At least Dynamo's checks don't bounce

Wow! No wonder Tony Caig was so eager to come back to the States. Above and beyond playing for MLS' premier side, Dynamo's new reserve keeper got to escape the financial maelstrom that is soon-to-be-relegated Gretna.

According to this piece on the Setanta site, Irons players will not be paid this month after owner Brooks Mileson got admitted to hospital, meaning he can't authorize the payments. So not only is the club completely moribund in the Scottish Premier League, the players, who apparently are expected to show up now just for the sheer joy of it, can't even look forward to their paychecks.

Nothing's going right for those guys. According to the Setanta piece, the "Borders side are currently nine points adrift of Kilmarnock in eleventh place and were unfortunate not to narrow the gap at the weekend. Only a controversial refereeing decision denied them a late penalty before Motherwell made it 3-1."

Maybe shirt sponsor Subway will kick in for some timely traveling meals. An Italian BMT for a win, Turkey Sub for a draw and Garden Special with milk for a loss. Play for it boys! Play for it! Read more!

Jaqua scores in Europe!! Let's hype Nate and give Jozy a rest.

This is what some of our former forwards have been up to lately and all I can say is...well done and good luck.


It seems Ngwenya hasn't seen any time yet and his team is still flirting with relegation.



I never before noticed the dalglish/australian shepherd separated at birth resemblance.







Check out the latest stadium news out of Houston....incontrovertible evidence of positive ambiguity. Read more!

UST to show soccer documentary Tuesday

For those of you in the Houston area with some time on your hands Tuesday afternoon, Mister3d found out about this great opportunity for you. The University of St. Thomas will be hosting a presentation of the documentary The History of Soccer: The Beautiful Game from 12:30-2 p.m. at the campus' Tiller Hall. The event is free and open to the public and looks like a great chance to indulge your soccer jones prior to the Pan-Pacific Championship's opening round Wednesday/Thursday.

If you don't want to follow the link, here's the quick rundown:

Center for International Studies Film and Documentary Series: History of Soccer, The Beautiful Game
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
History of Soccer The Center for International Studies and the International Studies Society present the Spring 2008 Film and Documentary Series.

"The History of Soccer: The Beautiful Game" will be shown at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19 in Tiller Hall, Room 116. Some people believe soccer is a matter of life or death. Some believe it’s more important than that. For those in the latter camp, this documentary is a definitive celebration of the sport. What Ken Burns’ Baseball is to America’s national pastime, this historic collection is to “football.” Packed with such never-before-seen footage as the first images of soccer captured on film (in 1897), every single goal from every World Cup Final game as well as interviews with legends Pelé, Maradona and Zinedine Zidane.

The purpose of this media series is to share with UST students relevant and reliable information through the broadcasting of films and documentaries on a variety of topics from politics and economics to culture and the environment. Whether American or Foreign made, acknowledged by experts or unknown by the public, these films and documentaries will be selected by an advisory board integrated by CIS students and faculty based on the international relevance of the topic and the relative neutrality and objectivity of the actual product.
Cost Free and open to the public
Location Tiller Hall, Room 116
Address 4004 Yoakum
Contact Diana Garcia, 713-525-3530
Sponsored By Center for International Studies

Read more!

Hula action aplenty for Dynamo

The Dynamo arrived in Hawaii over the weekend in preparation for the Pan-Pacific Championship this week. The Dynamo Web site has an update on what they've done, especially how Brian Ching is doing his best Lord of the Manor bit.


Canoeing the length of the island, soccer ball in hand? My reaction: Awesome dude, but if you pull a muscle doing that, I'll never forgive you! (For a piece on how big a local celeb Chingy is over in the islands, check out The Offside Rules' take on it here.)

Bernardo Fallas is passing on what he calls a controlled leak on his Soccer y Futbol blog about Dynamo having an agreement in principle on signing some unknown South American striker. My personal hope is for Brazilian forward Reinaldo from the A-League's Queensland Roar. For those of you who did not see his amazing goal against Sydney FC a couple of weeks ago, I've posted it again below. Dude is flat out something else.


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How good is the Mexican League? Muy Fantastico!

Continuing the theme of Mister3D's excellent post from below, check out this video of the best goals from FMF's Apertura 07. MLS is awesome and is easily among the top regional leagues now, but this fascination with Europe is depriving American fans of some truily amazing futbol over on Univision and Telemundo, as well as GolTV. A feast for the eyes:

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MLS turning on and tuning in

Dave Lifton over at the US Soccer Players Association has an absolutely fantastic Q&A with MLS and Soccer United Marketing executive producer Michael Cohen. (See the full story here.) Thanks to kenn.com for the tip.

This story is a great rundown on everything from why Brand Beckham (and the other guys on the field, remember them, the Beckettes) will be getting so many nationally televised games to the mechanics of camera angles, as well as formerly radical US TV coverage ideas that are now being emulated around the world.


Here are a few of my favorite highlights:

USSoccerPlayers: You were talking about working with people who are experienced in producing soccer. How do you balance the expectations of the casual American fan, who is used to a specific way of watching sports on television, with those of an American soccer fan?

Cohen: There’s a natural maturation of what’s happened in our broadcasts. Over the last 12 years, we’ve all realized that maybe we shouldn’t spend our energy on trying to rein in the ‘casual fan’ on our MLS broadcasts. The telecasts are going to be designed not to shut out the average sports fan, but a little more to the point where we are going to go towards the soccer fan.

Bully for you (and us) Mikey Mike.

It's the same thing with producers, directors and play-by-play guys. We’d have people who weren’t doing hockey or volleyball that night, so they’d do soccer. Now we have people who are dedicated to soccer, and understand the intricacies of the game. You don’t have to have as many seminars and discuss what offside is.

In 1996, our director Doug Wren, who is one of the top directors in sports, had this vision of bringing more cameras down to field level so that when the ball went out of bounds, we could shoot the faces and the jerseys to build this brand, and try to turn these guys into stars.

