Turkcell Super League – week 14 – Sunday action

With the shock losses of Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, the high end of the Turkcell Super League table looked to be shaken up somewhat.  With Bursaspor’s victory on Friday against Galatasaray, Bursaspor guaranteed themselves at least a top three spot.  Fenerbahçe would still retain the lead, even after an embarrassing loss against Kasımpaşa, where they were thoroughly outplayed.  Beşiktaş looked to extend their league winning streak to eight matches and claw their way to second place in the table.

Drogba for World Player of the Year

I’m not looking to win any popularity contests, and were I looking to do so, I would be officially eliminated with this headline. So disliked is Didier Drogba and by extension Chelsea FC in many British and European media circles, otherwise objective analysts have been caught openly celebrating the London club’s demise in recent Champions Leagues at the hands of Liverpool, Manchester United and FC Barcelona.

So unpopular is Drogba personally, that he doesn’t have the endorsement deals or personal PR machine  similarly talented footballers have. The lethal combination of Chelsea and a volatile figure means the positive headlines are few and far between. But should these biases prevent a fair analysis of what Drogba has accomplished this past year?

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Turkcell Super League – week 14 – Friday and Saturday action

Friday and Saturday action in the Turkcell Super League would see both of the two biggest clubs in action.  Galatasaray travelled to the confines of the Bursa Ataturk stadium to take on the rising Bursaspor on Friday.  On Saturday, Fenerbahçe would be playing lowly Kasımpaşa, but would have to play behind closed doors due to their fans’ actions against Galatasaray in the derby some weeks back.

American Club Football in Crisis? 2010 Will Tell the Story

We’re not quite there yet, but the situation is much worse than a great number of American footy fans would like to admit to.

First tier Major League Soccer may have officially hailed 2009 as a watershed year for the sport in the United States, but in fact 2010 will be the year which determines whether or not MLS is on the right trajectory.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement with the MLS Players Union expires in January 2010 and all early indications tell us that MLS does not want to move in the players direction on reforming MLS’ structure to meet FIFA mandates and directives. MLS’ appears ready to move in the players direction on salaries and spending, but not more importantly on dumping single entity, allowing free agency and transfers within the league.

MLS was also the centerpiece of the USSF’s plans unveiled in 1998 to compete for the World Cup title in 2010. Entering the year, not many experts give the United States a realistic chance of competing for the title, but then again these same experts didn’t give the US its due before the 2002 World Cup.

The second tier United Soccer Leagues competed with half as many first division clubs in 2009 as it did in 1999, a clear sign that second division football, or minor league soccer  of a professional variety cannot survive in most American markets without the prospect of promotion to the overall top flight nationally. Now USL finds its most storied clubs, including several that have stuck around since the 1990s leading a breakaway league that has adopted the name of the defunct NASL, the league that made the sport big time in many American homes in the 1970s.

But the new league is not the NASL, even if they call themselves such. Kaka, Ronaldo, Lampard, Seedorf and Ballack are not flocking stateside the way Pele, Eusiebo, Best, Cruyff and Beckenbauer did. This league instead is trying to bridge the gap between USL which was decidedly minor league (despite some very good results in international competitions)and MLS, which despite being a “major” league has serious issues with its structure and the way it treats its players.

I’ve spent some time speaking to NASL leaders, and have no doubt they are competent and that the league has potential. But, I also know that after twenty years, USL has essentially failed with its professional setup (despite its outstanding amateur and youth structure) and that MLS isn’t as far along after 14 years as many of us had hoped it would be. These realities mean that skepticism of the new NASL must be higher than optimism. After all, we still haven’t gotten club soccer right in this country after so many tries.

American Club Football/Soccer isn’t in crisis yet, but 2010 could be a very bad year, or the tipping point of something even greater. Right now, we just don’t know which way things will turn.

NASL: What Does it Mean?

The NASL is back, bringing nostalgia crazy American soccer fans into a semi frenzy. In recent polls both at our partner site Inside Minnesota Soccer and at Major League Soccer Talk, the NASL name registered well- almost 75% of respondents in both polls like the name, although a split occurred on whether this name should be used for a second division league.

I want to pay tribute to USL before we go on. In the American soccer press, MLS is everything. A league that consistently violates FIFA rules, and whose bluster does not match the actual product, MLS has in my mind made an effort for years to marginalize USL. This effort has led to USL matches including the final being ignored by soccer writers, and players who come from USL to other league mysteriously having their USL experience omitted in biographical pieces.

While much of the American soccer press was sleeping on USL, the league produced international stars like Charlie Davies, Veden Ibisevic, and Jay DeMerit.  While Don Garber over sold the virtues of MLS to the world, Tim Holt and Francisco Marcos were doing hard work on the grassroots level to keep the game relevant in markets untouched by MLS.

In 2009, two USL sides advanced deep in the CONCACAF Champions League, at the same time as three MLS teams got routed in the tournament. Yet, USL still went barely noticed by many.

It’s clear Marcos and Holt have built a compelling product. But it is also obvious that they have not marketed it well enough to be relevant to those that feed off MLS’ rhetoric. That’s where the new NASL run by the Team Owners Association comes in.

