OK, nothing to do with soccer, but I'm trying to watch the USA vs. Argentina and this is going to bug me until I write it, so here goes.I just finished watching Butler's dramatic overtime win over Florida in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Bulldogs, from right here in Indianapolis, are back in the Final Four after a back-and-forth tussle with a game Florida team. Like Ohio State vs. Kentucky last night, it was just a great athletic contest.Unlike Ohio State vs. Kentucky last... Read more...

Nothing like a last-gasp winner to snap you out of the winter doldrums. Thank you Maurice Edu, national team midfielder formerly of Pateadores and Maryland, for scoring the late goal to put my beloved Rangers (of Glasgow) past Sporting Lisbon and into the next round of the Europa League. Great drama this was. I'm usually pretty sedate as I watch games but I screaming like a maniac just 20 minutes ago.... Read more...

The MLS Examiner has reported that the little boy dressed as Darth Vader in the charming Super Bowl commercial (I think it was Volkswagen, but really, who cares?) is an aspiring soccer player. If you don’t believe me, check the riveting story out for yourself (http://www.examiner.com/mls-in-national/darth-vader-superbowl-ad-star-wants-to-play-soccer). Why is this news, you ask? For the same reason I’m regurgitating the story: because the biggest sporting event in the country just unfolded... Read more...

Talking with a friend in Southern California I hear that temps are in the 70s and 80s pretty much every day.Here in beautiful Indianapolis however, it's been a pretty tough winter. The Midwest has had a very tough winter with snow and ice. A lot of school closing and lack of mobility as a result.I used to think the weather in the Midwest and East was a disadvantage to player development, but the more I watch things unfold around the country, the more I start to think it can be a... Read more...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, everyone has read that AEG is planning to build a football stadium in Downtown Los Angeles, in hopes of reeling in an NFL team *coughs* Chargers *coughs*. Regardless of the team, my question is whether Tim Leiweke will also move the Los Angeles Galaxy to his new stadium? The LA Galaxy is also owned by AEG, so it’s not much a stretch to ask the question. As mu... Read more...

Boy, oh boy. This year has been very memorable for soccer in the United States. Personally, 2010 will be a year that will stand out in my life. From highs, lows, and farewells, there has been so much to talk about. Therefore I will touch on five U.S. soccer headlines that I think are worthy to revisit. “THE GOAL” The entire country saw, the entire world. I'll admit my heart stopped then tears rolled down my eyes. It was as if everything just slowed to super slow motion. Cli... Read more...

Well it's nearly Christmas and that of course means high school sophomores need to be making their verbal commitments to college soccer programs.Yes, I'm kidding.However, the trend continues to creep toward earlier and earlier decisions, with a number of 2013 graduates on the girls' side having already decided where they are going to school.I've been critical of this before, but I'm also finding more and more there are players and families who are making this choice witho... Read more...

Come on, this isn't football!!! Ok, it is, but not that football. Television timeouts have no place in the middle of a soccer games, but the NCAA still allows it for televised games. All, so networks can run their Coke and McDonalds ads. It's the most ridiculous thing to see: the ball goes out of bounds, the ref crosses his arms, and out of the blue everything just stops. All the momentum, the flow, the excitement that gets created through 22 minutes just…poof!!! Gone. This past we... Read more...

Watching the NCAA Men's College Cup final Sunday afternoon, I noticed a few heroes for Caleb Porter's Akron Zips who have shown good character and patience in their young soccer careers.I'm thinking specifically of Scott Caldwell, a midfielder from the Boston area who was at Bradenton Residency for a couple of years but didn't crack the starting lineup of the U17 MNT. Sunday it was Caldwell who scored the deciding goal for his team.Another guy who stood out was Chad Barson. Chad... Read more...

Never Go Against the Family… That sentiment wasn’t any more clearly displayed than today when FIFA chose Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup. With allegations of corruption among committee officials, FIFA didn’t really do anything substantial, aside from suspending those individuals, to clear its perception of being a fraudulent organization driven by money. England was the nation that released an investigation revealing the names of FIFA officials attempting... Read more...

