Relegation Fighters MLS : Super Sized Soccer

[Al Clark]

Draft Lottery Results Announced

After a secret ballot, the new MLS Commissioner announced that the selection order for the upcoming reinauguration draft had been decided.

The draft, which is to take place on Sunday and Monday in Las Vegas, will take the serpentine format (1-2-3-3-2-1) in an attempt to be as fair as possible in this combination of both a new player and dispersal draft.

In an unforseen twist, the Commish also announced that the previously anticipated team in Ontario, Canada had been scrapped and that a consortium would be taking ownership of the final team. Although they would be present and active at the draft, a team name had not yet been announced. What drama for the team that, it turns out, holds the #1 overall pick! An interim manager - Nick di Benedetto - has been appointed to oversee the draft, and with an eye firmly fixed on the permanent position.

Here is the draft order, pending any trades:

1. Chicago (Nick)

2. Marquette (Et)

3. Anchorage (Russ)

4. New Liskeard (Stu)

5. Rochester (Tristan)

6. Lexington (Al)

7. Vancouver (Omer)

8. Nashville (Lee)

9. Austin (Ryan)

10. Boston (Brian)

11. Toronto (Ricky)

12. Muskegon (Frank)

The hype is building over the draft day, and it's believed that the rapid-fire selection system put in place by the league could wreak havok - with GM's liable to choke under the pressure. It should be a hell of a day!

MLS SUPERDRAFT : Day 1

The reinauguration draft started with a bang as interim GM Nick di Benedetto traded away the #1 overall pick to Ricky Lung and his Toronto team. Ricky was seemingly blinded by the desire to have Landon Donovan as the foundation of his team and paid a heavy price for the selection. Toronto gave up their #11, #14 overall picks as well as a token pick in the 14th round. Fans and Managers/GM's alike gasped as the deal was announced.

What fireworks, what drama, and what a way to kick off the new league!

Young talented players with cap exemptions seemed to be the focus of teams on the day, and no surprise - with a modest $1.9m annual cap, managers must be thrify if they are to assemble a comeptitive team.

Some of the bigger names in the draft were passed over early, as the 'Buy North American' trend continued. Only the Texas Longhorns, based out of Austin, selected a foreigner, former Chivas USA starlet - J.P Garcia in the First Round.

By the end of Day One, most of the US MNT and likewise the Canadian national side were selected, along with some of the marquee talent - Gio van Bronkhorst (ROC), Luis Figo (TBA), Paolo Maldini (TBA), Oliver Kahn (MAR), Edgar Davids (MAR), J-J Ockocha (VAN) and former World Player of the Year, Rivaldo (TEX).

The first 7 rounds were completed on Day One and the drama will continue on Monday as the Managers once again shuffle for an advantage. The second day gems are likely to be where the new league is won and lost, and with 1300 names still in the pool, there's still plenty of talent to choose from.

[Al Clark]

Draft Lottery Results Announced

After a secret ballot, the new MLS Commissioner announced that the selection order for the upcoming reinauguration draft had been decided.

The draft, which is to take place on Sunday and Monday in Las Vegas, will take the serpentine format (1-2-3-3-2-1) in an attempt to be as fair as possible in this combination of both a new player and dispersal draft.

In an unforseen twist, the Commish also announced that the previously anticipated team in Ontario, Canada had been scrapped and that a consortium would be taking ownership of the final team. Although they would be present and active at the draft, a team name had not yet been announced. What drama for the team that, it turns out, holds the #1 overall pick! An interim manager - Nick di Benedetto - has been appointed to oversee the draft, and with an eye firmly fixed on the permanent position.

Here is the draft order, pending any trades:

1. Chicago (Nick)

2. Marquette (Et)

3. Anchorage (Russ)

4. New Liskeard (Stu)

5. Rochester (Tristan)

6. Lexington (Al)

7. Vancouver (Omer)

8. Nashville (Lee)

9. Austin (Ryan)

10. Boston (Brian)

11. Toronto (Ricky)

12. Muskegon (Frank)

The hype is building over the draft day, and it's believed that the rapid-fire selection system put in place by the league could wreak havok - with GM's liable to choke under the pressure. It should be a hell of a day!

MLS SUPERDRAFT : Day 1

The reinauguration draft started with a bang as interim GM Nick di Benedetto traded away the #1 overall pick to Ricky Lung and his Toronto team. Ricky was seemingly blinded by the desire to have Landon Donovan as the foundation of his team and paid a heavy price for the selection. Toronto gave up their #11, #14 overall picks as well as a token pick in the 14th round. Fans and Managers/GM's alike gasped as the deal was announced.

What fireworks, what drama, and what a way to kick off the new league!

Young talented players with cap exemptions seemed to be the focus of teams on the day, and no surprise - with a modest $1.9m annual cap, managers must be thrify if they are to assemble a comeptitive team.

Some of the bigger names in the draft were passed over early, as the 'Buy North American' trend continued. Only the Texas Longhorns, based out of Austin, selected a foreigner, former Chivas USA starlet - J.P Garcia in the First Round.

By the end of Day One, most of the US MNT and likewise the Canadian national side were selected, along with some of the marquee talent - Gio van Bronkhorst (ROC), Luis Figo (TBA), Paolo Maldini (TBA), Oliver Kahn (MAR), Edgar Davids (MAR), J-J Ockocha (VAN) and former World Player of the Year, Rivaldo (TEX).

The first 7 rounds were completed on Day One and the drama will continue on Monday as the Managers once again shuffle for an advantage. The second day gems are likely to be where the new league is won and lost, and with 1300 names still in the pool, there's still plenty of talent to choose from.

[Al Clark]

Clark Speaks to the Press

After avoiding the camera since his announcement as the new Manager of 1st year MLS team, the Kentucky Kaisers, Al Clark today took the podium to discuss his appointment and the recent dealings at the draft.

“Thanks for coming down……I feel like I’m at the bottom of a long hill, but at the top of the hill there are great riches and rewards. I want to get up the hill as fast as I can. But I’m a big lad, and if I don’t pace myself, I might not get there at all. But I will get there.â€

The bemused media gathering could be heard whispering ‘not since Cantona’, and ‘seagulls’.

“Now, to business…..I’m delighted to be here in the Bluegrass, this is a beautiful part of the country, one that is often overlooked by major sports. This town [Lexington] has only a ‘A’ baseball team to talk of in the way of professional sport. Sure, folks around here bleed blue [uK] but I think it’s about time they awakened to follow pro-sports, and in particular soccer. UK has had a decent soccer program here for a while, and we’ve purchase Commonwealth Stadium off the city to use as our home. The bleachers have been converted into seats and it will be an excellent facility, with room to grow if need be.â€

Responding to question about the team name…..â€Kaisers? Well, it wasn’t my decision, of course, that came from the board, but Kaiser means Caesar, so you can translate it to Emperors if you likeâ€.

The team jerseys were also revealed, a striking blue and yellow for the home kit, very reminiscent of the 2005 Parma Away kit. The road colors were akin to Willem II’s from the Dutch league. Finally, the 3rd kit, should it be required, is based upon Inter’s Third kit. “They’re some good looking uniforms. I hope shirt sales will be strong, that would only help motivate our team if they took the field to a sea of shirts in our home colors. Plus, the revenue would help ensure our competitiveness.â€

Moving on to draft matters, Clark was clearly still recovering from the exhausting two day event. “We got some great players, truly excellent professionals. We have a great blend of youth and experience. We focused mainly on established nationals, and younger foreigners, this will give us time to develop them my way, and also give them a good shot at obtaining a green card, if that’s what they want to do.â€

“We brought in a total of 7 US internationals, and a Canadian regular. That’s 8 internationals that wont count against our foreign player limits. I think the veteran experience of Brad Freidel and Claudio Reyna, the USMNT Captain, will be priceless. I not only think I got the best goalie in the draft, if not American history, but also the best leader in Reyna. Neither came cheaply, but I felt were important to the direction I’ve set for this teamâ€.

The supporting cast included starlet Eddie Johnson, who was secured to a 4 year deal. “His wages are high, but he’ll be cap-exempt for the duration of his contract. Of course, at some point he’s likely to want to jump to Europe, and that will be a great boost to our coffers when he does. Julian de Guzman, the 2nd Rounder, who had been plying his trade for Spanish giants Deportivo, “will bring a combination of tenacity, creativity and versatility that is second to none. In my opinion he’s the best Canadian player, bar none.â€

Nick Garcia, Jimmy Conrad and Chris Albright, all current or past internationals help form a robust looking line in front of Freidel. “We’ve also got Lomic, Ridgewell and Galindo, three top prospects and will be YI’s on our squad. I anticipate big things from all three, even in their rookie MLS season.

Moving into midfield, Clark seems blessed with an embarrassment of riches. The afore-mentioned Reyna and de Guzman, are complemented by Brian Mullan as a current international, along with Christian Rodriguez, Bart Ogbesche and project Jacob Lensky. These three youngsters have what it takes, and although Lensky may be something of a project, the 16 year old has all the potential in the world. There seems to be enough versatility to play out a number of formations, though Clark is known to be a firm believer in the 4-4-2 system. “I brought in players to play my system. I think that only makes sense. But, those guys are versatile, and should I need to switch things up they are capable of adapting. That’s why they’re here.â€

Up front seemed to again be Clark’s priority. The first round (#6) pick went on Eddie Johnson – at 20 already one of the brightest stars in US soccer. He was complemented with Pedro Junior, a Brazilian in every sense. Electric and at just 18, has the footballing world at his feet. Rookie Knox Cameron was added late on to give some support off the bench. Herculez, written-off two years ago, also made the squad with Clark’s last pick. “The key isn’t just that we brought in 4 strikers…Brian Mullan and Bart Ogbesge can also both play up front – that gives us a total of 6 options for 2 starting jobs. I love that competition for placesâ€.

All said and done Clark felt happy with his two days at the draft “There were a couple that I feel got away, and I definitely feel I have missed out on some real talent. But who hasn’t, and to be fair there was a lot to go around. I drafted to a system that I play, and because of that I couldn’t be happier. Sure, I know some of the fans would have liked to see a Shearer, Cafu or Larsson [amongst others] but I feel the group I assembled was the best value for money. And no one can say we’re lacking star-power with the likes of EJ, Reyna and Freidel in the team! Wait until they see some of those youngsters – especially Pedro Junior – they’ll see what I was trying to achieve here. And hell, we’ve still got $380k in cap room should we need to make some moves.â€

“All in all I’m delighted, and I can’t wait to get onto the practice field so I can get this show on the road!â€

[ryanmt]

Youth, Speed, and Brazilians for Texas

With the ongoing radical changes of professional soccer within North America, some saw Austin, TX and its general lack of professional sports as an opportune location for a new MLS 'franchise'. Austin is a college town though and many felt it would be difficult to establish a new professional identity as long as The University of Texas at Austin and its student athletics were around to compete for the same supporters and revenue. However, due to Big 12 Conference and Title IX rules, UT did not have a collegiate soccer team for men. Perhaps it was this fact that gave a few prominent Texas alumni the idea of creating a MLS team and naming it in honor of their alma mater. After agreeing on the financial details with The University on future profits and revenue, as well as for the rights to use the name, logo, and colo(u)rs, the Texas Longhorns of Major League Soccer were finally a reality. Reportedly, UT was also pleased with the added publicity the team might bring to the school. The team would play in UT's Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium. Due to a positive response in Austin, discussions are ongoing about removing the running track (then obviously reproducing it in a new venue elsewhere) and making the stadium soccer specific. The decision was also made to name Ryan Thompson, a Texas alum himself, the team's first manager.

As with all the other fledgling MLS teams, the initial draft would be important in determining the team's success and identity:

1st round pick: Juan Pablo Garcia (Chivas USA). Texas made the young Mexican its first pick, as well as the first foreigner (non American or Canadian) to be selected in the draft. The attack-minded midfielder has a solid game already at 23 years of age, and brings immediate flair and creativity to the Longhorn lineup.

2nd. Jonathan Spector (Man Utd). While Spector is only 18, Thompson is said to expect the young defender to pay immediate dividends. Spector runs well for a defender and has good size.

3rd. Nik Besagno (Real Salt Lake). At 16, Besagno can barely drive; yet Thompson has already been quoted as saying the defensive midfielder can be an important contributor right away.

4th. Ãndio (Ipitanga). The 18 year old Brazilian wingback is said to have lots of potential and the ability to play now.

5th. Cory Gibbs (Feyenoord). Tall and with exceptional athletic gifts, Texas will look to the 25 year old American international to be a stalwart in their backline.

6th. Rivaldo (Olympiakos). At 32, the former Barcelona superstar and World Cup winner may be on the downside of his career, but Thompson still hopes the world class playmaker will still have something left for the Longhorns.

7th. John O'Brien (ADO den Haag). The talented American international is versatile and can help fill a number of holes for Texas. However, O'Brien is quite prone to injury and insiders say Thompson views him solely as a wildcard instead of having him penciled in anywhere.

8th. Ãvine (Bahia). Not too much is known about the 16 year old left sided player, but scouts say the Brazilian is a promising talent.

9th. Thomas Prager (Heerenveen). 19 year old Austrian midfielder should be able to contribute in midfield right away.

10th. Bruno (Juventude). Young Brazilian attacker is seen as a good prospect. Will be given every chance to prove he is ready to play now.

11th. Will John (KC Wizards). 19 year old American forward prospect.

12th. Benny Feilhaber (HSV). American midfielder who should be useful and at 20, has some upside.

13th. Olexandr Shovkovskyi (Dinamo Kiev). Veteran goalkeeper is expected to step in between the Texas pipes immediately, especially as he was the only signficant addition towards the salary cap on the second day of the draft.

14th. Stephen Ademolu (Tromsø). 22 year old American forward is said to have some upside remaining.

15th. Quentin Westberg (Troyes). Young and raw American keeper. Definitely a project. Likely to be Shovkovskyi's understudy.

16th. Ryan Cochrane (Houston). Mobile and young American defender should provide depth.

17th. Kelly Gray (Houston). Defensive midfielder who can also fill in at fullback if necessary.

18th. Jemal Johnson (Blackburn). Another raw prospect. 19 year old American attacker needs to add some polish.

If trends are to be found from Texas' selections, one is certainly that they generally took young players. Texas currently has the youngest average age of players on its roster of any team in the league. This could be a problem up front as they seem to lack proven goal scorers. At least there is cap space left to address this problem if necessary. Thompson evidently covets pacey players as well, as there is speed at all positions. Also notable is that Texas selected four Brazilians. Completely missing are pure wingers. This might say something about the sort of formation and tactics Thompson has in mind...

[goldenboot2014]

FC United of Boston

Brand new MLS franchise FC United of Boston today announced their new manager. Young manager Brian Lofrumento was all smiles today at his unveiling press conference in front of a large mass of media at Foxboro Stadium.