We got a little bit of grief for that. There were people involved with the league who were fans of the international game that said, ‘That's not how it's done. And that low camera is blocking 15 seats.’ We were in 60,000-seat stadiums in most cases, and we didn't care that we were blocking 15 seats because we weren't filling them anyway. But if you watch the 1998 World Cup in France, there were more low cameras on the field than there ever were before. So we weren't going to be afraid to be aggressive, and in some cases, that was maybe copied.

and

The other example started in 1999, when the first soccer-specific stadium opened in Columbus. The Hunt Group gave us a blank piece of paper and asked us where we wanted to put cameras. We didn't want to be at 60-65 feet, which is FIFA's standard play-by-play camera coverage. We wanted to get the game down to 40-50 feet. We are starting to do that in every stadium we build now.

Again, the purists came after us, saying that’s not how it’s done in Europe. But now, Chelsea is putting the new main play-by-play camera position at Stamford Bridge at just over 20 feet. Allianz Arena in Germany just sent me a DVD comparing their camera positions at the 2006 World Cup, which was close to 70 feet, to what they're using for Bayern Munich, which is 35-40 feet. It just makes sense to make the game more intimate. The days of seeing 22 dots on the screen are done. You can’t do that if you’re trying to market a sport.

And finally:

USSoccerPlayers: It seems every year, there’s a little something new on the telecasts, like the yellow offside line. Is there anything new in store for 2008?

Cohen: In Fox’s pre-game shows, which we’re thrilled with, there will be an increase of locker room shots and pre-game interviews. The studio show they did was a tremendous asset to the league. It gave fans the ability to go inside the game. Building on that success is something Fox is able to do.

With ESPN, we’re happy with the selection of JP Dellacamera and John Harkes because they’re giving the game back to the fan. This year, they’re going to add super slo-mo cameras, which helps enhance the game coverage. When you see foot movement, ball movement, and great saves in super slo-mo, it’s probably the single biggest enhancement that we should be focused on throughout our broadcast. Over 12 years, you play with overhead cameras and animations, and ultimately it comes down to how you best cover the game. And we’re all in agreement that the more super slo-mo cameras you have, the better.

ESPN is also going to introduce a player tracking system by a company called Sportsvision to do a virtual 180-degree re-creation of the play. This was the ‘synthetic video’ that you saw at the US-Mexico game. It’s a good tool because it doesn’t cut away from the game action. But for analysis purposes at halftime or post-game, you’ll see the play in a cool way.

It goes back to the fact that we’re not trying to break away from the game, ever. We’re just trying to improve how the game is covered.

Read more!

Ridiculously good soccer! Why aren't we watching?

In the handful of years before the Dynamo arrived in Houston, there was a soccer quickening priming my life in a variety of ways such that when I found myself somehow looking from the outside in as my town became MLS vested I embraced club soccer and MLS with an unaccustomed and unexpected passion. Here I was in a cold exile from my humid lands and club soccer, subconsciously infused with incipient jungle bayou swamp longing, infected me like dengue fever. My soccer consciousness in the BD era, before dynamo, consisted of a relaxed and easy fandom for the USMNT which was really only exercised during the big world or regional cup tournaments. 2006 changed all that.

MLS has made me a better USMNT fan and as I was miraculously and gratefully able to move back to Houston thus enabling a true immersion in soccer, (nothing beats club soccer, nothing!) I can now say that I love soccer...am I gay?

Living as I do in Texico, mexican soccer has always existed in my life; viewed more as something peripheral and anthropological than as something vital and personal. Mexican soccer was quickly passed over for the wacky magic of Sabado Gigante or the brute salaciousness of some other univision/telefutura show but in no small way the liga mexicana, especially the much hyped and loved el super clasico, served as my first recognition, pale flickering and moth-like as it was, of the passion and power of club soccer.

Now that soccer and more significantly club soccer, viva naranja!, has claimed my soul, I now fully undestand and appreciate the gravity of mexican soccer and I have to ask........Why the hell aren't more american soccer fans watching?

The league is accessible without cable or an expensive premium sports package, it's on our continent, and it's a world class league that happens to employ a postseason playoff system as MLS does.

Remember watching with pleasure on Feb. 6th as Clint Dempsey occasionally maneuvered himself out of tight situations with flair and skill? Remember? Hell! I watched a match on the 13th pitting, if there was an overall table, the fourth team in Toluca versus the number 14 team in Cruz Azul that had gorgeous creativity and skillful flair employed all over the field...by all players... all match long.

i can recall at least ten amazing moves and passes that would make Dempsey eat his liver in the first 45 alone. These two teams never stopped attacking each other and the movement and runs off the ball were brilliant. The gameplay flowed from player to player, team against team for a full 90 minutes.

Remember that break Bobby Convey had in the first half of the mexico/us game? Yeah, the one where he had space in front of him and he needed to make a run into the middle but inexplicably he tried to take the ball to the wing because his brain was screaming at him, "must put in a cross! Put in a cross!" The moment was lost as was possession. We need to send some guys to mexico so they can learn the flowing creative balling type of soccer I watched on wednesday night.

Soccer is simply one huge game of playground basketball and success lies in the players' movements off the ball, setting up each other with runs in and out of space. How many times did you scream at the USMNT during the mexico game, "Somebody make a run! Make a run." (playtherapy's in game jozy observations) As I watched the Toluca and Cruz Azul players buzzing around the field linking up with one another diagonally, vertically, horizontally and every which way--it was beautiful.

There's a stupid rumor that Benny Feilhaber may end up in orange, for the sake of the USMNT let's hope it's the orange of the jaguares de chiapas.

So all you anglophiles and sycophantic euro soccer lovers go ahead and watch fox soccer channel on 2/23 as fulham v. west ham or derby v. wigan desperately grind about the field spraying prayerful long balls hoping for a miracle goal. I'll be watching monterrey v. atlas or guadalajara v. san luis and hopefully some nutmegged readers will join me and we can get some answers to the question of why aren't we watching. Read more!

The Crazy Talk Express just crashed into a wall

Geez Louise, you walk away from BlogWorld for one day and the next thing you know you start seeing reports on Dynamo adding yet another talented, underplaying midfielder (who we'll leave anonymous here so as not to fan the flames, but who'll we'll call Shmenny Shmeilhaber) because you know, why do you need keepers, backs and forwards in the modern game when 11 midfielders will do just fine! What's more, so sayeth some reports, Dynamo will be using their DP money on the guy.

