New show, with a bit more roster talk, and a strong striker them throughout. Plus quality listener emails and a shout out to Lord Triesman, ex-head of the England World Cup bid.

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There's now a preponderance of evidence that the long rumored move of Thierry Henry to MLS, and specifically the New York Red Bulls, is all but done. While the signing is a massive coup for New York on the field, the arrival of any Designated Player will inevitably lead to analysis of his larger effect beyond how many goals he scores. Henry will be the first since Freddie Ljungberg, and the biggest since Beckham, to focus scrutiny on the league both from abroad and from domestic soccer fans who rarely pay attention to MLS.


Henry's signing, after the back-and-forth dance of rumors, whispers, and denials, means that MLS clubs (at least in the biggest markets) can actually follow through on major signings; one player doesn't represent a sea change necessarily, but it does indicate that big stars aren't always using the league as leverage to get new contracts in Europe. It helped get the deal in place that Henry is an admitted Amero- and NYC-phile, but even those factors don't take away from the gravity of the signing for the league and the club.


Unlike David Beckham's arrival back in 2007, Henry's coming to the States brings a player with a proven pedigree who is still young enough that he could not easily be called "washed up". Sure, Henry was marginalized at Barcelona, but the greatness of that team and the quality of players they possess mitigate the effects of his leaving because he couldn't get a game. Henry is just thirty-two, and though there's no way to paint him as in his "prime", he's by no means ancient. He did make France's World Cup squad, after all, and will arrive in the U.S. following the tournament.


Unlike with Beckham, there shouldn't be the stigma that Henry is headed to America to build his brand, take up acting, or enjoy a semi-retirement. Some of that is thanks to the slowly growing reputation of MLS, and some of it is due to Beckham's own experience here. Even if the nicest thing the European football community says about MLS is that it didn't "ruin" Beckham, since he likely would have made the England World Cup team if he hadn't been injured, that's something. Henry will join a significantly different MLS than Beckham did back in '07, with expansion ramping up attention, new stadiums in New York and Philadelphia, and a muted "boom" environment that he will only help spur on.


Henry isn't a sideshow. He's fan of New York (the city) with solid ties to the States in the sporting world and a genuine passion for growing soccer in America. Where Beckham comes off as manufactured and plastic, Henry projects a likable, genuine quality that will endear him to American soccer fans. Without the overkill hype of Beckham's arrival, and keeping in mind that his profile outside of the sport in the U.S. is much lower, Henry might actually be able to do more long term good for the sport and the league than his English contemporary.

This won't be overly long and involved, but I thought it necessary to provide a bit of a basic primer as U.S. National Team World Cup camp starts in earnest at Princeton today.


Just a few basics, with the possibility that news will leak out of New Jersey throughout the week to give us a better idea of where things are headed.


Who's There

Twenty-nine twenty-six of the thirty on the preliminary roster are present, with Alejandro Bedoya remaining in Sweden one more today for Orebro's match today.

*UPDATE*

According to SF (MLS Insider) who is in Princeton, Feilhaber, Gooch and Goodson have no yet arrived either. I'm guessing that they'll all be there later today/early tomorrow.

The presence of every player (minus Bedoya, who will be there shortly) on the list answers the question of just who would be in camp; Bob Bradley originally indicated that 26-28 would be invited, with the remaining spots held by alternates. Either he had a change of heart, or the initial stages of camp are being handled differently than what is to come. The first of the domestic warm ups is eight days away.

Injuries

Eddie Johnson's hamstring injury, picked up last week while playing in the Greek Superleague playoffs, has been evaluated as a "Grade 1" strain. As I understand it, this is the least serious type of strain, and puts Johnson in the day-to-day category of injuries. It doesn't sound too bad, but any time lost at all is a serious blow to Eddie's already small chances of making the final twenty-three man roster.

