In case you haven't heard, the USL collected a fifth scalp last night when the Seattle Sounders dumped Chivas USA out of the U.S. Open Cup - and by a lopsided score. For those interested in a closer look at this freeway pile-up, I recommend Luis Bueno's near-rant.
Well, thank god the third round is over. The embarrassment was becoming too much. Wait, hold the phone. The Sounders get the Colorado Rapids in the next round. Dang. Looks like Major League Soccer (MLS) - that's America's top-flight, by the way - better practice concealing the blushes.
I think I've already hammered my disappointment with MLS's run in this year's Open Cup into the ground, so I'll leave it to Dan Loney to look ahead and MLS's less-than-ideal chances in the coming rounds. For a discussion of a related subject, Bill Urban took a wider view at a subject I've already examined narrowly (should be the second link in this paragraph), by wondering whether the current reserve set-up will ever produce an MLS-bench side capable of beating a USL side.
Good question. And I'm afraid we have our answer.
(#########)
Showing posts with label U.S. Open Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S. Open Cup. Show all posts
Open Cup: It's Worse...but not that bad...
The Chicago Tribune's reporting staff almost prompted me to write a "holy-shit-the-sky-is-falling-and-it's-on-fire" kind of post, courtesy of a passage that appeared in their report on the Chicago Fire crashing out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (LHUSOC) on Sunday.
It takes only a quick look at the competition bracket, usefully posted on the U.S. Open Cup's official site, to know this isn't the case. For one, Chivas USA hasn't played their Round of 16 game - that's on "June 16, 2007" against the Seattle Sounders. And that's in Seattle, by the way, the significance of which will be made clear later. There's also the fact that the Colorado Rapids is still in the tournament.
Getting back to that "significance" flag I planted earlier, maybe the Tribune's staff is stupid like a fox. For starters, they can't be blamed for forgetting Colorado is not an MLS team; I do it all the time, at least when I don't forget the Rapids' existence entirely. As for Chivas, maybe the Trib's staff knew all about Chivas' road record and figured that, combined with the Seattle Sounders' current hot-streak, would, in fact, leave New England and Dallas as the only two teams that one can say without smirking belong in MLS.
In reality, though, there are a minimum of three MLS teams remaining in this year's tourney. And the way the brackets break down means that at least one lower-division team will make the semifinals - and given how MLS teams are faring in LHUSOC play this year, why would one bet against them? If a USL-1 - or, god forbid, USL-2 - team wins the tourney this season, what the hell, y'know? For all the interest MLS teams and schedulers show in the tournament, it would be justice, wouldn't it?
That returns, rather nicely, to the post I was going to write. And if you read the report on Chicago's loss in Windy City Soccer, you'll read this priceless line:
It shouldn't be this goddamn hard to tell which team on the field is top-flight.
(########)
"The Fire became the fourth MLS team eliminated in the third round, joining Los Angeles, D.C. United and Houston on the sidelines. Only FC Dallas and New England remain."
It takes only a quick look at the competition bracket, usefully posted on the U.S. Open Cup's official site, to know this isn't the case. For one, Chivas USA hasn't played their Round of 16 game - that's on "June 16, 2007" against the Seattle Sounders. And that's in Seattle, by the way, the significance of which will be made clear later. There's also the fact that the Colorado Rapids is still in the tournament.
Getting back to that "significance" flag I planted earlier, maybe the Tribune's staff is stupid like a fox. For starters, they can't be blamed for forgetting Colorado is not an MLS team; I do it all the time, at least when I don't forget the Rapids' existence entirely. As for Chivas, maybe the Trib's staff knew all about Chivas' road record and figured that, combined with the Seattle Sounders' current hot-streak, would, in fact, leave New England and Dallas as the only two teams that one can say without smirking belong in MLS.
In reality, though, there are a minimum of three MLS teams remaining in this year's tourney. And the way the brackets break down means that at least one lower-division team will make the semifinals - and given how MLS teams are faring in LHUSOC play this year, why would one bet against them? If a USL-1 - or, god forbid, USL-2 - team wins the tourney this season, what the hell, y'know? For all the interest MLS teams and schedulers show in the tournament, it would be justice, wouldn't it?
That returns, rather nicely, to the post I was going to write. And if you read the report on Chicago's loss in Windy City Soccer, you'll read this priceless line:
"This was a night where the Fire was clearly second best in every aspect of the night except goalkeeping where Jon Busch kept the match close."
It shouldn't be this goddamn hard to tell which team on the field is top-flight.
(########)
Top 5, 07.12: No USOC for DC; Other USOC; Stadium Porn; Kreis...
...and I leave the ellipses because I like Jason Kreis well enough and couldn't think of an appropriate verb that wouldn't sound insulting.
Trying to make this quick today.
