Davis: RSL push the envelope with residency program
Kyle McCarthy: Academy Programs Increasingly Influence SuperDraft Pool
Jason Davis: Shuffling the Cards From College to Pro
Dallas Cup: Four MLS Academy Teams Will Be Tested at Prestigious Tourney
A Year Ago: J.R. Eskilson looks at the flaws of the academy system in the USA

MLS

Rob Morse: MLS 101: Allocation and Discovery

England and the Young Ones

Rules Change Effects: Football League Warns That Up to 40 Clubs Could Scrap Youth Schemes

A Little of This and That

2011-02-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Starter Fun

Special 1 TV: Just Like That

MLS

Sounder at Heart: A Case for the Supporters Shield
Philadelphia: The Other Supporters Groups - Beyond the Sons of Ben
On Football: The Missing Revenue Stream for MLS
3rd Degree: So after reading the CONCACAF Club Ratings for 2001-2010 and the reference to MLS dynasties, I thought I put together a simple table to assuage my curiosity and this is what I found. Note that my table runs for 11 years, since the end of the shoot-out era. I also don't take into account who won Supporters' Shields, MLS Cups, etc, just who earned the highest percentage of points available.

Points Earned Percentage 2000-2010
	Pts	Pts Avail	Pts %	Seasons
Miami	94	174	54.02%	2
Seattle	95	180	52.78%	2
SJ/HOU	502	990	50.71%	11
Chicago	496	993	49.95%	11
Los Angeles	485	990	48.99%	11
Columbus	472	990	47.68%	11
New England	462	993	46.53%	11
Kansas City	457	993	46.02%	11
Metrostars/RedBull	453	990	45.76%	11
Dallas	452	990	45.66%	11
Colorado	435	990	43.94%	11
D.C. United	432	990	43.64%	11
Chivas USA	230	552	41.67%	6
San Jose	109	270	40.37%	3
Real Salt Lake	222	552	40.22%	6
Tampa Bay	66	177	37.29%	2
Toronto FC	134	360	37.22%	4
Philadelphia	31	90	34.44%	1

The Business of Soccer

Paul Wilson: January Madness is Making Football Sleazier
Seth Vertelney: On Illegal Soccer Streams, Legal Alternatives, And Market Inefficiencies
Guardian: A Good Agent is the Stuff Dreams are Made Of

More Interesting Stuff

CONCACAF: Trinidad Football’s Anonymous Victims - Behind the Iron Curtain of Warner’s World
In Person: I'm a romantic, says Xavi, heartbeat of Barcelona and Spain

Pics from Sporting KC v Rapids Preseason Scrimmage

2011-02-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

Pics from Sporting KC v Rapids Preseason Scrimmage

On Cascadia, MLS Playoffs and other things

2011-02-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

I read a pretty well written piece today by Stanley Holmes on SportsPress Northwest calling for an increase in the MLS salary cap. As much as I agree with the article, I must say that this is a moot point at this time. The league is in just the 2nd year of the 5 year Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA) and the cap has been set. This would have been a timely piece last year as the negotiations were going on but now it's just old hat stuff.

I find that this is just the latest in a group of articles, posts, tweets, etc about this and other issues coming out of the northwest. Now I don't know Mr. Holmes. I don't know how long he has been following MLS and its issues, but I do find it amusing how the fans in the northwest are acting as if they have discovered something new about MLS. I find it particulary interesting how some Sounders fans are complaining about supporting other MLS clubs via revenue sharing. Don't get me wrong. I think the Cascadia teams are great for MLS. I don't think anyone suspected how successful the Seattle club would be. After all, they were drawing middle of the road numbers while in USL-1. But suddenly I see posts, etc. where Sounders fans think they deserve every consideration, every MLS Cup, All-Star game and the cookies in the cookie jar.

To the great fans in the Northwest I say this... Enjoy your teams and learn your MLS history. The game will change, but slowly. Salary caps will increase and I suspect single entity will end at some time, but not anytime soon. Understand that having the highest attendance gains you the admiration of many, myself included, but does not grant extra privileges.

==========================================

I also read Brian Strauss' latest on the MLS schedule and playoffs. One thing I take exception to is the theme that the playoff structure makes the regular season nearly irrelevant and lacking a compelling element on a game by game basis. Can it be said that it's any different in the 'Big Four' US pro leagues? By the 2/3 point in the season, there are a few teams that are near locks to make the playoffs, a few that are a near longshot to make the playoffs and a group in the middle that is competing to get to the big dance. Why is their regular season anymore or less compelling than MLS?

I find it a bit ingenuous to call the MLS playoffs abbreviated such that they don't "determine a champion in a manner that captivates fans".What's so different from the other major sports playoffs? It's win or go home whether it be via a series or one off games as in the NFL and MLS Cup. So what makes the other championships more compelling? Fan interest. Plain and simple. Those of us who view soccer as our #1 sporting interest would love for MLS Cup to be surrounded by the same fanfare as the Stanley Cup or the World Series, but there simply aren't enough fans to make it so. The short shrift given the sport by ESPN in particular, as Brian points out, is a critical missing element in building the interest in the game. That may be a shallow method, rather than garnering fans via a direct interest in the beautiful game, but let's face it, if ESPN bombards its viewers with a buildup for MLS games and playoffs as it does for the other sports, people will wonder what it's all about, take notice and some will tune in. The structure of the season and the playoffs is a non-factor in the 'compelling' nature of the championship.

==========================================
Speaking of Playoffs

The first number represents the seeding within the teams' conference. The second number is the overall seed based on win total. In the case of the NHL and MLS I used point totals. And for MLS I used just the overall seeding irrespective of conference.

	NFL		NBA		NHL		MLB		MLS
	Playoffs		Playoffs		Playoffs		Playoffs		Playoffs
01-02	A2(4)	N1(1)	E1(3)	W3(2)	E7(16)	W1(1)	A4(4)	N4(7)	1	5
02-03	A1(2)	N2(1)	E2(8)	W1(1)	E2(5)	W7(10)	A1(1)	N3(8)	1	2
03-04	A1(1)	N3(4)	E3(6)	W2(4)	E1(2)	W6(12)	A4(3)	N1(1)	4	1
04-05	A2(2)	N1(3)	E2(5)	W2(3)	lockout		A1(2)	N4(8)	8	2
05-06	A6(4)	N1(2)	E2(5)	W4(3)	E2(3)	W8(13)	A4(4)	N3(13)	5	3
06-07	A3(4)	N1(2)	E2(7)	W3(3)	E4(7)	W2(3)	A1(1)	N1(6)	3	4
07-08	A1(1)	N5(4)	E1(1)	W1(3)	E2(4)	W1(1)	A2(2)	N2(5)	1	8
08-09	A2(2)	N4(5)	E3(4)	W1(2)	E4(8)	W2(3)	A1(1)	N2(5)	8	2
09-10	A1(1)	N1(2)	E4(9)	W1(3)	E7(15)	W2(3)	A3(8)	N2(5)	7	4

What does this table say? For the 9 year period in the table, out of 44 championships, the overall #1 seed won 11 times(25%). The #1 MLS seed won 33% of the titles. The overall #1 played #2 3 times. The conference #1 seeds have met 3 times(1 time in MLS).

The conference system has inherent problems for sports purists. It is almost inevitable that deserving teams will be locked out of the playoffs. For example in the most recent NFL championship, 5 teams had more wins than playoff participant Seattle. In fact, the MLS system used for the past two years makes it nearly impossible for that to happen. We'll have to wait and see what system the league has in mind for 2011. Hopefully, it will be such that the top 10 will make it in. I have a hard time envisioning a system that would prevent that.

As for the whining that permeated the blogosphere this year over western teams in the eastern championships, the solution is simple. Rename the conferences without a geographical reference. What a specious bit of outrage. I do, however, agree that the playoffs should be seed based, regardless of conference. That would be a problem for the 'Don' as he really likes the idea of a conference champion via a playoff. Too bad. The team that finishes first in the regular season is the conference champion. Of course with a balanced schedule, it's pretty meaningless but what the hell, give them a cup.

Oh yeah, I disagree with the league expanding the playoffs to 10 teams. Dumb.