Holden, Onyewu, Bocanegra, and Ching (with the possibility I'm missing someone) are all coming off of injury in some form or another. Adding Chad Marshall.

Holden - Broken leg suffered against the Netherlands on March 3rd is fully healed. Holden made a substitute appearance for Bolton in their final match of the season.

Onyewu - Patella tendon injury suffered in October. Onyewu's long recovery is complete, and though he made the travelling squad for AC Milan's final two matches, he did not make the game day roster for either.

Bocanegra - Abdominal strain. Bocanegra has not played over the last few weeks for Rennes, though the reasons are more related to resting his abdominal strain than because he was not healthy enough to play.

Ching - Hamstring injury suffered in the first week of the MLS season. He returned to training with the Dynamo last week.

Marshall - Hamstring injury of his own, that has him training separately from the group on the first day.


Major Areas of Focus

With that short amount of time, Bob Bradley has a healthy to-do list. Here are the three most pressing issues:

Shaking out the Forwards

Altidore, Ching, Buddle, Gomez, a lame Johnson, and Robbie Findley. From that group, Bradley must determine who deserves a look against the Czech's on the 25th; from there, he'll either use the Turkey game on the 29th to flesh things out further, or settle on his group (and hopefully staring tandem) and use the game as a World Cup dry run. With the uncertainty involved, he may not have the luxury of the latter, or could split the game into halves with different combinations as part of the evaluation process. Will we see Dempsey or Donovan at striker in either friendly?

How good is Gooch/Getting him up to speed

Oneywu's failure to appear at the end of the Serie A season means that no one really knows if he's ready to handle game speed. Camp will hopefully give him another layer of readiness, but it won't be until the warm-up matches that Bradley, or Gooch for that matter, will know just how far from full pre-injury levels he actually is. Bradley's hands may be tied, since Onyewu is far an away his best central defender, but he does have options. Still, expect Onyewu to get every minute possible during the build up to get both his fitness and sharpness moving quickly in the right direction.

Left back

Every U.S. fan's biggest concern: who to play at left back? Bornstein, Spector, Bocanegra, other? Bornstein has maintained Bradley's faith despite some questionable performances, and has the speed to keep up with speedy wingers; Bocanegra plays on the left in France, and has the superior experience and positional sense. The remaining options, including Jonathan Spector or playing another fullback out of his natural position, are downright scary. Bradley may decide to set out his team based on a tactical response to his opponent, which would mean both Bornstein and Bocanegra getting time at the spot through camp.

Honorable mention goes to pinning down just who will play alongside Michael Bradley in central midfield. Ricardo Clark has been there before, but Maurice Edu has played solidly for Rangers and might be the more dynamic option. At least Bradley has one thing going for him, in that both players have appeared for their clubs and shown well over recent weeks.

Tipped by Grant Wahl on Twitter this morning, it appears that Oguchi Onyewu will spend at least another year with AC Milan after he renewed his contract with the Rossoneri.


But here's the kicker: By Gooch's own request, and because he lost the entire season due to the knee injury he suffered in October, he has waived any compensation.


That's right, Onyewu will play in Italy for free next year.


Without some additional thought, I'm hesitant to react forcefully to this news. On the surface, it's a stand up move by Onyewu; he got paid for a year in which he didn't play, and obviously would still like a chance to prove himself in Serie A. Voluntarily taking no pay shows a level of personal commitment and integrity that is rarely seen in the world of professional sports.


But there's a flip side, a practical one, that makes the move rather dangerous. AC Milan was none too happy about paying Onyewu's salary this season after he was injured while on international duty; this move essentially compensates them for the lost season, but out of Onyewu's pocket. This type of thing would never, ever, fly in an American sport where players unions hold sway; playing for free is just about the craziest thing a professional athlete with a short career can do.


One has to wonder if Milan told Onyewu and his representatives that they weren't planning to bring him back after "losing" the funds paid to him this season. Coming off of an injury, and with essentially the same resume he had prior to landing in Milan, Gooch's options were to either head out of town with his tail between his legs or suck it up and take a bullet to get a second chance to prove he belongs.