- As a (I think) Harrisburg, PA blog put it, DC became the latest Major League Soccer (MLS) team to "go poof" in the U.S. Open Cup (OK: the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup...by Wheaties). The Harrisburg Patriot-News did a good homer write-up...as well they should. I see this loss as part of an irksome trend I mentioned yesterday and what The Offside Rules wrote today.
- Speaking of the Open Cup, Bill Urban forwarded a swell idea on USSoccerplayers.com: reserving a spot in the Superliga for the Open Cup champion (and how cool would it be if, say, the Harrisburg City Islanders lifted the Cup?). I wholly endorse Mr. Urban's recommendation - but would modestly propose adding the structural adjustments I mentioned yesterday (see the "yesterday" link above).
- I held off on this yesterday, but won't be able to ignore it till I post it and get the urge out of my system. The computer-drawn mock-ups of DC's potential stadium look delightfully space age. The image fourth from the left is my personal favorite...very tech.
- Jason Kreis' open letter to RSL fans is....is....I don't know. Painful? Mildly embarrassing, yet simultaneously appropriate? All I know is, the man deserved a better situation.
- As a fan of MLS trying to use cheapness - and I don't care what they discount: tickets, beer, parking; just something - I just wish a team other than Chivas USA was the one to give it a real-world test. Turning things over to Chivas USA co-owner, Antonio Cue:
Um...solidarity?
Ah, finally got the length of a Top 5 post to where I want it.
(##########)
Trying to make this quick today.
- As a (I think) Harrisburg, PA blog put it, DC became the latest Major League Soccer (MLS) team to "go poof" in the U.S. Open Cup (OK: the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup...by Wheaties). The Harrisburg Patriot-News did a good homer write-up...as well they should. I see this loss as part of an irksome trend I mentioned yesterday and what The Offside Rules wrote today.
- Speaking of the Open Cup, Bill Urban forwarded a swell idea on USSoccerplayers.com: reserving a spot in the Superliga for the Open Cup champion (and how cool would it be if, say, the Harrisburg City Islanders lifted the Cup?). I wholly endorse Mr. Urban's recommendation - but would modestly propose adding the structural adjustments I mentioned yesterday (see the "yesterday" link above).
- I held off on this yesterday, but won't be able to ignore it till I post it and get the urge out of my system. The computer-drawn mock-ups of DC's potential stadium look delightfully space age. The image fourth from the left is my personal favorite...very tech.
- Jason Kreis' open letter to RSL fans is....is....I don't know. Painful? Mildly embarrassing, yet simultaneously appropriate? All I know is, the man deserved a better situation.
- As a fan of MLS trying to use cheapness - and I don't care what they discount: tickets, beer, parking; just something - I just wish a team other than Chivas USA was the one to give it a real-world test. Turning things over to Chivas USA co-owner, Antonio Cue:
"We have not changed our ticket prices because we are trying to be just with the people and give them the best benefit with the soccer we are giving."
Um...solidarity?
Ah, finally got the length of a Top 5 post to where I want it.
(##########)
Houston's Loss, LA's Loss: The Meaning of Top-Flight
While most the attention seems to be going to the LA Galaxy crashing out by the head of the Richmond Kickers’ David Bulow, Houston’s loss to the Charleston Battery strikes me as the bigger news. Maybe it’s, as Fox Soccer put it (in a great headline), Richmond’s “third-tier” status versus the Galaxy’s oxygen-sucking hype - but, against that, you have things like LA’s loss to a ten-man Columbus to make sense of these things. Houston could point to their second-string line-up, but that’s kind of a bullshit excuse...your either top-flight or you’re not. So, Tuesday, July 10 was a pretty good night for America’s lower division clubs - they almost got New England as well. And pretty good for the Open Cup But it points to the familiar problem of MLS trying to maintain top-flight league’s status and schedule on second-tier budgets.
In that context, LA’s loss to Richmond plays a little against type. For starters, I think LA actually did want to win this one: I can’t see why else they’d risk starters, for even half the game, if they wanted to throw it away - and that applies, even if half the team might be quietly smiling about a couple days off down the road. But Landon Donovan called out his team using words he didn’t have to - go get ‘em, you thinning wonder - which either suggests disappoint or it merely reinforces the sense that LA needs positives badly enough that they’ll take anything. It’s been said plenty of times that LA is working their players with all the tenderness of a pimp and last night’s game only served as the latest example; a half a game here or there isn’t going to save their top players much with exhibitions filling in every possible gap left in an already-stuffed schedule.
Turning now to Houston, I had a hell of a time finding the starting line-ups - at least while I was looking - but everyone makes clear that Houston’s best got a breather in this one. The game still sounded like a good one - especially for both ‘keepers - and the hundreds of Charleston fans went home happy; good stuff, all. But the team Houston fielded, more than LA’s line-up choices at least, resurrected the old case about Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs failing to take the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup seriously.
