Follow the yellow brick road, and there might be a powerful wizard at the end able to grant you whatever your heart desires. Or, as so often we find, after having stumbled through the many potholes on that road you come to the end of it only to be met by an eccentric myth of a person capable only of offering up false promises and trinkets.

Norfolk SharX Press Release:
SHARX NAME JIM GOOLEY GENERAL MANAGER Lucy Gimbel named Director of Operations Troy Catindig named Director of Group Sales
Norfolk, Virginia – The Norfolk SharX are pleased to announce that Jim Gooley has joined the staff as General Manager.

The United Soccer Leagues have released their 2012 schedule for USL PRO, which is sanctioned as the professional third division of soccer in the US. USL PRO, which started last season with 15 teams, will only play with 11 teams in 2012. Three Puerto Rican teams, who played in the International Conference, were removed from [.

Well we pretty much knew that it was happening, but today the Portland Timbers confirmed that Brent Richards has been signed as the Timbers first ever homegrown player. Richards joins the club after three seasons with the Timbers U-23 PDL side where he scored 26 goals and 12 assists in 37 games...

Back after a hiatus, I present you the latest attendance figures from the Major Indoor Soccer League. As you may or may not know, United Soccer Leagues took over the MISL this season and brought it under their umbrella along with its nascent I-League. The result is a seven-team league that's averaging right about what the old one was through the same number of games a year ago.

El Club Tijuana golea 5-0 en el primer partido de la pretemporada rumbo al Clausura 2012

Oxnard, California. El Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente inició de manera contundente los partidos de preparación rumbo al Torneo Clausura 2012 de la Primera División del futbol mexicano, tras vencer 5-0 a la selección de la Ventura County United Soccer Leagues, en duelo realizado en el campo del Oxnard High School este miércoles en la unión americana.

*The Galaxy have formally announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Sarvas from Costa Rican club Alajuelense, the day after Coach Bruce Arena told reporters about the acquisition conference call. Sarvas, 30, received his work visa today, although judging by his career path so far fans shouldn't get too attached

Within the last week, the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (USL PDL) officially announced the 2012 inaugural seasons of two new Massachusetts-based clubs, Worcester Hydra FC and Boston Victory SC. The teams will both play in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference joining the already established Western Mass Pioneers, Vermont Voltage, MPS Portland Phoenix, New Hampshire Phantoms, and Ottowa Fury.

Orlando City owner Phil Rawlins has no desire to pay the second division North American Soccer Leagues franchise fees (last check-$750k). He's content to continue his partnership with United Soccer Leagues, the third division of pro Soccer in the U.

The Mequon United Under-15 girls team is off to Florida for the United Soccer Leagues Super Y-League North American Finals.

Mequon is one of the 135 teams shooting for championships in 12 divisions – there are boys and girls brackets in Under-12 through Under-17 age groups – at the event in Tampa, Fla.

The United Soccer Leagues released a statement this morning in conjunction with a press conference in Tampa this morning, stating that VisionPro Sports Institute (VSI) has chosen to establish an international youth soccer academy in Tampa, Florida. With that institute VSI will move forward in 2012 by operating a PDL, W-League and Super-20 team.

Milwaukee Wave coach Keith Tozer, who has won more than 600 games and five indoor soccer league championships, was one of nine people named to the United Soccer Leagues Hall of Fame Class of 2011 on Tuesday.

He is one of three men named in the MISL category of the Hall, joining legendary player Tatu and longtime Baltimore Blast owner Edwin Hale Sr.

Official Richmond Kickers release:
TAMPA, FL – (Tuesday, November 15, 2011) – United Soccer Leagues recently announced the Super Y-League First 11 and Second 11 rankings for the 2011 regular season, recognizing the Richmond Kickers Girls program as one of the league's top clubs on a competitive and administrative basis.

The United Soccer Leagues will hold a press conference with VisionPro Sports Institute on Wednesday in Tampa to announce a new addition to the USL family. VisionPro Sports Institute (VSI) along with USL President Tim Holt will announce that VSI has struck an agreement with the elite Tampa area soccer club Brandon FC Flames.

