The MLS Playoffs Are Broken

As one of the few leagues in the world that decides its champion by way of a Cup tournament, the MLS playoffs were always going to be suspect. To their credit, every year has featured a Final where at least one team was either the #1 or #2 team in their division.

But this year has demonstrated why the present system is broken. The Final between New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew features a match that should have taken place in the First Round. New York finished the regular season with a record of 10-11-9. Good enough for 8th place in the 14-team league. They grabbed the last playoff spot. They will face #1 seed Columbus Crew.

#1 vs. #8, #2 vs. #7, #3 vs. #6, #4 vs. #5
What is so difficult about this, MLS?

Presently, the top 3 teams in each conference make the playoffs, with the next two teams, regardless of recors qualifying as well. If one conference sends 5 teams, the 5th-seeded team switches over to the other conference. This happened last year when Kansas City made it to the Western Conference Final after finishing with the 5th-best record in the East. While the crossover rule has heresofar had little effect, this year, New York won the Western Conference Final, and a trip to the Champions League by going 2-0-1 in the playoffs. Champions League berths are handed out to both MLS Cup Finalists. Champions League for a team that finished sub-.500 in the regular season, and couldn't even finish in the top half of its own league. Two MLS entries in the region's competition will bear that unfortunate label next year (DC United is the other.)

Add to the fact that Chicago Fire, who finished with the third-best record in the league, as a reward were set to play the 4th-best team in the league, New England Revolution, and the #1 seed Columbus Crew before even GETTING to the Final.

This season, the playoff seedings in the first round SHOULD HAVE BEEN
#1 Columbus vs. #8 New York
#2 Houston vs. #7 Kansas City
#3 Chicago vs. #6 Real Salt Lake
#4 New England vs. #5 Chivas USA

This, on its own would have provided some compelling matchups. New England and Chivas USA would have a SuperLiga rematch, Kansas City would meet the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year. Small-market Columbus would go against Gotham.

The fact is, with MLS shifting closer towards a balanced schedule that could happen as early as next year, the conferences are taking on lesser and lesser meaning, so it's time to get rid of them for good.

EURO 2008 Preview

EURO 2008 gets underway June 7 in Austria and Switzerland. The EURO is like the World Cup, but just for Europe. While seemingly offering little that the World Cup doesn't offer, it can actually be the more thrilling of the two competitions, and heroes and goats are made just as easily. (David Beckham at EURO 2004 comes to mind.)

While at the World Cup, European teams make up roughly half the competition, the EURO gives them their own party, and kicks the Saudi Arabias and the Trinidad and Tobagos out. No 8-0 drubbings here. The competition is elite, and the field is arguably deeper than the World Cup. Quite possibly every one of the 16 teams still alive has the talent to win it this year.

The tournament gets underway June 7, but with my my new job starting next week (which unlike my old job, I may actually have to do work), I gotta get my obligatory EURO 2008 Preview taken care of. With that, here comes as best of a EURO Preview as I can provide as to determine who will be dancing with the Von Trapps in Vienna for the Final.

Group A: Portugal, Turkey, Czech Republic, Switzerland
Portugal has to be considered one of the favorites for the competition. EURO runners-up in 2004 and World Cup semifinalists in 2006, the Portuguese boast one of the most athletic and technically skilled sides in Europe. Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo is already arguably one of the best players in the world, but leading Portugal to their first EURO win and Manchester United to the Champions League title in the same month would likely cement his place in Soccer's all-time pantheon alongside players like Pele, Beckenbauer, Zidane, and Diego Maradona. Portugal lost the fewest games in their group in qualifying (only a 2-1 loss at Poland). With a relatively easy group, and some of Europe's biggest stars, Portugal has to be considered among the favorites not just to advance out of group, but to win the tournament outright.

Turkey is the wild card of this group. I'm picking them to take second in the group perhaps largely as overcompensation for my 2006 World Cup picks, where I perhaps irrationally favored the Czechs, who did not even make it out of the group stage.

The Czechs certainly have a great keeper in Petr Cech, but beyond that and Thomas Rosicky, the Czechs don't exactly have the kind of lineup that strikes fear. Switzerland could get a host nation bump to get a result against the dangerous Turks or the star-laden Portuguese, but ultimately, I don't think they have the talent to get out of the group.

Group B: Germany, Croatia, Poland, Austria
Germany is clearly the favorite here. A 3rd-place finish at the 2006 World Cup, and runners-up at the 2002 World Cup, the Germans boast a roster featuring Chelsea's Michael Ballack and 2006 World Cup leading scorer Miroslav Klose. Arsenal's Jens Lehmann takes over the goalkeeper reins from longtime German keeper Olivier Kahn, but will need to be on his best form if he wants to lead die Mannschaft to their fourth EURO trophy.

Croatia appears the favorite to advance along with Germany. A young team, only 7 players on the 23-man roster are over the age of 30. Croatia racked up some impressive victories in qualifying, including a win over England at Wembley on the last day of qualifying to send the Croats through and the English to an unplanned summer off.

