Photo from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

UPDATE: The DC United-Portland Timbers match has been postponed; a make-up date will be announced next week.

The expected landfall of Hurricane Irene has caused MLS and other major professional sports teams to shift their schedules in anticipation of dramatic winds, rain, and flooding.  Irene is expected to reach land by Saturday and move up the coast through Sunday evening.  While meteorologists have stressed that the hurricane could change trajectory and intensity between now and the anticipated landfall, some states have already declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the weather.

Three MLS games were scheduled to take place on the East Coast this weekend, including the much-anticipated New York Red Bulls/Los Angeles Galaxy match.  Because all three games were expected to take place during the storm’s strongest point at those locations, all three have been rescheduled.  The most high-profile of the three matches, the nationally televised game between the Red Bulls and Galaxy, is now rescheduled to October 4 at 8 PM and will be shown on ESPN2.  The timing works for the Red Bulls, as they will play at Toronto on October 1st then not have another game until October 15.  The rescheduling is not so nice to the Galaxy, as they play Real Salt Lake at home the weekend before flying to New York.  The back-to-back high-profile matches will be a challenge for this veteran team.

Originally scheduled to take place the same time as the NY/LA match, the Philadelphia Union match against the New England Revolution was rescheduled late this afternoon to Wednesday, September 7 at 8 PM ET.  The match, scheduled to be shown on Galavision, will be still be shown on the station.  The Union will squeeze this match into the part of their schedule that sees them play at Real Salt Lake, vs. Portland, and vs. Columbus in a two week period.  New England is the biggest beneficiary – they actually do not play again until the reschedule date before flying home to host FC Dallas.

In a match featuring two teams on the outside of the playoffs looking in, DC United was scheduled to host the Portland Timbers Saturday evening.  However, DCU announced early this afternoon that their match against Portland on Saturday was moved from 7:30 PM to 2 PM, and all pre-game activities are cancelled (see update above).  DCU was scheduled to hold a LatinFest celebration and an induction ceremony for Black-and-Red great Richie Williams, who helped the team win three MLS Cups.  MLS notes on its website that a definitive announcement about the game will be made Friday afternoon, as Irene’s trajectory may bring bad weather to the DC area earlier than expected.

“With the safety of our fans and clubs top of mind, and thanks to the cooperation of our clubs and broadcast partners, Major League Soccer has rescheduled two games that were originally set for this weekend,” said Nelson Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Competition and Game Operations, on the MLS site. “We expect that Hurricane Irene will likely cause hazardous travel and unplayable conditions throughout the Northeast. We appreciate our fans’ understanding of these decisions and the media’s assistance in communicating the message.”

This weekend, Tony Tchani became the latest victim of one of the dumbest soccer rules on the books.  After scoring his goal for a Toronto franchise that is probably at its lowest point, he ran off the pitch and jumped up to the stands to celebrate with the fans.  Already sitting on a yellow card, the referee gave him a second and sent him off.  Columbus took advantage and grabbed an equalizer, keeping the Crew’s unbeaten streak alive and denying Toronto a valuable three points.

This is not the first time something like this has happened this season – Eric Hassli was given a second caution when, after a goal against New England, he stripped off his jersey to reveal….another jersey.  Regardless, he was sent off for two cautions.  The issue of goal celebrations and harshness is receiving a lot of thought in soccer circles this week not just because of the Tchani celebration, but because of an EPL incident as well.  When Tamir Cohen scored the game-winning goal for Bolton against Arsenal, he raised his shirt to show a picture of his father, also a professional soccer player who had died recently in a car accident.  Referee Mike Jones issued a celebration yellow as Cohen was crying and honoring his father.

First, let’s establish the fact that by now players should know a simple fact – if they do anything besides a small dance or celebration on the pitch with teammates, they will receive a yellow card.  Tchani and Hassli should have known this and they deserved their punishments knowing that officials crack down on these things.  That said, officials should not punish goal celebrations, but especially in MLS.  In fact, I’d encourage MLS and USSF to have a chat with their officials and encourage them to let celebrations slide.

For my explanation, read on….

