Most pundits agree that Miami is odds-on favorites to get a Major League Soccer team in 2010 or 2011. After all, with a name like Barcelona tied to the club, how could MLS refuse?
While the vast majority of articles about the expansion bid have been positive, I wanted to get a few things off my chest so the news is more balanced than what’s been printed in the media thus far.
Let me first say that I was a Miami Fusion season ticket holder, a member of the Afusionados supporters group and covered the Fusion as a member of the media. Plus, I proposed to my wife on the Fusion pitch at Lockhart Stadium during half-time of a MLS match, so you could say I have a deep emotional bond with the now departed Miami Fusion operation.
For the past several months I’ve been following the behind-the-scenes negotations regarding the Fusion, but never thought it would actually come to this whereby Miami is literally one step away from seeing a MLS team return to South Florida once again.
At this point, I’m extremely excited about the prospect of Miami being awarded a MLS team, but here are my reservations:
The field at Florida International University Stadium is field turf, not grass.
The Florida International University Stadium is home to a college football team, not a MLS team — which means that there will be fixture congestion and the Barca Miami team will always have second choice.
The stadium is in western Miami, which is an inconvenient location for many including (1) people who can’t afford to drive on the Florida Turnpike toll road, and (2) those driving from the east and north east such as residents of West Palm Beach, which is 80 minutes away from FIU.
If Barcelona wasn’t involved in this deal, then there would be a lot more naysayers regarding Miami’s chance of seeing a MLS team come to South Florida again.
The ideal location for Barca Miami would be downtown Miami on the site of the former Orange Bowl where the City of Miami was looking for investors to put in $50 million to help build the stadium next door to the future home of the Florida Marlins baseball team. But when Florida International University is offering its stadium rent-free to a MLS team, how could Barcelona and Marcelo Claure not take them up on the offer?
In life, nothing is perfect. Such is the state of the Barca Miami bid, but if it means the opportunity of professional soccer returning to South Florida, then I’m all in favor of it and will support the team. The question is whether the rest of the soccer fans in the area will do the same.
October 19th, 2008 By Kartik Krishnaiyer --> Comments
Michael Hitchcock/MLSNet
The club that has made the MLS Playoffs more than any other in the league’s history will not be participating in the 2008 MLS Cup sweepstakes. No, I am not talking about the LA Galaxy or DC United but the club currently known as FC Dallas.
For all its success as a franchise in the regular season, the Dallas Burn/FC Dallas has been a playoff failure, and a great disappointment. Players such as Leonel Alvarez, Jason Kreis, Oscar Parreja, Ariel Graziani and Juan Toja have come and gone, but one thing has remained consistent: Dallas is simply not good enough.
Two years ago Colin Clarke had turned FC Dallas into a side that could potentially win the MLS Cup. But after a first round playoff exit he was fired, despite having the second most points in the MLS Regular Season in 2006. Steve Morrow whom Clarke brought over in 2003 to play for the then Burn took over and did a fair job. Michael Hitchcock who had the faith to hire Morrow when others were calling for Schellas Hyndman, the coach at nearby NCAA Soccer power SMU, lost his patience with the project before long. When Morrow lost badly at home to Ruud Gullit’s LA Galaxy earlier this year, Hitchcock panicked despite the fact that the Hoops were from my vantage point no worse than they had been the previous year at the same time, and were on track to make the playoffs. Hyndman was brought in and despite some very fortune late game penalty calls, (FC Dallas was awarded strange late game PKs against Toronto twice and San Jose once under Hyndman accounting for the club earning what can be best described as five additional dubious points and denying Toronto three points that would have kept the Canadian club right on the brink of playoff qualification heading into the season’s final weekend.) Hitchcock had in fact completely thrown Morrow off his long term game plan for the club when he signed washed up Brazil World Cup veteran Denilson for an extrodinary salary late in 2007. It was Hitchcock and not Morrow who completely destroyed the chemistry developed between Juan Toja, Pablo Richetti, Marcello Saragosa and Arturo Alvarez in the Dallas midfield and locker room with the signing of Denilson. But yet Morrow was held accountable for a move he did not want to make.
