In what is quickly becoming a MFUSA staple, here are some quick hitters on an ugly Thursday morning.
United stadium backlash
The first anti-stadium salvo has been fired in D.C. United's direction by Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher. This is standard operating procedure for Fisher, but expect more on this front in the not-too-distant future.
It's hard to dispute anything he mentions; the economic environment is certainly a problem for any large scale building project. My only issue with the column is the spotlight he shines on the ethnic makeup of United's fan base versus that of Prince George's County; I'm not really sure what one has to be with the other. If United can't draw from outside of the county, then there's no reason to build the stadium in the first place.
My desire to see MLS teams in dedicated soccer facilities effects my ability to empathize with the tax payers of PG County, and I think these type of projects will always have their detractors. No matter how put-together these plans might be, there will always be people on the other side deriding the use of public funds for what is essentially a private endeavor. Let's hope that United, Prince George's County, and the Maryland Stadium Authority are diligent in their planning and implementation of that plan, because there is still a lot that can go wrong before shovel hits soil in the name of the Black & Red.
Another item making the rounds related to the United stadium effort is a Q&A with Kevin Payne, the team's president and CEO.
Nakamura mulling future
Shunsuke Nakamura is considering his options with his Celtic contract set to run out in the summer. The story mentions that he may actually choose to remain with the Old Firm club, and his apparently inevitable return to Japan is mentioned several times. If Nakamura is available on a free transfer, even if it appears certain he will return to Yokohama Marinos, MLS would be crazy not to make a run at him (as I've mentioned before). Perhaps he could be enticed to play one or two years here; any investment made in the Japanese star would be justified by the international marketing return.
Galaxy win without stars
For some reason, I didn't get to sleep until late last night, so I was able to catch (endure?) most of the Galaxy's win over Oita Trinita in the Pan-Pacific Championship. There was nothing special, and nothing of import can truly be gleaned from a glorified friendly, but I will say that the Galaxy managed to control the game reasonably well. I still don't understand how Edson Buddle scores goals; he always looks so out-of-control on the ball.
I don't know what could have been expected for a pre-season match, even if Beckham was in the squad, but the emptiness of the stadium depressed me. Although those that did show up made their feelings known on the Beckham-to-Milan issue. Good for them, and I suspect we'll see this all over MLS this year, even if a deal is worked out and Beckham isn't even in the States to bear the brunt of the backlash.
Amazingly, something stupid is said on Fox News
The American soccer blogging community has been alerted to the insidious, ridiculous, and inflammatory comments by people masquerading as comedians on a Fox News show called "Red Eye". While I was not even aware of the show before this little incident, I would be shirking my duty as a promoter of soccer in the U.S. if I didn't help draw attention to what can only be described as unfunny idiocy.
Now, it is attempted comedy. I don't want to get over-excited about what is essentially a bunch of misguided American clowns playing to the soccer-haters in their audience (which I can't imagine is very large). Take from it what you will, and decide on your own if it's worth contacting Fox about, as I've been asked to do.
Relevant contact information:
http://www.newscorp.com/management/foxcablenetworks.html
President of Fox News Channel (and chairman of Fox Television Stations Group),
roger.ailes@fox.com
Management / Executives:
http://www.newscorp.com/management/index.html
