FIFA World Cup Selection Team Continues Visit: United States Looking Good

As of  last check  over 1,007,987 soccer fans had cast their vote on the Bid City Leader board, at gousabid.com, this in an effort to help lure either World Cup 2018 or 2022 here to the United States. Soccer fans in Houston, Texas, led the crusade with over 72,000 votes. Is your city in the Top 10?   Rank City Supporters 1 Houston 72,714 2 Miami 69,125 3 Tampa Bay 62,517 4 Los Angeles 62,051 5 NY/NJ 57,556 6 Philadelphia 48,922 7 Seattle 41,269 8 Atlanta 39,709 9 Washington DC 35,696 10 Baltimore 34,010 If you would like to help the cause and have not yet voted, you can do so at www.gousabid.com  Earlier this week, a FIFA inspection team led by Harold Mayne-Nicholls arrived in the United States to tour our facilities and attend events related to the U.S. bid. The delegation, which is expected to remain stateside until Sept. 10, will travel with members of the USA Bid Committee to five U.S. cities. Currently the United States is one of nine countries bidding to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, but at the moment most critics agree that England is probably the front- runner to entertain the 2018 World Cup. Nonetheless, the USA bid committee forges on and has assembled a group of powerful board members to boot.  A board that includes the likes of former president Bill Clinton, who is also its honorary ...

Seattle Sounders Face Defending MLS Champion Real Salt Lake

Seattle Sounders FC and reigning MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake, two teams currently demonstrating winning ways, clash in a late-season Western Conference showdown Thursday night before a national television audience and capacity crowd on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. First kick is 8 p.m. PT with the match telecast live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.Undefeated in its last four games against Western Conference foes, the Rave Green seeks its fourth straight home win before beginning an odyssey of four road matches being played in three nations over 12 days. Real Salt Lake will be returning to the site of its most glorious night.  That occurred last November 22 when it prevailed over the L.A. Galaxy in a shoot-out to claim its first MLS Cup. Sounders FC has compiled a 9-9-5 mark for 32 points in league play.  The team stands 12-11-7 overall.  It has recently been on domestic tear, losing only once with a glossy 7-1-2 mark in 10 games. The next phase of matches will prove challenging as well as seasonally pivotal. The next two MLS games come against defending champion RSL and the Columbus Crew, winner of the last two Supporters' Shields and Coach Sigi Schmid’s former ...

Tyrone Marshall: Seattle Sounders Defender, Jamaican National Team Member

Tyrone Marshall wears the smile of a content man.  Spend a few minutes talking to him and you immediately learn why. Following a recent workout at the Seattle Sounders’ Tukwila training facility, Marshall spent some time talking about his career.  He promptly revealed the basis for his happiness.“From the time I was a very young boy I wanted to be a soccer player,” Marshall said.  “I got my dream fulfilled by getting to make my living playing the game I love.”Marshall was born in Kingston, Jamaica and moved with his family to Fort Lauderdale at the age of 14.  He still retains some of his Jamaican accent along with certain customs, as evidenced by delivering the nation’s customary greeting of, “Hey, mon!”Soccer was a byproduct of Marshall’s genes, which explains at least in part why he was kicking a soccer ball around by the age of four.  Marshall’s father, bearing the distinguished British first name of Cornell, had a distinguished career in the sport.“My father began by playing semi-pro soccer,” Marshall said, “And finally he became a member of the Jamaican National Team.”The link to the Jamaican National Team is one in which son would ultimately follow father.The younger Marshall’s natural ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Columbus Crew: In Remembrance of What is To Come

On the ninth anniversary of one of America's darkest hours, Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy and Robert Warzycha's Columbus Crew clash in one of the most anticipated showdowns this season at the Home Depot Center.Omar Gonzalez's equalizer against the Chicago Fire on Saturday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois could be the spark plug the team needs to refuel their chances to win the Supporters' Shield.“We’ve played with more intensity today, it was a better performance," Arena said on the draw. "Our last two to four weeks the performance wasn’t good. Our performance today was much better than it’s been."The possibility of David Beckham returning to the field for this match is something the team can't pass up, especially captain Landon Donovan.“We need to liven things up a little bit,” Donovan said earlier this week. “When David gets back—I think David will help a lot. We need some fresh energy.”Donovan knows all too well the inevitability of parity playing a key role in the race for the Shield and the postseason.“It usually happens this time of year in MLS," Donovan said after Saturday's match. "Teams that get out fast have a tendency to get complacent and then everyone else is ...

Quick New England Revolution Surge Sinks Seattle Sounders 3-1

How does an eruption cause destruction? Ask Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid.  He could supply sad reflection on that point following his team’s 3-1 loss against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts Saturday night before 13,124 onlookers. The home team stood in last place while the Sounders due to a recent hot streak had finally clawed their way into playoff standing in the MLS Western Conference.  Additionally, the Sounders had scored their most decisive win of the campaign when the Revolution visited Qwest Field and scored a 3-0 win after gaining all of its goals in an explosive first half.Saturday’s encounter looked like it might have another smooth and favorable outcome for the Sounders when they got on the scoreboard with Steve Zakuani doing the honors.  The Congo-born and British-bred speedster delivered his goal in the 59th minute. The goal was generated on a feed from recent Uruguayan acquisition Alvaro Fernandez.  His delivery to James Riley was followed by a pass back to Zakuani, who beat Matt Reis with a low shot to the far left side for his eighth goal of the season. Not long after that the contretemps started and the Sounders were not the ...

