Soccer-Point

Qatar Ticket Farce

2011-02-03T14:34:00.005-06:00

Below is Soccernet's link on an article not getting much play, but it should. I know I am stating the obvious, but FIFA has made a mistake. Check out the article. It will make you giggle to hear Qatari PR at work.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/873723/questions-remain-after-asian-cup-final-ticket-farce-in-qatar?cc=5901

My hope is that FIFA learns from this and votes again for the 2022 World Cup. The problem is that the President of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam, who is from Qatar, will most likely be the Sepp Blatter successor. So, removing the World Cup from Qatar may be impossible.

Is it me, or does the 2022 World Cup graphic look like a ball going down a toilet swirl? Please wash your hands before returning to work, FIFA.

Asian Cup Recap and the State of the Union

2011-01-31T09:46:00.002-06:00

What Goes Up, Must Implode . . . Uzbekistan was a smidge close to winning the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar, but were routed 6-0 to Australia in a semi-final. Nice game for the Aussies, but the soccer gods do not like trounces. In the final, Japan beat Australia 1-0 to win the Asian Cup final. Besides, isn’t Australia its own continent? Do they really need to be in the Asian conference? Long live Oceania!

Attendance Numbers from the 2011 Asian Cup . . . The total available tickets to sell were 875,000; the total tickets sold = 405,361. That means about 46% tickets were sold. Not be “glass is half empty,” but a stadium that was 54% empty is pathetic. Look a lot Pizza Hut Park in August.

Asian Cup Final Controversy . . . Some 3,000-5,000 people traveled to Qatar with match tickets in hand to see the Australia-Japan final, but were turned away at the gates. The stadium was locked to protect the royalty. Also, a fireworks platform blocked one of the gates. So, 37,174 attended this match in a 50,000 seat stadium and they do not have any more room or another gate? Before kick-off, the organizers gave tickets to the workers to fill the seats, but paying supporters were informed that they were late (by 5 minutes). If there were an emergency at the stadium, this could have been a catastrophe. Fortunately, the Middle East is well-organized and there is nothing to fear. If a suicide bomber doesn’t get you, then desert will. To read more of this well-planned and comical event, go to: http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6073683/asian-cup-ticket-holders-denied-entry-finale

Peace in Egypt? . . . The USMNT has a friendly with Egypt in Cairo on Wednesday February 9th (12:30PM EST). Considering the current state of Egypt, a visit by the USMNT may not be advisable. However, a football match could be the distraction Egypt needs. Or, it could be a leading of the lambs to the slaughter. I hope they reschedule after things have settled down. England, Ireland and Scotland are available on that date and would be a lot less stress on the Euro-based players.

USMNT – Chile Friendly . . . Yes, the US played recently and tied Chile 1-1. It was fairly sloppy, but a few flashes of potential for the young US squad. Thanks to Juan Agudelo drawing a penalty and Teal Bunbury converting it, the US salvaged the draw. These two will be interesting to watch considering how young and fast they are. My attention was on the left side duo of Brek Shea and Zach Loyd. I heard lots of grumblings of their play, but thought they both did well for at least another trial. Shea was in position most of the match and his service was good. Loyd reminded me of Freddie Hejduk at times – a gambler and a ball of barbed wire – tricky, but helpful. The left side for the US has always been an issue and no matter what these two do or anyone else, no one will be happy.

2011 Asian Cup Highlights (so far)

2011-01-21T13:36:00.007-06:00

Yes, I am reporting on the Asian Cup hosted by Qatar where I will be for the 2022 World Cup. Why? There will be plenty of tickets available. So far, the highest attended game was the opener with Qatar versus Uzbekistan at 37,143 (Uzbekistan 2 - Qatar 0). The lowest attended was the 2-2 draw between China - Uzbekistan in group play match at an estimated 2,000 (probably less than 2K). The average match attendance for the 2011 Asian Cup has been around 11,000. I hope the 2011 Gold Cup has higher attendance than this. And second thought, MLS attendance does not seem so bad after all. Pack your bags for Qatar! 2022 has plenty of seats.

HOT OFF THE PRESS! 2011 Asian Cup - Uzbekistan beat Jordan 2-1 to advance to the semifinals to take on Australia. It will be Uzbekistan's first semi-final in the Asian Cup. In tomorrow's quarterfinals, Australia plays Iraq and Iran against South Korea. These should actually be good to watch. And with the Arabic countries losing today, I think they will win tomorrow. If they don't, the Cup attendance may dip below 10K since no one wants to watch some infidels play.

GOOD NEWS FOR QATAR - They advanced in the Asian Cup, which should increase their FIFA ranking from 115th in the world to 7th, just ahead of Italy. "Thus, their bid is legitimate," spoketh the Blatter (dressed in toga garb and motioning his thumb down to disqualify England and the US forever).

BAD NEWS FOR QATAR - They had 19,479 in attendance at their own quarterfinal match. What happen to the other 17,953 who came to the opener? I thought they have a stadium that seats 50K? Too many empty seats.

HUH? NEWS FROM QATAR - Qatar's squad has a Brazilian and an Argentinian. How is that possible? 1.5 million live in Qatar and just by chance a Brazilian man and an Argentinian man married Qatarian women? Dreams do come true in Qatar....

Between now and 2022, I will try to take the high road and dish out only positives about the imminent Qatar World Cup. I may slip and badger FIFA's voting and selection policies. And, I may fuss about the lack of scoring by US forwards. But remember - open seating in Qatar ... the man who builds his house on sand, will soon be homeless ... and, US defenders are a scoring threat!

AQUI ESTAN O ALLI ESTAN - With Qatar eliminated, I must pull for Uzbekistan! Something tells me this is their quadrennial! The winner gets a trip to Brazil in 2013 for the Confederations Cup! Sadly, most Asian Cup winners do not qualify for the World Cup in the next year. I have written "Uzbekistan" 7 times. I have nothing more to say.

World Cup soccer in South Africa: newyorker.com

2010-07-18T07:21:00.000-05:00

World Cup soccer in South Africa: newyorker.com The New Yorker explores whether Americans hate soccer.

Thierry Henry: Meet the MLS 2010

2010-07-15T06:34:00.000-05:00

Today will be the big media introduction in New York of the MLS' biggest signing since David Beckham: French striker Thierry Henry. As far as media events go, it won't hold a candle to the extravagant Los Angeles Galaxy welcome of Beckham. Given the failure of the overall Beckham Experiment, this is a good thing.

The timing of Thierry Henry's arrival to the media cosmos that is New York City would have been alright except for a couple of sports items from the last few days: 1.) The humiliating exit of France from the 2010 World Cup and 2.) The death (and corresponding media frenzy) of Yankees' owner and svengali: George Steinbrenner.

Major League Soccer had the right idea. This Henry signing has been in the works for over two years now. The month-long 2010 World Cup was going to be a temporary boost and would need to be followed very soon after with something to keep those Americans who watched the USA in South Africa at pubs across the country focused on soccer.

