CBA negotiations stalling, MLS players take to Twitter to speak out about low wages and free agency

Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Union have been in CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) negotiations for months, but little progress has been made.

Players seem to be holding their ground on two main issues - salaries and free agency. They're upset with the current structure and they're speaking out.

I took a crack at talking about the MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement situation. http://t.co/CnYMK0gmvS
— Bobby Warshaw (@bwarshaw14) January 16, 2015

(Warshaw: "You guys, you just made $4 million on the advertisement I wear across my chest, I shouldn't have to ask five times to get my $500 moving expenses reimbursed.")

With only 38 days left until the 2015 season begins the players hold all the leverage, and based on what they're saying and posting to social media, a strike seems imminent.

Former MLSer Bobby Warshaw told us why he thinks MLS may be headed for a work stoppage. Here's what some of the current players think.

Gonzalez says MLS players “are prepared to go on strike” if new CBA can’t be agreed to before 2015 season starts in March.
— Doug McIntyre (@DougMacESPN) January 20, 2015

I wonder if Giovinco knows that he will literally make more money in 2 days than some of his teammates will the entire year @MLS
— Harry Shipp (@championShipp11) January 20, 2015

Just asked Michael Bradley if free agency was an issue worth striking over in current CBA negotiations. "Absolutely." #mls #tfc
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) January 22, 2015

I agree completely with Michael Bradley. It is time that #MLS must have free agency
— Álvaro Saborío (@al_saborio) January 22, 2015

MLSPU: "We remain very far apart on important issues." #MLS http://t.co/afP6QEzCis pic.twitter.com/svP6XzUIk1
— Ben Jata (@Ben_Jata) January 22, 2015

After being a part of the #CBA talks last time, I get a real sense this group of players is ready/confident enough to strike 4 FreeAgency.
— Taylor Twellman (@TaylorTwellman) January 22, 2015

Orlando City GK Tally Hall goes in depth on MLS CBA talks. Does no free agency mean work stoppage? Bluntly: "Yes." http://t.co/YQIAGeFwne
— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) January 23, 2015

.@ToddDunivant: "Free agency has to be in this deal for the players to play on opening day." #Unity2015 http://t.co/IgooClPKRV
— MLS Players Union (@MLSPlayersUnion) January 24, 2015

The thought of having to fight for players who bled for and built MLS to simply get paid what they're worth is embarrassing #FreeAgency
— Mike Magee (@magee9) January 27, 2015

#SJEarthquakes players union rep Clarence Goodson talks #MLS CBA negotiations: "We are certainly prepared to strike." http://t.co/K6qkV3XmbD
— Robert Jonas (@robertjonas) January 27, 2015

A few more words from Warshaw on wages earned...
 

Pep Guardiola refuses to shake hands with MLS All-Star coach Caleb Porter

The MLS All-Star had some great goals and spectacular moments, but all of that went away when the final whistle was blown.

Bayern Munich head coach Pep Guardiola was upset with a couple hard tackles from Portland Timbers midfielder Will Johnson and Seattle Sounders defensive mid Osvaldo Alonso. And he made it clear with one little Dikembe Mutumbo-esqu finger wave.

The MLS All-Star game is supposed to be all fun and games, but the tackles clearly bothered Pep who voiced his frustration on multiple occasions throughout the game.

Caleb Porter considers Pep and idol of his so one can only imaging how he felt when. After numerous attempts to shake his on the field (and striking out) Porter moved on.

Pep Guardiola is a hero to Caleb Porter. Can only imagine how mortified Porter is that Guardiola wouldn't shake his hand. Undeserved.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) August 7, 2014

According to Sunil Gulati, President of US Soccer, all is now well though, with the two coaches shaking hands later on outside the locker room.

