The annual MLS State of the League audio conference, held prior to the MLS Cup, is usually good for some news and gossip from the MLS league office.  This year’s conference was no different, as The Commish touched on the hot topics of expansion and relocation, as well as more nuts and bolts like life with 19 teams.

As if the identity of the 20th MLS franchise had not been all but known, Garber made it clear the Cosmos would likely be coming back if MLS could find a place for them to play.  “The issue remains the soccer stadium,” he said on the call.  ”We do believe we have two or three sites that are viable, and we’re going to continue to work as hard as we can to move this as fast as we can.’’  MLS has hired architects and land-use consultants to help build a soccer stadium in New York.  But in terms of owners, he’s a little less concerned.  He noted the league has not spoken with the Wilpons “lately” but plan to re-engage with them once their issues have been sorted out.

But before fans dust off their Cosmos gear to use again, Garber noted that neither the name or location is a done deal.  Garber will meet with the new Cosmos’ ownership group at MLS Cup but said they are keeping all ownership options open.  He also said that the league has met with ownership groups in Detroit, Orlando, and Las Vegas to explore options and locations for their 20th and future teams.

In terms of relocation, Garber further advanced the notion the United’s days in DC are dwindling.  He noted that the financials for the team were damaging (Events DC owns RFK and because of this DCU ownership claims they’ve lost millions on the deal) and that moving them is not out of the question:

“We have to aggressively figure a solution out, and that solution needs to be figured out soon. I am concerned about where this team will be in 2012. They’ve been operating without a new lease. They’ve been in discussions on a lease to try to improve their terms. I’m shocked to say they could be paying more for their lease in RFK than any other team we have in the league. There is no doubt in my mind that it’s a stadium that is substandard to what soccer fans are able to experience in many other markets.”

Garber noted that he would support a move to Baltimore or, if that fell through, to an entirely new market altogether.  He even went as low as to mention the RFK raccoon, a critter that DCU scribes have seen running around the stadium as a symbol of the team’s poor facilities.

As for next season, the league will be moving to an unbalanced 34-game schedule but revealed few details other than that.  The league is also considering doing away with neutral-site MLS Cup matches and instead moving it to the home stadium of the Supporter’s Shield winner.  Of course this year LA is playing at their home stadium but the league has experienced two teams playing at a less than full neutral site as recently as 2010 in Toronto.

Maybe the most interesting topic was his vision for the next ten years of MLS.  Noting the success of the league in merchandise sales (up 35% this year), attendance (7% to an average of over 17,000 a game, although with two new teams), and TV viewership (16% on ESPN networks, 26% on FSC, 10% on Telefutura), Garber stated that by 2022 he wants MLS to be one of the top leagues…. in the US?  No, in the world.

“At the end of the day, we want to be one of the top soccer leagues in the world. And we want to try to achieve that by 2022.  We want to the league of choice, the league of choice for players, for sponsors, for fans.”

Now as a league commissioner you have to talk the talk and set high goals for your league.  But one of the top leagues in the world?  Really?  Maybe he should aim to have passed the NHL by that time period instead of trying to nudge aside Serie A.  I admire the gusto but that goal may be way way too high.

But what do you think about the State of the League address?  Is Garber crazy or spot on, on any of these topics?

While I realize that the above graphic may be a bit misleading (MLS has already stated their 2012 season will begin in early March), February start dates for the league may not be far off. In a surprisingly candid statement to the media today at a training session for tomorrow’s match vs. Ecuador, Jurgen Klinsmann aired his personal concerns about the way our pro leagues stack up with the rest of the world.

From AP/Fox Soccer:

Klinsmann had already made big changes since replacing Bradley on July 29, and more are ahead. For instance, he wants to eliminate the two-to-three months off that Major League Soccer players get each year.

”The big challenge is for MLS overall, how can they stretch that season into a format that is kind of competitive with the rest of the world?” he said. ”Right now it’s not competitive. If you have a seven-, eight-month season, that’s not competitive with the rest of the world.”