The FIFA Laws of the Game state that “reasonable celebrations are allowed, but the practice of choreographed celebrations is not to be encouraged when it results in excessive time-wasting and referees are instructed to intervene in such cases.” FIFA rules note (pg 133) that an official may must caution a player if:

• a celebration includes inflammatory gestures
• he climbs onto a perimeter fence
• he removes his shirt or lifts his shirt, regardless of if a shirt is on underneath
• he covers his face or head with a mask.

Obviously officials take these rules very seriously despite the fact they are only guidelines.  In Tchani’s case, he did jump onto a perimeter fence but it was in his own fan section at home.  The rule is in place for players in hostile arenas to prevent inciting opposing fans by taunting them and to prevent unnecessary delay of games.  In this weekend’s incident, neither happened.

In their defense, MLS has said Tchani should not have received the yellow, but I’d encourage them to take it a step farther.  I want MLS to come out and say that if a player has a creative or unique goal celebration that does not unnecessary delay a game or taunt fans, then they encourage the player to show their creativity.  Why should they do this?  Exposure.  What drives Sportscenter and sports highlight shows more than creative celebrations?  Those are the type of things that get MLS attention.  What was the main highlight in the DC United-LA Galaxy match?  It wasn’t Magee’s goal, it was Charlie Davies trying to drive a locked VW.  One of the most viral soccer videos of the past year was this incredibly funny goal celebration from Iceland; fan interest in MLS would be peaked if they saw videos on ESPN of funny celebrations or teams creatively honoring a goal.

Obviously there would have to be some limitations.  Celebrations away from home do have the potential to incite opposing fans, so referees should have the leeway to take that into account when deciding to issue yellow cards.  And of paramount importance is the clock; any celebration that goes on for too long or wastes too much time should be a yellow card.  The question is how long is too long, but I am ok with that being a subjective call as long as officials err on the side of allowing too much celebration.  Officials always have the leeway to add on time at the end of a half to make up for celebrations; I would say anything that takes a player away for over a minute is excessive.  And if the league is still concerned with what celebrations will do, Graham Poll has an excellent suggestion: fine a player for any goal celebration that includes removing a shirt (or I’d suggest jumping into the stands) and give the money to charity.

MLS is missing an opportunity to increase its media presence when in the modern media anything that goes viral on the Internet is picked up by major networks and cable stations.  Hits, as in web hits, are the name of the game and MLS should allow its players to show their creativity which consequently will attract attention to the league.  The league should want snippets of their games to be spread on Facebook, You Tube, and Twitter, and the best way to do that is to allow attention-grabbing celebrations.

Let the celebrations continue!

Photo by spinnerin

On the same day Seattle set an attendance record for an MLS match, the rival Portland Timbers sent out a press release designed to show that their fans too can pack a stadium for a soccer match.  This was another tactic in their strategy to prove to the soccer world that maybe Seattle doesn’t have MLS’s most passionate fan base.

The team’s supporters group  - the Timbers’ Army  - announced yesterday that they had sold out their allotment of season tickets a full month prior to their first home match against the Chicago Fire.  The club had partnered with the Timbers’ Army to sell 3,000 plus tickets in the eight sections on the North End of the stadium and the Army, through a series of campaigns and events, sold out the entire part of the park.  The group is setting aside, however, 500 tickets to be sold on game days.

“Three-thousand tickets seemed like a steep hill to climb when we took this on,” said 107^ist President Dave Hoyt.  The 107^ist is the Timbers Army’s business arm.  “That we’ve sold out a month before the first home game just shows how ready this city and our fans are for MLS.”

The press release was conveniently sent out the same night Seattle hosted MLS First Kick 2011 and set a record attendance of 36,000 plus fans for an MLS match.  The timing may have been coincidental, but the rivalry between the two clubs is not.  Last night during the match ESPN showed a picture of the now-famous Portland billboard launched in September that simply says “Portland, Oregon. Soccer City USA” and has the Timbers’ logo.  The billboard was not located in Oregon, however; it was placed a block away from Qwest Field.

