Thu 11/12/09

[soccermaul]

David Beckham not focused on personal glory (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23768499-david-beckham-not-focused-on-personal-glory.do)
This is London

Galaxy wounds healed as they head for Championship (http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/galaxy-wounds-healed-as-they-head-for-championship/7062)
Major League Soccer Talk

Becks explains England absence (http://www.sportbox.tv/football/news/story.php?id=296688)
Sportbox

No worry for Boyz (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/html/20091111T200000-0500_163622_OBS_NO_WORRY_FOR_BOYZ_.asp)
Jamaica Observer

Charlie Davies released from hospital after car crash (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=697160)
ESPN

How Captain Donovan revived the Galaxy (http://www.socceramerica.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=35143)
Soccer America

Becks not expecting to play every World Cup game (http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8350000/newsid_8356100/8356134.stm?ls)
CBBC Newsround

Death of Robert Enke Hits Home for One MLS Player (http://goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2009/11/12/1619812/death-of-robert-enke-hits-home-for-one-mls-player)
Goal.com

Dynamo unfazed by Galaxy for conference final (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/soc/6716253.html)
Houston Chronicle

Spat helped solidify Galaxy (http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_13768025)
San Bernardino Sun

Dynamo must cope with Galaxy's home advantage (http://www.socceramerica.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=35141)
Soccer America

Montero: "I am thankful to be honored" (http://blog.seattlepi.com/sounders/archives/184879.asp)
Seattle Times

Houston Prepared For Tough Galaxy Test (http://goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2009/11/11/1619692/mls-playoffs-houston-prepared-for-tough-galaxy-test)
Goal.com

Germany goalkeeper Enke's funeral set for Sunday (http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/383082796?-13066)
Denver Post, Colorado

Aston Villa boss O’Neill delighted with American keepers (http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/383002723sp?-13066)
tribalfootball.com

[soccermaul]

Houston sports executives give insight into financial game plans (http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/2009/11/houston_sports_executives_give_insight_into_financial_game_plans.html)
Houston Business Journal

• The Dynamo’s Luck, on the odds that the Major League Soccer franchise — the only major pro sports Houston team still in business that has won a championship — will be able to land its downtown stadium near Minute Maid Park, which is being held up while Harris County officials mull over possible participation in a tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ: “Hopefully something can get done in the not-too-distant future. I know it’s a challenging economy, not just for teams but for municipalities; it’s not like the salad days early in the 2000s. But we’re committed to get it done, and we’re not budging from the location downtown as long as we possiblyFrei, De Ro collect awards (http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2009/11/12/tfc_year_awards/)
Sportsnet.ca

A Costa Rican minute (http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20091112&content_id=7657008&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp)
MLS - Major League Soccer

Counterattack: Beckham vs. Blanco (http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1913/counterattack/2009/11/12/1620866/counterattack-beckham-vs-blanco)
Goal.com

MLS Alums: Weekly roundup (http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20091112&content_id=7656944&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp)
MLS - Major League Soccer

Defender targets MLS switch (http://www.clubcall.com/blackburn-rovers/defender-targets-american-switch-974884.html)
Clubcall

MLS club supporters converge in Seattle during Cup week (http://www.examiner.com/x-413-Seattle-Soccer-Examiner%7Ey2009m11d12-MLS-club-supporters-converge-in-Seattle-during-Cup-week)
Examiner.com

DC United's Coaching Search (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2009/11/dc_uniteds_coaching_search.html)
Washington Post

Seattle Test Readied Us For LA (http://www.soccer365.com/mls/story_121109160827.php)
Soccer365

The US Must Attack (http://www.soccer365.com/features/story_121109002108.php)
Soccer365

2009: The Year Soccer Arrived in America (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ken-gude/2009-the-year-soccer-arri_b_353703.html)
HuffingtonPost

More wackiness in MLS playoffs (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/11/11/mls.conf.finals/)
SI.com

RSL not lacking playoff experience (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_0_0_t&usg=AFQjCNEqdrROS9p_cM9JBXQsrl29uUj0Qg&cid=1467458059&ei=ZVT8SuDiKKOqmQeHgN_AAg&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.mlsnet.com%2Fnews%2Fmls_news.jsp%3Fymd%3D20091112%26content_id%3D7657622%26vkey%3Dnews_mls%26fext%3D.jsp)
MLS - Major League Soccer