Even in the Burn days, Dave Dir seemed to not get the most out of his team. Dallas always played attractive football: for my money the Burn along with Columbus were the two most watchable teams in the league’s early days. But Dallas, like Columbus never won anything. Now with the Crew riding high, the Hoops could perhaps cement their place as the league’s biggest long term failed franchise. In a league like MLS which promotes parity, why cannot Dallas ever get it right. How can the team so seemingly on the brink in 1999 still in 2008 be searching for answers?
October 18th, 2008 By Kartik Krishnaiyer --> Comments
While the Canadian National Team has been eliminated from securing its first World Cup qualification since 1986, this has been an otherwise banner year in Canadian Soccer. Toronto FC has been a few terrible (and dare I say blatant) officials calls away from making the MLS playoffs as a second year franchise. The Thunder Bay Chill became the first Canadian champions of the PDL by upsetting Laredo in the finals. Vancouver has won yet another USL title, and Montreal currently has the most points of any CONCACAF Champions League participant.
With Canadian fortunes so clearly on the upswing, while club football in the United States is quite honestly stagnant in quality (in other words MLS and USL have gotten a boost from their Canadian sides to claim the leagues are actually improving in standard) should Canada become the focus of any future MLS expansion? Will this be tolerated by FIFA and the USSF? Does football have a stronger future north of the border as a spectator sport than in thepeculiar sporting culture of the United States?
October 16th, 2008 By Kartik Krishnaiyer --> Comments
While Mexico struggles to get out of the semifinal round of CONCACAF Qualifying, the US clinched a birth in the final round with two games to spare. This gave Bob Bradley the opportunity to try a new lineup against a side that qualified for the 2006 World Cup on the road: in other words Bradley was able to blood let many of the potential World Cup 2010 starters in the toughest game the US will play in this round.
The loss to a desperate Trinidad and Tobago team that needed a result to continue pursuit of qualifying for a second consecutive World Cup means nothing. The performance with inexperienced players in a hostile environment was quite frankly better than many of the wins the US has achieved recently against inferior opposition with no hope of ever reaching a World Cup.
Here is what I liked from yesterday:
Charlie Davies made an instant impact after coming on as a late sub scoring a goal.
Jose Francisco Torres started slowly but really settled in late in the first half and was outstanding the rest of the way. If the US is to advance out of the first round in South Africa, Torres will be a key figure.
Jozy Altidore had a very good game despite missing an easy chance and committing the silly foul that gave up the PK to Dwight Yorke.
Michael Orozco was excellent in the middle cleaning up attacks that were created by the mistakes of others.
Danny Szetela’s short stint was a notice of intent: Szetela was impressive on the ball and hustled off the ball in his limited time.
What I did not like:
Frankie Hejduk has had it. Time for Marvell Wynne
Mo Edu was downright awful for much of the match.
Heath Pearce is really hit or miss. I thought he was spectacular in the friendlies I witnessed in person against Brazil and England, but has been the single worst American player in our road qualifiers.
Freddy Adu is still not being used properly. A world class talent who the US coaches seem clueless as to how to get the most out of.
Going forward the core of yesterday’s lineup has to be the core of the national team heading towards 2010. Players like Jozy Altidore, Freddy Adu, Jose Francisco Torres, and Sacha Kljestan should be part of every US selection from here on out. Michael Orozco, Charlie Davies and Danny Szetela also stated their case loudly last night.
October 15th, 2008 By Kartik Krishnaiyer --> Comments
Final Thoughts:
Despite the loss a very good run out and effort from the US kids who were facing an experienced and desperate Soca Warrior side. What Bob Bradley must learn however was on display in Edmonton tonight. If you attack against Mexico instead of holding back and relying on the counters and set pieces you can create scoring chances galore against a weak Mexican backline. Canada was unlucky: Paul Stalteri had a great shot in open play that went off the cross bar when it appeared to be going in, minutes before Thomasz Radzinski broke away from the Mexican defense and just missed a shot wide. My point is if Canada is comfortable attacking Mexico as they were last month in Chiapas, why does the US always sit back and rely on counter attacking against Mexico and other perceieved powers? Mexico’s escape with a draw days after losing in Kingston shows how weak Sven Goran Eriksson’s managment of the side has been despite the fact that Mexico has more talent than everyone they face in CONCACAF: Mexico looked shaky at best in securing nine points in three matches at home, and now has essentially backed into a single point in two road matches.
