Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
World Cup podcast – day 14
Kevin Fylan, Paul Radford, Andy Cawthorne and Felix Bate discuss a few of the forthcoming second round matches at the World Cup, including the classic Germany v England.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Big decisions loom for growing MLS
Major League Soccer shows plenty of signs of good health and progress but beneath the surface the North American league has some critical decisions to make over its future direction.
After a week of largely upbeat build-up and nationwide publicity for a sport that so often struggles to get space, the league’s title deciding game, MLS Cup, was played out in front of over 46,000 fans here in Seattle – the city that is staking a strong claim to be the de facto home of U.S soccer.
"It was a memorable night for soccer in the United States," said league commissioner Don Garber.
Strolling through the squares of downtown Seattle, packed with fans bedecked in team colours and chatting to the soccer-savvy locals, it was hard not to imagine how the sports scene in the U.S could change if the Seattle experience truly was replicated across the country.
David Beckham and L.A Galaxy didn’t get their title, losing on penalties to Real Salt Lake, but they did both earn some respect.
Beckham has surely put to bed the argument that he is not fully committed to his MLS project by playing through the pain barrier of a badly bruised ankle for 120 minutes and since Bruce Arena took over as head coach, the Galaxy feel like a real team rather than the circus act they were in danger of becoming.
Salt Lake won the league in just their fifth season of existence – a real boost for the trio of new teams about to enter MLS, Philadelphia in 2010, Vancouver and Portland a year later and encouraging also for other teams in the league without a big name foreign player.
A few observations/ponderings
With increased expansion, there is more money and roster positions available for American players. Their are only so many roster spots available to internationals. That could keep more of those players in the US rather than leaving to Denmark or the Norwegian leagues. If each MLS team had cap space for 2 of those Americans/Canadians then expanding would simply allow for more of those players to stay in MLS.
Regarding Holden, I believe he is being smart and has not renegotiated his contract because he knows that by waiting until his contract is up he can get the best deal possible. So while it is shocking to see him making so little, it is not like Houston and MLS haven’t tried to extend his contract and offer him more money.
You will also have a player like Hurtado in Seattle demanding more money. But it shows that players can come to MLS and then use it as a spring board to make money in other leagues. Similar situation with Montero, but he is making decent money.
MLS does have issues with some players making more money than they deserve as well and it is very difficult to renegotiate those salaries down. The stronger the Player’s Union gets the harder it will be to do that.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Azteca defeat exposes U.S. weaknesses
After a wave of optimism following their successful run in the Confederations Cup, the United States have come back down to earth with their 2-1 defeat to Mexico.
Although Mexico didn’t seal their victory on Wednesday until Miguel Sabah’s strike seven minutes from the end, the result actually flattered the United States who were outplayed at the Azteca stadium.
The U.S’s victory over European champions Spain in the Confederations Cup and their impressive performance in the final against Brazil – when they lead 2-0 before going down 3-2, showed the potential of Bob Bradley’s team.
Eriksson sacked as Mexico coach (Update)
Eight years ago, Mexico lost 3-1 away to Honduras in a World Cup qualifier, sunk by a Carlos Pavon hat-trick, and the defeat cost Enrique Meza his job.
Already under enormous pressure, Meza quit in the dressing room afterwards and has gone on to become a highly successful coach with Pachuca, a friendly club founded by Cornish miners whose modern-day facilities would put many of their European counterparts to shame.
On Wednesday, Mexico lost by the same score against the same opponents in the same stadium in another World Cup qualifier. By a strange coincidence Pavon was on target again, the mercurial striker having been brought back at the age of 35 to replace the injured David Suazo.
The result cost Sven-Goran Eriksson his job.
“This morning we talked to Mr Eriksson and announced his departure,” Mexican Football Federation (FMF) president Justino Compean told a news conference. “It’s a fact results have not been what we expected.”
Eriksson’s future seems to have been in doubt almost since the day he was appointed last June.
