November 10, 2010
I just want to start off today by saying thank you to my father and all the other veterans out there.
Now on to soccer.
Inside Minnesota Soccer - NASL bid includes Atlanta & Minnesota
Inside Minnesota Soccer - More NASL bid tidbits
So, the NASL has finally submitted their bid for 2nd Division status to US Soccer.
And it includes a team that has said that they won't play in 2011 unless they get new investors (Minnesota) and a team that has sat out the past two years (Atlanta) to get to the minimum 8 teams needed to meet US Soccer's 2nd Division guidelines.
It's going to be very interesting to see how serious US Soccer takes their own standards or if they give the NASL the OK so as to not have a dormant 2nd division.
News & Notes:
- The Rhinos have announced that Pat Ercoli is now team President and COO. With how well things went on the field in 2010 with Ercoli and Lilley remaking the roster, it is a well deserved promotion.
- Bob Bradley has unveiled his roster for the South Africa friendly and it is getting some buzz largely due to players like Teal Bunbury who appears to have passed up playing for Canada to represent the US.
- The Willmington Hammerheads will be playing in the USL PRO League in 2011 after taking 2010 off.
- I wonder if "We Hate Montreal" chants will be popular in Carolina after what happened following the RailHawks bouncing the Impact from the playoffs? At least US Soccer punished Montreal.
- Bobby Convey won the MLS Comeback Player of the Year award.
- We need Audi to sponsor Kick This!
- Jonathan Greenfield and Rich Costanzo are among a few 2010 Rhinos playing indoor soccer this winter.
- Was the loss to Mexico a wake up call for Women's soccer in the US? And did anyone really think that qualification was a birthright for the US? It was an upset. But, I don't think it happened because the US became complacent.
- You probably know that the USWNT took care of business against Costa Rica with Abby Wambach scoring two goals in the 3-0 win. So now the US plays in Italy on November 20th and at Toyota Park (the home of the Chicago Fire) on November 27th with a berth in the world cup on the line.
- The Free Beer Movement is buying Abby Wambach a beer.
- We need a face off of the Hyndman vintage jacket and the Lilley trench coat!
- I'm a sucker for vintage looking jerseys like Umbro has been rolling out lately.
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.