[bright]

City Council to Consider PGE Park Re-Zoning (http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/11/11/city-council-to-consider-pge-park-re-zoning/)
Willamette Week

If Vancouver lures Beavers, where would team play ball? (http://columbian.com/article/20091112/NEWS02/711129947/If+Vancouver+lures+Beavers++where+would+team+play+ball?)
Columbian

[flippin269]

Another note: 2nd year in a row that both Conference Finals will be played in SSS :)

[bright]

Randyland With the Mayor sidelined, Leonard takes over. (http://wweek.com/editorial/3601/13321/)
Willamette Week

A great expose on Randy Leonard, the city commissioner who is negotiating the stadiums deals with the Paulsons.


But last year, when Portland Beavers and Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, whose investment in Portland is far smaller than Allen’s, sought to bring Major League Soccer to Portland, Leonard championed a far greater city subsidy for Paulson than the one Allen requested earlier.

The difference is Leonard’s friendship with lobbyist Greg Peden, who represents Paulson.

Leonard says he got to know Peden in Salem in the ’90s, when Peden worked for then-Gov. John Kitzhaber and Leonard served in the Legislature. Peden later became the City Hall lobbyist for the Portland Business Alliance.

Without Leonard’s loyalty to Peden, it is unclear whether MLS would ever have gained traction in City Hall.

“Greg has always been and remains a very straightforward and honest guy,” Leonard says. “It was very helpful for Merritt’s cause that he first had Greg meet with me so that I could ask questions knowing I was going to get straight answers.”

[bright]

City Council to Consider PGE Park Re-Zoning (http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/11/11/city-council-to-consider-pge-park-re-zoning/)
Willamette Week

This article has been updated with additional information about the re-zoning. Apparently, it has been delayed until next week.


Updated on Thursday around noon: Mayor Sam Adams this morning pulled the proposed ordinance, saying later he needed another week to deal with a number of outstanding issues surrounding the PGE Park remodel. One possible translation: forcing a public discussion on the zoning code this week might have raised questions about PGE Park that the mayor doesn’t want to address publicly right now.

[soccermaul]

Beckham's Fealty to Galaxy Jeopardizes England Record (http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/in-a-galaxy-far-far-away-from-doha/)
New York Times

Freddie Ljungberg's season-ending thoughts (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2010259915_freddie_ljungbergs_season-endi.html)
Seattle Times

Dynamo weary of Galaxy threat (http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20091112&content_id=7658712&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp)
MLS - Major League Soccer

Donovan, Ching highlight West final (http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20091112&content_id=7658674&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp)
MLS - Major League Soccer

2009 MLS rookies: best in recent memory (http://www.oleole.com/blogs/covering-the-pitch/posts/2009-mls-rookies-best-of-the-best)
OleOle

Dynamo's Holden has big plans ahead (http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news?slug=ro-holden111209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
Yahoo! Sports

Doyle: Quakes “more interested” in acquiring DP (http://www.centerlinesoccer.com/2009/11/12/doyle-quakes-more-interested-in-acquiring-dp/)
Center Line Soccer

Silicon Valley Learns How To Play Hockey (http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1130/hockey-values-09-san-jose-sharks-silicon-valley-learns-hockey.html)
Forbes

Galaxy's Gonzalez named Rookie of the Year (http://www.socceramerica.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=35154)
Soccer America

[scaryice]

This article (http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/redbulls2.php?article_id=21216) on Andrew Boyens has an epic fail by Michael Lewis:

Away goals count double in the aggregate goals series, so a 2-1 win for New Zealand would force extratime. If the game was tied after 30 minutes, a shootout would determine which team would go to South Africa. For the All Whites to advance in 90 minutes, they would have to shutout Bahrain or produce results such as 3-1, 4-1, 5-2, as long as the All Whites stay a goal ahead of any number of road goals.

[FlashMan]

This article (http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/redbulls2.php?article_id=21216) on Andrew Boyens has an epic fail by Michael Lewis:

Shocking.

[soccermaul]

Inside Soccer: Berhalter embraces Galaxy title quest (http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/383250654?-13066)
Universal Sports

MLS playoffs: Fire wants Blanco’s ‘circus’ act to continue (http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/383190041sp?-13066)
The News Tribune, Washington