America SCORES NY: Empowering Urban Students Through Soccer and Poetry

"We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends." - Mary McLeod Bethune Recently I had received an email from Rob Uvanović; Program Manager for America SCORES New York. He reached out to me because he had read my article, "Nuyorican Poets Cafe: Covering Soccer the Nuyorican Way" and he wanted to educate me about American SCORES New York and the services they provide in three Public Schools for the children in Harlem. Without hesitation, I agreed to go to the office of America SCORES NY for a meeting. With the rise of obesity and asthma mixed with low reading scores the children in this city continue to produce, they are endanger of never reaching their full potential. Along with the breakdown of family dynamics and the elimination of after-school programs and non-profits, a service like America SCORES New York is doing its part in being addressing the needs of the children of Harlem. As much as I love New York City, I'm also aware that it's a city which ...

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Zach Johnson

This is Part 10 in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.Sometimes there can be so much depth at one position that it might be near-impossible for someone on the fringe to get that one opportunity to play as a goalkeeper. With the return of the Major League Soccer Reserve Division, there is a way for those fringe players to prove that they can be ready when they are summoned to the first team.One of those players that could be starting out on the Reserve Division squad for the Los Angeles Galaxy is goalkeeper Zach Johnson. Fresh from West Virginia University, this 6-foot-4, 200-pound stopper will look to relish the opportunity MLS gives him.Zach Johnson was born on May 4, 1988 in Lumberton Township, New Jersey. Lumberton is an affluent suburb of Philadelphia, and was identified at one point in time as having the most active community of eBay buyers and sellers on a per-capita basis in the United States.But Johnson never auctioned his love for soccer, nor did he put his role as a goalkeeper up for sale. These were two priceless intangibles that he elected to build on.At Rancocas Valley Regional ...

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Dustin McCarty

This is Part Nine in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.Big brothers can be tough acts to follow at times.There are so many famous brother and sister pairings who play in the same league or play the same sport: from the Weaver and Alomar brothers in baseball, to the Williams sisters and Bryan brothers in tennis, to the Manning, Sharpe and Barber brothers of American football, to the Andrettis of auto racing, to the Sorenstam sisters in golf...the list goes on.For young Dustin McCarty, older brother Dax already has a head start, playing for FC Dallas and (soon) DC United.So how will little brother top that? Perhaps making a name for himself as a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy will be a start. Like Dax, Dustin McCarty plays as a midfielder, and bolsters some badly-needed depth in that area for the G's.Mark Dustin McCarty was born on Oct. 12, 1988 in Winter Park, Florida. Winter Park is a suburb of Orlando and is the home of Rollins College, Full Sail University and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, home to the largest collection of Tiffany glass on Earth.McCarty began ...

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Ryan Thomas

This is Part Eight in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.Last season, the Los Angeles Galaxy's defensive back line was under scrutiny for giving up goals left and right. The lack of depth defensively was one reason why the Galaxy were eliminated by FC Dallas last season in the Western Conference Finals.Ryan Thomas, a defender who also can play in the midfielder, is someone who will look to fill that void by utilizing his speed and dispossessing ability. Thomas is a set-piece specialist, and is a skillful winger.An athletic individual, Thomas has a chance to prove he can get the job done playing in the back for the Los Angeles Galaxy.Ryan Thomas was born in Claremont, California. He was a teammate of SuperDraft selection Hector Jimenez as a member of youth powerhouse Arsenal FC, winning national titles at the Under-15 level in 2004, the Under-16 level in 2005 and the Under-17 level in 2006.As a member of the Claremont High School boys soccer teams, Thomas captained the Wolfpack as a senior in 2007 and was also Baseline League MVP that season. As a result of his ability to mark his players and mix ...

MLS Promotion and Relegation: A Realistic Model for How It Can Happen

One of the most hotly discussed topics involving Major League Soccer is something that MLS has no business of doing: promotion and relegation. People's ideas are very polarized when it comes to the concept.Some, such as the Westerveltists at Soccer Reform, believe it will be the savior to American soccer, as it will create instant gratification among the American soccer fans—both hardcore and casual.Others, take an extremely pessimistic approach, claiming that it would kill the league in a heartbeat.Now, if in some bizarre parallel universe, if Don Garber decided to claim that MLS would adopt the system, that either one would happen, it's always fun to imagine what it would be like, and how it would be structured.Yet, it seems that there's never much thought about how to change to that system—if we were to scrape out the squeaky-clean, somewhat communistic, franchise model and navigate towards an open-league model.First thing's first, and everyone will come to an agreement here: my plan will have flaws, and no one will perfectly agree with this plan. No one ever does, people have their own ideologies and biases. Fair enough.I should probably add this in as well: as much as I would love to see this appear in MLS, I have nothing against ...

