In a gesture that falls squarely under the heading of "the least I can do", I would like to pass on an invitation to join Ginge over at Ginge Talks the Footy for a live blog of the TFC-Sounders match, starting at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

I'll be stopping by to act the fool, and I suggest you come for punch and pie.

Okay, no punch and pie. But there will be an entertaining live blog, commentary from yours truly (perhaps), and more soccer than you can shake a stick at.

See you then. Oh, and be nice to Ginge, it's his first time.

Like I said.

Mexican? Check.
Managerial Resume? Check.
Retread? Check.

Meet the new manager, same as the old manager.

Mexico rehires Aguirre as soccer coach (Washington Post)

Not that it took a genius to predict that. But I so rarely get to say I told you so...

The Sounders take their show to BMO Field

They tell me tomorrow is the third Saturday of the MLS season, and as I am ostensibly a soccer blogger, I feel obligated to give my thoughts on each match.

Forgive my malaise, I've had a bit of a day.

Briefs previews and predictions after the jump.

Toronto FC v. Seattle Sounders

Think the Red Patch Boys and their cohorts won't be a little jacked up for this one? Short of a fun reunion with the Nordecke boys from Columbus, I doubt there is a more anticipated game on the TFC calendar. How dare people say that Seattle has better fans! Anyway, on the field, Seattle is going to be without Fredy Montero. Big blog, and let's hope his troubles are short lived (health and/or criminal). DeRo makes his BMO Field debut, I've heard Ljundberg might actually start, and this is probably the highlight match of the weekend. As much as I would love to say that SSFC is going to rumble into Toronto and take those hosers down a peg, it just ain't happenin'. The road struggles for Seattle start tomorrow; afterward, TFC fans will demand they be given the MLS Cup, $10 million from the city of Columbus, and a new jean jacket for every man, woman, and child in lower Ontario.

Prediction:
Toronto 1 Seattle 0

As a bonus, I've just now suddenly decided out of the blue to include a nice little video of the stadium atmospheres involved in tomorrows matches. It's a little hack, but I love this crap and I'm frustrated at the attendance numbers so here you go:

Atmosphere:
Toronto fans singing in French, because I find it amusing:


New England Revolution v. FC Dallas

Dallas still has a team, though no one in the Metroplex or Hoops' front office seems to care. New England still has a team too, and as usual, they're pretty good. It seems Stevie Nichol knows what he's doing, and the Revs have four points from two matches, both on the road. Unfortunately, their home opener in their abomination of a venue will tell us nothing about how good they actually are, since Dallas est tres terrible (carrying over the French theme). A good stomping, a goal from Cooper, and a few rug burns are all that FC Dallas will get out of this match.

Prediction:
New England 3 FC Dallas 1

Atmosphere:
The "Fort". This video makes me sad.


DC United v. Houston Dynamo

It's starting to look to me like this is the year that the Dynamo finally take step off of the mountain, and come back to the MLS pack. Okay, so may last year was the year, as they did lose the Red Bulls in the playoffs. Houston hasn't shown me much, and I'm still bitter at them for crashing out of the CCL without putting up much of a fight. A week one tie with Columbus at home was a fairly pedestrian effort, though they did score two goals on the road last week. United has tied twice, deserving better in the first, and lucky to escape with a point in the second. Neither side is up to their usual standard, so it's difficult to know how they stack up. Let's just go with the home team, give the DC crazies some love, and call it a preview.

Prediction:
DC United 1 Houston 0

Atmosphere:
Love these people. A throbbing mass of soccer-loving humanity:


LA Galaxy v. Colorado Rapids

LA is still LA, which means that it's generally up to Donovan to make things happen. I'm going to assume that he's playing after coming back from Nats duty (mostly because I haven't seen anywhere that he's not), though I'm not sure how effective he'll be. The Galaxy come into the match after a week off, so the rest of the team should be well rested. Colorado looks improved to me over last year, and for some reason I like Clarke and Casey. On the road in the HDC though, I can't see them winning. No gut either way on this one, but I expect goals to be scored.

Prediction:
Galaxy 2 Colorado 2

Atmosphere:
This.

My most recent missive for MLS Daily is now up over there, and I'd be honored if you'd check it out.

I outline the issues that MLS playing through the international breaks causes for fans.

MLS Daily column 4/3

Please comment, I'd love to hear thoughts on the matter.