First off, this is very interesting to hear Klinsmann open up about these beliefs. His predecessor, Bob Bradley, rarely spoke out of turn about any qualms he had with our domestic league. When Klinsmann was hired, there was speculation that USSF President Sunil Gulati may have given Klinsmann the promise of more latitude to assert influence when Gulati offered him the coaching job. This type of statement, in a relatively stunning fashion, appears to put pressure Commissioner Don Garber to at least consider this feedback and what MLS could do to accommodate.

The timing of this statement is also very interesting. The US just defeated Honduras 1-0, earning Klinsmann his first victory as Coach. If there’s ever a time where US Soccer fans were ready to give Klinsmann their full support, it is now. It’s not just the result, either; the style of play in the recent friendlies has been a more creative, attacking style than we’ve seen for awhile under Bradley. This may have been the perfect time to throw an opinion out in the open, to gauge the response across the board. Klinsmann does have his detractors, pointing to his troubles managing Bayern Munich; supporters, however, seem optimistic thus far with the German coach’s progress in the National Team.

Add to this the logic of Klinsmann’s statements, and the way he’s applying this to his selections for the National Team. For a player in the Barclays Premier League, barring any bans or injuries, a player competing in every match would see 38 league matches in a season. For the top teams, you get UEFA Champions (or Europa) League, which adds 6-10 matches. The domestic Cups also allow teams another 2-4 matches, and that’s not counting return legs in the case of a draw in an FA Cup match. So for a team like Arsenal, a player could see 45 or more matches counting all competitions.

Compare that to MLS. This season, MLS clubs played 34 league matches, 4 fewer than in England. CONCACAF Champions League only allows 4 American teams per season (and one Canadian team) to get those extra half-dozen matches. There is only one “traditional” domestic Cup competition, the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. There are no return legs in the USOC, and the recent setup dictated that the lowest 12 teams in MLS face each other, effectively cutting out 6 teams with only one match played. Now, 10 teams make the MLS Cup playoffs, which does add matches, but it adds only a match for most teams in the playoffs. Perhaps this is one explanation for why Klinsmann has seemed to prefer players in European leagues in his recent lineups.

Is an extended schedule feasible going forward in a Spring-to-Fall league setup? By my estimation, MLS would have to start the season about 2 weeks early and maybe sprinkle in two extra midweek matches. That would put the start of the season in mid-to-late February. I don’t see this as a problem. The main argument is that bad weather would hurt attendance. From what I’ve seen, most MLS crowds are resilient, and even if the stadium is 60-75% full for those few matches early on, it serves the purpose of getting these pros more opportunities to play. Additionally, for World Cup years, this eases any desire to accommodate a midsummer break. But at some point, one would have to consider a synchronization with the Fall-to-Late Spring FIFA calendar, something the world governing body has requested in the past.

Regardless of what the impact might be, I think Klinsmann’s candor is refreshing, and may be the perfect contrapuntal voice for US Soccer at the moment. He is a guy who has played and coached on some excellent European squads. He garners respect, and it’s easy to believe he possesses a good barometer for advancing the sport in our country. It doesn’t mean throwing out everything that has been instituted by Major League Soccer. Garber has recently indicated he would like to unbalance the schedule. You could have an unbalanced schedule while still extending the season. Klinsmann made no assertions about other hot-button issues like finances, the fall-to-summer schedule, or the US soccer pyramid. What he has done is show that we have a National Team Coach who will speak his mind if he feels it may improve our chances on the world stage; for my taste, I think that’s a great quality for a coach to hold.

Photo by Ramsey Moshen

With David Beckham in the final year of his ground-breaking MLS contract, speculation has turned to whether the 36 year-old midfielder will resign with the LA Galaxy and the league, or continue his quest for another international cap elsewhere.  In an interview with the press, Garber talked about the MLS All Star’s impact on the league, and as expected painted it as a perfect partnership.  His comments, however, reveal a disconnect between the league office and the casual fan.

