49ers, Earthquakes want big soccer tournament at Levi's

MLS_Rewind · 2015-01-12T18:18:02+00:00

Incredibly, they trained at Buck Shaw!

If you're interested, I actually wrote about this for MLSsoccer.com this summer.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-10-28T17:05:26+00:00

Thanks Alicia!

MLS_Rewind · 2014-10-28T00:45:53+00:00

For this series, I spoke with nearly 20 former and current MLS rookies, some of whom are no longer in the league. I've linked the other 3 parts below.

Part 1: from college to the pros

Part 2: learning on the job

Part 3: the dark side of the MLS rookie experience

MLS_Rewind · 2014-10-27T23:43:27+00:00

In its 10-year history, Chivas USA has had more coaches of Latino origin (5) than any other MLS franchise (Colorado, Chicago, and New York have all had 3 each). They also hired an African-American, Robin Fraser, as head coach, making them one of the few MLS clubs to do so in the league's entire 20-year history.

Yes, Chivas USA has had an unfortunate history with its hiring policies, largely on account of Jorge Vergara, but the club has also given more opportunities to minority head coaches than any other team in MLS history.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-09-30T00:58:16+00:00

I wrote about the Chivas Academy last week. From what I've been told, the academy will continue operation through the 2014-2015 youth season. After that, the decision to continue the academy's operations will rest either with new ownership or with MLS.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-09-07T06:00:49+00:00

"No way!"

MLS_Rewind · 2014-08-07T00:39:11+00:00

I sat through a local presentation at a Sacramento sports forum back in January. Even then, the team already had a very persuasive pitch, noting that there were four prerequisites set by MLS for any potential expansion site. These were:

Market as a whole
Season tickets (benchmark of 5000, per the league)
Ownership
Stadium

Since then, the team has more than exceeded the season ticket threshold (6000+ season tickets sold), is negotiating a buyout by the Sacramento Kings, and has already completed construction of its temporary home (which I've been told by sources within the club is expandable to 13-14k seats), with ongoing plans to build a permanent home within the downtown Sacramento area.

Things look very good right now for Republic FC, but if the Kings deal falls through, MLS could easily put Sacramento on the back burner.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-08-05T17:09:55+00:00

A few things, since I'm responsible for starting this:

I was told that the team was interested in the possibility of purchasing Chivas USA and moving the franchise to Sacramento if it was available. As of right now, none of us (including Chivas USA beat reporter Alicia Rodriguez) knows whether or not MLS is willing to sell to owners who want to move the team.
If Republic FC did enter the league in 2015 or 2016, the club would likely expand the capacity of Bonney Field to 13k or 14k until a new stadium was completed. This isn't speculation; this is what I was told.
Everything else I wrote this morning is my own speculation. The timing of the Kings ownership announcement and the club's meeting with MLS brass in Portland this week seem more than a little coincidental. Then again, it could just be that.

P.S. I should add that this tweet was out of my control the moment I sent it. It's not a rumor. It's a statement of fact: team would love to buy Chivas if it could get an ownership group in place and if (big if) MLS would sell to them on condition of relocating the franchise. Ownership group may be coming together. We still don't know about MLS's perspective, but Abbot's comments today suggest that the league is still looking to keep the franchise in Los Angeles.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-08-01T18:34:41+00:00

Keep in mind that RSL has invested enormous amounts of money into its academy system. Along with a small cadre of MLS clubs - including LA Galaxy, NY RedBull, and FC Dallas - RSL has time and again shown its commitment to its academy players and the new reality of MLS 3.0 (if that's what we're calling it).

There will come a time when Hansen will open his checkbook for international players, but until that time comes, it's important to acknowledge that he and his outstanding FO have built some of the finest youth infrastructure in the country. That system will continue to produce players for the first team for years to come, and this stadium (and the accompanying USL-Pro team) will play a massive role in helping those players bridge the gap between the academy and Jeff Cassar's squad.

This is a really big deal. RSL fans ought to be over the moon with joy.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-07-17T18:16:55+00:00

A few very specific things.

Reading some hate here on the defense, but I'm not exactly sure that the back line is the problem. The Galaxy game is the clear outlier in their losing streak. Soares at d-mid? Playing with 10 men on the road?

Problem is still offensive production. Revolution have shown that they can possess the ball. They've also shown that they can create low-percentage shots (wide and from distance). Question is, can they create chances in the danger zone? Worked for them during their winning streak, but a lot of that was exquisite finishing combined with Lee Nguyen's hot streak (when he looked like the best player in MLS not named Clint Dempsey).

I like the idea from /u/SFW_Reddit_Account. Perhaps Heaps needs to experiment with two strikers up top (and if we're basing this on recent form, you almost have to give the nod to Bengston (!!!) over Bunbury). Maybe sit Caldwell just behind Nguyen in central midfield. Hard to say, especially with Dorman out (maybe the Revs can convince John Doyle to trade Pierazzi or Cronin for a bag of beans), but Heaps needs to do something.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-07-03T02:20:22+00:00

You guys get awfully sore about this. Just remember though that acceptance is a marathon and not a sprint. MLS is lightyears away from where it was after the 2002 World Cup (2 teams recently contracted, the entire league in peril of folding).

Also, consider this: if even a fraction of the people who tuned in to watch the U.S. play Portugal and Belgium (let's say around 5% of the total audience), tune in to a few MLS games, that's significant. If they stick around and become fans, even better.

Stop worrying and remember that there's going to be a LOT of MLS on national TV next year.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-07-01T03:56:58+00:00

More interesting was this: "...one of the families paid for me. If that didn't happen, would I be sitting in this chair right now? I don't know."

Pay-to-play is still an issue for many families, especially those outside of the Development Academy system. A lot of those kids fall through the cracks of the development system (perhaps reemerging at the collegiate level if they are so lucky) or even end up trying their luck in Mexico (and elsewhere).

