The Drubbing

Fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts everywhere awoke this morning to find ESPN2 airing funny accents, dribbling and goals rather than the usual rods and reels. I can only imagine the horror they felt.

In a move that will make any US soccer fan weep with joy, ESPN has recently, and at the 11th hour, secured the rights to up to two English Premier League fixtures per week.  The two time slots fall at 7:45 AM EST or 10:00 AM EST on Saturdays and all of the Monday 3:00 PM EST fixtures.  With the top league in the world now on a major cable network for all to see, soccer will have its day here in this country. Even if it is quite early on Saturday morning, especially for the West Coast viewership.

But this morning, while watching Chelsea v. Hull City in HD, I couldn’t help but think how great it is that the highest level of soccer will be on display for those who find little joy in the currently mediocre talents of the MLS. The sight of Didier Drogba scoring from a vicious set-piece to draw Chelsea level at 1-1 had me yelling at the top of my lungs before the 9 o’clock hour had even rolled around, leaving my wife truly worrying about my mental state.
Continue reading “Christmas Morning for Soccer Fans in US” →

If an expansion team is added in the MLS, does anyone know about it? I guess not. This one came as a shocker to me. In 2010 the MLS will have a new team, the Philadelphia Union. The only thing more shocking to most people I’ve talked to was that the MLS was still around.

David Beckham was supposed to be the savior of the MLS. There was supposed to be a flood of international talent that would rush over the league upon his arrival. To his credit there were a few players that defected from more popular leagues. But all that hype and media coverage lasted for a month or so.
Continue reading “The MLS is expanding, that’s right, expanding” →

Dear US, prepare to be dismantled. Love, David Villa.

The United States Men’s National Soccer Team find themselves in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup in South Africa.  However, when they meet Spain on Wednesday in Bloemfontein (a completely real city, despite its seemingly fictitious name) they will not subsequently find themselves advancing to the finals.  Anything can happen in sports, but the fact that the US are in the semi-finals is a bit of a false indicator to the lay soccer fan.  In all honesty, they made it here by mistake.
Continue reading “Fumbling, Bumbling, Tumbling… Into the Semis.” →