Henry's play here stateside will be far more indicative than any 100° MLS All-Star Game friendly against a European power like Inter Milan or Tottenham Hotspurs. If he leads the league in goals by the time the playoffs start, we'll know for certain what most people suspect - that the quality of play league-wide holds no candle against any of the main European leagues.

If he's less successful, it will be a dud locally for New York's Red Bulls - a club with a new Soccer-Specific stadium to attract fans to: Red Bull Arena (named after Bruce Arena?). But something that the Red Bulls do have going for them: new, pre-economic downfall ballparks CitiField and Yankees Stadium that have out priced a lot of NY-area sports fans in these more dicey economic times. It's not quite the same thing that happened in Seattle with the loss of the NBA Supersonics and the hugely successful arrival of the Seattle Sounders FC. But it is a backlash trend that will further the MLS' popularity 14 years after its inception. After that whole LeBron James ego-fest that we all endured here stateside, soccer might be a nice balm for a lot of disappointed Knicks' fans.

All of this will be forgotten once the Jets and Giants begin their NFL season.

For Thierry Henry, after a difficult World Cup qualifying experience (Hand of Gaul against Ireland, anyone?) and a season on the bench in Barcelona, he will bask in the relative anonymity that he will experience on the road in places like Salt Lake City, Kansas City and Frisco, Texas. Pelé's soccer savior descendants continue their plight in the United States of American Football. Vive le fútbol.

360° Panoramic Shot of World Cup Fans in Munich park

2010-07-05T08:38:00.000-05:00

URU vs. GHA Soccer World Cup 2010 (blue hour) in Olympic park

John Cleese rants - Soccer vs Football

2010-06-28T22:35:00.000-05:00

You gotta love John Cleese. Here he has the cheekiness to tease USA about fútbol never having caught on in this country. (This after Monty Python's genius sketch of Famous Philosophers' Football match!)

The Best World Cup Calendar EVER

2010-06-13T23:26:00.002-05:00

Marca.com World Cup Flash Calendar

Yours in sport,
Pablonius Monk

Observations, Predictions and Pitfalls for the 2010 World Cup (Pt 4):

2010-06-08T10:17:00.007-05:00

1. Why

England

could win?

Wayne Rooney. If he remains healthy, England is an incredible force.
England is one of the hottest teams and overdue for an appearance in the championship match.
They play the US. In 6 out of a 8 World Cups, when other teams played the US, they did the following:

6 Semi-Finalists
5 Finalists
3 Champions

2. Why

England

won’t win?

No European team has won the championship outside of Europe.
No team has won the World Cup with a foreign born coach.
Rooney has a gimpy hamstring and has a history of getting injured in big tournaments. He may get England to the Final, but he will not play in it.
England will glide through group play with 3 victories. Almost all World Cup champions should have a tie or a loss before entering single elimination – more on this later.

3. Why not

Brazil

Spain

High expectations do not hold up in the World Cup. These two continue to flip flop the #1 ranking by FIFA. This is a kiss of death.
Recent success does not continue. Spain won the 2008 European Championship. Brazil won Confederations Cup in 2009 and Copa America in 2007. The odds are against this to continue. Interesting note, when Brazil loses in Copa America to Argentina, it goes on to win the World Cup. This trend holds true for when Argentina loses to Brazil; they too go on to win the World Cup. Brazil beat Argentina in the 2007 Copa America.
Group play troubles. Brazil is in the “Group of Death” and no team wins the Cup from this proclaimed group. It will be over-tested and may lead to injuries. Spain is in one of the softest groups and will not be tested and will have their customary early exit by the quarterfinals.

4. So who wins? Argentina. Why?

They are the LEAST likely best team to advance to the Final. The recent trend is that the best team who is written off first, wins. In 2002, the press hounded Brazil for the 1998 Final and the lack of organization coming into the tourney. Result: Brazil won. In 2006, Italy was the whipping boy for their match fixing controversies and lack of player diversity since their squad was Serie A players only. Result: Italy won.
The experts are picking Spain, Brazil, Holland, England and Germany. None are picking Argentina. They are picking Lionel Messi to win the Golden Boot. For this to happen, Argentina must go deep. DUH!
Ideal group play. Argentina will be tested enough to keep their confidence and hunger in check. As a top flight team, you do not want to dominate too much and you don’t want to play weak either. Brazil in 2002 struggled against Turkey and Italy stumbled against the US in 2006, but both became cohesive units from those matches. Argentina will experience the same battle this year against Greece. It will be ugly, but it will help Argentina in the end. Key stat: 14 of the 16 World Cup Champions had either a tie or a loss in group play before winning it all (there are 18 champions and two tournaments did not have group play).
The Copa America trend continues. The team who loses America wins Mundial.
Least injured team.

5. Final Score:

Argentina

3 -

England

1

6. Expectations for future World Cups:

Italy plays in championship matches every 12 years. It wins the World Cup every 24 years. Next championship appearance 2018.
Brazil hosts and wins the World Cup in 2014 (beating France).
England hosts and wins the Cup in 2018 (beating Italy).
US hosts and wins the Cup in 2022 against Germany.

Observations, Predictions and Pitfalls for the 2010 World Cup (Pt 3):

2010-05-27T08:03:00.006-05:00

1. Who advances from the groups?
Group (1st, 2nd)
A. France, Mexico
B. Argentina, South Korea
C. England, Slovenia
D. Germany, Serbia
E. Holland, Cameroon
F. Italy, Paraguay
G. Brazil, Portugal
H. Spain, Honduras

2. Why so few African teams advancing? Historically, an African team does not advance in the next Cup it plays in, but at least one African team advances. That means pick South Africa, Algeria or Cameroon to advance. I choose the best of those 3 although South Africa is tempting. But betting against

Mexico

not advancing from group play is like not picking Duke to the Sweet 16. The host nation has always advanced, but I would not hold my breath.

3. Why

Honduras

? Honduras, Chile and Switzerland will all lose to Spain and then will all tie each other for a 2-point logjam. Honduras advances on goal differential thanks to a Carlos Pavon goal scored on Spain and will be the only goal scored on Spain in group play. Besides, at least 1 CONCACAF team has to advance and if Mexico and the US do not, then VIVA HONDURAS!

4. Beauty matches in Round of 16:

Argentina vs. Mexico
Spain vs. Portugal

5. Beauty matches in the Quarterfinals (all of them – these all look like championship matches!):

France vs. England
Holland vs. Brazil
Argentina vs. Germany
Italy vs. Spain
Fantasy Quarterfinal Match: Mexico vs. US – if the US beats Germany and Mexico beats Argentina. But, it is fantasy. One may happen, but not both.