To do justice to his comments, I want to take each statement individually as reported by The Sun and enter my own comments.  Agree or disagree? Sound off below.

“David has been a game-changer for us, on and off the field.”

He’s right in regards to how the league is perceived off the field.  The Beckham acquisition brought attention to MLS from the international and domestic press, as well as Hollywood and the New York ad agencies.  He became the face of the league to some Americans who are casual-to-non-soccer fans, and in the first year that impact led to higher ticket sales.  On the field, however, his impact to this point has been much less.  After years of constant injuries and loan deals, he is finally this year showing how well he can play.  Case in point – he is among the league leaders in assists.  But to say one year (and no MLS Cups) of quality play justifies his salary is absurd.

“We love him. It has almost been five years and now is very established in our country. He has become this larger than life figure and he happens to play in our country for one of our great teams.”

Don Garber loves him, the MLS owners love him, but who else really loves the MLS version of David Beckham? Based on the constant loan deals and yearning to return to England, not David Beckham.  Fans will come to see him play and buy his jerseys, but ask opposing fans and see how much they care for Beckham.  And I would take issue that he is established in this country when, for the first three years, he was injured or playing on loan in Europe.  The dream of Beckham appearing constantly in endorsements and on TV has failed.  The promised reality TV shows never materialized.  He may still be a name guy in Los Angeles and New York, but if you mention him outside of the coasts he is not really known.  I am sure most people can say he plays soccer, but can they talk about him beyond that?  And if the league wanted to just make him a name in these two markets, it is incredibly short-sighted.

“There is no question that it was a good financial deal for David and the league but you don’t hear about the money anymore.”

The Sun article begins by mentioning the £128m Beckham has supposedly made during his time in the States.  Sports articles on Beckham have down to the game how much money he makes, even now.  The money still matters, especially since the league’s best paid player still hasn’t won an MLS Cup.

“He really cares about the league. He wants to build the sport and he wants to give back to the community.”

The Beckhams are very charitable and do a lot of good community work, so I won’t disagree with that.  But it is hard to take it seriously that he cares about the league when just this offseason there were rumors of a move to Tottenham (as reported on this site).  This wouldn’t be a big deal except for (a) the previous season-long loan moves and (b) the fact he flees to England as often as possible.

“There is something for David in trying to be the person, like Pele was decades ago, who can be a real pioneer for our sport.”

What was Pele’s impact on American soccer?  He certainly was a mythical figure who, while he didn’t save a league, established that Americans love star power even in soccer and the sport can sell out large venues.  His impact on the game itself in America is debatable, but he did add to the mythos of soccer in America.  What will Beckham’s impact be?  I doubt that years from now it will be revered as Pele; in fact it may be more negative due to the money spent and the lack of playing time for most of the contract.

“I am not sure what his future is or what his plans are but it would be great to have him in MLS for years to come.”

And that is the big offseason question – will he or won’t he? And should it matter?

Photo by FIFA Habbo

It was an incredibly busy week in American soccer.  Between the US national team, MLS midweek matches, and all sorts of FIFA controversies, there was a wealth of story lines for fans of the beautiful game.  Below are some of the ones we were following this week that we did not have time to post on the site:

