MLS returns

Okay, so a couple of weeks went by without additions to my blog. Been busy but also very involved in all things MLS at the moment. From a friendly I went to between the New York Red Bulls and the Carolina Railhawks to joining the mlsrumors.net team to watching nearly 100% of the MLS games offered via cable (thanks, DVR!) minus HDNet to starting up my own statistical analysis of league attendance, I've had plenty to ingest and process. So where does the league stand? Tough to say just yet. Let's take it one team at a time. (All stats are based on official MLS numbers plus my own statistical analysis for the percentage)

The West

• The LA Beckhams (a.k.a Galaxy): Ruud Gullit will have a difficult time building a team from the midfield down to the goalie since almost 2/3 of the team capital is spent on the top third of the group. What good is Landon Donovan's wonder goals or Carlos "el pescadito" Ruiz's sneaky goal intrusions or even Beck's amazing services if at the back the defense looks less efficient at stopping attackers than traffic cones. Colorado tore them up 4-0 in the first game. Game 2 against expansion San Jose doesn't count... and just when you thought it was safe in Beckhamland, boom! ... in comes Jeff Cunningham at the 88th minute to give the one-year-old TFC franchise its second ever away victory. Yikes! (Mean attendance so far this season: 23,713 or 88%)
  
• Houston Dynamo: It's often said in MLS soccer that one shouldn't trust the first month's action as a prelude to the playoffs. Houston sure hopes so. The reigning champs haven't won a game yet and their international play in the Concacaf Champion's Cup yielded a scoreless home tie and a thrashing at Saprissa that saw the Costa Rican side victorious by the score of 3-0. With Onstad and Holden and a couple of other starters still nursing injuries, we'll see how well they fare when they visit the Beckham circus. (Mean attendance so far this season: 20,102 or 63%)
• San Jose: It will be a tough year for Frank Yalllop's expansion team. Expansion? Yes, they were one of the originals but the franchise moved to Houston and won 2 MLS cups. SJ already had 2 MLS cups won with basically the same team (DeRosario, Ching, and co.). Not much to say here except good luck and hopefully they'll be able to secure their own stadium soon. (Mean attendance so far this season: 20,038 or 191% since they played in a bigger stadium for their first game due to Blanco's presence)
• Chivas: The goats are awesome. Be it coach Preki or the crafty play of Sacha Kljestan, Maykel Galindo and Brad Guzan, it doesn't matter. The team is clicking. They've got berths in the Champions League (not UEFA) and the SuperLiga (I don't really like this tourney but more on that later). They beat their opponents with style and hopefully they'll be able to get a designated player soon. Bofo, your new team is waiting. (Mean attendance so far this season: 17,982 or 67%)
• Real Salt Lake: So the name's a little weird. Who cares? They have an awesome fanbase and a great stadium that will open this year that looks to be the envy of many. Beckerman is showing his prowess and the new influx of talent is lighting things up as well. Esky is a welcome sight and Findley should be able to build on his experience and perhaps evolve into a more complete player. Bring it on, salties! (Mean attendance so far this season: 16,733 or 65%)
• Colorado Rapids: This team is always a toss-up. Yes, they beat LA with a vengeance and a win at New England is also impressing. Still, the attack needs help. Cooke is showing his age and Cristian Gomez can only do so much. Potential, yes. Let's see how the crowds respond when Beckham's not the main attraction. Their new stadium is one of the nicest new additions to the league's arsenal of soccer-specific venues. I've heard nothing but praise for their facility from the spanish-peaking media. (Mean attendance so far this season: 18,713 or 103%)
• FC Dallas: Dulio Davino may not be the ultimate answer to the empty stands at Pizza Hut Park, but it's a start. It's certainly nice to see Kenny Cooper back to his old form and Arturo Alvarez making things interesting on the pitch. Juan Carlos Toja certainly makes things more fluid in the midfield. After the sad failure of former World Cup veteran Denilson last season I can't blame FCD managers being a bit uneasy in hiring a new Designated Player. Hopefully it won't take long and hopefully they'll pick a prominent Mexican player to capitalize on the border state's demographics. (Mean attendance so far this season: 14,552 or 73%)

