US U-17 Men Start Road to the World Cup...

The next batch of potential American Soccer superstars kicks off the qualification process for the 2007 U-17 WC. The Americans will start play against Trinidad & Tobago in Kingston, Jamaica this evening. The game will not be televised but will be available by US Soccer match tracker. Click on over to US Soccer for more coverage of the roster, etc.

FCTP 2007 MLS Rookie of the Week...Week 3...

I seem to be getting slower and slower at posting these Rookie of the Week posts. We'll see if I can make it all the way through the season without the help of another contributor. That being said, if you are interested in being the FCTP Rookie of the Week specialists, please email me.

This week we didn't have a full slate of games and with a couple teams resting we had a low number of rookies seeing the field. 7 of the 135 MLS players were rookies this week, the lowest number of the season and the lowest percentage so far. Add that to the fact that only one player, Michael Harrington, played the entire match while only three players started their matches.

Let's take a look at the rookies who played (starters in bold):
Dane Richards
Michael Harrington
Osei Telesford
John Cunliffe
Adam Cristman
Wells Thompson
Brad Evans

This week's ROTW is awarded to Adam Cristman from New England. Cristman got his second assist of the season and played well for New England which earned an important point on the road. Cristman has played well up top with Taylor Twellman and is proving that he can hold up the ball against physical MLS defenders. With Christman playing the target forward, Twellman and the other NE forwards are getting a lot of opportunities to run off the ball looking for space. Once Cristman starts scoring some goals he'll be getting a lot more notice around the league.

FCTP 2007 MLS Rookie of the Week….Week 2...

Back once again, let's talk about how the rookies performed in Week 2 of MLS action. The scheduling gods weren't smiling on Dallas when they scheduled a game in LA on Thursday and a second in New York on Sunday, but no rookies have been playing for them so it doesn't make too much of a difference here. Of the 185 players who suited up for Week 2 matches, 12 or 6.5% were first year professionals. 50% of those rookies started their matches and 41.7% of them went the entire 90 minutes. Congrats to Ty Harden, Michael Harrington, Aaron Hohlbein, Andrew Boyens and Dane Richards for going the full 90. Robbie Findley came on as a sub for LA this week and scored a goal with the hope of getting his team back in the game, but it wasn't enough.

From everything I have read and seen this week's award was a two horse race. While Richards did get on the score sheet with an assist, this week's award goes to Michael Harrington. Harrington scored the first goal of his professional career in his teams first game of the season. He also become the fastest scoring MLS debutant in league history. His work rate up and down the left flank looked like that of a seasoned pro. Going into the draft Harrington was one of my favorites but even I didn't predict him going third overall. I was thinking this draft would see more Generation Adidas players going early but it looks like KC made the right choice because their top pick helped spark a massive victory over pre-season league favorites, DC United. Congrats to Michael Harrington on a great MLS debut.

MLS: Not The Only Route To Professional American Soccer...

In the past MLS seemed to have a lock on the top American prospects coming up through the college and youth national team ranks. However, the tide may be turning and MLS had better open their eyes. Last week the Minnesota Thunder announced the signing of Rodrigo Hidalgo. Hidalgo was part of the U-17 Bradenton Residency program and has played on multiple US Youth National teams. He has been on the Generation Adidas watch list but his signature was elusive for the league. I thought he was going to return to the University of South Florida for his senior season but news of his signing with Minnesota changes everything. It turns out that Hidalgo decided that college wasn't offering him what he wanted and he was ready to move onto professional life.

I was fortunate enough to speak to Manny Lagos, former MLS player and Director of Soccer Operations for the Minnesota Thunder, on the signing of Hidalgo. I am glad I spoke to Manny because he cleared up the transaction for me. It turns out that Hidalgo decided to leave college and turn professional after Generation Adidas deals were signed and after the MLS draft. With the help of his agent, Hidalgo went on at least one European trial but didn't enjoy his experience. Lagos and Hidalgo's agent are friendly and discussed the player's availability.

At this point I suppose MLS could have made a swoop for Hidalgo but Minnesota was able to offer the young player a professional environment and a highly competitive playing environment and at this point in his career that is what he needs. As Lagos told me, every young American player is going to have a different road to and through his professional career. MLS and Europe isn't going to work for everyone according to Lagos and this makes sense to me. The USL is able to offer Hidalgo a lot of competitive matches he wouldn’t be getting in MLS. Look at some of the other GA players from the 2007 draft; they’re going to be looking at reserve matches for much of the season. Hidalgo is smart to skip that.