So everyone's favorite Costa Rican and soon-to-be US citizen, the Chronicle's own Bernardo Fallas, rides to the rescue on his Soccer y Fútbol blog with the following clarifications and information: No Shmenny, no DP, yes to a forward (possibly next week, possibly Central American, possibly South American, but, knowing Dom Kinnear and John Spencer, only if the guy holds a Scottish passport that is), $100K from San Jose in the Ramiro Corrales deal and Dwayne De Rosario reams the Canadian National Team a new one. Great, great stuff.


One thing I missed yesterday is the game report of Dynamo's 1-0 preseason win over the San Jose Earthquakes 3.0. In one of my favorite game reports ever, Chris and Steve Wondoloski's dad gives a rundown of the game here. (The Mercury News' story is here, while the Chron's two-fer game story/Ramiro Corrales piece is here.) Apparently, despite the 1-0 score, it was a near-total smackdown. The posted a nice photo gallery of the game at its Web site. Hey, do the EQuakes even have 11 players yet? According to Papa Wondo, Dynamo will play Cal-Berkeley today before they go against the Quakes again tomorrow in Frisco, er, San Francisco.


On DDR's rant against the CSA (here) our favorite Maple Leaf could not be more spot on. Anyone who saw that team during the Gold Cup last year knew immediately how close they were to competing at the US/Mexico level. And I'm sure there are STILL some Canadian fans holding a grudge about the call that led in large part to their losing to our Rattlers. Canada needs only strong leadership to be a regional player, and possibly, power, and when arguably Canada's best player in national history calls you out, you had better listen. Oh Canada, Oh Brother.

And apart from calling out his national team, this is easily my favorite DDR quote from the week so far. If that guy starts leading with his words AND his play, this season is going to be a lot of fun:

You definitely won't see me as a striker. I don't want to get anyone comfortable with me at that position and I don't want to get comfortable at that position. My job is in the midfield, and the only time I'll move from there is when someone earns the respect and beats me out of the position. At the end of the day, I'll do what I can to help the team. If Dom wants me to play forward for five or 10 minutes I will consider it, but as of right now my duty is in the midfield and we have forwards that can play. We have Chris Wondolowski, we have Brian Ching and new guys we picked up and it will be a good time for them to express themselves and showcase their talent and their ability on the field.

Read more!

Holy Leones! USL PDL roaring into town

Somewhere along the line, I lost track of the fact that the Houston Leones, a member of the USL's Premier Development League, will take the field for the first time ever in 2008. They'll play just 32 miles southwest of downtown in Richmond, which, as part of southern Fort Bend County, is one of the fastest growing areas not only of Houston, but also of the entire nation.

So who, are the Leones? According to the team's Wikipedia page, the team was formed last year by local real estate and construction bigwig Juan Carlos Hernandez, whose son Juan Carlos Jr., was a goalkeeper in the Cruz Azul youth development teams. The USL's page on the team has some wonderful up by the bootstraps background info on Hernandez, which is all very nice.

The team, who apparently is affiliated with Cruz Azul, will play at the The Soccer World Center, a 17-acre soccer-specific facility with three fields (including a 4,500-seat stadium field that is expandable to 8,000-10,000) that was built by Hernandez. The team's home opener, however, is unfortunately scheduled. They will open against the New Orleans Shell Shockers at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 3. However, that same night at Robertson Stadium, Dynamo will host Chivas USA, only the Orangemen's second home game of the season, though 6th MLS game overall. My guess is that the Leones will find out right away what the words "WoTF put together THIS schedule?!?" means. The only other direct scheduling conflict right now (Dynamo's SuperLiga sked for July has not yet been released of course) is May 31 (Dynamo host Red Bulls).

Still, the rest of the schedule might be OK. Here's a quick look:

May 3 7 p.m. NO Shell Shockers at Soccer World
May 10 10 p.m. at Austin Aztex (who are playing a PDL sked before their full USL-1 team takes over in 2009)
May 16 9:30 at El Paso Patriots
May 17 9:30 at El Paso Patriots (so says the sked. Can this be right?)
May 24 7 p.m. Mississippi Brilla at Soccer World
May 31 7 p.m. El Paso at Soccer World
June 1 7 p.m. DFW Tornadoes at Soccer World (ANOTHER back-to-back!)
June 6 8 p.m. at Baton Rouge Capitals
June 7 8:30 p.m. at New Orleans
June 14 7 p.m. Austin at Soccer World
June 28 7 p.m. Laredo Heat (defending PDL champs) at Soccer World
July 4 7 p.m. Baton Rouge at Soccer World
July 5 7 p.m. Mississippi at Soccer World
July 12 9:15 at Laredo
July 17 8:30 at DFW
July 19 6 p.m. at Mississippi

Personally, I think this is pretty cool to see the development of the next generation. And if these guys can get games against the Dynamo Academy players, so much the better for everyone around here. The Leones are, unfortunately located waaaaay out int he suburbs, but if the team can be successful at developing all the unrecognized soccer talent around here (and believe me, there is a lot of that), then more power to them. Read more!