"Today is a new era in Boston sports," exclaimed Lofrumento. "The Red Sox have brought many smiles to baseball fans, the Celtics had their day, but FC United of Boston will bring joy to all sports fans in the Boston area."

Lofrumento went on to reveal that he was sad to see the old-look MLS go, but was insistant that he would make sure the new Boston area club moves forward from the recent success Steve Nicol had built with the Revolution. Lofrumento certainly tried to get these fans on his side in the draft as he picked up fan favorite Clint Dempsey in the second round. It is worthy to be noted that FC United of Boston is the team with the lowest wages, most salary cap space, and the most domestic players on the roster, with only two foreigners in the entire squad. Below is a break down of the players picked for the new look FC United of Boston:

Round 1 Pick: Giuseppe Rossi This young and quick forward will provide FC United of Boston many goals for quite a few years to come. The former Man Utd player has been asked by Bruce Arena to appear for the United States in the coming World Cup, and playing on this team will undoubtedly help with that. Rossi is expected to be utilized in a squad rotation system up top until he is ready for consistent starts.

Round 2 Pick: Clint Dempsey Dempsey is one of the two remaining Revolution players left in the Boston area. He saw his teammates get thrown around the new league, including poor Shalrie Joseph getting shipped all the way to Alaska. Dempsey is expected to pay a prominant role in the FC United attack. He is definitely a man the FC United fans can expect consistency out of.

Round 3 Pick: Edson Buddle This former Columbus Crew striker is expected to partner with Dennis Bergkamp up top. The young yet proven striker can win balls in the air as well as use power and pace to get past defenders. We expect Buddle to be a face in Boston for at least a few more seasons.

Round 4 Pick: Brad Davis Lofrumento singled out Davis as one of the picks he wanted to make sure he got. Davis is expected to have a lock down on the left-midfield spot in Lofrumento's side. "We don't need a Ryan Giggs when we have Brad Davis." Expect Davis to play an integral role in the Boston side for years to come.

Round 5 Pick: Jose Burciaga Jr In round five we saw Boston select yet another left sided player, this time in the defense. It is obvious Lofrumento is looking to work his team down the flanks, and Burciaga is the man to do this. A solid performer in the old MLS, Burciaga will probably take the left defense spot as his own.

Round 6 Pick: Jeff Parke Every team needs a utility player, and Boston is counting on Parke to play that role. Twenty-two year old Parke can play anywhere across the back line and Boston fans must be pleased about his versatility.

Round 7 Pick: Tamandani Nsaliwa Boston fans may not know a lot about this young Canadian player, but Lofrumento has high expectations for the former Saarbrucken player. He may be a hidden gem, and we can expect him to play some role in the right side of this Boston side.

Round 8 Pick: Nat Borchers Borchers was a very crucial pick to Lofrumento's plans. It was always known that Borchers was going to be a mid-draft pick, and Lofrumento has revealed that he is ecstatic Borchers landed in Boston. Several other managers have expressed an interest in Borchers but instead they can now watch him play against their own teams. There could be an interesting defensive partnership between Borchers and veteran Ehiogu.

Round 9 Pick: D.J. Countess Every team needs a good goalie, and that is exactly what young Countess is. Touted by the media to be in the Tim Howard mold, Countess will most likely start the season as FC United of Boston's number two keeper.

Round 10 Pick: Joshua Gros Josh Gros is another utility player in the side. The former DC United man can play either left or right midfield, and Boston is expected to take full advantage of his versatility.

Round 11 Pick: Brian Carroll Carroll joins former teammate Gros in potential midfield spots. He is widely expected to be groomed as the team's defensive midfielder for the future, so look for him to feature here in some games. The question remains as to whether or not this is where his future is. Lofrumento has given minor hints about the availability of Carroll in a trade for a proven and experienced midfielder. Carroll is an excellent prospect for the future, no matter where he ends up.

Round 12 Pick: Mike Magee Magee is another of Lofrumento's young American prospects. Magee can play in both an attacking mid role and a position up front. It is yet to be seen where he will feature in this Boston side, but rest assured he will be here for the forseeable future.

Round 13 Pick: Zach Thornton "Big Zach" is widely touted as this season's number one at Boston. Backed up by Countess, Thornton must be on his toes throughout the season. "If his fitness gets in the way, we won't let Zach get in the way; out the door he will go," warned Lofrumento. For now, Thornton will occupy the net in front of Lofrumento's back four.

Round 14 Pick: Ugo Ehiogu Round fourteen finally saw Boston choose a non-domestic player. Ehiogu is a player who will add much needed grit and determination to the back four. As one of the most experienced players in the side, Lofrumento will count on Ehiogu to lead by example. Perhaps the second most exciting player we will see on a regular basis in Boston this season.

Round 15 Pick: Dennis Bergkamp Former Arsenal striker is without a doubt the most exciting player in this Boston lineup. He will put fans in the stands while serving as club captain and probable leading goalscorer. Bergkamp rounded out Lofrumento's two non-domestic players and will perhaps be the most important player of the season. Boston fans must hope, however, that Bergkamp can keep his fitness throughout the season as they do not want to see their captain out for long stretches of the season.

Round 16 Pick: James Riley Young Riley, fresh out of Wake Forest, made ripples around the Boston media last season with the Revolution. He is expected to do the same this year in the same environment, only this time under new manager Brian Lofrumento. Picked in round sixteen, Riley could turn out to be the most valuable pick of the round. He can play many different positions, from defense to attacking mid. Riley is an exciting prospect down the flanks.

Round 17 Pick: Brian Dunseth Dunseth is a former Revolution player that has jumped around MLS for quite a few seasons before landing himself in Salt Lake. Now he is back in Boston and is expected to play a large role throughout the season in the Boston defense.

Round 18 Pick: Davy Arnaud Lofrumento didn't expect to see Arnaud still available this late into the draft, but he has told sources that he was delighted. Arnaud is expected to take a spot in the right side of midfield and serve as a Solskjaer-type of player. Arnaud is tipped to play more than an average role in the squad this season.

FC United kicks off preseason shortly and Lofrumento has hinted at making a couple more signings. He has also announced to the league that if anyone is looking to trade one of their midfielders, Lofrumento is interested. "No matter what happens, however, I would like to keep the American feel to this team. I feel that having only two non-domestic players will allow my players to gel and give us the edge over other teams who have simply thrown players together."

[Newcastle Fire]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Marquette Iron Rangers interview for the Mining Journal with Manager E.T.

Q: First of all we heard that it was between Detroit and Marquette. Why did you choose Marquette?

A: Well Detroit has Baseball and other things going on during this season, we also felt that Marquette was more passionate about these kind of sports. I love this town and everything it stands for the miners, the ports, the small shops, beautiful scenery and of course the great food. This town is able to support 4 hockey teams but it does not have much during the summer. It is my hope that the town and the college embrace the Iron Rangers and embrace Soccer.

Q: Why did you choose the Iron Ranger Name?

A: I wanted to do it to homage while this town has a great hockey history I would like to build on it with soccer. You have the New York Rangers but you also have the Glasgow Rangers. My hope is that Marquette will find a go between.

Q: The Superior Dome has been criticized has a field. It is indoor and on a Synthetic Astroturf. How do you feel about the criticism?

A: well that’s one of the things about soccer yeah it won’t be to pleasant for other teams. But we want to be a hard working team that won’t be afraid to send people to the turf if some one gets a scrape or bruise its part of the game.

Q: When you drafted you got some players that are rather rough? Some are worried about a intent to injure your opponents.

A: No, we want to soften them up the plan is to soften them up so that way the speed on the outside will win the game. If a Donovan, Shearer or Ruiz goes down I am not going shed a tear.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Player Profiles (Managers comments underneath.)

Damarcus Beasley, First round draft pick, #2 overall, AM/F, From Indiana Former Clubs: Chicago, PSV

He is the Soccer version of a AI he is fast and has amazing skill he can take amazing amounts of punishment. Get fouled get back up and make a play. He has succeeded on the International level which makes him a great asset. He is a hard worker, amazingly fast and amazingly skilled. I am elated that I could grab him with the #2 pick.

Michael Klukowski, Second Round Draft Pick, #22 Overall, DLC, From Canada (sort of) Former Clubs: Club Brugge, La Louvière

Well Michael is a great Canadian player with some gritty. He played for the Belgium Giant club Brugge, which means he is tested in the type of game I want to see the team play. He is very versatile and can play many positions and fill in holes. This is a man that was once playing in the eight division in France worked his way up to a full time role on a big club.

Edgar Davids, Third Round Pick #25 Overall, DM/MC, From Holland, Former Clubs: Tottenham,Inter, AC Milan, Barcelona, Juventus, Ajax

He is a great veteran midfielder. They call him the pitbull for a reason he is a tough player, he has been there at every level with the champions league victories. There is not much to say we are relying on him to be the rock in midfield hopefully he can teach the young ones a thing or two.

Casey Conor, Fourth Round Pick, #46 overall, STc, From Colorado, Former Clubs:

Borussia Dortmund, Hanover 96, Mainz

Well he is one of the future strikers to lead the United States, he is a scrappy player who has great heading and positioning abilities. He still needs some time to develop but he should be a great threat for us in the league. He will have to fight for the starting job though.

Oliver Kahn, Fifth round Pick, #49 overall, GK, From Germany, Former Team: FC Bayern

Kahn brings everything you could want to the team. He is a perfectionist a great leader a great goalkeeper. He has won the UEFA cup, European championship and was in the World Cup finals he has been great at every level. He will be one of the team’s leaders. I am very excited to have him in the fold.

Robbie Russell, sixth round pick, #70 overall, DR/WBR, From Mass., Former Teams:

Sogndal I.L., Rosenborg

Robbie is another one of those players that have played in the tough northern divisions. He is a aggressive defender that likes to move up tot the attack given the opportunity. He is a good player make a play if he sees one.

Michael Reda, Seventh Round pick, #73 overall, DC, From Canada, Former Teams: Sogdnal, Aab and Toronto

Reda is a player that at every level he has been given a chance has excelled. He was named Songdnal MVP, Former captain of Toronto when they beat 1860 Munich.

Roy Keane, Eight round pick, #95 overall, DM C, From Ireland, Former Teams: Manchester United, Nottom Forest

Roy Keane was a Steve Yzerman like figure to Manchester United. He is a amazing leader. I mean the guy has plays and songs named after him what more do you want. He can still play a top level, even though he has had his fair share of outburst. I have the most respect for him he will be like a assistant manager player to me. He expects to work hard day in and day out and that’s what I expect the team to do.

Emad Meteab (or Emad Moteb), Ninth Round Pick, #98 overall, ST C, From Eygpt, Former Team: Al Ahly

He might be my best pick up at this place he was a steal. He has scored well both for his club and the international level. This will be his first test in a higher level.

Kily Gonzalez,Tenth Round Pick, #119 overall, AML, From Argentina. Former Teams: Boca, Inter, Zaragoza, Valencia

This is the last member of my midfield who I will affectingly call my four horsemen. He adds another strong upper body player with great passing and great crossing. He has played for a team that is very close to my heart (Boca).

Ariel Broggi, Eleventh Round Pick,#122 D/WB L, From Argentina, Former Team: Vélez Sarsfield

He is another young and good attacking wing back. He is fast enough and brings a good pace to the team. He is going to be used heavily in rotation.

Alvaro Saborío, Twelfth Round Pick, #143, AM F, From Costa Rica, Former Team: Deportivo Saprissa

The Leading goal scorer in the Costa Rican league for a team that would become CONCACAF Champions cup winners. He is going be one of the strikers on rotation. I see bright things for his future.

The Rest

Jon Busch, Thirteenth round pick, #146, GK, From USA, Former Team: Columbus Crew.

(Former A League GK of the year, Capped for USA)

Ramiro Corrales, Fourteenth round pick, #167, D/DM/M L, From USA, Former Team: Hamarkameratene

(Capped 4 times for USA, Drafted in the inaugural MLS draft)

Dwayne De Rosario, Fifteenth round, #170, AM/F, From Canada, Former Team: San Jose

(Capped Canadian player, 2005 MLS best XI, MLS Cup MVP)

Scot Thompson, Sixteenth Round pick, #191, DRC, From USA, Former Team: Portland Timbers

Memo Gonzalez, Seventeenth Round Pick #194, AM LC, From USA, Former Team: Los Angeles

Jamie Moreno, Eighteenth Round Pick, #217, FC, From Bolivia, Former Team, DC

[SonicAD]

Muskegon adds Soccer Team, Joins New MLS

With the announcement of the reformed MLS, an ownership group headed by the Muskegon Fury hockey club's Owner and General Manager, Tony Lisman, formed with the goal of bringing professional soccer to West Michigan. While Grand Rapids was originally considered for its size, it was soon decided that Muskegon would be able to support a top-level soccer club, and thus the decision was made. The team will be named the Muskegon Mismatch, and will play in the MLS's Southern Conference.

Local man Frank Serafinski has been chosen as manager, and was the man in charge for Muskegon in the draft. Muskegon was last in the draft order, however due to the way the draft works, they did get the first pick in the following round. The following players were selected, with the first ten reviewed by Serafinski:

Round 1: Frankie Hejduk (D/M RL): One of the top American players, a member of the US National Team. Getting a bit on in age at 30, but still has plenty of ability, and will be stong in the backfield.

Round 2: Brian Ching (ST): 26 year old American striker. Will be a big part of the attack force, and has recently broken into the US National Team. Having recovered from an injury a couple years ago, we don't believe that will be a liability, and indeed we think that he's better than ever.

Round 3: Kasey Keller (GK): One of the world's top goalkeepers, even at the age of 35. He will be the anchor at the back, and along with our strong defense should ensure that we don't let in too many goals.

Round 4: Aaron Galindo (D): We originally picked him, but soon decided that we could trade him and improve, so he went to Kentucky in exchange for a later pick and a pick in next year's SuperDraft.

Round 5: Willem Janssen (AM/F RC): 18 year old Dutchman, with loads of talent. We're hoping that he can come into the lineup quickly and score some goals, and also believe that he could become a Dutch international player someday.

Round 6: Avi Nimni (AM/ST LC): Maccabi Tel-Aviv's biggest scorer ever, and the captain of the Israeli National Team. While he's another aging player, he will be on the other side of the strike force, and could be our top scorer this season.

Round 7: Drew Moor (D RC): Young American defender with loads of potential. Will be a star in the future, and will probably get plenty of playing time even in this first year.

Round 8: Logan Pause (D/DM/M RC) Another skilled young American, who will hopefully become the anchor of our midfield in the future, and will get lots of playing time to help develop him into his role.

Round 9: Josh Simpson (D/AM L) A young Canadian who's already played in England, now comes back to North America. Strong in that he can both play towards the front and the back.

Round 10: Jose Rafael Alamo (GK) Our second goalkeeper, probably won't get much play behind Keller, but is a very good prospect looking towards the future.

