Pics from Crew v Dynamo Preseason Scrimmage

Pics from Crew v Dynamo Preseason Scrimmage

Pics from Vancouver vs Columbus Crew Preseason Scrimmage

Pics from Vancouver vs Columbus Crew Preseason Scrimmage

US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics

Some random picks from this terrific event in Phoenix.

Club Tourneys etc.

MLS

• Playoff seeding, does it matter
• Steve Davis' 5 Things

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 

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Playoff Brouhaha

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.
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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

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News and Views from Wed Sep 1

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

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News and Views

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

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News and Views from Tues Aug 10

MLS

Robbie Rogers will have surgery that will sideline him for up to 4 weeks. This comes at a bad time for the Crew as they begin a stretch of 7 matches in 22 days.

• Timbers: John Spencer to coach MLS team in 2011
• Union: Danny Cepero loaned to Philadelphia 
• Chivas USA: Galindo loaned to Tampa for fitness rehab 
• Tactics: Getting the most out of that shiny new DP  

US Pyramid

• The USMNT were outclassed by a young Brasilian team in a friendly in New Jersey.
• Brian Quarstad continues his reporting on the 2nd division in the US pyramid.

The USSF-D2 has 12 teams. Three of them will be in MLS within the next two years. Of the remaining 9, 2 are brand new teams. Of the remaining 7, one was promoted from D3 and 4 of those 7 are suffering lower attendances than last year. Not a pretty picture. As of now the teams that will be in D2 next year are:
Montreal(headed to MLS in 2012) and
Austin, Carolina, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Edmonton, Miami, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Rochester, St. Louis and Tampa Bay, with reports that Crystal Palace and St. Louis are in financial trouble.

Around the World

• Player Move: Chelsea agree to sell Ricardo Carvalho to Real Madrid

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News and Views from Thur Aug 5

MLS

• Crew down Philly on Lenhart brace
• Union: Philly acquires Colombian defenseman
• Crew: Columbus sends Zayner to DC United
• Galaxy: LA send Gordon to Chivas USA 
• Wizards: KC loans Hohlbein to Miami FC of D2 
• Expansion: Detoit thinking way outside the box - Gotta love it 
• Timbers: Building a MLS roster - Part 1 - Part 2  
• MLS: Have a little perspective  
• MLS: Why The MLS On Versus Needs To Happen 

Club Tournaments

• N.A. SuperLiga: Revs v Morelia in final
• CONCACAF: Champions League Results - Joe Public, FAS thru to group phase
• CONMEBOL: Copa Libertadores Chivas advances to final, will play Internacional
  
• UEFA: Champions League Results
  
• UEFA: Europa League Results
  

Interesting Reads

• Soccer Strategy: Is 4-2-1-3 the future?
• Soccer Strategy: Why are two holding midfielders so crucial in the modern game? 
• USMNT: U20's offer hope for the future 
• USMNT: How A High Level National Team Coach Could Influence US Soccer  

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News and Views from Tue Jul 6

MLS

• J Hutcherson: LA, parity and what it means for Seattle.
• J Romero: Sounders FC: What a difference one season makes.
• Toronto FC Signs Spanish Forward Mista.

US Open Cup

The US Open Cup resumed with Columbus and ChivasUSA advancing to the semifinals. In addition to modest cash prizes, $100G to the winner and $50G to the runner-up, the winner earns a berth in the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League. Los Angeles plays Seattle on Wednesday and DC United plays Harrisburg on July 21 in the other quarterfinal matches.

• Crew eliminate Charleston in quarterfinal.
• Chivas beat Houston 2-0, in semis for first time.

World Cup On Field News and Updates

• FIFA
• ESPNSoccernet
• Goal.com
• The Guardian
• SI
• Spain vs Germany Preview. 

Non Game Specific Football World Cup Stories

• Cup stats, including quarterfinals. 
• Riding the World Cup's political bounce. 
• Did the cream rise to the top?  
• Hawk-Eye inventor expects goal-line technology decision this month.  
• Insane in the Ukraine.  
• Facebook Icon The World Cup and National Narratives.
• How the media landscape is shaping World Cup marketing. 
• J Romero: What Economists Can Teach World Cup Coaches. 
• World Cup Soccer Stadiums May Need Rugby to Survive.

US News and Views

• What Jurgen might do. 
• 7 Ways that World Cup 2010 Will Change America. 

