1/2/03: Keep It Coming

Good stuff by Dure in that top article.

And from Dallas:

"The MLS's all-time assist leader had stated his desire to return to the Colorado Rapids in 2003. But Rapids coach Tim Hankinson told Bloomberg News that Valderrama, 41, will not return this year."

 

Here be my favorite snippet from the Beau Dure article.

"American fans need to get out and see some MLS games. Reality. Live soccer beats televised soccer, period. And if you're not happy with the current quality of play, how do you expect it to improve if you're not out supporting a local team? If English fans shiver in the cold to see a hopeless Third Division team and pass around a bucket to pay for the uniforms, then soccer fans in New York can get out and see the MetroStars. The U.S. shouldn't be dependent on Manchester United tours and World Cups once every 20 years to see soccer with our own eyes."

 

I wanted to add to the chorus and offer thanks for this great service. I've been amazed by the number of positve soccer stories each day this year.

Last year had a lot of stories, but lots of gloom and doom crap.

 

Each day this year??? Geez, it's January 2nd....

 

Must have been one hell of a New Years Eve for that guy.

Enjoyed Dure's article as well.

 

Re: Re: 1/2/03: Keep It Coming

Agreed. If people are satisfied with getting up early in the morning to go to a bar to watch their "favorite sport," then they really need to examine their priorities, IMHO.

 

Cole studies pro options

McBride loaned to Everton - AP

Nice local story on an MLS prospect and the first AP story on McBride, with MLS confirmation.

 

You can take a horse to the water but you can,t make him drink. This is how I feel about every 4 year soccer fan here in USA.

 

Congratulation to the lad & best of luck. Having watched him play with the FIRE Reserves, he looks to be the real deal.

 

Eh.

That's all I have to say about that.

And is it just me, but with Spector and Magee has the Barrington Courier-Review been covering local soccer better than the Chicago Tribune?

 

After watching the local papers over the last several years I would agree with you that the soccer coverage from the "Chicago" papers has been less than acceptable. We used to get better coverage on TV from the late Darien(sp) Chapman. Maybe the Barrington paper should take the lead.!!

 

I was joking.

 

You know a lot more about Spector than I do. I saw him once. I thought he was better than Clark, Grabavoy, Regan & the lot in that particular match. If you're gonna go "Eh!" in regard to my observation at least have the stones to elaborate. Where am I (and ManU) wrong regarding Johnathan Spector?

 

I wasn't

 

Can I just ask you, why do you always capitalize every letter of "Fire"? Do you think it is an anagram?

 

Maybe it is.

 

I wouldn't accuse Man U of being wrong about prospective talent, just that Spector isn't all stud as first glance might seem. Jonathan's got a German passport, which makes him a much more prime target than a Magee or Grabavoy.

It's been my opinion (and the opinion of others even more familiar than I with Chicago youth soccer) that Spector's relied a lot more on his connections to play at the level he has been fortunate enough to be at than on his own talent...not to say he isn't talented, just not nearly as much so as more than a few others of his age, position, and location. Not even the top for his club team. Tis is also skipping the fact he's terribly inconsistent, and for every relative blinder he plays he turns out 3 or 4 absolute dissapearing acts. Fragility is an issue as well.

I'm seeing more and more of Spector listed as a forward though, and I'm only familiar with his defensive and defensive mid play...maybe some coach pulled an AJ Wood with him ...who knows. I've even heard people who have seen him play nothing but attacking midfield. I'll wait to see for myself, but while I wish the guy the best there are other kids who I think could make more of the opportunity.

 

True, but every World Cup, some of those 4 year soccer fans turn into diehards. Little by little.

 

Anagram is not the word you are looking for here.

An anagram is a word resulting from the rearranged letters of another word.

Perhaps acronym?

 

Anagram. You know, like Laid Rad Ham.

 

I am one of those people. I followed the Men's national team until about '97 (The 98 WC was an unregistered blip to me, thankfully) and I wasn't interested in MLS at all until this World Cup. Now, I'll probably buy season tickets when I move to DC.

-I've always supported WUSA, though

 

That's what I was thinking. That it's less than two years before qualifying starts, and some of those 'Four Year Fans' will start paying attention in two more years.

I will grant that it's hard to sit back and watch growth measured in decades, though.