[nas] Messing on U.S. players/San Antonio MLS/New United Striker?/Yallop

Some timely articles today. FYI
Bd


-A much improved landscape for American soccer players 

By Shep Messing
MSGNetwork.com - Thursday, September 04, 2003 

In the mid 1970's, the following was written regarding a young American
goalkeeper, Norm Wingert.

Prior to the match, Miller had stated that his team should not be
favored,
as he was using mostly young American kids and would have to play "the
American way--plenty of scrap and hustle--to overcome" their lack of
experience. However, notwithstanding this or the fact that St. Louis out
shot the Atoms 21-11, Philadelphia prevailed in a 5-3 win. The sharp play
of
reserve keeper Norm Wingert was the difference, as his 18 saves
frustrated
the Stars' attempts to take a commanding lead early in the match.
Meanwhile,
the Atoms relied on two goals by Bobby Ludwig and one goal apiece from
Karl
Minor, Joe Luxbacher, and 37-year old Walt Chyzowych.

Norm Wingert and I broke into professional soccer the same year, he as a
goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Atoms and I signed with the New York
Cosmos.
We both chafed under the challenges facing American players in a
predominantly foreign league. Had our positions been reversed, Norm might
have been the one to enjoy the glory of the Cosmos era. Norm was tough,
lightning quick with great hands. He was and still I imagine is, a super
guy.

My point in this brief introduction is how far the pendulum has swung and
how dramatically improved the landscape is for American players. While
Norm
was a true pioneer, his son is the product of a generation brought up
playing soccer. As the captain and center back on St. John's nationally
ranked team, Chris Wingert is a favorite to capture the Hermann Award. He
is
poised, intelligent, reads the game well and has the technical skill of
player that has worked hard and has been coached well. He chose the route
of
staying in school to graduate rather than opting for an earlier shot at
the
pros.


-Council kicking around MLS idea  
   
By Tom Orsborn  
San Antonio Express-News - Friday, September 05, 2003

City Council on Thursday strongly encouraged Alamodome director Mike
Abington to continue his efforts to bring a Major League Soccer team to
San
Antonio in time for the 2005 season.

Abington also received support from council members intrigued with the
possibility of the city hosting an exhibition match between an MLS squad
and
a team from Mexico.

Abington said such an event has been discussed and could happen next
spring.


"I think soccer is the way to go," said Chip Haass, who represents
District
10. "And I think if we do anything with international soccer, it will be
a
big economic boost for San Antonio. International soccer is successful
wherever it goes."

Abington gave MLS officials a tour of the Alamodome last month and
recently
went to Mexico to talk to potential owners. Abington declined to disclose
the names of the potential investors, saying only that "there are
interested
parties out there."

The 10-team league, which has clubs in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and
Washington, has a $10 million expansion fee and hopes to add two teams in
2005.

MLS chief operating officer Mark Abbott said MLS has targeted nine cities
as
potential expansion sites. The others are Cleveland, Houston,
Minneapolis,
Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Rochester, N.Y., Seattle and Tulsa.

"San Antonio clearly meets the criteria of cities we would want to go
to,"
Abbott said via telephone from New York, "and it is one we are serious
about. 

"We think San Antonio is a good market, and we think it would do well."

Abbott said the MLS wants cities that have a strong local ownership
group, a
suitable facility for soccer, and commitments for sponsorships and season
tickets.

Abbott said the league, which has improved its presence on cable and
satellite television and is moving toward profitability, hopes to
announce
the expansion cities on Nov. 23 at the MLS championship in Los Angeles.

If the MLS comes to San Antonio, the dome once again would become home to
a
professional sports franchise. The Spurs departed after the 2001-02
season
for the SBC Center.

Abington said it's difficult for him to gauge the chances of San Antonio
landing a team. According to published reports, Houston and Philadelphia
seem to be the frontrunners for 2005 expansion.

"It's a tough contract," Abington said, referring to potential lease
negotiations with the MLS. "I don't have a feel for it right now. They
are
supposed to get back to us later this week or early next week. We should
know more at that time about what the expectations are."

Even if San Antonio doesn't land a team for 2005, it could be in line for
the next round of expansion, Abbott said. 

"We want to add two more teams for a total of 14 by '06 or '07," Abbott
said.

Abington cautioned that MLS will forget about San Antonio if the dome
doesn't get a turf system to replace the AstroTurf field it has used
since
opening in 1993.

"Without the turf, there is no soccer," Abington said.

Mayor Ed Garza's Alamodome Advisory Committee told the City Council on
Thursday that the dome needs $10.3 million worth of renovations,
including
$3 million for a new turf system.

Until new turf is purchased, the dome will likely rent the synthetic
grass
field the Cowboys used during training camp this summer from the company
that manufactured it, and use it for events such as the Alamo Bowl and
possible exhibition soccer games.

