Things Just Went from Bad to Worse.. AKA my USOC 3rd Round Recap

9 NASL teams entered tonight, 2 are moving on.

All 7 NASL teams that were paired with USL sides lost to those sides, with only 2 of those needing extra time. This comes on the same day as the Chairman of the NASL Board of Governors was arrested as part of the FIFA corruption stuff from this morning. This not only is an embarrassment for the league, but it's an embarrassment for all those who believe that NASL is the rightful potential D1, even though they can't even beat D3.

Of note, the 2 sides that won (Cosmos and Atlanta) played against non-league sides, and Atlanta barely beat Chattanooga, and both go on to take on Manchester City New York and Red Bull's NY team respectively.

Here's a solution that can get NASL teams to stop choking against USL: Fine every team that loses, and give the proceeds to a charity of the team's choice. Not only does it foster goodwill between each NASL team and their communities, it also gives them a chance to make amends for losing to those teams.

Another, more radical solution: Have the league take the 2 weekends surrounding USOC week off to focus on the competition, making the teams field their strongest available XIs. For the teams that end up losing, their game on the Saturday following Cup day is still on, as long as their scheduled opponent is also eliminated. All moved fixtures would be made up later in the season. To be fair to Ottawa and Edmonton, I'd advocate doing the same for them while they're in the Canadian Championship.

Also, as another reward for any NASL team that wins, I would give a NASL side that wins US Open Cup $3 million, and schedule modifications for CONCACAF Champions League group stage.

FIFA Officials and Sports Marketing Execs Charged with Corruption

According to a NYT article released this morning, 14 people, including 10 current and former FIFA officials, have been arrested in Zurich, Switzerland, and extradited to the United States to face those charges. Some bad news out of the gate: Sepp Blatter is not one of those charged, and Aaron Davidson, one of the heads of Traffic Sports, and, consequently, of the Carolina Railhawks of the NASL, is one of those charged. Firstly, this is not the FBI's jurisdiction, this would be the CIA's jurisdiction as this is a foreign investigation (but those lines have been blurred so many times I don't even know where to begin). Secondly, the FBI has really messed up here by not getting Blatter when they had the chance to do so with these investigations. I'm not going to sit here and say that Traffic is completely 100% ethical (they are not), but they haven't done what another famous soccer marketing company has done with US soccer.  What I will say is that organization is very important to the growth of the NASL, and taking out one of their most important players smells like a conspiracy to me. For the world, this is a good day as many people have been charged with racketeering, money laundering, and various other corruption-like charges, but this is a bad day for those of us that want the NASL to be in a position to challenge MLS at some point. Hopefully, the NASL can find someone to replace Davidson with as much clout in the sports marketing world as him, and I hope they do it quickly and wipe their hands of him ASAP.


I am also saddened to report this morning that former Everton player Andy King has passed away. In 2 stints with the Blues, he made 195 appearances and scored 49 goals.

Bohs Fall Flat Against Reading in Home Opener

The Baltimore Bohemians lost to Reading united 4-0 in the home opener at Bonavegna Field in Canton today. This is their 4th home in 4 years, previously playing in Bel Air, then at Ridley Athletic Complex (part of Loyola University MD) then at Calvert Hall. Aesthetically, I like the field location because you see the big Natty Boh sign overlooking the field. Unfortunately, you either had to sit on concrete slabs, the new turf, or bring your own chair. That was a bit concerning, but it just felt nicer because there seemed to be a lot of people there... I doubt most of them would come back.

Anyways, on to the game. The Bohs looked a step behind Reading all night long, letting in 4 particularly soft goals, all of which were caused by a defensive mistake somewhere. The Bohs, despite being at home, lost the possession battle and every possible other head-to-head battle. For a team that beat the Westchester Flames last week 5-0 in Westchester, I expected a lot better out of this Bohemians side. They must improve in training this week in anticipation of the next game against Lehigh Valley next Saturday at home. Lehigh Valley comes over from the NPSL, and stats are very hard to find. Let's hope the Bohs fix their defensive errors, and come out next week with a point to prove.

A Thoughtful NASL Expansion Plan

Well, first off, I would like to apologize to all of you for the lack of weekly recaps as promised. I have been going through a lot of personal sacrifice this whole month, including the absence of an Internet connection sans my phone's 3G data (and try typing a full-length blog on a phone and see how long it takes you)

Well, we have some big news coming out of Miami, and that is Miami FC is coming to the NASL in 2016, a full 2 years before Miami Beckham Spice Franchise makes its debut. Congratulations to Miami FC for the acceptance, but even though I like their plan better than MBSF, I don't think it was wise for the league to award a second team to the Miami market. From a purely soccer perspective, I love it because Beckham is quaking in his boots, but from a league survival perspective, this is bad... really bad.

