Manchester City has moved into our backyard. City recenly announced a partnership with New York City-based Downtown United Soccer Club (DUSC) and Gotham Girls Football Club (GGFC). The goal of the partnership is to expand DUFC’s inner-city outreach program, City Soccer Initiative (CSI). CSI serves over 3,000 inner-city kids with a curriculum focused on critical life skils , fighting childhood obesity, and improving the general quality of life in underserved communities. (more…)
“ . . . we are moved by the identity of the persons who act, rather than the label of their hats.”
— American Needle, Inc. vs. National Football League
Sometimes we get into the nitty gritty over here. That’s because deep down we’re geeks, and more often than not, lawyers. I understand that sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish between the two, but that partially explains why we find Major League Soccer so interesting.
Major League Soccer’s single entity structure has been the subject of heated debate, especially at the beginning of the year when the collective bargaining agreement between MLS and the Major League Soccer Players Union expired. Clive wrote a great piece outlining the single entity issue a few months ago. With the Supreme Court’s recent decision in American Needle, Inc. vs. National Football League, revisiting the single entity issue is worth another look. (more…)
Soccer players aren’t born diving. It’s not like Cristiano Ronaldo stepped out of his mother’s womb and tripped over the doctor’s leg, rolling around in agony until a referee awarded a free kick. At some point during the course of Cristiano Ronaldo’s career, something happened to him and the rest of his contemporaries that provided the right incentives to dive whenever presented with the opportunity. (more…)
Something wrong? No worries. Just rub some money on it.
In the United States, conventional thinking suggests that investing in an assortment of bells and whistles is necessary to create top professional players. Well, maybe we’re over-complicating things.
Here is a list of just a few items on the laundry list that U.S. soccer culture implies are required to develop a top level professional player: (more…)
Don’t focus so much on what sides say they are going to do. Strike looming. Lockout possible. (more…)
Followers of U.S. soccer are used to stories of talented youth players failing to make the grade at the professional level. But we rarely ever hear about players who never scratched the surface of their potential because they were never given the opportunity to get out of the starting blocks. Why would we, right? Well, the key to building a more dynamic U.S. player pool may lie in exploring the underbelly of youth soccer. Here’s my take on a piece of U.S. youth soccer based on my experiences.
I grew up in Baltimore City in a neighborhood that was about 95% African-American. No, it wasn’t The Wire, but it wasn’t suburbia either.
Although my neighborhood was always relatively tranquil, the nearby high school that I would have attended was not. The graduation rate was dismal and the school had its share of problems, once suspending 1,200 students in one day. So my parents sacrificed their paychecks and broke out the credit cards. (more…)
Major League Soccer (MLS) wants to be popular. Looking at the professional sports landscape in the United States, the market is arguably already saturated. Instead of just competing through measured, strategic growth, MLS may need to think outside of the box to make its mark.
In the history of MLS, steps have already been taken to think outside the box. Remember the thirty-five yard penalty shootout? Yeah, I’m trying to forget it too. But at least it showed a genuine interest in devising ways to make the game more user friendly to a new market. I’m of the opinion that the game on the field needs to be left alone. It seems the league now gets that too. But there is much to be done off the field to change how soccer is perceived by the general public. The game needs to be cooler and needs to lose its suburban feel.
So where should MLS start? Start by hanging out with some reputable celebrities who have actually already expressed an interest in the game. Enter Brooklyn’s Finest, former street pharmacist and current businessman, Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z. (more…)
After the dramatic “Countdown to 5pm” yesterday, here’s a list of what we know:
Not much.
However, looking at the statements released from both sides yesterday, a few things stand out. I’ve translated both statements below. First up, the Major League Soccer Players Union (MLSPU): (more…)
Most of us who follow MLS are paying attention to the labor negotiations between the league and the MLS Players Union. One thing is certain, no one wants to see a strike. We all want to see matches, and we are all aware that a strike right before the World Cup will be bad for the league, bad for the owners, bad for the fans, and bad for the players (particularly those who want to be on the plane to South Africa).
Free agency is one of the issues on the table. The players seemingly want it. But the league says in no uncertain terms that they don’t. As it stands, out of contract players can be held in limbo if they can’t agree on a new deal because their teams still hold their rights. Free agency would allow these out of contract players who are unwanted or unused by their teams to find a new home if there is a demand for their services. (more…)
No they’re not coming with tricks up their sleeves like last time. This time they come bearing gifts and it comes in the form of a football camp with none other than Manchester United great, Paul Aaron Scholes. Scholesey has teamed up with Midwest Soccer Academy (MSA) to bring the youth of America the “Paul Scholes Soccer Academy,” a two-week day camp for 5th through 12th graders. For a nominal fee of $449 per week, aspiring U.S. Nationals can learn from one of the best players England has produced. Let’s hope Scholesey skips the lesson on tackling. The national team already has a hard enough time fielding a full squad during major tournaments.
If you love perms or Didier Drogba, you’ll love the Les Éléphants shirt …
Spain is trying to conquer the world again. This time, they might succeed.
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Football for Change is a feature in which Nutmeg Radio highlights work being done by organizations across the globe using soccer to promote development.
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