The East

• DC United: 4 time champs. Overall best team in the 2007 season and winners of the supporter's shield. If this were England, DC would be champs, but since MLS operates in a cup system all bets are off if a team makes the playoffs. That said, this year DCU looks even more impressive on paper than any other team in the league. The addition of 31-year-old Marcelo Gallardo, Argentina veteran of World Cups 1998 and 2002, upgrades in the attack with Franco Niell and a resigned Santino Qaranta, the 2007 top goal scorer Emilio, Fred and McTavish mixing it up in the midfield and a back line that boasts Peralta and Martinez, this should be a hard team to contain. Yes, they've dropped 3 of their first 4 MLS games. The last was hard fought against the Crew but a couple of mishaps in the defense and lack of a finish touch up top got the better of them. Also, they've managed to play 5 games in just 2 weeks. That's enough to stretch even the deepest of European teams. As the dust settles from this early season batch of games that include the now defunct Champions Cup, we should see a dominant DCU that will remain as one of the bona fide contenders to raise the cup. (Mean attendance so far this season: 16,745 or 68%)
• New England Revolution: A couple of losses early on are never hard to swallow--especially one at home to a middle-of-the-table team like the Rapids, but things look bright for NE if they can get Ralston and Twellman to good health soon. Their Gambian acquisitions have proved phenomenal in the attack and should make up for Pat Noonan leaving for Norway. Still, a DP is necessary if NE is hoping to retap into their previously raucous crowds that are running well below the average. (Mean attendance so far this season: 9,713 or 49%)
• New York: What to say about this team? This is a team reminiscent of LA in terms of attack. They still have Angel and Reyna and Altidore. Van Der Berg is still in the midfield and Echeverry is a nice option for when Altidore leaves (most probably) for Europe in the summer. Coach Osorio's defensive-minded protocol should help the team in that sector but some extra work in the defensive midfield will require further player signings. This, according to sources, should come in the summer transfer window. (Mean attendance so far this season: 17,119 or 67%)
• Chicago: Enter Cuauhtemoc Blanco. In my humble opinion and soccer-wise a much better signing for the league than captain Becks. Here's why: last year Chicago was sinking in the table with as few as 4 games into the middle of the season. Once Blanco joined and Osorio took over as head coach the team gave a complete 180 and became dominant in the east trailing only DCU and a feisty New England team that went on to the MLS Cup final. This year the Fire is already a force to be reckoned with: unbeaten in three games and with a resounding victory over New England in their home opener. Frankowski and Barret up top look impressive. Blanco right behind them make them nothing less than formidable. Does the Fire get their second MLS Cup star this year? Signs point to yes. (Mean attendance so far this season: 15,553 or 78%)
• Kansas City: The former "Wiz" of 1996 became the "Wizards" in 1997 due to copyright infringement. Then again there's also the NBA Wizards but I don't do basketball so no hard feelings there. Finally removing that conspicuously cheesy rainbow from their logo was a step in the right direction. In terms of their game... a revamped and reinvigorated offense after losing Eddie Johnson to Premier League relegation-bound Fulham is already playing well for them. Adding an aging, albeit still dominant player, Claudio "el piojo" Lopez as their DP should make things more interesting for them. Playing in a much smaller venue that sits a little over 10,000 was genius since they attract only as many fans to their games each week. Now their home games are almost always full and much more intimate. Good move for a team centered in an american football dominated region. (Mean attendance so far this season: 9,200 or 89%)
• Columbus: The "Crew" return to the big soccer scene with a young but nonetheless talented lineup. Eddi Gaven and Robbie Rogers highlight their young contingent while veterans Frankie Hejduk and former Boca Juniors star Gillermo Carlos Schellotto anchor the team and provide leadership in the back line as well as midfield. Alenjandro Moreno up top is another bright star. A win at DCU this past Thursday shows what they are capable of. Beating Houston on their home turf next week should consolidate them as playoff contenders. Now only if they could get their attendance numbers up. Speaking of that, I think bringing home 1996 rookie of the year, biggest US star outside of the country, and World Cup veteran Brian McBride for a sendoff season would surely bring people back to the stands. (Mean attendance so far this season: 10,288 or 46%)
• Toronto FC: Last but certainly not least is Canada's only team in MLS. In a brilliant move by the league and FIFA, TFC was allowed to be a part of the league even though it's not in US soil simply by having a majority of Canadian players in the team. Last season was a flop on the field due to their being an expansion side. Sellout crowds for every game in their brand new stadium was nothing short of impressive. Surely these are the biggest fans of the game in the league, although DCU supporters might find that insulting. In any case, DCU is not exactly selling out their venue (not even their MLS attendance). Dichio, Lombardo, and Cunningham up top look great. New signings in the form of former MLS MVP Amado Guevara, 32-year-old and former French international Robert as well as Championship side Barnsley midfielder add leadership to the team. Wynne and Edu in the back form a great defense even if other teams tend to exploit the other 2 defenders' weaknesses. A DP signing looms near. Watch out for this team if not late in the season then certainly in 2009. (Mean attendance so far this season: 20,219 or 101%)

