MLS Review Policy to be Tested this Week

Over the past few weeks, MLS players midweek have been issued suspensions or fines by the league for actions that occurred in the past.  The league’s new policy of reviewing harsh fouls and plays have led to the main office retroactively punishing players for deeds that were let go on the field or flat-out missed by the officials.  The goal of this retroactive punishment is to prevent players from getting away with dangerous tackles and make MLS a little less physical, something the league feels is needed after a number of injuries to high-profile players last year.  You can debate the merits of working behind an official’s back and what it says about the league’s officiating staff, or whether it is fair to punish players for crimes not deemed worthy of cards during matches.  However, the reality is the policy is in place and being used by MLS.

This weekend the existence of retroactive punishments should certainly be used and would show the importance of leagues being able to look back and make an after-the-fact judgement.  The Red Bulls v. Earthquakes match is the prime example of why it exists.  Both teams were certainly guilty of careless, even reckless plays in the second half that turned a wide-open game into a slow slug-fest.  Rafa Marquez’s incident stands out as the most flagrantly obvious, when he grabbed Shea Salinas in the box and put him to the ground, then kicked him on his way up.  Salinas, an important part of this San Jose team, allegedly suffered a broken collarbone yet no card or foul was given.

However, the ‘Quakes themselves were not innocent.  Martin Chavez’s tackle on Roy Miller was eerily reminiscent of the type of tackle that ended David Ferreira’s season last year and was nothing more than a classless attempt to slow down a player that had beaten him.  He was lucky to only get a yellow.  Ultimately, the success in the league’s replay system will depend on how (or if) they punish these types of flagrant fouls.  If Chavez and Marquez are not given suspensions for their actions, then the league office needs to review itself.

Player of the Week

The player of the week comes from the team of the week.  Aurelien Collin has played some outstanding defense these past few weeks for the red hot Sporting Kansas City and Saturday was no different.  Although the goalless result was a team effort, Collin was excellent as usual in disrupting the Real Salt Lake attack and preventing them for creating many good scoring chances.  What earns him the POTW nod, however, was his goal scored in the 63rd minute off a corner after a previous KC effort was taken off the board.  For all of his contributions, Collin receives the POTW honors.

Honorable Mention Player of the Week

MMS loves to give love to the defenders, and will do so again this week by giving recognition to the man in the box.  Dan Kennedy of Chivas USA faced a determined Toronto side on their own turf and despite this was able to keep a clean sheet for the Goats.  Toronto had five shots on goal but the quality of the saves is what earns Kennedy this honor.  This is especially true of his denial of Danny Koevermans late in the game after some atrocious play by his defenders.  After a very good 2011, it looks like Kennedy may be ready to step up into a more elite level of MLS keepers.

The Downside of the Unbalanced Schedule

In order to accommodate a 19 team league and not increase the number of games played, the league this offseason switched to an unbalanced schedule.  Gone are the days of seeing an opponent twice a year (home and away) but instead teams now see some division foes three times, some twice, and the other conference only once.  The positive is reduced travel and more games against opponents that, to be frank, matter more in a league where conferences matter greatly.

But the past two weeks have shown the downside of the unbalanced schedule.  Four inter-conference games were played this weekend and two of them I would love to see again at the visitor’s home stadium.  I wonder what RSL v. Sporting KC would look like at Rio Tinto; I suspect Real Salt Lake would be more aggressive in that match with their passionate fans behind their goal.  Also, there is a budding rivalry between San Jose and New York, as it seems like every time they play something interesting happens.  However, due to unbalanced scheduling, we will have to wait potentially for the MLS Cup to see these teams face off in MLS play again this year.  Last week we saw possibly for the last time this year Sporting Kansas City face the LA Galaxy while DC and Seattle renewed a fun cross-country “rivalry”.  I understand the need for an unbalanced schedule and logically I support it.  However, I lament MLS’s missed opportunities for rematches and replays of some juicy early season match-ups.