Players ready for opener tonight against 1-0 Syracuse

By Jimmy LaRoue

The first thing fans are likely to notice tonight when they enter Scope to see the Norfolk SharX in their inaugural Major Indoor Soccer League game against the Syracuse SilverKnights is a deafening SharX Tank.

‘We look like a really solid indoor team now'

By Jimmy LaRoue

Norfolk, Va.–Jon Hall has had a lengthy career playing and coaching soccer, which included scoring two goals in nine seconds while at American University.

But after spending some time studying the indoor game and getting comfortable with the idea of becoming the Norfolk SharX's first coach, Hall wishes he had the opportunity to play, too.

‘We look like a really solid indoor team now'

By Jimmy LaRoue

Norfolk, Va.–Jon Hall has had a lengthy career playing and coaching soccer, which included scoring two goals in nine seconds while at American University.

But after spending some time studying the indoor game and getting comfortable with the idea of becoming the Norfolk SharX's first coach, Hall wishes he had the opportunity to play, too.

All but three of the Milwaukee Wave's 24 Major Indoor Soccer League matches this season will be streamed live online for free.

The league, which is now affiliated with the United Soccer Leagues, launched the MISL Live site as teams kicked off the 2011-12 season this week.

In addition to live matches, which will be archived, the site will have highlights, feature stories and interviews.

New Norfolk SharX players Brady Bryant and Miguel Ferrer will have something in common with the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruff.
All will have worn Admiral uniforms.
The Norfolk SharX announced Monday that Admiral, the original British football brand to America and England's top teams, will be the official uniform supplier to the Sharx for the 2011-2012 Major Indoor Soccer League season.

New Norfolk SharX players Brady Bryant and Miguel Ferrer will have something in common with the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruff.
All will have worn Admiral uniforms.
The Norfolk SharX announced Monday that Admiral, the original British football brand to America and England's top teams, will be the official uniform supplier to the Sharx for the 2011-2012 Major Indoor Soccer League season.

Norfolk, Virginia – The Norfolk SharX have announce that Admiral, the Original British Football brand to American and England's top teams, will be the official uniform supplier to the Sharx for the 2011-2012 Season. The SharX play in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), the highest level of indoor soccer in the world.

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. The Milwaukee Wave and three-time league MVP Greg Howes will be teaming up for the 2011-2012 MISL season. The wave is thrilled to announce that Howes will be rejoining the Wave, pending league approval.

Read full story at: United Soccer Leagues (USL)

Philadelphia Union's development system took a giant leap forward Saturday night.

Saturday night's appearances by midfielders Zach Pfeffer and Morgan Langley marked the first time a true local product has played in a regular season game for the Union.

Until now, Philly-area players haven't been represented at PPL Park in a game that mattered.

Former Harrisburg City Islanders midfielder Morgan Langley has been signed by the Philadelphia Union, according to tweets from the player and his friends.

Yesterday Langley tweeted that he was "speechless" and his "childhood dream just came true! #lifeisgood." The timing of the tweets coincided with the Islanders' announcement that Langley and teammate Sainey Touray would train with the Union for the remainder of the week.

Left out of the Joe Tait signing and information surrounding it is the fact that the Englishman was being tracked, indirectly, by the Union for nearly two years.

Brendan Burke, the Union's Reserve League team head coach, is good friends with Ben Collan and Stuart Hayers, both of whom are agents, and former coaches, of Tait at S&B Kinesis, a sports management and sports performance company.

The Philadelphia Union have invited Morgan Langley and Sainey Touray to train with the team this week, according to the Harrisburg City Islanders' Facebook page.

Touray featured heavily for Harrisburg City in 2011, playing in 21 games, scoring seven goals and assisting on six others in 1,161 minutes.

The Philadelphia Union have signed Joe Tait, formerly a defender for the Dayton Dutch Lions of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) PRO division.

Tait is listed as part of the Union's salary cap as of 9/1/2011, according to the Major League Soccer Players Union. Seen as a prospect at center back, the former 2010 USL Premier Development League (PDL) Defender of the Year will make the minimum MLS salary, a prorated $42,000 this season,

The 20-year-old's status with the Union has been up in the air since Tait tweeted about being disappointed that his paperwork had not gone through in time to play the Columbus Crew on the road.