Here is my expansion plan for the NASL in stages*:

1. Get west coast teams. This is an absolute must for NASL to retain D2 status (but you already know how I feel about that status) So, markets like San Diego, LA, Phoenix, and Vegas should all be considered first before markets like Miami. Accepting all 4 would bring the number of teams to 15.
2. Find a Canadian city to pair with Edmonton for road trips. This can be done along with step 1, but I'm writing this as a separate step for convenience sake. The perfect city to do this in would be Calgary because of the built-in Flames-Oilers hockey rivalry (but we can't force-feed rivalries down people's throats,... let it happen organically) Number of teams: 16
3. Fill out the east of the Mississippi with markets MLS rejected, like Baltimore and Detroit especially. I think it is a crime that pro soccer does not currently exist in those two citie, especially because Baltimore topped NBC's Premier League ratings last year, and the Northern Guard deserves something better than the NPSL, and, quite frankly, Detroit deserves better than a semi-pro soccer team being their best one.

Here is how my NASL would look by 2024:
Atlanta Silverbacks
Baltimore Bohemians
Calgary Foothills FC
Carolina RailHawks
Chicago Sting
CD Phoenix
Detroit City FC
FC Edmonton
Ft. Lauderdale Strikers
Hartford Whalers
Indy Eleven
Jacksonville Armada
Las Vegas Mobsters
Los Angeles Aztecs
Miami FC
New York Cosmos
Ottawa Fury FC
San Antonio Scorpions
San Diego Sockers
Tampa Bay Rowdies

* This plan assumes the Minn United MLS move takes place and allows for the Miami FC expansion, so I only counted 11 original NASL teams. Also, I did not take into account owners putting plans together to submit to the NASL for expansion by themselves.

A Defense of the LA Aztecs:

The LA Aztecs were an original NASL team, and I have seen some support for the Aztecs to return to LA at a given point. That's why I allowed a 3rd team in LA. Ditto with the Sting.

No NASL Week 2 Recap coming; Will Have Week 3, and more

I think this will be obvious to anyone who has been looking for it, there will be no NASL Week 2 recap post as I was extremely busy this past weekend (more on where I was on Sunday later). I plan on doing a recap for week 3, and probably a preview if time permits.

Now, I was at Ridley Athletic Complex to watch a spring soccer game on Sunday, where Loyola played Penn State, a game in which the Nittany Lions were heavily favored to win, even though it doesn't matter. The game contained very ugly soccer and lots of referee mistakes, but Loyola scored a goal in the second half (can't clearly remember the minute) and never looked back from there. There were lots of defensive frailties on both sides and some miscommunication between Loyola's midfielders when one took the ball off the other after he won the ball, then proceeded to lose the ball almost immediately.

The Hounds have 2 more spring games, both on Friday; a doubleheader, first against Howard University at 5PM followed by the alumni game. I was going to live tweet the game on Sunday, but Ridley does not have a WiFi connection to which I have access.

So, that's what I was doing, and I hope you can forgive me for not providing some promised content.

U.S. Open Cup First and Second Rounds Drawn

Here are the results of the draw of the First and Second Rounds of the 2015 U.S. Open Cup:

First Round (all fixtures to be played May 13)

West Virginia Chaos (PDL) vs. Fort Pitt Regiment (NPSL)

Western Mass. Pioneers (PDL) vs. Greater Binghamton FC Thunder (NPSL)

Lansing United (NPSL) vs. RWB Adria (USASA)

Miami United (NPSL) vs. SW Flordia Adrenaline (PDL)

Upward Star (NPSL) vs. Triangle Bridgade (USASA)

AC Connecticut (PDL) vs. Virginia Beach City FC (NPSL)

Long Island Rough Riders (PDL) vs. Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)

Michigan Bucks (PDL) vs. Detroit City FC (NPSL)

Chattanooga FC (NPSL) vs. Ocala Stampede (PDL)

Jersey Express (PDL) vs. New York Greek American Atlas (USASA)

Maryland Bays (USASA) vs. Reading United A.C. (PDL)

Global Premier Soccer (USASA) vs. Seacoast United Phantoms (PDL)

Des Moines Menace (PDL) vs. Madison Fire (USASA)

Midland/Odessa Sockers (PDL) vs. Tulsa Athletics (NPSL)

