Photo by ISIphotos.comU.S. U-20 national team defender Gale Agbossoumonde could be the first member of the U.S. Under-20
World Cup team to score a move to Europe after the tournament.
According to this report out of Portugal, Agbossoumonde, who currently plays for Miami FC in
the USL, is expected to join Sporting Braga on loan on Nov.
Click to continue reading...
Photo by ISIphotos.comU.S. U-20 national team defender Gale Agbossoumonde could be the first member of the U.S. Under-20
World Cup team to score a move to Europe after the tournament.
According to this report out of Portugal, Agbossoumonde, who currently plays for Miami FC in
the USL, is expected to join Sporting Braga on loan on Nov.
Click to continue reading...
The Minnesota Thunder have no general manager, no coach, 3 employees and a boat load of
bills. Will they survive, and will Dean Johnson ask for help?
Four weeks ago, Inside Minnesota Soccer conducted a phone interview with Minnesota Thunder owner
Dean Johnson while he was in Chicago trying to close a business deal.
Click to continue reading...
The Minnesota Thunder have no general manager, no coach, 3 employees and a boat load of
bills. Will they survive, and will Dean Johnson ask for help?
Four weeks ago, Inside Minnesota Soccer conducted a phone interview with Minnesota Thunder owner
Dean Johnson while he was in Chicago trying to close a business deal.
Click to continue reading...
WVHooligan 05 November @ 07:33 PM EST
Yesterday out at the Nike headquarters in Oregon the USL first division owners got together for
a little meeting. It turns out the group does know how to play some hardball with the other group
of owners known as the TOA who are planning to start their own league.
The USL called it a new era for the league, especially the first division.
Click to continue reading...
WVHooligan 05 November @ 05:03 PM EST
Jack McInerney is a young player with a bright future.
As I mentioned a week ago I am hoping to get this into a regular thing for at least the next few
weeks as we really start to gear up for the 2010 SuperDraft in just a couple (yes only a couple)
months away. The response has been pretty solid so far and I'll be honest a few of you have
mentioned some players that I had not heard of yet until now.
Click to continue reading...
The USL is in Beverton, Oregon this week, home of Nike Soccer, the former owner and new league
sponsors of the United Soccer Leagues. The teams are meeting in preparation for the Annual General
Meetings that will take place in Tampa Florida in a few weeks.
According to a news article produced by the USL themselves, they are stating that Owners
representing Austin, Cleveland, New York, Puerto Rico, Portland, Rochester and Tampa Bay were in
attendance as well as individuals representing USL-1 Canadian expansion teams in Edmonton and
Ottawa and American teams in Baltimore and Detroit were on hand.
Click to continue reading...
The USL is in Beverton, Oregon this week, home of Nike Soccer, the former owner and new league
sponsors of the United Soccer Leagues. The teams are meeting in preparation for the Annual General
Meetings that will take place in Tampa, Florida in a few weeks.
According to a news article produced by the USL themselves, they are stating that Owners
representing Austin, Cleveland, New York, Puerto Rico, Portland, Rochester and Tampa Bay were in
attendance as well as individuals representing USL-1 Canadian expansion teams in Edmonton and
Ottawa and American teams in Baltimore and Detroit were on hand.
Click to continue reading...
I guess some would look at this as a continuation of the war of press releases between the
United Soccer Leagues and the Team Owners Association, but nonetheless it's still news.
According to the press release the USL First Division will move forward next year without the
member clubs of the TOA, though Tampa seems to be on-board with the USL despite flirting with TOA
over the last few months.
Click to continue reading...
This week the teams of the United Soccer League First Division were meeting in Beaverton, OR
talking about the upcoming 2010 season under new owners, NuRock. One of the most interesting
reports coming out of this meeting is talking about a possible hiatus for the USL Second Division.
There are some facts to bring that truth out.
Click to continue reading...
Well, it looks like the NuRock v TOA saga is continuing, but only a little bit, while the USL-1
meetings are being held in Beaverton, OR this week. With the following teams certainly there -
Rochester, Portland, Tampa Bay, Puerto Rico, FC New York, Cleveland and Austin. The TOA clubs, may
or may not be Vancouver, [.
