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Soccer Potpourri
Reader Note
- I’m heading out on the road for a few weeks. Take Me Out to the Ballgame will get posted, but not much else until I return. Thanks to all of you that take the time to visit OLR.
Interesting Reads
- Guardian: Euro 2012: Antisemitic Echoes that Threaten Celebration of Football
- Louise Taylor: Released players face prospect of adapting to life at a lower level
- Brian Quarstad: NASL Commissioner Downs Says League Expansion is Delayed but Still on Track
- US Open Cup: 99 years of the US Open Cup
- Kenn.com: US Open Cup – Moneyball
- Truly Outside the Box Thinking: An Alternative to Shootouts: A Better Way to Resolve Draws in Knockout Competitions
The Business of Soccer
More on Match Fixing
- SI.com: Italian PM Monti wants Italian soccer halted for 2-3 years
- Soccer by Ives: Three Guatemala regulars under CCL match-fixing investigation
Tournaments
- CONCACAF Champions League: CCL New Format and Draw
- EURO 2012: Euro 2012 earns elite-level income and TV ratings
Everybody’s Doing It – A List at New Year’s Time
What the hell. Everyone’s doing it … end of year lists. Best this, worst that. So why not post my own.
My Favorite Players
- Ryan Giggs
- Carlos Puyol
- Andrea Pirlo
- Clarence Seedorf
- Ricardo Kaka
- Claudio Reyna
- Ronaldinho
My Favorite MLS Game Announcer
- Arlo White
My Rule Change
- No substitutions after the 86th minute
I enjoy reading …
- Steve Davis
- J Hutcherson( US Soccer Players)
- Kyle McCarthy
- Bill Archer
- Drew Epperly(WV Hooligan)
- Tom Dunmore
Issues of Concern
- Pervasive Match Fixing
- Unbridled salary spending in Europe
Best Things to Happen to MLS Since I began Following(2004)
- David Beckham
- Seattle Sounders
Happy New Year to All!
The Dark Side
Feeling a bit punk today, so in keeping with my mood, a few stories from the dark side.
- SI.com: FIFA bans Caribbean official Klass for 26 months
- FoxSports: Italian officials look into fixed scores
- Guardian: Bayern defender Breno suspected for arson
An Assortment from the Soccer Buffet
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
Developing Players
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
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