In the Summer of 1996, Major League Soccer had its first season and I was ecstatic. Since Detroit did not have a team (and still doesn’t sadly) I organized a group of friends and family to go down to Columbus toll see my then favorite team- the New England Revolution play the Crew in Ohio Stadium. After 90 minutes, Columbus and New England played to a 1-1 tie and my cousin from Belgium said (in Greek) to me and my friends, “good game guys! I had a blast! Time to go home!” As I started to tell him that the game was not quite over, he saw players line up on the field for what looked like a shootout. I explained to him that in the US, when games are tied after 90 minutes we have a modified shootout to determine the winner.

My cousin then EXPLODED. He started yelling in a combination of Greek and French, “THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! AMERICA HAS RUINED SOCCER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THIS GAME!”

He was right. When Major League Soccer first started, it tried to sell soccer as “hockey on grass” and conformed to so many unnecessary American sports standards. We had countdown clocks, goofy team names, best of three series’, and of course shootouts in case of a tie. Since then we have learned our lesson, righted some of those wrongs and evolved.

Recently, there has been interesting discussion and debate in the soccer world, as to MLS’s future. Where once the question was “can MLS survive?” the question now is “what role will MLS play in the soccer world?” Sepp Blatter recently criticised the league saying “There is no very strong professional league (in the U.S.). They have just the MLS but they have no professional leagues which are recognized by the American society.” Such a comment ignores the fact that MLS has the third highest average attendance of any sports league in the United States- above the NBA and NHL- not to mention a higher average attendance than the top leagues in France, Brazil and Argentina.

Meanwhile, Alexi Lalas recently sparked debate in the US when he tweetted, “If you live in the U.S., can you call yourself a “soccer fan” even if you don’t support @MLS?“ In the spirit of Lalas’ tweet, I would like to point out that some of what makes MLS unique and unlike its European counterparts is actually good for soccer in this country and can actually help struggling leagues abroad!

What upset me the most about Blatter’s comments on MLS was the complete denial that there are any problems with league play in Europe. Lalas mentions the level playing field in MLS, while many leagues in Europe are dominated by a select few teams. In many countries, for many reasons we have situations where there are a select few (or one) “Harlem Globetrotters” in each league followed by a massive number of “Washington Generals.” This disparity creates a huge imbalance in these leagues, where clubs in the top tier do not have the money, the facilities, or even the market to compete with the top teams in their league.
In Economics there is a method used to calculate how competitive a market it by how much power is concentrated in an industry’s top four firms. While market value of clubs outside the elite of each league are hard to find, if you were to measure market dominance in terms number of championships won you will see that most leagues operate as a oligopoly, and in some cases a monopoly!

Now, some may argue that soccer is above business and that is shouldn’t be treated like such. I wish that were the case, but when the top clubs of Europe have created unfair market conditions where most games are uncompetitive, I think one has no choice but to acknowledge the business of the sport. That is what I like about Major League Soccer, is it is honest about the fact that a league and it clubs are businesses. It wants ALL of its clubs to be successful, profitable, and each have a fair shot at winning the Championship. Since its inception in 1996, 9 different clubs have won the Championship. Its top four clubs in terms of Championships won are: DC United (4), Los Angeles Galaxy (4), San Jose Earthquakes (2), and Houston Dynamo (2). 75% of the championships were won by the 4 most successful teams. Lets look at other leagues since 1996:

Major League Soccer:
DC United - 4
Los Angeles Galaxy - 4
San Jose Earthquakes - 2
Houston Dynamo - 2
Top Four Clubs - 71%
Top 2 Clubs - 47%

English Premier League
Manchester United - 10 (59%)
Arsenal - 3
Chelsea - 3
Manchester City - 1
Top Four Clubs - 100%
Top Two Clubs - 76%

La Liga:
Barcelona - 7
Real Madrid - 7
Valencia - 2
Athletico Madrid - 1
Top Four Clubs - 100%
Top Two Clubs - 82%

Bundesliga:
Bayern Munich - 8 (47%)
Borussia Dortmund - 4
4 teams for 3rd and 4th
Top Four - 82%
Top Two - 70%

Serie A:
Juventus - 6 (one was technically rescinded)
Internazionale Milan - 5
AC Milan - 3
Three teams tied at 1 - 1
Top Four - 88%
Top Two - 65%

Eredivise:
PSV - 8
Ajax - 6
Feyenoord/AZ/Twente - 1 each
Top Four - 94%
Top Two - 82%

Prva HNL:
Dinamo Zagreb - 13 (76%)
Hajduk Split - 3
NK Zagreb - 1
Top Four - 100%
Top Two - 94%

Greek Superleague:
Olympiakos - 15 (88%)
Panathanikos - 2
Top Four - 100%
Top Two - 100%

Scottish Premier League:
Celtic - 8
Rangers - 9
Top Four - 100%
Top Two - 100%

You get the point. In Europe there is a problem of non competitive with a lot of non competitive soccer being played each week. I believe that some things MLS has done, can be helpful to other countries. Things like summer leagues, fixed teams (instead of promotion and regulation), trans-national leagues, salary caps, and an end to condoning gambling in the sport can be helpful.