Bob Bradley has to let the kids loose. Mexico despite probable advancement thanks to Stalteri’s misfortune eith the crossbar is suffering from a crisis of confidence. The time is ripe for the US to once and for assert its supremacy in CONCACAF. Beating Mexico is not merely enough anymore: The US has relied on somewhat cynical football in the past to beat Mexico and under Bradley’s watch El Tri has been coming closer and close to victory against the US. Now is the time to let the kids loose, let them go forward and take their lumps so they are ready to attack a Mexican side whose defending has looked shambolic to be kind in this qualifying tournament. In that respect tonight’s 2-1 loss in Port of Spain was a victory as Jose Francisco Torres looked comfortable on the ball and Charlie Davies made the kind of impact coming off the bench that will make a difference in the Hexagonal.Here is the US lineup:
This was the site of the match that returned the United States to the World Cup after 40 years of football purgatory. Trinidad is going veteran heavy tonight with Russell Latapay, Chris Birchall and Dwight Yorke all returning to the national team. For trivia buffs, the English born Birchall is the only white player T&T has fielded in the last 50 years and was until recently a mainstay in the side. Birchall is a solid international and I am not sure why he was dropped for the last several qualifiers, but needing points he has been recalled.
We face sides in CONCACAF which I quite frankly do not like. Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras come to mind instantly. Trinidad however is not one of these teams. I have the greatest respect for what they have accomplished as tiny Island nation of 1.1 million and the courtesy their footballers have always shown to me as a fan. I am not ashamed to say when we are not playing them, I pull for the Soca Warriors.
The Soca Warriors are playing with much urgency. They look good. It has been pointed out to me that if Cuba draws or ties Guatemala tonight, T&T are in good shape even if they lose. However, I don’t think Trinidad can count on Cuba to get a result.
JAMAICA HAS SCORED TO TAKE A 1-0 LEAD AT HOME VERSUS HONDURAS. IF JAMAICA WINS, MEXICO NEEDS TO GET AT LEAST A POINT IN CANADA TO NOT FACE A MUST WIN SITUATION IN THE LAST MATCH, BECAUSE I BELIEVE JAMAICA WILL CRUSH CANADA IN KINGSTON. ELSEWHERE GOOD NEWS FOR T&T AS GUATEMALA HAS BEEN UNABLE TO SCORE IN HAVANA AFTER 40 MINUTES. IF CUBA HOLDS ON FOR 50 MORE, TRINIDAD DOES NOT NEED A RESULT TONIGHT.
Jose Francisco Torres has looked good tonight for the US but he isn’t yet on the same page with his team mates. Freddy Adu has been a disappointment thus far.
CUBA HAS SCORED. UNLESS GUATEMALA GET TWO BACK, T&T CAN LOSE THIS GAME AND STILL HAVE A DECENT CHANCE OF ADVANCING.
Russel Latapay scores, and T&T is in great shape. Great cross by Chris Birchall and a bad error by Heath Pearce.
Viva La Sven, or not? Ali Gerba former Miami Fusion and Montreal Impact man with an early goal in Edmonton for Canada.
Freddy Adu has been awful tonight and he is going to be replaced by Charlie Davies. Adu seems to be “Bradleyized” that is playing too deep.
Goal Mexico. Salcido’s free kick bounces off the Canadian wall and goes in.
A horrible first touch from Mo Edu ends up creating a somewhat un deserved US Goal by Charlie Davies, but T&T answers with a PK goal after Jozy Altidore committed a clumsy foul. You didn’t think a keeper whose only action this season has been a disastrous League Cup start was going to stop a PK by a Champions League winner, did you?
Danny Szetela replaces Jose Torres. Good night from Torres, who had a great through ball to Jozy Altiodre that was incorrectly rules offsides early in the 2nd half.