Poland SHOULD HAVE BEEN the other team to go through. They certainly have the talent, but I do not have a lot of confidence in them. Make no mistake. Lightbulb jokes aside, the Poles are a very capable team, and may very well be able to knock off Croatia for the second spot out of the group (or maybe even give Germany a scare!). However, inexperience and a run of poor form at the worst possible time may doom them. Poland is making their first-ever appearance at the EURO, and the run up to the tournament does not really inspire fear in anyone. The Poles were victim to a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of the United States in front of a sold out crowd in Krakow. This same US team just got outclassed 2-0 by an England side that didn't even qualify for the EURO. Other recent contests included a 1-1 draw with tiny Macedonia and a 1-0 win over even tinier Albania. I've listed Poland to finish third, but would not be surprised to see them finish last.

Austria, like co-hosts Switzerland, may benefit from a host nation bump to get a result, but I'd actually put the Swiss as more likely to advance to the quarterfinals given their past history in major competitions. The Swiss were Final-16 contenders at the last World Cup. On the other side, Austria is making their first appearance in the EURO, and has not escaped from the group stage at the World Cup since 1982.

Group C: Netherlands, France, Italy, Romania

Every tournament has a group of death, and for EURO 2008, this is it. Group C includes the two 2006 World Cup finalists in France and Italy, alongside the Netherlands, a team led by Real Madrid's Ruud Van Nistelroy and Manchester United's Edwin Van der Sar that is as capable of winning this tournament as any.

France is a side in transition. Zidane's retirement after the 2006 World Cup, France must rely on a new generation of stars. Barcelona's Thierry Henry is the new face of the team, with experience to boot. Henry has already played in two World Cup Finals with France (1998 and 2006), and led France to a World Cup title (1998) and a EURO championship (2000), and he's still only and Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich will likewise be needed to contribute. The key players for Les Bleus I think may well be Nicholas Anelka (Chelsea) and Florent Malouda.

The World Champion Azzuri may very well be the odd team out for the quarterfinals, and their roster, despite boasting a wealth of world class players whose names roll off the tongue like linguini. The only problem facing this Italian side is that Fabio Cannavaro, Buffon, Ambrosini, Del Piero, and Materazzi, is that they are old and only getting older. While younger stars like Daniele de Rossi might impress, 14 out of the 23 players on the roster are over the age of 30 (Compared to 7 for France). Italy may benefit from a "win now" mentality, but at this stage of the game, every team has that. Italy and France met twice in qualifying, with both matches ending in draws.

Romania put together a decent qualifying campaign I think the French and Dutch are the class of this group. Romania could steal points and determine who moves on, but they themselves will probably not be advancing given the depth of talent in this group.

Group D: Spain, Greece, Russia, Sweden

Spain are back once again, and once again will advance out of group, but once again will not be lifting trophies at the end of the tournament. It's a familiar story as old as time. La Furia has not won the EURO since 1964. Spain is certainly a talented side featuring the likes of Real Madrid's goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas. Spain has also notched some victories over high profile opponents in France and Italy so far this year in their run-up preparations. An imminent meeting with the United States in Santander, Spain will tell a lot about how far this team has come, and how ready they are for the EURO.

Greece are the defending Champions, having won EURO 2004 in Portugal, but color me not impressed. Greece ran away with what was a really weak qualifying group (Turkey, Bosnia, Hungary, Norway, Moldova, and Malta) I'm picking them to advance practically solely on their success in the last tournament, and their relative success in qualifying compared to Russia.

Spain and Sweden met twice in qualifying, with both sides claiming shutout victories at home. Sweden made it to the last 16 of the 2006 World Cup, and I feel like I have to label them as my dark horse in this group.

Russia is in this tournament finals more because England couldn't take care of business than for anything the Ruskies did. Against the three other teams in Russia's group that I gave at least a shot to reach the finals (England, Croatia, and Israel), Russia managed to run up an awe-inspiring 1-2-3 record.

So sit back, drink a Stiegl or chomp on a Toblerone and enjoy this year's EURO. Then laugh at how astonishingly off my predictions were, just like my World Cup picks two years ago.

New Soccer Fan Primer: My Favorite Goals

"And if! You know! The history! It's enough to make your heart go Whoa-oh-OH-OHH!"
Part of being new to the game is learning the history. And it's an amazing history, even just in the last few years.

In no particular order....

Argentina's Diego Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup.


Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane in the 2002 Champions League Final against Bayer Leverkusen


Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo against Roma in the 2007-08 Champions League Quarterfinals


Chelsea's Michael Essien against Arsenal in the 2006-07 Premier League


Celtic's Shunsuke Nakamura against Rangers in the 2007-08 Scottish Premier League


Argentina's Maxi Rodriguez against Mexico in the 2006 World Cup


Liverpool's Steven Gerrard against Olympiakos in the 2004-05 Champions League Group Stage


Manchester United's Eric Cantona against Sunderland in 1996


Manchester United's Ryan Giggs against Arsenal in the 1999 FA Cup Semifinal


David Beckham for England against Greece in the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers


Henrik Larsson for Celtic against Rangers in the 2000-01 Scottish Premier League


Benny Feilhaber for the United States against Mexico in the 2007 Gold Cup Final

My Take: No Libertadores for MLS untill success in CONCACAF

Far too much talk recently has been dwelling on the possibility of MLS teams playing in the Copa Libertadores, South America's version of the UEFA Champions League. The Libertadores is largely viewed to be the second-most prestigious club competition in the world, after the UEFA Champions League. Many fans in the Western Hemisphere seem to love this idea, quaking at the idea of a packed stadium for a final clash between DC United and Boca Juniors or watching Beckham and the Galaxy take on River Plate, but I'm not convinced. Major League Soccer should not be admitted to the Libertadores, at least not yet, and here's why.