To this point it seemed to me that MLS or overseas was it for the top American prospects. I thought of the USL as a league that would develop later blooming talent that didn't catch US Soccer's eye at a young age. This time around the USL captured a top American prospect. US U-20 Coach Thomas Rongen recommended Hidalgo highly to Minnesota so as Lagos said the circumstances were right to get a deal done.

If Hidalgo performs well he will no doubt get his shot at MLS. Lagos admitted that USL teams know they are helping develop talent and that players won’t spend their entire career with one team. Hopefully Hidalgo will be able to learn a thing or two while in Minnesota and he can launch a successful professional career. I’m looking forward to see how he does.

Robbie Findley...goal number 1...

Robbie Findley of the LA Galaxy became the first MLS rookie to score a goal in 2007 during last night's loss to FC Dallas. Findley was an early sub for the aging Cobi Jones however Findley moved Nate Jaqua to the midfield spot, giving Landon Donovan a quick partner up top. His great pace troubled Dallas' defense but it was his heading ability that got him his first goal off of a nice corner kick from Landon Donovan. Most would have expected new Galaxy member Nate Jaqua to get a header like this, but Findley showed good technical skill to finish off the corner kick.

FCTP 2007 MLS Rookie of the Week….Week 1...

I’ve decided to start a MLS Rookie Of The Week award around here. Since there are thirty games per team there will be thirty awards. On those weeks where there is strange game timing or a couple teams won’t play, those players may not be eligible. I’ll decide on a case by case basis.

Voting will be between me and my FCTP contributors. After we post our winner we welcome you to post your comments.

In fact, I’ve made it easier to post your comments here. You no longer need to be a member of Blogger to comment on any post. That was the default setting and until this past week no one questioned me on it. I figured out how to change that so let the comments fly. I hope that is what has been holding back many of you.

At the end of the season I’ll figure out how to host voting open to the public for the 2007 MLS FCTP Rookie of the Year award. Only those players who won weekly awards will be nominated for the final award. It will be interesting to see how we compare to the annual MLS awards.

Rookies will be defined as players with no previous professional experience. Playing in the PDL is not considered professional experience.

This weekend 161 different professional soccer players took the field in MLS play. 10 (6%) of those players were rookies while only 6 rookies (4%) started their games. 3 rookies started and finished their games while the rest were subbed off before they could finish the game.

Starters:
Ty Harden – Full Game
Dane Richards
Adam Cristman
Gary Flood
Wells Thompson – Full Game
Andrew Boyens – Full Game

Subs:
Robbie Findley
Sinisa Ubiparipovic
Brad Evans
John Cunliffe

None of the above rookies scored a goal, but in five minutes of playing time John Cunliffe did make an assist on Sacha Kljestan’s booming strike. However, it is hard to give Cunliffe too much credit as it was a simple layoff that Kljestan positioned and blasted into the back of the net.

For some reason I find myself leaning towards the players who started and finished their first matches for this inaugural award. Harden was part of a Galaxy defense that didn’t surrender a goal, however they did allow Houston to get off eleven shots. He also made it onto the match play-by-play only twice, for committing fouls. Thompson was a wing midfielder who got a couple shots off, however none were troubling to the keeper. Boyens was part of a defense that gave up two goals. I can’t say any of these performances jumps out as ROTW material.

Richards played almost an entire match and got one shot on goal while his offensive unit couldn’t break the scoring deadlock, nothing inspiring. Christmas was on the loosing end of a 1-0 match and didn’t finish any scoring opportunities after only taking one shot. Flood played almost the entire match but his defensive unit gave up that one goal.

Findley played about 30 minutes of the game after coming on for legendary Cobi Jones. However, his speed on the wing couldn’t break the deadlock and he only managed one shot which missed the goal completely. Ubiparipovic played six minutes, unless he had won the game for New York he isn’t under consideration. Evans played all of two minutes, he’s out.

This is a tough one when reading about games online, but comments from FCTP contributor sealed the deal. “Wells Thompson had a great game for me in the losing effort for New England. He'd be my pick hands down.” I’ve got to go with M - Wells Thompson. Thompson started and played the entire match on a team deep in midfield talent. He got some shots and suffered some fouls showing that the opposing defense wasn’t easily shutting him down. He must have been doing enough for manager Nicol to keep the faith. I’m the first to admit that I questioned Steve Nicol’s draft choice of Thompson a few months ago. At the time New England seemed to lose the plot taking Thompson ahead of names such as Colaluca, Wallace, Arguez, Igwe and Dalby. If Thompson can solidfy a starting spot and help New England back to the playoffs then it looks like Nicol got another over on the rest of the league at the draft.

