From The Pitch

The Right Exposure

2009-02-19T22:21:00.000-08:00

First of all, I must say, the US v Mexico game was amazing; and Michael Bradley is my hero (just kidding). He play one heck of a game, scoring both goals for the US. It must have been hard for Bob Bradley (US coach) to hold back his ecstatic joy for his son during the game.

On another note. One or my online soccer destinations is a place known as Bleacher Report. It's not just soccer. They cover many different sports. I happen to read through the soccer candy. I came across a little story post entitled, "Will Soccer Ever Be Popular in the US? Why Americans Can and Will Learn the Game." It was a story about a guy (Texan in Florida) trying to explain why he "would never go to a World Cup soccer game, even if it was in his backyard and they served free beer." So the guy proceeds to tell the story, how he takes him to a, soccer pub so that he could show this guy (the Texan) the Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan. He goes on to mention the conversation after the match: Texan: "Wow. Soccer is unbelievable." Other guy: "I thought you said you hated soccer and you wanted to make all these changes?" Texan: "That's when I was an idiot."

After reading that little ditty, it got me thinking. The greater American population doesn't like soccer because they haven't been properly exposed to the game. The biggest problem is the MLS. Now, I do love to watch the matches. I love the MLS. However, the quality of the matches are crap (compared to a Series A or EPL match). The matches are slow, inconsistent, and frankly... boring all together. No wonder Americans don't like the game, they aren't watching very much.

When you watch an EPL match on TV, you can here the chanting from the crowd. It sends chills up the back of my neck sometimes. You don't get that from watching an MLS match. The English population goes to a match to be apart of the entertainment, the US population goes and expects to be entertained. A little news for the US population, get rowdy (withing legal reason of course).

I think that's why people in the US don't like soccer, because the (fans) that do follow it, aren't doing a good job of making it worth watching. There is a reason they call it the BEAUTIFUL GAME, because IT IS!!!!

National Team Roster

2009-02-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

The training camp roster looks really good. I am sure some may argue that there are other better suited to fill these spots. I do like our chances this year on the road to the World Cup. Here is who is practicing in LA right now:

Goalkeepers: Jon Busch (Chicago), Will Hesmer (Columbus), Matt Pickens (Colorado).
Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Ugo Ihemelu (Colorado), Chris Wingert (Salt Lake), Marvell Wynne (Toronto).
Midfielders: Brian Carroll (Columbus), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Eddie Gaven (Columbus), Stuart Holden (Houston), Jack Jewsbury (Kansas City), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus), John Thorrington (Chicago).
Forwards: Brian Ching (Houston), Kenny Cooper (Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby, Norway), Chris Rolfe (Chicago).

With those twenty players, there are a few that will join the team in Columbus from the European leagues. These will include:

Forwards Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey
Midfielders DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Bradley
Defenders Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo and Heath Pearce
Goalkeeper Tim Howard.

The game is on February 11th at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN2 HD.

Manager, Manager, Go So Fast...

2009-02-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it wasn't that fast but it still sucks. According to Soccer News, Kevin Keegan, the once manager of Newcastle United was caught speeding and had his licence suspended for six months.

He told the courts that he had been in “turmoil” over his future as the Newcastle manager.

He ended up hitting the legal points limit on his licence of twelve. He was traveling at 36 mph in a 30 mph zone. Here is an idea, if you are that close to you points limit... DON'T SPEED. Don't even drive with one hand on the steering wheel for goodness sake.

Apparently the Magistrate has the ability to waive a suspension like this one for those who can show that it would cause exceptional hardship. Well, with Keegan being the "Manager" of Newcastle, I would call it a hardship, would you? So, in writing, he accepted that he couldn't make that kind of case.

To add insult to the six month suspension of the drivers licence Keegan also had to pay a fine of 750 pounds, that would be 1087.28 in US.

I think the moral of the story here kids is this, don't tell the courts that you were emotional, in a rage, or any other mental state when pleading a case for speeding. Not such a good idea.