The money trail

So we have a new team (Seattle), another new team in two years (Philly), actual superstars (Becks, Blanco and Co.), actual revenue from smaller stadiums and Beckham crowds, and new international leagues. So where's all the money going? Not to our players, our younger, less experienced players that is. The so-called developmental player contract is a measly #12,900 with a few more earning $17,000. It gets more ridiculous when excellent players like Colorado's goalkeeper Condoul (from Ghana and in their national team) make only $33,000. This is per year! All this while Becks is earning 6.5 million with Blanco around 2 ro 3 million. Clearly there's a disparity here. Now I'm no commie and I love capitalism, but I would hope that salaries for some of the younger/less experienced guys would at least start at Condoul's salary. Even DC's new breakthrough (albeit only against Jamaican opposition) player McTavish makes $33,000! I know there's a salary cap (gulp) and other important factors such as team revenue, attendance, and so forth. But still, let's bump it up at least another 10K! This is especially true considering the upswing in team sponsorship through stadium naming and jersey sponsoring (Best Buy, Xango, Glidden, etc). Surely some of that revenue could go to our players. Another thing to consider is that this is the primary reason a lot of our youngsters or benchers tend to leave the league for second or even third rated teams in the UK, Norway, and even Austria because they simply pay more money. So let's make expansion and Beckhamania help out the true heart and soul of the game--our players.

A coach no more

Okay, so I usually don't dwell on Mexican soccer but this being a blog that covers the state of the beautiful game around the world, I had to give my thoughts. As some of you faithful readers may know (as well as those from outside the Carolinas), the Mexican national team has had its share of debacles in the past 16 months: not beating the US team on US soil (duh), not winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup and thus not participating in 2009's Confederations Cup, and lately and more blatantly not making it to the Beijing Olympics this coming August. So who's to blame? Hugo Sanchez Marquez, some say, and today their word was heard and the "Pentapichichi," and former Real Madrid player and arguably best Mexican player that ever graced the field, was no longer the coach of the Mexican national team. Did he deserve it? From my humble opinion, yes. Maybe he wasn't ready for the national stage or maybe he simply wasn't suited for that type of soccer coaching. Some in the business blame his demeanor towards the media and the players themselves for his eventual downfall. So what does make a good coach? Is it the medium (club, country), the niche (collegiate, professional), the support system? Look at the LA Galaxy. Now there's a team that not even the biggest signing in MLS history (Becks) nor the attacking prowess of the Donovan-Ruiz combo nor the "sexy football" signing of the legend Rudd Gullit as head coach can save. The team's downfall lies within its uppermost reaches; the fault lies with the general manager, one Alexi Lalas that at one point made the world turn their head to look at a US side that was able to contain the eventual champions Brazil to one goal in the round of 16. But this isn't the same Lalas. His message got lost in the fields and he and other officials in the team have succumbed to the other important(?) aspect of the game...money.
And such was the case with Hugo Sanchez as well. When it all boiled down this afternoon and the Mexican club team owners (the owners!!!) got together to decide the fate of the national team, it was the losses that an absence from the Olympics and the Confederations cup had incurred in the Televisa economy of the Mexican nation. They claimed that there could not be another catastrophe in which Mexico did not make it to the world cup, and to some extent they were correct. But let's rewind... they chose Sanchez as their man because of the economics involved (annoying car insurance ads with Hugo Sanchez aside) and they got rid of him because of it also. Sometimes in the learning curve we must fail before we learn and this applies to all sports. I don't like the way the media scapegoated Sanchez and branded him a short-circuited individual that "needs professional help." Where were you when he took Mexico to the quarter finals in 86 or on those illustrious years at The Real Madrid? The fault here lies with the management and to some extent with the players. Yes, I said the players. It's true--and I've stated it more than once now--that there is a current upswing in play in the CONCACAF, but in the end these are professional players in a marquee league, a league that spends the most cash in the Americas. At some point you have to wonder how the players can't be blamed just as much as the coach. My advise: choose younger players, give them a younger coach, and treat it as a separate entity. It's worked well in other countries and it should work well in a soccer-developed nation like Mexico. And as for the coaches? Well, Jesus Ramirez should get a shot for now. Let's have the coaches go through the entire process and grow up with their teams. It's worked elsewhere: Argentina (Peckerman), Domenech (France), Vizuete (Ecuador), Bradley (USA).