Chris Rolfe coming in? Are we this thin on our bench? I guess so.
So Trinidad beats the US for only the second time in its history. Despite the controversial PK call a deserved 3 pts, and with Cuba defeating Guatemala, the Soca Warriors would have to REALLY mess this up to not advance to the next round.
October 15th, 2008 By Kartik Krishnaiyer --> Comments
The traditional home of Football Americana style has submitted a big to join Major League Soccer. Jeff Cooper a St Louis area lawyer who for years now has been pushing for MLS to come to the traditional home of the game in the United States submitted a big to join the league today. Given the sentiment involved I wish St Louis the best of luck. If any town has represented the history of this game and the brilliance of what we achieved without the spotlight of an interested media or public, it is St Louis. A franchise in St Louis would embody everything American Soccer has been through from the 1910’s till today. (Photo and article link courtesy of MLS Rumors)
However, St Louis is one of the smallest metropolitan areas applying for a new MLS team. Miami is at the top of the list and of course has its own soccer history. However questions about Miami linger because of the failure of the Fusion. However that failure had more to do with bad management than a bad market. Atlanta is also a massive metropolitan area, but the Atlanta Chiefs of the NASL was one of the least supported clubs in the league and despite significant investment in the stadium, the USL’s Atlanta Silverbacks lag behind such small market teams as Charleston and Rochester in attendance.
Here are the applicants for MLS expansion based on metro area population (2005 population)
Note: I do not use US Census Bureau numbers because they consistently change their criteria classification for metropolitan areas. These estimated numbers are from the Economist’s Intelligence Unit
1- Miami 5,420,000
2- Atlanta 4,160,000
3- Montreal 3,360,000
4- Vancouver 2,900,000
5- St Louis 2, 560,000
6- Portland 2,150,000
7- Las Vegas 1,850,000
Miami is the largest market in North America without an MLS team or expansion team (Philadelphia). However the previous failure of the league in south Florida has clouded the thinking of many pundits towards the area. I have my own thoughts on the subject that we’ll discuss at a later date, but I believe the Fusion was the worst run team in a poorly run league and that explains the failure in such a large market which is heavily ethnic as well. I was at today’s press event with FC Barcelona and the indication we were given was that Miami would like to begin play in 2010 not in 2011 as the other applicants desire. How this factors into the decision making is anyone’s guess but I do not see it hurting Miami.
Montreal is an interesting candidate. My sources had indicated the Saputo’s who run the USL Impact were souring on MLS due the $40 million franchise fee and the the success of the club in the CONCACAF Champions League. However, by submitting a bid, Montreal puts into serious jeopardy the plans USL-1 and Umbro (now owned by Nike) had for building the league. I had been told by a reliable source, that if USL was really getting some major investment, that Montreal would not bid and allow Vanocuver to become uncontested as the second Canadian MLS side.
October 14th, 2008 By Kartik Krishnaiyer --> Comments
Kenny Cooper has turned down an offer to join the US National Team for Wednesday’s qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain. Personally after months of lobbying along with the rest of the blogosphere Cooper’s decision to turn down a call up to ostensibly help his club side is from where I sit completely unacceptable.
FC Dallas is fighting for a playoff spot no doubt. They have been gifted draws in the last two matches by terrible officials calls late in games which ironically have gone a long way towards eliminating their opponents San Jose and Toronto FC from playoff consideration. I personally believe a player selfish enough to turn down a call in to a World Cup qualifier in order to play with his club side should be at least for the near term dropped from all national team consideration.
This isn’t England where relatively young players like Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes retired from the national team in order to focus on their club careers at two of the biggest clubs in the world. FC Dallas isn’t Liverpool or Manchester United. Cooper ought to know because he previously played for Manchester United.
The bottom line is this: Cooper is out the door in the January window. That’s all but certain. He’s being showcased for European clubs right now and as he continues to score goals for the Hoops he raises his stock. A call up to the national team coupled with a bad performance means Cooper’s s stock is lowered for Rosenborg and whatever other top club is chasing him.