All good with Pep Guardiola and Caleb Porter. With them for nice handshake outside the locker room after the game. #MLSAllStar
— Sunil Gulati (@sunilgulati) August 7, 2014

NYCFC's Jason Kreis "very, very happy" with 110 x 70 field dimensions at Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK - On Monday, Major League Soccer's 21st team, New York City FC, released field plans for their inaugural season. The main kicker, all homes games are expected to be played at Yankee Stadium - 161st St, Bronx, NY 10451 - and could continue like that for the next three years.

NYCFC have not given a specific timeline as to how long they'll be staying at Yankee Stadium, but did note that it could be less and it could be more.

The field will stretch from the first baseline to the left field wall as opposed to a more traditional approach in years past with the field being situated on an angle from right field to left field.

The sidelines will run along the outfield wall (right-center) and the third baseline (image, above).

Yankee stadium will be redoing the current pitchers mound so that it can be removed and put back in via crane (for easy access), however the mound itself will not affect the actual playing field.

The projected field dimensions, 110 x 70, will make NYCFC's playing surface the smallest of any other team competing in MLS.

Current field dimensions for all 19 teams in MLS:

• 110x75 - 1 team
• 110x76 - 1 team
• 114x74 - 1 team
• 115x70 - 1 team
• 115x74 - 2 teams
• 115x75 - 2 teams
• 117x74 - 1 team
• 117x75 - 1 team
• 120x75 - 7 teams
• 120x77 - 1 team
• 120x80 - 1 team

Seven teams call home to a field that is 120x75 - 30 feet longer and 15 feet wider than what is expected at Yankee Stadium. The field which resembles the closest comparison is RFK Stadium (110x75).

Despite playing on a much smaller pitch than what is currently being used at Rio Tinto Stadium (120x75), NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis said he's "comfortable" with the reduced width. "Rio Tinto was 70 yards wide in 2009-10. I'm a very, very happy man."

Tim Pernetti at NYCFC Press Conference

After a barrage of questions regarding NYCFC's length of stay at Yankee Stadium and any future plans of building a soccer-specific stadium of their own, Chief Business Officer for the club, Tim Pernetti, put an end to the presser with one simple statement...

"When we open the door to a new soccer-specific stadium it will be spectacular!"

For more information on acquiring season tickets for NYCFC's first season in Major League Soccer, click here!

Can Major League Soccer save ESPN and the negative light it shines on athletes in America?

Turn on ESPN and what do you see? Murder. DUI's. Steroids. Crime. The list goes on and on. It's a growing problem in several major American sports and the media is having a "field day" with it.

While the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NCAA Football and others continue to make headlines for the wrong reasons, Major League Soccer is making headlines for the right reasons.

Earlier this season LA Galaxy's Robbie Rogers became the first openly gay male athlete to play in a major professional sports league in America. Leading up to the announcement that he would join LA this season, Rogers' story became increasingly popular throughout the mainstream media and a key focal point of change and growth in American professional sports.

Rogers made his first appearance with the LA Galaxy in the 77th minute on ESPN's MLS Game of the Week on Saturday, May 26; a 4-0 win over the Seattle Sounders. In front of a packed house, Rogers was gifted one of the loudest, uplifting reactions from MLS fans all season.

Flash forward a couple weeks later and it's almost as if nothing ever happened. What might possibly be the biggest story in Major League Soccer this season went from something controversial, problematic and revolutionary all at the same time to almost a non-issue.

If you compare Rogers' story to what is going on with Johnny Manziel right now, which is more inspiring, motivational, positive? Easy. So why does the mainstream media seem to focus so much on negativity? Instead of highlighting and praising athletes for the positive role they're portraying, the media seems to look for ways to accentuate their mishaps and make them the subject of even more controversy. Sometimes you can even catch the analysts on TV giving the player some form of fatherly advice.

A lot of people, including myself, think that soccer in America has not been given the respect it deserves from the mainstream media. Rarely do you see something highlighted on television or in the newspaper with regards to soccer. It's something that I think is going to change eventually, but when?

