soccer

bdure_usat: Dang, Wofford -- your big play at the end of the game is to have a guy dribble into the corner??

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:05:47 -0700

bdure_usat: Dang, Wofford -- your big play at the end of the game is to have a guy dribble into the corner??

bdure_usat: You've heard from #MLS players + owners. How about communities that put up money and political risk for stadiums? http://tinyurl.com/yzmy8k5

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:05:23 -0700

bdure_usat: You've heard from #MLS players + owners. How about communities that put up money and political risk for stadiums? http://tinyurl.com/yzmy8k5

bdure_usat: Guaranteed? Without unilateral options? RT @kylejmccarthy: Revs have re-signed defender Darrius Barnes to a new contract.

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:31:35 -0700

bdure_usat: Guaranteed? Without unilateral options? RT @kylejmccarthy: Revs have re-signed defender Darrius Barnes to a new contract.

bdure_usat: You all got this, right? RT @bdure_usat: What Vonn has in common with various Red Bulls is in picture on this story: http://bit.ly/dityPU

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:16:11 -0700

bdure_usat: You all got this, right? RT @bdure_usat: What Vonn has in common with various Red Bulls is in picture on this story: http://bit.ly/dityPU

USA's Dempsey caps Fulham comeback over Juventus

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:05:16 -0700

Clint Dempsey scored a late winner as Fulham overturned a three-goal aggregate deficit to beat Juventus 4-1 on Thursday and reach ...

Messi invokes Jordan comparison as Barcelona rolls

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:04:25 -0700

Thierry Henry summed up Lionel Messi's recent form with one simple word: ridiculous.

bdure_usat: Actually, yes - http://bit.ly/93bNTL (but I think you got the answer) RT @PhilSoc8 Shaun White has a conflict on Saturday? #mls

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:48:46 -0700

bdure_usat: Actually, yes - http://bit.ly/93bNTL (but I think you got the answer) RT @PhilSoc8 Shaun White has a conflict on Saturday? #mls

bdure_usat: Cliff Clavin is the new Jeopardy champion. RT @dslifton: @bdure_usat They have never been in my kitchen.

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:40:12 -0700

bdure_usat: Cliff Clavin is the new Jeopardy champion. RT @dslifton: @bdure_usat They have never been in my kitchen.

bdure_usat: The answer to what Vonn has in common with various Red Bulls is in the picture on this story: http://bit.ly/dityPU

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:39:32 -0700

bdure_usat: The answer to what Vonn has in common with various Red Bulls is in the picture on this story: http://bit.ly/dityPU

bdure_usat: And what does Lindsey Vonn have in common with Juan Pablo Angel and Bouna Coundoul? Any guesses?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:36:17 -0700

bdure_usat: And what does Lindsey Vonn have in common with Juan Pablo Angel and Bouna Coundoul? Any guesses?

bdure_usat: Lindsey Vonn, Reggie Bush, James "Bubba" Stewart, Tanner Hall among athletes at Red Bull Arena opening Saturday. #MLS

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:21:28 -0700

bdure_usat: Lindsey Vonn, Reggie Bush, James "Bubba" Stewart, Tanner Hall among athletes at Red Bull Arena opening Saturday. #MLS

bdure_usat: Speechless. RT @AmericanOutlaws: Video of Dempsey's Goal vs. Juve today: http://bit.ly/a3lZRZ

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:08:13 -0700

bdure_usat: Speechless. RT @AmericanOutlaws: Video of Dempsey's Goal vs. Juve today: http://bit.ly/a3lZRZ

bdure_usat: @SoccerInsider RT @dcsportsbog: American was up double-digits on Nova in the first round last year, and Nova went to the Final Four.

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:42:39 -0700

bdure_usat: @SoccerInsider RT @dcsportsbog: American was up double-digits on Nova in the first round last year, and Nova went to the Final Four.

bdure_usat: Devil's in details. Won't get baseball-style movement, but might get more freedom. Hartman move soured meme. RT @MFUSA Leaving that vague-

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:10:46 -0700

bdure_usat: Devil's in details. Won't get baseball-style movement, but might get more freedom. Hartman move soured meme. RT @MFUSA Leaving that vague-

bdure_usat: Define "free agency." RT @MFUSA: How many of you would rather see a strike than have the players take deal that doesn't include free agency?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:03:14 -0700

bdure_usat: Define "free agency." RT @MFUSA: How many of you would rather see a strike than have the players take deal that doesn't include free agency?

bdure_usat: Frimpong verdict seems to hinge mostly on lack of court malfeasance. Defense at initial trial comes off looking shaky.

