Part One of a Series on Style in American Soccer

*As the U.S. National Team attempts to qualify for the World Cup in 2010, I will write a series of pieces concentrating on the style, or lack of it, of American soccer.

As far as I can tell we've been "developing" a style in American soccer for the last century.

The rumors were true (another one), the North American Soccer League is back...kinda.

I know some of you are putting your faces in your hands and groaning, and if you follow basketball you have a good reason to. The second coming of the once celebrated American Basketball Association has been nothing short of a complete and utter disaster, just take a look at the list of defunct ABA teams.

Part Three of a Series on American Style

*As the U.S. National Team attempts to qualify for the World Cup in 2010, I will write a series of pieces concentrating on the style, or lack of it, of American soccer. See the other two here and here.

Watching the U.S. play Italy in the Confederations Cup made glaring all the differences we already knew existed between the two teams.

This morning, my personal site, the Kartik Report along with partner site Inside Minnesota Soccer was among those breaking the story that Crystal Palace Baltimore and Paul Daglish's Tampa Bay Rowdies were joining the new TOA "breakaway" league . Later it was reported at USL News, and discussed at Match Fit USA among other places, today it was revealed that Miami FC purchased the trademark for the defunct North American Soccer League.

Via du Nord, an article on ESPNet regarding David Moyes' American style conditioning regime:

Moyes believes that being the first English team to adopt such methods will prove beneficial.
"At first I thought the work they did was more inclined towards American-style sports," he said.

This weekend I put together a video promoting the World Soccer Wrap podcast and its coverage of Soccer American Style:
Also, on Friday night I spent some time as a guest on the latest episode of the Mad About Futbol Show.

Part Three of a Series on American Style

*As the U.S. National Team attempts to qualify for the World Cup in 2010, I will write a series of pieces concentrating on the style, or lack of it, of American soccer. See the other two here and here.

Watching the U.S. play Italy in the Confederations Cup made glaring all the differences we already knew existed between the two teams.

Speaking with reporters yesterday in Pretoria, FIFA Grand Poobah Sepp Blatter had some words of wisdom for Major League Soccer.
He feels that if the US would only switch to a European style August to May schedule, then MLS "would have success".
Just like that, apparently, a simple calendar swap would make the millions upon millions of Americans who consider soccer to be about as exciting as watching dough rise suddenly slap themselves on the foreheads like so many V8 drinkers and say "Hey!