- Jason Davis

This landed in my inbox this morning. I'm not going to bother with full comment, but I will say that there's not much here considering that Orlando City hasn't yet played a league match. I guess it's nice of Garber and Mark Abbott to take a meeting with anyone interested in expansion. Orlando, particularly because of its geographical location, is a semi-legitimate expansion candidate.

- Jason Davis

Back again, just barely. Between Jared nearly recreating the Donner Party in the California mountains before blowing in just in time for the show and our podcast host giving me trouble getting the episode posted, it's actually a bit of a miracle everything is as it should be.

Randomly came across this video for a 2001 game called Backyard Soccer MLS Edition. This PC game included kid version of Cobi Jones, Carlos Valderrama, Brandi Chastain, Brian McBride and more.


Classic stuff.

- Jason Davis

The United States qualified for the U-17 World Cup on Wednesday by defeating El Salvador 3-2 in extra time at the CONCACAF championships in Jamaica. The win puts the US in the semifinals, where they'll face the hosts later today. By most accounts, and as evidenced by the need for extra time, the US didn't show as well as expected against El Salvador and hasn't had a particularly good tournament overall (despite the final four berth and qualifying for the World Cup).

-Keith Hickey

So Major League Soccer, the crazy druid/vegan cousin of the world soccer family, released the format of the 2011 Playoffs. Being bloggers, we found the new format underwhelming. Being arrogant, we decided we could make a way better system. Being alcoholics, we decided it would involve several five dollar bottles of vodka. Remembering nothing the morning after, we pieced together various notes found around the Match Fit USA offices as well as we could. This is what we came up with.

- Keith Hickey

Hey there, soccer fans! You know how the Sons of Ben are better fans than the people in your supporters group? Well it turns out they're also better people. (Editor's Note: The opinions of Keith Hickey do not necessarily reflect those of the management.)

-Jason Kuenle

In economics, the concept of comparative advantage states that the most effective use of limited resources is achieved by maximizing relative advantage over absolute advantage. In soccer, the same concept can be applied to constructing a formation or lineup. The “limited resources” are the ten field players, “advantage” is measured in objective terms by goals or subjective terms by skills such as positioning, passing, dribbling, vision, covering, tackling, etc. Relative advantage is more important than absolute advantage. The goal is to field a side that maximizes the teams’ advantage. For teams fielding Michael Bradley, this presents a tactical problem in some formations; while he has two areas of absolute advantage, their juxtaposition can present issues in creating relative advantage.

- Jason Davis

Costa Rica's new national athletics and soccer stadium, generously financed by the Chinese government (?!?), is set to open next month. The Costa Rica National Team will face Argentina on March 29th, then a concert by Shakira will close the grand opening festivities. The 35,000 seat venue, built at a cost of $105 million, will replace Estadio Saprissa as the largest in the country.


Thanks to Matt at US Soccer Daily for posting a link to photos of the building, which looks spectacular.


Check out the brilliant photos here.

(MLSSoccer.com)

- Jason Davis

Many of my blogger brethren, as well as paid professionals whose day job is covering this game and our league took to their keyboard to spew fire yesterday. Great gobs of it exploded in the direction of Major League Soccer and its representative figureheads.


All because the playoff format came out. There aren't too many on board with the changes.

- Jason Davis

It's a good thing the Qatar World Cup isn't for another 11 years or so. That gives us, and them, plenty of time to debate the possibility of turning the world's soccer calendar on its head by moving the first-ever World Cup in the Middle East to the winter. It's hot in Qatar, and people seemed to be concerned despite promises of air conditioned stadiums and free FIFA-branded hats made out of ice for every visiting fan*.

- Jason Davis

Within the American soccer bubble, the CONCACAF Champions League is a pretty big deal. Or rather, the idea that an MLS team needs to win the title in said league is a pretty big deal. Don Garber talks about it constantly. American soccer fans, no matter which MLS team they support, bemoan the league's lack of success. Columnists, writers, blogger, et. al. regularly put down the league using its failure in the Champions League as a means to that end. Soccer people care.

- Jason Davis

Thank god for small miracles, like the MLS season starting before the MLS season actually starts. Training matches are nice, even if we only know those games are happening through official Twitter accounts and the geekiest live chats of all time, but a real game tonight, a full three weeks before the league schedule kicks off, is an uplifting thing for this soccer soul.

