Sunday, November 30, 2008

2008 Homeless World Cup

The 2008 Homeless World Cup starts tomorrow. This amazing street football tourney is being held in Melbourne this year. Follow all of the action!

http://www.homelessworldcup.org/

http://www.homelessworldcup.tv/

http://uk.youtube.com/user/HomelessWorldCup



Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008 MLS Expansion Draft Completed


The Seattle Sounders FC completed their 10-person expansion draft from existing MLS teams. Let's get straight to it:


Nate Jaqua (Houston Dynamo)
Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake)
Jeff Parke (New York Red Bulls)
Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC)
Khano Smith (New England Revolution)
Peter Vagenas (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Tyson Wahl (Kansas City Wizards)
James Riley (San Jose Earthquakes)
Stephen King (Chicago Fire)
Brad Evans (Columbus Crew)


The Quakes lost James Riley in this MLS expansion. Does this hurt the Quakes? James is a good player and complements other members on the team, but a replacement can be found. I was worried over Ronnie O'Brien being on the "available" list, but the strategy of the Quakes management was proven correct. Whew. Good luck James. Seattle is a great town and they love their football (the Sounders have a great tradition in the area prior to this leap to the MLS).

Monday, November 24, 2008

2008 MLS Expansion Draft - Sounders FC



The Sounders FC will initiate their entrance to the MLS with the 2008 expansion draft this week. The Quakes had to make some decisions on who to "protect". The only name on the list of available players for selection that I am worried about is Ronnie O'Brien. Ronnie has been such a key player on the Quakes roster. My understanding is that the strategy is not to focus protection on the players you value the most, but to protect the ones that might be of most interest to the Sounders. I believe that the hope is that the Sounders will not be looking for another high dollar player as they already have Freddie Ljungberg and Kasey Keller. Let's hope that Ronnie remains in blue & black.

11/24/2008 6:06PM
MLS Expansion Draft on Nov. 26
Seattle Sounders FC to select 10 players; Available players below
Major League Soccer Communications

NEW YORK -- Major League Soccer will hold the 2008 MLS Expansion Draft on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. ET. The League's 15th team, Seattle Sounders FC, will begin to take shape following the 10-round draft.
Listed below are the details regarding the League's expansion draft, and also included is the list of players left unprotected, who are available for Seattle Sounders FC to select on Wednesday. Seattle may not claim more than one player from any given team in MLS, and four teams will not have a player taken in the expansion draft.
At the conclusion of the Expansion Draft teams may resume trading. The expansion draft details are listed below:
MLS Expansion Draft Rules
Senior Roster
Teams may protect 11 players between their Senior and their Developmental Roster. If the Player's contract expires at the end of 2008, he will still be considered part of the team's Senior Roster. If a team protects a player, it is not obligated to exercise the player's option. The team may renegotiate a new budget number for the player as in previous years. If a player retires, he will not be a part of the Senior Roster, but his team will lose its right of first refusal to him should he ultimately decide to play.
Developmental Roster
Players on a team's Developmental Roster, other than Generation adidas players who have not been graduated at the end of the 2008 season, may be left unprotected and are eligible may be selected by Seattle in the expansion draft. Generation adidas players who have not been graduated at the end of the 2008 season are automatically protected (teams do not have to protect them). If Seattle Sounders FC select a Developmental Player they must offer him a Senior Roster position and he must be on Seattle's Senior Roster as of Roster Compliance Date.
International Players
Teams are restricted in the number of international player(s) that they may make available per the table set forth below. For purposes of this expansion process, for U.S.-based teams, any non-domestic U.S. player would count as an International and for Toronto FC, any non-domestic U.S. player or non-domestic Canadian player would count as an International.

Designated Players
Designated Players do not have to be protected unless the player has a no trade clause in which case he must be protected.

Maximum Player Loss
Once a player has been claimed from a team's non-protected roster, that team is eliminated from the expansion draft and may not lose any further players.

Right to Renegotiate
Seattle will have the right to renegotiate a drafted player's salary (either up or down) without having to place such player on waivers or giving his previous Team a right of first refusal.

Priority
On the first day of the Discovery/Allocation Period, Seattle will have priority over players who played professionally in the USL First or Second Division in 2008, subject to another MLS team's right of first refusal.

Rounds
The expansion draft will be 10 rounds.

INTERNATIONAL PLAYER PROTECTION REQUIREMENT
Teams may make available a number of international players equal to their total number of international players minus 3, provided that if a team has 3 or less international players it may make available not more than 1.