On the most recent podcast (SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES!) Mark Fishkin made reference to the marketing "efforts" of Red Bull New York. Here is a video of that campaign. I apologize in advance (there are two more videos, which I've decided not to subject you to).



Forget the jump, no need to "click to read more" this time.

AP/George Frey
Real Salt Lake put four goals past Will Hesmer and the Columbus Crew last night, thumping the defending Cup champions at a rainy Rio Tinto Stadium. Robbie Findley scored three of those goals, marking the second time in two days that a striker scored a hat trick on ESPN2.

And I'm not quite sure what to think.

Almost forgot about the whole "jump" thing. Comments and highlights to follow.

Columbus was a mess for the most part, and thought they attacked fairly well, RSL consistently took the game to them. Movsisyan, Findley, and the rest of the Salt Lake attackers abused Columbus' back line (save for Chad Marshall, maybe). The scoreline, though flattering to RSL thanks to a major gaff on the part of the usually steady Hesmer, nevertheless reflected the general flow of the match.

I'm not writing off Columbus, of course, as they are the defending champs. Besides, there are a litany of extenuating circustances that may have contributed to the poor performance.

Columbus was obviously missing stalwarts Hejduk and Moreno, and it appeared to be completely different team without them.

Schelotto got mugged all over the pitch; I thought stars and MVPs were supposed to get a few of those calls?

Hesmer played like doggie-doo-doo.

The weather was miserable, and it definitely effected the Crew more than it did RSL.

Still, I was impressed with RSL, and think that my prediction of a Cup run for them is looking like a reasonable one.

Just saw this, thought I would pass it on.

Sven Goran-Eriksson has been fired as Mexican National Team manager.

The circus continues south of the border, and I'm curious who will be the next to willingly sign up for the position of Human Cannonball.

Share all baseless rumors, pass along BWHAHAHAs, or mourn if you are sad to see Sven go.

By the way; I think Sven is a fine manager, that the FMF is so dysfunctional it's self-cannibalistic, and that the next Mexico manager is guaranteed to be a Mexican of strong managerial background, perhaps even a retread.

Jozy Altidore's start, and the resulting goals he scored, got me thinking about the state of the National Team's striker pool. For most fans, Jozy has vaulted himself to the top of the selection list, and should get the start whenever he is available. But what about everyone else?

The following is an overview of each striker that has been called up in 2009 by Bob Bradley, with my thoughts on them. Additionally, I've come up with a few names that intrigue me that have yet to earn a senior cap.

Break down of the striker pool after the jump.

Josimer Altidore

I already mentioned this above, but I think digging a little deeper is warranted here. Jozy has now scored six goals in nine senior appearances, a fantastic strike rate that has fans abuzz. Altidore would seem a stalwart now, one of those guys that gets called up for every significant match/tournament, a la Donovan, Howard, Dempsey, etc. And he gets first billing because he scored a hattrick. Nuff said.

Strengths: Um, scoring I think. Jozy is big, strong, and seems to have a pretty darn good first touch. At least in CONCACAF, there are few defenders that can handle him.

Weaknesses: Fitness, though that is more related to the concerns listed below and isn't likely to be a long term problem, and experience (or more correctly, lack thereof). It looks like Bob used the two games this past week to properly blood Jozy, and to say he passed with flying colors would be an understatement. Still, there is bound to be a learning curve, and it will be important for Jozy to lean on his more experienced teammates when trips to San Jose and Mexico City come around. Let's not forget what Eddie Johnson did in his first taste of international soccer back in 2004.

Concerns: Club playing time. Jozy still isn't seeing the field for Xerex, and it's unclear how Villareal views the situation (or if they will recall him). As long as Alitdore is caught in limbo in Spain, this will continue to be a concern. It is heartening, though, that one week in Nats camp got him in form enough that he went on a scoring spree. Still, it would be folly to count on that happening too often.


Brian Ching

Strengths: Experience, workrate, and history of understanding with many of the players he's on the field with. Ching could never be accused of phoning in a peformance, though his effectiveness it often both relative and inconsistent.

Weaknesses: Bluntly put, Brian doesn't score. He's most likely to on set-pieces, as his height makes him an obvious target. He gets by with size and the aforementioned workrate, and does not create on his own.

Concerns: Age. Ching is on the wrong side of thirty, and his long-term (i.e., through qualifying and into 2010) ability to contribute will depend largely on how he holds up. A summer of dual-duty, with a packed Nats schedule (assuming he's called in for the Confed Cup and/or Gold Cup) on top of his club duties with Houston Dynamo, could simply be too much for Ching.