- Jason Davis

This is a momentous American Soccer Show if ever there was one. Jared and I cover all of the pertinent American soccer news while making references to Jim J. Bullock and shameless pleas to Bill Simmons, but the real story is the end of the era of The Ginge.

-Keith Hickey


Suppose I asked you, dear reader, to name the best player on the New England Revolution. You'd probably say it was captain Shalrie Joseph. And you would, of course, be right. Joseph is the Revs' engine room, skipper, and various other vital nautical accoutrement (poop deck!).

- Jason Davis

It seems that in the interest of improving league broadcasts, Major League Soccer's broadcasting department has set up a Twitter account specifically for TV-related feedback. Under the name @MLSonTV, the account appeared yesterday with a call for any and all opinions fans might have on the way the league is presented on the magic box -  from announcers to the use of replay.

Grant Wahl is everywhere at the moment, from Bloomberg TV and CNN International, to BBC and international outlets of the soccer/football variety. He was also kind enough to give me some of his time to talk about his candidacy for the presidency of FIFA, a conversation that covered just how serious this thing is, how making himself the story fits with his role at SI, the various planks of his platform (including the two women he believes are qualified to be General Secretary), and the response to his bid from around the world.

- Jason Davis

My apologies for a dead, dead, dead-dead-dead Friday, but I'm pretty spent today. This always happens, my burning the candle at both ends and then melting into the weekend with nary a bit of energy left. It makes for really lazy Fridays where the closest I come to posting is considering a topic, thinking about what I would write, then forgetting about it altogether and staring out of my office window for an hour or three.


There's news though, which I feel no obligation to pass on as news since you've seen it in 63 places by now, but which deserves comment and might reveal something about the space MLS currently occupies into world of sports television.

- Chris Ballard

Last week, I wrote a post about choosing a team to follow in the forthcoming MLS season (and in many future seasons). I tried to choose criteria that were important to me in order to eliminate teams, and come the finish I was left with Portland Timbers. First off, I was surprised with the reaction I got; I expected a bit of ribbing but not only did I get a nice welcome from Portland fans, but fans of other teams criticized me for the way in which I chose the team.

- Jason Davis

Australia's FA has volunteered the A-League to be goal line technology guinea pigs, if FIFA finally decides to begin testing a system in live games at any point in the future. Reports on initial testing on the setups FIFA is exploring are due to the International Football Association Board (IFAB, the rules committee) next month. It would follow that if the board decides one of the systems is worth testing, a volunteer would be needed. Australia has just jumped the line. Provided there is such a thing.

- Jason Davis

It's lunchtime in America (or was when I started this), and soccer fans everywhere are lining up to support Grant Wahl's newly announced candidacy for FIFA president. It's time for a new voice. An outsider. A guy whose name doesn't rhyme with "splatter" or "pin yuh mom." A guy with an amusing campaign video and a shiny bald head. Really, anyone but the usual suspects will do, making Grant Wahl a perfect candidate.


Wahl says he's serious, that it's not a joke candidacy,  isn't a wacky bit in the vein of the Morning Zoo DJ who ran for mayor. Journalists have ascended to the heights of sports governing bodies before (as he mentiones), so why not Grant, a man with years of experience covering soccer for Sports Illustrated, as FIFA president? No offense to our own Chris Ballard, who is offering cookies as part of his  platform, but Wahl has the chops to make this (somewhat) believable.

-Chris Ballard

When I logged onto my Twitter account this morning I saw talk about an article written by Grant Wahl regarding the FIFA Presidency. Having an interest in the matter, I zipped over to Sports Illustrated’s website to have a look. And I was outraged. Outraged, I tell you. Essentially, Wahl has thrown his hat into the ring for the presidential elections in June. This would be okay, except…I’ve already done that. In December.

- Jason Davis

Now that the NASL has their provisional sanctioning for 2011, the drama infecting lower division soccer should die down just a bit - we hope. The odd decision to leave league's US teams out of this year's US Open Cup aside, the business of actually playing games is rapidly approaching, giving fans ample reason to put the messy off-field issue out their minds. Montreal gets their goodbye season in D2 while prepping for MLS, Miami gets to debut the new/old Strikers name, Atlanta gets their comeback, and everyone who complained loudly about USSF heavy-handedness gets their soccer. NASL has a chance prove they can handle things all by themselves and become a real big boy league in 2012.