Coaching Move of the Week

It seems like Schellas Hyndman is destined to be mentioned in this column every week, but the FC Dallas head man has a way of tinkering with the game that either blows up spectacularly or clicks just right.  Such as it was in Dallas’ 2-1 win over a surprisingly strong Montreal team in front of 16,000 fans in Texas.  For the first half, Dallas played a more traditional 4-4-2 lineup that failed to connect the midfield and the forwards.  After the penalty that gave the Impact a 1-0 lead, the home side played with a renewed passion that was assisted by some substitutions and a formation change.  Bobby Warshaw and Bruno Guarda came on at halftime which allowed Hyndman to shift his team into a 4-1-4-1/4-5-1 and allow them to begin to dominate midfield play.

Quote of the Week Part 1

“In soccer, it only takes a few seconds to score a goal, one play to break down for the other team to score and it takes total concentration for 90 minutes.  As the game goes on guys get a little leggy, a little tired, but it can’t be an excuse for us. It’s something we have to get better with.”

Clyde Simms, on the team’s second straight loss by allowing a late goal (h/t to The Bent Musket)

Head Scratcher of the Week

We all acknowledge how good of a team Sporting Kansas City is at this point but I didn’t think that Jason Kreis would recognize this in his tactics.  Kreis must have talked away tactics with Roberto Mancini prior to the game as his team played with conservative tactics throughout the first half before switching to a more attacking, yet no more effective 4-3-3 to match KC’s in the second half.  Steve Davis noted that the RSL fullbacks played back to prevent Kei Kamara and Bobby Convey from roaming the flanks, but the midfield was also slow to support the forwards in the attack.  RSL has the talent to take on KC, so I am disappointed we didn’t see more of it displayed.

Quote of the Week Part 2

“It was a terrible first touch, but it took me into a shooting position and I knew as soon as I hit it that it was going in. I enjoyed it.”

David Beckham on his wonder goal (h/t to Stumptown Footy for the postgame transcript)

Videos of the Week

There are two for you to enjoy this week.  The first is the David Beckham goal making its way through the internet:

while the second is another goal scored in a much more amusing way

MMS Non-Scientific Power Poll

10. DC United (10): If they can win back-to-back games for the first time in three years this Wednesday, I’ll move them up in these rankings.  The potential for a top 8 team is there, but consistency is the key.

9. Chivas USA (NR): 0-3-0 at home, 3-0-0 on the road.  Odd splits but a may work to get them into the playoffs once they figure out the Home Depot Center.

8. Houston Dynamo (8): Rain halted a pretty good match between the Dynamo and Fire, but Houston survives bad weather and injuries with a point.

7. Vancouver Whitecaps (7): Off this week but face quite the challenge hosting Kansas City on Wednesday.

6. FC Dallas (9): This team may be righting the ship as it gets healthy and begins to figure out how to play its personnel.  If they can continue to draw over 15k to games, they will gain a home field advantage.

5. San Jose Earthquakes (5): Go into New York, take a point, and hold them to two goals?  I’m convinced this is a very good team, but one whose depth is about to be tested.

4. New York Red Bulls (3): The draw still saw New York score almost at will and give the Henry-Cooper duo more additions to their impressive numbers.  But San Jose may have figured out how to beat this team, and that bodes ill for their next game at DC United, who has similar strengths to San Jose.

3. Seattle Sounders (3): Seattle basically allowed Colorado to play with the ball, then when they got too close to the net yanked it from them and threatened to score.  Very effective game and a well deserved three points.

2. Real Salt Lake (2): Yes they lost this weekend but their two losses have been to an amazing road team (Chivas USA) and on the road to the best team in MLS.  Can’t fault them too much for that.

1. Sporting Kansas City (1): Safe to say they’ve earned this spot for the time being

All of the hype and eyes of the American soccer community will be on MLS Live Saturday night (yes, someone forgot to negotiate this game into NBC or ESPN’s deal) as Sporting Kansas City host Real Salt Lake in the Battle of First Place Teams.  With both teams playing so well, the hype is justified and I think a well played match is in the making.  But while I plan on watching the match either that night or the next morning, I am more excited about any number of matches this weekend.  Why? First, because I love being a contrarian and throwing out controversial topics to rile up you readers.  But after looking at the entire schedule, you can make a case for why every other game this weekend could potentially be more interesting to watch than the “most important” one of the year.