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:24:24 -0700

bdure_usat: Frimpong verdict seems to hinge mostly on lack of court malfeasance. Defense at initial trial comes off looking shaky.

bdure_usat: Other questions on appellate verdict: Boyfriend's semen not issue. On bite-mark evidence, affirmed court's right to pick 1 doc over another.

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:14:09 -0700

bdure_usat: Other questions on appellate verdict: Boyfriend's semen not issue. On bite-mark evidence, affirmed court's right to pick 1 doc over another.

bdure_usat: Here's the appellate decision on Frimpong. Lots of procedural stuff. One whopper about DNA evidence. http://tinyurl.com/ye44raf

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:09:44 -0700

bdure_usat: Here's the appellate decision on Frimpong. Lots of procedural stuff. One whopper about DNA evidence. http://tinyurl.com/ye44raf

bdure_usat: To be clear -- I'm looking for comments on the issue of replacements. Not about Alex Chilton, RIP.

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:55:30 -0700

bdure_usat: To be clear -- I'm looking for comments on the issue of replacements. Not about Alex Chilton, RIP.

bdure_usat: We can't assume this is the conclusion, but as a hypothetical: If #MLS turned to replacements, what would you do? http://tinyurl.com/yafb4bn

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:54:45 -0700

bdure_usat: We can't assume this is the conclusion, but as a hypothetical: If #MLS turned to replacements, what would you do? http://tinyurl.com/yafb4bn

bdure_usat: Eric Frimpong appeal denied. Wondering how that's possible. http://tinyurl.com/ydnvpkq

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:42:43 -0700

bdure_usat: Eric Frimpong appeal denied. Wondering how that's possible. http://tinyurl.com/ydnvpkq

bdure_usat: Just watching #UFC Primetime, where Dan Hardy is doing an exercise that will surely wreck his knees within a year.

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:07:16 -0700

bdure_usat: Just watching #UFC Primetime, where Dan Hardy is doing an exercise that will surely wreck his knees within a year.

Labor dispute casts shadow over the start of MLS season

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:12:36 -0700

Eight days before Major League Soccer is to resume in the Seattle hotbed in which it ended last season, the league and players ...

Three referees arrested in China match-fixing scandal

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:07:34 -0700

Chinese police have arrested three football referees on suspicion of match-fixing, including one official who presided at the ...

Jose Mourinho plots 1-0 win for Inter Milan at Chelsea

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:26:12 -0700

Jose Mourinho engineered a 1-0 win for Inter Milan on his return to Chelsea on Tuesday, leading the Italian club to the Champions ...

New York Red Bulls work out at new stadium for first time

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:48:27 -0700

The Red Bulls worked out at their gleaming $200 million stadium for the first time Tuesday. It may be a long time before they ...

Doctor says Beckham recovering well after surgery

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:38:42 -0700

David Beckham is recovering well from surgery on his left Achilles' tendon and will start to walk on crutches in his first rehabilitation ...

David Beckham: 'Hope to make swift and full recovery'

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:26:47 -0700

David Beckham says he hopes to make a "swift and full recovery" from the ruptured Achilles' tendon, an injury that will likely ...

AP: Beckham out of World Cup after tearing Achilles' tendon

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:07:28 -0700

David Beckham's dream of becoming the first English player to appear in four World Cups looks to be over after he tore his left ...

Rooney gives United top spot with win over Fulham

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:53:00 -0700

Wayne Rooney scored two goals and helped set up another to lead Manchester United to a 3-0 win over Fulham on Sunday and top ...

Chelsea, Arsenal prevail, rank 1-2 in Premier League

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:24:08 -0800

Chelsea beat West Ham 4-1 on Saturday to retake the provisional lead in the Premier League, while Arsenal drew level on points ...