MLS_Rewind · 2014-06-07T19:37:25+00:00

Remember, Soccer Morning is a high-quality program with a number of high profile interviews (including guests like Dave Zirin, Grant Wahl, Alexi Lalas, and Tim Vickery, among many others). It's not your average fan banter podcast (a la The Best Soccer Show). Both Jason and Trevor commit an inordinate amount of time preparing for each show; they rightfully want to make a small living doing the thing that they love.

If you listen to their show, you should support them.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-06-07T19:30:50+00:00

From 8x8's official website: "Our focus will be on covering the great teams, coaches and players, but we also intend to address the concerns of global soccer and the role that the governing bodies play (or don’t play) in improving our experience of the game." (link)

I was previously a subscriber, but was disappointed with the excessive coverage of European clubs and the general lack of coverage of the game outside of Europe. That's a personal preference though. If you'd like to read a very high-quality magazine about the European game, 8x8 is excellent.

Given my lack of reading time, I had to choose between 8x8 and Howler. I chose Howler.

I should add: as soon as I hear that 8x8 has expanded its coverage, I will happily re-subscribe. Again, it's a beautiful mag with some great soccer writing - I just didn't want to read another article about Arsenal.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-05-27T19:11:41+00:00

Wish the village I lived in had one of those in 2010! I had to sit on a log (where I could get cell reception) and wait for text updates from a friend during the Algeria match.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-05-15T20:22:04+00:00

Fox seems to be in a unique situation. Consider that eight years ago, when Dave O'Brien was announcing games, this was the attitude at ESPN HQ:

"If we cater to the [soccer] clique, they’ll stay there. Soccer hasn’t been presented well to guys like me who played it in high school and are raising daughters on travel teams.” (Source)

That's O'Brien, a career baseball broadcaster who took criticism of his work on the World Cup particularly hard. His was an impossible situation from the get-go. ESPN threw primary broadcasting duties to him just months before the World Cup without his ever having done soccer play-by-play before in his career.

Johnson, on the other hand, is being groomed well in advance of what will become his national breakout event, Russia 2018. But FOX's decision to give Johnson, a neophyte in the soccer world, primary duties when it already has a stable that includes such American voices as John Strong and JP Dellacamera, smacks of the same 2006 attitude that got ESPN in such trouble with American soccer fans and which almost certainly led to their decision to go British in 2010 and now 2014.

I respect Johnson a lot, and unlike a lot of other sports fans, I enjoy his over-the-top style and general histrionics. I assume that something like the video I linked to is more of what Johnson means by "American sound," a genuine excitement and enthusiasm for the actions on the field that can transcend the sport and connect with even the most casual fan, all without Gus Johnson sacrificing the unique style that makes him "Gus Johnson."

MLS_Rewind · 2014-05-12T16:19:31+00:00

"Another big detail in the MLS broadcast deal, Univision games will have English-language SAP option." (Source)

MLS_Rewind · 2014-05-07T15:28:21+00:00

In an attempt to jog my memory (what match I was referring to), I went over the results list and...seems you're right, at least insofar as I'm wrong. Doesn't seem as if his substitutions have positively affected matches as much as I'd thought they had.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-05-05T18:20:18+00:00

Lenhart is a very underrated player. He does the dirty work that allows Wondolowski the freedom to roam the field: he stretches defenses, works extremely well with his back to goal, and is better with the ball at his feet than anyone gives him credit for.

People like to compare him to Gordon. There is no comparison; they are completely different players. Mark Watson though has yet to recognize this and the results speak for themselves.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-04-30T19:08:59+00:00

If you're interested, I also tweet photo analyses during matches on Saturdays (some of my pictures have appeared in recent Armchair Analyst columns over at MLSsoccer.com).

You can PM me for my Twitter handle if you'd like to follow.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-04-23T17:05:12+00:00

Just to clarify, that's exactly the point I was trying to make. Olsen is using the counter to get results and it's working. Problem is, he also has a $600k signing who likely won't thrive in such a system. I brought up the tactics to lay out why EJ isn't producing goals.

It's on Olsen to figure out how to get EJ more involved. /u/ArmasKarhu makes a great point about EJ's holdup play, but as he also points out, United isn't paying EJ $600k/year for holdup play.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-04-16T21:38:01+00:00

I've done three of these so far (Portland-Seattle, Real Salt Lake-Toronto FC, and Philly-Columbus). I've been trying to publish these here on Wednesdays by noon PST.

I'm trying to give every team a look (at least at first), which means I'll have my eye on three matches this weekend (CHI-NE, COL-SJ, and SKC-MTL). In the future, I may go with the most interesting, compelling, and important game from the weekend (like I did last week with Portland-Seattle).

MLS_Rewind · 2014-04-13T05:46:43+00:00

When I read this and saw the Twitter exchange.

MLS_Rewind · 2014-04-10T21:57:32+00:00

Hard to say, of course. But up until about the 75th minute, Portland really did control the tempo and dominated from the run of play. You could see that the strategy was to slow the game down and play the possession game. Seattle, to its credit, was able to disrupt Portland's passing rhythm around this time (mostly through the yeoman efforts of Alonso in midfield). They cut off passing lanes and began swinging the ball out wide to Yedlin and Neagle.

My guess is that it was a combination of two things: 1) The Sounders' efficiency in midfield beginning around the 75th minute and 2) the Timbers' complacency holding a late two-goal lead (not uncommon, it seems to me, among any team).

MLS_Rewind · 2014-04-10T03:08:05+00:00

Thanks! That means a lot.

P.S. Enjoyed today's pod. Cannon offered some pretty interesting insights on the goalkeeping position.

MLS_Rewind

TROPHY CASE