Portland Expansion

I also wanted to post this really quick, as I said in a blog earlier this month I am fascinated by MLS expansion. It now appears that Portland has made some inroads to become a candidate for a possible MLS team in the future...however they lack a good soccer specific stadium at this time. I now put the odds for a team in Las Vegas to be the same as Portland...in 5-6 years time these cities may be battling to be the 20th team in the league. And as far as Las Vegas expansion the potential ownership group for that team wants to build a stadium connected to a casino that has a retractable roof...now that would be awesome!

Halloween musings

Wow, scary, I haven't written in the blog for over 3 weeks...however a lot has happened in my time away. First I will start off with the selection of Brazil as host of the next world cup. Although a soccer mad country, they most definitely have their hands full trying to prepare for the biggest event on earth. As of today they do not have one single stadium capable of hosting a world cup match (the US has about 30)...also their countries infrastructure clearly lacks the ability to host millions of supporters and travelers. I hope for the countries sake they can host a succssful cup because in all honesty not just Brazil but the entire S. American continent derserves it.

Next up, MLS playoffs...for lack of a better word "dull" so far the games have turned out to be tactical chess battles played out on football fields. But I expect this weekends action to be more wide open and provide more exciting play. I believe Chicago is going to eliminate DC (the best team from the regular season) and also I don't see NY being able to get a result against New England. So the east should be a good battle between the Revs and Fire. As for the west it truly is wide open but if I had to pick I would say Houston will end up beating FC Dallas on PK's and Chivas USA will get 2 goals from Maykel Galindo to beat Kansas City...stay tuned

Also I just wanted to comment on the USA and coach Bob Bradley, I honestly belive the last 11 months since his hire have been very successful. Case in point is that he has already capped 60 players...that is truly a sign of a coach leaving no stone unturned. He is also a true "players" coach and is open and honest with his players, that is a recipe for creating an excellent team of loyal players...There is one game remaning on the schedule for this year Nov. 17th in S. Africa. This is an excellent opportunity to scout out the country hosting the next world cup and to also see some young Euro based Americans in action. Utnil next time...

MLS Expansion

For some reason I am fascinated by MLS and the direction it is headed...the league is obviously doing well and surpassing most people's expectations (including my own) however there is now so much serious interest in the league that potential franchise owners are lining up at the door. The league currently has 14 teams with the San Jose franchise returning next year after 3 years in hibernation, but where will franchises #15 and #16 be located? Well its almost a certainty that MLS will be in Seattle next but as far as #16 St. Louis and Philly appear to be in a tight race to the finish. Both cities have local ownership/soccer specific stadium potential/local fan base and these are the 3 main ingredients MLS is looking for...however it does appear that St Louis is a little further along in the process so they would make the 16th team and begin play in 2009 along with Seattle. I fully expect 18 teams by 2011 and those cities will most likely be Philly and Las Vegas, and then NY franchise #2 along with Miami in 2013...20 teams should be the max.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
Red Bull NY
NY #2
Toronto
New England
Chicago
DC
Columbus
Miami
St Louis
Philadelphia

WESTERN CONFERENCE:
LA
Chivas USA
San Jose
Seattle
FC Dallas
Houston
Real Salt Lake
Colorado
Kansas City
Las Vegas

Soccer bar in Indy!

I have been away from the blog for awhile but I wanted to post this in case anyone would be interested. There is a new bar that opened last month on Mass. Ave. downtown called Chatham Tap...evidently this is going to be a great place for all soccer/football fans to gather and catch a game and chat about anything soccer related. I will personally be there on Oct. 17 to watch the US take on Switzerland and also England vs. Russia. See you there!