Everton happy to keep Donovan if MLS players strike

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:30:04 -0800

Everton manager David Moyes says a possible Major League Soccer players' strike could enable Landon Donovan to extend his loan ...

MLS strike saber-rattling in context

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:30:00 -0800

Let's recap yesterday's MLS developments:

- Players are set to strike, says Toronto defender Nick Garcia. But that's one person, and many of the commenters on this CBC story were hoping Garcia would be a one-man picket line.

- But it turned out to be more than Garcia. Mr. A. Nonymous told a reporter (not me, and I can't acknowledge anonymous sources) that the players had indeed backed a strike by a very large margin.

- MLS president Mark Abbott spoke to several reporters individually (including me) to say the same thing: "We have an understanding with both the union and the mediator that we will not publicly discuss what takes place during these bargaining sessions. As such, we were disappointed to see comments from a number of players characterizing the status of the negotiations and the possibility of a strike. The players comments do not accurately reflect the proposals that we have made to address the players concerns or the productive nature of the discussions beteween MLS and the union."

- Meetings are going to continue. Don't read anything into any reports of "next week." There's no cooling-off period here -- the negotiations are still in progress.

- At 6:28 p.m. ET, the following statement from MLS Players Union executive director Bob Foose arrived in my inbox (and presumably many others around the same time): “Recent comments from players simply reflect the fact that the players are unified and, per the results of our strike vote, will not begin the new season if a new agreement with the league is not reached. This is not a change in position by the Union and should not be read to reflect in any way upon what has, or has not, occurred this week in the meetings with the mediator and the league.”

In one sense, that's backing up a bit and saying, "Look, nothing has changed." But it does confirm that a strike vote took place, and the union is indeed saying emphatically that players do not intend to play this season without a new CBA. We may have inferred that from other statements, but here it is in black and white.

- Overnight, Buzz Carrick and Bill Archer threw some cold water on the strike vote. Carrick says the sort of vote the union has taken is a "We're ready to strike" vote, not a "OK, let's strike" vote. He likens it to flipping "the cover back on the doomsday strike button." Archer, who had me at "Greensboro" and "ACC Tournament," also says we have no "definitive statement of fact."

That's possibly hair-splitting, possibly not. If the union were to say "we'll strike without a deal" and then NOT follow through, bargaining leverage is lost for good. But what will players say to the league's next offer? Would we see a close vote? Carrick and Archer's point is that we might.

- There's still plenty of time to make a deal, and this posturing is fairly typical. It's still nowhere near the hard-drawn lines set in hockey, baseball and other sports that have had labor issues in the past. Someone asked me on Twitter yesterday what odds I'd give on a strike. I said 3-1 against. I'll stand by that. My hunch -- more from knowing the issues and people involved than reading any specific statements from them -- is that we'll see a deal.

- That said, the league and the union should know that a deal a couple of hours before kickoff March 25 is too late to avoid a black eye on the PR front. Just check the Twitter feed of Sons of Ben (Philadelphia) founder Bryan James. MLS could have a great opener with fans from 2010 expansion team Philadelphia traveling cross-country to meet 2009 expansion team Seattle, a matchup of two new and inspired fan bases. If the Philadelphia fans cancel their plane tickets March 23 because they doubt the game will be played, the league and its players will pay a price.

We really don't know how close or far apart the two sides are. Neither side has been forthcoming with specifics all along, and with a mediator in place, that's certainly not going to change. So you won't see any answers to these questions or any others.

Both sides have reason to keep quiet out of respect for the process. But until a deal is done, it'll be a nervous wait for MLS fans.

MLS players vote to strike for first time if no deal by March 25

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:01:41 -0800

Major League Soccr's first collective bargaining agreement, a five-year deal, originally was set to run out Jan. 31 but was extended ...

USA's Charlie Davies hopes to return by end of April

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:15:47 -0800

American forward Charlie Davies hopes to resume training with Sochaux by late March and appear in matches next month.

Questions for MLS players and the league

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:04:00 -0800

With the countdown clock at two weeks before the season is supposed to start, here are a few questions that the players and the league could consider answering to give fans a better idea of where they stand.

For the league:

- MLS has been losing players over the years to mediocre Scandinavian clubs, and its teams are not competitive in the CONCACAF Champions League. Wouldn't it be in the league's best interests to attract and keep a deeper talent pool by giving the players more of what they're seeking?