Summer Leagues:
The world is not Europe. North America gets REALLY cold in the Winter- and south of the equator our winter is their summer. Blatter complains that he wants the whole world on one calendar- however with a simple understanding of geography, one could see that this is impossible. Even in Europe, Scandinavian countries are given permission to have summer leagues- why not promote this further?

Yes, every four years all the globe turns its attention to the World Cup, and leagues should definitely take this into consideration. After the first couple of weeks of competition however, with only a few teams left competing, how many players are displaced- especially from leagues like MLS?

Rather than have FIFA push for one global euro-centric calendar, they should suggest season coordination where there are summer leagues and winter leagues- with breaks for appropriate tournaments. With more leagues opting for summer, and with television contracts going global- there is no reason why you cannot watch top tier soccer all year round. Soccer on TV all year is not only good for promoting the sport in all corners of the earth- but can generate more revenue for some leagues.

More summer leagues also provides many more opportunities for loans. Winter-based leagues could see their teams keep their stars or prospects in shape over the summer, and vice-versa. Furthermore, leagues could also benefit from the World Cup, as there are opportunities to improve domestic ratings for leagues by promoting televised “double-headers”.

Fixed Teams vs. Promotion and Regulation

Promotion and regulation may make sense for many countries- and thats fine. I would just like to point out some of its shortcomings, and why fixed teams work well in MLS.

The ideal behind a promotion/regulation system is noble. The idea is that no matter how small your club or your team, you still in theory can compete with the big dogs in your league. In reality it means that your club’s success in division 2 is doomed when you make it to the top flight, as you just don’t have the resources to compete.

Because of promotion and regulation, teams like Olympiacos have to play teams like A.O. Kerkyra- a team whose host city has a less people than the typical attendance of an “Athens Derby” match. In Holland, can you expect a team like De Graafschap- a team located in the town of Doetinchem whose 56,000 residents could almost all fit in the Amsterdam Arena- to compete with teams like Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord? In Serbia, Belgrade clubs like Red Star and Partizan compete with teams like FK Novi Pazar- whose 66,000 residents could almost all fit in Red Star’s stadium.

In fact, in Greece- as I’m sure is the case in many leagues- it is well known that owning a soccer team requires an investment in which the owners will lose money. With the exception of Olympiacos, almost all teams lose money every year as owners invest in teams “just for fun”. In Scotland, Rangers couldn’t keep up with Celtic, and have since gone bankrupt, giving Celtic a monopoly over the league. Such instability means that teams change ownership often, which creates more instability for the club, and less success.

In order to get a franchise in MLS on the other hand, you need to show a plan on how your club will be profitable in in the near future, as well as have a suitable stadium for your team to play. When the league itself does not expect its lower rung teams to be profitable, it only makes the bigger clubs more dominant. With that I ask- which is system is more fair, and better promotes the Beautiful Game? One where it is only theoretically possible for all of clubs to have a shot at a league championship, or one where any team in its top flight has this chance?

Finally, on the subject of fixed teams vs. promotion/regulation- I ask this. Is it good for the sport of soccer when Berlin- one of Europe’s largest cities- goes almost every other year not having a team in the Bundesliga? Or that cities like Leeds and Sheffield- both cities larger than Manchester and Liverpool- do not have teams in the Premier League?

Regional League:
So the question remains- in small countries where there are only one or two big markets- how can a fixed league be profitable? Television is the main source of revenue for sports teams in the US, and in a small country with only a couple of markets that is not possible. One way MLS addressed this issue is that it became the top of the soccer pyramid for two countries: the US and Canada.

What I also love about what MLS has done is still allow American and Canadian teams compete in their own domestic Cups. In the US, you have the US Open Cup where professional teams compete with lower tier minor league clubs- while in Canada you have the Canadian Cup. Should other countries adopt a regional league format, their domestic cups now have more meaning.

Imagine a Scandinavian League, that played in summer and included all of the top teams from Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. Such a league would likely automatically be considered one of Europe’s 10 best- potentially good enough to air all over the world in the summer, when many leagues are dormant. In fact, such a league could look like this:

Scandanavian Super League:
1. AIK #185 – Stockholm, Sweden – pop. 872k
2. Malmo FF #238 – Malmo, Sweden – pop. 303k
3. IFK Goteborg #239 – Gothenburg, Sweden – pop. 526k
4. Rosenborg BK #108 – Trondheim, Norway – pop. 180k
5. Valerenga Fotball #245 – Oslo, Norway – pop. 623k
6. SK Brann #246 – Bergen, Norway – pop. 268k
7. HJK #199 – Helsinki, Finland – pop. 604k
8. FC Honka Espoo #282 – Espoo, Findland – pop. 256k
9. FC Copenhagen #45 – Copenhagen, Denmark – pop. 559k
10. Aalborg BK #95 – Aalborg, Denmark – pop. 126k
11. Odense BK #135 – Odense, Denmark – pop. 168k
12. AGF Aarhus #229 – Aarhus, Denmark – pop. 252k
13. KR Reykjavik #251 – Reykjavik, Iceland – pop. 119k

Of course, I would like to see a “Balkan Super League” with clubs from Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria. Taking a look at what a potential “Balkan Super League” could look like we must first consider that the Greek Super League- the top league in that region- currently has 16 teams in a country with only two media markets over 250,000- Athens and Thesaloniki. 7 of its 16 teams in the Greek Super League are not even in the top 400 clubs of UEFA. The other teams in this region rank far worse. By combining these countries to form one league, as I attempted to do below, you can see a league that is far more competitive (the rank is the UEFA Coefficient Rank):