Like two siblings bickering constantly, expect the lead-up to the match between these two clubs to be heated.  I for one can’t wait to see them face off on May 14 on ESPN.

Fresh off the news that JP Dellacamera is making the move from ESPN to Fox Soccer, the network announced its pairings for the upcoming MLS season.  Not surprisingly, Dellacamera is the Friday night play-by-play man, and in my opinion Fox has surrounded him with some quality talent.

Your game day host for MLS will be American soccer legend Eric Wynalda.  According to the Fox press release, Wynalda will host the pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows for the 31 matches FSC will carry this year.  His in-studio partner is fellow American international Christopher Sullivan, a past color commentator for MLS Saturday on FSC.  The two gentlemen have been excellent with Warren Barton in Fox Soccer’s Champions League coverage, offering good insight without being annoying studio presences.

Kyle Martino has been a lightening rod during his time at FSC, hosting the widely panned Soccer Talk Live during its brief existence but seemingly settling into a more comfortable role in “the pub” during FSC’s Super Sunday +.  His experience on the pitch is undeniable, and he does add a good perspective to the shows he is currently on.  I think pairing him with JP Dellacamera will give him a chance to expand his broadcast experience, and he will be a better partner for JP than his ESPN partner John Harkes.  To many that is heresy, but Harkes’ laid back color commentary seemed to not mesh well with Dellacamera’s low wattage style of play-by-play (case in point – Edson Buddle’s playoff goal).  Martino will lend some passion into the booth, and combined with JP’s professionalism, will make this a good pairing.

Rounding out the team is Brian Dunseth on the sidelines, who besides being another U.S. national has experience in this role for RSL and FSC.  During the Saturday games, Fox Soccer will bring in Mark Rogandino, Allen Hopkins, Dave Johnson, and Keith Bleyer.

So what do you think of the new format for MLS matches?  Looking forward to Sullivan/Wynalda in studio with Dellacamera/Martino in the booth?

Good morning MLS fans!  We are now mere weeks away from the season and, if you’re like me, the previews we have been running on the site have been getting you fired up for an exciting season.  Amidst all the preseason matches and television/playoff drama, here are some stories that flew under the radar last week and this weekend:

• Over the weekend, the U.S. U-17 team won the U-17 title with an overtime 3-0 win against Canada.  The match was scoreless during regulation but the Americans found their scoring touch in overtime.  This is the U.S.’s first title at this level since 1983 (when it was U-16), although this was also the first championship held since 1996.  The highlights are above.
• Welcome back Carlos Ruiz!  The one-time Golden Boot winner has come back from Europe (specifically Aris) and signed an MLS contract with Philadelphia.  A bit older at age 31, Ruiz can still give the Union some goals this season.
• For those who have missed the D.C. United drama over the past week, here is a recap: newly-acquired keeper Steve Cronin broke his wrist in training camp and, with Bill Hamid still recovering from shoulder surgery, goalkeeper coach Pat Onstad has come out of retirement to play for the club.  This allows DCU to at least have someone with MLS experience in net but Hamid is still considered the starter when healthy.
• This story was referenced in our MLS Talk podcast, but terrible news out of New England training camp as Shalrie Joseph was arrested in Orlando for trespassing.  He and Kevin Alston, who was also involved in the altercation at the party, have been dismissed from the team’s training camp and their status is still up in the air for the season.  A bad situation that muddles the Revolution’s season, to say nothing of the legal situation.
• And finally, who says ESPN doesn’t care about MLS.  The Worldwide Leader has released a fantasy MLS game called FC Manager, which can be found here.  Basically you have  to build a roster of 15 MLS players under the salary cap, and collect points every week.  If anyone is interested in an MLS Talk league, sound off in the comments section.

It’s official – Major League Soccer and Fox Soccer Channel are back together again, at least for one more year.

The two sent out a press release today trumpeting the agreement which will see 31 regular season games and three playoff games (including one conference final) broadcast by the cable channel.  Fifteen of the matches are Saturday night, and 14 are on Fridays.  The new schedule does result in 15 matches being moved, so break out your erasers if you have penciled your club’s schedule into your calendar.  And all are in high definition, if you are lucky enough to have it.

