The Long Ride Home

November 26th, 2007

Making my way back from Orlando today I felt pretty strongly I could get into Tennessee by nightfall, and then I came to Atlanta.

Regrettably, the time of my departure put me in greater Atlanta right around rush hour, even with a stop to feed my face in beautiful Macon, Georgia. I always think of the old movie Macon County Line when I drive through Macon, and halfway expect to see 20 police cars chasing a good moonshiner (not to be confused with the corrupt, law enforcement-supported moonshiners according to the movie) down the highway. But so far as I can tell, Macon is a rather nice community.

Atlanta on the other hand is a massive traffic snarl. I thought I could avoid the worst of it by going around the east side of the city rather than the west, because the airport is on the southwest side, right? Well, I forgot my road atlas so I'm not sure. I got onto somekind of Atlanta bypass, not 285, but something before that, and it did indeed seem to have less traffic on it. But then the road signs started telling me I had a choice to go either toward Augusta or toward Atlanta, and specifically, Atlanta Airport. Now this wasn't I-20, which I knew I didn't want, but some other highway and I just can't remember the name of it.

But there I was, involuntarily winding toward the airport and so pride snuck in and I exited from that offramp to go north on Moreland Avenue. So in order to avoid bad traffic in Atlanta I was now driving on a city street somewhere on the southeast (I think) side. Well I started going north and could see the tops of the downtown buildings, so to continue fooling myself that I had some better idea, I turned right onto a sort of busy-looking street hoping it would take me to this mythical east-side of Atlanta bypass. The street just kept getting more and more narrow and before I knew it I was in some place called DeKalb County and more or less in the middle of nowhere.

Now, I happen to have met a number of people in the Atlanta area over the past few years, and I even have some of their phone numbers in my phone, so I began dialing rather feverishly (showing a willingness to break longheld male tradition and ask for directions). Do you think even ONE of these people picked up my call?

Eventually I came across an entrance ramp for I-20, which is the street I didn't want to be on in the first place. Much to my surprise, I found I was traveling south -and although I don't know much about Atlanta geography (obviously), what I do know is that if I'm in Atlanta and traveling south, and my destination is Indiana, I'm going the WRONG way.

I did however discover that I20 East takes me to I285 which eventually takes me around the city to I-75, which is the highway I ran out of gas on (I did manage to coast to an offramp and there was a service station at the exit so it could have been much worse - besides pushing a car a quarter mile or so in the dark during rush hour traffic is good exercise, so long as you don't get killed).

So I hope you all don't mind if I don't write the actual match report from the U14s game until tomorrow, after I get home (hopefully).  And I hope your driving today went better than mine.

Breaking Down the Men's Bracket

November 21st, 2007

The NCAA Men's Tournament bracket came out Monday. I think the group did a pretty good job in setting things up, especially considering what a topsy-turvy season this has been in college soccer.

For the past few years, it's been evident that there is an upwardly mobile climate out there. More good players keep coming down the pike, but the limited amount of money available stays the same, so it only makes sense that the top talent will filter out. As a result, the outcome of games becomes exceedingly hard to predict, and rankings that reflect reality seem downright impossible (and I still contend that in our sport you cannot just yank teams up and down the chart based on a single result).

Looking at the bracket a few things jump out at me. The desire to have the teams compete close to home to keep down travel costs is understandable, but I think it has to be the only reason you'd find UIC, St. Louis and Northwestern in the same 3-team opening section. The Flames took a little while this year to find their feet, but they are closing very strong, and The Billikens and Wildcats are College Cup contenders, but only 1 of them will go into the Sweet 16 which doesn't quite seem right.

The women's side did this too, and I have to say that the only real strong example of this on the Men's side is where UCLA, New Mexico and Santa Clara are grouped together. Of course, the Bruins are the anomaly of anomalies this season. Here you have a team that needed a draw against San Diego State just to scrape by eligibility-wise, and yet are also a contender to go to the Final 4. That won't impress New Mexico, a Final 4 team 2 years ago.

(And yes, I know "Final 4? is supposed to be just for basketball, but it's like saying jello should just be for Jell-O. It just comes out as Final 4?)