Balkan Super League:
1. A.E.K.#109 – Athens, Greece, pop – 3.7mil
2. Panathanaikos #53 – Athens, Greece, pop – 3.7mil
3. Olympiakos #33 – Pireaus, Greece, pop 450k (part of Athens metro area)
4. Aris #120 – Thesaloniki, Greece, pop- 1mil
5. PAOK #69 – Thesaloniki, Greece, pop- 1mil
6. APOEL #61 – Nicocia, Cyprus, pop – 310k
7. AEL Limassol #169 – Limassol, Cyprus, pop – 183k
8. PFC Lokomotiv Plodiv #323 – Plodiv, Bulgaria, pop – 400k
9. CSKA Sofia #163 – Sofia, Bulgaria, pop – 1.2mil
10. Levski Sofia #136 – Sofia, Bulgaria, pop – 1.2mil
11. Red Star #167 – Belgrade, Serbia, pop – 1.7mil
12. FK Partizan #103 – Belgrade, Serbia, pop – 1.7mil
13. Stauea Bucharest #66 – Bucharest, Romania, pop – 1.6mil
14. FK Vojovodina #67 – Novi Sad, Serbia, pop – 341k
15. CFR Cluj #67 – Cluj, Romania – pop – 400k

While such a league does not necessarily need to have the exact teams above, or necessarily have 15 teams, you get the idea of what such a regional league would look like. Almost all teams play in a market over with over 300,000 people. Big cities have multiple teams. With fewer teams per market, local tv contracts can help bring income to these clubs.

In CONCACAF, we could see just 4 leagues in the entire region: League MX, MLS, a Central American league, and a Caribbean League. The latter leagues playing a winter schedule, where some MLS players may want to spend their off months keeping their skills sharp and keeping fit.

A “Gold Coast League” in West Africa that included Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivorie, and Cameroon may provide just the resources needed to give aspiring soccer players the chance to play competitive soccer without having to leave for Europe. The same can be said for a “Pan-Arabian League” in countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Baharain, UAE, and Quatar or an “Alpine League” in Switzerland, Austria, Czech, and Slovakia.

There are other advantages to creating regional “Super” leagues. First, it gives even more importance to a country’s Cup tournament, as it is now responsible for crowning the lone top club in the nation and still provides a chance for smaller clubs to become “giant killers”. Because a regional super league would only have the top teams from several nations in each league, each country would be responsible for the 2nd tier of their nation’s soccer pyramid, and those remaining teams would compete on a more level playing field. There is even an opportunity to create permanent minor league affiliates. Finally-it would mean that every country has a chance to watch competitive soccer, every week, no matter where they lived and no matter what team they supported.

Ban on Gambling

One thing that the United States learned MANY years ago, was that no matter how important a part of our culture a sport is, it can be ruined by gambling. In the soccer world, gambling is often ENCOURAGED through advertising. How many soccer teams in Europe are sponsored by gambling websites? How many countries have sanctioned sports betting? In the US, there are laws that restrict sports betting, and gambling scandals have not been as severe than in other countries. The problem is, in Europe smaller clubs have no choice but to integrate gambling into their sport. This relationship, which the New York Times claims created a one TRILLION dollar industry (source: http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/asia-the-heart-of-worldwide-soccer-corruption-investigators-say/), is dangerous for the future of the game. I feel like the topic of match fixing and betting is a really, REALLY big deal that FIFA does not take seriously enough. This topic is way too big to discuss here.

Salary Caps

On the subject on competitive soccer- one thing that keeps MLS competitive is its salary cap. While controversial, salary caps proved to be essential in the United States. Our last attempt at division one soccer in the us- the North American Soccer League (NASL)- folded when teams just could not compete with the juggernaut team the New York Cosmos. When MLS launched in 1996, it took a “single entity” approach, where financial successes and shortcomings were shared. Rather than repeat the mistakes of the NASL, it looked to the (I hate to say it) National (American) Football League (NFL) on how to run a league that both respected the business and tradition of the sport. In Europe, we have massive amounts of overspending by a handful of elite clubs where other teams cannot even DREAM of competing. In La Liga for example, Barcelona and Real Madrid EACH spend more money on player salaries than Deportivo, Racing Santender, Osasuna, Mallorca, Espanol, and Real Betis COMBINED! To give you perspective on what that means in terms of American sports, these two teams together outspend the combined efforts of New York Islanders, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Indians, and Denver Broncos!

Conclusion
While soccer is growing all over the world, it is not adapting well to the rising business of the sport. It worries me that FIFA President Sepp Blatter won’t acknowledge the problem of oligopolies in European soccer leagues, nor the successes of Major League Soccer. It can’t be good for the sport in Scotland when only one team dominates the table. Its can’t be good for the sport in Greece when two of the traditional “Big Three” are facing constant financial collapse. It can’t be good for the sport in the Czech Republic, when players have to go abroad to compete in a top flight. It can’t be good for the sport when aspiring young Ghanaian or Nigerian soccer fans can’t watch live competitive soccer and have to rely on TV to see their heroes play. It can’t be good for the sport in Italy or China, where match fixing scandals have have global repercussions.