6. My Semi-Final Matches:

England vs. Brazil
Argentina vs. Spain

7. My Pick for the Final:

England vs. Argentina

Observations, Predictions and Pitfalls for the 2010 World Cup (Pt 2):

2010-05-19T09:42:00.003-05:00

How will the US fare in the 2010 World Cup? The US is in a tougher group than most realize. Below is what to expect from the Group C competitors:

· Slovenia: In qualifying, Slovenia survived against Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Russia by posting 4 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses and allowing .62 goals. Their strength is their defense. The US-Slovenia match will feature the US attacking, but with little success. Rewind to Guatemala and El Salvador matches the US encountered in the past 2 years. The US churned these out and came ahead. The differences between Slovenia and GUA or ELS are European experience and discipline. This should be a great match, but will be a hard fought draw.

· Algeria: This team is being labeled as a mystery team. How? 3 of their players are on the same club teams as the US players and the most of the rest play in the same Euro leagues as other US players. What is puzzling about Algeria is which team will show up? In qualifying, they did not lose at home going 6-0-0. On the road and including the African Nations Cup in Jan 2010, they won 3, drew 3 and lost 5. Their highlight was defeating Ivory Coast 3-2 in a quarterfinal. Their lowlights were a group stage loss to Malawi 3-0 and a semi-final 4-0 thrashing by Egypt. If Algeria shows up determined to make a statement, then the US may be in a world of hurt (see 2006 Ghana vs. US). I see the US winning this game 2-1.

· England: This team will easily win this group. Capello has them clicking and they are currently a force. What happens in the US-England match? England wins 3-1. Historically, England starts World Cups on high octane. The first 15 minutes will be nervy for both sides, but a goal by the 20^th minute settles the Brits down and they methodically paste the US. The US will get a junk goal late. This match should resemble the recent Holland-US friendly – no surprises. If the US starts sharply, controls the midfield and plays defense with authority, then it may draw. But since only one of these three may happen, England wins.

How many points will the US earn, and will they advance? The US will earn 4 points, but will not advance. Although this is a good US Team, they are too sloppy. The difference will be Slovenia’s tight defense. They will limit the goal scoring against the US and England. Back in Sep 2009, Slovenia lost to England at Wembley 2-1. I think this will be a similar result. The killer for the US will be the England match. Losing 3-1 would contribute to the US’s elimination. A 2-1 loss to England and a 3-1 win over Algeria would advance the US. The US snuck into the 2^nd rounds in the ’94 and the ’02 World Cups and the 2009 Confederations Cup on the slimmest of goal differentials. The tactic of earning 4 points and hoping for someone else to bail you out will eventually back fire. Here’s how Group C will end in the 2010 World Cup:

	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	GD	Points
England	3	0	0	9	2	+7	9
Slovenia	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4
USA	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
Algeria	0	0	0	1	8	-7	0

So, the US will fare better than it did in 2006, but it will not advance out of the group stage. I hope I am wrong. Unfortunately, the US defense is inconsistent. They take too long to clear balls and hope to send some brilliant long pass that usually gets intercepted. If the US is to advance, then they will need to be aggressive and gritty on every play. They need to keep teams on their heels. If the US scores first against Slovenia, it must continue to pressure, or it will not advance. The US must win ugly. If it hopes for lucky bounces, then it is done. It must step up, challenge, tackle, and sacrifice. The question for the US is does it have the will to win? It has some skill, but it must want to win and show it. So much like Algeria, which US team will show up? Talk is cheap, don’t be a be chump. Go USA!

Observations, Predictions and Pitfalls for the 2010 World Cup (Pt 1):

2010-05-12T09:28:00.005-05:00

1. ESPN has done well to prepare the masses for the 2010 World Cup. I have enjoyed their walks down memory lane. But I have to ask myself, “Am I qualified to write about the soccer?” The credentials of their soccer crew state that they’re huge soccer fans and have watched a lot of matches. I’ve done that! So, I must be qualified! But, they’re also employed by Disney, which means 2 people may read this. The only difference between me and them is that I played NAIA soccer my freshmen year between class and keg parties. My other credential is that I picked the last 3 out of 4 World Cup winners. 1998 was an anomaly. Regardless, thank you ESPN for your World Cup coverage.

2. Who’s on the Underdog Radar?

Teams with a natural disaster since their last World Cup appearance. These are Chile, Greece, Honduras and Paraguay. The town of Concepción, Chile was leveled by 8.8 earthquake in Feb 2010. Greece – their economy is in the toilet. In 1998, Honduras was destroyed by Hurricane Mitch. Paraguay lost it best striker Salvador Cabañas to a gun shot wound to the head in Mexico City in Jan 2010. Although Paraguay has numerous good players, he was their captain. Paraguay's President issued a national day of mourning for Cabañas, and he’s still alive! Didn’t see Obama issue this for Davies after his car accident. Oh, how engaged we are. Regardless, these nations will be playing with another level of national pride. When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose.

Teams politically or religiously motivated. This would include North Korea and Algeria. The only problem for North Korea is that they will be the whipping boy in the Group of Death that features Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast. North Korea may earn a draw and eliminate an over-confident Ivory Coast team. Algeria will unite with Muslim pride to test the US (the great Satan). Also, the US has historically fared poorly against Muslim countries in the WC. Don’t forget Zinedine Zidane is Algerian descent, so there is no shortage of talent. Besides, Algeria knows a thing about upsetting teams in the WC (beat West Germany 2-1 in 1982).

3. How much does group play matter?

Top Flight teams want to be tested. Getting a draw in group play or an ugly win will lead to cohesion. Brazil in 2002 struggled against Turkey. Italy in 2006 battled against the US. Both teams got stronger, and never looked back. Top Flight teams who run up the score and go undefeated will lose by the quarterfinals. See – England and Spain.

If you’re a middle of the road team (the US), then you hope to score and limit your opponents to fewer goals. DUH! It all comes down to goal differential.

If you are a bottom dweller, then pray for a draw or a miracle goal that will inject your nation with pride. This lone goal scorer will eventually become President or Dictator of his country.

4. Teams love to play the US! In 4 out of the last 5 World Cups, teams that played the US did the following:

4 advanced to the Semi-Finals
3 to the Finals
2 eventual champions

This may be good news for

England

. And if the US advances to the Round of 16, it may be good news for Germany. Play the US, go far in the Cup! I hate this stat.

Costa Rica Gets Pupusa All Over Its Face

2009-09-10T12:16:00.003-05:00

Last night’s 1-0 loss to El Salvador complicated Costa Rica’s 2010 World Cup bid. After the last two games, Costa Rica went from 1^st to 4^th,Honduras from 2^nd to 3^rd,Mexico from 4^th to 2^ndand the US went from 3^rd to 1^st. Whew! Too much juggling, but it is same pool of players in the CONCACAF Hexagonal. And, all of them still have a chance to make the 2010 World Cup. Remember, the top 3 teams earn automatic bids to the World Cup and the 4^th place team takes on the 5^th place CONEMBOL team (ouch!). The only thing separating 3^rd place from 4^th place is 1 point. And when all of the games are played, it could come down to goal differential to determine who is an automatic bid or who has to be slapped around by Argentina, Uruguay or Colombia.

