Tough Time for Thierry

Thierry Henry felt like he was on top of the world, being named best striker in the EPL playing for Arsenal. This summer he moved from arsenal to one of the most talented clubs, Barcelona. After a 16.1 million dollar move the season looked bright for this team and for his career. At arsenal, Henry scored 174 goals in 235 appearances but now, only 7 goals in 22 for Barcelona Henry is looking out of place. His new manager Rijkaard makes him play in a very odd and uncomfortable position at wide left when Henry is a born striker. Not only is Henry going through a tough time gaining his spot on the pitch, but he had recently divorced his wife Claire and losing his daughter his wife had custody of her. These events had left to speculation that this will be his last season in Spain. Suggesting that Henry should move back to England where he is more respected. His old manager Arsene Wenger is interested in getting Henry back if that choice comes around. The future of Thierry Henry is unclear, but he is a strong player and will have to find some kind of niche at Camp Nou and overcome this tough time in his football career.

UEFA Champions League

Since 1955-56 season, the UEFA Champions League has been ranked the highest soccer competition in Europe. This competition is different from any other tournament. The teams that are selected are then divided intro groups and what is known as the group stage. In this, the teams are in eight different groups each consisting of four teams. This stage is nothing more than a round-robin tournament where each team plays the three others in the group twice, once at home and once away. once all of the matches have been played the top two teams are matched up and they play a two game series. The concept aggregate goals means that instead of determining the winner based upon who has the most wins or losses, it is based upon who scores the most goals through the two matches. This system is used from the beginning of the knockout round, and through the semi finals with the final just being one game which will be played in Moscow Russia. The two remaining teams are Chelsea FC and Manchester United, ironically both from the English Premier League, which is arguably the most talented and competitive leagues in the world. This competition proved to the world how good they really are. Also, ironically both these teams have the top two spots in the English Premier League Manchester in first and in second, Chelsea only 3 points behind and one game behind. In this 2008 run for Moscow where anything is possible, one thing remains certain, that this will be one of the most exciting and nerve wracking competitions yet to date. Each year this tournament becomes stronger and more competitive and this year is proving to be no different!

I'm Shipping Up to Boston

If you are not from New England, then this will be new to you. It seems that every professional team in the New England region follows the same trend. That trend is winning. The Boston Red Sox have been crowned World Series Champions 2 out of 4 years, the New England Patriots have won 3 Super Bowls in this decade, The Boston Bruins made the Stanley Cup playoffs after a season of hard work and injury and the Boston Celtics had a 66 win season as well as knocking the Atlanta Hawks out of the NBA playoffs. Well, The New England Revolution has been in 4 MLS Cup finals, losing all four. They are the Buffalo Bills of Major League Soccer. However, a new tradition has been set at Gillette Stadium. If you do not know, when Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon enters the game at Fenway Park, the song “Shipping Up to Boston” by The Dropkick Murphy’s is played. This song is a trademark for Red Sox Nation, but now is a trademark for Revolution Soccer. Now, every time the Revolution score a goal in Gillette Stadium, the same song “Shipping Up to Boston” is played. The New England area has the best fans for football, baseball, soccer and basketball. These teams have been successful in the distant past, the present and hopefully into the future.

Lampard Pulls Through

Frank Lampard, starter and one of the most respected players at the Chelsea club had recently lost his mother Pat Lampard due to pneumonia. As a result, Frank had to miss the past two Premier League games against Wigan and Everton. As her condition seemed to improve he made himself available for the Champions League against Liverpool. Lampard was off his game and he stated that it was "his hardest of his life" to step on the pitch and play. A few days later, Pat Lampard had passed. The whole Chelsea club felt his pain and was behind him the entire time. With Frank's personal decision he decided to come back and play Liverpool in the Champions League second leg in which would decide their fate of making it to the finals. The game resulted in a clear win of 3-2. After 90 minutes the game was too close to call at 1-1 again. But coming on strong Chelsea fought back and gained a goal in extra time. With only a few moments left of the game, Chelsea had a penalty kick which would be taken by no other than Frank. He pulled himself together and put away a beautiful goal and had an emotional celebration in memory of his mother. Chelsea is now going to the finals of the Champions League against their rivals Manchester United on May 21st, where they will battle for the cup.

