Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (Part 1)


What is the U.S. Open Cup? Searching the internet provides you no lack of information on the history of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition. It is the oldest cup competition in U.S. football and one of the oldest in the entire world (est. 1914). It is an annual domestic club competition along the same lines as the prestigious Football Association (FA) Cup in England (a competition amongst all professional and amateur clubs in England).

Here is an experiment for you – ask people you know if they know what the Lamar Hunt Cup is. If they are not sure – ask them if they have heard of the U.S. Open. Of course they know of the USTA’s U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, NY (tennis) and the USGA’s U.S. Open (golf). Lamar Hunt? “I have no idea what you are talking about.” Well, many “soccer fans” in the U.S. have never heard of the Lamar Hunt Cup.

Why is this such an unknown event amongst US sports fans, including “soccer” fans?

(Next: Part 2 “What Happened?”)

Quakes update:

The Q’s played a U.S. Open qualifier game last night at the SB San Siro vs the NY Red Bulls. Only reserves from both teams started and played most of the game. Why would a team not field their starting 11 in order to qualify for one of the oldest domestic cup competitions in the world? More on this later.

Next game: Saturday May 2nd against Chivas USA at the SB San Siro.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Endurance and Speed Skills



The Q's got steam rolled by the Sounders last night. We did have a couple of chances, but overall, the Quakes were never really in the game. The Sounders controlled the ball, passed with precision, moved without the ball, and were just a step or two ahead of every Quakes player. 2nd half revealed a weakness I see in the Quakes - endurance. The guys looked zapped halfway through the 2nd half. The Q's had great difficulty in sustaining any consistent possessions. It was hard to watch to tell you the truth.


QWest Field (Xbox 360 Pitch) was filled with energy and supporters. I am so envious of the support the Sounders already have in their first MLS season.

Any bright spots for the Q's? Joe Cannon is solid in net (he is just not getting the defensive help he needs). Ryan Johnson is doing everything he can - his efforts day in and day out are amazing.


Next games: The Quakes have a game this Wednesday (U.S Cup qualifier) vs NY Red Bulls @ the SB san Siro. The next regular season is Saturday vs. Chivas USA (the strongest team currently in the league). A very bumpy road ahead. We need Hucks and Jason back FAST or this is going to be a very tough stretch.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Pyramid - Yes, Bring it to the USA!

The English Football "Pyramid". Is there a better way to structure team sports? Every sport should include promotion and relegation.


Level 1 - Premier League




Level 2 - Championship





Level 3 - League-1





Level 4 - League-2




Level - 5 Conference National
Level 6 - Conference North/South

Level 7 + it just keeps going......

American football has enough teams to at least have a couple of levels, right? Major League Soccer (MLS) United Soccer Leagues (USL) First Division, USL Second Division, USL Player Development League (PDL).

C'mon - single table for each level. Top 3 promote (except for the MLS of course) bottom 3 relegated to the next lower level (except for USL-3).


Major League Soccer
Chivas USA (13)
Kansas City Wizards (10)
Seattle Sounders FC (9)
Chicago Fire (9)
New England Revolution (8)
Toronto FC (8)
Colorado Rapids (7)
(T) DC United (6)
(T) Real Salt Lake (6)
Houston Dynamo (5)
San Jose Earthquakes (5)
New York Red Bulls (5)
FC Dallas (4)
Los Angeles Galaxy (3)
Columbus Crew (3)

USL – 1

Miami FC Blues (6)
Carolina Rail Hawks (6)
Puerto Rico Islanders (4)
Charleston Battery (3)
Austin Aztex (2)
Minnesota Thunder (2)
Vancouver Whitecaps (2)
Montreal Impact (1)
Rochester Rhinos (1)
Cleveland City Rockers (0)
Portland Timbers (0)

USL-2

Crystal Palace Baltimore (4)
Richmond Kickers (1)
Harrisburg City Islanders (1)
Pittsburgh River Hounds (1)
Bermuda Hogges (0)
Charlotte Eagles (0)
Western Mass Pioneers (0)
Wilmington Hammerheads (0)
Real Maryland Monarchs (0)

USL – 3 (PDL)

Chicago Fire
Cincinnati Kings
Cleveland Internationals
Forest City London
Fort Wayne Fever
Indiana Invaders
Kalamazoo Outrage
Michigan Bucks
Toronto Lynx
Des Moines Menace
Kansas City Brass
Real Colorado Foxes
Rochester Thunder
Springfield Demise
St. Louis Lions
Thunder Bay Chill
Carolina Dynamo
Cary Clarets
Fredericksburg Gunners
Hampton Roads Piranhas
Northern Virginia Royals
Reading Rage
Virginia Legacy
West Virginia Chaos
Brooklyn Knights
Long Island Rough Riders
New Hampshire Phantoms
New Jersey Rangers
Newark Ironbound Express
Ocean City Barons
Ottawa Fury
Rhode Island Stingrays
Westchester Flames
Austin Aztex U23
DFW Tornados
El Paso Patriots
Houston Leones
Laredo Heat
Rio Grande Valley Bravos
West Texas United Sockers
Atlanta Blackhawks
Baton Rouge Capitals
Bradenton Academics
Central Florida Kraze
Mississippi Brilla
Nashville Metros
New Orleans Jesters
Panama City Pirates
Abbotsford Mariners
Cascade Surge
Kitsap Pumas
Portland Timbers U23
Seattle Wolves
Spokane Spiders
Tacoma Tide
Vancouver Whitecaps Residency
Victoria Highlanders
Yakima Reds
BYU Cougars
Bakersfield Brigade
Fresno Fuego
Hollywood United Hitmen
Lancaster Rattlers
Los Angeles Legends
Ogden Outlaws
Orange County Blue Star
Southern California Seahorses


'Nuff Said! Let's get on with it.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Arghhhhhh! Another Draw.