The Rest:

Round 11: Marco Baroni, (D C)

Round 12: Patrice Bernier (DM C)

Round 13: Abdelsatar Sabry (AM C)

Round 14: Mark Wilson (M C)

Round 15: Rodrigo Lopez (M L)

Round 16: Felix Brillant (AM RLC/F C)

Round 16 (From Kentucky): Nolberto Solano (M RC)

Round 17: Tony Sanneh (D/WB/DM R/C)

Round 18: Chris Wondolowski (AM RC/F C)

The Mismatch are nearly $400,000 below the Salary Cap, and plan on signing a few more players before the season is started. By the draft, the team is strong and almost ready to compete in the first season of the new MLS.

[perpetua]

Vancouver Lions

With the draft complete the Lions have an interesting season to look forward to. Players have been picked in some key areas but the squad will surely need strengthening before the season gets started.

Pick 7, AM/FRC Eddie Gaven

Gaven was picked early due to the rush for young talent in the early rounds of the draft. He will be required to add more to his abilities before being thrown into the starting lineup.

Pick 18, ST Taylor Twellman

He wasn't expected to go this early either but a hardworking striker with the ability to finish is something that will be appreciated by the Vancouver fans.

Pick 31 GK, Brad Guzan

The Lions picked up possibly the best goalkeeping prospect with this pick. He should feature in the first team despite his young age.

Pick 42, AMLR Justin Mapp

Justin has impressed despite his young age and his versatility on the flanks should be an asset.

Pick 55, AMC Patricio Pérez

The young Argentinian has great dribbling abilty and a lot of upside. He should be slowly eased into the team over the next season.

Pick 66, DC Clarence Goodson

Clarence is a tall and strong defensive prospect who should start the season as a backup but he is expected to come into the first team in the next couple of years.

Pick 79, AMC Jay-Jay Okocha

The Nigerian national team captain was a major pick-up for Vancouver. Still quite capable, Okocha comes to the MLS after playing for Eintracht Frankfurt, Fenerbahce, Paris-SG and Bolton.

Pick 90, D/WBR Steven Cherundolo

The pacy right back was aruably the best U.S. national full back in the draft. He will start the season owning the right back spot.

Pick 103, ST Carlos Ruiz

A natural finisher, Ruiz should be a deadly combo up front with Taylor Twellman.

Pick 114, AM/FRC Brent Carelse

The young South African is highly regarded by the Vancouver coaches. With ability to play up front as well as on the flank, Carelse should complement the Vancouver attack nicely.

Pick 127, DC Danny Califf

The underrated Califf is a strong centre back with good aerial abilities and a good tackler. He will have a starting spot in the heart of the defense.

Pick 138, DC Alpay Özalan

The Turkish international has brought controversy to every club he has gone and Vancouver is unlikely to be any different. On the field, Alpay is a ferocious tackler and a good defensive organizer. He will partner Califf in centre.

Pick 151, DC Zak Whitbread

Another strong defender picked by Vancouver for the future. Zak will be a primary backup especially to replace international call ups.

Pick 162, D/ML Heath Pearce

Little known versatile full back should strengthen the Vancouver defense.

Pick 175, ST Alan Gordon

Strong striker will be a huge target up front and will give defenses troubles with his leaping and heading ability.

Pick 186, GK Troy Perkins

Another young keeper who has a lot of potential. The battle for the keeper spot will be a fierce one during the pre season.

Pick 199, DM/MC Emmanuel Sarki

Young nigerian anchorman has a lot of potential. He appears to have the staring spot locked but pre season may prompt the coaches to pick up a more experienced player to complement him.

Pick 210, WB/M/AML Grigoris Georgatos

The Greek wing man should be a good pickup for Vancouver as he is likely to attract the large Greek community to the games. Having last played for Olympiakos, Georgatos has also spent some time playing for Inter.

[stuhopkins2003]

user posted image

Part One

Going to New Liskeard

It's a long drive from Toronto I had been warned. Even so, I had decided to take the drive north after disembarking from my plane at the Lester B. Pearson int'l airport. I hoped the long drive would give me a sense of perspective. I hoped it would help me to understand the man behind the audacious bid to bring professional soccer to the wilds of Northern Canada.

I drove up the desolate highway, up through Barrie and into the appropriatley named North Bay. Hulking rockcuts and towering pines crowded the long lonely road retreating only briefly to grudgingly permit the occasional rural outpost or highway gas station.

This road had been hacked out of the wilderness to facilitate the rape of the lumber, minerals, and raw materials needed for the exploding industrial sectors down south. Mother nature had yielded some of her treasures but but seemed contemptuous of

man's feeble attempts to subdue her. Once thriving lumber mills or burgeoning mines lay scattered just km's off the main highway; already nearly entirely reclaimed. Only the occasional mining head frame or concrete foundation lay in mute testament to the towns and people that had once lived and worked there.

Into this wilderness I sped on, forever north. I gradually became more and more immune to the miracles surrounding me. Every rockcut and expanse of trees failed to illicit the admiration that they had inspired at the beginning of my pilgrimmage. That space was instead filled with dread and the knowledge that I was now very much alone, and at the fickle hands of fate. Alone in the desolation.

I was relieved when I spied the new sign, a touch of colour and civilization seemingly out of place on the vast unending highway. I turned the pickup off the road onto a new stretch of tarmac, still radiant in its newness. Up and up the new road rose, sheer cliff on one side of the truck, and a vast expanse of blue on the other. As I climbed, the road finally began to flatten out and I climbed over the last rise to...an unending sea of grey. The parking lot was as huge as it was unexpected, but I had no trouble seeing my final destination.

An ominous spectre encased in glass and steel loomed over me as I parked the truck and walked the final few yards to the barred gates. I stood directly in front of the main entrance and my eyes were helplessly drawn to the menacingly huge red

letters, emblazoned high above. 'The Widowmaker' they proclaimed. And I could believe it.

Part Two

Interview with the chairman

I was granted entry when I explained of my appointment with the chairman of the club. I was lead through back passageways and up countless stairs until I reached a vast room at the top. Out before me, through the vast floor to ceiling windows, lay the stunning green playing field struck with blazingly white lines. I strode across the room captivated by the scene in front of me. A voice checked my advance and I spun around. Seated at the massive oak desk behind me, sat the mastermind of all this madness. The chairman.

He greeted me warmly and offered me a drink. He knew I had questions he said, and he'd do his best to answer them. And the ones he couldn't? Well, he pointed down on the playing surface. I could see a figure restlessly pacing the empty field.

That, is your man, he said.

He answered my queries before I had a chance to ask them. How do I expect to fill a 30,000 all-seater stadia? he asked rhetorically. He knew I had done the math. There was only a generous estimate of population of only 250,000 people in the

immediate surrounding 300 mile area . There was only one highway to get to this area. One. The stadium was perched on a high bluff overlooking Lake Temiskaming. There was only one way in and one way out. Who would finance this madness?

He had, he told me. Tourism was a big part of the economy up here, he explained, and he figured a pro soccer team was just one more lure to get people up here. Brits loved trains and soccer he revealed, and there was plenty of both up here, now.

Americans loved to fish and hunt up here, they might as well take in a soccer match while they did it. And the lack of access? Well, the locals around drove their ATV's everywhere so he figured they'd just drive them right up the side of the cliff to watch the game. That would cut down considerably on after game exit chaos. And once the locals discovered the drinking culture around soccer? Hell, try and keep them away.

Then he ushered me out, said he had prior commitments and that he was sorry, but any other concerns would have to wait for another time.

I took the long trek back down the stairs and wove through the corridors to the visitors dressingroom. I wanted to experience as much as I could, what the visiting team would encounter as they rose up through the tunnel for the first time.

It was an experience.

It wasn't so much a tunnel as a channel. A narrow corridor stretching 50 m to the field only wide enough to permit me sideways. I crept through it gazing upwards at the 12 foot high white wall enclosing me in, onto the expanse of seats looking directly down upon me. This would be a gauntlet of fire every away team would have to run, once before a game, at halftime, and at the end of a tiring match. I knew I wouldn't fancy doing it with a howling mob poised above me, raining down their abuse.

Part Three

The Manager

I exited the tunnel, only to gaze up into the stern features of the solitary figure I had glimpsed from above. He looked as hard and rugged as the rockcuts I had driven through to get here. Not a man to trifle with. Stu 'Not to be confused with

Brian Clough, although perhaps just as good' Hopkins.

In a blink the impression was gone. With a smile, the intimidation I had felt vanished. He too, greeted me warmly and took me by the arm to show me his pride and joy, his vision of the Northmen.

"Here,"he said, pointing to an area just inside the halfway line,"This is where the opponent's attack will die."

"We'll play with a high defensive line of 3 central defenders,"he outlined to me,"Ready to catch the opposition offsides as soon as the ball is first played in."

"And here,"he continued as he pointed to the half way circle,"This is where our midfielders will win the ball back as the opposition finds themselves with the ball and no space, no time, and no where to go."

He became animated as he continued his talk, gesturing wildly to the flanks. "This is where our middies will make life harsh on the opposition, taking on defenders with pace and skill seldom seen on these shores."

"And this space needs no introduction", he said, pointing to the penalty area,"This is Shearer's house, and Alan will distribute to his striking partner and advancing attack minded players...and score the odd goal himself."

He slowed down and shot me a curious look. "But all this,"he said,taking in the field, the stadium, and his visions of grandeur with a simple sweep of his arm,"would not of been possible without the successful completion of my design on draft day."

"Follow me,"he said, and led me off the field, down into the bowels of the stadium...and into his office lair.

Part Four

The Players

"We had a sound strategy as we approached the draft,"Stu Hopkins explained,"Pick the best available U-23 North American player. We theorised that there was plenty of excellent int'l players available and that it made no sense to waste a high pick on one of them, when we could draft essentially the same player later on."

"But there are a finite number of good young Americans or Canadians who can step in and both play and not count against the salary cap."

"We knew we had the fouth pick and we couldn't decide between the two players we felt likely to still be available; Eddie Johnson and Eddie Gaven. We honestly couldn't believe that Freddy Adu fell to us at 4th. We felt he would be either the first or second pick. It was like winning the lottery."

"With our second choice, we continued our philosophy of the best North American available when we selected tireless midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. He has skill and he works hard; the two basic requirements to becoming a 'Northman.'"

"For our next picks we knew exactly what we wanted; good young north american central defenders with a tremendous upside. We had four picked out that we really wanted. All four are awesome at playing the trap and show tremendous work ethic. We got two of them. Chad Marshall and Michael Parkhurst."

"Next, I opted for some experience at the back to anchor the young fellas...stalwart pro Pablo Mastreoni."

"We finished day one of the draft with two more young North Americans with tremendous upside, Iain Hume and Danny Szetela.

Two more youngsters with a tremendous work ethic...and tremendous upside."

"We entered day two of the draft, eager to find more young talented north americans, and also ready to start signing some big names from Europe. But first, the youngsters."

"We grabbed Jon De Guzman with our first pick of the day, (and eighth pick of the draft), the forward has a lot to learn, but has perhaps the largest upside of anyone this side of Adu."

"Danny O'Rourke was picked next, a defensive middie with a limitless engine and limitless potential."

"We then grabbed Jan Blazek, the first of three Czech stars we selected. I thought it was imperative to get an experienced commanding goalie to go with the overall youth of our team."

At this point, Stu Hopkins grew bored with our conversation and wandered off, presumably to dream of opening day.

To quickly round off the roster are several kids: young Ecuadorian DC Geo Caicedo, young GK Matt Pickens, young Czech DR Michel Svec, and young Romanian wingback Christian Pulhac.

The New Liskeard strategy seems to have been to load up on kids, and then spend the entire salary cap on a few key veterans.

And did they ever receive value for their buck.

New stars for the Northmen are England legend Alan Shearer, Midfield maestro Karel Poborsky, Goal poacher Tomasz Radzinski, and fleet ball wizard Darren Huckerby.

Doubtlessly, the world waits breathlessly for MLS opening day, and their first glimpse of the New Liskeard North Football Club...'The Northmen.'...or as their fans chant....'Green Machine.'

[stuhopkins2003]

Youth, Speed, and Brazilians for Texas

With the ongoing radical changes of professional soccer within North America, some saw Austin, TX and its general lack of professional sports as an opportune location for a new MLS 'franchise'. Austin is a college town though and many felt it would be difficult to establish a new professional identity as long as The University of Texas at Austin and its student athletics were around to compete for the same supporters and revenue. However, due to Big 12 Conference and Title IX rules, UT did not have a collegiate soccer team for men. Perhaps it was this fact that gave a few prominent Texas alumni the idea of creating a MLS team and naming it in honor of their alma mater. After agreeing on the financial details with The University on future profits and revenue, as well as for the rights to use the name, logo, and colo(u)rs, the Texas Longhorns of Major League Soccer were finally a reality. Reportedly, UT was also pleased with the added publicity the team might bring to the school. The team would play in UT's Mike A. Myers Track & Soccer Stadium. Due to a positive response in Austin, discussions are ongoing about removing the running track (then obviously reproducing it in a new venue elsewhere) and making the stadium soccer specific. The decision was also made to name Ryan Thompson, a Texas alum himself, the team's first manager.

As with all the other fledgling MLS teams, the initial draft would be important in determining the team's success and identity:

1st round pick: Juan Pablo Garcia (Chivas USA). Texas made the young Mexican its first pick, as well as the first foreigner (non American or Canadian) to be selected in the draft. The attack-minded midfielder has a solid game already at 23 years of age, and brings immediate flair and creativity to the Longhorn lineup.

2nd. Jonathan Spector (Man Utd). While Spector is only 18, Thompson is said to expect the young defender to pay immediate dividends. Spector runs well for a defender and has good size.

3rd. Nik Besagno (Real Salt Lake). At 16, Besagno can barely drive; yet Thompson has already been quoted as saying the defensive midfielder can be an important contributor right away.

4th. Ãndio (Ipitanga). The 18 year old Brazilian wingback is said to have lots of potential and the ability to play now.

5th. Cory Gibbs (Feyenoord). Tall and with exceptional athletic gifts, Texas will look to the 25 year old American international to be a stalwart in their backline.

6th. Rivaldo (Olympiakos). At 32, the former Barcelona superstar and World Cup winner may be on the downside of his career, but Thompson still hopes the world class playmaker will still have something left for the Longhorns.

7th. John O'Brien (ADO den Haag). The talented American international is versatile and can help fill a number of holes for Texas. However, O'Brien is quite prone to injury and insiders say Thompson views him solely as a wildcard instead of having him penciled in anywhere.

8th. Ãvine (Bahia). Not too much is known about the 16 year old left sided player, but scouts say the Brazilian is a promising talent.

9th. Thomas Prager (Heerenveen). 19 year old Austrian midfielder should be able to contribute in midfield right away.