- Players at the lower end of the pay scale have more to lose without a guaranteed contract. Would the league be willing to guarantee lower-end contracts?

- Should the players seek contract guarantees, no-trade clauses and option-less contracts in individual bargaining, not in collective bargaining?

- The Designated Player rule could open all kinds of bidding wars at the upper end of the salary scale. Why allow bidding wars at the high end of the scale, over and above the salary budget, and not allow a player making $60K to negotiate with other MLS clubs?

- How does the current system of asking teams to trade for players' rights hold down costs any better than a more transparent system of free agency under a salary cap?

- A blogging lawyer (more than one, actually) has suggested the real reason MLS doesn't want a looser system of free agency is that it would weaken the single-entity system that has already been defended in court. Any truth to that?

- MLS has come across as bullish on its future over the past few years, with aggressive expansion in particular. Does the league's stance in these negotiations signal a lack of faith that MLS' growth will continue?

For the players:

- This Brian Straus article lays out a current system through which players can change teams after their contracts run out. Is this accurate, and why does the union object to it?

- Should the players seek contract guarantees, no-trade clauses and option-less contracts in individual bargaining, not in collective bargaining?

- A blogging lawyer (more than one, actually) has suggested the real reason MLS doesn't want a looser system of free agency is that it would weaken the single-entity system that has already been defended in court. Any truth to that? Has the league claimed that any of your proposals can't be done legally due to their single-entity system?

- Do you think your PR advantage has been blunted by players Tweeting about a column saying they'd be better off at Wal-Mart?

Rampant Rooney helps Man U advance in Beckham's return

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:47:04 -0800

Wayne Rooney spoiled David Beckham's Old Trafford homecoming Wednesday by scoring another two goals against AC Milan as Manchester ...

Brandi Chastain enjoying golf, not retirement

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:20:00 -0800

Brandi Chastain knows the meaning of the word "retirement." She just doesn't use it.

"The idea of retiring -- it's just not a word that's in my vocabulary," Chastain said in a phone interview a week or so after she was released by FC Gold Pride.

Birdie! Brandi Chastain celebrates a putt at Pebble Beach. By Jason O. Watson, US Presswire

At 41, Chastain plans to keep playing on whatever level she can. She's still a fan of the game who says she'll go out to see players like Tiffeny Milbrett, and she certainly wants WPS to succeed.

"I think ultimately I am interested in the league succeeding and being around," Chastain says. "I didn't get in it for it not to."

She does question one WPS decision: Is Brazilian superstar Marta worth the money? She takes pains to clarify that it's not a question of her quality but a question of whether a fledgling league can support a salary that scared off a couple of teams in the dispersal draft.

"Even though I think Marta is a magnificent player, I don't think our league can truly support something like that. I was thinking about it the other day, and somebody said something to me that made complete sense -- the likes of Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Julie Foudy didn't make those salaries in the WUSA when the banks seemed to be a little bit fuller, so to speak. The fact that we're willing to do that now -- I don't know if that's the best thing for the league.

"Do I love having her in the league? Absolutely. Does she bring excitement to the field? Yes. But it's hard to justify, I think, when you're just starting out and the majority of the players aren't making that much money.

"My statement is not about her quality. I think she's worth it. I just think the league itself has such an uphill climb, anyway. It just seems incongruent with the state of things, I think.

"With that said, she brings excitement to the game."

FC Gold Pride general manager Ilisa Kessler responded through a league spokesman by e-mail: "“Marta makes good business sense for this league. She is the player that moves the dial on ticket sales. People come to the game to see Marta play. She captures young and old fans and her reach is global. She is special and you see that every time she touches the ball. The crowd gets out of their seats and the kids start screaming. It’s exciting to watch.

"The addition of Marta to our roster helps us achieve positive, solid growth. Marta is one part of our strategy to succeed as a business.”

Marta's team, the Los Angeles Sol, accounted for many of the best-attended games in the league's first season. The bad news is that they're out of business, though the official line is that the Sol's demise was caused by ownership issues, not Marta's paycheck.

In the dispersal draft, Marta went up the coast to FC Gold Pride, for whom Chastain played 450 minutes last season.