Congratulations to Wells Thompson, our FCTP Rookie of the Week for MLS Week 1.

MLS Opening Weekend 2007...

I am currently putting together a new feature here at FCTP, but before I get it rolled out I wanted to call everyone's attention to a great opening weekend for the league. I would have been happier to see fewer draws, especially 0-0 draws, but what can you do.

I'd like to call your attention to a new feature on the right hand side of the blog. Someone has created a single table for MLS and I'm linking to it. I'm not one of those people who says switching to a single table will fix all of MLS' problems, but I do want to see the league move into line with the rest of the world and a single table is one of the biggest outstanding Americanizations we still live with. Remember, this single table does not reflect real MLS standings. For those go to MLS' site.

Check back in a day or two to see my new weekly feature.

Which 2006 MLS Draftee Will Shine in 2007...Part III...

Here it is, Part III. Remember folks, these are the guys who I see needing to turn it on to maintain a roster spot on their respective teams. I haven’t talked about Jonathan Bornstein, Dasan Robinson, Sacha Kljestan or Marvell Wynne,

Los Angeles – Kyle Veris. As a third round draft pick Veris was seen by many as an unknown commodity coming out of the Big Ten and Ohio St. His experience in the PDL seems to have helped him as his rookie campaign saw him step into the pros with confidence. He ended the 2006 with 10 appearances and 8 starts. The Galaxy defense was second best in the league having conceded only 37 goals, but a big part of that Ugo Ihemelu was traded away in the off-season. For the Gals to fully enjoy the fruits of the Beckham signing they’re going to need to make the playoffs in 2007. Scoring more goals will be important but keeping as many out will be more important. Behind the defense will be a rock wall in Joe Cannon, but as the Rapids proved in 2006 Cannon can’t do it alone all the time. Veris is going to have to solidify his starting role and turn into a class MLS defender or the Galaxy will be left blowing in the wind with most of the rest of their defense young and in-experienced. While Tyrone Marshall’s spot should be assured, Veris will be competing for starting time with Shavar Thomas, Nathan Sturgis, Troy Roberts and Ty Harden but none of those names jumps out as a real show stopper. Frank Yallop will have his hands full if his young defensive group doesn’t solidify quickly. Veris could be a big part of the teams’ success or could be watching from the bench as they plunge into the league basement before the arrival of magical David Beckham.

New England – Willie Sims. Sims’ name popped onto the Generation Adidas list as somewhat of a surprise to many of us because he wasn’t coming out of a major college program at Cal State – Northridge. That didn’t prevent New England from taking a gamble on him in the second round of the 2006 SuperDraft. In his rookie year he broke the 200 minute mark, mostly as a sub, but didn’t find the back of the net. The young, speedy forward is going to have to do more in 2007 to convince his coach to keep him on board once his GA contract needs to be turned into a senior contract. Working in his favor is the fact that starting teammates Pat Noonan and Taylor Twellman will be seeing significant national team time and Clint Dempsey moved to London. Those are big shoes for Willie to fill, but he’s shown some flashes of skill. On the other hand, another goalless season in 2007 could see him moving to the USL.

New York - Jerrod Laventure. Laventure went un-drafted in 2006 but did participate in the 2005 combine. Continued effort saw him join the Red Bulls as a developmental player in April of 2006. In 70 minutes of playing time, all as a substitute, Jerrod was able to score a goal and make an assist. While another Haitian-American youngster in New York got all the headlines, Laventure showed he can play the game. With some hard word he should be able to get more playing time as New York could be hurting for goals. Between Clint Mathis, Josmer Altidore, John Wolyniec, Randi Patterson and Laventure you don’t have a proven MLS leading goal scorer (let’s not put Mathis in that category yet, he could reverse two seasons of negative energy right out of the gate but I’m not counting on it and nor should New York fans). Rumors have coach Arena trying to secure another designated player scoring threat but it hasn’t happened at this point. If Laventure has what it takes he should get his chance as Arena won’t want to count on Mathis once his beer belly comes back and Altidore is too young to carry all the goal scoring burden.

