6-28-2004: White, White baby.

[JMU Soccer!]

Finish line, June 28 (http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports/article/0,1299,DRMN_2_2995827,00.html) - Rocky Mountain News (halfway down)

Salt Lake City making play to join league (http://www.soccertimes.com/mls/2004/jun27.htm) - Soccertimes

Victory rejuvenates Revolution (http://sports.bostonherald.com/soccer/view.bg?articleid=33634) - Boston Herald

Group kicks around plans for WUSA restart (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/wusa/2004-06-27-wusa-revival_x.htm) - USA Today

Galaxy jumps into first after beating Fire, 1-0 (http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/other_sports/article/0,1375,VCS_256_2995986,00.html) - AP

Victory Returns Galaxy to First (http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-galaxy28jun28,1,3227536.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-soccer) - Chicago Tribune

Youth movement gives Revolution needed lift (http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2004/06/28/youth_movement_gives_revolution_needed_lift/) - Boston Globe

[jmeissen0]

This daily feature is about newspaper articles through-out the country covering our game. As such, I think we should all step back and take a look at one of the writers who is moving on.

I thought it should be noted in here that [email="JTrecker@courant.com"]Jerry Trecker[/url] has retired. He had been covering the NBA and soccer for the Hartford Courant.

For 50 years, that's right... five-zero, he has covered soccer in the United States.

He's witnessed being in the desert for forty years, and then making four straight World Cups. Advancing into the second round of two of them and even making the quarters.

He's gone from soccer's highest level here being the local semi-pro leagues to the aging star-studded NASL to finally a true top flight first division in MLS.

He's seen us go from nobodies to a country that no one wants to match up against. From a country that would kill to make the World Cup to one that no longer labels failure as not making the World Cup, but failure as not making the second round.

He's seen us fail to develop domestic players entirely, to being a country that produces them as if they was going out of style.

He was around when we beat England in the World Cup and he wrote about us beating Portugal, Colombia and Mexico in the same event decades later.

He was one of the deans of soccer writers in this country, and while he will continue on a limited basis, he is retired.


Thanks Jerry.

[jmeissen0]

stupid not paying attention and f-ing up the tags

Jerry Trecker (jtrecker@courant.com)

[kenntomasch]

Spirit 2, Courage 1; Charge 2, CyberRays 0 (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/06/27/sports2044EDT0093.DTL) (San Francisco Chronicle)

(7,123 at the doubleheader - good luck reviving WUSA, folks)

As for the history bit:

On this date.....

1998 - The US Women's National Team defeats Germany 4-2 at Soldier Field in Chicago behind a hat trick by Mia Hamm.
2000 - The Colorado Rapids defeat the Dallas Burn 1-0 at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Announced paid attendance: 4,640.


Today's Birthdays

Brian Maisonneuve is 31
John Cusack is 38

[mpruitt]

Is it just me or does it seem that the WUSA has gotten a disproportionate amount of press in USA Today? With only a few thousand showing up for these revival events and none of even the local papers of these events or towns of former teams not giving them ink it seems odd that they get regular coverage in the paper.

[stinky]

Salt Lake City making play to join league (http://www.soccertimes.com/mls/2004/jun27.htm) - Soccertimes



As has been the case with a number of cities, a problem in Salt Lake will be finding an appropriate venue. The Blitzz, has played at five different facilities in the past five years and is currently using the University of Utah's 45,000-seat Rice-Eccles Stadium. In size and configuration, it's not the kind of stadium that MLS would prefer, but it could serve as a temporary home for a Salt Lake franchise until a soccer-specific stadium could be built.

The Checketts group reportedly said it can get funding to build a stadium within five years.


sounds like the metrostars nightmare all over again....it'll be 9 years after they join and we'll be waiting for an announcement on the bond issue...

its nice to see these guys are willing to put of the money, but salt lake city?

it seems 10K is becoming the norm as far as attendance goes this season without the freddy show (which is wearing off a bit)...and its doesn's seem that the any team playing a team from Salt Lake City would do much to create a buzz around the local market.....

we went from what seemed to be 2 definite expansion cities in 2005 and 2 more likely in 2006 to 1. and that one is to play in an existing mls city and stadium....

so much for expanding the footprint....

this league needs a boost of some sort, what sort, i have no idea.