Let’s take each one in chronological order:

Philadelphia Union v. Columbus Crew: This one is the NBC Sports game of the week (insert joke here) but this is an important early season match for both teams.  While neither team can be said to be “out of the race” this early in the season, the result of this game should give the potential winner a major shot of emotion.  For the visitors, they are coming off a beat-down by the Red Bulls and will be looking to right the ship after what they hope was just a speed bump.  Making the task a little harder is that starting keeper Will Hesmer is now out for the next few weeks.  For Philly, it’s simple.  This may be the best chance to get a win for a few more weeks so they need the points.  Look for a desperate, potentially open game.

New England Revolution v. DC United: Both of these teams are mid-table in the East and arguably punching above their weight the past few weeks with some very eye-catching results.  Winner moves ahead in the “Surprise team of the year” race and begins to garner legitimate early-season buzz.  DC actually hasn’t beaten New England since 2008, but the Revs will be without a few key starters for this match.  Classic MLS match.

Seattle Sounders v. Colorado Rapids: From a more unfortunate perspective, this is the first time Brian Mullan will face the Sounders crowd after his famous leg-breaking tackle on Steve Zakuani.  How the ever creative Seattle fans will respond will be of interest.  Seattle needs this win badly to reestablish some momentum after a draw to DC and a home loss to the ‘Quakes.  This has seen them slide a bit in the standings, behind…. Colorado.  For the Rapids, a point or three would be a major statement on how good they are.

Toronto FC v. Chivas USA: Is Toronto this bad and is Chivas USA this good on the road?  This is a good chance to answer both questions, and the answer may have more results in the standings than the more hyped KC/RSL match.

New York v. San Jose: I’d argue this is the best match of the weekend.  We know the New York story – FIFA12-esque scoring ability from the unstoppable Henry-Cooper duo makes this a very scary New York team suddenly.  But consider the number 2.  As in the number of goals allowed by San Jose this year with a schedule that has included offense heavy teams like Seattle and Vancouver.  Frank Yallop has the ‘Quakes playing like world beaters by beating you with speed down the flanks and tightening up the defense in front of goal.  This will be one of the best defenses New York will face in its early season schedule and, if they drop another 3-4 goals on the visitors, they will shatter the impression of an improved San Jose team.  But what if the ‘Quakes escape with a point or three points?  They could arguably be the best team in the West, depending on how other matches fall out.

FC Dallas v. Montreal Impact:  Ok, this one was a bit harder to get excited about, but this is a good test for Dallas.  They had a strong win last week that signals they may be entering into their annual late-spring/summer run.  For Montreal, four points in two games would be great, and let’s be honest, watching Jesse Marsch’s team is still kind of a cool new experience.

Los Angeles Galaxy v. Portland Timbers:  People like to stare at car wrecks so how would this be that much different?  In all seriousness, this is the type of desperation game that could lead to a ton of goals.  Both teams need a spark to begin their climb out of the bottom of the league, and the last time LA was at home in this position they pasted DC United 3-1.  These are two of the league’s most talented teams, so throw out the records and enjoy what should be an entertaining match.

Chicago Fire v. Houston Dynamo:  If you feel like you don’t have a handle on either of these teams it’s because you probably don’t.  Both have played only three times this year and Houston hasn’t played since March!  Both teams, who should be in the upper half of the Eastern Conference come September, will be playing with some “name” starters injured, including the Dynamo and their three second-string midfielders.  This could be a 2012 playoff preview.

Watching the video of the Timbers Army sing the National Anthem again and how much attention that gets in mainstream sports media made me think about what an opportunity MLS has to wedge into the American sports mainstream.  People flinch at the stereotypical soccer hooligans but one of the things that I have heard from colleagues that attracted them to soccer is the supporters’ groups and the desire to be a part of a passionate following that is lacking in other professional sports.  Supporters’ groups are like being in college at a sporting event again, except you don’t have to sneak in beer and can afford full price tickets.

