USSoccerPlayers

The Step Up

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Oct 29, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Like it or not, MLS has become parity central.

Unless you entered the League courtesy of expansion and you're not named 'Fire' or 'Sounders,' you have a legit shot at winning MLS Cup. No matter how bad you were the previous year or how much winning tradition you have, everyone can go into the start of the season thinking they have a chance at the title. 

Maybe it's not an obvious question.  To those running the show it might not even be a particularly good one.  But... are we supposed to be satisfied with this?

20 Random Grown Man Thoughts On Qualifying

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Oct 14, 2009) USSoccerPlayers --

1) Pray for Charlie Davies's recovery.
 
2) Five second half goals, two free kicks, a break out performance by a heretofore marginally effective striker. A missed penalty. A win on the road against a good Honduras side. The US of A's sixth-straight World Cup.  The best match of the Hexagonal.  And you missed it because you couldn't get to a place showing it on closed circuit TV.
 
3) Seriously, that match - from what I was able to gather from Twitter updates - was best advertisement we've had for our sport and basically nobody saw it.

The Hard Way

By Andrew Dixon -- MIAMI, FL (Oct 9, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Whenever critics around the world want to  minimize the accomplishments of the United States National Team, the one refrain they always come back to is that relative weakness of the CONCACAF region.  It's always "The only reason you qualify for so many World Cups is that you play in a weak confederation. If you put the US in (insert-superior-confederation-here) you'd NEVER make the World Cup."

Now some of that might have died down when the US was 44:30 from winning the Confederations Cup. They also 1) never say this about Mexico or 2) ever acknowledge the Faroe Islands, Lichtensteins, Lesothos, Kenyas, Thailands or Bolivias in their midst. 

Don't get it twisted. I'm not saying qualifying from CONCACAF is the same as the year and a half marathon in CONMEBOL or is as daunting as trips to Wembley or Berlin.  But this year's edition of the Hex has been a lot more challenging than anyone could have imagined.  Just four points separates first from fourth going into these two final match days.

Think Locally

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Sep 28, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- For years, Major League Soccer supporters have been asking ourselves when our league will be on par with some of the great leagues in Europe. We envision the day that MLS is regularly producing World-class players and aspiring stars from all over ply their trade for teams like DC United or the Houston Dynamo.

The vast majority of MLS fans are well aware that it will be a very long time before this League is legitimately in the conversation with the legendary leagues of Europe. In terms of prestige, attendance, fanaticism and results, no one in their right mind is expecting MLS to close that gap anytime soon.

The Late Move

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Sep 17, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- With the roster freeze, it's time for Major League Soccer's contenders to get down to business. 

Teams who have a shot at the playoffs have made moves to strengthen their squad for the stretch run while others have had to consider depth for multiple competitions.  With all angling for a legit run at the Cup, I’m taking a look at some of the summer moves, previewing their potential, and assessing whose had the most impact thus far:

Mailbag!

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Sep 11, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Time to open up the One Grown Mailbag.

Our first letter comes from a J. Wicks in DC. He asks: “Have I become the new villain in MLS?”

In Seattle, I suppose and maybe in certain parts around the DMV.

People might have  thought you were a little nuts after your tussle with Mark Burch at the end of the Chicago game. To me, it was you getting frustrated from not getting your point across.  However... the stomp on Freddy Montero’s hand after he inadvertently kicked you while scoring during the US Open Cup final? And then your subsequent temper tantrum?  Let's just say that didn’t endear you to anyone, especially in DC where people were openly calling for you to be cut before the match was even over.

That being said, to me , you need more than one moment of madness to be a true villain in this League and you’re not there yet, thankfully.

That Summer Of Soccer

MIAMI, FL (Aug 11, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- The Community Shield is referred to as the “curtain raiser” on the English Premiere League season. In fact they use that term so often I wonder if I gotta pay royalties on it.
 
But it’s also when fans here in the United States start turning their collective heads towards Europe and South America... and away from Major League Soccer.  It’s unfortunate, but MLS only really has a few months to capture the attention of those who normally prefer their soccer from other countries.  That makes it important for MLS to put its best foot forward between June and mid-August.
 