Again, I'm still processing this. We may need to flesh it out in the comments to get it covered from all of the appropriate angles. Is this good or bad?


One more note: with camp opening in Princeton today, I hope to have some thoughts to share on the various question to be answered as some point soon. As the World Cup preparations begin to hit high gear, I'll be putting up shorter-than-usual posts with news and musings as they come up.


*UPDATE*

- Thanks to Sully below, I have to scratch everything I wrote that insinuated it would be 2010-11 in which Gooch would be unpaid. He essentially just tacked an unpaid year to the end of an extension. He'll play for free in 2012-13, provided he's still in Milan. Damn me, apologies for the confusion. This changes things a bit from the "danger" perspective and make it just a good faith move on Gooch's part.

Giving ourselves over to passionate support of a particular team in any sport usually means checking logic at the door, losing the ticket, and drinking so much shit beer we forget we brought our precious logic with us in the first place. High, lows, the desperate irrelevancy of mediocrity; they all bring with them opportunities to look hard at our squads, our managers, and the team's prospects, and do what supporters (and professional analysts for that matter) have done since the beginning of organized sports clubs one hundred and fifty years ago. Get it completely, utterly, totally wrong, and feel no guilt about doing so.


Guilt cannot grow where obliviousness poisons the soil.


And yet, no matter the reasons for it or how justifiable it is from a very human standpoint, this lack of logic, perhaps better termed in the positive as "bias", is anathema. We're not supposed to be oblivious, we're supposed to realize our bias and correct it, as if it is a soul-staining sin dooming us to the pits of a fiery hell of community disdain. How dare we overrate our team, or fail to acknowledge that our league or club pales in comparison to others. Homer-ism will not be tolerated. Take your blinding passion and shove it.


Never mind that without blind passion, there wouldn't be a beautiful game to argue over. The history of the sport is built on people paying hard earned money to cram into spartan stadiums and watch grown men play a game. Through the circumstance of history, and the late blooming nature of soccer here, America is the land of the soccer aficionado; suppressing your bias-laden opinion and getting with the "proper" viewpoint is part of the price paid to enter the selective club of worldly appreciators. Soccer isn't just another sport, played by brutish louts like American football or freakish giants like basketball; it's a way of life, a secret gift passed like a precious heirloom, the Faberge egg of athletic endeavors, a priceless treasure to be treated with all of the reverence due the world's greatest game.


Bias, for lack of a subtler phrase, is a bitch to overcome. Human beings are full of biases, both natural and assumed, that will affect how they see the world and how they relate their views to others. Soccer is a particularly fertile area for the application of bias in the sporting world; not only is the game played on every continent with the expected local attention, it also crosses borders in ways no other single cultural touchstone does. Local competitions no longer exist in single-nation cocoons, but as part of a worldwide fabric of the game that makes comparing everything from leagues to players to branding the pastime of every honk with a television, an internet connection, and the annoying need to proffer his or her opinion without ever being asked.


But for every supposedly objective observer cranking out thousands of words a week on the relative quality of this player and that team, there are thousands for whom a love of the game means reacting and overreacting to everything with their hearts first and only. This isn't something to be lamented, but rather a integral part of the makeup of soccer; without the unrepentant homers, who might one week back a player or manager than turn virulently against them the next, there is no reason to care. Without the self-styled analysts playing foil to their own foggy-minded nonsense, the fans would have no one to rail against, no one to strengthen their resolve and heighten their passion. Both play parts in the greater drama, giving depth to the performance of the other exactly because they are so diametrically opposed in philosophy.


You suck, because you clearly hate my team.


No, you suck because your fandom blinds you to the truth.


Call it reciprocal cannibalism, a strange phenomenon where each feeds off the other, and would be left to an agonizing death by starvation of conflict if the other didn't exist.