• In midweek MLS action, New York and Colorado played to a 2-2 draw, Dallas got three points on the road with a 1-0 win over Seattle, and the Galaxy grabbed an early goal to edge Houston 1-0.
• The Canadian Championship was rescheduled for July 2 after it was abandoned in the 63rd minute due to horrendous rainstorms.
• The FIFA mess is an important thing to know for American soccer fans.  FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hamman and CONCACAF rep Jack Warner were summoned before an investigatory committee this week on charges of bribery during a Caribbean campaign visit.  The charges were made by the U.S. rep Chuck Blazer.  Now Sepp Blatter, the current FIFA president and candidate for reelection, has had an ethics charge filed against him by bin Hamman for not reporting possible corruption violations.  The election between these two, in polite terms, undesirable candidates was supposed to be Wednesday but now with ethics charges hanging over both of them, that timeline is in doubt.  What does this mean for U.S. soccer?  Stay tuned.
• MLS commissioner Don Garber did an interview with the Sports Business Journal where he discussed Sporting Kansas City’s stadium, the Cosmos’ price tag, and MLS ratings, among other things.
• Real Salt Lake’s depth is hurting with injuries and Gold Cup call-ups, but Randy Davis sees an opportunity for one player.
• Congratulations to American Clint Dempsey, whose Fulham team won England’s “Fair Play” spot in the Europa League.  Like Maurice Edu this season, Dempsey will again have a chance to show off his skills on the European stage.
• Finally, the UEFA Champions League Final is Saturday and will be shown on Fox.  Last year’s final between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich had a 1.1 share; with two more “popular” teams playing keep an eye out for the rating.  It will be a good indicator or support for the sport of soccer in the U.S.

Photo by Mafue

MLS could not have asked for a better opening weekend of soccer than this weekend.  After a somewhat pedestrian first match between the Galaxy and Sounders, there were a ton of story lines to follow in this weekend’s games.  While it may be a lot to ask for every weekend to be this exciting (although we can hope) there is no doubt that this season is looking like a great one.

Just like Don Garber planned it.

Vancouver 4, Toronto 2

What a tale of two cities.  Expansion Vancouver certainly kicked off their first first-division season in style.  The fans were decked out in white as part of the “White Out”, celebrity fan Steve Nash sat among the masses and led the cheering, and the action on the pitch could not have been better for the home team.  Eric Hassli started the scoring in the 15th minute and, after Dwayne De Rosario equalized, it was all Whitecaps.  The Toronto defense was exposed and the Reds looked pretty bad; it may be worst case scenario for them at least in the near future.

For more weekend reviews…..

Colorado 3, Portland 1

I was intrigued by this match because I wanted to see how Colorado looked in their first match that counted after their MLS Cup win, as well as see how our other newest club looked.  Kenny Cooper contributed a goal (and points for my MLS fantasy team) but otherwise it was all Colorado.  The Cummings/Casey duo again looked dangerous in front of the goal, a must for the Rapids, and it was last year’s key pickup Jeff Larentowicz who got the scoring started for Colorado.  A tough first match for Portland, but their next three matches are very winnable: at Toronto, at New England, versus Chicago.

Dallas 1, Chicago 1

If you stepped away to the fridge for a beer, you missed the scoring in this one.  Milton Rodriguez for Dallas and Diego Chaves for Chicago scored within two minutes of each other, and defense carried the game.  Hats off to Dallas for selling out their stadium, after receiving so much criticism for their poor draws last year.  Let’s hope that they are building a tradition of being a tough ticket to get.  Kevin Hartman picked up where he left off last season, facing 12 shots (5 on goal) and conceding one goal.

D.C. United 3, Columbus 1

I did a story for the site on this match, but I want to make a few follow-up points.  Can any Crew fan fill me in on Robbie Rogers absence for most of the match?  He had a discernible and positive impact when he was subbed on in the 65th minute, and he may have made a difference playing the full 90.  Charlie Davies is getting the attention from this one, but the DC backline (which was horrendous last year) played very well in this match.  But with Perry Kitchen called up to the U-20s and Jed Zayner picking up an injury, their depth may be tested (find more information here).

New York 1, Seattle 0

Daniel did an excellent job covering this match for MLS Talk, so I will refer you to his analysis.  But allow me to continue heaping praise on Juan Agudelo.  The guy will be something special if he is allowed to grow properly both in a playing sense and media sense.  I also hope the European clubs dismiss him as an overrated American so he plays in MLS for a while longer.  I’d like to hear from Sounders’ fans – what can your team do to generate some goals?  Goalless now in two matches.