Feb 9 News and Stuff

2011-02-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

MLS

Brian Quarstad: Should Major League Soccer Look to Lower Leagues for an MLS Cup Solution?
Strategy in Philly: New Season Calls for New Midfield Roles
Sporting KC: Aiming for MLS Cup

The Business of Soccer

Other Stuff

MatchFit USA: RCASC Guidelines for watching Premiership Football
Strategy: Is three at the back the way forward for Liverpool?
David Hills: Said and Done
J Hutcherson: What The Premier League Wants
Strategy: When Should a Soccer Manager Insert His Subs?

Pics from Vancouver vs Columbus Crew Preseason Scrimmage

2011-02-08T21:29:00.001-07:00

Pics from Vancouver vs Columbus Crew Preseason Scrimmage

Sunday Post

2011-02-07T00:21:00.002-07:00

Starter Fun

Special 1 TV: The Deadline Day Aftermath

MLS

Adidas Rules: Adidas and MLS Expansion
RSL-AZ: “The Jewel Of The Youth Development System”
Preseason in Arizona -Check the full thread for changing information
Matthew Doyle: Evolving MF Roles Defy Definition

The Business of Soccer

EPL: Chelsea Wages Soar
EPL: Record Premier League Spending

Tournaments

Copa Libertadores: More Teams Advance to Group Phase

UEFA Top Leagues

	GP	W	D	L	GD	Pts
EPL
Manchester Utd	25	15	9	1	31	54
Arsenal	25	15	5	5	27	50
Manchester City	26	14	7	5	20	49
Chelsea	25	13	5	7	24	44
Tottenham	25	12	8	5	8	44
Liverpool	26	11	5	10	3	38
Bundesliga
Dortmund	21	16	3	2	34	51
Bayer Leverkusen	21	11	6	4	11	39
Mainz	21	12	1	8	10	37
Hannover 96	21	12	1	8	-1	37
Bayern Munich	21	10	6	5	16	36
SC Freiburg	21	10	4	7	1	34
Ligue 1
Lille	22	11	9	2	18	42
PSG	22	10	7	5	10	37
Rennes	22	10	7	5	7	37
Marseille	22	9	9	4	12	36
St Etienne	22	9	8	5	7	35
Lyon	22	9	8	5	7	35
Serie A
AC Milan	24	14	7	3	21	49
Napoli	24	14	4	6	16	46
Inter	24	13	5	5	17	44
Lazio	24	12	6	6	8	42
Palermo	24	12	4	8	11	40
Udinese	24	12	4	8	9	40
La Liga
Barcelona	22	20	1	1	59	61
Real Madrid	22	17	3	2	33	54
Villareal	22	14	3	5	19	45
Valencia	22	13	5	4	12	44
Athletic Bilbao	22	12	2	8	6	38
Espanyol	22	12	1	9	0	37

Pics from Sporting KC vs Columbus Crew Preseason Scrimmage

2011-02-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

Pics from Sporting KC vs Columbus preseason scrimmage

Thursday Post

2011-02-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

MLS

Roster Rules: Official 2011 Roster Rules

The Business of Soccer

EPL: Liverpool's moves through Moneyball eyes
David Conn: Financial restraint goes out of the window when the big clubs struggle
David Conn: Football Can't Kick its Spending Habit

In Case You Haven't Been Following ...

NASL: NASL Releases Press Statement Concerning US Soccer’s Decision to Decline Sanctioning
NASL: US Soccer Says “Financial Requirements” Main Reason for Denial of Sanctioning of NASL
Jason Davis on NASL: NASL Takes Sanctioning Blow
Robert Hay on NASL: NASL Loses Club and Sanction
Fake Sigi on NASL: The USSF Sanction Reaper
Meanwhile: USL-PRO Releases Playoff Format, Zings NASL
Don Loney: North America's Superfluous League

Tournaments

Copa Libertadores: Estudiantes Advance to Group Phase
Copa Libertadores: Corinthians suffer shock exit to Tolima

UEFA Top Leagues

	GP	W	D	L	GD	Pts
EPL
Manchester Utd	24	15	9	0	32	54
Arsenal	24	15	4	5	27	49
Manchester City	25	13	7	5	17	46
Chelsea	24	13	5	6	25	44
Tottenham	24	11	8	5	6	41
Sunderland	25	9	10	6	2	37
Bundesliga
Dortmund	20	16	2	2	34	50
Bayer Leverkusen	20	11	6	3	12	39
Bayern Munich	20	10	6	4	17	36
Mainz	20	12	0	8	10	36
Hannover 96	20	11	1	8	-2	34
SC Freiburg	20	10	3	7	1	33
Ligue 1
Lille	21	11	8	2	18	41
PSG	21	10	7	4	11	37
Lyon	21	9	7	5	7	34
Rennes	21	9	7	5	6	34
Marseille	21	8	9	4	11	33
Montpellier	21	9	6	6	-2	33
Serie A
AC Milan	23	14	6	3	21	48
Napoli	22	13	4	5	16	43
Lazio	23	12	5	6	8	41
AS Roma	22	11	6	5	7	39
Inter	21	11	5	5	12	38
Palermo	23	11	4	8	9	37
La Liga
Barcelona	21	19	1	1	56	58
Real Madrid	21	16	3	2	30	51
Villareal	21	14	3	4	20	45
Valencia	21	12	5	4	10	41
Espanyol	21	12	1	8	1	37
Athletic Bilbao	21	11	2	8	3	35

Playing Catch-Up

2011-01-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

Been entertaining out of town guest, so no posts for a while. this is a bit of catch-up that caught my attention.

Starter Fun

Special1 TV: Voyeurs Pulp Fiction & Arry's Bargain Bin
Special1 TV: Sven Sacked!

MLS

Roster Rules: Official 2011 Roster Rules
Simon Borg: About the Official 2011 Roster Rules
Realignment: Houston Moves East for 2011
Steve Davis: Making the Case for Goalkeeper DP's
Clemente Lisi: Anschutz And American Soccer

The Business of Soccer

Bundesliga: Bundesliga posts loss despite record turnover
Fake Sigi: Soccer United Marketing revenue around $100 million annually

Miscellaneous Stuff

Sons of Ben: Sons of Ben Featured in GQ UK
Jason Davis' follow up on Sons of Ben: American Supporter Culture or, Let's All Pretend
Steve Davis: U.S. talent pool suits a 4-2-3-1
Tweed Thornton: New York Cosmos: Why MLS may not be the endgame
Fun read from the Run of Play: On Hypocrisy and Football Being Ruined
David Hills: Said and Done
J.R. Eskilson: The Map Of The Development Academy
Slate: The Trouble with Soccer's Statistical Revolution
Asian Cup: Behind Japan's Soccer Cup Victory, Italian Tactics

Not Your Newbies Links

2011-01-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

Starter Fun

Special1 TV: King Kenny(Dalglish) Exclusive
The latest episode of Special1 TV: Free Robbie Edition

MLS

Steve Davis: Making the Case for Goalkeeper DP's
Shin Guardian: 'Building' Players in the USA - Follow Garber or Wenger

Not in the Mainstream

Soccer Business

David Conn: Soccer Transfers ... Who gets what
Europe's Financial Fair Play: Chelsea cautious as financial fair play looms

MLS Draft, Non-Mainstream

2011-01-16T23:54:00.001-07:00

Starter Fun

The latest episode of Special1 TV: King Kenny(Dalgleish) Exclusive

MLS

Steve Davis: Surprises at the MLS Draft
Drew Epperly: Grading the MLS Draft
Tweed Thornton: Gathering Assessments of the MLS Draft

Not in the Mainstream

Sid Lowe on La Liga: Real Madrid and Barcelona unchallenged at top - New TV Deal Ensures Status Quo
Club Business in Europe: Key Fact and Figures as new UEFA Rules Loom
Asian Cup
David Hills: Said and Done - I recommended this column before
Gold Cup Qualification: Costa Rica and El Salvador Qualify

