|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Familiar turf MLS expansion talks centering on ... New York?
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Here's the latest line on expansion in Major League Soccer: A second team in the New York City area for 2002 is a go. Philadelphia or Atlanta will also have an expansion team by that year. And Rochester, N.Y., whose A-League team outdraws several MLS teams, will have to wait until 2004 or even longer, if you read into the comments made by commissioner Don Garber, who addressed the expansion question in his state-of-the-league speech Friday. Garber said the Women's United Soccer Association would operate a team in MLS by 2002, and that MLS would do the same in the WUSA, a women's league set to kick off next spring. Since the MetroStars ownership has an option for the New York City area, that would seem to indicate that WUSA will operate a team in either Philadelphia or Atlanta. "There are a number of markets that have a great tradition of professional soccer and very strong grass roots support," Garber said in his state of the league speech. "These markets deserve an MLS team. Secondly, we need to expand the national footprint for television for media support." Does that mean Rochester will be left in the cold? Despite the fact the Raging Rhinos average close to 11,000 per match, Rochester is a small market and could be geographically in the wrong place at the wrong time. Let's say the league expands to Philadelphia. Wouldn't the league want to expand that "footprint" around the country to Houston, Seattle and Sacramento, which were mentioned by Garber along with Rochester, instead of just the east coast? As for a second team in the New York market, you would think the league would want to spread out the league to all four corners in this country and not put a team so close to the MetroStars, who haven't exactly set attendance records in their first five seasons. Yet, MetroStars owners John Kluge and Stuart Subotnick have had their eyes on a second New York team east of the Hudson River -- Long Island, Shea Stadium area or Connecticut. They have until November to exercise that option. It's their money and that's how they want to spend it. In a test game for the Long Island market, the MetroStars drew 5,183 for their U.S. Open Cup match against the Tampa Bay Mutiny at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale on Tuesday, which fell below their expectations of 8,000. Still, Subotnick wouldn't count out Long Island. "We got a reasonably good turnout," he said. "No real money was spent marketing the game. Looking at the crowd we got, it was very encouraging. It's a viable location. We can develop a fan base there." Subotnick is also high on Philadelphia. "Philadelphia is a very attractive market because of its proximity to the MetroStars," he said. "What I'm trying to do is to create a rivalry that is closer between two teams than the league has right now." Hmmm. Long Island, New York and Philadelphia is as about as close as it gets in professional sports these days. Garber also talked about now ratings grew on ESPN (up 19 percent) and espn2 (up 30 percent) in the 18 to 34 male demographic group. "These ratings are equal to Major League Baseball, greater than the NHL and significantly greater than the X-Games," he said. Garber, however, did not say exactly what the ratings were. The magic number for soccer would be 1.0 or higher. "We're pleased with the progress we made on television," he said. "But we still believe we have a long way to go. We need to continue to look at creative ways to present the sport on TV to bring the game closer to the fans." Garber could not elaborate on expansion or TV ratings because he had to return immediately to the league's board of governors meeting in the afternoon.
Zeroing in on DialloAll-star defender Mike Petke's got all-star striker Mamadou Diallo's number and it is zero, as in the number of goals the MLS scoring leader has scored against the MetroStars defender in three matches. Petke's latest whitewash came during a 3-0 U.S. Open Cup win on Tuesday. In fact, the Tampa Bay Mutiny striker took only two shots and was awarded a yellow card for elbowing Petke in the 16th minute. "The last time we played we talked and he said, 'No kicking.' I said let's play clean," Petke said. "Today he throws an elbow at me. I asked him about playing clean. He said, 'Not today.' That was great for me. I got to his head." Petke's secret to stopping Diallo? "You have a lot more success when you stay right next to him," he said. "He's one of the strongest and fastest players in the league. He makes you raise your level to play against someone like him. I'm the kind of guy that if I have to do something, I'll do it, even if I touch the ball only two times in a game." Diallo, incidentally, has 18 goals in as many games against the rest of the league. These two teams and all-stars meet again in Tampa on Aug. 16.
