By Ridge Mahoney, Senior Editor
Soccer America
MLS is concluding its investigation into what D.C. coach Peter Nowak said during a D.C. United-Real Salt Lake preseason match last week but it's very unlikely any solid evidence will be unearthed that he shouted, as RSL representatives claim, ''Send him back to Africa'' after Atiba Harris committed one of several clumsy fouls.
D.C. United contends that Nowak said Harris should be ''sent to hospital,'' which isn't the most sportsmanlike thing a coach can say about an opponent but nothing like what RSL officials are alleging.
Harris — a rookie who hails from the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis, by the way — is on trial with Real Salt Lake and dished out several brutal tackles while also setting up Jeff Cunningham for two goals in a 3-1 Real win.
The league is ensnared in a classic ''He said, they said'' situation. Unlike an incident a few years ago when an American University player suffered a broken leg when he was barreled over by an aggravated Hristo Stoitchkov of D.C. United, there's no video or audio record to provide an impartial account.
Witnesses on both sides have dug in and steadfastly maintained their accounts of what they believe they heard. Impasse.
Regardless of what the investigation uncovers and what punishments the league will hand out, however, D.C. officials are incensed that Real Salt Lake went public with the dispute in an interview with a Salt Lake radio station.
Real coach John Ellinger didn't repeat what he thought Nowak had said but acknowledged the tone.
In the league's single-entity system, teams have less leeway to fine or discipline their representatives than they would under a more traditional setup. Virtually all disciplinary matters must go through the MLS office. But in this case a league would have to get involved anyway, since accusations were made publicly.
A bit of bad blood runs between the teams. They played twice last year; both times D.C. won by big margins, and both times Nowak and Ellinger refused to shake hands.
The league will probably fine Nowak for his remark, although players and coaches — and sometimes team executives — have been known to spout all manner of insults and threats in the heat of competition.
Nowak, a native of Poland, is a fierce competitor and sometimes his accented English can be hard to understand. Regardless, doesn't he — and anyone else — in a situation like this deserve the benefit of the doubt?
BORDER BRIDGE. Two partnerships of very different natures have been hammered out by MLS teams, and each in its own way is historic.
Mexican club Tigres UNL of Monterrey had been in discussions for more than a year about buying into MLS and fielding a team in San Antonio, but a mayoral change in that city helped snuff any chance of it happening.
The club has instead forged an alliance with FC Dallas that will include training in each other's facilities, sharing marketing and ticket-selling strategies, and playing for the Rio Grande Plate, a home-and-home competition that will be staged this summer July 19 in Dallas and July 26 in Monterrey.
This deal is another bridge between the CONCACAF powers who are also great rivals. Chicago formed an alliance with Mexican club Morelia a few years ago and CD Chivas USA began play in MLS last season.
Soccer United Marketing, whose properties include all commercial rights to MLS, markets Mexico matches played in the United States and stages the annual Interliga tournament from which a Mexican club qualifies for the Copa Libertadores.
Tigres UNL is one of the Mexican clubs, as is CD Chivas USA parent club Guadalajara, that has veered away from the traditional ways of running the sport in Mexico. Most Mexican teams rely heavily on walk-up attendances, yet Tigres has successfully marketed season tickets, which MLS teams depend on desperately for revenues.
The Rio Grande Plate is also one step toward regular play between MLS and Mexican teams outside of CONCACAF competitions. Several sources say as soon as next year could be inaugurated a North American Cup pitting U.S. and Mexican teams in a tournament.
YOUTH LINK. A group led by former Fire general manager Peter Wilt hasn't yet nailed down ownership details or a stadium plan for an MLS team in Milwaukee, yet already has been forged a tentative agreement between Milwaukee Professional Soccer LLC and the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association.
Details are still to be worked out and approval is needed from both organizations. Among the provisos are WYSA obtaining an ownership stake in the MLS team, a season-ticket commitment to the tune of $450,000 per season, and the WYSA moving its offices to a stadium location once the facility is built. One proposed goal is to have three WYSA players join the pro team at some level.
FC Dallas and the departed-from-San Jose Earthquakes are two MLS teams that plowed significant effort and resources into producing regular attendances from youth soccer groups, and in Dallas, many of the marketing operations of the pro team and North Texas State Soccer Association have been merged.
The Fire and the MetroStars have been league frontrunners in fielding youth teams. The Milwaukee deal, if approved, would take this synergy one step further, and give both the pro team and the state association a stake in each other's success on and off the field.
The disconnect and distrust between MLS teams and local youth soccer groups won't go away overnight, and their objectives won't always mesh. But their common interests can be melded to the benefit of both.