Success in CONCACAF

Major League Soccer teams should not be guests in a prestigious competition unless they have earned their way there. And they have not. Admittedly, some CONCACAF teams participate in the Libertadores, but these are Mexican teams. They have risen to the top in CONCACAF. Mexican Clubs joined the Libertadores in 1998. By that time, Mexican clubs had won 7 of the prior 11 CONCACAF Champions Cups. There was nothing left to prove, so they moved on to the bigger fish. The first few years in the Libertadores, Mexican teams routinely got destroyed by South American sides. This is because the best of North America are not on par with the best of South America. It's not even close.

On this point, Major League Soccer teams are not even the tops in their own region. The last time an MLS team played in the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup was 2000. LA Galaxy managed to take home the title without having to play a single game outside of Southern California. The entire tournament took place on US soil, since then, MLS teams have struggled on the road. DC United lost their away semifinal leg to Pachuca 2-0 this year. Houston Dynamo lost their away semifinal 3-0 to Saprissa. The competition has been dominated by Mexican and Costa Rican teams. If MLS teams were to participate in the Libertadores, they would be routinely massacred, as Mexican teams were, but at least the Mexican sides were the biggest fish in the small pond.

Fixture Congestion

One of the main reasons MLS teams would falter is lack of depth. Players 1-12 on an MLS roster can hang with almost any team in the world, however, in continental competition, your depth is strenuously tested. Recently, DC United had a league game Saturday, a CONCACAF game midweek, a league game Saturday and a CONCACAF game midweek the following week, followed by another league game on Saturday. For deeper rosters, this is not a problem, but due to a restrictive salary cap in MLS, after the first 1-12 players, depth is very limited, even on the best teams who presumably would be competing in the Libertadores.

Now, in this recent stretch, DC went 2-2-1. And their continental trip was only to Mexico. In the Libertadores it could be to Argentina. The Libertadores runs from early spring to mid-summer. This would cause fixture pileups with CONCACAF Champions League knockout stages, the MLS league campaign, and possibly SuperLiga. Because of MLS's limited salary cap (about $2.2 million per team, plus a Beckham Rule player outside the cap), the depth just simply is not there to compete with the South American giants.

Travel

While a New England vs. Boca Juniors match-up may be very exciting, a two-legged tie between them would chart huge distances and long travel times. It is approximately 5370 miles between Boston and Buenos Aires. At that point, travelwise, it would actually be a shorter flight to have MLS teams compete in the UEFA Champions League, as it is only 3800 miles from Boston to Milan. This kind of travel is just unreasonable. The world is too big and the technology is just not fast enough to hold a meaningful hemisphere-wide competition from Canada to Chile.

Fan Interest

When MLS in the Libertadores comes up, passionate scenes and great games are always brought up. There is this general consensus that MLS sides would regularly be butting heads against star-studded Latin American sides in front of packed houses. But this ignores a critical fact. Not all Libertadores sides have significant followings, or even knowledge of their existence in the United States. Without "name" opponents like Boca Juniors, River Plate, Sao Paolo and maybe a handful of other Brazilian or Argentinian clubs, would anyone care?

Would New York be able to attract a decent crowd midweek to see the Revolution play Bolivian Champs Real Potosi? Could Chicago bring in a decent crowd in March to watch the Fire play Uruguayan champs Danubio? Not likely, and these are what could be the more "diverse" cities with a larger South American population. What about MLS's more "vanilla" towns. Could Kansas City? Could Salt Lake?

Outside of that small handful of clubs who could draw a crowd based on a name, the only teams that could guarantee a gate draw are the Mexican clubs, and MLS already has involvement with them through the CONCACAF Champions League and SuperLiga. It would be redundant and superfluous to go through the Libertadores.

I'm not saying that MLS can't play in the Libertadores eventually. They just shouldn't be there now.

In Defense of the Cup-tying Rule

In many competitions across Europe, players are "Cup-tied" each season, meaning that if you play for one team at one stage in the competition, you cannot play for another team later in the same competition. The focus of the rule is to keep the rich from getting richer by poaching players from teams already knocked out of the competition.

Mike Collet writes that it is time for the rule to go. While it would be unfair to presume, it would not suprise me if Collet is a Portsmouth FC fan. Pompey's Jermain Defoe is unable to play for Portsmouth in England's FA Cup Final against Cardiff City at Wembley in May because he played for Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the competition before coming to Pompey during the Winter Transfer Window. However, Defoe is able to play for Pompey in their English Premier League campaign, where PFC currently sit sixth in the table and are chasing a UEFA Cup slot.

Likewise in Europe, players who played for one team at one stage of the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup cannot play for another team in later stages of the same tournament, yet are allowed to play for their new clubs in their national league.

Collet says this is stupid to have one standard for cups and one standard for leagues. But in Collet's criticism lies its folly. Cups and leagues are entirely different competitions. If one team loses in a cup tie, they are out of the competition. No worries. It would have been nice to advance obviously, but it's not the end of the world. League play on the other hand carries with it the very real chance of relegation.

