SoccerBlogs

Two of the more controversial things in the soccer world combined yesterday for an early Christmas present to both soccer bloggers and Don Garber.

In an interview with Arsenal Magazine (and reported on The Telegraph website), Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger complained about fixture back-up due to inclement weather and how it impacts his squad (and other clubs too of course).

Flexibility wins games and the best way to get it is to blend energy with savvy. DC United Coach Ben Olsen put out a nicely blended squad against Toronto and its savvy members made the exact right adjustments to a hard working opposing side which had clogged the middle and kept the game mostly in United's end.

Flexibility wins games and the best way to get it is to blend energy with savvy. DC United Coach Ben Olsen put out a nicely blended squad against Toronto and its savvy members made the exact right adjustments to a hard working opposing side which had clogged the middle and kept the game mostly in United's end.

Like any sport where the object is to put a ball or puck in a net, soccer is all about movement, misdirection, and space, executed with speed, strength, and skill. The more different faces a team can present to their opponents, the more effective a team's attack.

DC United presents opponents with unique challenges.

DC United opened its season against four of the stronger teams in MLS and the results until Friday night's were predictable. Two losses followed by a tie showed that the team had some defensive competence, but lacked scoring punch. Then FC Dallas came to town.

With Chris Pontius still a half step short of full effectiveness and Andy Najar still away with Honduras, United Coach Ben Olsen had to rely on two young wingers to make good things happen.

It was a classic opening game. The fans came hoping to see signs of a rebirth with new acquisitions and a team style that had finally gelled. They went away disappointed as DC United remained mired in the same ineffective scoring rut that ended the 2011 season.

Kansas City was superior in possession and earned far more good shooting chances.

A three goal first half by the Chicago Fire sparked the visiting team to a 3-2 victory over the struggling LA Galaxy on Sunday night. It was the highest number of goals the Fire have scored all season. Recent designated player signing Freddie Ljungberg replaced Marco Pappa in the 57th minute, but didn't make much of an impact as the Fire decided to absorb the Galaxy's pressure and relied on the counter-attack.

The Philadelphia Union return to Chester for a second game in their new digs as the season really starts to heat up. Games vs. San Jose, Celtic FC, Toronto FC, and English giants Manchester United highlight a homestand that will help Union fans get over their World Cup withdrawal. First up, however, will be to solve a hardworking San Jose squad that sees itself above .

Every season the Sports Business Journal provides an excellent in-depth look at the upcoming Major League Soccer season. A link to the excellent grouping of stories is here. The lead story is about the new relationship between NBC and MLS.

In August MLS and NBCÂ announced a three year television rights agreement that will put Major League Soccer on the Peacock and its affiliated sports channel from 2012-2014.

Morning. Today's date is 11.11.11. Unless you live in the US in which case it's 11.11.11. Weirdos, putting the month and day in the wrong order.

And today is also kind of special because if you take the year you were born, add the number of the day you were born, then add 30, divide by 2, multiply it by your shoe size and then take away how long it's been since Sp*rs won the league then you get .

It is the time of year when votes are cast in Major League Soccer. These include the VW Most Valuable Player, Allstate Goalkeeper of the year Defender of the Year, Coach of the Year, referee awards and more (there are less with sponsors this year as compared to last year). We cast our votes earlier this week and will certainly report on the winners when they are announced.

Not even an opponent scoring three goals can stop the red-hot Seattle Sounders these days.

Behind goals from Alvaro Fernandez, Roger Levesque, Fredy Montero and Mauro Rosales, the Sounders knocked off the defending champion Colorado Rapids 4-3 at home on Saturday in a thrilling match. Seattle had to come back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, just as they had against Portland last Sunday.

Earlier in the season we conducted an interview with Greg Lalas, the editor-in-chief of MLSSoccer.com. The trials and tribulations of the launch of the new site are well documented, but there has been some significant improvement over the course of the year. Putting those issues aside, we thought it worth taking a look at some of the business aspects of the site.

It is the time of year when votes are cast in Major League Soccer. These include the VW Most Valuable Player, Visa Defender of the Year, Coach of the Year, X-Box Fair Play Award, adidas referee awards and more (there are five with sponsors). Among the lesser known awards is the "Team Public Relations Award".

I've had about eleven hours to think about the results of the 2022 World Cup announcement, read my peers, and come to grips with the failure of the USSF to land the World Cup. And I think I have a handle on my thoughts and emotions about today. I watched the announcement via the EPL Talk live blog and Twitter, so I was spared the gut-punch of seeing the card with Qatar on it.

The lead story on the BBC Football website this afternoon may have given Liverpool supporters (who, it has to be said, are now getting close enough to feelings of perpetual panic to be able to warrant the soubriquet "long-suffering") further palpitations. After the confirmation that a sale of the the club to John W Henry's New England Sports Ventures had been agreed, the BBC is now reporting that the ongoing legal wrangles that have inevitably followed the confirmation of the sale agreement may yet force the club into administration and that this may mean that the club incurs a nine point deduction.