10th. Bruno (Juventude). Young Brazilian attacker is seen as a good prospect. Will be given every chance to prove he is ready to play now.

11th. Will John (KC Wizards). 19 year old American forward prospect.

12th. Benny Feilhaber (HSV). American midfielder who should be useful and at 20, has some upside.

13th. Olexandr Shovkovskyi (Dinamo Kiev). Veteran goalkeeper is expected to step in between the Texas pipes immediately, especially as he was the only signficant addition towards the salary cap on the second day of the draft.

14th. Stephen Ademolu (Tromsø). 22 year old American forward is said to have some upside remaining.

15th. Quentin Westberg (Troyes). Young and raw American keeper. Definitely a project. Likely to be Shovkovskyi's understudy.

16th. Ryan Cochrane (Houston). Mobile and young American defender should provide depth.

17th. Kelly Gray (Houston). Defensive midfielder who can also fill in at fullback if necessary.

18th. Jemal Johnson (Blackburn). Another raw prospect. 19 year old American attacker needs to add some polish.

If trends are to be found from Texas' selections, one is certainly that they generally took young players. Texas currently has the youngest average age of players on its roster of any team in the league. This could be a problem up front as they seem to lack proven goal scorers. At least there is cap space left to address this problem if necessary. Thompson evidently covets pacey players as well, as there is speed at all positions. Also notable is that Texas selected four Brazilians. Completely missing are pure wingers. This might say something about the sort of formation and tactics Thompson has in mind...

[stuhopkins2003]

FC United of Boston

Brand new MLS franchise FC United of Boston today announced their new manager. Young manager Brian Lofrumento was all smiles today at his unveiling press conference in front of a large mass of media at Foxboro Stadium.

"Today is a new era in Boston sports," exclaimed Lofrumento. "The Red Sox have brought many smiles to baseball fans, the Celtics had their day, but FC United of Boston will bring joy to all sports fans in the Boston area."

Lofrumento went on to reveal that he was sad to see the old-look MLS go, but was insistant that he would make sure the new Boston area club moves forward from the recent success Steve Nicol had built with the Revolution. Lofrumento certainly tried to get these fans on his side in the draft as he picked up fan favorite Clint Dempsey in the second round. It is worthy to be noted that FC United of Boston is the team with the lowest wages, most salary cap space, and the most domestic players on the roster, with only two foreigners in the entire squad. Below is a break down of the players picked for the new look FC United of Boston:

Round 1 Pick: Giuseppe Rossi This young and quick forward will provide FC United of Boston many goals for quite a few years to come. The former Man Utd player has been asked by Bruce Arena to appear for the United States in the coming World Cup, and playing on this team will undoubtedly help with that. Rossi is expected to be utilized in a squad rotation system up top until he is ready for consistent starts.

Round 2 Pick: Clint Dempsey Dempsey is one of the two remaining Revolution players left in the Boston area. He saw his teammates get thrown around the new league, including poor Shalrie Joseph getting shipped all the way to Alaska. Dempsey is expected to pay a prominant role in the FC United attack. He is definitely a man the FC United fans can expect consistency out of.

Round 3 Pick: Edson Buddle This former Columbus Crew striker is expected to partner with Dennis Bergkamp up top. The young yet proven striker can win balls in the air as well as use power and pace to get past defenders. We expect Buddle to be a face in Boston for at least a few more seasons.

Round 4 Pick: Brad Davis Lofrumento singled out Davis as one of the picks he wanted to make sure he got. Davis is expected to have a lock down on the left-midfield spot in Lofrumento's side. "We don't need a Ryan Giggs when we have Brad Davis." Expect Davis to play an integral role in the Boston side for years to come.

Round 5 Pick: Jose Burciaga Jr In round five we saw Boston select yet another left sided player, this time in the defense. It is obvious Lofrumento is looking to work his team down the flanks, and Burciaga is the man to do this. A solid performer in the old MLS, Burciaga will probably take the left defense spot as his own.

Round 6 Pick: Jeff Parke Every team needs a utility player, and Boston is counting on Parke to play that role. Twenty-two year old Parke can play anywhere across the back line and Boston fans must be pleased about his versatility.

Round 7 Pick: Tamandani Nsaliwa Boston fans may not know a lot about this young Canadian player, but Lofrumento has high expectations for the former Saarbrucken player. He may be a hidden gem, and we can expect him to play some role in the right side of this Boston side.

Round 8 Pick: Nat Borchers Borchers was a very crucial pick to Lofrumento's plans. It was always known that Borchers was going to be a mid-draft pick, and Lofrumento has revealed that he is ecstatic Borchers landed in Boston. Several other managers have expressed an interest in Borchers but instead they can now watch him play against their own teams. There could be an interesting defensive partnership between Borchers and veteran Ehiogu.

Round 9 Pick: D.J. Countess Every team needs a good goalie, and that is exactly what young Countess is. Touted by the media to be in the Tim Howard mold, Countess will most likely start the season as FC United of Boston's number two keeper.

Round 10 Pick: Joshua Gros Josh Gros is another utility player in the side. The former DC United man can play either left or right midfield, and Boston is expected to take full advantage of his versatility.

Round 11 Pick: Brian Carroll Carroll joins former teammate Gros in potential midfield spots. He is widely expected to be groomed as the team's defensive midfielder for the future, so look for him to feature here in some games. The question remains as to whether or not this is where his future is. Lofrumento has given minor hints about the availability of Carroll in a trade for a proven and experienced midfielder. Carroll is an excellent prospect for the future, no matter where he ends up.

Round 12 Pick: Mike Magee Magee is another of Lofrumento's young American prospects. Magee can play in both an attacking mid role and a position up front. It is yet to be seen where he will feature in this Boston side, but rest assured he will be here for the forseeable future.

Round 13 Pick: Zach Thornton "Big Zach" is widely touted as this season's number one at Boston. Backed up by Countess, Thornton must be on his toes throughout the season. "If his fitness gets in the way, we won't let Zach get in the way; out the door he will go," warned Lofrumento. For now, Thornton will occupy the net in front of Lofrumento's back four.

Round 14 Pick: Ugo Ehiogu Round fourteen finally saw Boston choose a non-domestic player. Ehiogu is a player who will add much needed grit and determination to the back four. As one of the most experienced players in the side, Lofrumento will count on Ehiogu to lead by example. Perhaps the second most exciting player we will see on a regular basis in Boston this season.

Round 15 Pick: Dennis Bergkamp Former Arsenal striker is without a doubt the most exciting player in this Boston lineup. He will put fans in the stands while serving as club captain and probable leading goalscorer. Bergkamp rounded out Lofrumento's two non-domestic players and will perhaps be the most important player of the season. Boston fans must hope, however, that Bergkamp can keep his fitness throughout the season as they do not want to see their captain out for long stretches of the season.

Round 16 Pick: James Riley Young Riley, fresh out of Wake Forest, made ripples around the Boston media last season with the Revolution. He is expected to do the same this year in the same environment, only this time under new manager Brian Lofrumento. Picked in round sixteen, Riley could turn out to be the most valuable pick of the round. He can play many different positions, from defense to attacking mid. Riley is an exciting prospect down the flanks.

Round 17 Pick: Brian Dunseth Dunseth is a former Revolution player that has jumped around MLS for quite a few seasons before landing himself in Salt Lake. Now he is back in Boston and is expected to play a large role throughout the season in the Boston defense.

Round 18 Pick: Davy Arnaud Lofrumento didn't expect to see Arnaud still available this late into the draft, but he has told sources that he was delighted. Arnaud is expected to take a spot in the right side of midfield and serve as a Solskjaer-type of player. Arnaud is tipped to play more than an average role in the squad this season.

FC United kicks off preseason shortly and Lofrumento has hinted at making a couple more signings. He has also announced to the league that if anyone is looking to trade one of their midfielders, Lofrumento is interested. "No matter what happens, however, I would like to keep the American feel to this team. I feel that having only two non-domestic players will allow my players to gel and give us the edge over other teams who have simply thrown players together."

[stuhopkins2003]

Chicago (Wednesday, January 25, 2006) - Major League Soccer (MLS) announced its 12th and final team at the inaugural player draft on Monday, the Nerdington Express, based in Chicago.

The Express will be lead by head coach Nicolino Di Benedetto, who will make his head coaching debut this season.

"I am very excited to join the Nerdington Express," said Di Benedetto. "We are committed to build a championship team here in Chicago and will do it with class and dignity. We already got to work with our draft and we feel the team is in great shape and the players are a good bunch on and off the field."

The Express will play their home games at Nerdington Station, located in Chicago. Tickets go on sale Monday and prices range from $5-$50, for more information call 1-888-GO-EXPRESS.

Nerdington also unveiled their uniforms at the draft with the home outfit featuring the clubs signature black and blue vertical stripes. The away uniform is white with a blue stripe running verically down the right side of the chest. A special third jersey that is solid light blue with dark blue sections along the sides. Jerseys are for sale via the club's front office and fans are encouraged to call to order any of the three designs.

Nerdington started draft day by trading the first overall selection in the draft to Toronto for its first selection (11th), second round pick, and 14th rounder.

The Express then selected Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard with its first selection. The former MetroStars and current United States National Team goalie will step right in between the pipes for Nerdington.

"I am very familiar with Timmy," said Di Benedetto. "We expect big things out of him and he is the best American goalkeeper. We could not have made a better decision to trade the first pick and select him."

Overall review of the inaugural Nerdington Express squad.

GK - Tim Howard: The best American goalkeeper and a valuable selection with the 11th overall pick. He will log a lot of minutes and be at the top of any 'keeper stats category.

GK- Jay Nolly: A bright young prospect from Indiana, who will be able to learn a lot as Howard's understudy.

D RC - Ugo Ihemelu: A top defensive prospect who can step in and play immediately.

D LC - Paolo Maldini: One of the best defenders ever in the game, Maldini was a fantastic selection by the Express. He will captain the team and teach the younger players how to be a professional. His skill has not diminished for an old veteran. Look for him to standout without even trying.

D/DM RLC/C - Tim Ward: The best American left back prospect around. Ward should start immediately along the left side and learn a lot from a man who perfected it - Maldini.

SW/D C - Renato Civelli: Bright young Argentine who is penciled in to start in the central defense along side Maldini, but will compete with Curtin for the job. Under the radar at the draft, the 21-year-old is ready to make the jump to the U.S.

D C - Jim Curtin: Solid veteran central defender. His size makes up for his lack of speed. He is unbeatable in the air and will compete with Civelli for a starting spot in the defense.

D/WB/DM/M R/C/RC - C.J. Klaas: Fantasitc, young, and versatile player who will be valuable for the Express.

AM L - Bobby Convey: U.S. started on the left win comes back to America after a stint with Reading. Will provide great play on the left wing.

D/DM R/C - Ricardo Clark: One of the most gifted athletes in the U.S. game, Clark will be expected to anchor the midfield and provide the transition to the offense.

AM LR - Luis Figo: One of the all-time greats joins Nerdington to man the right flank and with Convey on the left, they give the Express the best flank play in MLS. His leadership is very valuable for a side that is very young.

AM/F RLC - Kwabena Agouda: Versatilve young blue chip Nigerian playmaker. He should develop into a great selection for the Express for a very long time.

AM C - Kyle Martino: One of the more exciting young American playmakers in the game. Martino joins the Express trying to regain his spot in the U.S. national team system and give the team added offensive creativity up the middle.

AM L - Christian Jimenez: Young exciting Florida prospect, who will see time behind Convey along the left side, but will make his way onto the field this season. He is a contributor at 18-years-old.

AM/ST R/C - Quavas Kirk: Another young gifted American for Nerdington. It became obvious that Di Benedetto was attracted to players that can play different positions in order to provide cover during periods of injury. Kirk qualifies for that and is a top American propect who should develop into a star in no time.

DM/M RC - Michael Bradley: Young American impact player in the middle of the field. He may be the best passer of the ball for the U.S. at his age and has great vision. His ability to read the game will get him into the lineup this season for the Express.

DM C - Jesse Marsch: A solid veteran midfielder who is aggressive and determined. Marsch is a leader and a winner with three MLS Cups and four Open Cups to his name. A fantastic late round selection by Nerdington, he will play this season and provide great depth at defensive midfield.

AM/ST R/C - Santino Quaranta: Problematic young American player, he joins the Express witht he chance to step to the next level. His star is rising and it coule shine brightly with Nerdington.

F C - Pauleta: PSG's hitman comes to Chicago. Expected to be among the league's leading scorers, Pauleta may have been the steal of the draft, being selected on the second day. He can score every way imaginable and will be a lock to start.

S C - Ze Eduardo: 17-year-old Brazilian forward who will get time on the field at Nerdington Station. His knack for quality and impact goals did not go unnoticed by the Express.

"I could not be happier with this draft," said Di Benedetto. "We have a great team and we can not wait to get to work and start playing some games against everyone. We wish them all luck, but we are confident we will be in the mix for the playoffs."

[Newcastle Fire]

Marquette Iron Rangers Recap

The Iron Rangers showed off their league favorite form by easily disposing of Nashville. The scoring started off with a unlikely goal scorer. Michael Klukowski netted it form just out side the penalty area. Later in the first DaMarcus Beasley beat the defender and nicely set up Emad Moteb for a goal. Things were going smoothly but in the second half Nashville started to get a little pressure with some of the better players on the bench. Pat Noonan managed to get one by eventual man of the match Oliver Kahn. It was a game that Marquette probably should have got one more goal at least.

In other news to fill out the team the Iron Rangers made the following transations

Released

Jaime Moreno

Signed

Hunter Freeman: DRC American

Edgar: DML Angolan American

Kevin Taylor: Right Midfielder American

Matt Nickell: Attack Central Midfielder/Forward American

Demetrius White: MC American

Jesus Ochoa: Right Midfielder Mexican American.

Roy Lassiter: Striker American

Dan Antoniuk: Striker American

Jamar Beasley: Striker American

Said Ali: Striker Canadian

Niels Dekker: Central Midfielder Dutch American

Of course Marquette’s manager E.T. Allen was never at a loss for words in the post game press conference.

Q: How do you feel about the performance against Nashville.

A: I was very disappointed we got a win but once we got the 2 goal lead we took it easy on them instead of going for the throats. The team took it easy on them and it could have cost us. This should have easily been a 4-0 game. Because of use laying back we are lucky this did not end up a draw. Kahn saved us at some key moments. Kahn deserved the man of the match. It is very unfortunate our team could not give him the clean slate he deserved. Nashville should have been a lot easier game the fact we only won 2-1 worries me.

Q: How do you feel about being the favorites?

A: To be honest, I thought we should be at least 5-1 favorites. Our team is head and shoulders above the best team. We just got to live up to the potential. We should win about 95% of our games.

Q: Rumor has it that Killy Gonzalez, got upset at your assistant manager at a friendly game. Is there any truth to this.

