Welcome Detroit fans!

You are correct, I was there too. Hopefully we'll have more of those events to cover in the future.

I'm going to be putting up a banner on the MLive.com/soccer page asking for people interested in writing for the site. I don't have time to do nearly as much as I would like to do with it, even with working there, I'm usually busy with doing my normal job, so all I have to do is post AP stories, or send soccer-related stories from other (MLive) papers to the soccer page. I barely have time for my main project, www.TheCup.us - which covers the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. And anyone who knows me or is familiar with the site, knows how much work goes into that. (At times, a bit of a one-man band)

So if anyone is interested ... let me know. Some of the things I would like to do on MLive.com/soccer include a weekly recap of Michiganders in the pros, a Michigan Bucks beat writer, a college soccer writer, maybe an MLS week in review ... there's plenty of things to tackle.

 

Re: Women's League teams in Michigan

So the NASL teams weren't the only ones unhappy with the way USL conducts itself. This is awesome lol.

 

Re: Women's League teams in Michigan

Do we know that this was W-League teams that left and started a new league?

 

Re: Women's League teams in Michigan

I don't know but if it is then I do find it funny. I also wish them well.

 

Here's a recap of last night's Michigan Open Cup championship: http://thecup.us/2011-us-open-cup-q...as-michigan-champs-oust-bucks-reserves-in-ot/

Detroit United beat the MBSC Rush (aka: Michigan Bucks Reserves) 2-1 in extra time.

Former U of Michigan star Soony Saad and a whole bunch of other former Michigan Bucks players suited up for the home team, but Detroit United won the game and moved on to their second straight Region II tournament.

It's been a REALLY long time since Michigan has had a USASA team qualify for the Open Cup two years in a row, so we'll see what happens at regionals.

Also, there's video of the game-winning goal by Tommy Ellers of Detroit United.

 

Derby County

Our friends over at Derby have all but cemented staying at the League Championship, after today's nil-nil with league leaders Queens Park Rangers.

They are now nine points over #22 Scunthorpe United, with four matches left. Even if Derby lose 3, and Scunthorpe win three, the GD (Derby at minus-7, Scunthorpe at minus-39) seems insurmountable (but I had wanted to wait until today's match was over, to proclaim this).

Derby has had very good form lately: [3w, 4d, 3l] in the last ten.

Even more satisfying was that this match was chosen to be moved to Monday night, to be broadcasted live on Sky. It was being billed as a quasi-celebration match for QPR, as a win would have put them just three points from the title. (Yeah, I actually caught the 5:00 a.m. Sky Sports News, on this.) Those Derby boys just had to find a way to throw a wrench into those plans....

I remember watching them at this point last year (two years ago?) and they had hit a string of 6 L's at this same point of the season, and was barely hanging on in the Championship relegation race. Nice to see that they shouldn't have that kind of trouble again, this year.

 

Re: Derby County

That is an interesting point that I honestly had forgotten about. Someone should reach out and see what they say.

 

Re: Derby County

I would think if anyone would know, it is the Silverdome owners. Their senior soccer advisor, Roger Faulkner, is a true Derby fan, and was on the board of directors when Appleby and co. bought the club. He may or may not have a financial interest; I'm a little vague on details. For all we know, they may have already been approached.

 

Bucks Web Site? Home Games?

Just nine days before the season starts, and the Bucks web site is still not updated? Still has the 2010 schedule, that right-side list of last year's stories, ugh... In the past, they had their interns with blog postings and such. Does there seem to be very little buzz about the team this year?

Also, there is still the possibility of three home matches not being played at the Ult: May 28 at Independence Park, June 3 at TBA, and June 18 at Rochester Hills Borden Park. Maybe that is why I haven't seen anything about season tickets.

 

OK, since I was the one noting that the Bucks site hadn't been updated, they have put ticket info on the page.

