WVHooligan - Soccer Blog

Very slow news Monday. Most people are spinning their own crap to just post…like myself. Nothing wrong with that though.

I love that everyone is still discussing yesterday’s US game with Ecuador. Some people comment during, some right after, and some like to let it all sit in and report on it the next day. Nothing wrong with it either way but a lot of the same feelings from everyone that I read.

Again, it seems as the more I read the more I get the feeling that people don’t like Dave O’Brien and how he handles his soccer broadcast. Going back to the tapes (oh yeah, old school VHS recording baby), I can agree. Random comments from O’Brien were just weird and very unnecessary to the game. I really could care less what NFL player Gooch looks like or would be like. Let’s face it, he is a soccer star, not some bench-warming tight end for the Deadskins.

I swear, the more I hear Wyanlda on a broadcast the more I complain about his comments. I swear, sometimes I believe he needs a good douse of broadcasting school or something. Sure some comments are okay and very justified, but the rest are meaningless complaints that just make him sound like a pure ass.

I felt Bruce Arena was the odd man out yesterday. He brings a lot of insight to the broadcast and dry humor that sometimes lacks in a broadcast. Gotta love the joke about Claudio Reyna and him “walking on at UVA”. How many people do you believe took that seriously?

Again, I will say the good-cop/bad-cop segment at halftime was wasteful. I needed more substance to really give it a shot. It was just 2 minutes of Wynalda spinning his own bullshit. The MLS is getting a theme song…okay? I sort of like the idea but I am also put off by it, just as I am by the insight given about the league telling all the teams to cut the grass the same way. What, do the refs feel they can judge better if the Toolbox has the same line cuts as Giant Stadium? I really don’t get the idea behind it. Plus, its more fun to see random designs that the ground keepers get to do on the pitch.

I loved that Bob Bradley keeps taking chances with unproven players getting their first caps with the team. Fielhaber and his own son Michael Bradley were great sparks to the team in the midfield yesterday and should be staples of this team for the future. I love where the team is going with youth, speed, and lots of guts. These kits don’t care who they are playing and don’t get nervous either way.

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MLS action in preseason.

Puerto Rico USL-MLS Challenge:
Thursday
Los Angeles 3-2 Rochester
Puerto Rico 1-0 Dallas
Sunday
Los Angeles 2-1 Puerto Rico
Dallas 2-0 Rochester

-LA Galaxy were handed the title because of David Beckham.

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Carolina Challenge Cup
Saturday
Houston 2-0 Toronto
Charleston 0-1 New York
Wednesday
Toronto v New York
Houston v Charleston

Apparently Houston made Toronto look like a true expansion side and New York played like New York.

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Kansas City has shipped defender Shavar Thomas to Los Angeles for a draft pick next year. ….Yaaay

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Jeff Rusnak reports about the future of soccer in Florida. I always hated seeing the MLS leave the sun-shine state but it was a thing they needed to do at the time. I never expect them to return though. I still believe Tampa is a better location than Miami. Though Rusnak talks about Miami, more importantly FIU in Miami building a new stadium that could host an MLS team. I don’t like it one bit really. It sounds like Lockhart all over again to me for some reason.

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Bob Kellet from the Timbers blog talks about a possible MLS team in the great Northwest. His sources(?) say it could be somewhere up north in Portland, Seattle or elsewhere. I have always loved the idea of a team up in that region of the country. I still believe it is necessary for the league to eventually expand to that area. The key word however is eventually. It should be done and I hope 10 years from now it will be done.

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Bill Urban talks about how the MLS needs to expand their Reserve Division. I love the idea, it would only benefit the league that much more. And plus you have to admit we are still many, many years behind other reserve systems around the world. It may be a major step but it would be a good one I believe.

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A non-soccer talk…the Final Four is set and my bracket is still okay…for those who care I got three of four correct and hopefully I can get the correct final game and champion.

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