The current system is good for one group of people though- the owners of the mega European clubs. With no top flight league in places like West Africa, or the Mid-East, and struggling leagues in South America- top clubs in Europe can buy up all of the foreign talent. While MLS still has a long way to go until it is considered a top-tier global league, it has a lot to teach the rest of the world about the business of sports. It is true that the soccer world does not need a successful league in the US to survive- but it DOES need a successful league in Brazil, in China, in Greece, in India, in Hungary, in Sweden, in Saudi Arabia, and in many, many other countries if it is to continue to grow and maintain its status as the world’s game.

Another season has come and gone, and LA, who underachieved famously throughout 2012, has taken the cake. So, with MLS entering the offseason, the Beckham Experiment at its close, and the future wide open before us, it seems appropriate to discuss our league’s direction.

To begin, I’d direct everyone to this fascinating article from ESPN Soccernet. Consider these bits;

“This is not your older brother’s MLS. As the buzz descends on Wednesday’s All-Star Game against Chelsea, America’s oft-maligned domestic soccer league has gamely garnered an average attendance of 18,732, witnessed the construction of 14 purpose-built stadia nationwide and become a fixture (albeit an erratic one) across multiple broadcast networks…. Despite this steady growth, the MLS’ 17th season has been one of quiet though dramatic behind-the-scenes transformation. The league has emerged from six months spent painstakingly examining its marketing strategies. For the first time it has concluded that it must begin to define itself as a national brand across North America.”

“MLS is at an inflection point where it has the potential to take off exponentially if it can conjure a way to make the patchwork of localized fan frenzy spill over and follow the game league-wide… Driving national ratings for live-game broadcasts remains the league’s top priority”

Okay, I know that was a lot to be quoting, but really I could have copy pasted the entire article. It’s worth reading. I’m impressed by how frank and self-aware MLS’s brass seems; as much as we like to imagine them as distant, stupid, and generally useless, they seem to know the league and be aware of both it’s weaknesses and routes to improvement. Clearly, as we see in both their analysis and in our own as fans, MLS has made strides. We’ve added 14 stadia, grown in TV ratings, and surpassed both the NBA and NHL in attendance. Plus, as indicated above, Eurosnobbery may not be quite as severe an issue as previously thought. It may be that fans are leaning toward a multi-team solution, where a person follows Chelsea or Barca online and on TV but still attends their local MLS side’s matches, takes them for what they are, respects the fact of the growing league, and remains hopeful that we could one day match our cousins abroad. As I’ve said before, fandom for European and American clubs aren’t mutually exclusive; it may well be that others’ are starting to live in that notion.

Still, as the article points out, what we’ve arrived at is a sort of network of passionate, but wholly localized groups of supporters. We have the Sons of Ben, the Emerald City Supporters, and the Empire Supporters Club (to name a few), each chock full of die-hard members, but continue to lack attention by those in between. The average Joe still considers MLS a marginal league. It’s something we have to face, and it seems in the above article that the men on top are fully aware. The challenge will be to connect the dots and generate a more “league” feel, where people care about the league as a whole, and where the league is taken seriously as an entity. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be; our attendance numbers really say something. But we truly are at a turning point where we can plateau at localized utra-support or expand into the mainstream.

A more interesting question, thought, is the role that American players will have in the future of MLS. I direct you to these two articles, (1 and 2) the first a discussion of the decrease in playing time by Americans and the second a look into Landon Donovan’s inevitable retirement.

Like every other soccer player ever, Landon Donovan will retire one day. It will be a sad day, one accompanied by countless retrospectives and well-deserved moments of thanks, but, as much as we’d like it not to, it is coming. Within the context of the first article, I can’t help but wonder if his leaving will signal the end of MLS’s era as a league focused on American development. Yes, I know it sounds like a stretch; Americans still get the majority of time on the field, developmental academies are expanding, roster slots are reserved for homegrowns, and the league works closely with the national team. But consider this quote from Coach Klinsmann:

“[American underrepresentation on the field is] definitely a topic that we want to bring up with Don Garber and MLS because we want to make sure that, especially the younger group of players, that they get as much exposure as possible coming through the developmental stage. I know that an 18-, 19-, 20-year-old is not at the same level as an experienced player … but we have to make sure they get the chance to break through. They need the chance to get their minutes in … It’s definitely worth a discussion going forward.”

He makes an important point. When we talk about developing American players, we are, for the most part, referring to the nurturing and growth of young Americans. The fact is, though, that, as MLS develops and becomes more competitive, there’s less incentive for coaches to actively use less experienced players. Heck, when your job depends on your ability to win, why spend you time “developing” youth talent if you have experienced players, foreign or not, on the bench? There’s simply less incentive.

I don’t mean to say that MLS doens’t do a lot to protect the growth of Americans as a goal; it’s obvious that it does a lot. I propose, though, that it should go even further. We run the risk of every young club becoming a Vancouver, who allocates barely more than a quarter of its aggregate field time to Americans and Canadians, if we aren’t careful. I’m not xenophobic, and I’d love for MLS to stay diverse. But I think that, as America’s domestic league, player development needs to remain paramount.

Where do you think the league is headed? Where would you like it to go? Sound off below.