"I thought when I played, I played pretty well, considering I was injured for a little bit of the time," Chastain said. "I didn't play very much in the beginning. I think Albertin (Montoya, FC Gold Pride's coach) said it himself -- I proved myself, and that's why I played more. I felt there was a considerable difference when I was playing. Unfortunately, I think we got our stuff together a little bit too late."

Chastain will be busy even without a pro soccer contract. She's involved with BAWSI (Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative) and several charities, and she spent the days after her release playing golf at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where she and professional Ricky Barnes teams up to tie for seventh.

And she'd like to stay involved with WPS.

"I'd like to be on the field to help -- I think that's one of the best ways I do -- but perhaps there's another way I can help FC Gold Pride or the league."

MLS players not on strike ... yet

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:06:00 -0800

Full statement (yes, this is all) from the MLSPU:

The Major League Soccer Players Union (the “Union”) today announced that the collective bargaining agreement between the Union and Major League Soccer (“MLS”) will not be extended past the February 25 deadline previously set by the Union and MLS.

“Effective at midnight tonight, our collective bargaining agreement with MLS will expire,” said Union Executive Director Bob Foose.

Foose added that, “while we expect that negotiations with MLS will resume at some point, there simply hasn’t been enough progress made in the negotiations to date to warrant an extension of the old agreement. We have advised our players to keep working for the time being, but as of Friday they will be doing so without a CBA. In the meantime, all options are being considered as the process continues. We are completely committed to forging real changes to the way MLS players are treated.”

MLS on Deadline Day: What are they arguing about, really?

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:22:00 -0800

What's going on in the MLS labor talks, other than the fact that none were held, or at least publicly acknowledged, on Wednesday?

Don't ask the league. MLS has little to say.

Don't ask the players, who've said all they want to say at the moment.

And don't ask the agents.

"It is difficult to get accurate and timely information from players, and even clients, on the negotiations," says player agent Patrick McCabe, managing director of First Wave Sports. "Players have been advised not to speak to their agents by the union and the union does not communicate with us. I cannot speak for all agents but I think keeping us at a distance has created an information gap which is not beneficial for the players. I hope their approach works."

We do know a handful of issues, and here's a look at a few questionable assertions that will absolutely not answer any questions about Major League Soccer's collective bargaining talks. Yet all we can do from afar is talk about it, so here goes.

1. MLS players have no recourse to change teams after their contracts lapse.

Not really true, as Brian Straus argues in this FanHouse post. Teams basically request players from the league and say what they're willing to pay out of their salary budgets, which are themselves somewhat loose.

2. MLS can stay competitive on the overseas market under the current system.

That's the question I raised in my last blog post on this topic, and Paul Gardner succinctly follows up: "If MLS believes that merely tweaking the status quo will solve its basic problem -- the necessity for it to compete in the capitalistic free-for-all that is the global soccer market -- then it’s hopelessly lost in cloud cuckoo land."

MLS still loses players to leagues in Scandinavia. Former MLS players often kick about in front of 3,000 fans in Europe. What's wrong with that picture?

3. MLS teams would get involved in bidding wars for players with looser player movement.

More likely the opposite, at least in many cases. As Straus notes, players in high demand already get good deals under the current system. (Most likely, those are players with overseas interest as well.) Those in less demand won't get good deals. And that's the "harsh truth," as Straus puts it, for players like Kevin Hartman and Dave van den Bergh. Perhaps they're both underappreciated, but there's just not huge demand for them.

Fake Sigi pretty well demolishes the notion of Hartman, van den Bergh and Steve Ralston being prime examples of the league shackling players. All three cases are different; none of them really works as a definitive argument against the league's current system.

Take away the league's cumbersome system of sort-of free agency, and the fact is a lot of players are looking at big pay cuts later in their careers. That's not unique to soccer.

4. MLS needs to avoid outright "free agency" to keep salaries down.

See #3, and also note Grant Wahl's puzzlement over MLS president Mark Abbott's answer to the question.

One wild-card to toss in here: Ridge Mahoney sees a completely different competitive reason why the league might want to avoid "free agency":

In professional sports leagues there are myriad forms of free agency, only a few of which constitute outright, free-wheeling bidding wars. What the league really fears is not a few teams amassing the best talent through sheer financial clout, but -- aside from damaging the underpinnings of a single-entity system -- players fleeing poorly run teams to well-managed operations as soon as they can.