Not World Cup News

• Barcelona Transfers Chygrnskiy Back To Shakhtar With A 10m€ Loss.
• Barca president Rosell admits financial fears.
• Wigan target Sowah joins Hamburg.
• Thai Port reported to be 10,000,000 baht in debt and facing crisis.
• Friday Matches, Fewer Foreigners, Other Serie A Changes. 
• Jersey Swaps, a Ritual With a Story. 

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News and Views from Thu Jun 24

Starting Off

• Special 1 TV World Cup Special.
• Video from No Short Corners: High Five World Cup.

MLS

• Revs sign their 3rd round pick in 2010 draft.
• Wizards looking to get back on track.
• Columbus keeping eyes on the prize(s).
• Rapids look to address midfield dilemma.
• Union prepare for sold out opener at new stadium, but under a cloud.

World Cup On Field News and Updates

• FIFA
• ESPNSoccernet
• Goal.com
• The Guardian
• SI
• Friday game capsules.
• About Italy. 
• World Cup hosts make wrong history.

Non Game Specific Football World Cup Stories

• TV ratings in England.
• Scientists examine the Jabulani.
• Digital world metrics of the Cup.
• African football has a ways to go.
• German diversity.
• The 'striker' and the reporter.

Not World Cup News

• Has Rafael Marquez brought the sweeper role back to the modern game?
• Soccer: A family affair.
• Coaching change and money from Cooper in St. Louis.

US World Cup News and Stories

• From Lalas to Landon: What Is The American Style Of Play?
• For the US, The Day That Changed the Game ...
• US Cup run inspiring fans.
• Thank the MLS for the rise of USA and Landon Donovan. Note that this was written by a 'civillian', not a journalist from the Guardian.
• US Soccer: The Rise Of A Nation.
• World Cup, USA/Algeria: Ratings by the numbers.
• Kenn.com: USMNT World Cup TV ratings, 1990-2010.
• Soccer for the casual fans. 
• The US a World Cup Semi-Finalist? God Help 'US'!
• Video: And from the Colbert Report. 
• Jonathan Wilson: A look at Ghana.

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News and Views from Thurs May 13

Starters

• The big story for me was the cancellation of a friendly in soccer hungry Phoenix. The Club America/Pachuca match scheduled for July 7 will not take place because of what we know here as SB 1070, the new immigration law.

MLS

• RSL maintains home field dominance, defeat Houston.
• Video: 15 minute Q and A with Don Garber.
• Expansion: San Antonio dreaming.
• Findley leaving for Europe?
• FC Dallas signs Colombian striker Milton Rodriguez.
• Red Bull Salzburg win 2nd consecutive Austrian Bundesliga title.
• Crew sign French midfielder Leandre Griffit.
• Michael Lewis on fixture congestion. Certainly the first of the annual posts on the subject. I've written about it myself.
• Jeff Parke signs with Seattle.

Interesting Reads

• Special 1 TV making its return. All episodes in chronological order. Watch these and be ready to smile.
• Tom Meagher follows up his post from yesterday with another on soccer journalism.

The Business of Soccer

• The rotten structure of English football.
• Manchester City to play Timbers. City will also play Club America in Atlanta.
• Mexico draws over 70,000 for friendly in Houston vs Angola.

World Cup

• A good read from Dan Gaspar, US born coach at U of Hartford, and Portuguese assistant coach at the upcoming World Cup.
• Tim Vickery on Brasil and Argentina.
• Former USMNT player John O'Brien on the US squad.
• Alexi Lalas also comments on the USMNT squad.
• South Africa spends 3.5 billion pounds, but for what return?
• Team profile: Ghana.

Club Tournaments

• Korean teams dominate AFC.
• Indonesia Cup Quarterfinals.
• Internacional of Brasil defeated defending champion Estudiantes in the first leg of the last quarterfinal match.

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News and Views from Wed Apr 21

MLS

• Video: Inside the SuperDraft Part 3.
• J Hutcherson: The parity question.
• It's a matter of style.
• Video: Lovel Palmer's Goal of the Week.
• SuperDraft talent getting deeper.

World Cup

• Buddle and Gomez for the US, the discussion continues.
• Ghana's Essien not sure he'll recover in time for Cup.
• A look at Group D with the Australian coach.

Around the World

• Scottish League attendance woes.
• Get your Dutch on.
• Italian FA reopens match fixing investigation.
• Union forms partnership with Widener University.
• Columbus fans: Passing the bye week time.
• A crash course on Russian football - Part 1 - Part 2
• Video: Post match brawl mars CFU Championships.