Below are the current standings after last night’s games . . . .

CONCACAF Qualifying
	GP	W	D	L	GD	Points
US	8	5	1	2	5	16
MX	8	5	0	3	3	15
HN	8	4	1	3	6	13
CR	8	4	0	4	-4	12
ES	8	2	2	4	-2	8
TT	8	1	2	5	-8	5

So, who will not earn an automatic bid for South Africa in 2010? Again, looks like Costa Rica by the slimmest of margins. Although they should earn at least 4 points in the last 2 games, so should Mexico and Honduras. These 3 countries play a “softy” in their final 2 games and they should get the valuable 3 points. The US should lose to Honduras and earn a point in a hard fought battle against CR in DC. Even though this game will feel like a home game for Los Ticos, it will not be enough to get them over the hump. And when it is all over, Costa Rica will have an acid reflux moment when it looks back to the El Salvador game they should have won or tied.

Below is what the final CONCACAF table should look like after the final games are played on October 14th . . . .

CONCACAF Qualifying
	GP	W	D	L	GD	Points
MX	10	6	1	3	5	19
HN	10	5	2	3	7	17
US	10	5	2	3	4	17
CR	10	5	1	4	-3	16
ES	10	2	3	5	-4	9
TT	10	1	3	6	-9	6

Who knows, the last time I did this I thought Mexico would end up in 4^th place and now they are in the driver’s seat. Shows you what I know. Regardless, it will be exciting. Stay tuned and support the US!

Who's going to South Africa from CONCACAF?

2009-08-13T08:05:00.015-05:00

Before we print Mexico’s ticket to South Africa after the win against the US, we need to remember there are other teams (very good teams) competing as well. Last night, Honduras pasted Costa Rica 4-0 and is now sitting pretty at 2^nd place. The US better start feeling the pressure or it too will be in a tight spot. The current CONCACAF table looks like the following (remember, the top 3 teams advance and the 4^th place team has a playoff with the 5^th place CONMEBOL team).

	GP	W	D	L	GD	Points
Costa Rica	6	4	0	2	0	12
Honduras	6	3	1	2	4	10
United States	6	3	1	2	3	10
Mexico	6	3	0	3	-1	9
El Salvador	6	1	2	3	-2	5
T & T	6	1	2	3	-4	5

Here’s my prediction . . . . Mexico is playing well, but their recent victories were in front of pro-Mexico crowds. This will not be the case in Costa Rica and T & T. Mexico does not play well in T & T, and it will be the last match for T & T who should play the spoiler to Mexico’s automatic bid.

The US will struggle to earn two more victories in the next four matches. The biggest hurdles will come in the last two matches on the road in turbulent Honduras and at home against Costa Rica. The next two matches (El Salvador @ home and T & T on the road) are critical for the US and are their best chances to get victories. If they win these, they will go to South Africa. But like Mexico, this would require winning in T & T and the US does not play well there.

As of today, CONCACAF could be won by any of the top 4 nations. But each team is playing poorly away from home. Thus, the table stays the same and the US takes the coveted 3^rd place slot on goal differential. Mexico will play Colombia, Ecuador or Uruguay for a ticket to South Africa (my bet is on Uruguay advancing). So on October 14^th around 10PM EST after the final games are played, the CONCACAF table will look like the following . . .

	GP	W	D	L	GD	Points
Costa Rica	10	6	2	2	3	20
Honduras	10	5	1	4	5	16
United States	10	4	3	3	4	15
Mexico	10	5	0	5	1	15
El Salvador	10	2	4	4	-6	10
T & T	10	2	4	4	-7	10

Gold Cup: México vs. Haiti at Cowboys Stadium

2009-07-22T14:01:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I was fortunate enough to attend the very first sporting event at the new billion dollar + Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. No, it wasn't a Dallas Cowboys' football game. The first sporting event was a SOCCER game of all things. That this event is part of the regular CONCACAF Gold Cup calendar and fell on a date in July long before the first preseason game was a stroke of luck. But the genius of it was that it was a México game...which guaranteed a sell-out crowd to show off the new stadium to the Metroplex media. There were an impressive 82,252 people at this event.

All of this would be enough. But there was also a Texas Rangers' game that same night across the way from the sparkling Cowboys Stadium at the Ballpark in Arlington. (Google Maps still has it listed as "Ameriquest Field" - someone should e-mail Google that Ameriquest and the rest of their bad loan/subprime mortgage ilk are long gone). So this was an ideal test of the traffic flow for Arlington city officials. Our group drove from the University of Texas at Dallas (in lovely Richardson, Texas). Traffic was pretty smooth flowing. We arrived and parked in Lot 13 in fairly short order. We took a group of students from México who are studying this summer at UTD. For most of them it was their first chance to see their Mexican National Team. So naturally they were thrilled. They wore their "selección" jerseys, painted their faces and proudly sang the Mexican National Anthem.

I took my fancy Nikon camera to document the event. I thought I might go around the concourse to get a real sense of this new landmark stadium. But unfortunately, there's no way to go completely around the stadium like we used to in Texas Stadium. Our tickets were in Section 244 which can only be accessed by entering the stadium through Gate C.

July in Texas was also a good chance to sample the indoor air conditioning of this facility. In the heat of the summer, it held up alright. Mind you, it's not chilly like a typical Dallas shopping mall. But it was kept around 80-85 degrees pretty consistently. It still beats a preseason game at Texas Stadium in August any day.

Beers are $7. Parking was $25. (Although I understand that parking lots for Cowboys' games will cost more like $40). The tickets we bought were 2nd lower balcony and cost $29. Standing Room Only tickets were $20.

As for the structure itself, Cowboys Stadium is very impressive. It's no Bird's Nest, of course. But it's sleek, modern, and shiny. It looms on Tom Landry Highway like some heaping half of the Star Wars Death Star. I imagined what went through the minds of the Haitian National Team as they approached the enormity and grandeur of it as if they weren't anxious enough playing the mighty Mexican National Team.

Mexico's 2nd team dominated Haiti 4-0. So the Mexican fans in the 2nd half of the game spent most of their time thinking up chants to sing together, perfecting the Mexican wave and swelling with pride. One of them sitting behind me thought I was a reporter (thanks to the fancy Nikon around my neck, no doubt) and told me that he was one of the electricians who worked on the stadium. It gave him a great sense of pride to work on this great stadium but that night he was overwhelmed sharing that pride with so many countrymen.

Beckham & KG play a little reverse shoe horse

2009-03-12T15:16:00.000-05:00

New Cowboys Stadium 2010: World Cup Final Host?

2008-07-11T13:19:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite soccer blogs is the New York Times' GOAL. The most recent post is regarding FIFA's contingency plans being in place in case South Africa doesn't have all its ducks in a row by the end of the year.

One of the countries that could possibly step in to host the 2010 World Cup is the USA. Jerry Jones' new Cowboys Stadium would be an ideal place for the finals. It's a summer tournament, so the finals could be hosted indoors at what will arguably be the finest facility of its kind when it opens in 2009.