Naturally any discussion of this important part of soccer brings up an obvious and loaded question: who is the best?  Which team has the best supporters’ group?  Obviously there are biases built into any answer but in this case that is a good thing.  Because we here at MLS Talk have a challenge for you, our loyal readers.

You have the chance to do the work for us.

Below in the comments section give us a 100-200 word description of why your team’s supporters’ group is the best in MLS.  The three that we the writers of the site think are the best will be featured in their own post on the site during the next international/MLS break.  Here are a few guidelines:

• Over 200 words will be disqualified, you can check your word count by typing it in Word first
• Links to videos or pictures do not count against the word limit, but the videos/pictures cannot be inappropriate.  Would you show your grandmother/clergy member/ 2nd grade teacher the video or picture?
• This is for supporters’ groups, not the casual fans.  A story about how your aunt has attended every game for the past ten years and named her dog Landon is touching, but will not count.
• Please do not use inappropriate language, disparage other groups or fans, and especially do not use any offensive slurs.
• Creative writing, persuasiveness of argument, and passion are the three criteria for judging who will win.

Name: Seattle Sounders

Coach: Sigi Schmid

Last Year: 18-7-9, 2nd Western Conference, 2nd Overall

Hashtag: #Sounders

Are Sounders fans too demanding?  In its current iteration, the club is entering its fourth MLS season and has made three consecutive conference semifinals. They own the U.S. Open Cup.   They have set attendance records that will be hard to surpass, and they have become the de facto face of MLS because of all of this.  Yet the team has a major road block that it just cannot overcome: the Los Angeles Galaxy.  The current MLS champs are blocking their ascent to the top of the league and until the Sounders can beat LA and win the MLS Cup, their seasons will feel unfulfilled.

This offseason, the team went for broke.  Rather than simply building up, the team took some gambles designed to keep up with the Galaxy.  While not gutting their roster, some moves were made with an eye on the next two years and not the next five.  Part of this is their participation in the CONCACAF Champions League but undoubtedly the franchise wants the MLS Cup.  Besides that trophy, however, the franchise is the envy of the league with the type of fan support, facilities, staff, and attitude that any team would want.  Isn’t that enough?

Coaching Staff and Front Office:  Sigi Schmid has reached the point in his career that when he makes a controversial acquisition, he always receives the benefit of the doubt (see Eddie Johnson below).  Schmid is one of the best head coaches in the league, a statement that can be easily backed up since he is the winningest MLS coach ever.  Working with the front office, the team consistently juggles the salary cap while still paying top-flight players and bringing up young talent.

Additions:  Let’s start with the most recent one and possibly the biggest one.  Eddie Johnson comes over via trade from Montreal to boost the Seattle attack.  Johnson returns to MLS after failing to latch on in Europe with rumors of dogging his tryouts following him.  A consistent scorer is what Seattle needs, so EJ needs to return to his previous dominant ways to justify this acquisition.

The most important new acquisition has to be the replacement for the team’s heart and keeper, Michael Gspurning.  The Austrian premier league veteran has no fear of replacing the legend Kasey Keller and is looking forward to playing in Seattle.  If for any reason Gspurning falters or is injured, the team recently signed Andrew Weber who of the four keepers currently on Seattle’s roster is the only one with any MLS experience.  To assist the keepers, the Sounders signed Swedish international Adam Johansson and MLS veteran Marc Burch to play fullback.  Johnsson could be the best signing of the offseason by any team.

Two additions to the midfield will give the team some intriguing options.  Forward/winger Cordell Cato was signed in the offseason as more of a depth/Open Cup player.  The 19 year old is a youth international for Trinidad & Tobago and presents some promise for the future.  A player who will provide a more immediate impact is Danish midfielder Christian Sivebaek who will be asked to support the attack while chipping in the occasional goal.

