Chris on Soccer

MLS Fantasy Manager: Week 2

2012-03-18T19:36:00.001-07:00

I knew this week would be tough after seeing how my lineup faired during week 1. I hoped that switching my team's captaincy from Landon Donovan to Chris Wondolowski would be a smart move, and I hoped that transferring Michael Boxall for Tyler Polak would bring in an extra point.

Starting 11:
I started Josh Saunders in goal over Bill Hamid because I felt that LA would win versus DC, and did not want to risk losing points by starting Hamid. Hunter Jumper, Chris Wingert, A.J. DeLaGarza, and Tyler Polak started on defense, with Luis Silva, Lamar Neagle Graham Zusi, and Landon Donovan starting in the midfield. Chris Pontius and Chris Wondolowski started up top.

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MLS Fantasy Manager: Week 1

2012-03-11T21:57:00.018-07:00

Running a blog and going to school full time don't always work out perfectly, as evident by the recent decline in articles. I have finals this week and then a week of relaxation and hopefully catching up on soccer! Although I was unable to write about MLS First Kick or any of my prematch predictions, I was able to find the time to pick an MLS Fantasy Team, and I will be doing a weekly recap of that team if time permits.

Week 1 Roster:

I wanted to draft some of my favorite players, while still diversifying my roster and remaining under the salary cap limit. I picked up Chris Pontius, Chris Wondolowski, and Sam Garza to fill the 3 forward spots. I felt Wondolowski and Pontius will put up consistent numbers, and wanted Garza because of his low Salary and Big West affiliation.

San Jose Continue Undefeated Record at Cal Poly

2012-02-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

(credit Gopoly.com)

Although originally forecasted to be a sunny seventy degree day, the Central Coast Showcase ended up having a more, "European" feel, due to a light mist and fog that were present for the entirety of the game. The match was played on Friday, February 10th, at Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The San Jose Earthquakes took on the Colorado Rapids for the second consecutive year at Cal Poly, with 2,422 fans in attendance.

Colorado opened the scoreline in the 13th minute after Omar Cummings was played a high long ball to a streaking Castrillón. Castrillón controlled the ball out of the air, positioned himself with two touches, and easily slotted home a goal in a 1-on-1 situation with the keeper. San Jose maintained a majority of control during the first half, and capitalized off of a corner kick from Marvin Chavez. Khari Stephenson got his head onto the end of it and redirected the cross into the goal. The first half ended with both teams level at 1.

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Edson Buddle Rejoins Galaxy

2012-02-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

Last night this post was titled Rumor: Edson Buddle to rejoin the Galaxy, but in less than 12 hours it is no longer a rumor. MLS and LA have come out this morning and announced that he has returned home. Buddle was the Galaxy's leading scorer in 2010, but went to Germany after he was offered triple his salary. He did well in the Bundesliga's second devision, and was the leading scorer on his team FC Ingolstadt, scoring 6 goals. However, his club faced some financial issues and was not inclined to resign Buddle.

Many assumed that Buddle would be picked up by another European club, but the transfer window closed yesterday, and Buddle was left without a contract. There quickly became two options for Buddle, the Italian side Lazio, and the LA Galaxy. LA still had Buddle's rights for the MLS, so if he did decide to return, LA would be the destination without question. Whether or not Lazio was a realistic option quickly became irrelevant, when LA rolled out this statement on twitter:

Dust off your #14 Buddle jerseys #LAGalaxy fans! pic.twitter.com/lPZRdKIL

With Buddle back, the absence of Juninho for the coming season is almost completely forgotten. Donovan can play a similar role to Juninho, and he has proven, in his short time at Everton, that he is deadly when he has forwards who can finish. Keane and Buddle will be up to this task. Beckham is also back, so his vision and precision won't need replacement, and the only question left is if the defense will be able to maintain their success with Omar Gonzales out with an injury. If the answer to that question is yes, Galaxy are definitely favorites to win MLS Cup, and I think they have a great shot at winning CONCACAF Champions League.

USWNT: Top Spot for London, but will Morgan Start?

2012-01-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

Alex Morgan

The USWNT played some impressive soccer over the past couple weeks. They made a trip up north to Canada in an attempt to qualify for the London Olympics. The team made their way to the finals to face one of their biggest rivals, Canada. Although the rivalry is heavily dominated by the Americans, Canada saw around 25,000 fans come to BC Place in Vancouver to cheer them on. However, the fans were unable to strengthen the Canadian squad enough, and the United States took the win.

