Mike Woitalla of Soccer America writes of how the Seattle Sounders, who lead MLS in attendance for
the fourth straight year, has seen it's attendance grow to the point that it now competes among the
best clubs and leagues in the world.
The Sounders have led the MLS in attendnace for the past four years, dating back to their inaugural
2009 season, and now average nearly 40,000 fans.
The Serie A has always been considered the gold standard for tactics, midfield play, and team
defending. Those were all on display as Italy raced on to advance to the Euro 2012 Final, with the
vision of Pirlo and grit of DeRossi on display.
That only highlights the significance of Michael Bradley joining DeRossi at Roma, and is a
watershed moment for US Soccer.
Paul Kennedy of Soccer America reports on the outstanding ratings here in the United States for the
2012 European Championships.
Sunday's Euro 2012 quarterfinal between Italy and England drew the highest rating yet on ESPN:
a 2.4 overnight rating. That's an increase of 50 percent from the Spain-Italy game at the same
stage four years.
Paul Mariner has paid his dues as a player and coach, so I was excited to learn on Thursday that
Toronto FC announced that Mariner will become the club's seventh head coach in franchise
history.
The longtime New England Revolution assistant Mariner now takes the reins, as TFC return to action
on June 16 at Sporting Kansas City before playing in Houston against the Dynamo on June 20.
Despite the scoreline, the USA showed some encouraging signs in their 4-1 defeat against Brazil in
Washington D.C. last night.
Regardless as to how well the USA played against Scotland over the weekend, you knew that they
would be under signifcantly more pressure on both sides of the ball versus Brazil.
Mike Woitalla of Soccer America reports on the continued rise of MLS attendance. After the 12th
week, the MLS average of 18,596 is starting to compare favorably with some of the top leagues in
the world.
Week 12 featured 13 games that averaged 18,000-plus as Houston sold out its new stadium for the
third straight game and Seattle packed them in for a midweek game.
The US national team gave a thorough beating to Scotland on Saturday in Jacksonville, FL, and
despite the match being only an exhibition, US fans came away with a tremendous amount of optimism
heading into qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Fresh off exhibition victories over Italy and Scotland, the US now take on Brazil on Wednesday
before starting qualifying in the CONCACAF region.
Pep Guardiola led not only a dominant era of football for Barcelona, but also a revolution of the
'total football' that was preached by his mentor, Johan Cruyff.
As he steps away from his post at Barcelona at the ripe age of 41, Rob Hughes of the New York Times
writes of how Guardiola had transformed Barca into the gold standard in world football.
With the 2012 EUROS around the corner, Alistair Magowan of BBC Sport writes a great piece analyzing
Roy Hodgson's tactical preferences, as well as potential lineups for England at the European
Championships next month.
"Roy is a pure coach," Gallacher said. "You only get a week to train with the national team, so
it is all about organisation, getting players thinking about the system you want to play.
Chelsea's 2012 UEFA Champions League title was a storybook finish, and after looking back on the
epic instant classic, the result seems even more Disney-esque.
Looking at the teams on paper, you would figure that it would be a contrast of two very different
styles - knowing that Bayern Munich would come out and press Chelsea offensively, while Chelsea
would have to absorb pressure and play off the counter.
Courtesy of the Evansville Courier Press, May 20, 2012
As we come off perhaps the most exciting weekend in the history of the English Premier League a
week ago, we need to look back on the Cinderella story and tremendous ascension of Manchester
City.
Professional soccer – and specifically the EPL - continues to rise in popularity here in the
United States, and the drama last weekend only added to that.
Gregg Popovich may be the best coach in American professional sports today.
What Popovich has done goes far beyond guiding his San Antonio Spurs to the best record in the
National Basketball Association this season. He has created a template for NBA success. His
influence extends so far that his presence is likely to be felt in the NBA Finals even if the Spurs
don't make it.
The Portuguese claimed his seventh league title in 10 years last week as he led Real Madrid to Liga
success over Barcelona. Is he now the best trainer to ever grace the game?
Ben Hayward writes of Mourinho's most recent accomplishments, and tries to gauge where he sits
historically now among the world's greatest coaches.
Dwayne Wade's biggest assist this season for the Miami Heat had less to do with a pass on the
basketball court, and more to his ability to accept a role that would put his team in the best
possible position to win a championship. Israel Gutierrez of ESPN writes how Wade is willing to
check his ego at the door to enable his team to contend for an NBA title.
