Sporting Kansas City? What happened to the Wizards?

Ah, the MLS. The American attempt at soccer, gone almost completely wrong.

First it was the fact their marketing campaign aiming at soccer moms. Then, it was the tiny ten thousand spectators watching a game in an 80,000 capacity NFL stadium. But now, all of that is in the past, it doesn't matter now as new "soccer specific" stadiums were built, and the marketing is geared toward a younger generation.

But this is just stupid.

So today I woke up to find the rosters of the US Men's National Team for the January 22, 2011 match against Chile. In the roster, there were twenty MLS players, including this one guy from "Sporting Kansas City". At first, I thought that the writer got the name from a USL division team, because I was pretty sure that there was no team with that name in the MLS. But I was wrong.

The team we all knew of as the Kansas City Wizards was one of those teams stuck in high school quality stadiums right in the middle of no where last season. But this coming MLS season, not only is the team moving into Kansas City (the one that's in Kansas), its also changing its name and moving into a new "state-of-the-art" stadium.

Rebranding from a franchise that hasn't had much success in marketing itself. So far, there has only been one year when they have had crowds of 15,000 or more. But now, with a new name and a new home, the Kansas City Wizards have a chance to prove their worth.

But they also have a chance at messing up, much like FC Dallas did. Of course, FC Dallas is a good team stuck in the middle of a snobbishly rich suburb almost as far as they can get from the center of the main population without getting out of Dallas completely. Kansas City, on the other hand, has the best of both worlds. They're not only stuck in the middle of no where, in a city of only 140,000 on the Kansas side of Kansas City, but they also haven't done as good as they would want to in the MLS.

I really can't see where they even got the money to afford to move into their state of the art new stadium (which is a really awesome place to play and watch the game, by the way). But the stadium might also help the club, if the 2011 team is a good team.

As was seen in the MLS's debut season, any new sports team or sports facility creates more fans, at least for the first season. If Sporting Kansas City can make the 2011 MLS season a good season, they will get themselves some needed fans. They already averaged 10,000 fans per game last year, selling out almost every game in their tiny stadium. That's pretty good for a team playing in a small baseball stadium.

Since the real, populated, Kansas City (in Missouri) is just across the border, Kansas City can avoid the fate of FC Dallas if fans do decide to cross the border into Kansas. The Fifth Official thinks that Sporting Kansas City will experience a growth in attendance next season and beyond. A stadium in a dense city like Kansas City has the ability transform Kansas City into an MLS success story. Maybe the rebranding only serves as a precursor of good things to come.

American "Fat"ball, Rio Ferdinand, and the SoccerXizer

Doesn't this make you cringe? The entire world laughs away as the fat snots of America watch this advertisement ready to get into debt for a stupid piece of exercise equipment.

Yes, this is fake, and an advertisement for a Europa League sponsor, poking fun at how Americans don't know anything about soccer. But isn't it somewhat... wrong?

I mean, the United States does have the passion for the beautiful game. Go into any soccer bar when Arsenal plays Manchester United, and you'll see how passionate people are. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you should find at least one Mexican-gone-white taking some shots watching the game in a corner trying to drown out the yells of the NFL bar next door.

As negative as that is, there's not that many people that care about the Gunners or the Red Devils.

But the bar really is a place to find some soccer passion. The MLS has experienced enormous growth in the sixteen years that it has existed. But does anyone in a city like Phoenix cares about a team like the LA Galaxy. Does anyone in Nevada cares about the New York Red Bulls acquiring Thierry Henry (if they could even pronounce his name). The MLS has been very local, and very isolated. This is exactly why you will find more people passionate about soccer in cities with soccer teams, than cities out in the Midwest full of snobby fitness crazed ladies who can't care less about sports. In other words, local passion for soccer grew, and people flocked to sports bars to watch important MLS matchups. The lonely Hispanic ain't lonely no more.

If you really want to see the passion we Americans have for the beautiful game, go to the games. With about sixteen thousand people buying tickets for each game on average, its hard to say that the United States has no passion for soccer. Though some MLS franchises are indeed... in a horrible condition, many teams have made a name for themselves, often averaging more than 20k in attendance every season.