Sally Lake - Mehdi Ballouchy. Ballouchy was the second overall pick in the 2006 draft and his creativity was supposed to help get Salt Lake to the playoffs for the first time. Well, it didn’t work out that way and Freddy Adu has now been given the keys to the offense. Where does this leave Mehdi? I suppose we’ll know more in a few weeks, but I think it leaves him looking for a new team. I want to see more of Mehdi but unfortunately Adu came in and pulled the trump card. Ballouchy has great poise, ball control and creativity and 2007 could be the year he gains confidence and matures into an offensive leader, the illusive #10 American soccer fans crave. However, I don’t see Salt Lake being able to operate a two headed attack. Don’t forget Andy Williams is still on the roster and isn’t going to want to sit on the bench behind two youngsters. So now there are three creative attacking midfielders fighting for one spot and it doesn’t work. Since Adu is going to play no matter what to sell seats, Mehdi seems to be out of a job. Can he play on the flanks? Probably but he likes to get inside and meg people. Hopefully I am proved wrong and Ballouchy can become the offensive star MLS craves…however until I see it I won’t believe it can happen on this SLC team.

Toronto – Conor Casey. Ok, please don’t jump down my throat yet. I had to pick someone random because Toronto doesn’t have any 2006 draft class members on their roster at this point. I want to see how Casey does because he’s a Denver local and much of the effort to bring him to MLS was allergy done by the Rapids. However, due to league rules Casey went to Toronto based on the allocation list order. So now I want to see what he can do first hand. In Germany he has no doubt learned from some good coaches and been treated as a professional athlete should be. This seemed to help Taylor Twellman before his return to the US. However, recently we have seen some one highly touted players come back from stints abroad and they’ve not been able to catch on in MLS. Conor Casey’s task will be to take what he learned abroad, apply it here while also adapting to a physically demanding level of play. I think some guys come back to the US thinking they’ve seen Europe and don’t need to work as hard here (hear me Clint Mathis?). That is not the case and a true professional like Twellman can succeed and become a national team player. Can Casey shake off the injury bug and solidify a place on Toronto’s starting line? We’ll see.

Well that is it readers. Those are the second year (mostly) players I’m looking to sink or swim. I hope they all come out of the gates well, but you know they won’t. It should be an exciting 2007 season in MLS and I am really looking forward to it…as I’ve said a few times recently.

2007 Dallas Cup Underway...

Wow, with all of the buildup to the MLS 2007 kick-off I forgot that the Dallas Cup got underway. The annual tournament, one of the best youth tournaments in the world, kicked off last Sunday, April 1st, with Real Madrid CF vs Solar SC in the U-19 Super Group. Yes, you read that correctly, Real Madrid playing Dallas' own Solar Soccer Club. What a great opportunity for those kids. Madrid blanked Solar, 4-0, in the opening match but results aren't everything are they? Solar has gone on to lose Southampton FC of England and Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica. Tough going for the Dallas Club.

Arsenal SC USA of California has fared better in the B Bracket of the U-19 Super Group. They beat Takigawa Dai Ni of who knows where and Chivas of Guadalajara before losing to Chelsea of England.

Check out the rest of the results at the Dallas Cup Website. The Super Group semifinals will not feature any American clubs but will showcase some of the world's great youth talent. Chelsea FC (England) vs Southampton FC (England) will be the first game with Real Madrid CF (Spain) vs Sao Paulo FC (Brazil). Those of you in the Dallas Metroplex should make your way to Pizza Hut Park for this one!

Which 2006 MLS Draftee Will Shine in 2007...Part II...

Ok folks, time to march on with the next set of teams. First I’d like to say that not all of the players I’m looking at were draftees…I know this. I’m looking at the sophomore class coming in and in the case of Rogers he’s not even that. But it is my blog and I’ll do what I want thank you.

Dallas - Dominic Oduro. The young Ghana forward helped Virginia Commonwealth University reach the quarterfinals of the 2004 NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. He has the talent and soccer training, no he just needs the chance to prove himself. With Copa America and Gold Cup the front line of FC Dallas is going to need as many reinforcements as possible and Oduro will get a shot as a starter or off the bench. As with all these kids it depends what he does with his shot. Competition from Abe Thompson, Abdus Ibrahim and Roberto Mina will be tough to fill Ruiz and Cooper’s spot so Oduro is really going to have to pick up his game. In 2006 he was a sub in 13 games and started 3 only getting 1 goal. The lanky forward will not be the presence in the box like Cooper but he should be able to get on the end of some crosses this season.