Teams in poor positions in league play have much less incentive to sell their players to the teams that advance (which more often than not, the teams that advance are higher in league play) due to the risk of relegation. In addition, to deny a player to participate in League play after joining a new team in the winter transfer window could mean him missing close to 20 games. Missing the Cup games means denying a footballer his trade only 3-5 times.

For these main distinguishing reasons, the cup-tying rule is good, and will affect only a handful of footballers each year, but in exchange, will allow the mid-level teams (and high-mid-level teams like Celtic, Porto, Benfica, PSV, and Olimpiacos) to keep their best players and grow as a team, rather than being glorified farm teams for a handful of conquering finalists.

Save the Wales

To say this season's FA Cup has been topsy-turvey would be an understatement. In English football's version of March Madness, Barnsley has done their best George Mason impression and have reached the last four by knocking off traditional powers Liverpool and Chelsea. With only one Premier League side left in the tournament (Portsmouth), the possibility that a European spot will go to a lower-division team is very real.

The winners of the FA Cup are granted a spot in the UEFA Cup.

Except....maybe they won't.

Another one of the last four to compete in the world's oldest knockout competition is Cardiff City. Yes, Cardiff is not in England, but rather in Wales. Wales (like Scotland and Northern Ireland) has their own league, but Cardiff plays in the English football pyramid because the Welsh league was not formed untill 1992. With no league to serve the club upon its founding in 1899, Cardiff City simply hopped the border and began play and developed rivalries with English sides.

Therein lies the dilemma for Cardiff. Financially strapped, the side could use an influx of cash that European competition would bring. But the FA of England will not grant them a spot because they are not an English team, and the Welsh FA will not grant them a spot because they are forbidden from competing in the League of Wales or the Welsh Cup (a sort of "back door" to Europe in the past for Cardiff).

This is not right. If Cardiff win the FA Cup, they should be given the right to test their mettle in Europe. Cardiff is the 9th-largest UK city competing in the English league system (Glasgow and Edinburgh furnish teams in the Scottish Premier League). If the FA wants to reap the television revenue and gate revenue from a team in a city like Cardiff, then they should be open to letting them take a spot in Europe should they play their way in, which Cardiff has certainly done. If they want the FA Cup to be an English-only cup, then kick Cardiff out. What is so difficult about this?

The US Open Cup is a competition that is only open to US teams, and since Toronto FC, Montreal Impact, and Vancouver Whitecaps are all based in Canada, they don't get to play. So they hold their own tournament (their version of the Welsh Cup, I guess) and use that as a route for qualifying to continental competitions.

Even AS Monaco FC, which is based in Monaco, gets to participate in the French league and cup, and have qualified for Europe, despite being from another country.

Let Cardiff in!!!!

Suggested Philadelphia MLS names

With today's announcement of the worst-kept secret in MLS, Philadelphia finally has a team. They'll begin play in 2010 at a brand-new soccer stadium in nearby Chester, PA. The team remains unnamed (The early favorite is Philadelphia Independence FC), but I've got some ideas.
Philadelphia Rockies
-Sure, Colorado's nine already have it, but it would make it a little less trite and cliched when they take the field to "Gonna Fly Now."



Following a Rocky theme, a name that was briefly bandied about for the name of the Houston club when they started up (now the Dynamo). The Philadelphia Apollos.

Philadelphia battery-chuckers
Philadelphia Santa-haters
Chester Molesters

The Supporters Bus Expansion Guide

With Philadelphia looking to come into MLS in 2010 (announcement coming Thursday), it appears that one of the main selling points was a ready-made fan base who had already travelled to hate on DC and New York, each only a two-hour drive away.

With that in mind, I'm throwing the money out the window, and picking the cities that would make the best expansion candidates solely based on the ease of fostering rivalries with traveling supporters. The precondition being that each city had to have at least two other clubs within an 9 hour drive of each other. I also imposed a restriction of at least having heard a rumor about expansion, or suggesting that the city would make a good MLS city. I added team names for authenticity, capped myself at a 24 team league, and did not count expansion cities as rivals within driving distance, although if all accepted, many of them would join the ranks. It's a very exciting time to be an MLS fan.

Detroit Rovers

This one may not be too far off. I've heard rumblings of something being put together, possibly renting out the Silverdome before a new stadium is built. Detroit coudl tap into a large suburban population as well as an ethnic population from the Middle East and Canada.

Nearest Rivals
Chicago Fire: 4.5 hours
Toronto FC: 4 hours
Columbus: 3.5 hours

Las Vegas Aces (Or Hearts! I slay me.)
Again, far off rumblings of a casino/stadium, but nothing really concrete yet. Could be difficult considering most people don't come to Vegas for the soccer, and it's not really a major media market, but it's smack in the middle of the Western Conference rivalry train, and who could resist a weekend in Vegas with a soccer game to boot?


Nearest Rivals:
Los Angeles: 4 hours
Chivas USA: 4 hours
San Jose: 8 hours
Salt Lake: 6 hours

New York City FC
Tossing around another expansion idea that has surfaced at least in the league's long-term plans, New York City does not have a team. If their stadium gets built in Queens it will be the first Major professional sports team in New York City in decades. It also sets up an obvious derby with Red Bull New York.