Next Stop for Cuban Soccer: the MLS?

2008-03-27T22:09:00.005-05:00

Looks like Chivas USA's star Cuban striker Mikel Galindo has started a chain reaction of defections from Cuba's national soccer program. For a country better known for its béisbol, boxing & chess prowess, this must sting. Once these players get their immigration paperwork, look for them to find a place on one of the MLS teams' rosters. 1970's NASL exec, the Cuban exile Raphael de la Sierra, who worked closely with Warner's Steve Ross to make the NY Cosmos the most successful soccer team, must be loving this trend. Eat your heart out, Maradona. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)

Thierry Henry to Seattle FC?

2008-03-27T11:25:00.006-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year. The MLS' 13th season is about to begin this weekend. The EPL season is coming down to a few more heated matches between serious contenders (Man U at 73 points, Chelsea! at 68, Arsenal at 67 & Liverpool at 59 trying to keep its 4th place spot away from crosstown rivals Everton). And the rumor mills are churning at a feverish pace.

If you didn't catch the Chelsea/Arsenal match on the Fox Sports Channel this past weekend, you missed a heckuva game. As busy as things have been of late, I settled for watching it over the course of Monday & Tuesday night (1st half Monday, 2nd half Tuesday). I maintained a soccer media block out. (Admittedly still not that hard to do here stateside). Arsenal have been playing below average - drawing in their previous 4 games. And Chelsea have been surging with their less than popular new manager Avram Grant. The Stamford Bridge faithful booed him loudly in the 2nd half when he made his substitutions. (Quite possibly game-winning substitutions!)

Our beloved FC Dallas will open their season up in Frisco's Pizza Hut Park this Sunday against Preki's Chivas USA at 2pm (Channel 52 - KFWD). Ante Razov & Mikel Galindo will start for the Goats.

Also Sunday: Fox Soccer Channel is showing the Rangers/Celtic match at 6pm CST (delayed) - one of the great sports rivalries - right up there with Yankees/Red Sox, Packers/Vikings, Lakers/Celtics.

The MLS rumor mill has been very active of late what with David Beckham's contract clause for MLS team ownership. I wonder where "The David Beckhams" will play? That's the other source of preseason rumors: Montréal, Quebec might be getting an expansion slot in the next couple of years. Might "The David Beckhams" play in Canada? The MLS has always stated that the league will eventually have a 2nd NYC team. Maybe Beckham will pay Pepe Pinton his $1 million for the NY Cosmos name. It's more likely that Beckham will purchase an existing club.

Then on the most recent World Soccer Daily podcast, Steven Cohen made mention of high level sources indicating that Seattle is in late-stage negotiations with France's all-time leading scorer Barcelona striker Thierry Henry to play for Seattle in their inaugural season next year 2009. This would explain those Gilette ads with Roger Federer, Tiger Woods & Thierry Henry.

20,000 attend pre-season match at Pizza Hut Park

2008-03-16T09:42:00.007-05:00

(Photo courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Richard W. Rodriguez)
Thanks to Otto Gol for setting the wife and me up with choice tickets to the big UNICEF Charity Match against the LA Galaxy last night. We had a great time.

A few notes on the game: it felt like a regular season game what with the big Beckham crowd and the English National Team drama. All players were putting their full effort into the game. Coach Ruud Gullit has been busy in his first pre-season as coach of the Galaxy. They look like a different team. We were disappointed not to see Carlos "El Pescadito" Ruiz play for his old/new team, the Galaxy. He has a hamstring issue and didn't make the trip. No Juan Toja last night either unfortunately. Beckham's fit as a fiddle this year. Let's hope he stays fit this season. After his nice performance last night, he'll get his 100th cap vs. France this month. Barring an LA Galaxy MLS Cup win or Supporters' Shield where his play is a key part of team success, it'll be the last time he plays for England.

As for England's National Team scout Franco Baldini scouting Beckham at a charity pre-season match in Frisco, TX, well, it's a more than a bit of a ring toss. This Times of London report says that Becks will be called up for his 100th cap but denies that it will have had anything to do with his performance last night in Pizza Hut Park. The wife and I were in line at half time to get a couple of BBQ sandwiches. In front of us was this Italian guy with a Juventus baseball cap and Versace eyeglass frames. As he ordered his Pulled Pork sandwich, I wondered whether or not we were behind the very scout sent by England to evaluate Beckham's fitness! I hadn't bothered to check Google Images to see what this Franco Baldini looks like beforehand. (It wasn't Baldini after all, but it's good to see an Italian enjoying himself in North Texas at a professional soccer match enjoying the local cuisine.)

LA dominated the 1st half. LA Coach Ruud Gullit has definitely made an offseason impact on this team. They looked very sharp. A couple of players to look out for this year: Mike Randolph from Chino Hills, CA. He's really fast. Becks found him on a long ball to the left of Dario Sala and Randolph almost scored. And the former Red Bulls' goalie Steve Cronin. He looks tough to score against. Beckham & Donovan will find their mojo this season as well. Look for them to combine on some nice plays.

The game is nicely summarized here and here. So I won't bother trying to recap every little detail. FC Dallas finally put the pressure on in the 2nd half. There were a couple of missed shots. New kid Brek Shea made his home debut and scuffed a shot. (I used my digicam to take some very rough quality video of some of the plays. I've got Shea's flub in there too.) It's good that he got that out of the way in a pre-season match. He'll settle down with some more game time experience.

It was my wife's first visit to Frisco's Pizza Hut Park. She was really impressed with the stadium and enjoyed the game.

Frisco Traffic Notes: Driving north on the tollway at 6:55pm, we hit traffic a full mile south of the Main St. exit. So, it took us about 15 minutes to get through that and parking south of PHP & Frisco City Hall. Leaving the park after the game, we tried to avoid Main Street traffic and went south to access the Tollway from Cotton Gin Road. That proved to be a bad idea. Frisco is still a Minor League town traffic-wise. They have stop signs at the tollway & Cotton Gin Road. And right before the stop sign, the 2 lanes squeeze into one. Then you have to hurry across the frontage road to get under the overpass (no northbound stop sign or light) only to have yet another unprotected stop sign with southbound frontage road traffic speeding by as if lives depended on velocity. It's an act of bravery pointing your car into this onslaught.

Los Toros

2008-02-14T21:25:00.003-06:00

D Magazine's Frontburner found this post from MLS Underground. We're about a month & a half from the MLS season starting. Is this an FC Dallas viral video?

"Look for us on March 15th and March 30th...

We are Los Toros. We are legion. We will defend our pitch. We will not forget."

From Frontburner:

A soccery FrontBurnervian sends along a this item of FC Dallas’ latest attempt at stoking the fires of fandom. At least, I assume FC Dallas is responsible for the viral-marketing-inspired campaign, rather than a bored superfan. It’s a take-off on the anti-Church of Scientology vids making their way across the Internet of late. Check out Los Toros’ message, if so inclined.