Protecting mismanaged clubs? Not a noble cause, is it?

5. MLS needs to avoid "free agency" so that the single-entity system it once defended in court isn't dismantled.

The case is well-stated by sports lawyer Stan Chelney, but the single-entity system as applied by MLS has been fairly fluid in practice, accommodating the sort-of free agency in #1 above and, lest we forget, the "Designated Player."

In fact, doesn't the "Designated Player" -- the salary cap exemption that allowed the league to sign David Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco -- do more to drive up salary costs and potential bidding wars than anything being discussed here?

The players didn't ask for a "Designated Player" rule. Nor are they demanding that single-entity get tossed.

"We feel like we've made a huge effort to be reasonable, to propose things that are within the confines of the single-entity structure," Jimmy Conrad told Jeff Carlisle.

So why would MLS risk a strike to defend a system that can actually accommodate most of what the players are asking? And do the players really think they'll gain all that much by insisting on "free agency" that might not give anyone a better salary than they'd get under the current system?

Just a few more hours to find out. It's Deadline Day.

What is MLS' goal in the CBA talks?

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:26:00 -0800

How much confidence does MLS have in its business plan? And how much confidence does it have in itself? Those are two underlying questions as the league barrels into a potential work stoppage this week.

This isn't the typical American league labor situation in which the league (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) exists in a vacuum and, with rare exception, offers players better contract terms than they could get elsewhere in the world. MLS is competing globally for talent. If the league wants to sign and keep better players (and perhaps win an occasional CONCACAF Champions League game), it must offer its players more -- if not more money, then more rights and freedoms. Current players may be pushed out if the new CBA lures better players to take their place.

And so both sides are arguing against their self-interest.

The players are willing to do that, perhaps because the current pace of expansion means most of them should find jobs somewhere in the league. They're also willing to endure a bit more competition for roster spots now if it means those roster spots will come with guaranteed contracts and their rights won't be held by a team that no longer wants them to play.

Less clear is why the league would take a firm stance. The players say the league isn't budging at all. The league says it's being flexible.

Does the revolutionary "single entity" structure so treasured by the league depend on teams holding rights to players such as Kevin Hartman, who is no longer wanted in Kansas City and hasn't found an MLS club willing to pay whatever the Wizards are asking for his services, even as he trains in the U.S. national team camp?

Some players enthusiastically Tweeted a story saying Hartman would be better off working at Wal-Mart. When you're at a Winter Olympics with world-class athletes who hold down dishwashing jobs just so they can compete, that argument doesn't hold a lot of melted Cypress Mountain snow.

But the league, which has loosened its central control over the years, could easily achieve parity without leaving the Hartmans of the world in limbo. Just come up with a standard compensation system as is seen in other U.S. leagues. If someone pays Hartman $150,000 for his services, then perhaps the Wizards gain a first-round draft pick or some allocation money. If it's $50,000, maybe a third-round pick.

There should also be room to move on guaranteed contracts. Those are most needed by those at the low end of the salary scale -- the player making $250,000 is less harmed by only making $125,000 than the player making $40,000 who only gets $20,000.

Neither of these moves would change the heart of the single-entity scheme that has already withstood a court challenge, more or less (some details were left for future courts and law students to ponder, but the league won't have to argue about it).

So what is the league protecting? Does the league think its sponsorship and TV partnerships are too fragile to withstand a minor change? Are a handful of owners too enamored of every single aspect of single entity?

League officials have kept a tight seal on the negotiation's specifics, so we don't know. But if the league does indeed shut down preseason camps next weekend, all of these questions will need to be answered.

High cost of doing business, U.S. version

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:22:00 -0800

Here's something that doesn't happen often on the soccer beat: I'm on the phone with WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci, and I get an alert that MLS has a somewhat major development. Fortunately, she understood when I stammered through my next question or two.