“FOX Soccer has been a tremendous partner for MLS for many years and we are very happy that we have been able to extend the relationship,” said MLS President Mark Abbott in the release. “Through both its news coverage and its extensive schedule of MLS games, Fox Soccer allows MLS fans across the country to follow their club as well as their rivals.”

What does the press release tell us?  We’ll still have conference championships to determine the MLS Cup participants, but that doesn’t surprise anyone.  The four clubs that will not be seen on ESPN (Columbus, Dallas, Toronto, and Vancouver) will be seen on FSC.   Other than that, you can begin to plan your TV viewing schedule and rest assured that you can watch some MLS on TV this year.

I think Fox Soccer is also missing an opportunity with this announcement.  My hope, and that of many other MLS fans, is that the eventual channel for MLS would also have pre-game segments, weekly segments, and special MLS programming.  That could still happen on FSC in the future, but I think the announcement of some of these types of programs could have really generated some excitement around a new season of MLS on Fox Soccer Channel.

The Fox Soccer Channel schedule is listed after the break.  What do you think?

March

Saturday, March 19
Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers
9 p.m.

Friday, March 25*
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Houston Dynamo
10 p.m. (excl.)

April

Friday, April 1*
Columbus Crew vs. FC Dallas
7:30 p.m. (excl.)

Friday, April 8*
FC Dallas vs. Colorado Rapids
9 p.m. (excl.)

Saturday, April 16
Toronto FC vs. D.C. United
7 p.m.

Friday, April 22*
Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC
9:30 p.m. (excl.)

Saturday, April 23
LA Galaxy vs. Portland Timbers
11 p.m. (excl.)

Friday, April 29*
Houston Dynamo vs. D.C. United
8:30 p.m. (excl.)

May

Friday, May 6*
Portland Timbers vs. Philadelphia Union
10:30 p.m. (excl.)

Saturday, May 14
Real Salt Lake vs. Houston Dynamo
9 p.m.

June

Friday, June 3*
LA Galaxy vs. D.C. United
11 p.m. (excl.)

Friday, June 10*
New York Red Bulls vs. New England Revolution
8:30 p.m. (excl.)

Saturday, June 11
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
10 p.m.

Friday, June 17*
Sporting Kansas City vs. San Jose Earthquakes
8:30 p.m. (excl.)

Saturday, June 25
San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy
11 p.m. (excl.)

July

Saturday, July 2
D.C. United vs. Philadelphia Union
7 p.m. (excl.)

Saturday, July 9
LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire
10:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 16
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Colorado Rapids
4 p.m. (excl.)

Friday, July 29*
Philadelphia Union vs. Colorado Rapids
7:30 p.m. (excl.)

Saturday, July 30
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. LA Galaxy
7:30 p.m.

August

Friday, August 5*
Colorado Rapids vs. Columbus Crew
9:30 p.m. (excl.)

Saturday, August 13
Sporting Kansas City vs. LA Galaxy
8:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 20
Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
10 p.m.

Saturday, August 27
Chivas USA vs. Real Salt Lake
10:30 p.m. (excl.)

September

Friday, September 9*
LA Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids
11 p.m. (excl.)

Friday, September 16*
Portland Timbers vs. New England Revolution
11 p.m. (excl.)

Friday, September 23*
Sporting Kansas City vs. Philadelphia Union
8:30 p.m. (excl.)

October

Saturday, October 1*
Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls
7:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 15
Seattle Sounders FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes
10:30 p.m. (excl.)

* indicates date or time change from schedule as originally announced

(excl.) – exclusively broadcast on FSC.

Our long national nightmare is over.  The MLS schedule is out.

About a month before the beginning of the season, MLS finally released the entire schedule for all 18 MLS teams.  Previously, only each team’s first home game was known, and some clubs like the LA Galaxy got an early jump on releasing the schedule by leaking the dates and opponents of some key matches.  But finally, you can plan your life around your favorite team’s schedule and start buying your plane tickets for those away trips.  See the league schedule here.