I was glad to see Fox Soccer Channel and USSF arranged to put the U17 MNT on television tonight.  I'm in Cary, NC this week to cover the Women's College Cup and a variety of youth events and so I set out to find the match.I forgot about The Cary Curse.Now, I'm sure The Cary Curse only applies to me, Rob Ziegler, Managing Editor of TopDrawerSoccer.com - but the fact is I have traveled all over this country to so many soccer events and I've never gotten lost anywhere close to as many times as I h... Read more...

So we've reached the final 8 in the Men's tournament and the final 4 (Sorry, NCAA College Cup) for the Women. I know you are all waiting breathlessly to read how the three of us are doing in predictions. I wanted to be the one to bring the good news to you. So on the women's side, I can officially claim victory, successfully pegging 9 of the sweet 16, compared to 7 for Juan Carlos and 6 for Jahmal. I don't shout too loudly about this as each of us only had 1 of our final 4 selections go th... Read more...

I was so busy crowing over my women's picks I forgot to weigh in on part two of our internal prediction contests and select the men's winners. So without further delay.... Louisville Bracket Sweet 16: Louisville, Providence, Notre Dame, UCLA Comments: Louisville is undefeated, but Providence gave them all they wanted in the Big East Tournament final, the overtime period of which was some of the most entertaining college soccer I've seen in a while. So while Ohio State has had a great se... Read more...

A record was set when the youngest player in U.S. history scored for the senior team, as the Americans beat South Africa 1-0 in Capetown. Juan Agudelo, the 17-year old from the New York Red Bulls, scored in the 85th minute as a sub. It was an early birthday present as he turns 18 on Tuesday. Head Coach Bob Bradley fielded an incredibly young team, maybe trying to prove naysayers that he was worthy of getting rehired, and wouldn't fall into the bad habits of a second-cycle coach (i.e. Bruce... Read more...

So the path to Soccer Heaven begins. Not much surprise having Louisville, Maryland, Akron, and UNC holding seeds #1 – #4. One thing that this field shows us is the importance of schedule optimization, something UC Irvine suffered from. Being ranked the entire year and winning the Big West regular season championship wasn’t sufficient to make up for its low RPI and was overlooked by the committee. Another point I'd like to touch on is the college conference tournaments. Sure they are ... Read more...

So what. I know my women’s picks aren’t going as planned but that tournament over there is crazy! Besides, I’ve never understood women. This is no different. I mean seriously, you’re going to tell me you had Maryland and Portland losing and Brenda’s School for Trucking making the Sweet 16? (Editor’s note: Brenda’s School for Trucking is a fictional program Jahmal invented. Please skim over it.)Any way, I’m moving on. I’ve learned from my mist... Read more...

If you follow women's college soccer, chances are your head is still spinning. I've been saying for a while now that the pyramid-like power structure in the women's game is starting to unravel a little bit and I suppose based on this weekend's results, it is happening faster than I thought.People will first note, and rightly so, that a pair of #1 seeds lost Sunday. Portland and Maryland had put together great seasons, but both fell on penalties after 110 minutes of play. Washington and Georgetow... Read more...

Did Rob Ziegler and Juan Carlos just challenge me?Oh, no they didn’t! (In actually, yes, they did. “Oh, no they didn’t” was slang for: ‘I can’t believe they did’ … just want to make sure you’re following along.) These are my predictions. If you know what’s good for you you’ll listen to them. If you don’t listen to them you’re challenging me in your own little passive aggressive way. Ask Rob and Juan what happens when you challenge me. Well, ask them in a few we... Read more...

Oh, here it is again! It’s my favorite time of the year in sports. Major League Soccer is in its playoffs, baseball is over (yes, I said it), Formula 1 is wrapping up the season, and it’s tournament time for college soccer. The 64-team field was released Monday for the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament and if you have already read Rob’s blog and his incorrect picks (yes, again, I said it) you know that all three of us writers are having a prediction contest.  Now, I have never been... Read more...

So the NCAA Women's Tournament field has been selected. Juan Carlos, Jahmal and I are going to have a little prediction contest, but first let me make a few observations:1. I think the committee showed a little more willingness this time around to not just read off the RPI  list. There's a little more dynamism in this year's selection so that's good, whether or not you happen to agree with the actual selections. That said, you're always going to have some disagreements and my biggest ... Read more...