The question is, which of these teams made the right call: Houston for resting key players, or LA for killing theirs? More to the point, where do the following factors break: the number of quality soccer players in the U.S. versus the number of quality players an MLS club can afford to carry on their roster? With the number of games MLS clubs play, and given how condensed the schedule can be, it’s inevitable they have to do a little prioritizing of the games and look for players down the bench for games that seem less pressing. In other words, I side with Houston.
That’s where the question of the overall, U.S. player pool comes into play. If there are simply a limited number of top-quality players in the U.S. - e.g. in numbers that would match the Portland Timbers’ Tom Poltl’s figure of four to six per MLS roster - then it’s not so surprising that USL-1 and USL-2 teams, comprised of players with talent comparable to the outer reaches of MLS benches, would win Open Cup games with pretty regularly; after all, between two teams of roughly equal players, the guys that play together competitively most often should have an advantage.
But if the American player pool is deep enough to build 13 (soon to be 16?) top-flight teams, MLS really needs to consider either paying the depth-pool well enough to keep them in MLS, or to expand the rosters to help make the often grueling MLS schedule (just add exhibitions!) more manageable. Sure, other alternatives are out there - e.g. moving the Open Cup outside the regular season to allow teams to prioritize it - but, assuming the schedule stays the same, or even if it changes to accommodate international tournaments (to which, face it, the Open Cup will take a back seat), rejiggering MLS rosters to help them cope with the Open Cup remains the only remedy I can think.
Why, you might ask, should the powers-that-be be interested in helping MLS? Because top-flight should mean just that: MLS teams should be the best teams and winning against them should look a lot more like Richmond’s win over LA than Charleston’s win over half-Houston.
(##########)
In that context, LA’s loss to Richmond plays a little against type. For starters, I think LA actually did want to win this one: I can’t see why else they’d risk starters, for even half the game, if they wanted to throw it away - and that applies, even if half the team might be quietly smiling about a couple days off down the road. But Landon Donovan called out his team using words he didn’t have to - go get ‘em, you thinning wonder - which either suggests disappoint or it merely reinforces the sense that LA needs positives badly enough that they’ll take anything. It’s been said plenty of times that LA is working their players with all the tenderness of a pimp and last night’s game only served as the latest example; a half a game here or there isn’t going to save their top players much with exhibitions filling in every possible gap left in an already-stuffed schedule.
Turning now to Houston, I had a hell of a time finding the starting line-ups - at least while I was looking - but everyone makes clear that Houston’s best got a breather in this one. The game still sounded like a good one - especially for both ‘keepers - and the hundreds of Charleston fans went home happy; good stuff, all. But the team Houston fielded, more than LA’s line-up choices at least, resurrected the old case about Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs failing to take the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup seriously.
The question is, which of these teams made the right call: Houston for resting key players, or LA for killing theirs? More to the point, where do the following factors break: the number of quality soccer players in the U.S. versus the number of quality players an MLS club can afford to carry on their roster? With the number of games MLS clubs play, and given how condensed the schedule can be, it’s inevitable they have to do a little prioritizing of the games and look for players down the bench for games that seem less pressing. In other words, I side with Houston.
That’s where the question of the overall, U.S. player pool comes into play. If there are simply a limited number of top-quality players in the U.S. - e.g. in numbers that would match the Portland Timbers’ Tom Poltl’s figure of four to six per MLS roster - then it’s not so surprising that USL-1 and USL-2 teams, comprised of players with talent comparable to the outer reaches of MLS benches, would win Open Cup games with pretty regularly; after all, between two teams of roughly equal players, the guys that play together competitively most often should have an advantage.
But if the American player pool is deep enough to build 13 (soon to be 16?) top-flight teams, MLS really needs to consider either paying the depth-pool well enough to keep them in MLS, or to expand the rosters to help make the often grueling MLS schedule (just add exhibitions!) more manageable. Sure, other alternatives are out there - e.g. moving the Open Cup outside the regular season to allow teams to prioritize it - but, assuming the schedule stays the same, or even if it changes to accommodate international tournaments (to which, face it, the Open Cup will take a back seat), rejiggering MLS rosters to help them cope with the Open Cup remains the only remedy I can think.
Why, you might ask, should the powers-that-be be interested in helping MLS? Because top-flight should mean just that: MLS teams should be the best teams and winning against them should look a lot more like Richmond’s win over LA than Charleston’s win over half-Houston.
(##########)
Top 5, 07.10: Osorio, Open Cups, RSL's "Special Talent"
Quick(er) and dirty(er) today...
- As nearly everyone has noted, the U.S. Open Cup got underway last night with FC Dallas just squeaking past the USL-1 Atlanta Silverbacks. The best report I found on this one came from Buzz Carrick's 3rd Degree. It's a bit Dallas-centric, but, boy, is it thorough. Any visiting Silverbacks fans should feel free to balance this account with thoughts of their own.