Nevada Smiths

2009-02-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

Living in the US and being a fan of the beautiful game of football, isn't exactly the best combination. One of the hardest things to do in this situation is finding a place to grab a sweet pint of ale and watch a bit of footy. The good news is, there are a few places around the country that this scenario is possible. They just don't get put on the main stream map of places to go. If you are close to that location and like the things mentioned above, you're golden. If your not close, then your screwed.

I came across this Football Pub while cruising the net called Nevada Smiths. They have a great tag line, "Where Football is Religion". That tag alone does it for me. The problem I do have is the fact that I live in Bakersfield California and this amazing pub is in New York, 3000 miles away. I do have to say, if the wife and I do get a chance to go to New York, (in our dreams) this will be a must stop on the itinerary.

Just a side note on how cool this place really is. I had sent the pub an email telling them how awesome they were for making this sort of thing available in a country that doesn't exactly care for football. Anyway, I got an email the next day that said this, "Thank you for the kind words, send me on your postal address and I'll get a Nevada Smiths shirt over to you," Jack D Keane: Director of Football. These guys are awesome.

More Beckham News!!

2009-01-31T16:25:00.000-08:00

It seems the roomer bug is telling everyone that Beckham is wanting to stay and play longer with AC Milan. The Galaxy are saying he will be back on time and ready for the upcoming MLS season. Fox Soccer reports, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena as saying,

"He's going to be back here March 9, we've entered into a loan agreement with AC Milan (in which) the player, his agent, AC Milan, ourselves and Major League Soccer understand the guidelines."

Personally, I think if he wants to stay, let him stay. He seems much happier playing there than in the Home Dept Center with the Galaxy. Think about it for a second. He comes over, signs with the MLS. Major League Soccer sticks him on every little media package they can get their hands on. Instantly, Beckham is the poster child for the starving MLS. How would you feel?

I say starving MLS because lets face it, the games and atmosphere are boring. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching the games. However, I watch them because it's soccer, not because it's the MLS. Compare the MLS to the Series A or the Premier League. BIG difference. The play is incredible, the fans are brilliant. It's all around better quality. The MLS is boring by comparison.

So, do I blame Beckham for wanting to stay? Heck no, I think he should. AC Milan is wanting to give the MLS a 6.5 million dollar transfer fee. I say do it. What would you do if you were Beckham? Stay or leave?

They Will Try Anything.

2009-01-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

What will they think of next. I suppose it's just another act of desperation. Here is the deal. Mexico is playing the US in Ohio on February 11th. Mexico hasn't won on US soil in 10 years. Now that they have to play the US in order to qualify for the World Cup, they have released a voodoo doll to assist the Mexico team in winning. Good stuff.

Pirates!!! ARG!!!

2009-01-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

I came across an interesting post by the senior soccer writer at Fox Sports, Jamie Trecker. He ran over the problem broadcast companies and league officials are having with pirated material such as games and other stuff. I found this a post by Guardian, covering the story called, Premier League goes to war on piracy.

"Sporting authorities are terrified of following the path of the music industry, which saw its business model collapse after it failed to combat digital piracy. The league made £625m from its overseas rights deals last time around and a total of £2.7bn overall, and is banking on another increase after 2010 to compensate for a potential dip in domestic income."

Okay, here's the beef I have with this whole thing. Look at the money (that symbol is for pounds by the way). The league made 2.7 billion pounds (3.7 billion US) with plans to increase? Give me a break. They want to do what the music industry didn't? The music industry did it to themselves. Charging 25 bucks for a stupid CD that didn't even cost 1 buck to make. Yeah you can argue the fact that they had to pay for all the equipment and the big building and pay the artist and so on. I'm not buying it. Think about it (simple math) 25 bucks for a CD, they sell 1 million CD's, 25 million they just made, not including everything else they get through that contract they have with the artist. No wonder everyone started downloading and sharing music. That's the great thing about human nature, we don't like to be taken advantage of. When figure it out, what happens, we take care of it the best way we know how... PAYBACK!!