COMPLETE LIST OF AVAILABLE PLAYERS FOR WEDNESDAY'S DRAFT


CHIVAS USA: Chiles, Kraig; Curtin, Jim; Ebert, Eric; Ferreira, Dejair; Flores, Jorge; Hamilton, Anthony; Kennedy, Dan; Mayen, Gerson; Nurse, Roberto; Paladini, Daniel; Parker, Lance; Razov, Ante; Savage, Keith; Suarez, Claudio; Talley, Carey; Thornton, Zach; Vaughn, Lawson; Victorine, Sasha; Wicky, Raphael; Zotinca, Alex

CHICAGO FIRE: Banner, Michael; Brown, C.J.; Carr, Calen; Frankowski, Tomasz; Herron, Andy; Kasiguran, Kai; Kettering, Tyler; King, Stephen; Lowry, Peter; Marmol, Lider; Noble, Nick; Pappa, Marco; Pablo Prideaux, Brandon; Washington, Austin; Woolard, Daniel

COLORADO RAPIDS: Burciaga, Jose; Burpo, Preston; Cooke, Terry; Dalby, Greg; DiRaimondo, John; Erpen, Facundo; Grazier, Brian; Harvey, Jordan; Hughes, Justin; Keel, Stephen; Kimura, Kosuke; McManus, Tom; Petke, Mike; Sarkodie, Kwame; Ward, Tim; Zambrano, Cesar

COLUMBUS CREW: Burns, Kevin; Elenio, Cory; Evans, Brad; Garey, Jason; Gaven, Eddie; Gruenebaum, Andy; Josten, George; Junge, Ryan; Lenhart, Steven; Miglioranzi, Stefani; Moffat, Adam; Noonan, Pat; Nyazamba, Stanley; Oughton, Duncan; Peterson, Andrew; Pierre-Louis, Ricardo; Plotkin, Brian; Schoeni, Kenny

FC DALLAS: Burse, Ray; Daniels, Andrew; Davino, Duilio; Dello-Russo, Michael; Pitchkolan, Aaron; Rowland, Jeff; Sikora, Victor; Wadsworth, Spencer; Wagenfuhr, David; Watson, Jamie; Wileman, Chase

D.C. UNITED: Carroll, Jeff; Carroll, Pat; Cordeiro, Ryan; Crayton, Louis; Doe, Francis; Dyachenko, Rod; Gallardo, Marcelo; Kirk, Quavas; Koroma, Ibrahim; Martinez, Gonzalo; Mediate, Domenic; Miller, Ryan; Olsen, Ben; Peralta, Gonzalo; Thompson, Craig; Thorpe, James; Vide, Joseph; Wells, Zach; Zaher, Michael

HOUSTON DYNAMO: Alcaraz, Johnny; Ashe, Corey; Barrett, Wade; Brown, Kyle; Caig, Tony; Chabala, Michael; Hatzke, Nick; Hayden, John; MichaelIanni, Patrick; Jaqua, Nate; Mulrooney, Richard; Onstad, Pat; Ustruck, Erik; Waibel, Craig; Waller, Corbin; Wondolowski, Chris; Wondolowski, Stephen

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS: Hartman, Kevin; Hohlbein, Aaron; Kraus, Michael; Kronberg, Eric; Marquess, Matt; McKenzie, Rauwshan; Morsink, Kurt; Pardo, Boris; Pizarro, Nelson; Pore, Ryan; Thompson, Abe; Trujillo, Ivan; Wahl, Tyson; Watson, Lance

LOS ANGELES GALAXY: Adzemian, Vardan; Alamo, Charles; Allen, Ely; Barlow, Jeremy; Cronin, Steve; Dominguez, Eduardo; Franchino, Joe; Gavin, Michael; Kirovski, Jovan; Klein, Chris; Munoz, Mike; Randolph, Michael; Saunders, Josh; Tudela, Josh; Vagenas, Peter; Valentin, Julian; Wicks, Josh

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: Angulo, Jose; Badilla, Gabriel; Brill, Samuel; Flood, Gary; Germanese, Joe; Knighton, Brad; Manzonelli, Brandon; Matamoros, Mauricio; Phelan, Pat; Smith, Khano; Thompson, Wells; Tierney, Chris; Tyler, Brandon; Warren, Doug; Zapata, Argenis Fernandez

NEW YORK RED BULLS: Borman, Danleigh; Echeverry, Oscar; Gilkerson, John; Jimenez, Diego; Kljestan, Gordon; Leitch, Chris; Magee, Mike; Mbuta, Andongcho; Mendes, Carlos; Palacio, Michael; Parke, Jeff; Patterson, Caleb; Pietravallo, Juan; Roth, David; Touray, Sainey; Wolyniec, John