And the ever-reliable official site of the U.S. Open Cup has a nice spread showing all the third round match-ups...and don't let those June dates throw ya. It's July, dude. I totally checked.
- As reported in a couple places, Juan Carlos Osorio started with the Chicago Fire yesterday. Good for him. Less good for him: his first game comes this Thursday against the uncomfortably hot Houston Dynamo...rut-roh. I don't think many expect him to win that one, but some smart folk have great expectations for the new guy. On a personal level, I just want to add this: MLS is better with a good Chicago team. Same goes for Colorado. Come back, you assholes.
- Iso-Vision: some love it (like me), others find it distracting. If you hop down to the comments on that link, you'll see the rushed defense I made - but, rushed as it was, I stand by it. I find "Iso-vision" really educational. You get to see what a player does during an extended period - e.g. timing their runs, how they fit into the larger shape of the team, how busy they are, how they conserve energy, etc. If you're really lucky, you'll catch them doing the good stuff - e.g. farmer blows, scratching their balls and bitching out the ref.
- Did all y'all see Real Salt Lake's latest attempt at making a local government regret the decision to build them a stadium? Has a stadium ever been built in spite of its proponents? Can this thing still go sideways?
- This last one is just weird. Does the Boston Globe's Frank Dell'Appa get a piece from any trades involving Andy Dorman or something? I'm sure he doesn't, but that why else would he carry water for Dorman's agent?
(########)
- As nearly everyone has noted, the U.S. Open Cup got underway last night with FC Dallas just squeaking past the USL-1 Atlanta Silverbacks. The best report I found on this one came from Buzz Carrick's 3rd Degree. It's a bit Dallas-centric, but, boy, is it thorough. Any visiting Silverbacks fans should feel free to balance this account with thoughts of their own.
And the ever-reliable official site of the U.S. Open Cup has a nice spread showing all the third round match-ups...and don't let those June dates throw ya. It's July, dude. I totally checked.
- As reported in a couple places, Juan Carlos Osorio started with the Chicago Fire yesterday. Good for him. Less good for him: his first game comes this Thursday against the uncomfortably hot Houston Dynamo...rut-roh. I don't think many expect him to win that one, but some smart folk have great expectations for the new guy. On a personal level, I just want to add this: MLS is better with a good Chicago team. Same goes for Colorado. Come back, you assholes.
- Iso-Vision: some love it (like me), others find it distracting. If you hop down to the comments on that link, you'll see the rushed defense I made - but, rushed as it was, I stand by it. I find "Iso-vision" really educational. You get to see what a player does during an extended period - e.g. timing their runs, how they fit into the larger shape of the team, how busy they are, how they conserve energy, etc. If you're really lucky, you'll catch them doing the good stuff - e.g. farmer blows, scratching their balls and bitching out the ref.
- Did all y'all see Real Salt Lake's latest attempt at making a local government regret the decision to build them a stadium? Has a stadium ever been built in spite of its proponents? Can this thing still go sideways?
- This last one is just weird. Does the Boston Globe's Frank Dell'Appa get a piece from any trades involving Andy Dorman or something? I'm sure he doesn't, but that why else would he carry water for Dorman's agent?
(########)
OPEN CUP: Only the Future Matters Now
As all y'all know by now, the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Toshiba Electronics Head-On Topical Analgesic Open Cup (let's see, that's LHUSTEH-OTAOC) wrapped up last night. And I'm sad to report that the only amateur team remaining in the tournament - Bavarian SC - didn't make it through last night...I hate you Carolina Railhawks...
You can find all the scores here, but it's The Big Board that tells us what happens next - e.g. who's playing what Major League Soccer (MLS) team (NOTE: I decided a bit ago that I have to stick with MLS, U.S. Men's news to prevent Mission Creep). And, to give full credit where it's due, Mike H over on My Soccer Blog provided the excellent service of stating where, specifically each third round game will go down.
With those resources at hand, here are my candidates for third-round upsets (and may they happen):
Rochester Raging Rhinos v. New England Revolution
I only say this because it's happened before...2005, if I'm not mistaken. (Yep, I'm mistaken...it was 2004.)
Richmond Kickers v. LA Galaxy
Have you seen LA's road record this year? Hell, have you seen LA?
Carolina Railhawks v. Chicago Fire
It's Chicago, so why not?
Anyway, I'm sure other upsets are possible - I mean, on their day, Colorado and FC Dallas could lose to a team of blind, one-legged orphans - but, in all honesty, I'm thinking LA has most reason to be nervous....though it sounds like they are already plenty nervous.
(########)
You can find all the scores here, but it's The Big Board that tells us what happens next - e.g. who's playing what Major League Soccer (MLS) team (NOTE: I decided a bit ago that I have to stick with MLS, U.S. Men's news to prevent Mission Creep). And, to give full credit where it's due, Mike H over on My Soccer Blog provided the excellent service of stating where, specifically each third round game will go down.