As for the long awaited television deal… it will be a bit longer of a wait.  But MLS did release the ESPN schedule for the year.  ESPN will broadcast 21 matches, 17 on ESPN2 and 4 on the Worldwide Leader.  All of them fortunately will be available on ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes.  Eight matches will feature the Red Bulls, six the Galaxy, and five Seattle, including the opening match pitting the Galaxy at the Sounders.  Absent from the TV schedule?  New MLS team Vancouver, rebuilding Columbus, new management Toronto, and MLS Cup contender Dallas.  Odd that MLS couldn’t fit a new club and one of its better clubs on the TV schedule.  See when your favorite team is on ESPN here.

The schedule also goes out of its way to emphasize regional rivalries.  We knew ahead of time about the Cascadia Cup pitting Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland, but the league didn’t schedule the games back-to-back as promised.  In addition to this Northwest rivalry, the league has created a I-95 Corridor rivalry (D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bull, and New England Revolution), the SuperClasico (the Los Angeles derby), the Rocky Mountain Cup (Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids), and the Battle for El Capitan (Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas).

So what do you think?  Do you like your team’s schedule?  Excited for the Rocky Mountain Cup or sad your team isn’t involved in a Cup contest?  Sound off below.

The cold days of winter have gotten a little sunlight – MLS today unveiled their schedule for “First Kick 2011″, the first home games for every MLS team in the upcoming season.  The week will be the first week of the new balanced scheduling and offers some tantalizing match-ups for American soccer fans.

First up again is the Seattle Sounders, who for the third year in a row will kick off the MLS season, this time against the LA Galaxy.  The game can be seen at 9:30 PM Eastern on ESPN on March 15.

Saturday, March 19 is when most of the other clubs will begin the season and the schedule has some tantalizing games.  Expansion Vancouver will host fellow countrymen Toronto on the first weekend to christen the new MLS club.  Colorado will begin its defense of its MLS Cup against the expansion Timbers at 9 PM Eastern that day.  And in what may be the marquee match-up of the weekend, San Jose hosts Real Salt Lake in one of two matches featuring two 2010 playoff teams (the other is Seattle flying to New York to face the Red Bulls).

The weekend of March 26 allows many of the first weekend’s visiting teams to return home and play in front of home crowds.  The 2010 Eastern Conference top seeds face off at Columbus Crew Stadium at 4 PM.  The sexy match-up undoubtedly is Real Salt Lake’s first home match, where they will host the LA Galaxy in an early season battle of possible 2011 MLS Cup contenders.

The only two teams without a home opener in March are Portland (April 14) and Kansas City (June 9).  You can see the entire home opening slate here.

What do you think?  Is RSL/LA the best game of the first two weeks?  What do you think about your club’s opener?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  The last week has been a barrage of news and rumors in the world of MLS, and the next few weeks will likely be the same with the 2018/2022 bid announcements and re-entry draft.  But for one day, let us step back and give thanks for all of the good things that MLS (and soccer overall) gives to us every day.  Sports are an escape for every day living, an alternate world where curving a soccer ball earns you millions or being the right height guarantees a job for twenty years.  And without it, society would be a much more depressing place.

This Thanksgiving, here is what I am thankful for:

I am thankful for Dax McCarty going to DC United – quite a good trade yesterday for DC United, sending Rodney Wallace to Portland for the former FC Dallas player.  The Black and Red now have another creative midfielder to score goals, something that has been mysteriously absent from RFK this year, as well as another offensive threat to pair with Andy Najar.  I think this is the beginning of a good rebuilding for DCU.

I am thankful for expanding technology to watch even more games – do you realize that I can practically travel anywhere and watch a soccer match?  If I have a laptop/mobile device, wireless, and headphones, I can pull up ESPN3, foxsoccer.tv, YouTube, or a number of video sites and watch highlights or an entire match.  It has never been easier to enjoy the beautiful game and the league(s) of your choice.

I am thankful for balanced scheduling, at least for another year – even with two new clubs this season, I will still have the opportunity to watch every club at least once in my home team’s stadium.  You can’t say that about many American sports, and I think it’s something we sometimes take for granted.  And in that vein…..

