9 things to love about MLS right now

9 clubs with jersey sponsors. The fact that there is enough interest in teams to sponsor them is a great step in the right direction, the more teams that get sponsored, the higher profile the league becomes in the public eye, teams generate more revenue both with jersey sales and with the sponsorships and the more i have to spend on buying jerseys to keep up with the new sponsors and the new looks for the jerseys. Which keeps me poor but lookin fly.

8 of the teams in the league play in 7 Soccer specific stadiums. For the first time permanently, more then 50% of the league plays in a soccer specific stadium now that Real Salt Lake moved into their new digs. The list includes Chicago, Chivas USA/LA Galaxy who share, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Real Salt Lake, and Toronto. The increased presence of soccer stadiums gives the teams better chances of profitability because they get more of the revenue generated by the games and events that go on at the stadium, which will help keep both teams and the league profitable.

6 more weeks until the MLS cup at the Home Depot Center

5 great goals from last week


4 guys to watch as they likely use MLS as a launching point for their careers. Sasha Kljestan (at the one minute mark), Robbie Rogers (4th goal above from goals of the week)
Marvell Wynne
and Kenny Cooper. congrats to each of these guys, they are all having great seasons and have very promising careers ahead, both for club and country, but rumor has it that club will likely not be part of the MLS next year, so enjoy them while you can.

3 teams from each conference get a spot in the playoffs guaranteed, which leaves two wild card spots. I'm not a huge fan of the playoff system, but wild card spots are golden in any sport. The NBA should consider this, considering the western conference is dominant and the stupid warriors always finish 6th in the east, but 9th in the west. This is even better in MLS because it makes the playoff race even more exciting, and before this weekend's games there were no teams mathematically eliminated. This also gives my san jo quake boooiiiiisss a better shot at sneaking in.

2 New Expansions – Not only is the league up to 14 teams currently, with Seattle coming next year and Philly the year after, but the league is looking to hit 18 teams by 2012. That is grand, but the fact that there are quite possibly 6 real contenders (St. Louis, NYC2, Vancouver, Portland, Montreal and Las Vegas). More competition means better ownership, bigger franchise fees, and more commitment to the league and to soccer, which is good all around.

1 Landon Donovan – the dude is scorching it this year. For all you Landon haters out there, the talks about Bayern Munich being interested when the winter transfer window comes around is because of his stellar play this year. Averaging just under a goal a game? Straight up ballin son.

what does this all mean? It might be the best time to be an MLS fan ever. I'm certainly loving it, that is for sure. things may not be all good in the hood yet but they get closer every day. Soccer is here to stay folks, best get used to that idea. oh and let's all hope that vegas gets an mls franchise, that would make for some absolutely glorious soccer trips.

biggy

so good

Thisisamericansoccer has done the best soccer piece i have ever seen. It is on clint dempsey. Peep it here, it is worth the read and gives you the inside scoop on a lot of the mystery that Demps is. plus, he is a baller.

weezy gettin his blog on

lil wayne blogs for ESPN. the biggest surprise? dude's a tennis and hockey fan. weezy is takin thuggin to a new level, on the ice. bummed he has no love for soccer but sh*t happens, you know. plus he got love for nadal. just imagine nadal and weezy in the club. watch out ladies watch out.

roadtripping

I have two major aspirations in terms of going to soccer games right now, the first is to attend the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa with a bunch of my friends. That plan is on track. The second is a more lofty and spread out goal. A quest that I have no knowledge of anyone popularizing or even publicizing. It is to take the MLS stadium tour, to hit each MLS stadium in both the US and Canadia.You always hear about the people who travel from MLB stadium to MLB stadium across the US, and what a grand old time they have doing it. I would prefer to see the magnificence of BMO Field and the Red Patch Boys and kick it in the Nordeke in Columbus