DC United – Justin Moose. Moose was one of the bigger names in the 2006 SuperDraft and his first round selection confirmed it. I guess that is what happens when you perform well at the combine after playing for a top ACC program like Wake Forrest. However, his rookie season was a big disappointment. Unfortunately for the young midfielder, DC United is talent central. We all know the names Gomez, Olsen, Carroll, Gross, Moreno, and we’re going to learn Fred and Emilio. These guys can play forward, attacking mid, outside mid and defensive mid. That is a lot of talent to compete with and Moose may be getting lost in the shuffle. However, the MLS season is a long one and as with the other teams they will lose players to summer internationals and injury. Moose will need to step up this year or he could be looking at a trade or the USL as United continues to bring in talented players over the top of him.

Houston - Patrick Ianni. Defender Ianni was a hot prospect after a good showing with the US U-20 team during the summer of 2005 and being names a semi-finalist for the MAC Herman Trophy that same fall. However, Houston had a core of good players and Patrick didn’t crack that nut. He played a full season for the reserve team but only played in two senior matches as a sub. Wade Barrett will probably see some national team time this summer opening the door for Ianni. He will have some time to grow in Houston but I’d like to see a real surge in his playing time in 2007. He seems to have the talent, pedigree and know how and needs to get real playing time to reach his true potential.

Kansas City - Yura Movsisyan. Kansas City got some good playing time from their rookie class in 2006, but their top pick only played in 9 games as a sub and 1 as a starter. Kansas City needs some help scoring goals but Yura couldn’t get it done in 2006. So long as Eddie Johnson is in a slump, Yura will get a chance. At 6’ – 180 lbs he has some size to compete in the box with physical MLS defenders so he should learn to play like Brian McBride. All teams need a force like that and if he can turn into that kind of hard nosed player he’ll displace the all-American flameout Johnson. Ryan Pore will try to keep him from reaching the starting lineup but Gansler saw some raw talent in Movsisyan and took a gamble on him. Now it is time to prove the ex-coach right.

Sorry for the late posting today. Busy work day. Check back tomorrow for the third and final installment…

Which 2006 MLS Draftee Will Shine in 2007...Part I...

Bill Urban put a nice piece together over at ussoccerplayers.com. He took a page out of my book looking at the young guys and asking who will step up. I'm going to throw some more names out there to go along with his list.

Let’s go team by team in three parts….first the “C” teams.

Chicago – Brian Plotkin. Plotkin became a midfield sparkplug for the Fire, being used as a late game sub most often by coach Sarachan. In his rookie season he notched fourteen appearances while only four were starts. There is certainly room for Plotkin to take hold of an outside midfield position with Armas, Thiago and eventually Blanco holding the central midfield spots. Mapp on one flank and Plotkin could certainly look like a strong combination if Plotkin continues his growth as a professional. He has the pedigree being an IU grad, M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Award finalist and two time NCAA College Cup Champion and now he needs to make a sophomore statement firming up a starting eleven spot.

Chivas USA - David Arvizu. Arvizu amazed many American soccer fans with his displays on the field at U-17 Residency events. I remember a video on ussoccer.com where he hit a couple amazing goals and even I salivated at the thought of Arvizu and Adu at the 2010 World Cup. However, as I have learned, U-17 glory does not translate into professional success. Arvizu spent 2006 on the Red Bulls’ roster but he didn’t see a professional game as he was often training with the national team in preparation for this summer’s 2007 U-20 World Cup. Bruce Arena decided young David wasn’t needed this off-season and traded him to California, closer to his Santa Ana home. Chivas USA will certainly lose a few players to National Team duty during this summer’s Gold Cup and Copa America so Arvizu will get his chance if he works hard. The talent is certainly there.

Columbus - Robbie Rogers. I know what you’re thinking. Rogers is a MLS rookie. Yes, you’re right but he isn’t a professional rookie. He took some time playing in Holland professionally, and then when everything seemed to be on the up and up for him, he decided he didn’t like it and he moved back to the states. Columbus is a very young team and Sigi Schmid will have his hands full putting together a winning line up. If Rogers can show he learned a thing or two from the Dutch, he should be able to cement a starting spot. If not, I’m going to be blogging more about players leaving college, getting a lot of unnecessary hype by going to Europe and then coming back as a failed soccer experiment.