Jamie brings up a great point in his post:
"Some musicians have released entire albums to supposed “pirate sites” (Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead are two of the bigger names) knowing that they can make up the money with concerts and merchandise. The pirates are only too happy to comply and they go on to tell their pals how “cool” the company is, and how people should support them. In the end, by many accounts, comic and music piracy has actually led to increased sales. An intriguing study last month showed that the top bootlegged movies… were also the highest grossing and most seen. In other words, the people downloading your films are also going out and buying them, and seeing them in the theatre multiple times!"

Here's the deal. These officials just need to realize three things.
One: Times are changing. They need to get off their high horses and figure out a way to use this online world to their advantage.
Two: If you think you can control what matches people get to see on TV so that you can sell some tickets, your are living in a fantasy world. If you don't televise a match that people want to see, they're going to find a way to watch it.
And Three: The more eyes you have on the matches (TV, in person, or online), the more money your going to make in the long run. Just because your not selling a ticket to put a butt in the seat, doesn't mean your not going to sell a jersey, poster, or some other club product.

You Said How Much?!!

2009-01-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here is the story for those of you that haven't heard. If you haven't, where have you been?!! Anyway, reports confirmed that Manchester City of the Premier League offered Ricardo Kaka 145 million dollars to transfer from his club AC Milan to their club. Yes you heard right 145 million bucks. Frankly, that amount of money is ridiculous and puts a bad taste in the mouths of people throughout the league.

"I'm worried that, as a game, it looks as if football has no worries and is immune from the world financial crisis," said Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the players' union in English football, the Professional Footballers' Association.

The good news is, Kaka said no to the deal. according to the AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, "Kaka is staying with Milan, for Kaka, money isn't everything... Kaka is and remains with Milan."

So what do you think? Is that way too much money or do you think the sport is just starting to catch up to the already outlandish salaries of other major sports?

EPL Standings Round 22

2009-01-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

This is what the Premier League standings look like after the round 22 games last week.

Manchester United

21 gp

47 pts

Liverpool

22 gp

47 pts

Chelsea

22 gp

45 pts

Aston Villa

22 gp

44 pts

Arsenal

22 gp

41 pts

Everton

22 gp

36 pts

Wigan Athletic

22 gp

31 pts

West Ham United

22 gp

29 pts

Hull City

22 gp

27 pts

Fulham

20 gp

26 pts

Manchester City

21 gp

25 pts

Portsmouth

21 gp

24 pts

Bolton

22 gp

23 pts

Newcastle

22 gp

23 pts

Sunderlan

22 gp

23 pts

Tottenham

22 gp

21 pts

Blackburn

21 gp

21 pts

Middlesbrough

22 gp

21 pts

Stoke City

22 gp

21 pts

West Bromwich

22 gp

21 pts

* Note: (gp) stands for games played / (pts) stands for points*

EPL - Round 22

2009-01-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

Each week, I will be attempting to give you the standings and scores from some of the highlighted match in the previous week. I know, you can get that information anywhere. But, I just thought it would be nice to have it here too. That way, you don't have to hunt and peck through all the jargon to get it. So, with out wasting any more time, I give you Round 22...

Monday January 19, 2009

Liverpool 1-1 Everton
Steven Gerrard scored in the 68' (minute) to put Liverpool on top. Then with a cross from Mikel Arteta in the 87' Tim Cahill put Everton even.

Sunday January 18, 2009

West Ham United 3-1 Fulham
David Di Michele led off the scoring in the 7' with a cross from Lucas Neill. Fulhams loan goal was scored my Paul Konchesky in the 22'. Mark Noble in the 60' and Carlton Cole in the 76' put West Ham in the lead for the 3 point win.

