EPL
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- 3rd Degree: The Persistent Plague of MLS
- Scott French: LA Galaxy stunned by sudden departure of AEG CEO/president Tim Leiweke
- Matthew Doyle: Why we often miss the point when we talk formations
- Devin Pleuler: The true measure of passing efficiency has nothing to do with completion rate
Interesting Reads
- Bill Archer: Jack Warner, Daddy Dearest and the Sinking Ship
- SI.com: CONCACAF financial scandal could hurt U.S.
- US Soccer Players: Tell Me About: Belgium’s Playoff System
- SoccerLens: Manchester United’s depth in squad has outdone their rivals
- EPL Talk: Where the Trequartista Fits in With Premier League Sides
- SI.com: CONCACAF wants a bigger say at FIFA
- Soccer Training Info: Barcelona’s Playmaker Factory
- Ginge Talks the Footie: The story surrounding Malaga is fascinating, but no one is telling it
The Business of Soccer
- Owen Gibson: Premier League warned over ‘rich and poor’ split in wake of TV deal
- Owen Gibson: Football League is to lessen the advantage of parachute payments
- SI.com: FIFA makes $89 million profit on $1.16 billion income in 2012
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- Grant Wahl: Six reasons why the Red Bulls are MLS’ most intriguing story
- Jason Davis: Increasing the Pressure in Major League Soccer
- Avi Creditor: In ever-changing MLS landscape, the RSL way remains constant
- Soccer Newsday: Has the Market Called Time on Chivas USA?
- Devin Pleuler: Possession trends and what they say about Major League Soccer
Interesting Reads
- Tom Dunmore: A Bohemian Footprint: Supporting American Soccer Nationwide
- Footiebusiness: What American Soccer Can Learn from Japan – an older post, but worth a read.
- Barney Ronay: It takes all sorts to be a football journalist – so now we’re all at it
- Free Beer Movement: Taking the Longer View of MLS, the National Teams, and American Soccer
- Guardian: England risk falling to third in Uefa coefficient rankings
- Best Eleven: FIFA Confederation Ranking Comparison – March 2013
The Business of Soccer
The Dark Side
- Associated Press: Egyptian soccer federation torched
Tournaments
- Jonathan Wilson: The Question: is the away-goals rule counterproductive?
- Guardian: Champions League: how has dominance changed hands between Europe’s top leagues?
- UEFA Champions League: UCL round of 16 concludes
- Europa League: Europa League Update
- CONCACAF Champions League: CCL semifinals set
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- Kyle McCarthy: Squaring up to the difficulties of cutting ties with a Designated
- LA Galaxy: LA Galaxy create Academy Alliance – No favoritism towards the Galaxy here. MLS teams are finding their way in developing their organization’s development model. Here is LA’s vision.
- Shin Guardian: MLS 2013: A Technical Evaluation of Strength of Schedule
- Hot Time in Old Town: Goal Scoring From A Positional Perspective
- All Things Football: MLS Salary Analysis
Interesting Reads
- Simon Kuper: Why I’ve fallen out of love with football
- Doherty Soccer: Comparing USL-Pro and NASL Schedules from 2012 and 2013
- Soccer Newsday: New Directions for NASL, USL PRO & NPSL
- SoccerLens: The resurrection of a footballing genius: Ronaldinho
- All About Angles: FIFA Works ‘Just Like a Little Mafia’
- Will Parchman: American Soccer in 1985: The End of the Beginning – Part 1 of a 3 part series
- Sporting Intelligence: Barcelona No1 for producing players for clubs in Europe’s elite leagues
The Dark Side
- David Conn: Europol’s match-fixing bombshell leaves football authorities in the dark
- Grantland: Soccer’s New Match-Fixing Scandal
The Business of Soccer
- Owen Gibson: Premier League vote on controlling wage inflation on a knife-edge
- Guardian: Majority of Premier League clubs vote to introduce spending controls
- David Conn: New Premier League rules derived from self-interest, not fair play
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- WV Hooligan: Making Sense of the Generation Adidas Program
- Brent Latham: The Chivas model doesn’t work in the United States
- Dan Loney: After Everyone’s Gone – MLS 1.0 is within measurable reach of its end
- The Lowry Lowdown: Insight on Trades as a Professional Footballer
The Business of Soccer
- Owen Gibson: Premier League TV deal in danger of perpetuating ‘a culture of greed’
- James Riach: Premier League clubs discuss plans to curb spending on player wages
- ESPN FC: Arsenal sign £150m deal with Emirates
Interesting Reads
- Michael Lewis: This writer did not want to cover soccer in the first place
- Dave Laidig: NASL: Recent History & Near Future
- Jonathan Wilson: Why are more goals being scored?