Staying out of the Mainstream - Links

2011-01-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Starter Fun

The latest episode of Special1 TV: Mid Table Madness

Not in the Mainstream

Jonathan Wilson on Energy Cost of Playing on Artificial Turf
Intercontinental Club Football Calendar for 2011 - with link to 2011 National Team International Tournament calendar
A working life: The football groundsman
Rob Hughes: In Soccer, Making It Look Easy Was Never So Hard
Brian Quarsted: San Antonio: One Team, Two Teams, or No Teams? NASL or USL?
Steve Davis: The high school soccer debate, and where we get it wrong

Some non mainstream story links

2010-12-31T07:26:00.002-07:00

Starter Fun

The latest episode of Special1 TV: The Santa Show

Not in the Mainstream

Jonathan Wilson on 2010 Tactics
A Clásico in Egypt
Robert Jonas: Blatterpocalypse Now
Video: 2010 World Cup Skills on Display
EPL: Money still rules but Premier League in danger of becoming democratic
Italian Security: An Oxymoron
Youth Development in England: Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3
Winning vs Soccer Development: Part 1 - Part 2
Brian Quarsted presents Lisa Eisenmenger's interview with player agent Mike Wheeler where he explains 3rd party contracts in MLS, NASL and USL: Brian's intro and links to the interviews
MLS and Television: Part 1 - The beginning of a four part series on the state of MLS and television. I am looking forward to the rest of this series. It's apparent to me that the further growth of the MLS, in terms of quality on the pitch, depends on the increase in television revenue. Game day receipts can only bring in so much money, and it's more money that will lead to increases in salaries. That will enable the league to both keep more good American players from going overseas and attract good young foreign talent.

A Visual Post

2010-12-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Some Video

The latest episodes of Special1 TV: This one, and The Christmas show.
Lots of folks are saying Ronaldinho is past his prime, parties too much and is but a shadow of his old self. I think he still produces, albeit not as spectacularly as in his younger days, but the guy is only 30. With all the chatter about his possibly coming to MLS, I say the sooner the better: A Taste of Ronaldinho
Have a Raul hat trick
And how about this display of support for a U-12 playing five a side.

US Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase - Best Pics Part 2

2010-12-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

And here is the 2nd(and last) post of my best pics from the 2010 Winter Showcase.

Revs

Fire

Galaxy v South Carolina United

Galaxy v South Carolina United

Galaxy v South Carolina United

Galaxy v South Carolina United

Andromeda v Crossfire

Andromeda v Crossfire

Chivas USA v FC Dallas

Chivas USA v FC Dallas

Chivas USA v FC Dallas

RSL

US Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase - Best Pics Part 1

2010-12-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

The first of two posts with my best pics from the 2010 Winter Showcase.

Brasil v Turkey

Korea v Turkey

Korea v Turkey

RSL

Columbus

U18 Select Goalie Save

U18 Select Action

Goalie Save

Brasil v Korea

Brasil v Turkey

Colorado

Fire v FC Delco

Revs v Sporting KC

Back to Regular Programming

2010-12-12T17:28:00.001-07:00

I hope you enjoyed the pictures from the US Development Academy Winter Showcase. I'll probably do one more post with the best of the pics(IMO).
For now, though, back to regular programming, linking to stories that are not quite mainstream, at least in the US, along with a few of my own opinions about events in the world of soccer.

Starter Fun

The latest episodes of Special1 TV: This one, and this one.

MLS

Steve Davis on MLS Cup Winning Tactics: Beauty of British game
For all the uproar over season ticket prices in Toronto, 2011 season tickets have sold out.
Robert Jonas: Fortune and Fame in a Salary Cap World

Tournaments

FIFA Club World Cup: CONCACAF bows out early again
Digicell Cup: Jamaica Takes Title

On Development in the US

Not sure what I make of this, but I'll offer it anyway: Winning vs Development: Really? That’s the problem?
How The Development Academy Changed College Soccer

Around the World

With a nod to our(US) recently completed youth Academy Showcase: The Barcelona Way
David Hills with his always great read: Said and Done

The Business of Soccer

On the Barça decision to accept Qatar based sponsorship money, and a lot of it: Barcelona Football is a Business

US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics - RSL-AZ Edition

2010-12-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

Being from Arizona, I'm going to be a homer and present an RSL-AZ only edition of pics from the recently completed US Development Academy Winter Showcase.

US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

2010-12-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

On the last day of the Winter Showcase ChivasUSA and FC Dallas Academy teams played. Here are pics from the U-18 clash.

MLS Academies at the US Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase

2010-12-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Travis Clark has reported on the MLS Academy teams' overall records at the Academy Winter Showcase in Phoenix.

Against non MLS Academy teams, here is how MLS fared.

U-15/16's - 14 wins 9 draws 10 losses
U-17/18's - 19 wins 5 draws 9 losses

20 non MLS academy teams at the Showcase were ranked in the top 30 by Soccer America.

US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

2010-12-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

This post has some pics of the San Jose Earthquakes, Andromeda v Crossfire and a few miscellaneous shots.

Some Quakes Pics

Andromeda v Crossfire

Some Miscellaneous Pics

Even More US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

2010-12-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

This post images feature the Sounders, the Wizards(aka Sporting KC) and the Revolution. More on the way tomorrow.

Sounders U18's v Virginia Rush Auxerre

Sporting KC U18's v New England Revolution

More US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

2010-12-07T09:01:00.001-07:00

And some more pics from the USSDA Winter Showcase

Rapids v South Central Premier

RBNY v Indiana United

US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

2010-12-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics from the US Development Academy Winter Showcase. These are of the Galaxy U18's v South Carolina Utd and the Fire U18's v FC Delco.

Galaxy Pics

Fire Pics

Nike Int'l and US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

2010-12-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

More pics from Phoenix on the last day of Nike Internationals. Two more days remain for the US Development Academy Winter Showcase. I expect to have more pics for you of some of the academy teams I've yet to cover.

Revs

South Carolina United

Turkey Celebrates its Victory

Turkey v USA crowd

Turkey v USA

Academies watching the Internationals

Chivas USA

Brasil v Korea

Revs

Dallas Texans

FC Dallas v San Jose

San Jose

De Anza Force

Houston Dynamo U-16's

Houston Dynamo v Cosmos West

RSL-AZ U-16's watching the U-18's

RSL-AZ v Dallas Texans

Revs

US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

2010-12-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

Some random picks from this terrific event in Phoenix.

Nike Int'l and US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

2010-12-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics from the Nike International/US Development Academy Winter Showcase. Unfortunately my dinky camera couldn't capture any action shots of the Brasil/USA match as it was too dark.

RSL-AZ.

The scene at the Brasil/USA match.

The crowd at the Brasil/USA match.

Another crowd shot at the Brasil/USA match.

Youth team from Charlotte at the Brasil/USA match.

Cosmos youth at the Brasil/USA match.

DC United.

Pics of Korea v Turkey.

Kids from RBNY.

Claudio Reyna.

Pics from the Nike Internationals in Phoenix

2010-12-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from Wednesday's Nike Internationals, featuring Brasil v Turkey and S Korea v USA. There was a great turnout, multiple times more fans than attended last year's non USA v Brasil matches. I expect more of the same as the US Development Academy Winter Showcase gets underway on Friday and the U-17 Nike Internationals continue. If you are anywhere in the area, come on over to Reach 11 in North Phoenix and see the stars of the future.