With those resources at hand, here are my candidates for third-round upsets (and may they happen):
Rochester Raging Rhinos v. New England Revolution
I only say this because it's happened before...2005, if I'm not mistaken. (Yep, I'm mistaken...it was 2004.)
Richmond Kickers v. LA Galaxy
Have you seen LA's road record this year? Hell, have you seen LA?
Carolina Railhawks v. Chicago Fire
It's Chicago, so why not?
Anyway, I'm sure other upsets are possible - I mean, on their day, Colorado and FC Dallas could lose to a team of blind, one-legged orphans - but, in all honesty, I'm thinking LA has most reason to be nervous....though it sounds like they are already plenty nervous.
(########)
U.S. Open Cup: The Skinny Is Fat
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup resumes with the Second Round today (scoreboard), but that's not the good news - especially given that seeing these games anywhere "normal" isn't an option (the "abnormal" avenues are, however, improving).
The heartening thing comes with evidence that various local media across the country have taken the time to churn out reports on their local teams. These aren't blow-out/fold-out special sections or anything - typically, they're back-page "blurbicles" (not quite articles, not quite blurbs) - but the existing coverage at least beats the echoing silence of yesteryear. No less significantly, the reporters writing these stories appear to have some sense of what they're writing about - e.g. they're hep to the teams involved (the report below* for the Richmond Kickers v. Cleveland City Stars is particularly solid in that regard) and they know that big, potentially more lucrative games (HA!) against Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs loom in the next round. Actually, the way the majority of these articles talk up those potential ties speaks to a growing cache for this country's first division.
But the nicest thing about all this is the fact I found every article linked to below through Our Sports Central - e.g. this stuff is easy to find if you know where to look. That's right: even the genuinely lazy can now keep up with this stuff, so let's have no more excuses, people.
So, without further ado, enjoy the partial primer for the U.S. Open Cup Second Round:
General
The U.S. Open Cup official site did fairly well with their all-in-one preview of tonight's action.
Regional Coverage (starting locally)
Seattle Sounders v. Portland Timbers
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Oregonian
On a personal note, I'm pissed this one's not in Portland. I finally have the time and money to go tonight and they're in Seattle (and, yeah, I know about this Saturday's game...can't make it...I've got critters). Dang it. Judging by the USL Division 1 standings and the one-eye-on-'em attention I've paid to the Timbers this year, this ought to be a decent game. And go Timbers.
Rochester Raging Rhinos v. Western Mass Pioneers
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Charleston Battery v. El Paso Patriots
Charleston Post and Courier
Richmond Kickers v. Cleveland City Stars
Richmond Times-Dispatch (*I liked this one)
Cleveland Plain Dealer (One of my favorite paper names)
Ocean City Barons v. Harrisburg City Islanders
The Harrisburg(?) Patriot-News
Well, that's it for the Our Sports Central stuff - and I still count that a decent haul (must be feeling a little glass half-full today). Now, for shits and giggles, let's see what I can find on the games not found on that site...and I'm not going to cheat by searching blogs...at least not yet.
Carolina Railhawks v. Bavarian SC (viva los amateurs!)
Oh well. I went back to Our Sports for this one...feels like cheating somehow. Still, a Chicago paper (presumably; it looks at this from the Chicago Fire's perspective), The Daily Herald, at least mentions this game since the winner will play the Chicago Fire in the third round....lucky bastards. (OK, yeah, the actual article is about the U.S. Men's problems with finishing.)
Atlanta Silverbacks v. Charlotte Eagles
Mmm...I'm not going to say I didn't find anything (see?), but it all feels a little outdated.
Minnesota Thunder v. California Victory
Dang it! Glass is draining...I will not rely entirely on Our Sports...
I'd like to think it's getting better anyway. In any case, hope anyone who lives near any of the above teams has the time and money to get to a game. I've seen my share of Open Cup games and they're fun little things.
The heartening thing comes with evidence that various local media across the country have taken the time to churn out reports on their local teams. These aren't blow-out/fold-out special sections or anything - typically, they're back-page "blurbicles" (not quite articles, not quite blurbs) - but the existing coverage at least beats the echoing silence of yesteryear. No less significantly, the reporters writing these stories appear to have some sense of what they're writing about - e.g. they're hep to the teams involved (the report below* for the Richmond Kickers v. Cleveland City Stars is particularly solid in that regard) and they know that big, potentially more lucrative games (HA!) against Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs loom in the next round. Actually, the way the majority of these articles talk up those potential ties speaks to a growing cache for this country's first division.
But the nicest thing about all this is the fact I found every article linked to below through Our Sports Central - e.g. this stuff is easy to find if you know where to look. That's right: even the genuinely lazy can now keep up with this stuff, so let's have no more excuses, people.