The star of the game was undoubtedly Alex Morgan.

Alex Morgan is creating quite the stir in the USWNT scene beginning with the last world cup. Morgan has often been used as a late game substitute, using speed and precision to penetrate defenses. She has shown again and again that she is quality on ball and off of the ball. On Sunday, she was given the start, and proved that she is just as deadly when facing fresh opponents, scoring twice and assisting on one of Wambach's goals. Her nickname "Baby Horse" began trending on twitter after her first goal, and it was explained to me that she got the name for her speed, and youth.
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Quakes and Rapids to play in MLS Central Coast Showcase

2012-01-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

The San Jose Earthquakes will be traveling south this February to play a match in San Luis Obispo. The Quakes will be facing the Colorado Rapids in what has become an event known as the MLS Central Coast Showcase. This is the second consecutive year of the event, and the forth time that the Quakes have played a match at Cal Poly's Alex G. Spanos Stadium.

The first showcase was held in 2008, and the first match featured the Quakes playing against the Columbus Crew, where they won 2-1. San Jose also played DC United to a nil-nil draw in the same event. Last year the Colorado Rapids made the journey out west, but were bested by the Quakes 1-0. The Quakes have yet to lose at this event, and are looking for another win on February 10th.
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USMNT: What do we Expect Against Panama?

2012-01-25T12:27:00.001-08:00

FIFA Rankings of USA, Venezuela and Panama

The USMNT will face CONCACAF opponents Panama in a friendly tonight at 8:30 pm Eastern. The US is coming off of a close win over Venezuela. The US played Venezuela in Arizona, and fans saw the game stay nil - nil until Ricardo Clark scored an extremely late goal off of a corner kick in stoppage time. The boys walked away with a win and a feeling of success was left in the crowd. After all, this isn't our "A" team out there, so how much can you expect? Well, that begs the question, what are some reasonable expectations from us as USMNT fans?

Had the team tied or even lost that game, it would not be difficult to criticize the play and finishing seen in the game, but the team did manage a result, and in a very typical US fashion. But friendlies aren't so much about results as they are about play. Can we be satisfied with how the team played this game? I'm going to revisit this question again after this next match.

Philly and Salt Lake Gain Greater Exposure

2012-01-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

Philly to Host MLS All-Star Game

On Monday, there was a lot of speculation that Philadelphia would be the host for the 2012 MLS All-Star game. Don Garber was in Philly and had scheduled a press conference where he would be joined by Philadelphia Union representatives along with the mayors of Philadelphia and Chester, Pa. The rumors were confirmed, and it was announced that Philly would host the match. Hosting this event will provided both national and international exposure, due to the intense star-power that this game usually contains.

Philadelphia is a good choice for host, considering the attendance figures that PPL Park had last year. It averaged over 19,000 fans per game, maintaining a 99% full capacity average throughout the season. The Sons of Ben are sure to be vocal in an All-Star setting, as they are one of the best supporters groups in the league. Besides the great attendance and supporters in Philadelphia, the location of the stadium is quite eye catching, with many seats boasting a view of the Delaware River. PPL Park also has a very European stadium feel, and is one of the best looking venues in MLS.

The opponent for the MLS All-Stars will be announced in the next few months, but we can expect another Manchester United caliber team. United beat the MLS squad 4-0 in last year's game.

MLS has released this promotional video to showcase both PPL Park and the MLS All-Star match.
(Philly Hosts) The Match will be played July 25.

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U.S. Nationals on Scoring Frenzy

2012-01-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard about Clint Dempsey's Hat-Trick, the first American to do so in the EPL, or the USMNT victory this weekend, it is probably because the USWNT was eclipsing the US soccer world with two ten+ goal games. The weekend started off great with Dempsey's phenomenal display, but things just kept getting better. Included are highlights of each of the 4 games.

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LA Unveil new Kit

2012-01-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

The new LA Galaxy Home kit was unveiled today less than an hour ago. The most obvious change to the jersey is the addition of a blue sash to the front of the jersey. It is reminiscent of the old school Galaxy sash, and will most likely meet mixed reviews. I've included my Galaxy home kit from 2011 for comparison to the new kit. In addition to the sash being added, the coloring of the shoulders has been reversed. The previously white stripes are now blue, and the entire shoulder is now white. The yellow stripe across the chest and the singular yellow stripes along each side have also been modified.