A: Yes,there is Killy was a bit upset about not being able to play enough in the friendly. We sat down and talked about it and I admire him being upset about not having enough playing time. It’s the sign that he is the type of player I want a true warrior.

[stuhopkins2003]

Disappointing Start for the Northmen

A packed house of over 27,000 fans came to the New Liskeard home opener, braying for the visiting Toronto Syclones blood. The Toronto franchise 'enjoys' the distinction of being the most hated rival of the Northmen.

"Toronto scum,"muttered one fan before kick-off,"We're sick of them acting like bigshots, thinking they run the entire country. Where would they be without our natural resources, eh? But do we ever get a say? No. I hope we break each and every one of their player's legs."

Apparently, politics would rule the day, as the recent bitterly contested National Election still foremost in most fan's minds. The situation is perhaps best likened to as one fan put it, "A very small tail wagging a very large dog." It seems the dog, (ie. rest of Canada), is getting very sick of it indeed.

If salvation was on the fans' mind, with a fair measure of payback thrown in for good measure, than it came as no surprise when fans started heading for the exits, halfway through the second half.

The visiting Syclones came out strong, seemingly immune from the vitirul being hurled their way from the stands. They put their stamp on the game early, and Stu Hopkins' and his Northmen looked increasingly disjointed and unorganised as the first half wore on.

The inevitable first goal came off of a strong volley from the Syclones' Argentine midfielder Claudio Husain. The Argie was given acres of space and time and he capitalised with a rocket from outside the area. Thirty-six minutes in, and the Northmen's season opener appeared desperate indeed.

The goal took the partisan crowd out of the match, and the fans seemed as confused as their heroes on the pitch. At halftime the whistle mercifully blew, and fan and player alike, were grateful to escape facing only a one goal deficit.

Fresh from a tongue lashing from the gaffer and a reworked, more solid formation, the Northmen set about the second half with renewed purpose. Bossing the ball seemingly at will, they created countless opportunities around the Toronto goal, only to continually blaze the ball skywards over the net. The chances scorned came back to haunt them as Toronto forward Ryan Jarvis flew away on the counterattack and scored a marvelous goal past a flapping Blazek. Sixty-six minutes in...0-2.

This was not the match the New Liskeard fans had come hoping to see. As one, they rose and strode for the exits. No great believers in miracles, these Northern fans.

The belated introduction of young Freddy Adu finally ignited the New Liskeard attack, and the snakebit side finally solved the Toronto keeper, albeit too late to change the outcome of the match. Atibi Hutchinson bundled home the goal, after a nifty move orchestrated by Adu and a goal mouth scramble. 1-2 on Eighty-six minutes.

All in all, a poor first game for the Northmen. The players displayed none of the passion and appreciation for the magnitude of the game that their fans did. It'll be interesting to see if the fledging franchise is able to sell any tickets for their remaining games. If the customers are deciding their purchase based on last night's performance, the stands will be very empty indeed.

GK Blazek 6

DC Waibel 6

DC Parkhurst 6 (sub 76 min - Pulhac)

DC Marshall 6 (sub 63 min - Kutschau)

MC Hutchinson 8 (goal 86 min)

MC Mastreoni 7

MR Poborsky 7

ML Huckerby 7

AM Hume 7

FC Shearer(capt) 7

FC Radzinski 7 (sub 63 min - Adu)

[Al Clark]

And They're Off!!

The final days in the run up to the season saw Coach Clark add the final trimmings to his squad ahead of what is sure to be a keenly contested inaugural season of the New MLS.

Clark brought in several low key signings and gave some players a first, second or even third chance to impress at this level. Veteran Robin Fraser, 39 years old, was unable to retain his place due a miscalculation in the cap allowance, not by Clark, but by the MLS. It seems Clark’s Kaiser’s will be held accountable to this typo all season – shaving nearly $2000 a week, or $104,000 off their annual wage budget.

‘********’ said Clark. “That cost us a true veteran, an ambassador of the game. Robin wasn’t guaranteed a starting role, but his presence in the lock room would have been priceless.â€

Several others were cut along with journeyman striker Jacob Coggins, who never justified his inclusion in the pre-season squad after a nominal transfer from Charlotte.

Clark opted to go with just two goalies for the early part of the season, surely with Brad Freidel and Kevin Hartman to choose from, a third keeper would just rot in the reserves. “Of course, we’re hoping to stay injury free in that position else we could quickly find ourselves in troubleâ€.

So, Clark dispatched 9 youngsters to the reserves in order to gain more experience – Jacob Lensky, Fabrice Noel, Christopher Greer and Ramon Nunez being the cream of the class. All will likely see action through the course of this season – especially when the World Cup Call Ups hit home in June.

The Kaiser’s were drawn away to Muskegon for their opener. That would be followed by three home games and a chance to start the season off on the right footing. The bookies liked Kentucky to take it all, but in a new league where the talent was spread very evenly, the was little between them. Alaska and North Liskeard were disrespected at 1000-1, and no doubt will be motivated even more by this. Marquette apparently hold the edge in the eyes of the bookies – they alone stood at 8-1, ahead of the pack at 10-1 that included the Kaisers.

So, Round 1 was here, pre-season had gone well, a tour of Peru hadn’t seen any major injuries and match sharpness was beginning to return for the players. The opening day roster was as follows:

GK – Brad Freidel ©

DR – Chris Albright

DC – Aaron Galindo

DC – Jimmy Conrad

DL – Marko Lomic

MR – Brian Mullan

MC – Claudio Reyna

MC – Julian de Guzman

ML – Christian Rodriguez

FC – Eddie Johnson

FC – Pedro Junior

The Kaiser’s blazed out of the game, Claudio Reyna scoring the first goal in the league’s new chapter after just 34 seconds. However, they couldn’t keep the foot on the gas and allowed the Mismatch back into the game before the half. The final whistle blew without a change in the score and the Kaiser’s first game ended with an away point, good enough to keep Al Clark happy.

Jimmy Conrad alone stood out and was the Kaiser’s best man. Clark will expect more from Mullan and Galindo who failed to impress and were replaced in the second half.

So, a point on the road and now home for a 3 game homestand. The KK have a chance to cement their intentions in the coming weeks. Clark is confident it will happen "In the Bag" he blasted to a random passer by.

[ryanmt]

Stunning Hat-Trick Debut for Rivaldo

After an eternity's worth of anticipation, the new MLS season finally kicked off. The Texas Longhorns visited Chicago for their opener against Nerdington Express. In front of 17,508 spectators, the opening minutes of the match had good flow to it and was entertaining. In the 19th minute, Brazilian legend Victor Borba Rivaldo got onto the end of a nice pass and slotted home from fairly close range to give the Longhorns the lead. In spite of conceeding the opener, Nerdington looked like they would make a fight of it anyway, or at least that was the case until the 27th minute. The Nerdington defense was caught off guard by a countering long ball to Brazilian forward Bruno. Nerdington's worldy veteran defender Paulo Maldini found himself in a compromising position, committed the last-man foul in the box, and was sent off by referee Richard Heron. It was not the debut that the classy Italian had desired. Rivaldo had no problems converting the penalty, putting Texas up by two. Now down a man, Nerdington had trouble threating the Texas rearguard, and the Horns controlled the match for the most part. And in the second half, who else but Rivaldo completed the victory with his third goal. The #10 dribbled the ball well, before firing home from the edge of the area with his deadly left foot. The game ended 3-0 in Texas' favor.

Speaking afterwards, Texas manager Ryan Thompson said he was happy with his team's showing. "Nerdington are a good team, so obviously I'm delighted that we could win 3-0. Rivaldo was brilliant, but we already knew of his world class talent. The team played well as a whole, even if it may seem as if it was all Rivaldo out there to someone who did not see the game. He certainly deserves credit though. What an amazing way to start off his MLS and Texas career! Now I'm looking forward to our home opener."

When asked about the Alaksa Artic Wolves being 1000-1 longshots to win MLS, Thompson said, "That's ridiculous. They're a much, much better team than that. I don't know who comes up with these odds, but they clearly should be ignored. It is stupid to pick a winner before the season starts anyway, especially in a league like ours. Marquette are favorites to win it all? Well, we'll see about that."

In other news, Texas made a few roster moves to add depth to the squad. Additions included Nelson Akwari, Craig Capano, Antonio de la Torre, Tim Regan, and Jack Jewsbury.

[perpetua]

Roster Complete and A winning Start for Vancouver

As pre season friendlies progressed, Vancouver managed to pick up a couple of back up keepers to ensure that injuries did not deplete the most difficult position to replace in football.

With the original draft only providing one right sided full back for Vancouver, young Chris Williams was brought in. He doesn't count towards the cap this season but he may find himself leave after this year if Vancouver make some big signings.

Additional midfield help came in as well with experienced anchor Marco Feruzzi was picked up on a free transfer and youngsters Jason di Tullio and Greg Victor. Victor was a suprise addition but his versatility in playing full back as well as midfield positions should make him a valuable asset.

Finally, a striker Chad Barrett overcame his doubts in joining the club after meeting with the coaches and getting a chance to take a look at the facilities. The youngster is likely to be a good squad player, seeing action in place of starters Carlos Ruiz and Taylow Twellman from time to time.

The first match of the season saw Vancouver travel to Rochester to face the Kings who had recently added much sought after Ben Olsen to their squad in addition to the likes of Ebbe Sand, Christian Gomez and Christian Nerlinger. EArly on and against the run of play, Vancouver caught the Rochester defense napping when Taylor Twellman latched onto a through ball from Gaven and put Vancouver up. A few minutes later, Jay-Jay Okocha blasted a ball from outside the box and Vancouver were well on their way.

In the second half, a defense splitting run by Okocha made the third goal as his feed to Alan Gordon in the middle was converted easily. This goal ensured victory for Vancouver, despite Ronnie O'Brien's goal late score on a defensive error.

Facing rivals Alaska in the next round of matches, Vancouver will look for another win. Despite being written off by the media, Alaska certainly have some potential threats and Vancouver will have to be careful to get the win.

[stuhopkins2003]

Back to Basics

...came the cry...as the Northmen sullenly licked their wounds following their disappointing 1-2 loss to the Toronto Syclones. The New Liskeard manager had been harshly criticized for his tactics following the lifeless surrender, and had adjusted his tactics in response to the howls of derision.

'3-5-2? What kind of continental manger are you?' came the howls from the stands. The criticism was harsh in the weekly northern paper. 'Northmen beaten by southern patsies' rang the headlines. 'New Liskeard...home of the tactically inept' became the new official slogan of the MLS head office.

The catcalls were heard and obeyed. Out the window went the attacking, positive football. In ventured the dour 4-4-2 formation. No longer playing to win, the Northmen were determined not to lose. With this mindset, they ventured south to

Boston.

Within five minutes, the Northmen found themselves trailing by two. That Rossi kid, formerly from Man Utd, had done them in.

I wish I could relate the tale of how the Northmen had battled back against the odds and slayed the mighty Boston beast. Alas...I cannot. The unholy Bergkamp arose and snatched two more for the FC United of Boston. 4-0...final score.

The Liskeard boss was at least philosophical after the loss. Fuuuuuccccccdddddggggeeeee." he shrieked incoherently. The pairing of two 20 year olds at the heart of the defence was reconsidered. Changes were once again in order for the beleagured Liskeard side. Just in time to face the dreaded Vancouver club.

Perhaps the pairing of a youngster in defence with the venerable Pablo Mastreoni would solve the crisis of defence for the Northmen. Surely that, and playing a slow central defender as an attacking left defender, would slay the Vancouver visitors.

But the visitors were ready for the tactical manouverings; indeed they made plenty of their own. The Liskeard boss found himself unable to rise up to the tactical challenge. (although, truth be known, a highly suspect offside call on a Radzinski

goal, altered the match considerably).

The Northmen fell once again...0-2. This made it 3 losses on the trot. Such soccer mismanagement had not been seen this side of Graeme Souness. The Liskeard gaffer was inconsolable,"Fuuuuccccddddggggeeee."he railed.

The match became a turning point for the Liskeard club. No longer would the gaffer heed the shouts for 'proper football' or a return to the good old 4-4-2.

The Northmen traveled to the ugliest ground in the MLS. The home of the ugliest central middies...and the ugliest manager.

The Et led Marquette Iron Rangers, playing on their ungodly artifical turf; playing with their unholy defensive mids...messrs Davids and Keane.

They targeted Mr. Shearer from the start. Alan was subjected to the kind of abuse he only usually got from the missus. Alan was taken off for his own safety 30 minutes into the game. But the damage had already been done. The Northmen were, surprisingly, in the lead. Two goals to the good.

The manager promptly changed his tactics for the remainder of the game. The scoreline was no longer important. What was important was to injure Roy Keane. But, at this, the Northmen failed. They did however manage to cart off both keeper

Olivir Kahn and Kili Gonzalez. Both would miss subsequent matches.

In the end, the Northmen held off the Rangers for a 3-2 decision. But the win was apparently not enough for the gaffer.

"Fuuuuccccccdddddggggeeeeeee!"he screamed. "Let me tell you something,'he said,"Those animals are lucky I don't play anymore; cause if I did, there wouldn't have been a single Ranger walking off the field tonight...they'd all be on stretchers...starting with ET."

The Northmen continued their travels as they faced the Alaskan side a week later. In a surprisingly development, the gaffer appeared to tactically outclass his opponent Russ. The tough tackling and long ball game worked no wonders against a hardened Liskeard side.

"What's the Crazy Gang without Vinnie Jones?"sneered the gaffer,"I'll tell you...a load of talentless Canadians fruitlessly hoofing the ball away."

The manager's bravado masked the danger that the counterattacking Alaskan side had posed. Jim Brennan and Rob Friend in particular giving the Liskeard side fits all game.

But at the end, the 2-0 scoreline was a good indicator of how the match had played out.

Five games in, and the Northmen had garnered two wins against three losses. Quite a change from the dire predictions that had followed the opening three games.

No longer were shouts of 'Hopkins is dead' ringing from the stands at the Widowmaker. They had turned into, 'Stu sus is just alright' to the tune of the old Doobie Brothers song.

Into this cauldron of optimism, the visiting Rochester team walked in...like lambs to the slaughter. Happily for the Northmen, the Rochester team was experiencing a goaltending crisis, as all 3 of their goalies had contrived to get themselves

injured at the same time. This led to them fielding a 'grey' goaltender.

Within 5 minutes, the previously snakebitten Shearer had registered a hattrick. At twenty minutes, the striker had lept into the stands to celebrate his fourth of the match. When he finally returned to the field at the stroke of halftime, the issue

had already been decided. 5-1 at the half.

The gaffer sportingly went into a defensive shell for the remainder of the match as the Rochester keeper was clearly overmatched at this level. 5-2 final score.