and scope out Real Salt Lake's new digs instead of spending time in the friendly confines or the BOB, watching a sport that has quickly lost my interest. sorry baseball, but even during the summers, there is plenty of good soccer that is more interesting then you are. So this is the beginning of the trip, the gran voyage across north america to support a league that I have grown up with and hope to grow old with. and maybe if all goes well, I can even do a little compare and contrast with the stadiums that I visit in South Africa and maybe even Europe too. However, this trip is dependent on things outside my control, like who gets the next expansion and when it occurs. and when slackers like San Jose actually nail down their stadium plans. For now, the tally is at one, my trip to the Home Depot Center doesn't count, cuz those have all been for US games. The one is the Oakland Coliseum for quakes galaxy august 08. might not be magnificent, but you gotta start somewhere

a look inside the club season: the first step

my alarm goes off at 6:45am saturday morning. the first thing I do is question my decision. do I really want to play? is getting up at least 3 days a week at times that routinely make me shudder worth it? is the fact that all my friends went to the bars last night and some have stumbled home only hours earlier going to compel me to get up, or ignore my alarm and sleep. too often the battle is that first step out of bed. today is a battle day.

it's day two of tryouts. yesterday was a day full of ups and downs. running my two mile in 12:59 was an up. the running i did the last couple weeks looks to be paying off. the turnout at tryouts was a downer. less guys then the year before, which sucks. as much as i like my spot on the team, and as much as i like the guys from last year, new blood is good. it encourages players to work harder, to play like they have to prove themselves everyday. we need that. our leading scorer, doo doo brown, isn't coming back this year. it's really too bad, as he is a guy who has the talent to play out of college for sure. easily the best player i have ever played with. still, at least 14 of the core guys from last year's roster are back. the chemistry on that team was great. if we can carry that to this year, we can battle santa barbara for a league title and a shot at nationals.

playing club is a strange beast. we have a college team at cal poly. most of us could probably play for that team, possibly as role players and the like. for one reason or another though, each one of us didn't get a shot at that team, didn't make that team, or didn't want to play for that team. everyone has their own reasons, many tried out and the coach just didn't see it. mine is different, i broke my arm senior year of high school and never even got that look i desired so greatly. being a late bloomer has its disadvantages. however club came along last year, and i jumped at the shot to play at a more competitive level again. playing with guys who had played for the poly team allowed me to realize i could hold my own, and at the end of the season the coach had honored 3 of us as "all league players", and my name was on the list. it reawoke that dream, the one that was always there as an overachieving youth, of playing for a bay area mls team and the national team. if only....

i get home saturday, after our second session of the day. two a day tryouts have crushed my body. it hurts all over. again. just like it did this morning, and nowhere near as bad as it will tomorrow morning. still not pleased with my play, but pleased with my effort. this year, its time for me to step up. for this could be my last shot at my first love, the beautiful game.

lp and busta

shinoda is so ill. love the piano. glad the video is as sick as the song by itself is.

compare and contrast

slight difference. one falls out of planes, the other acts like they have been shot down in a plane. floppers in general irritate me, but the azzurri has a special place in my heart for their ridiculousness. ain't got no love for you fellas.

Rep your hood son

fortunately the only thing that fell that day in a us jersey was me out of a plane. and not the team itself. oh and my headband. tragedy that was. fortunately, 2 out of the 3 made it out impressively. the headband, however, has not been seen since about 11,000 feet over Lodi. which is not somewhere i would want to get lost.

quick update

life has been nuts the past week

i made the illustrious cpsc a squad, or cal poly club soccer team. since then, all week we have had practice at least once a day and my body has been dead. practice has gone well, we head to san diego this weekend for a tournament there. i'm stoked to be back with the boys, the team is a bunch of really good guys and i def enjoy myself on and off the field with them. we are in the second bracket, and hopefully we can bring home a championship to get the year kicked off in smashing fashion. i anticipate i will be starting at either right or center back, and am stoked.

fifa09.is.unreal. the likelyhood of me going out and buying a xbox360 has increased dramatically since i played the demo two days ago. you can just tell they are really starting to get the fluid motion of soccer down. which is scary because well, soon i don't think you will be able to tell the difference between video games and real life. like the fact there is going to be an 8 on 8 mode where each guy controls one guy. the lines between real and unreal get more and more blurry every new release.