[amek33]

Is it just me or does it seem that the WUSA has gotten a disproportionate amount of press in USA Today? With only a few thousand showing up for these revival events and none of even the local papers of these events or towns of former teams not giving them ink it seems odd that they get regular coverage in the paper.

I hope hope hope they can revive it! The Breakers games were so fun...

[denver_mugwamp]

it seems 10K is becoming the norm as far as attendance goes this season without the freddy show (which is wearing off a bit)...and its doesn's seem that the any team playing a team from Salt Lake City would do much to create a buzz around the local market.....

we went from what seemed to be 2 definite expansion cities in 2005 and 2 more likely in 2006 to 1. and that one is to play in an existing mls city and stadium....

so much for expanding the footprint....

this league needs a boost of some sort, what sort, i have no idea.

Yeah, I agree. SLC seems like almost a desperation move. Seattle would add much more to MLS. Chivas in LA could be a boost for the league with the Mexican fans or it could just reduce the Gal's fan base. The only big new thing next season will probably be the new SSS for the not-Burn. At one time, 2005 looked like it was going to be the year MLS turned the corner. Now it looks like another year in limbo.

[jmeissen0]

Metros Recap - Newark Star-Ledger (http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1088406780167301.xml)

Goalie's Blunder dooms Fire - Chicago Sun-Times (http://www.suntimes.com/output/fire/cst-spt-fire28.html) yeah, cause when you don't score any goals... it's your keeper's fault

Withstanding Impact - Syracuse Standard-Post (http://www.syracuse.com/sports/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1088411831298300.xml)

Learning Soccer at the Feet of a Master - Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10669-2004Jun27.html)

[kenntomasch]

Yeah, I agree. SLC seems like almost a desperation move. Seattle would add much more to MLS.

And if, in 1994, you said "Columbus? That'll be great!" then you win.

What, exactly, would "Seattle" add to MLS? A sexy name in the agate page of your local newspaper? Now, if Seattle's team is well-financed and well-managed, then that adds something to MLS. Considering we only have bits and pieces of who might be involved in an MLS bid, I have no idea if they'd be successful or not. Outside of the very few semi-rivalries in MLS and the occasional teenage freak show, the home fans really don't get that excited about the name on the front of the visiting team's jerseys.

I'd rather have a Salt Lake team that's well-managed than have a team in a supposed "sexy" market that's a supposed "soccer hotbed" like Miami that's run poorly. That adds something to MLS.

[jmeissen0]

A 'Shank' by Ring proves Costly for Fire - Chicago Daily Herald (http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sports_story.asp?intID=3816654) (again, because keepers are suppose to score)

Victory returns Galaxy to First - L.A. Times (http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-galaxy28jun28,1,3227536.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-soccer)

Fire Loses, Ante Rants - Chicago Sports Review (http://www.chicagosportsreview.com/chicago/chicagoview.asp?c=113243)

[FlashMan]

well, it was a horrible play by Ring and deservedly gets lead mention; when goalies make bad gaffes they usually stand out; both articles of course also discuss the point blank attempts that the Fire couldn't capitalize on.

[FlashMan]

Fire Loses, Ante Rants - Chicago Sports Review (http://www.chicagosportsreview.com/chicago/chicagoview.asp?c=113243)


Is the field as bad as Ante says?

[stinky]

razov complain? whine? rant?

go on....

[Stevedm]

"By the end of that third year, our expenses were pretty much in control," Foudy says. "But we were always behind after that first year. You look up and you're $15 million in the hole and you think, 'What happened?' I'd do anything to get that year back."

LOL, what happened Julie?? What happened?? I will tell youw hat happened, they had a bunch of feminist jackasses like yourself trying to show the men in the world how you can take over soccer in the USA instead of concentrating on trying to limit the leagues losses and build the league. Nice job!! You could have bought an awful lot of tampons for the money you used to spend on your silly little PRO-Womens movement disguised as a womens pro-soccer league. The best thing AEG did was deep-six the jackasses that ran the last league. Maybe now they can run this thing as a soccer league and not a division of NOW (National orgianization of lesbians errr women).