It has truly been an exciting week for the Galaxy, having successfully resigned David Beckham and completed the draft process. Galaxy will look sharp as the head into a difficult 2012 season. They are charged with the task of defending both the Suporter's Shield and MLS Cup, while continuing their quest to become CONCACAF Champions.

What do you think of the new kit?

Photo obtained via @LAGalaxy Twitter

2012 Supplemental Draft: Success for Big West Conference

2012-01-19T02:24:00.000-08:00

After the Big West conference saw two alumni picked fourth and sixth overall in the 2012 MLS Super Draft, many Big West Soccer fans were excited to see how the draft would play out. However, Jacob Hustedt (who played 3 years at Cal Poly before transferring to Washington) was the only other player drafted with any Big West affiliation. The Super Draft concluded with Creighton and Louisville tied with 4 draftees apiece, double that of the Big West conference. With the Super Draft finished, the hopes of remaining players rested on the Supplemental Draft.

This year's Supplemental Draft consisted of 4 rounds for a total of 76 picks, and followed the format of the Super Draft. Teams aren't limited to combine players during the draft, and have the option to draft eligible college players during this time as well. This is what makes the Supplemental Draft more interesting to some, its unpredictability.

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MNT January Camp

2012-01-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

The United States Men's National team played a scrimmage against the under 23 team on January thirteenth as part of their January camp. The camp is a good opportunity for Jurgen Klinsmann to tryout new players and pairings for the full squad, in preparation for upcoming international matches. The full team is composed of several first timers, like Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City) and Jeff Parke (Seattle Sounders). The game concluded with the full team beating the U23's 4-0. The goal scorers for the MNT were Chris Wondolowski, Benny Feilhaber, Teal Bunbury, and Graham Zusi.

Highlights included.

SuperDraft Aftermath

2012-01-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

As expected, Andrew Wenger (Duke) and Darren Mattocks (Akron) were the first two draft picks. Chandler Hoffmann was allowed to slip all the way to the thirteenth round, which was a bit of a surprise (link to full draft is posted below).

UCSB teammates Luis Silva and Sam Garza were selected in the first round of the draft. Their excellent combine performances explain why they were picked so much earlier than originally projected. Silva was picked 4th overall by Toronto FC, and Garza was selected 6th by San Jose. These players bring great speed, vision, and skill with them, and Big West Soccer fans can take pride watching them continue to develop.

The LA Galaxy picked up a defender and a midfielder, selecting Tommy Meyer (Indiana) in the nineteenth round and Kenney Walker (Louisville) in the 38th. This will help to rebuild their roster after failing to sign Juninho and losing Omar Gonzales due to injury.

The Supplemental draft is the last step for the remaining combine players, and international players like Jason Banton and Kohei Yamada will most likely be selected during this process. Big West players like Patrick Sigler and James Kiffe still have a chance for selection during this draft, and hopefully the conference will be able to boast a few more professionals after the Supplemental draft has taken place.

Super Draft results courtesy of mlssoccer.com

http://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/2012/roundbyround

2012 Draft Predictions and Wish-List

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

After the MLS combine concluded earlier this week, I took a break to re-watch some of the highlights, and digest some of the talk around the league about various players. With just over an hour remaining before the draft, I felt now would be a good time to issue my final thoughts and wish-list for the 2012 Major League Soccer Draft.

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A New MLS Conference Possibility

2012-01-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

With the announcement of an unbalanced schedule this year, the Eastern and Western conferences will play more purposeful roles than they have in past seasons. MLS seems to be moving away from the idea of a single table format this season. League expansion, season length, and the geographical size of the league have all been sited as reasons that a conference system is better for MLS. With that being said, what possibilities does the league have to develop towards? The league could, and probably will, stay in the East/West format that it is in currently in, but how many teams can be added before we run into season length issues again? The league could split the conferences into 2 divisions as more teams are added, but this will require the league to grow fairly large, maybe to a size that isn't sustainable. Instead, the more interesting option for league may be creating a 3 conference system.
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Two Big Changes in Major League Soccer for 2012

2012-01-06T11:48:00.000-08:00

With the release of the MLS schedule yesterday, we were left with some huge changes including a schedule change and a change to MLS Cup. Major League Soccer was very prompt in compiling a schedule this season, which will allow fans to better arrange travel plans, an organize other team related events. Major League Soccer does well in listening to its fans, as the late release of the schedule caused many fans headaches last season. Those who subscribe to some of the various MLS emails were able to receive personalized emails announcing the release of the schedule.