Subtractions:  In exchange for EJ the club sent F Mike Fucito and M Lamar Neagle to Montreal, two players that are not superstars but were an example of why Seattle competed well in multiple competitions: good solid depth by players on the cusp of taking that next step.  Neither loss is the type the redefines a team but both will be missed for the valuable depth they gave.  Fucito was not the only forward to leave this offseason as Nate Jaqua was picked up in the Re-Entry draft by the Revs and Pat Noonan was taken in that same draft by the Galaxy.  Erik Friberg’s departure also dents the Sounders’ offense.

Starting Lineup:  As mentioned, newcomer Gspurning replaces Kasey Keller in goal and has quite a task ahead of him.  Not helping matters is the number of new faces on the backline.  At right back will likely be newcomer Adam Johnsson, according to his preseason reps, and Leo Gonzalez will man the left side with some competition from Marc Burch.  In the center will be Jeff Parke and all-name teamer Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, who while not the most dominant centerback pairing in the league are two very good defenders.  If anyone falters, rookie Andrew Duran could push his way into the first team.

The midfield looks to be one of the best in MLS and it starts with Mauro Rosales.  The Argentine looks like a yearly MVP candidate and will spearhead the Sounders attack from the midfield.  Another danger from the outside is designated player Alvaro Fernandez who if not for his other talented teammates would star in this midfield.  Pushing for minutes will be returners Brad Evans and Osvaldo Alonso, two players that would start every minute for almost any other MLS team but will rotate during Seattle’s three competitions.  The two wild cards in the midfield are Steve Zakuani and Christian Sivebaek.  Zakuani looked like an MVP last season before breaking his leg and while reports suggest he is healthy again, it will be interesting to see how healthy he is when he takes the pitch in a competitive match.  As for Sivebaek, the 23 year old is talented and may be the best super-sub in MLS come September.

Up front it is simple: Fredy Montero and Eddie Johnson.  Montero has the chance to become an elite MLS player but needs to add a little consistency to his game.  Maybe playing next to Johnson will settle him, but once Montero stops disappearing for games he takes Seattle to a new level.  If these two falter, there is a mix of veteran (hello O’Brian White!) and young players that will contribute but cannot be counted on to be elite in 2012.

Player to Watch:  Gspurning will be the man under the microscope for two reasons: he is replacing a legend and he is the biggest unknown quantity on this team.  Every other part of the field is pretty settled, at least on the first team level, except for the keeper.  How he deals with being not-Kasey Keller and facing the likes of Edson Buddle, Kris Boyd, and Brek Shea will be the key to Seattle’s season.

Best Case Scenario:  The team gels quickly and once the Galaxy stars go abroad for their tournaments, Seattle passes LA in the standings.  May 2nd is a watershed day in Seattle history as the team beats LA at home and pushes the monkey off their back.  EJ reverts to his previous MLS form, Gspurning is a great keeper, the team keeps healthy and Zakuani gives Seattle three MVP candidates in the midfield.  Led by Golden Boot winner Fredy Montero, the Sounders beat LA in a game journalists call the best MLS game ever in the Western Conference finals and with a victory over DC United in the MLS Cup, win a historic treble.

Worst Case Scenario:  Trying to win in three competitions is too much for a team whose depth took a major hit this offseason.  Seattle loses in the U.S. Open Cup and falls into a battle for one of the final two playoff spots in the West.  They get in but bow out quickly, just like they did in the CONCACAF Champions League.  Eddie Johnson fails to support Montero and Montero begins to actively look overseas.  Injuries impact the midfield and Schmid declares the current situation unacceptable, ushering in a major retooling in the offseason.  Major publications – including Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and National Geographic - rank Portland ahead of Seattle in their rankings of best soccer cities and/or cities to experience a superb game day atmosphere.

Prediction:  Even Portland Timbers fans acknowledge that Seattle’s MLS schedule is one of the “easiest” in MLS, so that is a distinct advantage.  There are serious concerns about depth, especially at forward, but this is too talented of a team to not challenge for an MLS Cup.  I expect the Sounders to again finish second in the West and add at least one trophy to their trophy case.

There are a couple of different ways to look at tonight’s friendly between the United States and El Salvador (ESPN Classic and Galavision, 7 p.m.).