Soccer-Specific Stadiums the Future for U.S. Soccer

Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada, coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium whose primary (but not only) purpose is to host association football matches. An SSS may host other events such as other sporting events (mostly lacrosse and gridiron football), and concerts, but the design and purpose of an SSS is centered on soccer. These types of stadiums are being proposed as ideas all over the United States and Canada. The field dimensions are within the range found optimal by FIFA — 110-120 yards (100-110m) long by 70-80 yards (64-75m) wide, wider than the regulation American football field width of 53⅓ yards. Lastly, the seating capacity is generally small enough to provide an intimate setting, between 18,000 - 30,000 for a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise, or between 5,000 - ~15,000 for a franchise in the United Soccer Leagues (whose attendance is subject to more variation). As of right now, there are nine soccer-specific stadiums in Major League Soccer by the San Jose Earthquakes, L.A. Galaxy, Chivas U.S.A., FC Dallas, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Toronto FC, and Real Salt Lake. The other teams that do not already have soccer-specific stadiums are proposing to get them built such as D.C. United, New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo, and the San Jose Earthquakes. These stadiums are much smaller than a National Football League stadium and it helps because there are not 50,000+ fans attending these soccer games like there is in England.

MLS Fast Expansion

In its' 13th year of existence, Major League Soccer is growing rather quickly. Currently there are fourteen teams playing in the 2008 season. By 2010, the league is hoping to add two new expansion teams, the Seattle Sounders in 2009 and a team in Philadelphia in 2010. In Seattle, Qwest Field held a friendly international game between Mexico and China. The stadium drew 56,000 fans for a friendly match that does not include the United States. People in Seattle love their soccer and they deserve a team. Last year, Toronto was given an expansion team and already has 14,000season ticket holders. San Jose was given their Earthquakes back after they finally built a soccer-specific stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cities keep putting bids in for a new soccer franchise in Major League Soccer. Miami had a team called the Miami Fusion FC but the team dissolved in 2001. Miami is showing interest in bringing professional soccer back to their city but nothing official has occurred. With the league growing every year, the league as well as soccer should be gaining popularity across the United States. When the Los Angeles Galaxy signed David Beckham, more people watched professional soccer because they finally knew a name that was playing.

Is 2010 the U.S.'s Turn?

In 2010, the World Cup will take place in South Africa. The United States has been playing extremely well throughout the past six months, not losing in any Friendly match. In the past the U.S. has had great milestones in worldwide soccer history, especially in the World Cup. In the 19th century, the United States was host to the first international match off of European soil. In 1930, the United States also won the first match at the first World Cup. Bertram "Bert" Albert Patenaude for the Americans was the first player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match. They made it through all the way to the semifinals where they lost to Argentina.
Since then, the team has been on a rocky road missing the World Cup for 40 decades. They started to become known in the 21st century, yet they have not advanced further than the team in 1930. This year in friendly matches Landon Donovan became the all-time leading goal scorer for the men’s national team. Could it be their year? As an intense fan, I always have faith in our home country. 2010 is the year for the United States.

Soccer Terminology

Upper 90- Term used for a ball that is kicked in the uppermost part of the net in the left or right corner.

Offside trap- Technique used by the defense where right before the ball is kicked for an offense player on a run, the defensive line quickly moves up to put an attacker in an offside position.
Corner Kick- A set piece for an attacking team in the offensive zone where a defender made contact with the ball forcing it out of bounds on the end line.

Indirect Kick- A set piece after a foul where the ball must touch another person for the shot to be considered a goal.

Direct Kick- A set piece after a foul that is close to the defending team’s net where the shot does not need to touch anyone in order to count as a goal.

Yellow Card- A disciplinary card where if a player is given this then the foul they committed is considered a hard foul. Two yellow cards=red card.

Red Card- A card given to a player for committing a very hard foul and means they are immediately ejected. If a player gets two yellow cards, then they are ejected.

Golden Goal- Term for an “overtime” format in soccer where the first team who scores in two 15 minute extra halves wins the match.

Silver Goal- Term for an “overtime” format in soccer where there are two 15 minute extra time halves played and if a team scores the match is not over until the extra half that the team scored in is over.

