Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Dec. 30, 2010

More plaudits for Landon Donovan Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan continues to add to his mystique and legacy. Just recently, SBNation Los Angeles named the Galaxy's 3-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders on July 4 the Game of the Year. Donovan managed an assist in the game, while team Golden Boot winner Edson Buddle added one of his 17 goals and Juninho added a brace. Other games highlighted include the Sep. 11 victory over the Columbus Crew (3-1), the Oct. 24 Shield-clinching victory over FC Dallas (2-1) and the 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Jul. 22. USA vs. Algeria remembered on ESPN On ESPN Los Angeles, Donovan's 91st minute winner for the USA in a 2010 FIFA World Cup game against Algeria has made him a candidate for L.A. Athlete of the Year.  Others up for contention include Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jared Weaver, Los Angeles Sparks forward Tina Thompson, USC Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley and Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin. David Beckham to the Spurs? There are six Premier League teams looking to get midfielder David Beckham's services on loan, and Tottenham is ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Dec. 28, 2010

Inside the Private Lives of Landon and David...Oh, how relationships can be strained among the best in the business.Just a few days ago, Landon Donovan filed for divorce from actress Bianca Kajlich. According to the Associated Press, the files of divorce stated that they both had cited some ‘irreconcilable differences’ which led to their split up earlier, after only a period of three years in marriage.Interestingly, in October of 2009, they issued a statement saying, “We remain the closest of friends and will always be important parts of each other’s lives.”Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, boo hoo hoo.Meanwhile, David and Victoria Beckham (who actually are faring much better as a couple; take that, Landon), have decided to move to the Big Apple—New York City, and with good reason.“My work is so important to me and L.A. just isn’t a real fashion city,” Victoria was quoted as saying.”Her friendship group in L.A. has disbanded," sources said, "and David was traveling a lot more than she’d anticipated and so was she. It just seemed to make sense for her to be based in fashion capital New York. It’s closer to London and Europe for her business meetings.”Logistics, logistics, ...

MLS In The Nutmeg State: Why an MLS Club Would Thrive In Connecticut

Major League Soccer is expanding faster than any other league in the United States. At only 15 years old, MLS is quickly coming up behind the four main leagues: NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. Many would argue that it has surpassed NHL in a majority of the markets, same for the NBA and some MLB markets. The NFL is the biggest challenge, but MLS can easily become the #2.Expansion clubs are becoming a trend in the league. 2009 saw the entrance of the instantly successful, instantly popular Seattle Sounders FC. 2010 welcomed Philadelphia Union. While not as successful, the Chester, PA-based club enjoyed great attendance at the new PPL Park. 2011 will welcome Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. In 2012, Montreal Impact will join the league. There is also talks of another New York team bearing a familiar name, New York Cosmos, for 2013.MLS is hitting the main target points of most professional sports areas. The league is now based in 18 cities: New York, Columbus, Los Angeles, Toronto, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Houston, San Jose, Denver, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Montreal, Portland, Chicago, Vancouver, Kansas City, and Washington, D.C.Commissioner Don Garber loves the expansion, but he is missing several ...

The New England Revolution: Planning for an Agile 2011

The theme of 2011 planning continues, building off the idea of Agility that I mentioned in the last post. And no, I’m not suggesting that the team sign up for advanced calisthenics, Bikram Yoga classes or take ballet (though, after last season’s struggles, I’m not necessarily against any of the above either). Instead, as I sat in those 2011 marketing planning meetings last week, I was reminded of a key theme that pervades our corporate marketing direction—the idea of becoming more agile. This is not an abstract idea of agility, but rather a reasonably well accepted marketing adaptation of agile development process. There are plenty of places for you to get information on agile marketing principles, but here is a nice summary. Instead of recreating the depth of that article, there are a few key tenets…frequent status checks and communications built on trusted relationships, around simple repeatable topics, that can deliver measurable increases in key metrics. Oh, and expect… no… welcome (!) changes to your plan, as it represents new, better information on which to make decisions. The good news for our New England Revolution marketing department is that it seems to have adopted some of these key themes. Perhaps by accident, perhaps by ...

Happy Holidays New York Cosmos Fans!

"You know, a lot of people say if you dig long enough and hard enough you will get to China. And that may be true, but what they don't tell you is that if you dig long enough and hard enough in a conversation, you get to a friend. So here is to conversation."—Michael Scott, The Office Since the New York Cosmos organization announced its intentions of becoming the 20th team in Major League Soccer, I've been flooded with emails and phone calls. A lot of my readers are fully aware that while I may write about the Cosmos on a regular basis, they (readers) know that they're the ones who I write for.  With an American soccer history as rich as that of the New York Cosmos, I thrive on the challenge of educating the new generation of Cosmos fans while reminding the older generation that their memories of the Cosmos are as valuable as the Mona Lisa. To all my New York Cosmos readers, I dedicate this article to you.  To the new generation of Cosmos fans, thank you for the questions that you've asked over the past few months. From asking about the best books to read ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Dec. 22, 2010