Belated Random Thoughts on the US-Mexico Game

• Don’t you just love when the Nats play a good possession team like Mexico? God, I miss Reyna in his prime. Even then we had problems keeping the ball but this was awful.
• I was impressed with Bradley Jr’s goal scoring. Mr 3D kept repeating Dutch League, Dutch League. Dutch League. I thought, a helluva lot of fantastic players played and play in Holland. After watching Bradley turn over the ball time and time again, I have to tip my hat to Mr 3D and hope that jet lag or food poisoning had something to do with it.
• Worst part of the match- the behavior of several Sam’s Army cats in front of us. Having fun is one thing, making a point of inciting stupidity is another. The signs saying we were continuing a tradition of beating Mexico since 1836 was in poor taste. I’m not talking political correctness. Fuck, I paid good money to see a soccer game- not jackasses like the guy who wore his American flag bandana over his face like a terrorist and flipped the upper tier crowd off during half-time. Thanks a lot dude, you made sure the upper tier Pro-Mexico crowd dumped beer on our heads at the final whistle- just because they couldn’t reach you. I hope nobody got jumped because they were wearing the wrong kit due to your antics. @ Euro '98, Holland and Ireland won the best Tourney fan awards- they basically got drunk, sang, chanted, and laughed with their counterparts no matter what the score. Let's let the stands mirror the Beautiful Game- not act like friggin' Ultras.
• To the Mexican crowd- if you’re gonna do pay-backs, make sure you get the people you pissed you off, not the undeserving innocents. Everytime I saw a cop on the drive home (there were lots), I dreaded being pulled over, reeking of beer.
• Drew Moor- ouch and double ouch. El Tri went at him all night. Subsequently, I watched Moor and whoever he marked on every Mexican corner, throw-in, and quick counter. Watching only made the night more painful.
• Gooch- better performance though definitely some silly errors. Still, the best defensive performance- despite a few times when he lost his man- I’ve seen in a few years. Lovely header for the goal.
• Dempsey- Mr. No Fear used to go one on one at the most inopportune moments. Since going to Fulham, he now has the ability to succeed at the most improbable moments. When he’s on, when has a US player been so fun to watch?
• Howard- Wow! He was great! Without him the score would have been embarrassing. He WAS the jinx that night.
• Altidore- Beautiful goal but everything else I saw said needs more work and at least another MLS season. Too many unforced errors and losses of possession. Without the goal, I would say not ready for prime time. I know this goes against what nearly everyone else is saying but he is another product of the Mythical US Quest for a Soccer Savior. Eddie Johnson was it after scoring so many goals in qualifying against minnows. Adidas anointed Adu with that role and it never fit. Donovan, despite leading the National Team in all time goals at a young age, is derided for not making the USMN into a Superpower. Now the buzz is about Jose. So far, such buzz has not helped any of these players’ games.
• Convey and Corrales- the less said, the better, despite Corrales assist.
• Donovan (or Lando or Landycakes)- this was the best I’ve seen him in a long time. He got little service but when he did, he made things happen or at the least, drew defenders like flies. Even better, Landon played both ways, lowering his head and making several tackles. I haven’t seen this kind of work rate from Landon since he was given savior status. I have always thought Donovan fades with tight marking. While I still believe this somewhat, I was impressed by his toughness. Unfortunately, merely getting an assist does not live up to the incredible expectations he has been given. Also, too many of his set pieces are still found wanting, especially those that don’t make it past the 1st defender (GRRRR!).
• The dome soccer experience was very weird. I hate pregame commercials when I buy tickets to the venues- please let the Dynamo get rid of the Brave Heart shit (wishful thinking).

Funny joke that I never got to blogging on but just discovered was still there- Nick Webster on Fox Soccer naming Bob Bradley as his 2007 Manager of the Year and Golden Balls as the Transfer of the Year. Huh? I like Bradley the World's Best? Geez. As far as Becks, he has a point regarding promotion but i thought that football had at least something to do with a ball, a pitch, and 22 players. Maybe it's just me.

Despite Waldo's ten million faults and hardly ever talking about the game when doing color commentary for ESPN, I already miss him. It was refreshing to hear someone from the US soccer community being frank. Too bad it played out the way it did. Cheers, Eric. Hope you get a better gig.

Nuff said, thanks for reading. Read more!

WTF doesn't the UMNT play friendlies in Mexico- Our distorted unbeaten record

Originally, I wanted to blog about Mexico’s At Home Record against the USA since I had read so much about our undefeated streak versus Mexico above the border. Surely, I thought, their record in the Azteca must rival our over publicized unbeaten streak. So I went to USSoccer.com and checked it out.

Imagine how shocked I was to find- we simply do not play friendlies with Mexico outside our borders. Furthermore, the only time we play Mexico outside the United States is if we have to- i.e., World Cup Qualifiers, World Cup Final Matches, and International Tourneys like the Confederation Cup.

Confused after all that supremacy, chest beating, “We fucking RULE” internet and media buzz? I sure was. Not that I measured or anything after doing the math, but I could have sworn my penis shrank, inverted, something...

The last two games we played in Mexico were both World Cup Qualifiers since 2000. The latest was a March 27, 2005 2-1 loss in the Azteca. After a game in which the score did not adequately reflect Mexico’s domination, sole American scorer Eddie Lewis said, “To get a result in Azteca is always pretty difficult. Maybe we're just not quite ready yet.

The Soccernet Match Report continued- For now, Mexico City's 7,200-foot altitude remains too high an obstacle for the U.S. team to climb. The Americans are 0-22-1 in Mexico, getting their lone point from a 0-0 tie in a 1997 qualifier.

Mexico had felt the pressure since its 2-0 loss to the United States in the second round of the 2002 World Cup, a game that dented national pride. But that match was played in South Korea, not Mexico, where the Tricolores are 54-1-4.

"We were always taking the initiative," said Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe, who received a congratulatory call from President Vicente Fox. "For 90 minutes, there was only one team on the field."

Our other venture to Mexico this millennium was a 1-0 loss- also a World Cup Qualifier. As a reult, what do we do? We stop scheduling games against Mexico outside our country rationalizing that holding games in Hispanic friendly venues like Houston or LA makes the US Nats more resilient since the crowd is usually Pro-Mexican. This is laughable. Actually, I have to amend the last few sentences. we stopped playing games in Mexico long before these results. The last time (I think) we played a friendly in Mexico was July 25, 1993. We got our asses kicked 4-0 even playing Bora Ball. In the Art of War, Sun Tzu writes of engaging a superior opponent, “if in all respects unequal, be capable of eluding him,” or perhaps, fighting the enemy on your own ground at a time of your choosing.

Asked in the week leading up to the latest friendly, U.S. coach Bob Bradley said, “These games are special.” Yes, but special for whom, Bob?

"Yeah, you can call it a clásico," Mexican Team coach Hugo Sánchez retorted. "Call it the Northern Classic."