New York/New England always a rivalry??

So this past Super Bowl we experienced the New York Giants play the New England Patriots for all the marbles. It became a rivalry between the fans even though the Patriots main rivalry is the New York Jets. We also experience every year the rivalry of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. In the distant past the New York Rangers were heavy rivals with the Boston Bruins.
There is one New England/New York rivalry that gets passed over every year. This rivalry is between the New England Revolution and the New York Red Bulls. When these two teams play it is always an exciting match up. The question is, is it really a rivalry made by the players or a rivalry made by the citizens of the cities?
Boston and New York are two major cities in our country, but why is there so much rivalry between the teams from the cities? Well, it might be because a New York team and a New England team have been a part of their respective league since the league was formed. In hockey, the Rangers and Bruins were part of the “Original Six” in the National Hockey League. In baseball, it was the selling of Babe Ruth that made the two teams a rivalry. In football, the Patriots and Jets became strong rivals when Parcells and some players went from the Patriots to the Jets. So is the New York/Boston rivalry in Major League Soccer just following what the other leagues have formed?

St. John's Soccer Athletes in the Pros?

The St. John's men's soccer team has been a strong club in Division 1. Here is a list taken from the St. John's Red Storm Athletic website of SJU soccer alumni that are currently playing in the pros.
Jeff Carroll, DC United (Major League Soccer)
Jeff Carroll was one of three Red Storm players selected in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, going with the 39th overall pick to DC United. He joined brother, Brian, in the organization and spent most of the 2006 season in the developmental league. Carroll did see time with the parent club during the season, playing in two games, making one start and logging a total of 101 minutes. A key member of the United reserve team, Carroll led the team in minutes played, starting all but one game and chalking up a goal and two assists in the process.
Bill Gaudette, Columbus Crew (MLS)
Bill Gaudette was one of four Crew goalkeepers to miss time with injury throughout the 2006 season, but bounced back and made 11 starts in goal. The 2004 St. John's graduate posted a 3-5-3 overall record and three shutouts in 990 minutes of action. Gaudette was taken in the first round of the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft and went on to appear in six games and make five starts for the Columbus Crew that season. He made his MLS debut against the LA Galaxy on May 25, 2005 and finished the second half of a shutout. Days later, Gaudette made the first of his 16 career starts, against the New York-New Jersey MetroStars.
Matt Groenwald, Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
Matt Groenwald and the Kansas City Wizards finished with a 10-14-8 overall record in the 2006 season, and the MLS rookie Groenwald played in 19 games and started 16. Groenwald shifted from a collegiate midfielder immediately into a starting MLS defender and logged heavy minutes in his first season. The Mt. Prospect, Ill., native recorded two assists, one game-winning assist and one shot and averaged over 60 minutes of action per game. Groenwald was selected by Kansas City in the third round (28th overall pick) of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft and made his season debut on April 1. 2006.
Shalrie Joseph, New England Revolution (MLS)
Shalrie Joseph has continued his strong play with the New England Revolution, scoring three goals and recording one assist in the team's run to the MLS Cup finals. Joseph was a first round selection of the New England Revolution in 2002 and joined the Revs in 2003 after a year overseas. He started 15 games that season, leading the Revs to the MLS Finals and earning the first of two All-Star selections. In the 2005 season, Joseph received serious consideration for MLS Most Valuable Player honors after scoring six goals and recording five assists for a total of 17 points.
Stefani Miglioranzi, Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Miglioranzi was a midseason sign by the Galaxy and played in three games during his short stint. A third-round draft choice of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire in 1999, Miglioranzi played the next four-plus seasons overseas, before signing a contract with L.A. and returning to the U.S. He originally signed a month-by-month contract with Portsmouth of the English First Division and then earned a long-term deal with Swindon Town FC of the Second Division after a successful run at Portsmouth. Miglioranzi played four seasons at Swindon and scored eight goals, despite injuries leading to inconsistent playing time.
Dan Popik, Columbus Crew (MLS)
Dan Popik was picked up by the Columbus Crew after the team's top four goalkeepers, including Bill Gaudette, went down with injuries. Currently an assistant coach at North Carolina State, Popik started in one game and made seven saves for the Crew. A member of the St. John's 1998 and 1999 teams, Popik spent parts of the 2003 and 2004 season with the Los Angeles Galaxy and played in 2002 with the A-League champion Milwaukee Rampage.
Chris Wingert, Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Chris Wingert, the 2003 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner as the nation�s top collegiate player, joined Colorado for the 2006 season after playing two seasons for the Columbus Crew. Wingert played some crucial minutes late in the season and started as a defender in the Rapids' run to the MLS Western Conference Finals in early November. For the year, Wingert played in 10 games, made four starts and saw 446 minutes of action. The Crew originally drafted Wingert in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft, and the Babylon, N.Y., native spent two seasons in Columbus as a starting defender.