pics coming in a min.

biggy

goals of the week

holy crap. these goals are off the heezy. just some ridiculous strikes right here



some solid class i would have to say.

friday's relatively comical news

wow. guess it makes it easy to answer if you need mom's permission for anything.

either this charity is killin it or these guys are fools. i wonder if they realize that where someone gets the money is more their business then yours.

this brings up another question: does he usually just carry the metal pipe around?

my money is on Jin to get whacked next thanks to this lovely decision.

tryouts were mediocre today. i played well in the first session, and kinda was off my game the second one. i need to get stuck into tackles better. or at all. that would be a good start.

rep it

so i just copped the new us away. it is so clean. snagged the adu 11. got my brother the dempsey. I decided to mix it up, since I already have the dempsey home white. but I'm stoked. for the first time, i have both current us kits, with names and numbers. and they are sexyyyyyyyyyy. i love jerseys. too much. someday i will throw down a list or photo collection of my jersey stash. its gettin ridiculous.

Here's where i got them. dude hooked it up.
US away jerseys on the cheap.
check it.

tryouts in seven hours. time to do work.

nineoneone

a couple hours ago i was giddy over another US win, a chance for them to bring in some new blood and help shape the next generation of us soccer. good times were had with many friends as we watched the game and ate good food.

tonight i think of all that was lost. how irrelevant sports really are. how they bring great joy and what a blessing that is. but they are just a game. nothing more. something to be appreciated win or lose. many coaches told me growing up "It's not whether you win or lose, but it is how you play the game". No. It's not whether you win or lose, but that you can play the game. that you have the ability to step onto the field, use your body in ways that God created it to be used, and then shake hands with your opponent after the game. that this freedom wasn't taken from you 7 years ago today like it was for many. that you could step onto the pitch and play without thinking about how much your uncle loved the game or how well your sister played before that day.

in memory and in love. for all of those torn apart by nineoneone.


we will NEVER forget

the boys are back in town

the title rings true in more ways then one. first, the us is back home in chi-town, taking on T&T in a game that has a lot of importance. if the US can get a good result, like a 3 goal win, it will benefit them twofold. first, it will hopefully get some of these idiots who are calling for bob bradley's head off his back and make my reading of other soccer blogs much more enjoyable. second, it should allow some of the young guys to get a chance to play in the next qualifier, vs cuba in october, and it will also give guys like EJ, Baby Bradley, and Demps a chance to settle in at their clubs and hopefully not have to make the cross atlantic journey weekly. and maybe we will get some kcoop and the young guns love. that would be nice.

second, im back at college. which means im gearing up for tryouts. which also means i will get to watch the game downtown tonight with my boooyyyssss. which im stoked about. time to get the scarf and the so fresh and so clean new white demps jersey out of the car.

things to look for tonight.
1) landon stepping up. BIG.
2) a goal early for the US. if they snatch an early one, it will set the pace for the game
3) better possession. you heard it hear first, the us will look crisp on the passing and ball movement side. someone actually cutting the grass before the game certainly will contribute to the us' success passing wise.

look for a 3-0 us win, with a goal from beasley, one from donovan, and a late one from ej off of the bench.

what you know about the EARTTHHQUAAKKESSS??

hahahaha so sick. this is another reason why
a) gotta love them quakes
b) i love reppin the yay areeeaaaaa

E FOUR OH's earthquake anthem

almost as solid as this new e40 joint



bay area love baby. and even more love for e fo oh for reppin dem quake boys. id love to see huck and joe cannon breakin it down in a quakes anthem video. that would be legit.

peace.

hey, who's the new guy?

less then a week from club tryouts. i need to run/play this afternoon without a doubt. too much sad family stuff going on right now. just pretty much chillin watching the nfl today. played poker for a couple hours last night, was up a buyin but bricked out twice on major hands with top set for stacks, and then some guy paired against me to split a nice pot that i would have scooped. annoyingly frustrating session. it happens though.

