RBNY
Soccer Potpourri
MLS
- Matthew Doyle: The roots of fan culture in MLS
Interesting Reads
- Unprofessional Foul: On Fan Fatigue, Soccer Sickness, And A Ray Of Hope
- Asian Football Business Review: Conservative parliamentarians try to cancel Kuwait women’s football tournament
- The Best Eleven: FIFA Rankings by Similar Population – 10-100+ Million (July 2011)
Tourneys
- Jonathan Wilson: Argentina’s failures at the Copa America are system-based – This story remains relevant despite Argentina’s recovering to play in the knockout phase.
- US Open Cup: Cinderella Richmond is in the semifinals and will play 4 time winner Chicago. Seattle will continue its three-peat quest when it faces Dallas in the other semifinal. But a lot of attention, about a tourney that is perennially starved for attention, is about the unceremonious elimination of the Red Bulls, who fielded a team that stood little chance of advancing. Below are a few posts that discuss the issue. The lack of respect shown the tourney by most of MLS and much of the fan community is an old story. With all of its high profile stars sitting out, RBNY didn’t do anything that other teams haven’t done in the past, but because the players are so high-profile, it has grabbed a bit more attention than similar circumstances that have come before. Maybe in itself that speaks to the inexhorable, albeit snail paced, penetration of one part of soccer culture in the USA. Anyway, check out the posts below for the though exercise if nothing else.
- US Open Cup and RBNY: Red Bulls Embarrass Themselves in US Open Cup Loss – The Viper’s Nest
- US Open Cup and RBNY: Why The New York Red Bulls Don’t Care About The U.S. Open Cup – Dave Martinez
- US Open Cup and RBNY: The Red Bulls And The Value Of The Open Cup – J Hutchesron
The Business of Soccer
- J Hutcherson: FIFA Business Is FIFA’s Business
- The Independent: Megabucks clubs spending in fear as Platini’s dictat starts to bite
- Reuters: Spanish Second Tier Clubs Facing Financial Ruin
Around the World
- Stoppage Time: Africa: Cotonsport and Al Ahly continue domestic dominance
- Turkey: Second Wave Arrests in Turkish Football Scandal!
- J Hutcherson: World Soccer’s Role
- Guardian: Eritrean footballers go missing in Tanzania after tournament
Player Development
- Tom Marshall: Investing in youth infrastructure pays off for Mexico
- US Soccer Players: US Youth Soccer and US National Soccer Team Players Association create alliance
Wednesday Soccer Grab Bag
MLS
- Trade: I don’t normally link to trade stories, but this one’s a biggie – DCU acquires Dwayne De Rosario from RBNY in exchange for Dax McCarty
Tourneys
- US Open Cup: MLS Teams Dominate 3rd Round
Interesting Reads
- Zach Woosley: More Brilliance in American Sports Journalism – Well said!
- Richard Whittall: The illusion of the soccer journalist as ‘expert’
- J Hutcherson: The USA And The Golden Generation
The Business of Soccer
- Match Fixing: South Korean goalkeeper admits match fixing
- Jason Notte: Soccer Beating Baseball To Ticket Buyers
Around the World
- Argentina: River Plate relegated for first time in team history
- Argentina: Once-mighty River Plate run dry by hooligans
- CONMEBOL: Riots, mayhem threaten Copa America, Passarella
- J Hutcherson: The USA And Position Play
- The Best Eleven: FIFA Confederation Ranking Comparison – June 2011
Wednesday Potpourri
MLS
- Tactics: RBNY and RSL Midfields
- Rookie Report: Rookies Take Their Place on the Pitch
- MLS_UK: Diary of an MLS Convert(East) – Diary of an MLS Convert(West) – Week 6 of Glenn Williams’ brilliant series
- MatchFit USA: The Champions League Imperative
- Grant Wahl: The story of RSL: A once-wretched MLS club is making history
Interesting Reads
- David Hills: Said and Done
Around the World
Tournament Update
- Copa Libertadores: Defending Champ Internacional Through to Last 16
- African Champions League: Two Clubs Forfeit African Champions League Home Advantage
The Business of Soccer
- HexangonalBlog: Jorge Vergara Divests from Saprissa
- Independent: Portugal’s crippling debt after hosting Euros should serve as a warning to Ukrainian football
- Goal.com: Barcelona & Real Madrid are the Best Paid Sports Teams in the World
News and Views – A Late Wednesday Post
MLS
- Vancouver v New England: Draw in foul plagued match
- Climbing the Ladder: Domestic/Foreign Minutes Played by Team
- Fake Sigi: New York attendance problems: conspiracy or fact?
- MLS_UK: Diary of an MLS Convert(East) – Diary of an MLS Convert(West) – Week 4 of Glenn Williams’ brilliant series.
- J Hutcherson: What College Basketball Showed MLS
The Business of Soccer
- The Yanks are Coming: For Love of the Game… I Mean, The Money: Why Soccer Shares the NFL’s Labor and Financial Predicament
- Chris Savino: Supporter loyalty programs translate into additional revenue for MLS
- England: Football League Clubs take 26% Revenue Cut Under New Sky Deal
Interesting Reads
- David Hills: Said and Done
- The Guardian: Jay DeMerit’s Watford Dream and a Friend in Need Make Compelling Film
- The Independent: Warner in new World Cup ‘ticket scandal’
Tournaments
- UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid, Schalke, Man U and Barca win 1st legs in quarterfinals
- Copa Libertadores: Liga de Quito draw 1-1 at Independiente, Santos wins
- CONCACAF Champions League: RSL, Monterrey in Finals
- US Open Cup: SKC over Houston – DCU down Philly
- CONCACAF U-20 World Cup Qualifying US U-20′s Fail to Qualify for World Cup
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
News and Views
MLS
- MLS Talk: Why the English Find MLS a Strange Experience – In some ways the comments are more interesting than the main post.