I personally wish these owners had been able to work a deal to stay within the established USL pyramid. But since that seems to be a remote possibility, let me explain why the NASL is necessary.

We need a strong second division that brings high level soccer to big markets throughout the country. We need a league structure that promotes the brand in these big markets. Ultimately, we also need a league that doesn’t violate FIFA rules or operate a bizarre structure in the fashion MLS does.

MLS has for various reasons, either bypassed certain large markets in North America, or shut teams down in big markets. Should these markets be left without top class soccer, that is promoted in an aggressive fashion? Should Kansas City have a top flight team, while the home of American Soccer, St Louis, does not? Columbus, Ohio should be permanently entitled to a top flight team, while Atlanta a city prominent enough to host the Summer Olympics is resigned to “minor league soccer?”

We need a vibrant second division that can play host to some clubs that are top flight caliber in top flight cities as second divisions do throughout the world. Whether that is within USL, or an independent NASL, increased exposure and marketing is essential.

This announcement could be the death knell for the A-League/USL-1. If that is so, we must repspect that these clubs and markets have outgrown the USL model but pay tribute to the USL for keeping the flame of soccer alive in so many markets despite the indifference and in some cases hostility of the national soccer press.

Turkcell Super League – week 13 – Sunday action

The door to the summit of the Turkcell Super League was pried open.  With Beşiktaş mauling Fenerbahçe 3-0 in the derby on Saturday, Galatasaray looked to have first place in sight.  With Manisaspor coming into the Ali Sami Yen stadium, it looked like there would be a new leader in the standings.  It wouldn’t quite work out that way.  But if the result of that game was crucial, the Kasımpaşa – Trabzonspor match will be crucial to the rest of Trabzonspor’s season.

The Return: NASL is Back

The still unsanctioned TOA breakaway league has smartly selected the name of the historic North American Soccer League for the league. While the TOA has applied to the US Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association for official status, neither governing body has announced an official decision. This is despite speculation that the USSF reached a decision this weekend, again no official decision has announced.

The league will include teams in Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Montreal, Baltimore, Miami, Vancouver, St Louis, and Cary, NC.,

The status of the Minnesota Thunder needs to be clarified although they were included in today’s release. Our partner site, Inside Minnesota Soccer has reported about the extensive financial problems of the club.

When the possibility of the NASL name was raised last week, MLS Talk readers were asked about the name. An overwhelming number of respondents liked the NASL name, but just under 50% said it was appropriate for this league. 26% said the NASL legacy was great but the name needed to be retired. (A total of 73% of the 301 respondents were positive about the NASL name, although only 47% wanted it used for this league.) The rest of the respondents (27%) were split between not caring, not liking the NASL, and wanting the teams to return to USL.

Real Salt Lake:2009 Champs! My perspective

Real Salt Lake: MLS Champs (Getty)

Alright, I know that I am the French blog guy and I mostly talk about French soccer. And in the last week, all I have been talking about is Henry. But I had to talk about last night’s MLS Cup.

I want to congratulate Real Salt Lake on their victory. They came in as the underdogs and were able to show that any team can beat any powerhouse team on any given day. And I was happy to see the system work. While many people say that it is a shame that a sub .500 team won the MLS Cup, I think that goes with our American spirit of how “anyone can do it”. So, again congrats.

This is a special win for me as well. I attended the University of Utah when Real Salt Lake started as a team. I lived on the U campus when it seemed like Rice Eccles Stadium was being transformed into the home of the 2004 Fiesta Bowl Champions to the home of the newly founded Real Salt Lake team. Wherever you went around town, you saw signs of Real Salt Lake.

Turkcell Super League – week 13 – Saturday action

After the international break, the Turkcell Super League was back in action with two Saturday games.  One featured Bursaspor looking to keep pace for a European spot.  The other featured the Istanbul derby between Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe.  One looked to continue its fine league form over the last few weeks; the other was coming back from a long competitive layoff to consolidate its position at the top of the table.

USL/TOA Dispute Updates

The move of Crystal Palace Baltimore to the TOA from USL has been confirmed. We’ll have further updates on this and the USL AGM all weekend long.

Tampa Bay has also switched for now, but this move could be temporary, based on what the USSF does this weekend in sanctioning the new league. I am told the new league and its sanctioning is on the agenda at the metings being held at MLS Cup Weekend.

Tampa is a TOA member but also on the hook to play in USL next season. I believe they are helping the TOA get sanctioning and will return to USL should the First Division still exist to play the 2010 season before joining the new TOA league permanantely in 2011.

The trademark for the North American Soccer League, which brings back memories has been registered by Miami FC according to USL News. The NASL name choice is brilliant if the league is actually played at a decent standard. While the NASL evokes some angst from recent soccer fans, many old timers long for the days of seeing Pele, Cruyuff and Cubillias, among others on American soil. But a new TOA league would not have the cache of the NASL and could in fact damage the name and legacy of the league.

The NASL is still fondly remembred in Europe. On my travels there, I get more questions about the NASL than MLS, which should be a strong indicator as to its market value in the global football world.