The CONCACAF revolution

As promised in a previous blog: the relative minnows of the CONCACAF region may no longer be so. I'm speaking, of course, about our Central American neighbors. More specifically, Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama. Costa Rica seems to be falling out of the spotlight after almost two decades of ruling in the top three (behind US and Mexico). "Behind" is a relative word here since in 1990 they went through to the round of 16 at the expense of Sweeden and Scotland. Those were the days of "el Conejo" (the rabbit) on goal. I can't say I remember much else from their appearance at that world cup since I was more interested In Germany and Cameroon. And yes, they missed out on '94 and '98 but that doesn't mean they weren't a dominant team. Jamaica and its "Reggae Boyz" lit things up in 1998 and T&T capitalized on its England-based contingent for their appearance in Germany two years ago. Still, note that we're speaking of Caribbean teams and not the lower part of the CONCACAF contingent, which has different systems and styles of play. Caribbean teams aside (this time around I doubt they'll make it too far), the "other" UNCAF teams are looking much more impressive. From their younglins beating out the titans of the region in the Olympic Qualifiers (Guatemala shocked Mexico and Honduras won the tournament against an undermanned US side), to their increased presence across the pond and in more competitive leagues in the Americas, we're looking at a much tighter race for the 3.5 spots our conference can stake a claim on for South Africa. I'm not ready to say that the US and Mexico won't make it to the next world soccer celebration, but their road there will be much tougher this time around. Take Honduras for example. Just recently they beat both Colombia and Ecuador in warm-up games with clear dominance. Suazo (Inter Milan) and Palacios (Wigan Athletic) and former MetroStar Amado Guevara made their presence felt in those games. I have serious doubts that the North American teams will have it easy when they visit Tegucigalpa or even when they face the "catrachos" at home. Guatemala is another toss-up. They have shown an ability to produce significant upsets (Mexico comes to mind). With "El primitivo" (yes, he looks the part) Maradriaga at the helm and the goal-scoring prowess of Carlos "el pescadito" Ruiz, they look to continue vying for a spot in the top 4 of the region. Last but certainly not least is a Panamenian side that continues to evolve into a potential contender. The "canaleros" pulled a few interesting upsets in the past couple of years, and with a presence in the Colombian national league their experience can only add to their increased capabilities. So, in terms of what I alluded to in a recent blog: it's not that we (north Americans) are that bad, it's that they are that good. I'd be surprised if Honduras doesn't take one of the top 3 spots in the region. The last half-spot could go to Costa Rica if they are able to step their game up or to Canada if they capitalize on their new pool of experienced players. Still, don't count Guatemala and Panama out. These should be fun games to watch (thanks, ESPN Deportes). Let the qualifiers begin.

Why I like MLSrumors

No, that's not a typo... MLSrumors is a website (actually a blog) on mlsrumors.blogspot.com (as with my own blog). It started up last summer as the league became more of a household name around the world (thanks, Beckham) and it gave details on rumored player transfers, coaching changes, and soccer-specific stadiums among others. So why do I like it? Well, to start, I visit it religiously several times a day along with the more "official" sites such as Steve Goff's at the Washington Post and ESPN's Ives Galarcep. The website has broken news on players such as Marcelo Gallardo and "el piojo" Lopez coming to the league and Eddie Johnson's departure as well as Philadelphia and Seattle getting new teams. It also keeps us up to date on the league's inner workings (that no one wants to talk about) and its relationship with other tournaments (e.g. Libertadores). Who doesn't want to know about these things (non-soccer lovers aside)? And the best part is that it has grown so much since its inception. Just recently they posted that they had reached more than a million hits from people worldwide and you can track their visits on their hit tracker visual (which I have, incidentally) and that they were the highest ranking website of its kind. Newer websites such as mlsrumors.net have sprung up recently but they pale in comparison to the legions of people that submit potential news/rumors related to the league (myself included). In fact, they have published at least 4 of the 8 rumors that I sent their way. Most of these concern Ecuador-MLS moves and tidbits from XM Deportivo. So what else does this new website have to offer? Well, considering the amount of followers/rumors, I'd say that more fans of the game are taking the league seriously in the post Beckham rule era. Tracking of the superstar has eased up considerably since his numerous injuries and the LA galacticos plain sucking last season, but following other stars such as Jozy Altidore and Brad Guzan are making headlines worldwide. In addition, the new influx of "brand name" players to the league, which includes Chicago's Blanco, has elevated the level on the pitch and this has registered with the media in this country (inside its own niche, of course) as well as internationally. This has also translated into elevated play internationally, with the United States gaining important wins outside of the country and other CONCACAF teams becoming more competitive (just look at the U23s... Mexico eliminated and Honduras and Canada looking impressive). Point is, more people want to know what's going on with the league and its immediate surroundings. The league isn't providing enough information and the more respected sources of sports news (i.e. ESPN and Fox) aren't quite getting it. So this blog has stepped in, revitalized interest and spurred an array of mirror sites to whet the appetites of soccer fans like yours truly. That's why I like MLSrumors.