Saturday January 17, 2009

Hull City 1-3 Arsenal
Arsenal started off the scoring in the 30' with a shot off a corner kick from Robin Van Persie to Emmanuel Adebayor. Hull City brought it to an even game in the 65' with a goal from Daniel Cousin. But it was all Arsenal after that with a goals from Samir Nasri in the 85' and Nicklas Bendtner in the 86' to get the 3 points.

Bolton 0-1 Man United
Man U won this one by the skin of there teeth with a cross by Carlos Tevez to Dimitar Berbatov in the 90'.

Sunderland 1-2 Aston Villa
Sunderland started things off with a goal from Danny Collins in the 11'. The second half was all Aston Villa with a goal from James Milner in the 60' and one from Gareth Barry in the 80'.

Chelsea 2-1 Stoke City
It took going into the second half for Stoke City to draw first blood. Rory Delap put one in the back of the net in the 60'. In the 88' Juliano Belletti scored for Chelsea to bring it even and with a last minute goal in the 90' from Frank Lampard would give Chelsea the win and the 3 points.

Tricks....

2009-01-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

I am sure you have heard or seen the Trickery played by Manchester United against Chelsea during Sundays match. It was brilliant, if you have not yet seen it, here is a video.

Okay, the problem is, the goal was disallowed. According to the rule (from FIFA) the only criteria needed to take a corner kick is this... The ball must be kicked by a player of the attacking team, the ball is in play when it is kicked and moves, the kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.

After watching the video, you can clearly see that everything is followed in the rules. Rooney sets the ball (like any other corner) flicks the ball into play (and doesn't touch it again), then Ronaldo gets the ball and sends in a cross.

The only argument that Chelsea would have is that Rooney didn't play the ball from outside the side or goal line. Unfortunately for Chelsea, there in nothing in the FIFA rules that says the ball must be played in this manner. I applaud Man U for executing the play.

So, what do you thing? Do you think the goal should have been allowed?

FIFA Rule Book

Beckham Fans Love Stickers?

2009-01-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

According to the world of soccer news, fans of David Beckham are freeking out about not getting a sticker of him that will be coming availible in the Panini's new album. Now, I can understand wanting to get your hands on something but this, come on, its a stupid sticker. Go buy yourself a wallbanger, that way you can look at him full size instead of a sticker that is small enough to fit in a CD case. Get a life people.

"Obsessed football fans are in a panic that the David Beckham sticker for the Panini albums will not be freely available, Ansa reported on Friday."

SoccerNews

No Reserves?

2009-01-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

Some interesting news come out recently. The MLS announced that they would be disbanding the reserve league. This has to be the worse news to come out this off season. Sure, you may thing there might be something out there, who needs the reserve league right? That league is for the newbie's not good enough for the big time. Let me explain just what the league is for. This way you may come to understand why this is bad news.

Top players in the Majors have benefited from the reserves. Most of these athletes that play in reserves are just out of reach in being the right fit for the majors. Take Chris Rolfe for example. This kid came from the reserve, now a major start in US Soccer. Voted an All-Star by the fans of Major League Soccer, praised forward for the Chicago Fire, and US National squad. "Well that's only one player," you say? How about Herculez Gomez. A very popular star when he was with the Colorado Rapids. He has now been traded to the Kansas City Wizards this off seasons.

England's Premier League has had a reserve league for so many years, it has become a major tradition for breeding for some of the best futbol players in the world. The MLS has only been in existence since 2005. How can the US expect to develop good quality players. There needs to be a good strong system in place in order to accomplish this. So, I am going on record as saying that disbanning the MLS Reserve League is a very bad idea.

ESPN News

OOPS!!!

2009-01-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

According to sources, Cristiano Ronaldo was on his way to training when he ran his car into a barrier while going the a tunnel in Manchester. He wasn't hurt (maybe his pride) being that the car he was driving was a Ferrari. All of this after the horrible week he has had. It started out with a big team loss to Derby County in the Carling Cup semifinal.

Yahoo Sports ESPN News