Posted on October 30, 2009 by Ken Gude
ESPN studio show could anchor transatlantic doubleheaders; Photo by Bob Oroshi
Coming on the heels of a pulsating MLS playoff opener in Seattle, it’s a big derby weekend for soccer on ESPN with Arsenal v Tottenham on Saturday morning and the first Beckham playoff game on Sunday afternoon. Those two games are both pretty strong draws, but there is more that ESPN and MLS can do to capitalize on top European leagues to build audience share for American soccer: schedule transatlantic doubleheaders.
The north London derby is always one of the most exciting games of the year and is probably the second biggest rivalry in English soccer behind Liverpool v Manchester United. The energy and passion on display—even at the normally subdued Highbury—will bring an electric atmosphere into American’s homes on Saturday morning. The Gunners total domination of Spurs over the last decade has taken some of the impact out of the game, but also added bite for Spurs fans desperate to beat their hated rivals in the league for the first time in a decade.
On Sunday afternoon, MLS and ESPN will finally get what they’ve been waiting for since the Beckham experiment began, a showcase playoff game with its most marketable star. Even though John Harkes erroneously calls it a superclassico, the LA derby will feature both Beckham and Landon Donovan in the first game of what many supporters of soccer in America (Chivas USA and other Western conference fans aside) hope will be a long playoff run. Continue reading →
Filed under: Future of American soccer, MLS, Premier League | 3 Comments »
Posted on October 30, 2009 by Max Bergmann
If you were in a coma for the past 20 years and suddenly awoke with ESPN2 on the tv you would have thought soccer has become huge in this country, and maybe it has. Last night’s opening playoff game was a great moment for the league.The game had a little bit of everything – a brawl, blood, and exciting back and forth action – all it was missing was a goal, and it deserved one. Here are some thoughts on last night:
Outstanding coverage. The coverage from ESPN had all the trappings of a big playoff game in any other sport and was very professional. (Footiebusiness has more on the coverage). Starting with the cool NFL films lead-in featuring a nice montage and a dude with a deep authoritative voice. I thought John Harkes, JP Dellacamera and Alan Hopkins did a very good job throughout the night. And the pre-game features, such as Hopkins walking with the band – could have been cheesy, but they came off well and captured the passion of Sounders fans well. The in studio stuff was also strong. They also did a good job of not preaching too much about how soccer is growing. They are right, but the coverage was highly focused on the actual game, which is important for the league.
In defense of the referee. I maybe the only one in the country who thinks this, but I think the ref did a good job last night. There seemed to be a broad consensus on twitter and in Seattle that they got hosed in this game – most vividly by the goal that was disallowed. On Jaqua’s “goal” – the referee should have allowed play to continue, but rarely do you ever see a ref allow play to continue when a hopeful long ball is played and then return the ball 60 years back to the spot of the foul if it came to nothing. But he did blow the whistle before the ball came down and Onstad had clearly stopped playing well before the Jaqua shot. Frankly I don’t think Jaqua scores there.
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Filed under: MLS | 2 Comments »
Posted on October 29, 2009 by Max Bergmann
MLS couldn’t dream of a better matchup to start the playoffs (okay Beckham isn’t in it). Houston is playing at Seattle at 10pm tonight on ESPN 2 in what could be a real barn burner.
Houston is a very solid solid team with a few elite players in Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark. Ives made Geoff Cameron his defender of the year, Bobby Boswell is a veteran defender and well fine Brian Ching ain’t that bad either. But Seattle is going to be amped up for this one. Playing at home, with that support, I would not be surprised to see Houston have a bit of a deer-in-head like look to them. The verve of Ljungberg, Montero, and Zakuani for Seattle are balanced well with the size of strength of Jaqua upfront and should keep Houston off balance. But this series should be really tight. But I am going to go with Seattle 2-0 tonight, but I think they lose 1-0 at Houston and squeak through on aggregate.
For more detailed previews of tonight check out WV Hooligan: preview here. He has Seattle winning 2-1. Robert Jonas at MLS Talk highlights some things to watch for and goes for the 1-1 draw. Soccer By Ives gives the key matchups and also goes with Seattle.
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Posted on October 29, 2009 by Max Bergmann
Will Spurs be partying like its 1999?
