USSF threatens "replacement players" for Feb. qualifier

Looks like it was none of the above. From the thread below...

http://ussoccerplayers.com/latest_soccer_news/461632.html

 

Agree. The new US team will have had top notch training sessions for some 2 weeks+ before the game. So, a good result (win or tie) is very much possible. Remember... there are T&T players that are on A-league teams.

 

not to be a stick in the mud, but our B team tied Haiti in Miami one time...but i think that while T&T would have and advantage, i dont think a result for the USA is out of the question as T&T is of questionable form lately

 

credit where credit is due: we continue to disagree on T&T's merit and the proper terminology for replacement players, but this was a very entertaining post. Thanks

 

oops, double posted

 

Except for the FMCS arbitrator I had last year who forgot to show up, costing both sides weeks delay etc.

 

is there a list yet of the players who are in carson now?

 

I don't think so. If Scabs got 1 or 3 points (a big IF. From information, anyone who thinks a MLS chance such as Jeff Mateo rejected the call.), it does strongth Fed's position, but the March games will be very tough. PA can strike that two game. Mexico game is a tough game even for top USA team, but a 10:0 hammer will put Fed in very bad emotional relationship with US fans. And I doubt the Scabs can beat Guatemala on the home.

 

Yeah, I'll have to agree that FMCS mediators are by no means the gold standard. We're talking government employees with secure jobs and lots of yearly vacation. I've had more than one give up at 5 pm when things were just starting to happen.

If they were really serious, they'd hire an in demand private mediator who has experience settling high end business disputes (the good Bay Area mediators fetch upwards of $8k a day; much more for class actions). In many cases, private mediators are former judges. Other times, they are highly respected and successful attorneys. The best ones, when necessary, literally tell the parties they can't leave until a settlement is reached (although they cannot technically enforce such a demand, a strong mediator has a way of making you think he/she can). In my experience, mediation can be a great solution if both sides are motivated to settle and both see it as very costly not to settle. A good mediator shows the parties the costs of not settling.

We might not get to the point in this situation where both sides see settlement as the best option until January 31st. Or maybe February 10th. Remember, they cancelled a World Series over a labor dispute once. Who can imagine anyone -- or a group of anyones-- acting that recklessly and not being able to see that settlement had to be the better option?

 

I don't think there's been an official release of names. I'm thinking/hoping that's because there's a possibility of a settlement and not releasing the names would help reduce any potential negative rep to the players that did accept the invite. As a Charleston Battery fan, I'm one that sort of secretly would like to see the USL'ers compete but in reality, the A-Team Nats need to be out there, that's their stage.

You know what I mean?

 

I pity the fool who doesn't.

 

Well if playing the most popular sport in the world for your home country and having the honor to put on the national team jersey of the USA is "bizness" then that is a sad day for the world of sports. The players need to get a life.

 

The same could be said for all of us.

 

Mister Hooligan, where have you been for the past hundred years? Sports were professionalized in the early part of the last century. You honestly believe Nike is interested in honor? You think Phillips is in it for the honor? You might want to bone up on your history, and if I may, I would begin with Andy Markovits, Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism. You can check it out at: http://www.andymarkovits.com/. The days of leisure and polite competition ended in the early 1900's. The concept of sport as some sort of idealistic pastoral activity ended as soon as players took their first paychecks a long, long, long time ago. Best of luck with your nostalgia.

 

Great book, but it also explains another facet of this mess -- soccer isn't the most popular sport in this country, and the hurdles it has to overcome go far beyond "it's boring" and "they don't score enough."

The decades of marginalization of soccer in the name of national identity should put this dispute in perspective. We -- and I mean all of us -- are pretty lucky that we have guys playing this game for six-figure incomes in this country.

You could take that to mean that the Fed shouldn't be playing hardball, or you could take it to mean that they shouldn't take their surplus for granted. Or both. Take your pick.

 

All these posts on the impasse are pure jibber-jabber.

Someone call me when it's over.

And for the love of God would someone please get rid of those photos of the players floating around on the other threads?.... If this impasse doesn't drive me away from soccer then those photos are sure to.

 

Mister Dure, I believe what we are witnessing is a struggle between the "old school" and the "new school" of soccer in America. The "old school" would include, Lamar, Phil, Phil Woosman, Alan and others who learned the lessons well from the past and are hell bent to not repeat those mistakes again, especially the NASL model of compensation, as well as other nearsighted decisions of the past. I commend them for their focus and getting us to where we are. I believe these are all good men and have the wisdom, vision and competencies soccer in America should rely on. But how much and for how long?

Actually, I believe Mister Rothenberg is running the show as we speak, e.g. L&W. This is why I continue to out the naked leader in Chicago.

Anyway, you have Mister Hunt, who has been in some way or another involved in almost every professional sports league in this country. He obviously knows from successes as well as mistakes how to lead the MLS and USSF in a the "right" direction. On and on it goes with these other honorable men.

Now, how much control should they have? This process appears like growing pains to me, an exercise in maturation. Their stranglehold on the purse gives them the perogative to do as they please, obvioulsy. This is what we are seeing unfold in Chicago. At some point though, whether today or tommorrow, they are going to have to deal with their success, which means sharing the fruits of their success. I do not mean just dollars. At some juncture, there will have to be new voices and new visionaries to carry the torch they have lit so bright. I am a firm believer, the pool to search for those voices lies within the former players. I am not suggesting they be given carte blanc, but they need to be incorporated into the USSF decision making. They are not the reason, but are a big part of the reason we find ourselves arguing over our achievments.

Why not begin to listen and heed their lessons from the player's POV? As I have stated, if there were players on both sides of the fence, then the dialogue would be less contentious and more respectful.

By the way, did you know you can ice fish the manholes in Chicago?

 

poor form...i dont recall anyone asking you what you thought

 

It became a business the moment they decided to charge admission.

 

The chicken.
The egg.
The chicken.
The egg.

 

Anyone have a clue to when today's mediation sessions will end?

 

Mister Dure can answer that.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/national/2005-01-19-labor-blog_x.htm

 

What the hell, I thought they were meeting again, today. Why are these clowns waiting a whole week? Time's a factor here, people.

 

What about the scabs? I hear the goalie is awesome. Does this mean you do not buy into the goose who laid the golden scab option?

 

Ok, sorry--I was too harsh. But a lot of the posts on this thread are jibber-jabber. This one, for instance.