Futbolandia 2008

2008-02-01T09:34:00.000-06:00

2007 is over. The critics did their reviews. I should have done something like a highlight reel of my award winning articles. It is always like a greatest hits compilation from Time-Life. “Hey everybody, look it’s Peter Fonda!” the enthusiastic hostess chimes. PF says, “Just walking by and heard the tunes. Man, they bring back some memories.” Hostess says, “You said it, Pete, good times.” Peter just looks beat down and ready to move on.

Sadly, the hostess was not even born when that music was made and she thinks Peter Fonda is Jane’s dad. Compilations are nice for those who need to relive the glory days. In futbolandia, compilations are a long series of repetitive deja vu’s. This year’s stories are just like last year’s. The names and jerseys change, but the plot does not. Make more money, soccer more goals, win more games, write more blog posts. Anybody listening to this twaddle? “Just walking by, man. Heard the tunes. Right on, brother, right on,” states Peter.

What is to look forward to in 2008? In England, a highly contested table between (drum roll, please) … Man U and Arsenal! Gee, that’s original. In Spain, a highly contested table between (drum roll, please) … Barcelona and Real Madrid. Don’t hold your breath. In Italy, a highly contested table between (drum roll, please) … Roma and AC Milan. Titillating. In Germany, a highly contested table between (drum roll, please) … Bayern Munich and who cares?

The best stories may come from Euro 2008. And, let’s not forget about The African Nations Cup that is going on right now. Everyone has already awarded Ivory Coast the Cup since Drogba plays there. But, host Ghana may have some say as well. But never underestimate Egypt, they always find a way to win. And, no pushover is Cameroon and Samuel Eto’o’s 5 goals. Quarterfinals are Sunday and Monday.

Back to Euro 2008. Austria and Switzerland are the host nations with Vienna hosting the final. Will a powerhouse take it, such as Italy or Germany? Or, will an underdog nip its way to a title, such as Greece or Austria? Call it Bizarro-world rationale, but sport stories are developed through a strange cosmic, poetic force. Here’s how I try to interpret this being.

Euro 2008 is in Switzerland and Austria. Both have long futbol histories, but they have not done much since 1950. Austria is the exception with their impressive semi-final run in last year’s Under-23 World Cup. Both teams should make it out of group play. But, they will not make it to the final. One team that borders these nations will be in the final. The options are Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany and Italy. Croatia and Czech Republic will not be finalists because they used to be part of the Hapsburg Empire, which is in essence, Austria. Germany and Italy will not be finalists because they were part of the Axis Powers with Austria. All of these teams will be granted safe passage from group play, but that is where it will end. Remember, futbol is The Beautiful Game. And, Beauty will rise with this prediction. Not to say that the Hapsburgs were ugly and left ugly buildings, but the country that designed and influenced Austria and the Viennese for centuries is France. So, France is in the final. Headline – “France Continues Reign in Austria!” The other finalist will be Spain. Why? The Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Again, Beauty wins. Who wins? Spain. Why? They do not border either host country and the cosmic, poetic force will allow Spain to paste the Euro 2008 field - Guernica-style. Don’t know what Guernica’s is about? Pablonious does. ¡VIVA ESPAÑA!
Other stories I will be addressing throughout the year are the following:
Jaguares de Chiapas: Two matches into Clausura 2008 and they have a win and draw. They are tied with Toluca at the top of their group. They play Monterrey Saturday, so let’s see if they can break away a bit. ... Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy: Some how they survived and are still in Primera División de Argentina. They are a cyclical team and were down in Apertura 2007. So, be on the look out for a sneak attack in Clausura 2008. ... FC Dallas: Out with the old, in with the new? FC Dallas will have some growing pains with its young draft picks, but may not be too happy with their defensive acquisition, Davino Duilio. Yes, Duilio is a defensive presence and has a good mind. But, he has slowed in recent years. The Texas heat will leave its mark on this chilango who is accustomed to pristine weather of Mexico City. If FC Dallas can survive their July-August lull, then they may be a force in the post season. The injury report at that time will be the determinant. ... US Men’s National and Olympic Teams: New faces, same results? I think the USMNT will struggle at first and come together down the stretch. Don’t expect USA to beat Mexico on February 6th. Hugo Sanchez has called for all hands on deck. He has to get this monkey off of Mexico’s back before qualifiers. Their psyche depends on it. USA has no pressure here and will put it together for the qualifiers. Bob Bradley is bringing in youth to get them experience and see who has the mettle for the long haul. The USMOT has more pressure and needs to make it to the final match to qualify for Beijing 2008. Matches will be in the States, and that should help. But other CONCACAF teams will be just as hungry to take down the host nation. Should be Mexico and USA in the final and in Beijing, but watch out for Honduras and Costa Rica.

So, let’s all make Peter Fonda proud, compile our lives with sweet Mother Nature, and find yourself by getting lost on the pitch of futbolandia. “These people are going to make it, man,” Dennis Hopper Easy Rider.

Drew Carey, Pubs & the MLS

2008-01-17T11:47:00.001-06:00

Happy birthday to Soccer-Point blogger, Otto Gol! As an inexpensive birthday gift to him, Soccer-Point is posting this video of the new Price is Right host, raconteur & soccer enthusiast Drew Carey. This video shows him arriving at a local Seattle pub to announce his participation in the ownership of the Seattle expansion MLS team, Seattle FC.

This is where MLS has the chance to trump most other pro sports in America. If you can connect to the average fan sitting in their local, then you’ve established a strong local connection that will never fade.

Drew Carey’s a great face for soccer in this country because he’s just so darn American. His enthusiasm for the sport is American. His humor is American. He’s the perfect fan ambassador.

Our FC Dallas would be wise to make these kinds of connections locally as well. I don’t know if the Hunt Sports Group folks understand that well enough. Their pedigree is an NFL one. And what works for the NFL might not fit the MLS.

So here’s more free advice for the Hunt Sports Group folks looking to improve season ticket sales. Host evenings at Trinity Hall, the Dubliner, the Londoner, the White Rock Sports Bar, the 1^st & 10, Fox Sports Grill, etc. You can meet the fans in person. Send the GM. Send Steve Morrow. Send whomever. But start meeting the fans in the places where they’re likely to be found: barstools. Give out bumper stickers, t-shirts, & schedule magnets. Make them feel like they're part of the team.

Another Nice 2007 Review

2008-01-01T12:24:00.000-06:00

This review by Paul Gardner of WorldSoccer.com was posted on SI.com yesterday. He takes note of the Beckham phenomenon's ups & downs but also highlights the perhaps more impactful 2007 undercurrent of Latin American players in the MLS. He tips the pen to Colombian Juan Pablo Angel in NY, Brazilian Emilio at DC United and fails to mention FC Dallas find Juan Toja from Colombia.