The first is to write it off as a meaningless affair. After all, there might be four or five guys out of the 20 in uniform tonight that have a realistic chance to be on the plane when it leaves for South Africa.

None of the European-based players, aside from Clarence Goodson, are in Tampa, so you can bet that coach Bob Bradley will use this opportunity to tinker with different lineups and formations with less than full attention to the scoreboard.

And the opponent is a team that the red, white and blue defeated twice in 2009. No disrespect to the Cuscatlecos, but it’s not the kind of matchup that gets the blood pumping for some folks.

Of course, to the 20 players in a national team kit this evening, this may be the most important game they’ve ever been a part of.

I’m sure that everyone in that group still has at least a glimmer of hope of making the final roster in May, so let’s have a look at the player pool:

GK: Troy Perkins (D.C. United) and Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake) - America is pretty set at the goalkeeper position with Tim Howard, Brad Guzan and Marcus Hahnemann seemingly locked into the three slots.

Bradley might be tempted to take one of these guys over Hahnemann, who will turn 38 on June 15. But since neither of these guys is young enough to figure in the 2014 plans, there’s really no reason to bring one of them to this year’s World Cup.

DEF: Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC) - Here’s where it gets interesting. With the concerns at center back, it’s telling that Go0odson is on this roster. It seems to me that Bradley is giving him every chance to make the roster, and barring an injury, I expect him to do just that.

Bornstein is another player that has a chance to nail down a spot, mainly because he can play on either side as a fullback and slide up into the midfield in a pinch.

Marshall, Pierce and Wynne have been less than stellar in recent call-ups and will need good performances to re-enter the discussion.

M: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew) – Rogers jumps out here as the player most likely to earn a spot.

He’s an intriguing prospect because of his age, pace and ability to play out on the wing.

I don’t want to be a dream killer, but the rest of this bunch have to be considered longshots with guys like Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Benny Feilhaber and a number of other players ahead of them in the pecking order.

Kljestan and Beckerman have had some opportunities to impress in recent months, but their performances have run hot and cold.

This would be a good time for a warm one.

F:  Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake) - Assuming Charlie Davies is healthy enough to be on the World Cup roster, there’s only room for two forwards behind Davies and Altidore.

Ching, in my opinion, will have to be hurt not to be on the roster. Some fans may not like his style, but he’s a veteran that holds the ball up well – two traits that make him attractive to Bradley. It would be nice to see him play well tonight, however.

The real battle is between Casey, Cunningham and Findley for the last forward slot (assuming one of the European guys doesn’t force his way into the discussion).

All three are accomplished MLS players. Cunningham won the Golden Boot last season with 17 goals while Casey was nipping at his heels with 16. Findley ended up with 12, putting all of these players in the same boat.

Can they translate MLS success to the international level?

If the roster came out today, I’d probably take Findley, but tonight’s friendly is a chance for one of the other guys to shine.

The next friendly is on March 3 in Europe against the Netherlands, so that roster will likely look radically different than this one.

The phrase now or never comes to mind…

In a long and completely boring interview with London’s Daily Mail, Marky Mark Wahlberg had this to say about his neighbor David Beckham:

Man, the Beckhams. It used to be so quiet on my road. Then David moves in with his family. Suddenly we’ve got paparazzi hanging out day and night. Now they’ll follow any car that drives down the road….I’m not telling Beckham to take his family home. I’m just not sure why he came to America in the first place. Man, we don’t want your soccer. There’s no way Americans are going to buy the idea of 90 minutes of running around without much happening. Thanks for trying guys, but we’ll stick to baseball and basketball.

Hey Marky – say what you want about Beckham, but there is no reason to insult the most popular sport in the world.  There are millions of soccer fans in the United States, and I don’t see any of them telling you how to avoid sounding like a lobotomized chimpanzee when delivering your lines.  Besides, if I wanted to spend 90 minutes watching someone run around without much action, I would have plunked down $9.50 to see you in that piece of excrement The Happening this summer.