Several things had become apparent six games into the year. Young YI Pulhac was a much better attacking mid than he was a central defender or left back. Freddy Adu at (15!), was a valuable option off the bench. Leonard Griffin was a great attacking left defender,(at least better than the previous 3 trialists at that position). Darren Huckerby and Karel Poborsky had better get their act in gear or they'd find themselves out by the next transfer window. Atiba Hutchinson was head and

shoulders above anyone else on the team, (5 goals!...from mid!) Two young DC's...does not a great defence make.

But what was most apparent, was that the return engagement with those hated Toronto Syclones, was of the utmost importance.

"Toronto..."spat out the gaffer,"Are going down."

[Al Clark]

Woeful

The Kaisers were crap. After a promising start.....two draws, one on the road and one against league favourites Marquette, the KK nose dived largely because of a famine infront of goal.

No player has caught fire up front for the blues and he endured two successive games where the team finished down a man, both contibuting to reversals at home.

The 6 game winless streak reads X-X-L-L-L-X, with the final draw against Nerdington, Clark's men have now failed to score more than a single goal in five of their 6 contests and that only spells trouble. KK are the only team in the league without a win.

"We've got a young squad" said Clark, "I didn't realise how young until the chips were down. Our starting line-up has 5 kids starting who aren't old enough yet to drink in this country. Three quarters of our squad is like that".

Of course, this could be a problem of his own making. "Sure, this is the team I drafted, but we've had a couple of injuries - to Freidel and Reyna - early on that robbed our side of some of the key veterans. I still stand by my draft picks and I know we'll be very strong for years as a result. However, I'm not satisified with rebuilding and we're just simply going to have to improve."

The DC position has been especially frustrating for Clark..."Conrad has sealed his place, but it seems no one else wants to step up to the plate and lock down the other starting berth. I've already tried Galindo, Ridgewell and Hernandez and all have looked shaky. Defence hasn't looked good, I think Lomic may need some reserve games before he's fully ready for this level. And he's not alone...."

So, more questions than answers for the Kaisers and Clark isn't ignoring his role in this "I've got to settle on a formation and stick with it. We are playing a very open, attacking style, with the right personnel - on paper anyways - yet either we create no chances, or we squander the ones we do. With the quality we have in the side this just isn't acceptable. We've had a half dozen games now and I think I know who is going to be my starting side. Unfortunately, that means we're likely going to have to deviate from my preferred position. "

"It's too early to panic buy, but I'm going to keep one eye on the transfer market. I need to get my scouts out far and wide. Just incase."

[goldenboot2014]

FC United of Boston - Kickoff to the Season

After an undefeated preseason, FC United of Boston finally got the season underway. Manager Brian Lofrumento made three signings to the squad before the first kickoff, however, and he sees them as filler players. "Vagenas, Preki, and Doug Warren. All three are very capable players that can definitely fill in when needed. Preki could turn out to be a crucial signing as he can fill in anywhere in the midfield. Hopefully we won't have to use Warren as he is our third string goalie. If it comes to that, though, we have adequate cover and I would have no hesitations playing him there. As for Pete, he's a professional, he knows his job."

Game One Boston started the season on the road all the way in Alaska. The first match of the season went to plan for Lofrumento as he saw his two main players open the season in winning fashion. Youngster Giuseppe Rossi got the season rolling as he slotted home from close range in the 24th minute. Bergkamp then rounded out the scoring in the 46th minute with a typical finish. Final score: Boston 2-0 Alaska.

Game Two In Boston's home opener, things couldn't have gone better. The youngsters on the squad came out on all cylinders firing as they settled the game after 30 minutes. Rossi recorded a brace as he slotted home twice in the 4th and 22nd minutes while Bergkamp cleaned it all up in the 26th and 30th minutes. "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. These two are the best strikeforce the MLS has ever seen and will continue to score goals all season. Stu didn't know what to do as he watched his team get smacked all over the field." Final score: Boston 4-0 New Liskeard.

Game Three Boston ruined their undefeated record as Toronto smashed their way to a 4-1 victory in Toronto. Manager Lofrumento was reportedly very unhappy at Tamandani Nsaliwa's 16th minute penalty miss. "Never will he take another one as long as he is in the Boston colors. Disgrace," said Lofrumento. Dennis Bergkamp did all he could in the 88th minute, but it was no more than consolation for the traveling Boston fans. Final Score: Toronto 4-1 Boston.

Game Four As Boston stayed on the road, the fans wondered if they could turn it around after a humiliating defeat against Toronto. Their questions weren't answered until the 57th minute when Dennis Bergkamp once again put the ball in the back of the net after watching Eddie Johnson miss his penalty kick for the Kaisers. Bergkamp then put the game away in the 65th minute much to the delight of the manager. Things were definitely looking bright again for the Bostoners. Final Score: Boston 2-1 Kentucky.

Game Five Back at home, Boston were looking to improve their record even further. No such luck, however, as Rochester were the better team on the night. Manager Tristan Oberle finally got his first win as Boston manager Lofrumento watched his team defeat themselves with two unnecessary penalty kicks. The only bright point on the day for Boston was Giuseppe Rossi's return from injury as he cooly finished in the 9th minute. Ebbe Sand's two penalty kick's put the nail in the coffin unfortunately for Boston. "I'm not quite sure why they got two penalties and we got none, but I thought we were the home team for this game. Where does the ref think he is? All I know is next time we have to win, no excuses. Rochester are a team we can beat," said an unhappy Lofrumento after the match. Final Score: Rochester 3-1 Boston.

More comments to follow after Boston's next series of matches tomorrow night...

[ryanmt]

Good Run for Texas

Texas built off their opening win over Nerdington and managed to continue a strong start to the MLS season. Victories over Muskegon, Kentucky, and Vancouver were hard-fought, somewhat fortuitous, and all contributed to Texas' opening four game winning streak. Standing out in the wins was Rivaldo. The Brazilian has clearly been leading the Texas attacks, which made it all the more difficult for the Horns when Rivaldo was injured in the fifth game of the season against Marquette. Injuries, particularly up in attack, have already become a major issue for Texas. Wingback Indio and forwards Bruno, Andrew McAthy, and Jemal Johnson have all succumbed to various ailments, leaving Thompson with few options up front. Even worse, the injuries to Rivaldo and Juan Pablo Garcia have deprived Texas of its two creative engines in midfield. This new lack of firepower was all too evident in the next two games. Texas was lucky that Marquette midfielder Roy Keane was sent off, giving them a way to claw back for two goals and a final 2-2 scorline. Notably, Will John recovered from an injury to step in for the other injured attackers, and scored two late goals in his debut. However, Texas' performance against Nashville was simply bland. The high scoring offense from the first few games was non-existent and the game fizzled to a 0-0 draw.

The Longhorns can only hope the team can hold together until the attacking guns get healthy again.

[Guest]

Is it me or your website isn't working?

[ryanmt]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by c10ckw0rk:

Is it me or your website isn't working? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

did you try http://www.americansportsgamer.com/forums/ ?

[Ricky Lung]

A FEW MORE ELEMENTS FOR THE SYCLONES

After the superdraft, we begin the see the shape, the draft choices had signed with the team and are ready to lead the team to the promise land. Coach Lung is preparing for his first preseason with the Syclones, and the players are getting ready for camp.

Name, the chairman of the team introduced a few more elements to the team in terms of marketing/ commercial activities in yesterday news conference. First of all, there will be the Syclones TV, just like the other two sports teams in town (the Leafs TV and the Raptors TV). It will have exclusive coverage of all the New MLS actions in Canada. You will have soccer actions 24/7, mainly the New MLS, ranging from match broadcast, match highlights, to interviews, and behind the scene activities. Next is the Syclones magazine, which will be issued twice a season, one at beginning of the season (a season preview for the team and around the league), and one at the end of the season (a recap for the season). And the last one is the Syclones newspaper, it will be printed once a month, which will have all the match recap and analysis of the month. For complete detail, visit the team’s website at www.torontosyclones.com.

[Ricky Lung]

SYCLONES MAGAZINE - SEASON PREVIEW EDITION

With the regular season just a week away, the Syclones are ready to roll. In this season preview magazine, we will have the history of the team, words from soccer analysts, the team roster, and a recap of the preseason actions.

History

The Toronto Syclones are founded on January 1st, 2005. When the plan of the new league came out at around the start of September 2004, a local businessman immediately made a proposal and tried to bring a team to Toronto. The league eventually accepted the application. The chairman had a few meetings with different venue owners and he finally decided to make the ACC their home venue, it is a newly built extension. The Chairman invested a large sum of money to make sure the venue will be ready for the season opener. They also have a proposal in progress which is to link the Air Canada Centre (home of the Raptors), the Maple Leafs Garden (home of the Maple Leafs), and the Rogers Centre (home of the Blue Jays) together to become the Mega Sports Centre.

When it comes to sports history in Toronto, the teams did not have much success in any of the American major sports league. The Maple Leafs haven’t won in a long time, The Blue Jays did not win since 1993, and the Raptors have never got to a point where people can feel they have a chance, besides that one shot away from the eastern conference final a few years back. So many people do not think this team will be much different.

If you think there will not be much to cheer for during the season, at least the team got every people’s attention in the first place by swapping picks on draft day to get the first ever first overall pick of the league.

The chairman also named Ricky Lung, a Toronto native, as their first manager of the club on their first day of operation.

Words for Specialists

“…It is hard to tell whether this team will succeed or not in this league since the league itself is also newly formed. No people give any credits to the sport teams in Toronto, because they cannot get any results, the Raptors are in a rebuilding process, the Maple Leafs are on a big time slide right now. Maybe the main attention this coming season will be the Blue Jays, they have splashed a lot of money this offseason, and they are a very good team on paper right now, and it is up to them to play up to all the expectations…â€

“…And for the Syclones, based on what they have done on draft day, they have a pretty solid group out there, they can really make some noise this season. It is up to Coach Lung to bring the most out of the team. With the odd came out at 10-1, which is the same as many other teams, people really don’t know what to expect from all the teams. I think you can become people’s favourite very quickly if you off to a quick start to the season. The Syclones have the potential to do that, even though they are in a pretty though conference…â€

“…the only concern about the Syclones is that when you look at their roster after the first transfer deadline has passed. They only have 20 players (when you can have 28 max.) on the team, which is the least in the league. The coaching staff really have to monitor their fitness very carefully, they really need to stay away from any major injury if they want to be a competitive team. It is a tough challenge for them to play the same standard until November…â€

“…predictions? I think they will be a playoff team, now where they will stand at the end of the regular season is hard to predict at this moment. With two rookie managers in the conference (not to take away anything from Coach Tristan and Brian), they should be in the playoff, it will be an underachievement for anything less than playoff berth. Landon Donovan has all the spot light at this point, and he will be the focus of the team, that’s for sure, but there are many players on that team who are under the raider at this point of the season. We should keep an eye on Ryan Jarvis and Ricardinho, two very talented prospects. They may make a point for themselves at the end of the season…â€

Team Roster

GK

01. Antonis Nikopolidis

Michael Behonick

Defender

06. Ricardinho

23. Eddie Pope

02. Eddie Robinson

03. Kevin McKenna

07. Kevin Harmse

Adam Braz

Ante Jazic

Midfielder

10. Landon Donovan

08. Amado Guevara

29. Thiago

15. Claudio Husain

Ryan Jarvis

09. Denys Dedechko

Andy Williams

05. Kerry Zavagnin

Diego Gutierrez

Striker

20. Jovan Kirovski

11. Oliver Occean

Preseason Recap

The Syclones have played four preseason game in preparation of the new season. They played extremely well in all four games, they won all of them, scored 13 times, and gave up zero goals. Their opponents’ standards were a bit low, that is part of the reasons why they can have those comfortable wins. But no matter who the opponents were, it was only the preseason, the results do not count.

This is the end of the season preview edition of the Syclones magazine. Lets get ready for the season. Let the party begins. All the Torontonian, lets cheer for the Syclones.

GO SYCLONES GO!!!

[Ricky Lung]

THE SYCLONES SHOW - EPISODE #1

So the regular season is finally here, everyone is pumped up. Who are you cheering for? Which team will be the first ever champion of this New MLS? Lets stop guessing and get to some facts.

In this first episode, we will do a recap of the media day in Toronto, lets hear what the coach and the players’ thought.

What are your feelings in becoming the first ever manager of a franchise?

“Wow, it is amazing, we need to start everything from the stretch, everything is from ground zero, there is a lot of work, but the process is memorable with a lot of fun. I need to thank the chairman for giving me a chance to lead the team.†- Coach Lung

How do you feel about your players?

“They are fabulous, when I first saw them in day one of practice, they all have shown much more than the scouting reports had indicated. We have a really good group of players here. I had a chance to talk to them individually, they all appreciate the chance to play in Canada, they all want to play for the Syclones. I think this is a really important aspect. You like to have someone who wants to be here.†- Coach Lung

What expectation do you have for the season?

“I don’t want to be too optimistic or pessimistic, but I will promise that we will go out and compete in every game. What this can bring us at the end of the season is what we deserve.†- Coach Lung

What style is your team going to play?

“I already have a game plan on how to approach different situation, whether we are at home or away, or leading or behind. Its all about situational soccer. That’s all I can say for now†- Coach Lung

What do you think about the chance of your team?

“It is hard to tell, but we have a lot of good guys here, we are all hardworking. For me, being the number one pick, theres gonna be extra pressure on my shoulder, but I’m sure that I can handle this, I will try to bring this team as far as possible. I will say getting to the playoff is our main goal right now.†- Landon Donovan

What are your thoughts on playing for the Syclones?

“Honestly, I didn’t think I will get picked in the draft, but when the Syclones selected me, I am more than happy in playing in North America. I think it is a good chance for me and my family to have a new start. I am very happy with the direction of the club, they are committed to build a championship team. I want to finish my career here, I will bring my A game every time, as the captain, I have to be a model of the others. I want to bring a championship here.†- Antonis Nikopolidis

This is the end of the show, I will see you on April 2nd for the season opener.

[Ricky Lung]

SEASON OPENER

The Toronto Syclones played their first ever competitive game yesterday. They are on the road to take on their rival, the New Liskeard North. They put out a starting lineup which is pretty much the same as the projected lineup on all the news. They made only one change, they put Ryan Jarvis in to replace Thiago due to injury.

They have shown in the game that they can win, they put up 25 shots during the first half, though only 8 of them are on target. They also took control of the ball for the first half. It was an action-filled first half. The first franchise goal was a beauty, Claudio Husain hit from 25 out and the ball curled into the top right corner. He was all alone in the area and was given all the world of time. The North changed formation in the second half and pulled back a lot of possessions. While the North tried so hard to tie the game up, the Syclones extended the lead. They captured a miscue of the North corner and hit the counter attack, and Ryan Jarvis showed he will be a star in the future. He got the ball near the midfield line and dribbled into the box and finished the goal with a chip over the goalkeeper to the far post. We may have witnessed one of the top of goals of the season in the first week. The North pulled one back with six minutes to goal, the Syclones switched to a counter attack mode, and they hold on and won 2-1. Ryan Jarvis made the most out of the opportunities he got, netting a goal and was the man of the match.