MLS Playoffs, Other Tourneys

2010-11-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

MLS

MLS Cup: Colorado Rapids win MLS Cup After Extra Time
MLS Cup Playoffs: Five Year Attendance Report
Grant Wahl: Five Thoughts from the Cup Final

Tournaments

Copa Sudamericana: LDU defeats Independiente in Semi 1st leg
Mexican Liguilla: Pumas, America advance in Liguilla, Cruz Azul out
Mexican Liguilla: Monterrey advance in Liguilla, Pachuca out
Mexican Liguilla: Santos advance in Liguilla, will play America

The Business of Soccer

LA Down Under: Beckham still brings in the bucks

MLS Player Moves and More

2010-11-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Special 1 TV - Latest Episode

MLS

Danny Allsop bids adieu to DC United
Rev sign first Home Grown player, 16 yr old M/F Diego Fagundez
Vancouver: Whitecaps make US Int'l Demerit 1st signing
Philadelphia: Union's Unique Academy Structure
Generation Adidas Graduates after 2010
Match Fit USA's new playoff suggestion
Brian Straus's new playoff suggestion

Interesting Reads

MLS Ignores US Soccer History

Tournaments

Copa Sudamericana: LDU defeats Independiente in Semi 1st leg
Mexican Liguilla: 2 draws in Mexican playoffs

MLS Tactics, La Liga TV Money, Player Stories, MLS Draft Info

2010-11-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

MLS

San Jose: How the Quakes Beat RBNY
Rapids: How the Rapids Exploit Weakness
Dallas: FCD Uses Harris to Befuddle Galaxy
Locker room leadership; how it counts in MLS playoffs
MLS Drafts Explained for a British Audience
Timeline for Drafts(excluding SuperDraft)
Jason Davis: On Ending Restrictions on Academy Signings
Steve Davis: Cup Final Preview
Jeff Carlisle: Cup Final Preview

Interesting Reads

Kyle Martino: "Can you Play", Don't Ask the Athlete
Gale Agbossoumonde: Regrets signing with Traffic
The Run of Play: On talent and using it
Jacob Steinberg: A terrific read about Jose Antonio Reyes

Around the World

Brasileirao: 3 way race for Campeonato with 3 left to play

The Business of Soccer

La Liga: TV Rights Deal Threatens Split

Tourneys and more

2010-11-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

MLS

MLS Cup Semifinal: Rapids in Cup Final
MLS Cup Semifinal: Dallas surprises LA to gain Cup Final berth

Tournaments

Asian Champions League: Seongnam(Korea Republic) seal ACL glory
FIFA Club World Cup: The field is set

FIFA Club World Cup Bracket
Qualifier				Semifinals
Al-Wahda(UAE)	>>>		>>>
Hekari Utd(Oceania)	>>>	Seongnam(Asia)	>>>	Internazionale(UEFA)

		Mazembe(Africa)	>>>
		Pachuca(CONCACAF)	>>>	Internacional(COMNEBOL)
Dec 8-18 in Abu Dhabi

Interesting Reads

Fullback Tactics: Out Wide Or In The Box? -Don't know if it would work, but would like to see some team try it.

Make Believe 2014 USMNT World Cup Roster

2010-11-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the weekend MLS playoff games. The announcement of the roster for the upcoming USMNT friendly in South Africa got me to dreaming a bit. So here is my make believe roster of outfielders for the 2014 US Men's World Cup team.

Forwards: Altidore, Agudelo, Bunbury
also in consideration: Wondolowski, Braun

Midfielders: Bradley, Edu, Dempsey, Donovan, Diskerud, Holden, Torres, Bedoya, Shea, Jones
also in consideration: Pontius, Cameron, Feilhaber, Cruz, Convey

Defenders: Gonzalez, Ream, Agbossoumonde, Lichaj, Bornstein, Goodson, Opara
also in consideration: Pearce, Orozco-Fiscal, Wynne, Parkhurst, Siriboe, Spector

Just having some fun.

A Bit of This and That

2010-11-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

MLS

Tactics: San Jose/Colorado
Tactics: Los Angeles/Dallas
Jeff Carlisle: Los Angeles/Dallas
Combine: Pre Draft Combine details
Renewal: 1st Re-Entry Draft details
FC Dallas: Open letter to Dallas Media - Cover Us!

Interesting Reads

Richard Farley: Different Standards For Good Football

Tournaments

Asian Champions League: Iranian team looks for upset
Copa Sudamericana : Defending Champions Liga Deportiva Universitaria(LDU) in Semis
Copa Sudamericana : Independiente, Goias in Semis
Copa América 2011: Copa América groups are drawn

The Business of Soccer

Tottenham loses money despite revenue increase
EPL: Bolton chief calls for salary cap
Rostering an International Doesn’t Pay - Good article, ignore the ignorant comments
Serie A: Players set Nov 30 strike date

MLS Player Scoring

2010-11-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Hanging around waiting for the MLS semifinals, I cobbled together the following lists of player scoring performances for the 2010 season. It's a simple metric with goals counting for 2 points and assists counting for 1 point, then calculating points per 90 minutes. I picked the 700 minute minimum because it allowed for the inclusion of players that signed mid-season. For the rookies, I picked 600 minutes minimum because no rookie was in the 500-600 range.

Take what you want from the information. For me, a few things... Danny Mwanga is the only rookie in the overall top 20. That just reinforces the argument that he deserved the Rookie of the Year award over Andy Najar(at least from the offensive viewpoint).

No rookies were in the top 20 last year. Nine players, however are repeaters from 2009. They are: Angel, Casey, Ching, Cummings, Cunningham, DeRosario, Donovan, Montero and Wondolowski.

Players with 700 minutes minimum - Top 20
Team	Player	Minutes	Goals	Assists	Points	Pts per 90
LA	Edson Buddle	2,109	17	2	36	1.536
SJ	Chris Wondolowski	2,308	18	1	37	1.443
DAL	Jeffrey Cunningham	1,464	11	1	23	1.414
PHI	Sebastian Le Toux	2,520	14	11	39	1.393
TFC	Dwayne DeRosario	2,226	15	3	33	1.334
RSL	Alvaro Saborio	1,988	12	4	28	1.268
LA	Landon Donovan	2,141	7	16	30	1.261
COL	Conor Casey	2,289	13	6	32	1.258
DAL	Milton Rodriguez	835	5	1	11	1.186
CLB	Emilio Renteria	857	5	1	11	1.155
SEA	Fredy Montero	2,353	10	10	30	1.147
COL	Omar Cummings	2,471	14	3	31	1.129
PHI	Danny Mwanga	1,461	7	4	18	1.109
HOU	Brian Ching	1,425	7	3	17	1.074
NY	Juan Pablo Angel	2,593	13	4	30	1.041
SEA	Steve Zakuani	2,285	10	6	26	1.024
KC	Kei Kamara	2,418	10	6	26	0.968
DAL	David Ferreira	2,699	8	13	29	0.967
SEA	Blaise Nkufo	931	5	0	10	0.967
LA	Jovan Kirovski	932	4	2	10	0.966
2 points per goal, 1 per assist

Rookies with 600 minutes minimum
Team	Player	Minutes	Goals	Assists	Points	Pts per 90
PHL	Danny Mwanga	1,461	7	4	18	1.109
KC	Teal Bunbury	1,441	5	2	12	0.749
NE	Zack Schilawski	1,261	5	0	10	0.714
DAL	Eric Alexander	1,054	2	3	7	0.598
SJ	Ike Opara	914	3	0	6	0.591
DC	Andy Najar	1,983	5	1	11	0.499
LA	Michael Stephens	1,884	1	8	10	0.478
CHV	Blair Gavin	1,369	3	1	7	0.460
SJ	Steven Beitashour	640	1	0	2	0.281
CHI	Steven Kinney	963	1	1	3	0.280
NY	Tony Tchani	1,610	1	3	5	0.280
CLB	Shaun Francis	993	0	1	1	0.091
2 points per goal, 1 per assist

Designated Players
Team	Player	Minutes	Goals	Assists	Points	Pts per 90
LA	Landon Donovan	2,141	7	16	30	1.261
NY	Juan Pablo Angel	2,593	13	4	30	1.041
SEA	Blaise Nkufo	931	5	0	10	0.967
LA	David Beckham	466	2	1	5	0.966
SEA	Alvaro Fernandez	475	2	1	5	0.947
NY	Thierry Henry	859	2	3	7	0.733
SJ	Geovanni	777	1	3	5	0.579
CHI	Fredrik Ljungberg	2,432	2	10	14	0.518
NY	Rafael Marquez	783	1	1	3	0.345
TFC	Mista Martinez	544	0	1	1	0.165
TFC	Julian de Guzman	2,014	0	2	2	0.089
CHI	Nery Castillo	487	0	0	0	0.000
2 points per goal, 1 per assist

MLS - Playing with Numbers

2010-11-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

MLS

Wondo really was a sniper this year. Over half his shots were on goal and half of his shots on goal went in.

