Just announced on soccernet.com, US tab, Feb.25 Hawaii will host a preseason MLS match between the Classic rivalry of the LA Galaxy and D.C. United, for the Aloha Soccer Cup. Personally I think this is great for MLS, hopefully the attendance is good, this gets the rest of the US at least recognizing MLS. If it is successful maybe in 06' a MLS game should be played in Puerto Rico. And if that's a success maybe "First Kick" or first regular season MLS match should be held somewhere in the US that doesn't have a MLS team.
No, no. If the Hawaiian exhibition is successful, go farther west for the next one: GUAM! The Quakes with Brian Ching might have been a more logical choice for one of the teams in this friendly. Oh well. I hope it is a rip-roaring success.
Good point, LA v. SJ is just as good as LA v. D.C., and then again its better cause of Ching, but I think they wanted the All Time Classic, consisting of a Western Team and Eastern Team, and you can't go wrong with LA and D.C.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Oct/17/sp/sp15p.html Here's the last sentence from the article: "Although the Earthquakes, with Ching and star Landon Donovan, might have been a bigger draw, organizers said it couldn't be worked out." Couldn't be worked out because of the ownership problems with the Quakes, no doubt.
So MLS will just force a Ching to LA move? But he can't leave Donovan. Ok Donovan to LA too. Is it really that impossible?
A more plausible solution: Ching becomes a "guest player" for DC United. Last year, DC United had a couple guest players for a friendly with an EPL team. The names of the player (Troy Dayak?) and the EPL team escape me right now.
I actually suggested the guest player route on the main page today but doesn't the forced trade idea bring back the good ol' days and is just more fun. Don't worry SJ, no way will it happen and anyway with Amanpour looking to buy, selling off the two biggest assets would be stupid (Ching was just re-signed to SJ, unlikely a better value out there).
hey if hawaii has a good fan turn out for this game then maybe the all star game should go there also.... If the crowds are good in hawaii is it crazy to maybe have them in the expansion plan down the road? ......
I have to say, if Amanpour is successful in buying SJ, than I am willing to bet he will try and use up a good amount of his cash to keep Donovan in SJ. Donovan is trying to fill in the void that McBride left, and MLS needs him. I don't see why Bayer doesn't workout an offseason loan with MLS, at the very least, that way everybody wins. SJ keeps Donovan, Bayer gets to see if Donovan was worth all the time, how badly would Bayer Management look if they finally get Donovan to only realize he isn't worth the trouble.
Guam is a territory belonging to the US, not part of the US proper. The westernmost place actually in the US is the Aleutian islands. Some might also say it is the easternmost place as well.
No. All forced trades and transactions must be to the Metros. Sincerely, Danny Szetela Seriously, I've heard Hawaii mentioned as a possible preseason training stop for at least one MLS team.
How many suitable stadiums are there in the islands? Where did the USISL's Tsunami play? I could look it up, but I'm too lazy.
Yeah. And besides, individual owners can't use their own money on individual players, can they? I thought all players were owned collectively by MLS; not by their individual teams.
Wade Barrett Tottenham Hotspurs (@ White Hart Lane) In 2002. THFC played with a number of "legends" in the lineup (Waddle, Hoddle, etc). "DC" won 1-0 on a Barrett goal. The next year we beat a THFC side with most of their first team just after the EPL regular season ended on the strength of a Santino Quaranta goal.
I was about to make the same point, but alas you already have. I think it would have been more wise for MLS marketing if they included the Earthquakes since one of their stars is from Hawaii.