We were without Huckerby. They were without Mr. Posh. We took a 1-0 lead after only a few minutes into the match after a great goal by Pablo Campos. Pablo showed me some things tonight - he looked much more active and faster than last week. I look forward to seeing Pablo providing an impact throughout the rest of the season.

Unfortunately, at least to my eye, the Q's again when into the mode of playing not to lose. It seemed like in the 2nd half that they began to sit back and try to protect the one goal lead. Well - as we all know - a one goal lead is never safe. Our pressure on the ball seemed to disappear as the game went on and LA got the equilizer in 70+ minute. We did have some great chances in the first half, but couldn't get that all important second goal.


Up next: 4/25/09 @ QWest Field to take on Seattle Sounders FC

Friday, April 17, 2009

What Kind of Crowd Will There Be in Oakland?


The Q's have again scheduled 2 games this season at the Oakland Coliseum - the 2 home games with the LA Galaxy. Of course, they were anticipating the presence of a Mr. Posh Spice to bring in a larger crowd - but this won't be happening this year since Mr Posh is staying in Italy until after mid-season.

I am hoping that there will be a decent crowd, but I am not going to get my hopes up. I just hope that it doesn't turn out to be a huge stadium with a small crowd. H and I will be there - no matter what - to support the Q's. I think the confines of the SB San Siro give us a better home pitch advantage.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

UEFA Champions League - Update

The CL quarter-finals are now complete.

Chelsea (Go Blues!) beats Liverpool FC (7-5 on aggregate)

Manchester Utd beats FC Porto (3-2 on aggregate)

Aresnal beats Villarreal (4-1 on aggregate)

FC Barcelona beats Bayern Munich (5-1 on aggregate)

Semi-final Match-ups

Chelsea vs. FC Barcelona

Manchester Utd vs. Arsenal

My thoughts: I am still pulling for Chelsea to go all the way. John Terry will be back from yellow card suspension. Michael Ballack needs to get rid of the Greg Brady haircut (it is probably what causes him to run so slow!).
Drogba, Lampard, Terry, and Anelka will carry the day against Barca. Petr Cech better be at the top of his game and have no mistakes like he did vs. Liverpool.



Prediction for 2009 Finals in Rome: Chelsea FC vs. Manchester United

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Playing Not to Lose

Well, the Quakes did score 3 goals today (Johnson, Convey, Alvarez), but so did Chicago. Ball control for the Q's was inconsistent, including some awful passing at times. What bothered me the most was that it seemed so clearly that when the Quakes had a one goal lead (2x), they sat back and tried to play defense in a way that I can only describe as "playing not to lose". Two of the three goals scored by Chicago were not the fault of Joe C - the defense let him down horribly.

We did get one point, but it was still hard to take. Plus - there were so many Blanco fans there. Didn't feel like any home field advantage.

Up Next week: LA Galaxy at the Oakland Coliseum

Monday, April 6, 2009

"Blown" Off of the Pitch

Yikes - the Q's dropped their match against KC in horrible conditions - rain, snow flurries, and WIND. There was a point where Joe Cannon had a very difficult time getting goal kicks away because the ball wouldn't sit still on the ground due to the high winds. The Q's did have their chances to score, but couldn't get one into the net. Ball control seemed to be a major problem for the Q's and it looked like there were defensive breakdowns when the Wizards scored. Joe Cannon played very well - as usual. Some top notch saves.

I am sure the boys are looking forward to returning to the SB San Siro and sunny California.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

uh oh....













I have just started receiving Gol tv and FSC in my upgraded tv package. Does this mean less time with my family? Skipping work? Less blogging? Fewer meals? Few hours of sleep? We shall see...gotta go - Toronto FC vs Sounders FC on FSC.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Conflicted

All of the stories in the recent news about Lew Wolff and where his Oakland A's may or may not be going to play in a few years has resulted in me being conflicted. As a Q's supporter - I'm grateful to Mr Wolff for bringing the franchise back to the Bay Area. The Quakes belong in San Jose - their roots. All Q's supporters are looking forward to the proposed Quakes stadium that is being pursued. All of the botched attempts to move the A's, including the latest to Fremont has all but failed. What kind of message does this send, if at all, with respect to the future home of the Quakes? I beleive the basic message is, "Believe it when you see it."

My views:

(1) The A's BELONG in Oakland. Period. Do what has to be done to keep them there. The existing Oakland Coliseum site provides the most logical location for a new stadium. GET IT DONE.

(2) The Quakes can survive at Buck Shaw for awhile - there is still alot of room for growth in the fan base before a new stadium can be filled on a regular basis.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

A Busy Couple of Weeks in International Football

World Cup Qualifying

Wednesday April 1, 2009
Trinidad & Tobago at U.S.
Honduras @ Mexico

Champions League

Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Arsenal @ Villarreal (1st leg)
Porto @ Manchester Utd (1st leg)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Chelsea @ Liverpool (1st leg)
Bayern Munich @ Barcelona (1st leg)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Liverpool @ Chelsea (2nd leg)
Barcelona @ Bayern Munich (2nd leg)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Villarreal @ Arsenal (2nd leg)
Manchester Utd. @ Porto (2nd leg)

Check ESPN for tv information