Spain's Xavi - Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty Images

>Spain wins 2010 World Cup

The analysts called it an ugly win and the fouls would suggest so, but they expressed content at the “best team” deservedly winning the 2010 World Cup. Mark it up as two major trophies in the past two years for Spain who also won Euro 2008.

Andres Iniesta scored the lone goal in extra time to as Spain defeated the Netherlands in another 1-0 game for the Spaniards. They became the first team in World Cup history to win the tournament after losing its opening match.

>Goalkeepers most impressive in final

Though it might not have been the quintessence of “the beautiful game,” I came away totally impressed with both goalkeepers. Spain’s Iker Casillas and Netherland’s Maarten Stekelenburg made 5 saves a piece, each seemingly better than the last.

Casillas’ leg stuffed a breakaway attempt by Arjen Robben, who seemed to determine to score the goal that would have brought Netherlands its first cup.

Stekelenburg stood strong on many set pieces and corner kicks late in the game, especially on some plays that seemed to be defensive break downs by the Dutch. Even the game winning goal, which was the result of turnover just outside the penalty box, glazed off the fingertips of the Dutch goalie and just barely tickled the net on the far post.

It might not have been the prettiest final, but let’s not take away from an unbelievable defensive effort by both men in the net.

>Xavi is good

I know it’s already been said, but Spain’s Xavi is the best soccer player we’ve (the soccer-apathetic North Americans) never paid attention to. He flies under the American fans’ radar because he’s more known for setting up goals than scoring them. I can’t recall the exact stat at this time, but the World Cup telecast for the final said that Xavi had set up 25 shots on goal, eight more than any other player.

If you’ve never paid close to attention to him, it seems like the ball turns into a heat-seeking missile off his foot and always finds a teammate. In the World Cup semifinal against Germany, it was his assist that found teammate Carles Puyol that led to 1-0 victory.

The final against Netherlands was no different, as he sent a corner that at first appeared to miss its target, only to sail over all Dutch defenders to find an uncovered Sergio Ramos. Unfortunately, Ramos’ header had a little too much on it as it sailed over the Dutch goal unchallenged.

It was also his assist to Lionel Messi that made his Spanish club team, Barcelona, champions of Europe in 2008-2009 as well. My first exposure to him came in EURO 2008, where he earned player of the tournament. Indeed, a gifted playmaker that we Americans do not see enough of.

Maybe it’s a player like Xavi is the reason we don’t appreciate the beautiful game as much as we should in the States. We can name the defensive specialists, role players, and set up men in every one of our sports. But if a soccer player isn’t scoring goals, then, well, he just isn’t standing out. Xavi is the antithesis of that American apathy towards beautiful soccer skills.

>New York Red Bulls set to sign Thierry Henry

How has this flown under the radar in the States for so long? SI.com reports that The New York Post says a press conference will be held this Thursday introducing the international soccer star. No clue on any other details, whether this is a loan by his club in Spain, Barcelona, or if he plans a Beckham-like plight to perhaps make the MLS relevant.

Either way, Henry’s arrival can be nothing but good for the MLS and American club soccer IF he can stay healthy.

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>Carlo Ancelotti newest Chelsea manager, already seeing transfer strain of EPL financial woes

Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti left AC Milan to become the most recent manager at Stamford Bridge. This is Chelsea’s fifth manager since hiring Jose Mourinho away from FC Porto in 2004.

While Mourinho brought the club two Premier League titles and many other trophies, none after him were able to do the same until this past FA Cup victory. Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s owner, has longed for the manager that can handle the throng of superstars since Mourinho’s departure. His hasty hiring and firing practices has led him now to Ancelotti.

Ancelotti has already felt the financial strain of the Premier League. He wishes to sign a major player to help change the identity of the Blues, but realizes that might not be possible without a sale of his own. Surprisingly, Much has been said about captain John Terry’s possible sale.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Europe

Some even suggests that the sale of Terry may be the financial gain they need to change the identity of the team to Ancoletti’s liking. Crazy to think of Terry in anything other than Chelsea blue. If Terry or Chelsea actually go through with such a move, one has to question the loyalty in sports today as Terry seems to be of the character of said trait.

