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Every time there has been an article about David Beckham wanting to leave Major League Soccer on the footballing side or those cronies in the English press trying to knock down our league and American supporters that they have no idea about real football, here is a man that will stand up on top of a soap box and tells the media in England &amp; all of Europe what’s the real truth about our league. That man is apart of the board at Arsenal Football Club in England and his name is Ivan Gazidis.
For the first time in the fourteen years of existence of America’s first division league, Commissioner Don Garber will be missing his true right hand man. While Don Garber is considered the facial leader of MLS, Ivan truly was the man setting up the rules and regulations of keeping the league on the straight and narrow in the financial &amp; player acquiring department. For the first time when Don Garber took over for Doug Logan as Commissioner of the League he will be looking for an opinion from a person that will be considered Ivan’s replacement. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Don did make a couple of phone calls once in a while for some advice.
From the BBC Sport site here is an video interview with Ivan Gazidis discussing David Beckham, MLS, and if the sport has made an impact inside the USA. Click the link and after watching it please continue with my story.
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7928651.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7928651.stm</a>
With regards to the city of Seattle Gazidis is correct. Not only was it big to see 20,000 season tickets being sold, but to be honest the city of Seattle has always been football mad either during the old years of the NASL, the A-League/USL-1st Division chapters and this coming season going into MLS. There is plenty of history with the sport in Seattle and they have won a couple of USL-1st Division titles. Twice they were a goal away or a penalty kick shootout goal away from reaching the US Open Cup Final. This wasn’t done by David Beckham’s popularity joining MLS, Seattle has had this all along.
Why do you think the supporters of the Portland Timbers were marching in the city? It wasn’t for their health of course, but their desire to get their club promoted to the first division of American Soccer. Once again this wasn’t David Beckham’s doing. The people of Portland, Oregon wanted this to happen.
This is what the people and the press in England has to understand and why Ivan Gazidis is a firm believer that MLS will stay and survive before and after Beckham leaves the league. He knows that the support of the game will flourish here in the states and because of the internet and those special cable TV or satillite channels for football will make it even better &amp; so far it has. Without the internet we wouldn’t be having these sites, blogs dedicated to the world’s favorite game &amp; MLS Talk and all of it’s other sites wouldn’t be here either without the creation of the internet.
I am hoping that Ivan will have a successful tenure over at Arsenal and at the same time continue to sing the praises of MLS. Obviously this was a dream come true for him as he wanted to join one of England’s storied clubs and work in their boardroom. But as he was weeping&nbsp;a bit leaving MLS, I wouldn’t be surprised that one day he will get that phone call from MLS HQ in NYC and Don Garber will step down and ask Ivan too take over as Commissioner of our league. I would like to think that this could happen in the future.