This weekend at 8:30am on ESPN the north London derby will be front and center – and this year it certainly feels different. The shit talking has already started, with Keane, saying Spurs squad is deeper than Arsenal’s (unfortunately for Spurs they will see if he is right since Modric, Defoe, and Lennon are all out). This quickly led British commentators to predict a Spurs drubbing this weekend, after all Tottenham have not beat Arsenal in the league in a decade and away from home in 16 years! Sure every year Spurs fans approach the first Arsenal game with dreams of top 4, but too often Spurs have already stumbled out of the gates and sit well back of the top and of Arsenal. This year Spurs and Arsenal both have 19 points and Spurs ambitions doesn’t seem quite as fanciful.
What’s on the line:
While I argued that the Man U and Chelsea games were not as important to Spurs’ top 4 ambitions as was made out to be – for Tottenham it is about getting results against the bottom half of the table something they failed to do in previous years – this game is different. Realistically, for Spurs to break through into the top four it will need either Arsenal or Liverpool to fall off. Therefore, getting points from both those teams – Spurs already beat Liverpool – is critical. But it is also important psychologically. A Spurs win at Arsenal would raise Tottenham’s confidence and belief to perhaps an inappropriate level. Having not beat Arsenal in the league in a decade, a victory would certainly get the proverbial monkey off their backs.
For Arsenal, they have at times looked like title contending world beaters, but have also looked woobly at others (see Fulham and West Ham games). A win would not just further confirm their dominance in north London, it would also go some ways to discrediting the view that this Arsenal team is weaker and thinner than ones in the past. However, a loss would certainly raise more questions about Arsenal’s sturdiness, renew criticism of Wenger’s limited transfer policy and could increase the din of rumors surrounding Fabregas.
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Filed under: Premier League, Spurs | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 28, 2009 by Max Bergmann
Here are some things on the intertubes and some thoughts:
Spurs submit stadium plans for planning approval and it looks sweet. Despite the recession and the lavish spending of the last few years, Spurs have managed their finances well and are now seeking to build a stadium on par with their north London rivals. Spurs have tremendous support and their is a long waiting list for tickets so the increase in capacity by 20,000 should not be a problem whatsoever. This should also help Spurs in their goal of challenging the top four. More on this to come.
Hull City in total disarray – finances in shambles, and Brown reportedly fired but then team denies rumors. Fortunately, this is a loan move for Jozy and hopefully the off the field shenanigans won’t impact him and he will get on the pitch more. I have mixed feelings about Phil Brown. Hull have been very poor for about a year now and he was too negative tactically at times, but despite the recent blow up, he did seem to really believe in Jozy. Lets hope if a new manager were to be appointed he sees Jozy’s potential and we don’t have a Derby county-Feilhaber situation where the manager gets sacked and he ends up riding the pine. That being said if Hull’s financial situation as bad as reported I doubt they have the money to fire Brown and hire someone new.
MLS playoff hype is growing. In what is a great matchup, Seattle takes on Houston Thursday night on ESPN. For a playoff preview see, Greg Seltzer’s here, WVHoolign’s here.
Brad Guzan cements his status as the next great American keeper. One game does not a superstar goalie make, but Guzan sure did gain the spotlight in the UK after saving four penalties (one in relegation and three in the shutout) to see Villa advance. The British press went gaga, calling him Villa’s hero and Martin O’neil was asked, “tell me about the goalkeeper, where did you pick him up from?” Martin O’Neil preceded to glow endlessly about him, saying Guzan was a “marvelous prospect” and confirming that he is Friedel’s replacement. Sunderland manager Steve Bruce, added “Their keeper had one of those nights he will remember for the rest of his career.”
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Posted on October 27, 2009 by Max Bergmann
Steve Goff is reporting that on top of DC United considering Baltimore, the team is talking stadium to a Virginia county outside of the beltway – likely Loudoun. None of this should really come as a surprise (see my take on the Baltimore news). United has to keep their options open and need a credible alternative to improve its negotiating hand with the District. In fact, Kevin Payne indicated that the DC city council is waiting on United to submit a few ideas, so in essence the ball is in United’s court.
I feel pretty hopeful that United will be able to work a deal with DC. Chang is now the 100 percent owner and simply wants a profitable place for the team – not some major development deal and is willing to scale back hopes of a jewel of a stadium. Furthermore, we are clearly past the time – due to the recession and past stadium dealings – when the team would expect the city to break the bank for a stadium. With expectations in line, a scaled back proposal, no need for a big land give away, Fenty not wanting to lose a team in an election season, and momentum behind soccer growing with the World Cup – I think it is quite possible a deal could actually get done with the District.
