Kenya Brown
College Park, Md.
I would just like to know why MLS commissioner Doug Logan flat-out refuses to change the format during the regular season. I think the best format for any league would be three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. Would you agree with me on this?
Ridge Mahoney: Not quite. I’d like to see a team scoring three goals earn an additional point in the standings, and a sudden-death overtime of 20 minutes instead of shootouts.
Logan insists the league’s “surveys” — which MLS simply cites, without substantiating by actual tabulations, or demographic details, or the survey questions themselves — indicate fans like the shootout, and most of the owner-operators, especially the Hunt syndicate, are deathly afraid of tied matches and feel shootouts add drama.
Somehow they’ve missed the fact that fans in the inaugural season, for the most part, have proven to be fairly sophisticated, and aren’t disdainful of ties. I like adding a point for a third goal to reward high-scoring teams; over the course of a 32-game season, a team hitting the trey mark consistently could tack on the equivalent of two or three additional victories.
The league is buying the air time for its TV games, and doesn’t want additional expense of paying for another half-hour to accomodate a possible overtime. Yet most shootout games run beyond two hours, which is why you don’t hear MLS execs cite TV time restraints any more — as they were earlier in the season — as a reason to use shootouts. MLS may be only seven months old, but already its honchos are experts at spin control and revisionist history.
Remember how many of them voted for bigger goals? Ugh.
Kierran Casey
Radford, Va.
Does MLS use a smaller ball than the one used in the World Cup? If so is there an article that proves it? My friends do not believe me!
RM: This is a good one! Because of the color splotches of green and blue — the official MLS logo colors, hooray! — the ball may look smaller. The official, FIFA-approved dimensions of a ball are 27-28 inches in circumference; if there is indeed a difference of less than one inch, and you can discern it, that’s a story! But I doubt if some secret MLS regulation mandates that balls be exactly 27 inches around.
Some players have said the ball feels funny, but that’s not surprising, since there can be subtle differences in the materials and techniques used in the manufacturing of a soccer ball. Those complaints have disappeared as the season progressed and they’ve become familiar with the Mitre ball; we also suspect not a few of them were blaming the ball for the poor traps, bad passes, and pathetic shots they experienced in April, May and June.
Pablo Pazmino
Union City, N.J.
I enjoyed the article on Jorge Campos by Paul Gardner. Do you think not speaking English hinders Campos commercially in the USA? It’s obvious it doesn’t hurt him worldwide.
Duncan Irving: Not really. Campos’ worldwide marketability is fairly good, and remember, he was brought to LA with the primary intention of wooing the Hispanic market, which he has done. He also speaks quite good English and is improving all the time (his English, that is).
But remember, soccer’s place in the big picture of American sports is still pretty small, so he’s never going to compete with the Neon Deions and Air Jordans of this world.
Saleem Mohammed
Philadelphia
Expansion is a big question in MLS. Cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, and Seattle are fighting for teams in their respective cities. What are the issues for each city in attempting to obtain professional soccer teams? Also, when MLS was formed in 1994, there were originally 12 teams in the plan. Why did two of the original cities get crossed off the final proposal?
RM: We can’t list all the pros and cons of each city, sorry, but stadiums are near the top of the list, which is why Seattle and Philadelphia have no chance in the near future. Expansion has been delayed at least one year because Chicago’s Soldier Field will be undergoing renovation in the summer months and there is no other available stadium. And do you think new sponsor Pepsi would welcome a team in Atlanta, home base of Coca-Cola? Hmmm, maybe they would. The league likes Charlotte, Houston and we still hear buzzings about Miami.
Two cities got crossed off for the simple reason the league couldn’t accumulate enough capital investment for the league office to run more than three teams, and could only enlist enough owners to stock seven cities. But it is constantly sifting through prospective investors. The price, though, has gone up given the league’s initial success — if losing $20 million can be deemed a success.
Neil Smith
Sterling, Va.
It appears that MLS has exceeded expectations in terms of attendance, signing of name players, and style of play. However, by almost all accounts the officiating has been less than desireable. Unfortunately, it seems the only way it appears American refs can learn is on the job in MLS. What are some other options and is the league considering using foreign officials?
RM: The timing of your question is excellent, Neil. Commissioner Logan recently announced a multi-phase plan to improve officiating.
Some elements of this are: 1) the hiring of experienced referee Joe Machnik to supervise and assess MLS referees; 2) an exchange program of referees with foreign leagues; 3) a series of training sessions and clinics.
Frankly, one of the big problems is a dearth of good linesmen, or as they are now quaintly called, referee’s assistants. (That sounds to me like someone who fetches towels and water for the refs at halftime.) The league tries to place its best referees in as many games as possible, but the linesmen are usually local officials — some of whom are barely capable of surviving a Division I college game. I hope Machnik can incorporate those who run the line in his revamping program, perhaps by watching closely who is assigned to run the line and why.
S. Germon
Ypsilanti, Mich.
I am very disappointed that we couldn’t field our regualr starters in the Oct. 16 game against Peru; we definitely could’ve used the practice for WC qualifying. Why didn’t the federation pay the regulars the money? They are already not getting paid as much as other athletes.