Then again, an average of 16k fans spread over 16 teams is pretty sorry compared to the 67k in attendance for each of the 40 or so teams in the NFL. As much as the NFL is criticized, the criticisms that it goes through is much less than what the MLS experiences. Plus, those criticisms aren't biased; they're usually rumors about how one guy cheated on his wife, or a locker room tussle. The only cristicism that the MLS has to deal with is "Soccer sucks." or "Soccer is boring" or (for the minority that is soccer literate) "I'll watch a game when they get some good players out on the pitch." While NFL Quarterbacks get attention for winning the Super Bowl, has FC Dallas ever been recognized for making the MLS Cup Final? Have the Colorado Rapids been recognized for winning the MLS Cup? No, they haven't.

In common culture soccer has never been very accepted. Very few cities have people talking about any soccer league or important match. Both the media and the old-country folk know about the next game of American football, and all those fatasses they call players (I see where common people get their eating habits from). But there's only urban outposts that have die hard soccer fans.

So I guess the video is pretty accurate. Soccer illiterate America only cares about fitness, and watching "fatball". Hypocritical indeed, isn't it?

Guess Who's Back...

Yes, you've heard right. He's Back. This time, it's without a hood on.

In a hectic year of football, you've barely heard of the legend Wayne Rooney. Until now. Do you know why? Because he's back... from Oregon.

That, and because he's ready to climb back up the ranks at Manchester United. Again. After being accused of doing some naughty things, almost getting killed after the controversy over his ridiculously huge paycheck, and a trip from good old Oregon, Rooney's back.

As he has showed us in previous games against Blackpool and recently against Arsenal, Rooney is at full fitness, ready to play.

But will he score any goals? So far this year, he has only scored two penalties, one in the EPL, and one in the Champions League. Last year, it would be impossible to see Rooney celebrate a goal. But as his last goal showed, Rooney loves the fact that he's even on the pitch.

But does Rooney really need to score right now? Manchester United has got Dimitri Berbatov, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, and Nani as some of the best scorers this season. But he's also been paid a ridiculous sum of money to score. But will he?

FC Dallas: The Most Profitable Club in the MLS

"Hello again, on this wonderful day in the future. It's a sunny day at Pizza Hut Park, with the recent addition of more than 50,000 seats. As the players warm up, with a small crowd of 45,000 in attendance, Juan Agudelo, the next superstar in American soccer comes out to greet the crowd with his teammate, the team's recent acquisition, Jozy Altidore. With the Colombian David Farreira still playing at age 35, FC Dallas seems more than ready to crush their opposition.

Though it is a friendly, Dallas is forced to go up against some tough opposition: the LA Galaxy. Now armed with Ronaldhino, Landon Donavan, Edson Buddle (he's back from a loan to Liverpool), and Jermaine Boateng, they are as good as ever, in a position to avenge Dallas' 2010 playoff rout in the Home Depot Center. They've never made it back to the playoff semifinals ever since that day.

Coming off of the United States' world cup win in Brazil, with the "underdog" American team making a rout of every country willing to face them, the USMNT has become the new Brazil of world soccer. As amazing as that is, its not surprising at all.

If a team like Dallas was able to bounce out of unprofitability with the addition of youth players, the USMNT would no doubt make their way into international stardom. From 2011, FC Dallas experienced a huge growth in their fan base, all thanks to the huge Mexican population viewing the CONCACAF Champions League Final in Dallas, where Chivas de Guadalajara was beaten 5-0, completely shattered as a team of 11 of FC Dallas' youth academy (who were recently signed on the professional team) battered and bashed their way through an extremely disciplined all-Mexican team. With both teams coming off recent league titles, a packed Pizza Hut Park witnessed Dallas completely destroy the Goats of Mexico. With a half-and-half fan ratio, Dallas no doubt took all of the spoils, and made their name known to the city of Dallas, now without the Dallas Cowboys (they moved to San Antonio following their horrible 2010 season). The next season, 19,450 people made their way over to Frisco to watch the MLS season opener. As 20,000 people watched, Dallas no doubt made their name shine on the game against Chivas..."

Now we all know that this is as close to impossible as it gets. But it's not much of a fantasy. FC Dallas, though it does have a horrible fan base, is a very good team, with a brilliant youth soccer program. If Dallas can find a way to attract more fans, it would probably be much more profitable with new American star players. With good players, fans are sure to come. With the right marketing (instead of the fail marketing going on right now), and a new stadium (perhaps back to the Cotton Bowl) Dallas will pull through. Then again, with Clark Hunt as the owner, anything [bad] is possible.