Speaking of John Terry…

> Manchester City pulling its best Real Madrid impression, sign Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor

While other clubs have felt the strain of worldwide economic woes, big spending Real Madrid and Manchester City have thrown any financial caution to the wind and have spent. The team making the most headlines this summer in Manchester is not the one you would think.

Manchester City has signed Carlos Tevez away from neighboring Manchester United as well as Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor. City has plenty of fire power and have to be considered a huge threat for the top four positions and Champions League and possibly even the Premier League title.

It’s looking more and more like they won’t get their English star in Terry, as Chelsea have already rejected two offers in the realm of 30 million pounds. Regardless, City have added expensive players like Robinho, Tevez, and now Adebayor. The battle for Manchester may augment itself and become the battle for the Premier League.

>Seattle Sounders drawing consistent crowds, currently sit second in MLS standings in first year

How many people attend an MLS game? I can’t tell you the average across the league, but I bet Seattle’s franchise can debunk your prejudices concerning MLS attendance. For their home games in 2009, they currently average 29,983. Yes, I typed that correctly. In fact, they exceeded 31,000 on three occasions, two of which have been their last two home games. I have plenty of questions.

Should I be surprised? Something tells me that their attendance will drop dramatically after this inaugural season. I have mentioned before that I am a big fan of the Philadelphia franchise building its stadium in Chester, PA. There will be much more of a demand there. But I don’t know if interest in the MLS can be sustained like it is in Seattle.

It might also help that the Sounders, who formerly played in the USL divisions, are one of the league’s best teams. They only trail Houston in terms of standings, attaining 28 points with a 7-3-7 record. Their goal differential is also tops in the leagues along with Houston at +10.

They aren’t without their noticeable players either. Former U.S. national team goalkeeper and Fulham goalkeeper Kasey Keller plays in the net. The Washington state native has recorded five clean sheets so far.

Forward Fredy Montero leads the team with 9 goals and 6 assists. The twenty-one year old Colombian, who celebrates his twenty-second birthday this coming Sunday, is fun to watch. He has skills to become a great player and not just in the MLS. He was very popular in playing in his native country and has four caps for the Colombian national team.

But here is the key for the MLS: can they hang on to a young star like Montero? They’ve lost Jozy Altidore, Maurice Edu, and many others to European transfers. As far as Seattle, it seems to be a beakon of hope as far as soccer interest. European clubs have made many a summer trips to the city because they know there is a demand there. Chelsea returned for a friendly against the Sounders this past Saturday and I think Real Madrid was there a couple of years ago.

You can see Montero’s ability to settle the ball and find the back of the net here. His debut in the MLS where he scored 2 goals and had an assist against New York below. An amazing player.

Got any soccer news or comments? Take a seat on the bench and let your ‘pickins’ be heard.

>Landon Donovan and David Beckham exchange words; MLS could use the publicity

Six months away playing for one of Europe’s elite teams, David Beckham made his return to the Los Angeles Galaxy for practices earlier this week. His return did not come without media attention thanks to teammate Landon Donvan. Apparently Donovan bashed the beloved international star in an upcoming book questioning Beckham’s commitment among other things.

Here’s a rundown of what Donovan said in the book:

The Galaxy currently find themselves out of a playoff spot and could use the savvy play of Beckham. Still, MLS officials have to be happy about the timing of this story. Beckham returning was not nearly as big a story in America as his initial arrival, and even that subsided after less than a week.

Photo by Toby Canham/Getty Images

One of America’s best players calling out what was once one of the world’s best players? Publicity gold! Playoffs or not, this should cause more than expected to pay attention to Beckham’s return. Beckham, who still says he will honor his five-year contract with the Galaxy, will return to play tonight against New York. Seems as though his time spent with AC Milan has the thirty year old midfielder in top form and impressing Galaxy teammates.

The spat with Donovan, according to Beckham, has now been resolved. This is nothing new to the American sports frontier. In fact, this might be Donovan’s way of challenging Beckham to see his vision of improving the MLS through. Many MLS faithful were displeased when the Galaxy agreed to loan him to Italian power, AC Milan, which meant Beckham would miss most of the first half of this season.