assuming the us wins their next game vs T&T on Wednesday in chicago, who would you most like to see START in their next WC qualifier? that game will be Cuba again in early october at RFK in washington dc. obviously to play in this game, this player would have to get a call up. shockingly, my vote is likely marvell wynne. stevie c has worried me lately, and seeing wynne get a start and some experience would be great. what do you think?

poll by twiigs.com

if i missed your guy, vote for him via comments.

peace.

dempsizzle

skydiving was sick, pics later.



oh clint dempsey, how you play with my heart. you are inconsistent, maddening, and i love you. you may pain my heart, but your moments of brilliance are incredible. please, keep playing for bob b and the cottagers. because everytime you are on, you remind me that you could be the great white hope.

thoughts from the us game

- way to clutch up dempsey. you brought the sizzle, and your runs were dangerous again. i still dont think the right flank is your spot, but you were good anyway. the run midway through the first half showed the grit that you have been missing the last couple games. and that finish was clinical.
-after the goal, the us really looked like they were killing off the game, and as much as i didn't like it, i didn't hate it either. 1-0 is not the way to go but it is def better then a loss. the posession was good, especially for a sloppy field.
-having damarcys beasley in the line up makes the team so much more dangerous, especially going forward. you can tell he isnt completely fit, but he created some sick chances, and how there wasn't a pk awarded to the us on his cutback where the defender slid in the box and stopped his cross with his hand is beyond me
-chingaling (brian ching) played classy again. he might be better then i thought. i have always loved him, but he is playing some really impressive target forward right now. granted, its against cuba, but still.
-cuba 5 nothing but respect for these peeps right here. literally straight up, well earned, i may not like you but i respect you Anchorman status respect. and love. and jealousy that i am not one, but cuba cinco has a lot nicer ring then cuba seis.
-overall game - meh, us needs to start finishing chances. the field was poor as was the referee, as he missed at least 3 dangerous fouls that would have given the us great free kick/pks. a win is a win, and clint dempsey sacking up makes this game a B+. the formation was better, landon wasnt on the wing, but they need to try sasha wide, with landon as the withdrawn forward and demps as the attacking midfielder, or call freddy into camp. please.

Friday night in the bay area we had a minor earthquake. Tonight we had a major one.
HUCK STRIKES AGAIN!!!
who knew that Washington DC was so earthquake prone??

again, the quakes WILL make the playoffs. huck and artie are rampaging up top right now. well done frank yallop well done.

peace

taking the jersey to new heights

us plays cuba today on espn classic? at 5pm pacific. i go skydiving today at about 2ish pacific. let's hope that i'm the only one falling today. report later, optimistically

biggy

the key to bob bradley's heart

thanks to the help of TOR and USMNT blog, I have finally discovered the missing link in the kenny cooper not getting national team call-ups scandal. For those of you that don't know. Kcoop is destroying MLS, has multiple teams inquiring about his services overseas, looks to have fully recovered from his broken leg, and cannot get a USMNT call-up for the life of him. but today everything changes. Kenny, here is your problem.



dude, REI luggage is clearly not cuttin it on the international scene. see, a key part of a scene is being "scene" , or fitting in with the rest of the cool kids. for example, EJ.



does this look like REI or samsonite to you? no no kenny cooper, you must ball both on and off the field. so get on it in. find yourself some classy louie luggage, some nice stunnas and a grill. cuz Kenny, sometimes you gotta be scene to get seen. Cop a flashy cellphone while you are at it, for when your boy bob brad hits you up. you can thank me later

what's next

saturday is critical for two teams i love. first, the reincarnated quakes are making a run. a very unlikely, slow centerback recieves the ball at his own box dribbles 7 guys and deftly chips the keeper from ten yards out kinda run. I know they can keep it rolling, because they are rallying behind this man

he is quite a talisman for them to rally behind. and he is producing in a big way, especially when the refs don't notice he is offside. the quakes are only 3 points out of a playoff spot. i think they are gonna get there. i'm not biased at all.

up next is a math problem. you tell me the answer.