We’ve all seen games that pussyfoot. Either team plays the ball up and down the field waiting to strike, plays laterally back and forth ad nauseam, and eventually resorts to long lobs in a last-ditch attempt to make something happen. By the 90th minute, fans are left without much of a result, and, in the context of a home-and-away playoff format, find themselves dependent on the promise of the coming rematch.

Luckily, neither game of the first leg of the Conference Championships was one of these. LA mauled Seattle 3-0 and Houston rocked DC 3-1, leaving the two losers to pick up the pieces in this Sunday’s homecomings.

However, I don’t think either victorious side is guaranteed a spot in the final. Take LA; they’re like the kid who doesn’t write the paper until the last minute, but who somehow pulls out an A, much to his peers’ dismay. Despite boasting Donovan, Beckham, Keane, and Buddle (among a host of others), the Galaxy finished this year fourth in the Western standings with a 16-12-6 record. That included two losses to Seattle (2-0 and 4-0, respectively) and a measly 1-0 win against the Sounders in October. Meanwhile, Seattle was far more consistent than LA, notched a quarter fewer losses, and made it once again to the finals of the US Open Cup.

Granted, Seattle will have to score three times in their next game just to level the playing field. It won’t be easy. As Seattle’s middie Brad Evans said Thursday, “When you look at their team, they kind of shape their team around the counterattack. When they win the ball, Sean Franklin pushes forward as fast as he can, [Christian] Wilhelmsson tucks in a little bit and [David] Beckham gets the ball almost in a right back position right behind the halfway line.” That means the classic model for a team desperate for goals (that of throwing everything but the kitchen sink in with the offence) would play directly into LA’s strengths, leaving Seattle debilitated by their own strategy. This, though, is exactly what the Sounders faced in the first leg, and they’ve surely learned from it. I can guarantee you’ll see Sigi Schmid focus on slowing the pace of the game, letting LA finesse itself into nothing, and cashing in on counter-attacks. We often overlook that aspect of the Sounders; with Freddy Montero, Brad Evans, and Marc Burch, the club has a lot of potential for success from counters. With it’s signature home crew behind it, I could totally see Seattle making a hell of a run toward three goals. Will they do it? Who knows. Could they? I sure wouldn’t say they can’t.

Then there’s DC and Houston. The latter team enters the second leg with a lead of two goals, but that seems a whole lot less reassuring than LA’s three. Houston and DC went back and forth this year, with a 3-2 home win for DC, a 1-0 victory at Houston, and a 4-0 win for Houston. Those may not seem like such close matchups (especially considering the third game listed), but they definitely are closer than what we saw between the Galaxy and Seattle. Comparitively, these clubs have been neck and neck.

In the past round of the Playoffs, Sporting played directly into Houston’s strengths: they focused on crosses and long balls, while the Dynamo’s back line was able to dominate the air. DC is a completely different challenge. As we saw against New York, they emphasize through balls, poise in control, and direct attacks. This isn’t something Houston won’t necessarily be able to handle- hell, they may dominate- but it could mean trouble if not approached correctly. As Houston’s Will Bruin recently said, “We know how much D.C. is going to attack. This is the last attempt, the last game for them to throw numbers forward. We’ve got to be ready for it.” A 2-0 win isn’t something DC can’t pull out of the bag, and overtime always favors the home team.

Overall, I’d say that we’re going to see one upset. That’s my prediction. To be honest, I think it’ll be DC, who will sneak two by Houston toward the end of the match and glide to the Final on penalties. As for LA and Seattle, three goals really is a tough one to ask for, even if you have the best motivation in MLS (i.e., nearly 40k screaming fans). What do you think?

Because I’m the most important sports blogger in the universe, my inbox is constantly being bombarded by emails from soliciters looking for shoutouts.

Okay, obviously kidding.

But I am somewhat frequently contacted by agents and PR people, and I was recently sent two bits of info that may interest you. First, Jorg Gray, an American watch brand, will be giving away a signed Clint Dempsey away Tottenham jersey in conjunction with the man himself. Though Dempsey is now one of the top strikers in Europe and a fixture on the US national squad, we all remember his humble beginnings in New England. Across America, Clint still stands as something of a “hometown hero”. To get your hands on the goods, check out this link.

Further, I was contacted recently about Sirius XM’s launching of a brand new all-soccer channel, “SiriusXM FC”. Starting October 15th, the channel will be available to all current Sirius XM subscribers, offering coverage of the Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup, and MLS playoff matches. Guest commentators will include John Harkes, Ray Hudson, Tony Meola, Charlie Stillitano and many more. It’s another awesome way for us Yanks to stay connected, and is a clear reflection of America’s growing interest in soccer. I’ll be adding channel 94 to my presets; make sure you do too!

I get a lot of spam, but if I’ll keep you posted on interesting offerings. Stay tuned.

Four matches remain in the 2012 regular season for San Jose It’s already been a heck of a season for the Quakes, whose 18-6-6 records gives them 60 points and the first guaranteed spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs, not to mention a certain dominance over the league as a whole. The last four games of this year, to be played against Dallas, Colorado, LA, and Portland, won’t change that. But they do have the potential to allow Chris Wondolowski to cement his place in league history by breaking the record for most goals scored in a season, a bar set at 27 by Roy Lassiter all the way back in 1996.

Of course, that’s only potential. Wondo has notched 22 thus far, the most any player’s done since 2002, but he’ll need two goals per game to get past Lassiter’s mark. That’s a tall order in any one game against any opposition, but to think that he’ll need to do it four times in a row, and against the four teams he does, makes the challenge at hand a bit more imposing.