>South African workers spent past week striking, will resume work on 2010 World Cup facilities Thursday

Workers in South Africa spent this past week on strike for wage increases. The Washington Post reported that some workers were earning as little as $1.50 an hour and an average of about $200 a month.

Here’s a brief rundown of the wage dispute:

The striking workers could have caused a delay in the reported December deadline of all World Cup facilities. Some officials even worried early on that the strike could push back the start of the World Cup in June 2010.

The workers agreed to a slightly less wage increase (1 percent less than what they were seeking) and were expected to resume construction today.

This issue has done nothing than bring more international attention to the dire situations in one of African’s more affluent countries. Violence ensued earlier in the week, which has to be World Cup promoters worst nightmare.

>Can the 2010 World Cup have a lasting impact on host South Africa?

Additionally to the strike, the selection of South Africa as the first African country to even host the World Cup is not without its critics. Some believe hosting the World Cup will do little to shed light on the economic woes of African nations. One has to ask: is it FIFA’s concern what happens to a host city after one of its major tournaments leaves?

I’m more ignorant to the problems there than anyone else, but I can’t imagine that hosting the World Cup would hurt the nation in any way. It isn’t FIFA’s job to save it from any of its problems; certainly by choosing South Africa to host allows officials to shed some light on what is plaguing nations there and how the world can help.

For one, the facilities look as though they will be top-notch. This has to give South Africa the edge in hosting other international tournaments, soccer or not, in the near future. Cricket is very popular as is rugby.

If the World Cup goes off without a hitch, why wouldn’t this happen? More tournaments means more jobs for stadium workers, hotels, food services, transportation and so on. It may not be the answer, but certainly FIFA envisioned this by selecting South Africa.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Outside the Lines investigated just what the conditions are for some of the poorest South African residents.

Most powerful line from the piece with Bob Ley comes from a young South African man who realizes that it will be life after the World Cup that truly matters to South Africans:

“The money coming in is just to make the streets look better so that the stadium look good for people to say it looks like Germany over here. But actually we’re not eating like Germans, we’re not.” Tells it like it is.

Got some soccer news or comments from around the globe? Take a seat on the bench and let your ‘pickins’ be heard.

CONFEDERATIONS AND LEAGUES

CONCACAF: acronym stands for Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. It is one of six continental confederations affiliated with FIFA.

CONMEBOL: acronym for the South American football region and is another of FIFA’s six continental affiliated confederations.

USL: United Soccer Leagues. There are four divisions of the USL: MLS is the highest division (which is its own entity),

MLS Cup

followed by USL First Division (formerly known as the A-League), USL Second Division, and Premier Development League (PDL). Interesting to note that there is promotion and relegation between both the USL first and second division, but no promotion and relegation between MLS and USL first division.

USASA: United States Adult Soccer Association. Considered the fifth level of soccer, underneath the PDL. League is considered semi-professional but does have clubs compete in the U.S. Open Cup.

MLS: Major League Soccer, the highest division of professional soccer in the United States.

MLS Cup: the recognized champion of the MLS, determined in a postseason, playoff format.

Supporter

MLS Supporter’s Shield: awarded to the team with the most points at the end of the MLS regular season. Point system is standard for soccer (three points for a win and one for a draw). Similar to the President’s Trophy in the NHL. This is often viewed as the true MLS champion, as most soccer leagues around the world do not play a postseason like MLS does to determine its champion.

MLS Scudetto: a shield worn by the winner of the

Houston Dynamo crest - two stars signifying MLS Cup victories

MLS cup. Idea taken from the Italian league, Serie A. Once a team has won more than one title, a star is added to the scudetto.

NASL: North American Soccer League. Operated from 1968 to 1984. Most famous for the New York Cosmos who signed world-renowned soccer star, Pele. Notable: the clipboard’s home city of Rochester, NY produced a championship in 1970 with the Rochester Lancers.

Primera Division/Liga: highest division in Mexican league soccer.

COMPETITIONS

CONCACAF Gold Cup

CONCACAF Gold Cup: international competition between all member nations of CONCACAF. The other continents have their own tournaments, like Euro and the African Cup. U.S and Mexico have been dominant in this tournament, winning eight of the last nine. U.S. is the current defending champion (2007).