That's just what the promoters titled it, the Northern Classic with no reciprocal Southern Classico. Sánchez has railed against the The Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación for this scheduling discrepancy since he was appointed- apparently to no avail. He sees past the hype, though undoubtedly the hype rankles. “You have to look at the statistics. If you notice, most of the games are played in the U.S. We have to balance that out and be able to play more friendlies at home against teams that enjoy favorable results against us as of late." Granted, Sánchez has to live with the decisions of his own money hungry Federation.

The US soccer community and media have really played up the results- the undefeated streak (cue Tarzan yells). Yep, everything they write is true; it’s what they don’t tell you that’s misleading- once again, We simply do not play friendlies with Mexico outside our borders. The only time we play Mexico outside the United States is if we have to. Hmmm, I wonder if 'King O Spin' Karl Rove now works for the USSF.

Why do we do this? Does the USSF act like a boxing promoter so our record is an inaccurate reflection? Is this due to our inferiority complex- being the World’s sole Super Power until it comes to the World’s Game? How can we truly claim the CONCAF Crown in the minds of those making up the seedings for the World Cup Finals Draw if we skew the results? God knows how we ever got to 6th place in the World Rankings.

Though playing almost exclusively in the United States may fluff our record, we will brag incessantly as if dominating Mexico in the US is a huge deal. I believe this mentality severely weakens our team as we do not encounter and subsequently overcome adversity. How the USSF expects our boys to win in venues where we have historically been shit (France ’98, Germany 2006 are two recent examples) is beyond me. We beat Mexico in Seoul. We need to get to the point where we can give them a game anytime, anywhere, even in the Azteca. Wouldn’t friendlies be a good proving ground instead of waiting until important Qualifiers? Thank the heavens the USSF had a brain fart, deciding to accept those Copa America invites once again, a tourney that should help us get better.

I’m interested in your thoughts about this. Read more!

Dynamo's new playpen and the great big soccer ball in the sky

Word from the Charleston Post and Courier (and thank you once again to il Brucio at Du Nord for finding this link), is that USL side Charleston Battery's Blackbaud Stadium is going to be converted to solar power.

Now how cool would this be? Dynamo Park is still a long way off, but what would it say to the city of Houston (where environmentalism has a -- how shall I put this kindly -- uneven record to say the least), to MLS and to the nation at large to have the new facility, when it's built, do the same thing?

I understand this is getting ahead of things, way, way, way ahead of things. But take a look at these images on the left. You see the Astros' Minute Maid Park in the background and the field on which Dynamo Park is currently projected to be built in front. ParadiseTexas is slated to cost as much as the retractable roof did for the Astros' palace, which, as we all remember, was initially named "Enron Field."

Bringing in solar or renewable energy to Houston, the self-proclaimed Nation's Energy Capital, via the local soccer team, would make a splash like no other. PR wise, it's a winner. Cost-wise, it's a slam dunk winner. This is one of those situations where, with Carolina as the proving ground for the experiment, there could potentially be no real down side. The more you think about it, the better it gets.

"Houston Dynamo: Powered by the Sun" It has a nice ring to it.

Here's the story below, which you can also link to here.

Blackbaud Stadium going solar
Staff report
Saturday, February 9, 2008


On many nights, Blackbaud Stadium is powered by the Battery. Now the Daniel Island soccer facility will be solar-powered as well.

The Charleston Battery has joined the pro-environmental movement with its a "Go Green" initiative which it hopes will help reduce its carbon footprint.

To achieve this goal, the Battery is implementing a wide range of energy-saving and environmental initiatives at Blackbaud Stadium, highlighted by the installation of 60 solar panels.

Located behind the goal at the north end of the stadium are six poles, each mounted with 10 solar panels generating 11 kilowatts of power through photovoltaic, or the conversion of sunlight into electricity. The system is expected to offset approximately 12 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

"The array is one of the largest private solar panel installations in the region and we are excited to be producing and using green, clean, energy here at Blackbaud Stadium," said Andrew Bell, director of soccer and stadium operations.

"The panels are visible to every fan in our stadium and will also be seen clearly during our nationally televised games this coming summer.

"It's a terrific way for us to reduce the stadium's carbon footprint and utilize the team's fan base to get the word out to a wider audience about global warming."

The solar panels system was installed by Columbia-based Argand Energy Solutions, a leading designer and installer of solar electric (PV), wind energy, and solar hot water systems.

"The system has been designed to offset energy usage on-site during the day while the sun is out and to educate the public about sustainability and renewable energy," said Erik Lensch, owner of Argand Energy Solutions.

"There will be web-monitoring software to get real time data transmitted to the scoreboards and a kiosk with information about the solar generated energy system."

The Battery, which opens the season March 15 with a home match against an MLS team, plans to have the environmental initiatives completed in time for its "Go Green Night" on May 9.

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A-League Grand Final preview

I have to admit, I have seen little of Australia's A-League, but with the Pan Pacific Championships coming up next week, I've started to pay more attention to the land of the Socceroos (easily my favorite national team nickname, though I'm still pushing the Snakes for the US MNT to apparently deaf ears so far. No matter. I shall not be denied!)

Anyway, what follows are the semifinals from this past weekend. Brisbane's own mad philosopher Hamish over at Football Down Under and Beyond was kind enough to provide the link to the first clip below, the Queensland Roar's win over Sydney FC (who Dynamo will see in Hawaii next week) and the other is the Central Coast Mariners' 3-0 win over the Newcastle Jets. Check out the amazing shot from the Roar's Brazilian striker Reinaldo (who may be coming to Real Salt Lake) in the first goal against Sydney. All class.



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Dynamo to say aloha to Sydney FC

Dynamo finally learned today that Sydney FC will be their first round foe in the Pan Pacific Championships later this month in Hawaii.

Sydney were 2-0 losers in the A-League semifinals to the Queensland Roar earlier this morning our time.


Sydney suffered the loss without Brazilian playmaker Juninho, who was injured. What's more, the starter from Brazil's 2002 World Cup championship campaign and a former player with Celtic in 04-05, even if healthy, may not appear in the PPC since he is now apparently out of contract with the closure of Sydney's league campaign. We'll see about that.