U.S. soccer does not generate nearly anything close to what the NFL or MLB does with regards to revenue, but from a media standpoint what are we teaching our youth? We shine a light on players in other sports who continue to let us down, while players in Major League Soccer are doing things lift others up. News has never been more accessible than it is today through social media, and according to this article (written 4/8/13) 37% of teenagers in the U.S. have their own smartphone. I'm sure that number has only gone up since then.

Aaron Hernandez (NFL), Alex Rodriguez (MLB), Ryan Braun (MLB), Johnny Manziel (NCAA), Tiger Woods (PGA) and even Kobe Bryant (NBA) have become global icons for their respective sports. All of these athletes have worked very hard to get where they are/were in their careers, but at some point or another have let us all down. When was the last time you could say that about a U.S. Soccer player?

Here are some of the latest search results from Google with regards to the six athletes named above. I've also included U.S. Men's National team player and LA Galaxy forward, Landon Donovan.

Google - Estimated number of results (7/31/13)

Alex Rodriguez - 157,000,000
Aaron Hernandez - 105,000,000
Tiger Woods - 68,400,000
Ryan Braun - 68,000,000
Kobe Bryant - 61,100,000
Johnny Manziel - 35,700,000
Landon Donovan - 19,100,000

You could argue that the difference between Alex Rodriguez and Landon Donovan (approximately 137,900,000 results) is so large mainly because Rodriguez is under investigation for steroid use. We all know that he makes more money than Donovan and that he's a bigger star among the mainstream media, but why do people insist on giving a bad seed more and more publicity?

Rodriguez is 38 years old and he hasn't done anything for the United States of America. He really hasn't done all that much for Major League Baseball either. If anything, he's ruining the entire sport and its reputation. Didn't the U.S. Men's National team just win the 2013 Gold Cup? Shine some light on that.

ESPN has seen a decline in ratings this year and it serves them right. Some people are even having a little fun mocking it (Dave Letterman's Top 10 lowest rated shows on ESPN). Breaking news is great, but when you go on and on about the same subject it gets old. If soccer is the most popular sport in the world, why not put it on TV more often?

This brings us to some good news! ESPN FC, ESPN's new soccer show that will air Sunday through Friday at 530pm ET starting August 11. What this show does ratings wise could be very beneficial for the growth of soccer in America. Details regarding the hosts and primary focus of the show have not yet been released, but we'll find out soon enough.

ESPN's show will not be the only new soccer show set to air in August. Fox Sports 1 will introduce FOX Soccer Daily on August 19. This show is also 30 minutes long (starts at 4pm ET) and will be recorded from a studio in Los Angeles. For more details on the show, click here.

As a kid, I grew up idolizing all athletes. I was in awe of them. But now, because of their actions and the way they're portrayed on TV and in the mainstream media, I've become more cautious. Anybody can be a good athlete, maybe even a phenomenal one if they work hard enough, but character is what earns you respect in my opinion, and until you have that...you're nothing.

Here's hoping that ESPN FC kills it! In a good way.

New York Red Bulls 1, LA Galaxy 0: Why Carlo Cudicini shouldn't be blamed for Tim Cahill's game-winning goal

It's been a while since I last posted on here, but today's game (New York Red Bulls vs LA Galaxy) tested my patience. And since Twitter only lets me vent in 140 characters or less, here I am.

I don't have a favorite MLS team. I root for action-packed games and creative play from both sides, but my main focus is on fantasy soccer. I want certain players to do well so today I needed a LA Galaxy clean sheet.

Tim Cahill's game-winner in the 92nd minute is the main reason I'm a little heated right now, and in my opinion, Carlo Cudicini is not the only person responsible. Let me tell you who is and why.

Here's the breakdown on the game-winning goal...

The picture above was taken three seconds before Juninho crosses the ball into the box (via set-piece) in the 91st minute. After the ball is kicked, it's in the air for just under two seconds before Tim Cahill heads home the game-winner, leaving me, along with several Galaxy players stunned.