CONCACAF Champions League: competition held each year in this region between club teams from all CONCACAF affiliated countries. Will eventually expand to include twenty-four teams. Top teams in their respective leagues qualify, with Mexico and the U.S. leading the way with four total teams. The two teams who play for the MLS cup qualify, and then the Supporters’ Shield winner and runner-up also qualify for an American spot. It should be noted that Canada, despite having teams playing in the MLS, sends the winner of the Canadian Championship to the tournament, which makes it possible for the MLS to have more than four teams playing.

U.S. Open Cup: competition that involves all professional levels of American soccer. This is similar to FA cups around

US Open Cup

the world that also pit their premier teams versus lower division teams. Imagine Major League Baseball playing minor league clubs every few weeks out of the regular season for a trophy. How fun would that be? MLS teams have won thirteen of the last fourteen cups since their inception in 1996. The only non-MLS team to win since 1996? The Clipboard’s own Rochester Rhinos defeated MLS’s Colorado Rapids in 1999. Current champion is D.C. United.

North America Superliga: competition between the best clubs in America, Canada and Mexico. The newest of the competitions, only winners have been Pachuca and the New England Revolution. This one confuses me a little bit. How is it different from the CONCACAF Champions League?

Copa Sudamericana: an international club competition between the CONMEBOL and CONCACAF regions. A little different from the CONCACAF Champions League because it actually involves clubs from South America. The format and selection of teams seems a little unstable, with qualifying matches being considered as well as invitations. This does not look like a competition frequented by American teams.

Canadian Championship: competition to determine the Canadian representative in the CONCACAF Champions League. Only three Canadian teams exist: Toronto FC of MLS and Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact of the USL First Division.

Upon some online literature, I found that MLS has been moving in the right direction. They’ve rid themselves of the Americanized rules which has enticed the traditional soccer fans. Now they face a more critical period to win over guys like me: American sports fans that respect soccer but have not committed (as of yet). So I asked myself, “How can the MLS win me over?”

I’ve thought about relegation, small market teams (I love that Philadelphia, ready to start play in 2010, is going to be playing in nearby Chester, PA and not the actual city of brotherly love. Brilliant move by the league), and even doing away with the whole conference scenario. They’ve already taken a few pages out of European soccer by having their own versions of the FA Cup and Champions League. The U.S. Open Cup involves all levels of American professional soccer teams. The only time I pay attention to my hometown Rochester Rhinos of the USL first division is when they play in this tournament, so apparently it works. Then there’s the CONCACAF Champions League, which pits North American, Central American, and Caribbean clubs against one another.

Rather than kid myself and analyze what the MLS is doing right and wrong, I’ll let others explain because in the words of Danny Vinyard, if “someone else has already said it best…. steal from them and go out strong.”

Lalas on Relegation
Alexi Lalas’ viewpoint of relegation and why it would not work in the MLS.

Why MLS WILL eventually adopt promotion and relegation
Conversely, one man’s opinion on why a relegation system with the USL would be possible. Be sure to browse the comments.

Why the MLS is on the right track
This article chronicles what the MLS is doing right and why it will continue to be successful. Be sure to browse the comments.

Why I can’t be arsed to care about MLS
The joy of relegation
Covers all football, foreign and domestic. Some great blogs on how the MLS can be more appealing (and competitive) and how relegation may help.

MLS needs to do more to benefit US soccer
What MLS is doing well right now
MLS – Going to the next level
Number of articles on the current state of the MLS and its progression.

Let me know what you think, whether an MLS fan or not. Can the MLS continue to make strides forward? What can it do to get those sitting on the fence to come over? Is relegation and promotion with the USL realistic?

(Funny the ramifications of just a little interest. Maybe my inquiry last week can manifest into a broadened appreciation of all things soccer.)

8:01 The camera pans Columbus Crew fans. The stadium is probably ¾ of the way full – a very good atmosphere with plenty of chanting fans. Guillermo Barros Schelotto is previewed as a player to watch on Columbus, who leads the league with eight assists. Robbie Rogers, an American, is also mentioned.

