TFC
MLS Stuff
MLS
- Central Winger: Draft remains an undervalued tool in MLS
- J Hutcherson: What Major League Soccer Needs in 2013
- WV Hooligan: MLS and USL-PRO Talking Partnership – I love this move. It’s something I’ve commented on in the past. Make so much sense, which makes it almost surprising that MLS is going for it, given their penchant for questionable past developmental decision.
- Philly Soccer Page: MLS-USL deal is huge for American pro soccer
- SoccerLens: How MLS can help North America’s lack of passion for football – An interesting read with a good comment thread.
- J Hutcherson: MLS and the Ideal of an American Soccer Club
- US Soccer Players: Five Items Every MLS Club Needs
MLS Stadium Blues in Bridgeview
- Footiebusiness: Money Troubles in Chicago
- Chicago Tribune: Soccer stadium deal kicks Bridgeview taxpayers in the teeth
- Heartland: Small Town Gets Big-League Debt with Stadium Deal
- Chicago Tribune: Bridgeview slides further into debt to support stadium
Soccer Potpourri
Message from Peter
Sorry if some of these are a tad dated. Computer committed suicide and I’m just getting back up and running.
Did You Know?
After going unbeaten last season, Juventus ran its unbeaten streak to 49 before losing to Inter.
MLS
- WV Hooligan: MLS International Recap
- Noah Davis: Is MLS Making the Rest of CONCACAF Better at the Expense of the U.S. National Team?
- Reserve League: Houston Dynamo and LA win MLS Reserve League division titles
- Jonah Freedman: MLS, NASL closer to working partnership
- Expansion: Merritt Paulson Forecasts Increase in MLS Soccer Franchise Fees
- J Hutcherson: Canada’s WC exit is an MLS problem
- TheStar.com: Toronto FC’s hands tied by meddling MLS
- MLS Talk: Will MLS Benefit From NBC’s Premier League Deal?
- Devin Pleuler: Pythagorean Expectation tested in MLS
Interesting Reads
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?
CCL(11-12) Attendance
I had a little extra time, so I put together this chart of the last three years attendance in the CONCACAF Champions League knockout rounds along with last year’s group phase numbers. As with all my posts, if you find any errors, please let me know by commenting.
There isn’t much we can glean from the numbers. Some of the stadiums outside of the USA, Canada and Mexico are small. Columbus draws terribly for this tournament, not unlike how they’ve been drawing in recent league play.
One thing to look for is if the change in the tourney’s structure effects group play attendance. Going from 4 groups of 4 to eliminating the preliminary rounds and going with 8 groups of three means there are 4 group games versus 6. Only the group winners advance, vs the top two in the old model, adding importance to each match. Whether that shows up at the gate is something we will find out shortly.
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- Howard Hamilton: MLS’ competitiveness in CONCACAF Champions League
- MLS Talk: MLS Supporters’ Shield Is Not Dead, It’s Growing Up: A Look At League History and an Idea for the Future
- Abram Chamberlain: MLS Allocation Flaws
- Dave Clark: Professionalism, MLS and “Europe”
- Kyle McCarthy: Familiar problems send Toronto FC sliding once again
- Andrew Wiebe: Opta stas on TFC’s Defensive Woes
- Best Eleven: Top 20 MLS SuperDraft Picks to Europe – 2000-2007
- Footiebusiness: Money and Performance in MLS Part 3
Interesting Reads
Read the rest of this entry »
Thursday Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- Jack Bell: As M.L.S. Grows, Concern for Charter Clubs
- Nick Sabetti: Toronto’s Total Football dream: Why Aron Winter won’t last until next winter
- Fake Sigi: The Perils of Worrying Too Much About Attendance
- MLS_UK: Diary of an MLS Convert(East) – Diary of an MLS Convert(West) – Week 8 of Glenn Williams’ brilliant series.
Interesting Reads
- NPSL: A season of change for the NPSL
- Jonathan Wilson: Porto juggernaut could lose key components before next season
Tourneys
- UEFA Champions League: Barca, Man U in Final
- Copa Libertadores: Copa Lib Update – Santos draw gains quarterfinals, defending champ Internacional out
- US Open Cup: Opara Late Extra Time Goal Send Quakes Through
- Nutralite Canadian Championship: Toronto, Vancouver to Meet in Final
- Europa League: Porto v Braga in all Portuguese Final
Friday Potpourri
Starter Fun
MLS
- As if you didn’t already know: DeRosario to RBNY for Borman, Tchani and 2012 1st round SuperDraft pick.
Interesting Reads
- Soccer By the Numbers: Why Some Leagues Import More Players – Wealth, Democracy, Or Good Weather?
- J Hutcherson: The Fourth Major Sport(in the USA)
- Andrea Canales: American(USMNT) options need to gain cohesion
- Ghost Goal: Formations Shaping Talent The World Over
- Matthew Doyle: The US Have Been Floundering Without a True Center Forward
- Grant Wahl: Wahl end FIFA Presidency Run
The Business of Soccer
- The Independent: Uefa ‘to close loopholes’ if clubs dodge financial rules
- SoccerLens: A Word On Football Wages(in England)
- The Independent: Tottenham revenues soar due to Champions League
- BBC: Sponsors desert Chinese Football
Tournament Update
- Copa Libertadores: Estudiantes and Peñarol Win
- US Open Cup: Chicago, Portland and others Win Early Qualifiers
Wednesday News and Views
MLS
- Christopher Savino: Temporary Stadiums A Permanent Solution For MLS?
- Goal.com: Using The Designated Player To Develop MLS
- Chivas USA: Chivas USA Look Lost
- TFC: What 4-3-3 needs to really compete
- MLS_UK: Diary of an MLS Convert(East) – Diary of an MLS Convert(West) – Week 3 of Glenn Williams’ brilliant series.
Interesting Reads
- David Hills: Said and Done
- Two Hundred Percent: Give Us Nasty, Brutish and Short: The Virtue of Individual in Football
- The Best Eleven: CONCACAF vs The World – 2010/2011
The Business of Soccer
- Christopher Savino: Temporary Stadiums A Permanent Solution For MLS?
Friday News and Views
MLS
- Vancouver: #1 overall SuperDraft pick Omar Salgado has been granted a waiver by FIFA and will be eligible to play before his 18th birthday. I saw Omar play during preseason in Arizona and he looks to be the real deal. Whitecaps fans are in for a treat.
- Ginge: MLS Apparently Institutes Gestapo-Like Tactics Against Supporters
- Maria Burns Ortiz: Major League Soccer is Poised to Overtake the NHL as the 4th Most Popular Professional Sports League in the U.S. – This piece has made the rounds already, but it’s here in case you missed it. Of course, it’s tough to fully support the proposition in the article title when hockey has 41 home games vs 17 in MLS.
- On Football: Why the Ortiz Post(see above) is an Example of Misleading Averages
- MLS UK: Two New Entries in the ‘Diary of an MLS Convert’ Series
- Guardian: MLS Football Quiz – I find it interesting that the Guardian is running this. Wonder if our friend, Glenn Williams MLS_UK website has anything to do with it?
- Stategy: 3 defenders a thing of the past?
Interesting Reads
- BBC: Cracking Coaching’s Final Frontier
- Game Intelligence: The Quiet Revolution: Russian Football’s Ominous Rise – Don’t know why the author chose the adjective ‘Ominous’ to describe the improving football in Russia.
- Best Eleven: Explanation of FIFA Rankings Point Calculation
Tournament News
- Copa Libertadores: Velez, Flu and Catolica victorious