Understanding Soccer: Offsides

Everyone knows the basis of offsides in sports. In hockey, an offensive player may not cross the blue line into the attacking zone before the puck does. In football, a player cannot cross the line of scrimmage before the ball is hiked. However, in soccer, offsides is completely different. The line for offsides in soccer technically floats up and down the field. Look at the diagram below:


The blue forward is in an offside position because the ball (the white dot) has not been kicked yet and he is past the last defender before the goalkeeper. However, if the offensive player is in line or in front of the last defender, then he may run past the defense once the ball is kicked. The whole offsides rule is a judgment call because if the referee feels that the offsides player is not involved in the play, then the referee will let the teams play on and not blow the whistle.

Favorite Soccer Quote

Mia Hamm once said “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” This quote by her means a lot in any team sport, especially soccer. In order for plays to happen and succeed, you need to have a functional team that understands each others’ strengths and weaknesses. If your midfielders do not know which side of the defense is weaker, then it will be tough to stop the opposing team’s offense if you do not know which side of the defense to support. A team needs to work together in every sport in order to become champions.
In 1999, Mia Hamm was part of the Women’s World Cup winning United States national team. What she said paid off in 1999, as well as in 1996 and 2004 where they won the Olympic Gold both years. Out of the 125 greatest living players in the world, the United States has two, both female and one being Hamm. Her success as a team player has been with her since her college days as a North Carolina Tar heel where she won four national championships prior to her international glory.

Vancouver for MLS?

Vancouver has had BC Place Stadium since 1983. The stadium is an air-supported arena, which means that the rood is air pressurized and raised by the air pumped into the stadium to give it the structure that it has. The problem with the BC Place is that part of the stadium roof ripped so air escaped from the roof and in order to save the roof and some of the stadium, workers had to perform a controlled deflation. The BC Place is scheduled to hold the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2006, the city of Vancouver and the province of British Columbia proposed a $70 million Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium. There has been some controversy pertaining to the stadium. Wikipedia states that “They believe the stadium would deny waterfront access and would negatively impact the historic theme of the Gastown area. The architects have urged city hall to delay approval until a comprehensive plan has been submitted.” Seventy-one percent of the residents of Vancouver are in favor of the new stadium. The one plus to this stadium is that the city of Vancouver could put in a bid for an expansion Major League Soccer team in the very near future. If the stadium is built and complete prior to 2010, then it would hold the ceremonies and medal ceremonies for the Winter Olympics as well as 2018 putting a bid in for the World Cup. However, in order to be awarded a bid for the World Cup, the stadium must hold 40,000 or more seats. As time goes on we will see what happens.

Jersey sponsors the craze is MLS?

For the people who do not follow soccer, European club teams do not have their team name and logo as the main part of their jersey. Teams have a company's logo stretched across the front of the jersey for marketing purposes and their team logo is made a small patch on either the left upper chest or the right upper chest. Since 2005, Major League Soccer has had their team name and logo as the main part of their jersey. Now, teams are signing contracts with companies to make their companies big in the soccer world and perhaps make the United States soccer world larger. Since the most current shirt deal which was Volkswagen on D.C. United's shirt was complete, that made nine out of fourteen teams with a company jersey deal. The top deal in Major League Soccer is the Los Angeles Galaxy, who made a $5 million per year with Herbalife. The MLS is starting to take ideas from the European Leagues as an effort to being a popular sport in the United States. Who knows if they will work, but the amount of money that is going into these deals with companies is not just pocket change.