BUCKS OFFER DISCOUNTED TICKET PACKAGES TO LAUNCH 16TH SEASON
Great Lakes Division champs look for record ninth title
http://www.buckssoccer.com/home/527370.html

2011 Season Ticket Information (also notes that June 3 will be at Walled Lake Central)
http://www.buckssoccer.com/TicketInformation/index_E.html

...and some colleges have already released their fall schedules. The Corner Kick Detroit calendar (the calendar to end all calendars) is slowly getting updated: https://www.google.com/calendar/emb...roup.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York

 

... it now brings you to a Go Daddy page with the heading "NOTICE: This domain name expired on 05/17/2011 and is pending renewal or deletion."

It there still the chance to get Dima, Josh, MCS, me, and others together, to get a areawide/statewide soccer news site going?

Meanwhile, in other local news...

Academy Notes: Crew partner with Michigan Wolves
Columbus align with successful club as Derby County pact ends
MAY 24, 2011
Travis Clark
MLSsoccer.com
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/05/25/academy-notes-crew-partner-michigan-wolves

CSA and Michigan Wolves Partnership
Innovative alliance incorporates wildly successful Detroit-area club into Crew youth development program as CSA Wolves
http://www.thecrew.com/news/2011/05/csa-and-michigan-wolves-partnership


I note this, since some of us were wondering about if Derby can/should run a local side. (I was thinking having their reserves play in the PDL, maybe, over a summer? Just thinking out loud.)

 

Bucks 200th win... how to celebrate?

So the Bucks have 199 wins all-time. [ http://www.buckssoccer.com/home/538621.html ] Supposing they get their 200th tonight (or any of the three road games before the next homer), what would be a fitting tribute for the boys?

A few ideas (some are realistic; some are fanciful; some are somewhere fresh out of left field, so don't go too jumpy over some of these):

do something with 200 soccer balls: cram them into a goalmouth, arrange them into some kind of "200" logo, ...

a fun one: have 200 kids get to take penalty kicks (all at the same time!) against Buckster or some poor-soul goalie. (Imagine a goalie, or two, or three, trying to stop 200 kicks all at once.)

something with their charity, the Tay Sachs foundation [ http://www.curetay-sachs.org/ ]: So maybe asking for a $200 donation could be a bit much, maybe request donations of "200 dimes" ($20.00) or "200 nickels" ($10.00).

some kind of 200-second cheer by the fans (3 minutes, 20 seconds)

a "prize every 200 seconds" giveaway: a 90-minute game is 5400 seconds, or 27 blocks of 200 seconds. So some kind of T-shirt or knick-knack every 200 seconds. (Another version: draw 27 names from the fishbowl, and each get a 200-second block during the game. If the Bucks score during your 200 seconds, win the prize.)

The team has done things like $2.00 tickets before... maybe again.

...So, don't beat me up too hard for these "ideas." Just pointing out that the 200th win is coming, and us loyal fans should do something for the squad to thank them.

 

I created a soccer section on MLive.com (Michigan's #1 news website) before the 2010 World Cup at www.mlive.com/soccer (Twitter @MichiganSoccer). I've been trying to get people to help out with the site since then and haven't really had much response. Tavio helps out from time to time, but that's about it.

I'm so busy these days (full time job at MLive, broadcasting, running TheCup.us, family with two new additions on the way soon) that I haven't had time to do as much as I would like with the site. Aside from the Gold Cup coverage and an occasional MLS Detroit/Silverdome article, all I have time to do is to post AP stories. Which is fine, but we need some Michigan-based writing/coverage.

There's so many things that could be done ... off the top of my head:

* Michigan Bucks beat writer / team coverage
* Coverage of college soccer across Michigan
* Coverage of some of the bigger amateur leagues in Detroit
* A weekly report on "Michiganders In The Pros"
* I don't have it all that high on the priority list (pretty low actually), but high school soccer coverage maybe once the state tournament starts to approach -- we already have pretty great coverage of it from our newspapers. Probably not as much in the Detroit area.
* A weekly MLS or USL round-up ... embed some of the best video highlights, have fun with it.
* World soccer (again, not super high on my priority list, but it might help to draw people in if we have someone who can talk intelligently about which one of the 4 EPL teams that are allowed to win the title are going to lift the trophy...)