Real Salt Lake 1, San Jose 0

RSL is a very efficient team.  They manage only two shots on goal and that’s all they need for Kyle Beckerman to find the winner.  It was a good win in bad weather and there was nothing in this match that doesn’t make you think RSL may be the best team already.  For San Jose, they are in a tough spot like we expected.  They need to win home games against the favorites in the West to be considered playoff contenders; this match will do nothing to make anyone think that they are one of the better Western Conference teams.

Sporting KC 3, Chivas 2

Newcomers shined for Kansas City in this quality away win.  James Madison University rookie C.J. Sapong scored the first goal in the second minute and newcomer Omar Bravo added two more in this match.  Both teams should be very concerned about their defense, however.  Sporting KC allowed two goals on only four shots on goal, while Chivas obviously had some defensive lapses.  Does this match assert the Eastern Conference’s dominance over the Western Conference?  Probably not, but it is a good win for a potential playoff contender.

Philadelphia 1, Houston 0

Another match where if you turned your head you missed the goal, as Danny Califf scores off a long throw-in.  Kudos to Houston for another good crowd of almost 20,000 to begin the season, but a disappointing offensive output.  They needed some points from this match, as their next two (at Sounders, at Red Bulls) could see them trailing early in the season, never a good place to be.  The Union also needed this one, as five of their next six matches are against 2010 playoff teams and the sixth is against Vancouver.

Los Angeles 1, New England 1

Paging Mr. Angel, please pick up the white courtesy phone.  The Galaxy need him healthy or need other players in their midfield to step up if they want to create more scoring chances.  Again it was Juninho who salvaged the point for LA, and the good news for their supporters is that they have taken the early lead in the Supporters Shield race.  It is good that New England salvaged a point from this match, but they showed some concerning tendencies in the match.  Joseph’s third minute goal was their only shot on goal.  Their home opener is DC United, so that will be a good test of where they stand.

Photo by Mafue

MLS could not have asked for a better opening weekend of soccer than this weekend.  After a somewhat pedestrian first match between the Galaxy and Sounders, there were a ton of story lines to follow in this weekend’s games.  While it may be a lot to ask for every weekend to be this exciting (although we can hope) there is no doubt that this season is looking like a great one.

Just like Don Garber planned it.

Vancouver 4, Toronto 2

What a tale of two cities.  Expansion Vancouver certainly kicked off their first first-division season in style.  The fans were decked out in white as part of the “White Out”, celebrity fan Steve Nash sat among the masses and led the cheering, and the action on the pitch could not have been better for the home team.  Eric Hassli started the scoring in the 15th minute and, after Dwayne De Rosario equalized, it was all Whitecaps.  The Toronto defense was exposed and the Reds looked pretty bad; it may be worst case scenario for them at least in the near future.

For more weekend reviews…..

Colorado 3, Portland 1

I was intrigued by this match because I wanted to see how Colorado looked in their first match that counted after their MLS Cup win, as well as see how our other newest club looked.  Kenny Cooper contributed a goal (and points for my MLS fantasy team) but otherwise it was all Colorado.  The Cummings/Casey duo again looked dangerous in front of the goal, a must for the Rapids, and it was last year’s key pickup Jeff Larentowicz who got the scoring started for Colorado.  A tough first match for Portland, but their next three matches are very winnable: at Toronto, at New England, versus Chicago.

Dallas 1, Chicago 1

If you stepped away to the fridge for a beer, you missed the scoring in this one.  Milton Rodriguez for Dallas and Diego Chaves for Chicago scored within two minutes of each other, and defense carried the game.  Hats off to Dallas for selling out their stadium, after receiving so much criticism for their poor draws last year.  Let’s hope that they are building a tradition of being a tough ticket to get.  Kevin Hartman picked up where he left off last season, facing 12 shots (5 on goal) and conceding one goal.