So, without further ado, enjoy the partial primer for the U.S. Open Cup Second Round:
General
The U.S. Open Cup official site did fairly well with their all-in-one preview of tonight's action.
Regional Coverage (starting locally)
Seattle Sounders v. Portland Timbers
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Oregonian
On a personal note, I'm pissed this one's not in Portland. I finally have the time and money to go tonight and they're in Seattle (and, yeah, I know about this Saturday's game...can't make it...I've got critters). Dang it. Judging by the USL Division 1 standings and the one-eye-on-'em attention I've paid to the Timbers this year, this ought to be a decent game. And go Timbers.
Rochester Raging Rhinos v. Western Mass Pioneers
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Charleston Battery v. El Paso Patriots
Charleston Post and Courier
Richmond Kickers v. Cleveland City Stars
Richmond Times-Dispatch (*I liked this one)
Cleveland Plain Dealer (One of my favorite paper names)
Ocean City Barons v. Harrisburg City Islanders
The Harrisburg(?) Patriot-News
Well, that's it for the Our Sports Central stuff - and I still count that a decent haul (must be feeling a little glass half-full today). Now, for shits and giggles, let's see what I can find on the games not found on that site...and I'm not going to cheat by searching blogs...at least not yet.
Carolina Railhawks v. Bavarian SC (viva los amateurs!)
Oh well. I went back to Our Sports for this one...feels like cheating somehow. Still, a Chicago paper (presumably; it looks at this from the Chicago Fire's perspective), The Daily Herald, at least mentions this game since the winner will play the Chicago Fire in the third round....lucky bastards. (OK, yeah, the actual article is about the U.S. Men's problems with finishing.)
Atlanta Silverbacks v. Charlotte Eagles
Mmm...I'm not going to say I didn't find anything (see?), but it all feels a little outdated.
Minnesota Thunder v. California Victory
Dang it! Glass is draining...I will not rely entirely on Our Sports...
I'd like to think it's getting better anyway. In any case, hope anyone who lives near any of the above teams has the time and money to get to a game. I've seen my share of Open Cup games and they're fun little things.
US Open Cup: Progress Report
Courtesy of the Colorado Rapids win over Real Salt Lake*, the Major League Soccer (MLS) side of the U.S. Open Cup equation is mostly plugged in.
(* How do RSL fans get out of bed in the morning...seriously?)
So, this seemed like as good a time as any to see how things are shaping up in America's oldest soccer tournament. I won't lie to you: I thought this one would be to the draw stage already. Turns out I was wrong, as was proved by the state of The Big Table, which lays out the tournament bracket, but has yet to plug names into the pairings. Still, there's the sidebar to it that tells who has made it so far. Also, the U.S. Open Cup site is pretty good about keeping readers current about where things are for, say, the United Soccer League's Division 2 as well as this weekend's big qualifying blowout in USASA Region III (or at least that's what I think it is).
So, this year's tournament is definitely coming together...just not quickly as I expected. If nothing else, there are resources out there to help keep interested parties current.
(#########)
(* How do RSL fans get out of bed in the morning...seriously?)
So, this seemed like as good a time as any to see how things are shaping up in America's oldest soccer tournament. I won't lie to you: I thought this one would be to the draw stage already. Turns out I was wrong, as was proved by the state of The Big Table, which lays out the tournament bracket, but has yet to plug names into the pairings. Still, there's the sidebar to it that tells who has made it so far. Also, the U.S. Open Cup site is pretty good about keeping readers current about where things are for, say, the United Soccer League's Division 2 as well as this weekend's big qualifying blowout in USASA Region III (or at least that's what I think it is).
So, this year's tournament is definitely coming together...just not quickly as I expected. If nothing else, there are resources out there to help keep interested parties current.
(#########)
USOC: Rapids v. RSL: The Final Play-In
Lord knows the major media doesn't do much - or, more accurately, nearly enough - to promote the U.S. Open Cup, so I thought I'd do my bit here. Because this is a West Coast affair, I'm not even behind yet....whew.
Anyway, MLSnet.com pulled together a nice plug. Given the rivalry between the two teams, one might think they'd work that a little more, but the focus instead goes on the Rapids semi-mysterious loss of home form (getting used to the field, they say). The local media in both markets typed out a couple Open-Cup-focused pieces as well: the Rocky Mountain News writes about the likelihood of Conor Casey and Jose Cancela picking up rare starts while the Salt Lake Tribune notes the injury to Carey Talley (ouch!) and trade of Jeff Cunningham - though Talley only merits mention in the headline.
I'm not knocking any of that: beats the hell out of nothing, right?
In other spaces, a general feature on how Colorado is covering the gimpy holes in their backline makes for educational reading, as does a heart-warming look back at the Rapids' history in Open Cup play - thanks Colorado Rapids' Offside!
I'll close by laying down my marker: I say Colorado wins this one. Not exactly bold, I know, but I would have gone with Real Salt Lake had Talley not been injured.