The review previews next season's expansion team, the resurrected San Jose Earthquakes. They are owned by the Oakland A's. Gardner explains the A's success on a limited player payroll through their use of Sabremetrics. Will "sabremetrics" take the expansion team back to their former strength as the team now known as the MLS Champs two-years running: Houston Dynamo? We are looking forward to seeing the results played out over the next couple of seasons.

Triumph and disaster
Beckham's first season in MLS showed mixed results
Posted: Monday December 31, 2007 4:02PM; Updated: Monday December 31, 2007 4:02PM
The most common view of David Beckham's MLS maiden voyage: on the bench.
Simon Bruty/SI

By Paul Gardner, Special to SI.com, World Soccer
Question: When is a fiasco not a fiasco? Well, the answer has to be, "when it's David Beckham." His much-ballyhooed, incredibly hyped arrival in the U.S. to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy managed to take in, simultaneously, both ends of Kipling's equation: both triumph and disaster.
On the positive side, Major League Soccer immediately gained a ton of much-needed publicity, air time, ink, gossip-column stuff and online chat. And however cynical one might feel about that, it's a very big deal for soccer to get itself into the headlines in the U.S.
It can, of course, be argued that it wasn't really the sport that was getting all this attention; it was the personal attractions of superstar Beckham and his show-business wife, Victoria, which attracted the news hounds. And, by and large, that would be true. But it hardly matters. Getting MLS talked about, especially when the talk involves lots of money, is the important thing.
MLS commissioner Don Garber exalted that the publicity was far beyond anything the league had dared to imagine. And it sold tickets, too. There was immediate demand for Galaxy season tickets, while the other 12 clubs found that their home games against L.A. were suddenly a hot item.
That heady, euphoric atmosphere ought to have been shattered by the fact that Beckham was hardly to be seen on the field. He arrived injured, was injured again, played in only seven games and scored one goal. Clubs that had sold huge amounts of tickets for their game against the Galaxy found that the star attraction was sitting on the bench.
The Galaxy didn't help matters by being a decidedly awful team. They failed to make the playoffs, and coach Frank Yallop -- clearly exasperated and worn down by the Beckham circus -- quit at the end of the season.
But even that turned into something of a success, for the Galaxy then brought in Ruud Gullit, and "sexy soccer" became the theme for next year's team. So it can be argued that 2007 should not be seen as a flop or even as a mildly damp squib. Rather, it was a dry run -- we now await the real arrival of Beckham, a fit Beckham, in '08.
There are clear signs that Beckhamania will mean the Galaxy adopt the role of a touring team, traveling overseas in the offseason (to Asia in particular) to play exhibition games for large fees.
The Galaxy's first such game -- in Australia against Sydney FC last month -- continued the good-news-bad-news theme. L.A. lost 5-3, and Beckham picked up another injury. But he did score a great free-kick goal, and the attendance was an amazing 80,295.
1 of 2

By Paul Gardner, Special to SI.com, World Soccer
The explosion of Latinos like Cuauhtémoc Blanco ended up being a bigger story than Beckhamania during the '07 MLS season.
Simon Bruty/SI

Gullit now has to learn the ins and outs of signing players under the MLS single-entity system -- it's not straightforward -- because the team is clearly inadequate.
Amid the frantic Beckham saga, some words of quiet sense came from MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis, who pointed out that "the real MLS story for 2007 was that MLS was importing players from South America who are very significant players in our league."
What Gazidis didn't say was that this represents a clear change of direction for the league which, for the past 12 years, has been much more oriented towards bringing in European players. The Latin American trend has been quickly successful -- Brazilian Luciano Emilio (D.C. United) was the league's top scorer with 20 goals, one ahead of Colombian Juan Pablo Ángel (New York Red Bulls).
The Latinos have also brought flair and excitement -- the arrival of Mexico's Cuauhtémoc Blanco with the Chicago Fire immediately brought out the colorful Mexican fans and transformed the team into a championship contender. Blanco's individual skills were honored when he won the goal of the year award.
Gazidis also mentioned that MLS is stepping up its study of youth development programs in other countries. "We have really been going around the world, and specifically to Argentina, Brazil and Mexico," he said. Again, the emphasis on Latin America is new, but long overdue.
The Latin theme has also been taken up -- again tardily -- by the U.S. Soccer Federation. President Sunil Gulati took an unprecedented step in appointing Wilmer Cabrera as coach of the national Under-17 team and head coach at the USSF's Bradenton (Fla.) Academy -- a full-time school for the country's best 15- and 16-year-olds. Cabrera, a former Colombian international who now resides in the U.S., becomes the first Hispanic to hold a head coaching position with any U.S. national team.
Returning to MLS, after a poor championship final in the past two years, MLS Cup 2007 was a reasonably exciting game. The finalists, as in '06, were the Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution -- and the result was the same, a win for the Dynamo. The luckless Revs represent another example of triumph and disaster within MLS -- they have reached four of the last six finals and lost them all, while managing to score just two goals.
For the New York Red Bulls, there was only failure. Another poor season ended with the dismissal of coach Bruce Arena. But where the ex-national team boss was left looking for a new job, the other major coaching casualty, Yallop, moved smoothly a few hundred miles up California's coastline to take charge of the San Jose Earthquakes. This is a new team (the old Earthquakes, which Yallop had also coached, moved to Houston in '06 and became the Dynamo).
Yallop's task of assembling a new lineup (the Earthquakes bring the number of teams in MLS up to 14) started with the expansion draft. The draft provided him with a basis of experienced and moderately salaried players, after which he can set about adding a few stars including, no doubt, a highly-paid "designated player."
There is another aspect of special interest in the Earthquakes' signings. The new club is owned by the same group that operates the Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics. The A's have proved very successful over the past few seasons at maintaining a high level of success despite operating with a much lower budget than teams such as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
This "cost-effectiveness" results from the policies of the A's general manager, Billy Beane, who has established a reputation for canny player deals on the basis, mainly, of specialized assessment of players' statistics. (The system is known as sabermetrics, from the acronym SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research.) Beane's methods have proved highly successful -- in '06, for instance, the A's had the fifth-best record in baseball with only the 20th-highest payroll.
Beane has expressed great interest in soccer and is keen to see whether his methods can be applied to the sport. He will get his chance to find out with the Earthquakes. His methods tend to pay scant attention to the subjective judgments of scouts and coaches, and more to evidence of "objective" playing stats. Whether soccer stats -- a comparatively recent discipline -- lend themselves to that sort of reliable interpretation, or whether the whole system appeals to Yallop, remains to be seen.
As for a quick assessment of '07 -- maybe it was the year of Beckham after all, with more to come; or maybe it marked the year when, at long last, American soccer began to pay serious attention to its potentially huge Hispanic fan base.
Or could it be that '07 will be remembered as the year when Beane upset the traditional soccer methods of player assessment? Only kidding of course ... but remember that word: sabermetrics. Soccer fans, you have been warned.

