October 31, 2007
I was going to rock a blond afro wig today and say I was dressed up as Josh Bolton. But, my wife said that nobody would get it and nixed the idea.
So, I dressed up like a guy that forgot it was Halloween instead.
On to the news of the day:
- FIFA has announced that Brazil will host the 2014 Men's World Cup and two-time defending champions Germany will host the 2011 Women's World Cup. Also of note, the US will go forward with their bid for the 2018 Men's World Cup despite the fact that FIFA has done away with their rotation of bids and Europe is back in the mix for the 2018 Cup.
- In what some were calling an MLS exam for Portland, the Timbers hosted Toronto FC earlier this week and defeated the MLS club by a 4 to 1 margin. With 6614 fans showing up to view the match, who knows what the grade was. But really, we all know that the true test is can a market get an owner to pony up $30 million or so to buy a team. That is the only test that truly matters when it comes to getting an MLS team.
- Fulham is hoping that Brian McBride will be back in the lineup before Christmas.
- With articles like "The Red Bulls need a playmaking midfielder" and "Arena doesn't seem so brilliant anymore" you would think that the team was in a deep hole. But, all they need is a result on the road in New England to advance to the MLS semis. Stranger things have happened in the world of soccer and I would never count out a team that has Juan Pablo Angel up top. And as far as the midfielder thing goes, the Red Bulls need Reyna to retire before they can really figure that situation out. Locking up a DP slot and tying up a big chunk of cap space on the former US captain likely will never work out as he simply can't stay healthy.
- SI.com's Greg Lalas wonders if the Blanco-led Chicago Fire are the frontrunners for MLS Cup right now. Maybe I'm just being a homer, but I have to think that returning home and getting healthy could be what DC United needs to advance.
- Speaking of injuries at the worst possible time, Chivas USA is having a hard time with KC since they are missing their strike tandem of Razov and Galindo. But, the most interesting news in that article is that LA head coach Frank Yallop seems to believe that he'll be back with the Galaxy in 2008. That would put a wrench in the plans of the San Jose Earthquakes, if rumors that they were targetting Yallop as their head coach when they re-enter the league next season are true.
- Looking down the list of MLS Award finalists, I have to wonder if Blanco was around long enough to be considered a true MVP candidate. Emilio and Angel were forces pretty much all season long for DC and NY, but Blanco was only a factor down the stretch for Chicago. Maybe I need to stop hating on Blanco because he's a face man for El Tri. Nahhhhhhh.......
The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Rochester Rhinos or SoccerSam.com. Feel free to send any comments or complaints to news@soccersam.com. James promises to read (but not to respond) to all of them.