Nearest Rivals
Red Bull New York: 45 minutes
Philadelphia: 2.5 hours
New England: 3.5 hours
Toronto FC: 8.5 hours

Olympic Montreal CF (Olympique?)
Playing in a brand new stadium in the shadow of Olympic Stadium, Montreal seems a natural fit for a Canadian derby with Toronto FC, as well as other rivals throughout the Northeast. The political tension between Toronto (Canada's national team) and Montreal (Quebecois separatist team) could explode on the same level as Celtic-Rangers, Barcelona-Madrid, and other derbies where the game means much more than soccer.


Nearest Rivals
Toronto FC: 5.5 hours
New England: 6 hours
Red Bull New York:6 hours

St. Louis United (Stupid Archies)
Jeff Cooper's group appears to be next in line, but may have to ward of newcomers New York City, Montreal, and Miami to get it.


Nearest Rivals
Chicago Fire: 4.5 hours
Columbus: 6.5 hours
Kansas City: 4 hours

Tennessee Blues
With no major league sports in the summertime, Nashville would set the tone for MLS's Southern expansion without leaving a team geographically isolated, as a team in Atlanta or Miami would do. Blue and Orange as colors to appease the UT and Memphis fans.


Nearest Rivals
Columbus: 6 hours
Chicago: 7.5 hours

Oklahoma Wranglers
Yea, I ripped it off from the AFL team, but it's a solid name. Put the team in Oklahoma City, where there is no major sport in town outside of Oklahoma Football and the eventual Oklahoma SuperSonics.


Nearest Rivals
Kansas City: 5.5 hours
Dallas: 3 hours
Houston: 7 hours
Colorado: 9 hours if you speed

Milwaukee Barons
So Peter Wilt's stadium plan died. Milwaukee may still be able to support an MLS team if only to give them a reason to hate on Chicago. The Hiawatha would be a football special twice a year, and the Cheese curtain would be a formidable barrier for soccer fans.


Nearest Rivals
Chicago: 2 hours
Kansas City: 9 hours
Columbus: 7.5 hours
Toronto: 6 hours from Muskegon, MI, plus ferry across Lake Michigan.

By this point, MLS would be a 24 team league, enabling each team to play a home-away balanced schedule for a 46 game season. So a cut-off would probably be introduced at 22 teams, or some sort of promotion/relegation system set up for future expansion. If MLS decided to keep it at 24, and go with conferences anyway (conference foes twice, other conference once with alternating home advantage?)

WEST
Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles, Chivas USA, Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Colorado, Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma, Kansas City, St. Louis
EAST
Chicago, Milwaukee, Columbus, Detroit, Tennessee, Toronto, New York Red Bulls, New York City, Montreal, Philadelphia, DC United, New England

Last Four Out
Baltimore
Cleveland
Vancouver
San Diego

Wag of the Finger to our former Colonial Overlords

Yes, I know I haven't posted in months. Like soccer, law school has a way of consuming your life untill it reaches the point where you can't think about anything else. Unlike soccer, you do not get the dizzying highs, however, you also learn to recognize a blatant miscarriage of justice.

Manchester City had looked to sign Iraq international Nashat Akram during the winter transfer window in a move to help solidify a place in European competition next season. If the transfer went through, Akram would be the first Iraqi to play in the Premiership. However, Akram's work permit (issued by the British home office to non-European players) was rejected because Iraq is not in the top 70 countries in the world for soccer.

They are #72.

While this technicality may put Iraq south of an arbitrary line, keep in mind, that due to security fears and reprisals from terror groups and Saddam Hussein, Iraq has not played a "home" game in 20 years.

This did not stop the band of players from the war-torn country from winning the 2007 Asian Cup in Southeast Asia. A team of Shi'ites, Sunnis, and Kurds uniting as one team to take on all comers. Iraq defeated 2006 World Cup Finalists Australia, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia on their march to the title.

This did not stop the Iraqi team from winning the Gold Medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

An exception should be made in Akram's case. The Iraqi team has had to overcome more than any football team should be expected to do. What this decision smacks of is protectionism. England has the most popular league in the world, drawing in fans and players from all over the globe. What this has meant is an influx of foreign talent, and a dearth of opportunities for English players, a shortcoming that has seen itself reaped at the last two World Cups, where English teams were perceived as underachieving. Akram was a solid contributor and if allowed to play, could very well have led City to a European place, but he would have done so at the expense of an English player. (City has 8 on their roster, more than any other country).

City will try again during the summer transfer window, but Akram should be suiting up for the Sky Blues this season.

Last Minute Champions League Picks

And as such, not really thought out, more gut reactions.

Who and Why?
Group A: Liverpool and Porto
- Liverpool and Porto's European experience and good form to start the season coupled with the lack thereof from Besiktas and Marseilles.

Group B: Chelsea and Valencia
- Chelsea's star power overpowers Schalke's lackluster form starting domestic play (1-0-4) to take second place after Valencia takes the group. All teams should be over the moon to have drawn Norwegian champs Rosenborg.

Group C: Real Madrid and Olympiacos
Real Madrid are off to a lfying start domestically. Frankly, I don't feel that great about Werder Bremen or Lazio, it's a pretty lackluster group even with los Meringues, so I'm gonna pick Olimpiacos as my upset special.