Eddie Johnson

Strengths: Speed. Always the calling card of EJ's game, his speed can turn a match on it's head if he finds himself in position to use it.

Weaknesses: Everything else. Eddie hasn't exactly burned up the pitch since his move to the U.K. (first England, now Wales), and it's most likely due to his limitations; work ethic had been a concern with EJ, though his current manager at Cardiff has said that he works harder in training than almost anyone else with the club. Eddie tends to disappear at times, however, and it will take a strong National Team peformance for him to shed the label of intermittant slacker.

Concerns: See above. Those things that are concerns with EJ are also his weaknesses. Additionally, it's only been over the past month that Eddie has seen the field in the Championship; what that means for his form as qualifying goes forward, and then heading into next year's World Cup, is yet to be seen.


Charlie Davies

Strengths: Charlie has pace, Charlie has skill. Charlie can score. Everything else is a bit of a mystery to me.

Weaknesses: Davies is another young, unproven striker. All of the ingredients for him to be a solid contributor seem to be there, and it appears he's over the finishing issues he had when he initially signed with Hammarby. Still, Charlie can hardly be called a "rising star" and wouldn't rate on most USMNT fans' preferred teams.

Concerns: Development. The thought is that Davies has a good National Team future if he continues to develop; he's only twenty-two, so the next year or two will be crucial to determining his future on the international stage.


The 2009 player pool includes four others listed at "forward". Donovan, Dempsey, Kenny Cooper, and Chris Rolfe. I'm ignoring Donovan because enough has been written, Dempsey because he rarely plays up top, Cooper because this post is already long enough and I need to end it, and Rolfe because he's unlikely to figure prominently.

Players to watch:

Marcus Tracy
Chris Pontius
Mike Grella

*UPDATE*

Adding some names here, purely speculative:

Jemal Johnson (though I'm not impressed by where he plays his club soccer)
Robbie Findley

Also, two players whose international status is unclear to me:
Steve Zakuani (Seems like a very remote possibility)
Yura Movsisyan

These are off the top of my head, reflect my inability to do proper research while at work, and should in no way be taken as a complete or properly informed list. I may be way off, so if you are more in tune with some of the younger players and want to yell at me, please do.

I was tempted to post a match report directly after the final whistle, but interest in Mexico-Honduras (more on that game and the fallout coming soon) and the lateness of the hour conspired to keep my lazy.

After a night to sleep on the result, I think my view of the match has changed a little anyway, so perhaps it was good to wait.

More, including highlights (a.k.a. The Jozy Show) after the jump.

So what does a 3-0 result against an obviously disinterested T & T side, on home soil, mean? Frankly, I don't think it means a whole hell of a lot.

Sure, Jozy looked good, and I'm happy to see him get the hattrick. He was dangerous all night, and he was able to put himself in good positions on a fairly regular basis.

But that club situation needs to get rectified quickly. Hopefully Jozy's week (4 goals in 2 games; what most would call a pretty good strike rate) gets him some runout in Spain. While we as Americans are prone to hyperbole when it comes to our young talent, and therefore probably give Jozy just a little too much credit, all we're really looking for right now is a little playing time for the kid. 2009 looks as if it might be Altidore's first chance to impress on the greater international stage (don't forget about the Confed Cup in the summer), and consistent work at his club is a necessary ingredient to his continued development.

Sidenote: Jozy now has 6 goals in 9 international appearances.

Although most of the focus is quite rightly on Jozy this morning, there were plenty of other players on the field who played well. Landon Donovan had a particularly good game, and showed why he's still the focal point of the American offense. Every chance seemed to go through him, and he set up attack after attack with his pace and positioning.

While it is only a brief two-game sample, Donovan looked much more comfortable playing on the left side of midfield last night than he did playing a central role in El Salvador on Saturday. No conclusions from me, just observations. The move of DeMarcus Beasley to fullback is sure to be hotly debated, and while the result will cloud some fans' judgement of how he actually performed, Beasley and Donovan seemed to have a decent partnership going on the left side of the field.

Pablo Mastroeni stuck out as a strong performer, calming and controlling midfield alongside Michael Bradley.

Clint Dempsey never featured prominently in the attack, though he did have several decent moments, and was always a threat that the T & T defense had to honor.

Brian Ching, after being so ineffective as to be almost invisible on Saturday, did yeoman's work across the top, and showed why Bob Bradley continues to start him.