This summer has been a significant one for American soccer, no doubt.  However, with all that's occurred, it’s this Grown Man’s Opinion that virtually none of it greatly benefited MLS in any way.  This is really no fault of the League itself or those working hard to make it work.   Summertime is usually MLS's time to shine, but this year that shine was blocked out by too many other things, positive and negative.

Coming Back

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Jul 22, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Lost amid the discussion surrounding David Beckham’s return to MLS from Europe last week was that United States Under-20 World Cup standout Danny Szetela has made his way back to Major League Soccer.  

Though I'm sure it's not the ending he wanted when he left Columbus a few years ago, it's certainly not the end of the World. Several players who have started with MLS or went to Europe very early in the career have come back to the League and taken leading roles.

It would be easy to include the players who were on the National Team in the mid-1990's and helped launch the League, but I'm moving up the time line.

American Abroad

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Jul 14, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Don't get it twisted: the thing most American soccer fans will remember about the summer of 2009 will be the Confederations Cup. Yes, the Gold Cup is nice and I hope we win.  The soap opera version of Major League Soccer is kinda fun too.

But to me the second event thus far is Oguchi Onyewu's signing with AC Milan.  An American signing for one of the biggest  clubs in the world is simply amazing. I'm not spending this column debating whether his style of play will mesh with Serie A or whether he'll be in over his head.  I'll let the more learned American soccer pundits debate that.

No, today I'm simply giving props to the American players who started playing in the States, have gone over to Europe and made this happen with ground breaking and respected European sojourns.  They didn't accept any limitations or listen to the haters.  They simply went there to be the best they could be and open doors for other American players so that a day like this could occur.

Showing love by position and not by order of importance:

Critical Theory

"All of the critics in America who said we were no good after losing to Italy and Brazil, let's see what they say now." - Michael Bradley

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Jun 24, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Michael Bradley doesn't know who I am, but this Grown Man has been one of those critics that he's talking about. I don't regret being one, nor do I take back anything I've said over the past year.  The results against Costa Rica away and the first two matches of this tournament only exposed the team's shortcoming in key areas of which top sides took advantage.

That's why the win against Egypt was so brilliant.  While a lot of commentators put this win down to heart, that alone does not win matches against good teams.  To quote Roy Keane, "You have to have the heart and passion but that only gets you so far."  

Heart is how teams like Fulham command a place in Europe.  Don't get me wrong, it takes heart to pick yourself off the mat after some of our recent results.  But the US won this match with its vast improvement in several areas in which top teams perform well, game in and game out.

The Bucket

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Jun 9, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Your favorite Grown Man has been suffering from some ill health lately.  Dizzy spells,  throbbing ear pain and alternating periods of rest, calm and then more pain.

I thought all of these symptoms were my body’s reaction to the wildly inconsistent play of my beloved National Team during this latest leg of qualifying, but it was merely an ear infection.  While I have been successfully diagnosed and given several huge antibiotic pills to cure my aural issues, I'm not sure what to make of our Red White and Blue as they land in the RSA for the Confederations Cup.

What's Happening DC?

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (May 29, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- About a year or so ago, I wrote about the end of the Major League Soccer season and how I was glad that there were several unresolved questions lingering.  The  MLS equivalent of a dramatic series cliff hanger. It gave MLS fans things to ponder during the off season and built up the start of Season 14.

This year, we didn't even have to wait until the end of the season. Victor MacFarlane's decision to sell his ownership shares in DC United last week came as a surprise to many. And while it will change little with DC's on the field production, (ultimately the most important measuring stick for the success of any franchise) this has raised more questions than it has answered about the future of the League's most decorated franchise. 

Taking Attendance

"13 years deep in this marathon I'm runnin’"
De La Soul, Trying People

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (May 18, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- When Major League Soccer began play in '96, there was a lot of negative energy thrown its way.  Just the thought of maintaining a soccer league in the United States seemed like a long shot.  It was suggested that the League lost momentum by not starting play in '95.  Then, of course, there were the Soccer Haters who just simply wanted the league to go away.