8:02 Preview of the Kansas City Wizards starts with Jimmy Conrad who leads all defenders with four goals this season, all headers off of corner kicks. Announcers accredit him with great defending as well as a danger on set pieces. Josh Wolff is the Wizards’ best bet for offensive production, having the highest goals/game ratio in the franchise’s history (27 goals/80 games).

8:05 Starting lineups. Visiting Kansas City is first and highlighted is the “Argentinean designated player” Claudio Lopez (I have no clue what that means. I’m guessing a certain number of foreign players on each team?). There are nine starters for Kansas City that played college soccer in the U.S. and eight for Columbus. Forwards for the Crew are Schelotto, who I now learn is Argentinean and cannot speak a word of English, and Alejandro Moreno who is Venezuelan. Both teams will be in a 4-4-2 formation. Schelotto by the way is sporting a feathered mullet. He kind of resembles Steven Perry, the lead singer from Journey. “Some day, love will find you…break those, chains that bind you!”

8:09 The coach for the Columbus Crew is Ziggy Schmidt. Soccer has some strange names.

8:12 Kansas City allows the second fewest goals in the league. Could be a low scoring affair.

8:14 First threat on goal. Kansas City completes three passes at midfield and gets a pretty good cross to open players, but no one is able to make a play.

8:17 The first thing I’m noticing that even the commentators have mentioned is the tackling. Every challenge either seems too careless or too timid. The second is the ball control near the goal. Both teams have already had good opportunities, but rather than fancy footwork to make something happen, both players made sloppy cross attempts that sailed way over the goal.

8:20 The corner crowd is referred to as the “Hustle Street Hooligans.” Aren’t soccer fans supposed to hate that label? Did someone forget to tell them that a soccer hooligan isn’t a good stereotype? Moreno finally shows some ball work that gets him a shot on goal. Pretty good stuff as he made the defender slip. Kansas City seems to play very good possession-style passing at midfield. Columbus is a more “long pass and chase-it-down” kind of team. Not working too well for them right now as most are sailing out of bounds.

8:25 Again a Crew attack is stifled with sloppy one-on-one play. Doesn’t seem to be much precision-type passing for the Crew. Robbie Rogers takes a deft touch from Moreno from a midfield lob pass and shoots wide.

8:29 Kansas City has sustained good possession of the ball the past few minutes. Columbus on the other hand continues to give the ball away with long passes downfield and not value possession. Two very different styles; it will be interesting to see which one is more successful. And that didn’t take long to determine…

8:31 KC 1 Columbus 0 Columbus is unable to clear off of a set piece. As a result, Kansas City gets another quick cross and we have our first goal of the game. The replay shows the ball going off of the Crew defender’s head and sailing over the goalkeeper (this eventually stands as an own goal). Poor defense by the Crew.

8:33 KC 2 Columbus 0 Roger Espinoza flies across two Crew defenders right down the middle of the box and blasts a pass through. The replay shows how sad a defensive effort this really was as Espinoza uses a burst of speed to get ahead of two yellow jerseys who appear stagnant inside the box. I’m really impressed with Kansas City’s discipline on offense. The Crew defense can’t tackle, can’t clear anything on their side of the field, and flat out can’t keep up with Kansas City players right now.

8:35 KC 2 Columbus 1 Wow – three goals in about four minutes of play, which are more to blame on terrible defending rather than great shots. Schelotto lives up to his pre-game billing as a game changer and scores off of a free kick. He’s able to bend it over the wall and go near post – an impressive kick. The replay shows the clumsiness of the Kansas City defense. The wall was still turned around looking at the goalie as Schelotto took advantage.

8:36 Schelotto and Moreno connect on a beautiful cross, but Moreno gives it a little too much as it bounces over the goal.

8:39 Robbie Rogers takes a pass at midfield and rather than passing, gets the ball taken away trying to get through four Kansas City defenders. It’s getting frustrating to watch Columbus. Rogers does it again about two minutes later at the corner of the box. He dribbles through two Wizard defenders and loses the ball with Schelotto behind and two other Crew players standing in the box with the defense playing back. This is like watching a point guard continuously getting ripped while trying his latest And-1 moves and always making the “I can’t believe the ref ain’t calling the foul!” face. Pass the freaking ball! One of the announcers says it was a good “deceptive” move and he was fouled. Regardless, Rogers seems like a selfish player to me.