So, can he do it? Your guess is as good as mine, and we have to consider that a lot of this has to do with luck. But you really have to hand it to Wondo either way. Drafted in the cloudy bottom rungs of the 2005 Supplemental Draft, he fought for playing time in both San Jose and Houston, despite leading both clubs’ reserve sides in scoring in 2006 and 2006. Everything changed in 2010, Wondo’s breakout season, where he led the league in scoring with 18 goals, guiding San Jose past the then-dominant Red Bulls in the Quakes’ first playoff in recent memory. It seemed he came out of nowhere; one minute he’s on the bench, the next he’s single-handedly lifting San Jose to the top of the league table. Fans all across America went bananas for the striker, whose natural nose for the goal, rags-to-riches story, and sustained everyman attitude make even opposing teams respect the man and his accomplishments.

But the next four games will serve as a test of how far Wondo’s turnaround can go. First up is Dallas, the defensive powerhouse that averages 1.27 goals against this year, and only 1 against per game in the past four. Wondo has found Dallas a tough nut to crack: he has just one goal to his name in the four home matches he’s played against the Hoops during his tenure in San Jose. He’ll need two goals there just to keep up with the sheer numbers of his pursuit.

Then comes Colorado, probably the easiest match of the four considering the Rapids’ less-than-impenetrable defense. It’s historically been a good place for Wondo, who’s notched 3 goals in 5 matches at DSG Park and doesn’t seem to be bothered by the mile-high change in altitude. If he were to be looking for a hat trick (as I’m sure he wouldn’t be averse to) this is probably where it’d go down.

After that’s Galaxy, who are in a much different position than usual in this Classico. After a hugely disappointing year, LA will surely be looking for another shutout to add to their 4 in the past 5 games. The simple fact of San Jose not being an underdog is a huge break from the norm, as the Galaxy’s lopsided dominance in the annual meeting is embodied by Wondo’s record of two goals in seven such matches. This one seems a toss up to me. Sure, Galaxy have their holes, but it may take a lot of luck for Wondo to get a brace in this match.

Last up is Portland, where Wondo has seen not only zero goals, but zero shots in two visits. Can he get two goals against the Timbers? Beside the fact that he did so at home a week ago, he’ll be facing a Portland club that’s bleeding goals. Since Gavin Wilkinson took over, they’ve allowed 25 goals in 12 games, cementing their place in the lower rungs of the West. I won’t say that it’s a guarantee, but if anyone can get two goals here, it’s Wondo.

So that’s that. Honestly, I’m rooting for him. I love the story: he fought hard, shining even when meddling in the reserve league, and earned the respect of a nation of supporters. It’ll be hard- 8 goals in 4 games hard- but it definitely isn’t impossible.

I mean, come on, they don’t call him Wonder Wondo for nothin’.

I write this from a hotel in Segovia, where I’m forgoing a siesta in favor of updating this ‘ere blog. In case you missed the end note in the last post, I’ll be spending the next month or so in Spain and, for the record, watching the Spain v. Portugal match in a sea of 100k+ red-clad fanatics was exactly as sick as it seems.

To begin, though, let’s talk about David Beckham. Beckham confirmed yesterday that he’d been snubbed by coach Stuart Pierce in selections for England’s Olympic roster, despite near certainty that he’d return for the Three Lions. You can argue about how much of a shock this really is: each Olympic team is only allowed three players over 23 years of age, making competition for roster access tight even for players as decorated as Becks. But the English middie was fairly omnipresent in the effort to bring the Olympics to London, participating in countless proportional activities, attending the Olympic Board’s decision-making vote in 2005, and even lending a hand in the ceremonial running of the Olympic torch. Suffice to say, the move was unexpected by both Beckham and fans across the globe.

Of course, there is a bright side. The Galaxy are still fairly shaky, and Beckham’s presence definitely couldn’t hurt. When he’s in form, Beckham makes LA stronger on the wings and on set pieces than probably any other American club. And with that new Don Quijote ’stache-beard combo, David’s effectively written off suggestions that he’s too old to change his appearance every week.

But there’s also the somewhat-related question of tomorrow’s meeting between the Galaxy and the Quakes, the so called California Clasico. I’ll be honest: this isn’t really the most important match to me, and one of my main motivations for covering it was the fact that MLSsoccer.com’s advertised it up the Wazoo. The setting isn’t quite a usual one for the meeting of these two teams, given San Jose’s league-leading 10-3-3 record and LA’s lackluster 6-8-2. I mentioned this veritable changing of the guard in my last post, but a major aspect of the leadup to this match is the fact that, for the first time in gosh-knows-how-long (and possibly ever), the LA Galaxy will be the scrappy underdogs looking to upset the big, scary Earthquakes.

The match isn’t quite as one-sided as I’ve made it out to be. LA have won their last three matches, having beaten Vancouver, Portland, and (most importantly) the second-place Real Salt Lake. They still boast the most star studded roster in MLS, with Beckham, Donovan, Buddle, and Keane among the ranks. And, as Bruce Arena so articulately pointed out, the team’s “just playing better,” a statement whose intangible vagueness does point directly to the rejuvenated form of Landon Donovan.