-Keith Hickey

The schedule is out. The rosters are set, mostly. Even Davey B. has promised that he'll "like totally, definitely, have some of that pre-season" as soon as he's done playing footsie with Gareth Bale. And there's still a month of nothing left to go.


I miss the CBA. At least it was something to talk about.

- Jason Davis

We don't really know yet if John Rooney can play on an MLS level. Those of us familiar with the league aren't familiar enough with the younger Rooney to make a proper judgement, and even if we were, it would be only be speculation until he steps on the field in a meaningful game. Rooney isn't Thierry Henry or Rafa Marquez. Only his last name is famous. He'll have to prove himself before we can buy that New York didn't draft him just for his famous last name. The starting position is a cynical one.

- Jason Davis

On Monday in Vancouver, Don Garber said what everyone already knew: MLS won't be switching the "international" calendar, the same one much of Europe is on and Sepp Blatter believes is crucial to soccer's success in North America (of course, Sepp knows zip about soccer in North America, so how he knows what is crucial to the game's success here is anyone's guess), anytime soon. All that talk back at MLS Cup about "studies" to consider the switch was a public show for FIFA ExCo voters who ultimately chose Qatar over the United States to host the World Cup in 2022 anyway.

Proof

-Jason Davis

Somewhat unintentionally, Jared and I turned Episode 61 into a Twitteriffic show. The microblogging service popped up several times throughout the week, leading to a theme we couldn't get away from.


We start, however, by meeting Jared's alter ego, Reginald Merriweather. What does Reginald wear? Does he have an accent? Why does he exist at all? Jared has the answers.

-Jason Davis

The Portland Timbers unveiled the returning Kenny Cooper, their highest profile signing to date, at a press conference yesterday. Cooper comes back to MLS after spending a predominantly disappointing season and a half on the books of 1860 Munich of the 2.Bundesliga. Although his European adventure didn't pan out, Cooper is a proven MLS goal-scorer, an asset worth the investment for the Timbers.

-Chris Ballard

Following soccer in the United States can be difficult when you’re a relative newcomer, and finding a team to call your own even more so. I’ve wanted to find a time to root for most of my time here. It’s all very well staying aloof to the vagaries of the club season, but supporting a soccer team is fun, and I don’t want to miss out.

- Jason Davis

It's MLS schedule day. After what seems like an interminable wait, we'll finally know when everybody plays everybody else. While being careful to point out that it will likely have some give to it for TV concerns, the announcement of the schedule is the last piece of the 2011 puzzle. Slot it in, and we're just about ready to go with Year 16 of this wacky experiment.

-Keith Hickey

There's been a lot of talk recently about the GQ UK article concerning the Sons of Ben. A lot of it plays to British perceptions of American sports fans: inauthentic wannabes, stuffing our faces with processed food and watery beer.

We can have our discussions on how accurate it was, or how much of it was manufactured for a story, and if all of it even happened. What most of us can agree on is this: it was a pretty lazy piece of journalism.

- Jason Davis

The reaction to David Beckham's training stint with Tottenham being extended a further two weeks while his Galaxy teammates gear up for the MLS season was about as surprising as a Dema Kovalenko horror tackle. We knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when.


Sure enough, when the West Coast finally joined the conversation sometime after noon East Coast time, bile exploded in Becks' specific direction. The assumption, a natural one considering his history of wanting to play anywhere but LA since joining MLS, was that Beckham himself was the impetus behind his longer stay in London. Surely he just doesn't want to be with the Galaxy, which meant he has no respect for his teammates and no sense of responsibility to the team that holds his contract, the biggest contract in this the history of American soccer, mind you. David Beckham, giant cad. Not exactly a news flash, but people like to vent.

David Beckham really, really doesn't want to join the LA Galaxy for pre-season camp. Originally scheduled to return to the US to rejoin LA this week, Beckham has managed to squeeze more time out of this training stint in London with Tottenham. The club announced today that he will stay with Spurs until February 22nd, and will now rejoin LA on the 24th.


So what is it about Bruce Arena's camp that Beckham despises so much? Or is London in February just so lovely that Becks can't bear to tear himself away?

-Keith Hickey

So Jeremiah Oshan of Sports Blog Nation, the site of faux-independent blogs, has decided to rank MLS stadiums using a metric consisting of long-term sustainability mixed with Groupon and some sort of  Urban Hiking Today vibe.

