Really good interview with Mark McCullers by Columbus Alive's Chris Deville. Are you watching, Grant Wahl? The whole thing is pretty good, particularly if you're a Crew fan, but the best part for me was the comment on youth development:

But if [the youth we develop] sign other professional contracts and they haven't signed a contract with MLS, then yes.

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South Africa is getting for all the attention they will receive during the 2010 fifa world cup. The World Cup draw is only a short two weeks away. Many people have expressed doubt about the South African venue, and there is tremendous pressure on the country. The construction of beautiful new stadiums have silenced some critics, and [. Click to continue reading...

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- In addition to this site, try the combination messageboard and quasi-blog QPR Report Messageboard. If your're interested in constantly-updated QPR-related news; QPR nostalgia; and some other broader football-related isssues: QPR Report Messageboard is there for you. All opinions welcome! Click to continue reading...

The city of Liverpool claims it would receive a £200 million (US$330 million) boost if it is a host city for the 2018 World Cup, should England win the rights to host the tournament.
The city is arguably the biggest heartland of English soccer, with both Liverpool and Everton having secured multiple trophies over the years. Click to continue reading...

Champions League matchup tomorrow against AZ Alkmaar, and for some reason I can't look at that name without thinking of Azkaban prison from Harry Potter. When I imagine what their home pitch is like, I picture it being a desolate little island in the middle of the cold sea. When you finally get there, with your ticket, you're led to your horrible, cramped little bleacher seat (amongst their fans, who I imagine are probably all Death Eaters) by a Dementor usher, and if you sit in the wrong seat or yell too loudly, the Dementor usher quickly comes to your seat and does that face-sucking thing, and leaves you a drooling vegetable with no soul.

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Big Story
England and the United States might be the favourites to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but both countries have hosted a World Cup before: a fact Russia are counting on as crucial in their own bids. "Every tournament should be held in a country that has not previously hosted it," said sports minister Vitaly Mutko.

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Chester Stadium currently under construction. (Photo via Philadelphia Union)

Lots of attention lately has been given to the start of next season for each club. It mainly seems to boil down to two clubs that are causing the league to redo the start of the season schedule every other day.

Both Toronto and 2010 expansion club Philadelphia seem to have their own issues going on.

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From Reuters:

CAPE TOWN, Sept 17 (Reuters) - South Africa faces a funding shortfall of 2.3 billion rand ($315 million) for six new stadiums built for next year's Soccer World Cup, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday.
South Africa, in its first recession in 17 years, is the first African country to host the world's most watched sports spectacle, starting next June.

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The city of Houston will play host to the 2010 MLS All-Star Game, MLS officials announced on Monday.

The 15th playing of the event will be held either at Robertson Stadium or Reliant Stadium next summer. The 2009 All-Star Game is being played on Wednesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

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The 2010 MLS All-Star Game will be held in the city of Houston next summer, the league announced this afternoon.
"The city of Houston has consistently and fervently supported the Dynamo and other high-profile soccer events in recent years," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "Houston will be a tremendous site for the 2010 MLS All-Star Game, and we are pleased to reward its vibrant soccer community with the week of festivities that surround this marquee event. Click to continue reading...

That is some alternate world thinking. Does this man remember that Sir Alex threw a shoe at him for giving less than his best? The breakdown in relationship led to his Real transfer. If Beckham had done what he is doing at the Galaxy, he would have had fans tear him another orifice. The European leagues are far more unforgiving.

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This is the third in our series of posts on the new stadiums under construction in South Africa for World Cup 2010. See our previous posts on Green Point Stadium and the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The first and last stadium we will see in the 2010 World Cup is also fittingly the most distinctive: the 91,141 capacity Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg is designed to look like an African cooking pot (calabash), by South African architects Boogertman Urban Edge & Partner.

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Oh oh. Looks like the the 2010 World Cup in South Africa could be in for a bit of trouble.Â
A large-scale strike in South Africa has led to renewed fears that stadiums will not be ready for the 2010 World Cup. Some 70,000 construction workers in South Africa have gone on strike, halting work on stadiums being built for the Cup. Click to continue reading...

This is the first in a series of posts looking at the progress of the construction for the three new stadiums being built in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.

Green Point Stadium, Cape Town

The stadium under construction is located in Green Point, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean and close to Cape Town's city centre.

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England's World Cup bid for 2018/2022 certainly looks impressive on the surface - but is it impressive enough? The other countries in the running also have a good pedigree, with England's bid, in the opinion of some experts, destined to lose out.

The bid itself probably cannot be faulted - the launch saw international superstar and former national team skipper David Beckham pledging his support, with Wayne Rooney, who is tipped as an England captain of the future, not too far behind.

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We're getting closer. Just 367 days away ...
And today, the first stadium built exclusively for the World Cup opened. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa is now open for business, a year ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
The 48,000-seat stadium will host eight games at the World Cup, including a quarter final and the third/fourth place play-off. Click to continue reading...

FIFA announces the World Cup cities that will host 2014 World Cup matches.

Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio De Janeiro, Salvador, Sao Paulo

These 12 lucky cities were pruned down from the original list of seventeen. Of them, Natal, Salvador, and Recife will have to build new stadiums.

