Breaking this weekend was the surprising news that 2010 MLS MVP candidate Edson Buddle was poised to make his long-discussed move overseas. What made it surprising was that the move was not to Birmingham City, which is where he had long been rumored to go, but to FC Ingolstadt, a Bundesliga 2 club that is currently in danger of being relegated to the third German soccer division.

The MLS is certainly unique among major U.S. sports - it is the only draft in which a team passes on a player because he needs to establish residency. But such is the reason why MLS fans love the MLS - it is unique in both the world of soccer and the American sports world. And the draft is another unique aspect; it is an event dedicated to the selection of what are essentially late blooming players who went to college, an oddity in Europe but an essential part of the American soccer landscape.

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The news of Eric Cantona's hiring by the New York Cosmos to become their new Director of Soccer has sent a ripple through the soccer world and has the famous old North American Soccer League team name in the news again.

The main topic of the week so far was the decision by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) to pull its provisional Division 2 sanctioning of the North American Soccer League (NASL).
What bothers me is that for years the USSF sat there and watched the United Soccer Leagues (USL) do anything they wanted to soccer in this country from division 2 down.

The New York Cosmos don't need Major League Soccer. But MLS needs the Cosmos.
The Cosmos flexed their muscles in recent weeks with the announcement of Eric Cantona and Cobi Jones joining the organization. The subsequent media blitz across the big apple further showed how the Cosmos brand still has allure even after 30 years since they last played in the old North American Soccer League.

Adding to the mysterious aura surrounding the make-believe soccer club, the New York Cosmos named Manchester United "Player of the Century" Eric Cantona their "Director of Soccer" today.
From the Cosmos' press release:

"I am very honored to join the legendary club New York Cosmos.

From The Americano

Mid-July 2011.

What is the significance of this date?

That's when training camps for the 2011-12 NFL season would open. For the first time since 1987 however, the National Football League may experience a work stoppage due to the expiration of their Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL Players Association.

According to some report from US media, it looks like American soccer player Freddy Adu
will be loaned to Second division team from Black see region, Caykur Rizespor.
The city of Rize where Turkish Prime MInester Recep Tayyip Erdogan is from...
Anyway, According to his agent Freddy will play for Caykur Rizespor.

Welcome back Kenny!

The past few weeks U.S. soccer fans have bemoaned the loss of national team players like Edson Buddle and Robbie Findley, players who, while not top-notch international players, are U.S. nationals whose presence gave MLS some respectability internationally. However, while we on this site and others were complaining about the losses, we have not had a chance to celebrate a major pick-up for the American league.

I wasn't going to bother with the "news" that the New York Cosmos organization paraded a virtual Eric Cantona as Director of Soccer, but enough people have asked for my take that I agreed to discuss it. Specifically I was asked, if Seattle fans are supposed to be plastic, than what does that make Cosmos fans?

If you're like me, the holidays are a time of getting out of your workday routines due to relaxation/travel/stress. In fact, at times I miss news stories because I tend not to check news sites or Twitter as much as I normally do. So as I begin my work week routine again, I notice that I have missed some news items over the past week or so that were interesting or important.

"Victory or Death." That's the slogan on the shield of the Crocketteers, a soccer supporters group in San Antonio, Texas. Those words are said to belong to William Travis as his group prepared to defend the Alamo. But they could also be the words of two sparing soccer leagues as they both try to claim the San Antonio area as their own.

Financial planning website, Mint.com, (why they're all of a sudden doing this we dunno) posted this fascinating graphic comparing American soccer's salaries, budgets, etc with other American sports.
The contrast, in graphic form, is well.... graphic.
Thoughts, anyone?
Support the Movement.

2010 was in many ways, the annus mirabilis of American soccer. This year saw MLS alumni demonstrate that America can export top-level soccer talent. This year saw Landon Donovan's heroic, world-class goals against Slovenia and Algeria, the latter being quite possibly the greatest moment in USMNT history.

Ever get the impression that Freddy Adu just doesn't like Major League Soccer? The former "next-big-thing" in American soccer is now on trial with 2.Bundesliga basement dwellers Ingolstadt.
Adu has been thrown overboard by his Greek club Aris and has already been to Denmark and Switzerland in search of employment during the January transfer window.

If you're a subscriber or a regular reader of the Kansas City Star you may have noticed a small, column-sized advertisement in the sports section of Sunday's paper. It was wishing the local National Football League's Chiefs good luck in their afternoon match up against the Baltimore Ravens in the first-round of the playoffs.

Matthew Doyle writes about College Soccer's influence on Major League Soccer.

Let's preface this whole discussion with something that's axiomatic: The rise of MLS developmental academies and, with it, professional training for young American and Canadian talent, is an unvarnished good. It is the best news since the commitment to soccer-specific stadiums.

Cobi Jones with Manny Lagos at the 2007 Copa Minnesota at the Metrodome. Photo by Brian Quarstad.

Cobi Jones has left the Los Angels Galaxy after 15 years and 300 matches played for the club. He retired in 2007 and came back with the Galaxy the following year as an assistant coach in 2008 and '09.

-Jason Davis
Across the country, in small enclaves of Internet-tethered American soccer fans who forgo bread and water for the sustenance provided by transfer scuttlebutt, brows are being furrowed at an alarming rate. Edson Buddle has signed with a 2.Bundesliga club, FC Ingolstadt 04.
"Why?

Neil Morris of the Triangle Offense reported yesterday that court documents point to the dissolving of the Carolina RailHawks organization called Triangle Professional Sports, L.L.C. Morris reports that the organization originally founded by Chris Economides now includes Selby Wellman, Atlanta Silverbacks Boris Jerkunica, Bob Young and Dr.