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Filed under: MLS | 1 Comment »
Posted on October 27, 2009 by Max Bergmann
Steve Davis is right. MLS will almost certainly never have promotion and relegation. American owners would simply balk at the idea of their prize investments getting sent down to the minors. Owners like to avoid risk, and relegation is a big risk. However, there are two somewhat feasible ways to imagine promotion/relegation coming about in North America – but in both scenarios it would require massive growth in the game’s popularity and would likely take at least a generation or two. So how could it come about?
1. Massive expansion. This would take many decades, but if the sport continued to grow in popularity and the league continued to put franchises in more and more cities – growing past 30 teams, or essentially was to double in size – creating a second MLS division and instituting promotion and relegation could be a logical response to the need to both create a manageable league and to expand soccer into more markets. A 35 or 36 team league could essentially split in two, creating two eighteen team leagues with the bottom three or four dropping. The US Open cup would then take on a new level of importance and would allow second division MLS teams the chance to prove themselves.
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Filed under: MLS | 1 Comment »
Posted on October 26, 2009 by Ken Gude
Fernando Torres’ winner on Sunday against Manchester United rescued Liverpool’s season from the brink of disintegration. True, Liverpool were far better than a remarkably tame Man U (more on that later this week), but their superiority had not translated into many clear goal scoring chances and a stalemate beckoned. That is, until Torres lit up the Kop with a breathtaking turn of pace and finish. He is a genuine superstar and I would say clearly the best striker in the world. Even though he is just entering his prime at age 25, seasons like the one Torres is putting together don’t come along very often and if Liverpool doesn’t bring in more attacking options in January, Benitez and co will have wasted the greatness in their midst.
Fernando Torres is now the best striker in the world. Ronaldo and Messi, while remarkable players, are not out and out strikers. Who else is there, really? Thiery Henry is on the wane. Samuel Eto’o is great but not the best. Zlatan Ibrahimavic is very good and has the potential to get better, but he’s still not in the same conversation as Torres. Didier Drogba is a fantastic player, when he is interested, but inconsistency has plagued his career even when he is at his best. Wayne Rooney doesn’t score enough goals. I could go on, but it’s not necessary: Torres is the best. Continue reading →
Filed under: Liverpool, Premier League | 1 Comment »
Posted on October 26, 2009 by Max Bergmann
photo by shady sp
There are a lot of great story lines going into the MLS playoffs – will Seattle be the first expansion team to win, will Columbus repeat, can Real Salt Lake cause a stir – all of these are great stories, but another story will dominate: David Beckham.
MLS has finally got David Beckham right where they want him: in the playoffs. It only took three years, but despite all the talk of the Beckham move being a failure, he is now in a position to prove his worth to the league. What began as a nightmare this year with a public feud between Donovan and Beckham can now turn into a fairy tale.
The Galaxy have been on a tear as of late and were able to win the Western conference and they have to be one of the favorites to win it all. They do have a tough road however. First, against arch-rival Chivas and then either Houston or Seattle in the semifinals. The league and ESPN are praying the Galaxy make it through to the finals. Beckham in the finals at a packed Qwest Field is what the league was dreaming about when they signed him and they are probably praying for a Galaxy-Chicago final ie (Beckham vs. Blanco final). A Galaxy run would also allow ESPN to go Beckham-crazy in their promotional efforts. ESPN has both Galaxy playoff games in the first round so expect a bigger than usual promotional effort, which would only increase the further they go. All of this would be good for the league and should draw greater interest to what should be an exciting playoffs. But this all begs the question: will Beckham prove his worth on the field, as well as off?
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Posted on October 26, 2009 by Max Bergmann
Wow – what an end to the season. Heartbreaking late goals, a heart-warming and sentimental annihilation in New York and a once lowly franchise making the playoffs for the first time in their glistening stadium. Here are the highlights:
Red Bulls show some pride and spirit in their last game at Giants stadium by annihilating Toronto 5-0 and dumping them from the playoffs. This must be a hard one to swallow for our Maple Leaf friends north of the border, especially in light of another expansion franchise making the playoffs in its first year. Toronto looked sure to make the playoffs against lowly New York, now they are looking at another long offseason. In the collective bargaining talks this summer, expect the Toronto ownership to push hard for expanding the salary cap. They surely want to splash more cash to turn this team into a contender.
New England takes care of business and makes the playoffs for the eighth straight year. The Revs looked to be in the worst shape going into the weekend, playing at Columbus. But they got a late goal and knocked Colorado out of the playoffs. If the Revs didn’t play a million miles outside of the city, this would be one elite franchise. Steve Nicol just finds a way to make this team tick, despite all the injuries and departures. Shalrie Joseph may not win the MVP, but he is probably more important to his team than any other player on the planet.
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