Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Jan. 22, 2011

They Didn't See Us Coming...   Paulo Cardozo was stunned when he found out the Los Angeles Galaxy had picked him in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft. Cardozo thought his team of destiny was the Columbus Crew. “At the draft, [the Crew] spoke to me and my representative said that it could be Columbus to pick me,” Cardozo said on the FutbolMLS.com podcast Tiro Libre. “I was very nervous. Team by team was passing and they weren’t picking me. Even teams that talked to me a lot. “When [the Galaxy's] turn came, I wasn’t expecting it. It surprised me, but luckily it was the Galaxy. I’m happy.” Cardozo was prized by the Galaxy for his status and technical ability. He is considered to be more quicker and mobile than Roger Torres of the Philadelphia Union. “We haven’t spoken on what [Arena] expects from me but he said he’s happy to have me in the group and wants me to work with the rest of the team,” Cardozo said. “I just really want to start training. “I want to have a good preseason and play in as many games as possible and show people and the technical staff why ...

New York Cosmos Have a Brand, but Will They Get a Team to Match the Hype?

News came out Wednesday that Manchester United legend Eric Cantona was returning to the game of soccer as director of soccer for the New York Cosmos. The only problem is the Cosmos have no team for him to put together. The Cosmos, once the talk of the town in New York as well as soccer in the U.S., have not had a senior team since the NASL folded in 1985. Their youth academies have kept going, though, and in 2009 the brand was bought by a group headed by Paul Kemsley. Their goal: Get the Cosmos into Major League Soccer. There is no senior Cosmos team, but there is the Cosmos brand, and it’s a strong one at that. It brings a sense of nostalgia for the pop culture breakthrough that was chronicled in the 2006 documentary and book “Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos.” It’s a brand that was strong enough to lure Cobi Jones away from the Los Angeles Galaxy, a franchise he’s been a part of as a player or coach since the team’s inception in 1996. He now holds the role as associate director of soccer for the Cosmos. With former NASL brands of the San Jose Earthquakes, ...

CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals: Previewing The Final Eight

A month from today, the first match of the knockout stage for the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League will kick off.Remember? The Champions League? The matches played over the fall?Yes, it has been awhile, but after a four-month intermission from the tournament, the knockout stage will kick off, and a two-month race for the North American crown will commence. A lot of speculation has been made about the way CONCACAF paired clubs in the knockout stage. Most of it has been with the fact that every Mexican club has been paired in the quarterfinals in such a way so that one Mexican club is guaranteed to make the finals. Although the chance of two of those teams playing for the final is impossible. To a lesser extent, the same criticism has been drawn to the fact that two MLS teams, Real Salt Lake and Columbus Crew, were paired in the quarterfinals. When you look into it, it's actually the result of a rather surreal coincidence. The reason this happened was because of the groups the Mexican and American clubs won and the groups they were runners-up in. Funny how it worked out, but it has made for some thrilling quarterfinal fixtures going into February. Now ...

Commercial Success: The Simple Solution That Could Save MLS

Major League Soccer is failing on a national level. According to the Nielsen ratings, Major League Soccer is nearly non-existent on television. The WNBA is getting higher ratings on ESPN2 than MLS games! The only thing more laughable than the TV ratings is the fact that MLS asked Fox Soccer Channel to renew their expiring contract at a rate of $20 million per year. The previous contract, signed in 2007, had FSC paying $3 million a year. MLS executives seem to be shooting for the stars without any idea how to get there. They are focused on business negotiations and traditional marketing techniques but, with those approaches failing miserably, maybe they should take a look at the product on the field and how it is affecting their negotiations. Simply put, they should be trying to create stars instead of shooting for the stars. So, the obvious question is then, "How exactly do you create stars?" And my response, "Don't ask me. Just look at the most successful sports league (and one of the most successful business ventures) in modern history." In last Sunday's Jets/Patriots game, the only athlete in the world prettier than Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady, was trying to lead his Pats to a furious comeback late in the fourth ...

David Beckham: Top 10 Memorable Moments

David Beckham has been quoted saying, “People don't think I've got the brains to be that clever.”  He's also said, “The spotlight will always be on me, but it's something I'm learning to live with as the years go by.”That's wistful, and wishful thinking in the age of nano. But let it be. He's had a great career.  Could we say he's the Joe Montana of European football?  Or the Cal Ripkin, Jr.?  Or the Larry Bird.Not since Pele has someone so glamorized this sport in America.  Plus he's modern.  Call him Metro-Rex. Plus he's Caucasian, although in that way, not modern at all. He's the white man still jumping. Soon to be a throw-back, a reminder.   In round ball social circles, he is Dr. Jekyll to Wayne Rooney's Mr. Hyde. And speaking of size eight boots, he's no Charlie Miller singing sectarian ballads. Not a pub brawler. He's Mr. Clean.    He's also no Messi.But can he recast himself?  Has he got a second act?  Does it matter.  Is it best to just let him live on in YouTubeville.  Be the simple spice jock. Let's raise a toast to the goal from 70 yards out. Two actually.Or should he be expected ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Ins and Outs, Jan. 20, 2011