I am thankful for living so close to an MLS club – I live within a half hour of an MLS club, and have the opportunity to see my home team in action, something residents in many large cities (let alone rural areas) do not have the chance to do.

I am thankful for U.S. soccer supporters – overshadowed by English hooligans and fan clubs, the U.S. has its own great fan base for soccer.  At the national level, Sam’s Army travels to all the matches and provides a good base of support for Bob Bradley’s squad.  At the club level, every team has great supporters, and some like Seattle go above and beyond the call of fandom.  Good fans really help make a match a great one.

I am thankful for Don Garber and Sunil Gulati – I am the first to criticize these gentlemen at times for their boneheaded decisions, but their jobs are not easy.  They have to grow a sport in a country where the sport’s landscape is already crowded and soccer is sometimes seen as a foreign influence.  Their job is not easy and I am thankful they are there to do it.  Plus, they provide constant topics for posts on the site.

And finally, I am thankful for you – Thank you to everyone who reads, comments, Tweets, and shares the content on this site.  Without you, this site would not be as dynamic as it is and full of diverse thoughts and opinions.

What MLS or soccer things are you thankful for this year?

As part of his second state of the union at halftime of the MLS Cup, Don Garber revealed that MLS would be considering shifting the season from spring-to-fall to the FIFA-endorsed fall-to-spring schedule.  While this is not the first time MLS has considered shifting its schedule, Garber said that the rethink was pushed by FIFA and was tied into the U.S. World Cup bid.  It’s no secret that FIFA has long been disappointed that MLS is not in-sync with most of the rest of the soccer world and they have pressured MLS to conform to everyone else.  But if FIFA gives the U.S. an ultimatum to change the schedule or else, the US stand up to FIFA and tell them no.

This scenario is not out of the realm of possibility.  In 1994, FIFA made establishing a permanent outdoor league a contingency for hosting.  While I think the U.S. right now is the leader in the 2022 race, if it is close or becomes close in the next week, the scheduling issue could become a pressure point for the U.S.  FIFA conceivably come to the U.S. and say change the schedule or enjoy the Qatar World Cup.

So if it comes down to scheduling, should the US abandon its spring-to-fall schedule for the World Cup?  No, MLS and U.S. Soccer should stand its ground on this one if it needs to.  The arguments for spring-to-fall are well-known and they are incredibly valid.  The MLS should not open its season overshadowed by all four major U.S. sports and crown its champions overshadowed by the beginning of baseball and the NCAA basketball championship.  In addition, the majority of the season would be played in the winter, which would be miserable for most teams north of Kansas City.  Having the MLS mainly in the summer allows American soccer to receive more attention from the media, especially when its only major competition is baseball.

Moving to a FIFA-approved schedule would fundamentally alter the essence of MLS.  Immediately American soccer would be another soccer league competing directly with other international leagues, and if ESPN/FSC numbers are any indication, that’s a losing proposition.  Everyone but the most hardcore MLS fans would ignore the league.  And as anyone who watches Sportscenter knows, which honestly and unfortunately dictates the American sports conversation, September through February is all NFL.  Any hope of standing out and attracting attention from the casual sports fan is lost, and MLS would have to hope to attract European soccer fans.  But with their own leagues running concurrently, that is another losing proposition.

Lost amid other American sports and other leagues, MLS would simply be a niche sport like Major League Lacrosse.  And the ability to attract big-name international stars would decrease.  Think it’s a hard decision for Landon Donovan now to play in the EPL?  Imagine if he had to choose between Everton and the Galaxy and could only pick one.  Same for a Ronaldinho, who would wait until he was absolutely out of options in Europe before moving the U.S.  The big-name designated players would be older and closer to retirement than they are now.

The World Cup is an exciting thing, something that can bring immense international attention and money to the United States, as well as make even casual sports fans pay attention to soccer.  But the cost to MLS if they had to compromise on their schedule would be huge.  MLS has to decide if it wants to become just another league in a sea of soccer leagues around the world, or if it wants to establish its own niche in the world and continue to grow.