- Spirit of Mirko: CAF Club Coefficients
- SoccerLens: The Rise of the Hybrid Formation
- Bill Archer: Just Say No to Serbia
- Barney Ronay: NextGen is that rarest of things in football – a genuinely good idea
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- J Hutcherson: Struggling in MLS
- Tony Edwards: Changes in MLS
- Guardian: MLS playoffs: five things we learned
Interesting Reads
- SoccerLens: Broadcasting Revenues: Responsible For Weakening of Competition in Football
- DataBlog: How does big data add to the experience of watching football?
- Ken Belson: Joy That Lasts, on the Poorest of Playgrounds
- Independent: Andres Iniesta: Immortal, but no longer invincible?
- David Hills: Said and Done
- ESPN FC: Luca Toni warns against Middle East move
- Michael Cox: QPR and Reading showcase two very different ways to play 4-4-2
The Business of Soccer
- Independent: Chelsea edge into profit – but risk big loss in 2013
- Rob Hughes: Manchester United and Barcelona Show That Money Talks
- Goal: Real Buy Stake in Oviedo to Help Keep Club Afloat
- Owen Gibson: Premier League continues to maximise TV revenue on a global scale
Tournaments
- Copa Sudamericana: Copa Sudamericana Update
- AFC Champions League: Ulsan win AFC Champions League
- African Champions League: Restricted Crowd for African Champions League Final
- Brasileiro: Brazil: Fluminense gets second title in three years
- Norway: Solskjaer leads Gatt and Molde to Norwegian title again
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- US Soccer Players: MLS and the Play-In Round
- Will Parchman: The MLS Cup favorites
- Jason Davis: The 2013 approach
- J Hutcherson: What We Expect from Major League Soccer
- Steve Goff: D.C. United is succeeding on field, but struggling at box office. A look at attendance at RFK Stadium and around MLS this year and through history…..
- CBC Sports: TFC targeted by bumbling match fixers in 2009
Interesting Reads
- BBC News: Roshan Afghan Premier League a hit with fans
- ESPN FC: How video game is changing face of soccer
- SI.com: Santos beats U. de Chile 2-0 to win Recopa title
The Business of Soccer
- Yahoo Sports: Spanish economist says La Liga could ‘kill itself’ within five years, suggests Iberian league
- Louise Taylor: EPL clubs in talks about restricting players’ wages
- Graham Ruthven: Are Financial Fair Play Rules Destined to Be Broken?
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- Black and Red United: Is MLS’s Unbalanced Schedule also Competitively Unequal? “Third Games”
- Brian Strauss: Reborn to run: Sporting Kansas City finds glory with innovative approach
- US Soccer Players: Questions: Rosters, Limits, and Markets
The Business of Soccer
- ESPN FC: Clubs demand more World Cup cash
- Liga MX: Slim buys stake in Mexican soccer
- 200 Percent: Financial Fair Play, Salary Caps & The Polarisation Of Footballs Financial Model
- Guardian: UEFA withholds prize money from 23 clubs in first fair play sanctions
- SoccerBlog.com: Salary cap restrictions on the table for the Premiership
- ESPN FC: Footballers not exempt from 75% tax
- La Liga: Valencia’s Academy Generates €159 million In Transfer Fees
Soccer Potpourri
Of Special Note
MLS
- Top Drawer Soccer: Tracking MLS Home Growns in 2012 – I have Top Drawer Soccer in my Blogroll, you should have the site bookmarked if you follow MLS player development.
- Timbers: Portland Reserves in front of record crowd at JELD-WEN Field – Over 14,000!
- Boston Globe: MLS tries to build through Euro club visits
- Martin Rogers: Former phenom Freddy Adu running out of options
Interesting Reads
Read the rest of this entry »
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- Shin Guardian: Decoding the MLS Playoff Push & That Tiebreaker Thing
- Expansion: In Minneapolis, soccer fans want say on Vikings stadium
Interesting Reads
- David Ignatius: Afghanistan: Goals or Bullets?
- Grant Wahl: The rise of Mexican soccer is a positive for the United States
- Martin Rogers: Mexico’s master plan produces soccer gold
- Guardian: The Secret Footballer: undercover in the Premier League
- Dave Laidig: Measuring 2011/12 EPL Player Performance
- Zach Slaton: E Pluribus Sounders (Part 1): Immigrant & NASL Roots
- Video: Soccer and the Mechanics of Sport on T.V. – An interesting piece on how sports are presented on TV and what’s missing in soccer.
- Nutmeg Radio: Win, Praise, Ignore, Repeat: The US Womens Soccer Teams Unhealthy Relationship with Society
- Dirty Tackle: A Russian drug smuggler still imprisoned in Chile is playing professional football
The Business of Soccer
- Soccer Politics: What is Soccer’s Business?
- Guardian: Liverpool’s John W Henry casts doubt on financial fair play’s chances
- Goal.com: What is Financial Fair Play and how will Uefa enforce it on Chelsea & Manchester City?
Tournaments