So, what's wrong with this picture?

First let's look at the matchups and see who is marking who: Omar Gonzalez/Thierry Henry, Sean Franklin/Jamison Olave, Todd Dunivant/Markus Holgersson and AJ DeLaGarza/Tim Cahill. The rest of the players pictured for LA; Greg Cochrane (hiding behind Omar), Gyasi Zardes and Rafael Garcia are marking nobody.

Dax McCarty and Lloyd Sam are completely unmarked. Why? Did LA fail to communicate with each other properly on the most important set-piece of the game? The answer is simple. Yes.

Is this Omar's fault? Is he the leader of the team when it comes to defending set-pieces? How can he see two guys completely unmarked and not be yelling at someone to get on them? Let's take a closer look.

Which player is responsible for the goal? (No. 1 = most reliable)

1. Gyasi Zardes - There are a lot of things that upset me with the way some players act on the field and silly fouls are very high on that list. I don't have the best access to picture quality at the moment so bear with me. Zardes fouls Roy Miller at the bottom of the screen right around the 90:30 mark.

Why?

Miller is dribbling towards the sideline with two options basically - he can pass to Jonny Steele or try to beat Zardes, Franklin and others off the dribble. The foul allows Juninho (a set-piece magician) to set up one final opportunity in the closing minutes of a 0-0 game. To me, this alone makes Zardes the No. 1 reason why the Galaxy lost today. If there's no foul, there's no set-piece. If there's no set-piece, there's no goal. It's not rocket science.

Even though Zardes commits the initial foul he can still make up for it by defending properly, but Zardes wastes time, precious time (pictured below). He takes too long to get back and mark up. Dunivant already has Holgersson, which means Zardes should move to either Olave or Cahill.

If Zardes is the second-tallest player on the field for the Galaxy at 6'2" behind Omar Gonzalez (6'5"), why isn't he marking someone who's a scoring threat in the air? Not only is he not marking a tall target, he pretty much marks no one at all. He basically just tracks back into space once the ball is kicked.

And why is AJ DeLaGarza (5'9") marking one of the best aerial players (Cahill) in the entire league? If Gonzalez has Henry, Dunivant has Holgersson and Franklin has Olave, Zardes' needs to be on Cahill, right?

2. Greg Cochrane - After the foul Cochrane immediately marks up on Dax McCarty, which is exactly what he should do. But, when McCarty moves behind the Gonzalez/Henry matchup, Cochrane gets lost and doesn't respond immediately. Then, instead of moving in front of Omar to get back to his original position, he runs behind him. This move is what keeps Tim Cahill in an onside position.

Since Cochrane keeps Cahill onside, he's the second player responsible for today's debacle in my opinion.

3. Carlo Cudicini - Bruce Arena was quoted as saying that the ball served up by Juninho was 90 percent keepers ball, and I agree to some extent. You can put a lot of blame on Cudicini for not coming out and punching the ball away, but in all honesty, he has roughly 1.5 seconds to make that decision from when Juninho strikes the ball. That's not a whole lot of time.

Cudicini struggled judging the flight path of the ball due to the angle of the kick and swerve it carried through the air. Juninho put just enough pace on the ball, causing Cudicini to second guess coming out. If you take a screenshot of the ball when it hits Cahill's head, there's no question it's Cudicini's ball to get rid of. But, it's much more complicated than that. If this were a corner kick, I'd be all over Cudicini, but the positioning of this free kick makes the keepers' job a lot harder than it looks.