Click to continue reading...
Match Fit USA 04 November @ 09:20 PM EST
The USL First Division owners are holding meetings in Beaverton, Oregon this week in the midst of
the ongoing dispute with the Team Owners Association. On the docket was a revamping of the league
in...
Click to continue reading...
Tom Soehn's term as Head Coach of DC United has come to a close Monday evening when he met with
Kevin Payne and the rest of the head honchos in the DC United front office. Tom Soehn did not await
the decision from Kevin Payne and left on his own terms.
Now the decision comes down to who is next to step up and be the new DC United Head Coach?
Click to continue reading...
Richard Farley from "Inside the Six" interviewed yours truly to bring you up to date
with the latest news on the Team Owners Association (TOA).
"Inside the Six" is part of the World Soccer Reader network and Richard Farley is well versed in
football from around the globe as well as the US.
Click to continue reading...
Richard Farley from "Inside the Six" interviewed yours truly to bring you up to date
with the latest news on the Team Owners Association (TOA).
"Inside the Six" is part of the World Soccer Reader network and Richard Farley is well versed in
football from around the globe as well as the US.
Click to continue reading...
Back in 2001, when the Afusionados (Fan Club of the Miami Fusion) were around; those vatos awarded
Burrito the title of Afusionado Fan of the year. Burrito deserved it because Burrito is one cool
dawg! Though no trophy was given, Burrito received a Taco Bell Bean Burrito as an award as you can
see in the picture to the right.
Click to continue reading...
The Aztexan 03 November @ 09:10 PM EST
Just a quick update on the big USL vs TOA grudge match that none of us bought a ticket for, but are
being forced to watch anyway.
Some stuff was said, and then unsaid, bluffs are being made, and called, and everybody's kind of
confused, and now they're circling the lawyers, and the league meeting is this week.
Click to continue reading...
After a three week hiatus, Kartik Krishnaiyer returns to host the show with some excerpts from
our EPL Talk interview with critically acclaimed and best selling author, Simon Kuper. Brian Zygo
also catches up with Rico Clark to get his thoughts on scoring for the US in front of his father
and World Cup qualification.
Click to continue reading...
Match Fit USA 02 November @ 06:30 AM EST
On this week's Match Fit USA Soccer Show, Jason and Zach talk about the MLS playoffs, cover the
USL-TOA saga with David Fellerath of Triangle Offense, and debate the fine handed down to DC
United's...
Click to continue reading...
RefBlog 01 November @ 11:33 AM EST
As mentioned before, I'm skipping the high school season; in this case because I've got other
regularly occuring activies that happen the same days as high school games - and frankly sometimes
I just need a year away (see many many rants about high school soccer). But I am working games at
the same sport-centered school I've been fortunate enough to work for the last two winters.
Click to continue reading...
Having a full day off I thought I would share the links that are out there of interest to Sounders
fans and those that read the site, as well as a recap of the Sounders FC weekly radio show on 710
ESPN. First TOA v NuRock is getting to a boiling point. Yep, hints of [...]
Click to continue reading...
The dispute between several clubs in the USL's first division and the league's administrators
has reached the end-game this week, and Triangle Offense is reporting that the breakaway Team
Owners Association is submitting its application for recognition as a league to the US Soccer
Federation.
Click to continue reading...
This past week I was asked by Inside The Six's Richard Farley to discuss about MLS, the last
match at Giants Stadium, Red Bull New York, MLS as a whole and the situation of the USL & the
future of American Soccer.
Richard Farley who has been a guest many times on the MLS Talk Podcast with Kartik Krishnaiyer
was gracious enough to allow me to share my thoughts on the game here in the USA.
Click to continue reading...
Houston and Seattle played a classic match last night on national television. The unsporting
Freddy Montero was unable to hand the physical pounding Dom Kinnear and the Houston defenders had
in store for the much hyped, but little regarded (at least in Colombia) forward. Montero's
solution: whine and go to ground easily.
Click to continue reading...