D.C. United 3, Columbus 1

I did a story for the site on this match, but I want to make a few follow-up points.  Can any Crew fan fill me in on Robbie Rogers absence for most of the match?  He had a discernible and positive impact when he was subbed on in the 65th minute, and he may have made a difference playing the full 90.  Charlie Davies is getting the attention from this one, but the DC backline (which was horrendous last year) played very well in this match.  But with Perry Kitchen called up to the U-20s and Jed Zayner picking up an injury, their depth may be tested (find more information here).

New York 1, Seattle 0

Daniel did an excellent job covering this match for MLS Talk, so I will refer you to his analysis.  But allow me to continue heaping praise on Juan Agudelo.  The guy will be something special if he is allowed to grow properly both in a playing sense and media sense.  I also hope the European clubs dismiss him as an overrated American so he plays in MLS for a while longer.  I’d like to hear from Sounders’ fans – what can your team do to generate some goals?  Goalless now in two matches.

Real Salt Lake 1, San Jose 0

RSL is a very efficient team.  They manage only two shots on goal and that’s all they need for Kyle Beckerman to find the winner.  It was a good win in bad weather and there was nothing in this match that doesn’t make you think RSL may be the best team already.  For San Jose, they are in a tough spot like we expected.  They need to win home games against the favorites in the West to be considered playoff contenders; this match will do nothing to make anyone think that they are one of the better Western Conference teams.

Sporting KC 3, Chivas 2

Newcomers shined for Kansas City in this quality away win.  James Madison University rookie C.J. Sapong scored the first goal in the second minute and newcomer Omar Bravo added two more in this match.  Both teams should be very concerned about their defense, however.  Sporting KC allowed two goals on only four shots on goal, while Chivas obviously had some defensive lapses.  Does this match assert the Eastern Conference’s dominance over the Western Conference?  Probably not, but it is a good win for a potential playoff contender.

Philadelphia 1, Houston 0

Another match where if you turned your head you missed the goal, as Danny Califf scores off a long throw-in.  Kudos to Houston for another good crowd of almost 20,000 to begin the season, but a disappointing offensive output.  They needed some points from this match, as their next two (at Sounders, at Red Bulls) could see them trailing early in the season, never a good place to be.  The Union also needed this one, as five of their next six matches are against 2010 playoff teams and the sixth is against Vancouver.

Los Angeles 1, New England 1

Paging Mr. Angel, please pick up the white courtesy phone.  The Galaxy need him healthy or need other players in their midfield to step up if they want to create more scoring chances.  Again it was Juninho who salvaged the point for LA, and the good news for their supporters is that they have taken the early lead in the Supporters Shield race.  It is good that New England salvaged a point from this match, but they showed some concerning tendencies in the match.  Joseph’s third minute goal was their only shot on goal.  Their home opener is DC United, so that will be a good test of where they stand.

It was an admittedly slow week in American soccer as the American sports scene shifted to Dallas and the American football Super Bowl.  Within the soccer world some amazing results and goals from the English Premier League overshadowed almost all the other soccer news.  But nevertheless there were some noteworthy happenings in MLS this past weekend; as usual, share your thoughts and anything I missed in the comments section.

• The Chicago Fire are adding more fire-power (sorry, couldn’t resist) by signing Uruguayan forward Gaston Puerari.  The 25 year-old South American has scored eight goals the past two years with the Montevideo Wanderers.  I do not know much about the Uruguayan professional leagues, but I do know the signing helps Chicago in an area of need.
• In other signing news, New York inked Brazilian Marcos Paullo to a contract following a trial with the club last season.
• New Eastern Conference club Houston has announced the groundbreaking for a new stadium.  Expect an MLS Talk post on this subject soon.
• For those curious about Charlie Davies recovery and trial with D.C. United, I have included a released video above this post so you can take a look at his progress.  I don’t know about you, but seeing an MLS club in action put a smile on my face.
• Speaking of Davies, MLS has updated the allocation list for its teams and explains why DCU gets first crack at signing Davies.
• And finally, I had initially missed this part of the MLS call last week but the Wall Street Journal shares Don Garber’s comments on the 20th club.  He acknowledges the Cosmos are an option but says MLS is speaking to other ownership groups as well.  No surprises here.