The defending Major Indoor Soccer League champion Milwaukee Wave will open their 29th season on Nov. 13 against the expansion Wichita Wings at home at U.S. Cellular Arena.

The MISL, which is now part of the United Soccer Leagues, announced its 2011-12 schedule Tuesday. Each of the eight teams, split into four-team divisions, will play a 24-game schedule.

The United Soccer Leagues could not have written the script any better for their first USL PRO Championship game which was aired live on FOX Soccer Saturday evening. Over 11,200 filled the the Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando Cities home field, to watch the dramatic final which took many twists and turns.

The Portland Timbers don't have a first team match until September 10 in Philadelphia, but fans had a chance to see Timbers players in action on September 1 as the Reserve team played a home match versus Los Angeles. The soccer action was great as the sides played to a 3-all draw, but for long time Timbers fans, the atmosphere reminded many of the Timbers era in the United Soccer Leagues.

The Milwaukee Wave, the reigning Major Indoor Soccer League champions, will open their 2011-12 home schedule Sunday, Nov. 13 against the Wichita Wings at U.S. Cellular Arena.

The league, now being run by United Soccer Leagues, includes eight teams, with the Wave, Baltimore Blast and Missouri Comets the only teams returning from the 2010-11 season.

The Harrisburg City Islanders, a United Soccer Leagues (USL) PRO level affiliate of the Philadelphia Union, managed to overcome great odds to secure a place in the USL PRO Final, by beating the Rochester Rhinos in the National Division Final 2-1.

Stephen Basso scored in the sixth minute to give the Islanders an 1-0 lead, aided by a Rhino defender who deflected the shot.

The Philadelphia Union have brought in former Player Development League (PDL), part of the United Soccer Leagues (USL), Defender of the Year Joe Tait on trial.

Tait, revealed as a Union trialist during the team's 5-3 friendly win over the USL's Harrisburg Islanders, is a 20-year-old defender with the Dayton Dutch Lions of the USL PRO division.

J.C. Banks (Milwaukee Riverside/UW-Green Bay) played a major role as the Rochester Rhinos routed the visiting Pittsburgh Riverhounds 4-0 in a United Soccer Leagues PRO National Division semifinal Friday night.

Banks helped set up the first two goals as the top-seeded Rhinos (13-8-4) completed their season-long dominance of the fourth-seeded Riverhounds (7-12-6).

An interesting spectacle to Saturday night's United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League title match between the Laredo Heat and Kitsap SC Pumas was a padded rugby-style helmet worn by Kitsap player, Kyle Johnson. The helmet was approved by the league for use by Johnson as he recovers from a concussion suffered earlier in the season.

More than 60 teams compete in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League to win a title. Saturday, those championship dreams were realized by a team from the Pacific Northwest. The Kitsap SC Pumas, from nearby Seattle, won its first PDL title. The magic happened for them in front of a national audience watching on Fox Soccer Channel.

*Soccer in insignificant compared to the misery inflicted by earthquakes and other natural disasters. But the power of sport is its ability to inspire, uplift and unite as the Japanese well know in the wake of their magnificent World Cup win. I'll have more on the tournament in Tuesday's column.

*How much did this tournament capture the public's imagination?

MLS Bound: Would you like to see Nicolas Anelka suit up for the Galaxy? See story below (AP Photo).

*The massive, renewed interest in the U.S. Women's National team has prompted ESPN Radio to air Sunday's World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan.

It's the first time ESPN Radio has ever aired a Women's World Cup game.

Winning Wambach: Another Abby Wambach header, another U.S. win. I believe she missed this attempt, but connected on another header and scored in the 3-1 U.S. win (AP Photo).

*Southern California stars shone brightly this morning at the World Cup with UCLA's Lauren Cheney getting the first U.

*Chivas USA have confirmed for the first time that the club is studying "three or four" options to move elsewhere in Los Angeles County and out of Home Depot Center.

The news doesn't come as much of a surprise. The only way for an MLS club to turn a profit is to have complete control of all revenue streams at the facility it plays in and right now as a tenant of Anschutz Entertainment Group in Carson that's not the case for Chivas USA.