There's so much that can be covered and to have a website that gets traffic in the millions every month, what better resource could we possibly get?

For years, the state of Michigan has lacked a go-to spot for soccer news and information, and the point of lobbying my editor (who likes soccer, by the way) to create it last year was to fill that void. But I certainly can't do it alone.

 

Some news to pass along. Dearborn's Soony Saad (U of Michigan) has signed with MLS >> http://www.mlive.com/soccer/index.s...oony_saad_signs_with_major_league_soccer.html

 

The kid is sick and has some class, he should do well in MLS just hope whoever gets him doesn't just play him as a target guy...that would be a waste.

 

College 2011

College season starts this week with pre-season friendlies. Also, high school boys opens practice. My online calendar has been updated with Michigan and Michigan State (men's and women's), and the MHSAA playoff dates, and the other D-I colleges will get added.

That Ann Arbor school hosts a men's invitational on September 2 and 4. They also host the Big Ten men's tournament on November 10-11-13. (Almost make you want to buy their season tickets, doesn't it.)

The Oakland schedule shows no games at Ultimate; seems strange.

Feel free to reference or embed this into your web pages. The intent is to get game information into the public's hands before the match, instead of after-the-fact match reports. Also, feedback on the calendar in general is invited.

html (full-page view):
https://www.google.com/calendar/emb...roup.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York

embed into a web page or blog:
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?showNav=0&amp;showCalendars=0&amp;mode=AGENDA&amp;height=300&amp;wkst=1&amp;bgcolor=%23ffff00&amp;src=50efln72fvg2egm0pfpt0v0fc8%40group.calendar.google.com&amp;color=%232952A3&amp;ctz=America%2FNew_York" style=" border:solid 1px #777 " width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

xml:
https://www.google.com/calendar/fee...0v0fc8@group.calendar.google.com/public/basic

ical:
https://www.google.com/calendar/ica...c8@group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics


The Big Ten network airs several footie games a week, often one men's and one women's on Sundays. (Saturdays are devoted to gridball.) While the BTN has not updated their "Olympic Sports" page yet, their is a good chance that any Sunday game from noon to 5:00-ish would be aired:
http://www.bigtennetwork.com//generic/programming/Big-Ten-Events-On-TV

 

USL Article: Dan Duggan

USL article on Dan the Man: http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/551985.html

In the Future of the Bucks discussion (last two Q's), Dan talks about handing the reins of the team off to fresher blood, creating a USL Pro team, and integrating academies under it.

 

Re: USL Article: Dan Duggan

Good read, touching almost all the bases of why the Bucks are so successful. Obviously, they ran out of room and had to edit out the part about the transcendent quality and professionalism of the PA announcing.

 

Quick items:

The Bucks' Babayele Sodade was named national player of the week in college: http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/574328.html (OK, I did chuckle at the line that UAB are now 14th "in the NCAA RPI poll." Poll?)

College seasons are winding down. Michigan hosts the Big Ten Men's tournament SF's and F. From the Big Ten Network: BTN also will televise live the semifinals and final of the Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament, hosted by the University of Michigan. Semifinal coverage will air live on Friday, Nov. 11, at 1 PM ET and approximately 3:30 PM ET. The final will be carried live at noon ET on Sunday, Nov. 13. Indiana is the Big Ten's top-ranked team at No. 10 nationally, while Michigan is the reigning tournament champion. http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/102611aaa.html

This Saturday will be most of the QF matchups in the MHSAA tournament. SF's on November 2; Finals on November 5 (hosted by Troy Athens and East Kentwood). http://www.mhsaa.com/Sports/BoysSoccer.aspx