Angel signs with the Galaxy After a month long process, Juan Pablo Angel finally signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy yesterday, January 20, 2011. “Like any deal, there were some issues you had to go through...the holidays, and the timing, and the draft and all those things that were up in the air didn’t help, but I was always hoping. I’m delighted that all the patience and the wait finally paid off,” Angel said in a conference call, Wednesday. Angel was not the only one excited to begin. “He’s not only a quality player, but a quality person, and he’ll bring a lot to the Galaxy on and off the field, and certainly in the locker room,” said  Arena in an interview with MLSsoccer.com. “The concern was getting a deal done. We have great ownership, and they’re very supportive and I knew we would eventually reach an agreement with Juan. That’s all part of it with high-profile players. There’s a negotiation period you have to respect and we did that.” When asked about settling in with the G's, which feature David Beckham and team captain Landon Donovan, Angel was captive. “Landon is probably the best player to ever play the sport in this ...

New York Cosmos: Restoring Cosmos Country Through Their Actions

“I am very honored to join the legendary club New York Cosmos. It’s a big project, a wonderful project. The Cosmos are very strong, beautifully made, with a great past. It’s kind of a mix between football and art.  In addition to my artistic engagements, I will do everything that I can to help us first find our way to regain the #1 position in the United States, and then for us to become one of the best clubs in the world over the coming years.” - Eric Cantona, New York Cosmos Director of Soccer Words are so powerful that it can add value to something or simply cheapen it. Of course in today's TMZ world many are more likely to be skeptical than faithful. As a result, words are only as powerful as the actions behind it. If you live in New York City, seeing action doesn't come cheap. In the case of the New York Cosmos, some consider the team to be a brand while others believe that it's a tradition... an American Soccer Tradition. With the additions of Pelé, Giorgio Chinaglia, Giovanni Savarese, Cobi Jones, and now Eric ...

2011 MLS Power Rankings: Preseason

The 2011 Major League Soccer season will get underway at Qwest Field, where the Seattle Sounders look to avenge their league futility against the Los Angeles Galaxy.There is no doubt, however, that the Colorado Rapids are the team to beat this year. When you are the defenders of the Philip J. Anschutz Trophy, you paint a big X on your back, and everyone is gunning for your star.Out of 18 teams, only one can lay claim to the top of MLS, and so Bleacher Report gives you a preview of who will finish where this season.Begin Slideshow

JourFoot: Oranje Revolution Will Determine Whether Toronto FC’s for Real or Not

For famed but disappointing Major League Soccer club of Toronto, Aron Winter may finally be the solution to what has ailed the fledgling football club since its inception in 2007. Aron Winter, along with Dutch assistant Bob de Klerk and Englishman Paul Mariner were brought in to revamp and oversee the re-branding of Toronto football. So far, it is too early to tell if whether Toronto will live up to the expectations that the club supporters and ownership alike have set. One thing is for sure: Aron Winter and Bob de Klerk represent a long-term vision of Toronto FC. A vision of which the Dutch brand of football (i.e. Total Football) will serve as a cornerstone in the way the culture, style of play, and youth development will be implemented under this new European management. Supporters of Toronto are so far cautiously optimistic, but they have a good reason to be in that light since the club has underperformed in all their seasons. Two years ago the club missed out on the playoffs by just one point, thanks to the humiliating loss to the New York Red Bulls, who were the last place team in the league during that season. Nobody wants to remember ...

Eric Cantona Announced as Director of Soccer for New York Cosmos

The most iconic club in the history of American soccer, the New York Cosmos folded alongside the North American Soccer League in 1985. After years of an attempted revival (to no avail), Pele announced the revival of the New York Cosmos in August 2010. With the revival, the Cosmos announced the creation of a youth academy called the Cosmos Academy and the purchase of the Copa NYC tournament. Since then, the Cosmos have seen several players join the organization with the goal of getting the Cosmos into Major League Soccer. On January 19, the Cosmos made what is arguably their biggest splash since announcing Pele as the honorary president of the club. The Cosmos announced that Manchester United legend Eric Cantona had joined the club as Director of Soccer. During his storied career, Cantona became the first foreign player in Premier League history to have a massive impact on the game. During five years with the Red Devils (1992-1997), Cantona became the captain of Man United and won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups. Since his retirement in 1997, Cantona has continued to try to get a job with a club in management to no avail. But that has completely changed today with Cantona joining the ...