PLAYER	TEAM	GP	SHOTS	SOG	SOG %	GOALS	G/SHOTS	G/SOG
Chris Wondolowski	SJ	28	68	36	52.94%	18	26.47%	50.00%
Conor Casey	COL	27	69	28	40.58%	13	18.84%	46.43%
Dwayne De Rosario	TOR	27	72	36	50.00%	15	20.83%	41.67%
Edson Buddle	LA	25	96	43	44.79%	17	17.71%	39.53%
Omar Cummings	COL	29	76	37	48.68%	14	18.42%	37.84%
Juan Pablo Angel	NY	30	98	40	40.82%	13	13.27%	32.50%
Kei Kamara	KC	29	91	33	36.26%	10	10.99%	30.30%
Fredy Montero	SEA	29	91	34	37.36%	10	10.99%	29.41%
Sebastien Le Toux	PHI	28	90	48	53.33%	14	15.56%	29.17%
G/SHOTS=Goals % on Shots Taken --- G/SOG=Goals % of Shots on Goal

DC United, FC Dallas, Houston, New England, Philadelphia, Seattle and Toronto are the teams that lost more than once when scoring the first goal.

Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake are the only teams not to have won when surrendering the first goal.

DC United and Houston lost more than once when leading at the half. Los Angeles led at the half 15 times. Chivas USA led at the half just 4 times.

Houston, Philadelphia and Toronto won more than once when trailing at the half. Philadelphia trailed at the half 12 times. FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake trailed at the half just 4 times.

There was no 'World Cup' boost in attendance as these numbers demonstrate.

	pre cup		during cup		pre/during	thru cup		after cup		thru/after	overall
	GP	Avg	GP	Avg	+/-	GP	Avg	GP	Avg	+/-	GP	Avg
1998	82	14,894	23	15,827	6.27%	105	15,098	87	13,363	-11.49%	192	14,312
2002	45	16,483	25	13,011	-21.06%	70	15,243	70	16,398	7.58%	140	15,821
2006	60	16,057	40	13,198	-17.81%	100	14,914	92	16,142	8.24%	192	15,502
2010	93	16,472	24	17,227	4.58%	117	16,627	123	16,721	0.56%	240	16,675

MLS 2010 Statistics

Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results
UEFA: Champions League
UEFA: Europa League
Digicel Caribbean Cup
Copa Sudamerica
USWNT: US Women continue World Cup qualifying run

Monday

2010-10-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

MLS

MLS playoffs
MLS playoff attendance report
Steve Davis: MLS playoffs and injuries

More MLS

Brian Straus: MLS playoff fix - very interesting
Winning percentage: 3 teams won 15 or more games in 2010, the first time since '07. Think that's a low percentage of teams winning 50% of its games? Think again. In '09-10, only 4 of 20 teams won half their games in the EPL, Serie A and La Liga. The Bundesliga produced only 3 teams(of 18) that did the deed. Ligue 1(20 teams) is the exception with 6 teams winning at least half it's games.

Interesting Reads

Adam Spangler: the Cosmos Interviews - Part 1 - the Cosmos Interviews - Part 2
Richard Whittall: Football, Blogs, and Newspapers Unite? Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six
Women's Pro Soccer: Two more teams fold. Marta is a free agent now.

Tournaments

USSF D2: Puerto Rico wins USSF Division 2 Title
USWNT: US Women continue World Cup qualifying run
CAF: Orange CAF Champions League(Africa) - T.P. Mazembe vs E.S.T. in final

MLS Playoff Preview edition

2010-10-28T10:21:00.002-07:00

MLS Playoff Previews

Kyle McCarthy: MLS playoff preview
World Soccer Reader: RBNY/San Jose preview from Ray Curren
World Soccer Reader: RSL/FC Dallas preview from Ray Curren
Jeff Carlisle: RSL/FC Dallas preview
WV Hooligan: MLS playoff preview
Steve Davis: MLS playoff preview
Avi Creditor: Columbus/Colorado playoff preview
SBNation: East playoff preview
Kyle McCarthy: MLS playoff preview
Chris Reiko: MLS playoff preview
Goal.com: Editor's roundtable playoff preview
Podcast: West playoff preview from MLS Talk
Podcast: East playoff preview from MLS Talk

More MLS

Brian Straus: MLS playoff fix - very interesting
Chivas USA: Chivas USA releases Head Coach Martín Vásquez

Tournaments

Digicel Caribbean Cup

Random Stuff

2010-10-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Clearing out some stuff that I found interesting on a variety of soccer subjects.

Sounder at Heart: MLS needs relocation, not expansion
Fake Sigi: FS's response to the Sounder at Heart post
Fake Sigi: FS's enhances his response to the Sounder at Heart post

Goal.com: Goal.com's MLS playoff preview
Steve Davis: MLS playoff preview
MLS playoff tactics - Part 1
MLS playoff tactics - Part 2

Adam Spangler: the Cosmos Interviews - Part 1
Rob Hughes: When Agents and Soccer Collide

Sid Lowe: End of an expensive era, but Barcelona's players prove priceless
Chris Clarey: A Surge in Artificial Turf

Robert Jonas: Robert Jonas: Where Are The Clubs In MLS?
Tom Dunmore: Club, Community and Consumerism: What Do We Support?
Jason Davis: Clubs, Community and Cultural Cynicism

Richard Whittall: Football, Blogs, and Newspapers Unite? Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five

Monday Post

2010-10-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

MLS

Reams(or megabytes) are being written about the MLS playoff system. Simple solution ... rename the conferences so the nit pickers can get over RSL winning the Cup out of the East, and seed the playoffs based on points, regardless of conference. This isn't brain surgery.
Climbing the Ladder: Team Ages
WV Hooligan: Playoff Preview

It's Just Business

Guardian: Making a killing out of football: African reporters investigate
Guardian: Match-fixing in 'fake international' friendly turns up heat on Fifa
ESPNSoccernet: Chelsea chairman Buck backing salary cap idea A good read
Rob Hughes: 3 Modern Soccer Gods and One Bad Apple
Will Frears: US influence on English Football

Soccer in the US

USSF-D2: Puerto Rico take lead over Carolina in D2 final
USL-Pro: Rochester Joins USL-Pro
USL-Pro: Austin Moves to Orlando and Joins USL-Pro

Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Knockout draw on Nov 30.
Asian Champions League Finals Set
Copa Sudamerica
CAF: Orange CAF Champions League(Africa) - T.P. Mazembe vs E.S.T. in final
UEFA: Champions League
UEFA: Europa League
Digicel Caribbean Cup

Old Fart Bitch Session

2010-10-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

In my twitter program(TweetDeck), I have a pane set up to follow the #mls hashtag. My goodness, what a bunch of whiney cry-babies.

Gee, the match isn't in HD, I just can't watch that. What?!? The ref blew a call, he sucks, the league sucks, the world sucks. Man, the MLS playoff system sucks.

Oh puhleeze. Get over it. Get a clue and STFU. That Shut the F*ck Up, just so you know.

Where, you may ask am I coming from? Prehistoric times for most of the tweeters, I suspect.

HD TV. Ha! Try black and white.

Ref blew a call. Do you think they were any better when there weren't 25 cameras watching every move? Ever watch a Euro match? Think they are so much better? Ask Ireland fans.

The playoffs suck. Check your US sports history.
The NBA, 8 teams in 2 conferences. Top 3 teams in each conference make the playoffs. Teams with 50 losses making the playoffs!
The NHL, 6 teams, with 4 making the playoffs. When the NHL expanded in 67-68 EVERY expansion team was in a new conference, with all the original teams staying together. 4 teams in each 6 team conference made the playoffs. The 5th place team in the 'original' conference had more points than EVERY team in the expansion conference and missed the playoffs.

And you know what? We all survived and so did the NBA and the NHL, and so will MLS.

So get over it and enjoy the fantastic athletes in the game we love, and oh yeah, STFU!