MLS True Champion & Defender in Europe, Ivan Gazidis

MLS True Champion &amp; Defender in Europe, Ivan Gazidis - World Soccer Talk

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Let me say that this is a bad moment for everyone involved down in South Florida. I understand what my colleague Kartik Krishnayier is going thru. Granted that I never supported the Miami Fusion back in those days, but when you’ve had your heart ripped out like that when your favorite player was traded, or your club had the plug pulled out, it’s not a fun thing.
Sure there are many people who have said that the city &amp; area of Miami didn’t deserve a second shot at it, but to be honest I think Miami was deserving of a second chance. It’s not so much you have ex-pats of South America, Cubans and others living down there that enjoy the sport, there are ex-eastern Europeans that also wanted to see a division one club side from MLS as well.
My Grandparents and their friends along with some of my parents friends that are originally from Romania &amp; Hungary immigrated to the USA and lived in the New York City area before moving down to South Florida for retirement were hopeful to see a Miami-Barcelona pairing to join the league. But of course the economy was the number one thing that probably killed the deal.
But let’s be honest with ourselves for the moment. If Miami did get a second bite of the orange (Yes I know that Florida is considered the Sunshine State), it would mean that all four corners of the country would be tapped in for MLS. As far northwest as Seattle, to the northeast as New England. Southwest as Los Angeles and what could’ve been southeast in Miami. But as of right now the last hope for Miami in this current situation is USL-1st Division side Miami FC. The heartbeat is fading fast as Traffic Sports who owns the club is ready to pull the plug if their 5,000 Season Ticket subscription quota isn’t met by this coming Sunday, March 8th.
So who is left from the current expansion bids to 2011. Vancouver, British Colombia &amp; Ottawa, Ontario in Canada along with Portland, Oregon &amp; St. Louis, Missouri. At the moment it sounds like the bid from Vancouver is a strong one as a front runner. The ownership group involving Phoenix Suns Steve Nash and the owner of the Whitecaps are planning to refurbish B.C. Place which is an indoor stadium, but seeing some of the plans on the Whitecaps website, they are planning to create a new roof that retracts out of&nbsp;a hanging scoreboard. It will&nbsp;cover the field and stands like one of the stadiums in Germany.
Recently you have heard about the public march by Portland Timbers supporters that wants to see their club get promoted to MLS by the Paulson family. The family that owns the Minor League Baseball team in the Portland Beavers which is the Triple A affiliate of the San Diego Padres and the Timbers would create a brand new ballpark for the Beavers and refurbish PGE Park into a soccer stadium &amp; that means pulling out the carpet and putting in a brand new natural grass field.
For the Ottawa bid the owner of the Ottawa Senators Eugene Melnyk is planing to construct a big stadium either in the city or near his Scotiabank Place Arena. Of course this will help Toronto FC have a Provincial rivalry or a country rival in Vancouver. Or the St. Louis bid which we haven’t heard from recently except that St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is joining the ownership group.
Who will be the two sides excepted for 2011 expansion into Major League Soccer is&nbsp;a big question, but whoever it is I think they will be strong candidates to help MLS move on. But going back to Miami for another chance &amp; they say the third time is the charm, I personally wouldn’t mind it. If FC Barcelona and Marcelo Clarie joins forces to bring themselves back to the table, then by all means go for it. Sure the Football/Soccer supporter is fickle, but hopefully after the C.B.A. is fixed after 2009 all these silly rules of acquiring players will end and we can be as free flowing on purchasing&nbsp; players just like the rest of the world. I’m rooting for Miami to return whenever they are ready.

MLS Expansion: Feeling Bad for Miami, But Looking at the Remaining Bids

MLS Expansion: Feeling Bad for Miami, But Looking at the Remaining Bids - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignright size-full wp-image-2320" src="/files/2009/03/jamie-trecker.jpg" alt="jamie-trecker" width="173" height="240"></figure></div>Just like everyone who listens to MLS Talk’s podcast my good friend Kartik Krishnaiyer does an excellent job as host even as the host of CSRN’s American Soccer Show. He had Mr. Jamie Trecker on his last podcast and I admit that my opinion of Mr. Trecker has been negative. Whenever I read his articles on Fox Soccer’s website in my opinion I felt that he hasn’t been informing us what his thoughts are, it’s been more yelling at us like little children trying to hammer his ideas into our heads. An attitude of “It’s either my way or the highway”.
But this time around I felt Mr. Trecker has showed he does know what he talks about not so much as a soccer writer, but the current economic situation that has fallen here in the USA, the region and the world. With that being said I have found within myself agreeing with some of the things that he has said in the latest podcast of MLS Talk. But I do find some of the things he has said that are in a very nice way of putting it, disagreeable.
When your talk about who our US National Team head coach should be or as he put it “A legitimate International Coach” Please give me some names and please tell me who is going to come here and teach our players to play at a higher level. After all Jurgen Klinsmann who was suppose to be the successor of Bruce Arena after the 2006 World Cup decided at the final hour not to coach our National Team. Of course the usual suspects are Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Rafael Benitz, or hired gun Guus Hiddink. The last time I checked, US Soccer’s wallet won’t be getting lighter any time soon.
No matter how many times I have asked this question and asked for names of coaches that want to be here, no one has given me a good reason. It’s not so much that a big name has to come, but that particular coach must know the insides and out of the CONCACAF region. Just ask Sven-Goran Eriksson. He’s having a tough time right now trying to settle down the problems &amp; getting out of the losing funk that Mexico is in right now. I can give you the names of two people who I think can help our national team in the future. Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker who is in Poland right now as he was the head coach of Trinidad &amp; Tobago during their 2006 World Cup run or Alexander Guimeresh from Costa Rica. If the usual suspects that people say should come over and coach our national team, it’s not going to happen. No one would hire them to run a Nats side in Europe if they took the job as USA National Team coach.
Mr. Trecker also commented on the three MLS sides that participated in this past qualifying round and group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. We all know that the Houston Dynamo are in the knockout round, but the reasons were not heart or tactics or not giving a damn. For DC United it has been injuries, but for Chivas-USA, Houston &amp; New England it was simply a case of fixture congestion meaning&nbsp;the interference with the participation of Superliga. You saw those players honestly giving it their all, but were too exhausted, physically and mentally that they paid the price of losing. Not taking anything away from those clubs that beat up on those three, but still they weren’t at their top form. I honestly don’t think Preki or Steve Nicol who is a Liverpool legend would take this tournament lightly. So to say that our boys had the same amount of time off before the CONCACAF Champions League like the rest of the confederation or like Montreal &amp; Puerto Rico, these two sides never got involved with Superliga.
I understand that Mr. Trecker believes that we should be better than what our clubs and National Team has shown, but while saying the things he has said, you have to look at it in a realistic point of view. When it comes to our National Team, sometimes Soccer house in Chicago doesn’t know what they are doing and at times MLS handcuff’s themselves when the bigger picture is actually alot better than the deals that they do to get better.
Also when it comes to the situation with Portland, Oregon. There is support for the game whether it’s in the USL or MLS. There are passionate supporters in the northwest outside of Seattle. I believe that Portland will work no matter which league they will be playing their matches in.
So once again, all Mr. Trecker has to do is dig a little bit deeper than what he normally does and I think we can all agree with him with some of the things he says. But till then, let’s wait for the next overly opinionated Jamie Trecker article.