Post Game Thoughts

“…I am really happy that we have a winning start to the season, playing up north is always difficult, it will be more difficult when we have to go to Alaska to play the Wolves. They have a good team, they did not show up in the first half, but they came out strong after the break, it was a fairly close game when you look at the full time stats, but thanks to two wonderful goals, we came out on top this time…†- Coach Lung

[Al Clark]

For full stats see the latest edition of MLS Gazette, published by Omer.

MLS Gazette - Tables, Rosters and Stats

[ryanmt]

Texas Run Ended by Nashville

The Texas Longhorns survived a stretch where seemingly all of their first choice options in attack were injured and managed to prolong its season opening undefeated stretch to 12 games (7 wins and 5 draws). Starting with the seventh fixture, results included a 0-0 draw with Nerdington, a 1-0 victory (goal by Ademolu) over United of Boston, a 1-1 draw with Muskegon (goal by Ademolu), and a 1-1 draw against Kentucky (goal for Will John). That wrapped up a stretch of 5 draws in 6 games, where the Texas offense was clearly dwindling. Thanks in part to the return to fitness by Jemal Johnson, Texas then won at Marquette 3-1, with Jemal scoring 2 and Will John scoring the other. Playmaker Rivaldo had been awarded MLS Player of the Month for April before being injured and missing several games, but was able though to recover in time to play the next game at Toronto. The Brazilian scored the game winning penalty, adding to goals by Will John and Jemal Johnson, to give Texas a close 3-2 win over what Texas manager Ryan Thompson called "the Landon Donovan solo show."

Unfortunately for Texas, all good things eventually come to an end. Despite taking the lead early on through Craig Capano against Nashville, the Longhorns eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat. Curiously, several MLS games that day were postponed due to international call-ups. Though Texas lost the services of some key players to national team duty, the Nashville-Texas fixture went on as originally scheduled. When asked about this, Thompson was not amused: "We lost (keeper Olexandr) Shovkovsky, Cory Gibbs, and (Jonathan) Spector. Those three have started every game and formed the heart of our defense. And yet somehow our game wasn't moved like some others were. I'll just say I find it to be interesting." After being asked bluntly by a reporter if he was just being a complainer and making excuses for his team, Thompson said, "Yeah probably. Credit to Nashville, they deserve it. Bastards."

The Guitar Slingers' victory was also significant because it means the race in the Southern Conference (sometimes also known as the Western) is heating up and likely to be contested till the very end. Nashville are now within three of Texas' MLS leading 26 points. Kentucky has also looked in good form recently and are poised to close the gap.

[Al Clark]

Signs of Life

Kentucky finally found some form in recent weeks, going the last 7 games unbeaten, though their propensity to draw games is holding them back from seriously mounting a charge up the table.

"We're improving, but we're not up to the standards of Texas or Nashville yet."

Scoring still seems to be the Kaiser's biggest issue, only five players have scored and all but Josh Wolff haen't mustered more than 2 for the year. Wolff's six goals have almost single-handledly fueled the good run.

Player form has been sketchy, some of the biggest names have thus far disappointed considerably. "If we could just get EJ, Freidel, and another centre back playing well, we'd be some team."

Clark moved the KK to a 5-3-2 Attacking formation, and away from his trademark 4-4-2 that he's used for more than a decade. "I had to try and work with the players I had. The injuries to Reyna, Freidel, and the two Brazillians scuppered my plans for a 4-4-2, and after our horrendous run to start the season I had to act. That's what a a manager does and what I'm paid to do.."

The reserves have been turning up the heat in the Reserve League, with Chris Greer blasting 4 goals in a single game. His form was good enough to warrant some minutes for the first team. "Our squad is young, none more so than Greer and Lensky, but we're set here for years. Our average age is somewhere in the region of 22 years old, and our first team average about 25. In two years I expect this to be our league, but I'm not prepared to just hang around until then."

[SonicAD]

Mismatch Start Off Weak, but Not Out Yet

Muskegon's freshman year in the MLS was supposed to see them as one of the top teams, however one-third of the way into the season they find themselves dead last with 2 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses for a total of 12 points. Despite this lack of success, the Mismatch are only 3 points out of the playoffs, and with another two-thirds to go they are not dead yet.

Though there hasn't been any turnover since the start of the season, the team has difficulty keeping a consistent lineup, with only 5 players able to play in more than 10 games. Some of this is due to injury, but most of it appears to be a lack of chemistry between the players.

Coach Serafinski slammed his defense, saying, "We've given up far too many goals, and it's certainly not Keller's fault. Our opponents are getting far too many opportunities to make shots. Some of the players are saying that it's the tactics, but it can't be that, I'm always right!" He then noted that he was considering a new "1-2-3-4" tactic in the next game, calling it his "best yet."

The lack of goals has also been a problem, but Serafinski intends to continue the partnership of Brian Ching and Avi Nimni up front, following the latter's return from injury, and perhaps with Cooper and Sabry as well if his new formation works out. "I know we can make the playoffs, the question is, are my players going to be good enough?" summarized Serafinski.

[stuhopkins2003]

Tearing Toronto a New One....

New Likseard embarked on their first visit south to the hated Scyclones barn and promptly taught their hosts side a comprehensive lesson in soccer.

Toronto were left reeling the entire match, struggling to cope under the vicious Northmen's onslaught.

"Syclones..."sneered manager Stu Hopkins,"more like...suck a** clones."

The home side were left thoroughly demoralized by the Northmen's visit. An Eddie Pope own goal was the only goal that the visitors needed to see off their overmatched rivals...1-0.

"This almost gets rid of that awful taste in our mouths..."said the gaffer,"that was left when we dropped our home opener to these bums."

The victory gave New Liskeard an impressive 4 wins in a row...after opening the season with 3 straight losses.

Immediatley after the game, the 'Green Machine' raced home to host the Muskegon MisMatch.

"They're more like the Muskegon 'overmatched',"sneered the manager after the home side ran riot over their hapless guests...3-0.

The game was also noteworthy thanks to the injury to first team goalie, Jarmoir Blazek. Youngster Matt Pickens came in and pro

tected the clean sheet for the senior man.

Up next for the runaway train that is New Liskeard were the vaunted FC Boston team. Boston had shellacked 'Liskeard in their first meeting...4-0...despite that game being very nearly even...everywhere but the scoreboard.

Now, Liskeard had their opportunity for revenge...at home..in front of their legions of diehard supporters...at the dreaded....Widowmaker.

Matt Pickens made his first ever start, deputising for the injured Blazek. His form was as erratic as befitting a young keeper, but the home side rallied together and held the opposition to a single goal. Radzinski notched an equaliser and the Northmen's unbeaten streak stretched to six games. 1-1 final score.

Next up for New Liskeard was a tough away match to Vancouver. Very quickly, the unbeaten streak was over...and Blazek, (just back from injury), managed to get himself stretchered off again. Less said about the match, the better. The gaffer was tactically outclassed and lucky to get off as lightly as he did, 0-2.

The Northmen then flew back to New Liskeard to entertain that bunch of fruitless hoofers...Alaska. The scoreline was kind once more to the Alaska side, despite being trounced in every way, the final scoreline read a comparitively close 3-1.

"Alaska..."sneered Hopkins,"They should stick to cycling..."

Trader Al and his underachieving Kentucky team were the next side to entertain New Liskeard. In a thoroughly exciting encounter, both sides made swiss cheese out of their opponent's defence.

2-3 read the final scoreline...and the fans went home unlucky not to have seen more goals.

After 12 games, the New Liskeard side sits at 6 wins, 5 losses, and a draw...and first in the East.

Next up for the Northmen? Back to back home matches against their hated rivals Texas and Toronto.

"Texas..."sneered the gaffer,"'Home of the mentally incompetent.' And I mean Ryan....not Bush...well...him too, actually."

"We're gonna teach those good ol boys a little something about roundball."

And Toronto? "Ricky knows how I feel...and so does the rest of that filthy city."

[perpetua]

For full stats see the latest edition of MLS Gazette.

MLS Gazette - Tables, Rosters and Stats

312[/snapback]

[perpetua]

Injuries Could Spell Trouble for High Flying Lions

With more than half the season gone, the battle for home field advantage in the East has heated up with main challengers Vancouver, Alaska and New Liskeard looking strong. With only 13 matches left in the regular season, Vancouver will face Toronto at home follwed by rivals Kentucky, Boston and Texas away from home in the coming weeks. Good results from these matches will go far in Vancouver making a claim for the Eastern Conference first seed.

Injuries may be a problem however as defensive leader Alpay has been ruled out for up to two weeks and striker Carlos Ruiz could be out for up to a month. Earlier in the season Vancouver lost goalkeeper Brad Guzan to a lengthy injury but Troy Perkins has deputised well and has taken over from Guzan as the top choice keeper.

Poor performances for Dany Califf has also kept the strong defender on the sidelines as younster Clarence Goodson has taken over as the partner for Alpay. But with alpay out, Califf is set to return to the starting lineup.

Injury to Ruiz has not been felt just yet as Chad Barrett and Alan Gordon have both filled in nicely contributing with goals and assists. Taylor Twellman has rewarded the Vancouver management for picking him up in the second round of the draft with 12 goals thus far as he ranks second in the goalscoring standings behind the unstoppable Ebbe Sand.

Perhaps the real story of the season has been the emergence of Emanuel Sarki. The 17 year old Nigerian defensive midfielder has been solid and looks to be an excellent late round pickup for Vancouver.

The Lions have also made a few roster moves recently, trading away third string keeper Will Hesmer to Kentucky Kaisers. In return the young winger Arturo Alvarez was acquired to provide cover for Justin Mapp who will be out for up to three months. Long time target, Steve Cronin was picked up to be the third choice keeper and fill the hole left behind by the departure of Hesmer.

[Al Clark]

Consolidation.

The Mighty KK Blues have proven tough to beat of late, going on a nice 10 game unbeaten run and beating some of the leagues top teams in the process. With just four defeats in their first 19 games, Clark's boys are coming together nicely.

Only two obstacles stand in their way.....

The first is a seemingly endless injury list, including at one point recently five full USMNT players (Freidel, EJ, Reyna, Wolff and Albright), namely the core of the team. The young deputies filled in admirably, though were run over in a single game, at home to rivals Marquette.

That defeat against the Iron Rangers represents problem #2. Clark was given a harsh dressing down by the Chairman, who seemed to forget this was the first defeat in 11 games and was also silent after KK crushed Marquette in the middle of that run. This selective memory had Clark stewing as the board downgraded Clark's approval rating to satisfactory. With the Kaiser's tied for 2nd place in the West/South, Clark was understandably aggrieved..."What a ******", he spewed under his breath.

Thankfully, Clark bounced back with a win against the tidy Alaskan side and then a 2-0 bruising of West Champs-elect Texas, inflicting only their 3rd defeat of the year.

Clark's team has lacked starpower, the individual to really set the team alight, yet, they still manage to get things done. Brian Mullan and Christian Rodriguez have stepped in to fill some of the gaps and have done well. Marko Lomic, who returned to the team after ousting Paul Broome, has been in excellent form, garnering 4 MOM votes in the last half dozen games.

Goals remain hard to come by, with KK only averaging a goal a game, in either end. Wolff remains the Kentucky Top Gun, despite having played in only 11 starts (2 sub apps) with 6 goals. Rodriguez's run of form has seen him hit the net 4 times and chip in with a few helpers to boot.

Goalkeeping became a massive issue as Freidel was injured fro 3 months. Hartman, a more than able deputy, who had been between the posts most of the season because of an earlier injury was also stricken down, leaving clark without a recognised GK. "Didn't you know that would come back and bite me?! said Clark, referring to his option to go with just 2 keepers. Will Hesmer's acquisition cost Arturo Alvarez, acceptable given the circumstances. Hartman returned in the last couple of games and stood on his head a couple of times to keep the opposition at bay. "At this rate Kevin will be our #1. Brad needs to get back to fitness soon, else he could find himself expendable once he's fit. He's on high wages, and on his day is one of the best goalies alive. But he's never known an unjury run like this, so I hope it ends soon. Nothing would be better for KK than having two top GK's dueling it out for the starting spot. Until then, Will Hesmer will have a chance to earn a return next season as Kevin's back up."

With 13 games to go, Kentucky are well positioned 9pts ahead of the 5th placed team. "It's not in the bank, but I'd like to think we're playing for home field advantage, not as to whether or not we'll make the playoffs." Presumptuous? Perhaps. Tempting fate? Definitely.

[perpetua]

FINAL PUSH

With only 13 games remaining in the season, the battle for the playoff berths is heating up. The top three teams in the Northern Conference is slightly pulling away, but don't count the bottom three teams out just yet, they still have a shot of getting the home court advantage.

The Toronto Syclones should be very pleased on what they have done so far this season, they are on top of the injury report almost every single week, they don't have their desired starting lineup out there since week #3. And with only 20 bodies for the most part (they have added a new player last week, 21 players right now), a lot of players were forced to play out of their normal position. And yet they are just one point out of the final playoff spot.

The coaching staff have done an excellent job this season, the players' abilities is increasing drasticly every day, and the young talents had shown some very promising performance the last few matches.

Lets do a quick recap of the past 6 games:

The Syclones posted a 2-2-2 record during the last 6 games. First they put up the best game they have since week number three, they controlled the game in Nashville for the most part, and fired out a good 20-shot performance. Unfortunately, they hit the crossbar and the post a few times, which prevented them from getting a bigger win. They won the game 2-1.

They continued their road trip in Alaska and "The North". They just didn't come to play in these two games, the home teams dominated the game and ended up winning 4-1 and 2-1 respectively.

They then flied home for a three game homestand. They got away with a point against Rochester despite a poor display. They had a narrow win over the Nerdington after that. The final game of the homestand may turn out causing them a playoff berth at the end. The Boston United came into town. The Sylcones dominated the game with over 20 shot attempts, but a lot of them had been poorly handled. They also hold the ball more than 60% of the time. Despite playing with a man advantage for almost 80 minutes, the Sylcones can only take the lead at the 87th minute. Just when they thought they have this game, the United headed home their only shot attempt just before the whistle. They Sylcones lost out on 2 valuable points.

They have a very tough schedule ahead of them, let see how they will finish the rest of the season.

[perpetua]

For full stats see the latest edition of MLS Gazette.