Friday Oct 22

2010-10-22T22:12:00.001-07:00

MLS

CJ Brown retiring
Jaime Moreno's career in DC comes to a close
Steve Davis' 5 Things
Attendance v NBA/NHL in shared cities

Just for argument's sake, a 2011 conference proposal

Columbus	Chicago	Chivas USA
DC United	Colorado	Los Angeles
New England	Dallas	Portland
NJ Red Bull	Houston	San Jose
Philadelphia	Kansas City	Seattle
Toronto	Salt Lake	Vancouver

Conference winners and next best 5 teams in playoffs, seeded 1-8 based on points.

Schedule Plan A: Balanced, home and home vs all teams.
Schedule Plan B: 4 games vs Conference opponents, 1 each vs all others(alternating home games in alternate years). And yes, I do know that league has announced a 34 game schedule for 2011.

Interesting

Liverpool: John Henry's day, when he bought Liverpool A good read

Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Knockout draw on Nov 30.
Asian Champions League Finals Set
Copa Sudamerica
CAF: Orange CAF Champions League(Africa) - T.P. Mazembe vs E.S.T. in final
UEFA: Champions League
UEFA: Europa League
Digicel Caribbean Cup

MLS/NBA/NHL Attendance

2010-10-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal opened the door to comparing attendance figures of MLS and their city counterparts in the NBA and NHL, so I figured I'd peak in a little deeper. The numbers for the NBA and NHL are for the last completed season. For MLS, they are for this season.

A few caveats. I've used 22,500 as the capacity for DC United, Houston, and the Revs, as they play in American football stadiums. Yes, I know the new Houston stadium will have more seats, but until I see the actual number, I'm sticking with 22,500. San Jose is obviously at a disadvantage by playing in Buck Shaw Stadium, with a capacity of just over 10,000. And of course, the caveats in the WSJ article about capacities should be factored in when examining these numbers.
The MLS figures in BOLD indicate where they are outdrawing their counterpart.

NBA and MLS
Rank	NBA	AVG	% of CAP	MLS	AVG	% of CAP
7	Lakers	18,997	99.7	Galaxy	21,183	78.5
14	Raptors	17,897	90.4	TFC	20,453	93.1
26	76ers	14,224	70.0	Union	19,252	91.2
30	Nets	13,103	69.1	RBNY	18,625	73.9
6	Jazz	19,378	97.3	RSL	17,095	88.4
19	Rockets	16,528	91.6	Dynamo	16,833	74.8
1	Bulls	20,725	99.1	Fire	15,814	79.1
20	Clippers	16,343	85.7	Chivas USA	14,557	53.9
21	Wizards	16,204	80.3	DCU	14,279	63.5
13	Nuggets	17,995	93.9	Rapids	13,014	72.0
9	Celtics	18,169	97.6	Revs	12,987	57.7
4	Mavericks	19,994	104.1	FCD	10,815	51.0
NHL and MLS
Rank	NHL	AVG	% of CAP	MLS	AVG	% of CAP
16	Kings	17,313	93.6	Galaxy	21,183	78.5
6	Maple Leafs	19,260	102.5	TFC	20,453	93.1
4	Flyers	19,535	100.2	Union	19,252	91.2
20	Devils	15,535	88.1	RBNY	18,625	73.9
1	Blackhawks	21,356	108.3	Fire	15,814	79.1
22	Blue Jackets	15,416	85.0	Crew	14,330	71.7
11	Capitals	18,277	100.0	DCU	14,279	63.5
27	Avalanche	13,947	77.5	Rapids	13,014	72.0
15	Bruins	17,388	99.0	Revs	12,987	57.7
17	Stars	17,215	92.9	FCD	10,815	51.0
14	Sharks	17,558	100.4	Quakes	9,593	93.8

Club Tourneys redux

2010-10-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

MLS

Klein, Lewis, McBride, Petke retiring
Steve Davis' 5 Things
Wondo hat trick secures Quakes win over Chivas USA
Andrea Canales on MLS and the CCL

Interesting

In Case You've Never Visited: Zonal Marking
Best Headline: Liverpool traded to Red Sox

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Toluca, Olimpia secure final spots in Quarters.
Asian Champions League Finals Set
Copa Sudamerica
CAF: Orange CAF Champions League(Africa) - T.P. Mazembe vs E.S.T. in final
UEFA: Champions League

Club Tourneys etc.

2010-10-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

MLS

Soccer in the US

USSF-D2: Carolina v Puerto Rico in D2 final

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - TFC wins, finish 3rd in GroupA. RSL top Group A with win over Cruz Azul. Columbus thru via Santos win.
Asian Champions League
Copa Sudamerica
CAF: Orange CAF Champions League(Africa) - T.P. Mazembe vs E.S.T. in final
UEFA: Champions League

Playoff Brouhaha

2010-10-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

Oh the whines and cries of so many folks as the West dominates the MLS standings heading into the playoffs.
It's not a bad argument to want the playoffs to be seeded as in a single table format. We in the US are accustomed to that and it makes logical sense as the best chance to end up with the two best teams, at least based on seeding, in the final.
Now here is the reality of the potential matchups.

First, with the current standings, the matchups would be ...

LA v Seattle - LA won both league matches
RSL v Dallas - The teams split their two matches

RBNY v San Jose - The teams split their two matches
Columbus v Colorado - The teams split their two matches

If higher seeds win ...

LA v RSL - The teams split their two matches

RBNY v Columbus - Columbus won both matches

LA v RBNY - The teams split their two matches

NOTE -
#2 RSL won and drew v #5 RBNY, RSL and #6 Columbus split their matches
#3 Dallas lost and drews v #5 RBNY, Dallas #6 Columbus drew their matches
#4 Seattle and #5 RBNY split their two matches, Seattle won and drew v #6 Columbus

Where is the dominance of the higher seeds? They won 4, lost 3 and drew 5 vs lower seeds from the east.
=============================================
Now if the playoffs were based on seeding 1-8 ...

LA v San Jose - San Jose won 1 and 1 draw
Seattle v RBNY - The teams split their two matches

RSL v Colorado - They drew once and play this weekend
Dallas v Columbus - Two draws

If higher seeds win ...

LA v Seattle - LA won both league matches
RSL v Dallas - The teams split their two matches

LA v RSL - The teams split their two matches

Thursday Post

2010-10-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

MLS

TFC: Uproar in Toronto
Lots of tweets on Juan Pablo Angel's statement that he doesn't expect to be back with RBNY next year. Not one mention that the team will have the full $335,000 salary hit on both Henry and Marquez next year. Due to their late signing this season, the cap was hit for $335,000 total for both in 2010.
Steve Goff: Expansion Draft Rules

Soccer in the US

Steve Davis Before and After: USA v Colombia Preview - USA v Colombia Review
USMNT: Two views on the midfield - Kyle McCarthy - Brent Latham
USSF D2: D2 Playoffs

Interesting

CONCACAF: On CONCACAF's Request for Permanent Entry Into The Copa America
A Blogger's Tale - I've been sitting on this link for a while.
The Guardian: On the Sale of Liverpool
More on the Sale of Liverpool - It's a fluid story, so I'll stop now

Competitions

Copa Sudamerica: Final 16 update

Tuesday Night

2010-10-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

MLS

CCL: CCL Effects on team
Wizards keep slim playoff hopes alive
Tactics: Colorado fiddles with formations

Soccer in the US

USMNT: US and Colombia in scoreless draw
Youth Development: ‘Homegrown’ MLS players could help club, country
Steve Davis Before and After: USA v Poland Preview - USA v Poland Review -I'll do the same for the Colombia game in a few days

Interesting

FIFA: Goal Line Technology Back on the Table
Media: Arsenal sign deal with YES network
David Mitchell: Does football need billionaires

Competitions

African Nations Cup: Niger beats Egypt
EURO 2012: Qualifying Underway
CFU Caribbean Cup: Niger beats Egypt

MLS Tidbits and More

2010-10-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

MLS

Single Table v Playoffs, a Brit's view: Single Table v Playoffs
The playoffs are all but set. Only Kansas City has a mathematical chance to crash the party, and they need to win their three remaining games(@CHI, @NE, SJ), while the Rapids lose their last two(@LA, RSL).
Is it time for Dallas to move or be sold? Barely 10,000 showed up to see them set the single season unbeaten record.
MLS attendance before and after the World Cup is almost exactly the same, just as it was in 2002 and 2006.

