Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United refers to his players as "boys" and calls them "son," when speaking to them of matters most important. His "sons" grow up to call him "father." Both Beckham and Ronaldo have described him as such. He is the last of the great British coaching daddies.

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There are different ways to manage players and teach and educate - no one style is the right way, as it has to fit each coach's personality.
Alan Black of Goal.com writes about the parenting style of Sir Alex Ferguson, and how that context of teaching and coaching appears to be a dying breed. Click to continue reading...

Some random thoughts on the US win and the upcoming game against Costa Rica

The Greatest US Win I Have Never Seen.  A lot has already been said about how absurd it was that this game was not broadcast to the average US fan, so there is no reason to continue to beat this dead horse.

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First of all, sorry about last night and not having anything to discuss here. I honestly wasn't feeling it and furthermore just wanted to relax and watch some of the games that were on. But I am back tonight with a couple interesting items.

The first got me really thinking. Steve Davis, the Dallas writing genius that he is posted this little diddy about the best stadiums in the league 2010 style.

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I guess low expectations can sometimes yield good results. That may be the case this time around with the new renderings and video of the proposed San Jose Earthquakes stadium that came out over the weekend to supporter's in the Bay Area.

We knew going into the weekend that the renderings would be coming out and that the stadium would lack a lot and I do mean a lot of bells and whistles.

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                                    Photo by ISIphotos.com

Chris Rolfe and Jermaine Jones have never met (that we know of), but they're both key figures in the latest installment of Your Questions Answered.

Rolfe is set to leave the Chicago Fire after the season as a free agent, a move that has plenty of readers asking what went wrong, while Jones' potential arrival to the U.

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                                    Photo by ISIphotos.com

Chris Rolfe and Jermaine Jones have never met (that we know of), but they're both key figures in the latest installment of Your Questions Answered.

Rolfe is set to leave the Chicago Fire after the season as a free agent, a move that has plenty of readers asking what went wrong, while Jones' potential arrival to the U.

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Here's a link to the press release.

I know, this is MLS Talk, not USL Talk. But given recent events, this is newsworthy.

This has been rumored for awhile, not always the Fury, but that a party in Ottawa was interested in entering the USL First Division. But they picked a really strange time to do it, didn't they?

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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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Since the flow of information out of Rowdies' headquarters has been reduced to a trickle, rampant speculation on the various message boards has dwindled as well. Frustration is the overwhelming response I get when I bring up the Rowdies in various circles. When will the stadium be announced? When will the trademark dispute be resolved and merchandise be back online? Click to continue reading...

Momentous times for Iran, last week they were eliminated from participating in the soccer World Cup Finals in South Africa in 2010. During their fateful last game, several of the nation's players wore rebel green armbands in solidarity with their compatriots fighting in the streets. Soccer in Iran is more popular than politics and revolution.

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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! Click to continue reading...

I'm watching the South Africa - Iraq Confederations Cup match this morning and I can't help but notice the trumpeting elephant horns shrieking incessantly throughout the crowd. I'll be in Cape Town for the World Cup next year, so I'm paying close attention to every detail...
The horns are called vuvuzelas and they sound like foghorns - and are modern spin-offs of traditional instruments made from spiraling kudu horns. Click to continue reading...

While I was on hiatus, I came across this post on the New York Times Goal Blog. It's a fairly standard piece about the empty soccer stadiums across Mexico during the height of the swine flu scare, but it shows how much soccer brings people together.

Soccer is often an escape for many Mexicans — and many people the world over — looking for an respite from the travails of daily life.

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Whether you love or hate DC United, there is no denying that the Capital City's club is an important part of Major League Soccer's short history. Despite being one of the original MLS clubs, and despite winning 4 MLS Cups, 4 Supporters' Shields, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, and 2 U.S. Open Cups, the team has had little success in its efforts to obtain its own home, its own soccer specific stadium, in the D.

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                                                      Photo by ISIphotos.com

By SEAN RUBIO

Welcome to Monday's installment of SBI's Recommended Reading. Today we are truly world-wide, with stories coming in from Peru to Ghana.

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                                                      Photo by ISIphotos.com

By SEAN RUBIO

Welcome to Monday's installment of SBI's Recommended Reading. Today we are truly world-wide, with stories coming in from Peru to Ghana.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)—Thousands of Mexican soccer fans had to forgo a beloved tradition Sunday, forced by a swine flu epidemic to cheer from their living room couches instead of the sun-soaked seats at packed stadiums.To the south of Mexico City, the Pumas team took on the Chivas at the picturesque Olympic Stadium, decorated by muralist Diego Rivera, but its sold-out, volcanic-rock bleachers were empty. Click to continue reading...

Got to love this video. No flashy effects, freeze frames or replays. Just Google Earth zooming in and the out of the world's 10 biggest soccer stadiums, and "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers on the soundtrack. The most interesting thing is that these stadiums aren't necessarily the ones you know. Click to continue reading...

According to "Barclays Spaces for Sport" survey taken in the UK, these are the Seven Sporting Venue Wonders of the World. What is Barclays Spaces for Sport? According to their website:

Barclays Spaces for Sports is our £30 million investment to create sustainable sports facilities in communities across the UK.

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RSL has put up some new photos of their nearly completed stadium and I have to say, it's looking good. I really like that sweeping roof design. It's nice to see one of these soccer stadiums have some distinctive architectural features such as that roof. Also, it doesn't appear to have a stage (though that south [. Click to continue reading...

It's starting to sounds like this is just another Boston suburb to check off the list for New England fans. We talked back in mid-July about the possibility of New England building a stadium in the Boston suburb of Somerville, which is located not too far out of the city. This time however, the news doesn't [. Click to continue reading...