if you don't, the lovely lads of the USMNT certainly will help answer this question saturday at 5pm, in cuba. it will be on either espn2 or espn classic, or hopefully espnFutbol channel, which espn will not only introduce tomorrow but have the US game as its kickoff game. well, one can dream...

speaking of 2010, a very useful ticket info link

Biggy

michaelgladbradley

Saturday night after a rousing (okay not very rousing) evening at the bar, I returned home to the couch and some quality time with both FSC and GolTv. Between flipping back and forth and wondering why in the world I was home so early, I stumbled upon some bundesliga action, with Bremen playing M’bach. My very stable mind’s thoughts were WTF does M’bach stand for? Maybach? Munichbach? Maybeimhungrybach? I hadn’t the faintest. However after watching the first half, it was clear that M’bach was a beast, and they were taking champions league-bound Bremen, who I have enjoyed watching the last couple of years to town. As the game progressed, M’bach scored 3 goals, and while their 3-0 lead became 3-2 late, they still pulled off an impressive victory. However, after hearing their name at least 15 times from the announcer, I still had no idea what M’bach was, my best guess was Brussia Munichglabababach. Or something.

When I woke up the next morning for a fantasy football draft at 10am (seriously who does this? Oh those kids who are too young to go out and go to bed at normal times on Saturday nights…) I checked SBI and to my pleasure discovered that a) Michael Bradley had been transferred and b) that is was to Borussia Moenchengladbach, otherwise known to me as M’bach or Munichglabababach. I feel that this will be a very good transfer for him, as M’bach has quite an impressive young team, like Alexander Baumjohann, who made an impressive slaloming run from midfield to score the eventual game winner, and Marko Marin, who score in Germany’s last friendly a couple of weeks ago. Overall, the quality of play and player of both Bradley’s teammates and opponents should greatly benefit his game, and hopefully someone will teach him to stop getting dumb yellow cards, for the sake of all of us. I wish all the best to Borussia Michaelgladbradley, and hope they are a contender in the race for the bundesliga title. and that they rename the team to Borussia Michaelgladbradley. cuz it is a sweet name fo sho.

peace.

too cool for school.

That’s right. Nike was a trendster. So was I. It was mid spring 04, and I was in the city on a class “field trip”, which meant we rampaged around union square and then had a “business meal” at cheesecake factory. Nice life being a senior in high school. My friend and I cruised into Niketown, because Niketown is like a dream, especially the one in SF. Why? Jerseys. Tons of soccer jerseys. I love soccer jerseys. Especially the European ones that only niketown sells. In fact, my first jersey purchases were from niketown. On the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, where I copped these three beauts. (all mine are shortsleeve though) Nothing like being a ballin sophmore in high school droppin $200 on jerseys that almost no one at home will think is cool, which made me cooler in my own mind, or maybe it was just the fact that I never cared as long as i thought i was cool. Even to this day, as long as I think i look fly, its all good in the hood. But back to Niketown SF….

When we were at niketown, I saw these piles of yellow bracelets. I went and looked at them. Saw they cost a dollar and supported cancer research and survivors. Decided that my dollar was def worth that, so a few of us bought one. We left SF later that day and didn’t really think about it too much, just that it was cool we could support cancer research via nike and lance armstrong, who I’ve always been quite impressed by. I wore mine on and off, it was cool but it wasn’t always super comfortable and sometimes I would take it off and forget about it for a couple days. I liked it cuz I was making a statement, that a) I supported cancer research and awareness and b) that I liked nike. Pretty simple.

By summertime, livestrong had turned into a monster. Anytime something is selling for 20 times face value on ebay while it is still in the market, you have pretty much hit gold. It had blown up all over the US, my work included. Everyone had one. Which was probably why I stopped rockin mine. Suddenly it was cool to support cancer research and the idea that a little yellow bracelet could not only raise so much awareness but generate so much money for research AND make nike cool on a front that it never could have expected was pretty interesting. When people talk about nike being cool, it usually has to do with their shoes/jerseys/commercials and the people that rep them. But for one summer, nike wristwear was not only the talk of the town, but the fashion of the town too…

funny, i still have the jerseys. maybe your first love is the truest of them all.

peace