	pre cup		during cup		pre/during	thru cup		after cup		thru/after	overall
	GP	Avg	GP	Avg	+/-	GP	Avg	GP	Avg	+/-	GP	Avg
1998	82	14,894	23	15,827	6.27%	105	15,098	87	13,363	-11.49%	192	14,312
2002	45	16,483	25	13,011	-21.06%	70	15,243	70	16,398	7.58%	140	15,821
2006	60	16,057	40	13,198	-17.81%	100	14,914	92	16,142	8.24%	192	15,502
2010	93	16,472	24	17,227	4.58%	117	16,627	105	16,386	-1.45%	222	16,513

Points per game since the All-Star Game
Points per game since the All-Star Game
	GP	PPG
Seattle	10	2.300
Dallas	12	2.000
Salt Lake	11	1.909
NY Red Bull	12	1.833
San Jose	12	1.667
Los Angeles	10	1.600
Colorado	12	1.583
Kansas City	11	1.545
Chivas USA	11	1.182
Chicago	13	1.154
New England	13	1.154
Columbus	11	1.091
Philadelphia	14	1.000
DC United	11	0.818
Houston	11	0.727
Toronto	12	0.667

Soccer in the US

USSF D2: D2 Playoffs
Jason Davis: The "Problem" of American Talent Heading South
US Open Cup: Here's Hoping U.S. Open Cup Finally Steps Out Of Shadows

Interesting

CONCACAF: CONCACAF Request Entry Into The Copa America
The Mexican Primera had all three Sunday matches end in 0-0 draws.

Wednesday Night Post

2010-10-06T20:38:00.001-07:00

MLS

Chris Nee: Rosters, parity and the next step for Major League Soccer

Soccer in the US

USSF D2: D2 Playoffs get underway
Andrea Canales: US Inferiority Instilled Early

Interesting Reads

CONCACAF: CONCACAF Request Entry Into The Copa America
La Liga: Interesting take on TV revenue distribution in La Liga

Club Tournaments

Copa Sudamerica

Late Tuesday Post

2010-10-05T23:27:00.000-07:00

MLS

Philadelphia Union: What's needed next season - Because I'm a Union fan

Soccer in the US

L.H. US Open Cup: Seattle defends title, defeat Columbus for Open Cup
L.H. US Open Cup: Making over the USOC

Around the World

This week I posted a link on FIFA's suspension of Nigeria: Fifa should ban corruption, not Nigeria
La Liga: Sid Lowe in Spain
BundesLiga: Rafael Honigstein in Germany
Tim Vickery in South America
Taking Beckham to the US and Other Sports Business
David Conn: The Liverpool Mess

Monday late post

2010-10-04T23:32:00.000-07:00

MLS

Steve Davis: Steve's MLS 5 things - A good weekly read

Soccer in the US

D2: San Antonio to join NASL in 2012

Around the World

Hexagonal Blog: A look at Central America
FIFA: Nigeria suspended for government interference

Monday Morning Post

2010-10-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

MLS

Soccer in the US

Interesting Reads

Tournaments

The Business of Soccer

Man City lose 121M pounds
Guardian: Financial crisis in England
Tight Purse Strings Don't Hobble Two Clubs

Saturday Morning Post

2010-10-02T06:24:00.000-07:00

About the selection for the US Men's team October friendlies:

I just don't see why Bradley, a former MLS manager, would select two players from a team that is in the heat of a battle for the Supporters' Shield. I am referring to Heath Pearch and Brek Shea, both of whom I want to see with the National Team. But Bradley could just as easily called them into the January camp, had a much longer look at them an pick a couple of MLS'ers from teams that are not playoff bound. Kevin Alston and Justin Braun jump to mind.
And just as I was writing this, along came the announcement that neither player would miss any league matches.

MLS

J Hutcherson with a well deserved poke at MLS' television schedule

US Pyramid

Division 2: The NASL has submitted it's bid for D2 sanctioning for 2011

Club Tournaments

MLS: After the World Cup

2010-09-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

I had already started to put this table together when I heard the question come up on Richard Farley's MLS Talk Podcast as to how MLS was doing after the World Cup.

	pre cup		during cup		pre/during	thru cup		after cup		thru/after	overall
	GP	Avg	GP	Avg	+/-	GP	Avg	GP	Avg	+/-	GP	Avg
1998	82	14,894	23	15,827	6.27%	105	15,098	87	13,363	-11.49%	192	14,312
2002	45	16,483	25	13,011	-21.06%	70	15,243	70	16,398	7.58%	140	15,821
2006	60	16,057	40	13,198	-17.81%	100	14,914	92	16,142	8.24%	192	15,502
2010	93	16,472	24	17,227	4.58%	117	16,627	87	16,369	-1.55%	204	16,517

The '98, '02 and '06 overall numbers are for the full season.

MLS

Toronto FC: The Honeymoon is over

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - RSL and TFC draw, RSL thru, TFC, Seattle eliminated in group phase 5th round.
UEFA: Champions League
Copa Sudamerica

A Small Monday Post

2010-09-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

MLS

Draftees: As of the September 15 roster freeze date, and according to the rosters listed on MLSSoccer.com(no giggles please), 42 of the 64 players drafted this year are on MLS rosters.The round by round breakdown is 14 first rounders, 13 second rounders, 9 third rounds and 6 fourth rounders.
DP's: DP updates
Attendance Update
Steve Davis: His weekly MLS 5

Interesting Reads

EPL: The Guardian's weekly EPL 5

A Friday Post

2010-09-24T18:59:00.001-07:00

MLS

The 'big' game is just an hour away. Of course, it's not really a big game. LA has clinched a playoff spot and the Red Bulls would have to collapse not to finish 2nd in the East. Of course, LA does want to stay ahead of RSL and win the Supporters' Shield, but otherwise, I'd say the KC/Dallas game is the 'big' game, featuring the two hottest teams in the league and KC making a late run to overcome Seattle for the 8th playoff position.

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Municipal, Olimpia win in group phase 4th round. Columbus and RSL lead their respective groups after 4 rounds.
Asian Champions League
Copa Sudamerica

Interesting Reads

Bundesliga: What makes it so attractive

Midweek MLS, CCL Champs League

2010-09-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

MLS

KC Wizards: Wizards wonder win in 97th minute The Wizards are now 3 points back of Seattle for the last playoff spot with a game in hand. Seattle hold the tiebreaker(head to head) with a 1-0 win at Qwest. The two meet on Oct 9 in KC
Dallas: FCD's unbeaten string continues with stoppage time goal

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Seattle loses, RSL wins in group phase 4th round. Columbus and RSL lead their respective groups after 4 rounds.
Asian Champions League
Copa Sudamerica

Interesting Reads

If you read a lot of articles about soccer, and let's face it, you wouldn't be here if you didn't, you've often seen pieces done in the US on why MLS clubs don't take the US Open Cup or CONCACAF Champions League seriously. Fielding weakened teams is often the case as clubs put a priority on league play. Well, it was good to run into this piece on the same issue for English Premier Clubs: It’s Time for Premier League to Take the Carling Cup More Seriously

Tactics, Champs League and other Stuff

2010-09-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

MLS

Steve Davis: Talking tactics
DC United: The team isn't winning, so why not have some fun

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Columbus wins, Toronto draws in group phase 4th round
Asian Champions League

Interesting Reads

First in a series: Who is US Soccer - Sunil Gulati
Euro Club Soccer: Ready to crash and burn - A long read, but a good one
A beginners' guide to tactics
Actual Fans, Are They Necessary

On MLS Roster Expansion

2010-09-21T15:24:00.001-07:00

With the recent announcement of the MLS schedule expanding to 34 matches next year, something I speculated about when the 17th and 18th teams were awarded, there has been a bit of chatter about enlarging the rosters. Jason Davis, over at Match Fit USA, has a recent post on the subject. We won't even touch on what happens when the league expands to 20 teams.

Back during the CBA negotiations, I put forward the idea of unlimited home grown players on the roster with no salary cap hit. I also like the new English Premier roster rule that permits unlimited players age 21 or younger.