8:42 KC 2 Columbus 2 Schelotto somehow breaks free up the sideline, gets a defender to commit to him and passes off to Moreno directly in front of the goal and he finishes. Nice play by Schelotto who could have easily kept that ball and gotten his own shot in a tight space. But I have to say it again – it seemed like poor defense by Kansas City. Schelotto broke free from two Kansas City defenders who seemed to just fall asleep.

8:47 Finally some good passing near the box for Columbus, which involves two international players, Ekpo from Nigeria and Moreno. Schelotto takes the corner and … GOAL! Columbus has pushed ahead on the back of Schelotto who has a goal and two assists. Marshall scored for the Crew off of a nice header. No complaints here – this was a quality goal from a nice set piece. KC 2 Columbus 3

8:58 Halftime score remains 3-2. Schelotto’s feathered semi-mullet is now a little too puffy to resemble Steven Perry; it’s more of a Jon Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet feathered mullet. “We gotta to hold on to what we’ve got. It doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not!”

9:21 ESPN just ran a stat for Josh Wolff, who was inserted at the start of the second half. He spent last season with 1860 Munich where he only managed two goals in thirty games. It seems like few Americans have been successful in European leagues.

9:24 Ekpo gives a beautiful ball to Frankie Hejduk who gets a clear break away and blows it! It looked like he was trying to split the goalie’s legs but the Kansas City goalie, Kevin Hartman, makes a stop. In the EPL that type of break away is converted nine out of ten times in my opinion. Poor attempt to finish by Hejduk.

9:32 Average MLS goals per game this season is 2.68. We’re well past that mark in the sixty-fourth minute with five goals.

9:39 Kansas City’s goalie, Kevin Hartman, has made his third save of the second half. He seems like a bright spot in this game so far. As sloppy as Columbus has appeared at times, they are getting off shots at an alarming rate only to have Hartman knock them down.

9:44 KC 3 Columbus 3 Josh Wolff with the equalizer. He definitely appeared offsides and Hesmer, Columbus’ goalie, pleaded for the line judge to make the call, but to no avail. Wolff basically had a tap in as Hesmer stepped out to play the pass and the ball made it through to a waiting Wolff.

9:48 Wolff again gets involved with a nice one-touch to Lopez who is unable to connect.

9:56 Lenhart breaks free for Columbus but pulls Kansas City’s Conrad down on his way to scoring near post. The ref notices and calls the foul. No goal. A little pushing and shoving ensues between the two. This is the first time I’ve seen a confrontation after a hard play.

9:59 Columbus continues to attack. Conrad is able to take down a Crew player inside the box and avoid a foul call as we near stoppage time.

10:01 I am officially sick of Robbie Rogers. He is once again complaining about his jersey getting pulled, only this time he gets the foul call and still complains. The ref tries to help him to his feet but he refuses. This kid is playing with the U.S. team in the Olympics, but I just don’t see from this game where his talent lies.

10:03 Final whistle blows for a 3-3 draw.

Other than Schelotto’s magnificent mullet, I’m disappointed. Yes it was a high scoring game, but half of the goals were from sloppy defending. The other unfortunate thing is that it looks like the international players dominated. From my point of view, the clever touches came from Schelotto, Morena, Lopez, and Ekpo. The American players always seemed a step behind these guys, except for Roger Espinoza, who played his college soccer at Ohio State. Then again, the American players for the most part looked very, very young.

I don’t see myself giving a hoot about another MLS game any time soon. I definitely can’t analyze a soccer game, but even my wife was sitting with me and made comments about how much slower progressions of play seemed in comparison to the EPL. It seems like the MLS is going to have to hold on to top American players in order to create a popular market here. Many U.S. National team players have already bolted across the pond to earn his football stripes (e.g. Freddy Adu/Benfica and Claudio Reyna/Sunderland and Manchester City). With Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey, DeMarcus Beasley, and others on the U.S. National team earning valuable caps overseas, the MLS will have to continue to rely on underdeveloped college talent and a host of Central and South American veterans. It’s definitely a strange mixture of players and talent levels– that is evident to even the most novice soccer fan.