The Offside's Phil Pierson was on hand for today's MLS SuperDraft, held at the Convention Center Ballroom in Baltimore, Maryland. Several very talented young players were up for grabs, and with two new teams in the mix and thousands of supporters on hand, Baltimore was the capital of the American soccer world for at least a day.

If you've been following the rip-roaring excitement that is my Twitter feed, you'll know that I've been aghast at the amount of publicity this "team" called the Cosmos has received despite having no professional players, no home field, and no league to play in.
Like seemingly the rest of the American soccer community, I had a bit of fun at the club's expense today.

-Jason Davis
With so many splashes, we have to wonder if there's any water left in the pool.
Cantona made a large one, entering the water on a Cosmos-colored throne, giving everyone reason to pay attention - again. This is what the new Cosmos do now, in their incarnation as a pre-team/brand name/home for retired greats.

Earlier this month the North American Soccer League announced the partnering with Playbook Management International (PMI), a firm run by former MLS FC Dallas executive Michael Hitchcock. PMI was contracted by the NASL to support each of its teams in ticket marketing and sales.

Thom Meredith

The NASL is continuing on the path of using experienced and proven front office soccer talent by contracting with both Thom Meredith for league operations and Rich Levy for league branding.

Details are far and few between, but word broke this morning that the United States Soccer Federation has expressed concern over the North American Soccer League for sanctioning Division II professional soccer in the US for the 2011 season.

According to sources, the federation held a board meeting by phone on Thursday where it was decided that the NASL has at this time not met enough of the new D2 standards that were set in August of 2010 for sanctioning of the league.

IMS spoke with U.S. Soccer's Neil Buethe late Friday afternoon. The USSF Media Relations Director confirmed that US Soccer had made a decision not to sanction the North American Soccer League for Division 2 pro soccer at this time.

"The NASL was granted provisional sanctioning on November 21, of last year," explained Buethe.

The North American Soccer League released a statement late Friday evening concerning US Soccer's decision to deny them sanctioning of Division 2 pro soccer in the US.

~~~~~~~~~~~

NASL COMMITTED TO SECURING USSF SANCTIONING FOR 2011

January 21, 2011 – Miami, FL.

January 21, 2011 – Miami, FL. The North American Soccer League (NASL) confirms recent reports that the USSF Board of Directors, at its meeting yesterday, withdrew its provisional sanctioning of the league. The NASL understands that the Board's decision was based on its conclusion that the league fails to comply with certain of the newly heightened Division II professional standards.

As much as Major League Soccer officials like to bash college soccer for not developing young talent, the biggest challenge for professional soccer to continue to grow and develop players in the United States is the establishment of a successful second division.
With the NASL and USL D2 going through his trials and tribulations to coexist, Paul Kennedy of Soccer America writes of what's left of D2 soccer in the United States.

Gordon Hartman and his North American Soccer League team the Scorpions held a press conference in San Antonio on Wednesday. They announced what the organization called a major sponsorship with Nike. However, the Beaverton, OR based company did not send a representative to the press conference.

Beau Dure of ESPN writes about Claudio Reyna's vision for the future of US Soccer.
In the ballroom of the Baltimore Convention Center, nervous soccer players of varying backgrounds smiled and held up scarves for the teams that had just picked them in the MLS SuperDraft.

At the same time, one floor below at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention, Claudio Reyna, Youth Technical Directo for U.

Happy New Year to all our readers and best wishes in 2011!

The past year was a big one for American soccer. A good but not great World Cup run, a highlight goal from Landon Donovan, and the controversial rehiring of Bob Bradley after the World Cup. A first MLS Cup win by Colorado, the signings of Rafa Marquez and Thierry Henry by New York, but maybe more importantly the rise of young players like Tim Ream, Teal Bunbury, Juan Agudelo, and Andy Najar.

Happy New Year everybody. It's a special day for us at SBI as well because today marks the third anniversary of our independent launch.

Yes, today is SBI's third birthday.

As we embark on our fourth year in business we will look to keep improving on bringing you soccer news and analysis from the United States and the world.

No domestic matches this weekend, but with January 1 in the rear view mirror, the flipping of the calendar was an important milestone nonetheless. The Winter Transfer Window officially opened and American players are among the most sought after targets. Players with USMNT ambitions have already started moving and rumors continue to swirl around some of the bigger names in American soccer.

On June 28, 1981, more than 30,000 sports fans filled Wrigley Field to watch Chicago Sting play New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League (NASL).

As you'll see from the above video, it was a highly entertaining game played in front of a passionate crowd on a hot summer's day in Chicago.

NASL stands for North American Soccer League, which was at the mid-70s to the mid-80s the final destination for so many soccer super-stars, like Pele, Beckenbauer, George Best, and much more. The...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more!

NASL stands for North American Soccer League, which was at the mid-70s to the mid-80s the final destination for so many soccer super-stars, like Pele, Beckenbauer, George Best, and much more. The...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more!

Go:

British Airways, not American Airlines?

• Red Rover, Red Rover....send Ronaldinho right over.

Will it be Manchester City II over at Ewood Park? Sure is starting off that way. First up for the new ownership group there? Securing the services of a certain buck-toothed, juking forward out of the San Siro: Ronaldinho.

Long-known as one of the trailblazers of American soccer, Eric Wynalda is now charting a new course with Mexican club Murcielagos where he is helping young American players get a shot at playing professionally.

It's that time again. Time for you to send me your soccer-related questions and time for me to answer as many of them as possible.

It may be the off-season in American soccer but it's arguably the busiest time of year. You've got the MLS Combine and MLS Draft coming up, U.S. national team camp and U.