Mike Woitalla: The figures have not been made public, so it is difficult to judge who was at fault for the deadlock in the negotiations that forced the U.S. to send a second-string team to Peru.
I believe the players, without whom no one in the sport would be making any money, should be rewarded handsomely and can sympathize with them trying to get as much financial reward as possible during their short careers. It is also my understanding that the federation hasn’t been too miserly. Remember, the federation is not the primary employer of these players.
Nick Prodanovich
Sterling, Va.
What is with the US National Team Marketing folks. Were they trying to minimize attendance for the Nov. 3 qualifying game against Guatemala? Scheduling the game for 1:00 p.m. on a Sunday conflicts with many of the local league games around D.C. Also, the ticket prices ($18, $35, $50) don’t exactly encourage family attendance. The USSF also initially ignored DC United in marketing the game, leaving United less than thrilled with their treatment.
A year or so ago the USSF did the same thing for the USA vs. Saudia Arabia game and the attendance was a very disappointing 10,000. I see the same thing happening again.
MW: Ticket prices in most sports have become unreasonably expensive and I have always hoped soccer in the U.S. would never exploit fans. In my opinion, a price range of 10 to 40 dollars for a World Cup qualfying game, with the majoirty of the tickets being in the $15 dollar range, would be fair. (MLS games should offer tickets for less than $10 and all sporting events should have children’s prices. Parking fees are what particularly irk me. I say keep those under $5.)
As for scheduling a game to conflict with local leagues, perhaps the leagues would find it worthwhile to adjust their schedule to accommodate what is, after all, a World Cup qualifying game.
Jeff Johnson
Alexandria, Va.
I thought I’d clear up an assumption that I’ve always had. I assume that the No. 10 jersey is almost always worn by the “best” player on a team in homage to Pele (No. 10). That was always the reason when I was growing up, but I’ve never really confirmed this assumption. I also never hear an announcer specifically state the significance of the “No. 10 jersey.”
DI: No, the No. 10 jersey does not necessarily reflect a playmaker. Come World Cup time, federations number their rosters differently. Italy and Belgium, for example, number their rosters alphabetically, while other nations enumerate the “regular” starting 11 first (England striker Gary Lineker wore the No. 10 shirt during his career and Teddy Sheringham, another forward, does now). Sometimes, it’s a case of personal preference — Johan Cruyff wore No. 14.
However, in South American countries it has an unofficial significance, chiefly because of two former bearers of that jersey — Pele and Maradona, so the No. 10 shirt is a mark of presitge.
Much is made, for example, in Brazil of the No. 10 shirt, which can be something of a curse — ask Rai, a flop at USA `94. Zico, on the other hand, picked up the mantle and handled it quite well. Juninho is the latest recipient, so you can track his progress.
The TAZmaniac
Doha, Qatar
Could you give me any info on the former Danish international, Finn Laudrup?
DI: Laudrup is a former striker who is the father — and agent — of Michael and Brian Laudrup.
Scott Peterson
Fort Collins, Colo.
What teams played the first professional soccer game in the United States and who won?
RM: This is a far more complex question than you could possibly realize, Scott, because in various shapes and forms, many pro teams and leagues have come and gone in this century. And many foreign club and international teams have played exhibitions in the U.S.
For decades, starting in the late 1920’s, the old American Soccer League fielded semipro squads that would play amongst themselves and also play in extensive exhibition schedules against top foreign teams ranging from Liverpool and Celtic to Hakoah. These teams dominated the U.S. Open Cup, recognized in some circles as the true national championship because teams from all over the country entered. Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Lothar Osiander won the Open Cup with the San Francisco Greek-Americans in 1985 and 1994.
The ASL itself consisted of semipro teams in the Northeast (Massachusetts to Maryland) of mostly ethnic extraction. The Kearny Irish team of Kearny, N.J. (hometown of John Harkes and Tony Meola) won the ASL in 1934; Roma SC of New Jersey won the 1966 title.
In the early 1960s, entreprenuer Bill Cox staged annual mini-seasons with foreign teams in his International Soccer League, and drew some impressive crowds. The 1962 title, for example, went to Dukla Prague of Czechoslovakia, which beat America of Rio de Janeiro 3-2 on aggregate (1-1, 2-1). The 2-1 match was played at Randall’s Island in New York City before a crowd of 20,185. Most matches in 1962 were played in New York, although some were staged in Chicago and two each were played in Mexico and Chicopee, Mass. (chosen for its large Portuguese population to watch Belenenses, at the time one of Portugal’s top clubs.)
In 1967, American pro soccer really got going with not one, but two leagues. The United Soccer Association (USA, get it) drafted entire foreign teams to compete as American franchises: Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, for example, became the Boston Rovers. The USA kicked off on May 26, 1967, with the Washington Whips (in reality, the Scottish club Aberdeen) beating the Cleveland Stokers (Stoke City of England) 2-1 in front of 9,403 fans. There were 12 USA teams in 1967, and the Los Angeles Wolves (Wolverhampton of England) won the title by beating Washington 6-5 on July 14, 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in, get this, SUDDEN-DEATH OVERTIME!