Some random thoughts on the US win and the upcoming game against Costa Rica

The Greatest US Win I Have Never Seen.   A lot has already been said about how absurd it was that this game was not broadcast to the average US fan, so there is no reason to continue to beat this dead horse.  Beyond the television rights, Grant Wahl’s twitter on the game failed to tweet, the ussoccer.com twitter was intermittent at best and their Match Tracker did not work at all (at least for me), so switching between the New York Times Goal! update and Ives Galarcep’s running update was the best I could do.  It was easier to get information about North Korea’s political divisions than it was to figure out what was going on in the game.

Last night’s win was as impressive as the win against Spain in South Africa.  There are a lot of ways to hedge the win against Spain – it was in a neutral stadium, the Spanish took us for granted, it was as much a holiday as a tournament for Spain, etc.  There are no qualifications needed for what happened last night.  The stadium was absolutely rockin (check out Ives’ Youtube from three hours before the game began http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5C8mh-Vhrw).  Honduras had absolutely everything to play for.  We went a goal down at the same time that we knew Costa Rica was ahead and going to get three points.  Nevertheless, the US stepped up and won the game.  And yes, it was lucky that Pavon put the PK over the bar, but no less unlucky than that Holden had a completely fluky handball to set up the PK. 

Is Connor Casey the next Jozy Altidore or the next Eddie Johnson?  Many fans, including myself, were flummoxed to see Connor Casey in the starting lineup in place of Jozy Altidore or Brian Ching.  I guess that is one of several thousand reasons why Bob Bradley is the coach and I am not.  Nevertheless, one game does make a regular US National.  Remember Steve Ralston’s goal against Mexico last qualifying round?   Remember the great run that Johnson had in qualifications for 2006?  Neither do I.  I would suspect that Casey has gotten himself a ticket to South Africa, but I am not convinced he has a place in our starting XI.  I hope that Jozy plays Wednesday against Costa Rica because he should be playing like a man with something to prove.  In fact…

The entire team has something to prove against Costa Rica.  Our worst loss this year was not the Gold Cup final, which came with a boatload of “what ifs.”  It was the 3-1 loss against Costa Rica at Saprissa in June.  The 3-1 score line flattered the US as Costa Rica dominated the game from the beginning to the end.  The US was not just out-played but also out-competed.  Additionally, if we beat Costa Rica, we will have won the Concacaf hex, and….

Winning the Concacaf hex is far more impressive than any hex win in the European qualifying.  For all the talk about the minnows in Concacaf, the truth is winning the Concacaf hex is far more difficult than anything Spain, Italy, England or Germany or any other European team had to do to qualify for South Africa.  None of those teams had a road game that compares with going to Azteca, Saprissa or last night’s games at San Pedro Sula.  There are no Montenegros, Faroe Islands, Andorras or Liechtensteins in the Concacaf hex.  In fact, the worst team in our hex, Trinidad and Tobago, is probably better than the worst 10 teams in the European qualification.  Reigning champion Italy has qualified with six wins in its nine games (just like the US), but Italy has had to play Ireland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro and Georgia.  Did you know that Cyprus had 1,100 people show up for one of their WCQ games?  All those Euro football snobs can go stick it.  If the US wins the Concacaf, it will be a fantastic achievement.

Who is the real target demographic of professional soccer in the U.S.? Is it Soccer Moms?  Is it Soccer players?  Is it Latino people?

Sure, Soccer Moms, Latinos and Soccer players make up some of the peripheral targets, but who makes up the core target?

One U.S. pro soccer fan thinks he’s the core target demo.  He’s 41 and 1/2 years old and had been a consistent fan of the big 3, football, basketball and baseball his whole life, until recently.  As a new Soccer fan and not having been a soccer player for more than 20 years, he watches snippets of world soccer leagues, but does not go out of his way to find them.  He doesn’t have Fox Soccer Channel to watch at home, though he wonders what life would be like with it.  He doesn’t own a soccer scarf and has no plans to purchase one.   

He supports Obama and likes to talk politics, but does not consider himself a Republican or Democrat.  He doesn’t tweet yet, but has recently investigated Facebook as a possible hobby.  He likes Spanish music a lot, but does not like watching American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.  He has attended one women’s Roller Derby and one Lucha Libre and only watches short stints of MMA, but he is ready to watch American Soccer every night of the week.