4. Bruce Arena - It's tough putting the blame solely on coaches in soccer because they can only do so much. In this case, Arena prepared the marking matchups for set-piece situations so I have to find him at fault to some extent. Arena (pictured above, lower left) is standing calm and collected (with his arms crossed) while the second-tallest player on his team tries to delay time by standing in front of Juninho; who is simply just setting up the ball for one final kick. Juninho isn't trying to rush the kick, so why isn't Arena yelling at Zardes to get back and mark up. Arena is a legend, but not every player is as tactically gifted as a Robbie Keane or a Landon Donovan. Zardes is 21 years old and has played just 124 minutes in a Galaxy uniform this year. He's inexperienced and needs direction. If I'm Bruce Arena at the time of this picture, I'm screaming at the top of my lungs for him to get back and mark up.

The real heroes for New York aren't just Juninho and Cahill. Watch the goal again and notice how Henry avoids rushing in for the ball entirely, holding Gonzalez off long enough to prevent him from tracking back to clear the ball. If Henry runs in and tries to head the ball, he either disrupts Cahill's run or allows Gonzalez just enough time to get back and make a clearance with his head. It's the little things like this that made the Red Bulls the smarter team on this particular set-piece. This is what teams need to do to win championships. It's kind of like saying, "in your face" but without words, just movement. Henry, I applaud you on this one.

FYI: I was sitting 10 rows behind Juninho when he took the kick so I saw it all unfold right in front of me.

2012 MLS All-Star MVP should've been...

As soon as ESPN cut back after the break to show the MVP presentation at the 2012 MLS All-Star game, I expected to see Vancouver Whitecaps defender Jay DeMerit. Unfortunately he wasn't there, but instead stood a front-runner for this years' MLS Comeback Player of the Year award, Chris Pontius.

Surprised? Yes. Shocked? Yes again. Sure Pontius got the equalizer and helped play a bit of a role in the game-winner, but anybody watching that game knew who the real MVP was. Even if I was picking the second best, or even the third best player on the pitch it wouldn't have been Pontius - no offense Chris.

DeMerit made numerous tackles, clearances and blocks, while his decision making was spot on as well - that of a former and (should be) present U.S. Men's National team player.

The team was playing superb in the first half, but the injury to Aurelien Collin (soon to be official on MLSSoccer.com) really hurt the MLS back line. Not necessarily in terms of production. More so it threw off their rhythm, ultimately leading to Chelsea's first goal of the night.

It was a joy to see the all the players clicking at such a high level. Their pace was extraordinary and their passing was spot-on. Sure Chelsea isn't in peak condition like MLS players are, but for the majority of the first half - other than a few spurts - they were seriously outplayed.

I could go on and on about how well the MLS players performed in the first half, but I won't because that's not really what this post is about.

Back to the MVP discussion - Beckham second and De Rosario and Beitashour in a tie for third.

For those of you that don't already know, David Beckham is an amazing player and MLS is extremely benefiting from him being here. Honestly, the guy deserves anything he wants. No other player I have EVER watched has had the ability to play the long ball more accurately than David Beckham has. What you witnessed last night was normal, everyday stuff from him.

Now let's discuss DeRo and Beitashour to wrap this up. DeRo is a great all around player. He's been doing it for years. If you have been watching the game you really don't need for me to go on. Steven Beitashour on the other hand has been that diamond in the rough coaches are trying to find. I haven't looked at the micoach numbers yet, but I'm sure they read this - Beitashour ran the most sprints, reached the highest speed and tallied the highest total distance covered by any player on the field - or at least for any MLS player.

No matter who the MVP was we have to appreciate the effort and skill put forth by all of the MLS players last night. I'm kicking myself for not going now.

MLS Week 8: Good vs Poor - Decisions that lead to goals

Goals don't just happen. There's a reason why they happen - either a bad pass to a defenseless keeper, a great tackle that changes the possession, or maybe even an off the ball run which allows a teammate to get free on goal. No matter what the circumstance is, when it comes to scoring or conceding goals - there's always a could've, should've, would've on both sides of the ball.

Let's take a look at how a key goal developed in Week 8 and expand upon it from both sides.