Group D: AC Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk
Celtic may sneak in, but the holders are too powerful, and the group is too weak. Benfica has had an average start to the season (2-0-2) and will probably not make the knockout stages. Tuesday's Celtic-Shakhtar game in the Ukraine looms huge and will set the pace for second place behind the Rossoneri. Come on the Celts!

Group E: FC Barcelona and Rangers FC
As much as it pains me, Rangers have been near perfect domestically, and Ibrox is a fortress. I can see them running the table at home, and maybe pipping a few points off Stuttgart and Lyon away. Damarcus Beasley's game is more suited for the European competition than the knockdown-dragout SPL and he should blossom.

Group F: Manchester United and AS Roma
United has the star power, and Roma looks to make a serious run at the Italian title this season. Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev have all the makings of also-rans.

Group G: Internazionale and Fenerbahce
I got a good feeling about the Turks and Inter is always Inter. Not too high on CSKA Moscow (or Russian teams in general) and PSV.

Group H: Sevilla and Arsenal
Slavia Prague and Steaua Bucharest round out the group against the English powerhouse and the near-Spanish-Treble-winners (UEFA Cup, Spanish Cup, 3rd in Spanish League) winners from last season. Need I say more?

There Are No Words

Celtic are through to the Champions League!

AND DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!

It's become everyone's favorite time of year again. As summer turns to fall, the winds get colder and the race for the MLS Cup intensifies.

This year's MLS season has been perhaps the league's most exciting to watch since the inaugural season of 1996. However, heading into the final third (or less) of the 30-game slate, about 6 teams look certain to make the playoffs, with another on the cusp. That's 7 of 8 playoff spots accounted for. In the East, there is a clearly defined strata, and right now, that strata is 30 points. New England (42 pts) DC United (39 pts), Red Bull New York (33 pts), and Kansas City Wizards (32 points)* are just about sure to be in the playoffs when they roll around in six weeks or so. *= The Wizards are my "iffy" team, but they are still 5 points clear of their nearest rival (Columbus). In the West, the dichotomy is even stronger. Houston Dynamo (38 pts), FC Dallas (36 pts) and Chivas USA (33 pts) are top of the conference. Colorado Rapids are the closest lookers at 24 points.

It will be a fierce battle for the 8th and final spot, and I see it coming down to three teams. Columbus Crew, Colorado Rapids, and Chicago Fire. Under MLS's new playoff format rules, the top two teams in each conference make the playoffs, followed by the next 6 teams pointwise regardless of conference. If the MLS Cup Playoffs started today, the pairings would be...

#1 New England vs. #8 (Columbus/Chicago/Colorado)
#2 Houston vs. #7 Kansas City
#3 DC United vs. #6 Red Bull New York
#4 FC Dallas vs. #5 Chivas USA

Chivas takes the 5 spot over RBNY because right now, they have matches in hand.

So how does the chase come down to the final three teams? What will determine how they will come out on top? Let's take a look.

Columbus Crew
(Through August 25, 6-7-9, 27 points, 4th place in the East)

Remaining Schedule
COLORADO, CHICAGO, @Kansas City, @Toronto, LOS ANGELES, FC DALLAS, @New England, @DC United.

Record vs. "The other two" Lost at Chicago 3-2 in June, Drew 0-0 at Chicago in August. Drew 0-0 at Colorado

Columbus is a young team that hasn't really been tested in playoff situations just yet. While their speed certainly makes them dangerous on the flanks, especially with the seemingly ageless Frankie Hejduk and bargain of the year Guillermo Barros Schelotto providing service, the Crew are not the patsy they have been the past few campaigns, but are not the league shakers they were in the early days of the league with Brian McBride and Brad Friedel. Columbus definitely controls their own destiny and at least 4 points against Fire and Colorado will go a long way to securing their postseason.

Chicago Fire
(7-9-5, 26 points, 5th place in the East)

Remaining Schedule: @New York, @ Columbus, NEW YORK, @FC Dallas, DC UNITED, @Chivas USA, NEW ENGLAND, @DC United, LOS ANGELES

Record vs. "The Other Two": Chicago drew at Colorado 1-1 in April, then 0-0 at Toyota Park in July. Fire beat Columbus 3-2 in June, and drew 0-0 in July, both matches at home.

Chicago technically doesn't control their destiny. They're behind on points, and it would really help should Columbus screw up down the stretch. However, the Fire have a match in hand on the Crew. That being said, it's a rough road. Only two of their remaining contests are against teams at the bottom of the pile. One of those games is against another team fighting for its playoff life, and the other is against David Beckham's traveling roadshow.

Mexican international Cuahtemoc Blanco has worked out in every way possible, scoring his second MLS goal in his 4th MLS game against KC on Saturday. With Justin Mapp and Chris Rolfe returning from injury, and new additions Paolo Wanchope and Wilman Conde should bolster the ranks. They're also hot, going undefeated in four of their last five. The backline however is VERY shaky, and Chris Armas and CJ Brown are showing their age. If the defense can keep the Fire in games long enough for Blanco, Wanchope, Rolfe, Mapp, and Carr to do their jobs, I like the Fire's chances. Of the three teams, they probably have the most talent. That September Fire-Crew game is HUGE in every sense of the word. The winner may not be in, but the loser will probably be out.