We'll look at the ramifications of both bits of news now, and by coin flip, we'll go with WPS losing the Los Angeles Sol, at least for the 2010 season:

-- What it means for WPS as a whole: Not much, really. The ownership situation in L.A. isn't at all the same as it is in other cities. In Los Angeles, Anschutz Entertainment Group was in a partnership with a company called Blue Star. Elsewhere, the owners are less corporate, more grass-roots, Antonucci says.

AEG and Blue Star said they couldn't continue, and the league stepped in to run the club temporarily. WPS had some interested buyers, Antonucci says, and league management picked one to make a deal. "At the 11th hour, the deal fell through," she says.

Every other indicator for WPS is positive. Team sponsorships up, team ticket sales up, national sponsor in the works, soccer-specific stadium in Atlanta (lone drawback: not close to downtown), player signings strengthening the talent pool. And they still have expansion interest elsewhere.

-- What it means for AEG: Remember when "Anschutz" meant a man called "St. Phil" in much of the online soccer community for his single-handed ownership of more than half of MLS' teams through the dark times? Now "Anschutz" translates to "AEG," which has taken hits -- fairly or unfairly -- for the departure of the San Jose Earthquakes and various controversies in Los Angeles. AEG spent just one year on the Sol, but Antonucci saw the "half-full" side of that situation. "AEG said all along they would help us launch and establish the market," she says.

Antonucci also says AEG was "welcoming" in terms of keeping the Sol in Home Depot Center. "We were in the process of picking our dates," she says.

Meanwhile in MLS, the league and the union announced an extension of talks until Feb. 12, well past the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement Jan. 31. That's a relief to those of us who would have a difficult time tracking things this weekend. It's not a relief to those of us who will be at the Winter Olympics on Feb. 12.

-- Is this a missed opportunity? The league could've earned quite a bit of good publicity by announcing a new labor deal at MLS Cup in November, but negotiations had barely moved. A new deal at the draft earlier this month would've been a nice publicity boost, but the two sides weren't close by any estimation.

A deal on Feb. 1 would've landed in a nice empty space in the sports calendar, just before Super Bowl hype gets rolling in earnest. If a deal is announced Feb. 12, that'll fall just as everyone's attention is diverted to the Winter Olympics' opening ceremony or the Daytona 500 two days later. It's safe to say a new deal wouldn't get much media play. On the other hand, a work stoppage would also be buried in the papers.

-- Are the two sides close? Here's MLS Commissioner Don Garber: "While we still have areas of disagreement, the talks have been constructive and both parties believe it makes sense to continue to work hard to reach agreement." Here's union chief Bob Foose: "Both the Players Union and MLS have concluded that a new agreement will not be reached by February 1, but we have agreed to continue to talk and we will be meeting over the next two weeks to determine if a new agreement can be reached."

"If" a new agreement can be reached? Sounds a little ominous, but we have more promising news from Pat Onstad, part of the union's executive board. The Houston goalkeeper says the two sides have moved from "15 or 16" stumbling blocks to two or three.

In any case, talking is better than not talking. And getting paid is better than not getting paid, as Portsmouth players can attest.

If soccer fans are lucky, all of this will be forgotten by 2011, and MLS and some sort of Los Angeles women's team will be open for business as usual. The problems of England's have-nots, frankly, are more difficult to solve.

High cost of doing business

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:14:00 -0800

The headlines from England are bleak:

- Crystal Palace is in administration, costing the club 10 points in the Championship race to drop them from an outside shot at the Premier League to a struggle against relegation.

- At Portsmouth, we're not surprised to see the club struggling to pay players. But struggling to pay the Web site bill?

- One of the top women's clubs says it can't pay to join the new Super League.

The most pressing question for U.S. fans is whether Everton will come up with enough cash to convince MLS to part with Landon Donovan, who has done quite well so far.

Arena and the 2002 World Cup team

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:51:00 -0800

Landon Donovan. Tony Sanneh. Gregg Berhalter. And now Clint Mathis.

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy are looking more and more like his 2002 World Cup team.

"We're trying to get (Brad) Friedel, too," Arena said. "But he's not available right now."

The impetus for Real Salt Lake moving Mathis: He wants to move his growing family near his wife's family in Orange County, Calif.

"I think the people at Salt Lake should be commended for the kind of character they have in trying to help a veteran who's given a lot to this league and U.S. soccer and let him finish his career in a city he wants to do that in," Arena said. "I think that was a great gesture on their part."