Chicago Fire vs. Seattle Sounders: Breaking down the own goal conceded by Arne Friedrich

Point #1 - Pressure forces poor decision making

At 36:45 Chicago Fire goalkeeper, Sean Johnson, catches the ball and rolls a short pass to Dan Paladini. Seattle Sounders' right back Adam Johansson immediately closes on him, forcing him to turn back to goal and lay the ball off to Gonzalo Segares. Segares has a clean pass to Patrick Nyarko up the line, but Jeff Parke immediately closes on him, forcing Nyarko to get rid of it quickly as well.

The ball eventually ends up at the feet of Jalil Anibaba who is, once again, immediately pressured by a Sounders player (Eddie Johnson). Instead of playing the ball back to Johnson who can launch it up field - Anibaba decides to switch the field of play in his own half. The high wind gusts force the ball to sail behind Dan Gargan and out of bounds, giving Seattle possession deep in Chicago's half. A few passes later the ball winds-up back in Seattle's half where a mistake by the Sounders' keeper almost changes EVERYTHING.

Point #2 - One touch can make all the difference
At 37:40 Sounders' goalkeeper Michael Gspurning receives the ball from Parke about 5 yards out of his box. He too makes a somewhat questionable decision (with the high wind gusts) by trying to chip the ball to Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. Sebastian Grazzini's eyes light up as he sees the ball drifting right to him. Normally Grazzini will do much better here, but his first touch slightly gets away, allowing Hurtado (the only defender standing in his way of a sure goal) to win a crucial last line tackle. This tackle not only denies Chicago of a clear scoring opportunity, but ultimately leads to the start of an attack that results in a Sounders goal a mere 20 seconds later.

Point #3 Regroup and use your vision
After the tackle Osvaldo Alonso controls the ball and distributes to David Estrada around midfield. Estrada passes it back to Alonso who then feeds a brilliant half-field thru ball to a streaking Eddie Johnson. Johnson gathers the ball by the end-line and passes to Estrada who has just caught up to the play. Estrada's pass towards Freddy Montero has no shot of getting there, but a poor touch from Arne Friedrich catches Sean Johnson in "no man's land" and gives the Sounders the lead going into halftime.

Match Highlights and Recap - Chicago Fire vs. Seattle Sounders

How it could've been avoided...
Multiple things could've went differently between Johnson's distribution to Paladini and the own goal by Friedrich. Pressure helps force turnovers, but the costly mistake was Anibaba trying to do too much. He should've known what the wind was doing to the ball, especially by the 38th minute.

Seattle instantly benefited by regaining possession, but almost gave it right back. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (returning from an ACL injury) was my "Man of the Match" along with Osvaldo Alonso in this game. The Seattle back line had its hands full with Nyarko and Oduro all night, but Hurtado was a key contributor in Seattle's victory - at both ends of the field.

MLS Video: My Skill Set - Portland Timbers' Franck Songo'o

We don't always get a chance to see players up close and person. If you never meet a player or see them in an interview, it can be hard to fully appreciate their talent unless they're out on the field performing.  Newcomer for the Portland Timbers, Franck Songo'o, looks like he could be a nice addition to a struggling Timbers squad, but unfortunately he's only seen 151 minutes of play so far in 2012.

At just 24 years old, Songo'o has already played for clubs in both the English Premier League and La Liga. It's difficult to say how much playing time he'll get this season, but he's definitely got the skill set to perform at a high level. Will he gel with his teammates and does Head Coach John Spencer see him fitting into a specific role?

Only time will tell how quickly he adjusts to his new surroundings. Until then, meet Franck Songo'o and enjoy this video that highlights his skill set.

Week 7: Chris Pontius vs Dominic Oduro - Who was better?