Some other good-looking 2nd round matchups include defending national champions UC Santa Barbara against either Portland or Washington, andOhio State against either Duke or Louisville, Creighton against the Gonzaga-SMU winner (I still think SMU should be a seed).

I'd hate to further into the bracket than that because this season has been so helter skelter. If I were making odds, I'd put Connecticut as the tournament favorite, but that's not quite the same as me picking them to win the tournament. I don't think people gamble on men's college soccer anyway, and I certainly wouldn't suggest them betting based on my "odds."

Anyway, best of luck to all the coaches and players, and I hope readers will make an effort to catch any games in their neck of the woods.

Also, if I don't blog again before then, Happy Thanksgiving to all. On Thursday I'll be covering the Girls ODP Interregional and then retiring to my hotel room for some leftover pizza and an evening of writing. So count your blessings!!!

Everything's Happening at the Zoo

November 15th, 2007

A lot going on in the world of American soccer these days. A quick survey:

1. A new women's national team coach named. Swedish star Pia Sundhage is now in charge of the Americans. This is Sunil Gulati's move to be sure. Let's see how the American players respond to someone from abroad. Certainly the opportunity to make such a move was there after the World Cup situation. You my main interest in this, I want to see the Women play an attractive, attacking style of soccer. We have the players, so let's go for it.

2. MLS Cup this weekend: Donald Buckholt will be covering it for us. He was our Houston correspondent all year. I am a big fan of Donald's work. Would you believe I saw a long post of his on Big Soccer and asked him if he'd like to cover the Dynamo for us? He hasn't looked back. I full expect him to be doing this for much more money than I can pay him someday.

As to the match, Bruce at DuNord and Paul Gardner of the New York Sun are concerned about the style of the game, after last year's defensive struggle. I think it CAN be a better game this year, but I understand their worry. The game is at RFK Stadium in DC and here's hoping for a good atmosphere. It seems like this game starts to attract more buzz all along.

3. MLS expansion is a hot topic these days, with San Jose and more recently Seattle getting teams. I was able to interview potential St. Louis owner Jeff Cooper last week and as you can see from my story, I'm a fan of his worldview. Here's hoping he gets a chance to implement it and soon.

4. The Women's College Soccer Tournament and the Men's Conference Tournaments are this weekend (except for Men's Big 10, which ended Sunday when Ohio State's Casey Latchem put on a show in the post-match penalties to give the  Buckeyes the title).  I'll be striving to keep track of the results, with the help of a helpful helper, all weekend. I'll be at the Tennessee vs. Furman women's tourney match Friday night.

5. I'll be in Knoxville because I'm driving down to Florida for a pair of youth events, the Girls and Boys ODP Interregionals (including U14 Boys National Team and U15 Girls National Team). While the landscape of elite youth soccer is changing rapidly, there will still be a number of very good players at these events, so I want to try and highlight what is happening. Daily reports start Monday- meaning I again miss Thanksgiving with my family - not exactly the most attractive part of the job.

6. The U.S. Men's National Team plays Saturday morning against South Africa. One thing people are anticipating is the debut of Josmer Altidore, just turned 18. Perhaps Jozy will be playing alongside another obscure 18-year old named Freddy Adu.

7. Speaking of Freddy and the National Team, Neil Buethe has been named the new director of communications and will be the organization's spokesman. I first met Neil at the 2003 Dallas Cup where was newly installed as the Youth National Teams media person. He was presiding over a massive outbreak of Freddymania as the U17 MNT was competing there that year (still the biggest crowd I've seen at the Dallas Cup, when the U.S. played Newcastle in the semifinal, and then Tigres in the Final).

More recently, I recall the normally serious Neil getting pretty punchy after the U.S. had defeated Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament at the Office in Kingston, Jamaica. While some of us were trying to interview coaches and players afterward, this guy from a Costa Rican radio station just kept standing there with his 2-way radio turned up full blast, completely oblivious to those of us with tape recorders who were destined to only hear Spanish overmodulation when we went to transcribe the comments. Congratulations Neil.

I start to realize I have a story for just about everyone and everything. I must be getting old.