Colorado Rapids
(6-9-6, 24 pts, 4th place in the West)


Remaining Schedule: LOS ANGELES, @Columbus, @Los Angeles, CHIVAS USA, @Real Salt Lake, @New England, TORONTO FC, @Chivas USA, REAL SALT LAKE

Record against "The Other Two": Drew Chicago 1-1 in March at home, and 0-0 in Chicago in July. Drew Columbus 0-0 at home.

Colorado is in some deep shit, frankly. Of these three, I like their chances least. The team is in total chaos right now. Head Coach Fernando Clavijo may be on the chopping block. His job likely depends on the Rapids making the playoffs. Keeper Bouna Coundoul has a GAA of 1.19, but the Rapids as a team have only scored 20 goals in 21 matches, third-lowest in the league. They have little star power, little offensive firepower, and only have one game remaining against their playoff rivals Fire and Crew.

If there's one thing to save them, it's their schedule. While the Fire's schedule is packed with league-beaters, the Claret-and-blue is packed with patsies. Los Angeles twice, Real Salt Lake twice and Toronto FC. With that kind of schedule, if they can't make it work, they don't deserve to go to the playoffs.

I'm not making picks. Too bad.

YNSA Mid-Season Awards

Well, now that we've hit the midway pole, it's time to hand out some awards, done in typical YNSA fashion.

YNSA Most Outstanding Player

Juan Pablo Angel, Red Bull New York

Angel has torn the league up since arriving from Aston Villa earlier this year. His 9 goals in 11 of RBNY's 15 games (only 11 of which Angel played in) have kept Los Toros Rojos near the top of the Eastern Conference all year. Were it not for his production, the Meadowlands outfit would be in huge trouble as The rest of the team has only managed to score 17 combined goals. By scoring game-winning or game-tying goals, Angel has personally earned Red Bull 4 points (1-0-1). Now that defenses have figured him out, can he keep up the production?

YNSA Goalkeeper of the Half

Will Hesmer, Columbus Crew

Naturally, Houston Dynamo's Pat Onstad should get an honorable mention. Anytime you can have a GAA below 1.00 is going to give your team a fantastic chance. However, I think Onstad unfairly benefits from having a team that is playing out of its mind right now. Hesmer is an unknown quantity (hence no available photos of him this season), and teams are still trying to find their way around him. Hesmer has a better shot/save ratio than Onstad, a GAA of 1.00, and has helped key Crew on their recent hot streak. All while faced with a porous backline, and at times, little offensive production.

YNSA Comeback Player of the Year

Eddie Johnson, Kansas City Wizards

Unwanted in Dallas, injured, hurt, labeled a wash-up, a flash-in-the-pan, Johnson has regained the form seen in 2005 when he burst onto the scene as one of the United States' greatest strikers. His 12 goals and three assists lead MLS in points, and this was with him taking time off to attend the Gold Cup and Copa America. Johnson has only played in 11 games, and has provided the strike force needed to raise Kansas City's hopes of returning to the playoffs.

Supporters of the Year

Toronto Football Club

I think it should be requisite from here on out that MLS hand a guide manual to new expansion owners on how to create the best atmosphere in the league. It should really only contain comments from Peter Wilt, the architecht of Chicago's Section 8, and the rest from Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment, the I/Os of Toronto FC. MLS has awakened a sleeping giant, and combined with decent performances from the Canadian national team recently, Canada may be waking up to its soccer passion. Toronto's fans are a traveling roadshow, visiting New England, Columbus, and Chicago so far, while selling out at home.

"Paradise" Lost on Dan Roan

There's only one thing in the soccer-reporting media that bothers me more than the constant put-down, condescending, jock-itch sports dinosaur writing that pervades much of the US sports media. That is laziness. Total unabashed laziness.

So is the charge leveled against Chicago's WGN9 Sports anchor Dan Roan. In reporting the highlights of Celtic FC's 1-1 tie with Chicago Fire , Roan did the following in about 30 seconds.

* Mispronounced Celtic "Kell-tick" instead of the proper "Sell-tick."

* Incorrectly referred to Celtic as an Irish team, they are from Glasgow, Scotland.

Forgivable? Perhaps, but it really speaks to the media's either indifference or lack of commitment to get the story right. If anyone on Around the Horn or PTI had referred to the NBA's Boston Celtics as the Boston Kell-ticks, they would have been laughed off the stage. The thing that bothers me is that as a sports guy, Roan is already familiar with the Boston Sell-ticks, but pronounced Celtic FC as Kell-tick. Therefore, he already knows that there is more than one pronounciation for that word. Wouldn't it be hooof him to check to see which one was proper?

As for the location of the team, admittedly, that could be kind of confusing due to Celtic's largely Irish fan base, the presence of a four-leaf clover on their jerseys and Irish Tricolor flags being bandied about Toyota Park yesterday. Also, the absence of the Irish or Scottish anthems prior to the game perhaps further led to the misunderstanding. However, it betrays a lack of research and knowledge of the subject at hand. Imagine if someone had said the University of Illinois sports teams were based in Chicago. Yes, many U of I alums live in Chicago, as well as most of their current student body when they're not in class, and likewise, even though many Celtic fans are of Irish descent, that doesn't mean that they are in Ireland or that the team plays there.