WVHooligan 29 October @ 06:53 PM EST
There isn't much tonight for the evening links and thoughts. Got some USL-TOA talk and a brief
thought about Kevin Payne's fine from the league earlier today.
But first there we gotta go back into the TOA-USL talk that we've been going around and around
with for the last few weeks. Reports tonight suggest the TOA and their clubs could very well soon
be forming their own league, even as soon as TOMORROW.
Click to continue reading...
If you've been closely following the convoluted game of chicken currently being played by
the new owners of USL and the renegade group of USL1 owners who call themselves the TOA (Ticked-off
Owners Association), congratulations. You're certifiable.
For the rest of us, the threats, counter threats, rumors and gross exaggerations leaking
(intentionally or not) over the transom from the (most likely cheap) rented hotel meeting rooms
where everyone is going to huff and puff at each other is all we need to know for certain that
sooner or later one side or the other will cave in, but until the first ball is kicked in anger in
the 2010 USL season almost nothing can be said to be permanent.
Click to continue reading...
Just getting this out there, no time for extensive thoughts. 24thMinute and CBC on Vancouver and
Montreal pulling out of USL. Inside MN Soccer on the fuller situation. The TOA is clearly now the
2nd tier of the sport. Not just due to market size, but also due to the quality of the
organizations involved.
Click to continue reading...
Canadian Press are reporting that USL league owners, Alek Papadakis is saying that "The
negotiations are finished," Papadakis told CKAC. "We decided to continue our preparation for the
season 2010 with the teams which wished to remain with us." Papadakis was refering to the ongoing
talk with the Team Owners Association or TOA that have been organized for well over a year and have
failed to pay renewel fees to the USL for the 2010 season.
Click to continue reading...
Canadian Press are reporting that USL league owner, Alek Papadakis is saying that "The
negotiations are finished," Papadakis told CKAC. "We decided to continue our preparation for the
season 2010 with the teams which wished to remain with us." Papadakis was referring to the ongoing
talk with the Team Owners Association or TOA that have been organized for well over a year and have
failed to pay renewal fees to the USL for the 2010 season.
Click to continue reading...
Last week it was rumored that there would be an announcement as to where Miami FC and the rest of
the TOA would play. If it would be in the USL, MLS-2 or their own league. Today it seems the last
two options seem more probable.
TSN reports that both the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact will be out of USL.
Click to continue reading...
WVHooligan 28 October @ 02:37 PM EST
This whole USL-TOA situation continues to take a turn for the worse. Today reports out of the
Great White North say that both 2009 USL finalists Montreal Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps will
not be coming back to the USL in 2010.
In a radio interview in Montreal, Alex Papadakis confirmed that neither of the Canadian based
clubs would be part of the USL for the 2010 season after the two sides failed to reach an agreement
for continuing play next season and that the TOA was ready to move in another direction.
Click to continue reading...
Now here's something interesting. United Soccer League's CEO Nick Papadakis told a Canadian radio
station that "the negotiations are finished" and Vancouver and Montreal are out of the league for
2010. Neither club has issued a statement though so perhaps this is just a hardball tactic on the
part of the honchos at USL 1.
Click to continue reading...
Timbers Blog 26 October @ 10:51 PM EST
The offseason continues, but there is plenty of Timbers news to talk about over the past few weeks,
especially with the USL season officially completed back on Saturday, October 17th. I'm playing a
bit of catchup, but will talk about a lot of items affecting the USL and the Timbers, as the USL
wrapped up its 2009 campaign.
Click to continue reading...
DC United saw their season come to a close after this weekend with their draw at Kansas City and
FC Dallas winning at Seattle. The time has come to decide what the team needs to do next season.
This is the second season in a row United has not made the playoffs with winning the Supporter's
Shield the 2 years prior.
Click to continue reading...
The Austin Aztex will announce today the hiring of Djorn Buchholz as Chief Executive
Officer of the USL-1 franchise.
Buchholz, a 30-year-old Nebraska native, has been with the Minnesota Thunder for 6 years. He was
hired as a sales and marketing manager and was promoted his second year to director of
marketing.
Click to continue reading...