- Tactics: New York Red Bulls Have Infinite Potential If They Clear A Couple Speed Bumps
- Tactics: Portland and Vancouver
- Missing Players
- A few changes since my initial post on this subject. The Guadeloupe friendly v Racing Club de Lens has been canceled, so Stephane Auvray will not miss SKC’s match v Chicago. Also, Chivas USA had three players called up to their respective national teams and they will miss both the next MLS match and a US Open Cup play-in match.
| FIFA Dates | |||
| Mar 25-27 | |||
| MLS | US Open | ||
| Colorado | Cummings | 3/26 – CHV | |
| Chivas USA | Boyens, Moreno, Umana | 3/26 – COL | 3/28 – PTL |
| Houston | Taylor | 3/25 – SEA | |
| Sporting KC | Kamara, Thomas | 3/26 – CHI | |
| Los Angeles | Donovan | 3/26 – RSL | |
| New York | Agudelo, Coundoul, Miller Marquez, Ream, Richards |
3/26 – CLB | |
| RSL | Alvarez, Johnson, Soborio | 3/26 – LA | |
| San Jose | Stephenson | 3/26 – FCD | |
| Vancouver | Boxall, DeMerit | 3/26 – PHL | |
Interesting Reads
- David Hills: Said and Done
- Jason Davis: Bin Hammam to Take on Blatter for FIFA Presidency
- CONCACAF: The new(and old) World Cup Qualifying Process
- Howard Hamilton: Don’t Expect a CONCACAF-CONMEBOL Merger Anytime Soon
- Soccer by the Numbers: Destroying the Soul of Soccer, One Statistic At a Time
The Business of Soccer
- UEFA: Platini Announces Agreement on Centralised TV Rights
- Manchester Utd: Manchester United’s parent company announces record £104.6m loss
More US Development Academy Winter Showcase Pics
And some more pics from the USSDA Winter Showcase
Rapids v South Central Premier
RBNY v Indiana United
MLS Tactics, La Liga TV Money, Player Stories, MLS Draft Info
MLS
- San Jose: How the Quakes Beat RBNY
- Rapids: How the Rapids Exploit Weakness
- Dallas: FCD Uses Harris to Befuddle Galaxy
- Locker room leadership; how it counts in MLS playoffs
- MLS Drafts Explained for a British Audience
- Timeline for Drafts(excluding SuperDraft)
- Jason Davis: On Ending Restrictions on Academy Signings
- Steve Davis: Cup Final Preview
- Jeff Carlisle: Cup Final Preview
Interesting Reads
- Kyle Martino: “Can you Play”, Don’t Ask the Athlete
- Gale Agbossoumonde: Regrets signing with Traffic
- The Run of Play: On talent and using it
- Jacob Steinberg: A terrific read about Jose Antonio Reyes
Around the World
- Brasileirao: 3 way race for Campeonato with 3 left to play
The Business of Soccer
- La Liga: TV Rights Deal Threatens Split
Playoff Brouhaha
Oh the whines and cries of so many folks as the West dominates the MLS standings heading into the playoffs.
It’s not a bad argument to want the playoffs to be seeded as in a single table format. We in the US are accustomed to that and it makes logical sense as the best chance to end up with the two best teams, at least based on seeding, in the final.
Now here is the reality of the potential matchups.
First, with the current standings, the matchups would be …
LA v Seattle – LA won both league matches
RSL v Dallas – The teams split their two matches
RBNY v San Jose – The teams split their two matches
Columbus v Colorado - The teams split their two matches
If higher seeds win …
LA v RSL – The teams split their two matches
RBNY v Columbus – Columbus won both matches
LA v RBNY – The teams split their two matches
NOTE -
#2 RSL won and drew v #5 RBNY, RSL and #6 Columbus split their matches
#3 Dallas lost and drews v #5 RBNY, Dallas #6 Columbus drew their matches
#4 Seattle and #5 RBNY split their two matches, Seattle won and drew v #6 Columbus
Where is the dominance of the higher seeds? They won 4, lost 3 and drew 5 vs lower seeds from the east.
=============================================
Now if the playoffs were based on seeding 1-8 …
LA v San Jose – San Jose won 1 and 1 draw
Seattle v RBNY – The teams split their two matches
RSL v Colorado – They drew once and play this weekend
Dallas v Columbus – Two draws
If higher seeds win …
LA v Seattle – LA won both league matches
RSL v Dallas - The teams split their two matches
LA v RSL - The teams split their two matches
Thursday Post
MLS
- TFC: Uproar in Toronto
- Lots of tweets on Juan Pablo Angel’s statement that he doesn’t expect to be back with RBNY next year. Not one mention that the team will have the full $335,000 salary hit on both Henry and Marquez next year. Due to their late signing this season, the cap was hit for $335,000 total for both in 2010.
- Steve Goff: Expansion Draft Rules
Soccer in the US
- Steve Davis Before and After: USA v Colombia Preview – USA v Colombia Review
- USMNT: Two views on the midfield - Kyle McCarthy – Brent Latham
- USSF D2: D2 Playoffs
Interesting
- CONCACAF: On CONCACAF’s Request for Permanent Entry Into The Copa America
- A Blogger’s Tale – I’ve been sitting on this link for a while.
- The Guardian: On the Sale of Liverpool
- More on the Sale of Liverpool – It’s a fluid story, so I’ll stop now
Competitions
- Copa Sudamerica: Final 16 update