Welcome Back, Quakes!

Do You Believe In Miracles? YES!

Are you kidding me? Down 1-0 after a late second-half goal to Uruguay, the United States U-20 team rallies with a Uruguay own-goal in the 87th minute to equalize, then wins it on Michael Bradley's header in extra time at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.

The Yanks move on to face Austria in the Quarterfinals.

MLS Preview: Chicago vs. Toronto

Unfortunately for Fire fans, what started as a season of promise with daring talk of a trip to the MLS Cup Final in Washington has turned into a season of change. With changes at major positions, including the head coach, rumors of several groups looking to purchase Chicago Fire and an offense that has been nothing short of abominable (Fire have only scored more than 1 goal twice this season, and have been shut out in 3 of their last 4 outings.)

For Tossers fans, it's a season of firsts, and sadly for their Windy City opposition, most of their firsts seem to come against the Fire. Toronto's first goal was scored against Chicago in the Grand Opening of BMO Field; a result that stood up as TFC held on to record their first win that day, defeating Fire 3-1. Toronto has never won on the road, and Fire fans fear they may be witnessing another first.

Things to keep in mind for today's game.

Players returning
While Toronto was not heavily affected by Copa America call-ups, the Fire should see Justin Mapp back in red today. Mapp is characteristic of brilliance, and total apathy. The Section 8 hopeful certainly wish that there will be some renewed urgency in Mapp's game now that he has been given a look by the US National Team at the Gold Cup and Copa America. The Fire also get Ivan Guerrero back from Honduras and Gonzalo Segares from Costa Rica. Osei Telesford is back from Trinidad & Tobago international duty, but is injured and may not play.

Defense
Chicago's backline must hold today if it is to have any chance. Toronto carved them up North of the border, making the aging line look inexperienced. Bakary Soumare is back in the lineup having served his 1-game suspension from his red card on Sunday.

Scoring First
If Toronto can get on the board first, then the Red Patch Boys and U-Sector can already put one point in the bag and fly back to Toronto with a share of the points. Chicago has not come from behind to win since June 28, 2006. Before that, it was September 17, 2005. So in any competition, the Fire have come from behind to win only twice in almost the last two years.

Role Players need to impress
Juan Carlos Osorio (formerly of Manchester City and Colombia's Club Millionarios) is taking command of the Fire's fortunes on Monday. It is believed he will radically transform the team, and that could mean the end of the Fire careers for underperformers Chad Barrett and Logan Pause. Players could well be playing for their jobs. The same issue is at hand on the other side of the midfield line as TFC skipper Mo Johnston has made a record number of trades this summer.

YNSA Prediction: Chicago Fire 1:1 Toronto FC

Leeds Could Drop Again Without Playing a Game

English football is not necessarily known for its unpredictability. Manchester United, Arsenal, or Chelsea have won every Premier League title save one since the Premier League was created in the early 1990s. Pick Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea to finish in any order, and odds are pretty solid that you will correctly pick the superfecta box for the four teams England sends to the Champions League each season.

However, just when you think it's predictable and pre-written, there's a club like Reading that bursts onto the Premiership scene last year for the first time, and just barely misses out on a European spot. The small teams rise up and grab their share of the glory. However, it's a zero sum game, and for whoever comes up, someone must go down, and in this case, we have clubs like Leeds United to remind us that the game can change at any moment.

Leeds United were formerly a great club. Their rivalry with Manchester United peaked in the 1990s when both clubs were solid domestically and were always competing for league titles and European placement. As recently as 2001, Leeds were in the semifinals of the Champions League. Even after being relegated from the Premiership in 2003, only a year ago Leeds were one game away from returning to the top flight before bowing to Watford in the Play-off Final. Another relegation followed this past season, and the club's massive debt pushed them into administration. Now Leeds are up for sale, and it could get even worse. Reports coming out of Elland Road indicate that if Leeds are not out of administration by the time the League 1 Season starts in August, then the FA will not allow them to play. I am not sure if this means that they would simply be suspended untill their finances are in order or if it means that they would be relegated from the Football League alltogether, which would mark the most stunning reversal of fortune in English Football for years. From European semifinalists to non-league football in 6 years.

Osorio Tabbed to Rescue Fire

Juan Carlos Osorio, a former assistant coach with Manchester City FC in the Premiership and head coach of Milionarios in Colombia has been named the third head coach in Fire history.

While at Milionarios, Osorio most recently took the Bogota club to a 4th place finish in the Colombian top-flight, earning them a berth in the prestigious Copa Sudamericana after the club was previously mired at the bottom of the standings.

He faces a similar task with Fire. Chicago has the most anemic offense in the league (12 goals scored in 14 games). The Fire have been shut out in three of their last four, and 5 of their last 9 games. The Fire have not scored multiple times in one game since a 3-2 win over Columbus on June 3rd. They have accomplished the feat only one other time this season, in a 2-1 win over Kansas City on April 21.

Chicago has gone 1-6-2 since starting the season 3-0-1.

Keller to consider retirement

Only one day after one of my scathing posts really painted him out to be the has-been that he is, and encouraged him to hang up his boots once and for all.

Coincidence? I think not.