The Quakes, though, are just as strong. To be sure, they are still heavily dependent on Chris Wondolowski for offence, but that isn’t so bad considering that he leads the league in goals and is among the top 5 for both Shots and SOG. However, this dependence is much less pronounced than last year’s: the Earthquakes were a wreck of a Midfield in 2012, often resorting to simple lob-and-pray tactics to set up Wondo for a goal. This isn’t true anymore. The Earthquakes have built a fairly solid mid around Marvin Chavez, who is near the top of the league in assists, and are definitely much more cohesive as a unit. Either way, they clearly know how to score goals, and will assuredly capitalize on any given opportunity.

We’ll see what happens; there’s a lot of soccer to watch this weekend. Sporting will play Chicago tonight on NBC Sports at 8 Eastern, and it couldn’t hurt to tune in, regardless of whom you support. Have a good weekend, and I’ll be back within a few days.

Oh, and P.S., there is the remote grain of a possibility that I could get an interview with Cesc Fabregas, who’s probable lack of any knowledge of MLS makes him none the less attractive to me as a person to meet…..

I haven’t posted in two months, leaving me a ton of ground to cover. The season really started to take shape in April and May, but it was clear very quickly that the league had taken a few turns we hadn’t expected. Whereas I spent most of the preseason singing praise for LA and predicting a second consecutive “double”, the Galaxy have dropped their momentum like a hot potato. With five wins, eight losses, and only one point earned in the entire month of May, LA now sits above only Portland and Dallas in Western Conference contention. Even with the offensive bonus of Edson Buddle, the Galaxy have been barely able to squeeze out narrow victories over clubs it once clobbered, such as their recent 1-0 win over the Timbers.

DC’s been just the opposite story: 5 and 2 in their last seven league games, United has found the magic it desperately lacked in 2012 with DeRo, Chris Pontius, and Maicon Santos. Their surprisingly potent offense has found the net at least twice in five of their last seven matches, making the team’s claim to first place in the East a surely deserved one. Whether they’ll be able to keep up this momentum is anyone’s guess; Andy Najar will be out for Olympic duty with Honduras (*cough* traitor *cough*), which could prove a test of United’s depth.

Meanwhile, RSL have been on fire, New York has been mind-numbingly inconsistent (looks like at least one of my predictions was right), and the whole league has been overshadowed by Euro 2012. I’ve gotten over complaining about things like that, though; if Beckham and Pele have proven anything, it’s that MLS (or any American soccer league, given the Pele reference) isn’t ever going to be an overnight success, at least in a lasting sense. This is really old news to die-hards, who I’m sure make up the larger part of my readership, but it’s worth pointing out. The 186% increase in TV viewership, the abundant ESPN and news coverage of the tournament, and the general understanding that soccer fandom in a general sense is growing in the US is a very, very good thing; we need to accept as fans that the sport needs to grow conceptually in America before we can start asking for (previously nonexistant) fandom to be channeled toward a domestic league.

Still, it’s been a fairly quiet season. That fact may be in part due to the 25 day international break, but is accented by the lack of any big-name moves or headline-making news stories. And this can be a good thing: we’ve had no steroid scandals, no in-stadium disasters, and no career-ending injuries to players whom we’ll be counting on in 2014. (Though I won’t delve into the US’s recent international stint, given that my elation at being able to brag on Scottish friends’ facebook walls turned pretty quickly into disappointed grievance from the Brazil game on) Things are running pretty smoothly, as I’m sure they’ll continue to.

Yes, this is a rather awkward article. I’ll be resuming more regular postings starting today, meaning I’ll be spending less time covering massive tracts of missed action and more time dishing on current events. Now that we’re up to speed, though, I’ll say that it’s good to be back. I missed our little league.

It was announced recently that Adidas would be using the 2012 MLS All-Star game, slated for July 25 in Philadelphia, as a forum to test its new “smart cleat” technology, micoach. Using chips implanted in its soles, the cleats are able to take such stats as player speed and distance run, opening up a whole new ballgame for those who are attracted to on-field metrics.

Don’t think its cool yet? Check out the promo video:

I think this is a pretty sweet event for both the league and soccer as a whole; we get publicity, and fans everywhere get an entirely new way to look at the beautiful game. Really just awesome overall.

Now maybe we should try to win this year’s All-Star game…….

New England’s 2012 season began as we all expected. The Rev’s lost their two opening road matches, including a 1-0 loss at San Jose and a whopping 3-0 spanking by Sporting. Things turned around only narrowly with the club’s home opener, as the club rode past the absences of Darrius Barnes, John Lozano, Stephen McCarthy, and Benny Feilhaber to find a 1-0 win over Portland. But all remained unwell in Foxboro, as the Revolution faced the upcoming challenge of the LA Galaxy. Keep in mind: the Revs’ had only managed one goal in three games, were still trying to gel between a new coach and handful of new talent, and hadn’t tasted victory in the West since 2009. And They were going against the Galaxy, the MLS phalanx many consider a likely candidate for a second consecutive “double”, at its very own fortress of the Home Depot Center.

And shit, they won.