And now for the big changes.

Combine Time

2012-01-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

This is something that soccer starved MLS fans can look forward to during the offseason, the Combine. It is a great opportunity for fans to get a look at young players, and to correspond with MLS personalities. The combine will consist of 6 games this year, starting on Friday with two games. The MLS seems to be giving a good deal of coverage to the combine this year, so it will be exciting to see how things turn out.

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Shaky Ground for Quakes Stadium

2012-01-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

One fun development to follow during the MLS offseason is expansion. Whether the expansion is roster size, league size, salary cap, or a stadium's capacity, it is noticeable progress for the league. What has been especially thrilling over the last few years, is the number of teams that have acquired their own soccer specific stadiums (SSS). The number of teams with SSS looked to grow as San Jose was poised to finally start making real progress with construction. However, some members of the community are up in arms, and have appealed the city's approval of the stadium.

Eto'o to LA: Doubt it

2012-01-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

What a story to start the new year! The Los Angeles Galaxy are rumored to be in pursuit of Samuel Eto'o. Surely he is a worthy replacement of David Beckham (if Beckham is indeed leaving), but I think this rumor is little more than wishful thinking. Eto'o joined Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala in August of 2011, and was signed for three years. That contract also made Eto'o one of the most expensive players in the world. Although the Galaxy have been known to spend a pretty penny for players, they have not come close to spending the salary of Eto'o. This one will be interesting to follow, but I have a feeling Eto'o won't be coming stateside any time soon.

RSL Scouts Japan

2011-12-31T11:56:00.000-08:00

Today MLSsoccer.com announced that Real Salt Lake's general manager, Garth Lagerwey, travelled to Japan earlier this month to scout players. Lagerwey indicated that the "J-League is, I think, pretty similar to MLS," and he went on to say that, "its a league where we can draw some players from." Currently the only Japanese born player in the MLS is Colorado's Kosuke Kimura (MLSsoccer.com). There were no direct signings because of this trip, but Lagerwey said that the notion of coming abroad to MLS was appealing to some of the players he talked to. If nothing else, a trip like this may alert Japanese talent to the possibility of coming to Major League Soccer to play.

I have mixed feelings about a story like this. I think if the price is right for good Japanese talent, then it should be taken advantage of. A good Japanese player in the J-league has some popularity in Japan, but if he went to the MLS, he would gain a greater following. This is true for me and an American named player named Stuart Holden. The reason I came to know of Holden is because of the hype he gets for being an American in the EPL. If he still played in the MLS, I'm sure I would have learned of him at some point because of his skill, but I would only be his fan if he came to my team. With him being in another league, and one of the few Americans in that league, I feel a sense of pride watching him play, and cheer even though I didn't care for the Bolton Wanderers before. This would also happen with Japanese soccer fans and Japanese MLS players. Players who had their home team fans before, may attract fans who are just proud of them for "representing" Japan. The added attention from Japanese fans would surely help to bolster Major League Soccer's popularity in that region, even after some Japanese talent returns home.

Combine Preview

2011-12-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

The combine, for those of you who may not know, is mainly composed of college seniors who have promising talent. They are invited to a camp, placed on teams, and then play a few games for MLS scouts to watch. Patrick Sigler, Cal Poly SLO, has received an invite, and I wish him the best of luck. I would love to see SLO produce some MLS quality players in the near future. Gauchos Sam Garza and Luis Silva of UCSB look like definite picks for the draft, but Sigler is more of a question mark. He's had some good performances this season but doesn't have the same name recognition that his conference rivals possess. Sigler does have one thing that scouts won't have trouble recognizing, his size.

Best of luck to all the boys going in from the Big West (even those dirty gauchos). It was fun seeing Boxal's familiar face on tv this past MLS season, and I smile a little bigger when Sean Franklin (CSUN) scores. Hopefully Big West Soccer continues to produce great talent and has an even better showing at the combine this year.

Cheers!