Women's Tournament Speculation

November 12th, 2007

First off, I want to thank ESPN News for making the bracket presentation as confusing as possible. I watched the program and was left with little idea of what was actually happening. Yes, I can just get the brackets from the NCAA and that's what I'll do, but for all the publicity this "show" has gotten from soccer programs across the country, you'd think they could at least devote 30 minutes to making it clear and promoting the actual event. We've got 167 1/2 other hours of the week to highlight football, basketball and NASCAR.

On to the selections themselves. I'm reminded that the NCAA wants to keep schools from having to travel too far for their opening weekend of tournament play. I can see one instance where someone traveling might have been better than the 2nd round matchup they got. Texas and Texas A&M are both potential final 4 teams, and there they are at the same venue, College State for this weekend.  Assuming the Aggies get by Stephen F. Austin (likely), and Texas beats BYU (a bit trickier), they'll be squaring off in round 2. That doesn't seem quite right. On the other hand, it should make for a very lively venue for opening round play in College Station, which will be hosting the tournament again this year.

 In this same 16-team regional (Lower Left), you've got Florida State and Stanford, plus Santa Clara and California (who actually play each other in the 1st round Friday. I mean, I know gas is expensive but COME ON!!!). A lot of potential barnburners in that bracket including FSU vs. Stanford, Texas A&M vs. Santa Clara and Texas vs. Cal. Watch out for some very good lower seeds as well in LSU, Connecticut and Boston College (the latter 2 play each other in the opening round). The Lower Left is the bracket of death for sure.

An interesting round of 16 possibility in the Upper Left is a rematch of last year's title game, North Carolina and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish apparently were bumped to a 3 seed due to their conference championship loss to West Virginia. Bad move. This team is still a potential national champion and that matchup with North Carolina comes too early in the tournament.  Still, Illinois presents an early danger for Notre Dame, so Randy Waldrum's team cannot afford to look past anyone. Purdue looks to have a good shot at reaching the final 8.

Why draw Penn State and Ohio State together in opening round play for the Upper Right (at State College)? Don't they have a rule in basketball and conference teams not playing each other until the round of 16? That would be a good idea here. West Virginia vs. James Madison could be an intriguing 2nd round game, with Florida against Central Florida a possible 2nd round upset special in Gainesville. Missouri hosts a quartet and will likely play Southern Cal in the 2nd round, which would be a very entertaining matchup.

It's amazing what Portland has done with the hardships they've endured this year, but I guess hosting in the Lower Right was not possible for the Pilots. They travel to Boulder and will have to get by Sun Belt champs Boulder and either Hawaii or Colorado to make it the sweet 16. They can do this and more.

A10 champs Charlotte get Clemson in opening round play, with the winner likely facing host Tennessee. Virginia should get either William & Mary or Georgetown in Charlottesville for the 2nd round, while the team I've had at #1 for most of the year, UCLA, will host Cal State Fullerton and then either San Diego or Oklahoma State.

Sundry

November 8th, 2007

There is a new article on the main site - a look at the nitty-gritty of the USSF Academy, its methods, structure and challenges. Good quotes from Men's National Team coach Bob Bradley and former USMNT goalkeeper Brad Friedel among others.

College Soccer seasons entering tournament phase. I think there is more uncertainty about who will win on either side than anytime in the past 5 years. Talent is definitely spreading out in the college ranks.

MLS semifinals begin tonight, with MLS Cup next weekend in DC. We'll have coverage of it all.

I just got the schedule for this year's  Nike Friendlies. They've really loaded it this year, with Brazil, Russia and Turkey bringing national teams to face the USA teams, plus U15 National Team and a full slate of Academy League matches. It should be quite good.

I'll be there and at both the Girls and Boys ODP events 2 weeks before, plus at the Men's Final 4 (we'll have a writer at the Women's event as well, don't worry).

A quick point on UCLA's Men Team

November 7th, 2007

Still having UCLA in my ranking is a reflection of view on their talent. However "down" they might be this season, it remains true that nobody in the tournament will want to be drawn against them.

Soccer America rightly points out that if they lose to San Diego State they finish with a losing record and will not even make the postseason. My error has been to keep the asterisk by their name as projected conference winner which is no longer possible after a pair of losses last weekend (to Cal and Stanford - but then I don't keep projectinging now that we're at the end of the season - it would be like me predicting whether it rained yesterday).

I think this team still has it in them to do all kinds of postseason damage.