[BrianJames]

Yeah, I agree. SLC seems like almost a desperation move. Seattle would add much more to MLS. Chivas in LA could be a boost for the league with the Mexican fans or it could just reduce the Gal's fan base. The only big new thing next season will probably be the new SSS for the not-Burn. At one time, 2005 looked like it was going to be the year MLS turned the corner. Now it looks like another year in limbo.

What does Seattle have to offer that is so "much more"?! No better stadium situation, if not worse, more sports competition including Baseball in the summer, and hardly a much more organized ownership at this point. SLC seems like a good option, of course, assuming that they really can get a SSS built in the next 5 years.

After the NBA's Jazz and maybe some college sports, what will MLS have to compete with? Seems a good sign that there are TWO ownership groups forming in SLC.

Expansion is not something you want to force, if there doesnt seem to be any good options, I could very well be counterproductive to force the issue.

[Dave Brull]

I can't tell whether SLC is a bad idea, but neither can I say it is bad idea. It intrigues me more than anything. There could easily be the possibility of another Colombus or Rochester. Those two cities have shown that you do not need population for good attendance, just good marketing and a good product on the field (as Columbus attendance drops)

If MLS is shown a feasible marketing and stadium plan from SLC with great financial backing, I say fine. I'd rather not see another Wolstein (RIP) where MLS grants a franchise to a guy with NO plan. That would be tragic.

But I'd say this about any other city too.

[Mr. Knowledge]

sounds like the metrostars nightmare all over again....it'll be 9 years after they join and we'll be waiting for an announcement on the bond issue...

its nice to see these guys are willing to put of the money, but salt lake city?

it seems 10K is becoming the norm as far as attendance goes this season without the freddy show (which is wearing off a bit)...and its doesn's seem that the any team playing a team from Salt Lake City would do much to create a buzz around the local market.....

we went from what seemed to be 2 definite expansion cities in 2005 and 2 more likely in 2006 to 1. and that one is to play in an existing mls city and stadium....

so much for expanding the footprint....

this league needs a boost of some sort, what sort, i have no idea.

If Chivas USA is marketed well, it won't expand the footprint geographically per se, but it should bring more fans to MLS and even though it will be in an existing MLS City, 15-20K paying fans for another 15 weeks at the HDC will be bring a few benjamins into the league which is a good things. Should create quite a rivalry too. I'm all for it.

I'm also all for a well run team in Salt Lake City. Altough it is not the size of a city the likes of Seattle, Houston or Philly, it is a city of probably a million people if not more, home to an NBA team, hosted the Olympics and apparently has an experienced sports industry leader (Checketts) putting an ownership group together.

Further, I'm confident that MLS will not go there unless they have a reasonable stadium arrangement, ala the Fire's new lease agreement with Soldier Field and the Rapids arrangement w/ Invesco. The league will negotiate so they get a percentage of some of the revenue streams and rights to scheduling certain dates (saturdays). Although the stadium mentioned is not 20-30K, 45K is certainly less cavernous than Giants Stadium, the Rose Bowl, Solider Field, Foboro and Invesco.

So if we get two new teams in the west what does this do to the conferences?

[peledre]

A 'Shank' by Ring proves Costly for Fire - Chicago Daily Herald (http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/sports_story.asp?intID=3816654) (again, because keepers are suppose to score)

Did McDill go blind over the weekend?

But his kick went only about 20 yards and was controlled by Kirovski, who then lofted a shot over Ring's head as Ring ran desperately back to the net. Kirovski's shot bounced once and hit the back of the net.
Kirovski didn't control the shot, he one timed Ring's clearance, and the ball never bounced, it hit the back of the net on the fly. I know it's a bit nitpicky, but a one time shot that hits the net on the fly from 50 yards is a lot more impressive sounding than a shot that was controlled, and then bounced into the net.

It was a nice hit, a heartbreaker for us, give the kid credit Kent.

[kenntomasch]

Did McDill go blind over the weekend?

Remember what Mom always used to say.....