The indoor Waza are back in a week, in the Eastern division of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL). Ya' just gotta' go to a game; if for nothing else, to see the league's spiffy new yellow matchball. http://www.arenaleague.com/

home matches:
Sun, 2011 Nov 6, 2:35; Waza; Louisville Lightning; Taylor Sportsplex
Sat, 2011 Nov 12, 7:35; Waza; Ohio Vortex; Taylor Sportsplex
Sat, 2011 Dec 3, 7:35; Waza; [US Open]; Taylor Sportsplex
Sat, 2011 Dec 17, 7:35; Waza; Cincinnati Kings; Taylor Sportsplex
Sun, 2012 Jan 8, 2:35; Waza; Illinois Piasa; Taylor Sportsplex
Sat, 2012 Jan 14, 7:35; Waza; Kansas Magic; Taylor Sportsplex
Sun, 2012 Jan 15, 2:35; Waza; Louisville Lightning; Taylor Sportsplex
Sat, 2012 Jan 28, 7:35; Waza; Cincinnati Kings; Taylor Sportsplex
Sat, 2012 Feb 4, 7:35; Waza; Ohio Vortex; Taylor Sportsplex
March 2, 3, 4: playoffs first round (West 1-2; East 1-2-3-4; San Diego bye)
March 9, 10: final four, at San Diego

 

If anyone's interested in covering the Waza for MLive.com (www.mlive.com/soccer) - drop me an email at jhakala@advance.net

 

NCAA Bids (x5)

The NCAA released the bids for five of its tournaments (D-II Men's, D-III Men's, and all three Women's).

D-II Men:
Saginaw Valley (12-4-3) travels to play Rockhurst (15-2-2), who hosts the first two rounds. Northwood (MI) (9-4-4) is also in the Rockhurst bracket, playing Northern Kentucky (13-4).

D-III Men:
Hope (10-4-3) plays Thomas More (16-1-1) in the Dominican (IL) bracket. (Dominican plays Greenville.) Calvin (15-5-1) plays Carthage (14-5-2) in the Loras bracket. (Loras plays Minnesota-Morris.)

D-I Women:
Oakland (10-10-1) travels to Wake Forest (14-3-4), who is the #1 seed in their regional. [drats, a nice warm weekend, and I was socked in bed with a cold, missing the MHSAA finals, and the Oakland conference tourney match].

D-II Women:
Grand Valley St. (18-0-2), who is the #1 seed in the Midwest, hosts the three-team bracket, and plays the winner of Quincy (15-4-2) and Wisconsin-Parkside (12-3-2).

D-III Women:
Alma (18-3-1) plays Capital 11-7-2 in the Wheaton (IL) bracket. (Wheaton plays Penn State-Behrend.)

 

Mls, wps

By now, you all have probably heard that The Don had mentioned Detroit during the MLS Cup week announcements. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/10/garber-league-still-focused-expansion-team-new-york

Interesting that Detroit has been mentioned for a team in WPS, according to the women's blog All White Kit. The WPS is actually on life support, having dropped a team to be down to five, thus creating rumors that the league may not get USSF sanctioning in 2012 (and may just skip the 2012 season altogether). Some have speculated that the Detroit team might be slotted for 2013, anyway. http://www.allwhitekit.com/?p=8325

Would 2013 mean that the Bucks would have a pro stadium built by then? Then both the Bucks Pro and the women's team (the Does?) would play there.

Another possibility for Detroit would be to have Oakland U to put actual stands on their grass hill, to create something of a multi-K-seater field.

Actually, the whole women's pro game could go in any of a 100 different directions, from USL-W or WPSL creating pro divisions, to expanding the current practice of pro teams in the current USL-W/WPSL leagues, to WPS teams becoming Womens Div II and just playing in the USL-W/WPSL, to creating one giant meso-D-II league like the USSF did with mens soccer a couple years ago.

 

https://www.bigsoccer.com/soccer/roger-allaway/2011/12/14/the-nasfl/

Interesting read on the Forum page, about a championship team in Detroit from the 40's, with a bit of a historical tie-in. Wonder if there are any surviving members of that side; maybe honor them at a Bucks match.