MLS Gazette - Tables, Rosters and Stats

[ryanmt]

Playoffs Looming for Texas

Good recent form has the Texas Longhorns getting nearer to clinching a spot in the MLS Playoffs. The Longhorns are first in their conference and are comfortably sitting 20 points above fifth place Nerdington with nine fixtures remaining. Considering this and that the Texas plays six of those games in Austin, Orangeblood fans can be confident that the playoffs are a virtual certainty for their Longhorns. Though humiliated 4-0 by Alaska, Texas enjoyed victories recently over Marquette, Nashville, and United of Boston, while battling to a 2-2 tie with Vancouver in a matchup between the two best teams (based off of point totals) in MLS. The Longhorns also pulled out a dramatic 3-2 victory in an entertaining NA Cup game, also against Vancouver. Unfortunately, playmaker Rivaldo was injured in the contest, but unlike the last time the Brazilian was unavailable, Texas has Juan Pablo Garcia healthy and the Mexican has been in good form. Coming up in MLS for Texas are Toronto, Nerdington, and Muskegon. Texas will also play Rochester in the quarter final round of the NA Cup.

In related news, Jemal Johnson (pictured) continues to surprise and is now fourth in the entire league in goal scoring. Though still always not guaranteed a place, he has helped answer the preseason concern that Texas had no proven goal scorers.

Finally, there are rumors that Jack Jewsbury is on the verge of being traded...

[Al Clark]

Kaisers King of Their Hill...well, not yet

The Kaisers continued their solid run of form of late, though their was a slight drop off, they still sport the second lowest number of defeats and third highest points totals in the whole of MLS.

A drubbing by rivals Vancouver did not please the board, but overall the are happy with the way KK have been playing. "The board showed me no quarter when we lost to the Lions, they didn't care about our staggering injury list 9/27 players injured, including 7 1st team starters. But we bounced back and the quality in depth we have here shone through."

The injury list was spectacualr, forcing Clark to change his training schemes to less intensive. "I don't know if there's a correlation there or not, as most guys were getting injured in games, but we figured it was worth a go."

The team, still playing a 5-3-2 Attacking variation, has been very solid without excelling, this could be a worry ahead of the playoffs. The players are getting the jobs done, but few are standing out. A good team effort? Or overachievers? The average ratings of most KK players would suggest they were a team on the verge of missing the playoffs. Couple with the lack of a deadly finisher this term, one wonders how they have continued to achieve at the level they have - with now only 2 defeats in the last 17 games?

"Tactical genuis" suggested the gaffer. Perhaps, but this star-sudded team should be doing more than scraping by. Claudio Reyna has justified his selection int he draft and has been every bit the Captain for Kentucky, having the top average rating (7.19) as well as contributing 7 goals in 21 contests from the centre of midfield. He recently blasted a Cup hatrick against a happless USL team en route to a 5-0 crushing. It was all for nought though, as the Kaiser's fell to the Syclones in the next round. Revenge was exacted quickly though with a follow up in the league shortly after, and Clark's men responded properly.

With the injuries thinning out, and almost all players likely to be available in the next 2-3 weeks, Clark's team should be at full strength ahead of the play offs. With a 10 point lead on 3rd placed Nashville, they will likely start the playoffs at home and seem to be destined for a showdown with Texas - clearly the best team in the West/South - to represent the conference in the final. But, playoffs through up surprises every time, and no one can discount any team in this league. The inaugural season has seen some fantastical results, so no one is resting on their laurels ahead of the season run-in.

[Al Clark]

MLSnet.com Special : Claudio Reyna. From the Kentucky Kaiser's Official Website

[perpetua]

[perpetua]

For full stats see the latest edition of MLS Gazette.

MLS Gazette - Tables, Rosters and Stats

[perpetua]

Playoffs Ahead for the Lions

Despite being predicted as a longshot at the beginning of the season, the Lions have done all they can to prove their quality all season long. Top scorer Taylor "Twelly" Twellman has managed to already write himself into the history books by scoring 23 goals in Vancouver's inaugural season. Despite ensuring the playoffs, the Lions have a tough road ahead as their star striker is out for the rest of the regular season after tearing his calf muscle in the 0-0 draw against Marquette.

The Lions had been on a tear after starting the first 1/3 of the season on less than stellar form. But with 5 regular season matches remaining, Vancouver seems to be on the right track tied for the league lead in points, goals scored and leading the league in fewest goals conceded.

Despite all the positives, Justin Mapp, Eggie Gaven and Taylor Twellman's injuries could spell trouble for Vancouver whose only fit attacking threat Carlos Ruiz has had an indifferent season with the Lions. To be fair, he stepped up huge against rivals Alaska recently contributing immensely in the historical 5-1 win against the Arctic Wolves. But Ruiz has not been as prolific as Taylor Twellman all season long and can not alwys be counted on to step up big.

Vancouver hopes to complete the signing of a striker in the next few days to replace Twellman in the short run but with a squad full of players already in place, it remains to be seen who will be released to make room. Manager Roger Saint-Vil is likley to rest his players from now until the end of the season to give players on the fringe of the first team some chances to shine while resting key players before the playoffs.

[stuhopkins2003]

Northmen fall to provincial side in cup semis...

The mighty Green Machine, The New Liskeard Northmen, dropped a home decision to a semi-pro side out of Seattle. Despite playing the entire game in the Seattle half, the home side were unable to fully break down their opposition. A half chance was completed by the visitors shortly before the break, and despite throwing everything but the kitchen sink at their opponents, the Northmen failed to find the equaliser.

"It was my fault,"Stu Hopkins explained,"I had looked past Seattle and was anticipating the final against either Toronto or Rochester. The game had already been won in my heart."

A great chance to secure silverware in the inaugural season of the new MLS, has gone begging.

It has been that kind of a season for the Northmen...full of ups and downs and missed chances. The Northmen have enjoyed three wins in three meetings against their Alaska neighbours, but have been unable to steal any points from bottom side Boston. The points won at the expense of the Arctic Wolves are the chief reason the Northmen find themselves with a slight cushion over the bottom three clubs in their divison...and the main reason why Alaska find themselves trailing Vancouver in the standings.

Top class internationals have not been the stalwarts they had been hoped to be at the start of the season. Karel Poborsky and Darren Huckerby have been inconsistent and have failed to show the performances their wage packets would seem to warrant. Keeper Blazek has been sensational...when not on the trainer's table. Only Alan Shearer has played up to his press clippings.

The gaffer, Hopkins, was embarassed when told about Toronto's coach Lung's glowing praise of him.

"He's the guy I'm in awe of. We got a lucky goal in the beginning of the match, and the play seemed to be fairly level. Then he makes a tactical adjustment, and bam! Two seconds later, its all square. Then his side bossed the park! In desperation I tore a strip off of the lads at half and gave young Adu some space to work with. Luckily enough, the boy wonder found some magic and put us ahead. It was a fortunate performance."

"This doesn't mean I don't hate Toronto. I know what the derby means to our fans, and I have no intention of letting them down. We'll be putting them to the sword again, soon enough."

The gaffer also discussed his side's impressive 3-3 draw against Texas.

"Great game, great goals by both sides. We led for a while, then they did, and at the end only a great goal from Shearer allowed us to escape with a point. But we'll gladly take a point from a travel to Texas. They've shown themselves to be the class of this league."

"Of course, we were starting our third string keeper, Zach Wells...with Blazek in net we probably would of thrashed those Texas tarts."

"When we meet our rivals next, be it this year's finals or next year, we'll be sure to get the result."

[Ricky Lung]

FINAL MONTH

We are approching the first ever playoff of this new restructured MLS, which has expanded to Canadian cities compare to only having US teams before. All three Canadian teams are assigned in the Northern Conference, along with Rochester and Boston. With only a month left in the regular season, the Canadian teams are doing very well, with Vancouver leading the Northern Conference, New Liskeard is sitting at 3rd. Though it is not official, but we know they both have locked up a playoff spot.

With three more playoff spots still up for grap, three teams in the North are competing for one spot, while three teams are fighting for two. The Toronto Syclones are still in the hunt for the final spot in the North, only two points seperating the Kings, the Syclones, and the United.

The Sylcones were six points behind the Kings three games ago, but they did a pretty good job the last three games, and with the help of the others, they are within a point.

MLS Recap:

First, they travelled to Texas to play the Longhorns. With Coach Thompson having some technical difficulty and had to leave half way through the match, the Syclones took advantage of it, and they hang on to win 1-0. It was a very important game for them. They then headed back home to play the North. The North are playing amazing football all season long, the playcalling of Coach Hopkins is excellent. The Syclones tied the game up at one apiece shortly after the break, and seems to get the crown going with a few other close chances. Coach Hopkins changed his formation, loading up the left side, and they never let the Syclones to get any chances the rest of the way. They lost 2-1 at home. Due to the international callups, the 'big game' against the Kings has been rescheduled twice. This gave Toronto another chance to pull closer before they play the 'big game'. Of cause they have to take care of business before they play the Kings, or else it will not be big anymore. They did just that when they host the Guiter Slingers. The Syclones put a lot of pressure the last time this two teams met, they were denied a big win only by the crossbar and the posts. This time around, the Slingers are playing without their head coach. With the crowd behind them, they put up the biggest win in franchise history. Occean scored a hat-trick and helped the Syclones to win 5-0. With two cleansheets the last 3 games, the Syclones defense are starting to get together.

Now the showdown between the Syclones and the Kings is on. Their head to head results are even, so with the standing and the tiebreaker on the line, the Syclones are almost cannot afford to lose this game. they have to at least come out with a draw. But of cause, they want to win the game and put themselves in the driver seat. They will play three very tough games to close out the season, so they have to try and get the maximum the next three games against the Kings, the United and the Express.

NA Cup Recap:

The Syclones roll their way to the final after knocking out the United and the Kings. They had a comfortable win over the United, which the game was decided at the break basically when the score was 3-0. They need an extra time Bajek strike to knock off Rochester. The Syclones are now in the final and will play Seattle. Seattle had won the cup before. Coach Lung had never been to the Open Cup final during his Metros' career. If they play their usual game like they do this season, they should come out with their first silverware in team history.

[Al Clark]

Playoffs Signed and Sealed

The Kaisers are playing well as the regular season winds down, and are still in with an outside chance of the Supporter's Shield. Just two points behind the Longhorns and Lions, anything could happen in the final 5 games. Clark was humble about his chances of finishing top, "I'd love it, but texas have been the best team all year and I suppose it only figures that they should finish top. I'm not going to give it to them though, as I know how important homefield advantage can be."

The Kaisers clearly benefitted from their returning stars, with almost a full squad at his disposal Clark is primed for the playoffs.

Transfer gossip is swirling that a deal has been struck between KK and the Rochester Kings. Details are currently sketchy, but it's being billed as a blockbuster. Rumors indicate that Eddie Johnson could be the departing player from COmmonweath, and with a serious need at DC, a swap deal involving

Oguchi Oneywu seems the most likely.

Clark repsonded, "nothing is finalized, and until it is, well, then I have no comment".

"I want to recognise my wingbacks - Paul Broome and Chris Albright - who have been in excellent form and help make our transition to the 5-3-2 work. It's about time a couple of the other players on my team got the credit they are due; Josh Wolff has been a big time player for us, and his goals have been a massive plus for this side, which has otherwise been quite goalshy. Christian Rodriguez, a kid from Uruguay, has also been awesome. He's got all the tools and upside. He will play with the best one day and I'm just trying to make sure this club matches his ability, I don't want him to out grow us."

"That's all for now guys, we've got to get back to the training fields...."

[TristanTheGreat]

Staring at the Abyss

This season has been a tough one for the Rochester Kings. It's been a season featuring injuries to the goalkeepers, injuries to the midfielders, injuries to forwards, injuries to the ballboys, and injuries to the manager.

Now with six games left in the regular season, the Kings are hanging on to the last playoff in the Eastern Conference by a single point; a disappointing outcome for a team featuring the likes of Ebbe Sand, Christian Gomez, Ronnie O'Brien, Oguchi Onyewu, and Christian Nerlinger. How did they get to this point? It certainly didn't start well...

It all started shortly after the SuperDraft for Kings manager Tristan Oberle. In an epsiode reminiscent of the kidnapping of Cruz Azul manager Ruben Omar Romano, Tristan was taken captive by rabid fans demanding season tickets. Needless to say, this put somewhat of a damper on the Kings' pre-season preparations. Finally, the day before the first game of the season, an agreement was reached for Tristan's release. Then, to add insult to injury, his captors got into a car accident driving him to his release point. Shattering a car window with his head, Oberle would be forced to spend the first few days of the new season in the hospital recovering, but was alright to manage by Matchday Two.

Judging by early results, Oberle's head injury resulted in his forgetting what defense was, for in Rochester's first 13 games they allowed 29 goals. It didn't help that both of the Kings' goalkeepers, Joe Cannon and Noah Palmer were injured and amateur reinforcements had to be brought in.

At the same time, the Kings proved to be one of the most exciting teams in the league, scoring 26 goals of their own. Most of the goals came thanks to team captain and former Schalke 04 star Ebbe Sand. Having recently retired from international football, Sand turned his newfound focus on club football into spectacular form, scoring 13 goals in the team's first 8 games.

As the season has worn on, the Kings have been forced to temper their all-out offensive approach in an effort to keep the scoresheet a little more even. The practice has worked somewhat, but the results have stayed the same. Following a possibly season-ending injury to Sand, as well as the release of Joe Cannon after many episodes of random goalkeeper wandering, the Kings are now looking to rookie goalie Robbie Fulton, and the strike partnership of Nate Jaqua and Alecko Eskandarian to save the season.

Can it be done? It is tough to say. It is rumored that Kings management has a move or two up ready to go in time for the transfer deadline. Whatever moves are made, Rochester would be well-served to end the season on a tear, for if the playoffs started today they would face the best team in the league this season, Roger Saint-Vil's Vancouver Lions.

[perpetua]

For full stats see the latest edition of MLS Gazette.

MLS Gazette - Tables, Rosters and Stats

[SonicAD]

Mismatch Hire 'New' Manager, Still Suck

Having lead them to dead last in the MLS, Muskegon Mismatch manager Frank Serafinski was fired by the Mismatch board with only a few games to go. Despite being smart enough to fire him, they obviously weren't smart enough to realize that they had hired him again. The Mismatch hired one Frank Serafinski II, who we believe is the exact same Frank Serafinski to originally manage the team, only with the II suffix attached. Calls to members of the Mismatch board weren't returned, but we did get a moment to speak with Serafinski. When asked whether he was the same manager as before, he replied with a "No, that's preposterous!" and a wink. Unsurprisingly, he went on to finish the season in last place with 29 points, 9 points out of the playoffs. The good news is the Mismatch will have the first pick in the SuperDraft, with may help them make a quick turnaround.

[Al Clark]

PLAYOFFS!!

Conference Semi Finals

Northern Conference:

Vancouver Lions....................... Alaska Arctic Wolves

.......................................................VS

Rochester Kings....................... New Liskeard North FC

Southern Conference:

Kentucky Kaisers..................... Texas Longhorns

.......................................................VS

Marquette Iron Rangers........... Nerdington Express