October 29, 2008
This report from the UK has a picture that confirms that new Seattle Sounders FC Designated Player Freddie Ljungberg is fitting right in as the picture shows him walking into a Starbucks.
I wonder if he'll have a Starbucks endorsement deal soon?
At SI.com , Arash Markazi wonders if MLS will get more out of Ljungberg than David Beckham. Personally, I think Markazi is stretching it to say that Ljungberg is everything that Beckham is when it comes to on the field impact and production.
Plus, with Freddie's injury history, the debate might be who had the bigger impact in MLS, Ljungberg or Claudio Reyna.....
Allen Ramsey's piece at SI.com points out the obvious in that Seattle has Ljungberg and Keller, but they still don't have a head coach.
I wonder how the Ljungberg signing will impact Seattle's ability to sign a new coach? It could go either way as the new coach obviosuly wasn't a part of signing Keller and Ljungberg and that may be a negative for a lot of coaches.
Ridge Mahoney's piece at Soccer America.com not only talks about Ljungberg, but also about how Seattle reportedly has a deal to land Nate Jacqua from Houston and he talks about the coaching candidates as well.
I really like the fact that they can talk to both Preki and Paul Mariner. I think Mariner has paid his dues and should get a shot at running his own team.
News & Notes:
- The LA Galaxy were supposed to play Aussie side Queensland Roar in December. But, that match has been postponed because of the Beckham to AC Milan talks.
- Luis Bueno has a piece at PE.com about Landon Donovan eyeing a move abroad. It's going to be really interesting to see how Bruce Arena, the Galaxy, and MLS handle this situation.
- The Portland Timbers have announced that they have picked up the 2009 option on Larence Olum. I hope the Rhinos have a John Ball signing announcement soon....
- WPS has a new COO. But in bigger news, it appears that Marta may not be a lock to sign with the LA Sol. How bad would it hurt WPS to not have the 2006 and 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year?
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.