In its first set of back to back wins since 2010, the little team that could beat the Galaxy 3-1 on its own turf. Scoring began in the 10th minute when NE captain Shalrie Joseph set rookie Kelyn Rowe up for his debut goal, a volley that was blocked, but whose rebound landed kindly on Mr. Rowe’s foot for the finish. The Rev’s struck again only three minutes later when a cheeky give and go with Joseph let Kevin Alston drill in a cross for Chris Tierney to finish. From there, New England’s offence came down as heavily on the Galaxy as the rain that flooded the Home Depot Center, with Tierney up shots in the 25th and 35th.

The Revs’ defense shined too, blocking a David Beckham free kick in the 39th and an Edson Buddle breakaway in stoppage.

The last strike from the underdogs came in the 65th, when Ryan Guy outdid two defenders to float a lofty cross into the box. Saer Sène finished with a header, pointing out both the inevitability of New England’s victory and the visible faults in LA’s defense. Pressure remained hot on the Galaxy’s goal and, despite Keane making a surprise finish on an Edson Buddle through ball in the 78th, the Revs flirted closely with the idea of a fourth goal.

And then the whistle blew, and David had beaten Goliath. It’s funny, I still don’t have much faith in New England. Their roster has tons of holes, lacking both solidarity and depth, and needs time to find itself under its new coach Jay Heaps. But I’ll be damned if they don’t have some sparks. Mark my words: we’ll be seeing Kelyn Rowe in a US jersey some day soon. And there is a lot more to Saer Sene than his haircut, as his physicality and field vision make him a fairly deadly striker under certain conditions. I don’t think the Revs will get far past the middle of the pack in 2012, but strong individual efforts could definitely culminate in a surprise playoff run (hint hint).

I guess we’ll see what happens. Until then, though, let’s give kudos to New England. They did what very, very few soccer teams have done in quite some time: beating LA at home. And no shitty 2011 record or lack of attendance can take that away.

There really hasn’t been much “news” news in MLS over the past few weeks: clubs haven’t been rumored to be in talks with international stars, managers have kept things with the status quo, and not a single player was found to me making anything of a ruckus. The season opened smoothly, and attendance looked stronger than ever. So, yeah not too much to talk about. Of course, in the wake of this boredom, my friends and I, being soccer fans and thus at the highest end of sports fandom’s intellectual food chain, couldn’t help but make a few puns after watching the US’s U-23’s smash Cuba 6-0 in Olympic qualifying. Highlights include:

“If this finishes with a clean slate you could say we’ve embargoed Cuba’s goals” *puts pinky to mouth*

“I bet the whole team flies coach on the way back. Gotta make sure everyone has equal treatment”

“Cuba’s team plays at a 1950’s USA level. Much like their cars”

“Hey, at least we know the whole team tries hard. For fear of being punished for not contributing to the collective effort”

“So much for the Teller Amendment. We sure are owning Cuba tonight”

“Cuba may be over that missile thing, but no amount of international intervention can solve their defensive crisis”

Thank you, thank you, you’ve been a great audience. Now for a weekend preview:

Seattle v. Houston (Friday at 10 Eastern, NBCSN): Seattle comes in undefeated, but the equally perfect Houston is a formidable opponent. I’m putting this one in the “too close to call” column, though we all know how powerful the Sounders are at home.

Toronto v. San Jose (Saturday at 1 Eastern): San Jose is coming off a 3-1 opening loss, and doesn’t have much to indicate that this game should be any better. Anything, that is, except that Toronto isn’t quite Seattle. I’ll give this one to the home team, but still point to the weaknesses I outlined in the season preview.

Columbus v. Montreal (Saturday at 4 Eastern): I don’t meant to pick on the expansion side, but if Montreal can’t get a win in front of almost 60K fans, don’t expect much here. I expect that the Crew will open up their home stadium for the season with a victory, if not a fairly lopsided one.

New England v. Portland (Saturday at 4 Eastern): More than what’s on the field, I’m worried about attendance at this one. The Revolution began their season with two road losses, the most recent a 3-0 smacking in Kansas City, leaving Bostonians with little reason to come out to Gillette Stadium. Portland could very well win or tie this one.

Chivas v. Union (Saturday at 8:30 Eastern): Chicago will take this one. With a 1-1 tie at Montreal last week, and with an opponent who’s now 0-2 including its home opener, there’s no reason why the Fire shouldn’t come out ahead.

RSL v. Chivas (Saturday at 9 Eastern): RSL has won its first two games. Chivas hasn’t scored a goal. Guess where I’m going on this one. Better luck next time, Chivas, assuming that next time Angel isn’t listed as “questionable”.

Vancouver vs. DC (Saturday at 10 Eastern): Vancouver’s definitely made huge strides from last year, but DC’s definitely been given some tough competition in the first week (you know, that LA team). This could be a time for De Ro and Le Toux to each shine for their respective teams. Still, Najar’s absence is enough for me to be inclined to award this one to the Whitecaps.

New York v. Colorado (Sunday at 4 Eastern on ESPN): And the Red Bulls have….. flopped. Two games in, the only bright spot on their roster is Kenny Cooper, who isn’t even starting. However, I still predict that, even after beating the Union last week on the road, Colorado will drop this one. That isn’t to say that I think the Red Bulls (or any force on this earth, for that matter) can turn their season around, so much as that they’ll probably squeak out a win here.

KC v. Dallas (Sunday at 7 Eastern on Galavision): Sporting will take this one, and thus claim dominance over the East. Simple as that.

… And there’s your weekend. Best of luck.