Defectors

Surprise surprise. The Cuban national team has lost seven of their 18-man roster for the current CONCACAF Olympic Games qualifiers and itwo days later faced their Honduran counterparts with 10 men on the field (their 11th had been ejected in the prior game). So why all the fuss? Well, politics aside, the situation made the qualifiers very complicated in an unnecessary way. At one point you had the possibility of the team having to forfeit its games, which would given Honduras and Panama an unfair advantage of 3 points and 3 goals in favor. The US would be left with 1 point in what was increasingly being recognized as an unfair situation. Then there is the matter that the morning after the defectors left the Cuban camp, when the CONCACAF delegations got together to discuss the situation, the US contingent was nowhere to be found. I heard on XM Deportivo that the other delegations felt the US organization was up to its "looking-over-the-shoulder" ways in reference to the other (smaller) national teams. I must be fair to say that they also mentioned the FMF (Mexicans) opted for the same kind of gesture. In any case, the predicament at hand did not seem to influence USF directly, nor was any decisive action taken. Instead, the match with Honduras was allowed to proceed. In the end, however, Cuba's sports debauchery (in personal terms I can't blame the players) did not affect the final standings in group A. CONCACAF was able to go past this incident and will at least have it as a reminder/example for the future. In simple terms I don't think the Cuban team should have allowed to remain in the competition since this was detrimental to the players themselves. This is not a club tournament where we can easily scapegoat investors and technical directors and coaches alike. This was a competition with young players looking to show their capabilities in Beijing. And now we see that our final four are Honduras, Guatemala and the USA/Canada portion of the CONCACAF. Interesting. In terms of the USA having a lackluster showing and the incredible failure of the Mexican team to even get past the group stage, we're left with this question.... Regarding other teams (i.e. not USA or Mexico), are they that good or are we that bad? We'll get back to that question in the next blog.

Sixto at the helm

A little backtracking to my place of birth--Ecuador, that is. So, when we left the picture last year our then coach Luis Fernando Suarez had left the team further in the trenches by losing at home to the worst possible team in the conference--Venezuela-- and then going down by goleadas to Brazil and Paraguay. He should have gotten the picture after the Copa America when teams from around the region had figured out the Colombian's style of play and we saw nothing but failures, especially at the goalkeeping position. A quick exit a-la-Bolillo should have happened. In any case, we were left with no coach 3 days prior to the next WCQ match against arch rivals Peru. So who came to the rescue? By default, and with no other means, Chiriboga (president of FEF) resorted to the successful youth teams coach Sixto Vizuete. This happened only after repeatedly tempting former coach Hernan Dario "el Bolillo" Gomez that declined the offer due to a "serious divergence of thoughts" on his arrival. I personally feel that the large majority of Ecuador fans and a lot of the officials at the FEF felt the same way.
I feel that there is a serious lack of defensive play in the current team and the new generation isn't as solid as the previous one. Long are the days of De la Cruz, Hurtado, "la sombra" Espinoza, and Neicer Reasco. All of these players are currently still playing but their age, lack of participation in respective clubs, and lack of speed have mounted to exacerbate the current situation. Maybe this time around we may actually call on Jose Valencia from Willem II in Holland. Guagua is another player worth noting.
What Vizuete has been successful at doing is the development of younger players and he promises to inject some positive energy into the senior team as well as some young faces. There are a few non-believers out there but I think it's an Ecuadorean's turn to be at the helm of the national team. Some of the comments by a sector of the media arguing that the cycle of Colombian coaches might be over is well argued. At some point, players need to be injected with a new attitude and a new vision. This holds true for teams such as USA and England, where Arena's and Ericksson's cycles had to come to an end when they both came empty handed during the 2006 World Cup campaigns.
I have to admit that I don't have very high hopes of reaching 2010 this time around. I was pleasantly surprise with Ecuador's 2006 WCQ campaign as well as their appearance in Germany (Beckham kicked us out!). Maybe I'm wrong this time too ;) We're definitely off to a great start with Vizuete. Nothing's better than rolling over Peru 5-1.