My Own Opinions of the Trecker Podcast

My Own Opinions of the Trecker Podcast - World Soccer Talk

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Well ladies and gentleman, this is what I have been hoping for a good while now. A better tournament and an expansion from a cup into a league format along with the away goals rule.&nbsp; Finally Jack Warner along with the rest of his group in the offices of CONCACAF got it right. Even though the Houston Dynamo are the lone MLS representative in this tournament you can’t argue as a true football supporter that there has been action and drama just like what goes on in the UEFA Champions League.
The Dynamo leading all match long till Atlante got their much needed away goal to equalize and head down to Mexico for the second leg. A brilliant night for Canada and the supporters of Montreal filling up the Big O with over 55,500 and a big&nbsp;match for Eduardo Sebrango as he earned a brace in the Impact’s first leg against Oswaldo Sanchez’s Santos Laguna. All night long the supporters were singing just like they do for the Canadiens at the Bell Centre for NHL Hockey.
And once again another fantastic night for the USL as the PuertoRico Islanders who were down a goal just four minutes before halftime by C.D. Marathon came on in the secondhalf hunting for an equalizer, but got goals in a span of eight minutes from second half substitutes Nicolas Addlery in the 74th Minute and Kendall Jagdeosingh in the 81st. Yes PuertoRico gave up the away goal, but once again it’s going to be fun when next week comes around to see if they can match it.
This is the main reason why the old Champions Cup had to be extended into a Champions League to help our players in MLS and those that are members of the USL but qualify in their countries to have more experience in International play. Sadly the past qualifying round and group stages three of the four clubs that came from MLS didn’t get far because of the interference to play Superliga before this tournament got started last year. That’s of course Chivas-USA, the New England Revolution as Superliga champions as well as the injury riddled DC United. I’m glad to see that MLS has made the change to not allow clubs that do qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League to be involved with Superliga.
I am very excited for the end of July 2009 as Red Bull NY will be involved withthe qualifying round for the upcoming 2009-10 Champions League. This will be the first time I will see my club involved with International Club Competition inside CONCACAF since 2001 when they were known as the MetroStars and were invited to the South American tournament that was the predecessor of the Copa SudAmericana. It was called the Copa Merco Norte and at the time it was four groups of four from the USA, Mexico &amp; the clubs from South America.
I saw the Metro defeat Venezuelan side Deportivo Italchacao two nil, a road loss to Colombian side Millionarios. They were suppose to play Chivas of Guadalajara at Giants Stadium, but 9-11 happened and when it was rescheduled, Guadalajara claimed the USA wasn’t safe to play, but ignored the tournament and the Metro for a classico match with Club America. So the goats were suspended and lost six points along with four goals and all my club needed was a draw to advance into the Quarterfinals. Sadly it was a loss at Italchacao &amp; a loss to Millionarios at Giants Stadium that eliminated them from the knock out stages. But I can gladly say that I was at Giants Stadium to see my club defeat Italchacao in International Club Competition.
Let’s hope the 2nd legs in the Quarterfinals are a lot better and more dramatic than the first legs in the CONCACAF Champions League.