Other MLS Stuff

One Toronto fan's rant about next year's ticket prices.

How the DP's performed last week.
Are DP's good or bad for MLS.

Other Stuff

Miriti Murungi of Nutmeg Radio on why International Friendlies do matter.
Serie A: No strike, for now.

News and Views from Thur-Fri Sep 2-3

2010-09-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Starters

Just a heads up that I will be on a two week hiatus, starting on Saturday. I may be able to sneak in a post or two, but no guarantees. The sites on my blog list are regular stops for me, and I recommend them to you for your soccer fix. Enjoy your soccer.MLS

MLS Weekend Preview — Sept. 4–5
Another MLS Weekend Preview — Sept. 4–5
A third MLS Weekend Preview — Sept. 4–5
Garber on schedule congestion
New Adidas Deal Is Huge For The Future Of MLS
A two part interview with Arlo White, Seattle Sounders broadcaster and a damn good one at that - Part 1 - Part 2
I had to pick one report, you can find many others - Brian McBride to retire

Club Tournaments

Around the World

League tables just a click away
EPL Rosters - I'll have more on this in a few days
More comments on the 25 man EPL roster rule
USSF D2 - D2 Playoff Rules Clarified
USSF D2 - A Look Ahead at Week 22
Austin Aztex Not Committing and Rochester Rhinos Sorting Out Their Options; A USSF D2 & D3 Update
CONCACAF - Greg Seltzer chimes in on the new qualification rules
CONCACAF - Dan Feurstein chimes in on the new qualification rules
CONCACAF - Howard Hamilton chimes in on the new qualification rules
In case haven't figured it out yet, the proposed changes in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying represents a sea change, hence the multiple links on the story.
La Liga - On the lack of competition in La Liga

Interesting Reads

By way of Soccer by the Numbers: Reforming Soccer: Proposals From An Economist
West Ham co-owner Sullivan calls for end to loan 'madness'

News and Views from Wed Sep 1

2010-09-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

MLS

Rapids Stuck In An Eddy, Part 3
Kevin McCauley - Whoa, We’re Developing Players

Club Tournaments

N.A. SuperLiga - Morelia over New England for title
US Open Cup semifinals - Crew over DC United in extra time - Seattle to host final with win over Chivas USA - At least one MLS team will make it's 2nd consecutive CONCACAF Champions League appearance in 2011-12 tourney.

Around the World

League tables just a click away
EPL Rosters - I'll have more on this in a few days
USSF D2 - Puerto Rico moving from USL to NASL? - More on this also in a few days

Interesting Reads

Man City: City pay for expensive taste and waste

Player Moves

Goal.com's Transfer page

News and Views - Mon-Tues Aug 30-31

2010-08-31T20:30:00.001-07:00

MLS

Week 22 Attendance Report
Footiebusiness: The updated Adidas deal
Kansas City: Wizards sign home grown keeper
Philadelphia: Union sign D-M Williams

Club Tournaments

CAF: Orange CAF Champions League(Africa) - JS Kabylie in Final 4

Interesting Reads

CONCACAF: CONCACAF To Change World Cup Qualifying - How the Change hurts the Azteca
Luis Bueno: New CONCACAF Qualifying Proposal Levels Playing Field
USSF D2: Week 21 Review

Player Moves

A flurry of moves as the summer transfer window closed. Some 'big name' movers... Camoranesi, Gudjohnson, Van der Vaart, Robinho, Pennant,
Goal.com's Transfer page

The Business of Soccer

After the Weekend Aug 28-29

2010-08-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

MLS

Week 22 Attendance Report
Highlights: Henry gets first MLS goal, Dallas set away game record, Gals still faltering, Wizards still trying, Seattle surging
MLS'ers head for International duty
Goal.com on a couple of players coming into their own: Dane Richards - Kei Kamara
Adidas deal extended, enhanced

Club Tournaments

CAF: Orange CAF Champions League(Africa)

Interesting Reads

Real Madrid: The Special One and Real Madrid
David Hills: Said and Done - A weekly column
Two former USL-1 teams compete for USL-2 title. Charleston beats Richmond.
The transfer window from a player's point of view
League tables just a click away
Central American roundup

Player Moves

Goal.com's Transfer page

News and Views from Fri Aug 27

2010-08-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

MLS

RSL: A chat with Real Salt Lake's academy director Greg Vanney on changes in U.S. soccer development
Drew Epperly: Residency Academies: The New Wave For MLS
Steve Davis: MLS reserve league en route for 2011
Paul Kennedy: The changing face of MLS
Steve Davis: A welcome development for MLS
Jason Davis: MLSSoccer.com and journalistic integrity

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Saprissa, Toluca win in group phase 2nd round
UEFA: Champions League Groups
UEFA: Europa League Results
Copa Sudamerica

Interesting Reads

Serie A: Goal.com preview - Preview by Richard Farley
USSF D2: Weekend preview
The Arsenal Fanshare: Supporter Ownership or Pipe Dream?

Player Moves

Goal.com's Transfer page

News and Views from Thur Aug 26

2010-08-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

MLS

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Saprissa, Toluca win in group phase 2nd round
Jason Davis: On Speaking Out on CONCACAF Shenanigans
UEFA: Champions League Groups
UEFA: Michel Platini will expel debt-laden clubs from the Champions League
UEFA: Europa League Results
Copa Sudamerica

Interesting Reads

USMNT U20: U20 roster set for Peru tourney
Video: The first date from Nutmeg Radio
EPL: Premier League may ban player loans to stop clubs stockpiling
Time Warner Cable, Disney Talks Focus on ESPN3 Website Fees
UEFA: Inter sweep UEFA Club Football Awards

Player Moves

Goal.com's Transfer page

News and Views Wed Aug 25

2010-08-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

MLS

Chivas USA: Goats add Home Grown player
RBNY: Rookies making a difference
Rapids: Kroenke now a majority NFL owner
Rapids: Rapids stuck in an eddy Part 1 - Part 2

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - RSL, Seattle lose in group phase 2nd round
CCL: Don Garber's Silence is Sending the Wrong Message
UEFA: Champions League Results
UEFA: Europa League Results
Copa Sudamerica

Interesting Reads

FIFA: FIFA VP and CONCACAF Prez in another ticket scandal
Man U: Glazers fail to pay mortgage on four shopping malls
US Players: The Issues With Scandinavia
Man City: Sheikh Mansour's £500m Manchester City cash injection
Argentina: Argentina's romantic view of the beautiful game may be holding them back

Player Moves

Goal.com's Transfer page

News and Views

2010-08-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

MLS

Jason Davis: On the fiasco that was CCL on Tuesday
J Hutcherson: More on the fiasco that was CCL on Tuesday

Club Tournaments

CONCACAF: Champions League Results - TFC, Columbus lose in group phase 2nd round
UEFA: Champions League Results
UEFA: Europa League Results
Copa Sudamerica

Interesting Reads

Andrew Guest: A Mental Game: Pain

Player Moves

Goal.com's Transfer page

News and Views

2010-08-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

MLS

Week 21 attendance report and more
A review of DP performances
Seattle Buys a Team in Tanzania
A demonstration of class and honor in Toronto
Jason Davis: Puts in words what I've been thinking about FC Dallas
J Hutcherson: League or Champions League, where to focus
Vancouver Takes 1st Pick In SuperDraft

Just hanging around this weekend, I created this table breaking MLS into 4 geographical divisions and the intra-divisional team records.

	W	D	L	Pts
I-95
NE Revs	3	1	0	10
RBNY	2	1	1	7
DC United	1	1	4	4
Philadelphia	1	1	2	4
Central
Columbus	3	0	1	9
KC Wizards	2	2	1	8
Toronto	1	1	2	4
Chicago	0	1	2	1
MidWest
Dallas	2	2	0	8
Houston	1	2	2	5
RSL	1	0	2	3
Colorado	0	2	0	2
Pacific
LA Galaxy	3	1	1	10
SJ Quakes	2	1	2	7
Chivas USA	1	1	1	4
Seattle	1	1	3	4