It's a lovely arrangement, bloody carcasses notwithstanding.


So...spat this out, not sure where it was headed when it began. Apologies for any proofreading errors, but it's late and I couldn't possibly stand to take yet another look in the morning.

by Vlad Bouchouev

With the World Cup less than a month away, people can only speculate about what Bob Bradley’s final 23-man roster man will look like. We obviously have a good idea of who the majority of the players will be, but these next couple of weeks may prompt Bradley to make some surprising decisions. The most intriguing part of the final roster selection will undoubtedly be picking the forwards. With about six (or eight, depending on just who is a forward) to choose from in camp, Jozy Altidore is the only forward who seemingly has a ticket to South Africa already booked.


That’s right, that ambitious 20-year-old youngster from New Jersey whose best case for starting for the U.S. at forward came after making a sly turn around defender Joan Capdevila and striking a dinky shot past keeper Iker Casillas in last year’s Confederation’s Cup semifinal.


All jokes aside, we know the guy can play. We’ve seen it with his days with the New York Red Bulls and the US U-20 Men’s National Team. The biggest discomfort with Jozy Altidore has been caused by his recent form. After Hull City threw Altidore a lifeline last summer, he returned them the favor by scoring a whopping two goals in all competitions. He did little to help prevent Hull City’s relegation. You may say that’s a little too much to ask for from a developing player who is testing the European soccer waters, but hey, if you’re going to start as a forward with the US National Team at this year’s World Cup, you’re going to have to at least live up to some minimum expectations. Two goals? Really? Karim Benzema got hacked from the French team for only scoring eight goals for Real Madrid this season, and that kid too has proved that he can play on the international level.


As far as I am concerned, no American forward should be guaranteed a spot on the final roster for the 2010 World Cup, and certainly not a starting one. The battle between the forwards for these roster spots should be an exciting one and I can only imagine the atmosphere that will be surrounding the Princeton camp in the next several weeks. Every forward that Bob Bradley has called up has a legitimate shot at making the final cut. Even Robbie Findley.


All in all, there is some obligation on the part of Altidore to not only show up to the camp next week, but to be the dominant force that he can be. Otherwise, guys like Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez are going to be making a serious case for a starting place in South Africa. Buddle has his connection to Landon Donovan connection going for him and Gomez has the Mexican Primera Division scoring title under his belt. Eddie Johnson is currently making fans at Greek club Aris and Robbie Findley is the closest thing that we have to a Charlie Davies stand-in. Brian Ching is an experienced physical target man who happens to also be the man-crush of both Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley. In my opinion, the guys who should really be considered for striker role are the likes of Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey – two guys that know how to score and who ironically have had more success in the Premier League than Jozy.


All we know thus far is that we have a few options but no guarantees. But with only one goal in the League Cup and another in the Premier League this season (granted, one of the best leagues in the world), I just wouldn’t want to see Jozy become, as Ian Dowie put it, a “could-a-been” this World Cup or in the years to come. My old coach used to say, “no one is guaranteed a spot” and I think the same rule will apply for Altidore this month. Two goals for Hull City should simply not lock you in for the World Cup.


Vlad Bouchouev is a student at Carnegie Mellon University and a new contributor to MFUSA.

Less than a month away from the kick off of the World Cup in South Africa, it seems a good time to place context around what will be a landmark event in that country and on its continent.


For all the glitz, glamor, and pomp surrounding the world's biggest soccer tournament, there is a dark side to the event that we should endeavor to prevent from going unnoticed. Much of what the watching world will focus on will happen only in refurbished and brand new cathedrals to the game meant to give the impression that South Africa is a modern nation capable of pulling off the monumental task successfully.