As for the team's performance overall, it was obviously a massive improvement over the El Salvador match. The only problem with the result is that it's difficult to put in proper perspective; coming off a poor performance, playing on home soil, and facing a team that never seems entireley interested in the game, the Americans did what they were supposed to do. Is the ship completely righted, and should we go back to feeling cocky and confident (the fans I mean, not the players) as the CONCACAF big dogs? Maybe, though it's obvious that there's a ton of work to do.

Bottom line: a win is a win, and it was great to get back on the right side of things after El Salvador. Coupled with Mexico's complete meltdown in Honduras, last night was a great night for fans of the National Team.

Here are the highlights:

Let me first say that I'd never heard of Carlos Slim before today. Let me also say that a second team in New York City (or a first team of you're one of those New York people that poo-poos the Red Bulls) is an obvious dream for Major League Soccer. Apparently the two are now linked, and it's creating a bit of a stir.

More after the jump.

Rumblings (ground-shaking as they are) have Senor Slim and MLS getting together, working out some kind of deal, and moving rapidly ahead with expansion plans in the Big Apple. Second (or maybe third, it really doesn't matter) richest guy in the world plus media capital of the world plus the world's game plus that puddle of drool at Don Garber's feet equals...what?

I dunno, I'm just here to comment on the news, and this seems to be some pretty big news.

I'm hesitant to mention it, but I've heard that there may also be a dedicated TV channel for the new team, something Slim can obviously make happen with this telecommunications clout.

Happy April Fools Day!

Tonight the U.S. Nation Team takes on Trinidad & Tobago at LP Field in Nashville.

Almost 20,000 tickets have been sold for the match, and a strong walk-up crowd is expected.

If things go well, and game time demand is strong, there could be as many as 26,000 thousand people in the stands, most of the cheering on the Americans in their quest for another World Cup berth.

26,000 is a great number for a sport that gets no mainstream love. It's great for a qualifier taking place in a town with no professional soccer franchise. It's great for a match against an opponent that lacks built-in rivalry, as exists with Mexico.

But it's not so great when the stadium in which the match is taking place holds 68,000 people. It's not great when the venue will be more than sixty percent empty. It's not great when the atmosphere those 26,000 might produce is sucked away by 42,000 unoccupied seats.

More after the jump.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there are any answers, or that US Soccer completely fouled up by placing the match in Nashville. I realize that many factors go into the selection of the sites for these matches, and that stadium capacity is perhaps the least of concerns. But shouldn't a nation like the U.S., one without a overwhelming soccer history or guarantee of fan support, take advantage of smaller venues that might maximize the passion those fans who do buy tickets have to offer?

The hexagonal home date with Mexico was placed in Columbus for many reasons, not the least of which involved American fans, and the ability to fill that stadium to the brim. Financial concerns we seemingly left at the door, as the USSF obviously placed greater importance on creating the most advantageous environment possible for the Americans.

Apparently those concerns don't apply for "lowly" Trinidad & Tobago. Instead of a venue like Crew Stadium, one with the proper capacity for the level of interest, the powers-that-be have instead seen fit to bow to those same financial concerns they so rightly ignored the first time around by choosing a massive stadium that was never in danger of being filled.

I wish I was in Nashville, and I'm sure that those fans that are attending the game won't care a lick about all of those empty seats. But for those of us watching on TV, and for the players on the pitch who deserve to be properly supported by a full stadium, the choice of LP Field is a supreme disappointment.

Just as an addendum here, I want to make a note about the stadium situation as it exists in the U.S.:

MLS is focusing efforts on building soccer-specific stadiums that are correctly sized for the league. That's a good thing, though it means that none of those stadiums are likely to seat more than 25,000 people or so (with a few exceptions).

This means that the National Team is limited to these smaller venues, or must play in over sized stadiums. Though they might generate enough interest in some cities to sell out a 30-40k seat stadium, there a very few that are that size, in a reasonable soccer market, and have a field that could be configured for soccer (without being a joke, that is). In fact, there may be none

I encourage you to look at this wikipedia list of American stadiums with capacities of 30k+ and find one between 30,000 and 40,000 that makes sense as a potential USMNT venue. I know I couldn't find one.

In a better economic climate, I might even suggest that USSF find a way to convince a city to build a National Stadium. I know that it wouldn't be too popular with a lot of fans who like the rotation policy, but it might finally give our team the type of atmosphere they both deserve and need.