We are the champions!

Recently we’ve shared that various soccer luminaries such as Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson has advocated a spring-to-fall schedule change in advance of the 2022 World Cup.  Now we find out that UEFA itself is advancing well past the thinking stage.

The British press is reporting that the English Premier League and Bundesliga are gearing up to fight a UEFA (specifically, Michel Plantini) plan to implement a spring-to-fall schedule permanently for UEFA member leagues and alter the qualification calendar for international events.  The plan, which would hypothetically be put in place by 2015, supposedly echoes a proposal Plantini wrote for Sepp Blatter and FIFA in 1998 to change the calendar then, but was scrapped because of opposition from Italy and Spain.

All European leagues would run their schedule from mid-March to the end of October.  Qualification for the World Cup or European Championship would take place from November to mid-December, with the final tournaments played mid-January through February.  The articles also reveal that FIFA officials have been planning for a winter World Cup in 2022, despite their assertions otherwise.  In fact, it looks like Qatar was always going to be a winter World Cup, with the executive committee moving forward with January 2022 planning since the December 2 vote.

My first thought on reading this is I am glad UEFA is planning to make the move three years before the Russian World Cup, where I am sure a winter World Cup will be….quite pleasant.  But it seems like the movement toward a winter 2022 Cup (and consequently a spring-to-fall schedule) has been in the works for at least the past 45 days, probably more.  So anything FIFA has said so far about the 2018 and 2022 bid process has to be somewhat doubted if they’ve lied about the Qatar scheduling.

My second thought is that the major European leagues would never go for this.  I think some of the smaller European leagues (I’m looking at you Scotland) would fall in-line with UEFA, but this would be a major headache to the EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue Un.  It would be especially bad for Italy and Spain where summer temperatures approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

But let’s assume UEFA is 100% in favor of this and forces all their leagues to switch to spring-to-fall.  All of the sudden, little stubborn MLS would be a trend setter in the soccer world.  The same nation whose president was told to his face that they needed to conform to the rest of the world’s schedule would now be the one to whom the world would conform.  Quite a nice vindication for Don Garber and USSF who have remained unmoved by the international pressure.

What are some of the other consequences of a European schedule switch?

• No more Landon Donovan to Everton loans for a few months.  If MLS and UEFA play at the same time, American stars cannot go to Europe for a few months and return for the second half of the MLS season.  While this would alleviate some of the Beckham transfer drama, my fear would be that big name Americans would just go to Europe and not play in MLS at all during their peak years.  This could exacerbate the league’s talent drain.
• Fewer tours of the U.S. by big European clubs.  Manchester United and Barcelona probably wouldn’t want to do a 12-day tour in the winter with the chance of their matches being snowed out.  So either they would tour the South (excellent for Miami and Dallas) or limit themselves to only one or two stops.  And if international qualifiers are occurring, then the biggest clubs would be reduced to their second team even more so than they are now.

I will believe a UEFA spring-to-fall when I see it, but we have definitely learned two things from this story: the fall-to-spring schedule is not sacrosanct and FIFA’s pronouncements cannot be trusted.

The MLS is certainly unique among major U.S. sports – it is the only draft in which a team passes on a player because he needs to establish residency.  But such is the reason why MLS fans love the MLS – it is unique in both the world of soccer and the American sports world.  And the draft is another unique aspect; it is an event dedicated to the selection of what are essentially late blooming players who went to college, an oddity in Europe but an essential part of the American soccer landscape.

For those expecting a boring draft, they were shocked when Vancouver took Omar Salgado with the first pick.  Salgado is a great talent with huge potential, but it looks like he will not be able to contribute for a couple of years at least.  He won’t even get the chance to play for Vancouver for a few months until he turns 18, but Vancouver decided to roll the dice anyway.  This is a curious strategy for an expansion team, but it looks like Vancouver is looking more towards 2013 than 2011, not a terrible strategy.