At this stage, there's reason to believe that a smoothly run tournament is approaching. FIFA will roll in with their three ring circus, set up their tents and carefully staged backdrops, fete the South African people even while the people themselves pay for the party, then steal away with nary a thought to the long term ramifications of their month-long visit. It's those far-reaching effects, and the condition of the county from an economic, social, and cultural standpoint both pre- and post-tournament that should not get conveniently swept under the rug.


During the run up to the cup, writers from around the media and blogging world have taken time to focus on some of the issues facing South Africa. Without the intense magnifying glass of the World Cup, these issues might only rarely draw the eye, giving us occasional pause; spotlighted as they are during the run up to the tournament, they should exert a industrial-strength magnet-like pull.


Apartheid may have ended in 1994, but the policy of state sponsored racism still casts a long shadow over the county and its black majority. Neil W. Blackmon of Yanks Are Coming penned a piece addressing apartheid's echo across the last sixteen years, wondering aloud if South Africa has overcome the debilitating effects, then providing a stark, and obvious, answer.


FIFA itself benefits from the ubiquitous nature of soccer the world over with overflowing coffers and the mandate to take the game almost anywhere in the form of its tournaments. Nations line up to get the World Cup, committing to, and the spending if they are awarded the bid, billions of dollars to build the infrastructure needed. South Africa's own outlay is on the order of $4.5 billion; questions remain if hosting the World Cup will create the kind of economic impact, not just during, but after, that would make such an expenditure justifiable.


South Africa may well host a glorious tournament. Organizers and government officials will certainly work to shine the best possible light on their country (something that may come with its own price), improving South Africa's world standing. But the happenstance of Africa's first World Cup also brings with it an opportunity to give proper examination to the nation's many problems, problems which won't likely be washed away by a month of the best the game of soccer has to offer.

I'm a big Charlie Davies fan. Like the rest of you, I watched his meteoric rise from "Charlie Davies, Striker - Hammarby (Sweden)" to "Charlie 'stanky leg' Davies." Like the rest of you, I watched, as almost overnight, this unknown player from New Hampshire went from just another name on a list to the vanguard of a new wave of American talent. Like some of you, I stood on the rickety RFK seats lighting off smoke bombs and holding up a paper number nine. During his long battle for fitness, I ran through a thesaurus's worth of superlatives to describe his determination. To be a bigger Charlie Davies fan, you've pretty much gotta be named Nina or Stu.


So yeah, I was ticked when Bobby Sweatpants didn't even include CD9 in the 30-man squad. I may have said something along the lines of "I'd rather have Charlie Davies's reconstructed bladder than Conor Casey." And while Ives Galarcep's list was wrong, and Conor Casey didn't make the cut, I'd have said the same about Robbie Findley, who did. My logic was that gambling on Davies was worth missing out on a striker who will do no more than enjoy the free vacation to South Africa.


But after listening to Charlie on French radio this morning, I kinda see why Bob made the choice he did. I still don't agree with it, but I think I understand his reasoning. I know Robbie Findley isn't making the 23 man squad. You know Robbie Findley isn't making the 23 man squad. Robbie Findley's mother knows Robbie Findley isn't making the 23 man squad. But with Charlie, this training camp goes from being World Cup preparation to being the Charlie Davies show. And if you think the fallout from leaving him off of the provisional roster was overkill, what happens if he makes the 30, but gets cut from the 23? Bob did what he thought he needed to do, but stopping the train before it got out of the station.


I think Michael's daddy may have, in the back of his mind, wanted an excuse, so that he could leave the media circus behind a bit, and focus on getting his players ready for the World Cup. And when this letter from Sochaux came, saying that they weren't going to release Charlie, Bradley just accepted it, in order to keep the distractions out.


And this might not be the end for Charlie's World Cup dream. The 30 man squad isn't set in stone, and if Charlie does enough to prove to Bob that he's ready in time for the 23 to be named, he could make a shock return. Which would be a hell of a morale boost to both the team and the fanbase. And perhaps, the perfect twist to the Charlie Davies saga.