Chris Pontius stole the show in Sunday's match against the New York Red Bulls - winning Player of the Week honors - but did he really have that good of a game? He did great to finish his opportunities, but the Red Bulls were responsible for all three goals to some extent. Pontius had 37 touches (less than 6% of DC’s total touches) in 87 minutes. 16 of the 37 touches were passes, of which he completed just 70% (14/20). He gave up possession of the ball 12 times (11 in the oppositions half) and his only touch in DC’s own half was a pass lost. He did however have 2 key passes to go along with his 5 shots. -  Pontius Heat map and total touches breakdown

Dominic Oduro capitalized on a Toronto FC mistake (combined with the hustle of Patrick Nyarko), scoring just 25 seconds into the game. He then returned the favor with a nice feed from midfield, setting Nyarko up for the game-winner. Oduro played 84 minutes and had 33 total touches. He completed 91% of his passes and only lost possession 5 times. He also won 4 fouls – 3 in the oppositions’ half. Oduro had the more complete game between the two, but was it good enough? You decide. -  Oduro Heat map and total touches breakdown

MLS Week 7: Statistical Breakdown

	Chris Pontius	Dominic Oduro
Touches	37	33
Passes	20	21
Passing %	70%	91%
Goals	3	1
Assists	0	1
Shots	5	4
Fouls Won	0	4
Possession Lost	12	5
Ball Recoveries	3	6

So, who do you think had the better game? Do the goals outweigh everything else?

My Friends Think I Work For Castrol...

If you think your forwards are slacking (or your whole team for that matter), and you’ve already used your free transfer the week, consider using your wildcard. With the wildcard you can reset your entire roster without losing a single point. But use it wisely because you only get one all season.

And if you need a mentor, check out my front line. When you compare it to the Castrol Index released last week you might think I had something to do with it. I promise I didn’t. Don’t be fooled though, managing a team this stacked does take some effort.

Adding Estrada to your squad will free up money for you to use on other key players.  He’s on a team full of talented playmakers and they’re going to score goals. He might not score every week, but he has the potential to score. Play around with your roster and if you have a fantasy related questions, just ask. You can find me on Twitter @Ben_Jata

MLS - Looking Ahead (Informative Opta Update)

Week 3 in the MLS should be another great week, full of awesome goals, hard tackles and controversial coaching decisions! Unfortunately, both the Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake have off this weekend, so my main responsibilities will be the Houston Dynamo and LA Galaxy. I haven't done the Dynamo yet, but seeing as how I just finished the post-match analysis on the Houston vs. Seattle game yesterday, I feel confident taking them this week. When you do post-match analysis you get to know both teams extremely well because you spend so much time looking at every single player. Knowing this, I'd definitely feel comfortable doing the Seattle Sounders FC as well. When doing live-game analysis, some teams are harder to do than others and there are many factors that play a role in how good the analysis turns out.  A lot of networks have camera views far away from the field and this generally makes the players much harder to identify.  Jersey color can also play a factor. When you have shirts and shorts that match in color, it can be hard to tell if the player has his shirt tucked in.  Also, most numbers are barely visible from the views we have so our focus has to be on everything else.  After this weekend I'll have done, Chicago, LA, RSL and Houston. Our training was done with the Colorado Rapids so I know them too. By the end of this season, it's quite possible that I'll have done analysis on practically every team in MLS.

All in all, the 2011 season is certainly living up to the hype. MLS is really taking things up a notch this year and its been a lot of fun being apart of it. The website is better than ever and their article content is extensive. If you haven't checked out the Podcasts yet, I suggest doing so because they can be really informative and new guests are on the show all the time. Matchtracker is running at a high level and every piece of data we enter in our matches is updated instantly to the web. Every game this year has video highlights posted during the game, and if you're into Apple products, the app for the iPad/iPhone is great for checking in on all the action.

Wilmington Hammerheads Continue To Roll - (Turf Field Update)
Last night the Hammerheads took on UNC-W in a wet and challenging environment, but came out as the victors yet again. The team boosted it's preseason record to a promising 6-0 start. The final was 3-1 with Jyler Noviello scoring two goals to lead the way.  He's the teams leading scorer this preseason and a likely starter at forward on opening day.  Richard took the night off with a minor hip injury, but should be back in time for the teams next preseason match. From what I understand only 14 players took part in the game so it looks like a quite a few were sidelined with injuries as well.