CONCACAF Champions League: Terrific First Legs

CONCACAF Champions League: Terrific First Legs - World Soccer Talk

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From Steven Goff of the Washington Post I just learned that once again eight of the fourteen sides in Major League Soccer will have to qualify for two spots to join Chicago, Chivas-USA, Columbus, Houston, Kansas City &amp;&nbsp;New England in the 3rd round of the 2009 US Open Cup.
Two rounds of qualifying for MLS sides in the end of April &amp; a possible date in May that has yet to be determined. Here is the order of how the clubs finished in the 2008 MLS season from seventh to last on the table.
7. Real Salt Lake 
8. Red Bull NY 
9. Colorado Rapids 
10. DC United 
11. FC Dallas 
12. Los Angeles Galaxy 
13. San Jose Earthquakes 
14. Seattle Sounders F.C. (2009 expansion side goes to qualifying)
On Wednesday, April 29th the first round qualifying matches will begin for the US Open Cup as RSL face the Sounders, RBNY travel to San Jose, Colorado faces LA &amp; DC United hosts FC Dallas. The winners advancing to the second round of qualifying have already been matched up.
MLS Qualifying SecondRound
RSL/SEA Winner Vs COL/LA Winner 
DC/DAL Winner Vs NY/SJ Winner
And what is my opinion of these qualifying matches for US Soccer’s top club tournament since 1914. Once again the American version of the FA Cup has become a farce. I just can’t understand why MLS &amp; US Soccer won’t allow all fourteen American sides to participate in the US Open Cup.
I have enjoyed the steady progression of this tournament once MLS decided to participate when the former NASL never did. Sure there was qualifying rounds back in the earlier years, but that was never questioned since the sport was trying to get popular. Some regular season matches doubled as US Open Cup Qualifiers from 1997 till 2002. But when the 2003 season came, all MLS sides qualified as the eight playoff sides entered the fourth round while the non playoff sides entered the third round&nbsp;with the top four finishers of USL-1st Division joined them.
When the 2007 MLS Season began there was a turn for the worst. MLS, US Soccer or the Open Cup Committee decided to cut short the number of clubs from MLS and&nbsp;reduced two rounds. The Qualifying round before the first round which I didn’t mind, but the fourth round was also axed. All USL clubs pro &amp; semi along with the US Adult Soccer Association started in the 1st round and those winners faced each other in the second, meeting only eight MLS sides in the third round. The original reason for this reduction was that US Soccer was involved with two tournaments that year. The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup &amp; the 2007 Copa America. It was just an excuse to reduce the number of&nbsp;MLS sides to enter and they have stuck by these qualifiers ever since.
Now in the USL Pro leagues there are eight clubs a side &amp; no qualifying thru the beginning of the season for USL-2nd Division. PDL &amp; USASA sides are still qualifying for their respective spots, but it’s a shame that MLS is still qualifying for two spots involving eight clubs.
The main problem of course is that there is no sponsor for this famed cup tournament here in the states &amp; sometimes I think not a lot of people care about the cup. Even though CONCACAF has said that the US Open Cup Champion does enter the Qualifying Round for the new Champions League, it still feels like some clubs don’t care.
But I care and many other people care as well. It’s not just a cup for the USL sides both pro &amp; part time, but there have been so many good stories written about this tournament I don’t understand why so many people are embarrassed about it. If Cardiff City &amp; Portsmouth were such interesting stories to reach the FA Cup final as well as Barnsley who took out both&nbsp;Liverpool &amp; Chelsea to get close to the final in England, then so should the Dallas Roma FC from Region III of the USASA as well as this past final when the Charleston Battery of USL-1st Division last year were a goal short of forcing extra time against DC United.&nbsp; Or the only time the US Open Cup Final was on ESPN in Columbus Crew Stadium as the Rochester Rhinos defeated the Colorado Rapids two nil as the U.S. Second Division side won the Thomas R. Dewar Cup.
Yes it hurt me to see RBNY lose to 3rd Division Crystal Palace Baltimore last year, but at the same time I was proud to know why they created this tournament. With Philadelphia entering MLS next season and waiting to see if FC Barcelona-Miami will join in, it’s only right that US Soccer, MLS, USL &amp; USASA sit together along with the Open Cup Committee and hammer out a better idea to make this cup tournament as beautiful and challenging as possible along with a title sponsor.

