Since I did one for VCU, I thought it was only fitting to have one for DC United. Tom Soehn has decided to step down as Head Coach after 3 seasons, a total of 7 seasons with the club. The DC United job is a very unique situation.

The first thing that will make it hard for United to draw in a coach is the stadium situation.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual State of the League Address on Monday and covered a wide range of topics, from expansion to the Collective Bargaining Agreement to the Designated Player rule.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual State of the League Address on Monday and covered a wide range of topics, from expansion to the Collective Bargaining Agreement to the Designated Player rule.

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It seems as if every other week this Major League Soccer column trumpets the league's uniqueness as its most valuable asset and most challenging problem.

That opinion hinges on the single entity system which dictates that money, players and competitive integrity are controlled by MLS headquarters in New York City.

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We all know the Collective Bargaining Agreement is coming close to it's end and the MLS Players Union and league front offices are set to battle it all out. Well today we got some rough news from the Sports Business Journal (subscription based link, sign up for a free trail if you haven't) that the players union is already talking strike if things don't improve.

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Sure, it was a loss. It doesn't feel good. About 100 people traveled, and they are hurt just a bit more maybe. It was a performance that could not be called a good loss. Seattle Sounders FC was outplayed in nearly every aspect of the match. If not for Leo Gonzalez and Kasey Keller this could have been a 5 to nil thrashing.

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Regular readers will remember that in my last post on the salary cap, I referenced a BA Duane article in which he talked about the split in the owners group:

With Portland and Vancouver coming into the league in 2011 and Philly next year the new wave MLS clubs (along with the larger of the original markets) could start gain more power.

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It's all gone pear shaped north of the border. And I mean, totally. Toronto FC is melting down. Montreal and Vancouver have been kicked out of USL. Bloggers are furiously trying to find the USL teams a home and curb stomp TFC management.
Richard Whittall has coped with the crisis by succumbing to complete, barking madness:

This might put me on the business end of a very detailed flaming post, but why doesn't MLS consider a radical move: a wholesale ideological change in direction away from purchasing "ready-made" talent, either overseas or within the league, and toward investment in superb managerial and coaching staff?

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Could the 2010 MLS season be in a little bit of danger next season? It seems like it could be a possibility, as the current collective bargaining agreement is up in January. According to former Wizard, Nick Garcia in the Toronto Sun (yes I know the Sun is a tabloid), players have been told to put money back for this year just in case. Click to continue reading...

Don Garber will address the "Leaders in Football" conference

Over the next two days, many of soccer's most influential executives from around the world will meet in London, England for the annual "Leaders in Football" conference. Included in that group are three representatives from the United States: Don Garber, MLS Commissioner and CEO; Sunil Gulati, USSF President; and Tim Leiweke, President and CEO of AEG.

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Via BigSoccer, Tom Anselmi touched on the growth prospects of MLS in a radio interview. Of interest to my salary cap readers, he's pretty happy with the current level of play in MLS, and he sees it rising slowly over the course of 10-15 years, although not to a Top 3 level. He also talked about needing to continue to control costs. Click to continue reading...

Sacha Kljestan did the impossible over the weekend. He got me to cheer for Chivas USA making the playoffs. Hell, I hope they win MLS Cup now.
Wait! I can explain!
Sorry, another Rocky Horror reference. I should stop that.
In the rapid-fire interview FSC does, "Six Impossible Questions Before Halftime," Sacha Kljestan was asked, "What would you do if you were commissioner for a day? Click to continue reading...

Peter C over at the hyperbole-tastic MLS Talk wants to see an annual player wage increase of $19-$48 million in the next MLS collective bargaining agreement. While I give Mr. C credit for being aware of the maths, I still think those numbers are too high.
He's also got a bunch of other proposals, like adding in the second designated player slot per team, unlimited funds to youth development, minimum (guaranteed? Click to continue reading...

In my last post on MLS' future, I postulated that the television rights deals of the future will determine the level of play we will see on the field. I also stated that it is my belief that MLS must offer a better quality product on the field in order to achieve higher fees. Kind of a chicken or egg dilemna.

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First came talk of labor unrest when Major League Soccer's collective bargaining agreement expires next year. Then a corporate shake up at United Soccer Leagues. Now a report that a new professional soccer league might be formed to compete with USL and MLS alike next season. These developments, all within the last few months, threaten to shake U.

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SUMmer of Soccer Continues

The 'Summer of Soccer' which began on June 20, rolls on. After this past weekend, 41 events, including 15 doubleheaders comprising 56 matches have drawn 1,306,902, for an average of 31,876.

Since my last post on the SUMmer of Soccer, the big guns were on display and the attendances reflect that.

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Who is Alejandro Taraciuk?  I didn't have a clue either a couple days ago. But now I think he should be the most popular guy around MLS.  He specializes in helping bring Argentine (and other South American) players into MLS after having been an intern with the league while going through law school.

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One of the lessons learned in this "Summer of Soccer" is that there is a sizable group of Americans who enjoy high level soccer and are willing to pay top dollar for the opportunity to see clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Barcelona play live, even if the matches are only friendlies or exhibitions.

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The current Collective Bargaining Agreement between Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Union ends on January 31st, 2010. So the league and the players are already sitting around a big table to discuss a new deal. According to Sport Business Journal (via WVHooligan) the Players Union is requesting free agency as part of the next [. Click to continue reading...