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Liverpool face the prospect of missing out on tens of millions of pounds in revenue, vital to their pursuit of Manchester United, by missing two vital deadlines for the construction of their new stadium, which is the cornerstone of the club's growth.
Club sources have confirmed that they are interested in discussing with Carlsberg the idea of naming rights for the new Stanley Park stadium which, as The Independent revealed last week, the Danish brewer wants to pursue when its sponsorship deal comes up for detailed discussion in July. Click to continue reading...

Ooops, the Commish sticks his foot in his mouth:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Mention those empty seats at Yankee Stadium at your own risk.

Don Garber did.

A day after the Major League Soccer commissioner raised the subject, New York Yankees president Randy Levine blasted back.

"Don Garber discussing Yankee attendance must be a joke," Levine said Friday.

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It is not often that MLS Commissioner Don Garber seldom pisses off people in other sports. But yesterday he did.
Courtesy of ESPN:

NEW YORK -- Mention those empty seats at Yankee Stadium at your own risk.
Don Garber did.
A day after the Major League Soccer commissioner raised the subject, New York Yankees president Randy Levine blasted back.

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Compared to the other Nordic countries and indeed any other nation it's reasonable to compare with, the stadia in the Norwegian top flight really are shiny and impressive. Within the last ten years, most teams in the Tippeliga have either built a new ground or had theirs heavily refurbished. And it shows.

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Compared to the other Nordic countries and indeed any other nation it's reasonable to compare with, the stadia in the Norwegian top flight really are shiny and impressive. Within the last ten years, most teams in the Tippeliga have either built a new ground or had theirs heavily refurbished. And it shows.

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Well Ladies and Gentleman. I have heard your cries, yells, screams and demands of what you would like to see from MLS as a change or at least showing respect of the International Calendar for the US National Team matches either in Friendly matches, or during World Cup Qualifiers on Saturdays.

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It could happen.

Notwithstanding the fact U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati held a teleconference this morning to discuss potential venues should the U.S. win another World Cup bid and "declared Los Angeles is a very important market for us."

Notwithstanding the fact Los Angeles hosted more games - including the final - than any other U.

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Courtesy of Bloomberg:

April 7 (Bloomberg) -- Former U.S. Treasury Secretary and multimillionaire Henry Paulson spent much of his last year in office trying to save global capitalism.
His son, Merritt, spent much of the last year trying to bring Major League Soccer to Portland, Oregon.

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The New York Mets are looking to branch out in the sports world and are interested in securing their own Major League Soccer club as soon as next season, according to David Howard, the club's executive vice president for business.
Speaking in an interview on Bloomberg Radio's "On the Ball" program, Howard proclaimed: "Before even Citi Field is completed, we're looking to see what might be next for us. Click to continue reading...

It seems like just yesterday we were blogging about the finals of the African Cup of Nations tournament in Ghana.
But things move quickly in the world of football.
Today, news that the host nation of the 2010 African Cup of Nations, Angola, is confident their infrastructure will be ready in time for the tournament. Click to continue reading...

I wanted to pass some information on for those RSL readers out there, and those that aren't. The club announced today some big news regarding their new stadium and when it will be officially be opening. The new stadium will be open in time to host the club's final two home games (both which are nationally [. Click to continue reading...

As the growth of MLS has happened so has the growth in the number of Soccer Specific Stadiums. Indeed, the fact that we are even here talking about a league is because MLS shifted their business model to one which would demand every club eventually play in a Soccer Specific Stadium or a suitable stadium that they controlled as far as revenue and scheduling. Click to continue reading...

One year on...
Piece of cake.
They say that one year in the blogging world is equivalent to 5 in the real world, or something like that.
It was just over a year ago that all this chaos kicked off with this post about a rumor that Freddy Adu might be headed to Spurs. Click to continue reading...

globeandmail.com: Beckham set to shine in his first MLS all-star game

Beckham set to shine in his first MLS all-star game
LARRY MILLSON
July 24, 2008
TORONTO -- Since joining the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer during last season, David Beckham has missed two chances to play at BMO Field.

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By JAMES CLARKAn occasional Pardew's Guardian feature leading up to the August 16th kickoff ...1) Will Mark Noble fulfill his potential in the heart of West Ham's midfield? The local East Londoner (pictured above, top) is one of the gems of Tony Carr's famed Youth Academy, and Hammers supporters warm to him even more than most because he was born and bred as one of them. Click to continue reading...

I meant to post this yesterday - we're now inside of two years until World Cup 2010 kicks off. Will South Africa be ready for the first match on June 11, 2010? They're building five new stadiums and upgrading five more, but the costs - originally budgeted at about $1.2 billion US - are soaring and officials expect [. Click to continue reading...

So here we are, a mere two years until the start of South Africa's World Cup, the 2010 championships.

The opening game will be played on June 11, 2010 at Johannesburg's 94,000-seat Soccer City Stadium.

Organizing committee chief executive Danny Jordaan told Reuters the total cost for the 10 venues is likely to go well above the budget of $1.

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You know the more I look into this whole expansion to Montreal, the more I get behind it. Sure, I think it should still be a few more years away but after seeing the final product of the new Saputo Stadium today, I'm thinking an expansion bid for the city could come sooner than that. As [...] Click to continue reading...