MLS sides again qualify for the US Open Cup

MLS sides again qualify for the US Open Cup - World Soccer Talk

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All right everyone, let’s get serious right now. We all know what’s on your minds when we discuss what a real football league should be. Or those who think we should be following the model of European Football. Let’s start with something easy like Single Table. Yes it is time to get rid of the two conference standings and have a giant single table.
I believe Red Bull NY proved it last year as they got the final playoff spot, excuse me I should say backed into it&nbsp;and entered the Western Conference playoffs by taking care of both Houston Dynamo &amp; Real Salt Lake. I also believe that it will help to see who makes the playoffs for the MLS Cup.
We all know that the top points winner at the end of the regular season will get the automatic spot for the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League, but we shouldn’t worry anymore about playoff spots going to two west teams, one to each or two east teams. Single table for MLS should be implemented as soon as possible and it looks like with Philadelphia entering the league next season and if the Barcelona Miami side is coming as well then it should be interesting to see.
Now here comes the part where I have to tell you guys that are begging or drilling into our heads that Promotion / Relegation has to be implemented a.s.a.p.. Have any of you taken a serious look at the situation with both MLS &amp; USL sides? Of course you haven’t. All you guys can do is scream &amp; shout WE WANT IT! WE WANT IT NOW! WE WANT PRO/REL NOW! Well guess what kids, it’s not going to happen now. It’s not going to happen for a very long time.
Do you guys want to know why it’s not going to happen for a very long time? The answers are so easy &amp; simple it’s starring right in front of your faces. It’s not so much that Major League Soccer clubs need their own stadiums, the United Soccer Leagues in their 1st &amp; 2nd divisions need their own stadiums as well. We all know that Red Bull Arena is in the middle of construction in Harrison, NJ and the old Bannister Mall has been demolished in Kansas City, Missouri to create the new soccer complex, city &amp; stadium for the Wizards. But no one wants to take a look below the MLS level and see what’s going on in the USL.
I have compiled a list and the clubs that are playing in certain stadiums or fields. I want you intelligent folks out there that come to this web site and see what I see.

USL-1ST DIV CLUB:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;STADIUM 
Austin Aztex&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nelson Field = High School American football 
Carolina Railhawks&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wake Med Soccer Park = Not owned by Railhawks 
Charleston Battery&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Blackbaud Stadium = Owned by the Battery 
Cleveland City Stars&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;TBD (Former Home Krenzler Stadium) 
Miami FC Blues&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Tropical Park Stadium = Athletic Complex 
Minnesota Thunder&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;National Sports Center = Athletic Complex 
Portland Timbers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;PGE Park = Timbers and minor baseball same owner 
Rochester Rhinos&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rhinos Stadium = Owned by the Rhinos
USL-2ND DIV CLUBS:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; STADIUMS 
Charlotte Eagles&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Restart Field at Charlotte Christian High School 
Crystal Palace Baltimore&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; U of Maryland of Baltimore County 
Harrisburg City Islanders&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Skyline Sports Complex 
Pittsburgh Riverhounds&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Chartiers Valley High School 
Real Maryland FC&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Richard Montgomery High School 
Richmond Kickers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; U of Richmond Stadium 
Western Mass Pioneers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lusitano Stadium 
Wilmington Hammerheads&nbsp; Legion Sports Complex
Now outside of Charleston, Portland &amp; Rochester that own their own stadiums and the owner of the Portland Timbers also owns the Minor League Baseball team Portland Beavers who are affiliated with the San Diego Padres, the rest of the clubs are paying rent to use the facilities to have a season down in USL. Would you look at the Cleveland City Stars. They started two seasons ago in the USL-2nd Division, won the title last year and with the departure of the Atlanta Silverbacks got promotion to USL-first. Their home was at Krenzler Stadium which was on the campus of Cleveland State University and now they are homeless.
If you go to the Cleveland City Stars website or their section on the USL website those three letters TBD (To Be Determined) have popped up. This has fallen to the number one reason why it happened. It’s called rent money. If everyone of you that’s screaming for Pro/Rel to begin a.s.a.p. to start, all levels of pro soccer could end or worse, MLS could end right away.
Every time I see the Fox Football throw up, I keep hearing these fools that call into the show and keep on saying we need to have Promotion / Relegation. Could you imagine if the Charlotte Eagles in 3rd Division of US Soccer wins the title, gets promoted next season to 2nd Division &amp; win that title get promoted to MLS, how much money do you think that high school will charge them to see MLS clubs that are not involved with US Open Cup matches. What would happen if the Eagles get relegated? Their rent would never go down because the high school knows they could go back up through promotion. That’s why I believe USL sides should also concentrate on building their own stadiums. Why do you think in England these clubs below the Premiership &amp; Championship have small grounds, because they own them.
Of course there are those who think that MLS can create their own second division just to quench their thirst for Pro/Rel to happen. This would never work either. MLS is too concerned about their own league to create a second league. That’s why the stadiums must be built in MLS to have financial stability. I also think that if Pro/Rel does happen here the USL sides must be involved. I hope USL President Francisco Marcos can find a way to persuade the rest of the pro sides to construct stadiums no matter how big or small they should be.
If you want my take on this it’s very simple. I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing Pro/Rel happen. But I’m not a fool or blind to the fact that MLS needs to survive for a good long time before any of this happens. That means I will support The Playoffs to help make this league grow. We need to have the playoffs right now to keep things dare I say, American at the moment.