Laredo Heat (PDL) vs. NTX Rayados (USASA)

BYU Cougars (PDL) vs. KC Athletics/Harpo’s FC

FC Tucson (PDL) vs. Chula Vista FC (USASA)

FC Tacoma 253 (NPSL) vs. Kitsap Pumas (PDL)

Sonoma County Sol (NPSL) vs. Burlingame Dragons (PDL)

Ventura County Fusion (PDL) vs. Cal FC/San Francisco City FC

PSA Elite (USASA) vs. Golden State Misioneros FC (PDL)

Second Round (All fixtures to be played May 20)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL) vs. Fort Pitt Regiment/West Virginia Chaos

Wilmington Hammerheads (USL) vs. Ocala Stampede/Chattanooga FC

Richmond Kickers (USL) vs. AC Connecticut/Virginia Beach FC

Rochester Rhinos (USL) vs. Greater Binghamton FC Thunder/Western Mass. Pioneers

RWB Adria/Lansing United vs. Louisville City FC (USL)

Reading United A.C./Maryland Bays vs. Harrisburg City Islanders (USL)

Charleston Battery (USL) vs. SW Florida Adrenaline/Miami United

Charlotte Independence (USL) vs. Triangle Brigade/Upward Star

Michigan Bucks/Detroit City FC vs. Portland Timbers 2 (USL)

Long Island Rough Riders vs. Real Monarchs SLC (USL) OR Real Monarchs SLC vs. Brooklyn Italians

Jersey Express vs. New York Red Bulls II (USL) OR New York Red Bulls II vs. New York Greek American Atlas

Global Premier Soccer vs. Tulsa Roughnecks (USL) OR Tulsa Roughnecks vs. Seacoast United Phantoms

Saint Louis FC (USL) vs. Madison Fire/Des Moines Menace

Midland/Odessa Sockers vs. OKC Energy FC (USL) OR Tulsa Athletics vs. OKC Energy FC

Austin Aztex (USL) vs. NTX Rayados/Laredo Heat

Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USL) vs. KC Athletics/Harpo’s FC/BYU Cougars

PSA Elite/Golden State Misioneros FC vs. Orange County Blues (USL)

Arizona United SC (USL) vs. Chula Vista FC/FC Tucson

LA Galaxy II (USL) vs. Cal FC/San Francisco City FC/Ventura County Fusion

Sacramento Republic FC (USL) vs. Burlingame Dragons/Sonoma County Sol

Seattle Sounders 2 (USL) vs. Kitsap Pumas/FC Tacoma 253

My analysis: Why?

Why do you "reward" a team that has won your tournament multiple times with a trip to Salt Lake City if they beat Long Island? How does the Jersey Express get a home game against an MLS reserve side -- better question, why are the MLS reserve sides in it at all? And why are you making some teams travel further to their First Round game than to their Second Round game? Some of this draw makes no sense, and why isn't US Soccer covering the Open Cup with as much vigor and enthusiasm as the FA does with the FA Cup? This tournament needs to be bigger than what it currently is, but it can't get there without more promotion by the US Soccer Federation. They will argue that not enough money is being raised, but they could have used some of that $90M from the MLS TV deal to financially back the tournament. I think there will be some exciting games, and I can't wait to see if any of those games will be made available either on YouTube or other forms of Internet access.

NASL Week 1 Recap

FINAL SCORES
CAR 3-1 OTT
ATL 1-1 IND
FTL 0-1 NY
JAX 3-1 EDM
SA 1-3 TB

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tough call this week, but I'd say that Novo gets it due to his effective play earlier in the day.

MAJOR TAKEAWAYS
1. Quality of play is improving little by little.
2. NASL had to set up a separate live stream for the beginning of the 2nd half between San Antonio and Tampa Bay due to problems with ESPN3. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come.
3. Jacksonville Armada are definitely proving me wrong about where I placed them in my predicted end-of-season standings. They played very well in front of....
4. Record crowds showed up in bunches this week. The Armada have a modern era record of 16,164 at  evening with a foghorn goal celebration. The Strikers also have a modern era record of just north of 11,000.
5. The production quality is improving overall, but there are a few strugglers still. Atlanta didn't have a scoreboard for 20 minutes, and San Antonio's production quality has not improved over the offseason.
6. Feel very bad for the Silverbacks fans who went out to the game. Indy's goal was a last-minute penalty. Stone cold penalty, but what a way to end your night.
7. The officiating was very trigger-happy when it came to cards this week. Watch this to see if the referees change as the season progresses.