Zero To Hero: Omar Gonzalez Bails LA Galaxy out in 1-1 Draw with Chicago Fire

We learned a few things from the Los Angeles Galaxy's 1-1 draw with the Chicago Fire. We learned that Bruce Arena's men ended their scoring drought. We learned that Tristan Bowen played one of the poorest games of his career as a member of the G's.But most importantly, we learned that Omar Gonzalez, like a song from Walt Disney's adaptation of "Hercules," turned from zero to hero in a matter of a few minutes.In the 87th minute, he was stoppage time away from being labeled the goat for the Galaxy with a rash challenge on the Fire's John Thorrington. That allowed Collins John to convert a free kick near the 18-yard box to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.This is what I don't get about Ricketts. He gave so much space to his left on that free kick that you could literally convert that blind. It was a freebie waiting to happen. I'm still waiting for him to maintain a shutout after a continuous habit of giving up bad goals left and right. Just unacceptable.Deep into stoppage time, Gonzalez made up for his costly tackle by scoring on a header from Landon Donovan in the 91st minute. Hello, hello, hello; there's another ...

Seattle Sounders Take Playoff Quest To New England

As the 2010 season reaches its final stages a Sounders team that has attained ts optimal level of play seeks to achieve post-season playoff status.  The latest effort in that direction occurs Saturday at 4:30 PT as the Sounders tackle the host New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.After pleasing the home faithful Wednesday night at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington with an impressive 3-1 victory over Chivas USA to advance to the finals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship, Seattle Sounders FC switches gears and moves back into MLS competition. Wednesday night Nate Jaqua scored twice and Steve Zakuani supplied two assists.  The Rave Green will continue its bid to repeat as Cup champions when it hosts the Columbus Crew in the Open Cup Final on October 5 on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field. The Sounders have achieved a seasonal MLS mark of 9 wins with 8 losses and 5 draws for 32 points.  Overall after including friendlies and international competition the team stands at 12-10-7 overall.  Seattle is on a current domestic hot steak with only one setback in the team’s last 11 matches.After coming from behind to beat Freddie Ljungberg and the Chicago Fire ...

Should the New York Red Bulls Loan Teen Prospect Juan Agudelo?

In the New York Red Bulls' first game after the summer transfer window closed, they play a Real Salt Lake team that was very active in player movement. The movement featured a lot of players going away from Salt Lake, on loan to be specific. The team has temporarily moved a number of younger players to USSF Division-2 Pro League teams in an effort to get them more playing time. David Horst (24), Collen Warner (22), Chris Schuler (22), and Alex Nimo (20) all had seen limited MLS regular season action and were loaned out to get more game experience. With no reserve division in place for youngsters to see some action, Real Salt Lake added to their loaned list when they sent highly regarded 16-year-old prospect Luis Gil, who had yet to play in a league game yet has been dubbed a future “No. 10” for the United States National Team, to AC St. Louis. All the activity is a creative solution to the youth development issues that plague the league. The players may not be ready for the demands of MLS, but there is no longer a reserve division in place in order to get players much-needed game experience. Still, Real Salt Lake ...

Nate Jaqua Pushes Seattle Sounders Past Chivas USA 3-1

The Sounders will face its Coach Sigi Schmid’s last team, Columbus Crew, in the Open Cup final October 5th on the Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field.  Columbus outlasted D.C. United 2-1 in extra time Wednesday night in the other semifinal match. Nate Jaqua scored two goals as Seattle Sounders FC forged its way to the finals of Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition with a 3-1 victory over Chivas USA in the very friendly confines of Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington before a capacity throng of 4.547. The victory enabled the Sounders to shut the door on an unenviable statistic they sought to eliminate.  Since the franchise’s inception last season Seattle had been unable to penetrate the Chivas USA goal in four matches.Sounders FC is bidding to become the first repeat U.S. Open winner since 1982-83. It is unbeaten at Starfire, which also houses the team’s training facility, in six matches.Eager to erase the scoreless string against the visitors, the team of forward Jaqua and Steve Zakuani went to work early to produce the first goal of the evening in the 11th minute.  A Fredy Montero pass enabled Zakuani to break free behind the Chivas USA defense on the left ...

Philadelphia Soccer Fans Finally Finding Their Niche

Why waste your time and money building a soccer specific stadium near Philadelphia? Professional soccer never has and never will survive in an area where the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies are king. No, but it can certainly co-exist. For as long as I have lived here in the Delaware Valley, that has always been the mantra: soccer sucks and no one cares. News Flash! People do care and there is evidence that professional soccer can not only survive in Philadelphia, but also thrive, thanks in part to the sixteenth member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the friendly confines of PPL Park. Last night, the Philadelphia Union not only hosted, but beat one of the top club teams in the world, thanks to a 1-0 result over visiting Chivas de Guadalajara. The Mexican side not only brought their attacking style of play, but also several hundred of their spirited fans, which only added to the electrifying atmosphere on this balmy summer night. “Two things I hear when people walk in here [PPL Park],” said Union President Tom Veit. “Oh, what a great building and then oh, what a great atmosphere. You can’t build that, you can’t create that, it’s gotta be organic, its gotta happen ...