(#######)
Anyway, MLSnet.com pulled together a nice plug. Given the rivalry between the two teams, one might think they'd work that a little more, but the focus instead goes on the Rapids semi-mysterious loss of home form (getting used to the field, they say). The local media in both markets typed out a couple Open-Cup-focused pieces as well: the Rocky Mountain News writes about the likelihood of Conor Casey and Jose Cancela picking up rare starts while the Salt Lake Tribune notes the injury to Carey Talley (ouch!) and trade of Jeff Cunningham - though Talley only merits mention in the headline.
I'm not knocking any of that: beats the hell out of nothing, right?
In other spaces, a general feature on how Colorado is covering the gimpy holes in their backline makes for educational reading, as does a heart-warming look back at the Rapids' history in Open Cup play - thanks Colorado Rapids' Offside!
I'll close by laying down my marker: I say Colorado wins this one. Not exactly bold, I know, but I would have gone with Real Salt Lake had Talley not been injured.
(#######)
Open Cup Play-In: Lest We Forget (+ Salary talk)
In what must be a first since Roma FC made a run last year, a major media outlet - the LA Times - acknowledged the existence of the U.S. Open Cup...even if it only came after a report on the MLS Players' Union squabbling with the league front office (interesting piece, by the way; loathe as I am to admit it, Gazidis makes a decent case, especially about the second jobs; still, that's chump change.)
In any case, the blogoverse did its bit to pump the game as well, especially the LA locals like Dan Loney and Luis Bueno. And, natch, MLSnet.com produced a preview. There's some good stuff in there about personnel 'n' such, though only Ives Galarcep (so far) is saying fucking-new-guy (FNG) Juan Pablo Angel will play.
Anyway, calling this one seems like a mug's game, what with all the line-up wackiness. Bueno made the decent point that LA has enjoyed a lay-off and that rest could point to the possibility they'll field a stronger side. Maybe that was in the back of my mind when I picked LA to win over on the Real Salt Lake Offside's predictions league. Not to be nasty about it, but I won't be pulling for 'em. Go Bulls...just this once.
(########)
In any case, the blogoverse did its bit to pump the game as well, especially the LA locals like Dan Loney and Luis Bueno. And, natch, MLSnet.com produced a preview. There's some good stuff in there about personnel 'n' such, though only Ives Galarcep (so far) is saying fucking-new-guy (FNG) Juan Pablo Angel will play.
Anyway, calling this one seems like a mug's game, what with all the line-up wackiness. Bueno made the decent point that LA has enjoyed a lay-off and that rest could point to the possibility they'll field a stronger side. Maybe that was in the back of my mind when I picked LA to win over on the Real Salt Lake Offside's predictions league. Not to be nasty about it, but I won't be pulling for 'em. Go Bulls...just this once.
(########)
Open Cup: A Proposal to Canales' Laudable Gripe
I think Andrea Canales' frustration with how Major League Soccer (MLS) and the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) have permanently back-burnered the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has made the rounds by now (seeing as I found it on du Nord, I'm confident that it has).
Taking it as a given, then, that folks have read Canales' piece (if not, here you go), I'll go straight to my proposal for bringing this tournament to (back to? nah) deserved prominence - and if you've heard this one before, please politely sit on your hands:
That's not to say this will be simple, but I think there's a lot to recommend this. First, this would capture the undivided attention of U.S. soccer fans in the depths of their off-season jones. Second, even if they're players show up fat, between vying for a real trophy and getting ready for the MLS (or USL) season, they'll have ample motivation to shape up fast. And while it would lengthen the season, it would help in the middle with fixture congestion.
The tricky piece to all this will be the qualifying rounds; for instance, do teams qualify for this early spring tournament in the previous season or do they - especially professional and amateur teams from our nation's frozen North - find places to play where they can (in front of, well, nobody)? The tournament finals, on the other hand, would be a breeze: once you get down to the final 16, make it a formal tournament in one venue and make hosting this all-at-once tournament as big of a deal as possible. Getting back to qualifying, I'd lean toward, effectively, bookending the MLS/USL seasons with Open Cup play - the preliminary rounds would happen after the season and, after a winter break, would start up again in the spring.
Anyway, that's what occurs to me. Or you can go with the plan Canales fed Chicago Fire coach Dave Sarachan: make winning the U.S. Open Cup a way into the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, possibly at the expense of the Supporters' Shield (DISCLOSURE: I don't count the Shield for anything personally; you either have the playoffs or you don't; that's just a bias of mine). But I like my idea better - not least because it means more soccer, more often.
ON A RELATED NOTE: Andrea Canales strikes again, this time with a look at the difficulties of moving to a split season with a summer break. The god-awful weather around some of this year's openers, especially, gave MLS honchos serious pause about pushing closer to winter on either end of the calendar. And they've got a point. Going back to the above, though, that's why I'd go with qualifying across the country in the fall and hosting a one-spot tournament in a warmer clime during the spring.