Good news coming from Wilmington is that the new turf field at Legion Stadium is finished.  Coach Irving said that the field will definitely take some getting used to and that it's going to play really fast for the time being.  He knows that the more they play on it, the better it should feel to the players and the more it should settle. I've never really played on turf, but I'm assuming it can be quite different for some of the players. The Hammerheads next match is scheduled for this Saturday against the Carolina Railhawks of the NASL.

More Good News for Jata!!

Just days after the 2009 Addidas MLS Combine list came out, the NSCAA announced their yearly awards. First, the All-Region Teams were announced, and after making second team All-South the past two years, Jata stepped it up a notch. He was one of four midfielders named to the first team this year, a team that was dominated by Wake Forest. Campbell's Senior defender Stephen Oyuga also made first team along with Jata. (All-South team listed below)

It wouldn't be much longer until Jata was struck with more good news. Today the All-American Teams were announced, and once again Jata was recognized. After netting 7 game-winners and finishing the season with 12 goals and 4 assists, Jata's performance was good enough to earn him a spot on this years NSCAA All-American Second Team. In the last 31 years, only five other Campbell players have been named to an All-American team.

All-South First Team
K - Jimmy Maurer Sophomore South Carolina, Lawrenceville, Ga.
D - Darrius Barnes Senior Duke, Raleigh, NC
D - Ike Opara Sophomore Wake Forest, Durham, NC
D - Stephen Oyuga Senior Campbell, Nairobi, Kenya
M - Corben Bone Sophomore Wake Forest, Dallas, Texas
M - Michael Callahan Senior North Carolina, Cary, NC
M - Sam Cronin Senior Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, NC
M - Richard Jata Senior Campbell, Port Richey, FL
F - Cody Arnoux Junior Wake Forest, Wilmington, NC
F - Michael Grella Senior Duke, Glen Cove, NY
F - Marcus Tracy Senior Wake Forest, Newtown, Conn

All-American First Team
K - Jovan Bubonja Junior Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
D - Calum Angus Senior Saint Louis, Portsmouth, England
D - Matthew Besler Senior Notre Dame, Overland Park, Kan.
D - Omar Gonzalez Junior Maryland, Dallas, Texas
D - Tennant McVea Junior Loyola (Md.), Belfast, Northern Ireland
M - Corben Bone Sophomore Wake Forest, Dallas, Texas
M - Sam Cronin Senior Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, NC
M - Andrei Gotsmanov Senior Creighton, Omaha, Neb.
M - Baggio Husidic Junior Illinois-Chicago, Libertyville, Ill.
F - Andre Akpan Junior Harvard, Grand Prairie, Texas
F - Mike Grella Senior Duke, Glen Cove, NY
F - Marcus Tracy Senior Wake Forest, Newtown, Conn.
F - Steve Zakuani Sophomore Akron, London, England

All-American Second Team
K - Milos Kocic Junior Loyola (Md.), Leskovac, Serbia
D - Joel Gustafsson Junior St. John's, Queens, NY
D - Ike Opara Sophomore Wake Forest, Durham, NC
D - Chris Schuler Junior Creighton, Omaha, Neb.
M - Alejandro Bedoya Senior Boston College, Weston, FL
M - Michael Callahan Senior North Carolina, Cary, NC
M - Richard Jata Senior Campbell, Port Richey, FL
M - J.T. Noone Junior Temple, Harrisburg, Pa.
F - Quincy Amarikwa Senior Cal-Davis, Bakersfield, Calif.
F - Doug DeMartin Senior Michigan State, Mason, Mich.
F - Mike Fucito Senior Harvard, Westford, Mass.
F - Daniel Revivo Senior Winthrop, Richmond Hill, Ontario
F - Chris Salvaggione Senior Charlotte, Monument, CO