Chelsea Shakily Draws with Everton

Over the past few weeks, Chelsea really hasn't been in its best form. The Premier League's Premier team starting suffering losses. Not just one or two, but four. At Stamford Bridge today, Chelsea barely made it out alive against the "Old Everton" as they drew 1-1.

It's hard to conceive Chelsea almost losing at home to a team like Everton, now ranked just above Aston Villa. But it happened.

In front of a crowd of 47,000 the game seemed like another normal game (though Everton do have a habit of stealing points at Stamford Bridge). The first half seemed to affirm that Everton would have troubles througout the ninety minutes as Tim Howard ran into Nicolas Anelka pouncing on a horrible backpass from Phil Neville, getting a yellow card. This brought on a penalty, which Drogba scored perfectly. Four minutes later, the whistle blew as the first half came to a close.

After the break, Everton came on to the pitch as a totally different team. Keeping possession for most of the half, Everton ran circles around the Chelsea defense numerous times, though failing to convert. Then, at the 86th minute, Leighton Baines made a big run forward, beating three defenders, and crossed the ball. Two seconds later, teamwork from Tim Cahill, and Jermaine Beckford beat Cech past the line. Finally, with four minutes remaining of the game, Everton scored.

But that wouldn't end the game. The ref allowed seven minutes of injury time. Plenty of time for either side to score, though no one did. But it did seem as if Everton would score again. Anxiety in the Chelsea crowd grew as Everton kept putting in dangerous crosses into the box. Chelsea was begging for the final whistle to blow, and put an end to their worries. Finally, after seven excruciating minutes, the final whistle blew at Stamford Bridge, temporarily putting an end to Chelsea's troubles.

USA loses World Cup 2022 Bid to Qatar: Why it's a Good Thing for US Soccer Fans

Soccer in the United States has grown a lot since the 1994 world cup. Perhaps this is why we were at it again trying to land a bid for 2022. As much of an idiotic decision it was to give the 2022 World Cup to a tiny country in the Middle East with only one big city, FIFA carried it out. Even as a logistical nightmare, Qatar, out of all the bids presented, was chosen.

Nothing's wrong with Qatar or its people. I mean, it has the money to do amazing things. Just take a look at their plans for all the stadiums.

The only problem with their bid was that they would have to pack millions of fans within their one major city, Doha, and get them transportation to the stadiums.

But as we all know, FIFA is not really based on logical thinkers. Who knows how many back-room deals were made with Qatar? But whatever the case, you have to say that island stadiums are pretty impressive. Don't believe what old people tell you, it's always brauns before brains, not the other way around!

Anyways, the fact that Qatar has the World Cup to look forward to makes the United States better off. At least on the soccer field.

At this point, soccer really hasn't taken off in the United States like it did before the Great Depression. At this point, the MLS and all subsecuent tiers of professional men's soccer aren't catching up with fan base seen in leagues in Europe and South America. Crowds at these games are getting to the 17,000-per-game mark, but compared to the crowds in Europe, its a pretty small number.

But its growing, not only in quality, but also in revenue. According to the MLS commissioner, the MLS should be a top quality league by 2022. I know, he said this would happen if the World Cup was brought to the U.S. But the MLS is still growing at an amazing speed.

However, its not right to talk only about MLS fans. Its also important to look at all the fans of Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, C.D. Chivas, Santos, and all of the other soccer teams in the world. Altogether, they do make up a big part of the population in the United States. Which was one of the reasons the United States was taken as a serious bid for 2022.

Although it is true that having the World Cup in the United States would make more people crazy about the Beautiful Game, it's also true that many Americans don't care about their local teams or the US national team. As quality builds up in both club teams and the national team, more people will become fans of American soccer. Because of this, you'll start seeing kids on the street playing the street soccer the world knows.

In other words, soccer needs time to develop even more than the level its at right now. The U.S. is still not soccer crazy enough. We still have 8 years until bidding for 2026, so we have a long time to get things right. We still have time to see fans parading down the street after their team won a local rivalry. In eight years, who knows how big of TV contracts can be acquired by domestic leagues? I don't, but what I do know is that we should only bring the World Cup here when we're crazy enough about soccer.