Landon Donovan nixes loan moveThe suspense is over. The Los Angeles Galaxy's Landon Donovan is staying stateside.Yesterday, both Donovan and the team announced that LA's No. 10 will forgo any potential loan opportunities when the international transfer window re-opens on January 1. Donovan, who played more than 50 games with the Galaxy and U.S. National Team while on loan with Everton in 2010, was named to the MLS Best XI team again last season after scoring seven goals and adding an MLS-best 16 assists in 24 regular season games."We think in the best interest of the club and the player that Landon continues his postseason break and begins preparations for what will be a challenging year in 2011 at both the domestic and international levels,” Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said. “We expect Landon to join our club for the start of preseason training next month as we begin to prepare for the 2011 MLS season.”For Donovan, the news was bittersweet, but staying local ultimately prevailed over one final curtain call with the Tofeees of the Everton Football Club.“While I enjoyed my time at Everton last season and still appreciate all the support their fans have given me, I feel ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Dec. 21, 2010

March 20: FirstKick against New EnglandThe Los Angeles Galaxy will begin their 2010 season at Qwest Field to take on the Seattle Sounders on Tuesday, Mar. 20. The match will be televised LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and espn3.com at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT.As for the Galaxy, they will have their home opener on Sunday, March 20 when they face the New England Revolution. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PTMore home openers for you...All times ET.Saturday, March 19Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC, time TBDD.C. United vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 7:30 p.m.FC Dallas vs. Chicago Fire, 8:30 p.m.Houston Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union, 8:30pmColorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers, 9 p.m.Chivas USA vs. Sporting Kansas City, 10:30 p.m.San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m.Saturday, March 26Chicago Fire vs. Sporting Kansas City, 4 p.m.Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls, 4 p.m.Philadelphia Union vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 4 p.m.Toronto FC vs. Portland Timbers, time TBDNew England Revolution vs. D.C. United, time TBDReal Salt Lake vs. LA Galaxy, 9 p.m.Thursday, April 14Portland Timbers vs. Chicago Fire, 11 p.m.Thursday, June 9Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire, time TBDYouth Academy UpdateWhile the ...

Landon Donovan: The Ups and Downs of the American Who Changed Soccer Forever

Watching the MLS nowadays, one is stuck wondering whether he or she is watching a men's Friday night soccer league or an actual professional league. The league and media spends so much time investing in older, fading European stars that the rare, raw American talents often take a back seat. Hidden behind Champions League medals, Premier League and FA Cup doubles, FIFA Player of the Year Nominations, and much more lie a host of American players waiting for a chance to make American soccer popular and finally be voted as Prom Queen over their more "pretty" and "popular" peers—football, baseball, basketball, etc. Realistically, at the rate we are moving, this romantic notion will remain stuck in time. American citizens far and wide are packing the stadiums for Thierry Henry and David Beckham, not Chris Albright and Quincy Amarikwa (I had to Google American soccer players in the MLS—no joke). Fostering European "wash-ups," no offense Mr. Henry or Mr. Beckham, is only going to take popularity so far. Americans are crying out for a Rocky Balboa. An underdog in the world game. A stubborn rock who simply does not comprehend the term "fail." America, if it has not realized it, needs to look no more. His name brought ...

LA Galaxy’s David Beckham Set for European Return

LA Galaxy star David Beckham is targeting a return to European football next month as he looks to work his way back into the England squad. The former England captain missed the chance to appear at his fourth World Cup in South Africa this summer when he picked up an injury on loan at Italian side AC Milan; he has not played for England since. And the ex-Real Madrid star, who has joined AC Milan in the last two winters' transfer windows, has ruled out a move to the Premier League—unless he returns to Manchester United. Speaking as he accepted a Life Time achievement award from the BBC in Birmingham, he said: "I won't be going back to AC Milan this time because is not possible to go onto the roster for such a short length of time. "But I will be going back somewhere as I want to keep myself fit and keep myself in with a chance of getting called up for England again. To do that, I have to be somewhere. so fingers crossed I can sort something out." However he admits his chances of a return the Premier League are slim despite training with Arsenal ...

New England Revolution: 2011 Planning and the Real World

I’ve almost come to peace with the fact that this blog sits idle for long periods of time (especially in the offseason), but am always happy when a thought creeps in that feels worth sharing. Like many others, I face a pesky day job that must come first and can take a fairly significant amount of time from my whole soccer alter-ego.   But for once, the day job has offered me a relevant theme for a Soccer Soap Box post. What it offered was the better part of a week spent in 2011 marketing planning—something the Revolution is certainly in the midst of as well. Well, if I’m honest, it was a combination of the day job and some recent news out of the New England Revolution. The primary thing that the Revs did which caught my attention was the recent outreach by the Revolution communications team to the blogger community and its requests for input on content and its social media outreach. Which got me thinking… shouldn’t I have something relevant to say? It’s been a while… And this is when the 2011 work planning and the Revolution outreach came together. You see, a couple of topics of work planning were extremely relevant to Revolution planning. I work in marketing ...