So I go to lunch at this restaurant/bar near my office. They have ESPN playing in the background (no volume) and the ticker at the bottom of the screen says Ronaldnho signed a 5-year, $116 deal to join Chelsea at the end of the year. So, I get back to the office and (in between phone calls and emails) I search for more information. I can’t find anything…just stuff about his frequenting nightclubs in Barcelona (can’t blame him…I’ve spent a week there once and the nightclubs were …

Can’t anyone think of anything original? C’mon now, the World Series of Soccer? How pathetic is that? Ok, so it’s a nice little money spinner in the middle of the season to coincide with the arrival of the Spiced One (well, if Gretzky is the Great One…)
What really gets me about this whole thing is that in the rest of the world, do you think teams would make a commitment like this in the middle of the season? Six years ago, I had my flight book, …

I haven’t been able to post for a while. Who knew Grad School would take up so much of my time? Yeah, I knew it would but I’m sure no one reading this cares about my study habits.
A sure sign of the times in MLS is the announcement that Matchnight will be shutting down. Yeah, I’m sad to see the site go. Lee and Shane have done a fantastic job of informing the fans with a professional looking site. I’m certain they ran the site on a shoestring budget (if …

WooHoo!!! It’s almost the weekend. This weekend is extra special as 1) I get to see the Galaxy play in person this week as they’ll be at Invesco–though the way they’ve been playing on the road the last couple of years, I’m not sure it’s a good thing–and 2) The Championship season starts in England and Ipswich will be playing Cardiff.
Not sure why I find it ironic, but as much as fan groups in this country maintain they should be able to stand like fans in other countries, …

Things are going great in Des Moines right now. Not only will they get to play Kansas City in the Open Cup on Wednesday, but they are through to the Semi’s of the PDL playoffs. They’ll host Orange County Blue Star next weekend in the PDL Semi’s.
It looks like there will be a bidding war to sign Freddy Adu once he turns 18. Chelsea seem very interested. During the broadcast of the match on Thursday, it was mentioned that Adu’s mother watched the match from Chelsea’s box. Would that be …

As if playing Chelsea tonight in a friendly isn’t enough….the even Empire (AEG) is announcing the sale of the team to local investors.
Now, anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knowns I’m not the biggest fan of AEG–or at least the way they do things in LA–so I can only see this move as a positive for the fans in DC. Looks like they’ll be getting a new stadium as well, though I’m not holding my breath until it’s official. Hope it’s a good match tonight and congrats …

I didn’t know this but Chelsea’s chairman is an American from New York. He’s in the states right now for tonight’s match against DC. He spoke with Voice of America yesterday and had some interesting comments about MLS and the Americanization of the marketing of the sport in England. One comment in particular caught my attention.
“The salary cap (in MLS), generally speaking, is a good idea because it saves the owners from each other, if that’s the right way of phrasing it. But it does prevent you from getting the …

Last week, I watched LA get torn apart by Real Madrid. The 2-0 score flattered the Galaxy and everyone went away happen even though fans paid through the nose for the chance to see the match.
So, let’s cross to the other side of the Pacific were the Spanish Giants are right now. They played Tokyo Verdy over the weekend and got thumped 3-0. On top of that, Verdy player, Toda spat in Becks face as the teams left the pitch at half-time.

“Toda spat in my face. That in life is …

I’d started this long winded Ramble about the Galaxy’s two games this last weekend but it just kept getting longer and really had no direction. Guess I’ve still got a lot to learn when it comes to writing. Thankfully, Nick Green at the Daily Breeze bailed me out with this piece. Fact is, while MLS has come a long way in the last 10 years, the league as a whole still has a lot more climbing to do. They (the league and teams) are so caught up on what’s going …