Special gut feeling on MLS All-Star GameWith only one game this weekend, I have no other choice but to do pick the All-Star. I'll take the Central Division over the West, 10-9. What's that? There's no Central Division playing on Saturday? There's only East and West? What's that? They decided to split the teams in clubs from east and west of Columbus? Hmmm. How confusing. It's fortunate they didn't have the game in Los Angeles or San Jose this season. OK, I'll take the West over the East then, 10-9, because the West has the best defensive midfielder in the game -- Chris Armas. That should be good for two or three less goals. You know, I still prefer my idea of the Over-30 players vs. the Under-30 players for the all-star game, or Chicago Fire GM Peter Wilt's idea of having captains pick the team. If MLS wants to show the sports world it is the new kid on the block with all these innovative ideas, it should go with a unique way to present the All-Star Game. If it doesn't work, then go back to the traditionally the next time around. After all, the players are supposed to have fun this weekend, right?
Sack of the weekOK, it's not a true firing. But members of Ghana's National Team are quite angry over the fact Italian coach Giuseppe Dossena's contract won't be renewed when it expires on Monday. In fact, the team may boycott future matches if Dossena isn't brought back to the team. Ghana, which most recently rolled to a 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Sierra Leone, lead their African group (which includes Nigeria, Liberia and Sudan). Ghana has lost only nine times out of 50 games during Dossena's two-year tenure.
Chip shotsJust wondering who those impostors were in Mutiny uniforms in that Open Cup match on Tuesday. Rarely have I witnessed an MLS team, the Central Division leaders at that, humiliated in the opening minutes of a match. Had it not been for the stellar goalkeeping of Andy Kirk and Eric Quill, who saved a shot off the line, the MetroStars easily have had enjoyed a 5-0 lead after 10 minutes. Honest. "I'm angry because we were the higher seed and we didn't host the game," Mutiny coach Tim Hankinson said. "I'm angry with the way the players tackled. I'm angry with the way the players played. It was uninspiring." At halftime, Hankinson, with his team trailing 2-0, threw up the white flag. He pulled star midfielder Carlos Valderrama and striker Mamadou Diallo, saying he didn't want to risk those players aggravating injuries they already had. Listening to the beginning of Hankinson's quote, you get the feeling that there still is tension between the coach and general manager Bill Manning.
Fusion coach Ray Hudson's take on his team's inability to score at the right time? "I just want to vomit," he said. "It was finger down the throat finishing. . . . They were a nervous wreck out there. We were hosing them in their own backyard. They dodged bullets the size of howitzers and they still had enough to come back and cut our heads off. I applaud them for that." By the time the MLS's all-time scoring leader finally scored late in the match, it was too little and too late.
"We played well together," Agoos said. "It was kind of like the old D.C. United of the past few years." United will need everything it will take to reach the postseason. One slip up and they're out of the playoff picture. The MLS schedule smiles favorably on United, which has to play Miami three times in league competition over 35 days (and a fourth time in the Open Cup), New England twice, San Jose once and Dallas once. By the way, word is the Rhinos are nowhere near the same team as the past two seasons, in personnel and intensity, so just reaching the A-League championship game this year could take some doing.
Last Sunday, Armas performed for the U.S. National Team in a World Cup qualifier in Costa Rica. On Tuesday, he was back home for the Chicago Fire's 1-0 U.S. Open Cup win over the Chicago Sockers. On Saturday, will don the West uniform in the MLS all-star game. And on Sunday, he plays for the U.S. Under-23 team in an international friendly in Indianapolis.
Let's say the federation gets the $100,000 and somehow manages to qualify for the final round. Barbados would have to play 10 more matches, including five on the road, in 2001 and probably need at least another $300,000.
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News. His third book, Soccer For Dummies, was published this spring.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