REAL SALT LAKE: Besagno, Nik; Cutler, Kenny; Deuchar, Kenneth; Horst, David; Joy, Ian; Kirby, Dustin; Kovalenko, Dema; Mathis, Clint; Nunez, Tino; Reiman, Kevin; Reynish, Kyle; Sturgis, Nathan; Tennelle, Brennan; Williams, Andy

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Arce, Miguel; Ayres, Jay; Michael Cunliffe, John; Denton, Eric; Ghebru, Michael; Glinton, Gavin; Grabavoy, Ned; Gray, Kelly; Gustavson, Michael; Hatzke, Matt; O'Brien, Ronnie; Riley, James; Roberts, Jamil; Smarte, Adam; Somma, Davide

TORONTO FC: Attakora-Gyan, Nana; Elkinson, Kilian; Freeman, Hunter; Gala, Gabe; Gaudet, Derek; Melo, Joey; Ricketts, Rohan; Rosenlund, Tyler; Ruiz, Carlos; Smith, Jarrod; Smith, Johann; Sutton, Greg; Velez, Marco

Sunday, November 23, 2008

2010 World Cup Qualifying - CONCACAF

The schedule for the US MNT was annoucned today as they take the final steps to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The final qualifying round will consist of 2-game aggregate series with the 5 other CONCACAF teams: Mexico, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica, and Honduras. Top 3 automatically qualify for 2010 World Cup.

Hopefully at least one of the "home" games will be somewhere on the West Coast (better yet - in the Bay Area!) 2009 football season will be full and exciting (Quakes regular season and US MNT qualifiers). Woo Hoo!


CONCACAF Final Round of 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Schedule
Date Opponent Home / Away (Venue TBD)
Feb. 11 Mexico (Home)
March 28 El Salvador (Away)
April 1 Trinidad & Tobago (Home)
June 3 Costa Rica Away
June 6 Honduras (Home)
Aug. 12 Mexico Away
Sep. 5 El Salvador (Home)
Sep. 9 Trinidad & Tobago Away
Oct. 10 Honduras Away
Oct. 14 Costa Rica (Home)

2008 MLS Cup



Well...today was the 2008 MLS Cup finals. I don't think much of the rest of the U.S. knew about or cared about this match - especially since today is a Sunday with its full array of American gridiron offerings.


The Columbus Crew battled with the NY Red Bulls at The Home Depot Center in So Cal. I caught the game at Raliegh's in Berkeley. All of their tvs were tuned in on gridiron (both the niners and raiders were on tv). A very nice bartender switched one of the monitors for me to the football game - thanks so much! The game wasn't bad - Columbus just wore NY down and took the MLS Cup 3-1.


...I'd sure like to be at the finals one day - supporting my Quakes! Watch out for the Quakes in 2009!!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Welcome FC Gold Pride


Throughout the Q's season, their had been some discussion amongst us in Sec 108 about the new women's pro football team coming to the Bay Area. Well - they are officially here: FC Gold Pride. I know little to none about women's professionsal football - other than the names like Mia Hamm, Brandy Chastain, etc. from the 1999 World Cup team.

The Gold Pride will be playing at our very own South Bay San Siro. Having a second team playing on the hallowed grounds of the SBSS during the same time of the year? I just hope the beautiful turf at the SBSS can be kept in top condition.

Will H and I delve into the world of women's professional football? To be honest - probably unlikely. For me, this would mean doubling my commute to the SBSS each year + it might take some time for me to understand the women's game. It is a different game, just as women's basketball is different than the men's version. I have grown to like women's basketball better than the men's game because you really see the "team" part of this team sport shine. The men's game these days is too much about playing "above the rim" and "look at me - I'm the star". As for football - I hope that the men's game doesn't not go the way of pro men's basketball. I doubt this would happen because of the tradition in football and the gamme it self does not lend itself to "ball hogging" or "going one-on-one" all of the time. There is certainly no "dunking" in the beautiful game!

Best of luck FC Gold Pride!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Droopy drawers

H called me today and said he was having "The Fault Zone" withdrawls since I haven't posted anything since 11/11. Here is something for you H!