Serious Analyzing for MLS. Single Table & Promotion / Relegation

Serious Analyzing for MLS. Single Table &amp; Promotion / Relegation - World Soccer Talk

Hello to everyone that reads the great stories here on Major League Soccer Talk, my name is Daniel Feuerstein &amp; obviously you have heard my voice on Podcast #65 with Kartik Krishnaiyer on the David Beckham story.
I hope all of you will enjoy reading my articles as I display my passion for the game here in the United States. From my club Red Bull NY (RBNY), our league, the US Men’s National Team and of course US Soccer’s version of the FA Cup that is the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Let me start my first report on my favorite club here in Major League Soccer that was the NY/NJ MetroStars and are now Red Bull NY, or the New York Red Bulls however you want to call them. Last season was a dream playoff run for my club as the regular season was easy to forget. Sure there were some fabulous matches to discuss, but everything was so inconsistent you never felt at ease with this club.
So many coaching changes and so many players coming and going the count sounded like a plague hitting a certain city or a couple of towns within a group. Well I have to say that for the first time since the 2003 US Open Cup run to get to that final I have felt as well as many of my fellow supporters from the Empire Supporters Club (ESC) Raging Bull Nation and the Kearny Army that joined in last season finally feel a buzz going thru the swamps of the Meadowlands and thru the streets of New York City.
So many injuries hit our club when Jamaican International Dane Richards had his leg muscle stretched during pre-season training at Red Bull Salzberg and lost him for the first two to three months of last season as well as the injured lower back of Juan Pablo Angel for the first half of last season, but came back strong in the second half with twelve goals. The transfer of Josy Altidore to La Liga’s Villarreal and then the cavalry came from South America as Jorge Rojas, Gabriel Cichero in Venezuela &amp; Juan Pietravallo from Argentina joined the ranks during MLS summer transfer window.
Of course the saga of doping came up as both Jon Conway &amp; Jeff Parke were caught testing positive for illegal substances they put into their bodies, so a new hero was born as the club barley held on to the last playoff spot for MLS Cup. Danny Cepero made history as the first keeper to score a goal, regardless if it was a field turf bounce. It was the best thing to happen in his first ever match in the league &amp; of course it all came crashing down when the Chicago Fire blitzed RBNY in the final match of the regular season and the surprise that DC United couldn’t score a goal in Columbus that allowed my club to enter the post season thru the back door.
A ho-hum 1st leg draw at Giants Stadium against then two time defending league champions Houston Dynamo and then out of no where a three nil victory and a four to one aggregate score at Robertson Stadium sending the club to play against Real Salt Lake not just for a chance at the MLS Cup, but an opportunity to particiapte in International Club Competition. A Dave van den Bergh goal along with many posts RSL struck gave NY some luck to advance.
We all know how the final ended, but with an off season to address certain problems, Juan Carlos Osorio had solved most of the issues with attackers up front &amp; in the midfield. The defense might have a touch of suspect with the center backs but old reliable Mike Petke has returned.
For the first time this club will be involved with three seperate tournaments in the MLS Regular season, US Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League.&nbsp;Four if they qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs. This has been an exciting time since the end of the 2008 season &amp; I just can’t wait for Thursday, March 19th to come around. Fireworks will be exploding &amp; that huge shadow that is the memory of the defunct New York Cosmos will soon disappear.
Come on you Red Bulls.

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My Introduction to the Major League Soccer Talk site - World Soccer Talk

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