Dynamo and Sydney play at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in Honolulu, but that'll be 12:30 a.m. Feb. 21 here in Orangeville. The Men in Orange will take the nightcap after the Gals face Gamba Osaka from the J League at 6 p.m. Hawaii time and 10 p.m. here. Times are the same for Feb. 23/24. Losers face off in the early game, while winners play for the tourney title after that.

Her are highlights of Sydney's game with the Roar from a few weeks ago. The Syds are in blue and the ones with, I have to say, some amazingly atrocious finishing. Then below that are the highlights of their game against the Gals in November.



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Aghhh! My eyes! My eyes!! Don't even think about it adidas

In the words of a great post over at the wonderful blog Some People Are on the Pitch:

"It has recently come to our attention that Adidas, that bastion of sports apparel for so many years, has... well... how can we put it... adopted a corporate policy of giving free hallucinogenics to all its employees."

That little eyesore you see up top there is the new home uniform of the French rugby team Stade Francaise. And the one you see to the left is their third uni (apparently, the team's second uni is all pink).

Now, why does this matter? It matters because adidas is the official uniform maker of MLS and we all know about MLS's bulging pocket attitude about kit design: Change, change and more change.

So after looking at those kits up there and seeing some of the more recent designs around the world, let's just say that, while I'm not panicking just yet, for those of us here in Houston who have lived through rainbow jerseys and hoop uniforms that look like someone scribbled marker down their fronts, we know not to ignore the warning signs.



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Honey, I'll be home in December: Dynamo schedule is finally out

MLS released the schedule today and here is Dynamo's schedule for 2008. After seeing Rico last night at Reliant and my first live action since November, I can't wait. Here's a breakdown.

Of the first five, only one game is at home. Now that is a bummer as that is when the weather is nice, as opposed to August, which is kinda home-heavy. But the hand you're dealt is the hand you're dealt. Thoughts?

Houston Dynamo 2008 Schedule
All times Central Time
March
Saturday 29 at New England, 6:30
April
Sunday 6 FC DALLAS 2:00
Saturday 12 at Kansas City 7:00
Saturday 19 at Los Angeles 9:30
Saturday 26 at Columbus 6:30
May
Saturday 3 CHIVAS USA 7:30
Saturday 10 COLORADO 7:30
Saturday 17 at Chicago 7:30
Thursday 22 at San Jose 9:30
Saturday 31 NEW YORK 7:30
June
Wednesday 4 at DC United 6:30
Saturday 7 TORONTO 7:30
Thursday 12 NEW ENGLAND 8:00
Saturday 21 at Colorado 8:30
Thursday 26 FC DALLAS 8:00
July
Thursday 3 at Real Salt Lake 9:00
August
Saturday 2 COLUMBUS 7:30
Saturday 9 at FC Dallas 7:30
Saturday 16 REAL SALT LAKE 7:30
Wednesday 20 CHIVAS USA 8:00
Sunday 24 at New York 2:00
Sunday 31 CHICAGO 6:00
September
Sunday 7 KANSAS CITY 2:00
Saturday 13 at San Jose 3:00
Saturday 20 SAN JOSE 7:30
Saturday 27 at Toronto FC 2:30
October
Saturday 4 at Colorado 8:30
Sunday 12 DC UNITED 6:00
Sunday 19 LOS ANGELES 6:00
Saturday 25 at Chivas USA 7:30
In addition to the MLS schedule, the Dynamo will take part in five other competitions during 2007. They are the Pan-Pacific Championship, CONCACAF Champions Cup, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, SuperLiga, and the recently-created CONCACAF Champions' League.

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US/Mexico recap and the future

So there were seventy thousand, one hundred and three people at Reliant Stadium last night and Playtherapy, Mister3d and I were the three. After the game, as we were walking to the car, I turned to Mr3d and said, "You know, even though I know the focus is on all the analysis and the who did what when and how well stuff, one thing about tonight was, Man, that was fun!"

And it really was. It was the first live action I've seen since Dynamo's 2-0 win over Wizards in the Western Conference Final, and what a time we had. Here are some random memories:


LONG LIVE THE SNAKES We were lamenting the absence of a good nickname for the US team. The Three Lions, les Blues, Azzurri, El Tri, these are great, great nicknames and US has nothing. But thank you to Nike for the new Don't Tread on Me commercial. We're going to start calling the US team, The Snakes! I am completely down with that name and the logo.


DEUCE'S TRAIN GANG The chants of "3-2! 3-2! 3-2!" on the train after the game. What a horrible, horrible call on Dempsey. Offsides had nothing to do with that play. We were right behind that goal watching Clint turn on his defender, go left, two steps, then a rocket of a shot. If that's offsides, then I'm Pavel Pardo's abuelita. That was definitely NOT the Clint Dempsey that showed up in MLS Cup 2006, and a good thing for Dynamo that. Geez mareez, if Deuce was still with the Revs in '07, how would they have ever lost a game? (And when was the last time you had a guy with the nickname of "Deuce" not have No. 2 on his jersey? Obscure is the new cool.)



JINX MAINTAINED? I SAY SI Playtherapy had the theory, which I'll let him explain in his own post, that the 2-2 (official) result nullifies the jinx Mexico has had against us. I see it differently. Above and beyond what the score should have been, over the last 10 games on US soil, the Snakes (see how I'm already working the nickname into the post) are 8-0-2 against El Tri. That "0" has not changed after yesterday and Mexico is one badly-officiated call away from it being 9-0-1. In any way that the jinx is real (whether it is or not is subject to a debate elsewhere), the continued presence of that "0" makes it continue to be real. In any draw, both sides can lament lost chances and near misses, but with the way Mexico simply carved us up in the midfield in the second half last night (more on that below), I'll take the draw. You can even say they dominated the midfield in both games of 2007 as well, so what exactly has changed? When it comes to results, the US is dominating this rivalry north of the border and nothing that happened last night alters that in any way just yet.