So yeah, while I may not agree with what Bradley has done, I kinda get it. And at least he didn't take Conor Casey. That would have just been insulting.

Here's the podcast of the interactive episode of the American Soccer Show from last night.

Thanks to all that listened live and called in. Be sure to look for more live interactive shows as the World Cup approaches.

You can download the show, head over the the AmSoc website to listen in the player, or subscribe in iTunes.

Thanks to @MikeyDamage on Twitter, I was tipped off to an interview Charlie Davies did on French radio; the important parts are in English (obviously Charlie answers in English, and the questions are translated for him), and it's definitely worth a listen.


Charlie expresses frustration with Sochaux over his treatment there; he's clearly upset about Sochaux having a hand in his exclusion from the US preliminary roster. Most telling is Charlie's revelation that the president of the club has had no contact with him since the accident; remember, this is the same man who created a firestorm when he gave an interview stating that Davies would not step on the field in a Ligue 1 match this season. Back when Charlie was still pushing for a shot at the World Cup, that was a very big deal.


Davies is clearly crushed by the end of his dream. But the likelihood is that this will push him harder to make a full return for both Sochaux (where he'll be no matter his disappointment) and the US National Team.


The highlight moment of the interview:

"I'm very hurt, I'm very sad, but I'm very angry, because I feel FC Sochaux has denied me a chance at playing in the World Cup."


This will only add fuel to the fire of people questioning the decision to leave Charlie out. Focus has been on Bob Bradley, who ultimately made the decision; but Bradley and US Soccer colored their choice as being influenced heavily by Sochaux refusal to medically clear Davis. The bottom line is that US Soccer chose not to challenge the French club on releasing Davies. While it will appear clear that they should have, perhaps on simple principle, the question remains if the fight over a player whose comeback from serious injury might have been too much to ask was ultimately worth it.


Despite his anger with the club and the situation, Davies said he's not going anywhere, that he "owes something to his teammates" and has "unfinished business" in France.


Bob called Davies the on Monday night, explaining the situation. I imagine it was an extremely difficult call for Bradley to make.


We now also know that Charlie doesn't plan on being in South Africa to cheer on his teammates. Hard to blame him.

Allow me to introduce Vlad Bouchoev, a student at Carnegie Mellon University with a passion for soccer who is dipping his toes into the MFUSA waters with a piece on the Red Bulls and their new stadium attendance struggles. - JD


by Vlad Bouchouev

New York, New York. A city with nearly 10 professional sports teams. A city of over 18 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area. The world capital so to speak. Yet somehow the New York Red Bulls still manage to not sell-out their newly built state-of-the-art stadium. The question cannot be as simple as to whether or not soccer is popular in New York City, because NYC has a plethora of foreigners who have a passion for the game. Just last week the new Giants Stadium hosted a sell-out crowd of 77,507 for the Mexico-Ecuador match. Likewise, every summer we see sell-out crowds in New York's American football stadium when world-class soccer teams come play there, either against other international visitor or the local NY Red Bulls. So yes, there are soccer fans in New York City.


So then maybe this brings up the great ole’ New York City sports fans’ complaint of the horrid location of the Meadowlands and how commuting to the stadium takes away any motivation to see their team play. Well my friends, have no fear because Red Bull Arena is here. You hate driving? Don’t want to spend your entire day in traffic? Take the train. You can literally take the train from as far away as Princeton or Long Island, make it to the stadium in a little over an hour and not have to pay the ridiculous $15 parking fee. Sadly, I still don’t think that the commute has been the underlying problem. Attendance figures in the past two NY Red Bull game have only risen by about 4,000 people, bringing this year’s average to a little over 14,000 people. This is not including the barely sold-out NY Red Bull home opener against the Chicago Fire since the team was still riding the “Red Bull Arena-awe-effect” at that point. Remember, the new stadium seats 25,189 so we’re still looking at a stadium that is a little over half-full.