And Arena is happy to have him.

"Clint is an MLS champion," Arena said. "He's a quality player, he still has a couple of good years of soccer in him. He's an experienced guy, and he can help us in a number of ways. At this point in his career, he doesn't expect to be playing 90 minutes for 30 games, but we know we can count on him to contribute. We hope he can bring good positive energy on and off the field."

MLS draft stories: Father-son, Wake Forest, the waiting

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:41:00 -0800

Maybe one day someone will write a version of Love Actually that centers on the MLS SuperDraft instead of Heathrow.

I know, I know -- good luck pitching that in Hollywood. But Draft Day brings about a few good stories with some overlap.

FATHER AND SON

Alex Bunbury, a veteran of several pro leagues and a Kansas City Wizards alumnus, is a proud father. He also seems rather strict, setting a high bar in ways that have little to do with soccer.

Twice in a brief interview, Bunbury mentioned that he expects fans in Kansas City to be proud of his son, Teal, for the way he conducts himself off the field in addition to his work ethic on it.

That said, the elder Bunbury sees a lot of talent in his son and thinks Kansas City is the place to develop it:

"His pace is going to be surprising to a lot of people. He's very smart. He's a very intelligent player. He has a very good understanding of the game. Obviously there are little things he has to work on -- he's only 19 years of age -- but he's in the right place. I believe Peter is going to do a tremendous job. I know the organization very well, I know they're a class act, and I'm looking forward to seeing him blossom into the player I believe he's going to be."

The Bunburys are set to become the first father-son duo in MLS and therefore the first to play for the same team, but Teal isn't quite the same player.

"We're different style players," Alex said. "I was more of a player who played with my back to goal. He can do that also with his size. I would say he's a more natural goal scorer than I was. He has the ability to create his own opportunities."

Teal signed as a Generation adidas player (MLS' program for underclassmen), and Alex says his son will be taking advantage of the program's educational stipend.

"Better believe it," Alex said. "Academics is a very important part of my family. He made me a promise that he's going to do that."

WAKE FOREST

Also making sure his education is nailed down is Ike Opara, the third overall pick (San Jose). He's staying at Wake Forest until late April or early May. The communications major with a minor in entrepreneurship (translation: my future boss) says his parents are "very highly educated individuals" who want him to finish his degree. By staying through the semester, he'll get very close.

Opara will have plenty of classmates making the same transition. MLS teams picked four Wake Forest players in the first round, a league record.

"We call it a franchise," Opara said. "They've produced so many players."

They also have a veteran professional, Bo Oshoniyi, on the coaching staff. Zack Schilawski, the NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete of the Year, says Oshoniyi was a good resource for any questions on making the transition.

Schilawski is the latest in the pipeline from Wake to New England.

"A lot of Wake Forest guys have come through and said good things."

THE WAITING

While the Wake guys had short waits, a couple of players familiar to U.S. youth national team fans sat around for a little while. Harvard's Andre Akpan dropped to the second round and landed with Colorado, emerging in the press room with a Rapids scarf in a color close to Harvard's crimson.

"Guess it's not a coincidence," Akpan said with an eye on the scarf.

Three rounds passed without a single goalkeeper selection. Finally, Philadelphia led off the fourth round with UCLA's Brian Perk, who said he was passing the time chatting with fellow keeper Sean Johnson.

"He's struggling right now -- hopefully, he's going to get taken somewhere," Perk said.

As he finished the sentence, the third pick of the fourth round was announced. The Chicago Fire take, from Central Florida, a goalkeeper and Generation adidas player ... Sean Johnson.

Perk smiled and peeked at the draft board to see where Johnson had gone. Then he reflected on his long wait.

"It's a struggle, but I have something to prove now."

He'll have competition from two other young keepers who have a handful of MLS games -- former Revolution keeper Brad Knighton and former Salt Lake keeper Chris Seitz, a youth national teammate of Perk's.

"I was Chris' understudy at the '07 U-20s," Perk said. "I am excited to work with Seitz again. I know training's going to be that much better. With the 20s, I was pushing him, he was pushing me. The more I think about it, the more excited I get about playing with Seitz."

Another reunion. Time to work on that movie script.