To believe Cooper turned down the call up for anything other than selfish reasons is to be nieve. Bob Bradley has too difficult a job to waste his time with Kenny Cooper for the forseeable future. It’s a pity because their is no current MLS based player I have wanted to see in the national team more than Cooper, but this action more than anything confirms why Bradley ignored him for so long.
The Squad:
Goalkeepers: Troy Perkins, Brad Guzan.
Defenders: Jonathan Bornstein, Danny Califf, Frankie Hejduk, Michael Orozco, Heath Pearce, Brian Carrol Marvell Wynne.
Midfielders: Freddy Adu, DaMarcus Beasley, Maurice Edu, Sacha Kljestan, Chris Rolfe, Danny Szetela, , Jose Francisco Torres.
Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies
I’d expect to see this starting lineup or something similar.
October 13th, 2008 By Kartik Krishnaiyer --> Comments
Last night the Vancouver Whitecaps captured their second USL-1 title in three years defeating the tired and road weary Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1. Englishman, Jonathan Steele, the league’s MVP and arguably one of the best footballers that plays on American soil had a subpar match for the Islanders, as did Peter Villegas. Charles Gbeke who started the season with Montreal scored twice, including the winning goal on a nice setup from Justin Moose. The Islanders had a golden chance to equalize late but Sandy Gbandi who scored the first goal hit a one timer just high.This was a lively, entertaining match but the fact that Vanocuver, second in the regular season was hosting the match forcing the Islanders already strecthed travel schedule to be pushed further left a very bad taste in my mouth.
The Islanders must now focus on the Champions League where despite leading their group, a tough road awaits to make the quarterfinals. The Islanders lead the group with 7 points, while Santos and Tauro FC are sitting on 6 points each. It is imperative that the road weary Islanders rest up and take all 3 points next Wednesday against Municipal at home.
The recent match between the U.S. and Cuba battling for a spot to the 2010 World Cup was a prime example of why soccer must revise its rule involving red-cards. Expulsion from the game for a heinous foul is not the problem. If the foul warrants expulsion, the referee should make the call. What happens after the player is dismissed from the game is not what U.S. sports fans want to see from professional soccer.
U.S. sports fans expect the player to be fined and suspended for more games. But, for the game being played at that moment, sports fans want to see another player take the suspended player’s place on the field. There is too much invested in the game for it to become a laughing affair, as the match last night did.
Soccer purists, of course, will disagree, and they will try to cite the occasions when the team down a player was able to come back and either win or tie the game. But, this occurs infrequently.
The problem is that the rule is set up to punish not just the player and his/her team, but, also the fans.
It was big, bad U.S. vs. small, socialist Cuba. The match-up was an attractive one. The drama was both surreal and potent. The outcome was unpredictable.
The score was 2-1 late in the first half when the referee made the debatable and controversial call. The remainder of the game was played with 11 players vs. 10 players. The final score was 6-1.
As professional soccer develops in the U.S., it must revise the red-card rule to reflect the best interests of sports fans. U.S. sports fans will not tolerate watching deliberate mismatches. It is not fair to penalize the fan. The ultimate competition is an even match among players, eleven on eleven.
As the economy weakens, U.S. professional soccer must consider all peripheral factors that influence how sports fans see the beautiful game. After having planned a day at the stadium, and having paid for gas, parking, tickets and refreshments, fans would rather see a fair outcome, even when the advantage of the expulsion is in favor of the home team and goes against the opposition. The same can be said for fans watching on television.
No one wants to see an expulsion because it changes the complexion of the game. Whether it is 10 minutes after the start, or with 10 minutes remaining to be played, a red-card ruins the synergy that is created from the beauty of the game. An expulsion sucks the energy from the fan and diminishes the result.
In many instances when the red-card comes out, it is a questionable call. By revising the rule, professional soccer in the U.S. alleviates the possibility of the red-card being a major issue (There can always be controversy surrounding the expulsion of a particular player who may never re-enter the game). But, from a fan’s perspective, minimally speaking, at least it can always remain eleven players vs. eleven players. If the player that committed the foul is, upon further review, after completion of the game, deemed to have not made such a severe penalty, then his/her suspension and fine should be reversed.
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