This Is The Los Angeles Galaxy: Daniel Keat

This is Part 7 in a list of players that will be joining the Los Angeles Galaxy this season.New Zealand is not exactly a country that embraces association football as it does its rugby counterparts. Nonetheless, the All Whites—who played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance since Spain 1982—put on an admirable performance last year by holding the likes of Slovakia, Paraguay and Italy to 1-1, scoreless and 1-1 draws respectively.It's a country that can hold its own in the world game, and some of its players have plied their trade in Major League Soccer, like former D.C. United standout Ryan Nelsen and current New York Red Bulls center back Andrew Boyens.Now midfielder Daniel Keat looks to join the ranks of those En Zedders who first made a splash playing in MLS. And he gets to do it donning the blue and gold of the Los Angeles Galaxy.Daniel Keat was born on Sep. 28, 1987 in Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington, the nation's capital is one of the most storied cities for football in this country. It is the home of current A-League side Wellington Phoenix FC, as well as Team Wellington of the New Zealand Football Championship.The ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Jan. 18, 2011

  Galaxy Does the Business at the Supplemental Draft Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy went to work in making their picks in the 2010 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft. The fruits of their labor—two midfielders, a defender and a goalkeeper.Dartmouth's Daniel Keat, a member of the 2008 New Zealand Olympic team, is a 5'10" 165 pound midfielder who tallied 20 goals and 13 assists in 64 matches for the Big Green. In his senior year, he helped lead Dartmouth to the NCAA Tournament, progressing as far as the third round. Keat was picked third overall in the Supplemental Draft.Stanford's Ryan Thomas is a 5'9", 160-pound defender and a former teammate of SuperDraft selection Hector Jimenez from his days with youth side Arsenal FC. As a junior, Thomas led Stanford to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament and finished his career with two goals and 12 assists.Thomas was picked 16th overall in the Supplemental Draft and was one happy camper when his name was called."I was watching the draft online and it was a shock to me to be picked by the Galaxy," Thomas said on his selection. "I grew up in L.A. and would go to watch the Galaxy games at ...

MLS: Lack Of Big Names, Wild Parity Cause League Not to be Taken Seriously

Last week I watched the Major League Soccer SuperDraft on ESPN2. Like with any draft in its respective sport, it copied the same format—a table full of front-office executives. (although theirs was significantly smaller with no "war rooms"). There was the draft "ticker" at the bottom of the screen telling viewers the draft order and the team needs.  Of course thee was the, (token it seemed at times), commentary from a couple of analysts who really could have benefited from more playing-off of one another instead of just talking to the camera. I did like a few things. The venue, the Baltimore Convention Center, was small and intimate enough to make the hundreds of fans that were there really a part of the action and excitement. Apparently, its customary to have this draft annually at this venue. Perhaps a future just-get-it-over-already expansion to the city? Next, whereas in the NFL draft the prospect receives a replica jersey to hold up, here instead receives his respective scarf, which is draped over him before he reaches the stage. (Note, in the soccer world, the scarf is king, so it was appropriate). Finally, with just 18 teams, the two hour format did go fast and had little time for ...

Omar Cummings Denied a Work Permit: Good News for Rapids, Bad News for Villa

First it was Dwayne De Rosario and Celtic, then it was David Beckham and Tottenham. Add Omar Cummings to the list: MLS players who were denied to go on loan. Earlier today, it was announced that Colorado Rapids striker Omar Cummings would not be loaned from Colorado to Aston Villa, in spite of the fact Villa manager Gérard Houllier seemed impressed with his work ethic. Before we go and point the finger at the league and its teams for shutting down any international loans, this was not the fault of anyone in MLS. Believe it or not, Colorado agreed to allow Cummings to go on loan. When applying for a work permit for his rather short stint with Villa, he was denied the permit. This rejection is the result of his nationality: Jamaican. A regular player on the national squad, he was able to breeze through that requirement. However, the requirement stalling him? Team rank. It couldn't have been any more brutal. To qualify for a UK Work Permit as an international soccer player, the nation you regularly play for must have an average rank of 70th or higher.  In FIFA's latest rankings, Jamaica dropped one lone spot...from 58th to 59th, thus resulting in the country's ...

MLS: Planting the Seeds of the 2011 New England Revolution

It may have been a bit slow in starting, but the New England Revolution offseason transformation (we hope it will eventually be qualified as such) has begun.  Today’s announcement that the team has waived Emmanuel Osei follows a week of player movement and news. The changes started with the addition of Didier Domi, an experienced, left-sided French fullback that has played in many of the top European leagues.  We can talk about Domi’s addition, questioning everything from his age (we are replacing Gibbs, a 31-year old American left back, for Domi, a 31 year old French left back), his cost (not yet known) and his current playing level (the Greek league isn’t the EPL now is it?)…but he clearly has some pedigree if there is still gas in the tank and the right mentality to come in and compete. Roster changes, however, must be thought of holistically, since small rosters and tight salary caps mean every change causes ripples throughout a team. With the addition of Domi, there are some interesting roster implications that were highlighted the very next day when the Revolution announced the re-signing of Chris Tierney.  Tierney is most frequently used on the left side at both defense and midfield, and we should suspect these ...