VERY VERDE The sea of green in the stands. This photo doesn't really do it justice, but it was a sight to behold (and if you verrry closely behind the right side goal there, you might just see the three of us!) I've heard tell of the "Sea of Red" at University of Nebraska football games and other places like that, but that was a remarkable display of green in the stands. And on the two Mexico goals, that was some kind of noise, intense and loud! Wow.



TEEN SCREAM All three of us were really doubting early on whether or not Jozy Altidore belonged on the team after he was getting abused, it looked like. Then he scored and shut us up. JO-ZY! JO-ZY! JO-ZY! Alright already. Altidore is clearly the real deal, and the fact that he's only a teenager still is just wicked scary. Forget Freddy Adu, who we thought played OK when he came in. An up top pairing of Dempsey and Altidore might just be the thing that gets us beyond the group stages in South Africa. You almost certainly didn't read that here first, but I can almost guarantee it won't be the last.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION We were sitting with Sam's Army, which means we were behind the goal that saw four of the five goals. (I'm counting Dempsey's. No doubt about it.) Worth every penny.

THE ABUSED Speaking of getting abused, if Bobby Convey and Eddie Lewis never play another game for the US, that is perfectly alright with me. Talk about non-factors. They were terrible. There was one particular sequence where Ramiro Corrales and Convey were trading little back and forth passes deep in Mexican territory in the first half, twice Convey was free to deliver a cross. The first time he sent it back to Corrales in traffic. The second time, he just lost it. Someone, please, step up and replace these guys on the wing.

NO MO MOOR Speaking of never playing another US game, I'm talking about you Drew Moor. It was Moor's poor marking on Jonny Magallon (Jonny Magallon!!!!) that led to both of Mexico's goals. Now, he made up for the first screw-up for assisting on Altidore's header. But one shiny penny in the sea of poop that was his night does not a continued presence on the first team make. Typical FC Dallas. I can't wait until April 6 here at Robertson Stadium so I can abuse him personally. I will always cherish the look on his face last November when he got sent off 2 minutes before the end of Dynamo's crushing of the candystripers. And one reason I'll remember it was it was the exact same look he had after screwing up on marking Magallon twice. Seeing the Mexican attack focusing on Moor sent shills down my spine for the entire second half. At least three times, Onyewu and Bocanegra bailed him out. (And you will note I am not posting a picture of him here because I now shun his very presence.)

OUT OF TUNE BUT OK All three of us were singing the national anthem loudly before the game and we even remembered the words. We were remarking on how it was the first time we had done THAT in a long while, but if you're not going to sing it at that game, then when? Read more!

Pre-match thoughts and predictions on U.S./Mexico

The Internet (or at least the US Soccer blogosphere sectors of same) is awash regarding prospective lineups for tomorrow night, youth vs. experience, the US/Mexico rivalry, etc. etc. And to add to all of that here would seem to be folly of the highest and blogoincestuous (my new word) order. (One notable exception is Bernardo Fallas' blog at the Chronicle, whose latest entry here is chock full of US MNT camp notes, a mini interview with (prospective Dynamo?) Ramiro Corrales and the above video.) So let's just skip to the chase here and offer predictions on the result.


Personally, records like 8-0-1 in the past 9 meetings on US soil for the US team just serve to make me nervous, or at least as nervous as the numbers "19-0" should have made any Patriots fan before Sunday. (And during that game, I have to admit to a certain satisfaction to seeing Robert Kraft have the exact same look on his face in that owner's box as he did at RFK in November. Personally, I have no great antipathy for the Revs and really enjoy some Rev-oriented blogs like Jimmy Chowda et al.'s Blue Blooded Journo, but seeing Kraft squirm brought up wonderful memories of November and had me looking for Dwayne De Rosario on the screen rather than Eli Manning.)

OK, enough tangentials, so let's get down to cases. My prediction is a 1-0 U.S. win. I honestly think that losing Andres Guardado is going to be a big deal for the Mexicans and El Tri, and Hugo Sanchez in particular, have shown me nothing to make me think that they are not as spooked by us as they have always been this decade.


And the spook factor is, I believe, the key. When they spend the prematch interviews talking about how annoying Landon Donovan is to them (hey, join the club pal) and how the US dominance is entirely due to us playing the games here in the US, how Argentina and Brazil are their yardsticks and how they are still the top team in CONCACAF despite them not winning a single CONCACAF anything in how long has it been again, it's clear they are already thinking about losing again. We are in their domes as surely as the Giants were in Tom Brady's on Sunday, and that, my friends, is death on the pitch.

That being said, El Tri are a damn good team made up of a wonderful series of playmakers and futbol artistes. I respect them utterly, and I believe that the US team does as well, even and especially Donovan. And that, I think, is what gives the US an advantage.


So my pick is 1-0 US and the goal will be scored by Nacogdoches' own Clint "Deuce" Dempsey and assisted by Landon Donovan. Below is, of course, what happened the last time the Mexicans took the US team lightly.



And then there was Chicago:

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When was the last time you saw one of these?

Recognize that ball up there in the corner? Of course you do, as the design is somewhat iconic. But it's also one design you almost never see these days. Amid the swoops and sashes, an incredible pallette of colors (including my personal pet peeve, the hideous yellow and purple thing now so fashionable in the English Premier League) and designs that clearly come from frustrated Jackson Pollock wannabes and hallucinogenic trips the world over, there's something somewhat comfortable about the simple black pentagon on white truncated icosahedron design. More power to the Bundesliga for using it. Anyone know of any other league that employs the old-fashioned ball? For more on the history of soccer ball design and the physics of it, click on this great link to be found at Soccerballworld.com.


1-2 Hansa Rostock vs. Bayern Munich Goals - MyVideo Read more!

My adventures with the new US MNT kit

I have to admit, my first reaction when I saw the new US MNT kit a few days ago was a quick "Is that it?" Looking at it it was hard to picture a group of savvy marketing executives eyeing the design and saying "That's the one! Let's go with that!"

But the more I looked at it, the better and better it looked to me and I began to think there was something else at work here. I went to get a look at it with my own personal eyeballs at Soccer4All here in Houston and I was immediately struck wih how white it looked, not gray at all, even the grayish stripes. The effect of the combination of the coloring and the material in person vs. how it looks on the Internet is a little striking. My artist wife looked at it and at first said, "What gray? Oh yeah, I see it now, kinda grayish. Wow, it just comes across as white. Very nice."