Summer Friendlies in North America

• Turkey will play Northern Ireland on May 25, US on May 29. 
• The inaugural New York Football Challenge will take place July 22-25. Manchester City, Tottenham and Sporting Lisbon will join RBNY at Red Bull Arena.

Summer Club Friendlies
Opponents	Venue	Date
Tottenham v San Jose	Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara, CA	Sat, July 17
Cruzeiro v NE	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA	Sun, June 13
AC Milan v Montreal Impact	Olympic Stadium, Montreal, CA	Wed, June 02
AC Milan v Chicago Fire	Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL	Sun, May 30
AC Milan v DCU	RFK Stadium, Washington, DC	Wed, May 26
Juventus v Fiorentina	Rogers Centre, Toronto, CA	Tue, May 25
Juventus v RBNY	Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ	Sun, May 23
Fiorentina v Montreal Impact	Olympic Stadium, Montreal, CA	Sun, May 23

Don't know how well the Cruzeiro/Revs match will do as there is a full slate of World Cup matches on that date, but neither the US nor Brasil play on the 13th. The detractors of these friendlies have already been making their voices heard. As most of these are post season friendlies(for the visiting teams), the best players will be off with their national teams preparing for the World Cup, while the remainder of the best, might be inclined to rest after a busy season. I suspect only contractural agreements would have us see any of the top players not participating in the Cup. The one exception is the Tottenham/SJ match which will be after the WC.

The Business of Soccer

• Portsmouth's books fully exposed.
• ESPN2 EPL ratings.
• Forbes: Most Valuable Teams' values decline.

Club Tournaments

• CAF Champions League(Africa)
• AFC Champions League(Asia)
  
• UEFA Champions League(Europe) - Bayern down Lyon in semifinal first leg.
  
• CONCACAF Champions League(North America) - Cruz Azul over Pachuca 2-1 in 1st leg of final.
  
• Copa Libertadores(South America) - Banfield go through.
  
• Europa League(Europe)

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Champions Leagues - Euros for UEFA - A Blip for MLS

I recently wrote a post about MLS and the CONCACAF Champions League, specifically addressing the lack of interest shown by MLS teams and MLS fans, among other things. Last week the Columbus Crew, the last MLS team standing in the competition, came back from 2-0 to draw against the 2009 Apertura winner Toluca. The return leg is this week.

Why you should be watching Columbus from Andrea Canales.

And why it's so important for Euro clubs to both qualify and do well in the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool's Champions League Hangover.
Here's Part 2 on the Liverpool Hangover.

Why do I point to these two teams out of all that are participating in Champions League tourneys around the world? Easy, Columbus, because I'm an MLS fan and big supporter of the CONCACAF Champions League, and Liverpool, because it's exploits highlight what's both right and wrong with the Euro competition. Liverpool's failure to advance out of the group phase this year signals end of a five year period in which it finished no worse that achieving the round of 16. They were winners in 04-05, runner up in 06-07, quarterfinalists in 07-08 and 08-09 and made the round of 16 in 05-06.

You can see from the chart below(and in more detail in the article linked above) that this means big money. The big clubs in Europe that play in the tourney year after year have ratcheted up their spending so that in some cases, failure to make the Champions League may make the difference between profit and loss for a season. That's an enormous amount of pressure and a cycle that has been a major contributor to the spiraling payrolls in Euro ball. And as for the managers, Jose Mourinho was hired to coach Inter Milan, replacing Roberto Mancini, despite Mancini's guiding the club to three straight Scudetto titles because of his failure in the UCL. Mourinho himself, some say, was discarded from Chelsea for the same reason.

But to get back to the point of this little diatribe of mine, Liverpool's failure to reach the round of 16 costs the club at least 3m Euros. If they had made it out of the quarterfinals and lost, they would have earned an addtional 3.3m Euros. For Columbus, if they fail to win their quarterfinal tie vs Toluca, they will have earned zero prize money. If they win the tournament, the club will earn $77,000, and from that 50% will be the players' share. Talk about lack of incentive! (note: I haven't listed it, but the UCL has prize money for all clubs, including those that qualify and lose in the preliminary rounds)

Postscript: Just to add a little spice to this disorganized post, yeah, I admit it, Inter Milan has advanced to the UCL quarterfinals. Why do I mention this? Because Serie A, whose teams have performed poorly in the two Euro tourneys in recent years, is in jeopardy of losing one of its prized Champions League slots to Germany. The performances of Inter and Juventus(in the Europa League tourney) will determine if, or when, the swap of UCL places occurs.