Competing with the FIFA-sanctioned USA was the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL), which stocked 10 teams by luring mostly foreign pros into a renegade (unsanctioned) operation. All 10 teams competed on the NPSL’s opening day of April 16, 1967. The Oakland Clippers eventually won the NPSL title by topping the Baltimore Bays in a two-game championship series. Baltimore won the first leg at home 1-0, but Oakland romped in the second game, 4-1.
In 1968, the USA and NPSL merged to form the 17-team North American Soccer League, which opened on March 30 of that year.
You can cite any of those startups, or San Jose’s 1-0 win over D.C. United on April 6, 1996 as the “birth” of American pro soccer.
David C. Phillips
Mableton, Ga.
Has any other country experimented with playing soccer on AstroTurf? I seem to remember reading about “plastic pitches” in England, and I think I saw a picture of a goalie somewhere making a save on what looked like artificial turf. If they did, how long did the experiment last?
DI: “Today even the grass had gone … In the summer they had dug up the old grass pitch and replaced it with the new man-made wonder stuff, bright green and totally dead. They had sold off the old pitch at twenty shillings a square foot. People had formed queues to buy a slice of sentimental sod.”
No, it’s not HG Wells after a bad night on the ale, but a 1971 future-shock novel entitled “They Used to Play on Grass” by a certain Terry Venables.
In case you’re interested, the government bans soccer after a fan is killed at a game, but the clubs keep their stadiums open and hooligans get to spend the afternoon beating each other up without nasty little inconveniences like soccer getting in the way.
Not one of Tel’s better moments (neither was singing Sinatra medleys on Catalan TV) but it didn’t land him in court and — surprise — he was right on the money on this occasion.
In 1980, a few years after his novel had been remaindered, QPR — a former club of Venables and one, I think, he was coaching at the time — introduced a plastic pitch. Luton Town and Oldham followed suit. The idea was that it would drag soccer kicking and screaming into the 20th century, that clubs could play in all weather conditions and that they wouldn’t have to spend a fortune on ground staff and lawnmower parts.
All three clubs did quite well on plastic surfaces, which served to partly disguise the fact that they were uniformly horrible, but especially on the road. Liverpool particularly hated the surfaces — Kenny Dalglish, an Olympian whiner, kept a special reserve of spleen to vent about Kenilworth Road.
Actually, players, coaches, directors and fans all hated them because of the way the ball played, so teams would play the long-ball, hit-and-hope variety of soccer. Then there was the risk of injuries — a Stuart Pearce bone-cruncher was one thing, but at least you expected that. Leg burns? Nah! — and the fact that like most new inventions that hit the UK, they are of the cheap and nasty, cost-cutting variety.
But there were also strides made on the part of the groundskeepers. Clubs began to develop under-soil heating, which could make a field just about playable under almost all conditions and in 1988, Oldham’s Boundary Park became the last English stadium to rip out the plastic and replace it with slices “of sentimental sod.” Strange, but I don’t think their were any takers for the plastic squares.
Edward Shelton
Long Beach, Calif.
In the formation 4-4-2, How deep are the two forwards allowed to come back into the defending third of the field? In other words, how defensive is their requirement to this formation?
Poul Swain: In my opinion, the defensive requirements for the two forwards would be minimal.
One of the forwards would probably back track to receive the ball from the midfielders, while the other would barely even cross midfield. The two might alternate who does what or they may have distinct roles. Some teams have a possession type forward, kind of a post-up player, and a faster player who runs off the ball more.
However, there might be the rare instance where a forward finds himself in a position where his team is pushing forward and has lost the ball and he must cover for his teammate.
Steve Creutzinger
Cincinnati, Ohio
How many steps can a goalie take before releasing the ball? Can a goalie bounce the ball while waiting for his team mates to push downfield?
PS: The official FIFA rules states “A player…when playing as a goalkeeper and within his own penalty area…takes more than four steps in any direction whilst holding, bouncing, or throwing the ball in the air and catching it again, without releasing it into play…shall be penalized by the award of an indirect free kick to be taken by the opposing side from the place where the infringement occurred.” However this is a law that is often abused by goalies and overlooked by refs.
Yes, the goalie can bounce the ball. But he must release the ball within a reasonable period of time or he may be called for timewasting.
Kristal Brady
Odenton, Md.
What are the basic keys to playing great defense (besides staying goal side of the forward)? Do you use the high knees concept or what? What can I do to be able to jump higher (I am short just like Jorge Campos. I am 5-foot-4)?
PS: Anticipation is important. If you can get to the ball first, it’s yours. If a player gets the ball, try not to let her turn (i.e. get close to her). If she does turn on you, then jockey her and time your tackle. You don’t want to lunge in, if you do you commit yourself and you’ll likely get burned. Wait for the player to make the slightest mistake, then when you see your opening to get the ball, tackle.
To jump better, perhaps you can try wearing ankle weights and doing jumping reps. I can’t promise this will make you able to dunk, but you should be able to see some improvement in your vertical leap.