Colorado - Daniel Wasson. Wasson was the Rapids last 2006 Supplemental Draft pick and he quietly became a super-sub for the Rapids defense during the 2006 season while also helping the Rapids Reserves to the 2006 Reserve League Championship. The Colorado Springs product has showed the Rapids staff that he understands the game and can keep up with the physical side of the league. In 2007 he is going to need to show he can step in for Captain Pablo Mastroeni and Ugo Ihemelu when they go play for the US National team this summer (Yes, I know Ugo isn’t in the player pool but there is a chance, right?). Wasson has a lot of weight on his shoulders going into the 2007 season. My sources tell me he is trying to get a senior contract worked out and the team has until July to come to terms. If they don’t, he’s ready to walk away from his home team. The departure of Aitor Karanka and the seeming downhill nature of Mike Petke’s game means that central defense has a potential opening. If Wasson can step up he’ll get that senior contract and stay in Denver. If not…..

What do you think? Who will be the break out MLS Sophomores?

Check back tomorrow for the next group.

FCTP Observations...4/2/07...

To those of you who felt like FCTP left you in the lurch over the past week, I apologize. I took a vacation and went skiing in lovely Breckenridge, Colorado for an entire week. It was nice to not feel compelled to check Big Soccer, MLSnet.com and ColoradoRapids.com a few times a day. I did have my Blackberry with the BBS Football page bookmarked, so I was more of a Eurosnob last week.

Now I'm back and better then ever. We're in the final week of the MLS off-season. Denver soccer fans are buzzing about the new stadium. I drove around Dick's Sporting Goods Park on Sunday with my wife and she was genuinely excited about the home opener and getting a light blue shirt to support her Rapids. The rest of the MLS fans around the country are no doubt excited to see what their off-season improvements will mean over the long 2007 season.

The 2007 off-season may be the most active since the league was created. Everyone heard about David Beckham inking a contract with the league. Other famous faces on the field in '07 will include: Conor Casey, Claudio Reyna and Cuauhtémoc Blanco. Other new faces will include the 2007 draft class, or what is left of it, and young Americans like Robbie Rogers who rode the boomerang back across the pond.

Beyond new players joining the league there is a new team starting play in Toronto and two new soccer specific stadiums opening their gates for the first time. As Deputy Commissioner Gazidis recently said, "MLS continues successfully to build a strong and permanent business infrastructure for the sport of soccer in the United States." If Columbus stadium was the snowball at the top of the mountain, Colorado and Toronto have added some significant weight to the MLS snowball storming down the mountain. MLS is showing that contraction stumbles are behind it and the future is bright for the World's Game in the USA.

I could go on and on about the off-season changes that happened between 2006 and 2007, but I know you come here to read about youth soccer players moving up the ranks. So let's again focus on them. Today the league unveiled what they are calling Game First initiatives. Many of these are not related to my topic, but they are interesting to see how the league is trying to elevate the level of the game here in the USA. I applaud MLS for taking these steps to make sure the game continues to improve here. It has to for its long term survival.

The biggest thing I've been waiting to hear about is the league's vertical player development system hinted at so long ago. Here's the new information:

The Youth Development program allows for teams that invest in player development to reap competitive rewards for their efforts. Players who are part of an MLS club's Youth Development program for at least 24 months become eligible to sign directly with that team instead of entering the MLS SuperDraft.

Ok, not totally helpful but at least we now know that young players like Johnny X in NY won't need to go through the MLS draft. The rest of the youth development system will continue to leak out in small bits from the teams themselves. To be honest, I'm ok with that. I don't want a league mandated system making every team do the same thing. Giving the individual clubs the power to make decisions on their programs, based on the local club landscape, means better success in the different regions of the country. Having one league policy would create a program that is too hard to work with most likely. Also, multiple clubs running in different directions should help each other develop their own ideas by watching each others successes and failures.

Another change coming in 2007 is to the playoff structure. Many MLS fans and detractors point to the regular season being "worthless" because four teams in each six team conference make the playoffs. Now with uneven conferences the potential to complain is that much bigger. However, MLS will now send the top two teams in each conference into the playoffs with four "wild cards" which have highest point-totals in the standings, regardless of conference. You still have eight teams making the playoffs but you no longer have a weak team from one conference stepping in to make some noise in the post season after dogging it during the rest of the season. In 2006 LA may have made the playoffs under these new rules, depending on the tie breaker. Similarly, LA may not have made the playoffs in 2005 depending on tie breakers. This new format will hopefully keep the average teams working hard during the regular season, knowing that wins will put them in the wild card spot.

All in all I'm really looking forward to the 2007 MLS season, more then any season before. Throughout the week I'll gather information about the rookies and the second year players who are fighting to make that opening day roster. Are you ready for some Football!?!?!!!!!!