Italian soccer strategy gets a racy look


ROME (AP)—In the latest fashion statement out of Italy, soccer players are dropping their shorts to score goals. Catania, a team in the country’s top division, unveiled the new look while taking a free kick. The players lined up in a wall and dropped their shorts in an effort to block the goalkeeper’s vision. The Sicilian team carried out the maneuver to perfection Sunday. Three players dropped their shorts practically to their knees so Torino goalie Matteo Sereni couldn’t see the kick by Giuseppe Mascara, who scored during Catania’s 3-2 victory. Catania is coached by Walter Zenga, a former goalkeper on Italy’s national team. “This is a strategy that Zenga tries continually in training,” Pietro Lo Monaco, the club’s chief executive, told RAI state radio Monday. Former referees coordinator Paolo Casarin called the move “unsportsmanlike and in bad taste.” “It’s a trick that should not be tolerated anymore by the referees,” he said.
Lo Monaco replied: “A trick? I wouldn’t say so. It’s up to the referee to decide if it should be penalized, otherwise I don’t see where the problem is. … Good taste is relative.”
Photo:
Catania's forward Gianvito Plasmati, right, is seen with his shorts down as his teammate Giuseppe Mascara, not pictured, scored a goal during the Italian Serie A first division soccer match between Catania and Torino, in Catania, southern Italy, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. Three Catania players dropped their shorts down near their knees so Torino goalkeeper Matteo Sereni couldn't see Mascara's kick. Catania carried out the maneuver to perfection when Giuseppe Mascara scored in Sunday's 3-2 win over Torino

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Hucks, MLS Conference Championships


Congratulations Hucks!! 2008 MLS Newcomer of the Year!





MLS Conference Championship matchups are set. Go Real Salt Lake!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Fire dominate Revs

I've been out of town this week on business, but was able to catch the 2nd leg of the Chicago/NE playoff battle. I saw highlights of the first game and it was a physically brutal nil-nil tie. The 2nd leg game was in Chi-town and the Fire dominated the game and took a 3-nil victory. Blanco is amazing - despite being slower - he touches are precise and deceptive. He loves to do the "no-look" pass and back heel to entertain the home fans. It appeared that there were alot of empty seats - on the sideline (not the endzones). Not sure what all that was about. It was supposed to be wet, but it didn't look that cold. ?????



Oh well, what am I complaining about. My team isn't even in the post season.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

"Bloody Confused"


I just began to stick my big toe into this book. The forward was funny and interesting (gave an overview of the different divisions in English football and also the different competitions that occur at the same time during every season Carling Cup, FA Cup, UCL, .....) Looking forward to reading the rest of it.


Here is an editorial review I got from Amazon:


From Publishers Weekly


In the throes of becoming jaded and cynical about the American sportswriting scene, Culpepper, a London-based Los Angeles Times journalist covering European sporting events, writes about the internationally known Premiership soccer league and its overzealous fans. The rough-and tumble British soccer sport quickly captivates Culpepper, who wrote on American sports for 15 years, as he learns the rivalries between the fans and teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Portsmouth. A humorist of sorts, he can't help making snide comparisons between the rowdy, cheering British fans and their more somber American brethren, while touting the emotional high of regional pride over big team profits. He falls under the spell of the struggling Portsmouth squad, realizing that the die-hard fans live and die with the fortunes of their players and teams, describing vivid action scenes as thrilling as any in American hockey or football. (Aug.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The Extent of Politics in the "Zone"


Get out there and vote - it is your right and privilege as an American!


That's it.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Flake Recall

Well - I am going to need to take words back. The Craigslist musician did leave me msgs - but on my work voice mail (I don't check that over the weekends). Turns out he said that their band ended up not rehearsing last night at all. I am still trying to figure out why he didn't answer my cell phone msgs last night though.

Anyways - I guess the hunt is still on. We'll see if anything really happens. I'm not holding my breath on this one.


MLS playoffs are moving along (2-game aggregate):


Game 1: CHI @ NE (nil-nil)
Game 2: NE @ CHI 11/6/08

Game 1: CLB @ KC (1-1)
Game 2: KC @ CLB 11/8/08

Game 1: CHV @ RSL (RSL 1-0)
Game 2: RSL @ CHV 11/8/08

Game 1: HOU @ NY 1-1
Game 2: NY @ HOU 11/9/08

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Flake

Well, my attempts to capture my percussion prey has failed. I can't believe it. I was trying to buy these 2 drums from a musician in Union City/Fremont. First he asked me to meet him at the Union Landing center this past Wednesday - and he was a no show. Then he asked me to meet him at the Soundwave studios in Oakland tonight (where his group is rehearsing). I am not sure if we he was a no show or just didn't answer his cell phone. Either way - I spent several hours and burned precious petro to make this Craigslist purchase and have nothing to show for it. Are young musicians flakes? It seems as if this guy just doesn't want to sell these drums that bad or he just doesn't care about anyone else's time. I've written this one off - I can't waste time and resources anymore. My little "First Act" drum will remain #1.



Positive note: The guy working at the Soundwave - Kent - was cool. He let me hang out in the office while I was waiting for "Flake" and we watched Sunday Night Football (Pats vs Colts). It was a good game (Colts 18-15)