But the most reassursing thing I've read all week came with the signs that MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Co. continue to think about these sorts of things. Here's to hoping the Open Cup doesn't get lost in the shuffle.
(#######)
Taking it as a given, then, that folks have read Canales' piece (if not, here you go), I'll go straight to my proposal for bringing this tournament to (back to? nah) deserved prominence - and if you've heard this one before, please politely sit on your hands:
Make the U.S. Open Cup a short, sharp preseason tournament for MLS - all levels of club soccer in the U.S. really.
That's not to say this will be simple, but I think there's a lot to recommend this. First, this would capture the undivided attention of U.S. soccer fans in the depths of their off-season jones. Second, even if they're players show up fat, between vying for a real trophy and getting ready for the MLS (or USL) season, they'll have ample motivation to shape up fast. And while it would lengthen the season, it would help in the middle with fixture congestion.
The tricky piece to all this will be the qualifying rounds; for instance, do teams qualify for this early spring tournament in the previous season or do they - especially professional and amateur teams from our nation's frozen North - find places to play where they can (in front of, well, nobody)? The tournament finals, on the other hand, would be a breeze: once you get down to the final 16, make it a formal tournament in one venue and make hosting this all-at-once tournament as big of a deal as possible. Getting back to qualifying, I'd lean toward, effectively, bookending the MLS/USL seasons with Open Cup play - the preliminary rounds would happen after the season and, after a winter break, would start up again in the spring.
Anyway, that's what occurs to me. Or you can go with the plan Canales fed Chicago Fire coach Dave Sarachan: make winning the U.S. Open Cup a way into the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, possibly at the expense of the Supporters' Shield (DISCLOSURE: I don't count the Shield for anything personally; you either have the playoffs or you don't; that's just a bias of mine). But I like my idea better - not least because it means more soccer, more often.
ON A RELATED NOTE: Andrea Canales strikes again, this time with a look at the difficulties of moving to a split season with a summer break. The god-awful weather around some of this year's openers, especially, gave MLS honchos serious pause about pushing closer to winter on either end of the calendar. And they've got a point. Going back to the above, though, that's why I'd go with qualifying across the country in the fall and hosting a one-spot tournament in a warmer clime during the spring.
But the most reassursing thing I've read all week came with the signs that MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Co. continue to think about these sorts of things. Here's to hoping the Open Cup doesn't get lost in the shuffle.
(#######)
Open Cup Part I: KC v. RSL (+ pick)
Don't know about the rest of the soccer blogging world, but the preliminary play-in rounds for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup kind of snuck up on me.
No matter. In case you haven't heard or read, Major League Soccer's (MLS) participation begins tonight when the Kansas City Wizards travel to Salt Lake City to take on Real Salt Lake (RSL); after the Open Cup tie, it appears that the RSL reserves will take on the national team of Fiji, an event RSL's official site believes fans will enjoy (I'd probably enjoy this about as much as I enjoyed my one and only real-life freakshow...shudder...).
A fair amount of material can be found out there about what to expect in terms of starting line-ups. For instance, the Wizards plan to tap some players down the bench to build their starting line-up, courtesy of a cee-razy, travel-heavy April; the official word from the Wizards' camp is that the team is up for it. We shall see, we shall see...
The big news on the other side of the ball is that 2007 fourth-round pick Chris Seitz will start in goal for RSL. The same article suggests RSL coach John Ellinger may rest a couple more starters.
And, thus, the 2007 U.S. Open Cup opens under a familiar cloud, with teams taking it "seriously," but not completely. Sigh.
Oh, and I think this one will end with a Wizards win. There's just something about RSL that makes me think they're not up for it.
No matter. In case you haven't heard or read, Major League Soccer's (MLS) participation begins tonight when the Kansas City Wizards travel to Salt Lake City to take on Real Salt Lake (RSL); after the Open Cup tie, it appears that the RSL reserves will take on the national team of Fiji, an event RSL's official site believes fans will enjoy (I'd probably enjoy this about as much as I enjoyed my one and only real-life freakshow...shudder...).
A fair amount of material can be found out there about what to expect in terms of starting line-ups. For instance, the Wizards plan to tap some players down the bench to build their starting line-up, courtesy of a cee-razy, travel-heavy April; the official word from the Wizards' camp is that the team is up for it. We shall see, we shall see...
The big news on the other side of the ball is that 2007 fourth-round pick Chris Seitz will start in goal for RSL. The same article suggests RSL coach John Ellinger may rest a couple more starters.
And, thus, the 2007 U.S. Open Cup opens under a familiar cloud, with teams taking it "seriously," but not completely. Sigh.
Oh, and I think this one will end with a Wizards win. There's just something about RSL that makes me think they're not up for it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)