Here we are. 

Few players remain from those first few seasons.  Veterans of questionable defending, some questionable jersey choices, and the shootout.  The Old School, by any standard.  The ones that remember.  Today, I'm paying tribute.

Working The Triangle

By Andrew Dixon -- MIAMI, FL (Apr 22, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- We get a little crazy with sports statistics here in the United States but we're Americans. That's what we do. Last week, Jaime Moreno became the first Major League Soccer player to score 100 goals and notch 100 assists. No doubt that some of them were probably the result of that dubious secondary assist, but nonetheless it's an impressive achievement.

What has helped Moreno achieve this feat is the fact that he's been a part of that Magic Triangle that DC United has used to spearhead their attack since the club arrived in 1996. DC has won championships and a lot of MLS games using this three-headed attack. An out and out play maker wearing the #10, Moreno, and a pure goal scorer.

Let's take a look at the evolution of DC's Magic Triangle.

The Breaks

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Apr 16, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- I was recently interviewed by Tony McClean of the Black Athlete Sports Network for his show "Weekend Sports Rap". The focus of the interview was mainly about Blacks in the game of soccer domestically and internationally, but the discussion turned toward soccer's relatively low spot in America's sporting landscape.

What will it take for soccer in general, and Major League Soccer in particular, to get to that high level? My answer was the same as it's always been: Time.

I cited the examples of the National Football League and the National Basketball Association. How it took years for football to overcome the dominance of baseball and establish itself as an American institution. How I could remember the days when The NBA Finals were on tape delay. Both of those leagues had to go to through growths periods longer than MLS has even been around before they became the big time sports that they are now.

The Points

This column will observe a moment of silence for those who died in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on Saturday.

Thank you.

By Andrew Dixon - MAIMI, FL (Apr 1, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- I've been cranking a lot of old school hip hop recently. In fact it was the late Professor X (the Overseer) who summed up what I was thinking as the US gets ready to welcome Trinidad and Tobago to Nashville tonight.

We've been here before.

The background then? Guatemala City. The background now? San Salvador.

The last time the US got ready to square off against T&T on these shores they were coming off what I thought was an awful away match against a team they should have beaten handily. The USA came away with a 1-0 win against Guatemala that was celebrated and called historic in some circles.

Why Us?

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Mar 18, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- MLS has attracted-and continues to attract its fair share of critics and haters, perhaps even more so since a certain London-born Englishman began his protracted exit strategy out of LA. 

Some of these have been legitimate criticisms (e.g. shootouts, loose allocation rules, pay inequities) but there are others have been based more on wanting the see the league operate along the lines of its European and South American counterparts (dropping single entity, single table standings).

Sure Thing

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Mar 10, 2008) USSoccerPlayers -- I've slept on it.

I've given it a few days.

My initial reaction hasn't changed about FC Barcelona not coming to Miami.

What I Was Thinking

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Feb 27, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- I've been sick recently, so the celebrity mailbag has been filling up.  Let's take a gander, shall we?

The first letter comes from a David B. in Milan, Italy.  He writes: Eh, I'm desperate to stay where I am because I love my club football again.  But if I have to go back to Los Angeles, what kind of reaction will I get?

Just One Grown Man's Opinion of course, but if anyone is going to boo you, they're likely going to be wearing a Galaxy shirt. With all of this talk about how much you enjoy playing club football again, if I'm a Galaxy fan- or one of your Galaxy teammates - I'm not feeling too good about what you're saying.

Promotional Consideration

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Jan 9, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- I've always believed that college basketball and football are the closest thing this country has to the passion and hype that is professional soccer to people in other countries.

The pre-games shows, the constant commercials themed around them, the debate about various conferences and teams, even the ridiculousness that is national signing day (no, I'm not going to capitalize it) is closer than the established North American pro sports. Sure, the EPL is attempting to become the NFL revisited, but the fan experience and game day environment aren't even close.