He only glances briefly at NASCAR, but loved Talladega Nights with Will Ferrell.  He wants to know a little more about Lacrosse and Cricket, but not too much.  He likes to watch and play Tennis a lot, but only can take small doses of watching or playing golf.  He likes to spend time with his wife and kid and wishes he had season tickets for a professional soccer team in his area.

He likes to travel, but does not like to get too involved in popular culture.  He is college educated, but thinks college is overrated.  He likes movies based on a true story, but really liked ‘Oh Brother, Where art Thou?.’  More than anything, he is really sick and tired of the big 3 sports and is trying to wean himself off of them.

He refuses to succumb to the word ‘pitch’ to replace the word ‘field’ and still hasn’t seen ‘Bend it Like Beckham’, but he did really enjoy the documentary on the NASL Cosmos, even though he’s not old enough to remember too much about the league.  He also refuses to succumb to the abbreviation FC or nicknames like Chivas and Real, which seem foreign and pretentious.  He’s looking forward to an old name coming back, Rowdies.  He gets confused by all the different cup competitions and would rather see a longer regular season of professional U.S. Soccer.

His socioecomoic status is middle class, but he relates well to all classes; middle, middle-upper, middle-lower, upper and lower.  He lives in an apartment and his wife keeps pushing him to buy a house.  His work fluctuates, which is another reason he needs a stable, semi-daily American Soccer league, so he can get away from all of his work problems. 

Above all, he considers himself a U.S. sports fan, who deals daily with his disenchantment for baseball, football and basketball.  He looks forward to the day he can go to a franchise restaurant where the volume is up on a U.S. pro Soccer league match like it sometimes is on the big 3.

A purely American soccer league must take the step of changing the goal post dimensions.   As it is now, posts are at a height of 8 feet.  An American league should make the bold move of moving the height of the crossbar higher.  The crossbar needs to be adjusted by the length of 2 soccer balls to make the new height 8 feet + 2 balls. 

At first glance, this adjustment in the goalpost appears to be only for offensive purposes.  But, for every goal scored under these new conditions, there will also be one great save made by the goalkeeper. 

An American soccer league must take into consideration that sports fans will not settle for an average score of 2.5 goals per game.  It is all about offense.  Americans are looking for at least double or triple the amount of goals that are being scored now.  The ideal average score to attract sports fans to soccer in the U.S. would be 4-3. 

Making the sport mainstream should always be priority, unless soccer is only looking to fill a niche, and is satisfied being a peripheral sport in the U.S.  Raising the goalposts will create more drama, entertainment and the unexpected.  By having the posts a little higher, players can aim a little higher. 

Common sense dictates that there would be 10 times the amount of richochets than there are presently.  Goalkeepers, averaging 6 foot 3 inches, are now able to get to almost every ball level with the crossbar.  But raising the crossbar would mean that they would not be able to get to every ball level with the crossbar.  

These ricochets from the goalposts back onto the playing field will delight the fans.  Fans tend to always ooh and ahh when balls hit the posts.  With the ricochets, come more saves, more surpise and more pace. 

Recently, a still living legend, the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, winner of 10 NCAA basketball championships with UCLA, said that basketball should raise the rims from their present height of 10 feet.  This declaration by the most recognizable teacher of the game is an admission that the game as it is now, according to Wooden, can be better.  By raising the rim, players will have to be more creative with their shots, and thus, will rely less on dunks and put-ins.  Basketball has lost a good deal of strategic play because of the ease of the layup.

Sports must evolve with the times.  Players are taller and more athletic than players from the past.  Dimensions from the playing field should progress and change according to what is best for sports fans to enjoy. 

Regardless of the goalie’s position and distance from the goal, few scores are made that actually travel over the extended arm of a goalie who is in a standing position.  It is time for American pro soccer to take its shot.  Increase the size of the goal and see how many more attempts on goal there will be and see how much more exciting the game can be.