The Cowboys told the city recently that they want to hold their training
camp at the dome for four years beginning in 2005, but only if the dome
acquires a new turf field.

The MLS season typically runs from April through November. All 10 MLS
franchises play in outdoor facilities.



-United Close to Deal With Brazil's Martins 

>From News Services and Staff Reports
Washington Post - Friday, September 5, 2003

D.C. United is close to signing Brazilian forward Thiago Martins, the
A-League's leading scorer this year, sources said last night. 

Martins, who turned 27 yesterday, ran away with the minor league scoring
title with 22 goals and seven assists in 25 games for the Pittsburgh
Riverhounds. He also scored against United in a U.S. Open Cup match in
July.


"It's not a done deal, but it looks like a formality at this point," a
source said. 

Although the MLS signing period ended Aug. 20, United has been permitted
by
MLS to replace star defender Milton Reyes, who will not return to the
active
roster this year after suffering a serious knee injury in April. 

If the deal is finalized today, Martins would be eligible to play
Saturday
against Los Angeles at RFK Stadium.


-       Yallop on the list for Canada job 

By Chris Bergin
USSoccerUK.com - Friday, September 05, 2003

San Jose manager Frank Yallop is set to be one of main targets for the
Canadian Soccer Association following the resignation of technical
director
Holger Osieck. 

Yallop, a former Canadian national team star, is currently enjoying a
superb
career in MLS at the helm of the Earthquakes, guiding them to the 2001
championship in his first year in charge, as well as taking the
Californian
club into the playoffs for the third successive time this season -
becoming
the first team to make it to the 2003 postseason.

Yallop signed a deal with MLS in February of 2001 to head up the
Earthquakes
after a two year playing career with Tampa Bay. He also learnt his
coaching
skills at DC United before the move to California.

The former Ipswich Town player is yet to state how interested he is about
moving into international management, although no restricted timescale
has
been placed on any decision.

"It's very flattering to be mentioned as someone who maybe has a chance
of
getting the job but for me, right now, I've just got to concentrate on
what
I'm doing at San Jose," said Yallop to CP. 

"Both sides agreed that it was time for us to move in a new direction,"
said
CSA president Andy Sharpe. "A new head coach is expected to be chosen and
in
place by December, 2003."

The CSA will immediately begin the search for a replacement. World Cup
assistant coach Colin Miller will handle the head coaching
responsibilities
for Canada's international friendly against Finland on October 11, in
Tampere, Finland.



-No Adu on U.S. Under-20 Team 

By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post - Friday, September 5, 2003

Thomas Rongen, coach of the U.S. under-20 national team, said that
Potomac
phenom Freddy Adu almost certainly will not be a member of the squad that
participates in FIFA's World Youth Championship in November, although
that
decision is not a reflection of the striker's talent. 

Rongen will have only two training sessions and one exhibition game to
use
as preparation for his club before it departs for the United Arab
Emirates,
and he lacks sufficient time to integrate new players into his pool. Adu,
14, recently starred for the U.S. at the under-17 world championship and
is
expected to sign a professional contract shortly either with MLS or a
European team. Rongen's club rarely gets to play together as it is with
players split between European teams and U.S. clubs and colleges, and
after
consulting with national team Coach Bruce Arena and under-17 Coach John
Ellinger he decided not to add more youngsters to his roster. 

"Age, to me, is not a factor," said Rongen, who used to coach D.C.
United.
"First and foremost, it is, can you play at the next level, and I think
there are a few players who could do that. But the big question mark for
us
now is, how are we able with two days of training and one [exhibition]
game
to integrate any of those under-17 players to the under-20 national team?
And the timing is, quite frankly, not ideal. Those players are always in
consideration, but the reality right now is probably none of those
players
will appear on the under-20 World Cup roster." 

Injuries could open a spot or two, but even then Rongen has a long list
of
experienced under-20 players to choose from, and those players already
have
familiarity with the core group of starters. Adu was looking forward to
the
under-20 championship and believed he could compete at that level, but
now
will likely spend another school year training with the under-17 players
in
Bradenton, Fla., until he graduates from high school in May. The next
major
international competition for Adu could be the 2004 Olympics; that
tournament is an under-23 format and Adu could conceivably begin joining
that team for Olympic qualification in November as well as for various
sporadic training sessions over the next year. 

Rongen lacked that luxury in this case. 

"In a team sport, especially in soccer, when you talk about chemistry on
the
field there is a reason why teams spend two or three months in preseason
getting together to prepare," Rongen said. "The timing of runs and
understanding the strengths and weaknesses of teammates can take years
for a
professional team, and for me to introduce one or maybe more than one new
element would be very difficult at this stage. . . . 

"If we did try to bring [Adu] in at this point I would have to tell him
that
he isn't going to get any minutes in our exhibition game, because I have
to
look at the unit that will open the tournament, and it doesn't benefit
the
player and it doesn't benefit the team."

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