Today is an MFUSA snow day, as I've decided to avoid the debacle that is the DC area's attempts to deal with a little snow, and stay home. Luckily for you, this means as many posts as I can muster and progress towards the release of a new podcast by the end of the day.
Let's start with a small collection of links that have caught my eye this morning:
GOALSeattle has a look at what Qwest will look like on Opening Day (sorry, I just can't make myself call it "First Kick"), and it all sounds pretty impressive. If the momentum rolls in the Emerald City all season long, it will set the standard for new clubs in MLS. I just hope they make a lot of noise up there in the Northwest; Qwest is notoriously loud as an American football stadium (partly due to the fans, partly due to the intentional acoustical design), so Sounders fans have a chance to set the bar.
As a follow up, Kyle McCarthy at Goal.com wonders if the instant success of Toronto and Seattle will shine a harsh light on the rest of the league. It's possible, and perhaps outside observers will spout negativity about the less successfully marketed clubs, though the overall effect should be a positive one. Every marketing head in MLS should be taking notes from TFC and SSFC. Although the resonance of Toronto's sell-out success is mute in the States because of the Canada-factor (not fair, just the truth), Seattle's ticket sales bonanza could conceivably trickle down to other MLS clubs around the country. Hopefully, some of the mainstream sports media starts to pay attention in the coming weeks.
I'm now of the opinions that Rio Ferdinand is a jackass. How about a little respect for someone who took a chance, Rio? While we may all be turning on Beckham now, and the grand experiment has petered out, just the fact that Golden Balls had the, well, balls to come here with a hope to grow the game is commendable.
DaMarcus Beasley might be wasting away in Glasgow, but at least Mo Edu is making progress. With the U.S. midfield seemingly stacked, the development of Edu would seem less important for the Nats, and more important for the developing rep of American players. Not true for me on the first point, as I think Maurice will be a big time part of the team in South Africa next year.
On the expansion front, the Timbers Army held a rally on Saturday (using this link because Duane's comments are always a worthwhile read). It may not be a foregone conclusion with the vote still to come (March 11th), but I'd be betting on Portland for one of the two slots (if American books took bets on that type of thing). The other spot seems like it could go any of the remaining suitors, including Montreal; while I'm not convinced that the Quebecers are back in the mix, it's hard to believe that Garber & Co. didn't get a little starry-eyed over the CCL match attendance.
Today is roster compliance day for MLS teams, although in the Kyle McCarthy article I linked to earlier, he explains that there's not much bite to the deadline. All it really means to me is that we're getting closer to First Kick (okay, so maybe I will use it; just seems hokey for some reason). With my NFL football team falling apart, I need to keep my mind on the good stuff: MLS soccer in 17 days.
Picture grabbed from Off the Post, who I'm sure got it somewhere else.