After the Salgado shock, the draft began to shake out as many people expected.  Portland took Akron’s Darlington Nagbe number two, where he was expected to fall after he told Vancouver he wanted to play in the United States to establish residency.  D.C. United were the big beneficiaries of the Salgado pick as they nabbed Perry Kitchen, jolting forward their defensive rebuilding project by a year or two.  New Chivas coach Robin Fraser made his mark by grabbing defender Zerek Valentin and filling a need for the team.  By the time the first round was done, five Akron players went in the top eight picks, prompting some on Twitter to joke about Columbus relocating to Akron and not singing any players over 22.

The best part of any draft is the surprise picks, and the top ten had a few of them.  Philadelphia grabbed University of Maryland keeper Zac MacMath at #5; while no one can deny his talent fans wondered why they needed a keeper when the Union had just signed Columbian international Faryd Mondragon.  The Akron name seduced Vancouver into taking midfielder Michael Nanchoff with the eighth pick, even though more highly rated players like Will Bruin and Corey Hertzog were on the board.

You can see the entire draft here.

The big winners in this draft?  The Universities of Akron, California, and North Carolina who had seven, six, and four players selected respectively.  Another winner was the New York Red Bulls, who were able to nab John Rooney and instantly sell a bunch more shirts which will have the name “Rooney” on the back.  Finally, the Philadelphia Union and D.C. United supporter groups which made the trip to Baltimore and added some excitement to the draft.

The big loser in this draft?  Don Garber, who mistakenly Tweeted that Vancouver had selected Nagbe with the first pick, then spent the rest of the afternoon apologizing for his Twitter feed.  He did redeem himself in post-draft interviews however.

Who were the winners and losers in the draft, and how did your team do?  Sound off below.

As MLS prepares to begin its first season with 18 clubs, the recent talk on the Internet has focused on its possible 20th team.  Recent talk on this site has centered on Don Garber traveling to Miami to meet with Miami soccer fans; if you have not read The Gaffer’s article on the meeting then definitely check it out.

But Miami will be in a tough race for that 20th slot, as one familiar name and one new name seem to be their biggest competition.

The famed New York Cosmos, who have been maintaining operations in the hope of becoming an MLS franchise in 2012, made news this week by hiring a familiar name as its associated director of soccer – former U.S. national Cobi Jones.  As Jeremiah Oshan notes, this looks to be a serious move at making the jump to a top-flight professional team unlike many of their rumored moves.  Currently the owner of a uniform and development academies, the “team” still has a way to go before it is ready for MLS play, but with the names it is gathering it could only be a matter of time before Don Graber announces it as the next expansion team.

But the Cosmos may be squeezed out by a new contender whose infrastructure suggests it is ready to make the jump to MLS.  San Antonio’s new NASL team unveiled its new name and plans for its own stadium with the stated goal of entering MLS…. by 2012.  San Antonio Scorpions FC will play in the 5,400 seat STAR complex which will have the ability to expand to 18,000 if the call-up is made for the club.

Of course there are other NASL, USL PRO, and imagined clubs that are yearning for MLS status, but these three markets seem the most viable right now for expansion.  All three also have their pros and cons.  Miami is a huge media market with a long soccer history, but that history includes one failed MLS franchise so far.  The Cosmos have the name and the history, as well as the country’s largest media market, but would also share their city with an established MLS franchise.  Plus, the Cosmos have an affiliation with the old NASL, a time in history that MLS would probably not like to relive.  San Antonio is another market that demographically and geographically makes sense for MLS; the soccer supporters group the “Crocketteers” numbers in the hundreds without a club to support.  However, in addition to the Scorpions the ownership group of the San Antonio Spurs is establishing their own USL Pro franchise with plans to move up to MLS eventually.

What city do you think will get the 20th franchise and why?  Answer in the comments and in the poll.

Update: RSL Soapbox has some intriguing option for expansion as well.