Galarcep's Top 10 US Soccer Moments of 2007

2007-12-31T07:22:00.000-06:00

Soccer-Point would like to wish all a very happy 2008. "El Zero Ocho" promises great things here stateside with the ongoing expansion of the MLS, the Summer Olympics in Beijing, and the ongoing saga of the LA Galaxy's quest to become the NY Cosmos of the league. After spending an inordinate amount of time consuming English Premier League soccer this fall in search of discovering a favorite English club to follow, I've decided that I'm a fan of the American game, warts & all, above all else, save for International Play.

Here's a nice video from the Brazilian coverage of the U.S. U-21 victory over Brazil earlier in the year. It's a nice combination from Adu to Altidore.

Ives Galarcep does a nice job here summing up the year's highlights.

From ESPN.com Soccernet:

What is the best way to measure how good 2007 was for American soccer fans? Consider how easy it has been to forget the disaster that was 2006.
The U.S. national team crashed out of the World Cup, longtime stars Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride and Eddie Pope retired, and the subsequent search to replace departed head coach Bruce Arena turned into a fiasco. American fans were understandably concerned about what 2007 would bring.
2007 did not disappoint. The year brought the national team's successful transition to new coach Bob Bradley, the emergence of a new generation of young American standouts, and the continued dominance over Mexico.
Major League Soccer also enjoyed a banner season, with David Beckham's arrival, Houston's continued supremacy and an infusion of foreign talent that revitalized the entire league.
So what were the 10 best games, biggest stories and most significant moments in American soccer this year? Here they are:
1. Beckham comes to America
There is little debating that David Beckham's arrival in the United States was the biggest soccer story of the year. The buzz created by his arrival reached unheard of levels for Major League Soccer, in just its 12th year of existence. It is hard to deny that Beckham's contributions on the field were disappointing, but ticket sales, media coverage and overall exposure for the league made Beckham's hefty price tag a bargain.
If any one moment provided the pinnacle of Beckham's arrival in MLS, it was during his one visit to New York to face the Red Bulls on Aug. 18. The Galaxy lost the game 5-4, but Beckham delivered two beautiful assists and both sides put on an entertaining game worthy of the 66,237 fans in attendance.
2. U.S. team maintains dominance of Mexico
The U.S. national team's struggles in 2006 left many fans wondering whether the Americans would be able to maintain their dominance over archrival Mexico. Those fears were eased early in the year when the United States beat a full-strength Mexico side 2-0 in Phoenix on Feb. 7.
Any concerns about the U.S. team losing its grip on top-dog status in CONCACAF were put to rest in the Gold Cup final, when Benny Feilhaber's stunning blast gave the Americans a 2-1 victory in a Soldier Field packed with Mexican fans. We won't have to wait long for the next installment of the rivalry. The United States and Mexico will meet in a friendly in Houston on Feb. 6, 2008.
3. The next generation arrives
To some, the U.S. U-20 team's performance at the U-20 World Cup in July might be seen as a disappointment, with its quarterfinal appearance feeling like an underachievement. What needed to be focused on was how this event helped serve as a coming-out party for the next generation of young American stars.
Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley all enjoyed stellar tournaments to remind us why they are seen as the future of the national team program. No game illustrated this more than the U.S. team's 2-1 win against Brazil. The Americans didn't get lucky against the world power, they outplayed them. From Adu's tricks to Bradley's tireless work in midfield to Altidore's finish, the game was enough to make U.S. fans dream of World Cup 2010 glory. Adu's YouTube-worthy dribble which led to Altidore's game-winning goal in the 81st minute provided one of the goals of the year.
4. Foreign talent infusion boosts MLS
David Beckham stole most of the headlines, but an army of foreign players arrived in MLS just in time to give the league a boost as expansion threatened to dilute the quality of play. Juan Pablo Angel, Luciano Emilio, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Maykel Galindo and Juan Toja delivered a mix of skill, charisma and goals in bunches to energize half the league's teams.
The success achieved by so many foreign players in 2007 helped lead MLS to ease some of its foreign-player restrictions heading into the 2008 season. Concerns over a reduction in opportunities for Americans are misguided. The American talent pool isn't ready to handle extensive MLS expansion, and 2007 showed us that signing the right foreign players can be a coup for MLS.
5. Bob Bradley takes charge
The well-chronicled courtship of Juergen Klinsmann to become U.S. national team head coach was one of the disappointing stories of 2006, but the man who eventually took the position spent 2007 making most American fans forget about the German.
What did Bob Bradley do in his first year as U.S. national team head coach? He led the team to a Gold Cup title, beat Mexico twice, scheduled strong opponents such as Brazil and Sweden, saw his team win games in Europe and Africa, and integrated several new faces into the national team mix. Most importantly, he brought some stability to the program as it heads toward 2010.
6. MLS keeps growing
Investors are lining up across the country to buy into Major League Soccer, and that interest has the league in as strong a position as ever. The unabashed success of Toronto FC, from a business standpoint, in its first season -- coupled with San Jose's return in 2008 and Seattle's impending arrival in 2009 -- has MLS growing in importance. Not bad for a league that contracted down to 10 teams just six years ago.
7. Clint Dempsey blossoms
Who is the most popular American soccer player? Landon Donovan? Nope. Freddy Adu? Nope. Try Clint Dempsey, the Texas-born goal-scoring sensation who has found success in Europe with his distinctively American swagger. The recently named U.S. Soccer male athlete of the year continued his strong play for the national team in 2007 and also helped Fulham become one of the most popular European teams in the United States.
8. Dynamo dynasty
Who will stop the Houston Dynamo? That was the question being asked after the Dynamo defeated New England to land a second straight MLS Cup title. Strong from front to back, the Dynamo have flourished since the club was moved from San Jose before the 2006 season, and there is no reason to believe Houston won't be in the final again in 2008. All the team's key players are expected back, while coach Dom Kinnear has just signed a contract extension.
9. The Solo fiasco
Even if you aren't a women's national team fan, chances are you were caught up in the coverage of the Greg Ryan-Hope Solo debacle. Coach Ryan decided to bench Solo, his starting goalkeeper, for the World Cup semifinal match with Brazil, and the U.S. women suffered an embarrassing 4-0 loss; to top things off, there was memorable postgame video of Solo ripping Ryan and teammate Brianna Scurry (the veteran backup who replaced Solo based on past success versus Brazil). Drama ensued and the story drew hordes of attention, in part because it occurred during a slow news cycle. It didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it will go down as one of the more memorable stories of 2007.
10. SuperLiga Final one to remember
When Major League Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation joined forces to create a tournament that would allow American and Mexican teams to face off, they could not have imagined the event being such a success in its first year, or the first final being one of the games of the year. From David Beckham's injury, to Chris Klein's amazing bicycle kick equalizer, to Landon Donovan's million-dollar penalty-kick miss, the SuperLiga final had the drama of a World Cup final. Here is hoping the tournament can come close to being as exciting in 2008.
Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPNsoccernet. He is a writer and columnist for the Herald News (N.J.) and writes a blog, Soccer By Ives. He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com