So, wearing the kit out to my sons' soccer games this morning brought several reactions. I had some, "Hey, what jersey is that?" and some "Very nice." and another who now plans on going to the US/Mexico game this Wednesday after the conversation that it sparked. So, all in all, I have to conclude that those aforementioned marketing dudes know what they're doing pretty much.


Of course, it could also be that so many US MNT kits have been either downright hideous (check out idiot Lalas in the 1994 kit in Playtherapy's post below) or mediocre and unremarkable that the bar is pretty low. Hence, this one looks even better because of that. I still would like some more Navy blue down the side, maybe a vertical stripe? But all in all, I plan on wearing it to my first-ever MNT game this Wednesday and am looking forward to it. Read more!

Very nice 5-1 win for the Bhoys

Taking out Killie with a great 5-1 win in the Scottish Cup, Celtic moves on to the quarterfinals. (Wonderful quickie analysis of the win here.) After an admittedly tepid last two months, it looks like the Hoops are starting to gather some steam for their push to a double defense and passing that other team from Glasgow (Hmmm, forgot their name). For a particularly good time, check out the final goal from new Bhoy Georgios Samaras, he of the orange shoes. (Orange? Playing for Celtic? The anarchist in me thinks that is just great.)

The Hoops have had numerous comings and goings over the last month, many of which have left my head swimming. But one thing is certain, Gordon Strachan and the brain trust there will not just stand pat and let the double slip from their grasp. It brings up my fave quote from club chief executive Peter Lawwell last year: "We don't care who finishes second." Go get 'em Pete m'lad!


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Corrales coming to Houston

Over on Bernardo Fallas' blog, I saw a reference to a video report in Norwegian that US MNT defender Ramiro Corrales (who has been playing for 2007 Tippeligaen champions SK Brann) had signed with Dynamo. So I followed the link to a video report, which I just watched. Now, I am hampered by the fact that I, of course, do not speak Norwegian (and here I call for help from Playtherapy, who spent several of his young formative years three or four previous lives ago as a plucky American high school kid in Norway, rooting for Viking FK). However, the guy talking seemed pretty convinced to me that Corrales was gone. This is also rumored in news on SK Brann's Web site. Also, Corrales is not listed on the SK Brann roster, while new signing Michael Thwaite is.

Now when faced with this report, Fallas claims Dynamo are denying it, but I believe that the video shows a representative of SK Brann mentioning that he is coming to MLS, that Dynamo own his rights and Houston will be his likely destination.

Of course, with the closing of the European transfer window, this whole thing might just be water under the bridge, but I am the first to admit that the whole player transfer system leaves me a little confused, so maybe that's a big deal and maybe it's not.

One thing that is likely is that Corrales is coming to Houston in a few short days to play for the US MNT against Mexico. What more ideal time to finish this deal?


If this happens, what does this do to the team, who clearly needs help up front and not in the back? I see a few scenarios if Corrales signs:

1. The team makes no further moves for right now and goes with a lineup like this (subs in parentheses):

Onstad (Caig)
Corrales-Robinson-Boswell-Barrett (Ianni, Waibel, Mulrooney)
Mullan-Clark-Davis-Holden (Ashe, Mulrooney, maybe Ianni playing up, Wondolowski)
De Rosario-Ching (Wondolowski, Ashe)

Clearly, the team still needs at least one more forward on the attack, but oh my, WHAT a defense and midfield!!!! Who is going to score on these guys?

2. Dynamo package a deal including Corrales (or his rights) or some other player (maybe, unfortunately but possibly, hamstring-injury-recovering Craig Waibel) for the forward(s) they want.


This just underlines once again how strong the hand is that Dynamo have here. Like many of us in Dynamolopolis, I have been worried about the lack of movement in the offseason (the Wells-Boswell deal the main exception. Look closely and you can see Boswell in the image of the first day of camp yesterday.) and how most of the storylines were ones about players leaving. But when you look at what other teams have and you look at what Dynamo already has in place, you see easily one of the strongest teams, if not THE strongest team, in the league. I am already ready for a Dynamo-DC United rivalry to start taking shape. DCU have rightly gotten a great deal of press for their new signings. But the two teams already shape up as the beasts of their respective conferences and their dates are going to be things to behold. If you can make it to San Antonio for the Texas Pro Soccer Festival in early March to see them play each other in the preseason, you may just see the beginnings of this struggle taking shape. (You can get tickets here.) Looks like a ton of fun. Read more!

Mystery Solved: Ramon Ramirez is the hero(?) or villain(?) for kicking Alexi Lalas (pre-sex change) in the cajones

I’ve asked this question everywhere- as I always do before US- Mexico matches, who was the Mexico player that kicked Alexi in the balls hard enough to knock him down? And after the body snatchers turned the fiery/red haired/ beer swilling /chick magnet who paid for his band to LIVE with him during his Serie A Palmero days into a corporate suit reminiscent of Paul Reiser’s role as the Company Man in Aliens, do we now owe that El Tri player a medal of honor? I finally know who it is thanks to this blog page I cannot access due to my work's computer security settings. Can someone plz send me the full text from this link saying “Probably got started when Ramon Ramirez kicked Alexi Lalas in the balls. Then Ramirez sent him an autographed pic of Lalas.” Also does anyone have a video clip of the incident?

I remember there had been a foul, the players were skirmishing and then Lalas went down hard. Was Ramirez the culprit? As far as I know he was never disciplined nor was he rewarded. I think Paul Gardner may have given a standing ovation for a brutishly cynical foul on a brute. (For a good laugh, read Gardner’s 90’s descriptions of Lalas’s play- no links to these old Soccer America articles; I threw them out years ago. Do you have any of these quotes or links?)

So I ask you- is this the same guy?

Pre-body snatchers

On top of the World


Cool album cover- Cosmo/Vogue model chick magnet?



????

Pod person or spokesman for male enhancement products?



Ramon Ramirez: Hero or Villain? Read more!