Which is great.

If I'm looking at building a sidewalk cafe next to a soccer stadium.

(I'm not.)

On the suggestion of a Twitter friend (who just so happens to be an American soccer-appreciating Englishman from Manchester - @shades846), I hipped the GQ UK Twitter account to my reaction to the Sons of Ben piece that has caused so much ruckus.


To their credit, they responded by asking if they could post the reactions on their site. Both my original reaction piece and the post containing Brody's points of contention can now be found alongside the digital version of the original story.

- Jason Davis

The Houston Dynamo broke ground on their stadium on Saturday, an event which prompted some wistful stadium-related musings from me in the days prior. In a general sense, things are pretty good for us when it comes to soccer stadiums. Specifically, Houston's new digs (opening in 2012) could very well put that city over the top as the leading soccer town in the country. At the very least, Houston could challenge Seattle or Portland for that title.

- Jason Davis

Charlie Davies just made it a bit harder for D.C. United to say no to a loan deal. Davies scored and provided an assist to Joseph Ngwenya in United's 5-1 victory over the Canadian U-20s in Fort Lauderdale. Even considering the competition, United can't ask much more of Davies than to spark the offense when given the chance during his week-long evaluation period. The performance doesn't guarantee that United will keep Davies, but it does give fans legitimate reason to think consummating the loan is in the team's best interest.

- Jason Davis

MLS camps have only just gotten underway, and First Kick isn't for another five weeks, but Jared and I had plenty to talk about. American soccer just keeps on giving.


For some reason we start with Jared's fascination with Oregon Trail being on Facebook. Never before have people been so excited to die of virtual cholera.

Welcome, fellow footy fans! It's your favorite pro-promotion proselytizers again, the Revolutionary Council for American Soccer Change. As we all watch Premiership football every weekend, we figured it was time to release guidelines on how you should be watching, to make sure you're doing it properly.

- Jason Davis

There are always two sides to every story, and the recent portrayal of the Sons of Ben in GQ's UK edition is no exception. In the aftermath of my comments on the story, both here and on the American Soccer Show, one of the SoB members featured reached out via email to explain his view of what writer Andrew Hankinson spun into an article entitled "America's Football Factory."

Adding a note here at the top for anyone that's a little confused by this - go here first, then come back and read this post. - JD

-
Editor's Note: The following letter was submitted to Match Fit USA by a long time local writer and former semi-professional English teacher. The author has asked to remain anonymous, citing the "small world of soccer blogging we all have to live and work in around here". Like with most websites, if you would like to submit letters or advice to Match Fit USA, please include them in the comments section below. With that, here's his open letter to Match Fit USA founding writer Jason Davis.

- Jason Davis

Houston is getting a stadium, for real and for true. This is big news, since we still don't have a league where everyone plays in their own building (those left standing on the wall without SSS dance partners are DC, New England, and San Jose). A tax zone vote of some type, the last hurdle before the Dynamo could break ground on the project, passed this week. The club that relocated from San Jose six years ago will finally set their permanent roots, meaning that longevity in the community is relatively assured. That's a great thing for MLS and soccer in Houston.

- Jason Davis

Here are two things I've decided to jam together for no other reason than that they're not substantial enough for two posts, and they allow for the somewhat clever headline.

- Jason Davis

The possibility that Charlie Davies could spend the year on loan to DC United is a natural marriage brought about by timing, the vagaries of the MLS allocation order system, and a shared need for both to find redemption in 2011.


Charlie Davies wants to play, DC United could do with some positive press. If the former meets his goal and returns to putting the ball in the back of the net in meaningful competition after sixteen months of recovery from terrible car accident that happened to take place in United's backyard, both sides win. Charlie proves he can play. United gets pulled along for the ride, with all the positive press and good feelings inherent therein. In that way, Charlie Davies is more than just another player for DC United, he's a calculated risk.

- Jason Davis

Michael Bradley's loan move to Aston Villa in the closing hours transfer deadline day was rightly hailed as a step forward for both American players and Bradley himself. There may be some debate as to whether the English Premier League is definitely a better place for Bradley to improve than the Bundesliga, but there's no doubt that his profile will grow at a respected club like Villa in a highly visible league like the Prem.