CONCACAF CL
Quarterfinal Teams	$11,000
Quarterfinal Winners	$16,500
Semifinal Winners	$22,000
Winner	$27,500
Winner Total	$77,000

CONCACAF CL prize money

UEFA CL
Advance to Round of 16	€ 3,000,000
Quarterfinal Winners	€ 3,300,000
Semifinal Winners	€ 4,000,000
Runner-up	€ 5,200,000
Champion	€ 9,000,000
Winner Total	€ 19,300,000.00

UEFA CL prize money
1 Euro = $1.37 US as of March 16, 2010

Champions' League websites.

CAF Champions League(Africa)
AFC Champions League(Asia)
CONCACAF Champions League(North America)
Copa Libertadores(South America)

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After the Weekend

Not a lot of news this weekend, at least not the kind I find worth posting. But there were a lot of games played. Miss any scores? Here's the place to check.

Title and Champions League Races in Europe

	GP	W	D	L	GD	Pts
EPL
Chelsea	25	18	4	3	40	58
Manchester Utd	25	18	2	5	41	56
Arsenal	25	15	4	6	30	49
Liverpool	25	13	5	7	17	44
Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen	21	12	9	0	29	45
Bayern Munich	21	13	6	2	27	45
Schalke 04	21	12	6	3	16	42
Hamburg	21	9	9	3	16	36
Ligue 1
Bordeaux	23	15	3	5	20	48
Montpellier	23	14	3	6	7	45
Lille	23	12	5	6	20	41
Lyon	23	11	7	5	10	40
Serie A
Internazionale	22	16	4	2	29	52
AS Roma	23	13	5	5	12	44
AC Milan	22	12	6	4	14	42
Napoli	23	10	8	5	5	38
La Liga
Barcelona	21	17	4	0	41	55
Real Madrid	21	16	2	3	35	50
Valencia	21	12	6	3	18	42
Mallorca	21	11	4	6	12	37

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Here is the qualifying draw for EURO 2012.
Howard Hamilton on the Central American stadia crunch.

MLS Bits

• The Columbus Crew have just under a month to prepare for the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League knockout round tie with Mexican club Toluca.
• Columbus, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles and Seattle will be the MLS representatives in the 2010-11 CCL.
• Ridge Mahoney on the Mexican connection in Chicago.

News and Views from Friday

The Business of Soccer

• FC Moscow pulls out of Russian league
• Fake Sigi with a lengthy speculation on why Anschutz Entertainment Group(AEG) bailed on the Los Angeles Sol of Women's Professional Soccer, leading to its eventual dissolution.
• Six soccer teams in Forbes top ten of Most Valuable Sports Team Brands.

MLS News

• DC United's Danny Szetela will miss 6 weeks of preseason after undergoing surgery on his right knee.
• The Colorado Rapids have confirmed the new Supporters' Terrace at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Interesting Reads

• Martin Rogers with a piece on Freddy Adu.
• Waiting for me to comment on the John Terry philandering story? Fuggetaboutit. Here is a read about it.

Player Moves

• Kamani Hill has been loaned to Deportivo das Aves until the end of the season.
• MLS original, Jesse Marsch has retired and joined Bob Bradley's USMNT staff.
• The Columbus Crew have signed Colombian forward Sergio Herrera.

News and Views from Thursday

Player Moves
TFC release defender Adrian Serioux.

Club Tourneys

• Preliminary rounds continue in Copa Libertadores.
• The 2010 Nutrilite Canadian Championship schedule has been released.

The Business of Soccer

• Tom Dunmore with some tasty links; West Ham owner David Sullivan speculating about the need for a salary cap in England, the ownership merry-go-round at Portsmouth, financial woes continue to plague Notts County.
• RSL Soapbox, of all sites, is reporting that the Philadelphia Union has already sold out 15 sections.
• Howard Hamilton on the ongoing payment saga involving the 2006 Trinidad & Tobago World Cup team.

Soccer's Continuing Support for Haiti
FIFA approves $3M for Haiti.

Interesting Reads

• I normally wouldn't link to a story that speculates about a player on trial, but with his connections to McBride and Bocanegra, Ives' piece on Collins John was worth the read.
• On the heels of the fantastic success experienced by the Seattle Sounders last year, Jason Davis offers this caveat about expansion expectations.

MLS Preseason

• American Soccer News takes a look at the 2 time defending Supporters' Shield champion Columbus Crew.
• WV Hooligan's look at DC United.
• Robert Jonas reports on the San Jose Earthquakes Thursday training day.