This almost leads us to my last point: competition in a big city market. In a city that boasts the historic NY Yankees and NY Mets, two football teams, a world-famous Midtown arena that sells out any team that plays inside, and the NJ Nets, NJ Devils, and NY Islanders (who even when they struggle seem to steal away some sports fans and bring them to their games), there just seems to be little room for the NY Red Bulls. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to take my beloved NY Red Bulls away from this city. But I am hinting on the fact that maybe cities like Seattle, which have one less “big-4” (football, baseball, basketball, hockey) sports team than other large U.S. metropolitan cities may hold a formula for success for MLS. Granted, I know that argument will be shot down by the likes of the LA Galaxy fans (who live in a city that has more than 4 professional sports teams), Philadelphia Union fans (who even with the “big-4” in their city manage to get 30,000+ to their games), or Salt Lake City folks (who with only the Utah Jazz, don’t get numbers nearly as comparable as the Seattle Sounders at the Real Salt Lake games). Then again, I don’t really consider Salt Lake City a large U.S. metropolitan city. Bottom-line, the NY Red Bulls need to prove that they are a worthy competitor in the NYC sports market. Similar to the way the New York Cosmos did a couple of decades ago…


Ah, that’s more like it. The New York Cosmos. Could that be the missing piece of the puzzle? Were they doing something right that the NY Red Bull franchise has overlooked? Let’s flashback to way before my time, 1976. The Cosmos crashed out of the playoffs that year losing to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. At that point, the world’s greatest player ever, Pele, had been on the Cosmos for two years, and the “Soccer Bowl” was yet to be won. Attendance increased by a mere 8,000 people from the previous year. Thus, Pele initially had only a marginal “Beckham-effect.” The next year the Cosmos loaded up on more world-class players like Carlos Alberto, Franz Beckenbauer, and Giorgio Chinaglia and saw attendance skyrocket to a very steady 45,000 pace for the next several years.


The Cosmos then won a few championships but soon after ran out of money and folded. So what conclusions can we make about all this? Well, money is power. If you have the money (which the Red Bulls do) spend it, bring in high-end players, and fans will gradually flood the stadiums to not only see the talent of the players but to also see their team succeed. If you would like to grind out success from your team, feel free to go about this way. But here's another thought: Maybe it’s the brand that New Yorkers don’t support, not the game. If there’s one thing that stays away from American sports, it’s commercialization. You don’t see advertisements on your American sports jerseys; you see the name of the city, the name of the team, and the logo. In the case of the Red Bulls, the whole franchise is named after an energy drink that doesn’t even have an association to New York, and the logo on the New York Red Bull jersey is the actual logo of the Red Bull energy drink.


So New Yorkers: would you attend if your team’s name was the Cosmos? Perhaps we’ll find out if the MLS sticks another expansion team somewhere in Queens, NY and names it something more evocative. Will fans attend if the Red Bulls stock up their team with big-name players and dominate the rest of the season? Perhaps we’ll find out after the Red Bulls get Theirry Henry, Ze Roberto, and Raul, and go on to win MLS Cup. Until then, the case of the Red Bull franchise in New York City is just as much of a mystery as the Shroud of Turin. One thing is for sure: the Red Bulls have to continue building their name. The MLS is an investment. The NY Red Bulls is an investment. The arena is an investment. Professional soccer in the US may never reach the same popularity level as in Europe, but if it will, it will take time.

Real Salt Lake - 2
Houston Dynamo - 1

Philadelphia Union - 1
FC Dallas - 2

New England Revolution - 2
San Jose Earthquakes - 1

DC United - 1
Colorado Rapids - 1

Columbus Crew - 4
Chivas USA - 2

New York Red Bulls - 1
Seattle Sounders FC - 2

Kansas City Wizards - 0
Chicago Fire - 0

Los Angeles Galaxy - 2
Toronto FC - 1