He's So Wondo! The continuing chronicle of Chris Wondolowski's career

You are right. It's the crappy dichotomy of the college soccer system. No, it doesn't work. Yes, it's completely counter-productive in the development of good quality players. Yes, it's completely essential given the low earning capacity of the average American soccer player.

 

Guess I should put this where it belongs:

 

Love this picture!

 

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c231/The549/wondolowskisanjoseearthquakesredbulls2012_2.jpg
An alternate digital capture because it's so good. Limited bandwidth.

 

Gonna make that the background on my computer at work. Nice opportunity to explain to curious coworkers who these people are.

 

And the really funny thing is how the same "source" produces the best basketball, pointy ball, hockey and even baseball (if you've read Moneyball) players in the world

 

Nice article about Wondo here

I love that he focuses more on the team awards and getting a championship more than his personal stats. A lot of guys say that kind of thing, but with Wondo you get the feeling he really means it.

 

I noticed last week that Wondo's first goal in 2010 was on April 17. It's amazing that it was just two years ago that nobody knew who he was.

So in honor of the 2 year anniversary of when his "breakout" in MLS started, I wanted to post some interesting facts on Wondo from this week's Quakes "This and That" report:

I highlighted the 3 things that are most impressive to me - he's averaging over a goal a game over the past 11 games! I keep reading everywhere about how Herculez Gomez is on an amazing goal scoring streak, but hardly anywhere about Wondo. And while I agree that the Mexican league is a higher quality league than MLS overall, I don't think the defense is better. In fact, I think MLS teams play more defense than Mexican teams. Also, Wondo's streak goes over the 4 month offseason, which means he's stayed "hot" for much longer than Gomez. Herculez is very streaky, but Wondo has shown an amazing amount of consistency now over 2 years.

 

Fixed their post.

 

Just saw that Wondo is featured on FIFA.com front page.

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/c...d=1617704.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_caption

Good on yah! Go Quakes!

 

That was one hell of an expansion side, winning two cups right off the bat.

 

Doesn't make sense to call them expansion if the total count of MLS teams remained constant when the relocation took place.

But this is a leage that equates throwing a ball at an opponent with breaking an opponent's clavicle...

Like McDonalds telling us all they invented the hamburger with lettuce and tomato when they introduced the "McDLT"

 

Cool!

 

If anybody else really competed at those sports then there'd be a better system of developing players. College soccer is a flawed way of developing players, mainly because of NCAA rules.

 

a lot of people compete in basketball now. It's pretty widely viewed that its better to go through the college system in the US than to go to a professional environment in europe (though i think either could work, just there's a higher volume of kids that go through college in the USA and not nearly as many go to europe, there's elite coaches and facilities at your disposal, as well as a direct line to the NBA)

college soccer doesn't work because like you said the NCAA cripples it (and title IX doesn't help either) by not allowing to allow them to play and train year round, rather only giving them a 3 month season (with screwy rules), and really limits the amount they can train (some colleges try to work around by having an unofficial spring season, but still not enough). At least that's what I've heard.

In basketball (at least) its not a problem because its not considered a "non-revenue" sport like soccer is, so its get a lot more leeway. That's why even after a season ends in basketball (which is about 2-3 months longer than college soccer) they still train in the spring, they will play foreign teams in the summer and fall (and have unofficial scrimmages with other college teams) and then get ready to start their season.

As for baseball and hockey, im not sure about tbh.

 

Yeah, I don't know how they did it.

 

More basic than that, that they created the American hamburger.

 

I've read that they're not that accurate, but what does "market value" at 1.8m euro mean practically? Like a transfer price?

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/chris-wondolowski/profil/spieler_39856.html

 

Congrats to Wondo - named MLS Player of the Month by the Soccerbyives.net staff.

 

Yeah, I think that's what they estimate his transfer value to be if a club wanted to buy him. I'd say it's not a bad estimate, although I doubt anyone would pay that much. Not enough international respect for MLS yet among teams that could afford 1.8m euros.

 

If Wondo were 19 instead of 29, he could probably fetch an American record transfer fee. As it stands 1.6 million pounds is a pretty good value for him. Within a few years he'll either have to be a proven superstar or have very little chance of fetching any kind of transfer fee. I think with his new contract he can't go anywhere on a bosman anytime soon.

 

I really wonder what Dom Kinnear & the Houston Dynamo front office think every time they see Wondo score with grace? I mean to think he traded Cam Weaver for him, he must cringe with every Wondo goal.....

Wondo= 2009–SJEarthquakes 81 games 47 goals.....​

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Cam Weaver 51 games 10 goals.....