Soccer (General)

[Hoek]

Apparently media weren't invited. There's some guy on BigSoccer who went and said he was impressed but could be an astroturfer.. Who knows.. It sounds like they are at least going to do the medical facilities and a small modular stadium though as they seem to have enough private money for that.

[Hoek]

Carlos Bianchi returns to Boca Juniors for third coaching stint

"It's a great joy that Carlos Bianchi, the most successful coach in the history of the club, returns to Boca Juniors," announced president Daniel Angelici.

Bianchi coached Boca Juniors from 1998 to 2001 and returned to the club in 2003 for a one-year stint with the Buenos Aires outfit.

During his time with the team, the coach won nine titles, including three Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups.

It is rumoured Bianchi's return could pave the way for the comeback of Juan Roman Riquelme, who famously fell out with Falcioni and left the club earlier this year.

Awesome news!

[Hoek]

Riquelme: I almost joined Chivas USA

Argentina midfield legend Juan Roman Riquelme has revealed that he nearly joined MLS side Chivas USA at the behest of Carlos Bianchi, who was set to take over the reins of the Home Depot Center tenant.

In an interview explaining his decision not to rejoin Boca Juniors, Riquelme claimed that his former manager at the Buenos Aires club had been lined up to coach Chivas USA, and wanted to bring the former Villarreal playmaker with him to Southern California.

"Ten days before Carlos was announced by Boca he called me to his home because he wanted me to go with him to Chivas in Los Angeles," the 34-year-old told Argentine TV station TyC Sports. "We were planning to go together to Los Angeles and I told him that I would go with him to Los Angeles without any problem and then 10 days later he was announced with Boca."

Chivas USA appointed Jose Luis Sanchez "Chelis" Sola manager on Dec. 8.

What the fuck? Wow.. I didn't think Chivas USA would spend that kind of money. Wild... They might have actually won some games then.

[Hoek]

Argentine playmaker Valeri on board as Timbers' new DP

Great acquisition! Valeri has done well in Argentina and in his national team appearances. I'm impressed that an MLS team would pick up such a player, even if it's on loan.

[Avery86]

Originally Posted by Hoek

Argentine playmaker Valeri on board as Timbers' new DP

Great acquisition! Valeri has done well in Argentina and in his national team appearances. I'm impressed that an MLS team would pick up such a player, even if it's on loan.

SKC brought in Claudio Bieler for the upcoming season. He's made a few appearances for Argentina. Know anything about him, Hoek?

[Hoek]

Oops sorry for late reply. I don't know much about Bieler since he really took off in Ecuador and he wasn't quite as prolific in Argentina, but anyone who leads a team from a small nation like that to a Libertadores victory should be a great player in MLS, in my opinion.

Livestrong, KC Sporting sever ties



Saw that coming.

[Avery86]

Yup. And it's unfortunate, too, because there's quite a bit of mud slinging occurring via the media between the two parties involved.

Pretty ballsy of Livestrong to accuse SKC of not paying them enough of what they "owed" when they allegedly weren't holding up their own end of the bargain, not to mention, they got free sponsorship of one of the most highly regarded sports stadiums in the country.

Good riddance.

[Hoek]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21022502

Bradford became the first fourth-tier side in over 50 years to reach the League Cup final as they secured a 4-3 aggregate victory over Aston Villa.

The Bantams bridged the gap between the bottom division of English league football and the Premier League to secure a place at Wembley, despite a 2-1 second-leg defeat.

Another chapter will now be written in one of the most remarkable football stories of recent times as Phil Parkinson's League Two side will face either Swansea City or Chelsea on 24 February.

Bradford may have lost on the night but they stubbornly protected a 3-1 first-leg advantage to emulate a feat last achieved by Rochdale in 1962.

Amazing. The final just became can't miss!

[ChaseSpace]

Hey Avery, my team is now affiliated with yours

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/t...ef=twitter.com

"Within minutes of the initial announcement, Sporting Kansas City revealed that it has paired up with Orlando City, one of the best-supported USL PRO clubs."

[Avery86]

Originally Posted by ChaseSpace

Hey Avery, my team is now affiliated with yours

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/t...ef=twitter.com

"Within minutes of the initial announcement, Sporting Kansas City revealed that it has paired up with Orlando City, one of the best-supported USL PRO clubs."

Yep. And since I'm from Orlando originally .. well, I couldn't be happier about it. Will definitely be getting my hands on a scarf and possibly a jersey this year.

Looking at this from a non-SKC and OCSC point of view, this is absolutely fantastic for MLS (but maybe not for NASL, I'll get to that in a bit). For years, people have been crying for a proper promotion and relegation system. Obviously, with the way sports leagues are in the US and Canada, a system like that absolutely won't work. But I think one of the biggest problems that stems from not having an explicit system like that (or even one similar to it) is the lack of development of non-starting players for MLS clubs.

You simply do not see player loan deals at anywhere near the magnitude as you see with other clubs across the world. I think that has a lot to do with the setup of players being technically owned by MLS, although the individual clubs pay their own players. One of SKC's players, Dom Dwyer, was heavily rumored to go out on loan to St. Mirren in Scotland, and suddenly it was no more, with Dwyer hinting the league put the kibosh on it.

With MLS's seemingly odd stance of not wanting to see their players go elsewhere, even on loan, this partnership with USL Pro is absolutely perfect. It finally gives clubs a fantastic opportunity to develop their youth and reserve players in a 100% professional and competitive environment. The MLS Reserve League is hardly what I would call competitive -- there is nothing being played for other than getting into the good graces of the coaching staff and possibly getting the nod to be named into the squad. Not to mention, the league is weirdly scheduled, the league was finished with its play months before MLS's season finished last year. Not exactly optimal for player development when your reserves are only training with the team and not getting playing time.

With the new system, which is completely optional, a team like SKC can send four players to Orlando in order to play in a competitive league with real benefits. If done right, this partnership with USL Pro could bump up the quality of MLS (and the lower tiers of the US soccer pyramid) exponentially, which is also fantastic in terms of player talent in the national team pool. It also pits USL Pro teams up against MLS Reserve League squads as part of their proper schedule. Quality breeds quality. Hopefully MLS's involvement also helps to stabilize USL Pro, as well. Great for both leagues.

Kind of screws NASL, though. They're technically second on the USSF pyramid. MLS effectively skipped the second tier and dropped straight to the third. Seems odd, and perhaps potentially damning in the long run. We'll see.