The FA Cup has always had an easier time of it. Like the traditional North American pro sports leagues, it's been around forever, basking in the tradition and resonance that comes with heritage. It's not so easy for the League Cup. Depending on what sponsor has attached a name to it, it gets the kind of treatment associated with Major League Soccer in the United States.

As the (Acting) President of the Alliance Council, I've heard plenty of skepticism about the Alliance, whether it truly represents "Democracy in Sports" or not, and whether or not it is - or can be - a true voice for fans and a way for them to take some control in the operation of the Sounders.
I share some skepticism.

So, the English Premier League will not be staging that dreaded 39th game overseas any time soon, which perhaps allows some of those grassroots fans to be thankful for something while they see the rest of their game being taken away. Chief executive Richard Scudamore certainly wanted to distance himself not only from his own failed idea but also from Scottish Premier League chief Neil Doncaster's idea of taking the Old Firm abroad, which could be taken as simply a throw-away comment or a cheeky notice to Mr.

That the 2012 Major League Soccer season will be unbalanced comes as little surprise. The surprise is that MLS' Board of Governors decided to go with the least balance they could thereby creating enormous strength of schedule differences both for the overall standings and within the Conference. When MLS Executive Vice-President Nelson Rodriguez says "We have established a fair and compelling format for the 2012 season," one must wonder what the definition of fair is that he's using.

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Oct 24, 2011) US Soccer Players – When it comes to national television ratings, American soccer fans already know that Major League Soccer lags far behind this country's established sports leagues. MLS has long talked about a broader footprint, but even with 19 teams next season there are areas of the USA and Canada where the League has no presence.

The difference between MLS and most other major American sports leagues is that two teams with losing records can play a low scoring game in the rain and have it be one of the most exciting games of the year. ...
Visit http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com for the rest of the story.

The most powerful and prestigious soccer leagues in the world have stopped at 20. From a huge country like Brazil to a relatively small one like England, 20 clubs seem to be the limit for even the strongest circuits. Whether it's to keep the number of games manageable, maintain the depth of the talent pool or simply a trend, 20 has become the standard.

This is really one of the biggest questions in the minds of Arsenal fans these days what should we make of Financial Fair Play? As I wrote in my last blog, and as everyone already knew anyway, we most certainly don't have a sugar daddy type owner. At the same time, we also know that our club makes a ton of revenue, and would compete pretty well with the giants in Europe if every club lived within its means.

Watching Toronto FC vs. FC Dallas the last 2 nights (1st night got cancelled because of lightning strikes close to the stadium) compete in CONCACAF Champions League took some time to get used to. Usually, FC Dallas plays in red, but last night, they were dressed in blue.
Toronto's main theme color is red.

Once again, we are fortunate to have a guest post from Dave Laidig. Dave is a contracts attorney for a large corporation who occasionally submits posts about soccer. He resides in Minnesota, which is not an MLS market. And he may be a little bitter about that. Thanks to Dave for some great thoughts and insight.

Watch this video of Commissioner Don Garber telling Dana Jacobson of ESPN's First Take all the standard cliché answers as well as comporting himself as the leader of a league who will only take what he can get. Garber acts as if everything is going according to plan 15 seasons in while feigning the reality that other sports' failures i.

In January, we reviewed a Turnkey Sports poll about MLS' fans loyalty to league and team sponsors. In short, the poll found that fans of MLS were more cognizant of the brands that invest in the league when compared to the other major sports. Yet later that we week, we also said the following: A close look at the SBJ/Turnkey poll reveals some glaring absences in the universe of MLS Sponsors.

Contributing Editor Graham Fox

Earlier this year, for one of my Library and Information Management classes that revolved around website design, labeling, and structure, I was tasked with comparing two sites that served the same function.

Being the soccer Fanatico that I am, I went to town writing a nice 20 page paper on the differences and similarities of NFL.